Welcome to 2022, a year of freedom in Christ and a year of deep darkness upon the people
2022 will be a year of freedom in Christ (John 8v36) and a year of deep darkness upon the peoples (Isaiah 60v2).
Over the last two years an alarm has been sounding in the world and across the body of Christ, and for those who understand the times and seasons, they have used the time well to build greater spiritual resilience within themselves and a deeper intimacy with the LORD. In 2022 these people will do exploits, or as some other translations of the Bible say, ‘the people who know their God will display strength and take action.’ (Daniel 11v32b). Indeed, what appeared to be business as usual prior to the plague will be considered exploits in 2022 as the world once again shuts down.
The world will shut down again in 2022 but for several different reasons; natural disasters, as well as continuing variants of the current plague and vaccine passports will make life difficult as governments close borders and impose restrictions. More than this 2022 will see economies fail across the globe on many levels; household, city, national and regional, and as the world tries to come to terms with this an added level of confusion will come through wars and rumours of wars, predominantly out of China.
A year of deep darkness on the people
At the beginning of this year, I had a series of prophetic dreams which spoke of two main issues; a changing of the guard within the body of Christ and the planned aggression of China to establish global dominance.
China is satan’s chosen instrument for bringing down the church of Jesus Christ globally by any means. And please, when I talk about China I am talking specifically about the spirit at work in and through the Chinese Communist Party. I am not talking about any individual or group of individuals.
In one of the dreams I stepped through a door into a narrow corridor or hallway. There was a woman prostrate on the floor, barefoot and unable to move for fear. A few inches above her head stood a large tiger with teeth bared and hissing at her, ready to devour. The tiger was distracted by my entrance. I felt no fear. I felt authority rise in me concerning the situation. I stepped forward and, taking the woman by the ankles, I was able to drag her backward away from the animal and then go stand in between the two. The woman got to her feet and left through the same door I entered, and I did not see her again. The tiger and I stood looking at each other, neither giving ground and then that scene finished.
Immediately I was somewhere outside in the sunshine, and I was sat next to a tin bath, which had a tiger cub in who was taking a bath. This animal was being pampered as if it were a pet. I was distracted by something (I know not what) and my attention was turned away for a little while. When I turned back to regard this tiger cub, I realised it was dead. It had drowned in the water and then the dream ended.
Tigers in dreams represent strong evil forces, and the force behind the CCP is satanic with no regard for human life. There is much to pick apart in the two dream sequences that will help us to understand what we can expect in 2022.
I ask you to consider the following from a spiritual perspective:
2020 was the beginning of the animal cycles in the Chinese zodiac. According to one folktale, the Jade Emperor decided that the order of the animals would be determined according to the order by which they arrived at his party. The Ox had agreed to give the Rat a ride. Just as they both arrived at the door, the Rat jumped ahead of the Ox.
So, we know the rat is deceitful, cunning, and they carry plagues. February 2020 was the year of the rat. 2020 was the year that COVID went global. It has now been established that it originated from the laboratory in Wuhan, and regardless of whether it was accidental or not, there has been deceit of a high level not just from China but from other world bodies to try and hide this fact.
2021 has been the year of the ox. From scripture we know that oxen are used to plough; to prepare the ground for the seed to be sown for the harvest desired, and in 2021 we have seen the world change at an unprecedented rate. The fear of COVID, amplified through governments and health bodies has divided families, communities, and nations. Sadly, we have seen these same great divides appear within the body of Christ. Jesus said, “Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation.” (Matthew 12v25). This has been a deliberate tactic of the enemy, to sow fear that brings division.
1 February 2022 sees the commencement of the Chinese year of the tiger. This is the moment that a gear change will take place within the CCP, and global aggression will rise to unprecedented heights. This is the beginnings of China moving into other nations to dominate and takeover. The whole world will feel the repercussions. China will (as they already have) interfere with elections, and influence policy in nations where those leaders see China as the cute cub in the tub, or they have been paid off with huge sums of money.
China will go to war with nations and threaten and intimidate others. Many nations and vast swathes of the body of Christ will crumble under this influence. Nations will embrace Chinese money as the answer to their national issues. This is one of the reasons economies will collapse. Parts of the body of Christ will fold under similar pressures.
‘Woe to those nations who have entered into hidden ungodly agendas with China.
Woe to those nations who have allowed themselves to be asset stripped (Real Estate, Utilities, and banking) by China.
Woe to those African nations who covet the Yen, and those African leaders who have risen to power, only to melt at the mention of money.
China is a rapist disguised as the adulteress in the book of Proverbs. She offers no pleasure; she engages only to take from you, and your outcome will be the same.’
‘Suddenly you followed her as an ox goes to the slaughter, or as one in fetters to the discipline of a fool, until an arrow pierces through your liver; as a bird hastens to the snare, so you do not know that it will cost you your life.” (Proverbs 7v22-23)
But what of the woman in the dream sequence? She represents the fallen parts of the body of Christ. Barefoot, she once stood in the presence of God on holy ground, but having built no spiritual resilience, and having desired no continuing intimacy with her LORD she has fallen.
In 2022 large parts of the body of Christ will fall away. This is the beginnings of the parable of the wise and foolish virgins (Matthew 25) and the separation of the wheat from the tares at the end of the age (Matthew 13v24-30).
She loved the world and when things arose that directly opposed the Word and will of God she kowtowed to the intimidating voices of the day. As a result, we will see mainstream denominations split as those who are not intimidated separate themselves from those who will go along with ungodly laws and agendas contrary to the Word of God. This is the ‘pampered’ church.
And yet all is not lost. Ankles in dreams can represent strength and in 2022 intercessors and intercessory ministries will come to the fore and provide the strength needed to stand in prayer, put on the whole armour, and having done all to stand. 2022 will be the year of the intercessor.
The fallen bride that walked out of the dream will live to rise again, should she choose to, but time is short. The narrow corridor is a corridor of power that leads to the narrow gate (Matthew 7v13), and only wise virgins carry sufficient oil to overcome the tiger. This corridor of power is the battle for supremacy between satan and the Church of Jesus Christ. God, in his mercy and lovingkindness, even at this late hour is wooing His fallen beloved away from an ‘away from Me, I never knew you’ conversation into the ‘well done thou good and faithful servant’ conversation we should all aspire to (Matthew 7v23/Matthew 25v21).
Intercession will drive the body of Christ forward in this season and frustrate the enemy. The LORD has his army hidden, and many will not understand them for they crave the secret place and have no desire for public platforms. This is an invisible army that will leave many on both sides scratching their heads because they are a people who seek no human recognition for anything they achieve in prayer, fully acknowledging that any accomplishment was the LORD’s doing and that they are storing up for themselves treasures in heaven. The world will learn of these exploits and miracles, but when Christian and secular media want to cover the story, they will meet with vessels of the LORD who have no interest in giving their account to them.
These intercessors will resemble the three mighty men who broke through the Philistine camp to draw water from the well of Bethlehem because David had a craving (2 Samuel 23v15-17). Their intercessions will create such accumulated noise in the spirit realm that their sound will break through into this natural realm and cause whole armies to abandon camp and flee in terror (2 Kings 7v6-8).
There is a cautionary note here though. As intercession frustrates China, China will become more aggressive and erratic in its behaviour. This in turn will unsettle other nations. Some will act out of panic and others will see it as opportunity, but either way the world should expect to experience/witness a nuclear strike somewhere around the world in 2022, not necessarily directly connected to China. I have used the term ‘should expect’ rather than ‘will’ because at this time I have not yet heard from the LORD whether intercession can prevent this occurrence.
This is not the only darkness that will envelope the globe in 2022, for Isaiah 60 talks of deep darkness upon the peoples. There is one further element of darkness about to accelerate across the globe and that is the rewriting of truth.
We have recently seen an attempt to rewrite history with the pulling down of statues and critical race theory, but this is the thin end of a deliberate wedge. The rewriting of truth dovetails with China’s agenda and one will dominate the news headlines as the other sneaks into our lives unseen.
This is the spirit that worked in and through the Chaldeans in the Old Testament and is just as it is described in the book of Habakkuk.
‘For behold, I am rousing up the Chaldeans, that bitter and impetuous nation who march through the breadth of the earth to take possession of dwelling places that do not belong to them.
[The Chaldeans] are terrible and dreadful; their justice and dignity proceed [only] from themselves.’
‘They all come for violence; their faces turn eagerly forward, and they gather prisoners together like sand.
They scoff at kings, and rulers are a derision to them; they ridicule every stronghold, for they heap up dust [for earth mounds] and take it.
Then they sweep by like a wind and pass on, and they load themselves with guilt, [as do all men] whose own power is their god.’
Habakkuk 1v6-7, 9-11 AMP
There is a self-appointed, self-proclaiming group of people who consider themselves to be the elite, and right at the cutting edge of saving all humanity from impending destruction. This Chaldean spirit has no regard for human life either, except for the element known as ‘self.’
In the area of science and digital technology these Chaldeans have seated themselves above kings and governments as self-appointed advisors, just as Jesus said of the scribes and Pharisees having seated themselves in the seat of Moses (Matthew 23v2). They have created a space for themselves, neither having the heart or the mind of Christ to fulfil their role. They have bamboozled leaders with their statistics and notions, and as we read in Habakkuk, the power they have usurped has become their God.
These people have their own language. Babel was a city of the Chaldeans and aside from their ungodly ambitions and wanting to make a name for themselves, they were distinguished by the fact they had their own language too. When God came down to see for Himself, He didn’t deal with their construction efforts, He confused their language. As tall as the tower was to be, its foundations would have been even deeper. This is what we are seeing now, the foundations of a language where the lie has become the truth, preparing the way for the father of lies and his kingdom.
These people have embraced the promise of satan he used to tempt Jesus.
Then the devil, taking Him up on a high mountain, showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time.
And the devil said to Him, “All this authority I will give You, and their glory; for this has been delivered to me, and I will give it to whomever I wish.
Therefore, if You will worship before me, all will be Yours.”
Luke 4v5-7 NKJV
These Chaldeans have carved out for themselves a seat at the table where they are able to control the flow of information and knowledge around the globe, and to influence nations in such a manner that all accumulated knowledge up until now can be rewritten according to their own agenda. This will affect all areas of society as the new truths of science, technology, history, politics, and finance abound.
This is the generation that have exchanged the truth for a lie and worship their own creation rather than the creator (Romans 1v25).
The generation entering education for the first time will know no different. They are the ones being prepared for the revealing of satan, the false prophet and the beast. They will have no knowledge of what it was like in the old days.
The generation currently passing through education will have to deal with seismic paradigm shifts in their understanding that two plus two no longer equals four.
The older generation will understand that the new truth is a lie but will feel powerless to do anything about it. It will be illegal to speak out as these new truths will be embedded in law and anyone who speaks out against them will be silenced.
Poor mental ill health will abound as confusion embeds itself in the hearts and minds of people, but that is no problem for the Chaldeans. Their answer will be, “We have a pill for that… actually we have a chip for that.”
This is the deep darkness that will settle on the people in 2022.
And yet there is still good news for Isaiah says of those who know their God.
For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and deep darkness the people; but the LORD will arise over you, and His glory will be seen upon you.
The Gentiles shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising.
Isaiah 60v2-3 NKJV
It is time for the body of Christ to rise and yet in the dream sequence the bride fell, so what is the measuring line or plumb line for those who will stand and those who will fall? The answer is found in the story of Abram and Lot in Genesis 13.
So Abram said to Lot, “Please let there be no strife between you and me, and between my herdsmen and your herdsmen; for we are brethren.
“Is not the whole land before you? Please separate from me. If you take the left, then I will go to the right; or if you go to the right, then I will go to the left.”
And Lot lifted his eyes and saw all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered everywhere (before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah) like the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt as you go toward Zoar.
Then Lot chose for himself all the plain of Jordan, and Lot journeyed east. And they separated from each other…
And the LORD said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him: “Lift your eyes now and look from the place where you are – northward, southward, eastward, and westward;
“for all the land which you see I give to you and your descendants forever….
Arise, walk in the land through its length and its width, for I give it to you.”
Genesis 13v8-11, 14-15, 17 NKJV
This passage is a picture of what has happened in the world and in the hearts of many in the body of Christ over the last two years or so.
Lot means veil. The confusion of the last couple of years has thrown a veil over the hopes, dreams, and God-given promises of many. As the world changed and this veil came into our homes and hearts, what was once clear has become clouded and distant. Many in the body of Christ have given up on the things God has called them to do and the people He has called them to be. What was once in touching distance and alive in their spirits no longer enters their thinking. They have given up on God thinking He has given up on them. They have exchanged the truth for a lie.
Others have held fast to their hopes dreams and promises even though they look increasingly impossible, hoping against hope that God will make a way… and He will!
Lot separated from Abram and took the land that had been promised to Abram from the very beginning. For some the pressures of the last two years have taken their toll and knowingly or unknowingly they have traded their God given promises for peace with the devil. Lot separated from Abram and took the best of the land, and for the people of God they have allowed the devil to take the best of their dreams so that there is no further strife… But the devil is a liar and strife for those who entered into agreement will continue.
So now as we end 2021 and many covid restrictions have lifted and a certain level of normality has returned, hope has returned with it, but the veil remains over the best of the land. The scripture describes the land Lot took as like the garden of the LORD. Eden was God’s delightful place; an area fenced off for us and it was His delight to place Adam there. It is our promised land.
Let us remember that the plain of Jordan was the same place Joshua crossed over to and camped before taking Jericho. In this same spot Abram and Joshua went through a similar process. Firstly, they had to look up, and then they had to hear the Word of the LORD, and the Word to both was that the land had been given to them, even though Jericho was tightly shut up and the veil (Lot) was over the plain of Jordan.
A year of freedom in Christ for those who truly know their God
The Word to us for 2022 is this. The land is ours to occupy. If you can see it, you can have it, BUT you must now arise (Isaiah 60v1-3) and you must now walk through the land (Genesis 13v17). The crossing of the Jordan happens at Midnight on the 31 December 2021. Joshua and his army crossed in full armour, ready for battle and so must we. We must be prepared. Jericho fell when the Angel of the LORD pointed His sword at Jericho. His sword is the sword of the Spirit (which is the Word of God) and we have that same sword at our disposal.
The world will shutdown in 2022 and borders will close but for those who know their God… Who truly know their God, this will be their greatest season yet. They will do exploits and the world will want to know how they did what they did.
The last two years have been a preparation for what is about to unfold. God has allowed world events to shape and mould our character and separate out the lukewarm from those who deeply desire intimacy with Him. In 2 Kings 13 Elisha hands the king an arrow and tells him to strike the ground. He doesn’t tell him why or how to go about it. This simple ‘no frills’ instruction was designed to expose to the king his own hunger and zeal for God. He strikes the ground three times and stops. Elisha becomes angry and explains to the king that he should’ve struck the ground six or seven times and then he would’ve destroyed his enemy but now he will only be victorious on three occasions. The last two years have seen a similar prophetic unfolding, exposing to ourselves the levels of hunger and zeal we have for God.
If you only struck the ground three times and gave up 2022 will be a frustrating year for you. I fear for you, but I pray for you that you would return to your first love. He is waiting and there is redemption and there is mercy. You will come again, but you must come with a heart to serve and not be served. You must come with a hunger as there is a great harvest to be gathered. From here on in the world only gets darker, but we shine brighter and brighter. Make a quality decision today to let your light shine before men.
If you persisted in striking the ground with your arrow, and your hunger and zeal for the things of God have gone from strength to strength over the last couple of years I salute you. You have been strategically placed for greater glory. You have permission to go and do exploits.
I finish with the last words of Habakkuk who describes 2022 in the last few verses of his book.
Though the fig tree does not blossom and there is no fruit on the vines, [though] the product of the olive fails and the fields yield no food, though the flock is cut off from the fold and there are no cattle in the stalls,
Yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will exult in the [victorious] God of my salvation!
The Lord God is my strength, my personal bravery, and my invincible army; He makes my feet like hind’s feet and will make me to walk [not to stand still in terror, but to walk] and make [spiritual] progress upon my high places [of trouble, suffering, or responsibility]!
Habakkuk 3v17-19 AMP
Our usual sources of resources may dry up in 2022 but God will show Himself strong on our behalf. If He needs us to be somewhere in the world, He will get us there. Borders may close, meetings may become illegal, but for those who do not love there life to death and are prepared to risk all for the sake of the Kingdom, miracles await!
Normal church and missions work may have to become clandestine in nature as ungodly spirits rise to take control and outlaw Christianity, but we must take our stand in the corridor of power, and in this corridor of time and never back down.
Welcome to 2022. This is our year!
Andy Rudge
International Rescue Intercessory Prayer and Mission CIC
Stourport-on-Severn, UK
31 December 2021