” . . . Woe to him that increaseth that which is not his! how long? And to him that ladeth himself with thick clay! Shall they not rise up suddenly that shall bite thee, And awake that shall vex thee, And thou shalt be for booties unto them? Because thou hast spoiled many nations, All the remnant of the people shall spoil thee; Because of men’s blood, and for the violence of the land, Of the city, and of all that dwell therein.”
—Habakkuk 2:6b–8
Spoiling
“And thou shalt be for booties unto them? Because thou hast spoiled many nations, All the remnant of the people shall spoil thee; Because of men’s blood, and for the violence of the land, Of the city, and of all that dwell therein.”
The Babylonians indulged in violence and their lust for blood. They blasphemed the God of Israel. They committed sin with His holy vessels. Notice the words, “All the remnant of the people shall spoil thee.” When Babylon fell, Cyrus the Great became the most powerful man on earth. He led the Persians in beginning an empire that would last 200 years. What is interesting is that God used Cyrus to bring blessing upon the Jews. Cyrus allowed the Jews to return to their homeland under his protection. Babylon hated the Jews and blasphemed the God of Israel. But God used Babylon’s conqueror to bring blessing.
Listen to this parable our Lord gave for a very similar setting:
“And he spake to them a parable; Behold the fig tree, and all the trees; When they now shoot forth, ye see and know of your own selves that summer is now nigh at hand. So likewise ye, when ye see these things come to pass, know ye that the kingdom of God is nigh at hand. Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass away, till all be fulfilled. Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away.
And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares. For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth. Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.”
—Luke 21:29–36
The coming of the Lord will be a sudden surprise and spoiling to many. The next event in prophecy is the Rapture wherein the Lord will come to gather together those who accepted Him as Lord and Savior and take them to be with Him forever. Following the Rapture will be seven years of horrible tribulation, the likes of which this world has never seen. At the end of this tribulation, the Lord will come back with His saints, defeat the armies of this world, and establish a righteous kingdom. This is the Coming of the Lord. For those who reject Christ and die before that day comes, one could say that the day of their death is the coming of the Lord to them. At death, they go immediately to hell, only to emerge at the final judgment to hear the Lord declare to them, “Depart from me, ye workers of iniquity, for I never knew you.” At this sentence, these sinners will be cast into the lake of fire for the rest of eternity.
If you are lost, whether you die before that great tribulation comes or you live to see the coming of the Lord in His glory, it will be sudden, it will be a surprise, and it will be a spoiling. Babylon was feasting on the glory of Israel. You are right now enjoying the blessings of God whether you accept it or not. The coming of the Lord will take you by surprise. Don’t think you can escape it by your own works and wit. Accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior today.