End Times Part 3

Positive Spiritual Sign Trends in the Church

I.              end-time revival 

A.           We stand at a critical juncture in our nation’s history. The Holy Spirit is visiting His people as the darkness increases. The light is getting brighter as the darkness is becoming darker.

²Behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and deep darkness the people; but the Lord will arise over you, and His glory will be seen upon you. (Isa. 60:2)

B.            The greatest outpouring of the Spirit in history will be released before Jesus’ return. The Spirit is raising up a glorious Church that will walk in truth, power, purity, unity, and maturity as modeled by the New Testament Church (Mt. 16:18; Jn. 17:21-26; Eph. 4:13; 5:27; Rev. 7:9; 12:11; 15:2; 19:7-8; 22:17).

²⁷He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle… (Eph. 5:27)

¹⁷“It shall come to pass in the last days, says God, that I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh… ²⁰before the coming of the great and awesome day of the Lord.” (Acts 2:17-20)

⁷“For the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready.” (Rev. 19:7)

C.            Jesus is building His Church; it functions locally as a spiritual family that walks out love and honors all its members, e.g., gender, age, ethnicity, economics, etc. (Mt. 16:18).

¹⁸“I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.” (Mt. 16:18)

D.           Premise: The trends that will come in fullness at the time of Jesus’ return are occurring now and will continue to increase until He comes. Thus we believe that God will release the greatest revival in the Church and the greatest harvest of the lost in the midst of the escalating darkness.

II.           Positive sign trends in the end-time church

A.           Gospel preached to all nations: Jesus connected the timing of His return to the preaching of the gospel to all nations (12,000 people groups). Leading mission leaders project that the gospel will be preached to every people group by 2020. The greatest harvest of souls in history is occurring now.

¹⁴“This gospel…will be preached…to all the nations [ethnos] and then the end will come.”     (Mt. 24:14)

1.              Many are asking for over one billion new souls to come Jesus (Rom. 11:12-15, 26; cf. Mt. 24:14; Rev. 7:9; 14:6; 15:4; Ps. 66:4; Zeph. 2:11; 3:8-10; Amos 9:11-12)

⁹A multitude...no one could number of all nations...¹⁴out of the tribulation... (Rev. 7:9, 14)

⁶ I saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach to those who dwell on the earth--to every nation, tribe, tongue, and people… (Rev. 14:6)

2.              The Bible has been translated into 2,000+ languages (used by 98% of the world’s population).

B.            Salvation of Israel: Messianic (Jewish) congregations in Israel are seeing more Jewish people come to Jesus than at any time since the first century. There are 120+ Messianic congregations in Israel, totaling more than 15,000 believers. There were only two Messianic congregations in Israel 1970.

¹⁹“Repent therefore and be converted [Jewish people]… ²⁰that He may send Jesus Christ, who was preached to you [Jewish people] before, ²¹whom heaven must receive [retain] until the times of restoration of all things, which God has spoken by…His prophets… (Acts 3:19–21)

1.              Gentile believers will one day provoke Israel to jealousy to know Jesus (Rom. 10:19; 11:11). Love for Israel in the Body of Christ is increasing rapidly. The Lord requires the Church to stand with Israel in time of trouble, like Corrie ten Boom’s family did during World War II.

¹¹…to provoke them [Israel] to jealousy, salvation has come to the Gentiles. (Rom. 11:11)

2.              God called the Church to stand with Israel (Isa. 40:1-2; 62:6-7, 11; Jer. 31:7-10; Mt. 25:31-46; Rom. 11:11, 20-22). The Church must take a stand to boldly pray, declare, and sing the message of God’s purposes for Israel so that all the nations hear it clearly (Jer. 31:7-10).

⁷Thus says the Lord: “Sing with gladness for Jacob, and shout among the chief of the nations; proclaim, give praise, and say, ‘O Lord save…the remnant of Israel!’ (Jer. 31:7)

C.            Unity: Jesus prayed for the Church to walk in oneness leading to global witness of the gospel with a greater release of God’s glory. The Father is determined to have the Church function in unity across cities and nations. We can do so much more together that we cannot do separately. Different parts of body of Christ are to honor other parts of the body and embrace those with a different calling.

²²And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: ²³I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me. (Jn. 17:22-23)

D.           Prayer and worship movement: Before Jesus returns, the Spirit will raise up the greatest prayer movement in history. There are many indicators of this in the Scriptures (Ps. 96:1, 9, 13; 98:1-9; 102:15-22; 122:6; 149:6-9; Isa. 19:20-22; 24:14-16, 23; 25:9; 26:1, 8-9; 27:2-5, 13; 30:18-19, 29, 32; 35:2, 10; 42:10-15; 43:26; 51:11; 52:8; 62:6-7; Jer. 31:7; 51:8; Joel 2:12-17, 32; Zeph. 2:1-3; Zech. 8:20-23; 10:1; 12:10; 13:9; Mt. 21:13; Lk. 18:7-8; Rev. 5:8; 8:3-5; 14:18; 16:7; 18:6; 22:17).

⁷“Shall God not avenge [bring justice to] His own elect who cry out day and night to Him… ?
⁸When the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith [agreement] on the earth?” (Lk. 18:7-8)

1.              In 1984, the number of 24/7 houses of prayer in the world was fewer than twenty-five. Today there are more than ten thousand, and most of the growth has occurred in the last ten years. Prayer initiatives are springing up all over the globe at a staggering rate. Such momentum in prayer must be attributed to the sovereign work of the Holy Spirit, not to human ingenuity.

2.              Call2All hosted a congress in Orlando (Jan. 2008) and 170 CEOs of most of the top missions organizations made a commitment to start 70,000 new houses of prayer by 2020. In the Hong Kong Congress (June 2009) 3,000 leaders committed to start 400,000 house of prayer by 2020. In Nairobi (August 2008) leaders committed to start 75,000 new houses of prayer.
In Call2All congresses, leaders have committed to start over 500,000 houses of prayer.

E.            Isaiah prophesied 24/7 prayer ministries continuing until Jesus returns (Isa. 62:6-7). Only one generation will see the fulfillment of God’s promise to “set” intercessors in place worldwide to cry out night and day until Jerusalem becomes a praise in the earth, which happens when Jesus returns.

⁶I have set watchmen on your walls, O Jerusalem; they shall never hold their peace [be silent, NAS] day or night. You who make mention of the Lord, do not keep silent, ⁷and give Him no rest till He…makes Jerusalem a praise in the earth [at Jesus’ return]. (Isa. 62:6-7)

F.             The Lord desires to be worshiped on earth as He is in heaven (Mt. 6:10). In Revelation 4-5, John describes the worship order that was established after God’s own heart. It reveals how He wants to be worshiped. The heavenly order of worship is continual, musical, and God-centered (Rev. 4:8; 5:8-9; 14:2; 15:2). God-centered worship focuses on God and His personality and actions. 

G.           In Isaiah 42, Isaiah prophesied about a global intercessory worship movement (v. 10-12), which would usher in Jesus’ return (v. 13) and release His end-time judgments (v. 14-15).

¹⁰Sing to the Lord a new song, and His praise from the ends of the earth, you who go down to the sea, and all that is in it, you coastlands…¹¹Let the wilderness and its cities lift up their voice, the villages that Kedar inhabits. Let the inhabitants of Sela sing, let them shout from the top of the mountains…¹³The Lord shall go forth [Jesus’ second coming] like a mighty man; He shall stir up His zeal like a man of war. He shall cry out, yes, shout aloud; He shall prevail against His enemies...¹⁵I will lay waste the mountains [earthquakes]…” (Isa. 42:10-15)

H.           From the ends of the earth: five challenging areas that will engage in the worship movement
1. Go down to the sea: includes the nearly 12,000 inhabited islands of the earth
2. Coastlands: includes the major population and resource centers on the coastlands
3. Wilderness: includes the small cities in the wilderness and desert regions
4. Villages of Kedar and Sela: Islamic villages in Jordan (Sela) and Saudi Arabia (Kedar)
5. Mountain tops: a difficult place to assemble people for worship and prayer

I.              Psalms 96 and 98 prophesy a time when singing to the Lord will arise from all the earth. May the Lord establish 24/7 prayer with worship in every tribe and tongue on earth before Jesus returns! This may happen across a city, not just in one building, with many ministries working together. 

¹Sing to the Lord a new song! Sing to the Lord, all the earth…⁹Worship the Lord…tremble before Him, all the earth…¹³For He is coming to judge the earth. (Ps. 96:1-13)

¹Sing to the Lord a new song…³All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God. ⁴Shout joyfully to the Lord, all the earth; break forth in song…and sing praises. (Ps. 98:1-4)

J.              The Spirit is calling the Church to work together to offer intercession flowing from prophetic worship (music) and intimacy with God to fulfill the Great Commission (to win the lost, revive the Church, and impact society). It is prayer for the harvest, with music, and from intimacy with God.

K.           Amos’ prophecy linked the timing of the rebuilding of David’s tabernacle to one generation—
when Israel would be planted in her land in a way that she would never be pulled up from it (v. 15). The Lord has planted Israel in their land three times—in Joshua’s generation (about 1400 BC), in Zerubbabel’s generation (538 BC), and in May 1948 (the only time they will not be uprooted). Israel was restored to her land in May 1948—it is the only generation in which this prophecy could be fulfilled. It signaled the beginning of the time when the spirit of the tabernacle of David would be released—connected to the harvest of the remnant of Edom (Arabic & Islamic nations).

¹¹“I will raise up the tabernacle of David…¹²that they may possess the remnant of Edom [Islam] and all the Gentiles [nations]…¹⁴I will bring back the captives of My people Israel… ¹⁵I will plant them in their land [1948], and no longer shall they be pulled up from the land.” (Amos 9:11-15)

L.            Outpouring of the Spirit: The Lord promised to pour out His Spirit on all believers (Acts 2:17-21). The increase of the number of believers with “charismatic” theology and experience has grown from one million (1920) to 60 million (1970) to over 600 million today—this is a sign of the times.

1.              The spirit of prophecy will increase in the Church (Isa. 26:9; Jer. 31:9; 23:20; Dan. 9:22; 11:33-35; 12:3, 10; Joel 2:28-29; Mal. 4:5; Mt. 17:11; Acts 2:17; Rev. 11:3-6; 18:20).

¹⁷ It shall come to pass in the last days, says God, that I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy…¹⁹I will show wonders in heaven above and signs in the earth beneath…²⁰The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the coming of the great…day of the Lord. (Acts 2:17-20)

2.              The Lord will send Elijah and the two witnesses to prophesy before Jesus’ coming.

⁵ I will send you Elijah the prophet before…day of the Lord. (Mal. 4:5)

⁶These have power to shut heaven, so that no rain falls…and they have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to strike the earth with all plagues, as often as they desire.
(Rev. 11:3-6)

3.              In this revival, the Spirit will release the miracles seen in the book of Acts and the book of Exodus combined and multiplied on a global scale (Mic. 7:15; Jn. 14:12; Rev. 11:3-6).

“…the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do…”
      (Jn. 14:12)

¹⁵“As in the days when you came out of...Egypt, I will show them wonders.” (Mic. 7:15)

4.              God’s people will do great miracles or exploits (Dan. 11:32), and there will be a great increase of angelic activity. Michael will “stand up” (Dan. 12:1) with his angels to fight Satan (Rev. 12:7-9), indicating that an increase of angelic activity will occur in the end times.

³²The people who know their God shall be strong, and carry out great exploits [miracles]. (Dan. 11:32)

¹At that time Michael shall stand up…and there shall be a time of trouble…” (Dan. 12:1)

⁷And war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought with the dragon… (Rev. 12:7)

M.          Supernatural protection: I refer to “pockets of mercy” or the “Goshen Principle” (Ex. 8:22-23; 9:4-6, 26; 10:23; 11:7) that was seen in the time of the plagues of Egypt. God did not allow His judgments to touch Goshen where His people lived as slaves. Israel’s livestock did not die (Ex. 9:4-6), they had no hail (Ex. 9:26), no swarms of flies (Ex. 8:22), and they had light (Ex. 10:23).

²² I will set apart the land of Goshen, in which My people dwell, that no swarms of flies shall be there...²³I will make a difference between My people and your people. (Ex. 8:22-23)

⁷ I also withheld rain from you...I made it rain on one city, I withheld rain from another city. One part was rained upon, and where it did not rain the part withered. ⁸So two or three cities wandered to another city to drink water... (Amos 4:7-8)

1.              There will be pockets of mercy which refer to areas where God’s people are protected from God’s judgment (Rev. 7:2-3; 9:4; cf. Ezek. 9:4-6).

³ Seek the Lord, all you meek of the earth…it may be that you will be hidden [protected] in the day of the Lord’s anger [judgments] (Zeph. 2:3).

2.              God’s judgments can be minimized or averted in various regions by prayer and obedience. The disaster zone can become place of blessing (revival center).

¹² Turn to Me with all your heart, with fasting…¹³so rend your heart…return to the Lord, for He is gracious… and He relents from doing harm. ¹⁴Who knows if He will turn and relent, and leave a blessing behind Him? (Joel 2:12-14)

3.              God will save those who live near Him and call on His name.

⁵ You shall not be afraid of the terror by night…⁶nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness, nor of the destruction…at noonday. ⁷A thousand may fall at your side, and ten thousand at your right hand; but it shall not come near you. (Ps. 91:5-7)

N.           The Spirit will establish the first commandment in first place in the Church. Jesus referred to Moses’ end-time prophecy of God’s people loving God wholeheartedly (Deut. 30:6; Mt. 22:37).

³⁷Jesus said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart…” (Mt. 22:37

¹When all these things come on you…and you call them to mind among the nations where the Lord drives you, ²and you return to the Lord…⁵Then the Lord will bring you to the land…
⁶and will circumcise your heart…to love the Lord God with all your heart…. (Deut. 30:1-6)

O.         Many walking in righteousness: This includes “many” believers repenting of compromise to walk in righteousness and purity with great victory (Dan. 11:35; 12:3, 10; Rev. 12:11; 15:2; 19:7).

³“…those who turn many to righteousness… ¹⁰…many shall be purified…” (Dan. 12:3, 10)

⁷Let us be glad…for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready.” ⁸And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints. (Rev. 19:7-8)

P.             Bridal paradigm of the kingdom: Revelation 22:17 is one of the most informative and significant prophecies describing an aspect of how the end-time Church will function: the Church in unity with the Spirit, saying and doing what He is saying and doing. The Spirit is speaking to believers about their identity as a Bride and their intercession for Jesus to come in power.

¹⁷The Spirit and the Bride say, “Come!” Let him who hears say, “Come!” And let him who thirsts come...²⁰”Surely, I am coming quickly.” Even so, “Come, Lord Jesus!”(Rev. 22:17, 20)

1.              For the first time in history the Spirit will universally emphasize the Church’s identity as Jesus’ Bride. As sons of God, we are in the position to experience God’s throne as heirs of His power (Rev. 3:21; Rom. 8:17). As the Bride, we are positioned to experience God’s heart (emotions or affections). As the Church sees Jesus as a Bridegroom King, they will see themselves as a cherished Bride. As women are the sons of God, so also men are part of the Bride of Christ—both describe a position of privilege before God

2.              Jesus is a King with power and a Bridegroom with desire. The Bridegroom message is about Jesus’ emotions for us, His beauty, His commitments to us (to share His heart, home, throne, secrets, and beauty), and our response of wholehearted, obedient love (Jn. 14:15, 21).

Q.           Jesus called His people to make disciples that impact every sphere of society—family, education, government (politics, law, and military), economy (marketplace, business, science, and technology), arts (entertainment and sports), media, etc. Grace with understanding to walk this out is increasing in a dramatic way in this hour in the body of Christ.

¹⁹“Go…and make disciples of all the nations…²⁰teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you…” (Mt. 28:19-20)

R.            Malachi prophesied that God would raise up many who would turn their hearts to children (orphans, the fatherless, sex trafficking, etc.). This will result in the largest orphan outreach in history.

⁵“Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord. ⁶And he will turn the hearts of the fathers to the children…” (Mal. 4:5-6)

S.             Increased understanding to know God and His end-time plans: The Lord will raise up “people of understanding” who will know God and make His heart and plans known to “many” (11:32-33). Their wisdom will be related to understanding more of Jesus’ glory and beauty, as well as His plans, including what the Bible says about the unique events and trends occurring in His end-time plan.

³²“…but the people who know their God shall be strong, and carry out great exploits. ³³And those of the people who understand shall instruct many.” (Dan. 11:32-33)

T.             The Lord will raise up forerunner messengers in the end times who understand what He is doing. (Isa. 28:19-23; 33:6; 43:18-20; 62:10-12; Jer. 23:20; 30:24; Dan. 7:16, 19; 8:15-17; 9:22; 11:33-35; 12:3, 9-10; Joel 2:28-29; Mal. 4:5; Mt. 17:11; Acts 2:17-18; Rev. 11:3-6; 3:18; 13:18; 17:9).

²⁰The anger of the Lord will not turn back until He has executed and performed the thoughts of His heart. In the latter days you will understand it perfectly. (Jer. 23:20)

²⁴The fierce anger of the Lord will not return until He has done it, and until He has performed the intents of His heart. In the latter days you will consider it [think deeply on it]. (Jer. 30:24)