The Revival From Hades

"We are entering a time in history in which the ability to perform mighty deeds (miracles) is going to become somewhat commonplace. There are already in Korea and Japan religious groups that do not relate to Christ at all, who are healing the sick and casting out demons and performing miracles over nature." Paul Cain

It seems unlikely that supernaturalism would experience a comeback in a world where Islam and militant atheism appear to be the finalists in an epic struggle for global supremacy. From the east comes Islam, emboldened by the collapse of Christendom and the subsequent explosion of moral depravity in the western world. 

And from the west comes a revival of Marxism-socialism-communism that is determined to eradicate all religions and their belief systems and replace them with the deification of man and a massive world government that would regulate everything from commerce, banking, education to behavior and thought.

For now, Islamists and humanists have teamed up to finish the job of driving the final stake into the heart of the dying body of Christendom. Islamists hate America because the United States is not only the world's greatest superpower, but also because America is considered a Christian nation and Israel's closest ally. 

Liberals-communists-socialists hate America not only because of her unbridled freedom and wealth, but also because of her historic support of Israel which liberals and socialists believe has made the United States a convenient target of Islamic terrorists. And so liberals and socialists have become unlikely partners with Islamists in their quest to overthrow the United States and destroy Israel.

Ironically, if the Islamists succeed, they will turn on their secular partners and order them to either convert to Islam or be executed. If liberals-socialists-communists succeed, they will attempt to eradicate Islam that would then trigger a massive, bloody insurrection because Muslims are ready and willing to die for their religion while very few humanists would likely be willing to die for their cause. 

Given that Muslims are more committed to Islam than humanists are committed to Marxism, many so-called experts are putting their money on Islamists eventually gaining control of the world and establishing a global caliphate.

One such "expert" is a an author and theologian named Joel Richardson who has written a popular book titled; The Islamic Antichrist. Richardson believes that Islam will inevitably take control of the world and set up a global Ummah that would be ruled by an Islamic Antichrist. 

Richardson bases his belief upon Islam's rapid growth and expansion throughout Europe and the growing Muslim population on that continent that is destined to become Europe's majority by 2050. And given that Islam also controls Africa, much of Asia, the Middle East and is steadily spreading across North America, Richardson seems spot on with his analysis of an inevitable Islamic new world order.

However, the Bible, which has a proven historical track-record concerning prophecy, speaks nothing of an end-time global Islamic world. In fact, biblical prophecy reveals the opposite; that the end-time world will experience a "Christian" revival that will be fueled by an explosion of supernatural events that science will not be able to explain away. 

While an end-time global Christian revival seems unlikely, it's going to happen. Unfortunately, the coming revival will be a counterfeit one based heavily upon signs, wonders and miracles at the expense of evidential biblical truth. In other words, the historic biblical gospel that preaches Jesus Christ crucified on the cross for the sins of mankind will be replaced by a phony gospel that will emphasize supernatural experience over biblical exegesis.

Well, who says? It was Christ himself who spoke of an end-time counterfeit revival fueled by demonic power that would masquerade as a genuine movement of the Holy Spirit. Christ warned: "At that time if anyone says to you, 'Look, here is the Christ!' or, 'There he is! Do not believe it. For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect--if that were possible. See, I have told you ahead of time." (Matthew 24:23-25) Far from a secular or Islamic end-time world, Christ revealed an end-time world that would truly believe that it was following him. But the "Christ" of this end-time world will be a counterfeit who will be empowered by Satan himself.

But what will be the catalyst for such a paradigm shift that will see the world reject existentialism and embrace supernaturalism under the guise of Christianity? 

The apostle Paul revealed that the sudden appearance of supernatural events in the world will be that catalyst: "The coming of the lawless one (Antichrist) will be in accordance with the work of Satan displayed in all kinds of counterfeit miracles, signs and wonders, and in every sort of evil that deceives those who are perishing. They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie and so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness." (2Thessalonians 2:9-12)

Paul's prophecy reveals two important truths; that (1) the sudden manifestation of miracles will coincide with the rise of the Antichrist, and (2) that the Antichrist will be more than just a hypnotic world leader; he will perform miracles that will convince many that he is divine. In fact, he will be mistaken by many well-meaning but biblically illiterate Christians as the genuine Christ who will claim that he has returned from heaven to bring peace to a world torn by violence, war and hopelessness. The apostle John wrote: "And he performed great and miraculous signs, even causing fire to come down from heaven to earth in full view of men." (Revelation 13:13)

And so, what will be the events that will prepare the way for this counterfeit Christianity and false Christ to appear? Two events must occur: (1) the emergence of a global government that will feature 10 nation groups headed by seven regional leaders and (2) the emergence of a global religion that will become a partner with this world government. 

But how can 193 world nations be convinced to willingly forgo their sovereignty and be realigned into 10 groups of nations? Some can and some can't; for those who resist they will be threatened militarily and isolated economically until they acquiesce.

And who will have the power to accomplish such a realignment of world nations? Initially, the United Nations will wield the power that it will acquire through huge wealth transfers and confiscations from such bogus crises as "Climate Change" and "Global Warming". 

Climate Change and Global Warming are fabricated crises designed to induce large wealth transfers from developed nations such as the United States, Japan and various Western European nations to the UN. Under this ruse, the UN would allegedly transfer the money to third world and underdeveloped nations to modernize old factories that burn fossil fuels and emit large amounts of Co2 into the atmosphere.

This massive wealth transfer is already underway with the United States and many Western European nations bankrupt from too much spending that has necessitated too much borrowing from emerging powers such as China, India and Russia. Financial blackmail will become a key weapon for the emerging eastern nations that will force debt-ridden nations into submission. 

For example, much of America's $15 trillion debt is owned by China, Russia, India, Japan and Saudi Arabia that financed that debt through the purchase of U.S. Treasury Bonds. It's no secret that China, Russia and India are emerging industrial nations that rely heavily on fossil fuels, a resource that the U.S. has an abundance of.

In fact, the U.S. could easily become energy independent from Saudi Arabia and the rest of the world if the U.S. would rely on its own resources. However, since the 1960's, radical environmentalists have shaped America's environmental policies that have restricted and prevented the U.S. from tapping into much of its own coal, natural gas and petroleum resources. Those resources will become the collateral for the emerging industrial nations that currently own much of America's debt. 

 The United States may be forced into allowing those nations to either tap into America's coal, natural gas and oil as payment for that debt, or those nations will stop loaning the U.S. money and threaten to cash their bonds which could raise the interest rates on America's debt and destroy her economy. 

If the Occupy Wall Street crowd wants something to get angry about, then they should get angry at the U.S. government rather than Wall Street for selling out America's future and putting the U.S. in very serious danger of becoming a financial slave to the emerging eastern world.

Just as the emerging eastern world is rapidly becoming the new industrial and technology giant in the world, so will it become the epicenter of the coming counterfeit religious revival that will have a Christian façade. According to biblical prophecy, the coming Antichrist will arise in Russia (Daniel 11, Ezekiel 38-39) and he will be both a political and a religious leader who will deceive multitudes. 

Biblical prophecy also reveals that he will rise in conjunction with the Roman Catholic Church, (Revelation 17) so two important events must occur in order for the Antichrist to appear; (1) the rise of a one-world government and (2) the reunion of the Eastern Orthodox churches and the Roman Catholic Church that have been separated for 1,000 years. 

When that reunion occurs--and talks between the Vatican and Eastern Orthodox patriarchs have been ongoing for several years concerning that inevitable reunion-then an important piece of the prophetic puzzle will be in place.

That reunion will reestablish the Roman Catholic Church as Russia's prominent church that will then set the stage for the appearance of the Antichrist. 

The apostle John, who was in exile from Rome on the island of Patmos, recorded this incredible allegorical vision of the coming partnership between world government and religion: "Then the angel carried me away in the Spirit into a desert. There I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that was covered with blasphemous names and had seven heads and ten crowns. The woman was dressed in purple and scarlet, and was glittering with gold, precious stones and pearls. She held a cup in her hand, filled with abominable things and the filth of her adulteries. This title was written on her forehead: 'Mystery Babylon the Great, the Mother of Prostitutes and of the Abominations of the Earth.' I saw that the woman was drunk with the blood of the saints, the blood of those who bore testimony to Jesus." (Revelation 17:3-6)

The beast that John saw resembled the beast that the ancient Hebrew prophet Daniel had witnessed in his vision some 700 years earlier (Daniel 7:24) but with an additional twist; the woman who rode atop the beast. The beast that both Daniel and John witnessed represented a global government that consisted of ten kingdoms or nations (horns) ruled by seven kings (heads) or leaders. 

The mysterious harlot that John witnessed high atop the ugly, scarlet beast represented a global religion that will be headed by the Roman Catholic Church. Want further proof? John revealed that the allegorical harlot represented a world city that was surrounded by seven hills. (Revelation 17:9) 

Only two world cities are surrounded by seven hills; Rio de Janeiro that is located in Brazil and Rome that is located in Italy. No world religion has its headquarters in Rio, but Rome is home to the Vatican which is the world headquarters of the Roman Catholic Church. When John recorded his famous vision, the Catholic Church didn't exist and wouldn't come into existence until the Fourth Century A.D.

Furthermore, John described both the colors of Rome's priesthood (purple and scarlet) and the Catholic Church's historic moniker. (Mystery Babylon) While many believe that the Catholic Church has lost her influence in the world and is destined to be replaced by Islam as the world's most influential religion, biblical prophecy speaks otherwise. 

Keep in mind that the emerging eastern powers (Russia, China, India) hate Islam and will eventually form a military alliance that will stamp out Islamic fundamentalism that has been responsible for much of the terrorism that currently plagues the world. 

Though China is still a communist nation, she is moving toward National Socialism that will tolerate and embrace Roman Catholicism, while India is a predominantly Hindu nation, she will also embrace Catholicism because of Rome's historic ability to syncretize with occult and pagan religions. In fact, the late Pope John Paul II once praised India as a nation that offered the world a rich spiritual vision through Hinduism.

And furthermore, since Vatican II (1962-1965) the Roman Catholic Church has embarked on a global ecumenical crusade to convert the world to Roman Catholicism. Vatican II became the Roman Catholic Church's global initiative to convince Protestant churches to renounce Luther's Reformation and rejoin Rome's communion and of course to persuade the Eastern Orthodox churches to reunite with Rome. According to Vatican II, the entire world must become Catholic before Christ can return to establish his millennial kingdom in Jerusalem.

In fact, the Roman Catholic Church will become the vanguard of the new supernatural religious revival that will expedite the global ecumenical movement and eventually lead to the appearance of the Antichrist. Marian apparitions, which have appeared throughout the centuries around the world, are on the increase. Though the Catholic Church tends to downplay these supernatural manifestations, it doesn't deny them because they are a useful proselytizing tool for the church. 

A growing number of Roman Catholics, Protestants and even Evangelicals believe that the increase in these apparitions signals that Christ's return is near. Sadly, the "Christ" who will be embraced by these people will be the ultimate counterfeit in the Antichrist. The apostle Paul revealed the simple reason why many will be taken in by this counterfeit revival: "For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths." (2Timothy 4:3-4)

While heresy and false doctrine have plagued Christendom since its inception 2,000 years ago, the arch-heresy of supernaturalism under the guise of Christianity began to manifest just over a century ago with William Seymour's Azusa Street Revival in Los Angeles California. 

Seymour was a charismatic Pentecostal preacher who believed that no one was really saved in Christ unless they manifested some supernatural gift of the Holy Spirit such as speaking in tongues. Seymour is credited with an infamous prophecy that alleged a global revival that would take place about 100 years after his Azusa Street revival that is dated to 1906. Unfortunately, Seymour's prophecy sounds like the counterfeit supernatural revival that Christ and the apostle Paul warned against.

Nevertheless, many professing Christians are ignoring their warnings and are plunging headfirst into spiritual deception. Seymour's 100-year prophecy was motivated by his false interpretation of an ancient prophecy recorded by the Hebrew prophet Joel who recorded the Lord's own words: "And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days." (Joel 2:28-29) 

What were the days the prophet referred to? The apostle Peter responded that the days of the Holy Spirit being poured out on all people began at Pentecost in the Upper Room 2,000 years ago when Christ's disciples received the Holy Spirit. (Acts 2:14-21)

And yet Joel's prophecy has been taken out of context by end-time revivalists who have ignored clear biblical warnings that the only end-time spiritual revival in the world will be a bad one that will deceive multitudes. Sadly, from Sid Roth to Shawn Bolz to Rick Joyner to Bob Jones to the many others who are promoting the latest church phenomena called the Emerging Church Movement, biblical prophecy concerning spiritual deception is being fulfilled before our eyes. 

In Part II, we'll look at the leaders of this emerging movement; what they're teaching and what's happening in their churches. Stay tuned.