Life for me has been a series of lessons. Just about the time I thought I knew something, another lesson would come along showing me that I didn't. Last month we celebrated my 60th birthday. A family member asked, now that I have reached my sixth decade, if I had any special insight to share. After a moment of thought I said, "I have found that I have already experienced what others are still going through. That doesn't make me smarter -- just experienced. A tree can be that." 

You may have noticed that yesterday I didn't write a commentary. The reason I didn't write anything was because I didn't know where to begin. Due to the recent news and its many implications, I felt like a child sitting on a beach looking for it's first grain of sand. After awhile I gave up looking and just started playing.

This brings me to one of my first life lessons. You see, today I still feel the same as I did yesterday. But, I know from life lessons, I can't just continue playing. Once during school recess I found a private area beside a building where I could be by myself for awhile and play. When I finally lifted my head to look around, I found the school yard completely empty and that I was all alone. Evidently, I was so caught up in my playing that I hadn't noticed the bell. Fortunately, I was just a child. The consequences, if any, I've long forgot. But, I will never forget that terrible, lonely feeling I had when I saw the empty school yard. It was an experience that I've never wanted to repeat.

Jesus told us to stay alert. Jesus told us to stay alert. Jesus told us to stay alert. Many of our modern spiritual leaders tell us the opposite. No, they don't come right out and say it. But, if you really listen to their words, that's what they're saying. How? By telling us that there's no signs that precede our Lord's return. Friends, who are we to believe?

When Jesus was teaching on the end-times, He gave us this parable:

Then the kingdom of heaven will be comparable to ten virgins, who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish, and five were prudent. For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them, but the prudent took oil in flasks along with their lamps. Now while the bridegroom was delaying, they all got drowsy and began to sleep. But at midnight there was a shout, "Behold, the bridegroom! Come out to meet him." Then all those virgins rose and trimmed their lamps. The foolish said to the prudent, "Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out." But the prudent answered, "No, there will not be enough for us and you too; go instead to the dealers and buy some for yourselves." And while they were going away to make the purchase, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding feast; and the door was shut. Later the other virgins also came, saying, "Lord, lord, open up for us." But he answered, "Truly I say to you, I do not know you." Be on the alert then, for you do not know the day nor the hour (Matthew 25:1-13 New American Standard Bible). 

Do you know what the shout is? I think I do. I believe the shout is when we see what Jesus told us all to be watching for -- the Abomination of Desolation (Matthew 24: 15).

You see, when we see the Antichrist going into the rebuilt Jewish Temple, we will then know for sure that we will all be going through the Great Tribulation. And, some of us will have what it takes spiritually to make it through, some of us won't. The thing that I find interesting is that Jesus said all ten virgins had oil in their lamps. But, only five had enough.

Friends, the news coming in tells us that our time may be very, very short  Read about it here  I  Here  I  Here  I  Here  I  And here. If we want to be among those with enough oil, we have to get it now.

Let's have the oil to last.