In November 2000 the transfer of authority was done in heaven, not in secret but without the knowledge of most people. It has yet to be more universally recognized, but this ignorance of the divine will has no effect upon its efficacy. The interim, however, has been marked by appeals and legal challenges in the Divine Court, as the contenders and pretenders to the throne make their case to regain their position of dominance.

The first major challenge came on January 29, 2001, sparking a general time of spiritual warfare for many months. The revelation began on January 23, while I was at a Sonship conference with Elaine Cook in Vista, California. There we asked the Father what date to watch next. He replied, “January 29.”

We wondered if this date might be connected to 1991, which would have been the normal 10-year cycle, otherwise known as “The Hezekiah Factor.” But the Lord surprised us by saying, “No, it is connected to seven years ago” (i.e., 1994).

On January 29, 1994 a full-page ad was placed in the Jerusalem Post declaring Rabbi Menachem Schneerson of New York City to be the Messiah and appealing to the Israelis to accept him as such. This ad appeared while we were in the midst of a prayer campaign called “His Fulness” (Jan. 27-30, 1994). Of course, a false messiah (in my view) was staking his claim to the authority to bring the fulness of the Spirit as prophesied in Scripture. He was not accepted, either by God or by the Israelis, but we knew that the promise of His Fulness would be given to the overcomers.

The point is that in 1994 the Jewish messiah challenged the overcomers' authority to receive His Fulness. Seven years later the Church under Pentecost made a similar challenge on Jan. 29, 2001. The objection was based largely upon our overthrowing the old Jerusalem two months earlier, wherein we declared the New Jerusalem to be the capital of the Kingdom.

And so we learned on January 23, 2001 that a “petition” and “accusation” had been filed against us in the Divine Court the previous day. The court date was set for January 29, and if we did not answer it, they would win by default. This often happens in such cases, because Christians are largely unaware of the legal process, having neglected their study of the divine law. Thus, the Church usually takes a beating, because it loses most of its cases by default—by not showing up in the Divine Court to challenge such petitions and accusations.

The Golden Calves

In studying the case at the time, I was led to the story of Jehu as well as King Ahab who had humbled himself (1 Kings 21:29). Ahab's humbling deferred judgment upon America for three years (1 Kings 22:1). As I explained in my book, The 1986 Vision of the Two Gulf Wars, President Clinton was a type of King Ahab. When he humbled himself before the congressional prayer breakfast on Sept. 11, 1998, he deferred judgment upon America for precisely three years to Sept. 11, 2001.

Of course, in January of 2001, we still did not know what might occur on Sept. 11, other than that the biblical pattern indicated war.

We knew that this would have Middle East implications, because we understood that the Prince of Persia was “the main petitioner” against us. In other words, he was not alone. Further study and revelation showed us that we were also dealing with the golden calves, which Jehu had not removed from Israel, even though he destroyed Baal worship (2 Kings 10:26-29). The golden calves had never been overthrown, from ancient times to the present.

The golden calf today is manifested primarily in the Church's Prosperity Gospel. It is rooted in the love of money and the idea that “godliness is gain” (that is, the idea that wealth is an indicator of spirituality and godliness). See 1 Tim. 6:5. For this reason, we know that a secondary petitioner against us was from those teaching the Prosperity Gospel.

Furthermore, it told us that in our answer on January 29, we were to appeal for the overthrow of the golden calf in America. (The Prosperity Gospel is a unique home-grown American idea, which has now been exported around the world.)

When the golden calf was built by Aaron in Exodus 32, the result was the removal of God's presence in that “Church in the wilderness.” We read in Exodus 33:7,

⁷ And Moses took the tabernacle and pitched it outside the camp, afar off from the camp, and called it “The Tabernacles of the Congregation.” And it came to pass that everyone who sought the Lord went out unto the Tabernacle of the Congregation, which was outside the camp.

In other words, the golden calf is the biblical reason why the glory of God left the Church under Moses, and the Prosperity Gospel is the primary reason for the same thing in the Church today. If anyone wants to get a Word of Truth from God, they must generally get it “outside the camp.”

These were the issues that faced us in January of 2001. And so our petition of Jan. 29, 2001 read in part,

“I ask that these golden calves be cast down, burned with fire, and ground to powder, even as Moses Thy servant did to the golden calf of his day. . . I ask that the whole Church be set free from all influence and domination by the golden calves and that the Church be put under the full authority of Jesus Christ alone.”

The Opposition Letter

About an hour after the petition was made, the mail arrived at my office, and I received confirmation of the opposition. It was a letter from a woman claiming to be “Commander in Chief of the Army of the Lord,” threatening fire and brimstone upon me. She even sent a bag of ashes after burning one of my newsletters.

It would have been humorous, except that I immediately recognized it as the earthly manifestation of the spiritual event in the Divine Court. She wrote as follows:

Stephen E. Jones

Thus saith the Lord—Enclosed you will find the remnant of the Satanic army, comprised in part of would-be seekers who have dared cross the line into My Holy Kingdom. You are leading a group of people all across the land through the churches that I, by My hand, shall destroy. You, sir, with your carnal mind, carnal intent, and carnal baggage have portrayed yourself to be a General of sorts in My mighty Army. Henceforth I shall bring you to the ground, for you, with your carnal, Satanic moves, have crushed and put to death all hope of My true anointed ones from coming forth. In your carnal nature, your carnal mindsets—the enemy doth work death in your members. Yielding this day to this rebuke may save you; if you resist Me, saith God, My fury upon your life shall flow like a flame of fire against you.

1. You shall discontinue all teaching.

2. You shall remain at home until I dispatch a member of My mighty army unto you.

3. Fast and pray that the baptism of repentance fall upon your life.

I will take My wrath out upon your life for the evil you have committed against Me if these conditions are not met and adhered to. Your letter—your abomination of a writing—last—is enclosed. I use it as a seal today upon these words. Amen and Amen.

Tavjah-K—Commander in Chief of the Army of the Lord.

Interestingly enough, the letter had the flavor of a sore-loser concession speech, for she wrote, “you, with your carnal, Satanic moves, have crushed and put to death all hope of My true anointed ones from coming forth.” In other words, from her perspective, I had won the court battle, crushing her own hopes of receiving the Kingdom authority—and she was angry at the verdict!

Of course, I recognized that she herself did not realize that she was simply speaking on behalf of the “Saul” Church that had already been disqualified and rejected from ruling the Kingdom in the Age to come. Having seen this kind of thing before, I did not take it personally.

The fact is that seven years earlier, in 1994, we had petitioned for “His Fulness.” The results of that petition were emerging into the world seven years later in 2001, and so our competitors' spokesperson sent us a letter to inform us of our victory. This is what started the battles in 2001, because the opposition obviously felt cheated and totally disagreed with the divine verdict that went against them.

The Appeal

This opposition letter was a typical type of response from the Church itself. The woman who wrote it thought she was acting on her own, when in fact she was responding to spiritual forces unknowingly. The timing of her letter proves this.

The interaction between the timeless realm of the spirit and the time-bound realm of earth is seen clearly as well, in that her letter ARRIVED at the appointed time, but she dated it four days earlier—before we had answered the petition. In other words, she did not have to write it AFTER the petition was answered. She was led to write it by spiritual time, where all time is one. The letter's arrival, however, was timed perfectly to coincide with the in-the-world event on January 29, 2001.

Along with her letter, she sent a baggie containing some ashes, along with the headline of one of my newsletters, to indicate that she had burned that newsletter. In praying about this, the Lord said that this constituted “a challenge to your authority,” but that I was not to respond directly. Instead, I was to file a petition in the divine court on February 2 in similar fashion to what Moses did when his authority was challenged by Korah in Numbers 15:16. We were to lay our “staves” before Him and see which one would bear fruit (Num. 17:5).

We did this, and the Lord said that we would receive His verdict at noon, February 21. As it turned out, this was the opening day of a short local conference called again by Sunny Day Roberts. Some friends, Tom and Michele Berry were led to attend, and their plane was scheduled to arrive at 11:32 a.m., Feb. 21. The Lord told me that they were the sign of the staves bearing fruit (“berries”), so I knew their plane would be a little late. Sure enough, it arrived precisely at noon—right on schedule, God's time.

These may seem like strange coincidences, but even little things are significant once we understand the inter-relationship between the spiritual and earthly worlds. There is no way to monitor how these worlds link without a combination of divine revelation and some knowledge of timing. In this case, since God told us the precise date and time to watch for His verdict, it was obvious that the arrival of the Berry's—late, but on time—carried significance. Without prior revelation, however, this event would have been lost in the sea of world events.

The competition for Kingdom authority can always be counted on to oppose the overcomers. They never agree with God's verdicts when those verdicts go against them. This is because they are by nature rebellious and in opposition to God. King Saul was this way, and obviously, so are the Babylonians. And so the Lord informed us that this verdict on February 21 would only stir up an “all-out war,” beginning 3:00 p.m. (Pacific Time), February 26, 2001. It would be concluded at 10:32 a.m. on Feb. 28.

The All-Out War: Round One

I was scheduled to fly to Seattle to teach from Feb. 23-27, so I knew that the sign of all-out war would be seen there, although I was to leave the day before the end of the battle.

This battle was to be fought against the golden calves over America, represented by seven “princes.” There would be three battles to overthrow these seven. The first battle (Feb. 23-27) would serve to overthrow the first two princes: Beelzebub and the Prince of Revenge. These were to be replaced by Joy and Peace (Spirits of God) the day after I returned home from Seattle.

This replacement was made at precisely 10:32 a.m. on February 28 (according to our revelation that this would be the end of the battle). Twenty-two minutes later, at 10:54 a.m. (PST), a 6.8 Richter earthquake struck Seattle, cracking the Capitol Dome in Olympia, Washington. Olympia itself is very symbolic, since it represents the capitol of the Greek gods in ancient times at Mount Olympus. More than that, the state of Washington itself represents Washington D.C.

Thus, the cracked Dome in 2001 was a sign of the breakup of the District of Columbia government itself in years to come, as the false gods are replaced. Perhaps the time to watch is 2010, which is the 210^th anniversary since Washington D.C. was built (in 1800).

The earthquake took place more precisely under the tip of Devils Head on Key Peninsula not far from Seattle. It is so named because it is in the shape of a serpent's head. On Oct. 2, 1999 other friends of mine (Dave and Sherry) had stood there, speaking a prophetic word to “cut off serpents head.” So the fact that the quake occurred under that spot shows that they were actually prophesying and setting into motion a future spiritual battle that would manifest as a 6.8 Richter earthquake on Feb. 28, 2001.

The All-Out War: Round Two

The second battle in 2001, the Lord said, was scheduled for March 8 in which we overthrew the Prince of Usury. The stock market then reacted in a “free fall” of 1600 points, ending only at the precise moment when our third battle began at 1.47 p.m. (Central Time) on March 22.

The All-Out War: Round Three

The third battle was scheduled for March 22-24, in which we overthrew the last four princes: the Red Dragon, the Prince of Counterfeit, the Prince of Slavery, and the Prince of Influence. These were replaced by the Spirit of Maturity, Temperance, Responsibility, and Faithfulness.

Keep in mind, of course, that believers have been fighting this warfare for thousands of years. Daniel 10 actually refers to this ongoing battle. While we all see earthly effects in our own time, we are actually fighting along side of Daniel and all others who have been engaged in this battle, because there is no time in the spiritual realm. It is as if we are each involved in a different part of the battlefield. When the last believers have finished their part in this battle, then it will be concluded, and the earth will reap the benefits of that final victory.

As for the meaning of these seven princes, Beelzebub is about Zionism and has to do with the Temple Mount in old Jerusalem. Beelzebub is the prince that has run America's foreign policy since 1948.

The Prince of Revenge is the spirit behind America's reaction to the Twin Towers disaster on Sept. 11, 2001.

The Prince of Usury is about the banking system. He came to America on April 13, 1912, and his sign was the sinking of the Titanic (representing America).

The Red Dragon prevents the birth of the Manchild.

The Prince of Counterfeit has to do with Lev. 10:1, where Nadab and Abihu offered “strange fire” to the Lord. It prophesies of counterfeit moves of the Spirit. We need Temperance, or self-control, so as not to panic and fall into imitation revivals.

The Prince of Slavery gives us a slave mentality. We need to take Responsibility for our lives and actions.

The Prince of Influence runs our advertising agencies, causing us to be unfaithful to Truth and to God Himself.

The “God Bless America” Prayer

On March 20, we received revelation that when the third and final battle of the All-Out War began at 1:47 p.m. on March 24, 2001, we were to begin praying “God bless America.” That was the minute that the stock market began to climb after dropping 1600 points since our previous battle on March 8 against the Prince of Usury.

Six months later, the whole nation was praying this after the Twin Towers disaster. Most carnally-minded people, of course, were hoping that God would bless their wallets and bank accounts, not knowing that God defines “bless” a bit differently. In Acts 3:25, 26 we read—“to bless you by turning every one of you from your wicked ways.”

Hence, God used the Twin Towers disaster to motivate the people to ratify God's blessing--i.e., to pray that God would turn us from our wicked ways. God has been responding to that prayer, not in the way we wanted, but in His own way. It occurred to me that we were seeing a number of 7-year patterns emerging in 2008 and that we ought to be especially watchful in September of 2008.

It is now quite clear that God is turning up the pressure on us to cause us to repent of our wicked ways. Sept. 11, 2001 plunged us into the second Gulf War, causing us to spend such massive amounts of money that we have been brought to the brink of national bankruptcy. Then on Sept. 15, 2008 the failure of Lehman Brothers spawned a whole new bank problem with the freezing of credit and the unraveling of their derivatives.

Presidential Unrepentance

Our “God Bless America” prayer will yet be answered, but so far this has not yet happened. President Bush remains unrepentant and appears to believe that he has done the right thing in supporting the Israeli terrorist squads, currently in Gaza, as well as their well-known torture practices.

On January 15, the president gave his final press conference, extolling the virtues of his legacy and admitting only to minor infractions. He has maintained to the end that torture is not really torture, and that America will continue to support Esau in the Middle East war against Ishmael.

However, on April 26, 2008 he did send Congressman Franks to the ReignDown USA Day of Prayer. Franks repented on behalf of the nation and on behalf of the president. No doubt God will give America and the Church partial credit, even as President Clinton’s repentance on Sept. 11, 1998 gave us a three-year reprieve.

Clinton’s repentance, however genuine, reflected King Ahab’s “humbling” in 1 Kings 21:29. It was partial, because Ahab never returned the vineyard that he had stolen (usurped). Likewise, Clinton’s repentance was partial, because his change was very limited as well.

So now we are seeing the same thing occur with President Bush, who is following the (Church) pattern of Eli. Because he has refused to correct his “sons” (i.e., Cheney, Rumsfeld, Feith, Gonzales, etc.), and because the Church too refused to correct its son (Bush), I believe we are about to see the pressure increase further.

One way or another, God will bless America, and the judgment will increase until the blessing turns the hearts of the people and the Church. God’s judgments are corrective in nature, and we will be corrected, because God intends to answer our prayer: “God Bless America.”