Samuel Rodriguez - When Heaven Starts It Hell Cannot Stop It
You may be seated. You may be seated. I wanna give you a story that you’ve heard this story. But once upon a time, there was this prophet with a mantle. And this prophet was driven by righteous indignation to issue a clarion call. He was frustrated to see that once again, God’s children had deviated from orthodoxy. They sacrificed truth on the altar of political and cultural, even sexual expediency. Promoting the prophet to say, «Enough is enough». So, this prophet with the mantle, 1 Kings 18 says, «We’re doing this». So, he calls upon the leader of his nation, Ahab, and he says, «We’re gon' do this. You and your people, you’re worshipping the false, you’re worshipping Baal. It’s time to make a final determination».
So, he asked God’s people to make a choice, «Will you follow the God of Ahab and his wife,» who you’ll hear about in a second, 'cause she was nasty on steroids. «And will you worship the false, or will you worship the God of our fathers»? One of the saddest scriptures in all the Bible, the Bible says that God’s people said nothing. They decided to do nothing. Today’s complacency is tomorrow’s captivity. I’ll repeat that for the hearing impaired. Today’s complacency is tomorrow’s captivity. You are what you tolerate. truth must never be sacrificed on the altar of political, cultural, or sexual expediency. And I want you to hear, we need a church in America. We have to reconcile our eschatology, our missiology as we kick off 2025, which I declare by faith. Not with some sort of prophetic spaghetti on the proverbial wall. But I truly believe that if Jesus is your Lord and Savior, 2025 will be hashtag your best year ever.
But it means what? It means that it’s time for you to pick up your mantle and reconcile your eschatology or your missiology. Which means what? We all believe that Jesus is coming, but while we are waiting for Jesus to come down, he’s waiting for his church to stand up. So, he asked the confrontation, and the prophet comes along and says, «Alright, let’s do this real quick. Here’s the task. Well, we’re gon' pray, we’re gonna worship. You be you, boo, and I’m gon' be me. We’re gon' pray. The God who answers with fire, that’s the real God. Send your fire, Lord. Send your fire». And they went first, and he provided space for Ahab and his team to go first, and they did what they did, and nothing happened. And subsequently, the prophet prayed, you know the story. Fuego, fire. Fuego means fuego. Fire. And there it is. Fire came down, and then the insurance policies kicked in for all of Jezebel’s worship team, and I mean life insurance policies all simultaneously kicked in for the false prophet. It was hashtag best day ever.
The prophet comes along and says, «Alright, the next thing is, hey servant, look for rain 'cause rain is coming». So, he went up, and you know the story, seven times a cloud, and Ahab get ready. Hashtag best week ever. All of a sudden, Ahab comes along, and he takes what took place and he goes to his wife, Jezebel, and says, «Can you believe what happened? Your entire team is now gone. That man with the mantle did his thing, and the fire, and boom, and boom barbeque, and people ran, and hmm». And then Jezebel, her response. I’ll read it and then I’ll show you how it would appear in me, Jezebel sent this message to Elijah. «May the God strike me and even kill me by this time tomorrow if I have not killed you».
So, she went with this message she sent, if she would be alive in 2025, it would be via the conduit of a tweet. She would go on «X», and with Elon Musk new rules, the tweet would be permissible. And she would tweet and put the tweet up, and the tweet would read, «In 24 hours, you will die». Oh Jezzy, look at her handle. «In 24 hours, you will die». What a declaration. I wanna speak to you on a subject matter for 2025, when heaven starts it, hell cannot stop it. Repeat after me, «When heaven starts it, hell cannot stop it». Do it one more time. «When heaven starts it, hell cannot stop it». There is a mantle upon you and your family this year. Listen to me carefully, prophetically speaking, completely biblically substantiated, you do not carry multi-generational curses, you carry a mantle. Upon your family, there is a mantle and if Christ is your Lord and Savior, it is the mantle of the spirit. The power of the Lord came upon Elijah. That’s the spirit of the Lord, 1 Kings 18:46.
I am convinced and convicted that we are living today just like the days of Ahab, Jezebel, and we’re in the days of Baal. I believe that we’re living in some dark times, morally speaking. Times of spiritual apathy, and cultural decadences, and even Ecclesiastical lukewarmness. And let me break this down, there are real spirits in the world today, and I have empathy, and I share my condolences and what took place in this region as of late recently on new years eve.
So, I understand there are dark spirits out there indeed. And we need to recognize that the number one battle in America is not between the donkey and the elephant, it’s between the serpent and the lamb. But how many here know that the lamb on the cross already defeated the serpent in the name of Jesus? But there is a spiritual battle. We’re cognizant of Ephesians 6:12–13. We know our battle is spiritual, it’s not hype, it’s not wishful thinking. I mean, what does that mean? The spirit of Ahab is alive and well. Ahab was a… (that’s the Telemundo anointing.) and it is a spirit committed to robbing love, killing joy, and destroying peace. It represents forces of axes and authority attempting to prompt us to sacrifice truth on the altar of expediency.
In 1 Kings 16:34, it was that Ahab man king with that spirit, watch this. He was the first king and the only king in Israel who ever gave permission for the rebuilding of the walls of Jericho. Let me repeat that. What God knocked down, no one ever had the audacity to rebuild until that king came along. Ahab came along and said, «I give you permission to rebuild what God knocked down». Even though when it came down, Joshua said, «Dare anyone try to rebuild this, they would be cursed for generations». But Ahab came along and said, «Come on, let’s rebuild the walls of Jericho».
There’s an attempt in America to rebuild walls that God has already knocked down. There is an attempt. And there’s even an attempt, there’s an attempt for perpetual discord, to divide us. But not just in the world, but even in the church. And even to divide us be it by generations, or the color of our skin, or whether or not, you know, we are saints fans, or God forbid raider fans. I mean, you’re not that bad, but what we need to do is push back on that notion, because with the mantle of the spirit, we remind everyone that with great due deference, there is no such thing as a white church, a black church, a brown church, a yellow church, or a red church.
There’s only one church and it is the church of Jesus Christ, and the gates of hell shall never prevail against that church. The spirit of Jezebel is alive and well representing the manipulative, sexually coercive, perverse, cultural spirit, with the intention of killing prophetic voices, silencing truth, and constructing Asherah poles in order to marginalize the oracles of righteousness in justice. That spirit is alive and well. Revelation 2:20, «This one thing I have against you, you have tolerated the spirit of Jezebel». That spirit is alive and well. And then, the spirit of Baal, I’m gon' get personal here. The spirit of Baal is coming after our children. Never have we ever seen in American history, a spiritual assault against our children like we are witnessing today.
I’m gon' make this clear. The devil is coming after our children, but in 2025, there’s enough faith in this room, and in every campus streaming right now, I may not get invited back. Pastor Steve, I still love you. You’re one of my favorite people in the world. I may even tattoo your face on my back. And that would be awkward for my wife. But the point being… We are streaming everywhere, right? I come come from California with a banjo on my knee, so we’re gon' do this right now. There’s enough faith in this church, in all of the campuses to look at every spirit coming after our children. And not only the spirit coming after our children in the womb, or in the streets, or in the classroom, or teachings about summit, we’re gon' do it.
In the name of Jesus, in 2025, here’s our word, get your hands off our children in the name of… Get your hands off our children. Our children will be saved. Our children will be healed. Our children will not survive, they will thrive for the glory of Jesus. Calm down, Sam. It’s a mantle of the spirit. What does this mean? It means don’t drink the kool aid. Do not conform to this world. What does that mean? I don’t care what you see on ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX, MSNBC, CNN, you know me, Telemundo, Univision. The most powerful spirit on the planet in 2025, the spirit that will fill your family, fill your home, guide your kids, inundate your marriage, take care of your health, physical, mental, in every element. It’s the most powerful spirit, I don’t care what you read.
The most powerful spirit is not the spirit of Ahab, it’s not the spirit of Jezebel, or the spirit of Ahab. The most powerful spirit on the planet is still the Holy Spirit of Almighty God. And that’s the spirit that will define you in 2025. «And where that spirit is present, there is power,» Acts 1:8. «There is freedom,» 2 Corinthians 3:17. «There is holiness,» Galatians 5:16. «There is victory,» Romans 8:11. The same identical spirit that raised Jesus from the dead lives inside of you, and there is anointing, 1 John 2:27. For you have received the anointing, who is the Holy Spirit, who lives inside of you. That’s the spirit that will define you. We will overcome this year in the name of Jesus with the mantle of the spirit.
And the Holy Spirit doesn’t make you weird, he makes you wired. He connects you to the fullness of the finished work of Christ. So, every single day, you’re gonna wake up be filled afresh with the Holy Spirit, Ephesians 5:18. And everything that comes against you, you’re able to confront it and overcome it by the blood of the lamb and the infilling of that spirit. If you come in agreement that this year, the enemy will not win in your life, not even one single, solitary day, give Jesus the best praise offering you’ve given him this entire service. It is the mantle of drought, fire, and rain. Repeat after me, «Drought, fire, and rain».
That prophet, he had the mantle on him when he decreed a drought, prayed down fire, and subsequently emerged as the benefactor of God’s amazing reign. And I’m not gonna be presumptuous here. I wanna ask, if you’ve been through at least in the past four years, five years, if you’ve been through on significant spiritual, relational, financial drought, raise one hand. If you’ve been through a dry season in your life, raise one hand. If you’ve been through a couple of moment where you went like, «What’s happening here»? Raise both hands. Let’s just be honest. If you’ve been through so many droughts you’ve lost count, raise both hands and a foot.
If you’ve been through so many droughts that if I Google the word, «Drought,» automatically the algorithm would drive me to your Instagram account. We’ve all been through droughts, all of us. Oh, by the way, that’s the chronological order. It’s drought, fire, and rain. There are people that wanna jump from drought to rain without going through the fire. And that sort of prophetic, biblically substantiated rubric is real because that fire season is a sanctifying season. It’s a powerful Matthew 3:11, Acts 2:3 season. It’s when God removes things from in you, and even on occasion, he will remove people from around you that would’ve held back the fulfillment of his purpose through you.
So, we’ve all been through the drought, but going through the fire, it doesn’t necessarily make you dance and shout. In the beginning, that may be the outcome as a praise expression, but the process, the God of the process is the same God of the outcome. And that’s who he is. So, now I’m gon' say it. If you and your family have been through the drought, and you been through your fire, you need to come in agreement that 2025 will be for you and your casa, the year of abundant rain. Somebody praise like you know it’s gon' rain. Somebody say, «Here comes the rain». The drought will reveal you, the fire will refine you, the rain will refresh you. Acts tells it clearly, Acts 3:19–20, that after repentance comes the refreshing rain. Ezekiel 34:26, one more thing, those who prayed with you in the drought deserve to dance with you in the rain.
Number three, it is a mantle of speaking truth with love. There is a mantle upon you this year, a fresh infilling of the Holy Spirit. A new anointing. It’s not a new Holy Spirit, it’s the Holy Spirit doing something new in you, with you, for you, and through you for the glory of God as you fill the earth with the glory of Jesus. But he is doing something new for such a time as this. And there’s a fine line between the prophetic and the pathetic, understand that. This mantle, this infusion of the Holy Spirit will enable you to occupy God’s promises. But it’s the mantle of the spirit, the mantle of drought, fire, and rain. It is the mantle of speaking truth with love. We need to be vociferous as it pertains to our Christian witness.
There is no such animal as silent Christianity. If you’re a Christian, you can’t hold it back and keep it secret. It comes out of you, your testimony. I am not ashamed of the gospel. «There’s a power of God unto salvation,» Romans 1:16. truth with love. But it’s truth with love because if all we do is speak truth, then we’re mathematicians. If all we do is preach or teach or talk about love, then we’re California hippies. The moment we speak truth in love, truth with love, and truth for love, we change the world. Psalm 89:14, «Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne, truth and love lead the way as attendants». That mantle, this anointing of God for you to occupy his promises this year is for you to shine with truth and love.
Let me give you my story. My parents are not preachers. I grew up in the state of Pennsylvania in a small town called Bethlehem. Bethlehem, that’s why I have a Messianic complex. My dad was a mack truck worker, blue collar account indeed. But my parents are not preachers, but they obligated me to go to church. My mom gave me a choice, «Go to church or die». I chose correctly.
So, we would go, I’mma give you the full gamut here it was an assembly of God church that I was obligated to go to. I doubted everything I saw because I was born with an inclination, if not, an obsession to mathematics. So, I was born a nerd, man. And I love math, and calculus is God’s language, and if you failed algebra, repent. So, meaning, I doubted. Then I went to church and I saw stuff. And the stuff I saw, I went like, «This can’t be legit. There’s no way. There’s,» and I’m like 12, 13 years old. «This can’t be real». And then, it was an assembly of God church, so I saw some expressive manifestations that some of you may be cognizant to. And then, I heard languages, and it wasn’t Spanish or English, and I went like, «Come on, is this legit? This can’t be real».
And then, certain times, speakers would come in and they would pray for people, and come of them would end up on the carpet, and I would ask, «What’s the obsession with the carpet? Why do you like the carpet»? I’m about right between 12 and 13 years of age. I’m seated back there, a guy walks into my church. This is the 1980's now. His name is Bernie glow. He is the choir director for a ministry called, «Teen challenge» in Rehrersburg, Pennsylvania, a ministry founded by a guy named David Wilkerson. And Bernie glow walks in there for the first time in our church, our church is a latino assembly of God church. But we know, we spoke, we’re bilingual. But the guy comes in, and he has his choir, first time there, and he starts singing.
«Alright choir, sing: Holy Spirit thou art, welcomed in this place Holy Spirit thou art» «Stop». And he looks around, «Sammy, Sammy, Sammy, Sammy, Sammy. The Lord says Sammy. The Lord,» and he interrupts the song and says, «Wow, the Lord says there’s a Sammy in this church. A young boy named Sammy. Sammy». By the way, if you ever want to go into a latino church and prophesy and not miss it, all you have to say is, «There’s a word for josé or maria». Am I right? It may not be God, and you may end up not getting home that night. But the point is you won’t miss it, that moment, right? So, Sammy. So, the church, of course, the church went, you know, 'cause the church wanted to protect me and not traumatize me. Are you kidding me? Which means in Louisiana speak…
So, I’m going like, «Oh, what is this»? Right? My pastor gets up and says, «Sammy, you’re the only one here. You’re the only Sammy. This is for you. You’re Sammy and you’re a boy, this is for you». So, I’m coming down the aisle, and I’m walking down the aisle, and I’m going, in my mind, I’m going, «Lord, if this rapture thing is for real, come Lord Jesus. Come». And I get right here, and Bernie glow is right here, and he looks at me and says… «Sammy, you’re a boy, but God sees you as a man. As a matter of fact, man of God, man of God, this is what God says you will do». Everything I’m doing now was laid out that day. Again, there’s fine line between the prophetic and the pathetic. It’s so on point. And then, he concludes by saying something crazy. He looks at me and the whole church is there. He says, «I’ve never shared this before. The Lord says you will pray for presidents of the United States of America».
There was a young lady seated over here and her name was Eva. She looked at that and went, «Man, if this is for real, I’m gon' wait for that boy to grow up and marry him». That’s my wife of 35 years. And that’s how I got to the White House. I am dead serious, that’s how I got to the White House, because God gave me a word. A legitimate, biblically substantiated word, the Word of God in a very direct way. And then I walked it, and without me ever having to knock, never sent an email, never walked around going, «I’m going to the White House». They woulda put me in a nice little jacket in a special asylum. No, it’s just God’s word never fails, Luke 1:37. I’m here to tell you whatever word you have upon you, and your family, and your children, put a smile on your face. I don’t care what they’re going through right now, the Word of God never fails, and you will see that word come to pass.
So, I was brought in by George W. Bush as an advisor, and that opened doors. And then, subsequently, president Obama brought me in, and I have a biblical conviction rubric, layout, my template for what I vote for. So, I don’t have to vote for them in order to advise them. But, they brought me in. And president Obama who I disagree with on so many issues, yet he brought me in for eight years. And I even participated in his inauguration at st. John’s episcopal church. And then, it happened. Fast forward, and it comes around, and it’s the election of 2016, 2000, I get a call. And the call, I’m driving with my wife in my car in the bluetooth. And we’re driving down, and the bluetooth is there, and we’re driving from San Francisco to Sacramento. And we’re driving, and I’m here and she’s here, and all of a sudden, unknown number pops up. And I usually don’t pick it up 'cause it may be the IRS.
So, you’ve been there. I get you. So, I looked at it and I went like, «No, no». Something, and I know the Holy Spirit prompted me. And I know it wasn’t Sam, and said, «Pick it up». «Oh, it’s an unknown number». «We’re looking for reverend Samuel Rodriguez,» I went, «They got me». «We’re calling from the senate inaugural committee, the president elect’s transition team. Reverend Rodriguez, the president elect Donald Trump would like you to participate in his inauguration». So, I’m seated next to my wife, and I’m going like this. This is it. And I’m trying to be, you know, nuance about it. And he goes, «Are you there»? I go, «Yes sir, I am here… Please express to the president my gratitude.
Wow, I’m overwhelmed, I’m speechless. What would you like me to do, sir»? 'cause I’d been there before, so I need and he says, «Participate». So, I go, «Yes, amen. What would you like me to do»? And he goes, «Well, we would like you to participate». I go, «Yes, okay». So, I’m going, «Maybe he’s not getting me». I go, «Would you like me to pray»? He says, «Sure». «Or would you rather have me read scripture»? He goes, «Why not»? I’m a pastor, the next thing I wanted to say was, «Would you like me to raise a tithing and the offerings», and I didn’t. Integrity tells, that did not happen.
So, he says, you know, and then he gives me the layout. «Reverend Rodriguez, this is not the one in the church, this is the one in the capitol steps. You know, hundreds of millions of people will be watching around the world». And he told me, he says, «Alright». So, finally we agreed that I would do this, and there’s a story behind that. I initially said, «I need some time to pray about it». 'cause our church in California is very multi-ethnically diverse. So, I needed three weeks to pray about it. My wife rebuked me and she told me, «What are you praying about? I was there when God gave you a word. No need to pray about it, it was God’s will. You don’t need to pray to hear from God about what you gon' do».