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(Cont. from Page
19/5/99A). "What
will men do then, in the face of calamity? Famine and plague, suffering and
hardship, are scourges sent to teach men better ways. But even so they will not
abandon their crimes, nor keep in mind their scourging. A time will come when
food grows cheap, so cheap that they will imagine they have been sent peace and
prosperity. But at that very moment the earth will become a hotbed of disasters
But listen to Me, you who are the Lord's servants, and take My words to heart. This is the word of the Lord. Receive it, and do not disbelieve what He says. Calamities are here, close at hand, and will not delay. When a pregnant woman is in the ninth month, and the moment of her child's birth is drawing near, there will be two or three hours in which her womb will suffer pangs of agony, and then the child will come from the womb without a moment's delay; in the same way calamities will come on the earth without delay, and the world will groan under the pangs that grip it. Listen to My words, My people; get ready for battle, and when the calamities surround you, be as though you were strangers on earth. The seller must expect to have to run for his life, the buyer to lose what he buys; the merchant must expect to make no profit, the builder never to live in the house he builds. The sower must not expect to reap, nor the pruner to gather his grapes. Those who marry must expect no children; the unmarried must think of themselves as widowed. For all labour is labour in vain. Their fruits will be gathered by foreigners, who will plunder their goods, pull down their houses, and take their children captive. If they have children, they will have been bred only for captivity and famine; any who make money do so only to have it plundered. The more care they lavish on their cities, houses, and property, and on their own persons, the fiercer will be My indignation against their sins, says the Lord. Like the indignation of a virtuous woman towards a prostitute, so will be the indignation of justice towards wickedness with all her finery; she will accuse her to her face, when the champion arrives to expose all sin upon earth. Do not imitate wickedness, therefore, and her actions. For in a very short time she will be swept from the earth, and the reign of justice over us will begin. The sinner must not deny that he has sinned; he will only bring burning coals on to his own head if he says, 'I have committed no sin against the majesty of God.' For the Lord knows all that men do; He knows their plans, their schemes, and their inmost thoughts. He said, 'Let the earth be made', and it was made; and 'Let the heavens be made', and they were made. It was by the Lord's word that the stars were fixed in their places; the number of the stars is known to Him. He looks into the depths with their treasures; He has measured the sea and everything it contains. By His word He confined the sea within the bounds of the waters, and above the water He suspended the land. He spread out the sky like a vault, and made it secure upon the waters. He provided springs in the desert, and pools on the mountain-tops as the source of rivers flowing down to water the earth. He created man, and placed a heart in the middle of his body; He gave him spirit, life, and understanding, the very breath of Almighty God who created the whole world and searches out secret things in secret places. He knows well your plans and all your inward thoughts. Alas for sinners who try to hide their sins! The Lord will scrutinize all their deeds; He will call you to account. You will be covered with confusion, when your sins are brought into the open, and your wicked deeds stand up to accuse you on that day. What can you do? How can you hide your sins from God and His angels? God is your Judge: fear Him! Abandon your sins, and have done with your wicked deeds for ever! Then God will set you free from all distress. Fierce flames are being kindled to burn you. A great horde will descend on you; they will seize some of you and make you eat pagan sacrifices. Those who give in to them will be derided, taunted, and trampled on. In place after place and in all the neighbourhood there will be a violent attack on those who fear the Lord. Their enemies will be like madmen, plundering and destroying without mercy all who still fear the Lord. They will destroy and plunder their property, and throw them out of their homes. Then it will be seen that My chosen people have stood the test like gold in the assayer's fire. Listen, you whom I have chosen, says the Lord; the days of harsh suffering are close at hand, but I will rescue you from them. Away with your fears and doubts! For God is your Leader. You who follow My commandments and instructions, says the Lord God, must not let your sins weigh you down, nor your wicked deeds get the better of you. Alas for those who are entangled in their sins, and overrun with their wicked deeds! They are like a field overrun by bushes, with brambles across the path and no way through, completely shut off and doomed to destruction by fire." (2 Esdras 16:19-78 NEB).
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