Franklin Graham issued an urgent call to prayer on Wednesday after North Korea’s Kim Jong Un threatened to cancel his meeting with President Trump. “The Korean Peninsula is one of the most volatile regions of the world,” he said, “but God can work in the hearts and minds of leaders. Let’s join together in prayer for Kim Jong Un, for President Trump, and for peace.”
Graham’s father, evangelist Billy Graham, visited North Korea in 1992 and 1994 and Franklin has visited repeatedly. Oddly, in 2016, North Korea’s state media declared that Billy Graham had acknowledged that Kim Il Sung “is the God who rules today’s human world.” (A Graham spokesman said Graham had not said anything remotely resembling those words.)
Charisma, the Trump-supporting Pentecostal media outlet, reported on Franklin Graham’s call to save the summit and noted that Los Angeles based apostolic leader Ché Ahn said that the recent breakthrough in relations between North and South Korea was the result of a 40-day season of prayer and fasting called by dominionist Lou Engle. Here’s Ché Ahn:
What many may not know is that 2,000 pastors gathered in Seoul, South Korea, Jan. 1-5, 2018, at our annual HIM conference. The speakers were Bill Johnson, Chuck Pierce, Lou Engle and myself. Lou gave a passionate message urging the Korean pastors to go on a 40-day fast and pray for the North and South Korea unification and the end of the war. Keep in mind in January, things were very tense between Kim Jung Um and President Trump.
Hundreds of pastors made a commitment to pray and fast for 40 days starting some time after the conference. We noticed a dramatic shift of Kim Jun Um and his policy towards the South Koreans and the USA near the end of that 40-day period. I know millions of Christians in South Korea have been praying since 1953, but I can’t help but believe that what we see taking place in North Korea is the result of the specific call to prayer and fasting that took place this past January.
Engle, known for his political prayer rallies, is on the “International Apostolic Team” of Ahn’s Harvest International Ministry (HIM). HIM, which refers to Ahn as presiding Apostle, says the ministry was the result of God speaking to Ahn through Cindy Jacobs:
After previously being a part of a worldwide Christian movement, the Lord spoke to Ché through a word from respected prophet and author, Cindy Jacobs, that he was to “father” a new movement – a “network of networks”, meant to train and raise up others. Ché would have spiritual children in every continent who would reach the world. Rooted in a value for spiritual covering, accountability, relationship and community centered and built on Him – the person of Jesus Christ – Harvest International Ministry (HIM) was birthed in 1996.
Ahn inherited a mantle of leadership in the apostolic movement from Peter Wagner, the late founder of the New Apostolic Reformation. Ahn also presides over Wagner University, which was formally known as Wagner Leadership Institute.
For what it’s worth, the American Family Association’s One News Now reported this week that the Family Research Council’s Bob Maginnis says there’s a 50-50 chance that the Trump-Kim meeting will take place as scheduled on June 12.
