Light on the Rock Blogs

The blogs are short articles, almost like a “sermonette” compared to a sermon. They are on a variety of topics, please enjoy.
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Are you ready?

I live in a 55+ Community and we just received our annual reminder to be ready for the hurricane season here in Florida. They had a lot of good points and reminders.

Reminders are good. Being ready is good. As believers, our first focus in being ready is spiritual readiness; to be intimately close to Jesus Christ/Yeshua and our Father. To trust in our God to watch over us and take care of his children. To be willing to go through whatever he has us go through, knowing it is all for our good in the end. 

But are God’s children to do nothing else but trust in God? Do God’s children prepare – or just claim to trust?  Please read on.

JP Morgan’s CEO – Dimon – just said today that we should be ready for a financial hurricane coming soon.  He said things look sunny now but out in the distance is a hurricane financial storm looming and heading our way. Are we headed for a massive recession or depression – but with high inflation and interest rates but with a crashing stock market? Be ready. Make sure your faith is in God and not just in your gold, silver, bitcoin or stocks.

The context of his words was severe recession. Then another economist followed him later and said, “this financial hurricane is a Category 5 storm on the way.”  Then the discussion moved to how gas/petrol prices will continue to skyrocket. And then they spoke of food shortages, a nicer word than “famine”, the word I use.  Then someone else piped in and said, “and all of this could have been avoided. It’s all man-made.”

These are things I’ve been saying in my sermons and discussions with people lately for the past year and a half. Have you heard my sermon “Prophecy Famine Update”?  You should. I believe strongly the 3rd seal of Revelation 6 has now been ripped open. Now we’re heading for seal #4 next, which is even worse.  Seal 3 is about worldwide food shortages combined with incredibly high inflation and food becoming unaffordable.

Light on the Rock supports a group of 68 people in Kenya, and others, including 28 orphans that we house, school, educate, feed, and provide health care, clean water, and much more.  Though their food prices are also skyrocketing, we sometimes cannot provide everything they need. I’m saying this you will all pray for especially God’s children who are desperately poor, that somehow our Father will give them health and all the provisions they all need.

But what about you? Are you taking time to apply the lessons of Joseph and store up some food, water, energy alternatives, medications, petrol/gas and more – while you can? Even if it’s just a little bit more that you buy each time.  Get ready now, so you’ll be ready. Hear that sermon.

But you see, there are many instances where men and women of faith also did certain things ahead of time themselves, besides sitting back while trusting in God.

Joseph advised Pharaoh to use the 7 years of plenty to stock up to help save his people and others. See Genesis 41.  Joseph could easily have said, “No worries, Pharaoh. My God will take care of us. Don’t be concerned at all.”  That’s our model. If you CAN do something to help be ready, then do it. . . yes, even AS you pray, trust in God and ask for his grace and mercy and protection.

And most of all, be drawing closer to your Savior and Father than ever before.

So are you ready spiritually?  Physically? Emotionally?  Many of you are counting on being raptured out of here at any time now. Call me in 2-3 years when you’re still here. Some of God’s children will be protected, but as I’ve explained in other sermons, many will not be totally protected but will die as martyrs – glorious witnesses for our Savior who died for us. Don’t overly seek to be saved physically. He who seeks to save his own life, shall lose it. And do you know the rest of that saying? Look it up. 

And at the same time, neither do we worry, fret or fear even if and when things just get worse and worse. In our closeness to Abba and our Savior, we have peace. We do what we can, and God will take care of his children. My faith is not in anything I’ve stored up – but faith in my King and Savior to do what He knows we must go through for eternity’s sake. Whatever it is, we say “amen” and accept it thankfully.

I believe we’re racing now to the final 8-15 years (in my view at least) before Christ returns. Let it be known, I’ve never ever said anything like that until about a year and a half ago. But now I am. I believe the 3rd seal is open and within a couple years we may be hit hard with Seal #4. Read it for yourself in Revelation 6.  After #4 is the fifth seal and the time of greatest trouble the world has ever seen, ever.

Be spending much more time now getting close to your Master and Father. Do it now. Turn off the TV and social media and Facebook and what not. Use your time instead to clean up our lives where we must. Use the time to pray more. Use the time to meditate and talk with God all through the day more. Use the time to really come to “know” Jesus and our Father.  And then have faith that He’s got this and will take care of us.

In the meantime – June 5, 2022 – is the holy day of Pentecost (which means “50”), or the Hebrew “Shavuot”, which means Weeks. This is one of the holydays of God. The Moed – the appointed times --  to meet with our Creator and come before him in solemn and peaceful joy, even as we praise and worship him. I hope you will watch or hear the messages we have on the website about Pentecost, as one of the firstfruits of God’s calling. Just type in “Pentecost” in the Search bar. Or “Holy Spirit”.  Or “wedding of the Lamb” and see what that has to do with Pentecost.  It’s a huge day! A special appointment with God.

Pentecost/Shavuot weekend actually is a LOT about the first fruits – you and me.  Don’t miss the focus. And let’s keep in touch and speak to one another often. Read Malachi 3:16-18. Hopefully that is describing you.

Malachi 3:16-18

Then those who feared YHVH spoke to one another, And YHVH listened and heard them;

So a book of remembrance was written before Him for those who fear YHVH

And who meditate on His name.

17 "They shall be Mine," says YHVH of hosts,

"On the day that I make them My jewels.

And I will spare them as a man spares his own son who serves him."

18 Then you shall again discern  between the righteous and the wicked,

Between one who serves God and one who does not serve Him.”

One more thought:  what if you spend time and money in preparing for the seals to be opened in Revelation 6-7, and then just to find out that 5-6-7 more years pass and nothing of consequence seems to happen?

It’s still would have been wise to be ready for emergencies. It’s not going to hurt you to have taken steps.  But on the other hand, if conditions explode in the next 18 months – famines and other disasters – We will all be glad we took the time to be much closer to our God and that we prepared food, water, emergency supplies – as well as having prepared enough “oil in our lamps” (Matthew 25:1-10) to meet our Master when he returns.

So PREPARE now – spiritually, most of all, and then stock up a bit extra on food, energy, water, and for emergency situations.

All kinds of things can happen to cause a sudden collapse of our society.

Here’s one example:  Even a strong solar flare, like the one in the 1800’s before we had much electricity, could wipe out the entire energy grid of the whole world. All our satellites that guide our lives will be fried. Your electronics won’t work. Your smart phone and smart watch won’t work. Have a watch at least that doesn’t rely on computers, or daily chargings. Your computers won’t work. And the government computers and power grids won’t work either. We won’t be able to drive our cars after a while or get gas, as you can’t pump gas without electricity. Our fridges and freezers won’t work and we’ll lose our frozen foods. Our hospitals won’t have power. Our AC’s and heating systems will stop working.

That’s just from a powerful solar flare. I have learned that the earth’s magnetic field that is there to protect against solar flares, is getting much weaker. And our satellites are beyond all that anyway.

Add to that – severe droughts, typhoons, hurricanes, wars, earthquakes in the 7-8-9’s and above on the Richter Scale, floods, tornadoes, tsunamis --- all of which are prophesied to hit us before Christ returns.

In the end we will all have to totally trust God. Especially when you all see that the much-vaunted secret rapture out-of-here doesn’t happen. God will protect his own, at least a lot of them, but I don’t teach pre-Tribulation secret rapture to heaven at all.  But a lot of God’s children will also need to be purified in the fires of tribulation; people who are lukewarm now and too cozy with the ways of the world.

SO – pray and give it a lot of thought. Do what you can. Get close to God. Trust in God. Be so ready!!!  

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Comments 5

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Ondigo Ochieng on Tuesday, 14 June 2022 19:32
Are you ready?

This is a powerful exhortation to the little flock that God is calling in this very end time! It's like the writer is speaking directly to me. May God richly bless you for sharing this wonderful message.

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This is a powerful exhortation to the little flock that God is calling in this very end time! It's like the writer is speaking directly to me. May God richly bless you for sharing this wonderful message.
Omae Hezron on Thursday, 30 June 2022 08:13
Getting ready

An overwhelming teaching Philip, reminding us getting to set ourselves ready for any eventuality. Not only getting ready for the coming of Christ but teaches us how to be ready for anything in our day to day lives in this uncertain world. This can be death, sickness, loss job and many other things or challenges that face human beings. Being ready makes it easier for one to overcome/face any challenge which is a head!

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An overwhelming teaching Philip, reminding us getting to set ourselves ready for any eventuality. Not only getting ready for the coming of Christ but teaches us how to be ready for anything in our day to day lives in this uncertain world. This can be death, sickness, loss job and many other things or challenges that face human beings. Being ready makes it easier for one to overcome/face any challenge which is a head!
George Otieno on Friday, 01 July 2022 03:37
A Spiritually touching Message!

What a message! I am so much touched with this message considering the times in which we find ourselves living. This message is very timely and draws the attention of every child of God to wake up from spiritual slumber, prepare and get ready before its very late. We are being admonished in this blog on what to do to get ready, including how well we should spend our time! May God bless you, Philip Shields, for this message! George Otieno Owato, Holy Anointing Church of God (Seventh Day) Migori-Kenya.

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What a message! I am so much touched with this message considering the times in which we find ourselves living. This message is very timely and draws the attention of every child of God to wake up from spiritual slumber, prepare and get ready before its very late. We are being admonished in this blog on what to do to get ready, including how well we should spend our time! May God bless you, Philip Shields, for this message! George Otieno Owato, Holy Anointing Church of God (Seventh Day) Migori-Kenya.
George Otieno on Friday, 01 July 2022 03:44
Ever Wondering what to do - Read this message!

Ever wondering what to do in the light of what is happening and not sure of what tomorrow holds? Read this spiritually touching message by Philip Shields and you will know how to genuinely prepare and get ready spiritually and for any emergencies that may come and get us on the way leading to Christ Jesus second coming! Get ready, be prepared!

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Ever wondering what to do in the light of what is happening and not sure of what tomorrow holds? Read this spiritually touching message by Philip Shields and you will know how to genuinely prepare and get ready spiritually and for any emergencies that may come and get us on the way leading to Christ Jesus second coming! Get ready, be prepared!
ISAAC OMONDI on Friday, 08 July 2022 09:51
Are you Ready

I am challenged by this message. I first heard it over the radio when our church minister taught it in the morning devotion.
Many thanks for sharing this message. It is a blessing to me.

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I am challenged by this message. I first heard it over the radio when our church minister taught it in the morning devotion. Many thanks for sharing this message. It is a blessing to me.