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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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