# 2
Naked and Afraid!
                                                                                     By Pastor F. M. Riley
                                                                                     February 24, 2019
     "When a man shall take hold of his brother of the house of his father, saying, Thou hast clothing, be thou our ruler, And let this ruin
be under thy hand:
     In that day shall he swear, saying, I will not be a healer; For in my house is neither bread nor clothing: make me not a ruler of the people," Isaiah 3:6-7.  
Introduction
     I previously wrote a Bible study by this title in September of 2016.  Some of our readers may remember it.  But world conditions have gotten much worse since then, and I felt moved to write on the subject again.  
     In my previous study on this subject, I emphasized the lack of morality in the way both women and men dress (or undress) today.  While I may mention that again in this study, my intentions are to emphasize the prophecies dealing with the subject.  I have never heard  a single prophetic message dealing with this subject.  Most prophecy preachers just skim  over the prophecies in the inspired Word which speak on this subject.   I felt it was time to sound the warning the Lord God placed in His Word, Isaiah 58:1.  Join us for a study which I pray will be both enlightening and a blessing to our readers.  
The Distant Past
    When God created Adam and Eve, as adults,  they were both naked, even like new born babes, Genesis 2:25.  But they were also totally innocent; no "sin nature," therefore they were not ashamed.  
     But after Adam and Eve had disobeyed God and ate of the forbidden fruit, they fell from the state of innocence in which they had been created; thereby acquiring a "sin nature" which  has been passed on to their descendants right to this present day, Romans 5:12.  
     Immediately after their act of disobedience, both Adam and Eve realized they were naked, and they were ashamed of their nudity, Genesis 3:7.  Adam and Eve then attempted to make the first clothing for mankind from the leaves of a fig tree.  If our readers are familiar with the leaves of fig trees, they can visualize why Adam and Eve picked the leaves from that particular tree to make "aprons," attempting to cover their nakedness.   Fig leaves grow quite large, and the shape of them would appear to be ideal to make "aprons" out of to cover their genitals in both front and back.  Except for one problem!  
     When a fig leaf is cut off from the sap of the tree, it immediately begins to dry up.  As it dries it exudes moisture from the leaf.  That moisture literally scalds and blisters the skin, causing severe pain.
      So much for mankind's  efforts to cover the shame of their nakedness and fallen "sin nature" by their own human reasoning and  efforts.  It won't work!  It didn't work for Adam and Eve, and it won't work for any man or woman living today.  
The Way of Salvation Portrayed
     Since Adam and Eve's efforts to cover their nakedness failed, the Lord God in His mercy and grace intervened.  The Lord God did pronounce judgment upon Adam and Eve, and thereby upon their descendants , for their disobedience, yet the Lord still loved them.  So He extended His grace for their sin, vivedly portraying the salvation of mankind,  by covering their sins and their bodies with a blood sacrifice,  Hebrews 9:22.  
     The inspired Word tells us that the Lord God made "coats of skins, and clothed them," Genesis 3:21.   Dear readers, don't fail to grasp the truth set forth here in God's Word.  
     In the creation week, the Lord God had created sea creatures, birds, animals, creeping things, and beasts," Genesis 1:20-25.  None of these creatures, other than the serpent,  had disobeyed the Lord and sinned.  Therefore, other than the serpent, all of the animals and beasts of the earth were innocent, and remain so right to this present day.  
     So the Lord God in His love for Adam and Eve, and for all of their descendants, took innocent animals, killed them, shedding their innocent blood as a sacrifice for the sins of Adam and Eve,  then used their skins to make "coats" to cover the nakedness of Adam and Eve, Genesis 3:21.  A beautiful picture or type of the salvation God has for those of mankind, who are willing to  believe, and receive the Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior.   
     Notice that it was "coats" the Lord God made for Adam and Eve.  The Hebrew word translated as "coats" literally means "coat; garment;  long robe."  See Strong's No. 3801.  Every whit of the naked bodies of Adam and Eve, from their necklines to their ankles was covered.  This will not mean anything to the unbelieving, Christ rejecting, lost world, but the message to true believers should be loud and clear.  Hello!  
The Perilous Present
     Some readers may tire of hearing me say so, but I am an old man, quite a bit past the normal 70 year life span.  In the many years of my life, I have personally witnessed the morals of the American people change from highly moral to grevious immorality.
     When I was a young child, nearly all women wore dresses which came nearly to their ankles.   But, due to the influence of the men returning from Europe after the First World War, some women began raising the length of their skirts and dresses to just below their knees.  This was the style of dress in the bawdy houses of Europe during the war, and the returning soldiers brought the style home to America, insisting that their sweethearts and wives adopt the style.    
     Well, dresses even below the knees were not all that bad.  Most women were still modestly dressed,
       But then the Second World War broke out, and thousands of American men were shipped to the battle grounds of Europe and Asia.  There, sadly, our American soldiers were exposed to women in the whore houses of Europe, and even to women on the streets of Europe who had adopted thigh high dress lengths, and "shorts" as acceptable forms of dress.   When America's men then came home, following the end of the war, they encouraged their sweethearts and wives to adopt the same type of dresses and the wearing of  "shorts."  
     I was still a young boy when I saw a woman wearing a pair of  "shorts."  Most women at that time [1944-45] refused to wear them in public.  But some women did begin to wear them privately at home.  I  actually heard women back in the years right after the Second World War, apologize and make excuses,  for being "caught" in a pair of shorts in view of the public.   And at that time even those first shorts had long legs coming down to the knees, or just above the knees.    
      But every true believer knows what the Apostle Paul wrote by inspiration of the Holy Spirit, "Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump," 1 Corinthians 5:6.   In another two or three years the streets of America were filled with women wearing shorts, which were being made shorter and shorter.  A few years after the end of the Second World War, the blouses of those women came off, and halter tops and "bikinis" became the fashion.  Now on every beach in America, one can see men and women parading themselves in "G strings," which just barely cover the genitals.  
     By the way, whether it makes some women furiously angry at me, or not, about that same time the rate of forcible rape begin to rise, and it has never stopped rising.  The more feminine flesh exposed, the greater the lusts stirred up in the hearts and minds of wicked men.  Simple logic!  So simple that some women today cannot grasp it, or refuse to even consider the connection.  Whether some like it or not, 1 Corinthians 5:6 is still in the Bible.  ".....a little leaven..." does what?  
      Yet the Lord God knows about it.  He even described the course of it in His Word.  
     "Come down, and sit in the dust, O virgin daughter of Babylon.  Sit on the ground: there is no throne, O daughter of the Chaldeans:  For thou shalt no more be called tender and delicate.
     [1]   Take the millstones, and grind meal:   [fornication]  
     [2]   Uncover thy locks,                                         [adopting short hair]
     [3]   make bare the leg.                                         [raising dress length]
     [4]   Uncover the thigh,                                         [short skirts and shorts]
     [5]    pass over the rivers.                                    [exposing the genitals]
     [6]   Thy nakedness shall be uncovered        [a warning from God]
     [7]    thy shame shall be seen:                            [back to total  nudity]
     I will take vengeance, and I will not meet thee as a man.  
                                                                                      Isaiah 47:1-3
     The context in which this passage occurs is describing God's judgment upon the women of ancient Babylon, which had corrupted the ancient world with their idols and idolatrous worship.  Any reader who will study a little history will learn that their worship of idols included sexual intercourse right before the idol, and also outright sexual orgies being engaged in before those idols.  
     And this is what was passed down through the centuries  to mankind all over the earth, as various nations and peoples included parts of the ancient Babylonian religious practices  in their own religion.   Some of today's religions are still including the ancient Babylonian practices in their present day religion. .  
      But let the reader keep in mind that our Scripture text for this study,  is also a prophecy of.......
The  Future To Come  
     Read the text passage for this study again, and then let the truth of it soak in.  Our text is obviously speaking of  the coming Tribulation Judgments upon the  Christ rejecting, wicked and rebellious unbelievers
who will have been left behind when the rapture occurs.  
      The truth that is being pointed in this passage in Isaiah 47, is that during the swiftly approaching Tribulation Period, there will be such poverty and suffering on the earth, that those left behind when the rapture occurs  will literally go stark bald naked.  "Naked and Afraid!"
     Only, this time their nakedness will not be by choice, but rather due to the circumstances they will find themselves in during the Tribulation.  
     Folks, when the rapture occurs, and thousands [or millions?] of moral, hard working, tax paying, honest Bible believing, Christians are suddenly removed from the earth, the entire world economy will collapse.  Those unbelievers left behind will be ushered into instant poverty.  Money will become worthless, Ezekiel 7:18-19.  I suggest that our readers read this entire 7th chapter of Ezekiel.  
     Folks, when the world economy collapses, there will be an economic depression, that will make the Great Depression of the 1930's look like a time of prosperity.      
     Why?  Because thousands of businesses all over the earth will close their doors.  Many manufacturing plants and factories will also go out of business.  Thousands, yea, millions, of people will be out of work, having no sourece of income to purchase anything, even if it was available.  
     Under these economic conditions, people will be forced to "make do" with the clothes they presently have in their closets.  But clothes do wear out, becoming nothing more than worthless rags, and are thrown away.  Within a year or two, or perhaps three, people left behind on the earth will wear out the clothing they now  have, and clothing will become unavailable.   What then?  Read our Scripture text again.  
      Unbelievable!.....some readers may be saying.  Maybe they ought to pay more attention to God's Word, and less to the opinions and theories of men.    
      The economy of the world is teetering on the brink of collapse right now as I write.  It will take very little to push it over the edge.  When thousands of morally honest, hard working, tax paying, Christian believers are suddenly taken off the earth, the collapse will almost immediately occur.  Some readers may not believe this truth, and think I am the one who is "nuts" for even expousing such a "wild theory."  
     If that is the case, then perhaps those readers would care to explain to all of us why the inspired Word points out that there will be world wide food rationing during the coming Tribulation, and why one  loaf of bread will cost a whole day's wages, for those who even have jobs?     Read Rev. 6:5-6 for yourself.  A "measure of wheat" is about one quart, which, when ground into flour, would produce enough flour to bake just one loaf of bread,   And how much does the Word of God prophesy that it will cost?  ".....a penny....."  No that doesn't mean an America penny.  The Greek word is "denarious," which was one day's wages for a common laborer.  But again,  how many people will even have jobs, and be able  to buy a loaf of bread during the future Tribulation?  
     Now read Rev. 6:8.  Notice that one-fourth of the population of the earth will die during the time when the rider on each of  the four horses [the anti-christ] is rising to power [the first half of the Tribulation Period].  Notice that the list in this Scripture explicitly mentions death by "hunger."    
      In time of war, shortages of about everything develop due to factories being shut down, or taken over for the production of weapons of war, rather than domestic  goods and products being produced.   I know this to be true, because I lived during the Second World War, and there were lots of shortages, rationing of gas and  some food.  Some  products people normally use, were just not available at any price,  until the war was over.  
      Well then, what if the whole world was at war?  Impossible, you say? Think again!  The inspired Word clearly states, that as the anti-christ rises to power [the rider on the red horse], he will ".....take peace from the earth.....," Rev. 6:3-4.  Read this whole passage carefully.  The nations of the whole world will be fighting with each other.  In war time, ground cannot be plowed, planted, and harvested.  Mass shortages of food will develop, and many people will simply die of starvation.  
     The rider on the black horse, comes on the world scene with "...a pair of balances in his hand."  The next Scripture deals with the loaf of bread costing a day's wages.  The balances are indicative of world wide food rationing, due to famine over the whole earth, Rev 6:7-8.    
     Folks, when these conditions are prevailing upon the earth; large scale war upon the earth, with entire cities beimg bombed out of existence, factories will no longer be producing the  food and clothing needed daily by the people.   Entire cities will be bombed and burned out of existence.  And what will  be the results of such devastation?   It is not at all hard to understand that clothing will soon wear out, and cannot be replaced, and people will begin going stark naked.   Isn't this what our text passage for this study says?  "Thou hast clothing, be thou our ruler.  And let this ruin be under thy hand."  
     Today, one of the biggest problems men and women face when they first get out of bed in the morning, is deciding which of their clothes they are going to wear for the day.  Most people today stand before their closets filled with a variety of clothing of different sizes, shapes, and colors.   But folks, clothes wear out, or are torn, or which come apart at the seams, and ultimately have to be thrown away.  But there is no need to fret about such a "weighty" problem.  The inspired Word of God reveals the solution.  When one goes to their closet, and there is only one garment in it, that will obviously be the garment you will wear that day.  But then what happens when one goes to the closet, and there is no clothes left in it; the closet is empty?  If the person just has to go out, or flee from the advancing enemy, they will be forced to go out or flee stark naked.    "Naked and Afraid!"  
    But where will they go to hide their shame?  They will need to find some place to be sheltered from the burning Sun by day, and from the storms sweeping across the earth, and from the bitter cold by night.  So where will they go, or at least attempt to get there?   
       Does God's Word have any answers to this question?  It sure does!  The inspired Word plainly and clearly prophesies that those left behind on the earth during the coming Tribulation period, will flee to the caves, dens, holes, and rocks in the mountains.   Read it for yourself in  Isaiah 2:10; 2:19-21, and Micah 7:16-17.  
     At least they will attempt to flee to such places.  Thousands of the sick, the crippled, the weak, the elderly, and expectant mothers, just will not be able to survive as they flee.  Remember the words of the Lord Jesus Himself in Matthew 24:16-22.  Now place this prophecy of the Lord, together with the prophecy of Jeremiah in Jeremiah 25:33.
Conclusion
     Here is yet another prophecy.  This Scripture passage is quoted so much, and so often, that even many Christian believers never think of it as being a prophecy.   But it is!  And most true believers have experienced the truth of it, in their own lives.  Here it is.......
     "Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.
     For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting," Galatians 6:7-8.    
     Now tell me dear reader, in view of the inspired prophecies I have expounded on in this study, why would you choose this present evil world, and the course in which it is heading, rather than giving your heart and soul to the Lord Jesus in simple, saving, FAITH?  Why would you choose to be left behind when the Lord Jesus comes to resurrect and rapture His children to glory?  1 Thessalonians 4:16-18.  
     And why do so many women today, continue to flaunt their near naked bodies in public, before the eyes of every lustful man they meet on the streets, inview of the ever rising rate of criminal forcible rape?  
    Yes, and why do so many men, not only approve of the way their wives and daughters dress [or undress], but rather encourage such wickedness by displaying their own nakedness?   Over the past few years, I have seen a great increase in men wearing "shorts," and in the last couple of years, even "short shorts."  Whatever happened to "manhood" and leadership?  Looking like a man, acting like a man, and dressing like a man?   Well.......??  
      John 3:16-18, 3:36, 14:6, Acts 16:30-31, and Romans 10:8-13 are all still in the Bible.  If any reader wants to miss the soon coming Tribulation Period, then read and believe these Scriptures with your heart, and ask the Lord Jesus in prayer to save your soul.  Do it now!  Tomorrow may be one day too late to escape what is coming!  
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     My personal contact information:
POSTAL.......Pastor F. M. Riley, 14275 Co. Rd. 8120, Rolla, MO 65401
EMAIL.........francismriley34@gmail.com
PHONE........573-202-6493
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