Recall that the Tyson-Holyfield fight (June 28, 1997) resulted in a third-round disqualification after Tyson bit Holyfield's ear twice. The first time the referee gave Tyson a warning. The second time he disqualified him. So Holyfield won by disqualification because of Tyson’s lawless behavior.

Paul warned us of this in 2 Tim. 2:5, saying,

⁵ And also if anyone competes as an athlete, he does not win the prize unless he competes according to the rules [i.e., lawfully].

Paul was comparing athletic competition to winning the prize which is the Birthright and Scepter—the calling to rule the earth in the Age to come.

We understood the competition in 1997 to be prophetic of three rounds of warfare in the Dragon Wars: 1997, 1998, and 1999. For this reason we knew that we should watch for the dragon's lawlessness and disqualification in the year 1999. In Hebrew time, the year 1999 began Sept. 21, 1998 and extended to the next New Year (Rosh Hoshana) on Sept. 11, 1999.

Sept. 11, 1999 was also Jesus' 2000th birthday, and we held a birthday celebration at Port Austin, Michigan. The Dragon Wars had to be concluded by that time. Meanwhile, during that year we were to watch for two bites on the earlobes, the place where many wear pearl earrings. Keep in mind that Tyson's bites equated prophetically to the dragon eating pearls, first with Hong Kong, and secondly with Princess Diana.

We saw this pattern repeated in the final round (1998-1999). The first bite from the dragon came on Dec. 7, 1998, when my friend and colleague, Martin Paulat, died on Pearl Harbor Day. The second came a few months later on March 14 when Carl Petty died. Both were close friends who lived here in Minneapolis. Both were well known for their spiritual walk. Both had seen and done virtually every miracle in the Book. Both had the discernment to see the truth of the Restoration of All Things late in life. Both were, in many ways, my ears here, for I often relied upon their discernment and ability to hear the voice of God.

These dragon bites were the way that the overall battle manifested in our area of the battlefield. In the wisdom of God, as seen so often in Church history, God allows some of His children to be martyred in various ways. For this reason, many missionaries over the years have laid down their lives so that others may come later and reap a great harvest of souls. It is a point of law that even God must seek occasion in order to have a lawful claim on the enemy's property. This is seen in the story of Samson (Judg. 14:4).

It appears that Martin and Carl completed their calling on earth by laying down their lives in order that we might have occasion against the dragon. We were then led to call for a final prayer campaign of this war from August 19 to September 2, 1999. We were to call it Dragon's End. These dates were important in 1997, since we went on the trip to the Gulf Coast to set boundaries during that time (Aug. 19 to Sept. 1).

In July 1999 world events in Iran and China told me that Apollyon, the Prince of Persia, was going to help the dragon. In the days ahead, we received confirming evidence that this was so.

On August 19 (the first day of Dragon's End prayer campaign), Pastor Dan in Washington State called my friend John and asked him what the Lord was showing him these days. They decided to get together the next day to share discernments. So they met on August 20, and John explained to him that he was involved in a prayer campaign called Dragon's End. He said we were up against the red dragon and Apollyon, the Prince of Persia. John asked Dan if he had ever met me, since I used to live in the area. No, he said, we had never met.

Later that same day, some members of Pastor Dan's church went out to eat at their favorite restaurant not far from John's house. It happened to be located in Lynnwood, WA, the city where we had lived from 1993-1996. While at the restaurant, Heidi (the wife) began to sense danger, death, and destruction. In the spirit she could hear screams and cries for help, along with a strange scratching sound. They finally had to leave the restaurant before completing their meal.

While in the car, the high-pitched screams became louder and more intense. In the spirit she then saw a large creature screeching, clawing, and pounding the ground. Heidi was soon in full-scale intercession. They called Pastor Dan and asked if they could come to his house to discuss what was happening.

When they arrived, they tried to figure out for whom they were interceding. When she asked God if it was for her children, she sensed only peace. When it was suggested that she was interceding for the Church, the Lord said it was much bigger than that. Finally, she asked Pastor Dan, “Do you know someone from out of state named Steve, who is fighting against Apollyon?”

Bingo! Pastor Dan had just been discussing this with John earlier that same day. They got back in touch with John, and John called to tell me about it. I was then able to talk with Heidi directly to get the story first-hand. The bottom line is that Apollyon was screeching and was very upset, because he knew that he was being overthrown and cast down. His reaction was to pound the earth with his fist.

There was another part to this vision which involved China. She sketched the vision and sent it to me. I cannot say much about it here, because it involves sensitive information, but she described a friend of mine perfectly and confirmed his mission to China. Essentially, these dragon wars were designed to set China free from the red dragon. Hong Kong was merely a small indication of a greater work yet to come that would involve all of China being set free in the glorious liberty of the children of God.

We had thought at first that the dragon represented China itself, but we learned later that only the British monarchy and the City of London adopted the RED dragon in their insignias. The City of London is not London itself, but is an international financial center, or City State, located within the heart of London. This is the heart of the red dragon which has oppressed the whole world, including China itself. China uses other colors for its dragons, such as white, blue, green, and gold. China is not the red dragon of Revelation 12.

The Dragon Wars ended on September 2, 1999 with the disqualification of both the red dragon and Apollyon for not fighting lawfully. These enemies were not fully overcome, however. We won by disqualification, not by a knock-out. The full victory would come in 2001, as I will show later. The overcomers won the prize of the high calling of God in these Dragon Wars. The overcomers will thus become the Sons of God, while the children of the red dragon and Apollyon lost by disqualification.

The Apostle Paul himself believed (correctly) that he was an overcomer, and just before he died, he wrote to Timothy saying in 2 Tim. 4:6-8,

⁶ For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. ⁷ I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith; ⁸ in the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing.

Yet earlier, Paul did not presume to have attained the crown of the overcomer. He wrote in Phil. 3:12, “Not that I have already obtained it, or have already become perfect, but I press on . . .” He was speaking of the prize of the high calling of God, which is the first resurrection, whereby one inherits immortality in the first resurrection, rather than in the second.

Paul was not concerned about his salvation. He was concerned about being an overcomer. And so he had written earlier in 1 Cor. 9:27,

²⁷ I buffet my body and make it my slave, lest possibly, after I have preached to others, I myself should be disqualified.

The people of Apollyon and the dragon were disqualified. When the Dragon's End prayer campaign ended on Sept. 2, 1999, we were able to celebrate Jesus' 2000^th birthday on Sept. 11, 1999. Also, 414 days after the prayer campaign ended, we met for the feast of Tabernacles conference in Champaign, IL (Oct. 20, 2000). There we poured out the first bowl of wine to begin the final phase of the overall Jericho Battle.