Consider this
verse. Meditate on it.
But
to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children
of God.
John 1:12
For you are all children of God through faith
in Christ Jesus. Galatians
3:26
What will the
children of God have to endure? War, Famines, Earthquakes—do you feel it—or
hear it even now? Yes. They are happening today. These same disasters are foretold to occur
during the Tribulation. Hopefully by then the children of God will have been
raptured. We have to trust God for His mercy and protection. Only God knows the
hour or the day of the end times.
Nation will go to war against nation, and kingdom
against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in many parts of the
world. But all this is only the first of the birth pains, with more to come.
Then you will be arrested, persecuted, and killed. You will be hated all over
the world because you are my followers. And many will turn away from me and
betray and hate each other. And many false prophets will appear and will
deceive many people. Matthew
24:7-11
In the
prophetic book of Revelation it is noted that during the Tribulation there are
seven seals that are broken. When the fourth seal is broken it proclaims that
death by the sword…or war…and famine will occur to a great part of the world’s
population.
When the Lamb broke the fourth seal, I heard the
fourth living being say, "Come!" I looked up and saw a horse whose
color was pale green. Its rider was named Death, and his companion was the
Grave. These two were given authority over one-fourth of the earth, to kill
with the sword and famine and disease and wild animals. Revelation 6:7-8
 |
| Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. |
The sixth
seal deals with an earthquake.
I watched as the Lamb broke the sixth seal, and
there was a great earthquake. The sun became as dark as black cloth, and the
moon became as red as blood. Revelation 6:12
Wars. Wars
are occurring today…although we may not be in the time of the Tribulation. In
recent history we can see statistics from Afghanistan and Yeman where over
20,000 thousand people in each country were killed in conflicts during 2019
with additional deaths of over 16,000 in Mexico and Syria, combined.
Famines have
been part of history forever. Look at Abraham. God was with him and he had to
go through famines. Have you ever been hungry…truly hungry? People are starving
due to famines right now somewhere on earth. Just look at the news.
Have you ever
experienced an earthquake? I’ve seen the ground swelling—like a wave—and then
felt that wave move through our home where we were living in Okinawa. I’ve felt
a couple of other tremors—but never experienced a real ground shaking, walls
and building falling earthquake. They happen every day around the world. Check
out a website like earthquaketrack.com or earthquake.usgs.gov. There were 12
earthquakes around the world with a magnitude over 2.5 on the day I last check
the usgs site. Those are of small magnitude, but recordable and certainly felt
by someone in the immediate vicinity. There are predictions for a big
earthquake to occur along the Cascadia fault in the Pacific Ocean off the
Washington coast sometime soon. Time will tell, but only God knows exactly when
anything will occur.
Persecution.
Not a word we like to hear any more than wars, famines or earthquakes, but it
is a word that affects Christians around the world, daily. When it affects our
brothers and sisters in the Lord, it affects us. We are part of the body of
Christ. Do you feel hated because you
are a follower of Jesus Christ? You may one day soon.
Again Jesus
warned His disciples…don’t be deceived.
Watch and wait for Jesus—the true Christ to return. Don’t be deceived by false
prophets.
Psalms give
us some encouragement and hope.
God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help
in times of trouble. So we will not fear when earthquakes come and the
mountains crumble into the sea. Let the oceans roar and foam. Let the mountains
tremble as the waters surge! A river brings joy to the city of our God, the
sacred home of the Most High. God dwells in that city; it cannot be destroyed.
From the very break of day, God will protect it. Psalm 46:1-5
We don’t have
to fear…
For the LORD God is our sun and our shield. He gives
us grace and glory. The LORD will withhold no good thing from those who do what
is right. Psalm 84:11
What shall we say about such wonderful things as
these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us? Romans 8:31
Trust God…He
has a plan and offers salvation to everyone who believes. Salvation from sin.
Believe in Jesus Christ as your Savior. He is the Messiah for Israel and the
whole world.
Prayer
~ Lord Jesus, I hear your warning…wars, famines, earthquakes and persecution.
But I trust in You for salvation…and protection. I praise You—for You are that
true God—the living Messiah—who came to set us free. Thank You.
Revised
from Banquet With The King blog,
March 20, 2019.
©
2020 Text and photos by Mickey M. Hunacek. All rights reserved.
Unless
otherwise indicated, all scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation,
copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of
Tyndale House
Publishers, Inc. Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
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