Change Is in the Air!
After fourteen years of publishing the Day Star, we are making some important changes. This is the last issue of the Day Star for a while. In its place, we plan to publish a newsletter each month called The Wake Up Report and the newsletter will be sent free to those who support this ministry through donations and/or purchases. The Wake Up Report will highlight current events that we are watching and it will also include a short commentary on spiritual and prophetic matters. Hopefully, these changes will free us up so that we can take care of several things that have been on the “back burner” for too long!
A growing interest in Revelation’s story is necessitating change! For the past nine months we have been processing 400 to 1,000 requests per week for the free book, Warning! Revelation is about to be fulfilled. These requests come from word of mouth, Bible study groups, ads placed in shopping papers like the Thrifty Nickel, and the internet. The internet is now connected to 120 million people in the USA and millions of people in other nations as well! This connectivity is producing an increase in interest.
For example, a person can hear about the Warning! book from a friend and a few minutes later, go to our web site and read the first chapter of the book. For those who want to study previous issues of the Day Star, Marty has placed eight years of previous issues on our web site so that anyone can immediately read and download any issue for free! The internet is fast, efficient and immediate. Of course, millions of people are not connected to the internet and we have not forgotten them.
We will continue to publish books and produce audio and video tapes for anyone who wants to study our unique message. Recently, Shelley created an index covering the past eight years of the Day Star and the index is included in this issue. This will be one issue you will want to keep!
New Horizons
We are in the process of putting several video seminars on our web site, wake-up.org. Just think, a person with web access can go to our web site and watch a complete seminar by simply clicking a button. Web video is a new technology that has enormous potential, even though currently the video and audio quality is poor when compared to a regular TV.
But, quality is improving and we plan to take advantage of this emerging technology to proclaim the gospel of Jesus! Soon, the 208, 210, 211 and 212 seminars will be on the web and any person in the world can tune in and watch any part of any seminar at any time – for free! Future plans also include DVDs, CDs and tapes for those who want to view the seminars with better quality on their computers or TV. Incidentally, these seminar tapes are also indexed in this issue of the Day Star. Since we will be creating new video seminars from time to time, we encourage you to check the WUAS web site for the latest updates.
Some of my books are ready to access on the web, too! The texts of Warning! Revelation Is About to be Fulfilled, Bible Stories with End Time Parallels, and Jesus, The Alpha and The Omega are available now and soon, my upcoming book, Daniel, Unlocked for the Final Generation will also be available!
As you can see, we will be providing a lot of material and information on the web for those who are looking for an understanding of Revelation’s story. From the beginning, we have tried to offer our materials at a price that no one could resist. We have distributed millions of brochures, Bible studies, books and tapes and still, we have not even scratched the surface yet!
We thank the Lord every day for making all of this possible! We also wish to say a special “Thank You” to each of you who have generously supported this ministry because you have helped us make this information available! Whether you realize it or not, you will share in the rewards of this outreach throughout eternity.
New Tape of the Month Series
Beginning in July 2003, a new Tape of the Month series will start. If you have not already done so, I hope you will subscribe to this new series about the prophecies of Daniel. I hope this study will be worth its weight in gold. I have spent the past two years writing a commentary on Daniel (the book will be available in July) and this video series will use the book as a study guide!
The Tape of the Month operates in six month segments and, through the Lord’s continued blessings, we have been able to keep the cost for July through December, 2003, subscription at $20 for six video tapes or $12 for six audio tapes – if you order your subscription before the deadline of June 10. As you can see from the subscription price, the tape is free; so you are just paying for the shipping and handling of the tapes!
During the past twelve months of the Tape of the Month program, we have carefully examined the book of Ezekiel and many subscribers have expressed their appreciation for this study. If you have not seen the Ezekiel tapes, you can order the whole set or in the near future, watch them on the web for free!
The time has come to study Daniel because Daniel was sealed up until the time of the end. New information is coming from Daniel that every Bible student living today should consider! I hope you will subscribe to the Tape of the Month program! If you are financially unable to subscribe, please let us know. Generous people donate to this program so that people who are in a rough financial situation can receive the tapes. So, hurry, the $20/$12 subscription deadline for the Tape of the Month is June 10. After that, the price goes up because we are not able to include your tape in the bulk mail shipment.
New Commentary on Daniel
Remember, my new commentary on Daniel should be available in late July. The book will be identical in size to my book, Jesus, The Alpha and The Omega (280 pages). I hope you will order several copies so you can share them with your friends. The introductory price per book will be $10 each with discounts for quantity purchases.
The book of Daniel is a gold mine for the final generation. It was sealed up until the time of the end. Why did God do this? What did He hide in the book of Daniel that is reserved for the final generation? What does our generation need to know that other generations did not need to know? Order Daniel – Unlocked for the Final Generation and find out! Better yet, order the book along with your subscription to the Tape of the Month series that starts in July!
New Commentary on Revelation
I am hoping, with God’s enabling power, to also complete a commentary on the book of Revelation by July, 2004. Time is running out fast, and the prophecies of Daniel and Revelation are a road map that reveals God’s plan for the final days of Earth. The world needs to know that the King of kings is coming!
A regime change is about to occur that will make the world a better place to live. Today, wars, hostilities and violence never ends. Sincere people are looking for answers from God’s Word, and we have some wonderful answers to share. Please pray the Lord will help me to meet this challenge and finish this overwhelming assignment as quickly as possible.
In Memory
Two special friends died this past month. Mrs. Blossom Depas, 89, passed away on the evening of April 16, 2003. Even though she endured three surgeries in rapid succession and suffered a great deal for the past eight months, her love for people, her infectious smile and unwavering confidence in the Lord remained steadfast to the end. I came to know and love Blossom several years ago through her daughter, Crystal Willett. We share the loss with Blossom’s family, but we have every assurance from God’s Word that we will soon be united with her to meet the Lord in the air! What a glorious morning that will be!
Dr. Allen Craw, 85, passed away on April 7, 2003. Dr. Craw was a scholar and a gentleman. Most of all, he was a humble servant of the Lord Jesus. Allen and Frances, his wife of 60 years, operated “Craw’s Lending Library” for about ten years. They sacrificially distributed thousands of books and tapes at significant personal expense. I often referred to them as the managers of the west coast office of Wake Up America! Allen suffered a stroke two years ago and with great sorrow, he and Frances had to give up their library. I miss his soft spoken words and his expressive chuckles.
I have no doubts that Allen will rise to the vigor of immortality when Jesus calls the righteous dead to life! Frances was at his bedside when he breathed his last breath. She borrowed the following words from the apostle Paul and whispered them to her dearest friend and soul mate, “Allen, you have fought a good fight, you have finished your course, you have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for you a crown of righteousness which the righteous judge will give to you on that day, and not only to you, but me also, and to all those who love His appearing.” (2 Timothy 4:7)
Proclaiming Revelation’s Story
From day one, our motto at Wake Up America Seminars has been, “Proclaiming Revelation’s Story.” Since this is the last issue of the Day Star for a while, I want to end this chapter in our ministry on the same note where it began, heralding the soon arrival of Jesus. I have decided to close with a few short statements about the importance of submitting to Jesus and preparing for His appearing.
1. – A regime change is coming upon Earth. At the appointed time, Jesus, the King of Righteousness will advance with His armies against a world in rebellion to liberate those who love righteousness and want to be set free from power of sin. Before Jesus sets up His kingdom of righteousness, He will do several things. He will test the living to see who wants to belong to the kingdom of God. This testing time is called the Great Tribulation and Jesus will use the Great Tribulation to separate every person on Earth into one of two groups.
One group loves righteousness and hates sin, the other group loves sin and hates righteousness. When He appears, Jesus will annihilate the governments of men and birds will gorge themselves on the flesh of the wicked. The righteous, dead and living, will be gathered up from Earth and taken to the Holy City where they will reign with Jesus for 1,000 years. During this time, the saints will sit in court and determine the appropriate punishment for each wicked person. At the end of the 1,000 years, Jesus and the saints will return to Earth.
The wicked will be resurrected to face their sentences and justice will finally be served. The wicked will suffer for their evil deeds and ultimately perish in a fiery furnace of burning sulphur and hailstones. After the Earth is purified of sin and sinners, Jesus will create a new Heaven and a new Earth “and the government will be upon His shoulders.”
2. – I believe the next prophetic event to occur will be the selection, sealing and empowering of 144,000 people. These people will come from all walks of life, cultures, religions and languages and they will be distributed throughout the populations of the world. Even though these people will not know each other, they will present the same three messages with great power and authority. Their first message will be a clarion call to worship God on His holy Sabbath and their declarations will puzzle most people because God’s Sabbath is neither Friday nor Sunday.
Ironically, many of the 144,000 do not know Jesus at the present time, but they are intimately acquainted with the Holy Spirit. These people have honest hearts, open minds and a deep devotion to God as they know Him. When Jesus reveals Himself to them, they will be changed in a single day, just like Saul was changed on the road to Damascus.
Because they do not presently know what they will say, they will be given words to speak just like Ezekiel. The 144,000 are very ordinary people until the Holy Spirit rests upon them, like Elijah and John the Baptist. They are identified as members of the twelve tribes of Israel in Revelation 7 because the offspring of Abraham are believers in Jesus Christ.
They may not be popular or polished, but they will be powerful. To save the maximum number of people during the Great Tribulation, God will select people from each religion and culture to speak to their brothers and sisters within that religion and culture. Watch for the appearing of these people.
3. – The empowerment of the 144,000 and the commencement of the Great Tribulation will be marked by a global earthquake. This earthquake will break up the essential infrastructures of the world such as energy distribution, communication, travel, banking, shipping and manufacturing.
God will arrest the attention of the world with this mighty earthquake. Then, God will send four awesome judgments upon Earth. These judgments will occur in predicted order: (a) Fiery hailstorms of meteoric showers that ignite unstoppable fires which will burn up one-third of Earth. (b) Civilization threatening asteroid impact on an ocean. (c) Civilization threatening asteroid impact on a continent (d) Great darkness will cover the Earth, perhaps caused by the ejecta from hundreds of angry volcanoes. The death toll from these first four judgments will be 25% of Earth’s population.
4. – A coalition of religious leaders from the major religions of the world will immediately form in response to God’s judgments. As each judgment falls, the coalition will demand that lawmakers do more to appease God so that His judgments will cease. (Remember why Jonah was thrown overboard?) Lawmakers and political leaders will quickly respond to the outcry of the coalition. To maintain order, martial law will be implemented overnight and freedoms will be “set aside.” Rationing will become necessary.
Because the evidences of God’s wrath will be global, the fear of God will be in every heart and in every land. Man’s fear of God will propel religious leaders to positions of power and influence in an unprecedented way. The clergy will exercise their new-found power by recommending the creation of a series of “sin-less” laws. They will claim the only way Earth can appease the wrath of God is through repentance and reformation. Laws will be implemented in every country.
These laws will be framed by religious “conservatives” who will denounce the decadent and degenerate life-styles and values of “godless liberals.” These laws will carry severe penalties and, after surveying the horrific havoc and loss of life that God inflicted upon Earth, who will be able to argue otherwise? Because the coalition of the clergy will be religious in nature, the coalition will not be able to agree on unified measures to worship and appease God. This is one reason why the coalition is called “Babylon” (or confusion) in Revelation.
For 42 months, Babylon will persecute those who love righteousness and people who neither love the Lord nor follow Babylon. Jesus will impose the Great Tribulation on the final generation of Earth to test the faith of the living. This coming test of faith is quite simple. By forcing everyone into a vortex of tribulation, Jesus can determine who loves Him supremely. The test will center on worship. Consider how the test will function: If a person obeys the Ten Commandments (including the fourth), he or she will suffer civil penalties for violating the laws of Babylon.
If a person obeys Babylon’s laws, he or she will receive the wrath of God and suffer in the seven last plagues. The Bible calls the Great Tribulation a time of wrath because wrath falls upon everyone. Religious conflict will separate the people of Earth into two, clearly defined groups. One group will obey the Lord and the other group will submit to Babylon’s demands in order to survive and avoid persecution. As a result of their choices, the survivors will either receive the seal of God or the mark of the beast.
6. – The sealing of the 144,000 and the numberless multitude that embrace their message is a marvelous study. The sealing process involves four steps. First, each person must hear the terms and conditions of the gospel. Second, each person will have to make a decision – for or against the demands of the gospel.
Third, each person will be tested by persecution to see if his or her decision for the Lord is final. Last, every person who passes the test will have his or her carnal nature removed. Then, the Lord will seal within each saint the “born-again” nature because it has no attraction to sin. The sin problem will be terminated for that person! What a day of rejoicing that will be!
7. – About two-thirds of the way through the Great Tribulation, God will allow the devil to physically appear. He will masquerade as God and he will deceive those who refused to love the gospel messages presented by the 144,000. He will deceive the wicked with signs, wonders and amazing miracles. The devil is the dreaded beast of Revelation 13:11-18, the Antichrist. He will be given control of Earth for a short time and the wicked will serve and obey him – some thinking he is Almighty God and others, out of terror.
He will be ruthless and manipulating. To secure control of Earth, Lucifer’s angels will kill one-third of mankind and the wicked allowed to live will gratefully receive his mark in order to buy or sell. The mark of the beast will be a tattoo showing the number, 666 or the name that Lucifer will use.
The wicked will voluntarily accept this tattoo. The number on the right hand, or the name on the forehead, will indicate its owner was spared from death and he belongs to the two-thirds of mankind which the devil allowed to live. More importantly, the mark of the beast will indicate the survivor refused to place faith in God.
8. – According to Daniel 12, The Great Tribulation will last for a maximum of 1,335 days. It be global and it will be horrible, but Jesus and His offer of salvation will provide a sense of joy that will overcome the distress of tribulation. Do not fear The Great Tribulation, fear God! The Great Tribulation will be the worst of times and the best of times – all at the same time! I don’t need to elaborate on the worst of times. However, I do need to explain how it will be the best of times for those who love righteousness.
During the ministry of the 144,000, the power of the Holy Spirit will be poured out in an abundance that will exceed Pentecost! The Spirit will greatly distress those that love sin so that they might be saved. The wicked will have no peace, day or night because of the Spirit. (Remember Pilate’s wife?) On the other hand, the Holy Spirit will bless those who love righteousness with love, peace, courage, strength and joy – in the middle of the worst tribulation the world has ever seen! Anxiety, depression, fear of death and survival will occupy the minds of the wicked.
Of course, the saints will have concerns about survival and many will die because of the Word of God and the testimony they maintain. However, the Lord will sustain many saints. As a result, one third of the living will be translated at the Second Coming! God honors faith!
During the Great Tribulation, the saints will experience the joy of apostolic fellowship. They will come from all walks of life and find themselves in one accord. Because they share a common experience and confidence in Christ as their Savior, the religious differences and experiences between the saints will begin to evaporate. In Christ, there is neither Jew nor Greek. This diverse fellowship, unified by the Spirit, will show the saints the few things that God holds paramount. False ideas that clutter religion and separate people from one another will fade.
The love that will be found among those loving righteousness will be stronger than family ties. The family of God will be bonded together by a love that goes beyond human love. Jesus overcome this world through love and His children will do the same. Love conquers. Jesus saves!
I cannot close this issue without publicly expressing my deepest appreciation to Shelley, Suzy, Marty and Miller Printing. When I published the first issue of Day Star, Shelley read it over, made suggestions and corrections and then she processed the mailing by hand in those days. She literally “worked her fingers to the bone.” Suzy has also been an essential part of Wake Up for many years. In the early 90’s, she volunteered to do some proofreading and when I saw the thoroughness of her work, I asked her to join us.
A few years later, Marty joined us full-time and he wears many hats. Marty is a C.P.A. and the Secretary-Treasurer of Wake Up, but when he joined the organization full-time, he brought a toolbox of skills to the ministry. Shelley, Suzy, and Marty have a combination of talents and skills that are amazing. It is as though they were prepared from birth to bring their unique talents to service for the Lord and each one of them has proven their dedication by faithful service for many years. I would also like to express my appreciation to Miller Printing.
The employees there probably think I am nuts, but they have done a superior job printing the Day Star. They have faithfully delivered the Day Star on time for many years. They have been helpful and creative as challenges arose and have earned our highest respect. Last, I want to thank all the unnamed people who have generously given their time and/or money to the Day Star publication. God knows all about your generosity and He will reward you for it.
Of course, I want to remind you, this is not an obituary for the Day Star. Instead, we are just putting this publication on a leave of absence because we have many other projects that need to be accomplished. The Wake-Up Report will debut in July 2003 and if you have sent a donation or purchased something within the past two years, you will get the report for free! We are already planning the first issue and hope you will like it. Don’t forget! The new Tape of the Month series on Daniel begins in July and Daniel – Unlocked for the Final Generation also comes out in July. Why not order both!
