2 Lift up a standard on the bare hill, raise your voice to them, wave the hand that they may enter the doors of the nobles.
3 I have commanded My consecrated ones, I have even called My mighty warriors, my proudly exulting ones, to execute My anger.
4 A sound of tumult on the mountains, like that of many people! A sound of the uproar of kingdoms, of nations gathered together! The Lord of hosts is mustering the army for battle.
5 They are coming from a far country, from the farthest horizons, the Lord and His instruments of indignation, to destroy the whole land.
3 I have commanded My consecrated ones, I have even called My mighty warriors, my proudly exulting ones, to execute My anger.
4 A sound of tumult on the mountains, like that of many people! A sound of the uproar of kingdoms, of nations gathered together! The Lord of hosts is mustering the army for battle.
5 They are coming from a far country, from the farthest horizons, the Lord and His instruments of indignation, to destroy the whole land.
6 Wail, for the day of the Lord is near! It will come as destruction from the Almighty.
7 Therefore all hands will fall limp, and every man’s heart will melt.
8 They will be terrified, Pains and anguish will take hold of them; they will writhe like a woman in labor, they will look at one another in astonishment, their faces aflame.
9 Behold, the day of the Lord is coming, cruel, with fury and burning anger, to make the land a desolation; and He will exterminate its sinners from it.
10 For the stars of heaven and their constellations will not flash forth their light; the sun will be dark when it rises and the moon will not shed its light.
11 Thus I will punish the world for its evil and the wicked for their iniquity; I will also put an end to the arrogance of the proud and abase the haughtiness of the ruthless.
12 I will make mortal man scarcer than pure gold and mankind than the gold of Ophir.
13 Therefore I will make the heavens tremble, and the earth will be shaken from its place at the fury of the Lord of hosts in the day of His burning anger.
14 And it will be that like a hunted gazelle, or like sheep with none to gather them, they will each turn to his own people, and each one flee to his own land.
15 Anyone who is found will be thrust through, and anyone who is captured will fall by the sword.
16 Their little ones also will be dashed to pieces before their eyes; their houses will be plundered and their wives ravished.
7 Therefore all hands will fall limp, and every man’s heart will melt.
8 They will be terrified, Pains and anguish will take hold of them; they will writhe like a woman in labor, they will look at one another in astonishment, their faces aflame.
9 Behold, the day of the Lord is coming, cruel, with fury and burning anger, to make the land a desolation; and He will exterminate its sinners from it.
10 For the stars of heaven and their constellations will not flash forth their light; the sun will be dark when it rises and the moon will not shed its light.
11 Thus I will punish the world for its evil and the wicked for their iniquity; I will also put an end to the arrogance of the proud and abase the haughtiness of the ruthless.
12 I will make mortal man scarcer than pure gold and mankind than the gold of Ophir.
13 Therefore I will make the heavens tremble, and the earth will be shaken from its place at the fury of the Lord of hosts in the day of His burning anger.
14 And it will be that like a hunted gazelle, or like sheep with none to gather them, they will each turn to his own people, and each one flee to his own land.
15 Anyone who is found will be thrust through, and anyone who is captured will fall by the sword.
16 Their little ones also will be dashed to pieces before their eyes; their houses will be plundered and their wives ravished.
17 Behold, I am going to stir up the Medes against them, who will not value silver or take pleasure in gold.
18 And their bows will mow down the young men, they will not even have compassion on the fruit of the womb, nor will their eye pity children.
19 And Babylon, the beauty of kingdoms, the glory of the Chaldeans’ pride, will be as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah.
20 It will never be inhabited or lived in from generation to generation; nor will the Arab pitch his tent there, nor will shepherds make their flocks lie down there.
21 But desert creatures will lie down there, and their houses will be full of owls; ostriches also will live there, and shaggy goats will frolic there.
22 Hyenas will howl in their fortified towers and jackals in their luxurious palaces. Her fateful time also will soon come and her days will not be prolonged.
18 And their bows will mow down the young men, they will not even have compassion on the fruit of the womb, nor will their eye pity children.
19 And Babylon, the beauty of kingdoms, the glory of the Chaldeans’ pride, will be as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah.
20 It will never be inhabited or lived in from generation to generation; nor will the Arab pitch his tent there, nor will shepherds make their flocks lie down there.
21 But desert creatures will lie down there, and their houses will be full of owls; ostriches also will live there, and shaggy goats will frolic there.
22 Hyenas will howl in their fortified towers and jackals in their luxurious palaces. Her fateful time also will soon come and her days will not be prolonged.
Reminder: "praying effectively" involves knowing God's will. When we pray in His will (in His name), He may choose to not answer those prayers in the time period that we would like, or HOW we would like - but He will answer those prayers!
It is God's will: that we live out God's standard and be witnesses to Israel, so that they may become believers, either now or during the Tribulation (13:2)
Today's prayer:
Dear Lord Jesus, thank You for Your salvation and faithfulness! As believers, we can be confident that we will be saved from the wrath to come - the Tribulation - which will be the last set of seven years of the Jewish Age - with the purpose to judge the nations, as well as to get the Israelites as a nation to put their faith and hope in You.
Dear Lord Jesus, thank You for Your salvation and faithfulness! As believers, we can be confident that we will be saved from the wrath to come - the Tribulation - which will be the last set of seven years of the Jewish Age - with the purpose to judge the nations, as well as to get the Israelites as a nation to put their faith and hope in You.
As we send missionaries out into the world, help us not forget about Your chosen ones. Give us opportunities to remind them that You were and are their Messiah, and that they can look for You and cling to You even BEFORE they see the signs! So they too can escape the Tribulation. But we know that many will still harden their hearts, and will need to "learn the hard way."
Perhaps as we witness to the Israelites now, this will refresh their memories later about the signs of Your second coming - so that when they do see the judgement in the Tribulation (the signs) - they will THEN realize You are coming - and turn to You for their salvation!
Thank You for knowing all things and having the future in Your hands, so that there is no need for us to worry about anything. Thank You for being the Almighty, and demonstrating Your power through miracles, so that we can be confident in knowing that You already have the victory. Amen.
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