Jeremiah 14  A terrible drought came upon Judah.. " .. They have come to the cisterns and found no water. They have returned with empty vessels... the ground is cracked.. The farmers have been put to shame.. even the doe in the field has given birth only to abandon her young because there is no grass... there is no vegetation." ( v3-6)   The devastation is in the city and the countryside.. 

The people cry out to the Lord.. "Although our iniquities testify against us, O Lord, act for Thy name's sake! Truly our apostasies have been many, we have sinned against Thee. Thou Hope of Israel, its Savior in time of distress.. "  All the right words.. but.. too little.. too late. 

"Thus says the Lord to this people, 'Even so they have loved to wander; they have not kept their feet in check. Therefore the Lord does not accept them; now He will remember their iniquity and call their sins to account." (v10)   The Lord would no longer listen to their cries or accept their offerings.. "Rather I am going to make an end of them by the sword, famine, and pestilence."(v12) 

In Deuteronomy 28 the Lord had laid out the consequences for disobedience.. the sword.. famine.. and pestilence are all described in great detail.. it is a chilling reality that was being played out upon Judah in Jeremiah's day. Then read Revelation 6:8,  "... And authority was given to them over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword and with famine and with pestilence.. " It is a future reality for planet earth.

Pestilence-  a word we don't use much.. but are well acquainted with its definition, "any virulent or fatal infectious disease.. especially one of epidemic proportions.. " ( New World Dictionary)  The Holman Bible Dictionary calls it a "devastating epidemic...  God sent pestilence as punishment for persistent unbelief... " It goes on to say this.. " Earnest prayer averted pestilence ( see I Kings 8:37) fasting and sacrifices without repentance did not (Jer. 14:12)." 

Revelation 9:20-21 speaks about this also.. "and the rest of mankind who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands, so as not to worship demons, and the idols of gold and of silver and of brass and of stone and of wood, which can neither see nor hear nor walk; and they did not repent of their murders nor of their sorceries nor of their immorality nor of their thefts." 

There came a time for Judah.. when it was too late for prayer.. Jeremiah was told NOT to pray. ."Then the Lord said to me, 'Even though Moses and Samuel were to stand before Me, My heart would not be with this people; send them away from My presence and let them go!' " ( 15:1)

This is what is coming.. to America.. to Earth.. sword, famine, pestilence.. judgement against sin.. for rejecting God.. for disobedience to His Word... We are seeing the "birth pangs" that Jesus spoke about in Matthew 24 "For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and in various places there will be famines and earthquakes. But all these things are merely the beginning of birth pangs." (v7-8) He tells us to "be ready". 

There will come a time when it is too late.. too late to call on God  Too late to repent. Too late to be saved. Too late.. to pray.

O Father in heaven, You are faithful to warn and discipline your people.. but so many refuse to confess their sins.. refuse to accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior... and hold on to their lies and deceptions and sin.  We see in Your Word that there will be a time when we won't even be able to pray for them any more.  But, for now.. You have not shut that door!  So we beseech You to  bring revival.. to bring repentance upon this nation and upon our world.  Send forth workers.. more workers into the harvest fields.. Change hearts and lives by the power of the Gospel of Jesus Christ proclaimed throughout the earth. Open our eyes to see You and our ears to hear Your Voice.. to turn from false teachings and the lies of our culture.. and to know the Truth that alone can set men free.. the Truth of Jesus Christ!  We pray this now, in the power of His Mighty Name. amen.