Final Judgment

God is a holy God. That is a fearsome thought. Because holiness, in all its glory, cannot fellowship with sin, rebellion, and darkness. So how does mankind deal with a holy God? Some simply deny that He even exists. That makes it easy to indulge in lust and pleasure without guilt. Others write their own moral code, and dutifully follow it, hoping that God will be pleased with their effort, and overlook a few mulligans. Neither of those mindsets will suffice when the day comes to stand before the great white judgment seat of the God of eternity. 

God created mankind, knowing full well that they would choose to live in sin and rebellion toward Him. He didn’t just know it, He allowed it. He gave Satan permission to “take his best shot”. But God loves the humans that He created, and desires to fellowship with them, But He could not just ignore sin, since He is holy. So He revealed a plan, based on his great love, to redeem men and women out of their guilty condition. That way, He could fellowship with them, both during their lifetime, and throughout eternity.

God’s redemptive plan was to send His Son, Jesus, to earth to die on a cross. Those who believe in Jesus have their sins washed as white as snow, and they are declared righteous before God. The most famous verse in all of Scripture tells us that they “will not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).  Their name is transferred from the book of deeds to the Book of Life -- saved and redeemed, they will live with God in His eternal kingdom, forever. That is good news -- really, really good news.

The bad news is this. All of mankind who choose not to believe in Jesus remain in their sin. They cannot abide in the presence of a holy God. Though God loves them, “not wanting anyone to perish” (2 Pet 3:9), He must judge them accordingly. Don’t believe the lie that God will not send anyone to hell, but will accept all mankind into heaven.

We must see and understand that judgment is a principle by which God has always operated. He judged the wickedness of mankind in the early stages of their existence with a flood. He repeatedly judged His chosen people, the Jews, to bring them to repentance and humble obedience. He will judge the Church, too, in preparation for Christ’s return. And He judges nations -- when they become oppressive. But these are all temporary and corrective judgments, not eternal punishment.

Revelation reveals that there will come a day of final judgment (Rev 20:5-6,11-15). When the second resurrection occurs, after the Millennial kingdom, all the dead, from all the ages will be resurrected. Resurrection involves the uniting of an eternal soul with a renewed, eternal body. The dead in Christ will be resurrected at the time of Christ’s second coming (I Cor 15). But the dead who rejected Christ will be raised later. They will go before the great white throne, the throne of Holy God. And their deeds will be read from the books. They will then be condemned and sentenced to eternity in the lake of fire, the same place where Satan will be consigned. Some like to think that the final judgment will simply be annihilation, where all existence, feeling, and thought, come to an abrupt and final end. But that is not the judgment that God spells out. And I certainly would not want to take my chances on spending eternity in a place where I am tormented (Rev 20:10; 21:8), where I wish for just a drop of water to quench my parched tongue (Luke 16:24).

You may ask, but what if I truly am a moral person? Will I be judged by Holy God just because I did not believe in Him and put my trust and faith in Jesus? Yes, I am afraid so. Even your self-righteousness is an afront to God. And your disbelief is unpardonable, as well. God loves each and every person, immensely. All He wants in return is your love and trust. Then your eternity will not be judgment, but rather everlasting joy in the glorious kingdom of Jesus. 

The Eternal Kingdom

Revelation, if we be honest, is full of bad news – judgment, beasts, the dragon, Armageddon, turmoil, death, and destruction. But it ends with really good news – a new heaven and a new earth (Rev 21). But wait, let’s be clear. That good news is the blessed hope of the redeemed, those who have trusted in God’s grace, and been made righteous by the blood of Christ. The “good news” chapter makes it very clear that many people will not spend their eternity in the realm of God’s glory, under the reign of King Jesus. They will spend their eternity in the lake of fire (Rev 21:8).

The eternal kingdom finds its fullest description in Revelation 21. The description is quite symbolic, but we can get a real good idea of what our “forever” reality will be like. Most of us have become accustomed to calling the eternal kingdom by the name, heaven. But that is not technically correct, although there is no reason to argue the point. The only problem is that we think of heaven being up there somewhere, rather than here on earth.

You see, God’s redemptive plan is essentially a journey to the original condition (cf Rev 21:6, “I am the beginning and the end”). After the fall of mankind into the control and punishment of sin, pioneered by Adam and Eve, we have spent thousands of years dealing with the consequences. Things changed when God slammed the gates closed on Eden. I have to deal with weeds on my tree farm, constantly. Drought and insects seem to wipe out my crop every few years. And I deal with temptation and failure, guilt and shame. If it weren’t for forgiveness – both from God and from one another – this world would be a hopeless existence. But God’s intention from the beginning was to rescue and redeem mankind from this fallen state, and provide an Eden-like earth once again for those who choose to believe in Jesus, the central figure of His redemptive plan.

In the vision recorded in Revelation 21, John sees the Holy City, a new Jerusalem, coming down to earth form God’s Heaven. This city symbolically represents the bride of Christ, all the redeemed of the ages. The description of the city, while symbolic, is quite extensive. It is 1400 miles wide, long, and high. The footprint of the city is 1.9 million square miles, over 200 times the size of modern-day Israel. It is cubic, similar to the Most Holy place in the temple and the tabernacle. Main Street is paved with gold. The city will have 12 gates in the wall. Why it needs a wall, I do not know, since there will be no enemies. The description includes so many symbolic elements, all alluding to aspects of God’s long term redemptive plan of the ages – the gemstones from Eden, the twelves tribes of Israel, and the twelve apostles.

Some of the important points to glean from this chapter are these. God said, “I am making all things new”. The old earth will be burned up (2 Pet 3:7) and a new earth formed. There will be no more tears, death, or pain, since the old is gone. Not only the earth will be new, but we will have resurrection bodies (I Cor 15:35-54). There will be no temple in the New City (which distinguishes the eternal kingdom from the Millennial Kingdom; cf. Ezek 40-44). And there will be no need for the light from the sun or moon, since the glory of God and of Jesus will be the light and the lamp of the eternal kingdom. And it seems there will be nations and kings from around the world that will visit the Holy City (Rev 21:24-27), probably the inhabitants of New Jerusalem disbursed around the globe --holy people and nations, governed by holy kings.

Glory, Hallelujah! God is so good to those who love Him. Jesus said, ^“My Father’s house has many rooms…. I am going there to prepare a place for you…. I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am” (Jn 14:2-4). What we can look forward to, eternally, is security, peace, happiness, living water, and the glory of the God we have come to know in this life.

Islamic Jihad and Armageddon

 

The Battle of Armageddon is a significant component of the Book of Revelation. The attack on Israel triggers Christ’s second coming. And Messiah’s victory is instrumental to establishing His earthly kingdom, the Millennial kingdom.

Armageddon is described in both Old and New Testament prophecies. Ezekiel wrote that Gog, from Magog, would lead a massive army against Israel. Paul wrote that the man of lawlessness would rise to power and lead a massive rebellion, referring to this same end-time battle. And Revelation 17 describes this army as an eighth beast, represented by ten horns, who will rule for “one hour”. This ten-nation alliance will wage war against the Lamb when He returns as Lord of Lords and King of Kings.

Who are these enemies of God, and enemies of the Jews? The Bible identifies them for us. Since the time of Abraham, the Arabs have been a thorn in the side of God’s chosen people, the Jews. They are descended from Abraham, just like the Jews, but they were not God’s chosen race. So, with spite and hatred they rejected the God of Abraham and despised the descendants of Jacob. They hated the Jews from the very get-go, and they still do, nearly 4000 years later. The Arab race and the Islamic faith eventually morphed into one. The hatred at the end of the age, then, will not just be racial, but will also be fueled by the Jihad teachings of Muhammed.

How is it possible to identify the enemy of Jesus at Armageddon as the Arabs? First, the Old Testament makes it clear that it is the Arab nations that will be judged at the Day of the Lord. Many of the prophecies of judgment upon Arab nations, in context, were not intended for near fulfillment They will be accomplished by the Messiah, at His second coming. Then secondly, the Arabs are identified in Revelation 17, by a key phrase, which is somewhat cryptic but shockingly accurate and relevant. “The beast, which you saw, once was, now is not, and will come up out of the Abyss and go to its destruction” (17:7, 8 and 11). The Arabs dominated the world scene for a long time, but “not now” (at the time of John’s writing), and they would indeed rise up again, in the seventh century, with the help of Muhammad’s teachings. The Ottoman Empire took the helm and ruled for centuries. The Arab-Islam coalition, under the banner of Jihad, is clearly the eighth beast described in Revelation 17.

The beliefs of Islam confirm what the Scriptures teach. Islam teaches that their “Messiah” will come at the end of the age, whom they call the Mahdi. The Mahdi, besides being Allah’s divine presence, will also be the political leader of the Arabs. He will be the long-awaited Caliph, restoring the Caliphate that ended with the downfall of the Ottoman Empire. Jesus, who they call Isa, will also return at the end of the age to defend the Jews from Jerusalem, and lead the “infidels” into battle against the Islamic Jihad. And Muslims believe that Mahdi will defeat Isa.

Many Muslims are sincere in their faith, truly seeking God. Only a small handful of Muslims are terrorists, now, but that number will swell once Mahdi convinces them that they must submit to him and to all of Muhammed’s teachings, including the call to Jihad. The intent of Jihad is to bring all people of the earth into the Islamic faith, and subject to Sharia law, by force. Any who resist will be slain by the sword. Some say that Jihad is not condoned in the Quran, but that is not true. Muhammad wrote that Allah will “smite terror into the hearts of the unbelievers, then you smite them above their necks and smite all their fingertips off them” (Q. 8:12; cf Q. 2:193, 216; 9:14, 39, 111). Where Jihad is promoted, most, is in the Hadith, the divine teachings of Muhammad, including the Book of Jihad.

The Islamic command for Jihad is what motivates the enemy that surges in mass against Israel and their Messiah at Armageddon. It is the hook in their nose to draw them into the valley of decision, their meeting with judgment. Believing the Mahdi’s host of lies, millions will be drawn into Jihad. The massive army will be hell-bent on accomplishing world domination and annihilation of the Jews, by force and by the sword. The groundwork for Islamic Jihad is unmistakable in the resounding slogan of the Houthi regime, “Allah is great; Death to America; Death to Israel; A curse upon the Jews; Victory to Islam”.

We can expect to see, soon, the unveiling of the Islamic Caliph-Mahdi. His great surge of deception and his rebellious war preparation will portend that Armageddon is soon to start. And then it won’t be long until the second coming of King Jesus.

Urgent Warning

Prophecy, throughout Biblical history, usually serves as a warning from God. The prophets warned of impending judgement and captivity by Ninevah and by Babylon. They also warned of drought and peril. Prophecy is not designed to merely satisfy curiosity, or to tickle your fancy with good news.

When I wrote the book, Right At The Door, I sought to re-examine and explain the prophecies of the last days. I did not emphasize the warning inherent in those prophecies. But I am changing the tone of my message. Prophecy is not merely a theological debate; it is an urgent warning. A warning both for the saved and for the unsaved.  The warning to the unsaved is obvious. They need to trust in Jesus as their savior and redeemer if they want to spend eternity in His righteous kingdom. The warning to Christians is not so obvious, at least not to those who believe in a rapture occurring before the Great Tribulation. The warning is completely lost if you believe that we will escape the turmoil and destruction of the last days. All you need to be concerned about is booking your next cruise, investing in a new beach house, or managing your 401k. After all, you are taking exit number seven, getting off the highway before it leads to destruction.

What makes the prophecies of the last days so urgent, though? Who among us is watching, waiting, and prepared for the destruction of America, prophesied in Daniel 7:11-12? Who has a plan for living through turmoil and tribulation without electricity, without refrigerators, cell phones, or internet. Without gas, propane, heat, stoves, transportation or grocery stores. 

How close is the end of the age? The seven trumpet warnings of Revelation began with World War I, in 1914. Trumpet warnings 2, 3, 4, and 5 have also taken place. We are now waiting for trumpet six, the buildup to Armageddon. And if the timeframe of warning prior to the Great Flood is any indicator, God’s warning of major judgment spans a timeframe of 120 years. “As in the days of Noah” may be an indicator that God’s patience is about complete. If so, then we might expect that the return of Jesus to engage the enemies of Israel at Armageddon might take place in 2034. Prior to that point in time the Arab alliance must eliminate America as a deterrent to their invasion of Israel. So sometime prior to 2034 we can expect that America will be destroyed. It is at the time of the second coming of Christ that Christians will be caught up, at the seventh trumpet.

Perhaps I am wrong on the 120-year timeframe. Then consider another timeframe. If five of the seven trumpet warnings have already taken place, starting in 1914, do you really think that God has in mind to wait much longer before He imparts the judgment of which He is warning? The end of the age is not twenty years away, or fifty, or a hundred years. It is imminent.

There you have it. We urgently need to prepare for dark and difficult days ahead, for sword, famine and plague (Rev 18::8). We will not be raptured away. No blissful escape. God’s judgment will soon fall upon America, and Christians will not be spared. The word “maranatha” will take on a whole new meaning. The blessed hope will become a desperate hope for the Lord’s return. 

Lord of Lords, King of Kings

 

When Jesus returns to the Earth the second time He will come as Lord of Lords and King of Kings. His first coming fulfilled the role of “Lamb of God”, but His return will be as an absolute ruler over all rulers, all nations, and all powers. That is what the title means in Revelation – Jesus is returning to judge the world and establish His earthly kingdom. No power, no king, no lord can oppose him and hope to win, because He is coming to reign supreme over a kingdom that will never end (Dan 7:13-14).

The title is used in two places in John’s visions. The first is in Revelation 17:14 where Messiah is referred to as Lord of Lords and King of Kings. In this first reference the title Lord of Lords precedes the title King of Kings. That is perhaps due to the emphasis in chapter 17 of Jesus returning to defeat the eighth beast in the battle of Armageddon. That great rebellion and assault on Israel will be led by the man of lawlessness, who will claim to be God (II Thes 2:4, 9), deceiving his followers with signs and wonders. Jesus will defeat him because He is the Lord above all Lords, the divine Son of God.

In Revelation 19:16 the title is used again, but the title King of Kings precedes the title Lord of Lords. In this passage Jesus is viewed as a warrior-judge who administers God’s judgment and wrath upon all the nations (Rev 19 11-16). In so doing, He establishes His kingdom, becoming the King of Kings for the rest of time and eternity.

Other New Testament writings amplify this title, declaring the supremacy of Jesus Christ (Col 1:18). God raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand (Eph 1:19-23). God placed all things under his rule – all powers, all creation, the universe, even the angels (Heb 1:3-4). Because Jesus humbled himself and became obedient, even to death on a cross, God exalted him and gave him the name that is above all names (Phil 2:5-11). The Lamb of God will return as the Lord of Lords and the King of Kings.

That return will occur very, very soon. Every man and woman have the opportunity to submit to His loving, righteous reign, by humbly accepting His atonement for sin. Or they can choose to ignore His claims as Lord of all and be found as an enemy of the King when He returns.

 

Preparing for America's Destruction

 

In Oregon we have to anticipate forest fires each and every summer. On Labor Day of 2020 a fire started up in the Cascade foothills and became a raging inferno, blown by 40 mph east winds. It started 50 miles from our home, but within 36 hours it was within 3 miles. We were warned in plenty of time and told to evacuate, immediately. My wife was scared, frightfully so, and could not get me to hurry fast enough. She was in such a hurry that she forgot to take any clean clothes, just family heirlooms. It took us two hours to drive ten miles as everybody headed west out of the fire zone. The car in front of us had goats and sheep staring at us out of the back window. Nobody knew what would become of their homes, their farms, their livelihoods.

I suppose I could have ignored the warnings. After all, evacuation orders usually prove to be unnecessary – a false alarm. I could have continued on with my farm projects, had an evening BBQ, then watch a movie or go hot tubbing that evening. No need to get all worked up, even though the sun was red, and the sky was black with smoke.

Now consider the Biblical warnings of the end times. Cataclysmic destruction and extreme tribulation are heading our way. And if the timing of the seven trumpets and bowls are heeded, that forest fire inferno could erupt within the next ten years. America will be destroyed, first, most likely by the eighth beast (Rev 17:15, Dan 7:12). Israel will be next in the crosshairs of destruction as the Man of Lawlessness brings his massive army into the holy land with the intent of annihilating the Jews. The Day of the Lord will be in full swing as Armageddon is unleashed. Then, and only then, will the remnant of Jews and Christians be rescued and raptured by the return of Christ.

But Christians do not expect any of this destruction to come anywhere near them. They do not believe that judgment will precede the rapture. We continue on, along with the rest of mankind, just as in the days of Noah -- ­eating and drinking, going about our business, our ventures, our investments, our pursuits, booking our next cruise. While the end of the age is almost upon us.

It’s going to happen. It is clearly prophesied. America will be destroyed. God has a pattern of saying what He plans to do before He does it (Amos 3:7). Daniel’s vision of the beasts makes it clear that the fifth beast, the little horn, will be destroyed (Daniel 7:11). Revelation prophesies that the 10-horn beast (an Arab alliance) will hate the Prostitute (another description of America) and bring her to ruin – “they will eat her flesh and burn her with fire” (Rev 17:16). That sounds to me like a pre-modern description of nuclear attack. How America gets to the point of being vulnerable to nuclear attack and unable to defend itself is anyone’s guess. But with the chaotic political scene that we are in, and with no end to that chaos in sight, that is a very real possibility.

No matter how extensive the destruction, it will probably put an end to government, the electric grid, distribution of fuel and groceries. Those who survive will resort to anarchy and vigilantism. Your IRA and bank account will become worthless. Americans will need to live off the land and ration their stored goods. Sorry, no telephones or internet, and not enough gas for cars or generators. Realize that your neighbors will be as desperate as you. Will you shoot them, or will you share with them?

^“Everything in the world is about to be wrapped up, so take nothing for granted. Stay wide-awake in prayer. Most of all, love each other as if your life depended on it…. Be quick to give a meal to the hungry, a bed to the homeless… Encores to the end of time. Oh, yes!  Friends, when life gets really difficult, don’t jump to the conclusion that God isn’t on the job. Instead, be glad that you are in the very thick of what Christ experienced. This is a spiritual refining process, with glory just around the corner” (I Peter 4 7-13)

There will come a day, soon, when the handwriting will appear on the wall. Destruction will be at the doorstep. Suffering will then be our lot, and we will be crying out, “Jesus, come quickly!

The Two Wtnesses

 

Who are the two witnesses highlighted in Revelation 11? And just what is the prophetic message of this enigmatic vision? The teaching that most Christians have grown accustomed to is that the two witnesses are Elijah and Moses, or Enoch and Elijah, who will come back to earth to witness, and perform miracles during the Great Tribulation. They will be killed, and left to lay in the streets of Jerusalem for three days. Then they will be caught up to heaven, in full view of all the inhabitants of the world. That interpretation makes for an incredibly dramatic storyline for the Great Tribulation fantasy, but it is not at all what God was delineating.

The two witnesses are not two men, rather they are two chosen and elected peoples of God – Israel and the Church. For several millennia they have fulfilled the role of bearing witness to God’s offer of love and redemption, as well as His sovereignty. Elijah and Moses were the hallmark personalities of the first witness, Israel, performing miracles that glorified the God of the Jews. The four miracles mentioned in Revelation 11 happened in history past; they are not going to occur again during the last days.

The symbolic mention of 42 months and 1260 days is not referring to the last half of the Great Tribulation. The Gentiles are not going to trample on the holy city for 42 months during a supposed Great Tribulation. No, they have been doing so ever since 70AD, when the Jews were dispersed to the four corners of the world. The time period, “times, time, and half a time”, depicted in this chapter as 42 months and 1260 days (Rev 11:2,3), represents an undisclosed length of time, designed and determined by God. So, then, the two witnesses will bear testimony for 1260 days, not during the Great Tribulation, but for the whole course of the age of the Gentiles, the Church age.

Once God’s timeframe for the two witnesses is complete, when their testimony is finished, they will be slain by the beast out of the abyss. They will be left lying in the streets, while the inhabitants of the earth gloat over their dead bodies, celebrating. The great city where they are slain probably refers to the earth as a whole, the same place where Jesus was crucified. Jesus left His place in heaven to come to this earth, take on the likeness of a man, and become obedient to death on a cross.

The beast out of the Abyss is mentioned in other places in Revelation, most notably in Revelation 17. It is synonymous with the eighth beast (17:6, 8, 10-13). That beast is a ten-nation Arab coalition, who will destroy America, the Great Babylon (Rev 17:16), and invade Israel and trample on Jerusalem (Ezek 39:2; Zech 14:1-2). After wreaking all that death and destruction, slaying the two witnesses, it seems that they will pause to gloat over their victory. That is when the story takes an astonishing turn of events.

The witnesses will be resurrected, by the breath of God, and will ascend into heaven, in a cloud, while their enemies watch in amazement. This resurrection and ascension in a cloud is obliquely referring to the rapture. That great event will not just gather the saints who are still alive, but also resurrect the dead in Christ, those of Israel and the Church who have died and been slain over thousands of years. When Christ returns, He will defeat that great beast out of the Abyss (Rev 17:14), and avenge the slaying of the two witnesses – Israel and the Church. The great earthquake mentioned in the closing of Revelation 11 is a trademark event that accompanies the second coming of Christ (cf. Rev 6:12; 8:5; 16:18; Ezek 38:19; Zech 14:4).

Why Will God Judge America?

 

Biblical prophecy reveals that America will be destroyed, sometime prior to the closing chaos of the end of the age. This destruction is not happenstance. It will be the judgment of God. Which raises the question, particularly amongst Americans, themselves, why would God judge America?

God says of America, “Her sins are piled up to heaven, and God has remembered her crimes…. Therefore, in one day her plagues will overtake her: death, mourning and famine. She will be consumed by fire, for mighty is the Lord God who judges her” (Rev 18:4,8).  

We who live in America view ourselves through gilded glasses. Our perception is tainted by wealth, power, pleasure, ease, and freedom. We think we are uniquely blessed by God. We ignore and excuse the great sins in our past. And we overlook our current culpabilities, as well. Like a frog sitting in a pan of water rising to the boiling point we are unaware of impending doom until the blood begins to boil.

America is repeatedly portrayed in Biblical prophesies as arrogant, prideful, and boasting (Rev 13:5; Dan 7:8,11; Rev 18:7). That is very difficult for Americans to believe, but ask anyone else in the rest of the world and they would agree with Scripture. Furthermore, America is repeatedly portrayed as glorying in her luxury, splendor, and wealth (Rev 18:7,14-17). The nations of the world, though, enjoy the trickle-down effect of America’s great wealth – they worship America (Rev 13:5), while being drunk with the maddening wine of her adulteries (Rev 18:3). America will be judged for mocking God, for blasphemy, and for oppressing the saints (Dan 7:25; Rev 13:5-7). And, let’s not overlook the matter of slavery (Rev 18:13) and bloodshed (Rev 17:6; 18:24). For the most part I leave it to the reader to hash out the details of these Biblical indictments, but the words of God cannot be denied.

Our national desire for wealth and ease of living has run the national debt up into the trillions. The weight of such greed is like filling a dump truck with tons of gravel and trying to balance it on top of a wheelbarrow. Greed, consumption and luxury have run amok, and we all must take responsibility for it.

America is guilty of performing abortions, wholesale, for over 50 years now. The grave cries out for justice for these innocent unborn children. We have been led into the town square of Sodom and Gomorrah and Christian Nationalists think we can still turn back the tide of the LGBTQ’s growing control over our society. Our schools and universities teach that evolution is our source of origin, that everyone’s choices are acceptable and to be tolerated, that God is a silly archaic notion. The meteoric rise of the technological age has enabled America to dominate the world (Rev 13:11-18) – sometimes diabolically.

There you have it. Enough is enough. You cannot imagine how difficult it is to write about America being worthy of God’s judgment. The warning only comes across as bashing America, or “biting the hand that feeds me”. God’s warning should humble us, not raise our hackles. We must turn our eyes upon Jesus.

The End of America

America will soon be coming to an end – despite being at the zenith of world power and wealth. For most, I reckon, that is beyond imagination. Unfathomable. Even though every other world power has fallen, Americans believe that our nation is too great to ever end. The fact is, nations rise and fall according to God’s plan, exactly on his timeline. America is no exception. We may still be alive when destruction befalls, and Christians will not be rescued by the rapture. America’s end is right at the door. Death, mourning, and famine will be our lot when America is consumed by fire (Rev 18:8).

God doesn’t pull surprises. Nor does anything ever catch Him by surprise. His sovereign plan for the ages controls the destiny of mankind and nations. And when big events are ready to occur, He gives warning signs. “God does nothing without first revealing it to the prophets” (Amos 3:7). What will it take to alert us that God is about to destroy America?  

First of all, a quick review for those who still are unconvinced that America is even included in Biblical prophecies of the end times. America is the seventh beast in God’s great timetable of world-controlling nations.  (The beast of Revelation 13 is not the antichrist as so many have been led to believe.)  The seven heads represent seven nations -- Rome was in power at the time of John’s writing, and America is the one which was yet to come (Rev 17:10).  

In Revelation 17 we are told that America will be displaced by an eighth beast, a beast with ten horns that will reign for “one hour”. That ten-nation Arab alliance will bring America to ruin and eat her flesh (Rev 17:16). The eighth beast is already rising up. It is not difficult to see, or to believe.

Revelation 17 is not the only prophecy that predicts the destruction of America. Daniel 2 records Nebuchadnezzar’s vision of a statute. It is the feet of clay mixed with iron (i.e., America) that is crumbled by the great rock. Daniel 7 records a vision of five beasts, the last of which is the little horn, America. That prophecy clearly indicates that the “little horn” nation will be destroyed, unlike the other beast empires who were allowed to live on for a period of time after their downfall (Dan 7:11-12). America, indeed, will come to an end as we know it. It will not be a power player in the final few years of this age.

Is America deserving of God’s judgment? That question deserves a much greater discussion, but consider a quick overview of factors that God points out.

·         Arrogant, boastful, and oppressive (Dan 7:8, 20, 25, Rev 13:5-7). 

·         Selfish affluence, luxury, glory and greed (Rev 18:7).

·         Dominating power and control over other nations (Rev 13:4, 13).

·         Death of innocent people – slavery, native Americans, and unborn children (Rev 18:13, 24). 

·         In general, a bloodthirsty, arrogant, whore-mongering spirit, the great Babylon of the end of the age (Rev 17:1-6; 18:2-3).

·         America’s sins are piled up to heaven; God will remember her crimes (Rev 18:3, 8, 21-24).

Is it too late to pray for repentance?  Can America yet be saved? Should we hope for Americans to submit to God’s truth and turn their hearts to the Lord? In my opinion, that will only happen in the hearts of a remnant of Christian believers, after America comes to an end.

Did The Church Replace Israel?

Many Christians believe that the Church replaced Israel as God’s chosen people. Perhaps not so much in American Christianity, but throughout the world that belief is widely held. It might seem logical, since Israel rejected their Messiah, and insisted that Jesus be crucified on a cross like a common criminal. But what does God have to say about Israel?  

This question lies at the heart of amillennialism, a widespread belief about the end times that rejects the concept of Christ returning to establish a 1000-year kingdom on earth. They believe that Christ’s second coming will institute the final judgment and initiate the eternal kingdom. In that line of thought there is no room for the restoration of Israel as the prophets of old foretold. So they believe that all of Israel’s promises and blessings were transferred to the Church. In other words, the Church replaced Israel.

Paul anticipated this question and addressed it at length in Romans 11. He was probably motivated by the fact that he, himself, was a Jew, and he wanted his fellow Jewish brethren to understand that their calling and their place in the heart of God was not forever forfeited. But he also wanted the Gentile Church to not become arrogant, thinking that they permanently replaced Israel as the branches of the olive tree. God turned Israel over to disobedience so that He could have mercy on them, just He had mercy on the Gentiles (Rom 11:31). Furthermore, Paul says that God’s gifts and calling are irrevocable (Rom 11:29). Only if the sun and moon cease to shine, declares the Lord, “will Israel ever cease being a nation before me” (Jer 31:35-36). God is not fickle, like humans tends to be. He did not retract his gifts and calling from Israel and give them to someone who might appreciate them more.

The restoration of Israel in the Millennial kingdom is foretold over and over in the Old Testament prophecies. Whenever the Day of the Lord is mentioned, it included invasion of the holy land by the nations, ransacking and destruction of Jerusalem, and great loss of life in a massive war (Zech 14). That correlates to Revelation 17, the battle of Armageddon, where it is prophesied that an alliance of ten Arab nations will invade Israel, and then be defeated by Messiah at His second coming.

But the restoration of Israel is also included in the prophesies of the Day of the Lord (especially Jeremiah 31-33). The remnant that survives the cataclysmic destruction of Armageddon will stand in awe of their Messiah. They will believe in the one they rejected (Zech 12:10). In that sense they will all be saved (Rom 11:26). Their land will be restored and their temple rebuilt, by King Jesus. God’s glory will once again be bestowed upon Israel, and they will be a blessing to the nations.

Daniel's Legacy

The prophecies of Daniel were incredibly accurate in predicting the future that lay ahead for the Jews in Babylon.  So accurate, in fact, that many scholars cannot believe that the real Daniel wrote them in Babylon, in the 6^th century BC. They suggest that someone else, in the first or second century BC, must have written them. Those scholars simply do not have much faith that God could use a God-fearing man to foretell His plans and purposes, in order to guide and inform His chosen people.

Daniel is not only renowned for his prophecies, but also for his righteousness, faithfulness, prayers, and trusted leadership. His amazing stories of faith, alone, would be an honorable legacy. But his prophetic visions and interpretations are perhaps his greatest legacy.

Three visions, in particular, played a prominent role over the years as I re-examined prophecy. First, Nebuchadnezzar’s vision of a statue, representing five nations (chapter 2). Second, Daniel’s own vision of the five beasts (chapter 7), corresponding to the vision of the statute. The third vision is the vision of the seventy weeks (chapter 9), but I will discuss that vision in a separate article, “The Tribulation Hoax”.

Let’s consider, ever so briefly, the visions of the statue and the beasts. They both prophetically foretell four kingdoms which would be oppressive world-rulers (Babylonia, Persia, Greece, and Rome). Each of those kingdoms would have a great impact upon the Jews over the next 600 years. But both of these dreams also predict a fifth nation, one which would rule in the distant future (compare Rev 17:10, “five have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come”). Why this fifth nation receives so little consideration is beyond my understanding. It is haplessly misinterpreted, leaving its profound impact upon the end of the age woefully mired in a fog of ambiguity.

This fifth nation is America. In the statue vision America is prophesied by the feet of iron mixed with clay, and its description is far more detailed than the other four kingdoms. And it was the feet of the statue where the great rock struck. That rock represents a kingdom that will never be destroyed, a repetitive theme throughout Daniel’s writings. In the vision of the beasts, it is once again easy to identify the first four – same four as the statue. History has a way of clearly interpreting prophecy. But a fifth beast is uniquely envisioned by a little horn, a new nation, that rose up amongst ten horns, European countries that emerged from the old Roman empire. The little horn subdued three of the ten horns (i.e., England, France, and Spain) and became very powerful. Once again, this little horn is discussed at length (7:20-25).

The feet of clay and iron and the little horn are identical to the seventh head of the beast prophesied in Revelation 13. They are all three prophecies of America, the world-dominating nation of the last days. The importance of this identification is twofold. First, history confirms prophecy – we are in the last days. Secondly, we are warned that America will be destroyed – in the beast vision (Dan 7:11, 26) in the statue vision (Dan 2:34), and confirmed in Revelation 17 and 18. Accordingly, we need to prepare for great turmoil and distress. The destruction of America will surely happen – concurrent with the eighth beast rising up, before the battle of Armageddon, and before the rapture at the second coming of Christ. Jesus said, “Be ready, be prepared, don’t be caught unaware.” 

Reality Check

It seems that World War 3 could erupt any time now. Let’s call that war by its Biblical name, though -- Armageddon. There simply is not enough time left before the end of the age to pencil in two great wars. Armageddon is next, and it is soon. The “axis of evil” powers are becoming more and more emboldened. The era of American hegemony is coming to an end. Like Ralphie exploding and pounding the bully in the movie, “Christmas Story”, many suppressed nations are ready to unleash on America and NATO. Putin is no friend of America, he is the first Ralphie. But China, Iran, North Korea, and others will join the fight. Their patience with American domination is coming to an end.

Most people would seem to agree that world tensions are becoming explosive. That fear is amplified in America by a foreboding anticipation that America may soon crash due to extreme polarity, inflation, financial collapse, and nuclear threats. Furthermore, Christians know and understand that Armageddon will focus on Israel – Biblical prophecy makes that very clear. The escalation of the Israeli war with all its Arab terrorist neighbors is probably not going to subside. It is a pre-cursor to that great battle at the end of the age.

So maybe we need to do a reality check. How does this build-up to the end of the age reconcile with the theory of a seven-year Tribulation? Christians in America have been taught that they will be raptured before turmoil and judgment begins. Th first three and a half years of the Great Tribulation are supposed to be peaceful, a conciliatory one-world government under Antichrist. It is not until the midpoint of the Tribulation that Antichrist is supposed to become evil and destructive, and turn on Israel.

With world and national tensions at a flashpoint and buildups to war so ready to explode, can we really expect that all will simmer down and become calm for three and a half years before the lid comes off the boiling pot? This is a reality check, so be honest. That is not likely to happen.

What is more likely is that we have our theology misconstrued, and the timeline of the end of the age is different than what we have been taught to expect. What if there is no seven-year Tribulation? Then Christians, worldwide, will endure all the many trials and tribulations leading up to the end. Christians in America, particularly, will be caught in the crosshairs of God’s judgment upon their nation. America will be destroyed (Danel 7:11-12) – some time before the final buildup to Armageddon. We do not have a “Get Out of Jail Free” card. We will go through much suffering – even death, mourning and famine (Rev 18:8).

Jesus told us to be ready for his coming. He did not mean just the rapture, rather, the whole end of the age. In the Old Testament the end of the age is called the Day of the Lord. Amos criticized the Jews for looking forward to the Day of the Lord (Amos 5:2), because all they were looking forward to was the restoration of Israel, not the incredible destruction and judgment which would come first. Christians have a similar view of the end of the age. We expect to be raptured before tribulation, and return with Christ to be part of His Kingdom. Reality check, again. Jesus told us to be ready – ready for what? For rapture, or for tribulation and turmoil? He was warning believers to be ready, as well as the unsaved, knowing that even the saints must be prepared to stand firm in the face of destruction and suffering that will be intense at the end of the age. Jesus warned that many will fall away. But the truly faithful will hang on to their blessed hope -- they will be redeemed at the Second Coming of Christ, rescued from the throes of world tumult and decimating warfare in Israel, and spared the wrath of God to be meted out in the seventh trumpet and bowl judgment.