General Articles

The Coming Global False Revival :: By Howard Green

Published on: by RR10

Church history is punctuated by seasons of great revival that swept across the US, UK, Europe, and elsewhere. The First & Second Great Awakenings, the British Evangelical Revival, and the Welsh Revival were among the greatest because of their far-reaching and lasting impacts on the individuals, churches, and nations involved. These revivals were invariably marked by fervent prayer, fasting, sound biblical preaching, and repentance. God was the central figure in these authentic revivals, and He alone received the glory.

We are witnessing a growing number of spiritual movements in our time that are masquerading as authentic revivals but seem to originate from a different spirit. Let’s examine how this spiritual deception sets the stage for the coming global false end-time revival and for the worship of the Antichrist.

In recent years, numerous “revivals” have broken out in places like Asbury College, Auburn University, FSU, and on many major university campuses nationwide. I hope many young people come to repentance and saving faith. Time will eventually bear out all truth. It’s not my intent to determine the validity of such movements in this article. But it reminds us to examine the scriptures to see if what the movements’ leaders do and say in Jesus’ name is true and if what takes place at the so-called “revival” is biblical (Acts 17:11).

The Holy Spirit and the spirit of Antichrist are both at work in the world today. The latter is the spirit of deception who masquerades as an angel of light. While excitement, joy, and belonging are good things, we must carefully discern what is simply a prolonged pep rally, albeit with spiritual overtones, from an authentic spiritual outpouring from the Lord, which can and does still occur (Psalm 85:6).

Sometimes the so-called “revival” is such a religious side-show, any discerning Christian would quickly know it’s patently unbiblical. Here are some examples from recent history:

The Lakeland, FL. “Revival” of 1993 lasted four months and drew nearly four thousand people nightly. Each night, “worship” would be followed by a preacher who would come out, talk about being the Holy Ghost bartender, walk around, laugh, and stare at people until they began laughing. People would laugh, scream, roll uncontrollably on the floor, and run around the sanctuary. I remember sitting there as a young twenty-something Bible college student and discerning that it wasn’t the Holy Spirit at work in that place but a different spirit, and I knew I had to get up and leave.

The Brownsville-Pensacola “Revival” of 1995 was another prolonged event where, at times, people would scream and shake. They would even transfer this so-called “anointing” to others, and they would begin to convulse uncontrollably. People get “slain in the spirit,” bark, shriek, and hiss, which are manifestations not found in the Bible but readily available at Brownsville, Lakeland 1993 & 2008, Toronto, and other well-known “revival” epicenters.

Space doesn’t permit me to list all of the false revivals in recent years, but they are facilitated by those who are deceiving and being deceived (2 Timothy 3:13).

I’m not a cessationist. I don’t believe the Holy Spirit retired in the first century; the gifts of the Spirit are at work in and through God’s people for His glory. But I don’t condone the nonsense that people call moves of the Holy Spirit, such as getting slain in the Spirit, convulsing uncontrollably, screaming, false prophesies, or miracles on demand.

Jesus mentioned spiritual deception at least three times in Matthew 24:4-28. The Apostles consistently warned about end-time deception. What makes spiritual deception so dangerous is that it is a counterfeit of the work of the Holy Spirit. While some false revivals are easy to discern, others are not as easy to determine whether they are authentic. It might be some of the pop-up, spontaneous mass baptisms that seem to be all the rage lately.

Baptisms are exciting and moving, but we are just following the crowd into the water if we don’t have a genuine testimony and lasting fruit in keeping with repentance. A false revival can be attending services where the deafening cadence of the music, lights, and professional worshipers on stage can evoke an emotional response from people. They can even move the crowd to tears by repeatedly singing shallow words, devoid of worshiping in spirit and in truth, for hours on end. Still, there is no repentance, almost no preaching, and no lasting change once the spotlights dim and the smoke clears.

“I contend that whatever does not raise the moral standard of the church or community has not been a revival from God.” A. W. Tozer

“The Holy Spirit, as the actual agent–the Word preached, and the prayers of the people, as the instruments–and we have thus explained the cause of a true revival of religion.” – C. H. Spurgeon

Why is it so important to discern between true and false revival? Because we are rapidly approaching a time when a world leader, the Antichrist, with the help of his religious leader, the false prophet, will deceive hundreds of millions and perhaps billions of people into worshiping him.

My intent isn’t to get into the timing of the rapture of the church because it is an absolute certainty. But we are quickly moving toward wholesale global spiritual deception. I aim to lovingly warn people and ask the question: If people, including many Christians, are being duped by false revivals and so-called Christian leaders now, how will they discern the truth from the lie when the deception will be so believable in the days leading up to Jesus’ return? He warned us to be alert to lying signs and wonders (Matthew 24:24).

When this world leader comes, he will seem like a great peacemaker, and for a time, he will bring false peace, albeit short-lived and temporary. Why does this matter in the context of discerning true from false revivals? Because, even now, the stage is being set for a global false revival and spiritual deception en masse that will unite religions under one false savior.

Can you imagine what will happen when the Antichrist is worshiped under the guise of a great revival and a one-world system of worship? The false prophet will perform great false signs and wonders by the activity of Satan and persuade scores of people to worship the Antichrist.

Will there be powerful, moving, soul-stirring worship music? Maybe so, but one thing is sure: billions of people will be so moved to worship that they will say: “Who is like the beast and who can fight against him?” It sounds worshipful, doesn’t it? This coming global false revival will last a few years but will conclude at the lake of fire.

How do we prepare our minds and hearts as we are living in this time of false revivals and growing end-time spiritual deception? Paul gives us the answer in 2 Thessalonians 2:10-12. We are supposed to love and believe the truth. Just as there are true revivals, spiritual leaders, and a real Jesus, many false ones exist. As people who love and believe the truth, we must discern the truth from the lie, and all the more in the days ahead as we near the climax of history.

Reading the Bible under the illumination of the Holy Spirit and praying will give us the discernment to recognize false revivals and growing spiritual deception, and help us endure till the end (John 17:17).

All for Him,

Howard

Here is the link to The Coming Global False Revival video:

https://youtu.be/fewkXYDB3hk?si=rVOV1uUjvg6LMGW5&t=1

Here is a link to The Coming Global False Revival podcast:

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-coming-global-false-revival/id1565453348?i=1000708010970

 

A Great Departure from the Faith :: By Sean Gooding

Published on: by RR10

2 Thessalonians 2:1-3

“Now, brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, we ask you, not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as if from us, as though the day of Christ had come. Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition.”

The apostle Paul also wrote in 1 Timohty 4:1-3, “Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons, Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron; Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth.”

He also wrote in 2 Timothy 3:1-4, “This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady, high-minded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God.”

I recently saw a short video where the commentator was talking about a recent survey that was done among thousands of churches, and they were asked about the importance of sound doctrine versus being relevant. Only about 2% of the churches out of thousands thought that sound doctrine was important.

My daughter attends a Pentecostal church in New Brunswick, and even they do not associate with another Pentecostal church in town because they deny the Trinity, among other doctrinal issues.

A few years ago, one of the ladies in our church was staying with her daughter in another town. She attended a Baptist church there and was astonished that the Pastor did not use a Bible text, nor did he read from an open Bible and cite a text as he taught. I wanted to make sure that I included a Baptist example as well because it not just the Pentecostals that are in error.

We often hear debates either in person or online about Catholic doctrine, including that Mary was sinless and that she was a perpetual virgin, the doctrine of transubstantiation, and others, which are simply heresy.

In Canada here, there are large Reformed churches that teach Calvinism and never have an invitation. I have spoken to a Pastor of one of those churches myself, and he could not cite the plan of salvation in the Bible. Maybe, just maybe, he was an anomaly. But here is what we know:

God, through the pen of Paul, reminded us time and again that in the last days there would be a great departure from the faith. The Lord’s churches would walk away from the clearly stated and clearly written truths of the scripture for a variety of reasons. One of the reasons is that men and women have their consciences seared, burned like with a hot iron, and they have no feelings. The Word of God has no effect on them anymore. It just bounces off their hearts, and they cannot see the truth.

But notice a little piece that we can often overlook; see 2 Timothy 3:2, ‘disobedient to parents.’ Sadly, a lot of kids who grow up in Christian homes will fall away and depart from the faith because we tolerated a lot of disobedience. We were too gracious and did not hold them to true accountability. This leads them to think that God won’t hold them accountable either. This is a sad situation. I am astonished at how many kids in the Lord’s churches grow up and do not know the truth, or they know it and turn their backs on it.

In 2 Timothy 3:3, we find that one of the great departures will be in the area of ‘natural affection’: men sexually attracted to women and vice versa. I continue to be astonished by how many churches are led by gay, trans, and drag-queen individuals. One leader – I can’t use the term Pastor with a straight face –had his church helping him choose his ‘drag-queen’ name. This is crazy but becoming all too normal.

There are countless ‘teachings’ – again, I cannot use the term sermon – that call into question Jesus’ motives, Jesus’ holiness, and yes, even right out claim that Jesus was wrong. At this point, the idea of a sound, conservative doctrine church is almost weird.

Just a few weeks ago, the leader of a very large and prominent church attended and preached in a very effeminate looking outfit. He is a very tall man, and it simply looked odd and could not be missed. There is a sad trend to make men effeminate, and sadly, that can be projected on Jesus as well.

So, we can see that the departure is in many areas: doctrine, the destruction of the family power structure, the questioning of Jesus’ holiness, the authenticity of the scriptures, the denial of doctrine, the feminization of the Gospel, and downright heresy. We can see that we are either in the last days or running headlong to them with some fervor.

For those of us left who preach the truth, who hold sound doctrine sacred, and hold to the perfection of Jesus and the totality of His sacrifice, the road ahead seems dark; the path we are on seems fraught with many perils and traps. But stay the course, contend, as Jude says, for the faith, and let us keep our eyes fixed on Jesus. Soon, our faith will be sight, and our hope will be fulfilled. Our enemies will soon come face to face with the Jesus they hate, and we will come face to face with the Jesus we love and who loves us.