People often question whether things will get better or worse in the days ahead in terms of world events and natural disasters.

Some camps only speak of how bad things will become as they gather beans and guns and hunker in fear for Jesus to return. Other groups imply things should get better and better and only then will Jesus come back.

Joel 2 describes the day of the Lord as “coming near”. He called it “the great and terrible day of the Lord”

Isaiah 60: 2 says, “For behold, darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples; but the Lord will arise upon you, and his glory will be seen upon you.”

While global crisis and disasters get more severe and frequent, the glory of the church will shine like never before and it will be our greatest hour!

You are likely familiar with what Jesus said in Matthew 24:14, “And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.”

This passage is often looked at as if we can only get the gospel to every “tongue,” “people” and “tribe,” then Jesus can come back. This is good but…

Have you ever thought about the context and the conditions of the earth that the gospel will go forth in?

Matthew 24, Mark 13, and Luke 21 all describe the unique challenges the earth will be experiencing when the gospel goes forth to every nation:

Famines, wars, pestilence, earthquakes, persecution, terror, increased wickedness, dreadful events and the heavens shaking.

If we believe The Great Commission is to be fulfilled in our day, and WE ALL are to play a part in fulfilling it, then we need to train for missions and outreach differently.

Even with all these dynamics taking place, great delusion will remain and the masses will not recognize the hour of history we are living in.

But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of Man be. For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. Matthew 24: 37-39

Ask the Holy Spirit for sobriety and an urgency so you will have a faith-filled response to the challenges ahead and be a light in the darkness.

Remember when the disciples asked Jesus when was He going to bring justice and establish His Kingdom on earth? Jesus responded:

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth. Acts 1:8

These were His final words before being taken up into heaven. Jesus intrinsically linked the outpouring of the Spirit to a “last days” missions thrust.

This confirmed Joel 2:28-31, “And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions. Even on the male and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit. And I will show wonders in the heavens and on the earth, blood and fire and columns of smoke. The sun shall be turned to darkness, and the moon to blood, before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes.”

So the command remains: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I amwith you always, to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:19-20

Pray and ask the Father to pour out His Spirit into your life to equip and empower you to reach the harvest in the midst of crisis! He is re-emphasizing missions in this season and equipping and empowering people to GO!