Address—Bruce Anstey
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#40 in the appendix.
Let's sing #40 independent.
I've been feeling a little queasy with UH, had an incident last night where I made a mistake and drank a bottle of a part of a bottle of, uh, a peroxide. I thought it was water. I've had some.
Weakness. But you'll have to excuse me so.
Seek to bring the scriptures before our audience. #40 independence, says Laurel. Hail to the Lord's anointed.
Could some brothers start that? All I can start is hail to the Lord.
Roasting, dear child and.
They gave me a lot of different regions, you know, I don't know what's right.
Do you know any sense like that? And I'm pretty.
Good. Thank you. So bad friendly. I'll try to turn it down. And you're going to have Wednesday.
No, I haven't been looking at how long I'm sitting on the bed.
And now so they can buy.
Yeah, Blood or knees down. I don't know anything. Anything else you're father rejoining, uh.
Wednesday, when Frontier is being in trouble.
Down from my head and again.
It's one to two days, so.
Change the alarm for him and those and him, then bring.
On take some gathering about the door again.
His friends are being closed in between.
I can sit by and tell them what you're getting.
Oh, I remember she had.
Far as the beginning of standing down.
Or not slightly and so forth.
I'd like to take up.
Something that could be called helps on the study of prophecy.
And in particular I would like to try to answer.
A question is ask me more than any other question on the subject of prophecy, and that is in what is the role that the United States of America will have?
In the coming events as laid out in prophecy.
And I can understand why people are asking these questions. I just had an e-mail again a few days ago from somebody from a different fellowship of Christians asking this question. And I get inundated with it. And I'm not sure if I can answer it all together from Scripture. But I'll do my best. And you can understand why things are heating up in the United States of America as you know they're getting ready for an election and.
Things don't look too good as far as the future is concerned for that country. I'm sorry to say that to some of my American brothers that are here.
Since Canada is pretty much a piggyback nation on the US, whatever happens there will probably be reflected here. I don't intend to try to interpret prophecy from the daily newspaper. That's a mistake. But I will give you a few things that I have learned from scriptures and I'll also quote from a expositor that wrote something with regard to the United States over 140 years ago, and I think that will shed some light on this question. But before we do, as I've been saying, I'd like to take up some things that would be in connection with.
Helps on the study of prophecy.
So let's turn first of all for a couple of introductory verses in Revelation, chapter 19 and verse 11.
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Revelation 19 and verse 10. Excuse me.
A lot of half of about tenth verse.
The testimony of Jesus worship God, for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy says latter 7 or 8 words.
The testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy. It's important when we take up the subject of prophecy that we understand that God has an object and a goal with all prophecy and it does not necessarily finish and end with us as Christians, nor does it end or start with Israel, but rather the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. And the key to understanding every passage in prophecy is to understand that it has some reflection on him and he is the object and end of all prophecy.
So the prophecy in scripture does not concern the church nor Israel first hand, though it does have much to say about it the the goal or the object. The end of prophecy is the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ. Prophecy tells us how God is going to secure our public glory for the Lord Jesus in the coming days. So the events of prophecy are in scripture to take us through those things. But the ultimate end in all this is the public display of Christ Kingdom glory.
When we speak of the glory of the Lord Jesus, we're talking about his official Kingdom glory. As opposed to other aspects of glory or other glories that he has. He has many glories. He has his mediatorial glory of redemption as he sits at the right hand of God having completed the work of redemption. And we have many, many blessings in him. And that's a tremendous glory that he has secured and has acquired it through what he did at the cross.
And it's beautiful to see that he shares that glory with us and the blessings that have been.
Uh, accrued as a result of that work. But this is something different. This is Kingdom glory. This is the glory that he has yet to secure. For himself is a glory that he has yet to win. And he will be victorious in the coming day over all the nations, and he will secure that glory for his own public display and wonder of wonders. He's going to share that glory as well with his redeemed people, both the church.
In the heavens and Israel upon the earth. So there's a bright future coming for this world, even though it looks very, very dark today.
And it's getting darker every day. So let us understand as we study the prophecy, the events of prophecy, the details of prophecy.
That Christ must be.
The theme is the theme, and he must be the one that we have to keep before our souls if we're going to understand anyone's passage.
I'm not saying that every passage has to do with the Lord's, uh, glory in the in in each verse, but it will work in its ultimate fruition towards that which is his glory. So there are some scriptures that talk about judgment of their enemies. They say, well, how could there be any glory for Christ in that? But it works toward his ultimate glory is my point.
Let's turn to another passage in Second Peter Chapter 2.
Peter chapter one.
Verse 19.
We have also a more sure word of prophecy, where until we do well to take heed as unto a light or a lamp that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawner should be day dawn.
And the day star arise in our hearts. Now here we have a direct scripture that tells us that we should take heed to prophetic scriptures. He says Here we have a more sure word of prophecy. Whereunto do we do well to take heed?
And so we have God's word telling us that we should be interested.
In prophetic events. And the reason for it is not because we want to get off a timeline set up or we were intrigued as to this detail and that detail, but rather because we're interested in seeing it all work out to the ultimate end in the glory and the display of the glory of Christ in the coming day. So we should all have a healthy interest in prophecy. Sometimes we say, oh, I can never understand those things, it's too deep.
Things of God. You know that scripture in First Corinthians prophecy is not the deep things of God.
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The deep things of God are the mysteries that have been hidden in the heart of God from eternity, and he's been grown unto us through the Apostle. And it's disclosed in the great Mystery Christ in the Church. That's the deep things of God. Prophecy is things that are really found in the Old Testament.
And they have their fruition in coming day.
So it tells us here that uh, one of the benefits of taking heed to the word of prophecy is that the day will dawn and the day star will arise in our hearts. Now what does that mean? What does that mean? Well, and what he's doing here in this verse is he's comparing 2 light systems that we're familiar with, showing one is very inferior to the other. The first light that he mentions is a lamp.
A life that you would have in a lamp.
Which would provide light for your pathway or whatever you may be working on and if you were in a dark scene.
But then he compares it with daylight. Broad daylight, I might add, but you can see that one is in superior to the other. One is infinitely or not infinitely but incredibly more strong. And he's likening the light that that was in the Old Testament times, as in the Old Testament prophecies, as being like a lamb.
But in comparison and in contrast, the light that we have now, that has been brought to us through the Holy Spirit in Christian revelation.
It's like the day dawning.
It's superior in light, and so the study of prophecy helps us to see the light of Christianity better. Back when the truth was recovered 100 and 880 years ago or so, the Brethren were more occupied with prophecy than they were Church truths. But they found in contrast, that the Church had no place in prophecy. And by way of comparing, they learned much about the Church and its actions and its function, its order.
And so on Church doctrine and practice as we speak of it, And it came as a result of them first studying prophecy. And so it does help us to understand by way of contrast, that the light and blessings that we have in Christianity are superior to that which those had in Old Testament times. And it gives us to see that really we have no part in prophecy as belonging to the Church. And more than that, the study of these things brings the daystar to arise in our hearts. Now what is that?
The daystar is, of course the hope of the Lord's coming is coming for us himself.
And the study of prophecy, the learning of Church truth, should make the hope of the Lord's coming more imminent in our hearts. And anything that will bring the hope more closer to our hearts and bring it before our souls in a more powerful way is a good thing. So it's good to us that we take heed to the word of prophecy, because it's going to have a practical effect.
On the eminence of the Lord's coming in our own lives. And there is a great danger of people giving up the hope and the imminence of the hope, as the Lord warned in Matthew 24 when he sat there. Like those who say, my Lord, Delayeth is coming, and begin to beat the man servants and the maidservants and get drunk with them and so on, showing that there when we let go of the imminence of the Lord's coming reliable to settle down into the world and get far away from the Lord. So prophecy has a very practical effect.
It causes the Lord's coming to come up close to our hearts, detaches us from this world because we realize that he could come at any moment and it should have a very sanctifying effect as well. So I just bring these scriptures before us to tell us that first of all, the object of prophecy is Christ Himself, his own glory. And secondly, we should be encouraged, and we are encouraged by Peter here to take heed to the word of prophecy because there's much that's going to be for our benefit on on a practical way.
So having said that, by way of introduction.
I suppose we could Fast forward to what was found in Second Thessalonians chapter.
Chapter 2.
2nd Thessalonians, Chapter 2.
We read some things here that are interesting with regard to the restrainers that God has in the world and working in the.
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Verse six of two Thessalonians, chapter 2. Now you know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in this time He's talking about the Antichrist in the chapter. I didn't read it and that word withhold could be translated restrained. So he that what restrains is that he that really reveals in his time which is Antichrist. For the mystery of iniquity does already work. Only he who now letteth will last or could be.
He who restrains until he be gone or been taken out of the way, then shall the wicked be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with him in his mouth, and shall he destroy with the brightness of his coming. I read this passage because I want to point out that there are two restrainers that God has in the earth from allowing evil to go out of control.
While the Church is still here on earth.
The two restrainers are referred to in verse 6 and verse 7.
And they're better seen in the Jan Darby translation. Where he uses the word restrained. There is the what that restrains verse 6. And there is the He that restrains verse 7. The what that restrains is the governments that have been set up of God in the earth to restrain evil and to exercise righteousness among men, unfortunately.
There has been an apostasy of this first restrainer and government is letting go as far as restraining evil, and things in this world are getting even worse and worse.
And that will continue and and culminate in the person of the man of sin himself, Antichrist. But that the apostasy of government has already begun today. It reaches its culmination in the uh man of sin himself, when the Church is gone.
But the second one, he who restrains in verse 7 is referring to a person. The what is referring to a thing the government as I've been saying. But the he is referring to a person and the person is the Spirit of God. The Spirit of God is here in the church and he is working to restrain the progress of evil the the iniquity that's growing in every way. And if he was not here, restraining.
It would be in a far worse condition than it is, but there's a day coming when the Lord is going to take the church out of the way, and as it says here.
If you read the Darby translation until he be gone, till he be gone, who is the he?
The Spirit of God who resident in the church began. Now the Spirit of God has a position as a residence in the church and he scripture says that he will be with us forever. So if he goes, the church has to go with him or vice versa, because the Spirit of God grows in the church and that will be something forever. So this is an allusion to the Lord's coming, the rapture that we're looking forward to till he be gone or be taken out of the way if you want to read it in the King James version.
So there's a day coming when the spirit of God is going to be removed from the earth. Then the mystery of iniquity.
And or could be translated, lawlessness is going to move on at a much quicker pace and culminate in the manner of sin. And these things which we read about in Scripture are going to happen at an accelerated pace.
So I think it's important to see that as long as the church is here, evil is ******** in some degree.
Although while the Church lives in such distance from Christ.
Usually, mostly.
And the Spirit of God is grieved. He is not restraining as he once did, but still there is that restraint in the earth.
And we can be sure that when the Lord comes, we'll be taken out of this scene altogether.
Now we might ask the question, or maybe I could just say, first of all, there's going to be, after the church is taken, a revival of the Roman Empire. And a question that could be asked. And a good question would be, how do we know that there's going to be a revival of the old Roman Empire? Well, I wouldn't turn you to it because it may take too much time. But in Daniel chapter 2, Nebuchadnezzar is given a vision, and in the vision he's given really an outline of the times of the Gentiles.
When the period when the Gentiles would rule over Israel would pass through 4 reigning empires, the last of them being the Roman Empire. First would be Babylon, second would be the Medes and the Persians, and thirdly would be the Greek Empire. Fourthly would be the Roman Empire. And in both those passengers Daniel two and Daniel Seven you find that.
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Though there is such a thing as the coming of the Son of Man in all of his Kingdom glory to judge this world and to establish a reign, a Kingdom. And each of those two passages speaks about the coming of the Son of Man, which is the appearing of Christ, which we know from the New Testament is, uh, the Roman Empire is in power at the time. So we might ask this question. How is it that the Roman Empire would be empowered at that time when the Lord appears? So we know that there has to be a revival of something of it because.
It certainly doesn't exist today.
But if we turn to Revelation 17, I think it comes out quite clearly that there will be a revival. I hope you can understand my first point there with regard to the revival. Scripture teaches that when the Lord appears, the Roman Empire will be running and operating in full gear.
Well, that necessitates that there will have to be a revival, because the Roman Empire does not exist today, as we all know. But in Revelation 17 it comes out more clearly. So let me just read that verse, Revelation 17, verse 8, the beast which is talking about the Roman Empire that thou sawest, was and is not, and shall ascend under the bottom of it, and shall go into perdition. So we have four different phases or stages of the Roman Empire. It. First of all, it was.
That's what it was at the time when John was prophesying and he wrote the Book of Revelation. The Roman Empire was existence. They were being run by governors, emperors rather. But then he says, and he is not. They came to a time when it became defunct. And that we know from history is in 476 AD the Huns came in from the Europe and wiped out what was left of the Roman Empire and it became non existent. So it is not. It's a good way of describing that.
Then a third phase is he'll ascend out of the bottomless pitch, so there's going to be a revival.
Doesn't say when, but there's going to be revival and it will go into perdition. The reason for it is because when the Son of Man comes, it will be in existence at that time and he will take the leaders of it and the civil, the civilians that are part of that Roman Empire were there predominantly what is called the earth dwellers. And they will be judged at that time by the Lord himself and go into perdition so.
How do we know that there's going to be a revival of the Roman Empire? Well, I think I've explained that Daniel two and Daniel 7:00 and also Revelation 17. Now another question that may be asked, How then will it be revived? You say it will be revived, it will be in existence when the Lord comes that is appearing. But how do we know? How will it happen?
That's another good question.
And now let's turn to Revelation chapter six. I think that would answer that question.
This is the first seal that I want to read.
Revelation 6 verses one and two And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals.
And I heard, as it were, the noise of Thunder, and one of the four beasts sang, come and see. Now that's an expression that appears in each of these seals come and see, but they should just really be translated one word there come, because the four beasts are the providential powers of God, working behind the scenes to bring to pass certain things that the Lord wants to have come to pass. And it's like he's controlling everything from behind as he opens the seals of the book and saying, OK, come.
Do do your thing now. Now next come do your thing. So each of these seals that open up, it shouldn't say come and see. It makes it sound like John is being shown something by one of the four beasts. That's not the thought. The thought is that he is bringing to pass through the powers of the certain circumstances on the earth that will take place. So there it says come. And so as a result, and I saw, behold, a White Horse and he just sat on him, had a bow and a crown.
Was given to him and he went forth conquering and to conquering. Now, we've been told, I think it's right, that this is what you're referring to, the efforts of the Roman Catholic Church that will get involved in the political affairs of Europe after the church has been called home to heaven. Because this is the very first thing that will take place after the Church goes home to heaven. And I'd be another question that someone may ask what happens when I what's the first thing that happens after the Church goes to heaven on earth?
Someone.
Facetiously says they'll probably have a party get rid of us. That's not what prophecy says. The first thing that's going to happen is that they're going to see what do we have here, come to pass in the rider of the White Horse. And this is really referring to.
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Papal Rome. Papal Rome.
Getting involved in the government of Western Europe and using its power, its money and its influence.
To bring those nations into a confederacy whereby it will control them and reign over them. And thus you have the revival of the Roman Empire in modern times.
Now the Roman Catholic Church will have a few persons that are believers are in that vast system called away at the Rapture. If they're believers in the Lord Jesus, they're going to be part of the true church. They'll be called away. But when we're talking about the Roman Catholic Church, we're talking about what remains, which should be not those that don't have a scrap of life, those who are just mere religionists, and so on, and the use of the figure white and the horse.
This brings before us the thought of the pretense to purity of motive as they go out to do this great work of gathering the nations of Europe into a confederacy. You'll notice that he has a bow, but there's no mention of him having any arrows. This has been pointed out many times to show that it's not that he's going to accomplish this particular.
Feat Forming or reviving the Roman Empire.
Bringing in a confederacy to to into existence by military power and wars and so on. There's no arrows that would show that there's no actual combat. Yet he succeeds victoriously in bringing this to the past because he will do it, most likely through summit meetings and councils and all the rest of it. Deals will be made and the re end result will be the revival of the Roman Empire.
Right after that, we read something else. So let's turn to Daniel Chapter 9.
And the last verse.
I suppose your question could be another question could be asked.
OK, so that's the first thing that's going to happen after the church goes on earth. What's the second thing? Good question. I'm glad you asked.
It's interesting that prophecy is taught in Scripture in the spirit of inquiry. I should have mentioned that at the beginning of this meeting. Prophecy is taught predominantly in Scripture and the spirit of inquiry.
You get the example of that in Matthew 24 and 25, the great discourse of the Lord with all the prophetic outline which we call the Olivet discord.
OK and uh, how did it all begin? Disciples came to me on the mountain and said, when will these things be? And how will be the sign of thy coming? And so on. And so he unfolded things in the book of Daniel. He inquires to the Lord, and the answer inquires of Daniel, What do these things mean? And so the Lord interprets it for me. So the spirit of inquiry is very important in prophecy. And when I have held prophetic meetings in the past with charts and so on, I have very often left enough room at the end of the meeting to throw it open for questions because.
Questions respond different things that come out that maybe not come to my mind as I'm speaking. So anyway, the spirit of inquiry is a valid means by which prophecy is learned, and we get the example in Scripture. So I'm asking a question for you on your behalf and then trying to answer it, as you can probably tell. So what's the second, What's the second thing that happened? Well, Daniel 9 verse 27 would tell us.
I'll just read. I'll read the whole verse, and I would say to you too that, uh, this is one verse.
That really requires the reading of Jan Darby's translation to get the real understanding of the passage, kind of like what we just had in Second Thessalonians chapter 2.
You don't get the real words we're saying, but they're in there.
So I'll try to translate it as best I can as I read along here and he.
Shall confirm a covenant with the many. For one week in the mid, and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of the abomination shall he make desolate.
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That should be translated for the protection of abominations or idols. He shall appoint A desolator even to the consumption that should be translated to the.
The consumption it says consummation here, but it should be consumption, and that which is determined shall be poured out upon the desolate now.
You're probably going to say no. What does that mean? What do we what do we just read there?
Let me explain as best I can. The he that confirms a covenant with the many is the second thing that's going to take place after the revival of the Roman Empire. There's going to be a covenant made with the Jews. That's what this is talking about here, the many of the mass of the Jews for their protection.
Against the Arab nations that have been harassing them for generations.
And so there's going to be a deal made by this revived Roman Empire with the Jews. It'll be a very financially lucrative thing for the Empire. So that's why they enter into it. And they're going to protect the views. At least they're going to make a covenant and promise that they will protect the Jews. And that's what this is referring to.
So there is a making of a covenant with the mass of the Jews in the land.
It'll be for one week, it said.
If you follow the outline of the 9th chapter in Daniel, 70 weeks, he's really referring to a week of years. So it's seven years. He's going to make a covenant for seven years.
In the midst of the week. That would be about 3 1/2 years into the into this contract.
He shall cause the sacrifice and oblation to cease to the leader of the Roman Empire, which we know the second he would probably be, will be a different person that will come into the chair of being the Roman Prince, but nevertheless the Roman Prince.
Will cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease.
That has been set up for protection against the abomination.
As a result, God was going to have a say in this and he's going to appoint a desolator, which is the king of the North we know from Scripture and the Arab Confederacy.
And the attack of the King of the North and his Arab confederacy is called in Scripture the consumption. And they consume everything from north to South as they go through the land. That's what's referred to here in this verse. And even until the consumption and that which is poured out upon the desolate. The desolate will be the apostate. Jews who will receive Antichrist can be left in their misery when this attack takes place. I don't want to get into too much detail there. I just wanted to mention a simple point.
And that is.
The second thing that's going to take place is a covenant will be made with the Jews and their land.
For one week. And the third thing that's gonna happen as a result is that there's going to be a massive homegoing, uh, enterprise. The Jews all over the world that have been scattered in many countries are going to go home. And they're going to go home because they feel safe now, because there's this contract that's going to be set up by the strongest military power on the earth because it says in scripture, who shall make war with the beast. Everybody will be afraid.
Of the superpower, this military superpower that will be born in a few moments in Western Europe. And so they're going to feel quite confident to want to go home and dwell in their homeland. And they're going to bring their money and they're going to invest their capital into the the country of Israel. And the nation will be revived in a way, but the Lord has been left out of it all. So let's look at the verse that will show us that there's going to be this massive homecoming. This would be in Isaiah Chapter 18.
I suppose you could say this would be the third thing that's going to take place. Isaiah 18 verses one and two.
And I might have to say again, this verse, this passage, we also requires more critical translation. So you have to excuse me as I seek to translate it as we go along as found in the Jane Darby. If you don't understand, you may not understand it. In the King James version, Isaiah 18 verses one and two woe or whole to the land that overshadows with wings, which is beyond the rivers of Ethiopia or Kush. So there's a call to a nation without telling us what the nation is.
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That is beyond the rivers of Ethiopia. Or should be Kush. Now that's referring to it's a prophetic and a veiled reference to the two great rivers that are in the Middle East, the Euphrates on the east and the Nile on the South. OK.
OK, so these are the two rivers. And so he's saying there's a call going to be made to a land or a nation that is outside, that is beyond the Middle East as we know it. Some nation is going to be called to do what verse two says that sendeth ambassadors by the sea or over the sea even in vessels of bullrushes. So they're they're strong Navy.
Upon the waters saying, go, ye swift messengers to a nation scattered and peeled or ravaged from the beginning of their days, who are terrible from the beginning, are marvelous from the beginning, because the hand of God has been with them and against them. So there's a call to this nation to go and help and befriend the Jews that have been scattered over the world and help them. And so they're going to be reviewed as a nation that has been meteor and trodden down, which has been the history of Israel ever since they rejected Christ.
The Jews, particularly to a land that the rivers have overflowed. The rivers, is a figure of the powers that have lived in those areas to the east of Israel and to the South of Israel, namely Assyria and Egypt. Who have they have historically wasted the land of Israel by 1 capturing it and holding it for some time and then another one capturing it and holding it for some time. You can read about it in detail in Daniel Chapter 11. Some 11 or 12 Kings of the north come into place and.
Some 10 or 9 or 10 Kings of the South and they're battling each other.
That's what's referred to here.
And then what happens in verse three? Says, all ye inhabitants of the world, indwellers of the earth, see you, that when he lifted up the enzyme or the banner on the mountains, that would be the mountains of Israel, when he blows the trumpet, which is the home going of them, hear ye? For the Lord said, I will take my rest, and I will consider in my dwelling place. So take my rest in the dwelling place.
So on. So what is he saying in these verses? Is that there's going to be a nation then be revived, which is the Jews will have a nation revived and the Lord will take his rest. As far as he will not interfere with this this enterprise, he will uh, let it.
Do its thing, but because it's been done without the Lord, it's been done without faith in Him.
God is going to appoint a desolator, which the latter part of the 18th chapter talks about. We won't go into where the King of the North is going to come down and cut that the whole nation down because it was done in unbelief.
So I just thought I'd bring that up before you as far as the first three things that will take place.
In the moments that will happen after the church has been called away to heaven.
It's first going to be a revival of the Roman Empire, then they're going to be a making of a covenant with the Jews, and then that will result in the Jews all feeling free to go home because they have protection that they think. But that's the answer to questions as to how did the Jews get home and why would they go home. Now, after the great tribulation is underway, which is the last three and a half of these seven years, there's going to be something that I want to point out, which will be towards the answering of this question that I said at the beginning of the meeting with regard to the United States.
And I should have mentioned perhaps in verse chapter 18 of Isaiah here that this nation that we're not told who it is, that it's outside the Middle East, that has a way for seafaring nation that is a strong Navy nation, could be in the United States. It will befriend the Jews and help them to get back. We can see overtures towards that. In Darby's day. He said he thought it would be England because England was the world power that had befriended Israel.
But today we can see that it may be the US.
So I'm not saying for sure. I have been suggested to me by other prophetic students that this nation that is called here to do this work of helping the Israel gather the Jews be gathered back into their land could be in the United States of America. But let's look at Revelation chapter 8 for another passage that alludes to that many prophetic students have have suggested.
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This is the blowing of the trumpets in Revelation 8, which will take place in the Great Tribulation, which is the latter 3 1/2 years of the seven-year coming period in Daniel's 70th week, as it's called.
Verse 8 And the second Angel sounded as it were a great mountain burning with fire was cast into the sea, and the third part became blood.
And the third part of the creatures that were in the sea had life died, and the third part of the ships were destroyed. It's the second Angel sounding that I want to bring before you what may be again the United States, but it doesn't speak of it very favorably.
What is before us here is a great mountain set on fire. It disintegrates under the fire and then it is dissipated into the sea. How are we to interpret that? Well, the figures that scripture uses and it will help us. First of all, a great mountain has always looked at as a strong, long lasting governmental power or nation. So there's a difference in scripture with mountains and hills. Hills would be a smaller power, maybe like Portugal might be viewed as a hill, whereas France and England may be mountains.
All right. And in this case here, this could very well be the United States. So what he's describing here in this language is essentially a an erupting volcano where the mountain disintegrates from within and.
Dissipates into the sea of nations because the sea is a figure of nations in pathetic scriptures.
So what we're saying that if indeed this is the United States of America and sometime during the great Tribulation, it is going to have a convulsion within itself and it's going to break up.
And be no more breakdown into perhaps pieces and justice be absorbed into the sea of nations that are out there. So people ask the question where, if this indeed is true, which most prophetic students seem to suggest that it will be.
So people ask the question, what will happen to the United States? What part will they have in the coming?
Prophetic scene when Armageddon is in place and there will be a clash of the Titans of the greatest nations that militarily on earth, US being the greatest of the military nations that are on earth today, Surely they would be found somewhere in prophecy engaging in this Armageddon. Well, the answer is they don't make it to Armageddon, they disintegrate beforehand and they don't play a part in it at all.
Now I'm going to read something from.
William Kelly. He says it much better than I do.
Mr. William Kelly said the United States of America will be swamped into a political March and as they have been hitherto mere a mere opium gatherum. That's a Latin or a conglomerate from the rest of the world, especially from Europe, comprising no doubt of a vast deal of skill, industry and enterprise, but also not a little of the scum of the roughest of the nations. So I believe that they will break up into factions.
Of noisy primitive elements and after going off in a boastful vaporing.
Well, at length burst as a bubble. So as to America, I conceived that the young giant power which has grown so fast, will sink even faster. Probably through intestine coral like we had in the verse, the eruption of a volcano coming from within, probably through intestine coral. But assuredly somehow, before that day comes, that's the day when the clash of the nations.
They will break up into different fragments. Their prime object is to maintain political unity. This is a great ambi, their great ambition, and though it may appear to stand and advance, as everything ambitious is apartment to prosper for a time, it will all be blown down before long. For it is remarkable fact that there is no place in prophecy, for this vast, influential power, such as the United States would naturally be, if so long were retained its cohesion.
It is it conceivable that there should be such a power existing in that day without any mention of it in Scripture. Can the omission be accounted for? Saved by its disillusion? So he's saying Kennedy's omission in Scripture be explained, saved by the fact that it gets it. It becomes dissipated and disillusioned and it's dissolution.
00:45:19
Dissolve.
So that was what Mr. Kelly said.
My wife was listening to some news program about a month ago, which I think is significant and I don't intend to interpret scripture from the newsreels. But she pointed out to me something that this is not something that's done in the corner. It was one of the biggest news companies that are out there. I can't remember CNN or Fox or whatever they are, but anyway.
They were the pundits who were looking at all this political ramifications of this next election coming in, they're saying.
At least a fraction of them are saying that if Donald Trump gets into power, the United States is headed for a civil war where it's going to break up into a bunch of pieces, five or six. And they're looking at where they will break up a certain ideologies in certain parts of the country will probably band together as one group and another group. Another group. Well, wait a minute. That's what Mr. Kelly said 140 years ago, and now they're talking about it now.
So we are on the brink of something very soon to take place. I cannot say the Lord is coming today, but I trust he will. And I look for him and just say it. But we're very seriously getting near the end.
Of things as far as the Church's history is concerned on Earth.
I don't bring this up to get us to try to correlate prophetic issues and so on with the the daily newspaper. But just to mention that it's an incredible statement of fact that the pundits in America are actually who are looking into all these political ramifications of things, are afraid that the United States is going to implode from within or blow up from within.
Could it be what we have read in the second trumpet, where the mountain is burning with fire, which is another figure, fire and scripture is a figure of judgment, so God's judgment on the nation?
Will cause you to dissipate, if indeed so. This is the United States of America. We have better things to look forward to because the Lord is going to have His Kingdom glory once He sets this world right? Another verse that's so very important, as I speak now in closing, is in Isaiah 26, verse nine. I believe it is when thy judgments are in the earth, the world shall learn righteousness. The Lord is going to take His rightful place in this world, but he's not going to do it by the gospel of God's grace being sent forth or the gospel of the Kingdom.
The gospel of the Kingdom will go forth, but it will not convert the world as we know it is going to.
Bring in the Kingdom not through the gospel, but through judgment. And when His judgments are in the earth, which is the prophetic earth, that's a restricted sphere on the whole globe.
The whole rest of the world is going to learn righteousness, and they're going to learn to walk under the righteous reign of Christ. And He comes. That's a beautiful day to think forward to, but the Lord is coming to take it home first.
I hope I've answered the question that has been asked over and over again with regard to the United States of America. There is no exact scripture that we can point to, but there are at least two passages that we have we could suggest for you to for your consideration Isaiah 18 one and Revelation 8. And I suggest to also the comments of a spiritual and wise.
Exponent of scripture, Mr. William Kelly.
Let's sing, #23 assured him.
How good?
Yeah, yeah, yeah. There was a regular. I have nothing to do that. I don't know, umm.
Nsnoise.
00:50:27
Mm-hmm.