When you think about salvation for the world, you realize that it needs to happen on a global level, and it needs to happen soon. The things of the Kingdom accelerate as they move forward. And we know that God “will finish the work, and cut it short in righteousness” (Romans 9:28, KJV). Another translation says, “FOR THE LORD WILL EXECUTE HIS WORD ON THE EARTH, THOROUGHLY AND QUICKLY” (NASB1995). Things may seem to drag on, but God is getting ready to move quickly.
“Unless the Lord had shortened those days, no life would have been saved; but for the sake of the elect, whom He chose, He shortened the days” (Mark 13:20).[i]
We know that if God is going to do things quickly, then they must happen on a broad scale. Something must happen where there is an expansion and explosive release of God’s will and plan, the moving of God in the earth that begins to touch people’s lives. But even if God moves in massive salvation experiences with miracles or signs and wonders, it will still be a very deep, personal salvation experience for each individual. Simultaneously, God can bring forgiveness, salvation, and an outpouring of His Spirit that will cause people to cry out to Him.
There will be a tremendous ability during this time to touch God as He pours out a deep spirit cry to Himself: a cry for grace, a cry of supplication, a cry of mourning, a cry of repentance to the Lord. Whoever “CALLS ON THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED” (Acts 2:21). Zechariah includes the idea of a national outcry; Joel prophesies about a global event taking place in which the same cry goes out before the Lord. Jonah shows an entire Gentile city turning to the Lord. What a beautiful promise and prophecy! One thing Jonah’s story is telling us is that God intends to bring salvation to all the earth through the Jewish people. Yet even as Israel and other nations cry to Him, the repentance and returning to the Lord will still be very personal (Zechariah 12:12-14).
One of my concerns today is that governments are going against God and against the Word of God. It seems like even in America we are putting aside the Scriptures and trying to remove God from our public forums, our national debate, our universities, health care and legal systems, as well as everything else. However, we have this beautiful example in the Scriptures that God can change a city like Nineveh—even though He was ready to destroy it. We reach into God and believe for things to happen on a large scale in cities, nations, and around the globe.
Although it looks like wickedness is entrenched in people’s hearts in the United States and throughout the world, we can still believe for God to move quickly. I want us to break out of any discouragement and believe that God is willing and able to relent from the calamity we are facing. Things may be set for judgment, but God can see our hearts and relent. When Peter spoke on the Day of Pentecost, thousands of Jews turned their hearts to the Lord. It was born out of a cry of repentance. In a very short time after the resurrection and ascension of Christ, many thousands of Jews formed the early Church. Thus, we have precedent in the Scriptures for us to believe that things in the end-time can and will take place on a massive scale with salvation, miracles, and other experiences as God pours out His Spirit on all flesh. Today’s world needs believers who know how to trigger these meetings with God through outpourings and salvation experiences like Jonah and the disciples witnessed. Father, let it take place again in our generation, in the name of Yeshua (Jesus). Amen.
Scriptures for Further Study
Joel 2:12-32
Jonah 3:1-10
Zechariah 12:9-14
Matthew 24:22
Luke 21:25-36
Acts 2:14-21, 38-47
Acts 4:1-4
[i] All Scripture references are from the New American Standard Bible 1995 (NASB1995).