 TODAY'S NEWSLETTER...
Israeli FM Warns UN: Failure To Adopt Resolution Calling For Hezbollah Disarmament Could Led To Expanded Regional War – By HD Staff - https://harbingersdaily.com/israeli-fm-warns-un-failure-to-adopt-resolution-calling-for-hezbollah-disarmament-could-led-to-expanded-regional-war/
Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen is warning the United Nations Security Council that failure to adopt the 1701 resolution calling for the disarmament of Hezbollah could lead to an expanded regional war. “For the good of regional stability and to avoid further escalation, the next session of the UN Security Council must adopt a totally different approach in order to end the dangerous violations by Hezbollah and other terrorist groups on the border,” Cohen wrote. According to the Times of Israel, “UN Security Council resolution 1701 brought to an end the Second Lebanon War in 2006, and called for the disarmament of all non-state armed forces in Lebanon, as well as for the region between the Israel-Lebanon border and the Litani River to be freed of all armed forces other than the Lebanese army and the UN’s peacekeeping mission UNIFIL.” “These clauses of the resolution were never implemented, and Hezbollah has become a heavily armed terror militia,” the Israeli news organization explained. The Foreign Minister’s comments come after Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on Sunday informed reporters that Hezbollah has fired over 1,000 munitions at Israel since the October 7th Hamas attack. “Iran is the root of hostility and aggression against the State of Israel. The war is multifront, even though its intensity is focused on Gaza,” Gallant stressed. “Since the beginning of the war, Hezbollah has fired more than 1,000 munitions at Israeli targets but suffers far more significant harm. We’re thwarting [missile and rocket] squads and hitting military assets and targets, Hezbollah pays a heavy price every day.” Erick Stakelbeck, host of The Watchman newscast, recently noted that Hezbollah’s firepower and fighting force pose a considerable threat if they decide to enter the war fully. “Hezbollah has a much more powerful, advanced, and well-trained fighting force than Hamas,” he described. “Do the math. One hundred fifty thousand rockets and missiles pointed at every inch of the world’s one and only Jewish State, and at least 40-50,000 well-trained battle-hardened foot soldiers. Hezbollah is a different beast, and I do mean beast, than Hamas.” “Hezbollah is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Iranian regime,” Stakelbeck highlighted, adding that, while Hassan Nasrallah hasn’t yet declared war, they may be pushed by Iran to jump in for the purpose of preventing Hamas’ destruction. “Do Hezbollah and the Iranian regime step back and watch as their brother in arms, their terror ally, Hamas, is wiped off the face of the Earth by the IDF?” he asked. “Hamas has been a very valuable asset to Iran, to Hezbollah, and to the jihadist cause.” “Pray for the IDF that God would give them wisdom, protection, and discernment,” he urged. “These are demonic Nazis and barbarians—I do not say that lightly.” 7 Reasons Why the Hostage Deal is a Mistake - by Daniel Greenfield - https://www.frontpagemag.com/7-reasons-why-the-hostage-deal-is-a-mistake/ Israel had a clear moral case for taking out Hamas. Why would Israel agree to a hostage deal with Hamas? Israel agreed to a much worse deal to free another hostage some years back. That deal and the ones before it were wrong. And yet with a large number of hostages held in enemy hands, and with hundreds of family members rallying for their release, I’m not surprised that it was agreed to. Qatar, a state sponsor of Hamas, came to Biden with this. And Biden wants a political win. After over a month of fighting, a lot of political interests want something besides dead terrorists. Even though dead terrorists is what a win looks like. It may be stating the obvious, but here’s why the hostage deal is a terrible idea. 1. After Oct 7, the new rule was that Hamas would no longer be treated like a normal entity, but like an abominable evil that had to be destroyed. The negotiations kill that. Once you negotiate with evil, it stops being unacceptable. That’s why we had rules against negotiating with terrorists. When the taboo is broken, it’s a lot harder to put back into place. Oct 7 should have restored an absolute taboo. No more. 2. Hamas has been losing. Its defense strategy has failed. Its best hope for staying in power is to boost morale and make its forces and Arab Muslims in Gaza think that this was all for something. In today’s article, I delved into why the poll numbers for Hamas and the war were worse in Gaza than in the West Bank. Now Hamas will claim to have delivered a win. 3. The deal endangers other hostages. Hamas wants time to relocate its forces and the hostages. This deal gives it that. Beyond the temporary cessation of attacks, Israel will ‘blind’ itself to its movements. This not only sets back the war effort, but it allows Hamas to make off with and then kill more hostages. 4. The deal means that Israel is falling back into the same bad habits of believing in negotiated deterrence that led to the Oct 7 attack. Delusions of diplomacy are a bad idea. Especially when it comes to terrorists. Hamas can’t be negotiated with or deterred. No Islamic terrorist group can. The moment anyone thinks that way, they’ve lost. 5. Negotiating for hostages leads to the taking of hostages. Period. 6. Israel had a clear moral case for taking out Hamas. Negotiating with it muddies it and undermines Israel’s supporters. 7. After Oct 7, there was a conflict within the Biden administration over diplomacy vs. force. The ‘diplomacy’ crowd will now claim to have won and be in the driver’s seat for setting policy. That means people who are basically agents of Qatar and Iran are back in charge of foreign policy. This will have terrible implications for American support for Israel’s war effort. 2023 End of the Year Support Donation Drawing Like most ministries, a large amount of our support comes from people giving during the last couple of months of the year. This year has been challenging for all of, but I believe that Prophecy Update and other like minded ministries are needed now more than ever! Please consider entering our drawing, not only might you win this brand new iMac, but more importantly, you will be helping to support Prophecy Update - thank you so very much!!! A Chance to Win a Brand New 24-inch iMac with Retina 5K display -- most importantly, you will be helping to Support Prophecy Update! With the following configuration: · 3.8GHz 8-core 10th-generation Intel Core i7 processor, Turbo Boost up to 5.0GHz · 8GB 2666MHz DDR4 memory · Radeon Pro 5500 XT with 8GB of GDDR6 memory · 1TB SSD storage · Gigabit Ethernet · Magic Mouse 2 · Magic Keyboard - US English This system is valued at $2,499, and you might win, for a little as $25!!! It's already that time of the of the year when we have to start budgeting and planning for the coming new year! We pray that the proceeds from this Donation Drawing will greatly offset our End of the Year needs so that we can end the year in the black! Donation Drawing Fund We have set up a special fund for this donation-drawing on our donations page. For each donation of just $25, your name will be entered into our drawing for the iMac one-time. For each additional $25 increment, you will receive additional entries into the drawing. If you donate $100 dollars for example, your name will be entered four times into the drawing, you can enter as many times as you like! The offer starts today and the drawing will be held and announced on 12/31/23. This would make an excellent Christmas gift for a student, for your family, or for those who work from home. For a little as $25, you might win this awesome iMac, but most importantly, you will be helping to support this ministry! (CLICK HERE TO ENTER DRAWING) You can also mail in your entry to: PROPHECY UPDATE PO BOX 40516 BAKERSFIELD, CA 93384 (Please mark entry "End of the Year Drawing") Prophecy Update Videos Must Watch Videos! Videos You Can Trust
RECOMMENDED READING & LINKS
Your Support is Important to this Ministry - We Could Not Do This Without Your Support! 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 Palestinians: 'Extreme' Support for Terrorist Group Hamas, Israel's Destruction - by Bassam Tawil - https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/20155/palestinians-support-hamas One of the reasons why Palestinian leaders refuse to condemn Hamas's October 7 massacre of Israelis is because they know that many Palestinians support the atrocities committed by the Iran-backed Palestinian terrorist group. Unlike the Biden administration and many Europeans, these leaders, including Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, are fully aware of the widespread support among their people for any group whose goal is to murder Israelis and destroy Israel. The Palestinian leaders, in addition, are also aware that a majority of the Palestinians are opposed to the deluded Western fantasy of a "two-state solution." In a region as volatile as the Middle East, if, say, Islamic State, Al Qaeda or the Islamic Republic of Iran -- on the cusp of having nuclear bombs to threaten the region, Europe and the United States -- were to take over a Palestinian State, the way Hamas took over the Gaza Strip by force from the Palestinian Authority in 2007 -- those terrorist machines, not Finland or Denmark, would be Israel's immediate neighbors. Whatever your country is, it would not permit that, either – nor should it. A public opinion poll published on November 14 showed that 75% of Palestinians support Hamas's murder spree, including rape and beheadings, as opposed to only 13% who disapprove. The poll, conducted by the Arab World for Research and Development (AWRAD), covered 668 respondents across the West Bank and Gaza Strip. According to the results, 59.3% of the Palestinians expressed "extreme support" for the actions of Hamas on October 7, while 15.7% said they "somewhat" favored the massacre. Fewer than 13% of the Palestinians opposed the massacre. Surprisingly, the poll found that support for Hamas and its "military operation" is even higher in the West Bank, where Abbas's Palestinian Authority is based, than in the Gaza Strip. In the past two years, the West Bank, controlled by Abbas's security forces, have seen the emergence of several terrorist groups affiliated with Hamas, as well as another Iranian proxy, Palestinian Islamic Jihad. Abbas has done nothing, ever, to rein in the terrorists, who are responsible for countless attacks on Israelis. Unfortunately, this is the same West Bank where the Biden administration and the European Union want to establish a Palestinian state. If such a large number of Palestinians in the West Bank support the murder of Israelis and Hamas, it is safe to assume that a new "Palestinian state" would be controlled by Hamas or another genocidal, antisemitic terror group. The poll also showed that 68% of the Palestinians in the West Bank said they "extremely support" the butchering of Israelis, while another 14.8% said they "somewhat" support it. In total, 87.7% of the Palestinians in the West Bank have a positive sentiment toward Hamas. Only 10.2% of the Palestinians living in the West Bank have a negative sentiment toward Hamas. Another, but less-surprising, result of the poll is that 80% of the Palestinians reject both the "one-state" and "two-state" solutions, and instead demand all the territory, between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea – in short, the entire State of Israel within any borders. The findings of the poll shatter the claim made by US President Joe Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken that Hamas is not representative of most Palestinians. Sadly, the results of the poll show, without doubt, that the Biden administration is completely clueless about the anti-Israel sentiment among a large majority of the Palestinians. That a majority of Palestinians want to replace Israel with an Iran-backed terror state also shows that the Biden administration and most European governments are engaging in extreme self-deception when they talk about the need to promote the concept of a "two-state solution." This is not the first survey to show that a majority of Palestinians are vehemently opposed to a "two-state solution" and support an armed struggle against Israel. It is also not the first poll to show that most Palestinians prefer Hamas and other terrorist groups to the Palestinian Authority. One month before the Hamas massacre, the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research published a poll that showed that 67% of the Palestinian public opposes the idea of a "two-state solution" as opposed to 32% who support it. The poll showed that a majority of 53% of the Palestinians support armed struggle against Israel. Twenty percent said they support negotiations with Israel, while another 24% expressed support for a "popular non-violent resistance." The poll, in addition, showed that if new presidential elections were held at the time, Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh would receive 58% of the votes as opposed to 37% for Abbas. The findings of the polls do not really come as a surprise to those who have been closely monitoring Palestinian affairs over the past few decades. Support for Hamas and terrorism against Israel is the direct result of a decades-long campaign of incitement against Israel by Palestinian leaders and factions, including those from both the Palestinian Authority and Hamas. When Abbas tells his people that Jews are "defiling with their filthy feet" the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, he is not only lying, but inciting the murder of Jew. Abbas, in fact, pays the murderers of Jews or their families a monthly stipend as part of his "Pay-for-Slay" policy, a jobs program like Murder, Inc. A 2017 analysis by The Washington Post revealed that $160 million was paid to 13,000 beneficiaries of "prisoner payments" ($12,307 per person) and $183 million was paid to 33,700 families in "martyr payments" ($5,430 per family) annually. Of the total amount, the newspaper estimated that $36 million was paid to prisoners serving sentences of 20 years in Israeli prison. Another $10 million was paid to the families of 200 suicide bombers. It is worth noting that Hamas named its massacre "Operation Al-Aqsa Flood," presumably in response to peaceful and routine visits by Jews to Jerusalem's Temple Mount, which are permitted, by mutual agreement, to open-air areas that are outside of the mosque. Hamas claimed that the name of the massacre came in response to supposed "Israeli violations in the courtyards of the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque." There were, of course, no "violations" by Jews. Their only "crime" was that they visited the Temple Mount in accordance with all agreements. "The [Israeli] enemy desecrated the Al-Aqsa Mosque and dared to visit prophet Mohammed's place of worship," said Hamas arch-terrorist Mohammed Deif, one of the masterminds of the October 7 massacre. Addressing Palestinians, he added: "Start marching now toward Palestine, and do not let borders or restrictions deprive you of the honor of Jihad (holy war) and participating in the liberation of the Al-Aqsa Mosque." The rhetoric and actions of the Palestinian Authority show that it shares responsibility with Hamas for the October 7 massacre. The Palestinian Authority and Hamas have raised an entire generation of Palestinians on the glorification of terrorism and the imperative of murdering Jews and eliminating Israel. How can any rational person talk about a "two-state solution" when a majority of Palestinians believe there is nothing wrong with burning, beheading and raping Jews, or baking a Jewish baby to death in an oven? The results of the poll confirm what most Arabs and Muslims already know: that the only solution most Palestinians are willing to accept is one that leads to the murder of all Jews and the destruction of Israel. It remains to be seen whether the latest Palestinian slaughter of Jews serves to awaken the Biden administration and the Europeans to this inconvenient, uncomfortable fact. Isaac and Ishmael - By Rick Segoine - https://www.raptureready.com/2023/11/21/isaac-and-ishmael-by-rick-segoine/ The irony of the story about the two sons of Abraham is coming around full circle in these last days just before the “Time of Jacob’s Trouble” takes place. The two sons were Isaac, who was born of Sarah and Abraham, and Ishmael, who was born of Hagar and Abraham. Hagar the Egyptian was the handmaiden of Sarah. This biblical story is a very familiar one and an altogether amazing one as well. One son was born to fulfill a prophetic promise, and the other was born out of a spirit of doubt and perhaps a touch of impatience. Yet, both Isaac and Ishmael were born with the foreknowledge of the Holy One of Israel, and each son was born with a role to play in the future plans of God Almighty. God’s promises to Abraham can be found in the book of Genesis. The first promise that was made by God to Abraham happened years before either son was born. It happened when Abraham was still known as Abram. It was and still is a mighty promise, and it has played and still plays heavily into the relationship between the descendants of the two sons of Abraham. The first promise God made to Abraham can be found in Genesis 12:1-3, and this is what God said, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all families of the earth will be blessed.” This was an amazing promise but also an important one to remember as the centuries rolled by. This promise is still in effect to this very day. Abraham was 75 years old when, as Hebrews 11:8 records, by faith, Abraham believed this promise, and with God leading the way, embarked on what would become a journey that would shape all of world history. Along the way, God would reveal to Abraham events that were certain to happen sometime in the future. Abraham trusted God by faith that these events would occur. And occur, they did indeed. Upon arrival in the land of Canaan, after trekking about 1,000 miles from the land of Ur, God made this revelation to Abraham as recorded in Genesis 12:7, “To your offspring, I will give this land.” God expanded on this promise in Genesis 13:14-17 by saying to Abraham, “Look around from where you are, to the north and south, to the east and west. All the land you see I will give to you and your offspring forever. I will make your offspring like the dust of the earth, so that if anyone could count the dust, then your offspring could be counted. Go, walk through the length and breadth of the land, for I am giving it to you.” Abraham was about 85 years old at this point, and his wife Sarah was barren. Genesis 15:3 explains how Abraham assumed that any offspring of his would have to come through a maidservant or perhaps a concubine. But, in Genesis 15:4-5, God says to Abraham regarding such an assumption, “This man will not be your heir, but a son who is your own flesh and blood will be your heir.” God took Abraham outside and said, “Look up at the sky and count the stars—If indeed you can count them.” Then God said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” Neither Abraham nor Sarah could quite believe or imagine how, in their advanced years, and with her being barren, together they could conceive a child together. Sarah then grew impatient and decided to take the matter into her own hands. She told Abraham he must go in to Sarah’s maidservant Hagar and lay with her. In those days, this was not an unusual thing to do, and lo and behold, Hagar became pregnant and gave birth to Ishmael (Genesis 16:3-4). Remember, in Genesis 15:4-5, the Lord told Abraham, “This man will not be your heir.” Thirteen more years went by as Ismael was growing into a young man when God said this to Abraham, as revealed in Genesis 17:5-8: “No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham, for I have made you a father of a multitude of nations. I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make you into nations, and kings will come from you. And I will establish my covenant between me and you and your offspring after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your offspring after you. And I will give to you and to your offspring after you the land of your sojournings, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession, and I will be their God.” The literal meaning of Abraham is “father of many.” The Lord then confirms to Abraham that these promises and blessings would come through his own flesh and blood son, the one who would be born to his wife Sarah and not the son born to Hagar. These early promises that God gave to Abraham are of vital importance today, as we live in a time when individuals with ulterior motives have no shame in rewriting history to suit whatever agenda they are attempting to push on everyone else, especially in regard to the Jewish people and the land of Israel, formerly known as Canaan. (More on this later.) And then, sure enough, Sarah gave birth to Isaac, the son of God’s promise, in her 90th year after a lifetime of being barren. Isaac means, “He laughs.” It is God who laughs at our unbelief. God knows He can do anything, even if we humans, like Sarah, don’t know or believe that. This was a miracle of God – a miracle along the lines of the Virgin Mary being with child by the overshadowing of the Holy Spirit – as a barren woman 90 years of age cannot ordinarily get pregnant nor give birth to babies. It is quite safe to say that the God of Israel is God, that He has an amazing sense of humor, and that He is a God of miracles. As Abraham and Sarah’s flesh and blood son Isaac began to grow, Ishmael was behaving in wild ways, and Hagar had become resentful and jealous. This was making life miserable for Sarah. Sarah asked Abraham to banish Hagar and Ismael, and although Abraham loved Ismael, he, with God’s admonition, agreed to do so. In the wilderness, Hagar called out to God on behalf of her son, and God told her, “As for Ishmael, I have heard you, and I will surely bless him; I will make him fruitful and multiply him greatly. He will become the father of twelve rulers, and I will make him into a great nation” (Genesis 17:20). Ishmael was described to Hagar in Genesis 16:12 like this: “This son of yours will be a wild man, as untamed as a wild donkey. He will raise his fist against everyone, and everyone will be against him. He will live in open hostility towards all of his relatives.” These character traits were first noticed when Ismael was about 13 years old and Isaac was just a toddler. Ishmael would utter insults, mockeries, and generally just say rude things (Genesis 21:9-10). Genesis 21:9-21 reveals that following their banishment, Hagar the Egyptian and her son Ismael landed in Paran, an area between Canaan and Sinai, where Ishmael became a great archer and desert chief. When Abraham died at age 175, Ishmael met with his half-brother Isaac to say farewell to their father, Abraham, and they buried him in the Cave of Machpelah. Ismael was 90 years old at that time. Ishmael lived to be 137 years old, but history is unsure where he died (Genesis 25:17). Ishmael fathered twelve sons who became the founders and rulers of tribes collectively known as the Ishmaelites. They populated large and mostly desert areas from the Red Sea to the Euphrates River (Genesis 37:25-28). Genesis 39:1 says this about the Ishmaelites, “their hand against every man and every man’s hand against them.” As the centuries have slowly rolled along, a valid question might be: has this attitude and these character traits of Ishmael and the Ishmaelites and their descendants changed much, or at all, over time? Could a feud over the birthrights of the firstborn last not just centuries but millenniums? Apparently, the answer is yes to both questions. Fast forward for just a moment to modern times to read a poem entitled “The World’s Longest Feud.” From Saudia Arabia to the Sudan, Egypt, Iran and Afghanistan From Syria, Iraq, and Libya, to Lebanon, Gaza and Pakistan; From Indonesia and Turkey, it is all too true with all of the -stans and Jordan too, Every nation with Islamic rule, hating the Jews with a hate so cruel. This hatred has raged over 3,000 years, Long before Muhammed was even here. It goes all the way back to Abraham, and to the day that Ishmael was exiled from Canaan. Ishmael, as the Bible recalls, was a wild, stubborn man who was hostile towards all. Ishmael sired twelve strong sons, and they all lived in hostility towards everyone. Even their own, it did not matter, as all throughout the Middle East, they did scatter. The only thing that has united them, and it’s sad but true Is their unending and unbending hatred for the Jews. And it’s not going to stop until the Jews are wiped out Or until the Lord returns with a mighty shout, And with His two-edged sword slays bad attitudes And puts a welcome and final end to the world’s longest feud. Getting back to the chronology, we know from history that the promises made by God to Abraham, as well as the ones made to Hagar, have come to pass. We know that Isaac was the father of Jacob, that God changed the name of Jacob to Israel, and that Jacob (Israel) fathered the twelve tribes of Israel. Isaac, the son of Abraham, is the grandfather of the 12 sons of Jacob (Israel). We also know from history about the amazing journey of the Israelites and their hot and cold, on-again, off-again relationship with the God of Israel, who chose them in the first place by making that covenant with Abraham. We know of the many miracles God manifested on their behalf, such as:
Most importantly, our Heavenly Father gave to us, through the nation of Israel, His only begotten Son Jesus, the Messiah (Savior) for all of planet Earth. He did this to reconcile fallen humanity back to Himself by allowing His Son Jesus to take upon Himself the punishment for yours and mine and everyone’s sins. Those same prophets raised up by the God of Israel, as well as Jesus Himself, also provided details and signs to watch for regarding the soon-to-come second coming of the Messiah. The history of Israel is fraught with ups and downs, from the glorious times of King David and King Solomon to the splitting up into two kingdoms, and having the northern kingdom of Israel conquered and taken captive by the Assyrians around 722 B.C., and then the southern kingdom of Judah taken captive by the Babylonians around 586 B.C., with the temple Solomon had built being destroyed in the process. Though the temple was rebuilt with help from King Cyrus the Great of Persia, Jerusalem once again came under siege a few centuries later, and the rebuilt temple was defiled by Antiochus Epiphanes (a foreshadowing of the antichrist) in the 1st century B.C. during the times of the Maccabees. Not long after that, the land of Israel came under Roman rule. This was the time period when Jesus appeared on Earth. About 40 years after the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus, the Jews were scattered by the Romans into nations far and wide after the Roman general Titus destroyed the Jewish temple once again in 70 A.D. and thus ignited the Diaspora. Adding insult to injury, Roman emperor Hadrian changed the name of Israel to Palestine and the name of Jerusalem to Aelia Capitolina. Palestine is derived from the word Philistine, and we know the Philistines were ancient enemies of Israel during the time of Goliath. Changing Jerusalem to the name of Aelia Capitolina was also part of the insult, as Hadrian turned Jerusalem into a pagan city. Hadrian was attempting to wipe out Jewish history and any connection to the land God gave to them. It didn’t work, as proven by the mighty miracle of 1948 when Israel, upon their God-given ancient land, became a sovereign nation once again. Jewish history is so filled with pogroms and persecutions and fraught with seething hatred toward the Jews that many thick books have been written to document all of it. The Holocaust alone, in the late 1930s and 1940s, fills the pages of entire books. The term “Jews” came into existence when Israel split into two kingdoms around 931 B.C., and the tribes of Judah (Jews) and Benjamin became the southern kingdom. Israel, comprising the other ten tribes, became known as the northern kingdom. In modern times, the terms Jews and Israelites are often used interchangeably. Meanwhile, the history of the descendants of Ishmael was also plodding along. For centuries, it all moved with the speed of a camel. For literally hundreds and hundreds of years, nothing much changed for the desert-dwelling nomads known as Ishmaelites. The sons of Ishmael each formed and ruled tribes that roamed the deserts of the Middle East in the Arabian Peninsula and were eventually known as the first Arabs. They were not known for keeping detailed chronological records of their ancestry as the Jews did, and so less is known about their existence over those hundreds and hundreds of years, though the history of their forefather Ishmael, the firstborn of Abraham, and Ishmael’s banishment, as well as his younger brother Isaac receiving the birthrights and the promises of God, were passed from one generation of Ishmaelites to the next. Nothing much changed until Muhammed came along in the seventh century A.D. It is said that the bloodlines of Muhammed can also be traced back to Ishmael. The religion of Islam began to spread all through the Middle East and in all the areas where the ancestors of Ishmael dwelt. This happened at a time when the Jews had no physical nation of their own and were scattered all over the world. Although there were always some Jews inhabiting the land of their forefathers, mostly they remained scattered all over the world until 1948. Islam, meanwhile, from the 7th century right up to modern times, steadily subdued the entire Middle East and became the main religion as well as the main political force. As time passed by during this period of history, probably few, if any, knew that some of the Islamic teachings that vilified Jews would be like a ticking time bomb. Also, as alluded to earlier in this article, some historical facts were altered over the centuries, in this case by ancestors of Ishmael who had become hard-core Islamists, either out of resentment of what happened to Ishmael, or possibly jealousy, or perhaps just being influenced by the father of lies. Some of the historical alterations were, for example, stating that Abraham was a Muslim even though Abraham lived over 2,000 years before there was such a thing as Islam. Another one is that Abraham and Ismael built the Kaaba in Mecca together. One other one is that everyone in the bloodlines of Isaac was also Muslim, including Jesus. The Koran states that Jesus was a prophet but not the Son of God, for they have been taught that God (whom they call Allah) has no son. These are just a few of the fabrications that contradict Bible history and only scratch the surface in regard to false narratives perpetuated by various leaders of Islam over the centuries. These are things that can easily be proven historically inaccurate by just a minimum of honest research. However, millions of people have had these teachings ingrained into them over many generations and have been threatened with death by the Imams and Mullahs if they dared to question the teachings of Islam. In World War 2, the citizens of Earth witnessed the unthinkable. Adolph Hitler, inspired by the supreme Jew-hater Satan, murdered over six million Jews and confiscated all of their properties and possessions. Some of the Jew-haters in the Middle East, like Yasser Arafat’s uncle (the Mufti of Jerusalem, Haj Amin al-Husseini), were Nazi sympathizers and cheered Hitler on. Yasser Arafat proved to be a chip off of the old block of his Uncle Haj. Then, after the war ended, the Balfour Declaration came into play, and the allied powers, led by England, on May 14, 1948, awarded the land of Israel back to the Jewish people. The state of Israel was proclaimed by David Ben-Gurion, who was the executive head of the World Zionist Organization, Chairman of the Jewish Agency for Palestine, and first Prime Minister of Israel. It was at this moment in history that the time bomb, which had been ticking for hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of years and fueled by Islamic teachings, exploded. The 20th-century descendants of Ishmael went berserk with Jew hatred. All of the worst character traits of their father Ishmael began boiling over as if on steroids, and it has not stopped to this very day. There were the wars of 1948-1949, 1956, the 1967 Six-day War, 1973, 1982, and 2006. All of these wars were started by various coalitions of Arab forces, many of which can trace their heritage back to Ishmael. So here we are today. Israel is now in the process of wiping out Hamas. Hamas is an Islamic jihadist army made up of cold-blooded murderers, rapists, kidnappers, and baby killers. They use their own population as human shields, and then, through a very well-oiled worldwide propaganda machine, they lie, accusing Israel of having no compassion and committing genocide on Palestinian civilians. They do this to incite Jew hatred worldwide, and it works. They are aided by the leftist-owned fake news. This is a tactic they share with the globalist/Leftist/Marxist Democrats, accusing your enemies of what you and not they are actually doing and getting millions of ignorant fools to believe you, support you, and commit to hating whoever it is that you hate. The word Hamas, by the way, in Hebrew, means violence, violent person, wrong, false, false prophet. Just another bit of irony. Think back to the biblical description of Ismael and his twelve sons. “A wild man, like an untamed wild donkey,” “He will raise his fist against everyone, and everyone will be against him.” “He will live in open hostility against all of his own relatives.” Islam itself is split into two factions, the Sunni and the Shiite. Although they are at odds with each other over Islamic issues, they are united in their hatred of the Jews. The traits of Ishmael and his sons are magnified in today’s Ishmaelites through radical Islam. The living God, the God of Israel, foresaw from long ago how the saga of Isaac and Ishmael would eventually play out. He foresaw the roles that the descendants of Isaac and Ishmael would play in the last days, right before the return of His Only Begotten Son Jesus. God knew that each line of the descendants of Ishmael and Isaac would play a huge part in setting the stage and igniting the sparks that would lead into the “Time of Jacob’s Trouble.” The Time of Jacob’s Trouble is also known as “The 70th Week of Daniel” and “The Seven-Year Tribulation.” One more ironic twist to the whole saga is this: The Jews, who were scattered all over the world, have been taking part in Aliyah since 1948. Aliyah is the return of Jews to live in Israel. It is prophesied that this would happen. In Ezekiel 36:24, speaking prophetically about the scattered Jews during the end times, God says, “For I will take you out of the nations, I will gather you from all the countries and bring you back into your own land.” Meanwhile, the descendants of Ishmael, who are now nearly all Muslim, in the last couple of decades, have been in a kind of a Diaspora of their own, with mass migrations into mostly Western nations. As Muslim populations increase in Europe and other Western nations, so do their demands. Like their forefather Ishmael, they don’t seem to be able to blend in or get along well with the folks in the host nations, even establishing no-go zones where citizens of the host nation go only at their own risk. These migrations are sometimes due to displacement by wars but are also encouraged and enabled by the globalists who are attempting to destroy Western civilization so they can “build back better” with them in control of everything and everyone. These mass migrations are, sadly, contributing greatly to the demise of these Western civilized nations. The hordes of Islamic “migrants” are right now very loudly protesting Israel’s dismantling of Hamas in Gaza (the place where Samson slew 1,000 Philistines with the jawbone of an ass), and they have lots of support from brainwashed useful idiots supplied by the Marxist globalist leftists. Useful idiots that have bought into the anti-Jewish and anti-Israel propaganda hook, line, and sinker. Right at this very moment, thousands of American college students are putting forth their best efforts to prove beyond any shadow of a doubt that there is actually such a thing as “single-digit IQ human beings.” These angry, noisy mobs are threatening violence against Jews globally while chanting along with the many Islamic descendants of Ishmael that genocidal refrain, “From the river to the sea, all of Palestine will be free.” The irony is that this dangerous situation is causing even more Jews to join the Aliyah. It is actually accelerating the complete fulfillment of Bible prophecy (Ezekiel 36:24). The Holy God of Israel is in control and always has been. Only the Rapture stands between the end of what Jesus called “birth pains,” acting as signs that are revealing the time of the conclusion of the Age of Grace and the beginning of the seven-year Tribulation. The Book of Revelation describes in detail the things that will happen on Earth during those seven years. What Jesus refers to as the worst seven years in all of history or that ever shall be will also lead to the salvation and total reconciliation between Yahweh and His beloved nation of Israel. That same nation that was promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Promises that were and are eternal in nature and never to be broken. No matter how hard the devil attempts to cause these promises of the Holy God of Israel to be broken and no matter how many ways and lies his minions come up with to inspire hatred and destruction upon God’s chosen nation of Israel, God’s will shall continue to be done. “Behold I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling unto all the people round about, when they shall be in the siege both against Judah and against Jerusalem” (Zechariah 12:2). While in these last days, Jesus is personally saving some of Ishmael’s descendants by visiting them in dreams, and while some Jews are coming to Him also, the majority of both lineages still look back to their common father Abraham rather than to Jesus. The time will come when all will know that Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. All will know that Jesus is Lord of Lords and King of Kings. Until that day arrives, much prayer is needed both for the Israelites and the Ishmaelites. Ishmael and Isaac, Isaac and Ishmael, who knew? Only God knew, and He knew it the whole time. Your brother in Jesus and adopted son of Abraham, Rick Segoine Come to Jesus today, for only God knows what tomorrow may bring. Eternal salvation awaits all who trust in Jesus. Romans 10:9-10 teaches how to pray for Jesus to become your Lord and Savior. “If you confess that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” Daily Jot: Thanksgiving Special: The pilgrim settlers and the Israelites - Bill Wilson – www.dailyjot.com Over the ages, there have been many parallels drawn between the United States and Israel. Close allies since the declaration of Israel as an independent state in 1948, America and Israel have shared economic, political and spiritual links. One of those commonalities dates back to the original Pilgrims who ventured across the Atlantic to escape persecution and claim a new land in the “Name of God” and “Advancement of the Christian Faith,” as is written in the Mayflower Compact. William Bradford, an author of the Compact and leader of the Pilgrims, alluded to being driven out of England “as the heathen historians asserted of Moses and the Israelites when they went out of Egypt.” Indeed, the allusion to the Israelites’ journey to the Promised Land was not lost on the Pilgrims as they prepared and eventually traveled from Leyden, the Netherlands, to the new America and the establishment of the Plymouth Colony in 1620. The parallels between the Israelite’s Exodus and the Pilgrims are significant. Bradford’s history of the Plymouth Colony, carefully written in great detail in his work, “Of Plymouth Plantation,” documents the persecution Separatists endured from both the Roman Catholic Church and the Church of England under King James. The Separatists were poor and heavy-labored to survive and “submitted to bondage” by not being allowed “to enjoy the ordinances of God in their purity, and the liberty of the gospel.” Thus, Bradford wrote, “they cherished a great hope and inward zeal of laying good foundations, or at least of making some way towards it, for the propagation and advance of the gospel of the kingdom of Christ in the remote parts of the world, even though they should be but stepping stones to others in the performance of so great a work.” Even so, King James would not grant the Separatists “religious freedom by his public authority, under his seal, [it] was found to be impossible.” They decided to move ahead and “trust to God’s providence for the outcome, as they had done in other things.” Bradford later wrote they “endeavored to establish the right worship of God and the discipline of Christ in the Church according to the simplicity of the gospel and without the mixture of men’s inventions, and to be ruled by the laws of God’s word.” Bradford compared the Pilgrims’ plight to the Israelites’ migration from Egypt to Canaan: “Our fathers were Englishmen who came over the great ocean and were ready to perish in the wilderness, but they cried to the Lord, and He heard their voice and looked on their adversity….Yes, let them who have been redeemed of the Lord, show how He has delivered them from the hand of the oppressor. When they wandered forth into the desert-wilderness, out of the way, and found no city to dwell in, both hungry and thirsty, their soul was overwhelmed in them (Psalm 107:1-6). Let them confess before the Lord His loving kindness, and His wonderful works before the sons of men.” Indeed as Psalm 107:13 states, “Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble, and He saved them from their distress.” Moreover, Bradford and his Mayflower colleague William Brewster are credited with bringing the Hebrew language to America. Some 400 books, many in Hebrew were in the hold of the Mayflower. Bradford was a student of Hebrew. Why? In his own words: “Though I am growne aged, yet I have had a longing desire to see with my own eyes, something of that most ancient language, and holy tongue, in which the law and Oracles of God were write; and in which God and angels spake to the holy patriarchs of old time; and what names were given to things from creation…” The Exodus from Europe to a new land; The wilderness of starvation and death; The deliverance by the hand of God; and The Thanksgiving “sukkot feast”—the first Thanksgiving. And the making of a new nation under God—the parallels of the Israelites and the Pilgrims. Daily Devotion: For the One Who Has Everything - by Greg Laurie – www.harvest.org What can I offer the LORD for all he has done for me? —Psalm 116:12 https://harvest.org/resources/devotion/for-the-one-who-has-everything/ - Listen What do we give to God, who has everything? The Bible gives us some ideas as to what we can give to God as we begin this holiday season. In Psalm 116, we find a number of things that we can do to show our thanksgiving to God. The psalmist speaks of God’s blessing in his life and specifically thanks God for protecting him from danger, even potential death. As he reflects on that, he considers what he can offer to the Lord. In verse 12, the psalmist poses this question: “What can I offer the Lord for all he has done for me?” (NLT). And in the next verse, he gives us the answer: “I will lift up the cup of salvation and praise the Lord’s name for saving me” (verse 13 nlt). We think nothing of cheering on our favorite teams at a game. We wear their jerseys and yell and scream. And we see this as relatively normal. But when we go to church and see people lifting their hands in praise to God, we call them fanatics. Is there not a place for verbally praising God? Yes, there is. Is there not a place for lifting our hands to the Lord in worship? Yes, there is. The psalmist wrote, “Your unfailing love is better than life itself; how I praise you! I will praise you as long as I live, lifting up my hands to you in prayer” (Psalm 63:3–4 NLT). It is biblical to lift our hands to the Lord. It’s a good thing to do. We shouldn’t be reluctant to lift our hands in praise to God. Nor should we be hesitant to verbally sing His praises. Sometimes during a time of worship in a church service, we just stand there and don’t even try to sing. Why is that? God wants to hear our praise. If you’re married, don’t you like to hear “I love you” from your husband or wife? There is a place for saying “I love you.” In the same way, when we come into God’s presence, we should praise Him. We should let Him know that we love Him. Maybe you’re thinking that you don’t have all that much to be thankful for today. You may be going through a hardship right now or a time of crisis. But perhaps you need to put things into perspective. Take the apostle Paul, for example. One of the main themes of Philippians is joy. Again and again in this epistle, Paul wrote that we need to have joy in the Lord. Meanwhile, Paul was facing some very difficult circumstances personally. He was a Roman prisoner at this time, and his trial was coming up shortly. He faced acquittal or death. He didn’t know what lay ahead. Yet Paul said, “I have learned how to be content with whatever I have. . . . I have learned the secret of living in every situation” (Philippians 4:11–12 NLT). Paul shows us that we can learn to find joy and contentment in a troubled world. On this day set aside for giving thanks, let’s offer the One who has everything our verbal praise. PROPHECY UPDATE NEWS HEADLINES Yesterday's Prophecies - Today's Headlines HEADLINES IN PARTNERSHIP WITH TRACKING BIBLE PROPHECY 11/22/23 http://trackingbibleprophecy.org/birthpangs.php
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
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Archives
September 2024
Categories |
RSS Feed