Amos 8:3  And the songs of the temple shall be howlings in that day, saith the Lord GOD: there shall be many dead bodies in every place; they shall cast them forth with silence.

Amos 8:10  And I will turn your feasts into mourning, and all your songs into lamentation; and I will bring up sackcloth upon all loins, and baldness upon every head; and I will make it as the mourning of an only son, and the end thereof as a bitter day.

In 430, one of the Fathers of Christianity died. Upon his deathbed, Augustine could remember his stalwart writings, especially the “city of God”. It was this treatise that Augustine wrote, prompted by the pagans cries that the Sack of Rome in 410 was because Christians had forsaken the traditional pagan Gods. This was but one of the many sacking’s of Rome, yet it stood as a moment in time when Christianity faced the “end of the world” at the hands of invaders.

In the fourth century, Christians looked towards an “apocalyptic Second coming”, much like many in the church today also does. It was Lactantius Firminianous writing in his “Divine Institutions, who said that the “ruin of the world will soon take place, but it seems that nothing of the kind is to be feared as long as the city of Rome stands intact”. The writings of St. John’s apocalypse were well known to the believers and many thought it to be fulfilled in their lifetime. It was understood that all roads led to Rome. From this city, even the Church of Rome was to eventually stand tall, taking over the Roman Empire that had once put Christians to death. As well, the Roman legions were the most dangerous and feared in the whole of the world. To the one avenue, even the feared barbarians found the Roman legions most fierce.

When the Visigoths entered Rome, led by Alaric in 410, the fires would burn. Christian and pagan alike would enter the holy temples of the Christians to seek protection from the God of the Christians. Nothing helped. Christians were slaughtered, many put to death in hideous cruel ways, pagans killed, Christian and non Christian women were raped, virgins violated, and blood ran in the streets. Many believers who thought that safety would be theirs in the holy temples of the Christian order found that God had seemed to leave them to the slaughter. Afterwards, pagans derided Christians and their beliefs, saying that the forsaking of traditional pagan Gods had caused the sacking of Rome. Because of this uproar and a definitive answer as to why so many Christians were killed, their woman raped, and others taken captive, Augustine wrote the “City of God”.
After the end of the world, as many believed it was, the question remained as to why did God allow the sack of Rome? St. Augustine, in chapter 29 of the City of God, spoke thus about God in this event:

He can be present unperceived, and be absent without moving; when He exposes us to adversities, it is either to prove our perfections or correct our imperfections; and in return for our patient endurance of the sufferings of time, He reserves for us an everlasting reward. But who are you that we should deign to speak with you even about your own gods, much less about our God, who is “to be feared above all gods? For all the gods of the nations are idols; but the Lord made the heavens!”

Augustine writes of many things in his treatise, but one thing is certain, there are so many similarities to us today. For Example we have ‘false Christians’, just as they did so many years ago. Speaking of those of his day, Augustine writes that these false Christians:

“Do not hesitate to make common cause with our enemies in murmuring against God, whose sacramental badge they wear. These men you may to-day see thronging the churches with us, and tomorrow crowding the theatres with the godless.” [CHAP. 35.–OF THE SONS OF THE CHURCH WHO ARE HIDDEN AMONG THE WICKED, AND OF FALSE CHRISTIANS WITHIN THE CHURCH. City of God, Augustine]

Even in American churches we have perfected the fine art of deception. What is truth to us today? Do we even recognize falsity and deception? Can we know the true brother or sister from the chaff? Would we stand in shear amazement and unbelief if our own “city of God” were sacked by Barbarians or some other enemy? What would those in the church in America do if suddenly the L-RD G-D sent judgment to this land?

Take a moment with me as we consider this. It is a day like any other, for most Americans, this nation is a city on a hill. It is a light seen by the world. It is the proverbial “city of God” or “nation of God”. A nation founded by our forefathers, who wrote the constitution based upon the bible, commandments, and who sought to protect the God given rights of all people in its borders. Yet, today, America stands in need of help. Surely we could say that the “ruin of the world will soon take place, but it seems that nothing of the kind is to be feared as long as America stands intact.” Our armies have fought and won many battles. Brave men and women died so that we can be free. Yet, in our city of God, there are many troubles brewing.

Thermal impact of 550 Kt surface Nuc Impact NY City

Upon this day, as the sun rises, we find that the nation we live in is suddenly overrun by barbarian tribes. These are our enemies. They are sick of our power, prosperity, strength, and stature. It is on this day, the churches become filled with Christians and non Christians. The enemies are crossing our borders from Mexico to the south, down through Alaska, and Canada to the north. There has been six dirty bombs go off. Right now New York, Washington, Denver, San Francisco, Seattle, and San Diego have been hit. Martial law is declared, missiles are being fired from submarines off the coast of Portland.

As the days go by, our forces are losing ground to the enemy. There are too many of them. They enter into Phoenix and take it by force. Ten of thousands are slaughtered, women are raped, and many cruel deaths are recorded. Yet, the battle continues. Our forces are not making ground. Denver is lost, Las Vegas is destroyed totally, and Kansas City is under siege. From the north, Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, North and South Dakota, along with Wyoming and Nebraska are all in the control of the enemy. Reports have been heard of massive looting, raping, and brutal torture.

In the city of God, the church elders are seeking the L-RD G-D for deliverance. Yet as they pray, more bad news comes of Christians being murdered and their churches burned. This seems like hell itself has opened up against the people of God. Questions are asked, why L-rd? What have we done to deserve this? Many Christians thought they could just enter into their worship centers and temples of God to be safe. Surely, they thought, G-D would not let this happen to them. After all this is a “nation of G-D”, the “city of G-D”, but for many, they are just like Israel and even the Christians in Rome when it was sacked. They were so sure of deliverance, yet, it never came. God sent his own people Israel, his temple, his holy things, and the priests all into captivity. Jerusalem was taken, and the state of Israel ceased to exist. The same thing happened to Rome. Now it happened to America. What happened and Why? Who will answer to tell those in American Churches as to the reason?

Could this happen? I tell you not only could it happen, but it will! Today the materialistic church, along with the pleasure seeking society in America will face the wrath of the L-RD. When the Bird flu hits America and runs like a deadly foe against all in this nation, what will you do? Will you go to your church, lie on the altar and cry to G-D? When more bloodshed, violence, and destruction hits America, what will you do? Will you again go to the Altar of your churches and find safety? What if it doesn’t come? Are you different than those Christians in Rome’s Day of destruction? Are you different than the tens of thousands of Christians around the world who are targeted daily by enemies?

America and its people are soft. We believe that no matter what we do, and as long as it is not against our own laws, then everything is okay. We have forgotten the Governor of the nations. This is the L-RD! We have pride, sensuality, homosexuality, abortion, rampant immorality, and churches full of Laodacian’s. Would G-D be justified in judging this nation? What would you do? Could you ever believe that America would cease to exist? This is no tale, it is going to happen.

The Church through the ages has continued to exist because of the power of G-D. There is no doubt, that man through his own power, could not do this! Augustine wrote of this, saying:

“Through virtue of these testimonies, and notwithstanding the opposition and terror of so many cruel persecutions, the resurrection and immortality of the flesh, first in Christ, and subsequently in all in the new world, was believed, was intrepidly proclaimed, and was sown over the whole world, to be fertilized richly with the blood of the martyrs.”[CHAP. 7.–THAT THE WORLD’S BELIEF IN CHRIST IS THE RESULT OF DIVINE POWER, NOT OF HUMAN PERSUASION, book 22, city of God, Augustine]

It is through those who stood tall amidst persecutions, terrors, death, and many other cruelties by the power, which others came to believe in the Risen Christ. This is that word, which came, that prompted the Apostle John to write in Chapter one of John. It is also that word and calling by which we are to stand. This is the marching orders of the church today. Not to be Laodacian, but mighty in G-D, through Christ Jesus. Thus John again wrote to us in the Apocalypse (Revelation), of those marching orders for the last days. These are the days in which the “world will seem to come to an end, and even America itself”, but those in Christ Jesus will overcome. It is those, in Christ, who have overcome by the Blood of the Lamb, the sacrifice on the cross for their sins, and empowered in this world, who by the word of their own testimony declare Christ Jesus, even in the face of death, yea it is these who will win and defeat the enemy of their soul and of Christ.

Revelation 12:11  And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.
Revelation 12:17  And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.
Revelation 14:12  Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.

In conclusion, let it be said, Augustine wrote his work, answering the destruction of the “city of God”, known as Rome. But after his death, another group came to destroy Rome. This time it was the Vandals, a Germanic tribe in 455, led by Gaiseric that sacked the blessed city. Again, was the word repeated, “How could it of happened again?” Maybe it wasn’t the “city of God”, and maybe it wasn’t blessed. So let it be said of America!

+<>BIO+<>+
Dana G Smith is the author of D-Day For America, a prophecy book of what is coming to America. Published by Xulon Press, ISBN: 1-59781-843-7. Dana is the editor of the W.I.B.R. online Web Sites.
He Hosts WARN Radio, “into the night”, airing Fridays 9 PM Pacific on The America Voice radio network. He also is The Watchman of W.A.R.N. Radio Network, www.warn-usa.com.
His articles appear on his own news sites at www.wingswatchman.org, www.ddayforamerica.com, www.warn-usa.com , and on many sites around the web.
Dana is a Watchman, “let the Watchman declare what he see’s Isaiah 21:6. He is also an investigative and research journalist who lives in the Midwest. You can contact him through his websites or email watchman at wingswatchman.org.

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