INTRODUCTION

These days we are so privileged to live in an era without precedence and are definitely the most exciting "Bible times" in the history of the world. In fact, the majority of Bible prophecy in both the Old and New Testaments were actually written for our day, "the last days" (2 Pet. 3:3), "the time of the end" (Dan. 12:8), the final "generation that would not pass away" (Mat. 24:34) until "all the things" Christ foretold us (Mark 13:23) would happen, DO HAPPEN! And they ARE Happening! No wonder all the prophets and disciples were so eager to know what it would be like in our generation! We even read how the prophet Daniel longed to understand the meaning of the visions he saw and the words he heard, but it was not given to that great prophet to understand. But it is given to YOU to understand, if you are one of the wise in these end times! Here is the dialog between the angel and Daniel (speaking first):

Daniel 12:8
And I heard, but I understood not: then said I, O my Lord, what shall be the end of these things?

[9] And he said, Go thy way, Daniel: for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end.

Daniel 12:10
Many shall be purified, and made white, and tried; but the wicked shall do wickedly: and none of the wicked shall understand; but the wise shall understand.

Luke 21:31
So likewise ye, when ye see these things come to pass, know ye that the kingdom of God is nigh at hand.

The point is that the wise had better quit looking ahead to the future for the fulfillment of prophecy and WAKE UP, and look around them! To wit, many who have been Christians for a long time still read all the prophecies in Mat. 24, Mk. 13, Luke 21, etc. as prophecy when in fact much of it is ALREADY HISTORY! Think about it. Logic itself would dictate that if we are in the final generation just before the second advent then we are the ones who will see the prophecies come to pass. And they ARE! Haven't you noticed?

To that end, we did a study a few months ago titled "Take Heed*" which are the words Jesus said to His disciples, i.e. you and me, five times in the prophetic 13th chapter of Mark. The Greek word for "take heed" is "blepo". Here is Dr. Strong's definition:

blepo, blep'-o, Greek 991; a primary verb; to look at (literal or figurative) :- behold, beware, lie, look (on, to), perceive, regard, see, sight, take heed. Compare Greek 3700 (optanomai).

"To look, see, have the power of sight applied to mental vision orconsideration, to consider, take to heart, employed to express a more intent, earnest, spiritual contemplation than horao (another Greek word translated "heed")."

So the wise in the final generation are those who will be well acquainted with God's Word, not just the New Testament, but all the words He spoke through His prophets, for they spoke of the time of the end as Daniel declares. Jesus Christ even said "when you see the abomination of desolation spoken of by Daniel the prophet standing in the holy place, then...", to remind us to study Daniel, for he makes it clear who that abominable one is!

"The wise" therefore will be looking for the words of the prophets to come to pass by "taking heed" and watching current events and keeping up to speed with the roaring waves of commotion going on in the world. Then they can actually check off the prophecies as they see them come to pass, which means that even though it is not given us to know the precise, exact moment of Christ's return, the fewer and fewer prophecies that are left to be fulfilled and checked off, let us know the closer and closer we are getting to the last one on the list, the sounding of the 7th Trump and the return of Christ! And folks, we have been checking them off in record pace these past few years and decades!

Let's recap some of the signs in Mark 13 that we talked about in greater detail in the Live Link to=> "Take Heed" series. We pick it up where Jesus had just told the disciples regarding the temple they were walking out of, that when He returns there will not be one stone left standing upon another. The disciples then asked Jesus what to look for, i.e. what signs would be evident that His return is imminent:

Mark 13:5
And Jesus answering them began to say, Take heed lest any man deceive you:

[6] For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.

Mark 13:7
And when ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars, be ye not troubled: for such things must needs be; but the end shall not be yet.

However, even though this was prophesied to take place, and it did, this did not mark the end, but actually signaled the beginning of the emergence of the Beast of Rev. 13:1, the one world political system known to us as the New World Order. It would be easily recognized by witnessing the next sign COME TO PASS which Christ gave to us, the sign following the "rumours of war" or as we noted, following the Cold War when things would begin to "heat up", kind of like Global Warming symbolizes! That sign is "Economic Globalization", the rebirth of Tyrus (Ezk. 27), known for its Worldwide Trade Organization (WTO), which we shall document from the prophets follows the 70 year yoke of bondage placed in the year 1917 on our brother Esau! Yes, Tyrus would emerge again before the king of Tyrus (Ezk. 28) comes riding in on his white horse to take over as world ruler. Anyway, when you see Globalization COME TO PASS along with the rest of vs. 8, which foretells us there will be all sorts of commotions and upheavals (earthquakes) along with the spiritual and moral decline of society (famine & pestilence), then you WILL KNOW that the "beginning" of the labor pangs signaling the end, the birth of a new age, have begun. Let's look briefly at the next sign in Mark:

Mark 13:8
For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom:

"This verse [Mark 13:8] has been traditionally interpreted as nations rising in WAR against one another, even as the culmination of World Wars like a World War III. However, students of His Word know that the final battle is spiritual, and occurs in an era of relative peace and prosperity. It is a fight for the souls of men, not a physical flesh and blood and guts battle at all! That is why we are instructed to put on the Gospel Armor in Ephesians chapter 6 and be prepared to stand against the "fiery darts" of Satan and his locust army!

So what does this verse mean, "nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom?" It is really quite simple and is made clear in the Greek from which it is translated. First, the word translated "against" is the Greek word "epi" which means "upon" or "up against", as "along side of", not antagonistically in "opposition to". For example, your epi-dermis is your outer layer of skin which lies against, i.e. is attached to, your dermis, your inner layer of skin so that they are linked together! This is important so here is the Strong's definition in its entirety:

epi, ep-ee', Greek 1909; a primary preposition properly meaning superimposition (of time, place, order, etc.), as a relation of distribution [with the genitive], i.e. over, upon, etc.; of rest (with the dative) at, on, etc.; of direction (with the accusative) towards, upon, etc. :- about (the times), above, after, against, among, as long as (touching), at, beside, × have charge of, (be-, [where-]) fore, in (a place, as much as, the time of, -to), (because) of, (up-) on (behalf of), over, (by, for) the space of, through (-out), (un-) to (-ward), with. In compounds it retains essentially the same import, at, upon, etc. (literal or figurative).

Next, the word "rise" in Greek is "egeiro" which means to "rouse" and "stand up", i.e. to "rear up".But the key to really understanding what this "rising" is comes from its root word "agora", which tells us what the rising together is to!

agora, ag-or-ah', Greek 58; from ageiro (to gather; probably akin to Greek 1453 (egeiro)); properly the town-square (as a place of public resort); by implication a market or thoroughfare :- market (-place), street.

This word "agora" is translated either "market" or "marketplace(s)" in every instance in the New Testament except one where it is translated "street", as in market street.  Because this verse is so important to our understanding it seems appropriate that we should study it more in depth. So let's complete all the words and see what "nations" and "kingdoms" mean.

nations = ethnos, eth'-nos, Greek 1484; probably from Greek 1486 (etho); a race (as of the same habit), i.e. a tribe; specially a foreign (non-Jewish) one (usually by implication pagan) :- Gentile, heathen, nation, people.

kingdom = basileia, bas-il-i'-ah, Greek 932; from Greek 935 (basileus); properly royalty, i.e. (abstract) rule, or (concrete) a realm (literal or figurative) :- kingdom, + reign.

"Nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom" simply means that the gentile nations, the non-ruling nations which basically comprise what we call the "Third World Countries", shall rise together in the marketplace, and the ruling nations, the "royal kingdoms" (including true Israel, i.e. the Christian nations and the rest of the Free World) shall also "rise up together" in the marketplace.

So what is it Jesus was talking about? Globalization, One Worldism. This IS the rising of the one world political beast of Revelation 13. It is happening right before our very eyes, if you can see it. (Blepo) Have you ever heard of the World Trade Organization (WTO) or the IMF or the World Bank. The kingdoms of Europe have already risen together economically in the marketplace with the implementation of the Eurodollar and the Americas, including Canada and Mexico, are swiftly being brought under "Dollarization". And Worldwide E-commerce has arrived. E-gads! Where is my pen...

Mark 13:8 (continued) ... and there shall be earthquakes in divers places, and there shall be famines and troubles: these are the beginnings of sorrows.

By the way, those who have just completed the study of Live Link to=> Hosea with us know that it is during great economic times, when "Jeshurun waxes fat" (Deut. 32) and prosperity abounds, that our people are quick to forget God and His Word, creating that spiritual famine of Amos 8:11. And since disease and pestilence always follow physical famine, so it is spiritually that when God's Word is not taught, our society slips into moral depravity and "Slouches Towards Gomorrah", as Robert Bork's book so adequately describes. Of course, one need only to turn on TV during prime time to document how low our standards have become.

Next we are going to examine and further document where we are in the prophetic timeline and take a close look at some of the signs and types we have witnessed lately, similar to the Corvus study we did during the 37 day battle for the White House. In particular we are going to focus on the Transition of Power and the symbolic words, call them prophetic if you like, from the Inaugural Speech of George W. Bush. There will be some speculation for your consideration, which we will note as such. Don't miss it?

Forty years from the planting of The Fig Tree in the Year of Our Lord, Nineteen Hundred and Forty Eight*, George Herbert Walker Bush was elected President of the United States. History now documents that he would become the first US President to "publicly" use the term "The New World Order", and rightfully so, because it would be during his administration that the New World Order, which is the first "Beast" of Revelation 13, would BEGIN to rise visibly and rapidly from the "sea", the "waters", which is specifically defined in Rev. 17:15 as "all peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues"! However, during the actual emergence of that first beast we would be presided over by a "type" of the "little horn" (that is what Paula said, read Paul(a), LOL), of Daniel 8:9-12, who would enter in peaceably and prosperously, as in reigning over the longest period of economic prosperity in our nation's history, during which time economic Globalization, the rebirth of Tyre which we will document from scripture, would become a reality even among the third world countries, i.e. the ethnic nations (witness the recent events of Korea and N. Viet Nam). Then too, "he would do that which his fathers (read founding fathers) had NOT done (Dan. 11:24), and furthermore, he would "wax exceeding great, toward the south, and to the east, and toward the pleasant land" (Dan. 8:12).

The wise of this generation know that Ezek. 27 describes the worldwide economic trading (globalization) of the ancient world which was controlled from the little city of Tyrus, which means "rock" in Hebrew. Is it coincidental that an "ish" from "Little Rock", using flatteries and corruption obtained through the powers of the Four Hidden Dynasties would "do according to his will", and although he would actually be "convicted of perjury", to become the son of perjury himself, none could stand against him and bring him to justice? Even the good "Starr" who stood against him to expose his corruption and fornication to the world was himself cast down and vilified and rendered ineffective. And have you read recently how the "ish" from Little Tyre and his cohorts did leave a trail of perversion and filth in the White House, evidence of what went on during that administration. (Of course, that depends on what your definition of "ish" is!) If you haven't read about Tyre then log unto Live Link to=> #8027 and learn from HIStory what is happening today!

* Note: Christ instructed us to learn the Live Link to=> Parable of the Fig Tree and then we would know which generation would not pass away until all the prophetic events He foretold us of in Mat. 24, Mk. 13, and Luke 21, would come to pass. Because of time and space restraints it is not within the scope of this study to fully document the Parable of The Fig Tree. However, both baskets of figs seen by Jeremiah (Jer. 24), i.e. the "good" figs (Judah) and the "bad" figs (the kenites. i.e. sons of Cain), were set out on May 15, 1948, when the United Nations gave sanction to and created the State of Israel, a nation which had not existed by name for 2500 years! And guess what? The generation which began at that time are appropriately called the "Baby Boomers", those who will not all pass away "until all these things are fulfilled".  And by the way, are not the wise seeing "all these things" being checked off during the generation of the Baby Boomers? Yes, they are! Hello! The Baby Boomers are aging and should be mature and ready for the harvest, but so many are not "wise to do good" and study His Word. You see, it is a well known fact that babies drink milk and eat pabulum (see Heb. 5:12-13). In other words, the "Baby Boomers" would boom, boom, to the "rock and roll" of their king, but they would never grow spiritually mature enough to eat "meat" from the Word of God. Unfortunately, they will remain spiritual "Babies" until Christ returns. Meanwhile, the "wise" of this generation "build upon the rock", not clap their hands and dance around it in the aisles, and the "watchman" of this generation, "whom God strengthens" (EZEK-I-EL), "eat the roll" (Ezk. 3), not wave their hands in the "air" and merelysing to it!

Event number two during George Bush's administration was the fall and dissolution of the USSR in 1991. You may recall the Soviet leader at the time was a man named Mikhail Gorbachev, the man with the red mark, a "birth" mark placed by "nature" itself on his forehead, symbolizing the time of confusion, the time of Babylon (the Hebrew word for "confusion'), the time of the emergence of the "beast" whose "mark" of deception all could now receive in their foreheads, had arrived.

You see, the fall of the Berlin Wall and the fall of the USSR were the benchmarks that symbolized the tearing down of what had been called for decades and well known to all Baby Boomers as the "IRON CURTAIN". Do not think that term is insignificant, especially to the wise, because it was now TIME for the "Iron" which once "stood strong" by itself, to mix with the "Miry Clay", even those formed by the "potter's clay", let's just call them the west. The problem is that iron and clay do not mix together, and if you use those two substances as feet to support a giant beast, it will be very unstable and so just a small "stone" from the brook of "living water", sent sailing to its head by the sling from a small, wise, child of God, can cause it to fall. So the fulfillment of Daniel chapter 2 "Comes to Pass" for the wise in this final generation who have "eyes to see".

Daniel 2:41
And whereas thou sawest the feet and toes, part of potters' clay, and part of iron, the kingdom shall be divided; but there shall be in it of the strength of the iron, forasmuch as thou sawest the iron mixed with miry clay.

[42] And as the toes of the feet were part of iron, and part of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong, and partly broken.

[43] And whereas thou sawest iron mixed with miry clay, they shall mingle themselves with the seed of men: but they shall not cleave one to another, even as iron is not mixed with clay.

Daniel 2:44
And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever.

[45] Forasmuch as thou sawest that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it brake in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold; the great God hath made known to the king what shall come to pass hereafter: and the dream is certain, and the interpretation thereof sure.

The final significant event of the first Bush administration occurred in 1991 and was called Desert Storm, which we alluded to previously is an "east wind" in Hebrew. By the way, for those who are aware of the very few casualties sustained by the western forces, you will recall that Desert Storm was immediately preceded by Operation Desert Shield! Nevertheless, Saddam Hussein, the king from the land of Iraq, the land of Babylon, who even rebuilt the "palace", who is also a type of the soon coming real king of Babylon (the spurious messiah, the second beast, the religious beast of Rev. 13), who comes when the east wind is finally let go in its fury, called the God of this nation, the United States of America, the great Satan. Blasphemy time! Desert Storm ended in a matter of a just few short days, lasting only 100 hours. The number "100" in Biblical numerics represents "God's Election of Grace, Children of Promise" (see "Biblical Mathematics", Ed. F. Vallowe, pg. 199).

Saddam Hussein, however, was not taken out of the way, and many people felt that the victory achieved in Desert Storm was less than complete because the cause of the problem, the "bad guy", was still in charge. Perhaps the "east wind" was put on hold while the great teaching (sealing) of Rev. 7 went forth? Well, Desert Storm is back in the spotlight with the celebration of its 10th anniversary, even at Superbowl 35 where the Giants (gibor) and the Ravens (birds of prey) played (see Gen 6 concerning the events before the "flood"). And in the news we learned that Saddam Hussein, the king of Babylon, has Two Nuclear Bombs, two great powers, and is threatening once again. This is at the same time when the Arab world seeks to unite in war against Israel, i.e. Jerusalem. Students of God's Word know that the soon coming king of Babylon of Revelation, comes to Jerusalem, the holy city of God, and he will also have Two Great Powers. In fact he will have "Two Horns" like a lamb (Rev. 13:11), even The Lamb of God (horns are symbolic of power). In other words, we know that Jesus Christ is coming as King of kings and Lord of lords, the two powers being both King and High Priest. The imitation Jesus will appear to be just like Him as he will claim to have those Two Powers and be the real Jesus!

Before we go to the scriptures, let's set the stage in light of a few quotes from the magnificent Inauguration Speech given during that gentle, cleansing rain, which fell upon President George W. Bush, the son of his father, former President George H. W. Bush, who will now "continue the story". However, the winds are beginning to shift to a higher, spiritual level!

Saturday January 20 12:27 PM ET
Text of Bush's Inaugural Speech (Excerpts from)

"Through much of the last century, America's faith in freedom and democracy was a rock in a raging sea. Now it is a seed upon the wind, taking root in many nations."

President Bush, nearing the conclusion of his address, then said:

"After the Declaration of Independence was signed, Virginia statesman John Page wrote to Thomas Jefferson: ``We know the race is not to the swift nor the Battle to the Strong. Do you not think an Angel rides in the Whirlwind and directs this Storm?''

Eccl. 9:18
Wisdom is better than weapons of war: but one sinner destroyeth much good.

Note: For those who did not hear President Bush's Inaugural Address and since we will be making future references to it, we include it as an addendum to today's study (in 12 pt. font).
Saturday January 20 12:27 PM ET
Text of Bush's Inaugural Speech

By The Associated Press,

Text of George W. Bush's inaugural address, as delivered Saturday:

This peaceful transfer of authority is rare in history, yet common in our country. With a simple oath, we affirm old traditions, and make new beginnings. As I begin, I thank President Clinton for his service to our nation. And I thank Vice President Gore for a contest conducted with spirit, and ended with grace.

I am honored and humbled to stand here, where so many of America's leaders have come before me, and so many will follow.

We have a place, all of us, in a long story; a story we continue, but whose end we will not see. It is the story of a new world that became a friend and liberator of the old. The story of a slave-holding society that became a servant of freedom. The story of a power that went into the world to protect but not possess, to defend but not to conquer. It is the American story; a story of flawed and fallible people, united across the generations by grand and enduring ideals.

The grandest of these ideals is an unfolding American promise: that everyone belongs, that everyone deserves a chance, that no insignificant person was ever born. Americans are called to enact this promise in our lives and in our laws. And though our nation has sometimes halted, and sometimes delayed, we must follow no other course.

Through much of the last century, America's faith in freedom and democracy was a rock in a raging sea. Now it is a seed upon the wind, taking root in many nations. Our democratic faith is more than the creed of our country, it is the inborn hope of our humanity; an ideal we carry but do not own, a trust we bear and pass along. And even after nearly 225 years, we have a long way yet to travel.

While many of our citizens prosper, others doubt the promise - even the justice - of our own country. The ambitions of some Americans are limited by failing schools, and hidden prejudice, and the circumstances of their birth. And sometimes our differences run so deep, it seems we share a continent, but not a country.

We do not accept this, and will not allow it. Our unity, our union, is the serious work of leaders and citizens in every generation. And this is my solemn pledge: I will work to build a single nation of justice and opportunity.

I know this is within our reach, because we are guided by a power larger than ourselves, Who creates us equal in His image.

And we are confident in principles that unite and lead us onward.

America has never been united by blood or birth or soil. We are bound by ideals that move us beyond our backgrounds, lift us above our interests, and teach us what it means to be citizens. Every child must be taught these principles. Every citizen must uphold them. And every immigrant, by embracing these ideals, makes our country more, not less, American.

Today we affirm a new commitment to live out our nation's promise through civility, courage, compassion and character.

America, at its best, matches a commitment to principle with a concern for civility. A civil society demands from each of us good will and respect, fair dealing and forgiveness.

Some seem to believe that our politics can afford to be petty because, in a time of peace, the stakes of our debates appear small. But the stakes, for America, are never small. If our country does not lead the cause of freedom, it will not be led. If we do not turn the hearts of children toward knowledge and character, we will lose their gifts and undermine their idealism. If we permit our economy to drift and decline, the vulnerable will suffer most.

We must live up to the calling we share. Civility is not a tactic or a sentiment. It is the determined choice of trust over cynicism, of community over chaos. And this commitment, if keep it, is a way to shared accomplishment.

America, at its best, is also courageous.

Our national courage has been clear in times of depression and war, when defending common dangers defined our common good. Now we must chose if the example of our fathers and mothers will inspire us or condemn us. We must show courage in a time of blessing, by confronting problems instead of passing them on to future generations.

Together, we will reclaim America's schools, before ignorance and apathy claim more young lives. We will reform Social Security and Medicare, sparing our children from struggles we have the power to prevent. We will reduce taxes, to recover the momentum of our economy and reward the effort and enterprise of working Americans. We will build our defenses beyond challenge, lest weakness invite challenge. We will confront weapons of mass destruction, so that a new century is spared new horrors.

The enemies of liberty and our country should make no mistake, American remains engaged in the world, by history and by choice, shaping a balance of power that favors freedom. We will defend our allies and our interests. We will show purpose without arrogance. We will meet aggression and bad faith with resolve and strength. And to all nations, we will speak for the values that gave our nation birth.

America, at its best, is compassionate.

In the quiet of American conscience, we know that deep, persistent poverty is unworthy of our nation's promise. And whatever our views of its cause, we can agree that children at risk are not at fault. Abandonment and abuse are not acts of God, the are failures of love. And the proliferation of prisons, however necessary, is no substitute for hope and order in our souls.

Where there is suffering, there is duty. Americans in need are not strangers, they are citizens; not problems, but priorities; and all of us are diminished when any are hopeless.

Government has great responsibilities, for public safety and public health, for civil rights and common schools. Yet compassion is the work of a nation, not just a government. And some needs and hurts are so deep they will only respond to a mentor's touch or a pastor's prayer. Church and charity, synagogue and mosque, lend our communities their humanity, and they will have an honored place in our plans and in our laws.

Many in our country do not know the pain of poverty. But we can listen to those who do. And I can pledge our nation to a goal: When we see that wounded traveler on the road to Jericho, we will not pass to the other side.

America, at its best, is a place where personal responsibility is valued and expected.

Encouraging responsibility is not a search for scapegoats, it is a call to conscience. And though it requires sacrifice, it brings a deeper fulfillment. We find the fullness of life, not only in options, but in commitments. And we find that children and community are the commitments that set us free.

Our public interest depends on private character; on civic duty and family bonds and basic fairness; on uncounted, unhonored acts of decency which give direction to our freedom.

Sometimes in life we are called to do great things. But as a saint of our times has said, every day we are called to do small things with great love. The most important tasks of a democracy are done by everyone.

I will live and lead by these principles: to advance my convictions with civility; to pursue the public interest with courage; to speak for greater justice and compassion; to call for responsibility, and try to live it as well. In all these ways, I will bring the values of our history to the care of our times.

What you do is as important as anything government does. I ask you to seek a common good beyond your comfort; to defend needed reforms against easy attacks; to serve your nation, beginning with your neighbor. I ask you to be citizens. Citizens, not spectators. Citizens, not subjects. Responsible citizens, building communities of service and a nation of character.

Americans are generous and strong and decent, not because we believe in ourselves, but because we hold beliefs beyond ourselves. When this spirit of citizenship is missing, no government program can replace it. When this spirit is present, no wrong can stand against it.

After the Declaration of Independence was signed, Virginia statesman John Page wrote to Thomas Jefferson: ``We know the race is not to the swift nor the Battle to the Strong. Do you not think an Angel rides in the Whirlwind and directs this Storm?''

Much time has passed since Jefferson arrived for his inauguration. The years and changes accumulate. But the themes of this day he would know: our nation's grand story of courage, and its simple dream of dignity.

We are not this story's author, who fills time and eternity with His purpose. Yet His purpose is achieved in our duty; and our duty is fulfilled in service to one another.

Never tiring, never yielding, never finishing, we renew that purpose today: to make our country more just and generous; to affirm the dignity of our lives and every life.

This work continues. This story goes on. And an angel still rides in the whirlwind and directs this storm.

God bless you all, and God bless America.

no we are going to re-visit some of the final chapters of the great book of "Hosea", which means "salvation" in the Hebrew tongue. Although salvation is open to all of God's children, the prophet Hosea wrote specifically concerning the destiny and salvation of the 10 northern tribes of the House of Israel, often referring to them as Ephraim, the largest and leading nation of those tribes and representative of the whole, just as America is representative of those same tribes today! All that a "wise" person in this final generation has to do is learn from the pages of history where those northern 10 tribes went after their Assyrian captivity. And that is such an easy task that it is an embarrassment for Christian preachers and ministers in this nation not to be able to identify the United States, Canada, Great Britain, and the other Christian nations to their congregations. Shame on them!

To that end, if you do not know where the so-called "Lost 10 Tribes of the House of Israel" are today or how to begin tracing their whereabouts, then by all means log unto Live Link to=> #1020 and Live Link to=> #1064.

Let us now go to the 13th chapter of Hosea and begin in verse 12.

Hosea 13:12
The iniquity of Ephraim is bound up; his sin is hid.

You see, it is soon harvest time, time for the sickles to be thrust in (Rev. 14), which is the time when the harvest should be ripe and that which has been sown is to be reaped! So the words of President Bush in his Inaugural Speech should "perk up" the ears of the wise citizens of America.

"Through much of the last century, America's faith in freedom and democracy was a rock in a raging sea. Now it is a seed upon the wind, taking root in many nations."

Luke 21:25
And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring;

Which brings us to the next verse, Luke 21:26, which tells us that the next event to prepare for is the time when "the powers of heaven shall be shaken"!

[ 26]Men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.

So from Hosea 13:12 we learn that Ephraim, spelled A-m-e-r-i-c-a, should not even begin to think that God has forgotten his sins. America may think she is getting away with her spiritual adultery and perverted justice and fornication with other nations, but you can be assured from the Word of God, it is not hidden from Him! Now notice this next verse which actually lets the "wise" know the season spoken of by Hosea the prophet.

Hosea 13:13
The sorrows of a travailing woman shall come upon him: he is an unwise son; for he should not stay long in the place of the breaking forth of children.

However, our Father wants us to know He loves us and so He constantly reminds us of the GOOD NEWS, which is the message of Hosea ("salvation") that the LORD is our redeemer (vs. 14), and in Him is our help (vs. 9), for He is the ONLY Savior (vs. 4), and His children can avoid the spiritual slaughter by the Assyrian of these last days by turning to the Father, now, before it is too late and the Four Winds of Rev. 7 are let loose to blow upon the earth! The trumpets are sounding and the final "call" is being given to Ephraim, i.e. America, i.e. the House of Israel. We will read it a few verses from now in Hosea 14:1, "O Israel, return unto the LORD thy God; for thou hast fallen by thine iniquity." Again, the Good News is that He has promised redemption:

[14] I will ransom them from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death: O death, I will be thy plagues; O grave, I will be thy destruction: repentance shall be hid from mine eyes.

Hosea 13:15
Though he be fruitful among his brethren, an east wind shall come, the wind of the LORD shall come up from the wilderness, and his spring shall become dry, and his fountain shall be dried up: he shall spoil the treasure of all pleasant vessels.

east = íéã›÷® qaòdŒòym or íã›÷® qaòdim kaw-deem' #6921
From 6923; the fore or front part; hence (by orientation) the East (often adverbially eastward, for brevity the Eastwind):—east (-ward, wind).

wind = ç—eø ruòachroo'-akh #7307
From 7306; wind; by resemblance breath, that is, a sensible (or even violent) exhalation; figuratively life, anger, unsubstantiality; by extension a region of the sky; by resemblance spirit, but only of a rational being (including its expression and functions):—air, anger, blast, breath, X cool, courage, mind, X quarter, X side, spirit ([-ual]), tempest, X vain, ([whirl-]) wind (-y).

wilderness = øa˜ãšîÄ  midbaòrmid-bawr' #4057
From H1696 in the sense of driving; a pasture (that is, open field, whither cattle are driven); by implication a desert; also speech (including its organs):— desert, south, speech, wilderness.

[16]Samaria shall become desolate; for she hath rebelled against her God: they shall fall by the sword: their infants shall be dashed in pieces, and their women with child shall be ripped up.

Note: Even though the last phrases in verse sixteen are spiritual analogies, one can easily take them literally and apply them to the holocaust of millions and millions of infants dashed in pieces and ripped from American wombs under the unholy injustice of Roe v. Wade! O Lord God, what have we been sowing in this nation? What shall we reap at the time of the harvest?

Yes, President Bush said in his inaugural address to the nation and to the world that "America's faith in freedom and democracy... is now a seed upon the wind, taking root in many nations"! He then quoted Tom Page quoting Solomon in Ecclesiastes 9, followed by the question now before the people of America:

``We know the race is not to the swift nor the Battle to the Strong. Do you not think an Angel rides in the Whirlwind and directs this Storm?''

Again, stop and consider for a moment what it is that have we been sowing to the wind (i.e. spiritually) in this nation lately? One thing is for sure, if we do not heed the call and return unto Him and become "citizens" of the kingdom of God, i.e. doers of the Word and not "spectators" only, then we are guaranteed by the Word of God to reap a whirlwind, when the "wind of the LORD shall come up from the wilderness (desert)"!

Hosea 8:7
For they have sown the wind, and they shall reap the whirlwind: it hath no stalk: the bud shall yield no meal: if so be it yield, the strangers shall swallow it up.

[8] Israel is swallowed up: now shall they be among the Gentiles as a vessel wherein is no pleasure.

[9] For they are gone up to Assyria, a wild ass alone by himself: Ephraim hath hired lovers.

[10] Yea, though they have hired among the nations, now will I gather them, and they shall sorrow a little for the burden of the king of princes.

[11] Because Ephraim hath made many altars to sin, altars shall be unto him to sin.

[12] I have written to him the great things of my law, but they were counted as a strange thing.

Well, it is just about harvest time, America! President Bush has called for a return to God with a renewal of our purpose and our ways.

"We are not this story's author, who fills time and eternity with His purpose. Yet His purpose is achieved in our duty; and our duty is fulfilled in service to one another.

Never tiring, never yielding, never finishing, we renew that purpose today: to make our country more just and generous; to affirm the dignity of our lives and every life.

This work continues. This story goes on. And an angel still rides in the whirlwind and directs this storm."

Hosea 14:1
O Israel, return unto the LORD thy God; for thou hast fallen by thine iniquity.

[2] Take with you words, and turn to the LORD: say unto him, Take away all iniquity, and receive us graciously: so will we render the calves of our lips.

[3] Asshur shall not save us; we will not ride upon horses: neither will we say any more to the work of our hands, Ye are our gods: for in thee the fatherless findeth mercy.

2. The reference to "ride upon horses" is a from to Deut. 17:16 meaning do not trust in man's armies for deliverance.

3. Recognize and get rid of "man made" religion and traditions which much of churchianity has become. The traditions of men are pure "apostasy" and will lead millions of our brothers and sisters to worship Satan, the spurious Jesus!  So "Take His (God's) Words!", not man's (vs. 2), and go to Him!

The "fatherless" are the orphaned children of Israel and those who have forsaken His Word and therefore cut themselves off from their heavenly Father. The point is, even if our nation doesn't turn from its backsliding ways, you can do so individually and He will bless you and "Shed His Grace on Thee!"

[4] I will heal their backsliding, I will love them freely: for mine anger is turned away from him.

[5] I will be as the dew unto Israel: he shall grow as the lily, and cast forth his roots as Lebanon.

[6] His branches shall spread, and his beauty shall be as the olive tree, and his smell as Lebanon.

The final words in the book whose title means "salvation" are:

Hosea 14:9
Who is wise, and he shall understand these things? prudent, and he shall know them? for the ways of the LORD are right, and the just shall walk in them: but the transgressors shall fall therein.

Hosea 8:7
For they have sown the wind, and they shall reap the whirlwind: it hath no stalk: the bud shall yield no meal: if so be it yield, the strangers shall swallow it up.

"This work continues. This story goes on. And an angel still rides in the whirlwind and directs this storm." (President George W. Bush)