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Prophecy and Situational Awareness
March 29, 2025

Do you exercise? One of the things I do for exercise is to go for walks in my neighborhood, and I probably go for much longer walks than the average person. The time of year and weather conditions help me to decide when to walk during the day. Living in the Sun City of El Paso, Texas, I prefer walking in shade whenever I can. I will also walk earlier in the morning and in the early evening when the sun is not shining as brightly. During the few weeks in winter where we find it cold in El Paso, I tend to walk a bit closer to the middle of the morning and afternoon, because the sun is so low on the horizon it never really shines that brightly. Keep in mind that what we find cold in El Paso might be warm and balmy where you live. During the hottest days of summer, I typically walk at the coolest time of the day, early morning at twilight. What I think of as the coolest part of the day during the hottest part of summer in El Paso might where you live seem oppressively hot.

Aside from exercise my major goal in walking is not to be the breaking news story during the next news cycle. Anybody who walks or who rides a bike probably has encountered a distracted driver and I take the initial approach where I presume the drivers do not see me until I can visually verify that they do. I don’t want to be the pedestrian in a pedestrian-involved auto accident. I rely on the crosswalk indicators at major intersections, and even with those the way some of those are timed require extra vigilance when vehicles are nearby. I also don’t want to be the breaking news story during the next news cycle because I was the victim of a crime. I pay attention to who is nearby, cars that are parked at locations where I don’t expect to see a car, and anything that seems different or out or place.

When I am not near major streets and intersections, I’m normally walking through a residential neighborhood. With all the driveways and cars parked on them, I’ve come to learn to pay attention to the sound of an engine idling and any changes to the brake lights. Backing out of my own driveway, I know how demanding it can be on a driver to clear traffic and pedestrians, so I give cars on driveways extra space. I’m also on alert for dogs, and some of the dogs on my walking path I know by name. Most bark at me, and I think anyone who believes a dog shouldn’t bark is probably violating some type of dog code. Sometimes my walking path takes me along the side or back yard of a house, and it’s a different experience when suddenly, the head of a large dog, like a Saint Bernard, pops over the rear wall and the dog barks in my ear. I let the dogs know they’re good dogs and tell them to have a nice day, because if any of them get out of the yard and bite me, I want them to feel guilty about it. The other animals I focus on when walking are birds, especially when I am walking underneath overhead utility lines, and the birds are perched atop them. I can tell you from experience it is no fun to be slimed by a bird when twenty to thirty minutes from home.

As I walk, I sometimes see students walking to and from the neighborhood schools. Most of the students I see walking do a good job in clearing streets and intersections before crossing on crosswalks, but some of them will race across the crosswalk, even when there is no traffic anywhere nearby. It’s like they are crossing the street fearing being hit by a vehicle when no vehicle is present instead of being situationally aware. I’m sure somebody told them to quickly cross the street, and to their credit, they are, but I hope they don’t trip up in a pothole.

There are no guarantees to anything we do, and I have come to realize that the best way for me to have the result I want in anything I do, whether it is walking or something else, is to maintain situational awareness. Situational awareness is the ability to effectively respond to whatever situation we find ourselves in. That means we not only respond to the situation, but we respond in a way that makes sense given the information that we have considering the risks and hazards we might encounter. Maintaining situational awareness is much better than just living in fear. Living in fear without situational awareness evokes primal responses, because things may happen and we won’t understand the risks and hazards, and how to limit our exposure to them.

Take for instance a lightning storm. We know that if you can hear the thunder, you could potentially be struck by lightning because it can travel ten to twelve miles, or sixteen to nineteen kilometers. We know the best place to be during a lightning storm is inside away from windows and to avoid contact with electrical equipment including appliances as a nearby strike could cause a power surge. You also want to avoid taking a bath or shower. If outdoors, it’s recommended to stay away from trees as a tall tree could attract a lightning bolt and to find a nearby shelter or vehicle, and to stay out of the water if at a beach or swimming pool. We can use situational awareness to navigate a thunderstorm. A very long time ago, the Norse encountered lightning and thunder, and they didn’t fully understand the way we do today to effectively use situational awareness, and they came up with Thor, the god of thunder, lightning, storms, strength, protection, and fertility to make sense of what they were encountering.

By maintaining situational awareness, we understand the hazards in our life and can develop a response to those hazards instead of just developing a primal response to fear. In the Bible, prophecy is one of those topics that can elicit a primal response. When people see unusual or bad things happening around them, some seek a Biblical connection through prophecy, and it’s not uncommon that when something really big happens, whether a natural disaster or something caused by man, that more people suddenly become interested in prophecy. Some in the religious community even seem to use prophecy to create excitement for the Bible, almost as if they are selling a device or gadget on a television infomercial.

Because of naturally occurring primal fear, prophecy may have been what first attracted us to the Bible, but as time has passed in the faith what attracts us to the Bible should be our love for God the Father and Jesus Christ as we seek first the Kingdom of God and God’s righteousness. Prophecy will become something we no longer fear, and it will serve as an anchor giving us situational awareness between the correlation of what is happening on Earth and what is written in prophecy. The Book of Revelation is the final book of prophecy in the Bible and through this book we see the establishment of the Kingdom of God, including an incredible vision of the new heaven and new earth, and New Jerusalem descending from heaven to earth. Prophecy tells us that those who overcome will inherit all things, and that some are excluded instead being burned alive in the lake of fire, including the fearful.

Revelation 21:1-8
And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful. And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely. He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son. But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.

The Greek word for fearful is deilos, Strong’s Greek word 1169, meaning timid without faith. Besides the verse we just read, the Greek word appears just two other times, and both of those uses were included when Jesus calmed the rough sea and linked being fearful to a lack of faith. Let’s start by reading the account in Matthew.

Matthew 8:23-27
And when he was entered into a ship, his disciples followed him. And, behold, there arose a great tempest in the sea, insomuch that the ship was covered with the waves: but he was asleep. And his disciples came to him, and awoke him, saying, Lord, save us: we perish. And he saith unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm. But the men marvelled, saying, What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him!

Mark’s account is expanded a bit more but includes the same element of linking being fearful to a lack of faith.

Mark 4:35-41
And the same day, when the even was come, he saith unto them, Let us pass over unto the other side. And when they had sent away the multitude, they took him even as he was in the ship. And there were also with him other little ships. And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full. And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish? And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith? And they feared exceedingly, and said one to another, What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?

Jesus taught to seek first the Kingdom of God and God’s righteousness. Everything we do needs to be done through that lens of situational awareness. If what we are doing is contrary to seeking first the Kingdom of God’s righteousness, we need to reexamine ourselves to see where our priorities are.

Matthew 6:25-34
Therefore I say unto you, 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. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? For after all these things do the Gentiles seek: for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.

The uncertainties of life can cause us to lose situational awareness on what our priorities should be, of seeking first the Kingdom of God and God’s righteousness. In addition to the uncertainties of life, fear can cause us to also lose situational awareness. We need to remember that there is no fear in love, and that if we fear we haven’t been made perfect in love.

1 John 4:17-21
Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love. We love him, because he first loved us. If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen? And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also.

Prophecy can also evoke a fear response, and when it does, it’s because as the first letter of John just explained, it’s because we have not been made perfect in love. Being made perfect in love will also lead us to situational awareness about the prophecies of the Bible, where prophecies are not something to fear because we don’t understand them, but because we see prophecies as a tool to help us develop situational awareness in the world we live in. When things happen that cause many concerns and they start to fear, we will consider what happened in light of Biblical prophecy to develop situational awareness.

When many fear a war in Europe and the nation of France is printing pamphlets teaching its citizens how to survive a war fought on French soil, we will understand the urgency of the situation and reasonably prepare, and our situational awareness will lead us to be not troubled understanding that wars and rumors of wars are prophesied to occur along with famines, pandemics, and earthquakes, and that these are the beginning of sorrows.

We also know through the situational awareness of prophecy that Christians will be killed for the faith and if not killed hated throughout the world. We are given a description of many being offended, almost describing the woke culture we see today, and that betrayal of trust and hate will increase. Added to all these troubles will be an increase in false prophets who deceive many as human compassion grows cold, and then the end will come. Situational awareness tells us that to be saved we must endure to the end, and that before the end comes the gospel of the Kingdom of God will be preached in all the world.

Jesus then spoke of the abomination of desolation standing in the holy place spoken of by Daniel the prophet, and that when that happens it is time for those in Judea to flee into the mountains. Situational awareness of this prophecy clues us in that a holy place is needed, such as a temple in Jerusalem. Knowledge of the Bible tells us the most holy place within the temple was the Holy of Holies, entered into by the high priest only on the Day of Atonement. Could the Holy of Holies of a future temple in Jerusalem be used to hide the abomination of desolation, until it is time for this prophecy to be fulfilled? Could that abomination of desolation be a weapon of mass destruction that by treaty should not be there? Could it be something else? Situational awareness clues us to focus on the holy place, and until there is a holy place to contain the abomination of desolation, whatever that might be, this prophecy won’t be yet fulfilled.

As we creep closer to the return of Jesus Christ the number of people claiming to be Jesus will increase. Situational awareness of prophecy tells us that there will be false Christs and false prophets who claim to be aligned with Christ who will show great signs and wonders that will be so fantastic that virtually all people will be fooled. The situational awareness of prophecy also tells us that the return of Jesus Christ will be as easy to see as the sun during the day, that Jesus will not return initially in any secret way. There will be no secret ministry of Jesus before He makes Himself known to this world, nor will Jesus return being born again as a human and secretly live His life as a child. Verses show that Jesus will return descending through the sky on a cloud and that His return will be observable by all when it happens.

The situational awareness of prophecy also tells us after the great tribulation right before the return of Jesus Christ that there will be a solar and lunar eclipse about the time of a meteor shower, so we will not only look to this timing but understand that with the false prophets and false Christs who can do great wonders, that we shouldn’t be surprised if they stage their appearance to coincide with another solar and lunar eclipse. The situational awareness of prophecy tells us that when we see certain things happen, we know we are suddenly much closer to the return of Jesus Christ than ever before.

We are reminded that while we know we are getting close to the return of Jesus Christ, nobody actually will know in advance the exact time of His return, so instead of focusing on the exact timing of His return, we need to be focused on making sure we are right with God, that we are doing what God would expect of us, and right before the spring Holy Days is always a great time to examine ourselves to see if we are doing what God expects of us.

Matthew 24:1-51
And Jesus went out, and departed from the temple: and his disciples came to him for to shew him the buildings of the temple. And Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these things? verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down. And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world? And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows. Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake. And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come. When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, whoso readeth, let him understand: Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains: Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take anything out of his house: Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes. And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days! But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day: For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened. Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not. For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect. Behold, I have told you before. Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not. For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For wheresoever the carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together. Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. 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. Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh: So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors. Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled. Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away. But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only. But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come. But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up. Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh. Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season? Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing. Verily I say unto you, That he shall make him ruler over all his goods. But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; And shall begin to smite his fellowservants, and to eat and drink with the drunken; The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of, And shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

From Matthew twenty-four we see the need for a holy place for the abomination of desolation and in Revelation we see a prophecy of the two witnesses who are on God’s side, who measure the temple of God, the altar, and all who worship. This could always refer to the church as Paul wrote in First Corinthians that the bodies of Christians are the temple of God, but it could also signify a new physical temple aligned to the standards of the Old Testament. We are given a timeline of one thousand two hundred and sixty days, a three-and-a-half-year period of time during which these two become so hated that when they are killed the people of Earth will celebrate by sending gifts to each other, and then after three and a half days, they are resurrected. Until there are two people who are so hated that when killed people around the Earth send gifts to each other and then are resurrected, this prophecy will not have been fulfilled. Situational awareness of prophecy will lead us to know these two individuals must first appear before Jesus returns.

Revelation 11:1-14
And there was given me a reed like unto a rod: and the angel stood, saying, Rise, and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that worship therein. But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months. And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth. These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth. And if any man will hurt them, fire proceedeth out of their mouth, and devoureth their enemies: and if any man will hurt them, he must in this manner be killed. These have power to shut heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy: and have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues, as often as they will. And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them. And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified. And they of the people and kindreds and tongues and nations shall see their dead bodies three days and an half, and shall not suffer their dead bodies to be put in graves. And they that dwell upon the earth shall rejoice over them, and make merry, and shall send gifts one to another; because these two prophets tormented them that dwelt on the earth. And after three days and an half the Spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet; and great fear fell upon them which saw them. And they heard a great voice from heaven saying unto them, Come up hither. And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud; and their enemies beheld them. And the same hour was there a great earthquake, and the tenth part of the city fell, and in the earthquake were slain of men seven thousand: and the remnant were affrighted, and gave glory to the God of heaven. The second woe is past; and, behold, the third woe cometh quickly.

Situational awareness of prophecy leads us to understand that during the end time there is not the one Antichrist that is legends of folklore but two distinct beasts that are described in horrific terms. While the symbolism of beasts are used to describe character traits, these prophetic verses are talking about two people who are on the side of evil during the end time. The first is described as surviving a near deadly wound and prior to this event, this person is likely known throughout the world because all the world is amazed at what happened, and this event causes the world to give power to this beast who blasphemes God. This beast also kills many of the faithful from throughout the world and all who are not called worship this beast. The second beast is like the cheerleader of the first beast and causes the world to make an image to the first beast and to give life to that image. That could be actual life, or some type of artificial life like artificial intelligence. This second beast also enforces what is thought of as the mark of the beast that people will need to transact commerce.

Revelation 13:1-18
And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy. And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority. And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast. And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him? And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months. And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven. And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations. And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. If any man have an ear, let him hear. He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity: he that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints. And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon. And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed. And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men, And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live. And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed. And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: 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. Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.

Situational awareness of prophecy leads us to understand that before Jesus Christ returns that these two beasts who will be worshipped like a god, will first be present on earth. Unless there is first the mark of the beast, the widespread death of Christians, and the worship of two individuals like gods where one of the two survived a deadly wound, situational awareness of prophecy tells us it is not yet time for the return of Jesus.

Situational awareness of prophecy also tells us that during these most trying times as with any time on earth, those who are the saints, the faithful, the called keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus Christ, meaning those who are true to Jesus Christ and God the Father do not ignore the Old Testament as something that Jesus died for so that we don’t have to do, but keep what is written in the Old Testament recognizing that what has changed is the penalty of sin, with Jesus paying that penalty and dying once for the sins of all so that no more sacrifices are needed.

Revelation 14:9-13
And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb: And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name. Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus. And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them.

Situational awareness of prophecy tells us that the faithful overcome Satan the devil through the blood of Jesus Christ, the word of their testimony, and by loving eternal life more than the physical life we now have.

Revelation 12:7-12
And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death. Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.

Before He died Jesus reminded the disciples that if they loved Him, they would keep His commandments and that through the Holy Spirit they would commune with Jesus and God the Father showing that the connection of faith is much stronger than anything Satan can promise those who are not of the faith.

John 14:15-31
If ye love me, keep my commandments. And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you forever; Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you. Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye see me: because I live, ye shall live also. At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you. He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him. Judas saith unto him, not Iscariot, Lord, how is it that thou wilt manifest thyself unto us, and not unto the world? Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him. He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings: and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father's which sent me. These things have I spoken unto you, being yet present with you. But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you. Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. Ye have heard how I said unto you, I go away, and come again unto you. If ye loved me, ye would rejoice, because I said, I go unto the Father: for my Father is greater than I. And now I have told you before it come to pass, that, when it is come to pass, ye might believe. Hereafter I will not talk much with you: for the prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in me. But that the world may know that I love the Father; and as the Father gave me commandment, even so I do. Arise, let us go hence.

Paul reminded the Thessalonians of the need to be mindful of the times and seasons, to have situational awareness of prophecy. He explained how Jesus will return when not expected, and how decisions made on earth intended to bring peace will result in even more destruction. Paul encouraged them to remember they were children of the light and day and to remain sober watching what was happening, and to put on the breastplate of faith and love, and to use the hope of salvation as a helmet knowing we are appointed to receive not wrath from God but to obtain salvation through Jesus Christ, and situational awareness of prophecy will help us maintain that focus.

1 Thessalonians 5:1-11
But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you. For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape. But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness. Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober. For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night. But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation. For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him. Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do.

The world can be a scary place, and we are called to cast out fear through perfect love. Prophecy can be a scary consideration especially with all the challenging times to come that prophecy shows, and even with that, we are called to cast out fear through perfect love. A tool that we can use through faith to cast out fear is to have situational awareness of prophecy, where we won’t have exact dates and names, but we will know the order of what is to come and given a description of who some of the major players will be. As we examine ourselves in preparation for the spring Holy Days, are we driven by fear because we don’t really understand prophecy, or are we driven by faith using situational awareness of prophecy to help us understand the times and seasons in which we live?

All verses are from the King James Version.
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