5780 in the Hebrew calendar and 2020 in the Gregorian calendar was the beginning of a new era for the nations. This new era which begins with 5780 the decade of the mouth or pey, was accompanied by the 2 Chronicles 20:20 declaration, believe the prophets and you shall be established. The year was the beginning of something brand new that God is birthing in the earth and just like with everything biblically that God births, the enemy seeks to destroy it, delay it or discredit it. This new era is no different.

Chuck Pierce, possibly one of the more credible prophetic voices in our generation said Revelation 12 has marked this new era just like it did with Moses’s birth, for he was the beginning of a new era, Jesus’s birth another new era starter, just to name a few. Whenever God is birthing something new, the enemy wants to Revelation 12 it. We have entered an era where it is a narrative war.

Some evidence of this narrative war we are in has do with new phrases being spoken like, digital soldiers, psy ops and narrative shapers. Is it any wonder the phrase fake media has become common language in the nations? We have entered a narrative war, for this is the era of the mouth, it is a pey season in Hebrew. Not only is it the war over the prophetic words that have been spoken, it is a war for the narrative of the nations. Whose voice is going to triumph, that is the war we are in.

Is it any wonder, Revelation 12 is famous for the words “And they overcame him (the devil) by the blood of the lamb (Passover), and by the word of their testimony (Pey), and they did not love their lives even unto death (Persecution). Passover was all about whose words would prevail, Pharoh’s or Moses’? We know from history the words of God in Moses’ mouth prevailed, henceforth the first Passover. The second battle was when Jesus was born, the persecution was intense from the moment the star landed over his home in Bethlehem, they killed all the babies two years and under from go and it kept going from there, henceforth the persecution that ended in a crucifixion. Thirdly, this is the battle we are in, the words of their testimony, whose testimony? We have been taught it is our testimony and it is, but who is the “theirs” in the verse? The “theirs” in this verse is the Jews that were living in that day. It is the testimony of God’s faithfulness to Israel, it is the testimony of the word of God with which we overcome. Our personal testimony adds to “their” testimony and packs a powerful punch, but “their” testimony, the word of God is what overcomes the devil.

What is happening right now is indicative of what happens when the prophetic balloons beyond the word of God. We know biblically that Moses said, oh that all of God’s people would be prophets (Numbers 11:29); and the apostle Paul said, we were to desire spiritual gifts, especially that we may prophesy (1 Corinthians 14:1). We need the prophetic, but we lack understanding about the prophetic, therefore we have confusion in the camp and it is causing division. All people can prophecy means everyone is biblically mandated to exhort, edify and comfort (1 Corinthians 14: 3), this does not take being able to hear the voice of God with accuracy, this just means you know the heart of God. Paul said in Ephesians 4:29, do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouth, but only that which edifies or builds up the body of Christ. This is how everyone is supposed to prophecy.

On the other side of this prophetic coin is the role of the prophet. The prophet, which is a specific gift given to some people from Jesus Himself, for Paul says in Ephesians 4:11 says, He Himself (Jesus) gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers. The key word is some, the some were given to equip the all until we all come to maturity and are all able to edify (Ephesians 4:12-13).

The ballooning that is bringing the pruning is because one, we thought we were more mature as a body than we really are; two we moved out of edification into prophetic determination and declaration about what we thought, not necessarily what God said; and three because to be prophetic was to be popular.

Ballooning “prophecies” included inflated words about prosperity in order to get people to follow the “prophet”. Other ballooning issues were prophesying what other prophets prophesied, but when that prophecy did not come to pass in the prescribed time on earth, the “prophets” retracted their “prophetic” words. Ballooning is what has brought about the need for pruning.

Jesus said in John 15, “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit. You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. I am the vine and you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.”

The Father is pruning the branches that were ballooning because they were not bearing fruit. He is not throwing them into the fire and neither should we, but He is pruning them and if they submit to His pruning, they will bear even more fruit than before the pruning began. For many their need for pruning was made public, but that does not give the body the right to cast stones as though we do not need pruning ourselves. Just because God is pruning us privately, it is not less of a pruning than for those He has revealed He is pruning publicly.

I personally am loving this new era we are in for many reasons, one being because there is a narrative reformation happening on all 7 mountains of society. As the new narrative gain’s momentum away from the death structures we have heard for so many years, I believe we are going to not only hear “Prophets” that Jesus chose speak only the words God speaks, but we are going to hear everyone in the body of Christ speak with edification, comfort and exhortation in order to spur each other on to good deeds. We are living in the best days of our lives, but we must go through the pruning, because we were ballooning.