Lester Sumrall sat weeping at his desk in Manila, grieving over the country he loved. After encountering anti-American demonstrations in the streets, the missionary returned to his church and poured out his heart to God. What followed, he said, was a divine assignment to return home — and seven revelations about America’s future.
In an archival 1987 video message, Sumrall recounted warnings of spiritual decline, rebellion and moral upheaval. But the final revelation carried extraordinary hope: an outpouring of the Holy Spirit greater than any revival humanity had witnessed.
Here are the seven things Sumrall said God told him to watch for.
- America would depart from the faith of its fathers.Sumrall said the first warning concerned Americans abandoning the Christian faith they had once embraced. He described people walking away from Scripture, their churches and the biblical foundations established by previous generations.“They shall depart from the Bible. They shall depart from the religion of their parents,” Sumrall said.Citing 1 Timothy 4:1, he emphasized that departure meant leaving something people had previously known.“You can’t get out of a car until you get into a car,” he said. He warned that millions would “walk out on their faith, abandon their faith and leave their faith.”
- Eastern and pagan religions would take root in America.The second warning concerned the growth of religious practices Sumrall had encountered during his years overseas.“Eastern religions would become a prominent part of American life,” he said.Sumrall specifically discussed Hinduism and yoga, warning that practices presented as harmless could carry spiritual implications participants did not understand. He connected his concerns to the warning about “seducing spirits” and “doctrines of devils” in 1 Timothy 4:1.At the heart of his message was a warning about spiritual deception drawing people away from Jesus Christ, His saving blood and the promise of His return.
- Cults and satanic worship would become prominent.Sumrall said the third revelation involved Americans turning toward occult practices, idols and satanic worship.“Cults and demon worship and satanic worship will become prominent in America,” he recalled being told.He described covens, ritual objects and practices he regarded as a return to pagan worship. For Sumrall, the prospect was deeply troubling: People raised with access to the gospel would embrace spiritual practices their Christian upbringing had taught them to reject.“Many people in our country would go backwards hundreds of years,” he said.
- A spirit of rebellion would tear through American life.Sumrall’s fourth warning began inside the home. He described a place once associated with tenderness, love and refuge becoming fractured by hatred and broken relationships.“From coast to coast, homes will be torn to pieces like a tornado ripped into shreds,” he recalled God telling him.He said children would carry that hurt and rebellion into schools. Universities and the labor movement would also experience hostility toward authority, discipline and order.“We’ve got a spirit of rebellion in the homes,” Sumrall said. He viewed these conflicts as connected expressions of a spiritual problem reaching across American society.
- Homosexuality would become openly promoted.Sumrall said the fifth warning concerned a transformation in America’s sexual morals, particularly homosexuality moving into public visibility and advocacy.“The Americans will change in their morals,” he recalled being told.Turning to Romans 1, he read passages describing people exchanging God’s truth for a lie and rejecting His created order. He connected the chapter to his warning about homosexuality being publicly presented as a right.His emphasis was on a society moving away from biblical authority and embracing conduct Scripture condemns.
- Bestiality would become prominent and publicly justified.Sumrall introduced the sixth prediction with evident reluctance.“The sixth thing God told me, I don’t like to talk about,” he said.He predicted that sexual activity involving animals would receive public exposure and justification, including on television.“Bestiality will become a prominent thing in America,” he said.Sumrall presented this as another warning about the consequences of abandoning God’s boundaries for sexual conduct.
- The mightiest revival in human history would come.After recounting six distressing warnings, Sumrall described a seventh revelation that filled him with hope.“You will witness the mightiest revival the human race has had,” he recalled God telling him.He turned to Acts 2:17-18, emphasizing the promise that God would pour out His Spirit on all flesh. Sons and daughters would prophesy. Young men would see visions. Old men would dream dreams.Sumrall anticipated a church filled with the Holy Spirit’s power before Jesus’ return. He urged Christians to prepare their hearts to participate.“Stand up, clean up, move up, get going,” he said.
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America’s long-term decline in Christian faith and growing acceptance of sexually deviant practices give Sumrall’s warnings a painful contemporary resonance for all of us. Yet the great expectation at the heart of his message remains: the mightiest revival in human history. For those of us awaiting that outpouring, these warnings carry an urgent call to faithfulness, prayer and readiness. We await the movement of the Holy Spirit with great expectation, believing He can awaken hearts, restore families and empower His church to proclaim Jesus Christ.
As Sumrall urged, “Lift up your head … and rejoice.”
James Lasher, a seasoned writer and editor at Charisma Media, combines faith and storytelling with a journalism background from Otterbein University and ministry experience in Guatemala and at the LA Dream Center. A Marine Corps and Air Force veteran, he is the author of The Revelation of Jesus: A Common Man’s Commentary and a contributor to Charisma magazine. For interviews and media inquiries, please contact [email protected].
