Revival or Judgment? The Hour We Are In

Everywhere I turn, I hear the word revival. Some point to prayer gatherings, others to political voices invoking the name of Jesus. But when I look honestly at what is unfolding, I have to ask: is this truly revival — or are we stepping into judgment?

The death of Charlie Kirk revealed the spirit of our times. His final testimony was clear: Jesus Christ is Lord. Yet instead of reverence, many mocked his passing, while others spun rumors that he wasn’t really dead. This is what happens when truth confronts a hardened culture: some scorn, others deny. Both keep us from repentance.

Meanwhile, leaders flirt with cruelty. Reports circulate that Donald Trump spoke of firing squads, public executions, even guillotines. Whether every detail is verified or not, the fact that such words are entertained should sober us. Justice, according to Scripture, is meant to be righteous and merciful, never spectacle. Micah 6:8 says: “He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” Public executions echo Rome’s coliseums, not God’s heart. Revelation 20:4 warns of beheading in the last days — when leaders toy with such images, we glimpse how near those shadows have come.

But it is not only America. Israel fights wars on multiple fronts, the prophetic clock striking louder with each missile. Europe clamps down on speech under the banner of “safety,” while in the UK, citizens are arrested for online “offense.” Australia follows the same path, with speech commissioners empowered to decide what can be said. Nations that once boasted freedom are silencing it.

The United States reels under mass illegal migration — millions crossing, border agents overwhelmed, cities buckling under housing shortages, schools crowded, hospitals strained. Drugs like fentanyl pour through the same routes, feeding an overdose epidemic. Human traffickers exploit the chaos. What should be law and protection has become disorder and exploitation.

Asia shakes with its own storms. North Korea rattles missiles and binds itself closer to Moscow, while South Korea and Japan brace for escalation. In Africa, South Africa wrestles with fragile governance while Christians across the continent suffer persecution, largely ignored by the world. Canada has shifted leaders, yet still advances speech controls and surveillance powers. No nation is stable. Every pillar trembles.

And disasters keep multiplying. Jesus told us we would hear of wars and rumors of wars, and that famines, earthquakes, and pestilences would mark the birth pains. Creation groans, just as Paul wrote in Romans 8:22. Bird flu spreads in unusual ways, storms and fires break records, and economies falter. These are not random. They are signs.

Meanwhile, billionaires build global systems. Bill Gates pours billions into Middle Eastern projects: AI-driven farming with the UAE, health partnerships with Saudi Arabia, multi-billion-dollar funds through Islamic banks. It looks generous, but it creates dependency — nations tethered to outside funds, crops tied to algorithms, health systems bound to global institutions. Jeremiah 17:5 warns: “Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength, whose heart turns away from the LORD.” The scaffolding of global control is being built.

And if Gates builds the scaffolding, Elon Musk shapes the soul. His xAI project, with Grok and the “Valentine” persona, is marketed as a companion — a teacher, a comforter, a persuader. This is not neutral. It disciples. It whispers. It trains a generation to listen to machines more than to God. Jesus warned in Matthew 24:24: “False christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect.” Gates and Musk together reveal the two halves of the coming system: control of bodies through aid and finance, and control of minds through machines.

So which is it? Revival, or judgment? Scripture ties the two together. Before revival, there is shaking. Before mercy, there is judgment. “It is time for judgment to begin at the household of God,” says 1 Peter 4:17. “When your judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world learn righteousness,” says Isaiah 26:9. In Revelation, judgment and tribulation shake the nations — and yet, even then, people from every tribe and tongue turn to Christ.

That means the revival many expect may not look like stadium lights and cheering crowds. It may look like people on their knees because their world has collapsed, and only God remains. Judgment first. Then revival for those who repent.

The signs are all around us: mockery of death, denial of truth, leaders exalting cruelty, Israel at war, Europe and Australia silencing speech, America breaking under migration, Asia bracing for conflict, Africa groaning under persecution, billionaires laying control systems, AI shaping hearts and minds. Jesus said in Matthew 24:12–13: “Because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.”

So I will not rush to declare revival. I will say judgment has come. But judgment is not God’s last word. It is His severe mercy — to awaken us before it is too late. Revival will come, but only on the other side of judgment.