Revelation 12:12 Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time. 17 And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.
This passage of scripture makes it abundantly clear that an international crisis of epic proportions is looming on the horizon, and according to Revelation, it will be a religious war taking place between the devil and those who keep the commandments of God, and who also have the testimony of Jesus. The endless turmoil and bloodshed we are now seeing in the middle east and in different parts of the earth, are just precursors to what will shortly come to pass, and therefore we are cautioned not to be deceived by satan's diversionary tactics, which he often employs as a means to an end.
It is often the case that when the devil desires to bring destruction upon God's people, he uses a circuitous route, so as not to be discovered in his guise. Many Christians are looking for the final conflict of this earth's history to unfold in the middle east, and that's one of the reasons why we have the largest embassy in the world there. Muslims are also looking for the coming of the Twelfth Imam, whilst the Jewish nation is expecting the imminent revelation of Moshiah, and thus we are now facing a multitude of circuitous routes and ideologies that can cause us to lose our focus on the real issues that are being discussed and put in place silently, in order that when the final conflict breaks upon us, we may be caught unawares.
The Bible tells us of an instance when satan stood up against Israel to provoke them to violate a clear instruction which had been given them by God. This was done in order to cause harm to the nation, and this particular device of the adversary must be studied very carefully, as it will be, and is currently being duplicated before our eyes, though many Christians know it not. Let's read:
1st Chronicles 21:1 And Satan stood up against Israel, and provoked David to number Israel. 2 And David said to Joab and to the rulers of the people, Go, number Israel from Beersheba even to Dan; and bring the number of them to me, that I may know it. 3 And Joab answered, The Lord make his people an hundred times so many more as they be: but, my lord the king, are they not all my lord's servants? why then doth my lord require this thing? why will he be a cause of trespass to Israel?
This act of numbering the people when God had not commanded them was in direct violation of the spirit of trusting in God, for this act would show that their strength and confidence was in numbers, instead of in God's omnipotent power, and therefore, if the devil desires to open the flood gates of woe upon the Hebrew nation, he would first have to incite them to do something that is contrary to God's will, something that would betray sacred trusts. Let's read:
Deuteronomy 7:7 The Lord did not set his love upon you, nor choose you, because ye were more in number than any people; for ye were the fewest of all people: 8 But because the Lord loved you, and because he would keep the oath which he had sworn unto your fathers" ....... 9 Know therefore that the Lord thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations".
And so it was that when David and those who agreed with him, went ahead and succumbed to the devices of the enemy by numbering the people, that the inevitable result followed quickly on the heels of transgression, for the wages of sin is death, and whenever the devil succeeds in getting us to transgress God's revealed will, he shows up for payment, because the Bible states that the workman is worthy of his hire. Let's read:
1st Chronicles 21:7 And God was displeased with this thing; therefore he smote Israel. 9 And the Lord spake unto Gad, David's seer, saying, 10 Go and tell David, saying, Thus saith the Lord, I offer thee three things: choose thee one of them, that I may do it unto thee. 12 Either three years' famine; or three months to be destroyed before thy foes, while that the sword of thine enemies overtaketh thee; or else three days the sword of the Lord, even the pestilence, in the land, and the angel of the Lord destroying throughout all the coasts of Israel. Now therefore advise thyself what word I shall bring again to him that sent me.
The question then for us is, could it be that the reason why our troubles have multiplied exponentially within the last few years is as a result of the violation of some law or statute which God has clearly given, something which as a nation and individuals we know is wrong, yet for the sake of popularity and the majority opinion, we went ahead and violated God's revealed will by legalizing it? What does the scripture say about such an unpopular line of reasoning? Let's read:
Isaiah 24:4 The earth mourneth and fadeth away, the world languisheth and fadeth away, the haughty people of the earth do languish. 5 The earth also is defiled under the inhabitants thereof; because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant. 6 Therefore hath the curse devoured the earth, and they that dwell therein are desolate: therefore the inhabitants of the earth are burned, and few men left.
It is of critical importance then for us to do some personal and national soul-searching, if by any means we may discover where we have gone wrong, for the keeping of God's commandments is directly linked to prosperity, longevity, and individual and national safety. We may need to eat some humble pie in the process, but God, who is rich in grace and mercy, and who takes no delight in the destruction of the sinner, will be more than willing to reverse the current trends of brutal killings which will become internationally contagious, if His laws are continually violated and thrown out as being irrelevant.
We therefore end with a promise of forgiveness and restoration to all individuals and nations who submit themselves under the wise instructions contained in God's law, for they were given for our very best good and longevity. Let's read:
2nd Chronicles 7:14 If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. 15 Now mine eyes shall be open, and mine ears attent unto the prayer that is made in this place.
May God add His blessing to the study and doing of His word. "Good night" and God bless!