Hi all,
​
Last week I mentioned the reason the church has been persecuted through the ages is because they were different from the culture and society around them. But not just that we are different; we refuse to be the same.
 
This is what is going on now in the body of Christ in nations largely considered to have Christian roots: Christians are choosing to either quietly integrate and adopt the values of the culture around them, or they are choosing to be different by standing firm on their beliefs, morals, and convictions. 
 
The pattern of persecution - it starts with culture turning against
We find what first happens is a change of culture that turns people against one another. Consider Daniel was 'turned in' to the king by his peers and coworkers. People even start reporting on their neighbors. In Acts 5:12-13 it says many healings and miracles happened among the believers, who met in home-based churches. 
 
But outside of those home meetings and that circle of people on the 'same spiritual page', in society as a whole it says the people who weren't believers were afraid of them and no one dared join themselves to them. Why were they afraid of them? Persecution? In part. But they were also different from the culture and they refused to conform. Yet in their difference from society God was manifesting Himself in healings and miracles. So a tug of war began in the hearts of the people: The average citizen might say, 'Here is a group hated by the authorities which makes me afraid, yet God is in their midst which is what I want most of all.' 
 
In the very next verse it says many became believers and were added to the faith. 
 
That apparent contradiction reveals a split in society at that time - there was fear among the unbelievers and yet disciples were being made. They were different from the culture of the day, everyone knew what they stood for, and you were either for them or against them. 
 
Selected leaders to be made examples of
Soon the rulers in Israel began a policy of orchestrated arrests. Peter and John were brought before the leaders in Acts 4. Steven's arrest and execution in Acts 7 escalated the persecution. Saul of Tarsus became chief prosecutor after Steven's death, and in Acts 9 Saul, the future apostle Paul, meets Jesus outside Damascus. This stopped the Jewish leaders in Israel's efforts to carry the persecution of the church beyond the borders of Israel.
 
By Acts 12 we are told (in Jerusalem) Herod had killed the apostle John's brother, James, by the sword and arrested Peter with the same intent. 
 
Notice the seed of State persecution began when the leaders were successful in making citizens afraid of Christians. The fear of the Jews in Jerusalem was that these Christians would try to force their beliefs (religion) on them, threatening the Jewish religion and laws and the culture of Israel. But at this point the federal government of Rome is not yet fully involved. 
 
Character assassination
In Mark 14:55-58 we find the leaders prosecuting Jesus at trial with false witnesses, some of whom took His words out of context and twisted His words from original intent to fit their agenda.
 
In our day we see the same character assassination, words twisted, words out of context for anyone who does not conform to the prevailing anti-conservative anti-Jewish/Christian culture. Here and there are cases against selected people who stand in the way of the larger agenda. But a time is coming as it did for the church and Rome, where the whole of the culture will turn against and even blame Christians, Jews, and conservatives for whatever is wrong in a nation. 
 
They try to make persecution a federal case
It is about 52AD in Acts 18:12-18, roughly 20 years after Pentecost. In Corinth, Greece we see persecutors of the faith taking their case outside the region of Israel in an effort to get the federal government of Rome involved against Christians.   
 
In Corinth was a Roman Senator and Judge, Gallio. He is well known historically outside of the Biblical text for several reasons, among them that he was the brother of the famous Roman writer, Seneca. Lucius Junius Gallio Annaeanus was his full name, and when the Jews brought suit against Paul in federal court, they claimed Paul caused people to disobey the Jewish law and therefore they felt, Roman law.
 
Gallio 'cared for none of these things' and dismissed the case. He sent it back to the Jewish religion and their courts, not involving the federal government of Rome. His dismissal sent a clear message legally speaking, that unless these Christians clearly violated federal law Rome would not entertain such a lawsuit. 
 
For Christians, Gallio had such influence being a Roman Senator and Judge, that the church overall had relative peace on a federal level for about 10 years, until Nero began his persecutions in the year 64. Though Paul was continually persecuted by unbelieving Jews during this time, the bulk of his letters which form our New Testament were written in this decade. (Romans, I & II Corinthians, Galatians, I & II Thessalonians, Philemon, possibly Hebrews)
 
Soon however it wouldn't be the unbelieving Jews that would scheme to show Rome that Christians violated Roman federal law; Christians would do that for them, for Roman laws were about to change. 
 
And that is where we'll pick it up next week. Hopefully you see a pattern, for what I'm sharing of our past is now in our present, and soon to be in our future. Until next week, blessings,
John Fenn
www.cwowi.org and email me at [email protected]

Hi all,
​
I made the observation in my book Return of the First Church that the early church was a counter-culture movement whereas the modern auditorium church is now merely a sub-culture of the world around it. 
 
A sub-culture is a small self-insulated group within a larger society, and has it's own beliefs, terminology, world view, and often its own manner of dress. Back in high school days sub-cultures at your school may have included the athletes and cheerleaders in one culture, the gangs in another, the skaters, the nerds, and so on each in their respective cultures. Each sub-culture in that school was unique, yet existed in the larger society of high school, all moving in the same direction - towards graduation. Sub-cultures generally move in the same direction as society as a whole. 
 
The sub-culture mentality is why churches have fallen into the error of thinking if they had the quality of the world in their facilities, if their 'worship' resembled the world's rock concert, if they had professional elements of a concert, they would attract new people to their auditorium church. They look like the world, sound like it, talk like it, in an effort to be relevant. They are moving in the same direction as the world. They are a sub-culture. 
 
A counter-culture is a way of life with values that are opposed to the prevailing society. A counter-culture is moving in the opposite direction of local culture and the world. 
 
Most of what Jesus said was counter-culture. Consider Matthew 5:43-48: "You have heard it said to love your neighbors but hate your enemies. But I say to you to love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, pray for those who persecute you so that you may be like your Father in heaven." 
 
That is counter-culture. He commands a way of life and values directly opposed to the prevailing society and culture around Him. That was powerful. Life-changing. Opposite of all that culture and society believed. Love your enemies. Pray for them. Do good to them. That is counter-culture. 
 
That is where the power of the body of Christ lies, within its place as a counter-culture. 
 
Blame God for this one; The Counter-culture
God is the one who started the early church at Pentecost, and He birthed it to be counter-culture because it (we) adhere to the teachings of Jesus. God had moved out of the temple and into human beings and that was exactly opposite of the whole religious culture of the day. The synagogue system was run by aristocratic elites who said God lived in the building, while the church was run by uneducated fishermen who said God lives in people. 
 
The Jewish elites were centralized to the temple system, which directed all money, power, and attention to themselves. The church was decentralized as God moved out of the temple and into human beings, giving them the freedom to meet together with other living temples as they chose, to give to one another, to support one another and their leaders at will. All this and more was exactly opposite of the existing temple system which dictated what the people heard, how they gave, how they were to include the temple in their lives, and how to interact with one another - Having Christ in people as living temples was and remains a counter-culture. 
 
The reason behind the reason persecution happens
If we can lay aside for a moment what we all understand as the spiritual reason for persecution - we all know the devil hates God and God's people so he stirs people to persecute us - to look at it from cultural perspective, we will see something.
 
What made the rulers of Babylon persecute Daniel? 
What made the rulers of Babylon persecute the 3 Hebrew men to the point they put them in the furnace?
What made the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem persecute the early church?
What made the Roman Caesars persecute the Christians? 
What made Nazi Germany persecute the Jews and Christians? (Not only did about 6 million Jews die in the camps, but another roughly 5 million Christians and political prisoners died there as well.)
What made the USSR persecute Jews and Christians? 
Why are Christians being persecuted today in nations dominated by religions other than Christianity? 
 
The answer is simple: They were different. 
The deeper answer beyond that: Not only were they different, but they refused to be the same. 
The still deeper answer beyond that: They insisted on their own identity rather than how the State identified them. (Using an emotional crutch, traitors, rebels, mentally ill, dangerous to society, etc)
 
In each example they were hated because they were counter-culture. A counter-culture refuses to conform to the expectations of society. A counter-culture moves in the opposite direction as the common culture of the day. 
 
In nations considered culturally Christian, the Father and our Lord are making it so the body of Christ is a counter-culture once again. And we'll pick it up there next week. For those who have ears to hear, you'll recognize this is prophetic....until next week, 
Blessings,
 
John Fenn
www.cwowi.org and email me at [email protected]

Hi all,
​
The big question prophecy watchers who have believed the 'traditional view' I'm outlining in this series have wondered for years is: Why would the Russian alliance think they can invade Israel successfully? Let's look at the circumstances the scripture describes. 
 
In Ezekiel 38:9 it says the gathering forces will come 'as a cloud to cover the land' to the 'mountains of Israel', indicating both ground and air assaults being prepared. The phrase 'mountains of Israel' in terms of geography, refer to the range of ancient mountains that run from Africa then northward through Israel into Syria. The prophecy therefore indicates starting in Syria they will come from the north along and through the mountains into Israel.
 
Perhaps the invading forces will enter Syria to end that conflict once and for all, and being in Syria with all those forces, they will think they can easily take Israel in an overwhelming attack. God says this about the day they come as a cloud to cover the land in v10-12: "This is what the Sovereign Lord says, in that day an evil thought will come into your mind, for you will say, "I will attack the land of unwalled villages, I will attack an unsuspecting and peaceful people..." 
 
It would seem the idea to take Israel is a spur-of-the-moment decision, not something planned far in advance. That point trips up many prophecy watchers who are looking for a well planned build up. These verses suggest this is an instant decision after finding little resistance in Syria, without much planning. That means when they are in Syria they see Israel and its allies in a more relaxed condition, certainly without a massive build up of forces like was seen in Kuwait before the US invaded Iraq. This scripture states that when they are in Syria with such force, they think why not go ahead and take Israel since there are no great armies arrayed against them?
 
The political climate
Ezekiel 38:13 says the allied Arab nations and the nations descended from the merchants of Spain and Great Britain, will ask, 'What do you think you are doing? Do you think you can come and take a spoil?" 
 
That statement is political, which is evidently the extent the attacking alliance thinks will happen in terms of resistance, or at worst they think the west will let the Arab alliance fight against them, which they think can easily be defeated by their overwhelming numbers and force. 
 
Consider from their point of view the west's response to the invasion of Ukraine as an example of a merely political and economic resistance. That is a pattern with the west - punish individuals in a regime economically, and not much else on a national basis. 
 
Additionally, with the US pulling out of Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq, and turning more of the defense of the Middle East over to the Arab alliances, plus reducing troops in NATO, perhaps they think the west doesn't have the stomach for yet another conflict in the region. In their thinking, it will be over and done with before anyone can react militarily, even if they had the will to do so. It is a fatal miscalculation.
 
God turns nature against them as in the days of old
In verses 19-23 God says He will fight against them by causing a great earthquake to happen where they are, and an overflowing rain with 'great hailstones' at that same time. The rain and hail will blunt an air attack, and the earthquake ground attack. The end of v20 also says 'every man's sword will be against his brother', indicating the invading forces from so many nations will have confused communication and fight each other, in a total military disaster. Earthquake, rain, hail, confusion. 
 
But wait, there's more...
Verse 21 says: "I will call for a sword against him of all my mountains..." In prophetic literature a mountain represents a nation. Consider Daniel saw the toes of the statue of Nebuchadnezzar crushed by a mountain falling from the sky (heavenly origin) and growing to be a mountain that covered the world (kingdom of God). (Daniel 2:34-45,44-45). In The Revelation 17:8-10 the harlot sits on 7 mountains, which we are told in the next verse are 7 kings, and so on...
 
When God says He is calling for a sword against him 'of all my mountains' it indicates other nations who are on 'God's side', Israel's side, in this war. This is followed by 'every man's sword will be against his brother', taking on a larger meaning that nation will be against nation in this multi-nation but very brief, war. 
 
God says He will send 'fire and brimstone' on the land of Magog and 'on the coasts/region'. Probably the homelands of the attacking armies, and perhaps nations of the Black and Caspian Seas, Syria, Turkey, and so on. 
 
Prophecy watchers have wondered if this will be a limited and one sided nuclear war due to the use of 'fire and brimstone'. Israel has long been assumed to possess nuclear weapons and there is no doubt they would use them should their existence be threatened. Or is Ezekiel seeing a conventional war and merely trying to use words from his day to describe modern bombs and firepower, which to him are fire and brimstone? We don't know. 
 
The fact that neither Israel nor the battlefield is left radioactive would suggest if some of Israel's response is nuclear, it is directed to the homeland of Magog and surrounding areas, and not in the immediate region of the Mid-East.
 
The results of the war
Much of chapter 39 is filled with descriptions of the aftermath of the war. It says Israel will have a 7 year supply gathered from the spoils, and it will take 7 months to bury the dead. In a prophetic word about modern forensic science, it says in v13-19 Israel will hire people to walk around putting flags by body parts so they may be gathered and buried. It also says birds will come and pick the bones of the bodies - what a gruesome scene! 
 
Now I'll share something I rarely share
Back in about 1995 when I first began teaching Old Testament Survey at a Bible school in Tulsa, it came time to cover this portion of Ezekiel. In all the visitations with Jesus I'd had from that first one in April of 1986 until then, the Lord had never said anything about this war. But as I always do, I was asking the Father to teach me for clarification of a time-line because I knew among the students would be many perspectives on end times, and I wanted to be accurate and correct in what I was teaching. If my 'classic view' was wrong I wanted the Father to tell me. 
 
To my utter astonishment the Father immediately responded: "This war ends the Arab-Israeli conflict, for who is left in the region to stand against Israel? No one. This war paves the way for the kings of the east to later march across the belly of Asia for the last battle, for they would not have done so before*. Consider these things. The world will be in shock at what takes place, and in awe of what I have done. The economic impact will be felt world-wide. A leader will quickly arise out of Europe who will sue for peace (with Israel) and make a 7 year peace treaty between them and Israel. Provisions of that treaty will include economic interests, but also a provision allowing them to build their temple. It is in that temple some 3 1/2 years later Israel is betrayed."  
 
*Consider that the military forces of Russia, Turkey, Iran, Libya, are destroyed in this war. With Russia in no condition to resist, some 7+ years later the 'kings of the east' with a 200 million army will freely travel across Southern Asia, cross the Tigris and Euphrates which have been dried up, and into Israel to face the returning Lord. He also said there would be treaties with neighboring Arab nations following the Ezekiel war as well. 
 
That was all He said at the time, and He has not added to it since, though I have obeyed and considered these things and studied them, and try to keep up with regional news. Ezekiel chapters 36 and 37 detail Israel becoming a sovereign nation again, and chapters 38 and 39 deal with the war that happens when they have become that nation. Then chapter 40-47 is about the Millennial temple and Israel; how the water will flow from the temple down into the Dead Sea with such volume it becomes a fresh water lake. It even states only the marshy areas will be left briny. It tells us fisherman will cast nets and fruit trees will grow along the banks of the river and now alive Sea. 
 
But because the rapture and return of the Lord are mysteries, it was not shown Ezekiel nor anyone else to date when these events will happen. Because I believe in the Rosh Hashanah prophesied 'rapture', which says after that event the earth enters into a 7 year time of 'Jacob's Trouble' and 'Days of Awe' also called 'Days of Wrath', I plan to be watching from above. I believe this war may be at the start of those days - though I don't think anyone of us knows for sure the timing of all these things.
 
To me in my classic understanding, the war of Ezekiel 38 is something the world in our day is building towards, as seen in the various treaties between Israel and Arab/Muslim nations. But when will the Last Trumpet at Rosh Hashanah be blown to cause the dead in Messiah to rise and those alive to be changed? I don't know where it fits. I know where I'd like it to fit in, lol, but I don't know. 
 
I hope this series gets you thinking....and praying....and watching....and wondering...we walk by faith not by sight...new subject next week, until then, blessings,
 
John Fenn
www.cwowi.org and email me at [email protected]

Hi all,
We left off last week detailing the recent news of a series of economic and military agreements between several Arab nations and Israel which fulfill prophecy. Here is some detail of Ezekiel's prophecy. 
 
Gog in (of) the land of Magog
Ezekiel 38 opens with God saying He is against Gog, ruler of the land of Magog. The classic understanding of the land of Magog is the area north of Turkey, modern Russia and Central Asia, former USSR nations.
 
It should be noted that God does not say He is against the people of Magog (Russia), but just against the ruler of Magog, whom He calls 'Gog'. Magog was originally Noah's grandson through Japheth. The name means 'rooftop', alluding to Magog moving north after the flood to the area now known as Russia. 
 
In verses 4-7, speaking to that ruler, God says He will 'put hooks into your jaws, you and your army' and they will be drawn into the Middle East. This indicates Russia will be drawn into a Middle Eastern conflict but not wanting to do so, at least not at the first. Thus the hook. 
 
Prophetically speaking, Christians and Jews have been looking to see what the 'hook' is that first draws them into the Middle East. If we look at current headlines, it would be their involvement with Syria and Turkey. Verses 10-12 tells us Gog, the ruler of Russia, while in the Middle East with all those forces, has an evil thought: Take Israel. 
 
In fact the verses specifically state at that time Israel will be at peace within their borders. I have long suggested for this to happen there must be a local or regional alliance to give Israel peace locally, while on a larger level Gog and his allies plan their demise - and these peace accords would seem to play a part in that local peace. 
 
Ezekiel 38: 7 tells Russia to 'be a guard to them', meaning the nations which are named. Those nations include Togarmah, which is ancient Turkey. Persia, which is ancient Iran. Some of ancient Persia included modern Iraq, so there could be possible development between those 2 nations. 
 
Also Libya which is the same today, and 'Ethiopia', which in Ezekiel's time was largely northern Sudan, now a Muslim nation. It also mentions 'Gomer', which are the people north of the Black Sea, in southern Russia in our day. 
 
Ezekiel 38 speaks of an alliance between these nations with Russia as the 'guard' uniting them, and that they will be be drawn into a Middle East by a hook, and then once there, have an evil though to invade Israel. 
 
On the other side we have this alliance...
When the alliance gathers its forces and comes 'as a cloud to cover the land' (Air assault?), verse 13 says these nations will take exception to the attack: 
 
"Sheba and Dedan, and the Merchants of Tarshish, and all the young lions thereof, will say to you (Gog): "Do you think you can come and take a spoil? Have you gathered your army to make them a prey? Do you think you will carry away a spoil of silver and gold and cattle and goods in a great spoil?"
 
The classic understanding of these nations is that there would be an alliance between Sheba and Dedan, which is understood to include the modern areas of Saudi Arabia and the (moderate) Persian Gulf nations. 
 
Tarshish is Spain, so the merchants of Tarshish would be those nations settled by the merchants of Spain - which is the Americas. The phrase 'and all the young lions thereof' in classic understanding, is Great Britain and their symbol of the lion. Therefore the nations which are 'offspring' in the blood line of Britain. 
 
Understand the 2 points made by Ezekiel: Besides the Arab alliance, the other nations which support Israel were founded for economic motives from Spain, and blood line from Britain. That is why the US has always long been believed to lead the alliance with Israel against the invading forces. 
 
Prophecy watchers have been waiting for an Arab alliance that would side with the west and Israel when this war comes to pass. That is what these agreements in the news mean that have taken place since November 2017 through his summer of 2020. 
 
How the war starts - what to look for in the headlines
Where is the US, what causes Gog to think he can take Israel, what the war will look like and how it ends. That's for next week, until then,
Blessings,
John Fenn

Hi all,
In the midst of the world pandemic and US election news something has been taking place that lays the prophetic foundation for a world-changing war.
 
First the news
With barely a notice in the news over several months President Trump has quietly brought Arab nations, former enemies of Israel, into an alliance between themselves and with Israel, even the start of diplomatic ties between nations. 
 
First was news in November 2017 the administration had brokered a military alliance between Gulf states, motivated by the aggression of Iran. The nations in this alliance include Saudi Arabia, Oman, and UAE. The agreement included a provision to allow commercial flights between Saudi Arabia and Israel. 
 
Then came treaties with Egypt. Then Jordan. In the recent news has been United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Bahrain formally recognizing Israel's right to exist, joining a mutual defense agreement, and the normalization of diplomatic relations with Israel. 
 
A few weeks earlier Serbia and Kosovo (predominantly Muslim nation) signed a peace accord that included the provision Kosovo formally recognizes Israel as a nation and Serbia moving its embassy to Jerusalem. Iran and Turkey heavily criticized the agreements...
 
The motivation of these Gulf nations to join together militarily and recognize Israel's right to exist is because of the threat of Iran, Turkey, and Russia in the region. But it also fulfills prophecy. 
 
What does this have to do with the prophetic? 
The news of these agreements lines up perfectly with the classic view of the Ezekiel 38 war, specifically the belief that it prophesies Israel will have Arab and western allies in a war against an invasion force that includes Russia, Iran, Turkey, and other nations. Let me set the stage. 
 
The classic view
In chapters 36 and 37 Ezekiel prophesies of a time when the nation of Israel will be reborn and prosper in the land. At the time he saw the vision the nation was in captivity in Babylon in the 500's BC. His was the time of Daniel and the lion's den, and the "three Hebrew children" and the fiery furnace. Ezekiel too had been taken captive and lived in Babylon. 
 
It was there he saw the visions revealing Israel in the last days that became our Ezekiel chapters 36 through 39. There in Babylon he sees visions in chapters 36 and 37 telling of Israel again as a sovereign nation dwelling in their land, though threatened on all sides. 
 
He then sees chapters 38 and 39 which detail a war of several nations allied against Israel, with Israel and her allies defeating the aggressors. 
 
That war is not Armageddon and we know this for several reasons. The first is that Israel has allies who along with Israel, defeat the invading armies. At Armageddon they are alone, requiring the return of Jesus to save the nation. Also, The Revelation says Armageddon's armies will consists of a 200 million man army of 'kings from the east' that will march across Southern Asia to invade Israel by crossing the Tigris and Euphrates, while Ezekiel 38 describes the army coming directly from the north through Syria. 
 
It also states Israel will require 7 months to bury the dead from the invading armies, and be left with a 7 year supply from the spoils of the war. That is not a description of the end of the age. 
 
The classic understanding of Ezekiel 38 is of an Arab alliance with Israel and the west who will stand with Israel against the invading forces. It is that alliance of Gulf nations that fulfills prophecy. But there is more, much more...
 
On the one side we have these nations gathered...
And that is where we will pick it up next week...until then, blessings,
John Fenn
www.cwowi.org and email me at [email protected]