Articles/Blogs

by Kay-Chong Yeo

This article was adapted and expanded from “Church on the Brink” in Ministry Today (29 June 2011), with permission from Allen Hood. Retrieved from https://ministrytodaymag.com/~ministry/281-features/19195-church-on-the-brink.

We are living in serious times. We are living in unprecedented times. Today we stand at a critical juncture of human history!

The September 11th terrorist attacks came and went in 2001. SARS came and went in 2003. The Asian tsunami came and went in December 2004. In August 2005, Hurricane Katrina followed suit. Without much of a respite, the world then plunged into a global financial crisis in 2007 lasting two years, followed by the H1N1 flu pandemic close on its heels. Between September 28 to October 4, 2009, there were unprecedented natural disasters and calamities that took place within a week – a typhoon swept through Philippines, Vietnam and Taiwan; a tsunami inundated the Samoan Islands; and two earthquakes rocked Indonesia. Today, we are facing an outbreak of still-unknown proportions of a new coronavirus (COVID-19) and the world is on the brink of another financial crisis!

Are these just mere coincidences? What is really happening and what should we make of all these events? Are these judgments of God? What does the Bible say? As people of God, we must only draw our answers and conclusions from the very Word of God!

There are many questions that need to be answered,and we will take a look at them over the next few weeks,but the questions that I will seek to answer here are twofold – “Have we understood the times and known what to do like the sons of Issachar in 1 Chronicles 12:32? Have we heard the sound of the trumpet and responded with a commensurate burden like what Joel 2:1 and Joel 2:15 call for?”

The Church is way past the hour of having conferences on how to make our walk with God better and how to become more effective in ministry. Developing a REAL, DEEP and AUTHENTIC history in and with God in this season is instead THE matter of utmost importance! In the coming crises, it will be a matter of life and death!

An individual and corporate history in God that can bear the weight of the global crisis that is about to come must be cultivated, even as we witness rogue nations with nuclear capabilities, outbreaks of flu pandemics, water shortages, biological threats, terrorist attacks, virtual perversion, the dullness of humanistic society and the coming judgment of the LORD bearing down upon the world at this time. In fact, Jesus emphasized in Matthew 24:6, Mark 13:7 and Luke 21:9 that ALL THESE THINGS MUST COME TO PASS!

JOEL’S CRISIS

The prophet Joel says in Joel 1:2 – 4,

Hear this, you elders, and give ear, all you inhabitants of the land! Has anything like this happened in your days, or even in the days of your fathers? Tell your children about it, let your children tell their children, and their children another generation. What the chewing locust left, the swarming locust has eaten; what the swarming locust left, the crawling locust has eaten; and what the crawling locust left, the consuming locust has eaten.

In the aftermath of a national disaster, Joel attempts to draw the nation into the urgency of the hour through his opening question, “Has anything like this happened in your day, or even in the days of your fathers?” Before any rebuilding and replanting strategy kicked in, the prophet wanted to seize the moment to ask this deeper question. Something monumental and shocking had taken place that affected all who lived in the land. Did Israel even realise?

Locust plagues had swept through, and Israel found herself in the peril of the aftermath. The chewing locusts, swarming locusts, crawling locusts, and consuming locusts had devastated the nation. While locust plagues do not always destroy an economy, Joel’s description of the plague showed that this was otherwise for Israel. The crops were destroyed, the trees were stripped, and the following year’s seed was in danger. Drought compounded the problem as fire spread throughout the barren land, and their herds were dying of hunger and thirst.

The land was experiencing a financial catastrophe. The agricultural engine to their financial system had been destroyed. In a short time, the locust plagues had brought Israel to financial collapse and the people to a crisis of survival: “Is not the food cut off before our eyes?” (Joel 1:16)

Temple worship was not spared. The priests could not perform their religious duties before the Lord as grain and drink offerings were cut off from the land.

However, the crisis was only just beginning. The front edge of the storm had passed, but the rear of the hurricane would follow with greater severity. Another impending crisis was upon the nation, this time in the form of the Babylonian army’s invasion (Joel 2:2-11).

JOEL’S CALL TO RESPOND

How should Israel have responded? The prophet exhorted in Joel 1:5 – 13 for every class of society in Israel to awaken and wail over the aftermath of the locust plagues. The entire nation had to awaken and sober up.

The only appropriate response was to “lament like a virgin girded with sackcloth for the husband of her youth.” Their response must equate the severity of the crisis. They must mourn like a virgin who has just lost her husband suddenly before the consummation of the marriage could occur. This was an unthinkable tragedy. The crisis was URGENT!

In Joel 1:14, Joel gave the only answer to the crisis. The priests must move beyond their individual travail. Joel instructed them to consecrate a corporate gathering of prayer, fasting, and repentance. At the forefront of the relief and recovery effort had to be corporate repentance through gatherings of prayer and fasting. A corporate disaster called for a corporate response. Joel’s call to Israel was: shut everything down and bring the nation together for prayer and fasting.

WHY SUCH EXTREME MEASURES?

The prophet gave the explanation in Joel 1:15 – it is the Lord who has done this!

Alas for the day! For the day of the LORD is at hand; it shall come as destruction from the Almighty.

The Deuteronomic curses were operating in the land. The drought and locust plagues had been sent from the hand of the Lord. Joel announced to the people that it was the Lord who directed the wind and the plague, and who brought this destruction upon the nation.

When God’s judgments are evident among the people of God, what is our proper response? When the Day of the Lord is at hand, how should the people of God respond?

When God delivered and formed the nation of Israel, He set forth a clear path for returning to Himself, which would turn His judgments into blessings. Moses instituted this path, Solomon solidified it, and the prophets, including Joel, called the people to it in seasons of compromise and judgment.

The nation must respond in the way God had prescribed in Deuteronomy 28 – 29 and 2 Chronicles 7:14. Joel simply called the people to return to the biblical prescription for crisis as set forth by the Lord to both Moses and Solomon. Their response would be a matter of life and death, for the prophet would soon proclaim in Joel 2 of another Day of the Lord that was coming. The locust plagues were but the precursor. If the people did not respond to the locust plagues, God would send a military invasion. The people of Joel’s day were at a crucial juncture between two crises. They needed to discern the season rightly and respond biblically.

(At this juncture, I would like to EMPHASIZE that I am NOT implying that COVID-19 is a judgment of God. I am fully aware that many have given a quick and simplistic answer to this outbreak. I would further address this question pertaining to the judgment of God in the coming weeks.)

However, the same principle applies regardless of whether the COVID-19 outbreak is or isn’t the judgment of God – God wants His people to turn to Him in the place of corporate prayer!

THE CALL TO HEAR AND UNDERSTAND

In many ways, the world is finding itself in a similar situation as the nation of Israel was in the days of Joel. An economic shaking is upon us, just like it was in Joel’s day. Standing at this critical juncture between two crises, the word came to him and he pleaded with the children of Israel to hear and give ear to the word of the Lord. The people had to correctly interpret the first crisis in order to respond correctly and avert the second. It is the same for us today.

Joel’s prophecy began with a charge for the leaders to hear. The mandate to hear always begins with spiritual leadership. Leaders must hear the words of Joel (Joel 1:2a).

Joel then called the inhabitants of the land to give ear. This is a corporate summons. Elders, the working class, adults, and children are included in Joel’s charge to listen (Joel 1:2b – 3).

Joel was doing more than calling Israel to physically hear his announcement. The prophet was calling God’s people to actively engage God’s interpretation of the prophetic moment. He was calling God’s people to discern the season and respond accordingly. The same applies for us today.

The Book of Joel reveals to us that there are windows in history when correct interpretations must be given in order to set a prayer culture in place that will preserve the next generation from oncoming judgment and destruction. From 640 – 620 B.C., there was an explosion of God’s prophetic voices calling Judah to hear through the prophets Joel, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, and Jeremiah.

Many Bible students wonder at the lack of Joel’s mentioning of Israel’s king. However, the king was not at the forefront of Joel’s mind because the king’s devotion was not enough to avert the judgment of God. King Josiah would show himself unusually devoted to Yahweh worship and work to reform the nation from their idolatrous worship. Yet, the king’s efforts were only able to delay the impending crisis.

Joel was instead focused on establishing a corporate culture of prayer among the spiritual leadership and people of Israel that would reveal sincere repentance and a true devotion to God.

IF ANYONE HAS EARS TO HEAR, LET HIM HEAR

The elders in Josiah’s day missed the prophetic window to change the national culture to one of corporate prayer. Thus, Josiah’s individual efforts did not transform the nation-at-large to completely avert the oncoming crisis. The window was missed and by the time prophet Jeremiah came, it was too late. The revival fizzled out days after Josiah’s death, and within three months the people under King Jehoiakim returned to idolatry. Within four years, the Babylonians began their twenty-year invasion of Israel.

The ability to hear is critical! The invitation to hear is not a vague summons. Hearing rightly will make the difference between responding correctly or incorrectly at key junctures of history. Responding correctly will in turn make the difference between being overwhelmed by crisis or turning the crisis into blessing. We see this in Jesus’ warning to Israel some 40 years before Emperor Titus’ invasion and in God’s preparation of the Churches in Asia Minor some decades before a season of coming trial: “If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear!”(Jesus’ warnings to Israel are recorded in Matt. 11:15; 13:9, 43; Mark 4:9, 23; 7:16; Luke 8:8; 14:35, and His warnings to the Churches in Rev. 2:7,11,17,29; 3:6,13,22.)

Consequently, Joel gives an unusual glimmer of hope in Joel 2:12 – 14. If we hear the correct prophetic interpretation of the hour, announce it, and turn to the Lord with all of our hearts through establishing a culture of corporate prayer and fasting, the Lord in His great love and kindness may relent from sending the calamity and leave a blessing behind instead. What we must realize is that the “perhaps of God” is directly related to our hearing – and hearing correctly – at the crucial junctures of history. If we miss the urgent cry from God for us to hear and discern correctly, the opportunity to establish a culture of prayer will be missed and the “perhaps of God” will not be realized.

The sad reality is that Israel did not listen to the interpretation of her prophets. God sent her prophets morning by morning in His great compassion, but they would not hear. Jerusalem would also refuse Jesus’ warnings and kill Him as well. However, God’s word does not return void. It will accomplish all of His purposes. The Babylonian army came. And so did Emperor Titus. May we not be hard of hearing and listen to what God is saying to us today!

CREATING A CULTURE OF DISCERNMENT

Besides hearing correctly, we also need discernment to know how to respond. If the elders do not hear and discern the season correctly, they will fail to set a corporate culture of prayer in place as the main activity when God’s people gather. However, the hardest thing for any generation to discern is their corporate standing before God. Everyone knows the famous saying, “The only thing that we’ve learned from history is that we’ve learned nothing from history.”

Jesus stated in Matthew 11:19, “Wisdom is justified by her children.” The wisdom of the lives of John the Baptist and Jesus could not be recognized in their time. Also, the foolishness of the masses in their rejection of Jesus could not be discerned then either. Only successive generations would clearly see the fruit of Jesus’ life as well as the destruction of the religious establishment brought upon Jerusalem in 70 A.D.

Many things that look foolish to the masses today will be deemed as wise tomorrow, and many of the fads within the church right now will be deemed foolish tomorrow. Jesus addressed this at the end of the Sermon on the Mount. He emphatically declared that storms would be coming. Indeed, for those who are alive today, there is a great shaking coming that will reveal the quality of our labors. The man who has built his house on the sand will be revealed as foolish, and the man who has built his house on the rock will be revealed as wise on that day (Matt. 7:24 – 27).

We need to take heed today from God’s very word and learn how to discern the season and our appropriate response!

BLOWING JOEL’S TRUMPETS

The Book of Joel contains three crises which are referred to as the “Day of the Lord”. The prophet prophesied in the day of the locust plagues: the current Day of the Lord was then upon the nation. In chapter two, the prophet introduced Israel to a near-future Day of the Lord: a military threat from the Babylonian army was just around the corner. Chapter three introduced Israel to the eschatological crisis which would culminate in Israel’s final deliverance and restoration.

At the heart of the prophecy, chapter two introduces the audience to two very distinct trumpets. These trumpets give the blueprints for turning the judgment of the Lord into deliverance and blessing. Trumpets served two purposes in the Old Testament – to warn and to gather. Joel’s two trumpets fulfill these functions as well – the first is a trumpet to warn; the second is a trumpet to gather.

Joel 2:1 first announces, “Blow a trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in My holy mountain! Let the inhabitants of the land tremble; for the Day of the Lord is at hand.” This first trumpet is one of warning – a warning to hear correctly. Israel had to hear the proper prophetic interpretation of the moment, for a greater danger was on the horizon.  The locust plagues were only the precursor. The nation was set for a military invasion, and it was the Lord who was directing the army.

It was the watchmen to whom Joel directed his command to “Blow a trumpet! Sound an alarm!” When a watchman saw an enemy on the horizon, he was to blow the trumpet in order to warn the city to prepare for war. If the watchman failed to stay alert and did not sound the alarm, the city would surely be destroyed because of the watchman’s lack of alertness.

In our present generation leading up to the return of Jesus, God also wants to sound the alarm. He desires to bring forth Day-of-the-Lord watchmen – preachers who will cause the Church to tremble and who will give people understanding of God’s heart in the midst of end-time shakings and judgment. Jeremiah stated that in the last days we would understand God’s shakings perfectly. This will come because these watchmen will stand in the counsel of the Lord to hear, perceive, and mark His word (Jer. 23:18 – 20; Hag. 2:6 – 8). They will discern the seasons and bring biblical understanding to God’s people for the purposes of turning them to the Lord in sincerity and truth. Daniel also describes these preachers as ones who know God, are strong, do great exploits with Him, and feed many with the knowledge of God (Dan. 11:32 – 33; 12:3).

The first trumpet must be sounded in our time. The coming Day of the Lord must be preached to create alarm in God’s people and to cause us to tremble before His Word. Without the preaching of the current prophetic season and the Day of the Lord, trembling will not be produced in our hearts. Declaring the urgency of the hour is necessary and vital for God’s people to stop running Church business-as-usual and instead gather for corporate prayer and fasting.

Without urgency, we may pray for a season, but our hearts are not rent and a culture of prayer is not formed. Without urgency, elders will not lay down their agendas for growth and expansion in order to support continual solemn assemblies. Without urgency, both elders and congregants will not reallocate resources to prayer.

Urgency will also change our prayer focus. Joel 2:17 reveals the agenda when we gather to fast and pray within such a context: “Spare your people, O Lord.” Without the revelation of the Day of the Lord, this would not be our cry in intercession.

HOW THEN SHALL WE LIVE?

In Joel 2:12 – 17, God tells His people exactly what we are to do to receive His mercy and deliverance in times of crisis. In Joel’s generation, He warned them of a coming Babylonian invasion, but gave a way out: gather for solemn assemblies. This response that God required of Israel is not limited to her in times past, but is for all of God’s people today too. God is asking His people for a specific response. He has made it clear in His Word what He desires from us.

Joel 2:12 – 17 is the clearest passage in the Word of God that comprehensively lays out what God wants us to do in times of crisis – both on local and global scales. He wants us to come together in sacred assemblies. It is a clear requirement for the Body of Christ as the global drama unfolds at the End of the Age. This is because God wants us to have holy confidence in Him so that we will act with certainty in times of crisis. God wants to remove all false props so that we put our hope only in Him. God will shake all that can be shaken so as to “force” the whole world – including His people – into a corner of desperation where they cannot find any solution apart from Him.

In Joel 1:13 – 14, Joel called the people to “come, lie all night in sackcloth” as they fasted and gathered in solemn assemblies. They were to gather the elders and all the inhabitants of the land into the house of the Lord to cry out in prayer. This was in light of the continuing devastation from the locust plagues and drought.

In Joel 2, He called them to the same response of fasting and prayer in light of a coming military invasion by the Babylonians. This response of fasting and prayer will also pave the way for Israel’s future victory and deliverance during the Antichrist’s reign of terror that will come at the End of the Age (Joel 3).

THE RESPONSE THAT GOD DESIRES

Turn to God with Wholeheartedness (Joel 2:12 – 13)

God requires that we turn to Him with wholeheartedness and love Him with all of our heart (Matt. 22:37). He requires that we respond to His love for us by loving Him, because God wants our hearts more than anything else. This is powerful just in and of itself. The fact that He desires our love more than anything reveals His heart. As we turn our hearts to Him as an offering of love, we turn from sin and darkness and flee from all that is adversarial against God and He delivers us.

God gives us insight into what “turning to Him with all our heart” looks like. It involves turning to Him in repentance, fasting, and prayer. This is God’s definition of wholeheartedness.However, this is resisted by many in the Body of Christ today. Indeed, a fasted lifestyle is an unfamiliar discipline for the Church of Jesus Christ today.

Rend Our Heart (Joel 2:13)

Rending our hearts before God is a non-negotiable part of wholeheartedness. To rend means “to tear something violently or forcibly”. When we violently tear our hearts away from areas of sin, we align ourselves with what God requires. Traditionally, the people of Israel would tear their garments to show their grief and desperation. However, God is after something deeper – He desires the rending of our hearts. This speaks of spiritual violence and radically dealing with matters of the heart (Matt. 11:12).

In essence, the prophet Joel was exhorting Israel, “Tear your hearts! If there are any issues that are quenching the Holy Spirit, get rid of them!” This is exactly what Jesus exhorted in Matt. 5:29, “If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out…and if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off…” He was talking about a radical tearing away from sin and a radical pursuit of righteousness that painfully tears the heart in the process. In other words, God wants us to radically forsake all compromise! Some people pursue wholeheartedness in such a casual way that it allows for compromise. Some want a wholeheartedness that is gentle, easy, and tame. However, there is no such thing.

There will often be pain when we cooperate with the Lord to pull out whole root systems of bondage in our lives. Sometimes it hurts to press through until we get a breakthrough; yet, it is the only way to freedom. Oftentimes we would rather not change our lifestyles and still want God to set us free. We want the Lord to cause our problems to evaporate without any costs or struggles, and without the pain of having to tear our hearts. However, this is not what the Lord wants. He is looking for an intensely personal rending of hearts, because He has done and is constantly doing the same for us.

We often fail to realise that God does not love us in a detached and distant way, but instead tears His heart as He pursues us in love. God the Father tore His heart when He sent Jesus for us. Jesus tore His heart when He went to the cross. His heart is also torn as He sees His people refuse to repent and suffers long as He waits for us to respond.

Indeed, this pain of tearing the heart is often overlooked. We do not mind fasting a few meals or giving a few hours of our time to cry out in the prayer room. Yet, the tearing of our hearts in love for Him is what the Lord desires and is an inescapable part of turning to Him in wholeheartedness. Our confidence is that the Lord will empower us in our efforts, because He is a good, kind and gracious God.

Confidence in God’s Kindness and Mercy (Joel 2:13 – 14)

Joel’s call for the people of Israel to return to the Lord was based on who God is. God is gracious, merciful, slow to anger, of great kindness and relents from doing harm. He always desires to make a way of deliverance. The knowledge of God’s heart for us makes returning to Him possible and wise, and gives us courage to tear our hearts in repentance. If we take one step toward Him, He will take ten steps toward us.

The Lord is gracious. He evaluates us differently from anyone else. He remembers our frailty and that we are but dust (Ps. 103:14). He is not like a harsh military leader or an angry coach that rejects any form of weakness. God is “human-friendly” in His way of relating with us. His requirements are within the reach of the weak because of His all-sufficient grace (1 Jn. 5:4; Mat. 11:30).

The Lord delights in mercy. One of God’s main delights as He governs the universe is to watch the expressions and the heart responses of His people as we encounter His relentless mercy. He enjoys what happens in us when we understand that we get a new start after many failures. (Mic. 7:18)

The Lord is slow to anger and takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked (Ezek. 33:11). He looks for ways to forgive the wicked without violating their free will and His justice. Furthermore, God is not easily provoked by the weakness of His people. Jesus spoke of His patience to the Church in Thyatira as He calls them to repentance (Rev. 2:20 – 22).

The Lord has great kindness. When we believe that He is kind, then we have confidence to press through whatever hinders our full repentance. We can also ask Him to help us as we seek to repent (Rom. 2:4).

THE LORD RELENTS FROM DOING HARM (JOEL 2:13)

God also desires to relent from releasing deserved judgment upon nations. When a nation or city awakens and repents before the Lord, He is able to send blessing to them without violating His justice or their free will. This does not mean that God randomly changes His mind, surprising even Himself in the process. Rather, it means that He responds to the free will of man when man chooses to repent and at the same time, His justice is not violated.

There are two stages to the execution of God’s decrees. First, the decree is established in the heavenly courts. Second, it is issued as God releases angels to execute His judgment. Under certain conditions, the decree can be rescinded even after it has been established (Zeph. 2:1 – 3).

God is willing to relent or cancel the decree instead of executing it. In response to prayer and through prayer, God can change the decree He initially established in the heavenly courts. Courses of events and end results can be changed.

One great example of God’s willingness to relent is found in the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. Upon learning of God’s intentions to judge the city, Abraham asked the Lord if He would relent from judgment if there were only fifty righteous people in it. The Lord said that He would, so Abraham pressed the question, “If there were only ten righteous in the city, would You spare them?” The Lord told Abraham that He would (Gen. 18:22 – 33).

Sadly, not even ten righteous people could be found in the city. However, for the righteous ones (Lot and his family), the Lord in His mercy sent His angels to deliver them before He rained fire and brimstone down from heaven.

THE MYSTERIOUS “PERHAPS OF GOD” THAT RELEASES “POCKETS OF MERCY” (JOEL 2:13 – 14)

The place of immunity from the judgment of God is to live in His favor. Jesus’ work on the cross provides us with the gift of righteousness (2 Cor. 5:17 – 21), and accepting this gift of righteousness is a necessary starting point to receiving God’s favor. However, in order for God to release His favor to geographical areas in context of national crises, His people in the land also need to live in a culture of long-term corporate wholeheartedness to God. These will be the places of greatest safety in the earth – places where His people are developing a corporate, long-term history in wholeheartedness before God.

As our God is One who wants to turn from judgment and leave a blessing, He wants to transform would-be “disaster zones” into “revival centers”. This is the mystery of the grace of God. The Lord does not keep us guessing as if this was a game. Rather, He lays out clearly what He is looking for in times of crisis and judgment and the desire of His heart to bless in accordance to the response of His people.

In His judgments, God knows the full implications of all that is involved when He releases them and has many reasons behind His actions as well as His silence. He invites us to trust His heart, press in to seek Him in prayer and trust that He is merciful.

This is the partnership that He invites His people into. First, God initiates what He wants by declaring it in His Word and stirring our hearts with His desires. Then, we respond in obedience and through prayer to God’s initiative. Third, God answers our responses by releasing blessings that He withholds until He hears our cries.

In Joel’s day, in light of the Babylonian invasion that Israel faced, God invited His people to cry out to Him on the premise that perhaps He would provide pockets of mercy in the midst of the invasion. Perhaps He would give cities of refuge. “Perhaps He will leave a blessing behind Him”(Joel 2:14). In other words, He could have transformed the place that would have been a “disaster zone” into a “revival center” and make it a place of sovereign blessing. He was simply waiting for His people to respond and cry out to Him.

GATHER THE PEOPLE AND SANCTIFY THE CONGREGATION (JOEL 2:15 – 16) 

Joel’s second trumpet was the call to a sacred assembly of fasting and prayer. Fasting positions our hearts to experience the grace of God in a greater way and is an act of humbling ourselves before the Lord.

Joel called for a “sacred” assembly because these gatherings had to be sacred in their priority for the people of Israel. It was not the time for business-as-usual for the nation and all other schedules – whether ministry, personal, or work had to be laid aside to make seeking God the top priority. God especially wanted His leaders to set apart people under them for the purposes of seeking Him. In our time, this means re-directing whatever resources necessary – whether time, money or manpower spent on other projects towards gathering together to fast and pray. It may seem extreme, but extreme times require extreme measures.

To make it clear that this was a solemn assembly that no one was to be exempted from, the prophet Joel called everyone from the elders to the children to newborn babies to assemble. Even newly-weds were to forsake their customary first-year exemption from duties (Deut 24:5) to gather and cry out to God. This was crucial since absolutely no onewould be spared from the coming invasion of the Babylonian army.

It is the same in our day. Gathering to pray is not just for the intercessors or the prayer ministries. God’s Word is clear. He wants everyone – young, old, male, female, pastors, congregants, ministers, marketplace workers – to gather together to pray.

GIVE OURSELVES TO EARNEST PRAYER (JOEL 2:17)

Joel called the priests or the leadership to lead the people in earnest prayer. God does not want prayers out of duty or routine but as His people, we cry out for His visitation and mercy with earnest hearts. In Joel’s day, these particular prayers were prayed in light of a coming military invasion from Babylon, so that the nations would not rule over Israel. Today, these prayers still apply in light of the crisis we find ourselves in.

Joel gave two specific prayers that the priests were to pray in light of the coming crisis.

First, “Spare Your people, O God!”This was a cry for God to release supernatural protection, provision and direction to Israel, and should be our cry to Him today.

Second, “Do not give Your heritage to reproach, that the nations should rule over them. Why should they say among the peoples, ‘Where is your God?’” Just like in Joel’s day, we need to ask the Lord not to let the nations of the earth mock the people of God as though God were not among us. We remind the Lord that His own reputation is at stake; we beseech Him to come to vindicate His people for the sake of His name! God Himself wants to bring glory to His Son’s name by vindicating His prayerful saints, showing Himself to be the One who is present with those who fear Him.

The way that the harvest will come in from all nations is when the unbelievers recognize that believers have been given a dynamic love relationship with a God who acts on behalf of His people. They will recognize that those who obey Him experience His power.

When the people of God come together to seek Him in wholehearted corporate prayer and fasting, God will hear and answer. Before the outpouring of the Spirit at Pentecost, Jesus told the disciples to tarry in the upper room in prayer (Acts 1:8). His disciples pressed in together for ten days of night and day prayer before the Holy Spirit came upon them suddenly in power! Of course their ten days of prayer happened during the kairos prophetic timing of God.

We are going to see this same divine pattern play out again in our day! People with wholehearted love for God who gather in long-term corporate prayer and fasting will result in His unprecedented power breaking forth in our day.

A “suddenly” of God will come in response to the people of God. What we saw in Acts 1 and 2 was the very pattern described by the prophet Joel. God’s people gathered in consecration, fasting and prayer, believing and claiming the promise of God (Joel 2:12 – 17), and suddenly, the power of God broke in!

Do we see that this same pattern will apply to God’s promise of a future unprecedented end-time outpouring? The unprecedented outpouring of God’s Spirit in Joel 2:28 – 32 will be the result of the God’s people responding in accordance to Joel 2:12 – 17!

CONCLUSION

It is at this critical time in human history that the Lord is looking for ones who will hear Him and respond to stand in the gap in the midst of crisis. Esther 4:14 says, “Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” It is time for each person to arise and be counted in this hour. It is time to leave “business-as-usual” behind. It is time for His people to awaken to earnest prayer and fasting.

May God grant us the spirit of the sons of Issachar, so that we will have understanding of the times and know what to do (1 Chr. 12:32). Let us rise up in such a time as this, responding to His call to rend our hearts and gather in solemn assemblies in corporate intercession and worship!

In this day and hour, we invite you to join us for corporate Joel 2 sacred assemblies of seeking God in prayer. Check out our meeting schedule here. Our sessions are open to the public.

Jesus commanded one generation of believers to know that His return was near. It was the generation that would be alive to see all these things or the signs that He prophesied in Matt. 24:33,

“So you also, when you see all these things, know that it is near – at the doors! Assuredly I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place.”

As a believer who loves Jesus, we are eager to know what is on His heart, and thus what He meant by “all these things” that will lead to His glorious return to the earth. The Man we love has given us much insight into what He considers to be the important things to know about the generation in which He returns. He wants us to know them because we will live differently.

If we are living in the last generation, then we need to know it. There are three questions that many ask. First, can we know if we are living in the last generation? Second, how will we know if we are living in the last generation? What are the signs? The good news is that there is much biblical information on this because Jesus wants us to be prepared for His End-Time purposes. Jesus would not tell us of the circumstances around His coming then say no one could know it.

I believe that we are in the early days of the generation in which Jesus will return. In other words, I believe that there are people alive today who will see the return of Jesus. It may be the 20 year olds or the 2 year olds who see it. I do not know with certainty. No one knows this with absolute certainty. For this is by God’s design because He wants us to move forward by faith as we search the Word and live in deep connection and relationship with Him through the Spirit.

By observing the biblical signs of the times, it is possible to know the generation of Jesus’ return yet without knowing the day or hour (Matthew 24:33 – 36). My opinions on this generation are based on observation of the biblical signs, not on personal revelation such as prophetic visions. We must insist that our faith be based on what the Bible says, not on personal revelations about the timing of His return.

“So you also, when you see all these things, know that it is near – at the doors! Assuredly I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place. …But of that day and hour no one knows…” (Matt. 24:33 – 36)

The Signs of the Time

The signs of the times can be classified into three categories. Sign events are the most convincing and we need to focus our attention on the first two because they are biblical events and trends.

1. Sign events: actual events predicted in Scripture that alert us to the timing of His return. These include the rebirth of the state of Israel, the revealing of the Antichrist, etc.
2. Sign trends: escalating negative trends in society (e.g. civil disorder), the earth (e.g. earthquakes) and heavens (e.g. sky) and positive trends in the Church such as the harvest in the nations (Matt. 24:14) that signal the generation of Jesus’ return. Some of the negative trends are part of what Jesus called the beginning of sorrows or beginning of birth pangs (Matt. 24:8).
3. Prophetic experiences: subjective personal experiences that alert us to the end times. Do not put undue importance or focus on these because they are subjective and fallible.

Jesus’ Teaching at Mount Olives

The most complete teaching of Jesus on the End-Times is called the Olivet Discourse because Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives when He gave this great prophecy. The most complete record of it is in Matthew 24 – 25. Mark and Luke gave a much shorter account of this prophecy, yet included a few more details (i.e. Mark 13; Luke 21). Jesus also taught on the End-Times in Luke 17.

“His disciples came up to show Him the buildings of the temple. And Jesus said to them, ‘Do you not see all these things? Assuredly, I say to you, not one stone shall be left here upon another, that shall not be thrown down.’ Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, ‘Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?’” (Matt. 24:1 – 3)

In the Olivet Discourse, Jesus prophesied of the great crisis of the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD and the End-of-the-Age together in one great prophecy. Some emphasize one of these two time frames at the exclusion of the other. The destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD parallels what will occur in the generation in which the Lord returns.

In Matthew 24:4 – 8, Mark 13:8 and Luke 21:11 – 25, Jesus gave twelve negative sign trends that indicate the generation the Lord returns. Matthew described seven trends (i.e. false christs, war, ethnic conflict, economic warfare, famines, pestilences, and earthquakes), Luke described four (i.e. fearful sights, great signs in the heaven, distress in the nations and the sea) and Mark added one (i.e. trouble).

Then Jesus gave a very positive trend that indicates the generation in which He will return (Matt. 24:14). The leading missionary organizations project from statistical data that the Gospel will be presented to all 6,000 people groups (ethnic) for the first time by 2020.

“This Gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations (ethnos or ethnic groups) and then the end will come.” (Matt 24:14)

Jesus also gave several sign events that indicate the generation of His return in Matthew 24:15 – 20. The abomination of desolation refers to the Antichrist putting an image associated with himself in the rebuilt temple in Jerusalem and then commanding the nations to worship him as God. The Church will “see it” standing in the holy place of the temple and will understand that it signals the beginning of the Great Tribulation (2 Thes. 2:3 – 9).

“When you see the ‘abomination of desolation,’ spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place… Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains…” (Matt. 24:15 – 16)

In Scripture, Jerusalem is always the reference point or the primary indicator in God’s prophetic timetable for the End-Times. The state of Israel had to be re-established to fulfill many End-Time prophecies (Dan. 9:24, 27; Joel 3:2, 12; Zech. 12:3; 14:2). Israel was scattered to the nations from her land in AD 70. On May 15, 1948, Israel became a nation in one day. The return of Jews to their homeland to establish the state of Israel is the most striking event in biblical prophecy.

“Who has heard such a thing? Who has seen such things? Shall the earth be made to give birth in one day? Shall a nation be born at once? …Zion was in labor, she gave birth to her children.” (Isa. 66:8)

Jerusalem being under the control of the Jewish people is necessary for the fulfillment of many prophecies (Dan. 9:24, 27; Joel 3:2, 12; Zech. 12:3; 14:2). In June 1967, as a result of the Six Day War, and for the first time in 2,000 years, the Jewish people gained control of Jerusalem.

I believe that the beginning of birth pangs started either in 1948 when Israel became a nation or in 1967 when Jerusalem came under Israel’s authority.

The Parable of the Fig Tree: Know the Generation of His return

In the parable of the fig tree, Jesus is answering the Apostle’s question concerning what signs would indicate His return (Matt. 24:3).

“Learn this parable from the fig tree: When its branch has already become tender and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near. So you also, when you see all these things, know that it is near – at the doors! Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away. But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only. …Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming.” (Matt. 24:32 – 42)

In Matthew 24:32 – 42, Jesus gave us three commands. First, He commanded us to learn the parable of the fig tree (v. 32), then to know that His coming was near (v. 33) and therefore, to watch (v. 42). We “see” more clearly (v. 33) as we watch more consistently (v. 42). Have you learned this parable? Do you have a biblically informed opinion about the significance of this generation?

The lesson of the parable of the fig tree is easy to understand. The fig tree loses its leaves in wintertime and does not sprout till late in the spring. Thus, when the leaves of a fig tree begin to sprout, we know that summer is near. In the same way, when the prophetic sign events and trends take place together making global headlines, then we know that the End –of-this-Age is near. They must occur in a way that makes headline news worldwide. This is to constitute a prophetic sign that has a message from God in it that could be discerned by the Body of Christ.

As the fig leaves signaling the summer can be seen by anyone who is paying attention, in the same way, the events signaling the Second Coming will be obvious to anyone looking for them.

How long is a biblical generation? A generation in Scripture ranges from 40 to 100 years (Gen. 15:13 – 16; Num. 32:13; Ps. 90:10; Matt. 1:17; Acts 7:6). Moses spoke of Israel’s captivity in Egypt as lasting 400 years or 4 generations (Gen. 15:13). Thus, a generation could refer to 100 years. There were 14 generations from Abraham to David (Matt. 1:17) each averaging about 70 years.

“All these things” in (v. 33 and v. 34) include the prophetic signs spoken of in Matthew 24:4 – 28. There is only one generation in which God’s people will see all the trends and events of Matthew 24 occurring at the same time at an alarming measure or making headline news on a global basis. Jesus commanded His people in that generation to know that His coming was near.

My opinion is that the beginning of birth pang began in either 1948 (when Israel became a nation) or 1967 (when Jerusalem came under Jewish control) because Israel is always the reference point for understanding God’s redemptive history (both past and present). Israel gives us the prophetic timetable for the unfolding of God’s End-Time plans. The three most significant prophetic dates before the Great Tribulation are 1948 (i.e. rebirth of the nation of Israel), 1967 (i.e. re-capturing of the city of Jerusalem) and the Anti-Christ’s peace treaty with Israel and other nations in Daniel 9:27.

Trends and Signs in the World

For the first time in history, most of these trends and some of the necessary developments that will lead to the events are happening in an alarming measure at the same time on a global basis. For example, Israel had to become a nation before the abomination of desolation could occur.

It seemed incredible to the Apostles that all these sign events and trends would occur in a global way in one generation (v. 34). This was the unspoken issue that Jesus addressed by comparing the passing of the heavens and earth to the truthfulness of His words or prophecies (v. 35).

The emphasis on Jesus’ words in Matthew 24:35 is not on His general teachings, but on the reliability of His prophetic words concerning the future given in Matthew 24. As impossible as it seems that all these events would occur together in one generation, the prophetic words of Jesus guarantee it. Jesus compared His prophetic words in Matthew 24 to the reliability and durability of heaven and earth.

We are called to know or recognize the generation in which the Lord returns. One will only look up and lift up their heads if they know it is drawing near. That is the point.

“There will be signs in the sun, in the moon…and on the earth distress of nations, with perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring; men’s hearts failing them from fear… Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near. Then He spoke to them a parable: ‘Look at the fig tree…’” (Luke 21:25 – 29)

Like the Days of Noah

In Matthew 24:32 – 39, Jesus emphasized that the people alive in the generation in which He returns are to know with confidence that it is the generation of His return. He gives a significant qualifier to this command, namely that we not take it a step further and seek to know the day and the hour.

“But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only. But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be… Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming.” (Mt. 24:36 – 42)

Jesus emphasized that we would not know the hour of His return (Matt. 24:39, 42, 44, 50; 25:13). The Father has strategically hidden that from His people so that we live free from fear and filled with understanding, only as we search the Word and stay deeply connected to Him. It is ironic that this qualifier to the command to know the generation is used as an argument against knowing the generation. We must seek relationship with the Father because only He knows.

The main message in this passage is that the people of God who could have understood the prophetic significance of the generation they lived in, did not. The surprise with which Noah’s flood came on the majority illustrates the ignorance that Jesus wants His people to avoid. Jesus pointed out how the majority were unaware, even in the face of the preaching of Noah.

The surprise of Noah’s flood proves the widespread problem of lacking prophetic understanding and faith in a significant history changing generation. The people in Noah’s day were caught totally by surprise as they went about the ordinary activities of daily life. Noah and his family prepared for an entire generation without knowing the specific day or hour.

“By faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his household…and became heir of the righteousness…” (Heb. 11:7)

One of Jesus’ main points is that many living in that generation will not know it (Matt. 24:37 – 39). Thus, they will make wrong decisions because of their fear, offense towards God or ignorance of what the Scripture says is happening. Though it is possible for them to know it, many believers will not see it because they did not care about the last generation being important to Jesus.

Believers can know the generation just as Noah did, even though it will come suddenly to those without understanding. However, it will not catch the righteous off guard (1 Thes. 5:1 – 6). Many use Matthew 24:36 to justify their unfamiliarity and their lack of study of biblical prophecy. They use this passage in the opposite way from how Jesus intended in its context. Jesus had just laid out main signs necessary to prepare the Body of Christ for that generation. I exhort you to not give way to such shallow arguments. Stand your ground. God has given His word with clarity.

As believers who love Jesus, we are eager to know what is on His heart and thus, what He meant by “all of those things” that will lead to His glorious return to the earth. The Man we love has given us insight into what He considers to be the important things to know about the generation in which He will return. He wants us to know them because we will act differently and make different decisions if we understand what is happening.

It is essential to have understanding in that hour so that we embrace what is right and refuse what is wrong. For example, the greatest counterfeit justice and unity movement will emerge in that hour. It is referred to as the Harlot Babylon worldwide religion (Rev. 17). Many believers, who are not aware of what is happening, will embrace the Harlot Babylon religion, thinking it is good.

Our faith is to be stirred by searching the Bible to gain understanding of what the Word says about the prophetic signs that declare the generation in which the Lord returns.

God could easily settle the issue of timing by telling His prophets in the Church today, but He has chosen to leave the specific day and hour unknown so that we must cultivate a heart of faith with hunger to know what is on His heart about that generation. Jesus taught that most of the people living in the generation of His return would not know it (Matt 24:37 – 39).

Not Discerning the Signs of the Times

Jesus rebuked His generation for not discerning the signs of His first coming. Asking for a sign was legitimate because Joel prophesied that God would send signs just before the Messiah came (Joel 2:30). The Pharisees’ hypocrisy was in asking for signs beyond those Jesus did, to test Him.

“The Pharisees…came, and testing Him asked that He would show them a sign from heaven… Hypocrites! You know how to discern the face of the sky, but you cannot discern the signs of the times. A wicked and adulterous generation seeks after a sign…” (Matt. 16:1 – 4)

Jesus rebuked them for not seeing the prophetic signs of the times for that generation. However, the signs of that generation were not recorded in the OT. If they were rebuked for missing signs not in Scripture, how much more responsible are we to know the biblical signs of the times?

Israel’s unresponsiveness to Jesus was related to them not knowing the time of “their visitation”. He wept over Jerusalem because they did not respond rightly. He had warned the cities of Israel.

“He saw the city and wept over it, saying, ‘If you had known…the things that make for your peace… For days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment around you, surround you and close you in on every side, and level you, and your children within you, to the ground; and they will not leave in you one stone upon another, because you did not know the time of your visitation.’” (Luke 19:41 – 44)

Paul also taught that the Church should know the times and seasons related to Jesus’ second coming.

“Concerning the times and the seasons, brethren, you have no need that I should write to you… But you, brethren, are not in darkness so that this Day should overtake you as a thief… Therefore let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober.” (1 Thes. 5:1 – 6)

The Fear of Man

Many draw back from teaching on the End-Times because of the fear of man. Peter warned the saints to first be aware of the dangers of a scoffing or mocking spirit. The first thing we need to know is what we are up against. All who stand for God’s truth in the End-Times will be resisted by scoffers or mockers from both outside and inside the Church.

“Knowing this first: that scoffers will come in the last days…saying, ‘Where is the promise of His coming? All things continue as they were from the beginning of creation.’” (2 Peter 3:3 – 4)

Many will scoff and mock the necessity to understand, proclaim and prepare for the Lord’s return. Scoffers will argue that people have always said that Jesus was coming. It was a top priority to Peter to warn the saints to not become cynical. Rather, we are to be “anointed observers” of the signs of the times. We must not let a mocking spirit steal these truths from our heart. We do not want to impart a mocking spirit to our children and grandchildren.

I do not ask anyone to accept my views; rather I urge you to boldly challenge all the ideas that you hear. Refuse any that you cannot see in Scripture for yourself. I urge you to be like the Bereans who searched the Scriptures to see if the things that Paul said were so as in Acts 17:10 – 11.

Common Lies against Knowing the Second Coming of Jesus

There are five common lies that tell us we do not know the signs of Jesus’ return.

1. Every generation believed they were the last one.

   It is a common misperception that most generation believed they were in the End-Times. It is true that a very small group (probably less than 1%) of every generation thought they were at the end. Only twice has there been a universal sense that it was the time of the end – in the generation of the early apostles and our generation.

2. There is not enough information on the signs of the generation that the Lord returns.

   There is more prophetic evidence about Jesus’ coming than any other prophetic event in the Bible. The Scripture requires those in the generation the Lord returns to know it and prepare accordingly. Also, Jesus and Paul emphasized the know-ability of the signs of the End-Times (Matt. 24:32 – 34; Luke 21:25 – 29; 1 Thes. 5:1 – 6; 2 Thes. 2:1 – 11).

3. No one can understand these prophecies because they are too complicated. Why even try?

   The Scriptures on the End-Times were written to be understood by all, since they were written for all. The majority of people throughout history have been uneducated peasants and Scripture was written in the days when most could not read. It is not true that End-Time Scriptures are too complicated. Any system of theology that takes End-Times out of the hands of the people has not treated the text in the way God designed it. The lie claims that End-Times prophecies are impossible to understand except by scholars because they must be interpreted symbolically. Scriptures on End-Times are literal unless specifically indicated as symbolic by the Scriptures. The truth is that many do not want to take the time and effort to wrestle with the vast amount of biblical information in the face of so much criticism. It is easier to just ignore it.

4. Understanding the End-Times causes us to minimize our work in the kingdom.

   This is a criticism toward the escapist and defeatist mentality of some who believe in the pre-tribulation rapture. They conclude that they should not work hard to transform the culture since the Antichrist will take over everything anyway and since they may be raptured at any moment.

5. It will all pan out in the end.

   The question is, will it pan out well with you and your loved ones? It will only go well for those who are prepared.

A Most Common Argument

Many use Matthew 24:36 to justify their unfamiliarity and lack of study of Biblical prophecy. This passage is to be used in the opposite way. Jesus had just laid out main information that was necessary to prepare the Church to know signs of the times of His Second Coming. Then Jesus said, “When you see these things happening, know My coming is near.” We must seek the Father’s word as to when this begins because only the Father knows.

God did not want to make the day and hour known in the early Church. Jesus did not say we could not know the season or the conditions surrounding His coming. Neither did Jesus say that the Church would not know the day an hour in generation the Lord returns. Daniel and the Apostle John made it clear the Messiah would come exactly 1,260 days after the Abomination of Desolation. (Rev. 11:2 – 3; 12:6, 14; 13:5; Dan. 7:25; 12:7)

God’s Nature to Tell and Warn

God’s nature is to tell and warn His people of trouble beforehand (Amos 3:7). The nature of God is always to warn before releasing judgment. It is not consistent with His nature that He would come without warning to surprise the whole earth.

God appeared to Abraham in Genesis 15 to renew the covenant. The Lord told Abraham that his family will be sent to Egypt for 430 years of oppression. The Lord spoke many years before the Assyrian and Babylon exiles warning Israel of its coming and He spoke a generation before Rome’s destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD.

The Scripture gives us trends in many areas of life including spiritual (positive and negative), social, political, technological, natural (signs in heaven and earth) and the accelerator signs and especially the prophetic developments in Israel. Jesus said only the Father knows, not so the Church would be passive, but so the Church would pursue the Father and seeks out what is in His heart (1 Pet. 1:10 – 11; 2 Pet. 1:19).

The prophets of old searched carefully. We need to search what manner of time the Holy Spirit was indicating when He testified about the glories of Jesus that would follow. The prophetic spirit searches out carefully the application for prophecies. Jesus calls us to, “Watch therefore or search it carefully.”

Watch and Pray

The Scriptures exhort us to watch and pray. There are at least ten Scriptures that are related to preparing for the End-Times – Matthew 24:42; 25:13; Mark 13:9, 33, 34, 35, 37; Luke 21:36; 1 Thessalonians 5:6 and Revelation 16:15.

To watch is to cultivate faith and understanding that agrees with what the Word and the Spirit say about Jesus’ return. We prepare by watching what the Spirit is saying in Scripture, in circumstances, and in our life.

“Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming.” (Matt. 24:42)

We must search out what the Bible says (both OT and NT) about the signs of His coming. There are over 150 chapters in the Bible that focus on the End-Times. With a heart of faith, watch the sign events and trends that are predicted in Scripture progressively unfold. Set your heart to be an “anointed observer” of these.

Be alert to the Spirit’s stirring and challenges in your personal life and ministry. Many unique things are happening at a high level at the same time for the first time in history, yet this alone will not move a spiritually dull heart. We are to keep alert to our communion with God so as to always be in a disposition to agree with the Spirit.

May God grant us the spirit of the “sons of Issachar” (1 Chronicles 12:32) so that we may have understanding of the times and know what to do!

Our Christian faith is more than the “do”s and the “don’t”s but about becoming the person that God desires (Deut. 10:12 – 13; 2 Chron. 16:9; Isa. 66:2; Matt. 22:37 – 38). It is more than an act but a response to who God is! I am incapable of loving God passionately and wholeheartedly by my own sheer will and desire (Zech. 4:6). I am passionate for Jesus because He is firstly passionate for me.

Three Keys to having Passion for Jesus

1. Knowing the passion of Jesus for me (1 John 4:19; Eph. 3:16 – 19)

I love God because He first loves me. I seek to love Jesus with all my heart, with all my soul, with all my mind and with all my strength because I know that He loves me with His all. Passion for Jesus is the result of knowing a God who loves me so jealously like an All Consuming Fire. (Deut. 4:24)

2. Knowing who Jesus is (Phil. 3:7 – 11) How could Paul respond this way? What did he see and understand? The measure of our knowledge and revelation of “who Jesus is” correlates to the measure of our passion for Him. Our lack of passion for Jesus is primarily due to our lack of knowledge of who He is.

In his book Knowledge of the Holy, A.W. Tozer wrote,

“The decline knowledge of the Holy has brought on our troubles. A rediscovery of the majesty of God will go a long way toward curing them. It is impossible to keep moral practices sound and our inward attitudes right while our idea of God is erroneous or inadequate. If we should bring back spiritual power to our lives, we must begin to think of God more clearly as He is.” 

He added, “The low view of God entertained almost universally among Christians is the cause of a hundred lesser evils everywhere among us… With our loss of the sense of majesty has come the further loss of religious awe and consciousness of the divine Presence.”

We have too little an understanding of Jesus, too few thoughts of Him and too low a view of Him. A low view of Jesus produces little passion for Him. We need to have a fresh revelation of who Jesus is!

Thus, the most foundational and fundamental question for every believer now is Matthew 16:15 – “Who do you say that I am?”

3. Knowing the privilege of the invitation to be intimate with God (Jer. 9:23 – 24) Everyone craves to be in the inner circles and be closely associated with popular, famous, and important men and women. Yet we overlook the greatest privilege and honor of being invited to be intimate with the Most High God. Intimacy with God is an invitation to know and understand His heart, to be His friend, to stand and partner with Him and His will. What a privilege and honor! Like David in Psalm 8, my response is, “Who am I, Lord? Why are you inviting me to such privilege and honor?”

Keys to Sustaining our Passion for Jesus

1. Desire J. Osward Sanders said,

“It is an incontrovertible fact that some Christians seem to experience a much closer intimacy with God than others. They appear to enjoy a reverent familiarity with Him that is foreign to us. Is it a matter of favoritism on the part of God? Or do such people qualify in some way for that desirable intimacy? Both Scripture and experience teach that it is we, not God, who determines the degree of intimacy with Him that we enjoy. We are at this moment as close to God as we really choose to be. We are now, and we will be in the future, only as intimate with God as we really choose to be.” 

Hunger and desire are some of the most important keys in our quest for intimacy with God. (Ps. 63:1; Matt. 5:6; Matt. 15:21 – 28)

2. Discipline We have to jealously prioritize and guard our time with the Lord. Reading the Bible, meditating on the Word of God, praying, and seeking His face have to be the number one agenda in our life. Jesus said in Luke 10:42, “One thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part…” No one can choose for us. No one can read the Word and pray on our behalf. No one can press in on our behalf.

3. Delight Discover the pleasure of loving God and the joy of intimacy with Him (Ps. 37:4; 1 Peter 1:8; 1 John 1:1 – 4). Knowing and loving God is not a duty and obligation. It is man’s greatest joy and highest pleasure!

The Confrontation between Elijah and King Ahab in 1 Kings 18

The confrontation between Elijah and king Ahab in 1 Kings 18 is organized around a theme on restoration of the covenantal relationship between Yahweh and the people of Israel. Through the entire narrative, Elijah was on the mission of calling the people of God to repent as they had “forsaken the commandments of the LORD and have followed Baals” (v. 18) and to return to the worship of the LORD and to follow Him wholeheartedly. Elijah’s mission is presented in a chiastic framework in 1 Kings 18.

The story begins with the promise from God that He is going to send rain if His people repent and follow Him again (i.e. “…I will send rain…” in verse 1) and concludes with the fulfillment of God’s promise (i.e. “…there was a heavy rain.” in verse 45) as the people of God repented and returned to Him. In the Bible, “rain” often symbolizes the outpouring of God’s Spirit and His blessings. The Lord loves us but He hates idolatry. He will hold back His blessings in love when we have “idolatry” in our hearts.

The turning point of the entire event is when Elijah ”repaired the altar of the LORD that was broken down.” in verse 30. The altar of the LORD often symbolizes the restoration of our covenantal relationship with God and our wholehearted devotion and worship of our Almighty God. As we rebuild the “altar” of our lives, the Lord will repay to us those years of “famine” in our lives.

The Patterns and Characteristics of a Forerunner Ministry

The narrative in 1 Kings 18 also forms a pattern and characteristics of a forerunner ministry. As we study carefully, we will discover several unique patterns and characteristics of a forerunner ministry.

1. Season of Hiding – Times of Preparation and Training

Before his public confrontation with king Ahab at Mount Carmel, Elijah was led by the LORD into hiding (1 Kings 17:2 – 3). He went into hiding for about 3½ years before appearing again in 1 Kings 18. It seems that going into a place of hiddenness before a public ministry is a pattern of the forerunner ministry.

It is similar for John the Baptist who is known as the forerunner for the coming of Jesus Christ in the New Testament. We do not know much of John the Baptist except the fact that he was in the wilderness for many years. All we know about John is that he was living and hiding in the wilderness before the word of the Lord came to Him in Luke 3:2. Interestingly, both Elijah and John the Baptist had a relatively short “public” ministry in comparison to their time of hiddenness.

“Hiddenness” is a place where God prepares and trains His forerunners for their “future” ministry. It is at the place of hiddenness that the Lord refines and tests the motive and the heart of a forerunner. The place of hiddenness is also a place where character is being built and grown. Most of all, our faith, trust and intimacy with Him are being cultivated and established during this season of hiding. It is at the place of hiding that we become the voice of God, just like Elijah and John the Baptist.

The ministry of forerunner is often strategic and vital in shaping history and preparing the Church. Therefore, they need to be well-prepared and equipped for the task. It is at the place of hiding that a forerunner is being made ready. It is interesting to note that IHOP, which is also known as the Friends of the Bridegroom, is also a place of hiding for many. I believe that the Lord is preparing and equipping many would-be forerunners in the coming age. We need to be patient and submit ourselves to the training and preparation of the Lord, for the moment that He is going to use us!

2. The Voice of God

The forerunner is the VOICE of God. They are the ones who trumpet the very heart and message of God for their time. More than just “echoing”, they have the message of God for the hour and they will bring it to the people of God with great zeal. This means that the forerunner must be sensitive to the voice of God and have the ability to know the heartbeat of God and His kairos word for the NOW!

In 1 Kings 18:1, “the word of the LORD came to Elijah” which launches him into the ministry of the forerunner. The LORD gave Elijah a specific message and a clear mandate. Suddenly, Elijah became the voice of God in confronting king Ahab and calling the people of Israel to repent and return to the LORD.

Mike Bickle is a type of forerunner in these last days. The Lord has given him a message for the Church of Jesus Christ on the Bride of Christ and the Bridal Paradigm. He is the voice of God who is trumpeting and preparing the way of the Lord.

3. Sent by God

A forerunner has to be someone who receives a clear call and mandate from the Lord! He is not self-appointed or man-appointed but one who is appointed and sent by the Lord. He is one who has been set apart with the unction and anointing of the Lord. The ministry of Elijah clearly demonstrated that. In 1 Kings 18:1 – 2, the LORD spoke and appointed Elijah with the mission of confronting king Ahab.

“And it came to pass after many days that the word of the LORD cam to Elijah, in the third year, saying, ‘Go, present yourself to Ahab, and I will send rain on the earth.’ So Elijah went to present himself to Ahab…”

To be a forerunner, we must have a mandate from the Lord. With the mandate of the Lord, we also have the zeal of the Lord, His authority and His power to authenticate our message.

4. Repairing of Altar – Message of Repentance, Return and Restoration

During the reign of king Ahab, the nation of Israel has compromised and strayed away from the LORD. The people of God began to serve and worshiped Baals and the altar of the LORD was broken down. This really provoked and angered the LORD.

Out of His love and jealousy for His people, the LORD called Elijah and gave him a mission of repairing the broken altar of the LORD. In the Old Testament, the altar of the LORD symbolizes a wholehearted devotion to the LORD and a covenantal relationship with the Almighty. The purpose of the ministry of Elijah is to restore the covenantal relationship between God and the people of Israel. His message is a message of repentance and return to the LORD!

This is the very message of a forerunner ministry. The message of a forerunner ministry is a message of repentance, return unto the Lord and restoration by Him! The trumpet call of the forerunner ministry is to call forth a Bride who is worthy of the Lord, a Church that is ready for His return and a people of God who are wholehearted unto Him! This is the message of Elijah. This is the message of John the Baptist. In fact, the message of the forerunner is being stated in Isaiah 40:3,

“The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the LORD; make straight in the desert a highway for our God.’”

A forerunner’s message is often about calling the people of God to repentance and to return to the Lord so that God will make them ready. John the Baptist preached the same message in the New Testament. His typical message is “Repent, for the Kingdom of heaven is at hand!” (Matthew 3:2) and he preached a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins.

5. Ministry of Intercession

A forerunner is not only a messenger and a voice of the Lord; he is also an intercessor of the Lord, who births forth the purpose and promise of God through his fervent prayer and intercession.

After Elijah had confronted king Ahab and the people of Israel, repaired the altar of the LORD, and restored the covenantal relationship between God and the nation of Israel, he interceded for the fulfillment of God’s promise in sending the rain in 1 Kings 18:42,

“So Ahab went up and drink. And Elijah went to the top of Carmel; then he bowed down on the ground, and put his face between his knees.”

As a result of his intercession, the LORD sent forth rain (1 Kings 18:45). Therefore, intercession is part of the “job description” of a forerunner.

We are truly unique by virtue of the time in which we are living. We may actually be living in the final prophetic moments preceding the Second Coming of the Lord. The Lord may just raise up an entirely new generation of forerunners out of the wilderness of obscurity to proclaim the same message as John the Baptist: Make the way straight for Christ’s Second Coming!

by W. Choong

Many Christians (myself included) are like 5-year olds. We read the Word and pick out the nice bits, and conveniently ignore the difficult bits. How does that apply? Take John 15:7, where Jesus says:

“If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.”

Many of us would take to heart the second part of the verse that says that God will give us all we desire – and forget that we have to abide in Him! We want what we desire, and not what our Father in heaven wants for us. This is the perfect recipe for frustration. We yearn for more money, influence, a fulfilling career, and for Christians, even “spiritual” things such as ministry and outreach. All these things are good, and God does desire to bless us with them, but if we ask for such things when they are not part of His will, we will never be truly be satisfied.

God is most glorified when we are most satisfied in Him. ~ John Piper

Let’s think about the context of John 15. In the five chapters running from John 13 to 17, Jesus is having a private time with his disciples at the Last Supper. What Jesus said to them was His last will and testament before He went on to the pain (and joy) of the Cross. And boy, did Jesus pour out all of Himself into those 5 chapters! In Chapter 13, Jesus washed the feet of the disciples, and “loved them to the end” (v1). In Chapter 14, he promised to “prepare a place” (v1) in His Father”s house (which was mind-blowing to the Jewish disciples, because the distinct imagery was that of a Jewish man preparing a house for his betrothed, and as such, Jesus was offering a marriage proposal – to the soon-to-be birthed Church!). In Chapter 16, Jesus says that the Holy Spirit will guide the disciples into “all truth” (v33). In Chapter 17, Jesus says something truly staggering – God the Father loves us the same way He loves the Son (v23)!

But if Chapters 13, 14, 16 and 17 constitute the “cake” that Jesus was offering, Chapter 15 would be the icing. Embedded in this chapter is the answer to the question that philosophers have wrestled with through the ages – how and where does man get joy?

What does Jesus say? We will get what we want, and the true joy that we desire, when we abide or remain in Him.

What does “abiding” mean in practical terms? Three things. To abide in Jesus means to talk to Him as a man talks to his friend. More than that, it means using the Word of God as “conversational material” to talk back to God. For example, Song of Songs 1:2 declares that His (God’s) love is “better than wine.” When we use this to talk to Him, we simply ask: “God, thank you that Your love is better than wine, better than all the finest things in the world. Please show me what this means.” And lastly, abiding involves obeying His commandments.

How then do we get true joy by doing these things? As we do them, our will and His will become indistinguishable – one and the same. If one is into Venn diagrams, we take His will to be one big circle, and our will a small circle. The area in which the two circles meet is life’s “divine intersection” – where joy is realised. By abiding more and more in Him – that is, when the smaller circle moves deeper into the big circle – the scope and depth of joy is maximised. Conversely, anywhere in the small circle (man’s will) which is not part of the “divine intersection” results in what the writer of Ecclesiastes refers to as the “vanity of vanities” (1:1).

Abiding in Him involves the simple “formula” of speaking to Him, using the Word to converse with Him and obeying His commandments.

John 15:7 is not some diabolical device for God to be a killjoy – taking away the things that we want and replacing them with things He wants. Rather, true joy stems not from getting what we want, but from asking God what He wants for us. This is the statistical equivalent of the “sure thing” – you will always get what you ask for, when your wants become His wants!

Therein lies Jesus’ promise of joy. Joy lies in the fact that the Godhead of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are deeply committed to making us “ornaments of gold” (Songs 1:11) – that is, the Trinity will see that we grow in godly character. In John 15, Jesus shows how we can cooperate with God’s nurturing – we abide in Him. To abide in Him, we talk to Him, use the Word to interact with the Living Word and obey His commands, Jesus promises that His joy will remain in us, and that our “joy will be full” (15:11)! Unlike happiness, which is from without and based on external circumstances, true joy is from within. As John Piper writes, God is most glorified when we are most satisfied in Him. C. S. Lewis called joy an “unsatisfied desire which is itself more desirable than any other satisfaction.” “Joy,” he said, “must be sharply distinguished both from happiness and from pleasure” [1] Lewis found joy because he had found God as its source.

Abiding in Him sounds simple, but consistent application of this principle is the path to true joy.

In On War, one of the classics in the study of war, Prussian strategist Carl von Clausewitz wrote that “everything is very simple in war, but the simplest thing is difficult.” This powerful axiom applies to our quest for joy. Abiding in Him involves the simple “formula” of speaking to Him, using the Word to converse with Him and obeying His commandments. But these “simple things,” however, can be difficult because it requires consistency, discipline and determination – even in the mundane, and even when He doesn’t seem to respond. But Jesus is worth all our effort! Press in to seek out the “true vine” (Jn 15:1) and source of all joy! He is the true source of all life, vibrancy in the Spirit and the fount that will satisfy the thirst of the human heart!

References [1] Leland Ryken, James C. Wilholt, Tremper Longman III (eds.), Dictionary of Biblical Imagery