A prophecy is a foretelling or forecast of something that is going to take place in the future. A person has to ask themselves why prophecies exist. They exist to tell us about the future so that we will prepare for what is to come. God gives us many prophecies in His Word. He also speaks directly to prophets, seers, and truth speakers. He employs them to deliver His prophecies to His people. They give us wisdom from God’s Word and they tell us about what is to come. Our Heavenly Father always tells His prophets, seers, and truth speakers what He’s going to do before He does it. He also gives us warning through these folks so that we will straighten up, heed His Word, and initiate a course direction. We have witnessed such warnings during the Covid-19 pandemic.
God does not punish people, and He is not punishing the world through the pandemic. Many people are saying and thinking this, but God does not punish. In John 10:10(NLT), Jesus Christ said, “The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.” In this verse, Jesus Christ tells us about the adversary, the devil, and he calls him ‘the thief’. Jesus tells us exactly why the devil is in the earth, and he also tells us exactly what the devil aims to do in the earth. Stealing, killing, and destroying are the trifecta of destructive evil and darkness that the devil seeks to use against every child of God. The pandemic was concocted by the devil for such a purpose. This curse was allowed because the grace of God could no longer cover the darkness and evil of people’s hearts. The prayers of the people could have prevented it or greatly diminished it’s harm, but because the people of God were not as alert as we should have been, and we were not as watchful and prayerful as our Lord and Savior commands, the devil has reaped havoc upon the earth.
By nature, I’m a very optimistic person. I am not a doom and gloom purveyor that is trying to squash people’s hopes and dreams. The messages I’m privileged to carry forth are about the Good News of Jesus Christ. He saves us from a life of sin. Through him we can become born again and receive a new life, and we can receive the gift of eternal life and live with him forever. Jesus Christ is our hope, and when we place our hope in him, we can’t be disappointed. However, if you’ve ever been on the fence about receiving salvation and living for Jesus Christ, now is the time to kick all the excuses to the curb and get on board with him.
The times are urgent, and things are on track to get a lot worse. Things will happen that will be unlike anything we’ve ever seen. In order to keep us and our loved ones safe, we are not going to be able to depend on information from external sources. We must hear from God internally, through His Spirit. Jesus Christ tells us in John 16:13(NLT), “When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own but will tell you what he has heard. He will tell you about the future.” Heavenly Father tells us throughout His Word that He doesn’t want us to be ignorant. He doesn’t want us walking around in the dark. He has told us what is going to take place in the future, and as spiritually intelligent people, we must prepare so that we’re not walking around with our eyes closed. We are children of light, and we must keep our eyes stayed on the One that is light!
Matthew 24:35-38(NLT) says, “35 Heaven and earth will disappear, but my words will never disappear. 36 “However, no one knows the day or hour when these things will happen, not even the angels in heaven or the Son himself. Only the Father knows. 37 “When the Son of Man returns, it will be like it was in Noah’s day. 38 In those days before the flood, the people were enjoying banquets and parties and weddings right up to the time Noah entered his boat.” When Noah was instructed by God to build the ark, folks living in his day thought he had totally lost his bunkers. They didn’t believe his warnings from God and kept on with business as usual. We see this today as well. Even with the tremendous evil and confusion in the world, people are behaving as if no warnings are being given. God is warning us to get our houses in order, to get our eyes focused on Him, because those that are not getting anchored in Christ will regret it.
Again, this message is a reminder from God that we need to wake up. We don’t know the day or the hour when our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, will return; but we most assuredly know that he indeed will return. Before he does, there will be some things to take place in the earth that will be extremely troubling, they will be tragic and beyond our worse imagination.
2Corinthians 5:17(NLT) tells us, “This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!” Becoming born again through Jesus Christ begins our spiritual journey, and it requires the leadership and guidance of the Spirit. It cannot be lost on us that an internal transformation must take place, where we become more like Christ in every way. Our Lord and Savior communicated and responded to God spiritually, we must learn to do the same.
The teaching of Jesus Christ in Matthew 24:39-44(NLT) continues, “People didn’t realize what was going to happen until the flood came and swept them all away. That is the way it will be when the Son of Man comes. “Two men will be working together in the field; one will be taken, the other left. Two women will be grinding flour at the mill; one will be taken, the other left. “So you, too, must keep watch! For you don’t know what day your Lord is coming. Understand this: If a homeowner knew exactly when a burglar was coming, he would keep watch and not permit his house to be broken into. You also must be ready all the time, for the Son of Man will come when least expected.” We must always be in a posture to respond quickly to God. We must get ready now and stay ready, doing what is required to sharpen ourselves spiritually, so when Christ returns, we are prepared.■
Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.
“Stay Ready So You Don’t Have to Get Ready”, written by JMack, 4theChristianMan.com© 2019. All rights reserved. All praise and honor to God through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.