Preparing Our Households For The Tribulation

God has made it abundantly clear, we are to prepare for the Tribulation. Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ told us the Tribulation would be like the Days of Noah. Noah did not begin constructing the Ark when it was raining, he spent untold years building the Ark, preparing for his tribulation. Further, we know, “all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come”, (1 Corinthians 10:11).

Do not let anyone tell you preparing shows a lack of faith. Preparing shows God you are adhering to His Word, and taking what He said seriously. God told us to prepare for the Tribulation. We are going to document that, and then we will discuss preparation from a physical, mental and spiritual perspective.

“By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith.”

Hebrews 11:7

Prepare For The Tribulation

This is why we should prepare for the Tribulation.

Mark of the Beast

Please turn your Bible with me to,

Revelation 13:17
And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.

Mark” means “a badge of servitude”. The Dragon from verse 11 brings about the Mark of the Beast, and the Dragon is Satan, (Revelation 12:9). Accepting the Mark of the Beast means a person perceives Satan is God, they willingly accept his “badge” and “serve” him. In reality, Satan is the false messiah, the Antichrist we have been warned about.

The whole world will fall for this grand deception, all except for the Saints who are Sealed, (Revelation 13:3-4). They will understand Satan is not God despite his many miracles, (Revelation 13:13-14). This means the Saints do not accept the Mark of the Beast which also means, they will not be able to “buy or sell” during the Tribulation, (Revelation 13:17). So they know to be prepared ahead of time thanks to God’s warning.

Do Not Twist Jesus Words

We should remember Jesus words, but not twist them either.

“Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on.”

Matthew 6:25-34

While we can take comfort in these words, Jesus was more speaking to the point of our daily life struggles. Some people are always worried about tomorrow and the problems it will bring.

We should ensure we do not turn Jesus’ words into an excuse not to prepare for the Tribulation, and do not forget about 2 Thessalonians 3:10,

“For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat.” 

No one should expect a free plate, that is not what Jesus was talking about in Matthew 6. God expects everyone that is physically able to work. God expects everyone physically able to prepare for the Tribulation, to the extent of their ability, and their finances will allow.

Observe The Tiny Ant

Turn your Bible with me to,

Proverbs 6:6-8
6 Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise:

7  Which having no guide, overseer, or ruler,

8  Provideth her meat in the summer, and gathereth her food in the harvest.

God is telling us to observe the tiny ant, which has no guide or ruler to tell her what to do. She simply uses common sense to prepare for the days when she will have no food. So she obtains food for her family while she is able, and while the food is available. Even though a rainstorm could destroy everything she has in a moment.

Proverbs 6:9
How long wilt thou sleep, O sluggard? when wilt thou arise out of thy sleep?

Sluggard” means, “slothful” and “indolent” which means “wanting to avoid activity or exertion; lazy”. God is quite literally calling us lazy if we cannot get off our duff and prepare as the ant does. Prepare for the days when you will not be able to “buy or sell”.

Do not wait for a special sign to prepare, the signs are all around us, now more than ever before. With few exceptions such as the severely handicapped, we are all capable of preparing in some fashion if we put our minds to it.

Proverbs 6:10
Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep:

Instead of observing the signs and preparing for what is to come, some would rather relax, sleep, and let the Lord do all the work. That is not how God works. We can depend on Him, but we must do our part first.

Proverbs 6:11
So shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth, and thy want as an armed man.

God is telling us, failure to prepare like the ant will bring “poverty” which is the state of being “destitute”, just as one that “travelleth” which means “wander”. Their poverty will be as a homeless person wandering about the streets.

Their “want” which means “impoverishment” will be like an “armed” man, which means a man with a “shield”. We are talking about a wandering impoverished man attempting to defend himself. Friends, a weakened man cannot make a stand with that shield.

When we put this all together, God is telling us to prepare for the days when we cannot “buy or sell”. Otherwise, we may end up as an impoverished man, unable to defend ourselves; physically, mentally, and spiritually.

We Should Always Be Prepared

To the best of their abilities, wise people are always prepared for emergencies. Wise people do not allow themselves to be compromised, no matter what the emergency may be.

So we can properly understand this, we are going to recall past examples, and unexpected events so we know how preparedness helps us endure.

Over the years, there have been several chemical spills in our waterways which rendered drinking water of entire communities unsafe. Those who had proper water filtration systems in place, or “water purifiers” were essentially unaffected by the crisis. 

Those who live in cold climates typically have extra food and water on hand in case they are snowed in, or the power goes out. They also have generators to restore power and keep blankets in their car in case their vehicle breaks down in severe weather. Failure to do this in some environments may cost you your life. These steps of preparation are common sense for these people, just like the tiny ant.

I do not want anyone to forget about catastrophic storms such as Hurricane Katrina. New Orleans and the surrounding areas were decimated by that storm. There were riots in the streets, robberies, rapes, and murder. The wise had firearms and necessities to protect them from becoming a statistic, and they made it through the crisis much easier than many other people.

To show how the best plan can be laid to waste. The government declared Martial Law in the region, and illegally confiscated the firearms of law-abiding citizens preventing them from protecting their home and family from criminals. Your take away, always have a Plan B.

Now during COVID-19, many were unable to purchase the items they needed as store shelves quickly ran dry due to mass panic buying. Yet, for those who were prepared ahead of time, it was not even an inconvenience as they already had what they needed.

Now we will talk about physical, mental, and spiritual preparation.

Physical Preparation

Physical preparation will consist of water, food, medicine, fuel, and shelter. Everyone’s situation will be different, adjust accordingly. This is only a base for you to start thinking about your preparation steps.

Water

The human body can only survive 3-4 days without water, so water storage and filtration should be at the top of your list.

We have a “Berkey water filter” that works great. You can quite literally pour swamp water into the canister, and drink the resulting purified water all without power. These affordable water systems are used in third world countries to purify water for drinking. There are many other types of water filters from straws to water bottles to cleanse water from various sources.

As for water storage, “water barrels” and “water bricks” are a great way to store large volumes of water. Sitting water should always be purified before drinking though. To be more mobile, you can also store water in juice and other similar containers. Never use milk jugs to store water, they leak over time.

However, you can freeze milk jugs filled with water. This doubles as a water source, and will also keep your food cool during a power outage. Not to mention, they make great ice blocks for summer camping!

Food

There is everything from freeze-dried food, canned goods, and dried goods. Freeze-dried can be expensive, and the food typically leaves something to be desired. We have done well with regular canned goods. Initially, we bought a little more each time we went shopping, and over time, we had a good-sized inventory of items.

While all food items have a “best by date”, these are only recommendations. There are plenty of studies out there that document the food is good far beyond that date. The only exception I have found is acidic items like tomato products (sauces), and acidic fruits. They actually take on the flavor of the can when you go past the best buy date. You do not want to eat that, and always make sure to rotate your stock so your food stays fresh.

If your budget allows, the LDS Food Storage program is an excellent way to obtain large quantities of food that lasts anywhere from 15-30 years. The food is already canned and boxed up. While it may cost more upfront, this is a great “get it and forget it” method of preparation which prevents waste from expired food.

You also have your standard dried goods like beans, rice, and oats. Very cheap, but they should be vacuum-sealed to ensure the bugs do not enjoy your preparations. They will certainly get the rice and oats.

Do not forget about treats like dried fruits. If it comes down to it, you do not want to be stuck eating the same thing day in and day out. Having a treat will go along way to help you and your family maintain your sanity.

Cooking

Now that you have ensured you have food preparations, you need a way to cook it. If your utilities are turned off, you can use your camp stove or barbecue. Just remember to have charcoal, lighter fluid, or a charcoal starter, matches, and/or propane. As a note, propane lasts just about forever.

Barbecues can both be used to cook food on the grill, or in a pan over the flame. You can also cook with wood, if the old timers did it, so can we!

I do want you to remember, if you are in an emergency situation, barbecuing food for hours with heavy seasoning will certainly attract unwanted attention. Save the seasoning for the end, and make cooking a quick task, not a drawn-out process.

Fuel & Light

Always keep a sufficient amount of fuel in the tank of your vehicle, never allow it to run too low. If disaster strikes, you may not have another opportunity to fuel up and leave the area. Once we were evacuated from our home during a fire, had we not had enough fuel to get to town, we would have been stranded in the middle of a raging forest fire. You can never be too careful.

If you are in a position to use a generator, ensure you have propane if your generator is capable, and if not, consider converting it. It’s a pretty simple task. 

That brings us to lighting. We have always been big fans of candles and oil lamps. The oil lasts forever, just ensure you have matches and plenty of wicks. Sometimes we turn these on just for the luminous. Keep in mind, we are talking about preparing for the Tribulation, a lit window from the outside may attract unwanted attention.

Physical Preparation Summary

Remember, we are discussing living through the entire Tribulation. The point of preparations is so the Saints do not break and accept the Mark of the Beast. We do not need three square meals to accomplish that, we are only trying to survive. So size your inventory appropriately.

A good way to calculate how much food you will need is to use the “serving size” chart on the back of food labels. This will help you appropriately portion control, and size your inventory for you and your family. We believe the Tribulation was shortened to five months, so factor that into your preparations. However, Christians may also need extra to survive a future global financial collapse as well.

Never forget about toiletries and hygiene products. Sanitary wipes are also good to help clean up. Some people need medicine for their health, if you cannot stock up on certain medicines, see if there are alternative medicines that can get you through that time.

Do not forget about cash, gold, and silver (.999 pure). I once had a buyer who asked if they could pay in silver. I gladly accepted. We may be able to barter during difficult times, I doubt it, but leave the door open.

All the preparation in the world will not help you if you do not have a roof over your head. That is also something to think about, have a Plan B if you can. We obviously cannot cover every single aspect, but we should cover what we can.

I realize some people will not be able to prepare due to finances. If all you can afford is your next meal, it will be very hard to prepare. In those rare cases, talk to God about this as everyone should. Then prepare to the best of your ability, and trust Him to handle the rest, but do your part first.

“But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel.”

1 Timothy 5:8

Now we will talk about the two most important aspects of preparation, mental, and then spiritual.

Mental Preparation

It is one thing to talk about the Tribulation, it is quite another to truly comprehend what it will be like to live through it, and understand how our life will be changed by it. At some point, there will be two difficult periods of time ahead. 

  1. Before the Tribulation, the entire world will go through a financial collapse. That will lead to the restructure of governments bringing about a new world order. This will be the fulfillment of the Sixth Kingdom.
  2. During the Tribulation, the people of the world will now be taken care of by the government of Satan. Only the Saints who are Sealed will face trouble until Jesus Christ returns.

Let’s talk about it.

Before The Tribulation

It is very probable that we will have an economic collapse on a global scale, and probably Martial Law in our country before the Tribulation.

We are beginning to experience some of this now in 2020. Any future global financial collapse will be a planned event. During that event, everyone will go through a difficult time, financially, and or otherwise. You will need to ensure you are able to provide for your family then, just as today.

I suggest everyone consider their surroundings and ask themselves:

  • Are your neighbors friendly? 
  • Do they understand the idea of being prepared?
  • Do they know the Lord?

If the answer is no, and they show no signs of interest, then do not draw attention to yourself with talk of preparation. Otherwise, during a crisis you make yourself a target affecting the personal safety of your entire family.

Remember, you may have to defend yourself and/or your family from people looking to take advantage of you.

Are you mentally prepared for that?

If not, you need to change that right now. This is sound advice even for today, at any moment you could become the victim of a crime. Christians should know how to defend themselves through the use of physical force and/or weapons.

During The Tribulation

Once the Deadly Wound is inflicted upon the “Sixth Kingdom,” it will be healed by the appearance of Satan who will claim to be God, (2 Thessalonians 2:4, 8-9). The Tribulation now begins, and the people who may have been suffering before this event, will no longer.

The Bible makes it clear, the whole world will worship Satan who they perceive to be God due to the miracles he will perform, (Revelation 13:3-4). This means they have accepted the Mark of the Beast which enables them to “buy and sell” in Satan’s government.

On the other hand, the Saints who are Sealed will understand Satan is not God. So they do not accept Satan’s Mark, as they are Sealed with Jehovah’s mark, (Revelation 7:3-4). This means they will not be able to work, much less “buy or sell”. They will effectively be locked out of the system, and whatever monies they may have had in the system, will be under the control of Satan’s government. This will also certainly alert the government to who has, and who has not accepted the Mark of the Beast.

For the Saints, life will now become even more difficult than it was before. They not only need to make it through any financial collapse, but they must now make it through the Tribulation without the ability to “buy or sell”. The Saints will have to rely on the resources they stored away, and God during the most difficult time in world history, (Matthew 24:21).

A time when the globe’s 7.7 billion inhabitants will be against them, not to mention the 200 million wicked angels that Satan brings with him, (Revelation 12:9, 9:3, 5, 7, 9, 16-17). The physical, mental, and spiritual problems of the Saints will escalate to levels no one has ever experienced before. 

Can we even begin to fathom the amount of physical, mental, and spiritual pressure that will be placed on the Saints for making such a stand?

Danger During The Tribulation

Jesus told us, when Satan who is the Abomination of Desolation stands in Jerusalem, (Matthew 24:15),

“Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains.”

Matthew 24:16

Jesus was plainly telling us, do not be in the vicinity of Satan when he appears. While the whole world will believe Satan is God, only the Saints will understand his true identity making it dangerous for them as public outcry will increase and call for their persecution.

We can also find a great example in Matthew 5:25, while not directly related to the Tribulation, Christ explained we should “be well minded” around our enemies. Know your enemy, know what you can and cannot say around them.

Remember, they beat and then crucified Jesus Christ for standing against the religious institutions of the time. All throughout history, and even today Christians are beaten and killed for their belief. It is more than possible the Saints will be in danger of harm from the general public for their belief.

Just remember, Satan nor his angels will be able to physically harm the Saints who posses the Seal of God. That would be the 144,000 from the 12 Tribes of Israel, not to mention the “multitude” from Revelation 7.

Turn your Bible with me to,

Revelation 9:4
And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree; but only those men which have not the seal of God in their foreheads.

Stated plainly, Satan and his Locust Army of 200 million angels can only symbolically harm those who do not have the Seal of God. This completely documents for us, the Saints will not be physically harmed by Satan and his army. Jesus even told us, when the Saints are brought before kings and rulers for a testimony, not a single hair on their head will be harmed, (Luke 21:18).

We should also remember what transpires when Christ appears.

Matthew 24:31
And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

The Saints are the Elect, the 144,000.

Revelation 14:1
And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with him an hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father’s name written in their foreheads.

Revelation 14:3 provides us with even more detail,

“The hundred and forty and four thousand, which were redeemed from the earth.”

The Saints will be redeemed from the earth which means they persevered through the entire Tribulation, they were not killed. Instead, they stand with Jesus Christ as they overcame!

“But and if ye suffer for righteousness’ sake, happy are ye: and be not afraid of their terror, neither be troubled.”

1 Peter 3:14

Spiritual Preparation

Spiritual preparation does not have as much to do with our overall knowledge of the Bible as some might think. Personally, I feel most of the Saints, the 144,000 along with the “multitude” will not be those who know every detail of the Bible.

Instead, they will be those who have the most heart for God, those who can endure persecution, those who are void of their own pride, cares, and ego, (Colossians 3:12).

God Selects The Least Expected

I would like you to consider the 12 Disciples for a moment, several of them were fishermen, and one a tax collector. Do you honestly believe they knew more about God’s Word before they were called by Christ than the Pharisees who possessed the very scrolls?

Before the Disciples encountered Jesus, their job was to take care of their families, while the job of the Pharisees was to take care of God’s House. It certainly did not turn out that way though did it?

Instead, Jesus called plain men, fishermen who answered the call and became known as His Apostles. Due to Christ’s sacrifice, they went on to forever change the world, (Matthew 4:19-20, Luke 6:13).

Then we have Saul (who became Paul) who was actually an enemy of God, yet, Saul was converted on the way to Damascus by Jesus Christ becoming the writer of most of the New Testament, (Acts 9:1-6). Another unlikely candidate.

We could even point to Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar who came to know God, and even penned the fourth chapter in the book of Daniel. We could name many more unlikely candidates, but that is sufficient for this example.

The 144,000 will no doubt be those we least expect, those who respect their fellow man, those who place God before themselves, and their own will and ambitions. Those who place God before all else.

One thing is certain, the 144,000 and the “multitude” of Revelation 7 will ensure they are spiritually prepared by placing on the whole armor of God as Ephesians 6 explains. They will ensure they not only have oil in their lamps, but plenty in their vessels so they can endure throughout the entire Tribulation.

No matter what, spiritual preparation begins with God, and never ends.

What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?”

Romans 8:31

Final Thoughts

When Satan appears on earth claiming to be God, everyone will still be in their flesh body. The change in bodies does not transpire until the True Christ returns at the 7th Trumpet, (1 Corinthians 15:52-54).

That means there will still be the sick and old. The Bible does not explain how Satan will speak against these obvious facts, but rest assured, he will have an excuse and convince the world to believe his lie.

As we draw to a conclusion, the Tribulation is all about spiritual warfare which will have very real physical, mental, and spiritual consequences. The Bible tells us the Saints will work together, and some of them will direct others during the most difficult time in world history, (Daniel 11:33-35. At the Midst of the Week, the Saints will be joined by the Two Witnesses signifying the release of the Fifth Vial which increases the destruction of Satan’s kingdom, (Revelation 16:10)

God Can Provide

We should prepare for that day, we should prepare for the Tribulation from a physical, mental, and spiritual perspective. We should also remember, no matter how much preparation we do, God must be #1 on our preparation list. Without Him, we will fail no matter what we have done in advance.

If we become persecuted during the Tribulation, Jesus advised, “when they persecute you in this city, flee ye into another”, (Matthew 10:23). Elijah provides us with a great example of this. After Elijah cursed king Ahab, God told Elijah to flee to “the brook Cherith, that is before Jordan.” There God provided for Elijah. Not only was water provided, but the “ravens brought him bread and flesh” day and night, (1 Kings 17:1-6).

When the brook ran dry due to the drought, God once again provided for Elijah telling him to go to “Zarephath” and ‘a widow woman there will sustain thee’. Due to the famine in the land, the woman only had enough meal to bake a couple of cakes. Yet, God told Elijah “the barrel of meal shall not waste, neither shall the cruse of oil fail”, and it never did, (1 Kings 17:7-16).

God provided for Elijah, just as He promised to provide for the woman in the wilderness during the Tribulation, (Revelation 12:6, 14).

When you are with God, He is with you, He will provide, He will see you through. With God, all things are possible, and we have the victory through Christ, (Matthew 19:26, 1 Corinthians 15:57). It is assured. The Saints will overcome, the Saints will obtain the Kingdom, and reign forever with Jesus Christ, (Daniel 7:13-14, 18).

But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer.”

1 Peter 4:7

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