We in this country have been
mightily blessed, and our blessings have come from the
one supreme God, the God
of Israel and the Church; our Creator. No nation in history has received
material blessings on the scale we have enjoyed since our founding in 1776; not
Assyria, Egypt, Babylon, Medo/Persia, Greece, nor Rome. We have enjoyed the
luxuries of materialism that others could not even dream of or imagine. Even
today, our poor are wealthy in the eyes of others.
However, those blessings will
soon be history and nothing more than a memory.
Those who are in tune with
Bible prophecy know this to be true. Our greatest blessing of all, our freedom,
is slipping right through our finger tips, and most of our citizens don’t even
know it. While we enjoy a relaxing dip in the coastal waters, enjoying the
sun’s rays upon our faces, we are unaware of the sharks already in the water,
just inches away. Our fate is upon us, and we’re blind to it.
How can this be you say? The
question isn’t surprising. As I’ve already said, most feel we are fail-proof.
“There will always be another
day like yesterday. Our economy may be wobbly, but we survived the 30s didn’t
we? We’ll be okay.”
“Militarily, there is no
power on earth that could stand against us.” Perhaps, except for two problems:
(1) We are falling apart from within, and (2) there is a Heavenly power greater
than any earthly power, including our military.
But wait a minute you say, “I
don’t believe in a Heavenly power, and we can fix our military.” It doesn’t
matter what we believe. God says He is the God of all flesh. Therefore, all of
us whether we believe in Him or not, will answer to Him.
“Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh: is there anything
too hard for me?” (Emphasis mine) Jeremiah 32:27 NLT
We may “Imagine” there is no
Heaven, and choose to “Do It My Way,” but that is from a “dreamer” who will
fail.
Every powerful nation in
history, at one time or another thought they were invincible. So it is no
surprise that so many of us think nothing will ever harm our comfort zone of
living. So I repeat, our days are numbered, and our comfort zone will be no
more.
“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.” Lamentations
4:12 NLT
Are our gates more holy than
those of Jerusalem? I think not. Some of us even think that because we give lip
service to God, He would never allow misfortune to come upon us as a nation. There
will not only be “misfortune,” but out-right terror and extreme hardship are
coming our way. We will be brought to our knees amidst suffering.
Every time Israel “crossed
the line” with God, they suffered punishment. Are we any better than Israel; the
“apple of His eye?”
“Then the LORD said to me,
“Now tell them, ‘This is what the LORD of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel,
says: Drink from this cup of my anger. Get drunk and vomit; fall to rise no
more, for I am sending terrible wars against you.’ And if they refuse to accept
the cup, tell them, ‘The LORD of Heaven’s Armies says: You have no choice but
to drink from it. I have begun to punish Jerusalem, the city that bears my
name. Now should I let you go unpunished? No, you will not escape disaster. I
will call for war against all the nations of the earth. I, the LORD of Heaven’s
Armies, have spoken!’” Jeremiah 25:29 NLT
The God of Heaven has blessed
us in the past because we were a Christian nation, establishing our laws upon
His holy laws; the Ten Commandments. He blessed us because our political and
religious leaders honored Him. We honored Him as a nation and in our churches,
but today that is not so. Today, even most of our churches are bastions of
Satan, as are our political offices. Our churches proclaim God, but live for
Satan. Our leadership, politically and religiously, is corrupt to the core.
“For the sins of her
prophets, and the iniquities of her priests, that have shed the blood of the
just in the midst of her, They have wandered as blind men in the streets, they
have polluted themselves with blood, so that men could not touch their
garments.” Lamentations 4:13-14 NLT
Judgment is our reward. Of
Israel’s 490 years, seven remain. This seven year period is commonly known as
the Tribulation. When it begins, the Church will be gone, and then hell will be
released upon the earth. This period is specifically for Israel and its purpose
is “to finish their rebellion, to put an end to their sin, to atone for their
guilt, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to confirm the prophetic vision,
and to anoint the Most Holy Place.”
“A period of seventy sets of
seven has been decreed for your people and your holy city to finish their
rebellion, to put an end to their sin, to atone for their guilt, to bring in
everlasting righteousness, to confirm the prophetic vision, and to anoint the
Most Holy Place.” Daniel 9:24 NLT
This period on earth will be
so horrible every person on earth will die except for the grace of God.
“And except those days should
be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those
days shall be shortened.” Matthew 24:22 NLT
There are no signs for the
Rapture; none. All signs provided to us from God’s Word announce the coming
Tribulation, and they are like shadows looming before us, constantly getting
closer and closer. When will this happen? The Rapture must occur first, but
when? I don’t know, and would be a fool to guess. But listen, I would also be a
fool to ignore the signs, because Jesus said that when they “begin to happen” His coming is near.
“So when all these things
begin to happen, stand and look up, for your salvation is near!” Luke 21:28 NLT
Now keep in mind that this
verse is referring to His Second Coming at the end of the seven years of Tribulation.
That would be a minimum of seven years after the Rapture takes place.
Is there any hope for us as a
nation? In my opinion, I do not believe there is any hope for our survival as
we know it. However as individuals, there is hope, and it rests in Jesus
Christ. As Christians we look for His return at the Rapture.
If you are not a Christian, put
your hope in Jesus Christ, God’s only begotten Son, as your Savior and Lord. If
we put our faith in Him, He will take us to this Heaven that many do not believe
exists, and He will do so by either our physical death or an event known as the
Rapture. When we know Him then physically die, we are immediately with Him in
Heaven.
“We are confident, I say, and
willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.” 2
Corinthians 5:8.
If we are still here when He
comes for us at the Rapture, we will immediately meet Him in the clouds and be
transported to Heaven.
“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.” 1 Thessalonians 4:17
I realize this is a very
depressing and gloomy article if you do not know Jesus as Savior and Lord.
Knowing Him though gives us hope as sure as God’s Word, and you can’t get any
better than that. Knowing Him should encourage us to spread the Word that Jesus
is returning soon. Don’t try to set dates, because we don’t know that. We do
know He is coming, and we are to be looking for Him and telling others.
Grant Phillips
Email: grantphillips@windstream.net
Pre-Rapture Commentary: http://grant-phillips.blogspot.com
