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Hard to believe we are only a month out from September 11! Today marks the 11th month since the Benghazi terrorist attack which killed ambassador Christopher Stevens and American security forces. The truth about that tragic night is still coming out.
Jolene’s Warning Dream
A year ago, Jolene and I were desperately mobilizing prayer for the time period between September 1-22 of 2012. On June 24, Jolene received a dream where the Lord highlighted these dates and spoke to her, “What is coming will affect every home in America.” She also heard from the Lord the phrase, “World War Watch.” She immediately knew that we were not to travel and minister last summer, but to remain in Washington DC and pray.
September 11 was our last day at our apartment overlooking the Pentagon, before moving to Capitol Hill. Due to the word the Lord gave, Jolene and I hosted a prophetic roundtable with regional leaders. We prayed through much of the day.
That night, US consulates in Egypt and Libya were assailed. The mysterious tragedy of Benghazi occurred.
Spin & Cover-up
A few friends questioned the accuracy of Jolene’s word. In the scope of things, they reasoned, the loss of Ambassador Stevens and a few security forces wasn’t of a magnitude that would affect every family. I simply replied with a belief I still hold to this day—that the targeted intercession of the saints held back demonic powers seeking to make a volatile situation much worse.
White House and State Department officials immediately decried an American-made YouTube video conveying anti-Islamic sentiments. They alleged this video sparked the protests and violence, while refusing to call the events terrorist attacks. The Benghazi spin and coverup went into high gear.
Most major news media ran with the administration’s version of events, refusing to even explore the idea that there was more to the story. Even as reports mounted of pre-planned terrorist assaults, brutal murders and courageous operatives fighting to the end against overwhelming odds.
The Truth Shall Set You Free
As the scripture verse at the entrance to the CIA headquarters attests, “Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free” (John 8:32). Almost a year later, we now have a much greater window into both the scope of the terrorist violence and the unrelenting courage of those who defended their posts til the end. The vigilance of Congressional leaders brought much of this to light, as did Fox News stories from first-hand accounts.
Recently CNN, a network that initially balked at reporting on potential cover-ups, broke an incredible story about CIA operatives on the ground at the time of the attack. Their story completely contradicted administration statements just a day or so before, that the allegations of cover-ups were “phony.”
It also seems that the exposure of the alleged Benghazi cover-up triggered reporting on other extraordinary cover-ups, from IRS targeting to the forced turnover of sources against the Associated Press to the amazing scope of warrantless surveillance by the NSA.
In retrospect, the events of September 11, 2012 have indeed affected every household. Maybe not so much as the terrorist strike on the Pentagon and the World Trade Center, but the ripples still literally affect every citizen in this hour.
Last Line in the Sand
And as a strong advocate of both our nation and our government, I prayerfully believe this is incredibly healthy for us all. God exposes wrong in order to shift us into that which is right. Outrage, debate and course corrections are absolutely essential to both define and secure our freedom in this new era of instant information and the unabated threat of terrorist strikes, external and internal.
That said, we owe a too-often unstated debt of gratitude to our intelligence communities, our government and military, and the “fourth estate” of journalism tasked with holding these powerhouses accountable to We the People. You are absolutely in our prayers. Above all else, let us honor the Lord Jesus Christ, and commend His unseen watchmen across the nation, whose whispered pleas are often the last “line in the sand” between course corrections and the onslaught of national tragedy.
