Oh But You Don’t Understand:
The End Of Days Is Much Less Predictable
Issue of Concern:
Some prepare before hand, thinking their preparations will guarantee their safety through the tribulation period. Some falsely assume protection when the Word only promises safety through it, including safety through martyrdom. Jesus Christ speaking, "You will be betrayed even by parents, brothers, relatives and friends, and they will put some of you to death. All men will hate you because of me. But not a hair of your head will perish. By standing firm you will gain life." (Luke 21:16-19; NIV)
Stan had built his “Prayer Closet.”
Dave and Marilyn had secretly constructed a basement dwelling off the grid whereby they could get through the tribulation period.
Sam, anticipating how easily the system could come up with some excuse to undermine the preparations of the Dave and Marilyn types (further developed below), decided to blend into the mass of his city’s street people.
All four of them thought this would get them safely through the time of intense darkness before the Rapture/Gathering event. Their stories end up unfolding quite differently than each of them had anticipated.
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Stan, Dave, Marilyn and Sam had one final meeting together before splitting up. In it they shared their thoughts as to how each of them was going to respond to the new global system being imposed upon much of the world. Sam carefully tried to show his close friends, Dave and Marilyn, how their efforts could so easily be derailed. “Dave, I can give you four scenarios where you’d be helpless to prevent them from hauling you two away.” “Okay, Sam," Dave said, "share them. I honestly don’t think you can.”
“Before I start, I just want to say thank you for listening. I want you to go into this having considered as many options as possible.” Turning to Marilyn, Sam said, “Sincerely, thank you!” Then, also including Stan and Dave in his listening audience, went on to say, "Here are the possible ways they can undermine your good efforts:
1. They can simply come in by force, and you’d be helpless to stop them;
2. They could turn their heads when the people sympathetic to this global cause decide to take action and rid the world
of you and your types—sincerely, some of them are so angry at Christians they would kill them thinking they are actually
doing God a favor. Read it! John 16:1-4;
3. They could impose new taxes on you even though you are off the grid and have made what you thought were all the
arrangements. For example, even if you arranged to have someone else pay your annual taxes, etc., they could still
instate a new law mandating you pay your debts personally. Who knows what else they could come up with? The
point: those administrating the system could so easily overthrow all your careful plans to make it through this period
of chaos;
4. They could come through a plant. The Scriptures speak of betrayal during this time. They could use one of your
relatives to sabotage your solar and wind power generators. They could poison your hand-pump water well. Dave,
the possibilities are many; and,
5. Yes, those committed to the evil global system under antichrist could simply let you alone since your place is out in the
boondocks and shouldn’t be seen as a threat to their agenda, but you never know.
Marilyn reached over to Dave and simply said, “Honey, I know Sam’s counsel may potentially unfold, but I’m willing to put our plans into God’s hands and hope the fifth possibility will actually end up being our experience.” Dave nodded, looked over at Sam, and said, “Brother, I know it’s because you care. Thanks for sharing.” Stan added, “Perhaps, given each one of us has made up our minds as to the direction we’re taking from here, let’s pray together … and that they did—for hours. As they prayed, they all confessed their response to the days ahead did not guarantee any of them would survive the global persecution. They did take peace in knowing God was their heavenly Father who held each one of them safely in His hands.