Signs Of The Times
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Good News For Bad Times
We live in troubled times, see Living In A Chaotic World.
God spoke through the prophet Isaiah to his children Israel, who had been in exile for seventy years because of their rebellion against God, and told them that he was going to free them from captivity in Babylon and take them back to their land again. And God promised to send his Messiah, or anointed Saviour, to redeem them from the persecution they had endured. Freed from years of slavery in exile, they would see the arrival of a Servant, who would bring in God's kingom-rule back to Jerusalem.
In Isaiah 52:7 God says:'How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, “Your God reigns!” '
The Good News Of A Suffering Servant
In a prophetic picture in Chapter 53 Isaiah goes on to describe this Suffering Servant, who would redeem sinners from their sins.
"Who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?
He grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.
He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. Like one from whom people hide their faces he was despised, and we held him in low esteem.
Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted.But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.
We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the Lord has laid on hiim the iniquity of us all.He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth. By oppression and judgment he was taken away. Yet who of his generation protested? For he was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgression of my people he was punished.
He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death, though he had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth.
Yet it was the Lord’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer,and though the Lord makes his life an offering for sin, he will see his offspring and prolong his days,and the will of the Lord will prosper in his hand.
After he has suffered, he will see the light of life and be satisfied; by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities.Therefore I will give him a portion among the great,and he will divide the spoils with the strong,because he poured out his life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors.For he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.
A Word Of Warning About The Shaking
On the 20th December 2004, the Lord spoke a clear "word" of warning:
"I am shaking the things that can be shaken, so that the things that cannot be shaken will remain."
These words are based on HEBREWS 12:26-29 "At that time [in Moses' day] God's voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, “Once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.” The words “once more” indicate the removing of what can be shaken — that is, created things — so that what cannot be shaken may remain. Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our “ God is a consuming fire.”
Earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions, floods, landslides
Six days later on 26th December 2004, a devastating tsunami hit South East Asia killing an estimated over 225,000 people across the region. Since then there has been further evidence of a worldwide shaking taking place - not just in terms of natural disasters, such as tsunamis, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and devastating floods, but also in the economic, social, political and religious domains.
In the years since there have been more earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, wildfires and devastating floods than at any other time in history as part of what scientists attribute to global warming.
What in the world is going on?
In addition to natural disasters, there has been a resurgence of wars worldwide including Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the Gaza conflict, sparked by Hamas' attack on Israel on 7th October 2023, killing twelve hundred men, women and children and taking over two hundred as hostages. In addition there have been threats by China to take over Taiwan and North Korea has been testing long-range nuclear missiles.
In the light of all the chaos, where is God in it all?
