HOW TO SURVIVE IF YOU ARE LEFT BEHIND

“There will be two men in the field; one will be taken, and the other will be left.”

(Matthew 24:40)

By DON E STANTON

MARANATHA REVIVAL CRUSADE

APPLECROSS, W. Australia

Seven years of countless tragedies - the Great Tribulation - are ahead for all who are left behind. In the first half of that period, many will call on the Name of the Lord, and will be saved.

We pray that this book will lead many to salvation during the Tribulation. But we also trust the message will cause many readers to call upon the Saviour and to be saved before the Great Day of the Almighty comes.

LEFT BEHIND

The Bible speaks of the day
when the saved by His grace
will be caught up to see the Saviour’s Face.
Meanwhile on earth,
the worst nightmare known to mankind
will be on those who are left behind.
The wrath of God will be upon the entire world
with no where to run, no place to hide.
Chaos, confusion and control will be all around,
the only hope is Christ the Crucified.

Seek the Lord while He may be found;
call on Him while He is near
and you’ll never have to worry or fear.
But the unrepentant sinner,
the foolish and the blind
will be deceived and sadly left behind.
The wrath of God will be upon the entire world
with no where to run, no place to hide.
Chaos, confusion and control will be all around,
the only hope is Christ the Crucified.

- words and music by Pastor Peter Rahme, Sydney

FORWARD EXPLANATION YHWH is the transliteration of the Hebrew letters of the sacred Name of the Almighty God.

The Name is used 6855 times in the Hebrew Bible. It is currently pronounced as Yahweh or Yahwah. During the past few centuries it was inaccurately rendered as Jehovah or Yehowah.

The meaning of Yahweh is, “The Eternal One.”

EL SHADDAI: Almighty God

ADONAI: Lord; the Sovereign Heavenly Master

Y’SHUA is the original Hebrew Name of Jesus. It is also often written as Yeshua, or Yahshua. The meaning of Y’shua is, “Yahweh is Salvation.”

THE MESSIAH (or, The Christ) means “The Anointed One.” It comes from the Hebrew words HaMashiach.

Y’shua is the fulfilment of the Messianic prophecies in the Old Testament.
All Christians recognise Y’shua (Jesus) as the Messiah

BIBLE QUOTATIONS used in this book are from the Clear Preferred Version (CPV), a clear, compared teaching version by Don Stanton. It employs modern English, and uses the original Names of YHWH and Y’shua. Words in italics are not in the original, but are supplied to complete or to amplify the English translation.

The Scriptures used in our recent publications are mostly from the CPV, but the version is not com-plete or available except in our publications.

THERE is a day scheduled for the near future – a day that will impact the world as never before – at least, not since the day the Great Flood destroyed Noah’s generation. We can call it “the Day of Prophecy.”

The whole world will reel in agony as countless Prophecy wreak havoc across the world. It will be “Sept.11” relived – not merely in New York and Washington, but in virtually every city on earth.

An initial impression will be that a massive series of terrorist attacks had been launched simultaneously around the globe. But more than the physical carnage, a strange, unexplained phenomenon will cause extreme anguish - many people will have disappeared, and small piles of discarded clothes, bags, wallets, glasses, jewellery and mobiles will be discovered in many places. It will be feared that these people have been vaporized.

The missing people will be from all levels of society - the rich as well as the poor; from all age groups, and from all countries.

As reports filter through to administrative centres, the total number of deaths and injuries will rise by the minute into countless thousands; and the estimated number of missing people will soar from thousands, to hundreds of thousands, and then up into the millions.

It will be the most unbelievable day of modern history. As well as an incredible number of airline and train Prophecy, thousands of cars will be piled up. And fires, raging in so many places will give a terrifying feeling that “the world is burning.”
Details of tragedy after tragedy around the globe will be beamed into terrified, incredulous homes.

Within a few hours, it will become evident that this could not have been a concerted al-Qaida terrorist attack; and neither could it be explained away as a natural calamity. Many will soon jump to the conclusion that it must have been a cosmic attack – an unseen invasion from space.

Strong rumours will circulate suggesting that for unknown reasons, the unfortunate people have been spirited away to an unknown destination.

Orgies of violence, crime and brutality will break out, and a spirit of anarchy, and pandemonium, will take hold of frenzied mobs. Elders will wail that “men have lost their reason.”

Medical services will be overwhelmed, and other essential services will break down, leading to absolute chaos.

Many will refer to the Day of Prophecy as “the Beginning of the End.” Great trauma, and fear of “the end of the world,” will lead many to suicide.

National and world leaders, with quite a few of their number missing, will be struggling to cope with the crisis, and trying to restore a semblance of law and order. They will be desperately trying to find an answer and to give an explanation about what had happened. Before the end of Day One a world emergency will be declared.

Quite soon an official “scientific”, “metaphysical” explan-ation will be broadcast around the world to account for the simultaneous disappearance of millions of people.

The truth will be that Jesus Christ (Y’shua the Messiah), has taken His people to the Father’s House in Heaven. It will be just as the Messiah promised:

“In My Father’s House are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you, for I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back again and receive you to Myself, so that you also may be where I am.” (John 14:2-3)

That’s the promise of the Messiah to all His people; and it will be fulfilled literally. The apostle Paul gives some details of how it will take place:

The word “rapture” has two meanings. It primarily means “ecstasy, bliss or joy.” It is also used to refer to the event that we are talking about - the Messiah’s people being literally and supernaturally changed and transported from earth to heaven.

The Bible prophesies very clearly that the Messiah will come to take all His true, born again, people to the Father’s House - to the Heavenly City called the New Jerusalem.

The Rapture is illustrated on our back cover.

It will be The Rapture that is responsible for the dis-appearance of the millions of - not the unfortunate, but - the blessed souls.

Many of the people who will be left will know what has happened, because earlier they had been exposed to the Bible’s prophetic teaching. Tragically, they were never born again; they never received Y’shua the Messiah as their personal Saviour. Almost certainly, all of them will have had friends or relatives who disappeared. The world in general, however, will be left totally bewildered.

Yes, the Messiah will catch up all His true people in the clouds, and into the Father’s House in heaven.

Many people today scoff and say that such a phenomenon is “weird,” and literally impossible; they say that a person would suffocate if he was caught up alive into the clouds. But the Scriptures make it very clear that there will be a miraculous change in the bodies of all those who are caught up.

“Listen! I tell you a mystery, a secret truth; we (believers) will not all fall asleep, (that is - die); but we will all be changed, transformed – in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised incorruptible and imperishable, and we, also, will be changed - transformed. For this corruptible, the perishable part of us, must put on incorruption, and this mortal part of us that is capable of dying, must put on immortality.” (1 Corinthians 15: 51-53)

During the “age of grace”(the last 2,000 years), the Messiah has been building His Church (His Body of born again believers) amongst the nations.

When the Body is complete, He must gather His people to His heavenly city that He has prepared for them.

The Body of Messiah is also called the “Bride of Christ,”and she is to be united to the Redeemer as His eternal Companion.

As the marriage of “the Lamb” is scheduled to take place in heaven, the Rapture is necessary to bring the complete Bride to the Father’s House for her part in this great event.

“ ‘Let us rejoice and be glad and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come and His Bride has prepared herself.’ Bright and clean fine linen was given to her to wear; for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the set-apart people of God.” (Revelation 19:7-8)

When the Church was established at Pentecost, God set Israel aside as a special nation, and took up His outreach to the nations.

Now that the Church is complete and taken to Heaven, God will complete the program He has for Israel.

The prophets have warned for many centuries about the great Day of the Wrath of El Shaddai - Almighty God - that would come on the world.

But born again believers of the church age have not been appointed to the Tribu-lation judgment. They will be kept from the wrath of God by the means of the Rapture. Y’shua said:

“Because you have kept My word - My command - to patiently endure and persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial which is about to come upon the whole world, to try those who live on the earth. I am coming quickly - soon! Hold on to what you have, so that no-one will take your crown.” (Revelation 3:10-11)

At the time of publishing this book, May 2005, the Rapture is still future.

But, my dear reader, if you are reading this book after the Rapture; if you have witnessed the Day of Prophecy and some of the subsequent awe-some events that will be unfolding, I want you to understand that the Son of God, the Messiah, has come and taken His redeemed people away.

The tragedy is that you have been left behind! But dear one, this message has been written to help you survive the seven dreadful years ahead; and even more important than surviving, that you might receive salvation through the Messiah, and escape eternal damnation.

Y’shua the Messiah is your only hope.

If you have been left behind, you will be hearing reports of hospitals where some patients have suddenly disappeared. And you will hear of mortuaries where some coffins have been instantly emptied - because believers who had just recently died, have been resurrected and caught up in their transformed bodies, to meet the Saviour.

The Scripture says that all the “dead in Christ” are to be resurrected, and, along with the “living in Christ,” are to be caught up in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye.

In some prisons and police stations there will be panic when it is discovered that converted prisoners have escaped!

There will be much confusion in the churches. While some will be left empty, others will see some “members” left behind. Tragically, some pastors will be left behind; they had been false shepherds, having a form of godliness, but were devoid of the life of God. (Only born again peoples will be raptured!)

There will be great despair as the truth sinks in – the Son has come and delivered His own, and now there is the seven years of Tribulation ahead for those left behind.

You will be hearing of countless families that have been divided; some members have gone; others are left behind.

There will be many young people whose parents had been believing and praying people; they had honoured Christ in their homes, but the sons and daughters had gone “the way of the world,” and had never given their lives to the Saviour. Now their parents have gone to Heaven, but they have been left behind! Oh the tragedy!

In some families all members except one may have been taken away. Oh the loneliness and despair when that member who could be a young teenager, realizes the Messiah has come, and that he or she has been left behind!

In another family, it may be a mother who is left behind. Her heart was hard against the Saviour. She had many opportunities, but she felt her own righteousness would suffice for her salvation. But now her family has gone!

It is hard to believe that such a beautiful woman should be left behind. What a tragic fate! Can you imagine her despair? Her husband has gone! How is she going to exist now? Her children snatched away; how can she bear it?

Oh the tragedy of being left behind - at home, alone!

The day of the Rapture will certainly be a “day of days.” For the believers who have been taken out of this world, it will be a day of ecstasy and rejoicing. But for those left behind, it will be a day of agony and despair.

Because of the disappearance of so many people, including airline pilots and crucial duty personnel, there will be countless traffic accidents. But there will also be other types of Prophecy caused by panic and chaos. Many houses, for example, will catch fire because of electrical appliances that were left on.

The question that will be in everyone’s mind is: What has caused this horrendous nightmare?

While many explanations may be offered, the most plausible will be the “close encounter” theory – that an invisible attack from outer space has either vaporized the unfortunate people, or otherwise, transported them in a fleet of spacecraft to a space colony, or to another planet.

For what reason? If spirited away, the theory may suggest, they may be used as slaves, or used in experiments; or if vaporised, it could possibly be a move to depopulate the earth prior to a cosmic invasion and takeover.

Various sources may report that there had been sightings of UFOs – Un-identified Flying Objects – just prior to the Day of Prophecy, and that they were extraterrestrial spacecraft. These reports will produce enormous fear, as it will seem to “prove” the explanation that aliens are responsible for the millions of missing people. Media broadcasts will relay this “line” and most people will be convinced.

In fact, UFOlogy has fascinated the minds of people for decades. Reports from many parts of the world have told of UFO sightings, and of individuals being kidnapped by alien Flying Saucers.

In France, a report told of a car being caught up by a flying saucer. In Australia, a woman complained that a flying saucer followed her. And in another case, a car traveling in southern Australia was chased by a UFO, and shaken by it.

Some UFOs proved to be hoaxes, or natural phenomena, and some were ordinary aircraft. But investigations into other unexplained sightings led many to believe that superior flying craft did exist.

Scores of books were written, many claiming to have evidence of contacts with people from other planets. Photos of mysterious flying objects and “space beings” were published in support of the existence of UFOs.

The idea of people from other planets visiting the earth is not new. Some such “encounters,” thousands of years ago, are said to be found in ancient literature - although much of it is clearly mythology.

Some modern writers have made a small fortune from books giving “evidence” of earlier visits by superior intelligence, which they say aided such projects as the great pyramids of Egypt.

Years ago, Enrich Van Daniken’s book, “Chariots of the Gods,” began a storm of controversy, and ever since, the world has been snatching at any clues concerning extra-terrestrial visitors.

A lot of imagination has been employed in the creation of science- fiction films such as “Star Wars,” “Close Encounters of the Third Kind,” and “ET” (ExtraTerres-trial).

One scientist, J F Blumrich, a space engineer with NASA, wrote a book called, “The Spaceships of Ezekiel,” in which he maintained that the visions of Ezekiel in chapters 1, 3, 8, 10 and 40 are actually encounters with extraterrestrial spacecraft that visited the earth more than 2,500 years ago.

Blumrich said Ezekiel used limited language because he did not have the technological terms to explain the craft he saw. Blumrich gave illustrations of modern craft which he believed relates to Ezekiel’s description.

Blumrich’s theory may seem very “reasonable” to an imaginative, UFOlogical mind, but the book of Ezekiel is describing visions of God (see chapter 1:l), not visitors to the earth in flying saucers.

All types of bizarre theories have been promulgated - even one theory that said Jesus Christ came to earth by spaceship, and was caught away in a spaceship at the Ascension. And there has been a lot of money earned out there by such wild imaginations!

The multitude of books and the widespread speculations, along with the apparent cover-up of the real facts of UFOs, have conditioned the world into believing that spacecraft from outside our solar system have indeed visited the earth long ago, and are still doing so today. It is only a matter of time now, some experts say, until we make meaningful and friendly contact with extraterrestrials, and discover a new world of information and technology.

Some Christian writers on the other hand, have explained UFOs in terms of demonic apparitions - they say that demonic spirits have formed visions in the sky as a means of deceiving people. Of course it is well within the realm of possibility for Satan to do this. But there is far more to the UFO mystery than demonic apparitions.

While the world is encouraged to believe there are civilisations “out there,” evidence has surfaced that indicates flying saucers have actually been built on earth.

We are all aware of the tremendous advances in science and technology over the past one hundred years. We have seen fantastic development of “conventional” rocketry and spacecraft, and we can believe that the unpublicised progress in the realm of flying saucers has been no less dramatic.

Superior technology using anti-gravity or electro-gravitics has been covered up for various reasons that will become obvious after the Day of Prophecy. No doubt it is being kept as a surprise package, to deceive the world after the Rapture takes place.

It is a Scripturally-documented fact that the world is very much under the power of the Evil One (l John 5:19); and most governments are already in the grip of a satanic conspiracy that seeks to rule the world.

Working under Satan’s influence are many international organisations whose aim is to establish a one world order. These powerful internationals manipulate the nations through finance, economics and power politics. They are also using science, technology, religion, education, health and agriculture, as well as poverty and fear, to bring about the new global civilisation.

The Bible has prophesied the outcome of the satanic conspiracy which is called “The Mystery of Iniquity.” (2 Thessalonians 2:7); it will be a horrific global dictatorship. And my dear reader, if you are living on earth after the Day of Prophecy, you will be seeing the rapid rise to power of Satan’s man who soon will bring the world to ruin.

As I am writing, the Rapture is still future, and no-one except God knows the date of that scheduled event - not even Satan. We can see signs all around the world, how-ever, that indicate the day is drawing near.

Satan, of course, also knows that the Rapture is near, and he is anticipating this tremendous departure. When it happens, he will be delighted because the followers of the Messiah have been removed from the earth - they are a great hindrance to his plans. In fact, Satan has care-fully planned his response to the Day of Prophecy, and his program for the seven years that are to follow.

World leaders, I expect, will vigorously promote the UFO theory which is similar to the Rapture in as much as there are people mysteriously removed from the earth. They will endeavour to convince the world by “signs and wonders” that flying saucers and extraterrestrials are responsible for the missing millions.

Not only will they succeed in pulling off a great deception that refutes the true cause for the disappearance of the millions, but they will take advantage of the grave situation to proclaim a “world emergency,” in order to stem the anarchy, and to advance their plans to set up a …

The official propaganda may claim that the missing millions were religious extremists, and that the Rulers of the Universe had seen fit to have them removed because they had become a great hindrance; they were hypocrites; they were divisive, and their fundamentalism was a great threat to the security and well-being of the planet.

Much of the world will rejoice and agree that those “born again” Christians had been a problem; they were always condemning others, and hindering peace and harmony in the society.

“Let us praise God,” they will say, “that these arrogant bigots have been removed. Now let’s get on with our business of making the world a better place! No longer will we be hindered by these irresponsible people - those fundamentalists and evangelicals ... those obstructionists who have been removed. Look how they were always fighting with each other! Look at their churches - how they used to split and accuse one another!

No wonder we had so many wars around the world. Look back into history and you will see that almost all wars were caused through religious fanaticism. Now they are gone! We are rid of them at last! Now we can pursue world peace!”

The truth, however, will be that those millions who have been caught away are blessed; they were “not destined to suffer God’s wrath, but to receive salvation through our Master, Y’shua the Messiah.” (1 Thessalonians 5:9)

“There will be two men in the field; one will be taken, and the other left. Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken, and the other left. Therefore be on the alert, for you do not know which day your Master is coming.” (Matthew 24:40-42)

At the time of publishing this book, the Rapture has not yet taken place, but because that climatic event is now very imminent, I must ask my reader this very direct question: “Are you ready for this glorious deliverance?”

I fear that there may be some of my readers who will not be delivered, but will be left behind for the Great Tribu-lation! My friend, what if the Messiah catches His people away today; will you be taken, or left behind?

Let us reason together, my friend! Why should you be left behind? And what is it that will cause you to be left behind?

If you should be left behind, it will be because you do not belong to Yahweh the Almighty God; you have not belived in His Son, Y’shua the Messiah; you have not received Him as your personal Saviour; rather, you have gone your own way, for you were not really interested in His way.

Oh yes, you may have gone to gospel meetings, but you held back from a personal relationship with God’s Anointed One - the Messiah. You were content with religion, but you did not want Y’shua (Jesus) as the Master of your life. You loved your sin more than you loved God, and you were unwilling to repent of your sins. You wanted your own kingdom, and not the kingdom of God. You were not ‘born again’ like Jesus said you must, if you are to enter the kingdom of God.

“Y’shua replied, ‘This is the solemn truth I tell you; no-one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again’ ... Do not be surprised that I said to you, ‘You must be born again’.” (John 3:3, 7)

After the Rapture, many religious people will be left behind because they were not born again! What a tragedy! But, religious or non-religious, they will be left behind. And oh, the horrors that are in store for them.

The world is not going to go on as usual, with all its enjoyments! And neither will the world leaders succeed in bringing about a New World Order of true peace, equity and harmony!

No way!

The Bible tells us what is ahead for the world after the Rapture. It will be a time of aweful wrath; a seven-year period of Great Tribulation and Judgment during which time, the earth will be thoroughly purged of its relentless evil.

THERE are three reasons why the world must be judged:

First, because man has rebelled against Yahweh the Almighty. Man has broken God’s laws - laws written on tablets of stone; and laws written on the consciences of men.

At the very beginning, Yahweh implanted a conscience in the minds and hearts of His special creation - mankind. It was Satan who persuaded man to go against his cons-cience, and to experiment and indulge in the knowledge of “good and evil” - particularly the evil part of it!

It was not long before men’s consciences became hardened.

“For even though they knew God (Yahweh), they did not honour Him as the Almighty One, nor were they thankful; but they became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and reptiles.” (Romans 1:21-23)

The ancient world became so corrupt that it had to be judged - witness the Great Flood and the extermination of the human race - everyone except Noah and his family.

In the new world after the flood, the knowledge of God was taught by Noah and his sons to their descendants, but within a few generations, men once more rebelled against the Eternal One - the Creator.

About nine generations after the flood, Yahweh once more revealed Himself - this time, to a chosen man called Abraham. God established with him a covenant that would bring blessing to all the nations.

From the descendants of Abraham, about 500 years later, the Almighty chose yet another man - Moses - to reveal anew, and in “black and white,” the Laws of God - the precepts that had been rejected by the hardness of men’s hearts and their deadened consciences.

Those Laws, written on tablets of stone and delivered into the hands of Moses, revealed God’s two requirements:

1. That Yahweh the Almighty was to be honoured as the Eternal Deity, for He alone is God. His Name was to be honoured, and no other “gods” were to be worshipped. No images of the true Deity, or any imagined deity, were to be made.

2. Man was to respect his fellow-human beings - his parents, his spouse, and his neighbours, as well as strangers; and he was to refrain from all evil actions towards them.

Israel, the nation to whom the Ten Commandments were given, had a constant battle in coming to grips with God’s requirements.

But His commands in regard to human relation-ships were straightforward:
* Children must honour their parents.
* You shall not murder.
* You shall not steal.
* You shall not commit adultery.
* You shall not bear false witness - lie.
* You shall not covet. (Exodus 20:1-17)

The people of Israel brought judgment upon themselves again and again by breaking God’s Laws.

And today we must admit these are the commands that men and women of all our nations most frequently and blatantly break. As a result, we all stand condemned by our sin, rebellion and unbelief.

If God had not initiated a plan of redemption, we would all be in a most woeful condition. But at the right time, the Eternal Deity became incarnate; He was manifest in the Person of Y’shua the Messiah. He came to earth for the express purpose of dealing with the sins of mankind, and destroying the works of the devil. And this He did at Calvary, where He became “the Lamb of God” and paid the penalty for the sins of the world.

As a result of the Messiah’s sacrifice, and His subsequent resurrection from the dead, the Gospel spread throughout the world in the power of God’s Holy Spirit. A great Light shone in the gross darkness of the nations; and great numbers of people believed and were delivered from evil and brought into the Kingdom of Light.

At the same time, large segments of the nations rejected the Light; they rejected the precepts of God; and they rejected the Good News that ...
“the Messiah died for our sins, according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures.” (1 Corinthians 15:3-4)

And this brings us to the second reason why the world must be judged - because of its rejection of God’s Anointed One, Y’shua the Messiah.

The third reason why the world must be judged is because the iniquity of the world has fully ripened - yes, it has over-ripened - and the extremity of wickedness can not be allowed to go on any longer.

Remember, before the Great Flood …
“Yahweh saw how great man’s wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time . . . Now the earth was corrupt in God’s sight; the earth was full of violence.” (Genesis 6:5,11)

Likewise, before the judgment of Sodom and Gomorrah:
“Yahweh said, ‘The outcry of Sodom and Gomorrah is very great, and their sin is extremely grievous’.” (Genesis 18:20)

And of the world’s conditions in the endtimes we read …
“Take Your sickle and reap, because the time to reap has come, for the harvest of the earth is ripe.” (Revelation 14:15)

‘‘... her sins have piled up as high as heaven, and God has remembered her depravity and crimes.” (Revelation 18:5)

In the 21st century, the nations have multiplied “gods” for themselves - gods of gold and silver, and gods of lust and war.

They have rejected the Eternal One, Yahweh the God of Creation, the Almighty Ruler of the Universe; and they have blasphemed His Sacred Name.

They have not respected their fellow human beings, but have defrauded one another, exploited the unfortunates, cruelly abused the weak, brutalised the defenseless, and enslaved the innocent. The rich have ruled ruthlessly over the poor, and trampled the needy underfoot.

“You have lived on the earth in luxury and self-indulgence; you have fattened yourselves in the day of slaughter. You have condemned and murdered the righteous who were not resisting you.” (James 5:5-6)

And so the time for judgment has finally arrived! Seven years filled with tragedy after tragedy!

This is not good news for readers who are reading this message after the Rapture. Many, when they realize the seriousness of the situation, will bitterly lament that they have been such fools to have been left behind. But lamenting will not solve their problem. They must know the truth, and learn how to flee from the wrath that is to be poured out on the world.

AFTER the Rapture, the carnage will go on until, suddenly, from out of nowhere ...

“THE MASTER” APPEARS

The Rapture will be the signal for the prophesied Man of Sin to be reveal-ed. Within a short time, he will be acclaimed as the Master of Masters, the Head of the Spiritual Hierarchy, the “God of Gods,” the World’s Teacher and Glorious Saviour.

In fact, he will be THE ANTICHRIST - “THE BEAST,” and the “MAN 666” of whom the Bible has long warned.

This “master” is undoubtedly in the world while I am writing these words, but he must remain behind the scenes until the day of the Rapture. Only after the Messiah’s people - those born again believers who are called “the Salt of the Earth” - are taken away, can the Man of Sin be revealed.

Immediately this “Master” will become the focal point of “hope” for the terrorised world. His messages to the nations through radio, television and internet will be instantly translated into hundreds of languages. And people will hang onto his words.

“Citizens of the world! A great tragedy has happened today; there has been an invasion from another galaxy. It appears that people from various parts of the world have been kidnapped by alien spacecraft. We are now expect-ing a communication from the space intelligence. Now my brothers and sisters, do not panic, but let us stand together, as united citizens of Planet Earth.

“This day, the United Nations Security Council has proclaimed a worldwide emergency. We do not have time for quarrelling and fighting among ourselves. The anarchy and turmoil that has broken out must stop immediately. All offences will be dealt with under strict emergency laws.

“We must have unity and peace, and face the future together. Do not fear, we will prevail.”

Most of the world will be calmed by the commanding voice of this charismatic “Master.” They may never have heard of him before, but they will be hearing and seeing more and more of “The Master” from now on.

The communist Chinese leader, Mao Tse Tung, who presided over the destruction of 54 million people, and the German dictator, Adolph Hitler who was responsible for the deaths of 50 million, will both pale in comparison to this ultimate Antichrist.

Although at first he may promise to be an extraordinary leader and a wonderful man of peace, this evil “Man 666” will not be the Saviour of the world. On the contrary, he will be a great deceiver, and will become a most brutal dictator - a demoniac and the destroyer of the world. He will preside over increasing chaos.

At first you will think that this is impossible - that this charming man could be such a monster. But read the Biblical prophecy - in the book of Daniel:

“A king will arise, insolent and skilled in intrigue. He will become very strong, but not by his own power. He will destroy to an extraordinary degree and prosper and perform his will; He will destroy mighty men, and also the holy people. Through his shrewdness he will cause deceit to succeed by his influence; and he will magnify himself in his heart, he will destroy many while they feel secure and are at ease. He will even rise up against the Prince of princes, but he will be broken without human agency.” (Daniel 8:23-25)

Yes, ultimately he himself will be destroyed, but not before he has waged nuclear war and brought immense destruction to the globe. And not before he has ruled the whole world for 3½ years, as we read in the last book of the Bible - The Revelation:

“There was given to him a mouth speaking arrogant words and blasphemies; and authority to act for 42 months was given to him ... and authority over every tribe, people, tongue and nation was given to him.” (Revelation 13:5,7)

The Antichrist will rise to power in Europe at the onset of the 7-year Tribulation, and he will increase in strength until he finally rules the whole world in the second half. He will reign in association with an accomplice, the False Prophet; and both men will operate through the power of Satan.

This evil trinity will establish a Demonic World Order.

The Beast will seem to be invulnerable, but actually he will be fighting a losing battle. Like Adolph Hitler, he will cover the increasing chaos with an iron-fist, and furiously eliminate all who oppose his will.

During the Tribulation, however, the awesome wrath of Yahweh the Almighty will progressively fall on the Antichrist and his worldwide regime.

THERE are many prophecies in the Bible that will provide guide posts for you during the seven years, particularly in the Books of Daniel, Isaiah, Ezekiel, Zechariah, Matthew, Luke, 2 Thessalonians, and The Revelation. Many of the prophecies are quoted in the following pages of this book.

The Tribulation charts on pages 30-31 give an overview of the main events that occur between the Rapture and the Return of the Messiah to earth after the seven years.

SHORTAGE OF BIBLES
There will be mass destruction of Bibles quite early in the seven years, and a total ban on the Bible in the second half as the Antichrist seeks to rid the world of its message.

So there will be a great shortage of copies of the Word of God during the Tribulation. Many anxious people will seek, but will not be able to find a Bible.

“The days are coming,” declares the Lord Yahweh, “when I will send a famine through the land - not a famine of bread or a thirst for water, but rather a famine of hearing the words of Yahweh.” (Amos 8:ll)

If you have a Bible, preserve it as your most precious possession. If you don’t have one, strive to get a copy somehow! There will be copies left in the homes of the people who have disappeared. Get as many copies as you can, and share them with others who want to know the truth; and keep them in a secure hiding place.

It is important also to memorize portions of the Bible by heart, as much as you can, for you may soon be deprived of your copy. (For a suggested list of Bible portions to memorize, see the appendix at the back of this book.)
If you do have access to a Bible, it will be a tremendous guide so that you will not be taken unawares; and more-over, it will be a great source of encouragement to you.

The Book of Revelation will give you many details of what is ahead. Also, Matthew chapter 24:4-30, below, will be important for you to study carefully.

“And Y’shua answered and said to them, ‘Watch out that no one deceives you. For many will come in My Name, saying, “I am the Messiah - the Christ,” and will mislead many.

“‘You will be hearing of wars and rumours of wars, but see to it that you do not become frightened. All these things must happen first, but the end is not yet. 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 birthpains.

“‘They will hand you over to be persecuted, and will kill you, and you will be hated by all nations on account of MY NAME. At that time many will be offended, and fall away from the faith, and they will betray one another and hate one another, and many false prophets will appear, and will deceive many people.

“‘Because of the increase of lawlessness and wickedness, most people’s love for one another will grow cold, but he who endures to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.

“‘So when you see the ABOMINATION OF DESOLATION - the sacrilege spoken of through the prophet Daniel - standing in the HOLY PLACE, (let the reader understand), then let those who are in Judea immediately flee to the mountains. Let him who is on the housetop not go down to get anything out of the house; and let him who is in the field not go back to get his cloak.

“‘It will be very tragic in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! Pray that your flight may not take place in winter, or on a Sabbath, for then there will be a great tribulation, such as has never occurred since the beginning of the world until now; and there will be nothing like it again. And if those days were not limited, no-one would survive; but for the sake of the elect (the chosen people), those days will be limited.

“‘Then if anyone says to you, “Look, here is the Christ, the Messiah!” or “There He is!” do not believe it. For false Christs and false prophets will appear and will perform great signs and wonders, so as to deceive, if possible, even the elect (God’s chosen ones).

“Look! I have told you in advance. If therefore they say to you, “Look, He is in the desert,” do not go out, or, “Look, He is in the inner rooms,” do not believe it. For just as the lightning comes from the east, and flashes even to the west, so shall the coming of the Son of Man be. Wherever there is a carcass, there the vultures will gather.

“‘Immediately after the Tribulation of those days, THE SUN WILL BE DARKENED AND THE MOON WILL NOT GIVE ITS LIGHT [Isaiah 13:10], the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of THE HEAVENS WILL BE SHAKEN [Haggai 2;6. Joel 2:10].

Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the SON OF MAN COMING ON THE CLOUDS OF THE SKY [Daniel 7:13] with power and great glory’.” (Matthew 24:4-30)

Note from the above passage, that the length of the Tribulation will be limited. From prophecies in Daniel and Revelation we know the Tribulation will be limited to 2,520 days. So remember, even though it may seem an eternity, the Tribulation will last exactly seven prophetic years (360 days each year - a total of 2,520 days).

From the revealing of the Man of Sin - the leader of Europe - until the time he sits in the temple in Jerusalem, will be 1260 days. And from that time until the end of the Tribulation there will be another 1260 days.

THE Tribulation begins with the revealing of the “Man of Sin,” and the signing of the 7-year peace treaty.

Daniel 9:27 prophesied that this “covenant” will be confirmed (or arbitrated) by a “prince who is to come.” That prince is the one who rises to power in the Roman-European Union and becomes its all-powerful ruler. He will prove to be the Antichrist.

The treaty will be between Israel and a number of Arab nations, and I expect it will be backed by the European Union and the United Nations. It will be signed and come into effect soon after the Rapture.

We can be sure that because of his agenda, “the Prince” will be well studied in the Biblical prophecies, as well as the philosophies and writings of all religions. And being guided and trained by Satan, he will have been anticipating the removal of the born again Christians.

The Rapture will be an indicator that the time for the Antichrist’s meteoric rise to become “Master” of the satanic world order has begun.

The Rapture will also provide him with a welcome opportunity to coerce the nations into signing the comprehensive Middle East treaty, and the fallout from the Rapture will enable him to introduce the world to his deceptive “peace” agenda.

The worldwide fear of another “external threat” will cause leaders from the nations to cry out for unity.

“We must stand together and stop warring against each other,” they will say. “There are conflicts everywhere. How foolish we are! We are now facing a threat from outer space. One invasion has taken place, and another is likely. We have been witnessing the aliens’ technology for years - those flying saucers with their great manoeuverability and speed. Now we must be at peace with each other, and stand together to face any eventuality.”

There may be stage-managed displays of flying saucers over many cities to prove the threat is real. There may even be fake broadcasts from “extraterrestrials,” calling on earthlings to surrender to the Masters of the Universe.

The Messiah warned that in the last days:

“There will be terrors and great signs from heaven.” (Luke 21:11)

A world emergency will be proclaimed and under the guise of controlling the world, the conspirators will bring in new laws and a police state that will help prepare the way for an eventual world government.

An attempt to establish world “peace” is pictured in the book of Revelation ... “I looked, and there before me was a white horse. Its rider held a bow, and a crown was given to him; and he rode out conquering, and bent on conquest.” (Rev. 6:2)

The symbol of the rider on the white horse represents a major peace initiative.

White is a truce and peace colour. Note also that a white dove is used internationally as the peace symbol.

This rider goes forth to conquer carrying a bow, but no arrows - it’s a “bow of peace.” The bow itself also represents police control. This symbol goes back to Caesar Augustus who formed a powerful police force, called The Vigiles. They used the symbol of the bow. Augustus was one of the greatest administrators of all time, and he used the bow - The Vigiles - to maintain law and order.

The rider on the white horse is the Antichrist - the “Caesar” of the modern Roman Empire. His first attempt to control the world will be through a “peace” program. He will, no doubt, use a United Nations army, as well as global organisations such as INTERPOL (International Police). But after his peace program fails, he will resort to war.

Very soon after the Rapture, two powerful men will begin to prophesy, in Israel. They are prophets of Yahweh the Almighty! Read about them in Revelation 11:

“I will give power to My two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth. If anyone tries to harm them, fire comes from their mouths and devours their enemies. This is how anyone who wants to harm them must die. These men have power to shut up the sky, so that no rain may fall during the period of their prophesying; and they have power to turn the waters into blood, and to strike the earth with every kind of plague, as often as they want’.” (Revelation 11:3, 5-6)

These two prophets will be maligned as false prophets; they will be called demonic; but these are holy men from Yahweh the Almighty. The focus of their messages will be on repentance and faith in Y’shua Ha Mashiach. (This is the Hebrew name of the One they’ll be speaking about.) They will be speaking Hebrew, but I expect translations of their messages will be readily available.

You will soon realise that the Y’shua Ha Mashiach they are referring to is no other than Jesus Christ, as the English have called Him for years. He is the same One the Indians call Yesu Christu or Yishu Masih, or the Arabs and others call Isa and Isuah. Ha Mashiach means “the Messiah” - the Anointed One.

And the Name of the Almighty is Yahweh! I emphasize His Name because early in the Tribulation there will be a lot of confusion about who “God” is. Most of the world will soon be calling the Antichrist “God,” and claiming that he is “the God of all religions.” They will call him, the Christ, the Messiah, as well as Krishna, Buddha, and the Universal Master.”

The Name of the Almighty is revealed in the Hebrew Bible where it is written as - YHWH. The Name may be pronounced Yahweh. The short form is YAH, as in halleluYah. In Hebrew He is also called “El Shaddai,” which means “Almighty God.”

Shortly after the two witnesses appear, there will be an outpouring of the Holy Spirit - the Spirit of Yahweh - in Israel, and around the world. This will result in a mighty work of Yahweh El Shaddai in the lives of many people. Everywhere there will be talk about Y’shua the Messiah. My dear reader, if you are living during the Tribulation, do listen to the two witnesses - they will be speaking the truth about Y’shua and El Shaddai.

But you will see the Roman leader, Antichrist, doing everything he can to shut the mouths of these two prophets, and to destroy them.

Now watch! After the Holy Spirit is poured out, you will hear about a massive number of Jews turning to Y’shua. And these newly born again Jews will begin to proclaim the salvation of the Messiah to other peoples - worldwide.

This wonderful work of the Holy Spirit was promised and prophesied long ago by the prophet Joel:

“After this I will pour out My Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, and your young men will see visions. Even on the servants, both male and female, I will pour out My Spirit in those days ... And everyone who calls on the Name of Yahweh will be saved, for on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there will be deliverance, as Yahweh has said, among the surviving remnant whom Yahweh calls.” (Joel 2:28-29, 32)

This mighty work of Yahweh will prepare a multitude of people from all nations to inherit the kingdom of the Messiah which will be established after the Tribulation.

The United Religions will be an instrument to bring the masses under the
tyranny of the Antichrist

From early in the Tribulation you will see the religions of the world joining hands. Be very careful! There will be two types of religious movements in progress.

While one will be a genuine work of Yahweh El Shaddai, saving and rejuvenating many lives, there will also be a powerful but false religious movement that opposes the Word and work of God. It will be a worldwide “new age” religion, with official backing, that unites “Christians” - Catholic, Orthodox, Protestant and sects - as well as Jews, Muslims, Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Buddhists, Parsees, B’hai’s, Mormons, and all the other religions.

The “Christians” who join the “United Religions” will be ones who were left behind after the Rapture. They had a form of “Christianity,” but they were Christian in name only. They had no genuine spiritual life; they were not born again, as they never received Y’shua the Messiah as their own personal Saviour. They did not receive the Holy Spirit who implants the life of the Messiah in all who genuinely believe in His Name.

Without the Messiah in their lives, people will be easily deceived by the world confederate religion, for it will seem to be so rational and so ideal. The majority of people will have a faith in that religion, but not in the true Messiah.)

My reader, if you are in the Tribulation, do not join up with the World Confederate Religion. Read the Bible!

In Revelation chapter 17, you will read of this religious movement. It is called Mystery Babylon the Great, a false and apostate religion that is pictured as a blood-thirsty harlot who drinks the blood of the saints (believers). She will vigorously persecute all followers of Y’shua.

And yes, she will drink your blood too, if she has a chance. But it would be preferable to die as a martyr for Y’shua than to gain “the blessings” of that treacherous religion. To join her would mean sharing her eternal destruction. The Revelation warns:

“Come out of her, my people, so that you will not participate in her sins, and that you will not receive of her plagues; for her sins have piled up as high as heaven, and God has remembered her depravity and crimes.” (Revelation18:4-5)

Warn your friends that should they become ensnared in “Mystery Babylon,” this apostate religion, they will share her fate:

“The ten horns which you saw, along with the beast, will hate the harlot. They will bring her to ruin and leave her naked; they will eat her flesh and will burn her up with fire, for God has put it into their hearts to execute His purpose.” (Revelation 17:16-17)

This prophecy makes it clear that the Antichrist’s Con-federation, after using the United Religions for its own purposes, will turn against it, and destroy it. Antichrist will eliminate all potential opposition to his plan to constitute Satanism as the world’s official religion.

Blessed are those who turn to Y’shua the Messiah, and become part of the true spiritual work of the Holy Spirit. They will be eternally saved, even though many will lose their heads on a guillotine.

Remember, it is through faith in the true Messiah that you enter into the kingdom of God. Y’shua said:

“I am THE WAY, the Truth, and the Life; no-one comes to the Father, except through Me.” (John 14:6)

In all ages, followers of “The Way” have been called upon to endure and to suffer for the Name and sake of the Almighty God and His Anointed.

In the first half of the Tribulation, “Babylon the Great” will persecute believers in Y’shua all around the world. The harlot system will ride upon the Beast - the political powers - and she will destroy to an extraordinary degree, for she is drunk with the blood of Y’shuan believers.

Yes, multitudes of believers will die for the sake of their new-found Saviour. But I tell you, dear one; it will be an honour to die as a testimony of Y’shua the Messiah. Do not be afraid to suffer for Him. Do not be afraid to put your head on a guillotine - it will prove to be a chariot that conveys your soul into the Presence of your loving Heavenly Master.

Should you be slain for your faith in the Messiah, believer, you will in no way be a loser; you will be a victor, and you will receive a “Martyr’s Crown.” Y’shua says:

“Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Look, the devil is about to cast some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and you will have affliction for ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.” (Revelation 2:10)

“Then I saw thrones, and sitting on them were those to whom authority to judge was given. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony for Y’shua and because of the Word of God - these had not worshipped the beast or his image and had not received his mark upon their foreheads or upon their hands. They came to life and reigned with the Messiah for the thousand years.” (Revelation 20:4)

Y’shua says tenderly to His people:

“My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that can do no more. But I will show you whom you should fear; fear the One who, after He has killed, has authority to cast into hell; yes, I tell you, fear Him (stand in awe of the Heavenly Sovereign Master)!” (Luke 12:4-5)

The great disaster you must avoid at all costs is com-promise and denial of the Messiah - the One who shed His precious blood on the cross of Calvary to save you from a lost eternity.

Pray that you may endure to the end. The Scripture says,
“He who endures to the end will be saved.” (Matthew 24:13)

In this darkest hour the Messiah promises to be with you:
“And Y’shua came up and spoke to them, saying, ‘All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.’ Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you. And remember! I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:18-20)

If you should be left behind, you will witness an upheaval in Europe that will cause ten of its nations to forge a powerful Antichrist alliance.

“The ten horns you saw are ten kings who have not yet received a kingdom, but who for one hour will receive authority as kings along with the beast.” (Revelation 17:12)

In the book of Daniel we read of the same “beast with ten horns.”

“After this as I was looking in the night visions, and then there was a fourth beast, dreadful and terrifying and extremely strong; and it had huge iron teeth. It devoured and crushed, and trampled down the rest with its feet. It was different from all the beasts that were before it, and it had ten horns.

“He gave this explanation: ‘The fourth beast will be a fourth kingdom that will appear on the earth. It will be different from all the other kingdoms, and will devour the whole earth, treading it down and crushing it.

“As for the ten horns, they are ten kings who arise out of this kingdom. After them another king will arise. He will be different from the earlier ones; and he will subdue three kings. And he speaks out as an adversary of the Most High and wears down the saints - the people - of the Most High, and he intends to change seasons and times and law; and they are given into his hand for a time, times, and half a time (3 ½ years).” (Daniel 7:7, 23-25)

The ten horns of this powerful Beast represent the ten nations of the “Roman” confederation in Europe.

BACK in 1932, Adolph Hitler came to power because of the corruption and lawlessness in Germany.

He said: “The country is in a turmoil; the universities are filled with students rebelling and rioting; communists are seeking to destroy our country, and the Republic is in danger from within and from without ... What we need is LAW and ORDER! Without law and order our nation cannot survive.”

Hitler’s “Law and Order” became a police state that led to World War 2.

The “Peace and Law” program of the Antichrist likewise will be short-lived. It will break down within a few months, and then the “Master” will show his true colours - red and black; red for war and bloodshed, and black for evil and death.

In the prophecy of Revelation 6, we see the second rider on a red horse following fast on the heels of the white horse. The red horse represents WORLD WAR, and again its rider represents the Antichrist.

“Then another horse, a fiery red one, went forth. Its rider was given power to take peace from the earth and to cause men to slay one another. A huge sword was given to him.” (Revelation 6:4)

In this Scripture, we again see “peace” followed by war:

“While they are saying, ‘Peace and safety!’ then destruction will come upon them suddenly like labour pains upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.” (1 Thessalonians 5:3)

The tragedy of war is ahead for the world! But this is not a local war; it’s an unprecedented holocaust!

Daniel’s description of “the king” who will destroy to an extraordinary degree. (Daniel 8:23-25)

This “king” - Antichrist - will use World War to create chaos, for the purpose of compelling the nations to surrender to a New World Order.
Now watch, my dear reader, you will see an increase of tension and chaos. And you will soon see the nations preparing to come against Israel for battle. In fact, Yahweh the Almighty has said that He will bring all nations against Jerusalem:

“Look! I am going to make Jerusalem a cup that causes reeling to all the people around. Judah will be besieged as well as Jerusalem. And on that day, when all the nations of the earth are gathered against her, I will make Jerusalem a very heavy rock for all the nations. All who try to move it will be severely injured.” (Zechariah 12:2-3)

In the prophecy of Joel also, Yahweh says He will bring all nations to the Valley of Y’hoshaphat for judgment.

“I will gather all the nations, and bring them down to the valley of Y’hoshaphat. There I will enter into judgment against them on behalf of My people and My inheritance, Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations; and they have divided up My land ... Let the nations be aroused and come up to the Valley of Y’hoshaphat, for there I will sit to judge all the nations on every side.” (Joel 3:2,12)

The Valley of Y’hoshaphat runs along the eastern side of Jerusalem - between the old city and the Mount of Olives. It’s also called the Valley of Kidron. Y’hoshaphat (Jehoshaphat) was the name of one of the kings of ancient Judah. His name means, “Yahweh is Judge.”

This prophecy in Joel indicates that Jerusalem will be the centre of a great war involving all nations.

Watch now, and you will see a major crisis developing between a coalition of southern Arab nations led by Egypt, and the Roman-European Confederation.

In Daniel 11 we read of the leader of the Roman alliance invading many Middle East nations, including Libya, Egypt and Ethiopia.

“At the end time the king of the South (Egypt) will engage him in battle, and the King of the North (the Northern Confederation) will storm against him with chariots, horsemen, and with a great fleet of ships. He (the Roman King) will invade many countries, overwhelming and sweeping through them.

“He will also invade the Beautiful Land (Israel). Many countries will fall, but Edom, Moab and the foremost of the sons of Ammon (Jordan) will be delivered from his hand. He will extend his power over many countries, and the land of Egypt will not escape.

“He will gain control over the treasures of gold and silver, and over all the precious things of Egypt; and the Libyans and Ethiopians will follow at his heels in submission. But reports from the East and from the North will alarm him, and he will go out in a great rage to destroy and annihilate many. Then he will pitch the tents of his palace between the seas and the beautiful Holy Mountain (Mt Zion - Jerusalem). Yet he will come to his end, and no-one will help him.” (Daniel 11:40-45)

The justification for the Roman Confederation’s invasion of the Middle East will be the terms of the 7-year peace treaty. The declared intention will be to protect Israel, and to bring peace to the whole region. But what follows is a world war that brings immense destruction! It will begin as a conventional war but will end in a nuclear holocaust.

This is World War 3 we are talking about. It may be of fairly short duration, but it will be a mega-disaster such as the world has never seen before.

Immense military forces and weapons will be swiftly assembled in the Middle East. Vast hordes from the populous Eastern nations, including India and China, will be drawn into the war; and numerous simmering regional conflicts will be inflamed into infernos that will result in a greatly reduced world population.

Watch! You will see Russia leading a great alliance of nations including Germany, Iran, Turkey the Central Asian republics, Ethiopia~Sudan and Libya, which will invade Israel in tandem with the Egyptian-led forces. The Russian Confederation is listed in Ezekiel 38. Many other nations will be allied with the Confederation, and you will be able to identify them as the invasion unfolds.

At the time of writing we can see signs of the great “northern alliance” forming; but early in the Great Tribulation you will see the alliance invading Israel. But keep watching; you will also see the Russian Confederation destroyed. Read Ezekiel 38 and 39. Also Joel 2:20 where God says:

“I will drive the northern army into the desolate place.”

“Now this will be the plague with which Yahweh will strike all the nations who have gone to war against Jerusalem; their flesh will consume away while they stand on their feet; their eyes will consume away in their sockets; and their tongue will consume away in their mouths.” (Zechariah 14:12)

A careful study of the Bible’s prophecies leads me to conclude that a nuclear war is scheduled for the first year of the Tribulation.

Revelation 6:8 reveals that one quarter of the earth’s population will be destroyed by the world war and the subsequent famine and pestilences.

The sheer numbers destroyed gives us a good indication that it is indeed a nuclear holocaust that’s ahead. But this is confirmed by a number of Scriptures that earmark several nations that are doomed to destruction ...

Yahweh the Almighty says of the forces of “Gog,” the leader of Rosh (Russia):

“ ‘And I shall call for a sword against him (Gog) on all My mountains,’ declares the Sovereign Master, Yahweh: ‘Every man’s sword will be against his brother.

“With pestilence and with bloodshed I shall execute judgment upon him; and I shall rain on him, and on his troops, and on the many peoples who are with him, a torrential rain, with hailstones and burning sulphur.” (Ezekiel 38:21-22)

“Son of man! Prophesy against Gog and say, ‘The Sovereign Master, Yahweh, says: “Listen! I am against you, O Gog, chief prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal; I will turn you around and drive you on. I will bring you from the remotest parts of the north, and send you against the mountains of Israel.

“Then I will strike your bow from your left hand, and make your arrows drop from your right hand. You will fall on the mountains of Israel, you and all your troops, and the nations who are with you. I will give you as food to birds of prey of every kind and to the wild animals. You will fall in the open field, for I have spoken, declares the Sovereign Master, Yahweh.” I will also send fire on Magog and on those who live in safety in the coastlands. Then they will know that I am Yahweh’.” (Ezekiel 39:1-6)

Egypt and a number of its neighbouring countries will be totally wiped out:

“Egypt will become a desolate wasteland. Then they will know that I am Yahweh. Because you said, “The Nile is mine, and I have made it,” ... No foot of man will pass through it, nor will the foot of an animal pass through it. No-one will live there for forty years.

“I will make the land of Egypt desolate in the midst of devastated lands; and her cities will lie desolate for forty years among ruined cities. And I will disperse the Egyptians among the nations and scatter them through the countries ... It will be the lowest of the kingdoms, and it will never again exalt itself up above the other nations. And I will make it so small that they will never again rule over the nations.” (Ezekiel 29:9, 11-12, 15)

Ezekiel goes on to describe a nuclear winter ...

“‘And when I extinguish you, I will cover the heavens and darken their stars. I will cover the sun with a cloud, and the moon will not give its light. All the shining lights in the heavens I will darken over you and will bring darkness over your land,’ declares Yahweh, the Sovereign Master.” (Ezekiel 32:7-8)

“Because of the wrath of Yahweh she will not be inhabited, but she will be completely desolate. Everyone who passes by Babylon will be horrified and will hiss because of all her plagues and Prophecy ... Therefore the desert creatures will live there along with the jackals. The ostriches also will live in it, and it will never again be inhabited or dwelt in from generation to generation. As when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah with its neighbours,’ declares Yahweh, ‘No man will live there, nor will any son of man reside in it ...

“How Sheshak has been captured, and the praise of the whole earth been seized! How Babylon has become an object of horror among the nations! ‘The sea has come up over Babylon; she has been engulfed with its many tumultuous waves. Her cities have become ruined and desolate, a parched and desert land; a land where no-man lives and through which no son of man passes.” (Jeremiah 50:13, 39-40. 51:41-43)

“Look! The day is coming, burning like a furnace; and all the arrogant and every evildoer will be chaff; and the day that is coming will set them ablaze, says Yahweh of Hosts, so that it will leave them neither root nor branch.” (Malachi 4:1)

“The first angel sounded his trumpet, and there came hail and fire, mixed with blood, and they were hurled down upon the earth; and a third of the earth was burned up, and third of the trees were burned up, and all the green grass was burned up.” (Revelation 8:7)

“Therefore a curse devours the earth, and those who live in it are held guilty. Therefore the inhabitants of the earth are burned up, and few men are left.” (Isaiah 24:6)

The nuclear holocaust will cause many parts of the world to burn, but other causes of the fiery destruction during the seven years will be earthquakes and asteroids, as well as the scorching sun.

“The fourth angel poured out his bowl upon the sun; and the sun was given power to scorch men with fire.” (Revelation 16:8)

Oh my Tribulation readers, how I wish you had all been ready!

If only you had received Y’shua as your Saviour before the Rapture, you could have escaped all this! You could have been in the heavenly city rejoicing with the “Redeemed of the Lord.”

How tragic it is that you neglected, or refused, the Son of Glory. You refused to let Him take control of your life. You wanted to cling to your sin. You wanted to hang on to your ambitions. You wanted to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of the world.

You preferred the lust of the flesh rather than the life of the Spirit; you preferred the lust of the eyes rather than the light of God’s Word; you preferred the pride of life rather than the Giver of Eternal Life.

But now your great need is to get right with God, and to receive His salvation. So don’t delay!

Don’t make a fatal mistake again!

Call on Yahweh the Almighty to have mercy upon you, and to save you. Call on Him and ask Him for His strength so that you may endure in this most evil day, and that you may be saved from the ultimate fate of all unbelievers who do not repent - eternal hell.

The third rider in Revelation 6 - the rider on the black horse - carries weighing scales which symbolises inflation and worldwide FAMINE.

“And when He opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature saying, ‘Come and see.’ And I looked and saw a black horse; and he who sat on it had a pair of scales in his hand. And I heard a voice in the midst of the four living creatures saying, ‘A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius. And do not harm the oil and the wine’.” (Revelation 6:5-6)

A denarius was a Roman coin that was equivalent to a soldier’s daily wage. It would normally purchase ten quarts (about 10 kilos) of wheat. In the Tribulation it will purchase only one quart. Prices will go “sky high,” and there will be economic depression as “wealth” evaporates.

“Come now, you rich, weep and wail because of the miseries that are coming upon you. Your wealth has become rotten, and your garments are moth-eaten. Your gold and silver have corroded, and their corrosion will testify against you and will consume your flesh like fire. You have hoarded wealth in the Last Days!” (James 5:1-3)

It’s not merely a scarcity of food that’s prophesied for the Tribulation; it’s a desperate worldwide famine. Several years of drought, war and Prophecy will produce a grim harvest, and millions will perish from starvation.

Already (in 2005), 800 million people go to bed hungry every night. Millions face starvation in Africa, while in India, thousands die every month due to malnutrition.

In the Tribulation when it will be far more severe, men will resort to cannibalism; some will even eat their own flesh, as Isaiah the prophet warned:

“They slice off what is on the right hand but still are hungry. They eat what is on the left hand but they are not satisfied. Each of them eats the flesh of his own arm.” (Isaiah 9:20)

The price of food will be extremely inflationary; a loaf of bread will cost a “bag of gold” - well, at least a day’s wage. Multitudes will be craving for a morsel of food.

There are several reasons for the severity of the famine:

1. Drought is the most obvious. And the two witnesses may have something to do with that. Like Moses before the Exodus from Egypt nearly 3,500 years ago, these witnesses have power to inflict their enemies, the enemies of God, with severe plagues.

The prophecy:

“These men have power to shut up the sky, so that no rain may fall during the period of their prophesying; and they have power to turn the waters into blood, and to strike the earth with every kind of plague, as often as they want.” (Revelation 11:6)

2. War. The world war will cause tremendous devastation, not only of the cities, but also of agricultural lands.

“Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines.” (Matthew 24:7)

3. Plagues and pestilences. Crops and livestock will be destroyed by pestilences such as locusts and caterpillars, and by diseases such as SARS, Bird Flu, and Mad Cow Disease. Crops may also be contaminated by toxic waste and radiation.

The prophecy:

“I looked, and behold, a pale, ashen horse; and he who sat on it had the name “Death”; and Hades (the realm of the dead) was following close behind him. And authority was given to them over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword, with famine, with plague and pestilence, and by the wild beasts of the earth.” (Revelation 6:8)

4. The poisoning of the waters. Sea life also will be poisoned by toxic materials and radiation.

“The third angel sounded his trumpet, and a great star, blazing like a torch, fell from the sky on a third of the rivers and on the springs of waters; - the name of the star is Wormwood -”Bitterness”. A third of the waters became wormwood, and many people died from the waters that had become bitter.” (Revelation 8:10-11)

Poisoned waters will greatly effect crops. Food itself will be poisoned. Already, hundreds of thousands of people die every year through water-borne diseases.

Some years ago the United Nations announced the beginning of a Decade of Water and Sanitation. The program to provide clean drinking water to the world cost hundreds of millions of dollars over ten years. But after ten years the goal has not been achieved, and many observers were very pessimistic that it ever would be.

It has been said that “Man proposes, God disposes.” In the Tribulation, man will be fighting a losing battle against both nature, and against the mighty Hand of Yahweh El Shaddai.

“Woe to the one who strives, or quarrels, with his Maker! ... He who is God ... says: ‘I am Yahweh, and there is no other ... Look to Me and be saved, all you ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is no other. By Myself I have sworn; the word has gone out of My mouth in righteousness and it will not be revoked; that to Me every knee will bow, every tongue will swear - acknowledge.” (Isaiah 45:9,18,22-23)

5. Great “natural” Prophecy. Earthquakes, cyclones, typhoons, floods, and volcanos will all create havoc, and aggravate the food scarcity. Y’shua the Messiah warned that in the endtimes ...

“There will be mighty and violent earthquakes in various places, and plagues, (deadly and devastating pestilences, malignant and contagious or infectious epidemic diseases), and famines.” (Luke 21:11)

At the time I write, it is very evident that such Prophecy are increasing. On December 26, 2004, we witnessed the 9.0 earthquake off the coast of Indonesia which triggered the great Tsunami throughout the Indian Ocean.

Now earthquakes are becoming a daily affair around the world. Recent cyclones, typhoons, and volcanos are also casting shadows ahead of the things that are to come.

During 2004, northern Africa battled swarms of locusts that were devouring a hundred square miles of crops every night. In recent years, Australia battled plagues of caterpillars, locusts and pests. Several species of cater-pillars, for example, decimated nearly 6 million hectares of pasture in the fertile Riverina region.

A report from Egypt told of giant rats, each weighing up to 5 kg, that threatened Cairo. The ferocious rats occupied four provinces, eating tens of thousands of hectares of wheat, maize and other crops, and attacking cattle, poultry and even people.

These Prophecy were merely a foretaste of what is to happen in the Great Tribulation.

6. Cruel “World Planning.” Much of the starvation in the Tribulation will be caused by the inhumane planning of the New World Order.

“The Masters of the New Civilisation” believe it is “wise” to allow millions of people to starve, for the current excessive population is leading, they say, to the imminent self-destruction of the human race. One of the “Masters” has said, “We must make God-like decisions on who lives and who dies.”

My friend, if you are in the Tribulation you will see much suffering, and you will see the world being savagely depopulated; but remember, there is a limit. Even though it may seem to be seventy years, the Tribulation will last for seven years only.

As the famine will be extremely severe in the first half of the Tribulation, you should immediately start storing up provisions to help you through these 3½ years.

Keep in mind the very real danger of your supplies being stolen, and your life threatened.

Starving people will be desperate.

People will be crying, “What shall we eat? What can we drink?”

All around, thirsty people will be dying through drinking poisoned waters. Many will drink from these sources even though they know they are toxic. It will be tantamount to suicide!

Oh, my dear believer, call on the Heavenly Master in these difficult times. Trust in His promise!

“And my God (Yahweh Yireh) shall supply all your needs according to His glorious wealth (available to all who are in union with) the Messiah, Y’shua.” (Philippians 4:19)

If your heart is right with the Almighty, and your faith is in Y’shua, He will guide you. It may be that He will send ravens to feed you as He did to Elijah. (See 1 Kings 17:6).

“ONCE MORE I WILL SHAKE
NOT ONLY THE EARTH,
BUT ALSO THE HEAVENS.”
(Hebrews 12:26, and Haggai 2:6)

THE EARTH WILL BE BOMBARDED BY METEORS AND ASTEROIDS

FOR years scientists have warned of the threats to the earth by massive rocks in space. And in recent times there have been some close encounters with errant asteroids. On March 23, 1989, a half-mile wide asteroid just missed the earth. If it had hit us, it would have had the wallop of thousands of Hydrogen bombs and could have wiped out millions of lives.

Astronomers and scientists have been particularly alarmed since witnessing the cosmic crash of July 1994 - the crash of a shattered comet into Jupiter. The comet, while orbiting the giant planet, broke up into 21 major pieces, each between 1 and 4 km wide. Later, each piece crashed at high speed into Jupiter, setting off huge con-tinent-sized explosions which were observed through our telescopes and photographed by satellites. The estimated energy of the crash was 20 million megatons of TNT.

Spacewatch warned that such a collision could happen on earth. The Bible says it will happen on earth.

“The sun turned black as sackcloth made of hair, and the whole moon became blood-red; and the stars of the sky fell to earth ... The sky vanished like a scroll being rolled up; and every mountain and island were moved out of its place.” (Revelation 6:12-14)

This upheaval in the universe will be sheer terror for all nations, and neither the rich nor the great will be exempt from it. Most people will believe it is “the end of the world.”

“Then the kings of the earth, the great men, the generals, the rich ... hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains. They called to the mountains and to the rocks, ‘Fall on us and hide us from the Presence of Him (the Almighty) who sits on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb; for the great day of His wrath has come; and who is able to stand (before it)?’” (Revelation 6:15-17)

The Prophecy of the Tribulation will be greater than anything man has ever seen, and there will seem to be no place of safety, no way of escape, and no security any-where. The world will be like a minefield; people will flee from one disaster only to be destroyed by another.

“Terror and pit and snare confront you, O inhabitant of the earth. Whoever flees at the sound of terror will fall into a pit, and he who climbs out of the pit will be caught in a snare; for the windows above are opened, and the foundations of the earth shake.” (Isaiah 24:17-18)

MANY WILL SUICIDE

Unbearable pressures will cause many people to suicide in a desperate bid to escape the insufferable Prophecy that are striking all around.
My reader, should you have been left behind, and now realize the Great Tribulation has begun, whatever you do, DON’T TAKE YOUR OWN LIFE! Rather, commit your life into the hands of Y’shua the Messiah who is well able to protect you and keep you. He is the only hope you have. If you take your own life, you will be “jumping out of the frying pan into the fire.” You will be sealing your own doom. Rather, without delay, call upon the Name of the LORD and be saved. Here is a magnificent promise for you:

God “has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and He will deliver us. On Him we have set our hope that He will continue to deliver us.” (2 Corinthians 1:10)

There is a specific promise in the Book of Joel for those who are in this terrible period. It says ...

“Everyone who calls on the Name of the LORD will be saved, for on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there will be deliverance, as Yahweh has said, among the surviving remnant whom Yahweh calls.” (Joel 2:32)

This promise is repeated in the New Testament.

“... if you confess with your mouth Y’SHUA as LORD - the Heavenly Sovereign Master - and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved ... for WHOEVER WILL CALL UPON THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED.” (Romans 10:9, 13)

Claim these promises right now and trust Y’shua to save you and keep you. (Read “How Can I be Saved?” from page 91 for a more detailed explanation of salvation.)

My friend, if you are in the Tribulation, it could be that earlier, you had either despised, or neglected, or did not know about the salvation of God. But now, believe the Word of God and call on His Name, so that even now, in this period of wrath and judgment, Yahweh may be gracious and merciful to you. What He has done for His ancient people, He will do for you.

Yahweh “became their Saviour. In all their distress He was distressed, and the Angel of His Presence saved them. In His love and His mercy He redeemed them, and He lifted them up and carried them all the days of old.” (Isaiah 63:8-9)

So my dear reader, if you have not yet called on the Name of the LORD, do not delay.

Call on Him this very day!

7. THE KINGDOM OF GOD ANTICIPATED, AND THE FINAL JUDGMENTS INITIATED

“And the seventh angel sounded his trumpet; and there arose loud voices in heaven, crying, ‘The kingdoms of the world have become the kingdom of Yahweh our LORD and of His Anointed – the Messiah; and He will reign for ever and ever’.” (Rev 11:15)

“And I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvellous, seven angels having the seven last plagues, for the wrath of God was ended in them.” (Rev 15:1)

THE Man of Sin will set himself up as God in the part of the temple that the Jews consecrate to the God of Israel. He will also install an “image of the Beast” in the temple; and being a Satanist, he will subsequently introduce human sacrifices into the “world temple” worship. This is what is referred to as the Abomination of Desolation of which both Daniel and Y’shua warned.

“... and on the wing of abominations he will make desolation,
(alternate reading; on the pinnacle of the Temple he will set up an abomination that causes desolation),

until the complete end that is decreed is poured out on the one who makes the desolation.” (Daniel 9:27)

“So when you see the ABOMINATION OF DESOLATION - the sacrilege spoken of through the prophet Daniel - standing in THE HOLY PLACE, (let the reader understand), then let those who are in Judea immediately flee to the mountains.” (Matthew 24:15-16)

From this mid-way point of the Tribulation, Satan will literally and totally possess the Beast.

Satan’s plan is to bring the whole world to his feet, and to cause every man, woman and child to worship him. His chosen men to achieve this fait accompli are the Antichrist and his accomplice, the False Prophet.

The means of compelling the worship of Satan will be a system of control which is referred to in Scripture as the “mark of the Beast.”

All citizens of the world will have a universal identification number, and there will be a mechanism in place that will allow the Beast to access information from all computerized data banks around the world.

From now on, every person must receive the mark on his right hand or forehead in order to exist as a free person. Most people will willingly receive the mark.

At the time of writing this book, we can see many technological developments that are creating a worldwide integrated electronic system - a surveillance system, a data-storing and processing system, and a worldwide identification system.

We already see animals that have implanted electronic chips in their shoulders; and we are hearing of people with laser-tatooed numbers, or microchips implanted in their hands. Such microchips are now being marketed, and recipients seem to feel that there are great benefits in having their identities implanted in their bodies.

The mark of the Beast, however, is more than an identity number. It is a mark of allegiance to the Antichrist.

THE NUMBER OF THE BEAST

There will be many reasons and arguments used to impress upon people the benefits of having the number of the Beast. Of course they will not call it that. They may call it your PAN (Personal Allegiance Number), or your ACN (Approved Citizenship Number), or PCL (Planetary Citizen’s Loyalty), or some other such acronym.

Most people will say, “It’s no harm. What’s the danger in simply having a number on the hand?” They will say, “It’s merely an economic number. If you are not a criminal, why should you be afraid of a number?”

But remember, the Beast and his number are linked to the number 666, which numerically stands for the embodiment of evil.

The mark of the beast will be the ultimate dilemma for all believers who have not fled to a place of hiding before the world government is established, and before the mark becomes compulsory.

As the mark will serve as a cash transaction card, it means that without the mark, a person will not be able to buy or to sell. But to receive that mark, people will have to give allegiance to the Antichrist, and that will involve worshiping Satan.

Throughout this second half of the Tribulation a “big brother” nightmare will become a reality as dreadful methods are used to compel people to worship Satan, and to give allegiance to the Beast and receive his mark.

Watch, and you will be able to identify the accomplice of the Antichrist - the False Prophet. He will have a religious facade, but he will be a brilliant monetary and economic leader also.

The False Prophet will deceive the world, even causing fire to fall from the sky to enrapture and beguile the masses. He will subtly persuade or coerce the people into worshipping the image of the Beast and receiving the mark on their right hand or forehead. Don’t be taken in by him! He’s another Satan-possessed man.

The Scriptures describe the evil agenda of the False Prophet:

“He exercises all the authority of the first beast in his presence, and causes the earth and those living on it to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed. He performs great and miraculous signs, even causing fire to come down from heaven on the earth in full view of men. Because of the signs he was given power to do on behalf of the beast, he deceived the inhabitants of the earth. He ordered them to set up an image to the beast who was wounded by the sword and yet lived.

“He (the False Prophet) was given power to give breath to the image of the Beast (Antichrist), so that it could speak and cause all who refused to worship the image of the Beast to be killed. He compels all, small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hands, or on their foreheads, so that no one should be able to buy or to sell, except the one who has the mark, either the name of the beast or the number of his name ... and his number is 666.” (Revelation 13:12-18)

DO NOT WORSHIP THE BEAST OR RECEIVE HIS MARK!

Reader, if you are in the Tribulation, and have not fled to your hiding place by the middle of the seven years, you will soon be facing the trauma: Renounce Y’shua the Messiah, worship Satan and receive the mark on your forehead or right hand, OR, place your head on the guillo-tine. Whatever you do, reject the first offer for it spells your eternal doom, as the Bible so emphatically warns:

“A third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, ‘If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives his mark on his forehead or upon his hand, he also will drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which has been poured full strength into the cup of His anger; and he will be tormented with burning sulphur in the presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment rises for ever and ever. There is no rest day and night for those who worship the beast and his image, or for anyone who receives the mark of his name.” (Revelation 14:9-11)

IT IS because of the Antichrist’s program to destroy believers that Y’shua warned His people to get out of Jerusalem before they see the Man of Sin sitting in the temple and claiming to be God.

Most of the followers of Y’shua will have already fled from Jerusalem before that time. They will have headed for the mountains, in obedience to the Master’s command:

“When you see the ABOMINATION OF DESOLATION - the sacrilege spoken of through the prophet Daniel - standing in the HOLY PLACE, (let the reader understand), then let those who are in Judea immediately flee to the mountains.

“Let him who is on the housetop not go down to get anything out of the house; and let him who is in the field not go back to get his cloak. It will be very tragic in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers!

“Pray that your flight may not take place in winter, or on a Sabbath, for then there will be a great tribulation, such as has never occurred since the beginning of the world until now; and there will be nothing like it again.

“And if those days were not limited, no-one would survive; but for the sake of the elect (the chosen people), those days will be limited.” (Matthew 24:15-22)

In Revelation chapter 12 we read of a great portion of Israel that flees from the Beast and the “Abomination of Desolation.” They are pursued by Satan, but Yahweh the Almighty protects them and gives them “wings” to enable them to reach their prepared place in the wilderness:

“Then the woman (believing Israel) fled into the wilderness to a place prepared for her by God, where she might be fed and kept safe for 1,260 days . . . But the woman was given the two wings of a great eagle, so that she might fly to the place prepared for her in the desert, where she is to be taken care of for ‘a time, times and half a time’, (the 1,260 days - 3½ years), out of the reach of the serpent (Satan).

“Then the serpent caused water to gush out of his mouth like a river pursuing the woman, so that he might have her swept away by a river. But the earth helped the woman; the earth opened its mouth and swallowed up the river which the dragon had caused to gush out of his mouth.” (Revelation 12:6,14-16)

The “wilderness” in this prophecy is evidently a mountainous region - maybe the Judean and Jordanian mountains which are a vast wilderness.
A second reason why believers should flee from Jerusalem is because a major earthquake is scheduled for the city. It occurs in the middle of the Tribulation - just after the ascension of the two witnesses:

“At that very hour there was a severe earthquake, and a tenth of the city collapsed. Seven thousand people were killed in the earthquake, and the survivors were terrified and gave glory to (acknowledged) the God of heaven.” (Revelation 11:13)

PLAN YOUR HIDEOUT EARLY

I write these words of exhortation for believers living in the Tribulation. Look!

You need to prepare a secure hiding place in the mountains, in the jungles, in caves or nooks, far away from populated areas where your hide-out will not be detected by prowlers or satellites.

Do not wait until the mid-way point to think and plan about your hiding place. From the time you realise the Rapture has taken place and that you have been left behind; and as soon as you understand what is ahead during the seven years, start planning and preparing very seriously for survival.

Do not need to wait until you see other believers fleeing; count three and a half years from the beginning of the 7-year treaty and you will know how long you have before the World Demonic Order begins. Once you hear that the temple is being built in Jerusalem, you will know the time is drawing very near.

Don’t leave it to the last minute to flee!

Every day you delay will make your journey more dangerous. You will need to make many trips to carry all your provisions. You may be able to use a car early in the piece; later that may be too dangerous. While you have time, pray, survey the possibilities, and make your plans to “disappear.”

Immediately, start building up stocks of imperishable food, especially substantial food such as lentils, grain, oats, rice, dehydrated vegetables, dried meat, soup, substitute health foods, and powdered or tinned milk, etc. If possible, obtain a cow or a goat, and some chickens. They will need to be kept under cover also.

Drinking water is going to be a real problem, so store liquids - fruit juices as well as water. Keep extra containers, and have water-purifying equipment.

Remember, Y’shua said, “to the mountains.” In the high mountains you may be able to gather snow or fresh water. Your Father will lead you to mountain foods - roots and herbs that are edible - and possibly to wild life. Also, in the mountains you may find suitable caves, or you may be able to dig out a retreat, or to construct a well-hidden, well-covered booth. Encourage the forest to overgrow your hideaway and its approaches.

You will need to be self-contained, and prepared to remain in hiding for the full second half of the 7 years. Keep a calendar with you, and do not fail to mark off each day so that you do not lose track of time.

Pray for guidance on how to avoid the “Gestapo squads” of the Beast.
Followers of Y’shua in other parts of the world must also flee from the cities - even from the villages. Again, the mountainous regions may provide the best options for survival.

During these 3½ years, apart from gathering food and water, spend most of your time in prayer, worship and Bible study. This will be an opportunity to make up for lost time, and for you to prepare your heart for the Messianic kingdom that follows the Great Tribulation.

Always remember to pray and listen for the voice and guidance of your Heavenly Father!

THE WILD BEASTS WILL BE HUNGRY!

Caution! Be careful where you flee to! In Revelation 6:8, we see that many will be killed by wild beasts. Animals will turn upon man because they also will be very hungry. So keep this in mind while seeking guidance from your Master as to where you should take refuge. Make sure you have implements with you, which will serve as spears to protect you, and to help you catch wild life.

MAGNIFICENT PROMISES

Mark the wonderful promises of God in your Bible, and memorize them.
“For by these He has given us His precious and magnifi-cent promises in order that through them you might become partakers of the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.” (2 Peter 1:4)

Here are some magnificent promises for the coming perilous times. These promises are for those whose faith is stayed on Y’shua the Redeemer.
“The people who know their God shall be strong, and take action, doing exploits in His Name.” (Daniel 11:32)

“And they overcame him (Satan) because of the blood of the Lamb, and because of the word of their testimony, and they did not love and cling to their lives, right up to their very death.” (Revelation 12:11)

“THE BEAST” is the relentless, diabolical enemy of Yahweh the Almighty, and he constantly curses God’s Name, and God’s people:

“Then he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to slander His Name, His tabernacle, and those who dwell in heaven.” (Revelation 13:6)

High on the Beast’s agenda is the total destruction of all Y’shuan believers, especially Messianic Jews. He hates the Jews because he knows that many of them will be saved, and that Adonai Yahweh has a special purpose for the saved of Israel.

“He was given power to make war with the set-apart people of God (the Tribulation followers of Y’shua), and to overcome them; and authority over every tribe, people, tongue and nation was given to him.” (Revelation 13:7)
This is why it is so imperative to flee before Antichrist becomes the absolute world ruler. Once he is in full power, he will have control of all intelligence and surveillance systems, and will be able to monitor the movements of everyone.

Surveillance satellites will scan every highway and byway. Once anyone receives the electronic mark of the Beast, their location and movements can be pinpointed at any moment of the day or night.

Anyone who is living in the society without the mark will be readily detected by the regime’s omnipresent electronic devices. Like scanners at airports that beep if you have a coin in your pocket, the new world order’s instruments will beep if you don’t have your “loyalty to Antichrist” implant!

The cadres of the Antichrist will threaten people with the guillotine, and use other hideous methods to coerce people into worshiping the Beast. Whatever you do, my dear reader, never worship Satan, or give obeisance to him in any way!

Don’t even eat food offered to him. Don’t be deceived by false prophets and their signs and wonders.

And recognise that the False Prophet and the World Dictator, are both Satan’s men, no matter what fanciful names or titles they may assume. Never, never, never receive their number or mark on your body, for if you do, you are doomed!

Many will reason that if you don’t receive the mark, you will be doomed - for the mark will be absolutely essential to be able to buy or sell. And you should give this emphatic warning to everyone you love; “Whatever you do, do not receive the mark of the Beast!”

It’s true, if you refuse the mark you will certainly face dangers during the 3½ years reign of the Beast; and you are likely to be slain by his regime.
But don’t be afraid of the firing squad, or of being cast into prison. Don’t be afraid of Satan and those who have power to destroy your body but do not have power over your soul - unless you surrender it to them. Do not fear death, but rather stand in awe of Yahweh the Almighty who has power to deliver you from the guillotine. But even if He doesn’t, for you, as a believer, death will be the doorway to Heaven, and to eternal joy.

Y’shua promises to receive His people into His glorious kingdom, and to reward them with a crown of life:

“Let not your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me ... I will come again and receive you to Myself..” (John 14:1, 3)

“And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away.” (1 Peter 5:4)

“They will see His face, and His name will be on their foreheads.” (Revelation 22:4)

“Blessed is a man who perseveres under trial; for after he has passed the test, he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love Him.” (James 1:12)

“Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” (Matthew 10:28)

Many followers of Y’shua will be beheaded because they refused the mark of the Beast, and chose to die for Y’shua the true Messiah, rather than to worship the false messiah. But there will be a remnant of believers from all nations who survive. How many people, we don’t know, but worldwide, there will be quite a number.

These surviving remnants will enter the Millennial Kingdom that the Messiah will establish after He destroys the conspiracy of Satan and the Beast. These remnants will repopulate the earth during the glorious kingdom.

But first, there is this fiery trial for believers all over the world, as the evil trinity seeks to destroy them because they refuse to bow the knee to Satan.

THE FIERY FURNACE

There is a precedent in the Old Testament where we read of believers going through the fire of tribulation.

In Daniel, chapter 3, King Nebuchadnezzar gives orders that everyone in Babylon must worship a golden image that he had made. But there were three young Jewish servants of the king who refused to obey. Under no circumstance would they bow the knee to an image.

Read the account:

“Then Nebuchadnezzar, furious with rage, summoned Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego. So these men were brought before the king, and Nebuchadnezzar spoke, asking them;

“ ‘Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the gold image that I have set up? Now, at the time you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipes, and all kinds of music, if you are ready to fall down and worship the image that I have made, very well! But if you do not worship it, you will thrown immediately into the middle of a furnace of blazing fire. Then what god will be able to rescue you from my hand?’

“Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego replied to the king, ‘O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to answer you in this matter. If that be the case, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the furnace of blazing fire, and He will rescue us from your hand, O king. But even if He does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the gold image you have set up’.” (Daniel 3:13-18)

That’s holy boldness! Well, if you read the rest of the chapter, you’ll see that these three men were thrown into the fiery furnace, but they were not burnt. They were protected and delivered. And then another strange thing occurred:

“Then King Nebuchadnezzar leapt to his feet in amazement, and asked his advisers, ‘Didn’t we throw three men, and bound securely, into the middle of the fire?’ They replied to him, ‘Certainly, O king.’

“ ‘Look!’ he answered, ‘I see four men walking about in the middle of the fire, loose and unharmed, and the appearance of the fourth is like a son of Elah (the Aramaic word for God, or ‘the gods’).” (Daniel 3:24-25)

The fourth person was, in fact, no other than the Son of Yahweh El Shaddai who joined His servants in the fire to strengthen them. And He will do that, no doubt, in many instances, in the Great Tribulation. Miracles will take place. But God will not always save His followers from death, for it is clearly written that many will be beheaded by the Beast.

Believers may face the roaring lions like the early Christians did in the Coliseum of Rome. Some may be preserved from the ravenous jaws, even as Daniel was (see chapter 6). Others will lay down their lives. But through it all, the Almighty will either preserve a remnant of godly ones who will inherit the kingdom, or He will receive the martyrs into His Presence with great joy.

“... we are of good courage, I say, and prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Heavenly Master.” (2 Corinthians 5:7-8)

THE WINNING SIDE

My reader, when you see or hear of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, by all means get into the flow of that river of life. Take a stand with the Messiah, and stake your life on Him. Y’shua is the winning side!

Don’t be a middle-of-the-roader - that will rob you of the strength to endure; and it will be a snare to lead you into accepting the mark and number of the Beast.

“Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Look, the devil is about to cast some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and you will have affliction for ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.” (Revelation 2:10)

There is a glorious promise in the prophecy in Daniel that implies that God will do mighty works on behalf of His persecuted people, and that many will be preserved right throughout the Tribulation.

“At that time . . . there will be a time of distress such as has never happened from the beginning of the nations until then. But at that time your people - everyone whose name is found written in the book - will be delivered ... Those who are wise will shine brightly like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever.” (Daniel 12:1, 3)

Many believers will be delivered from the clutches of the evil one. Others will be slain; but the Master will deliver their souls from the Tribulation woes, by calling them home to Heaven by way of martyrdom.

The believers who survive the seven years will inherit the Millennial Kingdom that follows the Tribulation.

“Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you who are blessed by My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. Blessed are they that faithfully endure until that time’!” (Matthew 25:34)

Tribulation martyrs, on the other hand, will be raised to life, and they will reign with the Messiah.

“I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony for Y’shua and because of the Word of God - these had not worshipped the beast or his image and had not received his mark upon their foreheads or upon their hands. They came to life and reigned with the Messiah for the thousand years.” (Revelation 20:4)

Then when the Messiah descends from Heaven ...

“He will send His angels with a loud trumpet call and they will gather together His chosen people from the four winds, even from one end of the heavens to the other.” (Matthew 24:31)

All of God’s people will share, in various positions, in the glorious Kingdom of Christ. Blessed are they that faithfully endure until He returns.

IT IS now time for the Messiah to take His throne, just as the prophets foretold; and just as the Redeemed of the Lord have anticipated from of old.

“Look! He is COMING WITH THE CLOUDS [Daniel 7:13], and every eye will see Him, even THOSE WHO PIERCED HIM; and all the tribes of the earth WILL MOURN BECAUSE OF HIM [Zechariah 12:10]. Even so, Amen!” (Revelation 1:7)

“In the night visions, I kept looking, and then there was One like the Son of Man, coming in the clouds of heaven. He came up to the Ancient of Days and was presented before Him. Then He was given authority, glory and a kingdom, that all the peoples, nations, and men of every language should serve Him.” (Daniel 7:13-14)

The kingdom brings the restoration that all of creation has been waiting for - freedom from the curse that was brought upon it by Adam’s disobedience and man’s corruption.

“For the intense longing of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it, in anticipation that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the glorious freedom of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now.” (Romans 8:19-22)

The revealing of the sons of God takes place when the Messiah returns to establish the Kingdom of God on earth “as it is in Heaven.”

“When the Messiah, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory.” (Colossians 3:4)

Following the Master’s return is the 1,000 years reign of righteousness, peace and equity. Born again survivors from the Tribulation will repopulate the earth, and there will be no wars, no corrupt rulers or economics for the Almighty will dwell amongst His people:

“My dwelling-place will be with them; I will be their God and they will be My people. Then the nations will know that I am Yahweh who sanctifies Israel, when My sanctuary is among them for ever.” (Ezekiel 37:27-28)

The whole world will know Yahweh-Y’shua. Everyone will love the Precepts, and the Presence of the Eternal One, and will worship and live in fellowship with Him.

“And the seventh angel sounded his trumpet; and there arose loud voices in heaven, crying, ‘The kingdoms of the world have become the kingdom of Yahweh our LORD and of His Anointed – the Messiah; and He will reign for ever and ever.’

“And the twenty-four elders who were sitting on their thrones before God, fell on their faces and worshipped God, saying, ‘We give You thanks, O Yahweh El Shaddai - LORD God Almighty, the One who is and who was, and who is coming, because You have taken Your great power and have reigned.” (Revelation 11:15-17)

“His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and His kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.” (Daniel 7:14)

“I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, lofty and exalted, and the train of His robe filled the temple. Seraphim stood before Him ... and one called out to another and said, ‘Holy, Holy, Holy, is Yahweh of Hosts, the whole earth is full of His glory’.” (Isaiah 6:1-3)

That’s the coming, glorious Kingdom of God.

BUT RIGHT NOW ...

those of us who are living before the Tribulation are looking forward to the Rapture. But knowing the prophecies concerning the seven years, we cry out, “Woe for the horrific disaster that’s ahead for the world! Alas for those who will be left behind!”

While the saved ones will be rejoicing in heaven, those left behind will be suffering “hell upon earth.”

And when it is all over, the Tribulation survivors will recount their traumatic experiences, and record the details of what happened during those horrendous years. Yes, they survived, but the fact is that they could have escaped that entire, awful “Day.” Before the Rapture they had had a chance to repent and to be saved, but they waited too long! Today, God is certainly giving many warnings, and is commanding everyone to repent.

“Having overlooked the times of ignorance, God now commands all people everywhere to repent, because He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man whom He has appointed, having furnished proof to all by raising Him from the dead.” (Acts 17:30-31)

Tragically, the great majority of the world today are totally blind to the wages of their sin and unbelief - wages that are storing up daily, for pay day. The majority seem to be totally deceived by riches and by temporary pleasures; they seem to be totally indifferent to the promises and entreaties of the loving God; and totally devoid of any quest for spiritual life.

The majority are like hypnotised zombies marching resolutely towards the brink of that awful precipice - soon to plunge into the bottomless pit of Hell. Oh, they have a chance to repent; and indeed, some intend to do so. But many will leave it too late! And they will find they have been left behind to endure for the Great Day of the Wrath of God Almighty.

My reader, if you are not saved, I plead with you, don’t barter your opportunity to receive a glorious eternal inheritance, for a piece of cake! Please don’t go on in uncertainty; don’t take the risk! Call upon the Saviour today, and receive the forgiveness of your sins. Receive eternal life while you may!

As I am editing these pages in May 2005, the Rapture has not yet taken place. When it will happen I do not know, but I do know that many Bible teachers believe very strongly, as I do, that the Saviour’s coming is drawing very near. Signs of the coming climax of the age are multiplying. The Master is right at the door!

My friend, if the Rapture has not taken place by the time you receive this book, and if you are not yet saved, I plead with you again; call upon the Almighty to save you now. Today you still have the opportunity to be a part of the raptured Body. You don’t have to be left behind! The Master is calling you, and He is giving you this message so that you might be ready for His coming. Don’t choose a tragedy!

I pray that all my readers will be ready, and have the assurance that they will not be left behind! Indeed many are ready, and they know it, for they know they have been born again, and that their names are on the roll in Heaven. They can confidently sing; “When the roll is called up yonder, I’ll be there.”

Yes, to be ready, the essential thing is to be born again!

My friend, ask yourself these questions, and answer truthfully: “Is Y’shua, the Lord Jesus, my Saviour and Master? Have I yielded my life to Him? Or am I neglecting His offer of salvation? Am I trying to travel in the middle of the road? Am I sitting on the fence? Am I saying, ‘Sometime in the future I’ll get saved.’?”

The Bible says, “Today is the day of salvation!” To-morrow may be too late! The catching away of the believers could take place even today.
Please tell me, if Y’shua should come today, would you be caught up, or would you be left behind?

You may reply, “But I don’t feel good enough to be caught up.”

Ah, and there you are quite correct! No-one is “good enough” to be saved! But that is not the question. The question is, “Is Y’shua the Messiah your Saviour? Have you been born again? Have you prayed to the Heavenly Father sincerely and given your life to Him?”

You may say, “My life is a mess; I can’t get saved until I straighten my life out.”

My friend, Y’shua is just the Saviour you need. He knows all about your struggles, and He says to you:

“Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart; and you will find rest for your souls.” (Matthew 11:28-29)

Our next chapter will help you to understand how you can get right with God; how you can come to the Saviour and receive His peace, His forgiveness and His salvation.

The Bible says: “For whoever will call upon the Name of the LORD will be saved.”
(Romans 10:13. Joel 2:32)

TO CALL upon the LORD is to cry out from the heart - not merely from the lips. It is a heart-cry; a cry of desperation - “Y’shua save me. I’m lost!” It is a genuine cry that the Almighty is waiting to hear. It is a cry that leads to the very real experience of the new birth that Y’shua the Messiah was speaking about when He said:

“This is the solemn truth I tell you; no-one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again..” (John 3:3)

“YOU MUST BE BORN AGAIN!” (John 3:7)

As you must be born again to enter into the Kingdom of God, let me explain as clearly as I can, what the new birth is.

It is clear that Y’shua was not talking about physical birth, or about reincarnation. Nicodemus responded to the Master’s statement with the question:

“ ‘How can a man be born when he is old? He cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born, can he?’ Y’shua answered, ‘I tell you the truth; no-one can enter into the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Holy Spirit. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not be surprised at what I said to you, You must be born again’.” (John 3:4-7)

We are born again by two things - water and the Holy Spirit. The Water is the Truth - the Word of God, which, when applied by the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives, produces cleansing and the miraculous work within us which is called, the new birth. The Scripture clarifies:

“... that He might sanctify her, cleansing her by the washing of WATER with the WORD.” (Ephesians 5:26)

“for you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring Word of God.” (1 Peter 1:23)
“The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from and where it is going. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” (John 3:8)

THE NEW BIRTH IS A SPIRITUAL MIRACLE

The New Birth is the miracle that takes place in a person when he calls upon the Saviour and receives spiritual life from God.That life is eternal, and it is a Divine im-plantation. It is God coming to dwell in the redeemed personality of the believer. The work of the Holy Spirit in the believer makes him a temple of God:

“Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who lives inside you, whom you have received from God? You do not belong to yourself; you have been bought at a price. Therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20)

When the New Birth takes place, we are transferred from the kingdom of darkness to the Kingdom of God, and we are given a new status. Formerly we were “condemned”; now we are “justified” - that is, acquitted of all charges against us, and declared guiltless. God counts us as righteous. Our spiritual position then, is, “in Christ.” As the Scripture says:

“... if anyone is in Christ, (the Messiah), he is a new creation; the old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” (2 Corinthians 5:17)

This does not mean we are instantaneously perfected, but it does mean that a miraculous change has taken place in our lives. We have received a true spiritual life, and the changes in our lives soon become apparent:

* our attitudes change, our desires change, our ambitions change, and our direction changes.

* the evil things we loved so much, we now begin to hate because God’s Word transforms our thinking.

* Y’shua, whom we were so casual about, now becomes our Life, our Master, our God - all because of the miracle that He has done within us.

The effects and the way this miracle works out differs from person to person, but it does bring wonderful changes to each life.

Drunkards are converted, criminals are radically transformed, drug addicts are set free, and ruined lives are re-made. The self-centred are turned into people who are concerned for others; lovers of pleasure are turned into lovers of God; money mongers are changed into worshippers of the Eternal One. Liars are turned into truth-speakers; bribe-takers into honest men; quarrelsome, grumbling women become contented and gracious; the godless become godly; the profane become pious, and wife-bashers become considerate, loving husbands.

These are some of the miracles - the results of the New Birth - that take place when people come to Y’shua the Messiah; when they come just as they are, as sinners, and call upon Him to save them, and to take control of their lives.

The new birth is the most essential thing in the world. It is your “passport” to the Kingdom of God, and it is your security, for every one who is born again has been enrolled in The Book of Life in Heaven.

“And if anyone’s name was not found written in the Book of Life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.” (Revelation 20:15)

My dear reader, when the roll is called up yonder, will you be among the “Redeemed of the Lord?”

Without the new birth, a person should abandon hope of ever entering the Kingdom of Heaven.

Of course, there are many foolhardy unbelievers who sneer and say they don’t care whether they go to hell because they will have plenty of company there. But the very same people feel quite sorry for themselves when they get an attack of Malaria, or Hepatitis, or the first signs of cancer - or even a single splitting headache. How, I ask, will they endure the endless torment of hell?

Believe the word of the Messiah: You must be born again!

The alternative is unthinkable and unbearable.

Now my friend, listen . . .

OUR OWN WORKS CANNOT MAKE US BORN AGAIN

Because of the confusion which is often caused by human reasoning, let me first list things that do not produce the new birth:

The new birth is NOT the result of:

* self-effort
* trying to do your best
* many good works
* giving generous donations to religious causes
* social work
* child baptism
* adult baptism
* church membership
* church attendance
* much prayer
* much knowledge of the Bible
* higher education
* family heritage or lineage
* your parent’s faith or sincerity
* penance or pilgrimages
* keeping the Ten Commandments
* keeping the Golden Rule
* keeping the Sabbath Day
* partaking of the “Communion”
* partaking of “Mass” or the “Eucharist”
* being religious
* trying to lead a good life
* trying to be honest.

Not one of these things can produce the new birth and save us.

These things may or may not be good. But they definitely cannot save us!
This may seem incredible to you, and you may be asking “Who then can be born again? It must be some special work or observance that we need to do?”

No, my dear friend, it is not some work YOU must do. It is the work that the Messiah has already done. It’s the grace of GOD that saves!

Now let us answer the question ...

HOW TO BE BORN AGAIN?

Some people imagine that the New Birth is very difficult, or is an unattainable goal. Many think it is something that we hope to experience in the future life if we do our best here. But this truth is simple enough for a small child to understand. The new birth is a work of God in our hearts and lives, which we can, and should, experience right here and now through simple faith in the Messiah. The Bible says:

“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith - and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God - not as a result of works, so that no one should boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9)

“He (God) saved us, not because of righteous works that we have done, but because of His mercy. He saved us through the washing of regeneration (the new birth), and through the renewing power by the Holy Spirit.” (Titus 3:5)

“... according to the power of God, who has saved us, and called us to a life of holiness - not because of our works, but because of His own purpose and grace. This grace was given to us in the Messiah, Y’shua, before the beginning of time.” (2 Timothy 1:8-9)

So it is not our own works or efforts that save us, but the Grace of God.
The expression “new birth” means basically the same as “salvation.” Salvation is the deliverance from the “Kingdom of Darkness.” The new birth is the placing of the believer into the “Kingdom of Light.”

SALVATION IS GOD’S GIFT
God does not reward us with salvation for our efforts, but He wants to give us salvation freely. In other words, you can’t buy it, or pay for it in any way; but you can receive it as a free gift. The Bible says:

“For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in the Messiah, Y’shua our Master.” (Romans 6:23)

THE GIFT MUST BE PERSONALLY RECEIVED!
You may know all about the Bible, you may know all the doctrine of the new birth, but unless you receive it, your knowledge is in vain and it will do you no good at all.

Y’SHUA (JESUS) MUST BE RECEIVED AS SAVIOUR
The Messiah is the Way, and the Entrance into the Kingdom of God; and it is into His kingdom that we must be transferred. Look at the following Bible verses very carefully and you will see that Y’shua must become your personal Saviour.

“And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men, by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12)

“Yet to all who received Him, to those who believe in, and trust in His Name, Y’shua, He gave the right to become children of God.” (John 1:12)

“For Yahweh, the Almighty God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten (His one-and-only unique and eternal) Son, so that whoever believes and trusts in Him, shall not perish, but have eternal (everlasting) life.” (John 3:16)

“He who believes and trusts in the Son, has eternal life; but he who does not believe the Son, shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.” (John 3:36)

It was Y’shua who died for us. It was Y’shua who paid the penalty for our sins. And it is only on the basis of His sacrifice at Calvary that our sins can be forgiven.

“For when we were still weak, the Messiah at the right time died for the ungodly. Now very rarely will someone die even for a righteous man, though possibly for a good man someone might even have the courage to die. But God demonstrates His own love for us, in that while we were still sinners, the Messiah died for us.” (Romans 5:6-8)

“For you have been called for this purpose, since the Messiah also suffered for you, leaving you an example that you should follow in His steps, WHO COMMITTED NO SIN, NOR WAS DECEIT FOUND IN HIS MOUTH, [Isaiah 53:9] who, while being reviled, did not revile in return; while suffering, did not threaten, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously; and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the tree, so that we, having died to sins, might live to righteousness - by whose stripes you were healed.” (1 Peter 2:21-24)

Because Y’shua is God’s anointed One - sent to be the Saviour of the world - it is essential that we accept His sacrifice for us, that we believe and trust in Him, and receive Him, as our personal Saviour.

How do we receive Y’shua as our Saviour and Master? There are three words that explain the step of faith that you need to take:

1. ACKNOWLEDGE your condition to God - that you are a condemned sinner; that you have sinned against God; you have broken his commands; you have gone your own way; that you need to be saved from sin and its awful penalty; and that you need to be reconciled to the Holy, Eternal One.

“All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” And, “The wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in the Messiah, Y’shua our Master.” (Romans 3:23; 6:23)

“God, be merciful to me, the sinner!” (Luke 18:13)

“God ... reconciled us to Himself through Y’shua the Messiah, and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, that is, that God was personally present in the Messiah reconciling the world to Himself, not counting men’s trespasses against them; and He has committed to us the message of reconciliation.” (2 Corinthians 5:18-19)

2. BELIEVE in your heart that Y’shua, Jesus the Messiah - the Anointed One - is the One who came from Heaven, lived amongst men, and gave His life as a sacrifice to pay the penalty of your sins; and that He rose from the dead, and ascended to Heaven.

“All of us like sheep have gone astray. Each of us has turned to his own way, but Yahweh has caused the iniquity of us all to fall on Him - Y’shua the Lamb of God.” (Isaiah 53:6)

“For Yahweh, the Almighty God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten (His one-and-only, unique and eternal) Son, so that whoever believes in Him, should not perish, but have eternal (everlasting) life.” (John 3:16)

Y’shua said: “I am the Good Shepherd; the Good Shepherd lays down His life for the sheep ... My sheep hear and listen to My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; and no-one will snatch them out of My hand.” (John 10:11, 27-28)

To believe means that on the basis of what the Lamb of God has done for you at Calvary, you trust Him to forgive your sins; to save you, to cleanse you, and to make you a new person “in Christ.” It means you are trusting Him to work the miracle of New Birth in you; to put His Holy Spirit within you; and to write your name in the “Book of Life” in Heaven.

To believe in the Messiah means you are trusting the Saviour to fulfil His promises - to deliver you from Satan’s kingdom; to implant you in the Kingdom of Light; and to make you His own - a genuine child of God.

Yes, He does all that for you; and your part is to simply trust Him. It is by simple, childlike faith - that all this becomes real to us. This is what is meant by receiving Y’shua as your personal Saviour.

“He who believes and trusts in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.” (John 3:36)

3. CONFESS Y’shua the Messiah as your Master, your Saviour, and your God.

“If you confess with your mouth Y’shua as LORD - (the Heavenly Sovereign Master), and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved; for with the heart man believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation. For the Scripture says, whoever believes in Him will not be disappointed.” (Romans 10:9-11)

First, you can express your faith by thanking Y’shua for paying the penalty of all your sin at Calvary, and for answering your prayer today. Then confess to the Father that you are now receiving Y’shua as your personal Saviour, and that you will own Him, and follow Him as your Master from this day on.

Next, as soon as possible, witness to someone else - to a friend or relative, that Y’shua is your Saviour.

SIMPLE FAITH
It is your simple faith that the Almighty honours. He is waiting and knocking at the door of your life, waiting to come in to fulfil His word within you. Y’shua says:

“Look here! I am standing at the door, knocking; if anyone hears and heeds My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him, and will eat in fellowship with him, and he with Me.” (Revelation 3:20)

My dear reader, will you open the door of your life to the Saviour? If you do your part, He will definitely do His. Just come to Him in prayer, wherever you are. Kneel or bow your head, and take these three simple A B C steps:

Acknowledge
Believe
Confess

Now when you have done that, thank the Heavenly Father for answering your prayer. For if you pray with a sincere heart, He will hear and answer immediately. You may or may not have spontaneous “feelings,” but the peace and joy of God will follow.

“AND IT SHALL BE, THAT EVERYONE WHO CALLS UPON THE NAME OF THE LORD, YAHWEH-Y’SHUA, WILL BE SAVED.” (Acts 2:21 & Joel 2:32)

Below is a decision prayer which may help you to express your thoughts. If you are ready to receive Y’shua (Jesus) as your Saviour, then pray to Him sincerely in the words of this prayer, or in similar words. But do not pray empty words! This must be your deliberate decision.

DECISION PRAYER

Heavenly Father,

I come to You in the Name of Jesus, Y’shua the Messiah. I come just as I am, acknowledging that I am a sinner, weighed down by failure and evil deeds, words and thoughts.

Almighty God, You know my heart and life, and all the things I ever did. You know I want to be saved. I need to be born again. I need to be made anew. Heaven-ly Father, I want Your miracle in my life; I don’t want to go on another day without Your salvation.

Father, on the basis of the sacrifice of Y’shua at Calvary, I ask You to forgive my sins, and to cleanse my life. By Your power and grace I am turning from my unbelief, and I trust You to deliver me, and to make me a new person. Save me, Father, both now and for eternity.

Y’shua, Master, I believe You are the Saviour, the Anointed Lamb of God who died in my place. I thank You for paying the penalty of my sins. I believe You rose from the dead - that You are the living Saviour. I now receive You, and confess You as my Saviour and Master. I am simply trusting You to fulfil Your promises to me, and to do Your miracle in my life today. By Your grace, I will follow You all the days of my life, and confess You before men.

Thank You Father, for answering my prayer; thank You for receiving me as Your child. Thank You, Y’shua my Master, for coming into my life. Thank You for Your love and Salvation. Thank You for Your gift of eternal life. Thank You for writing my name in Your Book of Life. Thank You. Amen.

Signed ............................................ date ..............

If this is your decision prayer, and you have prayed to receive Y’shua the Messiah today, would you drop me a line and tell me of your decision. I will be glad to hear from you, and will pray for your spiritual growth.

Write to: Bro. Don Stanton, at one of the addresses below.

And now a few words of guidance for the immediate days ahead ...
GROW IN THE LORD

“Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Master and Saviour, Y’shua the Messiah.” (2 Peter 3:18)

1. FEED ON THE WORD OF GOD
The food you need for your spiritual life is found in the Bible. Read, study and meditate on the Word of God daily, and listen to what God is saying to you. The Word will give you knowledge, guidance, strength and encouragement.

2. DEVELOP YOUR PRAYER LIFE
Prayer is communicating with God; it is having fellowship with your Father and Saviour; it is worshiping God in spirit. Pray to your Master at the beginning and end of every day. But talk to Him regularly throughout the day. He wants to be your closest companion. Pray not only for your own needs, but also intercede on behalf of others.

3. TAKE A STAND FOR YOUR MASTER
Don’t be a “secret believer.” Be baptised, and witness concerning your Saviour whenever possible. Declare your allegiance to Y’shua the Messiah.

4. HAVE FELLOWSHIP WITH OTHER BELIEVERS
Meet with God’s people regularly. Pray, seek, and find a faithful church, or a gathering of believers. Many small groups meet in homes for fellowship.

5. LIVE FOR THE MASTER
Let the Master live out His life in you. Let your life count for Christ, and for eternity.

LET me close with a final word to my saved readers.

My brothers and sisters, you know it is very important for us as born again believers to live as Christians ought to live in these last days.

The Scripture says:
“Be careful how you walk, not as unwise, but as wise, redeeming and making the most of the time - buying up each opportunity, because the days are evil ... understand what the will of YHWH the LORD is ... be filled with the Holy Spirit.” (Ephesians 5:15-18)

The believer is called to love God and his fellow men. He is commanded to be holy, and to live in fellowship with the Saviour. He is to maintain right relationships with others, and as much as possible, to live in peace with all men. Y’shua said, the two great commandments are:

“You shall love Yahweh your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and great command. And the second is like it, You shall love your neighbour as yourself.” (Matthew 22:37-39)

So let us each one walk in the Spirit while we wait for Y’shua’s return. Let us be faithful servants so that we will not be ashamed when we stand before Him, face to Face.

Now believer, think for a moment, and tell me how many friends and relatives do you have who are not saved? For a moment think of one of your unsaved friends - of one who is in danger of being left behind! Imagine your friend enduring the untold Prophecy of the Tribulation, or even worse, a Christless eternity?

Now look ahead. One day you will be rejoicing in heaven, but your friend, your son, your daughter, your cousin, your parent, your brother, or your sister, will be going through the greatest trial of their lives. And they will be crying out, “I wish we’d all been ready.”

My dear saved readers, will we be saying one day soon, “Oh! I wish I’d been more faithful!

Oh! I wish I had given the Word to more people!

I wish I had gone out of my way to seek that person’s salvation.

I wish I had had more love for people! I wish I had not been so selfish!

I wish I hadn’t lived so much to please myself. I wish I had done more to win souls. The Son came and brought me home, but these poor people have been left behind!”?

No doubt, in the heavenly city we will join the inter-cessors at the Throne of Grace, calling on the Almighty to have mercy upon our unsaved friends who are struggling through the Tribulation.

But oh, why don’t we urgently and fervently cry to the Father for them now - before it is too late. Isn’t this the time for us to urgently reach out to all who are in danger of being left behind?

What will we say to our Master when His piercing eyes look into our eyes - when our lives come up for review; when we see our failures from His perspective? What will we say when we realise that precious souls have been left behind because of our negligence? What are we going to say to our Master then, if we fail Him now?

Scripture tells us to abide in Him, to live in Him, and to live for Him, so that when He appears we may not be ashamed. (1 John 2:28)

Oh, the time is urgent, the Day is at hand! The Rapture is imminent. We must redeem the time, because the days are very evil. Souls are perishing.
Now is the time for us to be led by the Spirit of Yahweh, and to do whatever He calls us to do, to save people from that terrible, unbearable fate!

God forbid that there should be one soul left behind, to be branded, and destroyed, because of our negligence!

PERHAPS TODAY
Perhaps today those saved by Your grace,
Perhaps today from every tribe and race,
Perhaps today we’ll see You face to face,
Perhaps today, dear Lord I pray.

Perhaps today come up hither You will say,
Perhaps today you’ll take Your own away,
Perhaps today my blessed hope & stay,
Perhaps today, dear Lord I pray.

Perhaps today to earth we say goodbye,
Perhaps today to heaven we will fly,
Perhaps today in a twinkling of an eye,
Perhaps today, dear Lord I pray.

Perhaps today we’ll meet You in the air,
Perhaps today Your likeness we will bear,
Perhaps today Your glory we will share,
Perhaps today, dear Lord I pray.

- Words and music by Peter Rahme
Used by permission

Click Image for enlargement 

SUGGESTED BIBLE PASSAGES for study and regular review.

Pick out the most important verses and memorize as many as you can.

Psalm 1:1-6
Psalm 2:1-12
Psalm 23:1-6
Psalm 34:1-22
Psalm 40:1-17
Psalm 91:1-16
Psalm 103:12

Isaiah 6:1-8
Isaiah 43:25
Isaiah 45:9
Isaiah 45:18-23
Isaiah 52:13-15
Isaiah 53:1-12

Ezekiel 29:9-12
Ezekiel 38:1-23

Daniel 7:1-28
Daniel 8:23-25
Daniel 9:24-27
Daniel 11:32
Daniel 11:36-45
Daniel 12:1-13

Joel 2:28-32
Joel 3:1-2
Joel 3:9-17

Zechariah 12:1-3
Zechariah 13:1
Zechariah 13:7-9
Zechariah 14:1-21

Matthew 10:28
Matthew 11:28-33
Matthew 22:35-40
Matthew 24:1-44
Matthew 25:31-46

Luke 12:4-12

John 1:1-14
John 3:1-8
John 3:36
John 10:11
John 10:27-28
John 14:1-14

Acts 2:17-24
Acts 4:8-12
Acts 17:22-31

Romans 1:16-23
Romans 3:21-26
Romans 5:1-8
Romans 6:15-23
Romans 8:18-39
Romans 10:8-13

1 Corinthians 6:19-20
1 Corinthians 15:1-58

2 Corinthians 1:8-11
2 Corinthians 5:6-9
2 Corinthians 5:14-21

Galatians 1:3-4

Ephesians 2:1-10
Ephesians 5:11-21

Philippians 4:4-20

Colossians 3:1-4

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18

2 Thessalonians 1:3-12
2 Thessalonians 2:1-17

2 Timothy 1:8-12

Titus 3:4-7

Hebrews 12:25-29

James 1:2-12
James 5:1-9

1 Peter 2:18-25
1 Peter 5:1-11

2 Peter 1:2-4
2 Peter 3:1-13

Revelation 1:4-7
Revelation 2:8-10
Revelation 3:7-12
Revelation 3:20-21
Revelation 11:3-17
Revelation 12:1-17
Revelation 13:1-18
Revelation 14:9-13
Revelation 17:1-18
Revelation 18:4-19
Revelation 19:1-21
Revelation 20:1-15
Revelation 21:10-24