There’s really nothing new under the sun, as King Solomon was inspired to write. So it is with the idea that we should always be prepared for the end of the world as we know it.
In a recent article published in The Trumpet, the author, Joel Hilliker, praises James Wesley, Rawles, and Survival Blog, and his compassionate approach to preparing for any calamity. The author wrote:
“Survivalist thinking is often associated with paramilitary activities, racism and religious extremism. But as global stability deteriorates and threats to civilization increase, it is becoming more mainstream. For his part, Rawles is avowedly anti-racist, and apparently moderate in his religion. He emphasizes preparing in a way that enables a person to fulfill the “moral imperative” of charity, giving to the needy in times of crisis.
“There is something to be admired in the clear-eyed pragmatism of those taking steps to face calamity. Unlike the far more common head-in-the-sand approach, it acknowledges the seriousness of the times, and recognizes the need to do something—to work while it is day, since the night is coming.”
In the article, Mr. Hilliker spends some time and citing scriptures that say that we should be aware of the potential for disasters, especially the End Time Tribulation period, The Last Days. He rightfully urges us to “to condition our minds for catastrophes, because they [The Last Days] are coming. It is because of the human tendency to ignore such realities that Jesus Christ warned,
[T]ake heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day”—that is, the period of destruction just ahead of us—“come upon you unawares. For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth.
(Luke 21:34-35).
That said, Mr. Hilliker goes on to totally disagree with practical preparedness, citing various scriptures beginning with this one:
Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal,” Christ instructed. “But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also
(Matthew 6:19-21).
In his conclusion, Mr. Hilliker states, “In a 1966 article, “Don’t Store Up Large Quantities of Food,” Herbert W. Armstrong wrote, “Do not spend extra money on foodstuffs above your normal supplies and perhaps some few ‘staples’ which could carry you through a temporary food shortage on a vastly curtailed and reduced diet, in a severe and temporary emergency, for only a few WEEKS! … If you ever store more food than the normal laying up in summer for winter—you’re hoarding, and God Almighty may well withdraw His protection from you!” [emphasis added]
Wait Just One Minute, Please! Take a look at Israel living off G-d’s handouts in the desert waiting for an entire generation of Israelis to die off before it can cross over into the Promised Land. Mr. Hilliker uses that experience in his justification for Faith Alone as the key to Being Prepared. He says Spiritual Preparedness, not physical, is Being Prepared. I disagree. I respect the view that being right with our Lord Y’shuaJesus is all that is required to physically survive in a long-term survival situation, a situation where help will never come from any human. G-d can intervene. G-d can provide. We can trust G-d. But did Israel leave Egypt with nothing? And did Israel plan to spend forty years in a desert with no provisions? Israel left Egypt with wealth given to them by the people of Egypt. Israel left fairly well off for a trek though the desert to the Promised Land. It was disobedience that resulted in an extended stay in the harsh conditions of the desert. It was disobedience that required G-d to provide sustenance to prevent the all the people from dying off in the desert.
It seems to me we need a more balanced approach, and we need to look at a few other scriptures. How about starting with Y’shuaJesus’s parables for instance that tell us that we are to be practical in our approach to live. It was the foolish bridesmaids that didn’t come prepared to wait for entrance into the festival hall for the Feast of the Groom. It was the the man who failed to invest his “talent” that was chastised by the Returning Lord of the Land.
And let us not forget that it was Joseph who had Egypt store up seven years of grain for the seven years of famine that would come about. And it was stored up in preparation for Israel to come down to Egypt to live, though Joseph didn’t realize it at the time.
There was a pretty good movie that circulated in the mid-1980s that pitted the Spiritual with the Totally Practical, the peaceful protest with the armed protest. I don’t recall the name, but it was set during the time of the Spanish conquest of South America. Two priest, two friends, each choice a different approach to protect the inhabitants of a village. One priest gathered villagers to pray, the other trained villagers to protect themselves. In the end both priest died as the Spanish conquest of the land was completed. The end left the viewer to decide which priest took the most appropriate defensive strategy. In a purely rational view, neither priest failed, neither priest succeeded. Both died. It leaves one understanding, however, that each is judged later, by the Lord. That each did what he thought right. There was a special moment at the end of the movie that showed the two dying priests crawling toward one another, to grasp hands. I, as a viewer, felt there was no judgement of one toward the other for his way of protest. They did what they had to do.
And so it is with us, today. Pray now before the coming collapse of our delicately intertwined society, which is dependent upon a fragile supply chain. We must, as Mr. Hilliker points out, repent and trust in G-d. G-d will provide! It is for you to decide if G-d will provide your sustenance now or later. If now, so be it. If later, okay. In the end, we it is our mandate to trust G-d and follow what He places in your heart.
Lord Bless, Keep, Shine. . .
JonahzSong 