SHAKING OF ALL THINGS
Merrill Bolender – Revised March 2020
I believe the Lord God wants His people to understand the times and know what He wants to accomplish during this world-wide shaking.
The sons of Issachar understood the times, they also understood the spiritual and political times. The sons of Issachar could discern what God was doing and when He was doing it. They knew when one move of God was ending and another one was beginning. 1 Chronicles 12:32 (Paraphrased)
“Once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.” The words “once more” indicate the removing of what can be shaken— that is, created things—so that what cannot be shaken may remain. (The only thing that cannot be shaken is the Kingdom of God.) Hebrews 12:23b NIV
God’s Shaking Is Including “Every Facet Of Society” World-Wide
- Social world – distancing – quarantine
- Business world: Economy, stock market
- Educational world
- Sports world
- Entertainment world
- International and cruise ship travel
- Medical world overwhelmed
- Religious world
- Church world
Things God Wants To Accomplish During This Shaking
Go, my people, enter your rooms and shut the doors behind you; hide yourselves for a little while until his wrath has passed by. See, the Lord is coming out of his dwelling to punish the people of the earth for their sins. Isaiah 26:26:21 NIV
- I believe God wants to wean His people from our idols of mammon, entertainment, pleasure and earthy securities.
The love of the world has crowded out the love of God. Some of the pleasures and entertainment of the world can be all right if kept in moderation, but our priorities need to put God and His Kingdom first place.
“Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them.” 1 John 2:15 NIV
We need to take this time of isolation from the distractions of the world and have a personal revival where our focus is the only thing that matters, Jesus and His Kingdom.
- Change our priorities from seeking and living the American dream to
“…seeking first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness
and then all these things will be added unto us.”
Matthew 6:33
- Cleanse His church:
“Be you holy as I am holy.” 1 Peter 1:16 It’s a family trait.
“…if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways (repentance), then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land. 2 Chronicles 7:14 NIV
During this time, just like the plagues of Egypt when God sent plagues that touched their idols of everything they worshipped, God has taken away everything we worship. Is God saying,
- “You want to worship athletes, I’ll shut down your stadiums.”
- “You want to worship musicians, I’ll shut down the Civic Centers.”
- “You want to worship actors, I’ll shut down the theaters.”
- “You want to worship mammon, I’ll shut down the economy.”
Today this invisible plague has touched, worldwide, the idols of mammon (economy), entertainment, pleasure, hedonism, as every facet of society has been affected. Most of these things are OK when kept in moderation, but for many, they have become a priority focus.
The American Dream can be an idol if the love of the world crowds out God’s first command, to love the Lord with all our soul, mind, and strength. God is shaking every facet of society worldwide preparing the way for the great harvest and latter rain. Pentecost was the former rain that precipitated a harvest. The latter rain will bring on the final harvest…then will the end come…!
God Wants Us To Stretch Our Thinking To the Restoration of All Things… (Acts 3:20-21) Let’s focus on the church world and the shaking of all things. I feel that the Lord is moving the churches from large man-made denominational organizations, mega-churches, large gatherings and even conferences to small groups. The early church began in homes and small groups and in these “last days” will return to the homes scattered among the neighborhoods in the cities and rural areas.
Years ago, I heard a speaker make a statement that challenged my thinking as a minister. He said, “Sunday morning preaching and teaching can be informational and inspirational but not necessarily life changing except in the context of small groups where there is commitment, transparency, accountability, practical caring for one another and evangelism.
It appears to me that what we are experiencing may be Phase 1 of this happening. We need to pray and fast for discernment, direction and flexibility. We need to encourage and strengthen the small groups. Phase 1 still allows us to be together corporately by Streaming”. Phase 2 might be when our utilities and electronics may be cut off making our corporate meetings impossible. Phase 3 when meeting is no longer legal. The church will need to go underground.
This happened in China, when the churches were torn down, pastors and leaders of the flock were killed or imprisoned, Bibles were taken and burned, and hymnals were burned along with teaching materials. The church leadership fell into laymen’s hands meeting secretly. Here in the West when no news was coming out of China, we thought the church had died. Only decades later, we learned the church has multiplied rapidly, with a unity never before experienced in China. Evangelism exploded with many miracles, signs and wonders confirming the Word of God. In small group necessity and concept, the church in China grew from approximately 3 million to 100+ million in a few short decades.
That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish. Ephesians 5:27
I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. Matthew 16:18b
The early church flourished and multiplied faster under persecution than when it was safely living in Jerusalem. When persecution began, starting with Stephen’s martyrdom, it spread in Judea, Samaria and then to the uttermost parts of the world.
Could this be the time…?
“For He will finish the work and cut it short in righteousness, because the Lord will make a short work upon the earth.”
Romans 9:28 NKJV
FASTEN YOUR SEATBELTS
God is orchestrating the affairs of men and nations accomplishing His purposes, working through unrighteous as well as the righteous people.
When it looks like everything is falling apart…in God’s plans and purposes, they are all falling into place during the consummation of this age and preparation for His return. The stage is being set for seemingly worst-case scenario, when it looks like all is lost.
Let me say, up front, I believe the Lord is far more interested in completing the harvest, the restoration of Israel and the preparing of His Bride more than our enjoying the American Dream with our freedoms, our liberty, our peace and prosperity.
What the church is experiencing here in North America with our liberty, freedom, prosperity, and pleasure; it is going to be taken away, as much as we enjoy it. It is not normal church life as compared to the teachings of Jesus and the example of the early church.
He (the Father) may send Jesus Christ, who was preached to you before, whom heaven must receive (will retain) until the times of restoration of all things, which God has spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began. Acts 3:20-21 NKJV
This final harvest will prepare the way for Jesus Christ’s return to establish the Kingdom of God on earth.
“God’s ways are not our ways!”
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With very little warning, Ebenezer Operation Exodus International found itself in the midst of it all. Our beginnings in 1991 were as an Emergency Fund, dealing with a very different kind of crisis: a massive stream of Olim from Russia and Ukraine, formerly forced to stay behind the Iron Curtain, now free to make Aliyah. For three decades, we have followed our calling in serving Aliyah, helping the exiles home to Israel: on ships from Odessa then later on flights from major cities in Russia and Ukraine. Olim streamed to Israel in great numbers. One and a quarter million came from the “land of the north”, the former Soviet Union (fSU). Despite huge challenges, Aliyah was a comparatively orderly process.
Mostly Jewish families came mixed in amongst the tide of people pressing towards the border exits, mainly women, children and the elderly, the men needing to remain to help defend Ukraine. Israeli medical teams at the border crossings referred needy refugees to us. From rabbis across Europe and as far afield as the USA came urgent pleas to locate and rescue relatives or individuals known to be in danger. At the same time generous expressions of gratitude arrived in the form of humanitarian supplies.
I have in my possession Webster’s New International Dictionary printed in Springfield, Massachusetts, USA, in 1926. It is a big volume with 2,600 pages in small print on India paper, weighing almost 3.5 kg. It came to me when my aunt passed away in 1991. She spent several years in southern California as a companion and caregiver to an elderly artistic lady.
