|
Chapter 7: The Spiritual Battle: The
Battle between the IDF and Hezbollah is much more than a “Border Battle”
being fought at the Borders that Israel shares with Lebanon. The Battle is a “Spiritual Battle” and man’s
opponents are the Spirit Prince and Kings of Persia (Daniel 10), the
spirits over modern-day Iran (ancient Persia) that began when Lebanon allowed
Hezbollah, an Iranian-backed Terrorist Organization, to set up a stronghold
just inside the Borders of Lebanon that surround Israel on three sides. Ephesians 6:10-12 describes the
Spiritual Battle between Israel and Hezbollah: Ephesians 6:10-12 10 A
final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on all of God’s armor so that you
will be able to stand firm against all strategies
of the devil. 12 For we are not fighting against
flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the
unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil
spirits in the heavenly places. NLT
The South Lebanese Army (SLA) was
a Christian Militia:
It was not just happenstance that the Militia that came to the aid of
the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) in a joint effort to thwart the attacks of
their Mutual Enemy Hezbollah, an Iranian-backed Terrorist Organization, from
crossing over the Border Israel shares with Lebanon and attacking Israel on
Israeli soil, was a “Christian Militia.” George Otis was a Christian who
God called to come to the aid of both Major Haddad and the IDF: Nor was it just happenstance that God
called George Otis, a Christian from California, to come to the aid of both
the SLA and the IDF. I have no doubt
that the spirit prince and Kings of Persia understood the spiritual
significance of the Banner that George Otis placed in the official Border
Crossing between Israel and Lebanon that read “The Voice of Hope.” Keep in mind the “Fatima Gate” crossing was
known to the Muslims in Lebanon as the “Fatima Gate” in honor of Islam’s
Prophet Mohammad whose favorite daughter was named Fatima. George Otis and Major Haddad have both died and gone home to be
with the Lord – however, their spiritual opponents didn’t die and continue to
wage a spiritual battle through Iran and Iran’s proxy “Hezbollah.” Until
Christ Returns the Kingdom of Darkness will be at War with the Kingdom of
God, the Kingdom of Heaven, and all Believers: God’s nature and purposes are multifaceted;
however, for the purposes of this study, the focus is on what God’s Word
reveals about Satan – man’s spiritual enemy.
Why? Because Satan, the Prince
(political ruler) of this world and the Prince of the power of the air
(Ephesians 2:2) is now at work in the hearts of those who not only refuse to
obey God, but who fight against the purposes of God, which means that Satan
will fight against us on a personal level as well as a national level
(Ephesians 6:12). Ephesians 2:2 2in
which you once walked. You were following the ways of this world [influenced
by this present age], in accordance with the prince of the power of the air
(Satan), the spirit who is now at work in the disobedient [the unbelieving,
who fight against the purposes of God].
Amplified Bible Ephesians 2:2 2 You
used to live in sin, just like the rest of the world, obeying the devil—the
commander of the powers in the unseen world. He is the spirit at work in the
hearts of those who refuse to obey God. NLT Satan is not confined to being the
prince of only the air – the wicked heart of man has proven to be another
realm that Satan works in. Just as
Satan put it into the heart of Judas to betray Christ (John
13:2; 27), so it is today. Until the end of the age, Satan will use
those who refuse to obey God for his evil purposes and work in their hearts. Ephesians 6:12 12 For
we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers
and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark
world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places. NLT Ephesians
6:12: It’s not that we don’t
have our battles with flesh and blood, because we certainly do have battles
with those who refuse to obey God.
However, our battle with those that Satan operates through in this
world is easy compared with battling and causing the downfall of our
invisible enemies who operate through those people that we can see. When we put on the full armor of God and take
our stand, we know that Satan and those in his kingdom of darkness will
continue to fall like lightening. In Luke 10:17-20 Christ turns the focus of
the seventy-two disciples to what He saw happening in
the Spiritual Realm as they were battling the demonic here on earth. Christ saw Satan falling! Luke 10:17-20 17 When
the seventy-two disciples returned, they joyfully reported to Him, “Lord,
even the demons obey us when we use Your name!” 18
“Yes,” He told them, “I
saw Satan fall from heaven like lightning! 19
Look, I have given you authority over all the power of the
enemy, and you can walk among snakes and scorpions and crush them. Nothing
will injure you. 20 But don’t
rejoice because evil spirits obey you; rejoice because your names are
registered in heaven.” NLT We know from Ephesians 2:2 and Ephesians 6:12 that even though
Satan’s Kingdom is a spiritual kingdom and that the Believers’ battle is in
the spiritual realm, Satan is still able to work through those individuals
and nations like Iran and Hezbollah who in their disobedience fight against
the purposes of God. Sadly, rebellion
against Christ still exists in the world today, not just in the spiritual
realm, but in those people who fight against the purposes of God. Scripture reveals that there are three “spiritual kingdoms:” the
Kingdom of God, the Kingdom of Heaven, and the Kingdom of Satan (Matthew
12:25-26). Needless to say, the
Kingdom of Satan is at war with the Kingdom of God and the Kingdom of Heaven
– hence, the “spiritual battle” that Ephesians 6:12 speaks of. Be that as it may, as Believers in Christ we have been given the
spiritual armor of God (Ephesians 6) to withstand the attacks of the enemy as
well as the authority Christ gave us over our spiritual enemies: We know from such Scriptures as Matthew 16
and Luke 10 that Christ has given His followers authority over “ALL” devils
and that the Gates of Hell will not prevail over His Church. And, because Christ has given us authority
over Satan and “ALL” the devils – Satan is forever falling and will continue
to fall until Christ comes back and establishes His Kingdom. However, until Christ returns the Prince and Kings of Persia,
the Geographical Principalities over Iran, are able to influence Hezbollah as
well as all of Iran’s Proxies to do the bidding of Iran whose goal is to
destroy Israel! Hezbollah is a Spiritual Foe as
well as a Physical Foe By
Way of History:
In 1982, after losing their battle with the IDF, the PLO vacated south
Lebanon and the Security Zone. The PLO
had been as a serpent to the IDF and SLA.
The PLO had bitten them, had struck them with powerful and brutal
bites and had brought them to what seemed the depths of despair. However, after the PLO vacated south
Lebanon, the IDF and the SLA had little to rejoice about because from that
snake a more poisonous snake was born and took their place – the fiery
serpent, Hezbollah, which proved to be a much more formidable foe for the IDF
and the SLA for the next 17 plus years.
The bite of Hezbollah was even more terrible and venomous than that
of the PLO. Hezbollah was a Spiritual Foe as well as a Physical Foe:
Hezbollah was more than a physical foe
– they were a spiritual foe under the influence of the Satanic Spirit Prince
and Satanic Spirit Kings of Persia (Daniel 10), satanic spirits whose goal
was, and still is, to thwart God’s will and purposes for the nation of
Israel. The battle between the IDF, the SLA and
their mutual enemy Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed Terrorist Organization, was
much more than about protecting Israel’s northern border and settlements. We
know from Daniel 10 that it is a spiritual battle that has been ongoing since
Biblical times and will continue until Christ Jesus returns to set up His Kingdom. The
Spirit Prince and Kings of Persia are the Principalities who Guard the
“Borders” of Iran and the “Borders” of the Nations that have allowed Iran’s
Proxies to Establish a Stronghold in their Nations: To understand the spiritual aspects of the
eighteen years the IDF and the SLA fought side-by-side in the Security Zone
to withstand the PLO and then Hezbollah, we have to examine the
principalities that were operating behind Iran, because without Iran’s
backing, Hezbollah would never have existed. According to Scripture
(Daniel 10), the spirit Prince and Kings of Persia (modern-day Iran) are the
geographical principalities that wield their satanic influence over
Iran. As such, we know they were the
spiritual forces behind Iran and Hezbollah during the eighteen years the IDF
and the SLA were in the Security Zone – Israel pushing Hezbollah back away
from their northern border and settlements in Israel and the SLA pushing
Hezbollah back away from the Church in south Lebanon. On Earth
as in Heaven – George Otis understood the Realities of Spiritual Warfare: Whether the IDF or the SLA understood it or
not, their cries and prayers to the Lord for deliverance were spiritual
weapons that pushed the prince and kings of Persia back away from the
Security Zone. On the other hand,
George Otis and those from his ministry, “High Adventure,” were seasoned
Spiritual Warriors who knew the realities of Ephesians 6 and Revelation 12,
that all wars here on earth are first fought in the spiritual realm, and to
take part in that spiritual battle they would need to put on all the spiritual
armor of God (Ephesians 6) each and every day for each and every new
spiritual battle that would surely come their way. And, we know that the “Voice of Hope”
that declared the “Truth” of the Gospel of Jesus Christ over the shortwave
radio to all of southern Lebanon, as well as the prayers of the Christian SLA
militia and the Christians living in southern Lebanon, were mighty spiritual
weapons they used to withstand the devil and the evil forces in the spiritual
realm. (Ephesians 6:12-22, Luke 10 and
Revelation 12) The Prince and Kings of Persia are evil
satanic spirits who are able to exert their satanic influence over both the
political and religious people of Iran and any terrorist group Iran would
support, like Hezbollah. Just as it was in the times of Daniel, the
goal of the Prince and Kings of Persia is to thwart God’s will and purposes
for Israel and the Church! At this point I want to turn my focus to
a “Divine Appointment at the Iranian Embassy” in Washington, D.C. as the
Iranian Embassy is one of the more powerful Gateways of the Enemy. A Divine Appointment at the
Iranian Embassy – one of the Gateways of the Enemy When God called me to Stand
in the Doorway of the Iranian Embassy in Washington, D.C. And, that brings me to the next chapter “A Divine Appointment at
the “Iranian Embassy in Washington, D.C.” when I literally stood in the
Doorway of the Iranian Embassy on May 22, 2000 as the IDF “unexpectedly”
passed through the “Fatima Gate” at the “Good Fence Border Crossing” back
into the borders of Israel. What is Bound and Loosed on Earth is
Bound and Loosed in Heaven – Matthew 16:19:
At the direction of the Lord, on May 22, 2000 I went to the Iranian
Embassy where I literally stood in the Gate of my enemy – the Doorway of the
Iranian Embassy in Washington, D.C.
And, in the name of Jesus Christ I spoke a creative word into the
spiritual realm. In the Name of Jesus
I bound the Persian Principalities that were influencing Hezbollah and in the
Name of Jesus commanded them to back away from the “Fatima Gate/Good Fence”
in Metulla and let the IDF “safely” depart from the Security Zone back into
to the borders of Israel through the “Fatima Gate” at the “Good Fence Border
Crossing.” Standing in the front door of the Iranian
Embassy in Washington, D.C. – the Gate of my Enemy and the Enemy of the
Church – in the name of Jesus I declared into the spiritual realm that the
Gates of Hell would not prevail against the Church. Because the South Lebanese Army (SLA), a
Christian Militia, are the ones who allowed Israel to set up the Security
Zone just inside Lebanon’s southern border, they too were a target of
Hezbollah. Like the IDF, many of the SLA also passed through the
“Fatima Gate” without being harmed when the Lord turned the Battle to the
“Fatima Gate” and then turned the battle away from the “Fatima Gate, the
Good Fence” and the Church. (Isaiah 28:6) Isaiah 28:6 6And for a spirit of judgment
to him that sitteth in judgment, and for strength to them that turn the battle to the gate. KJV Isaiah 28:6 6and
a spirit of justice to him that sitteth in judgment, and strength to them
that turn back the battle at
the gate. ASV What I didn’t know until after I left the
Iranian Embassy was that the IDF had “unexpectedly” begun their departure
through the “Fatima Gate” while I was at the Iranian Embassy. Their unexpected departure caught the international
community by surprise who, like myself, believed that the IDF would depart
from the Security Zone in July of 2000.
And, that was the whole point – to catch Hezbollah and Iran by
surprise. Details and Documentation
are in the next chapter. More to the
point – I wasn’t surprised because that was why I was at the Iranian Embassy!
It wasn’t until years later after
classified information gathered by the IDF was declassified that along with
the rest of the world I found out why the IDF “unexpectedly” departed from
the Security Zone on May 22. Based on
intelligence reports gathered on the morning of May 22, 2000 Hezbollah was
planning on attacking the IDF as they departed from the Security Zone in
July. And, for that reason, instead of departing the Security Zone in
July of 2000 as planned, the IDF started their withdrawal on May 22, 2000
while I was at the Iranian Embassy. The point is this: The world may have been caught by surprise;
however, the Lord knew that the IDF would begin their withdrawal while I was
at the Iranian Embassy. The Lord knew
that on May 22, 2000 when Israel’s Prime Minister found out that Hezbollah
was planning on attacking the IDF as they departed through the “Good Gate” in
July that he would issue orders for the IDF to immediately begin to withdraw
through the “Good Gate” back into Israel that same night on May 22,
2000. The decision to begin their
withdrawal on May 22 was made after the Prime Minister was told that
Hezbollah was planning on utterly destroying the IDF as they withdrew in
July. To withdraw on May 22, 2000
caught Hezbollah off guard and the IDF was able to execute a “Safe”
withdrawal. Hence, a “Divine
Appointment” that I stood in the “Gate” of my spiritual enemy at the Iranian
Embassy on May 22, 2000 and not in July!
Twenty-Two Years Later, another
Divine Appointment at the “Border” Israel shares with Lebanon: Likewise, when the Lord sent me all the
way from America to stand at the “Border” Israel shares with Lebanon on
October 11, 2022, no one knew until October 11, 2022 if and when Israel and
Lebanon would actually sign their “Historic Maritime Agreement.” And, this is the same “Border” that the
IDF safely withdrew through on May 22, 2000 while I was standing in the Gate
of my enemy at the Iranian Embassy.
And, it was no secret that Hezbollah was threatening to go to war with
Israel even as I stood at the “Border” in Metulla on October 11, 2022. However, as we now know, on October 11,
2022, the Lord took the battle to the “Good Fence” on the “Border” and turned
the battle away from Border. As
a Note: At this point I want to
explain how I was able to gain access to the Iranian Embassy. In 1980 Iran’s diplomats were ordered to
vacate the Iranian Embassy and leave the United States in compliance with
President Carter’s orders for their expulsion. And, any time a Country’s Diplomats have to
vacate their embassy at the request of the U.S. State Department the U.S.
State Department is responsible for the upkeep of their Embassy. And even though the U.S. State Department
was/is not allowed to sell the Iranian Embassy, they were/are able to rent
the Iranian Embassy or any Embassy that has been vacated to raise money for
the upkeep. Hence, the U.S. State
Department rented the Iranian Embassy to a Christian Ministry which opened
the door for me to go to the Iranian Embassy on May 22-23, 2000 to pray for
the safety of the IDF as they withdrew from the Security Zone. Even though the Christian Ministry has long since departed from
the Iranian Embassy – to this day the State Department is responsible for the
continued upkeep of the Iranian Embassy.
Then
and Now: On May 22, 2000 I stood
in the Gateway of the Enemy at the Iranian Embassy to intercede for the IDF
and SLA as the IDF and many of the SLA crossed through the Fatima Gate, the
official Border Crossing, for the last time back onto Israeli soil. And, on October 6, 2023 when the leaders of
Hamas, after ten years of planning, made the decision to attack Israel I was
literally standing in the Fatima Gate at the Border in Metulla where I was a
Witness to Jesus Christ who said “I AM the Gate.” And, that brings me to Chapter 8 “Standing
in the Doorway of the Iranian Embassy on May 22, 2000 was God’s Divine
Appointment for my Life.” |