Chuck Pierce
Dr. Charles D. "Chuck" Pierce has been used by God to intercede and mobilize prayer throughout the world. He presently serves as Vice President of Global Harvest Ministries in Colorado Springs, Colorado. He is an ordained minister and serves as President of Glory of Zion International Ministries in Denton, Texas. This ministry facilitates the vision of other apostolic ministries worldwide. Glory of Zion International also develops and covers the Eagles of God Apostolic Intercessory Teams that are sent on key prayer assignments worldwide.He is known for his accurate prophetic gifting which helps direct nations, cities, churches and individuals in understanding the times and seasons in which we live.
He presently serves on various national Boards of ministries throughout our nation. He is on the Executive Board of the International Coalition of Apostles, the Apostolic Council of Prophetic Elders, and the International Society of Deliverance Ministers. Chuck is also a member of the International Federation of Churches and Ministers. He coordinates prayer for many of the major spiritual events and gatherings around the world. He also serves as National Apostle of the U.S. Strategic Prayer Network.
He has a degree in Business from Texas A&M, Master's work in Cognitive Systems from the University of North Texas, and a D. Min. from the Wagner Leadership Institute. He has co-authored seven books with Rebecca Wagner Sytsema: Possessing Your Inheritance (Renew Books), Receiving the Word of the Lord and Ridding Your Home of Spiritual Darkness (Wagner Publications), The Future War of the Church (Renew Books), The Best is Yet Ahead (Wagner Publications), When God Speaks (Wagner Publications), and Prayers that Outwit the Enemy (Regal Books). He has also co-authored The Worship Warrior (Regal Books) with John Dickson, Restoring Your Shield of Faith (Regal Books) with Robert Heidler, and Releasing the Prophetic Destiny of a Nation (Destiny Image) with Dutch Sheets (April 2005 release).
He and his wife Pam live along with their six children in Denton, Texas. To order The Future War of the Church or other of Chuck's books, click here.
Women Arising Now
by Chuck Pierce
Chapter Nine of his book, The Future War of the Church
Village life ceased, it ceased in Israel,
Until I, Deborah, arose,
Arose a mother in Israel.
Judges 5:7
Women are called to be a great power in the future.
Josephine Butler, 1828-1906
Thus far we have seen that the Church is in a real spiritual war. There is much oppression and conflict ahead, but if we will step up into the authority God has given us for this season, we will see great victory. One of the areas of oppression most commonly linked with the antichrist system worldwide concerns the oppression of women.
Recently I read the following in the Dallas Morning News:
A woman in Afghanistan was recently beaten for eating ice cream in public after buying it from a street vendor. Among the thousands of reports on human rights [concerning] abuse of Afghan women, this is certainly not the worst, according to Eleanor Smeal [president of the Feminist Majority Foundation, a research and advocacy group]. But she says it is emblematic of the human tragedy occurring in the rugged mountain recesses of central Asia. Now feminists are joining arms with Hollywood celebrities to step up a three-year campaign against the ruling Muslim fundamentalists now ruling most of Afghanistan. The goal is to connect Americans with underground schools for Afghan girls, and to make the plight of Afghan women the human rights focus of the new millennium.1
The Seduction of Women
Not only will there be increasing oppression of women in the coming days but there will also be a seduction of the world's women to lead them away from their God-ordained direction.
In World magazine, Bob Jones IV wrote that the long-standing debate over gender equality is broadening in scope. No longer are education and equal-pay-for-equal-work the only issues. In addition to their liberal stand on reproductive rights, the United Nations is promoting "the right to free choice of profession and employment," including the legalization of prostitution. The Convention for the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) is one avenue by which the UN is redefining global opinion and acceptance of prostitution as an inherent freedom.2
This seduction of the female is nothing new. There is a wonderful book called Bad Girls of the Bible by Christian author Liz Curtis Higgs. In this book, Higgs takes from Scripture each key woman who deviated from God's perfect plan for her life and analyzes her mistakes. She discusses Eve, Potiphar's wife, Lot's wife, Jezebel, Rahab, Michal and others. Higgs shows how several of these deviated from and never returned to God's perfect plan, perhaps even setting a poor pattern for others to follow. Other biblical women, such as the woman at the well, are shown to have recognized their true identity and turned from a horrible season of life toward a new destiny.
The enemy will oppress and attempt to stop women from becoming all that God has created them to be. And if he is able, Satan will enslave them to accomplish his will on Earth. But despite the enemy's efforts to oppress and seduce women, we are about to see women of the Church arise and influence the world in a way they have never done before!
Women on the Rise
In a recent article in SpiritLed Woman, Judy Jacobs examines how "the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force" (Matt. 11:12). She writes:
"The violent take it by force" means that an energetic force takes for itself what is rightfully its own. . . . This is a season where violence is required to get things accomplished in the supernatural that could never be done in the natural. . . . This requires a new level of courage, determination, perseverance and unwavering faith. Women who have never felt violent will now arise in faith and believe God for the impossible.3
We are about to see faith-filled women arise and change the course of history.
With the apostolic Church rising and the apostolic gift being restored in the Body of Christ to produce a new order, the question of how women fit into God's plan for the days ahead is key. I believe this question is going to be as big as the Acts 15 ordeal over circumcision. In this passage, Gentiles were beginning to come into the Kingdom and the Church (which was mostly Jewish at the time) was trying to determine whether the Gentiles would have to obey the Jewish laws in order to experience salvation. A key meeting was held and a binding decision made that salvation was a gift by grace and that the Gentiles could be welcomed into the saving grace of God without observing the law of circumcision.
Today, we must ask how God wants to raise up women to influence the Kingdom and the world. We must also recognize how Satan's plans depend on the continued oppression of women. Our understanding of these two issues will help us to determine the progress of the Church in the future war.
Undoubtedly, women are one of the Church's most untapped resources. David Yonggi Cho, senior pastor of the 700,000-member Yoido Full Gospel Church in Seoul, has said:
For 5,000 years in Korea, women had no voice at all. They were only to cater to the needs of men. Then Christianity came and set women free. Especially in the church, women are free. . . . In ministry, they are equal to men. They are licensed; they are ordained. They become deacons and elders, and they become cell leaders. . . . [If pastors will train women and delegate ministry to them] they will become tremendous messengers for the Lord. . . . [Although some argue that women should be silent in church] once women are called into ministry, they no longer belong to the category of women. They are messengers of the Lord. 4
Women of Faith Transforming Society
I remember seeing a TV commercial that declared, "There's never been a better time in history to be a girl." Even though great oppression is occurring in certain areas against women, they are also enjoying more opportunities than ever to become all that God created them to be—to let their lights and gifts shine.
As we have said, the new millennium is revealing a new order in the Body of Christ. The law of order says that there is a sequence of events arranged in a definite plan and time that causes the proper functioning of systems, resulting in victory. Order is also linked with authority.
Women have become recognized in the Church as prayer warriors but not particularly for their ability to exercise God's authority on Earth. During the past decade I have had the opportunity to work with great women of faith. Through my position among the leaders in the global prayer movement, our Lord has brought me into relationship with several gifted women who know how to wield great authority on their knees. This authority, through spirit-filled praying, brings heaven to Earth and changes the course of the world.
God is renewing and restoring the apostolic gifting in the Body of Christ. He is raising up leadership for the future. He is releasing an anointing for spiritual breakthrough against the kingdom of darkness from region to region. This is a season when our Lord's apostolic order and authority are being established in a new, fresh dimension. Part of God's order for this hour is the establishment of godly women with an authority and a sphere of influence that will revolutionize societies throughout the earth.
Many prophets are declaring that there will be a great move of the Holy Spirit among women. I believe that many women are being called to preach, teach and evangelize cities and nations. These women will find themselves released and liberated to go forth proclaiming, "The kingdom of our Lord is at hand!"
So what role will women play in the future transformation of society? And just where do women fit in the apostolic reformation of the Church that is now occurring?
Spiritual Mothering
When apostolic authority is established in a territory, the vision of today is thereby passed to the succeeding generations. Most of us think of the gift of apostle, the first gift God recognizes as necessary for His order to be established on Earth, as being a fathering gift. This is definitely true. However, there is another dimension of transgenerational vision and apostolic gifting that includes spiritual mothering. Without both mothering and fathering the next generation of believers becomes dysfunctional. Mothers have many times determined the course of history. God is raising up spiritual mothers in this hour.
I have always had a heart and a great respect for women who endured and overcame their circumstances. It is easy for me to relate to the Scripture in 2 Timothy 1:5 when Paul encourages Timothy "to remember the genuine faith that is in you, which dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother . . . and I am persuaded is in you also." I look back at the difficult circumstances of my youth and it is with great joy that I reflect on the faith of a godly grandmother and the endurance of a mother who imparted future strength to me.
Passionate Conception
The Bible gives us many examples of women operating in faith who changed the direction of the human race. Women of faith receive strength to conceive the seed of the future.
The first woman of faith we find recognized by God was Sarah:
By faith Sarah herself also received strength to conceive seed, and she bore a child when she was past the age, because she judged Him faithful who had promised (Heb. 11:11, emphasis added).
Sarah gave birth to Isaac when she was 90 years old. She overcame her physical inability because she judged God to be faithful to His promise that she would be the mother of nations and that kings would descend from her (see Gen. 17:15,16; 18:10).
The Hebrew word yacham ("conceive") means to get hot. There is a passion that God is about to release upon His Church. We are going to see the passion of God rise up in His women of faith. Although Sarah's womb was dead, it got hot as God produced within her the faith to lay the foundation of our covenant future. This is God's time for passion to hit women—a godly, holy passion that will cause the foundation of the future to come into being.
These are days of supernatural conception and birthing, and women understand and model conception and travail better than men. I believe God is asking the question today, "Where are my Sarahs? " He is saying, "I plan to conceive My purpose to bring forth My inheritance in the nations in this hour. I need Sarahs filled with faith who can conceive and bring forth this plan."
Overthrowing Enemies
Women who have been disciplined and prepared have faith and boldness to overthrow an enemy bent on destruction. Esther was such a woman (see chapter 2). Even though she was an adopted orphan, through preparation and discipline the favor of God rested upon Esther, as she was willing to be used by a holy God to save an entire people. By receiving the spirit of adoption that the Lord Jesus Christ has offered us, we will be prepared for what is ahead in the future. Even if you feel totally abandoned, know that the Lord can raise you up and prepare you for that special moment when He will use you for the advancement of His kingdom.
We are seeing a generation of Esthers arising—godly, obedient, grace-filled women who are being positioned to overthrow the enemies of the future.
Transforming Cities
Women of faith bring transformation to cities. In 2 Samuel 20 we find the story of two nations at odds. This story has rebellion, anarchy, betrayal—many of the same issues we see between nations in the world today.
The rebel Sheba had led an uprising against David that threatened the entire kingdom. One of David's mighty men, Joab, pursued Sheba to Abel of Beth Maachah, the city where Sheba was holed up. Joab's men surrounded the city and, bent on destruction, began battering the walls to bring them down.
Then a wise woman cried out from the city, "Hear, Hear! Please say to Joab, ‘Come nearby, that I may speak with you.'" When he had come near to her, the woman said, "Are you Joab?" He answered, "I am." Then she said to him, "Hear the words of your maidservant." And he answered, "I am listening" (2 Sam. 20:16,17).
Faith has a voice and wisdom that can produce change. I really like this passage because it never gives the woman's name.
This lady recognized that her city was headed for destruction. So she said to Joab, "I am among the peaceable and faithful in Israel. You seek to destroy a city and a mother in Israel. Why would you swallow up the inheritance of the LORD?" (v. 19). This statement stopped Joab and made him rethink his course of action. Why should he destroy a whole city just to overtake one rebellious individual? So he said to the lady, "Deliver Sheba into my hands, and I will depart from the city." The woman responded, "Watch, his head will be thrown to you over the wall" (v. 21). Then the woman in her wisdom went to her people, and they cut off the head of Sheba and threw it out to Joab. This caused the army to withdraw from the city.
Wow! One woman's wisdom and influence prevented the destruction of an entire city. God is now raising up unknown women who are filled with faith and who carry the Word of God in their mouths. They will become like two-edged swords, ready to speak wisdom that will alter the plans of destruction for our cities.
There are many more biblical examples of women who exercised authority that resulted in historical change. Lydia in Acts 16 is a great example of women operating in the marketplace who caused the evangelization of a nation to occur. I also love Moses' mother, whose faith saved an entire nation. Deborah was an established warrior who led an entire generation (see Judg. 4). Jael was just a normal young girl with a ready weapon in her hand who brought the final blow on the enemy of her people (see Judg. 5:24-27). Mary of Bethany displayed extravagant devotion in the midst of rebuke to practice servanthood upon our Lord (see John 12:1-8).
Women in past seasons have known they had a call to influence and transform society. Unfortunately, some attempted to enter into this authority outside the boundaries and timing of God, producing confusion and a measure of reproach upon the whole of the female gender. However, this is a time and season when God is preparing women leaders and spiritual mothers who will step up and enter into authority according to His perfect plan, His order and His timing. These are the women who will change the course of the world.
Arise, women of the faith, and transform your families, cities and nations!