The End is Coming!
There you have it. I believe America, a formerly great Christian nation, is suffering and under judgment. She has fallen away from the Lord, because she has refused
to be obedient unto the voice of the Lord.[1]
I believe America will continue to suffer as God’s Word has so clearly demonstrated. I have tried to show that America surely parallels the picture of Babylon the Whore of Revelation chapters 17 and 18.
I have compared America with Israel of old who also suffered for abandoning the Words of the Lord and was finally conquered and Jerusalem destroyed by the Babylonians under Nebuchadnezzar.
Moses told them that it was not because of their own righteousness that God was with them, but because of the wickedness of those other nations He destroyed before them.[2] Even so, it was not that Nebuchadnezzar was so righteous that God let him conquer Israel and the other nations, but he was less wicked than the nations he conquered. Israel had become even more wicked than those ungodly nations, and so God was obliged to condemn her. Today we have the same situation with America.
Apostle Paul has warned that in the last days
evil men would wax worse and worse deceiving and being deceived.[3]
He said,
This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady, high-minded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.[4]
Doesn’t this sound like the days we are living in today? Let’s review what Jesus Himself said when talking about the time of the end and His coming. He said that
because iniquity would abound the love of many would wax cold.[5]
Remember He also said that the wars, famines, earthquakes and pestilences that we would see would only be the beginnings of sorrows.[6] He warned us three times in His end-time exhortation not to be deceived by false Christs who would deceive many.[7]
He warned us many would believe lies. The peace prophets[8] in the time of Jeremiah told the people Jeremiah was a false prophet and that there would be peace, not war. These same prophets told the people to trust in the Temple of the Lord which had always saved them in the past. Jeremiah responded with these words which we have looked at earlier:
Trust ye not in lying words, saying, The temple of the Lord, The temple of the Lord, The temple of the Lord are these. … Behold, ye trust in lying words which cannot profit. Will ye steal, murder, and commit adultery, and swear falsely and burn incense unto to Baal, and walk after other gods whom ye know not; and come and stand before me in this house, which is called by my name, and say, We are delivered to do all these abominations?[9]
And now, because ye have done all these works, says the Lord, and I spoke unto you, rising up early and speaking, but ye heard not; and I called, but ye answered not; Therefore I will cast you out of my sight, as I have out all your brethren. Pray not for this people, neither lift up cry nor prayer for them, neither make intercession to me: for I will not hear thee.[10]
Therefore thou shall speak all these words unto them; but they will not hearken to thee: thou shalt also call unto them; but they will not answer thee. And the carcasses of this people shall be meat for the fowls of heaven, and for the beasts of the earth; and none shall fray them away. Then will I cause to cease from the cities of Judah, and from the streets of Jerusalem, the voice of mirth, and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride: for the land shall be desolate.[11]
But did God’s people listen to his prophets? No, and neither will the Americans. They are drunk on the wine of the fornication which the whore of capitalism has offered them and they cannot see their own sins. God may even use a “heathen” nation to destroy them as he did to Israel and Judah of old. Or maybe the money that they love and serve in the end will destroy them. Or their own internal bickering will cause them to destroy one another.
Another sign that Jesus gave to his disciples of His coming and of the end of the world was that
this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world as a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.
I quoted this verse in the previous chapter, but did not comment on it. Recently a news item stated that there is an organization whose goal is to get the written Word of God into every language on the earth to fulfill this prophecy. They claim that by 2020, they will have finished their objective and will have published the Bible in every known language in the world.[13] Are we entering into the period of world history when the end will come? Will it be in our generation, or our children’s or grandchildren’s?
I will have to leave these questions and their answers to the next book in this series Where is America in Bible Prophecy? I had hoped to enter more fully into this question, but I needed to build the foundation of your faith. I needed to show how consistent Bible prophecy has been in predicting the future. Bible scholars estimate that about 80% of all Bible prophecies have already been fulfilled accurately.[14] Surely the remaining 20% will also be fulfilled in the same accurate manner.
We have come so far to some pretty strong conclusions. In the Bible we have seen that God condemned Israel for her sins. We have seen that Israel of old and America have a parallel history. The similarities are quite obvious. We have concluded that America may very well be the epitome of Babylon the Whore of Revelation 17 and 18 and as thus has infected the whole world with her iniquity.
In the multitude of words, there wants not sin.[15]
In Ezekiel we read,
In other words, I have said a lot here in this book. I no doubt have not got everything right. I am human, make mistakes and get things wrong like everyone else. But I have shared with you how I see the Scriptures and the world situation so that you yourself will investigate to see if these things be so.
In Ezekiel we read,
Her (Israel’s) prophets in the midst thereof (are) like a roaring lion ravening the prey; they have devoured souls; they have taken the treasure and precious things; they have made her many widows in the midst thereof. Her priests have violated my law, and have profaned mine holy things…Her princes in the midst thereof are like wolves ravening the prey, to shed blood, and to destroy souls, to get dishonest gain. And her prophets have daubed them with untempered mortar, seeing vanity, and divining lies unto them, saying, Thus says the Lord God, when the Lord hath not spoken.
The people of the land have used oppression, and exercised robbery, and have vexed the poor and needy: yea, they have oppressed the stranger wrongfully. And I sought for a man among them that should make up the hedge, and stand in the gap before me for the land, that I should not destroy it: but I found none.[16]
Notes:
[1] Deuteronomy 8:20
[2] Deuteronomy 9:5
[3] 2Timothy 3:13
[4] 2Timothy 3:1-7
[5] Matthew 24:12
[10] Jeremiah 7: 13-16
[11] Jeremiah 7: 27-34
[12] Matthew 24:14
[13] http://www.christianpost.com/news/gmopotential-there-to-reach-whole-world-by-2020-44881/(accessed 03/2016)
[14] http://www.reasons.org/articles/articles/fulfilled-prophecy-evidence-for-the-reliability-of-the-bible(accessed 03/2016)
[15] Proverbs 10:19
[16] Ezekiel 22:26-30
[17] Jeremiah 29:13
Is the Lord asking you to be one of those men or women who will stand in the gap, the gap in the wall of our former Christian culture, and fight the spiritual war against the enemies of faith, truth and love? Will you stand up in the gap for Christ with Godly convictions and beliefs? Will you take the stand?
In the next book in this series we will look more closely at the prophecies of Daniel and how they fit together with those in Revelation. We will look at the prophecies of Ezekiel and see how they compliment Daniel’s. We will see that both Paul’s predictions and Jesus’ combine nicely with all of the above to give us a pretty accurate picture of the days ahead. We can know the future because God’s Word has spoken clearly about it. It only takes for a man or woman to seek and search it out. My prayer is that you will be one of those men or women.
And ye shall seek Me and find Me when ye shall search for Me with all your heart.[17]
To go to the previous chapter click HERE
To go to the next chapter click HERE
To go to the index of chapter for the book click HERE
All Bible verses are from the King James Bible, although I have changed some of the old English. Any similarity to any modern version is only by coincidence. Bible verses other than the King James have been foot-noted properly.
Copyright @ Dennis M. Edwards (photos used from Google images for educational purposes only)
Notes:
[1] Deuteronomy 8:20
[2] Deuteronomy 9:5
[3] 2Timothy 3:13
[4] 2Timothy 3:1-7
[5] Matthew 24:12
[6] Matthew 24: 6-8 And ye shall hear of wars and rumors of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows.
[7] Matthew 24: 4-26 And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. And ye shall hear of wars and rumors of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows. Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake. And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come. When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso reads, let him understand:) Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains: Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house: Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes. And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days! But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day: For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened. Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not. For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect. Behold, I have told you before. Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not.
[8] Jeremiah 8:11 For they have healed the hurt of the daughter of my people slightly, saying, Peace, peace; when there is no peace.
[9] Jeremiah 7: 4-10[10] Jeremiah 7: 13-16
[11] Jeremiah 7: 27-34
[12] Matthew 24:14
[13] http://www.christianpost.com/news/gmopotential-there-to-reach-whole-world-by-2020-44881/(accessed 03/2016)
[14] http://www.reasons.org/articles/articles/fulfilled-prophecy-evidence-for-the-reliability-of-the-bible(accessed 03/2016)
[15] Proverbs 10:19
[16] Ezekiel 22:26-30
[17] Jeremiah 29:13
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