The Lord Jesus described the conditions which would exist before His return, when He prophesied: There shall be signs in sun and moon and stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, in perplexity for the roaring of the sea and the billows; men fainting for fear, and for expectation of the things which are coming on the world: for the powers of the heavens shall be shaken. And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. But when these things begin to come to pass, look up, lift up your heads; because your redemption draweth nigh. (Luke 21:25-28). If we consider the Lord’s description of the end of the age with a sober and sound mind, we have to recognise that in all probability we are at the beginning of this period. In another prophecy He referred to the upheavals, the turmoil, the conflict, and the physical diasters, as the birth pangs of the coming Kingdom. In the previous prophecy He declared: when these things begin to come to pass, look up, lift up your heads; because your redemption draweth nigh. If that is true, then there has never been a time when effective prayer and intercession could be more strategic, more necessary, and more essential than now.
