The Coming Wind of the Holy Spirit
Luke 3:16 promises that Jesus would baptise his followers with the Holy Spirit and fire. This was partially fulfilled at the feast of Pentecost, seven weeks after Jesus’ death and resurrection. Acts 2:2-3 (NLT) records, “Suddenly, there was a sound from heaven like the roaring of a mighty windstorm …Then, what looked like flames or tongues of fire appeared and settled on each of them.” The disciples were later accused of being drunk with wine as they spoke in tongues and were filled with the Holy Spirit. (Acts 2:13)
In 1985, internationally respected prophet Bob Jones prophesied three great future moves of the Holy Spirit that would occur in the reverse order described in Acts 2. First, a wine move, then fire, then wind. He accurately predicted that the wine move (later known as the Toronto Move) would start within ten years of 1985. In January 1994, this move broke out at Toronto Airport Church in Canada. Some characteristics of this awakening were joy, laughter, and people being unable to stand. But there was far more to it than this. As it spread around the world, millions have been saved, lives transformed, and thousands of churches planted.
In October’s newsletter we described some signs that the fire move has started, though not yet in its fullness. As we hunger and pray for it, the Lord will release a greater fire of prayer, mission, love for Jesus, and love for his word upon the global church. As a large fire burns, it draws in air from the surrounds and creates wind. The wind will follow the fire. What will the wind of the Spirit look like?
The Bible gives us a clue in Ezekiel 37. In a vision, the prophet Ezekiel saw the parched bones of a long dead army assemble into skeletons which were then clothed with tissue and skin. But they lay prostrate and lifeless. Then God told him to prophesy to the winds: “Speak a prophetic message to the winds, son of man. Speak a prophetic message and say, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Come, O breath, from the four winds! Breathe into these dead bodies so they may live again.’ So I spoke the message as he commanded me, and breath came into their bodies. They all came to life and stood up on their feet—a great army.” (Ezekiel 37: 9-10 NLT)
The whole vision represented the dead hopes of exiled Israel being resurrected. One aspect of the wind of the Spirit will be to resurrect and awaken a great army of Christians who will be filled with hope, holiness, and the power of the Holy Spirit. This in turn will give an unprecedented witness to a world that has strayed far from God. Multitudes will come into the Kingdom of God before Christ returns to rule the nations, as God is not willing for any to perish. But there will be a spiritual battle, so the army imagery is relevant.
Another aspect of the wind of the Spirit may have been revealed recently in a vision to John Kilpatrick, the leader of the Brownsville Revival in Pensacola, USA. The revival began on Father's Day, 1995, a Sunday. Evangelist Steve Hill was the guest speaker, having been invited by Pastor Kilpatrick, who had led his church to pray for revival for years. Later, Hill and Kilpatrick told of "a mighty wind" that blew through the church, news of which quickly spread across the world. The revival lasted for six years and at its height, drew as many as 5,500 people a night.
During November, Kilpatrick was given a vision of a wind of healing blowing upon the city of London, England. You can watch the short video of him sharing this here:
https://youtu.be/k6ugeleG3HE
It seems that there is coming a wind of miracles and healings that will break not only upon London, but many cities around the world. Of course, every prophecy is an invitation to intercession, so this will depend somewhat on the Church praying for it to happen.
The wine, fire, and wind moves are not necessarily sequential. Rather, they will overlap with one another and so there will be aspects of the wind concurrent with the fire. To see them in their fullness however, the global church will need to throw off the weariness of deferred hope and pray with fresh vigour, stewarding well the partial fire and wind that we already have. Then God will give us more.