davidbowerkingwood

God’s Blitzkrieg, A Lightning War to End All Lightning Wars!

During World War II, the world was introduced to a new concept of war, the lightning war. The word blitzkrieg means literally lightning war in German and was applied to military tactics used by Germany in WW II.

Definition of blitzkrieg

1: war conducted with great speed and force specifically: a violent surprise offensive by massed air forces and mechanized ground forces in close coordination, merriam-webster.com/dictionary/blitzkrieg

Using the blitzkrieg tactic, Germany was able to conquer vast expanses of territory with little resistance. Nations and peoples might be thinking of almost anything else but being conquered by an invading army when, in a matter of hours, their lives had changed completely.

Today the world is thinking of everything but God’s divine intervention; the media is filled with childish bickering from the nation’s capital while the people of this nation amuse themselves with various assorted pastimes, pleasures and bizarre misbehavior.

The Coming Blitzkrieg

The day of the Lord is inevitably coming when everything will change instantaneously; God’s plan for the last days will suddenly be initiated and all lives will be changed forever. It is probably impossible to even imagine the scope of the change that will engulf the world when the church is called home and the Day of the Lord begins!

I suspect few, if any, people in Europe could even begin to imagine the changes that were going to take place when the German war machine invaded their lands with lightning speed. The changes they experienced do not compare in the least degree with the changes that are coming to the entire world when God triggers the end time by the removal of all born-again believers, the true Church.

Not only will millions of people all over the earth disappear in the twinkling of an eye, but the restraining ministry of God, the Holy Spirit, will be withdrawn from the earth; as bad as things are today, they will get vastly worse after the restraining ministry of the Holy Spirit is removed.

Spiritual Darkness

Our family once took a tour of a famous cave and during the tour, the guide told us he was going to turn off the lights so we could experience total darkness; we were warned to stand still while the lights were off and then he turned off all the lights. There was complete and total darkness, I couldn’t even begin to see my hand which was touching my nose; needless to say, we were all thankful when the lights came back on.

This may illustrate the total spiritual darkness that will prevail during the end times. By God’s grace there will be rays of light promised by the several evangelistic efforts described in the Bible which will pierce the prevailing blackness. While many will respond to these glimmers of light, a large majority will actually exult in the spiritual darkness! I’m reminded of John 3:18-21 where it is written:

^“18 “There is no judgment against anyone who believes in him. But anyone who does not believe in him has already been judged for not believing in God’s one and only Son. ¹⁹ And the judgment is based on this fact: God’s light came into the world, but people loved the darkness more than the light, for their actions were evil. ²⁰ All who do evil hate the light and refuse to go near it for fear their sins will be exposed. ²¹ But those who do what is right come to the light so others can see that they are doing what God wants.”

This pattern of behavior will continue during the Tribulation!

The United States

This country has a substantial number of born-again Christians who would be taken up at the Rapture of the Church; the sudden removal of all born-again Christians will impact this country most dramatically. The chaos that will follow will devastate this country and open the door to Israel’s enemies all over the world. It has been the power of the United States, as Israel’s ally, that has served as a partial deterrent for military action against Israel.

When Israel’s biggest ally is thrown into a state of complete chaos, Israel’s enemies will see this as a perfect opportunity to attack Israel and the United States; while God has promised to protect Israel, the United States has no promise of divine protection in this situation. This, I believe, is the reason the United States is not mentioned as a world player in the end times; it will have been crippled by a combination of the rapture and the attack by nations seeing the United States as the “great Satan;” the destruction of the United States as a world power is one of the first battles in God’s blitzkrieg.

I do not know what form the attack on the United States might take, but one or two carefully placed nuclear EMP (Electromagnetic Pulse) devices could shut down most electrical circuits and electronics across the country; imagine the pre-Edison 1800’s before the telegraph.

Israel

One of the most significant signs of the impending end of the “Times of the Gentiles” is Israel’s reemergence as a nation; while this had been promised by God in several Biblical passages; it had been written off as allegorical by many. The church was never intended as a permanent replacement for Israel; the Church Age, the age of grace, was a temporary change that began on Pentecost and will end at the Rapture.

Since its reestablishment as a nation in 1948, Israel, considering its size, has garnered a disproportionate share of the world’s attention; that is nothing compared to the amount of attention it will get in the Day of the Lord.

During the Day of the Lord, Israel will be the center of attention for the entire world. It is amazing to think, but Israel will actually sign a covenant agreement with the Antichrist which will be the trigger for the start of the Tribulation. I believe the Church will have been taken up several years before the covenant is signed and some of the events prophesied will have also taken place before the beginning of the Tribulation.

While the Bible is clear on the events yet to take place, the timing is not precisely specified leaving the door open to a great deal of speculation on the part of those interested. I am convinced God always separates the church and Israel which is why I believe the next event on God’s prophetic calendar is the removal of the church and the end of the church age.

What is Coming Next?

A chronological summary of the remaining events which surround the Second Advent would be:

1. The Rapture of the Church

2. The Battle of Psalm 83

3. The First Battle of Gog and Magog

4. The Tribulation

5. The Second Advent

6. The Millennial Reign of the Lord Jesus Christ

7. The Second Battle of Gog and Magog

8. The Great White Throne Judgment

9. The New Heaven and the New Earth

I believe the time lapse between events 1 and 4 could be several years; there is more on this subject in a four part series “What’s Going to Happen Next.”

Only God knows the timing of these events but I believe this order of events best fits the available evidence provided in the Bible. Of one thing I am convinced, and that is the imminent removal of the true church; I believe it is this event that will trigger the beginning of the end.