Every Spirit-filled believer in Christ is called to be a watchman. I won’t make such a claim that “God told me” I am to be this or that but as we read Scripture, we see how God works and delights in using those who are deemed to be the “nothings” and those who fall short in meeting the world’s standards so that His glory may all the more be evident. We are also to remember that those whom God called (the prophets) were often rejected by the very people who deeply needed to hear them. I don’t consider myself a prophet but merely a believer who operates under the Holy Spirit’s promptings although there are some out there who do claim to receive new revelations which do not line up with scripture.
The job of being a watchman (this is you, Christian) is to plainly tell people of what’s coming.
“The word of the Lord came to me: “Son of man, speak to your people and say to them: ‘When I bring the sword against a land, and the people of the land choose one of their men and make him their watchman, and he sees the sword coming against the land and blows the trumpet to warn the people, then if anyone hears the trumpet but does not heed the warning and the sword comes and takes their life, their blood will be on their own head. Since they heard the sound of the trumpet but did not heed the warning, their blood will be on their own head. If they had heeded the warning, they would have saved themselves. But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet to warn the people and the sword comes and takes someone’s life, that person’s life will be taken because of their sin, but I will hold the watchman accountable for their blood.’”
Ezekiel 33:1-6
The worst thing about being a watchman is when you know something is coming and the ones you love choose to live oblivious of what is indeed to come, they resort to calling you all sorts of names. While it is not easy to look at it in this perspective, we are to glory in the fact that we are partakers in what Jesus Himself went through (Acts 5:40-41) when He was rejected even by His own family members (John 7:1-5). This only proves that no servant is greater than his master which affirms that we can trust all the more in God’s Word, which reveals the beginning to the end since Jesus warned us of things we His followers will have to go through.
“In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe.”
Hebrews 1:1-2
According to the quote above, the Word of God is complete with the finished revelation and totality of the message which is Christ-centered. This calls for great discernment that we are not to blindly follow just ANYONE who claims to be a prophet if their revelation contradicts with what has already been written and revealed. When it comes to spiritual revelation pertaining to the collective body of believers, the canon of Scripture is complete. God does however reveal things and insights that pertain to us individually should He choose to.
On one account, God in His mercy showed me through a dream I was going to miss my flight to NY from Texas. In the dream, I walked up to the lady behind the airline counter and she told me it was too late for me to get onboard the flight. As a precautionary measure (not for convenience sake), I printed my boarding pass the day before. The day of the flight, I was told it was too late for me to check my baggage in therefore miss boarding the plane. I told the lady behind the counter that I already printed my boarding pass. I got to the airport without enough time to check-in my bags (traffic related) so I ended up having my sister-in-law come back to the airport to get my luggage and mail it instead. She was still within the vicinity.
Heeding the dream was what saved me from missing my flight. It so happened not having my luggage made it easier for me and my brother to get bumped into first class (for free!) for an emergency. My dad was confined in the hospital that time. If I had my luggage checked in, the one my sis-in-law had to come back for, it would have posed as a problem being bumped to another flight. I got to keep my carry on luggage. This was only one account of being shown a future event in order to avoid missing a flight and it was memorable for me as that was the time my brother reconciled with my father (they weren’t in good terms for quite some time).
Can you recall a time when you heeded a warning God gave pertaining to yourself and Do you bother to warn people whom God has placed in your life on their being ignorant to the dire consequence of living apart from knowing Christ/living in ignorance in these perilous times?
We will all be held accountable. Trying and being rejected is a job accomplished in the eyes of God compared to not trying at all. For those who say, “Keeping the peace is better,” be aware in essence you have just cast Truth aside and it is Truth that liberates. Your friend/loved one will sooner or later realize your intent whether in this world or the next especially if your “opinion” is tied to Absolute Truth since God’s Word never returns void.
[Image Credit: publicdomainpictures dot net cropped & tweaked]
Knowing Christ is highly important to any Christian, so is telling others about the dangers of living apart from Christ, and living in ignorance is never a good thing. I would say that the perilous times would refer to a person who does NOT know Christ, rather than a person who is ignorant of the current world affairs. But I could be wrong….
Good preaching Sis!
If people know about the severity of the times we’re living in and how it points to the fruition of biblical prophecy, it might lead some to Christ. I know of one apologist who used to be an atheist who came to know the Lord because of biblical prophecy. It is evidence that what we put our hope in has substance. Thanks for visiting.