What Is Happening While We are Sleeping?

The song I chose for today is While You Were Sleeping by Casting Crowns . It is one of those songs that reaches into the heart and touches a nerve because of the message in the words. I sang this song a few years ago in church, and although I had to listen to it countless times for practicing purpose, I have never tired of it.

The premise of the song is this: What world and eternity changing events happened while the people of Israel were spiritually sleeping, and will we be spiritually sleeping when the most time changing event in history (the rapture of the church) takes place?

Right now it truly seems that our country is in a spiritual coma. We accept any and every spiritual idea as being equal to God's Word in order not to offend any groups, meanwhile, Christians are quickly losing their rights to voice their beliefs. Laws are being made in different states to control what pastors say from their pulpits in order not to offend any groups, and symbols that depict the Christian heritage of this country are being taken down or hidden behind the religious symbols of other groups. Despite what any person chooses to say or believe, America is a Christian country. History cannot be changed to fit the political sway of our country in the present or to please those we feel threatened by.

One day (soon I hope), the Lord Himself will descend from Heaven with a shout (it sounds like He is going to be excited to get us!), with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet of God; and the dead in Christ will rise first (that would be Mom and a host of others that we love who have gone on before us). Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds (what a reunion that will be!) to meet the Lord in the air, and thus we shall always be with the Lord. (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17)

The question is: Are you awake or asleep? As Jesus told Peter in the Garden of Gethsamane, "...are you sleeping? Could you not keep watch for one hour? Keep watching and praying that you may not come into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the flesh is week." (Mark 14:37b-38)