The above image may appear somewhat confusing to those who are not Biblically literate. While in the background the bonfire consumes all "wood, hay, and stubble"--which represents all the works, of individuals' lives, which derived from selfish, carnal motives; the crowns in the foreground represent rewards which shall be given to those whose works were motivated by love to Christ and to souls, for Christ's sake. The all-consuming fire moreover represents God's hatred of worldliness, and His determination to utterly destroy all works of the flesh--including every soul which clings to the will of the flesh, in defiance of God's Word and will. Herein is the whole purpose, and the true reason, for studying to understand Bible prophecy....
Many who seem to be very interested in Bible prophecy, are mere curiosity-seekers, who find discussions involving esoteric (hidden) knowledge -- especially concerning the future -- to be intellectually stimulating. They love mysteries and riddles; it is common to mankind. But they do not, really, love God and His Kingdom of souls. The proliferation of prophecy related publications and conferences, in recent times, does not appear to have produced anything like genuine Revival, certainly not in proportion to the amount of interest in prophecy studies. God Himself said that is the case:
And they come unto thee as the people cometh, and they sit before thee as my people, and they hear thy words, but they will not do them: for with their mouth they shew much love, but their heart goeth after their covetousness. And, lo, thou art unto them as a very lovely song of one that hath a pleasant voice, and can play well on an instrument: for they hear thy words, but they do them not. And when this cometh to pass, (lo, it will come,) then shall they know that a prophet hath been among them. (Ezekiel 33:31-3)
Which brings us to speak about Revival, in the light of Bible prophecy, and to ask the question: Is there any foundation in Scripture, for hoping -- furthermore, for believing -- that Revival is possible between now and the soon-coming Rapture of the Church?
I believe there is a wealth of evidence in Scripture supportive of that hope -- which, Scriptural evidence, we must have in order to walk in faith toward God, for receiving an outpouring of His Spirit in these very last days. Importantly, that phrase, "outpouring of His Spirit," leads me to address a particularly important prophecy -- one that is widely misunderstood and therefore widely abused, namely, the well-known prophecy in the book of Joel (2:28-9), which states:
And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions: and also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit.
The above passage of Scripture is almost always (mis-)interpreted to mean there is going to be a stupendously great Revival in the "last days". Lately, an exceedingly pernicious lie has even sprung up, as it were, out of the dark ground of that ignorance, claiming, that the "greatest Revival in the history of time" (to quote Jack VanImpe, together with other well-known prophecy teachers) is going to occur, no, not in the "last days" of the Church Age, but in the "last days" -- during the Tribulation!
Joel's prophecy, however, needs to be more carefully examined. Immediately after Joel wrote his description (in Joel 2:2-11) of that supernatural army of immortals which shall be involved in carrying out the judgments of God, during the Tribulation, the focus of Joel's prophecy turns back to address his audience then present, as well as everyone who would afterward read Joel's writings. Let us, then, pick up the text, as follows, in verses 12 and 13 of chapter 2:
Therefore also now, saith the LORD, turn ye even to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning: and rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the LORD your God: for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil.
God, through the prophet Joel, foretold events which shall occur at the end of the Church Age, in order not only to establish the record of prophecy in Scripture, but also to warn people in every Age, of God's wrath against rebellion. Against that background of future judgment, God then addressed Joel's generation, saying, "Therefore" -- in light of the prophetic warning of coming judgment, "also NOW, saith the LORD, turn ye even to me with all your heart," and repent.
Then, from verse 14 all the way through verse 27, God reveals what great blessings shall follow -- to those who will repent! Those promised blessings, moreover, belong to everyone who will repent, and not only to those in Joel's time. Repent! Joel wrote. Then, God's blessings will come. And what is the greatest of all those promised blessings? Beginning at verse 28 we read:
And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions: and also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit.
What does that all-important word "afterward" refer to? After...what?
Answer: After REPENTANCE, God will THEN pour out His Spirit. Important, too, the phrase, "upon all flesh," cannot possibly mean upon every living person on earth -- sinners as well as saints. For, nowhere does the Bible suggest that God will pour out His Spirit upon those who persist in rebellion against the Lord. Rather, the phrase, "upon all flesh," means upon ALL who will REPENT.
Indeed we find, in Acts chapter 2, the apostle Peter said that Joel's prophecy was even then being fulfilled, at that very day of Pentecost, 2,000 years ago:
For these are not drunken, as ye suppose, seeing it is but the third hour of the day. But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel; And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams: and on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy...
It may seem odd that, notwithstanding I have so labored to disabuse the Reader of certain grossly mistaken ideas pertaining to Joel's prophecy, I should turn right around and insist that Joel's prophecy does indeed give us a Biblical foundation for seeking and trusting God for a great outpouring of His Spirit in Revival at this present time. For, the promise of God's Spirit outpoured is to ALL who will repent. And while the world yet stands -- with God's prophets still remaining in the midst thereof, there yet remains the opportunity and possibility of repentance, of salvation -- and, thus, of Revival. God is not leaving His ministers amongst the world for naught; although, the window of our opportunity is rapidly drawing to a close.
I will, in the brief space of this blog, present but one more -- from among a great number of other passages of Scripture, which holds forth faith for us to receive a true End-time Revival. In his message to the "seven churches in Asia," in the Revelation, Jesus's words are prophetic. They show a progressive decline in the spiritual condition of the Church, generally speaking, from the early period of the apostles, until the closing of the Church Age. In Christ's message to the seven churches, the church in Sardis was fifth in the list. Not only that, but, also, judging from Christ's characterization of that church ("Thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead" -- Rev. 3:1), we may conclude that Christ's words to Sardis are relevant to the Church-at-large at a time approaching the end of the Church Age. That is the context. Nevertheless -- in the midst of that dark situation, here is the Word of faith for Revival, which appears even in the midst of Christ's message to the angel of Sardis:
And unto the angel of the church in Sardis write; These things saith he that hath the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars; I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead. Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die: for I have not found thy works perfect before God. Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. (Revelation 3:1-3)
"...strengthen...." Oh! What a difference a single word makes in Scripture! 'Strengthen' means not only to encourage but to rebuild, to lift up, to raise up to a higher place! That means REVIVAL -- is not only possible, but it is moreover GOD'S WILL -- and, yes, even in the time and situation described as "Sardis".
But Christ's warning, too, said that those things which MAY be, and need to be, STRENGTHENED....are "ready to die". Oh, God! May we, your people, wake up before it is in fact too late to "strengthen" any of those which are precious in your sight. Will you help us, O Lord, to come to you with all of our heart, to be made vessels fit for your use, at such a time as this? Will you, Almighty God, give us a Vision and a desire for Revival in our time?
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