The Hour Before The Hour

“And he cometh unto the disciples, and findeth them asleep, and saith unto Peter, What, could ye not watch with me one hour? Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed [is] willing, but the flesh [is] weak.” - Matthew 26:40 & 41.

“Then cometh he to his disciples, and saith unto them, Sleep on now, and take your rest: behold, the hour is at hand, and the Son of man is betrayed into the hands of sinners.”- Matthew 26:45.

“When I was daily with you in the temple, ye stretched forth no hands against me: but this is your hour, and the power of darkness.” - Luke 22:53.

“Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.”- Revelation 3:10.

“And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast.”- Revelation 17:12.

The time is now upon us when the Mystery of the Gospel will be revealed/unveiled; and this unveiling will begin with two types of hours. The first is an hour of preparation - a time of “readiness” in anticipation of the Lord’s return. The second hour is an hour granted to the enemy - an hour when Satan will be given permission/authority to work all manner of evil and persecution in this world.

These two hours are not limited to sixty minute intervals, but rather divinely appointed times ordained to bring about the fulfillment of God’s Plan. The key to understanding these hours and our role in them lies in the scriptures stated above.

“And he cometh unto the disciples, and findeth them asleep, and saith unto Peter, What, could ye not watch with me one hour? Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed [is] willing, but the flesh [is] weak.” -Matthew 26:40 & 41.

The first scriptures deal with Jesus and His disciples in the garden of Gethsemane, right before His trial and crucifixion. Jesus, knowing what terrible times lay ahead, went into prayer and preparation to have the strength and spiritual ability to endure what must come.  

Now, focus on the disciples - unable to stay awake or pray for just one hour. Lethargy had set in and the disciples thought, “This was a good time to rest” – failing to realize their greatest hour of temptation would soon be upon them - a time when the enemy would have “his own hour”, and be granted the power to manipulate the people and crucify our Lord.

Notice the second scripture, after Jesus warned the disciples not to sleep, but to “watch and pray” for an hour less they fall prey to the coming danger….the window of opportunity passes and we find Him saying, “sleep on now, ( it is too late.) The enemy’s hour has now come.”

Beloved, hear the Word of the Lord, “This is the state that we are currently in. There is an “hour before the hour”, a time when the window of heaven is open, access to God and His power is granted, and the ability to pray and receive strength and power to withstand the enemy’s HOUR is available….but not indefinitely.”

“When I was daily with you in the temple, ye stretched forth no hands against me: but this is your hour, and the power of darkness.” - Luke 22:53.

God has set in motion a plan; and in that plan Satan will be granted time, an hour, of free reign to persecute God’s people and subdue the world. This time will be as Daniel declared - the worst time that has ever been on the face of this earth, or ever will be. Jesus called this hour, “the power of darkness”.

It will be a time when it appears God has withdrawn Himself, scriptures don’t comfort, prayer doesn’t produce any results….all seems lost. A time when evil men, under the control of an “Anti-Christ”, will rule and reign and all who do not worship him will be persecuted and/or killed. A time when obtaining food and medicine will “mark” you as one who has forfeited your place in heaven for eternity. A time when you will see loved ones tortured, murdered because they will not bow down to Satan’s will.

“Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.”– Revelation 3:10.

But God, in His mercy, grants an hour before that hour - a time that we can be endued with power from on high, supernatural strength beyond what you can muster, so that we may boldly stand. Just as the martyrs in John Foxe’s book – “no matter if I starve, or if you kill me where I stand…I will not deny His name or worship your image!”

Beloved, be honest with yourself….does that kind of power lie within you….right now? Can you truly say, at this moment, if the rapture were to be delayed, you would be able to stand for Jesus and not submit to the seductive power of the enemy?

“And that, knowing the time, that now [it is] high time to awake out of sleep: for now [is] our salvation nearer than when we believed” – Romans 13:11.

This present hour - is a time of prayer, of finding where you stand with God, of repairing that backslidden relationship, renewing half-hearted worship and earnestly living for Jesus.

This present hour - is a time when we realize that fleshly desires and what the world has to offer mean nothing compared to knowing Jesus intimately.

This present hour - is a time to insure He is all that matters and reaching “the secret place of the Most High” - your key to surviving the coming enemy hour.  The time to prepare is now; the time to stay awake and alert is now. The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand!

“Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.” – 1 Corinthians 10:12.

I ask you now reader, the most important question of your life. And that question is not, “have you been saved?”, but “are you ready right now?” Are you prepared to gamble on the popular doctrine stating that you will get out of here before anything bad happens? Or are you one who will heed the warning from the Holy Spirit and declare, “I do not want a gamble, I want to be ready no matter what!”

 “Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.” – Matthew 24:44. 

In the 1950’s, men began building bomb shelters in case of nuclear war. No one had a guarantee that nuclear war would inevitably happen; still, men prepared a place to weather the fallout and protect their families. Until this day, these bomb shelters have yet to be used for the purpose in which they were designed. These men decided not to take any chances, adopting the wise old adage, “It’s better to have it, and not need it; than to need it and not have it”.

“From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee, when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock [that] is higher than I. For thou hast been a shelter for me, [and] a strong tower from the enemy. I will abide in thy tabernacle forever: I will trust in the covert of thy wings.”– Psalm 61:2-4.

Beloved, God has prepared us a “bomb shelter” in the person and power of Jesus Christ. But having said a prayer when you were a child will not protect you - being baptized when you were eight years old, or eight days old, will not guarantee the power and strength needed should we be here longer than mainstream leaders have told us.

We are in the hour before the hour, a time right before the enemy is loosed and the restraint lifted. But God, in His mercy, invites us to reach out to Him NOW, to prepare spiritually NOW, to make sure we are in Him and He in us…intimately…at the critical moment!

Remember the ten virgins described in Matthew, chapter 25? A call was made to prepare them to meet the groom – to insure everything was in order in their lives - not caught unprepared or backslidden - half-heartedly waiting on the bridegroom. Five of those virgins failed to prepare….having no extra cruse of oil, they were left behind…and there wasn’t any “second chances”.

"Arise, cry out in the night: in the beginning of the watches pour out thine heart like water before the face of the Lord: lift up thy hands toward him for the life of thy young children, that faint for hunger in the top of every street.” – Lamentations 2:19.

Beloved, the “first hour” call is being made…NOW. Prophets and preachers are coming out of obscurity - God using people that no one would have believed capable or “qualified” - sending His word that the time to prepare is NOW.

If you wait any longer, like the five foolish virgins, this open door of opportunity will close on you. You will not have what it takes to survive the coming persecution and seductive power of the enemy. You will be part of the coming “apostasy” (great falling away) described in 2 Thessalonians 2:3.

Do not be deceived into a false sense of security; don’t be lured to sleep by the siren-song of the world and false doctrine. There are no irrefutable, defining scriptures guaranteeing us a pain-free, tribulation-free rapture. Prepare now. Reach out to Jesus and insure you stand with/for Him. Ask Him to prepare you - enslave you - make you ready to meet Him.

Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me. – Revelation 3:20. 

He is knocking on your door, right now. What will you do? Let Him in…or ignore the cry of the Beloved until He goes away? (Song of Solomon 5:2) The choice is yours….make it soon….time is running out.

(A new series will follow this posting describing in greater detail the subject of the Hour before the Hour - just follow the blog found at the weblog address listed below)

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