Habakkuk 1:1-5 The burden which Habakkuk the prophet did see. O Lord, how long shall I cry, and thou wilt not hear! even cry out unto thee of violence, and thou wilt not save! Why dost thou shew me iniquity, and cause me to behold grievance? for spoiling and violence are before me: and there are that raise up strife and contention. Therefore the law is slacked, and judgment doth never go forth: for the wicked doth compass about the righteous; therefore wrong judgment proceedeth. Behold ye among the heathen, and regard, and wonder marvelously: for I will work a work in your days which ye will not believe, though it be told you.

I see what Habakkuk saw and I see it now. I would be surprised if you did not see it for yourselves. How I came to these verses was in studying and listening from Joel chapter two. I was led there by what I considered to be Peter’s misquote of Joel.

So often we see a thing and it reminds us of previous scriptures and they appear to fit our present circumstance. It is very easy to relate to scriptures that appear in the moment. What Peter seemed to leave out was some relevant passages about conditions that contained the word “afterward”.

We want to know about end time events, we look for signs of His coming. These signs will appear in our natural world, but they have to happen in order.

I do not see the preconditions of Joel chapter 2 which brings a hope for what follows. Then again, Habakkuk penned these words also. “I will work a work in your days which ye will not believe”.

So while I do see what Habakkuk saw, I must also give room that the Lord just might be doing some other preparatory work at this time.

Joel 2:1a Blow ye the trumpet in Zion.

Jeremiah 29:11 (AMP) For I know the plans and thoughts that I have for you,’ says the Lord, ‘plans for peace and well-being and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.

Most of us take comfort from this scripture after we have come to Christ. Those words were penned to a people who were still in captivity, carried off to Babylon.

Jeremiah 29:10 (AMP) “For thus says the Lord, ‘When seventy years [of exile] have been completed for Babylon, I will visit (inspect) you and keep My good promise to you, to bring you back to this place.

Why did God inspect those in captivity if the promise was to all Israel?

Ezra 1:3-4 (KJV) Who is there among you of all his people? his God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judah, and build the house of the Lord God of Israel, (he is the God,) which is in Jerusalem. And whosoever remaineth in any place where he sojourneth, let the men of his place help him with silver, and with gold, and with goods, and with beasts, beside the freewill offering for the house of God that is in Jerusalem.

Not everyone had a heart to be set free. They enjoyed the riches of their captivity and stayed.

They traded the promise of a future with hope and peace for a future that could only end in disaster. The sad part about trading futures is that they had seventy years to ponder the proposal, to change their hearts, and they did not.

How much time has the Lord given you to change your heart and make it a place of worship?

James 4:14 (KJV) Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.