Friday, April 20, 2018
For many years now, based on my personal study of God’s prophetic Word for the end-times, I believed and stated that the destruction of Damascus, Syria would be a precursor to the rise of Antichrist and start of the seven-year tribulation. Today, I maintain that belief.
Last Friday morning at about 6:30 AM I published TheFridayLetter.com entitled “The burden against Damascus”, with specific focus on God’s prophetic Word of Isaiah 17:1 foretelling the destruction of Damascus. Less than eighteen hours later the U.S., the U.K and France rained down over one hundred missiles on specific targets in the city of Damascus, Syria.
Russia and Iran, who support Basher al-Assad’s murderous Syrian government, are outraged. Russian President Vladimir Putin has vowed a response which remains to be seen. But it will not be much longer before we see the prophesied destruction of Damascus, making it “a ruinous heap” causing it to “cease from being a city” (Isa. 17:1). The warring violence of nations will escalate, and will culminate with a nuclear detonation in Damascus making it uninhabitable.
If you personalize and act upon the parable of “the fig tree” (Matt. 24:32–35), identifying the last generation of this age, based on Israel’s rebirth of May 1948, you are wise. For, therein you have spiritual eyes that see and ears that hear Christ’s warning of the destruction in the end-times.
Jesus said of the end-times, “And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of sorrows” (Matt. 24:6–8).
The twentieth century is marked by its continual wars. More war-torn death and carnage took place in the twentieth century than any other in the history of mankind. Therefore, many of the warnings of “wars and rumors of wars” have already been fulfilled. Wars are now so normal that many are insensitively numb to Satan’s hate and destruction of mankind made in God’s image.
Notice carefully that Jesus said “you will hear of wars and rumors of wars”, with my emphasis on the Word “hear”. This is important, for true saints only “hear” of wars, they do not covenant themselves to the ungodly world for war, nor participate in them. Saints are commanded to love God first, and then also our neighbor as ourselves, which fulfills the law and the prophets. “For though we [saints] walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds” (2 Cor. 10:3–4).
In the times of the end, wars will increase – tribulation wars that will literally wipe out fifty percent of the world’s population. How can the one born again and washed in the blood of the Lamb agree with the ungodly world for such destructive work? The destruction of redeemable mankind is the work of Satan. Jesus said, “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven” (Matt. 5:43–45). Don’t overlook that conclusion.
At the Fourth Seal, “power was given to them [Death and Hades] over a fourth of the earth, to kill with the sword, with hunger, with death, and by the beasts of the earth” (Rev. 6:8). And at the Sixth Trumpet, “the four angels, who had been prepared for the hour and day and month and year, were released to kill a third of mankind. Now the number of the army of the horseman was two hundred million” (Rev. 9:15–16). First, a fourth, then another third of mankind are killed.
Dear saints, we must decide now who we’ll defend: Christ, or this temporal evil nation. Do not delay in preparing until those days are upon us. For, now, we are ambassadors of Christ, 2 Cor. 5:20, and not this evil nation. Now, we are first citizens of heaven, Phil. 3:20, and not this evil world. Now, we are ambassadors of Christ who live holy, loving God and fellowman.
God will mete out the reward of the wicked and unbelieving at the appointed time. It is not the role of any Christian to be judge, jury or executioner. Nor dare we lean to the warring practice of ancient Israel in the Old Testament as justification. God commanded ancient Israel to destroy the nations of giants, the seed of Satan, in the land of Canaan, which Israel was not faithful in doing. Thus, Israel, repeatedly fell into idolatry, and was taken captive to sin, unbelief and judgment.
The Christian is to: “Repay no one evil for evil…Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, ‘Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,’ says the Lord…Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good” (Romans 12:17, 19, 21).
If one’s faith is truly in Christ, being born again by His Spirit, that one will then agree with the Lord God who said, “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” (Isa. 55:11). “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself” (Luke 10:27).
Therefore, do not even consider making a warring covenant with the world, for it destroys our fellowman for whom Christ died. War among nations is the very dark work of Satan, and not the work of Christ. Heed the Word of the Lord, saying, “And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him” (Col. 3:17).
Jesus said, “you will hear of wars and rumors of wars”. He said what He meant, and meant what He said. And nowhere, in the New Covenant is there even an inference that saints covenant with the ungodly for the warring destruction of our fellowman. Nowhere. Therefore, let the Word of the Lord God and His Holy Spirit arise within you, to lead you in these critical end-time truths.
Marlin J. Yoder
