"A Time to Break Old Cycles: Understanding the Three 'Romes' - A Report on the Third Rome, Moscow"

June 26, 2005


"A Time to Break Old Cycles: Understanding the Three 'Romes' - A Report on the Third Rome, Moscow"
by Chuck D. Pierce
Glory of Zion International Ministries
www.glory-of-zion.org

Greetings!

Before I begin to share about the Eagles of God trip, Returning to the Source and Reversing the Lost Power of the Church, let me remind you of what this season that we are living in encompasses:

This has been a time to go to war with legalistic structures and declare a shift in the laws that Satan has illegally positioned to work against God's Kingdom plans. Even though this is a time that you could be presented with an opportunity to go around Mt. Sinai again -- DON'T! Begin to shout that you are going up to Zion! Ask for the Spirit of revelation and wisdom and an open window of Heaven to pour out direction for you.

This is a time to decree that old religious structures should be addressed in our lives and the lid taken off of old evangelical structural methods and harvest ideas released. Leave old structures behind. You can easily fall into idolatry or enter into an agreement with something in your past that could lead to idolatry. Idolatry will create a setback in your inheritance. Numbers 14 is a key passage to understand. Decree that you will have victory over idolatry.

This is a time to overcome anger. Cut old past losses that are linked with bitterness and move on. Find your new place of worship. Be absorbed in praise. This is a time to really analyze your connections and covering. Be sure you are submitted properly. Be sure that you are connected with people filled with faith and willing to war for God's best for the future.

This is the also the time that a new level of supply begins to be unlocked. Watch for new provisional strategies in the earth realm. He is "preparing us for the suddenlies." Suddenlies usually occur and overwhelm us when we least expect something is about to happen. To prepare means to "build a form for something, like a frame for a house." If we develop a frame of reference for an enlarged storehouse, the Lord will bring the infilling.

In Hezekiah's day, the people prepared themselves for change and then the Lord moved suddenly. Expect suddenlies to start happening! He does nothing except He first communicates with the prophets.

Expectation is a function of the emotion. Ask God to rekindle your passion so you can embrace what He does in your life and around you.

Things are changing very rapidly. Do not let rejection keep you from moving forward into the plan that God has for you. We are entering into a time of changing leadership. Therefore, the Lord is creating a new measure of faith and demonstration in those who will be advancing His Kingdom purposes. He is cultivating a climate of faith for healing and miracles. We must develop a mindset that says, "With God all things are possible!" As we find our new place of service, by faith He will suddenly manifest many changes.

We are living in reformation times. II Chronicles 29-31 is a great example of how an apostolic type led the people into restoration through worship. Once things were in order, the people could rejoice because God had prepared them for the suddenlies. Ask Him to do the same for you and the vision that you are part of! Know that God is going to "suddenly" start judging the root of evil.

Do not be surprised when you see structures shaking. Write your vision and make it plain. Watch for the Lord to bring you new insights. Wait expectantly for the Lord. Confess your impatience and wait for Him to move in the vision that you are part of. Lift up your head -- redemption is drawing nigh! It is time for visitation!

Open your eyes and see the heavenly hosts that are praising God and enter into that type of praise. Invite Holy Spirit to come "suddenly" and interrupt your life. Prepare yourself for His coming. Listen carefully for your Macedonian call. God is shaking things all around us so that we can move forward. If you feel like you are stymied, ask God to send a shaking, and watch the earth begin to move. Watch all of the chains begin to break and blocked entrances begin to open.

The Lord's presence was very strong on this trip as we have completed the "Three Romes" portion. As you read the following report on Moscow, remember that old cycles will break and the path of lost power will be reversed. This religious path that we are following has so affected the foundation of the Church. As you read this report, break every old cycle that is holding you captive or influencing you in any way. This is a divine time of change. Therefore, our main focus in visiting strategic places was to pray concerning the three-fold cord of religion, government, and wealth that has stopped the power of the Church.


"Three Romes" Prayer Journey

In the Church worldwide there are three key locations where major shifts in the Church affected the history of the Church as well as the world. In this trip we were called to go "onsite" to each of these "Romes" -- Moscow, Istanbul (Constantinople), and Rome itself.

We arrived in Moscow on the afternoon of Monday, June 13. This was actually a national holiday, the "Day of Russia." (This day commemorates the day that all of the Soviet Bloc countries were released from the control of the Soviet Union.) Whereas in the other Soviet Bloc nations this is known as Independence Day, in Russia it is actually called "Day of Russia" since it was somewhat hard for Russia to express what they were independent from.

Since the USSR was dissolved and independent states were created, there has been a struggle economically. The general consensus of Russia toward the former USSR countries is "we will protect you if you give up your independence." We visited several places where we could reminiscence over the history of Russia and its victory battles -- from Napoleon through World War II.

Russia has an anointing for war strategy. Therefore, we asked the Lord to show us any revelation and cycles that we needed to uncover and pray about concerning war. Our guide shared that in the last 10 years nearly everything has changed in Moscow. In fact, she said, they feel like immigrants in their own nation since so much has changed. The city has moved from being dark and oppressive to semi-modern. This was God's perfect timing for the team to be in Moscow.


Moscow - The Third Rome

According to the belief of the Orthodox Church, Constantinople (Tsargrad) was the center of the only true form of Christianity since Rome had become the seat of the "Latin heretics." However, in 1453, the Ottoman Turks captured the "second Rome" and transformed the city into an Islamic capital. Twenty seven years later, the Russians finally stopped paying tribute to the Mongolians, who had dominated Russia for nearly 250 years. Muscovy thus became the only independent Orthodox state in the world.

Churchmen rushed to enhance the significance of Moscow, the "third Rome," and of its rulers, the tsars. In 1510, a monk from Pskov, Philotheus (Filofei), enunciated the classic statement of the doctrine: "All Christian realms will come to an end and will unite into the one single realm of our sovereign, that is, into the Russian realm, according to the prophetic books. Both Romes fell, the third endures, and a fourth will never be." This myth was elaborated to describe Russian Christendom as the culminating chapter in the sacred history of the world and to claim that God has chosen Moscow and its rulers to guide the destiny of Orthodoxy. The doctrine also elevated the Russian tsar to a position of both spiritual and secular preeminence.

In Moscow, the Russian Orthodox Church called itself the third Rome, taking up the mantle that had first been in Rome and later in Constantinople. The Russian church was built on the paganized foundation of the first Rome, but joined in the barbarian mindset of the Kievan Rus to form an unholy alliance that oppressed the people through fear and intimidation.

Before Peter the Great, the Czar could not make any decision without first gaining approval from the Patriarch of the church. Patriarchs had almost equal power with the czars. As a matter of fact, all decisions had to be approved by the patriarch. Peter the Great shifted this season so that the government had more authority than the church. As the church substituted political power for spiritual power, it forfeited its opportunity to bring the reality of God into the nation.

The Russian Orthodox Church is more than 1,000 years old. However, the growing might of the Russian state eventually overpowered the authority of the Russian church. The church became so joined to the government in its oppression that when the people rose up to throw off the oppressive Czarist state, they also threw off the authority of a life-giving church, resulting in atheistic communism.


Church of Christ the Savior

Now that communism has fallen, the Orthodox Church is once again seeking to establish "Holy Russia" as the Third Rome. The Moscow skyline features a huge cathedral, the Church of Christ the Savior. This Cathedral, destroyed by Stalin but hastily rebuilt in the 1990s, is a beautiful monument to Russian nationalism, with no evidence of true spiritual life or God's Presence. It was the ultimate end of a church system that turns from the presence of God to seeking worldly power.

Some of the things we prayed for Russia were: the power of the watchman to be restored to the Church, the prophetic anointing to realign the apostolic foundation of the Church, and the Holy Spirit to become vibrant in the region. We came to the conclusion that it takes a revolution to release a harvest. Craftsmanship and music are both redemptive gifts that you can see as outstanding traits of the Russian people. We asked the Lord to break the Spirit of Cain off of Russia (Ezekiel 38) and release a new sound.


The Statue of Peter the Great

Another incredible stop was at the statue of Peter the Great. This 47-meter statue of a sailing ship with Peter the Great standing on its deck was built to commemorate the 300th anniversary of the Russian fleet and navy. Peter the Great was the founder of the Russian navy. This statue conveyed the apostolic, warfare anointing of the nation. We looked at it and decreed that the leviathan spirit would no longer rule the church in Russia. We then declared, "Let the Church in Russia launch out into the deep!"

We also visited the Kremlin. In the Kremlin are many churches along with the administrative buildings. The double-headed eagle, the emblem of the 32nd and 33rd degrees of Scottish Rite Freemasonry, is an appropriate symbol for Moscow. The two heads of the eagle represent a reconciliation of secular and sacred. You will find that in the history of the government and church relationship in Moscow, the two "heads" have aligned as one to control the life of the nation.

Also located in the Kremlin are the largest BELL in the world and the largest cannon in the world. The ironic thing is that the bell was never rung and the cannon was never fired. They were both placed there as symbols of Russia's power.

Another interesting site was the Cathedral of the Assumption. You can see the altar, but cannot go beyond a "wall" (or veil) that intentionally prevents parishioners from approaching the altar. Only the priest has access to approach the altar, while the people have to stand afar. This was also the case in the other Russian Orthodox churches, but most notably in the Cathedral of Assumption.

Of course, the Russian Orthodox worship system is driven by icons, which have dual significance. Icons mark the border between the heavenlies and the terrestrial. They are analogous to the veil which concealed the "Holy of Holies." They symbolize the union of subject matter and incarnation.

We are asking the Lord to remove the veil so the people can be truly free. After gaining true freedom in worship in the early 1990s, the Russian Orthodox Church has determined to revive its mission. In recent years the Russian Orthodox Church has developed a close alliance with the Russian Armed Forces. The Patriarch and Holy Synod have established a Synodal Department for Cooperation with the Armed Forces and law enforcement agencies. This seems to be a cycle to repeat what has already been -- only in a seven-fold stronger dimension.

We went to the first chapel that was built after the people were liberated in the early 1990s. When we walked in there, the chapel was so filled with icons. What I saw was that when the Russian people were liberated from not being able to worship, they proceeded to go back to the system of worship they knew best. Even though a new wineskin could have formed, it seemed that they simply brought the old wineskin into a new age.

This was so different than when we previously visited Ukraine and Kazakhstan, where new wineskins have formed that are reaching the lost and where the Gospel is being spread. Most of the old churches in Moscow have been resurrected, but they are seldom used. Knowing there has been a strong tie between government and religion in Russia, we asked the Lord to raise up powerful, Spirit-filled influences that could penetrate and break the Herod-Pharisee tie that controls the nation. There has not been much growth in the evangelical Russian churches since the mid 1990s.


Meeting with the New Wineskin

One important focus for us has been to find how the new wineskin is developing in each nation we visit. Without a new wineskin and new wine the old cycle of religion remains in place and actually becomes harder, more brittle, and lifeless. This prevents change. Therefore, we met with Alexi and his wife, representatives of Pastor Dzuba, who is connected with Apostle Sunday Adelijah in the Ukraine (who has one of the largest churches in all of Europe).

The Spirit of God so fell in this meeting. We began by presenting gifts that we had brought. One of these gifts was a padlock and key. We actually brought four of these on our trip -- one for each city. We gave this to Alexi to pass on to his pastor for spiritually "unlocking" the harvest to come forth in Russia.

We then heard how the prayer life in their church has brought great changes over the last couple of years. They pray through the night on Fridays. The people also pray and fast one day each week. This church has approximately 500 members, which is the biggest new wineskin church of this region. We aligned to assist them in seeing the breaking of religious structures that have a hold over Russia, and then the team began to minister to them. The prophetic anointing was very strong.

We prayed for the business people in the church. I began to declare a timing sequence over them of change that would begin to happen in the next seven months. This was a wonderful meeting. After we prayed and they left, they returned with a gift for us, which was overwhelming. I feel like a covenant has formed that will begin to see an acceleration in the breaking of old cycles.

This trip to Russia was very significant. Many of you know my testimony. When God visited me in December 1983, He asked me "if I would follow Him to the Soviet Union (Moscow) to see revival." Even though I worked into the Soviet Bloc countries during the 1980s with a mission organization by setting up systems in other nations and leading a prayer effort concerning the release of persecuted Christians, I had never visited Moscow until now. Things have come full circle and I decree that many will come out of religious systems and find the new wineskin of reformation that God is raising up this hour.

This Eagles of God team consists of Charles D. Pierce, Brian Kooiman, Marty Cassady, Virginia Marks, Diane Buker, Sylvia Sizemore, John & Sheryl Price, and Robert & Linda Heidler. We will soon send the Istanbul and Rome Report.


Blessings,

Chuck D. Pierce
Glory of Zion International Ministries
www.glory-of-zion.org

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Chuck Pierce's Upcoming Itinerary:

July 28-30, 2005
Taking Back Spoils from the Enemy: Let Deliverance Arise!?
Sheraton Grand Hotel, Dallas, TX? (DFW Airport)
Peter Wagner - Convener, Doris Wagner, Chuck Pierce, John Eckhardt, David Kyle Foster, Tom Hawkins, Chris Hayward, Pat Legako
gozregistration@aol.com

September 1-3, 2005
Pozzuoli, Rome Italy
Speakers: TBA
gozregistration@aol.com

September 15-17, 2005
Arise and Be Healed: Becoming Whole in Body, Soul and Spirit?
Bethel Christian Fellowship, Rochester, NY
Speakers: Peter Wagner, Doris Wagner, Chuck Pierce, Peter Horrobin, Che Ahn
gozregistration@aol.com


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