The Seven Mountains and Spiritual Warfare

Why should this lingo matter to others?  Some politicians appealing to the Religious Right vote are masters of 'dog whistle' politics.  Wikipedia defines this phenomenon concisely,

"Dog-whistle politics, also known as the use of code words, is a type of political campaigning or speechmaking employing coded language that appears to mean one thing to the general population but has a different or more specific meaning for a targeted subgroup of the audience."

The actual verse that the Hawaii Republican Chairmen Jonah Ka'auwai was referencing is Deuteronomy 28:13 and reads as follows in the King James version:

"And the LORD shall make thee the head, and not the tail; and thou shalt be above only, and thou shalt not be beneath; if that thou hearken unto the commandments of the Lord thy God, which I command thee this day, to observe and to do them..."

There are over 31,000 bible verses in the 66 books of the combined Old and New Testament, but this particular verse is used repeatedly throughout dominionist media to represent an `overcoming church' in preparation for the end times. The verse became popular with Charismatic 'Prosperity Doctrine' or 'Word of Faith' pastors who teach that those doing God's will be be healthy and wealthy, and that illness and poverty are signs of demons and curses. It has been further developed by the NAR as a battle cry for the popular Seven Mountains campaign.

In Part One, I included a quote from Johnny Enlow, author of the book Seven Mountains Prophecy in which he explained the verse as a model for the campaign to encourage like-minded Charismatic Christians to take control over government, arts and entertainment, media, education, business, family, and religion.

Note that another common use of this verse  is in Jewish homes at Rosh Hashanah.  In that context the verse is used to explain why some families, particularly Sephardic, have a practice of placing a fish head on the table as part of their Rosh Hashanah meal.  This practice is also described as representing the head of the year, since Rosh Hashanah is the Jewish New Year and has not had dominionist connotations.  This is one of many dozens of possible customs practiced for the holiday meal with the most widespread tradition being apples and honey which are eaten after a blessing and signify a sweet New Year.

I have seen use of the "head and not the tail" phrase in Rastafari theology and in the Fundamentalist Latter Day Saints or FDLS, a break off from mainstream Mormonism.  However, in NAR media the phrase is hard to miss and has a well defined meaning as described by the apostles and prophets of the movement, including Lance Wallnau, C. Peter Wagner, Chuck Pierce, and Cindy Jacobs.

Many of the following quotes come from prophecies given by NAR prophets.  This is one of the major differences between this movement and fundamentalists of the past, such as Jerry Falwell.  These Charismatic/Pentecostals in the movement believe that prophecy is being given to their leaders directly from God on an ongoing basis. One of the purposes of the prayer warrior networks is to disseminate those prophecies, many of which are political instructions including who God has "chosen" as his candidates in each election.

Political Prayer Networks

Prayer warrior networks have been formed state-by-state by the NAR.  These networks are currently being organized to by precincts and their agendas are clearly political.

For example, Cindy Jacobs is head of the Reformation Prayer Network (RPN), a newer prayer warrior evolution which joins the already existing networks under the authority of Apostle Dutch Sheets.  In September 2009 Jacobs and her Florida state leader, Apostle Ken Malone, put out a prayer alert asking for support of David Barton in his efforts to impact the Texas School Board of Education's curriculum guide changes in Social Studies.  Jacobs added,

"Free Market Foundation will attend the SBOE meeting and will work to stop efforts by liberal activists to revise history and distort our religious heritage and the greatness of our country and state."

In his portion of the prayer alert, Malone asked for prayer that the ACLU lawyers would become confused during their presentation of their case in Florida against Frank Lay and Ken Freeman.  The two had violated a court injunction instructing faculty at a public Florida high school from leading the student body in prayers.  Malone also requested (and received) concrete participation from the prayer warriors.

"Parents, let your kids skip school and go to court in Pensacola. We need thousands to be on the courthouse steps on Thursday morning. Pastors, rally your church at the US Courthouse in Pensacola. Business leaders, rally your business friends."

Although little attention was paid to his role at the time, Ken Malone led a 2006 conference call with Katherine Harris when she was running for the U.S. Senate which damaged her campaign.  (Harris was the controversial Secretary of State of Florida during the 2000 election.)  During the recorded call Harris prayed for Jews to "come into alignment" with God's will.  Despite her denials, it is clear if one is familiar with the lingo that Harris was praying (during Rosh Hashanah) for the conversion of Jews to evangelical Christianity.  At that time the NAR network was called the U.S. Strategic Prayer Network (USSPN) and Malone was the state coordinator for Florida.

The concept of the NAR's prayer warrior networks have evolved over time, beginning with state networks formed under apostolic authorities .  As described by Bruce Wilson in several Talk2action articles, Newark, New Jersey was a pilot program for the International Transformation Network's street by street organizing in political precincts.  The program has now spread to other cities across the country.  In California, the strategic plan includes having a Precinct Activation Team with four leaders for each 15 block area: a Local Precinct Captain, Team Prayer Coordinator, Local Precinct Coordinator, and Precinct Communicator.

I have worked with many political campaigns through the years and the NAR is attempting to build a network that looks like the foundation for a permanent national (and international) political campaign.

Lance Wallnau

In Pat King's Extreme Prophetic TV broadcast, she introduces Lance Wallnau, the motivational guru for the Seven Mountains by saying:

"The Lord is coming back for a glorious church, he's coming back for an overcoming church, a church that is the head and not the tail, above and not beneath, a church that knows how to possess and occupy.  Out good friend Lance Wallnau is going to share a message with you to today on the seven mountains that are available for the church to conquer, and conquer we will!"

Lance Wallnau begins,

"The Seven Mountains are - it's almost like its a template for warfare.  Because the church so frequently does not have a language for how it goes about taking territory...

The Seven Mountains is not my message.  I think its a mandate given to me from Loren Cunningham and Bill Bright spiritually.  Because these two titans in evangelism took youth movements, young people, whether it was Youth With A Mission with Loren or Campus Crusade with Bill Bright.  And they literally mobilized the next generation in their day to go evangelize the world.   God visited those two men and showed them seven kingdoms, seven mountains, that if they would focus on it, the next generation could take nations."

Wallnau, the motivational guru for the Seven Mountains campaign claims that it would only take 3 -5% of people aggressively working in any given location to create a tipping point and gain control over the seven sectors of government and society.  The 2010 video is currently on Os Hillman's Marketplace Leaders website.

The largest international training center for Loren Cunningham's Youth With A Mission (YWAM) is University of the Nations in Kona, Hawaii.  In the past  the International Foundation (another name for The Family)  has financed trips for members of Congress to travel to YWAM's campus in Kona.  The Family has also been involved in Uganda, as reported by Jeff Sharlet, author of The Family.

Chuck Pierce

Chuck Pierce is the second in command and heir apparent to C. Peter Wagner, Presiding Apostle of the International Coalition of Apostles.  In 1996 Pierce related a prophecy he claimed was revealed to him by God for Apostle Mary Glazier and the state of  Alaska.

"And I say to you, you will begin to dispense that oil and as in the days of Joseph, I am putting a new garment even upon My Bride in that area, and My Bride will be the head and not the tail in that state; and My Bride will have war strategies for this hour for that particular state. For I say to you, there will be an invasion in Alaska.

... I am making this the head and not the tail. What I plan to do, they will know my mind and they will declare my mind from this state.  God is going to release a wind of strength to unlock the seeds of this area. These seeds will begin to be deposited by the wind throughout this entire nation and to other nations.  There is some sort of governmental anointing resting upon you as a people. God is going to give you governmental favor in days ahead"

Mary Glazier, Sarah Palin, and Dutch Sheets

Sarah Palin referenced prophecies for Alaska in a Wasilla Assembly of God (AOG) ceremony in June, 2008 that closed with a presentation of swords to students graduating from the Master's Commission program.  Palin stated,

"There's been so many words, Ed, over the state of Alaska, we being the head and not the tail, and, I see things now in the works it seems like, that's coming to fruition. Things are percolating! Things are coming along, and just pray for an outpouring of God's spirit here, that revival be here in Alaska."

"Ed" refers to Pastor Ed Kalnins of Wasilla AOG.  The church has been a revolving door of major international New Apostolic leaders for several years and Alaska has been a hotbed of New Apostolic activity.  I believe there is little doubt about the source and identity of  Sarah Palin's 'prayer warriors' which she has repeatedly thanked.

Alaskan Apostle Mary Glazier claimed in June 2008 that Sarah Palin joined her prayer network when Palin was only twenty-four years old. During the 2008 election campaign, Norwegian Apostle Jan Torp announced after visiting C. Peter Wagner,

"Sarah Palin er bønnegriger og pinsevenn!"

Torp stated that Palin was still being mentored by Glazier.  This ongoing relationship with Apostle Mary Glazier was confirmed after the election in Charisma magazine.  During the campaign Glazier put out prophecies concerning Palin on the prayer warrior networks, including one which indicated that John McCain would die and Palin would be  "stepping into an office that she was mantled for."  Numerous other apostles declared that Palin was chosen by God for national leadership.

Prior to Palin's election as governor of Alaska, she was anointed (prayer with laying on of hands, which is intended to impart supernatural gifts) by Kenyan Thomas Muthee in a ceremony at Wasilla AOG.  In his statement Muthee also referred to the taking of dominion over the seven kingdoms, referencing the Seven Mountains.  Muthee is featured in a series of internationally viewed movies called Transformations which show communities where the NAR's spiritual warfare has been used to supposedly take dominion and transform them into prototypes of Christian utopias.  Muthee was featured in the first Transformations video, released in 1999 by George Otis, Jr.'s Sentinel Group.  Otis was one of the original partners with Wagner in the formation of the New Apostolic Reformation.

Several of the Transformations movies feature Uganda.  Both George Otis, Jr. and Ed Silvoso, head of ITN, have worked with Uganda politicians and religious leaders for over a decade.  See Bruce Wilson's video Transforming Uganda.  

Following the 2008 election, the revolving door of apostles and prophets into Wasilla AOG increased. Lance Wallnau, the leading Seven Mountains promotional guru, visited Wasilla AOG on June 7, 2009.  In January 2009, Dutch Sheets, the apostolic authority over the prayer warrior networks of the NAR, visited Wasilla AOG, along with Apostle Mary Glazier, who Sheets introduced as the person who brought their networks into the state.  

Prior to writing their 2005 book Releasing the Prophetic Destiny of a Nation, Dutch Sheets and Chuck Pierce traveled across the country, going to all fifty states and giving a prophecy for each state.  They were hosted by the coordinators of the prayer warriors of the NAR's United States Strategic Prayer Network (USSPN).  In the first chapter of the book Sheets claims that his prayer alerts turned the tide and gave George W. Bush the key to the White House through the Supreme Court's ruling.  After the 2008 election, Dutch Sheets made it clear that God's will had not been done and that this was a failure in terms of mobilizing and advancing their movement that must not be repeated.  Sheets points out in the book, Mary Glazier was a forerunner of the "worldwide prayer movement" prior to the NAR's formation of its strategic prayer networks.

Lou Engle

Lou Engle is one of the most politically visible of the NAR apostles.  He hosted Mike Huckabee and Newt Gingrich in an internationally televised program and also was one of the prayer leaders for the anti-healthcare reform Prayercast in December 2009 with Rep. Michele Bachmann and Senators Jim DeMint and Sam Brownback.  

Engle is the founder and leader of "The Call," large venue events in which thousands of young people gather to dedicate themselves to fighting abortion and gay marriage.  Engle played a leading role in California's Proposition Eight including The Call San Diego where he yelled from the stage for martyrs for the cause.  He led another The Call  event in Sacramento earlier this month which was part of Pray & Act, a series of events leading up to the election coordinated with Newt Gingrich's new organization Renewing American Leadership.        

In the following quotes taken from a sermon given by Engle at Congregación León de Judá, a congregation with services in English and Spanish in Boston, Engle relates how he became friends with Sam Brownback.  Brownback has since participated in The Call and other NAR events.  Note the "head and not the tail" reference.

And right now I've got young people right there in DC, who will say `we're not going to leave this house of prayer until that heinous decree of abortion has ended and if I die, I die.' Alleluia!

As I was mobilizing for Boston I said to kids in California `we need to dig the dwells of revival in Harvard and close the door of false ideologies that have come through Boston'. Amazingly a week later, I received a phone call from the US Senator from Kansas, Senator Sam Brownback, he's a godly man. He calls me up, he says `Lou, I'm in England, you need to dig the dwells of revival in Harvard and close the door of false ideologies that have come through Boston'. Almost word for word. A Senator was prophesizing me, glory to God.

In fact, it was prophesized to me that I would be connected with a man named Senator Sam Brownback from Kansas. But I forgot about the prophecy, so when I rented a condo in DC to mobilize for The Call, a week later I received a phone call from the owner of the condo and he said `there's a man named Senator Sam Brownback. His condo just burnt down, he wants to know if he could stay in your condo'. I became the room mate of Senator Brownback for 7 months. We began to get dreams that he would be the president of the United States and right now, who knows? We are praying.

I believe when you pray supernatural things begin to take place, divine promotion begins to take place. You become the head and not the tail. Your boss named Nebuchadneezzar is haunted by dreams and you interpret the dreams and become the leader of your business.

C. Peter Wagner, Convening Apostle of the International Coalition of Apostles (ICA)

Now 80 years old, C. Peter Wagner served as the Presiding Apostle of the ICA until recently when he turned over this position to John Kelly. The Seven Mountains campaign was launched on a worldwide scale by C. Peter Wagner and his spiritual warfare networks including the Market Apostles division led by Os Hillman and various Transformation entities.  In a 2007 letter outlining this campaign Wagner stated,

"Our theological bedrock is what has been known as Dominion Theology. This means that our divine mandate is to do whatever is necessary, by the power of the Holy Spirit, to retake the dominion of God's creation which Adam forfeited to Satan in the Garden of Eden.

Our goal, in a word, is transformation...

We want to see whole cities and regions and states and nations transformed to support the values of the kingdom of God. This will happen only as kingdom-focused saints become the head and not the tail of each of Lance Wallnau's seven mountains or molders of culture.  Here in America, we have done fairly well in leading the religion mountain, but not the other six."

It is not for lack of trying.  C. Peter Wagner's  prayer warrior networks have developed state by state but are confusing to follow from the outside.  They have changed names and apostolic oversight several times.  Cindy Jacobs' Reformation Prayer Network was started in 2007 and works closely with Dutch Sheets network and John Benefiel's Heartland network.  Other prayer warriors are under the authority of Ed Silvoso's International Transformation Network which is the source of the current campaign to develop street by street influence in precincts across the nation.

In Wagner's terminology, the `Kingdom' refers to the time when a unified global church will rule the earth. The Seven Mountains campaign is shorthand for taking control over the power centers of society.  The  Ohio Reformation Prayer Network has an abbreviated list of the goals taken from the campaign's promotional video.

Family: Where Generational Blessings or Curses are passed on to our children.
Education: Where either truth or lies about God and His Creation are taught.
Government: Where Evil is either Restrained or Endorsed.
Business: Where people build for the Glory of God or the glory of man.
Media: Where events, news and information are interpreted and passed on people through the lens of good or evil.
The Arts & Entertainment: Where Values and Virtues are either celebrated or distorted.
Religion: Where people worship God in "Spirit and Truth" or settle for religious rituals.

Cindy Jacobs

Prophetess Cindy Jacobs, mentioned earlier, is the apostolic authority over the Reformation Prayer Network (RPN), heads Generals International, and has worked closely with Ed Silvoso and C. Peter Wagner in the formation of the New Apostolic Reformation.  The Indiana RPN prayer guide includes the "head but not the tail" lingo and instructions for pursuing the Seven Mountains mandate with a weekly prayer focus on one mountain each day including the following as part of the prayer for Sunday,

"PRAY Ephesians 4:11-16 for the government of God to be in place and 'equipping the saints for the work of the ministry,' so that we have God's apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers within and on every one of the 7 Mountains!"

Jacobs, like other apostles, teaches that a big payday is coming in which the movement will be the beneficiary of a great transfer of wealth from the "ungodly to the godly."  This money will then be used to further their position in creating a Christian Kingdom or utopia on earth.  Jacobs describes to an audience in Indonesia at an International Prophetic Conference in 2008,

"One day in our countries they're not going to say, 'You know, those Jews, there so wealthy.'  There going to say, 'Oh you know those christians - everything they do turns to gold.'

Che Ahn

Apostle Che Ahn founded Harvest Rock Church in Pasadena with Lou Engle, Rick Wright and other New Apostolic leaders, as an offshoot of the Toronto Airport revival led by Apostle John Arnott. Ahn's network claims to have thousands of ministries under its umbrella.  In a 2008 sermon Ahn titled "Glory of God and the Great Transfer of Wealth," Ahn claims that gold dust and gems sometimes appears during their worship and teaches a biblical basis for the expected transfer of wealth.
 

"God will fill His church, the body of Christ, with glory, and the wealth of the nations will come to His people...

I know a pastor in Indonesia, Pastor Alex Tanuseputra, who oversees an apostolic network of 800 churches all over Southeast Asia and has one of the largest churches in Indonesia with over 80,000 members. God spoke to him to build a prayer tower that would be the tallest building in the world. He believes that this tower, Jakarta Tower, will be a prophetic sign that Christians are to be the head and not the tail (Deuteronomy 28:13)."

French Prayer Guide

Following a visit by Ugandan Apostle John Mulinde, a non-profit was formed in France to advance the agenda of the Transformations movement.  Mulinde has been featured in several Transformations movies and was the host of Lou Engle's anti-gay rally, The Call Uganda in May.

From the French prayer guide (available in French and English):

In his first message for France in 1997, Pastor John Mulinde said, `God gives you the opportunity to influence your nation according to the will and way of God; the church has the opportunity to act and to affect the whole nation.'

Chuck Pierce, close colleague of Peter Wagner, took up this same idea in March 2007: `France is going to play a decisive role in the world, the body of Christ will be transformed to influence the country... the body of Christ must lead the voice of the country.'

... Through salvation in Jesus, the church is placed above all authorities.  In His name, we have authority over every rule, authority, power and dominion. It is time for the church in France to realize this position
in Jesus Christ because God wants to make His people the head and not the tail. (Deut. 28:13)"

Rick Joyner

The Elijah List website posts apostolic and prophetic news, prophecies, and conferences.  The "Taking Your Land: Advancing The Kingdom" conference in 2009 featured Rick Joyner, Lance Wallnau, Paul Keith Davis and others.  It was advertised as follows:

"God intends for you to be the head and not the tail; above and not beneath; a victor and not a victim! God is raising up a people in the earth who know they are destined for victory and called to live a life of abundance.

...The Church is being awakened to our identity as the sons and daughters of God on the earth with a mandate to invade every worldly culture with the supernatural culture of God's Kingdom.

Joyner is head of MorningStar Ministries which purchased part of Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker's Heritage USA complex in Ft. Mill, South Carolina, just south of Charlotte, North Carolina.  In prophetic bulletins he has spoken of women whom he believes have spiritual authority and a prophetic anointing including Sarah Palin and Michele Bachmann.  Joyner spoke at Wasilla  AOG on Easter Sunday this past April.  

Joyner warned in a 2007 prophecy that at first this transition to the `Kingdom on earth' may not feel much like freedom.

"At first it may seem like totalitarianism, as the Lord will destroy the antichrist spirit now dominating the world with `the sword of His mouth' and will shatter many nations like pottery... The kingdom will start out necessarily authoritative in many ways, or in many areas, but will move toward increasing liberty--so do all true churches and movements that are advancing toward the kingdom...

Instead of taking away liberties and becoming more domineering, the kingdom will move from a point of necessary control while people are learning truth, integrity, honor, and how to make decisions, to increasing liberty so that they can."

Knowing the lingo can help to identify the NAR movement and its participants.  Certainly its not foolproof and this terminology adapted from a bible verse could be used by others in a completely different context which may have nothing to do with religious supremacism.  However, in the context of the NAR, the leadership has clearly defined this phrase to be a slogan for dominionsm and an assault on religious pluralism and secular democracy. Watch for Part Three which will address why Aiona, a Roman Catholic, and Mufi Hanneman, a Mormon, could possibly consider working with a movement which demonizes both Catholics and Mormons. Part Three will also address why communities across the nation are opening their arms to this movement despite its fiercely dominionist agenda.