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                           The Jonathan Company!

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By David Wilkerson
October 15, 1990
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          The apostle Paul warns that "in the last days perilous
          times shall come." (2 Timothy 3:1). He then describes
          in detail the terrible conditions we will face in the
          last hours of time:

          "For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous,
          boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents,
          unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, truce
          breakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce,
          despisers of those that are good, traitors, heady,
          high-minded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of
          God." (2 Timothy 3:2-4).

          U.S.News and World Report recently published an article
          entitled, "The Heartbreak That is New York." In it, the
          writer portrays Paul's prophetic warning - almost to
          the letter! Here's just a portion of what was said:

          "New York has 500,000 drug abusers, almost the
          population of Boston. In some neighborhoods, one-fourth
          of all residents are intravenous drug addicts. Use of
          dirty needles and the large gay population have made
          New York the AIDS capital of America...

          "The illegitimacy rate in central Harlem is eighty
          percent and still rising. Each year 10,000 babies are
          born "toxic", most of them crack babies who will cost
          $220,000 each in remedial attention before they reach
          kindergarten...

          "In 1952, the city had 8,757 robberies. Last year it
          had 93,387 - a stickup every 6 minutes. Twenty-one
          cabbies have been murdered so far this year. Girls were
          raped and thrown off rooftops, a boy was tied up and
          set on fire, four small children were shot to death in
          drug wars within 3 weeks. The murder rate is headed
          toward six per day...

          "Random, pointless violence is now everywhere and no
          one is safe. Sixty percent of all New Yorkers don't
          expect to be living here in five years. There is a
          feeling among hard-core New Yorkers who love the city
          that something resembling a total break down of the
          social order may be underway and that New York may not
          make it..."

          "Perilous times shall come" - Paul's use of the word
          "perilous" means "dangerous, fierce and violent times
          that sap away all strength." Those times are here!
          Imagine - 60 percent of New York's population planning
          to flee! But tell me, where can a person go to escape
          from the demonic spirit of violence that rages in this
          country? It has been let loose on all of America!

          For instance, about three years ago a family of five
          left New York City and settled in a quaint little
          village upstate. They thought they were safe from the
          crime and violence of the city. For two years seemed
          like paradise to them. But recently the father, mother
          and two of the children were found dead in their
          country home, each shot in the head by an unknown
          intruder!

          In Miami's suburbs it appears that no kind of
          protection can keep the robbers away. These skilled
          thieves kill watchdogs with lead pipes, ignore alarm
          systems and steal whole households of furniture by
          backing moving trucks to the door in broad daylight!
          Even in the mountains of Colorado, once a pleasant
          getaway, devil worshipers rape and plunder. Animal
          sacrifices abound. Now we've even been warned that it
          is unsafe to camp in every one of our great national
          parks.

          Los Angeles is a city on the verge of exploding. Drug
          gangs - white, black and Hispanic - fire weapons
          randomly at innocent passersby. They have no morals, no
          conscience. They kill only for enjoyment!

          Beloved, there is no place to hide but in Jesus Christ!
          Paul warns that the sin around us will only get worse -
          much worse: "Evil men and seducers shall wax worse and
          worse, deceiving, and being deceived" (2 Timothy 3:13).

          This is not a New York City problem, it is a national
          problem, a world-wide problem! A lawless, violent wave
          has been vomited out of hell and into the smallest
          towns in America, and even inside the gates of
          limited-access communities.

          Yet even more tragic than this is that many Christians
          will fall away in these evil times, when they ought to
          be repentant and seeking God: "They will not endure
          sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they
          heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; and
          they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and
          shall be turned unto fables" (2 Timothy 4:3-4).

          Now, in a time when truth is vital, many are turned off
          because they don't want the truth - they only want
          smooth-sounding lies. What a tragedy!

          Beloved, since things are only going to get worse, how
          are we going to face this last hour?

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            It Is Contrary to Everything in God's Word to Run!

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          Jesus is not coming back for a cowardly people on the
          run, a people who give up on cities that are being
          claimed by Satan! If you seek to save your skin you
          will loose it - but if you lose it for His sake you
          will find it!

          Jesus knew full well what our times would be like. He
          knew all the horrible violence that would take place -
          the blazing guns, the fierce, warlike gangs and drug
          traffickers. He foresaw all the outbreaks of danger and
          wickedness. And still He commanded, "Go unto all the
          world! Preach the gospel, baptize, heal the sick - and
          I will be with you at all times!

          Christ also said, "I send you forth as sheep in the
          midst of wolves" (Matthew 10:16). He has called us to
          live among devouring wolves and in the lion dens of
          wicked society!

          Noah lived in a society that had become totally corrupt
          - a world so violent that God could no longer endure
          it! "God saw that the wickedness of man was great in
          the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts
          of his heart was only evil continually. And it repented
          the Lord that he had made man on the earth, and it
          grieved him at his heart.... The earth also was corrupt
          before God, and the earth was filled with violence. And
          God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt;
          for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth. And
          God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before
          me; for the earth is filled with violence through them;
          and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth"
          (Genesis 6:5-6,11-13).

          All humanity was corrupt - violence broke out over the
          entire earth! For 120 years Noah watched his society
          grow continually more evil, a people consumed with
          violence, corruption, murder, rape and incest But he
          stood in the midst of it all, preaching righteousness.
          He was kept by the power of God! He never wavered! All
          he feared was the Word of God!

          You see, God always has a testimony right in the center
          of all the wickedness! Since Noah stayed and did not
          hide, he was that testimony. He "prepared an ark to the
          saving of his house; by the which he condemned the
          world" (Hebrews 11:7). When waves of evil rise up, we
          must stay, stand and preach - and by doing so, we
          condemn this evil society!

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           God Is Looking for a "Jonathan Company' in These Last
                                   Days!

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          Dear saint, you have a role in these evil times! You
          are not just to survive but to be a warrior in the
          front lines of spiritual warfare. You must be able to
          say, "Live or die, I am the Lord's! I will not run when
          the devil rises up!"

          Jonathan, son of Saul, is a good example of this kind
          of faithful warrior. He too lived in a time of moral
          and spiritual decay. In fact I believe Israel at that
          time was as corrupt and decadent as America is today.

          In the midst of that evil society, Jonathan represents
          what God is looking for in His people today! God is
          seeking a company of saints who will face these evil
          times with courage and faith. I call these saints the
          "Jonathan Company" - and I pray you will choose to
          enlist in this faithful band!

          Here is the scenario: Israel had grown weary of the
          prophetic word of Samuel. They turned away from truth
          and sought to have a ruler over them. Saul was
          appointed king but quickly forsook the Lord. He and the
          people of Israel "acted foolishly" by disobeying the
          Lord's commandments - and God forsook the government of
          Israel.

          Eventually Saul became demon possessed! He represents a
          society that God has departed from, one that has turned
          to evil. Israel under Saul became morally wretched, far
          from God and hating the truth. Soon Satan came against
          Israel to inflict a final blow of destruction. He was
          determined to wipe Israel off the map (just as Saddam
          Hussein wishes to do to Israel today!). The devil
          surrounded Israel with 30,000 iron chariots, 6,000
          horsemen and an army of soldiers that seemed as
          numerous as the sands of the seashore! (1 Samuel 13:5).
          The Israelites saw the enemy's massive power and began
          fleeing, looking for places to hide. They ducked into
          caves, thickets, among rocks, in pits and high places.

          Those still with Saul "followed him trembling" (1
          Samuel 13:7). They had wanted a king so badly - but
          some king Saul was! He could not inspire one ounce of
          courage! When he trembled, they trembled!

          Along with 600 soldiers, Saul tarried in Gibeah under a
          pomegranate tree with 600 soldiers. He was completely
          confused, undecided whether to run, surrender or go on
          a suicide mission!

          Talk about a people totally overwhelmed and without
          hope! Nobody in that tiny group had a plan - nobody
          could touch God. They had no prophet - they were
          helpless, powerless! And the devil who had made them
          all tremble was moving in for the kill!

          This would be the picture in New York, too, if all
          God's people decided to flee and look for hiding places
          and only 600 soldiers of God remained in this city. The
          sad truth is that numerous Christians throughout this
          country are leaderless, prayerless and backslidden,
          without an inkling as to what to do - with all hell
          about to break loose upon them!

          It is because there is a "Saul system" at work today.
          This system is made up of pastors and churches who
          cringe before the powers of darkness. They have a form
          of godliness but no power. The evil spirits of this age
          have overcome them!

          You see, only holiness provides boldness! Only a godly,
          praying people can stand unshakable when an army of
          innumerable demon powers is ready and waiting to
          destroy and to claim everything in sight!

          The Bible says, "The righteous are bold as a lion"
          (Proverbs 28:1). A holy man can look whole armies in
          the eye and not be afraid! But the more worldliness you
          possess in your heart, the less courage you have to
          stand and fight! Satan longs to put fear in the hearts
          of God's people - and he succeeds when you compromise
          or backslide!

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                     We Must Do Single-Handed Warfare!

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          In 1 Samuel 14 we see that Jonathan had a plan, and
          running was not a part of it! He decided to undertake a
          "single-handed warfare" against the enemy.

          It's a good thing he did not tell his father or the 600
          others about his plan. They would have laughed him to
          scorn! "You? Alone? Going into enemy territory,
          starting a battle and risking your life with no backup
          army? Just you and your armor-bearer?"

          Yet Jonathan said boldly in faith to his armor-bearer,
          "There is no restraint to the Lord to save by many or
          by few!" (1 Samuel 14:6). In other words, "I'm going on
          the offensive. Numbers don't matter to God!"

          Indeed, if God had a large army of faithful servants,
          He would use them. But God doesn't need a great army -
          He can use one or two committed soldiers!

          Think of it! Israel's only hope - God's whole interest
          on the earth - rested on the actions of one man of God,
          one who took a stand and said, "I am going to fight. I
          am going right into the stronghold of the enemy to do
          battle!"

          Beloved, the victory that is needed in your household
          depends on you! You must win the victory
          single-handedly, or else the enemy will get the upper
          hand. You may be a teenager and the only one in your
          family who is committed to going onward with the Lord.
          The salvation of your family could rest with you!

          A teenage girl once heard me preach about forgiveness.
          She approached me after the message and said, "I'm
          finding it very difficult to forgive my mother. Mom and
          Dad are not saved - and Mom especially makes fun of my
          walk with Christ. She seldom talks to me now, and she
          acts hateful."

          At my urging she went home that night to forgive her
          mother and hopefully to have their relationship
          restored. Her mother was in bed, watching TV. The girl
          fell upon her tearfully, saying, "Mom, forgive me. I've
          had bitterness toward you. I want to be loving and
          obedient!"

          But her mother pushed her away and mocked her
          scornfully, "Quit sniveling - you're drunk! Get lost!
          You're a religious crybaby."

          That young girl is the only chance her parents have!
          She has to go up alone against that satanic stronghold
          and single-handedly do spiritual battle!

          I have heard recently from a number of ministers' wives
          who are single-handedly doing battle against the
          devil's attack on their husbands. These men are
          disheartened, discouraged, on the verge of giving up
          and falling away from God and from their calling.

          Yet their wives know that if they do not go up against
          the devil, their husbands will be lost! They say, "It's
          not only that I fear he will backslide and leave me.
          It's that I can't stand the idea of my husband grieving
          God and hurting the sheep." So they stand up as the
          only one against the demonic invasion of their
          households!

          Jonathan's plan had just two options: "Stand still," or
          "Charge!" There was no turning away: "If they say unto
          us, Tarry until we come to you; then we will stand
          still in our place and will not go up unto them. But if
          they say thus, Come up unto us; then we will go up" (1
          Samuel 14:9-10).

          I can picture Jonathan standing on a rock, waving his
          sword and crying out, "You! Uncircumcised Philistines!
          In the name of the Lord we come against you!" And in
          mockery the Philistines answer, "Come on up. We'll show
          you a thing or two!" Evidently the Philistines ignored
          Jonathan, thinking, "What can one soldier do to us?
          He's harmless!"

          I wish I could have heard Jonathan praying as he
          climbed up the side of those sharp rocks: "Glory to
          God, the victory is ours! No more running! This wicked
          enemy will fall before my sword! No devil in hell can
          destroy my father, my family, my nation! O God, fight
          for me! I will pursue unto death if need be!"

          Beloved, see how one little victory threw the enemy
          into confusion and brought them down completely in
          defeat: "And they fell before Jonathan; and his
          armor-bearer slew after him. And that first
          slaughter... was about twenty men, within... an half
          acre... and there was trembling in the host... and they
          went on beating down one another" (1 Samuel 14:13-16).

          Jonathan won only a half-acre victory - twenty dead
          soldiers. But this small battle soon steamrolled into a
          mighty triumph! How is it that one man of God, full of
          faith, can take on twenty of the devil's soldiers, slay
          them all and send terror upon all the armies of hell?
          Remember this: Jonathan was no muscle-bound, hero type.
          In fact, none of God's victors were ever strong in
          themselves. No, it is the Spirit of God coming upon men
          that makes them dare to step out in faith to do battle!
          Jonathan climbing boldly upon that rock is a picture of
          any man or woman of God who introduces the presence of
          Jesus into the warfare!

          Verse 15 says, "There was trembling in the host... and
          the earth quaked: so it was a very great trembling."
          The devil panicked! There were three divisions of
          Philistines, and the word spread like wildfire,
          "There's a mighty army coming!"

          That is what God is trying to say to us! "Elijah was a
          man of like passions" - one who prayed in faith because
          he trusted God! Gideon was the least among all his
          household, and his army consisted of only 300 men - but
          God was with him! If we only realized or understood the
          mighty force with us when we pray, we would intercede
          and do battle in faith much more!

          Jonathan's sword became lightning-quick and powerful
          because the Spirit of the Lord was upon him. And so it
          is with every saint who declares war on satanic
          strongholds:

          "For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but
          mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds;
          casting down imaginations, and every high thing that
          exalteth itself against the knowledge of God" (2
          Corinthians 10:4-5).

          The Bible says that men and women just like you and me
          "through faith subdued kingdoms... quenched the
          violence of fire... waxed valiant in fight" (Hebrews
          11:33-34). We have the same power available to us
          today! We can subdue lusts through faith and prayer,
          calling on God! We can quench the fiery wrath of Satan!
          We can shut the mouths of the lions in our time!
          Beloved, we are not the ones who should tremble and be
          confused - no, it is the devil and his forces who are
          to tremble and be cast into utter confusion! God can so
          easily confuse the camp of Satan. The effectual,
          fervent praying of one saint causes great confusion
          among demonic powers. One praying saint with the spirit
          and faith of Jonathan can put the hordes of hell into
          total confusion!

          David said, "Let them be confounded and put to shame
          that seek after my soul: let them be turned back and
          brought to confusion that devise my hurt" (Psalm 35:4).

          Scripture shows us that in every instance Satan
          trembles, panics and becomes confused when God
          manifests His presence. Jesus cast a legion of demons
          out of a lunatic, and they begged to go into a herd of
          swine. But Satan and his evil hordes became so confused
          they ran the wrong way! Instead of running out into the
          open wilderness (the "dry places") they drove the swine
          into the sea. That is utter confusion, total panic!

          Christians have the mistaken idea that the Kingdom of
          darkness is a well-trained and disciplined army,
          obedient to their master. Not so! It is a dominion of
          proud, self-willed, wild disobedient spirits who are
          filled with arrogance! It is a kingdom of confusion -
          and every sinner alive today takes part in that same
          spirit of disarray!

          When you pray, are you standing up and resisting the
          devil with faith and intercession? Are you putting all
          hell into chaos? The devil and his demons know God will
          answer you. For centuries they have trembled at God's
          answering the prayers of His people. They don't know
          when or how God will strike! The devil gets spooked,
          paranoid - he hears foot-steps behind him!

          So it was when Elisha prayed. Samaria had been besieged
          by the Syrian army - but in the middle of the night the
          Lord came into the Syrian camp and panic broke out:

          "For the Lord had made the host of the Syrians to hear
          a noise of chariots, and a noise of horses, even the
          noise of a great host... wherefore they arose and fled
          in the twilight, and left their tents, and their
          horses, and fled for their life" (1 Kings 7:6-7).

          It was only the Lord walking into the enemy camp - and
          instantly panic, confusion and terror reigned!

          Satan has laid out a plan against you and your family -
          and the only way that plan will work is if you are a
          backslidden Saul and the Lord is not with you. But if
          you are of the Jonathan company and full of Jesus, none
          of his plans can avail!

          Even backslidden Christians tremble and become
          panic-stricken when in the presence of someone who if
          full of the Lord. When Samuel came to Bethlehem where
          the people were going after idolatry, "the elders of
          the town trembled at his coming" (1 Samuel 16:4). How
          much more does Satan tremble and panic when the power
          and presence of Jesus comes in?

          I pray that God will remove all fear from your heart,
          so that you can stand up by faith and go against the
          strongholds Satan has established in your family. If
          your spouse is unsaved, that's a stronghold - go
          against it! Say boldly, "I claim his (or her)
          salvation, in Jesus' name!"

          What scares the devil more than anything is a
          persevering Christian, one who keeps coming back and
          saying, "I'm not giving up, I'm not moving. I'm
          standing on this rock until I see my Lord's victory!"

          God wants to put a holy boldness in your heart! You're
          not just a member of a church - you're a warrior of the
          Lord Jesus Christ! You've been called as a soldier to
          put on the full armor of God and to stand fast against
          the approach of the enemy.

          Will you enlist in the Jonathan company? If you would
          join this band of believers in these last days, simply
          take God at His Word. Then, "Stand fast, and see the
          salvation of the Lord!"

          ---
          Used with permission granted by World Challenge, P. O.
          Box 260, Lindale, TX 75771 USA.

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