There’s a nation the Bible tells us about that is a critical player in the end times. It’s not Russia, Syria, China, Indonesia or a European or Latin American country. This nation is referred to as a “mystery” nation, and it has a very diverse citizenry.
“But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may declare the goodness of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light” (1 Pet. 2:9).
Mysteries are a big thing with God. He keeps mysteries throughout history to be revealed at the right time. A mystery is simply a hidden truth. The Greek word is musterion, a hidden or secret thing that is not obvious to the understanding and sometimes defies understanding. (See 1 Cor. 13:2; 14:2.) Musterion is derived from muo, which means “to shut the mouth.”
Opening Blind Eyes
In the last days, hope will be one of Earth’s most precious commodities. If you have it, people will come to you seeking it like gold.
They will want to know where you found it and how they can have some. The darker the world around us gets, the brighter our hope will shine. People will need hope more than they need food. As the Word says, “The spirit of a man will sustain his infirmity, but a wounded spirit who can bear?” (Prov. 18:14).
You carry the power of the Holy Spirit to open people’s spiritually blind eyes to see the truth of their situation and to receive the hope of deliverance and salvation. Paul wrote that we have the authority to “open their eyes and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith …” (Acts 26:18).
Sometimes that blindness is literal. Ruby was legally blind from an aggressively advancing eye disease. She lived a hundred miles from our church but heard that we believed in miracles, so she and her boyfriend, who later became her husband, made the trek to Mount Hope Church. I called people forward for prayer during the service, and Ruby was among those who responded. Someone in our church, a normal, everyday hope-distributor, laid hands on Ruby as we prayed.
When the service was over, Ruby walked up to me and said softly, “Pastor, I was blind but now I see.” I did not know Ruby and thought she was having a spiritual experience. But she insisted, “No, Pastor, I came in here blind today, and now I can see perfectly.” I asked her to go her doctor for confirmation.
Later that week, I received a handwritten letter from a doctor, who told me that Ruby had authorized him to write to me about her condition. He explained that Ruby had an irreversible eye condition that would eventually leave her completely blind. He then told me that he examined Ruby, and the condition was gone. The last line of his letter was this: “Pastor Williams, this is nothing short of a miracle.” Ruby’s healing started with hope and the obedience of a hope-distributor from that mystery nation known as the church.
Are you a hope-distributor? {eoa}
Dr. Dave Williams served for over 30 years as pastor of Mount Hope Church in Lansing, Michigan, with over 500 outreach ministries around the world. During his tenure, Mount Hope Church gave over $40,000,000 to world and local missions. His leadership training course, The Art of Pacesetting Leadership, is credited with catapulting one church from 226 to over 4,000. Another church went from 8 to over 1,000. His all-time best-selling book, The New Life: The Start of Something Wonderful, is a practical, step-by-step guide to help new believers become established in their Christian walk and has sold over 2.5 million copies. On May 2, 2017, Charisma House will release his latest book, Hope in the Last Days. Dave now focuses on helping young ministers whenever he has an opportunity.
