Despite Present Chaos, Christian Leaders Optimistic About US Future: Nation Shifting, God's Glory Rising
The popular Christian talk program “Flashpoint” kicked off the Opening The Heavens Conference in Council Bluffs, Iowa, earlier this month, with the panelists offering an optimistic view of America’s future if Christians rise up and play their part in reviving the nation.
A theme running throughout the entire four-day Opening The Heavens event was that God’s glory will increasingly manifest in the United States in the days ahead.
Noteworthy speakers at OTH included Pastor Hank Kunneman, evangelist Mario Murillo, noted Christian speaker Lance Wallnau, Rev. Samuel Rodriguez, and retired three-star Gen. Michael Flynn.
Kunneman, Wallnau, Murillo and “Flashpoint” host Gene Bailey make up the so-called “Fab Four” of regulars on “Flashpoint,” which launched a year ago, and were part of the live taping of the program in Iowa.
“[Flashpoint] deals with the truth,” Bailey told The Western Journal at the conference. “The truth in news [and in] current events. What does the Bible say about all of this? How do we as conservative Christians rally together and seek change in our nation?”
“What is God saying and doing in the nation now? And it’s all in a spirit of faith,” he added.
Bailey, in fact, asked the question of what God is saying to his panelists at OTH.
Kunneman responded, first telling the audience of thousands, “I want to thank you for standing for the nation, but I want to thank you for standing with God.”
The pastor and co-host of the conference then addressed the biblical precedent of listening to prophetic voices, citing the Bible’s book of Amos 3:7, which says God does nothing on the earth unless he reveals his secrets to his servants the prophets.
Kunneman also pointed to 2 Chronicles 20:20, which he paraphrased: “Believe the Lord and you will be established. Believe his prophets and you will prosper.”
He noted that true prophets are often pronouncing things that are exactly the opposite of the current circumstances they are addressing.
??? #OTH2021 pic.twitter.com/t8ISWbkbwp
— Hank Kunneman (@HankKunneman) September 19, 2021
Kunneman believes what God is saying now is that some “intense moments” have been playing out and will continue to do so as the nation shifts spiritually, which will then manifest in the natural.
“I’m here to say, are you ready for fall?” the preacher asked. “Now you may think I’m talking about autumn. I’m talking about fall. I’m talking about the agenda of hell. I’m talking about the devil who thinks that he can steal this nation and lie about God’s prophets.”
“The Lord is moving, and he is not done. He has unfinished business, and we are going to see it!” he continued.
Agreeing with Kunneman, Wallnau sees a “downfall of this regime” coming — referring to the presidency of Joe Biden.
“When we saw the debacle in Afghanistan it was because God was beginning to discipline America and judge it for exporting a woke theology rather than the glory of the message it was raised up to give,” he said.
“Our mission is to proclaim liberty throughout the world, and that liberty can only come through the freedom of the Gospel and the institutions that allow a religious people to be free,” Wallnau added.
He stated that the U.S. started replacing Christian curriculum with “secular fundamentalism” in the 1960s and ’70s “and now they’ve created a woke fundamentalist doctrine that God is now shutting down.”
“The glory hasn’t left America, but God will not honor an administration or a system or a nation that dishonors Him,” Wallnau said.
“America is not dead; it’s just asleep.” @revtonysuarez #OTH2021 pic.twitter.com/cU2pP7r6Fw
— Hank Kunneman (@HankKunneman) September 17, 2021
He compared the country’s current low ebb to when the Philistines, the enemy of ancient Israel, captured the Ark of the Covenant, where God’s glory and presence rested.
God judged the Philistines for taking the ark, causing them to eventually relent and return it.
“[T]hat ark and that glory [are] going to be coming back in a state by state, region by region revival of God that’s beginning to break out already,” Wallnau said.
Following the taping of “Flashpoint,” Murillo spoke to the OTH Conference proclaiming, “It’s our turn now!”
He preached from 1 Kings 18:20-46, saying God has allowed wokeism to have its moment, only to show how bankrupt a means of governing a nation it is.
“The judgment on those who would destroy America is coming!” Murillo pronounced.
Right-wing preacher Mario Murillo declares that God is going to burn away America’s atheism, “wokeism,” and communism: “The judgment on those who would destroy America is coming!” pic.twitter.com/CPN4JKRj4n
— Right Wing Watch (@RightWingWatch) September 27, 2021
Wallnau told The Western Journal he sees a “backlash” coming from the American people against the present political and cultural direction of the country.
“So what we’re looking for is an awakening of a different type. It’s a reformation attached to an awakening. It’s a spiritual revival that recovers the vigor, vitality and the balance of the courts, government, education and business,” he said.
“Reformation is top-down; revival is bottom-up. Whenever you hear about the term revival, it will frequently be associated with grass roots, because it’s a prairie thing, a person-to-person thing,” Wallnau explained.
“The gates of hell are changed, not by revival, they’re changed by reformation!” @lancewallnau #OTH2021 pic.twitter.com/2gUk9NHLAY
— Hank Kunneman (@HankKunneman) September 18, 2021
Bailey acknowledged it would seem the country is slipping away at the moment, but thanks to the people, it ultimately will not.
“[P]atriots are rallying together like never before, not in my lifetime,” Bailey said. “They’re coming together and they’re saying, ‘This is the time to stand up and say, No, that is not what we’re going to do. No, we’re not going to accept defeat. No, we’re not going to take a liberal agenda. We’re going to stand up for the beliefs that are outlined in the Bible.'”
In his book, “Flashpoint of Revival: The Third Great Awakening and the Transformation of Our Nation,” the show host writes, “Though our society has been in upheaval, God has been at work using political chaos and the pandemic to turn us into awakened people, not ‘woke’ people.”
Rodriguez, head of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference, closed out the OTH Conference with optimism about God’s plans for the U.S.
“The next thing to fill America, the next thing to fill the nations, will not be COVID 2021 or 22,” Rodriguez said. “The next thing to fill America and the nations will be the glory of the risen Christ.”
“America’s mess is about to become God’s miracle,” he added. “If you believe it, praise like you believe it. Pray like you believe it. Worship like you believe it. Live like you believe it. Give like you believe it. Walk like you believe it!”
“Flashpoint” can be seen on The Victory Channel ( YouTube and Roku) on Tuesday and Thursday nights at 8 p.m. Eastern Time.
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