The Rise of Europe – Pt. 2

Ron Weinland

February 11, 2012

We’re going to continue with the sermon series entitled The Rise of Europe with this being Part 2.  Toward the end of the sermon last Sabbath we were only beginning the process of zeroing in on the meaning of the five-month period spoken of in the description of the 5th Trumpet of Revelation 9.  Again, it’s spoken of ‘in the period of’ the 5th Trumpet in the description of those things that are given there.

To me, it’s awesome going back in time and looking at things that have been written, like in ‘2008 – God’s Final Witness’, and seeing how some things were written, because being the one that wrote it and then going back and seeing things that God is giving now, to me it’s an awesome thing that God gives and how things are done, especially when it comes to things about prophecy and so forth. To me it is very inspiring and helps me to keep focused even more so; gives that encouragement.  Like I mentioned last Sabbath, it’s like the fleece, sometimes when it’s squeezed and the water comes out and other times when it doesn’t; it’s that encouragement that people need.

We’re going to do a little bit of a summary because I’ve heard different things that people picked up on and I understand, there’s a lot here, and hopefully...well, let’s just say, you may not pick up on everything today but going back through it you may have to look at some things later on, especially when the PDF files come out, and look at it a little more closely because in some respects it’s a little complicated, in some respects it’s not.  It’s very, very plain, but it depends on each individual as some people have a proclivity for dates and other things that are mentioned; we all are different in that respect.  We’re going to do a bit of a review today because the tendency is sometimes to hear some things because of preconceived ideas or thoughts we already have.  And that’s what God is giving us right now, the ability to get all these things cleared up even more so.

Revelation 9:1 – Let’s go back and take a quick look at what it says - And the fifth angel sounded, to make it really clear, this has not yet happened; And the fifth angel sounded; and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth: and to him it was given the key to the bottomless pit. So, at this point it is important to plug in another area of scripture, as we’ve talked about, in Revelation that helps clarify what’s being described here in this first verse of Revelation 9.

Revelation 17; good to have in your margins if you have room to write it so that you can go there, or just remember it, which ever works best. Revelation 17:5 - And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH. We’ve had many sermons about Babylon and the meaning contained in Babylon, and candidly, as we’ve gone forward God has revealed more to us of a process that began with Daniel, even talking about Babylon, that first kingdom, that seventy years  that Babylon would exist; but that was prophetic as well because it’s Babylon to the end and that’s why, in a very powerful way, in Revelation, when it finally collapses, it’s the entire system of the world, it’s what Satan has done in this world through time, but it’s magnified in the meaning of Babylon, confusion.  And that’s existed in government, it’s existed in religion, all those things that continue until it doesn’t exist any longer, and finally when it says, ‘BABYLON, BABYLON HAS FALLEN’; an awesome time once Jesus Christ returns.

So, it gives this description here, it says; MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH. And I saw the woman drunk with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her, I wondered with great amazement. And so again here, this is something that’s happened through time to God’s people, of things that Satan has candidly done, because first and foremost it’s about him; but as time goes on, as God reveals various things as far as Babylon, as far as a religious system that would exist on the earth toward the end, it grows in its depth of meaning and purpose in the sense of how it’s reflected on the earth through a great church.  And that’s what some of these areas of Revelation are about then.  But it’s always been Babylon, his way, Satan’s way.  God’s way is Jerusalem; it’s about peace. It’s that which God gave up a long time ago, sacrificed, so that in time millions upon millions and billions could become a part of the God Family.  And what He did with the angelic realm and all those things that took place... was willing to give up peace in order to have a great family in time.

But Babylon pictures that which Satan did from the very beginning before man was ever put on this earth.  Anything that goes against God, anything that goes in a different direction; it’s confusing, it muddles, it hurts, it confounds the mind, there is no sound thinking when a person or a being begins to go in that direction. There is no soundness of mind as far as God’s way of life is concerned.  Because as the magazine so aptly put it, ‘The Plain Truth’, when a mind is beginning to be cleaned up and cleared up the truth is plain.  What we’re going through in Revelation here today is awesomely plain and clear and sound, but it hasn’t always been, and as we grow everything becomes clearer, more plain if you will, as we go forward.

Verse 6 - And I saw the woman drunk with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her, I wondered with great amazement. And the angel said to me, Why are you so astonished at what you see? I will tell you the mystery of the woman and the beast that carries her: So, as we go forward in time Babylon takes on a deeper meaning because it takes on a religious Babylonish system, if you will, this great church and it’s power in a system that continues on that’s still Babylon but now it emerges as the Holy Roman Empire.  We’ve been going through that.

Why are you so astonished at what you see?  I will tell you the mystery of the woman and the beast that carries her which has the seven heads and the ten horns. So this brings us right to the very end in time as far as revivals are concerned, and we talked about that last Sabbath.

...and the ten horns. The beast that you saw was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit; so the key to this is understanding it’s ascended out of the bottomless pit six times before this.  The seventh time is going to be when the 5th Trumpet blast takes place.  It has already happened six other times, that’s the picture of this beast, this power that’s given to Satan and the demonic world at a time when it’s magnified, if you will, because at times it’s taken away.  It’s like there’s a lock again, he cannot do that which God does not allow him during various periods, only during specific times has God allowed him to, in essence, unlock that pit, to have the freedom and the power to do what he does on the earth in war, in the rising of these various periods of time.  Now, he’s always around and he always strives to thwart God, to hurt God’s plan, to hurt God’s people.  He’s always around, but when it comes to things being fulfilled in prophecy concerning kingdoms, their rise and their fall, that’s specific.  And that’s what God is showing by these different resurrections of the Holy Roman Empire.  During those periods he has more power to do far more destruction upon the earth.

So, as an example, since World War II he has not had that power to cause great destruction in a prophetic sense of what God is going to allow to occur at different times to fulfill the word of God.  It’s about God’s word being fulfilled and so that being is given certain power in a magnified way at specific times.  And so again here, to understand this is to understand that this has happened six other times; the smoke, the demons, the army that comes out of the smoke, the king who is over them. And then it talks about him going into perdition - literally into destruction.  That’s what it’s about.  And we’ve learned about that in times past here now, in the last couple of years even in a magnified way, that this being...what’s going to happen to him as even we read in Daniel then that I wasn’t even aware of until we started going through these verses, and there it is, right in the book of Daniel, of what’s going to happen to this being, the fire, the things that are going to happen to him.  Incredible!

I thought I would read here, because there have been some questions about it, concerning the posting that is on the site now.  Some of you may not know there’s a new posting there on the site.  But within the context of those things there are a couple of things that are on the site that I’ve given examples of, a couple different videos that people can go to.  One is rather long because it’s about Iran, it’s about beliefs of Shiites and the purpose of putting it on there is so that you can watch this to realize what’s being sent around within the nation of Iran right now in a very powerful way as a matter of doctrine on their part, as a matter of stirring up a fervour and a belief and a desire for the end of this age.  They believe this is the end.  They believe this is an end-time.  They believe a Mahdi.  They believe a prophet.  They believe a great being, a messiah is coming – not Christ – they believe someone else within their own religion.  And so all these prophecies!  It’s awesome to go through that and recognize some of the things that are there, of what they believe and the conviction they have.  And, anyway, that’s on the site; takes a little while to go through all that.

There is another link to a video about the economy of the United States and the money we spend and the foolishness of it all.  In the latest posting there is also a reference to an article, and it’s entitled...

Nine EU countries form splinter group on financial tax[1]

08.02.12 EUObserver.com

By VALENTINA POP

And some have been asking about who those countries are.  It mentions them in this article here from the EUObserver, but I didn’t put that in the posting. But I thought I’d mention that here today because it’s awesomely interesting - truly is.  And so it says in this particular article (I’ll just read this for those who haven’t read the post):

BRUSSELS - A group of nine euro-countries led by France and Germany on Tuesday (7 February) asked the Danish EU presidency to fast-track plans for a financial transactions tax - a move indicating they will forge ahead on their own [emphasis added] in the absence of an EU-wide consensus.

Awesome!  They’re going to forge ahead on their own.  I’ve already referenced in times past another article that talked about how that there are nine out there, but it didn’t specifically mention who those nine countries were at that time.  This article does.  A little farther down it says:

....

The nine signatories are the finance ministers of France, Germany, Austria, Belgium, Finland, Greece, Spain, Portugal and the Prime Minister of Italy, Mario Monti, who also holds the finance portfolio.

Anyway, awesome!  Now, it may not end up being these nine, and it may be these nine.  And I’ll just tell you right now, prophetically because of what they did right here, the ten could be right there today.  As far as prophecy is concerned this could have already been fulfilled from here on out.  If the ten continue, if these nine continue - because the tenth as I mentioned in the posting is the Vatican, it is considered a country.  So even if it’s not mentioned here it’s a part of the system, it’s the one that rides it all – powerful to understand.  So again, we have to be careful not to read things into prophecy but to watch and to learn as God gives it in time.

So, just to let you know, that doesn’t mean the 5th Trumpet has blown, but there are things about this group of people that come together - they’re going to come together before the 5th Trumpet is blown.  What they do later on is significant because of the 5th Trumpet, but their coming together can happen well in advance; and this may already be the beginning of it all.  Awesome to understand that, the time we live in and how fast things are taking place.

I hope that makes sense to you: nine countries plus one – may not be these, and again, it may be.  Powerful!

Going back to the flow of what we were discussing here concerning Revelation 9:1 - And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from heaven... referring to Satan, that which happened millions of years ago – has nothing to do with the timing of the 5th Trumpet.  It’s giving a description of something here that leads up to something, a finality if you will, of events at the end time.  The 5th Trumpet is a powerful event at the end-time, and so these things build up to this in a crescendo and there is this being who has always been there...here he is again, Satan.  And it makes it very clear later on who this being is, the destroyer.  And that’s all it’s giving here then, is the description.  It’s not telling you that this is the timing of it, it’s giving you a description of information that a person needs to have to understand what’s taking place.

And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth: and to him was given the key to the bottomless pit. As I mentioned about that key, it’s again going back in time and talking about this key that this being has had – not during the 5th Trumpet only but six other times previous to this he has had this key, they have come out of this pit, they have caused destruction at six previous times.

Verse 2 - And he opened the bottomless pit; in essence again.  So it’s talking about those things that have happened and that which is going to happen at this time again a seventh time.  It says, he opened the bottomless pit; just inserting here – during those events that lead up to the destruction that follows the blowing of the 5th Trumpet.  Because the Trumpets and the blowing of them is about destruction.  That’s the description of each one of them. That’s why we read number 2, number 3, number 4 last week, and number 1 is a continuation of something that’s continuing on – but 2-3-4 are very specific, it happens then, it’s about destruction that happens then.  5 is about destruction, and that hasn’t happened yet.

So again, during those events that lead up to the destruction that follows the blowing of the 5th Trumpet the bottomless pit is opened.  When?  Well, again, it’s talking about an event that’s taken place, not the actual destruction yet, not the 5th Trumpet blowing, but the pit has been opened up – in part – for the specific purpose of something these beings are to do first before the actual Trumpet is blown.  Going on... but the smoke is a result of what happens later when the Trumpet is blown as it signifies or represents the effects of war.

And so it says here, He opened the bottomless pit and there arose smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit.

Verse 3 - And there came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth: now, this is the time that they’re going to do...referring to their destruction, of what’s referred to in the 5th Trumpet when it blows.  And there came smoke, and out of the smoke came locusts upon the earth, to do their destruction (that’s what it’s about), and unto them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power. This is speaking of a time of war led by Satan, described in verse 11 as the king who is Abaddon in Hebrew, Apollyon in Greek – meaning the destroyer.  Makes it very clear in verse 11 who this is.

The blowing of the Trumpets, again, is about destruction; and with the last three here, when it talks about these things, this is about the Woes.  The Woes are about war.  So, first the locusts are about demons who follow Satan out of the bottomless pit, and during each resurrection their purpose is to lead nations into war and destruction.

Let’s go on from where we left off last Sabbath:  Verse 4 - And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree; but only those men which have not the seal of God in their foreheads. Again, it’s so easy to read into scripture things that are not there.

So, who is this that’s being commanded in this verse here?  Who is being commanded?  It’s about those who will come out of the smoke of the pit at a point in time here and cause destruction and war.  Again, it’s about Satan and his demons, but it does not say that they are commanded this at the moment the 5th Trumpet is blown, but they have a job to do that leads up to the actual blowing of the Trumpet all the way to the end. It’s like so many things, even like the Seals; there are things that take place, that there are effects that go on all the way to the end.  Things that happen in the Trumpets, there are effects that go all the way to the end.  The 1st is all the way to the end.  The 2nd, the effects of it are all the way to the end.  They all work together to accomplish the whole.

I wanted to mention here that verses 4 through 6 are what is called inset verses.  I remember so long ago going through and talking about inset chapters in the book of Revelation.  I don’t know if you’ve ever heard that term.  Well, some of them are inset.  You can’t just go through and read Revelation from beginning to end, especially when it starts talking about prophecy, and have it as a chronological order of a story flow.  It doesn’t work that way.  There are inset chapters that all of a sudden talk about another phase of God’s plan that’s going to be accomplished within the overall picture of what is given.  I didn’t plan on going into this, but anyway, they’re referred to as inset chapters.  Maybe I’ll refer to that another time.

But anyway, these (verse 4-6) are inset verses, meaning there’s another meaning here that is being given that you’re not to confuse with the rest of the verses, 1 through 11.  They’re separate, they’re distinct, they mean something different. You can’t read it as a continuing story flow and read into it something that does not exist.  God will reveal what those things are in His time.  So they’re inset to the story and timing of events that lead up to the blowing of this 5th Trumpet.  So we’ll come back to this a little bit later, but these are inset verses, they lead up to the Trumpet blowing, but there are things that take place before it blows.

So again here, speaking of these beings, they are given a very specific power and restrictions to their power and it’s described in this manner because it’s about the same beings, Satan and the demons, who are given specific powers during this period of time.

Let’s read these verses:

Verse 4 - And it was commanded them they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree; but only those men, speaking of people, who have not the seal of God in their foreheads.

Verse 5 - And to them it was given that they should not kill them, but that they should be tormented five months: and their torment was as the torment of a scorpion when he strikes a man. And in/within, as it is in the Greek language, in those days shall men/people seek death, and shall not find it; and shall desire to die and death shall flee from them. What an incredible way of writing something!  What on earth can you be talking about?  Well, we’ll come back to these verses later.  But you just look at the way it’s written.  What on earth can this be?  People who seek death – they can’t find it?  They desire to die and death flees from them?  What does all this mean?  Five months torment?  What are you talking about?  Well, we’ll come back to these verses after we’ve completed the story that’s directly related to the actual timing of the blowing of the 5th Trumpet.

Again, these are inset verses.  Don’t confuse them with the timing of the blowing of the Trumpet because that’s not when it happens.

Let’s turn over to Revelation 8 here; back up just a little bit, because what we cover now is what is the focus of the actual Trumpet blast and what it’s all about.

Revelation 8:12 - And the fourth angel sounded, so we’re breaking into a story here, the fourth angel sounds, and the third part of the sun was smitten, the third part of the moon, and the third part of the stars; so that the third part of them was darkened, and the day did not shine for a third part of it and the night likewise. Something which shouldn’t take the imagination too much to figure out what part of this is talking about.  It doesn’t say worldwide, but wherever this happens, wherever this takes place, this is where this occurs, that there is enough debris, if you will, that’s in the atmosphere that causes this to take place.  So whatever happens causes this effect.

Sometimes people read things into scriptures and they come up with scenarios that are far, farfetched, in that respect, as to what it’s really talking about.  And so sometimes, when you read about the 2nd, 3rd, and the 4th Trumpet, if you’re not careful, people can read into that thinking that’s all over the world, or it’s all across the United States...and it isn’t.  It can be in two or three locations – whatever – it can be in one location, candidly, and fulfill it.  Whatever God’s design and purpose is, that’s what will happen.  But in that area this is what happens.

So, the fourth angel sounded and a third part of the sun was smitten; The sun itself wasn’t smitten at all!  It has to do with your ability to see it!  It’s disappeared!  That’s what’s talking about.  It doesn’t mean that anything happens to the sun.  Nobody’s going to do anything to the sun; it’s going to be here throughout the Millennium, just like it is today.  So ...a third part of the sun was smitten, and a third part of the moon; nothing hits the moon, nothing make the moon disappear except what’s in the atmosphere, and the third part of the stars, same thing, so that the third part of them was darkened.  It’s in the definition; it was darkened, you couldn’t see it.  ...and the day did not shine for a third part of it and the night likewise.  In other words, what is able to reach the earth is diminished by a third.

And I beheld and heard an angel flying through the midst of heaven, saying with a loud voice, Woe, Woe, Woe, to the inhabitors of the earth by reason of the other voices of the Trumpet of the three angels who are yet to sound! War!  Devastation, massively so!  Now, there are things that happen in the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th that are devastating, but nothing compared with the three that follow, because this is the beginning of World War, and finally China and Russia and what they do, and finally what God Himself does when He says He’s going to destroy those who are destroying the earth!

So at this point here, by the time we talk here, before the 5th Trumpet blows, it’s obvious even now today that the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Trumpet haven’t blown.  The 5th Trumpet has not blown.  Those things happen later.  When they happen, just like in the book it’s written, then we’ll know.  It won’t be a mystery anymore.  We won’t have to guess about it.  It’ll be obvious what they are and when they are.

So again, it’s obvious that the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Trumpets have not yet sounded.  These primarily concern the demise of the United States and what’s going to happen to the United States; and after these events take place there’s far greater destruction to come, and it’s described as these three Woes that follow.

So let’s read again here starting in Revelation 9 because here is the beginning of a Woe.  Again, the focus is war, the focus is great devastation, the focus is the 3rd World War; so this is how it’s being described; Revelation 9:1 - And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from heaven to the earth: and to him was given the key to the bottomless pit.  And he opened the bottomless pit; and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit.  So again, more darkening of the sun because we’re talking about war, we’re talking about things that happen in different areas, whatever they are, wherever they are, some of these effects become magnified now, greater and greater.

And there came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth: and to them was given power as the scorpions of the earth have power.

Again, the next three verses are inset verses to the story flow and not about the actual timing of the blowing of the Trumpet – skipping those verses and going to verse 7 here. Verse 7 - And the shapes of the locusts were like unto horses prepared unto battle; because this is the focus, it’s about what they’re going to do, it’s about battle, it’s about war, and so first of all it’s about Satan and his demons, but it’s about those that they move, literal armies, physical armies that they lead, that they motivate into war, and that’s how it’s described.  But always understanding in the midst of all this the head of this is Satan and his demons – they are the ones that come out, they’re the ones who do what they’ve done six times before, this time with technology, this time with greater power in the sense of technology, if you will, and what they’re able to do in the sense of destruction.

And so it says here, the shapes of the locust were like unto horses prepared unto battle; on their heads were as it were crowns like gold, again, talks about the gold, it talks about the crowns, it talks about the different ones that we know what it’s talking about here, the nations that come together, who it’s talking about.  It’s about that’s which was given to Mr. Armstrong a long time ago, talking about ten nations that will come up in Europe, what we just read about a moment ago in Revelation 17 – same thing.

And so again here, it’s just another way of expressing these things; crowns like gold, and their faces were like the faces of men. And they had hair as hair of women, don’t know what that means, teeth like the teeth of lions. Don’t know what all that means but it’s about war, it’s about devastation, perhaps some that are influenced, some who are part of the system, perhaps some who lead part of the system, Germany and what they do.  I don’t know.  Perhaps.  Because certainly Germany and France are at the head of all this.   ...and their teeth were like the teeth of lions, to devour, to destroy, the power that’s given to them to tear apart.

Verse 9 - And they had breastplates, as it were breastplates of iron; again, power to destroy, and that’s all its describing here.  It’s about war.  It’s about when this finally comes on the scene.  The 1st, the 2nd, the 3rd and 4th Trumpets are not about war yet; this is, and this is what it’s telling here.  It’s using descriptions of things that you can find in other prophecies of the Bible, things that are used to describe war – locusts – you can go to the book of Joel, and I believe, Habakkuk, and other places and these expressions are used when it has to do with war; lions and the teeth of lions and the power to rip apart and destroy.  Iron, the iron mingled with clay – it identifies who it is, who it’s about, over and over again here!  So it’s about this system that arises and what they’re able to accomplish.  A very loose knit system – the clay, what an awesome description.  The power that’s there, not used yet, loosely knit together.

Right now what can you say about them? There’ll be people out there if they heard me say what I said earlier, this could already have happened as far as prophecy’s concerned, that those ten nations could be there right now today – because of that article and what they’re doing.  Clay.  People can say, “Oh no, that can’t be it because they have to be in agreement, they have to be combined, they have to have these ten nations that are solid, they’re together, they’re going to destroy, they’re strong...”  No, they’re not!!  They’re CLAY!  They’re very loosely put together! What a better description of what we’re living through right now!  It’s hardly together!  They’re barely existing in the sense of doing something different than the European Union.  CLAY!  Clay – clay – clay...but it leads to iron, it leads to war, it leads to what they’re going to do when the 5th Trumpet blast takes place!  And so this lack of cohesion, what a better way to describe something!

That’s why the scattered Churches are going to be so caught off guard! Can you see this even magnified more now?  ...how off guard they are to hear something like this and their thinking is, “Man, he is just going deeper and deeper, losing his mind!”  Well, God is showing what is happening, what He meant by all this, what He meant by the clay and the iron.  What does it mean?  Until you’re told you can conjure up all kinds of things in your mind as we tend to do with prophecy, as people tend to do, they read into what’s being said.

Just like the 5th Trumpet here, it’s easy to read into it, what we think it says.  It’s easy to read into what we thought maybe would happen in time in a great apostasy.  Didn’t have the slightest, foggiest idea how it was going to come down upon us.  And neither do we about all these things.  We have an outline that God has given us that He makes it very clear that there are certain things that are going to happen at certain times.  We don’t know all those times though!  But I’ll tell you what, I am dumbfounded when I think about God telling mankind so long ago that it was going to be a kingdom that’s iron and clay, and they don’t hold together, and they’re not knit together very well.

So absolutely what’s taking place right now fits perfectly into what we read – exactly that article, it’s all it takes to start the process and to start those nations that are in agreement.  That’s all it takes to fulfill the word of God. God doesn’t have to have anything else happen except what happens when they finally make a decision to do something that they quickly regret, when they have power for a little while together in the sense of what they’re going to do and make a decision that’s going to be far beyond all the other decisions they’ve made.

And so this description here: and they had breastplates as it were breastplates of iron, and the sound of their wings was as the sound of chariots and many horses running to battle. Again, what is it over and over and over again in these three verses?  War – War – War – prophetic examples of war and fighting and who they are and the description of them prophetically; the iron, when it finally comes together, this is who they are.  And with chariots, the power that’s there.  You know, back in a time of war, chariots...that was the worst noise you could hear coming at you!  It’s one thing if armies are coming at you, but when you have the sound of chariots coming at you that’s a totally different story!

Now today what we have as far as military, as far as power is concerned, dwarfs the meaning of these things into insignificance by comparison, but if you were in a war and you had chariots coming at you that was a bad, bad thing to happen, a lot of people are going to die, a lot more than just armies, people coming at you face to face, you have a bit of a chance there to wield a sword, to wield an axe, to do different things, to pull back a bow and an arrow and so forth.  But those who had power like this were hard to bring down.

Than another inset verse here that goes with the previous three verses.  I’ll read it, but it’s another inset verse, it is not about the 5th Trumpet by itself being blown.  Verse 10 - And they had tails like scorpions, they have tails like scorpions because they strike and they strike quickly when they strike.  That’s why I think of World War II, of blitzkrieg, lightning war, when Germany did what they did they did things quickly – wham-wham-wham.  When they do what they do here it’s going to be very quick and too late to back off, too late to change their mind once they do what they do.  Once you push a button it’s just too late to turn back, the tide has changed.  ...and they had tails like unto scorpions and their stings were in their tails: and their power was to hurt men five months. So again here, before it talks about them being scorpions, they have power to sting, they have power to destroy.  This is not about the 5th Trumpet, this is another kind of stinging that takes place.  Again, it strikes quickly, a scorpion does, but this time it shows something unique, and they have power in their tail to torment/hurt men five months, it says.  Awesome!  Different from the rest, goes with those other three inset verses we talked about, but this is different.

So again here, if you talk about scorpions and these beings that come out, the power that they have, the power that they wield when you talk about war when the 5th Trumpet finally does blow, that’s one thing – but this is another.  Then it concludes with a final verse that summarizes all these verses.

Verse 11 - And they had a king over them, who is the angel of the bottomless pit, so this summarizes the whole. What happens before the 5th Trumpet is blown and when it’s blown, there is a being over them, Satan, who is the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in the Hebrew tongue is Abaddon and in the Greek tongue his name is Apollyon – both meaning destroyer, to destroy.

It makes it very clear who this king is that leads the army of demons.  But what these verses are all about is power that they are given to do a specific job.  It’s about power that’s twofold.  It’s not talking about the same thing in these verses.  There are two different things going on here, but these same beings are given power, twofold power.  This time there is an additional power that’s different from all the other times.  What is consistent is the bottomless pit and going to war and what they’re able to instigate in destruction on the earth; but this time there is something else being spoken of, a second thing that they have never been given power to do before.  It’s different, it’s unique to what they do, and it begins to take place before the 5th Trumpet is ever blown!  Awesome!  Dumbfounding when you begin to see and understand what God is showing.

So again, the power is twofold, the first is obvious, it’s about the power to do one last time as they have done six times before in each resurrection of the Holy Roman Empire.  It is what the 5th Trumpet blast is all about.  There is a second purpose that is about a unique power to accomplish a specific phase of God’s plan and purpose that’s covered in these inset verses which we’ll now start to address.

Before we do that I want to start reading here beginning on page 125 of ‘2008 – God’s Final Witness’.

God’s Church

At the same time all these events come together at the sounding of the Fifth Trumpet, there will be an initial period of [a] time (five months) when much human suffering will continue as a result of the first four trumpets.

Be careful what you read into this; it’s easy to do - truly is.

At the same time all these events come together at the sounding of the Fifth Trumpet...

Not all the events described in Revelation 9:1-11 come together fully when the Trumpet finally sounds.  That’s when they all come together.  By this time you’ll have the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th Trumpets all to have blown, the 5th Trumpet will blow and all the things described here will all come together, finally, at this moment in time.  It says...

...there will be an initial period of time (five months) when much human suffering will continue as a result of the first four trumpets.

So please understand what’s being said here.  The initial period of time will be a continuing fulfillment of the 1st Trumpet – okay – and please understand...it isn’t widespread yet, it isn’t great yet in the sense of what people are experiencing, what people are going through, but it exists and it is ongoing and it continues on.  It bothers some people in the world, others it doesn’t bother at all.  We can read some articles about people who recognize, like this thing I put on the website, about how people see how foolish [it is] what we’re doing in this country concerning money and debt and if you put it on a scale that’s easier to understand concerning a man going into a bank to increase his debt limit, and getting more money to do and live how he wants to live, then it brings it into better focus how insane the system is out here.

And there are people out here who see that, who know that, but sadly there are a lot of people out here who know these things but still think about greed, just like in advertisements I see regularly on the TV, a commercial comes on and talks about, this individual, (it’s on a video that I’ve referred to in past sermons) about the state of the economy, and it advertizes that people can go to this, and then it gives this warning across the page there that maybe not everyone’s going to want to hear this or listen to this, but basically at the end of it all they have ideas of how they’re going to come through this.  There are people out here who believe they’re going to make money out of what takes place, but they believe differently than a lot of others that everything’s going to get back to normal and turn nice real soon here and things are going to get back to a better way.  There are others out here who know full well it isn’t.  And at different times here, indeed, people are troubled by these things.

But let me read this again;  this initial period of time will be a continuing fulfillment of the 1st Trumpet, in God’s time, the 2nd, the 3rd, and the 4th when they sound, that lead up to the 5th Trumpet – all within the five month period of time.  So as I mentioned last Sabbath, we are in that five month period of time, it already began, it’s ongoing right now.  And as with so many things it starts out slowly and in time it becomes magnified, and it becomes magnified primarily when the 2nd Trumpet blast takes place.  That’s what we wait on, whenever that is.

So again here, for a period of time described as lasting five months suffering will be experienced as a result of a continuation of the 1st Trumpet and it will continue through the next three Trumpet blasts, whenever they take place – maybe not even till close to the end of it all, and then fully come together when the 5th Trumpet is sounded, and the effects of this will continue to the end, literally the end of the five months.

Continuing on page 125:

This marks a time of great suffering on a worldwide scale, but even now, God’s Church is still part of these prophetic events. God’s Church still exists on [the] earth...

And so people are just waiting on the suffering; it will come.  Why speed it along? I am so thankful that we have what we have, that we haven’t had to go through, yet, great suffering.  There’ll be plenty when it comes!  I think of things that are written out there, things that people say and so forth, and you think, “You don’t know what you’re saying!  You don’t want the proof yet; it will come.”

Going on here with what’s written in the book:

God’s Church still exists on earth and will continue, all the way up to the very return of Jesus Christ;

The point of reading this, again, is to show what is taking place here and some of the things talked about in the 5th Trumpet is still about the Church.

...but many who were scattered in the Church, after the great falling away, will not live into the new millennial period that follows.

Although Satan and his demons will be released from great restraint, they will still be restrained in their ability to cause hurt to any of God’s people who obey Him...

That doesn’t mean you don’t go through trials.  That doesn’t mean you don’t go through hardships, but you have your life.  Now, not all have to have their life to the end; the 144,000 don’t have to. But the rest of you do and there’s great learning in this of what’s being said.  Reading the book again here:

Although Satan and his demons will be released from great restraint, they will still be restrained in their ability to cause hurt to any of God’s people who obey Him...

Because obedience goes along with this.  You know, people sin, we all sin, but it comes down to repentance and a desire to obey God and put God first and whether or not we’re just going to allow certain sins to exist without a battle, or we’re just going to continue to do our own thing and ignore certain things that God has told us and warned us about over and over again.  So again here, it’s about a personal relationship that each person has with God.  That’s what it boils down to. God doesn’t owe anyone anything.  We’ve had sermons about that.  God doesn’t owe anyone anything.  You’ve got to want this!  It’s a matter of believing!  It’s a matter of living by faith!  It’s a matter of desiring to obey God and fighting the fight, and if people aren’t willing to fight the fight then does God owe it to you that you won’t lose your life?  Absolutely not!  How much do you want to live into a new age?  How much do you believe what God has given? How long will you believe what God has given?

Although Satan and his demons will be released from great restraint, they will still be restrained in their ability to cause hurt to any of God’s people who obey Him; especially those who are sealed as part of the 144,000.

They cannot do anything to us unless God allows it, and whatever God allows – which we go through trials, we go through hardships, we’re still being refined, we’re still being prepared for jobs ahead – whatever place in the Family for those who are part of the 144,000, you will be worked with until the day you die or the day your change comes. And you know what?  God does it perfectly!  For preparing anything within the structure and the construction that He does; He does the constructing, He does the building, He puts it all together, He puts everyone in it where He wants them and to have what they need to have or what He wants them to have by that time, what He wants them to learn, what He wants to give to them before they’re changed – before that time comes - to be moulded and fashioned exactly the way He wants it.  Awesome!

It will be during this time that Satan and his followers will be allowed to wreak havoc and torment upon those who have not yet repented and humbly turned to God’s end-time prophets for understanding.

It has to do with what we believe and what God has shown within the Church, what is stated, what is written, what we all believe, what God has put out front.

Those of the scattered Church of God, who are tormented during [or meaning within]...

Because you don’t have to be tormented for five months!  That’s not what it’s about!  And when you understand what this torment is it puts everything in a proper perspective.

Those in the scattered Church of God, who are tormented during this five-month period...

What I’m trying to show here is don’t read something into this.  It doesn’t mean people have to be tormented for a full five months; it might be five minutes, it might be five hours, it might be five days, it might be five weeks, but it doesn’t have to be for the full five months!  And so I’m just telling you right now that all aren’t being worked with that are being spoken of here yet, it will be within this period of time that these things happen.  It’s like the seventy years, that’s why God gave us that, to go through Babylon, to understand that it’s about Babylon and what happens in a period of time.  And so many through time - even in God’s Church - have read things into it where they haven’t understood because of the timing of when different ones were taken captive in Judah and taken to Babylon.  It’s easy to read into something that God gives.

Those in the scattered Church of God, who are tormented during [meaning within] this five-month period, will suffer greatly for their stubborn pride and continued defiance against God. Once this time has ended as a final time of trying, all of those who have resisted God through selfish pride will die and will not be allowed to enter the millennial period that will soon follow. Instead, they will be awakened (from death) at the end of this time in the great resurrection. There will be much weeping and gnashing of teeth. At this time they will finally see the foolishness of their choices, and they will also see what they gave up.

And so if we’re talking about a scattered Body of people who were all a part of this at one time, there are those that God is going to work with, to awaken, to bring into a new age.  I have long looked forward to them coming.  I have hoped at different times they would have come a long time ago, but that’s not a part of God’s plan.  God later on showed that, candidly, most wouldn’t come, and the vast majority would come when the 5th Trumpet blows – not until then.  So only through time here God has called a few out of the past in different areas and so forth to be a part.  Going on with the story:

This five-month period will also be paralleled;

Had no idea what was being written when this was written, candidly.

This five-month period will also be paralleled by millions of people who will begin to repent and seek God.

Does it say during the whole five months?  Do we see millions? No.  The 2nd, 3rd and 4th Trumpets blown yet?  No.  But they will.

They will begin to turn to the truth they have heard from God’s end-time prophets as well as those who serve with them in God’s Church. Yet, during this same time, those who still refuse to repent (in the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and some western European countries) will experience great trial and torment to help them see their stubborn pride and bring them to repentance.

It’s important to read this in the context of what we’re going to be reading about the inserts. If you’re able to grasp that there’s a five-month period of time, that there’s a time when God’s going to, because of what takes place, be a part of a process of bringing people to repentance, because it’s about pride, it’s about being broken in pride, it’s about repenting and turning to God.  That’s what this is all about, this period of time as we continue to go forward.

So, let’s look at the inset verses; let’s go back there and read those.  As I mentioned, there is a second purpose, different from the first that happened six times before speaking of war.  There’s a second purpose, as it was covered earlier about the two fold power that was given to Satan and the demons, that’s about a unique power to accomplish a specific phase of God’s plan and purpose that’s covered in these inset verses.

Inset verses – not about the 5th Trumpet, that happens later; Revelation 9:4 - And it was commanded them; Commanded who? Satan and the demons; they’re the ones being commanded here, they’re the ones being instructed as to what they are to do and what they cannot do, and it is not about the 5th Trumpet yet.  This is something separate, this is something they have never been given before, they have never been told anything like this before.  And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree; but only those men who do not have the seal of God in their foreheads. And to them it was given that they should not kill them, but that they should be tormented for five months: as I mentioned there, within... and their torment was as the torment of a scorpion when he strikes a man. And in those days shall men seek death - so again, we have spoken of things about the scorpions and war and how fast blitzkrieg is and so forth; this is unique to what’s being said here. And in those days shall men seek death and shall not find it; and they shall desire to die and death shall flee from them.

This is written in an incredibly different manner than most places that you read about prophecy.  Matter of fact, it’s written very much almost like a riddle.  That’s how it’s written. There are some things God did back in the Old Testament in the form of riddles.  Remember Samson?  Literal riddles were given in Samson.  We haven’t talked about him for a long time and so I didn’t know if you’ve read about some of those or not.  But this is an incredible thing too, some things that are written poetically when you go to Proverbs, Psalms; very poetic language, powerful what it says.  And sometimes in the form, as it were, almost as a riddle that especially for us we’re not going to understand until God gives it to us, because it’s not meant that we understand.  Even Proverbs are very much like that.  Proverbs are not written so that people can understand everything.  On the contrary; they’re there and written in such a manner that people can stumble, believe whatever they desire in what they read as a story, or whatever.  So these are written very differently.

Where does one go to begin to understand all this?  Well, we need to look at a verse here, if you want to hold your place again, and compare something that we’ve read earlier about the 1st Trumpet, because there’s a different language being used and it should jump out but it doesn’t until the door is finally opened.  Incredible!  So, let’s look at the difference of how something is written here about the 1st Trumpet.

Revelation 8: 7 - The first angel sounded, and there followed hail and fire mingled with blood, meaning that there will be that time when there is going to be destruction.  Blood is about death, as I wrote in the book about living things, animals and so forth, and about people too.  That hasn’t happened yet, those things have not been fulfilled yet. They will yet happen literally physically.  ...and there followed hail and fire mingled with blood, and they were cast upon the earth: and the third part of trees was burnt up, and the green grass was burnt up. So God has already shown this, that this has a twofold fulfillment.  One is literal; I’ve said it over and over again, there is that which is going to literally happen, that will be a continuation in God’s time that will go all the way to the end and it will be fulfilled that will be separate and distinct by itself as well.  But there is also that which has to do with something that began back at this point in time that we’ve talked about, wealth and so forth, and especially understanding what this country is based upon, the term that’s so widely used talking about that which is green, having to do with productivity, having to do with that which is productive, especially when you talk and understand what some of these words are here that we’ll look a little more closely later here, that we’ve already talked about in times past.   But anyway, again here, God has shown that this is twofold and it’s about a future literal fulfillment and it’s about a beginning process that leads up to the demise of the United States which is about its wealth and productivity, reflected primarily on the dollar and the stock market.

In this description here of the 5th Trumpet it’s written differently, it means something different – Revelation 9:4 - And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree; but only those men; what is it about?  ...but only those men, who have not the seal of God in their foreheads. In a previous sermon I alluded to the possibility that this might have some fulfillment in how Europe seeks to preserve its wealth because it would be different, it would be the opposite, but this is very pointed here in what is being discussed, and certainly they’re going to do that but that’s not what this is all about. It’s not about the Euro; it’s not about what Europe does and so forth.

Let’s look at some other scriptures here before we continue on. Psalm 23:1 – very well known Psalm - The LORD/the Eternal is my shepherd; I shall not want. I shall not be lacking, I shall not lack, God will give to me what I need, He’ll fill me. He makes me to lie down in green pastures: He leads me by the still waters.  Beautiful scripture and what’s being said here.  So here God is described as leading people to green pasture and giving them, if you will, peace, protection.  That’s what these verses are about.  By leading them beside the still waters – and gives them plenty to eat, in other words in order to feed them spiritually with true knowledge and understanding.  Awesome!  Awesome what God is going to do and what God is already starting to do.

Another scripture: Matthew 7:17 – notice how Jesus Christ uses these words that are used here – Even so, every good tree brings forth good fruit; so it’s not just talking about pine trees, it’s not talking about cottonwood, it’s not talking about elm, it’s talking about something here that produces something, these trees; and even every good tree, He says here, brings forth good fruit. It can only bring forth good fruit if God does what?  Leads them to the truth, leads them to green pasture and they respond, with God’s favour, with God’s help.  When God leads someone it’s for a purpose. When God began to lead you, when He began to call you it’s for a purpose. He began to lead you to the truth.  He began to lead you to things to help you to make change in your life.  It was all for a purpose, by design.  Awesome!

...but a corrupt tree, He says, brings forth evil fruit. That which doesn’t respond to God, doesn’t listen to God, perhaps doesn’t even have the ability to listen to God, obviously, which is basically the state of the world.  And some, actually many, have been called and have not produced good fruit, and that’s a choice that people make as to how they’re going to respond, because it is about repentance - yes, it is about a desire to be close to God, but it’s also about producing fruit in your life, which means change, which means we need to be productive, which means that changes have to be taking place in our life.  God’s spirit needs to be evident there because the use of God’s spirit determines whether or not fruit is there, it’s from God.  God is the one who produces the fruit through our lives, but it’s our response that determines those things, as to the use of the power of God’s spirit in our life.  And so it’s about that; that’s what God’s desire is.

When you read about that in Psalm 23 it’s about a desire that God has to lead people, His people...who are His people?  Those whom He begins to work with.  It’s not just about a physical nation of Israel.  He took care of them, He offered them much, but they weren’t being led spiritually, they were being led physically.  It was about a physical nation.  But those whom God has worked with through time He has drawn them, He brings them to the green pasture, He brings them to a point where they can begin to produce fruit in their lives, the example of a tree here, to produce fruit.

And if it doesn’t produce fruit... And a good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, does that mean it can’t sin?  No!  You can repent of the sin; but along with that comes change! Will you slip again? Possibly!  Do you keep fighting?  Yes!  Do you grow in other areas of your life because of that attitude and response to God? Yes!  Nobody’s perfect, but you should strive for it.  You should strive for this way of life and want it with all your being, with all of your might, knowing you can’t have it save that God give it to you, and you cry out to God for it because you want it, you desire what He places before you, you desire to be in that kingdom.

He went on to say in verse 18 - A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. It requires God’s spirit. Every tree that does not bring forth good fruit is cut down and cast into the fire.

Another one, Matthew 13:26 - But when the blade, same word – grass – has sprung up; and it’s not just ‘grass’, it’s about that which produces grain, it’s about productive, that which produces fruit.  It’s a different term, but it’s about grass here or the word is used as grass, and there’s a reason for that.  When you look at the English language and you look at what people have done when they’ve translated things, we’ve gotten things so messed up sometimes because of the word ‘green’ that’s used in here in a little bit, at one point here, but if you look at the different verses it’s talking about... when wheat starts growing up – you know what, it’s green in its young stages, it’s green.  Barley, rye, different things that pop up out here, milo, whatever they are, different things out here, corn, everything starts out in general as green; sprouts up.  It doesn’t come up purple or brown, it comes up green.  And there’s purpose for why it’s stated this way.

And when the blade, the first part that comes up - the grass, the wheat - that’s really what it’s talking about, something that can produce grain, has/had sprung up and brought forth fruit, not apples and grapes, it is talking about wheat, corn, milo, that kind of thing that produces grain.  So again here, it’s talking about people who bring forth fruit, once the ‘grass’, the ‘wheat’ is fully matured. Now, it doesn’t start out that way and there is no grain in the head in the beginning, it doesn’t even have a head in the beginning; starts out very young, takes time to grow and then it begins to produce fruit.  At some point later on it begins to develop fruit, a head begins to form and slowly but surely it begins to produce something.  And that’s what this is talking about.  And so when it’s sprung up, when it’s fully grown; it starts out slow, it springs up, yes, and it grows, and brings forth fruit, then appeared the tares. People who work against the truth.  So again, this is part of a parable that we’re all familiar with and it shows here something that happens as a part of God’s plan, that there is that which God is working with and drawing up and then there’s that which doesn’t respond to God or that has a different purpose totally, and it produces that which fights against God.  And we’ve seen much of that in God’s Church through time, and we still go through it, that which produces tares, that which hates and loathes God, God’s way of life, God’s people. To hate God’s people is to hate God.

So again here, different ways that these words are used, and I hope that you’re beginning to see what is being talked about back here in Revelation then.  So let’s read that first inset verse again; Revelation 9:4 - And it was commanded them, Satan and the demons, that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, nor any green thing, in the Greek, when this is about a plant, when you’re talking about the green thing here, we already talked about the grass and the tree and so forth, but when it talks about the green thing here, in the Greek when it’s about a plant it means ‘in its green stage of growth’.   It’s a very unique word, but when it’s in the Greek language and talking about a plant, because it’s used in different ways, but when it’s specific about a plant it’s directly akin to the Greek word about ‘young foliage’ for a purpose.  There’s a reason why this word was chosen, why God inspired this word in the Greek language to be used, ‘young foliage’; it’s just beginning its growth, it’s in its green stage.  ...neither any tree; not just any tree, but as Jesus Christ used it several times describing trees that produce fruit and only people whom God draws and gives food or truth can produce fruit;  but only those men/people who do not have the seal of God in their foreheads.  ‘But only those people’ - It’s all about people; It’s not about something literal that happens like the 1st Trumpet, it’s not about something that gives an example of something that happens with productivity or economy of a nation, and it’s not about a literal physical event.  It’s about people, ‘but only those people’, in the context here of what it’s talking about before this is all about people that are being described here!  And it was commanded them they should not hurt the green grass of the earth; about people; neither any green thing, it’s about people; neither any tree; people! ...but only those people... Awesome! ...who do not have the seal of God in their foreheads.

So, this is actually referring back to the grass, that which is green in its stage of growth, young foliage and trees, all being referred to as ‘but only those people’; who are not of these can be hurt.  Awesome what it’s saying here.  There are certain ones that can be hurt and certain ones that cannot be hurt, certain ones they can go after to a limit, a degree, but still go after, and others they cannot – but all for a purpose of what God is doing.

It says, not to hurt these who are of the ‘green’, or ‘the grass’, if you will, the wheat that is to produce, the ‘trees’ that are to produce fruit, but being ‘green’, young at this time and not yet able to produce fruit.  You don’t start producing fruit right away in your life.  You start making some changes but true spiritual growth, that which God gives to us, it takes some time to develop and especially where we are in time.  Now those of you who have been called into the Church in the last year, two years, three years, you’ve had opportunity to begin producing fruit in your life.  It’s a beginning in your life, and the longer you go forward the more fruit you’ll be able to produce, the more spiritual you’ll be able to grow.  But initially, when you’re first called, it takes time, it takes time to learn and grow and God to work with you and mould you and for you to be able to respond in those things, to where it becomes evident that changes have and are taking place.

We talk about this sometimes; we talk about some of the process that people go through, and finally when the changes are there and you begin to see the things that are there, the fruit that is there. There’s a period of time for growth though that takes place in the beginning, it takes them a while.

Look at where we are right now – we’re already past the five-months, it already started!  We’re into it already, but God is working with some people out there in a very specific way, and there is Satan and demons out there who are already at work doing this phase of God’s work.  You don’t see them yet.  You don’t know who they are yet.  You don’t know what’s happening in their life yet.  But one day you’ll know, some, not all of them, because in time it’s going to amount to millions of people. That’s what God is doing.  Awesome!

And so again here, looking at this, the word ‘hurt’ here is the word that literally means ‘to do wickedly to’ or ‘to act wickedly toward’.  So, there are those whom God has commanded, Satan and the demons, that they cannot cause them hurt in the sense of doing any direct wickedness toward them.  They’re protected from these beings, from such direct assaults personally.  So, who are these people? And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, nor any green thing, nor any tree; but only those people who do not have the seal of God in their foreheads. So, what seal is from God? We’ve talked about this in times past as well striving to understand these things.  We know that those who are of the 144,000 are sealed with a specific kind of sealing, but this really isn’t of any concern in the scheme of things here, because if they die, due to the kind of sealing they have it makes no difference, their fate is sealed, they’re going to be resurrected when Jesus Christ returns.  It’s not about them.

And then there’s the sealing of those when it comes to the context of those who are impregnated with God’s spirit in a begettal after baptism – that’s a kind of sealing that’s spoken of in scripture, a literal kind of sealing that takes place when you’re baptized, you have the impregnation of God’s spirit, you are now the begotten children of God and God’s desire for you is that you grow and mature and produce much fruit.

Over the past few years God has inspired it to be taught that those who come from the Church that was scattered primarily will come once the 5th Trumpet is blown; these are asleep spiritually so it really isn’t even about them.  They’re asleep spiritually.  It is in part because of what’s going to happen to them, but they’re asleep spiritually so it’s not even talking about that sealing by itself.  It includes them as a part but they’re not young by the description of what we’ve just read, they have experienced growth, they have experienced the production of fruit, grain in their life, if you will, it’s just that they’re asleep and God will wake them up.

There is only one group of people...only one group of people that this applies to fully, completely, powerfully, and mightily, and it has to do with what God’s preparing; not out of the entire world, but out of certain countries in the world, out of certain peoples in the world.  It has to do with a process of something He’s going to accomplish, things we’ve already talked about, things we have prepared for, things we have worked toward already.

So before we continue any farther to focus on the only people that this can be about I want to go back and read part of this again in the book.  Again, page 125; ‘2008 – God’s Final Witness’....

God’s Church

At the same time all these events come together at [in] the sounding of the Fifth Trumpet, there will be an initial...

...in the sense of the definition of ‘primary’.  And I thought as I was going through this individuals out there could be saying, “Well, what do you mean a different definition?  What do you mean you’re going to use a definition of primary?”  Because I can.  Because it’s God’s definition.

...there will be an initial, [if you will, in the sense of primary] period of [or] time (five months) when much human suffering will continue as a result of the first four trumpets.

So there’s one continuing on...and I’m telling you right now that there are people out there because of the economy, because of what happened in the 1st Trumpet, who are going through some things right now, whom you don’t know and maybe you do know some, who are suffering because of this that’s bringing them to repentance!  Maybe they’ve lost their job because of it!  Okay?  Maybe they’ve lost something else!  Maybe something has shaken them because of that 1st Trumpet, but God is working with them right now in a very specific way to bring them through this.  It’s already started and it began to be focused upon more when we entered this last time period, this last phase – January 8th – that’s when it started even more so.  So you may not see it fully but God is doing His work and He is drawing people, and there are beings out there who are a part of this for a purpose, of what their part is, and they have power to a limited degree, things they can do and things they cannot do.  ...and especially as we go forward and you get to the 2nd, then the 3rd, and then the 4th Trumpet, this intensifies and magnifies mightily, and then by the 5th when it all comes together it becomes very powerful indeed.

At the same time all these events come together at the sounding of the Fifth Trumpet, there will be an initial period of time (five months) when much human suffering will continue as a result of the first four trumpets. This marks a time of great suffering on a worldwide scale, but even now, God’s Church is still part of these prophetic events.

Still about God’s Church!  It is about some of those who are going to be awakened; it’s still a part of the story of what’s going to take place because God’s going to use that like the 5th Trumpet, as I’ve talked about in times past, when people are going to be awakened, and they’re not going to be awakened primarily until then.

God’s Church still exists on earth, and will continue, all the way up to the very return of Jesus Christ...

And what is God Almighty doing?  He’s getting ready to magnify His Church; He’s getting ready to call millions of people into His Church in a new age, into a new age.  There are people that God is going to bless and is working with already that He has chosen to live in a new age... it isn’t just going to be a matter of where the dice falls, roll the dice and whatever happens.  God is not working with mankind that way.  Just as God called you to baptism, to be able to receive the impregnation of His spirit, He chose you individually, God the Father is the one who calls and He is calling now, and it’s hard for us to grasp and comprehend that.  How long was God working with you before it came on the scene.  How long was God working with you...?

I think of a letter a fellow sent me here just recently talking about how - he was responding to something - that he said that he’s been listening since 2006 and sometimes kicking and kind of screaming along the way, or kicking and hollering along the way, something like that.  I can’t remember the exact term.  He’s not with us yet!  He’s still not with us yet.  And sometimes people go through different things to get where they are going, but God is working with people. Some He may have been working with for years.  He may have been working with millions of people for years; we don’t know how God works in these things, how long He works with people to bring us to where we are.  But God has a plan and He’s the one in charge, and then He gives them to Christ, gives them to the Body of Christ, to the Church of God.  That’s where we’re headed.

God’s Church still exists on earth, and will continue, all the way up to the very return of Jesus Christ; but many who were scattered in the Church, after the great falling away, will not live into the new millennial period that follows.

We know about that.

Although Satan and his demons will be released from great restraint, they will still be restrained in their ability to cause hurt to any of God’s people who obey Him...

And that’s going to be magnified mightily now, truly.

...especially those who are sealed as part of the 144,000.

It will be during this time that Satan and his followers will be allowed to wreak havoc and torment upon those who have not yet repented and humbly turned to God’s end-time prophets for understanding.

To the truth, in other words, to what has been given to the Church, through the Church.

Those of the scattered Church of God, who are tormented during [or meaning within] this five-month period...

But again, the primary movement of these to repentance will be the result of the actual 5th Trumpet blast.

...will suffer greatly for their stubborn pride and continued defiance against God. Once this time has ended as [and] a final time of trying, all of those who have resisted God through [their] selfish pride will die and will not be allowed to enter the millennial period that will soon follow.

So again here, we see death, we know that death is going to come, we know that when the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th sound especially there’s going to be death, even the continuation when things happen with the 1st, and then the 5th, much more.  So there’s a lot of death here and this is important to understand what is being described here because it talks about those that can’t be killed, those that seek death and can’t die.  What on earth is that all about?  Anyway, finally it says here as I read earlier here:

This five-month period will also be paralleled by millions of people who will begin to repent and seek God.

And God has to call them for that to happen.  God is the one who calls individuals and works with them and brings them to this point.

They will begin to turn to the truth they have heard from God’s end-time prophets, as well as those who serve with them in God’s Church. Yet, during this same time, those who still refuse to repent [speaking of very specific nations] (in the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and some western European countries) will experience great trial and torment to help them see their stubborn pride and bring them to repentance.

That’s what these inset verses are all about, it’s about bringing people to repentance and what they’re going to experience to bring them to that repentance.  Because people don’t change easily, and there is torment.  You know, even the torment of certain spirit beings, it’s in the mind, it doesn’t mean that you’re being beaten up, it doesn’t mean that certain things are happening to you physically.  There are beings... it talks about torment that they have, and torment that they’re going to have even more so during the Millennial period because they’re not able to hurt people, they’re not able to do things that they have done for nearly 6,000 years.  You remember the example that if they couldn’t even torment an individual, or some individuals, they said, “...at least let us be cast into the swine!”  And they went and ran over the cliff, because they seek to destroy and kill, and so they got a big bang out of that one I guess, whatever, and killed all the pigs.  Well, good, the Jews didn’t have to worry about it anyway.

Let’s go back and read this in Revelation 9:4 - And it was commanded them, speaking of Satan and the demons, that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree; what an awesome description of people who don’t know anything yet, who are brought to the truth, that God brings them to a point of being able to see the truth, that are young in their growth when they begin to see and understand, that are not able yet to produce fruit; they’re in the beginning stages of something here but very young.  That’s the way we all are when God first calls us and brings us to a point in time of baptism, and you don’t start producing fruit right away!  We’re young, just sprouting up, green!

And I’ve reminded people in the Church many times over because it’s a matter of wisdom when you’re first called, not to think of yourself more highly than you ought, although you have great understanding, truths that God has given to you that are far beyond what was given during Philadelphia, and you can receive it more quickly, but you’re green, you’re just starting to grow, and then with time you begin to grow more and begin to produce some fruit.  But it’s easy for the human mind to take more upon themselves than what is really there.  So lessons to be learned there.

And so again here, an awesome description! ...neither any tree; but only those people who do not have the seal of God in their foreheads.  So who can be hurt?  Those who don’t have the seal.  Who is it that has a seal?  Who are the only ones that can be spoken of here?  Well, when God picked you out, for all practical purposes, you were sealed, you had a special calling.  God set a seal upon you in a very special way.  “I’m calling you.”  And He began to allow your mind to be opened up to truth.  He began to draw you to the truth, whatever was involved in that, whether it be tools and instruments within the Church, whether it’d been ‘The Plain Truth’, ‘Tomorrow’s World’, a telecast, different things that happened and people heard, or an advertisement someone sees and they read a book, begin to read it online, whatever it is...the tools and instruments that God uses out there, but God does it and begins to work with the mind and begins to draw individuals to what is true.  But He set you apart.  If you have the ability to begin to receive what is true it’s because God has set you apart to see it, to understand it; because not everybody out here can receive it.

Look at where ‘The Plain Truth’ went, look at where the telecast went, did everybody respond?  Who could respond?  Those whom God called.  It’s as good a description as saying a seal; they were sealed and brought to another sealing.  What is that?  Baptism.  Then they’re really sealed in the sense of something that’s in them, the impregnation of God’s spirit.  But because of where we are in time there are those who are set aside to be brought to the Church, to be brought to a literal sealing in the sense of God’s holy spirit, the impregnation of God’s spirit in them.

So it has to do with a calling.  It’s about a calling, and those who don’t have a calling.  God is not going to strive to bring everyone into His Family at this time.  He is going to allow the vast majority to die, and there are others He’s calling to live, and they’re going to have things worked with them in their lives to bring them to that point.  Some can be dealt with in one way and others another way and at a different time.

Let’s read what it says here: And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree; but only those people who do not have the seal of God in their foreheads. Who can be hurt?  ...but only those people who do not have the seal of God in their foreheads. And to them, Satan and the demons, it was given power that they should not kill them. So there’s a specific group of people that God will not allow to be killed, who are not to die during this time. There are certain ones that God has called for a specific purpose to accomplish certain things.  Only those whom God calls into the Millennium; God does the calling, and for so many there’s a process that they must go through for that calling.

Verse 5 - And to them it was given that they should not kill them, but that they should be tormented five months: so again here, it was given them that they should not kill them but that they should be tormented for five months – not every person is to be tormented during the full five months, as we talked about, but within the five months, whenever that comes upon them in their life, and the numbers of people will grow, just like everything else will through time here when different things happen in accordance with God’s calling and timing.  And this process has already begun, it began on the 8th of January.

Verse 5 - ...and their torment was as the torment of a scorpion, when it strikes a person. When it happens, in other words.  The strike is quick, in that sense, and it’s painful, but it doesn’t kill.  And so as we go forward and things happen they are going to be accelerated.  God’s bringing people to those points of time to where certain things going to happen in their life that’s going to move them, that’s going to help bring them to repentance, that’s going to help to bring about a change in their life. But so many are already being drawn to that, being worked with, but there’s something else that has to happen to bring them the rest of the way, there’s something that has to happen.  I’ve talked to so many different people… different people have different kinds of things they go through when they’re called into the Church, some of you maybe have grown up in God’s church, generally there’s something that happens in your life to bring you to a certain point of change.

But so many that are called out of the world, you can begin to see certain things and understand certain things but sometimes with some people, and with many people, you have to go through something fairly traumatic to get you to the point where you’ll act upon it.  So knowledge, understanding of things can begin to come, God can begin to draw you, but you don’t always respond immediately, we don’t always respond right away.  Things can happen in different ways.  For me, I had to have certain things happen to me before I even came to see anything, before God even gave me anything in a sense, because I wasn’t going to listen until I had gone through those things, some traumatic things – had to be hit in the forehead between the eyes several times with a four by four before I’d even listen, and God knew that!  Some people begin to receive certain things in their life to be drawn and there are a lot of people out there like that to this day right now.  They’re just kind of waiting, they’re kind of wondering – is it possible?  God’s going to give them a big boost and this is how it happens, at different stages people are going to be able to be drawn to what is true, but something else is going to speed up the process, move it along quickly.

I think of all the people out there who never came to baptism, who never came into the Church, by the thousands!  By the time the apostasy came, young people in God’s Church, who came to God’s Church...I’m looking forward to a period of time because I am deeply confident there are going to be large numbers of them, because they still have things in their mind, they have heard it, and when certain events happen around them it’s going to be a gargantuan motivator for the light bulb to finally come on and for their choice to finally be one of beginning to act upon what they know or have knowledge of.  And these are the things we’re talking about here in these verses.

...Their torment was as the torment of a scorpion when it strikes, when it finally happens.  You can be drawn, you can know certain truth...there are people out here who know many of you in God’s Church, and they’re not coming to you and asking you diddly-squat yet!  Okay?  But they’ve heard certain things from you and when certain things begin to happen that motivate them, you think they’re going to have a great motivation to all of a sudden start asking when things happen to them in their lives, and especially if there are beings out there speeding up the process.  Because that’s a large part of their function, to speed up the process, because time is running out and God knows how to deal with human beings to take away pride and to all of a sudden give you ears of hearing where you want to hear, to bring about a change where you will act upon that and quit resisting the truth.  And the longer you resist the longer you can be tormented in your mind and in your being.  And before we get through this I hope you can see that, far more, what that means.  ...their torment is the torment of a scorpion when it strikes a person.

Verse 6 - And in those days shall people seek death and shall not find it; Why? ...and they shall desire to die, Why? What does this mean? ...and death shall flee from them.  Why would anyone seek death?  Read it again, a little more closely, what it says... And in those days shall people seek death, and shall not find it; This has a lot to do with how...some words in the Greek are not translated well, and a lot of this one here specifically has to do with how it’s translated.  Its most often translated as ‘seek’ indeed, but it’s also, ‘to look as looking for’.  This doesn’t mean that people are trying to find some means by which they can die, that’s reading into it. It’s so easy to do, isn’t it?  It’s so easy to take so many scriptures and prophetic things and read into them your thoughts, but the reality is God has to give you His thoughts at His time and that’s an awesome thing to understand, and we do that with much of the Bible as human beings; and the reality is you’re not going to understand something until it’s God’s time, until He gives it to you.

So, consider what many will experience as they witness close contact with the 2nd Trumpet blast – close contact.  I think of 9/11; it changed a lot of people in New York City area, it changed the way people did or did not talk to each other before and then afterwards.  It changed people’s attitudes in different parts of the country coming out from there, but by the time you got to California it was like, “...didn’t touch us.”  There was a different spirit out there.  You get around different people and there wasn’t the same kind of feeling as you went farther east or had some connection with the east.  Does that make sense?  I don’t know if any of you experienced that.  We actually went to Australia and found greater sympathy among people that we came across, not in the Church, that we came in contact with, greater feeling for what happened on 9/11 than people I came in contact with in places like California, and they’re all the way over in Australia.  Incredible how human beings are sometimes!

So, if we can understand how these events and the closer you are to them can affect you, that’s what this is talking about.  So consider what many will experience as they witness close contact with the 2nd Trumpet blast, the 3rd, the 4th, and beyond, because this is something that goes on all the way to the end.  It lasts throughout the full five month period and it’s not about the timing that the 5th Trumpet sounds; it’s about a job, it’s about power that is given to the same beings who do what they do when the 5th Trumpet blast takes place, which has to do with Europe, which has to do with what they finally do.  These same beings are the ones instrumental in bringing about some of this that takes place that’s being spoken of here.

And so the question is – when you live close to something like this, that causes death... how close is that?  How shaken up can you become?  How close is it to you?  Looking for death – is it just around the corner?  Where can I go?  What city do I travel into?  Should I go into a city?  Should we leave the city?  We’re looking at death!  We’re looking for death; that’s the attitude of mind.  It’s like right now; I think of 2008 and people were asking – which I wanted to know too but God hadn’t given it – should I go to this city or that city, shall I take this trip or not that trip?  Is it safe to do it?  I don’t know!  But how much worse is it when things are happening on a massive scale around you and then you wonder...should I stay in this city?  If it happened here in this city could we be next?  Looking for death, and don’t find it.  It hasn’t happened yet, it’s not there for them yet, it’s not in their corner, neck of the woods yet. But that’s the attitude of mind, that’s what’s being discussed here!  This is the language being used; is death coming for them next?  It’s a fear that begins to build up in people’s minds; and that fear can bring about change.

Looking and becoming more and more aware of the horrifying times in which they’re living.  One thing, the 2nd Trumpet blast and the 3rd magnifies this many times over, especially if they’re close to each other, especially if people don’t have time as they’ve had in the last three years, to think that things are finally getting back and we’re going to get everything back and everything’s better now.  They’re not going to have time to deceive themselves any longer; on the contrary, things escalate so much and become horrifying around them.  Scriptures like this take on a new meaning in what is being said here.

As time moves forward death becomes more of a reality, even the death of loved ones, friends, neighbours, business associates, and so forth.  It carries torment, but it’s not for them to die; but it helps bring about change.  Sadly it’s that kind of torment sometimes that can cause people to examine things in their life and when they hear something then to repent and have a desire for themselves and for other that they know, to share with them what they know, to themselves make change and respond to God, finally.  And so again, come to repentance and desire, and have a desire for God’s help and intervention.  You think people aren’t going to start changing and wanting to know what’s happening and why it’s happening?  God’s going to use this in a very powerful way.  We’ve always known this, we just hadn’t focused on why and how fully that’s described right here that’s going to take place.

Some become so distraught that they would just as soon die, as it says, because the torment is so great...and shall desire to die.  Why?  Family members, loved ones, the horror of it all leads to such thoughts in many people, and then they hear the truth, and then it’s time for them to respond. God knows how to work with us as human beings.  He knows how to humble the human mind and to receive what He has for them.  Not everyone is being brought to this point in time, not everyone’s going to be given that opportunity to change.

It says...and yet death shall flee from them; because God has a plan for them, God has a purpose for them, God has a purpose in these scriptures being fulfilled and He’s going to do it and He’s going to bring people through that are so distraught that these thoughts actually come into their minds because they’re so tormented by what’s already happened to friends, business associates, loved ones, mates, children, parents.  It’s not a pretty time, it’s a horrifying time for mankind, and that’s going to be part of a process to bring people to repentance, to listen to God.

Hopefully what is being spoken of regarding these verses is all much clearer now. But there’s one more inset here that I mentioned in the beginning, and that’s  verse 10 - And they, speaking of Satan and the demons, had tails like scorpions, and there was stinging in their tails: and their power was to hurt men for five months. Within that five months, meaning they’ve already been given that power.  They’re already out there with that power.  There are things already happening that we’re not aware of yet that we will become aware of in time.  But as things intensify, as we go forward...

How far are we away from that?  How long does it take for you to wake up and the world has changed as you know it?  How long does it take for things to escalate so mightily that someone in the Middle East does something so stupid and so insane?  And to think that some might even want to trigger those reactions, like bait, to send some ships through an area with the hope that maybe ...or themselves do something to instigate a war?  Do you think that mankind is capable of doing something like that?  Do you see that today?  It doesn’t mean he’s going to announce anything great, in the sense of his power, or the power they have, but they’re not to be monkey’d around with. Ahmadinejad is going to make an announcement and some think it’s going to be about some of their technology, how far along they really are.  And just how truthful are they going to be in some of those things?  It doesn’t take long to have everything change.

Syria?  It’s a powder keg!  Things the Russians aren’t going to tolerate; they’re not going to put up with it like they have with Libya.  They’re upset, the Chinese and the Russians, they’re upset with what happened in Libya, and there are some people that are determined, determined to go ahead and do in Syria what they’ve done before?  The Russians are going to sit back and take it?  Well, we know that the 6th Trumpet can’t blow yet, but what might they do?  What will people do?  What would some do to change events in the world?  We talked about terrorism, number 2, number 3, and number 4...there are things that can be made to look like they came from different ones.  They can come through different ones that even want to have certain things that will go ahead and do it for them.  Don’t think that things can’t happen overnight or they’re not in the process of happening, because one day that’s exactly what’s going to happen – everything starts changing overnight, quickly, powerfully, mightily.  It doesn’t take long and it doesn’t have to last for a long time – truly doesn’t.

...and they had tails like scorpions and their sting in their tails, and they had power to hurt men five months. Incredible!

So, in the first sermon of this series I read in ‘2008 – God’s Final Witness’ what had to do with what was said about the 5th Trumpet, then we skipped this section and I mentioned that once people had a better understanding of what God was now revealing that all this would mean even more, and I think it’d be good...I don’t know if I’ll have time to go back and reads some of this, I might read a portion of it here, but sometimes you go back and read something once you have understanding of something that God is saying and... maybe I’ll just read these verses here all the way through.  I’ll just read it one more time here, these insets; again, understanding they’re not to do with the first three verses and the latter verses. That’s about the 5th Trumpet when it blows and what they’re going to do when they come up out of the smoke, and it’s about war.

This is something different that’s being discussed and it’s about those God is going to call and God is going to draw and a power in a world out there to speed up the process.  It’s all about speeding up the process, and these beings are going to be a part of speeding up that process, of things they’re going to be allowed to do around people in different people’s lives.  There are certain things they can do to them and certain things they can’t do to them that we’ll understand even more fully as time goes forward, when some of those begin to come along and we begin to hear their stories, things that happened in their lives to bring them to where they are.  Just want to read it again here quickly....

Revelation 9:4-6 - And it was commanded them, Satan and the demons, that they should not hurt the green grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree; but only those people who do not have the seal of God in their foreheads. So they have power to do certain things to some and others they can’t, to a certain point in time. And to them it was given that they should not kill them, but that they should be tormented in five months: within that period of time, and their torment was the torment of a scorpion when he strikes a man. And in those days shall men seek death, shall not find it; and shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them. Again, all a part of the story here.  Go back and read it again later along with what it says here in ‘2008 – God’s Final Witness’.

Page 122 – ‘2008 – God’s Final Witness’:

Satan’s Rise to Power

In prophecy, stars are symbolic of angels. One simple example of a star that is misinterpreted by the world of traditional Christianity is the one that led the wise men to Bethlehem, where the Messiah was born. Traditional Christianity pictures this as a literal star over the little town of Bethlehem. Yet, most people do not know that it wasn’t a literal star in the heavens, but an angel that directed them where to go.

The star in Revelation 9:1 refers to Satan. John’s vision represents Satan’s fall from God’s presence to his banishment here on earth. Satan, and those angels who rebelled with him against God, have been limited in the power they once were given. They have been restrained by God. This restraint from power is symbolically pictured by chains and a place of restraint, like a prison. The key is symbolic of being released from these restraints.

Satan has been allowed to exercise powers of influence over mankind, primarily in the form of feeding man’s own greed for wealth, power, illegal self-gratification, etc. Now, at this very point of end-time tribulation, at the sounding of the Fifth Trumpet, Satan and the demons (angels that rebelled with Satan) will be released from their restraints and will be able to exercise far greater power and influence over mankind than before.

Referring here that this is when the last revival of the Holy Roman Empire is to occur.

Nations and religions already desire to exert power and evil on earth, but Satan will move them to follow their evil desires more quickly.

In actuality, God will be accelerating a natural course of events that would otherwise be spread over many more years of intense suffering, war, and evil on earth, which would result in far greater destruction. If God did not speed up these events, as revealed through the Seven Trumpets, and limit this time to only three and one-half years...

And what an awesome thing that so much of it has been limited to far less, because the reality is, and we’re only beginning to grasp some of that, when nuclear war takes place and what happens on the earth, if God didn’t intervene quickly and keep it for a short length of time there wouldn’t be much left of anything.  But God has a purpose of exactly how to preserve what He desires to take into a new age.

...then all life would be erased from off the earth.

The expression of ‘cutting that time short’ means more to us now than ever, because it’s a process of God preventing mankind from self-annihilation.

The Final Rise of a United Europe

For over fifty years now, Europe has been moving toward a union of nations. It began in the early 1950’s with the vision of a stronger European economy being formed through the European Common Market. This finally evolved into a greater unification through the governing power of the European Union. There has been a constant driving force within Europe to unite under a stronger governing organization of nations. Over time, a core block of those nations forged a stronger bond by the adoption of a common currency—the euro. Political and even military consolidation has continued to press forward.

For over fifty years, God’s Church has foretold the rise of this united Europe, which would have a common currency, a military and religion (Roman Catholic Church [primarily]), and would finally consist of only ten united countries.

For many years now, there has been a growing desire among many Europeans for the revival of [the] an old Europe into a single United States of Europe, replacing and surpassing the United States of America as the predominant power in the world. Many in Europe are frustrated with, what they see, as too slow a pace in the progress of these goals.

How much more now?

A bond of unity among some of these nations is becoming stronger, while their frustrations are mounting against those who are seen as slowing the process. There is deep resentment and growing bitterness toward these nations (especially Great Britain) who won’t join together for a stronger euro.

I hope that you’re truly keeping up with news about Europe and the attitudes of people over there and what’s taking place.  It’s like Greece, who could be very well a part of all this process, and the clay, that people hate what’s going on.  Right now they’re waving flags, those swastikas, they’re talking about the 4th Reich.  They hate Germany.  There are people who hate Germany with a passion, but there’s a leadership there that’s over a barrel.  You talk about clay and not being strongly bound together, and yet they could be a part of this!  It’s an incredible thing to be witnessing as God’s people.

Although many other areas of prophecy can help you understand what will happen at the time of this Fifth Trumpet, only the conclusions from the revelation of those prophecies will be covered in this chapter. More of this information is covered in The Prophesied End-Time.

Satan’s release from restraint will move him to exercise greater power and influence over the unity of Europe. Satan has exercised his influence and power to deceive and create havoc during every revival of the Holy Roman Empire. He will stir up ten nations in Europe who will take control of all power over the European Union. Only/[all] those ten nations will agree to lend their power as one.

Not until the 5th Trumpet blows. They’re going to be there before it happens, but only when the 5th Trumpet blows will they finally have this agreement here that’s being spoken of.

Germany will once again be the principal driving force behind a united Europe. As in the sixth revival of the Holy Roman Empire, which led into World War II, this seventh prophetic and last revival will lead into a full blown World War III. And, like a scorpion that strikes quickly without notice, a new United States of Europe will swiftly exercise great military power that it already has in its possession under the cloak of NATO. This will occur at a very specific moment in time. This new European power, which would eventually move to accomplish the same thing, will move forward more quickly due to the influence of Satan and his army of demons.

So it’s a matter of God’s timing, it’s a matter of when it’s God’s time, that right now they have this loose cohesion.  And if you were just looking at this, and especially if you’re in the scattered Body, you’re going to believe with all your being that there is no way on earth that all this can happen, like I said in the post, in such a short length of time, and that’s disregarding the power of God and power that He’s allowing these beings to have and to exercise, to cause something to happen quickly.  When it’s God’s time for something things will happen quickly, and those beings, when they’re given power they have great power to do exactly what God says.  And so their very purpose in the 5th Trumpet is to cause something to spark, a group of people who are already there, a group of people who may be the exact ones we talked about today who were already mentioned, those nine countries plus the Vatican, to do what they’re going to do at a moment’s notice, and then it’s too late to turn around.  And then Russia and China respond immediately.  It doesn’t take weeks, months, or years; God speeds it up to happen quickly so that those nations are going to respond... Russia is not going to stand by once Europe does what it does.  They’re going to respond quickly, and it’s more disaster and destruction.

So when does all this have to happen?  How long before the end?   Had an interesting thought the other day, specifically about China and Russia; two people could already be dead when that finally takes place and everything be fulfilled.  3½ days to destroy a third of all the earth and a third of all mankind?  Doesn’t take very long for nuclear weapons to go off and do what they’re going to do.  Don’t limit God.

Don’t let down!  Because that’s a trial that some are going through right now in God’s Church, because it’s a matter of your convictions as to what you believe with all your being as to where we are in time and what’s taking place and how can it all indeed come to pass.  And it can, very powerfully so.

That’s why it’s important to watch news, that’s why it’s important to keep up with what’s happening, that’s why it’s important some of these things that people send out here to each other in the Church is so important as well, to keep up with what’s happening in the news.  Because those are the things that change quickly, that are formulating ideas and plans that are in the process of taking place that are already there.  But just as Satan and the demons can bring together quickly what happens in Europe, 10 nations to do what they do, to push a button, to push several buttons, to cause some of the things to take place...which the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th have to take place before that.

Let me ask another question – How long does it take for the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Trumpets to do and cause what they’re going to cause?  Do we not understand it’s because of those things that Europe does what it does?  Do you not understand that it’s the very reason why Europe responds and makes a decision and a choice that it does, is because of what happens at that time?  That someone has to step in and fill the gap – for whatever it is that’s behind all the thinking and those beings that move and motivate and distort the thoughts of leaders to make the choice they do.  I’m telling you, that up to a week in advance these things could happen, of the end, of Jesus Christ returning – 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th Trumpets.  Don’t think they can’t.

So, how long are you going to hold fast?  To the end?  There are people who have already given up.  I hate to see it happen.

Those are questions that every individual has to ask.  But these same beings, please understand, are the same ones that are already at work and doing some of the things they’re doing out here that God is working with in a very powerful way, to make a distinction in those He’s going to brings into a new age and they’re going to help speed up the process for them as well.  It’s going to be exciting as we go through the time that’s ahead of us - not always fun - but it will be exciting; because as Johnny said a while ago, we have a front row seat.

I want to take the time to mention one other thing today. There’s a question that’s been asked here that I want to answer.  Because I thought as an admonition here today, again, remember the example of Jericho.  It’s going to mean more to us as time goes along.  But I want to answer something here that’s been asked – matter of fact I received it today – but it’s a question from an individual.  It says:

We’re unclear about the breakdown of the time we’re in and how it relates to the time that Israel marched around Jericho.  We thought that the final 3½ ‘Times’ = seven equal periods of 140 days...

In other words, ‘Half a Time’.

...each is equivalent to the seven days of Israel marching around Jericho and that the seventh time, the final 140 day period, is when they would be marching around seven times.

Well, again here, it’s like a parable.  A parable is good to the point that it applies to what is being discussed.  The examples we have used here, like running down the hill, it’s somewhat like a parable for us, or a ‘type’ of something that we’re doing or have done already.  And that’s why God gave us those scriptures concerning the desire as God’s people and how we focused upon what was taking place before 2008 and during 2008, during that period of time, of running down the hill together, that this is it, that we’re putting everything in ourselves into this with all of our being, an absolute conviction of what we’re doing and how we’re doing it.  And that mentality, you don’t turn around, you don’t turn away from it, when you start down the hill that’s it.  That was the point of that example.

And the same thing is true about Jericho.  God has inspired us to be able to use Jericho and there is a ‘type’ here of sevens that God uses, and certainly if we wanted to apply that and have applied that to a period of seven periods of ‘Time’, then that’s been good for us, if spiritually you are encouraged by the fact that you’re walking around, marching around Jericho during seven periods of time then that’s fine.  But we’re already past six.  Our time is shorter now so now we’re focusing in even more so, using that example of Jericho, still a ‘type’ but now it means more.

And so it can apply to both, that’s the bottom line; but for us right now it literally applies to the end here of 140 days.  That’s why I mentioned here recently that we’re past the first day.  We’re getting close to past the second day.  Is it next week sometime?  End of the week? A day in this ‘half time’ of 140 days meaning 20 day periods (140 days divided by 7 days of marching around Jericho=20 days).  So there’s a type there of something that we relate to that encourages us.  That’s how it works in my life.  I don’t know how much it may have meaning later on, whether it will or not, but the ‘type’ is important to us.  This is what we’re doing.  We march every day.  And maybe it will be in that last 20 days that will be equivalent to marching around seven times, and maybe everything about the 1st Trumpet and the 2nd Trumpet and the 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th will come to pass then, then the 7th finally on the last day.  I don’t know – God hasn’t given that to me.  But the closer we get to that the more encouragement, candidly, that would give, as you look forward, as a ‘type’ of something.

So, yes, we’re almost to the end of the second day, and by the time we get to the third and the forth and the fifth I’m going to be much happier, because we’re almost through it.  This is hard, this is not easy, this is a battle.  It’s s spiritual one!  And that’s what a lot of this sermon is about here today; that it is a matter of your own conviction.  It’s not a matter of even understanding the 5th Trumpet fully and what it means, it’s a matter of a personal conviction you have and a determination that you have to see it through to the end.

~~~end

1. Nine EU countries form splinter group on financial tax

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