The Tribulum

Man, I am shaking because I can hardly type fast enough to show you what God taught me yesterday!  As you know, I am a word nerd.  I love etymology and the roots of words.  I feel like we could be so much smarter if we simply knew language a little better! 

If you have been around moop and saba for a few years, then you might remember God showing me all about the significance of the threshing floor.  Here are a couple of posts on that... here and here. (This post will be so much more meaningful if you read those first!)  I had no idea so many important biblical events took place at threshing floors! 

The theme of threshing floor has been on my heart for years and if I had time to write a book or bible study, I think that is what God would call me to write about.  That is why I am so fascinated with what He revealed to me last night.

The idea of end times/tribulation/rapture/being right with God has been extremely heavy on my heart lately.  I believe God is calling His children unto righteousness and making sure there is nothing standing between His heart and theirs.  In my spirit, I feel like a great change is coming either to the world, or just America.  I sense that God (in His MERCY) is going to allow something that will drive our hearts back to him.  He simply can't stand by forever when we legalize things that He has all along called abominations. It breaks His heart and I believe He wants us to recognize our sins and turn from wickedness. He wants to be the true lover of our souls.  He is El Quanna, the jealous God.

I can hear many modern day "John the Baptists" crying out in the desert, saying, "Prepare ye the way of the Lord."  He is coming. Are we ready to behold His face?

I truly want to believe in the pre-trib rapture and when I study everything I can, that is where I tend to land.  But, that doesn't mean that things won't get more difficult before the rapture comes. 

Enter the tribulum.  It is latin for a threshing sledge or threshing board.  It is a wooden board with pieces of rock (probably sharp pieces of flint) driven into the underneath.  A donkey or ox would drag the board across piles of wheat in order to separate the wheat from the chaff...or in other words, the grain from the husk. It pressed or crushed out the edible and useful part from the part that would be burned up later in the fire.

We get our word "tribulation" from this word.  A tribulation is a pressing or crushing of individuals or nations. 

Eric and I have gone through periods of tribulation and trial.  We have been ripped up bit by bit and put into situations of heartache and affliction.  We know now, after experiencing God's mercy, that the purpose of these times wasn't for cruelty but to expose and draw out the parts of us that looked the most like Jesus.  God ripped us up in order to bring out the precious grain that would be able to bless and feed others.  The tribulations were not in vain, but to bring about maturing faith in us and to point to God's glory.  The time of threshing drew us deeper into the love that God has for us.

I believe times of tribulation are ahead. I think God in His mercy wants to draw close to us and knows that He will have to yank away some idols in order to do so.  Perhaps the Great Tribulation will not affect believers, but that doesn't mean we won't have trying times in the near future.

My heartbeat right now is this:  We, as Believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, should be repenting of our sins and praying for His mercy to fall on our nation...in whatever form that mercy takes.  We are to make things right with not only God but with others as well.  He wants our whole hearts and He isn't beyond using tribulation to bring us straight into that merciful place where we desire Him above everything else.

Blessings.  I truly love you guys.