Will History Repeat Itself in Jackson?

Will History Repeat Itself in Jackson?
Flip Benham

When we stormed the gates of hell in New Orleans in April of 1995, a stunning miracle took place. All eight abortion mills in the city shut down for seven days. Closed tighter than a drum. There were 114 reported murders in the streets of New Orleans from January of 1995 to April 13, 1995. The Mayor had declared a state of emergency. New Orleans was being savaged by a spirit of murder. Our lead Pastor in New Orleans, brother Bill Shanks, predicted that if murder in the womb were to cease, then murder in the streets would cease.

Bill Shanks stood on solid ground both biblically and historically. Four years earlier we were guests in Wichita, KS and all three abortion mills closed their gates thinking we would listen to some speeches and then go home after 7 days. Instead the Church arose in the streets with worship and public proclamation of the gospel by hundreds of saints. Wichita was savaged that year by a record 56 murders, many of which were drive-by shootings. Yet the seven days we were there while no innocent blood was shed in the womb, there was not a single murder or drive-by shooting. The rampant violence in streets ceased completely!

We were stunned and chose to stay another week continuing to take Jesus to the streets. On the tenth day, with the aid of the police and over a thousand arrests, George Tiller's mill's gates were opened for murder at 3:20 PM. The connection between violence in the womb and the streets was evidenced just twenty minutes later when police reported the first drive-by shooting at 3:40 in the daylight! Only a fool (Psalm 14) or willfully blind could fail to see the connection.

Christians responding to the Spirit of God and the presence of praise and worship continued to fill the streets for several more weeks. Violence never returned to the level it had been. Why? The number of babies being murdered was greatly reduced and, in all the years since, has continued to dwindle further. Today only one mill exists in Wichita and violence in the streets has decreased each year since the 1991 record. To God be all the glory!!!

Now four years after Wichita we were in New Orleans facing the same evil spirit. Enter the Church of Jesus Christ! For seven days the wonderful theology of the church house burst into the streets of New Orleans during Holy Week in April. Hundreds of us sang, prayed, and preached at the eight closed abortion mills. There was no murder in the womb for an entire week and there was no murder in the streets. Shocking!

Major Howard P. Robertson of the New Orleans Police Department said he had never witnessed so striking a miracle while serving on the NOPD. If you will remember, the Police Department escorted us out of town with their lights and sirens on. Chet Gallagher, a former motor cycle cop for 19 years, told me that this was the way the New Orleans Police Department was saluting us. They knew the truth!

Below are two news articles that appeared in the Operation Rescue Newsletter. One before the event in New Orleans, and one after.

The praying Church in New Orleans in front of a closed abortion mill!

“New Orleans: Murder Capital of the Country”
Operation Rescue Newsletter, April 1995,
by Flip Benham

On Saturday, March l1, 1995, the mayor of New Orleans called together all the pastors of the city because of the rampage of violence, murder, and death taking place in the streets of New Orleans.

“I think we are under a curse,” said the mayor in a press conference. He is openly pro-abortion and pro-homosexual, yet he sees the need for the men of God to return to the gates of the city.

The spirit of murder is savaging people in New Orleans. “…Bloodshed is touching bloodshed and because of this the land mourns, and all who live in it waste away…” Hosea 4:2-3. New Orleans is in deep spiritual trouble and there is no one who can bail her out except God Himself.

When thousands of us gathered outside the abortion mill in Baton Rouge, Louisiana in July 1992, no murders were committed. When bloodshed ceases in the womb it will cease in the streets. There were no murders because Christians filled the streets with the love of Christ. This happened right in the middle of the worst year in the city's history for murder.

“We know that the presence of Christians standing for life has a significant impact on the kingdom of darkness,” said Operation Rescue Director, Rev. Flip Benham. “Prior to the event in Baton Rouge there were thirty-four murders. In the month of July, when our event began, there were none….

Whenever God, who is Spirit, wants to touch His material world, He does it through the portal of man. God wants to touch New Orleans . He is going to use His church to do it. From all across the country Christians are gathering to lift up the Gospel of Christ, establish the whole truth, and provide children with a defense.

“Look at What God Has Been Doing”
Operation Rescue Newsletter, June 19, 1995
Flip Benham

More good news in New Orleans
In his monthly pastor's meeting this June, Mayor Marc Morial of New Orleans, had his Police Chief reveal a remarkable statistic. The murder rate in New Orleans fell 50% in the month of April, and 17% in the month of May. This has never happened before. The murder capital of our nation is being tamed by the mighty spirit of God. Though the mills have reopened, Brother Bill reports that the number of Christians taking their positions in the streets and standing firm is up while the number of abortions is down. The battle is the Lord's

Remember, Pastor Bill Shanks predicted that if murder would be stopped in the womb, as it was in New Orleans for seven glorious days in April, the spirit of murder would be bound in the streets. This is exactly what happened…