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The Next Wave Is Upon Us

By Rick Joyner

On May 11, 1992 I saw the church like a surfer floating on a short surfboard, gazing at the beach, lazily drifting and dreaming of the big wave. While this surfer was drifting the very wave he was dreaming about was getting closer and closer but he did not know it. I knew that unless he woke up and looked around very fast it was going to come crashing down on top of him and the result was not going to be a smooth ride! I also knew that his board was too short for the huge wave that was coming. It was obvious that because of his sleepy state, the very wave this surfer dreamed about placed him in serious jeopardy. By the time he did hear the sound of the wave and turned to look, it was too late. What had been the desire of his heart became a terror because, when it came he was not ready for it. The wave turned the surfer over and over, smashing him into the bottom several times and breaking his board. I feared for his life but he did survive, with many cuts, bruises and a few broken bones.

I watched the surfer lying on the beach in great pain. Soon the terror of possibly dying passed and a deep wisdom replaced it. He gazed back out over the sea. Even though he was so broken and hurt that he could hardly move, an awesome resolve and dignity came over him. I knew he would come back to ride the waves again.

I then saw this surfer in a hospital with a room that looked out over the ocean. He was still gazing out over the sea, but I knew that instead of dreaming, he was now planning. I then saw him standing on the beach, not only healed but far more muscular than he had been before. Next to him stood the largest surfboard I have ever seen. Even though the sea was calm, I knew and he knew that the biggest wave of all was already in motion beyond the horizon. He was ready in that he could ride the wave, but fears were rising up in him. I had the knowledge that if he did not quickly dismiss them and get moving, he would not be able to paddle out far enough in time and would again be in great jeopardy from the wave.

There were also many other surfers who looked like professional body builders standing all over the beach. These all had the same kind of short boards that the original surfer had at first. These body builders really did not seem interested in the waves at all, but just in showing off their bodies, which really looked grotesque and I knew that their large, bulging muscles were not really as strong as the real surfer's, whose muscles seemed more natural.

Interpretation

In the previous great awakenings or revivals in church history there have been very few individuals who were anticipating the move of the Holy Spirit. In almost every great awakening or revival, the existing churches and ministries were damaged by the new move simply because they were not ready for it. Some of these have had to actually resist the revival just to survive. In contrast, today there seems to be almost a universal expectation of impending revival, but there has been very little actually done to prepare for it. Even though we may know it is coming, this time we have been spending more time dreaming about it than preparing for it. The wave of the Holy Spirit that is coming is in reality bigger than we have dreamed, but because we are dreaming instead of looking and preparing, we are now in serious jeopardy from the very wave we have been hoping to see.

That the first surfboard was so short, and obviously inadequate for even a good size wave, much less the awesome one that came, speaks of the inadequacy of the current vehicles, outreaches and ministries of the church. I felt that even if the surfer had seen the wave in time he could not have ridden it - he would have either had to quickly paddle into the beach, or out beyond where the wave was going to break to watch it go by.

Like this surfer, the present church is in danger of getting nothing more than a good beating and a good lesson out of the impending move of the Holy Spirit. Even though the church has been hearing from the Lord about the impending ingathering, we have not been acting on His words and actually taking practical steps to be ready for what is coming. But this beating will immediately bring a wisdom and resolve to be ready for the next one, and to have the proper vehicle for riding it. The time we spend recovering from the injuries of the impending wave must be spent in planning for the next one; then, our plans must be turned into action.

To ride the wave that is coming we will also need to be much stronger than we are now. Strength comes from exercising. When the surfer returned to the beach he had the physique of a body builder, but one who had built himself up for strength and not just show. Every muscle was perfectly formed and powerful.

The body of Christ must likewise be built up. Every muscle and every limb, or every individual part of the body, must be properly exercised and brought to full strength. For decades we have been preaching on Ephesians, chapter four, concerning the equipping of the saints for the work of service, but it is now time that we start doing it. This must not be done for show either, to just exhibit our beautiful body. We must do it with a focused attention on being ready for the next move of the Holy Spirit.

The Ephesians four emphasis of equipping the saints will again become fashionable. Many will become involved in this "spiritual body building" just for show. These will in truth be devoted more to impressing each other than to preparing for the next move of the Spirit. They will not really have the proper equipment for, or even be aware of, what is going on in the sea (mass humanity). Those who build their congregations for show will actually look grotesque and will not have the proper skills for riding the wave of the Spirit, or even be in the water when it comes.

Even though this surfer was properly prepared and had a proper board for riding the next wave, the enemy used the negative experience of the previous wave to hit him with a fear that could hinder him from accomplishing all that he had prepared for. All of our preparation and work will come to nothing if we are not utterly committed to getting back in the water and walking by faith, not by fear. To catch the wave we must:

  1. Be adequately trained and in shape.
  2. Have the proper board (vehicle or ministry)
  3. Be properly positioned, (having discerned where the wave is going to break and getting there).
  4. Be watching so that we can, at the proper time, start paddling with the wave.
  5. Be ready to act without hesitation when the wave breaks.
The church has been in the initial stages of a great worldwide revival that will ultimately result in the harvest that is the end of the age. As we see in Matthew 13:30, the harvest begins with the tares. Many of the exposes of evildoing and sin within the church have actually been a work of the Holy Spirit to prepare the church for the ingathering, which is soon to begin.

Every time the Lord has shown me the coming harvest, He has shown it to me in two great waves. There may be more than two waves coming, but I know there will be at least two. The first one will be so great that almost everyone will believe that it is in fact the great harvest that is the end of the age. But there is another wave coming after it that will be much greater. The millions of new believers that will come on the next wave are all called to be laborers in the second one. These people must be properly equipped and prepared for the greater wave.

The first wave of revival that is coming on the church will be a blessing only to the churches that have been using their time wisely and have been truly equipping the saints to do the work of the service. This wave will actually be judgment to every ministry that has not been properly equipping their people, or who have spent more time dreaming than preparing.

Copyright: 1996 by Morningstar Publications and Ministries. All rights reserved.

This article is published courtesy of "The Morningstar Publications and Ministries". If you would like to peruse more articles from the pen of Rick Joyner, visit Morningstar's website.


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