The Goal of Lawlessness: Spiritual Revival

Because the coming other-christ is called the Man of Lawlessness by Paul in Thessalonians, we tend to think of sins as being the hallmark of his followers and his work. It may shock you to find out what that sin consists of.

When the revivalist miracle-workers of the last days cite their works as a qualification of entrance into heaven, the Lord rejects them with these words:

Matt 7: 21-24 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’

What is Lawlessness?

We tend to think of sin in terms of the breaking of the Ten Commandments – which it is of course – but we overlook that all sin and breaking of God’s perfect law (Romans 7:12) is a refusal to heed and obey God’s will.

By bringing Johannine and Pauline teaching on lawlessness together, we can see how the concept serves to underline the seriousness of sin for the individual. Any sin, no matter how inconsequential it might seem, is the acting out of REBELLION against God. This rebellion apparently draws its strength from spiritual forces opposed to God — John’s ‘antichrists’ which, John tells us, are already active and whose opposition, Paul tells us, will reach a crescendo in the end, just before Christ’s return. [Source]

God’s Will is Supreme

God’s law is the same as God’s will, that which he wants and needs us to do.

The Christian law is the law of the Holy Spirit, being conformed to his will and not the will of the human mind and flesh. To go ahead and achieve something outside of God’s will, presumptuously, without regard to bible prophecy, is rebellion. It is lawlessness.

No doubt the devil used this kind of thinking to persuade Adam and Eve to defy God and do something that they considered good, but that was outside of God’s will for them at that time.

Likewise the temptations of Jesus were also “good” things – food, miracles, divine rulership – beneficial to all, but outside of God’s will at that time. Thus, it amounted to worship of the devil and denial of the Father’s will which Jesus correctly discerned.

But these really WERE temptations. Without a genuine and real appeal to the mind, flesh and soul of Jesus these suggestions would have been mere words, not tempting at all. There were essentially “good things”.

No matter what “good thing” we can imagine to do, seemingly to please God, if it’s outside of his will and not led by the Holy Spirit, it’s at best void, but at worst lawlessness, sin, because it leads others astray.

What About Revival?

How can a global revival ever be out of God’s will? Answer; when it is not from the Spirit of God, nor biblical, nor aiming for a biblical result.

Surely the worst kind of sin is persuading people that something is from God when it isn’t.

In particular I want to suggest that a major step towards the kind of lawlessness that Jesus condemned in his words to the miracle-workers of the endtimes could be a deceptive “global revival” such as that being proposed right now by Return2020. (See my earlier post) Or if not that, another similar movement. (They will keep trying until they get what they want.)

From what I have seen and heard of Christians today, I fear that MANY of them could easily be persuaded by a fake revival. Especially if it is supported and promoted by leading figures that are mistakenly trusted by thousands of Christians.

Forerunners

Back in the 90’s another supposed revival hit Canada and America, from there spreading out to other countries.

It was at first called the “Toronto Blessing” because it began in the Airport Church in Toronto. Unlike evangelical revivals of the past, this “blessing” was a powerful spiritual infilling that rendered many speechless, immobile and insensible.

• Read about the Toronto Blessing here.

Since those days, the same spirit has been actively “empowering” people across the nations and building up a church for itself that believes in spreading the miraculous power every place, and in every person.

It was happening in churches, it was promoted by church leaders, it was exalted by Christians – so who could know (except those who had Holy Spirit discernment) that it wasn’t God at all?

At that time, in the 90’s, I identified this spirit as the Spirit of Dominion who was to ride out victorious as the first seal judgement. I said that this evil spirit having been loosed, its power would spread out across the world until it led finally to the Antichrist himself arriving, as a result of its preparatory work. And I still believe that today, because I see it happening before my eyes.

Toronto Blessing Mark Two

One final push towards the appearance of the Antichist himself – the very epitome of lawlessness – would be a false revival, the kind predicted for decades by the Kansas City Prophets and IHOP leadership (who are all connected).

This would not just impact Christians led to pray for the christless “healing of the nations” but also I believe many non believers who are longing for change, looking for direction in the current confusion.

What if an end to the Coronavirus was promised, and a final overthrow of the evils of the “deep state”? What if climate change was addressed, and abortion, and the violence of many protest groups? Christians and non-christians alike might be powerfully drawn to such a worldwide movement.

And the corollary is this: who would dare to criticise such a beneficial movement, supposedly dedicated to all things good?

Anyone who spoke up against it would instantly be condemned. This movement, ultimately inspired by the devil himself, would bring horrific persecution and spiritual warfare against anyone opposing it. Just as Jesus said! Just as John of Revelation said!

Just as Paul said: “So have I now become your enemy for telling you the truth? These people who have been instructing you are devoted to you, but not in a good way. They want you to avoid me so that you will be devoted to them.” (Gal 4:17) International Standard Version

Predictions of Revival

Listen to Paul Cain’s predictions of this revival. “The whole world is going mad over Jesus” and “all the stadiums are full, there are resurrections and prophecies and healings – the church will once again be the first line of defense…”

Now for decades I have heard and read such predictions and I’ve said, that will never happen. One attempt is illustrated above in my main image:

The Awaken 2020 site says: “This January 18th, 2020 at Sun Devil Stadium in Phoenix, Arizona, it’s time for you to be part of the Jesus awakening that is shifting HISTORY. Open the door and enter into a new era, a new decade, of revival that is bringing a movement of signs and wonders, healing of the sick, and preaching of the gospel.” source

No such revival is mentioned in the bible, and these people are deceivers.

But, as you know from the earlier post, I started to weep when God put these words into my heart during prayer, “But what if there IS [such] a revival?”

At that moment my spirit was moved with horror and compassion because I knew that many would be drawn into it and be deceived. Would they even receive that “spirit” that would blind their eyes to the truth and open them to a false god, a false saviour of the world, another-christ!

A Compassionate Trumpet-Blast of Warning

You who are drowning in the dire predictions of the conspiracy movement, fearful of the unseen evil powers ruling the world, looking for redemption and rescue for the good and upright people of earth (the red-pilled woke ones) and believing in a supernatural outpouring of power that will suddenly break like a tidal wave, a “storm” upon all such evil cultists – well, this false revival may be just what you have been waiting for, just what you have been prepared for.

You have been groomed, schmoozed, manipulated and lied to, and made to feel superior to the unenlightened herd. So now when those predictions of global healing and rescue in a cloud of glory come about, how will you stop yourself rejoicing and joining in?

Build on the Rock

Matt 7:24-26 “Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.”

The tempest will come, the torrential rain and the flood of evil and deception will come, the wind will blow and beat on everything you have built into your life and soul as a christian.

Temptation will come, intense pressure will come (indeed the very word ‘tribulation’ means PRESSURE) and “we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God“. [Acts 14:22]

The only way to stand firm, is to have our feet on the ROCK of our salvation, and not on the sandy soil that looked so good on the internet but has no real substance.

Ministers are Human

Teachers and ministries are often of God and have useful things to say. BUT at the end of the day it is God by the Holy Spirit who leads us into all truth, and our relationship with Jesus is the only solid ground.

Planting your feet on leaders, ministries (including this one) people, churches, websites and anything else other than God and his word is a dangerous place to be in these last days.

As I urged in my last post, come away from the internet, and get into the bible, prayer, and thinking about the truths of God – asking God that he will protect you, open your eyes to reality, and keep you in these perilous times.

It is not just the sin of mankind but the lawlessness of the last days (refusal to heed God’s will, rebellion) that will be the hallmark of the world and (tragically) the Church leading up to the Second Coming.

• Matt 13:41 The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will gather from His kingdom everything that causes sin and those guilty of lawlessness.
• Matt 24:12 Because lawlessness will multiply, the love of many will grow cold.
• 2 Thess 2:3 Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way. For that day will not come unless the apostasy comes first and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction.