Come, my people, enter your chambers and shut your doors behind you; hide yourselves for a little while until the [Lord’s] wrath is past. For behold, the Lord is coming out of His place [heaven] to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity; the earth also will disclose the blood shed upon her and will no longer cover her slain and conceal her guilt. (Isaiah 26:20-21)
Coronavirus. It comes with conspiracy theories, economic crises, fear, death, lockdowns, talk of God’s judgement, and more re-evaluation of end time scenarios and where we stand in God’s prophetic timeline.
Whatever your views, what we have definitely seen following the events of the past few weeks, is the rapidity at which our way of life can change.
It’s undoubtedly true that corrupt governments will exploit this crisis to “reset” our way of life, use it to their advantage to strategically “reset” nations economically and politically, to “reset” our thinking processes and to push their agendas in order to gain more control. People out of fear (security, disease, and lack of food supplies) will at some point be willing to forfeit their rights and personal freedom.
However, despite the flood of voices that we are bombarded with, God is still in control of the universe. He is still on the Throne and the timeline of events are still in His Hand. For those who love God and are called according to His design and purpose, all things work together and are fitting into a plan for good. As we have seen throughout history in God’s dealings with Israel, God has allowed this situation and will use it to fulfil His purposes.
We thank God for doctors and scientists, but only God in His infinite wisdom has the answers and only He can cause this virus to abate.
Just as a “resetting” is taking place in the way the world will operate in the future, God is wanting to “reset” the awareness of our way of life.
Separation
In this unprecedented time of “lockdown”, a separation is taking place, not just physically but spiritually. God is calling His people to go into their chambers. It’s a time for us to hide in Him and in prayer in the secret place of His presence; to hear His Voice individually; to strengthen our relationship with Him; to find a place of peace and thanksgiving in the midst of turmoil; to develop an attitude of faith and unshakable trust in the Lord and to be defined by our identity in Christ.
God is wanting our attention! He uses situations like this, not to push us away, but to draw us closer to Him. This is an opportunity for us to reflect on how we live as His children. Our relationship with Him must endure every storm!
God is saying “Use this time to strengthen your families! Let the men rise up and take their authority in the home by rebuilding the family altars; the altars of prayer and deep committed study of the Word of God.”
This altar call is bigger than any church altar call!
The way the church operates is changing
For too long the Church has been unwilling to break free of routine programmes. Now there is a new “normal”. The closer we get to the return of the Lord, the more we will see the Church become radically different. There will be a separation of the true Church and the harlot church!
Yet again, the Church has needed a wake-up call, but how many wake-up calls do we need? The world was shocked at 9/11. New Zealand was shocked at the Christchurch earthquake and the mosque attack.
Now we have a “pandemic” and the world is in lockdown. How much more will it take for God’s people to wake up totally and realise the urgency of the hour?
Much of the professing Church has embraced the ways of the world; compromise, sin, immorality and fornication dishonouring the Name of the Lord. Blind to being lukewarm and the mixture that has crept in, pastors allow false doctrine and embrace false prophets. There has been a failure to acknowledge that when a person preaches “mixture”, they are not a preacher of right doctrine. Deceivers are accepted because they speak some truth but then place it alongside error, just as Satan did when he deceived Eve. God abhors a mixture. He abhors the mixture that the church is entertaining, and in His Name. Worse still, He abhors that it has been found acceptable.
Paul mourned and sorrowed over the sin of the Corinthian church. Today where is the godly sorrow that produces repentance and leads and contributes to salvation and deliverance from evil?
Therefore “Come out from among them and be separate”, says the Lord. “Do not touch what is unclean, And I will receive you.” (2 Cor 6:17)
Where is the prayer of repentance, acknowledging that we have fallen short of the Glory of God, by accepting false “moves of God” and calling them revival? That we have allowed the Holy Spirit to become a way of entertainment because to do so is “fun”? That we have been part of conferences where false doctrine has been preached and we have not had the discernment and knowledge to understand that much is just plain witchcraft? That sermons are often no less than humanly based, carnal, worldly motivational speaking on how to better ourselves in our own strength, with scarcely a mention of the Holy Spirit of God and His work in our lives?
Men’s opinions have been exalted over the Word of God; false spirits and demonic spirits and their antics have been embraced and called the work of the Holy Spirit and “revival”; a compromised Gospel has been preached, one without repentance and turning from worldly ways; a false Christ has been preached without portraying Him as a Holy God, a King before whose judgment seat we must all stand. Where is the Cross?
But [now] I am fearful, lest that even as the serpent beguiled Eve by his cunning, so your minds may be corrupted and seduced from wholehearted and sincere and pure devotion to Christ. (2Cor 11:3)
Paul’s reverential fear was of the Church departing from the one true God and tolerating a false Gospel, false Christ and a false spirit! God is calling for a wholehearted devotion, not the worship of Christ combined with many other things. Again, a mixture!
During our lockdown time false worship has been shut down – theatres, sports stadiums, civic centres, etc; all those things that have become idols.
God wants to shut down idols in the Church; the idols of wealth, technology and culture; the idolising of self, of man; the traditions of man; the tolerance of Jezebel – those claiming to be inspired (prophetically), teaching and leading astray God’s servants.
In fact: from anything and everything that would occupy the place in your heart due to God, from any sort of substitute for Him that would take first place in your life. (1Jn 5:21)
Where are the preachers of righteousness, whose Word of Truth make men tremble at God’s Word and revere His Commands? Where are the holiness preachers, who prepare the Body of Christ to meet the Coming King? Those that preach not only about the kindness of God, but the severity of God? His kindness and severity are not mutually exclusive, as history shows us through God’s dealings with Israel.
It’s time to turn
If I shut up heaven so no rain falls, or if I command locusts to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among My people,
If My people, who are called by My name, shall humble themselves, pray, seek, crave, and require of necessity My face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven, forgive their sin, and heal their land.
Now My eyes will be open and My ears attentive to prayer offered in this place. For I have chosen and sanctified (set apart for holy use) this house, that My Name may be here forever, and My eyes and My heart will be here perpetually. (2 Ch 7:14)
Repentance is the call of the hour; individually and corporately.
Not warfare, but repentance!
- It’s time to turn from mixture, from compromise, from sin, from idolatry.
- It’s time to turn from tolerating the preaching of another Jesus and a different gospel and from receiving a different spirit.
- It’s time to turn from the toleration of Jezebel.
- It’s time to turn from our irreverence of God and not regarding His Spirit as Holy.
- It’s time to turn from not considering the covenant blood by which we were consecrated common and unhallowed, thus profaning it and insulting and outraging the Holy Spirit Who imparts grace.
- It’s time for men and women to turn from coming away from their God-ordained roles in the family.
- It’s time for humbling ourselves, seeking, craving, and requiring of necessity the Face of God
Let the Church return to heartfelt prayer where the sole intent is to truly hear from God by reaching into the Throne Room of God; weeping before the Lord for the sin of the nation; travailing for the lost and the backslidden so that many would turn back to God. Where are those like Elijah who could shut and open heaven with his prayer? Let the earnest (heartfelt, continued) prayer of righteous men make tremendous power available!
Let the watchmen awake, take up their posts again and put the Lord in remembrance of His promises; may they blow the trumpet and give warning!
May God raise up a mighty intercessory movement around the world! God’s focus is on His Church; the persecuted Church, the backslidden Church, the professing Church and the remnant Church. Let the smoke from the angel’s golden censor be mingled with the prayers of the saints and rise up before God’s throne and His presence!
Here we stand, in a pivotal time in history. The winnowing fan is in the Hand of the Lord. He is clearing out and cleansing His threshing floor. He is bringing forward a Holy remnant, His devoted believers who have remained faithful to Him, for in a time of testing, many will depart from the Lord. An Acts Church where the love (agape) of people will not grow cold. A Church with an intensity and purpose that will equal that of the early Church; a united purpose because they are united in Christ; a Church that is not interested in building their own kingdom but looks forward to the Kingdom of God that is to come with the return of Christ; a Church without arrogance and hierarchy but one in which we will commend one another in Christ Jesus.
The Lord is coming back for a Holy Bride, a Bride without spot or wrinkle, a Bride who has made herself ready; a faithful Bride who has not bowed the knee to false gods in idolatry.
Let the Bride of Christ awaken.
It’s a time of preparation. The world will not be the same any more. Church will not be as it was before. We must heed God’s warnings as this is a very sobering time.
God’s patience waited during the building of the Noah’s ark.
Prepare the ark! Prepare the ark of His Presence with repentance, with intimacy, with prayer.
Evil is rising at a horrific rate. In many governments the abortion of the unborn is being applauded; sexual perversion is on the increase. The blood of the innocent cries out from the grave and the stench of death has reached the nostrils of God. The cup of iniquity is full. In the midst of it sits the arrogance of man. Men of ignorance who have the audacity to add to the Word of God!
Yet the heart of God is grieving for the iniquity of the nations. The patience and longsuffering of God is waiting. How long He has been patient! The floods are coming; the floods of evil, the floods of disease, the floods of famine. But the faithful who are prepared for these evil days by their steadfastness and faithful endurance shall win the true life of their souls.
Yes, the day will come when God will no longer hold back His wrath and will come out of His place to punish the inhabitants of the earth, but God does not wish His people to suffer the same fate as the ungodly.
As the return of the Lord approaches, we will see “men swooning away or expiring with fear and dread and apprehension and expectation of the things which are coming upon the world; for the very powers of the heavens will be shaken and caused to totter.” (Luke 21:26)
But God tells us we are receiving a Kingdom that is firm and stable and cannot be shaken.
The Lord said: “Now when these things begin to occur, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption (deliverance) is drawing near.” (Luke 21:28)
In such times let us individually and humbly seek God’s forgiveness and mercy, preparing ourselves spiritually to be ready for the return of Christ Jesus.
Scriptures are taken from the Amplified Bible, expanded edition.
Text in bold italics is Scripture.
Scripture references (where not mentioned in the text)
Page 1: Romans 8:28
Page 2: 2 Corinthians 7:10
Page 3: Revelation 2:20; Isaiah 66:2; Hebrews 10:29; James 5:16
Page 4: Isaiah 62:6; Revelation 8:4; 1Peter 3:20; Luke 21:19; Hebrews 12:28