Karen Zelfimein, a pastor in Odessa, Ukraine, said he believes that God is sending angels to protect his country that was invaded by Russian troops a little more than a week ago.

Zelfimein told It’s Supernatural!’s Sid Roth that he has heard several reports of God’s divine intervention in helping to save many of his countrymen over the past week. As the Ukraine continues to suffer the devastating effects of war, he believes that prayer from around the globe for that country will see it through to a glorious end.

“I’ve heard a couple of stories of people looking up in the sky and seeing clouds in the shape of angels,” Zelfimein says. “But more importantly, in that very moment, they said they were so encouraged. They felt someone’s presence so tangible and comforting.

“I believe God does that to encourage people in times of difficulties and devastation. A lot of people are under fear and they don’t know what will happen from one day to the next. I believe that those visitations are signs that He’s saying He loves them and that he’s sending angels to protect them.”

During the interview, Roth was quick to point out Romans 8:31 said, “If God is for you, if you have come to have experiential knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ, then who can be against You?”

Zelfimein wholeheartedly agreed and told another miraculous story of a group of Ukrainian soldiers that were spared due to God’s intervention. And, afterward, many of those soldiers gave their lives to Christ.

“A brother from our church in Odessa, a lieutenant in the Ukrainian army, called and said his men were sitting in hiding and looking out to see where an enemy attack would come from,” Zelfimein said. “He said, ‘all of a sudden, I felt the urgency to pray.’ He heard God speaking to him, ‘Take your men and leave this place, this very location.’

“As soon as he and his men relocated to a different place, rockets and fire opened on that spot where they were. That very spot was bombed and destroyed. It’s amazing how God does miracles and protects. Before, they were not listening to the Word of God, not paying attention much to Jesus. But now they are praying and asking the Lord to come into their lives.”

Roth asked, “Does this remind anyone of the Six-Day War in Israel (in 1967), when against all odds, Israel survived and is now thriving?”

Zelfimein says he’s heard reports of death and destruction, but also of new life. There are, he says, 150,000 people living in the subways of Kiev and, in the last seven days, 47 children have been born in the subways.

“Despite the death, war, devastation and destruction, there is life, and it’s all God’s hand,” Zelfimein says.

Zelfimein says he’s also heard reports of miraculous events on the battlefield, sparked by prayer, that have saved many Ukrainian soldiers and civilians.

“We have heard stories of the immense Russian army,” Zelfimein says. “People are praying and we hear stories about Russian tanks that have stopped in the middle of the fields or somewhere near the Ukrainian village because they ran out of gas. This really amazes me because they have been preparing for this war for many months. Incidents like that have not happened just once. We’ve heard of many, many places where they have run out of gas. Even one of their ships in the sea and they ran out of fuel and they were contacting the nearby cargo ship and asking for fuel. They were denied because of their aggression toward Ukraine. That Russian ship stopped in the middle of the sea. It’s the hand of God.”

Keeping those stories in mind, please continue to pray for God’s divine protection over Ukraine from the Russian invasion. God is on the throne, not Russian President Vladimir Putin. {eoa}

Shawn A. Akers is the online editor for Charisma Media.

Read articles like this one and other Spirit-led content in our new platform, CHARISMA PLUS.

While it may seem as if the hand of God has been taken off the Ukraine, CBN Ukrainian Director Kostyyantine Lytvynenko and some Ukrainian soldiers beg to differ.

As the Russian invasion continues into its second week, Lytvynenko says he’s heard reports from the front lines of divine intervention that protected soldiers from possible annihilation on the battlefield. Lytvynenko, speaking in English, explained in this CBN video:

“One brother shared an audio from a brother in the church. He says his son is part of the military, and he was saying they were in the dark night and they were holding their positions when they discovered that a lot of Russian Federation tanks and machines had come. They knew they might struggle in defending themselves. The son picked up and called his father and he says that you have to pray right now for this situation. His father called to other members of the church and they started praying. Later, the son gives a phone call and he says a miracle happened. It looked like there was an attack from a spaceship, some kind of lightning that was shooting from the sky. Sparks were spreading everywhere. In the morning, they discovered that Russian machinery was destroyed. Some of the soldiers thought it was some kind of weapon they didn’t know about, but it was God’s intervention.”

A second instance of divine intervention was reported to Lytvynenko:

“There was another occasion that we just got from a friend. We were praying that they (the Russian soldiers) would start resisting each other. There are several occasions in the Bible where you see this. Another part of the Russian army occupied one little town and they removed flags from the town’s government buildings. They attached those flags to the tanks and they started to ride, and eventually in the dark, in the evening, they met another group of tanks. They thought they were enemies to each other and they started shooting at each other. That was God’s hand.”

Lytvynenko says he is proud of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s leadership and the resiliency of the Ukranian people during this horrific time in their history.

“The Ukrainians are surprising one another with unity, with such a readiness to help to unite and stand and push back the enemy,” Lytvynenko says. “Our president, Zelensky; he’s a real iron man. He’s in downtown Kiev and not stepping back. He’s coordinating war and resistance in our country. As he said before, when he became the president, every one of you are the president. And he says today, every one of you is a soldier. Not everyone can hold a machine gun. In many cities, people want to join the militia, the territorial defense, but the army says we have enough people, go find yourself another job and another way to help your country.”

Lytvynenko asks Christians to continue to pray for Ukraine and to pray that the Ukrainians could “hear God at this time.”

“We just need the continuation of your prayers and for you to participate in the informational war,” Lytvynenko says. “We have the basic needs, food and water, but we need prayer more than anything, that we would be able to have the peace in our hearts; that in our hearts we could see how we can continue to build the kingdom in this time of war, that we could be the light and the warmth and the love and the hand of God to other people who are in need. We all want to be the hands of God and be active members of the body of Christ in this time and not sit in fear for our lives, that we could be productive in building the kingdom here in Ukraine.” {eoa}

Shawn A. Akers is the online editor for Charisma Media.

Read articles like this one and other Spirit-led content in our new platform, CHARISMA PLUS.

When I was a child, I remember my mother often saying, “There is nothing new under the sun.” Whenever an event happened that was shocking or tragic, she would give me a knowing grin and say those words.

What she meant by the phrase was that people will always be people. In other words, don’t be surprised when people make bad choices and do bad things because it’s not a new thing; people have been making bad choices and doing bad things since the beginning of Genesis.

However, when Solomon penned the words we read in Ecclesiastes 1:9 (TLV), “What has been is what will be, and what has been done will be done again. There is nothing new under the sun,” the context was much different than my mother’s. Solomon was expressing his boredom with the mundane things of life, which, as a side note, seems humorous to me because Solomon was a super-rich, powerful king with a kingdom that was the envy of all. Yet he thought his life, and life in general, was mundane and boring.

Those words by Solomon have been quoted unquestioningly since they were first written down. But, are they true? Solomon may have believed the statement “There is nothing new under the sun” was true and it may have actually been true in Solomon’s day. But just over 900 years later, there was something new, something different from anything that had ever happened before. Something new happened under the sun, and that something new was the Son.

The truth is that if Solomon could have envisioned the new that would come, he would never have considered life mundane or boring. When I say that Yeshua was new, that doesn’t mean I do not believe He was and is eternal. However, Yeshua was entirely unique in comparison to any other human in history.

While there are many references to G-D interacting and even appearing to men in the Bible, Yeshua didn’t just appear to men; He was born a man. I could spend time providing Scripture verses that express how G-D became flesh and dwelt among us and how G-D was manifest in flesh, or even how all the fullness of the Godhead dwelt bodily in Yeshua. But I will be the first to admit that I don’t understand how the G-D of all eternity became a human being while never ceasing to be G-D. I don’t understand how G-D could be both Father and Son at the same time while always and completely remaining one.

So, rather than try to explain the unexplainable, I want to share something fully understandable and the reason for Yeshua becoming man, and the purpose for something new under the sun happening. I know that many reading this will say that Yeshua came so that we could have atonement and provided a means of redemption, and that is true. But, unfortunately, while absolutely true, that is an incomplete rendering of the reason that Yeshua came. The reason Yeshua came is much more wonderful than simply providing clemency to those who were guilty.

Please don’t think I am making light of the crucifixion and resurrection of Yeshua. However, Yeshua didn’t die just to absolve us of guilt. He did something brand new, something that even Solomon in all his wisdom couldn’t understand and, unfortunately, too many believers today still have not recognized. Yeshua became flesh and lived, died and rose again for a greater purpose than just setting the sinner free. He came to do something that had never been done before. He did something new because it was the only way that He could make us new.

Yeshua came not so we could be simply set free; any king could provide clemency. It took G-D doing something new, something that had never been done before, to provide the opportunity for us to become new. G-D entered into the very framework of His creation so that you and I could become new creations, as we read in 2 Corinthians 5:17:

“Therefore if anyone is in Messiah, he is a new creation. The old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.”

Maybe the reason Solomon thought life was so mundane and boring was because although he was a king that had everything this world could offer, he couldn’t do one thing that was truly new. Only the King of the Universe has the ability to do something new under the sun and, thankfully, He became the Son so He could do something new. Because Yeshua did something new under the sun, we were able to become something new under the Son. {eoa}

Eric Tokajer is the author of Overcoming Fearlessness, What If Everything You Were Taught About the Ten Commandments Was Wrong?, With Me in Paradise, Transient Singularity, OY! How Did I Get Here?: Thirty-One Things I Wish Someone Had Told Me Before Entering Ministry, #ManWisdom: With Eric Tokajer, Jesus Is to Christianity as Pasta Is to Italians and Galatians in Context.

Read articles like this one and other Spirit-led content in our new platform, CHARISMA PLUS.

A recent search of the Bible turned up several specific and many general references to the gift of prophecy. Few of these references suggested anything about the gift as an exclusive domain of selected individuals.

The exception is Scripture, such as 1 Corinthians 12 where Paul instructs the church on how to conduct peaceful and productive services, wherein some have specifically assigned roles.

But then I ran into John 16:13 (KJV), where Jesus is pointedly giving final, detailed and extensive instructions to His disciples as He stands at the threshold of His torture and execution on the cross.

“When he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.”

After reading this great promise, we searched all translations of the Bible available online to make sure there weren’t conflicting or contrary versions of “will shew you things to come” (predictions of the future). Most used roughly the same term, but others varied slightly and we share these with you so there will be no doubt as to exactly what Jesus was/is promising.

– NTE: He will announce to you what’s to come.

– WEB: He will declare to you things that are coming.

– WE: He will tell you what is going to happen.

– YLT: and the coming things He will tell you.

– NLT: He will tell you about the future.

– DRA: and the things that are to come, He shall shew you.

– ERV: He will tell you what will happen in the future.

– TLB: He will tell you about the future.

– NABRE: He will declare to you the things that are coming.

– NIRV: And He will tell you what is still going to happen.

– AMP: He will disclose to you what is to come [in the future].

– CJB: He will also announce to you the events of the future.

– CEV He will let you know what is going to happen.

Even after many readings of five owned versions of the Bible, the first of which I received in 1945 from a Long Beach, California, Sunday School teacher, I had never been captured by this particular verse. I must say I’ve never read a more astounding statement.

If I’m understanding this correctly, all of us who commune regularly with the Holy Spirit are receiving prophetic statements. If we then share what we have been told with others, we are serving the Lord as His prophet. All those filled with the Holy Spirit are potential prophets … it’s a gift for all.

We Christians, particularly in the Western World, have a (bad?) habit of treating prophecy as a special gift for a chosen few. The result has been the elevation of some to celebrity status as “true prophets” or other such accolades. And all this time, we “others” have been passing up the opportunity to serve God and to lead more fulfilling lives by passing on those things the Holy Spirit has been telling us all these centuries.

The primary requirement, of course, being that we regularly commune with the Holy Spirit in our private prayer, praise and study routines. Probably most of us “know” or “have a sense of” having heard from… or gotten a message from… the Spirit of God! But our instinct is to assume others will be skeptical of the claim, and some might even sneer or laugh. So … we hold back!

The issue posits a very complicated conundrum, because there are also people who will get an idea in their heads or imagine that they have something divine they need to share with us that definitely is not from God! Let’s be kind! We still love them, but we also somehow know they are wrong.

What is the message of real value in all this? It is two-fold.

1. Over a period of more than 70 years of listening to, or reading the prophecies of celebrity prophets, I recall few of them as being memorable, and even fewer as spreading truth. The media plays a role in this that I won’t elaborate on because I want to continue as a correspondent for the few years left to me. But we should note that appealing and startling prophecy plays well with the public.
2. Why don’t we test all prophetic claims by addressing them to the Ultimate Judge? He promises He will show us the things ordained to come. Ask Him to verify prophetic claims you just heard or read about. Were they true or false? Those who listen carefully and are believers are promised the answers. Look again at paragraph #3 above. It’s a divine promise!

With the Russian/Ukrainian assault moving into non-military civilian neighborhoods, the true nature of Putin’s alliance with demons is manifest. The African Sahel is afire in nearly all of its kingdoms, with horrendous acts by Islamic extremists against children as well as its usual adult targets. Israel and Iran are staring down nuclear corridors of likely war. Saudi Arabia and the Houthi insurrection has now moved into civilian regions and further strains oil prices and supplies so vital to world industry.

America is not immune, as oil prices soar and economic sanctions add to the Joe Biden recession and inflation atrocities.

Enough of that! We have more than enough fodder to occupy ourselves with discussions we should be having with our Maker.

We just need to be mindful of the promises and seek answers through the Holy Spirit. He is ready and eager to hear from us and to talk with us. His promises are divine.

After all, you too have the promised gift of prophecy. Just practice it a bit more and simply believe.

Then share what He reveals to you with your family, neighbors, friends and work mates. It’s His plan and desire for us … it’s a winning formula if we simply follow the simple instructions. {eoa}

Ron Dee Mallett studied business, journalism, economics and mass communications at Denver, Colorado (Boulder) and Stanford Universities. An Air Force veteran and former news reporter for the Denver Post and others, he also worked 20 years as a corporate executive and consultant for IBM, ITT and other multinationals. He later served as director of Shekinah jail, prison, nursing home and Mexico outreaches based in Longmont, Colorado, and follows a men’s intercession ministry called the SWAT Team (Spiritual Warfare Attack Team). At age 84, he remains an active columnist for Charisma and other media outlets.

Read articles like this one and other Spirit-led content in our new platform, CHARISMA PLUS.

We are presently witnessing a war in Ukraine. A historical, cyclical pattern repeats itself as it relates to the emergence of a multi-polar global order (when there are at least three powerful nations in the world who compete for world dominance).

In this article, uni-polar refers to a global order with only one world superpower and bi-polar refers to two nations competing for global domination.

The following are 10 lessons we can learn:

1. Uni-polar powers do not have longevity: We had a bi-polar world during the Cold War with two superpowers countenancing each other, the Soviet Union and the USA. After the Iron Curtain fell in 1991, it left the world with only one superpower, the USA. After about only three decades, we are now witnessing the emergence of a multi-polar world order with at least three superpowers vying for global economic/military control: America, Russia and China.

2. Empires come and go while the kingdom of God continues to grow: In the last several millennia, we have seen the vast empires of Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Greece, Rome, Mongolia and Britain come and go. However, the kingdom of God continues to develop and advance despite all opposition (Isa. 9:6-7).

3. Past historical arrangements can determine our present and future: More than 1000 years ago, Vladimir, leader of the Rus (modern-day Russia), summoned the whole city of Kiev to a river for a mass baptism. Consequently, the year 988 founded Russian Orthodox Christianity. This brand of Christianity would create a synthesis of nationalism and institutional religion held together by a love of the motherland. Vladimir was eventually considered a saint. Fast forward to 2022, and another Vladimir (Putin) is again motivated by political and religious history to unite and reclaim Kiev as part of the motherland. He will also likely demand that the Ukrainian Orthodox patriarchy submits to the rule of the Russian Orthodox Church.

4. There can be an unholy alliance between the institutional church and civic government: In this current conflict between Russia and Ukraine, the orthodox churches in both nations are blessing each other’s armies. Many are confused by how a Christian church can bless an army attacking a sovereign nation. However, historically there has been examples of an unholy triune alliance between the dragon, the state and the false prophet, as noted in Revelation 12-13. (The false prophet is an institutional church or religion that promotes the ideals of the dragon by propagating conformity to the secular culture and state.) We also saw the same thing in Nazi Germany when the so-called “Reich church” supported the genocidal blood-letting of Hitler during WWII.

5. There is usually only a short window for revival and awakening, as we see in the Baltic states: I was in Kiev ministering the gospel in 1980, 1987 and 2004. I saw extraordinary hunger and moves of God in that region (Riga, Latvia and Estonia). The revival movement seemed to wane in the past decade. Now, the window for religious freedom can be closed if the Russian Orthodox Church regains power in the region and suppresses religious liberty and evangelicalism.

6. Earthly riches and real estate cannot be our eternal anchor: The Russian war in Ukraine threatens to topple democratically elected governments. This may also result in real estate and bank accounts being confiscated. Thus, for millions of people, their money, assets and wealth, accumulated throughout a lifetime, may disappear overnight! Indeed, this teaches us that ultimately we need to focus on laying up our treasures in heaven where “no thieves can break in and steal.”

7. Peace and safety weakens the resolve of strong nations: As we have seen in the history of great empires (i.e., Egypt, Israel, Babylon, Rome, etc.), most superpowers get lazy and complacent during times of peace and prosperity, eventually losing their superpower (unipolar) status.

8. We have officially entered into a new multi-polar world order: The American abandonment of Afghanistan signaled that their sole superpower status was quickly waning. This explains Putin’s land grab in Ukraine. This will also likely result in China making a move to reclaim Taiwan and possibly Iran, further exerting its influence throughout the Middle East.

9. One man can determine the fate of millions of people: Some news outlets have reported that Putin has isolated himself and lives in his ego-centric world. Even many of his people disapprove of his actions as thousands have been protesting against his attack on Ukraine. This is just another example (like Hitler) of the power one leader can exert over their nation and the entire world.

On a positive note, we could also see how one man could positively impact millions of people. For example, Ukrainian president Zelensky’s heroic stand against Russia inspires billions of people worldwide. I would not be surprised if Time magazine called him the person of the year for 2022!

10. There is a direct conflict between globalists and nationalists: Putin, like former American President Trump, is not a globalist. This explains why Putin doesn’t care about the opinion of the UN; even economic sanctions won’t change him as long as Russia is continuing to export oil for dollars.

China is part of the global theater whenever it benefits them economically. However, despite world opinion, they lay claim to the South China Sea (where they are building military islands) and Taiwan. Both Russia and China espouse a form of nationalism in which they put the aspirations and benefits of their nation ahead of the needs of the rest of the world (as contrasted with globalists who believe a one world alliance is the only road to a societal utopia). Also, in general, many American conservatives (like Donald Trump) espouse a form of nationalism, or “America first.” However, most of the Christian conservatives I know also have a great love for the whole world because of their evangelical impetus (John 3:16).

Hence, in the background of this Russian aggression against Ukraine, a huge ideological and political chess match between the globalists and nationalists will determine the future world order. {eoa}

Dr. Joseph Mattera is an internationally-known author, consultant and theologian whose mission is to influence leaders who influence culture. He is the founding pastor of Resurrection Church and leads several organizations, including The U.S. Coalition of Apostolic Leaders and Christ Covenant Coalition. Dr. Mattera is the author of 13 bestselling books, including his latest, The Purpose, Power and Process of Prophetic Ministry, and is renown for applying Scripture to contemporary culture. To order his books or to join the many thousands who subscribe to his newsletter, go to josephmattera.org.

Read articles like this one and other Spirit-led content in our new platform, CHARISMA PLUS.

Many of us have suffered from grief, isolation or some level of loss due to the COVID pandemic. We’ve also suffered fear, not knowing who to believe or what to do.

As a result, anxiety is becoming an epidemic in our nation. A recent survey of adults in the United States revealed that over 30 percent have suffered from some level of anxiety due to COVID—and those are just the ones who admitted it.

Another study showed that younger generations are suffering higher levels of anxiety than the older ones, so the millennials have more anxiety than the boomers. But those in Generation Z have the highest rates of all—almost 40 percent of Generation Z suffer from anxiety.

What Is Anxiety?

Anxiety is a powerful emotion: a mix of worry, fear and doubt. Ultimately, it is a lack of faith and to eliminate it, we need to build up our faith and perhaps even exercise it to make it stronger. It may take a fair amount of discipline and commitment but can be so beneficial to our spiritual health.

One simple thing you can do is to begin a weekly cycle of taking time to rest and reflect on God. Watch your anxiety lessen as you take a little time to pray, read the Bible and learn more about the Lord and His wonderful promises for you. You can start with Psalm 34:4, which says, “I sought the Lord, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.”

The more you learn about Him, the greater your faith will become and you will find those fears just melting away.

Resting in Faith

This weekly routine of rest and reflection is particularly important because it is how God designed us to function. Just as we were designed to need nightly sleep, we need a weekly break. If we do not get the sleep we need, our bodies will begin to break down. If we do not take time weekly to rest and fellowship with God, we will also begin to see signs of depletion in our lives—whether physical, mental or spiritual.

Everyone is unique. Our weekly schedules are different and our type of work is different, so how we rest will look different too. But we were created in the image of God, and if He rested on the seventh day and commanded His people to do the same, then maybe He understands something that we don’t. Perhaps we were designed to need that weekly rest.

Rest strengthens us—spirit, mind and body. It is good for us! It also gives us time for Bible study and to fellowship with Him, which deepens our faith and gives us greater understanding of His ways—and our purpose. This alone will encourage us and help us to face our challenges.

Every week, you can take a break from your troubles and experience the healing power in His presence. Don’t miss out!

This article will also be posted on Susan’s Blog at icejusa.org/susans-blog. {eoa}

Dr. Susan Michael is USA director of the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem and host of the Out of Zion podcast. Subscribe to the Out of Zion podcast or text “zion” to 72572 to receive her Friday Shabbat Shalom devotionals and end your week with a little peace.

Read articles like this one and other Spirit-led content in our new platform, CHARISMA PLUS.

Is Satan the ruler of hell? Is hell part of his kingdom? In studying and researching this topic, I believe Scripture is clear that God is the one who is ruling and hell is not part of Satan’s kingdom.

Dr. Robert A. Peterson in the book, “Hell On Trial” (pages 44, 45, 47) said, “Hell is ruled by God…It is no wonder that, as the ruler of hell, God is to be revered … God rules over everything, including heaven and hell…Instead of reigning over hell, Satan will suffer the worst punishment there.”

We must remember there are two hells and there are differences between them. We know from the Bible that Satan does have a kingdom, but what does it consist of?

In Matthew 12:26 (NKJV), Jesus said, “If Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand?” Jesus just told us Satan has a kingdom and it consists of the fallen angels found in Revelation. In the book of Matthew, Satan is called, “the prince of devils.” Part of Satan’s kingdom is the fallen angels. Satan’s kingdom also consists of the atmosphere where the demons are.

– Ephesians 2:2 says that Satan is “the prince of the power of the air.”

– Daniel 10:13, “But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me.” The prince was a devil that ruled over the atmosphere and land of Persia.

– Ephesians 6:12, “We wrestle against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.” The heavenly places are the atmosphere, or second heaven.

There also is another part of his kingdom.

Matthew 4:8-9 (KJV) reads, “Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; and saith unto him, all these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.” Since the devil offered the kingdoms of the world, they had to be his to give!

– 2 Corinthians 4:4 states that Satan is the “god of this world.”

– John 14:30, Jesus said, “for the prince of this world commeth, and hath nothing in me.”

– John 12:31, “Now shall the prince of this world be cast out.” His kingdom also consists of the kingdoms of the world.

There are no Scriptures to support the idea that hell is part of Satan’s kingdom. As a matter of fact, the opposite is stated in the Bible. God is the one who oversees hell as these verses state:

– Revelation 14:10-11, “And he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb.” Hell is in God’s presence.

– Proverbs 15:11, “Hell and destruction are before the Lord.”

– Job 26:6, “Hell is naked before him and destruction has no covering.”

– Psalm 139: 8, David said, “if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there.”

– Amos 9:2, speaking of the wicked, God said, “Though they dig into hell, my hand shall take them.” God oversees hell and He dictates what happens there. God assigns man’s rightful place and degree of torment.

And what about the gates of hell mentioned in the books of Isaiah and Matthew? Do they represent Satan’s kingdom? No.

These are not gates indicating his kingdom or authority, but rather his prison. In Revelation, it states that Jesus is the one who has the keys of hell and death.

We can conclude from Scripture that Satan’s kingdom is the fallen angels or demons, the kingdoms of the world and the second heaven or atmosphere. {eoa}

Bill Wiese is the author of New York Times best selling book, 23 Minutes In Hell, the story of his life-changing visit to hell in 1998. Bill has since authored six additional book titles and continues to share his experience around the world. He and his wife Annette founded Soul Choice Ministries in 2006 and have dedicated their lives to reaching the unsaved. For more information about Bill Wiese and Soul Choice Ministries, please visit us at: soulchoiceministries.org/ You can find more of Bill’s teachings at: youtube.com/user/BillWieseTV

Read articles like this one and other Spirit-led content in our new platform, CHARISMA PLUS.

As I studied the Gospels, it became clear to me that Jesus understood well the principle of reaching the poor. He avoided the major cities, the rich, the famous and the powerful, concentrating His ministry on the poor, laboring class.

If we reach the poor, we have touched the masses of Asia.

The Right Weapons

The battle against hunger and poverty is really a spiritual battle, not a physical or social one as secularists would have us believe. It is through the love of Christ that we will effectively win the war against disease, hunger, injustice and poverty in Asia.

To look into the sad eyes of a hungry child or see the wasted life of a drug addict is to witness the evidence of Satan’s hold on this world. All bad things, whether in Asia or the West, are his handiwork. He is the ultimate enemy of mankind, and he will do everything within his considerable power to kill and destroy human beings. Fighting this powerful enemy with physical weapons alone is like fighting an armored tank with stones.

I can never forget one of the more dramatic encounters we had with these demonic powers. It was a hot and unusually humid day in 1970. We were preaching in a place called the “desert of kings.”

As was our practice before a street meeting, my seven co-workers and I stood in a circle to sing and clap hands to the rhythm of Christian folk songs. A sizeable crowd gathered, and I began to speak in Hindi, the local language. Many heard the Good News for the first time and eagerly took our Gospels and tracts to read.

One young man came up to me and asked for a book to read. As I talked to him, I sensed in my spirit that he was hungry to know God. When we got ready to climb aboard our ministry van, he asked to join us.

As the van lurched forward, he cried and wailed. “I am a terrible sinner,” he shrieked. “How can I sit among you?” With that, he started to jump from the moving van. We held on to him and forced him to the floor to prevent injury.

That night, he stayed at our base and the next morning joined us for the prayer meeting. While we were praising and interceding, we heard a sudden scream. The young man was lying on the ground, tongue lolling out of his mouth, his eyes rolled back.

We knew immediately he was demon-possessed. We gathered around him and began taking authority over the forces of hell as they spoke through his mouth.

“We are 74 of us…. For the past seven years we have made him walk barefoot all over India. He is ours. …” They spoke on, blaspheming and cursing, challenging us and our authority.

But as three of us prayed, the demons could not keep their hold on the young man. They came out when we commanded them to leave in the name of Jesus.

Winning the War

Sundar was delivered and gave his life to Jesus. Later, he went to Bible college and since then, the Lord has enabled him to teach and preach to thousands of people about Christ. Several Indian worship places have been established as a result of his remarkable ministry—all from a man many people would have locked up in an insane asylum.

This kind of miracle kept me going from village to village for those seven years of itinerant preaching and our lives read like pages from the book of Acts. {eoa}

K.P. Yohannan, founder and director of GFA World (Gospel for Asia) and Metropolitan of Believers Eastern Church (BEC), has written more than 250 books, including Revolution in World Missions, an international bestseller with more than four million copies in print. He and his wife, Gisela, have two grown children, Daniel and Sarah, who both serve the Lord with their families.

Read articles like this one and other Spirit-led content in our new platform, CHARISMA PLUS.

The secular culture will have you believe that today’s youth are leaving the church in droves and running away from Jesus. But Mike Fehlauer, lead pastor of New Life Church in Corpus Christi, Texas, has quite a different story to tell.

Instead of rejecting and running away from Jesus, Fehlauer says students and young people are running to the cross and to the Bible because they are tired of what this world has to offer. They are hungry for more—hungry for a life and truth that only Jesus can provide for them.

His evidence? A huge group of high school and middle school students gathered around the flagpole at West Oso High School in Corpus Christi on Wednesday, some of whom received salvation and some of whom were baptized in the Holy Ghost. In addition, three weeks ago, a large group of college students at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi on two separate nights experienced a great move of God as well. Many spoke in tongues after receiving the baptism of the Holy Spirit, while others received Jesus into their lives for the very first time.

So don’t tell Fehlauer that the youth of America have turned their back on Jesus. He isn’t buying it. And while COVID-19 might have accelerated the enemy’s plans to destroy our youth, this pastor says it only hastened God’s plan against the enemy.

“I think that with our young people and our young adults at New Life and in Corpus Christi itself, the door that COVID opened was only the tip of the spear,” Fehlauer says. “It was intended by the enemy to open a door for him—for death, suicides, drugs, etc.—and it did open a door of hell over our kids. I don’t think that adults fully realize the all-out assault our kids are experiencing right now. A spirit was unleashed upon them, a demonic spirit that wants to destroy them. Cutting, depression, anxiety, fear—you see it all.

“But I will say this,” he adds. “The principals here, the teachers and others—they’ve been great about this. Our kids are hungry, and they are looking for a life of truth. We are seeing them run with outstretched arms to the cross. They are hurting, and they are looking for a life of redemption and finding it with the Lord. Students are sharing with students, and it’s amazing. We are seeing young people on fire for the Lord.”

New Life staffers and congregation members have been visiting area high schools, and the enthusiasm for Jesus is growing. In addition to the flagpole gatherings—which happen before school (Felhauer says it is legal for students to gather at the flagpole then)—Bible clubs are popping up at schools in the Corpus Christi area. Felhauer says Bible clubs in 10 different schools have been established recently, and New Life Church youth pastor Mario Carrete has had a big part in overseeing that.

Carrete’s wife, Paige, spoke up during Wednesday morning’s flagpole gathering and told students if they needed prayer, people were there to pray with them; and if they needed Jesus, people were there to help them receive Him.

“There were little clusters of students praying, spontaneous salvations. It was a very powerful moment,” Fehlauer says. “I had never seen anything like it. Kids were running to the flagpole to pray. They didn’t want to miss it. Groups of jocks and athletes running to the flagpole—it was so cool to see. The Holy Spirit broke out big time.”

Three weeks ago, on the campus of Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, a student-led group gathered for what Fehlauer says was an “outpouring” of Christ. In the public square at Hector P. Garcia Plaza, armed with only an acoustic guitar and their voices, 100 students assembled for a session of worship, Bible teaching and testimonies.

On a chilly night, seven college students gave their lives over to the Lord, he says. Two nights later, 200 people gathered again in the plaza, giving testimonies of instantaneous healings and changes in their lives since they accepted Jesus. Fehlauer was present, but only as an observer and supporter of the youth.

“They ended up baptizing 18 in the fountain there that night. Amazing,” he says.

But then this is nothing new for Fehlauer, and nothing new for his church. Since 2018, New Life Church has experienced a huge ongoing revival. From August 2018 to December 2018, Fehlauer says the church performed 1,000 baptisms. Last year saw another 500 baptisms, and 18 were baptized in last Sunday’s service.

“To be honest, we have enjoyed a great spirit of revival here,” Fehlauer says. “It’s been impacting our youth and our church. But the last couple of months has certainly caught us off guard. It’s been an accelerated moment with our younger generation. These young people are doing it. They are creating their own pulpit everywhere they go, and it’s incredible.”

Listen to this edition of the Strang Report to get the full update on what is happening in the South Texas area. Subscribe to the Strang Report on Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcast platform for more stories that will inspire you in the power of the Holy Spirit. {eoa}

Read articles like this one and other Spirit-led content in our new platform, CHARISMA PLUS.

Deconstruction is a hot word right now in many Christian circles. People are claiming they want to fix the current cultural church by deconstructing what it is so they can reconstruct something they want.

However, I’d like to pose the question, “Is yellow teaching to blame for the problems we are seeing today in the church?”

Yellow teaching is what I am calling false teaching. It is just as dangerous and deadly as yellow journalism was in the 1890s. I recently learned of the term “yellow journalism.” I homeschool and was doing some of my son’s history work with him when I came across this term.

I don’t remember learning about it while I was in school, but as I researched about it, I learned yellow journalism is basically journalism that is based upon sensationalism and crude exaggeration. There is little to no legitimate, well-researched news. Instead, it uses eye-catching headlines to increase sales.

The term was coined in the 1890s based on competition between two New York City newspapers, The World and The Journal. These two newspapers were creating sensationalized headlines to attract readers and increase their circulation because they wanted to be appealing. The tactics of those who utilized yellow journalism were scare headlines, lavish use of pictures or imaginary drawings and faked interviews or false learning from so-called experts. Yellow journalism helped push Spain and the United States into the 1898 Spanish-American War, and they didn’t care about anybody but themselves.

As I read about yellow journalism, I sat back and thought, “Oh, my goodness, is this what we’ve done in the church?” Right now, there’s a huge fight about deconstruction in the church. I’ve seen some that are pro-deconstruction, and I’ve seen some that are like, “Hey, let’s put the brakes on, and let’s talk about why this not good.” When we’re talking about deconstruction in the church, we’re talking about breaking down what’s been going on in the church and reconstructing something new. I want to be careful here. This is sacred, holy ground and these are moments when this could be good, or it could be bad for the church.

Yes, maybe yellow teaching is the reason we find so many people in deconstruction right now, but I don’t want yellow teaching to be the reason and the foundation upon which the restored church is built upon.

Martin Luther said, “It is the nature of all hypocrites and false prophets to create a conscience when there is none. And to cause conscience to disappear where it does exist.” We have a lot of false teachers and a lot of false stuff going on in the world. The lack of teaching the Bible from the pulpit has messed up the church and has contributed to this deconstruction phase we find ourselves in.

There is an offshoot of Christians who are building this deconstructed church that is not truth. They are going to make a Bible that doesn’t line up with God’s Word. First Timothy 6:5 (NLT) says, “These people always cause trouble. Their minds are corrupt, and they have turned their backs on the truth.”

Some of them have redefined what is good, what is love, are okay with redefining what marriage is, and have redefined what sin is and that it is okay to continue to live in sinful attitudes because Jesus paid it all on the cross. They might say, “It’s okay to do whatever you want to do, and live however you want to live, and give into whatever urge you might have as long as you love.”

This is false teaching. We can’t be Christians who live and look like the culture.

In addition to false teaching, we have deconstruction going on because church has been sensationalized and glamorized. So many churches want to be seeker-friendly. However, church is for the meeting of the people; it’s for the body of Christ to come together to be encouraged and to hear the teaching and the preaching of God’s Word (Heb. 10:24–26).

Somewhere along the way, we turned church services on Sunday into evangelical events. The church body is suffering because of this model. People aren’t going to know the Word of God if they are only given pep talks on Sunday because the church is afraid of offending the seeker in the sanctuary.

Newsflash, the seeker in the sanctuary is seeking the truth because the Holy Spirit has led him or her into the sanctuary that day to hear truth. When a pastor is giving people a seeker-friendly message, they failed the seeker because the seeker didn’t hear the truth the Holy Spirit sent them to hear. You can’t be passionate enough for the Word of God because there is life and death in the power of your words.

You can’t just preach the Word of God; you must teach it and preach it with boldness, competence and courage.

Don’t ever participate in the tactics of yellow teaching solely to increase your numbers. Do not embellish; do not create scare tactics; do not create false headlines; and, certainly please, stop quoting false experts. There is no place for yellow teaching in the church, and there’s certainly no place for a deconstructed church made up of yellow teachers within the church.

It’s dangerous and there’s way too much at risk. We’re going to lose generations, especially the young generation, if we allow the movement of yellow teachers to advance because it’s not from God. False teaching creates death. Just like yellow journalism in the 1890s drove two countries into war and people died, there will be death—spiritual death—that result from the continued acceptance and spread of yellow teaching in the church. {eoa}

Erin Olson is the founder of Sandalfeet Ministries, a digital platform to encourage, equip and evangelize through blogs, articles, books, biblical resources and her podcast, The Depot Podcast with Erin Olson. She is a wife and a mom to three children and currently resides in Birmingham, Alabama. You can find out more about Erin by visiting her website sandalfeet.org.

Read articles like this one and other Spirit-led content in our new platform, CHARISMA PLUS.