Message 3 - By Leroy Surface
These Last Days
Say ye to the righteous, that it shall
be well with him: for they shall eat the fruit of their doings. Woe unto
the wicked! it shall be ill with him: for the reward of his hands shall be
given him.
Isaiah 3:10-11
The Last Generation
June 6, 2007 marks the 40th anniversary of the “Six
Day War” in Israel which began June 6, 1967. This war was one of the most
important prophetic milestones in the history of the world. The “Six Day War,” so named because Israel
defeated six enemy nations in only six days, was the fulfillment of one of
Jesus’ prophecies concerning Jerusalem. In the twenty-first chapter of
Luke, Jesus was telling His disciples of the coming destruction of Jerusalem
and the Temple, which happened in the year seventy AD. In Luke 21:24, Jesus said, “And they shall fall by the edge of the
sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations….” These
things He spoke concerning the destruction of the city by Titus and the Romans
in seventy AD The next words of Jesus span a period of 1897 years: “…and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the
Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.” It was in the Six
Day War that Jerusalem returned to Jewish control for the first time since the
city was destroyed in seventy AD Then immediately Jesus begins to tell His
disciples about the generation of His return to earth. His next words span the
time from the Six Day War until Jesus returns to earth again: “And there shall be signs in the sun, and in
the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with
perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; Men’s hearts failing them for fear,
and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the
powers of heaven shall be shaken. And then shall they see the Son of man
coming in a cloud with power and great glory” (Luke 21:25-27). This is the generation we live
in. It is 40 years old as of June 6, 2007 and it is the “generation”
which Jesus spoke of when He said, “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” (Luke 21:32-33). How certain is it that this is the last
generation? Jesus said it is more certain than “heaven and earth:” for they “shall
pass away,” but His words “shall not
pass away.” They are sure. We ARE LIVING in the last generation.
The Last Kingdom
And there are seven kings: five are
fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must
continue a short space. And the beast that was, and is not, even he is
the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition.
Revelation 17:10-11
The history of the world will finally show that there were only
seven world kingdoms from Adam’s fall unto the return of Jesus to establish His
kingdom on earth. This was revealed to the apostle John by one of the angels of
God’s wrath. It was also revealed that John was living in the sixth of those
kingdoms. From this perspective, we know that the first six world
kingdoms were the Egyptian, the Assyrian, the Babylonian, the Persian, the
Greek, and the Roman empires. Jesus and His apostles lived in the sixth
kingdom, which was the Roman Empire. The scripture says there is an “eighth,” which is “of the seven,” or, of the “seventh.”
This writer believes the seventh world kingdom was the “Holy Roman Empire,” which replaced the Roman Empire. As such, the
Holy Roman Empire was that “head of the
beast” that received a deadly wound that was healed, Revelation 13:3, the “deadly
wound” being the protestant reformation. That being the case, we are living
in the latter part of the seventh or last world kingdom, in the days of the “lamb beast” of Revelation 13:11. Having no desire to get into the “theology” of the end time, I would
simply establish that of the seven kingdoms of this world, six have fallen, and
we are living in the last “kingdom” of
this world.
Consider for a moment the seven kingdoms of this world. God
raised each of them up for a special purpose. God brought each of them down
when that purpose was either fulfilled or thwarted. Egypt was the first
and among the greatest of the kingdoms of the world. Many of the
accomplishments of that culture remain a mystery even unto this day. God
makes it clear that it was He that raised Egypt up for a purpose. God
spoke to Pharaoh of Egypt in Exodus 9:16,
saying, “And in very deed for this cause
have I raised thee up, for to shew in thee my power; and that my name may be
declared throughout all the earth.” God had brought all the wealth of the
world to Egypt in the days of Joseph, to prepare them to be a blessing to
Israel. For a generation they were a blessing in sustaining God’s people,
only to turn away from God’s purpose and make slaves of Israel. God destroyed
that great nation and culture, and we marvel unto this day at its ruins.
Assyria, the second world kingdom, was said by God to be “the rod of mine anger.” Assyria was for the punishment of the
nations and the northern kingdom of Israel. It was when Assyria thought
to come against Jerusalem in the days of Hezekiah that God destroyed them. So
it was with Babylon, Persia, Greece, and Rome. God dealt with each of the
first six world kingdoms in accordance with His will for His people, Israel.
Each of them rose to power and fell to obscurity according to their
relationship with God’s people. Certainly this last world kingdom will be
no different.
America is beyond question the dominant world power of this age. It
is common knowledge, at least among the people of God, that America was raised
up as a haven for those Christians that had been persecuted for so long in
Europe. We became the greatest of all nations as we honored God through
our Lord Jesus Christ. Yet, even in America, there were those forces of
anti-Christ that have warred against God’s people for all time. In recent
years they have gained power in high places, especially in our judicial system,
education system, and news media. For all of this last generation they have
been successful in removing Jesus Christ from the national consciousness.
Public prayer, Bible reading, and the Commandments of God have been under
special attack. Other gods that our forefathers knew not have been elevated
before our people. Perversion and immorality of every kind has been promoted
and even taught to our elementary children, while “Christian morality” is denounced as the “evil” of intolerance. The Assemblies of God recently issued a
letter, warning the pastors and parents against sending their children to secular
universities. According to their research, two thirds of the “Christian” children that entered these
institutions were robbed of their “faith
in Jesus.” I was at a public school graduation recently in San Antonio
Texas. One of the honor students, a young lady, spoke proudly of the “revolution” they had successfully
brought about through the “cell phone,
text messaging, and My Space.” She boldly laid claim that “We have changed the culture of America,”
and so they have. Isaiah spoke of such a day in Israel just previous to her
destruction. Certainly, we have arrived to that point in America.
And the people shall be oppressed,
every one by another, and every one by his neighbour: the child shall behave
himself proudly against the ancient, and the base against the honourable.
Isaiah 3:5
As for my people, children are their oppressors, and
women rule over them. O my people, they which lead thee cause thee to err, and
destroy the way of thy paths. The LORD standeth up to plead, and standeth
to judge the people.
Isaiah 3:12-13
God will most
certainly judge this culture, and it is at hand… no; it has already begun.
The Beginning of Sorrows
Almost immediately after the “birth”
of this last generation in June of 1967, the words of Jesus began to be
fulfilled as He spoke of “…signs in the
sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations,
with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring.” On July 20, 1969, America put a man on the moon for the first time
in the history of earth. Exploration of outer space became a reality in
this generation. Natural disasters increased. Possibly the worst disaster in
history was a cyclone that hit Bangladesh in November 1970, with resulting
floods that killed 500,000 people. Certainly, the “waves and seas” roared. Just last year, 2005, the entire Gulf
Coast of the United States from Galveston, Texas to Florida was
destroyed. The city of New Orleans was covered with water, the most
costly natural disaster ever. This present year, 2006, has already seen a great
increase in tornado activity, and is predicted to see another devastating
hurricane season.
Jesus said this last generation would also be marked by “distress of nations, with
perplexity.” The word “perplexity”
in this text means, “no way out.” The
nations would be distressed by problems of a kind that there would be no way to
escape them. In Matthew 24:7, Jesus
said, “For nation shall rise against
nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and
pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.” Many millions have died in
famines in the last decade, most of which were a result of political climate
rather than natural. It is estimated that over three million in North
Korea have perished to hunger, as well as millions others in Africa.
Concerning pestilence, the entire world is presently living in fear of a “pandemic” to come. Our health officials
say it is not a matter of “if” it
comes, but “when” it comes. I
speak, of course, of the “bird flue”
that has infected millions of chickens and birds in the Asian nations.
Medical scientists say that this virus will eventually “mutate” into a form that can be transmitted from human to human,
and when that happens, it will spread around the world in a short time.
We have no vaccines to combat this virus because we do not know what form it
will take. The predictions are that two hundred million people will die
worldwide in this pandemic. Predictions by medical scientists are that one
third of Americans will be infected with a minimum of two million deaths nation
wide. If this is so, according to this projection, the medical system of
America will be so totally overwhelmed that of necessity, “churches would become hospitals, and parking lots would become
morgues.” This is a quote from a recent news report on the subject.
Jesus, in telling of these things to come, said, “All these are the beginning of sorrows” (Matthew 24:8).
Finally, listed among the “beginning
of sorrows,” Jesus said, “nation
shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.” Many times
throughout history we have see nation against nation. But that is not the
case in this present conflict. The great danger of this present warfare is that
it is not a war between nations, but rather it is best described as “kingdom against kingdom.” In the March
2002 issue of “Behold the Lamb” I
wrote a message titled “Holy War.” These
words in the introduction were written over a year before we went into
Iraq. They begin to tell a year beforehand what it was that America faced
in this war.
“America is at war. It is a war unlike any that our nation
has ever faced, because it is a “holy war,” so called. It is a “holy war” because an extremely religious
group initiated it for religious purposes. It is also a very “unholy war” because any war initiated
for the sole purpose of terrorizing and slaughtering the masses of people is by
nature “unholy.” It is a war that we
cannot win through our superior military power alone, because there is no
single nation or alliance of nations that we could conquer and bring an end to
the conflict. By the very nature of the war we know that it can only
escalate until the day we clearly understand that we as a nation have no
defense to keep us, and no weapon to conquer the enemy. It is also a war that
the cost of losing is beyond the imagination of man to comprehend. It is the
very soul of the human race that is at stake. There is an answer, but
America is not ready to receive it. Unless we, as a nation, do receive
the answer, and soon, America will be brought to shame before her enemies.”
Again, in the December 2002 issue I wrote these words in the
introduction to the message “The War of the Kingdoms.” This “warning” was given some four months
before we went into Iraq.
“The entire world is in turmoil. It is preparing for battle.
In Matthew 24:7, Jesus, giving signs
of the end, said, “For nation shall rise
against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.” The only warfare we as a
nation can understand is that which is called “nation against nation.” This present conflict is not such. For
perhaps the first time in modern history we are seeing “kingdom warfare,” and it has thrown the nations into
perplexity. America prepares to do war against a nation. We have
the military might to conquer any nation on the planet. Our military
superiority is unchallenged among the nations of the world, but we must
understand that our warfare is not against a “nation,” but against a “kingdom.”
America is not prepared to do warfare against these kingdoms because they are
spiritual, and not carnal. While I will rejoice to see Saddam Hussein removed
from power in Iraq, I also understand that Saddam is only a flesh and blood
manifestation of the one who has risen against us. Our warfare is with
the one called “Apollyon”
in Revelation 9:11. He is the
“angel” of the bottomless pit.
He is the “king” of the “locusts”
that are swarming out of the pit. The nation we are preparing war against is
the site of ancient “Babylon.” The
river Euphrates runs through that nation. According to Revelation 9:14, there are four “angels” that have been bound in that
river for thousands of years. I do not believe these “angels” represent earthly kings or
nations. Rather, it is most likely they are spiritual “principalities” after the order of, and
serving under “Apollyon,”
the locust king. Probably the next prophetic event is the “loosening” of these four “angels”
with their armies of two hundred million. These armies represent no nation, but
are men and women who are “possessed”
with the spirit of the locust king, Apollyon.
They are led to battle by the four “angels”
out of the river Euphrates. According to Revelation 9:15, these have been prepared “for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year,” to slay the third
part of men. If America’s warfare were only with a nation, it would be an
“easy in, easy out” affair with
little loss of life, but in fact, we are potentially facing the greatest
slaughter of human life the world has ever seen.”
Three and a half years have passed. America has not returned
to God, and refuses to honor Jesus Christ. Just as Jesus said, the
nations of the world are “distressed,
with perplexity.” There is no way out of the problems the nations
face. North Korea, a communist nation, has nuclear weapons, and is building
rockets to deliver them to our doorstep. Iran, an Islamic regime that has
openly promised the destruction of Israel is very close to having nuclear
weapons. For the first time in human history, the power to “destroy the world” is coming into the hands
of those who will do so with gladness. Jesus said all these things are the “beginning of sorrows.”
The Trumpets
Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but
we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the LAST trump: for the trumpet shall sound,
and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
I Corinthians 15:51-52
In the book of Revelation, the number “seven” is used fifty-four times. In the first chapter alone
there are seven “churches,” seven “candlesticks,” seven “stars,” seven “spirits,” and seven “angels.”
In the twelfth chapter there is the dragon with seven “heads” and seven “crowns.”
Both the thirteenth and the seventeenth chapters reveal a beast with seven “heads.” Further, in the seventeenth
chapter there are the seven “mountains”
and the seven “kingdoms.” Finally,
there are seven “seals,” seven “trumpets,” seven “thunders,” and seven “vials
of wrath.” Revealed in the seven
“seals” is the record of this present world from the fall of man in Adam
unto the final wrath of God against the ungodly. The seven “trumpets” sound as seven warnings in this, the last generation of
the last “world kingdom,” leading up
to and ending with the return of Jesus at the seventh and last trumpet.
The seven “thunders” were sealed up
and not revealed by John, but they are yet to be revealed in this last
hour. Finally, the seven vials of wrath are the final judgment and
destruction of the kingdoms of this world after the return of Jesus. But
of the most importance to this message are the seven “trumpets.”
The first four “trumpets” of
Revelation began to sound almost immediately after the birth of this last
generation, thirty-nine years ago. It was about 1970 that one of the major news
magazines did a cover story on “pollution.”
The cover had a picture of the Statue of Liberty almost covered with garbage,
with only the head and the hand holding the torch seen above mountains of
garbage. Environmental issues began to make the news. During the
eighties, these were the major news stories of the decade. Industrial pollution
destroyed our steams and rivers. Acid rain destroyed our forests and
grasslands. “Red tides,” the
result of ocean pollution, destroyed fish life. Even many of our water
wells were declared unsafe to drink of. At least one of the Great Lakes
in Michigan became so polluted that no fish could survive in it. Our atmosphere
became so polluted that few stars could be seen in the night sky. These
environmental issues are what the first four trumpets are about. They are “signs” that came only in this last
generation; warnings that the end is near, a “countdown” to the return of Jesus to earth. The “first trumpet warning” is the “grass and trees.” The “second trumpet warning” is the “oceans and seas.” The “third trumpet warning” is the “rivers and wells of water.” The “fourth trumpet warning” is the “atmosphere,” darkening the sun, moon,
and stars by one third. Twelve times the words “third part” appear in the first four trumpets, revealing that
these are not the total wrath of God, but only warnings. Notice in the
sixteenth chapter of Revelation that the “seven
vials of wrath” almost directly correspond to the “trumpets”, but there they come in their fullness, while the
trumpets are but a “third part.” These
first four trumpets are still but “the
beginning of sorrows.”
After the decade of the eighties, which revealed fully the first
four trumpets, we entered a decade of relative “peace and prosperity.” The nations made great strides toward cleaning
up the environment to such an extent that the fish returned to our rivers and
lakes, ocean life began to abound once more, the air was cleaner, and the stars
were brighter. The decade of the nineties was also a decade of great
moral decay with the first signs of an “amoral”
culture in America. With the election of George W. Bush there was reason to
hope that God would “turn us again” unto
Himself. For the first several months of the new administration, the president,
the attorney general, and a number of congressmen openly confessed their faith
in Jesus. They openly spoke of Him and openly prayed in His name. They
began their workday with early morning prayer meetings. God had given
America a “space for repentance” with
this new president, and it seemed he was ready to lead the way. Then came
“9-11.”
Evidently the early morning prayer meetings were replaced by early
morning security briefings. The “name of
Jesus” was never heard again in our government, having been replaced by a “generic god.” The religion of those who
attacked us was elevated to the status of a “good
and peaceful religion.” Truly we had been given a “space for repentance” but that repentance never came.
And I beheld, and heard an angel flying
through the midst of heaven, saying with a loud voice, Woe, woe, woe, to the inhabiters of the earth by reason of the other voices of
the trumpet of the three angels, which are yet to sound!
Revelation 8:13
On the morning of September 11, 2001, the entire world was awakened
to the “sound of a trumpet.” There
were few that understood what it meant. Certainly, the world can never
again be the same since that day. A “pit”
was opened, and smoke was pouring out of that pit. The entire world saw
the sight of two airplanes flying into the twin towers of New York City. Almost
every TV station in the world carried the news as it happened. We watched as
the unthinkable happened; the towers fell straight down, one at a time.
Who can get the memories of that moment out of their mind? The fire: the
smoke: the thousands of people fleeing for their lives on foot, covered with
soot, and scarcely able to breath. How could this happen in America? This
was the “sound” of the fifth trumpet
and the beginning of the first great “woe”
that is to come on the inhabitants of earth. Over nineteen hundred years
ago, Jesus sent an angel to John to tell him of these things. Hear the
words of John as he gives the record.
And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw
a star fall from heaven unto the earth: and to him was given the key of the
bottomless pit. And he opened the bottomless pit; and there arose a smoke out
of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were
darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit. And there came out of the smoke
locusts upon the earth: and unto them was given power, as the scorpions of the
earth have power. And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the grass
of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree; but only those men
which have not the seal of God in their foreheads And to them it was given that
they should not kill them, but that they should be tormented five months: and
their torment was as the torment of a scorpion, when he striketh
a man. And in those days shall men seek death, and shall not find it; and
shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them. And the shapes of
the locusts were like unto horses prepared unto battle; and on their heads were
as it were crowns like gold, and their faces were as the faces of men. And they
had hair as the hair of women, and their teeth were as the teeth of
lions. And they had breastplates, as it were breastplates of iron; and
the sound of their wings was as the sound of chariots of many horses running to
battle. And they had tails like unto scorpions, and there were stings in their
tails: and their power was to hurt men five months. And they had a king
over them, which is the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in the Hebrew
tongue is Abaddon, but in the Greek tongue hath his
name Apollyon.
Revelation 9:1-11
It is obvious that the “pit” that
was opened in New York City on “9-11”
was not the “bottomless pit.” It was,
however, a “visual image” that could
be seen by the eye of the entire world, of something that had already taken
place in the “spiritual,” or “invisible.” The pit is open and the
locusts are swarming. “9-11” was
an image of Revelation 9:1-11, a
visual sign that this fifth trumpet is blowing. The “woe” that this trumpet brings is much more than the suffering of “9-11.” Radical Islamic terrorism came
into its day on “9-11.” They are the “locusts” of prophecy. Their first
purpose is to “terrorize,” or, “torment” men and many have died in the
process, but terror is their first commission. Jesus spoke of this
generation and time when He said in Luke
21:26, “Men's hearts failing them for
fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth.” The
apostle John said of these days that men would “seek death, and shall not find it.”
We have stated before that there is no nation on earth that we
could conquer and thus end this conflict. Every war that America has been
involved in, in the past, there has always a national enemy. In World War
II we faced Hitler’s Germany and Hiro Hito’s Japan. When Hitler was destroyed and Hiro Hito humbled, there was an
end of conflict. This is how it is in the case of wars between nations. One
nation is defeated, the other victorious, and there is an end of the conflict.
The “enemy” we face today is not a “nation,” but a “kingdom.” The apostle John told us they have a king over
them. Their “king” is the “angel of the bottomless pit.” There is
no “human” leader to destroy or
humiliate that would bring an end of conflict. If it were possible to
subdue every terrorist nation and install a democratic government in its place,
the conflict would only increase. There is no human way out of this
conflict. It can only increase until the return of Jesus Christ to this
earth.
Paul forewarned us of “the
evil day.” He told us in Ephesians
6:12-13, “For we wrestle not against
flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers
of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore
take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the
evil day, and having done all, to stand.” There is nothing short of the “whole armour of God” that will stand
against the demonic hordes we face today.
The Second Woe
One woe is past; and, behold, there
come two woes more hereafter. And the sixth angel sounded, and I heard a
voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God, saying to
the sixth angel which had the trumpet, Loose the four angels which are bound in
the great river Euphrates.
Revelation 9:12-14
The sounding of the fifth trumpet began with the opening of the
bottomless pit. Smoke ascended out of the pit, and out of the smoke came
great swarms of locusts with the power to torment men. The sounding of the
sixth trumpet begins the second of the three great woes upon the inhabitants of
the earth. The “second” is a
continuation and amplification of the
“first.” It begins with the “loosening”
of four “angels” that were bound
in the Euphrates River. It was on the basis of this prophecy that we gave the
warning about the war in Iraq in our December 2002 message, “War of the
Kingdoms,” saying, “If America’s warfare were only with a nation, it would be
an “easy in, easy out” affair with little loss of life, but in fact, we
are potentially facing the greatest slaughter of human life the world has ever
seen.” At the present time we
have suffered the loss of about twenty four hundred of our bravest young men
and women in Iraq. As devastating as this is, it is minuscule in
comparison to past wars. For example, in the Civil War we suffered
185,000 combat deaths; in WW II, 242,000 combat deaths; and in Viet Nam, 47,000
combat deaths. The devastation that will come out of the Iraq war is only
beginning. It will not be contained in Iraq, but will spread across the
earth as a swarm of locusts, bringing death and desolation wherever they
go. The scripture continues:
And the four angels were loosed, which
were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year, for to slay the
third part of men.
Revelation 9:15
These four “angels” have
been loosed. The scripture says they were prepared for a certain period
of time, and lay bound in the Euphrates until that time. The language is
symbolic but the fulfillment is not. First, the locusts and their “king,” the “angel of the bottomless pit,” were loosed. Now, these four “angels (I believe them to be
principalities, or ‘spirits of devils’),” are loosened. These are the “deputies” of “Apollyon, the angel of the bottomless pit,”
prepared to lead the locust army in battle. The scripture says their “commission” is to “slay the third part of men.”
And the number of the army of the
horsemen were two hundred thousand thousand: and I
heard the number of them. And thus I saw the horses in the vision, and
them that sat on them, having breastplates of fire, and of jacinth, and
brimstone: and the heads of the horses were as the heads of lions; and out of
their mouths issued fire and smoke and brimstone. By these three was the third
part of men killed, by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, which
issued out of their mouths.
Revelation 9:16-18
Notice the size of the army. It is two hundred million in number.
This is not a national army. No single nation could either field or feed such
an army. This army will wear no uniforms, salute no flags, or honor any king
but Apollyon. This army will be demonically inspired
and motivated. They believe with all their hearts they are honoring God,
but they are deceived. In this text there is given an insight as to just
who this army is. The seventeenth verse says they had breastplates of
“fire, jacinth, and brimstone.” What could better describe the “suicide vest”
of the suicide bomber? Further, the scripture says that “fire and smoke
and brimstone” issued out of the mouths of their horses. What a sight
this vision must have been to that old apostle. This was hundreds of
years before gunpowder or explosives of any kind were discovered. Adam
Clark and other Bible scholars of past centuries thought this was a vision of
the canon, with fire, smoke, and brimstone bringing death out of its
mouth. Today their insight may seem naive, but one thing that has not
changed for over a thousand years; our modern weapons still belch out “fire,
smoke, and brimstone.”
“A Storm”
One of the greatest fears of our leaders today is that the
terrorists will get nuclear weapons. It is almost a foregone conclusion
that this will happen at some time in the future. The president of Iran is working
feverishly to develop the nuclear bomb. He openly speaks of the day that
Israel, “like a rotten tree, will be
destroyed by a single storm.” It’s amazing, the choice of words that he
used. Twenty five hundred years ago the prophet Ezekiel told of the “latter years” when Iran (Persia), along
with a half dozen other nations including Russia (Magog),
would come against the nation of Israel. Notice the language of the
prophet:
Thou shalt ascend and come like A
STORM, thou shalt be like a cloud to cover the land, thou, and all thy bands,
and many people with thee.
Ezekiel 38:9
This will take place sooner than we may dare to think. It will be
the war that will bring Jesus back to earth as recorded by the prophet
Zechariah. It will be a horrible day for Israel, as they will face almost
certain annihilation until the time they turn their hearts to Jesus, but they
will surely turn.
The Land of Unwalled Villages
Thus saith the Lord GOD; It shall also
come to pass, that at the same time shall things come into thy mind, and thou
shalt think an evil thought: And thou shalt say, I will go up to the land of
unwalled villages; I will go to them that are at rest, that dwell safely, all
of them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates, to take a spoil,
and to take a prey; to turn thine hand upon the desolate places that are now
inhabited, and upon the people that are gathered out of the nations, which have
gotten cattle and goods, that dwell in the midst of the land.
Ezekiel 38:10-12
At the same time the enemy comes upon Israel as a “storm,” God said they will think an “evil thought.” The “land of unwalled villages” will come to mind. While this
description fits all western nations, it seems to pinpoint America in
particular. It spoke of a land that was once “desolate,” but is now inhabited by people that were “gathered out of the nations, which have
gotten cattle and goods….” Isn’t it
amazing that the major concern in America today is that we either cannot, or
will not, protect our borders? Is it a coincidence that at the same time
the president of Iran is threatening Israel with “a storm,” millions of
aliens are “storming” across our
borders, and there seems to be no real will to stop them? Why is it that
we refuse to build “walls” for the protection
of our people? We have so decayed as a society that no one with the
authority to do the right thing has the courage to do so. They not only
come across the southern border as millions have. They come down from
Canada. They come through our ports. They come in on airplanes. They come
concealed in freight containers and trucks, and this writer does not believe
our political leaders of either party have the courage to stop it. Most have
come to “take a spoil, and to take a prey
(American money and goods).” But some
have also come, in the words of the prophet of God, to “turn their hand upon” our nation. No one knows just how many
terrorist cells are hidden in our land. But I can assure you, the “locusts” are swarming into our land
along side of the multitudes that have come for jobs and opportunity. Sadly, I
must report, that just as Assyria was the “rod
of God’s anger” to punish disobedient Israel, the “locust army” comes to punish a disobedient and Christ rejecting
nation. It is God who commands the locusts.
If I shut up heaven that there be no rain, or if I command the locusts to devour the land, or if I send pestilence
among my people; 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
will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.
II Chronicles 7:13-14
War in Israel
God said He would gather “all nations” against Jerusalem
(Zechariah 14:2). He also said He would “seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem” (Zechariah 12:9). This seems to indicate
that it is not “every nation on earth” that
will come, but possibly a United Nations action, led by Russia, followed by
Iran and other nations that God specifically named in Ezekiel 38:1-9. God has
revealed through His prophets a great deal about the outcome of this war.
Its duration seems to be forty-two months (Revelation
11:2). It will end with the sounding of the seventh and last trumpet,
which is the return of Jesus to earth.
And the seventh angel sounded; and
there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are
become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever
and ever.
Revelation 11:15
Jesus will come and fight against those nations that fight against
Jerusalem (Zechariah 14:3). He will
not come, however until Israel has believed upon Him. He foretold this as
He wept over Jerusalem just before Calvary.
For I say unto you (Jerusalem), Ye shall not see me henceforth, till
ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.
Matthew 23:39
The city of Jerusalem will fall into the hands of the enemy.
And the city shall be taken, and the
houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half of the city shall go forth into
captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city.
Zechariah 14:2
Two thirds of the inhabitants of Israel will perish in the
war. It will be as another “holocaust”
in their own land.
And it shall come to pass, that in all
the land, saith the LORD, two parts therein shall be cut off and die; but the
third shall be left therein.”
Zechariah 13:8
For a full generation, the devout Jews of Jerusalem have wept at
the “Wailing Wall,” praying for their
Messiah to come. When the city falls, they will be cut off from the wall. As
their people are slaughtered, despair of their survival as a people will
come. They have never doubted in all they have suffered that they are
God’s chosen, not even in the midst of Hitler’s furnace. Now, it would
seem, even after occupying their own land for above sixty years, and the city
of Jerusalem for above forty years, that they are surely a forsaken people. “Is the Messiah coming,” they must
wonder in their hearts, “or, has the
Messiah already came, and we did not know Him.” Whatever the scenario may
be, God spoke through His prophet to give a wonderful promise.
And I will pour upon the house of
David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of
supplications: and they shall look upon
me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth
for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in
bitterness for his firstborn.
Zechariah 12:10
Only a third part of Israel will remain when God “pours the spirit of grace upon them.” God
said, “They shall look upon me whom they
have pierced.” It is a prophecy by Zechariah of the crucifixion of
Jesus. After two thousand years of sufferings, the Jew will look to
Jesus. They will turn to Him in mass. They will weep over Him whom they
crucified, and mourn for Him. Now, God gives another promise.
In that day there shall be a fountain
opened to the house of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and
for uncleanness.
Zechariah 13:1
And I will bring the third part
through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them
as gold is tried: they shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say,
It is my people: and they shall say, The LORD is my God.
Zechariah 13:9
Then shall the LORD go forth, and
fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle. And his
feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before
Jerusalem on the east….
Zechariah 14:3-4
The End of the Conflict
And it shall come to pass at the same
time when Gog shall come against the land of Israel, saith the Lord GOD, that
my fury shall come up in my face.
Ezekiel 38:18
This is certainly a warning to Iran, Russia, or any other nation
that thinks to move against Israel should heed, however, they cannot, for they
are utterly blinded by their own god or lack thereof. If it is Russia
that leads a coalition against Israel, they will do so reluctantly.
Notice the language of Ezekiel:
Therefore, thou son of man, prophesy
against Gog, and say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against thee, O
Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal: And I
will turn thee back, and leave but the sixth part of thee, and will cause thee to come up from the north parts, and will bring
thee upon the mountains of Israel: And I will smite thy bow out of thy left
hand, and will cause thine arrows to fall out of thy right hand. Thou
shalt fall upon the mountains of Israel, thou, and all thy bands, and the
people that is with thee: I will give thee unto the ravenous birds of every
sort, and to the beasts of the field to be devoured. Thou shalt fall upon
the open field: for I have spoken it, saith the Lord GOD. And I will send
a fire on Magog, and among them that dwell carelessly
in the isles: and they shall know that I am the LORD.
Ezekiel 39:1-6
All the nations that come against Israel will be so totally
destroyed that it will take seven months to bury their dead.
And it shall come to pass in that day,
that I will give unto Gog a place there of graves in Israel, the valley of the
passengers on the east of the sea: and it shall stop the noses of the
passengers: and there shall they bury Gog and all his multitude: and they shall
call it The valley of Hamongog. And seven months shall the house of Israel be
burying of them, that they may cleanse the land. Yea, all the people
of the land shall bury them; and it shall be to them a renown the day that I
shall be glorified, saith the Lord GOD.
Ezekiel 39:11-13
There seems to be an indication of nuclear warfare in the
prophecies. Above, in Ezekiel 39:6,
God said, “I will send a fire on Magog….” Some
believe Magog to be the nation of Russia. It is more
likely that it speaks of the Muslim states of southern Russia that broke away
when the Soviet Union dissolved. It is possible that Russia will lead this
coalition of Muslim nations against Israel just as America has led coalitions
against Iraq and Afghanistan. But however it evolves, every nation that comes
against Israel will be destroyed and the entirety of their armies will be
buried in Israel in a place to be called “The
Valley of Hamongog.”
Not only did God say He would send a fire on Magog,
He foretold the end of all those nations that fight against Jerusalem in Zechariah 14:12: “And this shall be the plague wherewith the LORD will smite all the
people that have fought against Jerusalem; Their flesh shall consume away while
they stand upon their feet, and their eyes shall consume away in their holes,
and their tongue shall consume away in their mouth.” The only thing ever
seen by man that can do this is a nuclear explosion. The heat from the
blast is such that flesh and eyeballs consume away before the body hits the
ground. This was seen in Japan in both Hiroshima and Nagasaki when hundreds of
thousands of lives were snuffed out in a split second of time. How God
destroyed Egypt for Israel’s sake with the plagues and Red Sea crossing will be
nothing when compared to what He will do to these nations when Israel turns to
Jesus, their Messiah. God’s “fury” will
be in His face against these nations. According to Ezekiel 39:2, when God brings these nations against Israel, He will
“leave but a sixth part of them.”
Five sixths of the military of these nations will be utterly destroyed, and
they will never rise again for a thousand years. When we see nations
today threatening Israel, it is only because God has chosen to destroy them. We
will see it in this generation.
America
And the rest of the men which were not
killed by these plagues yet repented not of the works of their hands, that they
should not worship devils, and idols of gold, and silver, and brass, and stone,
and of wood: which neither can see, nor hear, nor walk: Neither repented they
of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of
their thefts.
Revelation 9:20-21
I grieve over the spiritual state of America. I know that God
has given this nation a space for repentance (March 2001 issue). It has become
very obvious that we did not repent. A life and death struggle continues for the
soul of this nation, yet I grieve to see the ungodly culture continue to flood
even the church. A survey of youth pastors was taken recently on a popular
religious Internet site. One of the questions had to do with the issue of
homosexuality. A majority of those who answered the survey said that
homosexuality was not an issue. These “youth
pastors” will be the pulpit ministers of tomorrow. The largest churches in
the nation refuse to stand for or against anything. Their “Jesus” is a Jesus of “unconditional love,” who will receive
everyone “unconditionally.” What
happened to “repent, and believe the
gospel?” What happened to “God, be merciful to me a sinner?” The
scribes, the Pharisees and the high priests of the twenty-third chapter of
Matthew never felt the “unconditional love of Jesus.” John the Baptist
had told them, “Bring forth fruits, meet
for repentance.” Jesus told them, “Ye
serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell
(Matthew 23:33)?”
God does not destroy “good” nations.
He never destroyed those heathen nations that were just and decent. China
continued for thousands of years in a culture that knew nothing of the truth of
our God or Jesus Christ. Yet, there are those cultures that God hates and
destroys. He destroyed the old Canaanite nations when their “iniquity” was full. Six world kingdoms
have been utterly destroyed by God. Each of them exercised authority over
most of the known world of their day. Each of them reached the zenith in various
areas such as construction, architecture, philosophy, justice, and incredible
prosperity. The culture of our modern western world has been no
different. Was any nation or people ever so blessed as we? We “knew God!” We were birthed in revival.
Holy men of God founded the major universities of both Europe and America.
Today, those who hate the name of Jesus Christ have taken their helm. Our
little children are placed in educational systems that, more and more, despise
everything Christ represents. On television, the “History Channel,” the “Discovery
Channel,” and the “National
Geographic Channel,” each of which once offered us good decent educational
TV, are currently seeking to educate the general public with lies and
innuendoes against our Lord Jesus Christ. Numerous books and movies blatantly
attack the divinity of our Lord. The attacks increase, polluting the
public consciousness against the church, and there seems to be nothing we can
do. I tell you, America is falling even right now, and God’s angry judgment is
at the door.
I said that God does not destroy “good” nations. Instead, when a “good”
nation rebels and pulls away from Him, God prepares it for destruction.
God prepared Egypt for destruction. Pharaoh hardened his heart against God for
so long that God said, “I will harden his
heart.” Egypt was destroyed because of the “hardness of Pharaoh’s heart.” Israel was prepared for
destruction. The first chapter of Romans says that Israel once knew
God. “When they knew God, they
glorified Him not as God.” They became vain in their imaginations.
They thought themselves to be wise, and became fools. They “changed the glory of the uncorruptible God
into an image made like to corruptible man… (Romans 1:23)” and God gave them up to uncleanness, to dishonor their bodies
between themselves. Many “believers”
in America, rather than being a “man
in the image of God,” have created a “god
in the image of man.” It is no wonder they cannot “keep” themselves; that sexual uncleanness is rampant among
them. The scripture continues, they “changed
the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than
the creator” (Romans 1:25). For this, God gave them up to “vile affections.” Homosexuality and
every perverted thing became the norm in the land. Men with men… women
with women. We wonder that our federal judges are forcing several states
to license marriage between two men or two women. It is because God has given
us up to it. We are in the final stages of reprobation as described in the
first chapter of Romans. “And even
as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a
reprobate mind…” (Romans 1:28). The word “reprobate”
means “reject” and “worthless.” In the Old Testament, the
scriptures sometimes spoke of the “Sons
of Belial.” The word “Belial” means “worthless.” America and the western
world are being “filled” with every
unclean and vile thing. “Being filled
with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness;
full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, backbiters, haters
of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to
parents, without understanding, covenantbreakers,
without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful” (Romans 1:29-31). These are the modern day “sons of Belial;” reject, worthless, and “made to be destroyed” (II
Peter 2:12).
God tells us why the “locust
army” will come to America and the western nations. It is revealed in Revelation 9:20-21. It is because
of our “idolatry (our many ‘gods’),” our “murders (abortion),” our
“sorceries (drugs and alcohol),” our “fornication (porno industry, immorality, and homosexuality), and our “thefts (covetousness).” The “locust army” of the ninth chapter of Revelation is the radical
Islamic terrorist. It is the suicide bomber. It is those who would gladly
plant a nuclear device in one of our major cities and see a million people
die. Yet it is our God that brings that army against this nation.
When they come against Israel, God said
“I will bring thee upon the mountains of Israel.” We know that Israel will turn to Jesus, and that God will utterly
destroy those nations that He brought against them. The question is, will
America repent? At the same time that Israel is about to be destroyed by these
enemy nations, terrorism will be unleashed against America and the western
nations. They will come as the locusts come. Their commission when they
come will be to “kill the third part of
men.” If America does not repent before they come, she will only be
hardened when they come. Notice the words of the apostle, spoken of those
who live through this horrible time: “And
the rest of the men which were not killed by these plagues yet repented not….”
The Last Trumpet
The seventh and last trumpet to sound is also the third and
greatest of the “woes” to come upon
the inhabitants of the earth. It is the second coming of our Lord and
Savior Jesus Christ to this earth. For the “children of God,” those “born
again” of the Spirit of God, it will be their “blessed hope.” We are presently living in the beginning days of
the sixth trumpet of Revelation. We are the last of the seven world
kingdoms. We are the last generation of the “kingdoms
of this world.” In this last generation, six of the seven trumpets are
sounding. Jesus said that this, the generation we live in, “will not pass until all things are fulfilled.” The next trumpet we
hear will be the one that brings Jesus. The angel that brought the revelation
to John told us this about the seventh trumpet: “But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin
to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as he hath declared to his
servants the prophets” (Revelation
10:7). Finally, that seventh trumpet will
sound. John said he heard great voices in heaven saying, “The kingdoms of this world are become the
kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever” (Revelation 11:15). It is the “last trump” (I Corinthians 15:52). The dead will be raised incorruptible,
and we will be changed. This “corruptible”
will put on incorruption, this “mortal” will
put on immortality, and death will be swallowed up in victory. Back to Revelation 11:18, “And the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the
dead, that they should be judged, and that thou shouldest
give reward unto thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that
fear thy name, small and great; and shouldest destroy
them which destroy the earth.” Jesus is coming to gather His own unto
Himself, and to execute His judgment and wrath against the ungodly. It is time
to repent… now!
Jesus’ return is very near. If you have ears to hear, you can
hear the sound of His coming every time you hear the news of this present
world. If you are younger than forty years old, you will definitely see all
these things I have written of come to pass in your life span. I fully expect
to see it with my own eyes. I have no fear, nor should any child of
God. My God has promised that “A
thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it
shall not come nigh thee. Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the
reward of the wicked. Because thou hast made the LORD, which is my
refuge, even the most High, thy habitation” (Psalms 91:7-9). My question to you is this, have you
surrendered your heart, soul, and body to Jesus Christ. He alone can
save. And those He saves, He will also keep.
A note to anyone that is lost!
Jesus Christ, the Son of God suffered and died on the cross to save
you from your sin. If you are lost, it is because you were born into this world
with sin in your heart. Every person born into this world was born with
sin in their heart. Jesus came into this world for the purpose of saving
us from our sin if we would repent and believe the gospel. Many people spend a
lifetime trying to change their own selves enough that God will receive
them. They can never do it. The Bible tells us that the sinners prayer is
simply “God, be merciful to me a sinner.”
If you know that you are lost, then you also know that if you died today
you would go to hell. That is not God’s will for you, but it will happen
because He will never accept sin or sinners into His Heaven. That is the
reason He sent Jesus. The Bible says, “For
God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever
believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” If you
truly know that you are lost, you have probably spent time thinking about
it. You were scared, but you didn’t want anyone to know it. Maybe you
even repeated a prayer with someone, and they told you that you would go to
heaven even though you were still a sinner. In your heart you were still
troubled about that. The apostle Paul said, “It is not he that willeth, or he that
runneth, but God who showeth mercy” (Romans 9:16). He was telling us
that you may “want to be saved” with
all your heart, but that alone will not save you. You may work and strive with
all your heart to change yourself, but that cannot save you either. It is
God, who is merciful. That is the reason that true repentance is a heart crying
for mercy. “God, have mercy on me. Save me from my sin. Forgive me, and
change me. Come into my heart, Lord Jesus. I surrender to you today.” It was Jesus that told us to “Repent… and believe the Gospel” (Mark 1:15). Call upon God for mercy,
because Jesus died for you. Believe the gospel. He is “faithful and just to forgive you, and to
cleanse you from all unrighteousness.” Your heart will be made pure.
The things that controlled you in the past will no longer be there. Jesus died
for you, and those things were nailed to the cross with Him. Get alone
somewhere. Repent to God. Believe Jesus, and you will rejoice in wonderful
salvation.
Message 3 - These Last Days - By Leroy Surface
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