INTRODUCTION
The Holy Bible has a lot to say about the end times. Nearly every book of
the Bible contains prophecy that points us to the end time generation. The
Holy Scriptures state a lot of examples of signs that should serve as a warning
to us that we are now coming to the end of the age. Prophecy is being fulfilled
daily and at a very fast pace than ever before. We can now see the beginning
of birth pains through natural upheavals, distress among nations, pestilences,
wars and rumours of war. Truly, end time events are beginning to take effect
upon us all. It is increasingly obvious that the time of our Lord’s
coming is drawing near. We are the last generation and we are seeing the symbolic
prophecies of the past becoming a literal reality right now. The final elements
of God’s judgment are taking shape with each passing season and year.
And God has never failed to give us a warning of the approaching end of the
age through many scriptural signs which have now come to pass and many of
which will still be fulfilled in the near future.
SIGNS OF THE END
Matthew 24:5-8 gives us some important clues on how we can discern the approaching
of the end times, “For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ;
and shall deceive many. And ye shall hear of wars and rumours 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.” An increase
in false messiahs, an increase in warfare, and increases in famines, plagues,
and natural disasters – all these are sure “signs” that
the end time is here.
The seven signs given by Jesus to indicate His soon appearing and the end
of the world are: (1) false christs and false prophets appearing, (2) wars
and rumours of wars, (3) famines, (4) earthquakes in diverse places, (5) pestilences,
(6) tribulations, and (7) the Gospel being preached throughout all the world.
Matthew 24:14 states,“And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached
in the whole world for a witness to all the nations, and then the end shall
come.” There is no doubt that this prophecy of gospel propagation has
already been fulfilled through television, radio, the translation of the Bible
into many languages, and through the internet. Majority of the people all
over the world today have already heard the Message of Christ from these media
and through missionaries who have the means to travel around the globe via
the latest means of transportation, and via technology that allows us to communicate
with people on the other side of the world right from our very own homes,
churches and offices.
LUKE 21:25-28 also states, “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. shall they see the Son of man coming in
a cloud with power and great glory. And when these things begin to come to
pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.”
END-TIME DESTRUCTION
In Malachi 4 verse 1, the last chapter of the Old Testament, God warned us
of the end time destruction that will take place upon the earth at the end
time. ”For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and
all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day
that cometh shall burn them up, saith the LORD of hosts, that it shall leave
them neither root nor branch.”
The same warning was spoken of by Apostle Peter in the New Testament. II Peter
3:10-12 states, “But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the
night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the
elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are
therein shall be burned up. [Seeing] then [that] all these things shall be
dissolved, what manner [of persons] ought ye to be in [all] holy conversation
and godliness, Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God,
wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall
melt with fervent heat?”
The earth has been in existence for almost six thousand years, and every 2,000
years, destruction comes upon it. The first two thousand years was ended by
flood waters in the time of Noah.
Genesis 6:5-8, “And GOD saw that the wickedness of man [was] great in
the earth, and [that] every imagination of the thoughts of his heart [was]
only evil continually. And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the
earth, and it grieved him at his heart. And the LORD said, I will destroy
man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and
the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have
made them. But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD.”
Genesis 7:19-22 “And the waters prevailed exceedingly upon the earth;
and all the high hills, that [were] under the whole heaven, were covered.
Fifteen cubits upward did the waters prevail; and the mountains were covered.
And all flesh died that moved upon the earth, both of fowl, and of cattle,
and of beast, and of every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth, and
every man: All in whose nostrils [was] the breath of life, of all that [was]
in the dry [land], died.”
The second two thousand years of the earth ended when Jesus Christ came and
shed His blood at the Cross on Calvary. God, sending General Titus of Rome
to destroy Jerusalem in 70 AD, scatterred the Israelites amongst all nations
because of their rejection of the Messiah. “How did the Israelites condemn
themselves? By blaspheming the Holy Ghost, and calling the Spirit of God an
unclean thing. They made fun of Him when the Christians were dancing in the
Spirit, and so forth, on the day of Pentecost. Titus killed them in there,
and their blood run out the gatesway. They ate their own children and everything
in that same century. One of the greatest nations of the world become the
lowest, and scattered to the four winds of the earth. Because why? Unbelief.”
(WMB, LAODICEAN CHURCH.AGE; 60-1211E)
“Titus brought this great army of Romans and Greeks, and compassed the
walls of Jerusalem, penned those people in there, and they starved to death.
They ate the bark from the trees, Josephus, the great historian, tells us.
And they ate the grass off the ground. They even boiled one another's children
and eat it (See?)” (WMB, UNITING.TIME.AND.SIGN; 63-0818)
The last two thousand years is upon us now. At the time of the writing of
this book (year 2008), we have already exceeded 8 years from what is supposed
to be the standard timeframe for God’s wrath outpouring. We have had
two world wars already, and a third one is coming up. It will be the Battle
of Armageddon which destroys all things. It will be when Israel is attacked
by Russia and Iran (God and Magog) which will trigger a third world war. “We've
had several wars, wars, and rumors of wars, and V-days. It will finally wind
up into the great battle of Armageddon. That'll be the last of it. When she
comes to the battle of Armageddon, that'll settles the whole thing. Just before
the great millennium, Armageddon is to clean off the earth. She repurifies
herself with this atomic blowing, and the volcanic ash, and thing sinks this
soaked blood of men upon the earth, and sin, and crime. She sinks beneath
the earth. The volcanic breaks out again, and renews, and cleans the earth
for the great millennium.” (WMB, VICTORY.DAY; 63-0421)
“See, the world has now almost six thousand years old. See, and every
two thousand year it's had a destruction. See? First two thousand, the flood
came, and He baptized it with what? Water. Next two thousand, Jesus come to
sanctify and claim it, dropped His Blood upon it, called it His. All right,
"I'll come again," now, as King with His Queen. And the second two
thousand years what does He do? He comes and gives His rest period and then
burns her off and claims it for His own, puts His Own back on it. And notice,
not the perfect world, this millennium is a type of the seventh day. Then
comes the white throne judgment. See, we still have judgment; we're still
in time in the millennium. It's a day, one thousand years. It's a time element.”
(WMB, FUTURE.HOME; 64-0802)
END-TIME SCENARIO
Our age today is well-identified in the Bible as the Laodicean Age, the very
last Gentile Church Age wherein God is calling out a Bride for Jesus Christ
just before Jesus returns back again to earth and reveal Himself to the 144,000
elect Jews. In Revelation 3:15-17, God addresses our age:
“I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou
wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor
hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth. Because thou sayest, I am rich, and
increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou
art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked.”
“Our age claims to be “rich in goods”, “spiritually
wealthy”, and had “need of nothing”. Truly, we can see that
the world church today in general is wealthy. There never has been such a
show of wealth today as compared with other past generations. Our beautiful
sanctuaries are multiplied in number as never before. The various denominations
vie with each other to see who can build the biggest and the loveliest. They
build education centers worth unestimated millions, yet those buildings are
used only an hour or two a week. Money has poured into the church until different
denominations own stocks and bonds, factories, oil wells, and insurance companies.
They have poured money into welfare and retirement funds. But it has become
a snare to the ministers, for if they decide to leave their group for more
light or the love of God, their pensions are lost to them.
Religion today is known to be a big business. It is an absolute fact that
they are placing business managers in the churches to take care of finances.
There are radio programs, television programs, and numerous church endeavors
that are costing millions and millions of dollars. Wealth pours and pours
into the church, the membership increases along with the money, yet the work
is not being done as it was done when there was no money, but men rested solely
on the ability given them by the Holy Ghost. There are paid preachers, paid
assistants, paid ministers of music and education, paid choirs, paid custodians,
programs, and entertainment - all costing great sums, but for all that, the
power is decreasing. Yes, the church is rich, but the power is not there.
God moves by His Spirit, not by the amount of money or talent in the church.”
(WMB, 342-5 LAODICEAN.CHURCH.AGE - CHURCH AGE BOOK CPT.9)
Yet God saw our age otherwise. He said, "You don't know this, but you
are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked." When a people are that
way, especially naked and don’t know it, there has to be something awfully
wrong.
Reverend William Marrion Branham further described our
age as follows:
“This age boasts of its tremendous stores of worldly goods, but the
people are less happy than ever. This age boasts of its spiritual attainments,
but the people are less sure of themselves than ever. This age boasts of better
moral values and it is more corrupt than any age since the flood. It talks
about its knowledge and science, but it is fighting a losing battle in all
fields, for the human mind and soul and spirit cannot comprehend or keep abreast
with all the changes that have come upon the earth. In one generation we have
gone all the way from the horse and buggy age to the space age, and we are
proud and boastful about it; but inside is a dark void cavern that is crying
out in torment, and WITHOUT A KNOWN REASON men's hearts are failing for fear
and the world is so darkened that this age could well be called the age of
neurotics. It boasts, but it cannot back it up. It cries peace, and there
is no peace. It cries that it has a great amplitude of all things, but it
keeps burning with desire like an unsatisfied fire! "There is no peace,"
saith my God to the wicked. TWhat God saw was entirely different from what
our age is proclaiming.
The whole world's in neurotic condition. The world has become so neurotic
that even the psychiatrists themselves are having nervous breakdowns. The
great men of science don’t know what is taking place. They are staggering
under the evil influences of war nerves that is taking place in the universe.
Every city, every farm, every street, and every place, you encounter the same
evil atmosphere of darkness that is relentlessly enveloping the earth. But
the Spirit-filled child of God is aware of what is going on. He knows the
answer - the Lord is coming soon. And the Word of God is fulfilling Itself
with such rapidity that only the true born-again Spirit-filled, Spirit-led
Christian can keep up and above board in this hour.
It is strange; but in this age of plenty and opportunity, when everyone has
so much and there is so much more to be had, what with all the inventions
to do our work and so many things to give us pleasure, SUDDENLY, we find mental
illness taking such a toll as to alarm the nation. When everybody ought to
be happy, with really nothing to be unhappy about, millions are taking sedatives
at night, pep pills in the morning, rushing to doctors, entering institutions,
and trying to drown out unknown fears by alcohol.
The world is dilly-dallying along, knowing something is wrong but seeing no
solution because they have no light to lead them to a solution. So they rock
and roll it out in one grand time in order to forget and to escape the nervous
tensions that encumber them. Rather than praying to God to remove the evil
that plagues the world and be free of it, they would rather endorse relaxing
and watching TV, have suppers and sewing parties, run to swimming beaches
and places of worldly gatherings, preach sermons on flowers and bluebirds,
and totally lay aside the real issues and the blessings of God - that He can
heal and perform miracles and raise the dead, and all other truths they have
stopped preaching.” (SOURCE: As the Eagle Stirreth Her
Nest & The Laodicean Church Age)
THE
EVENING TIME
Our age is also described in Zechariah 14:6-7 as a gloomy and dismal day -
“And it shall come to pass in that day, [that] the light shall not be
clear, [nor] dark: But it shall be one day that shall be known to the LORD,
not day, nor night: but it shall come to pass, that at evening time it shall
be light.”
“The prophet Zechariah promised that there'd be a day come, that it
wouldn't be neither night nor day, be a dismal. But said, "In the evening
time, it shall be Light." What happened? Geographically, the sun raises
in the east and sets in the west. Civilization has traveled with the sun.
And the Holy Spirit, the Son of God, His goodness fell on the Eastern people
first. That's the rising of the sun. Now, there's been a day that's passed
over, that it's not dark; it's dismal. We've had enough knowledge of the Word
in God to get people saved, join the church, so forth. But it said, "In
the evening time it shall be Light," on the Western people, just like
it was on the Eastern people. The same sun that raises in the east, sets in
the west. We're at the closing of the Gentile age. This is a Western people.
And the same Holy Ghost that came in a Man called Jesus Christ, and performed
miracles, promised that at the setting of the sun, that He would return back,
and would do the very same things that He did when He was here with the Eastern
people. And the same Son of God that manifested and appeared in the east is
appearing in the west now at the evening time, evening Light to the Church
that's called out and filled with the Holy Spirit. He's done come through
justification, Luther Age, Sanctification, Wesley Age, Pentecostal Age, done
placed His gifts into the church, and now, appeared to us in our flesh as
Jesus said He would.” (WMB; AS THE EAGLE STIRRETH.UP.HER.NEST;59-0815
/ FORGOTTEN.BEATITUDE; 61-0425E)
PERILOUS TIMES
The last days are also characterized by Apostle Paul as “perilous times”
because of the increasingly evil character of men and people who actively
“resist the truth”. II Timothy 3:1-5 tells us, “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, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; Having a form
of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.”
For anyone who has watched television or has read today’s newspapers,
it is quite obvious that this prophecy has been truly fulfilled in our generation.
Our leaders are often corrupt; our cities are filled with crimes of rape,
kidnapping, murder, brutality, and our billboards and neon signs are proclaiming
sinful and godless advertisements such as that of liquors, cigars, casinos
and night clubs. We are truly living in Satan’s eden. Satan is the god
of this evil age, the “prince of the power of the air”.
ISRAEL AS A NATION
The most prominent sign of the end times, however, is the nation of Israel.
All end time prophecies are centered around the nation of Israel. In 1948,
Israel was recognized as a sovereign state for the first time since 70 A.D.
The nation of Israel did not exist before except as a dispersed people throughout
the nations. The soon return of the Lord could never happen if they will remain
scattered throughout all the world. Since their founding, this last generation
has seen the final restoration of Jacob, as her people begin to return to
their promised land. This generation that sees Israel become a nation, according
to the Bible, shall not pass away untill all things be fulfilled. The Bible
points to Israel as the “fig tree”. Mark 13:28-30, “Now
learn a parable of the fig tree; When her branch is yet tender, and putteth
forth leaves, ye know that summer is near: So ye in like manner, when ye shall
see these things come to pass, know that it is nigh, [even] at the doors.
Verily I say unto you, that this generation shall not pass, till all these
things be done.” Isaiah spoke of a day when the nation of Israel would
be born in one day.
Paul in Romans 11:25-27 states, “For I would not, brethren, that ye
should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits;
that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles
be come in. And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall
come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob:
For this [is] my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins.”
Having Israel as a nation in its own land, therefore, is of great significance
in light of end-time prophecy since God’s timeline for the world’s
kingdoms is based upon Israel’s seventy weeks of Daniel (Read “70
Weeks of Daniel” in Chapter 36). Other sure signs connected with the
nation of Israel would include a rebuilding of a Jewish temple in Jerusalem,
increased hostility towards Israel (Isaac’s lineage) by the Moslems
and Arab nations (Ishmael’s lineage), and a soon coming Judeo-Vatican-American
covenant for a one-world religion and a one-world government.
THE NEW WORLD ORDER
Witnessing the founding of the United Nations and the founding of the World
Council of Churches in 1948, the same year when Israel became a nation, signalled
the ending of the age. The creation of the World Trade Organization, International
Criminal Court, UN peacekeeping/police force, numerous UN NGO’s, and
other global agencies, are but preliminary steps to the formation of a new
world order. We now have the communications technology, transportation, and
the pro-globalization media necessary to usher in the one world government
which, according to the Bible, will be headed by the antiChrist. The increasing
terrorist threat and the Middle East conflict will only speed up the formation
of these governing bodies as fear and promises of better security make more
people more willing to give up their national sovereignty for global governance.
There will be an economic sabotage for “No man can buy or sell except
he that has the Mark of the beast”. “Beast” signifies “power”;
that will be the power of the ruling body of the soon coming one-world government.
The mission-vision of the New World Order is described by the Committee of
300 as follows: “Global governance aspires to provide to every person
on earth security from threat of war, environmental degradation, and from
the injustice of poverty, intolerance, and disease. The oppressed people of
the world surely take great hope from such noble aspirations. The central
theme of global governance is embodied in the concept of “sustainable
development”: the integration of economic activity with social justice
and environmental protection.”
KNOWLEDGE SHALL INCREASE
We can add three
more other clues as stated in the Book of Daniel concerning this last generation.
First, there would be a population boom. Secondly, this generation would be
the most traveled generation due to the advancement in transportation sytems.
And third, this generation would experience tremendous increase in knowledge
due to the technological advancements in computers. Daniel 12:4 states, “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.”
In October of 1999, the world passed the 6 Billion mark for the world population
of people living in this planet. At that moment, we exceeded the number that
no one has ever imagined. We now have more people alive on the earth at this
time than any other age that has ever existed upon this earth. At this moment
in the history of earth, more than 50% of the people that have ever lived
on it are alive at this time. Clearly, this generation (like no other) has
so many people in it.
This generation has also seen travel increase exceeding anything ever dreamed
of in the past generations. In 1969, we have put men on the moon and brought
them back. People have gone to the North and South Pole many times. Men have
climbed the highest mountain Mt. Everest. We have traveled internationally
from nation to nation on a daily basis in a matter of hours due to supersonic
airplanes. No other past generation can even approach us by comparison in
this field alone.
Finally, this generation has seen the volume of world knowledge double more
than seven times in our own time. The knowledge of the world didn’t
double the first time until 1958. According to Encyclopedia Britannica, they
can’t keep up with the ever increasing knowledge. They claim that the
knowledge of the world is doubling every 22 months. Sociologists have characterized
this generation alone as being the “Knowledge Age”. Only one generation
has experienced these so many changes due to increased knowledge. The Bible
says that the last generation will be characterized by this phenomena.
COMMERCIALISM & MORAL DECAY
Our age can also be well-characterized by its booming trade and commerce,
marriage and divorce cases, and an increase in moral decay. The Bible types
our age with that of the days of Noah and Lot. Noah’s highly scientific
age was finally destroyed by water. Lot’s generation of Sodomites was
finally destroyed by fire and brimstone.
LUKE 17:26-30 declares- “ And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man. They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all. Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded; But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed [them] all. Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed.”
Here is one latest
American Statistics:
-60% of marriages in the United States end up in divorce.
-40 million abortions have taken place in the U.S. since 1973.
Number of hours per day that TV is on in an average U.S. home: 6 hours, 47
minutes
-Homosexuality was once a crime, now taking a stand against it, is considered
the crime.
-It is currently estimated that about 10% of the population is homosexual.
-The U.S. Census 2000 reveals Households headed by unmarried partners grew
72%.
-Sex is the number one reason adult Americans use the Internet. One-third
of all visits are to sexually oriented Web sites, chat rooms and news groups
-21 million Americans visit one of the more than 60,000 sex sites on the Web
at least once a month.
-More than 4 out of 10 young women become pregnant at least once before they
reach the age of 20—nearly one million a year.
Eight in ten of these pregnancies are unintended and 80 percent are to unmarried
teens. Nationwide, 40% of our ninth graders, 48% of our tenth graders, 57%
of our eleventh graders and 72% of our twelfth graders have had sex.
-The average age at which American children first engage in sexual activity
is currently 15 for American girls and 14 for American boys.
-Lotteries have become a multi-billion dollar industry throughout the U.S.
-Canada and California has approved marriages between homosexuals.
END-TIME
APOSTASY
Aside from the seven major signs that Jesus made mention in the Books of Matthew
24 and Luke 21, the Apostle Paul also warned us that the last days would bring
a marked increase in false teaching. He wrote in 1 Timothy 4:1, “In
the latter times, some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing
spirits, and doctrines of devils”. “For the time will come when
they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they
heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away
[their] ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables” ( II Timothy
4:3-4).
In II Thessalonians 2:3-4 Paul gives a stern warning, “Let no man deceive
you by any means: for [that day shall not come], except there come a falling
away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; Who opposeth
and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped;
so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is
God.”
“Falling away” in the above verses simply mean putting the Word
of God aside in exchange for creed, dogmas and traditions. “Falling
away” simply means having the Holy Spirit deposed for popes, bishops,
presidents, and counselors, and the Saviour set aside for a works program,
or church joining, or some type of conformity to a church system. This is
what the word “apostasy” signifies. This kind of scenario in the
end time has opened the door to the antiChrist, the man of sin, the son of
perdition.
Reverend William Branham describes apostasy in the religious realms:
“The Roman Catholic Church calls herself today as the Mother church.
She calls herself the first or original church. That is absolutely correct.
She was the original First Church of Rome that backslid and went into sin.
She was the first that organized. In her was found the deeds and then the
doctrine of Nicolaitanism. No one will deny that she is a mother. She is a
mother and has produced daughters. Now a daughter comes out of a woman. A
woman robed in scarlet is sitting on the seven hills of Rome. She is a harlot
and has borne daughters. Those daughters are the Protestant churches that
came out of her and then went right back into organization and Nicolaitanism.
This Mother of the daughter-churches is called a whore (Revelation 17). That
is a woman who was untrue to her marriage vows. She was married to God and
then went off fornicating with the devil and in her fornications she has brought
forth daughters that are just like her. This mother and daughter combination
is anti-Word, anti-Spirit and consequently anti-Christ. Yes, ANTICHRIST.”
(WMB, 200-5 PERGAMEAN.CHURCH.AGE - CHURCH.AGE.BOOK.CPT.5)
“You know we are living in the end time. It is in this age that the
churches are going to come together. And as they are even now controlling
world politics, they will soon control the finances of the world. Then, if
you don't belong to the world organization of churches, you won't be able
to buy or to sell.” (WMB, 314-1 PHILADELPHIAN.CHURCH.AGE
- CHURCH.AGE.BOOK.CPT.8)
And they're going to bring a persecution on pretty soon and shut up all the
churches. In the next few years, all organization religions will be forced
to take a stand. And they will have a union of churches, and a great boycott
will follow this union of churches. All denominations will be forced into
it: all of them. If they don't, there'll be a horrible boycott. Nearly every
one of them today has not knowingly joined that World Council of Churches,
selling their birthrights: Protestant brethren with the mother Catholic of
Rome. The Bible said that the tares would be bound, bundled first. They're
bundling all in one great group now. And the Bible said they'd make an image
unto the beast.
The ecumenical move that has started on what seems such a beautiful and blessed
principle (fulfilling Christ's prayer that we all might be “one”)
becomes so strong politically that she will bear pressure upon the government
to cause all to join with her either directly or through adherence to principles
enacted into law so that no people will be recognized as actual churches unless
under direct or indirect domination of this council. Little groups will lose
charters, privileges, etc., until they lose all property and spiritual rights
with the people. For example, right now unless the local ministerial association
approves in many, if not most cities, one cannot rent a building for religious
services. To become chaplains in the armed services, hospitals, etc., it is
now almost mandatory to be recognized as acceptable to the trinitarian ecumenical
groups. As this pressure increases, and it will, it will be harder to resist,
for to resist is to lose privilege. And so many will be tempted to go along,
for they will feel it is better to serve God publicly in the framework of
this organization than not to serve God at all publicly. But they err. To
believe the devil's lie is to serve Satan, even though you may want to call
him Jehovah. But the elect will not be deceived. As this move becomes the
"IMAGE ERECTED TO THE BEAST," the saints will be gone in the rapture.
For the church system of the Roman Catholic and the Protestant in coming together
will control the whole wealth of the world system and force the whole earth
into its religious trap, or will kill them, by refusing them the privilege
of buying and selling whereby they would make a living. This will be accomplished
simply, for the harlot's daughters are all but gone back to her. In the meantime,
Rome has acquired nearly all the supplies of gold. The Jews have the bonds
and all the paper. At the right time, the harlot will destroy the present
day money system by calling in all the paper, and demanding gold. With no
gold, the system falls. The Jews will be trapped and come into the alliance,
and the harlot church will take over the whole world. (WMB,
314-1 PHILADELPHIAN.CHURCH.AGE - CHURCH.AGE.BOOK.CPT.8)
RESTORATION OF THE BRIDE TREE
Despite all the negative scenarios we are seeing relative to the end of the
world, God in this last age has a glorious plan for those who love His appearing.
He will fully reveal Himself in this final age to the Bride of Jesus Christ
to proclaim His glorious deliverance amongst His elected people, and to make
a way of escape for them, out from the plagues that will soon engulf this
earth. He will be sending His seventh angel-messenger to call out His elect
out of denominationalism. His angel will be crying, “ Come out of her,
my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of
her plagues. For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered
her iniquities” (Revelation 18:4-5).
There will be a “catching away” of the church before the Great
Tribulation takes place upon this planet. “For the Lord himself shall
descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with
the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are
alive [and] remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to
meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord” (I
Thessalonians 4:16-17).
Joel 2:23-26 says, "Be glad then, ye children of Zion, and rejoice in
the Lord your God: for He hath given you the former rain moderately, and He
will cause to come down for you the rain, the former rain and the latter rain
in the first month. And the floors shall be full of wheat, and the fats shall
overflow with wine and oil. And I will restore to you the years that the locust
hath eaten, the cankerworm, and the caterpillar, and the palmerworm, My great
army which I sent among you. And ye shall eat in plenty, and be satisfied,
and praise the Name of the Lord your God, That hath dealt wondrously with
you: and My people shall never be ashamed."
The Book of Joel says that God is going to "restore". Why? It’s
because that the church of the last days has seemingly lost God’s power.
There have been some awful cold drafts blowing on the church in this generation,
and her eyes have sort of frozen shut and she is blind to what God has in
store for her. She needs some hot oil of the Spirit of God to open her eyes.
Unless she receives the Spirit of God she will go on substituting program
for power and creed for Word. She counts numbers for success, rather than
to look for fruit. The doctors of theology have shut the door to faith and
forbade all to enter. They neither go in, nor let anyone else go in. Their
theology comes out of a text book on psychology written by some unbeliever.
There is a text book on psychology, one we all need; it is the Bible. It is
written by God and contains God's psychology. We don't need any doctor of
divinity to explain it to us. Receive ye the Holy Spirit and let Him do the
explaining. The Holy Spirit wrote the Book and He can tell you what is in
it and what it means. That’s the Message of restoration today, “Back
to the Word; back to the Bible.” (WMB, 352-4 LAODICEAN.CHURCH.AGE
- CHURCH.AGE.BOOK.CPT.9)
God will take the Church of the end time right back to original Pentecost,
back to the original outpouring of the Holy Ghost. These insects in Joel 2
are but only one specie in four different stages: locust, cankerworm, caterpillar
and palmerworm. They have eaten the life out of the original Bride Tree of
Jesus Christ. These is the antiChrist spirit manifested in organization, denomination
and false doctrine throughout the ages. And the poor little root and stalk
of God’s original Tree which started in Pentecost is going to be restored
back by God for the final harvest. God isn't going to plant a new Church,
but is going to bring His original planting back to original seed. What did
these insects do? The first thing it did was, it took the fruit off, “brotherly
love”, off of the church. The next worm came around and eat off the
joy, the leaves, the “fellowship”. The next came along and it
ate off the bark, the “protection”. Then the last stage of the
worm sucked the very Life right out of it, and made a conquer of the laity.
It was the Nicolaitan system and Balaamism that cankered the church of God
throughout all the ages. The Nicolaitan doctrine was “the corruption
of the clergy as they sought political power amongst themselves”. While
“Balaamism is the subjection of the people to their system of creed
and worship in order to hold them.” And that very same spirit and doctrine
is right amongst all Catholics and Protestants today, and it is called DENOMINATION.
Nicolaitanism is “organization, humanizing the leadership of the church,
and thereby deposing the Spirit”. Balaamism is “denominationalism
which takes the church manual instead of the Bible”. God’s hatred
upon these systems is clearly stipulated in Revelation 2:14-16 -” But
I have a few things against thee, because thou hast there them that hold the
doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balac to cast a stumblingblock before the children
of Israel, to eat things sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication.
So hast thou also them that hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which thing
I hate. Repent; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will fight against
them with the sword of my mouth.”
ADMONITION TO LAODICEA
God’s plan of deliverance for the lukewarm age of Laodicea is stipulated
in Revelation 3:18-22,
“I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest
be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and [that] the shame
of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that
thou mayest see. As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore,
and repent. Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice,
and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with
me. To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even
as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne. He that
hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.”
God is saying
to His own, "As many as I love, I REBUKE AND CHASTEN." To rebuke
is to reprove. To reprove is to `expose with a view to correction.' Chasten
does not mean to punish. It means to "discipline because the subject's
amendment is in mind."
Many of God’s children today are still in those false churches. They
need to repent. They are those of whom it speaks in Ephesians 5:14, "Awake
thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light."
To be asleep is not to be dead. These are sleeping amongst the dead. They
are out there in the dead denominations. They are floating along with them.
God cries out, "WAKE UP! Repent of your folly." There they are lending
their influence, giving their time and their money, actually their very lives
to these antiChrist organizations, and all the while thinking it is all right.
They need to repent. They need to have a change of mind and turn toward truth.
ELIJAH MINISTRY AND GOD’S SEVENTH
ANGEL
The call of God in this last age can well be summed-up as the “End-Time
Message”. It pertains to the revelation of the Seven-sealed Book mystery
of the Bible which is to be made known to the Bride of Jesus Christ through
God’s end-time messenger. This book is also known as the “Book
of Redemption”, a book that’s been sealed in the days of Daniel
and yet was shown to John by an angel, as revealed in the succeeding Scriptures:
Revelation 5:1-10, “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. And one of the elders saith unto me, 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. And I beheld, and, lo, in the
midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders,
stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which
are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth. And he came and
took the book out of the right hand of him that sat upon the throne. And when
he had taken the book, the four beasts and four [and] twenty elders fell down
before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of
odours, which are the prayers of saints. And they sung a new song, saying,
Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou
wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred,
and tongue, and people, and nation; And hast made us unto our God kings and
priests: and we shall reign on the earth.”
True believers in this last age will receive a clear understanding of God’s
hidden mysteries as the Lord sends to them His end-time messenger who will
be in the spirit of Elijah (Malachi 4:5-6). This messenger will turn back
the hearts of the people to the Pentecostal blessings. And as the seventh
angel himself, this same prophet will also reveal to us the mysteries behind
the seven-sealed Book of Revelation and will manifest to us the “Son
of Man ministry” as stipulated in Luke 17:30, “In the day when
the Son of Man is revealed”. It will be through healing and miracles
(first pull), discernment and prophesy (second pull) and speaking things into
existence (third pull) that He will proclaim and declare that Jesus Christ
is “the same, yesterday, today and forever” (Hebrews 13:8).
Two major scriptures play important roles in the end time as God sends down
his end-time messenger for our age. These are Malachi 4:5-6 and Revelation
10:7:
Malachi 4:2-6 : “But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness
arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves
of the stall. And ye shall tread down the wicked; for they shall be ashes
under the soles of your feet in the day that I shall do [this], saith the
LORD of hosts. Remember ye the law of Moses my servant, which I commanded
unto him in Horeb for all Israel, [with] the statutes and judgments. Behold,
I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful
day of the LORD: And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children,
and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the
earth with a curse.”
Revelation 10:7 - “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.”
The same prophet in the spirit of Elijah will also be God’s seventh
angel-messenger to Laodicea. It will be through this seventh angel’s
ministry that the mysteries of God will be revealed to the Bride of Jesus
Christ to give them rapturing faith for the catching away of the church, as
stated in I Thessalonians 4:16-17.
As Jesus authenticated John, and the Holy Ghost authenticated Jesus, we can
well expect that this man will be authenticated by the Spirit working in his
life in acts of power that are indisputable and found nowhere else. The very
return of Christ will prove that this man indeed was the forerunner of His
second coming. It will be too late then for those who have rejected him and
his Message.
The church today has received its last sign before the whole world and the
Gentile kingdoms are destroyed by the fire and wrath of God. A prophet is
a sign to the people. When God send prophets, look out. Judgment is at hand!