“3 You shall march around the city, all the men of war going around the city once. Thus shall you do for six days. 4 Seven priests shall bear seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the ark. On the seventh day you shall march around the city seven times, and the priests shall blow the trumpets. 5 And when they make a long blast with the ram’s horn, when you hear the sound of the trumpet, then all the people shall shout with a great shout, and the wall of the city will fall down flat, and the people shall go up, everyone straight before him.”
The Lord instructed Joshua and his men to march around Jericho. They were to follow his instructions to the letter. Admittedly, they sound ridiculous. What would marching around the city gain besides humiliation? After all, those manning the wall were surely looking down, some mocking and laughing as they marched around. Others were curious as to what their real intentions were.
Regardless of how ridiculous they looked, Joshua and his men did exactly what God said, and the outcome was exactly what God said it would be. The walls of Jericho came down.
Why do I bring this up today? Allow me to be transparent for a moment.
Last night as I lay awake in the middle of the night, the Holy Spirit whispered, “God’s Words are more powerful than any man, even the words that brought down the walls of Jericho.”
A few months ago, the Holy Spirit whispered to me Ezekiel 12:28. I didn’t know what the verse said, so I got up out of bed and looked it up. Wow!
28 Therefore say to them, Thus says the Lord God: None of my words will be delayed any longer, but the word that I speak will be performed, declares the Lord God.”
Oh, snap!
I believe we’re living in the last days. When I read God’s word and survey the world’s landscape, many things are happening, big things, heartbreaking things, all at the same time.
Don’t you think so?
Take a look at the current news cycle from around the world.
China is experimenting with animal-human prototypes – trying to create something part human, part animal, among other things.
Rioting and looting are rocking South Africa today, and people are dying.
Cuba is currently experiencing riots.
Namibia is suffering one of the worst outbreaks of covid.
Ethiopia is in the midst of a war.
Covid is increasing again, and now we have a new variant, Delta, sickening both vaccinated and unvaccinated.
The UK is recording more than 40K covid cases since January.
Iraq is a battlefield, and a hospital burned up last week, killing over 130 covid patients.
Syria has been and remains a battleground.
Israel and Hamas ended an 11-day war last month. Gaza is a mess, and Israel has new leadership.
Iran is on fire in multiple places and continues to lead the charge to annihilate the Jewish people and create nukes.
Lebanon is falling apart at the seams.
There’s more. Hold on.
The Taliban are taking over Afganistan as US troops leave.
Taiwan is on high alert.
The pope just had colon surgery and is recovering.
Cyber attacks are coming from some people inside Russia. No one knows what’s really happening.
Australia has thousands upon thousands of rats. They are infested with rats.
Haiti’s president was assassinated a few weeks ago.
Guatemala and Honduras were devasted by hurricanes and still trying to recover.
At least nine churches have been burned down in Canada.
America is not immune. We have our own issues.
Fires are back again out west, with a heat dome that can cook eggs on the street. Drought is the norm these days out west.
A horrible condo accident happened a few weeks ago, and over 120 people were unaccounted for.
DC is a nightmare of infighting and godlessness.
Riots are the norm in Seattle and Portland. People are battling each other over race, guns, money, illness, masks, vaccines, political parties, and voting, and more.
We have experienced cyber-attacks. Inflation is up 5.4%. The cost of wood is ridiculous. A 2×4 is $8.00 when it used to be just under $3.00. Gas used to a $1.89 and is now over $3.00.
Thousands of songbirds are dying up north, and they don’t know why. Florida’s manatee population has seen more manatee deaths this year so far than all of 2020.
Children’s behavioral analysts have waiting lists of 6 months or longer to analyze children for behavioral issues.
Depression and suicide are up.
There’s open looting of Walgreens and other department stores.
Social media giants block whom they will and jail others who go against their culture.
Police are being defunded and specifically targeted.
Shall I go on?
Gun violence is up in some cities by over 200%. Murder rates are up. More and more people in Chicago are shot every weekend for as long as I can remember. I just read Rochester, NY, has now surpassed Chicago in shootings, and that says a lot. Police officers are leaving the force by the hundreds.
We can’t have conversations with each other without getting into fights. We barely greet each other anymore. The infighting is at an all-time high. Deception and lying have become the norm. Just look the other way except when it doesn’t benefit you.
Immigrants are fleeing their countries to come to the United States.
Human trafficking and drugs are major problems in this country. More people are dying from overdoses.
Lawlessness abounds in the streets and the halls of political offices. There seems to be no fair justice. The justice system is broken.
Churches are closing down all over the US. Statues are defaced or taken down.
Right is wrong. Wrong is right. Up is down, and down is up.
There’s your five-minute world update as of July 14, 2021, in case you haven’t been following the news lately. And I only touched on the major things. Did you see anything positive? Can you believe all this is happening at the same time? I know I can’t. I feel like I was under a rock for years. And then one day, the Lord woke me up to what he sees every day, all over the world. I’m only seeing a sliver of what the Lord sees, and my heart is broken.
Don’t believe it? Google it for yourself and get caught up. Search news outside the U.S so you can see the bigger picture.
What’s my point in all this?
Simple. To remind you of where our hope comes from and who sits on the throne—the Lord.
His words are powerful. His presence is powerful. His plan is powerful. God has not left the building, and he is not dead. Just like with the walls of Jericho coming down with a shout at the Lord’s command, God speaks, but are we listening?
Sadly, we have pushed God away. Do you need proof? See above.
In the last few years, we have seen life-changing world events, specifically in the United States, move at great neck speed. The speed at which everything is changing and going downhill is rapid. Things are moving to a great climax very quickly. The world can’t sustain this kind of dramatic movement for much longer. Something has to give.
But God.
God still sits on the throne, and he has a plan. I believe we are moving closer and closer to his ultimate plan. I can’t imagine God would put up with all this for much longer before stepping in and showing the world he is still God, and he still sits on the throne.
The world may be under the control of Satan, and one can surely see his grip on humanity in many places, but God is still in control and will ultimately have the final say. On that day, Satan will be defeated, and all evil will be eradicated.
So, what are we to do until that day?
Seek the Lord with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, and love our neighbors as ourselves.
We are to pray.
Read our Bible. Get into the word of God.
Stand firm in our faith.
Put on the whole armor of God so we can withstand the schemes and attacks of the enemy.
Wait on the Lord.
Hope in the Lord.
Serve the Lord.
Seek the Lord daily.
It can be depressing.
I realize the news is depressing, but it’s reality. I know several people who have shut the news off, and with good reason. I get it but don’t be caught unprepared for what is to come. Jesus told us as we see the birth pains increasing, we are to be watching and waiting. I know what birth pains feel like, and let me tell you, you know when they are increasing, and eventually, they climax, and then your life changes forever.
I pray you are getting ready if you aren’t already, waiting and watching for what God will do.
Pray, people pray. Hold onto the only real hope we have – Jesus Christ, who died on the cross for our sin and one day is coming back. I believe sooner than many realize.
If you don’t know Jesus as your personal Savior, I pray you do something about that right away before it’s too late.
Blessings!
The Teaching Lady
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