As we move into the 21st century, our technology is moving faster than one can keep up with. Not long ago, National Geographic aired a program that specifically talks about Doomsday Preppers, which has a lot of people wondering about an event involving destruction or damage on an awesome or catastrophic scale, and a lot of those people are not even religious. Worrying about such things like environment and natural disaster.
Other groups may worry about war, a social political meltdown, apocalypse, or Armageddon, adding some religious overtones to their fear that can make people feel uncomfortable.
Matthew 24:7 says, “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places.”
So basically, preppers are just trying to be self sufficient in the face of these doomsday prophecies, prepping for the last days by storing buckets of beans, water, and ways to generate electrical power from various sources. These groups are taking action in self-preservation and being on the watch not to be caught asleep behind the wheel, and it doesn’t mean that taking action and making preparation is a bad thing as you observe today’s times as the world turns.
Living in the mountains in a cave like a hermit, Doug Batchelor tells his story of how he went looking for God in his darkest hour. He later had a book published called “The Richest Caveman.” The book is a story of a broken man living in a cave, written in ten different languages that tells his story of how he was as far away from God as a person could ever be, until he was called into the marvelous light of Jesus Christ. Still, after 40 years, he says that he and Karen, his wife, still have a cabin in the hills to this day.
Nevertheless, many people are still taking action of preparations of readiness because they believe that there is going to be a major meltdown or a catastrophic event. For years now, folks have treated this type of behavior as a fringe group. But now going beyond that, the Wall Street Journal published an article about 60% of mega-millionaires already having places where they can go during an event of some social meltdown, apocalypse, or Armageddon.
They have become doomsday preppers. As the super rich have been buying up deactivated missile silos that are costing about 3 million dollars per level and have been selling out fast with their own water purification system, hydroponics farming, swimming pool, theater, a pharmacy, and even their very own jail.
Being cooped up underground with a bunch of millionaires, anything can happen! So it’s not just a fringe group that is thinking about some catastrophic event looming on the horizon. Hedge managers, multimillionaires and billionaires from Silicon Valley are making preparations for what they think is going to happen, one way or another, and they are taking self-preparation regardless of what others think.
As we read further about the sign of the coming King, things should start to look a little bit clearer, because the coming of Jesus is not an afterthought when you turn to Revelations, the last book of the Bible. Revelation 1:7 says, “Behold He is coming with the clouds and every eye will see him, even those who pierced Him.”
Revelation 14:41 says, “I looked and beheld a white cloud, and upon the cloud one sat like unto the Son of man having on his head a golden crown.”
Revelation 12:1-2 says, “A great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her head. She was pregnant and cried out in pain as she was about to give birth. Then another sign appeared in heaven: an enormous red dragon with seven heads and ten horns and seven crowns on its heads. Its tail swept a third of the stars out of the sky and flung them to the earth.” As in the days of Sodom and Gomorrah.
Here it’s talking about the second coming. Revelation 22:7 says, “Behold, I am coming quickly! Blessed is he who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book.” Know this is the last chapter in the Bible, but we’re not done yet. Revelation 22:20 says, “He who testifies to these things says, ‘Surely I am coming quickly.’” Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
You’re probably thinking John wrote that 2,000 years ago, so God’s idea of quickly and our idea of quickly may not be the same, because we want fast food and think our microwaves are too slow. So why is it taking so long? In just a moment we’ll talk about that. So what can we know about the time of Jesus’ return?
This is what we have to be careful about, when someone is giving you a date for the Lord to return. Matthew 24:36 says, “Jesus said, speaking of his second coming, ‘but out of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no not even the angels of heaven, but my Father only.’” So be careful when someone says they know the time and day of Jesus’ coming.
Doug spoke of Harold Camping. A founder of many family Christian radio stations, he foretold the time of Jesus’ coming and picked the date of May 11, 2011. Some of us may still remember that day. Doug said he really did it to help the attendance of his seminar, but later in an interview said that’s not how you do it. On Fox News, Doug said, “Then I made him a offer. We’ll give you a million dollars to use right now, but if Jesus does not come on May 11, 2011, you sign over all your radio stations to us.”
Well, of course, he didn’t do it, Jesus never came. Shortly afterward, he was devastated, and it made Christianity lose credibility, and this is why we have to be careful about setting dates. Because even Jesus did not know, but at the same time we need to live in a state of expectancy, and most Christians, as far as they’re concerned if you die, your next conscious thought is the resurrection and the second coming of Jesus. Even if you live to 90-100 years, compared to eternity our lives are pretty short. The Bible says a day with the Lord is like a thousand years. Because Jesus said no one knows the day or hour but we may be able to know when it’s near.
Matthew 24:43 says, “He said when you see all these things know that it is near, even at the door.” Jesus gave us signs, he said to lift up your heads when you see these things because he wants us to be watching.
Mark 13:35-37 says, “Therefore keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back—whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or at dawn. If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping. What I say to you, I say to everyone: ‘Watch!’”
So is Jesus talking about the second coming? He said watch, watch, watch, watch, four times because he wants us to be watching. In Matthew 25 he gives us the parable of the virgins waiting for the bridegroom. They fall asleep and are not ready. So he wants us to be thinking about these things as we talk about the return of the Lord and the closing promise in the Bible. So it is a good thing for Christians to talk about Jesus’ coming too!
Regardless of who you are—rich, poor, disabled, or sick, Jesus should be the first step in preparation as a doomsday prepper. That is, to draw Him near.
John 15:10 says, “If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love.”
Under the spell of Lucifer, human concerns are just a stumbling block for Christians who follow Jesus Christ. He will not continue to bless us if we move ourselves out from under God. If the nation is not under God, then what is it under? Self-interest? Prosperity? Power?
No, if a nation is not under God, you can be sure that it is under judgment. Just as Adam and Eve had fallen under the spell of the serpent Lucifer, they surrendered their eternal life right out the Garden of Eden.
Well, you know the story about the serpent? “Why did you bite me after I brought you home and made you my pet? “I told you I was a snake.”
In Matthew 16:23-25, “Jesus turned and said to Peter, ‘Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.’ Then Jesus said to his disciples, ‘Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it.’”
So we should think more on where are we going and where we want to be. God says, “I gave you the anchor of hope, my Son Jesus, to hold you firm to your faith when Lucifer’s evil spirits are at play. But until I come, be my disciple and pray. Use my words to call them out of darkness and into his marvelous light.”
Our goal is to watch and be ready for the one who is coming to bring us to the place he prepared for us. Because he loves us so much, he gave us free will. You can choose or vote any way you like. But if you’re afraid, ask yourself “WWJD?” Watch! Pray! And be prepared!
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YouTube: Signs of the Coming King! Part 1 of 2 with Pastor Doug Batchelor
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EUbK9NctspU&t=120s
Formulated by Dunndeal Publications