“Civilization and society rest on morals. Morals rest on religion. Religion rests on the Bible and faith in God and Jesus Christ.” Those were the words of Billy Sunday, who was a famous professional baseball player in the 1880s before he accepted God’s call as an evangelist.
Sunday was just as influential in the church world as he was in the sports world, and we would do well to remember his words today. Indeed, morals rest on religion and religion rests on Bible and faith in God and Jesus Christ. But civilization and society at large are rejecting morals, religion and Christ.
Sunday saw an epidemic of immorality back in 1929 that lit a fire under him and anyone who would listen to his theatrical preaching. In a YouTube video called “Billy Sunday Burns Up the Backsliding World: Whirlwind evangelist swings into action at Boston,” Sunday had a warning for America.
Billy Sunday’s 1929 Warning
I’ve watched this YouTube video many times now. I am so grateful that someone recorded it and that folks have posted it on YouTube—and that YouTube hasn’t taken it down. In the video he makes this prophetic declaration:
“America needs a tidal wave of the old-time religion. America needs to be taken down to God’s bathhouse and the hose turned on her. And the time isn’t far distant when the wheels of God’s judgment are going to go sweeping through this old God-hating world.
“And I want to take a pledge and this audience to join me in pledge—that you will never rest until this old God-hating, Christ-hating, whiskey soaked, Sabbath-breaking, blaspheming, infidel, bootlegging old world is bound to the cross of Jesus Christ by the golden chains of love.”
A Tidal Wave of Religion or Tsunami of Perversion?
Unfortunately, we didn’t see the tidal wave of religion that Sunday declared. Instead, we’re bracing ourselves for a tsunami of perversion.
A few weeks ago, I released a prophecy about this tsunami of perversion. Yes, we’ve seen the rumblings of this rising perversion but I believe it’s going to grow darker still. When you think of perversion you probably immediately think of sexual perversion—and I believe that’s part of it. The Bible has plenty to say about sexual perversion in Romans 1:21-28 alone and we’re seeing that passage playing out right now.
Only a tidal wave of religion—the greatest Great Awakening the world has ever seen—can reverse the course of judgment Sunday prophesied. In 1929, Sunday saw a world that was God-hating, Christ-hating, whiskey soaked, Sabbath-breaking, blaspheming, infidels and bootlegging. He probably couldn’t have imagined the state of the world nearly 100 years later.
We need more preachers like Sunday in this hour. We need prophetic voices that will rise up and speak the hard truths. We need apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers who aren’t intimidated by seeker-friendly crowds with itching ears that will only tithe to prosperity preachers. And we all need to take on Sunday’s pledge to never rest until this old world is bound to the cross of Jesus Christ by the golden chains of love.
Pockets of true revival are breaking out across America. Want to know more about the next great move of God? Click here to see Jennifer LeClaire’s new book, featuring Dutch Sheets, Reinhard Bonnke, Jonathan Cahn, Billy Graham and others
Jennifer LeClaire is senior editor of Charisma. She is also director of Awakening House of Prayer in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and author of several books, including The Next Great Move of God: An Appeal to Heaven for Spiritual Awakening; Mornings With the Holy Spirit, Listening Daily to the Still, Small Voice of God; The Making of a Prophet and Satan’s Deadly Trio: Defeating the Deceptions of Jezebel, Religion and Witchcraft. You can visit her website here. You can also join Jennifer on Facebook or follow her on Twitter.
Joyce Meyer 
Stephen Strang 
Charisma Media Staff 
