DEWITT TABERNACLE TEACHING SERIES

 

THE BATTLE OF ARMAGEDDON,

THE GREAT EARTHQUAKE,

AND

 THE DESTRUCTION

OF AMERICA

 

By C.W. Wood                March/April 2006

 

 

        In the minds of God’s redeemed ones, there are questions concerning end-time events, at least some of which I believe the Lord would have us understand, especially now since the days of the earth, as we have known it, have dwindled down to a precious few. We would like to set forth our thoughts concerning three of these troubling questions, which thoughts have resulted from an in-depth study of the Message and the Scirptures. Our topics will be: The Battle of Armageddon, The California Earthquake, and The Destruction of America. In 1933, the Prophet, William Branham, had a series of seven visions, the last of which was the destruction of America. Then in 1965, in Los Angeles, he preached, Choosing a Bride. During this message he prophesied, “One day (Los Angeles) you will be laying in the bottom of this sea.” (This was due to a terrible earthquake!)

        In the Scriptures, when the Battle of Armageddon is mentioned, an earthquake is also mentioned, indicating that they both happen in the same time-frame. The great question in the minds of the news media and also in the religious world is, “When will these things take place?” It is much food for thought to realize that when the Scriptures speak of the Battle of Armageddon, it also speaks of a great earthquake happening at the same time of such magnitude that all cities of the nations fell, which includes America.

Rev. 16: 16-21, “And He gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue ARMAGEDDON.” VERSE 18, “And there were voices and thunders, and lightenings, AND THERE WAS A GREAT EARTHQUAKE, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so might an earthquake and so great.” Verse 19, “And the cities of the nations (plural) fell.”

        Joel 3:1-2, “For behold, in those days, AND IN THAT TIME, when I shall bring again the captivity of Judah and Jerusalem, I will also gather all nations, and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat, and will plead with them here for My heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations, and parted My land. VERSE 15, “The sun and the moon shall be darkened, and the stars shall withdraw their shinning.” VERSE 16, “The Lord also shall roar out of Zion, and utter His voice from Jerusalem, AND THE HEAVENS AND THE EARTH SHALL SHAKE, but the Lord will be the hope of His people, and the strength of the Children of Israel.” Notice again, an earthquake at the time of Armageddon.

        Rev. 6:12-17, “And I beheld when He had opened the sixth seal, and lo, THERE WAS A GREAT EARTHQUAKE, and the Sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the Moon became as blood. And the stars of Heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind.” (Remember, the opening of The Sixth Seal was the Tribulation Period, which is AFTER RAPTURE, and this is the time-setting for this great end-time earthquake and The Battle of Armageddon!) VERSE 14, “And the Heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places.”

        It seems to this writer that the three major events foremost in our minds, the California Earthquake, the Destruction of America, and The Battle of Armageddon, are all quite likely to happen after the Rapture, and in the same time-frame. Perhaps many of us have supposed that Armageddon and the destruction of America would happen after Rapture, but the California Earthquake has been another great question. This is mostly due to what Br. Branham told Br. Billy Paul about not being an old man when California went down. With all our hearts we believe Br. Billy’s statement, but as always we need to know what Br. Branham meant by it.

        Let’s read more Scripture now that shows Armageddon and the earthquake happening in the same time-frame, which is after Rapture, and when Jesus comes back with His saints at the end of Tribulation to fight the Battle of Armageddon. (See Rev. 19:11-19)

        Zech. 14:1-4, “Behold, the day of the Lord cometh, and thy spoil shall be divided in the midst of thee. Verse 2, “For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city.”

        Verse 3, “Then shall the Lord go forth, and fight against those nations as when he fought in the day of battle.”

        Verse 4, “And his feet shall stand in that day upon the Mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the Mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south.”

        Notice! At the time all nations are gathered against Jerusalem there is a great earthquake and the Mount of Olives is moved out of its place by it. The time-frame is at the end of Tribulation and Jesus is back with His Saints to fight the Battle of Armageddon.

        Ezk. 38:14-20, (Other Scripture showing Armageddon and an earthquake at the same time.)

        Verse 14, “Therefore, son of man, prophesy and say unto Gog, Thus saith the Lord God; In that day when my people of Israel dwelleth safely, shalt thou not know it?

        Verse 15, “And thou shalt come from thy place out of the north parts, thou and many people with thee, all of them riding upon horses, a great company, and a mighty army:

        Verse 16, “And thou shalt come up against my people of Israel, as a cloud to cover the land; it shall be in the latter days, and I will bring thee against my land, that the heathen may know me, when I shall be sanctified in thee, O Gog, before their eyes.

        Verse 17, “Thus saith the Lord God; Art thou he of whom I have spoken in old time by my servants the prophets of Israel, which prophesied in those days many years that I would bring thee against them?

        Verse 18, “And it shall come to pass at the same time when Gog shall come against the land of Israel, saith the Lord God, that my fury shall come up in my face.

        Verse 19, “For in my jealousy and in the fire of my wrath have I spoken, Surely in that day there shall be a great shaking in the land of Israel;

        Verse 20, “So that the fishes of the sea, and the fowls of the Heaven, and the beasts of the field, and all creeping things that creep upon the earth, and all the men that are upon the face of the earth, shall shake at my presence, and the mountains shall be thrown down, and the steep places shall fall, and every wall shall fall to the ground.

        Ezekiel, the Prophet, saw the Battle of Armageddon, and saw God’s fury come up in His face. In His jealousy over His nation of Israel He sent a terrible earthquake, so great that all mountains were thrown down and every wall on earth fell to the ground. In other words, the world was destroyed. This would have to be the last earthquake!

        Now a quote where the Prophet said when California sinks, waves will shoot plumb out to the state of Kentucky (Traveling from west to east, and that is a tsunami going three fourths of the way across the United States.) He also said when this happens it will shake the world so hard that everything on top of it will shake down, meaning the world destroyed!

        QUOTE: THINKING MAN’S FILTER, AUGUST 22, 1965-JEFF. PAGES 27-28, “Blind Pharisees,” Jesus said. As Jesus cried, “Blind Pharisees,” the Holy Spirit in my own heart tonight cries, “Blind Laodicea, how oft God would’ve give you a revival, but now your time has come. It’s too late now. How did you laugh and make fun of the people that God sent to you? But now your time has come. Oh, United States, United States, how that God would’ve hovered you as a hen does its brood, but you would not.” Now, this Voice is going from coast to coast, from north to south, and east to west. How God would’ve hovered you, but you would not. Now your time has come.

        Nations are breaking; the world is falling apart. Fifteen hundred mile chunk of it, three or four hundred miles wide, will sink hundred-or maybe forty miles down into that great fault out yonder one of these days, and waves will shoot plumb out to the state of Kentucky. And when it does, it’ll shake the world so hard that everything on top of it will shake down!” (End quote) 

        This statement is in line with the earthquake in Rev. 16:19, where the cities of the nations (plural) fell, and we know this to be the last Great Earthquake. It is also in line with Ezk 38:14-20, Isa. 29:1-8, and Zech. 14:5.

        In the book, Revelation of Jesus Christ, pages 445-446, Br. Branham speaks of the time when the world will be destroyed, and indicates America will still be standing until that time. But at that time, his seventh vision of America being destroyed will take place, after the Gentile Bride is taken up. Remember, the world can not be totally destroyed until two prophets preach three and one half years in Jerusalem.

        QUOTE: REVELATION OF JESUS CHRIST, PAGES 445-446, “Now, 1914, the world went to a war, and they have never been at peace since; constantly swinging in, swinging in, swinging in, and they’re doing the very same thing yet. And what was they doing?  “Holding!” O God, have mercy! Holding the great thing that I saw in the vision (the whole thing become to destruction), holding the atomic, holding the wars that they don’t destroy themselves until the thing comes to destroy it; until Israel returns back and gets herself together, and the Message will go to Israel and she’ll be sealed with that seal of the Holy Ghost. See, after the Gentiles is called out; the people for His name’s sake will be called out, which in this age right here they’re called. Then Israel only receives a three-year-and-six-month’s Message.

        QUOTE: REVELATION OF JESUS CHRIST, PAGE 446: “And then there was a space given then for the Gentiles, and they come down to this age. Then there’s three and a half years left yet for the Jews. Now if we get over in Revelation 11, we’ll pick up exactly at the end (the Church don’t appear till the 19th chapter of Revelation), but the end of that, Elijah and Moses returns again and preach to the Jews. Two man anointed with that Spirit, or maybe them their self, they never died. So they kill them and they lay them in the street called Sodom where our Lord was crucified, “Jerusalem.” And after three days, why, the life (Spirit of Life) came into them and they went up, raised up. And then about a third of the earth was blowed to pieces at that time. They done miracles and signs with the Jews.

        Now here’s that Jews that they’re coming to preach to. The world cannot…could not blow one another up or kill one another, or destruction come, until those Jews come back down on that place; here sets the Bible saying so, he saw the four Angels. And watch what they got to receive; they’ve got to receive the Holy Ghost just like they did.

        As….That Man with the inkhorn writer was the Holy Ghost, we realize that, everybody that reads the Bible. Well, so is this the same Angel coming again with the Holy Ghost, “the seal of the living God.” Ephesians 4:30, the Holy Spirit of God, “sealed until the day of your redemption.”

        And they cannot do nothing now until those Jews return.” (End quote)

        After the Resurrection and the Rapture, the nation of Israel must not be destroyed (as shown in Zech. 14:1-2) until two Prophets of Rev. 11:3 have preached three and one half years.

        Isa. 29:1-7, “Woe to Ariel, to Ariel, the city where David dwelt! Add ye year to year; let them kill sacrifices.

        Verse 2, “Yet I will distress Ariel, and there shall be heaviness and sorrow: and it shall be unto me as Ariel.

        Verse 3, “And I will camp against thee round about, and will lay siege against thee with a mount, and I will raise forts against thee.

        Verse 4, “And thou shalt be brought down, and shalt speak out of the ground, and thy speech shall be low out of the dust, and thy voice shall be, as of one that hath a familiar spirit, out of the ground, and thy speech shall whisper out of the dust.

        Verse 5, “Moreover the multitude of thy strangers shall be like small dust, and the multitude of the terrible ones shall be as chaff that passeth away: yea, it shall be at an instant suddenly.

        Verse 6, “Thou shalt be visited of the Lord of hosts with thunder, and with earthquake, and great noise, with storm, and tempest, and the flame of devouring fire.

        Verse 7, “And the multitude of all the nations that fight against Ariel, even all that fight against her and her munition, and that distress her, shall be as a dream of a night vision.

        Now a quote where the Prophet tells us that the earthquake of Zech. 14:5, Isa. 29:6, and Rev. 16:18 are all the same earthquake.

        QUOTE: WHAT IS THE ATTRACTION ON THE MOUNTAIN, JULY 25, 1965, JEFF. PAGES 15-16, “Now we see a last-day happening! Let’s just turn a few pages on, in Zechariah, and see what he said about it. Let’s turn it over then for the last days. That was the middle age; let’s turn now to the last days. And turn over to Zechariah, the 14th chapter, and beginning with the 4th verse. And listen! And we’re going to read down a portion of the Scripture, about nine verses, from 4 to 9. Listen close. And it’s prophesying of His Coming, the last days, so listen close now. This is THUS SAITH THE LORD, It’s the Scriptures. Zechariah 14. Remember Zechariah 9, what it said? And they didn’t recognize It. Now, what is it today? Zechariah 14, speaking of His Coming: And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives again, which is before Jerusalem on the east, on the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof towards the east and towards the west, and there shall be a very great valley… half of the mountain shall be moved towards the north, and half….towards the south.

        And ye shall flee to the valley of the mountain; for the valley of the mountain shall reach from Azal: yea, ye shall flee, like you fled in the days of the earthquake in the days of Uzziah the king of Judah:…

        Another earthquake splitting open the earth! If you want to follow out a Scripture here, notice in this 5th verse, it applies that the cleaving of the Mount of Olives is due to an earthquake, and this is confirmed by Isaiah 29:6 and Revelation 16:9 (Br. Branham misquoted Rev. 16:9. It should read Rev. 16:18.). Exactly! What is it? The same prophet told of His first coming, seen His second Coming! Notice, “As in the days of the earthquake.” See what the earthquakes are doing, see the predictions of them?” (End quote)

        As we have said, we believe Br. Billy Paul’s statement where he quoted Br. Branham as saying he would not be an old man before sharks would be swimming in and out of the May Company building in Los Angeles, California. If I understand Br. Billy’s statement correctly, he was not told that he would not die, only that he would not be an old man. If our precious Brother Billy had gone into his Theophany, he would not then be an old man as he watched California sink.

        In John 21:21-23, we have an example of something Jesus said being misunderstood (But it was said for a purpose). Verse 22, “If I will that He (John) tarry till I come what is that to thee? Follow thou Me.” The saying was started that John would not die until the Second Coming of Christ. But the Lord did not say he would not die, only that he would tarry until He came. And the statement was proven when John lived to see the Coming of the Lord (in vision) on the Isle of Patmos.

        I can see the possibility that the Prophet’s statement to Br. Billy has been misunderstood (But it was also said for a reason). I suppose that most all of us have our own ideas about these great End-Time events, and I do not say that is wrong. In this sermon, I have tried to set forth my thoughts, and I don’t feel condemned for doing so, as long as I keep my mind open to receive any correction our Lord would send. I also give every man the right to his own thoughts, and will love him and fellowship with him when our views are backwards to each other.

        My sincere prayer is that no one will disfellowship me for holding the views I have. I certainly do not mean to imply that you must see it as I do in order to have Rapturing Faith. I respect your beliefs and desire to fellowship with you until we all come “Into the unity of the truth.”

        Perhaps there will be other earthquakes in California before the coast line sinks, it seems very likely. But from comparing these Scriptures the Prophet gave (Rev. 16:18, Isa. 29:6, and Zech. 14:1-5), and reading his statements we have quoted in this sermon, we believe the California earthquake that sinks Los Angeles, is the last one. And we believe The Destruction of America and The Battle of Armageddon happen in the same time-frame as the California Earthquake. If Br. Billy Paul is gone before California sinks, it should not disturb us.