What the Near Future Holds

Ciro Aulicino

Three weeks ago, close to that, on September 11 th, a horrible, horrific tragedy struck the
United States. An attack from a religious enemy, changed the lives of everyone in this
country, including members of the Bethel family, who had to see that, were traumatized.

And it created a great, great change in people's attitudes. And, we have been very, very
concerned about what this all means. Well, what we're going to do today, because God's
people have been tipped off by Jehovah as to what the future holds, they are not fearful
but they are very concerned but awake as to what this possibly could mean. Now we have
been studying the Bible for years and been preaching the good news of the kingdom and
we have also been aware of developments that God's people have been notified through
the pages of the Watchtower and the Awake! magazine. There are five developments,
friends, that we're going to talk about, but I'd like to talk about the first one that we
should expect to see.

I’d like you to open your bibles to 1 Thessalonians 5:3. This one really is electrifying in
the sense that it seems to tie with what's happened in New York City a few weeks ago.

It’s in 1Thessalonians 5:3. “Whenever it is”, the apostle Paul is writing here, “Whenever
it is that they are saying: “Peace and security!” then sudden destruction is to be instantly
upon them just as the pang of distress upon a pregnant woman”

Now up to this time we have been hearing calls for peace and security, we've had it
during the Desert Storm War, the Gulf war. We've heard it when the United Nations have
said it. But notice, friends, that this time in this situation that what happened there in New
York, has changed things. No longer is the world secure. It's the truth here. These
terrorists can do a lot of damage, that the whole world is now united for the first time.
They are looking for, not only peace, but they want security. The Eiffel Tower, House of
Commons, all the major places are now under threat and so now people want security.
And so the cry is "peace and security." People are concerned. And this is the first time
that we have such a situation which has galvanized the entire world.

You think of the Vietnam War, the Korean War, even the attack on Pearl Harbor. Those were
between nations. But now you have a whole world coalition, including the United Nations,
whom the Secretary General said on television that "We must root out terrorism off the face
of this earth." Now that changes things friends. That should alert us. That should make us
very concerned. Are we near the end? Well we're not saying that.

We should look at this as; it's time to stay awake. It's time to draw very close to God's
people. It's time not to miss meetings. But to get out and preach, comfort the people. We
have a great opportunity. We're going to talk about that later.

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But this development that's happening now is going to happen so fast. Brother Franz, I
shall never forget, said that it will go like this, he slapped his hand that morning and he
said it will be a trap. And once it starts there's no turning back. Now we have all the
springs of this trap ready to begin. But let's see now what's going to happen, that will be
in this trap.

First of all, we have to deal with a second development. Now this first development is
already on the scene of the earth, there's no question about it. Even the brothers there at
Bethel are very concerned and watching about this peace and security movement. But
there's a development that has been going on. The rivalry between the radical king of the
North and the Democratic King of the South. There have been two great powers. How
they're going to run into this I don't know, and I'm not predicting, and none of us should.
But let's see what is going to happen.

It says there in Daniel 11:44, Daniel 11:44, let’s turn right there quickly, and were going
to read what it says there in Daniel 11:44. And we find that passage here: “But there will
be reports that will disturb him,” that is the King of the North, “out of the sunrising and
out of the north, and he will certainly go forth in a great rage in order to annihilate and to
devote many to destruction.”

Now who are the many here that he is going to devote to destruction and annihilate? It is
not the King of the South, the Anglo-American world power because the Bible tells us in
Daniel 7:26 and in Daniel 8:25 that he will be totally destroyed without human hand, by
the heavenly armies under Michael or Jesus Christ. So that leaves him out. So who are
the many? Well let God answer it. Let’s turn to Revelation 17:16, and we're going to get a
clue, and when you read that you're going to say "My! They are many"

Let’s see, got Revelation17:16? “And the ten horns that you saw,” of which the King of
the North is a part friends, “and the wild beast, these will hate the harlot and will make
her devastated and naked, and will eat up her fleshy parts and will completely burn her
with fire.”

Yes, we're talking about the populous realm of false religion, you see. Now who is the
identity of this scarlet colored wild beast, we have to look at that, who God destines to
devastate Babylon the Great, and who helps us to see the King of the North's role in this
attack? It's the United Nations! The seven-headed ten-horned monstrosity that she's riding
today, which she has been stroking and cooing sweet names ever since its establishment
in 1945.

Now the King of the North is a prominent member of this political beast. This shocking event
we’re talking about, this attack, will not be triggered by some human political factors,
although what has happened in New York seems to indicate that it may. But what is going to
happen to the destruction is that in Revelation 17:17 it says Jehovah God makes it happen.
Notice that there. Look in your bible there. It says He puts it in the hearts of the nations to

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carry out His thought of destroying this wicked empire of false religion.

Now why does he want to destroy false religion? Well, he has a right to. It's a divine
retribution from the supreme judge. Let's list the reasons.

 She must pay for all her disgusting things. (And they are disgusting in
what she's been teaching and practicing.)

 She has to pay for inebriating mankind with the wine of her political
fornication.

 And for shedding the blood of Gods prophets and holy ones.

 And the blood of all those who have been slaughtered on the earth.

Now God's implanting in the hearts of the political leaders the determination to annihilate
Babylon the Great could very well be those reports out of the sun rising that disturb the
King of the North against false religion.

Now, it's incredible, people might feel, how could the United Nations to do that? But we
have the scene ready. I mean the situation is already there on the scene today. Our lives
are never going to be the same. We better accept that now.

The United Nations is suddenly going to…, and she is already working with the United States
to empower and to go against this false religion. Now we should not think that United
Nations is a helpless organization. It will someday, with the backing of the coalition, gain
great power and do this attacking.

Now when that happens friends…, and by the way I'd like to mention something too. If you
open up your books called Mankind's Search for God book, and you look at the front page
where the pictures are usually, the inside cover. Look at the map and see how big the Islamic
empire is. I was told that it has more than Christendom. So maybe we have been looking at
the wrong part of Babylon the Great. It is the most aggressive. It is the one that is irritating
the King of the North and the Wild Beast isn't it? So we have to stay alert, friends. We do not
know everything, but Jehovah is giving us enough clues to keep us aware. Stay awake!

Now when the nations begin devastating Babylon the Great, including all these religions,
including the aggressive terroristic ones, it's going to signal the beginning of the great
tribulation. Now there's no turning back. This is the beginning of the end for all of
Jehovah's enemies. But, friends, like we said yesterday at our kingdom hall, it is the
beginning of a new beginning for all of us who are His friends. Isn't that beautiful. And it
means that the fourth development foretold by Jehovah God is about to begin. A
development that is going to test our faith and trust in Jehovah to its very foundation.
Now, friends, if we hope to survive it we must take God's prediction of this particular
aspect as a very personal warning. We must be prepared for its coming. We must keep
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ourselves in expectation of it. All the more so since Jehovah has not revealed many things
about it but just given us what we need to know.

What is that development? It's a vicious attack that the nations will launch against us,
Jehovah's people. And Ezekiel 38, 39, those two chapters, you may go home and read
them, describes this assault, the motive behind it, and the final outcome. Jehovah names
Gog, G O G, as the protagonist in this prophecy. And from what he does, this Gog is
really Satan the Devil, the ruler of the world, whom God has given the glory and the
authority of all the kingdoms of the inhabited earth.

As the God of this system of things, only he has the superhuman power to direct such a
massive maneuvering of nations depicted in this prophecy. And it's in keeping with his
character. He's the original serpent, the great enemy of God. He wants to wipe us out, so
let's not minimize him, you see, and ever since he was cast down from heaven between
1914 an 1918, this dragon, this fiery colored Satan the devil, has been trying to destroy
everyone and everything devoted to God and he wages war against all who observe God's
commandments and who bear witness that now Jesus is ruling as king in heaven.

Now we can well imagine, friends, and this now begins to fit, how infuriated he is going
to be when he sees us dwelling quietly in God's peace and security and his Babylonish
prostitute screeching in pain as the wild beast chews up her blubbery fleshy parts. His
frustration will explode into a paroxysm of rage that can be appeased by only one thing;
he must completely eradicate Jehovah's pure worship from the face of the earth. That's
what his aim is.

So as Ezekiel 38:10 forewarns, Satan is going to think up an injurious scheme. A scheme

to whip up the nations' hatred of false religion, which is now probably building as you
can see it, but in it, to wipe out true religion at the same time. He is going to exacerbate
the greed of these governments and their anger in their desire for peace and security.

Their economy's in threat. Look at what is happening to the United Sates’ stock market.
That's going to happen to the whole world. The whole economy is dependent. It's not one
stock market and the rest can go on, no, the whole thing is like a domino. So they're
going to all unite. And it suggests in Daniel 11:45 that the King of the North will be the
leading force in this Gogian attack.

It tells us, now watch this, that this King of the North is going to audaciously plant his
palatial tents between the grand sea and the holy mountain of decoration. Now what does
that mean? It means he is going to plop himself in an area very precious to Jehovah God,
yes, and according to Ezekiel 38:12 Gog gets the King of the North, and all the nations,
to storm against us in order to get a big spoil and to do much plundering you see.

Now you're going to imagine what's going to happen here in Ezekiel 38:13. Let’s read
that because here the onlookers, or the observers, they ask this question to Gog. Ezekiel

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38:13. Right? We got that? 38:13? Notice what they question him. We're going to take the
third line, "They will say to you," they're talking about Gog. Got that? “Is it to get a big
spoil that you are coming in? Is it to do much plundering that you have congregated your
congregation, in order to carry off silver and gold, to take wealth and property, to get a
very great spoil?”’ It's a sarcastic question. ‘Here you are mustering the entire world to go
after this small organization of maybe 6 to10 million people. You’re mobilizing
everybody? What is that?’ you see. They don't understand it. We know what it's about,
don't we friends? God has tipped us off, right?

Oh, the Devil wants to destroy our spiritual paradise, you see. That's something he's been
trying to do since 1922, and now he thinks he has a chance. Now, it's very obvious why
he wants to do this. Do you realize that we in this spiritual garden are wielding an
influence for Jehovah's messianic kingdom? Why, our very presence in this park right
here this morning is evidence and showing that God's government is now ruling in
heaven, and it means that Satan's short period of time is ending. That's what you’re doing.
You don't realize that. And you are declaring God's great glory worldwide, and your very
presence shows that you authenticate God's claim to his sovereignty over the earth. You
are devoted to him. You want him to be the king. You want him to take over this earth.

You prove one other thing, friends, that Satan can't turn all of mankind away from God,
as he boasted. But he wants to suppress these things. He doesn't want anybody to know
that. But here we are in a spiritual paradise and we're not only in this park friends, our
brothers are all over the world meeting today, in NY, in Brazil all over. Just think, and we
are flourishing at the very figurative center of the earth. That is where he can see us.
Publicly exhibiting these truths.

And look at this park, how beautiful it is. We have big trees of righteousness, faithful men
who lead exemplary lives, who humbly feed and care for God's people. And look at all of
you. The park is not only made up of trees. It is made up all kinds of vegetation. Yes. In
the form of all kinds of men who are bearing the sweet fruitage of the holy spirit. Little
children that are like flowers. Devoted little children, huh? Garden is made up of a lot of
pretty little flowers. Not big flowers. Sometimes little violets, you see. Lilies of the valley.
All of you are there, friends. Everyone maintaining and expanding our spiritually beautiful
paradisaic state.

Now imagine, how it fills him with rage, to see us in this exclusive garden growing
luxuriantly in the spiritually poisonous environment that he has purposely set up in this
system of things. An environment of hedonism, rampant materialism. He thinks he set
everything up so that he can make every man unconscious of their spiritual need. But
we're a miracle that he can't hide. Our ongoing spiritual prosperity is proof, that Jehovah
God, the supreme sovereign of the universe, must be the one who is blessing us, that we
could be growing in such an atmosphere. Oh, how this frustrates Gog, ha ha.
So, like his prime minister Haman, an Amalekite crony back there, he seeks to kill off
Jehovah's people scattered and separated, and who do not love his world, or the things in
his world. People that he cannot enslave with the desire of the flesh, the desire of the
eyes, and the showy display of one’s means of life. And, you know, in spite of everything
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that he has done to stifle our spirituality, here we are, and millions of our brothers around
the world, who keep on seeking first God's kingdom and his righteousness. Oh ho ho,
how this galls Gog. He is so mad. He is going to defoliate and denude God's spiritual
paradise if it's the last thing he does. And it will be the last thing he'll do friends, ha ha ha.

Now we can see why Jehovah calls Gog's scheme an injurious scheme. It's designed to
injure Jehovah's interests on this earth. Oooh, how brilliant it seems. It's so sure of a its
success. After all, look at us, we're the target. Are we armed? No. We are an unarmed
organization, just like the Bible says, we're like an open city without walls or bars or doors of
protection. All our goods are there just for the taking. So the great dragon is going to unite all
the nations to form a coalition against us. Remember that. And through that coalition,
disgorge water like a river of persecution to inundate Jehovah's entire worldwide spiritual
garden right out of existence.

Now that tactic almost worked in World War II. It just might work again, so he thinks.
Now what's he going to do. Well, this is just a possibility, friends don't think that this be
the way it happens, it could happen another way. But he is going to make our Christian
neutrality, our allegiance to Jehovah's kingdom, yes, even our innocent Christian way of
life, appear to be a threat to the public welfare. And already we are beginning to hear
rumblings of this among many world leaders. "There is no neutrality." In fact there was
an article. A brother came into my office on Friday, and showed me an article about why
there can be no pacifism in this time. Now you may not think much of that but that's what
the call is going.

And so Gog is going to do these and he is going to dangle our earthly belongings. We
have some beautiful property all over the world. And the governments are going to be
coveting that, you see. And he is going to convince them that it is imperative that we be
eliminated. As in the trial of Jesus Christ he's going to have them use the age-old pretext
to justify their wicked attack. And what are they? Well, let's look at maybe perhaps a
meeting of these world leaders. And we can just see minister states saying, "Well, our
political needs demand that we take this drastic action against Jehovah's Witnesses."

And you can just see this general with all these medals saying, "Well they're a dangerous
sect. They exert a bad influence. They refuse to line up with our national sovereignty.
They want to be pacifists. We can't have them around here."

And then you have the minister of finance. Ohh, look at him. "Oooh, if we confiscate all their
possessions it could help us to meet our financial budget. That would be good for the country.
We should stamp them out, you see." That all possibilities friends. And they’re simple, and
that’s how Satan may get political powers to attack and carry out his injurious scheme.

What's the point? Brothers, we should expect them to despoil us of our human rights. We
should expect them to confiscate all of Jehovah's belongings and close down and take
possession of all our branches, factories, depots, kingdom halls, assembly halls,
everything. Don't make any mistake about it. We are all in this together. We have a
common enemy.

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Now Jehovah God does not tell us how far he's going to let Gog's hoards penetrate His land
of pure worship here before He responds. We're going to have to trust Jehovah, as we said
last night, we're going to have to wait on him. But when they start pouring across the
frontiers of this paradise, this spiritual paradise, we will know then, that the fifth and final
development is at hand. The outbreak of the war of the great day of God the Almighty,
Armageddon.

Well now, let's see what it says here in Ezekiel 38:16. It warns us that Gog's armies, as
they pour in, will come up against us like a cloud, covering the land, you see. The whole
world of mankind will be supporting this act of aggression. We will have no recourse to
the legal systems. You will not be able to go down to the courthouse and say "They have
no right to do this." “Huh. You have no rights. You are a banned sect.” You're out, you
see. Expect that. So we're not going to have to look to them for any help. It's only going
to be through Jehovah God.

When they come up upon us like a cloud to cover the land, that means there’ll be no gaps
in their ranks. One solid international front closing in upon us. Now Isaiah 8:8 gives us a
clue just about how long we may have to wait on Jehovah to react to Gog's aggression.

Speaking of the Assyrian invasion in Isaiah 8:8, He speaks of Israel being actually
flooded over and passing over, and notice what God says, Jehovah says: “up to the neck
he will reach.” In other words Gog may come up to here with us. You know it's only
about an inch before we start drowning. So it may be really, our backs will be to the wall
friends. But we cannot let him cause us to give way to fear, even if he has his jaws and his
claws clamped around us and his seven mouths ready to devour God's people. The pressure to
give way will be intense. But we must remember what Elisha said in 2Kings 6:16.
What did he say? You should know this by heart. "Do not be afraid. For there are more
who are with us than those who are with them." Open your eyes of faith, brothers, at that
time and see that the region around us is full of Jehovah's horses and war chariots of fire.

Let's open some Psalms here. Let’s open the bible to Psalm 56:11. We just want to go
over a few of them. There's so many of them, we could read, oh, practically 100 of them,
but let’s take a few.

56:11 – “In God I have put my trust. I shall not be afraid. What can earthling man do to
me?”

Let’s go to Psalm 118 verse 6…, Psalm 118 verse 6. The wind is helping me turn pages
my friends. “Jehovah is on my side; I shall not fear. What can earthling man do to me?”

Psalm 16:8. Let’s go to Psalm 16:8. There are many others you can find too. 16:8 – “ I
have placed Jehovah in front of me constantly. Because [he] is at my right hand, I shall not be
made to totter.”

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Right, friends. Now remember this will give us confidence. This will help us and keep the
anointed’s words at Romans 8:31 in mind. We can also take them as our part of our
words, because we are the offspring of the anointed. We are their children. We too can
come off completely victorious through him that loves us. What are those words?

"If God is for us, who can be against us?" Remember that friends. Now these are
inspiring scriptures. Very encouraging. Will we remember them when Gog attacks us?
When he starts going after us? It will be a moment of truth, friends. If we do stand still,
and we do like what king Jehoshaphat ordered, take our position, stand still, and see the
salvation of Jehovah. We will put our faith in Jehovah God. Now this is the beautiful part,
that we may prove ourselves of long duration. What is our hope? Living forever. We want
to be of long duration. So we have to take our stand. And as we do this, this is a very
beautiful passage. I love this. I want you to write this down and read it.

Isaiah 30:15, Isaiah 30:15. Please make this part of your memory. In fact you can
memorize it. Our “mightiness”, our strength it means, “will prove to be simply in keeping
undisturbed and in trustfulness.”

No matter how violent they get. How loud they yell. How mean they get. Be like our
brothers in the concentration camps and in the Russian gulag. Undisturbed, happy,
trustful in Jehovah. You will actually drive them crazy. Because they cannot figure out
why you are not panicking. But you have Jehovah on your side. He is with you. So have
no fear, brothers. Just when it seems that everything is lost, Jehovah will react.

He tells us at Ezekiel 38:18 and 19. “ my rage will come up into my nose. And in my ardor, in
the fire of my fury, I shall have to speak.” What’s He going to say? Yes, he is going to order
and speak to his Messianic king, Jesus Christ. And all the myriads of angels and the
anointed who are already resurrected, to repay tribulation to them who are making
tribulation for us, my people. Go after them.

Relief friends. A sudden revelation of the Lord Jesus Christ from heaven, with his
powerful angels, comes galloping in a flaming fire as he brings Jehovah's vengeance
upon all of Gog's forces and allies. This breaks open the battle of Armageddon, the final
part of the great tribulation.

Now this is something were going to have to be very faithful to trust Jehovah. Jesus
Christ will now resume his attack that he began when he kicked Satan out, and he will
now complete his conquest. He stopped them at Gog, in the land of Magog remember,
that debased condition, now he invades this area and cleans it all out, you see. And he the
foreordained armistice so the good news could be preached is over. Gog of Magog will be
put out of the picture.

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Now friends, when this happens, our love for Jehovah will be even greater. For just in the
nick of time, this invasion of Michael will rescue us from Satan's clutches. What a
thrilling time that will be. But something else is going to happen at this critical moment.
A more wonderful something else that Jehovah foretold for all of us who faithfully stand
for Jehovah and endure the attack of Gog of Magog. What is that? We talked about it
yesterday at the kingdom hall. Receiving evidence that Jesus has judged and separated us
as his sheep, and has put us on the right hand of approval. Think of what that means. We
who are blessed by his father are now going to inherit the kingdom prepared for us from
the founding of the world.

Ho, what a supremely happy moment that will be. I cannot describe it. But how will we
feel when we come under the direct loving protection of Jehovah God and his son?

Well let's give you an example. How do you think Noah and his family felt when they
saw Jehovah shut the ark's door behind them? We will feel the same warm sense of
security and safety that they felt when the floodwaters gently began, woo, carrying the
ark and they started floating safely over the waters. Friends, as they sat in that ark they
knew they were going to survive the deluge and no human, nephilim, demon, or devil
could stop it.

So with us. No matter where we will be on the earth, no matter where we are going to be,
Jehovah's protective wings will be spread over us. And we know that we are going to
survive Armageddon’s tribulation. We're going to come through it alive, friends. No King
of the North, King of the South, UN, demon, or devil can stop it. Jehovah is bringing us
home to paradise under his paternal son's care.

Now let the hope of that moment burn brightly in our hearts. Let it comfort our hearts.
Make us firm for every good work. Jehovah is faithful, friends. He will make you firm.
He will keep you from the wicked one today and during the final attack. Yes, he will not
forget the love you’ve showed for his name.

Now, I'm not going to be able to describe the great battle of Armageddon that will be the
greatest war ever fought on this earth. But it's going to settle the greatest issue of the
universe: Jehovah's rightful sovereignty over all creation. Now, I don't think we can
appreciate how big this thing is, but it's an issue that Jehovah has allowed Satan to
challenge for over 6000 years.

This is what makes God's universal war when he finally ends the misrule of our earth, by
destroying this system, such a thrilling moment for us. Now, when Jehovah goes to war
against Satan, he's going to do something a little different. He's not going to capture his
chief opponent as a general usually tries to do. “Get the king. Get him first. And then the
whole army will fall apart.” No, Jehovah God with his supreme power will take Gog and
hold him and his demons at bay. And they will give them a ringside seat, so to speak, and
let them watch Jesus and all his angels systematically destroy their entire wicked earthly
organizations.

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How frustrating to see the whole thing going down before their eyes. Governmental,
military, commercial, criminal. An abrupt end, and a violent end, to everyone and
everything that’s mocked Jehovah's righteous standards of justice and morality. Yes,
everything is going to pass away with a hissing noise. The economic, social, and cultural
elements. And Jehovah pours upon them his denunciation and his burning anger that they
will dissolve and melt out of operation.

It’ll be a day of fury, a day of distress, and of anguish. A day of storm and desolation.
And even though we will be under divine protection, friends, there are going to be
inconveniences and we're going to have to endure, and trust Jehovah. He's bringing us
home. We can't worry about what our house is like, or what we own. Say "Goodbye" to
those things, friends.

And Jehovah God will first attack the military hoards that are besieging his earthly
representatives. Let's turn to Zech14:12 and 13. Notice how he disarms these forces here.
Zech14:12 and 13. “And this is what will prove to be the scourge with which Jehovah
will scourge all the peoples that will actually do military service against Jerusalem: There
will be a rotting away of one’s flesh, while one is standing upon one’s feet; and one’s
very eyes will rot away in their sockets, and one’s very tongue will rot away in one’s
mouth. “And it must occur in that day [that] confusion from Jehovah will become
widespread among them; and they will actually grab hold, each one of the hand of his
companion, and his hand will actually come up against the hand of his companion.”

Imagine that, friends. Now just think. All these great armies with all their weapons. If you
lose your eyesight, you cannot press any buttons to send a rocket anywhere. Right? And
if you lose your tongue, how you going to tell the fellow what to do. Quah quah quah. If
you lose all of that there is no communication. Complete dismantling, you see. Yes, each
man's hand will go against his brother. The sword will come.

Now notice what Ezekiel 38:22 says. This is really horrifying and we're going to see this.
“a flooding downpour and hailstones, fire and sulphur I [Jehovah] shall rain down upon
[Gog] and upon his bands and upon the many peoples that will be with him.”

So Jehovah God is going to attack these for DARING to come against his anointed and
his people. These military warriors, so sure of victory, will be shocked out of their wits.
They will see something they have never seen before. They will experience what the
Ninevites experienced in Nahum 2:10. What did the Ninevites experience? “…the heart is
melting, and there is a tottering of [the] knees, and severe pains are in all hips; and as for
the faces of all of them, they have collected a glow [of excitement].”

Yes, an excitement of deep anxiety. Because they are going to see that none of their
weapons, their rockets, their destructive nuclear warheads, can stop the sweltering heat
waves, the snow blizzards, the hailstones, the hurricanes, the typhoons, the twisting
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tornados, as it knocks them all out of existence. How can an airplane fly in a tornado?
Even those jets? None of them.

The Bible indicates that Jehovah God, now this is very important friends, is going to set
off some very spectacular displays of his great power. Jesus foretold in Luke 21:25 that
there will be signs in the sun, moon, and stars. Matthew 24:29 mentions the sun
darkening. The moon not giving its light. As well as falling stars.

Now these celestial supernatural events are going to show God's enemies that what's
happening to them is not a natural disaster. It's not a fluke. It's a divinely controlled
occurrence, or occurrences, coming from the true and living God.

It will not take them, of course, long to realize when they see who is being destroyed and
who is not being destroyed. You see, freaks of nature don't select who they are going to
destroy, right? Obviously.

Jesus also spoke of the sign of the son of man appearing in heaven. That all his enemies
would see him coming on the clouds with great power and great glory. Now whatever this
manifestation is, friends, and it's going to be one, it's going to tell all the tribes of the
earth that Christ has arrived in his glory with all his angels and now he is calling all
wicked mankind to account for their stubborn refusal to know and obey the good news
about his kingdom.

They're going to see, friends, that they are going to undergo, now notice this, the judicial
punishment of everlasting destruction from before him and from the glory of his strength.
There is no resurrection. Everlasting destruction.

Zephaniah, let’s read that, Zephaniah 1:17 and 18. My hands are a little cold here friends,
you have to be patient with me. Zephaniah 1:17 and 18. “And I will cause distress to
mankind, and they will certainly walk like blind men; because it is against Jehovah that
they have sinned. And their blood will actually be poured out like dust, and their bowels
like the dung. Neither their silver nor their gold will be able to deliver them in the day of
Jehovah’s fury; but by the fire of his zeal the whole earth”, not one part, “the whole earth
will be devoured, because he will make an extermination, indeed a terrible one, of all the
[wicked] inhabitants of the earth.”

And understand that now. Well now we don't have to describe what's going to happen as
their world falls apart. I can never forget the horrible feeling I had when I looked out that
day on September 11th, on Tuesday, and I looked at the Brooklyn Bridge filled with
people rushing over, friends. Oh. Panic and confusion. It was a horrible thing. I felt like
leaving my office and going out and trying to comfort them because they were so lost

But when the world comes to an , great panic and fear will sweep around the world. A
demoralizing sense of hopelessness and helplessness will grip all of condemned mankind,
as the wicked sees that there's no place of escape. No connection to call. No buddy to say

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"Hey you gotta get me out of this." “Nooo, I can’t even get out of it myself. Don't even
bother me.” Everyone will be running for their own life, and they will vent their
frustration and rage. Think of the collapse of government. The breakdown of telephone
and computer communications. Horrendous traffic jams like that bridge. Riots in the
streets. TV and radio stations out of communication. Oh, friends.

This is where we’re going to have rely on Jehovah. The day of reckoning. The day of
divine retribution. Jehovah's permission, patience of wickedness on this earth is over. He
is finally intervening in man's affairs to bring to ruin all those ruining the earth. And
when it's over, those slain by Jehovah will come to be from one end of the earth clear to
the other. They will not be bewailed nor gathered up nor buried. As manure on the surface
of the ground they will become. (Jeremiah 25:33)

All that remains of Satan's world will be a rubble of fertilizer, friends. His god-ship over
mankind is over. Now… Now Jehovah turns his attention to the wicked one. Now it’s
time for his ignominious dethronement, and to take away his freedom of action by
forcible captivity and imprisonment. Now this is going to be the most momentous step in
universal history. The angels will just thrill to see it. It climaxes the great tribulation.
Christ now comes, seizes Gog the dragon the original serpent, who is the devil and Satan,
and all his demons. He hurls him into the abyss, shuts it, and seals it over him for a
thousand years, that he and his demons might not mislead the nations anymore.

Now, we're not going to see this thrilling event, because it’s going to happen in the invisible
spirit realm. But we can visualize Satan and his slithering hoards of savage demons snarling
with rage, desperately struggling to resist being abyssed into [in]activity.

But, we're going to feel the physical effects of it. Oh, yes, friends. Just as surely as the world
felt the effects of when the heavenly struggle hurled Satan down to the earth. “Woe to the
earth and to the sea.” Remember that? Well that is going to be a reverse. Rejoice, oh earth,
ahhh. The wicked one is gone. At long last, that beautiful spirit of peace which will envelop
the whole earth. A rest will come upon us. The devil is gone. God's kingdom is now directly
ruling our earth. His will is going to be done on our earth as it [is] in heaven.

Well friends, as I said yesterday, are we ready to go into that new world? Are you
packed? Are you spiritually rich with your nice bank account in heaven? Are you ready to
clear away the ruins of destruction? To roll up your sleeves and start cultivating this earth
into a paradise and gardens? I am. I want to put my book bag away and start taking out
some hoes and working maybe a tractor or something.

Of course, those of us who lost our homes may have to live temporarily in those that have
survived Armageddon. But in time, God's organization through the kingdom, will arrange
for us to have a place to live, and then we will work happily under Jehovah's direction.
Our health is now getting better and better. We will be de-aging. You know what that
means? We're going to start going the other way. Yeah. And the joyful prospect for us is
here today.

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Where are we in the stream of time? We are very deep, deep, in the time of the end.
September 11th of 2001 could be the start of a turning point. The paradise can be your
friends, if you stay awake and stick close to Jehovah’s earthly organization, now more
than ever before.

If you are not baptized yet, we urge you to take this step as soon as possible.

Are you here for the first time? Please investigate the holy bible. Ask one of Jehovah’s
Witnesses to study it with you. Yes, take time.

And if you are returning. If you have been out of the organization. Hurry back! Hurry
back! We don’t know how much time. Get to every meeting. Stick close to one another.

If we do, then we’re all going to be prepared to enter God’s new world and enjoy an
eternal future of everlasting happiness. Let us stay prepared for what the near future
holds.

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