Well, brethren, it is preparation time. How prepared are we physically, mentally, and most importantly, spiritually for the disasters that are building around this nation? As the stresses that God sends are now coming upon us and growing, the cracks in our national character are showing pretty badly. It is time to get ourselves ready, and the first thing to do spiritually would be to get our families in godly order.

Preparation begins with a desire to please God that arises from a willing relationship with Him, producing love that motivates planning and action toward alignment with His purposes. This desire leads to vision, enabling one to see the goal clearly even before any work begins, much as David envisioned the Temple before laying its first stone. Detailed preparations follow, extending to every element however small, because life moves forward in linear time and God has provided both historical records and prophecies to guide foresight. God Himself prepares comprehensively, knowing the end from the beginning, and He works through Jesus Christ to build living stones into a spiritual temple whose purpose is to glorify Him magnificently. Trials increase in frequency and intensity to test and refine the quality of each person's workmanship, straightening imperfections so that each part fits perfectly into the whole rather than serving as punishment. In a society marked by moral independence and rejection of divine standards, such refining becomes essential for remaining useful to the Master. Cleansing oneself from iniquity therefore forms the practical response, transforming individuals into vessels of honor that stand ready for every good work as Christ completes His building project.

Preparation for what lies ahead requires recognizing that no physical measures such as storing supplies or weapons can shield anyone from the intensifying global pressures of overpopulation, resource depletion, social instability, and technological displacement. These forces, already producing megacities of poverty, declining food production, and mass migration, will alter life as it is known and leave no place of escape. The only viable preparation is therefore to prepare the heart for the Kingdom of God by coming out of the world, putting away every competing affection, and submitting to the training God provides. This training mirrors military basic training: the mind and body must be disciplined through consistent prayer, fasting, meditation, and study so that soft spiritual habits are replaced by strength, vigilance, and obedience. Guard duty becomes essential, requiring constant watch over what enters the mind and home lest fear, lust, or complacency cause one to sleep. The full armor of God must be actively put on—truth, righteousness, the gospel of peace, faith, salvation, and the sword of the Spirit—so that one can stand and be victorious when trials arrive. Those who set their love on God, serve Him alone, and walk circumspectly will receive His protection and ultimately an abundant entrance into His Kingdom, while the world's attempts at self-preservation end in ruin.

Preparation for the return of Christ and the difficult times preceding it requires believers to remain awake, alert, and sensitive to both spiritual and physical realities rather than allowing themselves to sleep through events as the ten virgins did in Matthew 25. This alertness means recognizing changes in doctrine and personal spiritual condition, heeding prophetic warnings such as those delivered through Herbert Armstrong regarding the collapse of Israelite nations through successive wars, economic breakdown, natural disasters, famine, and disease. Such warnings follow the biblical pattern established by Paul in Romans 13 and I Thessalonians 5, by Peter in II Peter 1, and by Ezekiel as a watchman who must sound the trumpet so that hearers may respond and deliver their own souls. The same principle appears in the Old Testament when God instructed Moses to warn Pharaoh and the Egyptians, allowing those who feared the word of the Lord to gather their livestock and survive the hail. Jesus reinforced the need for readiness in Matthew 24, urging watchfulness because the day and hour remain unknown, just as a homeowner would prepare if he knew when a thief would come. Proverbs 22 commends the prudent person who foresees evil and hides himself, while the simple pass on and suffer; Proverbs 6 points to the ant that gathers food in harvest without external prompting, and Proverbs 13 notes the wisdom of laying up an inheritance. Joseph stored grain for seven years under divine direction, and Paul learned through experience both to abound and to suffer need, disciplining himself in every circumstance while trusting that God supplies all needs according to His riches. Preparation therefore combines diligent work with faith, avoiding the presumption that God will provide without human effort and the opposite error of storing treasure solely for oneself without regard for God. The overarching message is that God gives prophecy and warnings precisely so that His people may take purposeful steps to survive and grow spiritually through the economic and national difficulties that lie ahead, living as though Christ could return at any moment while making prudent provision for the uncertainties that remain hidden from human knowledge.