A Tale of Two Cruise Ships: Glory Overtakes Legend

Did you happen to see it on last night's news?  Two Carnival Cruise ships had a serious accident. Here is one account I found today on the internet:
"One Carnival cruise ship crashed into another while trying to dock at a port in Mexico on Friday, leaving six injured passengers, a damaged hull and a handful of expletive-laden social media videos in its wake. The crash happened as the Glory cruise ship was “maneuvering to dock” in Cozumel, an island off the Caribbean coast of Mexico, and struck the Legend, which was already docked, Chelsea Stromfeld, a spokeswoman for the cruise line, said in an email. Videos of the crash were captured by bystanders and shared widely on social media. They showed the nose of the Glory striking the back of the Legend, causing a great crashing sound and ripping a hole in the side of the ship."


It was the name of these ships that caught my attention and I knew immediately that God was speaking through this strange altercation, but I did not get the full message until 2:00 this morning. After watching the accident play out several times on the news broadcast, I kept repeating the ship names: "GLORY" and "LEGEND."   What did it mean? I was so struck by the name Glory, understanding of course that the word "glory" in biblical Hebrew is the word kavod, which refers to the weightiness, the heaviness of the Presence of Almighty God and His Spirit. But what does the word "legend" mean?  The Random House Dictionary defines it this way: "an unverified story handed down by tradition from earlier times and popularly accepted as historical."   

At 2:00 a.m. the Holy Spirit began to explain it to me. I know some may find this offensive, but please let me assure you this is not coming from me, but from the Lord, who had to explain it to me!  "The LEGEND," He said, "represents Santa Clause and the whole story of his toy shop and his reindeer and his mythical ride throughout the earth to deliver toys and material goods. It represents the many traditions  of this thing the world calls "Christmas" that has become a stench in my nostrils as the people over-spend and over-indulge and gratify the flesh without any thought or understanding of what the real truth of this special day is. Many who keep this holiday do not even believe that I sent My Son to be born of a virgin Jewish woman, raised up to be a "Son of Man," who fulfilled My Torah perfectly and taught all the world how to live a righteous life, and then gave His life as a ransom for many, shedding His own blood on a cruel cross, to pay the price for the sin of mankind."

The Spirit continued to speak to me: "Pray that MY GLORY will strike the LEGEND that has perverted the TRUE STORY and turned it into a commercial, self-seeking nightmare! The prophet Jeremiah warned the people of his day about the idols and customs that God hates. He writes, "For the customs of the peoples are worthless; they cut a tree out of the forest and a craftsman shapes it with his chisel. They adorn it with silver and gold; they fasten it with hammer and nails so it will not totter." (Jeremiah 10:1-4)  Those pagan customs and legends have survived even into our own times, replacing the worship and the holiness of Yeshua/Jesus, our soon-coming King!

Even as the "nose of the ship Glory struck the back of the ship Legend, causing a great crashing sound, so the Sound of the Coming of the Son of Man will strike terror into many hearts! Matthew 24:29-31:"Immediately after the distress of those days [the Great Tribulation], the sun will be darkened and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken. At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky and all the nations of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great GLORY. And He will send His angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds from one end of the earth to the other."

GLORY WILL OVERTAKE LEGEND ON THAT DAY! It will not be Santa Claus riding across the sky, as the legend goes, but the MESSIAH, THE KING OF GLORY, WITH ALL HIS ANGELS! May we be found a people who repent of the legends, and seek His Glorious Face. May we be willing to shed the customs and traditions that have nothing to do with Him, and seek HIS TRUTH.  May we put less focus on the Baby in the manger, and fix our hearts on the Powerful Message of the Cross - the REAL REASON FOR HIS COMING.
Amen.