It’s not surprising that the last valley alluded to in the Bible (and the last valley I’ll discuss in my blogs) is so like the first two valleys in Genesis—the valley of rebellion and the valley of war and strife.  It tells me man is incapable of governing himself without God.

We come across our last valley in the book of Revelation where it talks about Armageddon and what happens there. Armageddon is the hill overlooking the Valley of Megiddo or Megiddone and both mean “to gather, or rendezvous.”   It is also known as the Valley of Jazreel, Valley of Decision, and Valley of Jehosaphat—which means “God will judge” (although beginning in the fourth century A.D. some claim the Valley of Jehosaphat is between Jerusalem and the Mount of Olives, which is currently a cemetery in a ravine—hardly the place for the nations of the world to gather.)

But Megiddo is vast; a natural battleground that has been the scene of dozens of battles over the centuries. It is the rendezvous place where God will judge the nations, and both Joel and Revelation tell us why:

“I will also gather all nations, and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat, and will plead with them there for my people and for my heritage Israel, whom they had scattered among the nations and parted my land. . . let the heathen be wakened and come up to the valley of Jehoshaphat: for there will I sit to judge all the heathen round about . . . Multitudes, multitudes, in the valley of decision; for the day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision.” Joel 3:2, 12, 14

“And he (God) gathered them together (for judgment) into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon” Revelation 16:16.  The nation’s armies have gathered here to destroy Israel; “to wipe it off the face of the map,” or so they think.  But God has allowed them to gather in order to render His judgment.

At this time, the whole world will not only be against Israel, but will be in rebellion against God and following the demonic leader the Bible calls “Antichrist”.  For both these things God will judge them.

What’s scary is this: events are already taking shape.  Increasingly, the world is turning its back on Israel. And world leaders are pressuring Israel to give up its land for peace. They are in essence trying to part God’s land.  And as global disruptions and financial disasters deepen, more and more people will be receptive to a world leader who promises to solve these problems.

So . . . are we marching toward the Valley of Decision? I believe so.

Until next week,

Sylvia

I’m a firm believer that as long as God gives us breath we should appreciate our life and live it to the fullest for Him.  But sooner or later, unless we are the generation that will experience the rapture, we will walk through the Valley of the Shadow of Death (Psalm 23:4). Everyone dies. It’s inescapable. While we needn’t be morbid about it, we should consider what this event will mean in terms of our eternal future. 

For a believer in Christ, that future is assured.  Psalm 23 tells us we are to “fear no evil”, that God will be with us.  People tend to fear the unknown.  But here the unknown is made know, for not only does it tell us that God will be with us and comfort us, but that He has something wonderful waiting.  The picture given is a banqueting table along with the promise that we “will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.”  Oh, what a future!

Since this valley comes upon most people suddenly, unexpectedly it is well to make sure we are right with the Lord. And for those of us who have friends and family who do not yet know Him, it is paramount we pray diligently that they do, for eternity is at stake.

We’ll only pass this way once, and when it’s our time to reach that shadowed valley our houses, our bank accounts, our job titles will be meaningless. Only one thing will matter: “Who do you say the Son of Man is?” If the answer is “My Savior and God” we have nothing to fear and unimaginable wonders await us.  But for those who can’t answer in that way, may you come to know the One Who died for you, Who sticks closer than a brother.  The One who loves you like no one ever will.

Until next week,

Sylvia

We have left the valley of rebellion (Shinar) only to find ourselves in the valley of strife. And as I mentioned last week, it is reasonable to assume that if we are not at peace with God, we will not be at peace with our fellowman, either.  So, is it any wonder that in the very next valley named in the Bible, the Valley of Siddim, the first recorded war in scripture takes place?  Many years have passed since the Tower of Babel and people have spread out in all directions. In this particular area there are now nine kings with the head honcho being King Chedorlaomer.  For twelve years the other kings have been serving Chedorlaomer (Genesis 14). Finally, in the thirteenth year five of the kings rebelled, including the King of Sodom and the King of Gomorrah, and within a year, Chedorlaomer marched against them with his army and the army of his three allies. So it was four kings against five. 

The four kings were able to vanquish the others and took them as spoils of war along with their goods, livestock, children, and wives. Among those taken was Lot, Abraham’s nephew, who had, some time before, left Abraham to live in Sodom.

And where was Abraham all this time?  Safely by the mountain of Mamre.  Abraham, called by God to separate himself from the world, is the fountainhead of the twelve tribes of Israel, but he’s also a wonderful picture of the believer.  We too are called by God to be separated; to refrain from the world’s sin and strife. 1 John 5:19 says “the whole world lieth in wickedness”. Romans 12:2a cautions us to “be not conformed to this world”.  And 1 John 2:15 admonishes us to “love not the world neither the things that are in the world.  If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.” But James 4:4 goes even further and tells us that to be friends with the world is to be an enemy of God. But like Abraham, who, when he heard about Lot’s capture, was forced to take up arms and rescue him, sometimes we too are pulled into the war and conflict around us. There will always be someone who causes strife in our world, someone who wants to rule, to control, to subjugate. In the larger sense we can think of people like Hitler or Bin Laden, but on a smaller scale it could be that difficult boss or abusive spouse or impossible neighbor or co-worker.

So there will be times when we will leave our mountain of peace for the valley of strife, pulled there by war or discord not of our making. But in the end, Abraham and his men prevailed and rescued Lot and the other captives.  And in the end, if we faithfully follow God’s leading, we will prevail too.

Until next week,

Sylvia