Arkansas: (Sioux: “south-wind people”)
Statehood: June 15, 1836 (25th state)
Motto: Regnat populus (Let the People Rule)
Familiar Name: The Land of Opportunity
50-State Tour: The State of Exposing andDislodging the Serpent
February 24-25, 2004
“Arkansas, you’ve been in captivity long enough. Today is a new day, even though the past has contained many mistakes. A new mantle is going on this state and is raising up a leadership for the future that thinks the way I [the Lord God] think.” (Prophesied by Chuck Pierce.)
During the 50-State Tour in February 2004, the Lord gave Dutch Sheets four promises for Arkansas. Declare them with us:
“I am going to restore the foundations.”
- God is returning Arkansas to once again be the “Land of Opportunity.”
“I am going to realign and restore Arkansas with its God-ordained purpose.”
- Arkansas is a state of refuge where God will re-infuse hope.
- Prayer teams will go from Arkansas to leading cities all over the nation to “break in.”
- Arkansas has a deliverance anointing upon it.
“I am going to expose and dislodge the serpent.”
- Leviathan, the strongman over Arkansas whose “cunning aspect” is to distort communication, will be cast down.
- “Dislodge” speaks of the strong Masonic structure in this state, yet to be undone.
- God will deal with witchcraft.
- Light, revelation, and the gift of discerning of spirits will be released.
- The Lodge will be dislodged.
“It’s time for Arkansas to blossom.”
- Declare Isaiah 35 over this state; it is Arkansas’ redemptive Scripture.
- The river will come to Arkansas and flood the desert with life; no more mirages!
- The rivers that flow from this state will heal the land.
God has emphasized three realms in which He desires to be moving apostolically within this state—the church, the marketplace, and the political arena.”
Brief State History
"From evidence left in mounds and bluffs, including pottery and stone implements, we know that people have been living in the region that is now Arkansas for thousands of years. The ancestors of the Indians were first to inhabit the region. The abundant wildlife and fertile soil made the area a wonderful home for these people, who gradually developed from primitive hunter-gatherers living in caves to much more sophisticated farmers living in large, permanent villages. As the eastern lands became settled, more Indians moved to sparsely inhabited Arkansas. The Indians who lived here included the Folsom people, Bluff Dwellers, Mound Builders, Caddos, Quapaws, Osage, Choctaw, and Cherokee.
“In 1541, the Spanish explorer Hernando De Soto was the first European to set foot in Arkansas. He led an unsuccessful, yearlong expedition for gold. One hundred thirty-one years later, two Frenchmen named Marquette and Joliet visited Arkansas briefly. In 1682, at the mouth of the Mississippi, LaSalle claimed the Mississippi Valley for France, but was later assassinated by two of his companions. In 1686, Henri De Tonti set out from Fort St. Louis on the Illinois River to meet LaSalle at the mouth of the Mississippi. After he failed to locate LaSalle, De Tonti, the “Father of Arkansas,” established the first European settlement in Arkansas—Arkansas Post, which was comprised of six residents.
“Over the next hundred years, development of the region was sluggish as the number of settlers slowly increased. In 1762, the entire Louisiana Territory was ceded to Spain, and Spanish governors offered free land and no taxes to encourage settlers to inhabit the area. In 1799, there were approximately 386 white people living in Arkansas. In 1803, the Louisiana Purchase brought a large amount of land to the United States, and, in 1819, Arkansas was organized as a territory. Its northern, eastern, and southern borders were the same as they are now; but to the west, some of what is now Oklahoma was included. In that same year, the Arkansas Gazette, once considered the oldest newspaper west of the Mississippi, was founded by William E. Woodruff. Two years later, in 1821, the territorial capital was moved from Arkansas Post to Little Rock.
“By 1836, the Arkansas Territory had the required 60,000 residents necessary to become a state, and after writing an acceptable constitution, was declared the 25th state in the United States. The new state enjoyed a 30-year period of prosperity, and by 1860 had a population of 435,000 (25 percent of whom were slaves). The majority of the residents were planters who lived in the rich bottomlands of the east and southeastern portion of the state and farmers who lived in the central and northern hills. A much smaller number of residents were lawyers, doctors, merchants, missionaries, and teachers.
“Arkansas was drawn into the Civil War in May 1861 by its decision to secede from the Union. Troops were mustered and civilians devoted their energy and resources to providing food, clothing, weapons, and horses for the soldiers. Two major battles, Pea Ridge and Prairie Grove, were fought in Arkansas. In 1863, the Confederate government of Arkansas moved to Washington (a city in the southwestern corner of Arkansas); and, in 1864, the Union government was established in Little Rock. After the Civil War ended in 1865, the era called Reconstruction began and dramatic changes were made in the South. The Democrats returned to power in 1874, the same year the present constitution was adopted. Even as early as 1875, Arkansas was billed as the “Land of Opportunity” when an active campaign was launched outside the state to attract new residents to Arkansas.
“In 500 years, Arkansas has grown from a vast wilderness to a thriving state with a population in the millions. It is home to the Wal-Mart Corporation, the world’s largest retailer, as well as multimillion/billion dollar companies such as Tyson, Beverly Enterprises, and Arkansas Best. Advancements in farming, lumbering, manufacturing, tourism, and government have gained Arkansas a viable place in the international market.”
Excerpt from Releasing The Prophetic Destiny Of A Nation (Amazon) by Dutch Sheets & Chuck Pierce
