SATAN'S STRATEGY

SATAN’S STRATEGY

SUNDAY, March 6, 2022, the Year of Our Lord

Pastor Carolyn Sissom

 

 

It is Saturday evening at 9:00 p.m.  It is time for me to be finishing the weekly message; but instead, I am just now starting.  Why?  I don’t have a clear message. So, I will start typing in faith that what is in my Spirit will appear on paper.

 

I preached recently on Ezekiel 38 and our mandate to prophesy against Gog, the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meschech (Moscow) and Tubal (Toblisk)…I will turn them back, put hooks in their jaws.  I will bring you forth, and all your army, horses, and horsemen, all of them clothed with all sorts of armor, even a great company with bucklers and shields and all of them handling swords.

 

Pat Robertson came out of retirement this week to declare that we have come to Ezekiel 39 where God will push Gog, the chief prince of Mesheck and Tubal all the way to Israel.  This will be with a coalition of Communist and Islamic nations. 

 

Eze. 39:4: I will turn you back, and leave but the sixth part of you.  I will cause you to come up from the north parts, and will bring you upon the mountains of Israel.  I will smite your bow out of your left had, and will cause your arrows to fall out of your right hand.  You shall fall upon the mountains of Israel, you and all your bands, and the people who are with you.  I will give you to the ravenous birds of every sort, and to the beasts of the field to be devoured.  You shall fall upon the open field; for I have spoke it, says the LORD GOD.  I will send a fire on Magog, and among them that dwell carelessly in the isles; and they shall know that I am the LORD.

 

The fire in Russia sounds nuclear. I know this scripture very well, but I have pulled back from preaching it in application to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.   

 

I don’t want this to be now.  I hope it is not now.  My faith is expecting this battle to turn within the next 30-days.

 

My studies this week were in 1 Kings 19-20.  What stood out to me was when Elijah was hiding in the cave, complaining to God about Jezebel trying to kill him.  The LORD ignored his pity party and complaining; and commands him to return on the way (from which he had deviated) to the wilderness of Damascus (19:14-15).  He was to anoint Hazael to be king over Syria; Jehu to be king over Israel; and Elisha to be a prophet to take his place.

 

1 Ki. 19:17: It shall be that whoever escapes the sword of Hazael, Jehu will kill; and whoever escapes the sword of Jehu, Elisha will kill.   

 

The only one that Elijah actually anointed was Elisha.  Elisha is the one who anointed the other two.

 

So, if two kings are to be anointed, then two kings must be removed.

 

The narrative of the story in chapter 20 moves to a battle between Ahab, king of Israel and Ben Hadad of Syria who had thirty-two kings with him, and horses, and chariot.  He went up and besieged Samaria, and warred against it.  He sent messengers to Ahab, king of Israel into the city, and said unto him, “your silver and your gold are mine, your loveliest wives also and children are mine. (1 Ki. 20:2). 

 

This is pretty much the attitude and action of Vladimir Putin when he invaded the Ukraine on February 27, 2022.  This is Satan’s strategy.  Ahab at first agreed with this death and hell.  The enemy will take all that he can get if we agree with him! The Biden Administration and NATO had no clue that the Ukraine could stand up against Russia.  They were just waiting for it to fall.

 

1 Ki. 20: 5-6: Thus speaks Ben -Hadad…I will send my servants to you tomorrow about this time, and they shall search your house and the houses of your servants.  It shall be, that whatever is pleasant in your eyes, they will put in their hands and take it.  

 

Ahab called for the elders who said not to consent with the enemy.  So, Ahab rejected Ben-Hadad’s second request.  Ben Hadad boasts of his superior power and intent to pulverize Samaria to dust.  As it happened Ben Hada and the kings were all drunk.  In verse 13, suddenly an unnamed prophet approached Ahab.  Through him, God promised victory.  By whom?  The young men of the princes of the provinces.  There were 232 princes and 7,000 Israelites.  The people of Israel were armed and went out at noon, as Ben-Hadad and his 32 kings were drinking in their tents.  Ben-Hadad’s over-confident orders were to take them alive.  But the Israelites slew them, and the Syrians fled.  Israel then pursued them.  Ahab went out as Ben-Hadad escaped on horseback and smote the horses and chariots…a great slaughter.   

 

The prophet appeared and warned again: “strengthen yourself for in the spring of the year, the king of Syria will come up against you again.”

 

20:23: The servants of the king of Syria said to him, “their gods are gods of the hills.   Therefore, they were stronger than we; but if we fight against them in the plain, surely, we will be stronger than they.”

 

So, in the Spring, the Syrians went up to Aphek (east of the Sea of Galilee) to battle.

 

Israel’s army was “like two little flocks of kids; but the Syrians filled the country (1 Ki. 20:27).

 

I pray the Ukrainians have read this chapter and are encouraged that God will move on their faith and courage in the face of Putin’s powerful military.

 

20:28-29:  Then a man of God (Josephus says it was Micaiah) came and spoke to the king of Israel, and said, “Thus says the LORD:  Because the Syrians have said, The LORD is God of the hills, but He is not god of the valleys,” therefore I will deliver this great multitude into your hand, and you shall know that I am the LORD. 

 

On the seventh day, Israel slew 100,000 Syrian military footmen in one day.   A wall fell on 27,000 of the men who were left (vs. 30).   I heard on the news that Putin’s army in the Ukraine is numbered at 150,000. 

 

Rev. 18:8: Therefore, her plagues will come in one day---death and mourning and famine.  And she will be utterly burned with fire, for strong is the Lord God who judges her.

 

Ben-Hadad ran and hid in Aphek.  He decided to plea for mercy and was reminded since he was a Benjamite, he was a brother to Ahab.  Ahab’s attitude toward the enemy was “he is my brother-king.”  Satan or the carnal mind will hastily catch any loop-hole.  Ben-Hadad came forth and was invited into Ahab’s chariot.  The Syrian king promised to restore the cities taken from the family of Omri.  (Ahab’s grandfather king Omri).  Ahab made a covenant with Ben Hadad.  Except, for one small problem, this was not okay with the LORD GOD. Ben-Hadad was a man whom God had appointed to utter destruction.

 

Our unknown prophet appears to Ahab. He is described as one of the sons of the prophets.   He did a strange thing.  He asked one of his neighbors to strike him.  The prophet told him for disobeying the LORD’s prophet, a lion would kill him.  The man refused.  As soon as he left, a lion killed him.   He had another prophet smite him in the face inflicting a wound.   (29) As the king passed by, he said another strange thing.  Actually he lied.  Your servant went out into the midst of the battle; and there, a man came over and brought a man to me, and said, “guard this man; if by any means he is missing, your life shall be for his life, or else you shall pay a talent of silver.  While your servant was busy here and there, he was gone.”  Then the king of Israel said to him, “So shall your judgment be, you yourself have decided it.”   

 

The prophet removed his bandage and the king recognized him.

 

The prophet said, “thus says the LORD, because you have let slip out of your hand a man whom I appointed to utter destruction, therefore your life shall go for his life, and your people for his people.

 

 As prophesied, to Elijah, Jehu killed Ahab and the whole house of Ahab as well as destroyed the alters of Baal  (2 Ki. 10:11;2 Ki. 10:28).

 

Why did I feel led by the LORD to share this story when I have been seeking Him all week about Russia, Ukraine, Biden and NATO?

 

Perhaps as I said in my introduction, I don’t have a clear message today.  Perhaps my message is as strange as the unknown prophet.   I pray the LORD’s message of victory and His mighty Hand is on this war.  I pray the LORD will honor Ukraine’s bravery.  Like the Israelites in this story, the people of the Ukraine are arming themselves and fighting.  Lord, would you look upon the people of the Ukraine and grant them victory over Putin.

 

But I am not ignorant of what is written in Ezekiel 39.  At some time in world history, Russia will have a power presence on the world scene, so much so that Israel will stand alone when attacked by the massive northern military coalition.

 

Putin wants to prevent Ukraine from developing closer ties with Europe. With Biden’s help, Putin is pushing oil prices to record highs.  No power is standing firmly in Putin’s way.  U. S. has lost oil independence.  The E.U. is weak with no strong leader.  The U.S. has the weakest and most inept administration in history.

 

Putin knows how weak the E.U. is.  he knows there is a divided and leaderless Europe.  Americans have no confidence in our government.  Ukrainian Jews are returning to Israel by the hundreds.  

 

The Austrian paper Der Standard wrote: “The EU finally needs a leader who can deal with Putin and Joe Biden on an equal footing.”   This could set the stage for the rise of the antichrist and the revived Roman Empire!

 

As a pastor, I can say today that we will be kept in the keeping power of the Lord Jesus Christ as we seek the LORD with our whole heart.  As a teacher, I can give you the Word of God.  As a prophet, I do not have the Word of the Lord.

 

Carolyn Sissom, Pastor

Eastgate Ministries Church

www.eastgateministries.com

Scripture from N.K.J.V.

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