To an unbeliever the above title would suggest lunatic nut cases at the very least and militant religious radicals in the extreme. But to a true believer in Jesus Christ, who understands what is about to come upon the world, it is a signal to prepare for what will become hell on earth!
Jesus
Christ gave his believers a command to watch for his coming.
As we see the storm of the desolation period approach should we
prepare for it or just wait and trust God? What can we expect
to happen? Who will be affected? Can I expect to survive and does
it really matter if I die or not? How should I prepare?
With the article below we begin a series of articles addressing the biblical exploration of the topic of surviving tribulation as a Christian.
The answer to this question must be understood in the light of one of the most fundamental of Christian truths; God's grace is sufficient for us. That is, we don't deserve any of God's goodness, but when we humble ourselves and repent of our wickedness and believe in the deity and the crucifixion, death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ then we who are not worthy come under the grace of God. If we remain in that grace then it is sufficient to not only cover every need but to cleanse us from guilt before our heavenly Father.
So does this mean that we do nothing? The answer to this as well as the original question is one of faith. One of the great examples given to us of faith is Abraham. We are told in Hebrews that he was told to leave his people and set out for somewhere unknown to him. He did this without any idea of where he was going, but he went anyway. God could have given him a map. But even this was a test of Abraham's faith. Joseph, when he interpreted Pharoah's dream, knew God was going to see him through the great famine and drought depicted in the dream, but he set out to prepare for it anyway. Joseph's preparations were not sinful or a lack of faith. He acted in faith that God would work through his preparations just as he did many times before.
When God led Israel out of Egypt he instructed them to assemble their provisions hastily. Throughout the 40 years in the wilderness God made provision for Israel, but Israel started by making provision for herself having faith that God would sustain her people through their provisions and beyond. Israel's sin in the desert began where her faith failed.
Faith requires proof. We must prove our faith through obedience. When we make provision for ourselves and others we are not making ourselves self-sufficient, but simply acknowledging God's sufficiency through the provisions. In other words, we are acknowledging that we believe God when he says he is going to do something by preparing for it.
The time of desolation (known by many as the Great Tribulation) will involve great famine, drought, plague, war and pestilence. In the past God showed his people what he was going to do. They prepared for it because of this advance knowledge. We should also prepare for what is ahead based on the foreknowledge of prophecy.
God will most certainly work through our preparations. And when they become insufficient to carry us any further He will carry us the rest of the way!
I am not implying that all who prepare will survive the desolation of earth. Many or even most true believers will be captured, imprisoned or killed. But this does not mean that God will not use our acts of faith in preparing provision for that horrific time. Our provision may be to help others. God works through all acts of faith!
Jesus gave this command to those facing persecution; "Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; children will rebel against their parents and have them put to death. All men will hate you because of me, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved. When you are persecuted in one place, flee to another. I tell you the truth, you will not finish going through the cities of Israel before the Son of Man comes." Matthew 10:21-23
Jesus sent his disciples out without money, food or extra clothes and later he asked them if they lacked anything while on their journey. Then He did what may seem strange to us, He proceeded to tell them to take along a purse (money), a bag and buy a sword if they didn't have one (Luke 22:35-36). The idea was that they would be provided for supernaturally but they had to take steps of faith. They had to do such things to acknowledge, in faith, what Jesus was saying, tough times were ahead! In this way Jesus was also making provision for them. Very few of us will be able to store enough to cover our needs, but in faith we must prepare for what lies ahead, knowing in faith, that God will take us the rest of the way.
Our preparations are not just for us and our loved ones but for others who will be without (Luke 3:11). We need to be ready to share what we have, even if it goes quick and we are left with nothing. This may be the severest test for believers! The point isn't just taking care of ourselves, the entire world will be hungry and thirsty. Think of them when putting aside food and water. The water supply will be thin and tainted. Food will be so scarce that it will cost a day's wages for a meal. Will God see us through this when we have nothing? You can count on it, but why put the LORD thy God to the test? And where is our love for each other? The day is coming when giving a cup of water in Jesus' name will take on a new meaning to us gluttonous Americans!
Our safety should be
of less concern to us than knowing that we will have specific
roles to play in the last days. Our faith should be in God's sufficiency
to help us fulfill those roles rather than God's sufficiency in
keeping us alive. Remember, many who claim faith in Christ will
stand before him and boast of their faithfulness. They will recite
the miracles and the like they did in His name, but He will say
He never knew them because they left him thirsty, cold and lonely!
Our role will still be to love each other as He has loved us.
We must have the mind of Christ in our preparations. We are not
doing this for ourselves, but for each other.