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The Final Frontier
Will America Play A Key Role In
End-Time Prophecy?
Many end-time teachers and theologians believe that America is named among the nations that will play a major role in the time leading up to the return of Jesus Christ. They have used several analogies along with certain hand-picked scriptures to justify their claims. Several of them assume that because of America’s influence, power and prowess in the world today, that it will be one of the most likely countries to play a key role in end-time prophecy. Others consider that America will be a part of this final prophecy because of her role as “the bible belt of the world”. These analogies seem logical but a careful and methodical study of the bible and world history may reveal things that we have never considered. In order to know where America stands in end-time prophecy we must pay close attention to the scriptures. According to Ezekiel 38, there is no indication of the region of the Americas or western hemisphere in the final days of the end-time; only most of the countries of the eastern hemisphere are mentioned.
Ezekiel 38 & 39
Gog and Allies Attack Israel1 Now the word of the LORD came to me, saying, 2 “Son of man, set your face against Gog, of the land of Magog, the prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal, and prophesy against him, 3 and say, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “Behold, I am against you, O Gog, the prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal. 4 I will turn you around, put hooks into your jaws, and lead you out, with all your army, horses, and horsemen, all splendidly clothed, a great company with bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords. 5 Persia, Ethiopia, and Libya are with them, all of them with shield and helmet; 6 Gomer and all its troops; the house of Togarmah from the far north and all its troops—many people are with you. 7“Prepare yourself and be ready, you and all your companies that are gathered about you; and be a guard for them. 8 After many days you will be visited. In the latter years you will come into the land of those brought back from the sword and gathered from many people on the mountains of Israel, which had long been desolate; they were brought out of the nations, and now all of them dwell safely. 9 You will ascend, coming like a storm, covering the land like a cloud, you and all your troops and many peoples with you.”…10 “‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: On that day thoughts will come into your mind and you will devise an evil scheme. 11 You will say, “I will invade a land of un-walled villages; I will attack a peaceful and unsuspecting people—all of them living without walls and without gates and bars. 12 I will plunder and loot and turn my hand against the resettled ruins and the people gathered from the nations, rich in livestock and goods, living at the center of the land.” 13 Sheba and Dedan and the merchants of Tarshish and all her villages will say to you, “Have you come to plunder? Have you gathered your hordes to loot, to carry off silver and gold, to take away livestock and goods and to seize much plunder?”’Ezekiel 391 “Son of man, prophesy against Gog and say: ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: I am against you, Gog, chief prince of] Meshek and Tubal. 2 I will turn you around and drag you along. I will bring you from the far north and send you against the mountains of Israel. 3 Then I will strike your bow from your left hand and make your arrows drop from your right hand. 4 On the mountains of Israel you will fall, you and all your troops and the nations with you. I will give you as food to all kinds of carrion birds and to the wild animals. 5 You will fall in the open field, for I have spoken, declares the Sovereign LORD. 6 I will send fire on Magog and on those who live in safety in the coast lands, and they will know that I am the LORD. 7 I will make known my holy name among my people Israel. I will no longer let my holy name be profaned, and the nations will know that I the LORD am the Holy One in Israel. 8 It is coming! It will surely take place, declares the Sovereign LORD. This is the day I have spoken of…
Based on the above passage of scripture, this prophecy indicates the presence of Europe, Asia, the Middle East and Africa. These are the countries and regions that will be involved in the final assault against Israel. America will either have joined them, be powerless, or completely off the scene.In addition, history tells us that Noah’s Ark was said to have landed on Mount Ararat, located in Eastern Turkey on the borders of Iran, Armenia (formerly U.S.S.R.), and Nakchivan. A literal interpretation of Genesis 10 suggests that the present population of the world was descended from Noah's three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth, and their wives. These sons of Noah correspond to three groups of peoples; European, Semitic, and African. Traditionally, Japheth has been believed by some to be the progenitor of the peoples of Europe and Asia. Thus the word "Japhetic" came to be used as a synonym for Europeans and Asians. The sons of Japheth are Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Meshech and Tiras. Togarmah is the third son of Gomer and grandson of Japheth. The world was believed to have been divided into three large-scale racial groupings. The Japhetic peoples of Europe and Asia, the Semitic peoples of the Middle-east which include Arabs and Israelites, and the Hamitic peoples associated with the Africans. The ma- at the beginning of Magog may indicate a land, or it may mean "from", so that Magog means "of the land of Gog" or "from Gog". Thus, the descendants of Japheth dwelled in the land of Gog. History also tells us that apart from the native Indians, most Americans migrated from Europe of which during the years of the great migration, about 75% of them were Germans. The Germans are also believed to be the descendants of Gomer. This suggests that all of Europe and Asia, and some parts of the Middle East and Africa will form an alliance against Israel. In this present world, it is becoming more increasingly difficult to tell who descended from whom. I must also add that the Israel we know today is not quite accurately all of whom the Bible spoke of. In Revelations chapters 2 & 3, verse 9, Jesus said that He will come against all those who call themselves Jews and are not. We could only assume but only God knows. God said that He will deliver Israel Himself. He did not ask for any help, and no man, country or nation will be able to take any credit (Ezekiel 39). Therefore, the main characters will be the descendants of Japheth, which are the Europeans and Asians, followed by Persia (Indo-European tribes), and the descendants of 2 sons of Ham (Cush and Phut) from Africa (some Historians suggest Ethiopia and Libya). As I read through Revelations chapters 8-10 prayerfully, carefully and thoughtfully, I gathered new insight on the subject of the main end-time characters. Nevertheless, however it is viewed or interpreted, we all still have to be prepared to meet God because we do not know when and how we will part this earth, whether individually or collectively.
Let us first read Revelations 6:9-11 about the 5th of the 7th seals, before we discuss chapters 8-10, so that we could bring a little more clarity to this discussion.
Fifth Seal: The Cry of the Martyrs
Revelations 6:9-11
9 When He opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the testimony which they held. 10 And they cried with a loud voice, saying, “How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” 11 Then a white robe was given to each of them; and it was said to them that they should rest a little while longer, until both the number of their fellow servants and their brethren, who would be killed as they were, was completed.
The Proclamation Of The Destruction Of The Earth
Revelation 8
Seventh Seal: Prelude to the Seven Trumpets
1 When He opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. 2 And I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and to them were given seven trumpets. 3 Then another angel, having a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense that he should offer it with the prayers of all the saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne. 4 And the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, ascended before God from the angel’s hand. 5 Then the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar, and threw it to the earth. And there were noises, thundering, lightning, and an earthquake. 6 So the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound.
First Trumpet: Vegetation Struck
7 The first angel sounded: And hail and fire followed, mingled with blood, and they were thrown to the earth. And a third of the trees were burned up, and all green grass was burned up.
Second Trumpet: The Seas Struck
8 Then the second angel sounded:and something like a great mountain burning with fire was thrown into the sea, and a third of the sea became blood. 9 And a third of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed.
Third Trumpet: The Waters Struck
10 Then the third angel sounded: And a great star fell from heaven, burning like a torch, and it fell on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water. 11 The name of the star is Wormwood. A third of the waters became wormwood, and many men died from the water, because it was made bitter.
Fourth Trumpet: The Heavens Struck
12 Then the fourth angel sounded: And a third of the sun was struck, a third of the moon, and a third of the stars, so that a third of them were darkened. A third of the day did not shine, and likewise the night. 13 And I looked, and I heard an angel flying through the midst of heaven, saying with a loud voice, “Woe, woe, woe to the inhabitants of the earth, because of the remaining blasts of the trumpet of the three angels who are about to sound!”
Fifth Trumpet: The Locusts from the Bottomless Pit
Revelation 9
1 Then the fifth angel sounded: And I saw a star fallen from heaven to the earth. To him was given the key to the bottomless pit. 2 And he opened the bottomless pit, and smoke arose out of the pit like the smoke of a great furnace. So the sun and the air were darkened because of the smoke of the pit. 3 Then out of the smoke locusts came upon the earth. And to them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power. 4 They were commanded not to harm the grass of the earth, or any green thing, or any tree, but only those men who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads. 5 And they were not given authority to kill them, but to torment them for five months. Their torment was like the torment of a scorpion when it strikes a man. 6 In those days men will seek death and will not find it; they will desire to die, and death will flee from them. 7 The shape of the locusts was like horses prepared for battle. On their heads were crowns of something like gold, and their faces were like the faces of men. 8 They had hair like women’s hair, and their teeth were like lions’ teeth. 9 And they had breastplates like breastplates of iron, and the sound of their wings was like the sound of chariots with many horses running into battle. 10 They had tails like scorpions, and there were stings in their tails. Their power was to hurt men five months. 11 And they had as king over them the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in Hebrew is Abaddon, but in Greek he has the name Apollyon. 12 One woe is past. Behold, still two more woes are coming after these things.
Sixth Trumpet: The Angels from the Euphrates
13 Then the sixth angel sounded: And I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God, 14 saying to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, “Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates.” 15 So the four angels, who had been prepared for the hour and day and month and year, were released to kill a third of mankind. 16 Now the number of the army of the horsemen was two hundred million; I heard the number of them. 17 And thus I saw the horses in the vision: those who sat on them had breastplates of fiery red, hyacinth blue, and sulfur yellow; and the heads of the horses were like the heads of lions; and out of their mouths came fire, smoke, and brimstone. 18 By these three plagues a third of mankind was killed—by the fire and the smoke and the brimstone which came out of their mouths. 19 For their power is in their mouth and in their tails; for their tails are like serpents, having heads; and with them they do harm. 20 But the rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands, that they should not worship demons, and idols of gold, silver, brass, stone, and wood, which can neither see nor hear nor walk. 21 And they did not repent of their murders or their sorceries or their sexual immorality or their thefts.
Seventh Trumpet: The Kingdom Proclaimed
Revelation 11
15 Then the seventh angel sounded: And there were loud voices in heaven, saying, “The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!” 16 And the twenty-four elders who sat before God on their thrones fell on their faces and worshiped God, 17 saying:“We give You thanks, O Lord God Almighty, The One who is and who was and who is to come, because You have taken Your great power and reigned.18 The nations were angry, and Your wrath has come,And the time of the dead, that they should be judged,And that You should reward Your servants the prophets and the saints,And those who fear Your name, small and great,And should destroy those who destroy the earth.”19 Then the temple of God was opened in heaven, and the ark of His covenant[h] was seen in His temple. And there were lightnings, noises, thunderings, an earthquake, and great hail.
Please note that all the destructions mentioned were sectioned in thirds. What caught my attention was in Revelations 8: 12 were John stated that when the 4th trumpet was sounded, one third of the sun, moon and stars will be in darkness. Logically, this means that there is a possibility that one third of the earth could be seriously debilitated. When the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 6th trumpets were sounded, one third of the vegetation, sea life and mankind were destroyed. That indicated that there will be little or no life on one third of the earth. We do not know when these destructions will occur; not even their sequences, but they will happen. We do not know if the rapture will take place before, during, or after these occurrences. According to research, the total surface area of the Earth is 196,939,000 square miles. 29 percent land, 71 percent water. The Earth's total land mass is 57,511,026.002 square miles. North America (including Greenland etc) covers an area of about 9,450,000 sq miles. So, North America is about 16.4% of the Earth's land mass. South America and the Caribbean cover almost 16.5% of Earth's land area. This means that the Western hemisphere, which consists of Greenland, North America, Central America, the Caribbean and South America, make up approximately 33% or about 1/3 of the Earth’s total land mass.
In the wake of all the recent disasters and potential disasters, these facts should not be overlooked. Countries all over world have been devastated by Tsunamis, earthquakes, wars, fires, ice, snow and sand storms, mud slides, floods, oil spills, hurricanes, tornadoes, volcanoes, droughts, famines, etc. They have been subjected to the wrath of nature’s unruly and uncontrollable elements without ample warnings.
According to the US Geological Survey, 39 out of the 50 American states are vulnerable to seismic activity of some degree. Fault lines play a significant role when it comes to identification of the regions vulnerable to seismic activities. Therefore, the Western Hemisphere could be the 1/3 that will be subject to the initial destruction heralded by the 7 trumpets. The final destruction follows the pronouncement of the 7 bowls of wrath found in Revelations chapters 16 & 17 for the rest of the world. The rest of the world would be Europe, Asia, the Middle East and Africa. Christ has given us all ample warnings so that we could stay alert and be always ready to meet Him. There will be no more additional signs and warnings. God gave us what He wanted us to know.
Luke 21:10-11, 28
10 Then He said to them: “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. 11 There will be great earthquakes, famines and pestilences in various places, and fearful events and great signs from heaven.28 When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”
Jesus also said in Mathew 24:14, that after the gospel is preached to all nations, and then will the end come. I am certain that the gospel has been preached throughout most of this western hemisphere and Europe, but not throughout Asia, Middle East and Africa which are dominated by Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, and other eastern religions. There is at this time what I might call a “Jonah Syndrome” against Muslims that exists largely among Christians. Jonah wanted the Ninevites to be destroyed because he thought they were too wicked and did not deserve God’s grace and mercy (Jonah chapters 1-4). We were not called to condemn men and other religions, but to show them a better way, which is the precious love of Almighty God for all His creation. We were not called to trample upon God's harvest but to reap it. This attitude angers God because it undermines His redemption plan for all mankind. We were called to reach the world for Him without partiality because Jesus sacrificed His life for all mankind and has become the answer to all of the problems of all nations.
Matthew 24:13-22
13 But he who endures to the end shall be saved. 14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come. 15 “Therefore when you see the ‘abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place” (whoever reads, let him understand), 16 “then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. 17 Let him who is on the housetop not go down to take anything out of his house. 18 And let him who is in the field not go back to get his clothes. 19 But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! 20 And pray that your flight may not be in winter or on the Sabbath. 21 For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be. 22 And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect’s sake those days will be shortened.
2 Peter 3:9-11
9 The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is long-suffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. 10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up. 11 Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness?
1 Thessalonians 5:2-42
For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night. 3 For when they say, “Peace and safety!” then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape. 4 But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief.End-time prophesies and the outcomes cannot be engineered, changed, or stopped by man; they cannot be “prayed” away; they are the work of God for reasons we cannot fully understand at this moment.
If God said that they will happen, they will happen. (Ezekiel 39)Many rich people, who sense the coming series catastrophic events in this world, are purchasing abandoned missile silos and underground bomb shelters to convert them into living quarters and food pantries in order to protect themselves from what is to come.
Revelation 6:15-17
15 And the kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, the commanders, the mighty men, every slave and every free man, hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains, 16 and said to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us (cover us) and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! 17 For the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand?”
No one knows the day or the hour. Jesus said that He will come at a time when we do not expect Him.
Luke 12:39-40
39 But know this that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into. 40 Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.”
Let us read what Peter had to say about that.
2 Peter 3: 9-13
9 The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is long-suffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. 10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up. 11 Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, 12 looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat? 13 Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.
Let us be ready