As we are now seeing, our hopes for a peaceful transition of power seem to be interrupted. People who are protesting the outcome of last week’s election are staging protests, riots, “cry-ins”, and other forms of social absurdities, decrying the upset victory of Mr. Trump over Mrs. Clinton in the Presidential Election. With a media that went “all-in” for Mrs. Clinton, the biggest casualty of last Tuesday was, in my opinion, any credibility the mainstream media had left. However, we would be sorely mistaken in thinking that they would go “softly into that good night”. We would be naive to assume that the mainstream media and the left’s devotion to liberality and progressivism would stop with, what many are calling, a stunning “rebuke and repudiation” of their principles, practices, and policies.
So who and what is behind this ideology of division and destruction?
While on the Isle of Patmos, the apostle John was given a prophetic picture of the last days–the end of the age.
In Revelation 9, he introduces us to a frightening character, Apollyon: The Destroyer.
Then the fifth angel sounded: And I saw a star fallen from heaven to the earth. To him was given the key to the bottomless pit. And he opened the bottomless pit, and smoke arose out of the pit like the smoke of a great furnace. So the sun and the air were darkened because of the smoke of the pit. Then out of the smoke locusts came upon the earth. And to them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power. They were commanded not to harm the grass of the earth, or any green thing, or any tree, but only those men who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads. And they were not given authority to kill them, but to torment them for five months. Their torment was like the torment of a scorpion when it strikes a man. In those days men will seek death and will not find it; they will desire to die, and death will flee from them.
The shape of the locusts was like horses prepared for battle. On their heads were crowns of something like gold, and their faces were like the faces of men. They had hair like women’s hair, and their teeth were like lions’ teeth. And they had breastplates like breastplates of iron, and the sound of their wings was like the sound of chariots with many horses running into battle. They had tails like scorpions, and there were stings in their tails. Their power was to hurt men five months. And they had as king over them the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in Hebrew is Abaddon, but in Greek he has the name Apollyon.
~ Revelation 9:1-11, NKJV
“Abaddon” in Hebrew and “Apollyon” in Greek both mean a demonic personality that destroys! Here are dark forces whose purpose is to confuse humanity so that mankind makes choices that undo their lives.
It is interesting that this verse reference is 9/11! This verse is a part of the first “woe” to come upon the earth. The vision is cryptic, with scorpions, locusts and other symbols of nature wreaking havoc on the earth.
A more in-depth look at these words seems to imply that these strange creatures coming out of the bottomless abyss are inflicting their pain by causing confusion and wrong choices.
The word “scorpion” comes from the root word “skeptomas” from which our English word “skeptic” is derived. It means to question and scrutinize the truth. These scorpions poison humanity with lies that create wrong decisions that bring pain.
The word “locust”, which is translated from the word “akrides” in Greek, comes from the root word “akmen” which means “to argue and make a point.” It means also to consume another with overwhelming arguments (similar to the way a swarm of locusts overwhelms).
The grass referred to in Revelation 9:11 represents human beings.
. . . but the rich in his humiliation, because as
a flower of the field he will pass away. ~ James 1:10All flesh is as grass,
And all the glory of man as the flower of the grass.
The grass withers,
And its flower falls away . . . ~ 1 Peter 1:24
In the last days, humanity will be invaded by demons who will inflict pain through the scorpions of skepticism and locust of propaganda. This will consume men and cause them great harm.
I believe that the pit is open and the demons of deception are hard at work. This scene is a New Testament picture of Hosea’s warning.
My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.
Because you have rejected knowledge,
I also will reject you from being priest for Me;
Because you have forgotten the law of your God,
I also will forget your children. ~ Hosea 4:6
Demonic attacks always begin with undermined truth. The attack on the truth is intense today and it is important that we be equipped to take down the lies that are destroying our homes, churches and nation.
As we pull back the curtain and reveal the truth throughout the pages of this book, you will discover some of the lethal effects of Apollyon, the demon controlling the direction of our nation.
For example:
• For the first time states are legalizing brain destroying drugs!
• There is continuing pressure to normalize homosexual activity, even calling it marriage. This goes on while the traditional American family is constantly undermined by the radical left.
• There is the immoral confiscation of the wealth of hard working people through unjust taxes and fees.
• There is the replacement of accurate, honest news with propaganda. Case in point, in 2012, our government stood by while our property in Benghazi experienced a premeditated attack by Islamic terrorists killing our ambassador and his brave defenders. Our fumbling leadership has lied about the attack and have not been held responsible. The murdering terrorists are yet to answer for this act of war.
• There is scandal, cover up, and abuse of power in the IRS.
• There is an attack on the Judeo-Christian heritage of America, signaling a godless takeover of government, education and the public square.
• Freedom of religion is now freedom from religion. The Bible has been abandoned, prayers are forbidden, Christian symbols are being insulted, and the Christian population is being ignored.
• America’s religious heritage is being attacked while death dealing Islam is given a pass! Foreign policy is the policy of apology and appeasement. Our enemies no longer fear us and our friends no longer trust us. America is waffling over its support of our only ally in the Middle East – Israel.
• The steady slaughter of the unborn continues in hospitals and abortion clinics across the nation.
• News and entertainment media promote occult, immoral, and anti-American values.
BUT THERE IS HOPE FOR AMERICA!
Yes, we have been invaded, but not by an army of men with modern weapons. We have been invaded by spiritual forces that are at work at this very hour, chipping away – bit by bit – at the very underpinnings of this nation that was founded on the Judeo-Christian
heritage.
King David said in Psalm 11:3, “If the foundations are destroyed,
what can the righteous do?”
Never in our nation’s history have David’s words been more true than they are today! Where are God’s people in all of this? I am afraid the church is losing its prophetic voice. Many in the church are substituting popular culture for true faith, comfort zones for battle
strategies, moral relativism for decent standards, self-improvement for the cross, and dead works for the Holy Spirit’s power!
My prayer is that this book will offer hope to America. I am not writing from a Democratic or Republican point of view. On the contrary, I am writing from the only viewpoint that makes sense to me: a scriptural point of view. Yes, God has written about all of these things in His Word. It is up to us to search out and separate fact from fiction, and truth from lies.
On June 6, 1944, the success of Operation Overlord (what we commonly refer to as D-Day) can be largely attributed to the fact that personnel and equipment were where they were supposed to be, when they were supposed to be there.
Conversely, the failure of Operation Market Garden (famously depicted in the movie A Bridge Too Far) just three months later can be blamed, in large part, on the inability to get men and supplies where they needed to be in order to support troop movements and actions. Although Operation Market Garden was actually a larger operation, it failed to meet it’s objective and expedite the end World War II.
This would imply that David, as king and leader of the army, should have been with his army, Instead, he decided to hang back, and relax in the confines of his palace in Jerusalem. While there was not necessarily anything inherently wrong with being where he was (in his palace), by not being in his proper place, it allowed him to fall into temptation, and subsequently sin with Bathsheba. Not being where he was supposed to be opened the door for sin, and changed the destinies of Uriah the Hittite, Bathsheba, David himself, and an entire nation.
Maybe there is nothing inherently wrong with where you are… it’s just not where you are supposed to be. For me, as a burned-out Southern Baptist preacher in 1989, a perfectly acceptable place for me to be would have been at home with my family. However, where I was supposed to be was in Glorietta, New Mexico. Being there, and my subsequent encounter with the Holy Spirit as a result, changed my future, my ministry, and my life.
The Heart of Abba - Ron Phillips 