Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Prophetic Brief
Insight and Analysis for the 21st Century Anatomy of a Nation in Decline - Part 5 Reference Point God is Sovereign
I am in South Africa this week where we have gathered people to train them in the prophetic and select some Apprentice Prophets. We have invited people from our churches all across the continent of Africa, the Indian Ocean and also from India and Europe. The training is not primarily gift based; instead a strong emphasis is to reveal the nature of God so that our prophets come to know God the prophetic is relationship based. And a primary aspect of Gods nature that we must know is His Sovereignty. One verse we have looked at is Surely the Sovereign LORD does nothing without revealing his plan to his servants the prophets (Amos 3:7). Do you see the apparent contradiction? God is Sovereign, but He requires man to partner with Him in His macro dealings in the earth. There must be a people who are genuinely prophetic who can cooperate with God as He deals with the earth through crisis. I am not referring to an intellectual grasp of the fact that God is Sovereign. Many believers have that but they dont actually know the God who reigns in the midst of their own difficulties, whether financial reversals or family challenges. Because Sovereignty has been grasped primarily by minds and not hearts, it is a common misperception to think of the Sovereignty of God as a veto facility that God only acts when the enemy has gone too far and God must veto or counter the enemys plans in the earth. Implied in this wrong perspective is the idea that God does not become involved until the situation has become critical. In other words God is not involved in the creation or superintending of a process, but He only steps in when things get too critical. Of course, such a wrong view would make God little more than a crisis manager who is controlled by the initiatives of the enemy. The devil acts and God has to run to respond so the enemy doesnt go too far. It is this wrong view of God that causes the American church to pray or lament when a certain candidate is elected because they think it means that God is no longer superintending the affairs of a nation. Or which causes people to pray for God to solve the financial crisis, or to send revival because the earth has become so dark. Many sincere people are praying for God to become involved with the financial and political crisis when He is already involved!
We are living in an unmatched time in the earth; a time when crisis is erupting through natural disasters, political destabilization, and economic meltdown. Politicians and religious leaders are all weighing in on these events, but they dont seem to have the answers to a world in intense distress, and are rightly wondering:
ISSUE 416
After this I saw another angel coming down from heaven. He had great authority, and the earth was illuminated by his splendor. 2 With a mighty voice he shouted: "Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great! She has become a home for demons and a haunt for every evil spirit, a haunt for every unclean and detestable bird.
splendor. 2 With a mighty voice he shouted: "Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great! She has become a home for demons and a haunt for every evil spirit, a haunt for every unclean and detestable bird. We are living in a time of economic meltdown because God is judging a system that has been overtaken by satanic principles: She has become a home for demons and a haunt for every evil spirit, a haunt for every unclean and detestable bird (Rev 18:3). The system is rife with wrong principles of competition, scarcity, price gouging, collusion and all kinds of practices designed to maximize profit. Babylon is everything that is driven by dark value systems and deficient standards it is a home for demons the word home means a permanent dwelling place. The indication is in the time of the end, humanity has been so inundated by a lack of ethics and the quest for profit above all else that it is completely compromised. Babylon is the place where mankind has become one with darkness. Babylon cant live without the business cycle humming along without interruption; when it is suspended or threatened the whole earth goes into a spasm. But note the cause and effect the merchants mourn because no one buys not because people are being judged and dying. This is a time of ultimate judgment; an angel of great authority is shouting from heaven, a raging fire is burning Babylon to the ground, but the reason merchants weep and mourn is that they are going out of business. They dont grieve at the realization that they have built and participated in a false system that prioritizes carnal economic power over human life. When God is on the move bringing final resolution to the earth, they are tormented because the markets have frozen up. It is not the fate of the mass of humans living in darkness that produces distress; it is an interruption of the business cycle and the possibility of continued recession. What a wicked and terrible reality no wonder God has to judge it.
Key Observations
With these clear descriptors of Babylon and in light of the economic meltdown that began in 2008 and continues through today, we can make some observations. These Scriptural realities are major definers and broad trends that will characterize the times to come. These are not individual flashes of revelation or prophetic predictions of specific events they are
2011 SCOTT WEBSTER MINISTRIES.
The elections of 2012 will focus strongly on varying political views on how to fix the economy, but what they really are about what we need to see as we look at the primary and general elections is the inability of man to fix something that God is breaking. Human ideologies will be proclaimed and staunchly defended as the right and the left disagree on the way forward, but the economy will continue to limp along regardless of who wins election in 2012, and no matter whic h provision of Obamas jobs bill are passed or are voted down in Congress. Both sides had ample opportunity to prove the superiority of the system the free market led to intense greed, consumerism and the meltdown. Yet government regulation will suffocate and cap economic growth as Milton Friedman once said, the government is so inefficient if you put it in charge of the Sahara desert they would run out of sand. Both sides and all initiatives proposed in the future will fail to fix the economy.
Page 2 of 6
ISSUE 416
an examination of clear descriptions from the Word of God about how life will be in the future1. a) The presence of economic chaos in the earth is an indication of the Sovereignty of God. It is a powerful angel whose splendor fills the entire earth that is sent by God to declare that Babylon has fallen. God is behind the crisis that was unleashed on the worlds economies in 2008 and which continues to bring stagnation. Not only has Americas economy stopped growing and unemployment is stuck at over 9%, but natural disasters have increased in number and severity, extracting costs from a nation with an already overdrawn checkbook. This year was the costliest year on record for natural disasters by the month of July! The first six months saw $265 billion in economic losses, well above the previous record of $220 billion for all of twelve months of 2005 (the year Hurricane Katrina struck). Everything else that has happened since mid-year is adding to the bill for preparation, rescue and clean up. This year is "one for the record books," said Bob Hartwig, head of the Insurance Information Institute. "We are rewriting the financial and economic history of disasters on a global scale." In the U.S. ninety-eight events (storms, flooding, fires and earthquakes) left $27 billion in economic losses, more than double the previous 10-year average. The total number of events is trending up as well: the first half of 2011 produced more events than most entire years before 2006. If the tornadoes that hit the U.S. in the spring of 2011 were counted as a single event it would make it into the top 15 costliest events of all time as well. This pushes up insurance rates for everyone, further stressing the economic reality2. Hurricane Irene was only a Category 1 storm, a relatively small hurricane, yet because it dumped rain on a demographically dense area of the nation it ranks as one of the top 10 most costly disasters in U.S. history. It devastated the fall foliage season for New Hampshire and Vermont, and right in its wake Hurricane Lee emptied the beaches of the Gulf Coast during Labor Day weekend. People stayed home instead of spending money, and the bills keep adding up while the tax base keeps decreasing because of lower property taxes and fewer employed workers. It is a lack of sight of the Sovereign One that causes people to interpret Irene and the small earthquake which rattled Washington, DC the week before as some sort of sign regarding U.S. government policy. In fact a much more correct view is how these and other disasters are happening in the middle of an attempted recovery from the Great Recession. The lack of economic growth, the natural disasters and the political polarization all are having a cumulative negative economic effect on this nation and the entire earth. We must have prophets who know this Sovereign God who is not only the God of blessing and prosperity, but also of destruction and economic collapse (Isaiah 45). His aim is not to restore America or revive the economy; He is the one who is breaking it down. The false god that consists of equal parts capitalism, hyper-faith teaching and an American sense of exceptionalism is being exposed as a figment of a self-indulgent churchs imagination and the object of its lust. Of course some will say that the strategic destruction cannot be God. Of them we could ask: what is your philosophy and Scripturally based view of what is happening? Is God in charge or not? If you say He is not, then how can He be God if all these things are happening outside of His will? If you say that He is, then what is His purpose? Make no mistake; the presence of economic chaos in the earth is an indication of the Sovereignty of God.
1 2
These Key Observations are from Dr. Noel Woodroffes teaching entitled 2009 Spiritual Requirements. Used by permission. Quotes and statistics taken from 2011 Already Costliest Year for Natural Disasters, http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/43727793/ns/world_newsworld_environment/#, retrieved July 12, 2011
Page 3 of 6
ISSUE 416
b) The events that move us to the end of time cannot be fixed by the efforts of man. Kings, merchants and all those who trade, stand and cry out when Babylon is judged there is nothing they can do to alter these events or to fix the global economy. It crashes because an angel of great authority sent by God forcefully shouts from heaven, and human systems are incapable of repairing that which is being destroyed from the unseen realm. No amount of prayer and intercession and no humans prophetic decree will change this reality. Likewise no political effort will change the fact that the economy is headed downhill. While there may be an ebb and flow to events, Obamas newly introduced jobs bill will not fix it, nor will the efforts of those on the right.
The elections of 2012 will focus strongly on varying political views on how Available> to fix the economy, but what they really are about what we need to see as we look at the primary and general elections is the inability of man to fix something that God is breaking. Human ideologies will be proclaimed and staunchly defended as the right and the left disagree on the way forward, but the economy will continue to limp along regardless of who wins the election in 2012, and no matter which provisions of Obamas jobs bill are passed or are voted down in Congress. Both sides had ample opportunity to prove the superiority of the system the free market led to intense greed, consumerism and the meltdown. Yet government regulation will suffocate and cap economic growth as Milton Friedman once said, the government is so inefficient if you put it in charge of the Sahara desert they would run out of sand. Both sides and all initiatives proposed in the future will fail to fix the economy.
ISSUE 416
exportation and adoption of American style capitalism so that one meltdown could ripple across every nation. His Sovereign superintendence of the nations during the Great Depression brought recovery, growth and a global system that became even more exploitive, more interconnected and therefore more fragile. Why is 2011 so different? Because God is now enacting ultimate purpose within an interconnected global economic system, and in this time of finalization, all of Babylons riches have vanished, never to be recovered (v 14); and the city will be thrown down, never to be found again (v 21). Mankind and his greed have been mastered by prophetic reality. Translation: God is fulfilling His purpose even though man is exercising his free will. c) Those who are aware of what is happening will be required to walk through the crisis. Knowing that God is judging the global economic system does not make us fatalistic, pessimistic or maladjusted. I have never walked around with a sandwich board declaring the End is near! (nor will I). Kathy and I laugh together, we enjoy spending time with our children and grandchildren and generally our lives are very healthy. Yet we live with the intense realization that God is initiating a final confrontation with the systems of Darkness. We have no idea how long this might take years or decades, no one knows except the Father Himself but whether it is 50 years or 500, the process leading towards the end has begun. We must increase our capacity to interact with God and receive Divine insight while still living in this mortal realm. When Babylon is judged there are saints, apostles and prophets who are present and participating in other words a functional church exists at a time when global economies are being burned to the ground. Clear descriptions and requirements are given in the Word of God for how we must exist as we partner with God in His Sovereign dealings in the earth. In the next newsletter we will look at: What does it mean for the church to come out of Babylon? What ministries are essential to the end times, and why are they so vital? What kind of believer do we have to be to walk with God through the crisis?
www.scottwebsterministries.org
2011 Scott Webster Ministries. All Rights Reserved.
2011 Copyright by SWM, copy and duplication without permission is prohibited.
Page 5 of 6
ISSUE 416
Reference Points
In order to correctly understand this prophetic analysis we must first deal with the context of our knowledge about key principles and platforms. I am calling these Reference Points, and to benefit from this prophetic word they must be understood, accepted and referred back to while reading.
A series of crises has been released upon the earth and all nations will be impacted. There are three key reasons we are focusing on the U.S. specifically
1. Crisis is Global
2. God is Sovereign
He is superintending the events of the earth, and will use both light and darkness events to accomplish His purposes
The dealings of God in the earth (and the U.S.) are part of end time 3. We are Living in movements and realities. No man knows the day or the hour, but we are the End Times intended to understand times and seasons
4. Behind Nations is source. It manifests as political, economic and social but the source of it is a Spiritual Reality unseen. What is pushing the earth is not natural and it cannot be perceived
by earths intelligence
Therefore behind the natural decline that we can see there is a spiritual
Gods judgments are redemptive, and the heart of Anatomy of a Nation in 5. Gods Heart is Decline is not anger or an anti-American stance, it is a redemptive Redemptive bringing of awareness and correctness
This is not a call to repentance so that God will change the course of a nation, it is a call for us to be spiritually aware so that we can prepare and move into heightened levels of partnership with Gods end time purposes
Releasing The New Prophetic Dimension Activating The Capacity To Build Obeying The Command To Finish 2011 SCOTT WEBSTER MINISTRIES. Page 6 of 6