Why I Believe Revival in the West is a Pipe Dream

By David Ettinger

A Telling Passage
I read a very telling passage this morning, one which tells the nations of the world precisely what the Lord expects of them if they are to receive His favor:

Come, let us return to the Lord. He has torn us to pieces but He will heal us; He has injured us but He will bind up our wounds. After two days He will revive us; on the third day He will restore us, that we may live in His presence. Let us acknowledge the Lord; let us press on to acknowledge Him. As surely as the sun rises, He will appear; He will come to us like the winter rains, like the spring rains that water the earth (Hosea 6:1-3).

These words were spoken to ancient Israel around 740 B.C. They didn’t listen 2,700 years ago, and the Western nations of the world are not listening today.

Time Getting Short
I believe that the rebirth of Israel as a nation in 1948 signaled the start-up date of God’s end-time prophecy clock – when the end-times prophecies associated with the Jewish people would begin coming to fruition. This being the case, we are moving ever closer to the return of Christ and the end of this age of human history.

Still, God holds out salvation to anyone who will bow the knee to the Lord Jesus Christ, and they may come to Christ freely, but time is getting short.

And God has not been sitting back to see what will happen. He has allowed calamities to fall upon the Earth that humanity might see its helplessness, mortality, and hopelessness and turn to Him. We are currently in the midst of one of those calamities, the Coronavirus pandemic. Most hard hit from it is Italy, and not far from behind is Spain.

Would this not be the perfect time for these two nations ­– each of which had a strong Christian tradition – to fall collectively on their knees before God after decades of shunning Him? Is not the Coronavirus the ideal circumstance for Italians and Spaniards to humble themselves and surmise: “He has torn us to pieces but He will heal us; He has injured us but He will bind up our wounds.” Should they not at this very time clasp their hands together and humbly say: “Let us acknowledge the Lord; let us press on to acknowledge Him”?

And for that matter, how about the United Kingdom … and France … and the Scandinavian countries … and Australia and New Zealand … and the United States? Should not all of them be collectively falling on their knees in repentance and seeking God’s forgiveness?

Is It Realistic?
Of course they should, but they aren’t. Did you think they would? Do you really think we’re going to see worldwide Western revival after decades and decades of God-denial and the embracing of humanistic principles and lifestyle? Is it realistic to expect it?

Yes, I am a skeptic, but I am also a realist. My “realism” comes from the Bible. In my studies of prophecy, everything that has been prophesied up to this point has occurred, and everything going on in the world is falling perfectly in line with the prophecy that still awaits.

No way, in my opinion, will we see worldwide Western revival; the time is gone. What we will see, however, is individual salvation daily, and I believe there are still millions who will come into Christ’s kingdom before He returns to Earth.

So, believer, keep praying for everyone whom the Lord places on your heart, that they will come to a saving knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. There are still plenty of them who will bow the knee!

Tagged: Christian Revival, End-Times Judgment, prophecy, Repentance, The Book of Hosea, Turn to God

Posted in: Ancient Israel, Application, Bible study, Bible teaching, Christianity, Commentary, Culture, Current Events, Drawing Close to God, Editorial/Blog, End Times, God's Divine Plans, God's Judgment, Moral Fall of the West, Old Testament, prophecy, Rejecting God, Repentance, Salvation in Christ, The End of the Age, the end-times, The Return of Christ