Zech. 13:8-9

8 And it shall come to pass, that in all the land ['erets], saith [na'um] the LORD [Yahovah], two [shanayim] parts [peh] therein shall be cut off [karath] and die [gava`]; but the third [shaliyshiy] shall be left [yathar] therein.

9 And I will bring [bow'] the third part [shaliyshiy] through the fire ['esh], and will refine [tsaraph] them as silver [keceph] is refined [tsaraph], and will try [bachan] them as gold [zahab] is tried [bachan]: they shall call [qara'] on my name [shem], and I will hear [`anah] them: I will say ['amar], It is my people [`am]: and they shall say ['amar], The LORD [Yahovah] is my God ['elohiym]. KJV-Interlinear

8 And it will come about in all the land, Declares the LORD, That two parts in it will be cut off and perish; But the third will be left in it. 9 And I will bring the third part through the fire, Refine them as silver is refined, And test them as gold is tested. They will call on My name, And I will answer them; I will say, 'They are My people,' And they will say, 'The LORD is my God.' NASB

The time of the Tribulation will be the absolute toughest period in all of human history. From the time of the Rapture, until the final battle of Armageddon, conditions on the earth will deteriorate rapidly as crime, disease, weather, economic, and social problems escalate on a scale never before heard of since the beginning of humanity.

Through six plus years, over half of the world s population will die from starvation, from crime, from disease, from disasters of Biblical proportions. People will look for answers. Some will turn to God. Most will look for scapegoats.

Beginning at the mid-point of the Tribulation, when Satan is forcibly evicted from heaven, is thrown down to the earth, and takes control of the anti-christ, the heat of passion and hate will rapidly boil over.

People will be warned to get out of town, right now, lest they be numbered among the martyrs that will soon be murdered in large numbers.

Some will get out and make it to the mountains, where they will hide for the duration of the Tribulation nearly three and a half years. Many will move too slowly, indecisively, and they will get caught up in the slaughter that is to come. Some will hide out and when the anti-christ receives his fatal injury, those hiding will receive some reprieve of sorts, as world history will turn from the local, Israel, scene, to the world scene.

The powers to the north, south and east will begin making their own plans as this king of the west, has seemingly gone mad. The king of the west, the anti-christ, while making his demands that all the world bow down to him, will not be so successful in getting everyone s cooperation.

But for another three and a half years, the world will continue to slide deeper into despair and adversity, which will touch the lives of every human being.

Of the residents, who are hiding in Judah and Jerusalem, there will be many who will refuse to follow the anti-christs mandates. When war breaks out, they will defend themselves from the fury of the world.

One can imagine that, the continuous bombardment, night and day, will leave everyone exhausted, hungry, and on edge to say the least. But such is the testing ground, which the Lord will allow those folks to go through, to test their metal, and to prepare them for the next great period of human history, the Millennium.

For those who survive, this experience will stay with them for the next one thousand years. By the way, the people who survive and enter into the Millennium, will have their life fonts extended dramatically.

Isa. 65:20

20 No longer will there be in it an infant who lives but a few days, Or an old man who does not live out his days; For the youth will die at the age of one hundred And the one who does not reach the age of one hundred Shall be thought accursed. NASB

To those to whom much is given, much is expected. God tests with fire and pressure, the faith of those who are to be the recipients of His greater blessings.

Many will fail these tests. Two-thirds of the residents of Judah and Jerusalem will die. They will not have any patience. They will complain when times get tough, they will yell and scream, they will hate, blame, and find excuses, they will feel tremendous self pity, and they will not see the blessings that they have, but will demand more and more, even in the face of dramatic world pressure. Their demands and expectations will be endless. They will be selfish and they will never be satisfied. As failures, as those who reject Gods protections, as those who refuse to read the signs of the times, they will be destroyed.

This, by the way, happens to every believer throughout history. When they just do not get it, when they refuse to turn their life over to God, when they expect more and more from life, and complain when they don t get their way, then they die as failures in life.

Only one-third of the final Christian population will survive. Their qualifications for survival? Faith in Christ, and obedience to Gods mandates.

Sure, they will get tired and angry over their circumstances, but they will quickly recover those attitudes and they will confess, pray, and trust Gods promises.

Out numbered, out equipped, out maneuvered, they will see Gods many deliverances, as they will witness the scene before them the storms, the earthquakes, the hail, and the enemy forces shooting one another.

And slowly, but surely, they will sit back and see the world falling apart, then the supernatural darkness, the second of only two in history, will move across the entire planet. And when that occurs, all who have looked to Christ, will know that the Second Advent is very, very close at hand.

The darkness will be filled with the sounds of war. It will be filled with the sounds of a panicked world. It will be filled with the sounds of fear, of terror, of death and destruction all around.

But those who have believed in Christ, in God, and in His promises, and have been obedient and faithful, will be sitting quietly in their place, listening to the sounds of a world about to be judged, now anxiously awaiting what is about to come next.

Now is the time to post a prayer.