June 2000 Newsletter

June, 2000 Newsletter

Storming the Gates of Hell in Washington, DC

Recorded by Sarah Zes as reported by Flip Benham

“When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the LORD shall lift up a standard against him." On the weekend set aside to celebrate the resurrection of our Lord and His triumph over sin and death, we brought this Scriptural truth to our nation's capital. There, God used us to lift up a standard at the very gates where the enemy has come in like a flood. From April 23 through April 26 we unashamedly proclaimed the Lordship of King Jesus and the absolute authority of His Law over every person and every sphere. In short, we went to Washington, D.C., to take heaven to the gates of hell!

On Easter Sunday afternoon, Christians from across the nation gathered on the steps of the Supreme Court of the United States of America to proclaim God’s truth and pray for two very important cases - Carhart v. Stenberg and Dale v. Boy Scouts of America. Each case was an all-out assault on the Law of Almighty God. We began Easter Sunday morning with thousands of Christian brothers and sisters celebrating a glorious sunrise (SONRISE) service at the Lincoln Memorial. Then, compelled by the Spirit, two of us proceeded to the darkness of the Foundry United Methodist Church.

The Gates of the Church

Sunday morning, April 23

“The kings of the earth did not believe, nor did any of the world’s people, that enemies and foes could enter the gates of Jerusalem. But it happened because of the sins of her prophets and the iniquities of her priests, who shed within her the blood of the righteous.” Lamentations 4:12-13.

Our first gate was the Church of Jesus Christ. We knew that before Satan and his minions could pass through the gates of the Supreme Court he first had to be allowed to pass through the gates of God’s church. Our problem, first and foremost, does not lie in the courts and legislatures of this land but in our churches. The prophets and priests of our nation have not stood unflinchingly upon God’s Word and therefore ferocious wolves (lies) are ravaging our culture, our government, and our land. Philip Wogaman is such a priest and the Foundry United Methodist Church is such a church.

We have confronted this pastor and his church with its sin on three separate occasions over the past four years. It is the church that President and Mrs. Clinton attend. Our first confrontation concerned this pastor’s wholehearted support for the President’s stand on abortion. The second time, we brought Miss Norma McCorvey (Jane Roe of Roe v. Wade) to him as a living testimony that abortion is murder and that Jesus can save his people out of the sin of homosexuality. Our third visit, just six days after the revelation of the Monica Lewinsky scandal, concerned Mr. Wogaman’s failure to love the President of the United States enough to confront him in his sin of adultery. He simply pronounced forgiveness, without even a confession. “… but the kindest acts of the wicked are cruel.” Pr 12:10.

Thus, on Easter Sunday morning we confronted for the fourth time this apostate church and her Pastor - Philip Wogaman. Wogaman is a dishonorable man who has disgraced his church, his nation, and the Gospel of Christ. In a service attended by about 700 people (more than double the usual amount), the ir-Reverend Wogaman preached a Christless sermon on The Strange New World of Easter. Ignoring the truth of the day, this false prophet dressed the wound of God’s people as though it were not serious (Jeremiah 8:11). In The Strange New World of Easter he said, “Love always overcomes hate; love opens doors and possibilities where hate closes doors and possibilities with fear." Continuing to weave a web of deceit he said, "What causes us to sin is fear. Fear of others different from us. And what has helped us to overcome fear is the knowledge that God is there.” He then gave us three ways that The Strange New World of Easter had its outworkings for today:

1. "George McGovern (and he pointed out to George McGovern in his congregation) is overcoming inequality and injustice by working on a project right now so that every child in the world will have a free lunch. This will cost a lot of money, but it's the 'The Strange New World of Easter' that causes him to do something like this. George, God bless you."

2. "We must restore our relationship with Cuba - we must stop being afraid of Cuba and we must support our Attorney General during this very trying time. This is The Strange New World of Easter." (Remember that Saturday morning Attorney General Reno ordered her jack-boot storm troops to attack the home where Elian Gonzalez was residing with an absolute disregard for ‘the rule of law’ and the liberty of Elian.)

3."I have to attend the General Conference of the United Methodist Church in Cleveland, Ohio next week and they need to gain some humor over sex. They need to experience The Strange New World of Easter.” (This brought applause from many lost in the sin of homosexuality.) "Love takes away the fear of those different from us. You know I'm going to support same-sex unions in the church at our General Conference."

"They have lied about the LORD ... The prophets are but wind and the word is not in them ..." Jeremiah 5:12-13.

At this point, I had heard enough of the enemy's blasphemies. The only thing that prevented me from standing up then and there to rebuke this false prophet was that there were a lot of children present and I didn't want to scare them to death! So after the service, waiting at the end of the line, I took Mr. Wogaman's hand and said to this man masquerading as an apostle of Christ: "You are a whited sepulchre filled with dead men's bones" (Matthew 23:27). I reminded him that many homosexual young men and women were dying and dead because of his failure to preach the Gospel of Christ and repentance from that lifestyle. I was then swiftly ushered out, where I proclaimed the truth all the louder from the steps of his church. I asked a question to all who were coming in for the second service: "Why do you look for the living among the DEAD?" Luke 24:5.

The Gates of the Court

April 23-26

"So justice is driven back, and righteousness stands at a distance; truth has stumbled in the streets, honesty cannot enter. Truth is nowhere to be found, and whoever shuns evil becomes a prey. The LORD looked and was displeased that there was no justice." Isaiah 59:14-15.

We moved to the second gate - the Supreme Court of the United States of America. We confronted this lesser court with the Supreme Court of Almighty God. The decisions made in this lesser court have opened the floodgates allowing an enemy into our nation to rob, to kill, and to destroy. In 1962, Engle v. Vitale removed prayer from school; 1963, Abbington v. Schemp removed Bible reading from school; 1980, Stone v. Graham removed the Ten Commandments from the walls of the school. Yes, through this gate God has been expelled from school and banished from the schoolyard. He has been replaced with metal detectors, condoms, drugs, gangs, and violence of unprecedented order. Through this gate, Roe v. Wade unleashed Satan to slaughter one-third of the generation 27 years old and younger. It was high time for the gates of hell to get heaven.

We gathered with other faithful Christians at the steps of the Court. There, we set up five huge graphic signs (12’x20’) vividly displaying the awful truth of abortion in living color. It was impossible to miss and powerful in presentation. We also, for the first time, had a permit to have a speaker system right at the steps of the Supreme Court. It was awesome! We proclaimed the Lordship of Jesus and prayed at an all-night prayer vigil that lasted through Tuesday at 11:30 a.m. Three glorious days!

Prayer and Proclamation on the steps of the Supreme Court of the United States of America (Monday, April 24)

God gave us a tremendous opportunity to explain to the hundreds and thousands of visitors to the Court that this was the very gates of hell. We asked them to look up and see the words "Equal Justice Under Law" and the magnificent appearance of this Court with its pillars and white marble. Then we asked them to look a little higher and gaze into the magnificence of the sky and remember Him who even calls the stars by name. We reminded the visitors that the Supreme Court is not supreme. That there is another Court and another Judge before whom every Justice who ever sat on this court must one day give an account. It is before this Court that every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.

At about 11 a.m., the most incredible sight took place as a little 3-year-old girl turned around and sang "Amazing Grace" and "He's Got the Whole World in His Hands" on the steps of the court. All the hundreds of people that were standing in line grew quiet as her sweet voice reverberated off the steps and off the walls. When she finished, there was a hushed silence as God used a little child to communicate His Truth in a way that we could not.

God orchestrated another amazing event as a group of about 100 kids stopped on their way down the Supreme Court steps to listen to me preach about the history of the enemy’s use of this gate to rob, kill, and destroy. “From the infamous Dredd Scott decision in 1857 (declaring our black brothers and sisters not fully human) to today, we as Christians must stand steadfastly to oppose him.” I called out to them from the foot of the steps, "Kids - is there anybody that loves the Lord and believes in prayer, that would dare to take this Gospel to these gates?" Several raised their hands. I said, "Then turn around with me and lift up your hands and pray facing that Supreme Court right now." Now, everyone knows that you're not allowed to pray on the steps of the Supreme Court. But those kids, obeying God rather than men (Acts 5:29), turned around, put out their hands, and prayed with me, shouting "Amen!" and "Hallelujah!" The policemen didn't know what to do or say while this 'illegal' prayer was going on. But we did it, and Jesus was brought right to the gates of hell as those gates were lifted up that the King of Glory might enter in (Psalm 24:7).

Flip Benham confronting a pro-abort

Carhart v. Stenberg, Tuesday, April 25

It was pouring rain, as God wept tears over the fact that this court was once again to rule on the paramount issue of life. The Supreme Court of the United States of America does not have the jurisdiction to rule on the matter of life -that is God’s domain. Yet Carhart v. Stenberg, as Roe v. Wade before it, is preeminently a case over who determines who lives and who dies, man or God? In support of those who say man determines, the enemy showed up screaming through a bullhorn. “Not the church, not the state; women must decide their fate!” Doing everything they could to conceal the truth, they stood in front of our pictures of children ripped apart by abortion with their NOW signs and "Keep Abortion Legal" signs. They continued ranting and raving as Christians knelt, prayed and preached. They stayed only for an hour because rain presents a massive problem for witches.

Pro-aborts blocking the truth.

At 11:30 a.m., both plaintiffs and defendants came out to address a huge press conference on the steps of the Supreme Court. The kingdom of hell was well represented as Patricia Ireland and Gloria Feldt spoke. Both of them said that they were very afraid that this partial-birth abortion case might be applied to other types of abortion. "This is an extreme thing, that women would not be allowed the constitutional 'right' to determine whether or not they desired a child." Then, Nebraska Attorney General Stenberg profoundly defended the children saying, “… it is not the state of Nebraska nor the American people that are the extreme - it is people like Feldt and Ireland who are extreme.” The ruling will come in June.

Dale v. The Boy Scouts of the United States of America, Wednesday, April 26

The next day, another major case was heard by the Supreme Court - Dale v. The Boy Scouts of the United States of America. James Dale, an Eagle Scout and also a Boy Scout troop leader, was removed from that position by the BSA after he openly professed to being a homosexual. This was not just Jimmy Dale standing up for ‘his rights’ but a well planned effort prompted by LAMBDA and other radical sodomite organizations to take another giant step in forcing the radical homosexual agenda down the throats of the American people through the courts.

It has been through the gate of the courts of this land that the enemy is having his way. The American people would never have voted for abortion. It was the court that gave it to us. The American people are not in favor of the homosexual agenda. But it is the courts that force it upon us. God gave us a divine appointment when we arrived at the Court! We met James Dale at a side entrance before he went in. Surrounded by his attorneys, we confronted him with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. "James Dale, Jesus loves you! You are being used by unscrupulous attorneys and by an enemy that will bring death and destruction to you and to this nation. Homosexuality, James Dale, will lead to the death of those who practice it and death to a nation that approves of that behavior. Because we love you, James Dale, we are here today to tell you the truth." Inside the Supreme Court, Joel Gaines (a dynamic born-again Christian who has just recently turned his whole life over to Christ) was able to profoundly proclaim God's Word as he quoted I Corinthians 6:9-10 before being asked to be quiet or be removed.

Outside the court we were joined by Bob and Bonnie Behn from Buffalo and had an opportunity to preach to thousands of kids on the steps of the Supreme Court, waiting for the three-minute visits. As we proclaimed God's Word and passed out Gospel tracts they said to us, "You shouldn’t be exclusionary, you have no right to judge. Mr. Dale would be a very good Boy Scout leader. If you want your kids in a group where homosexuality is not allowed, then go establish your own group!" Forgetting that there was such a group in existence already - The Boy Scouts of America. It was evident that these kids were parroting the lies that the enemy had taught them in public school. The kids from George Washington University, a large number of them homosexual, were parroting the same mantra. "Do not judge, we must accept and include everyone. That’s what love is all about. Love is inclusive. Hate is exclusive. You gotta be more tolerant, like Jesus. He loved everybody."

We reminded them that biblical love requires us to make correct judgments and care enough to tell our neighbor the truth. "Do not hate your brother in your heart. Rebuke your neighbor frankly so that you will not share in his guilt." Leviticus 19:17. To sit back and tolerate a behavior that brings destruction to oneself and others is not love. It is hate!

After the case was over, plaintiffs and defendants addressed an even bigger press conference than the day before. There we were given the opportunity to confront James Dale again with the love of Jesus, reminding him that an enemy was using and abusing him. We reminded him that there will come a time when he is all alone - media, hype, and friends gone, but the one who truly loves him will be there speaking to his heart just as He is speaking to him today. Expecting applause from his superficial supporters, James Dale seemed taken aback by our genuine concern for him. Before he could hear any more about this Jesus, the clamoring agents of darkness surrounded him and whisked him far away from us. They know the power of God’s Word and its devastating effect upon their manipulation of this young man for whom Jesus died.

Spiritual and Practical Implications of these Two Cases

"And I will put enmity between you (the serpent) and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel." Genesis 3:15.

God gave us these two cases on two consecutive days at the Supreme Court to show us that abortion and homosexuality are inextricably linked together - they are simply different manifestations of the same battle. It is the seed of the serpent v. the seed of the woman. One side, the seed of the serpent, arrogantly says, "My rights, my body, my choice, my thing - I do what I want whenever I want to - and my one commandment is: 'Don't judge me.'" The other side, the seed of the woman, humbly says, "You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body" (I Corinthians 6:19-20).

This battle between two seeds has raged through the pages of the Bible, throughout the pages of history, and is now manifesting itself in our nation on several different fronts. Our battle has never been and never will be about abortion, homosexuality, euthanasia, condom handouts, clean needle distribution, ad nauseum. These are signs and judgments upon us that we are embroiled in a far larger contest. We are engaged in a battle over who is Lord, and whose laws reign. Is it man’s law or God’s Law? We went to the Supreme Court of the United States of America - to proclaim the answer to this question.

Until Christians across this nation get out of the saltshaker and take the Gospel of Christ to the gates of hell the seed of the serpent will never be crushed. Our battle is preeminently a Gospel battle. There are no political, economic, or educational solutions. .. The very first gate that must be reclaimed is that of the Church of Jesus Christ. We cannot do this without courageous and godly men who will unashamedly and without compromise stand for the whole Truth of God's Word; who are ready and able to fight; and who are willing to lay down their lives for their God, their family, their church, and their nation. It is this power- Jesus Christ in us - against which the gates of hell cannot prevail.

Gospel Confrontation in St. Louis - The Battle Waits for You!
July 30 - August 5

Beneath the radar of our beloved but blind media pundits, a revolution is under way in America. It is bringing an upheaval of such cataclysmic proportions that the entire political, economic, religious, and moral landscape of our nation is being changed. It is an inwardly forceful and violent revolution, yet its outward manifestations are gentle and sure. It is nothing less than a revolution of the heart!

"...the kingdom of heaven has been forcefully advancing, and forceful men lay hold of it." Matthew 11:12

Evidences of the advancing of this Gospel Kingdom are everywhere to be seen. But only those who have eyes to see are able to apprehend it (John 5:19-20-22). That is why we are beseeching you to join us in St. Louis this summer. It will be an awesome, inspiring, and powerful experience. It will turn the hearts of the fathers to the children and the hearts of the children to their fathers.

If you have never attended a national event, we ask you to please consider joining us. There is not a better way to pass the cross of Christ into the hearts of our kids. Fathers will make renewed commitments to their wives and children. Our kids will be filled with a new fervor to follow hard after Christ. When they see us laying down our lives for the cause of Christ, they will be inspired to do the same. The best way to involve our kids in worthy projects is to be involved in them ourselves. And we, tired and war-weary old saints, will feel our hearts strangely warmed and our spirits renewed as we witness again the mighty works of God at the gates of hell.

When considering the events you will attend this summer (there are limitless Christian conferences, youth camps, rallies, etc.), keep in mind the bigger picture of the Gospel campaign - the war between two seeds. Ask yourself, will this event will draw me closer to God and to my family? Will it enable me to launch the arrows (children) God has given me into the bulls-eye for their lives? Will it truly extend the Kingdom of God in my life, the life of my family, and the life of my nation? Will it enable me to represent (re - present) another King, One named Jesus?

The revolution is on! No turning back! To win the battle against an advancing enemy we must:

1. Expose his position.
2. Attack him with force.
3. Reverse the advances he has made.

So let us move onward Christian soldiers to the very gates of hell in St Louis!

Team Redeem, headed by Rev. Keith Tucci, will be joining us in St. Louis for this summer campaign. This is a group of 15-24 year-olds from eight different states, who not only survived history’s most massive holocaust (abortion) but are warriors engaged in a battle for their generation. They are impassioned to serve Jesus’ Church and enable the theology of the church house to become biography in the streets.

Looking forward to running the race of faith with you again to the gates of hell in St. Louis,
I remain your brother in Christ,

Flip