Prophesies...

God has been putting some words and messages on my heart that I think it's time to start sharing. I know I've already shared some of this through The 24/7 Church: What We're Called to Be as Christians, and through some of my other writings and such, but now God's placing even more on my heart and it's time to start getting it out there. 

A time is coming, and times (years upon years), when people will adamantly turn away from God, turning to the things of this world and following and worshipping idols of all kinds, and eventually even a man pretending and claiming to be God. He is not, and don't let anyone fool you otherwise. 

Before that even happens, God is going to cause division in this country and it will fall apart into several pieces. I don't know when or how many divisions there will be, but they're coming. There will be war, and the peace we've had in the USA will be broken as we become the divided states of this nation. Not only that, famine will come like we've never experienced in America in our lifetimes, and not just to America either, global famines. How else do you think prices will abound and become so crazy as described in Revelation? Where two pounds of wheat will cost everything you earn in a day (Revelation 6). No one will be able to be okay and pay their bills, staying afloat. They will be desperate and spending everything they have to try and stay alive. Everything will look like it's falling apart, but that's not the end. 

The Bible talks about a seven-year tribulation period (or more like six, rather), where judgment will come. God placed on my heart and spoke that it will go like this:

The first year will not seem bad at first, but tribulation will come. This is the beginning of it, when a rider will come bent on conquest, but the world won't all be affected by it right away. It will take some time before his reign will grow that great.

In the second year, many will be tested and leave their faith, abandoning the Lord Jesus whom they claimed to love. Things were not good before this, but will become much worse quickly, soon after. Fighting and war will increase during this time too, on a large scale level like no one's seen before in a long time.

In the third year, many people, God's people, will be tested and moved around, and many will lack food or water, wondering where or how their needs will be met. They will not be able to meet their own needs, as the antichrist will be working against them, making it impossible for them to buy food or sell to make ends meet. They will have to abandon God and worship him to make ends meet on their own, but the Lord will provide for and take care of His own who refuse to reject or abandon Him. This is also when the temple will be defiled and the abomination of desolation will be set up, as a sign of worship to the "beast" of Revelation. 

In the fourth year, there will be much, great strife. People will constantly be fighting, and much death will come at that time. 

The fifth year calls for great patience, obedience, and faith on the part of the faithful, for they know what is to come and it will be obvious to them, as they have studied the Word and laid it on their hearts, making it a priority in their lives. Trusting in the Lord is the only thing that will allow them to survive it and get them through it. 

Finally, in the sixth year, things will come to a quick, swift, bitter end with brief mourning, only to find a new joy in the morning, soon after all this takes place. That won't quite be the end, but that will be when God's saints are no longer entangled and held down by the ways of this world and the sinful relationships they tried so hard to save, but to no avail, yet God has seen their efforts and will raise them up and bless them for it. 

Those who know the Word of the Lord know this to be true. They will be brought up into the sky with Christ, just as He foretold in His Word, and the saints will be safe and free from the judgment being laid down on the earth. They will come to the new Jerusalem that Christ has been preparing for them, and be free, waiting there until the time is right to return to the world and fight against evil alongside Christ one last time. Then death will be no more, judgment will take place, and the wicked—those who rejected and turned away from God—will be punished in the lake of fire (which sounds like lava to me, but to each their own interpretation), and Satan will have no more hold or reign over the earth. Then God will make everything new, and Christ will join us to Himself, and we will be free from sorrow and pain and filled with joy and peace like we've never known, a new life for a people who were willing to stay in God's will and goodness through the hardest of times. 

The reason that it's a six-year build-up instead of a seven is because God will look down on all His creation, and will refuse to let wickedness continue in reign and overwhelm His people any longer. The dead will be raised in Him, and peace will come to those who follow God. But judgment and God's wrath will be poured out on the rest, who did not choose to follow and remain in God, but who trusted in their own strength and the ways of man to meet their needs and take care of and provide for them. They were wrong to do this, but will choose to anyway, rejecting God as their Lord, Savior, and King. 

Those who are left, even in the midst of God pouring out His judgment on them, will still choose to worship idols and reject God, down to the very end, the last day of His wrath and judgment. They will know it's of God, but they won't care, because they love their wickedness and will continue to defile this world He made and defy His ways until the very end. 

God has told me: Remain in me and stay in my Word, never failing to study it, for it will bring you light from in the darkness. My Word is always true and never fails. Trust in me, now and always, my little writer, for I, I will use the small and weak to do great things in my name, only trust in me and obey my every Word. 

I believe every word of that. God is good. So even when famine is coming like we've never seen before, as we've always had food available to eat, even if it wasn't good; even when war comes and the nation falls divided into God only knows how many pieces; I know the Lord will watch over and protect His own, as He promises He will. Don't be led astray by false prophets and teachers, but follow God. 

The Lord has laid these things on my heart, and I'm seeking to grow in Him more every day, seeing what new truths He will reveal to me every day. I've never had a clearer understanding of Scripture in my life, as I've been reading Isaiah and seeing even more every day how much God reveals to His people before it happens. We know the day is coming when the sky will go dark, for the sun and moon will be hidden from us, and stars will be no more, and Christ will return, shining as a literal light from the darkness, and take us away to be with Him, safe from the times ordained from the beginning of the world, the judgment of the wicked. All who call on the name of the Lord will be saved (Romans 10), all who choose to obey His Word and live not for themselves, but for Him, will be free from the pain of sin and death, and will live forever in His presence. That's so worth it to me! I hope it's worth it to you too. 

I know some people have reservations about modern-day prophets or prophesies, but I don't claim to speak anything other than what God has laid on my heart in this case (and many others frankly). I'm not perfect, and don't seem to be or claim to be, I know that. However, God told me, much to my surprise (I genuinely laugh at the thought sometimes...), that I've been given the gift of prophesy, and will speak the words of the LORD and speak truth from the Word. I'm not saying anything should be added to Scripture, for that wouldn't be right, but the LORD has placed on my heart to share what God has divinely inspired for me to share, and not hesitate even when it seems strange and unwelcoming and not like myself, for the LORD is strange in His ways by our measure, but He goes beyond our measure and into His will. All I'm seeking to do is share what He's given me as revelations about what is to come and things happening in the world, and what His Word says is true. I don't believe anything I've said here contradicts Scripture, and I would argue you should test this against Scripture to be sure about it for yourself, but I believe you'll see it lines up. If you want some reference or context for where in Scripture God talks about these things, let me know and I'll send at least some of them your way (I don't claim to be knowledgeable enough to know where all of them are in the Bible. That's for God to know and me to strive to find out.) 

Has God placed anything on your heart for you to tell and share with the church, other believers, or even just people in general? How is God using you during this time as He prepares for the days to come?