Citadels In The Midst Of Ruin

“Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil;
Who put darkness for light, and light for darkness;
Who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!”

Isaiah 5:20

“But it shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God…Cursed shalt thou be…thou shalt be the tail”.

Deuteronomy 28:15-44

"When the enemy comes in like a flood,
The Spirit of the Lord will lift up a standard against him."

Isaiah 59:19

A few months ago I had a dream in which I saw Madras in ruins. The only things left standing were citadels of light, spaced around the city. These citadels were white and shaped kind of like Norman keeps, and they shone with God’s glory. In the areas between the citadels, the enemy's demonic hordes were raging. They had worked so much destruction that the rubble was all broken into small pieces that looked like black glass. They raged against the citadels but couldn't even scratch their surfaces. Somehow I knew that God's forces were in the citadels and would eventually issue forth to do battle.

The citadel imagery fits well with much of the prayer we made over Madras when we were ministering there. At the time I felt that our church, New Life Fellowship, was a citadel or fortress of light. I also believe our home, on the hill overlooking the city, was another. Others were established around town where Christ's people were involved in doing His work.

At the time of the dream my impression was that this dream was a picture of what has been happening in Madras since we left there. Sin, poverty, drug abuse, corruption and etc., have been running rampant in that small community. Yet God always has His remnant that He preserves and the citadels of light remain in place – God’s people are still there and still working for the Kingdom. When, at His command, the forces of light issue forth from their strongholds, our prayers be realized and that town will be redeemed.

I shared this dream with a friend who has a large measure of spiritual insight and his immediate reaction was that this was a picture of America and what was happening to our nation. I can’t help but think that he might have something there – especially considering the events that have taken place since the change of president in January. The picture fits. The enemy is raging in the streets of America leaving only black, broken rubble behind. Sin and corruption abound. Yet God's citadels of light are still standing and His armies are awaiting His command.

Major prophetic voices in the church of America have been saying for years that God is bringing judgment on our nation. Many have focused on an economic meltdown of unprecedented proportions. Others have pointed to terrorist attacks and "natural" disasters. I believe these things are indeed coming on our beloved land and I both grieve and rejoice to see it. I grieve because of the great loss we are all suffering -- this will not be an easy time. America's most precious treasure is our freedom, and now we see that freedom being taken away from us. We are losing our prosperity. We are losing, as Moses put it in Deuteronomy 28, our place as "the head" in this world and are rapidly becoming "the tail". I grieve and sorrow over this and can now relate, somewhat, with how Jeremiah must have felt as he watched his beloved Israel be destroyed. (See the book of Lamentations.)

Yet I also rejoice. I believe that God founded America and led the founding fathers when they established American Constitution on Judeo-Christian principles. I believe God had and has a purpose for America and if we are to fulfill that purpose, our deep and terrible sins must be rooted out. America must return to her God. Consider this partial list:

• Our support for Israel has been halfhearted at best.
• We have slaughtered unborn babies by the millions.
• Our economic system is based on unrestrained greed that is astounding in its enormity and heartlessness.
• We kicked God out of our schools.
• We have allowed the uncontrolled dissemination of all types of pornography calling it "free speech".
• That pornography fuels a sex industry that victimizes women, young children, and perverts our young men.
• We have thrown off all pretense of morality, promoting sexual promiscuity amongst our children.
• We have embraced homosexuality to the point that those who speak out against it are vilified and even persecuted.
• All things have been turned topsy-turvy and we call "evil, good and good, evil". (Isaiah 5:20)

All these things run rampant in our land and it must stop! So, I rejoice to see God's judgment because I know that His judgment is always restorative in nature (as opposed to being punitive in nature). He is bringing the strongholds of the enemy down and when nothing is left of their sin and filth, then His army will ride forth from His citadels of light, redeeming as they go.

I recently read an article in which the author asserted that the Lord was going to bring America revival "on a rack of ruin". I believe we are seeing that ruin beginning to happen and while I grieve for our loss, I also long for the redemption it will eventually bring about.

Come soon, Lord Jesus!