Each year, as we have since 1999,
the Apostolic Council of Prophetic Elders meets before the New Year to pray and
seek the Lord for a word. This is a compilation of what was sensed during this
year’s gathering. It should always be noted that the ACPE believes that the
Lord speaks more in seasons, as opposed to our calendar years, and in the past
few years we have observed that the trend of some of the prophetic words have
been continuing for several years and intensifying.
It is also important to note that
intercession can diminish the severity of some of the words that speak of
potential judgment – and in some cases may avert them all together. In any
case, all prophecies should be bathed in intercession, both the ones that speak
of harvest and blessing, as well as the ones with the admonitions attached to
them.
As prophets, it is always wise to
go back and look at the words we have given in the past. We did this for the
years 2011-12. Of course, let us reiterate, timing of the words should be
understood more as a season than a calendar year. The words given are not fate
or karma but can be changed subject to how God's people respond.
2011: The Year of the
Perfect Storm
In 2011, we prophesied the perfect
storms. We have certainly had those. The word was given of greater earthquakes,
floods, and severe weather patterns of all kinds.
These all happened – in February, a winter storm of historic proportions,
according to the National Weather Service; a catastrophic tornado outbreak in
April; hurricane Irene in August, the sixth costliest storm in U.S.
history at $16 billion.
2012: The Year of
Shakings
In looking at the word given for
2012, we saw that it was not only incredibly accurate, but still includes the
season we are moving into with more shakings to come. We saw an intensifying of
nature responding to our sin. The year broke U.S.
heat records, bringing drought and the U.S.
government declared it the second-worst in U.S. history for “extreme” weather
such as hurricanes, droughts or floods, according to CNN. CNN also reported
that hurricane Sandy caused an estimated $80
billion in damage to New York and New Jersey alone. For
this reason, we are going to attach it to this Word of the Lord for 2013.
2013: Watch and Prepare/The Year
of Contrasts
2013 and the number thirteen
typifies the twelve apostles and Jesus, thus representing completeness.
Therefore we know there are going to be new team entities to accomplish great
things for the Body of Christ in this coming year. We must learn to communicate
and value relational unity stronger than ever before, as there are some
blessings, crises, and challenges that can only be fully navigated through deep
spiritual unity, more than in other seasons of time.
The ACPE felt this coming year
would be one of great contrasts and polarity. In a sense, we are entering a new
era. Things cannot be done in the same way they have in the past season.
The New Era – A “But
Now” Season
“And he said to them, ‘When I sent
you without money bag, knapsack, and sandals, did you lack anything?’ So they
said, ‘Nothing.’ Then he said to them, ‘But now, he who has a money bag,
let him take it, and likewise, a knapsack, and he who has no sword, let him
sell his possessions and buy one.’” (Luke 22:35-36)
Here is a passage the Lord showed
us as a prophetic picture of the contrasts coming that will show the difference
between those who have the blessing of the Lord upon them in the midst of a
dark season.
Contrast Between Light
and Dark
Arise; shine, for your light has
come! And the glory of The Lord is risen upon you. For behold, the darkness
shall cover the earth, and deep darkness the people; but the Lord will arise
over you, and his glory will be seen upon you. Then you shall see and become
radiant, and your heart shall swell with joy; because the abundance of the sea
shall be turned to you, the wealth of the Gentiles shall come to you. The
multitudes of camels shall cover your land, the dromedaries of Midian and
Ephah; all those from Sheba
shall come; They shall bring gold and incense, And they shall proclaim the
praises of the Lord. (Is. 60:1-2, 5-6)
In contrast to the season of glory for those who prepare and hear, it will be a
season of darkness or, as some translations say, “gloom” for those unprepared.
The good news is that we are not created for darkness and gloom, but for glory!
In this passage, the camels brought wealth in caravans. So for us as believers,
this means the camels, or their modern-day equivalents, are coming with provision!
This will also be connected with
the transference of wealth on international levels. For those who watch and
listen, they will hear the voice of the Lord for huge financial blessings. The
Joseph generation is going to emerge in this season as never before.
Hear and Prepare
One prophet had a vision of a
tuning fork being struck by the Lord and put to our ear. The Lord spoke to us
that He is going to “fine-tune” our hearing to know how to prosper. This is not
a time for spiritual laziness but for a disciplined spiritual life.
We see that for those who watch
and prepare, the glory of the Lord is going to be seen on you by all. You will
shine like you have never shone. Those who are like the sons of Issachar
will be blessed in this time in contrast to those who are dull of hearing. So,
those who have watched and prepared will be blessed.
Preparedness should also take
place on the institutional level as well. It was clear to us that the word we
had given in 2012 about crisis preparedness was even more relevant now than
before. We are calling on individuals, churches and communities to become
disaster-prepared. The shakings are going to continue and increase, and those
who prepare will become a refuge for others, resulting in evangelism
opportunities as the mental strongholds of those who believed the church to be
uncaring are torn down.
Matthew 25 is an important passage
for us this coming season.
Then the kingdom of heaven shall
be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.
Now five of them were wise, and five were foolish. Those who were foolish took
their lamps and took no oil with them, but the wise took oil in their vessels
with their lamps. But while the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and
slept.
And at midnight a cry was heard:
‘Behold, the bridegroom is coming; go out to meet him!’ Then all those virgins
arose and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some
of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ But the wise answered, saying, ‘No,
lest there should not be enough for us and you; but go rather to those who
sell, and buy for yourselves.’ And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came,
and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding; and the door was
shut.
Afterward the other virgins came
also, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open to us!’ But he answered and said, ‘Assuredly, I
say to you, I do not know you.’
Watch therefore, for you know
neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming. (Matthew
25:1-13)
How to prepare:
Keep your lamps full. Stay in the
word; be full of the power of the Holy Spirit.
- Live
a life-style of worship.
- Renew
your study about having confidence in and faith toward God.
- Crisis
preparedness. This needs to be done on both a personal level as well as at
church and community levels.
- Re-evaluate
how you are handling your finances. Ask God what to buy and sell.
- Seek
God for the "new wine" structures that will help you to be
flexible in this new season.
- Do
not react out of fear, but rather respond out of faith. Don’t forget, you
belong to a kingdom that can’t be shaken.
Watch and Obey
A renewed and sharpened
sensitivity to the voice of the Holy Spirit is a must in this season. When God
tells you to not go into a place, don’t. Obey the Holy Spirit’s cautions
without being paranoid. Buy when the Lord tells you to, and don’t when you
should not spend. This is a time to move in faith and not fear. God still has
dreams to dream through you, and it is critical that you keep moving forward
with the vision God has placed into your heart and not become stagnant.
Instability-The New
Reality
In this new era, we could say that
instability will be our new reality. However, those who listen to the Lord's
guidance will navigate this season and be successful. Some major organizations
will go bankrupt such as casualty insurance companies. The bankruptcies of
American cities will increase and there will be an increasing inability to
provide adequate expected services such as fire and police. Much of this will be
the result of a path established by policies of former governmental
administrations, but the blame will be placed on the current ones. Resolving
these problems will be greatly hindered by finger-pointing and animosity,
manifesting in heightened racial and socio-economic tensions.
Against this backdrop will be
communities that will have displayed the ability to foresee and understand
these times and seasons, and who will have established infrastructure at the
community level that does not have to rely on outside resources. Apostolic and
prophetic church leadership with a “Joseph anointing” will be instrumental in
preparing not only their local churches, but their greater communities, for the
coming times of volatility.
Goshens, Sheep and
Goats
It will be evident in the coming
days, as events unfold, that there are some who have the blessing of God and
those who do not. This was likened to us as those being what we might call
"sheep or goat" states, regions, cities and even people. The sheep
states, those who have followed the word of God concerning the rights of the
unborn child, biblical definition of marriage, helping to eliminate systemic
poverty and fighting against injustice such as human trafficking, will be
blessed. They will stand in sharp contrast to those who do not. We felt
strongly that some people as well as geographic regions would become
typologically “Goshens”, where others would flee to in the midst of
instability. Migrations of people out of places which do not have leadership following
biblical principles will start to take place.
United States
versus other nations
One year ago, we gave the word
that if the United States
did not make a major shift toward reformation in 2012, our measure of greatness
would continue to decline. That shift did not occur. The United States will continue to decline while
other nations such as China,
India, Indonesia, Korea, and others will rise.
Economies
As a result of following a path
turning away from God, the nation is suffering.
We prophesied "no more business as usual” in January of 2008 before the
September meltdown of that year. We could say that the stone from Daniel 2 has
been thrown at the feet of the economies of the world..Some believe this to be
the Babylonian structures. Therefore the structures of the whole world have
been weakened in some respects.
Daniel 2:35 speaks of a stone
striking the foot of a statue that has mixture. God is going to shake corrupt
economic systems. The old systems that have been held in place through corrupt
leaders are going to shake as well. Many who have prayed for their nations will
see a major governmental change that will put them on a path of awakening and
blessing.
Believers should ask God for the
timing when they need to buy land and businesses, and make their influence
known, even under duress. Man-made structures are going to continue to have
great stress and pressure. Kingdom-minded business leaders are going to be
especially anointed in this season. Both Esthers and Daniels will arise in this
day to influence economic systems and nations.
An admonition came forth not to
get stuck in old wineskins even in the area of your personal finances in the
coming days or you will miss your opportunities when they come along from God.
A New Move of the Holy
Spirit
On the positive, we are going to
see the rise of new revivalists, many who have been as yet unseen, but will
burst upon the scene with great power and authority. The world will be
astounded as they come from seemingly nowhere to a great visibility due to the
way in which the power and authority of God is manifested through them.
Beware of Deception
Be especially vigilant against
deception trying to enter into the church in this season, which will try and
shut down these new moves of God.
Chicago, Illinois
The inner cities and urban areas
are going to be touched by this new wave of power evangelism. Some of the
darkest areas, such as the inner city of Chicago,
are going to see a dramatic intervention from the Spirit of the Living God.
New Alignments
2013 will be a year in which many
things in the lives of believers will come into alignment. The Lord’s focus for
the church will be coming into the place where she can be a voice to the
nation. Nehemiah 13 is a picture of this. God used him to bring into alignment
both God’s people and the government. With these new alignments must come a
re-assessment of the things God requires of you in this new season.
Prayer and Spiritual
Warfare
There will be a resurgence of
teaching on both prayer and spiritual warfare, and God’s people will once again
war in intercession. A whole new army of prayer warriors will be trained.
Uncompromised
Leadership
Pastors will arise with the
anointing of a William Wilberforce and fight against injustice. There will be
new movements of righteousness and justice. An awakening both to holiness and
justice will sweep the nations. Fighting human trafficking will be a special
focus of the church; especially among the youth.
“Daniel prophets” will arise out
of this movement who stand unafraid. Reformers will arise in governmental
positions. Kansas, Oklahoma,
Texas, Arizona,
and Alabama
will begin to awaken.
Prophets
The prophets of God must not be
intimidated by the fire-storm that will come against them in the coming days.
There is a hidden church even among influential world leaders who are like the
“Obadiahs,” but the prophets are about to be revealed in great power and
authority if they do not back down in this season of persecution.
There has been a culture of death
that has reigned through abortion, but God is raising up young fire-brands
whose voices will not be silenced until this evil is eradicated in nation after
nation. The Spirit of Elijah will manifest in a glorious way upon these young
voices who will speak up for the unborn.
Worship will be a major key in
this movement as God will bring a world-wide emphasis on the restoration of the
tabernacle of David, as prophesied in Acts 15:16. Little children will worship
and prophesy as well.
Weather Related Crises
We have not seen the end of the
weather-related crises and weather patterns. One ACPE leader sensed that
organizations like FEMA would become virtually bankrupt as the earth produces
violent shakings and storms that are beyond its resource levels.
Already, since the ACPE meeting in
early December, Congress has already had to rush $9.7 billion in aid to FEMA
due to flood insurance claims from the October hurricane Sandy. This is borrowed money from the
Treasury, which increases the national deficit, and another $51 billion has
been requested. Intensifying natural disasters will further stress the
government’s ability to assist in such calamities.
OTHER NATIONS:
Israel
In the midst of the pressure of
the Middle East de-stabilizing, Israel
will experience a move of the Holy Spirit. Congregations will come into unity
on a level not yet seen.
Special prayer is needed for peace in the Middle East,
and there is an admonition that the rest of the world should not forget them.
Pray for the protection of the borders of Israel.
Latin America
Latin
America will begin to shake off its shackles of extreme leftism. There
are leaders waiting in the wings who are the Josephs and Daniels of new
governmental structures, and they will be reformers.
Vietnam
Vietnam will
begin to emerge as an economic power, seemingly overnight. Many will start to
build factories there, including business leaders from main-land China.
Europe and Euro
It was prophesied that the Euro
would fragment. This will lead to the eventual re-structuring of Europe in some sense. The time period for this to take
place was not shown to us.
Europe
Europe will
experience a move of God as there is a hunger in the soul of God’s people
there, and top leaders will begin to say that humanism and socialism did not
work.
Austria
Austria will be a
key to this move of God, and the sound of music will once again resonate around
the world as new worship songs come from this nation.
Campuses
Campuses in the U.S., Britain,
France, and Romania
will flame with revival and reformation. New youth leaders’ movements will
arise that will connect the new generation.
Ring of Fire Nations
The ring of fire nations will burn
for God. New missions movements will be launched. The unreached peoples will be
reached, and there will be an escalation of missionaries answering the call.
Africa
Africa will
thrive! Nation after nation will find its leaders dedicating their nations to
the Lord Jesus Christ. The spirit of poverty is beginning to be broken off this
continent. Cultural transformations will take place. Look to the middle of the
continent, for there will be a fire of the Holy Spirit that will begin there
and spread to the rest of the world.
Arabic World
Nations will align with nations in
surprising ways as old alignments manifest themselves once again. The Arabic
world is going to clash with itself in unprecedented measures. Even formerly
stable regions, such as Saudi
Arabia, will start to de-stabilize.’
Egypt
Egypt is in its
Isaiah 19 shaking moment, but in the midst of the shaking, one of the greatest
prayer armies in the world will mobilize with great unity.
India
This is India’s time to shine! Prayer will
fill this nation from the north to the south, to the east and the west.
Japan
Japan will
experience a move of God that begins with their youth.
Korea
Prepare the missionaries for North Korea.
Healing will begin from North to South. Many Korean business leaders will be
sent even to Wall Street.
China
It probably goes without needing
to be said, but China
will continue its advance to becoming a world-economic power. This nation needs
our special and earnest prayer.
Iran, Syria,
and the Persecuted Church
There will be a shift in
leadership in many Middle Eastern nations. Those who have been in favor will
fall out of favor almost overnight. A call to pray for the persecuted church
came forth from the Holy Spirit. The Lord wants to bring a great harvest to
Syrians in particular in this season.
God's miracle working power will
manifest in Iran.
The Lord did not speak details to us beyond that at this time.
