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. . .

Preparing for an Emergency—Three

How much should a pantry have in it? Here’s what’s written about Noah:

And take thou unto thee of all food that is eaten, and thou shalt gather it to thee; and it shall be for food for thee, and for them. Thus did Noah; according to all that God commanded him, so did he.

Genesis 6:21-21

Not exactly clear how much Noah stocked in his boat. Perhaps Noah knew it would take forty-days supply. If we were to consider a cache, how much would we store?

Well, that’s a matter of opinion. Some survivalists/preppers stock several years of dried food, extra clothing, farming equipment, medical supplies, and various sorts of hunting and self-defense/protection gear. At that point, it’s not a pantry, but an entire room or more that is filled. That’s definitely prepared. At the opposite side is the man I mentioned with absolutely nothing in his pantry, as he lived from one day to the next buying what the family needed daily. Going upward from there is people who follow the government recommendations. I remember the 1950s when we were preparing for what we thought would be an eminent nuclear war. We had AM band radios marked with a radiation symbol to let us know where to tune in the event of an emergency. We had a list of things we were suppose to store, that included two-weeks supply of food that could be eaten without cooking, lots of water, candles, matches, and personal items. There were shelters fully stocked in the various public buildings. That was forgotten for a while as the threat of the Cold War died out. With it died the emergency broadcast system. The shelters were quickly forgotten, too. One day, in one town I lived in, one of the shelters was cleared out. There were a lot of leaking bottles of chemicals that had to be disposed.

With “9-11” emergency preparedness took on new life, and the government is once again in the recommending a plan and a kit. There’s an interesting campaign launched by CDC providing posters to state and local health departments. These posters use the Zombie Apocalypse as an eye-catcher. The idea is to get people to think and plan in the event of a local, regional, or national disaster. Depending upon the government agency, the recommended supply of emergency food and gear is now a three-day pack that can be quickly carried out of the house. Occasionally there are recommendations that include the three-day kit and a “long-term” supply for between two and three weeks. There is no provision for defense measures, either.

Where to go? In America, today, tt is expected that we, the people, in the case of disaster and evacuation, will move to a nice shelter somewhere out of danger. I suspect this is why the three-day pack is recommended, it is definitely more portable than the ultimate prepper’s larder. Were a disaster to strike, we will follow along with countless others shambling into a stadium or other suitable venue, where we will be fed and cared for until the disaster is mitigated. From what I’ve heard, that scenario didn’t work out too well during the Katrina Hurricane disaster in New Orleans. Those that took to the road to avoid Katrina, found themselves in gridlock going north with many just running out of gas on the highway. Some others that stayed out of desire to, or didn’t have a way to evacuate, went to the stadium, where they found another form of disaster. That three-day supply would have been a great idea in either case, and a two-week kit even better—if someone didn’t “requisition” it from the bearer.

More thoughts on Monday.

Lord Bless, Keep, Shine. . .

New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina: Lower 9th... — New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina: Lower 9th Ward. House thrown off foundation, partially atop an upside-down Ford-150 Photo by Infrogmation. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Preparing for an Emergency—Two

Now it’s a good thing Noah didn’t live in America today. I read recently of a man facing charges from city government for not completing his boat in the time frame in which he was originally granted. The city was going to move the boat, completed or not, away from the guys home because the boat had been an eyesore too long. In my neighborhood, I agreed to something called CC&Rs, which restricts me to lots of things beyond what the county ordinances disallow. No way could I build a boat on my acre of land; I’m not allowed to have a ham radio antenna.

And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man. They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all.

Luke 17:26,27

We are an increasingly urban society in America. This means lots of people crammed together coexisting, or at least trying to do so. In the area in which I now reside, which was rural not too long ago when I moved here, growth has brought us to a point nearly suburban, which means we still have some open land left to pillage, and no high-rise buildings in clusters. Things are a bit less concentrated, but we have industrial and office complexes appearing next to neighborhoods. Roads running by the neighborhoods are snarled with automobiles when employees head to work or to home, and often during the day. Schools are crowded, while new ones are built and filled quickly to overflowing. And there seems to be no end in sight. It also means that we are within a mile of a grocery store in a large shopping plaza. Each plaza seems to have a salon, a shop to do ladies’ nails, dry cleaners, and a restaurant or two, and several fast-food places.

Urbanites don’t keep food on the shelf, it seems. One of my neighbors admitted he had absolutely nothing in his cupboard, that his family either ate out or picked something up to bring home each day. I’m not from that lifestyle. To use a line from a song, “I’m a little more country than that.”

I grew up in rural areas, lived most of my adult life in rural areas. During season, we ate a lot of fresh produce from farm stands. My mother shopped sales and stocked the pantry with as much as we could afford. They also travelled about a hundred miles to an Air Force base to shop at the commissary—saving a lot of money doing so. The only things they needed to buy more frequently were perishables that wouldn’t freeze. They didn’t call it “Prepping”; it was just a way of life.

There are other reasons to have a large pantry. One example is one community in which I lived, up in northern California. Winter storms rolled through at least once each year that closed the main interstate that runs between California to Washington. It could stay closed for several days. After the first day of the storm, the store shelves were bare, and no shipments arrived until the interstate reopened. We either had a minimally stocked pantry, or went without.

It’s time for you to look in a cupboard, or closet, or where ever you store food, to see what’s on hand. Let me know what you find. How long can you exist, not thrive, but just exist on what you have on hand? Until Friday, then.

Lord Bless, Keep, Shine. . .

Preparing for an Emergency—One

Back in the day, it was Survivalist; today it is a Prepper. The word isn’t yet in the dictionary, but that doesn’t stop about 7,490,000 results (in 0.34 seconds) in a search on Google. While once a fringe in society, like, ah yes, environmentalists, preppers are popping up all over, like Georgia wildflowers after a gentle rain. Now the popular media, television, has a show called Doomsday Preppers. Whether one is a Survivalist or a Prepper, or just hoping to survive a local natural calamity, like a hurricane, the idea of preparedness isn’t new; it goes way, way, way back—to at least Noah.

The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence. And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth. And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth. Make thee an ark of gopher wood; rooms shalt thou make in the ark, and shalt pitch it within and without with pitch. And this is the fashion which thou shalt make it of: The length of the ark shall be three hundred cubits, the breadth of it fifty cubits, and the height of it thirty cubits. A window shalt thou make to the ark, and in a cubit shalt thou finish it above; and the door of the ark shalt thou set in the side thereof; with lower, second, and third stories shalt thou make it. And, behold, I, even I, do bring a flood of waters upon the earth, to destroy all flesh, wherein is the breath of life, from under heaven; and every thing that is in the earth shall die. But with thee will I establish my covenant; and thou shalt come into the ark, thou, and thy sons, and thy wife, and thy sons’ wives with thee. And of every living thing of all flesh, two of every sort shalt thou bring into the ark, to keep them alive with thee; they shall be male and female. Of fowls after their kind, and of cattle after their kind, of every creeping thing of the earth after his kind, two of every sort shall come unto thee, to keep them alive. And take thou unto thee of all food that is eaten, and thou shalt gather it to thee; and it shall be for food for thee, and for them. Thus did Noah; according to all that God commanded him, so did he.

Genesis 6:11-22

Did you watch the movie 2012? There were three arks depicted. It took a lot of engineers to develop a system in which those arks would survive what was to come in the movie. So here’s Noah, perhaps a farmer and hunter who may never have seen a boat in his life (I don’t know, but just guessing). Perhaps the most water he may have seen was a river swollen after a sudden desert rain. So G-d, Who is an excellent Engineer, gives Noah detailed plans. Noah follows along, just like build-by-the-numbers- construction sets, and gives birth to a pretty cool boat. Well, maybe it was a ship. It was big.

Noah is often shown as being laughed at by those around him. Hum, a lot like the Survivalists of the late 70s, the Preppers of today. I can’t recall where it came from, perhaps from some Sunday school lesson a long time ago, but somehow I got the notion of Noah not really having a clue to what he was doing. It’s like he might say, “Hey, I don’t know what it’s for, I’m just following orders.” This can’t be a true representation of Noah, which is why I find suspect some of the way kids are taught the Bible. Even if Noah didn’t totally know what was going on at first, one can’t think ill of him if it were, for at least he followed orders. (And it was nice of him to do so, as it sounded like G-d didn’t have a lot of good folks to choose from back then, and he’d already “repented” of his creation, giving up on the whole “Let’s create man in our image” thing.)

Matthew Henry commented that “Noah [was] distinguished from the rest of the world, and a peculiar mark of honor put upon him. When God was displeased with the rest of the world, he favored Noah. Being a good man, He found him out, and smiled upon him. He was made a vessel of God’s mercy. God makes Noah the man of His counsel, communicating to him His purpose to destroy this wicked world by water, as afterwards, He told Abraham His resolution concerning Sodom (Genesis 18:17). The secret o f the Lord was with His servants the prophets (Amos 3:7) by a spirit of revelation, informing them particularly of His purpose.”

Noah had to have seen the corruptness in the world that he knew. He had to have been removed from that evil, too. Maybe he wasn’t perfect, just like us, but at least he caught G-d’s attention. He also must have seen some natural signs that made all the work and harassment he received from people around him, worth continuing until the ark was complete. Once it was done, how long did Noah have to wait until G-d decided it was time? Could have been a while. And once it was time to start loading, how long did that take? That could have taken a while, too. It’s hard enough sometimes to get my daughter’s dog to return to the house when she’s licking her lips at the scent of rabbit; she just wants to sit still, like a hunter in a stand, waiting for dinner to appear on four legs. I can’t imagine gathering up a whole bunch of animals, trying to care for the first few while gathering more. I’m sure the whole process has been expounded upon by a witty preacher trying to make a point about something or other.

The series continues Wednesday, in the meantime take a look at Genesis and think about parallels between the days of Noah and these days.

Lord Bless, Keep, Shine. . .