“Blow the trumpet…. Sound the alarm!” (Joel 2:1) The whole world is currently hearing a singular sound. When the unexpected happens and shakes the entire planet earth, fera, doubts and questions grip peoples’ hearts. The insecurities were not created by the crisis, but more people became aware of them when the unexpected happens. What about the future, if there is to be a future? How widespread is this dilemma and are there other occurring tragedies to follow after this one? This pandemic, the coronavirus, has required the entire population of the planet to be quarantined. It is as if all the world has been placed on house arrest. When motion is restricted the economy suffers loss. When the economy suffers loss, necessities that sustain life are in limited supply. Where there is limited supply the demand is greater, crime increases. Safety and security are compromised, leaving people vulnerable to every vice known to man.
The alarm has been sounded. The prophetic Word of God is being fulfilled. The prophet Joel further says, “Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble; for the day of the Lord is coming, for it is at hand!” The quality of character is being exposed among both the righteous and the ungodly. When the Lord Jesus Christ was born, the prophetic words of Simeon were spoken over Him. He said to His mother Mary, “Behold, this Child is destined for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign which will be spoken against 35 (yes, a sword will pierce through your own soul also), that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.” (Luke 2:34-35) The closer we are to the return of Christ the clearer we see ourselves as we really are. The objective of the prophetic Word was to build confidence in the hearts of those who would believe on Jesus once He was presented to them. His objective in coming was to redeem them from their sins and direct them on the path leading to eternal life. The beginning of His journey was to fulfill the promises made to Abraham, the father of faith. Then from those who are of the seed of Abraham, every nation on the face of the earth was to be blessed. But the majority of those to whom He was sent rejected Him. They considered what they had already attained as being sufficient. Their hearts were filled with pride because of their possessions and their misunderstanding of God’s promises. His coming was a disruption of their peace. It was as a sword to them, an erupting disturbance that needed to be put in its place. Therefore, they put Him in His place. It is called the Cross.
The decisions and positions of this generation as a whole are no different or perhaps even worse than they were. At least in the past, many were religious, while today Christ, along with religion in many arenas, is completely rejected. Unbelief and disbelief do not change the Truth of God’s Word. There are those who do not know the Truth, and others who would not retain the Truth in their knowledge for the sake of expediency, often for social and poltiical reasons. The alarm is sounding to call the world to attention. It is a call to prepare for judgment. God, the Righteous Judge will judge all creatures both rich and poor, according to what resides within the heart. What we see today are merely the symptoms to alert us all that an adjustment towards correcting the error of humankind is inevitable. If the very purpose for which the Lord came as a Child to the earth is to be completely fulfilled, He will have to bring about radical changes first among those who are grafted in, then He will make known to the children of Abraham His original intent. The earth is trembling at the sound of His Word through the clarion call of the trumpet. The Lord is coming soon. May all the peoples of the earth make room for His return!
