“Blessed (happy, fortunate, to be envied) is the man who listens to me, watching daily at my gates, waiting at the posts of my doors.”
Proverbs 8:34 AMP
This is a timely verse. We recently disconnected our television service so what news I get now is limited to the alerts the BBC News, Fox News and Local news apps on my phone deem 'breaking news'. The world is a much more peaceful place without satellite!
Last Friday's news was not great, the Dow closed with a dramatic fall. China is in crisis and it is spreading. As a former economics student, it doesn't take long to see the familiar signs of a financial crisis dawning, well actually we're probably well past dawn now.
For a while now my heart has been stirred greatly for the return of Christ and the great gathering of the church to Him. So when I see news of pending doom I find peace because these things are prophetically foretold.
In the Bible it talks about the mark of the beast which will be the only way you can buy and sell.
“And no one could buy or sell anything without that mark, which was either the name of the beast or the number representing his name.”
Revelation 13:17 NLT
That is prophetic. If the mark is the only way then we will no longer have currency as we know it. For that to happen I believe something so catastrophic will have to happen to the world markets that currency will collapse completely.
I'm going into scary territory now. Trust me I understand, first time I sat under end times teaching I was 12 years old and it scared me to death. If you just look at the mark of the beast alone, isolated it is scary. However it is part of the final book in the Bible. The final chapter of humanity's story. And somewhere in there our Saviour Jesus Christ returns for His Bride and ends satan and evil forever.
I love that right after, the scripture above from Proverbs, states we are 'blessed' or 'joyful' it tells us why. Because the reader is watching at the gate.
Right now I believe more than ever all the horses and horsemen mentioned in Revelations are saddling up their horses. They may even be mounting them. I picture horses snorting and stomping their feet in anticipation. Riders tightening girths. Weapons being given one last check.
People that stood at the city gates sometimes could hear the thundering pounding of the horses of an army coming before they could be seen. If you listening closely I feel like we can hear that deep sound.
The earth is shaking and the world is being turned upside down. So where will God find us? Jesus himself said when I return will I find faith? Are you worried what will happen to your retirement? Are you worried how you will pay next months bills or maybe even this months?
There are only two things we should be worried about now. Firstly are we ready for His return? Is there oil in our lamps? Are we watching at the gate and the posts of His house? Secondly, are those that have been entrusted to our lives ready? Do they know about our Saviour?
Your house, your car, your retirement, your job, your stuff it's staying here. We just need to look to the Egyptians for proof of that. Their burial pyramids have been beautiful museums of relics for us because they thought they could take it with them.
We will take people with us. I wish we could get a glimpse of hell sometimes because if we all did then I truly believe we wouldn't waste a second sharing the gospel and praying for our lost people.
But we all got up this morning with living life on our minds. Bills, jobs, laundry, dinner, errands, wants, desires, plans, and on and on, on our minds. Maybe we stopped for two seconds to say good morning Lord thank you for waking me up. But then our feet hit the floor and the coffee flowed and busy, busy, busy, as if all we are building will go on forever.
Yes the Lord may tarry longer but we will all die one day. Right outside my hometown last weekend 3 young men barely 20 years old died in a car accident. There is no tomorrow for them. A 40 year man drowned last week off the beach near us. His future here is over.
But if you are Christian this life isn't the end, in fact it's the beginning. I love Lord of the Rings. There is a particularly beautiful scene in one of the movies where Gandolf is talking to Pipin on the eve of the big battle. He is telling him about the life that comes after, and you see in the shadow of the enemies growing aggression a peace comes. Because no matter how bad the battle ahead is, on the other side is beauty beyond understanding.
“Therefore do not cast away your confidence, which has great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise: “For yet a little while, And He who is coming will come and will not tarry.”
Hebrews 10:35-37 NKJV
When I am discouraged this scripture gives me great comfort. I don't know about you, but I need endurance. There are days the battle is so hard. Yesterday I stood in the grocery store fighting back tears. Tired from the heavy load, discouraged and weary. If my confidence is in myself then I may as well cry because it's a lost case but it's not in me. I was fighting in my strength, using physical weapons and my reasoning. I had forgotten this is a spiritual war. My weapon is and will only ever be prayer.
So I lift my head and returned to the gate to watch. I see redemption drawing nigh. I don't need to ask why this battle is so violent right now because the answer is the timer is almost done. Hell at best has minutes left to destroy us but I really think we're down to seconds now.
Dear friend come get up and stand watch with me. Let's make a committment to pray for those around us that need to accept salvation. Let's encourage those saints that are so weary they don't think they can fight another second. They can't but Christ is fighting for us, we just have keep trusting Him.
One of the sweetest Christian brothers God ever put in the life of my husband and I was an elderly gentleman called Joe. He has been home in Glory for a year now. Everytime he said goodbye he had a little saying that always reminding you of what our hope is to be in, so that is how I will close today.
I will see you soon, either here, there or in the air! God bless!
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