A View from the Wall

(With Founder Scott Townsend of I Am A Watchman ministries)

Click here to listen to this episode

 Nov. 9, 2018, with co-host Dillon Burroughs.

 Interview with Jan Markell based on her article, The Terminal Generation

(JM= Jan Markell, WM= Watchman Interviewer)

WM: Founder and President of I am a Watchman Ministries, Scott Townsend, along with Christian author and apologist, Dillon Burroughs, with a look at living out the Christian faith in light of Bible prophecy—being a watchman for the Lord. This is A View From the Wall.

WM: Welcome to A View from the Wall. I’m Dillon Burroughs here with Scott Townsend, founder of I Am a Watchman Ministries. Today, we have the special privilege of talking with Jan Markell. Let me tell you bit of her story as we begin. First, Jan Markell was saved under Jewish evangelist Hyman Appleman as a child. In Jan’s early ministry years, she was a part of the Messianic movement, worked for pro-Israel agencies, and for Jewish evangelism ministries. In 1982, Jan incorporated Olive Tree Ministries. Jan has written and contributed to eight books including Deceivers, and produced a dozen DVDs. In 2000, Jan launched a radio branch of the ministry called “Understanding the Times.” I love this program, and it is now heard on over 830 stations across America. She also hosts a popular prophecy conference called Understanding Our Times.

WM: We’re thrilled and honored to have Jan Markel with us on the program today. So, as we begin, Scott, get us started on our discussion with Jan as we begin our exciting episode with her today.

WM: Thanks Dillon. We are very excited to have as our guest today, Jan Markell. Jan, welcome to A View from the Wall.

JM: Thanks for having me. I appreciate it.

WM: We were blessed to have our ministry attend your Understanding the Times Conference in September. We enjoyed hearing Jack Hibbs, Amir Tsarfati, Eric Barger, Billy Crone and J.D. Farrag give some amazing teachings. What are some notable conference testimonies you would like to share with our listeners?

JM: Well, we had folks from fifty-five different either states, Canadian provinces, or foreign countries and had obviously, you get a crowd like that from literally around the world, but here’s what they all had in common. My guess would be about 90% of them, maybe 95% of them, either attend a church that will not feature any kind of eschatology, Bible prophecy, or anything of End Time significance. And I think the other feedback I got (of course, a lot of the feedback was just thank you for keeping on and providing a watering hole for the remnant) is that, “I simply don’t have a church where I’m at.” Some will say, “I’ve tried every church in my hometown.” And I always wonder if they’re looking for perfection, which will never be found, and they assure me they are not looking for that but that the problems in their community, as it relates to the church, are just so overwhelming that they’ve given up and now get their church activity usually online. So, I think that was a rather negative take away from September 29. Obviously, the positive is that folks see these events, and there are a half-dozen events like this across the country and I think a couple in Canada as well, and they feel like these are almost family reunions. When they can get together with other believers who are truly looking up and waiting for a trumpet to sound. So, I think the good far outweighs the bad, but I’m just always troubled by reports about churches and in communities literally around the world whose churches are failing them for one reason or another.

WM: Yeah, well that’s interesting to me that you mentioned how many of the people at your conference now are getting their ministry primarily online. And in fact, recently, we were looking at one of your articles called “The Terminal Generation,” and you’ve even done a DVD on this—this idea that we may be the terminal or the end generation. And you provide great support for that. Tell us a little bit about what you mean regarding the terminal generation for our culture today.

JM: Well, in this sense, terminal is used in a positive way; terminal meaning that we may be the generation that leaves planet Earth and starts residing in our eternal home of heaven, which, by the way, is only seven short years (the years the Tribulation is being played out on earth), and then we return for the thousand-year millennial reign. So, I started looking at indicators of why we could be the terminal generation. Then, I and others who are watching the times could easily come up with probably 100 signs that are indicative of the lateness of the hour. I came up with 15 issues concerning escalating birth pangs and all the calls for peace and safety which leap right out of the Bible, the convergence of all these signs. We have a very charismatic pope, and I believe Rome is going to play one of the largest roles in the very, very last days. We‘ve got Mideast activity and Mideast alignment going on—Russia,  Turkey, and Iran are now converging in the Middle East. We’ve got a rush to the love of a borderless society, a one world system. We’ve got increasing mocking and scoffing of End Time issues by the church and others. We’ve got the rise of incredible technology which I believe will morph into the Mark of the Beast technology and the rise of artificial intelligence which I believe will be employed by the Antichrist. We’ve got the rise of wickedness and perversion. All of these are predicted either for the time of the Tribulation or the Church age. And if they even are Tribulation signs, that’s casting a huge shadow on us today because I believe the Rapture is any day followed by [a] seven-year Tribulation from which the church is absent and then the Tribulation itself. So, my only point is, no matter which age we’re talking about, Church Age or Tribulation time, all of these signs are casting just a huge shadow right now. There are many more that I outlined; those happen to be just about nine bullet points that jumped out at me as we were talking.

WM: No, that’s important, and I know a lot of these come from Matthew 24 where Jesus talks about the signs of the end of the age, and, like you said, a lot of these will take place during this Tribulation period. But now that we’re seeing them already today, it should warn people and wake people up to how close we are to that end-moment Rapture that the Bible talks about.

JM: Yeah, so no matter which age we’re talking about, things are extremely active on every level. Absolutely.

WM: Yes, fascinated by this discussion, Jan, and we’re excited to talk more about this terminal generation. We’re going to take a short break and stay with us. We’ll hear more about the terminal generation on A View from the Wall in just a moment.

[break]

WM: We’re back at A View from the Wall with Jan Markell today, and we’re talking about the terminal generation. Scott, I want you to take the lead here as we continue our discussion with Jan.

WM: At I Am A Watchman, we talk to watchmen and pastors and believers around the world who would agree we may be the terminal generation. What is a responsibility, Jan, of a watchman in the last moments of the final minutes of the last hour of these last days?

JM: I think being tuned in is the biggest issue. And the reason I say that is I bump into so many people who simply… They’re not trying to understand our times. Remember, in I Chronicles 12, it talks about the sons of Issachar who were men who understood the times. And I’m running into too many people who are enjoying life, who are tuned out either intentionally or busyness causes them to not be paying any attention to what’s going on in our world and how it might tie to the Bible, and I just exhort anybody listening. My hunch is, if they’re listening to you, they are turned in, but that they know many people who are literally tuned out because they don’t want the inconvenience of knowing some of the more traumatic things going on in the world, and they are traumatic. But folks, be tuned in so that they are becoming watchmen on the wall and not becoming people who cower and hide from the headlines. I mean, granted they’re troubling. I was looking at Drudge Report this morning, just before you called. I was literally groaning at what I was reading, but that is not a license to do what too many are doing, and that’s tune out instead of tuning in. So, I do think we need to be understanding of our times, but more importantly than that, how do they tie to the Bible. And I’m not talking about newspaper exegesis here. I’m just talking about things that the Bible predicted, and we start seeing them in the headlines, and that is a herald of his coming. And we need to be telling others that what’s going on is not necessarily bad news but that these kinds of headlines are a herald of His return.

WM: That’s an amazing observation, Jan, and I’ll be sure to read the Drudge Report this morning. The pulpits carry huge influence and power, yet they are largely ignoring the convergence of signs pointing to the eminence of the Rapture. This has frustrated many believers as you well know, Jan. How can watchmen and watchwomen support their pastors or churches today?

JM: Well, for sure, they can pray for them. I deal with a lot of pastors, and I can tell you they have one of the most difficult jobs on the planet. It is difficult to be a shepherd of the sheep and to try to keep so many people interested in and focused and not checking out for reasons we’ve already talked about. So, I just think that people need to pray for the pastors, need to be supportive of them, and, at the same time, you know, if your pastor is not talking about some important issues, I think we need to go to him or to the church leadership, in a loving manner, saying, “Is there a reason we’re leaving out…” You can fill in the blank to two topics—perhaps to the cultural issues, perhaps issues such as abortion and gay marriage are not talked about. I can tell you that probably…feedback tells me (and I’m being a bit repetitious) 95% of our churches are not talking about End Time issues. They’re not talking, again, about what’s in the headlines. They’re not even talking about how people should vote. I’m not saying that pastors need to tell you to vote which party, but, at least, talking about issues. Let’s vote biblical values and then indicate what are biblical values. We’ve just seen some recent elections here in 2016, 2018. We’re going to have another major election wave [in] 2020, so I really believe Christians need to be in the forefront of alerting others. It’s not okay to sit out our various elections, and a lot of Christians do. But again, going back to our pastors, we need to be praying for them. And I think that’s the most important thing that your listeners can do for their pastor.

WM: And that’s so fascinating, Jan, that you mentioned that. I know that your ministry is doing such a good job providing resources, conferences, [and] radio programs to help in this area. What are some of the things you and your ministry are doing to help those who are looking for more information on the End Times?

JM: Well, we certainly have an active website. That’s OliveTreeViews.org—views as in viewpoint—OliveTreeViews.org. We post our radio programs there. We’ve got articles updated, not just daily, but hourly, and they can just go to “news,” and then go to “headlines.” We have our conference activity posted, and then we have a very active video page. But beyond that, I went into a new angle of ministry in 2000, and that was radio. And despise not small beginnings on one radio station here in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area, and we’ve expanded to over 800 now—which is not easy simply because you’ve got to pay for 800 stations. God has graciously allowed us to maintain this kind of a radio outreach to the masses. It’s every weekend, literally almost around the world. And then, we have our conference activity which, right now, is once a year. At one time, it was twice year. So, those are some of the things that we try to do. Again, it’s all an effort to get people to understand the times, contend for the faith, and become watchmen on the wall. And that’s why I’m so happy to hear about another ministry actually titled Watchmen on the Wall because, again, we want people to tune in and not tune out.

WM: Yeah, I was—as a matter of fact, I’ll credit, right here publicly, Amir Tsarfati and many others that have been planting seeds among the body of Christ right now to become watchmen on the wall. And he’s done such a fabulous job of raising the visibility of our duty in this time on the biblical timeline. Don’t you think?

JM: Absolutely. Amir is a very close friend of mine, and I witnessed the launching of The Late Great Planet Earth in the 1970s and how that sparked tremendous interest in eschatology throughout the churches in the Western world. And I see Amir Tsarfati doing the same thing now—how many years later—45 years later, [he] is sparking interest in our churches and other places, so we need to pray for him. He and others, including myself, are under tremendous Satanic attack at all times, and I just would encourage your people to pray for J.D. Farrag, for Jack Hibbs, Pastor Billy Crone and others who are trying to wake up the church. It’s an overwhelming task with overwhelming opposition. I can guarantee you the opposition is almost unparalleled.

WM: Yes, well as you mention, this is a spiritual battle. We want to talk more about this idea of the terminal generation. We’re going to take a quick break. Stick with us, and we’ll be right back with A View from the Wall.

[break]

WM: We’re back at A View from the Wall with Jan Markell. We’re talking about the terminal generation. As we continue our discussion this last segment, Jan, you’ve written an article on the terminal generation. You’ve produced a DVD on this topic. Why do you believe it is so important to prepare people for the Rapture?

JM: Well, first, we need to prepare them for salvation. If they do not know the Lord Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior because the consequences of that are unthinkable, but a response to the Gospel is essential. Once one is a believer, they can be guaranteed that they are not going to go through the Tribulation. Scripture is so clear about that even though I think the greatest shock to me in the last 2-3 years has been the pushback against the pre-tribulation rapture and then the false teaching that the church is going to be left behind for half the Tribulation, part of the Tribulation, all the Tribulation, and that is unthinkable because Jesus Christ considers the church his bride and he would never beat up his bride. He does allow the devil to beat up his bride. He allows mankind to beat up the church. But he would not do so, and through that seven-year ordeal known as the time of Jacob’s trouble. Well, Jacob is not the church; Jacob is Israel, and the Tribulation is for the pagan world and for unbelieving Israel to bring Israel to salvation. Therefore, I just am so troubled as I hear from people who write me consistently and say, “Jan, you’re misleading people by saying we escape this.” Well, I’m only telling you what Bible says. And the Bible says in Revelation 3:10 that we’re going to be spared from the wrath to come. In chapter 4, the wrath, and Revelation 5, 6, [and] 7 start outlining the wrath to come. And in the early part of Revelation there, Jesus says that we are going to be spared that wrath that’s coming upon the whole world—a time of trouble that can be compared to no other time in history—no atomic war such as the end of World War II—nothing can compare to what is going to happen during the Tribulation. So, first, we need to find the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior and then anticipate His coming. And that is what I encourage all your listeners to do is anticipate His coming because it could be even today.

WM: Yes, we agree with that, Jan, and we are also pushing as hard as we can to spread the message that the Lord is going to be rapturing us soon, the true remnant of the church, and we look forward to co-laboring with many ministries throughout the world that are in a likewise mindset at this point. You know, George Barna’s research group recently reported on the post-truth era—this is the notion that we each choose our own version of the truth. It seems like we’re well beyond fake news at this point. It’s more important than ever for Christians to find truth in God’s Word. What are some of the things your ministry’s doing to help people grow in God’s truth?

JM: Well, presenting the truth in every possible venue. I mean including opportunities like we’re doing right now. There’s a verse in Isaiah—I don’t have the reference in front of me—it says truth has fallen in the street. And I kind of think that’s where we’re at right now; that truth again has fallen, not only in the in the secular world. It’s fallen out of favor in the church as well. And without getting too repetitious, but we have streams of teaching within the church from the emergent church to the religious left to the new love of the church—social justice—which is fine. We help take care of people and their physical needs, but this has been put in the forefront and pushed aside more spiritual issues. We’ve got the church growth movement in the church, the purpose-driven movement in the church, the seeker-sensitive movement in the church, and we’ve got the rise of this Jim Wallace, Tony Campolo, Shane Claiborne religious left movement. Doug Padgett, before the 2018 midterms—they were driving all over America getting people’s focus off the Gospel and on to embracing leftist politics. Well now, how well does that work out for a nation or anybody spending all your time pushing leftist politics.

So again, if people could only hear the truth, I think they would more quickly embrace the truth. But they are not hearing the truth from so many pulpits today. They don’t know what to believe, and I think it’s the responsibility of ministries like yours, like mine, so many others that are focused on giving biblical truth and how that applies to our times and how it’s playing out in events of the day, so I just encourage your listeners to be tuned into ministries that are telling the truth. Because if we’re not going to find it in our pulpits (too many anyway), we’re not going to find it in today’s media, and certainly, we’re not going to find the truth in any form of academia, but we need to have sources that are truth tellers and those are gigs smaller and fewer and fewer in number literally every day. And I’m deeply concerned about it. I really am.

JM: Yes, these are such important words, and I love your reference you made to Isaiah 59:14. The New King James version tells us, “Justice is turned back, and righteousness stands a far off. For truth is fallen in the street.” And that’s a good description of many of the things you’ve talked about today. We only have about a minute left today, Jan, but I want those who are listening to have a way to reach out to you. I know people who are listening are going to be excited to find out more about your ministry. Where can they go to get this information?

WM: OliveTreeViews.org—that’s views as in viewpoint—OliveTreeViews.org. They can call my office as well. The number’s posted at my website, and they can come to my annual event which is every fall. In 2019, it’s September 21. I have confirmed Amir Tsarfati, Pastor Jack Hibbs, [and] Dr. Robert Jeffress. I’m going to be speaking next fall as well, and I’m waiting for another couple guys to respond. So, come on out. It’s right outside of Minneapolis every fall, and we have somewhere between 3500 and 5000 people who love to understand the times join me every fall.

WM: Excellent. Well, mark it on your calendar—September 21, 2019. You need to be there if you’re concerned about Bible prophecy. We hope to talk to you again about it as it gets closer. Jan, on behalf of Scott Townsend and the I Am A Watchman team, we want to thank you for your time today and encourage listeners to check out your ministry at OliveTreeViews.org. Thank you for being with us. And join us next time on A View From The Wall.

WM: A View From The Wall exists to equip you with biblical truth so you can share it with others and be prepared for Christ’s any moment return. Are you ready? A View From The Wall is made possible by the friends of I am a Watchman Ministries, PO Box 2660, Union City, CA 94587. That’s PO Box 2660, Union City, CA 94587.

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