What is God doing at this time? Is this lockdown the new normal? This excerpt is from: How To Be Unshakable In Times Of Crisis (05 Apr 2020)
When the world is tossed by crisis after crisis, how do you stay unshakable and hopeful? In this faith-building message by Joseph Prince, discover how following God’s unfailing ways of success will cause you to remain secure and unfazed despite the uncertainties around you. Learn how you can:
• Flourish in troubling times when you put your trust in God’s divine ways of provision, protection, and health.
• Expect a bright future when you understand the times we are living in through the lens of Biblical prophecy.
• Stay hopeful when you see how this dark season we’re in will not go on for a protracted period of time.
Beloved, keep your eyes on Jesus, the unshakable One, and experience robust peace and stability in the midst of all crises!
During this time,
I want to preach the NOW word.
And I want to say to you right now from the
start
that perhaps you are thinking that what
you are going through right now
and what the world is going through right now in this time
and season might be a protracted time, even for years.
It is something people called the new normal.
Perhaps that’s what you’re thinking.
Is this the new normal?
It’s not very attractive.
You know, with all the physical distancing
and the restrictions.
But let me tell you this, I’ve got news for
you.
Good news!
I want to share with you from God’s Word.
From God’s infallible Word that this will
not be protracted.
That this season that we are in will not be
the new normal.
Yes, some things will change but it will not
be a new normal where we cannot gather again
or we can’t be in a crowd.
For now, yes.
Please do observe the physical distancing
measures and whatever the authorities are
advising you in your various countries.
We know that at the end.
We know that Christ is coming back anytime
soon.
Because before The Day of Vengeance, before
the 7 Years of Tribulation, there is a catching
away first.
Amen?
Jesus says in John 14:2-3: “In My Father’s
House are many mansions.”
In the Upper Room He said this: “In My Father’s
House are many mansions.”
The night before He died, amen?
The night before He instituted the Lord’s
Supper.
Amen?
In place of the Passover.
He said this: “In My Father’s House are many
mansions.
I go to prepare a place for you.”
Now watch this— “And if I go and prepare
a place for you, I will come again and receive
you to Myself” Not the entire world.
His bride.
His body.
Those who are His.
But before He comes back, He tells us in Matthew
24:36-37: “But of that day and hour no one
knows, not even the angels of heaven, but
My Father only.
But as the days of Noah were, so also will
the coming of the Son of Man be.”
Now listen carefully.
He is talking about His coming again.
He’s talking about the rapture.
In these few verses, I don’t believe He is
talking about the coming at the end of the
7 Years of Tribulation.
Because once the tribulation begins, you can
number the years!
He will come back on the 7th year!
That’s the bodily return of Jesus for Israel,
to rescue Israel.
But the Church will be a quick rapture.
No one will see Him come.
Amen?
“But And of that day and hour no one knows.
Not even the angels of heaven, but My Father
only.”
But, watch this.
Matthew 24:37-39: “But as the days of Noah
were, so also will the coming of the Son of
Man be.
For as in the days before the flood, they
were eating and drinking, marrying and giving
in marriage, until the day that Noah entered
the ark, and did not know until the flood
came and took them all away, so also will
the coming of the Son of Man be.”
And friend, why I’m showing you this is because:
Even though Jesus is warning the people, He’s
telling His disciples this will be like the
days of Noah before my return.
It will be like the days of Noah.
People will be eating and drinking.
They will be marrying and giving in marriage.
So life is normal!
And we know Jesus is coming back for us soon!
So this thing will end soon because life will
go back to normal.
In fact, the problem here that Jesus is saying
that: People will forget Him!
People will forget about the coming of the
Lord.
Amen?
The world wouldn’t care about it.
They will think that it’s something that someone
cooked up.
Amen?
And it’s like the flood that came that took
them all away.
But before that, they were eating and drinking—
no physical distancing.
They were marrying and giving in marriage.
In fact, the idea there is crowds.
People live life as per normal.
The coronavirus crisis is forgotten.
People don’t think about God anymore.
And then the flood comes, we are raptured
and they don’t realize it.
So friend, this portion of Scripture tells
me that this physical distancing, this coronavirus
crisis is only for a season.
Amen?
Then life will go back to normal.
In fact, it’s because of the normalcy of life
that people will start to forget God.
They will be eating and drinking, amen?
Carousing.
They will be marrying and giving in marriage.
Life becomes so normal that they forget the
Lord.
And Jesus says: “Don’t do that.”
Amen?
But these are the signs.
These are the days just before He comes, He
tells us.
God wants to do something for you during this
time and season.
So I believe that prophetically, we are in
a time where God is shaking things for good!
Listen—we don’t like it.
We don’t like to hear that.
It’s not for judgment, it’s for good.
See what God is up to in Hebrews 12:26: “whose
voice then shook the earth; but now He has
promised, saying, “Yet once more I shake not
only the earth, but also heaven.””
Then you ask: “Pastor Prince, why would God
want to shake heaven?
Where he dwells?”
No this is not where he dwells.
This is the heaven where the principalities
and powers, that is the brainchild behind
this coronavirus.
These principalities and powers of darkness.
There is an enemy and to believe that the
devil doesn’t exist is the enemy’s own crowning
achievement.
There is an enemy.
Amen?
Nor do I believe that we need to focus on
him too much, amen?
We focus on the Lord.
Hallelujah.
We look unto Jesus.
But there is an enemy of your soul and he
is the one behind this coronavirus.
He is the one taking lives.
He is the one stealing, killing and destroying.
The enemy is not just satisfied with taking
lives, he is not satisfied with that.
He wants to kill.
He wants to even remove financially the things
that God has blessed you with during this
time.
Look at what he’s doing.
Don’t think for one moment that the devil
has any compassion in his heart.
He will kill a child, a baby if he gets the
chance.
But Jesus says in John 10:10 “I am come that
they might have life, and that they might
have it more abundantly.”
Hallelujah.
So what is God doing in this shaking?
God is shaking even the powers of darkness.
So that all the strength will crumble.
All that they are doing is crumbling, amen?
The victory has been accomplished at the cross.
Amen?
But God is enforcing His victory.
And that’s what’s happening.
When Jesus comes again.
Our bodily redemption has been purchased at
the cross.
Hence, the only thing left for us to inherit,
the only thing we are looking forward to is
our bodily redemption (our new bodies).
Lift up your heads for your redemption, bodily
redemption, draws near when you see all the
signs happening.
Oh hallelujah!
Amen?
Keep your eyes upwards and unto Jesus.
Amen?
See Him high above all.
See Him sovereign and Lord of all.
Amen?
And see Him above the floods.
Above this crisis.
Above this coronavirus that’s going on.
Amen?
And as far as you and your family are concerned,
when you see Him like that, you become like
the One you behold.
Not by your own efforts but by the Spirit
of the Lord.
The Holy Spirit needs you to look to Jesus
for Him to work in your life.
As you look at Jesus and you see Him above
the coronavirus, you are above the coronavirus.
Can I have a good amen?
Amen?
Let’s continue in Hebrews 12:27 “Now this,
“Yet once more,” indicates the removal of
those things that are being shaken, as of
things that are made (man-made), that the
things which cannot be shaken may remain.””
You know, everything that can be shaken that
is man-made will be shaken.
So that man’s trust will turn to God.
Even financially, we are trusting the banking
system.
We are trusting Wall Street.
We are trusting the economies of the world
which can be shaken!
Don’t put your trust in it!
You can be involved in it if the Lord leads
you to be involved in some stocks or whatever,
by all means follow the leading of the Lord!
But don’t put your trust in these things.
These things are all being shaken!
People think about God during times of crisis.
And friend, it is important that they see
a God.
The God of the Bible, amen?
You might say: “Well, the judgment that God
talked about in Revelation is still the same
God of the Bible.
The same God of the Bible in Jeremiah and
Isaiah where there are prophecies of judgment
and all that.”
Yes, but that is talking about the time to
come!
The Day of Vengeance.
You cannot preach that today!
We are not in that day and age.
God is reaching out to the world, not imputing
their trespasses to them, saying come home.
During this time, God wants the world to see
a Father who loves them.
And God is saying to you: “Don’t worry.
Don’t worry about what you shall eat.
What you shall drink.
Your Father who clothed the lilies of the
field and feed the birds of the air.
Are you not much more value than the birds?
If He clothed the lilies of the field, amen,
and He feeds the birds of the air.
You know?
He will clothe you so much more.
How much more will He clothe you?
That means so much more.
Friend, you don’t have to run ragged, like
a chicken with it’s head cut off.
Trying to find provision like what is going
to happen you know?
At the most sometimes, you know, we will see
the things that we put our trust in being
shaken.
But we thank God for it— so the things that
cannot be shaken will remain.
And that you will remain.
Your family will remain.
Strong.
Blessed.
Favored.
Healthy.
Hallelujah!