THRONES OF NATIONS

1.0 INTRODUCTION.

According to Cruden's Complete Concordance, the throne is the seat on which the king sits on ceremonial occasions (see 2Chron .9:17-18). More relevant to our topic is its definition of a throne as symbol of sovereignty, power and dignity (Gen.41: 40) the throne is an altar, meeting point between the spiritual and the physical, drawing down the power of God (or gods) to the ruler sitting on the throne. The power behind nations, kingdoms, kings and rulers is the power of the throne. Haggia2: 20-22 gives an insight into the relationship between thrones and kingdoms: ‘’I will shake the heavens and the earth, I will overturn royal thrones and shatter the power of foreign kingdoms, I will overthrow chariots and the drivers, Horses and the riders. ‘’ Obvious from this prophetic revelation is the fact that as the heavens are the power behind the earth, thrones are the power behind kingdoms, chariots the power of drivers and horses the power of its riders (See also Isaiah 66:1, Isaiah 24:21, 2 Kings 18:23 and Exodus 14:24 –28).

2.0    THE SPIRIT BEHIND THRONES.

Thrones are symbolic physical altars of ruling powers, authorities and dominions. But behind every physical throne is a spirit (or god). One spirit (god) or the other controls every throne. The strife of Lucifer with God and the angels was over a throne (Isa.14: 13). His ambition to exalt his throne above all angels and preside like the Most High led him to be cast down. Cast out of heaven with his (fallen) angels, he creates kingdoms on the earth and in the sea (Rev12: 7-12), with his fallen angel as gods (spirit) behind the thrones of nations See2 Kings 18:33-35, Isaiah 14:9,Jer. 46: 25,Dan.10: 20-21). Satan tempted Christ with the kingdoms of this world (Luke 4:5-6). We understand from Dan .13, 20-21 that every/kingdom has a prince over seeing it (Living Bible ‘Mighty evil spirit who overrules the kingdom ‘.) Deut. 32:8 tells us God assigns each nation a supervising angel (Living Bible). This Satan imitates and perverts by assigning evil spirit (princes) to rule over thrones of nations to prevent God’s cause Isaiah 14.9 suggests even in death, the ghosts of departed rulers watch over thrones and the occupants (to ensure they fulfill covenant). But as Dan.1031, 21 indicate there are always two of God’s angels to one of Satan’s fallen angels (Rev.12: 4).

3.0 THE IDENTITY OF PHARAOH

Pharaoh was the physical   occupant of the throne. But behind the physical occupant was a spirit (or god). Ezekiel 29:3 and 32:2 refers to Pharaoh as the great monster who lies in the midst of its rivers. In other words there was a god (or spirit) resident in the River Nile which was the main power behind the throne of Egypt. In dealing with physical Pharaoh, God also dealt with the gods of Egypt (Exo. 12; 12, Number 33: 4). God first punishes the power of God heaven above before the King on earth below (Isaiah 24:21).

He dealt first the chariots of Egypt before overthrowing the riders (Exo.14: 24-28). Understanding Eph.6: 12 in this light, we must learn to deal first with the power (gods/spirit) behind the throne and the physical occupant of throne if we are to have victory. In dealing with the physical principality known as Pharaoh, God had to make Moses a god unto Pharaoh (Gen. 7:1), since the power behind the throne of Pharaoh was a god (spirit). It takes a god to fight a god. By drawing out the great monster with its small fishes (demon spirits given dominion over smaller parts of Egypt) out of the rivers into the wilderness, God dethroned the physical Pharaoh (Eze. 29:1-5, 32:1-10). God sometimes will have to dry rivers and seas to starve their gods and release his people from their oppression (Isaiah 19:5-8, 51:9-15, Jer. 50:38, 51:36, Ps. 78:13).

4.0 THRONES IN THE WATERS.

Apart from the princes and power of the air controlling the occupations of thrones on earth, spirits exist in the seas and rivers that exert influence on occupants of physical thrones.  Rev. 12:12 tell us that the earth and the sea received Satan and his host after they were cast down. In the December 1998 edition of the Lampstand Letters, the features and spiritual significance of rivers and sea were highlighted. The sea is considered a domain of evil (See Ps 74:13, Isaiah 27:1 and Rev 13:1-7). Ezekiel 27:1-4, 28:1-2 and 29:1 indicate that the kingdoms of Tyre, and Pharaoh King of Egypt derived their power from the seas and River Nile Rev. 17:1-18:6 describes the spiritual principality represented by the woman Babylon, as sitting upon many waters and ruling over the kings of the earth. According to “The Preacher”, Osiris was the Egyptian god of the Nile. The Nile itself was revered as the “Father of Life” or the “Father of the gods”.  The Almighty God was judging the chief god of the Egyptian when he turned the water of the Nile into blood.

The revulsion of the Egyptians from the blood and consequently from the Nile, became a revulsion from their god.  The god of the Nile was thus starved of worship and starved, “the old lion (perished) for lack of prey and the stout lion’s whelps (were) scattered abroad (Job 4:11)”. This observation of ‘The Preacher’ is consistent with Eze. 29:1-5.

Judith Gleason in her book “Orisha: The Gods of Yoruba land” describes the goddess Yemoja as the “mother of all waters and all orishas (gods”) (compare to Osiris above). Among the 16 gods she mothered were Oya (River Nile), Oshun, Olokun, Ogun and Shango. In a citation, Yemoja is quoted as declaring “Here and there, I have infused various waters with my sacred energy, but it is at Abeokuta I flow most freely!” Oya (River Niger) is described as Shango’s favorite wife, a northerner and cousin of Olokun, the head of the sea kingdom. She is recorded to have once enlisted the help of Eshu (Satan the great confuser) to defeat Shango when she had a disagreement with him. It appears very strongly from the foregoing that dealing with the spirits operating from our seas and rivers is a major strategy in dealing with the powers behind the thrones of kingdoms. This is the strategy God used against Pharaoh as recorded in Ezekiel 29:1-10 and 32:1-8. This strategy is especially relevant to us in Nigeria which is named after the River Niger (=Oya in Yoruba, Kwara in Nupe, Kogi in Hausa etc.) and which has more than two-thirds of her states named after one river or the other.

5.0 LEVIATHAN AND RAHAB

Two demonic powers residing in rivers explicitly described in the Bible are Leviathan and Rahab.

• The Leviathan Spirit: (see Job 4:1, Ps. 74:13-14, Ps. 104: 25-29, Isa. 27:1, Eze. 29:3-5 and 32:1-6. described as a serpent, dragon, reptile (monster) in the sea, symbol of nations oppressing Israel (GNB). Egypt is compared to it. It is only God that subdue it and God deals with it by his sword (Isa. 27:1), by withdrawing His spirit from it (Ps. 104:26-29), by putting hooks in its jaws and drawing it out in the wilderness (Eze. 29:3-5) and by drawing it up in His net and leaving it on land (Eze. 32. 1-5)
• Rahabic spirit (See Ps. 87:4, 89:9-10, Isaiah 30:7, 51:9-10 GNB, NIV, KJV): Rahab is another name for Egypt and according to Cruden's, Rehab means “Insolence, fierceness”. Rahab was also the name of the harlot, who like Ishmael was not originally meant to be partaker of the Promise, came into the promise (Heb. 11:31, Gen. 17:18-21). Like Ishmael (Gel 4:23-31)(Egypt) persecuted and oppressed the Israel of promise until God bare his hands cut Rahab apart (Isaiah 51:9), broke it into pieces as one slain (Ps. 89:10) and dried up the sea to allow his redeemed to pass (Isa. 51:10, Exo. 14:26-28). By the time God finished dealing with the insolent Egyptian river spirit Rahab, it became known as Rahab-Hem-Shebeth, Meaning “Rahab sits idle”, “Rahab-do-nothing” or the “Harmless dragon!” (Isa. 30:7, NKJV, GNB, NIV)

6.0 JOSEPH ON THE THRONE?

An interesting scenario is described in Gen. 41:40-43, which gives insight on the power behind thrones. Pharaoh exalted Joseph to be in charge of the whole land of Egypt but firmly declared “Only with respect to the throne will I be greater than you”. In other words even though an Israelite, “a Christian”, a wise and discreet person, a righteous man was on the throne, the real power behind the throne still belonged to Pharaoh and the gods of Egypt.  As pointed out by “The Preacher” the throne of Pharaoh remained dormant for a season until “a Pharaoh who knew not Joseph” rose again in full force to persecute and oppress God’s people. That a “Christian” or a good man is on the throne does not guarantee that the throne will be established in righteousness and justice. Except the gods (spirits) behind the throne are effectively dealt with, the powers will continue to negatively influence and eventually consume or overthrow the “godly president”.  The good president will only be there in transition in the interim while the forces behind the thrones recharged and re-assert their power and authority.  As “the Preacher” warned, what is happening on the throne should not distract us from what should happen to the gods behind the throne and to the throne itself.

7.0 DEALING WITH THRONES OF NATIONS.

Deductible from the foregoing, the following steps are essential in dealing effectively with thrones of nations so that the kingdoms of this world may become the kingdoms of our Lord and His Christ.

1. We need to identify by God’s Spirit the powers behind the throne Eph. 6:12
2. We need to constantly cry out to God about our oppression and suffering to provoke Him to intervene in our situation. Exo. 3:7, Isa. 62:1-7, Daniel Chapter 9, Psalm 74.
3. As we do (b) above, God will bare his mighty arms (Isa. 52:1), open his armory (Jer. 50:25) and deal with the powers behind the throne (Exo. 12:12, Num. 33:4,Isa. 19:1). He will pull out the wheels of the chariots, and overthrow Pharaoh, his horses, the riders, the drivers & whole army (Exo. 14:24-28.
4. We will deploy the weapons of our warfare (2 Cor. 10:45) to root out and to pull down, to destroy and to overthrow the physical and spiritual thrones of nations and kingdoms (Jer. 1:10)
5. We can then build and plant and establish a new throne, the throne of God (Jer. 1:10c).

As recommended by “The Preacher”, we should take note and deal with thrones ancient and throne modern, thrones defunct and thrones extinct, thrones physical and thrones spiritual; thrones as apparently innocuous and inconsequential as those of administrative offices or positions on the job.

8.0  THE THRONES OF NBIGERIA.

Two demonic spirits can be identified as the main powers behind the thrones of Nigeria, which the Church must deal with, for Nigeria to fulfill God’s purpose for her:

• The spirit of the horse and its rider – the spirit of the caliphate.
• The spirit of Rahab and Leviathan

The spirit of the horse and its rider is the spirit of Egypt, the spirit of persecution and oppression, the spirit of the bond woman, the caliphate spirit. In Ps.74 which the Good News Bible titles “A Prayer for Nation Deliverance,” and the New King James Version titles “A plea for relief from oppressors”, the Bible talks of the oppressors setting up their standard (banners, flags) as signs.  The following standards of the spirit of the horse and the rider bestride our nation psyche:-

• The historically documented return of the scepter of the Caliphate by the British at eve of independence.
• The colors of the national flag (Green & White) which Nigeria shares with Islamic countries such as Libya, Saudi Arabia Morocco, Mauritania and Algeria.
• The name of our currency – Naira which is an Arabic (Egyptian) name.
• The Arabic inscriptions on the naira
• The Federal Capital named after the Caliphate rule of the old Abuja (now Suleja).
• The horses (symbol of war/strength of caliphate) on our coats of arms.
• The dome at top of new National Assembly

The spirits of Rahab and Leviathan have earlier been described (See section 5). They are the man spirit operating in the rivers of Nigeria to control the thrones of Nigeria, the states and tribes named after these rivers. We need to provoke God to deal with these spirits as highlighted in section 5. It must be stressed that the battle for the thrones of Nigeria is not carnal, nor is our warfare by using human weapons, or by politics. We are not called to fight or hate out non-Christian neighbors but to love them. The battle is spiritual, that the kingdom of this world may become the kingdoms of our LORD and his Christ (See Psalm 2, Psalm 110, II Cor. 10:4-5, Eph. 1:19-21, Phil. 9-11 & Col 1:16

9.0 LET US PRAY

1. Continually intercede that the LORD bare his arm in Nigeria as he did in Egypt, and unleash his armory against the horse and the riders of Nigeria; and against Rahab and Leviathan of its various waters.  Ask God to shake Nigeria according to Haggai 2:22.
2. Pray Isaiah 62 for the church and yourself. Ask Him to make you one of his watchmen who will give Him no rest until he makes Nigeria praise on earth.
3. Ask God to open his books that the church understands the times. As God to raise Daniels and Issachars in Nigeria (Dan. 9:1, 1Chro. 12:32).
4. Interceded that the throne of Nigeria will not consume the incumbent President.

10.0 BENEDICTION

Then the seventh angel sounded: And there was voice in heaven saying” The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever! Amen. Rev. 11:5

“O house of Jacob, Come and lest us walk in the light of the Lord” Isaiah 2:5

11.0 REFERENCES for further reading

1. Abati Reuben. The color is Islam. The Guardian on Sunday April 4, 1999.  Page 14
2. Gleason Judith. Orisha: The gods of Yoruba land. Atheneun 1971. New York 122pp
3. Healing the waters of Nigeria. Lampstand Letters Vol. 1 Nos. 4 & 5. December 1998 U.I. 4150 Ibadan
4. The throne of David. The Preacher No. 191 May 1996. 10974 Port-Harcourt
5. Thrones. The Preacher No. 192 June 1996 10974 Port Harcourt
6. The throne of Jeroboam. The preacher No. 194 August 1996 P.O. Box 10974 Port Harcourt Nigeria