Abraham "Peace" Accords: ....Ezekiel 38? - By Brian Lasewski - https://www.raptureready.com/2020/09/27/abraham-peace-accords-ezekiel-38-by-brian-lasewski/
If you tune out all the noise of the western media, you'll soon get a sense something big is happening in the Middle East. I believe it is possible that the war of Ezekiel 38 will happen prior to the tribulation period spoken of by Daniel and Revelation. The geopolitics of old are falling by the wayside in favor of a new order of normal relations. With the recent Abraham Accord Peace Plan, Arab solidarity over the Palestinian issue is waning in favor of opposition to Iran. I will not be surprised if Saudi Arabia is next to join in. The tentacles of Iran dig deep into the Middle East. Their sphere of influence digs into Iraq, Syria, Lebanon (Hezbollah) and, apparently, is attempting to bolster Hamas. To be sure, Iran is hurting economically and internally collapsing. It is in this state that I believe Iran is most dangerous as a wounded bear. Turkey is another chief player in the Ezekiel 38 war. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has been doing everything possible to project Turkey's dominance into the region, not unlike his Ottoman ancestors. If you dig a little deep, you'll uncover many reports about Turkey's involvement in Libya and The Sudan (Other players in Ezekiel 38). Albeit they have been set back recently in The Sudan, they nevertheless are still prevalent in Libya. Then we have Russia. Russia, needless to say, goes without saying. I believe them to be the King of the North. Now that Putin is El Presidente for life, he basically can operate as he wishes. He is, in fact, a dictator hidden in plain sight. They are also losing a lot of rubles over Israel's extra blessing of natural gas. We do know from Ezekiel that whoever this confederation of nations are, they will be compelled to attack an unprepared Israel. "Thus says the Lord GOD, 'Behold, I am against you, O Gog, prince of Rosh, Meshech and Tubal. I will turn you about and put hooks into your jaws, and I will bring you out, and all your army, horses and horsemen, all of them splendidly attired, a great company with buckler and shield, all of them wielding swords; Persia, Ethiopia and Put with them, all of them with shield and helmet; Gomer with all its troops; Beth-togarmah from the remote parts of the north with all its troops-many peoples with you'" (Ezekiel 38:3-6). The nations are generally thought to be a confederation of Russia, Turkey, Iran, Libya, Sudan, and a few others. I would urge you to study this for yourself. Using the tables of nations maps in most Bibles, you'll generally put this together. The Nations are more so agreed upon than the timing of this war (Gog and Magog). I believe it could happen at any time as there are no pre-conditions. Some have it in the tribulation, and a minority place it at the end of the Millennial Kingdom instead of there being a second war of Gog and Magog. I happen to believe it will happen prior to the tribulation, but that is my mere opinion. What is missing here (Ezekiel 38) is mention of the direct neighbors of Israel. Many of these nations seem to be covered in the Psalm 83 war. Many believe that the Psalm 83 war was already fought between 1948 to 1981. This viewpoint does merit attention and could very well be correct. What I find interesting is that there now seems to be a wedge driven between Arab solidarity concerning a relationship with Israel. From the Jerusalem Post: Palestinian leadership is on a collision course with Arab countries. The Palestinian leadership has placed itself on a collision course with many Arab countries, and the situation may not improve. Less than a month after the Second Intifada erupted in September 2000, the Arab heads of state held an extraordinary meeting in Nasr City, a district of Cairo. After the meeting, held at the urgent invitation of former Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak, the Arab leaders issued a communique in which they "hailed the intifada of the Palestinian people in the occupied Palestinian territories" and held Israel "responsible for returning the region to a climate of tension and to manifestations of violence as a result of its practices, its assaults and its blockade of the Palestinian people, in violation of its obligations as the occupying power under the terms of the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949." In response to a proposal by Saudi Arabia, the Arab leaders decided to establish two funds to help the Palestinians. Al-Aqsa Fund, they said, will be allocated a sum of $800 million for "the funding of projects designed to preserve the Arab and Islamic identity of Jerusalem and prevent its loss, and to enable the Palestinian people to disengage from its subordination to the Israeli economy." The second one, Al-Quds Intifada Fund, was to have capital of $200m to be allocated for disbursement to the families of Palestinian "martyrs." A year later, the Arab leaders held another summit, this time in the Jordanian capital of Amman. As usual, the leaders issued another statement expressing full solidarity with the Palestinians and hailed "with great pride the Palestinian people's steadfastness and brave intifada in the face of the savage onslaught waged by Israel." Although the Palestinians never saw much of the financial aid promised by the Arab heads of state, they were nevertheless encouraged by moral support they received from the Arab world during the intifada. Those were the days when the Palestinians felt that they had the full backing of the entire Arab world and that the Palestinian cause was the central issue of all Arabs and Muslims. The Palestinians were further encouraged by the widespread support they received from the Arab street. No one in the Arab world dared to criticize the Palestinians, especially not during a time when they were engaged in a violent confrontation with Israel. "We never had much faith in the Arab leaders, but at least they publicly stood with the Palestinians and strongly condemned Israel," a veteran PLO official in Ramallah told The Jerusalem Post. "Back then, the Palestinians felt that all the Arabs were with them, and that allowed them to continue with the intifada. We did not feel that we were alone." IN 2002, the Arab leaders held a summit in Beirut and announced the Arab Peace Initiative, a 10-sentence proposal for an end to the Arab-Israeli conflict. The initiative calls for normalizing relations between the Arab world and Israel, in exchange for a full withdrawal by Israel to the pre-1967 lines, a "just settlement" of the Palestinian refugee problem based on United Nations resolution 194, and the establishment of a Palestinian state with east Jerusalem as its capital. Former Palestinian Authority president Yasser Arafat immediately embraced the initiative. His successor, Mahmoud Abbas, also supported it. Some Palestinians saw the Arab peace plan as the turning point in the Arab world's attitude toward the Palestinian issue and Israel. It was the first time that Arab heads of state had talked about the possibility of normalization with Israel, though they conditioned it on a full Israel withdrawal to the pre-1967 lines and the establishment of an independent Palestinian state. "The Arab Peace Initiative represented a decline of the Arab position [toward the Arab-Israeli conflict]," noted Palestinian political analyst Hani al-Masri. "The Palestinians identified with the plan despite the concessions it contained." Masri believes that the Arab Peace Initiative (also known as the Saudi Initiative) came in the context of Saudi Arabia's "atonement" for the 9/11 attacks. Fifteen of the 19 terrorists who carried out the attacks were Saudis. In 2007, the Arab leaders met in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and "reiterated the adherence of all Arab countries to the Arab Peace Initiative" as it was approved by the Arab summit in Beirut five years earlier. The Riyadh summit came against the backdrop of reports suggesting that some Gulf states were secretly engaged in normalization activities with Israel. The Palestinians were aware of the secret contacts between some Arab countries and Israel but refrained from publicly denouncing these states so as not to alienate them. "We saw the rapprochement between some Arab states and Israel, but we decided that it would be a bad idea to attack them," explained a senior PA official. "We did not want to deepen divisions in the Arab world. In addition, we didn't want to be accused of meddling in the internal affairs of any Arab country. We did our best to maintain good relations with all the Arab countries, particularly those that were secretly normalizing their relations with Israel." In retrospect, the official said, "We may have made a mistake by remaining silent." Had the Palestinian leadership raised its voice and made it known that normalization with Israel was a blatant violation of the Arab Peace Initiative, it's possible that the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain would not have taken a decision to establish relations with Israel, the official added. "The Palestinian leadership failed to see the writing on the wall," remarked Palestinian lawyer Khalil Zahran. "By the time the Palestinian leadership woke up, it was too late. The leadership's strong reaction to the Israel-Emirati deal, meanwhile, has proven to be counterproductive. It was a mistake to accuse an Arab country of betraying al-Aqsa Mosque and the Palestinian issue. Worse, it was a big mistake to send people to the streets to burn pictures of UAE Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed." By the time the PA leadership realized that its harsh rhetoric against the UAE was fruitless and harmful, it was too late. First, the Arab League turned down a Palestinian request to hold an emergency meeting to discuss the repercussions of the Israel-UAE accord. When the Arab League foreign ministers held their ordinary meeting in early September, they refused to endorse a Palestinian draft resolution condemning the UAE for its "agreement of shame" with Israel. Shunned by their Arab brothers, the Palestinians were finally forced to come to terms with the fact that the notion of Arab solidarity has passed away. For the first time in decades, the Palestinians now realize that the Palestinian issue is no longer the central issue of the Arab world. And for the first time in decades, the Palestinians are now fully aware that the Arab world has changed. "As far as many Arab countries are concerned, Iran, Turkey and the Muslim Brotherhood organization are the real enemy, and not Israel," said Amjad Shaheen, a prominent activist with the Palestinian ruling Fatah faction. "What's worrying is that many Arabs are attacking the Palestinians and are saying they are fed up with us and our issue. The Palestinian people feel abandoned and isolated. I don't think our leadership has a clear strategy on how to cope with the new developments in the Arab world." Respected East Jerusalem Prof. Sari Nusseibeh believes that the Palestinian leadership has no choice but to make the best of what it has. "It is incumbent on the Palestinian Authority leadership to transcend whatever feelings and to see if an opportunity has risen," Nusseibeh said. "I think this has to be studied. Why not ask, for instance, the UAE to push for the kind of solution that the Palestinians have always asked for? Why not ask them to push for things that people have always wanted, such as the release of Palestinian prisoners from Israeli prisons? I believe that one should make best use of what one has." The Arab summit resolutions with regard to the Israeli-Arab conflict have failed, Nusseibeh noted. "The support we've had from the Arab world over the past two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight decades has not actually borne fruit, as far as the Palestinians are concerned. It is in this light that one should assess the recent agreements between Israel and Arab countries, whether implicit or explicit. Things seem to be sliding back, so to speak. Of course, this causes a great deal of pain for the Palestinians, just as the failure of the Oslo agreement causes a great deal of pain." Nusseibeh, who once served as the PLO's representative in Jerusalem, advised the Palestinian leadership "to try and see if they could use the developing relations between Arab states and Israel to see if they can push forward the peace process. "Perhaps it is more possible to do this now than it was in the past when there were no relations [between the Arab states and Israel]," he said. "I think the Palestinian leadership should look into this possibility, in spite of the pain at the sense of being betrayed. In politics, one has to always be on the lookout for what possible opportunity there is to advance the interests of one. In the past, we had an Arab consensus, which was no peace with Israel until there is peace with the Palestinians. If you look at the history of this policy, one can't but say it has failed. Why be blind to the fact?" Like many Palestinians, Nusseibeh is disappointed with the Palestinian leadership for lacking a strategy to deal with the new developments in the region. "One should be expecting changes sometime soon," he said. "I don't think [Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu is going to be there forever. On the Palestinian side, there may well be change, and some of the changes may actually not come about in a positive way. What I'm concerned about is that the stalemated position our leadership finds itself in might well put some pressure to bring about change in that leadership. Our leadership is under pressure not only because it has not been moving forward with the peace process, but because the Palestinians in the areas it controls are not happy with its governance. I don't even discount violent change. Everything is possible." Under the current circumstances, it seems unlikely that Abbas and his cohorts in Ramallah are going to listen to advice such as the one offered by Nusseibeh. The Palestinian leadership has placed itself on a course of collision with many Arab countries, and it's hard to see how Abbas will be able to climb down from the tall tree anytime in the near future. [Source] So, there you have it. For years I often wondered how a massive invasion of Israel could be pulled off without the neighboring Arab states piling on. I guess we can thank the pariah Iran for reshaping the Middle East geopolitical sphere. The Arabs and Persians have been at it for thousands of years. And to many of them, their enmity of Persia outweighs their enmity of the Jewish state. It also appears Israel is going to lockdown again due to Covid-19. I really don't know how they are keeping their head above water with their economy in shambles and tourism kaput. Israel's Spending to GDP most recently reported around 39.50%. Considering How effective the IDF is and how state of the art equipped they are, a shortfall in spending will only harm the IDF and their readiness to effectively defend their state. I think there is a perfect recipe of events falling into place for Ezekiel 38 to unfold. Unprepared Israel. Financially collapsing Russia and Iran, and Turkey's ambitions, not to mention that all three are operating in proximity in Syria right next door to Israel. Could we be nearing the Ezekiel 38 war? If so, it doesn't end well for the invaders as God Himself will thwart and destroy those enemies. "Behold, He who keeps Israel Will neither slumber nor sleep" (Psalm 121:4). Nevertheless, as always, Pray for the Peace of Jerusalem. Her King is Coming soon! Shalom, Brian Lazewski
0 Comments
The End of the Age: A Theory - by Pete Garcia and Randy Nettles - https://www.rev310.com/2020/09/the-end-of-the-age-a-theory
There are few prophecies in the Bible that are both as perplexing, and yet, irrefutable, as the coming war of Gog and Magog. This 2,500-year-old prophecy had appeared all but impossible for at least 2,000 of those 2,500 years, primarily because, Israel did not exist as a sovereign nation. Furthermore, the geopolitical confederation described in Ezekiel 38-39, has never happened before historically. However, since the turn of the 20th-century, the evolving geopolitical landscape appeared to be unfolding in such a manner that seemed to be laying an undeniable (or inescapable) foundation for this particular prophecy to come to pass. Even heads of state were wondering, albeit erroneously, if they were not in some manner, fulfilling this particular event. Gog and Magog are at work in the Middle East... The biblical prophecies are being fulfilled... This confrontation is willed by God, who wants to use this conflict to erase his people's enemies before a New Age begins. Quote attributed to Pres. George W. Bush by French Pres. Jacques Chirac circa 2003 First, some basic clarification about the intent of this particular joint effort between Randy and me. We both believe we should always exercise discernment between the knowable and unknowable prophetic events described in Scripture. For instance, even though we know and agree that the Rapture of the Church will happen before the Tribulation (Daniel's 70th Week), we are not going to know when exactly (i.e., day or hour), because Jesus Himself said as much (Matt. 24:36). However, that is the only prophetic event we are specifically told we cannot know the day or hour. Nevertheless, we are told that we can and should know the season (years) of the Rapture based on the biblical signs given to us (1st Thess. 5:1-4). In other words, we know we are close, but we cannot see exactly how close. Since the Rapture sets in motion the rest of the events surrounding Daniel's 70th Week, it makes our attempt here, our best theory. Secondly, there is the issues of logistics and realism. The simple fact of the matter is that certain prophecies take a considerable amount of geopolitical/ technological/ economic/ political/ military muscle-movement to go from concept to reality. In other words, prophetic fulfillment does not usually happen in a vacuum. Granted, with God, all things are possible, so I am not saying He cannot or does not do the impossible. However, (with few exceptions) God has chosen to use/allow natural processes to come to their own prophetic fulfillment often without direct divine intervention. More often than not, the divine intervention usually comes after a prophetic event is already in motion, as we will see concerning Ezekiel's prophecy. Thus, if Ezekiel 38-39 falls into the knowable category (I believe it does given the necessary geopolitical groundwork), then we can move from the how/why it happens, to simply, when. Assessment While this article primarily deals with the Gog-Magog war as a fulcrum of sorts, it is unquestionably tied into the prophetic events both preceding and succeeding it as well. I believe the Gog/Magog war of Ezekiel 38 - 39 takes place shortly after the Rapture of the Church, but before the seven-year Tribulation (aka Daniel's 70th Week). However, if true, then it must occur at least seven years before the "in the midst' moment of the abomination of desolation as described in Matthew 24:15-22. This is because according to Ezekiel, the Jews would burn the weapons of the armies of the nations that attacked them for a period of seven years (Ezekiel 39:9-10). Simultaneous too and juxtaposed with this same period of time, is the warning Jesus gives in His Olivet Discourse (Matthew 24:15-17). Here, He warned that when they (that generation) sees the abomination of desolation spoken of by the prophet Daniel that they should flee to the mountains. He said that the Jews living in Israel should not waste time getting items out of their house, not even their clothes, but to flee for their lives. Now, if this is the case, then the Jews that are fleeing will not be bothering to burn weapons or continue doing any type of cleanup operations in a post-Magog War world. The weapons should have already been burned up by this time. While we cannot be dogmatic about the exact timing of this certain event, we must consider some things. Bearing in mind two things: logistics, and pattern. Wars are extremely logistics driven. You have to have soldiers, equipment, and motive all in check and ready to go long before you can actually pull the trigger. Secondly, this prophecy is concerning the nation of Israel. Almost everything biblically comes to some pattern concerning national Israel and her feast days. These feast days are divinely appointed events that affect national Israel, and given the propensity for God to use holy feast days as done in the past, we can look over the next decade to see which dates align the best. "The Gog/Magog war will start on Kislev 24 of the Jewish calendar. Haggai describes this war in a very similar way that Ezekiel does with the Gog/Magog war. Haggai even gives the date... the 24th day of the 9th month. Compare Haggai 2:18-22 with Ezekiel 38:18-22. The Rapture will precede the Gog/Magog war. I believe it will only be a small gap of time of months and not years. Of course, this is just an educated guess, as the Bible doesn't speak on this issue. After the Rapture, the U.S. of America will no longer be militarily capable to protect Israel against Russia and her allies. They will only be able to give a mild protest to the U.N. regarding this invasion (Ezekiel 38:13)." {1} If this is true, that means there will be four years between this war and the start of the Tribulation. The years of 2022-2029 for the 2nd Coming does not fit within these parameters as there is not enough time for the seven-year interval (Gog/Magog war-Abomination of Desolation) to occur. The earliest this seven-year interval could happen is 2024-2031. For this date to be correct, the Gog/Magog war would have to begin on Dec.9, 2020. While it is possible, I think it is highly unlikely it could happen this soon. The years 2025-2032 allow for a little more time for this war to occur, but there is nothing prophetically significant about the dates in this time period. The one that really "stands out" is 2026-2033. The dates line up well with the Feasts of the Lord and other important Jewish historical anniversaries. Of course, the most important aspect of this seven-year timeline is that the year 2033 will commemorate the 2000th year since Jesus was last seen on planet earth. In addition, the years A.D. 33 and 2026 align up perfectly on both the Jewish and Gregorian calendar as described in In the Midst: Part III. This alignment also correlates with the Church's conception AD 33 and with the start of the future Tribulation in the year AD 2026, when the Antichrist signs/confirms the peace covenant with Israel and the many for seven years. Here are the end-time events and dates for this period, as well as some pre-Tribulation events and their speculative dates. Of course, these dates are best guesses, but they seem to make sense as God has frequently orchestrated certain important events for Israel to occur on the same day of the month (Jewish calendar). That will be an article for another time. I have listed the events in what I believe to be chronological order. PRE-TRIBULATION EVENTS - A.D. 2020-2026
Pre-Tribulation birth pangs (Matthew 24:8) occurring after the Rapture but before the Tribulation:
TRIBULATION EVENTS - A.D. 2026-2033
Amen, even so, come Lord Jesus. End Notes: 1. https://www.raptureready.com/2019/12/15/midst-part-2-randy-nettles/ What God Said Will Happen - By Daymond Duck -
https://www.raptureready.com/2020/09/27/what-god-said-will-happen-by-daymond-duck/ Several people have asked for my opinion on Israel's recent peace treaties with the UAE and Bahrain, so this is my effort to put it into writing. At the Sept. 15, 2020, signing ceremony, Israel's Prime Min. Netanyahu said, "This peace will eventually expand to include other Arab states, and ultimately, it can end the Arab-Israel conflict once and for all." These treaties have been called historic, a profound geopolitical shift, stunning, a fundamental reordering of the Middle East, etc. These treaties are not the 7-year covenant with many that will be confirmed by the Antichrist (Dan. 9:27) and triggers the Tribulation Period, but they are a very significant step in that direction and will eventually lead to people declaring "peace and safety" in the world (I Thess. 5:3). A Foreign Policy statement released by the White House on Sept. 15, 2020, even says, "The Parties shall be guided in their relations by the provisions of the Charter of the United Nations and the principles of international law governing relations among States. In particular, they shall recognize and respect each other's sovereignty and right to live in peace and security (the same thing as "peace and safety"), develop friendly relations of cooperation between them and their peoples, and settle all disputes between them by peaceful means." https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/abraham-accords-peace-agreement-treaty-of-peace-diplomatic-relations-and-full-normalization-between-the-united-arab-emirates-and-the-state-of-israel/ A second Foreign Policy statement released by the White House on the same date reads, (The UAE and Israel are) "Determined to ensure lasting peace, stability, security and prosperity (the same thing as "peace and safety") for both their States and to develop and enhance their dynamic and innovative economies." https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/abraham-accords-peace-agreement-treaty-of-peace-diplomatic-relations-and-full-normalization-between-the-united-arab-emirates-and-the-state-of-israel/ A third Foreign Policy statement released by the White House on the same date reads, "The parties discussed their shared commitment to advancing peace and security (the same thing as "peace and safety") in the Middle East stressing the importance of embracing the vision of the Abraham Accords, widening the circle of peace; recognizing each State's right to sovereignty and to live in peace and security, and continuing the efforts to achieve a just, comprehensive, and enduring resolution of the Israeli- Palestinian conflict." https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/abraham-accords-declaration-peace-cooperation-constructive-diplomatic-friendly-relations/ Two more nations have now acknowledged Israel's right to exist, and more nations will follow suit, but the fact that some nations are willing to make peace with Israel doesn't mean that there are not other nations and groups that want to destroy Israel (peace and safety with many doesn't mean peace and safety with everybody). Many nations have noticed Israel's wealth (silver and gold; cattle and goods, etc.). The Arabs want to increase their wealth by negotiating and trading with Israel. Russia, Iran, Turkey, and others want to increase their wealth by plundering Israel (Ezek. 38:11-12). Netanyahu said the peace deals will bring billions of dollars into Israel's economy, making the plunder more enticing. The peace treaties (called the "Abraham Accords because Arabs and Jews are both descendants of Abraham) suggest that Israel is now safer (as in dwelling safely; Ezek. 38:11). They make an attack by Saudi Arabia less likely; and they make an attack by Russia, Turkey, and Iran more likely, etc. (Ezek. 38:13). The U.S. will sell the UAE and Bahrain more powerful weapons (F-35 jets, high-tech equipment, etc.) that will strengthen the Arab alliance against Iran; be used against Iran's allies in Libya, Yemen and other places; and put a greater strain on Iran's economy (increasing Iran's need for plunder). The peace treaties have caused the PA to feel abandoned and increased the pressure on Israel's terrorist enemies (Hezbollah, Hamas, Islamic Jihad, etc.). The PA can now be expected to do one of two things: 1) Step up their war against Israel (which will fulfill Bible prophecy), or 2) Sit down at the negotiating table (which will result in the 7-year covenant). They will likely go to war first and sit down at the negotiating table later (after their defeat). On Sept. 16, 2020, the U.S. Ambassador to Israel, David Friedman said, "The peace treaties between Israel, Bahrain and the UAE mark the beginning of the end of the Israeli-Arab conflict." On Sept. 16, 2020, Jared Kushner, Trump's Advisor and Son-in-Law, said he is very confident that the peace treaties will make an ultimate resolution with the Palestinians more likely. According to the Bible, a worthless treaty with many will be signed by the Antichrist after the Rapture. According to Pres. Trump, the peace treaties allow Muslims to visit the holy sites in Israel (the Temple Mount and more), including the Al Aqsa Mosque on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. Israel and the U.S. believe this opens the door for the Temple to be rebuilt. Many prophecy teachers believe the 7-year covenant with many will give Israel permission to rebuild the Temple, and they will quickly do it after the Tribulation Period begins. So, 72 years (about one generation; Matt. 24:32-35) after Israel has become a nation in one day (Isa. 66:7-9) before the Tribulation Period, the nation is rich, possibly on the verge of many peace treaties that are expected to lead to peace and safety in the Middle East, the door to rebuilding the Temple could be starting to open, and Israel's enemies (Russia, Turkey, Iran, etc.) are amassing north of Israel just like the Bible says (Ezek. 38:15). We cannot know the day or the hour (Matt. 24:36), but we can see the day approaching (Heb. 10:25) and know when our redemption is near (Luke 21:28). Here are some other things that recently caught my attention: One, a friend sent this link to me of prophecy teacher Don Stewart's fascinating interview of Dennis Swick, the owner and founder of His Channel TV: https://hischannel.com/WorldNewsBriefing/1050A5 On Sept. 17, 2020, Swick was interviewed on Stewart's "World News Briefing" TV program. About 30 min. into the program, Stewart and Swick started talking about the fact that Elon Musk has been authorized to put up 12,000 satellites into orbit (he wants to increase it to 40,000) to make high-speed Internet and TV service available everywhere on earth. Many Bible prophecy teachers know that this will literally make it possible for the gospel to go all over the world, for the Antichrist and False Prophet to track all buying and selling, for everyone on earth to see the Antichrist kill the Two Witnesses, to see the bodies of the Two Witnesses laying in the street in Jerusalem, and for everyone on earth to see the Two Witnesses raised from the dead and Raptured into heaven at the middle of the Tribulation Period (Rev. 11). Stewart wanted to know when this system (called Starlink) will be complete, "in five years"? Swick, who receives technical notes from Musk, replied "less than that. Some people will go online this year, and the system will be operational in a few years" (it just needs to be operational 3 ½ years after the Tribulation Period begins). Two, a second thing that caught my attention in the Stewart-Swick interview concerns social distancing. Bill Gates wants to force everyone on earth to be numbered, tattooed with a quantum dot tattoo, and vaccinated for the Coronavirus. He wants to deny those that refuse the right to hold a job, buy and sell, etc. The enzyme that activates the quantum dots in Gates' vaccine is called Luciferase (Lucifer was Satan's name when he fell; Isa. 14:12). Swick talked about why officials want 7 feet of social distancing (He probably misspoke because it is 6 feet), and he said scanners may misread people's numbers if the people and their numbers are too close together, but if the people are at least 7 feet (he means 6 feet) apart, the scanners will accurately read the numbers. I don't know if this is right, but Swick has excellent knowledge of technology, and the media is now reporting that 6 feet of social distancing may not be enough. Three, on Sept. 17, 2020, Rev. Franklin Graham was talking about what God said will happen, and I think it is important to hear Dr. Graham's opinion. He was talking about his upcoming Prayer March in Washington, D.C., on Sept. 26, 2020, and he told the Christian Post, "I just sense there is something moving in our country. I don't believe that our country is going to be spared from God's judgment. We are not a Christian nation. We are a secular nation, and the secularists are wanting to strip God out of everything. "Maybe this election could possibly slow that down, but we know there's going to be a one-world system one day. We know that people aren't going to be able to buy, sell, or trade unless they have the mark of the Antichrist. We know that there will be a great war. "We see God's judgment coming against this earth for the rejection of His Son, and we see the Lord Jesus Christ coming back triumphant to establish a new Heaven and a new Earth. We know how the last chapters of history are written. "I think we're kind of in that period of time on God's clock where some of these things might just be beginning to unfold. To say that we're not going to be able to reset God's clock, in the sense where He's going to change His mind, no, it's written. But He might delay just a little bit." https://www.christianpost.com/news/franklin-graham-ahead-of-national-prayer-march-us-is-crumbling-god-is-only-hope.html I agree with everything Dr. Graham said: God is still on the throne, and prayer changes things. By the time this article is posted, the Prayer March will be history, but Christians need to keep praying. We are in a spiritual battle for the heart and soul of America. Four, concerning Syria, Russia's economy is hurting, Putin is moving more equipment and weapons to Syria, and Russia is becoming more aggressive. This has prompted the U.S. to send 100 troops with vehicles, helicopters and jets back to Syria to protect the oil fields that are under Kurdish control. A U.S. company has just inked a deal with the Kurds to develop the oilfields and sell the crude, and the Russians are very unhappy. Five, concerning natural disasters, several wildfires have now merged, creating the largest California wildfire on record since record-keeping started in 1932, and 83% of the state of Utah is now experiencing an "extreme" drought emergency. Six, concerning wickedness, in Chicago, IL, homicides are up 52% over 2019, and the vast majority of those killed are people of color. Black Lives Matter and defunding the police are about overthrowing the U.S. government, not about protecting or bettering the lives of people of color. In New York City, homicides are up 27% over 2019; murder, robbery, domestic violence, and other crimes are also up, and the story is similar in other cities. Now, even before we know who the nominee will be, left-wing activists are threatening violent riots if Pres. Trump and Mitch McConnell try to fill the Supreme Court seat left vacant by the death of Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Trump and McConnell have not caved, and they have said there will be a nomination and vote. These things are setting the stage for what God said will happen. God loves you, and if you have not done so, sincerely admit that you are a sinner; believe that Jesus is the virgin born, sinless Son of God, who died for the sins of the world, was buried and raised from the dead; ask Him to forgive your sins, cleanse you, come into your heart and be your Saviour; then tell someone that you have done this. Prophecy Plus Ministries, Inc. Daymond Duck [email protected] Yes! "Our Blessed Hope" Matters - By Jonathan Brentner -
https://www.raptureready.com/2020/09/22/yes-our-blessed-hope-matters-by-jonathan-brentner/ A ten-year-old boy stood quietly peering into a coffin. The unthinkable had happened; the dad he loved and adored so very much had suddenly died of a heart attack. Although it would take many weeks for him to grasp the reality of his loss, the Lord was already at work consoling him in what might seem at first to be a rather unusual way. The Lord had earlier brought a message of hope to him through missionary friends of his parents who had talked to him about Jesus' return to earth as well as the rapture. I know because the boy of whom I write was me, fifty-seven years ago. After the funeral, I took a rose petal from my dad's coffin and placed it in my Bible at 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18. I cannot fully explain how the Lord brought so much consolation to the small boy of my past through the rapture, but I do recall thinking that this would be the time I would once again see my dad. Perhaps this in part explains my passion to defend the pretribulation rapture of which I have spent many thousands of hours studying, which began with my time at Talbot Theological Seminary. Perhaps this also accounts for the way I respond when I hear attacks on my beliefs regarding the future restoration of Israel as a kingdom during the one-thousand-year reign of Jesus. These things form the heart of the ministry for which God has prepared me through many ups and downs in my life and to which He has called me. My purpose in writing this article is not so much to defend my ministry as it is to reaffirm the comfort that comes our way knowing that Jesus is coming for us before the horrendous period of God's wrath upon the earth. This blessed assurance gives much needed strength to many saints enduring affliction and ongoing pain, both physical and emotional. The Rapture is "Our Blessed Hope" The pretribulation rapture matters supremely to many of us in Christ because it represents what the apostle Paul designates as "our blessed hope." Here are the words Paul wrote to Titus about the Gospel and our departure from this world in Titus 2:11-13: "For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ." If ever we needed to grasp the centrality of "our blessed hope," it's now. We live in the "perilous times" about which the apostle described in 2 Timothy 3:1-9, and the world continues to grow more threatening and darker with each passing week. Just as the rapture infused hope into the boy of my past, it also does so today for many believers all across the world amid the lawlessness and rampant violence on our streets. One has to purposely block out the many prophetic signs of the coming tribulation in order to deny that we live in the last days of human history. It's not sensible to dismiss the words of the book of Revelation as history or allegory at a time when we see its prophecies coming to life before our eyes. Jesus' appearing constitutes the very substance of our hope in 2020. Life will not return to the way it was in 2019; the demonic forces at work in America and throughout the world will not relent until they have fulfilled their purpose to establish a New World Order over which the antichrist will someday rule. This day is rapidly approaching. However, the horrors of the tribulation do not lie ahead for all those in Christ; our destiny is the "blessed hope" of Titus 2:13. 2 Thessalonians 2:1-8 assures us that we will already be with Jesus in heaven before the antichrist steps out of the shadows and begins his reign of terror. The Rapture Brings Encouragement to Weary Hearts I sense that many people regard the rapture simply as a matter of lifeless doctrine. They debate it as though they were discussing whether or not Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone in assassinating John F. Kennedy. This subject matter may be important to many, but the outcome of the debate does not give anyone peace deep in their soul as does the assurance of Jesus' soon appearing. For us who recognize the signs of the times, the prospect of the Lord's imminent return enables us to approach each day with courage. It signifies that our survival does not depend on the shifting sands of this troubled world or the outcome of elections, but rather on Jesus and "the grace that will be brought" to us at His appearing (1 Pet. 1:13). That's why Peter told his readers to set their "hope fully" on this grace we will receive at Jesus' appearing. This is our hope regardless of the turmoil in our lives or nation. After reassuring the Thessalonians with words concerning the participation of all believers in the rapture, Paul wrote, "Therefore encourage one another with these words" (1 Thess. 4:18). The catching up of believers "in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air" (v. 17) is not a dry stuffy doctrine. No, it represents words of living hope whereby we can encourage one another. Paul intended for his readers to use his words regarding the rapture to encourage each other as they faced the fierce opposition of Jews who lived in Thessalonica. The words of 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 still bring genuine comfort to weary hearts and troubled minds. Our coming departure from this world reassures us as we climb out of bed in the morning; it signifies the appearing of our glorious Savior to take us to the place He's prepared for us (John 14:1-3). It's when we will see Jesus face to face and receive our resurrected glorified bodies! The Rapture Substantiates our Labor for the Lord As someone who writes in support in of the pretribulation rapture, I hear many disparaging comments. These come mostly through Facebook where people repeatedly attack what I believe, especially about the timing of the rapture. Please know that I do not lightly dismiss criticism made in a kind and loving way but always take such comments to the Lord to see what changes He would have me make. A verse that often assures me in this regard is 1 Corinthians 15:58, words that Paul wrote immediately after discussing the details of the rapture, "Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain." It was as if the Lord was telling me to remain on course; my labor to bring attention to the comforting message of "our blessed hope" was not "in vain." Is this not the encouragement that emanates from our hope to all believers? The rapture is the time when our adoption into God's family becomes our experience and we receive our glorified bodies (Rom. 8: 23). It's when Jesus rewards us for our faithful service on His behalf. It's when our faith becomes sight and we are at home with Jesus in the place He has prepared for us. I find it instructive that Paul connects the usefulness of our labor for the Lord directly to his teaching concerning the rapture. The prospect of Jesus' imminent return substantiates our efforts to fulfill His unique calling for each one of us, regardless of its nature. For me, it provides considerable encouragement to "remain steadfast" and continue in the writing ministry I believe the Lord has called me to do. So yes, "our blessed hope" supremely matters for all New Testament saints. It's the lifeblood of our hope, the time when we will see Jesus face to face. It's not just some future event with little significance for our current lives; it's when we will meet our glorious Savior in the air. Wow!! Jesus' imminent appearing provides immeasurable encouragement for us in a world ravaged by wickedness, murder, senseless violence, and widespread lawlessness. It also assures us that our current suffering or affliction will not last indefinitely. We will soon be with Jesus; He is why the rapture matters. Christ is the substance of "our blessed hope," which assures us of His coming for us before the devastating seven years of the coming tribulation begin. So no, I make no apology for my emphasis on the pretribulation rapture in my writing. The Lord has used this hope again and again to encourage and strengthen my heart since I was ten to this very day! It's this same comfort that I seek to pass on to others through my blog and through all the other writing that I do. Our hope matters today more than ever because we live in the season of His return. More than anything else, the prospect of seeing Jesus in the very near future brings peace to our hearts in midst of chaos and sanity to our minds in a world marked by continual deception and much delusion where fake news dominates the airwaves. Because the rapture represents Jesus' return for us, it constitutes the lifeblood of our hope. It matters supremely for us today. It's when we will see Christ, our Savior. It's "our blessed hope." This is what comforts us when we read of lawlessness in our streets, feel the scorn of others, and suffer affliction. Jesus is coming soon to take us home. Maranatha!! Jonathan Brentner Website: Our Journey Home Please consider signing up for my newsletter on my website. Thanks! E-mail: [email protected] The Beast of Revelation? - by Pastor Mike Taylor -
https://pastormiketaylor.blogspot.com/2020/09/the-beast-of-revelation.html 1"And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy. 2And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority."(Revelation 13:1-2) In my last message, I explored what could be the destruction of America. Now I take another approach that during the Tribulation, or preceding the time of Jacob's trouble, that Socialism will overtake this nation, and the freedoms we have enjoyed our whole lives are suddenly stripped away and America becomes a police state to the likes of Communist Russia. I now explore the possible revealing of the Beast power and the Anti-Christ. Hence this is exploration and based on conjecture of how the Bible is interpreted and what it means...I may be right and I may be wrong, but we are to stay watchful at all times and not get carried away with the problems or pleasures of this life...but await the next, eternal life. RISE OF THE BEAST POWER For centuries what comprises the True Church of the Living God, mankind has wondered who and what would be the beast found in Revelation chapter 13. Many have hypothesized the identity of the dreadful beast that rises out of the sea. I have myself, explored possible scenarios and possible candidates apart from the popular views of evangelical Christianity, as it is shrouded in mystery, but as we draw closer to the time of the end of days of man's rule upon this earth, the details draw more and more clear. In the past, I have made references to three possible candidates, that being the pope in Rome, the 12th Imam of Islam, and the President of the USA, as we just finally got rid of the apostate Obama and replaced him with someone that is attempting to remove the attempt to overthrow this country and has brought us out of the debauchery that the USA was drowning in. But let us take a journey in exploring this chapter and make some statements that may come to pass, or may not, as only God knows the end result. We just stay focused on God's Word and keep our hearts and minds in tune with His Holy Spirit. In the first verses, noted above we see a beast rise out of the sea. This beast is similar to the dragon that was mentioned in Revelation chapter 12. They both have "seven heads and ten horns" as noted again in Revelation chapter 17. The bible identifies seven consecutive world powers, or earthly governments that Satan used to persecute God's Church, His faithful church not necessarily the ruling church of the Middle Ages. The dragon is Satan working through pagan religions, the occult and spiritualism, while the beast symbolizes Satan working in disguise, using the corrupted Christian church to do his work. In verse 5 we see that the beast continues "forty and two months" . This is the exact number of years if you convert those months into years of 1260 years that Papal Rome had dominion over the whole known world. In verse 7, it makes "war with the saints" persecuting Christ's true followers who struggled to maintain the truth of God's Word. This beast is none other than the Papal Church system that ruled with terror for all those years. It arose as predicted among the populated European nations, symbolized by "the sea" and the "ten horns". But note that Papal authority has since diminished from the time of her dominance, but she will rise again. Prophecy has an inerrant ability to repeat itself in a duality of events during these last days. Papal Rome ruled with an iron fist from 538 AD-1798 as noted in Verse 2 of this chapter. WHO IS THE BEAST? This beast has the characteristics of a leopard, a bear and a lion, the same beast powers mentioned in Daniel chp. 7 being the leopard of Greece, the bear of Medo-Persia and the lion for Babylon. This beast represents the Papacy, the same religious-political power portrayed by the little horn of Daniel 7 that had power over the whole continent of Europe. The dragon gave the beast "his power, and his seats, and great authority". Pagan Rome gave all these things to Papal Rome, and a pagan "christian" institution of the time, had the means to persecute and destroy God's faithful people for hundreds of years to over a thousand years. 3 "And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast. 4And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him?" (Revelation 17:3-4) PAPAL ROME RECEIVES A DEADLY WOUND In 1798, the French General Berthier under the commands of Napoleon took the Pope prisoner and attempted to completely eliminate the Papacy as an institution. It seems to the world that the Papacy was "wounded to death, as that pope Pius VI was thrown into prison and lost his life" Pope Pius defeated "Pope Pius VI sued for peace, which was granted at Tolentino on February 19, 1797; but on December 28 of that year, in a riot blamed by Papal forces on Italian and French revolutionaries, the popular brigadier-general Mathurin-Léonard Duphot, who had gone to Rome with Joseph Bonaparte as part of the French embassy, was killed and a new pretext was furnished for invasion. General Berthier marched to Rome, entered it unopposed on February 10, 1798, and, proclaiming a Roman Republic, demanded of the Pope the renunciation of his temporal power. Upon his refusal he was taken prisoner, and on February 20 was escorted from the Vatican to Siena, and thence to the Certosa near Florence. The French declaration of war against Tuscany led to his removal (he was escorted by the Spaniard Pedro Gómez Labrador, Marquis of Labrador) by way of Parma, Piacenza, Turin and Grenoble to the citadel of Valence, the chief town of Drôme where he died six weeks after his arrival, on August 29, 1799, having then reigned longer than any Pope. Pius VI's body was embalmed, but was not buried until January 30, 1800 after Napoleon saw political advantage to burying the deceased Pope in efforts to bring the Catholic Church back into France." (Wikipedia) However, the prophecy says that the wound "was healed." In 1929 the Papacy regained its civil power with the creation of the Vatican State, and the wound began to heal. At some point in the near future the Roman Catholic Church system will completely recover her former glory and will have more power and prominence than ever before. "And the entire world wondered after the beast." See also vs. 8. Note that even as I type this message, the Roman Pope Francis wields much political power, that even leaders, prime ministers, and presidents give this man great audience to influence their decisions on what we call the "New World Order" He started it in the United Nations with Sustainable Development and Agenda 2030, which will govern and control every man, woman and child on this planet to do their bidding. It will be total control and even population management that will be genocide of useless people who do not contribute in their mind to the New World Order. That is the focus of the NWO, to depopulate the earth to a "sustainable level" and if millions, or even billions die, then it for the "good of the planet". Only recently, has our USA President had the courage to go against this nefarious scheme to the outrage of the NWO proponents. For how long will it last? It seems the world is against putting America first, but our POTUS is trying to change what was nearly destroyed by the last Dictator in Chief, who can't stand that his legacy is in peril. The liberal "lame stream media" and the liberal democrats in Washington DC are in survival mode and may resort to acts of treason and violence to preserve their dream of a One World Government. 5"And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months. 6And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven. 7And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations." (Revelation 13:5-7) Note that the characteristics of this beast parallel very closely the ones in Daniel 7:20-21, 25 and 8:10-12. Have we ever seen a time in our recent history where a leader of a religious-political institution has been blatant with changing or contradicting the clear Words found in our Bibles? Pope "Francis" has been about political shenanigans and using his office to draw all religions into a One World Religion and changing even the moral and spiritual definitions of being a Christian as has never been done before in our modern era. Clearly his goal is a New World Order with the Roman Catholic Church at its center for power and control. Pope Francis is actively courting all religions of Protestantism, Islam, or any other "-ism" and trying to bring them "Home to the Mother Church". 8 "And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. 9If any man have an ear, let him hear." (Revelation 13:8-9) In the last days, nearly the whole world, those "whose names are not written in the book of life," will "worship" this beast. The day is coming soon when the majority of humankind will obey a few supporting the authority of the Papacy above the commands of God, and will thus worship the beast. 15 "And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed. 16 And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: 17 And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name." (Revelation 13:15-17) Only those whose names are written in the Lamb's "Book of Life" will stay true to God. This book records the names of all the saved from every generation of Earth's history. (Revelation 20:12, 15). It will be a daily test of their faith and endurance to stay true to their calling by God's Holy Spirit. It will not be like it was in the Church Age, when those who embraced Jesus as Lord and Savior were given a deposit, a sealing of God's Holy Spirit of their future glorification. No, they must guard it daily and not be deceived, as the delusions that God will send them to cause them to be damned will be strong because of their lust of the flesh and demonic powers will have full sway over most of humanity left after the Church is "snatched" from this earth. 10 "He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity: he that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints." (Revelation 13:10) This verse prophecy was fulfilled when the Pope was taken into captivity and received a deadly wound, as Napolean sought to destroy the Papacy. How did this happen? If you look at history and note what I just told you that in 1929, the deadly wound that was inflicted by Napolean's army in 1798 began to heal. The Roman Catholic Church has had to change her image from a wolf, to a a lamb that wouldn't hurt anyone. But I submit, she is a wolf in sheep's clothing and when the time is right, she will expose herself and reveal her true nature. Since we don't know the identity of the coming Anti-Christ, it is conjecture to label the pope in Rome with that title, but I do believe he will be the false prophet that will push for the worship of this "false messiah". THE POSSIBLE IDENTITY OF THE SECOND BEAST. 11 "And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon. 12And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed. 13And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men, 14And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live. 15And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed."(Revelation 13:11-15) Thus begins the part of the chapter that gives me the most distress, as this describes another beast coming up out of the earth. She begins as a lamb, but is transformed into speaking as a dragon. The identity of this beast, could be, and I emphasize, COULD BE, what I described above being the leader of the free world. Many wonder who this false prophet will support and cause all to worship this "imposter". What superpower on earth and its leader could cause Israel to confirm a peace treaty and the ability to rebuild her temple? Who does she trust NOW? REASONS TO BELIEVE SHE IS THE USA First off, the USA came to power about 1798, just as the Papacy is going into captivity and receives her deadly wound. The USA declared her independence in July 4th, 1776, and by 1790 has ratified her Constitution, with it's Bill of Rights, and was coming up as a "youthful nation" and was quickly drawn into the political arena and today is the lone Superpower on earth. Many are challenging her, and the forces to depose her are all around, but she remains a power to be reckoned with. Second, The "sea" represents "multitudes and nations." Revelation 17:15. The beasts that arise from the sea usually do so amid the strife of war. By contrast, this one comes "out of the earth," representing a relatively peaceful emergence in a comparatively unpopulated area. This is exactly the manner in which The United States came to power. We are called a great melting pot, that has nearly every nationality and race represented within her borders. So we abound in "multitudes and nations" that are represented in our states. Third, this beast that depicts and represents a nation of youth, innocence, and gentleness, which is based on our God given principles of liberty in religious and civil affairs. ("For where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty"). At its beginnings, the USA had the strength to form a government based on the principles found within the Ten Commandments. Republicanism and Protestantism were the fundamental principles of the nation. These principles are the secret of its power and prosperity. It is strong because the government and the church are separate, without one controlling the other. She has put her faith in Almighty God in the past, but that is eroding with each passing day, as the nation is in upheaval, as she is being stressed from within. We see the continued riots and push for a New World Order in our Congress and those elite who finance the downfall of our Republic to be transformed into their goal of a One World Government. Only she stands in the way of their plans, and she must be brought to her knees in their warped thinking. Fourth, it is noteworthy to note that this beast does not have any crowns. She has been a servant of the people, and has not ruled over them, but they control her. Hence our democratic principles of voting those to represent your interest. The USA has never had a king to rule over government, or a pope to rule over the religious freedoms of its citizens, which allowed freedom of worship and expression. To this point we have kept religion and the state separate, as we disdained a religious theocracy, as was found in Papal Europe. Fifth, in order to rule the world, the Papacy had to have sway over a standing army. To influence and order a national army to do it's bidding, on pain of excommunication in the past, so she must have a superpower to enforce her edicts of religious authority even today, as she did in Medieval's Dark days of apostasy. To force anyone to worship the beast or its image, it must be a power that would enforce, on pain of death, the desires of the Papacy. This beast will speak "as a dragon" and exercise "all the power of the first beast before him." The "first beast," as an agent of the dragon, used its "power" in state affairs to enforce religious laws, resulting in the persecution of the "heretics" who would not submit. For America to do this and "give life unto the image of the beast" it would have to abandon the principles of religious freedom, repudiate the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, and discard the fundamental beliefs that have made this great nation what it is. When America uses its power to enforce religious laws and persuades other governments to do the same, it creates an "image of the beast" and it gives life, reflecting the intolerance and persecutions of the medieval Papal Church. Almighty God gave us another chance Right now, Christians in American prayed for a reprieve from the debauchery from the "idiot in chief" that left office in January of 2017, but how long will that reprieve holdup? The forces of darkness are rearing their heads and doing all in their power to thwart any "draining of the swamp" which is the liberal base in Washington DC. What will be their attempt to hasten the NWO they so desperately want and envision? Only God knows what lengths they will go to, to realize their "utopian" idea of man's rule on earth. They have tried numerous attempts to remove the man, who I believe God placed in office at this time, as the friend of Israel, much like ancient King Cyrus did. I fear, in the near future, that the next administration will speak like a dragon and impose religious laws enforcing the worship of the first beast, Papal Rome and attempt to destroy Israel. Luke warm "Christians" in America that represent part of the apostate church system will reject God's law, and His power will be withdrawn from the churches and His protection from the nation. Society will become increasingly evil and violent, and at the same time the judgments of God will descend on the United States and on the world. Instead of embracing repentance and inward heart change, the church of Laodecia in America will demand that the government enforce religious laws to "bring this nation back to God." or at least the deceived idea of what "returning to God" is even about. There will be some type of religious edict that will force all who worship the "beast" of Papal Rome to take a mark of loyalty, either in their right hand or their forehead. 6 "And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time. 7 For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. 8 And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: 9 Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders," (2nd Thessalonians 2:6-9) The apostasy that will be evident in the fallen from grace, USA will deceive the world into making "an image of the first beast" through the use of "great wonders" and "miracles." In Revelation 19:20 this beast is called "the false prophet," and in Revelation 16:13, 14 he is said to work these miracles through "the spirits of devils." 13 "And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. 14 For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty."(Revelation 16:13-14) Matthew 14:23-27 indicates that false Christ will add such strength to those deceptions as to make them very nearly overpowering; 8 ""And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: 9 Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, 10 And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. 11 And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: 12 That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness." (2nd Thessalonians 2:8-12) 2nd Corinthians 11:14 adds that Satan himself is capable of masquerading as "an angel of light." 16 "And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: 17And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. 18Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six." (Revelation 13:16-18) Now the identity of the coming Anti-Christ has not been revealed. But where has the coming RFID chip that is placed in the right hand, or the vaccine with its tattoo and mark in either the hand, or later even in the forehead? It is conjecture, even on my part to name the man, as I believe we will never know for sure, as the church, the True Church of the Living God, will not be on earth when he is revealed, but let me share something with you that many of you may or may not know that gives "hint" of who the man is. The mark of the coming Beast power and its dictator, the Anti-Christ, will require a mark as mentioned on each person's body, either in the forehead and in their right hand. It's not so much as a economic sign, as it is sure that, for without it, you can't participate in the economy, whatever form it is in that sad time called the Tribulation. But what it is more importantly, its a sign of worship, of allegiance to the supreme ruler of your lives. The man will reveal himself by confirming a covenant with Israel that will start the Tribulation and at the mid-point of the Tribulation, this Satan's son will make desolate the temple in Jerusalem or the abomination that causeth desolation, and the nation of Israel will know that the treaty they signed with him 3.5 years ago, was a pact with the devil. But the mark of YHWH, a mark of worship...God's seal is His name, character and law written in His people's hearts and minds and is seen in His laws which are found in your Bible. Those laws, and the sacrifice of His only Son, identifies who our God is, and who created each of us. Those who resist the mark of the beast are those who "keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus." and will not bow the knee or worship at the first church of the Anti-Christ, or the church of Satan. But what is the significance of the number 666? I believe we know that the beast, whose number this is, may symbolize the Roman Papacy, and that it's "the number of a man." One of the pope's titles is said to be Vicarius Filii Dei, "Vicar of the Son of God." In Latin, the language of Catholicism, some of the letters double as numbers, and the numerical value of Vicarius Filii Dei adds up to 666, and a great many Bible scholars believe that this is how 666 is to be interpreted. Am I saying the Pope is the Anti-Christ? He very well may be and he may not. As I said, we won't know for sure. But believe you me, the RCC will be at the table of power in the last days and she will reclaim her position of power to even a greater degree than what she had in the Middle Ages of her 1260 years of ruling over mankind. Problem for her is, it will be a small, temporary rule that will find her either destroyed by the Anti-Christ if she be only the False Prophet, or be destroyed by Jesus Christ, our Living God when He comes to set up His reign and rule for a 1000 years. 16, "And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast, these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire. 17, For God hath put in their hearts to fulfil his will, and to agree, and give their kingdom unto the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled. 18 And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth." (Revelation 17:16-18) These verses would identify the False Prophet along with its Harlot Church as being destroyed by the Anti-Christ. But what if the Pope is the AC himself? He will destroy all religions, including the Roman Catholic Church in favor of worship of himself. Remember what Paul wrote in 2nd Thessalonians? 4 "Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God." (2nd Thessalonians 2:4) IF THE POPE is the AC, then he will destroy all religions in favor of worship of himself, as Satan desires worship, as he has entered the man. " For you have said in your heart: "I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation on the farthest sides of the north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High." (Isaiah 14:13-14) CONCLUSION AND FINAL THOUGHTS So there you have it, my reader. My hypothesis of what may happen in the last days coming very soon. I pray those found in Jesus Christ will not witness one iota of the coming carnage that will transpire on this earth when the lawless one is revealed. I am believing that the Roman Catholic Pope will either be the false prophet promoting a false religion to worship of the RCC with the USA as the state army to enforce his will. OR be the Anti-Christ himself and will destroy the Roman church in favor of worship of himself. And this man will be destroyed by Jesus Christ, our King and Savior, at His coming to rule and reign for a 1000 years by the brightness of His coming. 8 "And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: 9 Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, 10 And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved." (2nd Thessalonians 2:8-10) It could be highly possible will will see an unholy "trinity" of the Pope in Rome, the leader of the USA at that time, and Satan entering both. The analogy of the coming One World Church with the RCC as receiving all worship towards her, and the USA as its enforcer, will be on the scale of when Charlemagne was enforcer of Papal Rome in the Middle Ages. It will be as it was then. To have this even take place, one other event must happen first. 6 "And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time. 7 For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. 8 And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: 9 Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, 10 And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved." (2nd Thessalonians 2:6-10) Understand, my reader, this could happen at any given moment. As I've mentioned in the past, I will be acutely aware of that call and as I was listening for a trumpet this last Feast of Trumpets that did not happen YET, or it may be the next fall, or the next, as that is the Feast of Trumpets which is the next chronological order of the Feast of God that He has fulfilled to the letter in the past...I have covered this extensively in the past, so if you missed it, then it's on my blog for the interested reader. As you should know, if you read any of my past messages, the personal pronoun in the verses directly above points to a only ONE power that has the ability to withhold evil in this world, and that is God's Holy Spirit. And since God told us He would never leave us or forsake us, when God's Holy Spirit is removed, so shall His church and all who dwell in Her....in an instant. 51 "Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. 53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. 54 So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. 55 O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?" (1st Corinthians 15:51-55) Time is fast running out for those who receive Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior to the "ark of safety" when the Tribulation comes upon the earth. As many can see, the USA is in the biggest upheaval that will either bring her down, or make her the Superpower that enforces the worship of the Anti-Christ and his image. Those who miss receiving Jesus as Lord and Savior, will be thrust headlong into a time that words cannot justify the horror that will be experienced by those who miss the greatest event this side of Jesus resurrection. Some call is the "Rapture'...called harpazo in the Epistles of Paul, and identified as a snatching away, by force of those who are taken. It will happen in a flash. Woe, woe, woe to those who dwell upon the earth during that time, as they will see tribulation so great that no flesh would be saved, as Jesus told us plainly: 21 "For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. 22 And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened." (Matthew 24:21-22) It will be that that much destruction and carnage of all life on this planet. Don't make that mistake and think you have all the time in the world. Your time could run out in the next few seconds. 16"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him, should not perish, but have everlasting life. 17, God sent not His Son to condemn the world, but that the world through Him, might be saved. 18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God." (John 3:16-18) And as it is written, if you desire to be with Jesus Christ, the above verses and the ones below will lead you to a prayer of repentance. 8 "But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach; 9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. 10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. 11 For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. 12 For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. 13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." (Romans 10:8-13) Receive Jesus our Lord, today and be filled with God's Holy Spirit and a guarantee you will not see what I have just described... This is Pastor Mike Taylor, praying you make that decision for Jesus Christ right now... if you need prayer, counseling, or just a friendly, listening ear, email me at [email protected], .So come Lord Jesus..God bless you all. TILL WE MEET AT JESUS FEET Peace, Peace When There is no Peace - By Daymond Duck -
https://www.raptureready.com/2020/09/20/peace-peace-when-there-is-no-peace-by-daymond-duck/ One, the "Treaty of Peace" between Israel and the UAE is scheduled to be signed at the White House on Sept. 15, 2020. This is not the "covenant with many" that will begin the Tribulation Period (Dan. 9:27), but it is not hard to find good Bible prophecy teachers that believe it will trigger progress toward that end. This historic "Treaty of Peace" has happened much faster than many people thought, and the "covenant with many" could happen much faster than many people think, especially because the Rapture will have taken place and the world will be in more turmoil than it is in now. Two, on Sept. 9, 2020, the Arab League held an emergency virtual meeting to consider a PA resolution to reject the UAE's "Treaty of Peace" with Israel, but the Arab League voted down the PA resolution. One PA official called the Arab League's refusal to reject the "Treaty of Peace" a stab in the back for the Palestinian cause and expressed the opinion that it will open the door for other Arab nations to sign "Treaties of Peace" with Israel. Three, Pres. Trump has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts to bring peace to the Middle East. The winner will be announced in Oct. 2021. Four, on Sept. 11, 2020, Pres. Trump announced that Bahrain will sign a "Treaty of Peace" with Israel at the White House on Sept. 15, 2020. Bahrain will be the fourth Arab country to sign a peace treaty with Israel (the other three are Jordan, Egypt and the UAE (note: The Rapture hasn't happened, the Church is still here, and these aren't 7-year peace treaties; but the fact that these treaties came into being so fast should remind us that a 7-year covenant with many could come into being very fast. Also, be aware that Russia, Iran, Turkey, the PA, Hezbollah and Hamas don't like these treaties, and their hostility could trigger some of the prophesied wars in the Middle East. The Houthis and others are, in fact, already threatening to strike Israel over these peace treaties.). Five, Pres. Trump received an unprecedented second nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts to bring peace to the Middle East. Six, on Sept. 9,2020, Jared Kushner (Pres. Trump's son-in-law and advisor) said Trump's peace plan is an effort to save the Two-State Solution. Kushner said if things kept going the way they were going, "ultimately, Israel would have eaten up all the land in the West Bank." The problem with the Two-State Solution is that God gave all of the Promised Land to Israel, and warned the world not to divide it, but the Two-State Solution will divide the Promised Land and bring on the wrath of God. Instead of "peace and safety," the end result will be the Battle of Armageddon. Seven, on Sept. 14, 2020, it was reported that up until the peace treaties with the UAE and Bahrain, only Muslims could worship at the Al-Aqsa Mosque (the PA claims the Al-Aqsa Mosque includes the entire Temple Mount), but a clause in the peace treaties says, "all Muslims who come in peace may visit and pray at the Al-Aqsa Mosque, and Jerusalem's other holy sites should remain open for peaceful worshippers of all faiths." According to Israel and the U.S., the Al-Aqsa Mosque is just the building itself, and the "other holy sites" is the remainder of the Temple Mount. This means the EAU and Bahrain are agreeing that everything on the Temple Mount except the building called the Al-Aqsa Mosque should be open to people of all faiths, including Jews, and it could open the door for a rebuilt Temple. The Temple will be rebuilt, the Antichrist will break the covenant with many and defile the Temple at the middle of the Tribulation Period, and the Jews in Judea will have to flee for their lives; and now the door may be opening for all of this. For whatever it is worth, some Jewish rabbis have said Trump is another Cyrus that God has put in office to open the door for a rebuilt Temple. Eight, concerning deceit or wickedness, on Sept. 8, 2020, it was reported that about 1,000 people voted twice in Georgia's June election and they may be prosecuted. They voted the first time by absentee ballot and then voted in person a second time on election day. If it happened once, it can happen again, and the people that are left behind after the Rapture will eventually wind up with the most corrupt leader the world has ever had. Nine, activists (with the approval of many Democrats) have announced plans to "lay siege to the White House" until election day. They intend to do everything they can (including weeks of violent demonstrations in the Democrat-run city of Washington, DC) to stop the re-election of Trump. Note: In the two days following the shooting of two Los Angeles Sheriff's officers, the blocking of emergency entrances to the hospital, and chants of "we hope you die," California Senator, former Attorney Gen. of California, and candidate for Vice-Pres. of the U.S., Kamala Harris has not voiced one word of criticism of these events or any desire for the wounded police officers to survive. Elected officials are a major part of the rioting and looting problem in the U.S., and they are not worthy to hold any political position in the U.S. regardless of Party. Ten, concerning natural disasters like birth pains, the second week of Sept. 2020 had the worst wildfires in California history (about 4,844 square miles this year), the evacuation of more than 500,000 people in Oregon (more than 10% of the population of the state and more than 1,400 square miles in the state), and about 937 square miles in Washington. The numbers are changing almost daily, but on Sept. 12, 2020, Fox News reported that at least 24 people had been killed, dozens were missing, more than 6,000 homes and businesses had been destroyed, and thousands more were in danger. Incidentally, I have read that in addition to setting fires and burning buildings, vehicles, etc., in major Democrat-run cities and states, there is evidence that Black Lives Matter has set some of the forest fires out west (burned buildings, vehicles, etc., and the Democrat Governor blames it on Global Warming). https://www.naturalnews.com/2020-09-14-left-wing-arsonists-setting-wildfires.html As I write this, a slow-moving hurricane named Sally is threatening the Gulf Coast with high winds (perhaps up to 110 mph), a dangerous storm surge (perhaps more than 10 feet), torrential rains (perhaps 18-24 inches is places), and severe flooding. Several tropical storms that could develop into hurricanes are behind Sally. The nation of Israel is going on a 21-day Coronavirus lockdown. Perhaps, Pres. Trump and Prime Min. Netanyahu should abandon the Two-State Solution. God loves you, and if you have not done so, sincerely admit that you are a sinner; believe that Jesus is the virgin born, sinless Son of God who died for the sins of the world, was buried and raised from the dead; ask Him to forgive your sins, cleanse you, come into your heart and be your Saviour; then tell someone that you have done this. Prophecy Plus Ministries, Inc. Daymond Duck [email protected] The Deal of the Century - Pete Garcia -
https://www.rev310.com/2020/09/the-deal-of-the-century Then he shall confirm a covenant with many for one week; But in the middle of the week He shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of abominations shall be one who makes desolate, Even until the consummation, which is determined, Is poured out on the desolate. Daniel 9:27 In 1993, a newly elected President Clinton hosted the Oslo Peace Accords in the White House Rose Garden. This was hailed to be the end of a six-year violent Palestinian uprising known as the First Intifada. However, seven-years later, the Oslo Peace Accords were in tatters as a violence erupted again. Not only did it bring about a bloody and violent second intifada, it also splintered the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) into a second faction, Hamas, which would come to take control of the Gaza Strip. The Second Intifada signaled the end of this utopic hallucination of Middle East peace, as well as, much speculation by prophecy watchers about whether Oslo was Daniel 9:27 in the making. Fast forward through time for the next 20-years: 9/11, US military wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, global economic mortgage and bank crisis, the Arab Spring, ISIS, Libyan and Syrian Civil Warà peace in the Middle East seemed as dead a prospect as bell-bottom jeans, disco, and mullets. But God. Not only did the most unlikely candidate, win the most seemingly unwinnable election, but Donald Trump had an ace up his sleeve...God's timing. It would seem that 1993 was not the right time or the right place, nor Clinton, Rabin, or Arafat the right players. Even before running for office, Donald J. Trump had a decades-long, personal friendship with Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu. His son-in-law, Jared Kushner, along with his daughter Ivanka Trump, are practice Orthodox Judaism. Then-candidate Trump campaigned on the promise to not only recognize Jerusalem as Israel's undivided capital, but he also promised to move our embassy there. Then he did. Then President (Art of the Deal) Trump had the audacity to declare the coming "Deal of the Century," between Israel and the Arab world on January 28, 2020. Then the Chinese Corona-virus swept the globe. Democrats and globalists were slow to abandon their failed impeachment attempt and recognize the breadth and scope of just how far reaching the virus would spread, but they were quick to politicize it once they did. It seemed as if the whole forces of the world were stacked against this peace process from moving forward. Then the details and news of the "Deal of the Century" went silent. Prophecy watchers waited in anticipation for any new, news of this coming peace deal. After a summer of protests, riots, statue desecrations, and anarchy wore on, the threat of the virus began to wane that the news broke in early August that the United Arab Emirates (UAE) would sign a normalization agreement with Israel. What makes the recent (August 2020) Jared Kushner/Trump deal (dubbed the Abraham Accord) with the United Arab Emirates and now Bahrain as well, unique, is that it offers not just peace, but full normalization. That means shared airspace. Shared technologies. Opening economies. Tourism. Everything. Quoting Daymond Duck- Kushner believes another Arab nation will make peace with Israel in a matter of months and all 22 Arab nations will eventually recognize the existence of Israel (Note: On Sept. 3, 2020, it was reported that Bahrain will likely normalize relations before Rosh Hashanah, Sept. 18, and as many as 20 Muslim nations could do it in the next two months). On Sept. 5, 2020, it was reported that Israel and the UAE anticipate signing their agreement in Washington, D.C. during the week of Sept. 14, and they will call their agreement a "treaty of peace." But what is a peace treaty? Is it just a declaration that two nations will officially decide not to march their troops into each other's cities or stop shooting missiles at each other? Yes and no. Yes, it is an official end of hostilities, for whatever that is worth, but it is not a guarantee of the desired end-state- normalization. Normalization speaks to the improved relations in all sectors of public and private life and governance. It is diplomatic, it is economic, it is technological, and its improved relations from the street-level all the way up to the heads of state. For example, even though Jordan and Egypt have peace treaties with Israel, Jews would not step foot in their countries for fear of death. Thus, peace did not bring normalization. Sure, Jordan and Egypt were not firing rockets and attacking Israel anymore, but Jews were not lining up to go there for vacations. Egyptians were not lining up to buy Jewish goods. The importance of normalization is the removal of the stigma of each other's existence as nations and peoples. For the Jews, this is paramount. The agreement between Israel and the United Arab Emirates promises to establish normal relations between the two countries. These include business relations, tourism, direct flights, scientific cooperation, and, in time, full diplomatic ties at the ambassadorial level. The Emiratis are unlikely, however, to locate their embassy in Jerusalem. An important component of the Abraham Accord, though not specifically spelled out, is enhanced security cooperation against regional threats, especially from Iran and its proxies. It is important to note that Israel and the UAE reportedly already have security ties, but the agreement brings them into the open. The Abraham Accord, aptly named for its importance to the three major monotheistic religions (Judaism, Christianity, and Islam) is a reverse approach to the Oslo Peace Accords. Instead of trying to get the Palestinians to abandon their impossible demands (e.g., 1967 boundaries, right of return, division of Jerusalem), the Abraham Accord works from the outside in. Setting aside any division of land or halting of Jewish expansion by way of settlements, it's aims are to build a coalition of Arab nations who through normalization, put pressure on the Palestinians to get on board the 'peace train.' Israel, in return, gets normalization from upwards of 22 of her Arab-neighbors. Aside from Egypt and Jordan who already have peace deals with Israel, the two nations of UAE and Bahrain have joined the Abraham Accord. Presumably, many others will follow suit, especially when Trump wins reelection. Most important is to establish a new regional alliance, based on the Arab Peace Initiative first proposed by Saudi Arabia in 2002 that is still valid until today. It would actually be a defense treaty between Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Jordan and Israel. Its strategic goal would be building a military and technological shield against Iran. It would develop and produce a Star Wars-like project much like President Ronald Reagan's to forestall and pre-empt the Iranian ballistic nuclear arsenal; this would be the result of scientific and financial cooperation among the member states. This new alliance will have additional defensive tasks in thwarting terrorism and subversion in the Middle East. Of course, the number one factor driving all of this for Israel is peace. The number factor from the Arab perspective is security. In other words, for the first time in history, the two sides (Jews and Arabs) have a valid reason to unite. For when they say, "Peace and safety!" then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape. 1st Thess. 5:3. UAE, and presumably the rest of the Gulf States due to their proximity, fear Iran more than they hate Israel. Nevertheless, the Palestinians are not having any of this. With President Trump moving the US Embassy to Jerusalem and his halting of financial aid to them, there is no love lost between this administration and the divided Palestinian political factions (PLO and Hamas). Still, with normalization efforts ongoing with the Arab world, the Palestinians days may be numbered. Within the region, Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, and Oman publicly welcomed the Abraham Accord. Saudi Arabia has remained silent, though there is significant speculation among analysts that this nonreaction is a sign that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman supports the agreement but is constrained because his father, the king, opposes normalization with Israel. Iran, Qatar, and Turkey have all criticized the accord, with the latter threatening to withdraw its ambassador from Abu Dhabi. Civil society organizations throughout the region remain steadfast in their opposition to normalizing relations with Israel. These include groups in the Gulf, which have spoken out specifically against the Israeli-Emirati agreement. (Source) Gog, Magog, and the Axis of Resistance In 2006, in the midst of a fierce war between Israel and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice famously stated that the world was witnessing the "birth pangs of a new Middle East." She was right-but not in the sense she had hoped. Instead of disempowering Hezbollah and its sponsor, Iran, the war only augmented the strength and prestige of what is known as the "axis of resistance," a power bloc that includes Iran, Iraq, Syria, Hezbollah, and Hamas in Palestine. In 1979, two significant revolutions took place in the Middle East. Most remember the dramatic Iranian revolution with the over throw of the Shah and taking over the US Embassy in Tehran. However, the other revolution was in Saudi Arabia. This was the same year that the Wahhabis took their Islamic conservativism to extremes in what had been a moderate, Sunni Muslim nation. Forty-years, fracking, and a technologically advanced world later, the Saudis have had to come to terms with their own demons. They realized after 9/11, how toxic they had become as well as realizing that their oil wealth would not last forever. They had to find new streams of revenue to finance their otherwise, resource strapped-nation. Nevertheless, this attempt at reform did not sway the Wahhabi purists in Saudi Arabia who wanted to fund their endless Jihad. The Iranian Regime, on the other hand, have not yet come to terms with their extremism. Granted, it is more the regime (leadership) than the people themselves who still maintain its suicidal and homicidal ideations, but the government still has the keys to the kingdom. Their "Twelver" eschatology is driving them to bring chaos to the world in order to unleash their Mahdi, and ultimately, the end of days. Millenarianism, or "end of days" messianic speculation, is thriving and evolving - and being weaponized by both Sunni and Shia radical movements - as evidenced by the Islamic State on one side, and Hezbollah and other Iranian proxies on the other. While still limited and contained, the potential of such visions to metastasize and explode into conflict is considerable. In both the Sunni and Shia domains, millenarianism is gaining in relevance, substance, and structure. This essay considers the origins and dynamics of this movement and concludes with a brief suggestion about how best to counter it. The Sunnis attempted to match the Twelver's devotion to the end-time by unleashing the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), but ultimately ran into a brick wall called the last Trump. Donald Trump that is. With ISIS defeated in Trump's first year of office, and the Muslim Brotherhood on the outs pretty much everywhere, the Saudis had secretly turned to Trump and Israel as means of last resorts. An undercurrent of secret communications/discussions/agreements finally became known this year with the evolution of the Abraham Accord. This turn of events has given new life to Iran's extremism. With the Iranian people largely on the outs with their own government (see Green Revolution), Iran (formerly Persia) has had to outsource much of their violence to disenfranchised Middle Easterner's and North Africans to rebuild their Shiite Caliphate. However, Turkey's Prime Minister/Autocrat, Tayyip Erdogan, would not, could not; let Iran run away with the monopoly on caliphate building. Erdogan was determined to restore the might and greatness of the Ottoman Empire. According to Efraim Inbar, the president of the Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security said this, He noted that Erdoğan is not only a leader with an Islamist ideology, but a realpolitik player. Turkey is in Iraq and Syria, and has a military base in Qatar and in Somalia. Erdoğan tried to build a base in Sudan, and now he is busy in Libya. As part of this new Turkish nationalism, he is challenging the border with Greece, essentially seeking to reverse the 1923 Treaty of Lausanne, which officially ended the Ottoman Empire. "There is a fusion here of nationalism and Islamism between Turkish nationalism with its roots in Islam, the Caliphate and the Ottoman Empire," said Inbar. "There is a clear alliance between Turkey and Qatar, which both support the Muslim Brotherhood." Just as the Jews and Arabs are finding common ground, primarily over common enemies, the same holds true for this growing Axis of Resistance. For the first time in history, both Turkey and Iran (who formerly held major empires over the Middle East) now find themselves with their aligned interests. While this is a bit of speculation on my part, the Ayatollah and Erdogan may want to split their Caliphate down the middle, much the same way the Roman Empire eventually split between eastern and western halves. What they also have in common, is a neutral-ally by the name of Russia who is helping arm and manage their forces throughout the region. MOSCOW - The leaders of Russia, Turkey and Iran on Wednesday discussed efforts to stabilize Syria in a video call, emphasizing the need to promote a political settlement for the nine-year conflict. Russia and Iran have staunchly supported Syrian President Bashar Assad throughout the country's war, while Turkey has backed his foes. However, the three countries have pooled their efforts to help end hostilities. [July 1st, 2020] (Source) At present, Russia, Turkey, and Iran are at odds over the dumpster-fire that is Syria. However, they are now working together to end this division. Both Russia and Turkey are presently at odds over the future of Libya. At some point in the very near past, Russia, Turkey, and Iran have decided to align their interests in regards to Syria and Libya, and begin to solidify their stranglehold over the Middle East. In fact, I would venture to say that this alliance will solidify as we move into Trump's fifth year in office. The reason I believe this will happen sooner, rather than later, is that all three are watching this Trump-led alliance fall in line with the Abraham Accord, and they will use this as the motivation to set their differences aside and work together. It is also very possible, that we could also see the formation of a new Syria very soon, with Bashar Assad stepping aside and Damascus being rebuilt (or at least getting the rubble out of the way). Damascus (as well as the rest of Syria) presents real, geopolitical interests to all three nations, and I expect that given the present prophetic winds, they will move in quickly. Might this new Axis of Resistance be the Gog-Magog coalition that Ezekiel prophesied about some 2,600 years ago? Cyrus, Trump, and the Third Temple In conclusion, let me sum up a few things about where I believe things are headed by way of a bulletined summary. [Disclaimer, I could be wildly wrong-this is just my theory].
The new Abraham Accord will not just be Israeli/Sunni anymore but will include a newly energized Mediterranean Union who is led by lawless one himself, the rider on the white horse, Mr. Antichrist. All of these events will take place roughly over the course of 3-4 years. Many in Israel have equated Donald Trump as being synonymous with the Medo-Persian King Cyrus, for all of his seemingly impossible-yet achieved, political efforts. What I mean to say is Trump is instrumental to Bible prophecy at this point, for him to lose to someone like Biden-Harris. It begins with Donald Trump's reelection in 2020 and then followed by the death of King Salman. After his death, his son Mohammed bin Salman brings Saudi Arabia into the Accord and the subsequent domino effect of Sunni nations follow suit. This allows Israel to let her guard down, which is followed by the Rapture of the Church. The Rapture becomes the catalyst for the Gog-Magog War, which, after being destroyed, allows Israel to rebuild her third temple. At some point in this time frame, the Two Witnesses arrive as the world divides back into ten regions. One of those regions is the Mediterranean Union (see UfM). Islam as a major world religion is neutered (Shia-Turkic-Balkan) leaving only a weakened version of Sunni. Meanwhile, the European Union (EU) begins consolidating her power; one-man rises to the top of their hierarchy by-election (see EU Super-President). He is the one who renegotiates the Abraham Accord with Israel (and the many) to be included in this new regional power structure. Again, I could wrong on my understanding of how things shake out, therefore, I am not wedded to these thoughts, nor are they hills upon which I want to plant my battle flag. Ultimately, things will happen according to God's will and timing, but it is fun to see what we think will happen in the months and years ahead. Nevertheless, preach the Gospel, and be ready in season and out. Keep praying for the peace of Jerusalem, and keep looking up, because our redemption draws near. Maranatha! |
AuthorVarious Archives
February 2021
Categories |
Proudly powered by Weebly
This Site Was Updated By The Computer Group
|