“Though the fig tree may not blossom, Nor fruit be on the vines; Though the labor of the olive may fail, And the fields yield no food; Though the flock may be cut off from the fold, And there be no herd in the stalls—Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation. The Lord God is my strength; He will make my feet like deer’s feet, And He will make me walk on my high hills” (Hab. 3:17-19).
This is a description of an economic holocaust during the time of the prophet Habakkuk, who prophesied of Judah at a time of depression in the kingdom, at a time of social, moral and national spiritual corruption. The consolation and encouragement of the Prophet, came to him only from his strong faith in God.
Even today we live in a time of social, moral and spiritual corruption, which will lead in the future to a global Holocaust with the reign of the Antichrist over the world. (He will be worse than he who planned, executed and brought to the previous Holocaust). Yes, a difficult and shocking Holocaust befell our people in the previous century, but the next Holocaust is approaching and it will be more difficult than its predecessor: “For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be” (Matt. 24:21).
Already now, we must prepare for this time. It is our job, the believers, to submit to God, to seek His face, to pray and repent and God will hear, forgive and heal us. “If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land” (2 Ch. 7:14).
We must learn from the past (from the previous Holocaust), look forward to the future, hold on to the prophecies in God’s word and live the faith, in the power that the Lord gives us. Our hope is in God’s promise: “Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells” (2 Pet. 3:13). Therefore, we must leave the thought and the workers of the flesh and the thought of the world, be different from the unbelievers and follow the words of Yeshua, which are appropriate even today: “Then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it” (Luke 9:23-24). True, it involves suffering, but it is temporary, compared to the eternal reward that awaits us in heaven.
The Lord looks first at us, the true believers in Yeshua, the priests of today, who must stand before Him, in holiness and reverence: “The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.
But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up. Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat…Therefore, beloved… be diligent to be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless“ (2 Pet. 3:9-12, 14). Peter speaks here to us the believers. We must first of all, stand right before the Lord and hasten the day of the Lord – by living a life of holiness and reverence for God – and be before Him in peace by repentance, and only then can we come to His presence and intercede for our people. We have seen this already in the time of the Old Testament, in the act of the High Priest, who before entering the Holy of Holies on the Day of Atonement to pray for the people, would first sacrifice a sacrifice for himself, and only later for the whole people.
The prophet Habakkuk, who was God-fearing, prayed to God during the trial that came upon Judah and asked: “O Lord, I have heard Your speech and was afraid; O Lord, revive Your work in the midst of the years! In the midst of the years make it known; In wrath remember mercy” (Hab. 3:2). He glorifies God, but also asks Him to remember and have mercy on the people in the midst of His anger over them.
We pray today that the Lord will act in the life of our people and save them now and in time of the tribulation. “Alas! For that day is great, So that none is like it; And it is the time of Jacob’s trouble, But he shall be saved out of it… But they shall serve the Lord their God, And David their king (Yeshua), Whom I will raise up for them” (Jer. 30: 7,9).
Of course God’s judgment is hard, but according to God’s word we learn that through judgment, He wants to teach us His righteousness. “With my soul I have desired You in the night, Yes, by my spirit within me I will seek You early; For when Your judgments are in the earth, The inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness” (Isa. 26:9). It is true that God is a merciful and compassionate abounding in grace and truth, but He is also a holy God and a God of justice and He does not compromise with sin, big or small … We, the believers, must keep ourselves, clean from sin and hold on to His holiness and at the same time also praise and glorify God, for being the God of the justice, the grace and the truth.
In the hard time, before the last seven plagues, of God’s wrath, we read in the book of Revelation about the the song of the believers in heaven, these are the ‘overcomers of the beast’: “And I saw something like a sea of glass mingled with fire, and those who have the victory over the beast, over his image and over his mark and over the number of his name, standing on the sea of glass, having harps of God. They sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying: Great and marvelous are Your works, Lord God Almighty! Just and true are Your ways, O King of the saints! Who shall not fear You, O Lord, and glorify Your name? For You alone are holy. For all nations shall come and worship before You, For Your judgments have been manifested” (Rev. 15:2-4). They glorify God, in His judgment on the world. According to this word of God, the tribulation will bring part of the people to fear and honor God and bow to Him.
We all know that a world that is tired, sick and wounded, waiting for the healing touch of the great heavenly physician… As believers, we have the truth to convey to the world, the Good News to tell them and the light to share with them. We all know the word of God to His bride: “Arise, shine; For your light has come! And the glory of the Lord is risen upon you. For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, And deep darkness the people; But the Lord will arise over you, And His glory will be seen upon you. The Gentiles shall come to your light, And kings to the brightness of your rising” (Isa. 60: 1-3). This is the time we must apply it, especially now in the end of the end times.
So let us testify of the might of God in our lives, and complete the great commission that the Lord has given us for the world, and especially teach them to keep the commandments that the Lord has commanded us: “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen”! (Matt. 28:19-20). And Amen!