We are living in a time of population explosion. There are 6.39 billion people living on planet earth; 1.5 billion have never heard the gospel for the first time. Millions are perishing. In the west, many have rejected the gospel and have become desensitized to the message. They have hardened their hearts towards the things of God. Some formerly christianized nations have now become the toughest mission fields on earth.
To do the job of reaching all these people, we need divine acceleration. I believe revival is coming because the needs of all these people are so great! So many in this generation are not convinced by mere words. We live in the age of science, humanism, secularism and empiricism. The science and philosophy of our day makes no allowance for a supernatural God. We say ‘if I can’t touch it, taste it, smell it, or see it, it cannot exist!
Some of these people want to believe, and it just seems they can’t. They need to be able to encounter God in a way that will convince them of His reality. I believe the fields are white for harvest, many are close to faith, but a miracle is needed. I want to consider a passage of scripture which describes what I believe God is about to do. Joel 3:12-16 says:
“‘Let the nations be roused; let them advance into the valley of Jehoshaphat, for there I will sit to judge all the nations on every side. Swing the sickle, for the harvest is ripe. Come, trample the grapes, for the winepress is full and the vats overflow – so great is their wickedness!’ Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision! For the day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision. The sun and moon will be darkened, and the stars no longer shine. The LORD will roar from Zion and thunder from Jerusalem; the earth and the heavens will tremble, but the LORD will be a refuge for his people, a stronghold for the people of Israel.”
Different passages can be interpreted in different ways, and my thoughts are that this passage may refer to the coming revival and the end times. Currently we know there are multitudes, literally millions of people in the valley of decision. They are looking for light, for hope and for some answers to the questions they have. In this ministry we travel to different places we are believing for a fire to burn to bring revival and hope. It really is only revival and the power of the gospel which can bring hope to a lost world.
The passage says ‘the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision,’ I believe this means that at the end of time there will be a great harvest, it will be a ripe harvest, a time to swing the sickle. Jesus said that the gospel of the kingdom would be preached in the entire inhabited earth and then the end will come (Matthew 24:14).
The Bible says: (a) The earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea. (Habakkuk 2:14). (b) In the last days God will pour out His Spirit on all flesh (Joel 2:28). (c) The glory of the latter house will be greater than the former (Haggai 2:9). (d) There will be an increase in natural disasters and war at the end of time (Mark 13:8). So we know in the end times there will be a great outpouring of the Holy Spirit in the last days and a great harvest of souls.
And then, the passage says the Lord will roar from Zion and there will be a great shaking and in the midst of it all God will be a shelter for His people. When God speaks it begins shaking everything. You could be a hardened atheist, agnostic, new ager or secularist, when God speaks, He has the ability to change the attitude, heart and mind of anyone.
Before I came to Christ I was an avowed agnostic. When I was confronted with the reality of God everything changed in an instant. In a heartbeat, God changed me from being someone who didn’t believe in the God of Christianity to a believer. Even if I was a little reluctant, I was still a believer. Once God gets His hook in your mouth He will reel you in. I love to go fishing with friends and family members, and I have yet to catch a fish that wanted to be caught! Some fish fight hard before finally they submit to the line pulling them in.
I believe we are entering a season where God will begin catching people, even people who are incredibly resistant. We are entering a season where the harvest will be ripe, and in the last days there will be a great shaking. The heavens and the earth will tremble. In the midst of all the turmoil, natural disasters, economic chaos, God will be a shelter to His people. God will bless His people and protect them. As everything else is shaken, people will come running to the only kingdom that cannot be shaken, the Kingdom of God!
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