I was listening to the news tonight as I was cleaning the kitchen. Jason and Ava had long been asleep and it was just me all alone in my thoughts.
I wasn't really paying that much attention to the news anchor but all of a sudden, for some reason, I heard the anchor say "We are one day closer to the end."
And the thought that I've had so many times before, hit me again: He's coming soon. That single thought is one I've had at least daily, over the past 2 months. And honestly, it's a thought I've had at least weekly, for the last 6 years.
On July 4th, 2014, I found myself gathered around a group of tables in a common area at a main house on a farm in Senkobo, Zambia. It had been a wild day and like every night during our stay there, we were gathered to dive into The Word. Just hours before we sat down at these tables, our group had been to Victoria Falls.
Clearly this wasn't a normal day or normal 4th of July for me. Months before I left for Africa, the Lord spoke to me and said "you're going to Africa to protect your cousin." A week into our trip and I had almost forgotten what the Lord had spoken to me. Which honestly was crazy, because up until the trip, I thought about it daily; to the point were there were times I would consider it a possibility that I wouldn't even make it back. Yes, we can laugh about it now, but I thought about writing letters to my family on the flight to Africa, just in case.
So there we were, at Victoria Falls, about to hike down to the "boiling point." It seemed worth the arduous hike to me so I joined in with our missions team comprised of high schoolers and young college adults.
When we reached the bottom I realized it would take me longer to ascend, so I hung out for a few minutes and then started back on my own and that's when it hit me. The Holy Spirit immediately spoke: DANGER! It was so loud and so clear that I stopped in my tracks. I remember taking a deep breath as I assessed the area for snakes --- yes, I was worried about a snake. We can all laugh. But I didn't see anything, so I kept going. "DANGER," was spoken to me two more times before I knew why. After the third danger, my cousin came running up to me yelling for help. As it turned out, our group had been followed down rocky terrain by a group of locals who did not have the best of intentions. As I saw this man following, almost chasing my cousin, I immediately started praying out-loud against any evil attack or plot. I remember looking him in the eye and praying out-loud. As I was praying, he reached for his cell phone and was trying to contact his friends and alert them. Within a matter of a few seconds, he was gone. As strange as it sounds, he almost vanished. One second we saw him and the next he was out of sight.
As I said earlier, this was NOT a normal day, but that night was even wilder. As we gathered around the tables that night, opening up our devotion with prayer, I saw him. No, not the man from the falls. I saw the other HIM. Yes, I saw Jesus, in a vision, during prayer. And I have to be completely honest with whomever may be reading this, it scared me. Why did it scare me? Because this wasn't the meek, gentle, humble Jesus that you read about in the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. I saw was Jesus, ready to reconcile the world. He was on a white horse; he was wearing a red robe and His eyes were on fire. And as quickly as I saw him, He looked at me straight on, reared his horse up and said "I'm coming soon."
It shook me to the core. You cannot encounter Jesus and be the same.
Revelation 19:11-13
11 And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war.
12 His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself.
13 And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God.
Y'all, this is why Africa changed me -- because it wasn't necessarily Africa, it was JESUS. After my time there, I could no longer live without a sense of urgency. I could no longer live as if eternity was a lifetime away. I could no longer live as if Jesus was just a man who loved people and forgave sins. I had seen Him, the Jesus of reconciliation, ready for battle, ready for his Bride.
Matthew 24:36-44
36 No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son,g but only the Father. 37 As it was in the days of Noah, so will it be at the coming of the Son of Man. 38 For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark. 39 And they were oblivious, until the flood came and swept them all away. So will it be at the coming of the Son of Man. 40 Two men will be in the field: one will be taken and the other left. 41 Two women will be grinding at the mill: one will be taken and the other left.
42 Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day on which your Lord will come. 43 But understand this: If the homeowner had known in which watch of the night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. 44 For this reason, you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour you do not expect.
So I want to encourage you, whoever is reading this, make today the day that you reconcile your faith in Jesus, make today the day that you give your life to Him. Don't be left in the field. Don't be left in the mill. Jesus is coming back for His church and He's coming soon. We are indeed one day closer to the end.
Romans 10:9
9 If you declare with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
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