THE SEALS AND KILLER WHALES:
A PROPHETIC WARNING
by James Ryle (about 1990)
Dream:
We are enjoying a Year of Jubilee, where great freedoms are occurring in the church, as well as all over the world. Nevertheless, we are about to encounter a depth of darkness we have not known. The prophetic word of the Lord is, "Prepare!"
Concerning this coming assault, the Lord gave me a dream about the strategies of Satan. In the dream I saw a group of young people huddling together in a school yard. A message came that there would be a competition with a team called "The Orcus," which symbolized Satan's nature and tactics against God's people. Our team, the church, was named "The Seals." Most of the young people took this message very lightly and were presumptuously thinking that all there was to do was to form the team and enter the competition. One youth, however, a boy somewhat more physically developed than the others, repeatedly tried to draw their attention to the seriousness of the competition. No one listened. He then called two or three other boys who were slightly more developed to join him, and they all entered a gym. In this place they were to train and work out with weights. These weights were the virtues of our faith.
Intrepretation:
The word Orcus was an enigma to me, a mystery. When I awoke and sought for understanding, I was stunned by my discovery! ORCUS, in Roman mythology, is "the god of the underworld" (Encyclopedic Dictionary). Further research led me to a study on the Killer Whale, which is called ORCA, and is the greatest enemy of seals! The similarities between "Orcus" and "Orca"are unmistakable, not only in the spelling of the names but also in the characteristics of the Killer Whale as a type of "the god of the underworld." What Satan is planning to do will be like a raging Killer Whale seeking to attack a colony of seals. Yet, the seals are not as helpless as they may seem. Their keen sense of discernment alerts them to the approach of a killer long before he arrives, this combined with their quickness and agility in moving in the water will make for a great advantage. The danger for the seals lies simply in their not being prepared. Now consider these facts about 0rca,the Killer Whale, and note how much like Satan these things are.
Six Prophetic Parallels:
1) The Killer Whale is the greatest enemy of seals' "Our struggle is not against flesh and bloody but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms" (Eph 6:12NIV). Yet, how easily we seem to forget this. More often than not, we go to war against one another and actually do the enemy's work for him. Let it be said from every pulpit and echoed throughout the realm of Christendom-"My brother is not my enemy!"
2) The Killer Whale plunders seals that sleep on drifting ice floes. A Killer will lunge out of the ocean with awesome power and use the full weight of its body to shatter an ice floe, scattering unsuspecting seals into the water where they become helpless prey. They are unable to escape when the range is this close. Has the ardor of your affections for the Son of God cooled as you've drifted upon the false security of carnal living? Then beware, a Killer is stalking beneath you!
3) The Killer Whale delights in eating the young. It attacks larger whales without hesitation, biting them on the lips and throats, forcing them to surrender their young which are torn to pieces and devoured. What a graphic display of the cruel intentions of Satan! He wants our children desperately. Undoubtedly he is quite threatened by the prophecies concerning the children of promise, the generation of the righteous and the dread champions. His strategy is to destroy the next generation by attacking our lips and throats, our credibility, our very lives.
4) The Killer Whale is rapacious and exceedingly voracious. These two words are deliberately chosen. Rapacious means "Subsisting on prey seized alive." This is Satan's great delight. He stalks those who show signs of life. He seeks to seize them that he might tear them down and swallow them up. Voracious means "having an insatiable, gluttonous hunger." In one instance the stomach of a Killer Whale was found to contain the bodies of 13 porpoises and 14 seals - a total of 27 undigested bodies in its belly! What a picture of the god of the underworld who is NEVER satisfied.
5) The Killer Whale hunts in packs of 3 or 4, up to 40 individuals. Orca is a cunning predator whose very appearance is intimidating and overpowering. Just one alone is formidable. Imagine, therefore, the paralyzing sight of seeing 40 of them bearing down on you in the ocean! The similarity to Satan is clear—for he also seeks to overpower through intimidation. We are about to be confronted by a spirit of intimidation like we have never known. I believe that Satan is about to come against the Church in a fierce and threatening way - spiritually, economically, politically, or any other way possible. Let us not sleep!
6) The Killer Whale can be found in waters all over the world, but is most commonly found in the Antarctic and Arctic oceans. This fact speaks of our need for alertness and balance. Alertness because the enemy can strike from anywhere at anytime. Balance because he is most commonly found at the Poles—that is, whenever we polarize to one extreme of any number of valid issues facing the Church of the 90's. Imbalance will make us extremely susceptible to attacks from Satan.
These are the discoveries made in studying Orca the Killer Whale as a prophetic type of Orcus, the god of the underworld. I then sought the Lord concerning the Seals, asking about what hope could we truly have against so formidable an enemy. He showed me how the seals were built up and made stronger through the exercising of their faith. He also showed me the nature
1) Sealed with His love. In the Song of Songs the Lord tells His bride to "Put Me as a seal over your heart". Our hearts must be sealed from doubting Christ's love.
2) We are sealed with Christ in the Holy Spirit. Ephesians 1:13 reminds us that the Holy Spirit surrounds and contains us, sealing us for God's eternal promise.
3) Our minds are sealed by the angels of God. Rev 7:3 speaks of our foreheads (ideas and perceptions) being sealed. We cannot allow unchristlike thinking to enter.
4) Sealed In the righteousness of faith. Rom 4:11 speaks that our righteousness is by faith, not works. Satan will seek to destroy through condemnation and accusation. Stand firm upon what JESUS has done!
5) Sealed with the knowledge that "The LORD knows those who are His." This is the seal of God's divine election. His foreknowledge and omniscience assures us that we are never alone and He is never far from us.
6) The seal of sonship. Even as the Father sealed His Son, so also in this hour the Father will "set His seal" upon His maturing sons and daughters.
Be aware, brethren, that there is an attack right now coming against the church. The attack is from the accuser of the brethren. There is a new release of fault-finding and gossip that we must not participate in.
