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"The great day of the LORD is near, it is near, and hasteth greatly, even the voice of the day of the LORD: the mighty man shall cry there bitterly. That day is a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of wasteness and desolation, a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness, a day of the trumpet and alarm against the fenced cities, and against the high towers. And I will bring distress upon men, that they shall walk like blind men, because they have sinned against the LORD: and their blood shall be poured out as dust, and their flesh as the dung. Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of the LORD'S wrath; but the whole land shall be devoured by the fire of His jealousy: for He shall make even a speedy riddance of all them that dwell in the land." Zephaniah 1:14-18
"A day of the Trumpet... From the desk of Jon R. Welker • Shepherdsfield Ministries Thursday, September 13, 2001 The "attack on America" has been reported by secular journalists and leaders as having been planned and executed to be "symbolic." Targets were picked primarily because of their symbolic value – the World Trade Center (the economic center); the Pentagon (the military center); and what has been called "credible evidence" that indicates that the White House and Air Force One were also targets (the political "home" of the President himself!). Therefore, we have our own "credible evidence" as believers in the Messiah of Israel, Jesus, that these tragic events were indeed symbolic and coordinated by "heavenly powers" to SPEAK to us – even trumpet forth God's warning unto this country and the whole earth!
"He answered and said unto them, When it is evening, ye say, It will
be fair weather: for the sky is red. And in the morning, It will be foul
weather to day: for the sky is red and lowring. O ye hypocrites, ye can
discern the face of the sky; but can ye not discern the signs of the times?"
"He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the
churches." With assurance that these things are indeed symbolic, let us continue to scrutinize the "messages" being trumpeted so that we may "hear what the Spirit is saying." (If you have not received a copy of the first article on the events of September 11, 2001 [9-1-1= 911], request a copy from us. It is entitled: When the Towers Fall.)
In my previous article, When the Towers Fall, I quoted
Isaiah 30:25: I also shared various patterns and the Revelation 18 Scriptures referencing the “mourning of the merchants of the earth” over observing the fall of Babylon (Rev. 18:11-13). Babylon was a symbol for those "merchants of the earth" of the world's economic system. The "World Trade Center" truly was a center for our economic system and was in the heart of the economic district of New York City. It was declared: "Babylon is fallen (first tower collapsed), is fallen" (second tower collapsed), both within an hour – see Revelation 18:10, 17 and:
"And they cast dust on their heads, and cried, weeping and wailing,
saying, Alas, alas, that great city, wherein were made rich all that had
ships in the sea by reason of her costliness! for in one hour is she made
desolate." Yes, indeed, SYMBOLIC! • Let us also keep in mind that this "attack" or "act of war" was primarily waged in or from the air (the "heavens").
"For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities,
against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against
spiritual wickedness in high
(or heavenly) places." And what was the intended target? Air (heavens) "Force ONE" (the Alpha) " the Lamb of God" the Number One Force [Power] in Heaven and Earth!
"And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies,
gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against
his army."
"And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with
the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have
the testimony of Jesus Christ."
"And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast:
and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who
is able to make war with him?" Yes indeed, symbolic! And, do we need much help to understand the "symbology" of the "White House" wherein dwells the "Chief Executive Officer (President)" of the world's great superpower?! Who dwells upon the Great White Throne (symbolic of ruling power)?
"And I saw a great white throne, and Him that sat on it, from Whose
face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place
for them." • 911 = September (9) 11, 2001!
"For the people shall dwell in Zion at Jerusalem: thou shalt weep
no more: He will be very gracious unto thee at the voice of thy cry; when
He shall hear it, He will answer thee."
(911 – cry for help.)
"Then shall ye call upon Me, and ye shall go and pray unto Me, and
I will hearken unto you. And ye shall seek Me, and find Me, when ye shall
search for Me with all your heart. And I will be found of you, saith the
LORD."
But let us also look to the direction God’s Word declares as the
place to receive help and protection in time of emergency — Psalm
91:1 (9-1-1): Now
the words of Jesus: But for those familiar with God's Word, we find an identification (or revealing – revelation) as to who is behind this destructive event.
"And they had a king over them, which is the angel of the bottomless
pit, whose name in the Hebrew tongue is Abaddon
(destruction), but in the Greek tongue hath his name
Apollyon
(Destroyer)."
"And they had tails like unto scorpions, and there were stings in
their tails: and their power was to hurt men five months." "Their power was to hurt men 5 months"! Again we see the emphasis on the number 5! Pentagon (5 sides, 5 concentric "rings," 5-acre court, and 5 stories, etc.). Are we being given to understand that we can also look to these next 5 months to be especially "ruled over" by the "king of the bottomless pit” who is to be revealed (Revelation) approximately one month before the translation of the Bride before Passover?
"Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come,
except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed,
the son of perdition; who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that
is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the
temple of God, shewing himself that he is God." Five months takes us into February, 2002, with Nisan 10 and Passover (the 14th) one month later. Though there are various chapters in the Bible that include the 9-1-1 sequence, only the Book of Revelation holds the key to the unveiling or revealing (Revelation) of God's end-time message. It opens up our minds to more revealing.
"The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto Him, to shew
unto His servants things which must shortly come to pass." • The "attack on America" was perpetrated by either Islamic and/or Arab people and groups. These are the offspring of Ishmael.
"And the angel of the LORD said unto her, Behold, thou art with child,
and shalt bear a son, and shalt call his name Ishmael; because the LORD
hath heard thy affliction. And he will be a wild man; his hand will be
against every man, and every man’s hand against him; and he shall
dwell in the presence of all his brethren."
"His shall be a nature none can tame: hating all and hated by all." The Lord uses others as instruments of His judgment. For example:
"O Assyrian, the rod of mine anger, and the staff in their hand is
mine indignation." Was this event "symbolic"? And how!! God is using the "sons of Ishmael" as instruments of judgment upon the (former) nations of Christendom. • Let us probe for "symbolism" of the great amounts of dust which have been repeatedly mentioned, especially with reference to the World Trade Center. In our book entitled Prophecies for Our Time #2, by Leland Earls, and its section dealing with the 3rd "plague" which came upon Egypt during the days of Moses, the following statements are made:
Now observe, that suddenly a third plague came upon Egypt without warning (Ex. 8:16). Aaron stretched forth his rod and smote the dust of the earth. Out of the dust came forth lice upon man and upon beast. This shows the mysterious diseases and affliction which will come upon the inhabitants of the earth because of their lawless and godless ways. Again it is the stretching forth of the rod, the preaching of the word of truth which is shunned and rejected, that causes judgment to fall. Doctors will not be able to cope with the situation, as unprecedented maladies attack both men and animals. This is the meaning of the statement that the magicians of Egypt tried to bring forth lice but were unable to do so (Ex. 8:18) . All the serums devised by the "wise men" of the time will produce no inoculation. Many men of the medical profession will frankly admit the need of turning to God for an answer, even as the magicians of Egypt said "this is the finger of God" (Ex. 8:19). During the two preceding plagues, the magicians of Egypt were able to produce similar things with their enchantments (Ex. 7:22, 8:7) . This means that the ‘wise men’ of the latter day will have a measure of success in dealing with the first two plagues: the emotional violence leading to bloodshed, and the multitudinous "croaking" of conflicting interests. They will employ their "enchantments" of psychology, psychiatry, mental health, pacification, wonder drugs, shock treatments, social therapy and clinics. By these measures they will be able to help maintain a measure of immunization from the effects of plagues one and two. But when the third plague strikes with increasing ferocity, and multitudes of humans and animals are affected by diverse maladies, the "wise men" of medicine will soon find that their methods of treatment are not getting results. Many will say, "only God can intervene and save much life from perishing." The dust in Exodus 8:16 linked with "mysterious diseases upon man and beast." Because of the prophecy in Matthew 24:7, we have for years warned about the potential of great epidemics of various diseases, as well as maladies associated with chemical weapons of mass destruction.
"For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom:
and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers
places. All these are the beginning of sorrows." And here let me quote from an article published on Newsmax.com, September 12, 2001 which was entitled” "Warning: More Attacks, Use of Weapons of Mass Destruction, Possible" and attributed to Col. Stanislav Lunev (the highest ranking military officer ever to defect from Russia), who now serves as a consultant to the CIA, the FBI and the Defense Intelligence Agency:
Symbolism in "dust"? You bet!
"And when he had opened the seventh seal, there was silence
in heaven about the space of half an hour." It is intriguing that as a result of the “aerial attack” on America, all non-military and non-essential aircraft were grounded for the first time in our history. Again, with symbolism as the backdrop, we should pause to consider that the most powerful nation of the world had to "silence the heavens." It is only in the last day that limited flights have been permitted. But what may be the "message" of the Spirit for us to "hear" which was given in this development? Read the next several verses of Revelation 8, and you will see that they link with the 7 angels sent forth to trumpet their judgments! Also, there is mention of the "prayers of the saints," drawing our attention to the need for much prayer. "He that hath an ear, let him hear." Symbolic? You guessed it! Number symbolism? Already I have written of the 5’s and God’s judgment and grace (see the first article in this "series," entitled When the Towers Fall). I will here just briefly include some "intriguing" numbers. You are obviously free to "chuckle" at these speculations. But, then again, are you sure that there is not some symbolism herein?
11 622 -:- 5.625 = 110 (# of floors in World Trade Towers) In the first calculation, you can see that the total of the flight numbers adds up to the exact number of days from Rosh Hashanah last year to the date Rosh Hashanah will be observed this year. When adding to that the total reported number of people killed on those flights, we get 622. That number is divided by the volume of the Mercy Seat, which was located in the Holy of Holies in the Wilderness Tabernacle, and equates to the exact number of floors in the World Trade Towers! 622 In the second calculation we take that figure of 622 and add the remaining days of this year, then add to that the number of days until Nisan 10 next year. That total is then divided by the same volume number and you can see the result!
"And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with
Him an hundred forty and four thousand, having His Father’s Name
written in their foreheads. And I heard a voice from heaven, as the voice
of many waters, and as the voice of a great thunder: and I heard the voice
of harpers harping with their harps: and they sung as it were a new song
before the throne, and before the four beasts, and the elders: and no
man could learn that song but the hundred and forty and four thousand,
which were redeemed from the earth. These are they which were not defiled
with women; for they are virgins. These are they which follow the Lamb
whithersoever He goeth. These were redeemed from among men, being the
firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb." Are you watching?
"I have also spoken by the prophets, and I have multiplied visions,
and used similitudes, by the ministry of the prophets." Do you have "ears to hear what the Spirit is saying"?
"He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to
know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given." "And He said unto them, Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God: but unto them that are without, all these things are done in parables; that seeing they may see, and not perceive; and hearing they may hear, and not understand; lest at any time they should be converted, and their sins should be forgiven them [even as the Journalists are seeing and saying that these things are symbolic, they still do not see and do not hear in a way that will cause them to "see, convert and be forgiven"]."
"And He said unto them, Know ye not this parable? and how then will
ye know all parables?"
"And He said, Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom
of God: but to others in parables; that seeing they might not see, and
hearing they might not understand." Symbolism? Yes – and revealed to the servants of God.
"Surely the Lord GOD will do nothing, but He revealeth His secret
unto His servants the prophets." • Now unto you who do have ears to hear, start looking at some of the “911” passages, but remember: the key is the Book of Revelation! In Ezekiel's 9th chapter we read about the slaughter of the idolators, and the account ends with verse 11: "And, behold, the man clothed with linen, which had the inkhorn by his side, reported the matter, saying, I have done as thou hast commanded me." The book of Ezekiel has been referred to as the Old Testament equivalent of the Book of Revelation. Here are a few more:
"Yea, all Israel have transgressed Thy law, even by departing, that
they might not obey Thy Voice; therefore the curse is poured upon us,
and the oath that is written in the law of Moses the servant of God, because
we have sinned against him." The prophet Daniel was given prophecies that would be understood at the end:
"But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to
the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be
increased."
"And I will make Jerusalem heaps, and a den of dragons; and I will
make the cities of Judah desolate, without an inhabitant." Jeremiah was the Prophet who prophesied about Babylon, its fall, Israel's captivity therein, and the need for God's people to "flee" from her midst:
Deoram Bholan has told us that if we only had the Book of Genesis, we would know the whole plan of God, hence:
"And I will establish My covenant with you; neither shall all flesh
be cut off any more by the waters of a flood; neither shall there any
more be a flood to destroy the earth." This Scripture relates to the first great worldwide judgment by God and thereby through extension tells of the final destruction at the end of the age as not being brought about by the flood waters, but by fire. And from the Beloved Apostle, John, who is also called the "revelator" (the Apostle to whom the revelation of Jesus Christ was given [Rev. 1:1] ):
"He answered and said, A man that is called Jesus made clay, and
anointed mine eyes, and said unto me, Go to the pool of Siloam
(bringing to mind the fall of the tower there), and
wash: and I went and washed, and I received sight."
"Or those eighteen, upon whom the tower in Siloam fell, and slew
them, think ye that they were sinners above all men that dwelt in Jerusalem?
I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish." Do you see the symbolic content of these Scriptures?
"I counsel thee to ...anoint thine eyes with
eyesalve, that thou mayest see."
"And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift
up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh." Keep Watching – and Pray Always,
that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall
come to pass, and to stand before the * * * Questions? Call or write for information regarding these "last days" in which we live. Shepherdsfield Publishers 777 Shepherdsfield Road • Fulton, Missouri 65251 (573) 642-1439 |