Following his famous sermon on Pentecost, the church “continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship and in breaking of bread, and in prayers” (Acts 2:42). And it wasn’t long until Peter preached another famous sermon (Acts 3:12-26). He addressed the men of Israel and eventually said:

“Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord; and he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you: Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began” (Acts 3:19-21).

These are tough words, but I believe Peter told these Jews that God will send a time of refreshing to Israel, then God will send Jesus back, and then Jesus will begin the time of restoration (restore Israel’s position among the nations; restore morality, peace, justice, righteousness, etc. on earth). It intrigues me that God in His foreknowledge knows when the times of refreshing and time of restitution are.

But consider that God gave all of the Promised Land to Abraham and His descendents (the Jews); that God told Abraham that His descendants would live in another land and serve them (live in Egypt and be slaves there) for 400 years; and the reason why they couldn’t have the Promised Land right away was because the iniquity of the Amorites who lived in the Promised Land was not yet full (Gen. 15:12-16).

God loves everyone, including the Amorites, so He would not allow the Jews to occupy the Promised Land for another 400 years because the sin of the Amorites was not yet great enough for them to be destroyed. But when the 400 years came and went and the Amorites had reached God’s limit on defiling the land, He would cast them out (Lev. 18:24-28; I Kings 21:25-26).

And consider that God told Judah that He had called upon the people to repent many times, but they did not listen, so He was going to use Babylon to destroy Judah, capture many Jews in the northern part of the country and make them serve Babylon for 70 years (Jer. 25:1-11). Then, He added that because of Babylon’s sin, He would destroy Babylon 70 years later (Jer. 25:12).

Before it happened God revealed Judah’s fall and the time of Babylon’s fall (70 years after Judah’s fall). But it did not stop there. God identified several other nations that would drink the “wine cup of this fury” (be destroyed) at that time (Jer. 25:15-26).

Among other things, a cup is a unit of measurement. David’s cup was filled with joy (Psa. 23:5). The believer’s cup is filled with salvation (Psa. 116:13; Jn. 7:37-39). Jesus’ cup was filled with the wrath of God toward the sins of the world (Matt. 26:39). The coming one-world religion’s cup will be filled with abominations and filthiness (Rev. 17:4).

The “wine cup of this fury” contained the wrath of God toward the sins of those nations. Instead of pouring His wrath upon these nations as they sinned, God poured His wrath into a cup. As time passed, the level of His wrath in the cup slowly rose until the “wine cup of this fury” was full. God didn’t punish them every time they sinned, but He was aware of their sins. And their sins caused His wrath to build until His cup was full and He destroyed them.

This process is ongoing, but it can be interrupted and God’s wrath can even be removed from the “cup” by humility, prayer and turning to Him (2 Chron. 7:14). Absent that, and I don’t believe it is going to happen in the United States, the cup that contains America’s sins will continue to fill until there is no more room. Then, the Bible teaches that God will remove a leader (Dan. 2:21), or He will destroy a nation (Dan. 5:25-28), or He will give a nation the basest of men (a terrible leader) to rule over it (Dan. 4:17).

God does not change (Heb. 13:8) and it seems that the United States now has the basest of men for a leader (lying, spying, breaking the law, abortion, homosexuality, etc.). This is a clear indication that the cup of God’s wrath is full. It explains why our president’s lying staff, our cover-it-up Senate, our really angry (but never do anything about it) House and the predominantly silent main stream media are allowing the destruction of America’s biblical foundations. Goodbye Lady Liberty. Your “cup” is full and it grieves some of us to ponder your future.

“If the foundations are destroyed, What can the righteous do?  The Lord is in His holy temple, the Lord’s throne is in heaven; His eyes behold, His eyelids test the sons of men. The Lord tests the righteous, but the wicked and the one who loves violence His soul hates. Upon the wicked He will rain coals; fire and brimstone and a burning wind shall be the portion of their cup. For the Lord isrighteous, He loves righteousness; His countenance beholds the upright” (Psalm 11:3-7).

Drink from the cup of salvation before it is too late.

Prophecy Plus Ministries
Daymond & Rachel Duck

As I understand it, God sends His wrath from heaven against sinful people because He created them with the ability to know the truth, but they suppress the truth. People have known about Him and His power since He created everything, so those who suppress the truth are really without excuse (Rom. 1:18-20).

Consider those who lived in Judah during Old Testament Times. About 140 years before it happened, God told the Jews they would be taken to Babylon (Mic. 4:10). About 100 years before it happened, God told King Hezekiah Judah’s treasures would be taken to Babylon (Isa. 39:1-6). About 35 years before it happened, God told Huldah the judgment of God would fall on Judah (2 Chron. 34:22-28).

About 20 years before it happened, God told Habakkuk Babylon would destroy Judah (Hab.1:5-11). And shortly before it happened, God told Judah Babylon would destroy them because they had ignored His words (Jer. 25:8-11). The Jews were given many chances to repent, but they didn’t, so their destruction was their own fault because they chose not to listen.

Many people today have the same attitude that the people of Judah had. But instead of speaking through prophets like He did in Judah’s day, God speaks through prophecy writers, pastors, church members, family members and in many other ways. If they won’t listen, He will eventually decide that they have had enough chances. Then His judgment will fall and they will be without excuse.

As I see it, God is kind, loving, merciful, patient and full of grace. He is also holy, righteous and just: characteristics that require Him to deal with sin. He rules over this universe and He has told us how He wants us to live. To live any other way is sin. He doesn’t judge people without reason. He gives people many chances. Sinners can be forgiven, but only by putting their faith in Jesus and giving up their sins (John.14:6). If people choose to ignore this, He will be patient, but without repentance He will eventually act and it will be their fault.

Also, as I see it, many people don’t want to hear Bible prophecy because the idea that a holy, righteous and just God will send judgment upon people, nations or the world scares them. Some may not be saved or they may have loved ones that are not saved and they prefer to ignore the fact that individuals, nations and the world are accountable to God.

They would rather suppress the truth than to face the fact that they or their loved ones need to repent or God will eventually hold them accountable. It is especially scary when it is loved ones that are unwilling to repent. The thought of what might happen to them is difficult for kind-hearted people to think about.

Others don’t want to hear Bible prophecy, not because it scares them, but because they don’t believe it—they are turned off by it—they are afflicted by self-righteousness; they have been disillusioned by false prophets, or whatever. They have reached the point where they prefer to hear what the god of their imagination says rather than what the God of the Bible says. They prefer to heap unto themselves teachers that will tickle their ears. Those who do that are trying to silence God in their lives.

Nevertheless, I believe God wants Christians to keep trying to witness to them. He loves them and He wants them to hear it whether they want to hear it or not. He wants them to have many chances to be saved whether they want them or not. Every time they are told about what is going to happen, how close we may be and what they need to do, God is giving them a chance to repent, accept Jesus and go to heaven. If they choose not to, that is their decision. And they are not really silencing Christians or silencing God in their lives, they are silencing themselves at the Judgment.

When they stand before Him there will be no acceptable excuses for ignoring His will.

So keep watching, keep witnessing and respect your calling as a Watchman (Ezek. 3:15-19). In so doing, your heart is right with God whether others listen or not. If they listen, they will be saved and you will have a crown. If they don’t listen, it is their decision and it is not your fault. Don’t think of them as though they are going to die in the future. Think of them as though they are already dead and God is really giving them a chance to live.

Prophecy Plus Ministries
Daymond & Rachel Duck