The Final Conflict

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We all know that throughout Biblical history, God on 
occasion spoke to His servants through visions and 
dreams. On the day of Pentecost, Peter quoted from the 
prophet Joel: 

And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I 
will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh; and your sons 
and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young 
men shall see visions, AND YOUR OLD MEN SHALL 
DREAM DREAMS. Acts 2:17 

On July 9,1970 the Lord spoke to me in a spiritual 
dream. He made it clear to me that I was to minister the 
truth shown to me through this dream. I pray that it 
will be a blessing and inspiration to you as it has been 
to many others with whom it has been shared. 

The Dream 

As the dream began I found myself entering a large 
stadium. 

The stands were completely filled with people, and 
there was an air of excitement and expectancy over 
what was about to take place. It was to be a baseball 
game, and I was to be one of the players. I was already 
in my uniform. The uniform my team was red and 



white. I saw members of the opposing team and they 
were dressed in black and white uniforms. 

As I moved onto the field I realized that all of my 
teammates were on the sideline in a heated controversy 
with all of the members of the opposing team. I wanted 
no part in the rhubarb and walked onto the field, 
hoping that the others would soon join me there. As I 
moved onto the field one of the opposing team 
members moved out with me. My mind was filled with 
concern to get on with the engagement. From the 
position of the sun I knew there were about two hours 
of daylight remaining. The action must get started soon. 

Finally the argument on the sideline broke up, and the 
teams began to take their positions. Our team was to be 
in the field and the opposing team at bat. I had walked 
out into left field realizing that I had not yet been given 
an assignment as to the position I would play. I looked 
for my coach and saw that he was in the middle of the 
field. He motioned for me to cover third base, and I 
immediately took my position there. 

Our team began to “talk it up”, as they say. We were all 
shouting words of encouragement to one another and 
getting into the spirit of the engagement Next, we began 
doing our limbering-up exercises -stretching our arms, 
flexing our knees and bending our backs. It was now 
time for the game to get started. 

The pitcher threw the first ball across the plate. The 
opposing batter slashed into it with all his might. He hit 



a very high, fly ball. I watched it as it went high over 
my head and back, back, back falling foul outside the 
playing field. Fear gripped my heart. I thought, “If all of 
their players are that strong what chance do we have?” 

I realized that I must be very alert. I shifted my weight 
from foot to foot. If the next ball should come in my 
direction I must be as agile as a cat ready to spring in 
any direction to catch the ball and get the player out. At 
this point the dream ended. When I woke up and began 
to recall the dream my initial reaction was one of 
disappointment. I love baseball and was disappointed 
that I did not get to finish the dream. 

The Interpretation 

A spiritual dream cannot be figured out - it must be 
interpreted. As the Holy Spirit recalled the dream to me 
the next morning He began to give me the 
interpretation. I grabbed a pencil and paper and began 
to write the interpretation as fast as I could. The whole 
thing was made clear in a few moments time. It was 
written out without interruption just as the Spirit was 
giving it to me. 

The playing field represented the whole world. The 
stands filled with spectators is the picture presented in 
Hebrews 12:1. 

Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so 
great a cloud of witnesses ... 

The Lord told me that those in the stands were the great 



cloud of witnesses. They were all of the Christians who 
have ever lived and were now looking down upon the 
world from their heavenly position. All of the 
patriarchs and saints of the Old and New Testament 
eras were in the stands. There were Abraham, Jacob, 
Isaac, Joseph, David, Daniel, Jeremiah, Isaiah, Peter, 
James and John and all the rest. They were the ones 
who had been in the “pennant races” in former 
generations. Many of them had done well and were in 
the “hall of fame” as recorded in Hebrews chapter 
eleven. They were looking with keenest of anticipation 
to see how those of us on the field in this generation 
would do. 

Then the Lord said to me, “THIS IS THE WORLD SERIES! 
THIS IS THE FINAL CONFLICT BETWEEN THE FORCES 
OF EVIL AND THE FORCES OF RIGHTEOUSNESS. THIS 
IS TO DETERMINE THE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP!” 

Then I was told the meaning of the uniforms. Our 
uniforms were red and white. Red represents the blood 
of Jesus. It marks us as those who belong to the Lord. 
The blood speaks of our power in Christ Jesus. “They 
overcame him (Satan) by the blood of the Lamb ...” 

(Rev. 12:11). The white speaks of purity. Those on the 
Lord’s team today must be, marked by purity. The Spirit 
is laying strong emphasis upon personal holiness and 
practical righteousness. This is no time to be walking 
with one foot in the world and the other in the 
Kingdom of God! 


The opposing team was dressed in black and white. 



Black is the symbol of evil. It characterizes Satan and 
his evil works. The opposing team was clearly identified 
as the Devil and his host of demon spirits. I was 
puzzled. The devil’s team also had white in its 
uniforms. What could this mean? While the question 
was being formed in my mind the Spirit was giving 
answer... The black and white represents a mixture of 
evil and good. Satan never comes at us with all 
blackness and evil. He comes to us with white as well. 
The black and white represents a mixture of truth and 
error. This is one of Satan’s greatest strategic mixtures. 
Today, as never before, there is a mixture of good and 
evil; truth and error. 

Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter 
times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to 
seducing spirits and doctrines of devils. I Tim. 4:1 

Why was I in this conflict? The Lord showed me that 
my presence in the encounter was that of a 
representative person. I was representative of the many 
Christians who are moving onto the field of spiritual 
conflict to carry the offensive against the forces of hell. 

I inquired, “But, Lord, why are all of my teammates on 
the sideline in an argument with the opposing team?” 
The Lord explained that this is just another tactic of the 
enemy. He tries to get God’s people on the sideline, and 
out of the main action and keep them tied up. He 
showed me that this represents the divisions of 
denominational Christianity. The devil has Christians on 
the sideline defending their own doctrines and 



traditions, little realizing that they have been deceived 
by the devil. It is time for God’s people to come into a 
unity and get on with the business at hand! In reality 
this is what is happening as a result of the great 
outpouring of the Holy Spirit throughout the world 
today. 

My concern was that the day was about over. Only a 
couple of hours of daylight remained. Truly, the night is 
coming when no man can work. We are living in the 
final hours of human history. We must make every 
minute count. We must realize that as Christians we 
must get onto the field and defeat Satan and his hosts. 

Finally the teams began to move onto the field. One 
man does not make a team! The phase of church life 
that we are moving into requires team work... unity! 
The Lord then reminded me that there were nine 
players on a baseball team. The number nine suggests 
the nine gifts of the Spirit and the nine fruits of the 
Spirit. Those on the Lord’s team in this final conflict 
with the forces of Satan will be operating under the 
direction of the Holy Spirit, The gifts of the Spirit - the 
word of wisdom, the word of knowledge, faith, the gifts 
of healing, the working of miracles, prophecy, 
discerning of spirits, kinds of tongues and the 
interpretation of tongues (See I Cor. 12:8-10) - will 
operate in their ministry. The fruit of the Spirit - love, 
joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 
meekness, temperance - will be in evidence. (See Gal. 
5:22,23). Praise the Lord! He is bringing His team onto 
the field in our day. It is a Spirit-filled team. The gifts of 



the Spirit are being restored to the church. The fruits 
are being evidenced among God’s people as never 
before. The barriers which have separated us and kept 
us side-lined for so long are being overcome. 
Denominational barriers are crumbling. Dividing 
doctrinal questions are being buried. Jesus is Lord! We 
are experiencing the flow of love. We are on common 
ground. We can worship and minister together under 
the Holy Spirit. 

When I moved onto the field an opposing team member 
moved out with me. In actual experience I moved onto 
the field of conflict when I experienced the Holy Spirit. 
It was then that I was endued with power and became a 
threat to the devil. It was after that experience that the 
gifts of the Spirit began to operate in my ministry, and 
most of the resultant power was directed at the devil. 
The baptism in the Holy Spirit certainly did not spell an 
end to my problems - in truth my problems seemed 
greater than ever. Overnight most of my friends 
became enemies who rejected me and accused me of 
pride and deception. Fear gripped my heart and I 
wondered what would become of me. The demon 
powers had moved onto the field to counter me! 

At this point I was standing in left field. Do you know 
what it means to be in left field? This expression has 
been used to describe a person who is confused and 
does not know where he is. I knew I was in the conflict 
and on the field but had no idea what my part was. This 
adequately and graphically describes my dilemma 
following the baptism in the Holy Spirit. Does not this 



describe a lot of Christians? They are in left field. They 
have never really found the will of God for their lives. 
They are wandering aimlessly. They are of no real help 
to the team. The place they are to fill is left empty. 

There is a gap in the ranks. But the Coach is there ready 
to give direction! Who is the Coach? He is the Holy 
Spirit. And where is He to be found? This was a strange 
feature of the dream. Ordinarily the coach is on the 
sidelines or in the dugout. But here the coach was right 
in the middle of the field. Where is the Holy Spirit 
today? He is right in the very midst of us. He is there to 
give us direction as we look to Him. He showed me that 
I was to be at third base. We will come to the meaning 
of this in a moment. 

The various team members were quickly finding their 
positions. The game would soon be underway. We 
began to shout words of encouragement to one another. 
Oh, what a beautiful picture of the church. 

And let us consider one another to provoke unto love 
and good works: Not forsaking the assembling of 
ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but 
exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see 
the day approaching. Heb. 10: 24,25 

Then began our exercises. The Lord showed me that the 
physical exercises of ball players parallel the Christian’s 
spiritual exercises. If we are to stay in shape for 
spiritual conflict we must follow the rules and 
disciplines of spiritual exercise flexing our knees in 
prayer, lifting our arms in praise, bending our backs in 



worship! Hallelujah! The participants in a world 
championship conflict will always be in top condition. 
Let it not be said of us that... 

The children of this world are in their generation wiser 
than the children of light. Luke 16: 8b 

If men in the sports arena can discipline their lives and 
stay in the best of condition to achieve an earthly 
crown, how much more should the Christian pay the 
price to be fully prepared for the greatest conflict of all 

Now, it was time for the conflict to begin. God showed 
me that our team was in the field on the defense. He 
told me that I His people had been in this position long 
enough. It was time to take the upper hand of the devil 
and get on the offensive. A good defense is important, 
but it is the offensive team that scores. Through 
spiritual warfare the church is taking the offensive 
today. Demons are being cast out. Principalities and 
powers of spiritual darkness are being assailed and 
defeated. Jesus once said... 

If I with the finger of God cast out devils, no doubt the 
kingdom of God is come upon you. Luke 11:20 

This is the day of spiritual battle and spiritual victory. 
Before the Kingdom of God can ever become a reality in 
your life or mine, the forces of hell that beset us must 
be faced and overcome. Before the church can fulfill 
that which the Lord prophesied concerning His 
victorious church (Matt. 16:18) it must take the 



offensive against the devil. The message and practice of 
spiritual warfare is spreading rapidly today throughout 
the church. The devil is being resisted and he is forced 
to flee. For the first time we are seeing the backside of 
the devil. It is a beautiful sight! 

I am reminded of the story of the boys who were 
playing ball out in a field one day. A man was passing 
by. He asked one of the boys how the game was going. 
The boy replied that it was going fine. The man 
inquired as to the score. The boy said it was 35 to 0. The 
man wanted to know in whose favor. The boy said that 
it was in favor of the other team. Then the man 
commented that the boy’s team was getting beaten very 
badly. The boy looked puzzled and said, “Oh, no, Sir! 
We are not getting beat.” Now the man was puzzled. He 
wanted to know how the boy figured that they were not 
being defeated when they were behind 35 to 0. 

Whereupon the boy explained, “Sir, we haven’t come to 
bat yet.” 

What a picture of the church! The devil has been 
running up the score. But now it is time for the church 
to take the offensive and defeat the devil. Amen! 

Then the first ball was pitched. The opposing batter hit 
the ball very hard. The ball went very high and far but 
fell foul. The Lord said, “I want to show you the work of 
the enemy. It is like that ball that was hit. The enemy 
does have some power. And what he does is often very 
high and impressive, but it is ‘foul’ all the way.” 



The fear that struck my heart is common to many of 
God’s servants when they see all that the devil is doing. 
They wonder if there is any chance of victory. They 
begin to think in terms of being caught off in a rapture. 
But God is not bringing forth that kind of a church! He 
is Lord of a militant church. He has been waiting for a 
generation like ours to take the field. Under his 
leadership it will be done. The enemy will be defeated. 
Are you on the team? Are you taking the offensive 
against the devil? 

I realized at this point in the dream that I must be 
ready. I must be my best. I must be able to move in any 
direction required and get the opponent out. 

See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as 
wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. 

Eph. 5:15,16 

The dream seemed to have ended prematurely. I 
inquired of the Lord as to why I was not permitted to 
see the finish of the game. The Lord asked me in return 
why I wanted to see it through to the end. I explained 
that I was desirous of knowing the outcome. The Lord 
then said a beautiful thing to me, “Son”, He said, “you 
do not need to know the outcome; you already know it. 
My Word has promised you that you are on the winning 
team. It will be even as I have said. No, you do not need 
to know the outcome, but you do need to know that 
THE FINAL CONFLICT HAS BEGUN!” 



Yes, dear Christian friend, we are in the end of the age 
The final conflict between the forces of Satan and the 
army of God is ALREADY under way. We see the 
evidences of it on every side. It is the call unto battle. 
There is no more time to delay. The warfare is on! Are 
you involved? 


The Sequel 

The interpretation of the dream had not ended. I was 
given the meaning of the bases. First base represented 
social relationships, second base was business 
relationships, third base was church relationships. This 
is why I was assigned to third base. It was my business 
to put the devil out when he tried to get on third base - 
in the church. 

Home base represented just what it signified - home 
relationships. The Spirit showed me that everything 
began at home base and ended at home base. When the 
members of the Lord’s team came to bat they had to 
start at home and get a hit there. No matter how 
impressively they ran the bases of social, business or 
even church relationships, if they had not gotten 
started right at home they were nothing but hypocrites! 

God is placing an emphasis upon right home-life today. 
He is setting our homes in order. He is restoring the 
husband and father to his place of authority in the 
home. The home is becoming the center of spiritual life. 
This is God’s divine order. We cannot be right in any 
other relationship in life until our lives are right at 



home. The devil’s team is throwing fast balls and curve 
balls at home. The devil must be defeated first of all in 
his onslaught against our homes. Each member of the 
family must assume the roll that God has ordained: 

Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as 
unto the Lord ... Husbands, love your wives, even as 
Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it... 
Children, obey your parents in the Lord; for this is 
right. Eph. 5:22,25, 6:1 

The first test for Christian living comes at home. If the 
love, joy and peace of the Holy Spirit does not issue 
from our lives in relationship with members of our 
own household, then Satan has gained a victory over 
us. When it becomes apparent that Satan has already 
gained a foothold in our home and through oneself, it is 
a call to spiritual warfare. Defeat the devil in your own 
life and in your family and then you will be able to 
carry the warfare on into other areas of life. 

In His parable of the mote and the beam Jesus showed 
us that we must get our own life in order before we can 
minister to others. Let’s be sure there are no pigs in our 
own parlors.