The Secret to Preparation / July 1998

Contents

• The Secret of Preparation
• Destiny Number One:
  Taken Captive
• Destiny Number Two:
  Taking Up the Sword
• Destiny Number Three:
  Escape, Survive, and Endure
• Escaping
• Survival
• Endurance
• The Secret: To Fear the Lord
• The Prophet Side

Do you remember the old story of the ant and the grasshopper? The grasshopper goes out and eats galore like there is no tomorrow while the ant stores up a little bit at a time. The ant makes it and the grasshopper goes without. The ant knew the secret; the grasshopper did not.

Go to the ant, O sluggard, observe her ways and be wise, which, having no chief, officer or ruler, prepares her food in the summer, and gathers her provision in the harvest.

Proverbs 6:6-8

In the days ahead, the world will be changed. Our country will be changed and our cities and towns will be changed. In the days ahead, the wise will have prepared for these changes. The unwise will be wondering what happened and be in great need.

The parable of the ten virgins is a classic teaching on preparation. It speaks of preparing lamps for the darkness and the coming of the Lord. The wise prepare; the unwise go without and are left behind. The story of Noah is a good example of preparation. Noah built an ark as God instructed to provide refuge, food, and deliverance from the flood for both the animals and his family. The story of Joseph is another good example of using the time before the calamity to prepare for the need. There is a secret element, however, in all these examples which is critical for us in preparing for the great tribulation.

The Great Tribulation will be a series of events on the earth far more devastating than anything we have known before. Yeshua and the prophets tried to warn us. They tried to let us know about the changes that are coming.

And there will be a time of distress such as never occurred since there was a nation until that time; and at that time your people, everyone who is found written in the book, will be rescued.

Daniel 12:1

For then there will be a great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever shall. And unless those days had been cut short, no life would have been saved; but for the sake of the elect those days shall be cut short.

Matthew 24:21-22

The Scriptures tell us much about what will happen in the Great Tribulation. We are told what judgments will fall, their sequence, and the cataclysmic changes that will come to the earth. There is enough information for serious believers to prepare initially for those days and wait for God's great deliverance.

How do we prepare for such events? As a reader of this newsletter, you already have a sense of things coming and are wondering what your part will be. What preparations have you already made? If you are like most folks, you haven't prepared enough for the things you know, let alone the things you don't know about. Some argue that preparing anything is foolishness and shows a lack of faith. Worse yet, some scorn the idea of preparing anything, as though it is an advanced form of paranoia in these modern times. Others are asking serious questions about what can be done in a realistic way. Most sense that the greatest need for preparation is spiritual instead of physical.

On this last point, I heartily agree. Give me a man who has prepared all the food, water, and shelter he will need and who loses heart. I’ll give you a dead man. Give me a man with nothing physical prepared who keeps faith with the one true God and I’ll give you a survivor. Give me a man who trusts the Living God giving his life for others and I will give you a man who is delivered by God in the day of his trouble.

How blessed is he who considers the helpless; the Lord will deliver him in a day of trouble. The Lord will protect him, and keep him alive, and he shall be called blessed upon the earth; and do not give him over to the desire of his enemies.

Psalms 41:1-2

Maybe you don't believe the Lord is coming back in your lifetime. Maybe you are hoping that you get raptured first. Maybe you believe that you can reshuffle a few resources and weather it out hunkered down in your own place. Maybe you don't really believe any of this stuff.

Wherever your head and heart is at right now is only a matter that you and God know about. If you don't believe in God or believe what He has said, then you no longer need to read any further. However, if you hear the Spirit of God speaking down inside warning you to prepare, then you need to understand the three destinies for the saints in the Great Tribulation. It is only the last destiny that needs to prepare.

Destiny Number One:
Taken Captive

If anyone is destined for captivity, to captivity he goes…

Revelation 13:10a

The Lord has said that some of us will be arrested and that we will be killed. Captivity is not waiting for the Lord in a prison cell. It is being processed just like the holocaust, only this time, modern technology will be employed. Being taken captive means that you stayed longer than you should have. It means that others hated you and delivered you up. Listen to the words of Yeshua concerning this specific issue.

And when they arrest you and deliver you up, do not be anxious beforehand about what you are to say, but say whatever is given you in that hour; for it is not you who speak, but it is the Holy Spirit. And brother will deliver brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents and have them put to death.

Mark 13:11-12

Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to cast some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and you will have tribulation ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.

Revelation 2:10

Martyrdom is the destiny of many in the faith. It has been in the past, it is in the present, and it will be in the future. Only the American churchman today thinks it is no more. I expect many of them to be taken captive.

Destiny Number Two:
Taking Up the Sword

…if anyone kills with the sword, with the sword he must be killed. Here is the perseverance and the faith of the saints.

Revelation 13:10b

Those who use deadly force will die by deadly force. Should we defend our loved ones? Yes. The Scripture says that the man who does not provide for his own family is worse than an infidel. Does this include defense of his family? Yes. But storing up arms and threatening others is not a defense of one's family. Taking up arms with others to threaten civil authority is a sure recipe for an early death in the Great Tribulation. There will be some who do this and advocate others to do it. They will mix freedom, national sovereignty, and personal fear with the end time prophecies. They will die by the very weapons that they pick up.

Consider the following and decide on your best choice. Would it be better to get into one fire fight with your rifle defending a small piece of ground, die, and your family go through the Great Tribulation without you? Or, would it be better to escape with your family, knowing that the Lord will shortly return, you live, and care for your family all the days of the tribulation?

If you decide that taking up your sword is your destiny, then we will look forward to seeing you at the resurrection.

Destiny Number Three:
Escape, Survive, and Endure

Destiny number three is also called deliverance by God. It is being kept from the hour of temptation that will come upon the whole world.

But keep on the alert at all times, praying in order that you may have strength to escape all these things that are about to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.

Luke 21:36

But whenever they persecute you in this city, flee to the next; for truly I say to you, you shall not finish going through the cities of Israel, until the Son of Man comes.

Matthew 10:23

And it will come about that whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be delivered; for on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there will be those who escape, as the Lord has said, even among the survivors whom the Lord calls.

Joel 2:32

Yet, behold, survivors will be left in it who will be brought out, both sons and daughters. Behold, they are going to come forth to you and you will see their conduct and actions; then you will be comforted for the calamity which I have brought against Jerusalem for everything which I have brought upon it.

Ezekiel 14:22

But the one who endures to the end, he shall be saved.

Matthew 24:13

Because you have kept the word of My perseverance, I also will keep you from the hour of testing, that hour which is about to come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell upon the earth.

Revelation 3:10

The words escape, survive, and endure have specific meanings. Escape means that you must flee from the danger. You will flee from those who come to harm and to take you captive. Survive means having the basics of life ? food, water, and shelter. Endure means to keep the faith, to believe in the promises of God.

Escaping

Escaping will be hard for many. This will be the decision point for those who are taken captive. Some will not leave their homes and communities when the time comes to escape. Yeshua spoke very specifically about this in the following:

Therefore when you see the abomination of desolation which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains; let him who is on the housetop not go down to get the things out that are in his house; and let him who is in the field not turn back to get his cloak. But woe to those who are with child and to those who nurse babes in those days! But pray that your flight may not be in the winter, or on a Sabbath; for then there will be a great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever shall.

Matthew 24:15-21

This passage, while addressed specifically to those in Judea in Israel at the start of the Great Tribulation, contains a clear warning in the manner that we are to flee. When it is time to escape, it is time to escape. We are not to be making preparation, getting a few things together, going back to our house, etc. Anything that hinders the escape such as caring for children or the weather, we are warned to avoid. Fleeing and escaping is a very serious matter. This requires serious preparation. The best time to escape is before things get out of control. There lies the problem, knowing when to go. That means being on watch, being sober, and paying attention. But most of all it means making the decision to escape before the need. Yeshua has given a general warning about escaping for all peoples and in all places.

Remember Lot's wife.

Luke 17:32

For those of you who don't remember, Lot's wife did not want to leave Sodom at the time of judgment. Whether it was her family, or her friends, or just her stuff, she turned back and died. When it comes time to escape from your home and community, you will be tempted very seriously to get one more thing, speak to one more person, or to simply hesitate.

Willingness to escape is a demonstration of faith and obedience, but where to flee has to do with preparation. Does this mean that we should flee to the mountains? I don't recommend that simply because of the traffic jam getting there. Everyone, even the heathen, will be doing that. As a general rule of escape, do the opposite of everyone else. If everyone is running, you stop. If everyone is stopped, you run. The great danger in fleeing is hurting others and being hurt by others in a panic. Escaping with God and panic with men are two separate and distinct things.

Cities will become dangerous. People in cities will riot and go chaotic. People will hurt other people. You need to be gone, but where will you go? This is where preparation provides an answer. Wherever it is, it must be 10 to 15 miles outside of a major city and not where everyone else wants to go.

Here are some final hints on when and how to escape the city. 1) Stay in fellowship with like minded brethren. Establish you own emergency notification network. 2) Have a “go bag” with clothes, tent, and essentials. 3) When the power goes down in the city and including the loss of telephones, AM/FM radio stations, and/or local television stations, it means that the power is intentionally being shut-off. (Telephones, radio stations, and television stations have back-up power.) If the power is being shut-off, it means that the city is in an emergency condition. It means that you must leave immediately before the perimeter is established by civil and military authority. It may mean that martial law has been imposed.

Survival

Survival is what most people think about in preparing for the Great Tribulation. They think about food, water and shelter. It is shelter that needs to be prepared first.

Years ago, I took a wilderness survival course. I lived in Colorado at the time and wanted to enjoy the mountains, but I wanted to be safe also. The course I took was a basic reminder that is applicable to the Great Tribulation. The priority of these three items (food, water, and shelter) is in reverse order. You need shelter before you need water and food. You need water before you need food. A man can die in two hours from exposure, two days without water, or in two weeks without food. Sun stroke and hypothermia are life threatening scenarios. Dehydration is simply no fun and will make you very ill. However, losing a little weight will improve your figure and raise your self esteem. These priorities must be honored in any preparation plan.

Those who survive the Great Tribulation will be required to deal with hunger, thirst, and a very hot sun. The sun will scorch all of the planet. The sun's heat will be a greater problem than food and water. Shelter from the elements is your first priority in preparing for the Great Tribulation.

These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore; neither shall the sun beat down on them, nor any heat;

Revelation 7:14,16

When Israel fled from Egypt into the wilderness, the people brought their huts (booths). They did not bring water or food. When you flee, have your tent already in the car or ready to go. Better yet, have a place already in mind that you can flee to. It needs to be reachable within an hour and be out of the city. If you already live outside the city, then consider the reality of many believers coming to you having made no preparation.

Water is the second priority in surviving. You will need lots of water. You must drink a lot of water in the heat to avoid dehydration. You will need water for cooking. You will need water for bathing and sanitation. This requires serious preparation, especially if you must escape from your primary residence in a city. If you are preparing a place out of the city, water should be considered heavily in your preparation. Streams, lakes, and rivers will attract others. You should be more concerned with wells, rain water cisterns, and storage containers. The promise in Isaiah seems most appropriate for this point.

They will not hunger or thirst, neither will the scorching heat or sun strike them down; for He who has compassion on them will lead them, and will guide them to springs of water.

Isaiah 49:10

Storing food is a very important element in preparation for the Great Tribulation. Generally, you need to store foods that require no refrigeration or freezing. The best long term foods are those made by God Himself. Grains, beans and honey are just a few. Canned food is good for 18-24 months. If you have grains, you need a mill. Here is our dilemma in the United States. Our generation is techno-modern trained. We don't even know how to mill and make bread. Preparation here is not only what to get but what to do with it after you get it.

How much should you get? Where should you put it? These questions and more exist and should be answered in your preparation planning. However, you need to understand the real reason you are storing food.

It is not for you.

It is for your brethren who didn’t have any faith to prepare. Your faith is in God who can make manna appear before the dew. Your faith is in God who can divide some fish and loaves and feed thousands. Quite honestly, if you don't know this God and He does not feed you, then you and everyone you know will not make it through the Great Tribulation.

Yeshua has warned us very seriously about sharing with our brethren. If we share with the least of our brethren, then we have given it to Him. If we don’t share, then we have not shared it with Him. If you are serious about God delivering you, then you better get serious about helping to deliver His brethren. Our Messiah used the discussion of the end times to explain a very key principle about survival.

Whoever seeks to keep his life shall lose it, and whoever loses his life shall preserve it.

Luke 17:33

Endurance

Enduring is the tough one. Enduring is hanging in there with nothing left to hang on. Enduring is believing when there is nothing left. Enduring is promoting spirit over the body (flesh) and soul (emotions). Preparing to endure is spiritual.

One aspect of the Great Tribulation that is very hard for us to understand and prepare for is the time of darkness, the final days of the indignation, the last five months of the Great Tribulation. Just getting through the first three years will be a major accomplishment, but the most difficult doesn't come until this last period. The Scripture calls it the first woe (the 5th trumpet). A star (comet, meteorite, asteroid) falls to the earth in the deep impact scenario. The abyss of the earth opens with great clouds of debris and dust being cast into the atmosphere. The sun, moon, and stars are darkened. It will suddenly hit everyone: the planet is dying. To add insult to injury, demons are released and rampage around the earth terrorizing mankind. How do you prepare for the fear (the base instinct/emotion of survival)? The fact that we are on a dying planet mixed with demonic terror will be the defining moment for endurance. It is also when the secret to preparation takes full effect.

The secret of the Lord is for those who fear Him…

Psalms 25:14

The Secret: To Fear the Lord

The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the defense of my life; whom shall I dread?

Psalms 27:1

The Lord is for me; I will not fear; what can man do to me?

Psalms 118:6

It is the Lord of hosts whom you should regard as holy. And He shall be your fear, and He shall be your dread.

Isaiah 8:13

The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear Him, and rescues them. O fear the Lord, you His saints; for to those who fear Him, there is no want.

Psalms 34:7,9

Just as a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear Him.

Psalms 103:13

The Lord favors those who fear Him, those who wait for His lovingkindness.

Psalms 147:11

In the fear of the Lord there is strong confidence, and his children will have refuge.

Proverbs 14:26

The fear of the Lord leads to life, so that one may sleep satisfied, untouched by evil.

Proverbs 19:23

There are other references, but these state it clearly. If you fear the Lord, you will follow the destiny He gives you. If you fear the Lord, captivity will not hurt you. If you fear the Lord, you will know when to escape. If you fear the Lord, you will learn how to survive. If you fear the Lord, you will endure to the end.

You shall follow the Lord your God and fear Him; and you shall keep His commandments, listen to His voice, serve Him, and cling to Him.

Deuteronomy 13:4

The book of Revelation shares a confirming clue about the saints who make it through the Great Tribulation.

…who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus.

Revelation 12:17

Preparing for the Great Tribulation is serious business. Literally, hundreds of decisions must be made if you are to prepare properly for your family and brethren. Noah was moved by fear to build an ark. Noah was saved. Joseph, fearing seven years of famine, counseled Pharaoh how to prepare. Joseph became Viceroy of Egypt and his entire family was saved. Whatever and however you decide to prepare, be moved by the fear of the Lord and His soon coming. That is the secret to preparing.

Who will not fear, O Lord, and glorify Thy name? For Thou alone art holy; for all the nations will come and worship before Thee, for Thy righteous acts have been revealed.

Revelation 15:4

A Go-Bag List (each person) Bible Personal Toiletries toothbrush soap comb/brush razor sanitary napkins 2 pair of long pants 2 pairs of shorts 2 long sleeve shirts 2 short sleeve shirts 6 pair of socks 1 pair hiking boots 1 pair of soft shoes 6 sets of underwear 1 flashlight 1 hat 1 light jacket (sweater) 1 heavy jacket 1 pair of sunglasses 1 swimming suit 1 bath towel 1 hand towel 1 wash cloth Bug repellent 1 box of matches 1 sleeping bag/blanket 1 25 ft of nylon rope 1 rain poncho 1 pocket knife 1 pair of work gloves Emergency money ($100) Passport Medicines (one month)

Family Bag List Tent Cook stove Lantern Hunting Knife Fishing Gear Table Ware Forks and Spoons Dishes/Cups Cooking pots/pans Cooking Utensils Matches/Fire Starters Charcoal Food Water containers Ice Chest Hand tools 100 ft of rope A 10x16 tarp Tent stakes Axe/Saw Toilet Paper Paper Towels Portable Radio First Aid Kit Emergency Items at Your House Food for two weeks (Note: do not count on your freezer) 50+ gal of drinking water 50+ gal water for flushing the Toilet Candles Lanterns Fire Wood Propane Gas Grill/ charcoal grill

Bicycle Fuel containers (do not store gasoline; it is dangerous and goes bad in 3 months) Long Term Storage Foods Wheat with grain mill (flour lasts only 6 months) Rice Corn Meal Barley Lentils Mung Beans Pinto Beans White Beans Powdered Milk Powdered Eggs Powdered Butter Vegetable Oil Olive Oil Honey Salt Vinegar Baking soda Garden tools/seeds (store foods in sealed containers such as plastic buckets. Do not use old buckets that stored chemicals.)

YAVOH - He is Coming is a monthly newsletter published as an outreach ministry of Lion and Lamb Ministries.
The ministry is a non-profit organization with an end time prophetic message in a Messianic Jewish context.
Subscription to YAVOH - He is Coming is without cost and supported only by donation.

Permission is granted to reprint any article in YAVOH - He is Coming with attribution given to YAVOH - He is Coming.

Editor - Monte Judah
Electronic Editor - Ephraim Judah

Lion and Lamb Ministries
PO Box 720968
Norman, OK 73070
Phone: (405) 447 4429
Fax: (405) 447 3775
E-mail: info@lionlamb.net
Web: lionlamb.net