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Jesus is Coming Soon! - We are living on borrowed time! - By Dr. David R. Reagan - https://christinprophecy.org/articles/jesus-is-coming-soon/
Many people believe there is nothing that can be known about the timing of the Lord’s return because Jesus said He would return like a “thief in the night” (Matthew 24:42-44). But Paul makes it clear in 1 Thessalonians 5:1-6 that Jesus’ statement does not apply to believers: “But you, brethren, are not in darkness, that the day should overtake you like a thief…” He then proceeds to explain why: “for you are all sons of light and sons of day. We are not of night nor of darkness; so then let us not sleep as others do, but let us be alert and sober.” Paul is referring, of course, to the light of the Holy Spirit who indwells all true believers and who can enlighten us through our study of Scripture to know the season of the Lord’s return (1 John 2:27). God’s Attitude As a matter of fact, God is obligated by His character to warn the world of the imminent return of His Son. The reason is that Jesus is returning in great wrath to “judge and wage war” (Revelation 19:11), and God never pours out His wrath without warning. God does not wish that any should perish, but that all should be brought to repentance (2 Peter 3:9). Therefore, God always warns before He executes His wrath. He warned the world through Noah for 120 years. He warned Sodom and Gomorrah through Abraham. He sent Jonah to warn the pagan city of Nineveh, and He sent Nahum to the same city 150 years later. Likewise, God is warning the world today that His Son is about to return. He is calling the world to repentance. The message of the hour to unbelievers can be summed up in these words: “Flee from the wrath that is to come by fleeing into the loving arms of Jesus now.” Jesus came the first time as an expression of God’s love; He came to die for the sins of Mankind. But when He returns, He will come in vengeance to pour out the wrath of God on those who have rejected God’s love and grace. The soon return of Jesus also carries with it a message for believers. Lukewarm Christians and carnal Christians are being called to commit their lives to holiness: “The night is almost gone, and the day is at hand. Let us therefore lay aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us behave properly as in the day, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual promiscuity and sensuality, not in strife and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts” (Romans 13:12-14). God’s Method of Warning God is alerting believers of the soon return of His Son through what are called “signs of the times.” These are prophecies concerning world events that we are told to watch for, prophecies that will identify the season of the Lord’s return. The Bible is full of these signs. There are about 500 prophecies in the Old Testament that relate to the Second Coming of the Messiah. In the New Testament, one out of every 25 verses is concerned with the return of Jesus. In fact, there are so many signs that it is difficult to grasp all of them. The best way I have found to do this is to put them in categories: 1) The Signs of Nature — We are told to watch for earthquakes, famine, pestilence, and signs in the heavens (see Matthew 24:7 and Luke 21:11). This is the least respected category of signs for several reasons. For one thing, many people simply shrug their shoulders and say, “There have always been natural calamities, so what else is new?” Note that Jesus says these signs will be like “birth pangs” (Matthew 24:8) — that is, they will increase in frequency and intensity as the time draws near for His return. In other words, there will be more intense earthquakes and more frequent ones. That is exactly what is happening today. Another reason these signs are given little respect is because most Christians are so rationalistic that they do not really believe in the supernatural, and they therefore find it difficult to believe that God speaks to the world through signs of nature. Yet, the Bible teaches this principle from start to finish. God dealt with the world’s sin through a great flood in the days of Noah (Genesis 6). He called the nation of Judah to repentance through a terrible locust invasion (Joel 1). In like manner, He called for the nation of Israel to repent by sending drought, wind storms, mildew, locusts, famine and pestilence (Amos 4:6-10). The prophet Haggai pointed to a drought as evidence that God was calling the people to get their priorities in order (Haggai 1:10-11). The New Testament begins with a special light in the heavens marking the birth of the Messiah (Matthew 2:2). On the day that Jesus was crucified, there was three hours of darkness and an earthquake (Matthew 27:45-51). And when Jesus returns, the earth will experience the greatest earthquake in its history as every mountain is lowered, every valley is raised, and every island is moved (Revelation 16:17-21). God has always spoken through signs of nature, and He continues to do so today. We had better pay close attention to them. 2) The Signs of Society — Jesus said that society will become increasingly lawless and immoral as the time approaches for His return. In fact, He said it would become as evil as it was in the days of Noah (Matthew 24:12,37-39). Paul paints a chilling picture of end time society in 2 Timothy 3:1-5. He says it will be characterized by three loves — the love of self (Humanism), the love of money (Materialism), and the love of pleasure (Hedonism). He then points out that the payoff of this carnal lifestyle will be what the philosophers call Nihilism — that is, a society wallowing in despair. Men’s minds will become depraved (Romans 1:28), and people will call evil good and good evil (Isaiah 5:20). We are seeing these prophecies fulfilled before our eyes today as we watch our society reject its Christian heritage and descend into a hellish pit of lawlessness, immorality, and despair. Even worse, we are exporting our nihilism around the world through our immoral and violent movies and television programs. 3) The Spiritual Signs — There are both positive and negative spiritual signs that we are to watch for. The negative ones include the appearance of false christs and their cults (Matthew 24:5,11,24), the apostasy of the professing church (2 Thessalonians 2:3), an outbreak of Satanism (1 Timothy 4:1), and the persecution of faithful Christians (Matthew 24:9). These negative spiritual signs began to appear in the mid-19th Century when Christian cults started forming. First came the Mormons, then the Jehovah’s Witnesses, and then a great variety of spiritualist groups like the Church of Christ Scientists and the Unity Church. The apostasy of the mainline Christian denominations began in the 1920’s when the German school of higher criticism invaded American seminaries and undermined the authority of the Scriptures, teaching that the Bible is Man’s search for God rather than God’s revelation to Man. During the 1960’s Satanism exploded on the American scene and has since been exported worldwide through American movies, books, and television programs. Dabbling in the occult has become commonplace in the form of astrology, numerology, crystal gazing, transcendental meditation, and channeling. The whole trend has consummated in the appearance of the New Age Movement with its teaching that Man is God. As society has secularized, true Christianity has come under increasing attack. Judeo-Christian values, once the foundation of Western Civilization, are now openly mocked, and those who still adhere to them are castigated as “intolerant fundamentalists” by the media. The positive spiritual signs include the proclamation of the Gospel to the whole world (Matthew 24:14), a great outpouring of the Holy Spirit (Joel 2:28-32), and spiritual illumination to understand prophecies that have been “sealed up” until the end times (Daniel 12:4,9). As with the negative signs, we are seeing these positive signs fulfilled in our day and time. Through the use of modern technology, the Gospel has been proclaimed throughout the world in this Century, and the Bible has been translated into all major languages. The great end time pouring out of the Holy Spirit that was prophesied by the prophet Joel has also begun. Joel called it “the latter rain” (Joel 2:23), and he said it would occur after the Jews had returned to their land. The state of Israel was re-established in 1948. In 1949 God anointed two ministries that would have a worldwide impact — the ministries of Billy Graham and Oral Roberts. Then, in the 60’s, came the Charismatic Movement which prompted renewal in worship and gave emphasis to the continuing validity of the gifts of the Spirit. The acceleration in the understanding of Bible prophecy began in 1970 with the publication of Hal Lindsey’s book, The Late Great Planet Earth. It seemed to open up to popular understanding many prophecies that had been “sealed up” until the end times (Daniel 12:4, 9). Remarkably, it became the number one best seller in the world — with the sole exception of the Bible — for the next ten years! 4) The Signs of Technology — The book of Daniel says that there will be an explosion of knowledge in the end times and that people will move about quickly (Daniel 12:4). There are many Bible prophecies that cannot be understood apart from modern technology. For example, how can the whole world look upon two bodies lying in the streets of Jerusalem (Revelation 11:8-9)? Modern television satellite technology makes it easy. How can the False Prophet build an image of the Anti-Christ that appears to be alive (Revelation 13:15)? The answer, of course, is the science of robotics. How can the False Prophet require all people on earth to take the mark of the Anti-Christ in order to buy and sell (Revelation 13:16-17)? It would not be possible apart from computers and lasers. Jesus said that the Tribulation will be so terrible that all life on earth would cease to exist if He did not cut the period short (Matthew 24:21-22). How could all life be threatened prior to the advent of nuclear weapons? Another reference to nuclear power is likely contained in Luke’s statement that men in the end times will “faint from fear” because “the powers of the heavens will be shaken” (Luke 21:26). That certainly sounds like a reference to the splitting of the atom. 5) The Signs of World Politics — The Bible prophesies that there will be a certain pattern of world politics that will characterize the end time geopolitical map. The focus will be the re-established state of Israel (Zechariah 12:2-3). It will be besieged by a menacing nation from the “remote parts of the north,” the nation of “Rosh” — or modern day Russia (Ezekiel 38:2,6). There will also be a threatening nation to the East that will be capable of sending an army of 200 million — namely, China (Revelation 9:13-16 and Revelation 16:12-13). A third source of danger to Israel will be the Arab nations that immediately surround it. They will covet the land and will try to take it from the Jews (Ezekiel 35:10 and 36:2). Another key player on the world political scene in the end times will be a coalition of European nations that will form a confederation centered in the area of the old Roman empire (Daniel 2:41-44, Daniel 7:7,23-24, and Revelation 17:12-13). This confederation will serve as the political base for the rise of the Anti-Christ and the creation of his worldwide kingdom (Daniel 7:8). Other international political signs include wars and rumors of wars (Matthew 24:6), civil wars (Matthew 24:7), and general international terrorism and lawlessness (Matthew 24:12). 6) The Signs of Israel — The signs related to the state of Israel are prolific and very important. The most frequently repeated prophecy in the Old Testament is the prediction that the Jewish people will be regathered from the “four corners of the earth” in the end times (Isaiah 11:10-12). The Bible states that a consequence of this regathering will be the re-establishment of the state of Israel (Isaiah 66:7-8). The Scriptures say that once the Jews are back in their land, the land itself will experience a miracle of reclamation (Isaiah 35). The desert will bloom and people will exclaim, “This desolate land has become like the garden of Eden” (Ezekiel 36:35). Another end time miracle will be the revival of the Hebrew language (Zephaniah 3:9). Most people are not aware of the fact that when the Jews were dispersed from their land in 70 A.D., they ceased to speak the Hebrew language. The Jews who settled in Europe developed a new language called Yiddish — a combination of German and Hebrew. The Jews who migrated to the Mediterranean basin created a language called Ladino — a combination of Hebrew and Spanish. Other significant signs of Israel that we are told to watch for in the end times include the re-occupation of Jerusalem (Luke 21:24), the resurgence of Israeli military strength (Zechariah 12:6), and the re-focusing of world politics on Israel (Zechariah 12:3). All these signs have been fulfilled in this century. The nation has been re-established, the land has been reclaimed, the ancient language has been revived, the Jews are back in Jerusalem, and Israel is the focal point of world politics. Jesus says in Luke 21:28 that when these signs begin to happen, we should “straighten up and lift up our heads” because “our redemption is drawing near.” The Key Signs The most important signs are the ones that relate to Israel because God uses the Jews throughout the Scriptures as His prophetic time clock. By this I mean that very often when the Lord is revealing an important event that will take place in the future, He will point to the Jewish people and state that when a certain thing happens to them, the important event will also occur. A good example of this principle can be found in Daniel 9 in the famous “Seventy Weeks of Years” prophecy. The prophet tells us to watch for a decree to be issued that will authorize the rebuilding of Jerusalem. He then says that the Messiah will come sixty-nine weeks of years (483 years) after that decree is issued to the Jewish people. There are two key prophecies which relate the return of Jesus to events that have occurred in Jewish history since 1948. These two events clearly established the period in which we are now living as the season of the Lord’s return. The State of Israel The first is the re-establishment of the state of Israel which occurred on May 14, 1948. Jesus singled out this event as the one that would signal His soon return. His prophecy is contained in the fig tree parable (Matthew 24:32-35) which He presented in His Olivet Discourse. The day before He delivered this speech, He had put a curse on a barren fig tree, causing it to wither (Matthew 21:18-19). This was a symbolic prophecy that God would soon pour out His wrath upon the Jewish people because of their spiritual barrenness in rejecting His Son. The next day Jesus reminded His disciples of the fig tree. He said to watch for it to bloom again. In other words, He said watch for the rebirth of Israel. He indicated that when the fig tree blooms again, He would be at the gates of Heaven, ready to return (Matthew 24:33). Equally significant, He added an interesting observation: “Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place” (Matthew 24:34). What generation? The generation that sees the fig tree blossom. We are that generation. The fig tree has blossomed. Jesus is at the gates. The City of Jerusalem The second key event was prophesied by Jesus in the same speech, as recorded by Luke: “[The Jews] will fall by the edge of the sword, and will be led captive into all the nations; and Jerusalem will be trampled under foot by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled” (Luke 21:24). The first half of this prophecy was fulfilled in 70 A.D., forty years after Jesus spoke the words. In that year the Romans under Titus conquered Jerusalem and dispersed the Jews among the nations. Jerusalem remained under Gentile occupation for 1,897 years — until June 7, 1967, when Israel won the city back during the Six Day War. The Jewish re-occupation of the city of Jerusalem is proof positive that we are living in the season of the Lord’s return. Jesus said it would mark the end of the Gentile Age. A Call to Action There is no way to escape the conclusion that we are living on borrowed time. The signs of the times are upon us, and they are shouting for our attention. Are you ready? If Jesus were to return today, would He be your “Blessed Hope” (Titus 2:11-14) or would He be your “Holy Terror” (Revelation 6:12-17)? If you have never received Him as your Lord and Savior, now is the time to act. Repent of your sins, and call upon the name of the Lord that you might be saved (Acts 2:14-39). And if you are a Christian, are you living as if Jesus might return any minute? Have you committed your life to holiness? Are you praying for the lost and witnessing for the Lord when you have an opportunity? Are you yearning for the Lord’s return? Can you say with Paul that you are a candidate for a “crown of righteousness” because you have lived your life “in the love of His appearing” (2 Timothy 4:7-8)? AI and the Coming Antichrist - By Howard Green - https://www.raptureready.com/2023/10/07/ai-and-the-coming-antichrist-by-howard-green/ Imagine a global event taking place that was so pivotal that beliefs and responses to it would determine eternity for billions of people. What if there was a concerted effort to distort the truth in order to deceive people into their own destruction? This is exactly what is happening today, as truth is being distorted and denied. This rejection of the truth will culminate in billions of people being deceived straight into hell. Right before Jesus was crucified, Pontious Pilate asked Him, “So you are a king?” Jesus tells Pilate why He came into the world in John 18:37, and the governor asks Jesus this question, “What is truth?” That question and our response to it will matter a thousand years from now. Jesus said, “I Am the Way, the Truth, and the Life” in John 14:6. To refuse to love the truth and be saved is setting yourself up for end-time spiritual deception and ultimate eternal condemnation (2 Thessalonians 2:9-12). With all of the talk about the possibility of the Bible being rewritten and so many people rejecting the truth of what Jesus said about Himself, they are setting themselves up for strong delusion and worship of the Antichrist and his image. A time is coming, and we have reason to believe – in the near future – when a man is going to declare himself to be God and demand to be worshipped (2 Thessalonians 2:4). The Bible makes it crystal clear that this world leader is coming on the scene with all wicked deception. Most Christians know that the Man of Lawlessness is coming, and his co-conspirator, the False Prophet, will make the inhabitants of Earth worship the Antichrist. Although our meeting the Lord in the air is a certainty, it isn’t my intent to address rapture timing in this article but to focus on people around the world who are being set up to believe the ultimate lie. Revelation 13:14-15 tells us that this worldwide religious leader will instruct people to make an image for the Antichrist, who was wounded yet lived. Moreover, the False Prophet is going to be allowed to give breath to the image of the beast so that it will speak! This global spiritual deception will be so spectacular and wonderous that it will cause people to do the unthinkable, to worship the beast and its image as God. I’ve been a Christian since the 1980s. When I used to study end-time Bible prophecy decades ago, I knew every word of God would come to pass. But it was hard to comprehend how a satanic religious world leader could realistically deceive billions of people into worshipping an image. In the ensuing decades, with technological advances and AI, the ability to deceive the masses with an image empowered by Satan seems like something that could now happen at almost any moment. I can tell you this with all surety: not since the beginning of time has technology existed that could somehow monitor, mimic, and monopolize every aspect of human life until right now. Like anything else, technology, specifically AI, can be used for good, but it can be used for nefarious purposes as well. Already, we see that AI-generated avatars preached sermons at Christian churches in Germany and America. A major ‘Christian’ media outlet is even promoting AI sermons. Here’s what a well-known contributor at the World Economic Forum said about AI and religion: AI can write a new Bible. In a few years, there might be religions that are actually correct. Just think about a religion whose holy book is written by an AI. That could be a reality in a few years. Yuval Noah Harari – World Economic Forum Contributor The Bible tells us that the False Prophet will give breath to the image of the beast. It also tells us that the coming Antichrist and his worldwide religious leader is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders (2 Thessalonians 2:9-11). Jesus also warns us about spiritual deception four times, culminating in Matthew 24:15. I won’t emphatically say that AI and avatars will be used to facilitate the image of the Antichrist to be worshipped. But it is quite possible that Satan could use AI to deceive billions of people into worshipping the Antichrist and his image. It is worth noting that AI already identifies itself as I Am, a title clearly limited to the one true God of the universe. Anyone who loves Jesus should see the emergence and increase of AI, avatars, UFOs, and talk of rewriting the Bible as a clear sign that a worldwide religion of Antichrist worship is in the very near future. Friends, we live in times when global commerce, utilities, supply chains, weapons, and life itself can be altered by strokes on a keyboard. There are bad actors, both private and governmental, who are under the control of Satan, and this enemy of our soul will do everything in his power to bring this planet into utter darkness, including using these same groups. Very soon, perhaps even in the coming months and the next few years, this world will be thrown into unprecedented chaos and upheaval like never before. Everything people take for granted, like buying a sandwich, a coffee, getting healthcare, and worship gatherings, will be nearly impossible, that is, unless you worship the Antichrist and his image. As we see signs of the Lord’s soon return increasing daily, I want to encourage you to be a bold witness for Jesus, lovingly warn people about what is coming, and finish well. There are links to related resources below, including to my friends Jan Markell and Pastor Billy Crone, who dive deep into the subject of AI and the Antichrist. All for Him, Howard Pastor Billy Crone and Jan Markell discuss AI and the coming Antichrist. The Infrastructure of the Antichrist. Link: https://olivetreeviews.org/radio-archives/the-infrastructure-of-the-antichrist/ WEF-Yuval Noah Harari video on AI and the Bible. Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IwTq7LbUO6U AI ChatGPT preaches a sermon in a Texas church. Link: https://www.themirror.com/news/us-news/church-ai-takeover-sermon-led-123778 Contradicting Jesus on End-Time Bible Prophecy. Link: https://www.christianpost.com/voice/jesus-end-time-bible-prophecy.html It's Time to Replace our Main Computer! How you can help! Thank you!!! Dear Reader / Supporter, It’s that time, time to replace our main computer, it’s been five years since we last replaced our main computer, it has served us well producing hundreds of newsletters and countless hours of videos, but it’s starting to show its age and is becoming sluggish and sometimes unresponsive making everything I do take much longer than it should! Now, more than ever, especially trying to keep up with all the news and countless hours of research and exhaustive video editing and rendering, I need to access the speed and processing power of the newer generation of computers that are available today. Computers become outdated very quickly with the advances in technology that we’re experiencing today, five-year-old computers are considered ancient! A new system of the type that we use must have a lot of power to render the amount of video that we process and create, and they run about $3500 dollars. We need your help to purchase this system and I have set up a special donation link just for the computer. So, if you are able and willing to help us out, we would greatly appreciate it! You can use the link below or if you mail in a donation, please mark it for “new computer” – thank you so much! I pray this is the last new computer we will ever have to purchase, and the way things are going, that is a great possibility! Anything over our goal of $3500 dollars we will put towards new software, and upgrading our ever growing media library! DONATE HERE Or write us at: Prophecy Update P.O. Box 40516 Bakersfield, CA 93384-0516 PROPHECY UPDATE VIDEOS
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Your Support is Important to this Ministry - We Could Not Do This Without Your Support! Let Us Make the Short Time We have Left, Count for ALL of Eternity! Thanks be unto God for His unspeakable gift! II Corinthians 9:15 Worthy of Your Support? It has been said, 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. I genuinely believe that Prophecy Update and many other like-minded ministries, are needed now more than ever! The world is getting darker daily, almost hourly, but never has the light of the Word of God shone so brightly. Never in our history has there been such a thirst for Truth and a need for a Savior! The Prophecy Update website, newsletter, and Video Channels are all dedicated to providing the truth, encouraging and informing believers, and prayerfully opening the eyes and hearts of non-believers with the Gospel, but none of it would be possible without your prayers and support. DONATE HERE Your can also mail your support to: Prophecy Update PO Box 40516 Bakersfield, CA 93384 6 Potential Triggers for the Next Global Financial Crisis – Britt Gillette - [email protected] What will be the Cause of the Next Meltdown? In the aftermath of the pandemic, governments and central banks around the world over stimulated the economy with cash giveaways and ultra low interest rates. In doing so, they created bubbles in multiple asset classes throughout the world. Now, faced with inflation, governments and central banks are trying to crack down and reverse the inflationary trend. But the damage has been done. We now stand on the verge of a massive global financial crisis. One of the only questions that remains is what will trigger the crisis? By definition, no one can know what the next black swan event will be. We can never be certain beforehand what the ultimate catalyst will be for a global financial crisis, but in my opinion, these are the seven most probable triggers: 1) Chinese Property Market Meltdown Starting in 2021, the Chinese property market experienced a massive decline. Many property developers failed, construction projects stopped, and the average Chinese citizen now avoids what was once the primary savings vehicle of choice. Earlier this year, a Hong Kong court ordered Evergrande, one of the largest property developers in China to liquidate. With $300 billion in debt, it's one of the largest corporate defaults in Chinese history. Country Garden, once China’s largest property developer by sales, is facing a similar fate. A creditor is currently seeking the liquidation of the defaulted Chinese developer in a Hong Kong court. The fall of these companies that once dominated the enormous Chinese property market indicates just how far property values have fallen. Several cities in China have lowered mortgage rates and down payment requirements in an effort to stimulate property demand, but those efforts are unlikely to impact the depressed Chinese property market. The collapse of these companies and similar defaults on the part of other property developers and individuals threaten to spill over into the wider economy. As a result, the prospect of a deflationary spiral similar to the Great Depression is a real possibility. China is the second largest economy in the world. If it falls into the grip of a deflationary spiral similar to what the world experienced during the Great Depression, the rest of the world will find it nearly impossible to avoid the same fate. 2) Japanese Currency Crisis Meanwhile, the world’s fourth largest economy is on the verge of a major currency crisis. The Japanese yen currently sits at its lowest level relative to the U.S. dollar since 1990. To prevent the situation from getting worse will likely require the Bank of Japan to raise interest rates or the U.S. Federal Reserve to lower interest rates. Given the recent persistence of inflation, it’s unlikely we’ll see the U.S. lower rates in the short-term (absent a major financial crisis). This means the Bank of Japan may be forced to raise rates and take other measures to defend its currency. But this will cause a number of problems. First, the Japanese economy is in recession. Raising rates will only make the problem worse. Second, Japanese government debt stands at over 260% of GDP. Believe it or not, that’s twice as bad as the United States. Raising rates means more interest on the national debt, potentially sparking a debt spiral that could destroy the country. Furthermore, if the Bank of Japan starts hiking rates, this could cause a reversal of the yen carry trade (succinctly explained here), which could quickly lead to a disorderly unraveling of financial positions all over the world. Along the way, we could see margin calls and exploding derivatives positions that crash global financial markets. 3) German De-Industrialization Since reunification over three decades ago, Germany has served as the economic engine of Western Europe. Much of the economic might of German industry depends on cheap energy inputs, primarily in the form of Russian natural gas. Following Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Germany has failed in its ability to consistently acquire affordable natural gas and other energy sources to power its economy. Initially, Europe saw skyrocketing energy prices. While those prices are nowhere near peak levels today, Europe still faces energy insecurity and volatile energy prices. This uncertainty has led many industrial and manufacturing companies to move their operations overseas to countries where energy is more consistently affordable and more readily available. Nothing better illustrates the issues faced by Germany than this September 2022 article highlighting the insolvency of four German companies in the same day. Each of those four German companies boasted over a century of continuous operations. These companies – all in different industries – managed to survive World War I, Weimar Germany hyperinflation, the rise of Nazi Germany, World War II, and all the decades since. Yet, they all failed in the face of German energy insecurity. And this story is still unfolding. For example, BASF, Europe's largest chemical conglomerate, is fleeing Germany. They're investing billions of dollars in a new large-scale Chinese plant and closing some of their production in Germany. They're hiring new staff in China, while shedding German workers. As the German economy contracts, the impact could draw Europe and the rest of the world into depression. 4) U.S. Commercial Real Estate Crash The pandemic pushed millions of workers out of urban office settings and into work-from-home jobs. Four years later, many of those workers continue to work from home. This means vast amounts of commercial real estate square footage are no longer needed. Keycard entry data for these offices indicate only half the pre-pandemic workforce has returned to the office on a daily basis. As companies consolidate space, renegotiate leases, and allow current leases to expire, the cash flow of commercial real estate properties has come under great strain. Making matters worse, most commercial real estate is purchased using five to seven-year loans, and 89% of those loans are interest only loans. As those loans mature, they must be renewed at much higher interest rates. In many cases, the value of those properties has declined significantly. This means the borrower has to put up millions of dollars in additional cash in order to refinance. Instead, many are choosing to simply walk away. This leaves the bank that made the original loan left holding the property. Properties once worth hundreds of millions of dollars are now worth pennies on the dollar. Many sit empty in hollowed out urban core areas where crime and homelessness run rampant. The implosion of commercial real estate threatens to bring down a number of regional banks with high exposure to this market. Similar to the residential housing crash which led to the Great Financial Crisis, this threatens to drive ripple effects throughout the U.S. economy as well as the global economy. 5) Widespread Bank Failures In March 2023, a run on Silicon Valley bank triggered a wider banking crisis. Within just a few months, the United States witnessed the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th largest bank failures in U.S. history. At the same time, Credit Suisse, a global systemically important bank, was forced into a shotgun marriage with UBS in order to avoid failure. The world managed to dodge a full-fledged banking crisis with contagion spreading to banks throughout the world because of a number of measures undertaken by central banks. These included the U.S. Federal Reserve Bank’s Bank Term Funding Program, which gave over $160 billion in low interest loans to the banking system. Today, the health of the U.S. banking system is not much better than it was in March 2023. According to the FDIC, U.S. banks currently sit on hundreds of billions of dollars in unrealized losses on their bond portfolios. High interest rates also make their mortgage portfolios less valuable and place additional strain on commercial real estate portfolios. If another bank run begins, a real possibility exists it could get out-of-control, spreading contagion throughout the global banking system. 6) The Rapture of the Church I mentioned this in a previous article, “6 Global Events that Could Rock the World at Any Moment,” and it applies in this instance as well. The Bible says Jesus will come in "the twinkling of an eye" (1 Corinthians 15:52). This means, in a fraction of a second, Jesus could snatch every born again believer from the face of the earth. When that happens, it will trigger a number of second order events, and one of those is a global financial crisis. Imagine the implications. Millions of homes will sit empty, and no one will pay the mortgages or taxes. Millions of key employees and community leaders will disappear. The impacts on the global supply chain, consumer demand, and global productivity will be significant. In fact, the rapture of the church would likely exacerbate all of the potential global financial crisis triggers discussed so far. A Global Financial Crisis is Inevitable Any of these triggers could set off a global financial crisis. The world economy now faces its greatest crisis since the Great Depression of the 1930s. According to the Buffett Indicator – a measure used by world famous investor Warren Buffett – the U.S. stock market is currently more overvalued than it was at the 1929 peak or the top of the Dot Com Bubble in 2000. The U.S. housing market is also in a bubble. Right now, the home price to median household income ratio is the highest in recorded history - higher than the peak of the housing bubble in 2006, which eventually led to the Great Financial Crisis. Meanwhile, U.S. Treasuries, long considered the “risk free asset,” face an enormous challenge. The United States is $34 trillion in debt, and interest on the national debt alone is over $1 trillion per year. In fact, interest on the national debt now exceeds defense spending. This means the United States, the world’s largest economy, has bubbles in its three largest financial markets – stocks, bonds, and real estate. On top of these massive bubbles is a global derivatives market in excess of several quadrillion dollars. No one in the world truly understands how many derivatives exist or what would happen to those derivatives in the event of a major global financial crisis. This means the global financial system is nothing more than a house of cards ready to topple over at any moment. In fact, such a collapse is inevitable. The only questions are when it will happen and what will trigger it. When the crisis takes hold, you can be sure the solution offered by politicians and central bankers throughout the world will involve granting more power and control to centralized government authorities. They’ve made no attempt to conceal their desire to roll out central bank digital currencies (CBDCs), and the next crisis will give them the opportunity they seek to offer CBDCs as “the solution.” This means tyranny on an unprecedented scale, and it sets the stage for the mark of the beast system outlined in Revelation 13:16-17. The stage is set. A crisis is coming. But the good news is that all these things that are happening mean something else is coming – the rapture of the church and the Second Coming of Jesus Christ! Do You Love Israel? The Answer Determines The Fate Of Nations – By Robert Gottselig - https://harbingersdaily.com/do-you-love-israel-the-answer-determines-the-fate-of-nations/ Last week, I asked a very simple question: Are you with Israel or not? While I had a lot of positive responses, there were also plenty of negative reactions to that question, such as, “Nope, you’re on your own” or “shush with that nonsense,” some said “never ever” would they stand with Israel, and others posted laughing emojis. Predictably, these responses were mixed with a lot of free Palestine rhetoric. Well, this week, I’m asking you another question: Do you love Israel? Of course, the answer is you should. But why do I say that? Very simply, because the God of this universe loves Israel! For all the Israel-haters out there, do you know what the Bible has to say about Israel and the Jewish people? Well, let me tell you. True to what the Hebrew prophets wrote in the Old Testament Scriptures, God warned that if His chosen people did not obey Him and His commandments, He would scatter them to the four corners of the earth, where a whole list of curses would follow them, and they would find no rest among those nations. Did that happen? Absolutely. We can see it with our own eyes. However, God also said in Leviticus 26:44-45, “Yet for all that, when they are in the land of their enemies, I will not cast them away, nor shall I abhor them, to utterly destroy them and break My covenant with them; for I am the Lord their God. But for their sake I will remember the covenant of their ancestors, whom I brought out of the land of Egypt in the sight of the nations, that I might be their God: I am the Lord.'” God gives promises that go all the way back to Abraham, a promise of protection, land, seed, and blessing. God, faithful to His Word, has preserved His people as a national identity forever for the whole world to witness. Think about it, friends: the Jewish people had every right to intermarry and to lose their identity when they came under severe persecution. Look at the horrors they faced in the Holocaust! Yet God preserved them and is gathering them back again before our very eyes in our day. They have been coming back to their ancestral homeland since 1948, and also prior to that time. He’s gathering his chosen people back because he said He would— not to so-called “Palestine,” but to Israel, to their ancestral homeland. The world should know that. In Ezekiel 36:23-24 we read, “‘And I will sanctify My great name, which has been profaned among the nations, which you have profaned in their midst; and the nations shall know that I am the Lord,’ says the Lord God, ‘when I am hallowed in you before their eyes. For I will take you from among the nations, gather you out of all countries, and bring you into your own land.'” God has a purpose in bringing them into their own land. The following verses explain that one day, God will regenerate the nation—Israel as a whole—when He pours His spirit inside them. The Jewish people were scattered to the four corners of the earth—and many are still dispersed today throughout the nations. But God has brought and is bringing His Chosen people back to the land of Israel. What we’re reading tells me the Bible is about real people, real places, and real events. God alone is the author of prophecy. He alone is the one that can predict the future. No other religious writings dare to predict the future, except for the Bible—and with 100% accuracy. Those that hate Israel: Do you know you are picking a fight with the God of this universe, and you are setting yourself up for severe, eternal judgment? Psalm 129:5 says, “Let all those who hate Zion be put to shame and turned back.” Zion is the place where God has placed His name forever. We read in Psalm 132:13-14, “For the Lord has chosen Zion; He has desired it for His dwelling place: ‘This is My resting place forever; Here I will dwell, for I have desired it.'” You would think that everyone who has the ability to think would see that God has His hand on His chosen people and His covenant land. All those that have come against them have vanished from this world scene. Shouldn’t the world have learned its lesson by now? Where are all those ancient kingdoms? Think of the ancient Egyptians, the Assyrians, the Babylonians, the Medes, the Persians, the Greeks, the Romans, and the Third Reich. The list goes on. Where are all those kingdoms that came against God’s chosen people? They’re all gone. But where are the Jewish people? Right back there in the land He swore to the physical descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob to have an everlasting possession. Open your eyes, haters of Israel! Do you not fear God? What group of people have been scattered from their ancestral homeland for 2,000 years only to return and rebuild their waste cities, restore their ancient language, and make the desert blossom as a rose? There are no other people groups on this planet that have ever done that, only one, and that is Israel and the Jewish people. Why? Because that’s what God said He would do. Interestingly, by fighting against God, individuals are only adding further legitimacy to His Word. Zechariah chapter 14 prophesied 2,500 years ago that the Lord Jesus, Israel’s Messiah, will one day go forth and fight against those nations that come against Israel. Doesn’t it show how much Yeshua loves the Jewish people that he is going to fight on their behalf? If you want to bring prosperity to your country… love Israel. Psalm 122:6-7 says, “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem,” which is a command, “May they prosper who love you. Peace be within your walls, Prosperity within your palaces.'” [emphasis added] Friends, if you want to bring prosperity to your country, stand with, love, and pray for Israel. I’m amazed at how easy it is to see that God and His Word are real, trustworthy, and true— and one of the greatest signs to show that is Israel and the Jewish people. Unfortunately, Satan has blinded the eyes of people today to hate, not love, Israel and the Jewish people. However, there is a day coming where the Jewish people will no longer be a doormat for the Gentiles to walk all over. Zachariah 8, one of my favorite chapters in the Bible, concludes this way, “Thus says the Lord of hosts: ‘In those days ten men from every language of the nations shall grasp the sleeve of a Jewish man, saying, ‘Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.'” That is the future of Israel. When Yeshua, Israel’s Messiah, comes again, He will save them physically and spiritually. When Jesus begins His millennial reign from Jerusalem, the preeminence will shift from the Gentiles to the Jewish people. So let me ask you again: Do you love Israel? I hope your answer is yes, I do. Daily Jot: Stupidocrisy: Celebrating evil - Bill Wilson – www.dailyjot.com Imagine if during World War II, news of Adolf Hitler’s death circulated around the world and each country sent their ambassadors to his funeral or provided public statements of sympathy to Germany. This would have been unheard of because back then an enemy was an enemy and a ruthless murderer was sought out and destroyed. Fast forward to today when Iran’s “president” (interpreted “Butcher of Tehran”) has a hard landing in a helicopter and meets his demise. Countries around the world sent their condolences even though they knew what kind of ruthless oppression this man suffered upon his own people and the terror he brought upon others, especially Israel. America was among the first in line. That’s right. Joe Biden’s National Security Communications Advisor John Kirby told reporters on May 20, “President Raisi was responsible for atrocious human rights in his own country–the arrest and the physical violence against hundreds of protesters, for instance. And, of course, he’s responsible for the support that Iran provides–or he was responsible for the support that Iran provided terrorist networks throughout the region, which obviously led to–the support that he’d given Hamas–led to the slaughter of 1,200 innocent Israeli people on the 7th of October. No question this was a man who had a lot of blood on his hands. That said, as we would in any other case, we certainly regret in general the loss of life, and offered official condolences as appropriate.” Why, Mr. Kirby, why? The United Nations, formed to try to keep peace around the world by bringing countries together—think about how well that worked–also jumped at the chance to honor the Butcher of Tehran. A release on the UN website documented the sentiments. The opening statement said, “UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, alongside members of the Security Council, has extended sincere condolences to the people and Government of Iran following the death of President Seyyed Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter accident on Sunday.” Even the head of the UN International Atomic Energy Agency, which has been playing cat and mouse games for 25 years trying to prevent Iran from having nuclear weapons, held a moment of silence ahead of its meeting in Vienna. Seems like the people of Iran are celebrating not wanting “condolences.” Even the Pope sent condolences and “assurances of spiritual closeness to the nation at this difficult time.” What? While Israel offered no official statement, Avigdor Liberman, a member of the Knesset, told The Times of Israel, “there was no doubt that the president was a brutal man. We won’t shed a tear.” Isaiah 5:20 says, “Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!” Offering condolences, holding moments of silence, and saying you are spiritually close to a brutal butcher is tantamount to saying that evil is good. The world has gone crazy with its appeasement of evil. Call it like it is: Raisi was evil and many suffered because of him. God has seen it fit to cut short his days. It should be a warning to all like him. The rest is, say it with me…Stupidocrisy. Daily Devotion: A Bold Confession - by Greg Laurie – www.harvest.org If anyone is ashamed of me and my message, the Son of Man will be ashamed of that person when he returns in his glory and in the glory of the Father and the holy angels. —Luke 9:26 https://harvest.org/resources/devotion/a-bold-confession/ - Listen When Jesus spoke to His disciples about His impending death and resurrection, it was as though they didn’t hear Him. They didn’t seem to get it. It appeared to be lost in translation. They weren’t paying careful attention to what He was saying. The problem was the disciples had visions of grandeur. In other words, they envisioned Jesus establishing His earthly kingdom and thought they would rule and reign with Him. That is why, after Jesus fed the five thousand, He had to get the disciples out of there as quickly as possible, because the people wanted to make Jesus king by force. But in Caesarea Philippi, Jesus revealed something to His disciples that they hadn’t understood up to that point. And it was simply this: He was going to go and die on a cross. It’s worth nothing that Caesarea Philippi was named after the Greek god Pan. Today you can go to Caesarea Philippi and see where the people had erected various images to their god. It was a place of full-blown idol worship. And it was in this place that Jesus asked the disciples a significant question: “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” (Matthew 16:13 NLT). Jesus was challenging the disciples to make a stand. Being God, He could read people’s thoughts, and He did so on many occasions. However, He was asking this question to see if His disciples were getting it. In other words, “You have seen Me calm storms. You have seen Me walk on water. You have seen Me cast out demons, feed multitudes, and even raise people from the dead. Do you know who I am yet?” The disciples replied, “Some say John the Baptist, some say Elijah, and others say Jeremiah or one of the other prophets” (Matthew 16:14 NLT). Then Jesus said, “But who do you say I am?” (verse 15 NLT). Peter said, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God” (verse 16 NLT). He nailed it. So, Jesus replied, “You are blessed, Simon son of John, because my Father in heaven has revealed this to you. You did not learn this from any human being” (verse 17 NLT). It is one thing to say that Jesus is Lord in church. But it is another thing to say it at work, in the classroom, in your neighborhood, or in a place of influence. A lot of times we just want to blend in. We’re afraid to stand out and speak up for what we believe. But Jesus said, “ If anyone is ashamed of me and my message, the Son of Man will be ashamed of that person when he returns in his glory and in the glory of the Father and the holy angels” (Luke 9:26 NLT). The Bible doesn’t teach that everyone is going to believe in Jesus. However, everyone eventually will say “Jesus Christ is Lord” when they stand before God (Philippians 2:10–11). Jesus is still asking, “Who do you say I am?” It is the most important question that we will ever answer. PROPHECY UPDATE NEWS HEADLINES Yesterday's Prophecies - Today's Headlines HEADLINES IN PARTNERSHIP WITH TRACKING BIBLE PROPHECY 5/29/24 http://trackingbibleprophecy.org/birthpangs.php
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