by Jon R. Welker

As I consider the various events on earth and within the church and what the Spirit is saying to the "called out ones" (ecclesia), the overwhelming message I hear coming forth is PREPARE! PREPARE! The Lord is about to allow things to come upon our nation and the world that will be remarkable and astounding in nature.

It shouldn't be a surprise to those in tune that the economic problems of this nation and the world continue to mount, which is affecting the other two parts of Babylon – political and ecclesiastical.

"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." Revelation 16:19

And YES, religion is factoring into this chaotic mess very significantly – most notably Islam, but not exclusively.

The continual discovery of terrorist plots to hurt people in various parts of the world and the growing militarism of many nations, seems to follow patterns at other times in history but most notably pre-World War II. And similar efforts to appease such aggressors are also evident. The evidence of a proliferation of the development of nuclear weapons or the intent to establish such capability is changing the balance of power in the world drastically.

But as we have often brought out, the place to WATCH is the area of the Holy Land and the nation of Israel. And that area has continued to be a seething cup of hostilities. Even as I write this, the present administration in Washington has hosted a meeting with the current Prime Minister of Israel with the intent to press through some kind of settlement regarding the Palestinians and the Israelis. Yet, let me again remind you what the Lord has declared:

"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." Zechariah 12:3

And the Lord has stated He has set up a standard there that will hiss to the nations and draw them into conflict.

"And He will lift up an ensign to the nations from far, and will hiss unto them from the end of the earth…." Isaiah 5:26

There He will gather the nations unto the GREAT BATTLE OF ARMAGEDDON!

"And He gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon." Revelation 16:16

Truly, there is a very great convergence of events, signs and troubles which are in line with many prophecies regarding the end-time events. GREAT DISTRESS among nations and PERPLEXITY!

"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; 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." Luke 21:25-26

I wish to begin the process of excerpting and reviewing various teachings we have produced in the past which explain and warn of approaching events. My hope is that our readers will give careful consideration to these concepts and be warned. For some time now, I have been "low keyed" in declaring such warnings in the effort to not appear to be "crying wolf" unnecessarily. But now I feel compelled to speak out – prepare!

And the spiritual enemy is also hard at work in the churches – both denominational as well as smaller groupings – to bring confusion and division. He knows what a divided house means!

Expect to hear more from us along this line, but for now we would also like to offer a practical suggestion on the physical level that you may want to consider, regarding the present world conditions and the potential of interruptions or disruptions to basic commodities and food supplies. These ideas are not to suggest that we should not put our full trust in the Lord or that we could ever be sufficiently prepared for the long term. We are merely offering this booklet which the Rev. Leland Earls produced years ago as a guide, and to provoke thoughts of what you could do to be prepared for shorter interruptions to food supplies and similar basic needs.

Even a short-term, deeper financial crisis could create interruptions to basic supplies until attempts were made to bring things under control, even as in the Great Depression. But we are MUCH more dependent on such a network of traffic and supplies and corporate ownership of most of our food supply than in the time of the Great Depression when many people were directly or even indirectly connected to individual, family-owned farms. Our modern society is so interconnected and dependent on company-owned distribution centers and trucking that any number of things, from acts of bioterrorism, economic downturns, political upheavals and mass discontentment, can quickly and easily precipitate crises almost "overnight."

Things are NOT getting better, and even if there were to develop some interim relief, the "handwriting is on the wall." Life as we have known it is about to change. Yes, the times are in the Lord's hand but He HAS commanded us to WATCH!

"And what I say unto you I say unto all, WATCH." Matthew 13:35-37