The Age To Come

A while back, I wrote about prophetic speaking.

I wanted to add a little more to that, in how sometimes we have exercised this gift within the Church and where we have further to go.

Often, the Church has operated the gift of prophecy as a personal word, encouraging in nature. There is nothing wrong with that of course, however I would submit that it is insufficient.

In my experience, the Church often does not have the wider practice of, or the infrastructure to discern, prophetic word/s that are directive or corrective in nature or intended for a wider audience.

Prophecy can be understood as a mixture of foretelling and forthtelling. The former gets the headlines in popular culture, but the latter is usually the actual meat. When I forthtell, it is often about bringing matters to people that they already know at some level, but don’t want to hear. That’s part of the story – though typically any prophetic corrective word gets married with the heart of love the Lord has for His people. This is a cadence in the prophets that I have come to know well.

The prophet is the trouble-shooter, the burr under the saddle, the awkward voice that is out of sync and often saying uncomfortable things. Accordingly, they are not often very popular! The prophet can be pastor, bringing comfort; equally the prophet can bring challenge, stirring things up and bringing the metaphorical sword. Sometimes, and often, it is both. Whatever is brought, the true heart is to bring holiness – to bring the church in line and in step with the Holy Spirit, to be the true bride of Christ. The heart is love, even if the medicine is often unpalatable (and, to be fair, often spurned).

The wider Church (at least the more institutional churches) often has a skewed practice and use of the 5 ‘offices’ – Apostle, Prophet, Teacher, Evangelist and Shepherd; emphasising some much more than others. I think we are coming into a season where a more balanced use of all offices are going to be necessary to sustain and grow the Church. We are in dire need of being ready to endure – and to be a light that will attract those God is calling.

For Prophecy, it would be helpful for Churches to develop an infrastructure to allow the ‘harder’ words to be properly considered. To make a mistake giving a personal encouraging word has little downside. To err in giving a directive / corrective word to the wider congregation/church/nation has significantly more downside! The Church should be open to those kind of words, but also have a process in place where they can be prayerfully considered by wise, mature Christians, who would then provide direction in if/how to respond.

For me, the heart and burden that I have carried for years is best be explained in the vision of a church fully following in the steps of her Lord. Jesus footsteps took him to Calvary, and to the cross. The true Church will follow Him there.

This is the paradox of the Christian walk – it costs us nothing, and it costs us everything.

“Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.” Matthew 7:24-27

The storm clouds continue to gather over our culture, and the first serious squalls are passing through. A hard rain is coming, the cold and the storm are upon us. Now is the time for those with a mind of wisdom to read the signs of the time and act accordingly.

How often are we found still dressed in summer clothing, waiting in our houses with sandy foundations for a gap in the weather, in order that we may bask in the dying gleams of a fast setting sun? Or, even more foolishly, going out into the storm and getting drenched, all the while pretending to enjoy a summer picnic?

Friends, know the season we are in. What preparation time there is left is fast running out. Build your houses on the solid and living Rock. Dress accordingly for the season – put away summer attire and clothe yourself for a wild and stormy winter. Christ must indwell your heart, and He must be your refuge. Let nothing else get in the way of Him, lest you be unprepared for the ferocity of the storm.

Satan roars and rages, for he knows his time is short; he will take whom he can. You are no match for the forces arrayed against you, but if Christ dwells within the garden of your soul, you cannot be overthrown – because He cannot ever be overthrown.

¹¹ Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. The earth and the heavens fled from his presence, and there was no place for them. ¹² And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. ¹³ The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what they had done. ¹⁴ Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. ¹⁵ Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire.

Rev 20 v11-15

Recently, I found myself particularly frustrated with the injustices of the world, and was praying for justice to be done. It was during that that He directed my attention to Revelation 20, and helped me see that He has a very, very good handle on justice.

It was as if I had forgotten; that I was again trying to get into the drivers’ seat and make sure God knew all about these wrongs. As if He had somehow overlooked what was happening.   As if His mercy and kindness rendered Him impotent, and I had to stand in the gap.

He showed me Revelation 20, and the very clear fate of all who do not have their name written in the Book of Life. Immediately, I am sobered. I am reminded of my place, and reminded that whatever evil passes for now, the final place of the evildoer is terrible.

I am reminded that our Lord is a HOLY God, and in His light we would all be destroyed due to the evil carried in our hearts. His Goodness would burn us into the lake of fire and the second death because of His nature, and of ours.

Like I said, sobering. No, I do not need to remind Him of wrongdoing, or to petition for justice. That will indeed be fulfilled, how could it be any other way, with God being who He is?

I think it is good for us all to realise how HOLY, how GOOD God really is; how absolutely and finally every vestige of evil will be judged and expunged.

And, in the light of that, how wonderful, how awesome is the sacrifice Jesus made for us.  That He literally becomes our righteousness and enables us to stand before a God so Holy that I would burn up in a tiny fraction of a second without the righteousness of Christ.

Unless you can see God and know his righteous judgment, how much can Jesus mean?  To see just a little of that is to see why Jesus is the WAY, the TRUTH and the LIFE.  Truly, there is no possible way to our Father God but through Him.

This calls for patient endurance on the part of the people of God who keep his commands and remain faithful to Jesus. Rev 14 v12.

There exists in the West an increasing intolerance to the Church and to those who genuinely try to live and stand up for Christ. This is likely not a new thought for anyone who has kept their ear to the ground, but for those who have not, here are a few examples:

Gary McFarlane, Lillian Ladele, Shirley Chaplin, Nadia Eweida, Richard Page, Svetlana Powell, Keith Bullock, Tony Rollins, Caroline Petrie, Dr Richard Scott, Olive Jones, Duke Amachree, Andrew McClintock, Vince Pauline Matherick, Eunice Owen Johns, Dr Hans Christian Raabe, Philip Lardner, Chris Grayling, Peter and Hazelmary Bull, Fr Mark Morris, Tim Farron, Rocco Buttiglione, Sarah Kuteh, Dr David Mackereth, Felix Ngole.

Now, this is not persecution, certainly not as experienced by many of our brothers and sisters throughout the world. But this is how it begins.

Values that were once mainstream become marginalised, along with the people that hold them.

The ability of Christians to participate in the public square is diminished, as categories of professions become closed to those living for Christ. Legal, Medical, Teaching, Political, even Religious all become proscribed.

Christians and their beliefs are belittled, marginalised and mocked. Living your faith becomes controversial and not fit for polite society.

But it won’t stop there, as our nations are slouching back to the pagan conditions that Jesus’ first followers experienced. Bear in mind that our struggle is not against flesh and blood but against the principalities and powers – and these powers hate Christians, because they hate Christ.  And, knowing that their time is short, will do everything they can to hurt the Church.

By Christians, I am referring to those who will remain faithful to Christ, not those who accommodate themselves to the culture. To those that choose to bow the knee, and offer the pinch of incense in order to save their careers, their standing, their family…perhaps eventually their lives…to them Jesus had something to say:

For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it.
Matthew 16 v25.

Only pray that by the grace of God we will be found in the latter group and not the former.

Marginalisation, belittlement and mockery are merely a step on the way. We have seen from history that you cannot treat a people evilly until you have dehumanised them.  Once they are isolated, made vulnerable, and regarded as unworthy of even basic consideration, then a persecution can truly begin.

Now, persecution will be only part of the story. Along with a time of persecution will come a time of revival.  When we are forced out from behind our four walls, from our Christian ghettos, when the price of obedience becomes public opprobrium, we will no longer be able to hide and at last the Light will be made visible for those around us.  Many will hate the Light – but some will be drawn to it.  That will be our opportunity, perhaps an opportunity for one last great harvest.

Simply put – we will be sent to ‘the least of these’ as we will become ‘the least of these’.

Ultimately, persecution won’t stop until we have entered into Christ’s passion. Until we have been through that fiery furnace.  Once the pressures of losing social standing, jobs, money and possessions have done their refining work, the remnant that remain faithful will likely have to follow Christ to Golgotha.  Our very presence will have become an offence.

They came for the Jews, and they will come for us in the same way.

Why say this now? Because we must get prepared.   Too easy we close our eyes to the changes around us, hoping that if something does happen, it won’t happen to us.  We go to our Christian festivals, our Church gatherings, our meetings and we ignore the gathering storm around us.  We hope it will pass us by.

The news, and the point of this word, is that it will not pass us by.  The world where it was possible to be a comfortable Christian is passing, and we are all going to start to count the cost of following Christ. What will you be willing to sacrifice? Who, or what, is the God at the centre of your life?  Upon what will you make your stand?  Living Rock, or shifting sand?

That is the challenge before us now, may the Lord open our eyes to it.