I heard the Lord say, “History will repeat itself in France.”
These words come in the wake of an uproar in the European nation and several murders, including a beheading of a middle school teacher in a Paris suburb, a knife attack on three people at a Nice church that left three dead.
France's President Emmanuel Macron calls the incidents “Islamist terrorist attacks.” On Thursday, Macron announced he was more than doubling the number of soldiers deployed in the country to protect against attacks, sending 7,000 to guard schools and religious sites, according to USA Today.
The attacks are connected to a French satirical newspaper named Charlie Hebdo and its cartoons of Islam’s founder Muhammed. The beheaded teacher had shown the offensive cartoon to students. Five years ago, Charlie Hebdo was firebombed in an attack that killed six staff members, but the newspaper is intent on sharing its ideals about the Islamic extremism.
The Prophesied Rise of Islamic Violence
On New Year’s Eve 2019, I prophesied into 2020: “Radical Islamists will push for power through violence, which is nothing new, but more horrifying violence is planned.” We are seeing this horrifying violence play out in France right now, at least the first fruits of it.
To combat this quest for extremist power, Macron launched a campaign against political Islam and what he calls Islamist “separatism” in some French cities, according to the Financial Times.
“The republic must keep its promises, we must fight against discrimination, we must put meritocracy everywhere,” he said. “But on the other side we must fight against separatism, because when the republic does not keep its promises, others try to replace it.”
Islamic separatism, as he sees it, works to form a counter-society in France. A counter society is one that reject or oppose the dominant values and behavior of mainstream society. This is troubling as France has the largest population of Muslims in Western Europe.
Amid concerns from Muslims that France is trying to control its their faith, Macron’s campaign includes restrictions on imams being sent to France from abroad, monitoring organizations that could be a front for extreme Islamist teaching, and more oversight into foreign financing of mosques.
What Kind of History Will Repeat Itself?
It is against this backdrop that I heard the Lord say, “History will repeat itself in France.” So the question is, which history will repeat itself?
Right now, Islamic attacks are rising, repeating history. The first incidents of Islamic terrorism in France date back to 1994, when an armed Islamic terrorist group hijacked an Air France flight. Amid its European counterparts, France has been the most prevalent target with 130 killed in November 2015 Islamist terror attacks, 86 killed in the Nice truck attack. The attacks have continued and seem to be amping up again.
Could it grow worse? I believe without intercession, it will. The BBC reports some Muslims are reacting angrily to Macron’s proposals. French human rights activist Yasser Louati tweeted, “The repression of Muslims has been a threat, now it is a promise.”
Muslim-inspired terror attacks is the history we’re seeing repeat itself right now. But that’s not the history God wants to see repeated in France. Since the Lord spoke these words to me, a Greek Orthodox priest was seriously wounded in a sawed-off shotgun attack in Lyon, France. Motives are yet unknown, but the spirit of terror is raging.
Will God’s History Repeat Itself in France?
Revival wind hit France around 1100 AD through the Albigenses, known as “reformers before the reform.” Another group called the Waldenses were evangelistic reformers that took the gospel into Spain, Germany, Poland and Bohemia.
Of course, we must remember the Huguenots, French Protestants whose numbers rose to about 2 million by 1562 and openly displayed their faith despite persecution. France also saw an awakening in the late 19th Century and Pentecostalism spread there in the early 20th Century.
France’s Christian heritage is indeed rich—and France has seen more than its fair share of terror attacks dating all the way back to Christmas Eve 1800 when a bombing left 22 dead and over 50 injured. All told, there were seven deadly terror attacks in France in the 1800s.
In April 2017, I heard the Lord say:
“The enemy has marked France for destruction because of its spiritual heritage. If My intercessors will rise up and build a spiritual wall around the nation—raise up impenetrable borders around the country through repentance and praise—I myself will raise up a standard that will stem the tide of this onslaught. I myself will rise up and cause France’s enemies to be scattered. I myself will empower the politicians and police with strategies to eradicate terrorists from the land and thwart future attacks. I myself will do it. So begin to pray now with greater fervor because lives are at stake, economies are at stake, and your spiritual heritage is at stake. Begin to cooperate now with My grace and My agenda and My plan for your nation and I myself will fight with you and for you.”
We must pray for the enemy’s plans to be thwarted and God’s will to be done in France. There is a heritage of revival in France and this is the kind of fire I am contending for. Let's push back the darkness and contend for revival. Will you join me?
- Pray intercessors will rise up and combat terror in the spirit.
- Pray the spirit of terror does not cover Christians in France.
- Pray prayer warriors will tap into the Holy Spirit wisdom they need to battle this violence.
- Pray criminals would be brought to justice.
- Pray as the Holy Spirit leads.
- Pray for revival and awakening in France.
- Pray for souls in France.
I’m looking to raise up 1,000 prayer leaders in the nations of the earth. Are you one of them? If you can pray, I can teach you to lead. Join the Awakening Prayer Hubs movement at awakeningprayerhubs.com.
