Chapter 6: Birthpangs And Earthquakes:

The barometer of spiritual intensity in the church is rising around the world. We are now well into a great spiritual advance. There is an increasing anointing for mobilizing the saints for the spreading of the gospel and tearing down strongholds. Walls and barriers between local congregations are being brought down. Everywhere churches are being energized with fresh zeal for the Lord. Genuine tokens of revival are now breaking out around the world. Earthquakes will accompany these spiritual birth pangs. The events that take place in the natural are often a reflection of the activity occurring in the spiritual realm. Earthquakes are caused when the geological plates begin to shift and move in opposite directions. The very foundations of civilization are beginning to shift and move in opposite directions. The result of this is going to be increasing spiritual and natural earthquakes. However, we have a foundation that cannot be shaken. To the degree that we build our lives on the kingdom of God, we will be protected from the devastation, and will be in a position to help those who are not now protected. Insurance companies define earthquakes as "acts of God," and they are right. God does not act arbitrarily. The Los Angeles earthquake of January 1994, and the continuing aftershocks, are both signs and judgment. They are, in fact, the result of the church in Los Angeles coming into a degree of unity and praying for their city. A primary stronghold over Southern California is the spirit of seduction. Newsweek described this target when listing the destruction of this quake: "The studios of virtually every major American producer and distributor of pornographic videos, an industry that happened to locate itself almost directly atop the fault zone." Neither was it an accident that the quake took place at 4:31 a.m.

Acts 4:31 reads:

"And when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness" (NKJV).

That this event took place at 4:31 a.m. was meant to give greater boldness to the saints for preaching the word, especially the saints in Southern California.

Power Versus Ratings:

Southern California has been the seat of one of the most powerful spirits of seduction released in this century. A movie rated PG-13 coming out of Hollywood can have more power to seduce than some "R" or X-rated movies coming out of other places. For this reason we must depend on discernment, not ratings, when we determine what we will watch, or what we will allow our children to watch. It is not the amount of skin that is shown, it is the power behind a movie that counts. The Lord could shut down all pornography around the world whenever He wants, but He will not do it without the church. He has commissioned us to be the light of the world, and the salt of the earth. He is only waiting for us to come into harmony with His will before He moves. When He determines that the time for judgment has come, He wants His church praying for it, just as Elijah did to get the attention of his nation. Effective prayer has touched the heart of God for Southern California and He responded with this earthquake as a sign, and a judgment. The Lord would always rather show mercy than judgment. Even though He has been showing great mercy to Southern California for this entire century, beginning with the Azuza Street Revival and continuing with the great movements and ministries He presently has based there, His strategy is now moving toward more serious judgments. There will be more, and increasingly devastating, earthquakes in Southern California. For as long as the church prays the Lord will not relent until there is repentance and change. Repentance and change can spare California. Without it, a major part of that state will be utterly destroyed. Either way, the heart of God has been touched concerning the spirit of seduction that emanates from Southern California and He will not let up until it is removed. Let us pray that the easier way, repentance, is taken. This is not the time for the church to abandon California, but to labor with even more boldness, which was the message of Acts 4:31. The move of the Holy Spirit over the next few years will be greater than any other witnessed in that state that has seen so much of the glory of God. Los Angeles really can become "the city of angels." San Francisco and San Diego can become great beacons that shine all the way to Asia. Where sin abounds there is even more grace for those who carry the light. This is the time to be bold with the grace and the light.

Spiritual Earthquakes:

Along with what is taking place in the natural realm, major spiritual earthquakes are about to take place in the church. Pressure has been building up at certain points in the foundations, and they are about to give way, creating major shock waves. These shifts are going to upset the status quo and result in some serious "structural damage" to the visible church. But only that which can be shaken will be shaken. That which is properly lined up with the true foundations of the faith will not be damaged. When these great spiritual earthquakes are over most of the church will be in much closer harmony with the Lord, and the whole church will be much more stable.

We Are Ambassadors:

One point where a great shift is imminent is in the practical application of our ministry as ambassadors of the kingdom. When Paul said, "We are ambassadors for Christ" (II Corinthians 5:20), this was a statement so stunning that it probably buckled the knees of those who read it. In the days of the empire, an ambassador held one of the most esteemed and prestigious positions that one could attain. Because communication between the sending government and its ambassadors could take many months, the ambassadors sometimes were required to make major decisions in the name of their government. This necessitated that the ambassador be able to make agreements that carried the full authority of the emperor. Therefore only those who were considered to be the most loyal and single minded would be chosen for such a position. Paul was saying to the Corinthians that we have been given this same kind of authority to represent the kingdom of God! Even with the most trusted men in these positions, ambassadors would only be assigned to a country for two or three years before being brought back home. This was because that after even a short time in the host country, there would be a tendency to take on some of the traits of that culture which could make them sympathetic to it. When this happened one might be inclined to serve the interests of the host country more than the one they represented. It is for this same reason that the Lord occasionally shifts His ministers from place to place, or from position to position. These changes help to keep our perspective fresh. The apostle Paul said, "...and to the Jews I became as a Jew... (I Corinthians 9:20).

There is a sense in which we must try to fit in with those that we have been sent to so that we do not become unnecessarily offensive. However, in a general sense, and almost universally, Christians, churches and even missionaries, have compromised their effectiveness for the kingdom of God because they have become too sympathetic to the spirit of the surrounding culture they are in. To represent the kingdom, and to be effective witnesses, usually requires that we move in an opposite spirit to the prevailing spirit of our nation or locality.

The Power Of Difference:

One of the most devastating misconceptions to dilute the power of the church's witness to the world is the belief that we can best reach those who are from our own backgrounds. If we come out of a business background, we feel called to reach businessmen. If we are called out of the drug culture, we feel that we can best reach those who we were the most like. This seems reasonable but is often contrary to the Lord's strategy. In His wisdom He sent Peter to the Jews and Paul to the Gentiles. According to our prevailing philosophy of missions, He should have sent Paul to the Jews. He was a "Pharisee of Pharisees" and certainly they could identify better with him than with Peter. And Peter, being a common fisherman, could certainly fit in better with the Gentiles. But the Lord did not want them to fit in—He wanted them to stick out! Even more, He did not want their witness to depend on the people identifying with them in the flesh; He wanted His messengers to be utterly dependent on the Holy Spirit. Both Peter and Paul were cast into roles that made them offensive to those to whom they were sent. There was only one way that either of them could accomplish their mission—they had to have the anointing! They were both thrust into utter dependency upon the Holy Spirit, and that is when the Holy Spirit is best able to do His work. We also see that when Peter left the place of his anointing and tried to go to the Gentiles by visiting Antioch, he got into such serious trouble that Paul had to publicly rebuke him because "...he stood condemned" (see Galatians 2:11-14).

Likewise, when Paul tried to go to the Jews by visiting Jerusalem, he got into trouble. I submit to you that there was an easier way for Paul to get to Rome, as he was prophetically warned at each stop when he was en route to Jerusalem. In like manner, many of us stay in trouble in our ministries because we do not remain in the place of our anointing, which is the only place where we will have true spiritual authority.

Sphere Of Authority:

It is natural for us to feel more security when we are with those that we are the most like, but this security is not the security of the Holy Spirit. Our flesh wars against the spirit, and if we try to appease the desires of our flesh for security it will have us in conflict with the Holy Spirit. The realm where we have true spiritual authority will usually be in a place that casts us in utter dependency upon the Holy Spirit, which will always make us insecure in our flesh. Paul recognized a sphere of authority that he had been given and did not want to presume to go beyond it (see 11 Corinthians 10:13-15).

Just as a policeman in Atlanta does not have authority in Amsterdam, we must learn to stay within the realms that we have been appointed to if we are to be effective. This principle does not just relate to geography, but is spiritual as well. Many prophets have fallen from grace because they tried to become teachers, just as many teachers have fallen from grace because they have tried to become prophets. Many evangelists have fallen because they tried to become pastors, and vice versa. This is not to negate the fact that some have dual, or even multiple callings, but we must never presume to go beyond our appointed sphere. When we try too hard to be like those we are sent to we are compromising our position of spiritual authority which often requires us to move in an opposite spirit to that which prevails in the land. This does not mean that we should purposely try to be different in everything. Our authority is not in being different, but in the Holy Spirit. We simply will be different if we abide in Him and are true to the work He is accomplishing in us.

The Lord Jesus stated it well:

You are those who justify yourselves in the sight of men, but God knows your hearts; for that which is highly esteemed among men is detestable in the sight of God (Luke 16:15).

If we are compelled to do the things that will make us acceptable to men we will be doing what is detestable to God. The reverse is also true; the things that are highly esteemed with God are detestable in the sight of men. Somebody is going to detest what we are doing. Who do we want it to be? The church in general, and even many missionaries, have embraced "the spirit of the land" to the degree that we cannot properly represent the Lord and His kingdom. The Holy Spirit is now bringing conviction upon the church in this area, which is essential before we can receive the authority that we need for this time. Those who begin to change their direction in this will create opposition in the world, but will regain the favor of God. Those who do not repent will have it easier for a short time, but they will ultimately have a much more difficult time. Repentance in this area will ultimately deliver the church from the dependency on artificial props and devices for witnessing to men in place of the Holy Spirit.

The Fear Of God:

To properly represent the kingdom of God, we must fear God more than we fear men. One of the great biblical statements which sums up what is required of a true ambassador was made by Elijah. In what appears to be his first public prophecy, made before the king of his nation, he declares: "As the Lord God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, except at my word" (I Kings 17:1 NKJV).

By this statement he was declaring to Ahab that he was not standing before him—he was just a king, just a man. Elijah did not live his life before men, even the most prestigious of men, but before God. For the church to accomplish her mandate for this hour she will need the kind of authority that Elijah walked in, and more. Before we can be trusted with this we must be delivered from the fear of man and live only in the pure and holy fear of God. To lead men into a true conversion we do not want them to feel comfortable with us and our message, but very uncomfortable! For true conversion men must be convicted of their ways that are in contrast with God's ways. Paul said, "If I were still trying to please men I would not be a bondservant of Christ" (Galatians 1:10). Paul acknowledged that his flesh had been a trial to the Galatians (see Galatians 4:13).

This required them to either be repelled by him, or receive him as "an angel of God," which they did. When men are attracted to the gospel because they are attracted to us, we should seriously wonder about both the state of our lives and the gospel we are preaching. The Lord Jesus said, "How can you believe, when you receive glory from one another, and you do not seek the glory that is from the one and only God?" (John 5:44).

The Greek word that is translated "glory" in this text is doxa, which could have been translated "recognition." By this statement the Lord was declaring that we lose our faith when we seek glory or recognition from men. Faith comes from our focus upon, and recognition of, who Jesus is. When we become more concerned with what men think of us than what God thinks of us we are falling from the faith. How much of what we are building and doing in our ministries is for the purpose of attracting people? It is not hard to attract multitudes of people through hype and manipulation. True spiritual success cannot be measured by how many people we attract, but by our ability to attract God. God does care about numbers, He desires to see all men saved. When we begin to build churches by being more concerned about what attracts God than what attracts people, we will end up attracting many more people than we do now. When Jesus is truly lifted up He will draw more people than our best programs.

The Foundational "Plates" Of The Church Are Shifting:

The people who are drawn to Jesus will also come through a true conversion. Those who come to Jesus through true conversion will not be the "high maintenance, low impact" people who now fill many churches. Even with the breakup of the Soviet Union, the "meet my need" spirit of socialism continues to advance in the world. This same mentality, which is nothing less than "spiritual socialism," now dominates much of the church. These foundational pressures that have built up within the church are moving in the opposite direction of the work of the Holy Spirit in the church, and a major spiritual earthquake is now looming because of it. The Lord does want to meet people's needs, and He is obviously the best at this, but He does not meet them in a way that only feeds our self-centeredness. The church in the West is almost completely unprepared for difficulties, and we are entering the time of great trouble. The Lord is going to build a church that actually thrives on opposition and trouble. His people will look at the greatest of difficulties just like Joshua and Caleb looked at the giants in the Promised Land, declaring that, "They will be bread for us!" As the Lord establishes His foundation in the church it will often be moving in the opposite direction of the foundational movements in society, resulting in the greatest confrontation between the church and the social order since the first century A.D. The power behind the foundational movements in the church is the irresistible power of God, and the church will prevail. The resulting earthquakes will be devastating to all who are going in the wrong direction.

Holiness Will Prevail Over Seduction:

The power of the church in California to overcome the powers of darkness is to embrace the cross and walk in holiness before the Lord. Because of many legalistic extremes, and a satanic strategy to devalue its importance, "holiness" has become a repulsive word throughout much of the body of Christ, especially in California. This has caused many believers to succumb more to the spirit of the age than to the Spirit of Christ. Some have drifted into infidelity, licentiousness, or a lukewarmness that is tolerant of the gross darkness. We must acknowledge that this gross darkness has been released upon the land during our watch. The alarm must now be sounded, but we can hardly sound the alarm against the enemy if we are of one mind with him! There is a call upon the church in California to recapture the essence of true holiness. There is a special anointing on the church in California for leadership. When this is not used for the timely purposes of the Lord, it is diverted by the enemy and used to promote evil trends in both the church and society (whatever is loosed in heaven is also loosed upon the earth). The ability of the church to fulfill her calling is dependent upon our attachment to the Holy Spirit, and He is first and foremost HOLY! Isaiah 52 is filled with wisdom concerning this call to holiness. Though it is a specific word for California it certainly has relevance for all believers. Awake, awake! Put on your strength, O Zion; put on your beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city! For the uncircumcised and the unclean shall no longer come to you (NKJV).

The strength of the church in California will be her purity and cleanliness of spirit. Those who join themselves to the church will be truly born again and circumcised of heart. Shake yourself from the dust, rise up O captive Jerusalem; Loose yourself from the chains around your neck, O captive daughter of Zion. Because Adam was made from the dust it often speaks of the flesh—the shakings are meant to awaken the church and move her to put off her carnal ways. It is now time to cast off the deeds of the flesh, and the yokes that men have placed upon us, and take our stand with boldness. For thus says the Lord, "You were sold for nothing and you will be redeemed without money" Money and other such resources will not be the source of our redemption or victory. We must cast off the financial considerations as primary motives in decision making and submit to the Holy Spirit. For thus says the Lord God, "My people went down at the first into Egypt to reside there, then the Assyrian oppressed them without cause. The bondage of Israel came two ways: she went down to Egypt voluntarily which resulted in bondage, and she was allowed to be attacked by Assyria because she had fallen into apostasy ("without cause" implies that it did not have to happen). Likewise, the present bondage of the church is the result of her having drifted into the ways of the world (Egypt), and in some cases, having fallen into apostasy by worshiping other gods such as prestige (typified by worship on the high places), money (golden calves), personalities (Asherah), manipulation (Baal), humanism (gods made by human hands), etc.. Almost every church has subtly fallen into the worship of the "other gods" to at least some degree and we must remove them from our midst. "Now therefore, what do I have here," declares the Lord, "seeing that My people have been taken away without cause?" Again the Lord declares, "Those who rule over them howl, and My name is continually blasphemed all day long. "Therefore My people shall know My name; therefore in that day I am the One who is speaking, 'Here I am."' The Lord has taken notice of the blaspheming of the heathen because of the condition of His church, and because of this His people are about to know His authority (name). The Lord is speaking to His people now saying, "Here I am." He does not want to remain distant; He wants to be found by His people. We can all be as close to Him as we want to be. How lovely on the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who announces peace and brings good news of happiness, who announces salvation, and says to Zion, "Your God reigns!" Mountains speak of governments or powers and the church is about to impact them with the good news of the gospel (not politics). With this gospel will come peace, joy (happiness) and salvation. With this the reign of God will begin to be proclaimed, and believed. Your watchmen lift up their voices, with their voices they shall sing together; for they shall see eye to eye when the Lord turns back Zion (NKJV).

Watchmen were one of the designations for prophets in the Old Testament. Here the Lord is promising the lifting up of prophetic voices. This lifting up is the result of the unity that they will come into (singing together and seeing "eye to eye"). Break forth, shout joyfully together, you waste places of Jerusalem; for the Lord has comforted His people, He has redeemed Jerusalem. After the watchmen come into unity the whole church will break forth and "shout together," which includes the bringing forth of a common message. With this unity there will be great peace and comfort, regardless of the times. The Lord has bared His holy arm in the sight of all the nations, that all the ends of the earth may see the salvation of our God. The "arm of the Lord" always speaks of His strength. It should be noted here that His arm is "holy." There is a strength that will be revealed when His body begins to walk in a holiness that will be revealed in the sight of all nations. This will make His salvation clear to all nations. Depart, depart, go out from there, touch nothing unclean; go out of the midst of her, purify yourselves, you who carry the vessels of the Lord. This is another exhortation to maintain the holiness that is befitting of the church of Jesus Christ. Repetition of this theme is meant to emphasize its critical importance. But you will not go out in haste, nor will you go as fugitives; for the Lord will go before you, and the God of Israel will be your rear guard. Regardless of troubles of the times, or persecutions, the church will not go on the defensive and become fugitives, but as the first verse declares, we must "Rise up!" The Lord will be the One who backs us up; He will be our Rear Guard. Behold, My servant will prosper, He will be high and lifted up, and greatly exalted. During the time of the greatest trouble in the world, the breaking of the nations and almost universal poverty, the church will know prosperity and the Lord Jesus will be greatly exalted. Just as many were astonished at you, My people, so His appearance was marred more than any man, and His form more than the sons of men. The historic humiliation of the church was allowed so hat we can identify with the Lord in His humiliation. Like Him, the church is also destined for a great exaltation, but we must never forget that it is by His grace. Thus He will sprinkle many nations, kings will shut their mouths on account of Him; for what had not been told them they will see, and what they had not heard they will understand. The Lord Jesus is about to touch all nations with the power of His blood. The coming exaltation of Jesus will be so great that even those who have not heard the gospel presented clearly will understand it. "Where sin abounded, grace did much more abound" (Romans 5:20 KJV), and during this coming time of great darkness, the glory of the Lord will shine brighter than ever.

Rise Up:

The retreat of the church has reached its limit. Now the advance will begin. It will gain momentum until the whole world takes notice. She will march resolutely to the field of battle. The ultimate conflict between light and darkness is now upon us. It is time to put on our strength, true holiness, as the arm of the Lord is about to be revealed. Even nature will quake and shudder as a witness that the foundations of heaven and earth are moving in opposite directions. But our God will prevail, and our victory is assured. This is the time to be bold as we have never been bold before. There is no turning back!