"The axe is already at the root of the trees" (Matt 3:10): Clifford Hill asks if these words of John the Baptist have relevance for us today.

I have always thought that in this verse John the Baptist is speaking about judgement falling upon Israel. That is what all my commentaries say. The axe is about to cut down the tree. But John does not say this. He says that the axe is at the ROOT of the trees, not the trunk!

This changes the meaning of the metaphor: the root of the trees was being cut off so that the "nourishing sap" (to use Paul's words in Romans 11:17) from the root could not feed the tree to produce good fruit. Therefore, it would have to be cut down.

Israel's long-awaited Messiah was about to appear and John's mission was to prepare the way for him. Meanwhile, the spiritual life of the nation was being corrupted by the Scribes and Pharisees whose teachings and interpretations of the Law made life difficult for ordinary people. The Israelites were being cut off from their spiritual heritage in the teaching of Moses and the prophets, so they were unable to read the signs of the times. Jesus wept over Jerusalem: "If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace – but now it is hidden from your eyes" (Luke 19:42).

Our Spiritual Heritage

In Britain, America and Europe since the Second World War, we have been cutting off our Judaeo-Christian roots. The 'nourishing sap' of the word of God that has blessed our nation for centuries is being cut off at the very time when we most need the guidance and the blessing of God.

Just as Jesus came to Israel at a time when they were cut off from their own spiritual heritage, so now Britain and other 'Christian' nations are cutting themselves off from their own Judeao-Christian roots."

The nations are being shaken with greater speed and severity each day but because the leaders of the Western nations do not know the word of God, they are unable to perceive the significance of what is happening. They do not know what to do: so inevitably they are making all the wrong decisions.

The Greek TragedyProtestors clashed with police outside the Greek Parliament on Wednesday.

In Brussels the Eurozone nations are struggling to save the euro. They may have succeeded in a patched-up deal to stop the Greek crisis bringing down the whole structure of European finance – but they are simply 'kicking the can down the road', delaying the day of judgement. They continue to build up a mountain of debt that will eventually become a volcano that will burst and spill out, engulfing not only Athens but the whole of Europe.

Battle in the Middle East

In the Middle East the power struggle for control of the Muslim world is increasingly centring upon the two behind-the-scenes main players in Iran and Saudi Arabia. With America's President Obama having another year to run, there is huge danger in his desire to be friendly to Iran, despite the recent treaty.

Everyone knows that the Iranian nuclear programme is not just to produce nuclear power for peaceful purposes, because they are sitting on the world's fourth greatest reserves of oil. They don't need nuclear power! What they do want is a nuclear bomb! Then they can control the Middle East and prepare to attack Israel. But if they succeed in their nuclear ambitions, the Saudis will have to do the same. They will immediately purchase a nuclear bomb and the race for survival will be on! Who will blink first?

Global Insecurities

With the rising tide of terrorism from militant Islam, the threat to world peace grows daily. So too does the danger of worldwide financial collapse. In Beijing the Communist rulers are struggling to control their stock market casino as the gambling fever that grips the nation has paved the way for a gigantic double-dealing con-trick that has swindled millions of small investors out of their savings. Clearly there is no way that a massive $3.5 trillion could have gone through a life-and-death cycle in a mere 80 trading days of normal commercial activity! Yet, the all-powerful commissars of China are powerless to protect their own people from financial disaster.

For those who have eyes to see and ears to hear, there have been warning signs of these global problems for a long time. Many Christians believe that a critical point in world history will occur around the time of the Feast of Tabernacles this year which coincides with the Lunar Eclipse, the 'Super Blood Moon' on 28 September, 2015.

Whether or not this is the case, we are certainly living in volatile times. What can be done? The most effective thing Christians can do is pray – but we need to know how to pray and what to pray for. This is where knowledge of the Bible and an understanding of the nature and purposes of God are essential.

The most effective thing Christians can do is pray- but we need an understanding of how to pray and what to pray for."

When we can understand what God is doing, we know how to pray. We should be praying for our nation; for repentance for all we have done that is contrary to the word of God and the way we have cut off our spiritual roots. God is slow to anger and abundant in mercy. It is time to call upon him for help. Never was there greater need than today.

As the dust settles in Nepal, Charles Gardner considers the prophetic significance of earthquakes...

Frightening scenes of the earth shaking in the Himalayan region, bringing death and destruction to Kathmandu while trapping climbers in an avalanche, are stark reminders of our insecurity on this planet.

And although this is a terrible tragedy for the people of Nepal, where thousands of helpless souls were caught in its grip, I believe this is a prophetic sign from heaven as the mountain range known as the 'rooftop of the world' threatens to bring the 'house' down – that is, everything we have held safe and dear during our temporary stay on terra firma.

Wake-Up Call for Israel

In fact, a recent Jerusalem Post editorial referred to the first Nepalese earthquake as a "wake-up call" to Israel, urging the government to ensure that the nation is better prepared for a similar disaster, pointing out that the Jewish state lies on a 'fault' line which runs down the Jordan Valley and that a quake could strike at any moment.¹

Experts have been warning for a number of years that Israel is at risk of a big earthquake in the near future.

Reinforcements are still necessary for schools, hospitals and other public buildings more than 35 years old (ie built before stricter quake-resistance regulations were introduced). Apparently Israel experiences a serious quake every 80-100 years, and the last one occurred in 1927.²

The findings for such a scenario (prepared for Israel five years ago) – that a quake measuring 7.5 on the Richter scale (less than Nepal's) would kill an estimated 16,000 people and render 377,000 homeless – are sobering indeed.³

Earthquake Prophesied at Jesus' Return

Yes, it's scary, and we should prepare for the worst. However, such an apocalyptic vision will inevitably become reality for Israel – it's in the Bible! The prophet Zechariah foretells of a time, at the end of the age, when all the nations would come against Jerusalem, causing terrible distress. But the Lord himself will go out and fight them in the day of battle.

On that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem, and the Mount of Olives will be split in two from east to west, forming a great valley, with half of the mountain moving north and half moving south. (Zech 14:4)

In a recent blog for the Times of Israel,⁴ I mentioned how Yeshua, the Jewish rabbi whom Christians (and a growing number of Jews) worship as Messiah, indicated that earthquakes would strike with increasing frequency and severity, as labor pains on a woman in childbirth, immediately preceding his return.

The Bible tells us that when Jesus returns in glory, he will stand on the Mount of Olives and it will split in two"

And the New Testament records that it was from the Mount of Olives that – 40 days after Passover – the risen Jesus ascended to Heaven. Luke, thought to be the only Gentile to have authored any book of the Bible, said Jesus was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight.

They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. 'Men of Galilee,' they said, 'why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.' (Acts 1:9-11)

Verse 12 tells you that this dramatic incident occurred on the Mount of Olives. So we believe that Yeshua, when he returns, will place his feet there and the ensuing quake will shake the foundations of every man and woman on the planet.

Solid Foundations

We must ensure that the foundations of our lives are solid, rooted in an absolute trust of Elohim⁵, and not just in our temporary homes on this earth, so that when everything else shakes around us, we at least emerge with our faith intact. And when all is said and done, that's what really matters. For all who have not built their 'house' on the only strong foundation there is will be left naked, ashamed and forlorn.

If the foundations of our lives are solid, rooted in absolute trust of God, then as everything else shakes we will emerge with our faith intact."

Famous British author and journalist Malcolm Muggeridge, in his book Jesus Rediscovered, wrote:

The only ultimate disaster that can befall us, I have come to realize, is to feel ourselves to be at home here on earth. As long as we are aliens, we cannot forget our true homeland.⁶

There are many people, including Christians, who are convinced things will get progressively better. Their worldview is based on a utopian aspiration that believes our efforts can bring heaven to earth. But as Jews for Jesus international director David Brickner says, this is not the worldview the Bible presents:

Anyone who thinks things will become progressively better in our world either hasn't heard or hasn't believed what Jesus said in the Olivet discourse (in which he discussed the end of the age). In a word, it is cataclysm, defined as 'a flood, a deluge, any violent change involving sudden and extensive alterations, an upheaval, a social or political one'.⁷

Brickner states: "Jesus says to expect a geopolitical, religious, economic, ecological, sociological and astronomical cataclysm".⁸ But as the world around us disintegrates, if we believe and trust in Yeshua, he promises to help us, strengthen us and guide us to a bright and beautiful eternal future where the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea (Hab 2:14).

References

1 Nepal wake-up call, 26 April 2015.

2 Ibid.

3 Ibid.

4 Earth-shaking events are signs from heaven, 29 April 2015.

5 This Hebrew name for God (Gen 1:1) traditionally signifies God as Creator and Judge of all.

6 Fontana, 1969, p30-31.

7 Dystopia: the truth behind the fiction, May 2014.

8 Ibid.