According to what the Lord tells us, this writer believes "the snare" will come at a time of prosperity:
Luke 21:34And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be weighed down with carousing, 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 therefore, and pray always, that you may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.
What did the Lord warn us about to avoid the snare?
1. Carousing
2. Drunkenness
3. The cares of this life
What did He not warn us would weigh our hearts down?
1. Grinding poverty
2. Being hunted down by the anti-christ
3. Global economic meltdown
4. etc etc
Do you think if the anti-christ was hunting you down every day to take your head off, that might weigh your heart down a little bit? Uh...yea. No warning of that though. What do carousing and drunkenness and the cares of this life appear to point to? A normal time, a time of relative prosperity. How can we arrive at this conclusion? When people have what they want from this world, they forget the Lord
| When I fed them, they were satisfied; when they were satisfied, they became proud; then they forgot me. |
According the the Word, we should be on high alert when we are living in days like today. When do people cry out to the Lord? When they are in trouble and oppressed
| ... Then the LORD said, “I have surely seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters. |
When do they forget the Lord? When they have what they want from this world.
These are the days, today when our eyes should be carefully trained on the Lord. Who knows when the Lord will show up and call us to account?
| So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him. |
The Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him. Not the world, you...
The signs are all around us that this world is circling the drain of history and the wrath of the Lord will soon be upon it. For years, we followed those signs here but the Lord instructed this writer to give it a break. Why? Long suffering and patience were not served by it. How so? Nobody can stay on the razors edge of preparedness all the time. We have to find a sustainable, every day level of readiness that can be maintained until a. we die, or b. the Lord shows up.
Raising our expectations over and over only to have nothing happen over and over leads to discouragement. The enemy loves this, it does not serve us well. Should we pay attention to the signs all around us? Sure, they were sent for a reason but we must temper them with longsuffering patience. What did the Lord tell us?
Rev 3:7And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write; These things says he that is holy, he that is true, he that has the key of David, he that opens, and no man shuts; and shuts, and no man opens;
8I know your works: behold, I have set before you an open door, and no man can shut it: for you have a little strength, and have kept my word, and have not denied my name.
9Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, who say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie; behold, I will make them to come and worship before your feet, and to know that I have loved you.
10Because you have kept the word of my patience, I also will keep you from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.
11Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which you have, that no man take your crown.
Because we have kept the word of His what? Patience.......We are running a marathon, not a sprint. Great is our reward if we finish the race "in Christ." Keep the faith, expect to suffer in your patience expecting a payoff for your efforts. The absolute best this world has to offer, money, power, sex, whatever does not even compare to a shadow of what we have waiting for us.
1 Cor 2:9 But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.
grace and peace
