Now therefore, thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, concerning this city of which you say, ‘It shall be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence.’ Jeremiah 32:36  

In Jeremiah we have the story of the Babylonian invasion. The northern kingdom of Israel has already been taken away by Assyria. We have Judah left. They are going to be killed or taken captive to Babylon. In Babylon is where we have the story of Daniel. The Israelites will exiled there for seventy years.

In the book of Revelation, we see Babylon as a wealthy, sinful nation. When she is destroyed, all the merchants of the world weep because they were the ones who bought all their stuff. It’s not hard to see that as America today. I’m sure we are by far the world’s largest consumers. Personally, I see in history how satan has always been working to bring about the end times when he will rule over all the earth. We see empires rise up and fall. We see antichrist like leaders rise up and fall. I think satan is always working toward it and always building up a Babylon, always within the confines of what God allows for His greater purposes.

In the verse from Jeremiah it says how they are going to be given over to Babylon, by sword, famine, and pestilence. That made me think of the tribulation, there will be sword, famine, and pestilence. That stood out to me and made me think of Revelation 6.

The tribulation is a shaking. It will separate the wheat and the chaff. Will you stand firm or get carried away? There will be two choices, relying on God or not. You can trust God to protect and provide and save and be your God, or you can rely on yourself to be your own god and turn to your own understanding to save yourself.

If you couldn’t use money, couldn’t buy or sell, couldn’t work, etc. could you walk away from all that and trust God? Or, would it be much easier for you to justify doing whatever was asked so that you can do those things, justifying that God understood you needed those things and would forgive?

Anytime you catch yourself justifying, giving reasons, stop dead in your tracks! That’s what the enemy does. God doesn’t give reasons. He asks us to act in faith.

And, yes, there is forgiveness, but not when we are in living in the continued conscious choice of sin. That’s not how that works. We need to repent. You can’t repent if you are planning to just keep living in it. If we deny God, He denies us. That’s a Bible promise.

There is one way through, and that’s in the only way, THE WAY, Jesus Christ. We must be in Christ. He is our protection, provision, the very way through. Relying on self will leave you like these…

They will pass through it hard-pressed and hungry; and it shall happen, when they are hungry, that they will be enraged and curse their king and their God, and look upward. Then they will look to the earth, and see trouble and darkness, gloom of anguish; and they will be driven into darkness. Isaiah 8:21-22

Or, you could be among the faithful.

These will make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them, for He is Lord of lords and King of kings; and those who are with Him are called, chosen, and faithful. Revelation 17:14