The Lord is near [He is coming soon]
Woe unto you that desire the day of the LORD! to what end is it for you? the day of the LORD is darkness, and not light. (Amos 5:18)
The number of their troops of cavalry was twice ten thousand times ten thousand (200,000,000); I heard what their number was. And in [my] vision the horses and their riders appeared to me like this: the riders wore breastplates the color of fiery red and sapphire blue and sulphur (brimstone) yellow. The heads of the horses looked like lions' heads, and from their mouths there poured fire and smoke and sulphur (brimstone). A third of mankind was killed by these three plagues--by the fire and the smoke and the sulphur (brimstone) that poured from the mouths of the horses. For the power of the horses to do harm is in their mouths and also in their tails. Their tails are like serpents, for they have heads, and it is by means of them that they wound people. And the rest of humanity who were not killed by these plagues even then did not repent of [the worship of] the works of their [own] hands, so as to cease paying homage to the demons and idols of gold and silver and bronze and stone and wood, which can neither see nor hear nor move. And they did not repent of their murders or their practice of magic (sorceries) or their sexual vice or their thefts. (Revelation 9:16-21 (AMP)
Habakkuk 1
I am Habakkuk the prophet. And this is the message that the LORD gave me.
Habakkuk Complains to the LORD:
Our LORD, how long must I beg for your help before you listen? How long before you save us from all this violence? Why do you make me watch such terrible injustice? Why do you allow violence, lawlessness, crime, and cruelty to spread everywhere? Laws cannot be enforced; justice is always the loser; criminals crowd out honest people and twist the laws around.
The LORD Answers Habakkuk:
Look and be amazed at what's happening among the nations! Even if you were told, you would never believe what's taking place now. I am sending the Babylonians. They are fierce and cruel-- marching across the land, conquering cities and towns. How fearsome and frightening. Their only laws and rules are the ones they make up. Their cavalry troops are faster than leopards, more ferocious than wolves hunting at sunset, and swifter than hungry eagles suddenly swooping down. They are eager to destroy, and they gather captives like handfuls of sand. They make fun of rulers and laugh at fortresses, while building dirt mounds so they can capture cities. Then suddenly they disappear like a gust of wind-- those sinful people who worship their own strength.
Habakkuk Complains Again:
Holy LORD God, mighty rock, you are eternal, and we are safe from death. You are using those Babylonians to judge and punish others. But you can't stand sin or wrong. So don't sit by in silence while they gobble down people who are better than they are. The people you put on this earth are like fish or reptiles without a leader. Then an enemy comes along and takes them captive with hooks and nets. It makes him so happy that he offers sacrifices to his fishing nets, because they make him rich and provide choice foods. Will he keep hauling in his nets and destroying nations without showing mercy?
Habakkuk 2
The LORD Answers Habakkuk Again:
While standing guard on the watchtower, I waited for the LORD's answer, before explaining the reason for my complaint. Then the LORD told me: "I will give you my message in the form of a vision. Write it clearly enough to be read at a glance. At the time I have decided, my words will come true. You can trust what I say about the future. It may take a long time, but keep on waiting-- it will happen! "I, the LORD, refuse to accept anyone who is proud. Only those who live by faith are acceptable to me."
Trouble for Evil People:
Wine is treacherous, and arrogant people are never satisfied. They are no less greedy than death itself-- they open their mouths as wide as the world of the dead and swallow everyone. But they will be mocked with these words: You're doomed! You stored up stolen goods and cheated others of what belonged to them. But without warning, those you owe will demand payment. Then you will become a frightened victim. You robbed cities and nations everywhere on earth and murdered their people. Now those who survived will be as cruel to you. You're doomed! You made your family rich at the expense of others. You even said to yourself, "I'm above the law." But you will bring shame on your family and ruin to yourself for what you did to others. The very stones and wood in your home will testify against you. You're doomed! You built a city on crime and violence. But the LORD All-Powerful sends up in flames what nations and people work so hard to gain. Just as water fills the sea, the land will be filled with people who know and honor the LORD. You're doomed! You get your friends drunk, just to see them naked. Now you will be disgraced instead of praised. The LORD will make you drunk, and when others see you naked, you will lose their respect. You destroyed trees and animals on Mount Lebanon; you were ruthless to towns and people everywhere. Now you will be terrorized.
Idolatry Is Foolish:
What is an idol worth? It's merely a false god. Why trust a speechless image made from wood or metal by human hands? What can you learn from idols covered with silver or gold? They can't even breathe. Pity anyone who says to an idol of wood or stone, "Get up and do something!" Let all the world be silent-- the LORD is present in his holy temple.
Habakkuk 3
Habakkuk's Prayer:
This is my prayer: I know your reputation, LORD, and I am amazed at what you have done. Please turn from your anger and be merciful; do for us what you did for our ancestors. You are the same Holy God who came from Teman and Paran to help us. The brightness of your glory covered the heavens, and your praises were heard everywhere on earth. Your glory shone like the sun, and light flashed from your hands, hiding your mighty power. Dreadful diseases and plagues marched in front and followed behind. When you stopped, the earth shook; when you stared, nations trembled; when you walked along your ancient paths, eternal mountains and hills crumbled and collapsed. The tents of desert tribes in Cushan and Midian were ripped apart. Our LORD, were you angry with the monsters of the deep? You attacked in your chariot and wiped them out. Your arrows were ready and obeyed your commands. You split the earth apart with rivers and streams; mountains trembled at the sight of you; rain poured from the clouds; ocean waves roared and rose. The sun and moon stood still, while your arrows and spears flashed like lightning. In your furious anger, you trampled on nations to rescue your people and save your chosen one. You crushed a nation's ruler and stripped his evil kingdom of its power. His troops had come like a storm, hoping to scatter us and glad to gobble us down. To them we were refugees in hiding-- but you smashed their heads with their own weapons. Then your chariots churned the waters of the sea.
Habakkuk's Response to God's Message:
When I heard this message, I felt weak from fear, and my lips quivered. My bones seemed to melt, and I stumbled around. But I will patiently wait. Someday those vicious enemies will be struck by disaster.
Trust in a Time of Trouble:
Fig trees may no longer bloom, or vineyards produce grapes; olive trees may be fruitless, and harvest time a failure; sheep pens may be empty, and cattle stalls vacant-- but I will still celebrate because the LORD God saves me. The LORD gives me strength. He makes my feet as sure as those of a deer, and he helps me stand on the mountains. To the music director: Use stringed instruments. Contemporary English Version (CEV)
"Turn from your sins and turn to God, because the Kingdom of Heaven is near. Matthew 3:2
Let all men know and perceive and recognize your unselfishness (your considerateness, your forbearing spirit). The Lord is near [He is coming soon]. Philippians 4:5
The end of the world is coming soon. Everything in the world is about to be wrapped up. Therefore, be earnest and disciplined in your prayers, take nothing for granted - stay wide-awake in prayer. 1 Peter 4:7
How blessed the reader! blessed (happy, to be envied) are those who hear [it read] and who keep themselves true to the things which are written in it [heeding them and laying them to heart], all the words written in this book! for the time [for the words to be fulfilled] is just about up. Revelation 1:3
Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book and make no secret of them, for the time when things are brought to a crisis and the period of their fulfillment is near.
He who is unrighteous (unjust, wicked), let him be unrighteous still; and he who is filthy (vile, impure), let him be filthy still; and he who is righteous (just, upright, in right standing with God), let him do right still; and he who is holy, let him be holy still.
Behold, I am coming soon, and I shall bring My wages and rewards with Me, to repay and render to each one just what his own actions and his own work merit. Revelation 22:10-12
