http://www.emsc-csem.org/Earthquake/earthquake.php?id=296235
http://www.emsc-csem.org/Earthquake/earthquake.php?id=296288
A very large earthquake just struck Japan (edit now another large Japan quake plus the NZ quake). The timing of these large quakes in December is a neon sign for us to be watching and ready. Watching and ready for what? The Lord. Not the 'second coming' but the escape from all arrival of the Lord. As opposed to the other tribbers, we pre-trib believers are looking for the Lord every day. We are not looking for the anti-Christ, the tribulation etc, we are watching for the Lord.
Do we see signs of the anti-Christ and the tribulation everywhere? Yes, so we watch even more intently for the arrival of the Lord. There is an escape from all coming, it is certain. This morning the Lord led me across a beautiful promise that addresses this very thing in Psalm 91:
1He that dwells in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
2I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.
3Surely he shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler, and from the deadly pestilence.
What do we see here?^^ He shall deliver you from the SNARE of the fowler...how interesting. And what do we see here:
Luke 21:34And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares. 35For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth. 36Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.
How many more ways could the Lord spell it out to us? And yet more than ever today so many live in denial of His promises. What does "escape" mean? What does "all" mean? What does "deliver" mean? What does "snare" mean? Really, how hard is this to comprehend? Pray that you may be counted worthy to 1. ESCAPE 2. ALL these things that shall come to pass. 3. SURELY He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler...what does "surely" mean? The Lord said SURELY He shall deliver you from the snare, what does that mean? How can these people live in denial of these promises? How would the Lord have to write it to explain it in any clearer language?
And yet we read the scoffing denials in growing number today. We are called escapists in a derogatory way when the Lord, not us told us to pray for escape.
They ask us what about if the pre-trib rapture position is wrong but they never stop to consider what if they are wrong about the 'pre-wrath' and 'post-trib' rapture? What happens when the Lord comes and leaves and they are left behind because of their lack of faith. The Lord made promises, and we inherit those promises BY FAITH and patience:
Hebrews 6:12
| We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised. |
There is an escape from all coming. It is 100% rock solid certainty. Is that good news? You bet it is. There is deliverance from the snare coming, that is certain, but do we believe the promises? Do we have faith? We inherit through faith and patience, that is the Word of the Lord. Let us nail down with certainty in our hearts what we believe. If we lack faith let us ask the Lord for more while His grace and mercy are extended to this world.
I hope you are as encouraged as I am by this highlighting of the promises in Psalm 91 and Luke 21:36. Our position is to watch and be ready every day. There is no doctrine or teaching any of the 'other tribbers' have that can outperform this position. We are watching and we will continue to watch with great endurance and patience until our Bridegroom arrives for us. This is what we were commanded to do. When the Master finds us doing what we were commanded to do, it is reasonable to expect things will go well for us.
These large earthquakes are signs that the Lord is approaching. Make no mistake about it:
| the LORD Almighty will come with thunder and earthquake and great noise, with windstorm and tempest and flames of a devouring fire. |
With the signs of His approach before us should we be watching? Yes, we should be watching for the Bridegroom who arrives at an unexpected day and hour for the Bride. The Bride and Bridegroom hide away in the bridal chamber for 7 days before revealing themselves to the world. You do the math here. 7 days? 7 year tribulation period/time of Jacob's trouble? Coincidence? I don't think so.
Be encouraged, the Lord approaches. Let us be found watching and ready when the Master arrives for us.
grace and peace
