QT 27 Jul 11, As the days grow shorter, our responsibility is even greater

Jer 30:3-7 (NIV) The days are coming,' declares the Lord, 'when I will bring my people Israel and Judah back from captivity and restore them to the land I gave their forefathers to possess,' says the Lord."

4 These are the words the Lord spoke concerning Israel and Judah: 5 "This is what the Lord says:

"'Cries of fear are heard —

terror, not peace.

6 Ask and see:

Can a man bear children?

Then why do I see every strong man

with his hands on his stomach like a woman in labor,

every face turned deathly pale?

7 How awful that day will be!

None will be like it.

It will be a time of trouble for Jacob,

but he will be saved out of it.

NOTE: This passage refers to the tribulation, a time of trouble for Jacob.  We may be very close to that time, and then again we may not be.  God brought his people back to the land during the days of Ezra and Nehemiah, and even gave them some limited sovereignty in the days of the Maccabees.  Then as a result of their rejection of the Messiah they were again scattered during the destruction of Jerusalem and the surrounding cities … although most actually died.  In 1948, they were once again brought back to the land.  I think I read somewhere that there are now more Jews in Israel than in any other single country .  It is possible that they will be scattered again, but I think this last re-gathering is the promised return mentioned here in Jeremiah, and not the 70 year return mentioned earlier.  But with it comes a judgment that will cause great pain for those who live in the land.  In the end, a remnant will come forth, saved, and wholly devoted to God.  Verse 9 says that David will be raised up and rule.  This would be the millennial kingdom.  As the world hurtles toward this destiny, a time of great sorrow and wrath for all nations of the world, we need, more than ever, the courage to share our faith boldly.  We need to reach out to our unsaved neighbors and co-workers, for the days are short.  We are here to be witnesses not observers.  We need to be different in our morality than those around us or we will have no credibility.  God help us not to shirk our responsibility as ambassadors for you.