In J.R.R Tolkien's book, The Fellowship of the Ring, when the final war for Middle Earth was at hand, Frodo has the following conversation with Gandalf:
"I wish it had not have happened in my time," said Frodo. "So do I," said Gandalf, "and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us."
And so, I pose that same question to any who dare to consider, What are you doing with the time given you?
As mentioned in a previous blog, I have encountered a bend in the road that has caused me to come to a dead halt for what I believe is a very specific time and purpose. As the prophetic clock is ticking away, many choose to look the other way, remain stuck thinking only about their desires, rather than the good of all. They are totally missing what is actually in play. The eyes of many have been so blinded spiritually that it makes me wonder just who is paying attention to what God is saying, especially as it relates to the church. Now I am not an ordained minister, but I do know what the Bible says, and rather than consult man when I need an opinion, I choose to look at the infallible Word of the Lord, and more specifically, I ask what does God have to say about the subject. I have been saying all along that the warning bells are ringing. But it continues to go unheeded by many who choose to look the other way when God is very clear on what He thinks. As a favorite pastor of mine says quite often, "God has spoken and He has not stuttered."
I was reminded in a message recently that there are numerous promises about the faithfulness of God, and yes, they are true, and we can find comfort. But, they are true for the believer and follower of Jesus Christ, not the unbeliever and not for those believers who are not adhering to His Word. It can't be both ways, as Israel, God's chosen people found out on more than one occasion. I know that Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever, as I alluded to in my previous blog. But I also said that God will not be mocked. In the book of Revelation, Jesus speaks to the seven churches, and He is doing so at this time. Although I am part of more than one international prayer groups, and I am standing in the gap, praying for repentance individually, as a part of the church, and for the nation as a whole, God may not stay His judgment on this nation. I have never witnessed such a growing apathy and apostasy in the faith, outright rebellion of the laws of God. But many true disciples are praying, repenting, interceding for the nation to come back to God, and it is my prayer that this is a sweet smelling savor unto the Lord. In one circle there are over 88,000 praying daily, continuously, and I know there are many more such groups. The Scripture says that "The fervent, effectual prayer of a righteous man avails much." (James 5:16)
At the same time, the chaos in the nation continues to spiral out of control, and do you notice that most of the evil and destruction is occurring in the wee hours of the morning while the rest of the nation sleeps? That is not surprising to me. In fact, nothing that is happening today is surprising to me. We are in intense spiritual warfare, but it is not spoken of in the light of day or by many pastors, because it seems scary. You bet it's scary, and it will become more so in days to come. This is why the church needs to awaken to the clarion call. But none of this is new. The Apostle Paul was sent to preach to the Gentile nation, because Israel, the chosen people of God, had closed their minds to the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Before his death, Paul tried once more to preach the truth to the hardhearted Jewish leaders of his day. Listen to his words in Acts 28:24-27:
Some were persuaded by the things he said, but others did not believe. And after they had argued back and forth among themselves, they left with this final word from Paul: "The Holy Spirit was right when he said to your ancestors through Isaiah the prophet, 'Go and say to this people, when you hear what I say, you will not understand. When you see what I do, you will not comprehend. For the hearts of these people are hardened, and their ears cannot hear, and they have closed their eyes - so their eyes cannot see, and their ears cannot hear, and their hearts cannot understand, and they cannot turn to me and let me heal them.'" (Isaiah 6:9-10)
The other day I watched a movie on Pure Flix, a Christian alternative to Netflix. The movie was called In the Blink of an Eye, and it was about an unsaved man who repeated the events of the Rapture over and over. Each time, his wife and friends disappeared, while the man and the other people around him remained. The man was a detective who had shunned his friend's sharing of the gospel on many occasions, but as each disappearance occurred, he began to take note of specific events before and after, futilely attempting to manipulate the results. Each day after going through these disappearances and the resulting confusion, he would be awakened again by his wife, and the events would play out again, and again, until the end. This man was given four opportunities to understand the reality of what was happening before it was too late. In the end, he even attempted to contact his police supervisor, an atheist, and share the gospel with him. When he did not accept the gospel message, the man warned him not to take the mark of the beast. Of course, the supervisor had no idea what this meant, but sadly, he was about to find out. He even sat down with another person involved in the secondary plot of the movie, and he gave her a Bible and pointed her to the appropriate scriptures, in the hope that she would accept Christ as Savior before the Rapture. In the end, the man is on the beach with his wife and friends, and at the appointed time, the Raptures occurs. Sadly, in real life, God does not give rehearsals for the Rapture. When the appointed time comes, Jesus will return. But God does give warnings and specific signs in His Word. In fact Jesus encourages His disciples about the coming events and warnings.
Many signs, called birth pains by Jesus, have and continue to occur in rapid succession. These warnings are becoming so blatantly obvious that they cannot be ignored, and yet, they are. The heart of many have waxed cold. Sadness fills my heart as I watch as people try to destroy themselves and hurt others for no apparent reason except that they hold differing opinions. I am not surprised as the Gospel message is not being preached in the churches, and the prayer altars are closed. Communion has become a ritual rather than the holy remembrance of Jesus Christ it was intended. The words of great hymns like Amazing Grace and What a Friend We Have in Jesus are sung without meaning. Perhaps I'm just so grateful that God pursued me and accepted me and forgave my sins and saved my wretched soul that to this day I weep when I sing these hymns. I can never forget what my Abba Father and my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ has done for me. And I will continue to stand in prayer as an intercessor in repentance for my own sins and the sins of our nation, beginning with the church, to return to God and make Jesus Christ Lord over all, as it was ordained to be since the birth of Creation. Scripture says in Proverbs 14:34 that, "Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people." Sadly, God is not pleased with this nation, and we are seeing the fruit of evil playing out before us in unprecedented ways. But God is raising up an army of believers in Christ who are not afraid and who are not ashamed of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We are standing, fully armored, crying out as one Body for righteousness and justice. We are standing for reformation and a revival that will shake this nation from it's sleep before it is too late.
I don't know all the Lord has to say to me in this of isolation, but I do know that I will do, I will say, and I will go wherever He leads. Even if it means the threat of death. Think I'm being dramatic? Read your Bible, then pray God opens your spiritual eyes while there is still time. God is asking us to choose life, so my response is simply this:
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