“I do not fear Death” Aragorn

“You can read about war and warfare, but it’s another thing to experience a battlefield. When you do, the Bible has a whole new meaning” Graham Cooke – Prophet

“I think the timing is too late, but things happen when they are supposed to happen. In fact I was gearing up to do something else. I was supposed to direct Alexander the Great, but I got a really hard message – and I mean a really hard message – to drop everything and do this now…The producer, Steve McEveety, was amazed. He’s never seen anything fall into place like this from nothing. So there is something quite timely about it. I don’t quite understand why” Mel Gibson – from Ken Duncan’s book The Passion.

We live in the days when it is time for the creative prophets of art to rise up and heavily influence the art industries that are generating false worship in the world.

Cause Uproar

“I do not receive honor from men” Jesus Christ (John 5:41)

Paul brought an apostolic anointing to war against the false worship art of Ephesus; he caused an uproar (Acts 19:40). When Mel Gibson made the Passion movie, he caused an amazing uproar in Hollywood – almost obsessive. Many mindsets of Christ that had been fashioned by art and religion, could not accept, or handle, the stark Caravaggio-esque reality of Mel’s portrayal of Jesus.

Mel did not have to compromise truth to prosper; his visual and artistic statement was prophetic of the true love of Jesus, and the extent to which He died for us – which was bloody awful. I fell in love with this Lethal Weapon brother, who had got to the point in his life where this was all that mattered to him. ‘The righteous are bold as a lion’ Proverbs 28:1. More please Icon!

The press said his career would be finished, but it seems today, he is stronger and more influential than ever. Many false, graven images of Christ were dissolved in the minds and hearts of people who watched his movie; they were challenged in their relationship with God. The art world can be invaded with the truth, and truth can still prosper immensely in the battle for it.

“What is Jerusalem worth? Nothing…Everything” Saladin – Kingdom of Heaven – the movie

Valley of Craftsman Prophesy!

In the reforming days of Nehemiah the Levites had their own ‘little Hollywood’ where they lived and worked – ‘The Valley of Craftsmen’ Nehemiah 11:35. It’s time for the Hollywoods, the Bollywoods, the Nashvilles, the world’s galleries, the media, TV, and myriad other creative idioms, to have a valley of godly craftsmen working and influencing them for God.

I prophesy: “Come forth out of the many hidden valleys and wildernesses all you creative ones. Stand upon the mountains, and hold up the banner of the colors of your art. Plant it on the side of the hills like the Hollywood sign, overlooking the cities of the world where all can see – including the angels in your town who will do your bidding as heirs of Christ. It’s time to make known, the manifold wisdom of God to the principalities and powers in heavenly places (Ephesians 3:10).”

“This is the time of acceleration, of Holy Spirit inspired creative possibilities. It’s time to run in faith and fulfill your call as prophets of the arts. The creative teams are coming together – gather them – watch God do miracles and provide abundant provision as you step into Kingdom power to run with the dream. 2006 will see the releasing of His fame in the earth at greater levels. The glorious mountain of the Lord will be established and the world will start running into it. Many of you are now ready; the journey has prepared you for it. The spiritual warfare will be great, but you will have the power to contend. Be obedient to the Holy Spirit – don’t compromise; ‘wait on the Lord, be of good courage, and He will strengthen your heart; wait, I say, on the Lord! (Psalm 24:14).”

The Great Search

Read the latest Who, OK, or other daily or weekly magazine, and you’ll find ever increasing stories of rich, famous media people, with quickly annulled marriages, and other relationship problems: the bed-hopping, drug and alcohol abuse, anorexia, bulimia, and other dysfunction’s, are an endless list.

There is a great searching going on in the creative worlds – beyond the fame, the glory of the silver screen, the lights, and stage. It’s the prophetic hour for craftsmen and craftswomen to stand up, get on the mountains, and hold the banner of the Lord to show The Way; to put the hands of the lost and floundering souls, into the hands of the Divine Artist.

Isaiah the prophet said that all the false images of idolatry are ultimately useless. ‘Those that make a graven image, all of them are useless, and their precious things shall not profit; they are their own witnesses; they neither see nor know, that they may be ashamed. Who would form a god or cast a graven image that profits him nothing’ Isaiah 44:9-10.

In these days, the real profit from the valley of craftsmen will be for the glory of God! The day’s are coming when the world’s ideas will seem dry compared to what God’s people will be inspired to produce – that is where the profit will be.

Lawlessness

“There still exists in this arid secularized world of ours, a prodigious capacity of expressing, beyond what is authentically human – the religious, the divine, the Christian” Pope Paul V1

In these last days of great deception, when there will many false prophets (including in the arts), Jesus said, “Because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold” Matthew 24:12. We see this everyday on TV, soaps, and in the movies that are made.

We must guard the love of God in our hearts and keep it hot. We can only do this by trusting in the power of the Holy Spirit, and all that Jesus did for us. People in the world are going to become sick of a world with cold love – God’s people will have to have the answers.

“This is not how it is supposed to be” Mary McDonnell – Grand Canyon the movie

2005 onward – it’s time for artists called of God to invade the world. I release the breath of the Spirit to your dry bones, your vision, your ideas, your passion, and all of your art; don’t hold back, it’s time for you to do it now – go!

“This is no time to engage in the luxury of cooling off or to take the tranquilizing drug of gradualism” Martin Luther King, Jr 1963

If you choose God’s ways and obey His voice, the things you produce will be blessed – the world will see your love and your profit! ‘You obey the voice of the Lord you God; blessed shall you be in the city, and blessed shall you be in the country. Blessed shall be the fruit of your body, the produce of your ground’ Deuteronomy 28:2-4.

Blessed be your arty art! Go…! Come on…!

Ministry of Reconciliation

“A noble work of art may serve to fan the embers that sleep beneath the ash” Marcelle Auclair

‘Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold all things have become new. Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation. Therefore we are ambassadors for Christ’ 2 Corinthians 5:17-20.

As artists in Jesus Christ, we are new art! We are a new canvass for God to create on, for His glory, and as Picasso said about his art – “an instrument of war for attack and defense against the enemy.”

Our destiny is to win the many battles that are inevitable along the road of life. In this journey we have a ministry of reconciliation to others, that should be embedded in the creative things that we produce. We gave our life to Him, He owns us; it’s time to bring the world to God, and be artistic ambassadors for Jesus Christ.

“There can be no victory except through God” Kingdom of Heaven – the movie

Don’t let the enemy win the war for your art, but rather, let your art war for God. The Divine Artist has made you to win!

“Now is the time to open the doors of opportunity to all of God’s children” Martin Luther King, Jr 1963

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Chapter excerpt from “The Divine Artist” by Stephen Bennett, reprinted with author’s permission. See also: The Word is Your Art / Prophet Musician / The Power of Apostolic Music / 13x CD Teaching series School of Apostolic Prophetic Singers and Musicians / DVD Series Prophet Musician. Youtube