While Men Slept by Diane Dew

'While Men Slept' Matt. 13:25

It's just a matter of time till the gently falling flakes accumulate and cause an avalanche. Just a matter of time till the collection of droplets cause the dam to break, or the river to overflow its banks. Only a matter of time till the temperature within the volcano rises to the degree that it causes the lava to erupt and flow down the mountain, bringing devastation to all in its path.

Similarly, it's just a matter of time till the effects of that one "little" sin - as "the little foxes destroy the vine"¹ - begin to manifest in a way that will have more destructive, more spiritually defiling, far-reaching effects.

This principle finds support not just in creation, but in the eternal words of Scripture, as well. "While men slept," Jesus said, the tares were sown.² Without attention, and without intervention, things progress. The ultimate effects of events might not manifest for quite some time; but eventually, what goes around comes around. We will reap what we sow.

Have you ever gone to sleep at night, in peace, only to learn on the morning news that overnight markets on the other side of the world may have sent the economy into a tailspin? Or perhaps a single act of terrorism might have threatened world peace, causing war to erupt. Mere neglect of duty has been known to cause nuclear reactors to crack - thereby releasing immeasurable levels of radiation into the environment - a mistake that potentially could forever alter the future of humankind. Certainly, the immensity of such an error may only be fully realized 20 years later, when cancer rates in the area begin to soar. Still, it was that moment of decision - or indecision, or neglect - that made the difference.

Cancer is a devastating disease, but it secretly establishes itself within its host - silently - for many years - before symptoms develop.

So it is with sin.

That thunderbolt that awakened you from your slumber - It did not just suddenly appear on the horizon, but was approaching with the storm, across the miles, as you dreamt. The viper strikes suddenly, but stealthily it slithers along till the moment of attack.

"Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light."³ We fall asleep gradually, but we awaken suddenly. "But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son..."⁴

Drop by drop the glass fills with water, till that one last drip causes it to overflow and spill.

The judgment of God also has a timetable. God is patient⁵, and over the centuries has tolerated sin; some he seems to have even "winked at"⁶, because of his apparent nonresponse. However, the day came when "the flood took them away."⁷

It is only a matter of time till the impending judgment of God upon this nation - and upon the earth today - is brought to full fruition. Just as winter follows fall, and spring gives way to summer, its time will come.⁸ Sinners scoff, saying, "Where is the promise of his coming? ...All things continue as [they were] from the beginning of creation." ⁹ But the script has been written. The pawn is in place.

It just a matter of time.

Footnotes: ¹ Song of Songs 2:15 ² Matthew 13:25 ³Ephesians 5:14 ⁴Galatians 4:4 ⁵ James 5:7 "Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain." ⁶Acts 17:20 "And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent." ⁷ Matthew 24:39 ⁸ Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 ⁹2 Peter 3:4

Civilization totters on the brink of disaster. Our future hangs in the balance.
The end is near. Have you given your heart to the Savior? For what are you waiting?
"...Behold, now [is] the accepted time; behold, now [is] the day of salvation." (2 Corin 6:2)

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