When Jeremiah describes the ‘judgments of the Lord’, he says: “I looked on the earth, and behold, it was formless and void; and to the Heavens, and they had no light. I looked on the mountains, and behold, they were quaking, and all the hills moved to and fro. I looked, and behold, there was no man, and all the birds of the Heavens had fled. I looked, and behold, the fruitful land was a wilderness, and all its cities were pulled down before the Lord, before His fierce anger. For thus says the Lord, ‘The whole land shall be a desolation, yet I will not execute a complete destruction. For this the earth shall mourn and the Heavens above be dark, because I have spoken, I have purposed, and I will not change My mind, nor will I turn from it.” At the sound of the horseman and bowman every city flees; they go into the thickets and climb among the rocks; every city is forsaken, and no man dwells in them.”1
The land here is Israel of course, but what John sees concerns the whole earth. The fifth trumpet is the first woe, and the sixth trumpet will be the second woe. The third woe—the seventh trumpet—follows after that, with the accompanying plagues containing more details, and the seven bowls.2 The birth pangs preceding the new stage in the history of the world, the birth pangs that proclaim the birth of the Kingdom of God become increasingly stronger.
Who calls forth this ‘woe’? It was the eagle.3 However John now says, apparently he comes to this conclusion as it were: “The first woe is past; behold, two woes are still coming after these things.” It is part of the task that John himself will receive “…Thou must prophesy again before many peoples, and nations, and tongues, and kings.”4 The book of the Revelation of Jesus Christ, the revelation of His Glory that John is to write, sounds a warning: be prepared! Yes, sometimes anxiety may come up in your heart, because of what is to come on planet earth. But be of good spirit and high hopes! And yes, maybe the worst is yet to come, but do not forget that it is all already recorded in the Bible. When you open the newspaper, or follow the news via the media, be aware that the Bible is much more up to date than tomorrow’s newspaper. Do not cherish any false hopes though as far as the future is concerned. Such as to think that these ‘woes’ are but temporary and that things will get better after a while. “Yes, we seem to be in a dip – temporarily – but behind the clouds the sun is shining and after rainfall comes sunshine” – to quote a few Dutch proverbs. “Oh well, things will soon improve after a short crisis.” Etcetera. But it is also not necessary to walk around morbidly either, saying that “things will be a lot worse…this will be the end of the world…” Etcetera. Don’t despair! There is no room for gloom and doom. The Lord will give strength according to the cross we have to bear. “No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, He will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.” 1 Corinthians 10:13. “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Saviour…” Isaiah 43:2-3.
When these times come upon planet earth, believers can find inner assurance in the knowledge that the Lord has already spoken about these developments in the world, even centuries before they are taken place. Let us simply enjoy every day of peace that He gives. Let’s enjoy our freedom. Let’s enjoy what is left of the beauty of nature. Let’s enjoy and be thankful for the little daily joys. Let’s enjoy each sandwich, and each ray sunshine. Let’s cherish all the simple small deeds of love and kindness that we can give to one another. God is in control! And His future is certain, even though the world of man is being laid waste, just as formless and empty as in the beginning5: God will be there forever and His future is sure! Woe to the sinful nation! “Woe to the sinful nation, a people whose guilt is great, a brood of evildoers, children given to corruption! They have forsaken the Lord; they have spurned the Holy One of Israel and turned their backs on Him…Woe to the wicked! Disaster is upon them! They will be paid back for what their hands have done.”6
• This expression ‘formless and void’ (in Hebrew: tohu wa bohu) is only found in Genesis 1:2, Jeremiah 4:23 and Isaiah 34:11. In the last two cases this state of ‘formless and void’ is the consequence of a judgment of God, so that expositors believe that that must also be the case in Genesis 1: the earth having become formless and void because of a judgment God implemented when the devil, Lucifer, rebelled and consequently was cast down to earth.
• Ezekiel 28:17 is thought to describe something of that drama. Isaiah 45:18 says that He formed the earth and did not create it as a waste place, not to be tohu, but formed it to be inhabited. “For this is what the Lord says— He who created the Heavens, He is God; He who fashioned and made the earth, He founded it; He did not create it to be empty, but formed it to be inhabited—He says: “I am the Lord, and there is no other.”
Bible References:
1.Jeremiah 4:23–29 2.Revelation 16 3.Revelation 8:13 4.Revelation 10:11 KJV 5.Genesis 1:2 6.Isaiah 1:4, 3:11
