Onitsha, Nigeria

Friday, June 25, 2004

From the Genesis of recorded history, man's existence has been marked by the presence of enemies, both real and imagined. Even in the Bible, we read that, in the first family, one brother named Cain saw his brother Abel as an enemy and eventually slew him. The act is a representative example of the latent end result of an adversarial relationship with other people. But throughout history there have always been instances where the enemies have been real.

We have an enemy who has declared war on us; whether or not we wanted a war, we are in one. It is momentous that we decipher the enemy so that we are not flabbergasted and surpassed by him. The Bible shows that we have an enemy who is at war with us. We likewise must be aware of who the enemy is and what his capabilities are to prevent his gaining an edge. The bible enables us to understand that the devil is our enemy. What, then, are his capabilities? What weapon does he hold? How does he think? It is very important we decipher all these.

The devil in his invisible form or nature will require the visible form to carry out his activities and it is very fundamental to understand his modus operandum, which will enable us to understand the system or structures he is using to carry out the activities. According to the Messenger of Joshua Meshianic Ministry (a ministry born in 1986 with the sole objective of inheritance by grace), the strategies or programmme of the enemy include attack, mingling and dominance as against God’s programmme of light, separation and establishment.

Understanding The Programmes

In this context, light has to do with awareness of a truth. The devil on his part ensures that the light is destroyed by means of force or attack. But there is always a propensity that Elohim will restore the light. This is drawn from the biblical story of how the first family in the bible was attacked and later the light was restored in Enoch. Saul also attacked David after he had received the kingdom but at the end of it, he (David) was restored.

The second is a case of social mixture where a different cultural milieu is introduced as against an existing one with a potential endpoint of completely dissociating the affected people from their social system. By so doing, it gives the enemy the advantage to control or dominate the people in their mode of speaking, thinking, dressing etc. But Elohim has always had the last word. Thus, he separates the people through a prophet and through a prophet also, he establishes them in the land (a ministry like that of Moses, Joshua, Christ etc.), which He shall chose.

This paper will therefore look at how the devil has been able to apply these programmes in contemporary African society with the Igbo society as our focus. Can you also find in the course of these readings any indications of the issues that will prove the presence of a God-Man for this age?

The Programme Of Light/Attack

Attack is always the first strategy or programme of the enemy. The enemy attacks only after a light (an awareness) has been ignited. The programme of the devil is without doubt focused against the programme of Elohim. It is Elohim who throws the first card and the devil attacks it. The devil cannot throw the first card because it involves creation, which he cannot do. The bible has it that Elohim created the first man in His Image (full knowledge of his word)) and Likeness (the embodiment of his entire pattern). The devil attacked the first man called Adam. The light was later restored in its fullness in Enoch (see Heb. 11: 5, Jude 14). Throughout bible history, the devil has always attacked those that are elected by grace to execute the programme of Elohim. Unfortunately these people happen to be the elected descendants of Abraham.

After the destruction of the Davidic kingdom, the Jews were scattered to virtually all the corners of the globe. Even the time of Christ only witnessed the presence of two tribes. Africa south of Sahara was seen as a possible hide out from Israel’s many enemies. The people of this region settled in this region for centuries and developed their cultural, political and economic life style. The Hebrew origin of the people of west and southern Africa also goes back to biblical times. There are so many logical and practical conclusions to that effect. Such rituals like circumcision; the sprinkling of blood on altars, the division of twelve tribes, uncleanness during childbirth and menstruation are typical examples of the Hebrew origin of the people of West Africa.

"Claims of a historic presence of Jewish communities in certain regions of Africa, notably West and Southern Africa, seem esoteric when first mentioned. This presence goes back not just centuries, but even to biblical times.

George E. Lichtblau in an article entitled: Jewish roots in Africa,

The arrival of European Missionaries in Africa marked another stream of attack of the so many attacks on the Hebrew people wherever they settled. There are so many cases in the bible and even in recent history where the Jews have been the targets of attack wherever they settle. We have the biblical case of how Nebuchadnezzar destroyed the Davidic kingdom, the sacking of the temple by emperor Nero in 67-70 A.D, the expedition of the Jews from present day Middle East, the Nazi genocide, the slave trade, and even the case of the Igbo people in Nigeria, which we shall discuss later.

The arrival of European Missionaries as we are made to believe was to improve the life of the people of the continent through the gospel of Christ, which is not bad at all. But what cannot be reconciled is the manner by which they used to achieve that goal. Let us now take a look within the context of our focus, which is the Igbo society of how the devil unfortunately inspired the European Missionaries to carry out the programmme of attack.

The Igbo Society In Focus

It is very likely in recent history that no part of the world has been more anathematised than the people who happen to find themselves in the West Coast of Africa. Perhaps also, no nation in the west coast of Africa has been shrouded in so much mystery, or held in thrall or slavery by such powers of darkness as the Igbo people.

The Igbo society like its West African colleagues was severely attacked by the European Missionaries. European justification for the act include the idea that the quality of life in the region will be improved by the by their presence and direction through the gospel of Christ. They unfortunately met a people who resisted their gospel not because they hated it but because some how the two could not mix; we shall discuss this later.

Nothing is bad with the intentions of the Missionaries but what perplexes me was the use of force to spread the gospel just because their host rejected it. I cannot reconcile the European gospel with that of Christ by virtue of that act. This has made me to draw a logical conclusion that the Europeans were unfortunately inspired by the devil to attack the Igbo society as well as other African society in a bid (which the European Missionaries were not aware) to insidiously hamper the activities of Elohim through the Hebrew people of the region.

The preceding events were bloody. The people of Uga, a small village in Igbo land mourn twelve of their elders who mysteriously disappeared during those periods annually. Arochukwu people of present day Abia state still remember their encounter with the missionaries in a bloody battle. The Nri people also remember in their History how their king was at gunpoint asked to relinquish hold of several communities under his control. There are several accounts of such hostilities in the Igbo society, which I will rather spare you the details for want of convenience. But the most recent of such attack was in 1967 – 1970.

The Most Recent Attack

All along, the Igbo people lived in Nigeria as one nation but they became an adversary to Nigeria immediately they declared their intention to break away. Their intention to break away was not the first as there have been so many break away Republics in old Soviet Union. Yet the Nigerian government opposed that of the Igbo people with the assistance of their colonial master. This may have been spurred by the fact that Nigeria’s oil is located in the region, or better still (from an inexorable impetus), the devil being so wise may have seen the hand of Elohim in that break away. Thus, attack became imminent. A formal reason for the break away was nevertheless stated in the Ahiara Declaration:

“Then the worst came the genocide in which over 500,000 of our kith and kin were slaughtered in cold blood all over Nigeria and nobody asked question, nobody showed regret, nobody showed remorse. This Nigeria has become a jungle with no safety, no justice and no hope for our people.”

See Beyond Biafra, p.16

Extract of the Ahiara Declaration

From the above reason, the Igbo people have a case to break away. There are cases where America and her European allies have intervened when it concerned genocide (the deliberate extermination of a people or a nation) and it is quite encouraging and acknowledged. So why was that of Nigeria a different situation. Why was the intervention against the same people who suffered the genocide? The hand of the enemy was in it. From a prophetic conclusion, the devil (who understands Elohim better having served Him) became aware and threatened by the fact that Elohim wants to revive his people and thus, was not ready to allow that to happen.

The literal manifestation of Biafranism (Meshianic Hebrewism) was attacked from all angles for three years (see my article on “40 Days of Mourning” on the site: www.kwenu.com). By Meshianic Hebrewism, I mean a divine movement for the liberation, restoration and reconciliation of the Igbo people with consciousness in the context of redemption work of the Messiah. For those three years, the devil destroyed the light, which Elohim ignited among the Hebrew people in Diaspora (outside the chosen ministry) towards his plans in the end time. By 1970, the devil had unfortunately made use of a British-Nigeria military might to suppress the awareness. But as earlier stated, there is always a propensity that Elohim will restore the light (knowledge or awareness of the truth of His programme).

The light is true knowledge and awareness of the good intention of Elohim to establish the Hebrews world over with the promises made to Abraham and not only that, it is a global programme with a specific design to save the whole world and provide a peaceful coexistence on the basis of the wants and the doctrines of Meshianic Hebrewism.

It is the wish of Elohim therefore to restore and separate his people from the waters (European ideologies) so as to establish them in the land (Meshianic Hebrewism). We may have lost in the literal battle, which is according to pattern (that which is literal is a sketch but that which is spiritual is permanent), but we shall not be deprived now because Elohim has fully restored the God-man for this age among the Hebrew people in West Africa. We find today a déjà vu in Nigeria how Joseph was preserved in Egypt for the purpose of redemption work of the messiah of his brothers with food (the word of God) in the days of scarcity of His word.

This is therefore the whole truth of the programme of light and attack. The next programme, which is mixture and separation, will continue in part two of this paper.