A year ago, COVID-19, racial tensions, rioting and looting in cities, armed militias, and national political tension were not the predominant story line of that particular season of time. Today, a year later, the issues of the moment pile one upon the other, sweeping all but the most disconnected up into what has been, for this generation, unprecedented storms and pressures. The pressure has come from every angle: economic, social, political, and moral. Few have addressed the greatest pressure—the one that, if ignored for too long, has the greatest consequence to our lives. There is a spiritual pressure that is beginning to weigh heavily upon the peoples, and what is being revealed is the measure by which many have been woefully unprepared to bear up under the weight of the times with life, joy, and courage from within. The spiritual pressure is indicative of our need to re-examine our lives and time in light of prayer, fasting, and depth and life in the Word of God—the Word as an active conversation with the Spirit as a part of a life of dynamic intimacy with Jesus.
There are two questions that are necessary to ponder in light of the rapid, unexpected, and sweeping changes that have engulfed everyone everywhere in a shockingly brief period of time. First, is there an end to the current crisis, with better, more normal days of continued prosperity ahead? Second, what does the Word of God tell us about the years to come and how we should live in light of coming prophetic events? I believe that the answers to those questions flow together. There is an end to the current season of shaking and uncertainty; however, an ending to the current season of pressure and trouble does not mean a return to the way that things had been. The current troubles and shakings likely represent the beginning of a sequence of events and circumstances that will ebb and flow like the rising tide or the labor process of a new mother. This is why Jesus spoke of “birth pangs” in Matthew 24:8—the cycle of shakings and troubles recedes for a moment before suddenly breaking in again, each subsequent contraction being more intense and difficult than the one that preceded it.
Therefore, we find ourselves in a context in which the current trouble is the indicator that spiritual preparation is a matter of critical and urgent importance. Meeting the challenge of the moment involves a life saturated with the wisdom and perspective of the Lord, a stable heart confident in His leadership, and a soul free of the traffic of bitterness or offense and the defilement of sin. We want to be able to hear the Lord more clearly, respond with more fervency and sincerity, and agree with His Word from an intimate and transformed place of unity. However, as urgent as the hour is in preparation for shakings and the rage of the nations around us, it is more critical for us to prepare for the greater confrontation that lies ahead: the coming global revival preceding the return of Jesus to the earth. The invasion of God’s presence and power into our world has been historically, and will be in the days to come, the most disruptive and troubling series of events that we have ever experienced.
What is the issue with a future revival coming to the earth, the likes of which we have never seen before in Church history? Why would this be something to prepare for or be sobered by? We have been taught to think of revival in overwhelmingly positive terms, therefore the idea that it could be difficult is not in the framework of how we live or think about the future. However, there is a biblical and historical case to be made that the times and seasons of the Church with or in power happen to be the times when the nations most resist or persecute the Church. To say it another way, great revivals have historically caused great trouble for the Body of Christ. Therefore, if there is a great revival coming—perhaps the greatest revival in the history of the world—what kind of trouble or resistance could we expect to that level of global outpouring?
I believe that the level of resistance we can expect is nothing short of the Great Tribulation, or the greatest time of trouble in human history.
This is, admittedly, a bit of a radical premise. The idea that the Great Tribulation is caused by the great harvest is not one commonly presented—that there will be historic glory and historic trouble. As believers, we need to take both seriously and prepare for both spiritually. The biblical narrative of a coming storm of tribulation would be analogous to a global hurricane, hitting every nation simultaneously with the gale force winds of the activity of the Spirit unlike anything the world has ever seen. That means that the shaking of today, in comparison, could be compared to a heavy downpour with winds that create inconvenience, frustration, and large messes to be cleaned up afterwards. Putting today in perspective can cause us to engage with sobriety with the plans and purposes of God at a deeper level with more urgency.
We are, as a people, in a critical moment historically. The question, as ever, is how will we respond. The two predominant cultural narratives of the moment demand either a social justice response or a political one. I believe that the Lord is calling us to go another way—the way of John the Baptist. He is calling us to the way of repentance and spiritual preparation. This includes the way of prayer and of the heart. Why? The days that are now upon us demand heightened sensitivity and responsiveness to the Spirit, with lives sharpened by prayer rather than dulled by compromise or idle entertainment and boredom.
How prepared are you for the coming storm?
