3. The land shall be utterly emptied and utterly spoiled: for the Lord hath spoken this word.
4. The earth mourneth and fadeth away, the world languisheth and fadeth away, the haughty people of the earth do languish.
5. The earth also is defiled under the inhabitants thereof; because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant.
6. Therefore, hath the curse devoured the earth, and they that dwell therein are desolate: therefore, the inhabitants of the earth are burned, and few men are left. KJV
This is a picture of the very last of the last days. The Lord is always giving me Ezekiel 12:19 which says, “for their land will be stripped and plundered of all its fullness, because of the violence of all those who dwell in it.” Then it goes on to say that this shall be done and no more delayed.
Times will be very desolate. Only those will make it who have learned how to sing in the fire. They will glorify the Lord in the fires, (verses 14-15). They will lift up their voices for the majesty of the Lord.
They had to learn this song. They had to be taught how to sing in the bad times. You cannot learn it until all is dark.
All these things will come upon the earth when most have been watching for physical signs that never happened. And they are not ready.
We are to learn to be at rest and peace in our heart without certain needs. We must believe those needs are on their way because of His promise. We must learn the way of faith. We must trust Him when we can see no good. He must be our only rock.
We must learn to see Him up in the Spirit so we dwell in the heavenlies spiritually seated with Him as in Ephesians 2:4-6. If we do not know and trust Him, we will get mad and bitter and lose the rest and peace we need.
We must be thankful for thanksgiving is the key to His presence and power. Can you be thankful when there is nothing but desolation all around. What makes you happy? If the things of this earth are where you get your joy, then you are dwelling on this earth and not the heavenlies where the only safety lies.
In verses 17 – 21 there is the noise and a pit and the earth moving exceedingly. The earth shall fall and not rise again.
I read a book about the New Madrid Earthquakes of 1811-1812. It had reports of people waking up hearing a noise and the earth moving. They had to run for their lives and there were fissures in the ground that swallowed up their cattle and sand boils which were also quicksand. They explained the reason for the difference in this earthquake was because it was upon the sand of the Mississippi River. The earthquake caused the earth to fall.
Isaiah talks about the noise and the pit, and the earth shall fall and not rise again. Revelation 16 talks about the final earthquake that there has never been one like it before. We are on the brink of this happening.
I am sure the people of Maui, North Carolina, Florida and California can understand how quickly things can change.