Alarmageddon
Blow the trumpet in Zion; sound the alarm …”
(Joel 2:1)
I’m not waiting anxiously for the end of the world – although it is coming, but not this week and probably not this year. Jesus said He would return suddenly and unexpectedly [Matthew 24:44], so you never know, but there is a lot still to happen – like the destruction of Damascus [Isaiah 17:1], which the Bible forecasts but which has not happened at any time in history; and the uprooting from the western world of nearly ten million Jews – God says they are all to be regathered in the Promised Land [Ezekiel 39:28 and Micah 2:12] and that hasn’t happened yet, although the process has certainly started. Also still to happen is the salvation of multitudes of Moslems, because the last 40 nations still to be reached are almost all Islamic nations, and God says that He is going to have a harvest from every tribe and tongue [Matthew 24:14 and Revelation 7:9].
Matthew 24:44
So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect Him.
×Isaiah 17:1
An oracle concerning Damascus: “See, Damascus will no longer be a city but will become a heap of ruins.”
×Ezekiel 39:28
Then they will know that I am the LORD their God, for though I sent them into exile among the nations, I will gather them to their own land, not leaving any behind.
Micah 2:12
I will surely gather all of you, O Jacob; I will surely bring together the remnant of Israel. I will bring them together like sheep in a pen, like a flock in its pasture; the place will throng with people.
×Matthew 24:14
And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.
Revelation 7:9
After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands.
×I’m not waiting for the end of the world, but Jesus said to watch for the signs [Matthew 24:42]. He must have had a reason for saying that.
Here’s why I think the times are significant: The western world is due for a shake up. Half the world has been fat and happy for a long long time, while the other half starves. Prosperity tends to make people spiritually lazy [Matthew 13:22]. And Jesus said that the end won’t come until there’s a great falling away from faith [Matthew 24:10-13 and 2 Thessalonians 2:3]. By the way, the original Greek word in 2 Thessalonians 2:3 that is translated (in the NIV) ‘rebellion’, is ‘apostasia’ which, it seems to me, can only be truthfully translated ‘apostasy’, which plainly means ‘to fall away from faith’.
Matthew 13:22
The one who received the seed that fell among the thorns is the man who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful.
×Matthew 24:10-13
At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved.
2 Thessalonians 2:3
Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way, for (that day will not come) until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction.
×So, everyone’s faith is going to be tested. That’s biblical [James 1:2-4].
James 1:2-4
Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
×Reasons why I think that the western world is due for a shake up:
- One out of every three Jews is back in the Promised Land.
That’s a miracle, if you have eyes to see it. But the Jews have migrated to Israel rather reluctantly – out of the ashes of the Holocaust, through persecutions in Arab lands after Independence was declared in 1948, and after the collapse of communism in Russia. They have returned to Zion, by and large, as refugees. What is it going to take to uproot millions of Jews who are firmly established in the prosperous western world? Expect remarkable events.
- Private, commercial and sovereign debt levels in Europe, the USA and Japan are at staggering levels of risk.
Expect anything from civil unrest to years and years of austerity. At some point, God says in Isaiah 2 and elsewhere, He is going to shake everything that can be shaken.
Fear not. Shelter under His wings. And rejoice that there will never be a better time to preach the gospel of Christ [Matthew 9:37-38].
Matthew 9:37-38
Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into His harvest field.”
×Related messages:
