#ourCOG 24 June 2024
Valley of Derision
The Lord tells, through the prophet Joel, the dire recompense for the rebellious evil of opposing His righteousness:
“Proclaim ye this among the Gentiles; Prepare war, wake up the mighty men, let all the men of war draw near; let them come up: Beat your plowshares into swords, and your pruninghooks into spears: let the weak say, I am strong. Assemble yourselves, and come, all ye heathen, and gather yourselves together round about: thither cause thy mighty ones to come down, O LORD. Let the heathen be wakened, and come up to the valley of Jehoshaphat: for there will I sit to judge all the heathen round about.
“Put ye in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe: come, get you down; for the press is full, the fats overflow; for their wickedness is great. Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision: for the day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision” (Joel 9-14).
We are at this moment very near the beginning of that time, at the end of which everyone will be gathered into the Valley of Jehoshaphat–the killing field of Armageddon.
As Joel declares, we now see wickedness growing daily—even hourly. It is indeed an exponential growth of evil directed primarily at God’s prescribed order of things for planet Earth.
Armies of the world, particularly those of nations primary to prophetic fulfillment, have already turned pruninghooks and ploughshares into swords and spears that are the incredibly powerful instruments of modern warfare. They have awakened the men of war and gathered them, as witnessed by Russia’s threatened invasion of Ukraine and China’s voracious glances at Taiwan. The world is, to any observer with a rational eye for developments, preparing to make war.
It is just a matter of time until the multitudes will gather to oppose God and storm toward His touchstone to humanity, Jerusalem and the Temple Mount. They will at first rage against one another, each wanting to make that satanic prize–Jerusalem and Mount Moriah—their conquest. They will be filled with the madness their father, the devil, has planted in their reprobate minds. They will then see the black skies above earth split apart and the glory of Heaven beaming through as the Lord of lords and King of kings and His army of redeemed saints begin their descent.
Today we are in a valley of decision, of sorts. The decision is whether to be on the side of the heathens destined to oppose God and His righteousness, thus be in colleague with those who will face Christ the King in the Valley of Jehoshaphat or whether to be on God’s side by accepting His only way to redemption, thus to be on the side that opposes the wickedness we see proliferating in every direction we look.
Another valley I think we can see very plainly at this time is a valley of derision.
It is a place of profound struggle against the powers and principalities in high places of Ephesians 6:12. Christians who determine to fight the evil that opposes God’s righteousness comprise the nucleus of this force. While many others who don’t know Christ as their Lord also fight in this arena against wickedness, God’s people are the glue that holds fast the frontline resistance to the assaults by Lucifer’s minions, both demonic and human.
Paul the apostle says the Restrainer will hold back the assaults of evil and wickedness until He is taken out of the way. The Holy Spirit is that Restrainer, and He works primarily by indwelling all who know Christ for salvation. So it is the believers of this age who must continue the struggle, empowered by God the Holy Spirit.
And there is plenty of evidence to validate that God is restraining in these times so near when He will call the Church out of this doomed world of rebelliousness.
We’ve witnessed time after time, for example, blockage of legislative efforts that would take America into dictatorship. The evil continues to advance but is not allowed to completely infect the world with the sin disease that will cause God’s judgment and wrath to finally fall upon the incorrigible rebels who oppose His righteousness.
The time will come when “earth dwellers” will have their way, mostly unimpeded by God’s governance. But this condition will not last long. Devastating things will begin to happen as God prepares for His Son, Jesus Christ, to return and put an end to all evil, wickedness, and rebellion.
The Lord has these anti-God, anti-Christ forces in derision at this very moment. His Holy Spirit is holding back Satan’s all-out assault until the Church is taken to be with Jesus in the Rapture.
Again, here is what the Lord says about what is going on now and into eternity.
“Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against his anointed, saying, Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us. He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision. Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure.
“Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion. I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee. Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession. Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel. Be wise now therefore, O ye kings: be instructed, ye judges of the earth. Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him” (Psalms 2:1-12).
—Terry
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Are We Really on the Cusp of the Rapture?
As one high watch period after another comes and goes, we sigh as the waiting continues. If you are like me, you feel the weariness of continuing to watch for the Lord’s appearing as wickedness increases beyond what I ever thought possible, and injustice prevails along with government corruption.
Are we really on the cusp of the Rapture? Yes, I remain convinced that we are. Below is a brief summation of reasons why I still watch for the Lord’s appearing as something that could happen today or possibly this week, month, or year.
Wickedness that Demands God’s Response
Many years ago, Ruth Graham famously quipped, “If God doesn’t judge America, He’ll have to apologize to Sodom and Gomorrah.” Wickedness in the U.S. has increased exponentially since she spoke those words. If God’s judgment on our nation seemed like a foregone conclusion over twenty years ago, how much closer must America be now to experiencing the full scope of His wrath?
God is just, and He must judge the extreme wickedness and lawlessness of our day. The Bible predicts a future outpouring of God’s wrath upon the entire earth, which it describes as the start of the Day of the Lord. Paul, writing to the Thessalonians, stated that the Rapture will happen just before the “sudden destruction” of this future time (1 Thessalonians 5:1-10).
What we see happening today will most surely bring God’s response. Count on it. He will directly intervene in the course of human affairs, beginning with the Rapture.
The Prospect of Nuclear War
For months, I have read statements from Russian leaders warning of nuclear war if NATO persists in arming Ukraine, which they continue to do. Recently, Biden authorized Ukraine to fire U.S. missiles at targets within Russian territory. I remain shocked by the foolishness of such a decision. When one of America’s missiles causes severe damage in Russia, it’s a certainty that Putin will directly attack NATO and American interests.
Revelation 6:1-8 describes the initial devastation toll that will sweep over the earth during the Day of the Lord. This includes a war that will contribute to the death of one-fourth of the earth’s population. Could it be that what John saw was the result of the current provocations for a nuclear confrontation that would likely kill hundreds of millions, if not more? If so, this tells us we are ever so close to the Rapture, which happens before the seal judgments.
The World’s Determination to Resolve Israel’s Wars
If there ever was a time that matches the words of Zechariah 12:2-3, it’s now:
“Behold, I am about to make Jerusalem a cup of staggering to all the surrounding peoples. The siege of Jerusalem will also be against Judah. On that day I will make Jerusalem a heavy stone for all the peoples. All who lift it will surely hurt themselves. And all the nations of the earth will gather against it.”
Of all the many wars taking place in the world today, the UN and its member nations are obsessed with stopping Israel’s war in Gaza and preventing its all-out attack on Hezbollah. The world’s excessive preoccupation with bringing peace to the Middle East not only fulfills prophecy but will also lead to the antichrist’s future covenant of ‘peace’ with Israel.
The Lord, through His prophet, predicted the world’s current fascination with Jerusalem, which will open the door to what will take place just prior to and during the seven-year Tribulation. Does this not also tell us that we are ever so close to the Lord taking us home to the place He’s preparing for us? I believe it does.
The Nearing Pole Shift
For the past couple of years, I have been reading about the upcoming pole shift. My primary source of information for this has been John Traczyk, a fellow believer who’s also eagerly anticipated the Lord’s soon appearing. I don’t understand much of what I read about the beginning of the pole shift, but a few things have captured my attention:
- The descriptions of what the experts say will happen during a pole shift closely match what the Apostle John predicted would happen during the sixth seal (Revelation 6:12-17).
- Many of the world’s wealthiest people are building underground bunkers. They are doing so not only because of the threat of nuclear war but because of warnings concerning the pole shift.
- John Traczyk and others believe this catastrophic event will happen soon.
The nearing pole shift is another harbinger pointing to the nearness of Jesus’ appearing to take us home.
The Imminent Economic Disaster
The third seal depicts a time of economic disaster that will impact the entire world. And as I have often written, we are long past due for this to have happened. It’s only the restraining hand that’s holding back the astronomically high prices for food depicted in Revelation 6:5-6.
Living With a Sense of Imminency Copies the Mindset of First Century AD Saints
As I prayed and thought about the nearness of the Rapture during the past week, the Lord reminded me that living with a sense of imminency is biblical regardless of the signs pointing to it. He instructed us to always watch for His return, and the New Testament believers “early awaited” His appearing as something that could happen at any moment (Matthew 24:36-51; Philippians 3:20-21; 1 Thessalonians 1:8-10). And our perseverance in doing so will bring a reward (2 Timothy 4:8).
Waiting is never easy, especially in a day of microwave ovens and instant access to information via the phones we hold in our hands. However, when Jesus appears to take us to the place that He’s preparing for us (John 14:2-3), we will know that it was well worth the wait.
-Jonathan
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