Okay, I've been thinking up this scenario in my head. It basically involves the end times and the Great Tribulation. Although it would be really swell if I thought I'd be one of the lucky ones to go during the next harvest, I doubt I'd make the cut. I'm learning, loving, and growing all that I can, but I'm not sure I'd qualify as a Philadelphian by any stretch. I'm still pretty much an infant in my walk, so I"m not sure I'd have the maturity by the time the world starts to get messy to get to meet Him in the clouds or anything.

Any hoo, so in this situation, here I am with my family, and we being the boy scouts that we are, we managed to stock up on provisions, etc. to hopefully last through the tribulation, avoid that mark of the beast, etc. I'd imagine my family and I holed up in some mountain hide out in west texas or something. So here we are, all holed up, away from the any sources of the mark, with several years worth of whole wheat flour, rice, lima beans, enough seeds to restart civilization if we have to, a few math/science books, etc. Heck, we even bring enough diesel, etc. to last for several years.

What I'm struggling with is - would this situation entail failure to TRUST our Father? Where do you guys draw the line between testing and TRUST? I suppose one could make the argument that we should be prepared for this, etc., but then I wonder if by holing up is that not in effect failing to TRUST, and worse pretty much being selfish at others' expense? In this scenario, would we not instead need to be out, bearing witness, and getting shot at for not sporting the mark, etc.?

The reason I ask this is, many people I know are getting the feeling that it is getting worse and worse as time progresses (birth pangs) and it is really just a matter of time before the world goes bonkers. It seems like it would make sense to prepare. I know this may sound silly, but I think this may be a very real decision for my family at some point in the future and I'm not sure where the scriptures would stand on such a situation. My gut tells me not to hole up, but to go ahead and get enough provisions to last disruptions in the world economy, etc.

Any scriptural perspectives on this scenario?

Shohn, thinking in terms of "making the cut" will invariably weird you out, 'cause the best of us are sinners---none of us could "make the cut" left on our own. And luck doesn't have anything to do with it either. As long as we're using blue-sky scenarios to figure things out, consider this: Say you've got two sons, one a big, strapping teenager, and the other an infant, just a couple of months old. And you and your wife have determined that life just isn't safe where you live anymore. Are you going to say, "the teenager can pull his own weight, so he can come with us (and besides, he's the only one who can figure out how to work the TV remote), but the baby, well, he's going to be a burden---he's not going to make the cut"? No, of course not. You're going to take both kids with you because they're both your kids!

Now, put yourself in Yahweh's shoes. Is He going to leave you behind because you haven't "matured" to your full potential as a believer? No. Who He raptures and who he leaves behind is strictly a question of who (at that very moment) has been born anew into His family. No believer need worry about (or prepare for) making it through the Tribulation. Making it until the rapture, however, may be another matter. Even though we won't have to endure God's wrath, we very well could be called upon to live through persecution. If you were a Christian living in the Sudan, or Afghanistan, or India (for example) persecution would be a part of your daily life right now. I feel pretty secure at the moment living in rural Virginia, but the Scriptures tell me loud and clear that my feelings could be an illusion. Things will get worse---even (or especially) in America---before we're taken home. My wife and I tried growing a vegetable garden this year. It was a qualified success: everthing grew like crazy, but the deer wiped me out. Gotta get me a dog, or a fence, or maybe a gun, I guess. Point is, there's nothing wrong with preparing for hard times, but our preparations are pointless if not made in the context of absolute trust in Yahweh.

kp