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It Came Without Warning
~ Chapter II ~
A Day of Distress
"And out of his mouth goes a sharp sword,
that with it
he should smite the nations... and he treads the winepress
of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God."
Revelation 19:15
The images of September 11, 2001 will live forever in the minds of all Americans. And although it is important to move forward, it is also very important to remember. Those who paid the ultimate price on this day were not alone in their suffering. Much of the nation and the world watched in disbelief as each chapter of this grotesque story unfolded. Through the lenses of American news broadcasts, the world was made an eyewitness to a level of horror never before experienced by the most prosperous nation in history. Death and destruction seemed to be everywhere.
Lasting Images
The pictures carried on television that day were truly
sickening. The south tower exploding into flames. The huge cloud of smoke
engulfing both buildings and sucking the life out of those who couldn’t
escape. Scores of innocent people jumping to their death rather than suffer the
excruciating pain of the flames and smoke. The sound of the towers as they
convulsed in agony before collapsing. The great cloud of dust and soot rushing
down the streets of the city. The stream of people running for their lives as a
great wall of smoke pursued. People covered with so much residue from the
collapsed towers that you couldn’t tell their race - everyone was gray.
And then there were the screams, whose echos continue to haunt us to this very day. This truly was a day of distress. And to many it may even have appeared to be apocalyptic.
But what does God’s word say about apocalyptic events? How does the Bible describe the end time? Does it talk about a time of great destruction such as was experienced on 9/11 or is such talk simply the product of "doomsday" religious fanatics?
The Day of The Lord
The Bible speaks of a time when great distress will come upon
the earth. This time is called "the day of the Lord"
as well as "the day of God’s wrath" and represents the last year of
man’s reign on this planet. It is a time when man will experience firsthand
how serious God is about defiance to Him and His law. The prophet Joel
characterized this period as a time of such devastation that few would survive.
And the Lord shall utter his voice before his army: for he is strong that executeth his word: for the day of the Lord is great and very terrible; and who can abide it? (Joel 2:11)
Joel was not the only one to describe "the day of the Lord" in such terms. The apostle John said it this way.
For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand? (Rev. 6:17)
John also stated that this would be a time when even the mightiest men on earth would be consumed with fear.
And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains. (Rev. 6:15-16) see also: Isa. 2:19
John would later state that during this time, the world would be so filled with terror that mankind would actually seek death, but death would be denied.
And in those days shall men seek death, and shall not find it; and shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them. (Rev. 9:6)
The prophet Zephaniah wrote that the time would come when mighty men would be so distressed they would literally be brought to tears.
The great day of the Lord is near, it is near, and hasteth greatly, even the voice of the day of the Lord: the mighty man shall cry there bitterly. (Zeph. 1:14-15)
The Day of the Lord will be a time when no one on earth without God’s protection will be able to escape. There will be no place to hide, nor will man be able to buy his way out of the distress soon to come.
Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of the Lord’s wrath; but the whole land shall be devoured by the fire of his jealousy: for he shall make even a speedy riddance of all them that dwell in the land. (Zeph. 1:18)
The great prophet Isaiah described the overwhelming strength of God’s judgment on a world totally defiant to Him.
For, behold, the Lord will come with fire, and with his chariots like a whirlwind, to render his anger with fury, and his rebuke with flames of fire. (Isa. 66:15-16)
The prophet Hosea referred to this time of God’s judgment as "the day of rebuke" (Hosea 5:9). During it God will chastise His people with great strength. When describing this correction, God says, "I will pour out My wrath upon them like water" (verse 10).
The magnitude of God’s judgment on a rebellious planet is inconceivable but real. It is a time that will see seven trumpet plagues unleashed with unimaginable force and conclude with seven vial plagues, the power of which will make absolutely clear that God is in charge of His creation.
It Begins With Silence
The Bible goes into considerable detail when describing this
period called the Day of God’s Wrath, or the Day of the Lord, which is soon to
come on all mankind. The eighth chapter of the book of Revelation indicates that
it begins with silence.
And when he had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour. (Rev. 8:1)
The Bible does not say why this silence takes place. However, it is possible that God may be reflecting on what He is about to do. It is important to understand that God is a God of love and mercy and the action He is about to take must cause Him great sadness. However, God is also a God of righteousness who will correct – even severely – His children. The book of Hebrews declares that God corrects those whom He loves.
For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. (Heb. 12:6)
The Bible makes it absolutely clear that the time is coming when the Great Creator will use the rod of correction on a world buried in human depravity and evil. Imagine the atrocities that have become a part of everyday life. Today, we live in a world filled with violence. Terrorism has become commonplace in the Middle East, and the United States is anxiously awaiting what experts now call "the inevitable." But it’s not simply extremists with explosives that punctuate our lives today. Evil has saturated what many in the Western world would call contemporary morals. Consider just a few examples. Since the Supreme Court upheld Rowe vs. Wade, over 40 million abortions have been performed in the United States alone. Advocates of this practice defend it in the name of freedom. But how does God see it?
A War on Traditional Values
Today, organizations that espouse traditional values have
actually been characterized as extremist. The Boy Scouts of America are just one
example. This institution, which has long been regarded as a builder of
character in millions of American boys is now labeled in the secular world as a
"hate group" because of their position on homosexuality. They were
actually booed at a national political convention when they came out as the
designated honor guard carrying the American flag. But there is much more.
Social engineers like the ACLU and People for the American Way, which exert tremendous political and cultural influence, will in one breath argue that the mention of God in a public setting poses a clear and present danger to the republic, and in the next, defend an artist’s right to display a work entitled Piss Christ as essential in preserving our liberties. Hot on the heels of this logic is an avalanche of smut and garbage posing as freedom of expression – but God forbid anyone call it what it really is.
Pornography now fills the Internet, making it accessible to anyone of any age with a computer. Additionally, our children learn values from entertainment venues that condone premarital sex, promote obscene language, and advocate fashion that cries out "I’m easy." Virtue has all but disappeared and has been replaced by an attitude that shouts "Get it. Get it now. Get it right now!" Meanwhile, in the business world, major corporations have been rocked by scandal. A new morality has taken hold of corporate America. Under this model, senior executives fabricate balance sheets and their accountants swear to the numbers.
Today in the United States alone, people lie, steal, and cheat with impunity, and it is not just the secular world. Even religious leaders find themselves in a mire of self-made filth. The Catholic church is currently defending itself from allegations that numerous priests have routinely molested young boys in their parishes for decades. This, with the full knowledge of church leaders that certain priests were pedophiles.
Additionally, while decrying the evils of society, television evangelists have been caught in adulterous acts with prostitutes and even members of their own congregations. Faith healers proclaiming "Jesus is Lord" have been exposed as charlatans, scamming thousands of people searching desperately for hope out of millions of dollars. But it doesn’t end there. Governments, too, have failed to provide true leadership.
In the great nations on earth, politicians posture themselves as moral leaders. But while they condemn social inequity, their lives are filled with promiscuity and layered with corruption and deceit. In the Western world, we see courts that oppress the innocent while money can buy "justice." Add to that the fact that legislators and courts alike seem bent on protecting the United States from the Ten Commandments while at the same time giving the keys of the kingdom to those who believe morality is relative.
The Last Days
The Bible declares that man will be so far from God in the
last days that sin will literally fill the earth. Jesus Christ characterized
this time as being similar to the days of Noah (Mt. 24:37-39), and the Bible
states that at that time, man’s thoughts were "only evil
continually" (Gen. 6:5). When writing to the evangelist Timothy, the
apostle Paul characterized the end time this way:
This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good. (2Tim. 3:1-4)
This is the world we live in. With all its technology, it is filled with violence. With all its knowledge, it is filled with ignorance and superstition. With all its wealth, it is filled with poverty. With all its laws, it is filled with crime.
If you were to measure today’s world by God’s great moral code, the Ten Commandments, how would it do? Every aspect of society is corrupt. Its politics, its education, its culture, and even its religions have failed and have created a world filled with suffering. This is the world God sees, and He couldn’t possibly be pleased.
It is true that God is patient and longsuffering, but the scriptures also reveal that there is a time when the Creator will delay no more His judgment on man. Notice what the apostle John was inspired to write when recording the book of Revelation.
And the angel which I saw stand upon the sea and upon the earth lifted up his hand to heaven, and sware by him that liveth for ever and ever, who created heaven, and the things that therein are, and the earth, and the things that therein are, and the sea, and the things which are therein, that there should be time no longer: but in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as he hath declared to his servants the prophets. (Rev. 10:5-7)
The force the Eternal will unleash through 14 angelic beings (seven with trumpets and seven with vials) will graphically demonstrate that He is a God of great strength the likes of which no power in the universe can overcome. During this time, fire will literally rain down from heaven, seas will become blood, and vegetation will be consumed (Rev. 8:7-8). And this is just the beginning.
At one point during this year of judgment, a massive military attack and counter-attack will take place involving a 200 million man infantry (Rev. 9:15-16). To put this number in perspective, it is 400 times greater than the total coalition forces used during Desert Storm and over 150 times greater than the entire military machine of the United States. This military conflict will bring greater death and destruction than any war in human history. The casualties will number in the billions.
A Cynical View
Many in the world today dismiss the prophecies of the Bible
concerning the last days as "silly." Some mock it as "gloom and
doom" or "fear" religion. Those who will engage in apocalyptic
discussions generally argue that there has always been evil in the world and man
has always been able to rise above it. Some even vilify those who seek answers
in the scriptures as the possible cause of 9/11. After all, wasn’t it
religious extremism that drove the hijackers to wage their "jihad?"
Tragically, the vast majority of people on earth have absolutely no idea what God’s word says about the very days we are living in. As a result, what people don’t understand, they generally dismiss as either untrue or unimportant. The Bible warned that in the last days many would be cynical about the great distress foretold by the prophets of God thousands of years ago. Notice the words of the apostle Peter.
Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts... (2Pet. 3:3)
The real tragedy with this attitude is almost too obvious to mention. Simply put, why would anyone take precautions to avoid something they are convinced won’t happen?
Now imagine if it does.