“The Greatest Teaching Moment” – Rick Joyner

     We have come to the time when the distinctions between God’s ways and the ways of those who reject and resist Him are clear. Biblical prophecy calls this time “the Valley of Decision.” With the distinctions made clear to all, every individual and every nation will either make the choice to follow God or side with His enemies. There will be no middle ground for anyone.

     Jesus said in Matthew 12:30, “He who is not with Me is against Me; and he who does not gather with Me scatters.” This has been true since Jesus walked the earth, but many have tried to sit on the fence, which is in fact to oppose Him. At the end of the age it will be clear where everyone stands.  

     There is a reason why the two globalist forces in the world, radical Islam and Marxism, both consider Christianity and America their greatest enemies. Both of these globalist ideologies have the destruction of America as their number one goal because it is the biggest obstruction to their ultimate goal of totalitarian control of the whole earth. They are right about that. 

     Radical Islam is the ultimate religious totalitarianism, and Marxism is the ultimate political and economic totalitarianism. Radical Islam cannot tolerate religious freedom, and Marxism cannot tolerate any kind of freedom—religious, political, economic, or any other kind. The total dominance required by both of these globalist forces are threatened by the freedoms America stands for, as well as her political, economic, and military power, to hold these totalitarian ideologies at bay. Both radical Islam and Marxism consider themselves to be the inevitable conclusion of human history—the irresistible force. America is the immovable object. Now is the time of the ultimate clash.

     The core freedoms that have made America the freest and most powerful nation on earth, has also made it vulnerable to the delusion that it could get along in a peaceful co-existence with these contrary ideologies and religions. It is our nature to let others be free to choose their own course, which is one of the most unique and extraordinary characteristics of America. But this innocent naivete has also allowed those intent on our destruction to grow very strong both from without and within our own land. Without a doubt, America is in the first stages of its ultimate battle for survival. 

     It is basic military doctrine that you cannot defeat an enemy you cannot see. It is a historical truth that if someone says they want to destroy you it is a deadly mistake not to take them seriously. Every oath of office in America is to defend The Constitution from enemies both foreign and domestic, but it has been the history of America not to be good at discerning enemies until they have become a grave threat. 

     America is now experiencing the truth of Isaiah 5:13: “My people go into bondage for their lack of knowledge.” It is the lack of knowledge of the foundations our nation has been built on, which we lack because of neglect, and the lack of knowledge about the true nature of our enemies, because we have not been vigilant. For this reason, we will use these Heritage Briefs to study our national and religious foundations, and contrast them with present enemies. 

     As America is called to be a healing nation, and one that proclaims liberty throughout the world, we must learn how to balance our healing nature with the ability to recognize our enemies and resolve to defeat them. There are remarkable examples in history of those who were both great healers and great warriors. We must learn from them. These two seeming contradictory natures actually work together to elevate each other, as we will see. To understand how they work together, we must keep in mind Ecclesiastes 3:1-8: 

     “There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every event under heaven, “a time to give birth and a time to die; a time to plant and a time to uproot what is planted; “a time to kill and a time to heal; a time to tear down and a time to build up… 

“a time for war and a time for peace.”  

     Understanding timing is a key to understanding. We may want peace more than anything, but we will perish if we seek peace when it is the time for war. We are now at war. As history also makes clear, attempts to appease intractable enemies like we now face makes the ultimate cost of the conflict far greater. 

     Remembering the first thing Jesus said about the end of the age is to not be deceived, one of the most common roots of deception is dualistic thinking. This causes people to only think in extremes when the “path of life,” the solution, is usually somewhere between the extremes. Dualistic thinkers cannot comprehend concepts like “the great and the terrible day of The Lord,” but can only see it as “great” or “terrible.” Such cannot resolve that Jesus is both the Prince of Peace and a warrior, the “Captain of the hosts (armies) of The Lord.” He is both a Lion and a Lamb. He is all of these all of the time, but depending on the times one side of His nature will often be preeminent. This is why discerning the times was such an emphasis of Jesus.

     Peace and unity are noble goals, but ultimate peace and unity will not come until the ultimate conflict, prophesied at the end of this age, takes place. If we think it is a time for peace when it is a time for war, we are deceived. Jesus, who is “the Prince of Peace,” who came to bring peace and goodwill to man, who is the greatest Healer there will ever be, also said, “Do not think that I came to bring peace on the earth; I did not come to bring peace, but a sword” (Matthew 10:34). 

     To walk with Jesus requires that we know what time it is. Jesus came the first time as a Lamb, but He is coming back as a Lion. We are now about to get to know His Lion nature. Those who follow Him in the coming times will be warriors so that when the battle is over the whole world can receive all of the benefits The Lamb sacrificed so much to give this world. As we proceed the path we are here to walk, it will get brighter as well as our purpose in this time. 

     History does not long entrust the care of freedom to the weak or timid. ~President Dwight D. Eisenhower  

     It is fatal to enter a war without the will to win it. ~Gen. Douglas MacArthur

Source: Morning Star Ministries