Are You Sleeping?

As a young girl I was very impressed by a picture that I have somehow recreated. It’s not as dramatic as the picture that spoke to me, but it still carries the message. I want to convey the seriousness of the day we are living in. People are dying without Christ, literally going to hell, while the Church in many instances is fast asleep.

I have been thinking about what to write as a message to go with the picture, which I also have in Spanish and Swedish. This morning something interesting happened. I decided to sort through some files with letters and articles that my mother had saved from her early years as a missionary. I came across a clipping about missionary Hudson Taylor. He was one of the pioneers in China, the man who founded the China Inland Mission.

Dr. Hudson Taylor, 1832-1905, a physician, was a man full of the Holy Spirit, entirely surrendered to God. He had heartfelt compassion and great power in prayer. For 40 years he was on his knees at sunrise every morning, praying for the salvation of the Chinese.

During one of his furloughs to England, in 1855, he was preaching when he suddenly stopped. He stood speechless for a time with his eyes closed. When he began to speak again, he explained:

“I have seen a vision. I saw in this vision a great war that will encompass the whole world. I saw this war recess and then start again, actually being two wars. After this I saw much unrest and revolts that will affect many nations. I saw in some places spiritual awakenings.

“In Russia, I saw there will come a general all-encompassing, national SPIRITUAL AWAKENING so great that there could never be another like it. From Russia, I saw the awakening spread to many European countries. Then I saw an all-out awakening, followed by the coming of Christ.”

This is an excerpt from an original Russian article titled “Spiritual Revival” published in Finland in 1945.

The world has seen the two World Wars. We have seen a great shift in Russia. I remember when it was closed to the Gospel. But we have not yet seen the revival so great “there could never be another like it!”

I was very moved by reading this account. This morning, when I found it translated to Spanish, and then another paper that read the same thing in Swedish, I took it as a sign. It was a confirmation about what is weighing heavy on my heart. Jesus is coming soon! And people are dying without hope for eternal life.

The signs of the end times that we find in the Bible are clear. This year Israel celebrates 70 years since it was proclaimed a nation. Israel is the greatest sign of the things prophesied.

Read the signs of the end of the age in Matthew 24, Mark 13, and Luke 21.

The message I want to convey, first of all to my own heart, is to wake up.

Are you sleeping? I wonder if they still sing that song in schools. The words are sure speaking to me. I want to be the Church awake! I want to be on fire for Jesus. I want to save others by snatching them out of the fire. How about you?

On average 150,000 people die each day. In the time it will take me to write and publish this blog, about 20,000 people will have stepped into eternity. We need to put it in this perspective to understand the seriousness of the hour.

If it takes you around 20 minutes to read this blog, then 2,400 people have stepped over the threshold.

Two per second!

Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed. ¹² The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. ¹³ Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy. ¹⁴ But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires. Romans 13:11-14 ESV

But you, beloved, building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, ²¹ keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life. ²² And have mercy on those who doubt; ²³ save others by snatching them out of the fire; to others show mercy with fear, hating even the garment stained by the flesh. ²⁴ Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, ²⁵ to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen. Jude 1:20-24 ESV

If you are not sure about your eternal destination, please let me help you find salvation in Jesus. Write me a comment and I will get back to you. Nothing matters more to me than to make sure you will spend eternity with Jesus in heaven.

FILES FOR PRINT

I have made some files for you to use for personal reminders or to send to friends, even for your classroom. Choose what fits you best. The different sizes you can cut out.

COLOR:  Time to wake up CO

GRAY:  Time to wake up GR

B/W:  Time to wake up BW