“And he shall smite them with the edge of the sword; he shall not spare them, neither have pity, nor have mercy.” (Jer. 21:7b)
The Lord prepared Nebuchadnezzar to exact His wrath upon the disobedient people of His name, those who were not killed by him were taken into exile and were blessed by the Almighty. The famine, the pestilence and the sword, even the wild beast of the Lord were used to this end. I could pen here that days much worse than this are approaching, for they are.
“For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.” (Matt. 24:21)
But that means little to the individual person, for tribulations only matter when they affect us personally, when it is right outside your door.
“And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.” (2nd Peter 3:4)
Those in Jeremiah’s day, even when Isaiah spoke of it did not see the army of Nebuchadnezzar outside their gate and so there was nothing to worry about, nothing to concern themselves with, but their attitudes changed dramatically when they saw the dust cloud in the distance, when they heard the thunder of his army.
Those of us who are working for the Lord by the strength of the Holy Spirit saw the dust cloud many years ago, decades even and are suffering in a sense in the same way that Jeremiah did, we are hated because we speak the truth to all that will listen. The time of grace is coming to a close, a time of unparalleled suffering and sorrow is approaching, and as we wait, work and warn, we hold to the promises of the Word of God. “In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.” (1st Cor. 15:52)
There are of course just as many, if not more, false prophets today as there was in those days, deceivers who are not only denying the rapture, but the truth that any danger is approaching, there are those who give dates of that blessed moment that no man knows, only the Father. But most do not mock us, most do not call us foolish, most just simply do not pay any attention to us who are standing on the wall because our message has not changed for over two thousand years.
“And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” (Matt. 3:2)
We do not speak often of that short but terrible seven-year period of time, but of an eternity separated from the love of the Living God, not of a few years of Tribulation and then the death of the flesh, but of the second death, of an eternity of pain and hopelessness in the Lake of Fire. We are not overly concerned with how wickedly the wicked are behaving, it is expected and has always been so, nor do we spend an inordinate amount of time reproving those works-based religious cults, although these and many others are part of our calling.
We speak of the choice all men must make, eternal love or eternal damnation, for it is the most personal witness we can offer. Not what “they” are doing, but what are “you” doing, not what you will do in that day, but what are you doing today.
“For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.” (2nd Cor. 6:2)
No one in hell is concerned with the Tribulation time to come, and those in heaven are preparing to welcome their brothers and sisters in Christ, whether it be by death or Rapture.
What is approaching cannot be stopped, but I do not refer to the days of Jacob’s Troubles with that statement this time, but your death. It will either cause great fear in you, or an anticipation of unspeakable joy.
Only you know.
