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IN TODAY'S NEWSLETTER... Featured Article: Revelation 7 Tribulation Believers (Part 1 of 3) Washington attempts to quell Israel’s shadow war with Iran at sea Nearing Midnight: The Next Crisis? 10 Examples That Show How Nightmarish The Worst Border Crisis In Modern American History Has Become Daily Jot: The Third World War Daily Devotion: Always the Same Revelation 7 Tribulation Believers (Part 1 of 3) - By John Chandler - https://www.raptureready.com/2021/03/11/revelation-7-tribulation-believers-part-1-of-3-by-john-chandler/
Revelation 7:9-10 “After these things, I looked and behold, a great multitude which no one could number, from all tribes, tongues, peoples, and nations, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes with palm branches in their hands. And they cried out with a loud voice saying, ‘Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne and to the Lamb!’” Should Church-Age Believers (Age of Grace Believers) in Jesus Christ primarily hope for and work for the outcome of this scenario to play-out? My initial response is kind of confusing: No and Yes. So you are likely wondering what’s my beef and what’s driving me to ask this question. I was recently part of a group discussion at church that summarized our successful efforts to reach the lost with the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. A member of the group observed how this progress would likely play into the outcome of Rev 7:9-10. My friend’s perspective is not unique to him. In observations, I have noted there are other Church-Age Believers who share a similar perspective, that we as the church should strive now to ensure the fulfillment of Rev 7:9-10. Let me make it clear up front. The individuals of this Innumerable Host standing before the throne of God and before the Lamb is not a bad event. However, this scenario, as I assess it, needs some perspective which follows throughout this essay. In fact, this scenario is a good outcome for the individuals of the Innumerable Host, but it is not cool. My objection: While the outcome of that Rev 7:9-10 scenario is a good one, in my assessment, we Church-Age Believers should not primarily hope and pray for the Rev 7:9-10 scenario and outcome but the 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 scenario and outcome. This passage describes that wonderful scene of our Most High God, our Lord Jesus, returning in the heavens to take home His Church-Age Believers. Our Lord Jesus rescues and evacuates us from this world so we will not see or experience the incredible unprecedented horrors that loom in the world’s near future during the Tribulation. Check out these verses. 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 “But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus. For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words.” Our Lord Jesus also reveals His Rapture-based rescue and evacuation in John’s gospel. John 14:1-4 “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. And where I go you know, and the way you know.” For Church-Age Believers who are evacuated from the world at the Rapture, that event is a glorious blessing and reward. For each individual raptured, it represents one’s faith finally becoming sight. No more hoping. No more merely believing. It all becomes a gloriously joyful crescendo of reality in an instant, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye (I Corinthians 15:51-53). At the time of the Rapture, at the very instant of its occurrence and immediately thereafter, all those who dwell on the earth will, for at least a short time, fall into the category of unbelievers. Dr. Thomas Ice’ Pre-Trib Research Center refers to this group remaining as earth-dwellers. For all unbelievers, the Rapture represents a horrific indictment, judgment, and punishment against their intractable hardness of heart and rejection of our Lord Jesus. This Rapture event will rock their lives! Why do I say Church-Age Believers are exempted from the unprecedented horrors that will soon seize the world? Because our Lord Jesus makes the promise that we will not see or experience His Wrath. He promises to deliver and evacuate us via the Rapture before His wrath falls upon the earth. Later in this essay, I will explore this “exemption from wrath” some more. Now mind you, as I consider my friend’s comments regarding Rev 7:9-10, there are a host of things running through my mind. We’ve just seen the Presidential election stolen from President Trump. And in my opinion, the outcome of our national election impacts the world. This betrayal is a great evil in our modern lives. The world will eventually convulse violently at the greater evil that rolls out from this event. The implications for the future are huge. We’ve watched the complicit betrayal of President Trump, our nation, and the American people. We are watching deceptive forces in our nation and globally usher in the incredible evils of socialism, Marxism, fascism, and tyranny. For those paying attention, we know the World Economic Forum (WEF)-compelled Great RESET is coming, and in accordance with prophetic scripture, this event will serve as a tool of even greater evil which is likely designed to change times and law (Daniel 7:25) to globally change life as we know it for the worse – much, much worse. We Church-age Believers should cry out, Maranatha! Our Lord, come! Come quickly to fetch us home in the Rapture, and today is a good day for You to do that! We long for immediate evacuation! The core of my position as to why Church-Age Believers should not primarily hope for this outcome is because the scenario we see in those verses and later on in Revelation chapter 7 is not NOW the best thing for the individuals who comprise that Innumerable Host. When we consider that those individuals are likely alive today, the scenario they find themselves in is not NOW the optimal scenario for them. We read later in Rev 7:14 that those who comprise this Innumerable Host, seen praising God and the Lamb, have come out of the Great Tribulation (after the seal judgments) and have not merely weathered the storm but have likely experienced some of the greatest horrors that have ever come upon humankind. Before I go further, I need to offer some explanations and definitions so that readers will better understand some of the terms I use in this article. It will help separate time periods and the peoples involved in those time periods. In some instances, I won’t offer any clarification, but I will allow scripture, our Lord Jesus, our Most High God’s inerrant, immutable, infallible, and totally sufficient Word to speak for itself. Defining Terms: So What Is This Great Tribulation Period or Event? In a nutshell, it’s the wrath of God, the wrath of the Lamb being poured out on the earth and its human inhabitants for sin and for their rejection of God’s mercy and grace. Check out these scripture verses. Matthew 24:21-22 “For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be. And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect’s sake those days will be shortened” (Also, see Mark 13:19-20). Jeremiah 30:7 “Alas! For that day is great, So that none is like it; And it is the time of Jacob’s trouble, But he shall be saved out of it.” Daniel 12:1-2 “At that time Michael shall stand up, The great prince who stands watch over the sons of your people; And there shall be a time of trouble, Such as never was since there was a nation, Even to that time. And at that time your people shall be delivered, Everyone who is found written in the book. And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, Some to everlasting life, Some to shame and everlasting contempt.” When all the elements and pieces of this Tribulation period are combined, it creates an extinction level event for humankind. And if allowed to run its course without interruption, no flesh would survive. However, according to Scripture, our Lord Jesus intervenes and prevents the total annihilation of humankind. But many billions, more than half the world’s population, dies. And the destruction and devastation to our globe is incalculable. What Are the Cut-out, Clearly Defined Time Periods That Are Core to My Position? Church Age, also known as the Dispensation of Grace – Those years, decades, and centuries beginning with the death, burial, and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, our Savior and Most High God, is ended by an event known as the Rapture (see above 1 Thess 4:13-18). As of January 2021, we are still living in the Dispensation of Grace or Age-of-Grace, Church-Age, and we still anticipate the Rapture to happen in the near future. However, time and opportunity to reserve a space for the Rapture is quickly running out. The Tribulation is a seven-year period that, as of January 2021, is yet future. As the scriptures above indicate, it is an incredibly unprecedented horrific time of intense global human suffering, deceptions, deprivations, devastation, destruction, supernatural activity, and hugely voluminous loss of human life. This seven-year period has many hot points; most notably are key events that occur at the beginning, the 3.5-year mid-point, and at the end. The Tribulation period also goes by other names: Daniel’s 70th Week, The Time of Jacob’s (Israel’s) Trouble, The Day, That Day, In That Day, For That Day, A Time of Trouble, The Hour of Trial, God’s Wrath, The Wrath of The Lamb, The Lord’s Day, and The Day of the Lord. Why Is There A Time Period Known as The Tribulation? The reasons are likely several and varied. Here’s my understanding of the matter. One: The Tribulation is to bring about the salvation of the Jewish nation, Israel, and the remnant of Jewish people. Recall the verses above: Jeremiah 30:7 and Daniel 12:1-2. These verses specifically identify the Jewish people who have historically rebelled against God and who have collectively rejected the Lord Jesus Christ. He uses the events and outcomes to seize the attention and the hearts of the Jewish people. And individually and collectively, they finally believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and call upon Him to save them. The above verses reveal that the Lord Jesus intervenes and cuts short the horrific outcomes to save His elect people. Yep! The elect people are the Jewish people. And our Lord Jesus has a wonderfully amazing plan for the Jews that will bless the world and its future inhabitants. The Jewish people already bless the world and will do even more so in the future. Two: Our Lord Jesus uses the events and outcomes of the Tribulation to cause hard hearts of individuals of many other people groups to believe in Him, to trust Him, to choose Him, to call upon Him in salvation. My wife calls this outcome Kick-You-In-The-Teeth Faith. Likely, most of those who finally believe and trust in the Lord Jesus during some point in the Tribulation would not have done so unless He incentivized them to do so – and He does so in a big way. Many will make the correct choice. The Innumerable Host we see in Revelation chapter 7:9-10 are covered by this reason. Three: Our Lord Jesus uses the events of the Tribulation to compel people to choose sides and to reveal their true allegiances. People have a choice: choose the Lord Jesus alone and to abandon and forsake all other so-called gods, including the god of human self. Or people may choose an evil so-called god and suffer the consequences. At His second coming, our Lord Jesus literally separates the righteous “sheep” who choose Him and trust in Him from the unrighteous “goats” who reject Him (Matthew 25:31-46). This passage holds a specific contextual application, but it illustrates well that people must and will choose a side, and have already done so. Four: Our Lord Jesus uses the events of the Tribulation to bring temporal and eternal judgment and punishment upon people for their sin of rejecting Him and for rejecting His extraordinary forgiveness, mercy, and grace. He will literally take away in death all those who reject Him. Supernaturally speaking, all those who reject our Lord Jesus are kept in a temporary spiritual jail cell called the Place of Torments. Here they await their final disposition when they are resurrected and finally cast alive into the torments of the Lake of Fire, a place of eternal punishment (Rev 20). Five: The Lord Jesus uses the outcomes of the Tribulation period to identify and bless and reward those survivors who honored Him by taking actions on behalf of His elect Jewish people. At the sheep and goat judgment (Matthew 25:31-46), our Lord Jesus tells these survivors, “In as much as you did these good deeds to one of the least of these my elect people, you did it to me.” In the midst of the Tribulation, these survivors also chose the Lord Jesus. Six: Our Lord Jesus uses The Tribulation to close out and bring to a final end the sinful reign of human governance over the world and its systems. He also uses this event as the transitional period to set up, inaugurate, and establish His millennial (1,000 years) kingdom on the earth. David Reagan of Christ In Prophecy characterizes the time: when peace, truth, justice, and righteousness will cover the earth like water covers the seas. Note: There is no guarantee a person will make it through the Tribulation period and stand at the sheep and goat judgment. Pretty much everything is working against you and doing its very best to kill you. Our Lord Jesus offers you a better, more sure means to salvation. Believe in Him today. Trust Him today. Call upon Him today. He guarantees this means of salvation. How Are People Classified / Categorized During These Defined Time Periods? Church-Age Believers – any person who has believed on the Lord Jesus Christ and the work He completed to purchase our forgiveness and reconciliation; any person who has trusted the Lord Jesus Christ and Him alone, and who has called upon the powerful name of our Lord Jesus Christ to save and transform one’s life. I like the manner in which Dr. Michael S. Heiser conveys the matter. I offer my synthesized rendition of what I understood him to say: “Anyone who chooses the Lord Jesus Christ alone and who also forsakes and abandons all other gods, who forsakes all other lesser elohim, to include: the gods of this world, those fallen disobedient, defiant, rebellious “angels”; the demonic Nephilim spirits, and the god of human self.” As of January 2021, our Lord Jesus continues to lavish grace, blessing, and gifts upon those who believe on Him and call upon His name during this Dispensation of Grace. You want and need to become a member of this group! Becoming a member of this Church-Age Believers group represents the OPTIMAL scenario with the OPTIMAL outcome. The Lord Jesus Christ is our Blessed Hope right now, today! (Titus 2:13). Tribulation Believers – those people who at some future point beginning AFTER the Rapture, who come to call upon and trust the Lord Jesus Christ and believe on Him and in Him. They finally trust the Lord Jesus Christ during some early point in that horrific seven-year period. Because these people did not trust in the Lord Jesus and call upon His name BEFORE the Rapture, during this present Dispensation of Grace, they must suffer, at least partially, the unprecedented horrors and calamities of The Tribulation. The individuals who will comprise this group of Tribulation Believers are not the same as those who comprise the group of Church-Age Believers. Tribulation Believers are not the Church. Don’t conflate the two groups; one does not morph into the other. They are two uniquely distinct groups that exist within two separate cut-out periods of time. I believe those individuals who comprise the Innumerable Host of Rev 7:9-10 are one segment of these Tribulation Believers. Many of these Tribulation Believers are likely brutally slaughtered by the evil forces and rulers that will wickedly govern during The Tribulation period. And many others, probably most, will die when they agonize through and eventually succumb to the sufferings, deprivations, destructions, and devastations of the horrific worldwide conditions during that time. This group of Tribulation Believers DOES NOT represent the OPTIMAL scenario with OPTIMAL outcome right NOW. These Tribulation Believers experience a sub-optimal outcome. You really want to become a member of the Church-Age Believers right now! Unbelievers – all those people throughout all ages and time periods and dispensations who have rejected the Lord Jesus Christ and the plan of God and His Word, the Bible. These folk have rejected and continue to reject the Lord Jesus. They have chosen to believe in and trust some other supernatural entity or god, or they have continued to trust in human self as god. They have not abandoned these so-called gods. Indeed, these folks embrace and worship them with deliberate intention and joy. And they do so to their own peril: now and for eternity. The Lake of Fire – the place of final disposition for all beings, human and supernatural, who have continued in their rejection of our Lord Jesus Christ and/or have received the Mark of the Beast and worshipped him in lieu of our Lord Jesus Christ. The Lake of Fire is a place of God’s true and righteous judgment and punishment of unbelievers. It’s a place of eternal torment. Here the smoke of tormented unbelievers and rebellious supernatural entities rises up forever and ever (Rev 14). Leaving definitions and returning to the main point. The individuals of the Innumerable Host of Rev 7:9-10 could have achieved something far better, something far greater, something far more glorious. Each one could have been taken out of the hour trial, out of the time of trouble and rescued and delivered from The Tribulation. Each one could have been spared the horrors of this time period. These individuals find themselves in this less-than-optimal scenario with a sub-optimal outcome because in our present day in which these individuals now live, our Church Age, our cut-out time period also known as the Dispensation of Grace or Age-of-Grace, they chose to continue in unbelief, rejection, defiance, and rebellion against our Lord Jesus Christ, our Most High God. Each one had time and opportunity to believe on the Lord Jesus, to follow Him, to call upon His name and to be saved but rejected that opportunity. Beginning in Revelation 7:16, look at the horrific ordeal the individuals of this Innumerable Host chose to suffer.
According to Scripture, since this Innumerable Host comes out of The Great Tribulation, consider what they choose to experience and suffer as they fall under the punishments and judgments of the wrath of the Lamb (Rev 6). This Is Some Kind of Badness! The Seven Seal Judgements:
And as this new series of Trumpet judgments and punishments begin, they are layered upon the utter misery the world is already suffering. So new troubles and their effects are compounded upon the existing troubles and their effects and aftermath of the seven Seal judgments. Before we discuss the Seven Trumpet judgments, what’s up with those four angels we see as our focus chapter, Revelation seven opens up? Rev 7:1 “After these things, I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth so that the wind would not blow on the earth, on the sea, or on any trees.” Rev 7:2-3 “And I saw another angel ascending from the East, having the seal of the living God. And he cried with a loud voice to the four angels to whom it was granted to harm the earth and sea, saying: Do not harm the earth, the sea, or any trees until we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads.” There’s likely lots one could say about these verses and the first part of this chapter, but my key point is it’s just one more indicator that the Innumerable Host of humanity seen in Rev 7:9-10 have come out of and agonized. It indicates they have suffered a less than optimal scenario and a less than optimal outcome. These four angels are temporarily delayed in their mission, but ostensibly, as soon as the 144,000 male virgin Jews are sealed, these four angels let loose and execute the harm they were granted to do. These four angels were granted power and authority to wreak untold damage and destruction on the ecological systems of the world. Ecological disaster directly or indirectly impacts humankind. If a person lives in the world at this time, as do the individuals of the Innumerable Host, then those people are suffering in a huge way as the world is writhing in convulsed agony. The impact of these four angels is felt worldwide – not some fraction of the earth, or sea, or trees, but all the earth, all the sea, and all the trees. Based upon these verses above, it’s hard to know for certain if these four angels are agents executing the previously prescribed judgments and punishments or if they are agents executing entirely new levels of judgments and punishments in addition to what is already prescribed in Scripture. The point is: these four angels and the global harm they execute upon the earth, the sea, and the trees is just one more element of The Tribulation. The Innumerable Host we see in Rev 7:9-10 must likely face this round of awful events. This ends Part 1 of this 3-part series. If you would like to see a chart comparing second-best outcomes to optimal outcomes using scripture, you can email me at: [email protected] Washington attempts to quell Israel’s shadow war with Iran at sea – Yaakov Lappin – https://www.jns.org/washington-attempts-to-quell-israels-shadow-war-with-iran-at-sea/ Recent reports suggest that the United States is disturbed by aspects of the Israeli-Iranian shadow war that is raging across the region—in this case, at sea. It seems reasonable to conclude that Washington is trying to lower tensions that it fears can spoil attempts to negotiate a new nuclear agreement with Tehran. U.S. sources told The Wall Street Journal in recent days that Israel allegedly attacked 12 ships illegally carrying Iranian oil to Syria since 2019 using weapons such as naval mines to damage the vessels. The report came just as signs of a possible escalation between Israel and Iran on the seas appeared, suggesting that the information was designed to send a signal to Israel to cool down the alleged special operations at sea. The report surfaced close to the time that Iran accused Israel of being behind an attack last week on an Iranian container ship in the eastern Mediterranean Sea, named as the Shar e Kord, causing a fire. That attack came days after Israel said that Iran was behind an explosive attack on an Israeli-owned cargo ship, the MV Helios Ray, in the Gulf of Oman. Israel’s alleged covert campaign at sea is part of a much larger campaign, dubbed by the defense establishment as the “campaign between the wars,” designed to prevent the radical Iranian axis from building up its military and terrorist power in the region but to do so without crossing the threshold of regional war. It is a delicate balancing act that has enabled Israel to put the brakes on alarmingly ambitious Iranian schemes, pioneered by the late Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ Quds Force Gen. Qassem Soleimani, to use air routes, land routes and the sea to flood Syria, Lebanon, Iraq and other areas with precision-guided missiles, missile factories, well-armed militias and the creation of new “rings of fire” around Israel. Jerusalem has created a powerful intelligence-gathering machine that is able to detect many of these activities in real time and disrupt them, using an array of precision airstrikes, special operations, cyber technology and other means. Most of these activities remain hidden from public view. Cash payments from Damascus to Beirut So why have oil tankers that are moving Iranian oil to Syria become an alleged target? According to a recent analysis by Ynet’s veteran military analyst Ron Ben Yishay, Iranian oil-smuggling to Syria began even before the Trump administration placed sanctions on Iranian oil exports in May 2018 (when Trump withdrew from the former nuclear agreement), and before the United States slapped sanctions on Syrian President Bashar Assad and his regime for its countless war crimes. However, since May 2018, when the Iranians faced restrictions on transferring funds through the international financial network, they faced a new obstacle: How to get paid for smuggled oil to countries such as Syria? They found a work-around: The Assad regime began paying its oil debts directly to Iran’s proxy Hezbollah, enabling Iran to launder its terror financing in new, convenient ways, and to continue its backing for Hezbollah’s force build-up programs, according to Ben Yishay. To get around America’s Caesar Act, which bans international transactions with Syrian banks, as well as with Lebanese banks that work with their Syrian counterparts, the Assad regime was able to smuggle cash payments from Damascus to Beirut with ease. As part of this scheme, oil tankers are loaded up at Iranian ports in the Persian Gulf or at Qeshm island in the Strait of Hormuz and then proceeded to sail through a variety of routes towards the Syrian coastline, where, still at sea, they rendezvous with Syrian ships and transfer their oil cargo, or alternatively, directly dock at Syria’s Latakia or Tartus ports and unload their oil cargo. With these journeys forming a key part of Iran’s radical axis financing, Israel may have decided that as part of its campaign between the wars, it was time to disrupt this Hezbollah financing channel. The Iranians, likely fed up with such operations, retaliated at the end of February by targeting the Israeli-owned cargo ship, and Israel may have decided to boost its own deterrence by targeting the Shar e Kord ship in response. ‘Part of Iranian pirate activities to circumvent sanctions’ The resulting escalation dynamic appears to have set off alarm bells in the Biden administration, likely resulting in the leaked information on this previously unknown aspect of the campaign between the wars. A question that remains unanswered is how the ecological disaster caused by an oil spill off the Israeli coastline in late February, which has been linked by Israel’s Environment Protection Ministry to a ship illegally smuggling oil from Iran to Syria, fits into this picture. Israel’s Environment Protection Minister Gila Gamliel said Iran was behind the spill, accusing it of “ecological terrorism,” though Israel’s defense establishment has not confirmed that this is indeed the case. Meanwhile, dispelling rumors that Israel itself was accidentally responsible for the spill as part of its campaign against Iranian oil tankers, Israel’s Defense Minister Benny Gantz firmly dismissed this theory. Presumably relying on an array of intelligence reports, Gantz said on Sunday, “I can tell you emphatically that Israel is not responsible for the oil spill that caused the considerable damage along the coast.” The cause of the spill, therefore, remains unresolved. “We are moving into the water arena. This is one of the arenas of conflict between Iran and Israel,” Professor Uzi Rabi, director of the Moshe Dayan Center for Middle Eastern and African Studies at Tel Aviv University, observed on Sunday. “This is part of the Iranian pirate activities at sea to circumvent sanctions and sell oil,” he said, adding that Hezbollah and Iranian militias in Syria gain the return benefit. The wider context, he said, is that Iran is gathering negotiating “bargaining chips” ahead of talks with Washington. Describing the “Iranian paradox,” said Rabi, “The worse things are inside Iran the more they ‘purchase’ bargaining chips on the outside.” As the region waits to see how Washington and Tehran engage, Israel’s defensive shadow war can be expected to continue, even though it might be adjusted to avoid angering America at this sensitive time. Nearing Midnight: The Next Crisis? – Terry James - https://www.raptureready.com/category/nearing-midnight/ This title indeed encompasses a huge question, seeing how the most previous crisis—COVID-19—slammed the planet out of nowhere. The next crisis could be most anything. It could be the Rapture of the Church. That is the hope of all who name the name of Jesus Christ, of course. That would not be a crisis for us. But it sure would be for the world! However, in this article I’m thinking more in terms of a crisis of prophetic import that we can see gestating in today’s news. The fact that it possibly involves nuclear weaponry makes it indeed a crisis of potential world-affecting dimension. We begin by thinking on how former President Donald Trump spoke frequently, as did Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, on how Iran would never be allowed to have a nuclear weapon. Trump, as we remember, took away the “nuclear deal” the Obama administration had made with the Iranian Ayatollahs. That greatly slowed Iranian progress toward development of such weaponry. But it didn’t stop it, as Russia, China, and even North Korea are thought to continue contributing to Iran’s quest to obtain a nuclear arsenal. One of the first actions the new administration took after January 20, 2021, was to enter into reactivating the “nuclear deal”—to the great consternation, of course, of Netanyahu and IDF leadership. The Israeli prime minister has expressed yet again his unyielding contention that the Israel-hating Iranian leadership will never achieve nuclear status. The following news excerpt explains. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told US Vice President Kamala Harris in a late-night phone call on Thursday that he will not allow Iran to obtain nuclear weapons… Netanyahu in turn said that the US and Israel will continue to strengthen intelligence and security cooperation. He added that he is committed to preventing Iran from developing nuclear weapons intended to destroy Israel. Harris and Netanyahu agreed on the importance of the close cooperation between the two countries on regional security issues, which includes Iran’s nuclear program, according to the Vice President’s Office. (“Netanyahu tells Kamala Harris he won’t let Iran obtain nuclear weapons,” Jerusalem Post, March 4, 2021) With the Biden administration thought to be largely run by Obama administration officials, it’s difficult to believe that the new administration won’t subvert any and all efforts of Israel’s actions to halt the nuclear development efforts in Iran’s underground mountainous facilities. In all fairness to now VP Kamala Harris, she, surprisingly, consistently refused as a US senator to join in harsh criticism or condemnation of Israel for the most part. She and Benjamin Netanyahu, at least in the cursory contact they have made, seemed to have been in agreement on such things as dealing with hostilities in the Middle East and with actions against the COVID-19 so-called pandemic. Still, it is highly unlikely their seemingly cordial agreement in these matters will hold once the globalist momentum reaches full throttle. Israel, according to the prophet Zechariah, is in for total condemnation in the future from all nations of earth. And, at the moment, Iran seems to be the catalyst that could galvanize the world’s ire against the Jewish state. As stated above, Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly made clear that Iran will never be allowed to achieve the ability to produce nuclear weapons. Now that his colleague in the US presidency, Donald Trump, is no longer in the White House, his determination seems to have doubled down to assure that Iran as a nuclear state never happens. Netanyahu is backed even by those politically at odds with him, as reflected in the news excerpt that follows. Defense Minister Benny Gantz on Thursday said the Israel Defense Forces is continuously updating its plans for a prospective military strike on Iranian nuclear sites. Gantz, in an interview with Fox News, said the military plans would not be finalized until right before such a strike was set to be carried out. “Until then, we will continue to build them [the plans], to improve them… to the highest professional level possible,” he said. (“Gantz: IDF updating military plans for potential strike on Iran nuclear sites,” Times of Israel, RR News, March 5, 2021) We have written a number of times regarding the prophecy of Elam found in Jeremiah 49:34–39. My friend Bill Salus, a highly studied prophecy writer on foretelling’s involving the region in question, gives fascinating insights into the developing crisis. Bill says the prophecy in Jeremiah 49:34–39 might be dealing with this very issue. Jeremiah says that Iran experiences a disaster, which, from the details of the prophecy, appears to be the result of a nuclear catastrophe. Salus unveils this prophecy in his book entitled, Nuclear Showdown in Iran, Revealing the Ancient Prophecy of Elam. See Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-uS1nv9vbA&t=8s Order book: http://ecommerce.solutionsimplicity.com/index I highly recommend this as reading, if interested in what certainly looks to be stage-setting for the fulfillment of a catastrophe on the brink of taking place within the mountains of Iran. Again, Israel is the number-one signal to watch to determine the lateness of the prophetic hour. The developing crisis is a reminder to, as our Lord commands, keep looking up in anticipation of His sudden coming for all who believe in His death, burial, and resurrection for their salvation (Luke 21:28). 10 Examples That Show How Nightmarish The Worst Border Crisis In Modern American History Has Become - by Michael Snyder - http://endoftheamericandream.com/10-examples-that-show-why-this-is-the-worst-border-crisis-in-modern-american-history/ If U.S. Customs and Border Protection personnel are intercepting more than 100,000 migrants a month as they try to illegally cross the southern border, how many more are able to make it through undetected? In recent days, there has been a whole bunch of news stories about the nightmarish border crisis that we are currently facing. Now that President Trump is out of the White House, vast numbers of migrants have been flooding toward our southern border over the past couple of months. They are desperate for a better life, and the perception that Joe Biden is implementing “open border policies” gives them hope that they will be allowed in. But when they try to cross the border, approximately 70 percent of those that are intercepted by CBP are turned away… Customs and Border Protection officers have encountered over 100,000 migrants at the border in February alone, highlighting how overwhelming the situation has become. The vast majority of migrants – around 70%, according to one source – are expelled via public health order Title 42 that allows authorities to quickly return migrants to their country of travel. But of course countless more migrants are making it in through gaps in our porous border security. When the Daily Mail sent a team down to the Rio Grande, they witnessed traffickers bringing migrants across the river over and over again… As the night drew on, this brief, chaotic encounter was repeated again and again as scores of migrants crossed one of the narrowest sections of the Rio Grande with virtual impunity. Over a two-hour period we watched in disbelief as the three-man trafficking crew made five drop-offs, cramming as many as ten people into a boat designed for four. Of the 96 newcomers they dumped onto a slippery riverbank in Roma, an hour’s drive west of McAllen, 13 were unaccompanied children, including sisters aged five and 12. This sort of thing is happening at various points along the southern border night after night, and yet nothing is done to stop it. Of course CBP personnel can’t be everywhere, and without a doubt they have their hands full on a constant basis. Thanks to the “catch and release” policy that has been instituted by the Biden administration, many of those that the CBP is able to detain are processed and then released into the country… Under Biden’s revisions, single men and women will still be sent back but families with young children will be taken to a Border Patrol facility, processed and released with an I-862 form – a notice to appear before an immigration court at a later date. Needless to say, only a very small percentage of those migrants ever show up at immigration court. It is an absolutely disastrous policy, and Biden administration officials know this. But they just keep doing it anyway. U.S. Customs and Border Protection is the agency that is tasked with protecting our borders, and their job has become a complete and utter nightmare. The following are 10 quotes that come directly from the official CBP Twitter account that demonstrate how bad the crisis on the border has now become… “In February, CBP encountered 100,441 persons attempting entry along the SW border. This is a 28% increase over January.” “Laredo Sector Border Patrol agents apprehended multiple people attempting to illegally enter the U.S. through the Rio Grande River. Several individuals drifted back to the Mexican side of the river on inner tubes.” “Border Patrol agents conducting a train check found 16 people inside of a storage container after discovering that the seal from the storage container’s door had been broken. The group was from Guatemala, Honduras and Mexico.” “#USBP agents assigned to the Laredo North Station apprehended 111 individuals during three separate human smuggling attempts involving commercial trailers north of Laredo, Texas.” “Within a 12-hour period, the Laredo Sector Border Patrol Horse Patrol Unit apprehended 125 individuals in 3 different human smuggling attempts” “Over the weekend, @CBPRGV Border Patrol agents assigned to the Rio Grande City Station encountered two large groups crossing into the U.S., leading to the apprehension of 247 individuals from Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala, Nicaragua and Romania.” “On Wednesday, CBP officers in Laredo seized 28 containers manifested as acrylic paint, holding a total of 1,234lbs of meth. The estimated street value of the seizure is over $24M.” “CBP agents and officers have seized more than 75,100lbs of methamphetamine during the first five months of FY21, a 9% increase over the same time last year.” “CBP agents and officers have seized more than 43,300lbs of cocaine during the first five months of FY21, a 64% increase over the same time last year.” “CBP agents and officers have seized more than 4,900lbs of fentanyl during the first five months of FY21, already surpassing the total for all of FY20.” In January, the number of migrants intercepted by CBP was about twice the level that was reported in January 2020. And then as you just read about above, the number of migrants intercepted in February was 28 percent higher than January. What is going to happen if the numbers just keep going up like this? According to one CBP source, the number of migrants has gone “from a trickle to a torrent” since Biden entered the White House… But as a well-placed Border Patrol source told us under condition of anonymity: ‘The cartels don’t know or care what the actual policies or politics are. ‘They just tell the migrants that Biden will let them stay and the migrants believe it because that’s the rhetoric he used on the campaign trail. ‘The numbers have exploded since he took office. It went from a trickle to a torrent.’ What is really ironic is that this is about the worst possible time to be moving into the United States, but of course the migrants that are trying to come in illegally don’t realize this. Most of them truly believe that life will be so much better if they can just get to America, and many of them are willing to go to extreme lengths to get across the border. Brave CBP officials will continue to do their jobs, but the Biden administration will continue to undermine them at every turn, and that means that the crisis at the border is not going away any time soon. Daily Jot: The Third World War – Bill Wilson – www.dailyjot.com In America, many are struggling with the very real threat of socialist expansion. Day in and day out, we are bombarded by the war of rhetoric between political sides. It is a fight over the very destiny of this nation. There is, however, another fight that is taking place, and to those who are in the midst of it, it is a life or death struggle. As we are immersed in our own national situation, it may be a helpful spiritual perspective for us to, at least for a moment, consider the life and death situation of others. Ministry partner Pastor William Agbeti in Ghana, West Africa reports that “The fight against COVID-19 is more or less mankind’s Third World War.” It has caused survival challenges far beyond the virus in impoverished areas. Agbeti reports: “At the forefront of this war are not only professionals, but also a new breed of warriors. This breed includes some 20 volunteers of our ministry. These are a selfless, unassuming, unperturbed group of dedicated young men and women, stationed in various underserved communities across Ghana, who are ensuring that the pandemic leaves no one hungry. They have placed their lives on the line in the midst of the pandemic to distribute free food packages to struggling families. So far, food aid distributed by them since the onset of COVID-19, has benefited approximately 4500 individuals. They are serving with great passion, characterized by a sense of urgency and a clear purpose in mind–to send help to persons who will otherwise be going to bed on empty stomachs! “Unbelievably, these are poor folks who also need help! There is yet another grave danger that confronts our ministry’s volunteers in the particular location where our food distribution programs are held—Islamic aggression. Islamist gangs, often part of the Boko Haram terror network, forcefully and illegally take their land from them, placing them at the risk of becoming displaced in society. Such developments are happening as our gallant volunteers share the love of God to many, so none would go to bed hungry or die as a result of avoidable hunger! They, therefore, not only risk their lives distributing food during the pandemic, but also risk their homes and property to Islamic bandits when they are ministering to others. This adds political and legal burdens to their lives. “A Worldometer live feed on global statistics on hunger estimates about 28,000 die of hunger every day. In our own small ways, we try to reduce this figure. The families and children served during COVID are blessed with their food needs met for at least a week. This is possible because of our donors and a small group of dedicated volunteers. Together, their actions can be likened to the vision in Joel 2:28: “And it shall come to pass afterward, [that] I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions.” Our donors and Volunteers no doubt have God’s spirit poured upon their flesh and with their actions they are prophesying that many will not die of hunger.” That is a great vision and a noble cause, even in light of our situation here in America. Daily Devotion: Always the Same - by Greg Laurie – www.harvest.org All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. —2 Timothy 3:16 https://harvest.org/resources/devotion/always-the-same/ - Listen Every day, 66 percent of evangelical Christians are looking at Facebook, 39 percent are looking at YouTube, and 32 percent are opening their Bibles. In other words, a lot of Christians aren’t opening their Bibles today. Instead, they’re looking at social media. That’s a problem. I remember the first time I started to read the Bible. I couldn’t believe that I had finally found the user’s manual of life. I couldn’t believe how the words were so relevant to what I was facing as a 17-year-old kid. In fact, I’ve found that the Word of God is relevant for every phase of my life, and you will find the same. The Bible is the most amazing book ever written. It’s literally God’s message to us. Technically speaking, it isn’t one book. It’s actually 66 books written over a 1,500-year span by 40 writers from every walk of life: kings, peasants, philosophers, fishermen, poets, statesmen, and scholars. Yet all of them wrote about one thing: God’s redemption of humanity. And God inspired every one of these individuals who wrote down the Scriptures. The Bible says, “Above all, you must realize that no prophecy in Scripture ever came from the prophet’s own understanding, or from human initiative. No, those prophets were moved by the Holy Spirit, and they spoke from God” (2 Peter 1:20–21 NLT). So many things come and go, from trends to musical styles. But the Word of God is always the same, and Jesus Christ is always the same, yesterday, today, and forever. It’s amazing to me that even though a newspaper is outdated in a day or so, God’s Word is always fresh and relevant to what we’re facing. It never goes out of style. The Word of God is perfect and completely trustworthy. So we need to open it and hear what it has to say. FROM THE HEART Let Us Make the Short Time We have Left, Count for ALL of Eternity! IF YOU HAVE BEEN BLESSED THROUGH THIS MINISTRY, THEN WE ASK THAT YOU WOULD PLEASE REMEMBER PROPHECY UPDATE IN YOUR GIVING - WE ARE TRULY, TRULY, THANKFUL FOR YOUR SUPPORT WORTHY OF YOUR SUPPORT? One of the most reliable ways to determine if a ministry is worthy of your financial support is to examine its fruits. If Prophecy Update is keeping you informed, and if that information inspires you, and causes you to draw closer to the Lord, if Prophecy Update equips you with valuable information and knowledge to share with and encourage other believers, and open the eyes of non-believers, and if Prophecy Update keeps you connected to current events relating to Bible Prophecy, then you are partaking of the fruit produced through this ministry. None of this would be possible without the Lords blessings and your support. I believe where the Lord guides, the Lord provides, and most of the time He provides through the willing and generous hearts of believers just like you and me. Humbly Seek Your Support Prophecy Update has no corporate sponsors. This ministry is paid for and prayed for by readers and supporters. Without your support, there would be no Prophecy Update, Please pray about becoming a monthly supporter - thanks! If ever there was a time to invest in God's Kingdom, it's now! What on earth are you doing for Heaven's Sake? "Share in the Blessings and Rewards that will last Forever!" "Folks, it's all beginning to unravel. America is in more danger of falling than at any time in its history. But I believe Bible prophecy predicts this very decline. From this point on, we believers have to get serious. We are going to face discouragement, disillusionment and, most certainly, persecution in the time between now and the Rapture. But don't be discouraged or disillusioned. The coming turmoil will provide us unrivaled opportunities to share the good news of the Gospel. So be ready to share your faith and your hope with those who need Christ. We still have time to reap a great harvest of souls for God's kingdom!" - Hal Lindsey 1) We need your prayers!- We proclaim the Truth of the Word of God and we are under constant spiritual and sometimes even physical attack. 2) We need your encouragement!- We need to hear from you, let us know how the Lord is blessing you through this ministry so that we can share it with others. 3) We need your input! - If you have a prophetic article or story or if there is a news related item we missed, let us know. 4) We need your financial support!- To put it quite simply, without your support, there would be no Prophecy Update. I ask that you would prayerfully consider partnering with us to get the Word out and keep the world informed. Remember, your gift, no matter how small, does make a difference! You will be helping to touch lives, around the world, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, thanks to the internet your generosity carries a global impact! - Thanks! Our Prayer for You- "Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God. This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of God's people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God. Because of the service by which you have proved yourselves, men will praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the gospel of Christ, and for your generosity in sharing with them and with everyone else." 2 Corinthians 9:10-13 If you have been blessed by Prophecy Update and would like to help support this ministry financially. You can make a secure donation online by going to: DONATE NOW Or write us at: Prophecy Update P.O. Box 40516 Bakersfield, CA 93384-0516 We are very pleased to offer all our readers this FREE download on Bible Prophecy from the Evangelical Bible College of Western Australia - Just download and enjoy and be blessed! Feel free to share it with all your friends and family members. Click below to download! "AS YOU SEE THE DAY APPROACHING" If You Died Today, Would You Go To Heaven? Find out, visit: www.thegoodtest.net www.gotquestions.org www.wayofthemaster.com How to know God DID YOU KNOW? You can submit an article, leave a comment or praise report at email: [email protected] Maranatha! (Lord Come Quickly) "On Christ the Solid Rock I Stand, All other ground is sinking sand." "Let Us make the short time we have left count for all eternity!" YBIC-Randy
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