When Witch Doctors Tried to Take Reinhard Bonnke Down
My glory shall be a canopy … and the praises of my people shall be the pillars.
Filled with sudden enthusiasm, the local organizers said they would hold the crusade amid the debris of the great tent—using the intact chairs and platform and sound system and what lighting that had survived.
And the local churches would enter into praise and intercession in order to bring about the prophecy.
But there remained serious worries. The scheduled dates of the crusade, May 19-June 6, are quite cold—and unsuited to an outdoor crusade.
Thus, the Lord’s promised, supernatural canopy would be vital.
Taking their place as the prophesied “pillars,” thousands of Christians throughout Africa began to pray, praise and intercede for fair weather and high temperatures.
Doubt hit when a winter storm hit the week before the crusade, uprooting trees and destroying homes. But amid the rain and cold, the praise and intercession continued.
The rain stopped just before the opening afternoon service, Saturday, May 19. With the warming sun breaking through, attendance hit 20,000.
By the scheduled end of the meetings, 50,000 were gathering for the morning and evening praise, worship, healing and preaching. The crusade was extended an additional three days. Over 70,000 came to the final night’s services..
More than 29,000 registered decisions for Christ in the meetings.
“Had the tent remained intact,” observes Bonnke, “it would have been too small to accommodate all those people.”
David du Plessis, often called “Mr. Pentecost,” is a native South African. He attended the crusade.
“There were thousands upon thousands of healings,” he reports. “The miracles did not take place in a healing line, but as Bonnke preached, people were touched by the power of the Holy Spirit. They were set free and healed.
“It was the greatest revival that has taken place in the history of Cape Town.”
Each night, criminals and gang members pledged their hearts to Jesus, their eyes filled with tears. Weapons of crime and violence became exhibits of deliverance, according to local newspaper reports.
Other reports pictured the preaching platform on Tuesday, May 29, as resembling a hospital workshop where wheelchairs are left for repairs. The power of God was released and men and women left their wheelchairs, while others handed over their crutches and began to dance with joy.
Will the tent be rebuilt?
Yes, says Bonnke, who says it is still needed for the Africa-wide crusades underway. Fortunately, it was insured.
Why did the Lord permit it to be so ravaged by what seemed to be nothing but a hell-sent wind?
To glorify God, says Bonnke. To show who really has victory, even in the face of seeming defeat.
The enormous crowds and good weather were undeniable testimony of who had won the struggle. There were reports that the witchdoctors were praying for more bad weather.
But this time, the church was humbled and praying.
And it was no battle at all.
Why did the Lord permit the tent to be destroyed?
To call His people to prayer and intercession, says Bonnke. Too often we complacently take God’s mercies for granted. To be truly overcomers, we must never forget Who is in charge and who is our Protector and Provider.
The destruction of the tent gave Christians an opportunity to see how trust belongs solely in the Lord, not in man-made structures. He offered sufficient protection from the winter’s storms—far better than any flimsy tent.
“My glory shall be a canopy that covers the people and the praises of my people shall be the pillars,” the Lord promised.
And it was so.
And there was victory.
Amid the ruins.
