Just about four years ago, I was able to post a message called “Midnight Cry.” Though I didn’t print out the song that was represented at that time, there were already changes taking place that indicated we were steadily heading toward our last hours here. It doesn’t take a lot of imagination to see the direction this earth is headed, and the changes are becoming even more accelerated almost by the hour. The song and the verses about to be given here are absolutely relevant for the world today. (ESV – all emphasis mine)

In 1986, two brothers, Charles and Greg Day, wrote a song titled “Midnight Cry.” They say their pastor gave a sermon with that title one Sunday morning, and they wrote the song that same afternoon. When they returned for the evening services, the brothers performed the song they had just written, and it was well received. It has since been recorded by various artists, but the first group to release it was Gold City in 1990, featuring Ivan Parker.

1.) I hear the sound of a mighty rushing wind, and it’s closer now than it’s ever been. I can almost hear the Trumpet as Gabriel sounds the call; at the Midnight Cry, we’ll be going Home.

Ref.) When Jesus steps out on a cloud and calls God’s children, the dead in Christ shall rise to meet Him in the air. And then those that remain will be quickly changed; at the Midnight Cry, when Jesus comes again.

2.) I look around me, and the prophecies fulfilling; and the signs of the times, they’re appearing everywhere. I can almost hear the Father as He says, ‘Son, go get My children.’ At the Midnight Cry, The bride of Christ shall rise. (ref, plus)

And then those that remain will be quickly changed; at the Midnight Cry, when Jesus comes again. At the Midnight Cry, when Jesus comes again, when Jesus comes again!

Matthew 24:36, 50; “But concerning that day and hour, no one knows, not even the angels of Heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only… the master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect Him, and at an hour he does not know.”

Some would say that because Jesus is God (John 10:30), He would have known when the “Midnight Cry” would take place. What we must remember is that He was totally submissive to the Father’s will, and in order for him to be our perfect sacrifice, He became “fully human” for our sakes. He was able to experience what we go through; “But we see Him who for a little while was made lower than the angels, namely Jesus, crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God, He might taste death for everyone” (Hebrews 2:9).

As a human being for the time He was here, Jesus experienced the world as we do, including being tempted to sin (Matthew 4:1-11; Mark 1:12-13; Luke 4:1-13). His temptation was even stronger as it was done in person by Satan himself; yet our Savior stood firm. Had Jesus sinned even once, His sacrifice at Calvary could not have freed us from our sins.

After the Savior made the statement “It Is Finished!” in John 19:30, He was indicating that He had fulfilled the Father’s need for a perfect, sinless, blood sacrifice; and as stated in Hebrews 9:12, “He entered once for all into the Holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of His own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption.” We tainted humans do not deserve the blood of our Creator being shed for us, but then again, the love of our God goes beyond all human understanding.

In Ephesians 3:19, Paul tells us, “and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with the fullness of God.” Going to 2 Peter 3:9, “The Lord is not slow to fulfill His promise, as some would count slowness; but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.”

In the first verses of 2 Peter 3, he tells about scoffers and their claims that God is not really going to come for us soon if He’s even going to come at all. We see this all over our world today.

What I see is a loving Father that is giving all of us the chance to repent, have faith that Jesus paid the full price for our sins, and that all who truly call on Him will be saved. I know for myself that if the “Rapture” had taken place about 40 years ago, I would be one of those who would’ve been left behind to face the terrible 7-year tribulation.

As is, I firmly believe in God’s promise in Romans 10:9-13 about the steps to Salvation. God cannot and will not lie, as given in Titus 1:2. Besides, as our Creator, why would He have a need to? He could very well have been tyrannical and made absolute slaves of us all from the very beginning to serve Him in any manner He wished.

However, we have John 3:16-18 telling us how much He loves us. Our responsibility is to receive the “gift” that Jesus gave for us and accept that it is the only way to eternal life with Him. John 14:6 plainly states that no one is able to come to the Father without Him. That’s also found in 1 John 5:12 and Acts 4:12, as well as numerous other examples in the Bible.

The song “Midnight Cry” is absolutely about the event of 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17 and 1 Corinthians 15:51-53 called the Rapture. The idea is we need to know that we have no idea exactly when the day or hour is, and we need to prepare ourselves in the event it may take place even today.

I have actually heard someone say in the past that they would wait until the Trumpet of God sounds and the shout comes from the archangel to call out to be saved. To clarify why this is impossible, 1 Corinthians 15:52 plainly states, “in the twinkling of an eye.” That term, according to scientific experts, is the amount of time it takes for light to enter the eye and then hit the optic nerve. That’s considerably less than 1,000th of a second.

This is not something to take lightly, as our Jesus took His love for us very seriously. Consider that this could be the day the Harpazo, “taking up,” or what’s commonly called the Rapture, takes place. Before you can even take a breath, it will be over. Would it not be better to already have Jesus in your heart as your Savior and the Holy Spirit within you?

This is completely your choice; God will force no one to receive and accept His Son. However, to know your only other option, please read Revelation 20:11-15. That will be for all who rejected God’s wonderful gift to us before they left this earth. There are no third options, and for all the false prophets’ words, the Bible is still the absolute authority.

Consider carefully, and I hope to see you with us at the feet of Jesus when the call for His flock comes. It’s definitely getting very close, considering Jesus’ statement in Luke 21:28 that said when these things “begin” to happen, He is soon to come. The “beginning” was about 10 or so years ago, so at this time, we’re on borrowed time. God’s timing is definitely different from ours, but remember, when Jesus said “soon,” He was in human form dealing with our concept of time.

Satan would love for you to put off calling on the Gentle Shepherd, as it is one of his greatest lies. Just as when he asked Eve, “did God really say?” It will still be possible for people to be saved during the tribulation, but the cost will be very high. To avoid that time would be the most logical choice ever.

The Midnight Cry is coming soon, and our “Bridegroom” will be coming to take His “Bride” home to a place prepared especially for us. It would be our great advantage to be ready to go with Him when He calls. Today would not be too soon!

Shalom! Maranatha! Peace and Come, Lord Jesus.

huebshman46@gmail.com

Several months ago, I did a hefty shake-up of my mobile phone. That familiar number was history; a recycled one took its place. The only problem I had was an outstanding amount reminder addressed to the previous holder of that number. A flurry of emails followed, but by the grace of God, it was resolved amicably. In the meantime, I deleted the older version of WhatsApp; the contacts on it also followed suit. The latest version was downloaded; this was when the critical reconfiguration took place. The number of contacts on it was tiny when compared to the previous setup. My mind was indeed set; the crowd I used to hang out with had to go – it was time to decouple from the world and focus on the Lord. The motivation for doing so came from Colossians 3:2.

“Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.”

What the world could offer to me was a succession of lies and half-truths. An individual who walks the talk where the Living Word is concerned will know this. Not only that, it is savoring the truth versus falsehoods – this is when the disdain for deception takes root. There is no love lost where previous pleasures matter; they are as good as being erased from my mental lexicon.

Same goes with the people who have no time and space for things above. It becomes something with a pathetic feel when they are simply worried about the issues of tomorrow. Yet they are quick to criticize me for my apparent indifference as if I look silly before their very eyes. Quite a number of them are free thinkers. And as for those who call themselves followers of Christ, sad to say – they slot Him in a self-designated pigeonhole! Some of them even have the nerve to crudely reiterate my foolishness for not putting the world at par with God.

It would not do because I am cognizant of the implications when men are pleased at the expense of the Heavenly Father.

“For do I now persuade men, or God? Or do I seek to please men? For if I still pleased men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ” (Galatians 1:10).

There is certainly not a drop of bad blood spilled where these relationships go. If any one of these people decides to get serious with the Lord, I am more than happy to sit down and have a fruitful conversation. But if it is otherwise, simply a no-go because time is of the essence as the moment of redemption draws nigh; frivolous stuff of the fallen nature can never be entertained.

A lot of these folks that I crossed paths with since childhood and adolescence would be baffled at my shift towards a loner mode. I can understand their perceptions rather easily; they simply shut their eyes and ears to what is coming. They assume that everything would go back to the good old days. I simply cannot buy that!

With my focus on an eternity with Christ, I am more than happy to live the life of a loner. Call this a short-term arrangement. In all truth and honesty, I have great company. There is the Holy Spirit and the angels sent from above; they are not visible to the human eye – not a problem at all. Most significantly speaking, the invisible force has an impact on my daily life. It is a whole new direction, with boredom out of the question. In the many quiet moments with the Lord, something pops up spontaneously, and the enabling and empowerment are thrilling. Issues are seen in a different light, and they are joyfully resolved. This is when my faith in God grows by leaps and bounds!

I sincerely wonder how many believers truly savored the sweetness which emanates from the Bread of Life. I have this blessing from the Lord, and it sure beats everything that is on this fast-failing planet. With that, priorities and preferences take on an entirely different path. One salient aspect of spiritual maturity is very much like a kid growing out of toys. So very real in my case that I do not look back regrettably at stuff that was tossed out but delight with great exhilaration in the God-inspired new normal which is an ongoing reality!

I will never miss Understanding the Times with Jan Markell and J. D Farag’s Prophecy Updates. Of late, I downloaded the Hope for our Times app. I read most of the articles on Rapture Ready, and the Nearing Midnight segment is a personal favorite.

I contribute articles to this website, which I have grown to love, on a regular basis. It is really an instance of joy overflowing when working with the God-ordained people running Rapture Ready. What I contribute by way of writing is inspired by the working of the Holy Spirit. This takes place when I distance from the world and allow the Holy Spirit to call every shot!

I do stick with a less-than-pint-sized cell group that meets on a bi-monthly basis. The number hardly exceeds all fingers on both hands. As a matter of interest, the most recent gathering had only all fingers on one hand! These wonderful people may not talk a lot about Bible Prophecy, but they have no objections regarding any mention of it. I am at home with them because of their emphasis on disengagement from worldliness and focus on the genuine spirituality from the Lord.

With this new normal that is energized by the Holy Spirit, every passing day has a distinct meaning. Enough to put whatever cares of the world onto the back burner. A good reason for eating out less often. The Godly pleasures that come with this new arrangement make the outdoors less appealing. No questions asked; it has gone significantly downhill where I am concerned. At the same time, I have experienced a transformation that sees it all in a different light. I frown when I hear vulgarities, and the alien strains of BTS (a K-pop group) raises my blood pressure. Sitting at a table adjacent to a bunch of male seniors gulping beers while being pampered by girls in short dresses (they do the top-ups) is a turnoff! Simple and light bites do gel with my reconfigured lifestyle.

I recently decided to revisit my old stomping ground – an Irish bistro. Food-wise, quantity and quality were still of high standards. But I was in for a very rude shock. As I tucked into their signature fish and chips, an out-of-place bunch sat at the adjacent table. A middle-aged guy and four ladies in their early thirties would have done well in a KTV joint. They were rowdy and made a barely bearable din. Get the picture why I suffered a digestion issue after this ear-shattering episode. I made a speedy recovery, nevertheless, by His grace and mercy. The Still, Small Voice resonated within the confines of my cerebral cortex as I recovered. I was then directed to Romans 12:1-2.

“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”

Walking with Jesus, even alone

Edwin

Contact me at edwinuk13@gmail.com