A Time of Trouble.

The prophet Habakkuk was given visions of Jerusalem falling by the Babylonians and also the great day of God when he returns to save his people. 

Of the last days of Jerusalem and also the earth, Habakkuk says,

"Even though the fig trees have no blossoms, and there are no grapes on the vines; 
even though the olive crop fails, and the fields lie empty and barren; 
even though the flocks die in the fields, and the cattle barns are empty,
yet I will rejoice in the LORD! I will be joyful in the God of my salvation!

Is it possible to rejoice in the midst of famine? Can you rejoice when there is no food for humans or animals? Yes, because we can rejoice in knowing who the Lord is and be joyful we will be saved in his kingdom.

How can we do this in a time of great trouble?  The next verse explains how.

"The Sovereign LORD is my strength! He makes me as surefooted as a deer, able to tread upon the heights."    Habakkuk 3:17-19

God gives us the strength. He will make our way as sure as a deer's way in the forest. Sure-footed means: not likely to stumble, slip or fall. Have you ever seen a deer running through the forest? I have, and it amazes me how they leap through the dense underbrush of brush and fallen trees and yet do not fall. They don't look down while they run - they look ahead to where they are going. This is a good analogy for us. Don't look down - look up to Jesus and you won't fall.

This time of trouble will take place just before Jesus returns.

“At that time shall arise Michael, the great prince who has charge of your people. And there shall be a time of trouble, such as never has been since there was a nation till that time. But at that time your people shall be delivered, everyone whose name shall be found written in the book."
 Daniel 12:1

Psalm 46 - Earthquakes, Fires and Floods - The End of All Things.

Psalm 46 - What it means to me.

God is our refuge and strength,

an ever-present help in trouble.

Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way

and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,

though its waters roar and foam

and the mountains quake with their surging.  Verses 1-3

Can you imagine not being afraid while you stand watching an earthquake that levels mountains and creates tidal waves? 

I once read a story of a ship on the Atlantic that was in a wild storm. It seemed the ship would sink. People were screaming and full of terror. Yet a man saw a group of people standing apart from everyone singing a hymn. They were missionaries. They were not afraid of the sea or of death. 

That story always reminds me of Jesus' disciples who were afraid when they were in a storm on the sea of Galilee. They woke Jesus and asked, "Don't you care we are going to die?" Jesus answered, "Why are you afraid? You have so little faith."  Matthew 8:26 The disciples were young in their faith but eventually learned to trust God unto death.

To me, it seems an amazing thing not to be afraid in a deadly storm, earthquake or tsunami. Yet, God says we can be calm and at peace even if we go through something like this. I believe what God says. I believe we can be in perfect peace no matter what happens around us. I've been in car accidents and it amazed me that I didn't feel any fear. I just remember wondering if I would live or not, but no fear! I can only think it was God's presence with me that gave me peace at those times.

We are living at the end of the world. The world is wearing out from all the abuse humans have heaped upon it. There will be more earthquakes, more floods, more fires. 

"Lift up your eyes to the sky, Then look to the earth beneath; For the sky will vanish like smoke, And the earth will wear out like a garment And its inhabitants will die in like manner; But My salvation will be forever, And My righteousness will not wane." 

Isaiah 51:6

And, “You, Lord, laid the foundation of the earth in the beginning, and the heavens are the work of your hands; they will perish, but you remain; they will all wear out like a garment..."

Hebrews 11:10,11

"And the nations were enraged, and Your wrath came, and the time came for the dead to be judged, and the time to reward Your bond-servants the prophets and the saints and those who fear Your name, the small and the great, and to destroy those who destroy the earth." Revelation 11:18

Psalm 46 begins with frightening images but ends with beautiful promises. I'll write about those promises in the next post.

Psalm 37 In Times of Disaster.

Psalm 37 What it means to me.

"Better the little that the righteous have

than the wealth of many wicked;

for the power of the wicked will be broken,

but the Lord upholds the righteous."  Verses 16, 17

The Lord tells us here that it is better to be poor and a good person than have all the toys, bells and whistles and be a bad person. It is easier also to stay with God when we are poor, for we learn to depend on God to help us. When David and Solomon became kings with money galore, they left God and did great evil. God knows better than all of us how much better poverty is than riches.

"The blameless spend their days under the Lord’s care,

and their inheritance will endure forever.

In times of disaster they will not wither;

in days of famine they will enjoy plenty."

"But the wicked will perish:

Though the Lord’s enemies are like the flowers of the field,

they will be consumed, they will go up in smoke."  Verses 18-20

God promises us he will be with us through disaster and famine. Seeing how the world is falling apart right now through tsunamis, drought, and earthquakes we need this promise. 

"Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fail and the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the LORD; I will take joy in the God of my salvation."  

Habakkuk 3:17, 18

No matter what happens in the future, we can rejoice in our eternal salvation. We can look at life through an eternal perspective instead of a temporal one and not be afraid.

The Seven Last Plagues.

Hi, this is Belle writing. I haven't included my thoughts until now, but I wanted to do so when it came to the subject of the seven plagues. It is my personal belief that we, the people on earth, will bring about these plagues by our pollution of this planet and by the wars we engage in. I do not believe God Himself will be sending down these plagues on us. When Jesus comes back, he will be coming back to save us from the total destruction of the planet. Jesus said, "If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened." Matthew 24:22 To my mind the meaning of the "wrath of God" is His turning away and finally letting the planet go. I'm not saying I am sure I am right, but it just makes sense to me knowing the character and love of God.

Chapter 8 Continued...

 Chapter 8 to be continued...

Birth Pangs of the World.

Chapter 1 of "The End is Near" cont...

End of Chapter One.

The End of This World.

My sister, Elizabeth James, wrote a book about the prophecies of Daniel and Revelation. She studied these two books of the Bible for 20 years before she wrote her book in 2007. I've decided to share her book on my blog and I hope you receive a blessing from it.

To be cont...

The End of the World.

Picture found at:

http://www.jonathanselby.com/pg25pics.html

I remember as a little girl being taught about the end of the world and Jesus coming back to take us to himself. At our church and in our home we had pictures of this event and I would stare at them and wonder when he would return. This teaching never frightened me because of Jesus. I wanted to see him, and many times I would look up to the sky and hope this was the day he would return. I still look up and imagine him coming and look forward to that day with hope and joy

`Look, He is coming with the clouds and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him. And all the families of the earth will mourn because of him. So be it! Amen.`
Revelation 1:7

Àfter he had said these things, he was lifted up while they were looking on and a cloud took him out of their sight...An angel said, `This same Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come back the same way you have seen him go to heaven.`
Acts 1:9-11

Jesus said, `See, I have told you ahead of time. If anyone tells you, `There he is, out in the desert!` Do not go. Or, `Here he is in the inner rooms!` Do not believe it. For as the lightening flashes from the east and shines to the west, so it will be when the Son of Man comes.
`Matthew 24:25-`27