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Message 70 - By Leroy Surface

Three Woes

Where are we timewise in biblical prophecy?  Many people ask the question, but few really want to know.

In this message, Leroy Surface will show by the scriptures that it may be much later than you think.  The scriptures of the Revelation tell us that, in this, the last generation before the return of Jesus Christ to earth, “three great woes” are coming upon the inhabitants of the earth.  We are presently living in the time of the “first woe, which is “the swarming of the locusts” (Revelation 9:1-12).  The “second woe” will bring the dreaded time of “great tribulation” in which one third of all living souls will be slain (Revelation 9:13-16).  And, for those who reject Jesus, the Christ, and His gospel, the “third (and final) woe” is in the “second coming of Christ; “…when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, in flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey (heed) not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ” (II Thessalonians 1:7-8).  Both history and bible prophecy show that Islam is the “locust army of God’s judgment” against the nations who have totally rejected or turned away from Christ.  If this is true, we are living in the days of the fifth trumpet and the time of “great tribulation” is the next great event in bible prophecy.  Are you prepared for that?

Three Woes

Revelation 8:13:  “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!”

Do you ever wonder where we are timewise in the light of bible prophecy, especially in the book of Revelation?  Have you ever felt, according to all that you have read and heard, that Jesus should have already returned?  Most teachers of prophecy have traditionally taught that all the events after Revelation 4:1 will not happen until after the “rapture” of the church.  This is a false hope.  I grew up in the 1950’s when “the rapture of the church” was the number one message to bring sinners to repentance.  If someone had told us then, what would be taking place in the world today, we would have been certain that the rapture had already taken place and that people were living under the reign of “the antichrist.”  It cannot be denied, however, that we are living in the midst of the “fulfilling” of many “prophetic events;” and Jesus has not yet returned for His church.  In this message I will briefly give my understanding of last day prophetic events of prophecies found in the book of Revelation.

Revelation 1:17-19:  “And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last: I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.  Write the things which thou hast seen, and the things which are, and the things which shall be hereafter.”

There were three things Jesus told John to write.  FIRST, he was to write the things he saw in the vision. SECOND, he was to write about the condition of the churches in his generation, as revealed by Jesus.  These things are the letters to the seven churches of Asia in the second and third chapters of Revelation.  They reveal “the things which are (in John’s generation). THIRDLY, beginning in the fourth chapter, John writes of “things which shall be hereafter.  These were things which, in John’s generation, were yet in the future.  There is a part of the book of Revelation which describes, in some detail, the events of the spiritual “dark ages” which were also in John’s future, but are in our past.  We are presently living in the very last days of John’s “hereafter,” before the return of Jesus; and amazing prophetic events are continually unfolding in the world around us.

Things which are:

Revelation 1:10-11:  “I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet, saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last: and, What thou seest, write in a book, and send it unto the seven churches which are in Asia; unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamos, and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea.”

In the second and third chapters of Revelation there are seven messages that Jesus told John to write to the seven churches of Asia.  These churches literally existed in John’s generation and the messages sent to them were not prophecies of future things, but rather, a clear discernment by our Lord of their present condition.  Five of the seven churches received a message to “repent, or else,” with a warning of what would come upon them if they did not repent.  Only two of the seven, Smyrna and Philadelphia, were approved and blessed by our Lord.  While some scholars can see “seven church ages” in the letters to the seven churches, that was not the purpose of these messages.  It is true, however, that all the spiritual conditions of those ancient churches can still be found in the churches of our present age.  That being the case, surely, as Peter said, “…judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not (G544 - willfully and perversely disbelieve) the gospel of God (and His Son, the Lord, Jesus Christ)?” (I Peter 4:17).   

Things which must be hereafter:

Revelation 4:1:  “After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter.”

It has always amazed me that anyone could read this verse and believe that it reveals the “rapture of the church;” but that is exactly what many prophecy teachers believe and teach today.  The “voice as it were a trumpet” was speaking to John, telling him to “come up hither.”  John writes in verse two, “…and immediately I was in the Spirit.”  John was “caught up in the Spirit” to see things that would be in the future from his day forward, thus, “I will shew thee things which must be hereafter.”  Some teachers “add unto” the scriptures which Jesus, in Rev 22:18; Rev 22:16-21, absolutely forbids us to do.  They claim, for whatever the reason, that this scripture was intended to say, “I will show you things which must be hereafter the rapture of the church,” an obvious and intentional error on the part of those who teach it.  The remainder of the fourth chapter gives the record of the things he saw when he was “in the Spirit.”  He saw the throne of God.  He saw the glory of God that surrounded the throne.  He saw twenty four elders who sat upon twenty four seats around the throne.  These “elders” were chosen for their position from among the apostles (Revelation 19:10) and prophets (Revelation 22:9).  John also described the “four beasts,” which he saw around the throne.  These are the four seraphims” that Isaiah saw before the throne of God in Isaiah 6:1-3.  Both Isaiah and John heard them as they cry day and night around the throne, “Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty.”  

I’m not finding four seraphims anywhere. jdg

The Book

Revelation 5:1-4:  “And I saw in the right hand of him that sat on the throne a book written within and on the backside, sealed with seven seals.  And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, Who is worthy to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof?  And no man in heaven, nor in earth, neither under the earth, was able to open the book, neither to look thereon.  And I wept much, because no man was found worthy to open and to read the book, neither to look thereon.”

The “book” that was in the right hand of God as He sat on the throne, was the book that contained the revelation of “those things which must be hereafter.”  It is the same book that we read about in the last chapter of Daniel.  Daniel was a prophet to the Hebrews.  His greatest revelation, which was given to him by the angel Gabriel, was of the coming of one called “the Messiah (the Christ - NT),” who would “finish the transgression, make an end of sins, make reconciliation for iniquity, and bring in everlasting righteousness” (Daniel 9:24-25).  Almost every prophetic vision God gave to Daniel was about the rise and fall of kingdoms that would take place before the Messiah (Christ) would come.  He caught only glimpses of things after the time of Jesus Christ on earth.  In the last chapter of Daniel, the old prophet began questioning the angel Gabriel, who had appeared to him several times, about the last days of time.  The following is the record of what Gabriel told Daniel: 

Daniel 12:1-4:  “And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble (tribulation), such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book.  And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake (be resurrected), some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.  And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever.  But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.”

Notice that the angel Gabriel told Daniel to “seal up the book, even to the time of the end.”  This “book” of end time events that Daniel was commanded to “seal up” was the same book the apostle John saw in the hand of God hundreds of years later.  Just as Daniel wanted to see more of what was in the book, John knew that the revelation of future events were written in the book, and he “wept much, because no man was found worthy to open and to read the book.”  As John weeps, one of the elders speaks to him, saying “Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof” (Revelation 5:5).  When John looked up, he saw “a lamb, as it had been slain.”  It was Jesus, “the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world” (John 1:29), and He took the book out of the hand of God, who sat on the throne.  The remainder of the fifth chapter is filled with singing, rejoicing, and worshipping the “Lamb” who had prevailed and was “found worthy” to “open the book.”

 

 

 

The seven seals opened:

Revelation 6:1:  “And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard, as it were the noise of thunder, one of the four beasts saying, Come and see.”

According to religious tradition, the seven seals will not be opened until after the rapture of the church.  I, however, present that all seven of the seals had to be opened in the day John saw the vision; because the revelation, which was of “things which must be hereafter,” was sealed up in the book.  John watched as the Lamb opened all the seals, and with the opening of each seal, he saw something else of great significance.  God gave him a panorama of time, beginning with Adam before the fall (the beginning of time) and ending with a view of the terrible events just before the great white throne judgment (the ending of time).  In the first four seals, John saw four horsemen riding different colored horses: 

The first horseman was riding a white horse.  This horseman represented man before the fall.  The “bow” in his hand was not a weapon, but his covenant with God.   The first mention of a “bow” in the scriptures was the “rainbow” that God placed in the clouds as a token of His covenant with Noah (Genesis 9:13-16). God’s “covenant” with man when He created him was to “subdue the earth” and “have dominion” over every living creature (Genesis 1:28; Psalm 8:3-6). 

The second horseman rode a red horse, and to him was given the power to “take peace from the earth.”  This second horseman cannot represent anything other than the entrance of sin, because it was sin that took peace from the earth.  There has been no peace on earth since sin entered the heart of man.  Christ, the “prince of peace” (Isaiah 9:6), came into the world to bring “peace on earth, good will toward men,” through His death and resurrection.  Isaiah tells us in two different scriptures, “There is no peace, said the Lord, to the wicked” (Isaiah 48:22, 57:21).  But the apostle Paul tells us, “…we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:1).  There is no “peace on earth” other than the “peace” that comes through receiving Jesus Christ, “the Prince of Peace.”  Apart from Christ, there will never be peace on earth until we enter the “new heavens and a new earth wherein dwelleth righteousness” (II Peter 3:13).  Those who know who Christ is and what He came into the world to do, receive the “peace of God, which passeth all understanding” (Philippians 4:7), when they trust in Him.  

The third horseman rode a black horse, which represented the represents the entrance of the systems of man in commerce and trade.  These systems were necessary as a result of man being driven out of paradise into a world that was cursed by sin. 

The fourth horseman rode a pale horse.  This horseman’s name was “Death,” and “Hell followed with him” (Revelation 6:8).   The apostle Paul tells us in Romans 5:12, “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned.”  Death and Hell came into the world, as the direct result of sin, when Adam disobeyed God.

The fifth seal:

When the fifth seal was opened, John saw the souls of those who were slain for the word of God.  They were “under the altar” before the throne, and they cried out “How long oh God, wilt thou not avenge our blood.”  John was over ninety years old when he received the Revelation.  All the other apostles had been slain by the enemies of Christ over thirty years before. There were thousands of believers who had also suffered martyrdom in the Roman persecution under Nero, as well as those who died at the hands of the Jews in the days when Saul of Tarsus “breathed out slaughter against the church” (Acts 9:1).  These were the souls that John saw under the altar.  Jesus gave them white robes and told them “that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellowservants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled” (Revelation 6:11).  

The sixth seal:

Revelation 6:12-17:  “And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood; and the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind.  And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places.  And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; and said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: for the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?”

With the opening of the sixth seal, John saw a glimpse of the horrible things that would take place when the wrath of God is released without remedy against the unbelievers and the ungodly.  The things seen in this sixth seal can only be understood in the light of the events leading up to the great white throne judgment which is at the end of what we call the “millennial reign” of Christ.  Satan, who will have been bound for a “thousand years,” will be “loosed for a season.” He will, according to the scripture, “…go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea” (Revelation 20:8).  Notice that those nations which are deceived are called “Gog and Magog,” a term that has forever designated the enemies of Israel and the Jew.  Ezekiel prophesied of Gog and Magog, and their invasion of the land of Israel in Ezekiel 38:1-17.  Beginning in Ezekiel 38:18 through the end of the thirty ninth chapter, Ezekiel prophesies of God’s judgment on Gog and Magog.  It is amazing that Ezekiel even names some of those nations; “Persia (Iran), Ethiopia, and Libya with them; all of them with shield and helmet: Gomer, and all his bands; the house of Togarmah of the north quarters, and all his bands: and many people with thee” (Ezekiel 38:5-6).

Revelation 20:9-10:  “And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them.  And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.

These events are a thousand years in our future.  By them we know that the “radical Islamic terrorist,” which is spoken of as “Gog and Magog,” will not be destroyed by America or any other nation or company of nations.  It is almost unbelievable, but true, that radical Islam will exist throughout the millennial reign of Christ on earth, and will only be subdued by Christ and His “rod of iron” (Revelation 19:15).  When Satan is loosed from the pit and leads them against Christ, fire from heaven will fall upon them and made a final end of the terror that has troubled the world for thousands of years.        

Revelation 20:11:  “And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.”

Revelation 20:15:  “And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.”

The seventh seal:

Revelation 8:1:  And when he had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour.”

John did not see anything with the opening of the seventh seal.  Instead, there was “silence in heaven” for about thirty minutes.  This simply means that John did not hear or see anything in the Spirit for that period of time.  It is foolish to seek some deep meaning in this statement.  It simply means that with the opening of the seventh seal, “the book was opened.” The next things John would see and hear would be the “things that must be hereafter;” which were written in the book.  When the vision resumed, the first thing John saw was seven angels with seven trumpets, which were prepared to sound in this last generation.      

The seven trumpets:

Unlike the seven seals which give a panorama of events from the beginning of time to the end of time; the seven trumpets reveal the events of the last generation before Christ returns.  The time period in which we are presently living is included in the time frame of last generation” events, of which Jesus says in Luke 21:32; “Verily I say unto you, this generation shall not pass away, till all be fulfilled. “This generation” of which Jesus was speaking began at the end of the six day war of June 5-10, 1967, when Jerusalem,  for the first time in 1897 years, went back to Jewish control.

Jesus was telling His disciples about the coming destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD when He said, “Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled” (Luke 21:24). When Jerusalem returned to Jewish control at the conclusion of the six day war of June 5-10, 1967, the last generation to live before the return of Jesus began. That generation which, “shall not pass away, till all be fulfilled” is almost forty eight years old at this writing (January 14, 2015). By this we know that Christ is soon to return to earth. 

The first four of the seven trumpets have already sounded and are continuing to sound.  They were actually louder in the early years of our generation, but they are such that few had ears that could hear them as they sounded.  These first four trumpets were and are the environmental issues of our generation.  I first began hearing them in the early 1980’s, and when I did, I could not escape the knowledge that we were indeed living in the allotted time period of the last generation; and that all seven trumpets will sound in this generation.

Revelation 8:7:  The first angel sounded, and there followed hail and fire mingled with blood, and they were cast upon the earth: and the third part of trees was burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up.”

During the time period of the seventies and eighties, air pollution was so bad that in many places the “rain” that fell was actually a mild form of acid.  It was commonly called “acid-rain,” and because of it, much of the grass and green trees in those places died.  I knew a preacher that put his revival tent up in one of the northern states during a foggy and misty time of the year.  The next time he put his tent up he discovered that the canvas had been destroyed by the acid in the mist.  In many areas, America has done a good job of reducing the pollutants that contaminated the environment, but these trumpets will continue to sound until all is fulfilled.

Revelation 8:8-9:  “And the second angel sounded, and as it were a great mountain burning with fire was cast into the sea: and the third part of the sea became blood; And the third part of the creatures which were in the sea, and had life, died; and the third part of the ships were destroyed.”

Some people believe that a comet from outer space will fall into the ocean.  I believe that this trumpet has already sounded, and again, it was manifest in the seventies and especially the eighties.  If so, the “great mountain burning with fire” symbolizes the massive amounts of pollution that destroyed many of our lakes, rivers, streams and almost destroyed the Gulf of Mexico near where I live.  One of the great lakes was so polluted in the eighties that no fish could survive in it.  In the Gulf of Mexico we experienced several phenomena called “red tides,” in which the water turned red like blood and all the fish in the area died from a lack of oxygen.  In one of the red tides, the island city of Galveston Texas had so many dead fish wash up on the beaches that the stench of their decay could be smelled for miles away.  Huge motor-graders were used to gather the dead fish into windrows and loaded into dump trucks to be hauled away.  Such events were national news at the time, and for those with ears to hear, the second trumpet was sounding.

Revelation 8:10-11:  And the third angel sounded, and there fell a great star from heaven, burning as it were a lamp, and it fell upon the third part of the rivers, and upon the fountains of waters; And the name of the star is called Wormwood: and the third part of the waters became wormwood; and many men died of the waters, because they were made bitter.”

With the sounding of the third trumpet it is the third part of the rivers and fountains of waters that are polluted.  An interesting note, and I believe a sign of the sounding of the third trumpet, was the incident at the “Chernobyl Nuclear Plant” in Ukraine in 1986.  This was the worst nuclear disaster in history at the time, which so polluted the surrounding areas that life is impossible for miles around.  The sounding of the third trumpet was marked by a great star that fell upon the rivers and the fountains of waters.  The name of the star is “wormwood,” which is the meaning of the word “Chernobyl” in the Russian language.  The incident at Chernobyl was the sign of the sounding of the third trumpet.

Revelations 8:12:  “And the fourth angel sounded, and the third part of the sun was smitten, and the third part of the moon, and the third part of the stars; so as the third part of them was darkened, and the day shone not for a third part of it, and the night likewise.”

I was in Israel in 1982.  One night I was reading these scriptures about the seven trumpets of revelation when I came to this fourth trumpet.  I had a strange feeling that each of these first four trumpets were something very familiar to me, but I could not put my finger on just what it was.  While musing over these things, a question suddenly formed in my mind; “When was the last time you saw the Milky Way.” Memories of my childhood as a “country boy” flooded back to me.  One of our favorite pastimes on hot summer nights was to lie in the cool grass and look at the stars.  This was before the time of television, or even telephones, where we lived.  I was in grade school when electricity finally reached our home.  The night sky at that time looked like a million diamonds sparkling in the darkness and in a wide band across the middle of the sky was the Milky Way.  It looked like someone had painted the sky with florescent paint.  I suddenly realized that I had not seen that beautiful night sky in my entire adult life.  I asked several young people about the Milky Way, and all that came to their mind was a candy bar by that name.  The stars are still in their place, but we can only see a small fraction of them because of atmospheric pollution. These first four trumpets have now been sounding for over forty years, and will continue to do so; because, as worldwide industrialization continues to expand (China, India, and so many more come to mind.), these pollutions will continue to get worse and worse.  Nevertheless, very few have “ears” to hear. 

Three Woes

Revelation 8:13:  “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!”

By comparison to the last three trumpets, the first four seem insignificant.  The first four trumpets were warnings that this is the generation Jesus spoke of, saying, “When ye see these things come to pass, know ye that the kingdom of God is nigh at hand.  Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass away, till all be fulfilled” (Luke 21:31-32).  The last three trumpets bring the worst time of trouble that has ever been on planet earth, with each trumpet sounding louder than those that have sounded before.

The Fifth Trumpet

Revelation 9:1-3:  “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.”

The “sign” of the fifth trumpet is that a “pit” would be opened and smoke would come out of the pit, with locusts swarming out of the smoke.  That sign was given on September 11, 2001.  It is a date that will certainly live in infamy as long as our nation stands as a free nation.  Better known as “Nine-eleven (911),it came less than nine months into the sixth millennial since Adam.  It came at a time when many Christian leaders thought we were about to enter into a “thousand years of peace.”  The “Iron Curtain” had fallen, and communism had utterly failed.  America had enjoyed the so called “peace dividend” of prosperity for almost a decade, and many believed it would continue forever.  Then came “911.”  The entire world has been in turmoil since the day the “twin towers” fell, leaving two huge “pits” filled with rubble.  Those who were there, and even those who saw it on live television, cannot erase the image of the towers falling into the pits, or of the smoke and ash that filled the sky, contaminating almost the entire city.  Many saw this as a tragedy of biblical proportions, but few understood that it was more than that; it was the fulfillment of biblical prophecy.  It was an attack by radical Islamist against the western lifestyle, but again, it was more than that.  It signified the beginning of the first of the three great “woes” which Jesus had told John would come upon the earth because of the sins of the nations.  Almost three thousand lives were lost due to that terrorist attack; more than we lost at Pearl Harbor, which brought America into World II.  The consequences of “911,” however, will ultimately bring so much more death and destruction to the entire world than any war in the history of the world.  By reason of comparison, World War II will someday seem to be a “small thing.”  

I watched on live television as a second plane hit the second tower, and continued watching in horror as both towers, first one, and then the other, collapsed straight down.  I knew that I was “seeing” the fulfillment of prophecy and “hearing” the sounding of the fifth trumpet.  I do understand that the “bottomless pit” of prophecy is not in New York City, but the events of that horrible day confirmed that the “pit” was open and the “locusts” were swarming.  I realize that some who read this will think I am foolish to believe such things, because “after all,” they will say, “the trumpets can’t sound until after the rapture of the church.”  I, on the other hand, believe it is very foolish to believe otherwise when it is obvious that the “rapture” of the church has not yet taken place and the end-time prophecies continue to unfold, with alarming speed, before our very eyes.  

The Islamic religion began almost fourteen hundred years ago in Saudi Arabia, which was known as the land of the locusts.  Some of the Arab tribesmen actually adopted the locust as their symbol.  At the age of about forty years, Muhammad began preaching against the idolatry and image worship that was rampant in his home town of Mecca.  Being largely rejected at Mecca, he moved to Medina, where he found those who believed his preaching and became zealous to follow him.  Later, he returned to Mecca with an army of his followers to rid his home town of idolatry, which he succeeded to do without much resistance.  Muhammad had succeeded to do with the sword what he could not do by preaching only.  It was about that time that he received visions of locusts with the words written on their wings, “We are the army of God.”  From that time Muhammad believed that he and his warriors were the locust army of God, of which is told about in Joel 2:1-32. 

Joel 2:2-11:  A day of darkness and of gloominess, a day of clouds and of thick darkness, as the morning spread upon the mountains: a great people and a strong; there hath not been ever the like, neither shall be any more after it, even to the years of many generations.  A fire devoureth before them; and behind them a flame burneth: the land is as the garden of Eden before them, and behind them a desolate wilderness; yea, and nothing shall escape them.  The appearance of them is as the appearance of horses; and as horsemen, so shall they run.  Like the noise of chariots on the tops of mountains shall they leap, like the noise of a flame of fire that devoureth the stubble, as a strong people set in battle array.  Before their face the people shall be much pained: all faces shall gather blackness.  They shall run like mighty men; they shall climb the wall like men of war; and they shall march every one on his ways, and they shall not break their ranks: Neither shall one thrust another; they shall walk every one in his path: and when they fall upon the sword, they shall not be wounded (stopped would be a more correct translation in this case; H1214).  They shall run to and fro in the city; they shall run upon the wall, they shall climb up upon the houses; they shall enter in at the windows like a thief. The earth shall quake before them; the heavens shall tremble: the sun and the moon shall be dark, and the stars shall withdraw their shining: And the LORD shall utter his voice before his army: for his camp is very great: for he is strong that executeth his word: for the day of the LORD is great and very terrible; and who can abide it?”

No one with an honest heart can deny that God calls this terrible army, “His army.”  We who love America must realize that radical Islam is God’s army that He has been sent to punish the western nations for their sins. They are not God’s people, but they are His army!   Beginning with the next verse, God calls His people to repentance.

Joel 2:12-17:  “Therefore also now, saith the LORD, turn ye even to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning: And rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the LORD your God: for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil.  Who knoweth if he will return and repent, and leave a blessing behind him; even a meat offering and a drink offering unto the LORD your God?  Blow the trumpet in Zion, sanctify a fast, call a solemn assembly:  Gather the people, sanctify the congregation, assemble the elders, gather the children, and those that suck the breasts: let the bridegroom go forth of his chamber, and the bride out of her closet.  Let the priests, the ministers of the LORD, weep between the porch and the altar, and let them say, Spare thy people, O LORD, and give not thine heritage to reproach, that the heathen should rule over them: wherefore should they say among the people, Where is their God?”

When God sees the repentance and Godly sorrow of His people, He has promised to pity His people and bless them once again.  If America would repent and turn to the God and Father of the Lord Jesus Christ; who has promised to withhold His judgment and destroy the locusts;      

Joel 2:18-20:  Then will the LORD be jealous for his land, and pity his people.  Yea, the LORD will answer and say unto his people, Behold, I will send you corn, and wine, and oil, and ye shall be satisfied therewith: and I will no more make you a reproach among the heathen:  But I will remove far off from you the northern army, and will drive him into a land barren and desolate, with his face toward the east sea, and his hinder part toward the utmost sea, and his stink shall come up….”

God has not only promised to deliver His people and destroy their enemies, after they repent; but He has promised restoration as well;

Joel 2:25:  And I will restore to you the years…the locust hath eaten, the cankerworm, and the caterpiller, and the palmerworm, my great army which I sent among you.”

It is very important that we understand that there was not an army in the world that could bring America to its knees as long as we pleased Him.  America has not “pleased Him” for a full generation now, and our nation is being brought down, not by the might of men, but by the command of God.  Jerusalem had been considered invincible when the child prophet Jeremiah began speaking God’s word against the city.  This young prophet was hated by the people and the religious leaders of the nation because of his pronouncements of death and destruction against Jerusalem.  Jeremiah was called “the weeping prophet,” because when Jerusalem was finally destroyed, he wept, and could not cease weeping as he wrote his book of Lamentations.  In his lamentations, Jeremiah gives us this insight;

Lamentations 4:11-12:  “The LORD hath accomplished his fury; he hath poured out his fierce anger, and hath kindled a fire in Zion, and it hath devoured the foundations thereof.  The kings of the earth, and all the inhabitants of the world, would not have believed that the adversary and the enemy should have entered into the gates of Jerusalem.”

Like the foolish inhabitants of Jerusalem who continued to mock God with their idolatry, immorality, and perversion; most Americans do not believe that our nation can be brought down.  In fact, America has already been “given over to a reprobate mind” (see our message “Given Over” from Sept. 2014).  The corporate “mind” of America is sick, and cannot think straight.  The modern mindset in America is that we are actually a “better nation” today because we defend pornographers in the name of “freedom of speech” and approve of perversion in the name of “equality in marriage.”  Perhaps the most popular living president today is the man who, twenty years ago brought sodomy into the office of the president.  Those who are against abortion (the act of killing a child while it is still in its mother’s womb) are considered by many to be a greater threat to American freedom that those who openly seek to kill us.  America (and the entire western world) is today, exactly as the apostle Paul (confirmed by the old testament scriptures) said of Israel prior to their destruction by Nebuchadnezzar’s army; America has been “filled with all unrighteousness.”

Romans 1:29-32: “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: who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.”

Almost every Christian can quote II Chronicles 7:14;

II Chronicles 7:14:  “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.”  

Very few, however know the verse that follows:

II Chronicles 7:13:  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;”

We do not want to believe that it is God who commands the locusts, or sends the pestilence.  In the days of the Old Testament, He often sent drought or locusts, or pestilence against the nation of Israel to punish them for their backsliding.  It was God who commanded the armies of Nebuchadnezzar to destroy Jerusalem and the temple because of the idolatry of His people.  He instructed them to “…smite: let not your eye spare, neither have ye pity: Slay utterly old and young, both maids, and little children, and women: but come not near any man upon whom is the mark; and begin at my sanctuary. Then they began at the ancient men which were before the house” (Ezekiel 9:5-6).

God had caused a “mark” to be placed on His righteous people, and He commanded the destroyers not to harm (to come not near) anyone who had His “mark” on them.  The horrible things that are taking place in the world around us are not by coincidence, and should come as no surprise to those who know God and His word.  He foretold these things in detail for those of us who trust in Him; in order that we would know that He is in absolute control.  The remainder of this last generation before Jesus, the Christ returns, is the day of the locusts and the fifth trumpet of Revelation is sounding.  At this point there has been no repentance in America and the western world; so things can only get progressively worse. Even now the angel of the sixth trumpet is beginning to sound. It is this sixth trumpet that ushers in the “time of trouble such as never was since there was a nation, or ever shall be (again).”  Daniel 12:1, Matthew 24:21, and Mark 13:19, 24. 

America and the nations who have followed her example, are making a disastrous mistake.  Instead of repenting of national sins after “911,” the cry that went up was almost universal. “If we change our ways, the terrorists have won.”  God said if we would “humble ourselves, and pray, and seek His face, and turn from our wicked waysHe would “hear, forgive, and heal our land.”  Instead of “humbling ourselves” as a nation, and “turning from our wicked ways,” our nation has said we must not “humble,” we must not “pray” and we must not “change our ways.”  Instead, America has further turned away from Jesus Christ in denying the rights of Christians, and embracing a host of other “gods” which are no gods.  Abortion is equally out of control, at least on the federal level, and “gay marriage” seems to be the order of the day.  America denies the right of “freedom of speech” to Christian ministers that speak out, but defends the rights of pornographers and the public use of filthy language as “rights” the constitution was written to defend.  Sony made a movie that should never have been made.  It was about the assassination of the leader of North Korea, who is undeniably a horrible leader.  When he responded, however, we were told that the “equally horrible movie” must become the “most seen” movie ever, “to defend our freedom of speech.”  In France, “Charlie Hebdo,” a trash newspaper which is little more than a pornographic magazine, published filthy illustrations of a naked Muhammad, as well as illustrations of Jesus as a homosexual, yet it shocked the world when two radical Islamists murdered ten of the newspaper staff, including the publisher.  Over four million people across France marched in the streets and dozens of heads of state from all over the world gathered in Paris to show solidarity with a pornographic newspaper; many of them carrying signs which said, “I am Charlie.”  Both conservative and liberal pundits in America are literally demanding that these filthy and offensive illustrations be published everywhere “in defense of freedom of speech.”  The young radicals that committed the murders were themselves killed in a gun battle with the police several days later and justly so, but must we approve filth to keep our “freedom of speech,” or should we perhaps “repent” of filth and pornography?  “I am not Charlie,” and I do not stand with them to defend what they do.  We have become those who defend the unclean and mock the wholesome.  It is a crime to pollute the water we drink or the food we eat; why must we allow the entertainment industry to pollute the minds of our children in the name of “freedom of speech.”  Those who stand in solidarity with the publishers of filth and pornography are approving what they do, and will stand as guilty before God as those who produce it. 

Romans 1:32:  “Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.”

Where were the millions of marchers and the dozens of heads of state when hundreds of Christians (and others) were beheaded by Isis?  Where were they when two hundred young Christian girls were kidnapped in Nigeria?  Is it somehow “better” to defend the offensive and the vile than the innocents who are slaughtered without mercy?  I say, “God have mercy on us,” but He will not have mercy on us unless we repent.  Radical Islamist must be stopped, but we do not have either the power or ability to stop them.  I risk the anger of some of my friends in the ministry when I say that God has sent the locust army to punish our nation and the western world for its sins; but without repentance, terrorism will only increase until one third of all who live on the earth will perish.

Only the Righteous Will be Kept by God

Revelation 9:4:  “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.”

The sixth chapter of Revelation ends with both a statement and a question;

Revelation 6:15-17:  “And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?

The seventh chapter is dedicated to answering the question, “Who shall be able to stand in the day of God’s wrath?” 

Revelation 7:2-3:  “And I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God: and he cried with a loud voice to the four angels, to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea, saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads.”

Remember that God placed His mark in the foreheads of His righteous people before He sent Nebuchadnezzar’s armies to destroy Jerusalem.  God commanded the destroyers to, come not near any man upon whom is the mark” (Ezekiel 9:6).  Those who had the mark of God were safe even in the midst of great destruction.  God has given a wonderful promise to those who dwell in the secret place of the most high Psalms 91:1-2.

Psalms 91:3-9:  Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence.  He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler.  Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day;  Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday. 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.”

In this, the last generation, these are those who have received the “seal of the living God” (Revelation 7:2).  They “abide in Christ (‘because thou hast made the LORD…thy habitation’) and are “filled with the Holy Ghost.”  They are daily renewed in the Spirit, and have God’s abiding presence with them.  It is not enough to simply “believe in Jesus” as you go your own way in life.  It is not enough to be a “commandment keeper” whose “righteousness” may be perfect according to the law.  Saul of Tarsus had that testimony while He was yet killing Christians (Philippians 3:6).   Moses spoke this to God about the “need” for “His Presence;”

Exodus 33:15-16:  “If thy presence go not with me, carry us not up hence.  For wherein shall it be known here that I and thy people have found grace in thy sight? is it not in that thou goest with us? so shall we be separated, I and thy people, from all the people that are upon the face of the earth.”  

It is God’s presence with us that sets us apart from our adversaries. 

In April of 1970, I had my revival tent set up in the “Sunnyside” addition of Houston Texas.  In was during the time that the original Black Panther party was gaining much attention nationwide.  In the Houston/Galveston area, they had entered several large churches and received offerings for themselves, using fear to rob the people.  One night the “Black Panthers” sent a young man to our meeting under the tent.  After several interruptions and antics, which I have written about in a booklet titled, “The Day of the Locusts.”  This young man actually gained control of the service and began speaking to the people.  This happened just as I was beginning to bring my message for the night.  I knew that I had lost control of the service unless God would help me.  While he was making some threatening statements, he looked at me, and when I caught his eye, I said, “You are a child of the devil.”  He answered, “Yes, Satan lives in me.  When I speak, it is Satan that is speaking.”  Immediately I spoke, as our eyes were fixed on one another, “Satan, I rebuke you in the name of Jesus Christ.  I command you to sit down and not disturb this service again.”  He did not say another word, but meekly sat down without further conflict.  After the service, I asked him if I could speak with him.  He agreed, and we talked for well over an hour as he calmly told me of their plans to “burn America.” He told me, “We built America, and we will burn America.  We are not afraid of any man.  When we begin, we will kill anyone that moves against us, man, woman, or child, and we are not afraid of the police.  The only being we are afraid of is Jesus Christ.” Then he added something I have never forgotten; “And you, if you have what you preached tonight, we are afraid of you. None of us have any power to hurt anyone who has what you preached tonight.”  We spoke calmly with an amazing amount of respect for each other, but when he turned to leave, a great horror possessed the young man.  He began crying, “Preacher! Pray for me that I get home safe.”  I tried to persuade him to repent of his sins and receive Jesus, but he said “No! My daddy was a pastor of a church, and I would rather have what I’ve got than what he had.”  With that he walked out into the darkness of the night in great fear, saying, “Pray for me. I have touched something I should not have touched.  Pray for me.” In July of that same year the Houston police laid siege on the Black Panther headquarters in downtown Houston and killed most of those who were present.  I have always wondered if that young man was among those who were killed; and hoped that he was not.

The Sixth Trumpet; the Second Woe

On this day, January 14, 2015, we are living in the days of the fifth trumpet, which is sounding very loud for those with ears to hear.  The fifth trumpet is the swarming of the locust army to the ends of the earth, infiltrating every nation and culture.  The sixth trumpet is beginning to sound and will ultimately usher in the last three and a half years of great tribulation upon the whole earth.  We have not yet felt the “pain” of the sixth trumpet, which is also the “second woe,” because the “locust army” has been held back for a short season (Revelation 7:3) while God in His infinite patience waits for those who will “repent” and be “sealed by His Spirit.” 

Matthew 24:21-22:  “For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be (again).  And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened.”

This time of “great tribulation” which was foretold, not only by Jesus but also by the angel Gabriel to the prophet Daniel (Daniel 12:1-2), is the next great prophetic event to take place on planet earth.  Many people will ignore the warnings in this message because they are totally invested in the idea that the “rapture of the church” will take place “before the great tribulation.”  They have been given an imaginary scenario of things that can only take place after the rapture, such as the arising of “the antichrist,” the rebuilding the temple, the restoring animal sacrifices, etc, none of which are clearly defined in the scripture.

Revelation 9:12-16:  “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.  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.  And the number of the army of the horsemen were two hundred thousand thousand: and I heard the number of them.”

This prophecy speaks of “four angels” that have been bound in the river Euphrates, but are loosened shortly after the sounding of the sixth trumpet.  The ancient city of Babylon was built adjacently with the Euphrates River, about fifty miles south of Bagdad, the capital city of Iraq.  It is beyond coincidence that the nation of Iraq, which became the focal point of America’s “war on terror,” was pinpointed by prophecy almost two thousand years before as the place from which the greatest tribulation the world has ever seen will soon be unleashed against the nations. The sixth trumpet is even now, beginning to sound. The “four angels” have been released, and they are rapidly gathering their army of two hundred million.  There is no nation on earth that could field such a vast army, because of the vast expense of clothing, feeding and equipping, but it is no problem for radical Islam.  There are 1.6 billion Muslims on earth at the present time.  If only 12.5 % of them can be radicalized, the result is an army of two hundred million.  They cross every ethnic and national boundary.  They clothe and feed themselves, make their own weapons, and are willing to kill themselves to further their cause.  America is without question the greatest military power in the history of the world.  There is no nation on earth that our military could not easily defeat, yet we have only a little over two million military personnel, including our reserves.  What we are facing at present will soon outnumber us by almost one hundred to one, incredibly bad odds at best.  

The scriptures seem to leave no stone unturned in identifying the locust army for those who can understand.  Radical Islam has a “secret weapon,” which is their “suicide bomber.”  The prophet Joel foretold this in his description of the locust army; “…when they fall upon the sword, they shall not be wounded” (Joel 2:8).  A more proper translation of the Hebrew in this text says “they shall not be stopped.”  To “fall on the sword” has universally been used as a slang term for suicide.  King Saul killed himself by “falling on his sword,” so we know the prophet was familiar with the term he used in this text.  In the sounding of the sixth trumpet, the “suicide bomber” is identified again; “I saw the horses in the vision, and them that sat on them, having breastplates of fire, and of jacinth, and brimstone (Revelation 9:17).  What could describe a modern suicide belt any better than the words the apostle uses here; a “breastplate of fire and brimstone.” 

Revelation 9:18-19: 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.  For their power is in their mouth, and in their tails: for their tails were like unto serpents, and had heads, and with them they do hurt.

Jesus, when speaking of the time of “great tribulation” that is coming upon the earth says, “except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s (Israel’s) sake those days shall be shortened” (Matthew 24:22). This time of great tribulation will see a third part of mankind killed in the horrible violence and mayhem that ensues. This third part may include the two thirds of the Israeli people. 

Why is God Angry with America?

Revelation 9:20-21:  “And the rest of the men which were not killed by these plagues (calamities) 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.”

The five sins that have brought the anger of God against America and the western nations are listed in these verses.  It is for these five sins that God has commanded the locust army, radical Islam, to devour our land (II Chronicles 7:13).  The only answer to stop the death and devastation in America is to humble ourselves,” to pray,” to seek the face of God,” and to turn from our wicked ways (II Chronicles 7:14).  Our “wicked ways” are listed for us in our text.  They are:

1.  Idolatry: What do the works of our hands have to do with idolatry? The works of our hands are primarily motivated by our own hurtful lust; to build, buy, or, in some manner, enjoy the lust of the flesh (too many to even mention). And the worship of devils? Have you ever seen, in person or on screen, some of the so called entertainment that our children are watching and participating in.  America has opened the arms of welcome to worshipers of every false religion known to man, along with the false gods (devils) that create and propagate them. It is by these false messages that they deceive and destroy the very soul of America; and they will be held guilty of exalting these things above Jesus Christ when they stand before God. Something I strongly disagree with in the common interpretation of “freedom of religion” in our constitution.  I will never be convinced that the framers had anything in mind, other than the countless denominations of Christian religion. 

2.  Murders:  America has given the approval of law to “murder” almost sixty million of our children through abortion during this last generation.

3. Sorceries:  The Greek word is “pharmakiea,” which speaks of “drugs.”  Our America drug culture has brought the anger of God against us.

4.  Fornications:  The Greek word is “pornio,” which speaks of the “sex industry” in America.  Over fifty percent of the babies born in America are born without a daddy in the home.  Our nation gives the approval of law to homosexual marriage, defends pornography in the name of “freedom of speech,” and has many courts that are light on child predators.

5.  Thefts:  It isn’t the thief that is in prison for his or her crimes; it is the “greed” that permeates every area of American life, from the richest of the rich to the poorest of the poor.  Everyone seems to seeking something for nothing, and all too often laws have been made to accommodate the few at the expense of the many. 

These five sins are listed by God in the Revelation as the sins that bring the anger of God against the nations.  They are predominantly western world sins, and they are the reason the greatest time of tribulation the world has ever seen is being prepared for this generation.  The horrible things that are taking place in the world today because of radical Islam are only a prelude to what is coming.  The “four angels” that have been “loosened” out of the great river Euphrates (Revelation 9:14), are actually being “held back” right now for the sake of those who will “repent” and “be sealed” by God (Revelation 7:2-3).  The scripture says they are “prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year, for to slay the third part of men.”  They have been loosened; we know who they are, and what they are prepared to do.  They are being held back for now, waiting for the repentance of the nations which will not come.  The standard question is, “Are you ready for the coming of Jesus?”  Perhaps an even more relevant question for a child of God is, “Are you ready for the coming of radical Islam,” because they will come for a full three and a half years in advance of the return of Jesus.    

Radical Islam is not going away.  The events of the sixth trumpet are recorded in the scriptures from Revelation 9:13 through 11:13, and includes the ministry and murder of the two witnesses. 

Revelation 11:3:  “And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth.“ 

The phrase “I will give power” speaks of a great outpouring of the Holy Ghost upon the children of God, which will seal them for their protection in the time of trouble.  The duration of the ministry of the witnesses is equal to three and a half years, which is the duration of the time of “great tribulation” that is coming upon the inhabitants of the earth.  No one can harm these witnesses for the duration of their ministry, but at the very end of the three and a half years, they will be slain.

Revelation 11:7:  “And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them.”

The “beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit” is the “king” over radical Islam (Revelation 9:11).  They will succeed in killing the witnesses only three and a half days before the return of Jesus and the resurrection of the dead (Revelation 11:11-12).

Revelation 11:14:  “The second woe is past; and, behold, the third woe cometh quickly. 

Notice what Jesus said about the time of great tribulation and the rapture of the church:

Matthew 24:29-31: Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.  And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.”

This is the rapture of the church, “after the tribulation of those days,” when we shall be “gathered together from the four winds” and “caught up together” to meet Him in the cloud.  The time of great tribulation is itself the second great “woe” of the prophecy.  The second coming of Christ, which is the “blessed hope” of the children of God, will be the greatest of the three “woes” for those who have not prepared to meet Him at His coming.

Revelation 11: 15: 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.”

This verse of scripture is speaking about the second coming of Christ.  Notice what is spoken from heaven at the sounding of this trumpet; “The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.”   

Verse eighteen says, And the nations were angry….”  Jude described the second coming with these words; “Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints, to execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him” (Jude 1:14-15).  The apostle Paul tells of the same event with these words; “Seeing it is a righteous thing with God to recompense tribulation to them that trouble you; And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, in flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power; when he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired in all them that believe (because our testimony among you was believed) in that day.”   The apostle says that Jesus will give “rest” to the righteous at the same time that He “takes vengeance on them that know not God.”  The same event is the “blessed hope” of one, and the “greatest nightmare” for another.  Jesus exhorts us with these words; “be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh” (Matthew 24:44).

After “911” many of America’s leaders told us, “If we change our ways, the terrorists have won.”  God says to America, “If you don’t change your ways, the terrorist have won.”  God is angry with America and the western nations because of their national sins.  Islam hates America and calls her “the great Satan” because of those same sins. We are not “hated” by Islam because we are “holy” or “good;” we are hated because of the pornography, filthy entertainment, homosexuality, drugs, alcohol, etc, that is spawned in the modern western culture.  The course we as a nation are taking will never defeat radical Islam.  If we seek to destroy them, we will only agitate them until they have their army of two hundred million that is prophesied in Revelation 9:15-16.  To appease them, we would be forced to convert and surrender to Sharia law.  The only way to get rid of the terrorists is to repent to God, who is the Father of Jesus Christ. God Himself gives us the formula:

II Chronicles 7:13-14: “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.  

America, it is up to you!    

Message 70 - By Leroy Surface - Three Woes

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