Turn on Your Spiritual Radar, Or Else

The #1 reason why Christians do not comprehend the times we are in is they have turned off their spiritual radar. 

Imagine you are flying an airplane on a sunny, warm day. No clouds anywhere and winds are mild. The flat ground is well below you. You take in the scenic view from the sky. Flying in this environment is a piece of cake.

Now imagine you are flying at night on a dark, stormy, moonless night. Clouds are everywhere, and wind and rain are buffeting the plane. Visibility is no better than 200 yards out. Ground elevation is rising, but you do not know it. A mountain range is approaching, but you cannot see it. There is other air traffic in the area, but you have no idea where. You're in danger because you cannot see. You don't know what's coming until it is already upon you, and then it's too late to prepare and maneuver.  

However, if your airplane had a radar system, you could see everything in spite of the darkness. You would see dangers approaching in time to respond.

God gives his people spiritual radar - it is prophecy. What is prophecy? Prophecy is direct revelation from the Lord for the purpose of exhorting, encouraging and warning people and giving insight about what is happening now and what is coming in the future. To see what prophecy looks like, read the books of Revelation, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, or the minor prophets like Joel, Zechariah, Micah and Habbakuk. Those books are compilations of prophetic revelation. The dreams and visions in the Book of Daniel are prophecy, as is God's promise to Abraham that he would bless him and make him a great nation.

Prophecy is supernatural. It comes right from the throne room of God. The Bible is full of examples of God giving direct revelation to people in the form of dreams, visions, utterances, a burning bush, a message from an angel, writing on the wall, a talking donkey - you name it! God speaks any way he chooses.

Moreover, the gift of prophecy is still in operation. People have this gift of direct revelation today, as the following verses teach clearly and plainly:

"'And it shall be in the last days,' God says, 'That I will pour forth of My Spirit on all mankind; And your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams; Even on My bondslaves, both men and women, I will in those days pour forth of My Spirit and they shall prophesy.'" - Acts 2:17-18

This verse as quoted by the Apostle Peter is originally from the book of Joel. Peter was announcing its fulfillment in these last days, which is the time we are in between the first and second comings of the Messiah. Before the pouring of the Holy Spirit, prophetic revelation was uncommon and limited to designated individuals like prophets. In this age, the gift of prophesy has become common - sons and daughters, young and old, people of all walks and positions will prophesy. This doesn't mean everyone has this gift, but someone in your church or Christian community should. 

"Pursue love, yet desire earnestly spiritual gifts, but especially that you may prophesy." - 1 Corinthians 14:1

While all spiritual gifts are valuable and necessary, the Apostle Paul clearly says the most important is prophecy. Why? Because it provides direct revelation from God to build up the body of Christ. 

"Do not quench the Spirit; do not despise prophetic utterances. But examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good." - 1 Thessalonians 5:19-21

After Paul admonishes not to quench the work of God's Spirit, the very next instruction is not to despise prophetic utterances. I'll put it differently: If you want to quench the Spirit in your life, ignore the gift of prophecy. Of course, we should test every message and make sure it is from the Lord. True prophecy does not contradict the Bible; it clarifies and applies it. God gives us discernment to help us see which messages are really from him.

The problem is many Christians and churches have tossed out the gift of prophecy and turned off their spiritual radar. They are flying blind on a dark, stormy night. Why is this, if the Bible's teaching on this is clear? I call it groupthink unbelief. No one in their community believes in this gift, so they don't either. But God does not judge us by whether we follow the crowd. He judges by whether we follow him. Unbelief is sin. Again, this does not mean everyone should have the gift of prophecy, but we should all be listening to people who do.

The Christian walk is supposed to be supernatural. Jesus said his followers will do greater works than him. That's astonishing! I know I haven't done anything remotely that great. Perhaps we all need to stretch our faith and believe bigger.

My point here is that all Christians should understand that we are at the doorstep of the end. God has been proclaiming the times loudly through many different people, as well as through events unfolding in the world. "Now learn the parable from the fig tree: when its branch has already become tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near." (Matthew 24:32) Judgment is coming upon America. Satan's one-world beast government will soon be established. Jesus is coming! God has raised up many watchmen and harbingers who are testifying and prophesying about these coming events.

In the follow up to this post, I will list some people who I believe are credible watchmen of the end times and provide links to their messages.