Eyes should be wide open at this moment, knees bent and hearts directed toward God.  Why?  This morning the U.S. Secretary of State announced from Baghdad Iraq the intention of new, and I might add he used the term, “global order” to work cooperatively to tackle worldly dilemmas.  You see, Biblical Prophecy is unfolding for everyone to see, realize and react to, yet most seem ambivalent.  Why?  Because they do not know that this episode is monumental sign as indicated in Revelation for the headquarters of the antichrist will be in Babylonia, or as we know is Baghdad.  The formation of a “World Order”, or as they would spell it “coalition” is direct evidence that we are further down the road toward Christ’s return then even most scholars would have us believe.  What must we do as Christian’s?  Well the Lord Jesus repeatedly told us to “be ready”.

What does it look like to be ready?  Perhaps the example of being ready to go on a business or personal holiday with the family would present relevant visual.  You must first designate a day and a time when you will have completed all activities associated with preparedness.  For example if you know that an international flight will be leaving at a particular morning hour you must have all your luggage, passport (and other essential paperwork) gathered, family members appropriately dressed, transportation arranged, house secured and everyone fed prior to the time that the vehicle must be boarded.  This is all done because you “believe that”, in order to make good use of your money and time  that if you are not ready then you will suffer the consequence of lost money and missed transportation resulting in regret and complications.

The translation into Christian preparedness is not complicated.  You must have believed/confessed in Jesus and his achievements through a sinless life, death on the cross, resurrection and the fact that He is returning for us at some imminent timing.  You must have mentally prepared your heart, red your Bible to know God’s will for your life and the Earth and have opened your heart to the work of the Holy Spirit in sanctification/preparation for paradise.  The Bible uses the example of having “oil in your lamp” before you face the darkness associated with the Master’s night arrival.  Each of us is familiar with the agony and near panic associated with realization that there are no batteries in the flashlight, no fuel for the lamp or no matches/lighter when confronted with power outage.  This fear is magnified by knowledge that if we are not ready as Jesus commands that we will be left to face the inevitable horror of God’s wrath as it is released upon a disobedient world.

I gain nothing from being “right” in criticism or elevating myself religiously in warning people of these eventualities.  My fear is associated with my great love for people and out of such love warning them of coming tragedy as I would in any imminent man-made or natural disaster.  I cannot face Jesus having remained silent in this moment when I could have warned at least one person to be ready for the coming rescue or inevitable storm.  I do not know God’s timing, but I do see the signs being clearly lain out for all to realize and take action.  The time for preparedness is “right now”, as the signs are meant to alert us to His coming.  Get oil in your lamp, prepare your families, your hearts and turn your gaze heavenward for the King of the Universe is coming soon.  Get ready.  Jesus is coming.

For fear of Revelation, we do not know.  For fear of accepting the mantle of dutiful performance we choose not to know.  For fear of teachers demonstrating their shallow understanding they will not teach so we do not question.  For fear of letting go of those trappings associated with success by worldly means we do not wish to know.  For fear of understanding God and finally gaining wisdom and discernment we avoid knowing.  For fear of having to logically and loyally respond we hope that someone else knows and tells us in adequate timing.  But knowledge is personal.  I cannot depend, for my salvation, upon the knowledge of someone else to carry me through the stepping stones of salvation, faith, temptation, sanctification, purity and growth.  I may only depend upon that knowledge that I have been given by the Lord as provision of wisdom for courage and success.  Why then seeing all these fears, yet knowing the price of my own uneducated, unpreparedness, would I choose to remain ignorant of the Revelation of the Lord Jesus Christ?  Must I remain naive of our eventual meeting with Christ and in so doing fail to guarantee that introduction?  Does any of us really wish to be here on this Earth when the Lord opens the seals and turns loose His wrath upon the wickedness of humanity?  The answer to these questions although obvious are perplexing, in at least that this circumstance of ignorance persists, even in the depths of the faithful or regular attendees of most churches.

Let us look briefly at revelation to see the mysteries, signs and direction revealed quickly on in the opening Epistles by the Lord Jesus Christ.  Remember John may have written the words, but as the opening paragraphs clearly state, John is only conveying what he was told to share with other believers.

Revelation 1:1 NIV

The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place.  Even in the first line of this book we are immediately faced with the revelation that this book will deliver breakthrough understanding for those who read, ingest and understand.  What is this the revelation of?  It is the Revelation of Jesus Christ to believers, the revealing of who he truly is and what it means for believers and humanity alike.  Who gave Jesus this revelation?  God gave him this revelation to show believers what will come to pass in the last days at the arrival of the “great day of the Lord” and the “Second Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ” to Earth.  That one line should reduce the fear quotient considerably in that it is meant to show us what we need to know about Jesus and what He says will happen.  Do you now have the urge to go further, now that the deceiver’s veil has been drawn away.  This books arms believers for the trials to come.

He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, who testifies to everything he saw–that is, the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ.  So God uses believers to convey those messages sent by angels and man must continually testify to things that have been given them by God.  God did not shout this entire book to all of humanity, he chose one man through whom he made his word and testimony known for all.  Again we are faced, as believers with the fear of being used singularly by God to convey his most resounding revelation, that of the Testimony of Jesus Christ the King.  John’s faithful execution of this duty allows us as believers to share in the courage it takes to go out on the limb for Christ.  If I don’t tell anyone then no one will know.  If I tell everyone then they will know I am a believer and expect different behavior of me.  Or worse if I tell everyone they won’t want to know me anymore or maybe even take away my reputation, treasure or notoriety.  These are real fears but we all know what must be done to lose ourselves for Jesus’ sake.

Blessed is the one who reads the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near.  Twin blessings, that is amazing.  One for the reader of this book.  One for each person who takes faith in its truth and stands by what is revealed.  Then a small warning of consequence for inaction, because the time is near.  So there is also an implied benefit from receiving and understanding this knowledge that is entirely related to begin prepared for what must soon come to pass.  There again is the fear of knowing what is coming and taking the necessary steps to be prepared.  I believe that this is the enemies greatest attempt at hurting God in these last days, by creating such fear and misunderstanding among believers that they fail to learn, understand and prepare for the victory to come and in so doing miss out on the blessing set aside for them before the first click of time.

I pray to Almighty God that in just three sentences God’s Word has swallowed up your fear and set your heart on the right and honest path of duty to God through education and growth in Christ.  If you wish to be amazed and edified against the storms on Earth’s horizon continue to read Revelation 1, which reveals the deity and glory of Christ and familiarizes every believer with His Sovereign Identity.  If reading Revelation 1 doesn’t dispel your fear and place in you an unquenchable hunger for God’s Wisdom then perhaps you should chat with a pastor about what may be holding you back.

Time is the enemy and God the only friend.  In the beginning the Lord created time as evidenced in His transcript of creation, stating what took place in seven days.  Since He is omnipotent, sovereign, omniscient, basically outside of the construct and impacts of time, we must then reasonably conclude that time was developed for His purposes concerning mankind and creation.  The watch was wound and set into motion, documenting a beginning and depending upon your perspective a glorious/tragically understood, perceived or assumed end.  Our lives are governed at each opportunity, lost or taken, by those precious moments within which we make decision to act or step aside.  Even the amount of breaths we take is determined by the passing of seconds, days and years, eventually turning each person’s thoughts toward mortality.  This construct provides an unbeatable foe with whom we have no conversation, no deliberation and no recourse.  Our enemy is time and the only one with any control into our dilemma is God, our friend.

God has shown his willingness to manipulate time, to the edification of believers, even to the extent of stopping it or turning it back when specific need arose.  Why?  The Lord works to His own ends for His own good purposes and frankly sometimes our actions, thoughts, prayers and needs coincide with His will for humanity.  These things have all been historically documented, at specific timing, for all to observe, for the purpose of educating and alerting humanity.  You see, time may be my enemy but it is just another tool that God uses to force us to a point of decision.  If there were no time, then there would be no consequence of indecision or wavering faith.  Time is definitely my enemy, but thanks be to God He is my friend and will now use time to the benefit of His glory, as He sees fit, when and where it is necessary to intervene in this man’s life.

It is the nature of physical laws that they all point to the necessity for decision and action.  We must eat so we must take action to acquire food or die.  We must travel so it is imperative that we acquire transportation of adequate sort within prescribed timing or frankly be left behind in the dash toward completion.  It is mandatory that knowledge, education and wisdom be acquired so that we may navigate the river of problems and occurrences of life, so we must use our precious moments to acquire the appropriate information.  Time is a painful and brutal jailor, especially to the infirm, making more precious and precarious each moment traversed.  Time controls all my relationships, the most precious of my treasures in heaven, allowing me the briefest opportunity to share the Gospel, Love and kindness with those whom I have been given the chance of acquaintance.  I cannot beat time, but know who can.  I will ask Him to intervene on yours and my behalf.  Praise God in Jesus name that I am able to petition my friend in prayer, for that I am victorious in Christ Jesus.

Psalm 128 NIV

Blessed are all who fear the Lord, who walk in His ways.  You will eat the fruit of your labor; blessings and prosperity will be yours.  Your wife will be a fruitful vine within your house; your sons will be like olive shoots around your table.  Thus is the man blessed who fears the Lord.  May the Lord bless you from Zion all the days of your life; may you see the prosperity of Jerusalem, and may you live to see your children’s children.  Peace be upon Israel.

Fear and courage appear to be fulcrums of the same lever teetering and tottering humanity.  If I am to have courage then I must first investigate or become familiar with fear.  This world, in its current chaotic state offers ample opportunity to confront and know fear, but what it does not provide is that stabilizing, chastening fear that comes from logical reverence of Almighty God.  It does however provide that bone chilling, arousing, sensitization, we know so well which makes us want to flail or bail.  It is okay to know that feeling of complete loss of self control and paralysis which accompanies fright.

For in knowing this fear we are however briefly, humbled and brought into state of understanding that we are after all, mortal.  Are not all these fears the uncontrollable whimsy that accompanies potential harm or loss?  We fear losing our family so we develop separation and abandonment fears.  We fear loss of respect so we develop ticks, speech impediments and people phobias to protect us from embarrassment.  And we develop all manner of avoidance, defense mechanism and tyrannical behavior to protect ourselves from the fear associated with personal harm or death.

The trouble is that all these losses pale in comparison to eternal separation from God, infinity in damnation and darkness and a world without form filled with unquenchable fire.  Fear of the Lord is the only rational fear that covers all the worldly concerns and provides ample protection from the coming effects of God’s Wrath upon the wicked.  It is fear of where I was headed and fear of what I had already suffered which provided the window into understanding the absolute loss associated with being an enemy of God.  When I feared God enough to humble myself at His feet, it is He that provided me the courage to withstand all the irrational/rational fears which haunted my worldly existence.  Through fear of the Lord I found the cross and was set free to understand His sacrifice, protection, love and promises, which armored me against any and all potential or real losses that may confront me in this life.

I fear God and that frightens men.  They do not understand the discipline of a kind Father who would not let His beloved child walk astray of His perfect will.  Would I be scared if faced with harm to my family or person, would I experience great anxiety at the loss of my home, lands or life?  Yes, but my greater fear is that I would dishonor God in my moment of whimsy.  Thank God that I may fear Him and in so doing become enured to the eventualities which may present themselves in my future.  Father it is right and sensible to fear You.  Thank you for keeping me straight in the path that I should go.  Praise God in the great Name of Jesus.