Showdown

I was standing on the Main Street of a Wild West town. It was a stereotypical town, clapboard buildings, wooden sidewalks, with tumbleweeds rolling down the dusty road. It looked like it hadn’t rained in months; nothing was green. I could hear the saloon doors creaking in the wind, but the rest of the town looked deserted. Where was I? This was a new landscape. I asked the Holy Spirit, and I felt like I was standing near the Continental Divide.

The wind picked up, and as it blew my clothes and hair, I heard a whisper on the wind, “We are at the halfway point. Transition has come; the ante has been raised.” The Holy Spirit was on the wind. I heard laughter coming from the saloon. I walked towards the swinging doors and looked inside. A poker game was going on. Men were at the table playing with the Man in Black, the Gambler. His hat was pulled low over his brow, and he had a slight smile on the corner of his lips as he dealt the next hand. The rest of the table excitedly accepted the cards and played right into his hand. The Holy Spirit came up. “The Gambler is the host of many spirits: Division, Distraction, Identity, Offense, Unteachable, and Unwilling, to name a few. He comes with a deck that he plays well. Mankind has come to the table and is playing a life-and-death game.”

As I watched the game, I began to hear the sound of spurs as boots came closer to where I was standing by the saloon doors. I turned to see who was drawing near. I recognized him, although he had transformed from the gaunt, disfigured being on the leash. The figure before me was broad-shouldered in a long brown trench coat. His brown cowboy hat shielded his eyes, but his gaze still pierced into mine. His hand slowly rested on the butt of his pistol. I turned to fully face Slavery.

“Are you ready for the showdown?” he asked me. I stared at him. “Explain yourself,” I said. He half-smiled and replied, “Did you not hear the Voice on the Wind? Transition has come. I have woven a tapestry of lies into the next generation’s mind, and they are eating out of my hand. I have come to this place for the showdown because you (the remnant) are in my way. She is coming to move the line, to disrupt and end the line of the remnant, so I can move forward.”

“Who is ‘She’?” I asked. He just stared at me, unwilling to answer. I took a step forward, and as I did, I felt a weight on my right side. A sword appeared. My hand rested on the hilt. The Gunslinger laughed. “You brought a sword to a gunfight?” He continued to laugh mockingly.

“I brought the Sword of the Spirit and the Word of Testimony,” I replied, ignoring his laughter. The Gunslinger’s eyes and fingers twitched as he stopped laughing. His eyes narrowed. I pulled the sword and held it up. “Tell me who ‘She’ is?” I demanded. He refused to speak, but the authority of the demand caused a spiritual shift. Suddenly the Gunslinger screamed and doubled over. As he arched backward, his torso split open, and a beautiful woman in a pastel blue and white dress stepped out with gold sandals. She had piercing blue eyes and long brown hair. I stepped back in shock. This was strange, even for one of my visions! She stepped down out of the Giant Gunslinger torso and smiled at me seductively. “I am the spirit of Aphrodite,” she said, “and I have come to claim what has been sacrificed to me. I will remove anything or anyone in my way.” She gestured to the catatonic gunslinger behind her. “He is the Giant for this time, but I am his puppet master.” She turned to me and began to sing a song. The melody on the wind was euphoric and made you feel found and desired. Like your searching could come to an end—a sense of belonging.

My sword began to tremble in my left hand. It raised itself and sliced through the melody. “Stop!” The wind picked up, and the Holy Spirit was back. The Holy Spirit said loudly, “Declare the Word of the Lord. What is the Testimony of the Lamb?” I replied, “The Lamb came and laid down His life for everyone from the beginning of time to its end. The Lamb is the Conqueror and defeated death, hell, and the grave. The power of the Lamb’s spilled blood is the most powerful in the Spirit Realm, and every living thing must bow to the Lamb who is the roaring Lion.”

The Holy Spirit danced. “Yes! Yes! The Lamb is the victor! What does that mean for her?” He pointed his finger. The spirit of Aphrodite stood shaking in anger. She glared at the Holy Spirit. I looked at the spirit of Aphrodite. “She loses,” I said simply. She turned her gaze towards me.

“How do you partner with the Lamb to stop her attack?” the Holy Spirit asked. “We declare the Word of the Lamb over our children and our children’s children. We declare the Truth of who we are. We kneel next to the Lamb, and we stand next to the Lion. We will push back, and we will not fail because if God is for us, who is against us?” I looked at the spirit of Aphrodite. “You will NOT win.” The Holy Spirit whipped around her and declared, “Transition has come. We are in the Season of the Lion—the Showdown has begun.”