Evangelist Couple Prepare Church for Christ’s Return
A POWERFUL VISION
In 1994, the Toronto Blessing revival had been going on only three weeks when John and Carol had to leave on a missions trip to Hungary. Their team was praying for them when Carol suddenly fell to the floor under the power of the Holy Spirit and had a powerful vision.
The vision lasted about 45 minutes. The entire time speaker, Marc Dupont, was preaching, Carol was laying on her back near the platform, sometimes with her legs straight up in the air running, arms flying, reaching up. The ushers approached John and asked if they should move Carol to the side. John told them, “Nobody touch her. She would never do anything like this. Not even for a million dollars. God is doing something powerful in her.”
In the vision Carol was in a beautiful meadow with Jesus. He handed her a bouquet of lilies of the valley. There was significance to that bouquet. In 1978, John and Carol had met for dinner (they were acquaintances at the time), and his mother had sent along a bouquet of lilies of the valley for her. She had recently been divorced and was now a single mom of two young boys. She was crying out to God asking Him how to navigate this overwhelming time in her life.
Suddenly, the car filled with a fragrance…she picked up the lilies John had given her and heard the Lord speak to her, “Carol, lilies of the valley do not grow on mountain tops. They only grow in valleys and whenever you are in a valley, I will always have My lilies there for you." The lilies signified His presence, His light, His compassion, His care, and His overwhelming love and concern for every detail of her life. In the vision when Jesus handed her the bouquet, she knew exactly what He meant. She found herself walking arm in arm with Jesus. People were waving and cheering. Under her feet was a street made of gold. She was in Heaven. “I am marrying Jesus,” she thought. Next, she found herself at a massive banquet hall with the tables all set, but no one was there. Behind her were beautiful people that Jesus revealed are the broken, hurting, and outcast who were invited to His banquet feast. Jesus then asked Carol for the first dance.
When she awoke from the vision at the end of the service, she shared the full vision. Then God told her to tell the people that they are to be like the five wise virgins in Matthew 25. Then she taught on the parable of the virgins. She heard the Lord say to tell the people, “This is a time that I am pouring out extra oil. Buy oil!” The oil the wise virgins carried refers to a life full of the Holy Spirit and on fire for God. “The cost of intimacy is vulnerability and humility: The oil is the Holy Spirit who ignites intimacy with Jesus in us in our relationship with Jesus. No one else can give us some of their intimacy with Jesus. Just like in any other relationship, as you spend time with that person and cultivate intimacy, your relationship develops and grows.”
A DREAM - HOLINESS
On Mother’s Day in 2010, the Lord gave Carol a dream about the next wave of Glory He wants to pour out on earth before He gathers His Bride, who has made herself ready. When she awoke from the dream, she heard the audible voice of God tell her to get up and get to church (it was 9:45 and church started at 10:30). On the way there she recorded her dream on her phone. She got to church as quickly as she could. Carol asked God if she was to share the dream that day. She heard Him say, “No, this is a test of your obedience.” A year and a half later while preparing for a conference the Lord told Carol, “I want you to share the dream.”
In the dream she was worshipping at the front of their church. Suddenly, she was being lifted off the ground. As she reached the ceiling she slowly came back down on her feet in front of the podium. She felt the weight of holiness and the fear of the Lord settle on her. In the dream she declared to the people, “The Lord says He is calling us to a new walk – to a new holiness.”
As she was speaking a Glory cloud began to form and descend. A feeling of panic seized her because the people were not ready. She urged the people to repent because the cloud was bringing the holy, reverent fear of the Lord. The foreboding of what was coming for those who did not repent was heavy on her. Carol says, “The cloud that is coming carries His greatness, justice, and righteousness. It represents a dimension of His character that we have not seen to this extent...this cloud will carry the awesome, reverent fear of the Lord.”
THE PROMISE OF HIS COMING
John began studying Matthew 25 after Carol had her vision. He became aware of the words, “while the Bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept.” John said to God, “I don’t feel like I’m asleep. I feel like I’m more wide awake then I’ve ever been in all my life. We’ve got thousands of people coming to our church. People are getting saved, healed, and powerfully touched by the Holy Spirit.”
God quickly replied, “You are asleep concerning the message of the soon return of the Lord Jesus Christ!” He realized that they had not preached the message of Jesus’s return for at least ten years. Instead, he had focused on building the Church and extending the Kingdom through signs and wonders while others were trying to predict the date of Jesus’ return.
Later, while he was studying this passage of scripture the Lord spoke to him: “If you would have stopped Carol that night, your revival would have only lasted about three weeks. I was painting a prophetic picture on her heart of what I wanted to do in Toronto and the world.” Toronto Airport Church was to become a place where people could come to buy the oil of intimacy.
ANCIENT PROPHECIES FULFILLED
The return of Jesus has been talked about for many years. The Holy Spirit inspired Scripture to be written in such a way that every generation thought Jesus’ return could happen at any moment. It is mentioned 29 times in the New Testament alone. Below are three prophecies supernaturally fulfilled:
- The Nation of Israel has supernaturally been preserved. After Rome destroyed Israel in AD 70 it was restored 1,878 years later (in 1948) to have the same ancient land, the same ancient language, and the same ancient religion.
- The Time of the Gentiles – Jerusalem was recovered during the Six Day War (1967) and returned to Jewish hands.
- The Gospel of the Kingdom – The Chruch is in every nation around the world right now and every Gospel program is available to the whole world right via the internet and live streaming. Clearly, not every individual has heard (remote tribes, etc.), but we are very close.
- Joel 3:1-2
BUY OIL NOW!
Carol and John both came from broken marriages. After dating Carol for a few years John asked her to marry him. He thought she would be practical and point out the fact that he had two girls and she had two boys and they had no money so how would this work. Instead, she was excited and said, “Oh yes!” They have been married for 43 years. Sometimes people are unwilling to commit, but Jesus wants somebody who is absolutely in love with Him for all He is and for all He does.
“We’re coming down to the finish now, and it’s serious because five of the virgins from Matthew 25 didn’t make it to the wedding.” They realized too late they were missing (the oil of intimacy), and Jesus said to them: I never saw you. You were busy with yourself, wrapped up in your own life, your own needs, and desires. You were not preoccupied with Me.
In our culture, be aware of a few issues of deception: (1) Don’t make excuses and justifications for bad and sinful behavior, they are Christianity without a cross and they are unbiblical; (2) Don’t deny the existence of hell, the Bible makes it clear Heaven and hell are real; (3) All prophecy must be revealed against the Word and checked for a witness; (4) Do not sin knowingly and hope God doesn’t care or notice; and (5) Do not believe that the antichrist is the true Messiah who is to come.