A cursory reading of the Book of Revelation in the context of YESHUA’s discourse in Matthew 24:3-33 tells us that we need to stand prepared for the uncertain times ahead of us.
The coming global revival – a “new” Pentecost – will position the Body of MASHIAH, as ministers of CHRIST, able to operate by the SPIRIT, in the Testimony of JESUS, in the times ahead that will bring this age to closure.
This “new” Pentecost [the latter rain revival] will come to a Church that actively seeks to prepare for it, even as the apostles and disciples of JESUS CHRIST prepared for it in Acts 1:14 (NASB), “These all with one mind were continually devoting themselves to prayer …”.
As YESHUA declared in John 14:12-15, < 12 “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I go to the Father. 13 “Whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 “If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it. 15 “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments. >
There will be a new realm of ministry in the Church. John 16:23-27 (NASB) reads: < 23 “In that day you will not question Me about anything. Truly, truly, I say to you, if you ask the Father for anything in My name, He will give it to you. 24 “Until now you have asked for nothing in My name; ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be made full [Neh 8:10]. 25 “These things I have spoken to you in figurative language; an hour is coming when I will no longer speak to you in figurative language, but will tell you plainly of the Father. 26 “In that day you will ask in My name, and I do not say to you that I will request of the Father on your behalf; 27 for the Father Himself loves you, because you have loved Me and have believed that I came forth from the Father. >
But there are issues we must deal with ….
The Prophetic Word In Season:
- Isaiah 4:4 (NASB) declares: < 4 When the Lord has washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion and purged the bloodshed of Jerusalem from her midst, by the spirit of judgment and the spirit of burning, 5 then the LORD will create over the whole area of Mount Zion and over her assemblies a cloud by day, even smoke, and the brightness of a flaming fire by night; for over all the glory will be a canopy. 6 There will be a shelter to give shade from the heat by day, and refuge and protection from the storm and the rain. >
- Isaiah 52:6-12 (NASB) declares: < 6 “Therefore My people shall know My name; therefore in that day I am the one who is speaking, ‘Here I am.'” 7 How lovely on the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who announces peace and brings good news of happiness, who announces salvation, and says to Zion, “Your God reigns!” 8 Listen! Your watchmen lift up their voices, they shout joyfully together; for they will see with their own eyes when the LORD restores Zion. 9 Break forth, shout joyfully together, you waste places of Jerusalem; for the LORD has comforted His people, He has redeemed Jerusalem. 10 The LORD has bared His holy arm In the sight of all the nations, that all the ends of the earth may see the salvation of our God. 11 Depart, depart, go out from there, touch nothing unclean; Go out of the midst of her, purify yourselves, You who carry the vessels of the LORD. 12 But you will not go out in haste, Nor will you go as fugitives; for the LORD will go before you, and the God of Israel will be your rear guard. >
Year-End Prayer Points:
- Wash away the filth (bring these issues before the LORD: pride, lust, selfishness, greed, corruption, manipulation, self-absorption, materialism, offense, anger, bitterness, unforgiveness, etc) …. pray by the SPIRIT, in CHRIST JESUS [see Rom 8:2], for a spirit of judgment and the spirit of burning [these are attributes of the Spirit of JESUS CHRIST – see Rev 1:14, “and His eyes [see also Rev 5:6] were like a flame of fire” and, Rev 1:19, “When I saw Him, I fell at His feet like a dead man.”] to purge out of ourselves [praying by the SPIRIT, in CHRIST JESUS] our every filthiness and to ask GOD to remove every barrier between us and Himself [see Isa 59:1-2, 3-8]
- So that GOD will position you (us) under His canopy to be a shelter, a shade from the heat and refuge and protection from the storm and the rain in the uncertain times ahead.
- Then you will know His Name [John 16:23-27]
- Then you will have the faith to hear and walk into the good news of restoration
- Then you will be able to see the works of the LORD in times of trouble [John 14:12]
- Proclaim/Live the Gospel: < “How lovely on the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who announces peace and brings good news of happiness, who announces salvation, and says to Zion, “Your God reigns!” >
We need to understand the prophetic Word that stands over us in these times ahead of us ….
The Prophetic Word For Our Times
- Hebrews 12:26-29 gives us a clear perspective of the times we live in: < 26 And His voice shook the earth then, but now He has promised, saying, “Yet once more I will shake not only the earth [Matt 24:21-22], but also the heaven [Matt 24:29].” 27 This expression, “Yet once more,” denotes the removing of those things which can be shaken, as of created things, so that those things which cannot be shaken may remain. 28 Therefore, since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken [John 3:3,5; Luke 17:20-21], let us show gratitude, by which we may offer to God an acceptable service [1 Peter 4:10-11] with reverence and awe; 29 for our God is a consuming fire. >
- Isaiah 43:18-21 (NASB) declares: < 18 “Do not call to mind the former things, or ponder things of the past. 19 Behold, I will do something new, now it will spring forth; will you not be aware of it? I will even make a roadway in the wilderness, rivers in the desert. 20 The beasts of the field will glorify Me, the jackals and the ostriches, because I have given waters in the wilderness and rivers in the desert, to give drink to My chosen people. 21 The people whom I formed for Myself will declare My praise.” >
- Isaiah 60:1-5 (NASB) declares: < 1 “Arise, shine; for your light has come, And the glory of the LORD has risen upon you. 2 “For behold, darkness will cover the earth And deep darkness the peoples; But the LORD will rise upon you And His glory will appear upon you. 3 “Nations will come to your light, And kings to the brightness of your rising. 4 “Lift up your eyes round about and see; They all gather together, they come to you. Your sons will come from afar, And your daughters will be carried in the arms. 5 “Then you will see and be radiant, And your heart will thrill and rejoice; Because the abundance of the sea will be turned to you, The wealth of the nations will come to you. >
- Isaiah 2:2-22 (NASB) declares: < 2 Now it will come about that In the last days the mountain of the house of the LORD will be established as the chief of the mountains, and will be raised above the hills; and all the nations will stream to it. 3 and many peoples will come and say, “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; that He may teach us concerning His ways and that we may walk in His paths.” For the law will go forth from Zion and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. 4 And He will judge between the nations, and will render decisions for many peoples; and they will hammer their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not lift up sword against nation, and never again will they learn war. 5 Come, house of Jacob, and let us walk in the light of the LORD. 6 For You have abandoned Your people, the house of Jacob, because they are filled with influences from the east, and they are soothsayers like the Philistines, and they strike bargains with the children of foreigners. 7 Their land has also been filled with silver and gold and there is no end to their treasures; their land has also been filled with horses and there is no end to their chariots. 8 Their land has also been filled with idols; they worship the work of their hands, that which their fingers have made. 9 So the common man has been humbled and the man of importance has been abased, but do not forgive them. 10 Enter the rock and hide in the dust from the terror of the LORD and from the splendor of His majesty. 11 The proud look of man will be abased and the loftiness of man will be humbled, and the LORD alone will be exalted in that day. 12 For the LORD of hosts will have a day of reckoning against everyone who is proud and lofty and against everyone who is lifted up, that he may be abased. 13 And it will be against all the cedars of Lebanon that are lofty and lifted up, against all the oaks of Bashan, 14 against all the lofty mountains, against all the hills that are lifted up, 15 against every high tower, against every fortified wall, 16 against all the ships of Tarshish and against all the beautiful craft. 17 The pride of man will be humbled and the loftiness of men will be abased; and the LORD alone will be exalted in that day, 18 but the idols will completely vanish. 19 Men will go into caves of the rocks and into holes of the ground before the terror of the LORD and the splendor of His majesty, when He arises to make the earth tremble. 20 In that day men will cast away to the moles and the bats their idols of silver and their idols of gold, which they made for themselves to worship, 21 in order to go into the caverns of the rocks and the clefts of the cliffs before the terror of the LORD and the splendor of His majesty, when He arises to make the earth tremble. 22 Stop regarding man, whose breath of life is in his nostrils; for why should he be esteemed?
- Isaiah 32:1-20 (NASB) declares: < 1 Behold, a king will reign righteously and princes will rule justly. 2 Each will be like a refuge from the wind and a shelter from the storm, like streams of water in a dry country, like the shade of a huge rock in a parched land. 3 Then the eyes of those who see will not be blinded, and the ears of those who hear will listen. [See Ps 110:3] 4 The mind of the hasty will discern the truth, and the tongue of the stammerers will hasten to speak clearly. 5 No longer will the fool be called noble, or the rogue be spoken of as generous. 6 For a fool speaks nonsense, and his heart inclines toward wickedness: to practice ungodliness and to speak error against the LORD, to keep the hungry person unsatisfied and to withhold drink from the thirsty. 7 As for a rogue, his weapons are evil; he devises wicked schemes to destroy the afflicted with slander, even though the needy one speaks what is right. 8 But the noble man devises noble plans; and by noble plans he stands. 9 Rise up, you women who are at ease, and hear my voice; give ear to My word, you complacent daughters. 10 Within a year and a few days you will be troubled, O complacent daughters; for the vintage is ended, and the fruit gathering will not come. 11 Tremble, you women who are at ease; be troubled, you complacent daughters; strip, undress and put sackcloth on your waist, 12 beat your breasts for the pleasant fields, for the fruitful vine, 13 for the land of my people in which thorns and briars shall come up; yea, for all the joyful houses and for the jubilant city. 14 Because the palace has been abandoned, the populated city forsaken. Hill and watch-tower have become caves forever, a delight for wild donkeys, a pasture for flocks; 15 Until the Spirit is poured out upon us from on high, and the wilderness becomes a fertile field, and the fertile field is considered as a forest. 16 Then justice will dwell in the wilderness and righteousness will abide in the fertile field. 17 And the work of righteousness will be peace, and the service of righteousness, quietness and confidence forever. 18 Then my people will live in a peaceful habitation, and in secure dwellings and in undisturbed resting places; 19 and it will hail when the forest comes down, and the city will be utterly laid low. 20 How blessed will you be, you who sow beside all waters [in the midst of both poisoned and sweetened waters], who let out freely the ox and the donkey. >
- Isaiah 33:6 (NASB) declares: < 6 And He will be the stability of your times, a wealth of salvation, wisdom and knowledge; the fear of the LORD is his treasure. >
- Isaiah 33:14-17 (NASB) declares: < 14 Sinners in Zion are terrified; Trembling has seized the godless. “Who among us can live with the consuming fire? Who among us can live with continual burning?” 15 He who walks righteously and speaks with sincerity, He who rejects unjust gain and shakes his hands so that they hold no bribe; He who stops his ears from hearing about bloodshed and shuts his eyes from looking upon evil; 16 he will dwell on the heights, his refuge will be the impregnable rock; his bread will be given him, his water will be sure. 17 Your eyes will see the King in His beauty; they will behold a far-distant land. >
- In Matthew 24:3-31 (NASB), YESHUA declares: < 3 As He was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things happen, and what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?” 4 And Jesus answered and said to them, “See to it that no one misleads you. 5 “For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will mislead many. 6 “You will be hearing of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not frightened, for those things must take place, but that is not yet the end. 7 “For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and in various places there will be famines and earthquakes [KJV: pestilences]. 8 “But all these things are merely the beginning of birth pangs. 9 “Then they will deliver you to tribulation, and will kill you, and you will be hated by all nations because of My name. 10 “At that time many will fall away and will betray one another and hate one another. 11 “Many false prophets will arise and will mislead many. 12 “Because lawlessness is increased, most people’s love will grow cold. 13 “But the one who endures to the end, he will be saved. 14 “This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come. 15 “Therefore when you see the abomination of desolation which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), 16 then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains. 17 “Whoever is on the housetop must not go down to get the things out that are in his house. 18 “Whoever is in the field must not turn back to get his cloak. 19 “But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! 20 “But pray that your flight will not be in the winter, or on a Sabbath. 21 “For then there will be a great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will. 22 “Unless those days had been cut short, no life would have been saved; but for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short. 23 “Then if anyone says to you, ‘Behold, here is the Christ,’ or ‘There He is,‘ do not believe him. 24 “For false Christs and false prophets will arise and will show great signs and wonders, so as to mislead, if possible, even the elect. 25 “Behold, I have told you in advance. 26 “So if they say to you, ‘Behold, He is in the wilderness,’ do not go out, or, ‘Behold, He is in the inner rooms,’ do not believe them. 27 “For just as the lightning comes from the east and flashes even to the west, so will the coming of the Son of Man be. 28 “Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures will gather. 29 “But immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 30 “And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory. 31 “And He will send forth His angels with a great trumpet and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other. >
The Bride Of The LAMB
- Matthew 25:1-12 (NASB) reads: < 1 “Then the kingdom of heaven will be comparable to ten virgins, who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. 2 “Five of them were foolish, and five were prudent. 3 “For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them, 4 but the prudent took oil in flasks along with their lamps. 5 “Now while the bridegroom was delaying, they all got drowsy and began to sleep. 6 “But at midnight there was a shout, ‘Behold, the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.‘ 7 “Then all those virgins rose and trimmed their lamps. 8 “The foolish said to the prudent, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ 9 “But the prudent answered, ‘No, there will not be enough for us and you too; go instead to the dealers and buy some for yourselves.’ 10 “And while they were going away to make the purchase, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding feast; and the door was shut. 11 “Later the other virgins also came, saying, ‘Lord, lord, open up for us.’ 12 “But he answered, ‘Truly I say to you, I do not know you.’ 13 “Be on the alert then, for you do not know the day nor the hour. >
- Luke 12:35-37 reads: < 35 “Be dressed in readiness, and keep your lamps lit. 36 “Be like men who are waiting for their master when he returns from the wedding feast, so that they may immediately open the door to him when he comes and knocks. 37 “Blessed are those slaves whom the master will find on the alert when he comes; truly I say to you, that he will gird himself to serve, and have them recline at the table, and will come up and wait on them. >
- 1 Corinthians 4:1 declares: < 1 Let a man regard us in this manner, as servants [ministers] of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. >
- Revelation 10:7 declares: < 7 but in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he is about to sound, then the mystery of God is finished, as He preached to His servants the prophets [Rev 19:10c]. >
- Revelation 11:15-19 declares: < 15 Then the seventh angel sounded; and there were loud voices in heaven, saying, “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ; and He will reign forever and ever.” 16 And the twenty-four elders, who sit on their thrones before God, fell on their faces and worshiped God, 17 saying, “We give You thanks, O Lord God, the Almighty, who are and who were, because You have taken Your great power and have begun to reign. 18 “And the nations were enraged, and Your wrath came, and the time came for the dead to be judged, and the time to reward Your bond-servants the prophets and the saints and those who fear Your name, the small and the great, and to destroy those who destroy the earth.” 19 And the temple of God which is in heaven was opened; and the ark of His covenant appeared in His temple …. . >
- Colossians 2:2-3 (KJV) declares: < 2 That their hearts might be comforted, being knit together in love, and unto all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the acknowledgement of the mystery of God, and of the Father, and of Christ; 3 in whom [see Col 1:26-27] are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. >
- Revelation 14:1-5 (NASB) declares: < 1 Then I looked, and behold, the Lamb was standing on Mount Zion, and with Him one hundred and forty-four thousand [Eph 2:13-22], having His name and the name of His Father written on their foreheads. 2 And I heard a voice from heaven, like the sound of many waters and like the sound of loud thunder, and the voice which I heard was like the sound of harpists playing on their harps. 3 And they *sang a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and the elders; and no one could learn the song except the one hundred and forty-four thousand who had been purchased from the earth [Rom 5:9]. 4 These are the ones who have not been defiled with women, for they have kept themselves chaste [Eph 5:25-27, 30; Titus 3:5-6; Eph 2:10; 2 Cor 5:17-18a]. These are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever He goes. These have been purchased from among men as first fruits to God and to the Lamb [James 1:17-18]. 5 And no lie was found in their mouth; they are blameless. >
By James Niles
22/Dec/2012