In this article, author Mike Bickle gives biblical insights into the role Asia will play in the end-times.
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Recently, a number of respected church leaders, frustrated with America's slow turn to repentance, have proclaimed that divine wrath is coming to our land. "If God does not destroy America," one influential pastor wrote, "He will have to repent to Sodom and Gomorrah." Certainly, there are many things morally wrong with America, but America is not Sodom or Gomorrah. Neither is it a re-emergence of the spirit of ancient Babylon. You will not find charged against this land the "blood of prophets and of saints and of all who have been slain on the earth" (Rev 18:24). The spiritual influence of these archetypes is here, just as they are also manifested throughout the world, but America is much more than the sum of its sins and failures.
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It is no secret that we live in prophetic times. Besides two world wars, earthquakes and famines, our generation has seen the return of Israel to its land, and we have personally witnessed the spectacular increase of knowledge and travel (Dan 12). Spiritual signs are like towns we pass through en route to a further destination: they reveal approximately where we are as we approach the Lord's return. Yet, it is important to not assume we are further than we are. There are two major end time signs that we have not yet passed through. I'd love to be wrong, but it's my opinion that those planning for an immediate rapture should probably unpack. For, while we should be dressed in readiness, the gospel of the kingdom has not been proclaimed worldwide (Matt 24:14) nor has the Antichrist been revealed (2 Thess 2:1-3). Both these things must occur before Christ returns.
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Today, perhaps more than at any time in our nation's history, we stand at a crossroads. Will this nation move toward heaven or hell? Will we see a national awakening or national destruction? I am fully convinced that if we stand for our cities and neighborhoods--if a remnant in the church truly becomes Christlike in prayer, character and motives--we will ultimately see the glory of God fall again upon our land. Yet, to possess the glory of Christ again through the church means, among other things, that godly leaders will need to mentor and train disciples in the way of the Lord. We simply do not have enough time to all mature spiritually at the current pace. We not only need revelation of the potential of Christ in us, but we need impartation from leaders who are walking in some measure of Christlikeness now (see Rom 1:11; 1 Thess 2:8). We need the spiritual fathers in the church to accept that, while they are not perfect, God can use them to mentor and train pastors, intercessors and the future leaders of the church.
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Our salvation grants us more than just church membership and a conservative perspective. We have, in truth, become one with Christ. The Lord Jesus is our head, we are His body; He is our husband, we are His bride; He is the vine from which we, His branches, draw our life and virtue. These images, and many more, speak openly and passionately of our eternal union with the Son of God. Yet on a personal scale, only in the briefest of flashes have we glimpsed His mighty power working with us. We pray, we ask, we travail; but we give birth, as it were, only "to wind" (Isa. 26:18). Most of our sick receive just enough grace to endure suffering; they are not healed. On a national scale, only during the heights of revivals and spiritual awakenings has the church truly seen the arm of the Lord revealed and society significantly transformed.
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Ask Him. Go on, ask the Lord, in view of the times in which we live, what He considers practical. I venture you won't hear Him saying things like, "My son, invest in an IRA", or "Child, always get eight hours of sleep." No. As I know the Lord---and He is practical---He will say something like, "Both righteousness and wickedness are coming to full maturity upon the earth, and the world order, as you have known it, will soon be gone. Therefore, stop worrying about the things of this age. Prepare yourself to live continually in My Presence and abandon yourself to Me and My will and I will guide you through the days ahead."
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Often I have heard Christians presumptuously state what they were "going to do to the devil." The outcome, however, has often been a testimony of what the devil did to them. At one time or another we have all fallen into boasting of our plans or achievements only to fall headlong, tripped by our own pride. Consequently, it is vital to recognize the pitfalls of presumptuous or arrogant "faith" before we approach the idea of "taking our cities."
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In the last days, God's word promises that the "mountain of the house of the Lord will be established" (Isaah 2:2). Our sincere conviction is that if this dwelling place of God truly emerges in our cities, it will transform entire regions and great revival will emerge. However, I would make it clear from the beginning, if our goal is anything other than becoming a home for Jesus, this truth will simply become another "wind of doctrine"; we will again be blown off course. Without the abiding fullness of Christ in the church, we will have no more impact in the world than a political party, whose strength rests in numbers and not God.
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Because we live in prophetic times, there exists a great deal of passion concerning prophetic perspectives. Christian analysts on gospel television stimulate ever growing constituencies with new "signs" and "revelations," all pointing to the return of Christ. Generally, such zeal is healthy, for we should live spiritually alert and sensitive to our times. However, it is also easy to make false assumptions, where we believe we are closer to the end of the age than we actually are. The primary problem is that, once we accept the premise that we are at the final stage of end-time events, we step out of sync with the Father's heart.
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Many are questioning whether or not the September 11th terrorist act against America was actually a manifestation of the wrath of God or the fury of Satan that struck our land. That we should even be confused seems strange, considering that the Lord and Satan stand at opposite moral extremes. However, Satan specializes in sowing confusion, and into confusion, deception comes. Indeed, the devil typically authors some heinous crime and then deceives people, causing them to blame God for the destruction and heartache.
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