There were many church buildings which were large, and made of gold, silver and other precious metals, and were decorated with gems. The insides of the churches were equally exquisite and beautifully decorated. Inside one of these churches I saw a bunch of Christians, who were dressed in very nice, expensive clothing and jewelry. They were gathered around a large table, eating a great many things. They ate in excess, and were very loud to the point of being obnoxious. In one corner of the church there were people engaging in a large sexual orgy, doing many unholy things. I then went back outside and saw poor people in torn clothing, which looked very malnourished. They were clawing at the doors of the churches trying to get in. They were begging for food, clothing and shelter, but were ignored. The head of one church went to the door and began to curse those begging, telling them that the nice things inside were provided by God for those Christians only. He then shut the door and locked it. The people outside of the church began to die. Many killed themselves to keep from dying slowly. All around were bodies of many men, women and many, many children. The skies grew dark, and God spoke to the churches saying "You have betrayed my covenant, and ignored my commands. For this, I will forsake you and destroy your evil works and souls." Then the ground began shaking intensely, and fire spread across the land. The churches began to crumble to the ground. The precious metals were melted down, and the gems were broken. Then I saw all the people being gathered up. Many began to grab Bibles and crosses, hoping to appear pious, but were all thrown in the lake of fire. Fire then consumed the rest of the land, but as the fires slowly died I saw a large wooden cross which was not harmed by the fire.
Oddly enough, I've been thinking about this a lot lately. It is no secret that the American church is, in large, a bit messed up and turned around. There are many churches which operate out of a desire for fame, wealth, influence, and so on. Many pastors have been caught in acts of sexual deviance, robbing their people of money, teaching false doctrines to appease people, or whatever. There is little focus on missions, preaching the gospel, making genuine disciples, and so on. And it shows not only in the churches, but in the lives of those who are members of those churches.
I have heard of Christians say they don't pray or read scripture. Say what?! Yes, that is correct. I've heard other Christians say they never have fasted. I've heard some say they engage in carnal acts of this world. If I am honest, I admit that I have been in that position, even while in a leadership position. How can the Holy Spirit use a person who is carnally minded? And if they are a leader in the church, how will that church grow and do God's work?
I think about the evil kings of Israel, and when Israel ran away from God's purpose. They were called to be a blessing to the nations, and be God's holy people. Yet, there were many who saw the carnal lives of the pagan nations, and they were so carnally minded that they began to reject God's blessings in search of temporary pleasures. As a result, Israel was thrown into captivity, Jerusalem was sacked, and the temple was destroyed. God judged Israel for their rejection of His ways. He removed his blessings, and allowed them to be destroyed by the very evil they desired to imitate.
Much in the same, I see many churches subtly going this way, and even some not being so subtle. Sound doctrine has been thrown out the door, in exchange for supposed relevance. Instead of teaching about a Jesus who came to cure a sin sick people, many are taught about a Jesus who seems like He needs people to come to Him and accept Him. He is portrayed as weak and passive. He is seen as just a way to get what people want. I am not being merely hyperbolic; I can name examples of many things I have heard and seen in different churches. I can tell you about the people in a church who were supposedly filled with the spirit and were running around yelling and screaming and shaking, and praying loud for car, or a new tool box. I have seen a church spend more money on a sound system than it ever thought to spend on reaching the single mother who is struggling to feed her children. I have seen churches that preach that Jesus came to give us an abundance of things we want. I have been to churches which don't talk about repentance, sin, or holiness, but espouse "living our best lives now". These are but just a few problems with in just one community of churches. I know there are some places which are hot on fire for Christ, and other places which are far worse (I've heard of a Church in France that literally engaged in orgies on the altar, no joke), so it will vary from place to place. However, I believe that there is a trend which shows the decline away from the calling of Christ, and now is embracing a calling of flesh.
There are polls and surveys which back my claims, recently released.
http://futurestorm.blogspot.com/2009/03/new-survey-less-than-1-of-18-23-year.html
http://www.barna.org/culture-articles/462-six-megathemes-emerge-from-2010
Both shows a church which is in disarray. The sheep are scattered by wolves. And I believe those sheep which are lead astray will be devoured. I believe we will see, before long, quite a few churches close their doors, and many people leave church to embrace heretical ideas, agnosticism, atheism, or even fall into the sway of other religions.
In the end, these temples that have been constructed will ultimately be brought down. The false teachers will lead many astray. People will be judged. All like my dream showed me.
Yet....
I still have hope.
Because even though there is a great time of sadness and darkness coming, I also know that it is darkest before the morning light. So I accept this darkness, because I know the Son is coming again. I also know that fire purifies. When the forests get too thick with growth, they will dry up much of the ground, and cause things to be really fragile to the point of death. The death allows fire to spread quickly. The fire consumes the land. And after the fire is put out, new life grows in place of death. Perhaps we should consider a garden. Sometimes the wrong growth takes place, and weeds with strangle the life of a flower or a bush. We must pluck all the weeds to let the plants grow strong. In this same sense, we need a fall of the church. Let people lose their comfort, their status, their power, their wealth, and their earthly ambitions. Let the faithful few cling to the throne of God, and rely completely on the Spirit. The church, after all, was first started from a few, and spread like fire over the land consuming the hearts of many. Miracles were worked. People were saved. God was honored.
So ultimately, I want this to be seen as a vision of hope, and not of doom and gloom.
Christ is alive, and that is all the matters. He has won the war, no matter how the battles may look now.
Let us pray for an honest revival.
Amen.
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