Gail Landgraf posted: " Photo by Tatiana Syrikova on Pexels.com Have you ever wondered about the details of a place of safety for end times? I believe this may be on the minds of many today. We constantly face a world full of changing events. They seem to be coming at" The IN SEASON Lifestyle
Have you ever wondered about the details of a place of safety for end times?
I believe this may be on the minds of many today. We constantly face a world full of changing events. They seem to be coming at us in a way that is too fast to keep up with. The Bible does have things to say.
While we are still in the Book of Joshua; I want to ponder these questions in relation to what happened with Rahab during and after The Battle of Jericho.
WELCOME
Welcome to the COME AS A CHILD BIBLE STUDY. We are currently walking through The Book of Joshua together.
Eventually; we want to cover the whole bible. Our pathway is to step through scripture page-by- page and word-by-word. No one is in a hurry. This group is trying to study with the heart of a child who has never been taught. We want to look at each new passage as if it were for the first time. Our only intent in this study is to draw closer and closer to Our Father. We want to walk as a child seeking to find the one they love and adore. As we go we are simply learning to imitate Him in all that we do.
If this is your first time to join in with us, we share this on-line study from the blog every Thursday. To be sure you don't miss a lesson, just click the "subscribe" button at the top of the blog. Currently; there are 129 of us. Our group keeps growing as we travel this journey together. Thank you for caring enough to seek out God's truths and ways. We are always happy to meet others who have the desire to apply the ways of God to their daily lifestyle. This is the heart of what our blogging is all about.
PATTERNS OF THE FAITHFUL
Today, I want to look at certain patterns around Rahab and The Battle of Jericho.
The first thing I see is that Rahab had made a very firm decision. Her commitment was to God. She decided to be a part of the work of God's Kingdom. Rahab chose to be a part of His People way before the battle ever occurred.
In the beginning; she had no guarantees that her actions would be rewarded. They happened anyway. Her actions were clearly out of love and obedience to God The Father. She stepped out into the unknown and exercised great faith. It was obvious that she was willing to risk her own life for what she believed was right and good.
In the end, this faithful decision determined and assured her physical as well as spiritual safety. Because she had carefully and prayerfully made the right decisions BEFORE the city was taken in battle; Rahab was saved and taken to a place of safety just outside the camp of Israel.
HOW RAHAB'S STORY PARALLELS END TIMES
This pattern can easily be related to end times. Like Rahab; we all must be prayed up. We need to stay constantly aware of the truth. God's people need to have a firm mind and stance toward The Kingdom of God. They need to know Jesus as Messiah BEFORE the Last Great Day and the battle of Armageddon.
There are various debates as to whether or not this part of end-times will be because of a rapture or The Second Coming of Christ. I'm not going into that debate today. Either way suits me. I just want to be with Jesus!
For our study today though, we will simply refer to the fact that Jesus IS going to return for His people and they need to be READY. They need to have taken a firm stand for God's Kingdom and His ways.
This will require faith similar to the faith that Rahab exercised as she waited for the battle that she knew was coming to Jericho.
THE SIGNIFICANCE OF HIDDEN THINGS
Rahab did not know the time or the hour. She had to trust that Joshua's men would keep the promises to her. (I can't help but think of The Feast of Trumpets when I make that statement. The times were "hidden" from those who were in Jericho.)
The moment Rahab stepped out in faith, she quickly needed to go through the process of gathering her people together. It was important to her to have their hearts ready for a new and different life. She wanted to be ready to face the unknown with courage and faithful obedience to God.
Christians must be doing the same as we wait the fulfillment of the rest of prophesy. There is no time to waste.
We all need to be sure of our salvation. Everyone needs to make sure their loved-ones have the opportunity to know God. They should all understand and believe that Jesus is Messiah.
GETTING READY FOR A DIFFERENT LIFESTYLE NOW
People need to be prepared for the trials and tribulations which may result from the battles that are to come. We will all need to draw our strength from God and His Holy Spirit. Our Messiah will need to be admonished as our great leader.
Scriptures allude to "a place of safety" for some in many biblical passages.
I will just reference those passages here for you so that you can grab your bibles and read them for yourself. These prophetic Psalms are comforting and reassuring. I strongly advise putting many of them to memory so that you can repeat them to yourself whenever you feel the need to be strong in your faith. Teach them to your children and grandchildren.
AN ACTUAL PHYSICAL PLACE OF SAFETY ON THE EARTH
Before I list these scriptures for reference I also want to link you to a very informative website that I have found to be helpful in thinking through end-time events. Here is that link: https://lifehopeandtruth.com/prophecy/revelation/place-of-safety/. You may enjoy many of the referenced articles this blog has to offer.
In the meantime; here are specific scripture references you can look up which refer to an actual, physical place of safety during end times:
Revelation 3:10; Revelation 12:14; Revelation 13:5; Revelation 14; 12. Any and all of these places indicate that some of those who believe in God will be protected in an actual, physical, safe place on this earth. These people are often referred to as "the remnant" when we speak of events of the last days.
THE PSALMS THAT WILL COMFORT BELIEVERS
Many speculate and try to figure out the specifics of the above referenced physical location on the earth. We are not told in the scriptures. However; much of what is described does fit a place called Petra which is just outside of Jerusalem. That fact of being just outside the city coincides with the fact that Rahab and her family camped just outside the Camp of Israel after The Battle of Jericho. All of these suggestions of the place of safety are described in these scriptures; yet they are vague and not at all specific. We may not truly know what we think we know of earthy things and places. Time will tell the story.
COMFORT FROM THE PSALMS
What we DO have that is concrete and specific are passages from the Psalms which feel prophetic in nature toward events of end-times.
These should be comforting and reassuring to all believers because they point to the fact that the REAL place of safety is simply inside the arms of Jesus. This is something that believers can attain and enjoy at any time from any location.
If we stay with Him and do not waver; He will take care of us no matter where we are or what is going on. This too will require the strong faith that Rahab demonstrated in following the leaders of Israel before, during and after The Battle of Jericho.
We must keep that same pattern and follow Christ before, during and after the Battle of Armageddon. That is our TRUE and FOREVER place of safety. Here are some scripture references that will help us to remember this when we are facing tough days and times of trial. They aren't typed out because it is my opinion that we all need to physically be looking up and reading scriptures straight from The Holy Scriptures of our bibles. I also suggest memorizing them for whenever you need to recall how loving a God we have and what a mighty Savior we serve.
This list includes the passages from Psalm 18:2, Psalm 27:5, Psalm 31:20, Psalm 32:7, Psalm 91:7, 9-10, and Psalm 121:7.
THE PRESENCE OF THE LORD IS A SURE PLACE OF SAFETY
I hope these are helpful in reassuring you that God is for His people. He will always keep His promises. If you follow Him; you have the same promises that were made to Abraham because this Covenant has now been fulfilled by Jesus Christ our Lord.
There is one "place of safety" you can always be assured of having. This place is The Presence of The Lord. Let that inspire you to stay close to God. Be confessed and prepared. Have your lanterns ready and your armor on. Pray to be counted worthy to escape the wrath to come. Be prepared to have the strong and abiding faith of Rahab.
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