In the previous installments of this new series, we have pointed out that at the time of the final revival of the ancient Roman Empire in Europe, God’s Church will be busy, with renewed strength, to fulfill its end-time commission to preach the gospel of the Kingdom of God in all the world as a witness, prior to Christ’s return. As the European power will only survive for a short time, so the preaching of the gospel will likewise be short-lived.

We showed that both the last revival of the Roman Empire [through the raising up of the ancient Chaldeans, and their subsequent defeat] and the preaching of the gospel are described as the Work of God. We then concentrated on God’s Work, as it relates to the preaching of the gospel.

In this installment, we will discuss that God’s end-time Church has been given the Work of warning the nations, which is actually part of the proclamation of the gospel message.

We read in Amos 3:4-9, 13-14:

“Will a lion roar in the forest, when he has no prey? Will a young lion cry out of his den, if he has caught nothing? Will a bird fall into a snare on the earth, where there is no trap for it? Will a snare spring up from the earth, if it has caught nothing at all? If a trumpet is blown in a city, will not the people be afraid? If there is calamity in a city, will not the LORD have done it? Surely the LORD God does nothing, Unless He reveals His secret to His servants the prophets. A lion has roared! Who will not fear? The LORD God has spoken! Who can but prophesy? Proclaim in the palaces at Ashdod, And in the palaces in the land of Egypt, and say: ‘Assemble on the mountains of Samaria; See great tumults in her midst, And the oppressed within her… Hear and testify against the house of Jacob,’ Says the LORD God, the God of hosts, ‘That in the day I punish Israel for their transgressions, I will also visit destruction on the altars of Bethel; And the horns of the altar shall be cut off And fall to the ground….’”

Notice carefully! God is telling us that He will reveal to His servants what is going to happen, and they must prophesy or proclaim what they hear. This does not mean that God must tell them directly, face to face, what they must speak; rather, He HAS already told us, in the pages of the Bible, what will happen. The above-cited Scripture speaks, in context, of calamity which God will bring on the House of Jacob or Israel. It will be His Work! As this is an end-time prophecy, God’s Church is to proclaim and warn the nations of Israel, in hopes that some will repent and change their ways, so that they could be spared.

We read a timeless prophecy in Psalm 64:9:

“All men shall fear, And shall declare the work of God; For they shall wisely consider His doing.”

Ultimately, all will declare the Work of God, but today, it is basically only those in the Body of Christ who understand and wisely consider His doing and, with the fear of God, proclaim and warn about what He will soon accomplish.

Psalm 73:28 is even more encompassing, stating:

“But it is good for me to draw near to God; I have put my trust in the LORD God, That I may declare all Your works.”

ALL of God’s works include, of course, the warning message to the nations that God’s wrath will be upon them soon, but also, that Christ will return soon to end the madness of man’s incompetent rule.

We find another Scripture in the Bible about God’s commission to His end-time Church to proclaim and prophesy about God’s Work of punishing all nations—in this case, modern Babylon:

Jeremiah 51:1-11 tells us this:

“Thus says the LORD: ‘Behold, I will raise up against Babylon, Against those who dwell in Leb Kamai, A destroying wind. And I will send winnowers to Babylon, Who shall winnow her and empty her land. For in the day of doom They shall be against her all around. Against her let the archer bend his bow, And lift himself up against her in his armor. Do not spare her young men; Utterly destroy all her army. Thus the slain shall fall in the land of the Chaldeans, And those thrust through in her streets. For Israel is not forsaken, nor Judah, By his God, the LORD of hosts, Though their land was filled with sin against the Holy One of Israel.’“Flee from the midst of Babylon, And every one save his life! Do not be cut off in her iniquity, For this is the time of the LORD’S vengeance; He shall recompense her. Babylon was a golden cup in the LORD’S hand, That made all the earth drunk. The nations drank her wine; Therefore the nations are deranged. Babylon has suddenly fallen and been destroyed. Wail for her! Take balm for her pain; Perhaps she may be healed. We would have healed Babylon, But she is not healed. Forsake her, and let us go everyone to his own country; For her judgment reaches to heaven and is lifted up to the skies. The LORD has revealed our righteousness. Come and let us declare in Zion the work of the LORD our God. Make the arrows bright! Gather the shields! The LORD has raised up the spirit of the kings of the Medes. For His plan is against Babylon to destroy it, Because it is the vengeance of the LORD, The vengeance for His temple.”

This passage describes the Work of God—His punishment of modern Babylon through the modern Medes—which must be proclaimed by His Church “in Zion”—that means, it must also be proclaimed IN the Church of God. It includes the warning message to come out of or flee from Babylon (compare Revelation 18:4)—not having anything to do with its evil conduct, culture and philosophies, in order to save our physical and—even more importantly—our spiritual lives.

We have read in prior installments that God will do His Work by reviving the modern Chaldeans—Babylon—to punish Israel.

In Habakkuk 3:2-9, God is asked to revive and make known His Work in the midst of the years:

“O LORD, I have heard your speech and was afraid; O LORD, revive Your work in the midst of the years! In the midst of the years make it known; In wrath remember mercy. God came from Teman, The Holy One from Mount Paran. Selah. His glory covered the heavens, And the earth was full of His praise. His brightness was like the light; He had rays flashing from His hand, And there His power was hidden. Before Him went pestilence, And fever followed at His feet. He stood and measured the earth; He looked and startled the nations. And the everlasting mountains were scattered, The perpetual hills bowed. His ways are everlasting.”

We see here that the context is His return and the last plagues poured out on mankind. Just prior to that, He is asked to revive His Work of raising the Chaldeans and of having His Church preach the gospel and warn the nations. In the midst of the years could refer to the 3 ½ years of the Great Tribulation which will precede the Day of the Lord and the Coming of Christ. Then the proclamation will become really powerful, but it must occur earlier, BEFORE the houses of Israel and Judah will be destroyed at the very beginning of the Great Tribulation—in fact, their destruction sets in motion the Great Tribulation.

We saw earlier, in Amos 3, that proclaiming the warning message has been associated with blowing a trumpet—the trumpet of war. The following Scriptures tell us more about the duty and commission of God’s Church to blow the trumpet of warning.

We read in Jeremiah 4:5-8, 11-16 about the coming destruction of the modern Houses of Israel and Judah through the modern King of Assyria—the beast; and we read about the commission to “blow the trumpet” of warning:

“‘Declare in Judah and proclaim in Jerusalem, and say: “Blow the trumpet in the land”; Cry, “Gather together,” And say, “Assemble yourselves, And let us go into the fortified cities.” Set up the standard toward Zion. Take refuge! Do not delay! For I will bring disaster from the north, And great destruction.’ The lion has come up from his thicket, And the destroyer of nations is on his way. He has gone forth from his place To make your land desolate. Your cities will be laid waste, Without inhabitant. For this, clothe yourself with sackcloth, Lament and wail. For the fierce anger of the LORD Has not turned back from us…

“At that time it will be said To this people and to Jerusalem, ‘A dry wind of the desolate heights blows in the wilderness Toward the daughter of My people– Not to fan or to cleanse–A wind too strong for these will come for Me; Now I will also speak judgment against them.’ Behold, he shall come up like clouds, And his chariots like a whirlwind. His horses are swifter than eagles. Woe to us, for we are plundered!’ O Jerusalem, wash your heart from wickedness, That you may be saved. How long shall your evil thoughts lodge within you? For a voice declares from Dan And proclaims affliction from Mount Ephraim: ‘Make mention to the nations, Yes, proclaim against Jerusalem, That watchers come from a far country And raise their voice against the cities of Judah.’”

We will address those watchers later.

Now notice Isaiah 58:1:

“Cry aloud, spare not; Lift up your voice like a trumpet; Tell My people their transgression, And the house of Jacob their sins.”

Hosea 8:1 adds:  “Set the trumpet to your mouth! He shall come like an eagle against the house of the LORD, Because they have transgressed My covenant And rebelled against My law.”

Joel 2:1-3, 10-15 points out:

“Blow the trumpet in Zion, And sound an alarm in My holy mountain! Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble; For the day of the LORD is coming, For it is at hand: A day of darkness and gloominess, A day of clouds and thick darkness, Like the morning clouds spread over the mountains. A people come, great and strong, The like of whom has never been; Nor will there ever be any such after them, Even for many successive generations. A fire devours before them, And behind them a flame burns; The land is like the Garden of Eden before them, And behind them a desolate wilderness; Surely nothing shall escape them… 

“The earth quakes before them, The heavens tremble; The sun and moon grow dark, And the stars diminish their brightness. The LORD gives voice before His army, For His camp is very great; For strong is the One who executes His word. For the day of the LORD is great and very terrible; Who can endure it? ‘Now, therefore,’ says the LORD, ‘Turn to Me with all your heart, With fasting, with weeping, and with mourning.’ So rend your heart, and not your garments; Return to the LORD your God, For He is gracious and merciful, Slow to anger, and of great kindness; And He relents from doing harm. Who knows if He will turn and relent, And leave a blessing behind Him– A grain offering and a drink offering For the LORD your God… Blow the trumpet in Zion, Consecrate a fast, Call a sacred assembly…”

God’s Church needs to blow the trumpet in Zion which includes the Church itself. When we read that the LORD says to return to Him, He speaks through His Church.

But the warning message is not only directed towards the Houses of Israel and Judah. The trumpet must also be blown to warn modern Babylon, as God has decreed to carry out His Work against them:

Jeremiah 51:27-29 says:

“Set up a banner in the land, Blow the trumpet among the nations! Prepare the nations against her, Call the kingdoms together against her: Ararat, Minni, and Ashkenaz. Appoint a general against her; Cause the horses to come up like the bristling locusts. Prepare against her the nations, With the kings of the Medes, Its governors and all its rulers, All the land of his dominion. And the land will tremble and sorrow; For every purpose of the LORD shall be performed against Babylon, To make the land of Babylon a desolation without inhabitant.”

We read in Joel 2 that God executes His Word, and we read above that God’s purpose against Babylon shall be fulfilled. This is another way of saying that His Work will be accomplished and that we must proclaim it by blowing the trumpet. We are also reminded of the fact that the warning message must be clear—the blowing of the trumpet must be accurate, bold and convincing. We read in 1 Corinthians 14:8: “For if the trumpet makes an uncertain sound, who will prepare himself for battle?”

Jeremiah 6:1, 9, 17 adds another important aspect when describing the duty of His Church to warn the nations:

“O you children of Benjamin, Gather yourselves to flee from the midst of Jerusalem! Blow the trumpet in Tekoa, And set up a signal-fire in Beth Haccerem; For disaster appears out of the north, And great destruction… To whom shall I speak and give warning, That they may hear? Indeed their ear is uncircumcised, And they cannot give heed. Behold, the word of the LORD is a reproach to them; They have no delight in it… Also, I set watchmen over you, saying, ‘Listen to the sound of the trumpet!’ But they said, ‘We will not listen.’”

We read earlier, in Jeremiah 4, that watchers from a far country will come and raise their voice against the cities of Judah. Here we are introduced again to God’s watchmen who blow the trumpet and encourage the people to listen to it.  

Even though most will not listen and heed the warning of the watchmen, God’s Church must still fulfill its commission to warn them—as a witness or testimony against them. Those who are entrusted with proclaiming the warning message are called “watchmen.” They are to carefully watch world events and proclaim the impending dangers which can clearly be seen by those who take note with understanding and comprehension of the signs of the times.

Ezekiel 33: 7-12 elaborates on this.

“So you, son of man: I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; therefore you shall hear a word from My mouth and warn them for Me. When I say to the wicked, ‘O wicked man, you shall surely die!’ and you do not speak to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood I will require at your hand. Nevertheless if you warn the wicked to turn from his way, and he does not turn from his way, he shall die in his iniquity; but you have delivered your soul. Therefore you, O son of man, say to the house of Israel: ‘Thus you say, “If our transgressions and our sins lie upon us, and we pine away in them, how can we then live?”’ Say to them: “As I live,” says the LORD God, “I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn, turn from your evil ways! For why should you die, O house of Israel?”’

“Therefore you, O son of man, say to the children of your people: ‘The righteousness of the righteous man shall not deliver him in the day of his transgression; as for the wickedness of the wicked, he shall not fall because of it in the day that he turns from his wickedness; nor shall the righteous be able to live because of his righteousness in the day that he sins.’”

We can clearly see that it is the solemn duty of the “watchmen”—God’s Church in these last days—to warn the people, including the House of Israel, of their sinful ways and implore them to change so that they won’t die. Once the warning message has been proclaimed, the responsibility is with the hearers to heed.

The role of the watchman is not limited to just warning the Houses of Israel and Judah. We read in Isaiah 21:6, 8-10:

“For thus has the LORD said to me: ‘Go, set a watchman, Let him declare what he sees.’ Then he cried, ‘A lion, my Lord! I stand continually on the watchtower in the daytime; I have sat at my post every night. And look, here comes a chariot of men with a pair of horsemen!’ Then he answered and said, ‘Babylon is fallen, is fallen! And all the carved images of her gods He has broken to the ground.’ Oh, my threshing and the grain of my floor! That which I have heard from the LORD of hosts, The God of Israel, I have declared to you.”

The watchman declares what he sees and comprehends. Habakkuk 2:1-3 adds:

“I will stand my watch [Revised English Bible: “at my post”] And set myself on the rampart, And watch to see what He will say to me, And what I will answer when I am corrected [or: “and what He will answer concerning my complaint”]. Then the LORD answered me and said: ‘Write the vision And make it plain on tablets, That he may run who reads it. For the vision is yet for an appointed time; But at the end it will speak, and it will not lie. Though it tarries, wait for it; Because it will surely come, It will not tarry.”

The watchman is even to plead with God to bring back His Son very soon who will then rule from Jerusalem, and in the process, to prepare the people for Christ’s Second Coming. We read in Isaiah 62:6-7, 10:

“I have set watchmen on your walls, O Jerusalem; They shall never hold their peace day or night. You who make mention of the LORD, do not keep silent, And give Him no rest till He establishes And till He makes Jerusalem a praise in the earth. Go through, Go through the gates! Prepare the way for the people; Build up, Build up the highway! Take out the stones, Lift up a banner for the peoples!”

This reminds us of Christ telling us to pray daily to the Father: “Your Kingdom Come!”

In the next installment, we will talk about the connection between aspects of the Work of God and our salvation.

(To be continued)

Lead Writer: Norbert Link

In the first two installments of this new series, we have pointed out that at the time of the final revival of the ancient Roman Empire in Europe, God’s Church will be busy, with renewed strength, to fulfill its end-time commission to preach the gospel of the Kingdom of God in all the world as a witness, prior to Christ’s return. As the European power will only survive for a short time, so the preaching of the gospel will likewise be short-lived. Both the last revival of the Roman Empire [through the raising up of the ancient Chaldeans, and their subsequent defeat] and the preaching of the gospel are described as the Work of God.

In this installment, we will concentrate on God’s Work, as it relates to the preaching of the gospel.

We read previously in Acts 13:41 that the preaching of the gospel is defined as God working a work in our days. We also read in Romans 9:28 that God will finish this work and cut it short in righteousness, as He will make a short work upon the earth. The immediate context is salvation of a remnant of Israel and the warning not to despise God’s Word (compare Romans 9:25-27; Acts 13: 45-52; also note Isaiah 10:22-23). Salvation is of course an important part of the gospel message. We are told that we must endure to the end to be saved. And Jesus said to His disciples in Mark 16:15-16:

“… Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.”

That preaching the gospel is indeed the Work of God is confirmed in many passages in the Bible. While God is using men to do the preaching, it is not the work of man that this is being accomplished, but it is God doing His Work through human instruments.

Paul says in 1 Corinthians 15:57-58:

“But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.”

The ultimate outcome is victory over death (compare verse 54). The gospel message reveals that we can inherit eternal life in the Kingdom of God if we endure until the end. When we do the Work of God by preaching the gospel message, we do not do it in vain. It will produce fruit, even though it may not be obvious right away. Notice Isaiah 55:10-11:

“For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven, And do not return there, But water the earth, And make it bring forth and bud, That it may give seed to the sower And bread to the eater, So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please, And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.”

What the gospel message contains will be accomplished, in God’s due time. This is also confirmed in Jeremiah 1:12, where God says: “You have seen well, for I am ready to perform My word.”

In the last installment, we already referred to Ezekiel 12:22-28, showing that at the very end, God’s Word will come true swiftly and without postponement or delay.

Paul or Saul and Barnabas were set aside by God to accomplish God’s Work of preaching the gospel. We read in Acts 13:2-5:

“As they ministered to the Lord and fasted, the Holy Spirit said, ‘Now separate to Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.’ Then, having fasted and prayed, and laid hands on them, they sent them away. So, being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia, and from there they sailed to Cyprus. And when they arrived in Salamis, they preached the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews. They also had John as their assistant.”

However, contentions arose between Paul and Barnabas, pertaining to their assistant John. We read in Acts 15:36-38:

“Then after some days Paul said to Barnabas, ‘Let us now go back and visit our brethren in every city where we have preached the word of the Lord, and see how they are doing.’  Now Barnabas was determined to take with them John called Mark (He was also called John; compare Acts 12:12). But Paul insisted that they should not take with them the one who had departed from them in Pamphylia, and had not gone with them to the work. Then the contention became so sharp that they parted from one another. And so Barnabas took Mark and sailed to Cyprus…”

John had departed from them, returning to Jerusalem, as described in Acts 13:13. We read later that John Mark worked with Paul as one of his “fellow workers for the kingdom of God” (Colossians 4:10-11), but we do not read that Paul and Barnabas ever worked together again.

We also read in 1 Corinthians 16:9-10, that doing the Work of God is associated with God’s opening a door or an opportunity to preach the gospel:

“For a great and effective door has opened to me, and there are many adversaries. Now if Timothy comes, see that he may be with you without fear; for he does the work of the Lord, as I also do.”

The clause “he is doing the work of the Lord” is better translated as “… it is the Lord’s work that he is engaged on” (Revised English Bible), emphasizing the fact that it is not the work of man. Or, as the New International Version has it, “he is carrying on the work of the Lord,” emphasizing his continuing effort in this regard. The Luther Bible says, “he is driving the work of the Lord” (“er treibt das Werk des Herrn”).

We also read in 2 Corinthians 2:12:

“Furthermore, when I came to Troas to preach Christ’s gospel, and a door was opened to me by the Lord.”

In Acts 14:26-27, an important aspect of successfully carrying out the Work of preaching the gospel is mentioned, when it says:

“From there they sailed to Antioch, where they had been commended to the grace of God for the work which they had completed. Now when they had come and gathered the church together, they reported all that God had done with them, and that He had opened the door of faith to the Gentiles.”

It is through faith or belief in God and in Christ’s Sacrifice and in the gospel of the Kingdom of God (compare Mark 1:14-15), that we can come to the point of baptism, opening for us the way to eternal life. In order to be successful in our commission to do the Work of God, we need to pray to God that He opens doors or ways for us to accomplish the task God has set before us—and that we have the faith and strength to go through those doors and proclaim God’s Word with power. We read in Colossians 4:2-4:

“Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving; meanwhile praying also for us, that God would open to us a door for the word, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in chains, that I may make it manifest, as I ought to speak.’

In Philippians 2:25-30, we read:

“Yet I considered it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus, my brother, fellow worker, and fellow soldier, but your messenger and the one who ministered to my need; since he was longing for you all, and was distressed because you had heard that he was sick. For indeed he was sick almost unto death; but God had mercy on him, and not only on him but on me also, lest I should have sorrow upon sorrow. Therefore I sent him the more eagerly, that when you see him again you may rejoice, and I may be less sorrowful. Receive him therefore in the Lord with all gladness, and hold such men in esteem; because for the work of Christ he came close to death, not regarding his life, to supply what was lacking in your service toward me.”

Here the work of Christ is not only associated with the preaching of the gospel, but also with taking care of the needs of the brethren—in this case, Paul.

In James 1:22-27, a similar association is made:

“But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does… Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.”

At the time of Paul and the early New Testament Church, we read that the Church was busy and energetic in doing God’s Work of preaching the gospel in all the world as a witness. Paul knew of course Christ’s command to preach the gospel to every creature, or, as other translations have it, “to the whole creation” (Mark 16:15), and so he even declared in Colossians 1:21-28:

“And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight– if indeed you continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and are not moved away from the hope of the gospel which you heard, which was preached to every creature under heaven, of which I, Paul, became a minister. I now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up in my flesh what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ, for the sake of His body, which is the church, of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God which was given to me for you, to fulfill the word of God, the mystery which has been hidden from ages and from generations, but now has been revealed to His saints. To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. Him we preach, warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus.”

The German Schlachter Bible translates verse 23: “… which was preached in the entire creation, which is under heaven…” Likewise the “Revised English Bible”: “This is the gospel which has been proclaimed in the whole creation under heaven.”

We see here that the gospel—the good news of the Kingdom of God—includes a warning message to encourage repentance and striving for perfection. He went even further, stating in Ephesians 3:8-10:

“To me, who am less than the least of all the saints, this grace was given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, and to make all see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the ages has been hidden in God who created all things through Jesus Christ; to the intent that now the manifold wisdom of God might be made known by the church to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places…”

But after the death of Paul and the other early apostles, the preaching of the gospel to the world would gradually stop, and so, as we have said many times, for over 1900 years, the gospel was NOT preached to the world, until God began to motivate His church and giving it the strength and opportunities to begin so again. This way, that worldwide proclamation would become the sign of the end—of the return of Jesus Christ. This proclamation would continue during the Great Tribulation as well—including through the preaching of the Two Witnesses. As God’s prophets (Revelation 11:3, 6, 10), they will of course warn the nations and proclaim what will happen—including, what has been written down in the Bible, as we discussed in the last installment, as all of this is also part of the Work of God. And God’s end-time Church has been given the commission to warn the nations, as will be discussed in more detail in the next installment.

We will also discuss the marvelous Truth as to why we have said that the more we are involved in God’s Work of preaching the gospel, the more we will overcome our sins and our human nature… which is necessary to be able to enter the Kingdom and Family of God.

For now, we want to conclude by pointing out that at times, preaching the gospel of God’s coming rule over rebellious mankind is not always an easy task, and without God’s help, strength and encouragement, it could not be done.

Jeremiah 20:8-9 expressed this challenge in the following way:

“For when I spoke, I cried out; I shouted, ‘Violence and plunder!’ Because the word of the LORD was made to me A reproach and a derision daily. Then I said, ‘I will not make mention of Him, Nor speak anymore in His name.’ But His word was in my heart like a burning fire. Shut up in my bones; I was weary of holding it back, And I could not.”

In 1 Corinthians 9:16-17, Paul likewise pointed out that he had really no choice but to preach the gospel, saying:

“For if I preach the gospel, I have nothing to boast of, for necessity is laid upon me; yes, woe is me if I do not preach the gospel! For if I do this willingly, I have a reward; but if against my will, I have been entrusted with a stewardship.”

In Revelation 10:8-11, John, as representative of the end-time Church, is given a little book to eat and to use it for a message of prophecy:

“Then the voice which I heard from heaven spoke to me again and said, ‘Go, take the little book which is open in the hand of the angel who stands on the sea and on the earth.’ So I went to the angel and said to him, ‘Give me the little book.’ And he said to me, ‘Take and eat it; and it will make your stomach bitter, but it will be as sweet as honey in your mouth.’ Then I took the little book out of the angel’s hand and ate it, and it was as sweet as honey in my mouth. But when I had eaten it, my stomach became bitter. And he said to me, ‘You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, tongues, and kings.’”

The book tasted good at first, but it became bitter, due to the events which were to happen to many peoples, nations, tongues and kings. It would not be pleasant to proclaim these events, but they have to be announced—otherwise, Christ could not return to this earth.

(To be continued)

 Lead Writer: Norbert Link

In the first installment of this new series, we began to address God’s Work in the context of the prophetic revival of the ancient Roman Empire in Europe and, in connection therewith, the preaching of the gospel in the world as a witness, which includes a warning message of impending disaster. We showed that God will raise the ancient Chaldeans—“modern Babylon”—under the leadership of an end-time Assyrian “Führer” —the “beast” in the Book of Revelation—to punish and destroy the modern Houses of Israel and Judah.  (For more information on the identity of the king of Assyria and the descendants of the ancient Houses of Israel and Judah, please read our free booklets, “Germany in Prophecy” and “The Fall and Rise of Britain and America.”).

In this installment, we will discuss in more detail how God will use the end-time “beast”—the coming king of Assyria—to punish the Houses of Israel and Judah—as being part of God’s end-time Work. 

We read in the Bible that God will raise the “king of Assyria” to conquer Israel and Judah. Isaiah 10:3-6 reads:

“What will you do in the day of punishment, And in the desolation which will come from afar? To whom will you flee for help? And where will you leave your glory? Without Me they shall bow down among the prisoners, And they shall fall among the slain. For all this His anger is not turned away, But His hand is stretched out still. Woe to Assyria, the rod of My anger And the staff in whose hand is My indignation. I will send him against an ungodly nation, And against the people of My wrath I will give him charge, To seize the spoil, to take the prey, And to tread them down like the mire of the streets.”

The Bible refers to Assyria at the time of the Millennium as the “work” of God’s hands (Isaiah 19:25).

We should note that God does His Work by sending the king of Assyria against an “ungodly nation” and the “people of My wrath.” Why is God angry with the modern Houses of Israel and Judah, and why are they—the USA, the UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the state of Israel—being described this way?

To God, the leaders and the peoples of both modern Houses are like Sodom and Gomorrah.

Isaiah 1:10 tells us:

“Hear the word of the LORD, You rulers of Sodom; Give ear to the law of our God, You people of Gomorrah…”

Isaiah 3:9 adds:

“The look on their countenance witnesses against them, And they declare their sin as Sodom; They do not hide it. Woe to their soul! For they have brought evil upon themselves.”

Jeremiah 23:13-14 records God’s Words for us today, as follows:

“And I have seen folly in the prophets [the ministers and religious preachers] of Samaria [the ancient capital of the House of Israel]: They prophesied by Baal [the sun god] And caused My people Israel to err. Also I have seen a horrible thing in the prophets of Jerusalem: They commit adultery and walk in lies; They also strengthen the hands of evildoers, So that no one turns back from his wickedness. All of them are like Sodom to Me, And her inhabitants like Gomorrah.”

One reason why God compares them with Sodom and Gomorrah is their wrong lifestyle, including of course committing the sexual sins Sodom and Gomorrah were famous for.

Revelation 11:8 gives us further information. Addressing the horrible murder of the two witnesses, we read about the city of Jerusalem:

“And their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified.”

The Living Bible renders Lamentations 4:6 in this way: “For the sin of my people is greater than that of Sodom, where utter disaster struck in a moment without the hand of man.”

And so, what was Sodom’s sin, in addition to their horrible sexual transgressions?

In Ezekiel 16:48-50, God addresses modern Israel and Judah, stating:

‘‘As I live,’ says the LORD God, ‘neither your sister Sodom nor her daughters have done as you and your daughters have done. Look, this was the iniquity of your sister Sodom: She and her daughter had pride, fullness of food, and abundance of idleness; neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy. And they were haughty and committed abomination before Me; therefore I took them away as I saw fit.’”

As ancient Sodom, so modern “Sodom” lives in pride (think of our disgusting “pride parades” of homosexuals, transgender persons, transvestites, drag queens etc.) and self-centeredness, without caring for and helping others, including the poor and the needy, while committing proudly all these abominations of engaging in and approving of homosexual and other aberrant and abhorrent sexual conduct.

Returning to Isaiah 1, verses 12-15 give us more information as to why God compares the modern Houses of Israel and Judah with Sodom and Gomorrah:

“‘When you come to appear before Me, Who has required this from your hand, To trample My courts? Bring no more futile sacrifices; Incense is an abomination to Me. The New Moons, the Sabbaths, and the calling of assemblies—I cannot endure iniquity and the sacred meeting. Your New Moons and your appointed feasts My soul hates; They are a trouble to Me, I am weary of bearing them. When you spread out your hands, I will hide My eyes from you; Even though you make many prayers, I will not hear. Your hands are full of blood.”

God is addressing here futile and idol worship. He is not addressing His Sabbaths and appointed feasts, but “Sabbath” worship on Sunday (which many “Christians refer to as the “Sabbath”) and the feasts of Christmas and Easter, which were appointed by men, not by Him. Even though one may give donations and contributions, God does not accept them, when they are made in combination with pagan religious services, and while horrible conduct is being committed. God singles out the shedding of blood. This includes our useless wars which will never bring peace, but only more and more misery and pain. It also includes another form of violence and bloodshed which we will address below.

God is angry with them because of their terrible sins, including idolatry and violating His weekly and annual Sabbaths. But there is more.

The next two passages describe conduct which might not be that serious in the minds of many people, but as we will see, God looks at it as abominable and deeply disturbing and consequential, as it shows, among other things, an attitude of indifference, or worse, towards the Word of God:

Isaiah 65:2-5 addresses especially, but not exclusively, the people of the Houses of Israel and Judah:

“I have stretched out My hands all day long to a rebellious people, Who walk in a way that is not good, According to their own thoughts; A people who provoke Me to anger continually to My face… Who eat swine’s flesh, And the broth of abominable things is in their vessels; Who say, ‘Keep to yourself, Do not come near me, For I am holier than you!’ These are smoke in My nostrils, A fire that burns all the day.”

Isaiah 66:15-17 adds the same thought but applies it to all people of the world.

“For behold, the LORD will come with fire And with His chariots, like a whirlwind, To render His anger with fury, And His rebuke with flames of fire. For by fire and by His sword The LORD  will judge all flesh; And the slain of the LORD shall be many. ‘Those who sanctify themselves and purify themselves, To go to the gardens After an idol in the midst, Eating swine’s flesh and the abomination and the mouse, Shall be consumed together,’ says the LORD.”

It should be obvious that God is angry with those who eat unclean meat and don’t listen to God’s Word condemning such practice.

But more horrible conduct is described to show WHY God calls the modern nations of Israel and Judah ungodly.

In addressing the MODERN Houses of Israel AND Judah, God says in Jeremiah 7:31:

“And they have built the high places of Tophet, which is in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, to burn their sons and their daughters in the fire, which I did not command, nor did it come into My heart.”

“Tophet in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom” was later referred to by Christ as the famous Valley of Gehenna, applying it to the lake of fire. In ancient times, the Israelites sacrificed their own children to their horrible self-made gods. But this is a prophecy for today. We might not literally kill our children in sacrifice to pagan deities, but we are killing our children by the millions by having them fight our stupid wars, and aborting them, in sacrifice to some humanly devised purpose or in the name of freedom and “humanity.” Women sacrifice their unborn children for convenience’s sake, or as a method of “birth control,” and politicians support such evil conduct in the name of women’s rights. God says that such conduct is so evil that it never entered His heart to do such a horrible thing.

Jeremiah 19:4-5 repeats God’s curse for such behavior and adds a few more thoughts:

“… they have forsaken Me and made this an alien place, because they have burned incense in it to other gods whom neither they, their fathers, nor the kings of Judah have known, and have filled this place with the blood of the innocents (they have also built the high places of Baal, to burn their sons with fire for burnt offerings to Baal, which I did not command or speak, nor did it come into My mind)…”

Many times, those who support the evil conduct of aborting unborn children or sending our sons to war are “religious” people. They may go to mass on Sunday, but they do not worship the true God, but a self-made trinitarian “entity”—a god who demands war and abortion in the name of “self-preservation.” This false worship as a main reason for God’s anger and His use of the king of Assyria to punish Israel and Judah is also described in Jeremiah 11:17:

“For the LORD of hosts, who planted you, has pronounced doom against you for the evil of the house of Israel and of the house of Judah, which they have done against themselves to provoke Me to anger in offering incense to Baal.”

Pagan worship in the name of Christianity runs rampant in the USA, the UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. But the Jews do not worship the true God either in the way they should. They do not really keep the Sabbath and the annual Holy Days; they do not rely on Him to fight their battles, are guilty of removing a landmark (Hosea 5:10); and they have included many pagan elements in their religious worship of the God of the Old Testament—not accepting the fact that Jesus Christ was the God of the Old Testament, and that He has always lived together with God the Father—the Highest in the Godhead. Jesus said once to the Jews, in John 5:39-40:

“You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me. But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life.”

God says that the Israelites and the Jews do NOT consider the Work of His hands—they are spiritually blind and do not consider that He is raising up the king of Assyria to punish them for their sins.

Isaiah 5:11-12 states:

“Woe to those who rise early in the morning, That they may follow intoxicating drink; Who continue until night, till wine inflames them! The harp and the strings, The tambourine and flute, And wine are in their feasts; But they do not regard the work of the LORD, Nor consider the operation of His hands.”

In fact, when they hear about the Work of God, they scoff at it.

Isaiah 5:18-19 states:

“Woe to those who draw iniquity with cords of vanity, And sin as if with a cart rope; That say, ‘Let Him make speed and hasten His work, That we may see it; And let the counsel of the Holy One of Israel draw near and come, That we may know it.’”

But God says that He will carry out His Work of punishing modern Israel and Judah, as well as the entire earth, in His due time.

We read in Isaiah 28:1-4, 7, 21:

“Woe to the crown of pride, to the drunkards of Ephraim [especially referring here to the UK, Ephraim being a son of Joseph, a son of Israel], Whose glorious beauty is a fading flower Which is at the head of the verdant valleys, To those who are overcome with wine! Behold, the LORD has a mighty and strong one, Like a tempest of hail and a destroying storm, Like a flood of mighty waters overflowing, Who will bring them down to the earth with His hand. The crown of pride, the drunkards of Ephraim, Will be trampled underfoot; And the glorious beauty is a fading flower Which is at the head of the verdant valley, Like the first fruit before the summer, Which an observer sees; He eats it up while it is still in his hand… But they also have erred through wine, And through intoxicating drink are out of the way; The priest and the prophet have erred through intoxicating drink, They are swallowed up by wine, They are out of the way through intoxicating drink; They err in vision, they stumble in judgment…  For the LORD will rise up as at Mount Perazim, He will be angry as in the Valley of Gibeon—That He may do His work, His awesome work, And bring to pass His act, His unusual act.”

His awesome Work may be viewed as “unusual” or surprising by many uninformed observers.

Especially warning the modern House of Israel, God says in Ezekiel 12:22-28:

“Son of man, what is this proverb that you people have about the land of Israel, which says, ‘The days are prolonged, and every vision fails’?… say to them, ‘The days are at hand, and the fulfillment of every vision. For no more shall there be any false vision or flattering divination within the house of Israel. For I am the LORD. I speak, and the word which I speak will come to pass; it will no more be postponed; for in your days, O rebellious house, I will say the word and perform it… the house of Israel is saying, ‘The vision that he sees is for many days from now, and he prophesies of times far off.’… Thus says the LORD God: ‘None of My words will be postponed any more, but the word which I speak will be done.’”

However, even though God will use the king of Assyria, as part of the Babylonian system, to punish Israel and Judah, God will also perform His Work of punishment towards him, because he and Babylon need to be “dealt with” too.

We read in Isaiah 10:7, 12 about the modern king of Assyria or the beast:

“Yet he does not mean so, Nor does his heart think so; But it is in his heart to destroy, And cut off not a few nations… Therefore it shall come to pass, when the LORD has performed all His work on Mount Zion and on Jerusalem, that He will say, ‘I will punish the fruit of the arrogant heart of the king of Assyria, and the glory of his haughty looks.’”

In Isaiah 52:4, we read God’s Word that “the Assyrian oppressed them without cause.” Of course, there was ample cause for God to decide to punish Israel and Judah, but the Assyrian did not see this as a cause for his actions (see Lamentations 3:52). Satan did not see the cause for God’s dealing with Job either (compare Job 2:3).

And so, God will punish the king of Assyria. We read in Isaiah 14:24-25:

“The LORD of hosts has sworn, saying, ‘Surely, as I have thought, so it shall come to pass, And as I have purposed, so it shall stand: That I will break the Assyrian in My land, And on My mountains tread him underfoot. Then his yoke shall be removed from them, And his burden removed from their shoulders.”

Isaiah 30:33 states:

“For Tophet was established of old, Yes, for the king it is prepared. He has made it deep and large; Its pyre is fire with much wood; The breath of the LORD, like a stream of brimstone, Kindles it.”

Isaiah 31:8-9 adds:

“Then Assyria shall fall by a sword not of man, And a sword not of mankind shall devour him… Says the LORD, Whose fire is in Zion And whose furnace is in Jerusalem.”

We read that Jesus Christ will throw the beast into a lake of fire when He returns. So the beast will not die by a sword of a man. But the nation of Assyria will be punished by God through the modern Medes, who can be found among the Russian and Ukrainian peoples who will be instrumental in leading the Far Eastern nations to destroy Europe.

Isaiah 13:17-19 tells us:

“Behold, I will stir up the Medes against them, Who will not regard silver; And as for gold, they will not delight in it. Also their bows will dash the young men to pieces, And they will have no pity on the fruit of the womb; Their eye will not spare children. And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, The beauty of the Chaldeans’ pride, Will be as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah.”

Notice that God’s use of the modern Medes is described as God’s Work.

We read in Jeremiah 50:25-26; 51:11, 28:

“The LORD has opened His armory, And has brought out the weapons of His indignation; For this is the work of the LORD God of hosts In the land of the Chaldeans. Come against her from the farthest border; Open her storehouses; Cast her up as heaps of ruins, And destroy her utterly; Let nothing of her be left… Prepare against her the nations, With the kings of the Medes, Its governors and all its rulers, All the land of his dominion… The LORD has raised up the spirit of the kings of the Medes. For His plan is against Babylon to destroy it, Because it is the vengeance of the LORD, The vengeance for His temple…”

God’s Temple which will still be built in Jerusalem prior to Christ’s return will be invaded by the beast and polluted by the false prophet—the man of sin, who is described in 2 Thessalonians 2.

God will deal—as part of His Work—with the king of Assyria and the Assyrian people, but He will also deal with the religious power and the false prophet, collaborating with the beast.  This power was likewise unaware of God’s Work, but poured out its Satanic wrath on Israel and Judah.

Notice God’s Words in Isaiah 47:6-7:

“I was angry with My people; I have profaned My inheritance, And given them into your hand. You showed them no mercy; On the elderly you laid your yoke very heavily. And you said, ‘I shall be a lady forever,’ So that you did not take these things to heart, Nor remember the latter end of them…”

God adds in verses 12 and 13 that this big Church organization cannot save itself with their sorceries and deceptions:

“Stand now with your enchantments And the multitude of your sorceries, In which you have labored from your youth—Perhaps you will be able to profit, Perhaps you will prevail. You are wearied in the multitude of your counsels; Let now the astrologers, the stargazers, And the monthly prognosticators Stand up and save you From what shall come upon you…”

In this context, God says in Jeremiah 48:10:

“Cursed is he who does the work of the Lord deceitfully, And cursed is he who keeps back his sword from blood.”

Man of course does not know about God’s plan and His Work. God is addressing here the prevailing attitude of most who are indifferent and without zeal when they are called upon to do a certain task… or they do it deceitfully.

And so, God’s Church MUST preach the gospel, including this warning message, to the world, even if it is unpleasant to do. The prophet Jeremiah felt this way at times, but he also understood that he really had no choice. Later, Paul would make similar statements. We will address this in detail in the next installment.

(To be continued)

Lead Writer: Norbert Link