MAD RUSH TO UNITY IN REBELLION AGAINST THE GOD OF TRUTH

Reminiscent of major civil rights demonstrations on the National Mall (250,000 at the "March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom" and Martin Luther King's "I have a dream" speech; 837,000 +/- at the "Million Man March,") "Evangelical leaders are calling on 1 million Christians to gather together in the nation's capital next month for prayer and worship at a historic event called "Together 2016":-

Pope Francis Joins Lecrae, Hillsong at Historic 1 Million-Strong 'Together 2016' DC Event

Inspired by Nick Hall, the founder of PULSE, a prayer and evangelism movement to empower the church and awaken the culture to Jesus, Americans are being urged to unite on the National Mall on July 16 to offer prayer that God will change the hearts of a divided America.

Adding his name to the lineup of pominent [sic] guest speakers and musicians is Pope Francis, who will deliver a video message addressing the crowd.

"We are humbled and honored by his involvement and are eager to share his message with the crowd that gathers at Together 2016," Hall said in a statement to The Christian Post, reacting to the announcement that the pope has added his name to the list of speakers. "That His Holiness would choose to speak into this historic day is a testament to the urgency and the need for followers of Jesus to unite in prayer for our nation and our world."

Hall, a college pastor, came up with the radical idea of uniting pastors and Christian leaders from all denominational backgrounds to join 1 million people at the free event in hopes of inspiring true revival in the America. . .

"The times call for this moment," Hall said. "It is time to gather on a large scale and draw our attention back to where it really matters. Our hope and our help are found in Jesus, not in political leaders. We are going to come together, seek God, pray for our nation and pray for unity. Our goal is to gather as a unified front, seeking Jesus and change for our nation through prayer and worship."

It is no surprise that Pope Francis will address this gathering by video. This is a charismatic event, and he is deeply involved in the movement. Moreover, unlike Jesus who made His escape from the multitude who wanted to make Him King (John 6:14-15,) the Pope basks in the adoration of the crowds. Every report of his public appearances describes the "adoring" crowds, and his popularity bridges great divides. Unity is spite of diversity is the goal (Benedict XVI on Unity in Diversity to Interreligious Dialogue Leaders in Jerusalem.) It is predictable that the multitude at "Together 2016" will be in a spiritual frenzy born of the delusion that they are being filled with the Holy Spirit:

How a God-Given Dream for a 'Modern-Day Pentecost' Became a Reality

Nick Hall wants to see a nation bow a knee to Jesus Christ this summer in the spirit of 2 Chronicles 7:14. Although many are skeptical about the manifestation of this verse's promise—"If My people, who are called by My name, will humble themselves and pray, and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and will heal their land"—these God-given instructions have led to transforming revivals throughout history and could again.

Though it seems too long ago, the First and Second Great Awakenings, the Azusa Street Revival and Billy Graham's Explo '72 are among the fruit of this promise in America. Together 2016, a free event that invites Christians worldwide to unite July 16 on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., could be one more step toward the tipping point that brings awakening to the nation. . .

Like the nation, Hall's Together 2016 wasn't birthed overnight. Hall has been thinking about it, praying for it and working on it for over 10 years. It all started during student prayer meetings at Pulse in North Dakota. Students were making intercession for revival in their generation. As Pulse grew, Hall heard similar petitions from other campus ministries and groups across the country. They all looked for a generation-defining moment: a spiritual reset for America. . .

With a clear vision from God, Hall started reaching out to other prominent Christians to join his movement. The list of names grew quickly. R. York Moore, national evangelist for InterVarsity Christian Fellowship USA and a longtime friend, says he has the same heart for revival.

"What we haven't seen is the move of the Holy Spirit in such a way that it revitalizes the institutions of society," says Moore. "We haven't seen that in generations. I think something like Together 2016 has the capacity to create an altar. No one can schedule a revival—we're not claiming to do that—but I think when God's people come together and humble themselves before Him, it creates an altar. An altar is something God can consume." . . .

As the team started to assemble around the project, Hall was soon overwhelmed with the scale of resetting America. He tried to pitch his "God-sized vision," to other ministries. He spoke to the heads of Cru, Navigators and Young Life. He even visited Billy Graham at his house and asked if the renowned evangelist was interested in taking on this project.

"Even Billy Graham sat up in his chair, and his eyes lit up," says Hall. "He was super into it. When we started to talk about gathering a movement at the Mall, you could see the fire in his eyes, like he'd seen a vision from the Lord. We kept getting green lights from mentors we respected who we considered spiritual fathers. And yet they all said, 'This is great—you guys should do this. We believe in you.' . . .

With that, Hall got to work and trusted God to come through. As if on cue, it seemed the proverbial mountains started falling into the sea. Together 2016 required $10 million of fundraising—Hall had never raised more than $1 million in his life—and the finances rolled in. The National Mall's reservation policies made it almost impossible to set an exact date more than a year in advance, yet Hall got rapid approval for the exact date he wanted. He had no connections to procure guest speakers and artists, but God brought the big names to him, including Lecrae, Samuel Rodriguez, Ravi Zacharias—and Pope Francis.

"A couple of weeks ago, we got a call from the Vatican, saying the pope is going to be recording a prayer and a little video message if we want to share it on the Mall—in the spirit of unity," says Hall. "You can see how far-reaching it has become. . .

"PULSE [is] a prayer and evangelism movement to empower the church and awaken the culture to Jesus." The movement is empowered, but not by the Holy Spirit. It is by the same spirit, the fallen angel whom God identifies as the dragon (Rev. 12:9.) He gives the beast of Rev. 13:1-8, personified in Pope Francis, "his power, and his seat, and great authority." That same "dragon" commands the spirits of Rev. 16:13-14.

No movement that discards the Truth which alone creates true unity of faith and doctrine is of the Holy Spirit, for it is He Who guides believers into all Truth (John 16:13,) and Who is sent to "reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment" (John 16:8-11.)