Drastic Times Produce Drastic Decisions
These days have much evil in them. When we pick up a newspaper or turn on the television news, we hear people doing much evil. This has been going on and now getting closer and closer to the Parousia of Yashua, the birth pangs will intensify. When the times come of trials, people react to them with very little thought, many times there is absolutely no thought. This too, will increase when the tribulation period becomes a reality on this earth. However, I am convinced that we will not believe the drastic decisions that many "Christians" will make.
The events of sieges and famines are no stranger to Israel. Samaria was in a siege and it produced such stress and pressure that people made drastic decisions. 2Kings 6:24-32 ¶ And it came to pass after this, that Benhadad king of Syria gathered all his host, and went up, and besieged Samaria. And there was a great famine in Samaria: and, behold, they besieged it, until an ass's head was sold for fourscore pieces of silver, and the fourth part of a cab of dove's dung for five pieces of silver. And as the king of Israel was passing by upon the wall, there cried a woman unto him, saying, Help, my lord, O king. And he said, If the LORD do not help thee, whence shall I help thee? out of the barnfloor, or out of the winepress? And the king said unto her, What aileth thee? And she answered, This woman said unto me, Give thy son, that we may eat him to day, and we will eat my son to morrow. So we boiled my son, and did eat him: and I said unto her on the next day, Give thy son, that we may eat him: and she hath hid her son. And it came to pass, when the king heard the words of the woman, that he rent his clothes; and he passed by upon the wall, and the people looked, and, behold, he had sackcloth within upon his flesh. Then he said, God do so and more also to me, if the head of Elisha the son of Shaphat shall stand on him this day. But Elisha sat in his house, and the elders sat with him; and the king sent a man from before him: but ere the messenger came to him, he said to the elders, See ye how this son of a murderer hath sent to take away mine head? Look, when the messenger cometh, shut the door, and hold him fast at the door: is not the sound of his master's feet behind him?
This Syrian king, Benhadad, has blockaded Samaria, set up siege works and is about to destroy them. The results of this war were famine and drastic decisions and of course wrong interpretations of the events. As we see, the king blames the servant of God, the prophet Elisha! How amazing that the prophet is always blamed for the sins of his nation or his people that bring direct punishment! Elisha lived a holy life and walked with the Lord used by Him for many great miracles and to bring His Word to the people. The siege was a result of the nation of Israel or the 10 northern tribes rejecting the Lord and setting up idolatry in their country. No one forced Israel to reject God, but they did. No one forced Israel to set up idols and follow the heart of Jeroboam, but they did. Elisha a disciple of Elijah, prophesied of the famine and the reason for it coming, so the king blames Elisha for the famine. Has anything changed today? People just don't accept accountability to the Lord or His servants.
Well the king reacted one way, but the people reacted another way. The people were going to make it no matter what. The people decided they weren't going to allow a little sin and judgment get in the way of doing what was in their hearts which was more sin. These two women who decide the way to make it through the famine is to become cannibalistic. One women boils her so and they eat him. The famine and stress of the siege by Benhadad caused these women to decide to commit the unthinkable sin of cannibalism. The king of Israel is irate blaming Elisha, but these women are responsible for their own choices. One woman boils her son and they dine on human flesh, but the next day the other woman hides her son. Were they not both mothers? Were they not both given by the Lord instincts and tools as mothers to protect their children? Yet in the time of severe famine, a mother decides to kill and eat her son! Drastic trials and tribulations will produce a stress so unbelievable and unbearable that the decisions made by many will be evil decisions. These decisions will result in a forfeiture of all rights and privileges of humanity. This woman lost her mind, she was insane, she made drastic choices in the stress of this famine.
The Lord is always faithful and time and time again He warns people of their sins because they don't listen to their conscience being pricked by the conviction of the Holy Spirit. The Lord sends His servants the prophets because people don't listen to the Holy Spirit. It literally takes a spiritual 2x4 to get some people's attention. These two women could have done the suggestion given to them by the preaching of Elisha, and they could have repented and returned to the living God. Under the pressure of the siege, these women predetermined to kill their sons, boil one one day for food and the next day the other one. This is truly a drastic time and the decisions made are drastic! Elisha and the rest of the prophets preached the Word, but Israel rejected the simplicity of repentance and compliance with the Lord's will. So the boiling of one son produced the audacity of that women to cry out to the king for justice. She didn't want justice in the sense of her repentance for her sins and especially the sin of murdering her own son, but she cried for the justice of the other woman who hid her son! There is no logic when the human being is under stress if the person is not committed to the Lord! This woman is crying out for justice, and she is so hard hearted that her justice isn't justice.
Drastic times will produce every manner of decision. There is a time coming that has never happened on the earth, the great tribulation. Matthew 24:21 For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. We will have a drastic time that will produce drastic decisions. The great tribulation is discussed all over the world. To be honest, most people don't believe the great tribulation will happen despite all the Scripture that has been confirmed prophesying of its reality. These words here are from the mouth of Jesus Christ, yet people still don't believe. I am amazed at how many people have created their "God" into a god of love who won't be just and holy. The creation of their god to give them what they want and not what they deserve is the type of god the world has always wanted so the world can live the way they want without ever having an ounce of accountability. The great tribulation will never be again and this time will be drastic producing drastic decisions. The sin of Israel caused a holy God to pronounce through Jeremiah 70 weeks of "sevens" which remains one week to still come and the last 3 1/2 years of that last week is the great tribulation, a time the world had never seen being compared to such events as Sodom and Gomorrah and the flood of Noah's time.
The judgments of God have always brought about great debates. The one debate that causes me the most concern is from the OSAS crowd as they discuss their "God" attempting to stand on what they say is Scriptural evidence that a person who is saved is eternally secure and could never walk away from the Lord. In Sodom before the judgment fell Lot was accused of being their judge as they laughed off the judgment (Gen 19:9). In the debating as God's servants stand upon what is written and for His holiness, the "god is love" crowd also cry out as they go about their business as usual oblivious to the truth they reject. This too, happened during Noah's time as he told them of the coming rain, but because they had never seen rain they laughed him to scorn and treated him harshly as all the servants of the Lord are treated. The days of Noah and Lot are also the times before the Parousia of Yashua which according to Jesus Himself is after the tribulation. Matthew 24:29-31 Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.
Drastic times produce drastic decisions, and there will be many drastic decisions during the tribulation. Since Jesus returns after the tribulation, we know that many poeple who call themselves Christians, many people who have prayed and repented of their sins, and many people who have been water baptized will be upon the earth. The church will be here, but many people in stress and turmoil will make drastic decisions. The OSAS crowd will tell you that it is impossible for the Lord to lose someone who has been saved, the "god is love" crowd will tell us that God won't allow His people to be here because the rapture is before the tribulatoion, but the Word of God clearly shows the Lord returning after the tribulation with the church on the earth hopefully standing for truth and the Lord they say they love. No wonder Jesus asked this question. Luke 18:8 I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?
Just as the famine during Elisha's time produced the stress that resulted in a woman's decision to boil her own son for food, the return of the Lord will be after a time of stress that will produce decisions that are drastic, so much so that the Lord even questions if He will find faith on the earth! We see some decisions from some of the people on earth. Revelation 9:20-21 And the rest of the men which were not killed by these plagues yet repented not of the works of their hands, that they should not worship devils, and idols of gold, and silver, and brass, and stone, and of wood: which neither can see, nor hear, nor walk: Neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts. Despite all the events happening, these people reject the possibility of repentance! Nah, they could never be in sin, that terrible three letter word!! Well they chose to reject the truth of their sin, so they rejected the sacrifice for their sin, Yashua!
Look at what will take place during the tribulation keeping in mind this time will be worse than ever recorded or happened on the earth, far worse than the famine because of Benhadad's siege! Rev 6:5-8 And when he had opened the third seal, I heard the third beast say, Come and see. And I beheld, and lo a black horse; and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand. And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine. And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see. And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth. Wow, a severe famine brought on that will destroy 25% of the earth's population! Drastic times produce drastic decisions! Notice the decisions of the people after this!! Revelation 6:15-17 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; And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?
By now you are saying so what, that's all the evil people who are not in the Lord Jesus, these are not Christians, they are atheists or heathens! Well I would agree with you except that I see something in Scripture that I didn't see before, something that shows during drastic times people make drastic decisions! I am concerned for those who believe in OSAS and I am concerned for those who are convinced of a pre-tribulation rapture. The great tribulation will take far more by surprise than the simple thoughts we think when we read about the Lord's return as a thief in the night!
Matthew 25:1-13 ¶ Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom. And five of them were wise, and five were foolish. They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them: But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept. And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him. Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out. But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves. And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut. Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not. Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.
These are all virgins and as such could be called Christians or people who call themselves Christians, so by implication these all were waiting for the groom, and so we can also conclude they were taught the same truths! There were wise Christians and foolish Christians. Some were clearly taking the warning that he was returning for the wedding party, and others were with a nonchalant attitude oblivious to the importance of obedience. For the OSAS crowd this would be time for the debate that obedience is works and therefore evil or some twisting of the passages. For the pre-tribulation crowd, they live their lives knowing the Lord will return and take them out before the tribulation starts, so they see their escapism mentality determining their reaction to stress in the tribulation and making drastic decisions that will produce drastic results. Oh, did I mention that there is a specific in this parable that I didn't see until a week or so ago when a friend of mine mentioned it in a Christian forum?? Revelation 13:16-17 And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.
Looking at the parable of the 10 virgins, we see the foolish ones in the stress of the moment, during drastic times make drastic decisions! caught unawares and lackadaisical, these virgins decide in the great tribulation to go and buy oil for their lamps. Do you see what is happening, they must buy oil and the only way to buy or sell is to take the mark of the beast! These virgins compromise what they know to be true and make a drastic decision. They were truly foolish, and Jesus tells them that He doesn't know them!
3474 mwroV moros mo-ros'
probably from the base of 3466; TDNT-4:832,620; adj
AV-foolish 7, fool 5, foolishness 1; 13
1) foolish
2) impious, godless
Imagine women who desire to feed their children and the drastic decisions they must make. The foolish virgins may not have been foolish before they took the mark! These virgins may have been simply Christians until placed under the stress of the tribulation, their families, and the emotional upheaval of the times. These virgins could reason out that the mark really isn't the mark although they know in their hearts that it is. They could reason it out that they are eternally secure so a little mark won't make a difference because the Bible shows God as able to keep them in the palm of His hand, after all, who can be stronger than God as some ask!! Obviously we get our English word, moron and moronic showing the stupidity that results from drastic times, those moronic decisions that people make. Just as a woman during the Samaritan siege boiled her son for food and that must be concluded as moronic, and she didn't make heaven her home as is revealed by her attitude and cry for justice, so too will be many Christians who will moronically choose to take the mark of the beast. Jesus in His foreknowledge calls them foolish, and in His justice tells them He doesn't know them when they knock on the door for entrance into His kingdom!
Drastic times will produce drastic decisions and those decisions will either be for martyrdom or they will be called moronic and usher us into eternal damnation. The choice will always remain with us as we walk this earth in His truth, in part of His truth, in rebellion to His truth, the choices are ours to enter eternal life or eternal death. Drastic and stress filled times like the tribulation will either show Jesus as Lord or if we are mouthing the game. Will you boil your son for the sake of the belly god? As an OSASer, will you take the mark to feed your children convinced the Lord will understand because you say you are eternally secure? This is certainly food for thought!