The Rules of Engagement

foreword W ar! The Lord says in Matthew 24:6–7, “And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet” (nkjv, emphasis added). If we are to keep hearing of wars and rumors of war, we need to understand the rules of engagement for the wars that surround us. When we hear the word war we have thoughts of destruction, sorrow, grief, loss, conflict, and death. However, the Lord says clearly, “See that you are not troubled.” Our inner man will not be unsettled if we know the rules of engagement! I can still remember the day I got up early and went from our bedroom to the couch. As I lay down and began to meditate and get my mind set on the Lord for the day, an interesting thing happened: a blackboard appeared before me. Visions are very interesting. I can’t say that I have had many, but the few God has graced me with have been dramatic. I began to see words appear on this blackboard. The hand of God seemed to be writing before me, just as He wrote in the days of Daniel. I saw the following words: anti-Semitism, militant Islam, covenant conflict, women arising for My purposes, lawlessness, the transference of wealth, over throwing thrones of iniquity, and prepare for war. “Prepare for war” seemed to be the illuminating cornerstone of the vision. I said, “Lord, what are You showing me?” “This is the future war of the church,” He said. I got up and began writing what He had shown me, and this is now a classic history book of the last decade and season of war. At the beginning of the new millennium, there was little understanding on war and how to maneuver in and through the season ahead. Then came September 11, 2001. War then became a reality in the world around us! I believe the Lord Himself put us in a supernatural accelerated course and began to develop rules of engagement for this season of confrontation and interaction in the wars around us. War is like the game of chess. Much like various pieces in a game of chess, each of us plays a key role in God’s end-time strategy or future plan for full ness in the earth realm. Like chess, the only way we can be defeated is to fail to think ahead and anticipate the enemy’s moves. When we become Christians,

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