Today we see signs that the barren Bride of Christ is finally awakening to her high calling. Yesterday, for example, evangelical leader James Dobson “founder of Focus on the Family and Family Talk Radio, a harsh critic of President Obama and an opponent in court, on Thursday described him as the `abortion president’ during an address at the National Day of Prayer.” (Read more at http://www.wnd.com/2014/05/dobson-obama-is-abortion-president/#Vb0v4dHuMDYS3hfy.99) The problem is that Dobson is over thirty years too late in publicly standing up against evil. It was just a few years ago, for example, that he finally quit supporting public schools. He should have openly advised his millions of listeners to leave Satan’s schools back when he first began his Focus on the Family ministry in 1977. I suspect he was more interested in the donations he thought he would lose from the public school supporting parents he feared offending than he was in speaking the truth.

I observed the same problem with churches in the 1980’s and 1990’s. Many churches feared speaking out on controversial moral issues because they feared losing their “501(c)(3)” tax exempt status. I know because I served as an elder over political issues in a major church during this time that decided not to take political stands because they feared IRS backlash. I left that Thyatiran church in 1993 and have never joined an established church since then. In 1997 the LORD taught me that I had in fact “come out of Babylon” by leaving the church system.

Over the past few years we have finally seen some Christian ministers awaken to the rampant evil overtaking the entire planet. These brave men and women actually try to awaken others and warn them to flee the wrath to come. Other Christians now awakening to stark reality still think that they can “take America back” and hold on to the legacy of Christian power in the earth. These advise Christians to buy plenty of guns and ammunition, but they do not realize that guns and ammunition represent the arm of the flesh and that he who lives by the sword (fleshly weapons) will die by the sword.

My point here is that the barren bride is finally awakening to the imminent return of Christ. Now we are seeing the fulfillment of Isaiah 54.

Notice that Isaiah here speaks to the Bride before she bears her children, her seed. She has not yet born the sons of God, but she is now awake! In fact, at this time she has not yet even gone into labor. This means that the tribulation has not yet begun. I believe that the Bride gives birth to the sons of God exactly when the tribulation begins. Isn’t it interesting that the world calls a woman’s labor her “tribulation?” Also observe that the timing of this event is “like the days of Noah.” How is it like those days?

5 The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. 6 And the Lord regretted that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart. 7 So the Lord said, “I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, man and animals and creeping things and birds of the heavens, for I am sorry that I have made them.” 8 But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord. (Genesis 6:5-8)

Now recall Jesus’ own reference to Noah in the midst of his prophecy concerning his second coming. Also notice his warning to “stay awake.”

36 “But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son,[b] but the Father only. 37 For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 38 For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, 39 and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.40 Then two men will be in the field; one will be taken and one left. 41 Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one left. 42 Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. 43 But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. 44 Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect. (Matthew 24:36-44)

For many years the Bride of Christ has slept. She has lived until now in desolation and devoid of the Spirit. By and large she cannot even discern an evil spirit from the Spirit of God. She thinks that any supernatural manifestation in her midst must come from the Holy Spirit. She was cast off by God and deserted by his Spirit because of her great sins of false doctrine, hypocrisy, fornication and harlotry. But now she is awakening to the truth. True, she is awakening too late to be part of the firstfruits resurrection of the dead and glorification of the flesh. The five foolish virgins in Matthew 25 represent the now awakening Bride. She has no time to fill herself with oil before the tribulation begins. Her labor now comes. She is about to give birth and enter into tribulation. Yet even now God plans to force her into the wilderness and bring her into fruition through the very ones who have come out of her, the sons of God.