2020: A Year of Seismic Shifts

by Nathan Shaw

We live in a significant time of transition. Many things are shaking and will continue to shake. Times of transition are often turbulent. Transition is an in-between period. It takes us from one reality or dynamic to another. If we over-focus on the turbulence it’s easy to become disorientated. If, instead, we focus on where the transition is taking us, we become prophetic beacons of hope. 2020 is a hugely significant year. It will be marked by several seismic shifts among God’s people and within society as a whole.

Prophetic Maturity

Prophets help connect people with the movements, rhythms and sounds of heaven. Seismic shifts happen when the government of heaven comes to earth. Rather than merely having prophetic people within the Church, the Church becomes prophetic.

An army of prophetic people have been maturing and growing. Many in this army are hidden. 2020 marks a milestone in the maturity and promotion of prophetic ministry. Prophetic ministry is “coming of age.” In it’s infancy prophetic ministry sees things blurry at best. As it matures it sees things with increasing clarity.

“20/20 vision” is a phrase which refers to clarity of vision. Seeing clearly is important. It is even more important to accurately interpret that which is seen. Each prophet sees a part of the whole. There is an increasing humility to look beyond our part and embrace that which others are seeing. Humility means we interpret what we see more accurately.

Divine Justice

2020 is a year of divine justice. The two “20”s in 2020 are like the left and right side of a scale used to determine weight. “20” on the left hand side and “20” on the right hand side means the scales are balanced. Where the scales of justice are wrongly weighted one way or the other, God is going to re-calibrate and balance the scales. God’s justice is far superior to human justice. His ways are much higher than our ways. His justice often looks vastly different than we expect. The cross is a perfect example of God’s unexpected justice. One single act forever changed history. He has ways of doing things that we haven’t even perceived yet. In this area we can continue to expect the unexpected.

Justice is a major battlefield and the intensity of the battle will continue to increase. However, when God says, “Enough is enough,” everything re-calibrates and the scales of justice become correctly balanced. Not only is God speaking from heaven, He is also raising up a generation that passionately love and seek His ways. They are hardwired for divine justice. From supreme courts over nations to everyday voices on the streets, the voice of divine justice will be heard anew. Major issues of justice will be re-energized with new wisdom, a new tone and new ways of seeing things. Divine justice releases seismic shifts in perceptions, behaviors and even laws.

A Generational Shift

The Baby Boomer generation has dominated trends throughout its existence. The reason is simple: The Baby Boomer generation—those born from 1946 to 1964—was larger than the generation which preceded it and the generation which followed it. In 2019 the Millennial generation—those born from 1981 to 1996—overtook Baby Boomers as the largest generation. This is a huge generational shift that we can’t ignore. 2020 marks the tipping point between the influence of the two generations. The influence of the Baby Boomers will lessen and the influence of Millennials will increase. The differences are already causing friction. This is a seismic shift that has only just started to rumble.

God’s heart is inter-generational. That’s why Scripture frequently refers to Him as the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob. That’s three generations tied up in one phrase! God has a plan for each generation. Satan, on the other hand, is always working to bring conflict and misunderstanding between the generations. The Millennial generation is unique, not only because of the world they grew up in, but also because God has made them unique. If the Church fails to understand Millennials it will become increasingly irrelevant.

Recently I woke up in the morning and heard God say, “I have the wisdom of the ages and wisdom for each age.” Although the sentence has a double meaning I knew God was emphasizing that He has wisdom for each stage of life and each new generation that comes forth. The book of Proverbs personifies God’s wisdom. If we hear the voice of Wisdom we will capture the attention of Millennials and call them forth to be everything God intended them to be. If we judge them we will fail to discern who they are.

The voice of the Accuser causes rifts between the generations. The voice of Wisdom unifies the generations. Satan intends to use the decreasing influence of Baby Boomers and the increasing influence of Millennials to cause strife and division. We must determine not to be intimidated by the strife. God will give His Church a voice of authority and a voice of love to speak to this generation.

How Do We Prepare?

It is God who gives understanding of the times and courage to walk in them. We can be intimidated by the turbulence of transition or we can learn to ride the wave of each seismic shift. The best way to prepare is simply to know God’s heart:

• God desires prophetic ministry to grow in love, depth, humility, accuracy and authority.
• God desires divine justice to re-calibrate and re-balance the scales of justice on the earth.
• God desires each generation to walk in their prophetic destiny.

As we prepare to step into 2020 let His heartbeat become your heartbeat.

© 2019 Nathan Shaw.

Related Articles:
Governmental Shifts, Contention and Promotion – Nathan Shaw
A New Pentecost and a New Reformation: 2019 and Beyond – Nathan Shaw

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