Instant In Season, Out Of Season

2 Timothy 4:2

A Greek, A Kiwi And a Pastor Meet In An Airport Food court.

I was already sitting there enjoying a Turkish beef Gozleme when they turned up, first the Greek, then the Kiwi. We were seated in the food court of the Sydney Airport domestic departures on Friday morning. I had my laptop open on the long refectory table answering emails, when they came one after the other and sat around me. The Greek was with his wife across from me, and the Kiwi with his wife to my left. None of us knew each other, but that was about to change.

The common question of introduction in an airport departure lounge was first offered by the Greek’s wife to the Kiwi’s, “so where are you headed?” she asks, “we are on our way to Melbourne and then on to Fiji” the Kiwi’s wife responds. As a loner, I was not worthy of being asked.

Well, the conversation went from journey destinations to mask mandates via a Segway I had not noticed, in my mind there was a hyperlink I missed. Nevertheless, as their interests found common ground with mine, my ears simply tuned a little more delicately to their conversation. Eventually the conversation between the Greek and the Kiwi stopped as they sensed, somehow telepathically, my own unspoken frequency; I looked at them looking at me ….“Don’t get me started!” I said smiling, “If I start talking about this thing you won’t shut me up”, still smiling.

The Greek asked on which side of the fence I stood, “for or against?”; and it was not long before the hyperlink of biblical prophecy was clicked and all conversation took on a relevance hidden in plain sight.

Time was against us unfortunately, the Greek had to leave first to catch their flight to Darwin, the Kiwi remained a little longer to ask more questions, both however were encouraged by the revelation (pun intended). The patient Kiwi had the better result,  desiring now to give the New Testament of the Bible another look.

I came to realize that ‘Prophecy’ in the Bible is not there primarily to encourage the way of the righteous, but to warn the way of the lost. All through the Old Testament, the multitude of prophetic narratives and teachings, though encouraging those to whom the Word of the Lord was revealed, was there to WARN the wicked of their ways, and to find refuge in the Lord. As they witness events in their present day MATCH that which was heard of Scripture thousands of years ago, they may believe.

 “Thus will I magnify myself, and sanctify myself; and I will be known in the eyes of many nations, and they shall know that I am the LORD.” (Ezek 38:23)

Pr Edi Giudetti