Time of Crisis

A crisis is approaching, which is called the crisis of the last times. This will be a special period that for some will become a time to faint from fear, for others - to defile themselves even more, for some it will be the end of all plans and a complete collapse, for some - waiting for interesting events, and for others - the end of earthly sufferings and waiting for the Second Coming.

Absolutely everyone who understands that everything happening in the world is purposefully leading us to a global catastrophe already believes in this event called the "World Crisis". Nature responds to people's careless attitude towards its protection with cataclysms and natural disasters. The world of money has tied itself to the dollar, which is simply worthless, but is artificially supported by all countries as something valuable, and it is printed non-stop around the clock to pay for all kinds of services and buy with it the freedom of states and people hungry for enrichment.

Weapons are produced in the world that can destroy the entire planet several times, and someday this military machine will come into action.

Diseases, epidemics, and viruses have adapted to the situation and no longer respond to medications, taking millions of lives to the grave.

Civilized Humanity is satiated with an abundance of diverse information and is losing the taste and meaning of life.

And everyone understands that the world will not last long like this. And what will happen, no one knows.

But the most interesting thing is that God, through His messengers, also predicts the onset of the last crisis, which no one will escape, and many people will perish in this troubled time and only those whose names are written in the Book of Life will be saved. A collision with this time is inevitable. And only those who now choose God as their Lord and obedience to God's law as their life principle will receive protection. The crisis will reveal everyone who has built their house of faith on a solid foundation of strong materials.

When a house is being built, engineers calculate all possible loads on the structure of the building and make prescriptions for builders so that they understand what material to choose and how firmly to connect the parts of the structure with each other so that everything will stand and withstand the load from outside in any natural disaster.

God is also preparing His people for the upcoming events of the last time. He offers something special to all His thinking and thirsty children that will protect them during the crisis. And in all His gifts, He offers Himself, wanting to have special personal relationships with His children and teach them to love each other with real love, which they don't have. He commanded that all his disciples have agape love among themselves and believe in the power of God's promises so that they ask to fulfill them in the personal life of each.

God wants His people in the last time to have agape love, and Jesus advises buying special values from Him that will make us rich, clothe us, and open our eyes. To tell Him that this is uninteresting or that there is no time for this is equivalent to spiritual suicide. After all, if God advises something, then it's worth listening to first, and then doing it. However, He does not give His gifts just like that to everyone. He agrees only to an equivalent exchange. This indicates that I will not automatically receive God's values as an appendage to my salvation. I must give something for them. And if I have no interest in this, then the Lord will cast me out of His mouth, or more precisely - vomit me out. Consequently, my whole holy life will be so disgusting to Him that He will not want to have anything to do with me, and then He will declare to me that He did not know me. Such words will indeed be terrible to hear and experience.

My salvation is determined for me by God, and He is the Author of my deliverance from the power of sin and death. Jesus becomes my personal Teacher and Mentor. And He is more interested in saving me than I am. For this, He has everything necessary, but without my consent, God will not do anything, except that He will wait until I understand this and show interest. God loves me and wants me to live, and live eternally, live with Him in my heart. And He dreams about me, that when I learn the beauty of His character, I will love Him with all my soul and wish to know more about Him, and tell the whole world about Him. With what trepidation the Father waits for the opportunity to open His arms and take me in His arms, carry me, boast about me and give me all the riches of Heaven so that I already possess them in this life. How simple everything is, how accessible, how close, and how interesting it is!

Do I thirst for these relationships? Do I want to have such a Friend? Do I need His valuable goods?

At some point, I was engaged in trade, studied the sales market, interests, and needs of buyers. And I noticed that if people don't need something, then you can't sell it to them for any money, but if you present it to them as something good and useful and advertise it, then they take your goods and willingly pay for them. And when a person really needs something, he comes to you himself and asks you to bring him the goods and sell them to him. Sometimes a person is ready to pay even more than it costs.

Our love for each other and our conversations about it are the best advertisement for God's goods, which He advises to buy from Him. And if I have a thirst to have these treasures of Heaven, then I will be ready to pay any price for their acquisition. And if I'm not interested in it, then I don't need it even for free. I won't even want to spend my time to understand what these Heavenly values mean, and why I need them, because I am rich without them, have become wealthy and have need of nothing. Or do you think that my life with God has been in vain, and I haven't learned anything? Aren't you looking at me too biasedly? Do you think I suffered in vain for the Name of Jesus and learned nothing in these trials?

A peach tree grows in my garden. When it was small, I was happy with one, then two peaches a year. And then for several years in a row, the tree brought such an abundant harvest that even branches broke from the weight of the fruits. But lately, the peach has stopped bearing fruit and, despite my care, only gives foliage. I'm very sorry, but I cut it down, and instead of it I will plant a new tree. I remembered how delicious the peaches were before, but the plant occupied space, was sick and infected other trees. The decision to liquidate was made and executed.

Friends, I'm afraid to talk about this, but I have a feeling that many of God's children will be cast out of His mouth because of their ignorance and unwillingness to accept God's blessings and buy what He advises.

And what should such people do during the crisis? They will simply fall and not get up. They will be lost forever. You could be among them! My value is determined not by who I was in the past, but by who I am now, and who I will be in the perspective of development, what fruit I have today. The love that I receive and give now is the best testimony of my life with God. My holiness today speaks better than any words, my thoughts and feelings of this day give me the right to life. And my experience of past years supports me in my today's choice and helps me avoid many mistakes.

Please, friends, don't pass by the Merchant from the message to Laodicea.

Questions for reflection on this chapter:

1. What useful things did you glean from this chapter?

2. What is a crisis? Do you believe in its coming?

3. How to prepare for the time of crisis?

4. Will I be under special God's protection in the last time? What does it depend on?

5. Who do I need to be and what do I need to have during the test of my faith?

6. What should I do if now I have no interest in the Laodicean God's plan, but I want to be a winner during the tribulation?

7. I love God, and will He really cast me out just because I was engaged in other ministry, not having time to learn the message to Laodicea?

8. Will all my Christian experience be taken into account if at the end of time I will not have fruit?

9. Please read Ezekiel 18:20; Daniel 12:1; Psalm 9:9-10, 138:23-24; Jeremiah 15:11; 2 Timothy 3:1-5; Mark 11:13-14,20; Luke 13:6-9; John 15:1-2 in light of this chapter.