The LAST REVIVAL
by David Wilkerson
What is ahead for the church of Jesus Christ? This is a question
of great concern to believers worldwide. As cataclysmic events
take place all over the globe, many are wondering, "Is the Holy
Spirit going to revive the church before Jesus returns? Will
Christ´s body leave this world with a whimper or with a shout?"
The New Testament is filled with predictions of a last-days falling
away. False prophets will rise up and lead many astray. Wolves
will come in sheep´s clothing, bringing powerful deceptions to
"deceive, if possible, even the elect of God." Wickedness will
abound, causing once-hot believers to lose their first love. With
the flood of iniquity to come, the love of many will grow cold.
Jesus prophesied these very things. And his warnings were
meant to challenge our faith. As overwhelming iniquity floods
the earth, he asks: "When the Son of man cometh, shall he
find faith on the earth?" (Luke 18:).
Think about it: Christ knew everything we would be witnessing
today, from horrifying school shootings, to the rise of militant
homosexuality, to terrorist acts taking place throughout the
world. In the midst of these things, he asks us, "Will you
continue to believe, though things wax worse? Will you faint in
your confidence when things don´t happen as you thought they
would? Or, will you continue to trust in me?"
You see, despite the rise in iniquity and great calamities, Jesus
knew there would be a great last-days revival. The Holy Spirit
inspired Isaiah´s prophecies, and he knew full well about the
prediction of a revival as the end draws near.
Isaiah said there would be a great, worldwide awakening just
prior to Christ´s return.
This prophecy is found in Isaiah 54 and is summed up in these
verses: "Thou shalt break forth on the right hand and on the left;
and thy seed shall inherit the Gentiles, and make the desolate
cities to be inhabited" (54:3).
I believe with a number of Bible scholars that Isaiah´s prophecy
has a dual application. It speaks not only about natural Israel
after captivity in Babylon, but also about the spiritual Israel that
was to come: the body of Jesus Christ, the church of the New
Jerusalem. Paul quotes from Isaiah 54 when he refers to the
"Jerusalem which is above...the mother of us all" (Galatians 4:26).
Paul saw Isaiah´s prophecy as directed "to the children of
promise," those in Christ by faith.
- www.worldchallenge.org/