The Lions Are Rising

I heard this in my spirit last week:

Aslan is on the move!

Aslan, for those who don’t know, is C.S. Lewis’s type of Christ in his book -  ‘The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe’

Then, over the last weekend, I was with a friend at a Christian conference in Glasgow.

More lions!

On the way there, we flew over the downs in Bedfordshire and noticed a huge white lion carved into the side of a chalk hill; it’s the biggest chalk carving in the UK. I had no idea it was there!

When we arrived, we noticed a Czech plane 'parked' next to us with a lion on the wing.

Then the room I was given at the hotel was on the 8th floor of a building directly opposite City Chambers. My close-up view through huge windows was of a domed cupola, ‘guarded’ by winged lions.

I was mulling this for a few days, the significance of lions, wings and aircraft, but it was only in our Monday morning prayers when a friend mentioned the one who comes ‘roaring like a lion, seeking whom he may devour’ that the word really began to come into focus.

And the Lord said this to me:

THE LIONS ARE RISING

Who are the lions? There are two: The true lion and the false lion.

Firstly, THE Lion - the Lion of the tribe of Judah:

This is a portion of the blessing given to Judah by his father Jacob:

Judah is a lion’s whelp; From the prey, my son, you have gone up. He bows down, he lies down as a lion; And as a lion, who shall rouse him? The scepter shall not depart from Judah, Nor a lawgiver from between his feet, Until Shiloh comes; And to Him shall be the obedience of the people. Genesis 49: 9-10

In Revelation 5, we read this:

Then I saw in the right hand of him who sat on the throne a scroll with writing on both sides and sealed with seven seals. And I saw a mighty angel proclaiming in a loud voice, “Who is worthy to break the seals and open the scroll?” But no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth could open the scroll or even look inside it. I wept and wept because no one was found who was worthy to open the scroll or look inside. Then one of the elders said to me, “Do not weep! See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed. He is able to open the scroll and its seven seals.”Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing at the center of the throne, encircled by the four living creatures and the elders. The Lamb had seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth. Revelation 5:1-6

Ezekiel 1 and Revelation 4 speak of the four living creatures: each with the face of a lion, eagle, ox and man. They represent the fullness of Christ - His kingship, his divinity and transcendence, his humanity and his servanthood and sacrifice. Together they are the perfect completeness of the Godhead… the all in all!

Jesus is the Lion of the tribe of Judah!

Secondly, the false lion:

Daniel 7 speaks of a lion with eagle's wings (like the ones I saw from my hotel room):

The first beast was like a lion with eagles’ wings. As I watched, its wings were pulled off, and it was left standing with its two hind feet on the ground, like a human being. And it was given a human mind. Daniel 7:4

This is a symbol of Babylon - a distorted earthly kingdom which mimics heavenly qualities but is corrupted by pride. It is a counterfeit glory of an earthly empire. The wings are pulled off as a symbol of being humbled and made to stand as a mere man.

Interestingly, a griffin is a mythical creature (half lion and half eagle)  that was first seen in ancient Mesopotamian art. (Babylon was in Mesopotamia) and was subsequently depicted in various other cultures, including Persia and Egypt. Also in ancient Greece, Griffins were strongly associated with the god Apollo, who is the false son, the false Jesus. This is way too much to go into now and is outside my remit, but if you want to learn more, please listen to this stunning talk by Rhema Trayner: the gods of the church. https://youtu.be/ik4EgtZAJI8?si=Xnf_IXMRunVVLvUN

What else does the bible say about a false lion:

the enemy prowls around like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. 1 Peter 5:8

He prowls around like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. He’s not a lion! But he comes looking like a lion.

I had always assumed that the roaring of this lion would be terrifying - like you will hear it from miles away and just the sound will strike terror into your bones and make you want to immediately run or hide. But as I have studied this verse, I have come to understand a little differently:

Strongs says this: The participle paints Satan as more than a silent stalker; his roar—false doctrines, persecutions, temptations—paralyse the unsuspecting before the pounce.

Persecutions I get, but I have never before considered that the roar might be false doctrines and temptations!

Let's go a bit deeper:

The word for roaring is: óruomai. Not the easiest word to pronounce! It means to roar, but it also means this: to raise a loud inarticulate cry either of grief or joy, and it can also mean to sing with a loud voice.

To sing!!! To sing with a loud voice!!! Jesus is the lion of the tribe of Judah! Judah means praise!!

This lion is coming pretending to be another lion, like the one whose name means praise!

This lion is coming with strong passion and false doctrines. It is marching through the streets with cries, anthems, and songs. But it is not THE lion - the one that comes from the lineage of Judah!

Isn’t this just what Satan does -

2 Corinthians 11:14 tells us that satan masquerades as an angel of light - a masquerade is a disguise, a pretence!

At the risk of making us all squirm, let’s make this personal...

I’m sure you know that the lion is a national symbol of England, which is odd because we don’t have many of them roaming around. I don’t have to look out for lions when I’m out walking my dog!

Apparently, the lion (as a national symbol) was introduced at the time of the Norman Kings - Henry 1 was known as the Lion of England - he had a single lion on his crest. One of his descendants, Richard 1 (aka Richard the Lionheart), accumulated two more and so had three lions on his crest!

Three Lions is also the official emblem for the England national football team.

Unless you have been under a rock, you will have noticed the surge of flags, marches, rallies, and roundabouts painted with the cross of St George. I’m not about to go all left wing or all right wing on you, and neither am I going to say Don’t be political and Don’t go on marches. I understand the dynamics that have precipitated these events.

This is not a political commentary or rant, people do what people do - but it is a word of warning to the church!

There is a lion rising and roaring in this day that looks like THE LION, but it is not THE LION, it is the lion of nationalism, and it is false doctrine!

Cultural Christianity

Let's speak about cultural Christianity!

There is a cry that is coming forth, ‘WE ARE A CHRISTIAN NATION AND WE WANT OUR CHRISTIAN NATION BACK!’

There is a desire to reclaim what has been lost: To return to the good old days. To return wholesale to Judeo-Christian governance and morality and principles. I would quite like that too! BUT…

… we have to understand we are being pulled to one side of an argument:

LEFT: Tolerance, inclusivity, my truth, your truth, everybody’s truth (truth)! This form of ‘Christianity’ so embraces and absorbs the culture of the world that it loses any distinctiveness from the world.

RIGHT: Wants the structures and the framework of biblical Christianity; it wants all the good things Christianity brought, but does not want THE CHRIST!

BOTH are a type of Christianity that has a form of godliness without the power. Both come from another spirit! These two, the left-wing and the right-wing expressions of Christianity, are more closely linked than we realise!

And both are dangerous!

In our clamour to run from one false thing, we are running into the arms of another false thing, and the latter will be more dangerous than the former.

I heard this statement recently:

“Beware the militant church that is becoming the ecclesia without Jesus”

Did you catch that?

This is nothing new!

In 1986, a prophecy was given by Lance Lambert at Mount Carmel. It was quite a long prophecy; this is one sentence from the whole:

‘I will also judge them by giving them over to their own ways, to lawlessness, to loveless selfishness, to delusion and to believing a lie; to false religion and an apostate church, even to a Christianity without Me’.

Even to a Christianity without Me!

You can read the whole prophecy here: https://lancelambert.org/prophecy-given-at-mount-carmel-april-1986/#:~:text=It

Beware the church that wants authority and power without Jesus!

At the conference I attended, Emma Stark of GPA said this:

“Much of the church is waging political warfare and not spiritual warfare. It is a church that wants marches and flags and rallies instead of face down burning”.

This church has not understood that the only way into Christ is through the doorway of consecration, the baptism of death into His sufferings. It's to be crucified with Him, that we might also rule with Him, and His Kingdom is NOT OF THIS WORLD!

There are two lions rising!!! Aslan is on the move, Jesus the Lion of the tribe of Judah is on the move, and so is the lion of nationalism! It attaches itself to politics, it wants a law change, but does not want Christ. It is Pharisaic!

The great separation is here:

2 lions are rising: The Lion of the tribe of Judah vs. the one who looks like a lion, who roars like a lion but comes with anthems and rallies and shouts and impassioned cries - with temptations and persecutions and false doctrines.

2 Kingdoms are emerging: The Kingdom of heaven vs. the Kingdoms of this world.

2 brides are emerging: The true bride who has trimmed her wick (circumcision of heart) and bought oil (fellowship with the Holy Spirit), and the false bride whom the bible calls the harlot. Her name is Babylon - world systems, false religious systems and false worship.

We can’t wage political warfare, church! I don’t care how fervent or how eloquent it sounds - from an eternal perspective, warfare on this level will fail! It comes from earthly wisdom; it is not Godly wisdom! (remember my last post.. ‘You Must be a Mystic!’ )

The lion with the wings is Babylon - it is coming under judgment - its wings will soon be plucked off and it will be humbled.

Come out from her my people says the Lord! Revelation 18:4

Our warfare must be waged from the heavenly places where Christ sits enthroned and where you sit with Him! John the Revelator saw a door standing open in heaven and heard a voice saying ‘come up here’! So let us come up here, to a higher realm - see what he sees and speak what He speaks!

His kingdom is not of this world! His kingdom will not come even through righteous laws. I would much rather have them than unrighteous laws, wouldn't you? But laws don’t change hearts. We’ve had cultural Christianity for years, decades upon decades, and it has not made for a powerful church - it has created instead a fat, comfortable, weak and powerless church - a form of godliness with no power!

The rule of the righteous King is coming. He is establishing His Kingdom! And He will come forth in blinding, bursting light, through His body, in a time of deep darkness.

The lions are rising!!

Do not listen to the roar of the one who only comes looking like a lion!

King Jesus is coming. The lion of the tribe of Judah is roaring over our nation and over the nations, and His is a Kingdom roar of righteousness and justice, of power and strength. He is not fazed by the false shepherds who try to fend Him off, for He is coming down to do battle.

For this is what the LORD has said to me: “Like a lion roaring or a young lion over its prey—and though a band of shepherds is called out against it, it is not terrified by their shouting or subdued by their clamor—so the LORD of Hosts will come down to do battle on Mount Zion and its heights. Isaiah 31:4