12.m. “For behold, the LORD is coming out from his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity”

Habakkuk 3:16 I heard and my heart pounded, my lips quivered at the sound; decay crept into my bones, and my legs trembled. Yet I will wait patiently for the day of calamity to come on the nation invading us. Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior. The Sovereign Lord is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to tread on the heights.

Daniel 10:8    So I was left alone and saw this great vision, and no strength was left in me. My radiant appearance was fearfully changed, and I retained no strength.

Isaiah 26:20-21    Come, my people, enter your chambers, and shut your doors behind you; hide yourselves for a little while until the fury has passed by.  For behold, the LORD is coming out from his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity, and the earth will disclose the blood shed on it, and will no more cover its slain.

2 Thessalonians 1:6-9    since indeed God considers it just to repay with affliction those who afflict you,  and to grant relief to you who are afflicted as well as to us, when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels  in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.  They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might,

A time is coming when God will carry out His wrath and anger upon all who defy Him.  Prophets saw what was to happen in the future to all of those who, in their defiance, hatred, pride, self-power, self-assurance, and wickedness, reject God and His Holiness.  The scriptures reveal God’s use of defiant men and nations to carry out judgment on His children for neglecting His way.  It reveals time and time again how He uses wayward men and nations to carry out judgment and draw His people back.  Do you ever wonder how far a person or nation needs to wander away from God before He will unleash His anger and wrath?  It is not good to play games with our Christian walk.  It appears many Christians want to see how close they can get to the world and its lures of fleshly temptations.  It appears as though they want a taste of it and thinks this one taste will not contaminate or affect them.  God wants all of our hearts, minds, souls, and strength.  He will not share the hearts, minds, and souls with those who choose worldly and fleshly living.  How many times in scripture do we hear of how the people of God day after day would dilute their walk with Him to a point where they no longer honored, served, followed, obeyed, or saw any need to trust and rely on Him.  They did this without giving a single thought of God’s Holy judgment, anger, or wrath.  In these times, God would warn and call out to His people through prophets.  He would warn them of His pending judgment and what was going to happen to them.  Time and time again they neglected these prophetic warnings.  We do well to desire that God will show us what is in our hearts and minds.  We do well to want to hear the Holy Spirit speak into our lives.  We do well to humbly seek these so that we live in humble surrender to His will, living in such a way that He is honored, glorified, praised, and worshiped. Oh that God would show us how far we have wandered away from what it means to live for Him.