Cakewalk

“For then there will be great affliction, 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 kept safe alive; but for the elect’s sake those days will be shortened.”  Matthew 24:21-22

 

The other evening in Kalispell, Montana, my family and I were taking a walk near our neighborhood at dusk.  Glancing towards the Continental Divide we saw the blood moon in its fullness, looking much larger than normal. 

 

I had seen the articles on the internet numerous times prior to this lunar event, but had forgotten that on Friday night it was viewable.  With clear skies, the sight was something out of the ordinary, though I was reminded of the ‘red moon’ that we have seen after dark numerous times.  These types of red moons are due to the amount of smoke in the air from the wildfires that in years prior have been ravishing our forests in the mountainous western part of Montana. 

 

The next day, while reading news, there were articles questioning why so many people thought that the blood moon was a sign of the end of the world.  I remember when the United States shot some missiles into Syria, not too long ago, that there were people who had live feeds up on YouTube, with numerous viewers, who were adamant that World War 3 had just begun.  Here we are several months later.

 

A lot of people associate lunar and solar events with the end of the world.  In the guises of the world’s thought patterns, overall only a small percentage of people believe in the “time of Jacob’s trouble” (Jer. 30:7), better known as the Tribulation.  Yet a surprisingly large amount of people seem to believe that there will be some sort of end times.  Most of them associate it with catastrophic events.  While I must admit that I find some of the eclipses and other things interesting (Gen. 1:14), I know that no one knows the day, nor the hour. 

 

“Heaven and earth will pass away, but My Words will by no means pass away.  But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of Heaven, but My Father only.  But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.  For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, and did not realize until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.  Then two will be in the field: one is taken and the other is left.  Two will be grinding at the mill: one is taken and the other is left.  Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord comes.  But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief comes, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be dug through.  Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man comes at an hour you do not expect.”  Matthew 24:35-44

 

I also know that the Bible is quite clear that those who are true Christians, those who have repented and by faith believed into Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, are to be watching and ready.

 

“Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his master made administrator over his household, to give them food in due season?  Blessed is that servant whom his master, when he comes, will find so doing.  Truly, I say to you that he will appoint him as administrator over all his possessions.  But if that wicked servant says in his heart, My master delays his coming,  and begins to beat his fellow servants, and to eat and drink with the drunkards,  the master of that servant will come on a day when he is not expecting him and in an hour he does not know,  and will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites. There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”  Matthew 24:45-51

 

To me, I think that just the fact that Israel is once again a nation is a testimony that the time for the Rapture and the end times Tribulation that the world seems to know is coming, is cause to take watching and being ready seriously.  I could further discuss how Jerusalem is now recognized as the Capital of Israel or the recent changes in Israel regarding their Basic Law system.  Yet I would rather preach the Gospel wholeheartedly than speculate about when these things might come to pass, of which no man knows, not even Jesus, our Lord and Savior.   So before we dwell further into what will come to pass in the future, let’s take a moment to focus on a common sense argument that seems to miss the mark with nearly all of these discussion. 

 

Why do people believe that the end will come?  Why, with so many people believing this, do they not repent and believe the Gospel?  Right there is a huge red flag.  People often acknowledge and claim to believe in God, yet they refuse to believe His Word, they refuse to believe in biblical Salvation, instead they have convinced themselves of many different paths to get to Heaven, namely the root of them being believing in Jesus only.  Well the Bible is not silent on this matter.

 

“You believe that God is One. You do well. Even the demons believe, and shudder.”  Jacob (James) 2:19

 

This is serious business.  For all of those who are concerned about such futuristic events, and they should be, they must come to the point of saving faith.  They must realize that individually they are sinners who must repent towards God and accept the free gift of Salvation, available ONLY through His Son who paid the penalty for their sins on the Cross and rose again. 

 

“For by grace you are saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God;  not of works, that no one should boast.”  Ephesians 2:8-9

 

“Now it was not written for his sake alone, that it was accounted to him, but also for us, to whom it shall be accounted, believing in Him who raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead, who was delivered up because of our trespasses, and was raised for our justification.”  Romans 4:23-25

 

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that everyone believing into Him should not perish but have eternal life.  For God did not send His Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.  The one believing into Him is not judged; but the one not believing is judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.  And this is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil.  For everyone practicing evil hates the Light and does not come to the Light, lest his deeds should be reproved.  But the one doing the truth comes to the Light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been worked in God.”  John 3:16-21

 

“But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”  Romans 5:8

 

“Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under Heaven given among men that is required for us to be saved.”  Acts 4:12

 

“Jesus said to him, I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”  John 14:6

 

“And he brought them out and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved?  So they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.”  Acts 16:30-31

 

“But what does it say? The Word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart (that is, the Word of Faith which we preach): 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 10:8-10

 

“And as it is appointed for men to die once, and after this the judgment, so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, without sin, unto salvation.”  Hebrews 9:27-28

 

“Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so persistently harasses us, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”  Hebrews 12:1-2

 

“And having been found perfect, He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him, called by God, High Priest according to the order of Melchizedek, of whom we have much to say, and hard to explain with words, since you have become dull of hearing.”  Hebrews 5:9-11

 

How many times do people ponder these terrible times that they have read rumors of?  Well quite honestly, these same people, the world in general, need to realize that they are not guaranteed to live the remainder of the day.  They need to realize that should they die in their sins, without repenting and believing the Gospel, should they not turn to Jesus through faith, that indeed the future doesn’t matter, they will have sealed their fate the second that their life in their present body ceases.  Why worry about the future when you might not even make it that far?  For Believers we are confident in knowing our future.

 

“So we are always confident, knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord.  For we walk by faith, not by sight.  We are confident, yes, preferring rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord.”  2nd Corinthians 5:6-8

 

Oddly enough, I found myself engaged in two conversations regarding questions of what takes place during the Tribulation.  This had already been on my mind.  I had seen the devastation of the wildfire that hit the city of Redding and was reminded of what happened last year in California, similar situations.  The news of the Greece fire was also very prominent.  So I was pondering these things.

 

I had a couple of conversations regarding what the Bible prophesizes will happen in the future, both of them in regards to the great earthquake.  Let’s take a moment to look at what the Bible says about this:

 

“And I looked when He opened the sixth seal, and behold, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became like blood.  And the stars of heaven fell to the earth, as a fig tree drops its untimely figs when it is shaken by a mighty wind.  And the heavens separated as a scroll when it is rolled up, and every mountain and island were moved out of their places.  And the kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, the commanders, the mighty men, every slave and every free man, hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains, and said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb!  For the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand?”  Revelation 6:12-17

 

“I looked on the earth, and, lo, it was without form and void; and the heavens, and they had no light.  I looked on the mountains, and, lo, they quaked; and all the hills moved to and fro.  I looked, and, lo, there was no man, and all the birds of the heavens had fled.  I looked, and, lo, the fruitful place was a wilderness, and all its cities were broken down at the presence of Jehovah, before His fierce anger.”  Jeremiah 4:23-26

 

“And the seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air, and a loud voice came out of the temple of Heaven, from the throne, saying, It is finished!  And there were noises and thunderings and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such a mighty and great earthquake as had not occurred since men came to be on the earth.  And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell. And Babylon the great was remembered before God, to give her the cup of the wine of the anger of His wrath.  And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found.  And great hail from heaven fell upon men, each hailstone about the weight of a talent. And men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail, because the plague is exceedingly great.”  Revelation 16:17-21

 

In one conversation my friend was discussing how all of the nuclear power plants would probably be breeched and destroyed.  How the devastation at that time would be so great.  We also pondered the crack in the earth (Isaiah 24:19), whether or not it is caused by some sort of man-made weapon, as our nation is purported to have weapons that can ‘destroy’ the earth.  The discussion then stemmed into how if the time was not shortened, the opening passage of Scripture, that likely we believe that mankind would be completely destroyed.

 

We pondered whether or not if God didn’t already tell us some of the things that would take place after the Rapture, if mankind in the future would eventually all but destroy civilization anyway.  Seems likely, given the fact that mankind is essentially evil.  The other conversation stemmed from a family member, wondering whether or not California was prophesied to fall into the ocean.  Does the Bible say that?

 

No, California falling into the ocean is not prophesied in the Bible, yet during this great earthquake of the Tribulation, it may very well happen.  The problem here lies not in what the future holds, of which the Bible does clearly state some things.  At All Will Stand, there is no timeline of events listed for the Tribulation.  Not everything is known and such speculation only leads to folly of which case most all would probably be proven to not happen exactly as one considers it might.  The timelines that some churches use are often misguided as they don’t see the past, present and future underlinings of the book of Revelation. 

 

It is no wonder that people think of these things and wonder just how bad they might get.  When one considers the fact that what will happen during the “time of Jacob’s trouble” (Jer. 30:7), what is going on nowadays with the fires, earthquakes, wars, famine, volcanic eruptions and other natural disasters, is a cakewalk compared to what will happen during the Tribulation.  Just as they won’t repent of their sins and be Saved now, likewise they won’t then either. 

 

“But the rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands, that they should not do homage to demons, and idols of gold, silver, brass, stone, and wood, which are not able to see nor hear nor walk.  And they did not repent of their murders nor their sorceries nor their sexual perversions nor their thefts.”  Revelation 9:20-21

 

“And I heard a loud voice from the temple saying to the seven angels, Go and pour out the bowls of the wrath of God onto the earth.  So the first went and poured out his bowl upon the earth, and a bad and evil sore came upon the men who had the mark of the beast and those who did homage to his image.  And the second angel poured out his bowl onto the sea, and it became blood as of a dead man; and every living soul in the sea died.  And the third angel poured out his bowl onto the rivers and springs of water, and they became blood.  And I heard the angel of the waters saying: You are righteous, O Lord, the One who is and who was and who is to be, because You have judged these things, for they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and You have given them blood to drink, for they are deserving.  And I heard another out of the altar saying, Even so, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are Your judgments.  And the fourth angel poured out his bowl onto the sun, and it was given to him to scorch men with fire.  And men were scorched with great heat, and they blasphemed the name of God who has authority over these plagues; and they did not repent to give Him glory.  And the fifth angel poured out his bowl onto the throne of the beast, and his kingdom became full of darkness; and they gnawed their tongues because of the pain.  And they blasphemed the God of Heaven because of their pains and their sores, and did not repent of their deeds.”  Revelation 16:1-11

 

Certainly we can look at the multitudes of people who are Saved during the Tribulation, but there are likewise multitudes who, despite the clear Judgment of God, refuse to repent.

 

“After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one was able to number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, saying, Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!  And all the angels stood around the throne and the elders and the four living creatures, and fell on their faces before the throne and did homage to God, saying: Amen. Blessing and glory and wisdom, thanksgiving and honor and power and might, be to our God forever and ever. Amen.  Then one of the elders answered, saying to me, Who are these arrayed in white robes, and where did they come from?  And I said to him, Sir, you know. So he said to me, These are the ones coming out of great affliction, and have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.  Therefore they are before the throne of God, and serve Him day and night in His temple. And He who sits on the throne will spread His tabernacle over them.  They shall neither hunger anymore nor thirst anymore; the sun shall not fall on them, nor any burning heat; for the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne will shepherd them and lead them to living fountains of waters. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”  Revelation 7:9-17

 

These times that we live in are a cakewalk compared to what will happen in the future.  As I described to my friend, should a wildfire erupt and burn much of the outcroppings of Kalispell and then thereafter an earthquake should cause damage and cracks in buildings, we could sit down and say that this is nothing at all compared to the chaos and horrible events that will occur during what will really be the last days. 

 

People do not realize the magnitude of what will take place during the Tribulation.  For all of this talk about the end times, certainly the pastors of this land are ignoring and quite ignorant about what the Bible clearly prophecies what will happen.  Then again, the simple fact that they do not preach truthfully, that they twist their sermons to cater to the ears of those listening, with the people preferring it that way, is also testimony that God’s Word is true. 

 

“Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, being devoted to corrupting spirits and doctrines of demons, speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared, forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from foods which God created to be partaken with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth.”  1st Timothy 4:1-3

 

“But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come:  For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, unyielding, slanderers, without self-control, savage, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away.  For of this sort are those who creep into households and make captives of gullible women loaded down with sins, led away by various lusts, always learning, but never able to come to the full true knowledge of the truth.  But as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so do these also oppose the truth: men of corrupt minds, reprobate concerning the faith; but they will progress no further, for their folly will be manifest to all, as theirs also was.”  2nd Timothy 3:1-9

 

“But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction.  And many will follow their destructive ways, through whom the way of truth will be blasphemed.  By covetousness they will exploit you with well-turned words; whose judgment of old is not idle, and their destruction does not slumber.  For if God did not spare the angels who sinned, but cast them down to Tartarus and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved for judgment; and did not spare the ancient world, but saved Noah, one of eight people, a preacher of righteousness, bringing the flood on the world of the ungodly; and turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes, condemned them to destruction, making them an example to those intending to live ungodly; and delivered righteous Lot, who was oppressed by the lustful behavior of the wicked (for that righteous man, dwelling among them, his righteous soul was tormented from day to day by seeing and hearing their lawless deeds); then the Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations and to reserve the unjust for the day of judgment, to be punished, and especially those who walk according to the flesh in the lust of defilement and despise authority. They are presumptuous, self-willed. They are not afraid to speak evil of dignitaries.  Whereas angels, who are greater in power and might, do not bring a reviling accusation against them before the Lord.  But these, like natural brute beasts made to be caught and destroyed, speak evil of the things they do not understand, and will utterly perish in their own corruption, and will receive the wages of unrighteousness, as those who consider it pleasure to carouse in the daytime. They are spots and blemishes, delighting in their own deceptions while they feast with you, having eyes full of adultery and that cannot cease from sin, enticing unstable souls; having a heart exercised in covetousness; accursed children.  They have forsaken the right way and gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Beor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness; but he was rebuked for his iniquity: a dumb donkey speaking with a man’s voice restrained the madness of the prophet.  These are wells without water, clouds being driven by a tempest, for whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever.  For when they speak great swelling words of vanity, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through wantonness, the ones who have actually escaped from those living in error.  While they promise them liberty, they themselves are slaves of corruption; for by whom a person is overcome, by him also he is brought into bondage.  For if, after they have escaped the defilements of the world through the full true knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the end is worse for them than the beginning.  For it would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered to them.  But it has happened to them according to the true proverb: A dog returns to his own vomit, and, a sow, having been washed, to her wallowing in the mire.”  2nd Peter 2

 

Across the land, there used to be pastors who would from time to time discuss these things.  After all a good portion of the Bible is prophecy.  A simple study of fulfilled prophecies regarding the birth, life, death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ, our Savior, is certainly an eye opening experience.  Futuristic prophecy not only provides a warning to those who are willing to listen, but also provides an opportunity for a lost world to understand sin, understand their condition and the seriousness of it in God’s eyes.  Then just how much easier is it to explain the greatness of what Christ died for all of humanity and properly teach that one must repent and believe the Gospel!  Yet in the time we live in, most churches don’t preach much of the truth and spend more time on unbiblical tolerance, joining hands with the dregs of the world and on church building philosophies, than preaching what God’s Word really says to a world of those who need to hear.

 

“Let us hold fast the confession of the hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.”  Hebrews 10:23

 

“For this reason I also suffer these things; nevertheless I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep safe what I have committed to Him until that Day.  Hold fast the form of sound words which you have heard from me, in faith and love which are in Christ Jesus.”  1st Timothy 1:12-13

 

“Therefore if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy, fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind.”  Philippians 2:1-2

 

Where the real problem lies, in portion due to apostasy, but also due to mankind’s unwillingness to want to hear the Truth, is the fact that there is a ton of ignorance regarding the future, the time of the Tribulation. 

 

The Rapture and the fact that it takes place prior to the Tribulation has been mentioned in depth before, so just a brief touchup on that.  Do not be deceived, the Rapture WILL happen prior to the “time of Jacob’s trouble” (Jer. 30:7), known to most as the Tribulation. 

 

“But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who are asleep, that you sorrow not as others who have no hope.  For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus.  For this we say to you by the Word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep.  For the Lord Himself will descend from Heaven with a shouted command, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.  Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together at the same time with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.  Therefore encourage one another with these words.”  1st Thessalonians 4:13-18

“For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, that whether we watch or sleep, we should live together with Him.  Therefore encourage each other and build up one another, just as you also are doing.”  1st Thessalonians 5:9-11

 

To those who have an ear to hear:

 

“After these things I looked, and behold, a door having been opened in Heaven. And the first voice which I heard was like a trumpet speaking with me, saying, Come up here, and I will show you things which must take place after these things.”  Revelation 4:1

 

So for now the wildfires rage on across the western half of the United States, severe storms take their tolls and cause destruction from one city to another, with people looking at these events and comparing them to end times prophecy.  The population today who have heard and know something of the Tribulation have become aged, with the masses just lumping everything into what they call the ‘end of the world’ or ‘end times’. 

 

They still believe the rumors that something is going to happen, but due to the absence of biblical preaching and the proliferation of hellywood movies, they are far off the mark.  To them there is always a savior, with this type of mentality they are ripe to accept the Antichrist as that ‘savior’.  They are ripe for the deception, they have been looking in the wrong direction, away from God and to the world and false preachers for sound information regarding what will take place.  They are the deceived leading the deceived.

 

“Let them alone. They are blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind leads the blind, both will fall into the ditch.”  Matthew 15:14

 

“We know that we are of God, and the whole world lies in wickedness.”  1st John 5:19

 

Just as God has foretold the things that will happen during the Tribulation, He also foretold that people will be deceived by the False Prophet and the Antichrist.  Just the simple fact that we are here in these times, where some of the basics of prophecy are so far twisted and misunderstood is mind-boggling.  It is mind-boggling because the Bible is readily available for anyone to purchase a copy of and read. 

 

While there are numerous bad versions out there, many of them are not as bad as their versions of what they say will take place eventually, in God’s timing.  They look to total destruction of a city from a fire and assume that it is part of the end of the world or appears to be that way.  Little do they realize that despite the horrific scenes played over and over again on television and throughout the internet, these people can still go to the Red Cross to get food, they can find shelters in cities, many of them have some money to stay in a hotel or a friend’s or family member’s home that has not been destroyed, that they can go to take refuge in.

 

There are still police patrolling the area, despite some looting, there are still firefighters actively trying to get the blaze under control, and eventually they will.  There are still neighbors with an extra meal, willing to help out, there are still insurance policies that will allow them to rebuy and rebuild.  Consider and take it seriously, as God certainly does take mankind’s sin and rebellion very seriously, though He is merciful and willing to forgive to those who are willing. 

 

“Say to them: As I live, declares the Lord Jehovah, I take no delight in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live.”  Ezekiel 33:11a

 

Now ponder for a moment living in a time, the real time, not some supposed end times because a bad event has affected an area.  Imagine a time where things have been getting worse and worse, economically harder and harder.  Eventually there comes a time where the just Judgments of God begin to harshly affect the earth.

 

Will you have even made it before destruction hits your city?  Will you have been robbed or killed beforehand?  Will you have taken the mark of the Beast and sealed your eternal destination to Hell (Rev. 14:9-11)?  Will you have turned in your neighbors, family and friends, who were hiding from authorities (Matt. 10:22)?  Will you still have fully operational utilities?  Will your house still be unscathed when destruction comes?

 

Will you still be going about your daily business shopping at places like Walmart and grabbing a bite to eat at McDonald’s?  Will life be normal for you?  Will you be able to freely earn money and use the banking system?  Will you still be chatting opening about your liberal agendas on social media?  Will you criticize the government openly?  Will you still be of the mindset to get rid of your guns? 

 

What will you do when devastation comes?  When the insurance company can no longer remain afloat and pay for all of the disasters around the world.  Where will you turn to when you are displaced from your home?  Will there be someone to let you in or a shelter with room available?  Where will you get your next meal?  Just as when a major hurricane hits, there is aid available, even if it is far from perfect and can not replace what is lost, where will the aid come from?

 

“Enter into the rock and hide in the dust from the terror of Jehovah, and from the glory of His majesty.  The lofty eyes of man shall be humbled, and the haughtiness of men shall be bowed down; but Jehovah, He alone, shall be exalted in that day.  For the day of Jehovah of Hosts shall come upon all the proud and lofty ones, and upon all that is lifted up; and it shall be brought low; and upon all the cedars of Lebanon, high and lifted up; and upon all the oaks of Bashan; and upon all the high mountains; and upon all the lifted up hills; and upon every tall tower; and upon every fortified wall; and upon all the ships of Tarshish; and upon all desirable craft.  And the pride of man shall be bowed down; and the haughtiness of men shall be brought low; and Jehovah alone shall be exalted in that day.  And the idols shall completely pass away.  And they shall go into the caves of the rocks, and into the holes of the earth, for the terror of Jehovah, and from the glory of His majesty; when He rises up to make the earth tremble.  In that day a man shall throw his idols of silver and gold, which they made each man to bow down to, to the moles and to the bats; to go into the crevices of the rocks, and into the clefts of the cliffs, from the terror of Jehovah, and from the glory of His majesty; when He rises up to make the earth tremble.  Leave off from such a man, whose breath is in his nostril; for how is he to be accounted?”  Isaiah 2:10-22

 

During this time, what has happened in this world since the Flood (Gen. 7:21-22) until now will not be anything in comparison to what will take place during the Tribulation.  Even in the midst of the wars fought throughout the ages, the Black Plague, the Spanish Inquisition, the murders and persecution of Believers from the Roman Catholic church during the middle ages, the famines, the earthquakes, none of this will be in comparison to what will take place during that time, the real time.  Yet amongst this people are concerned that an end may come, but why not any concern about how they stand before a Holy and Almighty God? 

 

“Behold, Jehovah empties the earth and makes it bare, and distorts its face, and scatters its inhabitants.  And as it is with the people, so it shall be with the priest; as with the servant, so with the master; as with the maid, so it is with her mistress; as with the buyer, so with the seller; as with the lender, so with the borrower; as with the creditor, so with the debtor.  The land shall be completely emptied, and utterly plundered; for Jehovah has spoken this Word.  The earth mourns and fades away; the world droops and fades away; the haughty people of the earth grow feeble.  The earth is also defiled under its inhabitants; because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, and have broken the perpetual covenant.  Therefore the curse has devoured the earth, and those who dwell in it are held guilty; therefore the inhabitants of the earth are burned, and few men are left.”  Isaiah 24:1-6

 

Do you not know what the Bible clearly teaches that will happen to all of mankind?  Do you not realize that there is a Great White Throne Judgment and unless you have repented and by faith believed into Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, you will be cast into the Lake of Fire for all of eternity!

 

“And the devil, who led them astray, was cast into the Lake of Fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are. And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.  And I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heavens fled away. And there was found no place for them.  And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God. And books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, out of the things which were written in the books.  And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one, according to their works.  And Death and Hades were cast into the Lake of Fire. This is the second death.  And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the Lake of Fire.”  Revelation 20:10-15

 

Do not be deceived, for though times of which the general population are not even aware of in scope are coming, the time for all man will come.  The time for most people throughout the ages has already come.  For if one thinks of the major destruction that will take place during the Tribulation, destruction everywhere with most of all humanity killed, you must understand that for those who died without Jesus Christ as their Savior, they are faced with the Lake of Fire for all eternity.  For as bad as the Tribulation will be, it is NOTHING in comparison to being separated from our Creator and cast into eternal hellfire!

 

Take Heed!  What one sees going on nowadays is but a cakewalk in comparison to what will come.

 

“Come near, you nations, to hear; and you people, pay attention; let the earth hear, and its fullness; the world, and all its offspring.  For the wrath of Jehovah is upon all nations, and His fury upon all their armies. He has utterly destroyed them, He has delivered them to the slaughter.  Also their slain shall be thrown out, and their stench shall come up out of their corpses, and the mountains shall be melted with their blood.  And all the host of the heavens shall be dissolved, and the heavens shall be rolled up like a scroll; and all their host shall wither, as a leaf withers off the vine, and as fruit falling from the fig tree.”  Isaiah 34:1-4

 

“And he said to me, Do not seal the Words of the Prophecy of this Book, for the time is at hand.  He who is unjust, let him be unjust still; he who is filthy, let him be filthy still; he who is righteous, let him be righteous still; he who is holy, let him be holy still.  And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to what his work shall be.”  Revelation 22:10-12

 

Amen!