A Vision
On May 16, 1993 I had a vision of racial violence erupting in South Africa on an unprecedented level. Whites were killing blacks and blacks were killing whites by the thousands. The government completely lost its authority and there was anarchy throughout the nation.
I saw a white supremacists group that was as organized as a modern army, and fought with the strategy, discipline and efficiency of an army. They were very confident of victory, and I knew that they would kill as many as it took to prevail. I felt that they would never surrender. They were more powerful than anyone believed that they were. However, the blacks were overcome by a rage that would also never quit, and the conflict grew beyond anyone’s expectations. Quickly, the strategy of both sides was reduced to simply killing as many of the other side as possible.
The killing was so widespread throughout the country that the United Nations expressed helplessness, confessing that the situation had deteriorated beyond anyone’s ability to intervene to bring order and stop the killing. The entire world sat in disbelief day after day as reports of the slaughter came in, each one seemingly surpassing the horrors of the previous day.
Even though the vision only lasted a few minutes I felt that I had watched the scene for weeks. I was then given a view of the effect that this tragedy had on the rest of the world. World leaders everywhere rose up to address the issue of racism, but it was too late. In a short time much of the trust and interchange between races that had been gained over decades was erased. A deep racial paranoia began to sweep the earth, which worked to exacerbate every racial conflict. This fear was so deep and gripping that men were having heart attacks when they happened unexpectedly upon those of another race. As this vision ended I knew that racial violence and killing was spreading around the world, with a thick darkness sweeping over entire continents.
Interpretation:
I believe that the interpretation to the vision is literal, that what I saw will happen just as I saw it. I was not given any timing for these events, but I did feel that it was eminent, within the next few years. The Scripture that came to me was Matthew 24:7-8:
For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and in various places there will be famines and earthquakes. But all these things are merely the beginning of birth pangs.
The word that is translated “nation” in this text is the Greek word ethnos, from which we derive our English word “ethnic.” This discourse was the Lord’s response to a question about the signs of the end of the age (see Matthew 24:3). A prominent sign of the end of this age and the return of the Lord is the rise of ethnic conflict. When Luke describes this same discourse in chapter 21, he adds an important element:
And there will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and upon the earth dismay among nations [this is the same Greek word ethnos], in perplexity at the roaring of the sea and the waves, men fainting [expiring] from fear and the expectation of the things which are coming upon the world; for the powers of the heavens will be shaken (verses 25-26).
The situation in South Africa will not be solved politically, but is destined to degenerate into a blood bath of historic proportions, which will in turn ignite ethnic conflicts on a worldwide basis to unprecedented levels.
What Should We Then Do?
First, we must realize the seriousness of these times. There is no greater judgment than war. There is no greater devastation than when modern armies sweep over a land unleashing their powers of destruction and death. With the collapse of communism the whole world seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, but as the apostle Paul warned, “While they are saying “Peace and safety!” then destruction will come upon them suddenly like birth pangs upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape” (I Thes. 5:3). At the very time when men begin to think that peace and safety are really possible, the most devastating wars of all are looming in our future— wars that will arise between peoples within every nation, even every city. The Lord further warned in His discourse about the end times in Luke 21:34-36:
Be on guard, that your hearts may not be weighted down with dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of life, and that day come on you suddenly like a trap; it will come upon all those who dwell on the face of all the earth.
But keep on the alert at all times, praying in order that you may have strength to escape all these things that are about to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.
Point #1:His first command was to “be on guard.” A person on guard is supposed to remain awake, watching for signs of the enemy. We are in a mortal conflict that will not end until the Lord’s return. As Paul further exhorted in I Thes.5:4,6::“But you, brethren, are not in darkness, that the day should overtake you like a thief. . . so then let us not sleep as others do, but let us be alert and sober.”
Many feel that they do not have to do this because they pay their pastor to do it, or can tune into their favorite televangelist to stay informed, but this a most dangerous presumption. No one is going to make it through the times that are coming just because they know someone who knows the Lord, or who knows His voice.
Point #2:We must not let our hearts be weighted down with “dissipation [wasting time], drunkenness and the worries of this life.” The Lord also said that “Where your treasure is there will your heart be also” (Matt.6:21). Many wonder why they cannot hear the Lord’s voice or perceive what is happening spiritually, but it is because the “eyes of their heart” are more on the material, temporary world, than on the eternal purposes of God. When our hearts are “weighted down” with the cares of this world, we will not be able to perceive the purposes of the kingdom. It is imperative that Christians get rid of their “excess baggage” or they will soon be caught in a most terrible trap.
Point #3: The Lord clearly states that these things “will come upon all who dwell on the face of the earth.” There are many doctrines that have been perpetrated which declare that Christians will escape these times, in direct conflict with this and many other clear statements in Scripture. Such people might be tempted to claim that this statement only relates to unbelievers, but the Lord is clearly talking to His own disciples throughout the text. Why would He warn us to be on the alert,... to not let our hearts get weighted down with the things of the world, and to pray at all times, if we are not going to be here?
Point #4: He then exhorts us to “keep on the alert.” We might think that this is the same as being “on guard,” but it isn’t. While in the military I happened upon many sleeping guards. Other guards who stayed awake would daydream to the point where the enemy could slip right up on them. We must stay awake, and discipline ourselves to be completely sensitive to our surroundings.
Point #5: The Lord then warns us to pray that we might have strength to escape these things. Obviously this “escape” does not refer to the rapture because it does not take strength to be raptured. The Greek word translated “escape” here is ekpheugo, which could have been translated “to flee,” or “to depart.” So how will we flee or escape these things? One issue is certain—He tells us to “pray that you might have strength to escape.” This does not mean to pray for the strength, but that praying gives the strength.
Christ Is Our Escape
As the apostle explained in I Cor.10:13: “No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able (to endure), but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, that you may be able to endure it.” The way of escape that God has provided for all human temptations, or problems, is Christ Jesus. The author of the Book of Hebrews expressed it well:
See to it that you do not refuse Him who is speaking. For if those did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, much less shall we escape who turn away from Him who warns from heaven (Heb.12:25).
We shall not escape if we turn away from Him. On the contrary, our escape is found by turning to Him. The text continues:
And His voice shook the earth then, but now He has promised, saying, “Yet once more I will shake not only the earth, but also the heaven.” And this expression, “Yet once more,” denotes the removing of those things which can be shaken, as of created things, in order that those things which cannot be shaken may remain (v.26,27).
This is the time that we will soon enter, the time when everything that can be shaken will be shaken. Civil governments are within the realm of what can be shaken, and many are about to utterly disappear. The rule will then be in the hands of those with the most firepower, such as the present situation in Somalia, and the impending situation in South Africa.
The Lord has given civil governments the grace to hold civilization together long enough to keep the world from falling into utter chaos before the time, but no civil government can change the hearts, or nature, of men. Redemption through the cross alone can change men, and truly correct the problems of humanity. During the times that are now coming even the civil governments will not be able to prevail against the onslaught. But we have a kingdom which cannot be shaken. We must be sure that our whole life is built upon that kingdom. Whatever is not built upon it will not withstand the times that are coming. This must become fundamental to our world view—Jesus is the answer to every human problem or need. There is no salvation, and there is no solution, outside of Christ.
Knowing The Weapons Of Our Warfare
As Paul lamented over the Galatians, there is a powerful temptation to begin in the Spirit but to end in the flesh. Laws, institutions, or any other form of human authority simply will not be able to cope with what is coming, but the temptation to turn to such solutions will always exist. When racial conflict pours in like a flood, the Lord will raise up a standard against it, but that standard will not be a piece of legislation— it will be the cross. The cross has already defeated every enemy, including racism. When the church learns to wage war according to the power of the cross, we will see the victory of resurrection power— a life so powerful that it overcomes death.
For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh, for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but are divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses; We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ. And we are ready to punish all disobedience, whenever your obedience is complete (II Cor.10:3-6).
It is imperative that the church come to fully understand the weapons that we have been given, and begin to use them. The truth of God entrusted to the church, when anointed by the Holy Spirit, is the most powerful weapon on earth. There is no fortress or power on earth that can stand before this weapon.
Why do we go on trying to fight according to the flesh when we have no real power there? When we depart from the realm of our authority, we will not only put forth great efforts with little fruit, but we also make ourselves vulnerable to the enemy whose domain is the realm of the flesh.
It is true that we have the responsibility to vote, and to vote with knowledge and wisdom. The Lord may also call some to political activities, for the sake of being salt and light in the government. But when we see from the perspective of eternity, in the realm of the spirit, wherein lies the real power, it is better to be the faithful pastor of a congregation of two hundred than the governor of a state.
As the apostle Paul explained to the Corinthians in the text just quoted, “And we are ready to punish all disobedience whenever your obedience is complete.” When the church becomes fully obedient, and able to wield effectively the divinely powerful weapons that we have been given, there is no power on earth that can stand before her. We have been entrusted with the very power of God—the cross!
Paul and his little band, without weapons or political clout, turned the world upside down, shook empires and gave directives to history. Though he has been dead for nearly two thousand years, he is still one of the most powerful voices in the world— he is still shaking empires! What was his great secret? He preached Jesus Christ and Him crucified. He fully understood that the cross was the power of God that had already defeated the enemy and would destroy all of his works. He lamented those who did not understand this, saying:
But I am afraid, lest as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds should be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ (IICor.11:3).
If we are going to have any true and lasting impact on world affairs, we must return to the simplicity of devotion to Christ, and the knowledge that the cross is the power of God, and the answer to every human need or problem is found there, period.
Understanding Ethnic Conflict
In keeping with the Lord’s teaching in Matthew 24:7, one of the greatest issues now facing the world and the church is ethnic conflict. The world is about to lose control of its racial problems because this is a spiritual problem that no legislation or human authority has been able to heal or will ever again be able to control. Only that which is bound in heaven can truly be bound upon the earth. If the church does not face this problem and overcome it within herself so that she can have authority over it with true spiritual power, the world will soon fall into an abyss of chaos, destruction and suffering of unprecedented proportions.
Racism is not just a demon, or even a principality, but it is a “world ruler.” This powerful spirit prepares the way for, and empowers, the spirit of death. This is why the apostle Paul understood that when the ultimate racist barrier, the division between Jew and Gentile, is overcome and they are grafted together in Christ that it would mean “life from the dead” (Romans 1 l :15), or the overcoming of death.
What is racism? There are two fundamental aspects to racism. The first is pride. Racism is basically pride in the flesh; it is judging others who are different from us as inferior, which is the ultimate form of pride. That is why “God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble” (James 4:6).
The second basic aspect to racism is fear. Insecurity is a result of the fall and the subsequent separation between God and man. The insecure are afraid of those who are different as well as those whom they cannot control. Racism is a powerful and deeply interwoven combination of both pride and fear.
The power of the cross deals fundamentally with both the pride of man and his insecurity. The Holy Spirit was sent to the world to convict the world of sin, because it is the revelation of our sin that drives us to the cross to find grace and forgiveness. This destroys our pride by establishing our dependency on the cross, which also restores our intimacy with God. The deeper the cross works in us, the more humble we will become, and the more secure in His love. When we, who are now so foreign to God’s nature, are grafted back into Him, it profoundly works a tolerance in us for those who are different. Also, those who are becoming spiritual begin to judge from a spiritual perspective, not after the flesh, or externals, as Paul stated:
Therefore from now on we recognize no man according to the flesh; even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him thus no longer. Therefore if any man is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come (II Corinthians 5:16-17).
The church, above all others, should not judge others according to the color of their skin, or their cultural background. We must learn to see by the Spirit and judge only by the Spirit, just as it was said of Jesus:
And the Spirit of the Lord will rest on Him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and strength, the spirit of the knowledge and the fear of the Lord. and He will delight in the fear of the Lord, andHe will not judge by what His eyes see, nor make a decision by what His ears. . . (Isaiah 11:2-3)
If we are going to walk as He walked we too must learn to do the same. This is the great lesson of the two men on the road to Emmaus. The resurrected Christ appeared to these disciples and preached to them for quite some time about Himself. This was Christ preaching Christ—it just does not get any more anointed than that! Yet they still could not recognize Him. The reason for this was, “... He appeared in a different form...” (Mark 16:12).
We often miss the Lord when He tries to draw near to us primarily because we tend to know even the Lord by a certain form, through externals, rather than by the Spirit. As the Lord declared:
For I say to you, from now on you shall not see Me until you say, “BLESSED IS HE WHO COMES IN THE NAME OF THE LORD” (Matthew 23:39).
If we are Charismatics and only know Him according to that form, He will probably come to us in a Baptist, Pentecostal, or in some other form, because He is always seeking for us to know Him after the Spirit, rather than externals. We simply will not see Him until we learn to say “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord”—regardless of the form!
The church is called to have the answers to the most fundamental human problems. Racism is one of the most basic and deadly. That is why He declared: My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations (ethos)... (Mark 11:17). The church has not fulfilled her destiny until she truly becomes a house of prayer for all ethnic cultures and peoples.
Paul said that “Tongues are for a sign”(I Corinthians 14:22). What sign? The sign that the church is to be the anti-thesis to the tower of Babel where men’s languages were scattered, and men were separated into different races and cultures. We see the first great demonstration of this on the Day of Pentecost, at the very birth of the church.
Now there were Jews living in Jerusalem, devout men, from every nation (ethnos) under heaven. And when this sound occurred, the multitude came together, and were bewildered, because they were each one hearing them speak in his own language (Acts 2:5-6).
This was the first time since the tower of Babel that men from different cultures had heard and understood in a common language. The church is the place where men will be unified again, regardless of race, culture, language, etc. Is it not interesting that there were “Jews from every ethnos.” In Israel, men who converted from any race of culture were considered Jews. Still today, those who convert to Judaism from any other race of culture are considered Jews (i.e. the Ethiopians). As Paul told the Galatians, in the church, every convert, from any cultural background, or sex, has an equal standing before God.
For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus (Galatians 3:27-28).
There may be differences in our standing before God in such things as governmental authority, but that has nothing to do with race, sex or cultural background.
The Light Of The Church
The church is called to be “the light of the world.” That means that the church is supposed to have the ultimate answers to the world’s problems. Racism is one of the world’s ultimate problems that must be addressed; we must show the world the answer to this problem—NOW! However, we will not have spiritual authority over the world’s problems if we have the same strongholds in ourselves; sadly, the church today is one of the bastions of racism.
The church today is one of the most segregated institutions in the world. There are some notable exceptions to this, but generally it is true. Spiritual bigotry is just as prevalent as the natural form. Spiritual racism is when we judge other churches, movements or people as inferior, or to be feared, because they are not a part of our group. This spiritual form of racism is actually a root cause of many of the divisions in the Body of Christ.
Because of this, a fundamental issue by which the Lord will judge the nations concerns their bondage to racism, as he highlighted in His parable of the sheep and the goats. A distinguishing characteristic of the “sheep” was that they took the Lord in when He came to them as a “foreigner” (see MATT. 25:31-46).
When Paul listed the qualifications for elders in the church, he specified that they had to be “hospitable” (Titus 1:8). The original Greek this actually identifies this as “one who shows hospitality to aliens or foreigners.” Basically he was saying that to be a leader of the church one had to be open to those who were different. This is fundamental to true spiritual leadership. Someone who is not open to those who are different is either too proud or too insecure to be in church leadership.
The Nature Of Our Unity
When the whole world is degenerating into increasing chaos from its ethnic conflicts, the church is going to become increasingly unified. However, we must understand our unity. This does not mean that we all become the same, or that we will submit to the same organizational structure. I will never become one with my wife by trying to make her a man! Our unity is based on the recognition, and appreciation of our differences.
The whole creation reflects the Lord’s love for diversity. He makes every snowflake different, every tree, even every person. He desires to make every church different. However, these differences are not meant to conflict, but to compliment one another. It is only through our continued distance from the Lord, and the resulting insecurity, that we construe these differences as threats.
This is not to imply that there are not some doctrinal and procedural differences that do conflict with each other. We must also understand that the true unity of the church does not come through the compromise of our convictions. Even so, most of the differences that have brought conflict and division in the church are not serious enough to divide us, and in very many cases, we are resisting most vehemently those that we need desperately to give us the proper balance and perspective of the truth.
In my twenty plus years in the church I must say that I have never witnessed a single division that was truly based on the commitment to truth. Men may have used doctrine or procedure as an excuse, but the real reason behind every split that I have witnessed was territorial preservation—a most deadly and selfish evil in the church, and a major foundation of our spiritual racism. Racism empowers the spirit of death, and this spirit has probably killed more churches and movements than any other enemy.
Until the church is free of this enemy we will not have authority over it in human affairs. The only answer for the world and for us is the cross. At the cross the dividing walls are taken down and we are free to come into a true unity.
A man will never become the true man that he was created to be until he learns to properly relate to women, recognizing and appreciating their differences as needed if he is to have a true and accurate perspective. Likewise, a woman will never be the lady that she has been created to be without learning to relate to men properly. There are presently deep and terrible wounds on the part of each, but there is healing for all of them at the cross. There is no true healing anywhere else.
No Charismatic, Pentecostal, Baptist, Methodist, or any other will fulfill his own destiny without a proper relationship to the rest of the church. Even though the high priest of Israel was from the Tribe of Levi, he carried the stones of all of the different tribes on his chest. This symbolized that those who would walk in the high calling must carry all of God’s people on their hearts.
Only when we have been delivered from our own spiritual ethnic conflicts will we become “a house of prayer for all nations” which is our fundamental calling. The times ahead will press us into the desperation required for this to happen. Let us not waste a day. Those who do not overcome the spirit of the world will be overcome by it. When we begin to truly carry the cross, there is no spirit in this world that will not be subject to us.