GOD'S TIME OF DENUNCIATION

According to scripture, God is going to cleanse the world of all corrupt human governments and bring universal peace with His own heavenly Government. Some scriptures that speak of this are:

Daniel 2:44 During the reigns of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed; no one will ever conquer it. It will shatter all these kingdoms into nothingness, but it will stand forever. -- New Living Translation
1 Corinthians 15:24 afterward an end, when he shall betake the kingdom to God and to the Father, when he shall void all princehood, and power, and virtue. -- Wycliffe New Testament
Revelation 11:15 And the seventh angel sounded; and there followed great voices in heaven, and they said "The kingdom of the world is become the kingdom of our Lord, and of His Christ, and He shall reign for ever and ever". --American Standard Version
Revelation 21:1-3 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw also the Holy city, The New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Now the dwelling of God is with men, and He will live with them. They will be His people, and God Himself will be with them and be their God. -- New International Version

Since God is the rightful ruler of the world, it only makes sense that He will eventually take back what is His. In the Garden of Eden, Satan ensured that humans chose to be self-sovereign apart from God. In God's great wisdom he allowed humans to have their rulership apart from him, as a way of proving that humans really can't do it without Him. God gave a specific amount of time for humans to prove themselves in this matter. Although the bible doesn't give us an exact date or time, it does indicate that God indeed has a time planned for it to occur (Habakkuk 2:3, Mark 13:33). Only God knows when this is, nobody else knows it, not even Christ (Matthew 24:36).

There are several scriptures that point to a time when God will gather the kings and nations together for His final denunciation against them. (Isaiah 13:4-5, Jeremiah 10:10, Daniel 8:19, Daniel 11:36, Zephaniah 3:8). The question now is: WHEN? God did lovingly provide us with scriptures that give us clues as to when this denunciation is getting close. These clues and signs leading up to it are:
1. The very beginning of the end will start with an increase in wars, food shortages, and disasters (Matthew 24:6-8)
2. God's people will be severely persecuted on account of Christ's name (Matthew 24:9, Luke 21:12, John 15:20).
3. An increase in false prophets and false Christs will occur (Matthew 24:11-12, 23-26)
4. Harsh times will abound, selfishness will increase, and forms of false godly devotion will occur (2 Timothy 3:1-3)
5. There will be fearful sights and signs in the heavens. (Luke 21:11)
6. When they start saying "Peace and security!", that is when sudden destruction will occur (1 Thessalonians 5:3)

According to these signs we're given, it looks as though we are living in the beginning of this time frame already. We should not let this rattle us though, because God gave us instructions to help us escape His impending wrath (though not necessarily the wrath of other humans). What instructions do we have to help us?
1. We must call upon God's name (Joel 2:32, Zephaniah 3:9).
2. We must exercise true faith in the sacrifice of His Son, Jesus Christ, who died to save us from our sins (John 3:16, Ephesians 2:8, Ephesians 5:2, Hebrews 9:26, Romans 3:22-26, Romans 10:9, Acts 16:30-31).
3. We must endure loyal to God to the end, though it will be tough to do (Matthew 10:22, Matthew 24:13, Mark 13:13).
4. We must be mature believers and become baptized (Mark 16:16, Acts 2:40-41)
5. We must seek righteousness and meekness (Zephaniah 2:3)
6. We must be truly repentant of our sins (Luke 13:3-5).

God is not seeking to actually destroy us, in fact He'd much rather save as many people as possible (2 Peter 3:9). However, it is ultimately up to each and every one of us to decide whether or not to serve him loyally.

Exactly how is this denunciation going to pass? What does the bible say about it? Much of what is in scripture on this subject is symbolic, but as our understanding grows through time, we may be able to get a better grasp of it. In the meantime, let's check out what the bible says:

There are several scriptures that speak of a cluster of unusual, dramatic occurances happening during the denunciation. Things such as the sun turning black, the moon turning to blood and the stars falling from heaven (Joel 2:30, Matthew 24:29, Revelation 6:12-13). There are scriptures that speak of angels holding back the four winds until the final sealing of the Holy Ones is finished (Matthew 24:31, Revelation 7:1). Revelation also speaks of angels pouring out the seven bowls of God's anger into the earth (Revelation 16:1-21). Reading through these symbol-rich passages, though we don't fully understand them yet, it indicates great, dramatic events yet to come. It will be an exciting, yet terrifying time in universal history. When this time comes, may we all remember to stay loyal to our God, and remember to "Pray without ceasing."-- 1 Thessalonians 5:17.(King James Version)