Vision of Revival
June 25, 2023 6:51 PM
Jon Stokes
In August 2022, I had a vision in which I was kneeling on the floor of an emptied-out church sanctuary, rubbing sticks together in an effort to start a fire. There was a burn barrel in the middle of the room with a fire burning in it. Five or six other people were in the sanctuary sitting with their backs up against the wall on the other side of the room, as though they’d completed their assignment; I was the only one left working. I was sweating profusely and otherwise exhausted in my efforts, but smoke finally began to rise as the friction ignited the kindling. I picked up the small fire in my palms and tossed it into the burn barrel. The whole church erupted into flames but wasn’t consumed by it, much like the burning bush. People began coming out of their homes to see this event and a statement John Wesley once made instantly came to mind: “You never have to advertise a fire.” I knew the others in the room represented previous generations who’d prayed for the revival of the ages, and that I represented the efforts of the last generation.
There are several insights I’d like to share that relate to this vision in order to encourage people’s efforts to pray for the church and the nation as we head into the second half of 2023. The Lord has promised to pour out blessing based on how we respond to the foresights he provides (Joel 2:14), and he’s shown that revival will break out in churches and individuals that commit themselves to fervent prayer, even in the coming months. I’ve set up a Telegram group @ t.me/theresurgence to help connect a praying remnant. It’s a platform where people can connect virtually and/or make arrangements to meet up with others in their area to pray.
We’re quickly approaching the time of the end and there’s now empirical evidence to support this reality, most notably the birth of Israel in 1948, which began the countdown to the return of Christ. Many Christians know this but I believe a grievous oversimplification of Jesus’ statement, “No one knows the day or the hour,” has become a yoke that’s silenced many voices from speaking up and led to spiritual apathy among God’s people, rather than spurring an attitude of action and excitement regarding the urgency of the hour. The Lord was clear that no one knows the appointed day and he can change the times and seasons anytime he wants (Daniel 2:21); but the evidence is overwhelming that the clock will soon strike midnight—and “blessed are those servants whom the master finds awake when he comes” (Luke 12:37). Paul adds, “But you, brothers and sisters, are not in darkness so that this day should surprise you like a thief” (1 Thess. 5:4).
A generation reflects a period of time spanning anywhere from 40 to 120 years according to biblical precedent (Num. 14:33-34, Ps. 90:10; Gen. 6:3), and Scripture is clear that the generation of Hebrews that settled into their own land—i.e., the “fig tree generation”—would mark the beginning of the end (Matt. 24:32-34, Ez. 11:17, 34:13, 37; Deut. 30:3; Isa. 11:11; Jer. 31:8-9; e.g.); and Jesus said those who see the beginning will also see the end. We’re 75 years into that window of time and Jesus’ prophecies in Matthew 24, Luke 21, and Mark 13 are now converging simultaneously on a global scale, a feat never before witnessed in history. The recent uptick of dreams, visions, and prophecies from people all over the world also affirms that we’re likely living in the last generation (Acts 2:17), as do many current events, such as America’s open borders (Isaiah 66:18); the global deception surrounding COVID-19 and vaccination (Matt. 24:24; Rev. 12:9); and the filth America’s flooded the world with through television and the internet over the last century, a glaring reflection of Mystery Babylon (Rev. 18). And America, like Mystery Babylon, will fall first.
Other Considerations
The span of roughly 400 years is prevalent in Scripture and history alike, particularly as it relates to God’s people. The Israelites were in slavery for 400 years (Gen. 15:13; Acts 13:17-20); the reign of judges lasted 400 years (1446 B.C. – 1050 B.C., beginning with Moses’ appointment of judges in Ex. 18 and ending with the appointment of King Saul in 1 Sam. 9); 400 years spanned the time between the temple’s construction and destruction (970 B.C. – 586 B.C.); 400 years of silence marked the time between the close of the Old Testament and the birth of Christ (430 B.C. – 7 B.C.); 400 years later, Rome was sacked (410 A.D.). Fast-forwarding to America’s settlement in 1620 as the world’s first Christian nation, we can speculate where things are heading in this generation based on historical precedent.
Furthermore, the biblical period of seven years runs on a continuum in which God sends either judgment or blessing in response to the chronic pendulum swing of the human heart, and it’s still in operation today. If you revisit America’s history every seven years, you’ll notice a distinct pattern of blessing or judgment if you begin in the last sabbatical year, which was 2015-2016 (using the Jewish new year, which typically runs September-September). Most wars, economic crashes, political scandals, and national crises occur at some point during the first year of a new cycle. God sheds light on the future based on how he’s always done things, and given 2022-2023 is the 70th Jubilee (God’s 50-year reset) since the Israelites entered the promised land according to the Gregorian calendar (1408 B.C.), the next several months will be telling, especially as we approach the Fall.
Finally, genealogies date creation circa 4000 B.C., and Scripture says that a day is as a thousand years to the Lord (2 Pet. 3:8; Ps. 90:4). If the text is taken literally, 6 days reflects 6,000 years and brings us up to modern times, with the seventh day—the last 1,000 years— representing this generation and the one that potentially enters into God’s rest and fulfills Hebrews 4:4-11. Bob Jones also prophesied that the 2020’s would mark the decade of “the rest of God.” Hosea adds, “After two days he will revive us; on the third day he will raise us up, and we shall live before him” (6:2). Christ was crucified two days ago, likely in 30 A.D., and the elitists of the world are plotting to enslave humanity by 2030 A.D. So the reality that a new era is upon us is even evidenced by Satan’s understanding of the times, though his influence will be brought to an abrupt end by the Ancient of Days.
I’m not making any predictions and I don’t believe the world will end in the year 2030; but America’s days are numbered and I don’t think the world is that far behind. God gives us signs for a reason and and all of these factors are worth considering because they suggest the end of the age is at our doorstep. Solomon writes, “It is the glory of God to conceal a matter; to search out a matter is the glory of kings” (Prov. 25:2). Searching out such matters offers great hope and encouragement to help God’s people run the race well and endure to the end.
I’ll close with a journal entry that describes a brief experience I had four years ago that may have been a foreshadowing of the Spirit’s outpouring and something which, according to Isaiah 61:3 and other texts, God’s people experience permanently in the very near-future.
I experienced a depth of joy and assurance I’d never known before. I had no sadness over the past nor fear concerning the future. Time seemed to freeze. I had no desire to sin and hungered only for the things of God. I felt an unusual compassion for the lost and had no fear of man. It was as though the mind of the flesh had defaulted to the mind of the Spirit. It was the greatest few days of my life.
Prayer Points
Si vis pacem, para bellum – If you want peace, prepare for war. Prayer is the most effective weapon in the fight against spiritual forces of evil and it should be done individually and corporately. Throughout the book of Acts, Christians are often seen interceding in groups because laboring in prayer is easier and more effective when it’s done alongside others. God’s people should unite in prayer at this juncture in history to recruit the mercy of God and impale the enemy on his own pole. The modern tendency to take prayer requests at the end of a Bible study and deem it intercession won’t cut it in the days ahead. We have to start praying beyond our own needs and consider that 8 billion souls are hanging in the balance now more than ever.
Paul provides a good model for intercession in Philippians 1:9-11, Ephesians 1:17-19, and 1 Timothy 2:1-4. as does Jesus in John 17:15-23. I also wrote an article entitled “Practical Advice for Group Prayer” that may help anyone unaccustomed to praying with others. You can find it @ t.me/christianfieldmanual.
Here’s a short list of the things the Lord highlighted concerning prayer petitions:
For the church to have a strong backbone.
For a great harvest of souls.
For the exposure of false teachers and corrupt government officials, particularly in congress.
For him to show us mercy in the midst of judgment.
For him to turn the hearts of the following men and women in power and thwart the devil’s plans for them and the people they govern:
William Duke of Cambridge (Prince of Wales)
Boris Johnson (Former Prime Minister of UK)
Emmanuel Macron (President of France)
Charles Michel (European Council President)
Ursula Von Der Leyen (Commission President of the EU)
Federica Moghereini (Former Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation. Played a role in the Iran Nuclear Deal.)
Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic (President of Croatia)
Kaja Kallas (Prime Minister of Estonia)
Paul Kagame (President of Rwanda)
Barak Obama may run behind this man.
Justin Trudeau (Prime Minister of Canada)
Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador (President of Mexico)
Kamla Persad-Bissessar (Prime Minister of Trinidad)
Salman bin-Abdulaziz Al Saud (King of Saudi Arabia)
Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan (President of United Arab Emirates)
Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud (Prince, Saudi Arabia)
Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum (Prime Minister of UAE)
Zayed bin Sultan Al Maktoum (Former president of UAE, allegedly deceased.)
Ali Khamenei (Ayatollah, Iran)
Hassan Rouhani (President of Iran)
Ayman al-Zawahiri (Doctor, Egypt. Ties to Osama Bin Laden. Allegedly deceased.)
Naftali Bennett (Prime Minister, Israel)
Tayyip Erdogan (President of Turkey)
Narendra Modi (Prime Minister of India)
Sheikh Hasina Wazed (Prime Minister of Bangladesh)
Yoon Suk-Yeol (President of South Korea)
Vladimir Putin (President of Russia)
Dmitry Medvedev (Deputy Chairman of the Security Council of the Russian Federation)
Angela Merkel (Former Chancellor of Germany)
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (Former President of Iran)
Klauss Schwaab (Chairmen of the World Economic Forum)
Volodymyr Zelenskyy (President of Ukraine)
Donald J. Trump
Donald Trump, Jr.
Jared Kushner
George Soros
Abdel Fattah al Sisi (President of Egypt)
King Abdullah (King of Jordan)
Stay in the fight, everyone.
Jon Stokes
