A Time of Change

“As a bird that wandereth from her nest, so [is] a man that wandereth from his place.” (Proverbs 27:8)

“We see in the bird leaving the security of home, that out in the world there is great insecurity and uncertainty. At home, you at least know what you have. There is no uncertainty. Now, a man that wanders is not only out of place but could be in danger. So, the message is to stay close to home. The prodigal son discovered that this uncertainty of the world was not for him and, like many others who venture away, came crawling back home again.” (Courtesy Bible-study.org)

The above verse and the accompanying comments can easily apply to our current world situation. For twenty years or more years we have lived as if we can go anywhere in the world and be safe from harm. Even if we do have a problem, we have been able to get help and return safely home. I do not believe this is true anymore, if it ever really was true to begin with. The world says have adventures, see the rest of the world while you can, learn new things, etc. Is this really what God wants us to be doing in these critical times before our Lord’s return? Travelling today has become a very uncertain experience. As I write this article at the end of February the Coronavirus (COVID-19) is rapidly increasing around the world and the outcome of this virus is uncertain. Many people have been trapped on cruise ships or in various isolation areas in different countries. What if this was you? What is this desire that we have to constantly get up and travel somewhere? I have friends who plan their next trip as soon as they get home. It appears as if they are so restless, they can’t stay home and find peace within themselves. They have to be entertained. They are always chasing after new things and yet they are not content. It sounds like what Daniel was referring to in Daniel 12:4, “But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.” Is this like us today?

I personally think that this is a time that we, as His children, should stay home as much as we can. I know this is not always possible for some have to travel for their jobs, but as much as we can we should at least try to stay in our own lands, then our own towns and it could be that we will have to stay in our homes “for a little moment”. This is for our own protection. God has told us that there would be a time coming that we would have to do this. Isaiah 26:20 “Come, my people, enter thou into thy chambers, and shut thy doors about thee: hide thyself as it were for a little moment, until the indignation be overpast.”

This is a time where we should be making ourselves ready for the coming Kingdom on Earth and the Lord’s return, but we will hide ourselves for “a little moment”. God has told His people to do this before. In Exodus 12:7 He tells His people to take a lamb and kill it “And they shall take of the blood, and strike it on the two side posts and on the upper door post of the houses, wherein they shall eat it.” Then in Exodus 12:23 He tells them why, “For the LORD will pass through to smite the Egyptians; and when he seeth the blood upon the lintel, and on the two side posts, the LORD will pass over the door, and will not suffer the destroyer to come in unto your houses to smite you.” We who are today covered by the Blood of Jesus Christ will be protected from the coming judgment of the earth, but we also will have to enter into our chambers for a little moment. We cannot do this if we are travelling around all over the world thinking about other things and getting involved in other cultures. Especially if we get into a dangerous situation or cannot come home again right away. These are the possibilities that can happen when we travel out of our security into the unknown. We must be ready to hear the call. It can come very quickly, and we don’t want to be unprepared.

God, of course, can protect us wherever we are, but I don’t really think He wants us to be in these foreign lands right now. He wants us to be in our lands to be able to help prepare the people whose eyes are opened before His return. We have a job to do for Him. We are not to be like the Pharisees who only thought of their image and about money. We are to be the still small voice of calm in a world of uncertainty and chaos. Some people in the world are starting to see the seriousness of the situation. My elderly neighbour friend is cancelling her trip to Italy as she wants to stay home now. Another of my friends just said to me “Home sweet home sounds good to me”. This is a time to put our trust in the Lord, not the world! “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof. Selah. There is a river, the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacles of the Most High. God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved: God shall help her, and that right early. The heathen raged, the kingdoms were moved: he uttered his voice, the earth melted. The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah.  Come, behold the works of the LORD, what desolations he hath made in the earth. He maketh wars to cease unto the end of the earth; he breaketh the bow, and cutteth the spear in sunder; he burneth the chariot in the fire. Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth. The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah.” (Psalm 46)

All the signs suggest that time is very short and as God told us in Isaiah 32:18, “My people will live in peaceful dwelling places, in secure homes, in undisturbed places of rest”. This is where we should stay to be safe. In these final days before the Lords return it is wise to remain in our Israel lands which will bring about peace, the product of which is righteousness, or the keeping of the Law of the Lord. We can do this best in our own lands, not traipsing about in non-Israel lands, particularly today, when they are so fraught with danger.