A kingdom is a king’s domain. The kingdom of God is God’s domain, where the rules are His rules. His is the only unshakable kingdom, because He is the only almighty God. For us to abide in His kingdom begins with obeying the King. The Lord has been very clear about this in His Word, so that, in the words of the apostle Paul, “there can be no excuse.”

       As we enter what is prophesied to be the darkest time there has ever been on the earth, consider that we are called to carry the greatest hope that the world has ever heard into this greatest darkness. That greatest hope that has ever been heard on the earth is the gospel of the kingdom.

       Gospel means “good news,” not bad news. I’ve tried to study every eschatology (study of the end times), and they all seem like bad news to me because they emphasize the bad things that are about to happen. This may be true, but is that the “gospel of the kingdom?” While we should prepare people for the challenges ahead, the greatest message that will ever be heard on the earth is that the King is coming, and His kingdom will prevail over the whole earth.

       Now is the time for us to review and prepare to share this good news of the kingdom. This greatest light that the world has ever seen will shine even brighter in the darkness there will be for a short time. The first purpose of this message is to turn the people from the darkness to the Light, from their greatest fears to the greatest faith—a faith that will prevail over any darkness.

       Are we ready for this? Not likely. To carry the greatest message the world has ever heard is worth having spent a lifetime in preparation for, but who has? Understanding how we get ready for this is easier than actually making the sacrifice to do it. Now that the time is upon us, if we will respond and do what we can to be ready, it will be enough.

        I’ve been in ministry for over fifty years, and I don’t think there’s been a day when I didn’t think I was in over my head and inadequate for what I’ve been called to—because I was. We all are. It is in the places where we are inadequate that He has given us the Helper. So, more than working harder now to be prepared, what we need is to believe more in Him to supply all that we lack. This doesn’t mean that we can be negligent in our devotion, but it does mean that faith in Him can accomplish more than anything we can do.

       If we are alive in these times, He knew we could do more than handle them; we can excel in even the darkest times. That is what we must resolve to do. This is not because we are so strong, wise, or righteous but because we, too, can testify to the same thing the apostle Paul did: “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13). There is nothing impossible for God, so rather than looking at our inadequacy, we must become focused on His adequacy.

       The reason the world is entering this time of the greatest troubles there have ever been is because we thought we could run this world without God. The coming times will teach all of creation for all of eternity that we must not try that again. To begin with, we need to realize just how much we need the Lord to be ready for everything, and especially for the worst troubles the world has ever experienced.

       If you have an eschatology that says you will be snatched out before these troubles come, you should consider that what the Lord called “the beginning of birth pangs” could qualify as some of the worst troubles the world has ever known, and it is apparent that we will all experience these.

       Several decades ago, I had a prophetic experience in which I was sitting in my comfortable chair, and then I was suddenly in the radar room of a warship. I was standing before a radar screen, and the Lord was standing next to me. There was a blip on the radar screen that kept getting closer, and I could see that we were on a collision course with it. I directed the ship to turn 90 degrees to the left. The blip remained directly in front of us and was getting closer. So, I directed the ship to turn to the right. The blip stayed directly in front of us and was getting closer. I braced for the impact, but we passed right through it, and nothing happened. I asked the Lord what that was. He said, “That was the ‘great tribulation.’ It’s coming, and you can’t avoid it, but if you stay close to Me, you won’t even feel it.”

        We have a kingdom and a King that cannot be shaken. The main thing we must do to be prepared for what’s coming is get close to Him and stay there. As I repeat often, “The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing.” Staying close to Him is the main thing we can do to be ready for the “great tribulation,” or anything else.

       There are other things we can do, too, which we will cover in future Words for the Week.

 

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