C ONFRONTING

THE

Q UEEN

OF

H EAVEN

C. PETER WAGNER

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from The New King James Version. Copyright 1979, 1980, 198 , !homas "elson, #nc$

Confronting the Queen of Heaven Copyright 1998 %y C$ &eter 'agner

&u%lished %y 'agner #nstitute for &ractical (inistry &$)$ *o+ ,-0,0 Colorado Springs, C) 809,

Co.er design %y Chuc/ 0aas 0aas and 1ayco+ ,,,0 2elmonico 2ri.e, *o+ 23410 Colorado Springs, C) 80919

&rinted in the United States of 5merica$ 5ll rights reser.ed under #nternational Copyright 6aw$ Contents and7or co.er may not %e reproduced in whole or in part without the e+press written consent of the pu%lisher$

TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION 1. EPHESUS YESTERDAY AND TODAY 5 8

5fter &aul8s ministry, 9phesus %ecame the center of Christianity for the ne+t 00 years$ !oday in !ur/ey, where 9phesus is located, there are fewer than :00 %elie.ers among a population of ,0 million$ 'hat happened; 2oes the <ueen of 0ea.en play a part;

2. HOW SHOULD WE RESPOND?

17

&aul, in the *oo/ of 9phesians, tells us what action to ta/e$ !here are at least three .ery important things that 1esus, the head of the Church, is telling the %ody a%out spiritual warfare, all related to the city of 9phesus$

3. THE CHALLENGE OF THE QUEEN OF HEAVEN

25

0ow is the <ueen of 0ea.en manifesting in today8s world and holding lost souls in dar/ness;

4. OVERCO

ING THE

QUEEN

33

'hat specifically can we as Christians do to play a part in confronting the <ueen of 0ea.en and proclaiming that 1esus Christ is 6ord;

INTRODUCTION
!he %ody of Christ has come to a place today unli/e anything /nown in church history$ 9.en the *oo/ of 5cts has not recorded the /inds of awesome ministry we are now seeing in many parts of the world$ #t seems as if 0a%a//u/ 1=: is literally coming true in our day= Look among the nations and watch Be utter ! astounded" #or $ wi work a work in !our da!s %hich !ou wou d not &e ieve' though it were to d !ou. Should we not e+pect this; 5fter all, 1esus said, >0e who %elie.es in (e, the wor/s that # do he will do also? and greater wor/s than these will he do, %ecause # go to (y @ather> A1n$ 14=1 B$ 'e li.e in the time of the greatest har.est of souls that the world has e.er seen? awesome reports of supernatural power pour in from .irtually e.ery nation? the %ody of Christ is more unified than it has %een in millennia? more people are praying and praying >in one accord> than e.er %efore? and we li.e in the first generation e.er to see light at the end of the tunnel of the Creat Commission$ 'hat an incredi%le time to %e a ChristianD

THE DECADE OF SPIRITUAL WARFARE

"e.er %efore has Cod entrusted to 0is church the le.el of spiritual warfare which is occurring in e.ery continent in the 1990s$ 9.en ten years ago, we did not e.en ha.e the .oca%ulary to descri%e what is almost commonplace these

#"!E)2UC!#)"

days, such as strategic3le.el spiritual warfare, spiritual mapping, identificational repentance, and prayer e.angelism$ !he issue of di.ine timing raises the question as to why Cod would ha.e waited until now to release the church for such a massi.e assault on the /ingdom of Satan$ # %elie.e the answer to this crucial question lies in the fact that in the 1990s the authentic go.ernment of the uni.ersal church has, once again, come into place$ 2uring the 1980s the prophetic ministry rose up within the church and %egan to assume its rightful position in the life and ministry of Cod8s people$ #n the 1990s apostles %egan to appear and %e legitimately recogniFed %y the churches$ 'e read in 9phesians that >G1esusH ga.e some to %e apostles, some prophets, some e.angelists, and some pastors and teachers> A9ph$ 4=11B$ !he traditional church has recei.ed the ministry of e.angelists, pastors, and teachers for centuries, %ut only recently has it also accepted prophets and apostles$ 0owe.er, %ecause apostles and prophets are now operati.e, Cod is entrusting 0is church with high3le.el assignments that we ha.e not pre.iously seen$ #n 1990, # had the pri.ilege of helping to found the #nternational Spiritual 'arfare "etwor/, and # ha.e ser.ed as the international coordinator e.er since$ !his has gi.en me a ring side seat to watch the unfolding of Cod8s plan for 0is spiritual army$ #n the early days, we were floundering, ma/ing our share of mista/es$ *ut through the mentoring of the 0oly Spirit we ha.e learned rapidly, and now we are much more mature and prepared for %attle$ 'e ha.e seen tremendous .ictories for the /ingdom of Cod in the 1990s, particularly among the unreached peoples of the 10740 'indow$ "ow, in the closing years of the decade and the millennium, Cod is entrusting us with a new le.el of spiritual warfare$ Some of the things descri%ed in this %oo/let ha.e not %een common /nowledge$ !his is not Spiritual 'arfare 101$ !he new assignment that Cod has gi.en to the #nternational Spiritual 'arfare "etwor/ and to the %ody of Christ in general deals with the highest le.els of >rulers of the dar/ness of this age> as the 5postle &aul would say Asee 9ph$ ,=1 B$ !he notion

#"!E)2UC!#)"

of confronting the <ueen of 0ea.en is not fun and games$ #t is an ad.anced, high3ris/ assault against the powers of e.il that no one would want to underta/e other than %y a direct command of Cod$ 'hy would anyone in their right mind want to ta/e on high3ran/ing principalities and powers of dar/ness; Iery simply, it is %ecause of hea.en and hell$ Cod has gi.en us the ministry of reconciliation$ 0e has gi.en us the gospel of Christ which is the power of Cod to sal.ation$ 0e is not willing that any should perish$ 5nd, yet, not enough people are %eing sa.ed$ (ore often than not, e.angelism gets %ogged down$ !he light of the gospel does not shine as %rightly as we /now it should$ 'hy; &aul tells us that it is %ecause >the god of this age> has %linded the minds of un%elie.ers Asee Cor$ 4=4B$ Some thin/ that there is not much that we can do a%out this$ *ut there is$ &aul says that >we are not ignorant of GSatan8sH de.ices> A Cor$ =11B$ Cod has gi.en us the shield of faith and the sword of the Spirit Asee 9ph$ ,=1,317B$ 'e are ready for %attle as soon as the Commander3in3Chief gi.es us the word to go forth$ 0e has now gi.en us the word to confront the <ueen of 0ea.en$ !his %oo/let will tell how that command was recei.ed and how Cod e+pects 0is army to mo.e into %attle$

Chapter )ne

1.

EPHESUS YESTERDAY AND TODAY

5fter &aul8s ministry, 9phesus %ecame the center of Christianity for the ne+t 00 years$ !oday in !ur/ey, where 9phesus is located, there are fewer than :00 %elie.ers among a population of ,0 million$ 'hat happened; 2oes the <ueen of 0ea.en play a part;

!he maJor focal point for the Spiritual 'arfare "etwor/ in our days has %ecome the city of 9phesus in !ur/ey$ Undou%tedly, other significant focal points will emerge as we come %efore Cod8s throne and listen carefully to 0is .oice as 0e spea/s to us, %ut !ur/ey will %e on center stage$ @or many years, Christians all o.er the world ha.e prayed for Cod8s %lessing to %e poured out on !ur/ey and on the !ur/ish people$ !ur/ey is a %eautiful land, a Jewel of Cod8s creation$ )ur Christian faith has deep roots in !ur/ey$ )ur desire is to see Cod8s purpose for that land come to full fruition, and this is why # am ad.ocating that we increase %oth the quantity and the fer.ency of our prayers for !ur/ey, proclaiming Cod8s deep lo.e for the !ur/s$ 'hy is !ur/ey, particularly the city of 9phesus, so important at this hinge of history; #n order to e+plain, let8s loo/ at 9phesus yesterday, and then at 9phesus today$

EPHESUS YESTERDAY
9phesus was once the center of world Christianity$ *ac/ in the days of the apostles, 9phesus was the third largest city in the Eoman 9mpire, %oasting a population of :0,000$ )nly Eome

9&09SUS K9S!9E25K 5"2 !)25K

and 5le+andria were larger$ #t was a %eautiful city of amaFing art and architecture, a good deal of which has %een restored %y modern archaeologists$ #t was a port city, with %ustling and lucrati.e commerce$ 5 pu%lic %ath house was located at e.ery gate to the city, and no one was admitted without ta/ing a complete %ath$ 9phesus was a center of education with schools, li%raries and lecture halls$ !he homes of the well3to3do were fitted with indoor plum%ing including hot and cold running water$ 5 hospital was located near the center of the city$ !he awesome outdoor amphitheater seated :,000 persons who could hear the .oices on the stage without amplification$ !he apostle &aul was the missionary whom Cod chose to ta/e the gospel of Christ to 9phesus, at that time the capital city of the Eoman pro.ince, 5sia (inor$ #n 9phesus, &aul saw more fruit for his la%or than in any other place he e.er .isited as a missionary$ !he *oo/ of 5cts reports that >G&aul preached the /ingdom of CodH for two years, so that all who dwelt in 5sia heard the word of the 6ord 1esus, %oth 1ews and Cree/s> A5cts 19=10B? and, while &aul was there >the word of the 6ord grew mighty and pre.ailed> A5cts 19= 0B$ !hat would %e li/e a missionary arri.ing in Chicago and, two years later, %eing a%le to say, >5ll #llinois has heard the gospelD>

SPIRITUAL WARFARE AND UNUSUAL

IRACLES

'hat was &aul doing during those two years; 0e was %asically engaged in spiritual warfare, practicing what 1ohn 'im%er would ha.e called >power e.angelism$> !here was so much supernatural power %eing released through &aul and others, that >Cod wor/ed unusual miracles %y the hands of &aul> A5cts 19=11B$ # lo.e to read those wordsD 5pparently there was so much power that a distinction needed to %e made %etween >usual> and >unusual> miracles$ 'e are seeing similar things today in places li/e China and 5rgentina$ !here are three important le.els of spiritual warfare, all of which were ta/ing place in 9phesus$ !he first le.el is

10

C05&!9E )"9

ground( eve s)iritua warfare' which means casting demons out of indi.iduals$ !his is what 1esus commanded 0is disciples to do when 0e sent them out saying, >5s you go, preach, saying, 8!he /ingdom of hea.en is at hand$8 0eal the sic/, cast out demons> A(t$ 10=738B$ )rdinarily, Cod heals the sic/ and dri.es out demons when Christian people minister directly to indi.iduals, lay hands on them, anoint them with oil, and pray for them and their specific needs$ !hose are the >usual> miracles$ *ut in 9phesus there was so much power that >e.en hand/erchiefs or aprons were %rought from G&aul8sH %ody to the sic/, and the diseases left them and the e.il spirits went out of them> A5cts 19=1 B$ "o wonder the adJecti.e >unusual> is used hereD

THE

AGICIANS AND

THEIR BONFIRE

!he second le.el of spiritual warfare is occu t( eve s)iritua warfare. !his means dealing with powers of dar/ness that are more coordinated and organiFed than one or more demons who might happen to %e afflicting a certain person at a certain time$ 'e can thin/ of this as witchcraft or Satanism or fortune3 telling or shamanism or "ew 5ge or @reemasonry or !i%etan *uddhism or other occult practices$ 9phesus, in the days of &aul, was a center of magic$ 5ccording to information ta/en from Clinton 5rnold8s e+cellent %oo/, *)hesians+ ,ower and -agic A*a/er *oo/sB, 9phesus could ha.e %een regarded as the center of magic in the Eoman 9mpire$ #t would ha.e attracted the most famous magicians, as well as those who wanted to learn the trade from them$ &aul ministered to the magicians in 9phesus with outstanding results$ #n order to win these power %ro/ers to Christ, there must ha.e %een numerous power encounters clearly demonstrating that the power of Cod was greater than any of the supernatural power of dar/ness that the magicians were in touch with$ 'e read that >(any of those who had practiced magic

9&09SUS K9S!9E25K 5"2 !)25K 11

%rought their %oo/s together and %urned them in the sight of all$ 5nd they counted up the .alue of them, and it totaled fifty thousand pieces of sil.er> A5cts 19=19B$ 'hen # researched this for my commentary on 5cts, # calculated that in the U$S$ economy today, the pile of magic paraphernalia that was %urned would ha.e %een worth L4 millionD

THE TERRITORIAL SPIRIT! DIANA OF THE EPHESIANS

!he third, and highest le.el of spiritual warfare is strategic( eve s)iritua warfare. !his in.ol.es confrontation with the high3ran/ing territorial spirits which ha.e %een assigned %y Satan to coordinate the acti.ities of the /ingdom of dar/ness o.er a certain area in order to /eep the people8s minds %linded to the >gospel of the glory of Christ> as we read in Corinthians 4=-34$ &aul refers to this when he says, >'e do not wrestle against flesh and %lood, %ut against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the dar/ness of this age> A9ph$ ,=1 B$ !he chief territorial spirit o.er 9phesus and 5sia (inor was the renowned 2iana of the 9phesians Aalso /nown %y her Cree/ name, 5rtemisB$ Some historians %elie.e that she might ha.e %een the most worshiped deity of the whole Eoman 9mpire at the time$ 0er temple in 9phesus was listed as one of the Se.en 'onders of the 5ncient 'orld, the most outstanding and opulent e+ample of architecture in the whole city$ )fferings and sacrifices were made to this demonic power year around$ 0er followers called her >magnificent> and >great goddess> and >sa.ior> and ><ueen of 0ea.en$> *efore &aul arri.ed, she had things .ery well in hand in the greater 9phesus area and %eyond$ *ut then, confusion set in$ !he demons, who were supposed to %e under her authority, were %eing dri.en out of people they had oppressed for years %y mere hand/erchiefsD !he magicians, presuma%ly her most elite troops, were deserting the /ingdom of dar/ness %y dro.es, and entering the

C05&!9E )"9

/ingdom of this >1esus> whom &aul was preaching$ 2iana had ne.er seen anything li/e this %eforeD 0er armies were retreating in chaos$ She was rapidly losing the authority o.er 9phesus that she had maintained for centuries$ 2iana8s power was %eing neutraliFed so much %y the gospel that the common people %egan to notice$ !hey stopped worshiping her, sacrificing to her, and purchasing her idols$ *y the time &aul8s two years of ministry were coming to a close, the sil.ersmiths, who were manufacturing these idols, were going out of %usiness, so they staged a pu%lic riot$ !hey filled the huge amphitheater and shouted for two hours, >Creat is 2iana of the 9phesians> A5cts 19=-4B$

THE AIR WAR AND THE GROUND WAR

&aul8s strategic3le.el spiritual warfare was li/e the air war of modern military strategy$ "o responsi%le commander would send in ground troops unless the air war had %een won$ #t would %e suicide$ !his is why &aul made sure that 2iana had %een wea/ened %efore he sent his church planters all through the city of 9phesus and the pro.ince of 5sia (inor$ 5ctually, &aul did not personally plant the churches in 5sia (inor Ase.en of which are mentioned in Ee.elation and -B$ 0e trained church planters in the >school of !yrannus,> a school %uilding that he rented, and sent them out as ground troops Asee 5cts 19=9310B$

DIANA"S DE

ISE

*y the time &aul left 9phesus, 2iana had %een se.erely %attered and wea/ened$ *ut she wasn8t yet ta/en out of the picture$ &aul ne.er confronted her one3on3one or entered her temple to do direct strategic3le.el spiritual warfare$ !he sil.ersmiths accused him of doing this, %ut they couldn8t ma/e their charges stic/ in court$ 2iana lost much power %ecause of &aul8s aggressi.e spiritual warfare on the ground le.el and on

9&09SUS K9S!9E25K 5"2 !)25K 1-

the occult le.el$ !he /ingdom of dar/ness is all connected, and what happens on any one of the three le.els affects the other le.els and the whole realm of Satan$ Cod chose the apostle 1ohn to do the final assault$ Su%sequent history, not the *oo/ of 5cts, tells us that a few years after &aul left, 1ohn mo.ed to 9phesus and finished his career there$ Eamsay (ac(ullen, a well3/nown historian on the faculty of Kale Uni.ersity, pro.ides us with some .ery interesting details of 1ohn8s ministry in 9phesus in the area of strategic3le.el spiritual warfare$ (ac(ullen, a specialist in the history of the Eoman 9mpire, has written a scholarly treatise called The Christiani.ation of the /oman *m)ire 011(211 AKale Uni.ersity &ressB$ #n it, he argues that the principal factor for con.erting the Eoman 9mpire to Christianity was casting out demons$ 0e gi.es many e+amples of spiritual warfare in his %oo/$ )ne of them is the story of the apostle 1ohn and his one3 on3one confrontation with 2iana of the 9phesians$ (ac(ullen, citing historical sources, says that 1ohn, unli/e &aul, did go into 2iana8s temple to do spiritual warfare$ 0e says, >#n the .ery temple of G2iana herselfH, G1ohnH prayed, 8) Cod $$$ at whose name e.ery idol ta/es flight and e.ery demon and e.ery unclean power= now let the demon that is here Gin this templeH ta/e flight at thy name $$$8 5nd while 1ohn was saying this, all of a sudden the altar of G2ianaH split in many pieces $ $ $ and half the temple fell down> Ap$ ,B$ (ac(ullen goes on to say that this power encounter %rought multitudes of 9phesians to faith in Christ$ !hen he comments, as a professional historian, on why he %elie.es that this, along with similar instances in the e.angeliFation of the Eoman 9mpire, should %e accepted as historically .alid$ 'ithin a%out :0 years after this hardly anyone in the Eoman 9mpire worshiped 2iana any more$ 0er cult was reduced to a mere shadow of what it had %een %efore &aul and 1ohn went to 9phesus$ 5nd the city of 9phesus %ecame the center of world Christianity for the ne+t 00 years$

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C05&!9E )"9

EPHESUS TODAY
#n 5ugust 1997, 2oris and # made our first trip to !ur/ey as a part of the &raying !hrough the 'indow ### initiati.e that we were helping to coordinate$ Cod had laid it on our hearts to choose the !ur/s as the unreached people group on which we would concentrate our prayers$ !his was new ground for us since we had .ery little pre.ious /nowledge of !ur/ey and no !ur/ish personal friends$ 'e were delighted with what we found$ !ur/ey is a %eautiful country with as long a history as any nation in the world$ Some say that the Carden of 9den was located in !ur/ey, and that could well %e the case$ !he people are wonderfulMfriendly, hospita%le, easy3going, industrious$ 'e understood why !ur/ey would %e one of the preferred tourist destinations for .acationing 9uropeans$ 'hen we left, we wanted to go %ac/ again$ (ost !ur/s are (uslims, and they ha.e an in%red loyalty to their faith$ *ut the !ur/ish go.ernment is a secular go.ernment, strongly resisting attempts %y #slamic fundamentalists to impose the /ind of closed society seen in many (iddle 9astern lands$ !ur/s are not 5ra%s, nor do they e.er want to %e$ !hey want to %e part of the 9uropean Union$ Christian churches and *i%le schools and %oo/stores and religious pilgrimages are allowed$ !ur/s are free to con.ert to Christianity if they so desire$ !here are something li/e :00 %orn3again %elie.ers in !ur/ey today$ !rue, there are some laws restricting the ways e.angelism can %e carried out and prohi%iting pu%lic distri%ution of literature, %ut they apply to Christians and non3Christians ali/e$ Christians who intentionally diso%ey these laws deser.e punishment$

THE

OON

GODDESS

'hile we were in !ur/ey we learned something that we were not pre.iously aware of$ !he ancient (oon Coddess

9&09SUS K9S!9E25K 5"2 !)25K 1:

Asometimes referred to in literature %y the masculine >(oon Cod>B has e+erted a good %it of influence o.er peoples of the (iddle 9ast for millennia$ !he spiritual powers %ehind moon worship, whether personified as male or female Ahuman gender distinctions are not /nown to ha.e parallels among angelic %eingsB, ha.e %een more deeply em%edded in many (iddle 9astern cultures Aas well as many cultures outside of the (iddle 9astB than we ha.e usually thought$ !he sym%ol of the (oon Coddess is the crescent moon$ 2id the (oon Coddess ha.e anything to do with 2iana of the 9phesians; # had seen pictures of the many3%reasted statue of 2iana numerous times, %ut it was only during this .isit to !ur/ey that # noticed that her nec/lace is the crescent moonD !he (oon Coddess relates to %i%lical history$ *oth Ur of the Chaldeans, where 5%raham8s family came from, and 0aran, where 5%raham li.ed until his father died, were cities ruled o.er %y the (oon Coddess, Sin$ 5%raham8s family worshiped the (oon Coddess, so it would not %e an e+aggeration to suppose that 5%raham himself was a con.ert from the (oon Coddess to 1ahwehD

THE QUEEN OF HEAVEN

!he principality of dar/ness manifesting %oth in the form of the (oon Coddess and 2iana of the 9phesians is the <ueen of 0ea.en$ )ne of the names of 2iana was ><ueen of 0ea.en$> 'ho is the <ueen of 0ea.en; <uite possi%ly, the only place in the *i%le where Cod emphatically tells 0is followers not to pray for certain other people is 1eremiah 7=1,= >2o not pray for this people, nor lift up a cry or prayer for them, nor ma/e intercession to (e? for # will not hear you$> !his is an e+traordinary statement reflecting a situation which apparently demands that Cod8s attri%ute of wrath o.ershadow 0is attri%ute of mercy$ Something really %ad must %e happening to pro.o/e such a response$ 'hat is it; #t in.ol.es the <ueen of 0ea.en$ >!he children gather wood, the fathers /indle the fire, and the women /nead their

1,

C05&!9E )"9

dough to ma/e ca/es for the queen of hea.en> A1er$ 7=18B$ 'hole families, men, women and children, are in.ol.ed in worshiping this unclean territorial spirit of e.il$ Cod goes on to say that >they pro.o/e (e to anger$> 5n e.en longer passage comes up in 1eremiah 44 where the 1ews in 9gypt were >G%urningH incense to the queen of hea.en and GpouringH out drin/ offerings to her> A1er$ 44=17B$ Cod pleads, >)h, do not do this a%omina%le thing that # hateD> A1er$ 44=4B$ #n fact, it was %ecause the 1ews in 1erusalem and 1udah had %een doing that .ery same thing that Cod sent them to the se.enty years of *a%ylonian capti.ity Athis is e+plained in 1eremiah 44= 3-B$

THE GREAT HARLOT ON

ANY

WATERS

*ecause Cod is a Cod who is not willing that any should perish Asee &eter -=9B, my hypothesis is that 0e hates the <ueen of 0ea.en so much %ecause she is the demonic principality who is most responsi%le under Satan for /eeping un%elie.ers in spiritual dar/ness$ #t could well %e that more people are in 0ell today %ecause of the influence of the <ueen of 0ea.en than %ecause of any other spiritual influence$ !he <ueen of 0ea.en is >the great harlot who sits on many waters> in Ee.elation 17$ 'hat are the >waters;> >!he waters which you saw, where the harlot sits, are peoples, multitudes, nations, and tongues> AEe.$ 17=1:B$ 'hy ha.e many unreached peoples %een imper.ious to recei.ing the great %lessing that Cod desires to pour out upon them and upon their nations; *ecause of the decepti.e power of the <ueen of 0ea.en$ #t is now time to ta/e spiritual actionD

C05&!9E !')

2.

HOW SHOULD WE RESPOND?

&aul, in the *oo/ of 9phesians, tells us what action to ta/e$ !here are at least three .ery important things that 1esus, the head of the Church, is telling the %ody a%out spiritual warfare, all related to the city of 9phesus$

'hen &aul left 9phesus, the church he left %ehind Awhich was not a large downtown church as we might thin/, %ut numerous house churches scattered across the city and throughout the pro.ince of 5sia (inorB was flourishing$ !he principalities and powers of dar/ness had %een pushed %ac/ and the /ingdom of Cod was thoroughly rooted in the area$ 5%out fi.e or si+ years later &aul wrote a letter to the %elie.ers in 9phesus from a Eoman prison$ #t should not surprise us that !he 9pistle of &aul to the 9phesians would contain a higher percentage of power terminology than any other %oo/ in the "ew !estament$ !he spiritual warfare that had helped the church ta/e root there was continuing$ *y that time !imothy had gone to minister in 9phesus, and that is why &aul would write to !imothy such things as= >wage the good warfare> A1 !im$ 1=18B? >fight the good fight> A1 !im$ ,=1 B? >endure hardship as a good soldier of 1esus Christ> A !im$ =-B? and >no one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life> A !im$ =4B$ !hen soon after !imothy left, 1ohn went to 9phesus and we ha.e already seen some of the spiritual warfare that he engaged in, especially in the temple of 2iana$

18

C05&!9E !')

Undou%tedly, as he was writing 9phesians, &aul would ha.e %een replaying in his mind the amaFing demonic deli.erances through hand/erchiefs, his power encounters with the magicians, and the sil.ersmiths8 riot in the huge amphitheater$ #t was &aul8s desire that what had %een gained through spiritual warfare would %e maintained through spiritual warfare$ !hat is why, if we now feel it is time to do %attle against the <ueen of 0ea.en once again, we would e+pect to recei.e important guidelines from the *oo/ of 9phesians$ 6et8s see what 9phesians says$

THE TRUE NATURE OF THE BATTLE

!erritorial spirits such as the <ueen of 0ea.en should not %e on the spiritual throne of nations li/e !ur/ey or li/e 1apan where she rules as the Sun Coddess or li/e (e+ico where she is /nown as the Iirgin of Cuadalupe or li/e "epal where she is Sagarmatha or of cities li/e Calcutta where she is disguised as Cali$ 1esus Christ should %e on the throne$ #t is only when dar/ness is pushed %ac/ and the light of the gospel comes that the full %lessing of Cod will %e poured out on nations and on their people$ 'hen &aul writes to the %elie.ers in 9phesus, he tells them he is praying >that the Cod of our 6ord 1esus Christ, the @ather of glory, may gi.e to you the spirit of wisdom and re.elation> A9ph$ 1=17B$ *efore we do spiritual warfare on any le.el, %ut particularly on the strategic3le.el, re.elation is a%solutely necessary$ 'e must hear from Cod and allow 0im to re.eal 0imself and 0is will to us$ !hen we need wisdom to /now how to interpret what we hear and how to act on Cod8s commands$ Ee.elation without wisdom can lead us into foolishness$ 'isdom without re.elation can lead us on a dead end street$

0)' S0)U62 '9 E9S&)"2; 19

#ON EARTH IS NOT HIS EQUAL#

!his wisdom and re.elation is not wisdom and re.elation in general$ #t specifically relates to what &aul descri%es as >the e+ceeding greatness of GCod8sH power toward us who %elie.e, according to the wor/ing of 0is mighty power> A9ph$ 1=19B$ !apping into Cod8s power is essential$ )nly those who are suicidal should go into spiritual warfare trusting on their human a%ilities$ (artin 6uther, in his magnificent spiritual warfare song, >5 (ighty @ortress #s )ur Cod,> mentions the de.il and then says, >)n earth is not his equal$> !his is so trueD )nly the mighty power of Cod can support us as we mo.e aggressi.ely against the forces of dar/ness$ 'hat le.el of spiritual warfare does &aul ha.e in mind as he writes to the 9phesians; 0e says that 1esus is on the right hand of Cod and >far a%o.e all principality and power and might and dominion> A9ph$ 1= 1B$ Undou%tedly, 2iana of the 9phesians and the daily sacrifices in her ornate temple are in &aul8s mind$ 1esus is superior to 2iana and to all similar territorial spirits, no matter how long they ha.e ruled people groups or cities$ !he armies of Cod are %eing called forth to enforce the rightful rule of the Ning of /ings and 6ord of lords on the highest spiritual le.elsD 5ll this is in Chapter 1 of 9phesians$ !hroughout the epistle &aul continues to set other pieces and conditions in order, until he gets to his close in Chapter , where he declares, among other things, that >we do not wrestle against flesh and %lood, %ut against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the dar/ness of this age> A9ph$ ,=1 B$ !his, clearly, is strategic3le.el spiritual warfare$

THE BODY TA$ES ORDERS FRO

THE

HEAD

&aul reminds the 9phesians that Cod has designated 1esus as >the head of all things to the church, which is 0is %ody, the fullness of 0im who fills all in all> A9ph$ 1= 3 -B$

C05&!9E !')

#f %elie.ers, in any aspect of their li.es, want to %e in the place that Cod wants them to %e, they must su%mit to the head of the %ody, 1esus Christ$ !his applies to indi.iduals in particular, %ut also to the church in general$ #t %ecomes e+tremely important for effecti.e spiritual warfare$ !he analogy of the head and the %ody is so simple that it surprises me when # find those who do not seem to catch on$ 6et8s ma/e the application %y %eginning with our own human %odies$ 'e ha.e a head and we ha.e a %ody$ !he head directs the rest of the %ody$ !he %ody carries out the will of the head$ @or e+ample, suppose # set out to %uild a house$ (y head tells me to %uild a house and what /ind of a house and where it should %e located$ *ut my head doesn8t %uild the house, my %ody does$ (y head might tell me to coo/ a meal, %ut my head doesn8t coo/ the meal, my %ody does$ (y head tells me to dri.e a car, %ut heads don8t dri.e cars$

THE HEAD SAYS! #ATTAC$ THE ENE

Y%#

Since 1esus is the head of the %ody of Christ, we must follow 0is directions$ 0e will tell us what action to ta/e, %ut 0e 0imself doesn8t intend to ta/e the action %ecause 0e is the head$ !here are at least three .ery important things that the head is telling the %ody a%out spiritual warfare, all related to the city of 9phesus$ 1. S&'() '*'+(,& &-. /+0., 12 &-. ).3+0. &aul tells the 9phesians to put on the whole armor of Cod >that you may %e a%le to stand against the wiles of the de.il> A9ph$ ,=1-B$ !his is not a %enign command$ #t is not something which is easy to do$ !he reason is that this de.il is an awesome %eing$ &aul, in the same epistle, calls him >the prince of the power of the air> A9ph$ = B$ #t is hard for me to understand why some Christian leaders insist on tri.ialiFing Satan8s power$ Eeferring to him as a wimp or as a toothless lion only ser.es to em%olden people to thin/ they can get away with attac/ing the de.il with

0)' S0)U62 '9 E9S&)"2;

a fly swatter$ # suspect that %y saying things li/e this, they are comparing the power of the de.il to the power of Cod, and it is true that there is no contest %etween the two of them$ *ut this is not the scenario$ 'e are not spectators watching a fight %etween Cod and demons$ 'e are the ones to stand against the wiles of the de.il$ !he head tells the %ody to do it, and the head is not going to do it for us$ 2. E(*'*. +( 451'6&+3. ,4+5+&7'0 /'52'5.. !he epistle that &aul wrote to the 9phesians isn8t the only letter to the church in 9phesus that we find in the "ew !estament$ !he other one is found in Ee.elation =137, and it was composed %y the head of the church 0imself$ 5ll se.en letters in Ee.elation and - were written %y 1esus to the church in 9phesus and the other churches in 5sia (inor which &aul8s team had planted$ #n each of these letters 1esus says that those who ha.e ears should hear what the 0oly Spirit is saying to the churches$ !he only other command3type .er% found in all se.en is >to o.ercome$> 5nd each time it is used, it is accompanied with an e+tra.agant promise$ #n the letter to 9phesus, for e+ample, 1esus says, >!o him who o.ercomes, # will gi.e to eat from the tree of life which is in the midst of the &aradise of Cod> AEe.$ =7B$ !he word >o.ercome> which 1esus repeats se.en times is nikao in the original Cree/$ #t is a military word meaning >to conquer> in secular Cree/, %ut, according to !he "ew #nternational 2ictionary of "ew !estament !heology= >#n the "ew !estament 3nikao4 almost always presupposes the conflict %etween Cod and opposing demonic powers> AIol$ 1, p$ ,:0B$ #n other words, it means to do spiritual warfare$

BINDING THE STRONG

1esus uses the same word in 6u/e 11=

AN

when he tal/s a%out

C05&!9E !')

o.ercoming 5nikao6 the strong man in reference to *eelFe%u%, a high ran/ing principality in the order of the <ueen of 0ea.en$ !he parallel passage in (atthew uses a different .er% and spea/s of >%inding the strong man> A(t$ 1 = 9B, the term more frequently used among those of the #nternational Spiritual 'arfare "etwor/ today$ 6et8s not miss the point$ Se.en times 1esus tells 0is followers to do spiritual warfare, and the /ind of warfare that can %e interpreted as strategic3le.el spiritual warfare$ !his was after the cross and the resurrection$ # mention that %ecause some thin/ that 1esus8 defeat of the powers of dar/ness on the cross Asee Col$ =1:B has relie.ed us of any responsi%ility of doing proacti.e spiritual warfare oursel.es$ #f it had, 1esus wouldn8t ha.e told us to do it se.en times after 0e died on the cross$ !his is the head spea/ing to the %ody, and the %ody should su%mit to the directions of the head$ 1ohn, of course, was the scri%e who heard the words from 1esus and wrote them in the te+t of the *oo/ of Ee.elation$ 0e wrote this during the time that he had %een e+iled from his home in 9phesus to the #sland of &atmos under the persecution of the Eoman emperor 2omitian$ 6ater, when 2omitian died, 1ohn returned to 9phesus$ Could # %e pardoned for guessing A# admit that # ha.e no proofB that it was after 1ohn had written a%out >o.ercoming> on &atmos that he returned to 9phesus and %oldly mo.ed into the power encounter in the temple of 2iana of the 9phesians that we read a%out in the last chapter; #t could well %e$ 3. D.60'5. G1)", /+,)18 &1 &-. 45+(6+4'0+&+.,. &aul e+presses to the 9phesians his %urning desire that >the manifold wisdom of Cod might %e made /nown %y the church to the principalities and powers in the hea.enly places> A9ph$ -=10B$ !his is another one of the commands from the head of the %ody, and it e+plicitly says that the church should ma/e this declaration to the powers in the in.isi%le world$ !here are many interpretations as to what e+actly this might mean, %ut one of them would %e that we declare the gospel of the

0)' S0)U62 '9 E9S&)"2;

Ningdom of Cod$ !he church, %y deed and also %y word, should remind the territorial spirits o.er places li/e 9phesus that the /ingdom of Cod has in.aded the /ingdom of dar/ness %eginning with the life, death, and resurrection of 1esus Christ, and that the god of this age will no longer %lind the minds of un%elie.ers to the glorious gospel of Christ in 9phesus, in !ur/ey, in 1apan, in "epal, in Calcutta, or in any other place$ !his /ind of a declaration of war will predicta%ly spar/ negati.e reactions and counterattac/s from the forces of e.il and the spiritual %attle will %e engaged$ )ne of the maJor apostles of the e+traordinary 5rgentine Ee.i.al, now in its fifteenth year, is e.angelist Carlos 5nnacondia$ #n .irtually e.ery one of his meetings, he literally declares the wisdom of Cod to the de.il and to any spiritual principalities that might %e in the .icinity$ (any times # ha.e heard him do this in a .ery loud .oice and with powerful anointing of the 0oly Spirit$ !he title of his e+cellent new %oo/ is= Listen to -e' 7atan" ACreation 0ouseB$ 'hen this war cry goes forth, night after night, things %egin to happen$ 2emons manifest and are summarily dispatched, sic/ people are healed miraculously, and sinners literally run to the platform to get sa.ed$ ).er two million ha.e %een %orn again in his campaigns so far$

ANOTHER VERSE OF #$U

BAYA?#

)ne reason that this hasn8t happened more in 5merica is that the church has %een too passi.e$ # /now churches that ha.e decided to sit %ac/ and wait until 1esus does it$ Some say that they prefer to %e in the spiritual >%edroom> and enJoy intimacy with Cod through praise and worship, rather than go out to the >%attlefield> where there might %e casualties$ !oo many churches are sitting around singing another .erse of >Num%aya,> while whole nations remain under the rule of territorial spirits and thousands are dying and going to hell

C05&!9E !')

e.ery day$ Eather than o%eying the head, certain parts of the %ody of Christ seem to %e waiting for the head to do the Jo% for them$ #t doesn8t usually happen that way$ )%.iously, there is much to do right now that we ha.en8t %een doing in the past$ #n order to do the right things, we need that spirit of wisdom and re.elation that &aul was praying for$ 'hat is the 0oly Spirit saying to the churches today; 0ow is the head trying to direct the %ody of Christ; # %elie.e that we ha.e some of the answers to those crucial questions$

C05&!9E !0E99

3.

THE CHALLENGE OF THE QUEEN OF HEAVEN

0ow is the <ueen of 0ea.en manifesting in today8s world and holding lost souls in dar/ness;

)ne of the first responsi%ilities # had when # too/ the position of coordinator of the #nternational Spiritual 'arfare "etwor/ in 1990 was to .isit the different regions of the world and meet with those who understood at least something a%out strategic3 le.el spiritual warfare and who were attempting to practice it to one degree or another$ Since so much of this was new to me %ac/ in the early 1990s, # most frequently too/ the role of a listener and a learner$ #t didn8t ta/e long to %egin to recogniFe that one discerni%le pattern from continent to continent was frequent references to the ><ueen of 0ea.en$> So # %egan to as/ questions a%out the <ueen of 0ea.en$ !he *i%le tells us that if we are ignorant of the wiles of the de.il, he will then ta/e ad.antage of us Asee Cor$ =11B$ 'hat are the wiles of the <ueen of 0ea.en; *y now # was %eginning to realiFe that she must %e one of the most important principalities under the command of Satan, %ut what was her modus operandi; @or years all # could get were unrelated %its and pieces, %ut # had no question that some day Cod would show us the answer$ # now %elie.e that one reason we did not arri.e at an international consensus is that Cod

C05&!9E !0E99

/new we were not yet ready and that 0e 0imself was directing the timing$

THE RECONCILIATION WAL$

'hen 2oris and # did our prayer Journey to !ur/ey in 5ugust 1997, we had no in/ling that it would %e anything more than our field participation in the &raying !hrough the 'indow ### initiati.e$ 'e e+pected to pray Cod8s %lessing on the !ur/ish people and come home$ 'e had ta/en .acation time to do this, so we also planned a couple of days of .acation on the same trip$ 'e had not gi.en any particular thought or prayer to issues relating to the <ueen of 0ea.en %efore we left$ 'e had sensed, howe.er, that we should ma/e a hotel reser.ation in #Fmir in order to pray in 9phesus and &ergamum$ *ut on the way we planned to stop in #stan%ul for a few days in order to encourage and to pray with the intercessors who were participating in the Eeconciliation 'al/$ # now see that the Eeconciliation 'al/ was a principal factor in Cod8s timing for a confrontation with the <ueen of 0ea.en$ !he Eeconciliation 'al/, a .ision of K'5(8s 6ynn Creen, is the most massi.e prayer e+pedition of the decade$ !he design is .ery simple= mo%iliFe Christian intercessors to wal/ e.ery /nown route of the @irst Crusade with only one agenda item= repenting Aor apologiFingB to (uslims and 1ews for the sins which our Christian ancestors committed against them in the @irst Crusade 900 years ago, and in the su%sequent crusades$

AS$ING FORGIVENESS FOR THE CRUSADES

)ur collecti.e Christian memory of the medie.al crusades is .ery dim$ 'e tend to thin/ that they are ancient historyMlong gone and forgotten$ 'e ha.e tri.ialiFed the crusades so much that we e.en call some of our current e.angelistic efforts >crusades,> as if what our ancestors did was %enign or e.en

!09 C05669"C9 )@ !09 <U99" )@ 095I9"

no%le$ (uslims and 1ews ha.e different memories$ @or them the crusades might as well ha.e ta/en place yesterday$ #n school they are taught to interpret Christians and Christianity, at least partially, in light of the crusades$ !hey learn, among other things, that when the Christian crusaders entered 1erusalem at the finale of the @irst Crusade in 1uly of 1099, they massacred -0,000 defenseless (uslim ci.ilians, including women and children, in cold %lood$ !hey learn that the ,,000 1ews who li.ed in 1erusalem at the time fled to their synagogue and pac/ed themsel.es in, thin/ing that they would %e safe$ *ut the Crusaders %olted the doors from the outside and set fire to the synagogue$ 5s the 1ews were %urning to death in this 11th Century holocaust, the crusaders were riding their horses around the synagogue under %anners em%roidered with the Christian cross, drowning out the screams of the dying %y singing Christian hymns$ @ortunately, through leaders li/e 1ohn 2awson and Cindy 1aco%s and 6ynn Creen and others, we now /now that we Christians who are li.ing today can do something a%out a situation li/e this through identificational repentance$ !he wounds of the past can %e healed if we hum%le oursel.es, pray, see/ Cod8s face, and turn from our wic/ed ways as we read in Chronicles 7=14$ !he Eeconciliation 'al/ is intended to %e a giant step in this direction$ !here is no stronghold /eeping the full %lessing of Cod from %eing poured out on (uslims greater than that caused %y the crusades, and the Eeconciliation 'al/, through pu%lic actions of humility and repentance, is attempting to tear down this stronghold of dar/ness$ # had the pri.ilege of %eing in Cologne, Cermany on 9aster Sunday 199, to help commission the first group of intercessors underta/ing the Eeconciliation 'al/$ !his was the 900th anni.ersary of the day that &eter the 0ermit led his troops into the @irst Crusade$ )ur .isit to #stan%ul in 5ugust 1997 occurred at the midpoint of the e+pedition$ 5nd 2oris and # hoped to %e present to recei.e the intercessors when they finish in 1erusalem in 1uly 1999$

C05&!9E !0E99

THE FA9 FRO ALICE S

ITH

*efore we left #stan%ul, 2oris and # did not /now Just how we were to pray at 9phesus and at &ergamum$ *ut we une+pectedly recei.ed a three3page fa+ sent to the hotel from 5lice Smith, our #31 intercessor who li.es in 0ouston, !e+as$ 5lice is one of an inner circle of personal intercessors who pray fer.ently for 2oris and me and who frequently hear from the 6ord for us$ # li/e to say that # do hear from Cod myself, %ut half the time # need a hearing aidD !his time, 5lice was the spiritual hearing aid$ 5lice said, as # recall, that she had %een praying for us from something li/e =00 am to :=00 am$ Such a thing was not altogether unusualMit had happened %efore$ *ut this time, the 6ord showed her how 2oris and # were to pray at the temple of 2iana in 9phesus and at the seat of Satan Asee Ee.$ =1-B in &ergamum$ So we did$ 'e contracted a personal tour guide and prayed in 9phesus one morning and the same afternoon in &ergamum, following the script that Cod had gi.en to us in the fa+$ 5lice said, drawing from Ee.elation =17, that while in &ergamum # would recei.e hidden manna, a white stone, and a new name$ !he white stone is now in my study in Colorado Springs$ # thin/ # /now what the new name is, %ut # am not supposed to tell anyone, according to that scripture$ *ut, most significantly, she said that the >hidden manna> would %e new reve ation concerning an im)ortant ste) toward wor d evange i.ation. 2oris and # too/ that literally, and so we were prepared to recei.e any directions that the 6ord would gi.e us on this trip$ !he importance of this prayer Journey now had a new meaningD

SPIRITUAL ELECTRICITY IN EPHESUS%

)ur first stop was 9phesus$ 'e toured the ancient city, %ut when we came to the temple of 2iana we as/ed our (uslim

!09 C05669"C9 )@ !09 <U99" )@ 095I9"

tour guide to let us go to the site %y oursel.es %ecause we wanted to do some Christian praying$ !he temple area is a messMit has not %een restored li/e many other parts of ancient 9phesus$ Iery few other tourists were around$ 5s we crossed the %oundary of the temple facility itself, 2oris8 %ody turned into electricityD @or years she has had a ministry of demonic deli.erance, so she has de.eloped an a%o.e a.erage sensiti.ity to things li/e this$ !here was no mista/e$ >!he power is still hereD> she said$ 'e thought this was strange, %ecause it did not loo/ as if 2iana8s altar was in current use for worship or sacrifices or the li/e$ #t was only later that we came to %elie.e that the central power point is pro%a%ly not precisely in the temple ruins, %ut in a near%y site$ (ore on that later$ 'hen we prayed at the seat of Satan Athe altar of OeusB in &ergamum, 2oris did not feel the same presence of the powers of dar/ness$ &erhaps that is %ecause the altar had %een carried to Cermany and reconstructed in the &ergamum (useum in *erlin$ 0itler was said to ha.e loo/ed to that altar for much of the occult power he used to create the !hird Eeich$
ARY: THE OTHER OF

;ESUS: IN EPHESUS

'hen the 5postle 1ohn went to 9phesus, he too/ (ary, 1esus8 mother$ 6oo/ing down from the cross, 1esus had said to (ary, >'oman, %ehold your sonD> !hen 0e had said to 1ohn, >*ehold your motherD> 5nd >from that hour that disciple G1ohnH too/ her to his own home> A1n$ 19= :3 7B$ Some say that (ary died$ Some say she was ta/en directly to hea.en li/e 9liJah$ 0owe.er she might ha.e left the earth, the last place she was seen ali.e was in 9phesus$ So much is history$ "ow # am switching into a >what if;> 'ould it %e unreasona%le to suppose that something li/e this might ha.e gone through the mind of the <ueen of 0ea.en; Could it %e that the <ueen of 0ea.en s/illfully e+ecuted what Ceorge )tis, 1r$ would call a >decepti.e adaptation;> 5fter

-0

C05&!9E !0E99

&aul and 1ohn ministered in 9phesus, the cult of 2iana had gone into a tailspin$ 9phesus %ecame the world center of Christianity$ @rom that time on, !he <ueen of 0ea.en would ha.e no more use for 2iana$ *ut her assignment from Satan was still to /eep people in spiritual dar/ness$ So could it %e that the <ueen of 0ea.en %egan to as/ herself whether, since she had %een unsuccessful in stopping Christianity from the outside, there might %e a way to /eep people from %eing sa.ed from the inside; *ut how; *y now the true (ary is in hea.en with her Son$ 'ould it %e possi%le to fa%ricate a counterfeit (ary within Christianity who could %e empowered %y the <ueen of 0ea.en to do miracles and ma/e appearances, and thus attract the worship, e.en in Christian churches, that should %e gi.en only to 1esus Christ; !here might %e a way to transfer the power that was once in 2iana to the counterfeit (ary, right there in the city of 9phesus$ #f people can8t worship 2iana, let8s see if they can worship a false (aryD # want it understood %y all that # am using the term >counterfeit (ary> to distinguish her from the real (ary, the mother of 1esus$ !he true (ary is %lessed among women, as the angel Ca%riel declared Asee 6/$ 1= 8B$ !here ne.er has %een nor will there e.er %e another woman to match her$ *ecause Cod highly fa.ored her, we also must highly fa.or and honor her$ She is now in hea.en with her Son$ !he *i%le gi.es us no details of what she might %e doing, %ut # can well %elie.e that she would %e appalled at what the <ueen of 0ea.en has %een getting away with here on earth in her assignment from Satan to /eep people %linded to 1esus and 0is lo.e$

THE

OTHER OF

GOD

5s history progressed, the center of Christianity gradually mo.ed from 9phesus to Eome and Constantinople$ 5s this happened, and as the Eoman 9mpire was declared Christian %y 9mperor Constantine, the counterfeit (ary %egan to %e drawn

!09 C05669"C9 )@ !09 <U99" )@ 095I9" -1

more and more into the center of Christian liturgy and worship$ !his progressed to such a point that the church in Eome decided to declare officially that (ary was the >(other of Cod$> 0ow should this %e done; 'hy not go %ac/ to 9phesus itself; #n 4-1 5$2$, a so3called >ecumenical council> was con.ened in 9phesus$ !he Council of 9phesus declared that (ary was the Theotokos' !he (other of Cod$ !he dogma remains in the Eoman church e.en today$

IDOL WORSHIP IN EPHESUS

#n 9phesus a shrine was constructed to house an idol of the counterfeit (ary$ "ow, while there may %e relati.ely little o.ert worship at the altar of 2iana of the 9phesians, (ary8s idol is acti.ely worshiped -,: days a year with candles, gifts of flowers and other things$ 2e.otees %ow down, honor her, and pray to her as if she were somehow going to transmit their prayers to 1esus$ !here is little thought that the <ueen of 0ea.en might %e around to short circuit those prayers$ !his idol shrine is presuma%ly the physical site where the power that 2oris felt in 9phesus is located today$ 'hen 2oris and # too/ a guided tour of the Iatican in Eome a few years ago, we had a hard time trying to understand why a life3siFed statue of 2iana of the 9phesians should %e located in a room in the Iatican along with statues of Christian saints$ 5fter .isiting 9phesus, we thin/ we ha.e a %etter idea as to why$
ARY IS

CALLED #QUEEN OF HEAVEN#

#t is interesting that many of the pictures of the Iirgin (ary ha.e her standing either on the crescent moon, or with the crescent moon encircling her head$ )thers ha.e a crown on her head, and one of her official designations is ><ueen of 0ea.en$> @or e+ample, few people /now that the full original

C05&!9E !0E99

Spanish name of the city of 6os 5ngeles is >!he City 8,ue& o6 of )ur 6ady, <ueen of the 5ngeles 5/eina de os 9nge es6. Some refer to 6$ 5$ as >the city of angels$> #t would %e more accurate, howe.er, to recogniFe it as the >city of the :ueen of the angels otherwise /nown as the <ueen of 0ea.en$> 0ow far the e+altation of this counterfeit (ary, empowered %y the <ueen of 0ea.en, will go is anyone8s guess$ (any were shoc/ed when the 5ugust :, 1997 Newsweek magaFine reported that in the last four years the pope has recei.ed 4,-40,4 9 signed petitions encouraging him to declare officially that the Iirgin (ary is the >Co3Eedemptri+> or co3 redeemer with Christ$ 'hen the pope .isited Cu%a in 1998, he crowned the idol of the Iirgin of (erced, declaring her <ueen of Cu%a$ !his happens to %e the e+act same idol which is worshiped %y de.otees of the Satanic Cu%an cult /nown as 7anteria. #f the head, 1esus, is telling the %ody, the church, to o.ercome 5nikao6 and engage the powers of dar/ness in o.ert strategic3le.el spiritual warfare, what specifically should %e done a%out the situation we ha.e Just descri%ed;

C05&!9E @)UE

4.

OVERCO

ING THE

QUEEN

'hat specifically can we as Christians do to play a part in confronting the <ueen of 0ea.en and proclaiming that 1esus Christ is 6ord;

5ll through the decade of the 1990s, prophetic intercession has %een directed against maJor strongholds associated with the <ueen of 0ea.en, much of it coordinated %y the mem%ers of the Spiritual 'arfare "etwor/$ # want us to /eep in mind that the purpose of these prayer assaults has %een to attempt to remo.e the spiritual %linders that the god of this age has wrapped around the minds of un%elie.ers on e.ery continent$ !hese actions are attempting to neutraliFe the power of the harlot o.er many waters, who commits fornication with /ings, and who oppresses whole nations and people groups Asee Ee.$ 17B$

OPERATION ICE CASTLE

5na (endeF is the coordinator of the Strategic &roJects !as/ @orce of the #nternational Spiritual 'arfare "etwor/ and also the regional coordinator for Southern (e+ico$ She is one of the most e+perienced and highly respected prophetic intercessors in our 52 000 prayer circles$ She has ta/en prayer for the unreached peoples of the 10740 'indow so seriously that she esta%lished a 10740 'indow prayer tower in (e+ico City,

-4

C05&!9E @)UE

continually occupied %y fer.ent intercessors$ )ne day, while in prayer in the 10740 'indow prayer tower, Cod showed 5na that a maJor stronghold of dar/ness o.er the whole 10740 'indow was located on the highest of high places, (t$ 9.erest in the 0imalaya (ountains$ 5t that moment, she /new that she was to lead a prayer Journey to (t$ 9.erest$ !his was such an awesome challenge that she carefully researched the possi%ilities and sought confirmation from Eony Cha.eF of Costa Eica, one of 6atin 5merica8s most widely recogniFed prophets and the person pro.iding 5na8s spiritual co.ering$ She also consulted with 0arold Ca%alleros, the Spiritual 'arfare "etwor/ regional coordinator for the Spanish3spea/ing world, with Cindy 1aco%s, coordinator of the U$S Spiritual 'arfare "etwor/, with 2oris and me, and with others$ 5ll agreed that she should do it, under the condition that e.eryone who participated would %e fully conscious of the physical, emotional, and spiritual ris/s associated with such a high le.el A%oth topographically and spiritually spea/ingB prayer assault$ 5s 2oris prayed a%out it, she felt that Cod was calling her to Join the e+pedition, despite crippling arthritis for which three total Joint replacements would %e required when she got %ac/ home$ Eony Cha.eF assumed the apostolic responsi%ility for the e+pedition and .olunteered to go with the team to the (t$ 9.erest %ase camp$ 5ll together, twenty3si+ intercessors from (e+ico, Costa Eica, Colom%ia, United States and Iiet "am flew into Nathmandu, "epal, and then continued to (t$ 9.erest$ !his was Septem%er 1997$ &art of Cod8s call to 5na in the prayer tower was showing her a .ision of the 0imalayas as a huge castle made of ice, in which each of the surrounding mountain pea/s housed high3 ran/ing demonic spirits$ !hat is why we la%eled the proJect >)peration #ce Castle$> 0ow would this relate to confronting the <ueen of 0ea.en; (t$ 9.erest is the *ritish name for the highest mountain in the world$ #ts original name in "epali, /nown and used today %y the nati.es, is Sagarmatha, (other of the Uni.erseD 5cross the %order in !i%et, it is called

)I9EC)(#"C !09 <U99" -:

Chomolugma, which means the same thing$

PRAYING IN THE HI

ALAYAS

Some of the intercessors, including 2oris, prayed for three wee/s in the 9.erest Iiew 0otel, with no hot water, at 1-,000 feet$ )thers prayed at the 9.erest *ase Camp at 18,000 feet, where we came within a whis/er of losing a %rother through cere%ral edema$ 5na8s team, which had ta/en professional alpine training in (e+ico and &eru %efore lea.ing, scaled the ice cliffs and crossed %ottomless cre.asses, clim%ing to 0,000 feet$ 5na said, >)ur assignment from Cod was to ta/e down the foundations of !he Creat *a%ylon, the harlot o.er many waters, which supported the false religious systems of the world$ 0e clearly showed us where we should go for our prophetic act %y re.ealing a large, %rown stone formation, completely surrounded %y walls of ice resem%ling a castle, and shaped e+actly li/e an idol of the <ueen of 0ea.en$ !his seat of the (other of the Uni.erse was 0,000 feet high, and to get there we had to cross the ice fall, the most dangerous part of the 9.erest ascent, with no guide %ut 0im and no help from other than angels$> !his prophetic act, as well as others, was recorded on .ideo tape$ Se.eral unmista/a%le signs in the natural world confirmed that it had %een a successful .enture and that it had deeply affected the in.isi%le world$ #f not the strongest, it would %e seen as one of the strongest assaults on the <ueen of 0ea.en e.er underta/en$ 5mong other things, it helped clear the spiritual way for the following month, )cto%er 1997, the date of the &raying !hrough the 'indow ### e.ent sponsored %y the 52 000 United &rayer !rac/$ #t was a .ery important precursor of )peration <ueen8s &alace$ Iery few /new that )peration #ce Castle was happening$ 'e did our %est to /eep it a secret %ecause of the high degree of ris/ in.ol.ed$ 'e do not feel the same need to /eep our ne+t

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large e.ent, )peration <ueen8s &alace, a secret$ !hus, this %oo/let and other pu%lic announcements will %e made$

THE HIDDEN

ANNA

5lice Smith8s fa+ had prepared us to recei.e the >hidden manna,> which would %e a re.elation of certain new steps to ta/e toward completing 1esus8 Creat Commission to ma/e disciples of all nations$ !his %egan to ta/e shape when, as a part of our tour of 9phesus, we entered the :,000 seat amphitheater where the riot descri%ed in 5cts 19 was instigated %y 2iana8s idol ma/ers$ #n the amphitheater, which was not too crowded at the time, # as/ed 2oris and our (uslim tour guide to come with me to a quiet section where # wanted to conduct a ceremony$ # too/ from my poc/et a copy of the apology statement, in !ur/ish, %eing used %y the intercessors on the Eeconciliation 'al/$ 9.en though the crusaders did not come through the region of 9phesus, # still told our (uslim guide that # wanted to apologiFe for the sins of our Christian fore%ears, the crusaders, against his people$ 0e /new e+actly what # was tal/ing a%out$ # told him how sorry 2oris and # were, and # as/ed him to read the statement in !ur/ish$ 0e was .isi%ly mo.ed, and he said that on %ehalf of his people he would forgi.e us$ 5s this was ta/ing place, Cod spo/e to me and showed me that one day this .ery amphitheater would hold a multitude of Christians lifting praises to 1esus$ #t was the %eginning of the hidden manna re.elation$

THE $ITCHEN COUNTER REVELATION OF OPERATION QUEEN"S PALACE

!he ne+t part came when Cindy 1aco%s, who is one of our #3 intercessors, .isited our home in Colorado Springs on 6a%or 2ay$ 'e were standing in our /itchen de%riefing$ 'e told her

)I9EC)(#"C !09 <U99" -7

what we had found in !ur/ey, and that it was one of the few countries to which, when we left, we strongly wanted to return$ 'e showed her a map where some thin/ the Carden of 9den was located and (t$ 5rarat where "oah8s ar/ landed and 5ntioch and !arsus and the Se.en Churches of Ee.elation and #conium, 6ystra and 2er%e and !arsus and the #sland of &atmos and many other places where %i%lical Christians ha.e spiritual roots$ !hen we showed her pictures of 2iana, the ruins of her temple, the idol of (ary and other things related to the <ueen of 0ea.en$ 5s we spread out the maps on the /itchen counter and con.ersed, the 0oly Spirit seemed to descend in power$ Cindy, in a tone she frequently reser.es for prophetic words, said, >@or years the Spiritual 'arfare "etwor/ has launched s/irmishes against strongholds of the <ueen of 0ea.en in many parts of the world$ #t8s time now to call the troops together from e.ery continent and mo.e into her palaceD> 2oris and # sensed instant agreement$ (y mind went %ac/ to the >hidden manna> # was to recei.e, and # felt this must %e related to it$ # felt that we were in one of those moments that &aul prayed for in 9phesians 1=17= >!hat the Cod of our 6ord 1esus Christ, the @ather of glory, may gi.e to you the spirit of wisdom and re.elation in the /nowledge of 0im$> 'isdom and re.elation were coming .ery rapidly$ 'hen should we do this; )peration #ce Castle ended the wee/ %efore &raying !hrough the 'indow ### in )cto%er 1997$ )peration <ueen8s &alace should ta/e place two years later, Just %efore &raying !hrough the 'indow #I in )cto%er 1999$ !herefore, we should schedule it during the last wee/ in Septem%er 1999$

WORLDWIDE SPIRITUAL

APPING

# pictured Ceorge )tis, 1r$, the head of our Spiritual (apping 2i.ision, coordinating a massi.e amount of research$ 0e could

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locate at least :0 sites in !ur/ey and possi%ly in adJacent nations as well which prayer Journey teams from all continents would .isit and pray$ Since then, he has agreed that his Sentinel Croup will prepare a full color prayer map of the region to guide the on3site intercessors$ # pictured *e.erly &egues of the Christian #nformation "etwor/ coordinating hundreds, possi%ly thousands, of prayer Journeyers on the computer data %ases that she uses to coordinate the &raying !hrough the 'indow efforts$ She has agreed$ *y that time, we hope to %e mo.ed into the new 'orld &rayer Center in Colorado Springs$ 5s we discussed it, we felt that !ur/ey should %e the central focus of our prayers, %ut that simultaneously prophetic intercessors around the world should plan prayer actions at the maJor power points of the <ueen of 0ea.en in as many other countries as possi%le, especially the countries sending prayer Journeyers to !ur/ey$ !his will require careful spiritual mapping all o.er the world$ "ueFa #tio/a, Spiritual 'arfare "etwor/ coordinator for *raFil, says that the <ueen of 0ea.en8s maJor manifestation in their country is the Iirgin 5parecida, and that they already /now where her fi.e maJor power points are located$ "oFumo !a/imoto, the chief spiritual mapper of 1apan, has located the fi.e maJor footholds of 5materasu )mi/ami, the Sun Coddess$ Some of our people in 9ngland say they ha.e information indicating how Stonehenge is related$ 0uge amounts of information will %e coming in o.er the months, and we will collect it in the 'orld &rayer Center and ma/e it a.aila%le on the #nternet and on the 'orld 'ide 'e%$ !his means that intercessors, using the spiritual equipment that has %ecome so well /nown during this decade, will %e attac/ing the forces of dar/ness on all fronts during the last wee/ in Septem%er 1999 in hundreds of home3%ased assaults$ !he enemy will not %e a%le to redeploy his forces to the e+tent he might wish$ *efore we too/ any concrete steps, # called *o%%ye *yerly and Chuc/ &ierce, who had led our Spiritual 'arfare

)I9EC)(#"C !09 <U99" -9

"etwor/ intercession team through the years$ # wouldn8t ha.e gone any further if they were not in agreement$ *ut %oth of them sensed a clear witness from the Spirit that this was, indeed, the will of Cod$

BAC$ TO THE A

PHITHEATER

'hile we were tal/ing and dreaming and planning in the /itchen, my mind went %ac/ to the ceremony of identificational repentance and reconciliation with our (uslim guide in the amphitheater in 9phesus$ !hat is where Cod %egan to gi.e me the promised >hidden manna$> >!his is itD> # said to 2oris and Cindy$ >'hen the wee/ is o.er and our prayer teams ha.e prayed Cod8s %lessing all through !ur/ey, we will all arrange our tours so that the tour %usses will con.erge on 9phesus the last day$ 'e will all ma/e our way to the :,0003seat amphitheater where the de.otees of the <ueen of 0ea.en shouted 8Creat is 2iana of the 9phesians8 for two hours Asee 5cts 19=-4B$ !here we will declare in one accord, 8Creat is 1esus of "aFareth,8 for four hoursD> !ed 0aggard, senior pastor of "ew 6ife Church in Colorado Springs, has agreed to %e the conference pastor for the e.ent$ 'orship leaders Eoss &arsley of "ew 6ife Church and 2a.id (orris of Springs 0ar.est @ellowship ha.e agreed to de.elop the four3hour program$ !here will %e no preaching, teaching, or e+hortation$ !here will %e no o.ert spiritual warfareMit will all %e done %y then$ 'e will spend our time in worship and high praise, prayer and Scripture$ )utstanding Christian leaders from all o.er the world will ta/e turns leading us in powerful prayers aimed at e+alting the 6ord and releasing 0is %lessing on the unreached peoples of the world$

THE HALLELU;AH CHORUS

Soon after we decided to do )peration <ueen8s &alace, # found myself in Norea eating dinner with *ishop Nim Sundo, pastor

40

C05&!9E @)UE

of the 80,0003mem%er Nwang 6im (ethodist Church and (ethodist *ishop of Norea$ #n 199-, &astor Nim generously hosted -00 mem%ers of the #nternational Spiritual 'arfare "etwor/ in the church8s lu+urious prayer mountain facilities$ )ne of the most memora%le e.ents of those few days together was the .isit of the Nwang 6im Choir, which one e.ening presented a magnificent concert of classical Christian music$ # told &astor Nim a%out )peration <ueen8s &alace$ !hen # said, >&astor Nim, the mem%ers of the Spiritual 'arfare "etwor/ agree that you ha.e one of the most anointed choirs in all of Christianity$ 'ould you consider sending a choir to !ur/ey in 1999 so they could lead the grand finale of the four3 hour ser.ice in the amphitheater in 9phesus singing the 0alleluJah Chorus from 0andel8s -essiah;< Nim dropped his eyes and prayed for a%out fi.e seconds$ !hen he said, >#8ll do itD 0ow many can # %ring;> # replied, >0ow many do you want to %ring;> >)ne hundredD> he said$ 'hat a %lessingD 5 one3hundred .oice ro%ed Norean classical choir leading us in one of the most %elo.ed and Christ3honoring songs that the Christian church has e.er /nown$ Creat is 1esus of "aFarethD