|
The well known British evangelist Smith Wigglesworth gave this prophecy in 1947: During the next few decades there will be two distinct moves of the Holy Spirit across the Church in Great Britain. The first move will affect every church that is open to receive it and will be characterised by a restoration of the baptism and the gifts of the Holy Spirit.
The second move of the Holy Spirit will result in people leaving historic churches and planting new churches.
In the duration of each of these moves, the people who are involved will say, "This is the Great Revival." But the Lord says, "No, neither is this the Great Revival but both are steps towards it."
Word and Spirit
When the new church phase is on the wane, there will be evidenced in the churches something that has not been seen before: a coming together of those with an emphasis on the Word and those with an emphasis on the Spirit.
When the Word and the Spirit come together, there will be the biggest movement of the Holy Spirit that the nation, and indeed, the world has ever seen. It will mark the beginning of a revival that will eclipse anything that has been witnessed within these shores, even the Wesleyan and the Welsh revivals of former years. The outpouring of God's Spirit will flow over from the United Kingdom to the mainland of Europe, and from there, will begin a missionary move to the ends of the earth.
Well, the Church in this nation has witnessed the first part of that prophecy being fulfilled. That has been dubbed the "renewal movement". The restoration of truth concerning the baptism of the Holy Spirit has taken place and encouraged the development and practice of the gifts of the Holy Spirit within the Church of England and other mainline denominations in Britain and Europe. This influx of truth has renewed that part of the Church.
We have also witnessed people leaving the established churches to form smaller groups and home fellowships. That trend continues.
The result of this moving of the Spirit is an increase in spiritual awareness, greater freedoms and a moving forward to embrace further truth.
It is truth which sets you free (Jn 8:32). God is the source of truth. His Word is truth (Jn 17:17). As you discover more of the truth of God's Word and incorporate it into your life, so release and renewal can come by the refreshing of the Spirit.
The problem with most of the well established churches is that in their present form, the people are not able to experience complete refreshing. Their freedoms are curtailed by prevailing dogma, by the traditions of the church, and by church clergy who are unable or unwilling to challenge the status quo.
Revival always begins with repentance. And the basis of repentance is God's truth. So, truth comes first, repentance or rebellion follow, and either renewal or retribution are the end result.
You are about to see that enacted in our time. We are now on the very verge of the Great Revival which Smith Wigglesworth prophesied!
In our journal, over the years, we have presented biblical truth which much of the Church lacks. When this truth is presented, the Church must embrace it if it is to be part of the Bride of Christ. This is summarised in our booklet The Faith Once Delivered to the Saints (FOD).
Responsibility is always attached to any revelation. When truth new to you arrives on your doorstep, your reaction must be to accept it. No matter how unwelcome it is, no matter how much you may fear the consequences of accepting it, you must. For it is a more fearful thing to fall under the Almighty's condemnation for rejecting it! God's judgement is no light matter.
Never Been Seen Before!
In the spring of 1998, our family was meeting for worship one Sabbath.[1] As is our custom, we spent part of the time praying in a group. Anyone can say or pray whatever they are moved to. During prayer I was given some prophetic words to speak out. What God said was this:
There is coming an outpouring of My Spirit on this land the likes of which this people have never seen before! It will....
I do not now remember the rest of the prophecy (recounted in Awake! Awake! 6-4), but what sticks in my mind is that part which said the outpouring of the Spirit will be so great that something like it has never been seen before. I have to admit I was a bit taken aback by those words coming from my own mouth! Yet, I knew them to be true, because God has given us prior warning of some of what is to come.
We have mentioned in issues of our journal Awake! Awake! (and in Dreams and Visions From God) that many people are to be raised from the dead as part of this end-time witness. We have mentioned one celebrity in particular who will figure in this – Diana, former Princess of Wales. For that prophecy we have received more abuse than for any other. What is strange is that abuse came from some who claim to be Spirit-led. They are in the charismatic sector of the Church. But, clearly they are not 'with it'.
The ones who are going to receive the greatest anointing in this coming outpouring are those who are the least proud. God always looks to the humble. While Wigglesworth was a great man of God, with immense zeal and spiritual fortitude, he was extremely humble too. He was a very loving man inside, although some found his exterior very austere.
Unfortunately too many of those who have ridden along on the crest of the wave of the last 'revival', which has left its mark in the charismatic church, are proud. That pride prevents them receiving the truths about to be released as the foundation for God's next move.
Try telling church leaders and the big names in world evangelism today that they are missing it by keeping Sunday and not the 7th-day Sabbath, and they would probably feel sorry for you! Some might even suggest a sanatorium rather than a theological seminary for your re-education!
But the truth is that they are the ones who need reeducating in that regard – which may be why God is going to do more awesome things in the wave of power to come. He is going to get their attention. When He raises the dead, none of these high-powered men of God will have any valid excuse for resisting this truth any longer. (Even so, some will continue to resist it, and be shut outside the door of the wedding feast.)
Only those who are willing to accept ALL God offers will be part of the Bride of Christ.
Dreams From God
On 21st September 1999 God gave me this dream: Thousands of people were present at a great banquet. All the seats were taken! Helena (my wife) and I could hardly find places to sit. But we did see two empty seats in between some children. People were queuing up for the food which was being served at a counter. It was minced beef with various vegetables. Lovely! And loads of it. Everyone got the same food. It was a really good feast!
This dream depicts the great revival Smith Wigglesworth described. Many people will take part. Having to sit between children conveys the need for true humility. The sameness of the food is a symbol of the uniformity of basic doctrine that Jesus wants the Church to have. We shouldn't have a situation in the Church where one group believes one thing and another group believes something else. Yet differences abound on basic issues such as Sabbath or Sunday; Christmas and Easter as opposed to Passover, Pentecost and the other biblical festivals; the Holy Spirit and the Trinity doctrine; when Jesus died and was resurrected; the baptism of the Holy Spirit and spiritual gifts, etc. The Feast coming up is the revival which will straighten out these differences for those who want to eat this food which will be served.[2]
In another dream on 30th September 1999 God conveyed His awesome power like a huge lightning bolt with a massive audible 'crack'. It made the ground glow bright red!
Previously we were given a dream about this outpouring of the Holy Spirit spreading to Europe (see AA 3-1). Many years ago, Jesus also told Derek Prince that he would live to see the beginning of this Great Revival in Britain. He is now an old man.
We are about to see the beginnings of this awesome event. Get ready! Get your running shoes on! It is not far away. Malcolm B Heap 24-11-99
The Last Outpouring
In our journal Awake! Awake! 8-2 of Nov/Dec 1999, we published a prophecy by the late Stanley Frodsham (p 24). It said that one of the purposes of God in coming in mighty revival power is to prepare people for the darkness ahead. It's not something anyone wants to contemplate. But there is a darkness prophesied to envelop the world, especially in the west, before the final return of Jesus to rule the world. It's mentioned in Matthew 24:21 –
For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be. And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved [alive]; but for the elect's sake, those days will be shortened (Matt 24:21,22, NKJV).
Purposes of the Revival
1. Preparing for Tribulation.
Preparing for suffering, trial and difficulty3 is the last thing you may want to do, naturally. But Jesus didn't say our lot in this world would be the easiest. He said we would have tribulation (Jn 16:33), with attendant spiritual blessings (Matt 19:29).
2. Witnessing.
One other purpose for the imminent outpouring of the Spirit is for the same reason it came in the early Church – to witness for Christ. Miraculous power draws the attention of those who would otherwise never look in God's direction. Having got their attention, He can then tell them some of what they need to know, spiritually. This, for the Church, will involve:
3. Introducing New Truth.
God's truth is the foundation for revival. New moves of God centre on 'new' truth. God requires repentance from sin. And presentation of further truth creates a new awareness of sin.
4. Judgement.
This may sound strange to hear. But one of the reasons for the blessing of God in revival power is to bring judgement. Not to those who accept Him, of course. It's upon those who don't.
When Jesus turned up the heat in His time and many stepped back from following Him (Jn 6:60-66), judgement fell upon them. When the nation as a whole rejected Jesus as their Messiah, judgement fell. God gave them some time, so that the gospel could spread first and the Church be established. But, inevitably, the Jewish nation fell into a cruel time of woe 37 years after Jesus' death and resurrection.
That was a result of rejecting truth. The religious leaders had persuaded the people to reject Jesus, and wherever they could they undermined His teaching. That opposition has continued throughout the Church Age.
In this revival we are about to enter, truth will be presented, and again rejected. Part of the work of the end-time Elijah is this restoration of 'lost' truth. It's not lost to the initiated. But it is lost to the majority in Christendom, who have been duped by false teachings.
These false doctrines are more appealing to most, and since human nature always takes the easy way out, it's not difficult to see why most will dismiss the new truth to be presented.
Who wants to go against the crowd by turning away from the traditions of the Sunday churches? If you keep the Sabbath at the time when God decrees, you invite ridicule and even isolation. You may risk losing your job. You may lose friends. You will certainly alienate the majority of those in Sunday churches who think you've lost your good judgement. You will be accused of causing division. And, in some countries, you could face death for your decision.
That doesn't alter the fact that you would be making the right decision. But the resolution to do what is right carries a backlash from opponents, both physical and spiritual. It's not easy for most.
The revival around the corner will establish a basis of credibility for this truth of the Sabbath that has hitherto been unavailable.
The Sunday-keeping sector of the Church has tended to have a monopoly on the power of God. 'Sabbatarians' have often experienced much less. When God uses Sabbath-keeping individuals to raise the dead, the Church will have received a witness that God is behind them.
If you are in the Sunday-keeping sector of the Church, what should your response be at that juncture? To investigate the Sabbath issue, and prove that it is what God wants of His people; that it is biblical; that it is still truth; that Jesus' truth does not alter; and begin to keep it today. That's what your response should be.
It will cause a shaking in the Church. But the disciples turned their world upside down, and you can expect nothing less in our age if we are to see the same release of God's power and favour upon His people!
We've all got to get in step with Him and His truth, not try to make Him fit into our convenient little mould. It only works one way!
Called To Fit God's Mould
While we were meeting together in our home fellowship some weeks ago, we received a prophetic word which went like this:
Many want Me to fit into their mould. But I have not called you to fit into your mould. I have called you to fit into My mould.
Have you noticed, however, how much people try to make God fit into their mould? They want God to bless them while they continue on their own stubborn or self-willed way. They want religion to be convenient, placid, even insipid. They don't want their world rocked for the sake of higher ideals. Only the few will accept that in an uncompromising manner.
It's the world's mould to keep Sunday, to observe Christmas, to accept Easter. Yet, all these traditions have roots in paganism, not in pure Christian doctrine. It's no wonder that unconverted masses are happy to go along with them for their own advantage.
God has called you to come out of this world; to come out of its hollow traditions and its false customs. He has called you to be untainted by the worship of demons. Yet, how many Christians consider that they are worshipping demons when they go to church on Sunday or on Christmas day? None, I would think.
Most don't know. And if they knew, how many would change? Few.
That's the raw truth. And that's why judgement will follow on the heels of this revival. It's a judgement that will engulf the Church – those in the Outer Court – in the fires of tribulation. God has to allow it to purify them of their idolatry.
Measuring the Temple
In the final book of the Bible, which is Jesus' capstone on His truth, you read of the work of the two witnesses at the very end. We stand at the juncture of their appearing. You could well see these two individuals in the next two years! This last revival will immediately precede their witness.
Then I was given a reed like a measuring rod. And the angel stood, saying: 'Rise and measure the temple of God, the altar [where sacrifice is made], and those who worship there. But leave out the court which is outside the temple, and do not measure it, for it has been given to the Gentiles. And they will tread the holy city underfoot for 42 months. And I will give power to My two witnesses, and they will prophesy 1260 days, clothed in sackcloth.' (Rev 11:1-3.).
There are important things to note from the above. I will try and summarise them briefly.
1. God is measuring His temple. The Church is now the Temple of God (1 Cor 3:16;6:19). It is His dwelling place on earth.
One way He measures His Temple is by introducing new truth to those He has called. If they accept it, He takes them closer into relationship with Him. He wants true intimacy with His Bride.
2. The outer court, while it was part of the temple, was not the final destination of those approaching God. The priest would sacrifice on the altar, and on the Day of Atonement, he would enter the holy place.
This is symbolic of our entering in to be accepted by God. Jesus made it possible by His sacrifice. But, under the old covenant, only the High Priest would enter that sacred place. Jesus has now made it possible for all of those who become part of Him, to enter that place in the spirit realm.
The outer court represents the Church in its broadest sense. There are many in churches who, while they accept Christ intellectually, have not become part of Him spiritually. They have not made the total commitment He requires of them, that "they eat His flesh and drink His blood", as it describes metaphorically in John 6:54.
When new truth is presented, they will step back from obeying. This body of believers will be engulfed in the fires of tribulation which will also parallel the physical occupation of Jerusalem for that same 3½ years.
3. Do not measure it. This means that God cannot accept such people into His kingdom until they have been proved through the difficulties to come. God 'measures' us in our trials.
4. It has been given to the Gentiles. Gentiles were outside the covenant promises which God gave Israel, unless they accepted all that God had given Israel to observe (Ex 12:48,49; Num 9:14). So, Gentiles here depict the unconverted people in the world. Human systems and human governments will oppress Christians during the great tribulation. For 3½ years, there will not be true freedom of worship. Unconverted men will rule over the churches – over Christians.
5. They will tread the holy city for 42 months.
Churches, as we know them, will lose their spiritual freedoms for this length of time. The reason for this is given elsewhere in Revelation. Jesus reveals that the one he labels the Great Harlot (symbol of the Catholic Church and any other massive, worldly system of humanly controlled worship) will impose its rule over all subjects in its jurisdiction (Rev 13:11-18). It will 'standardise' worship – which will be a counterfeit, not true worship. It will cause true saints to suffer and even be killed for failure to comply (Rev 17:6; 6:9-11).
At the same time as this repression of truth and true worship takes place in the Church, there will be a parallel occupation of Jerusalem by European military forces. This may not occur until 2004 or 2005. God has not said.
6. I will give power to My two witnesses.
Whenever satanic repression takes place, God raises up deliverers to give the people a choice, and to enable those who want release to be able to accept it. They encourage a return to God. The book of Judges is replete with accounts of the deliverers through whom God worked in Israel's early history. In the history of the Church, other deliverers have come and gone and set before the people more truth for believers to be released into greater spiritual freedoms. I don't have to remind you of Martin Luther and the Protestant reformers, or of John Wesley and other men of God who were champions of revival.
The last move of the Spirit which we are right now about to enter is going to be one which centres around an emphasis on holiness and restoring lost truth to the Church. It is one which will redefine, accurately, the faith once delivered to the saints. People will then know what more the Church needs to accept to be able to move on in the spiritual freedom which Christ offers.
After two years of this work, the darkness of the tribulation will close in. This will be the time for the work of the two witnesses. But their work will not be popular. Theirs is a pronouncement of judgement (Rev 11) upon the world powers who defy God, who refuse to obey Him, and who will trample on truth.
You can bet your bottom dollar that one biblical observance the European power will outlaw is worshipping on the Sabbath. They will insist on compliance with their Sunday-orientated schedule.
7. They will prophesy 1260 days.
This means that the two witnesses will speak as they are moved by God. A prophet speaks for God, to the people. He also corrects. These prophets will give a highly unwelcome corrective message to the people.
When Elijah stood on Mount Carmel, he chided the false prophets, and by extension, all the nation on its submission to its spiritual overlords. The majority had gone along with the apostate practices which King Ahab and Queen Jezebel had introduced. Who stood up against that heresy? Only the extreme minority. Many of those zealots were hounded or killed by compromisers, those faithful to the establishment who didn't care for truth, but who only cared about acceptance in the eyes of other people.
There is a saying that all it takes for evil to prevail is for good men to do nothing. But isn't that the way it always is? People don't stand up against false teachers. They don't stand up against heresy, even when they know better. It takes a prophet to put his neck on the line before things can change.
Yet, if people did seek what is right and if they did stand up against heretical inroads and against false worship, leaders would have little power to introduce what is wrong. That's the way it could be. But you and I know it's not that simple. Deception is the devil's cloak. And he appeals to human nature in all his cunning schemes of deceit and seduction, and humanity falls for his bait.
8. Clothed in sackcloth. This is a symbol of the message of repentance which these prophets bring.
The major act in prophesying is not that of foretelling the future, although prophets of God will be given things down that line. Their main function is in telling the people what God wants them to repent of. It can be to introduce truth and to trigger restoration and revival, or judgement.
John the Baptist, the earliest type of Elijah in the New Testament, preached a hard-hitting message of repentance. He caused the religious leaders acute embarrassment as he exposed their wrong motives. His uncompromising outbursts against their hypocrisy caused their ears to chafe. The 2 witnesses will deliver God's final warning message before Jesus returns.
In Summary
The last revival in this age will be a preparation for the work of the two witnesses. It will be triggered by the raising of the dead. God will visit His people in revival power, present them with new truth, and restore the faith once delivered to the saints.
Sadly, many will step back from receiving this 'new' truth. The tribulation will follow. There is not long to go now. So, get ready, it's just around the corner! MBH
Further Reading
How Long Revival? (HLR)
An article containing some dreams which God has given to us.
Who Is The End-Time Elijah? (E)
God promised to send us an end-time 'Elijah'. That prophecy is now being fulfilled. This booklet provides an overview of the scope of His Work.
God's Church – Whose Authority? GC)
Hierarchic authority is the image of the Beast in the Church. Shocking, but true. It is the biggest factor allowing false ministers to oppress true believers.
Our Sabbath Rest (S)
The truth about the 4th commandment, its history, and its application today. The least understood and most maligned of God's commandments!
Click Here to Order!
Click Here for Complete Literature List
Footnotes
| 1. |
|
God revealed to us (as He has done to many believers) that He wants us to observe His Sabbaths as holy time, set aside for devotion to Him. This truth is explained in Our Sabbath Rest (S).
|
| 2. |
|
These pure Bible truths are explained in the following publications: Our Sabbath Rest (S); The Controversy Concerning Law and Grace (LG); Why Keep Christmas? (X); The Truth About Easter (Eas); The Festivals of God (FoG); What The Bible Says About The Holy Spirit (HS); The Faith Once Delivered To The Saints (FOD); The Timing of Jesus’ Death & Resurrection (Tim); An Introduction to the Spiritual Gifts (ISG); Prophets and Prophesying (PP); Dreams and Visions From God (DV); Sunday Versus Sabbath: The Final World Crisis (SS), God’s Calendar Revealed To Man (Cal), Understanding The Book of Revelation (Rev) from Midnight Ministries.
|
| 3. |
|
Preparing for tribulation is covered in Enduring To The End and Preparing For The Underground Church. The latter is written by Richard Wurmbrand, who was imprisioned and tortured in Communist jails for 14 years, because he was a Christian pastor. Available in Articles of Faith, Vol 3 (F3).
|
|
