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Apr 17 13 9:31 PM

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113 ARE YOU READY FOR THE COMING STORM?

Isaiah prophesies that God will one day rise up and shake the whole earth.

ISAIAH 24:1, 11, 13..BEHOLD, THE LORD MAKETH THE EARTH EMPTY —AND TURNETH IT UPSIDE DOWN, AND SCATTERETH ABROAD THE INHABITANTS THERE OF...ALL JOY IS DARKENED, THE MIRTH OF THE LAND IS GONE...WHEN THUS IT SHALL BE IN THE MIDST OF THE PEOPLE, THERE SHALL BE AS THE SHAKING OF AN OLIVE TREE.

God is going to shake the earth as if it were an olive tree–till every bit of fruit falls.

ISAIAH 24:18-20...FOR THE WINDOWS FROM ON HIGH ARE OPEN, AND THE FOUNDATIONS OF THE EARTH DO SHAKE—THE EARTH IS MOVED EXCEEDINGLY, THE EARTH SHALL REEL TO AND FRO—AND SHALL BE REMOVED LIKE A COTTAGE.

The entire earth shall appear to be a mere cottage when God begins His shaking.

(See Ezekiel 38:20-23 and Joel 3:16 and Haggai 2:2:6-7 and Hebrews 12:26-27).

God is going to shake everything in sight—so that He alone is revealed as the only unshakeable power.

I. WE HAVE SEEN THE BEGINNINGS OF GOD’S SHAKING IN THE PAST FEW YEARS.

The Lord literally began to shake the earth with earthquakes in the late 1980s. A quake in Armenia wiped out almost that whole province. A quake in Japan measuring 6.9 nearly destroyed an entire city. Then came the horrible quake in San Francisco–and others followed almost daily in that area. Quakes hit the west coast constantly, from northern California to San Diego and down into Medico. At one point, a new York newspaper headline ask, "Is God trying to quake us up?

Let me ask you something; What does a loving parent do when a child is sleeping but must wake up? That parent takes his child gently by the shoulders and shakes him. If the child doesn’t wake up immediately, the shaking then become a bit more firm and serious—because the parent knows the child will suffer if he doesn’t wake up.

That’s just what God is doing right now–both to America and to the world. At first, He shook us very tenderly. But now His shaking has become violent–because He has still not succeeded in waking us up.

The prophets I mentioned weren’t just speaking into the wind. When the Lord says, "I’m going to shake the earth one more time." He means it. He will literally shake our economy, our education system, our government–everything we put our trust and confidence in, everything that seems safe and secure.

Could you ever have imagined the greatest nation on earth closed down because of partisan polities flirting with national bankruptcy, threatening nonpayment of our international debts?

I have had a very vivid, recurring dream about the President of the United States —which president, I don’t know. In the dream he is looking out the window of the oval office, shaking his head in disbelief and saying, "How did it happen? What went wrong?" None of his solemn cabinet members or aides could explain America’s collapse to him.

And that’s just the way it will be when God does His shaking; no one will be able to explain it. I think of the stock market crash eight years ago, overnight it went down 500 points–and there was no reason for it. Indeed, things will be going along nicely when suddenly a quake will hit–not a physical quake, but an unexpected economic quake. God will shake our very foundation.

The Bible also warns us that, simultaneous to God’s shaking, a great demonic flood is descending upon humankind. The devil is about to bring a fierce downpour of filth, wickedness and testings beyond anything our minds can conjure. He know his time is short—and he is preparing to unleash overwhelming winds and waves of evil.

Many people now own a computer. What better way could Satan invade people’s homes than with a demonic flood through the information superhighway? This superhighway could come a direct line to hell. It’s already a purveyor of pornography. I realize this great information development can be used to produce many wonderful services. But it has the potential to become a powerful tool of Satan.

In fact, it may be the very tool the Antichrist used to usher in his kingdom and power. It might become the source of a cashless society. I believe the flood of evil is now reaching critical mass, where everything has begun to spin out of control.

I wonder; When the storm comes when everything begins to spin out of control. How many Christians will be able to stand? How many will have the foundation of faith necessary to endure that time?

I believe that is the Lord’s great concern for His people at this moment. And it is my great concern as a Shepherd; Lord how many of your people will fall when the storm strikes with full fury? How many will stand unmoveable? And how can I prepare then for the great shaking."

II. JESUS HAS GIVEN US WHAT I CALL THE PARABLE OF PREPAREDNESS. MATTHEW 7:24-27.

Jesus is saying that the only thing that will hold up in the coming storm is to be established on a rock foundation. AND IT FELL NOT; FOR IT WAS FOUNDED UPON A ROCK...MATTHEW7:25

Now, the builders of these housed represent two classes of Christians in these last days—the wise and the foolish. There will be a body of believers who will not fall. They will be able to withstand every demonic onslaught that come out of hell.

nothing will be able to move them when the storms rage. A person who builds his house upon a rock will survive everything that’s coming.

Sadly, there will be another group of Christians that calls themselves Christians –people of whom Jesus says, their fall will be great. AND GREAT WAS THE FALL OF IT. VERSE27

III. THE HOUSE WE ARE BUILDING IS ABOUT LOVING OBEDIENCE TO CHRIST.

The house Jesus is talking about here is our walk with Him. We are building a foundations of getting to know Christ, of understanding His ways. Many Christians may say, "I’m a believer. I’ve built on the rock, yet they don’t truly understand what this phrase means. And they will have a great shock and surprise when their relationship with Jesus does not endure the storm. They will be exposed as having no foundation