The Big Prophetic Picture: Part 3

In the vision of March 26,1986 I was carried in the spirit to Saudi Arabia where I saw the "bear" being guarded. The angel said to "watch the month of Ramadan," because that was when the bear had to be released.

Ramadan that year was in the month of May. From May 25-28, 1986 some American government officials flew to Iran to discuss what later became known as the "Iran-contra scandal." This was made public knowledge the following November. It appears, then, that this was the first release of the bear that would ultimately lead to Gulf War I.

In 1988 we were led to hold a prayer campaign called "These Stones" on Aug. 2 and 3 to take this "bear" captive again. We knew at the time that this would only delay world events, but we did not know at the time how long we could delay this coming war. Then, one year later, on Aug. 2-3, 1989, because of other legal factors, we were forced to release the "bear." And then, of course, the following year on the same date, Iraq invaded Kuwait, sparking Gulf War I.

That is the bare-bones spiritual history behind Gulf War I. But the angel spoke of a second "bear" that was like the first. Though I did not see this second bear in the vision, the angel clearly spoke of it. After we saw how Gulf War I manifested, and after seeing how the U.S. Central Command had been located in "the dungeon" in Saudi Arabia, led by General Norman "the Bear" Schwartzkopf of the Golden Tooth, we then began to turn our attention to the meaning of the second bear.

There was no doubt in our minds that a second Gulf War was coming--if, for no other reason, Gulf War I was widely viewed as an unfinished war, because Saddam Hussein yet remained in power.

The angel said that the first bear was sent to Saudi Arabia "by the Church in their hatred for the Arabs." It is unfortunate that so many Christians are blinded by Zionism and think they are doing God a service by praying that God would destroy Arab people. I myself am not one of those. I am called to help set them free, and I pray toward that end.

On the other hand, the angel said that the second bear was "in Jerusalem, sent by those who hate the Jews." I am not among these who hate the Jews either, though the Jews do not fall within the range of my primary calling under God. Even so, I have written much about the coming destruction of Jerusalem and the Israeli state in general--not out of hatred, but because they need to be warned so that they can repent. Or at the least, they can escape from that land before the warnings of Isaiah and Jeremiah are fulfilled.

This experience in 1986 was a defining moment in my calling and ministry. Whether or not anyone else takes it seriously, I do. And that is why I may seem somewhat obsessed with the history of the Middle East and how current events are now moving rapidly toward disintegration. This is not something that will affect the Middle East alone; it will affect all of us. We all have a vested interest in what goes on there, and we cannot afford to be blinded by hatred or ignorance of these things.