PROPHETIC VISION

Hello again! 2009 is off to an accelerated start, and for me it is not only a new year but a whole new opportunity. As 2008 came to a close I had an experience that put everything in a new perspective. This is the story as written by Nancy Ravenhill:

On December 4th 2008 Robert drove to the Veteran’s Administration Hospital in Dallas, Texas so that he could have a biopsy done on his prostate. After this procedure on Thursday, Robert noticed a slight discomfort, but figured it was normal and so he returned to his home in East Texas. Two days later, on Saturday the 6th, he began to hemorrhage profusely. Ani drove Robert back to the VA Hospital in Dallas because of the amount of blood he was losing, When he got to the hospital, he was given a bed pan, and he filled it with blood. For some reason, in spite of this, the Dr. told Robert that is was normal and that he should go home and get some rest, so they drove back, and arrived home around 3:30 a.m. Sunday morning.
Before he went to bed, he had several more large amounts of blood discharges. He knew it was not normal, but hoped if he lay still it would stop. He fell asleep only to wake up an hour later to go to the bathroom, and as he got up, he passed out on the floor. Ani heard him fall and quickly ran to see what had happened. She found him unconscious and in a pool of blood on the floor. As she tried to lift Robert up, his eyes rolled back into his head and he began to convulse. She was suddenly terrified and quickly dialed 911, telling the dispatcher to call an ambulance.
By this time it was 6:00 a.m. and Robert was semi conscious. He remembers, however, the trip to Tyler in the ambulance. He felt himself floating upward and could see his own body in the ambulance bed getting smaller and smaller. He knew he must be dying, but also knew he had no control over what was happening to him. Even though he was surprised that he could look down on his body, he did not resist the experience in any way. Everything that was happening was beyond his control and there was nothing he could do.
Ani was following the ambulance and was crying out to God. A prayer deep within her screamed, “Lord, I know you love Robert, and I know he probably wants to go with you, but please don’t take him yet. I still need him, and our family needs him”. Suddenly Robert felt himself return to his body in the ambulance, and miraculously at that moment the bleeding stopped. The ambulance pulled up at Trinity Mother Francis Hospital in Tyler, Texas, and they took Robert inside directly to an emergency room. After an examination and some blood work, it was discovered that his blood count had dropped from 14.2 to 9.1, a very significant amount of blood loss. The Dr. decided to perform a colonoscopy the following day. They found out that a vein in his colon had been cut during the biopsy, and they put a clip on it even though the bleeding had stopped. He stayed in the hospital for three days where he was given the option to receive a blood transfusion, or go home and build up his own blood through rest and a high protein diet. Robert chose to go home after being informed that there was a slight chance of incurring hepatitis C or even AIDS with the transfusion, a risk he was not willing to take. He has been recovering steadily, and his blood count is increasing daily, but he remains weak and tired. He knows that the healing process will take time.

A few days later, as he was recuperating at home, he got an very interesting phone call from Molly Harrison, a young woman from Minneapolis who is a dear friend of the family. She related to him a vision she had seen while she was praying one evening. This is the vision as told by Molly:

“I saw what looked like as a type of deliberation room. The Lord was at the front, sitting in some kind of judge’s chair. Many of His angels were assembled beside Him, all looking extremely serious. As they looked toward the other side of the room, in walked Satan and some of his subordinates. They approached the Lord with some caution, but also with confidence. The Lord asked them why they had come before Him. Satan began to speak. ‘I have come about Robert Duran. I would like to discuss with you the reasons for allowing his life to end at this point’. The Lord spoke back, “what evidence or reasoning do you have for me to make a decision such as this?’ Satan answered, ‘well, he is getting older. There are many younger ones who could now take his place’. The Lord again spoke back, ‘the faithfulness and effectiveness my servant has is not based upon his age, but rather his love for me. In fact, it works quite the opposite. Every year that he gets older, his passion and zeal to see my kingdom established grows stronger. His desire to know Me more has become more and more evident in his later years. So, my dear accuser, age does not work in your favor’. Satan, who now seemed much more frustrated, came back with yet another indictment. ‘I have noticed that his heart seems to be wounded. This may prove to be quite a problem in the future as it shows possible weakness in his life and maybe a lack of strength to overcome punches by those he is acquainted with. Once again, I request for him to be replaced’. The Lord, who already knew what he was going to say, smiled and spoke back. ‘When I create a heart for someone it is whole, but firm. As their journey continues in their relationship with me, they will inevitably go through hurts and struggles. Their heart will get ‘punched’ many times, but that is why I created the heart the way I did. The more it is punched, the more it is tenderized. The firmness fades away and only warmth and sensitivity remains. His heart has been wounded many times, but through those experiences his heart has now become soft and yielding.’ Satan, growing more frustrated and angry, was once again going to rebuttal, but then a loud noise was heart throughout the courtroom. Upon hearing this noise, Satan and his followers plugged their ears and buckled to the floor. The Lord and those assembled beside Him made no movement. They had heart this sound before. Satan asked aloud, ‘what is that noise???’ One of his followers whispered back, ‘I think that’s Robert’s wife’. Satan, more determined than ever, stood back up and began to speak again. The noise, however, seemed to grow louder and louder until pieces of the walls and ceiling where Satan was standing began to crumble on to him. On the other side of the room where the Lord and the angels were, everything was intact and in order. Satan screamed, ‘make it stop! Make the noise stop!’ The noise only grew more intense. The Lord looked at him and smiled. ‘It looks like we have come to a verdict’. He then raised his mallet and slammed it down. “Case closed, my servant lives.”

What has Robert learned from this life-changing experience? The first thing is the importance of Intercessory prayer, and how powerful it is. Secondly, he never thought before this that his life was so important that it would be discussed in the courtroom of heaven between Satan and the Lord. Thirdly, Robert told us, “It’s amazing to think that the devil would actually make a bid for me! Lastly, Robert told us: “It’s exciting to know that God would actually argue over me. That to me is an exciting and beautiful thought.”
When talking about the power of prayer later, David and Robert agreed that prayer must come from a person’s heart. It is not what we say, but the way we say it. Ani was not saying anything right. She cried from her heart – and God heard and answered. Robert said “I’m just so grateful to be around”. Think of the heart ache it would have caused my family if I had died just before Christmas”.

My husband, David, reminded Robert that ‘Satan is the accuser of the brethren’. Revelation 12:10 states ” …for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night”. Zechariah 3:3 reminds us “now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments, and stood before the angel….take away the filthy garments from him…I have caused your iniquity to pass from you, and I will clothe you with a change of raiment.” We read that God defended Joshua. In the book of Job chapter one, verse six we read “now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan came also among them...” Verse 8 states “and the Lord said unto Satan, Have you considered my servant, Job….then Satan answered the Lord and said, does Job fear God for nothing?” Bidding for men’s lives happens in the courtrooms of heaven. Job lost everything he had on Earth, but won the battle. Job 42:12 completes his story with “So the Lord blessed the latter end of Job more than his beginning….”
May this scripture also declare Robert Duran’s testimony for the next twenty years: “So the Lord blessed the latter end of Robert more than his beginning….”