What The Lord Said To Me Today
11/21/2000
PROPHECY
The Supposedly Less Important Prophets of These New Testament Times


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One of my readers sent me a poem today: about many things. Mentioned were the son's of God, Asher, prophets and sheep shearing pastors. As I read this poem, my spirit stirred and I began to hear from the Lord, regarding a false teaching that has spread like gangrene throughout the church. It is a teaching that belittles today's prophets.

I still remember with great clarity the meeting with my pastor, held more than eight years ago, when I first told him that God had called me as a prophet to the nations. My call from God came on June 24, 1992 and I told him about it two days later on a Friday.

He was sitting down at his desk and I was standing at his left side. When I told him, he proceeded to give me a list of reasons: 1) Why what I had thought I had heard didn't really mean that I was sent forth yet, 2) That it might be a very long time before I was appointed and anointed and 3) How relatively unimportant New Testament prophets were in comparison to those of the OT.

I listened to him, and I was very respectful, but I knew in my spirit that he was wrong. After all, I reasoned, I was fortunate to have a pastor who even believed that there could be New Testament prophets still called, appointed and anointed in our time, but still, I new he was wrong.

In defense of my pastor, his familiarity with prophets was probably framed by his relationship with Don Basham. Don was a teaching prophet, who labored greatly to see the baptism of the Holy Spirit spread through our land and to other shores. His teachings built faith in many people to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

At that time, I didn't have the necessary understanding from the scriptures to prove it. I also lacked the revelation from God that would come to me in the next eight years. But deep down, I knew that he was wrong on all three counts. In fact, my pastor's views filled my mind at the time. He was very influential and persuasive, along with being a very knowledgeable and gifted teacher. His three points warred against what was rising up in my spirit, telling me who I was called by God and created to be.

The argument that he raised first, that just because I was called, did not mean I was appointed or anointed, fell flat just two short months later, when Hurricane Andrew struck Homestead, FL on August 24, 1992. I had delivered prophecy related to Andrew to my pastor on July 13, 1992, one month and 11 days early. I had even pinpointed August 24 as a day of danger.

The Lord was indicating that the calling, appointing and anointing had occurred. However, I had no idea how much I would have to suffer to grow into what I was created to be.

So, the first two of my pastor's arguments had been proven to be erroneous in my own life. That left the third: that New Testament/New Covenant prophets are less important than their OT counterparts.

For years, with my mind, I could argue this position. NT prophets hear from God, with more accuracy and detail than Christians who function in the gift of prophecy, but nevertheless, any Christian can receive a vision, a dream or a prophecy from the Lord. Therefore, in the predictive sense, this position is true, because in the time of Isaiah and Jeremiah, there was no other means for men to hear from God.

This mind-argued position warred with several things that had come to me, from the spirit of God. Here are a few of those.

That first pastor rejected me and prophecies that came through me, again and again. Finally, a terrible church split occurred, and I departed with a new pastor. As I was departing, the Lord gave me a personal word. He said, with respect to me, that "the stone that the builders rejected shall become the head of the corner." For a long time, I just could not see, under my then present understanding of my calling, just how I was ever going to be the "head" of anything. All I could see was endless rejection.

There was another time, when I had a vision. I saw myself, in my church, leading worship. All at once, I was dressed in Aaronic priestly robes, with the breastplate and all. I was approaching the altar in the vision, making intercession and worshipping and warring in the spirit. Again, I have no John Phillip Dowie delusions. I'm very comfortable in blue jeans. I'm not going to go playing with a urim and thummim anytime soon, so I really didn't know what to make of this vision.

There was a third vision...a very awesome one. In the vision, I was walking South, up a hill on University Avenue in my home town of Carbondale, Illinois. I was entering Southern Illinois University, walking toward the central park area of the Old Campus where "Old Main" used to stand, before it was destroyed by fire in the late 60's. As I walked up that hill, I was following a character who looked like Elijah to me. He was carrying a small, prophet's ram's horn. I was carrying a long shofar. As he reached the top of the low rising hill, he turned and blew his little horn. I then reached where he was, and I turned. When I turned, I saw multitudes of people, following me up that hill. I blew that shofar and it seemed that the sound filled the whole earth. Then the vision ended.

Now, when you've been rejected as much as I have been, you certainly can find very little place for visions like these three. First of all, they seem to speak of personal importance. Here in the natural realm, I had some personal importance BEFORE I came into the kingdom. I lost my fortune and my inheritance for the sake of the gospel, along with whatever position I had. These three visions have been relegated to the deep recesses of my spirit. I have only told my Dad about them...no one else, until tonight. Up until now, I have had very little importance in the church. I've had no national exposure. I'm not one of the famous prophets. I wasn't considered "prophetic" enough for the Prophecy Club, so nobody has heard of me. And you know, that's fine with me. God has kept me in the cleft of the rock, until now.

I've done nothing to self promote. I only post the words I get to Watchman Seer's USA because the Lord told me to. I don't post anywhere else, except at Servant's Heart, because they asked me to. Nowhere else. I don't self promote.

During the last month, I've now seen how those three visions will be fulfilled, at least in part. I never realized it before, but New Testament prophets are at least as important as Old Testament ones, maybe even more important, in this respect. We have the capability to be joined in the power of unity with the church. Old Testament prophets did not have the church. They had no ability to war in the heavenlies. Any warfare they engaged in came down to earth and met them face to face. Yes, they fasted, interceded and pleaded, but they were alone and carried out their ministries alone before God.

The true power of the prophet is unleashed when he functions in unity with his pastor, elders and the church. As the earthly leader of worship, he senses just how the spirit of God is calling for worship, praises, prayers, decrees, shouts, dancing and whatever else may take the form of worship and praise unto God, and then carefully timed and spirit led warfare that is more powerful than the explosions of a million hydrogen bombs..

Yes, I am now the head of the corner, I am now that high priest, leading the people before the holiness of God and His altar, I am now that Elijah like prophet, carrying and blowing that long shofar, but my IMPORTANCE is in the INVISIBLE realm of the spirit and in the heavenlies, where I direct the warfare of the church against principalities and powers.

If you visit my church, you will conclude that I'm not the most prominent member of our ministry team, at least to the naked eye: in the natural, temporal realm. But my pastor knows my role. He knows what I am doing and is in agreement with it. I don't do anything major without him. He takes the role of outward importance, in the natural realm, and a secondary role in the heavenlies. I adopt the role of secondary importance in the natural realm, but in the heavenlies, I am the head.

I read a vision, posted on "Servants Heart", about a week ago. The person who received the vision added much to it of his own commentary which really detracted from the vision. The point made by the writer was that it's not time for judgement to begin in America. Nothing could be further from the truth. This writer did not say, but he obviously claimed to be no prophet. He may have been a wishful intercessor, perhaps an intercessor who intercedes with a pure heart before God, but still, not a prophet.

God gave this "intercessor" a true vision about the church, portrayed as a battleship. Jesus was the captain and the prophet was the gun captain. The intercessors were down in the gun room, firing the main guns. This was a true vision from the Lord. The Lord gave that vision to that intercessor to tell him that he, as an intercessor, was not to decide where and how and when to fire his guns. He must take instructions from Jesus and from the prophet.

God gave this intercessor this vision not for the reason he supposed. This intercessor is to take his instructions from the prophets, not to be telling the prophets that they do not know what they are talking about it and that he knows better where and how to fire his guns than the gun commander does. There is chain of command in the Lord's army..

Warfare, storms, trouble, pestilence and economic hardship are coming to America within the next four years, and may start very, very soon. The sword of the Lord is coming to God's Church. New ministers are being promoted right now, ahead of the sword. The replacements are here, says the Lord, and I'm anointing them for warfare, right now!

America needs these troubles in the same way as a cancer patient needs chemotherapy and radiation. America needs treatment now. Delay will kill the patient.

Intercessors who are pleading with God for continued prosperity for this nation are battling against God's purposes and plans for this nation. They are not praying in accordance with his will. These intercessors will not prevail against the true prophets of God and the true intercessors.

I say it again, God has prescribed castor oil for his child America and she doesn't want to drink the bitter medicine. Her prophets and her intercessors don't want to drink it either, but they must, because it is the will of the Lord.

I'll finish with this statement, which was made to me by a man of God yesterday. America can't get to 2 Chronicles 7:14 without going through verse 13 first. The judgement that has been written against America by the prophets is about to be executed. It is a chastising judgement, and not a wrath. God's purpose is to kill the cancer and heal the patient. In the process, there will be much pain, suffering and disfigurment. Just as a cancer patient loses his hair, America will lose her glory. This is the will of God, and it is coming at it's appointed time. Soon, and very soon, says the Lord, I will visit your land.

"Therefore, behold the days come, saith the Lord, that this place shall no more be called Tophet, nor the valley of the son of Hinnom, but the valley of slaughter. And I will make void the counsel of Judah and Jerusalem in this place; and I will cause them to fall by the sword before their enemies, and by the hands of them that seek their lives; and their carcases will I give to be meat for the fowls of the heaven, and for the beasts of the earth." Jeremiah 19:6-7

You may ask in horror, Stephen, how are we to pray? Pray that our great physician Jesus does his surgery with perfect majesty and mastery. Pray that it comes soon, before the infection spreads further. Pray that it is no more severe than it need be to kill the cancer.

Principalities and powers have been aligned at the gates of America, holding back the coming of this great chastisement. These have been defeated and cast down. We will now have it, and quickly.

You may then ask, may we plead for mercy? If by that, you mean, the avoidance of suffering? The answer is no. It must come. We may pray that God's people are protected here in America as God's people were protected in Egypt. Pray for a New Goshen, here in America. Pray for cities of refuge and that we will be made aware of them beforehand by the Holy Spirit. Pray that we will have grace to help us in time of need. Pray for the protection of our children in time of warfare. We should pray for the future provision of our food, clothing, shelter and safety. Pray for protection similar to that afforded to the three Hebrew boys in the fire. Pray that true Christians will be led to be away from cities on the day they are destroyed. Yes, in these regards, we will require mercy from the Lord, and it is proper to pray for it.

Yes, stretch out and display great faith by asking for these things before you see that it is upon us. This will greatly please the Lord, and he will reward these intercessions.

Stephen L. Bening

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