so..preparing isnt important huh????

[moonglow]

I wanted to add this...the thing is there is nothing in the bible in regards to the time ends about preparing by stock piling or doing these other things people think they should do. The only scripture given for those that think this is yet to be fulfilled is in Matthew 24 and Luke 21 about fleeing Judea...when they see the city surrounded by the armies. Most of us don't live in Judea though. Jesus told those people to not even stop to get their cloak...to not get anything...but to flee as quickly as they could! So they literally had to leave everything behind...nothing was said about grabbing a bunch of food or survival gear or anything at all...but to literally drop everything and run if they wanted to live.

And while you are frustrated with those of us to say to rely on God we ARE going by what the bible says:

Matthew 6
Do Not Worry

25 “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?

28 “So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; 29 and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?
31 “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

As far as I know there is just no scriptures saying to prepare physically for the tribulation or other hard times. It clearly says "seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness..."

If you can find scriptures that say we need to prepare in some way, then please post them.

God bless

[tango]

good post above. i was just going to mention that.

I actually have a few boxes of food stored up...it's not much, but enough for meager rations for about 6 months.

Meagre rations for yourself and your family perhaps. If you're sharing with your entire neighbourhood probably enough for a week at best. And unless you live somewhere extremely remote you will be sharing with your neighbourhood. Maybe not willingly, but unless you've got some serious firepower and the willingness to use it, you'll be sharing sooner or later.

I think it would be useful to stock up on seeds. Had all those people had seeds they could have grown their own food. Neighbors could share seeds with one another and no one would steal from their neighbors gardens cuz they would be growing their own. Seeds are cheap or free, I don't understand why governemnts don't distribute them in hard economic times.

Neighbours might not steal but there's always someone from "out of town" who will figure it's easier to steal someone else's crops than grow their own.

There's also the matter of growing time, between planting seeds and harvest you're going to get very hungry.

[diffangle]

[QUOTE]

Neighbours might not steal but there's always someone from "out of town" who will figure it's easier to steal someone else's crops than grow their own.

It won't be easier if you have an entire neighborhood or town being vigilant on neighborhood/town watch, it will be much easier for people to stick the seeds in the ground around their homes.

There's also the matter of growing time, between planting seeds and harvest you're going to get very hungry.

There are things that grow every month of the year. The key is to not plant a mono-crop.

[tango]

[quote=diffangle;1912303]

It won't be easier if you have an entire neighborhood or town being vigilant on neighborhood/town watch, it will be much easier for people to stick the seeds in the ground around their homes.

My concern would be that as society breaks down there are likely to be people who have guns and want food. Even in a situation where a neighbourhood sticks together it may still need to defend itself from people from out of town who have nothing to lose. Even with superior firepower the town will lose a few people each time the raiders come.

There are things that grow every month of the year. The key is to not plant a mono-crop.

But how many things grow from seeds quickly? It's great if you can create a system where the seeds are already planted and the fields produce food all year around, but we're talking what to do when society implodes, and if that happens you don't necessarily have the luxury of the time it takes to plant and harvest.

[diffangle]

[quote]

My concern would be that as society breaks down there are likely to be people who have guns and want food. Even in a situation where a neighbourhood sticks together it may still need to defend itself from people from out of town who have nothing to lose. Even with superior firepower the town will lose a few people each time the raiders come.

What's easier for those living out of town(which, by the way, insinuates that they have alot more land than the intown people)... traveling a distance and risk a gunfight with an entire town/neighborhood defending their crops or just sticking seeds in the ground on your own land?

But how many things grow from seeds quickly? It's great if you can create a system where the seeds are already planted and the fields produce food all year around, but we're talking what to do when society implodes, and if that happens you don't necessarily have the luxury of the time it takes to plant and harvest.

It only takes a couple of months for some foods to grow, in the meantime you eat the foods that are growing in the wild and the foods that are being sold in the markets. Once you(and everyone around you) get your first crops going you can have a continuous crop of food from there on out. It's a heck of alot better plan than digging in trash cans for plastic that you can't eat or just sitting there doing absolutely nothing.

[tango]

What's easier for those living out of town(which, by the way, insinuates that they have alot more land than the intown people)... traveling a distance and risk a gunfight with an entire town/neighborhood defending their crops or just sticking seeds in the ground on your own land?

I'm thinking more of people who are disaffected in our current society, maybe live out of town but have no land. Maybe people who live in town and retain an entitlement mentality. And it doesn't take very many people who own the land not wanting to share before the model breaks down.

People who have lots of land are obviously safer growing things than trying to steal what others have grown. Whether a group would be willing to take such a communal approach remains to be seen. I suspect some areas would, and some areas wouldn't. The point is that the existence of groups of bandits anywhere renders the whole system vulnerable.

It only takes a couple of months for some foods to grow, in the meantime you eat the foods that are growing in the wild and the foods that are being sold in the markets. Once you(and everyone around you) get your first crops going you can have a continuous crop of food from there on out. It's a heck of a lot better plan than digging in trash cans for plastic that you can't eat or just sitting there doing absolutely nothing.

In a time of crisis you can bet the markets will be sold out much faster than a couple of months. If society follows an orderly decline you get a bit of warning that things are going wrong. But when faced with a collapse (a collapse bad enough to mean you have to plant the seeds) the existence of any foods in the marketplace relies on enough people being altruistic enough to not buy as much as they can carry.

Attempting to grow food certainly beats rummaging through other peoples' trash, but it's far from a preordained certainty that such an approach would be successful. Throw in a plague of locusts or a drought and the plans are laid to waste anyway.

[diffangle]

Seed programs for the poor in third world countries have been done with success.

[Kahtar]

Our grocery stores only have about a 3 day supply at any given time.

[tango]

Seed programs for the poor in third world countries have been done with success.

Presumably coupled with some means of feeding people until the crops grow?

I'm not saying growing things locally can never work, I'm just saying that in same places it might work and in others it might not work. Personally I'd rather not trust my future to the hope that armed bandits will make off with the harvest just as it's brought in.

[samphillipssr]

What happened there was awful and beyond anything most of us in America have seen.

When the Great Trib. of Revelations takes place, what happened to the Argentinians will be like a party compared to what will happen during the 7 years of seemingly "hell on earth."

Look at the parents that will take the mark just to feed their children knowing they'll be everlastingly cursed and go to hell. So many others will take it because they're starving.

Even people will kill others in order to eat them... this is not even touching the surface of the torture and bloodshed.

Imagine men shaking their fist at God knowing they'll die and go to hell?

According to Gods Holy KJV Bible it's soon coming again. Is there anyone out there not saved? Please don't put it off, Jesus is coming soon according to the signs.

Sam

[quiet dove]

Our grocery stores only have about a 3 day supply at any given time.

Thats true, get a bad batch of weather coming and we really see just how long the supplies of many products last. Better be ready to eat bennie wiennies if you don't get there quick.

[diffangle]

Our grocery stores only have about a 3 day supply at any given time.

At this moment, but all the farmers that supply them are still growing crops for the markets next stocking. Food is continually growing.

[QUOTE]

Presumably coupled with some means of feeding people until the crops grow?

There is always food growing.... including right now as we speak.

I'm not saying growing things locally can never work, I'm just saying that in same places it might work and in others it might not work. Personally I'd rather not trust my future to the hope that armed bandits will make off with the harvest just as it's brought in.

Do you think doing nothing is going to put food on your plate more so than growing food at your place? There are hungry people right now... they aren't going onto people's farms with guns a blazin stealing their crops.

[tango]

Do you think doing nothing is going to put food on your plate more so than growing food at your place? There are hungry people right now... they aren't going onto people's farms with guns a blazin stealing their crops.

Not now they aren't, but society as a whole is mostly functioning. Look at what happened in New Orleans, but imagine it covering a much wider area.

[diffangle]

Not now they aren't, but society as a whole is mostly functioning. Look at what happened in New Orleans, but imagine it covering a much wider area.

Do you think doing absolutely nothing is going to put food on your plate more so than growing food at your place?

[possumliving]

You didn't read quite far enough Moonglow...

I wanted to add this...the thing is there is nothing in the bible in regards to the time ends about preparing by stock piling or doing these other things people think they should do. The only scripture given for those that think this is yet to be fulfilled is in Matthew 24 and Luke 21 about fleeing Judea...when they see the city surrounded by the armies. Most of us don't live in Judea though. Jesus told those people to not even stop to get their cloak...to not get anything...but to flee as quickly as they could! So they literally had to leave everything behind...nothing was said about grabbing a bunch of food or survival gear or anything at all...but to literally drop everything and run if they wanted to live.

And while you are frustrated with those of us to say to rely on God we ARE going by what the bible says:

Matthew 6
Do Not Worry

25 “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?

28 “So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; 29 and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?
31 “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

As far as I know there is just no scriptures saying to prepare physically for the tribulation or other hard times. It clearly says "seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness..."

If you can find scriptures that say we need to prepare in some way, then please post them.

God bless

Matthew 6 was spoken to the disciples about being sent out to spread the Gospel. They left everything they had to follow Jesus. They were called to be travelling to all of these places. They couldn't carry anything with them. So keep that in context.

However, Matthew 24 wasn't just to the disciples. It was to those that would be reading it in the End Times.

Matt 24:25 See, I have warned you beforehand.

Matt 24:42 Watch therefore [give strict attention, be cautious and active], for you do not know in what kind of a day [whether a near or remote one] your Lord is coming.
Matt 24:43 But understand this: had the householder known in what [part of the night, whether in a night or a morning] watch the thief was coming, he would have watched and would not have allowed his house to be undermined {and} broken into.
Matt 24:44 You also must be ready therefore, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not expect Him.
Matt 24:45 Who then is the faithful, thoughtful, {and} wise servant, whom his master has put in charge of his household to give to the others the food {and} supplies at the proper time?
Matt 24:46 Blessed (happy, fortunate, and to be envied) is that servant whom, when his master comes, he will find so doing.
Matt 24:47 I solemnly declare to you, he will set him over all his possessions.
Matt 24:48 But if that servant is wicked and says to himself, My master is delayed {and} is going to be gone a long time,
Matt 24:49 And begins to beat his fellow servants and to eat and drink with the drunken,
Matt 24:50 The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour of which he is not aware,
Matt 24:51 And will punish him [cut him up by scourging] and put him with the pretenders (hypocrites); there will be weeping and grinding of teeth.

Luke 12:42 And the Lord said, Who then is that faithful steward, the wise man whom his master will set over those in his household service to supply them their allowance of food at the appointed time?
Luke 12:43 Blessed (happy and to be envied) is that servant whom his master finds so doing when he arrives.
Luke 12:44 Truly I tell you, he will set him in charge over all his possessions.
Luke 12:45 But if that servant says in his heart, My master is late in coming, and begins to strike the menservants and the maids and to eat and drink and get drunk,
Luke 12:46 The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour of which he does not know, and will punish him {and} cut him off and assign his lot with the unfaithful.
Luke 12:47 And that servant who knew his master's will but did not get ready or act as he would wish him to act shall be beaten with many [lashes].


Prov 6:5 Deliver yourself, as a roe {or} gazelle from the hand of the hunter, and as a bird from the hand of the fowler.
Prov 6:6 Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider her ways and be wise!--
Prov 6:7 Which, having no chief, overseer, or ruler,
Prov 6:8 Provides her food in the summer and gathers her supplies in the harvest.
Prov 6:9 How long will you sleep, O sluggard? When will you arise out of your sleep?
Prov 6:10 Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to lie down {and} sleep--
Prov 6:11 So will your poverty come like a robber {or} one who travels [with slowly but surely approaching steps] and your want like an armed man [making you helpless].

Steph