Coronation of king Josiah at the age of eight.
The Bible tells us that Josiah was a king over Judah who "did that which was right in the sight of the Lord" 2 Chronicles 34:2.  Amazingly enough, Josiah began to reign when he was only eight years old; but it turns out that he was the greatest king over Judah among all the other kings, because he had a "tender heart" and he "humbled himself before God" 2 Chronicles 34:27. 

The Bible tells us in 2 Kings 23:25, "There was no other king like him before, who turned to the Lord with all his heart, with all his soul and with all his might, according to the law of Moses, neither after him arose any like him."

Unlike Manasseh (a king over Judah prior to Josiah's reign), when Josiah sought the Lord and determined to obey God at the tender age of 18, he removed the "high places," the "groves" and the altars of pagan gods; he didn't just toss them out of the city, he pulverized them.  When Manasseh was king over Judah, he set about to get rid of idol worship in the land, but he only had the idols and altars taken outside of the city; and later, the people started worshiping idols again. 

Josiah, on the other hand, "made dust of the idols" and strewed the ashes upon the graves of the idol worshipers.  Josiah made certain that no one could retrieve the idols and fall back into idolatry, he even had the idol priests and worshipers killed, so they couldn't influence others to start worshiping idols again. 

When Josiah was 26 years old, he instructed the princes and priests of Judah to repair the house of God, which had been desecrated by idol worshipers prior to his reign.  One of the priests, Hilkiah, found a book of the law of God given by Moses in the house of God.  When Josiah heard the Word of God for the first time, he tore his clothes and cried out to God, humbling himself before the Lord.  The Bible also tells us that he gathered all the people of Israel together and read the law of God to them and he instructed them to serve the Lord.

Nevertheless, the hearts of the people were still wicked.  A prophetess in the land by the name of Huldah prophesied to Josiah that God would pour out His "wrath" on that nation, which would not be quenched!  She also prophesied that because Josiah's "heart was tender" and because he "humbled himself before God," he would not see the evil that would befall the people of the land, but that he would be laid to rest in peace with his fathers.  The wrath of God was poured out on the people after Josiah was laid to rest. 

This is a clear message to God's people today.  Since the early 60s, when prayer was removed from schools, evolution was brought in and taught to children, secular sex education was brought into schools, and now since homosexual sex education and the promotion of homosexuality is being taught in schools (an abomination according to the Word of God), we can see that this nation is becoming more and more Godless, promoting agnostic, if not atheistic views in schools and universities.  This has all culminated to a point that God, the Bible and Christians are now being discriminated against in this nation.  It should be clear for us to also see that this nation is suffering the wrath of God, with record-breaking storms, temperatures, fires and floods; but even so, these perils have only just begun.  The earth is only beginning to experience the "travail of birth pains," pains which will precede a new age and a new beginning, after the return of the Lord, which the prophets spoke of (Jeremiah 30:6, Jeremiah 49:24, Romans 8:22).

Just as God spared Josiah His wrath which He poured out against a wicked nation, God is preparing to deliver His people from His wrath, which will be poured out against this nation and the world.  The story of Josiah's peaceful departure before the wrath of God would fall on the wicked, is an example, a "type and shadow" of the saints' deliverance before the "great tribulation" begins.  The scripture says, "God has not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ" 1 Thessalonians 5:9. 

The Word of God tells us that the saints of God will be taken from the earth before His wrath is poured out, "Two will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left.  Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and the other left.  Watch therefore, for you do not know the hour that your Lord will come" Matthew 24:40-42.  Jesus said this, after He spoke of the events that would precede His return.

The message is the same today as it was in ancient history, "If My people which are called by My name shall humble themselves and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and forgive their sin and heal their land" 2 Chronicles 7:14.   

Also, the Bible tells us, "The Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trump of God, and the dead in Christ shall rise first; then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so shall we ever be with the Lord.  Therefore, comfort one another with these words" 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18.

Are you prepared to be delivered from the wrath of God, the "great tribulation" which will fall on the wicked?  If not, please visit the How Can I Be Saved page of this website.  It is easy to receive the Lord and escape the wrath to come - it's only a prayer away.  God bless you.