by Gary H. Patterson
April 3, 2019
This animated pic portrays an epic moment in the 1995 film Braveheart. As the oncoming threat of heavy cavalry from King Edward the Longshanks charges down the field, William Wallace, played by actor Mel Gibson, steadies his fellow warriors by repeatedly roaring “hoooold!”
One could see some trepidation on the faces of William’s fellow Scotsmen. Not all of them possessed his courage and skill. Not all were comfortable with waiting for William to say “Nooow!” Would what they were about to implement at the precise moment work, or would their efforts be in vain?
Sending heavy cavalry first to trample down their enemies is an ancient warfare tactic used by many-a-king. Its purpose is shock and awe—to weaken the will of the opposing forces from the onset. Just the sight of such a formidable force was enough to sap courage from any foot soldier. As depicted on The History Channel’s website, a similar approach was used by Israel during the Six-Day War in 1967. “Israel defense forces launched preemptive air strikes that crippled the air forces of Egypt and its allies.” Soldiers of the opposition were seen crying as they fled the battlefield. The battle was won at the onset although Israel was seriously outnumbered.
The advantage the Scotsmen had in the movie was not just that their national hero was leading them but that the English were proud of their overall superiority in wealth, numbers, and skill. They gloated in the fact that no army consisting mainly of foot soldiers had ever won a battle against another having heavy cavalry. The English, because of their smugness, completely underestimated the wily Scotsmen. William knew it, so he taunted them, and the others followed suit.
William’s weapon of choice to bring down the onslaught of heavy cavalry was nothing more than crude hand-made long spears made from trees and sharpened to a point. These would probably never be considered a threat by the English on the battlefield. Such crude weaponry would be beneath them. But those foolish weapons were the beginning of their end in this battle. Even so, God has chosen the foolish things to confound the wise and bring down the mighty of this world (1 Corinthians 1:26-31). The foolishness of the message of the cross of Christ is about to be debuted on the world scene in a manner possibly unknown by this generation.
Many of those who oppose God as depicted in Psalm 2 have completely underestimated those of God’s people who have been trained and equipped for this hour. The powers of darkness have brought their heavy cavalry onto the field unaware of what’s about to be unleashed upon them. God is about to deal a major blow to the enemy’s best. He has foreordained a confrontation between them and those of His ministers who have the courage and cunning like that of William Wallace in Braveheart. The words of the Apostle Paul ring true in this hour: “…they will progress no further, for their folly will be manifest to all, as theirs [Jannes and Jambres] also was” (2 Timothy 3:9). The “they” referred to in this verse is identified in verses 1 through 8 by their moral depravity and the fact they are imposters having a form of godliness while denying its power. Knowledge is their main pursuit while lacking the ability to comprehend and embrace the truth because of their corrupt minds. They are compared to Jannes and Jambres, the Egyptian sorcerers who in the presence of Pharaoh imitated the miracles of Moses and Aaron to destroy their influence with the king. What was their end? What happened to Elymus the sorcerer and King Herod and in the book of Acts. Elijah and the prophets of Baal on Mt. Carmel? What happened at the tower of Babel in the book of Genesis? Where are all those opposers of God?
An epic battle is upon us in this nation. Those who as Jannes and Jambres are seeking to destroy the Moses and Aaron-type influence in the world are about to meet their God. The Moses and Aarons of this hour will only bring the message that arranges the meetings of the opposing forces with their God. The smugness of the God-haters is about to be used against them in a manner possibly unseen by this generation of God’s warriors. Precision in battle will be the trademark of these warriors because of allowing God to work in their hearts with precision. They “hold” as long as their Captain says “hold” and only act when He says “now.” They realize that holding is as important for victory as is the implementation of those things that bring it. Holding, to them, is not equivalent to doing nothing because their Father in Heaven has commanded it. It is a vital part of their obedience to Him. The “holding” is comparable to Paul’s address to Timothy continued through chapter 4 and verse 8. Summed up: be faithful in prayer, your walk, your calling, in hardship and persecution, sound doctrine, and in the preaching of the word of God. Make the necessary adjustments to adapt to your Captain’s ways in this hour, the Lord Jesus Christ.
Warriors of the Most High: “Hooold….Steady!” The Judge, the Captain of the Lord’s Host, is standing at the door ready to implement what is necessary to bring in a harvest of souls that is worthy of His suffering. The conviction of sin, righteousness, and judgment by His Holy Spirit (John 16) is about to be unleashed in ways that will cause the fear of the Lord to return to the true Church and then the strategic God-appointed places in the world. Opposition to the truth will be seen as it really is—complete foolishness.
April 3, 2019
This animated pic portrays an epic moment in the 1995 film Braveheart. As the oncoming threat of heavy cavalry from King Edward the Longshanks charges down the field, William Wallace, played by actor Mel Gibson, steadies his fellow warriors by repeatedly roaring “hoooold!”
One could see some trepidation on the faces of William’s fellow Scotsmen. Not all of them possessed his courage and skill. Not all were comfortable with waiting for William to say “Nooow!” Would what they were about to implement at the precise moment work, or would their efforts be in vain?
Sending heavy cavalry first to trample down their enemies is an ancient warfare tactic used by many-a-king. Its purpose is shock and awe—to weaken the will of the opposing forces from the onset. Just the sight of such a formidable force was enough to sap courage from any foot soldier. As depicted on The History Channel’s website, a similar approach was used by Israel during the Six-Day War in 1967. “Israel defense forces launched preemptive air strikes that crippled the air forces of Egypt and its allies.” Soldiers of the opposition were seen crying as they fled the battlefield. The battle was won at the onset although Israel was seriously outnumbered.
The advantage the Scotsmen had in the movie was not just that their national hero was leading them but that the English were proud of their overall superiority in wealth, numbers, and skill. They gloated in the fact that no army consisting mainly of foot soldiers had ever won a battle against another having heavy cavalry. The English, because of their smugness, completely underestimated the wily Scotsmen. William knew it, so he taunted them, and the others followed suit.
William’s weapon of choice to bring down the onslaught of heavy cavalry was nothing more than crude hand-made long spears made from trees and sharpened to a point. These would probably never be considered a threat by the English on the battlefield. Such crude weaponry would be beneath them. But those foolish weapons were the beginning of their end in this battle. Even so, God has chosen the foolish things to confound the wise and bring down the mighty of this world (1 Corinthians 1:26-31). The foolishness of the message of the cross of Christ is about to be debuted on the world scene in a manner possibly unknown by this generation.
Many of those who oppose God as depicted in Psalm 2 have completely underestimated those of God’s people who have been trained and equipped for this hour. The powers of darkness have brought their heavy cavalry onto the field unaware of what’s about to be unleashed upon them. God is about to deal a major blow to the enemy’s best. He has foreordained a confrontation between them and those of His ministers who have the courage and cunning like that of William Wallace in Braveheart. The words of the Apostle Paul ring true in this hour: “…they will progress no further, for their folly will be manifest to all, as theirs [Jannes and Jambres] also was” (2 Timothy 3:9). The “they” referred to in this verse is identified in verses 1 through 8 by their moral depravity and the fact they are imposters having a form of godliness while denying its power. Knowledge is their main pursuit while lacking the ability to comprehend and embrace the truth because of their corrupt minds. They are compared to Jannes and Jambres, the Egyptian sorcerers who in the presence of Pharaoh imitated the miracles of Moses and Aaron to destroy their influence with the king. What was their end? What happened to Elymus the sorcerer and King Herod and in the book of Acts. Elijah and the prophets of Baal on Mt. Carmel? What happened at the tower of Babel in the book of Genesis? Where are all those opposers of God?
An epic battle is upon us in this nation. Those who as Jannes and Jambres are seeking to destroy the Moses and Aaron-type influence in the world are about to meet their God. The Moses and Aarons of this hour will only bring the message that arranges the meetings of the opposing forces with their God. The smugness of the God-haters is about to be used against them in a manner possibly unseen by this generation of God’s warriors. Precision in battle will be the trademark of these warriors because of allowing God to work in their hearts with precision. They “hold” as long as their Captain says “hold” and only act when He says “now.” They realize that holding is as important for victory as is the implementation of those things that bring it. Holding, to them, is not equivalent to doing nothing because their Father in Heaven has commanded it. It is a vital part of their obedience to Him. The “holding” is comparable to Paul’s address to Timothy continued through chapter 4 and verse 8. Summed up: be faithful in prayer, your walk, your calling, in hardship and persecution, sound doctrine, and in the preaching of the word of God. Make the necessary adjustments to adapt to your Captain’s ways in this hour, the Lord Jesus Christ.
Warriors of the Most High: “Hooold….Steady!” The Judge, the Captain of the Lord’s Host, is standing at the door ready to implement what is necessary to bring in a harvest of souls that is worthy of His suffering. The conviction of sin, righteousness, and judgment by His Holy Spirit (John 16) is about to be unleashed in ways that will cause the fear of the Lord to return to the true Church and then the strategic God-appointed places in the world. Opposition to the truth will be seen as it really is—complete foolishness.