“These twelve Jesus sent out after instructing them: ‘Do not go in the way of the Gentiles, and do not enter any city of the Samaritans, but rather go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. And as you go, preach, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’” (Matt 10:5-8)
For a while I have resisted looking into the Asbury revival. Why, I’m not sure. Perhaps it was because I was afraid it would not confirm what I foretold in my new book, The Kingdom Election. Had my thoughts been for so long wrapped up in this project they had become my own, and not those of God? To be honest, it wouldn’t have been the first time. But I could no longer resist the urge to get an answer and, well, read on.
I will be quoting an article by Thomas Lyons posted February 23, 2023 in The Atlantic, where he describes the viral phenomenon of this move of the Holy Spirit at Asbury University, Kentucky, that has swept the nation and amazed the world. According to Mr. Lyons, it began in a simple chapel service at the university: no stadiums, no mega-churches, no evangelists, no crowds and no altar calls, just a small group of students gathered around a message of the love of Jesus.
In my book I say of the revival so many now feel is coming, that it will not be revival as most define it, but precisely what the Spirit is bringing about in Asbury:
“To the many looking for revival in the form of a huge harvest of new souls, I say there is a far greater source of power available to the church. I propose that a million who already know Him becoming fully mature through revival in the kingdom would be far more effective than a million new babes in Christ brought in to begin the journey. We’ve seen the fruit of centuries of new converts being exalted as the answer, but Jesus didn’t command us to make converts. He commanded us to make disciples, so I’ll put my hopes and energies into bringing the lost sheep already in His house into the kingdom. That is the revival I believe is coming and the one this book seeks to help foster.”
What we see going on in Asbury will no doubt mean new souls coming to Christ, but that is not at all what it is about. In fact, the article says while well-known speakers and evangelists are welcome, the keepers of the status-quo are not being given any speaking platforms. No, Asbury concerns what I say in the book Jesus was about: bringing the lost sheep of the House of Israel into the new kingdom He brought to earth during the first great arising of the kingdom. In this second great arising Jesus foretold, the Holy Spirit is doing the same thing He did when here: calling out the sheep who have for so long been lost in the halls of religion into the kingdom of heaven on earth. This is about the body of Christ coming into His kingdom.
Mr. Lyons goes on: “On February 8, after a regularly scheduled chapel service on Asbury University’s campus, in Wilmore, Kentucky, a group of about 20 students lingered and began to worship and pray for one another…According to the students, as they stayed and prayed, an unexplainable, surreal peace descended upon the room.” [emphasis mine]…“People I have spoken with who entered these spaces describe encountering a “sweet presence,” “deep peace,” or “the quiet, heavy presence of God.”
Of the spirit they are encountering there, I devote an entire chapter to what I refer to as the cornerstone quality of the kingdom of heaven on earth:
“The key to this cornerstone quality of kingdom saints is, again, found in Isaiah 9. There we are told the zeal of God would bring Jesus to us, one of His names would be Prince of Peace, and there would be no end to the increase of His peace.“ Furthermore, I point out Jesus’ coming was heralded by angels singing to shepherds in the fields, “Peace on earth, goodwill towards men.” And when He revealed Himself to His men after His resurrection, the first words out of His mouth were [and He said it twice before He went on to anything else], “Peace be unto you.” The cornerstone of the kingdom is, above anything else, peace.
Back to the article: A sense of awe prevails. It is, one participant told me, as if “heaven opened up.”
In the book I devote another chapter to heaven and earth being literally joined when Jesus came, per the first request of His most famous prayer:
“Jesus’ gift to us was the opening of a miraculous, incredible, indestructible portal that would forever remain so. God’s kingdom above being joined to its counterpart below would create a flow of revelation and communication through the Holy Spirit. Furthermore, there would be a oneness between the two that would not be slowed down, shut down, or rendered irrelevant through Satan’s deceptions until Jesus returned to redeem His entire creation. This new kingdom of heaven on earth would, in every way possible given the limitations of the flesh, be the kingdom above transferred to earth and not some mere semblance or symbol of it that was somehow insulated from the one above.“
The entire focus of my book is that yes, “heaven opened up” when Jesus joined the two and it’s happening again now, in the time Jesus called “the birth pangs” when He said “kingdom [realm] would arise against kingdom!”
As to “the sense of awe that is prevailing there,” I have another chapter devoted to the absolute need to restore a healthy fear of the Lord in the body today:
“Holy fear causes us to exalt God above every other desire or person in this life. At once it leads us to abundant peace, yet not without some trepidation over the unknown that calls for faith. Fear of God leads us to abundant answers, yet never without nagging questions. A proper fear of God is a foundational, abiding, motivating, living, transforming reverence for One other than us, yet through grace One to whom we can nonetheless intimately relate. This reverence leads us to repentance, humility, and complete trust in His Omnipotence that is the foundation of wisdom.”
In our Laodicean experience of false comfort and security, combined with false teachings concerning the grace Jesus offers being promoted by the church here in America, it is no wonder the body of Christ has lost any notion of a fear of the Lord.”
Being “the beginning of wisdom” the Bible says it is, along with all the wonderful promises the Psalms say a fear of God holds for those who embrace it, a renewed reverence for our Holy God will be a part of any true revival in the body.
Finally, Mr. reports: “The leaders on the ground have turned away people seeking to co-opt the event. Professional revivalists and Christian celebrities have been welcomed in, but they have not been offered platforms. Christian nationalists who arrived toting their flags have been allowed to enter but told to leave their flags at the door—this is about Jesus, not America.”
I say in the book the biggest “tell” concerning whether people understand the kingdom or not is if t they are wrapped up in worries over how earthly governments impact their lives, revealing which kingdom they are truly citizens of:
“God instituted two completely different governments on earth to rule over two completely separate types of citizens of two entirely different kingdoms. He knew there would be those who would accept it and those who would not. Those who did would enjoy the government set forth in Isaiah 9, but, due to the lack of a solution for sin, those who did not would need to be controlled by the government established in Romans 13 and 1 Peter 2. The greatest “tell” as to whether people understand the kingdom of heaven on earth or not is which of these governments impacts them the most. If they let what the governments of men do rob them of the peace they should have from knowing they are citizens of the government that rests upon Jesus’ shoulders, they do not understand the kingdom. Sadly, that includes the vast majority of churchgoers today.”
The fact that the keepers of the Asbury movement are not allowing Christian political activists, who do far more harm to the cause of Christ than good, to enter waving their flags is confirmation politics will have nothing to do with any kingdom revival. The Spirit is saying to them, “No! this is not about governments of the kingdom of man, but of the government that rests upon Christ’s shoulders—a government of peace.” It’s not about America or any other kingdom on earth, it’s about Jesus and the kingdom He’s calling us to. It’s not about governments established to rule over chaos and fear, it’s about the one ruling in justice and righteousness forevermore.
If you haven’t got the book yet, please consider it. I’m not trying to promote “my book.” This is about, as Jesus promised, “The gospel of the kingdom being preached to all nations, and then the end coming.” “Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” is the most critical message for today, as it was when Jesus came proclaiming it during the first great arising of the kingdom. What is happening in Asbury was all foretold in it and it’s complete confirmation the revelation God gave me was His and not mine. It can be yours as well.
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