If you read the book of Revelations in the bible at one place John says "the second angel sounded and as it were a great mountain burning with fire was cast into the sea: and the third part of the sea became blood: and the third part of the creatures which were in the sea and had life, died." (Rev 8:8-9)
The aerial images of the Gulf of Mexico oil spill the globules of oil have the look of dried blood, a brownish red color. Could this have been the picture of what John was describing, a huge oil spill that covers a third of all the oceans of the world? As I write the Gulf oil spill is over 52 [revised from 40] days old and it is still gushing. It will be August before the relief wells are finished and a permanent fix is in place. All other methods to stop the leak have failed so far. If the leak continues for another sixty or eighty days it will affect the entire Gulf and the Atlantic Ocean. In other words the whole planet will be affected physically, economically and politically. This could be an ‘end of the world’ type catastrophic event. Was this the event John saw or one like it?
Many of the images that John described in Revelations can now be explained as descriptions of today’s modern weapons and technologies. The whole world getting to watch the death of the three prophets of God would only be realized after CNN broadcast images of the First Gulf War into every country of the world. Now it is a common thing to see world wide events develop live on our TV screens.
The stage is fully set for the beginning of the Tribulation and the return of Christ. There is nothing left to be done except have a great end time revival to win people to Christ and experience His return. Things will get much worst. The world as we once knew it may be passing away before our very eyes. The only thing we can do is to turn to God and trust in His word that we will be delivered through what ever event we will encounter.
Many churches are doing the same things they have been doing for the last one hundred years. They are still trying to live in the revivals from the 1800’s or early 1900’s. That will not cut it. The Holy Spirit is a pillar of fire. He comes and stays a while and then he moves on. Not a physical move but a spiritual one. We must go through one revival and move on to the next, not stay in the same place spiritually, not stay where we are and especially not go backwards to live in a past era of revival. Many mainline churches are still living in the past looking to their human roots. Trying to build on the foundations of men who once experienced God in a new way but then God moved on, some men followed the new move and some didn’t. The men who founded many of our churches in the 1800’s are not our foundation, Jesus is. Churches must leave the past behind them and start looking for a new beginning and when it is complete look for another one and then another one, where ever the pillar of fire goes we must follow.
Jesus said we would know when it is the end times. Whether it will be next week, next year or the next decade we are at that place where we must decide to put Jesus first in everything or suffer the consequences of clinging to a dying world that will soon be gone.
Do we cling to our old traditions? Do we cling to our old methods and habit? If our churches are not growing and experiencing the end time revival fire of the Holy Spirit we need to let go of those things and learn to listen and follow the lead of the Holy Spirit.
I was reading in the Old Testament where one of the kings who followed after the Lord went into the Temple and tore down Asherah poles, incense altars and other idols that his father had erected. I was wondering; have we not also built up idols and altars to other gods in our churches, blending the pagan world with the church? Have we not made idols of people, their teachings and methods? Have we not made idols of traditions to the point that our traditions are more important than people? Have we not seen churches rejected by their denomination because (gasp) they didn’t follow tradition. Have we not seen denomination choose to follow the publicly correct rules of men rather than follow God? Are they not desecrating the church of God just as the Temple was desecrated?
It is time to purge the Churches. If we don’t do it ourselves God will do it for us. It is time to get back to the basics of following and worshipping God and God alone. It is time for pure revival, a revival with the energy, fire and power of the Holy Spirit. The church must end in power just like it began, a supernatural one.
Nubby
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