Days Shortened

At church yesterday I had a conversation with a friend about the outlook for the economy. We both agreed that it was pretty gloomy and thanked God that we had good jobs. Our government is determined to pile on as much debt as they can to justify as many new additional taxes as they can keeping the environment for business as uncertain as they can which will stifle job growth. I am not an expert in economics but it doesn't take an expert to see that our country is on the path to financial destruction. The Bible provides ample wisdom about the perils of indebtedness.

There are signs that the American people are waking up to the damage President Obama and the Leftist Congress are doing to our economy so I am hopeful that the pendulum could soon swing back to a more conservative government. It is possible that the American voter can boot out many of the Leftists in Congress during the next election in 2010 and replace Obama in 2012. But we shouldn't think that a change of government will be the salvation of this country. God is in control and has raised up a Leftist government for us so that we may be on the path that we are on... "there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God" (Romans 13:1, NKJ).

Yesterday our Pastor cited a Bible passage that reinforces how God orchestrates events so that His will be done. In 1 Kings 22:20, the Lord asked His heavenly host, "Who will persuade Ahab to go up, that he may fall at Ramoth Gilead?" Reading on reveals that a "spirit" offered a plan to get Ahab's cadre of prophets to convince him he'd be successful if he went to battle at Ramoth Gilead. At first I thought this "spirit" might be a Holy Angel but upon reading further the text refers to him as a lying spirit. So God authorized a demon to execute a plan that served God's purposes.

This tells me that the rapid pace we are on to reduce the economic power of the United States in the world is actually ordained by God. Obama and the Leftist Congress was appointed by God for the purpose of causing our country to make way for earth dwellers to experience their concept of a global government. As I was meditating on why God would be in such a hurry for this, the passage He brought to my mind was Jesus commenting on the Tribulation, "unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect's sake those days will be shortened" (Matthew 24:22, NKJ). Since the Bible teaches that the Tribulation is a fixed period of time, seven years, I always considered His commenting on the days being shortened as being rhetorical to emphasize how terrible the Tribulation will be. But it now occurred to me that this could also have an application to our day in the lead-up to the Tribulation.

It could be that we have reached a tipping point in the growth of the spirit of Antichrist putting us past the point of no return. Even though we are not yet in the Tribulation when the Beast of Revelation is in power, a lot of damage can be inflicted on God's people by those who share the mind of the Antichrist. As Daniel 8:25 says, "He shall destroy many in their prosperity" (NKJ). Now is not a time to be trusting in our worldly resources for deliverance. But God in His mercy is accelerating the schedule to minimize the damage to His people. While the days of the Tribulation can not be reduced, the lead-up to it can be. Indeed the Prophet Daniel said that events associated with the return of the Messiah will transpire very quickly, "the end of it shall be with a flood" (Daniel 9:26, NKJ).

It is good to remember that our Savior is in control and so that "all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose" (Romans 8:28, NKJ). And we don't have long to wait, Jesus said in Revelation 22:20, "Surely I am coming quickly." Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus!