THE GREAT REVIVAL?
by Robert Shook
Wherever you go you hear about the “great revival” and end-time “harvest” that will soon come upon the world. All churches and denominations are predicting it. Some are even claiming that it has already started. Is the teaching of a great end-time harvest and revival actually based in the Scripture? Or is it another one of our “traditions.”
Though the Bible has much to say concerning the “last days” you will search in vain to find such a doctrine taught. Considering that everyone, everywhere, talks about this wonderful end-time event, one would assume that it would be clearly alluded to in the New Testament. But it isn’t.
But shouldn’t we care about the lost? Shouldn’t we want to see revival? Of course! But the issue is not whether or not we have a heart for the lost. Rather, the issue is whether or not we have a heart for the truth. Should our desire for revival and love for the sinner take precedence over our love for God and His truth?
The Scripture does not teach that a revival will sweep multitudes into the Kingdom of God. It teaches the opposite; that a world-wide spiritual delusion will sweep multitudes into the arms of anti-Christ. Jesus taught the disciples exactly what the great “end-time harvest” would be like.
Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn. . . Then Jesus sent the multitude away, and went into the house: and his disciples came unto him, saying, Declare unto us the parable of the tares of the field. He answered and said unto them, He that soweth the good seed is the Son of man; The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one; The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels. As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world. The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity; And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear. Matthew 13:29-30 & 13:36-43
The “good seed” are the children of the kingdom, the “tares” are the children of the wicked one, the “field” is the world, the “harvest” is the end of this world or the end of this age. What did Jesus say about the tares and the wheat? “Let both grow together until the harvest.” So shall it be at the end of this age. The tares will continue to be tares, and ripen into maturity. The wheat will continue to be wheat, and ripen into maturity. Which group will the “reapers” gather first? Jesus told the angels to gather together First the tares.
The purpose of the “harvest” is not to turn the tares into wheat. The purpose of the harvest is to “gather out” of the Lord’s kingdom “all things that offend and them {tares} which do iniquity” so that the “righteous” {wheat} can “shine forth as the sun” in that kingdom. The first harvest at the “end” of this age, which is also the next harvest on the Lord’s calender of events, will not be a harvest of “tares” into the kingdom but a harvest of “tares” into the flames. One of the most detailed descriptions of the events which lead up to the Lord’s return is found in Matthew 24:3-24.
Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows. Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake. And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come….For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened. Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not. For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.
The Lord paints the opposite picture as the one being painted by those looking for the great revival – and those claiming that it has already started. The scenario He laid out reveals that in the latter days great darkness will engulf the nations and the nominal church. This darkness will continue to intensify. He said the world would be full of false prophets and false “Christs”{anointings}. He said that deception and sin among God’s people will become epidemic and as a result, the love of many {believers} shall wax cold. We shall be hated by all nations. Some of us will be betrayed by fellow believers and put to death. Some of us will be the ones who do the betraying. We will betray other believers to save our own skin and cause them to be killed.
Yet in the middle of all this chaos and delusion, some believers will remain steadfast. These are the “elect.” It is these of whom Jesus speaks when He says that the “gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.” Even so, the days will become so evil that God will have to shorten them. For if He does not, even the elect will be deceived and all flesh would be destroyed!
How does a world-wide, end-time, “latter rain” revival and harvest fit into this picture? Not very well! The fact that God has to “shorten” the days to keep all flesh from being destroyed puts the lie to our cherished tradition.
Jesus never said that the “gospel” that is to be preached in “all nations” will be accepted or that the nations would repent when it is preached. He merely stated that it would be preached. Since things continue to deteriorate after this witness has been given, it should be obvious that the world will reject it. As a matter of fact, this is exactly what John sees in Revelation. The nations reject the testimony and kill the “witnesses” who are bearing it. They rejoice and throw a big party to celebrate the death of the “two” witnesses and the end of their testimony. [Revelation 11:3-10]
If that testimony had produced a world-wide “revival” and brought into the Kingdom a “great harvest” of sinners, then those who rejoiced over the death of the witness would be a minority, not the majority as the Word implies.
Jesus made two more revealing statements concerning the days just before His return. First He said “as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.” [Matt. 24:37-41] Exactly what happened in the “days” of Noah? Noah “preached the gospel,” [II. Peter 2:15] he had a testimony, he was a “witness” to and against his generation. But none repented! No one was listening! Life continued on for them as normal; eating, drinking, marrying and giving in marriage until the day of the flood. The Lord compares that generation to this present generation.
In another place Jesus asks His disciples a very shocking question; “when the Son of man cometh, shall He find faith on the earth?” [Luke 18:8] In other words, faith will be so rare, Jesus asks if there will be any left at all by the time He returns. Such a condition is certainly not the hallmark of a world-wide revival and harvest of souls.
Paul says there will be a great “falling away” not a great “revival.” He says God will send a “strong delusion” to all who love not the truth. [II. Thess. 2:3&11]
Whose voice then shook the earth: but now he hath promised, saying, Yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven. And this word, Yet once more, signifieth the removing of those things that are shaken, as of things that are made, that those things which cannot be shaken may remain. Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear. Hebrews 12:26-28
The writer of Hebrews is quoting the prophet Haggai here. Haggai prophesied that God would shake heaven and earth, land and sea and all nations. That He would send the “latter” and the “former” rain and fill His house with glory and that the glory of the “latter” house would be greater than the glory of the “former” house. Finally, that all nations would come to Zion. [Haggai 2:6-9] It is from this prophesy, primarily, that so many have drawn the erroneous conclusion that there will be a world-wide revival before the return of the Lord.
Yet we must notice carefully when this great move of God is to take place. It happens after God shakes all nations, after everything that can be shaken has been shaken, after everything that can be removed has been removed. Then the “wheat” will shine forth as the sun in the Kingdom of God. Then nations shall be swept into the kingdom.
The teaching of a world-wide “revival” before the return of the Lord has left many sincere believers wide open for deception. Since we were taught to look for this revival and to be ready to participate in it when it comes, many have embraced the Brownsville phenomena, the Toronto Blessing, Promise Keepers and various other aberrations of the hour as the long awaited “revival” of the last days.
At best these movements are a deadly mixture of truth and error. Those who have not become entangled in them are still in danger of being stumbled, for when they realize that the revival they have been waiting for is not coming, many will be thrown into confusion and lose heart.
Those who believe signs, wonders and sensual spiritual experiences are proof of God’s presence are believing a lie. They are looking in the wrong direction! Both Jesus and John warned that the “spirit” that would produce the greatest “signs and wonders” in the latter days would be the False Prophet…Is anybody listening?
nonesence!! this is talking about a twofold method of patience....not one thing in this context or the whole book for that matter about an outpouring of the Holyspirit.
