To Fight?

     We had our regular Thursday meeting last night, and when I saw one man who had come, I immediately was seeking the Lord about how to handle the situation.  You see, the man is a travelling evangelist church builder who is very pushy with storehouse tithing teaching.  His group, based in Colombia, is basically recreating the Catholic Church.  Every church in the network teaches the same thing every week, as determined by the "Church Father" in the home church.  They are as forceful in their recruiting efforts as any multi-level marketing sales agent you have ever met.  I knew this fellow had probably come to our meeting to gather phone numbers.

     I was all prepared for a fight, and the Lord calmed me down, and had me to be downright sociable with the fellow.  Sure enough, after it was over, he was on the side, putting hard pressure on my wife and another man to come to his meeting, quit their churches and join his.  And yet, as I have always told those who come to our meeting, they are free.  They may go to inspect and check out any meeting where they feel the Lord is leading them to go.  They should TEST EVERYTHING as they go, and consider those forces, lusts and desires that motivate the actions of most men on planet Earth. 

     The interesting part is that this man loves Jesus, I believe.  In that sense, and toward that desire, I can walk with him and talk with him.  I disagree with so many of his rules and practices, and I believe he is in danger in the storehouse tithing teaching, yet the Lord still loves him, as the Lord loved me when God was patient with me in my ignorance.  I cannot gather with his church, or recommend it to others, but I am not to fight against him or it either.

     Mark 9 has a story where Jesus was told by his disciple John that a man was casting out devils in the name of Jesus, and that man was not walking with Jesus or the disciples.  Imagine John's surprise when the Lord told John to leave the man alone.

     There are things I may not be able to gather together with, or recommend, but that does not mean I am to fight against them.  There are other things that I am to fight against with all my strength.  It requires wisdom from God to know the difference.

Stephen L. Bening

 

Vultures Gathered To The Potomac

     Our walk as believers is built upon by the Lord in a brick by brick fashion.  The Holy Spirit will use everything He has ever spoken before to show you new things.

     Years ago, I had revelation from God regarding Luke 17:37, that the disciples had asked a geographic question, and Jesus had given them a geographic answer.  In that scripture, the Eagles (Greek-aetos) are to be gathered to the body (Greek-soma).  I perceived at that time that only one place on Earth carried the name SOMA, and it was located in Western Turkey, in the area of the biblical seven churches of Revelation.  The same Greek word SOMA is used in Revelation 18 to refer to slaves.  The Holy Spirit has had me paying special attention, since that time, to the activities of Turkey, and also those of the Slavic nations, most particularly, the old Yugoslavia, which today, is known as Bosnia, Serbia, and Kosovo.  They carry the name "Slavic" because they were perpetually enslaved.

     The companion verse in Matthew 28 is a bit different.  In that one, the eagles (Greek-aetos) are gathered to the body-kjv, or corpse-niv (Greek-ptoma).  As anyone can see, the Greek word used here is different.  This word is the first choice for use to denote a dead body or corpse, and it can also refer to a calamity, a failure or a fall into sin.

     This morning, in that space midway between sleeping and waking, the Holy Spirit and my spirit were communing, and I was pondering all of these things, when the Spirit said...THE VULTURES ARE GATHERING TO THE POTOMAC.  I awoke quickly to appreciate the play on words...ptoma...carcase...dead body...Potomac, where our nations capital is situate.  I pondered on the recent prophecies about a terrorist attack that some are saying will befall our nation's capital.

     This is truly such a time to draw close to our Lord.  We see the UN, dealing with deliberations right now in the Slavic lands that may culminate next month.  The biggest Slavic nation, Russia, has become a bear awakened.  The Turks have been conducting cross border raids into Iraq, very close to the American Eagles.

     A wise man would conclude that the time might be short.

 Stephen L. Bening

Filled With The Holy Ghost

     Yesterday, I was responding to a request from a mother, in Colombia, that I go with my wife to pray for her daughter here in Miami.  I had met the mother two years ago when I ministered in Medellin, and the mother's request was quite urgent. 

     Apparently, the doctors had pronounced an imminent death sentence over this woman.  I never like to hear that doctors are playing God in that manner.  Only God gets to say when someone will breathe their last breath here on Earth.

     So, off we went, first to the hospital, only to find that she had been discharged.  "Nothing else they could do for her", was the story we were told.  My wife called her home, and off we went to North Miami.

     We arrived to find about twenty family members eating and fellowshipping throughout the house, and the TV was blasting.  I began to silently pray that God would work all this out.

     A chair was placed for me in the center of the room, next to the woman who had the cancer diagnosis.  As I sat there, and we waited for the relatives to finish eating, I began to know, in my spirit, that I was going to preach, even though it did not appear to be an opportune time for that to occur.  I also began to know, in my spirit, that this was not the time for this woman to die.

      Sure enough, the room calmed down, and the woman who was ill was not so ill as to be quiet or meek.  She was a believer in Jesus, and she had strong faith.  She did not believe she was going to die, but she confessed healing with her mouth.  She gave directions to all of her relatives that they were going to listen to me now as I told them about the Lord.  And so, I began, and preached about faith and love and miracles for about twenty minutes, and then we all rose to lay hands on the woman and pray.

     I directed my wife to pray, and as she prayed, I felt what seemed to be a crown, resting on my head.  I lifted my hand to worship, and the crown lifted off my head.  I lowered my hand, and the crown once again rested on my head.  I inquired of the Lord, within myself, and perceived that the Lord was desiring that I was to behave as a king, and make a decree, in His name.

     So, when my wife finished praying, I spoke, and cancelled the decree of death over the woman that had been made by the doctors, and I made a decree that every cancer cell in her body would now die, instead of her.

     We finished, and gave praise and thanks to God. 

     I looked around at the twenty relatives.   Some were weeping.  The presence of God was incredibly strong.  I asked these people who were gathered out of various religions how many of them could feel God's presence in that place.  All of them raised their hands, and great joy filled that place.  We had all experienced God.

     Today, I am meditating on that event.  There is no substitute for being filled with the Holy Ghost, for in that moment, we know exactly what God wants to do, what He is willing to do and what He wants us to do.  It is so wonderful to be filled with the Holy Ghost.

     Repent of your sins today and turn to Jesus, and be filled with the Holy Ghost!

 Stephen L. Bening

Hit With An Anvil
 All week long, I have been talking about what happens when God quickens you.  It means more than simply preserving your life. 

     God can spiritually revive you, and bring you back to an intense passion in His service.  You can be quickened in His judgements, so that they do not come upon you unawares.  I need that and you do too.

      When God quickens you, you begin to see spiritually.  It is as though scales will fall from your eyes, and you will discover what He is saying, and it will be right in front of you.

     This week, I have been also talking about Comet 17P/Holmes.  The name "Holmes" means "surrounded by water".  That comet has been making its regular, 43.24 year trip through the solar system.  It was located just under the arm in Perseus on October 24 when it flared to a brightness more than 1 million times brighter than its original magnitude of 17.  Today, it is a naked eye observable object, in the constellation Perseus.

     What was the anvil?  Well, today, I discovered that in Greek Mythology, Perseus retired to Asia Minor and had a son named Perses, who is reputed to be the founder of the Persian race.  That is right:  we have a bright, flaring comet in the constellation that corresponds to the nation of Iran.  That comet flared just under the arm of Perseus that holds the sword.

     The ancients always regarded comets as harbingers of war.  The bible tells us that God will send signs in the sun, the moon and the stars before the great and dreadful day of the Lord, and this certainly qualifies as one.

     Repent and turn to Jesus.  Sudden change is portended.  There is a sudden brightening or quickening happening now among the people of God.  The manchild is being brought forth.  At the same time, get ready.  War is on the horizon, and the day of the Lord is at hand.

Stephen L. Bening

Running The Race

     Today, I spent the whole day recording radio programs, dealing with radio scheduling changes and talking to a precious sister from North Carolina.

     I had such ambitious plans to do other things, but ministry work took up the whole day, and I am left to conclude that it turned out just as the Lord wanted it to.

     The Lord is telling us that we need His quickening power.  We need to be made spiritually alive, alert, watchful, intensely passionate and sharp in His service, His word and in every aspect of our lives.  If we are willing, He will lead us out of this present megachurch darkness and into His marvelous light.

     The Lord is also warning us not to linger to long in a meditation over prophecies of death and destruction.  We must fix our eyes, and our thoughts, upon Jesus, and then we must do our duty prophetically to warn the wicked.  There is a balance to be obtained here that only the Lord can give.

     This is the first day of "blogging" for me, as I believe it is a fitting way to finish up the day after recording of radio programs.  The "run the race" motif seems appropriate.  It is also a new day for Watchmen Prophets Assembly, as I have agreed to add two, one hour broadcasts on World Harvest Radio to our schedule of shortwave broadcasts.

     Now, we have five one hour slots, and five fifteen minute slots per week.  This ministry is growing.  Please praise the Lord with me.

Stephen L. Bening