On the Mount of Olives Jesus Christ our Saviour foretold His second coming through the parable of the ten virgins. Said He, “Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps [truth], and went forth to meet the bridegroom [Christ]. And five of them were wise, and five were foolish. They that were foolish took their lamps [truth], and took no oil [Spirit of God] with them. . . . And while they went to buy [oil], the bridegroom came; and they that were ready [with oil, imbued with the Spirit of God] went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut. . . .Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh” (Matthew 25: 1-3, 10-13).

This parable of the second coming impresses the reader that it is not truth alone that saves, but both truth, as it is in God’s Word, and the Spirit of God. Those prepared to meet the bridegroom at His unknown and sudden time of arrival were invited to the marriage feast. “The marriage represents the reception by Christ of His kingdom.”1 This parable teaches awareness and preparedness due to the presence of both the lamp (Word of God, Truth) and the oil (Spirit of God). Our goal in life is not only to be at the right place and at the right time. We need awareness of the time and most importantly the preparedness for the upcoming events soon to take place on planet earth.

The personal ownership of sufficient oil is represented by the Holy Spirit, a relationship with Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour. While church membership may have its privileges, without the presence of oil, the unction of the Spirit of God, membership alone is valueless for entrance into the kingdom of God. Christ responds to those who are late to the marriage supper with: “Verily I say unto you, I know you not” (Matthew 25:12).

The destruction of the walled city of Jerusalem by the Romans holds lessons of oversights in both awareness and preparedness for those who believed they were the people of God. History can and will repeat itself. Awareness and understanding of current and future events are critical in these end times. In Matthew 24:16, 17, Jesus says, “Let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains: let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house.”

It was the year ad 70, and the Romans had surrounded Jerusalem at the time of Passover. In Jerusalem there had gathered over one million Jews, adults and children. The Roman siege had taken place over an extended period of time, stored resources were used up, and the people were in crisis. History records that great and gross human atrocities took place at the hand of the Jews against their own people within the city walls. Those that attempted to escape were caught and impaled by the Romans. Christians who were within Jerusalem were advised by Jesus that there would be a window opportunity, in which they would be able to flee from this great conflagration. “He that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. . . . When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, . . . stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:) then let them which be in Juda flee into the mountains: let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house: Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes” (Matthew 24:13, 15-18).

The Roman army suddenly and unexpectedly retreated from their encampment around Jerusalem, and an opportunity was created for those who were aware of the words of Christ to flee from the city into surrounding small towns, villages, and mountains. Those that were aware and mentally prepared to leave the city of Jerusalem at a moment’s notice, while the city was surrounded by thousands of fellow Jews who had been caught and impaled, required special mental preparedness. What appeared to be a probable trap was a remarkable opportunity. Few understood what was taking place. Christ encourages His people who know His voice to be prepared and to be aware of place and time.

As we seek to learn lessons of awareness and preparedness, Katrina started as a tropical depression that was formed over the southeastern Bahamas at 5 p.m. on August 23, partially from the remains of a prior tropical depression. The system gradually upgraded on August 24 and then by August 29 it had become a rather significant storm due to warm-sea-surface temperatures and the Gulf Loop current. On August 27 the storm was upgraded to category 3 and by August 29 there were winds of up to 125 mph.

The sheer physical size of Katrina caused devastation far from the eye of the hurricane, and it is possible that it was the largest hurricane of its strength ever recorded on earth. The official combined death toll is estimated at two thousand, which makes it one of the highest in U.S. history.

How is it that Americans, with all of the federal, state, and local storm monitoring equipment available, miscalculated and misinformed over 1.5 million people, placing many of them at risk? There were at least 1.5 million people under evacuation order before the storm hit landfall. The storm created a great humanitarian crisis in the Gulf of Mexico, with over $100 billion in damages and over two million people displaced. One can justifiably ask: How is it that so many people were poorly prepared and were not aware of the impending crisis?

History repeats itself. The valid question to be asked of every one of us today: How would you deal with a great crisis? Crisis and adversity are given in our life. How will you respond, dear reader?

Here are seven key ingredients to developing mental preparedness and awareness.

1. Learn to give thanks. Ephesians 5:20 states: “Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” The apostle Paul teaches us here to give thanks always for all things unto God. Might we learn from both the good times and the bad times, giving thanks for both learning valuable lessons of blessings and adversity. Let us be mindful that God grants us experiences in life to make us stronger. “Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour of his knowledge by us in every place” (2 Corinthians 2:14). Let us give thanks to God for He causes us to triumph. In spite of great opposition, let us give thanks, nurturing a spirit of thankfulness.

2. Adversity is unavoidable. Let’s not fight it, let’s accept it. Develop the proper mental attitude. Learn from the life of Christ. “Pain and death are part of life. To reject them is to reject life itself,” said Havelock Ellis. Even under the worst circumstances we can chose to focus on the positive rather than on the negative. After a fire burned his research laboratory to the ground, the famous inventor of the light bulb, Thomas Alva Edison, was quoted as saying that there is great value in disaster. All our mistakes are burned up, and thank God that we have the opportunity of life and we can start anew.

Let’s be reminded of the birds which sing after a storm. Why shouldn’t people feel as free to delight in whatever remains to them? God allows adversity - let’s learn not to fight it but accept it, develop a submissive attitude and realize that it is part of life. Although pain is inevitable, we do not have to suffer. It is optional to suffer when there is adversity.

3. Misfortune lessons. There is much to learn from the winter to appreciate the spring, from the rain to appreciate the sunshine, and from adversity to be thankful for the calm after the storm. Praise God for misfortune. May God grant us the wisdom to look beyond misfortune seek God’s will for the life we have.

4. Adversity provides opportunity to be lifted higher. “From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee, when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that is higher than I” (Psalm 61:2). All are bidden to “go up higher” (Luke 14:10). The Lord invites you to be lifted higher and go up into the presence of Christ. Learn from the experiences that have left you downtrodden that the Lord may lift you up. When an eagle believes her eaglets are large enough to learn how to fly, she begins to take the nest apart and push the eaglets out. After this rude awakening, the eaglets discover they have wings and that they can fly. We are constantly being nudged and pushed off one cliff after another in the hope that one day we will discover our wings and soar to new heights.

5. Refuse to linger on the past or to think about future problems. Problems of the present are difficult enough to deal with. Don’t add to your misery by regretting the past or worrying about what might happen in the future. An American author once said: “I am an old man and have known a great many troubles, but most of them never happened.”

In Matthew 6:34 Christ reminds us to “take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.”

6. Realize it could be worse. Count your blessings. Keep in the mind the Persian Proverb, “I cried because I had no shoes until I saw someone with no feet.”

God says, “Return unto me, and I will return unto you” (Malachi 3:7).

Life is a series of experiences, each one of which makes us wiser and stronger, even though sometimes it is hard to realize this. In our journey in this world we are challenged to develop our most valued possession, a Christlike character. We must learn that the setbacks and griefs which we endure on earth help us in our march toward heaven. One day we will see that heaven was indeed cheap enough.

7. Have faith in God. “Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? . . . for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Take therefore no thought for the morrow; for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof” (Matthew 6:31-34). “And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God” (Mark 11:22). In the adversity of life and our daily experiences, let us look up and live, let us have trust and faith in God. To overcome adversity let us be prepared and be aware.

“Behold, I come quickly: blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book. . . . Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus” (Revelation 22:7, 20).

“The great controversy is ended. Sin and sinners are no more. The entire universe is clean. One pulse of harmony and gladness beats through the vast creation. From Him who created all, flow life and light and gladness, throughout the realms of illimitable space. From the minutest atom to the greatest world, all things, animate and inanimate, in their unshadowed beauty and perfect joy, declare that God is love.”2

May God help us through Jesus Christ and His Word to be aware, prepared, and be faithful unto the end.