insanity -- as judgment

Seeking God for Revival has become the foremost thing in my mind.  In the course of which, I continually give a great deal of thought, not only to the Word of God concerning Revival, but also to the present condition of the world.  The need of Revival seems overwhelming, in the extreme.  Were it not for the fact that God has given us His Word, the situation truly would be hopeless.  It is nothing short of astonishing, to me, that the great majority of professing Christians do not yet demonstrate any real comprehension of the desperate condition of the Church and of the world.  How, then, can they be concerned enough about the need of Revival, to be moved to travail in prayer?

Today, as I have been contemplating the pervasive madness (insanity) throughout society, I happened upon a website which addresses the fact that, in Scripture, insanity is shown to be a judgment of God upon sinners.

First, let me disclaim any endorsement of the aforementioned website; I have not yet had time to research its contents.  Nevertheless, the message conveyed in the context of the above image (which came from that website), is true.  It is furthermore a very important message.  For, it reveals an aspect of God's nature which is rarely mentioned amongst the churches.  God's judgment, in the case of Nebuchadnezzar, was a real-life example of what God decreed, in Deuteronomy 28:28-9, comes upon all those who will not obey the LORD:

"The LORD shall smite thee with madness, and blindness, and astonishment of heart: and thou shalt grope at noonday, as the blind gropeth in darkness..."

Yet there are more evidences in Scripture that God's judgment against those who persist in their rebellion against God, entails the curse of insanity.  But what is meant by "insanity"?  Insanity may very broadly be defined as "an unsound mind".  It is any state or condition of the mind which is not according to God's will and purpose involving human beings.  The Bible explicitly states that a "sound mind" comes from God, and is imparted by the Holy Ghost, to those who are in Christ Jesus:

"God hath not given us [in Christ] the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind."  (2 Timothy 1:7)

In Scripture, a "sound mind" is furthermore identified with "the mind of Christ" (1 Corinthians 2:16) -- which is the gift of God to those who are in Christ Jesus.  The singular most significant proof of an unsound mind, therefore, is, the rejection of the knowledge of God and of God's authority.  No one who rejects to himself the knowledge of God, and who thus resists God's authority -- in other words, no one who rejects the Lord Jesus Christ, can be supposed to have a "sound mind".  By that same definition, all who willfully resist the Holy Ghost are "insane".  Indeed, they are.  Thus, the world is virtually filled with insane persons -- people who do not have a "sound mind".

Of course, such a definition of insanity will never be accepted by those who are not "in Christ".  The world's definition of insanity, in actual point of fact, includes those who appear, in the eyes of the world, to be so-called "religious extremists" -- albeit, of a certain kind: that is to say, Christians.  In the world's opinion, Christians are insane.  But the truth is just the opposite.

But what has any of this to do with Revival?  Actually, it has everything to do, not only with Revival, but also with the increasingly challenging task of living as a Christian in the midst of a world gone totally mad.  Although the foregoing definitions, of sanity and of insanity respectively, are both valid and true, yet, Scripture also warns of the danger of "hardening" of one's own heart (silencing or deadening the conscience), through willful and persistent sin (Hebrews 3:13; Proverbs 29:1; et al).  Scripture plainly teaches that the spiritual (and mental) condition of all who refuse Christ, continues to worsen until, at last, they descend into hell; where their state of mind then becomes infinitely worse.  

All of which suggests that, amongst the world of lost souls, there does appear to be something like a continuum, or a range of mental capacity and ability; such that, for some amount of time (the duration of which is known only to God), every soul -- notwithstanding their lost (insane) condition, yet, through the grace of God and the power and working of the Holy Ghost -- every soul, I say, may have an opportunity to receive the gift of the Spirit of Christ and, so, be "born again".  Nevertheless, there is with respect to every soul a cut-off point, beyond which there is no further possibility of their redemption.

Importantly, that cut-off point appears, in the light of Scripture, to occur prior to physical death.  For, at the instant of physical death, the spirit of the deceased either ascends into the Presence of the Lord or, else, it descends into hell; depending upon whether or not such individual was, or was not, "in Christ".  How soon before physical death that cut-off point may occur, for each individual, only God can know.
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In view of the foregoing discussion, let's now turn our attention to what is happening in the world at this present time; and, to what is rapidly coming upon the world; and, finally, to what all of this means to the Christian who is seeking God for Revival.

In the time of Noah, the long-suffering of God toward the world of men had reached the point where God purposed to destroy the world by a flood of water.  Accordingly, God commanded Noah to build an Ark.  Still, it took Noah at least 100 years to finish that task.  During that time, I presume (as I understand God's nature, in Scripture), any or all of Noah's contemporaries -- had they sincerely repented of their sin and cried out to God for mercy, they would doubtless have been spared the coming destruction of the Flood.  The Bible states that Noah was a "preacher of righteousness".  We infer, then, that Noah not only labored to build the Ark, but that he also labored to warn the people of the impending judgment.  We may further infer, I believe, that, throughout the time Noah was building the Ark, God's long-suffering continued to be extended to men as individuals, notwithstanding the fact that God had already purposed to destroy the whole world, as such.

We cannot here elaborate upon the abundant teaching of Scripture, concerning the parallels between the state of the world in Noah's time, and the state of the world at the time of the soon-coming "day of the Lord" (the so-called Tribulation).  Suffice it to say, that Jesus himself explicitly identified those two time periods as comprising, respectively, the end of one Age and the beginning of another.  We are now standing, quite literally, at the threshold of the end of this present Age.

Therefore, those who are wise must no longer look at this world as it used to be, no, not even as it lately used to be.

In Noah's time, though it might have been possible that others, besides Noah's family, could have been saved, yet, the judgment of the world, involving the Flood, could not have been averted!  Likewise, in this present time, while it is still possible that individuals may be saved, yet, it is not possible to avert the judgment of the world in the soon-coming Tribulation.

No Revival can now be expected to restore a state of civility and order to human society (outside the society of those who are part of the true Church).  Both the fact, as well as the time, of the coming judgment (the Tribulation) are immutably fixed in the counsels of God.  Several years before David Wilkerson went to be with the Lord, he boldly said (circa 1985) that "America, as a nation, has crossed the point of no return; there is no more possibility of national revival" (as near verbatim as I recall).  I completely agree with that belief.

Not only is the Tribulation sure to come -- and at a certain time, but God has moreover declared, in 2 Thessalonians 2:11-2, that He Himself is going to:

"...send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: [so] that they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness." 

Talk about a judgment which results in insanity!!

In Noah's time, God sent a flood of waters to destroy the world.  At this time, however, God is EVEN NOW sending a flood, like a tsunami, of "strong delusion" against those who will not receive the love of the truth!  In Noah's time -- during the time of preparation of the Ark, multitudes were being sealed up in their unbelief, as they persisted in rebellion against God.  So it is, at this present time: multitudes are being hardened in unbelief, as they persist to scorn and to reject the mercy of God in Christ.  The world is continuing headlong towards a horrific judgment, which is called, in Scripture, "the day of the LORD".

What is the purpose, then, of praying for Revival?!  The purpose is two-fold, namely: 1) to revive and sanctify the Church, in order that God can thus move -- in and through a sanctified Church -- to reap a final harvest of souls; and, 2) to revive and sanctify the Church, in order that the Church shall be thoroughly prepared to be received by Jesus Christ at the Rapture.

The key to God's achieving both objectives, as stated above, is, "to revive and sanctify the Church".  Only thus (according to God's own Word) shall the Spirit of God move, in and through the Church -- that is, in and through true Christians, to bring in the final harvest of this present Age, and to prepare the Bride of Christ for Christ's appearing at the Rapture.

Meanwhile -- as we are seeking God for Revival and to receive the final Harvest, we find ourselves in the heat of an intense spiritual warfare, in which the forces of darkness -- which evidently (according to Scripture) seem to know something about the time of their impending punishment, are desperately trying to hinder individual Christians from consecrating themselves to be instruments in God's hands, for Revival.  The devil is trying by all means to distract, to divert, and to discourage Christian men and women from coming wholly apart from worldly attractions and entanglements; and, from coming wholeheartedly to seek God for Revival, in prayer, in the Word, and in Christian fellowship.

We are living in the midst of a world gone stark-raving mad.  And it is not going to get any better.  Rather, we are assured in Scripture that the situation in the world is rapidly going to grow worse and worse (2 Timothy chapter 3).

Former generations hoped -- and some even believed -- that theirs was the generation that would see the return of Christ.  Nevertheless, that is no reason for us -- who are sure that ours is, in fact, that generation -- to be kowtowed by the scorn of unbelievers (even of professing Christians) who refuse to acknowledge the witness of the Holy Ghost as He is lately revealing so many long-concealed mysteries in the Word of God (in order that true disciples of Jesus Christ shall "not [be] in darkness, that that day should overtake [us] as a thief," -- 1 Thessalonians 5:4).

What shall be true of you, professing Christian?  How will you come to be "without spot, or wrinkle, or blemish," and to further be "adorned" with the virtues and character of Christ and, so, to be part of the Bride of Christ -- except, you cease to love this present world and, then, set your affection on things which are above, where Christ is seated as the Head of the Church?

And will you not then begin to see the great need for Revival?  Will you not then see how urgently and how sincerely you need to seek unto God to purge your own soul?  Will you not then see how desperate is the plight of those who are as yet unsaved?  Will you not, too, then have a heart to love what God loves, and to hate what God hates?

How can you, then, any longer tolerate the deadness and the stench of apostasy which permeates the backslidden churches?  How can you not -- if your heart is fervently seeking God for Revival -- how can you not desire that God will send heavenly Fire, not to destroy the churches of God! but to destroy the works of darkness from the midst of the churches?

Nebuchadnezzar was brought down from his exalted position as king of the then-known world, to live as a wild beast; until, he was willing to acknowledge the supremacy and the authority of the living God.  There was, after all, hope for Nebuchadnezzar.

We are not called of God to despise those who are lost, but, rather, through God, to show them the way of Salvation.  In New Testament times, "Legion" was every bit as mad as was Nebuchadnezzar.  Yet, Jesus went to where Legion was, and drove the devil(s) out!

The madness of this present world must not keep us from pressing through to receive a great move of God in Revival.  On the contrary, that is all the more reason we have for seeking Revival from God: for, we must have the power of God in full measure revealed.

Insanity has practically taken over the whole world.  Even most churches are full of persons who do not have the mind of Christ.

But what are we to do -- we, who do have that holy mind?  We are still here -- in the world.  And why are we still here?

We -- disciples of Jesus Christ -- are here to finish the work which Jesus "began" to do.  The Church Age shall not end in defeat for the Body of Christ.  God is going to vindicate His own Name, and those who have been faithful to Him.  Revival is in the mind of God.  It is His will; it is His plan.  But we must come to receive it on God's terms.

NOT to seek God for Revival, at such a time as this...is a sure sign of insanity.