In the last Langstaff Letter, we looked at the year ahead, using Isaiah 60:1-2 as a picture of what is happening in the world today. These verses state,
“Arise, shine;
For your light has come!
And the glory of the Lord is risen upon you.
For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth,
And deep darkness the people;
But the Lord will arise over you,
And His glory will be seen upon you.”
Having already looked at the dark side of the year ahead, we will now look at some of the brighter aspects of the future, namely that “His glory will be seen upon you.” i.e., those who believe in and are following Jesus.
HIS GLORY WILL BE SEEN
What does the phrase “His glory will be seen” mean? Christians in the midst of darkness will shine. Like putting on a light in a room that is dark; the light will shine out for all to see. Perhaps one of the best examples of His glory is found in the Old Testament in the story of Moses and the children of Israel when the glory of God was manifested in their midst with the cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night. Then, too, when Moses returned to camp after he had been with the Lord, his face shone, and he had to cover it up with a veil.
In the last days, could it be that God’s people will experience that kind of manifestation of God’s glory, if not physically, then in our life and character?
REMEMBER, IT IS HIS GLORY
The Bible makes it clear that it is His glory; that the glory comes from God. Glory in this passage is the word ‘kabod,’ referring to glory, honor, weightiness, or heaviness and also relating to God’s visible splendor. The same word is used in 2 Chronicles 7:1 when it states the glory (kabod) of the Lord filled the house (referring to King Solomon’s temple).
Glory refers to the character of God Himself. Glory conveys that God is good, full of majesty, perfect, splendor, dignity, reverence, and honor.
So, the glory of God is to be seen in the lives of His family and His people; Christians are to be a conduit for the glory of God to shine through them. They are, above all, to reproduce the character of the God that they serve. Isaiah then goes on to say, “The Gentiles shall come to your light, And kings to the brightness of your rising,” referring to God’s glory being seen worldwide.
Let us look at how this might happen.
REVIVAL IS COMING
The question is not if it is coming but rather when. There are at least two main views about the coming of revival for those who believe it is coming.
In the coming days – There are many people who are looking for and expecting a worldwide revival in the days to come. People pray for revival and prophesy about it. There are scriptural reasons for this view, assuming that we are now in the “last days.” Acts 2:17 states,” ‘And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, That I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh.” In other words, God will send revival everywhere (on all flesh).
We have glimpses of revival over the years, with the Jesus Revolution in the 60s and the Charismatic Renewal in the 70s, along with recent outpourings, such as the revival at Asbury College in early 2023. These have been what I heard one preacher state are ‘pockets’ of revival. We need, however, a widespread revival.
Ephesians 5:27 states,“that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish.” People are looking for a church that is holy, without blemish; a church that is without spot or wrinkle. That certainly is not the church today, so people believe that God will pour out his Spirit to bring revival and achieve these results.
In the Tribulation – There are also those who believe in a coming rapture that will mark the beginning of the seven years of tribulation. They believe that there will be an outpouring of the Holy Spirit, as referred to in the book of Revelation, with 144,000 Jewish evangelists. So, for them, a revival is on its way, but it will not happen until after the church is taken up (raptured). Then, the main ministry will be Jewish evangelists, who have recognized Jesus as the Messiah.
I am aware that there are people who do not believe in a pre-tribulation rapture and thus will disagree with this view.
Isaiah 60, a symbolic picture of the last days, states that darkness will occur in the world. That is the bad news, but the good news is that in the midst of that darkness, God’s glory will be seen in the lives of His people. This does not mean that it will be easy for believers. In actual fact, I believe it will be hard.
CHANGE IS COMING
Mike Glenn, the pastor of Brentwood Baptist Church in Tenessee, recently resigned after over 30 years of ministry, including a mega-church with over ten campuses. Concerning his resignation, he stated, “Now, it’s time for me to do something else. I believe we’re going to be facing some very tough times in North America. I believe the church and its pastors will have to be ready for different challenges and opportunities. While I don’t believe the church will be overwhelmed or defeated by the coming attacks, I do believe pastors have to be trained to do ministry a different way.
The details of what that means are the topic for a future blog, but let me say that the measurements we use now to judge success won’t be the markers we use in the future. Think about it. The United States military has gone to highly trained small teams for precise missions. Businesses use small think tanks and task forces to take on major projects, so the work is fast, efficient, and cost-effective. The work is done by those closest to the execution of the work. Small, targeted, and well-trained. That’s the future of the church”(mikeglennonline.com). Mike Glen is expecting change to happen within the church.
Let us look at change for a moment.
It is Coming – Many people have spoken of change coming. Now, change can be good, but it also can be damaging. Cindy Jacobs, a prophetic leader, in her Christmas word of encouragement, declared, “This is what the Lord says to you, “I am doing a new thing, and behind this new thing, there’s going to be an acceleration. And this is how it’s going to happen: It’s going to seem like nothing’s happening, and then everything happens”(elijahlist.com). (in other words, fast-moving change)
In a report from the recent Apostolic Council of Prophetic Elders, there is a section entitled ‘Glory Swirls,’ which states, “While the former is negative, there are also releases of the glory of God that will pour into our services. The power of God will “swirl” in various parts of meetings with healing power for not only physical healings but emotional ones as well”(generals.org).
Well-known media commentator Tucker Carlson delivered a straightforward, chilling notion that ‘abrupt change is coming.’ Carlson highlighted the frailty of a nation that, although on the surface appears robust and stable, is a nation divided, marked by an influx of individuals who may lack any profound loyalty to the nation (YouTube.com).
Shakings – The Bible warns about tremendous shakings coming. This could be seen in the events of October 7th, 2023, when Hamas attacked Israel, continuing the ongoing conflict. Jesus spoke about, “Nations will rise against nations and kingdoms against kingdoms (Matthew 24:7).”
Shaking will also happen in other ways, such as AI or with issues relating to the internet. The future promises much change, even abrupt change and a shaking of the nation and the church.
WHAT DO I THINK WILL HAPPEN?
- I believe we are living in the last days leading up to the return of Christ. I am a pre-millennialist and see the next events for Christians being the rapture. Not that I believe that the rapture is about to happen tomorrow, so to speak. We are counseled about not knowing the exact time or day it will happen. However, although we may not know the exact time, we can know the generation in which it will happen. Consequently, I believe it will occur in the next 50 – 60 years. So, I believe Jesus is coming soon.
- Before all that happens, there will be more darkness in the world. I believe that there will be some unexpected happenings leading up to the 2024 presidential elections. For some time, I have had a feeling that something is going to happen with Trump. It is obvious that President Biden is not fit to serve for another four years as president. It may well be that there will be new candidates for president. We will see!
- Major change, even abrupt change, is to be expected. Change of all kinds will happen, just as COVID brought that kind of change.
- There seems to be a lack of good, sound leadership in the world today in business, politics, education, or the church. We need to pray for a new breed of leaders.
- We could be entering a time of not only opposition but eventually persecution. As I have said, the world is getting darker, and we are living in a post-Christian era.
HOW SHOULD WE PREPARE?
If tough times are coming and things won’t be easy, then how should we be acting:
- We need to be ready. We need to be prepared. We need to be prayed up. We need to understand that all this will involve spiritual warfare.
- We need to get out of debt as best as we can, as who knows what might happen with the economy.
- We need to build strong relationships with like-minded believers in our family, amongst our friends, and in our local church.
- We need to be ready for God to use us in uncertain times. There will be great opportunities for us to witness and serve others. So be available and be ready to be used by God.
- Read and study what the Bible says about the end times. You may need to use some extra resources, especially with books such as Revelation. I recommend books by David Jeremiah of Turning Point Ministries.
- We need to draw near to God through His word and His Spirit. God is the ultimate rock that is our foundation.
- Remember, God is in control, and He has all things moving according to His plan. So, put your trust in Him. Live with faith, not fear, knowing that our lives are in His hands.
- Realize that God can often bring surprises, and things may not always be the way we think they will be or we would like them to be. Even if we don’t fully understand all that is happening in our own lives or as a nation, we need to keep our eyes on Jesus. He will bring us through!
And remember, Jesus is coming again!
RESOURCES
https://mikeglennonline.com/knowing-when-its-time-to-go/
https://www.elijahlist.com/words/display_word.html?ID=30350
Kairos Ministries 