Prophecy for America and The Church

What does the future have in store for the United States and the Church? The Holy Spirit is giving insight into dramatic events that are about to transpire in America and in the Church in this nation.

"WHAT LIES AHEAD FOR AMERICA AND THE CHURCH....A PROPHETIC WORD"

by Michael Edds

Frank Bartleman, chronicler of the Azusa Street Outpouring, once wrote, “In order to understand what God is going to do, we must understand what He once did.” The histories of Great Awakenings reveal that these immense moves of God either preceded a cataclysmic event or such an event occurred shortly followed the Awakening. When the Awakenings preceded tragic events, one of the main purposes of the Awakening was to prepare God’s people for what was ahead. The First Great Awakening came shortly before the horrific conflagration of the American Revolution. A cholera epidemic preceded The Second Great Awakening in Cane Ridge, Kentucky and the War of 1812 occurred a few years later. On the heels of The Third Great Awakening of 1859 came the greatest holocaust of American history in which 600,000 perished in the War Between the States. A great earthquake in Los Angeles occurred during the time of the Azusa Street Outpouring.

The Lord has revealed to me that a great time of gross darkness and calamity is about to descend upon America and the world. It will radically change the way we live. God is about to judge and purge America for her great sins and her refusal to repent and turn from them. America has refused the kindness and mercies of a loving God. When a people refuse His mercy, all that remains is divine judgment.

I have had a reoccurring dream of a great storm coming from the West. In the dream, I see the black, swift clouds of the storm coming and am running to warn people to get to safety. I seem to be the only one aware of its coming. They are totally oblivious to the danger as I try to get them into safe shelter. I believe that devastating tragedies of divine judgment are about to befall America soon. Prior to judgment, God always extends His offer of mercy. That offer will be a Final Great Awakening that will burst upon the scene as a merciful God calls the church and America to repent. During this Awakening, the old wells of past great outpourings will be reopened and the fallen mantles of ministry of the great men and women of God from the past will be picked up and laid upon chosen servants of today to complete what was started long ago. I believe that new fountains of God’s move will burst forth and produce the “new thing” that was prophesied in Isaiah. The “Joseph Generation,” the leaders of the coming awakening who have been prepared and hidden for so long, will be revealed. The Joseph Generation is a secret weapon that God will release upon the kingdom of darkness. Through these trusted, selfless, and holy people, He will do great and marvelous exploits. The most incredible move of God will come through this chosen generation. Great persecution will come against a restored, empowered and holy church of God. Many saints will seal their testimonies with their own blood but a final witness will be given to this nation and to the world. The final harvest will be brought in. Shortly afterward, the Lord will call the Church home to Heaven.

We have entered the last moments of the Church age. The alarm is sounding calling the church and the world to repent. God’s last mercy call, the final Great Awakening, is about to burst forth as a final witness. It will prepare the church for what lies ahead. Great calamities are about to befall this nation and the world. The time of the “failing of men’s hearts for fear of what is coming upon the earth” is nigh! For the Church, her finest hour is at hand.

The Josephs Will Arise

 

"Enrolled in the School of Dung"

by Michael Edds 

There is a special remnant of believers whom I call the "Joseph Generation." They are a divinely appointed people that God has been preparing for a specific time of ministry. Like Joseph, God has placed within them a "life plan" or specific destiny or calling to fulfill in life. They have divine gifting within them to fulfill that life plan. Paraphrasing Psalms 139:1, the Scripture states: "All the days planned for me were written in Your book before any came to be." Ephesians 4:8 records these words, "When He ascended on high He gave gifts (His abilities) to men and women." The heart of God is recorded in the words of Matthew 9:36, "When He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them because they were weary, scattered like sheep having no shepherd." GOD CARES ABOUT PEOPLE. That is His nature. His compassion always leads to action.

JOSEPH....

God looked down through the ages of time and saw a day and time that would bring starvation on the world and upon His people. In His compassion, God prepared a plan and a man in advance to meet that critical situation. He placed that plan along with the divine abilities to fulfill that plan in the soul and life of a man called Joseph. Jeremiah 1:5 states, "Before you were born, I knew you and set you apart. I appointed you as a prophet to the nations. You must go everywhere I send you and say whatsoever I command you."

Joseph, like the Joseph Generation today was born by the will of God, not by the will of the flesh. Joseph was born with a life plan and abilities from God. Did he know the fullness of that life plan? No, he did not. He knew that he had administrative abilities, gifts and special insights. His destiny and life plan called to him through dreams, an inward sense of purpose and through circumstances. Did Joseph immediately step into his life plan and destiny? NO, he did not. He was enrolled in the "SCHOOL OF DUNG." Psalms 105: 16-22 describes that schooling. He was rejected and hated by his own brothers, sold into slavery, he was laid in irons and chains, his feet were hurt with fetters, he was falsely accused, innocently sent to prison, and the word of the Lord tried him severely. His destiny which called to him and life's situations were horribly in conflict. Life had gone to "hell in a handbasket." Thoughts raged through Joseph's mind and soul: "God, you promised me wonderful things. What I am going through is the total opposite of what You revealed to me long ago. Why am I suffering rejection, false accusation, hatred and abuse? Where are You in all of this, Lord? Have you forsaken me? Were all those things just a mere dream, a fantasy of my mind? Why does this inward sense of destiny still call me when it looks impossible for any good to come to me?" THE WORD OF THE LORD TRIED Joseph!

When creating a vessel for special purpose or honor, a wise potter follows a certain procedure. There is a plan and destiny for the lump of clay in the potter's hands. The clay is pounded, pressed and pressure placed upon it to make it pliable. It is placed upon the potter's wheel and pressure applied to start molding it into shape. When the desired shape is achieved, the potter places his creation into the kiln for intense heat to be applied to harden it.

After cooling, stain is applied to this hardened pot. It is fired again to make sure the stain and colors are permanent. The pot is beautiful and ready for use, right? NO! The wise potter wants his creation to be completely ready for its intended purpose. He places it on a shelf in a dark, lonely place to age. When the time is right, he takes the pot out of the darkness and brings it into the light for use. Otherwise, an unprepared vessel could break and spoil the contents it carries.

The Word of the Lord tried Joseph. "Has God forgotten me? Has He abandoned me? Have I missed it somewhere?" Like the potter, God allowed Joseph to go through the "dung of life," the pressures, the heat, the staining and the lonely darkness in order to prepare him for the destiny which had called to him all of his life. God had not forgotten nor abandoned him. God heard Joseph's many prayers, laments, and cries of desperation. He felt the hurts and anguish of this man of destiny. Many times He would have wanted to and could have intervened to deliver Joseph. However, He tied His own Hands and refused to deliver Joseph out of ultimate love for him. He knew that if He took Joseph out of the "school of dung," that intervention would destroy the divine destiny God had prepared for him. It would destroy the process of making Joseph into a vessel of honor and use. The Word of the Lord tried Joseph until the day that His word came to pass. That word was, "the king has need of thee." Joseph's prison door was opened, his garments changed, and he was ushered into the presence of Pharaoh. He went from prison to position in ONE HOUR!

His destiny had arrived! All of the dung and hardships that Joseph had gone through suddenly made sense. People had meant those things for evil BUT GOD HAD MEANT IT FOR GOOD, FOR THE SAVING OF MANY LIVES. Joseph was completely ready and prepared for the destiny for which he was created. He never failed nor dropped the ball. He successfully fulfilled the plan of God.

A special generation now exists that has felt throughout their lives an inward sense of destiny and purpose. That destiny has called to them every day of their lives. That divine destiny has called to them through dreams, visions, an inward desire or passion, and through circumstances. However, like Joseph, they have been enrolled in the "school of dung." They have unjustly suffered rejection, jealousy, hatred, been forgotten, falsely accused, and have been misunderstood. Their pure motives have been suspect. Their love has been not been reciprocated. They have felt imprisoned on an island of loneliness and rejection. Life has not been kind nor gentle to them. The Word of the Lord has severely tried them. Their divine destiny or life plan has been in conflict with the situations in which they find themselves. Their prayers seem to bounce off a heaven made of brass. They feel that they have been placed on a dark, lonely, dusty shelf. Purpose has evaporated. They have even cried out to God to "just take me on home." Where is God in all of this?

Out of infinite love, God has allowed this generation, this Joseph Generation, to endure this school of dung. He has refused to intervene until they had been prepared and perfected for the destiny to which He has called them. He is creating a generation that will be "selfless" rather than "selfish." Like Joseph, they will graduate from the school of dung as vessels of honor. They will not fail nor drop the ball. They will be totally prepared to fulfill the destiny to which God has called them. They have been prepared for a day and an hour of great ministry. They will be ushered from prison to position suddenly. The time has come for the "Master Potter" to walk into that dark lonely room. He will stretch forth His Hand onto that dusty shelf and pick up the vessel that has endured the long night of solitary isolation. Gently, His Hand will wipe away the dust and bring forth that special vessel. The words will be spoken, "The King has need of thee." The time of preparation will have ended. Destiny will have come! The long endured hardships will suddenly make sense. Joy will overtake them. The life plan and gifting will be activated.

The Joseph Generation is a secret weapon that God has prepared in the school of dung, in the darkness, in the isolation for such a time as this. They are about to be suddenly unleashed upon the kingdom of darkness. God has prepared them to meet the great needs of this present generation. They will have the Master Potter's image upon them. They will have the forgiving heart of Joseph who said, "You meant it for evil, but God meant it for good to the saving of many lives." They will be a selfless people who will give the glory to God. They will not fail. So, Joseph Generation, take heart. Your bitter night is about to end. It is sunrise not sunset. Joy comes in the morning! Even now, the door is being unlocked and opened. Listen for the words, "the King has need of thee." God has not forgotten you! Yes, He has seen your tears and heard your cries. He is opening a door which NO MAN can open or shut. ... Josephs take courage! THE KING HAS NEED OF THEE!