Between the Straits
17th of Tammuz – 9 Av
Article: The Lance Of The Basilisk
PLANS AND STRATEGY FOR SPIRITUAL WARFARE
By: Bob Jones, Nita Johnson and
Keith Davis
March 12, 1999
History has proven that nothing unites a diverse group more than having a
common enemy. Opposing political parties will even join together when our
nation is confronted by a foreign enemy. This was certainly proven during
World War II. This truth is also applicable to the Church. Though there may
exist different streams within the Church, as long as each stream leads to
the same River, we are joined in purpose. The Holy Spirit is now revealing
to us that we have a common enemy who has set himself against the purposes
of God in the earth.
The
Scriptures declare that
By
the witness of two prophets, the Holy Spirit, through divine revelation, has
outlined a portion of the plans of the enemy in his effort to disrupt this
nation causing considerable hardship and death. In addition, He has also
revealed His divine strategy for defeating this foe in His prescribed
manner. The enemy we speak of is called Basilisk.
On
July 23, 1996 and again on July 23, 1997, Bob was given visions from the
Lord displaying this powerful demonic spirit He is desiring that we
understand and oppose. It was clear in the visions that this spirit did not
expect to be uncovered nor revealed. This evil spirit is accustomed to
operating in secret without being detected or obstructed. This great enemy
of the cross has authority to release great destruction and misery in the
earth, especially if unopposed by the praying Church. This evil spirit is
identified as Basilisk.
On
January 22, 1999, Nita Johnson was also given a panorama of Basilisk and his
hostile plans. In her vision she observed Basilisk now arrayed in full
battle attire with an evil host prepared for battle. He was clothed in the
panoply of a wicked knight. All of his troops were in precise order with
officers installed for leadership as a militia committed to a great battle.
Clearly, he is anticipating war. In the vision, the Lord expressed to Nita
His desire to communicate this great enemy’s aspirations against our nation
and ultimately
Basilisk is the exemplification of the devil himself whose primary purpose
is death and destruction. The natural physical death resulting from this
spirit is derived from plagues, sickness & disease, natural disasters and
even terrorism. Its origin can be traced all the way back to ancient
In
the second vision given to Bob in 1997, this spirit was multiplied hundreds
of times larger than the previous year. Nita saw him now arrayed in a
knight’s armor positioned for battle. This demonstrates a progressive
increase in authority presently given to this spirit. Apparently, during
certain cyclical seasons, a tremendous increase in power is given to this
spirit to cause death and destruction. Additionally, in 1997, this spirit
was shown brooding over a nest of eggs desiring to periodically birth wrath
and misery in the earth.
They hatch cockatrice' eggs, and weave the
spider's web: he that eateth of their eggs dieth, and that which is crushed
breaketh out into a viper. (Isaiah 59:5)
With
each revelation, this prince of darkness expressed considerable surprise at
being exposed as he is accustomed to operating undetected. So well hidden is
this spirit that he did not even require the darkness of night to operate as
most evil spirits. He can operate and even prevail in the brightness of the
noonday. Though he does not require the darkness of night, like all evil
spirits, he prefers to be hidden in darkness. "Of the pestilence that stalks
in darkness, or of the destruction that lays waste at noon."-Psalms 91:6.
BASILISK IN
SCRIPTURE
The
word Basilisk is derived from basiliskos meaning "kinglet" or "king"
signifying a mythical reptile hatched by a serpent from a cock’s egg. In
Scripture Basilisk is sometimes translated cockatrice or adder. The Hebrew
word for Basilisk occurs in Psalms 91:13, Isaiah 14:29, Isaiah 11:8, Isaiah
59:5, Proverbs 23:32, Jeremiah 8:17.
Thou shalt
walk upon the asp and in the Basilisk; and thou shalt trample under foot the
lion and the dragon. (Psalms 91:13)
But in the end, it will
bite like a snake, and will spread abroad poison like a Basilisk. (Proverbs
23: 32)
And
the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child
shall thrust his hand into the den of the Basilisk. (Isaiah 11:8)
Rejoice not thou, whole
The
burden of the beasts of the South. In a land of trouble and distress, from
whence come the lioness, and the lion, the viper and the flying Basilisk,
they carry their riches upon the shoulders of beasts, and their treasures
upon the bunches of camels to a people that shall not be able to profit
them. (Isaiah 30: 6)
They
have broken the eggs of asps, and have woven the webs of spiders; he that
shalt eat of their eggs shall die; and that which is brought out, shall be
hatched into a Basilisk. (Isaiah 59: 5)
For,
behold, I will send serpents, basilisks, among you which will not be
charmed, and they shall bite you, says the Lord.
(Jeremiah 8:17)
In
the
In
each of Bob's visions, the Holy Spirit gave Psalms 91:13 as a defense
against this evil opposition. In Nita’s vision, the Lord is calling for the
fervent repentance of our sins and those of our forefathers in accordance
with Daniel 9:3-10. In so doing, our sanctified hearts would then be
prepared for the release of the Divine authority necessary to defeat this
enemy. The Scripture declares that our foot shall be placed upon the
"scorpion" and the "basilisk", not because of any strength of our own, but
because of the great victory appropriated to us through Christ. The church
has been given authority to deal with this spirit, yet mankind has perished
throughout history because of a lack of knowledge concerning this enemy and
the appropriate application of our Savior’s triumph over all opposition. The
Lord promises that He has given us authority to tread upon serpents and
scorpions and over all the power of the enemy and nothing shall by any means
injure us.
(Luke
10: 19) The Ante-Nicene Fathers records the priceless writings of the early
church leaders. One of these great church Patriarchs was Irenaeus, an
anointed messenger to the 2nd century church who died a martyr’s death. His
words provide valuable insight on this subject.
"For
this end did He put enmity between the serpent and the woman and her seed,
they keeping it up mutually: He, the sole of whose foot should be bitten,
having power also to tread upon the enemy's head; but the other biting,
killing, and impeding the steps of man, until the seed did come appointed to
tread down his head,-which was born of
The
great theologian and writer Tertullian spoke of Basilisk in this regard:
"Who is He that shall bestow ‘the power of treading on serpents and
scorpions? " Shall it be He who is the Lord of all living creatures or he
who is not god over a single lizard? Happily the Creator has promised by
Isaiah to give this power even to little children, of putting their hand in
the cockatrice den and on the hole of the young asps without at all
receiving hurt. And, indeed, we are aware (without doing violence to the
literal sense of the passage, since even these noxious animals have actually
been unable to do hurt where there has been faith) that under the figure of
scorpions and serpents are portended evil spirits, whose very prince is
described by the name of serpent, dragon, and every other most conspicuous
beast in the power of the Creator. This power the Creator conferred first of
all upon His Christ, even as the ninetieth Psalm says to Him: "Upon the asp
and the basilisk shall Thou tread; the lion and the dragon shall Thou
trample under foot." So also Isaiah: ‘In that day the Lord God shall draw
His sacred, great, and strong sword’ (even His Christ) ‘against that dragon,
that great and tortuous serpent; and He shall slay him in that day.’ But
when the same prophet says, ‘The way shall be called a clean and holy way;
over it the unclean thing shall not pass, nor shall be there any unclean
way; but the dispersed shall pass over it, and they shall not err therein;
no lion shall be there, nor any ravenous beast shall go up thereon; it shall
not be found there,’ he points out the way of faith, by which we shall reach
to God; and then to this way of faith he promises this utter crippling and
subjugation of all noxious animals.
This demon is also
described in Deuteronomy 32:24, according to the rabbinical writings.
They
shall be wasted with hunger, devoured by pestilence and bitter destruction;
I will also send against them the teeth of beasts, with the poison of
serpents of the dust. (Deuteronomy 32:24)
The
early rabbis taught that this passage could accurately be rendered "and I
will fight against them with flaming demons". The "flaming demons" would be
a reference to the Spirit that the Lord is desiring that we understand.
BASILISK IN
HISTORY
Throughout history this spirit has sponsored plagues at various times
causing great numbers of people to experience death. During those periods of
time in history, especially the dark ages, man attempted various
superstitions and fables in his attempt to combat this evil spirit and the
death that it brought, rather than applying the blood of Christ and
accepting the victory through His revealed Word. This spirit promotes
religious superstition in place of faith. This resulted in Christians
praying out of their superstitious imagination rather than the Holy Spirit
anointed Promises of God. In his address to the Athenians, the apostle Paul
described them as being "too superstitious", or "religious" as some
translations rendered it. Paul presented the Truth of the gospel to replace
misguided trust in fables and superstitions. The Lord is desiring to do the
same today.
During the 1997 vision of Basilisk, Bob saw this prince of darkness
approaching land between two bridges utilizing the winds bringing plagues,
viruses and natural disasters causing considerable misery. It was revealed
in the vision and confirmed through Jewish literature that this evil spirit
prevails during a certain season of the year. This season is called Bein
Ha'm'tarim by the Jewish writers. This term means "between the straits" or
"dire straits". This season is a three-week cycle beginning on the 17th of
Tammuz extending until the 9th of Av in the Judaic calendar. It is a time
when this spirit is prevalent even predominant when unchallenged by the
authority of Christ given to the church through His shed blood. This high
level authority cannot be combated individually but must be engaged through
corporate united intercessory prayer.
At
the time that the subsequent vision was revealed to Bob in 1997, hurricane
Danny entered
How
doth the city sit solitary, that was full of people! how is she become as a
widow! she that was great among the nations, and princess among the
provinces, how is she become tributary! She weepeth sore in the night, and
her tears are on her cheeks: among all her lovers she hath none to comfort
her: all her friends have dealt treacherously with her, they are become her
enemies.
The
effects of Basilisk are not exclusively demonstrated during this season,
rather it is during that specific span that the authority of Basilisk
operates at its peak. The Lord expressly revealed to Nita that Basilisk will
begin his siege in April and extend until August, including the three-week
season already mentioned. This timing is applicable to both 1999 and 2000.
The Bein Ha’m’tarim season is July 1– July 22, 1999 & July 20–August 10,
2000.
HISTORY RECORDS
MANY OF THE CATASTROPHIC EVENTS THAT HAVE TAKEN PLACE ON THESE DATES.
These dates are on the Hebrew Calendar
17TH OF TAMMUZ
1.
Moses smashed the tablets of the Torah at
2.
Daily sacrifices ceased.
3.
A Torah scroll was burned in the
4.
An idol was erected in the
5.
The city wall was finally breached.
9TH AV
1200 B.C.–
The land of promise.
586 B.C .– The
Babylonian army destroyed the
70 C.E. – Titus and the
Roman army destroyed the
135 – "Bethar" the
stronghold of Bar Kochba, fell ending the last trial for Jewish
Independence.
136 –
1096 — The first
crusades began.
1290 — The Jews were
expelled from
1306 — The Jews were
expelled from
1492 — King Ferdinand
and Queen Isabella signed expulsion. By July, on the 9th of AV, all Jews had
to be out of
1648 — Chmelnicky
massacred tens of thousands of Polish Jews.
1914 — Declarations for
World World I began.
1942 — Plans for the
annihilation of Jews were drafted initiating World War II.
Historically, the twenty-one days extending from the 17th of Tammuz until
the 9th of AV represented a notable time of bitterness and destruction for
the Jews. According to the Rabbis, the demon that prevails during this time
is also called "ketev" meaning destruction/bitterness. The Jewish Rabbis
regarded "Ketev" not solely as a plague, but a demon with authority to cause
death and destruction through plagues. It was during this precise time that
the Lord's prophecy concerning the destruction of
The prophet Zechariah
spoke of these dates in Zechariah 8:19:
"Thus says the LORD of hosts, 'The fast of
the fourth, the fast of the fifth, the fast of the seventh, and the fast of
the tenth {months} will become joy, gladness, and cheerful feasts for the
house of Judah; so love truth and peace.'
The
fast of the fourth month was to be conducted on the 17th of Tammuz
representing a day of mourning because of the capture of
The
ancient leaders recognized that the righteous must be hidden in the secret
place of the Most High during this time of trouble, which they believed was
a dress rehearsal for the birth pangs of Messiah. In Isaiah 26:17-21, the
prophet Isaiah speaks of a season when the righteous are directed to hide
themselves while wrath and indignation take its course. Zephaniah 2:3 also
prophetically forecasts a season when the Godly are directed to seek the
Lord...seek righteousness... and seek humility and perhaps be hidden in the
day of the Lord's anger.
According to these Rabbis, the heat of the noonday from 12:00 until 3:00 was
a time of extreme activity for this evil Spirit.
Even a review of recent years will reveal that this season of time
has produced considerable destruction through storms, droughts, floods,
extreme heat and famine. If this evil prince continues to go unchecked
through intercessory prayer, then great destruction will come to people. We
must be brought out of darkness into light so that we would not perish
because of a lack of knowledge concerning this spirit and its operations.
On
July 16, 1994, which is the 9th of Av on the Hebrew Calendar, the twenty-one
pieces of Shoemaker-Levi comet began its bombardment on the planet Jupiter.
Jupiter is commonly recognized as a symbol of idolatry and paganism. One of
the most devastating events in the history of
It is
clearly prophetically significant that the Shoemaker Levi comet began its
assault on the planet Jupiter on this notable date. The Heavens declare the
Glory of God. It is also significant that the comet was broken into
twenty-one pieces also representing the twenty-one days extending from the
17th of Tammuz until the 9th of AV, the season which this prevailing spirit
operates with its greatest authority.
Even
though Jupiter is a symbol of idolatry for the pagan world, it is also a
term for righteousness in the Hebrew language. The Hebrew name for Jupiter
is Tzedeq and comes from the word meaning "righteous" or "righteous one". It
is from this term that the name Melchizedek is derived denoting "King of
Righteousness".
Clearly, we can see that Satan has perverted Jupiter into a symbol of
idolatry. However, we can glean understanding from this term as a symbol of
righteousness in the hope of our being cleansed by the Truth of God's Word
thereby making us a suitable habitation for His Holy Spirit so that we can
share in His holiness.
THE PLANS OF
BASILISK
Nita’s prophetic experience displayed a map of the
Following the preview of the map, she was shown the first document
descending from Heaven containing Divine insight. The document had the
appearance of an official government instrument entitled "National
Security". Though it contained much information, she was only allowed to
read a small portion necessary for the initial stages of the coming battle.
The scripture provided for her as a reference was
Joel 2.
The
"National Security" document is intended to reveal the strategy of the enemy
to weaken our defenses by an assault emphasized in the southeastern portion
of the nation. Considerable data has already been publically broadcasted
outlining the reductions in our defense forces and diminished commitment to
our historically sound military strength. Our national security has been
breached, by design, through political policy making decisions aimed at
making us vulnerable and dependent upon others rather then self-sufficient
and strong. The ultimate objective of satan at this stage is to so severely
debilitate
She
was then shown the second document entitled "Gross National Product". The
scripture reference for this document was Joel 1. Like the first, this
document contained considerable inscriptions also providing valuable insight
and instruction for our preparation, yet Nita was only allowed to retain a
small percentage of the total amount of the inscription. The portion that
she was permitted to recall outlines the next phase of the enemy’s plans.
Faithfulness, with the insight currently provided will release the Lord to
communicate even greater depths of understanding and instruction provided by
these documents.
The
reason she was first shown the document entitled "national security" is
because the initial phase of this spirit’s plan is to further weaken our
national security in preparation for the second phase involving our gross
national product, in other words, our economy. If these plans are
successfully completed, our nation would be left in a compromising position
unable to fully defend ourselves nor our allies, especially
These
nine states provide a considerable portion of this nation's food products.
The state of
The Lord specifically pointed out the
essential nature of herbs and spices, which are sometimes overlooked in
their importance especially during times of crisis. In this year’s
"Shepherd’s Rod", the Lord instructed Bob that 1999 would see a shaking in
the oil industries. That has already begun to take shape with the greatly
diminished oil prices causing vast hardship in this industry and the related
support businesses. Nita was also told of the enemy’s desire to weaken our
overall economy through this essential commodity. These and other staples
are critically important to us, especially during times of military
conflict.
Basilisk intends to bring such calamity to this region so as to destroy
these vital supplies, further disrupting our economy beyond the staggering
cost natural disasters and terrorism already generate. The Lord has made it
painfully clear, terrorism is not coming, it is here. Much of the terrorism
and disasters will be directed at densely Jewish population areas. The
ripple effect of these calamities will not be limited to those residing
exclusively in these states, rather the entire nation will be adversely
affected if the enemy successfully carries out his plans. These supplies are
essential for meeting the needs of our population and those we support
abroad. With a diminished national security and a crippled economy, we would
then be vulnerable to military conflict.
A
weakened military force combined with severe economic hardships would make
it substantially more difficult to defend and supply the needs of our
nation. More importantly, our ability and willingness to stand by
Additionally,
DEFEATING
BASILISK
Our
Lord in His grace has given us this insight into the plans of the enemy for
the purpose of equipping us with the blueprint for success in defeating this
adversary. The more we understand his plans and purposes the more capable we
will be to pray with pinpoint precision. The Lord also has His plans and
purposes; plans for welfare and not for calamity toward those obediently
following His divinely ordained strategy. Nothing could be more rewarding
for a Christian than to find favor with God by willingly offering ourselves
as instruments of righteousness, hating what He hates and loving that which
He loves. This can be accomplished, at least in part, by committing
ourselves faithfully to this battle both individually and corporately.
Foremost in our preparation for this battle is sincere repentance for our
sins and the sins of our "fathers". Repentance will always bring forth times
of refreshing from the Presence of the Lord. Genuine sorrow that is not
merely the articulation of our mouths but the incentives of our hearts will
also pave the way for the impartation of righteousness and divine authority
necessary for defeating our enemies. The Scriptures declare that our Savior
came into this world to destroy the works of the devil. He has chosen His
church as the instrument through which this victory is to be manifested.
Daniel 9 records the great prophet repenting for his sins and those of his
people, leadership, and forefathers for not having obeyed the Word of the
Lord to obediently walk in His teachings. Like
This
victory will be achieved through corporate intercessory prayer. When the
early believers were together praying IN ONE ACCORD, great and mighty things
were accomplished for the
Few
things please the Father more than to see His people in unity-- how good and
pleasant it is for brothers to dwell together in unity! It is like the
precious oil upon the head, coming down upon the beard, even Aaron's beard.
(Psalms 133:1-2) Though often geographically separated, we are united in
purpose with one mind and passion... to defeat the enemies of our God. As
one expositor put it "as the instruments of a great concert under the
direction of a concert master, so the Holy Spirit blends together the lives
of members of the ekklesia of Christ."
Psalms 91 has been given to us as a scripture of protection and instrument
of war against this evil Spirit. The church has been given the authority
over all of the power of the enemy... authority and victory in Christ must
be rightly appropriated through the body. Like the sons of Isachar, we must
be equipped with the knowledge of the times and seasons of the Spirit,
dedicated to the Lord's plans and strategy. As many as are led by the Spirit
of God, these are the sons of God.
The Lord is calling for repentance and
corporate intercession against the specific plans of the enemy here
outlined.
|
Combating the Lance of the
Basilisk
21 Prophetic Proclamations for
Corporate, United
Intercessory Prayer |