What Will You Do When the End Comes?

These words uttered by the prophet Jeremiah in the 6th century BC were meant for a blinded, naive and disobedient Israel but in reading through Jeremiah 5: 15-31, is it possible that it is the pattern we should look at in considering the conditions in the sorry state of our western nations today? Are we a blinded, naive and disobedient people? Is this why in Verse 20, God wanted the message declared in the House of Jacob, which includes the entire twelve tribes? Was God using the conditions and the prophesied captivity of the Nation of Judah as a message to all the tribes at some point in the future? When he said in Verse 15 that “I am bringing a nation upon you from far, O House of Israel” was He referring to the future or to the Assyrian captivity of a hundred years earlier? And who and what is the House of Israel anyway?

“I will go and return to my place, till they acknowledge their offence, and seek my face; in their affliction they will seek me early.”

There are just too many similarities between Jeremiah’s time and that of today and I encourage you to read the above verses before reading further into this article.

You might wonder how we got ourselves into such a mess but God explained it very well when He said, “Because you have abandoned Him [God] and served foreign gods in your own country,” Well, look around and you will see the truth in this statement, whether or not a prophecy, although I firmly believe it is dual in nature. Certainly, very few are the Christians today who have not succumbed to the new interpretation of God’s Word and who have not abandoned Christianity as it was in the days of true faith.

I often read historian and author Alexis de Tocqueville’s words, written in 1831, “Not until I went into the churches of America and heard her pulpits flame with righteousness did I understand the secret of her genius and power.” You see, we were still under the great feeling of the Protestant Reformation, although at the tail end of devoutness. America and its sister Israel nations were great but Tocqueville added these last few words, “America is great because America is good, and if America ever ceases to be good, America will cease to be great.” Sadly, there was a seed of disaster that was already being sown by the time of Tocqueville’s statement and it is this seed that has led us to the same state as Jeremiah described twenty-six centuries earlier. It didn’t happen all at once of course, remember, a seed that is sown first breaks through the ground very quickly, remains static until the root system is fully developed, then continues its rapid growth toward the budding, flowering and fruit bearing stages. An evil seed, like the long, slow march of the satanic plan, must follow the same course.

There is a great expectation in some Christian quarters today that very soon the greatest event in history will take place, of course, I refer to the return of the Lord Jesus Christ. All the signs are in place and if one is bold enough to look to prophecy, there is great encouragement. Still, one has to wonder why God hasn’t given up on us because of our naivety and our disobedient natures. He did once you know, that was in the days of our long ago ancestors, which the prophet Hosea recorded in Chapter 5:15, when God said, “I will go and return to my place, till they acknowledge their offence, and seek my face; in their affliction they will seek me early.” Earlier Hosea had recorded these words from God, “…. for ye are not my people, and I will not be your God.” (Hosea 1:9) Fortunately, God then said we would grow into great numbers and once again be His people. (Hosea 1:10) So, for centuries, our ancestors wandered throughout Asia and Europe until we were redeemed by the Crucifixion and Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. Then, centuries later, the Reformation took place and Jesus Christ became the focal point in our Protestant nations and we once again became “His People.”

An evil seed, like the long, slow march of the satanic plan, must follow the same course.

Yet, we didn’t watch out for that bad seed, as slowly and progressively, it grew bolder and bolder and over that past couple of decades, affliction has leaped forward at an astounding pace.

What is it that through Jeremiah, God was so eager to get across to our early descendants and to those of us living in the very last days? Certainly, it was a chilling message that God imparted to Jeremiah and if the message was indeed intended to reflect a dual fulfillment, that is, as it was then, so it is now, then we should be able to compare the characteristics of Jeremiah’s time with our own western world. If we are honest with ourselves, we will compare and immediately go to our knees seeking help because it is an exact replay of those long ago times.

Again, the root cause of our entire problem today is that we have abandoned God. Think on this! Where once the Bible held an honoured place in the home, if it is there at all today in most homes, it simply gathers dust. Consequently, as it was in Jeremiah’s day, we are facing similarities that have weakened the fabric of our society and effectively placed our people in bondage, as our dignity, our wealth, our Faith and our freedoms have been progressively stripped away. Many might wonder why God has permitted such adverse conditions for His People but effectively He has returned to His place until we acknowledge our offence and seek His Face. 2 Chronicles 7:14 words it similarly, “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.” We might wonder why God has left the field wide open for the evil seed but this is a fulfillment of a promise made centuries earlier (Genesis 27:40) and again, because an ancestor simply didn’t believe God.

So, Jesus used the analogy of these three characteristics of Laodicea in His counsel.

Someone reading this booklet might quickly surmise that I am mixing up the story of the Israelites and the Western people and I must confess, it certainly can look this way. So, perhaps this might be a good place to insert the meaning of the Israel Truth. Maybe I will use a modern day source that might engender more credibility with those who have become so steeped into the identity of the Israelites through incorrect teaching by the churches, that they have missed the possible truth of their own special place in God’s Plan. A Jewish writer and historian by the name of Yair Davidy, writing out of the modern Israeli State, published a book entitled “The Tribes.” To add to its acceptance, the forward was written by a top Rabbi in Israel. Anyway, the book demonstrates that the descendants of the lost tribes of Israel today compose the Anglo-Saxon, Celtic, Scandinavian and kindred peoples. Of course, this was not new information; it had been passed down and written about throughout the centuries and it is a most fascinating study. Most that God has favoured to understand this truth have been less known people, perhaps like you and I, but every once in awhile God lifted the blinders from a famous person, likely to give the truth a continuing flame. Just to record a few names that you might recognize, I could mention Robert the Bruce, King James I, Queen Victoria, King Edward VII, King George VI, Professor Edward Faraday Odlum and Professor Roger Rusk (brother of former Secretary of State Dean Rusk). Indeed, back in the early part of the 1900’s, when the truth was growing like wildfire, The National Message published its Roll of Honour, prominent men and women who had been blessed with the Israel Truth. On that roll were the names of a dozen men and women connected to Royalty, an Archbishop, seven high ranking Church Bishops, a New Zealand Prime Minister, five Church Canons and Archdeacons and ninety-one prominent ministers of the Church, mostly Anglicans. And this didn’t include the dozens of military officers, some very high ranking ones.

Today we don’t see this and this is probably a reason why the apostasy has picked up speed. Still, the fact is, the Israel Truth was almost stopped in its tracks when the modern Israeli State adopted the name of Israel in 1948. Since then, truth has been beset by false messages adopted by theologians and the great body of Christians, aided immensely by the False Prophet Media. I don’t totally understand why the descendants of Jacob Israel would shut their eyes to truth but we have and I suppose somewhere this is just a plank in God’s plan. One thing the apostasy has achieved is the condition of the world that the Prophets, the Apostles and Jesus Christ Himself spoke about and as mentioned earlier, it does mirror the condition God conveyed to Jeremiah long, long ago.

So, let’s now examine some of those things Jeremiah declared to the House of Jacob [all of Israel].

Verse 19 – Our long-ago ancestors served strange gods. Think about this in context of today. We have imported tens of millions of non-Christian peoples into our lands and in the spirit of fairness have permitted them to erect centres for their gods. At the same time, the Bible was being discarded as the guiding force of our nations and this led the way for the subduing of true Christian beliefs in favour of a watered down version, and growth of such things as new ageism, humanism or the eastern faiths.

Verse 19 – Our ancestors served strangers in a land no longer theirs – This is easy to understand when looking at the Nation or House of Judah because they were conquered shortly after and taken captive to Babylon where they served the Babylonians. Of course, The House or Nation of Israel, along with much of Judah, were captured by the Assyrians and shipped to Northern Assyria a hundred years earlier than Jeremiah’s warning, but they eventually found their way to western lands. Yet, this is a puzzling statement as we apply it today, until we recognize that corporations and people not of our founding race are in control of our destiny, both financial and moral. And each year, regulations overtake our freedoms and governments become more autocratic and less of “for the people.”

Verse 21 – Our ancestors were foolish people, people who were without understanding, blind and incapable of hearing. Today, it is no different; we see only the surface of things, hear only what we are told and accept the views of media and others rather than studying to understand truths. So, is it any mystery why debt has overtaken us and why we have lost our standard of living compared to emerging nations? We have just sat back and let it happen.

Verse 22 – Israelites in Jeremiah’s day lost their fear of the Lord. Ironically, the non-Christian people who have come into our lands are more devout than the majority of our people. If you go one step further, it has even reached the point where we stand back as our Lord Jesus Christ is ridiculed and mocked. Recently, a short debate took place between Bill Mahar, a religion hater, primarily, I think, of Christianity and Bill O’Reilly of Fox Television. Fifty years ago a blasphemer like Mahar would never be permitted to spout his views on a national television program but whenever he appears on a program, he is applauded by a mostly apostolic audience. This debate wasn’t much because O’Reilly appears to be one of those who lack understanding. Certainly his answers demonstrated that although he may, as he says, to be a New Testament Christian, he really doesn’t believe God’s Word.

Verse 23 – God accused our descendants in Jeremiah’s time as having a revolting and a rebellious heart. Today, with the exception of a small minority, there is an outright rebellion against anything that smacks of God and the lifestyles promoted throughout our lands, primarily through movies, the media, even schools, is nothing less than disgusting.

Verse 25 – Iniquities and sins have kept the blessings back. Well, you don’t go from the most prosperous nations in the world to the most indebted, the highest standard of living in the world to well down the rankings, the most respected nations in the world to the most hated, from high moral standards to filth, all evidence that God has withheld His blessings.

Now, next, God points out a major thorn in the side of the Israelites in Jeremiah’s day. One would have to be blind not to see the same thorn in today’s western nations.

Verse 26 – Godless men (and women) are among the people that lie and wait to catch people.

Verse 27 – Their houses are full of swindling gains and they have become known, should we say, idolized, as great men and women, prosperous as they grow rich, and right in front of our eyes, they go to any length in crime.

Verse 27 -They will not make any move for justice, or champion a cause or rally to a poor man’s rights.”

No wonder God sums it up by having Jeremiah write “a horrible thing, an appalling thing has happened in the land.”

So God warns, “Shall I not punish them; shall I not make them pay?” He is talking about the wicked, of course, but also to the whole House of Jacob (the twelve tribes). Are we, as Christian nations being punished? I certainly think so and if one looks at the description from the prophet Ezekiel, it is frightening. In Ezekiel 7 he also told us that God would turn His face from His people. He prophesied that we Israelites would pollute God’s secret place, that robbers would enter into it, that the land would be full of bloody crimes, the cities full of violence, that the worst of the heathen would be brought to our shores, that they would possess our houses, deplete our strength, defile our holy places, that destruction would come, we would not find peace and the law would perish. A pretty good description of today’s world, don’t you think?

No wonder God sums it up by having Jeremiah write “a horrible thing, an appalling thing has happened in the land.” You can’t deny it. Of course, there is little doubt that it is the governmental, economic and religious leaders who are the ringleaders because God said, “Here are prophets that utter a lying message, priests that clap their hands in applause.” Still, ringleaders must have followers and as God points out, “yet, this people of mine are well content, they love to have it so.” You know, we can sit and quote Hosea 4:6 till the cows come home and try to reason that God’s words, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge” are somehow an excuse for our predicament or we can say that people today have been so moulded into this new reality, they don’t know the difference. But God says, you are being destroyed because “you have rejected knowledge.” Is it any wonder then that God cries out, “What will you do when the end comes?”

Now I will leave to another article why I believe the end of 6,000 lunar years, Paul’s warning of the “falling away” and John’s vision of the Church of Laodicea all have a terminus around the early 1800’s and are one and the same. Also that the beginning of the Esau Dominion was seeded at that time and like any seed, has progressed through the initial spurt of growth, the formation of the root system, the rapid growth period, the budding, flowering and the harvest or fruit bearing season, the latter which very likely began in 2001. It is an interesting series of prophecies that are well worth studying.

Space also doesn’t permit to describe the fate of the godless rich, or, perhaps a better phrase is the “unscrupulous rich.” James 5:1-6 adequately describes their fate, particularly verse 5 as it is translated by the Knox Version, “You have feasted here on earth, you have comforted your hearts with luxuries on this day that dooms you to slaughter.”

No matter, they will have earned their fate. Still, what we should concern ourselves with are the readers, friends, family and others who have yet to reach out to Jesus Christ and make for themselves a secure place in the Kingdom, which all the signs point to an early arrival. Isn’t it wonderful to visualize being with departed ancestors, friends and patriarchs of yesteryear. It will be such an exciting time.

Our blessed Lord Jesus sets out a step by step plan as to how to reach and get the most out of the Kingdom in Revelation 3:14-22. As a matter of fact, He begins verse 14 by addressing the Laodicean age, he clearly states that the prophecy is from Himself, the ruler of God’s Creation. He first sets the stage in 15-16 by declaring that those in this Laodicean age are neither hot nor cold, that He will spue us out of His Mouth. In other words, He will reject the lukewarm Christians, the ones that say, “I am rich, I am well off, I lack nothing” but don’t know they are wretched, miserable, poor, blind and naked. Doesn’t this bring to mind long ago Israel, who God said boasted, “And thou shall say in thine heart, My power and the might of mine hand hath given me this wealth.” (Deuteronomy 8)

Then Jesus proceeded to impart the secret of health, happiness and well-being. It is this secret that we must impart to those who have lost their way or have come under the influence of the false prophets. His secret centers around three major points:

Buy from Him gold tried in the fire so you may be rich.

And white raiment to cover up nakedness.

Anoint your eyes with eye salve so you may see.

It’s interesting that of the seven churches or cities of Revelation 2 & 3, they were all centered in the one province, and that Laodicea was the wealthiest, also that Laodicea was widely known for its banking establishments, its textile industry and its medical school. So Jesus used the analogy of these three characteristics of Laodicea.

Revelation 3:18 may sound like difficult advice to understand but what Jesus is trying to tell each and every one of us is to incorporate the Law into our lives: receive Salvation through the Blood of Christ and through devout study gain the spiritual awareness that will lift the blindness and make clear our responsibilities. How do we know this; because the Scriptures confirm it?

Look, rather than the gold of Laodicea, Jesus is telling us to buy gold from Him that is tried in the fire, He is not talking about gold, as we know it, mixed with alloy, but He is referring to His Gold, there is no impurity in that. He is talking about His Law; what does the Bible say, “The Law of the Lord is perfect.” And Jesus said, “If you love me obey my commandments.” And of course, Job, in speaking of the commandments in Chapter 23:10-12 said “When he has tried me I shall come forth as gold.” It’s faith in His Word we must aspire to, even though we will have trials. By the way, the Apostle Peter refers to the other type of gold in 1 Peter 1:7 “That the trial of your faith, being more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, ….” So, what about the riches Christ promises? Well, for those who also put on the white raiment and the eye salve as well, blessings seem to flow unendingly.

Jesus counsels us to seek White Raiment, that’s the ultimate cover, our ticket to the Kingdom. Revelation 7:13-14 makes clear the value of Christ’s counsel, “And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, [referring to John] What are these which are arrayed in white robes? And whence came they? And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.” So, receiving Christ into our lives is being clothed with this white raiment, and being clothed, we shall not be naked, as Paul said in 2 Corinthians 5:3, our sins will be forgiven.

Turning to the eye salve, let me refer to John 9:6, “When he had thus spoken, he spat on the ground, and made clay of the spittle, and he anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay.” So, the anointing with the eye salve is no ordinary eye salve as produced in Laodicea, which was a fitting illustration of Laodicea’s spiritual blindness. By contrast, the eye salve of Revelation 3:18 contains the very essence of Christ, for without His presence it is impossible to achieve spiritual awareness and break away from the miserable, blind state wherein we live. Still, remember, that after applying the mud to the blind man’s eyes, the man was sent to the pool of Siloam. Likewise, after someone receives Christ, he or she is directed, as Paul said, to “Study to show yourselves approved.” A person who does not study will very likely continue to be blind to the truth, as are the majority of Christians today. Receiving Christ may be their ticket to the Kingdom but the blessing of the eye salve very likely dictates their place in the Kingdom.

Christ’s entire package, His great secret, is ours if we really want to possess it.

Space is eluding me but I really want to touch on the remaining three verses. Now, for those who follow Christ’s directive, He intends to help. In Verse 19 he says, “As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten, be zealous therefore, and repent.” So, it will not be all clear sailing and our faith will be strengthened through difficult times as well. He made the same statement in the beautiful chapter 15 of the Gospel of John, where in verse 2, He uttered, “every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.” I’ve been purged often, how about you?

Then in verse 20, Jesus pledges His support. He said, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me. “Sup” simply meaning a “very close relationship, being treated as part of the family.

And in verse 21, He makes this breathtaking promise, “To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.” What more can be said, Jesus is offering to share His place of authority with overcomers.

So, if any reader is still without Christ in their life or if readers have friends, family and associates that are dodging a relationship and going through life in a miserable, blind and naked state, should the battle cry be, “What will you do when the end comes?”

Editor’s Note: This is a condensed version of a message delivered by your Editor at the annual British-Israel-World Federation Conference in Toronto. DVD’s and audio tapes are available from them at 313 Sherbourne Street, Toronto, Ontario, M5A 2S3 (e-mail: british-israel@bellnet.ca). Don’t forget to also order tapes or DVD’s of the excellent messages delivered by Pastor Jory Brooks, President Kent Purvis and scholar Douglas Nesbit.