The Greatest Awakening Scott Macleod
The "Sons of Thunder" James Ryle
The Renaissance is Coming Scott Macleod
Snakes In The Lobby Scott Macleod
The Renaissance Harvest Scott Macleod

Snakes In The Lobby
Scott MacLeod

The following article is an excerpt from the vision, Snakes In The Lobby.

DEDICATION

"Snakes in the Lobby" is dedicated to all of the musicians, artists and people who are called to work alongside these creative ones.

May our destinies be fulfilled in Jesus Christ. May we ever bring glory and honor to the King in all we do and may we hear these words:

"Well done, good and faithful servant."

Special thanks to Lyla MacLeod, my mother, for all of your editorial help and for all of the love and support you have given throughout my life.
I love you!

FOREWORD

This little book has already sent shock waves through the Christian music industry. It should send them through the church as well. The deceptions and strongholds that grip much of the Christian music industry are only a reflection of what has gripped much of the church. We therefore felt that this should be published for the wider church audience.

Illustrations, such as the ones found in this vision, can be of great help as we try to discern strongholds of darkness. Just seeing and understanding a stronghold is half the battle in overcoming it. Satan dwells in darkness, so once the light has exposed his hiding place he is greatly weakened. I therefore believe that the illumination of many of the strongholds revealed in this vision is going to result in freedom for many.

In all things, we must keep in mind that we are not warring against flesh and blood, but against the powers of darkness. Those who are trapped by the enemy, even those who are being used by him, are not our enemies. They are victims. This vision is not intended to criticize or condemn anyone, but rather it is meant to help set people free. If the vision challenges you to examine something you are doing, do not get offended. Get free! Repent. To follow the ways of this present evil age will cost you more than the world could ever give you. As James stated:

What is the source of quarrels and conflicts among you? Is not the source your pleasures that wage war in your members?

You lust and do not have; so you commit murder. And you are envious and cannot obtain; so you fight and quarrel. You do not have because you do not ask.

You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures.

You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.

Or do you think that the Scripture speaks to no purpose: "He jealously desires the Spirit, which He has made to dwell in us"?

But He gives a greater grace. Therefore it says, "God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble."

Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.

Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded (Jam. 4:1-8 NAS).

Freedom begins with repentance. God does not forgive excuses; He forgives sin when we have repented. We will not be able to accomplish the Lord's purposes by using the many evil ways of the world that have crept into the fabric of modern Christianity.

We will never be able to reach the world by being friends with it. The fundamental nature of true Christianity is an affront and stumbling block to the basic nature of this present evil age. These differences we cannot change or compromise. As quoted above from James, to compromise with the world is spiritual adultery that can even turn us into enemies of God.

Even if we have been caught in this trap of compromise with the world, there is grace for those who humble themselves. We may think that we are in too deep, and that there is no way out, but with repentance and humility we will be led out of any trap that we have fallen into. We will be free! We will be victorious! What the enemy intended for evil will be turned into a greater good.

I have known Scott MacLeod for a few years now, and recognize him as a true knight in the Spirit. I believe that the message of this book is true, and it is vitally important for our times. It is not a sweet little bedtime story. Rather, it is a trumpet call to wake up, shake off the chains that are binding us, and take our stand for truth and righteousness.

-- Rick Joyner

PREFACE

The following is a vision that I received and the interpretation that unfolded regarding it. As this vision has left a deep spiritual imprint on me and has been truly life-changing, I pray and believe it will also be helpful to you, as well as to the many that have been confused, disillusioned and wounded by the condition of what is now called the Christian music industry. The vision was received while a small group of us were praying against the powers and principalities that have, and still do, control and manipulate this industry.

I believe this booklet will help us to understand and expose the real enemy. We spend much of our time and energy fighting, competing with, and criticizing the wrong enemy--each other. This is exactly what Satan wants. If we continue with this horizontal way of thinking and do not have eyes to see into the spiritual reality, we will not be victorious and will certainly not enter the fullness of our destiny as creative people in Christ. "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, 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. 6:12).

One further note: I believe many of the principalities that are exposed in the following pages are the same enemies that have plagued much of the church as a whole. The church has already been judged openly for some of this, but these dark powers are a constant threat. They still pollute and control many ministries, churches and individuals. It is critical that we identify these schemes of the enemy.

This vision also speaks of things to come. There is a beautiful new horizon dawning for those who will walk in the Lord's ways. The best is certainly yet to be, but there will be a great shaking and purifying before we see the light of this new day.

I have felt compelled by the Lord to put this down in written form. I encourage you to seek the truth that may be found in the following vision. As the Word says, "Do not put out the Spirit's fire; do not treat prophesies with contempt. Test everything. Hold on to the good. Avoid every kind of evil" (I Thess. 5:19-22).

-- Scott MacLeod

Part I: The Vision

The Lobby

This is the vision: I was standing in a well-known hotel lobby, which I had literally stood in earlier that same day during a very well known Christian music conference. In the vision the very large and open lobby was packed full, as it usually is, with men and women from all over. Many were artists, musicians or people directly involved in the business of music. The people were busy talking and going on with their business (what is commonly called "schmoozing"), each one dressed up in appropriate music attire.

Much to my astonishment and horror, I saw what looked like a massive snake lying on the lobby floor. I could not even begin to calculate its length, but it easily covered the full length of the room. Its fat middle was at least six feet in height and looked almost twenty feet in width. It looked totally stuffed. Amazingly, people were actually leaning up against it!

I could hardly believe what I was seeing. My first impulse was to yell and warn everyone, but I hesitated because no one else seemed to notice it--they just carried on with their business. Many people were surrounded, and some were even totally wrapped up in its monstrous coils, and yet they were still unaware. They all were in great danger. I couldn't tell if the people could not see what I was seeing, or if they had simply grown accustomed to this monster. It almost seemed welcome here.

I wondered, Who let this thing in here? Surely the thing has to be dead for people to be standing this close to it and still be this comfortable with it.

Then it happened...IT MOVED. I couldn't believe that something that looked so heavy could actually move. But it did. It slowly poured itself in between a few groups of preoccupied people so as not to disturb anyone. It was silent, and no one saw it move. No one seemed to have a sense of danger. This was extremely confusing to me. It looked like many in this place, for some reason, had totally dropped their guard. Obviously, this seemed crazy because of what I was seeing. As I stood there, greatly perplexed by this strange scenario, I was suddenly struck with the terrifying sense that there were other snakes in the room.

I reluctantly and cautiously gazed across the room. We were surrounded! The oversized serpents were everywhere! As I continued to observe the situation, my emotions began to evolve rapidly from initial shock and terror into great frustration because no one else seemed to be aware of these snakes. Soon I was filled with a sense of compassion for the blinded victims, and finally an intense anger gripped me because these creatures had somehow infiltrated this place.

That was it. That was all I saw at first. But I knew immediately that the great snakes I had seen in this vision were the principalities and dark powers (or evil spirits) that have been controlling and manipulating much of Christian music. I knew I had seen exactly what the small group of us had just been praying about, and I told them what I had seen. It was as if a small movie screen had appeared before me and shown me these things, even in color.

This vision stayed with me for about 24 hours. I was surprised that it did. I guess I had hoped that what I had seen at first was the end of it, for it was not pleasant to dwell on. But it remained very graphic and the images would not go away. After starting to get literally sick to my stomach over what I had seen, my curiosity began to grow, and I began wondering what the meaning of it was. Believing there had to be a reason for this lingering scene, I finally began to ask the Lord to show me the full meaning of the vision.

He did, and this is what was revealed next:

The BIG One

I was taken back to the same lobby and was shown each snake in vivid detail.

The first snake that was revealed to me was the first one that I had seen earlier. It was definitely the biggest one, easily filling the full length of the large lobby with its great coils wrapped around everywhere. This grayish colored snake was so large that it took me quite some time to find its huge head. I finally spotted the head hiding in the twisted masses of the mammoth coils. It had a hollow and yet all?consuming look upon its face. One word came into my mind as I studied its massive head--HUNGER. I then observed that it had just finished devouring something, or someone. I instinctively knew that it was the latter. This snake was actually feeding on the people in the lobby, and still no one seemed to notice!

This serpent had the ability to slowly surround its victims with its enormous coils and then swallow them whole without them even being aware of it. I knew by its immense size and its lumpy and very bloated body that it had swallowed many victims. And much to my surprise, I could see the victims were still alive inside of it. They were moving around inside the creature's incredibly overstretched belly. I could hear them still carrying on ambitious conversations with others in the lobby.

The serpent's name was "Self?Promotion."

Most of the victims did not know they had been consumed by Self?Promotion. But some, much to my dismay, had willingly and consciously allowed the snake to engulf them. The goal or intentions of these victims was the same as that of this bloated serpent--they all wanted to become bigger and BIGGER.

The Charmer

The second snake that I saw was to my left--a very beautiful-looking creature that almost made me forget the horror of the first. It was a type of chameleon, ever-changing colors and appearance according to the desires of those under its power. It could look like whatever you wanted it to: male, female, young, old, innocent or seductive. It was swaying back and forth, doing a hypnotic dance. I found myself drawn to it, as were many others.

Suddenly I shuddered with disgust, for I knew this hideous thing. This was "Lust." I hadn't recognized it at first, for it was incredibly charming.

There was a large group of people gathered all around it, and they were actually flirting and dancing with it, and with each other. Without even losing the rhythm of its cobra?like movement, Lust would strike its partners with a flash of fangs. With forked tongues that were identical to this serpent's ever?flickering tongue, the people spoke deceptive flattery to one another. They were starting to realize that they could use the power from this snake to gain attention and power for themselves. They could get what they wanted quicker by using the power of Lust. I realized that many of the victims that were now held captive in the belly of Self?Promotion had first been bitten and poisoned by Lust.

When one is first bitten by Lust, the venom brings a real high. But not long afterward, its victim becomes sick. Then often for relief, the victim keeps going back for another bite (for the venom is very addictive) until he or she is completely consumed with the poison. The victim in turn bites others, and the sickness spreads. I did not look at Lust for long, for I knew its enticing power was great and deadly.

Two Snakes

The next snake I saw was, in fact, two very long snakes. They were intertwined--wrapped all around each other just like snakes do when they are mating. This, by the way, is exactly what these were doing. One was red; the other was yellow. They were spinning over and over; making a very uneasy sound that pervaded the whole place. As they twisted and spun around, they appeared to be actually biting each other. All at once I understood that this writhing mass was "Pride" and "Insecurity". They were feeding off each other, and they were reproducing after their own kind.

Then I looked around the room and saw people who were turning yellow and then red. Yellow was the color of Insecurity and red was the color of Pride. People would change these shades back and forth just like the rotating colors of the spinning serpents.

The whole lobby seemed aglow with these colors. The two worked well together, though they also seemed to irritate one another. There was a nervous uneasiness building that made me want to scream. These two serpents made those who were affected by them, (which was almost everyone, to some extent) feel miserable. However, they didn't want to admit it, because their pride told them that they might look weak, insecure or possibly unsuccessful. So the spinning continued. Pride, Insecurity, Pride, Insecurity, Pride, etc.

Flesh for Scales

I was surprised that I even detected what was revealed next. I knew it was only because the Lord was allowing me to see it--I never would have noticed it on my own. I spotted what had first appeared to be someone who had fallen down, but I saw that it was much too long to be human. It was hidden halfway under the front counter and was entangled among the feet of the people.

The reason I had originally believed it was human was because it appeared to have human skin or flesh. It had what looked like a human head. Though having the color of flesh and having no scales, it was obviously still a snake. It was very low to the ground and earthly.

This one was the "Fear of Man." It didn't have to do very much, because Pride and Insecurity were doing most of its work. It just lay there, moving its human?like head back and forth horizontally. Then I noticed that people all across the room were doing the very same thing, almost as if they had been entranced. They were only concerned about who was who, and how they were being perceived by others, so much so that they did not recognize the evil in their midst. This freaky creature blinded its victims from the holy fear of God and injected them with a deadly fear of man instead.

People all across the room were so busy looking at each other that they were unaware that they had become entangled by the Fear of Man. It would subtly wrap itself around its victims' feet until they could no longer move; they were completely paralyzed with fear. I remembered the scripture: "The fear of man will prove to be a snare" (Prov. 29:25).

Up High

I then heard a movement above me. I instinctively looked up, and there, much to my distress, I saw another serpent wrapped around the balcony, its endless tail running down the length of the escalator. This one was bright green. It looked like one of those tree snakes--very comfortable with heights. This was "Jealousy," and it was literally green with envy. It was breathing very heavily and seemed to have fire in its eyes. I could tell it was burning up inside. I didn't want it to catch me looking at it, because I was afraid it was ready to explode with fury at any moment.

Jealousy attacked the high places. It couldn't stand to be down low. Its mist?like breath released a fog of competition, which filled the room. I could see that those who had breathed in the mist, although they were chatting politely with their peers, now had that same fire burning deep in their eyes, as did the green serpent. And I knew they would attack and tear down those in the high places in order to obtain these places for themselves. Many of these people had become easy prey for Self?Promotion as well.

On the Sidelines

In the middle of this confusion, my attention was drawn to a whole group of people standing off to the sides of the action--out of the reach of the great serpents. I was relieved, because I could tell they, too, recognized that there was something wrong here. They were talking among themselves and pointing toward the center of the room. I could tell that they were very upset about what was going on and about the way people were conducting themselves.

My eye suddenly noticed a swirling movement. The floor surrounding those who stood to the sides was alive. All around their feet were hundreds of small slithering snakes. I knew instantly that these were the offspring of Pride and Insecurity. These little serpents looked quite harmless in comparison to the big ones, but people were being bitten constantly, and with each bite they were injected with a small dose of poison.

The poisons were "Bitterness, Criticism, Unforgiveness, Self?Pity and Self?Righteousness." The more the people were bitten, the closer they would casually and fearlessly waltz up to the great Serpents. Some of these were the ones whom I had originally seen leaning up against the coils of these massive creatures. When enough of these poisons were accumulated together in a victim, it caused spiritual blindness--which was disastrous because these evil monsters could only be seen in the spiritual dimension. Thus the blinded victims became quite helpless and vulnerable to the enemy's attack. I was beginning to understand how so many people could unknowingly fall into the powers of the great Serpents.

The Helper

I started to cry out, "How can this be going on? This is a horrendous mess! How come no one sees this?"

Then to my surprise, a voice answered, "There is another snake that you have not yet seen. Look to your right," he said. I was now approaching overload and really did not want to see anything more, but I did look, more out of curiosity than out of obedience or courage. I was expecting to be quite terrified, but I saw nothing except clusters of people deep in introductions and conversation.

Then I heard the voice say, "Look again...closer." I wondered who was speaking to me. I heard the voice again, "Look closer and you will see."

"Who are you?" I asked. I could not tell if the voice was coming from within me or from somewhere else. It felt like part of me, but I knew I was not just talking to myself.

"I am the Counselor. And I am your Helper. I will guide you into all Truth, and even things that are yet to come," came the beautifully calming voice. Just to hear this voice, not to mention the wonderful words, set me at ease. I wondered how I could have such peace in the midst of such great turmoil. But I did. "There is no time to waste now. The time is short. I am with you always. You must see what I am about to show you. Look again...closer." The voice spoke with a unique combination of both gentleness and authority.

So I looked. And this time I began to see it…

Find out what happens next…

(If you're interested in reading the full text of "Snakes in the Lobby" you may purchase the book through our online store. Please use the 'Store' button at the top of our website for ordering information.)

© 1997, 1998. by Scott MacLeod.  All rights reserved.

ISBN #1-878327-76-3

Published and distributed by MorningStar Publications, 16000 Lancaster Hwy., Charlotte, NC 28277 USA. Phone 704-542-0278.

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version. © 1973, 1978, 1984 by the International Bible Society.

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