Significance of 2018 and Singapore as Antioch to Asia (Lou Engle)

Just attended Kingdom Invasion 2017, at the Singapore Expo. This year, the lineup of speakers included Bill Johnson, Heidi Baker, Ed Silvoso, Sean Bolz and Lou Engle.

One thing that stirred many was a prophetic word released by Lou Engle on 16 March, 2017, and am documenting it here because of its significance for the Singapore Church in this hour. Lou had said to the congregation that the leaders of our nation must judge the word, and see if it is from the Lord. I feel, too, that it warrants a response. Lou's word to our nation was a weighty one, and the Bible says "Do not despise prophecies but test everything; hold fast what is good" (1 Thess 5:20-21). If what Lou says is from the Lord, then we need as a people to ask God what our response should be, instead of going back to the routine of life next week, and let this word fall to the ground.

This is a clip of the prophecy, and below a transcript of it.



In his message to us, Lou shared two dreams. The first was by a friend of his, a trusted intercessor, in the days leading up to or during Kingdom Invasion 2017.

The first dream 
Speaking of Singapore, this friend said: "Books ... had been lost or simply misplaced. Lou and our team would give them these books. Singapore was about to graduate into an apostolic sending base that would carry prophetic clarity to transform economies but they could not fulfill their mandate without these books. In the dream, I was in 1978, and then back today. And one of the books was the book of Daniel, and I knew a cyclical review or visitation was close at hand for Singapore."

Lou said that in his friend's dream, he heard this phrase: “Honour the father Nashes and give abundant honour to the mother Nashes for they have kept the leaders and the nation on course.  "He’s in 1978 in this dream, and he says that Singapore is about ready to graduate into its anointing as an apostolic base to disciple the nations and economies."

In 1978, Billy Graham came to Singapore and prophesised. Next year - 2018 - will mark 40 years from 1978. 

Said Lou: "I think Billy Graham was a prophet … he prophesised that Singapore would be the Antioch of the East. What was Antioch? It was the apostolic sending base of the New Testament. And there was coming a cyclical review. I would like to suggest that the dream actually means that 40 years ago, Billy Graham released this word, and God is coming in a cycle of 40 to review Singapore right now. He’s coming to see if you will fulfill what was spoken by the prophet."

The second dream 

Lou said that as he shared the first word to a number of Singapore leaders the night before, one of them shared this dream by his spiritual daughter earlier this month.  So this second dream documented below is by a Singapore Christian leader.  Lou said this dream did not make sense to the lady because she did not know that Billy Graham's crusade in Singapore was in 1978.

In the dream, she said, "I ran into a white room that had no walls, on an endless expanse of white marble floor.  And right in the middle of the room was a throne that was made up of the same white marble and was one body with the floor, not just another piece of furniture in the room. On this throne sat a grandfatherly-like figure with a face so bright I could barely make out his features. He wore pristine robes, had snow-white hair, and a short beard. I remember running up to the man on the throne, exclaiming excitedly: 'Did you know that the greatest revival in the history of mankind is about to happen in Singapore?'  In the dream, he looked at me and laughed at me with a deep baritone. He was not laughing at me, but was delighted with me. However in that moment in the dream, I felt like a little child, thinking: 'Why is this old man laughing at me.' And as if he heard what was on my mind, the Father said, 'How about the old church and the new church? The new move of God and the old move of God.' And next, I saw the air before me shimmer, and a rustling of white curtains appeared and disappeared, and Billy Graham walked into that room. That millisecond, I knew that Billy Graham was 60 years old.'

Interpreting the dream, Lou said to us at Kingdom Invasion, with Billy Graham turning 100 next year, that means this lady's dream was about 1978. Both dreams are connected, and "had to do with a word that was spoken 40 years ago, and a cyclical review".

Lou's questions to the Singapore church:

"You need to judge these dream(s) but I’ve a feeling it’s not just a dream. I wonder when those spies went into the land and they find out the land is flowing with milk and honey, and grace. They saw the vision. I wonder if those people thought it was just a dream. I believe dreams are like spies. They show us the future promised land, but if you treat it as just a dream, you will never go to war in faith, to take the promised land, because you want to live for self-preservation. I think there is a cyclical review coming."

"Next year, you’re entering into the 40^th year, and the question is this: 'Will you see the greatest revival or will you live for self-preservation? … I woke up with these words ringing in my head. More will be given to those who humble themselves."

Referring to the father and mother Nashes of our land, he said, "Maybe God is saying it’s not enough to remember your past, you must honor them by entering into their sacrifices and passions, and birth the revival." (Blogger's note: Daniel Nash was the intercessor to the great preacher Charles Finney during the second Great Awakening)

"Maybe He’s coming with a review for Singapore and wondering if you are well-satisfied, rich, and in need of nothing, or maybe He’s coming to a people that are so hungry to fulfill their divine destiny that they are willing to do anything to fulfill it."

On the lady's dream of the old church and the new church coming together, Lou went on to say, "Two generations must move together into the next generation, they must cross over into the promised land, and they must fight the wars of the Lord." Israel as a nation was brought to the threshold of prophetic promise, but apart from Joshua and Caleb, the men decided to play it safe because they did not want their kids to die fighting the giants. And so a generation died in the desert after wandering for 40 years.  

Singapore: what will your response be?

1. Unity among the denominations. Apparently, the Charismatic revival in Singapore in the 1970s fizzled out because of lack of unity among the denominations. So one question Lou asked is, "Could you bring together a generation that loves God more than their denominations?"

2. Praying and fasting. Would we be like the Antioch church, and fast and pray, and minister to the Lord? We all laughed nervously when Lou challenged us to a fast … ! 

"If we are going to be an apostolic people, we’re going to have to go back to the apostolic word, and they were fasting and ministering to the Lord in Antioch, and the Holy Spirit spoke, “Hurl forth labourers into the harvest field.”

He mentioned that key leaders, and even Jesus, in the Bible fasted 40 days:

• Moses fasted 40 days, and ushered in the covenant of the glory of God
• Elijah fasted 40 days and ushered in a double-portion, signs-and-wonders generation (the Elisha generation)
• John the Baptist fasted his whole life to bring in the apostolic era of Jesus
• Jesus fasted 40 days in the wilderness and fulfilled what Israel could not fulfill in 40 years 

On Singapore's role in thrusting laborers into the harvest field, Lou said, it was not just missionaries but "...workers and leaders in the highest parts of the economy and government that Singapore is being raised to affect the globe if she is hungry enough to humble herself to enter into her promise at this time."

In sum  

"I want this word to be judged by leaders. Something has been in the works for 40 years and Singapore is at the threshold of the Jordon.

My friend dreamed that there is coming a cyclical review; I believe there is something about 40 years or a generation, that God comes to nations and reviews them and sees if they’re going to qualify for the fulfillment of the promise." 

My reflections 

As mentioned above, this is a weighty word by Lou. Among my friends, a few were stirred by this word in their spirit too. At the end of the final day, Dr Ed Silvoso said Singapore needs to respond, and prepare ourselves for the 40th year of Billy Graham's word to us this year. 

How would we respond? I believe there needs to be a personal response and a corporate response. 

When the Jewish people were in exile in Babylon, Daniel was not passive about their return to the promised land from their time in captivity. The prophets had pronounced that the Jewish people would be in captivity 70 years, and as this period was nearing its end, it is said in Daniel 9:1-2 that "then I (Daniel) set my face toward the Lord God to make request by prayer and supplications, with fasting, sackcloth and ashes. And I prayed to the Lord my God, and made confession…" 

The date of this was 539 BC, about 66 or 67 years after the Jews initially went into exile to Babylon. In studying the scriptures, Daniel came to understand that it was to be 3 years before the number of years of the desolations of Jerusalem would be up. 

But he didn't passively wait for 70 years to come to pass. Three years before that particular fullness of time, he actively pressed into God, and was visited by the angel Gabriel, who gave him further understanding and revelation of the things pertaining to his nation and people. 

How will we respond? I pray that the Church should weigh Lou's word above and collectively seek the Lord on how we will respond, personally and corporately. Daddy God, please do not let Singapore miss the hour and your purposes for us as a nation.

Postscript: On 27 August 2017, Ps Yang of Cornerstone Community Church preached a sermon titled "Discerning Singapore's Destiny and Call". It is a very important message for the church of Singapore in the run-up to 2018. Please take some time to listen to it.

For the schedule of nationwide prayer for 2018, please click here.  This is a call to prayer for all believers who feel the weightiness of the word above.