by

Stanley Harris

It is a solemn fact that the world is drifting steadily toward Armageddon. At this very moment, ants are being prepared, plans are being laid, and strategy devised for this great battle, In Walter Lippmann's syndicated newspaper column, the following appeared, "We have drifted into a race of armaments with the Soviet Union. Not only in respect to the atomic bomb and to post-war military programs, but no less, in respect to what is called "power" That is to say, into a competition for the control of the weak, but strategically important, regions that lie between the Soviet Union and the United States, How far this is Russia's fault, Britain's fault, or our own, no honest man can say. What matters is that the thing is happening. That we are all, being sucked into a conflict and that we are not using a fraction of our power and influence to avert it. Let no one deceive himself, we are drifting, we are drifting toward a catastrophe."

The Bible tells us in Daniel 12:1 that, "There shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book." The world is caught in a current that threatens to engulf us in a time of trouble such as we have never seen,

"Everywhere are omens that His coming is at hand, Wonders are spreading over all the land. Soon with all His angels, He'll descend the flaming sky; Signs are all foretelling His return is nigh."

Where will the final furious battle of Armageddon take place? In Revelation 16:12 and 16, we have the information that reveals the location of Armageddon. "And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the East might be prepared. . . And he gathered them together into a place, called in the Hebrew tongue, Armageddon."

The word "Armageddon" in Hebrew means Mount Megiddo and there is such a mountain overlooking a great plain north of Jerusalem. This plain, that stands at the foot of Mount Megiddo, is a historic battle ground. The plain is referred to in the Bible, in some instances as, the plain of Esdraelori, and in other instances as the Valley of Jehoshaphat, It is here that God says the nations will be gathered for the last conflict, Several historians have recognized Palestine, and more particularly Megiddo, as the key spot in the world. Some have even gone so far as to predict, even as the Bible does, that this will be the place where the battle of Armageddon will be fought.

In the book, "Egypt in Asia" by George Cormack, we find the following interesting statement, "Megiddo was the military key to Syria. It commanded, at once, the highway northward to Phoenicia and Goats-Syria and the road across Galilee to Damascus and the valley of the Euphrates. The Vale of Tishon, and the region of Megiddo were inevitable battle fields. Through all history they retain that qualification. There, many of the great contests of Asia have been decided. It was regarded as a predestined place of blood and strife. The poet of the Apocalypse has clothed it with awe, as the ground of the final conflict between the powers f light and darkness."

We are also told, in the book called, "The World's Work" page 91 that, "This corner of the world at the far end of the Mediterranean is, after all, the crossroad of the East and the West, The one spot where the oriental and occidental civilizations meet and where the great conflict of these two civilizations will be staged."

Dorothy Thompson, a keen thinking newspaper columnist, recently wrote, "This area (middle East) stretching south and west to the Caspian, outflanks Europe and India and has been the prize of every conqueror who ever sought world dominion, parts of it, lying almost dead center in the Eurasian land mass. It is not without significance that Biblical prophets set the final decisive world conflict in this area-at Armageddon. This prophecy is sound."

Palestine is a very vital part of our world. It forms the crossroads of the world. It lies in the very center of the earth, It was here that God sent his son to be a witness to the world, and to die for the sins of men. Many world powers have coveted the wealth of Palestine. It is said that the mineral wealth in the Dead Sea bum alone, is two and four-fifths times the entire wealth of America. Think of it. More than twice the wealth of the United States is contained in the deposits of the Dead Sea basin, Some of the largest and richest oil lines run through Palestine. One of the biggest in the world is laid right through the battle field of Megiddo. Is it any wonder that the nations covet this section of the world?

Palestine, to the Jew, is Homeland; to the Mohammedan it is his Mecca, to the Christian it is his Holy Land. All the world has a vital interest in this section of the earth. The very area that became the battle ground between good and evil, where Christ and Satan carried on a struggle for the ownership of the world, will the spot where the final showdown between the nations will take place, and where history will reach its climax.

In Joel 3:12 and 13, God says, "Let the heathen be awakened, and come up to the valley of Jehoshaphat: (the valley of Jehoshaphat is the battlefield of Megiddo) for there will I sit to judge all the heathen round about. Put ye in the sickle: for the harvest is ripe: come, get you down; for the press is full, the fats overflow; for their wickedness is great." Notice that God says that the heathen will awaken and come up to the valley of Jehoshaphat and. at that time the Lord is coming to sit in judgment.

Have the oriental nations of the Far East awakened? Five hundred years ago,. it would have been impossible for the battle of Armageddon to be fought. The Far East was asleep, dormant. Three hundred years ago the Far East was still sleeping. In fact, three hundred years ago the United States was just in its infancy. Only fifty years ago, the eastern nations were still lying dormant. Only in the last few decades, have the nations of the East, with their teeming millions, awakened.

Napoleon Bonaparte once said that the great giant China was asleep and he said, "Never wake him up, for God only knows what will happen when he is awakened." Today the East is awakened. God says that when this awakening takes place the harvest wil1 be ripe. Jesus tel1s us that the harvest is the end of the world.

When the East and West meet at Megiddo it will not be in a beautiful or poetic sense. It will be the . Judgment Day. The prophet' Zechariah in the 12th chapter, 3rd verse tells us that when this battle takes place that all the people of the earth will be involved. He says, "And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people: All that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the people of the earth be, gathered together against it."

All the people of the earth will be gathered against Jerusalem in this final battle. In Joel 3, verse 2, the prophet reveals the words of God when he says, "I will also gather all nations, and will bring then down into the valley of Jehoshaphat (Megiddo)". Again we read from the prophet Zechariah 14:2, "For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle ."

As the nations are talking peace tonight, they are preparing for this battle of the great day of God Almighty. The Word of God says, "When they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them." I Thessalonians 5:3. In Ezekiel'7:25 we read, "Destruction cometh; and they shall seek peace, and there shall be none."

While men try to find peace, they seem doomed to disappointment for as we read in Revelation 16:13 to 16, "And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out, of the mouth of the false prophet. For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty."

Notice that Ramsey McDonald, former Prime Minister of Great Britain, describes it as follows, "It seems as if they were all bewitched or laboring under some doom imposed upon them by the devil." People are beginning to feel that there' is something devilish in the operations now going on to increase armies, navies and air forces. It is interesting to note how the devil has influenced the leaders of the nations to plunge the world into war. History records that Kaiser Wilhelm was tremendously influenced by the most outstanding spiritist medium on the European continent, Madame Schoen. It is a well-known fact that Adolph Hitler delved into the occult practices. He was definitely guided by mediums and astrologers.

Since the atheistic leaders of Communism are anti-God, they most certainly must be led by the spirits of the devils:. One of the saddest things of all to those of us who are Americans is the fact that, as has been reliably reported in American magazines, Washington, D. C. is the greatest stronghold in America of spiritism, and some of our legislators have been known to seek the advice of these people who practice necromancy.

The demons of hell are responsible for our wars. Satan is working behind the scenes to lead the world into another debauch. He knows that literally hundreds of thousands of our finest youth will be plunged into battle, unprepared to face eternity.

Yes, friends, it seems as if the nations are all bewitched and laboring under some doom imposed upon them by the devil. The scientists are outdoing themselves to develop newer and more destructive weapons. They seem to have an ingenious or uncanny ability to produce horrible weapons of slaughter. The scientists, themselves, are beginning to realize that they have released a Frankenstein monster in the atomic bomb.

"Scientists of today are filled with grave anxieties about the near future and predict dark -things. They are afraid of the powers in man's hands." So says Sir Philip Gibbs. Another outstanding writer has said, "The heart of the nations is sick with fear. Statesmen with their ears to the ground are terror stricken and perplexed." -James Douglas. It is no wonder that Dr. David Urey, the chemist from the University of Chicago, who was one of the outstanding leaders in developing the atonic bomb said, "I'm a frightened man."

The outstanding atomic scientists of the day, among them Urey and Compton and Einstein called a meeting not long ago with some of the country's leading clergymen. In essence, hem's what they said. "Gentlemen, we are frankly frightened. Man's skills have outstripped his morals. His engineering has leaped ahead of his wisdom. We can't cancel or call back scientific advance, but we can, and must, if the world is to survive, help men to close that terrific gap between men's morals and their cleverness. In God's name, if you still believe in God, tell us what you can do to help. Otherwise we perish."

This Is no emotional yelp from a group of hysterical alarmists. This is something beyond the suspicion of melodramatics. These are men who shun overstatement. They realize, however, that the world hangs precariously in the balance. World attention was greatly increased sometime ago by the report of the hydrogen bomb test at Eniwitok. People were amazed to read that the blinding light of the explosion was not kept out of the eyes of the men on board ship many idles away, even though their backs were turned and their arms covered and smoked glasses on their eyes. Ten seconds after zero, the men on ship started turning around to face the direction of the blast. "I could hardly believe my eyes," one wrote. "A flame about two miles wide was shooting five miles into the air. Then we saw thousands of tons of earth being thrown straight into the sky." "You would swear," another sailor wrote, "that the whole world was on fire." One man stated, "About fifteen minutes after shot time, the island on which the bomb had been set off from started to burn, and it turned a brilliant red. It burned for about six hours. During this time it was gradually becoming smaller. Within six hours a mile wide island bad actually disappeared." New York Times, Nov. 17, 1952.

Do you realize that the world is on the eve of Armageddon? Can't you see the great awakening of the nations of the East? This is the greatest witness of the fact that we are nearing Armageddon and with the coming of the battle of the final war of earth -e Armageddon, we face the end of the world. The battle of Armageddon, according to Reve1ation 16 is the sixth plague of the seven last plagues. And if the sixth plague is in the making tonight, then how near are we to the first plague and the close of our world's probation? Truly it must be near.

Jesus says, in Revelation 16:15-19, "Behold I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame. . . . There were voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake and so great. And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell: and great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath."

When the nations are gathered at Megiddo, this will be the signal for the Lord to come and sit in judgment. The earth will be rocked by a mighty earthquake. An earthquake, such as has not been since there was a nation. The Lord God will proclaim from his throne, and it will ring out through the earth, the final declaration that seals the fate of every man, woman and child. "It is done." Rev. 21:6.

We read in Revelation 16:20 that at this time, "Every island fled away, aid the mountains were not found, And there fell upon men a great hail out of heaven, every stone about the weight of a talent: and men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail; for the plague thereof was exceeding great." When the battle

You remember the prophecy of the great image of Daniel 2, and bow a stone, cut out of the mountain without bands, struck the image and broke it to pieces and the wind came and blew it an away and the stone grew and grew until it filled the entire earth. That rock represents Jesus, the Ib3k of Ages, and His coming Kingdom. When He comes He will break the power of the nations of earth and He will set up His Kingdom of glory.

Not only will the earth be shaken by a mighty earthquake at this time, but as we have read, there will be great hailstones, each one weighing the weight of a talent. This is God 's artillery. In Hebrew, a talent is 57 pounds. Can you imagine these huge chunks of ice, the size of bushel baskets, raining down from God out or heaven? God uses the simple things of nature to accomplish His purpose. These ice--bombs are God's secret weapon, if you please. Men of war will be confused and terror stricken when they fall upon them. The battle will be broken up by this greatest bombardment that has ever struck the earth.

Far back in ancient times, God revealed to Job that He would use ice-bombs in the final battle of the great day of God Almighty. He said to Job, "Hast thou entered into the treasures of the snow, or bast thou seen the treasures of the hail, which I have reserved against the time of trouble, against the day of battle and war?" Our God, who knows the end from the beginning, tells us that He is going to come to this earth with the armies of heaven and that He win use His artillery to smash the armies of earth.

God says that the cities of the nations will fall at this time, they will be smashed by great ice-bombs as well as a terrible earthquake. London, Part-.s, New York, San Francisco and other great cities are going to fall, when Jesus comes. This mighty coming of our Lord arid Saviour, Jesus Christ, is described in Revelation l9:l1-l6 where it says, "I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, arid in righteousness be doth judge and make war, His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were, many crowns; aid he had a name written, that no man knew but he himself. And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood; aid his name is called The Word of God. And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: arid he treadeth the wine-press of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. Arid he bath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, King of kings, and Lord of lords."

As the wicked see Christ coming as King of kings and Lord of lords, they will try to escape from his presence. In Revelation 6:15-17 it says, "The kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every freeman, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; and said to the mountains., and rocks, Fall on us, arid hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: for the great day of his wrath is come arid who shall be able to stand?"

Oh, how sad, that men will have to run in terror from the presence of God in the day of His wrath. Today the Lord holds out his arms in tender love beseeching a].]. those who will, to come unto Him. But the tine is coming when He will return to this world, not as a Saviour to the wicked, but as a judge. Christ is soon coming to destroy those who seek to destroy the earth (Revelation 11:18). You and .1 will soon see the greatest world upheaval imaginable. This is no time to prophesy smooth things, and easy things. God's word tells us that in these last days that many will say, "Prophesy unto us smooth things and easy things." God tells us that the time will come when they will heap unto themselves teachers having itching ears, teachers who tickle the people 'a ears.

But God wants the world to be warned. If we do not give the warning, the Lord will hold us responsible. God wants us to live as true Christians, % lay off every weight of sin. Here we are down in the fag end of human history with a terrific storm soon to break upon us. If we ever needed the Lord, we need Him now.

There are scoffer's who say, "I don't believe the Lord is coming in cur day." Yes, there are those who will belittle and make fun of these most solemn truths of God. (2 Peter 3 :3--7). But remember, "In such an hour as ye think not, the Son of man cometh." Matthew 24:44.

Many of the people of the world will not realize how serious these things are until it is too late. Many have sought for security in the material things, but such things do not offer true security, The things of this earth will disintegrate before our eyes at the coming of the Lord.

My friend, what class will you be in when Jesus comes? There will be two classes, One group, which, by far, will be the largest; 'will run in terror and anguish from the presence of the Lord, crying out for the rocks and mountains to fall on them and hide them from His race. The other class 'will look up and say, "Lo, this is our God, we have waited for him arid now He has come to save US." Isaiah 25:9. If we love Jesus more than anything in this world, He will protect us when these final dreadful things come.

In Psalms 91:7,8 He says, "A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but It shall not come nigh thee. Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold, and see the reward of the wicked" Oh, how sad, that so many of the millions of the world are traveling along the hived way, without any hope of protection when the storm breaks.

Our world Is nervous and jittery. The great majority are participating in a mad carnival of death, seeking for thrills, and pleasures, and excitement. Many are trying to drain their fears and frustrations in drink arid in running to the 'show places of the world The hue and cry of our times is tin' wine, women and song.: So many are staying away from church. Oh, so many do not have an anchor to hold iii the storm of life.

Oh, dear friends, we want to be sure that we are anchored in Jesus Christ, the Saviour of the world. He says, "Behold, I come quickly: blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book, ( The Book of Revelation). For the time is at hand. I Jesus have sent my angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David." Revelation 22:7,10, 1ó.

If we, who are preachers, do not declare or testify in the churches these startling things that are coming upon the earth, then woe be unto us who claim to be the servants of God.

As we contemplate the future, it is comforting to know that we will not have to face the future alone. Jesus win be with us all the way.

The Scotch preacher, John McNeill, when a lad lived in the country. He worked away from home all week and came home Saturday night. Not far from his home there was a dark piece of woods. In the old country the darkness can be felt, and John, walking home, would enter that ravine with its dense darkness and thick woods and fear would get hold of him. Wicked men had hidden there and robbed and murdered people. On a particular Saturday night, the darkness was fearful. Did you ever hear a voice in the darkness? It sounds like thunder. All at once on this particular night, a voice rang out. He said, "My heart stood still for a moment in terror." Then the voice said, "is that you, John?" It was his father. Ch, the joy of it. His father slipped up to his side and threw his arm around him. He knew his boy's feelings walking through the dark and had come to meet him, and the rest of the way the boy snuggled up close to the big, strong father, feeling perfectly safe.

Nothing will ever make you feel real comfortable in the dark but a great presence. Dear friends, we have a great presence with us, it is the presence of God. Friend, though there is trouble in the world tonight, you may have the peace of God in your heart. Do you want that peace? Do you want His arm of protection and love to be about you? Let us bow our heads now and pray for the peace of God.