The Age of Manasseh and the Last Days

Manasseh became king at twelve and reigned for fifty-five years. In his day Judah, the southern kingdom, stayed loyal to Assyria and prospered. It rebuilt the high places Hezekiah had torn down, served Baal and Asherah, and shed innocent blood. Yet outwardly all was at peace.

The heart of the problem was not the number of idols. Life was comfortable and prosperous, so the people stopped listening to the word of God, and that was the most wicked state of all. The same deception is at work today, when technology and success brainwash people into thinking they can live without God.

Only after Manasseh was taken captive by Assyria and dragged away in chains did he humble himself greatly and fall on his knees before God, and God brought him back to the throne in Jerusalem. What matters to God is not who succeeded but who obeyed. The only strength that can overcome the last days is obedience that is faithful unto death.