THE END TIMES

Prophesies Pertaining To Our Days

A Harsh Journey To Reality

     Hear the Word of the LORD, you chieftains of Sodom; give ear to our God’s instruction, you folk of Gomorrah!  “What need have I of all your sacrifices?”  Says the LORD.  “I am sated with burnt offerings of rams, and suet of fatlings, and blood of bulls; and I have no delight in lambs and he-goats. That you come to appear before Me—Who asked that of you?  Trample my courts no more; bringing oblations is futile, incense is offensive to Me. New moon and sabbath, proclaiming of solemnities, assemblies with iniquity, I cannot abide.  Your new moons and fixed seasons fill me with loathing; they are become a burden to Me, I cannot endure them.  And when you lift up your hands, I will turn My eyes away from you; though you pray at length, I will not listen.  Your hands are stained with crime—Wash yourselves clean; put your evil doings away from My sight.  cease to do evil; learn to do good. Devote yourselves to justice; aid the wronged.  uphold the rights of the orphan; defend the cause of the widow. “Come, let us reach an understanding,—says the LORD.  Be your sins like crimson, they can turn snow white; be they red as dyed wool, they can become like fleece.”

Isaiah 1:10-18 (Tanakh)

     With what shall I approach the LORD, do homage to God on high?  Shall I approach Him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old?  Would the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams, with myriads of streams of oil?  Shall I give my first-born for my transgression, the fruit of my body for my sins?  “He has told you, O man, what is good, and what the LORD requires of you:  Only to do justice and to love goodness, and to walk modestly with your God.

Micah 6:6-8 (Tanakh)

     I am going to share a true story with you.  The Lord pressed upon me to begin writing this book in the winter of 2006, and although I tried to devote some time, every day toward writing, I had too many distractions.  Then I felt compelled to trade in a very nice SUV, for a used recreational vehicle.  I think that just about everyone I knew, thought that I was crazy; but if they had never felt this compulsion from the Lord, they could not understand.  When the Lord has something in mind that he wants you to accomplish, you do it, whether your heart may be following your footsteps or not.  The Lord wanted me to take one week a month, to isolate myself and focus on writing this book.  I soon realized that I was much more productive than I ever could be at home.  Then one week a month, turned into two weeks a month, and the next thing I knew, in the still of the night; I heard the Lord say, “I want you to move into the R.V.”  At first, I was shell shocked and discouraged.  The prospect of moving into the R.V. and living in it full-time did not appeal to me.  Although I was not living high off the hog, I was comfortable in the little duplex I rented.  However, because of the history of my relationship with the Lord; I knew I could not compromise his command, and I had to leave.  After resigning myself to the idea of living in the R.V., I thought to myself: Well, if I have to do this, I might as well go someplace that I have always wanted to go―Alaska!  I have longed to go to Alaska, ever since I saw the photo’s my dad took, when he went.   I was not in a financial position to do this, but if I sold everything I had, perhaps I could.  I proceeded to sell my car and the majority of my possessions, and I stored what little remained.  I convinced myself that when I finished the book; I would return and sell the RV; the book would be immediately published, and in no time at all―I would be back on my feet. Boy was I delusional!  Everything that could go wrong, seemed to go wrong, and I could not understand why.  Especially, because I thought that I was doing everything right.  I had to be.  I sold everything that I had, in order to obey the will of the Lord, and I was writing the book; surely the Lord would be with me―he said that he would.  In truth, the Lord was, but not as closely as I would have liked him to be. There were some very harsh lessons the Lord wanted me to learn; but before I finish this story, let’s go back to the beginning of my odyssey.

     In January I went to a local R.V. dealership and I told them that I was a minister, and I felt as though I needed to take some time and get away, in order to focus on a book that I was writing.  I told them that I would be traveling alone and I am not mechanically inclined, so I will need an R.V. that is safe and reliable.  The gentleman, the true blue salesman that he was, responded reassuringly, “Oh do not worry!  We do a thorough inspection on every vehicle that we sell and we make sure every vehicle is safe and reliable, before it ever leaves our lot.”  I told him that I wanted him to imagine that he was selling the vehicle to his mother and to be careful, because I have never had an R.V. and I was not even sure how to take care of one.  Then, with southwestern boyish charm, he professed he understood exactly what I meant, and he would make sure to take good care of me.  The salesman assured me that they would walk me through the R.V. and show me everything that I would need to know, before I left the lot.  When I test drove the R.V., the steering wheel required a firm grasp, because it shook so much, and the salesman said, “That’s normal in any R.V. this long.”  The brakes squeaked and I was told, “They probably just have dust in them; but do not worry, because we’ll take a good look at everything and make sure it’s fixed, before we hand the vehicle over to you.”  The day I picked up the R.V. I felt buyer’s remorse, because I was trading in a very nice vehicle for an older, used, twenty-eight-foot travel trailer, and the thought of driving it frightened me.  I lived in the mountains, and just learning how to maneuver the R.V. up and down the hills was intimidating.  I mentioned my hesitation to the salesman and with a gentle pat on my left shoulder, the salesman said, “Now Miriam, you won’t have to worry about a thing, we took real good care of this R.V. and made sure everything is okay, you will be just fine!”  So with my knees knocking, my heart beating profusely, and a silent prayer; I drove away and began one of the worst journeys of my life.

     For the first three months of the year, I had only ventured as far as a local camp site, about five miles away from home.  I was staying in an RV park, near a lake that was saddled in the mountains, and I enjoyed the time I was away.  I spent my days reading and writing, and my nights listening to music and crocheting.  Then I tried to venture farther, to a town about twenty miles away, to another R.V. campground.  This time, I had to venture up and down some mountains and I felt sick to my stomach.  My prayers became more frequent and emotional.  With every descent I prayed that I would not fall off the side of the mountain and every time I made it down safely, I began praising and thanking the Lord, for reaching the bottom.  Every time a semi truck whizzed by me, I prayed that we would not scrap each other.  By the time I made it to the campground, I was not sure if I wanted to leave.  Each time I began to drive, I said a little prayer and I asked that wherever I may go, I might remain safe.  Each time I left, I could hear the gentle voice of the Spirit of the Lord, lovingly reassuring me that I would be alright.  So I pressed onward and began to travel further away from home.  I still prayed on each mountain top and at each base.  I laughed and I wept and when I made it to my next destination, I had a deep sigh of relief.

     Summer was drawing near and I felt strongly compelled to leave for its duration.  I was not sure how I would make it and sometimes I would throw an emotional tantrum.

Then the Lord patiently reassured me that I would be fine, and said that this would be a good experience for me.  With each emotional breakdown I had, the Lord assured me that he would be with me.  So, with half of a heart, I began making the necessary preparations to sell almost everything I had.

     Now remember: I have been sold “a safe and reliable vehicle.”  I have already had to have the stove repaired, the water intake valve on the exterior of the R.V. replaced, the automatic step beneath the door repaired, and I have replaced the windshield wipers.  I may not be mechanically inclined, but before I left for the summer, I had the good sense to have the R.V. prepared for the journey.  I took it to my faithful friends at the dealership and asked them to

do a complete inspection; to check the fluids, the tires, etc., and make sure that it would be ready for the long journey ahead.  When I picked up the travel trailer I noticed that they had not looked at the tires; so I mentioned this to the manager, a well dressed, suave looking gentleman, who offered to look at them.  So on bended knees, he inspected my tires and said, “Oh, you won’t have to worry, those are Michelin tires,” but he neglected to tell me the condition of the brand, whether they were in good shape or not.  In my heart, I believed that I needed a second opinion, and I proceeded down the road to an automotive center; where I was told that the front steel belts were showing, and I should have them both replaced.  Now, I know they were not trying to pull the wool over my eyes, because they did not offer to replace them, themselves; instead, they referred me to a local discount tire store, where I could have them replaced with less expense.  While I was there, I also asked them about my trembling steering wheel; whether this was normal or not, and he laughed sympathetically and said, “No, you will have to have a front wheel alignment done on your vehicle.”  Feeling a bit injured and foolish, I had them give the R.V. the alignment it needed and continued down the road to the next destination of my journey.  At the tire center, I received my second diagnosis of tire deterioration and had them replaced. “Safe and reliable.”  I started to have serious doubts about the trust worthiness of the R.V. dealership and the safety of my vehicle, and I started to wonder whether I was prepared to make this trip.  I decided to call the dealership and see if I could return the R.V.  When I purchased the R.V. I paid almost $29,000 for it, and when I called the salesman, he offered me $13,000!  Mind you, I have only been camping once a month for a week, locally, one trip twenty miles away, once to Yuma, and once to southern California.  I have not been running the generator, I have not been putting a lot of miles on the R.V. and I have just spent $900 for an alignment and new front tires.  $13,000!  I could not afford to lose another $16,000. And ― I still had a book to write.

     I hoped that I would be able to go to Alaska, to camp for the summer, but by the time I made it to the southeastern corner of Washington; I had already spent more money than I had anticipated.  I took a good look at the atlas, how far I had traveled and how much further I had to go, and reasoned that the state of Washington was as far as I could afford to go.  Disappointed, I worked my way across Highway 12 and up toward Mount Saint Helens.  I found a nice little campsite nestled in the woods, and I stayed there for about a month and a half.  After leaving Washington, I worked my way down through Oregon and California and back to Arizona; where I traveled from one campsite to another, as I was directed to, by the Spirit of the Lord.  This was an awesome or frustrating experience depending on the circumstances, because I would be in a place for a week or two and the next thing I knew, I was told to prepare to leave the next morning.  I began feeling like the children of Israel, when they were wandering in the wilderness!  Sometimes during the night I would have a dream and see the way the Lord wanted me to go or the next morning I would look at the map and try to ascertain what to do, and the Lord would direct my focus to a particular place to go.  Sometimes, I would just start driving and he would give me directions.  Sometimes I lost money, because I paid to stay longer than I could, and with the exception of one place, none of them gave refunds.  I started to become weary of making any long term plans, because I could not afford to lose any more money.  In each place I went, I found myself ministering the Word of God and warning people about these end times.  In most places, they were receptive to me, and I only had a few adverse experiences.  

     This story is getting long and could become longer still, so I better return to the point of my lesson…

     When I returned to Yavapai County, I was almost broke, so I stayed in the national forest or I spent the night in a parking lot. The nights were getting colder and I started using the generator.  Now, I am overwhelmed with carbon monoxide poisoning!  I have already mentioned that I am not mechanically inclined, so I have not got a clue about what is going on.  I just know that for three nights in a row; I have had an obnoxious alarm over my bed, scream at me, and I could smell gas fumes.  Each time I staggered through the R.V. in a state of shock, in the dark, and opened every window I could.  After about ten minutes, the alarm would stop, the air cleared, and I crawled back into bed and I wondered:  What’s wrong now!  After the third night, I stopped using my generator and my furnace, and I started sleeping in the cold.  When I went to the RV dealership, the manager showed no remorse or compassion and he would not even help me; so that I could sleep in a hotel room, for one night, while they tried to resolve the problem.  At that moment, I began to realize what an awful position I have been placed in!  I am afraid to sell the R.V. to someone else because I might kill them, I can’t trade it in, and I have to sleep in it, in the cold or die! My money has dwindled, and I have never been so humbled in my life.

     Now I am struggling with my faith and questioning my calling, and even though I can still hear the quiet reassurances from the Spirit of the Lord, telling me everything’s going to be alright; at the moment, it’s not.  In my disparity, I contacted the Better Business Bureau, the Attorney General’s Office, and several news stations; because I thought that maybe what I needed was some publicity.  Maybe if I could get someone else to help me, I could return the R.V., or at least get it fixed.  A local news station rattled Goliath’s chain for me and it worked.  I asked the R.V. dealership for a copy of the inspection they did on the R.V., before they sold it to me; but all they could produce was a blank copy of what the inspection covers.  I am sure they never did anything more than a visual inspection, to see what they had to do to move the R.V. down the road, with as little expense as possible to them.  They also looked at the generator, the furnace, and the stove and determined that it was my fault.  Of course it was!  They said that I was placing too much oil in the generator; which happened to have an overflow valve.  At the same time, they gave me a longer exhaust pipe to attach to the current pipe that extends from the generator, on the right side of the R.V. where all of the vents to the refrigerator, the stove, the generator, and the hot water tank are located.  My R.V. was sucking the gas fumes from the generator, through all of the vents that happened to be located just above it.  They were right though, it was my fault; because I trusted them, and I believed in their bogus advertisements.  I trusted them from the moment I first went to them, and they took advantage of me, because I did.  And because of this, I bought a tin can full of lemons!

     This was not the worst odyssey that I had ever taken in my life; however, it may have ranked in the top five, in my life’s journey so far.

     Because of this experience, I wound up in one of the worst, most humbling moments in my life.  I was on the street, without any money, and no place to go.  Humiliated and embarrassed; I went to the only place that I thought I could, the church, where I was once a member.  I attended this church regularly and I paid my tithe faithfully; I also volunteered in the kitchen, the office, and as a substitute teacher.  You could not have imagined the humiliation I felt, when I had to ask them for help.  But it was worse than this, because I had to beg them for help.  For three days, every day, I had to go to the office, and speak to the pastor.  When they finally helped me, I received one hundred dollars in cash and an additional fifty dollars worth of fuel.  At the same time that they helped me, they also recommended that I should leave the area and go further south to Yuma.  To be honest, I was not sure if their recommendation was sincere or if they were just trying to get rid of me. When I spoke to the pastor, I told him, “You can’t imagine how hard this is for me, to be in this position, and have to ask you for help!”  And although the pastor was polite and apologetic, he said that they did not have any money in the benevolence fund to help me.  This was a large and successful church, but since I had been away, they built a large private school for their members.  This was a beautiful church, filled with every amenity, but they did not have the money available in order to help someone who was in dire need.

     I could not understand why the Lord allowed all of this to happen to me.  Before I left Arizona, I truly believed that the Lord would be with me, because he assured me, time after time that he would be.  Yet it seemed as though from the moment that I left, in the person, I was all alone.  It seemed as though everything that could go wrong, did and I could not understand why.  I started to become emotional, resentful, and unreasonable. The Spirit of the Lord tried to comfort me in my worst moments and tell me that it was going to be alright; but I wanted to know when it was going to be alright.  And now, it did not seem like anything I heard, gave me the answers I wanted to hear or that I felt I needed.

     For the better part of my life, I believed that I was a charitable person.  I rarely ever turned someone away if they needed help, and if I did, it was only because I did not have the means to support them at the time.  I understood the purpose of paying my tithe and I tried to be faithful.  I kept some of the money that I paid in tithe, tucked away in a compartment of my car; so that every time I saw someone with a sign, asking for help, I was ready to offer them assistance.  I gave my clothes away when I outgrew them. So why did the Lord withhold assistance from me, when I needed help the most?  I cannot express to you how weak my faith became or how much I began to question the Lord; to doubt him, and my purpose.

     The truth was, I was a charitable person; but if the Lord had tried to explain to me how so many other people were not, I probably would not have believed him.  The Lord wanted me to see the other side of the coin.  The Lord wanted me to experience the worrisome fear and cold nights that so many people feel; when they are hurting, hungry, and have no place to go.  The Lord wanted me to feel the isolation and helplessness that they feel; their loneliness and their shame.  And the Lord wanted me to experience the behavior of those who do or do not care; to see how generous or tight fisted some people can be.  The Lord allowed all of this to happen to me; so that I would understand the need and develop the passion that was necessary, in order to help those who could not help themselves.

     During my journey, I learned another important lesson:  I learned how many of us, including myself; have disappointed and even angered the Lord, when we misuse the tithes and offerings we contribute, in order to serve an ill purpose.

     As a child growing up, I learned to respect my elders and even to fear them; to believe in what they said, and to be complacent. Most of us did.  We were also led to believe unquestionably in the leaders of our faith, the same way.  However, most spiritual leaders today have not been faithful in word or indeed, to the Word of God.  They have not walked according to the teachings of Moses and they do not conduct themselves with the fear of the Lord.  Because of this, most of the money we donate to religious organizations is poured directly into them, in order to support the leadership and their living expenses, and the management of the organization itself.  Some of the money may be directed toward missionary work or other charities; but primarily, the organization itself benefits from the contributions we make.  Unfortunately, for the last five thousand years, mankind has poured most of their attention into building superficial places of worship and at the same time, focusing on altars and icons, created by their own imagination.  The only exceptions to this rule are the tent of tabernacle and the first and second holy temple’s of Israel.

During the middle ages, religions began to rival one another and sought to intimidate the opposing faiths of mankind, by creating monstrosities they called places of worship. Today, the majority of our money is poured into creating massive places of worship that are filled with every lavish amenity, in order to support pastors and teachers who profess to teach the Word of God; however, they do not know the Lord and they do not walk according to the way, and they encourage their congregation to behave in the same way. They either do not understand or under estimate the teachings of the law and the prophets, in the Word of God, and they have not been able to comprehend the veracity of these end times.  And because of this, they are unable to prepare themselves or their congregation for the tribulation that we are all about to experience.  We have been rewarding blind spiritual leaders and teachers who are misusing the contributions that belong to the Lord, in order to serve their own interest, while they are leading us to our destruction!

     The Lord was angry when he chastised the children of Israel, because they were neglecting the most important issues in his word:  Obedience, justice, mercy, and compassion. Now the Lord has become vexed with all of us!  The Lord is not impressed with the beauty of the buildings that we have erected or whether we are dressed to the nine’s when we attend service.  When we pour our contributions into concrete or use it to reward those who are tickling our ears, with words we wish to hear; but we are not taught how to walk according to his will, and we do not attempt to walk in obedience to the Laws of Moses; the Lord becomes angry with us.  The Lord loathes our offerings when we offer them with hard hearts, clenched fists, or with hypocrisy; because we have forsaken his law, and ignored those who need our help the most.  We and our offerings have become odious to the Lord!

     When you pay your tithe or wish to make an offering, in your place of worship, please specifically direct that a portion of it goes to the “benevolence fund.”  Make sure that your contribution supports the local community and helps those who need our help the most, according to the Word of God.  Make sure that it supports the widows, the orphans, and the homeless, hungry, poor strangers that dwell in your midst.  Make sure another portion goes directly into missionary work and question how the remaining portion is spent.

     If you would like to ensure that a portion of your tithe goes directly to charity, please offer it yourself.  I have selected several local organizations, as well as a couple of national and international places, I sponsor on a rotating basis.  There are so many worthwhile places that have the heart, the will, and the knowledge of how best to serve the community; but all too often, they lack the funds and or materials to do so.  Please be cautious though, because there are many organizations that are more self serving than charitable.  Also, some organizations appear to be sincere; however, they actually support hatred, terrorism, and war.  There are some places that even use the name of the Lord or Israel, in order to validate their cause, when they have nothing to do with either.  This is why I recommend supporting organizations locally, in your own community, where you will have the ability to identify the difference.