Prophecy Update Newsletter
January 13, 2017
IN TODAY'S NEWSLETTER...
The Appointed Time - By Matt Leasher - http://raptureready.com/soap2/leasher20.html
Students of Bible prophecy are very familiar with the phrase "the appointed time" as it appears in the Bible over thirty times in various accounts. In almost all of them it is the Lord that is the "appointer" and the "time" is usually speaking of the end times. With that said, it would be wise for us to examine the times that we are living in to see if we are indeed living in the appointed time of the end. "And he said, "Look I am making known to you what shall happen in the latter time of the indignation; for at the appointed time the end shall be." (Daniel 8:19) In the verse above, the angel Gabriel had just given Daniel a prophecy about the Medo-Persian and Greek Empires that would culminate in the rise of Antiochus Epiphanes who became the most accurate prefigure of the end times Antichrist in the way that he persecuted the Jews, stopped the daily sacrifices, and desecrated the temple by erecting an altar to Zeus and sacrificing a pig on it. All of this was still in Daniel's future, but is now in our past. The angel Gabriel is now telling Daniel that this will happen again in the latter time of the indignation. Jesus confirmed Gabriel's warning in His Olivet Discourse when speaking about the Great Tribulation when He said: "When you see the abomination of desolation spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains" (Matthew 24:15-16 and Mark 13:14) The abomination of desolation that Jesus is warning about is prophesied to take place at the half-way point of Daniel's 70th week, (a.k.a. the time of Jacob's trouble), and it involves a third Jewish temple to be standing in Israel. Although the temple itself has not been built yet, all of the things associated with the temple are in place and ready to go right down to the utensils and priestly garments. The push for the rebuilding of the temple has been so strong that many people had reported seeing a CGI preview of the temple on the Temple Mount last month in Google Map searches. As if it was mysteriously already there! Nevertheless, we have seen Israel re-emerge as a state in our generation in 1948 and reclaim the city of Jerusalem in 1967. This in itself tells us that we are living in the appointed time of the end, for all of the end-time Messianic prophecies would require the Jewish people being back in their land and in possession of their holy city. Furthermore, according to Psalm 90:10 a generation seems to be 70 years in relation to the average lifespan of a person, (see also Isaiah 23:15). Ancient Israel spent 70 years in Babylonian captivity and next year, modern Israel will have been back in their homeland for 70 years! It is also interesting that many Bible prophecy students have pointed out that the Feasts of the Lord given in Leviticus 23 are actually "appointments". "These are the feasts of the LORD, holy convocations which you shall proclaim at their appointed times." (Leviticus 23:4) Jesus fulfilled the first four appointments by being our Passover lamb, our sinless Unleavened Bread, the Firstfruit to resurrect from the dead and sending His Holy Spirit on Pentecost (Feast of Weeks) to usher in the Age of Grace that we are currently living in. Christ fulfilled each of these first four Feasts on the exact day that they were ordained by the Lord to be observed on. Knowing that Christ was right on time with the first four Feasts, it is only sensible to think that He will be right on time with the next three Feasts that are set in the autumn. These last three Feasts are associated with the harvest and there are four months between Pentecost, (the last Feast that Jesus has already fulfilled) and the Feast of Trumpets (the next Feast yet to be fulfilled). These four months are the summer months when the crops are ripening for the autumn harvest and it represents the current Age of Grace we are living in where the Holy Spirit filled church is at work leading people to salvation through Jesus Christ. Jesus hinted to His disciples about this period of harvest ripening when He said: "Do you not say, 'There are still four months and then comes the harvest'? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest!" (John 4:35) In the context that Jesus said this, He was speaking to the disciples about doing the Lord's work that others had already started and that the fruit that is to be harvested are actually people being led unto eternal life. We know this from the next verse: "And he who reaps receives wages, and gathers fruit for eternal life, that both he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together." (John 4:36) The Scriptures have several agricultural analogies to the harvesting of souls and the end-times as well as divine regulations concerning the land of Israel, especially Jerusalem. Many prophecy watchers believe that 1967 was a Jubilee year. A Jubilee year occurs every fifty years and requires that the land go back to their original owners, (see Leviticus 25:8-17). In 1967 the Jews got Jerusalem back, and in June of 2017 Israel will be celebrating its 50th anniversary of that event! However, the rightful owner of that land is the Lord Himself (Daniel 9:19), and when He returns He will sit on His throne in Jerusalem and reign for a thousand years. With that said, if this year is a Jubilee year, then perhaps the Lord will begin to redeem His land which would mean that the Tribulation period could begin this year! While we can't know for sure if this is indeed a Jubilee year, it would be wise for us all to be watchful! While on the subject of Jerusalem, it is noteworthy to mention that Jesus said Jerusalem would be trampled underfoot by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled. (Luke 21:24). The phrase "times of the Gentiles" is a dispensational term and refers to when the Babylonians sacked Jerusalem in 586 BC and is outlined in Nebuchadnezzar's dream vision of a statue made of gold, silver, bronze, iron, and iron mixed with clay, which represents the Gentile kingdoms that would rule and dominate over Jerusalem until Christ comes in glory and wipes them out forever resulting in the establishment of the Kingdom of God on earth! (see Daniel 2:31-45) The different metals of the statue represented Babylon as the gold, Medo-Persia as the silver, Greece as the bronze, Rome as the iron, and the one yet to come of iron mixed with clay that many believe is the revived Roman Empire in the form of the European Union under an Islamic Caliphate! Currently we are seeing a surge of Islamic migrants invading Europe, however, just as iron doesn't mix with clay, the Islamic insurgence taking place in Europe isn't going very well. How that continues to transpire remains to be seen. There are several other details given throughout the book of Daniel concerning the domination of each of the Gentile powers revealed in Daniel chapter 2. The "times of the Gentiles" will continue until the Second Coming of Christ at the end of the Tribulation. Even though Israel is currently a sovereign nation they are not a world empire as they were before the Babylonian conquest. In fact, Israel has been under the regulations of the UN since 1948 and as of the time of this writing they have been recently instructed to halt settlements in the eastern Jerusalem section that they acquired in 1967 and are being strong-armed to agree to a two state solution to give that land to the Palestinians. Much of this was orchestrated by the Obama Administration as their time of office winds down. How all of this pans out when Trump takes office is yet to be seen but according to Joel chapter 3, one of the primary reasons that Christ is going to judge the nations is because they divided up His land! "I will also gather all nations, And bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat; And I will enter into judgment with them there, on account of My people, My heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations; they have also divided up my land." (Joel 3:2) The apostle Paul also declared that God had appointed a day in which He would judge the world. "He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man who He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead." (Acts 17:31) Not only was Christ's judgment of the world pre-appointed but the entire Old Testament is a prophetic precursor to the incarnation of Jesus Christ into the world. The Lord had self-appointed a time that He would put on human flesh and enter into His own creation to redeem us from our sins. The apostle Paul expressed this in his letter to the Galatians when he wrote: "But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons." (Galatians 4:4-5) Paul's use of the phrase "the fullness of time" seems to be telling us that a certain dispensation of time had to be fulfilled before the Son of God would come into the world, hence - a divine appointment! This implies that there is a predetermined scripted course of events that God has in place for us to know our position in history - or rather His story! In fact, Ecclesiastes 3:1 says "to everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven" and then from verse 2 down to verse 8 it gives a list of all of those purposes starting with a time to be born and a time to die. Everyone of our lives has a purpose and no one is an accident! "And He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their pre-appointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings." (Acts 17:26) Even the very boundary of where you were born was predetermined! I don't know about you but that brings great comfort to me to know that with all that has transpired throughout the history of the world, the King of Creation had considered the time and place of the birth of little ole me! And it even goes deeper than that. According to Ephesians 1:3-5, the Lord had already known those that would spend eternity in heaven with Him even before He created the world! "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will." (Ephesians 1:3-5) After taking in the beauty of that Scripture verse, it should be no surprise to us that Christ's redemptive sacrifice was also preordained before the foundation of the world as recorded by the apostle Peter in 1 Peter 1:20 and by the apostle John in Revelation 13:8. And according to Hebrews 1:2 we are living in the appointed time of that revelation, known as "the last days"! When Daniel finished writing his prophecy, he was instructed to "shut up the words and seal the book" (Daniel 12:4), but John was given the opposite instructions: "do not seal the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is at hand" (Revelation 22:10). The reason for the difference is because Jesus had not yet fulfilled the Old Testament prophecies concerning Himself when Daniel was given his vision of the end times. John's prophecy is primarily the revelation of Jesus Christ, not just the revelation of future events, because until Christ had accomplished the preordained will of the Father there could be no fulfillment of prophecy. "Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill them." (Matthew 5:17) This is also the reason that the Old Testament prophets could not see the church or the church age in their visions. Their prophetic visions were focused on the condition of Israel in their time, and the condition of Israel in the end-times. One example of this is the fact that Daniel had no vision of the twenty four elders in the throne room of heaven but the apostle John did. Many people (including myself), believe that the twenty four elders represent the church and since Daniel's vision was given to Him before Calvary and Pentecost he could not see it for he would not have understood it. Daniel was already shaken up and confused with what was already revealed to him, but the angel Gabriel told him to seal up the words of the prophecy because a "wise" group of people that would be living in the last days would understand it. "And he said, "Go your way, Daniel, for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end. Many shall be purified, made white, and refined, but the wicked shall do wickedly; and none of the wicked shall understand, but the wise shall understand." (Daniel 12:9-10) This in itself is a prophecy, for unless a person is born again and has the discernment of the Holy Spirit and the diligence to study the Scriptures, it would be very difficult to understand Bible prophecy. However, the times that we are currently living in have made the books of Daniel and Revelation make more sense as the days progress. Between the increase of technology and current world events, we are clearly living in the appointed time that Gabriel told Daniel the prophecy was given for. Another clear sign that we are living in the appointed time of the end is the infamous Gog-Magog war described in Ezekiel 38 and 39. This is a prophecy about a coalition of nations that come against Israel "in the latter years." When the ancient names of the nations are converted over to their modern equivalents we see that Russia (Magog), Iran (Persia) and Turkey (Meshech, Tubal and Togarmah) are all currently allies. Especially Russia and Iran. Every day this prophecy continues to solidify! Isaiah chapter 17 is a prophecy about Damascus, Syria and that it will become a ruinous heap overnight. This also has never happened in the long history of the city. We've been watching this bloody civil war in Syria rage on for the last five years and Russia has become deeply involved. It is beginning to seem as though Ezekiel 38-39 and Isaiah 17 may be fulfilled together or not far apart from each other. And probably very soon! Lastly I'd like to point out that on January 15th there will be a meeting of 70 nations in Paris to discuss the future of Israel. Just the headline alone screams of Biblical proportions. This echoes the prophecy of Zechariah 12:3 as it says: "And it shall happen in that day that I will make Jerusalem a very heavy stone for all peoples; all who would heave it away will surely be cut in pieces, though all nations of the earth are gathered against it." (Zechariah 12:3) Not only does this Paris meeting of 70 nations discussing Israel's future reflect on many end-times prophecies but I find it very interesting that it was 70 nations that had originally descended from Noah's three sons that began the world population as we know it today as outlined in Genesis 10. The purpose of the Genesis 10 table of nations isn't given so much as to outline the beginning of the nations as it is to bring the reader from Noah to Abraham in a genealogical sense. Now it just so happens that 70 nations are convening to discuss the future of the nation that came out of Abraham to begin with! This is a manifestation of the old saying, "what comes around goes around." There are so many signs that we are living in the appointed time of the end that the prophecy related news is coming almost faster than I can write this article! I've always believed that as the end of the age approaches, the end-time prophetic events would speed up in frequency and we seem to be certainly seeing that. Even the end of the Bible ends with Jesus saying "Surely I am coming quickly" Amen. Even so, come Lord Jesus! (Revelation 22:20) "For the vision is yet for an appointed time; but at the end it will speak, and it will not lie. Though it tarries, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry." (Habakkuk 2:3) Mystery blasts in Damascus: Syria accuses Israel - http://www.debka.com/article/25887/Mystery-blasts-in-Damascus-Syria-accuses-Israel
There were two unclaimed explosions in Damascus overnight Thursday and early Friday (Jan.12-13) - one at an officers club in Damascus and the second at Mezzeh airport, which Syria alleged was the work of the new Israeli S-35 stealth aircraft firing across the border from a point over the Sea of Galilee. There was no claim to either of the attacks. The standard Israeli policy of striking any Iranian arms shipments for Hezbollah in Lebanon when they cross through Syria would not longer be applicable to any such air strike, if indeed one was launched.. The Lebanese Shiite Hezbollah deploys 9,000 elite fighters in Syria to fight for Bashar Assad. Its Iranian arms supplies no longer need to risk being trucked through Syria to Lebanon; they can be delivered directly to Hezbollah bases in Syria without exposure to Israel air strikes. Indeed, should the pro-Iranian Hezbollah decide to go back to shooting missiles at Israel - or using Iranian-supplied unconventional weapon - it has new launching pads readily available in Syria from those very bases. They are located in the Qalamoun mountains in western Syria and at Zabadani, a Syrian ghost town near the Damascus-Beirut highway, which the Lebanese terror group has made its military center. Both would be obvious targets for Israel to attack rather than Damascus' Mezzeh airport. Tehran, having grasped from bitter experience that Mezzeh is under close surveillance by Israeli intelligence, no longer uses its facilities. Instead Iran flies arms shipments for Hezbollah to Beirut by commercial aircraft, which Israel prefers not to attack, or overland through Iraq to northwestern Syria, where the consignments are picked up and transferred to Lebanon by sea. So if an Israeli F-35 air strike on the Damascus airport should be confirmed, its target would not have been Iranian and Hezbollah military supplies. Mezzeh is the site of a sterile zone set aside for the exclusive use of President Bashar Assad, his family and his top military and intelligence chiefs. It also houses laboratories for developing and manufacturing unconventional weapons, as well serving as the main command center for the 4th Division, whose Republican Guard unit protects the president, his family and members of the ruling caste. In the first attack, a suicide bomber blew himself up Thursday night at the officers' club in the heavily policed Kafra Sousa district of Damascus. At least ten people were killed and dozens injured. Located there are the homes of many Assad loyalists in the security and military establishments, as well as top secret facilities. The ability of a suicide bomber to penetrate one of the most heavily secured locations in Damascus and blow up at an exclusive regime watering hole raises questions about the inner workings of the Assad regime. Some unknown hand struck into the heart of that regime in the space of a few hours - not once, but twice.The Assad regime used its standard scapegoat, Israel, for covering up embarrassing and inexplicable occurrences. However, debkafile's military and intelligence sources disclose that the regime has reached an awkward crossroads. The Russians have taken charge of the Syrian war and no longer bother to consult with the Syrian president or Iran on its conduct. They are deeply immersed in preparing the Syrian peace conference they are sponsoring which is scheduled to open at Astana, Kazakhstan on Jan. 23. If Moscow coordinates its Syrian strategy with anyone, it is Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, but even then only to a limited extent. The Syrian ruler and Iran, after being sidelined by the Russians, are following their example. Both have taken to holding their cards close to their vests and operating under in close secrecy. In an attempt to pierce the resulting aura of mistrust spreading over the staunch Iranian-Syrian alliance, Ali Shamkhani, Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council of Iran and one of supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's closest confidants, was sent to Damascus Sunday, Jan 8, to find out what is going on there The mystery deepened further Friday morning, when Syrian state media ran photos of a big blaze - which may or may not be authentic - to illustrate the alleged Israeli attack on Mezzeh airport. Paris summit to declare two-state solution 'only way' to peace - http://www.timesofisrael.com/paris-summit-to-declare-two-state-solution-only-way-to-peace/
Draft statement will affirm international community will not recognize any changes to pre-967 lines without agreement by both sides In a strong message to Israel and the incoming Trump administration, dozens of countries are expected this weekend to reiterate their opposition to Israeli settlements and call for the establishment of a Palestinian state as "the only way" to ensure peace in the region. France is hosting more than 70 countries on Sunday at a Mideast peace summit, in what will be a final chance for the Obama administration to lay out its positions for the region. According to a draft statement obtained by The Associated Press on Friday, the conference will urge Israel and the Palestinians "to officially restate their commitment to the two-state solution." It also will affirm that the international community "will not recognize" changes to Israel's pre-1967 lines without agreement by both sides. The draft says that participants will affirm "that a negotiated solution with two states, Israel and Palestine, living side by side in peace and security, is the only way to achieve enduring peace." Israel has settled some 600,000 of its citizens in the West Bank and East Jerusalem - territories claimed by the Palestinians for a future independent state. Israel captured both areas in the 1967 Six Day War and extended sovereignty to East Jerusalem, which it considers part of its capital. The summit comes on the heels of a UN Security Council resolution last month that condemned the settlements as illegal. The resolution passed 14-0 after the United States declined to use its traditional veto power and instead abstained. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ruled out a return to the 1967 lines without agreed upon swaps and without the exclusion of East Jerusalem, and many members of his nationalist coalition oppose Palestinian independence and support expanded settlements. Netanyahu has rejected the UN resolution and accuses the Obama administration of conspiring behind Israel's back. He has ridiculed the resolution's designation of areas such as the Temple Mount and the Western Wall - the holiest sites in Judaism - as occupied Palestinian territory. Israel has refused to participate in the French conference, which Netanyahu on Thursday claimed was "rigged" against his country. The Palestinians, who also are not invited to this weekend's conference, have welcomed the French initiative. In recent years, they have campaigned for the international community to assume a greater role in resolving the conflict. Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas is expected to visit France in the coming weeks to follow up on the conference. Netanyahu rejects international attempts to "impose" a solution and says peace can only be reached through direction negotiations. On Thursday, French President Francois Hollande said the conference aims at ensuring the support of the international community for the two-state solution as a reference for future direct negotiations. French diplomats, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the media about the event, said the timing of the conference - days before US President-elect Donald Trump's inauguration - is intentional and meant to present him with a collective international push for peace once he takes office. Trump not yet laid out a clear policy for the region, but has signaled he will be more sympathetic to Israel's hard-line right than previous administrations. While indicating an eagerness to broker a peace agreement, his election platform did not mention a Palestinian state. Trump has appointed David Friedman, a Jewish-American lawyer with close ties to the settlement movement, as his ambassador to Israel. Trump also has vowed to move the embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, a step the Palestinians strongly oppose. In their confirmation hearings, Trump's Cabinet picks have voiced mixed messages. His nominee for secretary of state, Rex Tillerson, said a two-state solution is "the dream that everyone is in pursuit of," but he also questioned its feasibility. His nominee for secretary of defense, James Mattis, said at his hearing Thursday that he considers Tel Aviv to be Israel's capital. Why Is Obama Moving Troops into Poland And Provoking a War with Russia Right Before the Inauguration? - By Michael Snyder - http://theeconomiccollapseblog.com/archives/why-is-obama-moving-troops-into-poland-and-provoking-a-war-with-russia-right-before-the-inauguration
January 20th cannot come soon enough. Instead of stepping back and trying to ensure a smooth transition for Donald Trump, Barack Obama has decided to go hog wild and use every ounce of presidential power still available to him. He has been establishing a bunch of new national monuments, he just stabbed Israel in the back at the United Nations, and on Thursday he even took time to give Joe Biden a Presidential Medal of Freedom. But one of the things that has people the most concerned is his endless provoking of Russia. Every few days it seems like Obama is doing something else to aggravate Russia, and if he wasn't leaving office in about a week I am sure that the mainstream media would be full of speculation about a possible war. Lame duck presidents are not supposed to make risky moves like this once a new president has been elected. On Thursday, we learned that U.S. troops have been permanently deployed to Poland for the very first time... American soldiers rolled into Poland on Thursday, fulfilling a dream some Poles have had since the fall of communism in 1989 to have U.S. troops on their soil as a deterrent against Russia. Some people waved and held up American flags as U.S. troops in tanks and other vehicles crossed into southwestern Poland from Germany and headed toward the town of Zagan, where they will be based. Poland's prime minister and defense minister will welcome them in an official ceremony Saturday. Poland was once a key member of the Warsaw Pact alliance, and the Russians are quite alarmed that U.S. troops will now be stationed so close to the Russian heartland. The following comes from ABC News... "These actions threaten our interests, our security," President Vladimir Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Thursday. "Especially as it concerns a third party building up its military presence near our borders. It's not even a European state." And it has also been announced that NATO troops will arrive in Lithuania in late January. If you will remember, Lithuania was actually part of the Soviet Union during the Cold War. All of a sudden, Russia has become enemy number one. Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton say that Russia is to blame for Clinton's election loss, and so at the end of December Obama expelled 35 Russian diplomats from the country. That is the sort of thing that you do before a war starts. Over in Europe, they are so freaked out about potential Russian interference in their elections that they are "erecting defenses to counter possible Russian cyber attacks"... Nations in Europe, where Germany and France this year hold elections, are erecting defenses to counter possible Russian cyber attacks and disinformation to sway Western politics, but intelligence experts say this might be too little and too late. The issue of Russian "influence operations" has taken on new urgency after U.S. intelligence agencies released a non-classified assessment that President Vladimir Putin ordered a campaign to move the U.S. election in favor of Donald Trump. European nations and NATO are setting up centers to identify "fake news", bolstering cyber defenses and tracking use of social media which target Russian-speaking communities, far-right groups, political parties, voters and decision-makers. Back in 2012, Barack Obama mocked Mitt Romney for saying that Russia was a serious threat to our national security. He even joked that the 1980s were calling Romney because they wanted their foreign policy back. At that time, Barack Obama boldly declared that the Cold War had been over for 20 years. But now here we are just four years later and Barack Obama has gotten us into a new Cold War. The crisis in Ukraine, the civil war in Syria, the price of oil, cyber-espionage and a whole host of other issues have brought tensions between the United States and Russia to a boiling point. Many are hoping that relations with Russia will improve during the Trump administration, but the truth is that things could go either way. It is important to remember that Trump will be surrounded by military people that are virulently anti-Russia. For example, retired Marine General James Mattis has been nominated to be Defense Secretary, and this week he told Congress that Russia is the "principal threat" to U.S. security... While much of the hearing has so far been without controversies, in the most striking moment so far, Mattis told the Senate Armed Services Committee that Russia stands as the "principal threat" to the United States's security. He said this is because of its actions and efforts to "intimidate" other countries. Senator John McCain questioned Mattis to get his opinion on how much of a threat Russia represents. Mattis response was that the world order is "under biggest attacks since WW2, from Russia, terrorist groups, and China's actions in the South China Sea", agreeing with the neocon senator that Russia is trying to break up NATO. "I'm all for engagement" with Russia, "but we also have to recognize the reality of what Russia is up to," Mattis told Senator Jack Reed (D-Rhode Island). There is a great deal of concern that Trump's view of Russia could be significantly shaped by strong military men such as Mattis. Both Democrats and Republicans want Trump to become much more anti-Russia, and let us hope that he does not give in to the pressure. Over in Russia, they view us very negatively as well. A Gallup survey taken in mid-2016 found that current U.S. leadership (the Obama administration) only had a one percent approval rating in Russia. Yes, you read that correctly. You can't get much lower than one percent. The Russians consider themselves to be the great force for good in the world, and they consider the United States to be the great force for evil. They openly talk about the possibility of nuclear war on their news broadcasts, and on one recent broadcast people were actually encouraged to locate the closest nuclear bomb shelter to their homes. And in response to U.S. troops being deployed to Poland, the Russian government has deployed advanced anti-aircraft missile systems around Moscow... Russia has deployed anti-aircraft missile systems around Moscow to protect the capital from attack in the latest sign Vladimir Putin is preparing for war. The s-400 Triumph air defense system has been providing air cover for Russian forces in Syria since November, and is now being deployed on home soil. It is capable of hitting moving airborne targets including planes and incoming missiles and has a range of 400km. We should be very thankful that Barack Obama is leaving office, because right now we are on a path that leads to war with Russia. Every American should be hoping that Donald Trump will work to greatly improve relations with the Russians, but all it would take is one wrong move for things to start deteriorating once again. News from Hal Lindsey Media Ministries - Hal Lindsey - www.hallindsey.com
Last week, I told you that on this week's program, I would continue with Part Two of my "Prophetic Year in Review: 2016." However, part of our production team was laid low by one of those "winter ailments" that is sweeping the country. So we decided it would be prudent not to all get together in the studio to produce a show this week. In its place, I want to present a program that you've not seen for a couple of years, but is incredibly important in view of the recent attacks on Israel -- and God's people -- by the Obama Administration. What the world does not understand, and many Christians don't, is that the Jews share a very special relationship with the Creator. With Him, they have a covenant that supersedes any political arrangements or efforts by men or the governments of men. To ignore the provisions of that covenant is to risk the repercussions God Himself promises. That's what I believe the Obama Administration has done with its latest action -- or non-action -- at the United Nations. So to give you background about why it is so critical for America to support and defend Israel, I want to present this week a program I simply call, "The Covenant." To understand God's plan for the world, it is vital to understand what, at first, may seem like a dry subject - covenants. In the Bible, God makes two kinds of covenants with human beings - conditional and unconditional. A conditional covenant is predicated on God saying to man, "If you will." An unconditional covenant is predicated on God saying to man, "I will." Conditional covenants are like the contracts we humans make among ourselves. "If you give me a certain amount of money, then I will give you a car." God makes conditional covenants, too. He made one with Israel through Moses. In Exodus 19, He said, "If you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be My own possession among all the peoples, for all the earth is Mine; and you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation." Did they obey His voice and keep His covenant? No. God offered them a deal, but they didn't fulfill their part of the bargain. Does God then have to fulfill His part? No. A conditional covenant means, "If you do this, then I'll do that." But God also made unconditional covenants. In an unconditional covenant, God simply says, "I will." Period. Once such a covenant goes into effect, there are no conditions that have to be fulfilled by human beings. God's covenant with Abraham - what theologians call "The Abrahamic Covenant" - is an unconditional covenant. Through the years God reiterates and expands it, but He never changes the unconditional nature of it. Indeed, He cannot change it or He would be a liar and the Bible says in Titus 1:2 and elsewhere, "God... cannot lie." To add other conditions later would be like moving the goal posts just as the football team is about to score a touchdown. It wouldn't be honest. God is not tricky. He's trustworthy. Once the covenant went into effect, nothing could change it. Later, God would reiterate the covenant and expand on it, but He never changed the nature of it, nor did He add conditions to it. Those who claim He did, have a fundamental problem. They're saying that God lied. Psalm 105 says, "He has remembered His covenant forever, The word which He commanded to a thousand generations, The covenant which He made with Abraham, And His oath to Isaac. And then He confirmed it to Jacob for a statute, To Israel as an everlasting covenant, Saying, 'To you will I give the land of Canaan As the portion of your inheritance.'" This verse calls it a "covenant forever" and "an everlasting covenant." If it depended on frail human beings, the Word of God could not call it "everlasting" because somewhere along the line human beings fail, as Israel proved again and again. The Abrahamic Covenant is one of the great dividing lines of scripture. Disbelieving it won't change God's Word, but it will change a person in profound ways. Among other things, he won't understand what's going on in the world. Because this is an unconditional covenant, it cannot end. It remains in effect today and forever. That makes it fundamental to Bible prophecy. Whatever else happens, you can bet the farm that God will keep His covenant with Abraham. So if you want to look into the future, or have a better understanding of the present, look at the things God promised to Abraham. He expressed them in a series of direct and implied "I will" statements. "I will make you a great nation. I will bless you. I will make your name great. I will make you a blessing. I will bless those who bless you. I will curse those who curse you. Through you, I will bless all the families of the earth." Romans 11:1 succinctly asks and answers the most pertinent point. "Has God cast away His people? Certainly not!" That's just one of many New Testament passages refuting "replacement theology" and affirming that God's covenant with Abraham is still in effect. Not only does this covenant help us understand what's happening in the Middle East right now, it is foundational to the central meaning of all the Bible's teaching - from the identity and purpose of Jesus, to "salvation by faith alone," to Christ's coming to set up a literal thousand year kingdom on earth, to Christ's secretly snatching up all believers to heaven before the great Tribulation begins. Tune in this week as I discuss "The Covenant." Don't miss this week's Report on TBN, Daystar, CPM Network, The Word Network, various local stations, www.hallindsey.com or www.hischannel.com . Check your local listings. Hopefully, I'll be able to continue "Prophetic Year in Review: 2016," on next week's program. A NOTE FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO WATCH "THE HAL LINDSEY REPORT" ON TBN: The Report can now be seen at its new time, 30 minutes later, each Friday. It now begins at 6:00 pm Pacific/9:00 pm Eastern. Hopefully, this new time will make it even more convenient for those of you in the western United States. ![]()
My Review of "Rapture Ready...Or Not?" Over the last 35 years, I have literally read hundreds of books on Bible Prophecy and End Time signs. I especially enjoy books on the Rapture, and I have read almost every Rapture-related book published. In all those years, devouring thousands of pages, and millions of words, I have not read a better book on the Rapture than, Rapture Ready...Or Not? Terry James might be physically blind, but he is spiritually sharp and well discerning beyond most authors. In "Rapture Ready...Or Not?" Terry has nailed the pre-trib Rapture, and removed any doubt what so ever about the Church going through the Tribulation. With great insight and Godly discernment, Terry explains with simple, yet profound words, why and how that he has come to believe the ways he does about the Rapture, the Tribulation, and the End Times scenario. I think after reading "Rapture Ready...Or Not?" you too will believe as Terry does, and be Ready for the Rapture like never before! - Randy Thomas - Publisher / Editor - Prophecy Update For more information and or to get your copy of "Rapture Ready...Or Not?" use this link: http://www.raptureready.com/terry/book35.html Nearly Everything Is Chipped, Almost Everything Is Tracked - Mac Slavo - http://www.prophecynewswatch.com/article.cfm?recent_news_id=932
If you weren't paranoid before, it may be time to start paying attention. "They" are spying on everything you do, and are collecting information about every purchase, appliance, vehicle or place you make, do or interact with. For the first time in history, we have arrived at a time when nearly everything is chipped, and almost everything is tracked. It really is true, and it's no longer a conspiracy theory. They are spying on everyone, collecting all the available data and tracking you, your family and everyone you know. All the time. And worst of all, it does matter, it will be used against you - for revenue collection, social control, fines, fees and evidence if necessary - even if you haven't done anything wrong. Is it any wonder why many states have made living off the grid illegal, and have attempted to get everyone on the grid? Meanwhile, your interaction with other people will intercept data about you and your activities even if you don't carry a smart phone or wearables. The extremes are already here. The murder case where police have sought data from an Alexa smart device is just the beginning of what is to come: In what may ultimately lead to a precedent setting case and/or landmark court ruling, police in Arkansas have demanded that Amazon provide them with recordings made by an Amazon Echo device that was located in the home of murder suspect... Many other attempts have been made to microchip people, while the cashless grid has already found widespread acceptance. Former CIA director David Petraeus admitted to the tech community that the Internet of Things (IoT) was about to become one of the greatest assets in the spy community - as an endless pool of data could turn the tables on any 'persons of interest.' In other words, maybe you. As Wired reported in 2012: More and more personal and household devices are connecting to the internet, from your television to your car navigation systems to your light switches. CIA Director David Petraeus cannot wait to spy on you through them. Earlier this month, Petraeus mused about the emergence of an "Internet of Things" -- that is, wired devices -- at a summit for In-Q-Tel, the CIA's venture capital firm.[...] All those new online devices are a treasure trove of data if you're a "person of interest" to the spy community. Once upon a time, spies had to place a bug in your chandelier to hear your conversation. With the rise of the "smart home," you'd be sending tagged, geolocated data that a spy agency can intercept in real time ... "Items of interest will be located, identified, monitored, and remotely controlled through technologies such as radio-frequency identification, sensor networks, tiny embedded servers, and energy harvesters -- all connected to the next-generation internet using abundant, low-cost, and high-power computing," Petraeus said. More and more of these smart chips are being integrated into absolutely every imaginable device. Unless you are investing in vintage equipment, you will be buying into this system, even with basic appliances An alarming report in 2013 highlighted concerns over some Chinese-made irons and tea kettles that included wireless spy chips... for purposes unknown, since these devices are not "smart" gadgets with computer interfaces and high-dollar functionality. via AndroidHeadlines.com: To this date, Qualcomm has shipped over a billion of Internet of Things (IoT) chipsets, the San Diego-based semiconductor manufacturer revealed on Tuesday. While speaking at the CES Unveiled press event yesterday, the company's Senior Vice President of Product Management Raj Talluri said that the firm is already serving all segments of the IoT industry, from smart TVs and thermostats to connected speakers, wearables, and home assistants. Talluri specifically pointed out that smartphones and tablets aren't included in the one billion figure. Qualcomm's impressive shipment numbers are mostly driven by the company's presence in the wearable industry... numerous consumer electronics manufacturers are already implementing the cutting edge Snapdragon 835 chipset into their products... The Internet of Things (IoT) will literally incorporate devices throughout consumer & home, retail, security and surveillance, IT and networking, transportation and industry, healthcare, energy This digital tracking grid incorporates refrigerators, stoves and smart appliances to share data and "spy" on individuals in their own homes. And people are just another track and traceable part of the system. Good luck avoiding it. You won't avoid these devices by accident, it will take a lot of work to remain anonymous and off the grid, as there are over 30 million plus surveillance cameras, one for every ten Americans. The "mark of the beast" technology is coming into full force - whether or not they will succeed in implanting microchips into people remains to be seen, but a major attempt is in the works. In the meantime, there is now information about every move you, or any piece of "inventory" makes inside the system. This isn't just hypothetical talk. This is the society that has been built. Daily Jot: Come to the aid of our nation--Clarion call for prayer - Bill Wilson - www.dailyjot.com
As a very young boy, I've was interested in the presidential elections. I've studied carefully, watched, covered, consulted in, voted in, or somehow participated in every presidential election since 1960. Never in my history of these elections have I seen what is occurring in the aftermath of this one. It is the election of opposites. For example, the losing candidate and party claimed that Russia swayed the US election, yet the alleged email hacks were on unsecured servers and the email content contained unethical and perhaps illegal actions. The "president" told the public he wanted a smooth transition in the tradition of American elections, yet he has done everything outside of martial law to impede smooth transition. The Democratic Party, Hillary Clinton and the lame duck "president" have all pointed to "fake news" as a reason they got voted out of office, yet they have been propagators of "fake news" using their mainstream media partners such as CNN, MSNBC, ABC, CBS, and so on. The latest "fake news" about President elect Donald Trump paying prostitutes for repulsive acts on a bed the "president" slept in during a stay in Russia is beyond decency. But it appears to be just another disgusting attempt to undermine the incoming president. The outgoing "president" has issued regulations, redefined policies, made divisive statements, and has threatened repeatedly to be a vocal citizen in chief after he leaves. I have never witnessed the losing side behaving in such acerbic and undermining ways. We are in unchartered waters. The globalist Marxist cabal that was well on the way to completing a Marxist Islamic revolution in America and joining it with its globalist franchise in Europe suffered a huge setback when the American people conducted a counterrevolution by voting Trump into office. This, combined with pushback across Europe as evidenced by Britain voting to leave the European Union, has shown the one world order crowd that their quest for global hegemony is being rejected by the working class they claim so hard to represent. They have been setback. They are angry about it. They are fighting back. The Marxist globalists are activating anarchists, racial anger, Islamic terrorism, the "rights" de jour movements and so on. They are testing whether they can outright overthrow this nation. My sense is that these revolutionaries could make an even more aggressive move. President-elect Trump is facing a dangerous uphill battle because these globalists have infiltrated every aspect of our government and civilian life. Ephesians 6:17-18 says, "And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thus with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;" Travail in prayer for your president-elect and your country. By God's hand we are established, by His hand we are preserved. Daily Devotion: Designed and Built by God - Greg Laurie - www.harvest.org
Abraham was confidently looking forward to a city with eternal foundations, a city designed and built by God. -Hebrews 11:10 Think for a moment about cities you've visited. Certain cities have unique qualities, don't they? For example, Jerusalem, a city with so much biblical history, is a beautiful place at sunset. There's a golden hue to it. Cities also have certain restaurants, stores, activities, and entertainment that are exclusive to them. Heaven, too, is a city, and it is unique. The Bible tells us that it's a city "with eternal foundations, a city designed and built by God" (Hebrews 11:10). A while ago our church was working on a new building. We had an architect, and we looked at the plans and walked through the building. Then we submitted the plans to the city, and the city sent them back with revisions. We sent them back again, and eventually they were approved. Then the builders came in and followed the plans the architect had laid down. The Bible says that heaven is a city and that God is the architect and builder. So when I think of heaven, I think of a real city. I don't know why some people imagine heaven as a cloud where we sit and pluck away at harps. That description isn't in the Bible. But is it possible that we could have things in heaven that earthly cities do? My answer is, why not? Maybe we will. Maybe we won't. But I do know this much: whatever heaven will be like, it will be great. C. S. Lewis described earth as the shadowlands, because earth is a shadow of the real thing. Earth is a pale version of heaven, not the other way around. Heaven is the original. Earth is the copy. Compared to whatever city you may have visited or lived in, even if it was the best city imaginable, heaven will be far better. FROM THE HEART
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