Keep Awake at All Times

Dec. 21, 2012...the date that, supposedly, was the date that we would all witness great fireballs hurling from the thundering sky, or devastating intensity 9.5 earthquakes that would topple down everything standing on Earth coupled with kilometer high tsunamis. Thousands of people, I read, prepared Apocalypse shelters, ransacked grocery stores, and probably even spent all their money. Many people even renewed their faiths. 

Well, at least in our part of the world, that didn't happen. Last Dec 22, 2012, I still woke up to a world where I would still go to the office after the holidays, where I still battle with trying to lose holiday weight from overeating, and laboriously deal with the busyness of life. Yes, our delicate, fragile mortal lives would still go on indefinitely. 

Despite convincing Youtube videos (the "Gangnam Style" prophecy) and Facebook doomsday posts, I could say I was pretty confident that the world wasn't going to end that day. 

But the truth is, it COULD have happened that day. 

The thing is, it has been foretold.

In Matthew 24: 3, Jesus' disciples asked Jesus what the signs will be:

While he was sitting upon the Mount of Olives, the disciples approached him privately, saying: “Tell us, When will these things be, and what will be the sign of your presence and of the conclusion of the system of things?”

..And Jesus went on to say,

And in answer Jesus said to them: “Look out that nobody misleads ​YOU; for many will come on the basis of my name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will mislead many. YOU​ are going to hear of wars and reports of wars; see that ​YOU​ are not terrified. For these things must take place, but the end is not yet.

“For nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be food shortages and earthquakes in one place after another. All these things are a beginning of pangs of distress.

“Then people will deliver ​YOU​ up to tribulation and will kill ​YOU, and ​YOU​ will be objects of hatred by all the nations on account of my name. Then, also, many will be stumbled and will betray one another and will hate one another. And many false prophets will arise and mislead many; and because of the increasing of lawlessness the love of the greater number will cool off. But he that has endured to the end is the one that will be saved. And this good news of the kingdom will be preached in all the inhabited earth for a witness to all the nations; and then the end will come.

And we cannot deny that these things are happening in our world. Recent wars, violence, earthquakes and food shortages are happening almost all at once, everywhere in the world. Some people would say, well it's because we have the Internet, and information travels faster now, so the number of disasters or disastrous events in the world didn't really increase. Although it's true that we hear about these things faster these days because of social media, but if you look around you - just within your family, the environment around you, your neighborhood, your circle of friends and colleagues - has morality really changed for the better, or worse? Yes, these are signs that indeed, the end is coming. But this is not supposed to be something to be scared about - because of God's promise - that He will change everything from this wicked system of things - to a place where there is no more sickness, hatred, war, famine, and death. 

The prophecy can be found at Revelation 21:1 - 

And I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the former heaven and the former earth had passed away, and the sea is no more. I saw also the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God and prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. With that I heard a loud voice from the throne say: “Look! The tent of God is with mankind, and he will reside with them, and they will be his peoples. And God himself will be with them.And he will wipe out every tear from their eyes, and death will be no more, neither will mourning nor outcry nor pain be anymore. The former things have passed away."

Are you ready for this marvelous and awesome event?

I'm not talking about creating those bomb shelters under your homes, or stockpiling Twinkies that could last more than a year. I'm talking about being ready in the spiritual sense, because at least in my opinion, matters more than anything before the end of our physical world. Check out the Bible scripture below:

Luke 21: 34 - 36 But pay attention to yourselves that ​YOUR​ hearts never become weighed down with overeating and heavy drinking and anxieties of life, and suddenly that day be instantly upon ​YOU as a snare. For it will come in upon all those dwelling upon the face of all the earth. Keep awake, then, all the time making supplication that ​YOU​ may succeed in escaping all these things that are destined to occur, and in standing before the Son of man.”

I believe, that we must always be ready, whether it's Dec. 20, 2012 - or any day of the coming years, whatever human prophets, priests or pastors are saying.

1 Thessalonians 5:2 says, "For YOU yourselves know quite well that Jehovah’s day is coming exactly as a thief in the night." 

We will not know the exact day. Do not believe in what you hear on the Internet, on social networks - even if they sound convincing. No man can know when the day will come. But it will come for sure. Don't be afraid. If you look at the scripture from the Gospel of Luke above, it says there what we should do. Do not get weighed down by the anxieties of life - which means don't focus on material things, success and things of this world. You cannot bring this to wherever we are going. Don't get me wrong - God wants us to live good, abundant lives. Being rich is a good thing. But don't let it take away your time from Him. Don't let it become the focus of your life.

Simplify our lives, and get rid of envy, meaningless fleshly desires and immorality in our lives. 

And it goes on to say "Keep Awake, then all the time making supplication..". 

Keeping awake means several things. When we are awake in this world, what do we usually do? We think about things, we learn new things, we do things, we communicate with people.

That's exactly what God wants us to do. Keeping awake means to think about God, learn or take in knowledge about God, do and obey God's will, and talk to other people about God. Breathe in God's Word, and live it. Not only live it, but tell other people about it, so that they may also know what matters most in life. Give other people encouragement through the social networks, instead of instilling fear.  This is what matters. And "all the time making supplication" means we must always pray to God for endurance. Pray to God incessantly that He will give you spiritual and physical endurance during these hard catastrophic times - and we will survive, and God will deliver his promise by giving us a new world, where there will be no more pain and suffering. Yes, the "end of the world" is not so scary after all, if we know we are ready for it. Trust me, living simpler lives with God as the center, makes our time here in this world better and happier as we wait.

So are you ready?

Psalm 37:29 The righteous themselves will possess the earth, And they will reside forever upon it.