The Diseased Garden

A prophecy given to Steve Kimes in 1996, in Portland, Oregon:

A Rose Garden
The Lord showed me a rose garden. There were thousands of branches, and tens of thousands of flowers. But most of the flowers were brown, many of them had bugs or were diseased. The Lord told me, "This is the church of the West today. While it seems to be flourishing, the reality is that most of it is diseased. While it has the semblance of being alive, it is dying." Then the Lord showed me the same garden, some time later. Every single branch had been pruned. Out of the tens of thousands of flowers there were only a few buds left. "This is how today’s church will look if it continues on as it is presently. I shall have to prune the church, and very little of it will be left. Only if the church gets rid of the diseases that are plaguing it will it again flourish."

A Ruined Wood
The Lord showed me a garden full of trees. Once the trees were green and flourishing—then a winter storm took hold of it and crushed it. The ice bowed many of the trees down, and they crashed under the weight. "Again," said the Lord, "this is my church. It will be like a forest, crushed to the ground, unless they release themselves of the weight that is destroying it."

The First Disease: Upward Mobility
What is destroying the church? I asked. The Lord, the God of the Kingdom said, "Three diseases. The first is upward mobility. My Son taught that to be great, one had to accept the lowest position. But all the leaders in the church think that they need to raise themselves higher and higher in order to be great. They want to be like politicians, like the leaders of the Gentiles. So very, very few wish to be like Jesus—to sacrifice themselves totally for the sake of the kingdom of God. They teach, ‘Give yourselves over to God, but not too much—keep something for your own self-preservation.’ That is not the way of my Son. My Son taught, ‘The one who loses his life shall save it to eternal life.’ They want power and glory—but my Son said that those who would come after him would take up the cross of shame and rejection. They do not want the way of Jesus—they want the way of the world.

The Second Disease: Greed
"The second disease is desire for wealth. My Son showed that to have the resources to build the Kingdom is to depend on the Father. But the philosophy of the church is, ‘Let us gather the resources of the world and we will use it for God.’ The Christians of the world are looking to use their money and possessions for themselves first, and perhaps they will give some to their wealthy church. But my Son taught that those who looked to gain the wealth of this age will prove to be those who do not endure to the end. The Christians of this world work their jobs in order to gain money as the source of their livelihood. Yet the Christ taught that one cannot do slave-service to both God and money. They do not want the resources of God—they want the resources of the world.

The Third Disease: Apathy Toward the Needy
"The third disease is apathy to the poor. My Son taught to sell your possessions and give to the poor. But the church thinks nothing of building a three million dollar auditorium, while not even praying for the homeless or the immigrant or the refugee—let alone offering a few some space in the heated auditorium during winter. The church has words of judgement for the poor—‘Why don’t they get a job? Why don’t they do something productive? We want proof that we aren’t being taken advantage of!’ My Son said that the one without sin could be free to cast the first stone. You may speak of the poor ‘misusing’ the few dollars you cast aside to them, once you have recognized that you have misused the thousands I have given you on your own greed. Surrender your wealth to the needy, and judge not. But the church does not want to welcome the people of faith—they want the approval of the world."

The Cure: Repent!
The message to the church is simple: repent. The Lord of the Church says to the Christians of the United States: "Repent of your upward mobility and seek to be downwardly mobile. Take on the lowest positions and use all your resources to do service for the humble. Repent of your greed. Be rid of your possessions and stop seeking for more money. Depend instead on my resources which are greater than you can imagine—or drain. Repent of your apathy. Have compassion for the needy—whoever and wherever they may be—and use your time and resources to give the needy some help. Repent of your adultery! I am jealous and I lust after my own—yet you are seeking the world!

Destruction of the Church
"Should this message of repentance not be heeded, then the church as it currently exists will be destroyed. The leadership will be no more, and it will have to begin again. I have disciplined my church before—causing the destruction of thousands—and I will do it again, if I have to, only millions will be effected. Heed my warning and you shall endure."

This warning was sent in 1996 to James Dobson of Focus on the Family. Dr. Dobson’s letter-readers misunderstood it and then passed on a two-line summary of what they did understand to Dr. Dobson. According to the prophecy, Focus on the Family will itself be destroyed, and James Dobson will be discredited, unless they repent in these areas. It would do them well to pay attention to the word of Jesus.