Dear Brethren

Sanctuary: A place of refuge or asylum; the state of being protected or safeguarded from danger or hardship.  

Refuge: That to which one turns for help when in desperation; a source of help, relief, or comfort in times of trouble.

For those who have long chosen to dismiss the prophetic with the wave of a hand, and a roll of the eyes, these can be some unnerving and disturbing times.  How could one believe the words of impending judgment, of financial collapse, of natural disasters and of unprecedented tensions, when in the physical all they could see was prosperity, smooth sailing and good times ahead?  

I believe that for some time now we have entered into the realm of fulfillment when it comes to the prophetic warnings concerning this land we love called America, and those wise among us, with the spiritual foresight to see beyond today, and believe the word of God, are not taken by surprise as one improbable event after another takes place.  

Even those of the house of God who have only maintained what they considered to be a relationship with the Father simply because they believed if they faked it well enough, He would bless them abundantly are stunned, speechless, seeing the pieces of the last days puzzle coming together seamlessly as it was foretold in the Word.  The writing is on the wall and though many see it as Belshazzar saw it, due to their deeply held doctrine of never seeing hardship or trouble, of being caught away at the first signs of adversity, they are somehow able to justify indifference toward a loving God, and refuse to prepare themselves for what is about to unfold.  ‘Why should we worry about tomorrow, if we won’t be here to see it?’ This is the deadpan answer I have received so often when attempting to teach on end time prophecy and on end time events.  ‘It’s all well and good brother, but at best this is an intellectual exercise.  We’ll all be in heaven, and have a front row seat watching the times of trouble unfold on the earth.  It is interesting, you’ve put allot of thought into this, but in the end quite pointless.’

Times are changing, life is becoming increasingly difficult, prophecy is being fulfilled, and those who refuse to see the truth of the Gospel continue to keep one eye firmly fixed on the heavens, thinking to themselves, ‘any minute now, He’s got to show up in the clouds any minute now.’

This article is not for such people.  Even when one can prove Biblically that we will be here far longer than they had previously thought, they still refuse to believe it, dragging out the old tired line, ‘that’s the way you choose to interpret it brother, I see it different.’ It is not about interpreting the Word, it’s about reading and receiving it as is, without allowing our personal feelings or emotions to cloud the truth of the Gospel.  

Matthew 24:29-31, “Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.  Then, the sign of the Son of man will appear in the heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.  And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.”

In the context of this passage, knowing that Jesus Christ, the Son of God and Savior of mankind spoke them, I would like to broach the subject of sanctuary, or refuge during these times.  As of late I have been asked by a growing number of brothers and sisters, what it is that they should do, and where it is that they should go, knowing the season that approaches.  I will begin by saying that there is no easy answer.  What may be God’s perfect will for me, and what may be my place of safety, may not be thus for my brother or my father.  We must acknowledge the fact that our faith is not collective, and thereby the place of refuge is not a singular geographical location, where all believers will congregate eventually.  

For the past decade or so, men have been popping up throughout this land, claiming to know the place of refuge for all of Christendom, that one specific location wherein God’s children will be protected and spared.  These locations change of course, from one individual to another ranging from Belize, to Chile, to Argentina, to the Ural Mountains, and some easily swayed souls who were not grounded in the Word packed up and moved away without a second thought.  If anyone reading this article today is considering packing up and moving out based on another man’s advice, please, please reconsider.  If God told him to move to Belize, then by all means brother, have a safe flight, and look out for the spiders.  The fact that God told one individual does not mean it is a blanket statement for the entire body of Christ.  When it comes to something such as this, God will speak to each of His children individually, and yes, some will be told to leave, but most will be told to stay, that they may be a testimony of God’s ability to protect even in the eye of the storm.  

Our place of sanctuary is not a geographical location.  Our place of sanctuary is in the will of God, under the shadow of His wing.  If we have not grown and matured in God, if we have not learned to trust Him implicitly in every area of our lives, then it will not matter where we go geographically speaking.  When someone leaves a nation out of fear for what is coming, and not due to the fact that God told him or her to do so, they have removed themselves from under the covering of God’s protection.  

Amos 5:4, “For thus says the Lord of the house of Israel: ‘seek Me and live.”

Yes, I have been praying and petitioning God to allow me to move back to my homeland because it is the desire of my heart, yet here I will stand until He tells me to go.  If He never tells me to go, then here I will be for I know that here is the only place where I will find myself in His perfect will and thereby be spared the judgments that are ready to be poured out upon the ungodly.  

Psalm 33:13-21, “The Lord looks from heaven; He sees all the sons of men.  From the place of His habitation He looks on all the inhabitants of the earth; He fashions their hearts individually; He considers all their works.  No king is saved by the multitude of an army; a mighty man is not delivered by great strength.  A horse is a vain hope for safety; neither shall it deliver any by its great strength.  Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear Him, on those who hope in His mercy, to deliver their soul from death, and to keep them alive in famine.  Our soul waits for the Lord; He is our help and our shield.  For our heart shall rejoice in Him because we have trusted in His holy name.”

Oh that we would understand this sacred passage and know where our refuge and our sanctuary truly are.  Oh that we would open our eyes to the reality that our strength, our storehouses, our plans and notions of what will keep us safe are worthless.  Oh that we would see the truth of God’s word and know that those who fear Him, and hope in His mercy will be delivered from death and kept alive in famine.  

Dear friend, if God tells you to go, then by all means go.  However, if God has not spoken, do not make the mistake of presuming to know the mind of God, do not make the mistake of walking out of His perfect will thinking that you know better than He.  If I can encourage you with anything, it is with the reassurance that God is able to protect both you and your family, no matter what may come.  

The judgment of God is reserved for the ungodly, just as the plagues were reserved for Egypt.  In the midst of Egypt there was a land called Goshen, where the children of Israel happened to be.  They had not been told to go anywhere; they were protected exactly where they were.  While the plagues of God rained down upon the land of Egypt, Goshen was at peace, for the children of God dwelt there.  

‘But brother Mike, what about the scripture that tells us to come out of her My people?’ My answer to this, is how can you go when you were not sent?  It is easier to presume a physical exodus from this land, than search our hearts to see if we have come out of Babylon spiritually.  There are countless souls who are still tethered spiritually to the spirit of Babylon, and God in His infinite wisdom is admonishing His people to come out of her, while they may.  

Proverbs 14:26-27, “In the fear of the Lord there is strong confidence, and His children will have a place of refuge.  The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life, to avoid the snares of death.”

It is not in South America, it is not in the Congo, it is not in Paraguay that the children of God will have a place of refuge it is in the fear of the Lord.  If we are obedient children, He will guide and protect us like a loving Father.  If the fear of the Lord is ever present in our hearts, and as such we remove ourselves from the world, and we learn to hate evil, for the fear of the Lord is to hate evil, then we have strong confidence, for the fear of the Lord is a fountain of life, and causes us to avoid the snares of death.  

No, the judgment that is about to descend, not only upon this nation but upon the world is not intended for the children of God, for just as Israel was spared in Goshen, so too will we have a refuge, a safe haven, and a sanctuary in God.  The persecution that will follow however, well that is an article for another time.

With love in Christ,

Michael Boldea Jr.