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A Living Example of Isaiah 60
It’s Time You Walk as a Living Example of Isaiah 60
JAMES
GOLL
It is time to arise
and shine!
Throughout centuries of the
Church, people in each generation have looked for signs that theirs would be
the one in which Christ would return.
Some have taken to the prayer
room, crying out with passion for revival and the fire of God to fall upon
their neighborhoods, cities and nations.
Others have used this belief
to fuel missions movements and global evangelism, determined to win every soul
possible prior to Christ's return.
Toward whichever of these you
are more naturally inclined, every Bible-believing Christian can agree that
Jesus is coming AND that both prayer and global evangelism are essential
pre-requisites to His return.
Today
I want to add fuel to the fire of your heart so that you are a living example
of what is described in Isaiah 60, "Arise,
shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you. See,
darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples, but
the Lord rises upon you and his glory appears over you. Nations
will come to your light, and Kings to the brightness of your dawn."
The Bible is filled with
prophetic references to the coming of Christ.
Prophecies of Christ's coming
are not confined only to the books of prophecy; a surprising number are found
in the Psalms.
As with prophetic references
found elsewhere, messianic prophecies in the Psalms fall generally into two
categories:
- those
that relate primarily to Christ's first coming, and
- those
that refer mainly to His second coming.
Looking through the lens of
history and divine revelation it is possible to see in these Psalms clear
parallels to the life of Jesus.
Stretching Forth His Strong Scepter
Psalm
110 is a messianic psalm that relates to the second coming of Christ.
This is clear in both the
wording and the circumstances described:
"The
LORD says to my Lord: 'Sit at My right hand Until I make Your enemies a
footstool for Your feet.' The LORD will stretch forth Your strong scepter from
Zion, saying, 'Rule in the midst of Your enemies.' Your people will volunteer
freely in the day of Your power; In holy array, from the womb of the dawn, Your
youth are to You as the dew. The LORD has sworn and will not change His mind,
'You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.' The Lord is
at Your right hand; He will shatter kings in the day of His wrath. He will
judge among the nations, He will fill them with corpses, He will shatter the chief
men over a broad country. He will drink from the brook by the wayside;
Therefore He will lift up His head."
This psalm is structured as
if God the Father is speaking to His Son while David, the psalmist, observes
and narrates.
Verse
2 says that the Messiah's "strong scepter" will "stretch
forth" from "Zion."
In the Scriptures, the word
Zion is used in several different ways.
One of its most common
meanings is in reference to the city of God in the messianic age.
It is the heavenly Jerusalem
where the Messiah will appear at the end of time and where His people will be
glorified.
Zion also can refer to the
whole assembly of God's people - the believing Jews of the old covenant as well
as the Body of Christ of the new covenant, among whom He lives and works - as
well as additional understandings.
From this
perspective, this psalm pictures a coming day when a transference of
authority will be given by God to Zion - His covenant people - through Yeshua
(Jesus) the Messiah, and they will rule with Him even in the midst of enemies.
In
that future "day of [the Messiah's] power" His people will "volunteer
freely...in holy array."
A great host of believers
will willingly abandon themselves to their Lord and walk in holiness and
consecration to carry out His will and accomplish His purpose.
As that day approaches the
dark will get darker but the light will get brighter.
It will be a time both of
great glory and great judgment upon the nations.
It will be a time of great
darkness and a time of great light; a time of great judgment and a time of
great hope; a time of great wrath and a time of great revival; a time of great
destruction and a time of great restoration.
Things are going to get
worse, but they also will get better.
Those who have their faith
fixed on the Lord shall be changed from glory to glory.
They will be bright and
shining lights in the midst of the darkness, and many will be drawn to their
brightness.
These believers will not let
the temporary present darkness define who they are or their future.
They rather keep declaring
that the promise is greater than the peril.
They see the rainbow at the
end of the storm. These are those who are contending for Glorious Eschatology
according to Isaiah 60.
That is what I believe, and
what the Holy Spirit has revealed to me at this point in my life and prophetic
ministry.
I contend for the full
restoration of radical Christianity to be the norm.
Passive, pale anemic
churchianity will fade away. Yes, a new day is dawning!
Restoring Radical Christianity
Let's
add a peak into another messianic Psalm that grants us additional revelation
concerning the return of Christ.
Consider these verses from
Psalm 102:12-18.
"But
You, O LORD, abide forever, And Your name to all generations. You will arise
and have compassion on Zion; For it is time to be gracious to her, For the
appointed time has come. Surely Your servants find pleasure in her stone and
feel pity for her dust. So the nations will fear the name of the LORD and all
the kings of the earth Your glory. For the LORD has built up Zion; He has
appeared in His glory. He has regarded the prayer of the destitute and has not
despised their prayer. This will be written for the generation to come, That a
people yet to be created may praise the LORD."
This
passage speaks of an "appointed time" when "the
nations will fear the name of the Lord, and all the kings of the earth Thy
glory."
Although such a day has not
yet arrived, there are many signs that suggest it may be near.
The gospel of Jesus Christ
has begun to spread into many nations and regions of the world formerly closed
to it.
Response to the gospel,
particularly in non-Western parts of the world, is growing at a rate
unprecedented in history since the first century.
Another indicator that a new
chosen prophetic generation may be at hand is that the greatest global
prayer movement in the history of the Church is currently underway.
Surveys indicate that as many
as 170 million believers worldwide pray daily for spiritual awakening and for
the revival of the Church.
There are 10 million prayer
groups around the world that pray for revival every week.
This is absolutely
unprecedented in Church history.
It is unprecedented in
breadth because it is not confined to one nation.
It is unprecedented in scope
because it is not limited to one denomination.
It is unprecedented in
strategy because it is a wedding of prayer and evangelism.
Prayer has always been one of
the greatest weapons of the Church, particularly before and during times of
awakening and revival.
It is no different today.
From the beginning of the current "Elijah revolution," prayer, and
especially intercession, has been the foremost strategy of this generation of
holy warriors that God is calling forth.
Coupled with this call to
sacrificial prayer and intercession is a call to fasting that is more
widespread than ever before in the Body of Christ.
After generations of neglect,
fasting as a powerful spiritual discipline is being rediscovered across a broad
spectrum of the Church.
In this current chosen
prophetic generation, fasting will no longer be thought of as a sign of extreme
or "abnormal" Christianity, but as an integral part of life in the
Spirit.
"Normal"
Christianity has always been "extreme": extreme devotion to the
person of Jesus Christ; extreme abandonment of self-will and absolute surrender
to the will and purposes of God; extreme love for God that totally consumes
one's heart, soul, mind, and strength.
This global prayer and
prophetic movement today represents nothing less than the restoration of raw,
radical Christianity in this generation - Christianity as it is supposed to be!
What time is it? It is
time to arise and shine!
Dr.
James W. Goll is
the founder of God Encounters Ministries, an award-winning author and
communications trainer and has ministered in over 50 nations. For information
on his webinars and online classes, visit godencounters.com.
James continues to live in Tennessee and is a joyful father and grandfather
today.
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