We are witnessing war in the heavens right now. Scripture says the nations and the kings of the earth (great leaders) plot and take counsel together against the LORD and against His Anointed saying “Let us break Their bonds in pieces and cast away Their cords (that bind) from us”. From the time God said, “Let us make man in Our image”, Satan has been at war with mankind because he is at war with God. As we approach the end of time, Satan is moving with great vengeance against any in mankind that honor and cling to God.

This is represented in the heavens by the constellation Ophiuchus who is struggling with the great Serpent to keep him from gaining the crown Corona Borealis, the Crown of Life.

The last great nation on Satan’s list is the United States. It was founded in prayer and by those seeking God on earth, the Pilgrims and the Puritans. And through its history, although there have been ups and downs, it has stood for God and His Biblical principles. When Elijah complained to God that he was the last prophet remaining alive, God replied, “I have reserved for Myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal.”  so there have always been a remnant in America that remained true to God. Their confession has echoed that of King David –

“The LORD is righteous in all His ways, Gracious in all His works. The LORD is near to all who call upon Him, to all who call upon Him in truth. He will fulfill the desire of those who fear Him; He also will hear their cry and save them. The LORD preserves all who love Him, but all the wicked He will destroy.” – Psalm 145:17-20

It would be good for all of us to listen to these words more closely: ‘The LORD is near to all . . . who call upon Him in truth.’ Paul wrote that the coming of the Lawless one would be with “lying wonders” and we are certainly witnessing the work of the lawless one among us. Everything the current Whitehouse utters to the public is a lie. There is no truth in most government organizations such as the FBI and the DOJ, whose leadership is filled with wicked people. Most of our colleges have given way to the lies of the LGBTQIA+ crowd and now even the public education schools are teaching the lies of CRT (Critical Race Theory). And there is certainly no truth in most of our so-called news media which has become nothing more than a propaganda machine for the ‘lawless one’. Social media has been taken over by those espousing doctrines of the ‘lawless one’.

But what is far worse is the succumbing of the American Church to these same lies. The Church was intended to proclaim God’s truth to the nations but all too often today’s churches are proclaiming a message crafted to attract people of the world and leave them in the condition in which they were found! Many churches today propagate the false teaching of evolution, or they put up with it by their silence. Many have embraced the homosexual lifestyle, and some have even appointed homosexual preachers and bishops to stand in the pulpit. Many have appointed women to be pastors when the word of God strictly forbids it. I recently listened to a Black Pastor from New York who was expelled from the American Baptist Church for saying the Barrack Obama was not a black man (because he has a white mother) and for saying that the homosexual lifestyle is unbiblical! Some churches are even proclaiming Jesus is not the only way to God! It is called the doctrine of Chrislam. Muslims and Jews are said to have their own way to God.

Let me speak more about the war that is going on in the heavens. Toward the end of the Book of Isaiah, he writes a word, cloaked in mystery yet laden with promise –

“So shall they fear The name of the LORD from the west, And His glory from the rising of the sun; When the enemy comes in like a flood, The Spirit of the LORD will lift up a standard against him.” – Isa. 59:19

In the verses before this, we see why “they shall fear the Lord” as He puts on garments of “vengeance for clothing” and fully repays His adversaries for their deeds. They fear Him from the west and His glory is seen from the east, in other words, all the earth shall witness His coming with vengeance. Yet this fearful display will be seen as salvation and righteousness at the same time. What can these verses mean?

I would like to offer an explanation. A key is in the phrase “When the enemy comes in like a flood.” To explain this we have to go to the Book of Revelation, chapter 12. Here we see a heavenly vision of a woman clothed with the Sun and the Moon under her feet, having a crown of 12 stars. This is clearly a picture of the nation of Israel. She is about to have a Man child and the Devil is standing before her to kill Him but, He is caught up to heaven before the Devil can kill Him. So, the Devil goes after the Woman but, she is given two wings of a great eagle to carry her into the wilderness where she is nourished for 3½ years. So, the serpent (the Devil) “spewed water out of his mouth like a flood” after the woman that he might carry her away in the flood. Later in Revelation the waters are described as “peoples, multitudes, nations, and tongues.” But the earth helped the Woman by swallowing up the flood.

This passage is explaining an end-time scenario which takes place during the last 3½ years just after the Devil loses his war in the heavens and is thrown down to the earth. Satan has lost his place in the heavenlies but, he still has a chance to defeat God if he can just keep the nation of Israel from accepting Jesus, the Son of Man, as their Messiah, thus proving the word of God false, which says –

“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of you shall come forth to Me the One to be Ruler in Israel, whose goings forth are from of old, From everlasting.” – Micah 5:2

Therefore, He shall give them up, Until the time that she who is in labor has given birth; Then the remnant of His brethren Shall return to the children of Israel. And He shall stand and feed His flock in the strength of the LORD, In the majesty of the name of the LORD His God; And they shall abide, for now He shall be great to the ends of the earth; And this One shall be peace.” – Micah 5:3-5

Jesus is meant to be Ruler in Israel but, because they rejected Him, they were broken off like an olive branch that didn’t bear fruit and have been “given up” for almost 2000 years, but Paul writes that they shall be grafted back into the root, which is Jesus. The time of their grafting back in is at hand, and the Devil knows it, so he attempts to destroy Israel before they can accept Jesus as the Messiah.

So, Israel is driven into the wilderness by Satan in his attempt to destroy her. But where is this wilderness? Again, we turn to the prophet Micah for the answer –

“I will surely assemble all of you, O Jacob, I will surely gather the remnant of Israel; I will put them together like sheep of the fold, (Heb. Bozrah) like a flock in the midst of their pasture; They shall make a loud noise because of so many people. The one who breaks open will come up before them; They will break out, pass through the gate, and go out by it; Their king will pass before them, With the LORD at their head.” – Micah 2:12, 13

 They will be gathered in the Sheepfolds of Bozrah which is located in Edom, south of the Dead Sea. This is the same ‘wilderness’ they traveled through when fleeing the Egyptians under Moses. There God will protect them for 3½ years from the wrath of the Devil and his Antichrist. Here traditionally the shepherds would close in their sheep for the night in rock pens and come in the morning to break open the rock enclosures and lead the sheep out to their pastures. All the remnant of Israel will closed in for their safety. They will go in as Jacob but, they will come out as Israel, which means Prince with God. I believe this will be the time when the veil is removed from their eyes so they can see Jesus as their Messiah.

The prophet Isaiah also has much to say about this closing act of the age.

“For My sword shall be bathed in heaven; Indeed it shall come down on Edom (Jer. 49:22), And on the people of My curse, for judgment. The sword of the LORD is filled with blood, It is made overflowing with fatness, With the blood of lambs and goats, With the fat of the kidneys of rams. For the LORD has a sacrifice in Bozrah, And a great slaughter in the land of Edom. … For it is the day of the LORD’s vengeance, The year of recompense for the cause of Zion.” – Isa. 34:5-8

And –

“Who is this who comes from Edom, With dyed garments from Bozrah, This One who is glorious in His apparel, Traveling in the greatness of His strength?— “I who speak in righteousness, mighty to save.” Why is Your apparel red, And Your garments like one who treads in the winepress? “I have trodden the winepress alone, And from the peoples no one was with Me. For I have trodden them in My anger, And trampled them in My fury; Their blood is sprinkled upon My garments, And I have stained all My robes.” For the day of vengeance is in My heart, And the year of My redeemed has come.” – Isa. 63:1-4

In the Book of Revelation as this age closes, John sees heaven opened and the Lord comes out riding on a white horse –

“Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war. His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns. He had a name written that no one knew except Himself. He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses. Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.” – Rev. 19:11-16

As Jesus rides to meet the Antichrist and his armies gathered at Armageddon, He has already been to Bozrah to deliver His people Israel for His garments are dipped in blood. And so, the armies of heaven includes those Israelites and the Church for they are clothed in linen, white and clean which represents the righteousness of the saints (Rev. 19:8).

One thing I forgot to mention. Come back with me to Revelation chapter 12. When Israel escapes into the wilderness and the Devil can no longer reach her, in his rage he turns on those who have benefited from the historical testimony given out of Israel – those who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.

“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.” – Rev. 12:17

Today, we call that group of people – Christians. Yes, we too will face the wrath of the Devil and his Antichrist but, if we endure to the end, we also will be rescued by the rapture. so, I say Maranatha – come Lord Jesus!

Maranatha ( 1 Corinthians 16:22 ) consists of two Aramean words, Maran’athah, meaning, “our Lord comes,” or is “coming.” If the latter interpretation is adopted, the meaning of the phrase is, “Our Lord is coming, and he will judge those who have set him at nought.”

A final word to the Church in America. The last book of the Old Testament which speaks about the end times, explains what the priesthood (pastors) should be modeled after and that is Levi of the Old Testament. God says of Levi that “he feared Me and was reverent before My name. The law of truth was in his mouth, and injustice was not found on his lips.” The law of truth was in his mouth means he didn’t speak lies and he proclaimed God’s truth to his people and to the nation. He wasn’t after pleasing the people, white washing their sins but he proclaimed God’s truth! God says a pastor is “the messenger of the LORD of hosts!” (Mal. 2:7). He is not a hireling of the people, or his denominational headquarters! And injustice was not found on his lips means that a pastor is to speak against every injustice he sees and do it from the pulpit. That means every pastor in today’s churches ought to be speaking against the Democrat Party for their stand on abortion, Critical Race Theory, LGBTQIA+ lifestyle, and many in the Republican Party as well!

The Psalmist also wrote that God would fulfill the desire of those who fear Him. The fear of the Lord is not a subject talked about much in the modern church but, the Leader of our faith had much to say about it.

“And I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear Him who, after He has killed, has power to cast into hell; yes, I say to you, fear Him!” – Luke 12:4-5

The Apostle’s Doctrine, in which all the early church was instructed also says much about the fear of the Lord. Peter wrote –

“And if you call on the Father, who without partiality judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves throughout the time of your stay here in fear; knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.” – 1 Peter 1:17-19

Jesus warned us about hell and Peter warns us that we will all face judgement and our works will be examined! This knowledge should cause all of us to join King David in praying –

“Cause me to hear Your loving kindness in the morning, for in You do I trust. Cause me to know the way in which I should walk, for I lift up my soul to You. . .. Teach me to do Your will, for You are my God, Your Spirit if good. Lead me in the land of uprightness.” – Psalm 143:8-10

This is the fear of the Lord. As God spoke to Elijah, I pray there will be a remnant in the United States that will rise up and take their position in the Army of God because the war is already upon us. Will you go down to the waters of Gideon and be part of the 300 of the Lord?