The Lord appeared to Abraham one day and gave him an incredible command: “Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee” (Genesis 12:1).
What an amazing thing. Suddenly, God picked out a man and told him, “I want you to get up and go, leaving everything behind: your home, your relatives, even your country. I want to send you someplace, and I will direct you how to get there along the way.”
According to Jesus, a certain witness will appear on Judgment Day offering a damning testimony against this present generation. The Queen of Sheba is going to take the witness stand, and her words will be condemning: “The queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: for she came from the uttermost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and, behold, a greater than Solomon is here” (Matthew 12:42).
Of all the Old Testament prophets, Amos speaks most clearly to our times. The prophecy he delivers zeroes in on our generation, as if it were ripped from today's headlines. Indeed, Amos' message is a dual prophecy. It was meant not only for God's people in his day, but also for the church right now, in our time.
A dear Christian woman on our mailing list wrote us a heartrending letter:
"In 1972 we lost a Down syndrome son to pneumonia. He was just seventeen months old. Seven years later, in 1979, we lost our fifteen-year old son. He was electrocuted in our backyard while climbing a tree.
Now our twenty-four-year-old son has diabetes. And I have cancer and am undergoing chemotherapy. I ask you sincerely — is it a sin to ask God, 'Why?' Does he understand our humanness?
A troubled mind is one that suffers from continual discontentment. It is pressed down, disturbed, restless, with no calm or rest. It frets about the future and the past as well as present circumstances. And I'm convinced there are more troubled minds today than in any past generation!
Certain elders of Israel came to the prophet Ezekiel seeking direction and guidance from the Lord. These men were not like many of the Israelites, who openly bowed their knees to idols. No, you wouldn't find these elders in some idol temple, offering sacrifices to the false gods there. They were leaders of the people — and they wanted to appear before everyone as godly men.
God has promised His people a glorious, incomprehensible rest, which includes peace and security for the soul. The Lord offered this wonderful rest to the children of Israel. It meant a life full of joy and victory - a life without fear, guilt or condemnation. But up to the time of Christ, no generation of believers ever walked fully in this blessed promise. As the Bible makes very clear, they never obtained it because of their unbelief!
"...they could not enter in because of unbelief" (Hebrews 3:19).
The book of Haggai is a marvelous lesson on how to get and keep the blessing and favor of the Lord. In utter simplicity the prophet Haggai outlines how God's children can live and walk under God's continual blessing and favor.
Yet Haggai also shows the causes and reasons why people lose God's blessing — and what they must do to come back into His favor! This is true for nations, families, individuals.
Most of the Old Testament prophets predict God will raise up a last-day church that will be full of glory and the fear of the Lord. And Scripture says this mighty church will arise during the world's worst hour of confusion and wickedness.
I believe hopelessness, confusion and despair best describe what most people feel today. In a May 6 letter to the editor of the New York Post one woman wrote:
A number of converted witches are going about the country today, warning that Satanists and practicing witches are infiltrating the church — especially charismatic churches. Some of these former witches have authored books telling of a diabolical plot by evil witches to enter congregations posing as super-spiritual Christians. Their purpose is to deceive and shipwreck pastors and to lead multitudes of naive believers into occult worship.
