Pray that you may be able to escape!

Border crossings

This was the line outside Centrelink (Government social services) in Victoria Park, W.A. this morning as we were waiting to access some services.  I counted 49 people in front of us and hundreds behind.  We arrived half an hour early.  Things are crazy indeed as people apply for unemployment benefits and seek help due to the Coronavirus effects.  Last Friday we arrived safely in Perth after 4704 km and nearly 50 hours of driving having taken about 10 days sauntering our way across Australia.  Many of you were praying that we made it across the S.A.-W.A. border as we heard a rumour that the border was going to close.  And at that stage, it was just a rumour but yesterday that rumour became fact with the W.A. premier Mark McGowan announcing that the border will be closing tomorrow at 4:30 pm.  Glad we didn’t take too long in ‘escaping’.  It seems as though all state borders are closed or in the process of closing to prevent the spread of the Coronavirus.  Cathi and I have had our fair share of crossing borders over the years and trying to make it quickly or being careful about it too whether it be at airports or checkpoints such as Israel-Jordan or where we worked in PNG as missionaries.  It leads to a bit of stress as you want to make sure that you can make it safely across those borders to reach your intended destination.  In fact, this morning as we were in line we witnessed a young pregnant girl crying and a fight at a nearby bus stop.  It’s all happening as people are desperate to get help and rush the system.  But in reality, people were generally patient and ordered.

Escaping is not a passive thing

This got me thinking about Jesus’ words in Luke 21:36.  He makes a point of commanding His disciples and this is for us as well in these last days, that we must always be on the watch and pray that we may be able to escape all that is about to happen.  As I have said in previous blogs, the onus is on us that when the time comes we must escape or flee when the time is right.  The time was right for us to cross the border into W.A. a few days ago.  No-one stopped us except to check on quarantine issues.  We lost half a cauliflower!  But tomorrow afternoon after 4:30 pm will be too late.  No doubt there are many people who will be crossing state borders today, tonight and early tomorrow so they can arrive at their intended destination.  I have read numerous news reports of people who are stuck in South America and all sorts of places because of international borders closing.  We take the freedom of movement for granted but I think that is going to get a lot harder as we get towards the end.

Towards the end, Jesus says that we will need to move.  In fact, the root Greek word means “to flee” and furthermore the verb is in the active voice meaning that it is something that we ourselves will have to do.  In other words, escaping or fleeing is not something that happens to us passively or from another force – we ourselves will have to make that decision.  Our inclination will be that we will be very reluctant to move and be uprooted from what we know.  But Rev. 12:6 says that the woman will flee into the wilderness to a place prepared for her by God where she will be taken care of for a time, times and half a time (1290 days).¹  This will be a safe place where those who have listened, will take refuge under the wings of the Most High.  You can read more of this place in Psalm 91.  Now you might think that the woman talked about in Revelation chapter 12 is not talking about the church but only Israel.  But Rev. 12:17 would suggest otherwise.  I think it is that part of the church who have listened.  The rest are labelled in this verse as the woman’s remaining offspring, those who hold to the testimony of Jesus.  I have thought hard and long about this point and my conclusion is that the woman is the church, the ones who are faithful, probably the five wise virgins who are prepared and have oil in their lamps talked about in the parable.

There will be a time when you will need to move

Like it or not folks, I believe that Jesus and the Bible say that there will be a time when we will have to move with urgency and we will have to cross borders.  But there will be time. To have a look at my suggested timeline of final events see my tribulation timeline here.  We just need to heed the call and pray that we might be able to make haste when the time comes.  I believe that we will be guided and we will have help but we need to be wise and willing to go.  In the meantime, we show kindness and help to those around us like the pregnant girl who was crying in line this morning at Centrelink.  And most of all we share the gospel when we can.