Prophecy in Revelation predicts the seven last plagues that GOD will pour upon the inhabitants of the earth who will accept the mark of the beast. The plagues will be worldwide, there will be no place to escape from them except to be one of GOD's sealed remnant, who GOD himself will protect and sustain by His powerful hand.
These are the end times; we shall behold strange sights as momentous events transpire in heaven and on earth.
A recent post discusses how Proverbs chapter 2 points to that time of plagues, when probation will have closed for all humanity ( there will be no more forgiveness of sins through Jesus Christ's High Priestly ministry, which is the only valid channel for justification before GOD.) This will be the prophetic day (year) of GOD's wrath prior to Christ's second coming.
There will be no pre-advent rapture by which Christians will be providentially removed from the trouble (as many blind guides teach). These days of grace are granted us that we may prepare our hearts, resolve our wills, refine our characters to pass through the days of persecution and martyrdom ahead of us. Those saints who will live to see the plagues will have to live SINLESS lives (there being no more Intercessor in the Heavenly Sanctuary) at that time, though hunted as outlaws by the laws of menm. See Revelation 14's description of the 144,000. Is it possible to be sinless? By the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit, yes.
But now, today, is the time to be fetching oil for our lamps, parting with sin, whilst our great High Priest still intercedes for us with His own blood before the Father. Now we should confess, repent, pray and read the Bible as never before, redeeming the time, for it is short.
The world today is embroiled in a man-eat-man struggle for survival. It is easy to get carried away. The love of many has waxed cold. For love of money, greed of gain, many would do anything to be rich above everything else. So rampant is this grasping selfish spirit that many believe that once they make "enough" money they will be free from troubles. It is a collective delusion of the majority, that money buys happiness, that wealth can be a shield in the day of affliction, that luxury is peace of mind.
Wealth indeed is a blessing, from GOD, no less. But what brings a curse, other than a blessing ungratefully misused and perverted? But if the blessings with which we are blessed were used in blessing others, we would then be blessed indeed from all sides.
Life is more important than possessions; having food and clothing let us therewith be content.
The multiplicity of fault lines on the planet is becoming more apparent as they widen and multiply. It is a necessary feature of the struggle for limited resources amongst natural mankind. Consider how the xenophobia in South Africa took a bloody turn. I wondered who they would start killing when all the "foreigners" left (or died) and the inequality still persisted. One fears when one considers scenarios like Kenya's almost forgotten Post Election Violence of 2007-2008. Such is the spirit of war, that Outside Enemies can easily be made of foreigners, other races, other tribes, other clans, other families, neighbours and even kinsmen. There is no abiding solidarity amongst the selfish. It is one of the many unsavory traits of the last days generation.
Inequality has become a dividing line causing worldwide unrest. Even in Kenya the recent allegations of grand corruption, bad enough as they are all by themselves, have additional unhappy outcome of polarizing the country between the eaters and the eaten. When the people see corruption so blatantly carried out in high places, they themselves feel justified in cutting corners in their own integrity to get ahead, or getting even somehow. Everybody suffers eventually, yet retribution must come, because all actions have consequences.
The Bible makes it clear that wealth is no escape from troubles. Jesus warned against the deceitfulness of riches. James chapter 5 says (paraphrasing) in the day of GOD's wrath the wealthy wicked will find that there is no escape any more. In that day, no matter how wealthy they will be, their wealth will be useless. Many will find after long years spent accumulating luxuries that they are unavailing of comfort against the plagues.
Picture it, the plagues wreaking havoc in the neighbourhood of a fabulously wealthy man, so that he can obtain neither peace nor safety, good health or clean water by any means. He boards his private jet with a stash of valuables looking to fly off to somewhere cooler. Getting there after long hours of flight over desolate waste lands, finds the occupants of his presumed paradise preparing to fly off to some other resort destination coz their home conditions are just as uninhabitable as the ones their guest has fled. This is just an imaginary scenario to illustrate that in that day there will be no place on the earth where the plagues of GOD's wrath will not be in full force. It will be worldwide.
But before that day comes, first, the mark of the beast. In fact that mark is what will trigger the seven last plagues, when every living soul will have decided for or against it. Do you know it? Are you ready? It is a weighty decision, because accepting the mark of the beast will earn the wrath of GOD (plagues) and rejecting the mark will earn the wrath of the beast (persecution, imprisonment, death.) With this in mind only one question remains: in the Great Tribulation, why will you suffer? Not whether, for all will suffer, but why? Will you suffer for doing right of for doing iniquity? For following Jesus or for worshipping the beast?
