December 24, 2015

[There were] ten virgins….five of them were wise, and five were foolish..

but while the Bridegroom delayed, they all slumbered and slept.

But at midnight there was a shout, “Behold, the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.”

So, let us go out to Him outside the camp

I sleep, but my heart is awake; It is the voice of my beloved! He knocks, saying, "Open for me, my sister, my love…”

Awake, you who sleep, and arise from the dead… We are children of the day, not of the night

Let your… lamps [be] burning… Let your light shine…You who stand by night in the house of the Lord.

[Let not] your hearts be overcharged…. I fear lest…your minds…be corrupted …..You observe days and months and times and years…

Teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts to wisdom… Redeeming the time for the days are evil….

I go not up to this feast… He has made the first obsolete….ready to vanish away

In an hour as you think not, the Son of Man comes…..

…The eleven disciples proceeded to Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had designated.

He will come in like manner as you saw Him go

[Tonight] if you will hear His voice….

It’s all there. It is screaming at you if you can hear it. Wake up! Wake up!

You have a choice to make today….tonight. You can stay down below under the toxic air. Or you can climb the mount above to breathe the rarified air of heaven, of eternal life, and of preparation for meeting the Lord.

But be warned. It is costly to climb the mountain. It is lonely. And it is hard work. Read all the stories about those who climbed mountains to meet God.

Abraham climbed Moriah.

Moses climbed Sinai.

Elijah climbed Horeb.

Jesus climbed mounts over and over—

in the Temptation, at instruction, at prayer, at the Transfiguration, at the Ascension.

Paul climbed Sinai.

And Revelation’s 144,000 climb Mt. Zion!

Now, where do you want to be—tonight? Do you want to stand around below and argue about whether one should climb mountains or not? Or do you want to get off your duff and climb?

I am not here to fight with anybody on the level of, “Is it right to celebrate Christmas or not?” That’s low level toxic. Do what you want. Do what you must.

I’m only here to bring a word to the wise, and to simply ask, are you going to climb tonight, or aren’t you? Are you going to wake up, or not? Are you going to do what the multitudes do at night because the multitudes do it, or are you going to find a reason to climb and go outside the camp to meet the Bridegroom?

“Pass me by the crowds of people, the priests who sing their praise….Take me into the holy of holies.” Do you remember that song? Well, that’s still your choice to sing and to mean at this hour.

There are a lot of crowds around today—just as there were 2000 years ago when only a handful knew Who was appearing that night. And there are lots of priests singing their praises tonight at their Christmas Eve services. But where will you be tonight—at the midnight hour? Where do you want to be? Do you want to climb or not?

Each year you have this choice to make, this night. But the Lord calls you to that choice in the positive. And the culture forces that choice on you in the negative. Year by year the choice gets starker and starker. And do you still think a season now dedicated to non-stop wireless shopping for two months a year isn’t the reason for the season? (While confessing that Jesus is the reason for season, did you do your part to boost the economy tonight?)

What is your real reason for the season? What do your actions say, not your words? If you’re going to say “Jesus is the reason for the season” what are you going to mean by that? And how will you prove it, and who will believe you? Is He your reason because of what some pope said 1200 years ago about a night 2000 years ago when nobody paid attention then? Or is He your reason, today, tonight, right now?? Is He your reason to leave the crowds behind, to climb the mount and to watch for Exodus!

What part of “He will come in like manner as you saw Him go” do you not understand? He left from a mountain. And He will come back on a mountain. Are you going to be on that mountain tonight or not? What happens when He comes and you’re not there because you were on the ground doing your part to boost the economy?

Sorry if this sounds rebuking to you. But Jesus rebuked His closest ones for failing to believe His return from death. And angels smote them on their sides to awaken and lead them out of prisons! If He rebuked them for not believing His return from death, do you think He will not rebuke them now for not believing His return from heaven?

If you’re offended, then just go back to sleep. Sorry to have troubled you. Stay in your prison. Have fun with your gift swaps. I’m not here to argue with sleepers. I’m here only to sound a midnight trumpet call to those “who sleep, but their hearts would awake” if someone would just blast the note.

“But will tonight’s call be another drill, or will it be the real deal?” You don’t know. Does it matter? The real question is, will you risk missing the Call because you now despise the Drills?

The Fear of God burns bright as a consuming fire in the heavens. Wise virgins turned kings are following that star.

That star will be burning bright tonight on Mt. Zion. Will you be on that Mount tonight, following that Star whithersoever He goes?

Chris Anderson
New Meadow Neck, Rhode Island

12/15