When Do the Pains Begin?

“Then behold, at eventide, trouble! And before the morning, he is no more. This is the portion of those who plunder us, And the lot of those who rob us.”  Isaiah 17:14  NKJV 

Did you know that labor pains, or contractions, are more likely to occur at night rather than during the day? Now don’t ask me why because I am not a doctor, but I do recall being awakened at night with those memorable words; “it’s starting”. Anyone familiar with what Jesus had to say about the end of the church age could more than likely tell you that He compared what many of us believe is about to occur with the onset of a woman’s labor pains. If you have followed my thoughts for any length of time, you probably understand that I believe the next major prophetic event on Israel’s calendar is the fulfillment of the Destruction of Damascus that we find in Isaiah 17.

“The burden against Damascus. “Behold, Damascus will cease from being a city, And it will be a ruinous heap.”  Isaiah 17:1  NKJV

The past few weeks have seen several events unfold in that region which may, considering where I believe we are on God’s prophetic calendar, be signs that the onset of labor is fast approaching.  After saying that, you might be wondering if I believe that the destruction of the city of Damascus is the beginning of the actual labor, as opposed to just another sign.  Truthfully, I suppose I would have to confess that for quite some time I have thought exactly that. You see, while there are many signs for nine months or so that a woman is pregnant, it is the painful contractions which signal the onset of labor.  So the question we should ask is what event could be the first contraction?

If we were to take a poll, I am reasonably sure the vast majority would say that the attempted Gog Magog invasion of Ezekiel 38,39 is the conflict which gives the antichrist his opportunity to assume power, and begin the seventieth week of Daniel.

“ ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “On that day it shall come to pass that thoughts will arise in your mind, and you will make an evil plan: “You will say, ‘I will go up against a land of unwalled villages; I will go to a peaceful people, who dwell safely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates’—“to take plunder and to take booty, to stretch out your hand against the waste places that are again inhabited, and against a people gathered from the nations, who have acquired livestock and goods, who dwell in the midst of the land.”  Ezekiel 38:10-12  NKJV

Although Gog might have a plan in place, it follows that it would help him immensely if he were to be given an excuse to exercise it.  As I have studied both the Isaiah 17 and Ezekiel 38,39 prophecies over the years it has become my firm belief that the destruction of Damascus by Israel is the excuse Gog is waiting for to implement his evil plan.  So it has been with great interest over the past few years that I have watched Russia begin to move into the Middle East and assume a position from which it could easily fulfill what many believe to be its destiny concerning the future attempted invasion of Israel.

Of course, what I have found to be truly interesting is that Russia has done this by choosing to actively support the regime of Bashar Assad of Syria, and also the terrorist organization Hizballah.  Why interesting?  Since Israel is foretold to be the instrument of Damascus’ destruction, they would certainly need a compelling excuse to do so.  I have read on more than one occasion the opinion that the last person anyone would want to play a game of chess with would be Vladimir Putin.  I would certainly agree with that sentiment, and it is with that in mind that I look at his moves in the region of the Middle East and especially Syria with great suspicion in regards to the future of Israel.

Any conflict with Syria could easily escalate to the point where the fulfillment of Isaiah 17 could take place.  Assad of Syria and Nasrallah of Hizballah have made it perfectly clear that they would like nothing better than to see a world without Israel or the Jewish people.   An attack on the nation of Israel which threatens their existence would provoke an overwhelming response, thus putting into motion the evil plan of Gog by giving him the excuse he needs.  I believe too, that when it does occur (and we know it will), in hindsight it will be seen to be the beginning of the “labor” we are watching for.  

“And it will come to pass at the same time, when Gog comes against the land of Israel,” says the Lord GOD, “that My fury will show in My face. “For in My jealousy and in the fire of My wrath I have spoken: ‘Surely in that day there shall be a great earthquake in the land of Israel, ‘so that the fish of the sea, the birds of the heavens, the beasts of the field, all creeping things that creep on the earth, and all men who are on the face of the earth shall shake at My presence. The mountains shall be thrown down, the steep places shall fall, and every wall shall fall to the ground.’ “I will call for a sword against Gog throughout all My mountains,” says the Lord GOD. “Every man’s sword will be against his brother. “And I will bring him to judgment with pestilence and bloodshed; I will rain down on him, on his troops, and on the many peoples who are with him, flooding rain, great hailstones, fire, and brimstone. “Thus I will magnify Myself and sanctify Myself, and I will be known in the eyes of many nations. Then they shall know that I am the LORD.” ’    Ezekiel 38:18-23  NKJV

Only time will tell if what I have shared with you today is accurate, but the one thing I believe all of us can agree upon is that the end is near.  The violence we are seeing on an almost weekly basis now, the moves nations are making, the alliances being made and the threats being offered are simply too many to be explained away by any other reasoning.  We are at the point where the painful contractions which signal the onset of labor could occur at any time.

Keep watching.

http://debka.com/article/25539/IDF-bulldozers-with-tanks-enter-Golan-DMZ

http://debka.com/article/25566/Russian-arms-for-Hizballah-cross-Israel%E2%80%99s-red-line

http://debka.com/article/25572/Syrian-Russian-Provocations-Could-Spark-Golan-Clash

Who's Conducting the Orchestra?

“And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,”  2 Thessalonians 2:8-9  KJV 

Our subject for the past few weeks has been the acts of violence which are seemingly becoming an almost weekly occurrence throughout the world.  Something we can also observe are the struggles many are having in trying to explain these events, and the motivations behind which produce them.  Simply turn on any news channel or read any commentary in the secular news and you will find numerous attempts at an explanation, and generally speaking, no agreement at all concerning why violence around the world is increasing.  Fortunately for we as believers, the answer is clear and spelled out for us in the prophetic Word from our Father in heaven.

Most students of prophecy, or even those who only passingly familiar with what the Bible teaches about the tribulation period which is soon to come upon the earth, will recognize the passage above from Thessalonians as referring to the coming world leader, most often called the antichrist.  Yet many miss the one word which helps to explain exactly what we are seeing in the world today, and the reason for the violence which seems to be evolving into an almost daily occurrence.  The word I am referring to is found in verse 9, and it is the word “after”.

You see, we as believers are told, and most are willing to accept, that the individual behind the evil we are seeing today is none other than Satan.  Of course, some might well ask the question why it is all of a sudden increasing to the extent we are seeing with signs of only getting worse and not better. Personally, I see a parallel between what Satan is doing, and what a conductor of a symphony does as he conducts an orchestra.  I have had the opportunity to watch many performances by some of the world’s greatest conductors and it is always amazing to me to watch the intensity build as the conductor leads the orchestra to where he wants them to go, the grand finale.

For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way.  2 Thessalonians 2:7  NKJV

Did you notice Paul’s comment, “already at work”?  Of course, Satan has been working against our Father since the Garden of Eden, but in the context of the preparation for the appearing of his minion the antichrist, Satan is now creating the conditions which will allow the antichrist to take power as easily as he will.  It seems a simple premise, but many miss the fact that in order for one man to become the world’s “Mr. Fixit”, the world has to be broken.  What we are seeing now with such an increase in violence is Satan leading the world to the finale which will usher in the reign of his chosen one.

All these are the beginning of birth pains.  Matthew 24:8  NIV

Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places, and famines. These are the beginning of birth pains.  Mark 13:8  NIV

When Jesus spoke to his disciples in the garden concerning the point in time that we have so obviously arrived at, He chose to use the example of a woman in labor to illustrate how events would unfold.  Although some might argue that the events Jesus was referring to occur exclusively within the seven year tribulation, I believe the picture we are given is enlightening in the fact that for nine months of a pregnancy it is painfully obvious that a woman is preparing to give birth.  Not only do I believe some of the events Jesus referred to can occur before the beginning of the tribulation, I am certain what we are witnessing today in this world and the dramatic increase in violence is a sign the labor is upon us.

As I watch the world attempt to explain away the increasing level of violence we are witnessing and place the blame for it on something or someone, I often hear things like the New World Order, the Illuminati, the Bilderburg Group, and even George Soros, one of the world’s richest men.  While not disagreeing with any speculation for the possibility of some or all of these entities having a hand in the violence we are seeing, my question for you today is rather simple.  Who do you think is behind them?  You see although the world looks for an easy, explainable scapegoat, as believers we understand that the presence of evil in this world lies at the feet of only one source, Satan.  Men are simply the tool he uses to accomplish his goals.

“The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked; Who can know it?”  Jeremiah 17:9  NKJV

Satan is orchestrating the evil we see today and is using it to lead an unbelieving world to the point in time where they will gladly embrace the appearance of Satan’s handpicked world leader who will usher in the period of time which will eventually threaten the very existence of the world we know. How bad will things get?  

“men’s hearts failing them from fear and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken.”  Luke 21:26  NKJV

“For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be. “And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect’s sake those days will be shortened.”  Matthew 24:21-22  NKJV

As believers we are told that the violence during tribulation period will be so bad that not only will men die simply from the fear they experience, if God did not intervene and stop the tribulation at seven years every man, woman, and child on earth would die.  This is Satan’s plan for this world, and what we are seeing now is Satan orchestrating events to bring his plan to fruition.  I believe the labor pains are only going to get worse, and according to the Word of God, they will not stop until He comes to put an end to it.  Our responsibility today as the church, the body of Christ, is to recognize the enemy, resist the enemy, and reveal the enemy.  When an unbelieving world wonders at the violence we are seeing, we as believers are afforded the perfect opportunity to share the hope of our deliverance. 

“For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.”  Ephesians 6:12  NKJV

Of course, while the deliverance from the evil of this world is available to all, it’s guaranteed only to those who choose to accept it by believing on the sacrifice of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  If you are reading this today and have never made that decision, you can do it right now wherever you might be by simply praying a prayer like this; Jesus I know that I am a sinner, and have sinned against you.  I believe you loved me enough to send your Son Jesus to die for my sins, and that He rose from the dead so that I can live.  Forgive me of my sins and come into my life and help me to live for you.  In Jesus’ name, Amen.

“that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”  Romans 10:9-10  NKJV

Keep watching.

What In the World is Going On? (conclusion)

I started last week’s blog with the statement, “another week and another tragedy”, and unfortunately it would appear that we could well repeat it yet again this week.  Not surprisingly, I read many commentaries this week where people were asking the same types of questions that Habakkuk asked of God.  I began teaching eschatology almost twenty years ago now and have often asked the question of those to whom I spoke as to just how perilous would the world have to become before mankind acknowledged that something very unusual was going on? 

We are told by Peter that mockers in the last days will use the excuse that things are continuing the same as they have forever, (2 Peter 3:3-4).  Really?  My question to them today would be just how blind are you willing to become in order to ignore what we all see happening before our very eyes?  Yet for those of us who believe, just like Habakkuk we understand that the world is proceeding according to the plan laid out by God and the time is very near where He will assert His control over it.  Here is the final installment of Jack Kelley’s commentary on Habakkuk.

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Habakkuk 3

A prayer of Habakkuk the prophet. On shigionoth. (Habakkuk 3:1)

Having finally realized the wisdom of God’s plan, Habakkuk breaks forth in a passionate prayer of apology. To capture the spirit in which Habakkuk offered this prayer, chapter three was set to a type of music called Shigionoth and sung like a psalm. Shigionoth is a Hebrew musical term describing frenzied, impassioned music and dance. The amplified Bible defines it as wild, enthusiastic and triumphal music. Other definitions include inspired or motivational, an intoxication in the Holy Spirit. Some have called it the rock music of its day. Suffice it to say that Habakkuk was full of the Spirit, spontaneously beginning to sing and then dance as the words of his prayer came gushing forth.

LORD, I have heard of your fame; I stand in awe of your deeds, O LORD. Renew them in our day, in our time make them known; in wrath remember mercy.

God came from Teman, the Holy One from Mount Paran. His glory covered the heavens and his praise filled the earth. His splendor was like the sunrise; rays flashed from his hand, where his power was hidden. Plague went before him; pestilence followed his steps. He stood, and shook the earth; He looked, and made the nations tremble. The ancient mountains crumbled and the age-old hills collapsed. His ways are eternal.

I saw the tents of Cushan in distress, the dwellings of Midian in anguish. Were you angry with the rivers, O LORD ? Was your wrath against the streams? Did you rage against the sea when you rode with your horses and your victorious chariots?

You uncovered your bow, you called for many arrows. You split the earth with rivers; the mountains saw you and writhed. Torrents of water swept by; the deep roared and lifted its waves on high. Sun and moon stood still in the heavens at the glint of your flying arrows, at the lightning of your flashing spear.

In wrath you strode through the earth and in anger you threshed the nations. You came out to deliver your people, to save your anointed one. You crushed the leader of the land of wickedness, you stripped him from head to foot.

With his own spear you pierced his head when his warriors stormed out to scatter us, gloating as though about to devour the wretched, who were in hiding. You trampled the sea with your horses, churning the great waters.

I heard and my heart pounded, my lips quivered at the sound; decay crept into my bones, and my legs trembled. Yet I will wait patiently for the day of calamity to come on the nation invading us. Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will be joyful in God my Savior. The Sovereign LORD is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to go on the heights. (Habakkuk 3:2-19)

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, King Solomon wrote, (Prov. 9:10) and as Habakkuk concluded his prayer we can see that he had acquired both. He knew that the behavior of his people deserved judgment, and that the Lord would have to act. In fact he had criticized Him for delaying.

He also knew that the Babylonians were evil and given to excess and that the Lord would have to punish them, too. Isaiah had prophesied that very thing 150 years earlier. I was angry with my people and desecrated my inheritance; I gave them into your hand, and you showed them no mercy. Even on the aged you laid a very heavy yoke. (Isaiah 47:6)

And Jeremiah, a contemporary of Habakkuk’s, had written, “But when the seventy years are fulfilled, I will punish the king of Babylon and his nation, the land of the Babylonians, for their guilt,” declares the LORD, “and will make it desolate forever. (Jere. 25:12)

(Jeremiah had earlier foretold the term of Judah’s captivity in Babylon as being 70 years. After that they would return and rebuild Jerusalem and the Temple. True to His word, the Lord raised up the Medes and the Persians to conquer Babylon 70 years from Babylon’s first siege of Jerusalem.)

Far from being rewarded, as Habakkuk had earlier accused the Lord of doing by choosing them as His instrument of judgment, the Babylonians would be sealing their own fate. Their abusive treatment of the Jews entrusted to them would be the last straw for the Lord. But He would choose the time and means of their destruction.

Now I Get It

Habakkuk had seen the light. No matter what happened, he would praise the Lord, relying on his faith to carry him through the difficulties ahead. And that’s the most important message for us to receive from this study. The righteous shall live by faith, irrespective of circumstance or situation.

America’s leaders tell us that Islamic terrorism of the nuclear variety is all but inevitable. It’s not a question of if but when. And if Habakkuk was writing to us as well as Judah, I detected no promise in his book of escape for our nation.

Years ago Billy Graham said that if God doesn’t judge America, He’ll have to apologize to Sodom and Gomorrah. God is just and whatever He permits to befall us is nothing more than we deserve. That being the case, the rallying cry of the Protestant Reformation must become our watchword for today. The righteous shall live by faith.

Does that mean that we should just sit here and wait for the inevitable? Of course not. Neither should we deny the reality of our plight as so many in Habakkuk’s time did. We have to prepare for the worst. But though our enemies rise up in our midst, our prosperity vanish before our eyes, and our trust in the things of this world totally betray us, yet will we rejoice in the LORD, and be joyful in God our Savior. The Sovereign LORD is our strength; he makes our feet like the feet of a deer, he enables us to go on the heights.

Rejoice in the Lord always, Paul wrote. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Phil. 4:4-7) Sounds like Habakkuk and Paul agree on this. How about you? 10-30-05

Ps 37

Why do the nations conspire and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers gather together against the Lord and against his Anointed One.

“Let us break their chains,” they say, “and throw off their fetters.”

The One enthroned in heaven laughs; the Lord scoffs at them. Then he rebukes them in his anger and terrifies them in his wrath, saying, “I have installed my King on Zion, my holy hill.” (Psalm 2:1-6)

…

I am astounded that so many of those who profess to be believers can watch what is unfolding before our very eyes and still deny the nearness of our deliverance through the rapture of the Church into the presence of our Lord and Savior.  I often quote or refer you to the website Rapture Ready as a resource for those who believe we are soon to leave this world.  The founder of that website, Terry James, has just released a new book titled “Rapture Ready…or not?”  I highly recommend you purchase a copy for it is one of the best books on the subject I have read in many years.  It is well written, researched, and full of resource material you can use to defend your belief in the coming rapture of the Church.  You can read a preview on Amazon and I would suggest you pay close attention to the preface where we can get a glimpse of the joy that waits for us when our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ calls us home.

Keep watching.

What In the World is Going On? (continued)

Does it seem to you as if the world is slowly beginning to spin out of control?  Another week and another tragedy that is simply too horrific to explain.  Look back at the past few years and answer the question; “are things getting better or are they getting worse?” We began last week to look at an article written by Jack Kelley about the book of Habakkuk, and how applicable it seems to be when compared to the world we are living in today.  Today we look at the second part of the article, and Habakkuk’s conversation with the Lord.

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Habakkuk’s Second Complaint

O LORD, are you not from everlasting? My God, my Holy One, we will not die. O LORD, you have appointed them to execute judgment; O Rock, you have ordained them to punish. Your eyes are too pure to look on evil; you cannot tolerate wrong. Why then do you tolerate the treacherous? Why are you silent while the wicked swallow up those more righteous than themselves? You have made men like fish in the sea, like sea creatures that have no ruler. The wicked foe pulls all of them up with hooks, he catches them in his net, he gathers them up in his dragnet; and so he rejoices and is glad.Therefore he sacrifices to his net and burns incense to his dragnet, for by his net he lives in luxury and enjoys the choicest food. Is he to keep on emptying his net, destroying nations without mercy? (Habakkuk 1:12-17)

Surely the Lord couldn’t be behind the rise in terrorism. He’s too pure. He couldn’t possibly condone that kind of evil, could He? But somehow, like the tentacles of some giant yet invisible octopus, Islamic terrorists have slithered into every western society and according to some have positioned themselves undetected at our most vulnerable points, awaiting the signal to strike. And we admittedly have no certain defense against what will surely be a devastating attack. “It’s inevitable,” we’re told. How did they accomplish this? Will the Lord really permit this to happen to his own people?

And if He does, will the terrorists then acknowledge Him as their benefactor after they’ve struck? Will they proclaim Him as their God? Or will they give the credit to the one they worship, offering sacrifices and burning incense to him as if he had brought them the victory?

The Israelites expected God to protect them from the Babylonians. They convinced themselves that He would never permit any harm to come to them, even as the Babylonians were camped outside their gates. They were His people, after all. Never mind their unfaithfulness, their lusting after false gods, their disrespect for the fatherless, the down trodden, the widows. Never mind that they only gave lip service to their beliefs, that their worship had become form without substance, ceremony without meaning, that they sacrificed their children in the name of prosperity, and worshipped the idols of the harvest.

It’s different now, we say. But is it? We sing, “God bless America” playing lip service to our relationship while our sins pile up to the heavens just as theirs did. And even now, as our leaders admit the inevitability of further attacks and as our countries suffer storms and earthquakes and the threat of pandemic disease, are our churches and synagogues full of repentant worshipers, praying as Habakkuk did, “In wrath, remember mercy”? (Habakkuk 3:2)

For over 50 years Christians have looked with concern on the plight of Israel while Islamic enemies periodically tried to wipe them off the face of the Earth. Now the fight’s come to us, just as they promised it would, and we seem surprised. We don’t even consider that this might be another, stronger warning from God.

A few conservative preachers call terrorism an attack on our religion, but not even they suggest that it might be more than that. They join the secular voices demanding stronger fences on our borders, bigger weapons in our arsenals, and tighter restrictions on our populations, but where are the voices calling for repentance from our lifestyle, or for mass prayer vigils in our auditoriums and stadiums? Are we already so far gone that God has spoken to them as He spoke to Jeremiah. “So do not pray for this people nor offer any plea or petition for them; do not plead with me, for I will not listen to you. (Jeremiah 7:16)

Habakkuk 2

I will stand at my watch and station myself on the ramparts; I will look to see what he will say to me, and what answer I am to give to this complaint. (Habakkuk 2:1)

Habakkuk has complained about the Lord’s method of judging Judah. “Sure, we deserve it” he said, “But at the hand of the Babylonians? They’re ever so much worse than we are, and they don’t even believe in you. Do You think they’ll credit You for giving them victory over us? No, they’ll think it was their god who did this, and they’ll worship him for it.”

The LORD’s Answer

Then the LORD replied: “Write down the revelation and make it plain on tablets so that a herald may run with it. For the revelation awaits an appointed time; it speaks of the end and will not prove false. Though it linger, wait for it; it will certainly come and will not delay.

“See, he is puffed up; his desires are not upright— but the righteous will live by his faith – indeed, wine betrays him; he is arrogant and never at rest. Because he is as greedy as the grave and like death is never satisfied, he gathers to himself all the nations and takes captive all the peoples.

“Will not all of them taunt him with ridicule and scorn, saying, ” ‘Woe to him who piles up stolen goods and makes himself wealthy by extortion! How long must this go on?’

Will not your debtors suddenly arise? Will they not wake up and make you tremble?

Then you will become their victim. Because you have plundered many nations, the peoples who are left will plunder you. For you have shed man’s blood; you have destroyed lands and cities and everyone in them.

“Woe to him who builds his realm by unjust gain to set his nest on high, to escape the clutches of ruin! You have plotted the ruin of many peoples, shaming your own house and forfeiting your life. The stones of the wall will cry out, and the beams of the woodwork will echo it.

“Woe to him who builds a city with bloodshed and establishes a town by crime! Has not the LORD Almighty determined that the people’s labor is only fuel for the fire, that the nations exhaust themselves for nothing? For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.

“Woe to him who gives drink to his neighbors, pouring it from the wineskin till they are drunk, so that he can gaze on their naked bodies. You will be filled with shame instead of glory. Now it is your turn! Drink and be exposed! The cup from the LORD’s right hand is coming around to you, and disgrace will cover your glory. The violence you have done to Lebanon will overwhelm you, and your destruction of animals will terrify you. For you have shed man’s blood; you have destroyed lands and cities and everyone in them.

“Of what value is an idol, since a man has carved it? Or an image that teaches lies? For he who makes it trusts in his own creation; he makes idols that cannot speak. Woe to him who says to wood, ‘Come to life!’ Or to lifeless stone, ‘Wake up!’ Can it give guidance? It is covered with gold and silver; there is no breath in it. But the LORD is in his holy temple; let all the earth be silent before him.” (Habakkuk 2:2-20)

Chapter two deals primarily with the Lord’s condemnation of the Babylonians, declaring in no uncertain terms His distaste for those evil people. In language eerily reminiscent of His judgment of Satan in Isaiah 14:1-23 (interestingly called the King of Babylon there) He answers Habakkuk’s complaint by promising Babylon’s destruction. Cautioning him to be patient, He swears that it will surely happen.

However there would be no reprieve for Judah. In spite of repeated warnings, Judah had failed to repent and would be judged. The only hint of hope is tucked away in verse four and is given to individuals, not the nation. The righteous shall live by faith. Their faith in God and His infinite mercy would see them through this difficult and destructive time.

Is this how it will be in our day? The West is also ripe for judgment, and it appears that Islamic terrorists are positioned to bring it to us just like their ancestors did to Judah. If so, Europe and America are in for even more difficult times, and as His people we’re admonished to rely on our faith to see us through. Like it did in Judah’s case, the judgment will come, but our enemy’s victory will be short lived, as his ultimate destruction awaits the appointed time and will not prove false. His god will be of no help to him then; the error of his teachings exposed. But the Lord will stand in His Holy Temple; let all the Earth be silent before Him.

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There have been many articles written this past week attempting to explain the violence this world is seeing, and in many the word “agenda” has been used.  Unfortunately no one as yet has been willing to apply this word to the one individual behind all of the violence that is occurring everywhere today.  That person is Satan.  It is his agenda which will bring about the end of days and it is no surprise that we see it unfolding right now before our very eyes.

Keep watching.