The Preservation of Peace in Syria Is of Prime Importance

The Disastrous Consequences of

a U.S. Military Attack on Syria

by Pastor Paul J. Bern

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Lately I have been seeing or hearing the Trump administration telling the world that the use of chemical weapons in Syria by the Assad government must be answered by other worse weapons, even though the results of satellite surveillance has not proven this allegation – just as the Bush administration refused to wait for the 2013 UN report by the inspectors who had been looking for WMD in Iraq. Secretary of State John Kerry claimed back in 2013 that the UN inspectors “can’t tell us anything that we don’t already know.” President Trump has said that any U.S. attack on the Assad government will be as punishment, not regime change. The strike will be “limited” — but tell that to the civilians who will inevitably die when military attacks take place. President Bush and his advisers either didn’t know or didn’t care about the probable consequences of their decision to invade and occupy Iraq in March of 2003:

• Hundreds of thousands of Iraqis and over 4,000 Americans dead;
• Millions of Iraqis and Americans wounded physically and psychologically;
• Legions of young men of the region now experienced in warfare and for hire moving from Iraq to Libya to Syria;
• And, the Iraqi “democratic” government unable to control the whirlwind of sectarian violence that now is killing hundreds each week.
• Although the U.S. invaded and occupied Afghanistan under a different rationale, I also want to acknowledge and empathize with the Afghan citizens who have been killed or wounded in the U.S. war in Afghanistan.

President Trump has not spelled out the possible consequences of a military attack on Syria, but U.S. military leaders are warning about the risks. In a letter to the Senate Armed Services committee, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Martin Dempsey wrote last month said, “As we weigh our options, we should be able to conclude with some confidence that use of force will move us toward the intended outcome. Once we take action, we should be prepared for what comes next. Deeper involvement is hard to avoid.”

General James Mattis, who is the retired head of the U.S. Central Command and Trump's Secretary of State, said last month at a security conference that the United States has “no moral obligation to do the impossible” in Syria. “If Americans take ownership of this, this is going to be a full-throated, very, very serious war.” As U.S. warships gather off the shores of Lebanon to launch Tomahawk Cruise missiles at targets in Syria, we can make some educated guesses of what the “unintended consequences” could be:

• Syrian anti-aircraft batteries will fire their rockets at incoming U.S. missiles.
• Many Syrians on the ground will die and both the U.S. and Syrian governments will say the deaths are the fault of the other.
• The U.S. Embassy in Damascus will be attacked and burned, as may other U.S. Embassies and businesses in the Middle East.
• Syria might also launch rockets toward the U.S. ally in the region —Israel.
• Israel would launch bombing missions on Syria as it has three times in the past two years and perhaps take the opportunity to launch an attack on Syria’s strongest ally in the region, Iran.
• Iran, a country with a population of 80 million, has the largest military in the region untouched by war in the past 25 years. Iran might retaliate with missiles aimed toward Israel and toward nearby U.S. military bases in Afghanistan, Turkey, Bahrain and Qatar.
• Iran could block the Straits of Hormuz and impede the transport of oil out of the Persian Gulf.
• At this time of crisis, it is worth remembering another time, 35 years ago in October, 1983 when U.S. warships bombarded Lebanon, the country located next to Syria. Within weeks, the U.S. Marine barracks in Beirut was blown up by a massive truck bomb that killed 241 American servicemen: 220 Marines, 18 sailors and three soldiers. The truck driver- suicide bomber was an Iranian national named Ismail Ascari, whose truck contained explosives that were the equivalent of 21,000 pounds of TNT. Two minutes later a second suicide bomber drove a truck filled with explosives into the French military compound in Beirut killing 58 French paratroopers.

The U.S. and French military were in Lebanon as a part of a Multi-National force after the PLO left Lebanon following the 1982 Israeli invasion of Lebanon, ostensibly to create a 40 km buffer zone between the PLO and Syrian forces in Lebanon and Israel. The Israeli invasion was tacitly approved by the U.S., and the U.S. provided overt military support to Israel in the form of arms and material.

Colonel Timothy J. Geraghty, the commander of the U.S. 24th Marine Amphibious Unit (MAU) deployed as peacekeepers in Beirut, said that the American and the French headquarters were targeted primarily because of "who we were and what we represented…” American support removed any lingering doubts of our neutrality, and I stated to my staff at the time that we were going to pay in blood for this decision.”

Some of the circumstances around the incidents in Lebanon in 1983 and now 35 years later in Syria are familiar. U.S. intelligence agencies were aware of potential trouble but did not report the problems in sufficient time for actions to be taken. Former President Obama said at the time that the U.S. had intercepted signals indicating the Syrian government was moving equipment into place for an attack, but the U.S. did not warn the Syrian government that the U.S. knew what was happening and did not bother warning civilians that a chemical attack was imminent.

On August 31, 2013, 13 former officials of the U.S. government, including Pentagon Papers whistle-blower Dan Ellsberg, retired CIA analyst Ray McGovern, retired US Army Colonel Larry Wilkerson and former Chief of Staff for Secretary of State Colin Powell, wrote an open letter to General Martin Dempsey, then-Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, asking him to resign rather than follow an illegal order to attack Syria. “We refer to your acknowledgment.... that a decision to use force is not one that any of us takes lightly. It is no less than an act of war.... It appears that the President may order such an act of war without proper Congressional authorization. Seasoned veteran intelligence and military professionals solemnly sworn to support and defend the Constitution of the United States have long been aware that it is one’s duty to never obey an illegal order. If such were given, the honorable thing would be to resign, rather than be complicit.”

Those words were written five years ago, and the situation in Syria continues to escalate. As I write this, the Syrian government under Bashar Al-Assad has largely prevailed against the various parties of militants, some of whom are backed by the US. and still others by Iran. Syria and Iran are allied with Russia, with the ever-present potential for a clash between Russian and American military forces. A disquieting thought, to say the least. But it was Jesus himself who said, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called the 'sons of God'.” The flip side of that coin is that those who wage war are cursed. Meaning, if America doesn't cease and desist from her warlike ways, a military disaster will surely befall her. America's violence, killing and destruction overseas will come home to roost. Just let that sink in for a minute, and I'll see you all next week.

President Trump, current events and Bible prophecy

Why the 7 Year Tribulation Didn't Begin

When Many Said It Would, and

What This Most Likely Means for Us

by Pastor Paul J. Bern

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It's been all over the propaganda-spewing TV, dish and cable networks on a continuous basis ever since Donald Trump took office. Allegations of Russian collusion to allegedly hack the 2016 presidential election, accusations of incompetence on Trump's part, not to mention allegedly crooked or unethical business dealings and even being “nothing short of treasonous”, as CIA senior official John Brennan said recently. The thing I'm seeing about president Trump is what numerous others are overlooking, or probably ignoring in some of those cases. When he met Kim Jung Un at Singapore, some predicted it would lead to world war 3. No such thing has happened, at least not so far. When Trump met Russian president Putin at Helsinki, Finland, the peaceful and pragmatic outcome of their meeting enraged the military and intelligence communities and deeply offended the US military-industrial complex. So now everybody knows that there are some at the Pentagon and the CIA who consider making peace with Russia, and by extension North Korea and China, “treasonous”! It presents an existential threat to their livelihoods – waging war and mass killing!

So now let's juxtapose president Trump's peaceful overtures to communist countries with Biblical prophecy. Haven't you noticed, over the past few years, things getting a little hotter, a little heavier? Now, add to that the rate at which events are increasing, just like the pains of a woman in labor. Haven’t we all heard or read that somewhere before? 1st Thessalonians 5 verse 3 says, “While people are saying, 'Peace and safety', sudden destruction will come upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape”. Are you among those who believe we have years left before the return of Christ? Or, are you watching the events escalate with anticipation, knowing beyond a shadow of a doubt that the hour for His return is getting closer than ever? 

 

But wait! Before anyone starts quoting scripture to me regarding “no one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven…” (Matt. 24: 36), let me say that I don't believe there is day or hour recorded here or even mentioned. The keys are the number ‘seven’, the Shemitah, and the Four Blood Moons, the last two of which have already occurred without incident. So all of those “predictions” were wrong. Remember what Jesus said about false prophets like that. “By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles?” (Matt. 7: 17) All we have to do is examine Biblical End Times Prophecy (sometimes called 'eschatology') and you will understand why all of the prophets are wrong, just like president Trump's haters are wrong for calling him “treasonous”.

Here are some examples of God's numerology. As you can see from these first examples, the number seven figures very prominently in God's kingdom all throughout the Bible. Leviticus 25: 8-13 says, “Count off seven groups of seven years, or forty-nine years. During that time there will be seven years of rest for the land. On the Day of Cleansing, you must blow the horn of a male sheep; this will be on the tenth day of the seventh month. You must blow the horn through the whole country. Make the fiftieth year a special year, and announce freedom for all the people living in your country. This time will be called Jubilee. You will each go back to your own property, each to your own family and family group. The fiftieth year will be a special time for you to celebrate. Don’t plant seeds, or harvest the crops that grow by themselves, or gather grapes from the vines that are not trimmed. That year is Jubilee; it will be a holy time for you. You may eat only the crops that come from the field. In the year of Jubilee you each must go back to your own property.” (Leviticus 25:3-4) says, “Six years thou shalt sow thy field, and six years thou shalt prune thy vineyard, and gather in the fruit thereof; But in the seventh year shall be a sabbath of rest unto the land, a sabbath for the Lord: thou shalt neither sow thy field, nor prune thy vineyard”.

As you will now see from the verses below, God always makes allowance and provision for those who obey all His commandments. I offer two quotes as examples: Leviticus 25: 20-22; “And if ye shall say, What shall we eat the seventh year? behold, we shall not sow, nor gather in our increase: Then I will command my blessing upon you in the sixth year, and it shall bring forth fruit for three years. And ye shall sow the eighth year, and eat yet of old fruit until the ninth year; until her fruits come in ye shall eat of the old store”. And, Deuteronomy 15: 1-2 says, “At the end of every seven years thou shalt make a release. And this is the manner of the release: Every creditor that lendeth ought unto his neighbor shall release it; he shall not exact it of his neighbor, or of his brother; because it is called the Lord’s release”.

God held his entire nation of Israel accountable to follow these and all other laws and precepts which God has made, all of which is for our benefit. Deuteronomy 31 verses 10-12 says regarding this, “And Moses commanded them, saying, At the end of every seven years, in the solemnity of the year of release, in the feast of tabernacles, When all Israel is come to appear before the Lord thy God in the place which he shall choose, thou shalt read this law before all Israel in their hearing. Gather the people together, men and women, and children, and thy stranger that is within thy gates, that they may hear, and that they may learn, and fear the Lord your God, and observe to do all the words of this law”. Today in America we have exactly the opposite – our children can't even pray in school, not even to themselves, because it's illegal. Now you know why our schools are being turned into shooting galleries.

God has warned us in the past of what could happen to us all if we fail to obey, or if we ignore, his commandments. There are numerous examples throughout the Bible of this, and many more that predict this evil to continue ever more as we get close to the end of all things as we have known them. But more basic than that, does the Bible give humankind any advance warning about what could actually occur if we ignore God and do only as we please? I can cite several examples that coincide with Biblical prophecy. It is likely, for example, that these verses predict WW3:

Revelation 6 verse 8: “I looked, and there before me was a pale horse. Its rider was named death, and Hades was following close behind him. They were given power over a fourth of the earth to kill people by war, by starvation, by disease, and by the wild animals of the earth”. Rev. 9, verses 13-16. “The sixth angel sounded his trumpet, and I heard a voice coming from the horns of the golden altar that is before God. It said to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, 'Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates'. And the four angels who had been kept for this very hour and day and month and year were released to kill one third of mankind. The number of their mounted troops was two hundred million. I heard their number.”

There is only one country in the world that can muster an army that huge, and that would be Red China. At some point in the future, the Chinese military will march, transport or fly over the Tigris and Euphrates rivers in modern-day Iraq, presumably in a march to the Mediterranean Sea and conquering large swaths of Asia and the Middle East. But these events do not look likely for at least the near future. The quote above from the Book of Revelation refers to the battle of Armageddon, the last battle before Christ's return. But for now, it appears that Donald Trump has done what no other US president has, which is to make peace with Russia and on the Korean peninsula. In effect, president Trump has bought the world some time to straighten out its problems with militarism and economic inequality. Whether it will be sufficient time or not remains to be seen.

The Bible tells us quite plainly what the aftermath of WW3 is going to be, and it will be devastating to say the least! For example, Acts 2: 20-21 says; “The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and notable day of the Lord comes: And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved”. But God commanded the prophet Daniel to explain absolutely nothing about the details of these prophecies until the End Times arrive. Daniel 12:4 says, “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.” Well, people, it looks to me like the End Times have arrived, and with a vengeance. 

 

The prophet Amos says yet again in Amos 8:11, “Behold, the days come, saith the Lord God, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord”. And what, you are probably asking right about now, is the greatest sin of humankind as the end of days approaches? I can sum it up in one word: Greed! 1st Timothy 6:10 says, “For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows”. But, there is a way out of all of this which is spelled out in 2^nd 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”.

There is still time to seek God's face, his mind and his will. But we are running short of time. As I said at the beginning of this week's message, the four blood moons forecast to occur in the Bible have already happened. “No man knows the day or the hour, not even the Son of Man, but only the Father who lives in heaven” (Mark 13: 32). Since this didn't happen back in September of 2015 as “predicted”, then that means we have at least seven more years to go before the beginning of the Tribulation. That works out to the summer or fall of 2022. Then again, all this could be over with in a week from now. So get ready, because “the hour of our redemption is drawing near” (Luke 21: 28). Moreover, “the Son of Man will arrive at a time when you do not expect him.” (Luke 12: 40) Never stop being thankful for the peace we currently enjoy with Russia and North Korea. It could end within days of this writing. Besides, I am put off by some things president Trump has done in the past just like some of you. But we still should be praying for him whether we agree with him or not. Let's not forget that the Bible tells us to pray for our leaders. Until next week, then....

The Prospects for Peace on the Korean Peninsula and Biblical Prophecy

Will the Peace in Korea Last? Maybe, or Maybe Not

by Pastor Paul J. Bern

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There can be no question that the news of an impending peace agreement on the Korean peninsula is very exciting – no, make that electrifying – news. We have already seen the highly publicized 'love feast' between the North and South Korean leaders, their wives, and probably each other's security details and entourages. What we have yet to see is a signed agreement, which is apparently being readied for formalization when president Trump visits North Korea next month. Let's also keep in mind that this is timed with the formalization of the relocation of the American embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. Although I am no big fan of Donald Trump's, if he succeeds in getting both agreements signed in the same month – and that appears to be a high probability at this point – he will have scored a major foreign affairs coup that will silence all but his most virulent critics.

This led me to wonder if the Bible, which is the Word of God and a reliable predictor of the future, has anything to say about this. Although I can find no specific mention of either of the Korea's anywhere in the Bible – and I've been a student of it for over 25 years – the Word speaks about many episodes of war, peace and turmoil. One of the most famous passages is a quote from Christ himself. “You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these things are the beginnings of birth pains.” (Matthew 24, verses 6-8) 

 

The entire world is currently having to endure these very things, which is why I maintain that these words have prophesied our 'here and now'. Moreover, we have as a people all been dragged through the muck of war for generations – WW1 ended 100 years ago this coming November – and the overwhelming majority of the world's population has had a belly full of warfare and killing. That is, the ones who have survived it. Since the end of World War 2, wars have not been waged by nations and peoples so much as by well-monetized special interests. These special interests with virtually unlimited funding include the Pentagon and its covert ops branches known as the NSA and the CIA, the City of London and its attack dog known as MI5, the international bankers such as the World Bank and the IMF, the Rothschild banking empire, the US Federal Reserve (which in actuality is none of the above) and the Vatican. Seriously. The Vatican. You can find out more about this topic from my Web acquaintance and fellow author Dean Henderson from his book page.

The probability of impending peace between the Korea's of north and south does not guarantee that this will snowball into a global love fest. In fact, this could have exactly the opposite effect, like a cease-fire in wartime that doesn't last. I sincerely hope not, of course, but peace in Korea and Israel could usher in such a momentous event, even if it is only temporary, as the apostle Paul predicted nearly 2,000 years ago: “Now brothers, about times and dates we do not need to write to you, for you know very well that the Day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. While people are saying, 'Peace and safety', destruction will come upon them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. But you, brothers, are not in darkness so that this day should surprise you like a thief. You are all sons of the light and sons of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness. So then, let us not be like the others, who are asleep, but let us be alert and self-controlled.” (1^st Thessalonians 5, verses 1-6)

The apostle Paul wrote to the church at Thessalonica that, first and foremost, they should not become concerned over the “times and dates”. This has been a sticking point for Christianity's entire history, and this includes the upcoming 70^th anniversary of the formal founding of the nation of Israel by the United Nations (May 14^th, 1948). Many pastors and religious 'teachers' are now saying that Jesus will come back on May 14^th, 2018, which is only 16 days away as I write this. This is simply not possible, based on the same Bible from which they are basing their claims of Christ's impending return. Those who see Christ's 2^nd coming as being imminent are misled because their suppositions are based on denominational 'teachings' instead of what the Bible actually says. 

 

“....for you know very well that the Day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. While people are saying, 'Peace and safety', destruction will come upon them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.” "The Day of the Lord" is a biblical term and theme used in both the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament, as in "The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the LORD come" (Joel 2:31, also cited in Acts 2:20). But Paul's admonishment to the Thessalonian church was an echo of the words of Christ, who further remarked, “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. But understand this: If the owner of the house had known what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.” (Mathew 24, verses 42-44)

So to come full circle the entire planet has, hopefully, within its collective grasp the ability to have a lasting peace, or at least it will seem that way for at least a short while. But I decline to speculate on any dates or times except to say that all indications are we are living in the authentic 'last days' or 'end times', take your pick. One thing is for sure; the chances of nuclear war on the Korean peninsula involving South Korea, the US and Japan, which would bring in China to North Korea's defense, is far, far less today. (The situation in the South China Sea between mainland China, the Philippines, Vietnam and the US is completely separate from the Korean peace initiative, but it has an equal chance at future volatility.) What underscores this past week's Korean peace agreement between North and South Korea is its timing to coincide with the relocation of the American embassy to Jerusalem. Will this dedication of America's new embassy in Jerusalem be coming in tandem with another peace agreement on the Korean peninsula as well? If it does, it could usher in the era Jesus talked about with his apostles, “While people are saying, 'Peace and safety', destruction will come upon them suddenly....because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.” Let's all be very watchful, because just when you think things are going really well, that's when the whole ball of wax could blow up in our faces.

Putin's re-election, the Bible, and the coming war in the Middle East

Putin's Re-election and Bible Prophecy:

Closing In on Armageddon

by Pastor Paul J. Bern

[Ezekiel chapters 38 & 39, part 3]

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Last week as we finished part 2 of this 3 part series on the Biblical significance of Vladimir Putin's re-election as president of Russia, we left off at Ezekiel chapter 39 and verse 6 (for anyone who missed part one, click here). In the first 6 verses of chapter 39, God declared through his servant Ezekiel that all the military forces that would swoop down from the far north, as well as most of the Islamic nations of the horn of Africa and Libya, will be stopped in their tracks by a series of natural disasters, starting with the troops being pelted by huge hail stones as well as by fire sent from God. The Bible doesn't specify the origin or nature of this fire. It only says in verse 6, “I will send fire on Magog and on those who live in safety in the coast lands....” This could be anything from being trapped in a wildfire, or series of wildfires, to a huge fire-fight of some kind or another, all the way up to nuclear warfare. There's simply no way to tell for sure, but I would not be surprised at all if this war were to go nuclear.

This week as we move on to the third and final part of this series on current events juxtaposed with Biblical prophecy, we'll be starting at verse 8 of chapter 39. “It is coming! It will surely take place, declares the Sovereign Lord. This is the day I have spoken of. Then those who live in the towns of Israel will go out and use their weapons for fuel and burn them up – the large and small shields, the bows and arrows, the war clubs and spears. For seven years they will use them for fuel. They will not need to gather wood from the fields or cut it from the forests, because they will use the weapons for fuel. And they will plunder those who plundered them and loot those who looted them, declares the Sovereign Lord.” (Ezekiel 39, verses 8-10)

This massive war is most assuredly coming, definitely and without question! Although a first-time reader may not believe this, if God says it's going to occur, then it's going to occur; it's only a question of timing. Turkey, Iran, Syria and Iraq, together with mercenaries from the Russian Islamic republics, will attack Israel from the north and the east in a gigantic pincer attack. But they will be driven back, and Russia will have to come and bail them out since Iran and Syria are Russian allies. It is that precise day that the prophet Ezekiel was writing about! When Russia comes to the aid of Syria and Iran, they will fall back to a mutually agreed upon rendezvous point before mounting a huge counterattack on Israel and her people. Again, as before, they will be defeated, but this time by the forces of nature as described in detail in these passages of Scripture.

“Then those who live in the towns of Israel will go out and use their weapons for fuel and burn them up – the large and small shields, the bows and arrows, the war clubs and spears. For seven years they will use them for fuel.” Now let's understand right here that this is written from the viewpoint of a man who lived at least 2,600 years ago. So he is writing to his contemporaries as well as for posterity and, most of all, out of obedience to God. Ezekiel is describing weapons as he understood them from his own time frame. Shields, bows and arrows and spears were the weapons of his day. Today, everything is motorized and digitized, so it appears the fuel from all the tanks, amphibious assault vehicles and all kinds of trucks of various sizes and purposes will be used instead. Tires will be burned in big piles to enforce road blocks and in small ones for cooking and burning trash. This is a likely scenario that fits with what Ezekiel wrote, as dictated to him by the “Sovereign Lord”, or Almighty God.

“They will not need to gather wood from the fields or cut it from the forests, because they will use the weapons for fuel. And they will plunder those who plundered them and loot those who looted them, declares the Sovereign Lord.” In this verse, I'm fairly sure that Ezekiel is referring to the wooden gun stocks on all the rifles the troops from the Russian confederation carried with them into battle. Since the homes of many will have been destroyed by the war, the wooden gun stocks of the Russian, Syrian, Turkish and Iranian troops will be used for campfires, along with the tires and fuel from their vehicles. In this way, the comfort of the Israeli people will be seen to even during this traumatic time to come, because that is what God will do for his people Israel. Their every need will be met, even in the rubble of an earthquake and a military invasion. And now let's move on to part 2 of this week's message, starting at verse 11.

“On that day I will give Gog a burial place in Israel, in the valley of those who travel toward the sea. It will block the way of travelers, because Gog and all his hordes will be buried there. So it will be called the Valley of Hamon Gog. For seven months the house of Israel will be burying them in order to cleanse the land. All the people of the land will bury them, and the day I am glorified will be a memorable day for them, declares the Sovereign Lord.” (Ezekiel 39, verses 11-13)

This will be the fate of all the troops from Russia, her allies, and the other countries I mentioned who would presume to attack Israel. “The valley of those who travel towards the sea” is an ancient expression for the Jordan valley that runs between the Sea of Galilee southward towards the Dead Sea. And so according to the Scriptures, this is where the armies of the Gog-Magog War of Ezekiel 38 and 39 will be buried. It will take 7 months to bury all the dead because there will be so many of them, and the entire populace will be pressed into service for this arduous task, presumably to expedite things for health reasons. But what is so understated is that the tiny little nation of Israel, a country the size of New Jersey with a population of 8.4 million people, just defeated the combined armies and air forces of Russia, Iran, Syria, and Turkey, and you may as well include Iraq and Jordan in the fray. Their combined military forces will be decimated by Israel and her ally, the Sovereign Lord!

There is one more thing that needs to be said about this, and that is regarding the country of Israel itself, together with her people. There are many individuals who, frankly, despise the nation of Israel and her people. Some say that this is because of the conflict between the Palestinian and Israeli people, but there is more to it than that, and it has a long history. It was the newly created universal church of King Constantine 1st, from which the modern name 'Catholic' originates, that began teaching around the year 300AD that it was the Jews and not the Romans who crucified Christ, when in fact it was the other way around. Nevertheless, this wrong teaching has persisted to this day. While the first reason for hatred of the Jews was religious in origin, the second reason was and still is racial. Antisemitism – the extreme hatred of Jewish people and all things Jewish, including her homeland Israel – is raw racism, pure and simple. But more than that, since Jesus Christ walked the earth as a Jewish man, to express antisemitism is tantamount to having contempt for Jesus Christ. Adolf Hitler's Nazi Germany is one of the most glaring examples in human history of what happens when antisemitism is carried to its utmost extreme.

This inevitably brings up the debate about what the fate of the Palestinian people should be. Should they get their own homeland? Of course they should, but so should the Kurdish people just a few hundred miles to the north, but they're not having any luck either. Arbitration is the only fair way to settle both these disputes, that much is certain, and both conflicts must be peacefully resolved. One other thing is certain – the Gog-Magog War of Ezekiel chapters 38 and 39 (of which I only used select portions for the sake of brevity and focus) will occur. But more than that, the stage is being set even as I write this for this massive and incredibly deadly war. Russia has forward bases in Syria and Iran, plus a critically important naval port in Syria, and has still more troops – many more – just to the north in Georgia and the Ukraine. I think we'll have to see what happens once the American embassy moves from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, which coincides with the 70^th anniversary of the founding of the nation of Israel on May 14^th, 1948. I would be quite surprised if this anniversary comes and goes without incident. You know, like a 7-year peace treaty that divides Jerusalem?

Putin's Russian re-election and Bible prophecy part 2: the Gog-Magog War

Putin's Re-election and Bible Prophecy:

Closing In on Armageddon

by Pastor Paul J. Bern

[Ezekiel chapters 38 & 39, part 2]

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For this week's message, we'll be moving on to part 2 of the recent re-election of Russian president Vladimir Putin and what this means for us in term of our understanding of Biblical prophecy about the End Times in which we are living. Previously in part 1, I went over the first 16 verses of Ezekiel chapter 38 as they apply to the modern era. As I wrote last week (you can view that message from here) concerning the “Gog-Magog War” of Ezekiel chapters 38 and 39, based on what is contained in the text, Gog is Vladimir Putin and Magog is Russia. And Russia, at some point in the fairly near future, together with the armies of Iraq, Iran, Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, Libya and Somalia, will attack Israel. This is exactly the portrait that the prophet Ezekiel paints of this End Times scenario known as the “Gog-Magog War”. And so today we'll continue near where we left off last week, starting at verse 18.

“This is what will happen in that day; When Gog attacks the land of Israel, my hot anger will be aroused, declares the sovereign Lord. In my zeal and fiery wrath I declare that at that time there shall be a great earthquake in the land of Israel. The fish of the sea, the birds of the air, the beasts of the field, every creature that moves along the ground, and all the people on the face of the earth will tremble at my presence. The mountains will be overturned, the cliffs will crumble, and every wall will fall to the ground. I will summon a sword against Gog on all my mountains, declares the Sovereign Lord. Every man's sword will be against his brother. I will execute upon him plague and bloodshed; I will pour down torrents of rain, hailstones and burning sulfur upon him and on his troops and on the many nations with him.” (Ezekiel 38, verses 18-23)

Notice in the first sentences (verses 18-19), two things: First, God never lets anger get the best of him, but anyone who attacks His land and its people (see Joshua 1: 2-4 and chapters 13-20) enrages the Lord! Second, when the Holy Land and its people are attacked by a foreign invader, God exercises his vigilance on behalf of his people. Israel does not have to call out its army to defeat the Russian and Arab armies. This is one that God will handle personally. I suspect the reason will be to come to Israel's defense, possibly because her chief ally, the US, may be unable to at this point for reasons that I have written about fairly extensively in the past (see my blogs on either Blogger, Goodreads or Wordpress.) So instead of the IDF marching off to war, look what God does instead! “In my zeal and fiery wrath I declare that at that time there shall be a great earthquake in the land of Israel. The fish of the sea, the birds of the air, the beasts of the field, every creature that moves along the ground, and all the people on the face of the earth will tremble at my presence. The mountains will be overturned, the cliffs will crumble, and every wall will fall to the ground.”

Evidently there is going to be a big enough earthquake to stop the invading armies in their tracks. That would have to entail an extremely violent earthquake, a magnitude 9.0 or above on the Richter scale, and maybe as much as a 10 plus. The extreme violence of the temblor will scare the daylights out of the entire population, and even the animal kingdom will be affected. Apparently a lot of camels will be thrown off their feet, that's for sure. Mountains will collapse, towering cliffs will be turned into hills, and the walls of every structure will be leveled. The casualties will number in the hundreds of thousands dead and millions injured. “I will summon a sword against Gog on all my mountains, declares the Sovereign Lord. Every man's sword will be against his brother.” To restate those last two sentences in modern English, “It's on!!” Nobody is going to get left out of this fight, sometimes whether they like it or not!

“I will execute upon him plague and bloodshed; I will pour down torrents of rain, hailstones and burning sulfur upon him and on his troops and on the many nations with him.” This battle is not going to stop just because of an earthquake. Moreover, this doesn't appear to be an ordinary earthquake, but rather one of a supernatural nature. That's God's signature right there, an authentic supernatural occurrence of very mysterious origin. Besides the bloodshed of battle, Gog of Magog's troops will be struck with a plague, with torrential rain and giant hailstones and with burning sulfur that will presumably be the by-product of the prophesied earthquake of Biblical proportions, although I'm not entirely sure how that will come about. We'll just have to wait and see when the time comes, and I doubt that we're going to have a very long time to wait. And now let's move on to part 2 of this week's message, starting at Ezekiel 39 and verse 1.

“Son of man, prophesy against Gog and say: 'This is what the Sovereign Lord says: 'I am against you, O Gog, chief prince of Meshach and Tubal. I will turn you around and drag you along. I will bring you from the far north and send you against the mountains of Israel. Then I will strike your bow from your left hand and make your arrows drop from your right hand. On the mountains of Israel you will fall, you and all your troops and the nations with you. I will give you as food to all the carrion birds and to the wild animals. You will fall in the open field, for I have spoken, declares the Sovereign Lord. I will send fire on Magog and on those who live in safety in the coast lands, and they will know that I am the Lord.” (Ezekiel 39, verses 1-6)

As I wrote in part 1 from last week, 'Meshech' in the original Hebrew roughly translates as the area around Moscow, Russia today. Not just the city, but the entire surrounding countryside, probably an area comprising hundreds of square miles. “Tubal” is generally considered to be the geographical area around modern Tobolsk, Russia. There are some who say that Meshech and Tubal are in modern Turkey. They could be right, but then why does Ezekiel include both Turkey and Russia in his prophecy? “This is what the Sovereign Lord says: 'I am against you, O Gog, chief prince of Meshach and Tubal. I will turn you around and drag you along. I will bring you from the far north and send you against the mountains of Israel.”

Russia is nearly twice as far from Israel than Turkey is, and yet both are prophesied to be part of the multi-pronged military assault on Israel. Moreover, Russia has 2 allies in the Middle East – Iran and Syria. And so it appears that the Gog-Magog War will go down something like this – the confederation of nations and peoples, all of whom are mentioned by Ezekiel in this prophecy as it was dictated to him by God, will launch a full scale military assault on Israel. Iran and Syria, the two Russian allies, together with Turkey, Iraq, the Muslim countries of southwestern Russia (Kazakhstan, etc.), plus Somalia and Libya (and possibly Ethiopia), will all be included in this vast army. Curiously, Egypt is not mentioned at all by Ezekiel, nor does it say how Libya and Somalia will get their troops to the battlefield. In my opinion – this part isn't in the Bible – neither of those last two countries will be able to get their troops to the battlefield without some professional assistance. Undoubtedly they will be able to get the help they need – it could come from Russia, or more likely Iran, there's no way to tell for sure at this point.

“Then I will strike your bow from your left hand and make your arrows drop from your right hand. On the mountains of Israel you will fall, you and all your troops and the nations with you.” Those who purport to attack Israel and its people will be disarmed – not by Israel, but by God! The attack for which Israel's enemies have meticulously prepared will never finish being carried out. It will start off strongly enough, that's for sure, but the well-planned and hyper-coordinated military assault of the combined nations will evaporate like a puddle of water on an August afternoon. At this point, Russia will come to the aid of its allies Iran and Syria, probably aided by Turkey and possibly other countries as well. I'm pretty sure that's what Ezekiel meant when he wrote, “I will turn you around and drag you along. I will bring you from the far north.... against the mountains of Israel.....” “The far north”, I conclude, could only be Russia.

“You will fall in the open field, for I have spoken, declares the Sovereign Lord. I will send fire on Magog and on those who live in safety in the coast lands, and they will know that I am the Lord.” In the open fields on their way to “the mountains of Israel” and coming back again in retreat, the armies of Russia, Iran, Syria, Turkey and all the remaining armies with them, they will all perish. God will send “fire on Magog”, which appears to be a nuclear attack, presumably coming from Israeli military forces as part of the counterattack that drives back all the nations I have mentioned here. But it won't just be Israel all by herself. She will have divine intervention from the Lord, as we have already seen. I'm sure you all would like to know how in the world can itsy-bitsy little Israel, a country roughly the size of New Jersey, defeat all those armies when it will be pitifully outnumbered, right? OK, then you will have to come back for the conclusion to this 3-part series next Sunday. In the meantime, enjoy your Easter weekend....

Putin's Russian re-election guarantees war in the Middle East in the fairly near future

Putin's Re-election and Bible Prophecy:

Closing In on Armageddon

by Pastor Paul J. Bern

[Ezekiel chapters 38 & 39, part 1]

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The re-election of Russian president Vladimir Putin last Sunday was confirmation for the Trump administration that we must either work together for our mutual good, or we will wind up killing each other off in a nuclear war. His re-election was also confirmation for on-their-knees Bible-believing Christians, whether they attend church regularly or not, that the “Gog-Magog War” from Ezekiel chapters 38 and 39 is getting close. To explore the significance of this, today I am initiating a 3-part series on this topic to try and better explain this prophecy, since there is so much material to go over. So let me get started by pointing out some related prophecies elsewhere in the Bible that relate to what we'll be examining today.

First, we have the Psalm 83 war, which describes an unsuccessful invasion of Israel by its neighbors. This appears to have already occurred in the form of the 1967 Arab-Israeli war, which resulted in the recaptured of Jerusalem by the Israeli Defense Force. Those old enough to remember the Yom Kippur War of 1973 have undoubtedly heard the argument that the Psalm 83 war was actually that war, but that's just Christians and Jews arguing with other Christians and Jews. Since that prophecy has, either way, already been fulfilled, there is no further point in debating this issue. If those people spent the time they devote to disagreements and spent that on the needs of the people – especially their Spiritual needs – the world would be a much better place. There are at least one and probably two world wars that will occur very closely together (see Ezekiel chapter 7 and Revelation 18, both of which describe America's coming destruction, and Revelation chapter 9, which describes World War Three in alarming detail), but none of those can be called the 'Gog-Magog' war for reasons that I am about to make clear. For my text for today, I will start in Ezekiel chapter 38, commencing at verse 1.

“The word of the Lord came to me: 'Son of Man, set your face against Gog, of the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal; prophecy against him and say: 'This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I am against you O Gog, chief prince of Meshech and Tubal. I will turn you around, put hooks in your jaws and bring you out with your whole army – your horses, your horsemen fully armed, and a great horde with large and small shields, all of them brandishing their swords....Get ready; be prepared, you and all the hordes gathered about you, and take command of them. After many days you will be called to arms. In future years, you will invade a land that has recovered from war, whose people were gathered from many nations to the mountains of Israel, which had long been desolate. They had been brought out from among the nations, and now all of them live in safety. You and all your troops and the many nations with you will go up, advancing like a storm; you will be like a cloud covering the land.” (Ezekiel 38, verses 1-4, 7-9)

One thing you will notice right from the start is that there can be no question about who is in charge of things. Sorry to disappoint or offend any atheists who happen to stumble onto this posting, but that's just the way of the universe that God spoke into being. I can't force you to believe it, so I'm not going to try. Beyond that, the first new thing we see are the words 'Gog and Magog', where Magog is the kingdom and Gog is the king, president, or other head of state. As such, Gog is also a military leader. The text is worded, interestingly enough, “Son of man, set your sights against Gog, of the land of Magog....”. In the four Gospels, Jesus sometimes referred to himself as the “Son of Man”. Ezekiel 38: 2 is the only place in the Bible I can remember right now where the words “the Son of Man” are used to refer to anyone else but Christ. This should give you all a good idea of how esteemed Ezekiel was in God's sight, something we all should be aspiring to.

“I am against you O Gog, chief prince of Meshech and Tubal. I will turn you around, put hooks in your jaws and bring you out with your whole army.” 'Meshech' is an old Hebrew word for the geographical area around Moscow today, and Hebrew is the original language of the Bible. The second part of that quote, I believe, is currently being put into play, so to speak. What would bring out Moscow's entire army? Probably not an attack on the US, or at least not at this juncture. As I wrote above, that occurs later in Bible prophecy's timeline. So what else could Russia be entangled in to the point of having “hooks in (their) jaws”? The one-word answer is, Syria, which is Russia's only ally that has a Mediterranean seaport. Syria borders Israel, and those two countries have been at each other's throats for centuries. If Israel were to invade Syria, Russia and Iran would be obligated by treaty to come to Syria's aid. So we can all clearly see now that the stage has been set for the Gog-Magog War as I write this.

“After many days you will be called to arms. In future years, you will invade a land that has recovered from war, whose people were gathered from many nations to the mountains of Israel, which had long been desolate. They had been brought out from among the nations, and now all of them live in safety.” The words, 'people gathered from many nations to the mountains of Israel' refers to the United Nations resolution that made Israel a nation back in 1948, followed by the resettlement of the Holy Land in the ensuing years. This part of the world that we now call the Middle East was largely uninhabited back then, particularly the area where Israel is today. But today, with the Israeli Defense Force being one of the most powerful army and air force in the world, and with a rapidly-expanding navy as well, the words, 'now all of them live in safety' are the fulfillment of that prophecy. It's just that the remainder of Ezekiel 38 is still rapidly unfolding. “You and all your troops and the many nations with you will go up, advancing like a storm; you will be like a cloud covering the land.” Gog of Magog, the prince of Meshech (Moscow) is none other than Vladimir Putin. And, Putin's Russia, together with her allies and the armies of other nations around Israel (Iraq, Iran, Syria, Lebanon, Turkey, Egypt and Libya, and possibly Somalia), is going to attack Israel! I don't know when, but we won't have a long time to wait, I'm certain about that. Now let's move on to part 2 of this week's message, beginning at verse 14 of chapter 38.

“Therefore, son of man, prophesy and say to Gog: 'This is what the Sovereign Lord says: In that day, when my people Israel are living in safety, will you not take notice of it? You will come from your place in the far north, you and many nations with you, all of them riding on horses, a great horde, a mighty army. You will advance against my people Israel like a cloud that covers the land. In the days to come, O Gog, I will bring you against my land, so that the nations may know me, when I show myself holy through you before their eyes.'” Ezekiel 38, verses 14-16)

Haven't you taken notice, Vladimir Putin, of Israel living in relative safety? Israel has beaten back all attempts to attack it militarily and economically to the point that nobody in the Middle East; not Egypt, nor Iran, nor Turkey, and those are the three biggest military powers in the region, with Saudi Arabia also in the running, dare touch Israel. All have attacked Israel in the past except Turkey, and all that their combined military's could muster was no match for lowly Israel, the smallest country in the whole region. But lately the stakes have gone up considerably. The largest discovery of natural gas ever uncovered has, only in the last year, been found about 60 miles off Israel's Mediterranean coast – more than Saudi Arabia and Kuwait combined! Putin's main interest in Syria is two-fold – first, because Russia can add a vitally-important southern seaport, and second for what everybody is fighting over – the oil pipelines that run from Syria north through Turkey and into Europe. That is exactly why Vladimir Putin's Russia is taking such a long, hard look at Israel.

That's also why Putin is Gog, Russia is Magog, and why Putin will ultimately strike at Israel. When he does so, Iran, Iraq, Turkey, Syria and eventually several African countries will all join together in confederation to attack Israel. “You will come from your place in the far north, you and many nations with you, all of them riding on horses, a great horde, a mighty army. You will advance against my people Israel like a cloud that covers the land.” Russia and her allies will attack very quickly and with the utmost decisiveness, like a mob of millions. The next verses tell what the outcome will be. “In the days to come, O Gog, I will bring you against my land, so that the nations may know me, when I show myself holy through you before their eyes.” They will advance and conquer much territory, and at least for a short while, they will be successful.

But God clearly wants to make an example out of Vladimir Putin and Russia's military might, as he stated in verse 2, “I am against you, O Gog of Magog....”. Again God says in verse 16, “I will bring you against my land, so that the nations may know me....”, meaning that there will be no one left on the face of the whole earth who will not know exactly who God is and what he can do. Not when he finishes doing what he does to any nation that dares to attack Israel. Israel, you see, is God's Holy land. For a detailed description of Israel's true territory – as set forth by Almighty God himself – read Joshua chapters 13-20. For a short version, read Joshua chapter 1, verses 2-4, and you'll know why God gets so angry whenever any nation attacks Israel. And next week we'll move on to part 2 of our study of the Gog-Magog War.

Is World War 3 On Our Doorstep? Better Hope Not.

Some Foretelling of Our Future, but Not From Me

by Web pastor Paul J. Bern

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This week as I continue to warn people about certain cataclysmic events that will happen in the fairly near future, I'm going to change the focus from one centered on the United States to that of a global focus. We seem to be headed for a combination of events in human history of great importance. Much of these traumatic events will be economic in nature. As you know, the US dollar is on the ropes, being in the process of being replaced by the Chinese Yuan as the World Reserve Currency. A major devaluation of the dollar is sure to follow, likely by 50% or more, and Wall Street will be just another financial center like the FTSE in London and so on. Never mind what the main stream media tells you, they lost all their credibility after the 2016 elections and have yet to regain it.

The Bible also prophesies about natural disasters of all kinds as the End Times come upon us, just as they currently are. For example, in Revelation chapter 8, where the apostle John wrote about the 2^nd Trumpet, verses 8-9 read, “The second angel sounded his trumpet, and something like a huge mountain, all ablaze, was thrown into the sea. A third of the sea turned to blood, a third of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed.” Further down in 'the 7 Trumpets' by just a few verses, John elaborates on a gigantic earthquake of unprecedented proportions, and Jesus corroborated this in Mathew 24 and Luke 21. But for today I'm going to go to a new place in the Bible where we haven't been before, the Book of Joel towards the back of the Old Testament, right between Hosea and Amos. There is a lot of prophetic stuff in this short little book that bears our attention, but for the sake of brevity I'm going to be sticking to the main points. For starters, let's go to Joel chapter 2, verses 1-2, and I quote:

“Blow the trumpet in Zion, sound the alarm on my holy hill. Let all who live in the land tremble, for the day of the Lord is coming. It is close at hand – a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and blackness. Like dawn spreading across the mountains a large and mighty army comes, such as never was of old nor ever will be in ages to come.”

In the above verses, “Zion” is the hill just outside Jerusalem that is sometimes called “Mount Zion”. This is the small mountain – just 2,510 feet at its summit – from which Jesus Christ ascended into heaven, and to which he will return someday soon, just as we studied 3 weeks ago in part 3 of Luke chapter 24. “Blow the trumpet in Zion, sound the alarm on my holy hill.” On the surface this would appear to be a prophecy directed at the nation of Israel, and in fact that would be correct (see Deuteronomy 6: 4; Isaiah 27: 6; Mark 12: 29; Romans 9: 6; and Ephesians 3: 6). However, in order for this to be occurring the United States, Israel's greatest ally by far, would have to be either taken out of the way or would turn against Israel somehow. But I have searched the Scriptures and can find no such instance of that occurring. There are only three ways the United States could be neutralized or otherwise removed from its position as a global superpower – by military defeat, by a natural disaster or an economic collapse of some kind.

“Let all who live in the land tremble, for the day of the Lord is coming. It is close at hand – a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and blackness.” As I wrote just above, this seems to describe a huge calamity of some kind. “.... darkness and gloom” and “clouds and blackness” could be the aftermath of the mountain-sized boulder striking the ocean as described in Revelation chapter 8, or what's left of the planet after a nuclear war. “Like dawn spreading across the mountains a large and mighty army comes, such as never was of old nor ever will be.....” Currently the largest and most potent military by far is that of the USA. So this is either a reference to American military power in the Last Days, or to a military alliance greater than that of the United States. Well, you probably know that Russia and China signed a sweeping treaty agreement a couple of years ago. This agreement pledged cooperation between the two giant nations both militarily and economically. Only time will tell whose military this is referring to in Joel's prophecy, but a Russia-China alliance is a distinct possibility.

In the closing verses of the Book of Joel he wrote: “Proclaim this among the nations: Prepare for war! Rouse the warriors! Let all the fighting men draw near and attack. Beat your plowshares into swords and your pruning hooks into spears. Let the weakling say, 'I am strong!' Come quickly, all you nations from every side, and assemble there. Bring down your warriors, O Lord.....The sun and the moon will be darkened, and the stars no longer shine. The Lord will roar from Zion and thunder from Jerusalem; the earth and the sky will tremble. But the Lord will be a refuge for his people, a stronghold for the people of Israel.” (Joel 3, verses 9-11, 15-16)

As you can clearly see, there in nothing ambiguous at all about this passage of Scripture. This is about as blunt and direct as you can get. Notice, too, all the armies of the world are gathering around the nation of Israel. As I wrote earlier, the only way this could occur would be for Israel's main ally, the USA, to be taken out of the picture completely. This doesn't necessarily mean the US will cease to exist, but it will be unable to respond to Israel's cries for help. This is ominous for America, to say the least. This also means Israel will be effectively isolated strategically, militarily and economically. “Prepare for war! Rouse the warriors! Let all the fighting men draw near and attack.” Israel is strategically situated at the junction between the Middle East, Africa and Europe, facing the Mediterranean sea. Moreover, one of the world's largest deposits of oil and natural gas were found a few miles off Israel's coast back in 2015, making Israel energy independent just like most of the other Arab countries with large oil and gas deposits.

“Let the weakling say, 'I am strong!'” Everybody wants to get in on this future war, even some of the smaller countries (like Syria, Lebanon and Yemen, maybe?). Why? Because there is no one to oppose them, since Israel's primary ally, the United States, is evidently no longer in the picture. “Come quickly, all you nations from every side, and assemble there. Bring down your warriors, O Lord...” Hurry up, there's no time to waste! All you various armies, take your positions and prepare for the order to attack! Strike now while the iron's still red hot! But what does the next sentence say? “Bring down your warriors, O Lord.” You want to fight with God, do you? OK, bring on your soldiers and God will bring forth his. That is precisely what the prophet Joel was saying here. This battle between the forces of good and evil, of God and Satan, is likely a reference to the Battle of Armageddon that is prophesied in Daniel chapter 12, Revelation chapter 19 (not Rev. 18, that's another battle), and other places.

“The sun and the moon will be darkened, and the stars no longer shine. The Lord will roar from Zion and thunder from Jerusalem; the earth and the sky will tremble. But the Lord will be a refuge for his people....” What would cause that to occur, not being able to see the sun, moon and stars? What would blot out the sky both day and night? More smoke and soot than any of us could imagine, most likely. I can only think of 3 things that could produce that much smoke and soot to the point of nearly blotting out the sun and moon, while rendering the stars invisible at night. Every night, in such an event, would be like a new moon. Either a massive volcanic eruption, or the earth being struck by a comet or meteor, or the fires of World War Three – those are the three main things I can think of that would cause such a calamity as that. Any of the three possibilities based on today's scripture I have just named would be catastrophic. For any of us to fail to heed these warnings that are in Bible prophecy – and Bible prophecy is right 100% of the time – would be equally catastrophic. Remember, this isn't just my opinion, I'm taking this message right straight from the Bible. Be sure and receive this message the same way. Shalom....

Some additional warnings about the future of America and the world

Warnings About America's Future: a

Supplemental to Last Week's Message

by Web pastor Paul J. Bern

To view this on my website, click here :-)

I have decided to write this week's commentary as a kind of addendum to my message from last week after getting an even stronger than usual response from my readers, and I humbly thank you all for that. For anyone who missed the posting, you can see it on Wordpress.com here or Google Blogger here. Hundreds of views, not counting hits of course, plus dozens of comments have compelled me to do a follow-up piece for this week in that same vein. One of the comments came from an acquaintance of mine who is also a Web pastor and street preacher. This gentleman referred me to a certain book in the Old Testament, but when I read it a while ago and contemplated it as I prayed about its suitability for God's purposes, I found myself turning just two pages further to the quote I'm going to use this week to give ample warning that the USA is in far more serious trouble than it collectively realizes, regardless of who is currently president.

There is one other thing that bears mentioning here before I get into the meat and potatoes of this week's commentary. Although the reaction to last week's post was positive by far, the negative responses fell into two categories – religious and patriotic. Some “Christian” responses were deeply critical of my alleged quoting of the Book of Revelation, calling it “out of context”, among other things. It never ceases to amaze me how well-meaning yet misguided religious people can be. Unfortunately, many of them are also mean and ill-tempered, which makes me wonder why they bother going to church to begin with. They sure as hell don't practice what they preach! A few other responses accused me of being unpatriotic at best and treasonous at worst, along with other things I can't print here. If you don't love America with no questions asked like they do, then they maintain there is something morally lacking about that individual. I, on the other hand, maintain it's the other way around.

So for this week, having put on my Armor of God (see Ephesians 6, verses 10-18) to shield me from the flaming arrows and words of those who are hostile to the authentic cause of Christ, allow me to present a few verses from the prophet Zephaniah. In Zephaniah 1:1, the author introduces himself as “Zephaniah son of Cushi, son of Gedaliah, son of Amariah, son of Hezekiah.” Among the prophets, this is a unique introduction with its long list of fathers back to Zephaniah’s great-great grandfather, Hezekiah. So why stop with Hezekiah? Most likely, the prophet wanted to highlight his royal lineage as a descendant of one of Judah’s good kings. We can begin to pinpoint exactly when Zephaniah prophesied by accounting for a few details in the text. First, in 2:13 the prophet predicted the fall of Nineveh, an event which occurred in 612 BC. Further, Zephaniah made frequent quotations from the Law (for example, compare 1:13 to Deuteronomy 28:30, 39), a document that remained lost in Judah for much of Josiah’s reign. Therefore, Zephaniah more than likely prophesied in the latter part of Josiah’s rule, after the king discovered the scrolls of the Law in 622 BC (2 Chronicles 34:3–7). The first part of chapter 1 deals with the apostasy of and impending destruction of Judah, which is part of the nation of Israel today. But the following section of this small Old Testament book – it's just 3 chapters, about a 5 or 6 minute read – is the one that prophesy's about what it calls, “The Great Day of the Lord”. We can take this to mean something far off into the distant future, which would be our modern times since this prophecy has yet to be fulfilled.

The text I'm going to use for this week's commentary begins in chapter 1 and verse 14, and I quote: “The great day of the Lord is near – near and coming quickly. Listen! The cry on the day of the Lord will be bitter, the shouting of the warrior there. That day will be a day of wrath, a day of distress and anguish, a day of trouble and ruin, a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and blackness, a day of trumpet and battle cry against the fortified cities and against the corner towers. I will bring distress on the people and they will walk like blind men, because they have sinned against the Lord. Their blood will be poured out like dust and their entrails like filth. Neither their silver nor their gold will be able to save them on the day of the Lord's wrath. In the fire of his jealousy the whole world will be consumed, for he will make a sudden end of all who live on the earth. Gather together, gather together, oh shameful nation, before the appointed time arrives and that day sweeps on like chaff, before the fierce anger of the Lord comes upon you, before the day of our Lord's wrath comes upon you. Seek the Lord, all you humble of the land, you who do what he commands. Seek righteousness, seek humility; perhaps you will be sheltered on the day of the Lord's anger.” (Zephaniah 1, verses 14-18; chapter 2, verses 1-3)

The first thing that needs to be pointed out here is that this passage is not directed only at individuals. God is not up in anybody's face accusing them because that's not how God works, although there are multitudes of 'religious' people who would love to have an opportunity to sway your opinions about that. One of the names that Satan goes by in the Bible is “the accuser of the brethren”, so it is for that reason that I do not believe this is directed at individual people, nor necessarily at groups of people. This is not directed at nationalities or ethnic groups either. This is directed at countries, or more accurately one particular country, the United States. Why do I think this? Hey, there are clues all over the place as to why this is so, so let me address these one at a time. But first comes a dire warning starting in verse 14. “The great day of the Lord is near – near and coming quickly. Listen! The cry on the day of the Lord will be bitter, the shouting of the warrior there.” 'The shouting of the warrior' tells us that this “Great Day of the Lord” in the above passage has to do with a great military conquest, causing a bitter cry to come up out of the land that is conquered. This also tells us that only a portion of the populace will be wiped out by this calamity to make sure there are enough people for that bitter cry that is prophesied in this passage.

Then the prophecy gets very specific about what will happen on this 'day of the Lord': “That day will be a day of wrath, a day of distress and anguish, a day of trouble and ruin, a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and blackness, a day of trumpet and battle cry against the fortified cities and against the corner towers.” It is conceivable that this could be a prophecy for some type of terrorist activity, but from the wording of Zephaniah's narrative the 'day of the Lord' appears to be a widespread event. Although the prophecy doesn't specify anything, it is evident when we read in between the words. A 'day of wrath' would be a day when Mother Nature, and God by extension, goes completely haywire. A mega-storm or typhoon, an exceptional tornado outbreak, an enormous earthquake or some other kind of natural disaster all come to mind. A killer impact from a comet or asteroid is another distinct possibility, and such things are predicted to occur in the second and fifth Trumpets in Revelation chapter 8. Moving along in Zephaniah verse 16, the “battle cry against the fortified cities” signifies an attack on a major military power. Since this prediction occurs in our time frame (I will finish proving this as I go along, so please stay with me), the “corner towers”, which once signified the outer fortifications of a city, could be roughly translated as 'tall towers', or today's skyscrapers.

“Their blood will be poured out like dust and their entrails like filth. Neither their silver nor their gold will be able to save them on the day of the Lord's wrath.” Blood turning into dust is a reference to the book of Genesis. To find out more about the mention of human blood being “poured out like dust” please click here. For now, let's move on to the next phrase, “entrails...poured out like filth”. On the surface, this seems to be a metaphor for people being turned inside out, but it could also mean people being cooked from the inside out. In that event, their insides would be liquefied; not a pleasant thought, to say the least. There are only two things in existence that will do such a horrible thing – a thermonuclear explosion or microwave weapons. Nothing else I'm aware of would fill the bill, not in this case. The silver and gold hoarded by all these people will be worthless, since it will be melted in the nuclear blast or microwave attack along with everything and everybody else. So you can all forget about investing in gold or silver, and don't believe the sales pitches of the ubiquitous precious metals dealers either! They're all trying to milk you for a fast buck, which in itself is shortsighted since the US dollar is going to be devalued soon as well!

“In the fire of his jealousy the whole world will be consumed, for he will make a sudden end of all who live on the earth.” The “fire of his jealousy” will consume the whole world! The “fire of his jealousy” will make manifest a “sudden end of all who live on the earth.” One of the names the Bible has for God is “a consuming fire”, something that dates back to the Book of Exodus, when the Israelite's followed a pillar of fire out of Egypt. But we're not wandering in the desert anymore, nor are we on our way out of Egypt. Moreover, of all the descendants of those ancient Israelis, over half of them live in the United States. So, although the “fire of His jealousy” will consume Israel, it will consume America as well since Israel's #1 ally is the USA. “....gather together, oh shameful nation, before the appointed time arrives and that day sweeps on like chaff, before the fierce anger of the Lord comes upon you....” “Shameful nation” is another major clue, since it alludes to a world power or super-power that wages war continuously and oppresses its people. Any American who does not think Americans are not oppressed by their government – constant surveillance, systemic corruption, economic inequality, abuse of authority at all levels, the abuse of our own children by brainwashing them with materialism – where have you all been? Wake up! Is it any wonder that God has such “fierce anger”?

“Seek the Lord, all you humble of the land, you who do what he commands. Seek righteousness, seek humility; perhaps you will be sheltered on the day of the Lord's anger.” Seek the Lord, and him personally! This means we are charged with the responsibility of forming and maintaining a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. We can't have a personal relationship with God, I don't think, but we can approach him through his Son. Do what Jesus commands; seek righteousness and humility. Wear them on your shirt sleeves right next to your heart. If we do all these things, loving the Lord our God “with all our mind and all our heart and all our strength” and “loving our neighbors as ourselves”, we just might stand a decent chance to escape the calamity to come. Will this calamity be a series of natural disasters and devastating wars? Yes, it will be both. Do I know when these things will occur? Absolutely not! But I'm certain that it will, and that's why I'm getting ready. Are you?