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Too Late For The Gate
A prophetic essay about readiness.
On August 26, 2001, the Lord positioned me (Jerry) to stand watch and intercede in prayer for the people and the city of Vallejo, California. One of the prayer watch stations assigned to me was the ferry terminal and loading dock area located on Mare Island Strait. On weekdays, the ferries transport thousands of people between Vallejo and San Francisco. On September 5, 2001, I was prayer-walking along the water's edge where passengers were standing in line waiting to board the 6am ferry to San Francisco. As I arrived at the main gate, I stopped walking and continued to pray as the line of travelers moved past me through the entrance onto the loading dock for boarding. Before entering through the gate, some of the passengers were buying a newspaper from a vendor. As they passed by, they handed the man money, and with a quick motion he gave them a newspaper. Kind greetings were exchanged as they continued on their way. I thought to myself how wonderful it would be if God's fresh daily revelation could be handed to each one of them to read on their one-hour journey across the Bay. There would be no exchange of money required for this gift. There would be nothing to count except the cost of what was done with life that day.
The long line of people filed quickly by and soon came to an end. At that moment, an announcement came from the captain for final boarding before departure. A sharp blast from the ferry's horn let everyone know that the gates were closing. Stragglers began to appear as they ran for the gate before it was finally shut. The gate attendant began to call out, "Hurry up, hurry up, we have to go now!" He closed the gate and began walking away, paused, then turned back around and opened the gate for two late-comers as another long horn blast sounded to leave. He then quickly closed and locked the gate and hurried down the loading ramp as two more stragglers appeared outside the gate. They began to yell out to the gatekeeper, but he kept on going about his work of preparing the ferry for departure. The two outside the gate called out louder to him with no return response. Then one of the stragglers motioned to the other and pointed to the captain standing at the ferry's wing bridge. They yelled out towards the captain and he noticed them trying to get his attention. As he looked at them he pointed to his wristwatch with a tapping motion, and wagged his head as if to say, "You're too late; we are leaving now. The others here have purposed to be ready; now I must go. I keep the schedule given to me and so should you keep the schedule given to you." He then began to move the ship away from the dock. As the two outside the gate understood his meaning, they lowered their heads, appearing bewildered; they walked away saddened at their choice of not being on time.
Jesus said, "Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able. When once the master of the house is risen up, and hath shut to the door, and ye begin to stand without, and to knock at the door, saying, Lord, Lord, open unto us; and He shall answer and say unto you, I know you not whence ye are: Then shall ye begin to say, we have eaten and drunk in Thy presence, and Thou hast taught in our streets. But He shall say, I tell you, I know you not whence ye are; depart from Me, all ye workers of iniquity" (Luke 13:24-27).
The word 'iniquity' means 'a particular thing (as an act) that is evil.' The word 'evil' means 'rejecting or deviating from the dictates of moral or divine law.' With all that is happening in the world today, the signs are clear as even President Bush recently proclaimed the evil act upon God's land and His people. God is merciful enough to us to signal the emergency call, "911." The question is, will we be ready to enter at the gate? Will we be prepared? Have we made it to the gate in time to pass through the Son of God on our way to the Father? (John 10:7; 14:6) The revelation in this story is as fresh today as it was two thousand years ago when Jesus sacrificed His life for us on the cross so each of us can enter through the narrow gate into the kingdom of heaven. Listen as the horn sounds, "Wake up, and be on time!" Call now upon the one true God. "Call unto Me, and I will answer thee, and show thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not" (Jeremiah 33:3).
How many more Oklahoma Citys do we endure? How many more children will die at the hands of another child? How many more disasters like the World Trade Center and the Pentagon will we suffer as a nation proclaiming to be under God? Jesus Christ gave His life so we can live in God's kingdom here on earth while giving all glory to God, but our cost is His heart cry to us. "If My people, which are called by My name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land" (2 Chronicles 7:14). Thankfully, many in this hour have heard and are responding to the wakeup call.
When God's healing peace is resting on the land, His people will walk in His light where no darkness can stay. (John 8:12) In the light of God's only Son can terrorism breed fear? In the light of God's only Son is life taken from unborn children? In the light of God's only Son would a child take another child's life? In the light of God's only Son would there be towers devoted to man's endeavors? In the light of God's only Son are ruling governments and nations above Psalm 24:1? "The earth is the Lord's, and the fullness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein."
Being a military veteran with a family history of service to the United States of America, I can tell you that war does not heal the land or the people that live on the land; only God truly heals. (2 Chronicles 7:14) War, terrorism, violence, lawlessness and hopelessness share the same thing in common--prayerlessness. After the September 11th attacks, President Bush said, "Freedom and fear are at war." We are not battling people; we are battling beliefs. "For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places" (Ephesians 6:12). Furthermore, "From whence come wars and fightings among you? Come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members? Ye lust, and have not; ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet he have not, because ye ask not. Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts. Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? Whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God. Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain, The Spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy? But He giveth more grace. Wherefore He saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble. Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh to God, and He will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double-minded. Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He shall lift you up" (James 4:1-10). God's Word is like a spiritual thermometer that tells us the temperature of the living. The state of the country can be seen in the manifestations of those who live upon the land. Violence, self-indulgence, crime, euthanasia, self-seeking, racism, pleasure-seeking, corruption, materialism, segregation, social-economic classifications and the like--are these not the carnal things of which the Apostle James warns God's people?
There are many reasons why people fight that are too embarrassing to reveal. The true intentions and motives of people dealing with one another eventually surface. Oftentimes in the present, retaliation appears messy and embarrassing, so a cover-up may be veiled over the truth, only to emerge at a later time.
Time and time again terrorism has raised its ugly head somewhere in the world and repeatedly it appears not to be fully exposed to the power of prayer intercession. Today experts in the study of terrorism tell us we cannot stop this kind of evil. The reason terrorism cannot be stopped by man is because the battle belongs to God as His people humble themselves and pray. The acts of terror that we see now seem to be growing more and more disastrous with each occurrence. Which war in the world has brought long and lasting peace in the most Biblical sense? History does not have to continue to repeat itself. Jesus said, "The worlds sin is unbelief in Me" (John 16:9 NLT). How long will God's people live in unbelief? Who is fooling whom, or should I say, who is deceiving whom?
We as people of prayer can come into God's peace once we understand the truth of our warfare. "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:6-7 NKJV).
We must continually humble ourselves before God, seek His face and be forgiven. It is then that He will heal His people and the land. Truth denied is nothing less than repetition with disastrous results. Listen to what the Holy Spirit of truth is saying to His Church today. Seek God's face for forgiveness and deliverance from oppression. Be in all readiness now, for we know not what day or hour the Master will come and close the gate.
"As Christians, if we base poverty upon the worlds’ standards,
we live in the wrong reality." Holy Spirit
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