By Dr. James Ricks
One of the more intriguing prophesies of the end of this age is the coming “famine of the Word.” When and how will it happen? Are we starting to see some of the symptoms of this curse upon society today? Are western nations starting to fall fast away from bedrock Christian Biblical knowledge already? Is the most Bible oriented nation, America, also falling away from the Truth?
We know that in the end times the Beast will lead the world into a great falling away from the Truth. Is the world beginning to long for an all inclusive, big government state to solve all our problems? Big socialistic governments always use propaganda to mislead and manipulate the public. The warning from God states that :
“Behold, the days come, saith the Lord GOD, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD:
“And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east, they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the LORD, and shall not find it.
“In that day shall the fair virgins and young men faint for thirst” (Amos 8:11-13).
This famine of the Word of God will have detrimental effects and will lead to a frantic search for truth that cannot be found. These effects seem to be very prominent upon the younger generations. The increasing number of youths that suffer depression could be an early circumstance of such a lack of Godly truths. More youths are also harming themselves and committing suicide.
Are these early symptoms of a lack of God’s Words upon society? We know that a much greater falling away from God’s Truth is coming. This famine may have two root causes. One is God turning his back upon a society that has turned its back on Him. The other could be Satanic influence of the Beast and the False Prophet.
2 Thessalonians 2:1-4, “Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him,
“That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand.
“Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;
“Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.”
Those living at the end of this age will fall away from the truth. They will willingly be deceived. People will not love God’s Truth. They will prefer to believe lies!
Our modern day media is preparing people for such an approach. The media used to at least attempt to appear unbiased (and occasionally were unbiased). They no longer even put up a front of objectivity. The majority of mainstream media are far left secular progressives. Truth is of little concern to the media.
Our nation is being conditioned to see the truth as whatever you wish it to be. People only listen if the media tells them what they want to hear. Truth is of no concern.
2 Thessalonians 2:9-11 says, “Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,
“And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.
“And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:”
God will curse the western, so-called “Christian” world with a famine, or great shortage, of the Truth. This could happen just a few years prior to the coming of the evil, dictator king––the beast––because the world primarily is rejecting God’s Truth as spread by God’s Church. Then God will remove the church to secret places of hiding prior to the the Great Tribulation.
Will God’s Message Be Hidden From the World?
Is it possible that God will respond to the growing evils of society by cutting off the supply of the Truth? Perhaps many will remember hearing the Truth online or reading our magazines, viewing TV presentations and not really responding.
But when calamities hit, and society starts to malfunction, many will hunger for the Truth. But it will be too late. The church will be hiding in places of safety, saved from the wrath of the coming Beast armies and secret police. At this time, no truth will be available until the Two Witnesses arrive to torment the world with the Truth.
Revelation 12:14-16, “And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent.
“And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood.
“And the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed up the flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth.”
God promised protection to the church that was obedient to the Bible and professed Jesus Christ. If we are in the church before the tribulation we will be protected, in part, because we are not running from the Truth. We love the Truth!
Revelation 3:9-11 “Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie; behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee.
“Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.
“Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown.”
We all need to treasure the Biblical Truths we have been given so abundantly. If we love and value the Truth, God will allow us more and deeper truths. The reverse is also true. Those who do not treasure the Truth will lose more and more truth as time goes forward.
The Truth: Use It or Lose It
Those who use the Truth and obey it, and don’t just listen to it like a “lovely song,” are blessed. They are blessed in their lives and with more and more Truth! The world will be cursed with a famine of Truth someday because so many refuse to use it or believe it.
Ezekiel 33:32-33, “And, lo, thou art unto them as a very lovely song of one that hath a pleasant voice, and can play well on an instrument: for they hear thy words, but they do them not.
“And when this cometh to pass, (lo, it will come,) then shall they know that a prophet hath been among them.”
Ezekiel warned Judah before they were taken into captivity because they abandoned God. They ignored the Sabbath and served pagan gods. In principle His warning is also for our day. If people today listen to the Truth “like a beautiful song” but few obey the message, God will allow their nation to fall.
The world is strongly moving toward nature worship and science worship. Most are convinced of the Theory of Evolution. Few know that Darwin realized that his theory was wrong before his death. Someday we will all laugh at the idea of the complex creation happening by accident.It all occurs purely by chance? Unbelievable!
Our society today is not that much different from ancient Israel as they fell away from the Truth and God allowed them to be overthrown. One must obey the Truth of God, or lose the Truth.
Matthew 25:29 “For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath.
“And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
God expects us to use His Truth. God wants us to invest in the Truth and increase our spiritual growth through obedience and doing the work of God. Failure to use what God has given can lead to losing the given gifts of God. This includes the ability to gain and understand His Truth!
Why so much trouble in today’s society? Because people put other things before God. They have no idea about God’s Truth and believe so-called intellectuals, like those in the academic world who thought that WWI would end all wars. The elites believed that science would save the world.
Needless to say science simply gave big governments the means to slaughter people more efficiently. Science has, and will in the future, be used to slaughter people. Science can also be a false God.
Hosea 4:6-7, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children.
“As they were increased, so they sinned against me: therefore will I change their glory into shame.”
What is the most important part of Truth we can share? The Laws of God qualify, and the number one law is to put nothing before God. This was not for God’s benefit, but for ours. People need to be guided by the true God.
One reason our children are being lost in this society is they have lost the knowledge of the true God. A low percentage of people under age of 50 attend any church at all on a regular basis. They have lost the awareness of and knowledge of God. God is not important in our relatively prosperous age. The younger generation uses the internet for information and knowledge.
Probably in the future the internet service providers will become increasingly anti-Bible. We can see some signs of this already. Conservatives and Bible oriented users have complained about the bias already. Is more to come?
The Two Witnesses will bring back the Truth and the world will recoil against it aggressively. It will be a witness against most, though some will heed the call and be converted during those troubled times. The world will be tormented, first with the Truth and then with the plagues of God.
Hopefully we will all stay glued to the Truth in spite of all the distractions and then the Messiah returns. Remember, in the end we win and for all eternity. Never ever forget the Bible messages!
Rev 11:7-12, “And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them.
“And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified.
“And they of the people and kindreds and tongues and nations shall see their dead bodies three days and an half, and shall not suffer their dead bodies to be put in graves.
“And they that dwell upon the earth shall rejoice over them, and make merry, and shall send gifts one to another; because these two prophets tormented them that dwelt on the earth.
“And after three days and an half the Spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet; and great fear fell upon them which saw them.
“And they heard a great voice from heaven saying unto them, Come up hither. And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud; and their enemies beheld them.”
In the end, the truth of God will frighten the world profoundly as they face the vengeful return of Christ!
