ARE YOU READY?
[1]The Bible states that the seas would be roaring just before his return. Whether this refers to hurricanes and tsunamis stirring the seas I am not sure. God sometimes used the word seas or waves to describe the multitude of mankind. So, whether it's literal weather phenomena or racial unrest - they're both true! [2]Isaiah 17:12 is one example. Alas, the uproar of many peoples who roar like the roaring of the seas and the rumbling of nations. Who rush on like the rumbling of mighty waters!” [3]God’s first line of defense when his people are completely disobedient has been to use weather. He uses droughts, floods, winds, heat, cold, dust-storms, fires, even insects. He uses these things to wake us, because generally there are few casualties but huge financial losses. [4]God says that where your money is your heart is. So, we are usually devastated financially. Let me be clear, God is not causing calamities, He's using calamities. [5]The Bible says that when a nation has filled its cup with sin that the land itself will vomit out its inhabitants! Even though the land is vomiting us out, God is not looking to destroy us but to turn us from our wicked ways. Let us wake up, the king is coming! So, the land of its own accord is vomiting us out - it's one of the natural laws of God. It's like the law of gravity, which is good, created by God and yet sometimes it's catastrophic. Gravity is great when you're walking, it keeps you firmly on the ground, but a detriment when your parachute fails to open! When we obey God, we get rain in proper amounts for crops. But when we disobey nationally, we get drought, etc. Even in this God is looking at individual hearts. [6]He says it could rain in my yard if I'm obedient and not in my neighbor's yard if they're disobedient. You must remember rain was good, many were farmers.
What is in store for our future? Plenty! God is using the works of the enemy to His and our advantage. [7]When the enemy comes in like a flood God will raise up a standard. [8]This pandemic and all that goes along with it was prophesied over 2,000 years ago from the mouth of Jesus! [9]The devil is enraged because he's running out of time and he knows it so he's stoking the flames of evil in the hearts of wicked men! [10]God's judgment begins in the house of the Lord. Worldwide disaster has not come for the sin of the ungodly but for the ungodly behavior of God's people! This is a wake-up call for the church and an eye-opener for the world. The King James Version of Romans 13:11 says, “And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we (first) believed.”
[11]God says that if we will judge ourselves then he will not judge us. Clearly the idea is that we have turned from our wickedness so there is no longer a need of judgment. 2 Chronicles 7:13-14 says, “When I (God) shut up heaven and there is no rain, or command the locusts to devour the land, or send pestilence among my people, 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 heal their land.”
Everyone of us, saint and sinner alike should be searching our souls - seeking the will of the Lord during this time. [12]The Bible speaks about the dread or terror of the Lord! Let the dread of the Lord wake you up Christian brother, Christian sister. We must wake up to save the lost. They have no idea what is going on in the world. We must give them answers - and a hope. There is no hope but in Christ Jesus! The world is waiting for things to return to normal. But things are NEVER returning to normal. This is only the beginning of what is to come. God is giving a final call to mankind. Answer the call! Luke 21:28 says, “And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draws near.” Even in this, the prophets (past and present) speak about the next great awakening of the Lord! [13]They see one more time on a worldwide scale where the Lord manifests himself through his people and otherwise, when he pours out his Spirit on all flesh. [14]God who is not willing that any should perish makes the global plea for repentance once more.
The churches are full of unsaved people and sleepy Christians in a state of “spiritual stupor.” Remember, it's God's own people who don't know what time it is on his prophetic time - clock! 2 Peter 3 :3-4 says,...First, scoffers (mockers) will come in the last days walking according to their own desires and saying, “where is the promise of his coming? For since the fathers fell asleep (died), all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation.” The scoffers and doubters are Christians, not sinners. Only Christians believe in “creation,” sinners believe in “evolution.” Jesus confronted the religious leaders and skeptics in his day also. They had been waiting for the Messiah to come for thousands of years, and yet they did not believe he was the Messiah. Even after all His teachings and His miracles they refused to believe! [15]Jesus said to them, when it is evening you say, “it will be fair weather for the sky is red; and in the morning, it will be foul weather today, for the sky is red and threatening. Hippocrates! You know how to discern the face of the sky, but you can't discern the signs of the times.” What He's saying is that they understood the simple weather signs, but failed to see the obvious Messianic signs! They had neglected spiritual signs for fleshy signs - and yet they were looking for him! [16]Talk about not being able to see the forest for the trees.
God's people are woefully ignorant of the end times. Many churches never preach from the books of Revelation, and Daniel, and Ezekiel, etc. So, most of the church is woefully and willfully ignorant of the things to come! Saints if you want to know what is to come, you're going to have to search it out for yourself. In over 50 years of attending different churches, I have only heard one in-depth message about the end times, and that was from a visiting Pastor! That's pitiful. The next big thing to happen in the world and many of God's own people don't have a clue. So, I ask you again - are you ready? I'll talk more about this next time, God willing.
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[1] Luke 21:25.
[2] Isaiah 57: 20; Isaiah 5: 30; Ezekiel 26: 3.
[3] Leviticus 26; Haggai 1:10-11, 2:17.
[4] Matthew 6:21 paraphrase.
[5] Leviticus 18:28.
[6] Zechariah 14:17 paraphrase.
[7] Isaiah 59: 19 King James version paraphrase.
[8] Matthew 24:6-7 paraphrase.
[9] Revelation 12:12.
[10] 1 Peter 4:17.
[11] 1Corinthians 11:31.
[12] Isaiah 2:10; Exodus 15:14-16; Hebrews 10:27.
[13] Isaiah 44:3; Joel 2:28; Acts 2:17.
[14] 2 Peter 3:9.
[15] Matthew 15:2-3.
[16] John Heywood documented this proverb in 1546 from an anti - popish tract of the reign of Charles II.