Daily Archives: May 30, 2020

586 today

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Often I just trust the Lord and open the Bible at random to listen.  Yesterday morning I did that and it opened to 2 Kings 25, the final chapter, recounting the reign of Jehoachin (renamed Zedekiah) and the fall of Jerusalem in 586 BC.  This morning I did the same thing and opened my Bible at random to Jeremiah 52, the final chapter, and the two chapters are almost word for word in telling the same story.  The fact that it was repeated yesterday and today indicates that it is most assuredly from the Lord.My question yesterday and more so today is, “What does this mean? and Why is the Lord telling me this at this time?”

We are in the midst of the corona virus pandemic.

We are in the midst of a military buildup of China, Russia and the USA.

We are in the midst of a global economic disaster due to the pandemic.

We are in the midst of an escalating climate change with the temperature in Siberia averaging 11 degrees F higher than average and temperature reading 80 F above the arctic circle.

In the midst of all this….. what does this attention by the Lord to Jerusalem’s last days mean?


In Revelation, which in the second vision chapter 4-16 describes the effects of climate change Babylon is the word used to describe the culture of godlessness we see reigning across much of the world and particularly in the West.  What makes these words mean even more is that, like Jerusalem before the destruction of 586 BC they had abandoned the God who had brought them from Egypt and time and again embraced idolatry.  The words throughout Kings, Chronicles, the prophets and particularly Jeremiah make it plain that the judgement of God on Israel and Judah are because of leaving God to embrace idolatry.So, the times today are like those of Judah and Jerusalem before the siege began in 894 BC.  And the analogy of Babylon and of the 2nd vision of Revelation linked to climate change make it seem plain that the events leading to the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple of Solomon are at hand today across the world.

Therefore, I believe the Lord is telling me, warning me that the same kind of judgement recorded in these two chapters is closer than I imagine, perhaps right at the door and I am being told this as a warning and a time to prepare.With this knowledge at hand, what should my response be?Jeremiah’s response was to remain close to the Lord and to speak boldly to warn the people.  There are very specific things that God asked Jeremiah to do.  God would ask him to lay on one side for months and then turn over to the other side, to eat food cooked over burning dung, to buy a piece of land, I cant remember all those things but they are recorded in the book by his name.So, again, in light of these things, what am I to do?

  1. I think for me it must be to keep these words in mind every day.
  2. To expect God to speak and direct me in specific ways as to what to do or say.
  3. To be prepared that what God asks may not come with an explanation but that they are designed to be illustrations of what is to happen and what may be done to avert disaster if the people would hear.
  4. Expect resistance to any of this because people want to hear good news not bad.  People want to continue in their own darkness and sin.
  5. The whole world is wanting to get past this pandemic so they can go back to the godless lives they led before.
  6. BUT, it is clear with all those things I have listed which characterize our day that the whole earth is at the brink of cataclysmic disasters.  What happened in Jerusalem is going to happen world wide and within my life time.  
  7. For now, it must be a time, as never before to watch and wait.