I have just put on one of my worship playlists when I have been in the kitchen preparing lunch. The first song in the playlist is an old Toronto Blessing classic: “We will dance on the streets that are golden,” by David Ruis. As I played it the Holy Spirit just fell on me and I could hardly stand as I worshipped. I stopped preparing my food and just entered into the presence of God. I actually couldn’t do anything else: if I had tried to carry on chopping carrots I’d have probably cut my finger. What I felt that He was impressing on my heart was that the time really is “soon” when He will come again; and prior to that, even sooner, will be a time a visitation from the Holy Spirit bringing the revival that many prophets are proclaiming. So I join my voice here with those other voices around the world, and declare: Jesus is coming soon! Revival is coming even sooner!

In response to the question: “How are you doing?“ I heard someone in our church say recently: “Same old, same old.“ They were half right: God is the same yesterday today and forever: He is the same all-creative, all-powerful, all-merciful God that He has always been. But God doesn’t do “old.” Those mercies are new every morning. We are new creations. We walk in “newness of life.” And more than that, at risk of wearing threadbare a currently much-quoted verse, God is doing a new thing. He’s doing it in the world, in the church, and in our lives. If we are tuned in and open to what He is doing by His Spirit, we will be aware of new things happening in our lives.

My hobby is birdwatching. I have a pair of binoculars in the kitchen. The sun was shining outside, and I stepped out into the garden with my binoculars to enjoy the sunshine and scan the skies. I felt the Lord spoke to me as I stepped back into the kitchen: I believe He is saying to us that we are to enjoy the sunshine of His presence, instead of languishing in the room where we may be locked down, and to scan the skies for signs of His coming.

In the birdwatching world, there is an event called a “fall.” It is when hundreds or even thousands of migratory birds of a particular spieces are all brought together by a combination of specific weather conditions to all arrive at the same time in the same place, where they literally cover the ground for a short period of time before dispersing and moving on. There are always forerunners before the main flock of migrants arrives. I believe God is saying that the forerunners of revival have already started to fly in, if we will see them, and the the fall is on its way.

We all have Binoculars: they are our spiritual vision. You don’t need to be a visionary to have spiritual vision, any more then you have to be a special sheep to hear His voice. Jesus came to open the eyes of the blind (Is 42:7), and “to render judgment – to give sight to the blind and to show those who think they see that they are blind.” (John 9:39, NLT)  He is coming back for His bride, and He wants us to be prepared. He doesn’t want any of us to be like the foolish virgins, whose lives were just “same old, same old” until it was too late.