EZEKIEL, ONE OF THE PRE-EXILIC PROPHETS, warns the nation Israel of perilous times that cast an ominous shadow over Israel’s future: “For the day is near, the day of the Lord is near—a day of clouds, a time of doom for the nations.” (Eze. 30:3) And that shadow does indeed portend the fall and exile of the nation. In the 5 th C. B.C., Babylon’s King Nebuchadnezzar will make captives of all of the people, from high to low, and send them out of their once-mighty nation into slavery in other lands.
How can such a thing happen? A nation once highly favored by its God, in this case Yahweh, the one true God, is allowed to be destroyed by its enemies, and God’s enemy! To understand this, and hopefully to learn from this, we consider the prophecy spoken to the Israelites in previous times by Moses: “For I know that after my death you are sure to become utterly corrupt and to turn from the way I have commanded you. In days to come, disaster will fall on you because you will do evil in the sight of the Lord and arouse his anger by what your hands have made.” (Deut. 31:29) The answer we seek is clarified in the context of the breaking of covenant; Israel is disciplined—severely and righteously—by their God for failing in their part of the “If you, then I” covenant of The Law.
Considering this perspective, we shift our thoughts to our times, and a nation fallen out of favor with God. One current headline amongst many similar will suffice: *“What’s Behind American Decline: Domestic Dysfunction.” The article is well-written from a secular perspective, and describes the multi-fissured cracks that permeate the American cultural landscape, which for our purposes surface the image of dried lake beds in historic drought conditions. Such is the culture, not just of the West, but of all current first-world nations. The drought of the knowledge of God has poised the entire world at the edge of cataclysm. The bible is instructive in these matters: “The days are coming,” declares the Sovereign Lord, “when I will send a famine through the land—not a famine of food or a thirst for water, but a famine of hearing the words of the Lord. People will stagger from sea to sea and wander from north to east, searching for the word of the Lord, but they will not find it.” (Amos 8:11-12) The nation that takes lightly the word of the Lord leads all of its subjects into very dangerous circumstances; “The Lord will judge his people. It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” (Heb. 10:30-31)
Jesus’ warning stands firm: “If you believed Moses, you would believe me, for he wrote about me. But since you do not believe what he wrote, how are you going to believe what I say?” (John 5:46-47) But the people of Israel ignored him. Paul underscores this for our benefit. “These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the culmination of the ages has come.” (1 Cor. 10:11)
The world of our time is crumbling around us, literally and figuratively. Coastlines are eroding and falling into the rising sea, raised by global warming and the melting of the ice-caps. There are earthquakes and plagues, and famine is mounting around the world. Fresh-water supplies are dwindling, and there are not just rumors of wars, but war seen daily on the news channels. All of these things that Jesus warned of in the end-times are increasing in severity. How are we to survive such things?
First, take hope, and stand firm in the word of the Lord: “When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.” (Luke 21:28) Banish anxiety from your mind by the word of the Lord: “For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.” (1 Tim. 1:7) Recognize God’s sovereign will and rule as a force for good in your life: “We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” (Rom. 8:28) Recall to mind these words of advice from the Book of Job: “You will surely forget your trouble, recalling it only as waters gone by. Life will be brighter than noonday, and darkness will become like morning. You will be secure, because there is hope; you will look about you and take your rest in safety.” (Job 11:16-18)
Finally, anchor your hope in Jesus. When the world around you is screaming louder than you can think or hear, resolutely turn away from all the clamor and “fix your eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.” (Heb. 12:2-3)
Q. Does my inner eye see the darkness of the outer clouds, or the light of the Son?
*Article, “The Atlantic,” June 13, 2022
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