“Write the vision and make it plain, so that those who read it may run with it. For the vision is yet for an appointed time, and at the end it will speak and not lie; even though it may tarry, wait for it, for it will surely come. (Hab. 2:2, 3)
Although the appointed time of which Habakkuk speaks remains a mystery, it seems to be of singular significance, as the following verse from Mathew may suggest. – “But of that day and time, no one knows; not the angels in Heaven, nor even the Son, but only the Father.” (Matt. 24:36-44) But, by way of contribution, I would offer that the ambiguity of this particular verse may be contingent upon a number of factors, including the fact that both faith and free-will are dynamic in nature, arguing for a bit of flexibility in their exact timing. Even so, it doesn’t change the ultimate outcome, as the prophet Isaiah affirmed: “God has declared the end from the very beginning and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying: My counsel will stand and I will do all my pleasure.” (Is. 46:10) I would offer then, that what Habakkuk may in effect be describing is the lull before the storm, a interminable time of waiting, of testing countless generations, whose faith, or lack thereof has some bearing on the fateful day to come. And while it’s a given that only for those alive on earth at that time will live to see it and suffer through its prelude, God’s patience will inevitably wear thin and give way to a judgement referred to as The Day of Wrath.
Yet, while the Church is quick to read: “God has not appointed us to wrath, but salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Thes. 5:9), I would offer that for the vast majority of Christians today, grace may only provide a false sense of security, as their faith, like the baptismal water they were immersed in remains lukewarm. As the Apostle Paul queried – “Into what then were you baptized?” – Into John’s baptism of repentance by water, or the baptism of Jesus by fire, through the anointing of the Holy Spirit? In consideration of the fact, it might be better read as – God has not appointed us as believers to suffer the wrath to come, but anointed us as laborers of the harvest in bringing many souls to faith. The point being, whether living or dead, you were not saved for nothing, but equipped for something, so as not to be found lacking on that fateful day. Yet, in regard to Habakkuk’s vision, it was not meant to be simply informative, but constructive in that it demands a response; much like the following vision that occurred during the summer of 2006.
Having been asked to preach at a little Indian church on a reservation in the outback of Nevada, I had no sooner come to the pulpit when I witnessed a very old Indian woman being helped to her place through the assistance of a relative and the aid of a walking cane. While I waited for the attendees, and their kids, to settle in, I was reconsidering what I was about to say, when that same old lady jumped straight up, right out of her pew. Dancing all over place, while at the same time raising her arms to heaven and sing-songing Gods praise in her own language. Those who seemed to know her best were dumb-sruck, even as she had been nearly all of her adult life.. Yet that was only the beginning, as even before the initial astonishment had fully registered a reverential fear began to take hold of the congregation. So much so that people began to run for the door. Most never made it, as they were either knocked off their feet as if by a thunderbolt or fell while trying to keep from stepping on those who had already fallen. To say it was “off the hook” would be a misnomer, as the cell-phones soon began to chime. Not surprisingly, word traveled fast, with the adjacent sage-brush soon becoming an impromptu parking lot, full of pickup trucks, with Indians, lots of Indians, not as observers, but as participants, no as patients and living testaments to the power of God.
As the spiritual groundswell began to build, one sensed that this was going someplace that no one had ever been before. In view of the fact, traffic began to back up on the old two-lane running adjacent to the church, when at one point I herd someone shout: “They’ve called out the State Troopers!” But to what effect no one knew, as they were beyond caring at this point. The local powers were at a loss, as they had only the worn out repertoire of the past to draw from. Are we supposed to arrest all these crazy Indians and throw them in jail until they can be transported to the reservation. What then, forbid them to speak their own language or practice their Indian religion? They did all that and more, yet the Indian remains, and necessarily so, as the Red Man plays a prominent part in Creators plan. — “If Native America ever awakens to the vision that God placed within them as a people, they will rise and run with it. And if they do, a multitude will follow, stirring up the dust from centuries past, for a purpose that no one foresaw and no power on earth will be able to forestall.”
