The Coming Intervention by Jesus

Incarcerated

“For thus says the Lord of hosts:
Once more (it is a little while) I will shake heaven and earth, the sea and dry land;
and I will shake all nations, and they shall come to the Desire of All Nations,
and I will fill this temple with glory,’ says the Lord of hosts.
‘The silver is Mine, and the gold is Mine,’ says the Lord of hosts.
The glory of this latter temple shall be greater than the former,’ says the Lord of hosts.
‘And in this place I will give peace,’ says the Lord of hosts.” (Haggai 2:6-9)

The economy world-wide is in big trouble, world population is soaring. and energy use is increasing.

A terrible collapse in the entire world economic system is coming soon as described in Revelation 18.

At the time of the Flood of Noah, about 5500 years ago--the date of the Flood is fairly well known--God reduced the number of people in the world from perhaps 9 billion (or so) down to only 8 persons—Noah and his wife, their sons Shem, Ham, and Japheth and their wives.

It should be evident that we are earthlings are overdue for another pruning.

If the rapture were to happen today, the next population reduction, by God or by man, will surely involve horrific violence in terms of war, decapitation of all new followers of Jesus, mass suicides, abortions, murders, famine, disease. Several huge prunings are clearly indicated in the book of Revelation Chapters 6-12.

Remember God loves everyone and wishes none to perish. But we are without excuse. He will be turning up the heat to get our attention. Millions will come to know Jesus, but be martyred. Thank God, Jesus is in charge, not us!

God must intervene in radical ways very soon to save us from self destructing.

What is the desirable population of the earth during the Millennial rule of Jesus? There will be optimum conditions on earth with strong central government by Jesus (Revelation 20). God knows and we aren’t given all the specifics about Earth’s coming Golden Age.

One Thousand Years of Peace by Ray Stedman.

Certain secular groups today contend that the planet is overpopulated and must be pruned down by government edict. The ruling elite must decide who lives and who dies. Such a pruning is conceivable based on what we know about the coming world government of the Antichrist (Daniel 9, Revelation 13). “One world government is our only option” it is claimed, and the current Pope agrees.

Voluntary population control has never worked!

For the greater good, it has been suggested that all power must be given to a global government, and two-thirds of humans must be eliminated. Let’s begin with the elderly, who are a non-productive drain on the system anyway. Then the rural rubes who don’t have the good sense to agree with us in the big cities. Then consider those persons who we can’t afford to keep alive: ones with birth defects, chronic medical conditions, dire poverty with no prospect of improvements…

According to these planners, soon we’ll get the total number of humans on the planet down to manageable numbers. But there is an unintended consequence. The planners must survive. After all they know more than anyone else.

There will then be so much to enjoy in life for us privileged few at the top of the socialist empire of the NWO (New World Order)!

It has been pointed out by some that the number of people living on the planet is not the problem but the equitable distribution of resources is the bigger issue.

The “Malthusian Catastrophe” is well known, and still ominous, but way out of date:

Those in power will try to impose their own solutions as the end of the age draws near. This has always involved changes in government and politics which ignore God! God is a God of order—He has always known best the best kind of government we would best flourish under. It’s not communism or socialism, or democracy for that matter. We’ll do best under a benevolent monarch. Trouble is only Jesus Christ qualifies and He will come to power shortly--if only to save us from ourselves.

A huge reduction of the world population is described in the book of the Revelation after the Rapture of the church.

Population Decrease Ahead

God is the active agent working through powerful angels. He takes personal responsibility for who lives and who dies. This is too important to be left to a committee! Actually all authority has already been delegated to Jesus, the Son of God.

Jesus holds the title deed to the earth now.

In Revelation 6, executive orders from God call for a world population reduction by one fourth. (This is nested among with other horrific end-time judgments issuing from the throne room).

“When He (Jesus) opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature saying, “Come and see.” So I looked, and behold, a pale horse. And the name of him who sat on it was Death, and Hades followed with him. And power was given to them over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword, with hunger, with death, and by the beasts of the earth.” (Revelation 6:7-9)

Assuming a starting population of 7.7 billion, the survivors of this one minor onslaught from heaven could number about 5.8 billion persons.

In Revelation Chapter 9:1-18 an angel is sent to kill one third of mankind. Assuming 5.8 billion live on the earth at the time, that would be a reduction in world population down to about 3.9 billion (50%).

“Then the fifth angel sounded: And I saw a star fallen from heaven to the earth. To him was given the key to the bottomless pit. And he opened the bottomless pit, and smoke arose out of the pit like the smoke of a great furnace. So the sun and the air were darkened because of the smoke of the pit. Then out of the smoke locusts came upon the earth. And to them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power. They were commanded not to harm the grass of the earth, or any green thing, or any tree, but only those men who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads. And they were not given authority to kill them, but to torment them for five months. Their torment was like the torment of a scorpion when it strikes a man. In those days men will seek death and will not find it; they will desire to die, and death will flee from them.

The shape of the locusts was like horses prepared for battle. On their heads were crowns of something like gold, and their faces were like the faces of men. They had hair like women’s hair, and their teeth were like lions’ teeth. And they had breastplates like breastplates of iron, and the sound of their wings was like the sound of chariots with many horses running into battle. They had tails like scorpions, and there were stings in their tails. Their power was to hurt men five months. And they had as king over them the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in Hebrew is Abaddon, but in Greek he has the name Apollyon.

One woe is past. Behold, still two more woes are coming after these things.

Then the sixth angel sounded: And I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God, saying to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, “Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates.” So the four angels, who had been prepared for the hour and day and month and year, were released

to kill a third of mankind.

Now the number of the army of the horsemen was two hundred million; I heard the number of them. And thus I saw the horses in the vision: those who sat on them had breastplates of fiery red, hyacinth blue, and sulfur yellow; and the heads of the horses were like the heads of lions; and out of their mouths came fire, smoke, and brimstone. By these three plagues a third of mankind was killed—by the fire and the smoke and the brimstone which came out of their mouths. For their power is in their mouth and in their tails; for their tails are like serpents, having heads; and with them they do harm.

Note that many will refuse to change their minds, turn around, and not give Jesus permission to enter their lives and save them.

But the rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands, that they should not worship demons, and idols of gold, silver, brass, stone, and wood, which can neither see nor hear nor walk. And they did not repent of their murders or their sorceries or their sexual immorality or their thefts.

Ray Stedman taught that the judgments in the end time will not follow in a strict linear time sequence since all judgments come to completion in the same great earthquake. The judgments actually cascade in sequence, the next judgment is linked to the previous (usually between #6 and #7 of its predecessor). Revelation Commentary. See also Earthquakes and the Bible,

In our age of vast Biblical Illiteracy, there is much uncertainty in the church and in the world concerning the character of God and His fidelity in keeping all His promises.

This gives us every reason to silence the background music, shut off the damned TV, and stop surfing the net.

Reading of good books is an extinct practice now and the Bible is at the top of the list. We have many reasons to fear Almighty God.

But God!

“Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins.

Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble; for so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” (2 Peter 1:2-11)

Please consider that God wants no one to be eternally lost.

The carnage coming soon at the end of the age does not mean billions of “innocents” will end up in hell. Of course there are no innocents on the planet. Anyone, anywhere who cries out to God will be brought into a saving relationship with Jesus whether or not they have heard the exact message called “the gospel.” (1 Corinthians 15). There is much deception in visions and dreams for sure. Jesus is to be found by all who seek Him.

Isaiah 55

“Ho! Everyone who thirsts,
Come to the waters;
And you who have no money,
Come, buy and eat.
Yes, come, buy wine and milk
Without money and without price.
Why do you spend money for what is not bread,
And your wages for what does not satisfy?

Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good,
And let your soul delight itself in abundance.
Incline your ear, and come to Me.
Hear, and your soul shall live;
And I will make an everlasting covenant with you—
The sure mercies of David.
Indeed I have given him as a witness to the people,
A leader and commander for the people.
Surely you shall call a nation you do not know,
And nations who do not know you shall run to you,
Because of the Lord your God,
And the Holy One of Israel;
For He has glorified you.”

Seek the Lord while He may be found,
Call upon Him while He is near.
Let the wicked forsake his way,
And the unrighteous man his thoughts;
Let him return to the Lord,
And He will have mercy on him;
And to our God,
For He will abundantly pardon.

“For My thoughts are not your thoughts,
Nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord.
“For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
So are My ways higher than your ways,
And My thoughts than your thoughts.

“For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven,
And do not return there,
But water the earth,
And make it bring forth and bud,
That it may give seed to the sower
And bread to the eater,
So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth;
It shall not return to Me void,
But it shall accomplish what I please,
And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.

“For you shall go out with joy,
And be led out with peace;
The mountains and the hills
Shall break forth into singing before you,
And all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.
Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress tree,
And instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle tree;
And it shall be to the Lord for a name,
For an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.”

In Athens the Apostle Paul assured the intellectuals in town that...

“...the One whom you worship without knowing, Him I proclaim to you: God, who made the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands. Nor is He worshiped with men’s hands, as though He needed anything, since He gives to all life, breath, and all things. And He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings, so that they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us; for in Him we live and move and have our being, as also some of your own poets have said, ‘For we are also His offspring.’ Therefore, since we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like gold or silver or stone, something shaped by art and man’s devising. Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent, because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead.” (Acts 17:23-31)

We are each admonished to make our call and election sure. Truth be told, vast numbers of professing Christians are actually still lost!

“Brothers, join in following my example, and note those who so walk, as you have us for a pattern.

For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ: whose end is destruction, whose god is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame—who set their mind on earthly things. For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself.” (Philippians 3:17-21)

We have been given an ominous warning by Jesus Himself:

“Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’

“Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock.

“But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.”

And so it was, when Jesus had ended these sayings, that the people were astonished at His teaching. (Matthew 7:21-28)

What matters is knowing Jesus personally and intimately!

The end of the violence and horrors of the impending Tribulation period is clearly stated in Revelation. It’s a done deal! Why should YOU be “left behind” or “left out?”

Then the seventh angel sounded: And there were loud voices in heaven, saying, “The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!” And the twenty-four elders who sat before God on their thrones fell on their faces and worshiped God, saying:
“We give You thanks, O Lord God Almighty,
The One who is and who was and who is to come,

Because You (Jesus) have taken Your great power and reigned.
The nations were angry, and Your wrath has come,
And the time of the dead, that they should be judged,
And that You should reward Your servants the prophets and the saints,
And those who fear Your name, small and great,
And should destroy those who destroy the earth.”

Then the temple of God was opened in heaven, and the ark of His covenant was seen in His temple. And there were lightnings, noises, thunderings, an earthquake, and great hail.” (Revelation 11:15-19)

To Israel God says,

“As I live,” says the Lord God, “surely with a mighty hand, with an outstretched arm, and with fury poured out, I will rule over you. I will bring you out from the peoples and gather you out of the countries where you are scattered, with a mighty hand, with an outstretched arm, and with fury poured out. And I will bring you into the wilderness of the peoples, and there I will plead My case with you face to face. Just as I pleaded My case with your fathers in the wilderness of the land of Egypt, so I will plead My case with you,” says the Lord God.

“I will make you pass under the rod, and I will bring you into the bond of the covenant; I will purge the rebels from among you, and those who transgress against Me; I will bring them out of the country where they dwell, but they shall not enter the land of Israel. Then you will know that I am the Lord.

“As for you, O house of Israel,” thus says the Lord God: “Go, serve every one of you his idols—and hereafter—if you will not obey Me; but profane My holy name no more with your gifts and your idols. For on My holy mountain, on the mountain height of Israel,” says the Lord God, “there all the house of Israel, all of them in the land, shall serve Me; there I will accept them, and there I will require your offerings and the firstfruits of your sacrifices, together with all your holy things. I will accept you as a sweet aroma when I bring you out from the peoples and gather you out of the countries where you have been scattered; and I will be hallowed in you before the Gentiles. Then you shall know that I am the Lord, when I bring you into the land of Israel, into the country for which I raised My hand in an oath to give to your fathers. And there you shall remember your ways and all your doings with which you were defiled; and you shall loathe yourselves in your own sight because of all the evils that you have committed. Then you shall know that I am the Lord, when I have dealt with you for My name’s sake, not according to your wicked ways nor according to your corrupt doings, O house of Israel,” says the Lord God.’ ” (Ezekiel 20:33-44)

Incidentally the number of Jews on earth is presently about 18 million or about 0.2 percent of the total world population. When Jesus returns, at the Second Advent, two-thirds will perish but one third will survive (Zechariah 12:8-9) and the third will repopulate Israel after that last great world war. Israel will have much more land then since her borders will extend to the Euphrates (in the North) to the “River of Egypt” (the Wadi al Arish). Just after the Rapture, an invasion of Israel from the North is described in Ezekiel 38-39. At this time the Jews remaining abroad will be brought back to their land.

Population Growth in Israel

A recent article in The Times of Israel discusses Israel’s trends in population growth and how that nation will cope. I found the article insightful especially for us gentiles!

...knowing this first: that skeptics will come in the last days, walking according to their own lusts, and saying, “Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation.” For this they willfully forget: that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of water and in the water, by which the world that then existed perished, being flooded with water. But the heavens and the earth which are now preserved by the same word, are reserved for fire until the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.

But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.

The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.

But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up. Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat? Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. (2 Peter 3:3-13)

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July 1, 2019
Edited July 30, 2019 by AL
April 13, 2020.September 28, 2022