When The Bottom Drops Out Series

“How the gold has grown dim,

how the pure gold is changed!

The holy stones lie scattered

at the head of every street.

“The precious sons of Zion,

worth their weight in fine gold,

how they are regarded as earthen pots,

the work of a potter’s hands!”

[LAMENTATIONS 4:1-2] [1]

What a dramatic transition had taken place! The writer records that the gold had lost its lustre, the silver was tarnished, the diamonds had all turned again to coal. What was once precious was of little value; suddenly what had once been common was now in short supply. What had once been disdained was now avidly sought after. Disaster has that effect on us. Reading the fourth chapter detailing the traumatic account of national heartbreak, the casual reader might be induced to think the Prophet was focused on the loss of wealth. However, Jeremiah’s eye sees far more clearly than that; he sees the loss of an immediate future, the loss of hope.

In one of his sermons, Chuck Swindoll commented that a person can live about forty days without food, about four days without water, about four minutes without oxygen, and about four seconds without hope. That sounds about right. In Israel, the writer notes that the survivors of the Chaldean invasion were left in what seemed to be a hopeless situation. For those who survived, the future appeared bleak indeed, and there was scant reason to imagine that things would soon allow the people to know what it was to rejoice. They were experiencing difficult times, and the prospects for immediate relief were bleak.

Humiliation awaits the one who would impose his will on those who are unwilling, should he fail in the effort to compel compliance. The victor seldom anticipates humiliation, but in holding an attitude of superiority over the vanquished, they display an ignorance of the divine warning, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble” [JAMES 4:6b]. In giving this warning to his readers, you realise that James is quoting the proverb that states,

“[The LORD] mocks those who mock

but gives grace to the humble.”

[PROVERBS 3:34 CSB]

Pride brings an individual to ruin. And Israel that exalted themselves in their own eyes rather than exalting the Lord. Now, their pride brought this downfall.

To be certain, the Babylonians would know their own sorrow within a few short decades. However, for the moment, it was Israel that was suffering. When the British Army was defeated at Yorktown and forced to surrender, the American Patriots played an old English folk tune as the surrender was effected. The British soldiers were treated to the song, “The World Turned Upside Down” as they marched to stack their arms under the baleful gaze of the rude backwoodsmen wearing buckskin. One can imagine that try as they might, the proud red coats could not put the words of the song out of their minds. It was one more humiliation the proud army was forced to endure. For eight long years they had inflicted deep pain upon the peoples living in the colonies; now, they would have their own humiliation. How often that very scenario has played out in history. And this reality shall undoubtedly be reality again in the future.

As I read the account of the first judgements rained down upon the earth during the days of the Great Tribulation, I note a strange detail as the third seal is broken during the days of those initial judgements. The Revelator writes, “When [the Lamb] opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, ‘Come!’ And I looked, and behold, a black horse! And its rider had a pair of scales in his hand. And I heard what seemed to be a voice in the midst of the four living creatures, saying, ‘A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius, and do not harm the oil and wine’” [REVELATION 6:5-6]!

Did you notice as I read this passage that when this judgement is unleashed upon the earth, staples will become costly—wheat sufficient to make bread for a day’s meal will cost a day’s wage. The Revelator records that barley, viewed as an inferior grain for human consumption, though it will provide nourishment, will likewise be exorbitantly costly. These commodities will be in short supply; but olive oil and wine, seen as luxury items, will be plentiful.

The world will be turned upside down, and all the world will be looking for a saviour. The situation will not differ greatly from the situation prevailing in this present day when most want nothing to do with the Risen Saviour; and most people living in that day of divine judgements will want nothing to do with the Christ. When the bottom drops out, and I fear the bottom will soon drop out for our culture, if it is not already dropping out, it will do little good to ask why this happened. However, it will be beneficial for us who know the Saviour to know beforehand why this will happen. For if we know what is coming we can warn others, knowing that some will heed the warning we deliver. If we know what is coming, we will perhaps be able to take steps to protect our own families. And if we know what is coming, we will know to be looking to the Lord for wisdom to avoid undue suffering.