The Clearing Podcast - Where Eagles Fly: Recent Episodes
The Clearing - Where Eagles Fly
Welcome to The Clearing – Where Eagles Fly… this is our Podcast. Douglas McMurry shares his heart for you connecting and subscribing through our podcast audio messages.
A PERSONAL REQUEST
This newsletter is a significant update on the amazing adventure God has for me as His storyteller. And it includes a request–a favor I want to ask of you.
I am at a significant turning point in my own destiny with God as a writer. God has showed up for me in a big way. And…you can help open the door into the next part of this amazing adventure. It’s all described in the video.
Also: Check out My NEW author website DougMcMurry.com. If you have any questions or comments, email me at douglasmcmurry@gmail.com.
CONVERGENCE
Every fresh Revival tide in history has reintroduced some forgotten insight of God’s word, some fresh aspect of the “manifold wisdom” of God that has been forgotten or ignored by Christians. This approaching Revival tide is no exception. So: what’s the unique emphasis that God is stressing for us to re-learn just now?
The answer: John 17:21. “That all of them may be one….”
Until now, Christians have been content to remain separated from each other in their little denominational ghettoes. But today God is calling us to converge together more and more, to pray together for the triumph of His Kingdom. He’s calling us to be, simply, citizens of the Kingdom of God. The Jesus we have in common becomes more important than issues we have allowed to divide us in the past.
I have found that, as I have acted on this calling from God, and stepped out toward other groups of Christians–other than the one I grew up with–God has honored that, and brought extraordinary blessings in the long run. This video describes that journey, and I invite you on that journey too.
And while I’ve got your attention, let me just mention that I am in process of developing a new author website at DougMcMurry.com. It isn’t quite ready yet, but before another month is out, it will be. So check it out.
~Doug~
AN INVITATION
What do people mean when they speak of “the power of God? “ Have you ever walked through a season when the power of God was on display?
I believe we are going to have more and more displays of God’s power in the next few years. Let’s get ready!
That’s why I’m reserving my Monday nights beginning February to teach a class on Zoom as explained in this video. I invite you to join me on Mondays to take a journey with me through the 2000 year track record of the power of God. You can gain a much clearer appreciation of who God is and what He can do.
Won’t you join me on this journey?
Doug
How Slaves Were Freed
This is my final video using the Second Great Awakening in England to demonstrate how prayer can lead to Revival which leads to Jesus distributing destinies which leads to the transformation of a whole society, which can lead to world transformation. Here I conclude the story of how England managed to get to the last of these transformations–literally freeing hundreds of thousands of slaves world-wide. We don’t usually think of Jesus being an emancipator of slaves. We think of Him as the Savior and Redeemer of people for eternal life–which He is. But He also has promised to “destroy the works of the devil–” and slavery is a work of the devil. And clearly, Jesus took aim at the international slave trade during and following the year 1800.
Before I go on and show you the exact same pattern in the new-born United States of America, I want to, next month, share with you what’s been happening in my life over this past year. God has been encouraging me in big ways and giving me new marching orders. So next month’s newsletter will be full of personal news.
Doug
Crushing the Slave Trade
Nobody today looks at history through the eyes of a kingdom citizen. But this month I show how kingdom principles, reflecting the manifold wisdom of God, work to transform a nation–because Jesus is the King of Nations. He wants not only to save us for eternal life; of course He does do that. But there is this whole other dimension of Kingdom transformation, and His sovereign Lordship is aimed to destroy the works of the devil all around us.
Like slavery. One of the best examples of a “work of the devil.”
So in this video, I show how Jesus used kingdom principles–the “by My Spirit” kingdom–to radically change the world around us by abolishing the slave trade. Transformational Revival. In my judgment, this is the only model of transformation that actually works. So the kingdom of God is well worth devoting our life to. “We are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works that He prepared beforehand, that we might walk in them (Eph. 2:10).
Doug
I’m interrupting my series about John Newton to give you some news about myself, a new book project that I am currently writing and my new relationship with George Otis, Jr.
Always an adventure!
—Doug
John Newton 3
This video continues my series tracing the track record of Holy Spirit movements as relates to the abolition of slavery. It presents the unsung hidden role of John Newton in abolishing slavery in England, through his mentoring relationship with William Wilberforce. There are many, many lessons we can gain about transformational Revival if we would just open our eyes and look at what God has already done over the years.
I invite you to get informed.
Jesus comes to destroy the works of the devil!
In this continuing story of John Newton, I want to show you the contrast between “the Christian religion” and The Kingdom of God. Two different things. I show how God transitioned England out of a religion and into His transformational kingdom —and destined a few leaders to destroy a work of the devil (the slave trade).
In the process, we can see one example of how King Jesus uses massive prayer, and then distributes destinies to individuals like—in this case, the English pastor and hymn-writer, John Newton. We can look for Him to do something similar today.
Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever.
—Doug
John Newton, the man who wrote “Amazing Grace,” led a most extraordinary life. Few people realize the key role he played in the abolition of slavery. This video offers the first half of his story in which I show that if any of us is to become a world changer, it is not because of our greatness, but because of God’s grace. Sometimes God uses the most unlikely people to change the world.
~Doug~
Jesus the Emancipator V
This video, the fifth in a series, uncovers the part King Jesus has played in eradicating the institution of slavery in world history.
Is it a mere coincidence that the two countries that fully and permanently abolished slavery were the same two countries that were enjoying a Revival tide leading to a “Second Great Awakening”? It was my mentor, Dick Simmons, who first pointed this out to me years ago, and in Glory Through Time, Volume Two (pp. 300-400), it became a major theme in my writing: how Revival has led to the transformation of nations because Jesus destroys the works of the devil. I just enjoy showing what Jesus does as King of kings.
On another subject, have I mentioned George Otis yet?–the man who for the last 25 years has been videotaping stories from around the world, of what happens “when God comes to town?” My path crossed with George’s at Pine Ridge Indian Reservation last year, where George has been filming a wonderful move of God to transform the infamous alcohol town of Whiteclay, Nebraska. Some of us believe this is just the beginning of a great move of the Holy Spirit among the First Nations.
Now George will be here in our area in Virginia on May 13, 14 and 15, to show us a sneak peek of his 90-minute film, “The Gates of Whiteclay.” If you are anywhere in Central Virginia, please consider attending, though I don’t quite have the details worked out yet. But you can text me at 804-347-3303 for information a week or two in advance. He will be showing his film at the Chickahominy Tribal Center in Charles City on Monday, in Williamsburg on Tuesday, and in Richmond at Maps Global, on Wednesday.
~Douglas~
In this video I compare the long and pathetic history of atheistic revolutions with the transformational track record of the Kingdom of God. Both of these options offer hope for the transformation of nations Both promise to become an avenue of freedom and Justice. But only one of these options has a positive track record of actually producing freedom and Justice. This video is the forth in my series to show how Jesus’ unique method of bringing God’s Kingdom and righteousness has succeeded in delivering the world out of human slavery as an institution.
By the way let me add an announcement. I’ve been working with George Otis, jr and a group of Lakota people in Pine Ridge Indian Reservation over the last eight months and I can now announce that George’s next Transformation video is complete and awaiting public distribution. Titled “The Gates of Whiteclay” it shows how the power of God has transformed the community of Whiteclay, Nebraska, an alcohol town on the southern border of the reservation. We believe that what George describes in this video is only just the beginning of a much larger move of the Spirit of God.
Doug
Jesus the Emancipator III
In my writing, I try to present our Christian history as a readable story. But it is more than a story. It is fact. Stuff God did. History confirmed by historians.
In this “Jesus the Emancipator” series, I convey the seldom-told history that shows Jesus Himself as the one responsible for destroying the slave industry in the nineteenth century. You may ask, “How come no one else has told about this?” It is, seemingly, a new idea.
And that is just why I hope you will read my books, Glory Through Time–because all my stories are footnoted, and you can track my stories back to the historical research on which they are based. I believe God has led historians to research different episodes in our history, so that I could come along and string together their discoveries into a flowing story of the kingdom of God. This has been for me a great adventure of discovery. How exciting it was for me, when I stumbled across Stephen Tomkins’ book, The Clapham Sect and Owen Muelder’s book, Theodore Dwight Weld and the American Anti-Slavery Society. These books, available on Amazon’s Kindle, were like opening a doorway into an underground cavern full of long-lost treasures.
Look at this video today as a treasure map I’m giving you, and Glory Through Time Vol. 2, pages 300-400 are a pathway to the writings of these historians–and I do hope that some of you will discover these hidden treasures for yourself. Here’s the insight that I value, and I now give to you–that Jesus and the Holy Spirit have repeatedly transformed the world in which we live–and exhibit #1 is this–in the fullness of time the King directed His people to destroy the institution of slavery.
~Douglas~
My mentor, back in 1983, explained how the Second Great Awakening produced the emancipation of slaves during the nineteenth century. Yet very few writers today seem aware of that, so I have devoted a good deal of Glory Through Time detailing how this happened. My goal is to show Jesus Himself at the center of our history. The emancipation of slaves is a prime illustration of the transformational power of the Holy Spirit, working in THIS world. This video is the second in a series about how Jesus inspired the abolition movement, followed by the emancipation of slaves worldwide. Jesus sets people free.
We seem to have the idea today that Jesus is mainly good for getting people into heaven after you die. But, strictly speaking, that is not the Gospel of the Kingdom. The Kingdom of God is the transformation of the earth INTO a heavenly place. That is what Jesus specifically asked us to pray for, and that is why Jesus is returning at the end of the age–“to restore all things” (Acts 3:19-21)–meaning, redeeming all Creation to become as God originally intended before Adam messed it up in league with Satan. At a certain point in the progress of Kingdom history, Jesus decided to challenge the worldwide slave industry. It didn’t fit His plans for THIS world.
If we are believers, it is important that we get our history right.
~Douglas~
Jesus the Emancipator – 1
We fight demonic deception by telling the truth. One of the great deceptions of our time is this: “Christianity is the religion of slavery.” This lie comes from the tragedy of Christians buying and selling slaves in this country. However, at that time, the buying and selling of slaves was practically universal among all nations and peoples–a fact supported by the historians who have studied and written about slavery–like Mark Meltzer and Sean Stillwell.
The reality is that something happened around the year 1800 to transform the world out of slavery. That thing was: The Second Great Awakening. What caused this great awakening? King Jesus did. It was a feature of Kingdom advance in Britain and the U.S. Jesus decided it was time to get rid of the international slave industry that had bedeviled the whole world for centuries.
In the next few newsletters, I would like to summarize what I have written in Glory Through Time about the abolition and emancipation movements, and their roots in the outpouring of the Holy Spirit.
To introduce this subject, I deal with the issue of why we are so often blinded from seeing what Jesus does in answer to our prayer–“Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” –And why, even when we see these things, we are so quick to forget the role that Jesus has had in transforming the nations. If Jesus hadn’t done these things, we would have very few of the blessings we take for granted today.
The Power to Transform
American Christianity has chosen to focus on two of the promises Jesus gave us:
1. Eternal salvation
2. Miracles and deliverance for individuals by the Holy Spirit
But the Bible speaks of a third kind of promise: The transformation of nations. It is for this purpose that Jesus is coming back “to restore all things” (Acts 3:21). And prior to that ultimate triumph of the kingdom of God, He promises “times of refreshing from the presence of the Lord” (Acts 3:19). These are the Revival tides that I describe in my latest book.
God, all along, has had a transformative impact on our world, and especially on the U.S.A., which has experienced an unbroken chain of transformational Revival tides from the start.
in this video I describe this third major promise of the Bible, in preparation for next month, when I describe the connection between the Second Great Awakening and the eradication of the slave industry worldwide—a major example of the role of the Holy Spirit to destroy the works of the devil among the nations. And thereby to transform them.
And by the way, I am looking for people who will review Glory Through Time Volume 2: The Forgotten Legacy of Transformational Revivals, on Amazon. And if the price that my publisher is asking for this book is too much for you, just write to me and I’ll return half, if you will write me a review. It would mean a lot to me to get your feedback.
~Doug~
IT’S BIGGER THAN YOU THINK
Most of us know that Jesus came to save us for eternal life in heaven, so that we might live and not die. And that is the starting point for most of us in our understanding of the Gospel. And yet there is so much more to it, that you hardly ever hear mentioned in Church. God’s plans are higher, bigger, more complicated, more beautiful and more complete that any of us can possibly imagine.
What does it mean, for example, when the Bible promises that Jesus is coming back “to restore all things.” And why did Jesus have us pray “Thy Kingdom come on earth….” Why was His emphasis upon earth, rather than all of us ending up in heaven? Did you ever think about this? How much do we talk about this in our home groups, or in sermons?
But when God sends a Revival tide, it is actually a foretaste, downpayment or “earnest” of what He is going to do at the end of the age. Restore all things. He is not just sending Revival so that more people can go to heaven. He is showing us the sort of transformation He fully intends to bring to the nations. Yes, He is King of Nations! Right here on earth!
Doug
WHAT ABOUT CESSATIONISM?
During my research for Glory Through Time, Vol. Two, I ran into something that really surprised, even shocked me, because it was so unexpected. I discovered a powerful outpouring of a spirit of prophecy during the Scottish Reformation. I describe this in Volume Two, Chapters 1-10.
I had been taught that the leaders of the Church of Scotland in the 16th and 17th centuries were cessationists, being followers of John Calvin, who has always been presented to me as the author of cessationist doctrine. Yet the picture I was uncovering from that period of time did not match what I had been taught.
Cessationism is the belief that God decided to cut off the gifts of the Spirit after the Bible itself was completed, under the theory that “Christians don’t need the gifts of the Spirit today–we have the Bible now, and that is good enough.” Could it be that John Calvin was not really the die-hard cessationist that he is often portrayed to be? In my search for the truth, I discovered that he was not! This video explains the evidence.
I am not so much interested in stirring up doctrinal controversy. My interest is simply to ask: what did God do to advance the kingdom of God throughout the centuries? My hope is to put God squarely in the center of our story. Cessationist doctrine does not fit the picture of history that emerges from eyewitness testimony. I like to say, The mighty deeds of God are as factual as the Great Wall of China, and Abraham Lincoln’s beard. Did God cease doing anything after the Bible came into being? Look at the facts. Read Glory Through Time.
Greetings, Today I am announcing my entry into the world of Zooming professors. Beginning Sept. 11, 2023 I will become a professor in a new school just three years old, the River City School in Richmond, Virginia, an institute that encourages and trains Spirit-filled leaders. The founder of this school, Pastor Steve Stells is an […]
First Nations This month I am sharing with you, my friends around the world, how I became involved in praying for the First Nations of America across the continent. Many people (like Mike Bickle of the International House of Prayer in Kansas City) were called to pray toward the next Great Awakening beginning in 1983. […]
WHAT ARE REVIVALS GOOD FOR?In this video, I describe the value of transformational Revivals, a piece of our history that has been terribly neglected by most historians–and as a result, most Christians are unaware of the importance of the great outpourings of the Holy Spirit. And as a result most Christians have not prayed for future outpourings of the Spirit. It is an area of blindness.
And while I’m at it, let me announce the first of several book-signing events I plan for this summer, to celebrate the publication of Glory Through Time, Volume Two: The Forgotten Legacy of Transformational Revivals. It will take place this Sunday June 4th, 2023 at my home church, The River Church in Toano, Virginia. It will be just after worship at about noon. I will have all my books available as well as my stoneware pottery (Doug’s Mugs). The River Church Toano is at 8824 Richmond Rd, Toano, VA 23168.
If you live in the area, I’d love to see you.
If you can’t make it, there will be other opportunities later in the month of June. In fact, if you would like to host a book-signing event and you live in Virginia, let me know of your interest.
I have also scheduled a second event at The Barn, 800 Broad St Rd, Manakin-Sabot, VA 23103 (Goochland, Virginia) Wednesday JUNE 14th, at 6 p.m., hosted by my friend, Rob Rhoden.
Anyone else?Sincere Thanks,
Doug
The Sovereignty of God, Part II
This video reinforces the theme of last month–that true Revival is an act of God bringing the Presence of the King to bear on the transformation of nations. It is not a church program, as the word “revival” is often used today.
Let me announce, finally, the completion of my Glory Through Time series with the publication of Volume Two, subtitled, “The Forgotten Legacy of Transformational Revivals.” UPS delivered my first five boxes of books yesterday.
If you live anywhere near me, I will be scheduling a series of book-signing events where you can purchase copies a little more cheaply than the $30.99 price-tag on Amazon. I will try to inform you of these events soon.
This is a much bigger book than Volume One, bigger in every sense of the word. It conveys the transformational nature of the Kingdom of God, and the ultimate burden on the shoulders of Yeshua the Messiah, who comes “to restore all things.” Revivals are an arrabon, an earnest or downpayment (Eph. 1:14, 2 Cor. 5:5), of what Jesus will do when He returns to “rule on earth for 1000 years.” We, His Royal Priesthood, are purposely positioned on earth to pray these things in, which He has decreed in heaven, according to Mt. 18:18-19. When He comes back, will He find faith on the earth?
I would so appreciate it if those of you who can get a copy of this book would, as soon as you read it, give me a review of it on Amazon. Would you do that for me? Word of mouth and positive reviews are an important way to spread the word, which is my main need right now. Also, please pray for me, that, as I approach 80 years of age, I will properly discern what God has for me next!
Doug McMurry
THE SOVEREIGNTY OF GOD
Exactly 40 years and eight days ago, my wife and I were called to begin praying daily toward the next Great Awakening. At the end of the forty years, we had a sense of “well done” from God. A week later, Revival broke out at Asbury University, and began spreading out from there. We believe this will become the next Revival tide. We believe this is the beginning of the next Great Awakening. This experience reaffirms what we have sensed all along. The Sovereignty of God.
God has our country’s history in His hands. And yet His sovereign control of our destiny does not translate into passive acquiescence and inevitability. “Well, God’s gonna do what He’s gonna do.” “Que sera sera.”
He calls people to pray into His will for our nation, our cities and our families–and His world. That brings to mind those two places in Matthew 16 and Matthew 18, where it says, “Whatever you bind on earth will have been bound in heaven, whatever you loose on earth will have been loosed in heaven.” Many Christians think these verses give us blanket authority to speak whatever we want and, because we are Christians, God will do it for us. But that is not the way it works. Instead, God gives us authority to pray on earth what the King of kings is commanding from the heavenlies. It’s a wonderful plan, in which the High Priest gives us His will, and we pray it into being on earth, and then it happens on His timetable. We have seen this Kingdom pattern worked out once again, which we have seen many times before.
This video explains the biblical basis for this way of His: that God uses prayer to advance His kingdom. I hope you like it.
By the way, I am told that my next book, Glory Through Time, Vol. Two: The Forgotten Legacy of Transformational Revivals, will probably not be out until May. I am going to try to get copies in advance to sell locally at book-signing events. We’ll see. It seems like this book has taken longer to get “out there” than the last one.
Doug McMurry
The Clearing Where Eagles Fly
The Matrix (The Matrix)It was a mystery to me at first. As I researched the history of God’s mighty deeds, I found story after story from eyewitnesses and Revival historians going back centuries. And yet practically every one of these stories has been forgotten by the Christians of today. Hundreds of stories tossed casually away into the dustbins of history, utterly forgotten. “How could Christians be so forgetful, so careless with the memory of God’s power?” The answer, I discovered, is located in The Matrix.
In this video, I give my best answer to the forgetfulness of the Christian Church.
Doug
When Revival Doesn’t Happen
We in the United States have a unique history. We live in the only country in the world that has enjoyed a steady stream of Revival tides from God during its entire history. The first of these was known as The Great Awakening because it was an outpouring of the Holy Spirit much deeper and broader than anything that had been seen before. (But then there have been several other outpourings that have been even greater–much greater by far.)
Yet this “Great Awakening” of 1735, as surprising as it was, was only half of a great awakening–because it only covered the northern half of the emerging country, soon to become the United States of America. It spread throughout New England; but it didn’t touch the South at all. Not even a little bit. Why?
What was the difference between these two regions that made the north so receptive to the Great Awakening, but not the South? Can we learn something from our history to clue us in about why some parts of the world are receptive to God’s outpourings, and others, not so much? And do you suppose that this vastly different spiritual climate might have had further implications for the budding United States of America?
These questions and many others are addressed in my next book, Glory Through Time, Vol. Two, The Forgotten Legacy of Transformational Revivals, soon to be published by TBN. If you are interested in these thoughts about transformational Revival, please drop me a line and let me know. I really do want to hear from you. Just email me at douglasmcmurry@gmail.com.
~Douglas~
PROPHETS OF OLDA major theme of my next book is that the kingdom of God advances by moves of the Spirit of God, not by worldly power. Most of us look back at the Protestant Reformation as a transition from “Catholic” doctrines and church government to “Protestant” doctrines and church government. But in my research I discovered that, especially in Scotland, there was a much deeper transition happening: Jesus was introducing the Holy Spirit, inviting the Scottish Kirk into a whole new lifestyle. He was inviting them to walk in the Spirit.
One evidence of this new and revolutionary transition was that the leaders of the Reformation were often gifted to minister prophetically to their generation. Yes, you heard me right: for 150 years, key leaders ministered the spiritual gift of prophecy, a fact which has been largely forgotten today. My book presents this aspect of the Scottish Reformation in detail, but in this video, I give just a few quotes to prove the point.
During each of four Revival tides in Scotland beginning with George Wishart, prophecies flowed more and more powerfully as God spoke to leaders who were often risking their lives for Jesus. The prophecies demonstrate a major point I am trying to make in this book: that Jesus was trying to re-introduce the life-in-the-Spirit to Christian people–who had largely adopted an alternate lifestyle, which I call “Power-and-Might Christianity.”
This new generation of Scots were privileged to experience four Revival tides prior to the onslaught of the Enlightenment (so-called), each one becoming more and more broadly transformational to Scottish life. Between 1550 and 1680, Scottish people were learning how to truly surrender their lives to the King, because King Jesus was genuinely revealing Himself during these Revival tides. Prophecy was an important part of the transformation during that entire period, as I show beyond a shadow of a doubt in my book. (“Just the facts, ma’am,” as Jack Webb used to say on Dragnet.)
Several of you have enquired when this book will be available. It is in production at TBN, and I hope to have it in hand by the end of January. It will be available on Amazon kindle, and “wherever books are sold.”
~Douglas~
Classroom of the Ages
I just passed a milestone yesterday: I completed my second volume of Glory Through Time, the series that traces the movements of God’s power down through the ages. I have a sense of a major task completed, which I’ve been working on for years and years. All that’s left is to work our publishing details with my publisher, Trilogy Books at TBN.
This book is not just a rundown of the great revivals of the past, though the subtitle might imply that: “The Forgotten Legacy of Transformational Revivals.” It is a narrative with a plot and a great conflict moving toward a culmination in our time. It began with Jesus pouring out His Spirit at the start, and it ends with Jesus returning “to restore all things.” In between, Jesus is scheduling Revival tides, during which He holds classrooms of the Holy Spirit. The purpose of these classes is to woo us all away from the “Power-and-Might” lifestyle that comes so naturally to us humans–and teach us how to walk in the Spirit instead.
In this video, I give some examples of how each Revival tide differs somewhat from the last, because in it, Jesus opens up a new classroom to teach us some aspect of the Spirit-filled life described in the Bible. The Holy Spirit is a many-faceted wonder, and learning to walk with His power at the center of our lives is not a simple or easy matter. Also, to be frank, we humans are slow learners. So each Revival has emphasized some different aspect of His character and power. So, in this video, I am excited to introduce to you a major feature of the plot of my new book, Glory Through Time, Volume Two: The Forgotten Legacy of Transformational Revivals.
Best!
Doug
Opposition! You would think that Christians would be in favor of Revival. After all, Revival tides are where King Jesus becomes wonderfully present, attracts large numbers of new Christians to Himself, writes His laws on many hearts—in short, He advances His kingdom during these seasons as at no other times. And yet, every Revival tide […]
The Presence of the King 👑 There is one feature of Revivals that makes them worth remembering and studying: During Revivals Jesus becomes present in a way that He is not present at other times. You could almost define a Revival as a season of the manifest Presence of the Lord. In this video I […]
ELIGION? OR KINGDOM? When I was a kid I had a very different idea of what Christianity is than I do now. It went like this: Long ago Jesus started the one true religion. Then He died, rose, and ascended to heaven, leaving us people to manage the religion He had started. This religion is […]
THE FIRST REVIVAL TIDE Looking at the big picture, God has been working with us Christians over the last 500 years, to wean us away from a Power-and-Might lifestyle, and teach us His By-My-Spirit ways. He started opening up this classroom in Scotland aeons ago, by introducing a whole new pattern that I call Revival […]
The Westward Flow of Revival Tides So…here’s what it comes to: You can take the stories of all these Revival tides, you can sew them together, and you can tell them as a continuing narrative. That’s my challenge this year and I hope to have completed it by year’s end. And as you trace this […]
REVIVAL TIDES When you take the writings of the Revival historians and put them all together, you find that Revival movements have been a lot more frequent than most people realize. In reality, Revival movements have formed a kind of tidal pattern down through the centuries. The tide comes in; the tide goes out; then […]
Awakening #10 – The Importance of Revival Historians In this video I want to honor some unsung heroes. Most of you are not aware of these people. But God raised them up in my lifetime to do a certain work, and without their ministry, I could not write with confidence about the mighty deeds of […]
Awakening #9 – The Rebirth of Prophecy The basic theme of my Glory Through Time narrative is that, for the last 600 years, God has been drawing His people back to the life-in-the-Spirit, after 700 years during the Middle Ages, in which the Church opted for a Power-and-Might lifestyle. If that is true, then you […]
Over the years, God has asked Carla and me to change our focus from “Church” to “Kingdom.” Finally He took us out of Church ministry entirely, so I could tell the narrative of His Kingdom, which has now become a two-volume story, Glory Through Time. This year, I am working on Volume Two, which […]
Q: What’s worth doing in life? A: Devote yourself to the Kingdom of God. What I have discovered in my research is this: The kingdom of God is a complete, divinely ordained strategy for the transformation of nations. It has a unique pattern taught and lived by Jesus. This king behaves differently than all […]
Awakening #7 – Where will Revival Happen? If there is going to be a major move of the Holy Spirit in the near future, where will it happen? In this teaching I answer that question with another intriguing question: Why did the American Great Awakening happen only in the Northern colonies and not in the […]
Power Sources – Awakening #6 Our country is unique, in that the founders of the United States of America had experienced the power of God in the Old Country, and they were familiar with how God works through the Holy Spirit. They may not have possessed all the gifts of the Spirit that many do […]
The First Modern Awakening – Awakening #5 Just now, I am writing about the first modern Great Awakening, one that most of us have forgotten all about. It happened in Scotland during the latter part of the sixteenth century, and, through three waves of Revival, ended up transforming all of Scotland as a nation. This […]
Religion? Or Kingdom? – Awakening Series #4 The Bible doesn’t lie. It presents a vision so radical, so superhuman, so straightforward, that it is hard to accept full strength. It’s implications are earthshaking, if we have the courage to listen to this vision, surrender to it, and live by it. It will turn us into […]
The Power of Forgetfulness – Awakening #3 In this teaching, I tell the story of why I believe God asked me to be a storyteller for Him. It has to be distressing to Him that we humans, including Christians, have a propensity to forget His mighty deeds of the past, even though we have lavished […]
Researching the Presence – Awakening Series #2 Introducing my ministry: researching God’s presence, “times of refreshing from the presence of the Lord.” through the last 2000 years. What can we learn from looking into these seasons of presence and power, even though they have been consistently forgotten by most Christians. In this second video in […]
When the Last Apostle Died – Awakening Series #1 Up to now I’ve used my newsletter to send out stories of God’s power as I have researched them out of centuries past. You can still hear these stories, my Glory Through Time teaching on my YouTube channel, my podcasting through iTunes or on my […]
What Do the Prophets Say? Part III in the series The Third Great Awakening Join me for a review of decades of prophecy about an end time great awakening. Recorded Live at The River Church Toano. January 23rd, 2021 Watch Video on our YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/TheClearingMedia Please subscribe to our TheClearingMedia YouTube channel if you […]
What Time Is It? Part II in the series The Third Great Awakening (Where are we in God’s unfolding plan for the Kingdom of God?) Recorded Live at The River Church Toano. January 16th, 2021 Watch Video on our YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/TheClearingMedia Please subscribe to our TheClearingMedia YouTube channel if you like it. Thank you! […]
What is a Great Awakening? Part I in the series The Third Great Awakening Recorded Live at The River Church Toano. January 9th, 2021 Watch Video on our YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/TheClearingMedia Please subscribe to our TheClearingMedia YouTube channel if you like it. Thank you!
Vision Seven Most people think that the Book of Revelation prophesies the end of the world. In reality, it prophesies “a new heaven and a new earth where righteousness dwells” (2 Pet. 3:10). The Kingdom of God is “the renewal of all things,” when Yeshua will bring the whole earth in harmony with heaven. Yeshua […]
Jerusalem! When Jesus said to Pilate, “My Kingdom is not of this world,” He didn’t mean that it was “in heaven.” He meant that it was not a “power and might kingdom,” like Rome. The prophets had all said that the King would return to the earth to rule from Jerusalem (Zion). These same prophets […]
Transformed Hearts Peter’s second sermon is the most concise presentation of the timeline of the advance of the Kingdom of God on earth (Acts 3:19-21). In the present age we will experience “times of refreshing from the presence of the Lord.” In the next, Jesus comes back “to restore all things.” These are two parts […]
The Second Advent. A look at I Thess. 4:16-18, which pictures five events closely associated with the return of Jesus. 1) A loud command or roar (announcing the Day of the Lord); 2) the voice of the archangel giving the command of judgment against those in rebellion against God; 3) the trumpet (shofar) call of […]
Vision Six. (Rev. 17-19) Subject: God’s Judgment over the World System. In light of the inevitable destruction of the world system with all its sin industries, we should pay attention how we invest our time, carefully evaluating which works are destined to be “burned up.” The world system consists of a matrix of deceptive ideas […]
Vision Five. (Rev. 15, 16) Subject: God’s Judgment over Sin. As in the time of the Exodus, God will provide refuge for His people as He judges the earth. He will keep His people in safe “Goshens” as He calls them to be a house of prayer for all nations. It is increasingly incumbent on […]
Vision Four – (Rev. 12-14) Subject: Israel. Israel is pictured as a woman, and the Christians are her offspring. Jews will be persecuted because they are the people who produced the King. The King returns to replace the world system (“Babylon the Great”). The King will rule from Jerusalem. The number three and a half […]
Vision Three. (Rev. 8-11) Subject: The Creation. The Creation itself will increasingly reflect the sickness of the human race in rebellion against God. The last (seventh) trumpet Represents the final victory of Christ. Between the sixth and seventh trumpet blasts, God downloads His special promises for His faithful ones. The “two witnesses” are based on […]
Vision Two. (Rev. 4-7) Subject: Human history from God’s perspective. The Ascension of Jesus was the turning point in history, based on Daniel 7. The scroll is the title deed of the world. Jesus alone paid the price to purchase the whole world from its bondage to the deceiver. The tearing off of the seals […]
Rewards for Overcomers. Being an overcomer means resisting worldly pressures and popular thinking, to embrace the thoughts of the King. Those who succeed in living as Kingdom citizens will receive these rewards: 1) we will eat of the tree of life; 2) we will not be hurt by the second death; 3) we will receive […]
Revelation: Vision One – (Rev. 1-3) Subject: The Church. A unique community because it has at its center Yeshua the Priest-King. The seven churches of Vision One are representative of the “whole, complete and perfect” Church; therefore the gifts and warnings Jesus gives apply to us as well as the original churches in John’s circuit. […]
Revelation Introduction – The Book of Revelation announces how Jesus will complete the tasks God has given Him, destroying the hostility and futility of the human race toward God. At the end of the story, Jesus gets rid of the Deceiver “so he can deceive the world no longer.” The Book of Revelation is not […]
Do We Need a Christ? From God’s point of view, Adam’s disobedience reflects two problems in the human race: sin and satanic deception. The first coming of Jesus took care of the problem of sin. The second coming will take care of satanic deception. Both sin and deception must be dealt with if Jesus will […]
Focusing on the Kingdom – The original gospel of Jesus was “the Gospel of the Kingdom.” Jesus understood Himself to be the fulfillment of that gospel, and so did His disciples, the Apostles of the Church. Today, God is showing us that He has every intention of fulfilling the Gospel of the Kingdom as He […]
The Jewishness of Jesus – At the same time that Rome turned Christianity into the official religion of Rome, the popes of that time created a new idea about how Jews and Gentiles relate to each other. Replacement theology came into existence. No longer are Gentiles grafted into Israel. Gentiles are replacing Israel as the […]
Dispensationalism and “Left Behind” Theology – John Nelson Darby, a member of the Plymouth Brethren, invented yet another eschatology that moved Christians back to a belief in the physical return of Jesus to reign on earth for 1000 years. But before that happens, Darby claimed, Jesus would come back for a secret “rapture of the […]
Postmillennialism – With the worldwide great awakenings of the 19th and 20th centuries, followed by the missions movement, there came a great hope that God was going to win the whole world to Christ, purely by the outpouring of the Holy Spirit in spiritual awakening. Thus, the Church would grow and grow and take over […]
Allegorical or Predictive? – Beginning with Isaiah, we have prophecy that describes the rise and fall of earthly empires. All of these empires were future to Isaiah, though to us, they are historical. All of the prophecies of Isaiah except those that concern what is yet in the future, have come to pass, demonstrating that […]
The Rise of A-millennialism – Teachings 4-7 deal with the history of eschatology. My teaching begins by portraying the rejection of the original idea–that Jesus will return historically to restore all things—in preference to a new doctrine, which has been called a-millennialism (which means “no millennium.”) Under this new doctrine, Jesus will not return to […]
The Gospel of the Kingdom – In Ephesians 1, the apostle Paul lists seven ingredients in the Gospel of the Kingdom, of which the salvation of our souls is only one. The purpose of the Kingdom of God is not “salvation,” but that “Heaven and earth will be united under one head—Jesus Christ.” “Creation will […]
Recovering Apostolic Teaching – God continually leads us back to the Bible to connect with His original vision as revealed to the apostles and prophets of old. Unfortunately, the Church lost the original vision of the Kingdom of God during the fourth century, when the Roman Catholic Church sought to supply the Roman Empire with […]
End Time Introduction – The Kingdom of God operates not by human principles, but by God’s higher ways. He trains us to wield authority as His Royal Priesthood, and to minister in the power of the Holy Spirit. The same is true as we move toward “Part B” of the story, the return of the […]
Summary – By tracking God’s mighty deeds of the past, we can draw some conclusions about the advance of God’s Kingdom throughout the centuries. Acts 3:19-21 is the most concise biblical summary of the coming of the Kingdom of God. It is a story with two historical parts. The first consists of “times of refreshing […]
Back to Jerusalem – Through the influence of many praying westerners, the Christian faith spread through much of China. However, the Communist movement resulted in the complete eradication of all Western churches—and the house-church movement resulted. During this season, in the early 40’s, Jesus began to visit His Church with a spirit of prophecy. One […]
The Goforths of China – Jonathan Goforth and his wife Rosalind visited Korea just as this great visitation of God was occurring. They interviewed the missionaries, wrote their own account of what had happened, and then returned to Manchuria, just to the west of Korea, where they had been missionaries for years. Back in China, […]
The Great Korean Revival – A group of Presbyterian and Methodist missionaries in Pyongyang heard about the great outpouring of the Spirit in India and inquired, “Why couldn’t God do the same thing here?” They prayed for months, until in January of 1907, the Holy Spirit was poured out at Pyongyang Presbyterian Church. Thousands were […]
Azusa – The Welsh Revival sparked revivals all over the world—in the Kassia Hills in India, and at Azusa in Pasadena. God used William Seymour, a black man, son of a slave, to lead the most extraordinary and powerful manifestation of His presence in the twentieth century. Fire fell from heaven on the lowly building […]
Worldwide Awakening – After the death of Dwight Moody in Chicago in late 1899, the Chicago Bible Institute was renamed the Moody Bible Institute, and was led by R. A. Torrey. Torrey was led to pray regularly for a worldwide great awakening, the prayers lasting three years. Then, guided by the Holy Spirit, Torrey put […]
Western Tribes. God kept the westward momentum of His Kingdom going through an extraordinary outpouring of prophecy among the tribes of the Columbia Plateau in the Pacific Northwest in the 18th century, roughly corresponding to the eastern great awakenings. Each prophecy, a different one for each tribe, pointed to Jesus, fueling a curiosity about Jesus, […]
1857! By the year 1857, the effects of the Second Great Awakening were starting to be forgotten. Suddenly another great wave of awakening took over in Ireland, Scotland and the U.S. Again, for the third time, it was as though God were engineering things trans-continentally. In Charleston, the Holy Spirit fell in Anson Street Presbyterian […]
Finney and Abolition. During the waning years of the Second Great Awakening, God raised up a lawyer in New York who was profoundly used, for a decade (1820’s) to bring whole towns to Christ. Finney was not a devout abolitionist, yet a great many of those converted under his ministry became the leading abolitionists of […]
The Second Great Awakening. The awakening of 1799 in America (paralleled by the Clapham Sect movement in London) was far greater in breadth, length and influence than that which had happened 65 years before. One of the most influential leaders was a Presbyterian named James McGready who stirred up prayer for “the worst place in […]
Slave Prayer – Following Gabriel’s Rebellion in 1800, it became illegal for slaves to assemble throughout the southern states for “religious” purposes (because the cause of the rebellion was stated to have been “Methodists, Presbyterians and Frenchmen.”) Nonetheless, slaves were all the more diligent to come together for Christian prayer, and even contrived to pray […]
Robert Carter III – A prime example of the stirring of indignation against slavery came in the 18th century. Robert “King” Carter had been one of the most notorious plantation owners to own slaves in Virginia. But his grandson Robert—after his conversion to Christ at the hands of a Baptist evangelist—could not justify to his […]
John Newton – While power and might Christians championed the institution of slavery, spiritually awakened Christians began to sense that God wanted to use them to destroy this institution, as had St. Patrick in Ireland during the fifth century. John Newton, who had been pulled into slave trafficking in Africa as a young man, devoted […]
The Great Awakening – Beginning in 1735, the concept of spiritual awakening went to a whole new level. God showed that He could awaken several nations simultaneously! An extraordinary downpouring of the presence of God in Northampton, Massachussetts spread to dozens of other communities in America. Then, as several pastors in the region of Cambuslang, […]
Protestant Persecutions – The spiritual awakening of Scotland could not go unopposed. As King James VI of Scotland became (also) King James I of England (thus creating a new entity called Great Britain), he championed the Divine Right of Kings—meaning, he considered himself—not Jesus—as the de facto head of the Church. In doing this, He […]
Scottish Awakening – The Lollard movement also went north, to Scotland, where it eventually produced the Scottish Reformation. Leaders in Scotland, called into the prayer of faith in God’s word, were to experience spiritual regeneration on a scale not known for centuries. During the time of George Wishart, John Knox, John Welch and Andrew Melville, […]
Moravians! In the 14th century, there emerged in England a grass-roots movement known as the Lollard movement, resulting from translations of the Bible into English at Oxford. John Wycliffe became associated with this and provided some leadership for it. This back to the Bible movement was picked up by John Hus in Bohemia, leading to […]
God’s Track Record – What we are tracing here is not Church history, but the track record of the mighty deeds of God over the last 2000 years. However, there have been four movements that have tried to cover up those mighty deeds, making it difficult for us to see and acknowledge them: Roman Catholicism, […]
Mediaeval Mercies – During the Middle Ages, God reached out to the Roman Catholic Church with two monastic movements, to remind people of the original “by my Spirit” vision. The first was the Cistercian movement (led eventually by Bernard of Clairvaux), which sought to revive the original Rule of St. Benedict, which was based on […]
The Middle Ages – Power and might Christianity corrupted the Church of the Middle Ages, until the whole concept of “Christianity” became unrecognizable. Control of the Papacy fell to a few Italian families who vied for control of vast wealth and influence. In the end, a second “Vatican” was established at Avignon in France, with […]
The Next 700 Years. The advance of the Kingdom of God can be seen as a conflict between two versions of Christianity. During the first 700 years, “by my Spirit” Christianity prevailed in the West, up to the Synod of Whitby in 644 A.D. “Power and might” Christianity prevailed during the Middle Ages, leading to […]
The Triumph of Rome. For fifty years, there were two contrasting Christian churches in Britain: a “power and might” church and a “by my Spirit” church, growing side-by-side. This unstable situation was resolved at the Synod of Whitby in 644 A.D., in which the Roman Church edged out the Celts, who began the slow and […]
Reintroducing Rome. Just as Aidan (from Iona) established the outreach to Anglo-Saxons at Lindisfarne, Rome came back into the picture in 597 A.D. It’s first archbishop, a Benedictine monk named Augustine, set up shop at Canterbury, and challenged the Celts to accept his authority. Lacking the one quality (humility) that would have won their allegiance, […]
Columba and Kentigern. After establishing 30 houses of prayer in Ireland, and after making a pilgrimage to honor Martin at Tours, the hot-headed Columba created some serious problems in Ireland—and was banished from his homeland in the middle of the sixth century. Founding the prayer community at Iona, Columba succeeded in bringing the Picts and […]
Patrick and the Irish. As a teenager, Patrick was whisked away from his home in Dumbarton, Scotland, to be a slave in Ireland. This improbable beginning set him on a journey of prayer, which God would build into one of the greatest examples of Kingdom transformation the world has ever seen—as described by Patrick himself […]
Evagrius, Cassian and Germanus. Evagrius of Pontus, experiencing the temptations of wealth and power in the Byzantine Church, fled to the deserts of Egypt, where he became the leader of the spiritual descendants of Anthony at Nitria. Two men—Cassian and Germanus—attached themselves to him, then carried the teaching of the Desert Fathers into Gaul, and […]
The Early Celts. The Desert Fathers, beginning with Anthony, continued to live by the original “by my Spirit” pattern Jesus modeled out for them. Martin of Tours picked that up from the biography of Anthony by Athanasius, and passed it along to Ninian, who planted it in Scotland in 397 A.D. Scotland became a matchstick […]
Power and Might. When Constantine moved to make Christianity the official “religion” of Rome, Pope Sylvester I assumed that he was to form an alliance with the Roman emperor. In this way—beginning in 313 A.D.—Christianity stopped being a “by my Spirit” kingdom, and began to function as a “power and might” religion. My teaching shows […]
By My Spirit. Jesus fulfilled the ancient king-prophecies, but declared that His kingdom was not “of this world.” It was not a “power and might” kingdom, but a “by my Spirit” kingdom. My teaching articulates seven features of how His Kingdom operates—the basic patterns of real Christianity, which entered into the Roman world to transform […]
The Hope of Rome. The ancient Hebrew prophecies spoke of a new kingdom that God would instigate during the fourth great world empire of the ancient world: the Roman Empire. The great promise of that empire was this: that they would civilize the surrounding “barbarian” nations by conquering them. Caesar began the process of “civilization” […]
In experimental Christianity, you find something in the Bible, then you ask God to teach you how to walk in the reality of it—to walk by faith. Early on, I was confronted with the gift of tongues described in the Bible. I give a little history of this gift, and explain why I don’t teach […]
When we come together with other people, the dynamics of prayer changes dramatically. That is why it’s best to follow the pattern that Jesus gave us for together prayer. Start with worship. Then focus on the Kingdom of God—God’s will, before asking for anything for ourselves. We also clear our hearts of any residue of […]
Jesus warns us to “buy oil”—especially as we see that the time of His return is drawing near. The purpose seems to be so that we can resist deceptions that will overcome the world at that time. I add several more ways to enrich our daily quiet time with God—secrets of the secret place. The […]
The nuts and bolt of a quiet time. Bible. Prayer Journal. Alertness. Asking God to speak. Then I describe in detail the most ancient, time-tested approach to actually hearing from God. This is a four-step process of opening your heart to Him and His word, abiding in Christ, and letting His word abide in you.
We are invited to “draw near to God, then He will draw near to us.” Jesus teaches us to spend personal time alone with God. This teaching gives suggestions for how to build into your life a daily personal quiet time. You can reserve a space in your home exclusively for God, and I encourage […]
“The Christ” is Jesus’ title, not His last name. The title means “The Anointed One—“ anointed to be King. Even before He died, He was already training His disciples how to receive and minister to people as “anointed ones”—Christians, and the believers came to be called. The anointing described in John 14-16 is aimed to […]
The Holy Spirit is the way Jesus becomes King in our lives. He is “by my Spirit” kind of King, not a “power and might” kind of King. It is actually to our advantage that Jesus went away (at His ascension, after His death), because then He was able to send the Holy Spirit to […]
If our quest cannot be achieved except by “faith working through love,” genuine love requires an act of surrender. We have to stop being in control; we have to surrender our lives to God. Let go and let God. Then we can gain a peace unavailable anywhere else. Some find surrender easier to accomplish than […]
People by nature are on a quest for abundant life. America and the West have achieved a great abundance in our life-style. Yet despite these obvious advances, there is a level of brokenness and disillusionment that is confirmed by statistics. Incarcerations, addictions, suicides, broken homes, even health statistics are not what we would have hoped […]
For me, the four most important rewards for a life of walking with God are these: Walking with God positions us to learn our true destiny, for which He created us in the first place. It enables us to form stable relationships with people, because we learn to depend on God, not people, to be […]
I tell stories from my 35 years as a pastor, in which I devoted a significant part in the rewarding work of making disciples, “teaching people to obey what Christ commanded.” I also tell the story of the Hebrides Revival, when, according to one of the leaders of it, the presence of God lifted when […]
I tell several stories of Christians who reached out to lost people (or to people who are experiencing spiritual awakening) and established a long-term relationship with them, as Jesus did with His disciples. Keep an eye out for people you can invest in to teach them how to follow Jesus. It’s the Great Commission, straight […]
When I was searching to step over into a walk with God, I needed someone to help me negotiate the step. This step was a big one! God provided just the person for me. I believe God can provide someone like that for you, and I encourage you to look for that person, and take […]
My experience in 1972 when I stepped out of being a mere church-goer, and began to walk with God in the power of the Holy Spirit. I had to have some help with this. A lady who was already walking with God explained how to do it, and helped me with my doubts and questions. […]
Welcome to The Clearing – Where Eagles Fly… this is our Podcast powered by iTunes. I’m Doug McMurry, director of The Clearing Where Eagles Fly in Virginia, and I want to announce now, August 2019, something new I’m developing. I am turning all of my video teachings at my website, TheClearing.us, into audio files […]