More of my thoughts on Ebola

Yesterday, a friend who is an epidemiologist for the CDCs said that the biggest difference between ebola and cancer is that ebola is viciously contagious. Basically, ebola, if left unchecked, will kill at least 6 out of every ten people in the world. While ebola is thought to be transmitted through direct contact with the bodily fluids of a person showing symptoms, it’s clear that while wearing approved clothing it is being transmitted. We’re told ebola isn’t airborne, which is a good thing, but what we don’t know is how easily it can be transmitted one person touching a surface previously touched by a person showing ebola symptoms. This is why, in Dallas, TX, the ambulance that transported the first U.S. ebola patient, as well as his apartment, was sanitized. Now that two nurses are confirmed with ebola, one of whom flew on a plane while exhibiting minor symptoms (a low-grade fever), health officials are contacting each person on the plane. These people won’t be quarantined, but they will be asked to curtail direct contact with others, and monitor themselves for possible symptoms. But being contagious may not be the worst of the ways ebola is killing us.

The pastor in Liberia who shared with me that all commerce has been shut down, also said he’s running out of food. How long can you stay in your house without going out to get food? I’ve talked about this before, when talking about my pantry. In the last few years, during winter months, we’ve been shut down for nearly a week three separate times. I know folks that would be hard pressed to find more than a box of cereal in their homes, let alone enough to go a week. I don’t really know how they made it during those winter-weather shut downs. Here in the States, as in Europe and many large cities throughout the world, food is available stored in jars, cans, or dried. But in more rural towns in most places in the world, food is brought fresh to the market. Sure, rice and beans are available dry, and easily stored, but not so available are vegetables or meat. Shut down commerce and people starve. So sure, we can stop the spread of ebola by isolation, but that success doesn’t ensure that anyone will be alive after the epidemic. What’s left to do?

Well, stock something up while you can, if you can. A bag of rice, a bag of beans. Some water. Prepare to hunker down for awhile.

Pray. Pray, too, for the people of Africa that are in the middle of this nightmare.

Lord Bless, Keep, and Shine. . .

teotwawki: the end of the world as we know it

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. . .

A Return to the Boy Scout Motto: “Be Prepared”

In earlier posts I spoke of how, while living in rural ranch country, a snow storm could come through causing the main highway to be closed for a week or more. I spoke of preparing a nice pantry and storing it with things to eat. I spoke in another post of my recent rebuilding of my pantry. It’s funny, ‘cuz it has less in it now than before I started to redo the shelves. We intentionally used a lot so we didn’t have to deal with it while my slow rebuild was in progress. It will get back up to a nice level as soon as I shop again at CostCo.

Since writing/blogging about preparing for storms, stocking pantries and such, the eastern United States has been struck with a hurricane and a Nor’eastener. Two back-to-back storms that have played havoc on millions of people. A neighbor here in Georgia finally reached her sister, who lives in Long Island, and evacuated to a place that was safe, but didn’t have electricity. She was hard to reach, as she’d left her cell phone off to conserve power, having no way to recharge it. This brings to mind a communications plan. My aunt once posted a contact list to our family’s website/Yahoo! group. She was traveling and wanted us all to know who to contact “just in case.” It’s a pretty good idea. Make a Plan. Share the Plan.

Okay. So here’s a parable told by Y’shuaJesus, recorded for us by Matthew:

“Then the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them, but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps. As the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and slept. But at midnight there was a cry, ‘Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.’ Then all those virgins rose and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ But the wise answered, saying, ‘Since there will not be enough for us and for you, go rather to the dealers and buy for yourselves.’ And while they were going to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was shut. Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, lord, open to us.’ But he answered, ‘Truly, I say to you, I do not know you.’ Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.

Matthew 25:1-13

There are two types of people spoken of in this parable: wise and foolish. If the parable were set today, there might be three types. The third being the doormat Christian. Think about it. I’ll get back to you.

In the meantime: Lord Bless, Keep, Shine. . . and help you prepare for the night that comes before the dawn.

As the Wonder of Fall. . .

The snowshoe hare is one animal that changes c... — The snowshoe hare is one animal that changes color in winter. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

. . . turns to what can only be thought of as the desolation of winter, I trust that Spring is just beyond. Hope in spring makes winter more tolerable, even enjoyable. And fall means that winter is soon to come.

Trust is a gift of G-d for those who will believe in His Son, Y’shuaJesus. Trust. Faith. In the midst of winter, spring is yet unseen except through the eyes of faith. In the midst of seeming desolation, there is hope for those whose names are written in the book of life. In Messiah Y’shuaJesus, there is life.

There are other types of winters. One is the winter of disaster. It is not bound by a set number of months, and occurs often without warning. Earthquake is a great example. It affects regions of a country. And there is the winter faced by only one or more families when paychecks end after layoffs from jobs. To weather these calamities we must trust in the LORD.

The LORD redeemeth the soul of his servants: and none of them that trust in him shall be desolate.

Psalm 34:22

And:

Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment. . . . Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?

Matthew 6:25, 27

There are practical considerations to be made as winter approaches. I’ve written about these before. While we are to trust and have faith, we are also called to be prepared. Please check out From the Lighthouse blog for a very balanced article on this subject. Then visit our government’s preparedness website READY.GOV. It’s not too late to “Be Informed; Make a Plan; Build a Kit.”

Lord Bless, Keep, Shine. . .

The Waiting Game

“Hurry up and wait!” I heard that often enough during my years of military service. Waiting was as difficult as busy work, which was meaningless toil, drudgery, to prevent just sitting around waiting. There are other sorts of waiting, too. School kids “wait” for the bell to ring during last period so they can zip out the door to freedom. A parent waits late into the night for his or her teenager to return home from a date. And there’s the waiting of a Believer, a Follower of Y’shuaJesus, waiting for the Trumpet to call us to be with the Lord.

Waiting’s hard work. While driving truck, after delivering a load I often had to wait for another assignment. It could come at any time, too. Depending where I was, I might be able grab a quick shower at a truck stop that was close to where I delivered. Or perhaps grab a meal, if convenient. More often, I simply parked in the parking lot outside the plant to which I’d delivered and waited. I tried to read, but would find myself looking often and anxious at the Qualcom, the communications system on which I’d get a load assignment. It was hard to relax between loads unless I knew I had a set amount of time. Once, after delivering a load south of Dallas, Texas, I pulled into a dirt lot next to a restaurant, and went in for a meal. Every fifteen minutes I’d go out and check to see if a message arrived on the Qualcom. I was there about a couple of hours when I received a telephone call from the dispatcher asking why I hadn’t responded to the dispatch message. I went immediately out to the truck, but there was nothing there. He had to verbally dispatched me to a steel plant for a load going into Georgia. Not a bad run, but one I almost missed if I hadn’t had a cell phone with me. I took another twenty minutes or so after pulling out of the parking lot to receive the written dispatch on the Qualcom. Perhaps the metal building walls reflected the satellite signals, preventing me from receiving the dispatch. I don’t know.

Waiting is hard work. It is also a dangerous time; it is a time when we can be distracted and wander off in some other direction. There’s a story that Y’shuaJesus told about the maidens that fell asleep, letting their lamps go out. And in Luke chapter 12, after Y’shuaJesus talks about laying up treasure in Heaven, He talks about what to do while playing the waiting game.

Let your loins be girded about, and your lights burning; And ye yourselves like unto men that wait for their lord, when he will return from the wedding; that when he cometh and knocketh, they may open unto him immediately. Blessed are those servants, whom the lord when he cometh shall find watching: verily I say unto you, that he shall gird himself, and make them to sit down to meat, and will come forth and serve them. And if he shall come in the second watch, or come in the third watch, and find them so, blessed are those servants. And this know, that if the goodman of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched, and not have suffered his house to be broken through. Be ye therefore ready also: for the Son of man cometh at an hour when ye think not.

Luke 12:35-40

Matthew Henry commented on this scripture that Y’shuaJesus, “charges them to get ready, and to keep in a readiness for Christ’s coming, when all those who have laid up their treasure in heaven shall enter upon the enjoyment of it.” So there are two elements, according to Mr. Henry, in this waiting game. First, get ready; second, stay ready. That means waiting is active. It isn’t just standing around. Sometimes we are likened to servants whose master has gone away. Picture a servant standing by the door awaiting his master, doing nothing, just waiting. Probably not the best way to wait, I’m thinking.

So it seems there is good waiting and poor waiting. I’m on the poor side of waiting a lot of the time, especially when it comes to cooking. Even with a timer set, I’ll often just stand watching, waiting for the timer. In some of my best moments in the kitchen, I’ve put a pot of water on the heat, and while waiting for it to boil, done other things in the kitchen, or in the laundry room next to it. I’ve gotten distracted, too. I’ve left a pot to boil until nearly dry, and once totally ruined a batch of steamed vegetables.

Additionally, playing this waiting game takes balance and awareness. I’m thinking of when Y’shuaJesus went into the house of Martha and Mary. Martha was too busy to sit with Y’shua while Mary did only sit with Him. Y’shua said Mary picked the best of the two extremes. Y’shua hasn’t come into our house physically yet, so perhaps we need to be active while at the same time foster the spiritual communion with our Lord that He desires. But is our activity just busy work. What we do, is it necessary? Or is just something to fill the space between other things? Back to the kitchen. Perhaps when there is two minutes to wait for some vegetables to steam, it’s okay not to always have to be doing something. Perhaps standing in front of the stove is okay, and using that very moment to consider the One for Whom we wait to return. We can offer words of Praise, offering hearts of Worship, and we can offer prayers.

Occupying my waiting time then is a balance of activity that is purposeful, balanced with the spiritually uplifting elements of Praise, Worship, Prayer. And in all this activity, in all that I do, all must be done as to the Lord.

Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men. . .

Colossians 3:23

Lord Bless, Keep, Shine. . .

A Song of Praise

A Song of Praise. Of David. I will extol you, my God and King, and bless your name forever and ever. Every day I will bless you and praise your name forever and ever. Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised, and his greatness is unsearchable. One generation shall commend your works to another, and shall declare your mighty acts. On the glorious splendor of your majesty, and on your wondrous works, I will meditate.

Psalm 145:1-5

“Those who, under troubles and temptations, abound in fervent prayer, shall in due season abound in grateful praise, which is the true language of holy joy. Especially we should speak of God’s wondrous work of redemption, while we declare his greatness. For no deliverance of the Israelites, nor the punishment of sinners, so clearly proclaims the justice of God, as the cross of Christ exhibits it to the enlightened mind. It may be truly said of our Lord Jesus Christ, that his words are words of goodness and grace; his works are works of goodness and grace. He is full of compassion; hence he came into the world to save sinners. When on earth, he showed his compassion both to the bodies and souls of men, by healing the one, and making wise the other. He is of great mercy, a merciful High Priest, through whom God is merciful to sinners.” (Matthew Henry, from his concise commentary)

In Mr. Henry’s comments, I find that the reward for “fervent prayer” during trials and temptations will be that some day I’ll “abound in grateful praise. I shant disagree with Mr. Henry; certainly there are always rewards at future times for today’s righteous acts. I will add, however, to Mr. Henry’s comment. David sang to his Lord, our Lord, “I will extol you, my G-d and King, and bless your name forever and ever.” When David sang this, he could not help but be elevated into the joyful realm of G-d’s Heavenly Kingdom, if only for a minute, even an instant. And one minute, even one instant, of Heaven is enough to change one’s heart for the day of troubles that follow.

Lord Bless, Keep, Shine. . .

Preparing for an Emergency—Seven

Pastor David Wilkerson’s “Urgent Message” mentioned the possibility of fleeing the coming firestorm—the disaster that he had written about. For himself, he cited Psalm 11:1, which encouraged him to stay put, to minister in place.

To the choirmaster. Of David. In the LORD I take refuge; how can you say to my soul, “Flee like a bird to your mountain. . .”

This psalm is said by some to be composed by King David when pursued by King Saul. Barne’s Notes states that “Venema supposes that it was composed when David was in the wilderness of Ziph, and when, betrayed by the inhabitants of the wilderness, and pursued by Saul, his friends began to advise him to seek a place of safety by flight, 1Sa_23:14-23 [and] All that is apparent in the psalm itself is, that it was when the author was in danger, and when some of his friends advised him to seek safety by flight, Psa_11:1. Instead of doing this, David determined to remain where he was, and to put his trust in God, with the belief that he would interpose and deliver him.”

This sentiment of trust in G-d’s providence, and Pastor Wilkerson’s determination to be with his congregation, prompted him to want to remain in New York City despite his vision of impending doom.

There are at least three types of fleeing: One is directed by G-d; one is out of necessity to save one’s life that one might fight another day; one is to run and hide to die in peace.

The last type is shown in 1 Kings 19:3, when Elijah “went for his life” into the wilderness where he lay down to die. Elijah had been very naughty, upsetting Queen Jezebel by killing all her false priests. She sent a message to him that she’d be coming to get him. A woman scorned, and all that. . . So Elijah heads for the hills.

Then there’s Abraham.

The LORD said to Abram, “Leave your country, your relatives, and your father’s home, and go to a land that I am going to show you.”

Genesis 21:1

This had to have been hard. He took his immediate family, left his place, his people, his land. He didn’t fully know to where he was going. He didn’t know what it would be like. But G-d called, so he surrendered all, packed up, and left. Abraham wasn’t necessarily fleeing from, but fleeing to a place to which he’d been called. I suppose he knew there was no going back.
Now Jacob fled the Promised Land, to avoid the draught that swept Israel. He did so knowing he’d return, even if only his bones. The people of Israel would return, though it took 430 years to do so. I wonder if Jacob had known how long, would he as readily have fled. And yet he did; G-d knew it to be best for him, and for G-d’s people.

So, then, if we believe we’ve heard the prophetic words of warning, do we stay or do we flee?

We are in the ministry of reconciliation—offering to those to whom we’ve been called eternal life in Messiah Y’shuaJesus. So whether called to another place, or into the highways, or to stay put and minister in place, from the mouth of our Savior Y’shuaJesus, we are to:

“Follow me, and leave the dead to bury their own dead.”

Matthew 8:22

Lord Bless, Keep, Shine. . .

Preparing for an Emergency—Six

I’ve touched on preparedness from the point of view of surviving a disaster of limited scope for a local calamity such as a storm, and briefly mentioned survivalists/preppers who provision for extended you’re-on-you’re-own survival. On Wednesday I reposted an Urgent Message that speaks of wide-spread disaster of undetermined length of time. It’s up to you if you want to accept Pastor David Wilkerson’s Urgent Message. Or if you want to try to put aside a few meals and some drinking water “Just In Case” of a storm or some other disruption of normal grocery shipments, then get started.

On my heart at the moment is to take a look at some reasons, beyond our own survival, for preparedness. Paul wrote to Timothy something of his heart on why he continued doing the things he did, despite opposition, physical discomfort, and illness.

This is why I endure all things for the elect: so that they also may obtain salvation, which is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory.

2 Timothy 2:10

In his “Urgent Message,” Pastor Wilkerson mentioned two possible approaches to the coming time of which he spoke. One is to flee, the other to prepare and stay. He had chosen the later, to stay. He knew not all could, or would, leave New York City, so he felt it best to stay with them. He would stay and minister as long as possible, which would depend upon the Lord’s desires in his life. Pastor Wilkerson didn’t argue for a pre-tribulation return of Messiah in which the Believers are called to meet him in the air. He also didn’t mention a mid- or post-tribulation return. Without speculating as to how long he must endure, he was prepared emotionally and spiritually to endure until the end, his end or Messiah’s return. Just like Noah, Pastor Wilkerson was not preparing for only himself, but for the work of G-d through him.

Now for Noah, preparing was fairly clearcut: build a boat, equip it, gather a bunch of animals, round up his family, and close the door. It occurs to me that Noah would have had to not only prepare for feeding both human and animal during the forty-day cruise, but he’d also have to have enough on board to handle things until crops would grow again. Noah begins to look a lot like a modern-day prepper, who would even have stocked seed on board with supplies for over a year. So for Noah, the mandate was clearly him, his family, and a selection of animals.

For Pastor Wilkerson, as with all those who realize the need to prepare for coming hardships, it’s not so easy. There’s a difference of opinion of how much a family might need to have on hand, and it has to do with what type and duration of disaster a person believes he or she will face. Pastor Wilkerson stated: “lay in store a thirty-day supply of non-perishable food, toiletries and other essentials.” What comes after the thirty-day supply is exhausted? I believe Pastor Wilkerson’s faith was enough that he wasn’t going to be worried. His faith was in G-d Who is able to rescue His own. G-d rescued Lot before consuming fire destroyed his city. G-d cared for Elijah, feeding him by way of a bird. G-d kept hidden His chosen during the evil reign of King Ahab, during Elijah’s time. Furthermore, our Lord said:

Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?

Matthew 6:25

Take no thought. According to Barnes Notes on the Bible, “The word “anxiety” would now exactly express the sense, and is precisely the thing against which the Saviour would guard us. See Luke 8:14; Luke 21:34; Philippians 4:6. “Thought” about the future is right; “anxiety, solicitude, trouble” is wrong. There is a degree of “thinking” about the things of this life which is proper. See 1 Timothy 5:8; 2 Thessalonians 3:10; Romans 12:11. But it should not be our supreme concern; it should not lead to anxiety; it should not take time that ought to be devoted to religion. For your life – For what will “support” your life.”

This comment is exactly the balance I believe is necessary when we consider preparedness. We shall do best to allow our Lord to build our faith, that we are not anxious about any future, yet able to prayerfully consider, to think about, the need the Lord will have for us today, tomorrow, and in at any future time. Now in our prayerful considerations, we may wish to consider that the Lord may have us assist others in need, whether making through a storm or a major disaster with seemingly no end. It might be that a three-day emergency bag of food, water, and personal gear is inadequate to meet the needs of a group of people to which the Lord might bring our way. There may be people G-d desires to reach with the Gospel message, and you and me might be the ones G-d allows to represent Him. Presenting the Gospel to a hungry family is certainly more effective once the stomach is satisfied.

Consider these things. Give prayerful consideration to preparedness.

Until Monday, Lord Bless, Keep, Shine upon you and through you.

Preparing for an Emergency—Five

For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened.

Matthew 24:21,22

Pastor David Wilkerson, in 2009, wrote the following on his blog:

AN URGENT MESSAGE
I am compelled by the Holy Spirit to send out an urgent message to all on our mailing list, and to friends and to bishops we have met all over the world.

AN EARTH-SHATTERING CALAMITY IS ABOUT TO HAPPEN. IT IS GOING TO BE SO FRIGHTENING, WE ARE ALL GOING TO TREMBLE – EVEN THE GODLIEST AMONG US.

For ten years I have been warning about a thousand fires coming to New York City. It will engulf the whole megaplex, including areas of New Jersey and Connecticut. Major cities all across America will experience riots and blazing fires—such as we saw in Watts, Los Angeles, years ago.

There will be riots and fires in cities worldwide. There will be looting—including Times Square, New York City. What we are experiencing now is not a recession, not even a depression. We are under God’s wrath. In Psalm 11 it is written,

“If the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?” (v. 3).

God is judging the raging sins of America and the nations. He is destroying the secular foundations.

The prophet Jeremiah pleaded with wicked Israel, “God is fashioning a calamity against you and devising a plan against you. Oh, turn back each of you from your evil way, and reform your ways and deeds. But they will say, It’s hopeless! For we are going to follow our own plans, and each of us will act according to the stubbornness of his evil heart” (Jeremiah 18:11-12).

In Psalm 11:6, David warns, “Upon the wicked he will rain snares (coals of fire)…fire…burning wind…will be the portion of their cup.” Why? David answered, “Because the Lord is righteous” (v. 7). This is a righteous judgment—just as in the judgments of Sodom and in Noah’s generation.

WHAT SHALL THE RIGHTEOUS DO? WHAT ABOUT GOD’S PEOPLE?

First, I give you a practical word I received for my own direction. If possible lay in store a thirty-day supply of non-perishable food, toiletries and other essentials. In major cities, grocery stores are emptied in an hour at the sign of an impending disaster.

As for our spiritual reaction, we have but two options. This is outlined in Psalm 11. We “flee like a bird to a mountain.” Or, as David says, “He fixed his eyes on the Lord on his throne in heaven—his eyes beholding, his eyelids testing the sons of men” (v. 4). “In the Lord I take refuge” (v. 1).

I will say to my soul: No need to run…no need to hide. This is God’s righteous work. I will behold our Lord on his throne, with his eye of tender, loving kindness watching over every step I take—trusting that he will deliver his people even through floods, fires, calamities, tests, trials of all kinds.

Note: I do not know when these things will come to pass, but I know it is not far off. I have unburdened my soul to you. Do with the message as you choose.

God bless and keep you,

In Christ,

DAVID WILKERSON

See You Friday, Lord Willing. Lord Bless, Keep, Shine. . .

Preparing for an Emergency—Four

Noah was preparing for one particular disaster—a flood. Not just any flood, either, but a very big one, one that, as revealed to him, would eliminate all inhabitants of the Earth except those in Noah’s Ark. If we choose preparedness, for what types of disasters shall we prepare?

For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.

Matthew 24:7

Y’shuaJesus said those words around two thousand years ago. Since then, nations have risen, fallen, and fought one another. There have been famines and pestilences, disease outbreaks, and a whole variety of natural calamities. The United State Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) suggests at its website Ready.gov, the following in its introduction to PLANNING:

“Emergency preparedness is not the sole concern of Californians for earthquakes, those who live in “Tornado Alley”; or Gulf Coast residents because of hurricanes. Most communities may be impacted by several types of hazards during a lifetime. Americans also travel more than ever before; to areas impacted by hazards they may not be at risk of near their homes. Knowing what to do before, during and after an emergency is a critical part of being prepared and may make all the difference when seconds count.

“Some of the basic protective actions are similar for multiple hazards. For example, safety is necessary when experiencing all hazards, whether this means sheltering or evacuating depends on the specific emergency. Developing a family communications plan or making an emergency supply kit are the same for accidental emergencies, natural disasters and also terrorism. However, there are important differences among potential emergencies that should impact the decisions you make and the actions you take.”

Storms seem the most frequent and severe disasters we, in the US, face each year. Even in fair-weather places, like Georgia, storms disrupt services. During the winter of 2010-11, a nice storm pretty much shut down northern Georgia, including the metropolitan Atlanta area, which is home to about five million people. The worst of it lasted only three days, but driving even five days following the storm was difficult in many areas. Schools were closed. Deliveries were disrupted. Most still had electricity, so didn’t need to evacuate. In other winter storms throughout the United States, power is often lost. Without power, most will have not heat. And when it’s freezing outside, it soon freezes inside. Not pleasant. With no power, evacuating is often the only solution. And to where? Why, to a friendly government-established and -staffed facility.

But there is still the revelation of Y’shuaJesus that more severe things will occur. On Wednesday, I have scheduled an repost of an urgent warning from an American pastor.

Until then, May the Lord continue to Bless, Keep, and Shine upon y’all. . .