Whether in times of
peace or pandemic, calm or crisis, weariness or war, it is of the utmost
importance that we have ‘ears to hear’ what the Holy Spirit is saying.
Fortunately for us all, He is saying a lot.
The Covid-19 pandemic,
lockdowns, economic downturns, protests and riots are a societal shaking. One
of the purposes of shaking is to get our attention. This is not to say
necessarily that God instigated these things (much of it He did not); however,
He can and will use the unsavoury to fulfil His glorious purposes.
So far, we have learned
that God is always speaking (Hebrews 1:2) and we live in a time of increasing
deception (Matthew 24:4; II Thessalonians 2:9-12). This creates a dangerous
scenario of false messiahs / false christs (Matthew 24:24; Mark 13:22).
The last thing you want
to do is following the wrong Jesus; the first thing you should do is follow the
right Jesus. And we learned that the right Jesus is the Son of David,
Messiah/Christ, Son of God, and Saviour.
We Need the Prophetic
Amos 3:7: Surely
the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the
prophets.
From here, the Lord of
Glory, as the Good Shepherd who guides His sheep, wants to give us a prophetic
early warning service. In times like these we should cherish the prophetic
books of the Bible, the presence of the Holy Spirit, and the ministry of
prophecy, more than ever. After all, prophecy is the brightest light we have in
this planet until Jesus, the ‘light of the world,’ comes (II Peter 1:19).
Prophecy provides a ‘heads up’ on the future, an ‘early warning’ service - what
a priceless benefit.
God wants us to be the first to know, not the last to
find out.
And there is more. Prophecy is an incentive for evangelism and holy
living, and provides edification and comfort of the Church. We impoverish
ourselves by deliberate or inadvertent neglect.
One the interesting
concepts in prophecy is that God provides a way of escape, even salvation,
throughout Scripture. Noah’s ark is the first major example: those who were
found therein were saved from the judgement of the flood. Joseph’s storehouse
saved people from famine. The blood of the passover lamb caused the death angel
to pass over. Rahab’s scarlet coloured cord, tied in the window of her house,
was a mark of salvation to all who came under her roof. Her faith and obedience
converted her home into ‘God’s safe space.’
Word from the Lord?
We live in a period of Prophetic Times and Signs
In answer to the
question of what will be the sign of His coming and the end of the age, Jesus
offered some very practical advice in Matthew 24:6-13. We can summarise
these in the following signs:
1.
Wars:
There will be the tumult
of wars and rumours of wars. War is always a costly and deadly activity, yet
there will be increase in frequency, cost, and lethality. Hebrew Christian
scholar Arnold Fruchtenbaum says that the phrase ‘wars and rumours of wars’
is an idiot for world wars. If so, remember, it was only in the 20th Century
that we had world wars. Each one slaughtered millions of soldiers and civilians, then creating a new
world order once they finished;
2.
Pestilences:
Despite many wonderful
breakthroughs in medical science and procedure, we still face the prospect of
deadly diseases. The 2020 Covid-19 pandemic has cause more disruption to life
on this planet than any other global health emergency since the 1918-1919
Spanish flu pandemic, which killed millions in the aftermath of the Great War;
3.
Earthquakes:
Whether earthquakes are
increasing may be subject to debate, but earthquakes today have a greater
potential of damage simply because everything is more costly;
4.
Persecution:
The God of the Bible is represented
by two groups of people: the Jewish people and the Christians, hence the phrase
Judaeo-Christianity. As we get closer to the end of the age, Satanic opposition
will increase and he will be full of wrath, knowing his time is short. Since
Satan cannot attack God, who is far more powerful, he targets those who
symbolise God. Therefore, do not be surprised at the rise of anti-Semitism and
anti-Christian persecution, which are at levels higher than we have seen in
living memory, except for the Holocaust;
5.
False
prophets: These guys (and
a few gals) have been around a long time, but there will become more numerous,
vocal, and perhaps potent, conjuring up signs and lying wonders. Ask God for
the gift of discernment so you can detect the wolf from the sheep (hint:
knowing the Bible and being led of the Spirit is the chief way to cultivate
discernment. Jesus gives us specific keys to discernment in Matthew 7:15-20);
6.
Increased
sin: While we don’t hear
much about sin like we used to, be aware: Sin is alive, well, and thriving on
planet earth. The erosion of Judaeo-Christian values has resulted in an
explosion of depravity and devilish behaviour. The salt has lost its savour.
Prophetic-oriented people don’t dive into the cesspool, they keep their
garments spotlessly white, for they are worthy;
7.
Decreased
love: The temporary
flourishing of iniquity will cause love to grow cold. The exception: those who
have the ‘fruit of the Spirit,’ which is love (Galatians 5:22), will not decrease
in love, anymore than God’s love will;
8.
Good
news about the good news: By
now, one would feel discouraged by the explosion of evil. Yet, take heart, the
light is getting brighter on the ‘path of the just’ (Proverbs 4:18; Isaiah
60:1-2), just as the dark is getting darker. Along with the growing apostasy
will be the greatest revivals ever. The gospel of the kingdom will go forth in
growing power and platform during these days.
It has been said that
when the moon goes down from the sky, the night becomes its darkest. Yet, the
profound message is that the moon goes down just before the dawn. Take heart:
God is still on the throne and He is preparing a light that can never be put
out.
—To be continued
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