BIBLE PROPHECY

Today, I want to start a short series of sermons regarding Bible prophecy.  And I think I should begin by defining what prophecy is:  It is the telling of an event or occurrence before it happens.  Today, we call it a ‘warning.’

Back at the beginning of the Bible, God called a man named Abram to leave the area he had grown up in and lived in, and to go somewhere else.  Now that doesn’t seem so bad at first glance, but we must remember that God wouldn’t let Abram know where he was going until he was well on the way there.  How many of us would be willing to give up everything, pack what we could, and start a journey that we hadn’t been told the destination?  Let me answer that:  Very few people would be willing to do that.

But God also gave this man a promise. 

In GENESIS 12:3, God tells him –

‘I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse those who curse you.’

And then God gave Abram another promise.  He told him that everyone on earth would be blessed through Abram.  He changed Abram’s name to Abraham and told him that he would be the father of many nations. 

Now, Abraham was nearly 100 years old and when God told him this, he fell down and laughed, not believing that a man his age could have children, and even if he could, how about his wife?  She was too old to bear children, too.

That promise God gave to Abraham was a prophecy.  Abraham and his wife did have a child the next year.  That child’s name was Isaac.  And the Bible tells us that God willed over the land of Israel to Isaac and his descendants, to hold and keep forever.

And through the rest of the Old Testament, we read how God worked with the Israelites, leading them, and even punishing them when they became rebellious.  But God never took His hand away from His chosen people, and even today, they are the most blessed of all people, for they remain His chosen ones.

Before we go on, let me explain the times of the Israelites and the times of the Gentiles.

From the very beginning, until Jesus Christ, the Bible had to do with only one set of people; the Israelites.  During that time, nobody else counted.  But when Jesus came for His own people, they rejected Him.  It was at that point He opened up salvation to everybody on earth, as long as they would accept Him as their Savior.

So from the death of Jesus until the coming Rapture, it is the time of the Gentile, or the time when everybody can come to Christ.  From the Rapture until the 2^nd Coming, it reverts back to focus on the Israelites, or today’s Jews.

Having explained all that, let us change course for a moment.  There has been much discussion in recent years as to how America might fit into the End Times.  People wonder how America fits in relation to Israel. 

To give you a very big overview, let me remind you what GENESIS 12:3 says;

‘I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse those who curse you.’

America has been blessed by God because we put Him over our nation from the very beginning.  And since then, we have been a staunch ally of Israel.  I have said before that God will bless us as long as we continue to bless Israel, but the moment we stop, we can look for His blessings to stop, too.

Relationships are quite complicated, aren’t they?  I am reminded of a true story that took place about 20 years ago in England.  Bill Baker was 76-years old.  He married Edna Harvey, who lived in the same nursing home as he did.

Follow this if you can.  Edna was Bill’s granddaughter, Lynn’s, husband’s mother.  Now it gets really interesting.  After the wedding, Lynn tried to explain it by saying her mother-in-law was now her stepmother; her grandfather was now her stepfather in-law; her mom was now her sister-in-law, and her brother was now her nephew.

And she said to top it all off, she is now married to her uncle by marriage, and her children are now her cousins.

That is a very complicated relationship if ever there was one.  But there is another relationship I will talk about today.  Let’s start by asking this question:

1.   DOES END TIME PROPHECY INCLUDE AMERICA?

First of all, let us define America.

It has been said that it is not the land that makes the country great; it is the men who work on that land.  America was made great by our founding fathers, and is being torn apart by their descendents.

It has been said that America is a nation where men govern, and women rule.

And America is a place of diversity.  Jewish merchants sell Muslim stones to atheists for Christmas.  (Think about that one!)

America is, and always has been, a great nation.  But we have been a great nation only because we allowed God to be over us.  Today, we see many people, even our leaders, openly denying God a place in our society.  So, will America live long enough to see the Last Days – or not?

And if it does, will we play any role in the End-Time Prophecy?  The Bible doesn’t specifically say, so let’s take a quick look at some of the other nations and see their history.

The European Union is a fairly new organization made up of European nations.  But is it really new?  If you take a transparency of all the countries making up the European Union, and lay that transparency over the ancient Roman Empire, you see they are one and the same.  So, the European Union can trace its roots back to the ancient Roman Empire. 

Let me show you how Bible prophecy begins to fit together over the ages like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle being matched together.

The Bible prophesies that the ‘kings of the east’ will march towards Jerusalem in the Last Days.  Who are these ‘kings of the east’?  They are the Asian nations and will include China, Japan, Korea, and possibly some other smaller nations, too.

Now, for years, the Chinese and Japanese governments have been bitter enemies.  But in recent years, they have forged trading agreements revolving around oil, and have actually become partners in other areas, too.  So it is not hard to imagine that these nations come together to fulfill prophecy and join forces to march against Jerusalem.  They will jointly occupy a fateful role in the battle of Armageddon.

All the nations that surround Israel are named in prophecies about the Last Days, too.  And all of these nations have one common denominator:  They are all Islamic nations, and their religion vows to destroy the Israelites.  Ancient Hebrew prophets predicted this alliance and their to destroy Israel in the Last Days.

Even the ancient people of the Bible can be traced down to their descendants today, and the Bible tells who will have parts in the Last Days.  The descendants of Magog are the modern day Russians.  And did you know that most of the population of Russia is Muslim?  This is a very important fact, because the Bible forecasts that the war of Armageddon will have two sides; Israel and those against Israel.  Who are against Israel?  The Muslims and whoever they have forged alliances with.

Okay, let’s skip all that in-depth info for now and concentrate on America.  Is there anything at all in the Bible that predicts our being involved in the Last Days?  There is no evidence whatsoever that America will be involved in any way, but that doesn’t stop us from having opinions.

As a Christian, you are expected to be somewhat aware of Bible prophecy and the predictions of the Last Days.

REVELATION 1:3 informs us,

‘Blessed is the one who reads the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near.’

We are told to study and show ourselves approved.  That doesn’t mean reading a verse every now and again; it means to study and try and get a deeper understanding of the material.  As you study, you will find that some of the greatest truths are often hidden within a larger passage of text. 

Leon and Lorine can tell you that panning for gold is a tedious job because you have to go through an awfully lot of dirt to find a speck of gold.  The same holds true with understanding Bible prophecy.  You have to dig for it within larger passages, but when you find it, the rewards will be invaluable.

Let me tell you that the Old Testament is the foundation upon which the New Testament is built.  It is the foreshadow, if you will, of things yet to come.  So to answer my original question:  Is America found in the Bible?  - let me say very clearly; yes and no.

Let’s talk first about how …

2.   END TIME PROPHECY DOES NOT INCLUDE AMERICA

The Bible clearly identifies who will be the leading nation, or the super power in the Last Days, and it is NOT America. 

According to the prophet Daniel, it will be the descendents of those who destroyed the temple in 70 years after Jesus went to Heaven.  It will be the revised Roman Empire, or somebody from the nations that make up the Roman Empire.  That revised empire is today’s European Union.

What about all of the other great powers of the world?  How about China, Russia, Iran, and Syria?  They can be found in Scripture right on up until the very end, but it is Europe that will produce the world’s leader.  And as much as we might like for it to be America, we will not be involved.

In EZEKIEL 38:13, The prophet Ezekiel talks about the merchants of Tarshish, and the young lions who launch a diplomatic protest at the time of the battle of Gog and Magog against Israel.  Who is Gog and what is Magog?  Gog is the ruler of a place called Magog.  Magog is modern-day Russia.

Many scholars believe Tarshish refers to England.  If that is the case, the ‘young lions’ might include those nations who are allies of England, and that would include America.  Again, that is open to much study and some opinionated interpretation.

England’s national symbol is a lion.  But nobody can say for sure if this interpretation concerning England and America is an accurate one or not.  I personally believe that this is one of those points we may never know until that day gets here.

There is another theory in REVELATION 12:13-17.  It talks about a woman named Israel who runs away from the antichrist and Satan halfway through the Tribulation period on ‘wings of eagles.’

Since our national symbol is the eagle, some scholars believe that America will possibly provide a military airlift of some sort to take Israel away during that time.  Now, God could use America to help evacuate the remnant of Israel during this last attack, but the law of probabilities tell me that this is a stretch of imagination.

One reason I say that is America is not the first nation to have an eagle as its symbol.  Ancient Rome’s symbol was the eagle.  Knowing that, we could assume that the European Union, which is the replacement to the Roman Empire, will carry Israel off to safety.  But this is also just an opinion.

Elsewhere in the Bible, we are told there is somebody else who has the wings of an eagle.

DEUTERONOMY 32:9-12,

‘For the Lord's love is His people.  He chose the people of Israel for Himself.  He found them in a desert land, in the empty waste of a desert.  He came around and cared for them.  He kept them as He would His own eye.  Like an eagle that shakes its nest, that flies over its young, He spread His wings and caught them.  He carried them on His wings.  The Lord alone led them.’

So, using Scripture itself, we can see that it is God who will lift Israel out of the way of danger.  This shows us that we must be very careful, indeed, when it comes to interpreting symbols and signs into a foregone conclusion.

There are many other theories out there, too, and that is what they are – theories.  All are interesting, but most are inaccurate.  So, will America be found in the Last Days?  Maybe not.  But then again, maybe so.

Now, let’s talk about how …

3.   END TIME PROPHECY DOES INCLUDE AMERICA

America cannot trace its physical heritage back to the beginning of the Old Testament, because we haven’t been in existence that long.  But we can trace our spiritual heritage back to Jesus Christ.

No other nation on the face of this earth can claim the rich Christian heritage that we can.  And because of that, I believe America has been divinely appointed to spread the Gospel to all the world until the End Time.

As I said a few minutes ago, God wants us to actually study His word.  That means we get in there, not to just read a few verses, but also to try and understand what His principles are.

There is a passage of Scripture in ISAIAH 5:1-7 that gives such a principle.

‘I’ll sing a ballad to the one I love, a love song about his vineyard.  The one I love had a fine vineyard which he tilled and took care of.  He built a lookout by it so he could protect it and he built a winepress so he could harvest the wine.  But for all his work, he got nothing but worthless grapes.

‘Now listen to what I am telling you, Jerusalem and Judah!  What do you think is going on between my vineyard and me?  Is there anything I could have done for my vineyard that I did not do?  And because of all I did, I expected good grapes, but all I got was bitter grapes.

‘This is what I will do with my vineyard.  I will tear down its protective fence and let it go to ruin.  I will let the outside come in and trample it to ruin.  I will turn it into a patch of uncared- for weeds.  And I will tell the clouds to not rain on it so it will not grow.

‘Don’t you get what I am saying?  This vineyard belongs to God, and this vineyard is Israel.  I was so proud of my garden of people, and I looked for a crop of justice, but only saw them hating and killing each other.’

Now this passage explains to us that the vineyard is the Israelite nation, and God established it, He took care of them, and He expected righteous things from them.  But all they did was give Him grief and all He saw were selfish actions.

Hundreds of years after Isaiah wrote that passage, Jesus was teaching in the temple and He took that story and revealed even more information concerning the ‘new’ vineyard God would raise up. 

It is found in MATTHEW 21:33-41.

‘Jesus said, ‘Here’s another story, listen closely!’  There was once a wealthy farmer who planted a vineyard.  He fenced it, build a winepress and put up a watchtower, and then he turned it over to the farmhands and went on a trip.  When it was time to harvest the grapes, he sent his servants back to collect his profits.

‘The farmhands grabbed the first servant and beat him up.  The next one they murdered.  They threw stones at the third but he got away.  The owner tried again, sending more servants.  They got the same treatment.  He was at the end of his rope, so he decided to send his son.  ‘Surely,’ he thought, ‘they will respect my son.’

‘But when the farmhands saw the son arrive, they rubbed their hands in greed.  ‘This is the heir!  Let’s kill him and keep it all for ourselves!’  They grabbed him, threw him out, and killed him. 

‘Now, when the owner arrived home, what do you think he will do to the farmhands?’ asked Jesus.

‘He will kill the rotten bunch and be done with them,’ the people answered Jesus.  'Then he will hand over the vineyards to new farmhands who will treat him right.’

At this point, Jesus summed up the story for them and explained how it was about Him.

‘Jesus answered, ‘You are correct, and you can read what is says in the Bible:  ‘The stone the masons threw out is now the cornerstone.  This is God’s work; we rub our eyes, and can hardly believe it.’

‘This is how it is with you.  God’s kingdom will be taken back from you and handed over to a people who will live righteously.  Whoever stumbles on this stone gets shattered; whoever the Stone falls on gets smashed.’

‘When the religious leaders heard this story, they knew it was about them.  They wanted to arrest him and throw the key away, but because Jesus was so popular, they said and did nothing.’

Israel was the true vineyard of God.  But no matter how much God did for them, they refused to honor Him.  Isaiah foresaw a time when God would remove His protection from them and let them be trampled down to nothing.  This happened, not once, but twice so far.  Once in 606 BC when the Babylonians came in, destroyed the nation, and took captives back to Babylon with them.

It happened again in 70 AD when the old Roman Empire invaded them and killed many people, including herding the women and children into the temple and burning them alive.

You ask how God could do that to people he loved.  The answer is God never did it.  The people had all but showed their hatred towards God and refused to acknowledge Him in their lives.  So after hundreds of years, God just took away His divine protection and this left them vulnerable to the satanic forces of the world.

CONCLUSION

Now, let me ask you to stop and think about something.  God blessed Israel with an abundance of blessings just to see the people turn against Him.  Eventually, He removed His protection and let them suffer the consequences of their actions.

America has been blessed with abundance for over 200 years.  But we have turned against God, too.  Don’t you think that the day will come when God removes the hedge of protection from around us and let us suffer the consequences of our actions, too?

We, the Gentiles have been given a vineyard that originally belonged to someone else; and it consists of spiritual blessings so that we could produce a harvest.  That harvest is more Christians.  That is America’s heritage.

Isn’t it interesting that America is the only nation that can claim to have been founded on Christian principles?  And we are the only nation in the world that can trace its spiritual origins back to ancient Israel.

Long before America was ever thought of, the nation of Israel was destroyed and its people scattered.  God knew that in the End Times He would again return to deal with His Jewish children, and in order to do that, they would once again need to come together as a nation. 

America has played the most important part in the rebirth of the nation of Israel.  But did you know that hundreds of years earlier it was the Jews who played instrumental parts in seeing that the United States of America was born?

America is called to take God’s message to the rest of the world, and when that job is done, I believe our time on earth will be done.  America, or more specifically, Christian America, can find itself in the Bible as what I believe are the new workers of God’s vineyard. 

But notice that we are only temporary workers.  When we have brought forth the fruit and the harvest is over, we will be taken home.  That is the prophecy of the Rapture.  Will you be in it?

Jesus said that before the flood, people were living it up as usual, not having a care in the world – and then death came.  And then He prophesied that it would be that way again when He comes back.

America is living that way today.  We don’t see the need to live according to the Bible because we see ourselves as ‘good people.’  Like I have said before, if we are okay with our sins, we think God will be okay with them, too.’

In MATTHEW 24:42, Jesus gives us a warning.  He says, ‘Keep watch!’  In other words, you may not know the day or the hour, but you can know the season- if you are willing to look for it.

But that leaves a very important question each one of us must answer.  Are we willing to do what is necessary to keep watch and be ready?

Only you can answer that question for yourself, but understand this:  If you do not see the urgency of getting, and staying, ready – you will not be ready.  And if you are not ready, you will not go to Heaven.

INVITATION