Illustrated Message Overview with Marjorie

We are starting to read in The Holy War at the bottom of page 17, paragraph 6, thru page 21 paragraph 3. To download a copy of the book, click on the link at the top of this website page. Please read this portion of the book, as we did at church today, to greater understand this message.

A spiritual intervention needs to be made in order to save a man’s soul. I’m sure there are a few souls in your life that could use a spiritual intervention from a fellow Christian, intervention to those who are backslidding.

The Holy War says;

“Then the captains and other field-officers called a council of war to consider what else needed to be done to win the city of Mansoul. After a spirited and thorough debate about the contents of their orders, they decided to give the city one more chance to respond to another summons by the hand of the trumpeter already mentioned. ‘But, if they are refused again’, they declared, ‘and the city continues to resist’, they instructed the trumpeter to tell the city that they would use all means to force them to submit to King Shaddai. (Luke 14:23)”

Jesus, in Luke 14:16-24 Amplified Bible, shares the parable of the dinner feast; “16 But Jesus said to him, “A man was giving a big dinner, and he invited many guests; 17 and at the dinner hour he sent his servant to tell those who had been invited, ‘Come, because everything is ready now.’ 18 But they all alike began to make excuses. The first one said to him, ‘I have purchased a piece of land and I have to go out and see it; please consider me excused.’ 19 Another one said, ‘I have purchased five yoke of oxen, and I am going to try them out; please consider me excused.’ 20 And another said, ‘I have [recently] married a wife, and for that reason I am unable to come.’ 21 So the servant came back and reported this to his master. Then [his master,] the head of the household, became angry [at the rejections of his invitation] and said to his servant, ‘Go out quickly into the streets and the lanes of the city and bring in here the poor and the disabled and the blind and the lame.’ 22 And the servant [after returning] said, ‘Sir, what you commanded has been done, and still there is room.’ 23 Then the master told the servant, ‘Go out into the highways and along the hedges, and compel them to come in, so that my house may be filled [with guests]. 24 For I tell you, not one of those who were invited [and declined] will taste my dinner.”

The people that declined the offer to dine with the man, are like many Christians today, who have so many excuses to not attend church, and be fed the word of God. If you notice in verse 24, that the guests who declined will not even taste the dinner, no leftovers, nothing. Their seat at the table is replaced by the poor, disabled, blind, lame and those who were compelled to come in from the highways and hedges.

We live in such a religious privileged world that has Christians deceived to think that they can reject the fellowship of church, so long as they are reading the Bible, listening to preachers on various media platforms and supporting them with tithes and offerings.  

As ministers of the Gospel, there will be times that God will call you to spiritually intervene in a persons life and take authority over the demonic spirit realm that has them so backslidden from God that they can not even see that if they were to die, they would not be able to attend the marriage supper of the Lamb in heaven outlined in Revelations 19:6-10. Some may say that it sounds extreme, but is it? It’s something to think about.

In the natural realm, the backslider has given themselves over to the kingdom of darkness, and eventually allows the leaven (sin), to leaven the whole lump (their lives), without them really knowing it. It’s called becoming spiritually deaf and dumb to the word of God, and they are not able to hear any more what the Bible has to say and are not able to speak it with conviction, and this is why they need spiritual intervention.

The Holy War continues,

“‘But, if they are refused again’, they declared, ‘and the city continues to resist’, they instructed the trumpeter to tell the city that they would use all means to force them to submit to King Shaddai. (Luke 14:23).”

James 5:19-20 Amplified Bible says; “19 My brothers and sisters, if anyone among you strays from the truth and falls into error and [another] one turns him back [to God], 20 let the [latter] one know that the one who has turned a sinner from the error of his way will save that one’s soul from death and cover a multitude of sins [that is, obtain the pardon of the many sins committed by the one who has been restored].”

Hebrews 2:1-4 New King James Version says; “2 Therefore we must give [a]the more earnest heed to the things we have heard, lest we drift away. 2 For if the word spoken through angels proved steadfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just [b]reward, 3 how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation, which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed to us by those who heard Him, 4 God also bearing witness both with signs and wonders, with various miracles, and gifts[c] of the Holy Spirit, according to His own will?”  

Jesus says in Matthew 18:18-20 Amplified Bible; “18 I assure you and most solemnly say to you, whatever you bind [forbid, declare to be improper and unlawful] on earth [a]shall have [already] been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose [permit, declare lawful] on earth [b]shall have [already] been loosed in heaven. 19 “Again I say to you, that if two [c]believers on earth agree [that is, are of one mind, in harmony] about anything that they ask [within the will of God], it will be done for them by My Father in heaven. 20 For where two or three are gathered in My name [meeting together as My followers], I am there among them.”

In this action of binding and loosing, you’re coming into agreement with heaven, because there it’s already been said, done, and performed.

The Holy War:

“So Captain Boanerges ordered his trumpeter to go up to Ear-gate again, and, in the name of the great King Shaddai, to blow hard and summon the people to come down without delay to Ear-gate, and there listen to the King’s most noble captains. So the trumpeter went, and did as he was commanded. He went up to Ear-gate and blew his trumpet, and issued a third summons to the city of Mansoul. (Isaiah 58:1) The Captain also told him to say that if they still resisted, the captains of his Prince would come with a mighty force upon them and compel them to obey.  

Then up stood Lord Willbewill who was governor of the city (this Willbewill was the apostate I mentioned before), and keeper of the gates of Mansoul. He, then, with proud and impudent words, demanded to know something about the trumpeter, who he was, where he came from, and why he was making so hideous a noise at the gate, and speaking such insufferable words against the city of Mansoul.”

Lord Willbewill is a type and shadow of an apostate believer, who guards what is said at the Ear-gate of the city of Mansoul, so that the residents of Mansoul are kept in the kingdom of darkness and not able to even come to the knowledge the truth.

The Apostle Paul exhorts Timothy in 2 Timothy 4:3-4 Amplified Bible; “3 For the time will come when people will not tolerate sound doctrine and accurate instruction [that challenges them with God’s truth]; but wanting to have their ears tickled [with something pleasing], they will accumulate for themselves [many] teachers [one after another, chosen] to satisfy their own desires and to support the errors they hold, 4 and will turn their ears away from the truth and will wander off into myths and man-made fictions [and will accept the unacceptable].”

1 Timothy 4:1-3 Amplified Bible, Paul also says this about Apostasy; “4 But the [Holy] Spirit explicitly and unmistakably declares that in later times some will turn away from the faith, paying attention instead to deceitful and seductive spirits and doctrines of demons, 2 [misled] by the hypocrisy of liars whose consciences are seared as with a branding iron [leaving them incapable of ethical functioning], 3 who forbid marriage and advocate abstaining from [certain kinds of] foods which God has created to be gratefully shared by those who believe and have [a clear] knowledge of the truth.”

Galatians 1:6-9 Amplified Bible, Paul warns about the perversion of the Gospel;“6 I am astonished and extremely irritated that you are so quickly shifting your allegiance and deserting Him who called you by the grace of Christ, for a different [even contrary] gospel; 7 which is really not another [gospel]; but there are [obviously] [a]some [people masquerading as teachers] who are disturbing and confusing you [with a misleading, counterfeit teaching] and want to distort the gospel of Christ [twisting it into something which it absolutely is not]. 8 But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to that which we [originally] preached to you, let him be condemned to destruction! 9 As we have said before, so I now say again, if anyone is preaching to you a gospel different from that which you received [from us], let him be condemned to destruction!”

I believe one of the greatest apostate teachings, is that a person can be a genuine born again Christian and not attend and be committed to a church body of believers. So when you meet someone who calls themselves a Christian and they don’t attend any Church body, their will is not to do the Lord’s will for their lives, but rather their own will, and like Lord Willbewill, they have exchanged the truth for lies that condemns their soul. I don’t believe you can be a genuine Christian and abstain from Christian fellowship.  It’s not that you’re a Christian that is backslidden, but you were never a Christian. There is a religious façade, an appearance of being a Christian, but I don’t believe that the apostate position that you’re in will grant you entrance into the kingdom of heaven, therefore it shows that you’re not born again. You say, that is so extreme, is it? Let’s be clear, I’m not talking about Christians who are in the hospital, care homes, communist nations where persecution is intense, although even in those cases they still go underground to meet, but to those who are able to attend church but don’t.

If you’re truly born again; your desire is to be with the body of Christ, your desire is to be in fellowship, your desire is to be breaking bread and having the Lord’s Supper with your brothers and sisters in Christ and not hating them, your desire is to share with your brothers and sisters in Christ if they are lacking, your desire is to tithe and give offerings, your desire is to function in the gifts and power of the Holy Spirit, your desire is to pray for the sick, cast out demons, speak in other tongues, your desire is to worship together, your desire is to evangelize the lost, your desire is to read the Bible and be fed by it, you’re not to turn a deaf ear to your brethren, so if this isn’t you, then examine your heart today and repent of your sins and receive Jesus Christ as Lord of your life.

The Holy War says;

“The trumpeter replied, ‘I am a servant of the most noble captain, Captain Boanerges, general of the forces of the great King Shaddai, against whom both you and the whole city of Mansoul have rebelled, and lifted up the heel. But my master, the captain, has a special message to the city, and to you, as one of its leaders. Listen, Mansoul, to what I have to say in peace; if not, you must take the consequences.’

Then said Lord Willbewill, ‘I will carry your words to my king, and he will know what to say.’

But the trumpeter quickly answered, ‘Our message is not to the giant Diabolus but to the miserable city of Mansoul. Nor do we care what answer he makes, nor any of his crew. We have been sent to this city to recover her from his cruel tyranny, and to persuade her to submit as she did in former times to the most excellent King Shaddai.’ Then said Lord Willbewill, ‘I will take your message to the city.’”

It must be clear, the trumpeter was not talking to Lord Willbewill or Diabolus for that matter, but to Mansoul directly. This is why spiritual intervention on the demons that control a persons life is the only way their souls can be possibly saved, because their wills (Willbewill), are yielded to the kingdom of darkness, therefore the kingdom of darkness has to be removed by force in order for them to repent and be restored to God and do His will for their lives. I’m not talking about apostates, as these in Mansoul are backslidden. You may say, isn’t that the work of the Holy Spirit? Yes it is, but it’s also a work that you, as a Christian, need to do in prayer, intercession, binding the devil in the life of someone who has been bound by him, casting the devil out of their lives so they can hear what the Holy Spirit has to say.

The Holy War continues;  

“The trumpeter replied, ‘Sir, do not deceive us, lest, in so doing, you deceive yourselves even more.’ He added, ‘For we are determined, that if you do not submit peaceably, then we will make war against you and bring you under by force. And concerning the truth of what I say, this will be a sign for you — you will see a black flag, with hot burning thunderbolts on it, set up on the mount tomorrow as a token of your defiance against your prince, and of our determination to hand you over to your rightful Lord and King.’’’

Remember that Lord Willbewill was the apostate, who was assigned by Diabolus to guard the Ear-gate of Mansoul, to prevent Mansoul from becoming born again, saved, delivered, and being repentant.

Apostate teachers and their lies need to be exposed and brought to the light of God’s word found in the Holy Bible, and this why it’s so important to not only preach about it, but also take authority over the lying spirits that are trying to deceive, rob, kill and destroy a persons soul for eternity. This is why in this section of The Holy War, the Captains have no interest in hearing what Diabolus has to say, but are focused on the citizens of Mansoul’s response only.  

Apostate teachers and followers of apostate teaching are simply not born again, never-mind backslidden.

When doing a spiritual intervention, it’s important to have no interest in what the devil has to say, don’t give him any room to speak his lies, but rather bind his powers over the persons soul, so that person can hear clearly what the Holy Spirit is saying to them.

Here is a fantastic example of how Jesus handled the devil in Mark 1:25 Amplified Bible; “25 Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be quiet (muzzled, silenced), and come out of him!”

Luke 4:35 Amplified Bible gives another example; “35 But Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be silent(muzzled, gagged) and come out of him!” And when the demon had thrown the man down among them, he came out of him without injuring him in any way.”

Mark 1:34 Amplified Bible says; “34 And Jesus healed many who were suffering with various diseases; and He drove out many demons, but would not allow the demons to speak, because they knew Him [recognizing Him as the Son of God].”

The devil recognizes the Son of God in you today, Christian. Expect him to manifest and speak, but you don’t have to tolerate or allow him to speak. Tell him to be quiet. You have the authority today that Christ gave you over the devil, he doesn’t have authority over you.

The Holy War continues;

“Then the giant said to the captain (for Diabolus had also come down), ‘Mr. Captain, you have boldly summoned Mansoul at least four times to subject herself to your King, whose authority I do not accept; nor will I dispute that now. I ask, therefore, what is the reason of all this disturbance, if only you could see yourselves for what you are?’

Then Captain Boanerges who owned the black colours, and whose escutcheon was three burning thunderbolts, taking no notice of the giant or his speech, addressed himself to the city of Mansoul: ‘Be it known to you, unhappy and rebellious Mansoul, that the most gracious King, the great King Shaddai my Master has sent me to you with this commission’ (and he showed the city his large seal) ‘to reduce you to obedience to him. He has ordered me, if you yield to my summons, to treat you as my friends or brothers. But he has also bid me tell you that, if, after my summons to submit, you still stand firm and rebel, then we will take you by force.”

Captain Conviction, Captain Judgment and Captain Execution also deliver in their own manner of character that mirrors the meaning of their names, the message from King Shaddai.

It’s important to keep in perspective that these Captains are a type and shadow of God’s Old Testament prophets and the citizens of Mansoul are backslidden Old Testament saints who God is trying to deliver out from under the devil’s authority.

The big difference today, is that Jesus has given us in His name and all authority over the devil, to deliver not only unbelievers, but also backslidden Christians out of the kingdom of darkness.

In Luke 9:1 Amplified Bible, it says; “9 Now Jesus called together the twelve [disciples] and gave them [the right to exercise] power and authority over all the demons and to heal diseases.”

Luke 10:19 Amplified Bible; “19 Listen carefully: I have given you authority [that you now possess] to tread on [a]serpents and scorpions, and [the ability to exercise authority] over all the power of the enemy (Satan); and nothing will [in any way] harm you.”

Matthew 10:1 Amplified Bible says; “10 Jesus summoned His twelve disciples and gave them authority and power over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every kind of disease and every kind of sickness.”

The Holy War continues:

“The city of Mansoul refused to heed the plain speeches of these four noble captains. Yet their sound did have an effect, though their force could not break the gate open. In short, the city desired time to prepare their answer to these demands. The captains then told them that, if they would throw out to them Ill-Pause who was in the city, they might reward him according to his works. That would give them time to consider. But if they refused to cast him over the wall of Mansoul, then they would have no time left; ‘for,’ they said, ‘we know that as long as Ill-Pause draws breath in Mansoul, all wise counsel will be overturned, and nothing but harm will result.’”

Here’s a good blog from Heather Barot where you can read about Ill-pause;  

“The name of Ill-Pause
 

Ill-Pause is a mere Mr and not a Lord, so Ill Pause does not survive the conversion process. (see p 107). He makes a “low congee” (or bow) to Diabolus so must be of much inferior rank to Diabolus, and is a chattel or slave.
 

The word “pause” means a hesitation or break in the flow of speech. Ill-Pause is the personal demon who makes a soul hesitate to come to Christ for salvation. We could call Ill-Pause “Mr Procrastination”, or “Mr Put-It-Off”. He says to every Christian enquirer “Wait until you are old before you become a Christian. Enjoy your young life, make money and become a success, THEN when you are old and about to die repent of your sin and ask for forgiveness and salvation.  

Ill-pause is Satan’s orator.
 

The first reference to Ill-pause is on p 10. “Nor took he (Diabolus) any with him, but one Ill-pause, who was his orator in all difficult matters”. This is re-affirmed on p 12 with “Then stood forth that he, Mr. Ill-pause that Diabolus brought with him, who was his orator”. Ill-pause has “stinking breath” which causes the death of Lord Innocency (p 13). The words of Ill-pause are poison, and the fall results from his words as seen in the previous quote from p 14. The fall resulted in sin and guilt entering the world. It can be taken as read that Ill-pause is a liar.”  

Don’t allow Mr. Ill-pause to delay you from making Jesus Lord of your life.

We start today’s Illustrated Message by reading from The Holy War in Chapter 3 page 15. To download a copy of the book, click on the link at the top of this website page.

From the title, some would say, but God is a God of love, mercy, compassion etc. He is. But sometimes He has sent and continues to send thunderous preachers, the brim-stoners, the ones with a bit of edge on them as they deliver the truth with God’s sword, His word. Sometimes you have preachers who are delivering Gods word of conviction which results in sorrow for sin that leads to repentance.

Throughout the Old and New Testament, God has and will continue to raise up ministers to deliver His word of salvation to the souls of mankind, and all of these were hand-picked by God and were filled with His Spirit to fulfill the call on their lives. Even today, He is handpicking preachers who are willing to deliver a thunderous word, words of sorrow, terror and justice, and as we’ll read, are the A.K.A. names of the Captains that God sent to Mansoul. Truth be told, not too many preachers today would like to be associated with those A.K.A. names, would they.

The Holy War says;

“Now, all this time, good King Shaddai was preparing to send an army to recover the city of Mansoul from the tyranny of Diabolus, their pretended king. But at first he thought it right not to send it under the orders and command of brave Emmanuel his Son, but under some of his servants, to test the mood of Mansoul, and whether his servants could win her over to their King. The army consisted of more than forty thousand, all true men, for they came from the King’s own court, and were those of his own choosing.”

From reading this paragraph, we see that John Bunyan uses these servants and army as an allegorical type and shadow of those who God used to prepare the way, before Jesus (Emmanuel) was born. These would be all those mentioned in the Old Testament, named and unnamed servants of God. In the following excerpt we read about some of them in the books that they wrote, being divided into Major and Minor prophets of the Old Testament.

Got Questions gives a definition of Major and Minor prophets.

“Using the terms Major Prophets and Minor Prophets is simply a way to divide the Old Testament prophetic books. There are five Major Prophets: the books of Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel, and Daniel. There are twelve Minor Prophets: the books of Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi. The Minor Prophets are also sometimes called The Twelve.  

The Major Prophets are described as “major” because those books are longer, generally speaking, and their content has broad, even global implications. The Minor Prophets are described as “minor” because those books are shorter, for the most part, and their content is more narrowly focused. That does not mean the Minor Prophets are any less inspired than the Major Prophets. It is simply a matter of God choosing to reveal more to some prophets than He did to others.”  

The Holy War continues;

“They came up to Mansoul under the command of four brave generals, each man a captain of ten thousand men. And these are their names and ensigns. The name of the first was Captain Boanerges; the name of the second Captain Conviction; the name of the third Captain Judgement; and the name of the fourth Captain Execution. These were the captains that Shaddai sent to recapture Mansoul.”

In this present day and age, although Jesus, (Emmanuel) has come and is now at the right hand of the Father, God continues to raise up Captains (Christian ministers), like these to reach the souls of men in these last days who either don’t know who He is, or have heard about Him but rejected Him or have served Him at some point but have backslid. Let’s bring their names closer to home; Pastor Boanerges, Evangelist Conviction, Prophet Judgment, Apostle Execution. God has instituted gifts in the Body of Christ according to Ephesians 4:11-12 and 1 Corinthians 12 to win over man’s soul, to fight the good fight of faith, that men everywhere might be saved for all of eternity.  

So these Captains which were sent to preach God’s word, were the Prophets of the Old Testament. These four captains were sent to ‘recapture’ Mansoul, showing that at creation, Adam and Eve belonged to God, were in love and enraptured by Him, but fell into sin, allowing satan, (Diabolus) to be their lord. God has the authority to ‘recapture’ them even though Diabolus says the contrary.  How many today have left their love of God for the service of the devil in this world? You thought you’d never leave Him, but you did, you kept God’s laws faithfully, were enamored with Him, but somewhere, somehow, Diabolus got your ear-gate, and he has turned your heart away from God to serve him.

The Holy War says;

“These four captains, so it was said, the King thought fit to send first to Mansoul to make an assault on it; for indeed, generally speaking, in all his wars he never sent his four captains in the rear, for they were very brave and rough-hewn men, men fit to break the ice, and to have their way by the power of the sword. And their men took after them.

To each of these captains, the King gave a banner (Psalm 60:4), that it might be displayed to show the justice of his cause, and because of the authority he had in retaking Mansoul.”

This being the case, there would have been ten thousand just like Captain Boanerges, ten thousand just like Captain Judgment, ten thousand like Captain Conviction and ten thousand like Captain Execution. You could maybe say the same today that Christians look like, act like, talk like, and dress like their pastors, or evangelists that they listen to, or teachers that they follow.

Psalm 60:4 Amplified Bible; “4  You have set up a banner for those who fear You [with awe-inspired reverence and submissive wonder—a banner to shield them from attack],A banner that may be displayed because of the truth. Selah.”

God’s people continue to say, “The Lord is my Banner,” because it is in His power that the enemies are vanquished. The Lord is our Banner in that He is the One under whom we unite. He is our Savior. We are rescued by Him and identified in Him.

Let’s take a look at the Captains that King Shaddai chose to prepare the way of God’s salvation plan for the citizens of the city of Mansoul.

The Holy War;

“First, to Captain Boanerges (Mark 3:17), for he was the chief, were given ten thousand men. His ensign was Mr. Thunder. He bore black colours, and his escutcheon was three burning thunderbolts.”

The word, escutcheon, is a noun which means; a shield or shield-shaped emblem bearing a coat of arms. So on Captain Boanerges shield were three burning thunderbolts.

The name Boanerges comes from Mark 3:17, where Jesus gives that name to James and John as we read; “17 James the son of Zebedee and John the brother of James, to whom He gave the name Boanerges, that is, “Sons of Thunder”;”

The Bible Hub gives this description of Boanerges;

Meaning and Interpretation:
The name "Boanerges" is of Aramaic origin, and its translation as "Sons of Thunder" suggests a characterization of James and John’s personalities or their potential roles in the early Christian community. The term implies a sense of fervor, zeal, and possibly impetuosity, reflecting the brothers' passionate nature.  

Contextual Analysis:
James and John were part of Jesus' inner circle, along with Peter. Their close relationship with Jesus is evident in several key events, such as the Transfiguration (Mark 9:2-13) and their presence in the Garden of Gethsemane (Mark 14:32-42). The designation "Sons of Thunder" may reflect their boldness and eagerness in following Christ, as well as their occasional lack of restraint.
 

One notable incident that illustrates their fiery disposition is found in Luke 9:54, where James and John, upon encountering a Samaritan village that did not welcome Jesus, asked, "Lord, do You want us to call down fire from heaven to consume them?" . This request underscores their zealous nature, which Jesus gently rebuked, teaching them a lesson in mercy and restraint.

Theological Implications:
The surname "Boanerges" highlights the transformative journey of the apostles under Jesus' guidance. While James and John initially exhibited traits of impulsiveness and fervor, their time with Jesus molded them into leaders of the early Church. James would eventually become the first apostolic martyr (Acts 12:2), and John, known as the "beloved disciple," would go on to write the Gospel of John, three epistles, and the Book of Revelation.  

As Christians, we can all either personally identify with this definition of Boanerges, or we know of other Christians that resemble it, either way, God did and will continue to raise up ministers that will not settle for milk and toast sermons from the Church of Kumbaya, but will boldly preach with thunder, the uncompromised meat of God’s word that may cost them everything, including their lives or imprisonment, such as the case was with James and John.

So Captain Boanarges, A.K.A., Mr. Thunder, dressed in black colours and carried a shield with a coat of arms on it that resembled three burning thunderbolts, and had authority over 10,000 loyal soldiers who were just like him in both name and image.

Maybe some pastors need to show up at their churches like that some day...at least in the spirit realm with that kind of authority, to wake the congregation up.

The Holy War;  

“The second captain was Captain Conviction. To him, also, were given ten thousand men. His ensign’s name was Mr. Sorrow. He bore pale colours, and his escutcheon was the book of the open Law from which issued a flame of fire. (Deuteronomy 33:2)”

Captain Conviction, A.K.A., Mr. Sorrow, dressed in pale colours and carried a shield with a coat of arms that resembled a flame of fire that’s shooting out of an open book of God’s Law. Maybe some prophets need to show up to your church decked out like that, shake the congregation up, deliver the word of the Lord, bring conviction of sin, righteousness and judgment to come. Give them the meat of God’s word.

Deuteronomy 33:2Amplified Bible says; “2 He said, “The Lord came from Sinai, And dawned on them from Seir; He shone forth from Mount Paran, And He came from among ten thousand holy ones; At His right hand was a [a]flaming fire, a law, for them.”

The reading of the Ten Commandments that God gave Moses on Mount Sinai is what brought conviction of sin that lead them to repent and believe in God. Let’s read the Ten Commandments in Exodus 20:3-17. Some may not want to hear or read them, thinking that they are legalistic and no longer for today...but they are and will always be.

Exodus 20:3-17 Amplified Bible says;  

“3 “You shall have no other gods before Me.

4 “You shall not make for yourself any idol, or any likeness (form, manifestation) of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth [as an object to worship]. 5 You shall not worship them nor serve them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous (impassioned) God [[a]demanding what is rightfully and uniquely mine], visiting (avenging) the iniquity (sin, guilt) of the fathers on the children [that is, calling the children to account for the sins of their fathers], to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, 6 but showing graciousness and steadfast lovingkindness to thousands [of generations] of those who love Me and keep My commandments.

7 “You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain [that is, irreverently, in false affirmations or in ways that impugn the character of God]; for the Lord will not hold guiltless nor leave unpunished the one who [b]takes His name in vain [disregarding its reverence and its power].

8 “Remember the Sabbath (seventh) day to keep it holy (set apart, dedicated to God). 9 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is a Sabbath [a day of rest dedicated] to the Lord your God; on that day you shall not do any work, you or your son, or your daughter, or your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock or the temporary resident (foreigner) who stays within your [city] gates. 11 For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea and everything that is in them, and He rested (ceased) on the seventh day. That is why the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy [that is, set it apart for His purposes].

12 “Honor (respect, obey, care for) your father and your mother, so that your days may be prolonged in the land the Lord your God gives you.

13 “You shall not commit murder (unjustified, deliberate homicide).

14 “You shall not commit [c]adultery.

15 “You shall not steal [secretly, openly, fraudulently, or through carelessness].

16 “You shall not testify falsely [that is, lie, withhold, or manipulate the truth] against your neighbor (any person).

17 “You shall not covet [that is, selfishly desire and attempt to acquire] your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male servant, or his female servant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”

Now, I can take it a step further, as Jesus took some laws to a whole other level. Like when He talked about adultery, Jesus said that even if you look at a women with lust in your heart you’ve committed adultery. How about murder? Jesus said that being angry and harbouring malice in their heart toward someone is in danger of the fiery hell. The laws that God gave are to bring conviction of sin and the reverential fear of Him.  

Matthew 5:21-23 says; “21 “You have heard that it was said to an older generation,[a] ‘Do not murder,’[b] and ‘whoever murders will be subjected to judgment.’[c] 22 But I say to you that anyone who is angry with a brother[d] will be subjected to judgment. And whoever insults[e] a brother will be brought before[f] the council,[g] and whoever says ‘Fool’[h] will be sent[i] to fiery hell.[j] 23 So then, if you bring your gift to the altar and there you remember that your brother has something against you,”

As Christians, we are more inclined to preach that we are saved by grace rather than law, but this does not mean that we don’t preach the keeping of the ten commandments, but rather that Jesus died in order that the righteous requirements of the law could be met in us, and we are made righteous by the shed blood of Jesus. The law brings conviction of sin, but it’s the work of the Holy Spirit to not only convict us of sin but gives us the ability to repent, receive forgiveness, and not continue to break God’s laws.

Romans 8:1-4 Amplified Bible; “Therefore there is now no condemnation [no guilty verdict, no punishment] for those who are in Christ Jesus [who believe in Him as personal Lord and Savior]. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life [which is] in Christ Jesus [the law of our new being] has set you free from the law of sin and of death. 3 For what the Law could not do [that is, overcome sin and remove its penalty, its power] being weakened by the flesh [man’s nature without the Holy Spirit], God did: He sent His own Son in the likeness of sinful man as an offering for sin. And He condemned sin in the flesh [subdued it and overcame it in the person of His own Son], 4 so that the [righteous and just] requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us who do not live our lives in the ways of the flesh [guided by worldliness and our sinful nature], but [live our lives] in the ways of the Spirit [guided by His power].”

John 16:5-15 Amplified Bible , Jesus promised the Holy Spirit to His disciples; “5 But now I am going to Him who sent Me; and none of you asks Me, ‘Where are You going?’ 6 But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your hearts [and taken complete possession of them]. 7 But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the [a]Helper (Comforter, Advocate, Intercessor—Counselor, Strengthener, Standby) will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him (the Holy Spirit) to you [to be in close fellowship with you]. 8 And He, when He comes, will convict the world about [the guilt of] sin [and the need for a Savior], and about righteousness, and about judgment: 9 about sin [and the true nature of it], because they do not believe in Me [and My message]; 10 about righteousness [personal integrity and godly character], because I am going to My Father and you will no longer see Me; 11 about judgment [the certainty of it], because the ruler of this world (Satan) has been judged and condemned. 12 “I have many more things to say to you, but you cannot bear [to hear] them now. 13 But when He, the Spirit of Truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth [full and complete truth]. For He will not speak on His own initiative, but He will speak whatever He hears [from the Father—the message regarding the Son], and He will disclose to you what is to come [in the future]. 14 He will glorify and honor Me, because He (the Holy Spirit) will take from what is Mine and will disclose it to you. 15 All things that the Father has are Mine. Because of this I said that He [the Spirit] will take from what is Mine and will reveal it to you.”

The Holy Spirit will speak through Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists, Pastors and Teachers today, and yes, including all Christians, but in the Old Testament, God sent prophet after prophet after prophet to speak His words of warning.

The Holy War continues;

“The third captain was Captain Judgement. To him, were given ten thousand men. His ensign’s name was Mr. Terror. He bore red colours, and his escutcheon was a burning fiery furnace. (Matthew 13:40-42).”

Captain Judgement, A.K.A. Mr. Terror, is clothed in red and his coat of arms on his shield is a fiery furnace.

The terror of the judgment of God is clearly spoken of by Jesus in the following scriptures which He spoke to His disciples about in a parable of weeds among the wheat. Christian, you’re the wheat, but there are weeds among you, growing right beside you, living next door or across the street from you, who call themselves Christians, but are tares or weeds.

Matthew 13:24-29 Amplified Bible talks about the weeds among the wheat;“24 Jesus gave them another parable [to consider], saying, “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. 25 But while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed [a]weeds [resembling wheat] among the wheat, and went away. 26 So when the plants sprouted and formed grain, the weeds appeared also. 27 The servants of the owner came to him and said, ‘Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? Then how does it have weeds in it?’ 28 He replied to them, ‘An enemy has done this.’ The servants asked him, ‘Then do you want us to go and pull them out?’ 29 But he said, ‘No; because as you pull out the weeds, you may uproot the wheat with them.”

Matthew 13:36-43 Amplified Bible explains the weeds; “36 Then He left the crowds and went into the house. And His disciples came to Him saying, “Explain [clearly] to us the parable of the weeds in the field.” 37 He answered, “The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man, 38 and the field is the world; and [as for] the good seed, these are the sons of the kingdom; and the weeds are the sons of the evil one; 39 and the enemy who sowed them is the devil, and the harvest is the end of the age; and the reapers are angels. 40 So just as the weeds are gathered up and burned in the fire, so will it be at the end of the age. 41 The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all things that offend [those things by which people are led into sin], and all who practice evil [leading others into sin], 42 and will throw them into the furnace of fire; in that place there will be weeping [over sorrow and pain] and grinding of teeth [over distress and anger]. 43 Then the righteous [those who seek the will of God] will shine forth [radiating the new life] like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears [to hear], let him hear and heed My words.”

Judgement and terror will come upon all the disobedient. So it’s not ‘if’ but ‘when’.

I feel like I can’t add much to this, the scriptures pretty much says it all, and nothing is going to change the judgment on those who reject God’s salvation plan which has been prophesied and preached about from the time of Adam and Eve to this very day.  

The Holy War says;  

“The fourth captain was Captain Execution. To him were given ten thousand men. His ensign was Mr. Justice. He also bore red colours, and his escutcheon was a fruitless tree with an axe lying at its root. (Matthew 3:10)”

Captain Execution, A.K.A., Mr. Justice, clothed in red and his coat of arms on his shield is a fruitless tree with an axe lying at its root.

Matthew 3:10 Amplified Bible says; "10 And already the axe [of God’s judgment] is [a]swinging toward the root of the trees; therefore every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.”

John the Baptist was a good example of a prophet, like Captain Execution, that preached clearly the justice of God and His swift execution on those that were religious Jews, who did not bear good fruits that demonstrated a new behaviour which proved a changed heart, and a conscious decision to turn away from sin.  

John says this in Matthew 3:7-10 Amplified Bible; “7 But when he saw many of the [a]Pharisees and [b]Sadducees coming for baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the [divine] wrath and judgment to come? 8 So produce fruit that is consistent with repentance [demonstrating new behavior that proves a change of heart, and a conscious decision to turn away from sin]; 9 and do not presume to say to yourselves [as a defense], ‘We have Abraham for our father [so our inheritance assures us of salvation]’; for I say to you that from these stones God is able to raise up children (descendants) for Abraham. 10 And already the axe [of God’s judgment] is [c]swinging toward the root of the trees; therefore every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.”

Matthew 7:15-20 Amplified Bible says; “15 Beware of the false prophets, [teachers] who come to you dressed as sheep [appearing gentle and innocent], but inwardly are ravenous wolves. 16 By their fruit you will recognize them [that is, by their contrived doctrine and self-focus]. Do people pick grapes from thorn bushes or figs from thistles? 17 Even so, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the unhealthy tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Therefore, by their fruit you will recognize them [as false prophets].”

There seems to be a bit of a theme running through these scriptures; fiery furnace, thunder bolts, fire shooting out of the book of the Law, terror and judgments to come. You won’t be able to stand before God and say; I didn’t know, I didn’t hear, I didn’t understand what he said. As we’ve read today, we can now see, hear and have knowledge of the truth. How many preachers have you listened to but have rejected their message? How many thunderous preachers have you listened to who have boldly preached the gospel to you but you’ve rejected? You've even come under the conviction of the Holy Spirit, but have rejected it. Even when you’ve sensed the terror of judgments to come, you scorned them and laughed them off and rejected it. Even in all of this, it doesn’t change God’s final judgment on your life if you reject Him, which is the lake of fire for eternity. You may have a godly appearance of a Christian, but He knows your heart and it’s not like He hasn’t warned you. From the beginning of time, God has been warning through prophet after prophet who prophesied about Jesus, who would take away the sin of the world to those who through faith in Him, would escape God’s wrath. John 3:16 Amplified Bible, “For God so [greatly] loved and dearly prized the world, that He [even] gave His [One and] [a]only begotten Son, so that whoever believes and trusts in Him [as Savior] shall not perish, but have eternal life.”

Meditate on God’s salvation plan for your life. There is a holy war for your soul today, where God has sent and is sending, apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, teachers and Christians to lead you to Jesus. Today if you have heard His voice, do not harden your heart.

Here are some scriptures on salvation to meditate on.

Ephesians 2:8-9

“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”

Titus 3:5 

“He saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit,”

Acts 4:12 

“And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”

Romans 10:9 

“Because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”

Mark 16:16 

“Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.”

1 Peter 1:8-9 

“Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.”

Today, let’s look at another piece of armour that Diabolus has to offer his subjects of the city of Mansoul for protection from King Shaddai’s Army. We will be reading from The Holy War in Chapter 2, point #4 on page 14 and 15. If you haven’t downloaded the PDF book, just click on the link at the top of this website page.

The Holy War Diabolus says;

“‘4. My shield is unbelief; calling into question the truth of the word, or all the sayings that speak of the judgment that Shaddai has appointed for wicked men. (Job 15:26) Use this shield. Many attempts have been made upon it; and sometimes, it is true, it has been dented. (Psalm 76:3). Those who have written of the wars of Emmanuel against my servants will testify that he could do no mighty work there because of their unbelief. (Mark 6:5-6)”

We see Diabolus sweating right now, he’s strategizing to clothe his subjects with armour, which is really an armour of lies and deception, to think that they can protect themselves from God’s word. To make it personal, to think that you can actually protect yourself from the Bible, God’s written Word -  who is the Lord Jesus Christ. Diabolus wants to clothe you today with a shield of unbelief, to protect you from God’s word penetrating into your life to operate in power.

Mark 6:1-6 Amplified Bible says; “6 Jesus left there and came to His hometown [Nazareth]; and His disciples followed Him. 2 When the Sabbath came, He began to teach in the synagogue; and many who listened to Him were astonished, saying, “Where did this man get these things [this knowledge and spiritual insight]? What is this wisdom [this confident understanding of the Scripture] that has been given to Him, and such miracles as these performed by His hands? 3 Is this not the carpenter, [a]the son of Mary, and the brother of [b]James and Joses and [c]Judas and Simon? Are His sisters not here with us?” And they were [deeply] offended by Him [and their disapproval blinded them to the fact that He was anointed by God as the Messiah]. 4 Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor (respect) except in his hometown and among his relatives and in his own household.” 5 And He could not do a miracle there at all [because of their unbelief] except that He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them. 6 He wondered at their unbelief.”

Jesus concluded by, “wondering at their unbelief”. Other translations say marveled, amazed, appalled, surprised, astonished ... at their unbelief. Even though laying hands on the sick and healing them is a big miracle and ‘makes the news’, the power Jesus walked in (and wants us to walk in), was so much more powerful than that – it was the miraculous that He walked in.  

Unbelief in what God’s word says in the Bible can and will effect the operation of the Holy Spirit’s power to perform miracles thru His ministers, and even Jesus Himself could only heal a few sick people as a result of their unbelief in Him and His word. So long as the devil can get a person to doubt what Jesus says in His word, they might witness a few healings, but will not experience the miraculous, simply because of their unbelief in what the Bible has to say about the performing of signs, wonders and miracles. As Christians, we are not only surrounded by unbelievers that doubt God’s word, but also Christians that doubt God’s word, and as a result, they never witness the miraculous that Jesus spoke of in His word. Christians that shield their lives by doubting God’s spoken word, will not experience the miraculous power of the Holy Spirit until they lay down the shield of unbelief and take up the shield of faith.

Ephesians 6:16 Amplified Bible says; “16 Above all, lift up the [protective] [a]shield of faith with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.”

Romans 10:17 Amplified Bible says; “17 So faith comes from hearing [what is told], and what is heard comes by the [preaching of the] message concerning Christ.”

1 John 5:4 Amplified Bible says; “4 For [a]everyone born of God is victorious and overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has conquered and overcome the world—our [continuing, persistent] faith [in Jesus the Son of God].”

As Christians, we can’t put faith in Christ alone as a person without also having faith in what He said in His own words. We can’t have one without the other, it’s either all of Christ and what He said or nothing. There’s no place to be double-minded.

James 1:1-7 Amplified Bible says; “1 [a]James, a bond-servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve [Hebrew] tribes [scattered abroad among the Gentiles] in the dispersion: Greetings (rejoice)!

2 Consider it nothing but joy, my [b]brothers and sisters, whenever you fall into various trials. 3 Be assured that the testing of your faith [through experience] produces endurance [leading to spiritual maturity, and inner peace]. 4 And let endurance have its perfect result and do a thorough work, so that you may be perfect and completely developed [in your faith], lacking in nothing.

5 If any of you lacks wisdom [to guide him through a decision or circumstance], he is to ask of [our benevolent] God, who gives to everyone generously and without rebuke or blame, and it will be given to him. 6 But he must ask [for wisdom] in faith, without doubting [God’s willingness to help], for the one who doubts is like a billowing surge of the sea that is blown about and tossed by the wind. 7 For such a person ought not to think or expect that he will receive anything [at all] from the Lord, 8 being a double-minded man, unstable and restless in all his ways [in everything he thinks, feels, or decides].”  

A good question to ask yourselves today is; am I double-minded when it comes to putting faith in all of what Jesus says in His word, do I believe in Jesus but not all of what He says?

Mark 16:17-20 Amplified Bible says; “17 These signs will accompany those who have believed: in My name they will cast out demons, they will speak in new tongues; 18 they will pick up serpents, and if they drink anything deadly, it will not hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will get well.”

19 So then, when the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, He was taken up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God. 20 And they went out and preached everywhere, while the Lord was working with them and confirming the word by the signs that followed.]”

Let’s look at a good example of Jesus clearing the room of all those who did not believe in miracles, before He could raise the dead daughter of Jairus to life.

Mark 5:35-43 Amplified Bible; “35 While He was still speaking, some people came from the synagogue official’s house, saying [to Jairus], “Your daughter has died; why bother the Teacher any longer?” 36 Overhearing what was being said, Jesus said to the synagogue official, “Do not be afraid; only keep on believing [in Me and my power].” 37 And He allowed no one to go with Him [as witnesses], except Peter and [a]James and John the brother of James. 38 They came to the house of the synagogue official; and He looked [with understanding] at the uproar and commotion, and people loudly weeping and wailing [in mourning]. 39 When He had gone in, He said to them, “Why make a commotion and weep? The child has not died, but is sleeping.” 40 They began laughing [scornfully] at Him [because they knew the child was dead]. But He made them all [b]go outside, and took along the child’s father and mother and His own [three] companions, and entered the room where the child was. 41 Taking the child’s hand, He said [tenderly] to her, “Talitha kum!”—which translated [from Aramaic] means, “Little girl, I say to you, get up!” 42 The little girl immediately got up and began to walk, for she was twelve years old. And immediately they [who witnessed the child’s resurrection] were overcome with great wonder and utter amazement. 43 He gave strict orders that no one should know about this, and He told them to give her something to eat.”

In order for the miracle to be performed by Jesus, the spirit of unbelief that scornfully mocked His words, could not be allowed to enter the room with Him, and only those who had faith in His words were only allowed to enter. So no matter how the fiery dart of death presents itself, you may have to clear the room of all unbelief that scornfully laughs at your faith in the miraculous words of Jesus.

In Acts 9:36-43, the Apostle Peter cleared everyone of the saints and widows out of the room before he prayed for Tabitha to rise from the dead, and it’s interesting to see that it wasn’t just the widows who had her not only dead and almost buried, but the saints also were removed from the room, which leaves room to speculate that they believed in Jesus, but didn’t have faith to raise the dead like Jesus said they could, and Peter had them removed from the room. The widows understood death, they had lost their spouses, they were acquainted with death, so naturally looking at the circumstances, they were mourning and crying.  

Jesus clearly says in Matthew 10:8 Amplified Bible; “8 Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give.”  

Clear the room of unbelief. You may have to do that once in a while during your time of ministry and you need discernment to do that. But you need to know what’s in operation in your midst, faith or unbelief. Some of you ministers would rather prefer the multitudes to stay that are full of unbelief, lest you offend them, instead of clearing the room and allow only those that are walking in faith before you minister healing, signs, wonders and miracles that you’re commanded to do. You might offend someone, but you might be better off to have a half dozen in your midst that are walking in faith, than a multitude of friends and family that are walking in unbelief. Just saying.

The Holy War Diabolus continues;

“Now, to handle this weapon of mine rightly, it is not to believe things because they are true. If he speaks of judgement, do not care about it; if he speaks of mercy, do not care about that; if he promises, if he swears that he will do such-and-such to Mansoul, but, if she repents, no harm will come to her but only good, disregard what is said, question the truth of it all, for it is to wield the shield of unbelief as my servants ought to do. And he who does otherwise does not love me, nor do I count him anything but a personal enemy.”

Diabolus is demanding that his ‘servants’ must walk in unbelief toward God and King Shaddai and His army and that if any faith is put in God, you’re Diabolus’ enemy. These subjects of Diabolus were at one time subjects of King Shaddai, and are a type and shadow of once Old Testament believers in God, now backslidden, and Diabolus is continuing to secure his Lordship over the city of Mansoul, by sowing unbelief towards King Shaddai. To this day the devil is continually causing Christians to backslide thru unbelief in what Jesus said in His word, and as a result, they are laying down their shields of faith and have taken up shields of unbelief in the spoken words of Jesus. So Christian, you may say that could never happen to you, well if that’s the case, how is it that there are entire denominations that reject what’s written in the Bible that applies to all Christians regarding the baptism of the Holy Spirit and fire with the evidence of speaking in tongues as well as operating in signs, wonders and miracles in the name of Jesus. Here are some scriptures for you to look up and read; Acts;1:8, Matthew 10:8, Mark 16:15-17. 

There is a link at the bottom of this message called Holy Spirit Power which talks about the Gifts of the Spirit and Speaking in Tongues.  

Hebrews 3:12-19 Amplified Bible talks about the peril of unbelief; “12 Take care, brothers and sisters, that there not be in any one of you a wicked, unbelieving [a]heart [which refuses to trust and rely on the Lord, a heart] that turns away from the living God. 13 But continually encourage one another every day, as long as it is called “Today” [and there is an opportunity], so that none of you will be hardened [into settled rebellion] by the deceitfulness of sin [its cleverness, delusive glamour, and sophistication]. 14 For we [believers] have become partakers of Christ [sharing in all that the Messiah has for us], if only we hold firm our newborn confidence [which originally led us to Him] until the end, 15 while it is said, “Today [while there is still opportunity] if you hear His voice,
Do not harden your heart, as when they provoked Me [in the rebellion in the desert at Meribah].”

16 For who were they who heard and yet provoked Him [with rebellious acts]? Was it not all those who came out of Egypt led by Moses? 17 And with whom was He angry for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose dead bodies were scattered in the desert? 18 And to whom did He swear [an oath] that they would not enter His rest, but to those who disobeyed [those who would not listen to His word]? 19 So we see that they were not able to enter [into His rest—the promised land] because of unbelief and an unwillingness to trust in God.”

We see that this is being written to brothers and sisters in the Lord – Christians. The rest of the Lord is that rest and refreshing in the Holy Spirit that was promised in Isaiah 28:11-12, by speaking in tongues for New Testament saints. But because of unbelief and unwillingness to trust in God. So many don’t want to loose the multitudes or offend them by clearing the room. Some may say that by clearing the room of unbelief they may loose all their church except for maybe a half-dozen. But why not do that? Sometimes you may need to clear the church of unbelief to have faith to see the miraculous performed.  

This is all the more reason to meditate in Bible scriptures that pertain to faith, so that when the fiery darts of the devil are coming at you from all directions, (and they will), you are able to quench them by the shield of faith and speak God’s word as it would apply to the attacks on you as a Christian.

1 John 5:4 Amplified Bible; “4 For [a]everyone born of God is victorious and overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has conquered and overcome the world—our [continuing, persistent] faith [in Jesus the Son of God].”

James 1:3 Amplified Bible; “3 Be assured that the testing of your faith [through experience] produces endurance [leading to spiritual maturity, and inner peace].”

1 Timothy 6:12 Amplified Bible; “12 Fight the good fight of the faith [in the conflict with evil]; take hold of the eternal life to which you were called, and [for which] you made the good confession [of faith] in the presence of many witnesses.”

Christians, God is calling you to walk in signs, wonders and miracles by faith. You might have to clear the room to see it operate though. You might have to say in a nice Christian way... ‘there’s the door, I can’t have you in here while I’m praying, I have the sick to pray for and I can’t pray the prayer of faith with you here because of your unbelief, you need to go outside’. Now, maybe Jesus had a little more tack than that when he only called Peter, James and John to raise Jairus’ daughter from the dead, it doesn’t say, but it would seem that they knew the room was full of unbelief. It doesn’t say they were offended with Jesus, but they were all astonished when they saw the little girl raised from the dead.

You have to confront unbelief in people, in a nice way, but don’t be afraid to tell those in the room who are full of unbelief to go outside for a bit and they can come back when you’re finished praying. The spirit of unbelief will manifest. In order for you to have faith to perform miracles, sometimes you have to clear the room. You may say, that doesn’t sound very Christian. But Peter had to clear the room because of unbelief. Jesus couldn’t do many miracles because of unbelief.  

There is a lot of unbelief in the body of Christ today, a lot of unbelief in God’s word, a lot of unbelief in the power of the Holy Spirit, a lot of unbelief in speaking in tongues and operating in the nine gifts of the Spirit that 1 Corinthians 12 talks about, a lot of unbelief that says that that happened then but not now, and we could go on and on. If you’re around that for a long time, you’ll walk in unbelief just like those around you.  

For whatever reason, when you have a whole congregation or a room full of unbelief, the Holy Spirit is not able to operate, or chooses not to operate and it’s not that He can’t. I’m not sure quite what it is but it seems like He can’t, because as we read already, “He could not do a miracle there at all [because of their unbelief]”.Likewise the Holy Spirit is so grieved by unbelief that He’s not able to operate and or simply chooses not to. There are a lot of ‘what ifs’. Jesus and the Holy Spirit are moved by faith, not unbelief. We know that Jesus has all authority over the devil, even the spirit of unbelief.

We read this earlier from Mark 6:3-6; “3 Is this not the carpenter, [a]the son of Mary, and the brother of [b]James and Joses and [c]Judas and Simon? Are His sisters not here with us?” And they were [deeply] offended by Him [and their disapproval blinded them to the fact that He was anointed by God as the Messiah]. 4 Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor (respect) except in his hometown and among his relatives and in his own household.” 5 And He could not do a miracle there at all [because of their unbelief] except that He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them. 6 He wondered at their unbelief.”

They were deeply offended with Jesus which blinded them. Jesus saw that and realized the disrespect they had to Him, especially in His own town with family and relatives, hence, He was restrained because of their unbelief. So, if Jesus couldn’t do it, I’m sure we aren’t able to when in similar situations, because if He had to clear the room because of unbelief (with Jairus’ daughter), there will be times that you’ll have to clear the room of unbelief also for miracles to happen.

A good question to ask yourself today is, where am I walking in unbelief? Where am I holding up the shield of unbelief? Where am I grieving the Holy Spirit because of unbelief, to the point that a minister of the gospel would have to ask you to leave the room, would have to ask you to go outside and come back in after prayer.  It’s a valid question. Examine your heart today. Where are you walking in unbelief and literally using it as a shield to shield God’s word? Where are you operating in unbelief? Instead of  holding up the shield of faith against the devils fiery darts of fear, doubt and unbelief, where are you holding up the shield of fear, doubt and unbelief that his hindering God’s word from operating in your life and ministry? Look around those who are directly involved in your ministry to see if they are of faith, because that which is not of faith is sin, Romans 14:23. Has the spirit of unbelief caused you to reject the power of the Holy Spirit in your meetings, rejecting what the Word says about signs and wonders following the preaching of the gospel, rejecting the gifts of the Spirit operating in your meetings. It might all come down to unbelief and if so, it needs to be repented of, because it’s sin. Ask Jesus to forgive you of your unbelief, for not believing in His words.

Here is a link to our previous Illustrated Message Series on Holy Spirit Power.

To read the prophecy from today's service, click on this link.

Today we will be reading from The Holy War in Chapter 2 at paragraph 5 on page 14.  If you don’t have your PDF copy of the book you can download it here or on top of this website page.

Last weeks message we read how Diabolus was perverting and twisting the helmet of salvation and today we’ll study how he does the same to the breastplate of righteous.

The Holy War, Diabolus continued:

“2. My breastplate is made of iron. I had it forged in my own country, and all my soldiers are armed with it. (Revelation 9:9) In plain language, it is a hardened heart, a heart as hard as iron and as much past feeling as a stone. Once you wear it, neither mercy will win you over, nor judgement frighten you. This, therefore, is an essential piece of armour for all who hate Shaddai and fight against him under my banner.”

That’s what the devil has to offer you today if you’re an unbeliever. The devil has planned from the beginning of time to harden mankind's heart towards God, with a heart as hard as iron and as much past feeling as a stone. Let’s look at what the Bible has to say about the heart of a man or woman without God.

Prior to God destroying all of mankind, except Noah and his family, Genesis 6:5 Amplified Bible says this is what their hearts were like; “5 The Lord saw that the wickedness (depravity) of man was great on the earth, and that every imagination or intent of the thoughts of his heart were only evil continually.”

Genesis chapter 6 is a good read that depicts just how wicked mankind had become and when you read the full chapter, it sounds very familiar to the days that we are living in, with the only difference is that today we have the Holy Spirit who is the Restrainer of God from pouring out His wrath on earth. We can be thankful, that after Jesus ascended to heaven, He did not leave His believers as orphans but sent the Holy Spirit to comfort them, and to offer salvation to anyone who receives Him as Lord and Savior from the wrath of God that is going to be poured out on earth in the very near future.

The Holy War, Diabolus says;

“My breastplate is made of iron. I had it forged in my own country, and all my soldiers are armed with it. (Revelation 9:9) In plain language, it is a hardened heart.”

The following scripture in Revelation, is a good depiction of the devil’s soldiers that are at war with God for the souls of mankind and this is a good illustration of how hard-hearted this army will be like.

The Holy War, Diabolus describes the following;  

“Once you wear it, neither mercy will win you over, nor judgement frighten you. This, therefore, is an essential piece of armour for all who hate Shaddai and fight against him under my banner.”

This scripture in Revelation describes the demonic manifestation that will torment mankind and that is referenced in The Holy War.

Revelation 9:7-10 Amplified Bible; “7 The locusts resembled horses prepared and equipped for battle; and on their heads appeared to be [something like] golden crowns, and their faces resembled human faces. 8 They had hair like the hair of women, and their teeth were like the teeth of lions. 9 They had breastplates (scales) like breastplates made of iron; and the [whirring] noise of their wings was like the [thunderous] noise of countless horse-drawn chariots charging [at full speed] into battle. 10 They have tails like scorpions, and stingers; and in their tails is their power to hurt people for five months.”  

It’s inevitable for the unbeliever who rejects God’s salvation to be clothed with a hard heart towards God, it’s just the norm for them, and in the following scripture Jesus parallels the days of Noah to the future day of His return.

Jesus says this in Matthew 24:36-39 Amplified Bible; “36 “But of that [exact] day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son [in His humanity], but the Father alone. 37 For the coming of the Son of Man (the Messiah) will be just like the days of Noah. 38 For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the [very] day when Noah entered the ark, 39 and they did not know or understand until the flood came and swept them all away; so will the coming of the Son of Man be [unexpected judgment].”

The following scripture sums up the hardness of man’s heart prior to the flood, and it’s important to keep in mind that this is how Jesus describes the condition of the majority of mankind’s heart will be prior to His return.

Genesis 6:11-12 Amplified Bible; “11 The [population of the] earth was corrupt [absolutely depraved—spiritually and morally putrid] in God’s sight, and the land was filled with violence [desecration, infringement, outrage, assault, and lust for power]. 12 God looked on the earth and saw how debased and degenerate it was, for all humanity had corrupted their way on the earth and lost their true direction.”

Sound familiar? It’s all over social media, and it’s not getting any better, and is all the more reason to not allow the devil to clothe you with a hard heart towards God’s salvation, because at any time Jesus will return and you don’t want to be left behind to face seven years of tribulation as described by Jesus in Matthew 24.

The Apostle Paul says this about the resurrection of the dead in Christ and the rapture of the church in 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18 Amplified Bible; “16 For the Lord Himself will come down from heaven with a shout of command, with the voice of the [a]archangel and with the [blast of the] trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive and remain [on the earth]  will simultaneously be caught up (raptured) together with them [the resurrected ones] in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord! 18 Therefore comfort and encourage one another with these words [concerning our reunion with believers who have died].”

In The Holy War, Diabolus offers to clothe the city of Mansoul with a breastplate of armour, a hardened heart, that in reality, cannot withstand the love of King Shaddai, for no matter how hard the heart of man is, God’s love always prevails without violating mans freewill, and salvation is still a free gift that can be received or rejected because of a hardened heart. The Holy Spirit will continually penetrate the hard heart with the love of Jesus, but even then, a person still has a will to accept or reject that love and forgiveness.

The Holy War, Diabolus says;

“Once you wear it, neither mercy will win you over, nor judgement frighten you. This, therefore, is an essential piece of armour for all who hate Shaddai and fight against him under my banner.”

Jesus says in Matthew 13:14-17 Amplified Bible; “14 In them the prophecy of Isaiah is being fulfilled, which says, ‘You will hear and keep on hearing, but never understand; And you will look and keep on looking, but never comprehend; 15 For this nation’s heart has grown hard, And with their ears they hardly hear, And they have [tightly] closed their eyes, Otherwise they would see with their eyes, And hear with their ears,  And understand with their heart, and turn [to Me] And I would heal them [spiritually].’ 16 But blessed [spiritually aware, and favored by God] are your eyes, because they see; and your ears, because they hear. 17 I assure you and most solemnly say to you, many prophets and righteous men [who were honorable and in right standing with God] longed to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.”

Hebrews 4:12 Amplified Bible; “12 For the word of God is living and active and full of power [making it operative, energizing, and effective]. It is sharper than any two-edged [a]sword, penetrating as far as the division of the [b]soul and spirit [the completeness of a person], and of both joints and marrow [the deepest parts of our nature], exposing and judging the very thoughts and intentions of the heart.”

The word of God can penetrate the hardest of hearts and cause a man or woman to reason right from wrong whether they want to or not, yet it’s still up to them to receive or reject God’s salvation plan. I wonder how many people because of hardening their hearts, have rejected Jesus as Lord of their lives, only to have died to then spend an eternity in hell, a place that was made for the devil and his angels.

At this part of The Holy War, Jesus has not yet given up His life for the city of Mansoul and Diabolus is going to great lengths to secure Mansoul’s allegiance to him alone by hardening their hearts towards King Shaddai and His Son’s plan of salvation for their souls.

Let’s take a look at what God’s breastplate of righteousness is that He offers to cloth those who are born again believers of His Son, Jesus.  

Ephesians 6:14 Amplified Bible; “14 So stand firm and hold your ground, having [a]tightened the wide band of truth (personal integrity, moral courage) around your waist and having put on the breastplate of righteousness (an upright heart),”

Truth and Righteousness go hand in hand, one without the other doesn’t work well, the belt is what holds the breastplate in place. Now we’re not talking about military terms and armour, but what we’re talking about is an upright heart. In order to have a breastplate of righteous you have to walk in truth. Who is the truth? Jesus. He is the Way, the Truth and the Life, no man comes to the Father except by Him, John 14:6.

2 Corinthians 5:21 New King James Version;“21 For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”

2 Corinthians 5:21 Amplified Bible; “21 He made Christ who knew no sin to [judicially] be sin on our behalf, so that in Him we would become the righteousness of God [that is, we would be made acceptable to Him and placed in a right relationship with Him by His gracious lovingkindness].”

Right standing with God is what the devil has been trying to pervert and twist from the time of the fall of Adam and Eve to the death, resurrection and ascension of His Son Jesus, and up to this present time we are living in. Let’s look at what Got Questions has to say about the breastplate of righteousness.

“The breastplate of righteousness refers to the righteousness purchased for us by Jesus at the cross (2 Corinthians 5:21). At salvation, a “breastplate” is issued to each repentant sinner. It is specially designed by God to protect our heart and soul from evil and deception. Our own righteous acts are no match for Satan’s attacks (Isaiah 64:6). The breastplate of righteousness has Christ’s name stamped on it, as though He said, “Your righteousness isn’t sufficient to protect you. Wear mine.”  

As we wear Christ’s breastplate of righteousness, we begin to develop a purity of heart that translates into actions. Wearing this breastplate creates a lifestyle of putting into practice what we believe in our hearts. As our lives become conformed to the image of Christ (Romans 8:29), our choices become more righteous, and these godly choices also protect us from further temptation and deception (Proverbs 8:20; Psalm 23:3).”

To read the full teaching on the breastplate of righteousness click on this Got Questions.

What it comes right down to, is that all mankind's righteousness is as filthy rags before an all Holy God, and Diabolus does not want the city of Mansoul to come to the understanding of God’s salvation, and this is why he’s scrambling to keep them in his kingdom of darkness by strengthening them to harden their hearts against King Shaddai. Isaiah 64:6 says;  But we are all like an unclean thing, And all our righteousness are like filthy rags; We all fade as a leaf, And our iniquities, like the wind, Have taken us away.”, 

The Dake Annotated Reference Bible notes that the Hebrew word for ‘filthy rags’ is ‘ed’, which means “to set a period, the menstrual flow, the rags used by women in their monthly periods”. That’s grossly descriptive of what our own righteousness depicts.

There’s a temptation that many people today fall into on a regular basis, called self-righteousness, trusting in their own righteous works, that leads to twisting their evil deeds and calling them good, and  twisting another persons good deeds and calling them evil. A good example of this can be found in the following parable that Jesus spoke.

In Luke 18:9-14, Jesus talks about the parable of the Pharisee and the Tax collector; “9 He also told this parable to some people who trusted in themselves and were confident that they were righteous [posing outwardly as upright and in right standing with God], and who viewed others with contempt: 10 “Two men went up into the temple [enclosure] to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee stood [ostentatiously] and began praying to himself [in a self-righteous way, saying]: ‘God, I thank You that I am not like the rest of men—swindlers, unjust (dishonest), adulterers—or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all that I get.’ 13 But the tax collector, standing at a distance, would not even raise his eyes toward heaven, but was striking his chest [in humility and repentance], saying, ‘God, be merciful and gracious to me, the [especially wicked] sinner [that I am]!’ 14 I tell you, this man went to his home justified [forgiven of the guilt of sin and placed in right standing with God] rather than the other man; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself [forsaking self-righteous pride] will be exalted.”

In The Holy War, Diabolus is all about calling evil good and good evil, and even to this very day we can see all over the social media sites this agenda is being pushed to harden a man or woman's heart towards God and His salvation plan.

Isaiah 5:20 Amplified Bible says this; “20 Woe (judgment is coming) to those who call evil good, and good evil; Who substitute darkness for light and light for darkness; Who substitute bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!”

There’s a big price to pay for calling good evil an evil good, and the end result is judgment before the Great White Throne depicted in the following scripture.

Revelation 20:11-15 Amplified Bible depicts the final judgment of those who call good evil and evil good, who have hardened their heart towards God and rejected Jesus’ Lordship in their lives, who were given an opportunity to repent but chose not to. It says; “11 And I saw a great white throne and Him who was seated upon it, from whose presence earth and heaven fled away, and no place was found for them [for this heaven and earth are passing away]. 12 And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the Book of Life; and the dead were judged according to what they had done as written in the books [that is, everything done while on earth]. 13 And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, and death and Hades (the realm of the dead) surrendered the dead who were in them; and they were judged and sentenced, every one according to their deeds. 14 Then death and Hades [the realm of the dead] were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire [the eternal separation from God]. 15 And if [a]anyone’s name was not found [b]written in the Book of Life, he was hurled into the lake of fire.”

That is the end of the story for the person who hardens their heart against God, calling good evil and evil good, who chooses to serve the devil instead of serving God, who rejects Jesus Christ as Lord of their lives. God has no choice but to give them the judgment they deserve. He gave them opportunity to repent, but He doesn’t violate man’s will, He never has and never will. You don’t want to end up at that final judgment. Christians don’t end up at that judgment but will be judged at the Bema Seat. If you end up at the White Throne Judgment, it’s over, there’s no going back. Your life will be exposed before an all Holy God, then to be hurled into the lake of fire, which was prepared for the devil and his fallen angel, not for you. But because you chose to serve the devil, that’s the end result. All the more reason today to not harden your heart, to allow Jesus to lead you to repentance. Don’t harden your heart to the Holy Spirit’s conviction, yield to it and repent. God’s will is that everyone comes to repentance according to 2 Peter 3:9; “The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.”

Hebrews 3:15 says; 15 while it is said, “Today [while there is still opportunity] if you hear His voice, Do not harden your heart, as when they provoked Me [in the rebellion in the desert at Meribah].”

Let’s read again the opening paragraph from the message.

The Holy War; Diabolus continues;

“2. My breastplate is made of iron. I had it forged in my own country, and all my soldiers are armed with it. (Revelation 9:9) In plain language, it is a hardened heart, a heart as hard as iron and as much past feeling as a stone. Once you wear it, neither mercy will win you over, nor judgement frighten you. This, therefore, is an essential piece of armour for all who hate Shaddai and fight against him under my banner.”

It’s a most pitiable state for a man or woman to be in to have a heart of iron and that the devils lies have so deceived them that neither mercy will win them over, nor judgment frighten them.

Like I said in last message, choose this day who you’re going to serve. Choose this day what you’re going to call good...and what you’re going to all evil.

The Bible says in Jeremiah 23:29 the following; “Is not My word like a fire? Says the Lord, “and like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces?” We pray that as you read this message that the Lord would break the rock, the hard heart, that hinders His will, plans and purposes for your life. We ask that the Holy Spirit would bring spiritual clarity to you.

Today we will be reading from The Holy War, starting where we left off on Message 7, Chapter 2 paragraph 23 (on the top of page 12), and end at the bottom of page 13. We’ll study excerpts from this reading today.  If you don’t have your PDF copy of the book you can download it here or on top of this website page.

The Holy War, Bunyan says;

“Now, when this matter — I mean the plan of the King and his Son — was first aired at court, how the high lords, chief captains, and noble princes, who were there, were taken up by the business! First, they whispered about it to one another, and after that the news began to ring out through the King’s palace, everyone marvelling at the master plan drawn up between the King and his Son and set in motion for the miserable city of Man soul. Yes; the courtiers could hardly do anything either for the King or kingdom without declaring the love of the King and his Son for the city of Mansoul.”

The love of the King and His Son for the city of Mansoul that the high lords, chief captains and noble princes spoke of, is beyond any love that any human being could demonstrate to anyone. This love is a type and shadow of God’s love for the souls of all mankind, which He Himself in the person of His Son Jesus Christ, gave up His majesty and splendour in heaven to become a man and die for the sins of all mankind. His Son’s death, offered not temporary atonement for sin found in the required animal sacrifices under the Levitical Laws of the Old Testament, but rather a complete removal of sin.  

1 John 4:9-10 Amplified Bible; “9 By this the love of God was displayed in us, in that God has sent His [One and] only begotten Son [the One who is truly unique, the only One of His kind] into the world so that we might live through Him. 10 In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation [that is, the atoning sacrifice, and the satisfying offering] for our sins [fulfilling God’s requirement for justice against sin and placating His wrath].”

Ephesians 2:4-5 Amplified Bible; “4 But God, being [so very] rich in mercy, because of His great and wonderful love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were [spiritually] dead and separated from Him because of our sins, He made us [spiritually] alive together with Christ (for by His grace—His undeserved favor and mercy—you have been saved from God’s judgment).”

Romans 5:6-9 Amplified Bible; “6 While we were still helpless [powerless to provide for our salvation], at the right time Christ died [as a substitute] for the ungodly. 7 Now it is an extraordinary thing for one to willingly give his life even for an upright man, though perhaps for a good man [one who is noble and selfless and worthy] someone might even dare to die. 8 But God clearly shows and proves His own love for us, by the fact that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Therefore, since we have now been justified [declared free of the guilt of sin] by His blood, [how much more certain is it that] we will be saved from the [a]wrath of God through Him.”

Have you noticed how many times the word ‘judgment’ or ‘wrath’ are mentioned? God delivered us from this. It’s good to meditate on God’s love for us, and His sacrificial demonstration of it found in the death of His Son, because that was His plan from the beginning of the fall of Adam and Eve, to give mankind an opportunity to receive His pre-planned offer of Salvation that is found only in His Son, Jesus. Remember though, it’s only an offer, it requires your freewill to believe it and receive by faith.

It’s interesting to see that no matter how far the city of Mansoul strayed from the Laws of King Shaddai, it never altered the Kings Salvation plan that was already set in place, and proclaimed by these lords, high captains, and princes, who could not contain themselves to spread this news of love to the city of Mansoul. God’s relentless love for those who are in covenant with death and who are in agreement with hell and have made lies their refugeand under falsehood have hid themselves.

The Holy War, Bunyan says;

“Nor were these lords, high captains, and princes content to keep this news inside the court. Indeed, before the records were complete, they themselves came down and spread the news in Universe. At last it came to the ears, as I said, of Diabolus, which discomforted him; for you are right to think it would upset him when he heard of such a plan against him. Well, after thinking about it, he decided on thesefour things:

First, that this news should, if possible, be kept from the ears of the city of Mansoul; ‘for’,said he, ‘if they heard that Shaddai, their former King, and Emmanuel his Son, are bent on delivering the city of Mansoul, what can I expect but that Mansoul will revolt under my hand and government, and return again to him?”

2 Corinthians 4:3-4 Amplified Bible says; “3 But even if our gospel is [in some sense] hidden [behind a veil], it is hidden [only] to those who are perishing; 4 among them the god of this world [Satan] has blinded the minds of the unbelieving to prevent them from seeing the illuminating light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.”

The Holy War, Bunyan continues;

“To do this, he flattered Lord Willbewill even more, and gave him strict control and command over all the gates of the city, especially Ear-gate and Eye-gate, that he should keep watch day and by night, ‘for I hear of a plan’, said he, ‘a plan to make us all traitors, and bring Mansoul back under her first bondage again.”

Even up to this very day, the devil, (Diabolus), has been desperately trying to keep the Gospel message of Salvation from those who are under his domain by guarding what they see and hear. Just start sharing the Gospel message in secular settings such as work, sports, school, etc., and see how far you get without someone trying to shut you down and discrediting God’s Salvation plan. Persecution is inevitable for Christians, and it’s just the devils way of keeping the Gospel message of Salvation from entering the ear-gates and eye-gates of those who are serving him in the kingdom of darkness.

The Holy War, Bunyan continues;

“This, therefore, was done. Lord Willbewill listened to his Lord and master, and willingly obeyed his orders with all the diligence he could muster, preventing anyone who had gone out from bringing any news back to Mansoul on his return to the city.

Second, this being done, next, Diabolus, in order to make Mansoul as secure as he could, framed and imposed a new oath and horrible covenant on the citizens — that is, that they would never desert him nor his government, nor betray him, nor seek to alter his laws; but that they should own, confess, stand by, and acknowledge him as their rightful king, in defiance of whatever anyone else might say or do under any pretence, law, or title whatever, to lay claim to the city of Mansoul. Diabolus thought that Shaddai did not have the power to absolve them from this covenant of death, and agreement with hell. (Isaiah 28:15)”

Isaiah 28:15 King James Version says; “15 Because ye have said, We have made a covenant with death, and with hell are we at agreement; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, it shall not come unto us: for we have made lies our refuge, and under falsehood have we hid ourselves:”

That is quite the statement isn’t it, ‘making lies our refuge’. Have you ever wondered why it is after years and years of living the life of a Christian, and sharing the Gospel message, that many family members, friends, co-workers, etc., still have not believed and become Christian? There are only two spiritual fathers that a person can have one of; one is Jesus, the other is satan, and regardless of whether a person believes this or not, their allegiance is to one or the other.  So by rejecting Jesus, they are reinstating their allegiance to the devil, (even though they may not verbally be stating it, but by their denial of Jesus they are reinstating their allegiance to the devil), and this is why it seems to get easier and easier to reject Jesus, and the more the devil can get them to reject Jesus, the more allegiance he gains from them, regardless of whether they believe in satan or not, their actions will determine who their lord is of their lives.

A good example of this can be found in John 8:31-47, where Jesus is talking to religious Jews who believed in Him, but rejected Him as Messiah.  

Some good questions to ask yourself are: have I made lies my refuge and hidden myself under falsehood; have I made a covenant with death and am in agreement with hell; who do I swear allegiance to, Jesus or Satan? If it’s not Jesus, then you’re in a covenant with death and are in agreement with hell and have made lies your refuge and are hiding under falsehood.

The Holy War, Bunyan says;

“Third, jealousy, which never thinks itself strong enough, inspired him in his next exploit, which had this aim, to further corrupt this city of Mansoul. So he had drawn up in writing by the hand of Mr. Filth who was an odious, nasty piece of work, a notice to be set up on the castle gates in which he granted and gave licence to all his true and trusted sons in Mansoul to do whatever their lustful appetites prompted them to do; and no one was to hinder or deter them on pain of incurring the displeasure of their prince. Now, he did this for two reasons:

1. That the city of Mansoul might be further weakened, and so be unable, should news come that their redemption was near, to believe, hope, or consent to this truth; for reason says, ‘The bigger the sinner, the less grounds there are for hope of mercy’,”

Romans 1:21-32Amplified Bible says; “21 For even though [a]they knew God [as the Creator], they did not [b]honor Him as God or give thanks [for His wondrous creation]. On the contrary, they became worthless in their thinking [godless, with pointless reasonings, and silly speculations], and their foolish heart was darkened. 22 Claiming to be wise, they became fools, 23 and exchanged the glory and majesty and excellence of the immortal God for [c]an image [worthless idols] in the shape of mortal man and birds and four-footed animals and reptiles.

24 Therefore God gave them over in the lusts of their own hearts to [sexual] impurity, so that their bodies would be dishonored among them [abandoning them to the degrading power of sin], 25 because [by choice] they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.

26 For this reason God gave them over to degrading and vile passions; for their women exchanged the natural function for that which is unnatural [a function contrary to nature], 27 and in the same way also the men turned away from the natural function of the woman and were consumed with their desire toward one another, men with men committing shameful acts and in return receiving in their own bodies the inevitable and appropriate penalty for their wrongdoing.

28 And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God or consider Him worth knowing [as their Creator], God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do things which are improper and repulsive, 29 until they were filled (permeated, saturated) with every kind of unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, evil; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice and mean-spiritedness. They are gossips [spreading rumors], 30 slanderers, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, inventors [of new forms] of evil, disobedient and disrespectful to parents, 31 without understanding, untrustworthy, unloving, unmerciful [without pity]. 32 Although they know God’s righteous decree and His judgment, that those who do such things deserve death, yet they not only do them, but they even [enthusiastically] approve and tolerate others who practice them.”

The Holy War, Bunyan says;

“2. The second reason was that perhaps Emmanuel, the Son of Shaddai their King, when he saw the horrible and profane antics of the city of Mansoul, might repent of entering into a covenant of redemption, and of pursuing that covenant for their redemption; for Diabolus knew that Shaddai was holy, and that his Son Emmanuel was holy as well.

Indeed, he knew it through painful experience. Because of his iniquity and sin, Diabolus was cast out of from the highest sphere. Therefore, what more logical than for him to think that it might turn out the same for Mansoul? But fearing at the same time that this knot would break, he thought of something else.”

2 Peter 3:9 Amplified Bible says; “9 The Lord does not delay [as though He were unable to act] and is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is [extraordinarily] patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.”

1 John 1:9 Amplified Bible; “9 If we [freely] admit that we have sinned and confess our sins, He is faithful and just [true to His own nature and promises], and will forgive our sins and cleanse us continually from all unrighteousness [our wrongdoing, everything not in conformity with His will and purpose].”

James 5:19-20 Amplified Bible says; “19 My brothers and sisters, if anyone among you strays from the truth and falls into error and [another] one turns him back [to God], 20 let the [latter] one know that the one who has turned a sinner from the error of his way will save that one’s soul from death and cover a multitude of sins [that is, obtain the pardon of the many sins committed by the one who has been restored].

The Holy War, Bunyan says;

“Fourth. To attempt to possess all hearts in the city of Mansoul, Diabolus noised it abroad that Shaddai was raising an army to overthrow and utterly destroy the city of Mansoul. He tried to forestall any news that might come to their ears about their deliverance; ‘for’, thought he, ‘if I publish this news first, whatever else comes after will all be swallowed up; for what else will Mansoul think, when they hear that they are about to be delivered, but this — ‘Shaddai intends to destroy us?”

The devil in his desperation is lying about God’s mercy for the backslider, and it’s important to keep in perspective that although a person on their own freewill can backslide away from God and end up in hell for eternity, it is never God’s will for that to happen. He gave mankind a freewill to choose as they will, to reject or accept His plan of salvation, and He will not violate mans free will.  

2 Peter 3:9 Amplified Bible says; “9 The Lord does not delay [as though He were unable to act] and is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is [extraordinarily] patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.”

The following is a scripture reading from the parable of the prodigal son, that best depicts God as a father and his response to his repentant son.

Luke 15:17-24 Amplified Bible says; “17 But when he [finally] came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired men have more than enough food, while I am dying here of hunger! 18 I will get up and go to my father, and I will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight. 19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son; [just] treat me like one of your hired men.”’ 20 So he got up and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was moved with compassion for him, and ran and embraced him and kissed him. 21 And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight; I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ 22 But the father said to his servants, ‘Quickly bring out the best robe [for the guest of honor] and put it on him; and give him a [a]ring for his hand, and sandals for his feet. 23 And bring the fattened calf and slaughter it, and let us [invite everyone and] feast and celebrate; 24 for this son of mine was [as good as] dead and is alive again; he was lost and has been found.’ So they began to celebrate.”

Prophecy by tongues and interpretation by Pastor Richard – August 17th, 2025

Who are you in covenant with today, says the Lord? Are you in a covenant with life that can only be found in Me or are in a covenant with death? Are you in agreement with heaven that can only be attained through Me, says the Lord, or are you in agreement with hell? Examine your life today, says the Lord. Your actions will determine your lordship, My Lordship in your life. Do your actions determine My Lordship? Am I Lord of your life and of your lives? Are you in covenant with Me in deed as well as with your words? Do your actions determine My Lordship? Do they reveal who I am, when people see you do they see Me, Jesus, the Author and Finisher of the faith you proclaim?  

So when people see you, do they know that you’ve been with Me? When they hear you speak, are they hearing from Me? Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks, what’s coming out of the mouth determines what’s in your heart. Give Me your heart today, says the Lord. I’ll speak through you, they’ll see Me in you.  You’re My vessels, I’ve chosen you to represent Me on earth. When people see you they should see Me. If they don’t see Me, it’s time for you to get out of the way. My word says that unless you become as a child you will not enter the Kingdom of Heaven. It’s My will for you to enter the Kingdom of Heaven, it's My plan, it’s My purpose. It’s not My will that anyone perish but that all come to repentance. It’s never been My will, but I don’t interrupt your will, I don’t force your will, I don’t violate it, I give you free will today. Free will to make a covenant with life, free will to come into agreement with heaven, My plans, My purposes with you, eternal life in heaven in a place that I’ve gone to prepare for you. Don’t circumvent that work that I’ve begun in you but complete it, let My Holy Spirit complete the work in you to the end. Finish strong says the Lord, run the race, finish strong.