The great clock of God with its minute hand is rapidly approaching the midnight hour. With overwhelming speed the inhabitants of the earth are arriving at their final destination. The prophetic timetable is announcing the end of the world with amazing accuracy. This means that soon Jesus Christ will return the second time to save His children and destroy the wicked. However, before His second coming, God in His great love sends warnings so that people may prepare for this—the greatest event in the world’s history. One of these warnings is found in 1 Peter 4:7: “But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer.” A most earnest and serious question needs to be presented to each of us: “ARE YOU PREPARED?”
All around the world, violent and sudden catastrophes are occurring with startling frequency. Hurricanes, typhoons, cyclones, tornados, and other windy storms bringing rain, floods, ice, hail, and snow, are increasing in ferocity, spewing forth their turbulent destruction. Droughts, famine, fires, earthquakes, and volcanos are escalating. Wars, conflicts, violent crimes, as well as unexpected accidents by sea, land, and air, are multiplying the list of the dead. And what do all these things loudly proclaim to each of us? That the crisis is upon us, and our God is coming soon! Are you prepared?
The condition of humanity is getting worse by the day. Misery is followed by more misery, corruption follows further corruption, and cruelty is followed by more cruelty. Crime and terrorist attacks lower the worth of human dignity. Even life is no longer respected and valued. A spiral of violence is covering the world with blood. We hear constantly about mass murder and massacre at the cost of humaneness. The Lord is neither acknowledged as God nor thanked. His will, and much less His law, is not taken into consideration. The mercy of God is increasingly being misused. The Lord is denied; and His holy name, desecrated and dishonored. In dismay one asks himself how deep a man can sink. Sin has corrupted the world. We are now standing just before the end. It is time for the hour of truth to strike and the day of righteousness to dawn. It is time to consecrate ourselves completely to the Lord, no matter what the cost!
Some European nations now share a common currency. People are proclaiming: “The national border is over.” While others are proclaiming: “The United States of Europe”; the sign of a “New World”. World newspapers are proclaiming: “For the first time since the Roman Empire, a large portion of Europe now shares a common currency.” What do these things loudly proclaim to each of us? That the crisis is upon us, and our God is coming soon! Are you prepared?
Many people today are becoming conscious that we live in a unique time. The reality of the day of the Lord is becoming more obvious every day. Of this, the interested reader of the Holy Scriptures is fully aware. Even the man of the world, shaken by one event after another, is compelled to ask himself questions and to acknowledge the truth (See Luke 21:26). Yes, we are to acknowledge the fact stated by the Holy Scriptures: “The great day of the LORD is near, it is near, and hasteth greatly, even the voice of the day of the Lord: the mighty man shall cry there bitterly. That day is a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of wasteness and desolation, a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness, A day of the trumpet and alarm against the fenced cities, and against the high towers. And I will bring distress upon men, that they shall walk like blind men, because they have sinned against the Lord: . . . Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of the LORD’s wrath.” Zephaniah 1:14–18. “Kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of Him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb.” Revelation 6:15–16. Are you prepared?
Yet, many are being lulled into a fatal security of peace and prosperity through many and varied means, and the above realities pass by with little or no notice as to their extreme significance as signs of our Lord’s soon coming. And sad to say, this is the case with many of God’s professed people who believe the present truth! The people, above all others, who should be first and foremost to rise to the occasion and sound the trumpet notes of alarm, are asleep. Many are as unprepared for the crisis and their Lord’s return as are those who know not the Lord! How many of us are prepared to stand when our Lord comes and not find ourselves running from Him and calling for the rocks and mountains to hide us from His glory and brightness? It is a shame that some among us are even leaning their hopes upon the excuse that since they are not yet ready, then God will delay the final crisis and put off His coming until they are ready. But is this a safe excuse to hide behind?
In view of this solemn event, the counsel is given us: “Seek ye the LORD, all ye meek of the earth, which have wrought His judgment; seek righteousness, seek meekness: it may be ye shall be hid in the day of the LORD’s anger.” Zephaniah 2:3. The great day, “The great day of the Lord” is a very important subject, which is often mentioned in both the Old and New Testaments. We find concepts such as “the day,” “that day,” “the great day,” “the great and marvelous day,” “day of God,” “day of the Lord,” “day of Christ,” “the last day,” and others. Thousands of years ago, Enoch predicted such a day: “Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of His saints, To execute judgment upon all. . . that are ungodly among them Jude 14–15. The later prophets as well (Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, Joel, Zephaniah and Malachi), the apostles Peter, Paul and John, as well as Jesus Himself, restated the message of the great day of the Lord. On this day the Lord will make an end of the present condition of the world. It is the scheduled summons to executive justice. It is the long-delayed point of time when the Lord will reveal His presence and omnipotence. It is the hour when men will receive their deserved punishment for their misdeeds, evil and sinfulness. The injustices and deceptions will be brought to light and condemned, and pride and arrogance will be broken.
The things which were announced are at the door. The impressive scenes connected with that great day contain a clear warning for God’s people. They are to be shaken awake out of their carnal security. They are to realize how soon the events will come. This is also an invitation to return to God before it will be too late and an appeal for faithfulness, consecration, and genuine communion with God (Isaiah 2; Malachi 3:2–5; Joel 2). It is near, and hasteth greatly. We are coming closer and closer to this solemn day with its great consequences. What is our Christian life and testimony to be like in view of the event before us? The answer is given by the Spirit of Prophecy:
Dear reader, we need not look any further into the future for the time of crisis to occur, because it has already begun! So, ready or not, the crisis is here! Ready or not, our Lord is coming! We cannot put off till tomorrow what we can do to prepare today. Tomorrow is not the day of our salvation. Today is the time. Tomorrow may be too late! “To day if ye will hear His voice, harden not your hearts.” Hebrews 3:15. “Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.” 2 Corinthians 6:2. How many of us are prepared for the judgment and our names coming up in review before God? How many of us would be saved if our probation closed today? How many of us are prepared for the winds of strife to be let loose? How many of us are prepared for the time of trouble that has never yet been seen since there was a nation? Are you prepared for God to change the way He has dealt with this world of iniquity? Many of us are completely unprepared to even abide the glorious appearance of a single heavenly angel, not to mention the greater glory at the coming of the Lord!
Brethren, it is indeed time to “prepare to meet thy God.” Amos 4:12. It has only been out of the infinite mercy and compassion of our Father that many of us still have time to prepare! But how? What can we do to be prepared for the greater crises ahead, and especially for our Lord’s return?
Get ready!
“We are in the waiting time. But this period is not to be spent in abstract devotion. Waiting, watching, and vigilant working are to be combined.” Testimonies for the Church, vol. 5, p. 276. If we do not wish Satan to defeat us, then it is essential to: watch, pray, and work. Prayer and watchfulness are necessary to be able to grow in godliness. Never in your life was that time more important than it is now. You can only feel safe if you are constantly watching, praying, and working. These three characteristics alone can protect you from the snares of Satan. Now we must watch and pray as never before and refuse to become careless and indifferent. All who profess Christ must watch and pray in order to guard the door to their heart.
To be prepared for the time of trouble and for our Lord’s coming, we need to pray earnestly and exercise strong
persevering faith in disciplining self to live by every word and command of God which will enable us to exhibit the character of Christ in our lives. As you can see, this is a step by step process needing a varying amount of time to accomplish, depending on the individual! No one can achieve this overnight, nor can anyone jump ahead, skipping any of the steps. A fitness for heaven is only accomplished one advancing step at a time. Thus if we do not start now, but wait for tomorrow or tomorrow’s tomorrow to begin in earnest, then we will not be fully prepared, and thus lack the experience necessary to successfully make it through. And Jesus, along with heaven, will be forever lost to us!
Brethren, it is indeed time to “prepare to meet thy God.” Amos 4:12. It has only been out of the infinite mercy and compassion of our Father that many of us still have time to prepare! But how? What can we do to be prepared for the greater crises ahead, and especially for our Lord’s return?
To be prepared for the time of trouble and for our Lord’s coming, we need to pray earnestly and exercise strong persevering faith in disciplining self to live by every word and command of God, which will enable us to exhibit the character of Christ in our lives. As you can see, this is a step by step process needing a varying amount of time to accomplish depending on the individual! No one can achieve this overnight, nor can anyone jump ahead skipping any of the steps. A fitness for heaven is only accomplished one advancing step at a time. Thus if we do not start now, but wait for tomorrow or tomorrow’s tomorrow to begin in earnest, then we will not be fully prepared, and thus lack the experience necessary to successfully make it through. And Jesus, along with heaven, will be forever lost to us!
May we fully realize that “salvation is far from the wicked” (Psalms 119:155), because they do not do God’s will nor keep His commandments and thus they continue to commit sin (1 John 3:3–10). Let us instead make sure that we prepare ourselves now for our Saviour’s return so that His coming does not “overtake” or catch any of us unprepared as “a thief in the night” and we be lost. But you, Are you prepared?
We need to be the “children of the day” (1 Thessalonians 5:5), who confess and forsake their sins (Proverbs 28:13); those who walk in the light of Christ; those who “Fear God and keep His Commandments” (Ecclesiastes 12:13), and who “hold fast [to Christ] and repent.” Revelation 3:3. May we be diligent to make our “calling and election sure” (2 Peter 1:10), knowing that God will not allow any of His people to suffer “above that ye are able” (1 Corinthians 10:13). May we realize that “all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution” (2 Timothy 3:12), and that it is only through patiently enduring these “fiery darts” (Ephesians 6:10–17) and “the fiery trial” (1 Peter 4:12–14) and persecution that our faith or gold is being “tried in the fire” (Revelation 3:18). And if we are proven true, standing “fast in the faith” (1 Corinthians 16:13) and being found faithful to the end, then we will “obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ” and will “live together with Him” (1 Thessalonians 5:9–10) forever in “the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:10).
“The day is at hand when the destiny of every soul will be fixed forever. This day of the Lord hastens on apace. The false watchmen are raising the cry, ‘All is well’; but the day of God is rapidly approaching. Its footsteps are so muffled that it does not arouse the world from the deathlike slumber into which it has fallen. While the watchmen cry, ‘Peace and safety,’ ‘sudden destruction cometh upon them,’ ‘and they shall not escape’; ‘for as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth.’ It overtakes the pleasure-lover and the sinful man as a thief in the night. When all is apparently secure, and men retire to contented rest, then the prowling, stealthy, midnight thief steals upon his prey. When it is too late to prevent the evil, it is discovered that some door or window was not secured. ‘Be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.’ People are now settling to rest, imagining themselves secure under the popular churches; but let all beware, lest there is a place left open for the enemy to gain an entrance. Great pains should be taken to keep this subject before the people. The solemn fact is to be kept not only before the people of the world, but before our own churches also, that the day of the Lord will come suddenly, unexpectedly. The fearful warning of the prophecy is addressed to every soul.” —Fundamentals of Christian Education, p. 335–336
Is it not a fact today that the politicians talk more about peace and security among the nations than anything else? The preoccupation with affluence and technological and scientific developments has almost enveloped humanity. And how many other evidences we have that the day of the Lord is near! Let us therefore be on our guard so we might not underestimate the many dangers. In anticipation of these events the time has come for us, as members of the people of God, to earnestly ponder our spiritual condition. Do we acknowledge the light which the Lord has given us as a sacred privilege?
We read further in the apostle Peter’s writings: “But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?” 2 Peter 3:10–12. Are you prepared for that?
Let us receive the heavenly message with an open heart. Then, by the help and grace of God, it will be possible for us not only to have seeing eyes concerning the events before us and understand their significance, but also to act in accordance with it and prepare for that glorious day. Then it will not be a day of anguish and darkness for us nor will it cause us terror. It will be the day for which we have waited in faith; it will be the culmination of our hope, and we will greet it with joy as the dawn of a new era. Let us keep in mind that we, “according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, where in dwelleth righteousness. Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of Him in peace, without spot, and blameless.” 2 Peter 3:13–14
Jesus will soon come. Let us therefore redeem every opportunity which the Lord in His mercy imparts to us to work for Him. Let us not do as did this man, who let twenty years pass and then began again to work for the Lord. Your neighbour, friend, or colleague who lives and dwells with you—everyone needs to hear the message of reconciliation, to be reconciled with God. It creates peace, joy, shelter, and fulfillment. Do you want to become an “ambassador for Christ”? Make your decision today. Ask the Lord Jesus for strength, and then go out with a loving heart to tell the people the last, wonderful message of mercy: “We pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God.” 2 Corinthians 5:20. Thus a people will be gathered which can joyfully look forward to the return of Jesus and meet Him in peace. Are you prepared?
Victor Shumbusho,
D.R. Congo / Union Secretary