A Prophecy for Appalachia

 

A Prophecy for Appalachia

 
By MICHAEL EDDS
www.greatawakening.blogspot.com

Appalachia has been the object of ridicule for many, many years.  We have borne the "Beverly Hillbillies" stereotype for too long.  The real ignorance is among those who verbalize such bigoted nonsense.  We have a rich heritage of God in this beautiful and historic region.

The largest ethnic group in Appalachia is the Scots - Irish, who left their native land by the thousands long ago.  Due to generations of atrocities by the English in their motherland, they did not settle in the English Tidewater of Virginia.   They chose the wild, mountain wilderness of Appalachia to call home.

As early as the 1500's, great awakenings swept through Scotland and Northern Ireland.  Marvelous awakenings occurred during the summer Presbyterian "Sacramental Services" (communion services).  June marked the beginning of these high holy days. Thousands were swept into the Kingdom of God.  The Scots-Irish immigrants brought that same faith and heritage of revival with them to Appalachia.  The Sacramental Service was the forefather of the unique Appalachian phenomena - the camp meeting.

The Second Great Awakening in 1801 exploded in all its divine glory in Appalachia at a Scots - Irish Presbyterian communion service at Cane Ridge, Kentucky.  In this backwoods log church, one-tenth of the population of Kentucky came by foot, wagon and horseback to the astonishment of the pastor of the church, Barton Stone.  Between 20,000 to 30,000 not only came but stayed for seven days!  Even the Governor of Kentucky attended.  The heavens were rent and God came down!   Thousands of lives were radically changed by the New Birth.   Miraculous signs, wonders, and healings were common place.  At least a thousand fell to the ground under the power of the Holy Spirit. Forgetting their denominational allegiances, Presbyterian, Methodist and Baptist labored together.  The Awakening swept through Kentucky, Tennessee, Ohio and throughout the South.  What is called the "Bible Belt of the South" today is nothing more than a residue of this Great Move of God.  God turned horse thieves, murderers, drunkards, adulterers and sinners into men and women of great piety.  The Awakening changed the very fabric of Southern society.  It still is the foundation of culture in the South today!!

Some historians have stated that the Second Great Awakening bypassed West Virginia.  THIS IS NOT TRUE!!

During the time of the great Cane Ridge revival, Presbyterians were meeting in the farm house of William Poage in Hillsboro, Pocahontas County, Virginia (West Virginia).  Meetings were held in homes before the church building was erected.  On one special night in 1801, many had gathered at the Poage home to hear the testimonies of two young men who had come from the Great Cane Ridge Awakening.  Traveling by horseback and buggy, 20 young people and their pastor, Rev. William Wilson, from Old Stone Presbyterian Church in Lewisburg came also to hear these men.  As the young men began to tell of the wonders that they experienced at Cane Ridge,  the Holy Spirit fell upon the hearers.  The Glory of the Lord filled the Poage home.  The saints of God wept, shouted, fell under the power of the Holy Spirit and sang the glories of the Lord.  The Second Great Awakening had arrived in Hillsboro!!  As the believers left that cottage prayer service, the power of God swept throughout Hillsboro and Pocahontas County.  The pastor of Old Stone Church and his young people headed over the mountain for Lewisburg shouting, singing and praising God.  The Awakening hit Old Stone Church and Lewisburg like a hurricane.  From there, the Second Great Awakening swept all over West Virginia!  Thousands were converted.
  

Appalachian people have either lost or forgotten their rich spiritual heritage.  We have bought into the cultural inferiority complex imposed upon us by today's dominant culture.  NO MORE!!!!  Appalachian people have responded to every great move of God in unprecedented numbers!   We must understand and recapture our rich spiritual heritage. God is about to visit us again!

As I stood on the site of the old Poage farm, I pondered the holy things that had taken place there.  I felt a residue of Divine Presence still remaining.  I wept and offered up a prayer to the Father to "do it again, Lord!"  Finney once said, "The Lord our God be with us as He was with our fathers. May He not leave us or forsake us."   We have abandoned the God of our fathers.  Like the prodigal son, we must repent and make our way back home to Him.

The Holy Spirit is now hovering and brooding over Appalachia.  The very heavens above us are heavy with His Presence.  Heaven is about to rain down upon us! God is going to visit Appalachia once again!  As the old prophet said, "I hear the sound of abundance of rain!"  God has not forgotten you, oh Appalachia!

"In that day the mountains will drip new wine, and the hills will flow with milk; all the ravines ... will run with water. A fountain will flow out of the Lord's house and will water the valley of acacias."  Joel 3:18

The Revival Hymn - POWERFUL!!

THE REVIVAL HYMN

This is one of the most stirring calls for revival in our generation.  Leaders of past awakenings (Leonard Ravenhill, Duncan Campbell, A.W. Tozer and others) share personal first hand experiences of revival and what it takes for revival to come in our day.  In the second half of this video, Duncan Campbell givings a stirring account of the Hebrides Awakening of 1948.  This is a "must view" video!  It will powerfully move and stir the soul!

“GUARDIANS OF THE HOLY FIRE”

“GUARDIANS OF THE HOLY FIRE”

by Michael Edds

Mark 16:17-18, Jesus said to the Apostles, "And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover."

Matthew 24:24-25 “For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. See, I have told you beforehand.” 

Christians have entered the "perilous times" foretold by the Apostle Paul long ago.  Knowing that his time is short, Satan has declared full scale war against the Church.  In this time of the approaching Final Great Awakening, he is mustering his forces and polishing his arsenal of diabolical weaponry.  His goal is to stop or wreck the End Time harvest of souls.  Christ warned that false "christs" and false prophets would arise performing incredible signs and wonders and would deceive many.  Yet, He also said that signs and wonders would follow them that believe.  This requires great discernment!

Throughout the history of the Church, we discover that a reoccurring pattern.....  "when God moves, Satan counter moves."  Satan's greatest weapons are infiltration and deception.  Whatever God does, Satan creates a deceptive counterfeit. He does this to discredit what God is doing.

Many of the Awakenings in our historic past have been stopped by Satan infiltrating the movement with lying signs and wonders.  Confusion and reproach have resulted.  The faith of thousands have been overthrown.

Jonathan Edwards, one of the great leaders of the First Great Awakening, wrote...“It is by the mixture of counterfeit religion with true, not discerned and distinguished, that the devil has had his greatest advantage against the cause and kingdom of Christ… It is by this means, principally, that he has prevailed against all reviving of religion....since the first founding of the Christian church."

John Wesley gave warning when he wrote, "At the first, revival is true and pure, but after a few weeks watch for counterfeits."

The great revivalist, Charles Finney, cautioned, "I have known some cases where persons have rendered themselves highly ridiculous, have greatly injured their own souls, and the cause of God, by giving themselves up to an enthusiastic and fanatical following of impressions."

The battle between the forces of God and those of Satan has escalated into ALL-OUT WAR!!  The move of God has begun.  True signs and wonders are being manifested. However, there has also been a massive increase in counterfeit signs and wonders. The Church must equip itself with great discernment in order to distinguish the difference between God's signs and wonders and those of Satan.  Thousands in many Charismatic churches have fallen into deceptive and Satanic signs and wonders.  It is astonishing!! 

How can we decide what is of God and what is of Satan?  The Lord has provided us with the wisdom to keep from falling prey to the enemy.  In the discernment of signs and wonders, we need to heed the following guidelines. 

HOW TO DISCERN BETWEEN THE REAL and     COUNTERFEIT SIGNS AND WONDERS.....

o   Is the manifestation the Holy Spirit or Humanism?  Humanism says “How does it bless, affect, gratify me? What’s in it for me?"  That of the Holy Spirit states “How does it bless, affect, please, or minister to God? 

   

o  What is the Focus?  Does the manifestation make me or God the focal point?   Is the focus upward or outward?  Does it draw attention to me or to God?

 

o  Edification:  Does the manifestation edify just me or the Church:   1^st Corinthians 14:12 states “ Even so ye, inasmuch as ye are zealous of spiritual gifts, seek that ye may excel to the edifying of the church. How is it then, brethren? when ye come together, every one of you hath a psalm, hath a doctrine, hath a tongue, hath a revelation, hath an interpretation. Let all things be done unto edifying."  The manifestation should be a blessing to others in the Church.

o  Orderly: 1^st Corinthians 14:40   “Let all things be done decently and in order.”  Vs. 23 states that if we fail in this area,  people will think we are mad or crazy.  Orderly means that the manifestation is:

a.    Controllable:  Any manifestation that is beyond my control or that I cannot stop is not of God.  Paul states in  1st Corinthian 14:32 “And the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets.” We are not puppets.  God will not violate our self will.

b. Confusion:  1^st Corinthians 14:33 “God is not the author of confusion, but of peace.” A manifestation of God does not bring massive confusion in the Body of Christ.

c. Is the manifestation a "symphony"(a harmonious blending of different beautiful sounds)   or a "cacophony" (a harsh, repulsive,  discordant mixture of noise and sounds).  Does it draw people to God or repulse them?

o  Modest:   Is it decent, beautiful, holy, not extreme, not call attention to self, not ostentatious, does not violate moral code? 

 

o  Above Reproach: Are my life and my worship congruent? Does my lifestyle contradict the manifestation or am I living a holy life?  Like the disciples, will people say that they can see that "We have been with Jesus?”

o  Is it Scriptural?  Are there scriptural references for this manifestation in the Word of God? The Sword of the Spirit is the Word of God.  “Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path.” His Word gives us direction and illumination in all things.  Psalms 119 warns us to  “try the spirits to see if they be of God.”  We test them based upon the Word of God. 

 

o  Private Worship or Public Worship?  There are intimate experiences/conversations that we have we have with our mates that are not for public display.  It would cause confusion and embarrassment.  Likewise, there are private encounters and experiences with God, which are not for public display.  It is for our personal edification.  Otherwise, in public it would not be understood and cause confusion. We must determine what is for private worship and what is for public.

o  I am following something or is it following me?  Mark 16:17   “These signs shall follow them that believe.”  Jesus Christ is the "Prime Product," while signs and wonders are the "By - Product."  Signs are a result or by - product of being with Christ.  Are we pursing Him or what He does?  Matthew 16:4  “A wicked and an adulterous generation seeks after a sign.  Our primary object should not be seeking signs but seeking Him.  Paul said in Philippians 3:10  “I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death.” 

o  Do the signs and wonders lead people to Christ?  Do they draw people closer to God and to give God the glory or are they just drawing fascinated thrill seekers? 

Throughout the generations of the church, Satan has used the same weapons... that of infiltration and counterfeit manifestations to discredit and destroy the authentic move of God.  He is doing the same today.

During the time of the Tabernacle in the wilderness, Moses and Aaron would take censers and gather up holy fire that had descended from God, which had burnt up the sacrifice.  This holy fire would be mingled with incense and taken into the sacred space of the tabernacle.  They were guardians of this holy fire. 

Aaron's two sons tried to imitate this by taking "strange fire" or unholy fire and mingling it with incense.  Fire came from God and destroyed both of the men!  

We must be Guardians of the Holy Fire in this hour.  We do not want to inhibit true manifestations, signs and wonders from God. These are divine witnesses to a world collapsing under the weight of sin.   On the fringes of every move of God, Satan will commence counterfeit signs and wonders.  It is when these fringe elements seek to take control of the move of God that we must take a strong stand to stop it.  We cannot allow them to discredit and destroy this Final End-time Revival.  We must try the spirits to see if they be of God.  Otherwise, the entire move of God will be destroyed and countless souls lost.  

The Final Harvest is at hand.  God is restoring the church to the glory of the Early Church.  Satanic forces are gathering to oppose and stop this End Time Awakening.  He will infiltrate with lying signs and deceptive wonders.  He will deceive the very elect of God if possible.  We must discern all manifestations to see if they be of God.  It is "holy fire" or "strange fire?"  We are Guardians of the Holy Fire!   

  

 

A Prophetic Word For Chicago

 

 A Prophetic Word For Chicago 
by Michael Edds

In the year 2000, God spoke to me that He was going to reopen the "old wells" of revival throughout this nation and around the world. The purpose of the Coming Great Awakening is to restore total truth to the church and to give the world one last invitation of mercy before divine judgment falls upon a perverse generation.

In 2004, the Lord gave me a vivid, terrifying dream concerning Chicago. In the dream, I was with a group of dedicated Christians in a suite of rooms in the Sears Tower in downtown Chicago. The group had been entrusted with the protection of a three year old child called "the child of destiny." I looked out the window and saw a huge black dragon circling the Sears Tower. The dragon had the head of a wolf and was covered with black fur. It was very long and had the shape and tail similar to a serpent. The dragon was searching for this special child to kill it. In the Tower, the guardians of the child were busy securing the windows and doors to protect the child. I found one window unlocked and exclaimed, "Someone has forgotten to lock this. We must make sure that this building is secured and that we leave no opening for the dragon to get in!" As I locked the window, I looked out and saw that the dragon had landed upon the ground below. To my amazement, a door opened up on the side of the dragon. What appeared to be soldiers started throwing out bodies of Christian men. These men had been killed by the dragon. There were 57 bodies. Suddenly, the top of the dragon's head opened up like the hood of a car except it was hinged on the front and not the back of the head. Out came three men. The inside of the head was a vast control panel. I remarked, "This dragon is not a living creature at all. It is a machine controlled by men." I then turned to the group guarding the small child and said, "The dragon is coming to kill this child. We must stand boldly and fight to the death to protect this child of destiny." Each one gathered around the child with weapons drawn and were energized with a determination to stop the dragon. I awakened.

For sometime I pondered this dream. Then the Lord revealed its meaning.

Chicago has been an "old well" or "seedbed" of revival. Moody, Aimee Simple McPherson, John G. Lake, Dowie, Amanda Berry Smith, William Durham, and so many other great revivalists have strong connections to Chicago. Prayer meetings and revivals have burst forth from Chicago and swept around the world. God has done great things in and through this city.

However, Chicago has a divine destiny that is yet to be fulfilled. This "old well of revival" is to about to be opened again. The dragon is the controlling spirit or the "Prince" of Chicago. The three men represent the political, religious, and financial structure that has controlled this great city for generations. This demonic structure has fought to block God's divine plan for this city for decades. The 57 bodies thrown from the side of the dragon are 57 attempts and messengers that God has sent to bring Chicago into this final destiny. However, they have been either been stopped or destroyed by this evil power structure in Chicago. The child of destiny is God's final attempt to fulfill His divine plan for this city of 9 million. It was birthed in 2001. God has chosen an elite corps of Christian warriors in this city to wage spiritual warfare to defeat the satanic power structure and to ensure that this final move of God and His last mercy call to Chicago come to pass. The hour of destiny has arrived for the Windy City.