I was reading Revelation 12: 7-12 (NIV, Zondervan): “Then war broke out in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. But he was not strong enough, and they lost their place in heaven. The great dragon was hurled down-that ancient serpent called the devil, or satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him. Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say: “Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Messiah (Christ in NKJV). For the accuser of our brothers and sisters, who accuses them before our God day and night has been hurled down. They triumphed over him by the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death. Therefore rejoice, you heavens and you who dwell in them! But woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has gone to you! He is filled with fury, because he knows that his time is short.” I have read this passage many times before, but this is the first time Holy Spirit said, “satan knows his time is short, but do you know your time is short?

When Holy Spirit asked me this question, He was not talking about my death or how many years I have been given to live on the earth.

Jesus will return soon, much sooner than we realize. Believe me when I say that I have no idea when that will be. Acts 1:6-8. What I am saying is that we need to be about our Father’s business. We need to grow up. 2 Peter 1:3-11; James 1:2-8. We have been immature for far too long and time is passing quickly:

1. 1 Corinthians 13:11: “When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man (as in “Mankind”), I put the ways of childhood behind me.”
2. 1 Corinthians 3:1-3: “Brother and sisters, I could not address you as people who live by the Spirit but as people who are still worldly-mere infants in Christ. I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready, You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere humans? For when one says, ‘I follow Paul’ and another, ‘I follow Apollos’ are you not mere human beings?”
3. Hebrews 5:11-6:3: “We have much to say about this, but it is hard to make it clear to you because you no longer try to understand. In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil. Therefore let us move beyond the elementary teachings about Christ and be taken forward to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death, and of faith in God, instructions about cleansing rites, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgement. And God permitting, we will do so.”
4. Our time is short in understanding that God is our All in All; that we are nothing without Him, and can do nothing without Him. Matthew 6:25-34; Luke 12:22-34; Matthew 13:18-23; Mark 4:13-20; Luke 8:11-15.

To see the Kingdom of God, we must seek the God of the Kingdom. Psalm 27; 84; Matthew 22:36-40; Mark 12:28-31.

We can not comply with the commandments without having a heart to Acknowledge our God and honoring Him. Exodus 20:1-17; Deuteronomy5:1-22. It is in the presence of God that we experience a relationship with Him (Love Him), and we come to know and understand His Love for us; filled to overflowing, we can give His Love to others.

We must first lay down our lives to take up His Life. We can’t give what we don’t have, and what God is and has is eternal. Philippians 3:7-16; 2 Corinthians 4:7-18; 2 Corinthians 5:14-6:2.

Jesus said that the harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few, and that He is sending us to reap the harvest. Matthew 9:35-38; John 4:34-38.

The time is short. We dare not waste time “going around the mountain” once again; refusing to pick up our cross and follow Him; hiding His Light under a basket; making excuses; setting our hands to the plow, but looking backwards; trying to serve ourselves/world and Jesus at the same time. Matthew 5:13-16; 6: 24; 8:18-22; Luke 9:57-62; 16:13. Read Revelation, chapters 2,3.

THE TIME IS SHORT.