Herbert W Armstrong

   What did He have reference to? What are we to watch? He's not talking about the World Series necessarily, you know. It's not wrong if you want to watch that or whatever, or something of that sort, but that's not what He had in mind. That's not what He was admonishing us on when He said, "Watch."

   The Bible focuses in on certain areas, certain pivotal areas in prophecy, and it is the conjunction of events in these areas that bring about the climax at the close. I have mentioned these five areas before, as prophecy primarily focuses on the Middle East, which is the focal point of Bible prophecy as far as a geographical location.

   Prophecy also focuses on events, the internal problems, the internal strife, decay, the economic problems—the impending economic collapse of the United States and British Commonwealth nations. A second major area that prophecy focuses on, the internal difficulties of the United States and Britain.

   Prophecy also focuses in on Europe and the revitalized, revived Holy Roman Empire that is to be resurrected in Europe—the United States of Europe that is to arise—and that is to arise through a revitalized Catholic Church and the influence of it, which is a fourth area. Europe is the third, and the revived, revitalized Catholic Church is certainly an important area prophecy deals with. It talks about certain events that are going to transpire in the Catholic Church that are going to bring about the events in Europe.

   Now, these things—one event is going to serve as a catalyst on another. The economic problems, the internal problems in the United States and Britain are going to set our nations up for the position we will find ourselves in. That prepares the way so why certain things are going to happen to us that are prophesied to happen to us. A crisis in the Middle East serves as a catalyst for events in Europe, as well as the influence, the help, and the things that the Catholic Church will be in a position to do.

   And so that is the Catholic Church is the fourth area, and fifthly, prophecy focuses on events in the Church of God and things that are to transpire inside the Church of God—the work of God in this end time.

   Now, I have gone through and we've gone through these. I've mentioned them before, and I have preached, particularly several months ago, a sermon that focused in primarily on certain of the prophecies relating to the Church of God in the end time. And I don't propose to go into that today—that has been covered at other times and perhaps will be again in some other format. But that particular aspect of it we've gone into before.

   But, it has been a while since we have focused on some of these other areas, and frankly, some of the events that are transpiring in these areas are things we need to focus on. So I want to focus in on some of these areas. I want us to notice both what God prophesied, what God says is going to happen, as well as certain things that are happening.

   Jesus Christ said to watch and to pray. We're told that we are not in darkness, that that day—that climax at the close—should overcome us like a thief in the night. It's going to take the world as a thief in the night. Paul states this back in his letter to the Thessalonians: it's going to come upon the world like a thief in the night. It's going to catch them by surprise; they're not expecting it.

   We, brethren, are not in darkness. We're in light. We ought to know; we ought to understand. We ought to be able to appreciate the things that are going to transpire. We need to focus on certain of these things and understand what they are and why they are.

   I'd like to focus in first on the United States and the British Commonwealth—modern-day Israel in the biblical sense of the term. The nation that calls itself Israel is more properly termed Judah, and that is the way that prophecies are addressed to it in the Old Testament and the Scriptures anywhere in the Scriptures, because that's the people who are the inhabitants of the modern-day nation that calls itself Israel—are the Jews, the House of Judah. But in addition to the House of Judah, there was the House of Israel, and particularly the descendants of Ephraim and Manasseh.

   If you remember, you know, Jacob crossed his hands and laid his hands on Ephraim and Manasseh's heads—the sons of Joseph—and he said, "Let my name be named on them." His name was changed by God to Israel, so the name of Israel and the House of Israel primarily refers to Ephraim and Manasseh in Bible prophecy.

   Let's go back to the book of Jeremiah. Jeremiah chapter one, notice in verse 16 (Jeremiah 1:16): God says, "I will utter my judgment against them, touching all their wickedness, who have forsaken me and have burned incense unto other gods and worship the works of their hands."

   Now, brethren, that's God's indictment about our people—that we worship the works of our hands. Now, that doesn't mean necessarily an idol that has been carved out and set up, you know, a big leering Buddha or something of that nature. What are the works of our hands? Aren't automobiles the works of our hands? Aren't television sets the works of our hands? Aren't all of the material goods that we produce as a nation the works of our hands?

   As a nation, materialism is the god of our people. God says, "I'll utter my judgment against them, touching all their wickedness because we have forsaken the truth as a nation and worshipped the works of our own hands as a nation."

   And brethren, the very attitudes, the very thoughts, the very sins that our people have followed are the ones that are going to bring about the impending crisis and collapse internally. Because it is our, you know, really—when you get back to it—God has two specific commandments that deal with the subject of property, of material goods. One of the commandments is, "Thou shalt not steal." Another is, "Thou shalt not covet." You're not to steal, and you're not to covet what does not belong to you, what you're not entitled to.

   Our nation has violated those two spiritual laws, and that's a lot of the reason that we are in the economic and internal crisis that we are in. You know, what is the basis? There's an article—there are a number of articles.

   This nation is facing right now a 3.5 trillion dollar mountain of debt. 3.5 trillion dollars! It is a debt that has escalated so rapidly, it has multiplied so many times over in just the last few years. It's something that, the debt of the nation has more than doubled since 1970. That's how rapidly it's increasing. It's hitting what economists call the upright spike, you know, where it just starts going straight up—the curve, you know, comes along, goes up, up, up, finally, when it hits the upright spike, where it's going straight up. You know it just goes right off the top—that's where you have collapse. That's where you have collapse once it hits that because you can't... you know, it can't be, I mean, if you graph it out, you'll know what I mean. It's go to, once something starts going straight up, it's headed toward infinity. The whole thing collapses under its own weight.

   Why are people faced with that kind of a problem? Part of that is government debt; part of that is private debt, and frankly, private debt has been escalating at an even more rapid rate than public debt. It really gets back to a violation of the commandment, "Thou shalt not covet." Because that's what our economy is based on: inciting lust in people. You know, "Sure, you're entitled to it. It doesn't matter—go ahead, get it, you know. We've got our convenient plan here and our convenient plan there." And by the time you take convenient plan A, B, C, D, and whatever, you've got a lot of inconvenience because all your conveniences start coming due at the same time, and the problems multiply.

   But, that's what it's based on. It's based on an appeal to human nature, an appeal to a desire for what—you know—"Look, you see this? Isn't this nice? Isn't this great? This is what you ought to have." It doesn't matter that you can't afford it—you ought to have it anyway. We bring the penalty on ourselves.

   Let's go on—Jeremiah 1:16. We see... let's go on to Jeremiah chapter two. God says here in verse 3 (Jeremiah 2:3), "Israel was holiness unto the Eternal, the first fruits of His increase. All that devour him shall offend; evil shall come upon them, says the Lord." Hear you the word of the Eternal, O House of Jacob, and all the families of the House of Israel.

   Now, verse 5: "Thus says the Eternal: What iniquity have your fathers found in me, that they have gone far from me and walked after vanity and are become vain?" Verse 7: "I brought you into a plentiful country, to eat the fruit thereof and the goodness thereof, but when you entered, you defiled my land and made my heritage an abomination."

   God said, "What have I done? Didn't I bring you into a beautiful land?" You look around at what God has given our people to inherit—the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa—the fairest portions of the world, the breadbaskets of the world, the areas of bounty and abundance with natural resources. God has brought our peoples into a plentiful country. What did we do? What was our approach? What was our attitude? God says, "You defiled my land. You've made my heritage an abomination."

   You were to be first fruits unto me. That's what God's intention was for Israel. God called Israel for a job. Israel was to be a light to the Gentiles. Israel has been a light, all right, but not a very good one. God called Israel for a job, and He gave Israel certain blessings. And Israel—God says—defiled the blessings that He gave. They defiled the land. All you have to do is look around the pollution, the scars, the pockmarks on our land, the blight on our land, on this nation that God gave us. And as a nation, as a people, we've not appreciated what God has given us. God said we defiled His land—or this land that He gave us. That's what happened.

   Going on down in verse 11: "Has a nation changed their gods, which are yet no gods?" You know, nations which worship idols are still worshipping them. Nations which had nothing to begin with—that's what they've still got. You know, they clung on to it. Do you think you're going to get the Arabs to give up Islam? Do you think you're going to get the Orientals to give up Buddhism? Do you think you're going to get the people of India to give up Hinduism? Oh no! You know, they cling to that.

   "Has a nation changed their gods, which are yet no gods? But my people have changed their glory"—and actually, in the original, it reads, "have changed my glory"—"have exchanged what I gave them for that which does not profit."

   Verse 13: We're going to see that there are seven problems that God singles out here in Jeremiah, that are the reason why the problems are going to come upon us. And we see these: "For my people have committed two evils: they have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water."

   Now, what is living water? Jesus Christ defines that—you know, back in the book of John, it talks about His spirit, the spirit of God flowing out like rivers of living water. God says the first evil that our people did was they turned their back on the true God—the source of living water, the fountain of living water, the fountain of life. You know, God set before us life and death. God is the source of life. Our people have turned their back on life—on God, the source of life, the fountain of living waters. That was the first and primary mistake that led to other things.

   But that wasn't bad enough. They didn't just turn away from the true God, from serving and obeying Him, but then they turned to other gods, to other religions. They hewed them out cisterns—broken cisterns that can hold no water.

   You know, the purpose of a cistern is to hold water, right? Now, it's to store it up. God refers to false religion as being like a broken cistern. They're not going to contain any of God's Holy Spirit, you see—that comes out from God. God is the fountain.

   So what are you better off with? You know, people around here, we live in a dry country. We're familiar—particularly some of you who have maybe been in ranching or connected with that—you're familiar with cisterns. What are you better off with? A fresh-water spring that just gushes out, you know, a fountain of fresh water, or a cistern? Well, obviously, you know a cistern can run dry. If you go without rain for a long time, you can be hard up depending on that cistern. And now, you know, a cistern is helpful, but there are problems and when you have a long dry spell, you begin to, it begins to cause a problem, you get a little bit worried.

   So the idea of exchanging a fountain of water for a cistern is a bad bargain to begin with. But they didn't just get it—they didn't get a good cistern. They didn't get a cistern that would hold water. The cistern they got is broken—got holes in it. Any water that comes into it will quickly drain right out. And you talk about a bad bargain—that doesn't make sense.

   So first, our nation rejected the fountain of living water—they rejected God. Then they chose over here a broken cistern. "We'll take that." Now, that, of course, is nothing. That's the second abomination, the second evil. The first is that we forsook the true God. Secondly, we went after false religion wherein is no profit.

   Verse 19: God says, "Your own wickedness shall correct you, and your backslidings shall reprove you." You know, our problem—the ultimate problems that we as a nation encounter—are going to be things we brought on ourselves. It's not a matter that God looks down and gets mad at us and then lets us have it. The problems that we are going to encounter as a nation are things that we bring on ourselves.

   Verse 21: "Yet I had planted you a noble vine, wholly a right seed. How then are you turned into the degenerate plant of a strange vine unto me?"

   Verse 23: "How can you say, 'I am not polluted, I have not gone after Baalim'? See your way in the valley, know what you have done. You are a swift dromedary traversing her way." You know, you're like a camel racing full speed—that's how fast you're going after the false way. That's the analogy God draws.

   Verse 26: "As the thief is ashamed when he is found, so is the house of Israel ashamed." You know, this is what God says, and there's going to be shame come upon them.

   So, God here talks about these two problems—of leaving the true God, turning our back on the revelation God gives, and then going and seeking false information, false knowledge, false religion. God talks about how all our nation has to do is turn around, to go the other way. We look for help where no help is going to come from.

   Chapter four, verse one (Jeremiah 4:1): God says, "If you will return, O Israel," says the Eternal, "return unto me. If you put away your abominations out of my sight, then shall you not be moved." Then you're not going to go into captivity if you'll just repent, if you'll just turn away. But our nation is not doing that.

   God goes on, and He talks about the destruction that is going to come as we go on down, in verse. In chapter five, we notice the third indictment that God makes:

   "Run to and fro through the streets of Jerusalem, and see now, and know, and seek in the broad places thereof, if you can find a man, if there be any that executes judgment, that seeks the truth; and I will pardon it." And though they say, "The Lord lives," surely they swear falsely. O Eternal, are not Your eyes upon the truth? You have stricken them, but they have not grieved. You have consumed them, but they have refused to receive correction. They have made their faces harder than a rock; they have refused to return.

   See, as a nation, we turn away from the true God, we sought after false religion, and we have refused to return. We're not a nation that is really seeking the truth. You can look, you know—that sums up certainly the judicial process in this land. It's not a seeking after truth; it's a matter of seeking after technicality. A matter of justice, of judging righteous judgment, of determining guilt or innocence is not the question. The question is, you know, this technicality or that technicality, and some hotshot lawyer that wants to build up a reputation for himself, to make a mountain of money because, boy, you know, he can get them off anything. You know, whatever you committed—a heinous crime? Old Joe Blow. over there is the guy to go to. Boy, he'll get you off by hook or by crook, preferably by crook.

   You know, God said—God indicts the nation. He says we're not a nation of truth seekers. We don't want to know the truth. We have set our mind, we have set our head. You know, we're hardheaded, we're stubborn, we refuse to listen, we refuse to seek after truth, to seek after judgment and justice and righteousness. And we don't want to know better. We don't want to do better as a nation, as a group.

   Oh, we like to play lip service to it. We like to talk about the fact that, you know, "Oh yes, we know God, yes, the Lord lives." Oh yes, we're a nation that believes in God. We profess God as a nation, and we even print it on our money, which I guess is maybe a good place to print it. You know, seems as that's the only thing that stands between us and collapse, as I've mentioned before.

   You know, we used to put on there, "Redeemable in gold." Then we stopped that. We put it on there in silver, and now we don't do that. We just crank up the printing presses and keep printing, and we print on there, "In God we trust." Well, we're going to find out that God is going to remove the hedge that He has set about us, and God is not going to protect us from the consequences of our own folly, and that's of course what we have been receiving.

   So God indicts the nation, thirdly, because of a lack of seeking for truth and judgment. Fourthly, down in verse seven of Jeremiah five (Jeremiah 5:7):

   "How shall I pardon you for this? Your children have forsaken me, and sworn by them that are no gods. When I had fed them to the full, they then committed adultery and assembled themselves by troops in the harlots' houses." They line up to get in. Immorality is so rampant in this country that it literally permeates this nation. The morals of this nation, God compares with those of Sodom and Gomorrah. You've got individuals going around campaigning for gay rights. I'm going to tell you something—there's nothing gay about it. There are people who are living wretched, perverted, miserable lives. Because of a wretched perversion that is destroying them and will destroy any society in which it is allowed to run rampant. God's solution to the problem is found in Genesis chapter 19—that's the way God deals with that problem in as far as society is concerned.

   God it says, verse eight, "They were as fed horses in the morning: every one neighed after his neighbor's wife." And if you don't think that characterizes modern-day America, then you don't know what's going on. Adultery, fornication, wife-swapping, immorality—it is a way of life in this country, and it is a minority who are not involved in it. A very distinct minority. That's one of the main reasons—one of the reasons, the fourth reason that God lists here—why our people are going to be destroyed, why we're going to suffer what we're suffering. And we see—you know, we fit into that.

   God says, verse nine, "Shall I not visit for these things? says the Eternal. Shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation as this?"

   Verse 10: "Go you up upon her walls and destroy; but make not a full end: take away her battlements, for they are not the Eternal's."

   For the house of Israel and the house of Judah have dealt very treacherously against me, says the Eternal. They have belied the Lord and said, "It is not he; neither shall evil come upon us, neither shall we see sword nor famine."

   You tell these things in the streets of this nation, and they say, "Oh, you've got to be kidding. We're a good people. Famine? Oh no, we won't have a famine in this country. Impossible. The sword? Oh, that's ridiculous. We're not going to have warfare. We're not going to have warfare in this nation." We've never been invaded successfully, and we haven't been invaded as a nation—foreign troops haven't set foot on our soil since the war, really, since the War of 1812, you know, when the British—the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812, when the British were involved.

   And you go around the world, where else do you find a nation like that? You know that Britain has not been—the island of Britain—foreign troops have not set foot on the island of Britain since 1066, over 900 years. That was when William the Conqueror, and that was a matter of, you know, that he brought in yet some more of the remnant of Israel that was to be united there.

   Foreign troops have not set foot on British soil. Where are you going to find a nation like that? Can you say that about Russia? About France? What about Germany? About Spain? What about China? What about Japan? Is there any nation in the world that you can say those things about? You look at the areas of Israel—you look at the nations of New Zealand, Australia, South Africa, the United States, and Canada, and Britain—you point out to me another nation that has not had foreign troops on its soil, that has not had war fought right on its territory, that has not been invaded by foreign armies. You know why?

   God says in the book of Lamentations that He has set a hedge about us. The people of Israel are called—God says—you are the sheep of my pasture. Now, in ancient times, the kind of fence they used—they didn't use barbed wire; that was a fairly recent invention—but in the Middle East, what they used, they planted hedges—thorn hedges. And I'll tell you, it was more effective, really, than barbed wire. You can climb through a barbed wire fence and, if you're careful, you won't get tangled up in it. You're not going to climb through a thorn hedge. This is what they planted, and they planted them in rows, and they planted them for fences—that's what they used them for.

   And they used this, you know, this is the way they protected the animals. They put them in there, and the shepherd slept there at the doorway. And so nothing was able to gain way, so nothing was able to come in or go out except through him. That's what Christ meant when He said, "I am the door." You know, "I am the way; I am the door. No man comes…" But by me that's the analogy He gave—He's talking in the context of being the Good Shepherd. That's what the shepherd did.

   Now, wild animals could not—they weren't going to come through that thorn hedge. That's why they planted it. It was thick, and it served as protection. They could put the sheep in there, and they were protected from wild animals around.

   God tells us in the book of Lamentations that He is going to take down the hedge. That's why our nations—and our nations alone—have not been invaded. That's why we've not had foreign troops on our soil. That's why—because of the hedge that God has placed around us. God placed the hedge around us, but we haven't given God the credit for it. God hedged us about, but no—we take the credit for it and say, "Oh no, problems aren't going to come to us. We're not going to have warfare here. We're not going to have famine. God is with us."

   Verse 15: God says, "Lo, I will bring a nation upon you from far, O house of Israel, says the Eternal: it is a mighty nation, it is an ancient nation, a nation whose language you know not, neither do you understand what they say. Their quiver is as an open sepulchre, they are all mighty men."

   You know, the word "German" means, the word Germon, simply the word, means man of war—what the word "German" means. Asher, who is the father of the German people, his name means "strong." What his name means.

   God says, "I will bring on you a mighty people, mighty men of war, we don't believe that, as a nation, the reason, immorality is the fourth reason God invites our people for and says that this is going to come on.

   Verse 6 of Jeremiah chapter 6: "For thus says the Eternal of hosts, 'Hew you down trees, and cast a mount against Jerusalem: this is the city to be visited; she is wholly oppression in the midst of her. As a fountain casts out her waters, so she casts out her wickedness: violence and spoil is heard in her; before me continually is grief and wounds.'"

   God talks about oppression. God talks about violence. And all the chicanery, all the double-dealing, all of the violence that besets this nation—that's another reason why we're going to undergo what God says. Now, God has plenty of reasons why He's going to remove the hedge. We're a nation that is filled with violence.

   Going down in verse 13: "For from the least of them even unto the greatest of them everyone is given to covetousness; and from the prophet even unto the priest everyone deals falsely. They have healed also the hurt of the daughter of my people slightly, saying, 'Peace, peace,' when there is no peace. Were they ashamed when they had committed abomination? No, they were not at all ashamed, neither could they blush: therefore they shall fall among them that fall: at the time that I visit them they shall be cast down, says the Eternal."

   God indicts our nation, not only for immorality, not only for violence, but also for covetousness. That's so you get back to the fact that we're buried in a mountain of debt, you know, 3 1/2 trillion dollars. You say, "That's a nation that is filled with covetousness." Everybody wants everything they can see and lay their hands on, and the problem escalates, and it grows and grows and it grows, and it is headed for collapse. You cannot run something that way. It's not a matter that God is going to push it down—it's simply a matter that it won't work that way. You've got a nation that is swept up with that kind of an attitude, that kind of reasoning.

   Verse, or just our, I just want to read a little bit briefly here, an article in US News and World Report from back in November the 20th. Just a few weeks ago, the amount of debt has grown so high in this country that many economists feel the United States is unusually vulnerable if a recession occurs. You bet it is. It's only 3 1/2 years since the last slump, Americans have added a trillion dollars to their obligations in 3 1/2 years. The upright spiral is increasing so rapidly that in 3 1/2 years, we have added 1 trillion dollars to our debt as a nation. That is incredible that those are numbers that are so big that, that we, our minds can't even comprehend what you're talking about. We've added that in 3 1/2 years and it's picking up speed. It's not going to take us that long to add the next trillion, today government corporations and individuals owe more than 3 1/2 trillion dollars equal to 16,000 dollars for every man, woman and child in this country. You know, we're gonna pay off the debt tomorrow. Every man woman and child in this country would have to be assessed 16,000 dollards just to do it. That's incredible. That's incredible. Actually, we're not going to pay it off you see, couldn't come up with the money. You got 16,000 dollars for every member of your household, you know, to pay your portion and maybe you don't know that much. Hopefully you don't. But, uh you know, if we're going to divide the problem of equally among the nations, an insurmountable problem among economists. The chief concern at the moment is the mounting burden of debt owed by consumers by the latest estimate, families and individuals owe over 1 trillion dollars, really 50% more than they did at the end of 1974. So it's doubled, it's doubled. Private debt in this country has doubled since 1974. 3 1/2 years. It's double.

   Well, I, I'm not gonna go on into that. I mean, the federal debt alone is approaching a trillion dollars. You know, federal government alone is right up uh by a trillion dollars. And it might be interesting to note that from 1776 until 1943 that's a long time. The 1st 167 years of our nation's existence. Uh It, it took us that long to accumulate a national debt of 136 billion dollars. Not a trillion but billion. 100 and 136 billion dollars. It took us from 1776 from 9 to 2, 1943. Right. You know, in the, toward the beginning of World War II.

   Now it took, it took 167 years for the debt to top 100 billion. Do you know how often we're adding 100 billion to this nation's debt right now, the federal deficit, we're adding 100 billion dollars a year, every year. We're adding another 100 billion. Took us 167 years to add the first one on. Now, we're doing it at the rate of every year.

   Now give us, just wait a little while. It will be every few months. You see the escalating effects of it. I mean, it finally reaches the portion if it keeps doing is, is, you know, you pretty soon you'd be adding it every day, you know, every minute. I mean, you get to the point where it's ridiculous, the whole thing collapses. You can't keep doing that. I mean, printing presses don't work that fast. Uh, and they could have, you know, they'd wind up, put every, all the newspapers, magazines, everything go out of business. All they're doing is printing money because, you know, we're, we're going into debt so fast. I mean, this is, this is the rate that it's reaching. It took us 100 and 1943 by 1944 we had gone from a, from 136 billion to 201 billion. So that was World War II, we were really turning it out. Well, then the war was over, but it took us 19 years up to 1963 to go to, to uh 300 billion. So it took us 167 years to get up to uh to a little over 100 billion. And then it took us 20 more to double that or actually triple it. So we're cutting our, our span. So he took us 167 years and it took us 20 actually, he took it less than 20 because in 20 years, we had done twice as much damage as we did in the first 167, but we were just getting warmed up by 1963 because we, between 1963 and 1972, 9 years, we added over 100 billion dollars. So we were up to 426. That was 1972. That we were up to 426. Now, by 1975 we had added another 100 billion. We cut it down to 3 years now, then by 1976, we had added 100 billion, so now we cut it down to one year, 1977 we added another 100 billion this year, we're adding over 100 billion. And you know, the graph is going right off the top of the scale headed very rapidly towards 1 trillion dollars in national debt escalated so rapidly we're a nation given the covetousness.

   So if we want what we want and, and you know, we're gonna get it by hook or by crook. God says, you know, God indicts the nation for that. He says, that's one of the reasons we're going to collapse as a nation goes right on down God indicts, the false ministry. He says, because they're given the covetousness too. You know, they're preaching for hire, they're, they're preachers for profit, whatever is expedient, whatever they get paid to say, that's what they'll say.

   They say peace, peace. There is no peace. They heal the hurt of the daughter of my people. Slightly. God said, oh, you know, they say, oh yeah, we've done all these great things. God says you might have just a little tiny, tiny bit, but you haven't even begun to do what you ought to do. You cry peace, peace. There is no peace. You lull the people to sleep for covetousness.

   Seventh abomination—the seventh evil—that this nation has committed:

   Verse 17: "Also I set watchmen over you, saying, 'Hearken to the sound of the trumpet.' But they said, 'We will not hearken.'"

   How far have we come along in the progression here, brethren? We definitely turned away from the true God. We definitely turned to false religion. We're certainly a nation that you can say is not filled with truth-seekers. They are people who want their own way. We're a nation that is consumed with immorality, with violence, with covetousness, and with refusing to hearken to the sound of the trumpet.

   The trumpet has been sounding in this nation for over 40 years. This February, we're going to mark the 45th anniversary of The Plain Truth magazine. This trumpet that God raised up to sound—the voice of alarm—has been going forth. The nation has refused to hearken.

   Continuing on, Jeremiah 7:8: "Behold, you trust in lying words that cannot profit. Will you steal, murder, and commit adultery, swear falsely, burn incense unto Baal, and walk after other gods whom you know not, and come and stand before me in this house, which is called by my name, and say, 'We are delivered to do all these abominations'?"

   Isn't that what we say? And all the religious among us—they say, "Oh, the law is done away. You don't have to obey God. Well, God will understand." Dispensing grace like it's going out of style. God dispenses grace. God is a God of mercy, but God only extends mercy to those who repent. Those who don't repent don't receive mercy from God.

   God, sure, God is very merciful, God is but merciful for those who a turn from their wicked ways.

   Blessings and curses. Leviticus is a book that instructs us in holiness. The theme of the book of Leviticus is, "Be holy, because God is holy." Chapter 26, Chapter 26 tells the consequences of either being holy or not being holy.

   Verse 14, Leviticus 26 (Leviticus 26:14): "But if you will not hearken unto me, and will not do all these commandments; and if you shall despise my statutes, or if your soul abhor my judgments, so that you will not do all my commandments, but that you break my covenant: I also will do this unto you; I will even appoint over you terror, consumption, and the burning ague, and he goes on with all these diseases and all these problems.

   Verse 17: "And I will set my face against you, and you shall be slain before your enemies: they that hate you shall reign over you; and you shall flee when none pursues."

   Verse 19: "And I will break the pride of your power; and I will make your heaven as iron, and your earth as brass. And your strength shall be spent in vain."

   God tells us He's going to break the pride of our power. There was a special report in U.S. News & World Report back just a couple of weeks ago, November 27th. The title of it was America's Declining Power. I'd like to read a few excerpts because if you want to see a fulfillment of Leviticus 26:19, here it is:

   "Americans are awakening to the discovery that global power is slipping from this country's grasp. For nearly three decades after World War II, the United States wielded that authority as the world's first atomic and technological superpower, a titan towering over the international economy and politics. No longer. Today, the United States' military supremacy is dwindling. The once almighty dollar is a shrunken image of its former worth, and American know-how seems to offer no escape from chronic inflation and trade deficits, or from bondage to Middle East oil either."

   We used to think of this as a lean, free-enterprise country, or we are becoming second-rate, as Britain did. That's from a man who's a sociologist professor at Columbia University's School of International Affairs. You know, it's interesting—he recognized the parallel between the United States and Britain. We're following the same course they are, and that's right. They rose to prominence first; they lost it first. We followed in Big Brother's footsteps right along the way.

   Our problem? Our problem is a lack of pride in our power. And it goes on reading a little further. This report comes from the magazine's Tokyo Bureau: "It is American willpower, not power itself, that generates the most serious balance to many analysts. The decisive change is not the number of warships or airplanes, but uncertainty about America's response, by the government or a broad public opinion, in a military showdown. Unreliability. America's willpower."

   You know, it's what God says back here in Leviticus 26:19: "I will break the pride of your power." It's not that all our power has been removed from us, but the pride in that power—we're a nation that has lost that. We don't look to God. We don't depend on ourselves. We're headed in a very serious direction.

   God tells us what is going to transpire, what is going to happen. Prophecy focuses in on modern-day America and the British Commonwealth—modern-day Israel.

   Brethren, when we look at the events that are transpiring in this nation and in the English-speaking world, we see these prophecies fulfilled. We see ourselves moving very rapidly toward the condition that God describes as coming upon us. We see ourselves headed toward impending collapse internally under our own weight—the civil disorder, the fact that God says, "The stranger among you shall rise up over you."

   The civil disorder in this country, the upheaval, the factor of different racial and ethnic groups being incited with hatred against each other, you know—this nation contains many, the animosities that the Bible prophecy would be there, and they are, they are. These problems have broken out.

   Our nation has not turned; our nation has not repented. We are guilty of the things that God says He will bring punishment upon us for.

   Now, if you want to focus in on the Middle East—and that is certainly a very important place to focus on at this time—U.S. News had a recent article, back again a few weeks ago, America's Nightmare in Iran, America's Nightmare in Iran.

   You realize that Iran has been the stabilizing factor in the Middle East—that has been the stable factor. Now, if that is stability where you want to look for instability, you know, it is a very important situation and something that I want to comment on a little bit.

   I have stated before, Iran is going to ultimately wind up in the communist orbit. No question of that. Russia is not going to invade Iran right now, and probably the faction that comes to power if the Shah is put out of business is not going to be openly a communist faction to begin with. Chances are it's going to be a very strict, hardline Muslim group. But the point is, instability has set in. Nobody is going to be able to hold the lid on things.

   There are several groups of Russian-trained and inspired communists in the nation, as well as other factions. The opposition to the Shah is united on only one fact: they're against the Shah. They're not united in their program. Therefore, whoever gets control when the Shah is out of business is not going to be able to maintain it.

   Iran consists of several different ethnic groups. The Persian group of people is the ruling class and makes up a sizable percentage but is nowhere near all of the population of Iran. But Iran is prophesied in the Bible to be in the communist bloc, ultimately.

   Ezekiel chapter 38 gives a catalog of Russia and her chief allies as they will ultimately emerge. Now, the description here is a description of something that occurs even after the return of Christ, as far as another attempted invasion of the Middle East several years into the millennium. But it squares up with the same old bunch.

   Ezekiel 38, verse 2 (Ezekiel 38:2): "Son of man, set your face against Gog, the land of Magog." Magog was the father of the Mongolian people—the Mongol peoples, which are the Chinese, Chinese and the Mongolian. "Set your face against the land of Magog, the land of you know the Mongol people, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal."

   Now, they two great branches of the Russian people are the Moscow branch, which takes its name from Meshech, and the Tobolsk branch, which takes its name from Tubal. These are the two branches of the Great Russian people.

   So, it mentions here China, it mentions Russia.

   Coming on down in verse 5: "Persia," which of course is the modern-day nation of Iran. Then it lists Ethiopia and Libya—at least in the King James. Some of the other translations don't render it this way because the words that are translated here are the words Cush and Put.

   Where it reads as "Persia, Cush, and Put," with them, all of them with shield and helmet. Gomer, and his bands; the house of Togarmah of the north quarters.

   Now, Cush and Put here, in this context, refer to India. The people of India are descended either from the northern and southern India or northern India—either from the Cushites or the Putites.

   So this is the group—this is the Asiatic bloc. China, Russia, Iran, India.

   Verse 6: "Gomer," which is basically the area of Indochina— India, I mean not India, but Vietnam and Cambodia. In fact, Cambodia still uses the name Gomer—they spell it Khmer, Khmer Rouge, and they call themselves the Khmer Republic now, which is just an alternate spelling of Gomer, same word. "Togarmah," which is the area up in Siberia.

   So here you have a description here of the Asiatic grouping—the Great Asiatic Eastern combine.

   All right, now if you want to go back to the book of Revelation chapter 9, focusing in on events prior to the return of Christ, in Revelation chapter 9, chapter 8 you have the seventh seal opened, and the seventh seal contains the seven trumpets. And when you come on down to the sixth trumpet, which is the second woe, Revelation 9:13:

   "The sixth angel sounded, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God, saying loose the sixth angel saying to the sixth angel which had the trumpet, 'Loose the four angels which are bound in the great river Euphrates.' And the four angels were loosed, which were prepared for an hour, and a day, and the month, and the year, for to slay the third part of men. And the number of the army of the horsemen were two hundred million."

   There's only one place on the face of the earth where you're going to get an army of 200 million—the combined population of Western Europe, the combined population of Western Europe. You know, the area from which the Beast power will arise is only about 250 to 260 million. There's no way they could put an army of 200 million in the field—that's almost their whole population.

   The same is true for the United States— you know, that's our whole population, an army, there's no way that an army can consist of more than about a world at a, at a maximum, at an absolute maximum, an army. You can't consist of more than about 1/6 of the population. Uh perhaps you could get upwards of close to 20%, but that is a strain beyond capability. Really, closer usually to about 10% or less of a population can be put in the field as an army.

   Here is an army of 200 million. There's only one place on the face of the earth that an army of 200 million people can arise, and that is in Asia. China alone could almost put an army of 200 million in the field, and combined with China and India together, they could do it—the Asiatic combine. That is the only place that an army of 200 million can be put in the field.

   Now, notice that it's told here that you're to loose the four angels which are bound in the great river Euphrates. The Euphrates River being the eastern or western boundary of this combine, and here are four demons—actually, demon spirits—which the angelic realm is very directly connected with the nations of this world. Various Gentile nations have demon spirits over them.

   You can go back in the book of Daniel and read about a demon spirit that was the Prince of Grecia, another demon spirit that was the prince of Persia, Michael, the archangel of God, who was called the prince of Israel. So there is a warfare, while you have warfare on a physical level, that goes back to spiritual battles that are also transpiring, and a lot of times these things are being acted out.

   All right, these angelic beings—these demon spirits—have been held. God has restrained them. They have not been allowed to go beyond the river Euphrates. They have not been allowed to extend their domination there in the Middle Eastern area beyond the river Euphrates. Now, God says, "All right, I'm going to take those controls off, and these demon spirits I have kept bound here, I'm going to turn them loose, and I'm going to let them go and do their dirty work because I know where they're going to go, and I know what they're going to do as soon as they have the opportunity."

   And sure enough, they do. First thing they do—you get an army of 200 million, here it comes. And you can go on back in Revelation.

   Finally, as the seventh trumpet has sounded and the seven vials are poured out, the sixth vial in Revelation 16:12: "The sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared."

   And these three unclean spirits come out to gather them all there in the Middle East, bringing them there to Armageddon, which is the area that the armies converge on and then come down against Jerusalem. The battle is actually fought right outside Jerusalem in the valley of Jehoshaphat.

   But the Euphrates River serves as the western boundary for the Asiatic bloc. Now, the Euphrates River is just to the west of the nation of Iran. For communist domination to extend up to the Euphrates River means that Iran has to be part of the communist orbit. No question about it.

   Iran is a very strategic area. Let me read you a little bit from this U.S. News & World Report article: "The questions being weighed at the White House, behind a heavy curtain of secrecy: first, how to deter the Soviet Union from exploiting turmoil in Iran." Do you think anybody has ever deterred Russia from exploiting turmoil anywhere? When have they ever been deterred from exploiting unrest? Iran borders on Russia. Russia has a lengthy border of several hundred miles with Iran, and we couldn't keep Russia from exploiting unrest in Cuba, which is 90 miles off our shore. You mean to tell me we're going to keep Russia from exploiting unrest in Iran, which is thousands of miles away and borders on them? You've got to be kidding. You know. You've got to be kidding.

   We can't even deter the communists from exploiting unrest in Mexico. We can't deter them from exploiting unrest in Cuba. They've taken it over, you know—they're exploiting unrest all over the place right in our own backyard. We can't keep them from exploiting unrest in our own cities. We had several that were burned to the ground back in the 60s as proof of that. So, we're going to deter them in Iran, are we?

   So, this is the first question. We've already answered that one.

   Okay, second question: "How far should the U.S. go to underwrite stability in the vital Persian Gulf area to protect the most important sources of oil?"

   How far should we go to protect the most important source of oil that there is? Because all the oil from Saudi Arabia virtually has to come through the area of the Persian Gulf, has to come through the Straits of Hormuz, as they are termed. And this is where the Arabian Peninsula and Iran all come together, and the ships—the supertankers—have to come through the Straits of Hormuz. Iran controls those straits. Whoever controls Iran controls the jugular vein of the world's oil. You don't have to control Saudi Arabia—let them produce all they want. If they can't get it out, it doesn't do anybody any good, does it?

   You don't have to be in Saudi Arabia—all you've got to do is control the area right there at the Persian Gulf. So, how far should we go?

   "The compelling need for decisive action is underlined by those shock waves that are already emerging. Iran, the most important bulwark against Soviet expansion southwards to the Indian Ocean, is showing signs of great internal weakness."

   You bet they're showing signs of great internal weakness. You know, we're already evacuating Americans out of there—we know what's happening. "A power vacuum in the strategic Gulf area is taking shape because of growing uncertainty about Iran's ability to act as a stabilizing force."

   We have equipped Iran. Iran has the best army of any place, you know, in the Middle East. We've equipped them. Now, all somebody's got to do is take it over, and they've got an army. They've got weapons, they've got weapons our army, you know, is lacking in. We sold Iran and shortchanged ourselves. We were doing that to keep those cards and letters coming, you know, keep that money pouring in. And now, you know, whoever takes it over, they're going to have it. Real smart we've been.

   "Iran is the key land in a volatile region." It is a major source of free world oil, and it is a pro-Western stabilizing force in the Middle East. That is the nation where Israel buys its oil—the only place in the Middle East that will sell Israel oil is Iran.

   Now, when a strict Muslim group takes over in Iran—which is the group that is set up to kick the Shah out—what do you think is going to happen to Israel? Do you think they're going to keep selling them oil? That's what they wanted.

   See, the Arabs—see, Iran is not an Arab country. Iran is Muslim, but it is not Arab. It was based on the ruling class as Persian. There are Arabs that live in Iran, but the Shah of Iran really is not a very religious individual. He is a pragmatist—you know, if it works, he'll try it. And it has worked to his advantage to sell Israel oil, so he's done it.

   Now, you've got a bunch of religious fanatics in there, and that's the bunch that wants to take over. You know, they've been burning the movie theaters—that's the bunch that burned down the movie theater. You remember all the people that died in the movie theater in Iran? That's the bunch that burned it down because they didn't like it—they don't like movies. Koran is against that.

   So, you're talking about—this is the bunch that's in line to take over Iran. What do you think is going to happen when they turn off the oil? They've got their hands on Israel's jugular vein. Israel can have all the tanks and weapons and airplanes and everything in the world, but what are they going to run them on?

   Now, they've got a big supply, but what do you think Israel is going to do? You don't think that's going to precipitate a crisis in the Middle East? You know what Israel is going to do if Iran cuts off their oil? They're going to look around for the weakest Arab nation that has a big supply of oil, and they're going to invade it, and they're going to take it over. That's what they're going to do. That's the only choice they'll have—they're going to ensure themselves some oil while they've still got some, and they're going to use it to take over a few oil fields.

   We're talking about a crisis in the Middle East.

   The book of Hosea says that Judah is going to suffer a wound. See, when Ephraim saw his sickness, when Judah saw his wound, they both go to the Germans to bail them out. Britain has already gone to Germany. The United States is going to do that.

   Europe is setting up a European currency, a common currency, because they've become disgusted with the dollar. It won't work, see, we've not kept inflation in check, and what we're doing is upsetting their economy. Let's not lose sight of the fact that the Beast Power is an economic combine that arises in Europe. You know, it's a great trading combine, and that is a very important part of it.

   We are upsetting their economy. Now, you let the situation arise in the Middle East—you let Israel be pushed to the point of precipitating a war to gain control of some oil, and you're going to have trouble. Europe is going to wind up—what are the Arabs going to do? The Arabs will figure that they will make the Western world intervene on their behalf. They will push at the King of the North by cutting off his oil. That's what's going to happen. They're going to cut off the oil, trying to make Europe and the Western world force Israel to come to terms.

   Now, the United States is going to be in such a condition internally that we're literally going to collapse under our own weight internally. When that happens, Europe is simply going to have to pick up the pieces. We're going to collapse under our own weight. When that happens, Europe is going to take decisive action because they're going to realize that if they don't, they're going to be in the same boat we are.

   And we're going to have riots that are going to erupt in this country. And we're going to have internal disruption that this country is going to be torn apart because we're internally in much worse condition than they are. When they see that, and the crisis comes, the Catholic Church is going to step into the vacuum, and it is going to give them a cohesive force, and they are going to move into the Middle East like lightning. And they're going to pour in there.

   Now, Israel is going to be wounded. Israel is going to take action that they feel is necessary. They're going to be wounded—they're going to have a wound. The Arabs are going to, in effect, have their hands on the jugular of Israel. Israel is going to ask for help. They're going to invite Europe to please send a peacekeeping force in here and stabilize this thing. Europe is going to move their forces into the Middle East.

   And the Arabs, of course—we're told here in Daniel chapter 11, verse 40 (Daniel 11:40): "And at the time of the end, shall the King of the South push at him." You know, Saudi Arabia is the nation that will be in that position. Iran supplies a major part of Europe's oil, but Saudi Arabia is really the largest. A lot of Iran's oil goes to the east, even to Japan and some of these nations.

   But when the King of the South—and the King of Saudi Arabia is very deeply religious—it is religious convictions that are going to upset the apple cart. Very devout Muslim, and he will not hesitate to use oil as a weapon. If Israel comes in, where is Israel going to go? You know, where can they take?

   They're probably going to have to go into a portion of Saudi Arabia or perhaps into Iraq. But if you look at a map, Saudi Arabia is the logical place for them to go. Logical place for them to expand because Jordan doesn't really have any oil. Syria doesn't have any to amount to anything. So, if they go in that direction, they're not going to get anything. They go south into Saudi Arabia, and they've got a nation that is fairly weak as far as being sparsely populated. You see, they're probably going to say, "Look, you sell us some oil, or else..." And the "or else" is, "We're going to come in and take it away from you."

   They've already pumped the Sinai dry. That's why they're willing to give Sinai back—because they've already pumped it all out. You know, there's hardly enough left for Sadat to get an oil change out of it, as far as what's left in the Sinai.

   So, what do you think Saudi Arabia is going to do? Well, they're just going to turn the pumps off. They're going to be faced with a crisis, and they're going to turn the pumps off.

   "The King of the South shall push at the King of the North, and the King of the North shall come against him like a whirlwind." That's where Europe is going to react. They're going to come like a whirlwind. They're going to come in with a blitzkrieg. They're going to have to do something—they're going to have to do it in a hurry—with chariots, with horsemen, with many ships. "He shall enter into the countries, and shall overflow and pass over. He shall enter also into the glorious land, and many countries shall be overthrown, but these shall escape out of his hand, even Edom, and Moab, and the chief of the children of Ammon." So, the area there of Turkey, Jordan, Iraq, of Syria—you know, they're not going to be interested in that. They're going to come on down further into the Arab world. "He shall stretch forth his hand also upon the countries, and the land of Egypt shall not escape." And he will have power over the treasures of gold and silver and over all the precious things of Egypt, and the Libyans and Ethiopians shall be at his steps.

   That's how far he's going to go. He's going to go down to the border of Ethiopia, down across into North Africa, to Libya.

   "Tidings out of the east and out of the north shall trouble him." What's to the northeast of Jerusalem? Russia, you bet. You know, Russia is like a bear. And Europe will finagle them. Their pretty quick, pretty sharp. They will finagle them and by the time Russia realizes what's happening, their going to find out Europe has troops in the Middle East. They'll have the whole thing occupied, and Russia is not going to like that.

   They're going to wake up overnight and find a completely different alignment in the Middle East. The Jews are going to actually invite them in for protection. The Arabs will have pushed against them, but Germany will have worked it under the table.

   Because "Tidings out of the east and the north shall trouble him, and he shall go with great fury to destroy and utterly make away many." And this is the problem they attack the eastern countries; they think Russia is going to attack them, so they attack Russia first. Russia counterattacks, and you read the rest of the story in Revelation.

   But let's go back to Psalm 83. We find an alliance that is mentioned here:

   Verse 5 (Psalm 83:5): "For they have consulted together with one consent: they are confederate against you." Here is an alliance—here is something that shapes up against the Israelite peoples, including the Jews.

   Verse 6: "The tabernacles of Edom," that is modern-day Turkey, "the Ishmaelites," that is the Arabs, particularly Saudi Arabia, and the other Arabs. "Of Moab," the Hagarenes," which are an Arabian tribe in North Africa. "Gebal," which is the area of Lebanon. "Ammon," which of course would be modern-day Jordan. "Amalek," which again is basically confined in the area of North Africa. "The Philistines which is the Berber people of North Africa with the inhabitants of Tyre," now the modern-day Tyre would refer to Italy. Assur, also is joined with them, Germany is joined in, they have helped the children of Lot."

   So what's going to happen is Germany is going to make an under-the-table deal with the Arabs. They're going to realize that their alternatives they're going to come down there, and they're going to come in a hurry. But they're going to realize that the Arabs could blow up the oil wells. You see, they might take them over, but the Arabs could blow the thing up, and they'd still be disrupted.

   Much simpler to team up against the Jews—there's never been great love lost between the Germans and the Jews anyway. You know, they've proven that before. So it's going to be much simpler for them to make an under-the-table deal with the Arabs and say, "Look, we'll take care of Israel. They come in there and say, "Look they've been invited in by the Jews." They come in—they land in Egypt. Egypt isn't even mentioned here in the confederation. So, Egypt's going to get left out as far as the Arab confederation. The Arabs are all mad at Egypt now because Egypt is trying to make peace with Israel.

   So they're going to move into Egypt—they're going to gain control in that area. Evidently, the area that their headed for, one of the main areas the Germans are going to go for is the area down here, the bottom of the Red Sea where they can control, at least ensure getting some oil from that direction. They're going to make a deal with the Arabs.

   Now, why—you know, you go back to what Christ says in Luke. He says, "When you shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then you shall know that the desolation thereof is near." Let him that is in Jerusalem flee.

   Now, think about that for a little bit. If you've got hostile armies coming at you with bayonets pointed and guns blaring out, and you're surrounded, do you have to be told that the desolation thereof is near? Of course not! What is the likelihood of you following the advice, in that instance, of flee to the mountains? Or the likelihood that you're going to get shot? If one side doesn't get you, the other one will.

   You know, when you're surrounded by hostile armies, you're in an area that is besieged, and you say, "Well, time for me to flee to the mountains," you know, away I go. If one side doesn't get you, the other one will. So the only way that advice makes sense—see Christ is giving His disciples some insight that the others are not going to realize.

   The Jews are going to think their rescuers have come. Christians who are there in that area are told, "Look, you better get out of here because the desolation of this place is near." What they don't realize is these very armies they've invited in are going to put a clamp around them, and once they take over, you're not going to be able to get out. So it's an advanced warning to people who are there.

   And that's why you read in Zechariah that—speaking of Jerusalem—that the nations are gathered there to battle, and half the city goes into captivity. Which half? See, Jerusalem is a divided city—East Jerusalem and West Jerusalem. The eastern part of Jerusalem is the old city—that's where the holy places are. That's the part they're fighting about. That's the part the Arabs controlled up until 1967.

   What's going to happen? That's the half that's going to go into captivity. So that's what Germany is going to do. They're going to take Jerusalem—they're going to internationalize it. They're going to move Jews out of the eastern part of Jerusalem. That's where the Pope is going to move down. So, they're going to come in there—they're going to come in with a blitzkrieg, moving their troops into the Middle Eastern area to ensure their oil supply, having made an undercover deal with the Arabs, and they're actually going to take over Israel.

   And Russia is going to wake up. This thing is going to happen and it's going to be literally a matter of days, after all... How long did it take the Jews to change the map of the Middle East? Remember, they call it the Six-Day War back in 1967. How long do you think—you know who they learned blitzkrieg from, don't you? They learned it from the Germans—they're the ones that invented it. Go back and study the history of World War II. Find out how long it took the Germans to move across Belgium. Find out how long it took them to move across some of these areas, some of these countries.

   Well, they're going to come in there, and before Russia literally knows what's happening, it's going to be done. That's the only way they can do it—just a fait accompli—it's done. And Russia, of course, is not going to like it. Once they see the new configuration that has taken over, and European forces have moved in—European forces, you know, have actually, right prior to that time, come into the United States and the British nations—probably under the guise of NATO troops coming in to help re-establish and restore order, probably invited in by our own government. We see our sickness, we see our problem. You know, it talks about no one goes out to battle against them. That's why we're going to find out we're taken over—we're done for—and don't even know it.

   I'll go into that part at a later time as to some of the ways some of this is going to take place. But what do you see? You see the Middle East shaping up. These events in Iran are significant. Now, it's going to take a little while, but these things are shaping up. Europe is moving along towards European unity, toward a common European currency. Britain has opted out of it, by the way. These things are moving along.

   Brethren, we need to have our eyes focused on them.

   I don't really have time to get into the aspects of the Catholic Church and go further into some of these other things, but let's conclude back in Matthew 24.

   Matthew 24:32: "Now learn a parable of the fig tree; when its branch is yet tender, and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near." We can all tell that. We see that. "So likewise you, when you shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors." Brethren, we are seeing these things.

   "Truly I say unto you, this generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled." All of the events we're talking about, starting with the beginning of these events going back a number of years ago, are going to occur in the lifespan of one generation. From the beginning to the end will be within the lifespan of one generation of people. "This generation will not pass till all these things be fulfilled. Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away."

   Brethren, the leaves are on the fig tree. Summer is near. We had better be awake and alert. The signs of the times in which we're living—the impending collapse of this society, this system—and the beginning of the ushering in of a new world—the world tomorrow.