[Anatomy of a Nation in Decline] 07 – Reference Point: God is Sovereign, Part 3

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2011SCOTT WEBSTER MINISTRIES. Page 1 of 5

P r o p h e t i c B r i e f

Anatomy of a Nation in Decline - Part 7

Reference Point God is Sovereign #3

Several years ago I had a computer that began to act up; the screen wouldgo fuzzy and a loud scratchy sound would come from the speakers. Eachtime it happened I would turn it off and reboot and it would be ok until thenext time, a week or month later. It fuzzed out again when I was in ameeting with some fellow leaders and good friends and as I explained theproblem and tried to find an explanation, one of them commented that isthe sound of inevitability. My friend was right, of course and I had toreplace that defective laptop with a new one. In a far more sober and far

reaching reality, the economic crisis that is rippling across the nations is thesound of inevitability that God is judging the nations and also the falseapostolic order that has been masquerading within the church. It isinevitable that falseness will be judged and removed, and the time predestined by God to uncover pseudo-apostles who are filled withBabylonian value systems has arrived.

Revelation 18:4 "Come out of her, my people, so that you will notshare in her sins, so that you will not receive any of her plagues20Rejoice over her, O heaven! Rejoice, saints and apostles and prophets!

We looked in the last newsletter at Babylons fall in Revelation 18 andconcluded that a) the presence of economic chaos in the earth is an

indication of the Sovereignty of God. b) the events that move us to the endof time cannot be fixed by the efforts of man. We also looked at thepowerful call of repentance that is coming from heaven for Gods people tocome out of Babylon because her inevitable judgment has come due. Thisjudgment is indiscriminate it doesnt care if you were genuinely saved orhow long you have been a leader in the church if you are functioning byBabylonian standards you will share in the plagues being poured out intothe earth.

As God is Sovereignly moving in the earth there is a powerful contrast being highlighted from the spirit realm between a functional apostolicleadership that reforms and builds the church on the one hand, and a falseapostolic order on the other. We are required to discern between the two, so

we must know the differences and make a clear assessment as the church inEphesus did:

Rev 2:2 I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. Iknow that you cannot tolerate wicked men, that you have tested thosewho claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false. NIV

The word tested is the Greek word peirazo which means to learn thenature or character of something by submitting it to thorough and extensiveassessment. God requires that we look beyond the surface of ministryoperations to assess the true substance of the apostolic something hecommended the church in Ephesus for doing. The use of the word apostles

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Insight and Analysis for the 21st Century
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(plural) in Revelation 18 indicates that a significant emphasis of the church

in the End Times is an apostolic order that is highly functional. Theseapostles are building and strengthening the people of God during a time ofglobal economic crisis the verses are plainly referring to life in 2011. Ithas always been Gods intention to have apostles build Christ-likeness inthe people and those apostles have been powerfully raised up by Him inthe last several decades. However, along with the true have come falseapostles.

It makes sense that if the rise of functioning apostolic leadership is one ofthe required components to bring the church to maturity, the enemiesintent is to distort the apostolic and keep people in blindness so they will be destroyed when Babylon is judged. The false apostolic order issatanically inspired to keep the true church from emerging and taking its

rightful place of partnership with God that is why it must be assessed.Assessment is mature spiritual activity that occurs at the end of timebecause deception within the church is rampant. We must assess those whoclaim to be apostles to see if their claims line up with the Biblicalrequirements and definitions.

Wheat and TaresI can remember the rise of apostolic emphasis that emerged in the late1980s and into the 1990s. It seems you couldnt go anywhere around theworld without finding hungry believers and leaders inquiring as to thevalidity and functionality of those called to the apostolic. The resurgenceof the prophetic at that time brought forth prophecy after prophecy over

individuals regarding their calling to the apostolic many of which werenot quite correct. We had apostles over nations, apostles over regions andcities, apostolic leaders in the marketplace, and apostolic seminars withbreaks where apostolic punch and apostolic cookies were served. The termbecame somewhat meaningless because it was so distorted and it describedsuch a divergent spiritual reality. While apostles are designed by God to bediverse in ministry, the values they operate by must be the same regardlessof their unique calling and diverse operations.

In many cases the birthing of an apostolic order was couched withinsystems of traditional church values, high levels of ignorance and somedegree of human ambition and pride. In other words, Babylonian values

Revelation 18:4,20 (NIV)

"Come out of her, my people, so that youwill not share in hersins, so that you willnot receive any ofher p lagues20 Rejoice over her, Oheaven! Rejoice, saints and apostlesand prophets!


In many cases the birthingof an apostolic order wascouched within systems oftraditional church values,high levels of ignorance andsome degree of humanambition and pride. In otherwords Babylonian valueshad already infiltrated thementalities of the churchand began to corrupt it

from the start of thep r e s e n t a p o s t o l i c reformation. Conversely,o t h e r s ha ve ha d anauthentic journey towardsdiscovering true apostolicleadership and functionality,and they have been activelyreforming and building thechurch into a more accurateexpression of the Kingdom.

The two (true and falseapos t l e s ) have growntogether like wheat andtares for the last severaldecades, and this season of

global economic crisis is atime of assessment andrejection of the false (Rev18, Mt 13:41-43).


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had already infiltrated the mentalities of the church and began to corrupt it from the start of the present apostolicreformation. Conversely, others have had an authentic journey towards discovering true apostolic leadership andfunctionality, and they have been actively reforming and building the church into a more accurate expression ofthe Kingdom. The two (true and false apostles) have grown together like wheat and tares for the last severaldecades, and this season of global economic crisis is a time of assessment and rejection of the false (Rev 18, Mt13:41-43).

From Evangelist to Apostle OvernightI worked with a network that had powerful evangelism at its core. Churches had gathered around relationship withthe primary leader who was himself an evangelist, and they all had a strong ethic of getting people saved and theyreally had a grace to do it I was in many of their churches over the years and it didnt matter what someone preached about, the guys in this network could get up and very briefly explain salvation and then give aninvitation and people would respond to the Lord and get saved. When the apostolic was being birthed in the 1990smany of these pastors had a hunger for it and were trying to move towards it, and some of the guys put realpressure on the founding evangelist to embrace the apostolic and take their whole movement into it.

Instead, he simply proclaimed one day that he was now an apostle and their evangelistic network was an apostolicnetwork even though essentially nothing changed. That powerful evangelist has passed on now and Im sure hehas been rewarded for his faithful obedience to the evangelistic calling which he fulfilled, but the quasi-apostolic

network that remains after his death is a weak group that has virtually no understanding of what the genuineapostolic is. Many of the guys got frustrated or burnt out over the years and left. Some quit the ministry. Somechurches splintered and fragmented and the enemy got his way by deceiving them regarding the apostolic hewas able to break and destroy some and deceive others into thinking they had an authentic apostolic reality whenthey did not. We can look into the Word of God to see how a false apostolic position was represented in the earlychurch that Paul exposed by his teaching. There are many issues Paul dealt with but lets look at just one

Enslave & Exploit2 Cor 11:19-21 You gladly put up with fools since you are so wise! 20 In fact, you even put up with anyonewho enslaves you or exploits you or takes advantage of you or pushes himself forward or slaps you in theface. 21 To my shame I admit that we were too weak for that! (NIV)

There were self-proclaimed apostles who exploited the church for their own benefit they enslaved and exploitedthe church in Corinth. The word for exploit is katesthio and it literally means to eat you up or to take advantageof you. The same word is used by Jesus when He rebuked the Pharisees because they devoured (katesthio)widows houses, although they made a show of praying lengthy prayers (Mk 12:40). These are false apostles whooutwardly demonstrate spiritual ministry but at the core of their activity is self interest. This is a false apostolicorder that takes advantage of the authority acceded to them and they use it to extract from the people and promotethemselves. It is no different than a nation that uses its authority (military power, economic strength) to extractresource from a weaker, dependent nation it is Babylonian at its core.

The evangelistic group I referred to earlier called me in to consult with them on their attempt to transition into theapostolic. They also asked a guy with a business background in marketing who pitched himself as a consultant to



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churches. Their leaders asked the two of us many questions, and I sought tomove them towards the Lord and towards searching out true apostolicministry and principles. One problem they were having was financial theyheld many mass evangelism meetings and had quite a few people on staffwho worked to expand their ministry and they could not meet their bills.The marketing expert assessed their structures and budget and concludedthat they should increase the requirements of financial giving on thechurches that related to them to pay for their other missions. Nothing wrongwith churches supporting divine mission, but the phrase he used was thisnetwork of churches will be the cash cow for this ministry. I recoiled inhorror and looked at the lead guy, and when I saw him light up and acceptthis Babylonian advice I knew they would compromise despite myprotestations. They rejected my advice and they enslaved and exploited thechurches related to them.

This enslavement and extraction is possible because people misunderstand the correct patterns of spiritualauthority. Well meaning people want to do the will of God and they respect spiritual authority they arepredisposed to believe and follow, and spiritual leadership does in fact require a giving of the heart for correctfollowing. This God given authority of the apostolic function can lead to excess in those whose hearts are notconfirmed in the rigorous standards of the Kingdom of God in other words they use the power given to them to

build the church to instead build themselves up. False apostles promote themselves above the measure stipulatedby God, and Paul told the Corinthians that they were foolish to accept this illegitimate state of apostolic authority.

We Are Too Weak for ThatPaul described the actions and attitudes of false apostles as follows:

Incorrect emphasis and too great a weight on finances flowing from the churches to the apostle (enslavesyou or exploits you or takes advantage of you)

Relationship intended to build the apostles personal profile rather than divine joining and shared mission(he pushes himself forward)

Wrong use of authority (slaps you in the face)

In contrast Paul said we are too weak for that what did he mean? In the realms of spiritual authority there arepeople who will unwittingly try to make you a king and you have to refuse to enter into that kind of illegitimatemeasure even though it is offered to you. David was a king who had the authority to command people and buildthe Kingdom, but when men risked their lives to get him water from a well he refused to drink it, instead pouringit out as an offering to the Lord. To drink it is to let the devotion andsacrifice of peoples lives produce ease and comfort within you, rather thanaccept their sacrifice as an offering to the Lord.

Rev 5:6 Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing inthe center of the throne8 the four living creatures and the twenty-fourelders fell down before the Lamb. 12 In a loud voice they sang: "Worthy

is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdomand strength and honor and glory and praise!" 13 Then I heard everycreature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, andall that is in them, singing: "To him who sits on the throne and to theLamb be praise and honor and glory and power, forever and ever!"

We often have sung the worship chorus taken from the verse that describesJesus as the Lamb who sits on the throne. I think of this principle eachtime I sing it because it describes the principle of restraining strength andcareful use of authority. The throne of God is the ultimate authority and Heis worthy of worship and absolute devotion. In heaven He is being


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worshipped by living creatures, angels, and every creature in heaven, on the earth and under the earth. He hasabsolute authority and ruler-ship over all, yet the one who sits on this throne is the lamb the one who gavehimself to be crucified, and an animal that is very mild and non-threatening. You have never heard of a lambattacking anyone or inflicting pain. A lamb doesnt march up to the lion and demand his lunch money like a bullyon the school playground, and then beat the lion up if he wont pay.

Paul seemed to be the strongest and most spiritually powerful apostolic figure around, but he chose to restrain

himself and be very careful in exercising the power which was inherent in his apostolic calling. God is judging theBabylonian systems of life through global economic meltdown, as well as judging the false apostolic orderbecause they operate on the basis of the same worldly principles of extraction and enslavement. Conversely, trueapostolic ministry has arisen and flourished, which we will look at in the next article.


Releasing The New Prophetic Dimension Activating The Capacity To Build Obeying The Command To Finish

1. Crisis is GlobalA series of crises has been released upon the earth and all nations will beimpacted. There are three key reasons we are focusing on the U.S.specifically

2. God is SovereignHe is superintending the events of the earth, and will use both light anddarkness events to accomplish His purposes

3. We are Living in

the End Times

The dealings of God in the earth (and the U.S.) are part of end time

movements and realities. No man knows the day or the hour, but we areintended to understand times and seasons

4. Behind Nations isa Spiritual Reality

Therefore behind the natural decline that we can see there is a spiritualsource. It manifests as political, economic and social but the source of it isunseen. What is pushing the earth is not natural and it cannot be perceivedby earths intelligence

5. Gods Heart is

RedemptiveGods judgments are redemptive, and the heart ofAnatomy of a Nation in

Decline is not anger or an anti-American stance, it is a redemptivebringing of awareness and correctness

6. This is a Call toAwareness

This is not a call to repentance so that God will change the course of anation, it is a call for us to be spiritually aware so that we can prepare andmove into heightened levels of partnership with Gods end time purposes

Reference PointsIn order to correctly understand this prophetic analysis we must first deal with the context of our

knowledge about key principles and platforms. I am calling these Reference Points, and to benefit

from this prophetic word they must be understood, accepted and referred back to while reading.

[Anatomy of a Nation in Decline] 07 – Reference Point: God is Sovereign, Part 3

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