Habakkuk 2: 3
For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry.
God is telling this obscure prophet, and also to us, that what He says will happen, will happen.
If it seems to us that it is taking too long a time, we are cautioned to keep waiting for it, because it will for sure happen.
If God has told us that something will take place, then we can be sure that it will happen exactly as He said it would. But it will be in His time, not ours.
Everything He has said will take place is what He has already made to happen, as He sees the end from the beginning. He is speaking from what He sees, whether it is in our past or our future, it's all right now for Him.
So we can trust what He says. We need to be looking for what He says will happen to happen, but not necessarily in the way we might understand.
God told His prophets about events that would happen far in the prophet's future, so the writer of the prophesy may not have recognized what he was seeing in the vision, as modern technology and machines were unknown to ancient peoples. The writer had to use words describing things they knew, that would be similar to the unknown things they were seeing.
Whatever would move of itself, they would understand as being living; as for example, what Ezekiel wrote about in chapters 1, 3:13 & 10 of his visions of the "living creatures" with "wheels" and "eyes," that could be machines of some sort.
And I think that the "locusts" of Revelation 9:3 could possibly be armed drones. And the "horses" of v. 17 could be tanks.
I don't know, these are some of my ideas, and I may be way off base. But my point is that even though God has given us many details of what to expect, we may still not have an accurate picture of what will actually happen. But afterward, we will undoubtedly agree that it was exactly as He said!
O my Father, You have so graciously told us so many details of our future history. You laid out to Daniel the World governments that would be in power from his day all the way down to today's World.
And You showed John the whole scenario of the last seven years of this Era of Man on this Earth, that will precede Your Son's return to rule.
So we know what to expect, but not how it will look to our modern eyes. We need Your discernment to be able to recognize these happenings as they will be happening. And they may be happening all together, overlapping, and in swift succession, not necessarily in the order it was given.
It seems to me that John did not write in a chronological order, but in a logical order, to give order to what may come very chaotically.
Father, prepare Your children for the turmoil and persecution and martyrdom that is coming soon. Already this Earth is beginning its "birth pangs" before the end. Keep Your own safe in Your arms, Father, through all the end-times confusion and troubles.
O Father, our enemy knows his time is short, so he is furious, doing everything he can against Your ways and Your people, in his hatred of everything good.
But he can do no more than You allow, Lord God Almighty.
Even though it looks to us that this World is whirling away, You will let it go only so far, then You will "flick Your wrist" and draw it back like a yo-yo.
And You will make all things new: new bodies for Your children, a new Earth to live on with us, in a new Heaven--a whole new creation!
And every knee will bow, and every tongue confess Your glory and honor and blessing and wisdom and beauty and praise, forever and ever, amen.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
