Across The Nations Ministries

20/07/2026

Amos 8:11 warns of a spiritual famine: "The days are coming," declares the Sovereign LORD, "when I will send a famine through the land— not a famine of food or a thirst for water, but a famine of hearing the words of the LORD."
This verse is a sobering prophecy of judgment. While physical famines bring starvation, this passage describes a far worse crisis: God withdrawing His voice and revelation. The verses that immediately follow (verses 12-13) explain that people will frantically wander from place to place seeking a message from God, but they will not find it, and even the strongest will faint from spiritual thirst

Amos 8
New International Version
A Basket of Ripe Fruit
8 This is what the Sovereign LORD showed me: a basket of ripe fruit. 2 “What do you see, Amos?” he asked.
“A basket of ripe fruit,” I answered.
Then the LORD said to me, “The time is ripe for my people Israel; I will spare them no longer.
3 “In that day,” declares the Sovereign LORD, “the songs in the temple will turn to wailing.[a] Many, many bodies—flung everywhere! Silence!”
4 Hear this, you who trample the needy
and do away with the poor of the land,
5 saying,
“When will the New Moon be over
that we may sell grain,
and the Sabbath be ended
that we may market wheat?”—
skimping on the measure,
boosting the price
and cheating with dishonest scales,
6 buying the poor with silver
and the needy for a pair of sandals,
selling even the sweepings with the wheat.
7 The LORD has sworn by himself, the Pride of Jacob: “I will never forget anything they have done.
8 “Will not the land tremble for this,
and all who live in it mourn?
The whole land will rise like the Nile;
it will be stirred up and then sink
like the river of Egypt.
9 “In that day,” declares the Sovereign LORD,
“I will make the sun go down at noon
and darken the earth in broad daylight.
10 I will turn your religious festivals into mourning
and all your singing into weeping.
I will make all of you wear sackcloth
and shave your heads.
I will make that time like mourning for an only son
and the end of it like a bitter day.
11 “The days are coming,” declares the Sovereign LORD,
“when I will send a famine through the land—
not a famine of food or a thirst for water,
but a famine of hearing the words of the LORD.
12 People will stagger from sea to sea
and wander from north to east,
searching for the word of the LORD,
but they will not find it.
13 “In that day
“the lovely young women and strong young men
will faint because of thirst.
14 Those who swear by the sin of Samaria—
who say, ‘As surely as your god lives, Dan,’
or, ‘As surely as the god[b] of Beersheba lives’—
they will fall, never to rise again.”

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23/03/2026

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23/03/2026

Jeremiah 49 vs 34-39

Jeremiah 49:34-39 is a prophecy from the early reign of Zedekiah predicting God’s judgment on Elam (modern-day Iran). God promises to break Elam’s military power ("the bow"), scatter its people to the four winds, and destroy them, but concludes with a promise to restore their fortunes in the "latter days".

Key Aspects of the Prophecy:
• The Target: Elam, a prominent kingdom frequently identified with Persia, known for its military, specifically archery.
• The Judgment (v. 35-37): God declares He will "break the bow of Elam," scattering them among all nations and bringing severe disaster upon them.
• The Restoration (v. 39):
Despite the severity of the judgment, the passage ends with a promise: "But in the latter days I will restore the fortunes of Elam, declares the Lord".
• Context: The prophecy was delivered during the early reign of Zedekiah, king of Judah.

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08/04/2025

Psalm 53:1–6 — English Standard Version (ESV)

1 The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.”

They are corrupt, doing abominable iniquity;

there is none who does good.

2 God looks down from heaven

on the children of man

to see if there are any who understand,

who seek after God.

3 They have all fallen away;

together they have become corrupt;

there is none who does good,

not even one.

4 Have those who work evil no knowledge,

who eat up my people as they eat bread,

and do not call upon God?

5 There they are, in great terror,

where there is no terror!

For God scatters the bones of him who encamps against you;

you put them to shame, for God has rejected them.

6 Oh, that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion!

When God restores the fortunes of his people,

let Jacob rejoice, let Israel be glad.

Job 20:5

Those who are evil are happy for only a short time. The joy of ungodly people lasts only for a moment.

03/03/2024

08/02/2024

Hebrews 13:16

16 And don't forget to do good and to share with those in need. These are the sacrifices that please God.

09/01/2024

Wat beteken dit om ‘jou vader en moeder te eer’?
Die Bybel se antwoord
Die opdrag “eer jou vader en jou moeder” verskyn ’n hele paar keer in die Bybel (Eksodus 20:12; Deuteronomium 5:16; Matteus 15:4; Efesiërs 6:2, 3). Dit behels dat jy vier belangrike dinge moet doen.
1. Waardeer hulle. Jy eer jou pa en ma wanneer jy dankbaar is vir alles wat hulle vir jou gedoen het. Jy kan vir hulle wys dat jy hulle waardeer deur na hulle raad te luister (Spreuke 7:1, 2; 23:26). Die Bybel spoor ons aan om ons ouers as ons “prag” te beskou, met ander woorde ons moet trots wees op hulle.—Spreuke 17:6.
2. Aanvaar hulle gesag. Jy eer jou pa en ma, veral terwyl jy nog jonk is, deur die gesag te erken wat God vir hulle gegee het. Kolossense 3:20 sê vir jongmense: “Wees in alles aan julle ouers gehoorsaam, want dit is welbehaaglik in die Here.” Selfs toe Jesus jonk was, was hy gewillig om gehoorsaam te wees aan sy ouers.—Lukas 2:51.
3. Behandel hulle met respek (Levitikus 19:3; Hebreërs 12:9). Dit hang baie keer af van wat jy sê en hoe jy dit sê. Dit is so dat party ouers soms dinge doen wat dit moeilik maak om hulle te respekteer. Selfs dan kan kinders hulle ouers eer deur nie disrespekvol met hulle te praat of hulle disrespekvol te behandel nie (Spreuke 30:17). Die Bybel sê dat dit ’n ernstige oortreding is om sleg te praat van jou pa of ma.—Matteus 15:4.
4. Sorg vir hulle. Wanneer jou ouers oud word, het hulle dalk praktiese hulp nodig. Jy kan hulle eer deur jou bes te doen om seker te maak dat hulle alles het wat hulle nodig het (1 Timoteus 5:4, 8). Jesus het byvoorbeeld kort voor sy dood gereël dat iemand vir sy ma sou sorg.—Johannes 19:25-27.
Wat mense dink jy moet doen om jou pa en ma te eer
Wat mense sê: Om jou pa en ma te eer, moet jy hulle toelaat om jou huwelik te beheer.
Wat die Bybel sê: Die Bybel leer dat die huweliksband belangriker is as enige ander familieverhouding. Genesis 2:24 sê: “’n Man [sal] sy vader en sy moeder verlaat, en hy sal sy vrou aankleef” (Matteus 19:4, 5). Getroude paartjies kan natuurlik bevoordeel word deur die raad van hulle ouers of hulle skoonouers (Spreuke 23:22). Maar dit sal nie verkeerd wees vir ’n paartjie om te besluit om familielede se betrokkenheid in hulle huwelik te beperk nie.—Matteus 19:6.
Wat mense sê: Jou pa en ma het die hoogste gesag.
Wat die Bybel sê: Hoewel God ouers gesag in die gesin gegee het, is mense se gesag altyd beperk—dit is nooit hoër as God se gesag nie. Byvoorbeeld, toe ’n hof Jesus se dissipels beveel het om aan God ongehoorsaam te wees, het hulle gesê: “Ons moet eerder aan God as heerser gehoorsaam wees as aan mense” (Handelinge 5:27-29). Net so moet kinders ook hulle ouers “in eenheid met die Here” gehoorsaam, met ander woorde in alle dinge wat nie teen God se wette is nie.—Efesiërs 6:1.
Wat mense sê: Om jou pa en ma te eer, beteken dat jy hulle godsdiensoortuigings moet volg.
Wat die Bybel sê: Die Bybel moedig ons aan om seker te maak dat die dinge wat ons geleer word, die waarheid is (Handelinge 17:11; 1 Johannes 4:1). Iemand wat dit doen, sal dalk later ’n ander godsdiens kies as die een waaraan sy ouers behoort. Die Bybel noem ’n hele paar getroue knegte van God wat nie in dieselfde godsdiens as hulle ouers gebly het nie. Dit sluit voorbeelde in soos Abraham, Rut en die apostel Paulus.—Josua 24:2, 14, 15; Rut 1:15, 16; Galasiërs 1:14-16, 22-24.
Wat mense sê: Om jou pa en ma te eer, beteken dat jy aan die tradisionele gebruike van vooroueraanbidding moet deelneem.
Wat die Bybel sê: “Jehovah jou God moet jy aanbid, en aan hom alleen moet jy heilige diens verrig” (Lukas 4:8). Iemand wat sy voorouers aanbid, maak God se hart seer. Boonop leer ons in die Bybel dat ‘die dooies van hoegenaamd niks bewus is’ nie. Hulle is glad nie bewus van enige eer wat aan hulle betoon word nie, en hulle kan ook nie die lewendes help of seermaak nie.—Prediker 9:5, 10; Jesaja 8:19.