End Times Worldwide Revival
©November 2, 2007 Asher Intrater
Many years ago I wrote an article called, “Second Pentecost.” I had been meditating on the revival recorded in Acts 2, and noticed how Shimon (Peter) described it as a fulfillment of the prophecy in Joel.
Acts 2:16-21
This is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: “And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, that I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters will prophesy, your young men shall see visions, your old men shall dream dreams. And on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days; and they shall prophesy. .. The sun shall be turned into darkness and the moon into blood, before the coming of the great and awesome day of the Lord.”
What happened in the first century Messianic Community did not fulfill all the dimensions described in Joel’s prophesy. One issue is the size of the outpouring. Joel described a worldwide outpouring – “on all flesh” -, not a local one in Jerusalem. Another issue is the timing – “before the coming of the day of the Lord”. That “day” is the Second Coming of Yeshua (Jesus). The revival in the first century was right after the First Coming, whereas this revival is to happen right before the Second Coming.
So what did Peter mean when he said, “this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel”? He meant that they had experienced in Jerusalem the same kind of outpouring that would eventually take place in the end times, encompassing the whole world. They had a campfire that would eventually become a forest fire. It is the same fire, but a different dimension, - the same experience, but a different size and a different timing.
In Acts 2, a greater power of the Holy Spirit had been poured out than what was in the gospels. For example, when the woman with the issue of blood was healed as she touched Yeshua’s garment, the spiritual virtue was like electricity that passed from Him to her. However, when the 120 were gathered together on Shavuot (Pentecost) morning, they were like the “critical mass” of a nuclear explosion. It was like the discovery of atomic energy after using electricity for many years.
The outpouring in the end times revival will be yet another level of spiritual power. There are two kinds of nuclear power. One is called fission – based on the splitting of the nucleus. The other is called fusion – based on the merging of the nucleus. The first century revival was like fission, in which the disciples were scattered out from Jerusalem to evangelize the world. The last century revival will be like fusion, which will bring Yeshua back to Jerusalem to set up His kingdom on earth. The nuclear power of fusion is stronger than that of fission. Likewise the revival of the end times will be more powerful than the first Pentecost.
Note: The leaders of Judah in the end times are referred to as a “furnace” (Zechariah 12:6). The ancient Hebrew word for “furnace” there is the root for the modern term for “nuclear reactor”.
The greater power of the end times revival is connected to the Messianic Jewish remnant in Israel. That connection is referred to by Shaul (Paul) in –
Romans 11:12, 15 -
If their (Israel’s) fall is riches for the world, and their failure riches for the Gentiles, how much more their fullness!
If their being cast away is the reconciling of the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead?
The end times Messianic revival will not just be more powerful than that of Acts 2, it will be “much more”. As the first century revival launched the gospel all over the world, the last century gospel will bring the resurrection of the saints – “life from the dead”.
By comparing Acts 2 and Romans 11, we notice that the Messianic Jewish community in Jerusalem – the “remnant” – will be the catalyst for the end times revival just as it was for the Pentecost revival.
Why is it necessary for the Messianic remnant in Jerusalem to be the center of this world revival? Why couldn’t it just be a world outpouring with no focal point or central location at all? The answer is that the very purpose of the end times revival is to usher in the Second Coming of Yeshua; and He is coming back to Jerusalem. Therefore the revival must be focused on Jerusalem. The first century sent the power out from Jerusalem. The last century will bring the power back to Jerusalem.
And why does this worldwide revival have to be connected to Messianic Jews? Why couldn’t it just be a universal outpouring on the Church, with no connection to “Jew or Greek” (Galatians 3:28)? The answer is that Yeshua has promised that He would only return when the Jews in Jerusalem would be ready to welcome Him in as King (Matthew 23:37-39). How could there be an end times revival to usher in the Second Coming if there were no Jewish believers in Jerusalem to receive Him back?
The focus of international prayer on behalf of the Messianic remnant in Israel is therefore also a prayer for world revival and for the return of Yeshua. The Messianic remnant, the world revival and the return of Yeshua are all connected and interdependent one upon the other.
One more proof of this “remnant-revival-return” connection is found in the very prophecy that Peter quoted from Joel. Actually Acts 2 records all but the last verse of that prophecy, which explains that the worldwide end times revival will happen on one specific condition:
Joel 2:32 (3:5 in the Hebrew)
Because in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there will be a remnant as the Lord has said, among those who have survived whom the Lord calls.
Among those Jews in Israel who have survived the Holocaust, the Islamic Jihad and the end times tribulations, there will be a Messianic remnant of faith. It will be “because” of the Lord’s “calling” upon them that the conditions for the end times revival will be set. When they are in position, the great outpouring on all flesh will be released. That is one of the reasons that we are all called to “pray for the remnant that remains.”
Note: This end times world revival will be the central theme of “The Call” scheduled in Israel for May 2008 in which we are working in cooperation with IHOP Kansas City, God TV, the Messianic Jewish community in Israel, and many key prophetic leaders around the world. Please keep this event in prayer.
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