NOTE: The text in
BLUE
emphasizes the message of
"a coming economic depression"
Another Wave of Shaking
It is
hurricane season again. One storm last year, Katrina, brought
the wealthiest and most powerful nation on the earth to its
knees. It revealed huge problems in the very fabric of the
nation, that if we do not address, will prove even more
devastating in the time to come. The primary weakness is stated
in 2 Kings 17:33, "They feared the
Lord, but served their own gods."
We have a nation
where the overwhelming majority of the people call on the name of the
Lord. The majority even claim to be born again, and they actually may
be, but the same ones give themselves to serving many other gods.
"The Lord disciplines those
whom He loves, and great discipline will come upon the United States
because of God's love for it."
The Ring of Fire (a zone of frequent earthquakes and volcanic
eruptions which encircles the basin of the Pacific Ocean) is now
shaking with earthquakes and tsunamis almost weekly. The West Coast of
the United States is on that same Ring of Fire, and is especially
vulnerable to earthquakes and volcanoes. The only reason why there has
not been far more disasters on the West Coast has been the grace of
God, which is restraining them.
There were many great churches and Christians along the Gulf Coast
region who were devastated by Hurricane to the prayers of those
provoked by the growing wickedness around Katrina. Though they may not
understand it, Katrina was in response to them. Likewise, many great
churches, church movements, and some of our greatest spiritual
heritage are found along the West Coast of the nation.
Though they themselves may not understand it, a
shaking is coming for their sakes.
Warnings about the bird flu are now nearly a daily drumbeat, and
though authorities are trying not to cause panic, it is obvious that
this could be a disaster of Biblical
proportions, overshadowing all other natural disasters in history. It
is by far the most frightening of all potential natural disasters
looming over the world, but like all of the others, it can
be stopped or lessened in its impact by our intercession, and where
needed, repentance.
Even worse than the potential natural
disasters are the disasters that men try to inflict on one another.
News that Iran already has weapons-grade plutonium recently
stunned the world. North Korea tested missiles with increasingly
frightening range. Then a new conflict broke out in the Middle East
that threatens to widen into a much bigger conflict, while terrorists
strike a terrible blow in India. Then we must absorb the daily body
count from Iraq. Could "the great tribulation" be much worse?
It is understandable that a huge and growing percentage of people are
now suffering from panic attacks where anxiety simply becomes
overwhelming. On every front, problems are growing beyond any human
remedy.
We Are Not to Fear These Times
However, we are not to fear these times, but
can rest in the fact that the Lord has everything perfectly under
control. He knew they were all going to happen, and He spoke
specifically of these times. As we read in Luke 21:25-28:
"And there will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and upon the earth
dismay among nations, in perplexity at the roaring of the sea and the
waves, men fainting from fear and the expectation of the things which
are coming upon the world; for the powers of the Heavens will be
shaken. And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with
power and great glory. But when these things begin to take place,
straighten up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is
drawing near."
The Lord clearly warned His people about
these times. They are upon us now, and we can rejoice
because His Kingdom will soon come. When His Kingdom comes, not only
will every human problem be resolved, but both mankind and the earth
will be restored to the paradise they were created to be. It is going
to be better than we could have ever imagined.
Though it may seem that events are cascading out of control so fast
that the end of this age must be imminent--the time until the end of
this age and the beginning of the new will be measured in decades, not
years. The next two years will be some of the most dangerous and
critical yet, but they will resolve some things that must be addressed
so that the world can have a few years of relative calm.
Peace will break out for a period of time. However, we do not want to
waste the present trials, and we will need to
use the coming reprieve to prepare the emerging generation for what
will mark it for eternity as one of the greatest ever.
"Some of the greatest messengers of power the world has ever seen are
being prepared right now to preach the gospel of the Kingdom
throughout the earth."
The New Breed
Just as true warriors run to the sound of battle, not away from it,
there are Kingdom messengers who will not run
from disaster and problems, but to them. They will not shrink back
from any level of chaos, but rather bring order and peace to it. As
the world continues to fall apart, they will stand on solid ground,
and in due time begin to draw the attention of the world because of
it. These will not lose their peace in the midst of any
threat or problem because they will have built their lives on the
Kingdom that cannot be shaken by anything happening on the earth.
Their peace will calm many storms.
"We are in the time when those who have built their lives on the
Kingdom of God, and those who have not, will become increasingly
clear." One of the basic characteristics of
those whose lives have been established on the Kingdom of God, is that
they will have peace and come alive, even thriving during times of
trouble.This is because they have
been prepared to live in the greatest time of trouble the world has
ever known. They prepared by building their lives on the
Kingdom, not on the things of this world that are so easily shaken.
This new breed are the friends of the Holy Spirit, who saw the world
and moved upon it in its original state of chaos, and will do so again
upon the chaos mankind has created by trying to live without God. Just
as the Holy Spirit brought forth a beautiful creation before, He will
bring forth a new creation after this chaos, that even eclipses the
first in its beauty and harmony.
It is simply impossible for mankind to mess
up things so badly, that the Holy Spirit cannot fix them, quickly and
easily. All we have to do is turn to Him and ask. In
preparation for the restoration of mankind and the earth that is
coming, He will begin to move upon the problems and chaos in the lives
of all who call upon the name of the Lord. We are going to know the
Holy Spirit as the One who can fix anything, easily and quickly. As we
are charged in Philippians 4:6-7:
"Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication
with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the
peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, shall guard your
hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."
The Old and the Bold
There is a saying in aviation that "there are old pilots and bold
pilots, but there are not many old, bold pilots." The inference is
that if you are too bold as a pilot, you will not live to be old. That
may be true in aviation, but it is not true in the Kingdom.
Those who will last the longest in the time to
come, will be those who have walked in the boldest faith.
"Faith is a combination of boldness and courage, which is rooted in a
profound trust in the Lord."
Boldness, courage, and trust in the Lord will be increasingly demanded
by those who will stay on the path of life. Of course,
many brothers and sisters in Christ throughout
the world have lived in such a place for a long time, having to walk
in bold faith to survive every day.
The United States is one of but a few very rare nations where radical
Christianity has ever been tolerated without severe and continuous
mortal persecution. Even the so-called "Christian nations" have
rarely, if ever, tolerated radical Christians. They may encourage
institutional or almost any form of non-threatening lukewarm
Christianity, but not radical faith.
It has likewise been rare for even the United States to tolerate
radical Christians, though rarely has that persecution been unto
death. Just a few decades ago, it was nearly impossible for
Pentecostals to get a job if it were known that they spoke in tongues.
Today, there are forces promoting the freedom to do or say just about
anything anywhere, while laws are passed or court decisions are handed
down to deny Christians even the most basic freedom of speech.
Students can freely use curse words in class, but if they dare to
mention the name of Jesus, they can be suspended. Likewise, if a
teacher ever gives a student a Bible or a religious tract, they will
likely be fired. It is interesting that the same is not necessarily
true if a teacher gives a student a Koran.
True, radical Christianity, which does not seek political correctness,
will always be offensive to those who are controlled by the fear of
man. True Christians, who seek to live lives in obedience to God, are,
and almost always will be, under continual attack everywhere in this
present age. If we want to get along with this present world, we will
have to compromise our faith.
"True Christianity will always be
persecuted."
Yet, true Christianity is the only hope for the world and for those
who are doing the persecuting. If we do not radically obey, the salt
quickly loses its ability to preserve. So true Christians will never
be prone to seek security or approval from the world, but from God
alone. To live that way is also the greatest freedom and greatest
peace that we can have.
It Was as the Best of Times and the
Worst of Times
Not only the United States, but much of the world was traumatized by
the Hurricane Katrina disaster. The world watched in anxious
astonishment as the wealthiest, most powerful nation on earth was
brought to her knees by a single storm--the worst problems being
caused by the breaking of a single levee. How could this have
happened? Can it happen again? Even more importantly, what can we do
about it?
Just as a bad automobile accident can leave a family wounded and
affected for years, Hurricane Katrina will have an impact on our
nation for years to come. However, a great deal of good can come from
it, if we handle it right. Just as a bad car accident can make better
drivers out of everyone touched by it for a long time, and make them
appreciate each other much more, Katrina can do the same for us. "The
point of this Bulletin is to help us use every coming storm or
disaster to become stronger and better."
President Bush was appointed to serve through eight years of troubled
waters, and to appoint Supreme Court Justices who could begin to
reverse the persecution of Christians in America, and the evil that
will bring much more severe discipline from the Lord if not repented
of. To fulfill its purpose as a nation, the United States will have to
walk in an increasingly lonely place, enduring the rejection from many
other nations. The approval and favor of God is worth much more than
all the other nations could ever offer us.
Likewise, Christians who walk without compromise, repenting of the
things that the Lord disapproves of, taking a stand for truth and
righteousness, will not have many friends in this world.
We will, however, help save the world from destruction and prepare the
way for the Lord.
Rick Joyner
MorningStar Ministries
Email: info@morningstarministries.org
Copied by permission from ElijahList and
MorningStar
ElijahList Publications
310 2nd Ave SE,
Albany, OR 97321
www.elijahlist.com
email: info@elijahlist.net
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