(Part 2 – continued from same day)

I’ve attached Rick’s devo below and pray that it encourages those who have been following the Lord’s will for their lives to endure to the end and finish their course, regardless of the cost. I know we’re all eternally grateful that the Lord didn’t give up and quit when things became intensely difficult and painful for Him. He pressed on and endured all the way through to the end for our sake! We pray we will all be strengthened and committed to do the same for Him, determining to stay the course and fulfill our calling, not stopping until we know we’ve completed all He’s asked us to do for His Kingdom and glory! (Will try to remember to add the link to this on Rick’s website when it is available)

Copyright, Laura Jewell Tyree

Copyright for Jesus Has Overcome Everything, Rick Renner
(Click on images to see them full size)

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At the beginning of the week we believed the Lord asked us to post this word from Sparkling Gems from the Greek (attached). As we’ve continued seeking we got a crystal clear confirmation yesterday afternoon. The Lord revealed that some are teaching this exact idea that Rick mentions and confronts here ~ the idea that Paul could have completely avoided the things he suffered as he fulfilled his calling if he had a greater revelation of faith. The Lord highlighted that some are “denying the cross” in the sense that they are misunderstanding/denying the truth that we are called to take up our cross and follow Him (laying down and losing our lives for Him in whatever way required). Some have been misled into rejecting every form of suffering as being the result of a lack of faith. We had heard some of these misunderstandings in past years, but had not heard them very recently, so this message was not on our radar screen at this particular time. But the Lord is saying that these teachings are indeed still circulating and causing confusion and harm. He wants us to understand the price that comes with choosing to truly follow and live for Him.

Due to the tremendous blessing of growing up in our Christian nation, we certainly haven’t all been subjected to the same degree of suffering as we see in Paul’s life (described below), but we believe the Lord has been repeatedly emphasizing to us that He wants to prepare all His people for whatever may come as we live out the last of the last days. Those who have not been prepared for the possibility of the kind of suffering for their faith in the Lord and the Truth of His Word that other believers have had to endure in other parts of the world and throughout history are much more likely to fall away and abandon the Lord and His Truth if faced with increased opposition. If we look throughout history, I think we would find that our Western experience thus far has been the exception and not the rule within Christianity, thanks to the price others paid who went before us.

As we’ve sought Him the last several months to lead us to what we need to know and understand for the coming time, He’s been showing us some things beyond what we would ever want to believe could be possible, things that we would have likely written off had He not surrounded us with the same message through multiple different unrelated sources at the same time in answer to our prayers. We’re not yet sure what He’s asking us to share about this and continue to seek Him for final clarity. But the word posted last year, Sobering Song from the Savior, keeps coming to mind in connection with these things.

Though we know things must eventually come to pass that are prophesied as part of the last days and the ultimate destruction of “Babylon,” the fact remains that the Lord is still urging His people to help avert certain things from occurring now in this nation through repentance (first in the church) and re-establishing our Christian foundations ~ that we will be part of a third great Awakening and unprecedented harvest for His Kingdom. He continues to give us this hope and faith, still taking us to the story of Gideon and confirming what He’s telling us in amazing ways (through our pastor and others). But as He emphasized to us at the beginning of April from that story, in order for this to happen, each one of us must find our place, take our stand in the place assigned to us, and carry out His plan. “They stood every man in his place round about the camp….”  (Judges 7). For this reason, the message below from Rick is vital to help those who have been knocked off their post through the attacks of the enemy to get back in their place and continue until their assignments are complete.

Also from Judges 7 the Lord emphasized in the past months the concept that, “The people who are with you are too many for Me to give the Midianites into their hands, lest Israel boast about themselves against Me, saying, My own hand has delivered me.” From this He highlighted not only the truth that He is able to bring about this miraculous deliverance through the remnant that He is calling out and raising up, no matter how small, but He also highlighted the truth that He is still taking that remnant through the process of being stripped down and emptied out of all that is not of Him (as mentioned in past posts). There’s not just “too many” in the sense of numbers of people, there’s still “too much” of the people He has called. Just as in Gideon’s story, the Lord cut away and separated out those He knew could not fulfill His plan, He is continuing to perform this same process on His remnant individually and internally, cutting away and separating out all from each one of us all that is “excess” that cannot go with us into the fulfillment of His divine plan. This refers not only to the flesh, but anything that could have been deemed as being to our natural advantage, so that when His promises are fulfilled ALL will know that it was only God who could have brought it to pass. This final cutting, stripping, and emptying is a part of the final testing process He revealed at the beginning of this year. As our guest speakers (Glenn Henderson and his wife) confirmed at church a few weeks ago, God is putting His remnant back in the oven (aka ~ the fire) until we’re “done,” and He wants us “Well Done” as good and faithful servants. 😉 Help us Jesus!!

Lastly, He also pointed out the seeming “foolishness” of His ways and plan through the dream given to Gideon’s enemies.

When Gideon arrived, behold, a man was telling a dream to his comrade. And he said, Behold, I dreamed a dream, and behold, a cake of barley bread tumbled into the camp of Midian and came to the tent and struck it so that it fell, and turned it upside down so that the tent lay flat.¹⁴ And his comrade replied, This is nothing else but the sword of Gideon son of Joash, a man of Israel. Into his hand God has given Midian and all the host.¹⁵ When Gideon heard the telling of the dream and its interpretation, he worshiped and returned to the camp of Israel and said, Arise, for the Lord has given into your hand the host of Midian.

I love the seeming absurdity of God’s ways, that an army could be defeated by a mere loaf of bread rolling into the camp! We can gain more insight by looking at the type of bread God used in this imagery. According to some, barley can represent something deemed to be “less than” in the eyes of the world. The footnote in the Amplified states:

“Alluding to the insignificance of Gideon and his family, or perhaps his whole troop. Barley then, as it is still, was distinguished from “fine flour.” “To hear himself but a Barley-cake, troubled him not. It matters not how base we be thought, so [long as] we be victorious” (Bishop Joseph Hall, cited by The Cambridge Bible).”

And indeed, this confirmed the message God has been reminding us of that He delights in using the people and plans the world despises, disregards, and disqualifies in order that He will get ALL the glory!

For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength.²⁶ Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. ²⁷ But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. ²⁸ God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, ²⁹ so that no one may boast before him. I Corinthians 1:25-29

As I continued to research the spiritual meaning of barley in Scripture, I was in awe when I saw that others have shown that it symbolizes “good (not only inwardly, but demonstrated externally ~ moral good) and truth”!!!!! This again confirms that it will be through the church’s repentance and return to God’s standard of truth, tearing down all altars to “false gods” and “idols,” and re-establishing the altar of the Lord in our own hearts, lives, and in the nation, that will bring the victory. If God’s people will rise up as the salt and light He has called us to be, with His standard of good and truth, He can bring about the victory we need ~ no matter how small and seemingly insignificant the remnant may be (again upholding the truth in love, always remembering our true battle is not against flesh and blood – Ephesians 6, II Corinthians 10:3-6).

to be continued…

(Part 2)

God has made both heaven and hell increasingly real to us in the past few years. He has made hell more real to us than we ever desired it to be, the realization of the torment people are experiencing there now, with no hope, no way out, and no end, and how more and more people are going there every day ~ to the point where we’ve felt such urgency that we’ve had moments of temptation to fulfill the John the Baptist call a bit more literally by beginning to cry out in the streets (without the camel’s hair garments and locusts). Obviously we submit all to the Lord, not wanting to go forth in the arm of the flesh, but to channel the urgency He is birthing in us into the divine strategies which only He can give for accomplishing His will. So we pray that all the urgency that is possible to convey in words, can come through this message to encourage all to truly know Jesus as Lord and Savior and follow Him. We pray all will walk every day in transparency before Him, sincerely allowing Him to examine our hearts, minds, and lives, to point out every way that is offensive to Him and help us uproot and purge those things from our lives. We should remember that Jesus told the majority of the churches in Revelation that He had something against them (Revelation 2-3). His words stand in stark contrast to the types of “God doesn’t have anything against you” messages we hear preached to masses worldwide today. Again, the infiltration of counterfeit grace/lawlessness has caused many to prophesy, “Peace, peace” to many when there is no peace.

As mentioned in previous notes, this is not referring to mistakes we still make and repent of (turn from) as we walk in the light of truth with the Lord, wholeheartedly seeking to follow His will. This is referring to sins we continue to tolerate and permit, walking according to the flesh instead of the Spirit habitually in any area ~ sins that have become a way of life. As some of the churches in Revelation discovered, these were not even sins they were necessarily aware of (losing their first love for the Lord, lukewarmness, and tolerating teaching that promoted sin, in addition to those who were living in willful sin).

For this reason we should all be allowing the Lord to search us and give us this same type of reality check regarding how He sees us and where we truly stand with Him. Though it’s heartbreaking when He reveals He has something against us, we can know He does so because He deeply loves us and that He is with us and in us to give us the grace/power to change. How much better it is to allow Him to unveil the things that are hard to face now while there’s still time to repent and bring our lives in line with His will again, than to persist in a condition of spiritual blindness, deceived about our true condition until it is too late. The promises in Revelation are for overcomers. God’s divine power has already given us EVERYTHING we need for life and godliness; He has provided all we need to overcome by the power of His blood, Name, Word, and Spirit. After I posted the note earlier this year talking about the Biblical significance of the number 13, the Lord showed me that 13 also has a special significance in Jewish culture as the year in which children transition into adulthood. It is an age associated with maturity which marks a turning point in one’s life. The child turns from childish ways to a life of increased responsibility and accountability, which also results in increased rights. As many may know, 13 is also associated with the chapter of God’s love in Scripture (I Corinthians 13, which also has 13 verses). So we pray this will be a year for the church to reach full maturity in the love of God, that the mature sons and daughters of the King may be revealed (Romans 8:18-25, I John). We pray all will truly walk in the light of truth with Him, turn from all sin His light reveals, live under His Lordship in every area of our lives, continually grow in the fruit of His character, and lay hold of all God has purchased and provided for us through Jesus.

His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But if anyone does not have them, he is nearsighted and blind, and has forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins. Therefore, my brothers, be all the more eager to make your calling and election sure. For if you do these things, you will never fall, and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. II Peter 1:3-11

Although the Lord has said He is watching over His word of judgment against our nation, He has also given us Jeremiah 18 again. Though it still speaks of judgment, it also says that when He has announced He is going to uproot what He planted and tear down what He built (which is what He told us about our nation), that if the people repent, He will turn from His plan. So we continue to pray that the church/nation will respond now to this message He is trumpeting in time so that destruction may be turned back. We pray that all do our part to repent and turn others to repentance, but that we are also fully prepared in the event that these things happen as He has said. We received another confirmation last night of His judgment bringing terror and destruction for one group, and protection under the shelter of His presence for another group (those truly in Christ). Though He often seems to be speaking to us in terms of being protected through (in the midst of) what is coming (like Noah, the Israelites in Goshen, and Philadelphia in Revelation), that does not diminish the fact that He is also still speaking about His soon return and His admonition to all to be ready to stand before Him. He has repeatedly encouraged us to live in such a way that our lives count as nothing to us except that we could finish our race and complete the task He has given us (like Paul). This is our cry! We pray each and every one will faithfully finish their course and be able to hear Him say, “Well done!”

 Copyright © Laura Jewell Tyree

Dear friends, this is now my second letter to you. I have written both of them as reminders to stimulate you to wholesome thinking. I want you to recall the words spoken in the past by the holy prophets and the command given by our Lord and Savior through your apostles. First of all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. They will say, “Where is this ‘coming’ he promised? Ever since our fathers died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation.” But they deliberately forget that long ago by God’s word the heavens existed and the earth was formed out of water and by water. By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed. By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men.

 

But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare.

 

Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness. So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him.

 

Bear in mind that our Lord’s patience means salvation, just as our dear brother Paul also wrote you with the wisdom that God gave him. He writes the same way in all his letters, speaking in them of these matters. His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction. Therefore, dear friends, since you already know this, be on your guard so that you may not be carried away by the error of lawless men and fall from your secure position. But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen. II Peter 3

Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life. “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes shall not be hurt by the second death.”’ Revelation 2:10b-11

Still continuing to press in. The more we seek the Lord, the more He confirms in breathtaking ways the things He’s been telling us. He’s poured out so much in the past few months and in response we’ve experienced opposite extremes:

~ One day we would be feeling as though we could launch through the roof with joy for the exceedingly, abundantly, above all we could ask, hope, or imagine “new thing” He’s saying He’s about to do for those who have been following Him, surrendering to His “crucifixion” process on the way to “resurrection” into our destinies. Many have been in a season of final testing on the precipice of the Promised Land, and have also been receiving God’s divine strategy for bringing down the walls of Jericho (much more to this, perhaps to be shared another time). The Lord gave us Job 23:10 and Daniel 4:35 to stand on and has confirmed both multiple times. We pray all will come forth as gold into the next dimension of glory He has prepared for us. He is watching to see that His Word, promises, prophecies over our lives are fulfilled, and nothing is too hard for Him! He who promised is faithful! His banner over us is love! He has saved the best wine for last that the glory of the latter house will be greater than all that has come before!

~ Then the next day we could be pierced through over the things He is still saying regarding those in the church/nation who have rejected His cry to repent. For these too, He has said He is watching over His Word to perform it. He continues to say that because people have rejected His call to repentance that He is now watching over the nation for harm instead of for good (Jeremiah 44). If all would truly hear and believe what He’s saying, the church/nation would be repenting in sackcloth and ashes.

Though He has repeatedly spoken of destruction that’s coming, He also speaks of the repentance and restoration which will follow for those who remain (Jeremiah 32, and others). As mentioned in a recent note, He also continues to talk about His coming (Zechariah 9, among others). While this is thrilling it is also extremely sobering because so many are not ready. Tragically, He continues to show us that many who believe they are saved are truly lost in sin. He confirmed this three more days in a row last week. This is largely due to the counterfeit grace that has pervaded the church gradually through the years. This knowledge has also been a source of piercing and grieving. I can imagine nothing more horrible than the moment Jesus described in Matthew 7 when many will realize too late they were deceived ~ with the exception, of course, of the eternal horror that follows. We cry out to turn as many from this deception as possible.

“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’ Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.” Matthew 7:21-27

We must understand there is no such thing as “once saved, always saved.”

But of that [exact] day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. As were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. For just as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, [men] marrying and [women] being given in marriage, until the [very] day when Noah went into the ark, And they did not know or understand until the flood came and swept them all away—so will be the coming of the Son of Man. At that time two men will be in the field; one will be taken and one will be left. Two women will be grinding at the hand mill; one will be taken and one will be left. Watch therefore give strict attention, be cautious and active], for you do not know in what kind of a day [whether a near or remote one] your Lord is coming. But understand this: had the householder known in what [part of the night, whether in a night or a morning] watch the thief was coming, he would have watched and would not have allowed his house to be undermined and broken into. You also must be ready therefore, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not expect Him. Who then is the faithful, thoughtful, and wise servant, whom his master has put in charge of his household to give to the others the food and supplies at the proper time? Blessed (happy, fortunate, and to be envied) is that servant whom, when his master comes, he will find so doing. I solemnly declare to you, he will set him over all his possessions. But if that servant is wicked and says to himself, My master is delayed and is going to be gone a long time, And begins to beat his fellow servants and to eat and drink with the drunken, The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour of which he is not aware, And will punish him [cut him up by scourging] and put him with the pretenders (hypocrites); there will be weeping and grinding of teeth. Matthew 24:36-51

Where there is no longer faithfulness, there is no longer true faith. True faith produces following our Lord.

Neither is there such a thing as “once filled (with the Spirit), always filled.”

“Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Now five of them were wise, and five were foolish. Those who were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them, but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. But while the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept. And at midnight a cry was heard: ‘Behold, the bridegroom is coming; go out to meet him!’ Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ But the wise answered, saying, ‘No, lest there should not be enough for us and you; but go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.’ And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding; and the door was shut. Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open to us!’ But he answered and said, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you.’ Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming.” Matthew 25:1-13 

We must purpose to abide in the Vine, sow to the Spirit, and stay full of Him. (John 14-15, Galatians 5:16-25; 6:7-9)

We believe the Lord showed us that the enemy did not attempt to take the church straight from God’s standard of Truth to full blown lawlessness in one step. He has sown seeds of counterfeit grace for many years in the church, in order to take people increment by increment, new “revelation” by new “revelation” which distorted Truth in order to bring people to the point where they would finally embrace the full message of lawlessness. This is not to say that there has not also been genuine revelation of grace and a greater awakening to all that is ours through our covenant, for those who truly remain in Christ, because we have been made righteous through faith in Him. But there have also been many “revelations” based on removing Scriptures from context which have resulted in extremes of error. For this reason, there are various degrees and nuances of these messages, intermingled with truth, throughout the church, even where people have not been taken all the way down the path to the full message of lawlessness. This is where we were when the Lord sat down on our theology and wrecked it with Truth. Though we had never embraced even the undertones of lawlessness we had heard, we had allowed shades of counterfeit grace to alter some of our beliefs. When God first dramatically brought us back to Truth, we began asking Him what we needed to repent of, and the first thing He told us was that our theology had caused us to speak, “Peace, peace! ” to people when there was no peace. We cry out that all others who have been deceived into doing the same through their theology will fall on their faces before the Lord and allow Him to correct them in every area so they will not be deceived or deceive others. We pray that the Lord will get the truth to any we (and others) have prophesied “peace” to, when if we had truly stood in the council of the Lord we would have spoken the truth He wanted spoken that would have called for repentance from sin (Jeremiah 23:9-24). Some of the words the Lord has been giving us continue to speak of the judgment of the false prophets who are continuing to oppose the true word of the Lord and cause people to trust in the deceptive words of counterfeit grace (Jeremiah 13-14, Jeremiah 28 – Eerily, He gave me this word when I asked if He was really telling me this would occur this year.). He continues to say the blood of those who are lost through these teachings will be on the hands of those teaching them. Again, it breaks our hearts to imagine, knowing that many do so believing what they teach to be right and true. We pray that all will seek the Lord now for an accounting of what they believe and teach while there is still time. We continue to pray all will wholeheartedly seek Truth, and will cry out to the Lord to dismantle every distortion, deception, and error that may have been unwittingly received.

to be continued…

Last night I dreamed that my mother (again, representing the church) was driving on very dark and dangerous (extraordinarily steep and curvy) roads. We noticed she was not driving well and kept coming close to wrecking. When we looked at her to see what was going on, we realized she was asleep at the wheel. We began to call out to her, “MOM (CHURCH), WAKE UP!” But she was in such a deep sleep that this didn’t wake her. We began shaking her, continuing to cry out “MOM (CHURCH), YOU’RE SLEEPING! WAKE UP!” She finally awakened and began watching the road again, but soon afterward we discovered she had fallen into another deep sleep. This process occurred over and over of having to SHAKE HER with increased intensity, while crying out to her to “WAKE UP!” in order to prevent a wreck. Eventually, she could no longer see the road clearly marked before her and had to pull over to the side to try to regain her bearings.

Cars/driving represent vehicles to destiny. The church is driving through dark and dangerous territory. Yet she has not remained awake, alert, aware of the dangerous territory, cautious, vigilant, and focused on the road ahead; she has fallen into a deep sleep at the wheel (asleep to the things of God, distracted and occupied with self interests and the cares and pleasures of the world). The Lord has sent people as a voice crying out to her to “WAKE UP!” Yet, her sleep has been so deep that this has not been sufficient. When we do not wake up through words of warning alone, the Lord sends SHAKING. This has awakened the church temporarily, but very soon afterward, she has fallen back asleep. It is the love and grace of God to continue crying out to the church and shaking her with increased intensity as much as is necessary to awaken her in order to prevent her from wrecking. The road may eventually become so dark and uncertain before us that we can no longer keep pressing forward until we stop and come aside with the Lord to once again find the way.

I believe the following powerful Scriptures, which convey the Lord’s cry to WAKE UP and STAY AWAKE, are extremely important for this time! Praying for us all!

“Then He (Jesus) said to them, My soul is very sad and deeply grieved, so that I am almost dying of sorrow. Stay here and keep awake and keep watch with Me. And going a little farther, He threw Himself upon the ground on His face and prayed saying, My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass away from Me; nevertheless, not what I will [not what I desire], but as You will and desire. And He came to the disciples and found them sleeping, and He said to Peter, What! Are you so utterly unable to stay awake and keep watch with Me for one hour? All of you must KEEP AWAKE (give strict attention, be cautious and active) and WATCH AND PRAY, that you may not come into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.…

So, leaving them again, He went away and prayed for the third time, using the same words. Then He returned to the disciples and said to them, Are you still sleeping and taking your rest? Behold, the hour is at hand, and the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of especially wicked sinners whose way or nature it is to act in opposition to God]. Get up, let us be going! See, My betrayer is at hand!” Matthew 26:38-41, 44-46 AMP

“Keep your loins girded and your lamps burning, And be like men who are waiting for their master to return home from the marriage feast, so that when he returns from the wedding and comes and knocks, they may open to him immediately. Blessed (happy, fortunate, and to be envied) are those servants whom the master finds AWAKE and ALERT and watching when he comes. Truly I say to you, he will gird himself and have them recline at table and will come and serve them! If he comes in the second watch (before midnight) or the third watch (after midnight), and finds them so, blessed (happy, fortunate, and to be envied) are those servants! But of this be assured: if the householder had known at what time the burglar was coming, he would have been AWAKE and ALERT and WATCHING and would not have permitted his house to be dug through and broken into. You also must BE READY, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour and a moment when you do not anticipate it. Peter said, Lord, are You telling this parable for us, or for all alike? And the Lord said, Who then is that faithful steward, the wise man whom his master will set over those in his household service to supply them their allowance of food at the appointed time? Blessed (happy and to be envied) is that servant whom his master finds so doing when he arrives. Truly I tell you, he will set him in charge over all his possessions. But if that servant says in his heart, My master is late in coming, and begins to strike the menservants and the maids and to eat and drink and get drunk, The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour of which he does not know, and will punish him and cut him off and assign his lot with the unfaithful {unbelievers}. And that servant who knew his master’s will but did not get ready or act as he would wish him to act shall be beaten with many [lashes]. But he who did not know and did things worthy of a beating shall be beaten with few [lashes]. For everyone to whom much is given, of him shall much be required; and of him to whom men entrust much, they will require and demand all the more.” Luke 12:35-48 AMP

“But take heed to yourselves and be on your guard, lest your hearts be overburdened and depressed (weighed down) with the giddiness and headache and nausea {dissipation} of self-indulgence, drunkenness, and worldly worries and cares pertaining to [the business of] this life, and [lest] that day come upon you suddenly like a trap or a noose; For it will come upon all who live upon the face of the entire earth. KEEP AWAKE then and WATCH AT ALL TIMES [be discreet, attentive, and ready], praying that you may have the full strength and ability and be accounted worthy to escape all these things [taken together] that will take place, and to stand in the presence of the Son of Man.” Luke 21:34-36 AMP

“Do not be so deceived and misled! Evil companionships (communion, associations) corrupt and deprave good manners and morals and character. AWAKE [from your drunken stupor and return] to sober sense and your right minds, and sin no more. For some of you have not the knowledge of God [you are utterly and willfully and disgracefully ignorant, and continue to be so, lacking the sense of God’s presence and all true knowledge of Him]. I say this to your shame.” I Corinthians 15:33-34 AMP

“For you yourselves know perfectly well that the day of the [return of the] Lord will come [as unexpectedly and suddenly] as a thief in the night. When people are saying, All is well and secure, and, There is peace and safety, then in a moment unforeseen destruction (ruin and death) will come upon them as suddenly as labor pains come upon a woman with child; and they shall by no means escape, for there will be no escape. But you are not in [given up to the power of] darkness, brethren, for that day to overtake you by surprise like a thief. For you are all sons of light and sons of the day; we do not belong either to the night or to darkness. Accordingly then, let us not sleep, as the rest do, but let us KEEP WIDE AWAKE (alert, watchful, cautious, and on our guard) and let us be sober (calm, collected, and circumspect). For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who are drunk, get drunk at night. But we belong to the day; therefore, let us be sober and put on the breastplate of faith and love and for a helmet the hope of salvation. For God has not appointed us to [incur His] wrath [He did not select us to condemn us], but [that we might] obtain [His] salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah)” I Thessalonians 5:2-9 AMP

“And to the angel (messenger) of the assembly (church) in Sardis write: These are the words of Him Who has the seven Spirits of God [the sevenfold Holy Spirit] and the seven stars: I know your record and what you are doing; you are supposed to be alive, but [in reality] you are dead. Rouse yourselves and KEEP AWAKE, and strengthen and invigorate what remains and is on the point of dying; for I have not found a thing that you have done [any work of yours] meeting the requirements of My God or perfect in His sight {for I have not found your works perfect/complete before God.}. So call to mind the lessons you received and heard; continually lay them to heart and obey them, and repent. In case you will not rouse yourselves and keep awake and watch, I will come upon you like a thief, and you will not know or suspect at what hour I will come. Yet you still have a few [persons’] names in Sardis who have not soiled their clothes, and they shall walk with Me in white, because they are worthy and deserving. Thus shall he who conquers (is victorious) be clad in white garments, and I will not erase or blot out his name from the Book of Life; I will acknowledge him [as Mine] and I will confess his name openly before My Father and before His angels. He who is able to hear, let him listen to and heed what the [Holy] Spirit says to the assemblies (churches).” Revelation 3:1-6 AMP

“Behold, I am going to come like a thief! Blessed (happy, to be envied) is he who STAYS AWAKE (alert) and who guards his clothes, so that he may not be naked and [have the shame of being] seen exposed!” Revelation 16:15 AMP

 

“Awake, awake, put on your strength, O Zion; put on your beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city; for henceforth there shall no more come into you the uncircumcised and the unclean. Shake yourself from the dust; arise, sit [erect in a dignified place], O Jerusalem; loose yourself from the bonds of your neck, O captive Daughter of Zion.” Isaiah 52:1-2