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MODERN ROMANS: A WARNING FOR AMERICA, BRITAIN AND ISRAEL
Chapter 3
Are Writings of the Prophets History or Prophecies for Our Time
About one-third of the Bible is prophecy and about 80% of that prophecy is yet to be fulfilled, with most of it being fulfilled in our very days. The Bible refers to our days as ‘the last days’, ‘latter days’, ‘the time of the end’, ‘the Lord’s Day’, ‘the Day of the Lord’ or ‘in that day.’
To understand that the prophecies written in the prophets pertain to our time, we must first prove from Bible prophecies that we are in fact living in the end times.
Proofs that We are Living in the End-time
Daniel the prophet mentioned the conditions that would prevail in the end-time in Daniel 12:4, 9-10 “4 But you, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased…9 And he [the angel] said, Go your way, Daniel: for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end. 10 Many shall be purified, and made white, and tried; but the wicked shall do wickedly: and none of the wicked shall understand; but the wise shall understand.”
Four conditions are identified here for the end time. The prophecies were sealed till the time of the end, but they would be revealed in the end-time. Secondly, the wicked, or the world in general, would not understand them, but the wise would. That means most in the world’s religions, including Mainstream Christianity, would not understand them, but the true Church of God would. In Revelation 19:10, the angel told John “I am your fellow-servant, and of your brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.” This means that only those who understand prophecy have the testimony of Jesus that they are His.
Understanding of prophecies, including what all the beasts of Daniel and Revelation symbolize, was given to Herbert W. Armstrong, through whom God founded the modern era of His Church. No man except Jesus Christ understood prophecy as much as he did.
The third condition in the end-time is humanity running to and fro, meaning increased global travel. And the fourth condition is increase in knowledge globally. Nobody can mistake the fact that we live in a world of unprecedented global travel and multiplying knowledge. The rate at which knowledge is becoming available is doubling every 12 months and on a curve predicted to rise even faster, according to www.digitaljournal.com. Thus all the four conditions identified for the end-time by Daniel have been fulfilled.
Another sign of the end-time is prophesied in Matthew 24:14, “14 And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.”
This verse mentions that a gospel or good news about the coming Kingdom of God would be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations, and then the end of man’s age will come. Mr. Armstrong started preaching this specific gospel of the kingdom of God (and not of salvation through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ which mainstream Christianity preaches) with his first Church sermon in September-October of 1928. God’s Church has never stopped preaching that gospel since that time. This message is going out to all the world through TV, radio, in print and via the Internet in many languages of the world. Therefore, this sign of the end-time has been fulfilled and continues to be fulfilled.
The Bible then talks about a ‘time of no longer any delay’ in the fulfillment of end-of-the-end time events in Revelation 10:5-6 (NKJV), “5 The angel whom I saw standing on the sea and on the land raised up his hand to heaven 6 and swore by Him who lives forever and ever, who created heaven and the things that are in it, the earth and the things that are in it, and the sea and the things that are in it, that there should be delay no longer…”
This means there is no longer any delay in fulfillment of end-of-the-end time events mentioned in the seven seals of the Book of Revelation. The first four seals describe the Third World War.
But after the world entered the ‘time of no longer any delay’, the first prophesied event is mentioned in verse 11: “11 And he said to me, “You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, tongues [meaning in many languages], and kings.”
This prophecy has already been fulfilled in the most dramatic way. From my computer I read about a one hour message every week on Saturday morning, 9.00 A.M. USA Eastern Standard Time in English. But God’s angels then broadcast that message to every human being on earth in his or her own language. I started my first message on December 2, 2006 and have not missed even a single week yet. Prove it to yourself every week how this prophecy has been fulfilled. Just tune your mind to hear the message and you will hear it in your own language.
Another sign of the end-time is population explosion. Revelation 9:13-16 describes a war (NKJV): “13 Then the sixth angel sounded: And I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God, 14 saying to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, “Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates.” 15 So the four angels, who had been prepared for the hour and day and month and year, were released to kill a third of mankind. 16 Now the number of the army of the horsemen was two hundred million; I heard the number of them.”
These verses describe a war yet to be fought in the near future in which an eastern side will field an army of able-bodied young men that would be 200 million strong. The other side will also field an army at least tens of millions strong. This war is fought after the Third World War in which one-fourth of mankind would have been destroyed, and a war between a European Alliance against an Islamic-African alliance in which hundreds of millions will have died. For a side to field such as army, the world population literally has to be in the range of 7-8 billion. The world population crossed the 7 billion mark in 2012. Such a war could not have been fought before this time. Thus the population explosion is another sign of the end time which has been fulfilled.
Jesus Christ described a time of Great Tribulation in these terms in Matthew 24:21-22: “21 For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. 22 And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved [alive]: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened.”
This was never possible before the nuclear age. But now fulfillment of this end-time prophecy is possible. This is proof that we are living in the end-time.
For more proofs that we are living in the end-time, please read the free UCG booklet titled “Are We Living in the Time of the End?”, available free at www.ucg.org.
Proof that Writings of the Prophets Pertain to the End-time
As already mentioned, prophecy is most often dual. There was a former fulfillment in the days of ancient Israel, and there is a latter fulfillment in the end-time. In many cases, there was no former fulfillment and the sins are specified almost entirely for the end-time. For example, Ezekiel the prophet wrote his book after the Jews were taken into captivity by the Babylonians. The northern kingdom called the House of Israel had already been taken as captive slaves by the Assyrians approximately 135 years earlier and removed from their land. So when Ezekiel received God’s prophecies concerning the House of Israel to be delivered to them, he could not do so as he was a captive. Therefore, the prophecies concerning the House of Israel were given for the end-time and not for ancient times.
When the Bible refers to a prophecy for the end time, it uses phrases such as ‘the last days’, ‘latter days’, ‘the time of the end’, ‘the Lord’s Day’, ‘the Day of the Lord’, ‘in that day’ or ‘that day.’ Here are other examples where prophecies in the prophets refer specifically to the end-time:
Jeremiah 30:4-7, 24, “4 And these are the words that the Lord spake concerning Israel and concerning Judah. 5 For thus saith the Lord; We have heard a voice of trembling, of fear, and not of peace. 6 Ask now, and see whether a man does travail with child? wherefore do I see every man with his hands on his loins, as a woman in travail, and all faces are turned into paleness? 7 Alas! for that day is great, so that none is like it: it is even the time of Jacob's trouble, [same time prophesied as the Great Tribulation by Jesus in Matthew 24:14] but he shall be saved out of it…24 in the latter days you shall consider it.”
Here God is prophesying about the time of trouble for Israel and Judah together. They have never fallen together before. It also specifically mentions that the prophecy should be considered for the latter days Therefore, this prophecy pertains to the end time.
Jeremiah 23:20, “20 The anger of the Lord shall not return, until he have executed, and till he have performed the thoughts of his heart: in the latter days you shall consider it perfectly.”
Hosea 3:4-5: “4 For the children of Israel shall abide many days without a king, and without a prince, and without a sacrifice, and without an image, and without an ephod, and without teraphim [referring to end-time slavery]: 5 Afterward shall the children of Israel return, and seek the Lord their God, and David their king [when David is resurrected to become their king in the Kingdom of God]; and shall fear the Lord and his goodness in the latter days.”
2 Timothy 3:1, “This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.”
Micah 5:10-11, “10 And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the Lord, that I will cut off your horses out of the midst of you, and I will destroy your chariots: 11 And I will cut off the cities of your land, and throw down all your strong holds:”
America, Britain and Jews’ Sins Identified in the Prophets
So far we have established that our ancestors made a covenant with the God of Israel at the time of Moses when they came out of Egypt. They agreed to obey God’s laws written in the first five books of the Bible. The rest of the Bible explains the Law with real life examples and how to make decisions in different circumstances based on those laws. God promised great blessings of prosperity and protection from their enemies and diseases for obedience to His laws, but severe punishments or curses for disobedience.
We have also established that we are living in the end time, and 80% of Bible prophecies pertain to the end-time which are being fulfilled or to be fulfilled. God prophesied how our people will behave in the end-time in the writings of the prophets. Punishment for such behavior has also been prophesied, which ultimately will lead to defeat in war and then national slavery for the entire 3 1/2 years of the Great Tribulation. Now let’s analyze the violations of His laws about which God is most angry.
God’s Unconditional Promises
Before we analyze America and Britain’s sins, it’s very important for us to understand why America has been the greatest nation on earth and why British Commonwealth nations have been the greatest company or commonwealth of nations ever. It was prophesied by the God of Israel as a promise to the descendants of Joseph through his sons Manasseh and Ephraim.
First God made that promise to Jacob, also renamed Israel in Genesis 35:9-12, “9 And God appeared unto Jacob again, when he came out of Padanaram, and blessed him. 10 And God said unto him, Your name is Jacob: your name shall not be called any more Jacob, but Israel shall be your name: and he called his name Israel. 11 And God said unto him, I am God Almighty: be fruitful and multiply; a nation and a company of nations shall be of you, and kings shall come out of your loins; 12 And the land which I gave Abraham and Isaac, to you I will give it, and to your seed after you will I give the land.”
Jacob then conferred that blessing on his son Joseph’s two sons Manasseh and Ephraim in Genesis 48:13-20, “13 And Joseph took them both, Ephraim in his right hand toward Israel's left hand, and Manasseh in his left hand toward Israel's right hand, and brought them near unto him. 14 And Israel stretched out his right hand, and laid it upon Ephraim's head, who was the younger, and his left hand upon Manasseh's head, guiding his hands wittingly [knowingly]; for Manasseh was the firstborn. 15 And he blessed Joseph, and said, God, before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac did walk, the God which fed me all my life long unto this day, 16 The Angel which redeemed me from all evil, bless the lads; and let my name be named on them [Israel put his name jointly on Manasseh which is America and Ephraim which is British Commonwealth nations. That’s why Bible prophecies concerning Israel pertain to America and British Commonwealth nations], and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac; and let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth. 17 And when Joseph saw that his father laid his right hand upon the head of Ephraim, it displeased him: and he held up his father's hand, to remove it from Ephraim's head unto Manasseh's head. 18 And Joseph said unto his father, Not so, my father: for this is the firstborn; put your right hand upon his head. 19 And his father refused, and said, I know it, my son, I know it: he also shall become a people [meaning a great nation], and he also shall be great: but truly his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his seed shall become a multitude of nations [meaning a company or commonwealth of nations. 20 And he blessed them that day, saying, In you shall Israel bless, saying, God make thee as Ephraim and as Manasseh: and he set Ephraim before Manasseh.”
These were unconditional promises from God after Abraham was about to sacrifice his son Isaac as mentioned in Genesis 22:15-18, “15 And the angel of the Lord called unto Abraham out of heaven the second time, 16 And said, By myself have I sworn, says the Lord, for because you have done this thing, and have not withheld your son, your only son: 17 That in blessing I will bless you, and in multiplying I will multiply your seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and your seed shall possess the gate [narrow sea and land passages of access] of his enemies; 18 And in your seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because you have obeyed my voice.”
In conferring these promises of one great nation and a commonwealth of nations with great material blessings of prosperity, many intricate prophecies were fulfilled. For a full account of these prophecies, you may read the United Church of God (UCG) booklet titled “The United States and Britain in Bible Prophecy” available free to read or download at the web site www.ucg.org.
Briefly, God did not confer these promises during the time of ancient Israel’s kingdom because the nation failed to obey God’s laws. So God withheld the blessings as a punishment for 2,520 years as prophesied in Leviticus 26:18, “18 And if you will not yet for all this hearken unto me, then I will punish you seven times more for your sins.”
As the booklet explains, when Israel continued to disobey God, He punished them and warned them through prophets to repent and obey His commandments. When they continued to disobey, God punished them seven times for their sins. The ‘seven times’ is a prophetic term. A time means a year of 360 days in prophecy, and there is also a principal of ‘a year for a day.’ So seven times of punishment means 7x360 days, or 2,520 days of punishment. Applying the ‘year for a day’ principle, this equals 2,520 years of punishment of withholding the unconditionally promised birthright blessings.
Ancient kingdom of the House of Israel was enslaved by the Assyrians in 722 BCE. That’s when the punishment began and 2,520 years brings to 1799 A.D. Beginning in 1800 A.D., America and Britain burst into national greatness and began receiving the birthright blessings, even though both nations have never kept God’s laws during the past 220 years.
God has blessed our nations for more than two centuries now. He has fulfilled all His unconditional promises. But we still are in violation of the terms of our ancient covenant. Therefore, God is no longer obligated to continue blessing us, and will now punish us according to the terms of the covenant.
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