THE LAST DAYS

Anita Clark

“Behold, the LORD maketh the earth empty, and maketh it waste, and turneth it upside down, and scattereth aboard the inhabitants thereof. The land shall be utterly emptied, and utterly spoiled: for the LORD hath spoken this word. The earth mourneth and fadeth away, the world languisheth and fadeth away, the haughty people of the earth do languish. The earth also is defiled under the inhabitants thereof; because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant. Therefore hath the curse devoured the earth, and they that dwell therein are desolate: therefore the inhabitants of the earth are burned, and few men left.” Isaiah. 24:1-6

These verses were spoken by Isaiah, the prophet. God did allow devastation to hit the land of Israel, and the Jews to be dispersed out of their land, and the people to languish, but the same thing is going to happen to the Gentile world also. Judgment is coming very soon. The tribulation of terrible judgment will come upon the earth because the people of the earth have transgressed the Lord’s law so greatly.

THE WORLD LANGUISHETH AND FADETH AWAY – This prediction from Isaiah speaks of a future time when God would bring tremendous devastation on the earth. In recent news we see accounts of disasters in many places around the earth. These are signs to us of the very near tribulation time coming soon upon the earth. Two verses come to mind that speak of the time just before us. The first Matthew 24:8 says, “All these are the beginning of sorrows.” The second, Romans 8:22 which states, “For we know that the creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now,” wanting to be delivered from the corruption that sin has brought to God’s creation.

CALIFORNIA STARTS CLEANUP – Great forest fires have burned off much land in California, and then the heavy rains (caused by the El Nino in the Pacific) came and washed away many homes. Interstate 5 has been closed after a massive mudslide pushed up to five feet of mud across the roadway, trapping cars and forcing crews to close the highway in both directions for nearly 40 miles. Also another highway State Route 58 has been blocked by dangerous mud-slides and flash flooding, trapping about 200 cars there in mud as deep as 6 feet. Much of California has been experiencing a terrible drought this year, but now flooding has swamped roads.

SOUTH CAROLINA – just went through flooding - the results of an off shore hurricane Joaquin, a category 4 hurricane, tracking away from the coast but none-the-less causing torrential rains, and historical flooding with records being broken for both rainfall and creek levels. The flooding broke multiple dams and destroyed hundreds, if not thousands of homes, according to news reports.

TEXAS – Hurricane Patricia which hit Mexico has brought terrific flooding to Texas. Flooding derailed a Union Pacific Train, and the crew had to be rescued. Major highways have had to be closed, and drivers have been stranded.

HURRICANE PATRICIA HITS MEXICO – A category five storm with over 200 mile per hour winds hit the coast on the Pacific of Mexico Friday. It is the largest storm that has ever been recorded in history, meteorologist say, and it produced at least 12 inches of rain, and surprisingly not very heavy damage along the coast. There was predicted to be a storm surge that would cause water to come ashore, and do major damage all along the west coast of the northern part of Mexico. Great devastation was expected, but it was actually minimal. The storm came up over the mountains and hit Texas ferociously, causing massive flooding to already soaked South Texas.

The El Nino is said to be one of the three strongest El Nino’s since record-keeping began in 1950. It is affecting the whole world. It seems that God is warning us that the judgment time is coming soon. Before the tribulation, the Lord Jesus will call His overcoming people (His bride) to himself.

TERRORISM ATTACKS IN ISRAEL – Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, in his recent speech to the U.N. General Assembly, threatened that the Palestinians would no longer abide by the Oslo Accords, which have governed the relations between Israel and the Palestinians for more than two decades. The Oslo Accord was an agreement to seek peace and to continue dialog to obtain a peaceful solution between the two conflicting parties. After the speech, Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he felt that the speech “...was filled with falsehood and promoted incitement and lawlessness in the Middle East.”

Immediately after Abbas’ speech the Palestinians began to attack Israeli citizens with knives and axes, or running over them with vehicles, killing quite a few. When Israel retaliated and troops and police shot the perpetrators, Israel was blamed as the aggressors. These terrible attacks have received praise by the terrorist group Hamas, which hails the ruthless terrorists as “heroes.”

UNESCO FOR THE WAILIING WALL BEING RECLASSIFIED AS MUSLIM – UNESCO is an acronym for United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. This group has often shown a one-sided anti-Israel attitude in the past. Their director recently brought a resolution to declare that the wailing wall, also known as the Western Wall should be reclassified by the U.N. as a holy Muslim site. The Muslims claim that the wall is where Mohammed tied his steed up, and then rose to heaven upon his horse’s back from there. It seems that it makes no difference that the wall is the most sacred public prayer site in Judaism.

Israelites pray at this site because it is a wall that is part of the temple compound built by King Solomon of Old Testament fame. You can see how the world’s attitude is worsening toward Israel.

NO MATTER WHAT ANY MAN OR GROUP OF MEN SAYS – God’s pre-planned design will come to pass. Man has no ability to change God’s plan. He says in Genesis 12:3, “I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee,” Those peoples or nations that curse Israel will have the wrath of God poured upon them,

We know that God’s Word says that God judged Israel and took them out of their promised land because they were disobedient. We also understand that God will restore Israel to her rightful place as the “...head nation and not the tail.” It is erroneous to teach that God has totally forsaken Israel. God has allowed them to come back to their land and establish their nation once again. This is referred to in Matthew 24:32-34 as “the fig tree budding” or Israel coming back to life. The text says, “...When ye shall see all these things, know that it [the end] is near, even at the doors” (V. 33)

The really sad thing that is going to happen to Israel is that the tribulation of seven years will come upon the earth very soon. The Bible declares that the Antichrist will make a covenant or contract with the Jews for seven years (Daniel 9:27). But that text says that horrible man will break that covenant with Israel and turn on them, persecuting them (Matthew 24:15-26; Rev. 13). Israel will suffer so much until the judgment will be ended, and then Messiah Jesus will return and save the Israelites that are left alive and will bring about His millennial reign, ruling from Jerusalem (Zech. 13:8-9; 14:1-9).

We, the believers of this age will already be with the Lord, and will be coming back with our precious Lord Jesus, when He comes back to show, “...Who is the blessed and only Potentate, the Kings of kings and Lord of lords: who only has immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see; to whom be honor and power everlasting. Amen” I Timothy 6:15-16. Also see Revelation 19:11-16.

Jesus is coming very soon. Trust in God to make you ready to hear the trumpet’s sound that Jesus is coming.