God wants His children to know His plans

Grace Bible Church
Pastor Teacher
Robert R. McLaughlin
Wednesday
November 29, 2015
We have been trying to discover whether or not America is in view or
could be in view in the Bible prophecy if these days we are living in. God
wants His children to know His plans.
Jer 9:23-24, notice what he prophet Jeremiah said; Thus says the
Lord, “Let not a wise man boast of his wisdom, and let not the mighty
man boast of his might, let not a rich man boast of his riches; but let
him who boasts boast of this, that he understands and knows Me, that
I am the Lord who exercises lovingkindness, justice, and
righteousness on earth; for I delight in these things, “declares the
Lord.
God does not hide His plans from His children. Now, today when it comes
to Bible prophecy, you must understand that there are a lot of people today
who claim to be prophets because they know that when you teach on
prophecy and claim to be a prophet, there’s a lot of profit to made from
selling your books and your teachings. But not only is that false but they
really don’t know what the prophets were like in the Old Testament.
It was a very popular thing to be a prophet in the past. You would have to
think twice before you said like Isaiah said in Isa 6:8...”Here am I. Send
me!”
There is a Jewish tradition that reports that the prophet Isaiah was
condemned to death by King Manasseh and although he hid in a tree, he
was found and the tree with Isaiah inside was sawn in half.
Then there was the prophet Ezekiel who told to lie bare on his right side
and left side for a certain number of days. (Eze 4:1-8).
We don’t see people claiming to be prophets for God in those biblical
ways. Daniel was a prophet who was thrown in a lion’s den. The only
possible biblical reference to these gruesome events is in Heb 11 where it
says in Heb 11:34-38, (they-these prophets) quenched the power of fire,
escaped the edge of the sword, from weakness were made strong,
became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight. Women received
back their dead by resurrection; and others were tortured, not
accepting their release, in order that they might obtain a better
resurrection; and others experienced mockings and scourgings, yes,
also chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in
two, they were tempted, they were put to death with the sword; they
went about in sheepskins, in goatskins, being destitute, afflicted,
ill-treated. (men of whom the world was not worthy), wandering in
deserts and mountains and caves and holes in the ground.
Where are all these prophets today? Today people want to be prophets
because of what they can profit...as they laugh all the way down to the
bank! These individuals are simply revealing their own personal opinions
of how current events fit into biblical prophecy to scare their listeners into
their wallet for the information that they say they have that no one else
does. Yet we must back to some principles of doctrine that those of us
who teach bible doctrine have been saying for years....such as
Deu 29:29, “The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the
things revealed belong to us and to our sons forever, that we may
observe all the words of this law.
2Ti 3:16-17, “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for
teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness;
that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good
work.”
Have you heard that one before? Especially when it comes to Bible
prophecy, look at 2Pe 1:19-21, And so we have the prophetic word
made more sure, to which you do well to pay attention as to a lamp
shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star
arises in your hearts. But know this first of all, that no prophecy of
Scripture is a matter of one’s own interpretation, for no prophecy was
ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit
spoke from God.
2Pe 2:1, But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there
will also be false teachers among you, who will secretly introduce
destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them [They
all have been bought with a price which is the doctrine of the unlimited
atonement which says that TLJC dies for who? For all ---- but they deny
it!], bringing swift destruction upon themselves.
2Pe 2:2, And many will follow their sensuality, and because of them
the way of the truth will be maligned;
I’m not saying that this happens to all who believe these things but to
those who teach it! They add or take away from the word of God.
Therefore the last two prophecies and verses written in the Bible, notice,
are a warning. Look at them since they are easy to find, the last two verses
in this book say:
Rev 22:18-19, I testify to everyone who hears the words of the
prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God shall add to him
the plagues which are written in this book; and if anyone takes away
from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his
part from the tree of life and from the holy city, which are written in
this book.
Therefore, because of Joh 12:48 “He who rejects Me, and does not
receive My sayings, has one who judges him; the word I spoke is what
will judge him at the last day.”
Our third question for consideration as to the role of America in Bible
prophecy which is: Which nation was predicted to arise around the same
time the Roman Catholic Church (RCC) and the Papacy (it’s title for the
function of the Popes) was receiving its deadly wound which it did in
1798? And I believe that we established the fact that when Rev 13:11 says,
And I saw another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two
horns like a lamb, and he spoke as a dragon.
That the Historic fact is, the only power which arose out of a sparselypopulated area at the end of the 18th century was in fact the United States.
But, does the USA accurately fit all the features of this prophecy?
Answer: The first papal captivity mentioned in verse 10 took place in
1798, and while that was happening, the new power called the Second
beast (verse 11) was seen emerging at that time. The first papal captivity
mentioned in verse 10 which took place in 1798, is referenced in Rev
13:10, If anyone is destined for captivity, to captivity he goes; if anyone
kills with the sword, with the sword he must be killed. Here is the
perseverance and the faith of the saints.
The first beast empowered by the Roman empire and the RCC and the
Papacy. Both in the political and the religious realm took others into
captivity, therefore they were taken into captivity. They killed others with
the sword and therefore the Roman empire and the RCC with the papacy
were also killed by the sword.
Oba 1:15, “As you have done, it will be done to you. Your dealings
will return on your own head.”
Rom 12:19, Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for
the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,”
says the Lord.
Now, while this was happening the old powerful beast, the new powerful
beast in Rev 13:11 was seen emerging on the scene.
Rev 13:11, And I saw another beast coming up out of the earth; and
he had two horns like a lamb, and he spoke as a dragon.
The RCC and the papacy received its deadly wound in 1798. The US
declared independence in 1776, voted the Constitution in 1787, adopted
the Bill of Rights in 1791, and was definitely a world power by 1798.
Therefore, a fourth question that needs to be answered concerning whether
or not America could be found in biblical prophecy is this: Could a
government really control buying and selling? When Rev 13:16-17, says,
And he causes all, the small and the great, and the rich and the poor,
and the free men and the slaves, to be given a mark on their right
hand, or on their forehead, and he provides 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.
How could this ever happen?
It already has in a way when during World War II, buying was controlled
for some items (such as sugar, tires, and auto fuel) by requiring ration
stamps. Without stamps, money was worthless. Think of it, in this highly
computerized age, a system based on your Social Security number could
easily be set up. And unless you agree to cooperate with the worldwide
coalition, your number, when punched in before a purchase, could show
you disqualified. We do not know precisely how all this will come about.
But we can be positive it will happen because in Rev 13:16-17 God says it
will. The point is that Revelation chapter 13 is clear.
Two superpowers will emerge in the end time: the USA and the new
Roman empire with the RCC and Papacy as its religious power. The USA
will support the Papacy by leading a drive to force the people of the world
to worship the false teaching or doctrines of the beast, related directly to
the papacy in some way, and receive his mark or else face death.
Therefore a fifth question that needs to be answered is: How strong and
influential is the RCC especially with the Pope today?
Answer: It is by far the strongest religious-political power in the world.
Virtually every leading country of the world has an official ambassador or
state representative at the Vatican. Notice the following facts:
- The papacy is so influential and powerful that nearly every major
country consults her before making major policy moves. Her large
diplomatic corps maintains relations with more than 150 nations
according to U.S. News and World Report.
- She takes the credit for the demise of communism, saying that Mary,
Jesus’ mother, guided the pope’s strategy that brought down communism.
This was is found in the “Handmaid or Feminist,” magazine in the
December issue in 1991.
- The aim of the pope is to unify the Christian world under the leadership
of the Papacy during this decade. The Papacy has made more than 75 trips
to lay the ground work for this goal. Just recently, the current pope today,
Pope Francis has visited the Christian, Muslim and Islamic nations in
Africa for the first time in human history.
- The worldwide response has been almost overwhelming. During the
recent Middle crisis, the Pope and America’s president sometimes
discussed world affairs weekly by phone.
- A Russian leader said, “Everything which took place in Eastern Europe
in recent years would have been impossible without the Pope’s efforts and
the enormous role, including the political role, which he played in the
world arena.” The papacy (office of the Pope), formerly referred to
Protestants as “heretics,” and is now calling them “separated brethren” and
graciously suggesting that all work and pray together for peace and God’s
presence.
They are praying and promoting unity to the extent of saying some
popular phrases like “Let’s put all of our doctrinal differences aside and
love each other.” Millions of Protestants are deeply impressed. In fact,
several Protestant denominations have had official dialog with the papacy
to try to settle the differences that caused the Reformation.
- Therefore a sixth principle of consideration and question that needs to be
answered is How strong and influential is the United States today?
Answer: The US is still regarded as the world’s number one military
power and center of influence. Note the following: America is still the
world’s #1 superpower. There is really only one power (Russia) in the
immediate future to rival the United States. However, China and Korea are
coming on strong.
- Many Arab leaders have labeled America “the new Rome” because, as
the old Rome was the undisputed superpower of its age, America is still
now number one in the political realm.
Even when a Marxist group overthrew the government of Ethiopia,
America was asked to negotiate. When Boris Yeltsin took office as
president of the so-called newly independent Russia, he visited America
first. Former U.S.S.R. President Mikhail Gorbachev turned to America in
his crisis. Today, Russia’s prime minister Vladimir Putin is using a more
subtle aggressive approach doing what he can to expose the weakness and
the lies of America’s present administration. And the sad but also serious
thing is that it is working! When Kuwait was invaded, its government
called on America. The U.S.-led war against Iraq rallied the support of
almost the entire world. A National Public Radio correspondent called one
American president, not the present one, but he was called the “president
of the world.”
Most world nations are still looking to the US for protection and support.
Though that idea is diminishing every day but my point is that America is
still going to play a major role in the last days of biblical prophecy. Either
through omission or submission, inclusion or exclusion. This is why we
need to learn from history because we do not seem to be doing so.
What is the main lesson we need to learn? The main lesson is that
Negative Volition to Bible doctrine destroys a client nation. This is
becomes apostasy beings to reign. People are falling away from the
truth...not so much from religion but from the truth. There were periods of
apostasy in Israel in the OT. Apostasy in a client nation is always a cancer.
If it grows long enough, that client nation loses all the blessings of god
that were upon it. This principle of reaping what you sow or violating
passages like Mat 7:12 where our Lord said, “Therefore, however you
want people to treat you, so treat them, for this is the Law and the
Prophets.” This principle of doctrine has been around ever since Gen
12:2-3. Even the minor prophets warned nations about what would happen
to them if they violate these principles.
Look at what the prophet Obadiah said in Oba 1:15, “For the day of the
Lord draws near on all the nations. As you have done, it will be done
to you. Your dealings will return on your own head. This principle has
always been true, especially about the future of God’s client nations. For
example, take the nation of Israel, in every case of Jewish apostasy both
the clergy and the politicians of Israel are indicted along with the negative
volition of the people.
Jer 6:13-14, “For from the least of them even to the greatest of them,
Everyone is greedy for gain, And from the prophet even to the priest
Everyone deals falsely. And they have healed the brokenness of My
people superficially, Saying, ‘Peace, peace,’ But there is no peace.
Eze 13:10, “It is definitely because they have misled My people by
saying, ‘Peace!’ when there is no peace. And when anyone builds a
wall.
In context, the wall refers to the political lies of politicians, behold, they
plaster it over with whitewash; = the false solutions to the problems of the
client nation;
Eze 13:11-16, so tell those who plaster it over with whitewash, that it
will fall. A flooding rain will come, and you, O hailstones, will fall;
and a violent wind [law of discipline] will break out. “Behold, when
the wall has fallen, will you not be asked, ‘Where is the plaster with
which you plastered it?’” Therefore, thus says the Lord God, “I will
make a violent wind break out in My wrath. There will also be in My
anger a flooding rain and hailstones to consume it in wrath. So I shall
tear down the wall [expose the political lies of the leaders] which you
plastered over with whitewash and bring it down to the ground, so
that its foundation is laid bare; and when it falls, you will be
consumed in its midst. And you will know that I am the Lord. Thus I
shall spend My wrath on the wall and on those who have plastered it
over with whitewash; and I shall say to you, ‘The wall is gone and its
plasterers are gone, along with the prophets of Israel who prophesy to
Jerusalem, and who see visions of peace for her when there is no peace,
‘declares the Lord God.”
Good decisions of national leadership result in greater options for greater
decisions. Bad decisions destroy freedom options and enslave the nation,
so that the client nation status is destroyed from within. A nation that is
not prepared for war is not prepared for peace. Mankind always has been
and always will be the product of their own volition, not their environment.
We blame environment, which is part of the arrogance skills.
The doctrine of man’s sin nature and total depravity plus the function of
Satan’s cosmic system requires that people in a client nation periodically
will have to make great sacrifices for freedom. Political solutions are
useless without spiritual solutions. What makes political solutions great is
the invisible heroship of a pivot of mature believers. Political solutions are
temporal; spiritual solutions are eternal. Political solutions relate to the
power of man; spiritual solutions relate to the power of God. Rejection of
Bible doctrine leads to destruction of the client nation. Everything depends
on your attitude toward Bible doctrine.
Therefore it is clear that the influence and power of both the US and the
RCC with the pope are escalating with rapidity. What other factors could
possibly help set the stage for a worldwide law to execute those who
refuse to violate the conscience of tyrants?
Answer: We cannot name all the enemies of a spiritual godly nation with
certainty, but a few possibilities do exist which are as follows: What are
the enemies we are facing today as a client nation under God?
- The activity of terrorists.
- Riots and escalating crime and evil.
- Drug wars.
- A major economic crash.
- AIDS and other epidemics.
- Nuclear threats from radical nations.
- Political corruption.
- Gross miscarriage of justice by the courts.
- Welfare abuse.
- Increasing taxes.
- Pornography and sickening immorality.
- Appalling global disasters.
- Radical “special interest” groups.
- Civil war within the nation
Corruption, lawlessness, immorality, permissiveness, injustice, poverty,
weak and ineffective political leaders, and many similar woes could easily
precipitate a demand for strong, specific laws to be rigidly enforced. All
these enemies and more subtle ones need to be noticed and identified so
that we are able to discern the times in which we live.
An eighth principle of consideration and question is: As world conditions
worsen, what will Satan do to deceive the masses? Rev 13:13-14 tells us
what he will do. Rev 13:13-14, And he performs great signs, so that he
even makes fire come down out of heaven to the earth in the presence
of men. And he deceives those who dwell on the earth because of the
signs which it was given him to perform in the presence of the beast,
telling those who dwell on the earth to make an image to the beast
who had the wound of the sword and has come to life.
Answer: America will experience a counterfeit, worldwide revival and
will insist that religious laws be passed to force every person to participate.
(This is represented by “an image to the beast” in Rev 13:14; 2Th 2:7-9.
2Th 2:7-13, For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only he
who now restrains will do so until he is taken out of the way. And then
that lawless one will be revealed whom the Lord will slay with the
breath of His mouth and bring to an end by the appearance of His
coming; that is, the one whose coming is in accord with the activity of
Satan, with all power and signs and false wonders, and with all the
deception of wickedness for those who perish, because they did not
receive the love of the truth so as to be saved. And for this reason God
will send upon them a deluding influence so that they might believe
what is false, in order that they all may be judged who did not believe
the truth, but took pleasure in wickedness. But we should always give
thanks to God for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God
has chosen you from the beginning for salvation through
sanctification by the Spirit and faith in the truth.
People will be forced to disregard God’s word as it is found in the Bible.
Morality will replace spirituality for living the spiritual life. Some will
also comply simply for social or economic reasons. World conditions will
become so intolerable that a worldwide “back to God and prayer”
movement, with all joining in worship and prayer will seem to be the only
solution. They will be the misunderstanding of solutions to problems and
misquoting and misinterpreting passages of Scripture.
Such as 2Ch 7:14, If My people who are called by My name humble
themselves and pray, and seek My face and turn from their wicked
ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin, and will heal
their land.
Satan will deceive the world into believing that they must compromise
Bible truth when in reality, obedience to and worship of the beast will shut
people out of God’s kingdom