And the Lord answered me, and said, Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables, that he may run that readeth it. For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry. Habakkuk 2:2-3
A global pandemic, wars that appear to be precursors to a third world war, famines, pestilences – this is the world we are looking at as we cross over into the final year of the first quarter of the 21st century.
We are praying for and believe that Jehovah Jireh will step into the midst of all these first-time Matthew 24 experiences for many of us and cause a worldwide revival in 2025 that will accelerate the saving of millions of souls that would otherwise be lost. “For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?” (Mark 8:36 KJV). “Come, let us return to the Lord; for he has torn us, that he may heal us; he has struck us down, and he will bind us up. After two days he will revive us; on the third day he will raise us up, that we may live before him. Let us know; let us press on to know the Lord; his going out is sure as the dawn; he will come to us as the showers, as the spring rains that water the earth.” (Hosea 6:1-3 ESV)
BACKGROUND
Over the last few years, I have revisited the accounts of several global revivals: the 1904 Welsh revival, 1906 Azusa Street revival, the 1949 Hebrides revival, the 1995 Cali, Columbia revival. In so doing, the Holy Spirit has given me an appreciation for this kind of phenomenon and how a nation can be significantly transformed by one.
Under His leading, I’ve compiled a prophetic depiction of what such an occurrence could look like here in Jamaica, by using several fictitious, faith-inspired stories, published in an imaginary daily newspaper, called “Jamaica Today.”
Please note that any similarity to any living person is coincidental and is simply used in furtherance of exploring the topic of revival within a local context.
WAVE OF REVIVAL HITS JAMAICA –
“DANCE HALL TURNED INTO CHURCH HALLS”
By Michael St. Patrick
Many of the country’s spiritual leaders are hailing a series of occurrences taking place on the island as a tremendous move of God that was many years in the making.
One Pastor from the New Life Seven Day Church, Pastor Donovan Huckleberry, has hailed this as an answer to earnest prayer. He elaborated, “God moved according to what He outlined for the church to do in 2 Chronicles 7:14. He moved swiftly when we, the church, got our act together and started to pray in a targeted manner for unity and for repentance within the body of Christ, beginning with church leaders.”
It was that heartfelt cry which went up that allowed several things to take place, including the church being able to gather at the National Stadium for an all-night meeting at the behest of the Minister of National Security. According to Pastor Donovan, “The gathering at the stadium was the major turning point for the country as what followed it was a period of several interesting events.”
What were some of these miraculous events? The first was a time of no-crime days that no one could explain. This was followed by several occurrences in communities which saw gang leaders turning over their guns to pastors, with great interest in Bible classes and getting baptised. At the same time, various communities started asking for pastors to come in and have church meetings almost every night.
“Dance halls have now turned into church halls,” the pastor punctuated his statement with a joyful “Alleluia!” He admitted that this has led to a strain on the local clergy but it was considered a welcome problem that has led to the need for greater collaboration amongst the different denominations.
Jamaica’s ranking as having the most churches per square mile in the world has changed: it is now the top country in the world with the most effective churches per square mile.
LUNCHTIME BAPTISMS ARE THE NEW CRAZE
By Sylvan Foresythe
Jamaica Today has been receiving reports from various schools of a new trend among their student population. Reports indicate that more children are expressing an interest in being baptized at their respective schools.
Many church leaders have been caught off guard by the trend, forcing them to strategize on how to best manage while ensuring that classes continue.
WETSUITS UNDER UNIFORMS
The students themselves have become increasingly ingenious in handling the matter and have decided that in order to facilitate the process, they will wear under their clothes, wet suits that do not absorb water.
One student, Gayle, has reported that she decided to get baptized after attending a church meeting in Spanish Town where she resides.
She recalled the pastors calling for the young people and saying they must be a part of the revival taking place in Jamaica now. So, she decided she did not want to be left behind.
Several vendors have also sought to capitalize on the craze by selling white gowns to students getting baptized. One vendor reported that students have two options: they can either buy a new gown for $500, or rent one for $100. However, she could not spend much time with us as she divulged that since the revival started, her daily earnings had increased enormously, and she was on her way to collect some new stock.
NOT TRAINED TO EXTINGUISH HOLY GHOST FIRE
Jem, one of the security guards hired to maintain peace at a school we visited, said: “A Gad work still, so we nah presha it. We hear de noise a day time an we know seh a no fight a buss! De student dem ready fi receive Jesus and we nah stop dem. We nah go try limit God. Afta, we no train fi put out Holy Ghost fire!”
School chaplain, Pastor John, also spoke about some of the challenges the school now faces, but stated that they have been working together with different leaders from various congregations to ensure that the needs are met. He also informed that, in addition to multiple people being baptized each day, there is a need for classes for new Believers, which has been made possible by some schools allowing the classes to be held as an extracurricular activity.
REVIVAL TOURISM FILLING ROOMS
HOTELS FULLY BOOKED
By Ingrid Lawson
Hotels are fully booked as more tourists flock to Jamaica’s shores. Reports coming in suggest that most of the visitors have come to personally experience the spiritual revival now taking place in the island.
Due to the overwhelming demand for church services, some hotels are now using entertainment venues on their premises to host the crowd.
In some cases, hotels have even made their buses available to pick up ministry officials as well as people who want to attend these meetings.
When asked about these arrangements, one manager, Mr John Stapleton, stated that the hotel saw it as a way of giving back to the community, based on the exceptional business they have been experiencing since the coming of the revival.
Furthermore, he stated the revival was also a good way to build some proper values and attitudes in residents in the surrounding areas due to the work that the church had been doing over the years, and the hotel no longer feared their customers walking outside the perimeter of their premises.
In the final analysis, the whole arrangement seems to be a win-win for everyone, with the hotels being fully booked and spiritual appetites whetted by the Word of God.
“The power of unified faith is able to drive back even the strongest forces of darkness. Knowing this, let us not relent in prayer until we see Jehovah Sabaoth exalted in all the nations and kingdoms of the world.” Gordon M. Swaby
JAMAICA’S GROWTH OUTLOOK IMPROVES
By Jonathan Bartleman
The announcement of the finding of new mineral deposits in the country has caused the Planning Institute of Jamaica to issue an advisory that they may have to revise their growth projections for the local economy. These deposits contain significant amounts of rare earth elements, which are critical to the global electronics industry.
Also reported in their quarterly briefing was the presence of cobalt, which is similarly useful in the electronics industry, particularly in the production of cell phone batteries. This has led to talk of possible investments in the production of various components locally in order to take advantage of the discovery and to foster greater research and development here in Jamaica. New findings from a recent geological survey in an unnamed section of the island have also significantly heightened interest in the possibility of finding oil here, with further surveys and the possible auction of several offshore oil and gas blocks in the near future.
Gordon M. Swaby is an engineer by profession and a Kingdom visionary at [email protected]
