Prophecy Update Newsletter
February 8, 2017
IN TODAY'S NEWSLETTER...
Turkey - A Prophetic Piece Aligned - By Joe Southerland - http://www.raptureready.com/2017/02/07/turkey-a-prophetic-piece-aligned-by-joe-southerlandr/
"And say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal: And I will turn thee back, and put hooks into thy jaws, and I will bring thee forth, and all thine army, horses and horsemen, all of them clothed with all sorts of armour, even a great company with bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords: Persia, Ethiopia, and Libya with them; all of them with shield and helmet: Gomer, and all his bands; the house of Togarmah of the north quarters, and all his bands: and many people with thee" ( Ezekiel 38:3-6). In the late 1980s, and again in the late 1990s I served two, two-year tours of duty in Izmir, Turkey and Ankara, Turkey, respectively. I loved living in the Republic of Turkey. It was a unique anomaly in the world; a truly secular nation with a 95 percent Muslim population. However, the nation I once knew...is no more, for since those times Turkey has dramatically changed to align itself into its prophetic end-time position. The secular Turkey I loved... It was a nation formed by the strong hand of Mustafa Kemel Ataturk in the ashes of post World War I, Ottoman Empire, as he helped save the Turkish people in a war of preservation against the nation of Greece. After the victory, he truly became a benevolent dictator for the remainder of his life and dedicated himself to reform Turkey into a westward looking nation. Among his many accomplishments, he: completely separated the Islamic religion from the federal government; made each person take a last name; gave woman equal rights and the vote; created a written Turkish language based on western letters, and most importantly for the freedom of his people set in place a constitution which guaranteed the military would keep in check the corrosive influences of the Muslim faith. It was within this nation that he had formed, that I traveled freely about with my family and friends, taking in all the historically rich heritage that Turkey had to offer, and in particular its lush and lengthy biblical history. Noah's ark rested upon the mountains of Ararat. Abraham sojourned in Haran. The once lost Hittite Empire of Uriah the Hittite was discovered here. Paul of Tarsus was born here and would travel amongst, and preach and write epistles to many of its citizens. The apostle John lived in Ephesus and the ruined cities of the seven churches he wrote of Revelations are here. It was a wondrous blessing to visit this land where the hand of God had helped shaped Mankind's path towards salvation. Weekly we went to church with missionaries who were quietly planting the seeds among the Turkish people. Most of the Turks we encountered were welcoming people who were cultural, non-practicing Muslims. We all had hope of a slow gradual change in Turkey as one soul at a time was reached for Christ. We prayed that this secular yet Muslim nation would lead other Islamic nations to shake off the oppressive yoke of the Koran, so the Word of God could grow. Unfortunately, I am saddened to say from a recent trip back to Turkey and what has been unfolding politically over the last decade, the nation of Turkey I once knew, and loved and prayed for is no more. The Koranic curtain closes upon Turkey... In short, over the last decade the cancerous growth of fundamentalist Islam has crept into the government and a building tide of events has placed the radical Islamist Recep Tayyip Erdogan in near dictatorial power. And now for years Erdogan has been systematically, and slowly undoing everything Ataturk once so wisely set in place. Even more tragically, last year's failed coup has shifted Erdogan's pro-Muslim reforms into high gear as he silences his opposition through purging tens of thousands of secular Turks from the media, military, courts, government, and education systems. He has taken Turkey in a dramatic turn away from the West and it is now rushing head long back towards its Islamic roots. We are now witnessing the spiritual darkness of what I call the "Koranic Curtain" closing down upon the people of Turkey in similar fashion to how the Iron Curtain fell and crushed the freedom of the peoples of Eastern Europe. But the darkness behind the Koranic Curtain is far, far worse. The people of every nation imprisoned behind the Koranic Curtain are subject to a theocratic group of evil men guided by the writings of a flawed sinful, man whose religious tome tells them they are justified in violently controlling every aspect of people's lives. Not a shock, but a prophetic fulfillment... That said, as students of biblical prophecy this development should come as no shock. Decades ago as I roamed the country of Turkey, I knew the prophecy experts of the day said the Gog/Magog War of Ezekiel chapters 38 and 39 foretold that the peoples of these Turkish lands would accompany the Gog/Magog alliance in a war with the intention to exterminate Israel. Today's prominent prophecy scholars still echo the same interpretation listing Turkey among the nations which shall march upon and then be crushed against the mountains of Israel. However, way back in the later days of the Cold War it was very hard to image how a staunchly secular Turkey could join a military alliance with one of its greatest enemies, the USSR (pre-1990 communist Russia for you young readers), and a group of backward (in the minds of the Turks I worked with at that time) Muslim nations. But here we are and Ezekiel's 2,600 year old prophecy has come to pass. Now Turkey's greatest enemy the USSR has long since collapsed, and Turkey is now governed by a radical Muslim dictator who is aligning with the Koranic Curtain countries of the Middle East. The Lord God will set the hook... Turkey is now positioned ideologically and politically to fulfill its end time prophetic role. Though a palpable tension still exists between Turkey, and Russia and its Iranian partner, it is not hard to envision that any issues can be readily set aside to execute mutually shared goals against Israel. As we read in the opening verse it is the Lord God's mighty hand which shall set the hook in the jaws and bring forth these nations. Be in awe as the Lord God methodically maneuvers the peoples, tongues and nations in order to bring about His divine purposes, working on a time scale and in ways we can only glimpse upon. Keep watching the Middle East, as always it will remain the center of prophetic fulfillment. Marantha! [email protected] J&J Ranch Ministries: "But as for me and my [ranch] we will serve the LORD" (Joshua 24:15). 
Is a new Middle East war on Israel's horizon? - Jonathan Marcus - http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-38891358
The current frontier with Syria - the young lieutenant points out - is about a third of the way up the opposite escarpment. And just a couple of kilometers beyond that is another ridge, which is Jordan. This is Israel's front line with Syria. The Syrian army was evicted from the Golan Heights when Israeli forces captured it in the 1967 Middle East war. Israeli law was extended there in 1981 - effectively annexing this crucial strategic high ground. It is now a heavily fortified area. We pull up alongside a platoon of Merkava tanks, key sensors and weaponry shrouded in tarpaulin covers against the winter damp. Once things were fairly simple here. Israel faced the Syrian army across the ceasefire demarcation lines, monitored by UN observers. But there was almost no need for them. This was Israel's most peaceful frontier since 1973. But the civil wars in Syria and the collapse of Syrian government control in many areas have changed all that. 'Closer than ever' The geography here is not the only thing that is complicated. The war in Syria has altered the strategic map as well. Opposite the southern Golan the ground is held by a local force - the Yarmouk Martyr's Brigade - which owes its allegiance to so-called Islamic State. Israeli troops see its fighters exercising and monitoring their positions, but there is rarely trouble. What alarms Israel most is what is happening further north, with the victory of Syrian government forces backed by Iran and Tehran's ally, the Lebanese Shia militia group, Hezbollah. Professor Asher Susser, a senior fellow at the Center for Middle Eastern Studies at Tel Aviv University, summed it up in one sentence. "The changes in Syria," he told me, "have brought Iran closer to Israel's borders than ever." He told me that at least in theory it creates "the possibility of Iranian-Hezbollah co-operation not only along the border between Israel and Lebanon but along the border between Israel and Syria as well". In his view there is "a dangerous potential for a long border from the Mediterranean, across Lebanon and Syria, with Hezbollah and Iran at very close quarters with Israel. "Israel," he stressed, "has never faced that kind of situation on its northern border before." 'Iranian corridor' So what exactly is Tehran's goal in Syria? For an answer I turned to Ehud Yaari, veteran Middle East commentator for Israel's Channel 2 Television News. "The strategic objective of the Iranians today," he told me, "is to establish a land corridor between Iran and Hezbollah in Lebanon; to reach the Mediterranean and the Israeli frontier." This land corridor, he explained would go "from Iran via the Shia regions of Iraq, through the western Iraqi desert, linking up with Assad and Hezbollah. "This," he stressed, "is strategically the major threat to Israel today". Iran of course is not the only foreign country involved in the fighting in Syria. Russian air power - along with Hezbollah fighters and other Shia militias on the ground - played a decisive role in propping up the Assad regime. Russia has twice announced the scaling down of its military deployments, but actually shows every sign of being in Syria to stay. Russian complication The presence of Russian aircraft and especially long-range radars and air defense missiles greatly complicates the threat environment facing the Israeli air force. It has struck at arms shipments going from the Syrians to Hezbollah on several occasions, having set a "red line" that rejects the transfer of sophisticated missile systems to the Shia militia. Ehud Yaari told me that the presence of the Russians has not significantly affected the Israeli Air Force's freedom of action over southern Syria. "There is an understanding," he explains, "a sort of a hotline between Israel and Russia where a Russian-speaking Israeli Air Force officer and a Russian officer in Syria are coordinating and making sure that you don't have any mishaps." This arrangement, he insists, is working and this is fundamentally because the Russians' strategic interests and those of Iran are very different. Mr Yaari says that the Russians are not very interested in protecting Hezbollah arms shipments or the security situation south of Damascus, close to the Israeli border. Widening threat How big a threat is all of this to Israel? A series of military briefings suggests that Hezbollah and its growing armament is seen as perhaps the primary challenge to Israel's security. Hezbollah, due to its training and equipment, is now viewed as a fully-fledged army rather than a semi-amateur militia. "It has lost heavily in the Syrian fighting but it has also gained invaluable combat experience," a brigadier told me. It has established a well-entrenched infrastructure in southern Lebanon with a huge arsenal of missiles of varying ranges. The fear among Israeli military experts is that under Iranian tutelage it might seek to establish a similar platform for operations in Syria as well. There is a precedent here as Ehud Yaari explains. "The major concern now is that the Syrian regime will be able to negotiate deals with the different factions of the rebels in the southern region of Syria so that they withdraw from border areas. "This," he says, "is exactly what happened in other areas of Syria, especially in the countryside around Damascus." Such a move could open the way to the entrenchment of Hezbollah, Iranian Revolutionary Guards or other Shia militias sponsored by Iran in the south. Putin key At present this is more a potential rather than an actual threat. Professor Asher Susser told me that, in the long-run, much depends upon how the Russians play the game of regional alliances. "If the Russians and the Turks are on one side of the equation and the Iranians on the other," he told me, "that may put a limit on what it is that the Iranians can achieve." This is why he believes that Israel's contacts with Moscow are so important. "This," he told me, "is a relationship that Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has reinforced over the last year or two. "Mr Putin and the Russians," he says, "have an understanding of Israel's strategic needs which, if they take them into consideration, may put a brake on this Iranian-Syrian project." Nobody knows when or how the fighting in Syria will end. Several Israeli experts I spoke to hope for some kind of regional deal that might constrain the freedom of movement of Iranian-backed militias in Syria. But agreement or not, the new actors on Israel's frontiers present a new and more complicated set of challenges. 
Does Iran's Seven Minute Nuclear Threat Conform to Gog and Magog Prophecy? - By Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz - https://www.breakingisraelnews.com/83261/does-irans-seven-minute-nuclear-threat-conform-to-gog-magog-prophecy/#7DQJByqd2gJEYO7E.97
"And thou son of man prophesy against Gog and say: Thus saith the Lord GOD: Behold I am against thee O Gog chief prince of Meshech and Tubal" Ezekiel 39:1 (The Israel Bible™) Several high-ranking Iranian officials threatened Israel and America last week, claiming they could rain down destruction on their Western enemies in an ultra-short war that conforms to a 300-year old prophecy describing the War of Gog and Magog. An end-of-days expert sees an even deeper message hidden in Iran's bizarre eight-minute threat. The War of Gog and Magog is described in prophecy as being an unusually short war. A tradition from the Vilna Gaon (a prominent 18th century Torah authority) teaches that the war of Gog and Magog will last 12 minutes. According to a 20th century interpretation, "A third of the world will die, a third will suffer from plague and a third will survive." This 18th century prophecy of a 12-minute war was surprising, as it came several hundred years before the advent of nuclear weapons. Conventional wars necessarily last much longer and such a quick war was inconceivable at the time. Such a short war, possibly a nuclear exchange, may have been hinted at in the Bible. At eventide behold terror; and before the morning they are not. Isaiah 17:14 The prophecy hints at a swift and all-encompassing catastrophe similar to nuclear war. The war with which Iran threatened Israel and America last week has a timetable even shorter than the one given in Isaiah. "With the abilities and the equipment at our disposal, we will raze the Zionist regime in less than eight minutes," threatened Ahmad Karimpour, a senior adviser to the Iranian Revolutionary Guards' elite al-Quds Force, on Thursday. On Saturday night, senior Iranian security official Mojtaba Zonour expanded the threat to include Israel's ally, the United States. The US army's fifth fleet are "all within the range of Iran's missile systems and they will be razed to the ground if the enemy makes a mistake," Zonour said. Doubling down on Karimpour's threat, he added, "And only 7 minutes are needed for the Iranian missile to hit Tel Aviv." This intercontinental saber-rattling is a return to Cold War nuclear threats. Advanced technology has raised the stakes, while global politics has brought more nuclear-armed players to the table, making the balance of power unstable and unpredictable. More so than ever before, the stage is set for the prophesied 12-minute war of Gog and Magog. Rabbi Pinchas Winston, a prolific author and End of Days scholar, believes that despite Iranian technology and their eight-minute threat, the prophecy of a 12-minute Gog and Magog war clearly contains an additional hidden element. "I don't see how a war, even one fought with nuclear missiles, could be completed in 12 minutes in a natural manner," Rabbi Winston said to Breaking Israel News. "For the 12-minute prophecy to come about, something entirely unforeseen has to happen." The rabbi discussed several possibilities for an ultra-short war. "One possible scenario relates to Tehran being a major earthquake risk, sitting on several major fault lines," Rabbi Winston said. "Another possible ultra-short war scenario is that, in a sense, the war has already been fought already. Israel has a secret plan in place, which would explain why they are fearlessly taunting Iran. Everything is in place for Israel to win. Another possibility, of course, is a major miracle." Rabbi Winston explained that the concept of sudden revelation is integral to the End of Days. "Everything God does, is under our noses but we never see it until God reveals it," Rabbi Winston stated. "The paradigm for geula (redemption) is Joseph, who in one moment changed everything for his brothers. Joseph was standing right in front of his brothers, but they couldn't physically see him, but more importantly, they couldn't conceptualize that their long-lost brother could be viceroy. "That is what the final battle of Gog and Magog will be, and why it will necessarily be unnaturally short," the rabbi said. "The main point will not be the battle. The main point will be people waking up to what God has in mind, and this will be brought about by God revealing the battle in a totally unique and unexpected manner." 
Iran: Israel confined to occupied territories, doesn't dare act against neighbors - http://www.jpost.com/Middle-East/Iran-News/Iran-Israel-confined-to-occupied-territories-doesnt-dare-act-against-its-neighbors-480951
Following Trump's threats, Iranian defense minister touts his country's deterrence power against the US and Israel. Israel and the US are the greatest threat to the Middle East, but Iran has the power to deter them, Iranian Defense Minister Brig.-Gen. Hossein Dehqan said on Wednesday. Dehqan's comments came amid heated rhetoric between US President Donald Trump and the leadership of Iran, which last week carried out a ballistic missile test that the US administration saw as a provocation. After Trump said last week that Iran had been put "on notice," Dehqan was quoted by Iran's semi-official Fars News Agency as replying, "We don't consider the regional countries as a threat, and the main threats are the US and the Zionist regime and we are preparing ourselves in conjunction with these threats. Of course, today we are enjoying a (high) level of deterrence." Dehqan suggested that Israel is too busy with its conflict with the Palestinians to serve as a realistic threat to Iran. "Israel today is confined to the occupied territories and doesn't dare to act against its neighbors," Fars quoted him as saying. "The existence of this regime in the region is a destabilizing factor, and any individual with human senses would reject Israel's savage behavior," Iran's Tasnim News Agency quoted Dehqan as saying. Dehqan accused Israel, along with the US and the Gulf states of backing terrorist groups in the region. On Tuesday, Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei dismissed Trump's saber-rattling on Iran's missile tests, calling on Iranians to take part in demonstrations on Friday, the anniversary of Iran's 1979 Islamic revolution, to show they were not frightened of American "threats." "We are thankful to (Trump) for making our life easy as he showed the real face of America," Khamenei told a meeting of military commanders in Tehran, according to his website. Trump responded to a Jan. 29 Iranian missile test by saying "Iran is playing with fire" and imposed fresh sanctions on individuals and entities, some of them linked to Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards. The White House said the missile test was not a direct breach of Iran's 2015 nuclear pact with six world powers, but that it "violates the spirit of that." When asked about Khamenei's comments on Tuesday, White House spokesman Sean Spicer said Iran must recognize that the United States is under new leadership. "This president is not going to sit by and let Iran flout its violations or apparent violations to the joint agreement," Spicer said at a briefing. "I think Iran is kidding itself if they don't realize there's a new president in town." 
Looking Ahead Across the Sea - Clouds on the Horizon - by Sean Osborne - http://www.raptureready.com/2017/01/28/looking-ahead-across-the-sea-clouds-on-the-horizon/
28 January 2017: The election and inauguration of Donald J. Trump as the President of the United States of America appears to have thrown, pardon the pun, a gold-plated monkey wrench into the whole gamut of many esteemed eschatological narrators or interpretations going back several decades of recent memory. The most glaring of these appears to be the eschatological narrative which held that because United States of America is not specifically mentioned in any of the texts of Bible prophecy that its future would not be one of a globally dominant political, economic and military superpower -that its reduction would be to a level of near-certain irrelevance on the world stage. Perhaps these were man-made narrative interpretations instead of the binding inspired word of the Holy Spirit in interpreting Bible prophecy? I tend to believe so and here's why. The Word of God is a literal, living thing; the ancient texts are alive; always have been alive and always will be alive through the power of the Holy Spirit. As we all know, the Lord's words will never pass away, and therefore they live in powerful resonance today as surely as the moment He spoke them. I don't know about anyone else, but when I read the Bible I hear the voice of God speaking. I pray you do as well. To continue, there is the fact that the Eschatology Today blog has expressed a strongly dissenting view with this particular "America is done" narrative from the get-go as all conscientious readers here are very well aware, even in full consideration of the effect that the Harpazo of the bride of Christ will have upon the United States and the world-at-large. Pre-Harpazo, I have always believed that the United States of America is one of the young lions (one of many former colonies) of the western European "Tarshish" sea-faring mercantile nations mentioned in Ezekiel 38:13. This is as close to a Biblical mention of this nation as I have found within the Word of God. And it is no accident that western Europe and its former colonies are closely tied to Sheba and Dedan in this verse. This has been a fact since the overthrow of the Ottoman Empire at the end of World War I in 1918 and the establishment of the "Tarshish" mandate territories in the Middle East immediately thereafter. It was these same nations of 'Tarshish' which were also critical in bringing about the re-birth of the State of Israel just 40 years from the end of World War I in 1918. Post-Harpazo, I believe the United States of America, based upon the obvious rationale, will have a very large role in global affairs within the last days fourth beast empire. I believe America is one of the toes or the right foot of iron and clay per Daniel 2; one of the 10 and then 7 horns on the head of the western beast per Daniel 7. As I read the angel Gabriel's thunderous prophetic instruction to Daniel (Daniel 8:15-23) there exists no disconnection whatsoever between verse 22 and 23, between the ancient Greek Empire, and its subsequent heir in the Roman Empire, and in the continuation of western dominance to the present day which Gabriel describes as "the latter time of the indignation." From the Lord's timeless perspective, those ancient kingdoms continue into our own. Ancient ruins in Greece and Italy do abound, but their modern versions were seen on globally broadcast living color television this past week coming from Washington, D.C. If Alexander, Antiochus IV Epiphanes or Caesar were alive today, they'd feel right at home among all those white marble columns. So too, I believe, will their soon-to-arrive heir. At the present, a look ahead reveals there are a couple of items to be aware of. One item is that the special relationship between the United Kingdom and the United States is back. A "Tarshish" nation and the largest of its "young lions" together again. The United States hopes to assist in making Britain Great again. This is evident in the fact that Winston Churchill's bust is back in the Oval Office where it belongs thanks to President Trump, who is of Scottish ancestry and was seen holding hands with PM Theresa May at the White House yesterday. Additionally, at the conclusion of the Paris conference of the week prior, the United Kingdom's representative refused to sign the final communique which spelled out the meeting's blatantly anti-Israel findings. This is a significant departure, and a possibly strong indicator that Great Britain may be finally shaking off the Islamic-inspired rhetoric and influences of previous years. Another item to watch develop is what is being said by many of the worlds monetary experts who closely follow and forecast the potential effects of the populist revolts going on across the EU. There are elections coming in France (FREXIT) and Germany (GEREXIT) which could have a significant potential to radically alter the near-term viability of the European Union. Italy has already seen the result of a populist vote bringing down their charismatic pro-EU Prime Minister Matteo Renzi just six weeks ago. In Great Britain, the populist BREXIT vote will be challenged, after just five days of discussion, by a Parliament vote on invoking Article 50 for British withdrawal from the EU. These experts are strongly suggesting that the Euro currency could collapse within the next 18 months as a result of the changes expected in the ruling parties through the votes of the general populace. The new Trump Administration is just a week old and already has become a change-agent like the United States has not seen in a great many decades. It is no exaggeration to note the President Trump has done more in a week to rebuild America than President Obama did in eight years trying to tear us down to a third world status. A look ahead shows great changes coming, and if the current trend is any example, these changes will occur on a very compressed time scale. One might say the days are being shortened. So much to do, so little time left. Marana'tha! Sean Osborne [email protected] http://eschatologytoday.blogspot.com/ 
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 
When Will, The UN Make the Palestinians Uphold Their Commitments? - By Thane Rosenbaum - http://www.prophecynewswatch.com/article.cfm?recent_news_id=999
Welcome to Israel's world of ethereal expectations -- the standard of moral perfection to which it is routinely held, and the dizzying array of double standards to which it is casually subjected. This is all the more tragically absurd when compared with the zero standards by which the world judges the Palestinians. When it comes to holding Palestinians accountable for their misdeeds or noncompliance, the international community merely shrugs and offers them the proverbial "Palestinian pass." Take, for instance, the miserably misguided UN Security Council Resolution 2334. Setting aside its many contradictions from UN Security Council 242, which for decades stood as the basis upon which the exchange of land for peace would end the Middle East conflict, this new resolution directly indicts Israeli settlements as a "major obstacle" to the two-state solution. The resolution claims that these settlements have "no legal validity," but it also has something to say about terrorism and violence. Resolution 2334 calls for "immediate steps to prevent all acts of violence against civilians, including acts of terror, as well as all acts of provocation." Unfortunately, it castigates no particular party, as if terrorism is an Israeli preoccupation -- as if Israeli children are being taught that Palestinian children are pigs and monkeys, instead of the other way around. The resolution specifically condemns Israel for its settlements; Palestinians, however, are blamed for nothing in particular. If one didn't know better, or simply wished to remain in an alternate reality, he might believe that terrorism is Israel's fault, too. No one should be surprised by this omission of responsibility. When it comes to the Palestinians, the international community always looks the other way. Even Resolution 242 instilled a legacy of focusing on Israeli withdrawal from territories, and treading more gently on what is expected of Arabs in return. Specifically, under Resolution 242, Israel must withdraw from territories, but there must also be a "termination of all claims or states of belligerency," mutual recognition, and "the right to live in peace within secure boundaries." Whenever someone self-righteously points to UN resolutions and expresses moral outrage that Israel still "occupies" the West Bank, he is, unwittingly at best, and maliciously at worst, applying obligations against Israel unilaterally -- while ignoring the mutually reinforcing obligations that these UN resolutions imposed on the Arab world. Where is the Palestinian "termination of all claims"? Surely the "right of return," or the shrill, genocidal chanting of "from the river to the sea," is not suggestive of a people who understand that Israel is under no duty to surrender any land unless Palestinians are faithful to the terms that apply to them. Similarly, where is the mutual recognition of Israel in the PLO and Hamas charters? A determination to kill all Jews is not the kind of good faith that these resolutions contemplated. And, finally, when Israeli civilians are tormented by terrorism, and rockets from Gaza, how exactly is Israel's "right to live in peace within secure boundaries" being honored? It's not. And yet the world still calls for Israeli withdrawal. The hard gaze is always on the land; meanwhile, the joint exchange for peace, which is no less of an essential requirement, is treated as an illusory promise that no Palestinian is ever obligated to fulfill. The day after passage of Resolution 2334, the Palestinian Authority celebrated the news with a cartoon on its Facebook page showing a bloody knife thrust into a map of Israel. Clearly, ending violence and incitement is not part of the Palestinian agenda. Indeed, through Palestinian eyes, Resolution 2334 was interpreted not as imposing an affirmative obligation on the Palestinians, but rather granting them an additional license to kill -- as if they required any further motivation. This fashionable excusing of Palestinian terrorism is borderline racism, ascribing barbarism to an entire population. The world seems to be saying: Palestinians can't possibly end the violence. They have no impulse control. The rules of civilization do not apply to them. Imagine saying this about any other people: that they must be permitted to stab at will, to mow down civilians in their cars. Holding them accountable is pointless and unnecessary. What should we make of this infantilizing of Palestinians? Perhaps it's just a form of forgivable antisemitism taken to new levels of ingenuity. Instead of moving the American embassy to Jerusalem, perhaps the Trump administration should undertake a more novel strategy: Place the Palestinians on notice that terrorism is as much an impediment to peace as are settlements, and that foreign aid, and America's goodwill in the peace process, will depend on the Palestinians honoring their obligations. There are meaningful gestures for Israel to make, as well. But Palestinians have proven over and over again that their lust of violence is much stronger than their taste for nation building. 
Daily Jot: When resistance crosses the line - Bill Wilson - www.dailyjot.com
We have seen peaceful supporters of President Donald Trump being verbally attacked, physically beaten, hair set on fire, and demonized by the news media-all the while the perpetrators of such violence are labeling the victims as haters, extremists, and fascists. So, when does resistance cross the line and become treason or sedition? The Constitution guarantees the right to free speech and peaceful assembly. But historically, the Founders were very wary of those elements in society that were trying to tear down the Republic or overthrow the government. They likely would not have accepted contemporary political norms of communism, socialism, and Islamism somehow coexisting with the Republic. Article I Section 8.15 of the Constitution says Congress shall have the power "To provide for calling forth the Militia to execute the Laws of the Union, suppress Insurrections and repel Invasions." Article 3 Section 1.1 defines treason as, "Treason against the United States, shall consist only in levying War against them, or in adhering to their Enemies, giving them Aid and Comfort." Section 4 states: "The United States shall guarantee to every State in this Union a Republican Form of Government, and shall protect each of them against Invasion; and on Application of the Legislature, or of the Executive (when the Legislature cannot be convened) against domestic Violence." In his 1796 farewell speech, George Washington warned that parties and factions were a danger to Liberty, "They serve to organize faction, to give it an artificial and extraordinary force; to put, in the place of the delegated will of the nation the will of a party, often a small but artful and enterprising minority of the community; and, according to the alternate triumphs of different parties, to make the public administration the mirror of the ill-concerted and incongruous projects of faction, rather than the organ of consistent and wholesome plans digested by common counsels and modified by mutual interests." This is exactly what is happening today-an artful minority attempting to impose its will against the people. So when does it go too far? I would suggest that the answer is found in the very mission statements of the groups instigating this nationwide rebellion. Communist Party USA, Islamic Society of North America, Council on American Islamic Relations, Moveon.org, Human Rights Campaign, Planned Parenthood, National Education Association, and the factions that work with them-all contain language, subtle or direct, that is against the Constitutional Republic form of government. Just as they spew the very hate they accuse others of doing, their brand of "patriotism" is of a similar nature against our guarantees of liberty. It has already gone too far. As Jesus said in Matthew 7:16, "You shall know them by their fruits." 
Daily Devotion: The Purpose of a Godly Parent - Greg Laurie - www.harvest.org
Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, so are the children of one's youth. Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them. -Psalm 127:4-5 As a parent, you have a very important purpose in the life of your child. You are there to teach them right from wrong, provide for them, and lay a foundation in their life. Most importantly, your job is to lead your child to Jesus Christ. Psalm 127:3 says, "Children are a heritage from the LORD." The word heritage could be translated as "gift." So, another way to say it is: children are a gift from God. What a great privilege it is to have children. I will tell you something else: kids need their parents. Kids need their parents to nurture them and point them to Christ. It is your job as a mom or a dad to train your children and to bring them up in the way of the Lord. Kids don't need Mom and Dad to be their best friends. Sometimes you read about celebrities that go out and party with their children. That's so absurd. Don't do that. Be a parent-and be an example. Friends come and go, but parents are for life. Remember, teaching your children is a daily thing. It is a lifestyle. The best thing a man can do for his kids is love his wife. And the best thing a woman can do for her children is love her husband. Show your children what real love looks like. And live a godly life. Your child should be able to measure their relationship with God according to their relationship with you. My son Christopher once told a friend that he knew he was right with God when he was right with his dad. He said the thing that brought him back to Christ was knowing that I loved him unconditionally and that he could always go home. And he did come home. If you are a parent, ask God today for His help to be the best parent you can be. 
FROM THE HEART
IF YOU HAVE BEEN BLESSED THROUGH THIS MINISTRY, THEN WE ASK THAT YOU WOULD PLEASE REMEMBER PROPHECY UPDATE IN YOUR GIVING - WE ARE TRULY, TRULY, THANKFUL FOR YOUR SUPPORT Prophecy Update has no corporate sponsors. This ministry is paid for and prayed for by readers and supporters. Without your support, there would be no Prophecy Update, Please pray about becoming a monthly supporter - thanks! If ever there was a time to invest in God's Kingdom, it's now! What on earth are you doing for Heaven's Sake? "Share in the Blessings and Rewards that will last Forever!" "Folks, it's all beginning to unravel. America is in more danger of falling than at any time in its history. But I believe Bible prophecy predicts this very decline. From this point on, we believers have to get serious. We are going to face discouragement, disillusionment and, most certainly, persecution in the time between now and the Rapture. But don't be discouraged or disillusioned. The coming turmoil will provide us unrivaled opportunities to share the good news of the Gospel. So be ready to share your faith and your hope with those who need Christ. We still have time to reap a great harvest of souls for God's kingdom!" - Hal Lindsey 1) We need your prayers!- We proclaim the Truth of the Word of God and we are under constant spiritual and sometimes even physical attack. 2) We need your encouragement!- We need to hear from you, let us know how the Lord is blessing you through this ministry so that we can share it with others. 3) We need your input! - If you have a prophetic article or story or if there is a news related item we missed, let us know. 4) We need your financial support!- To put it quite simply, without your support, there would be no Prophecy Update. I ask that you would prayerfully consider partnering with us to get the Word out and keep the world informed. Remember, your gift, no matter how small, does make a difference! You will be helping to touch lives, around the world, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, thanks to the internet your generosity carries a global impact! - Thanks! Our Prayer for You- "Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God. This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of God's people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God. Because of the service by which you have proved yourselves, men will praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the gospel of Christ, and for your generosity in sharing with them and with everyone else." 2 Corinthians 9:10-13 Prophecy Update is a 501 (c) (3) tax exempt - non-profit organization, and all your donations are tax deductible. If you have been blessed by Prophecy Update and would like to help support this ministry financially. You can make a secure donation online by going to: DONATE NOW Or Visit our website: http://prophecyupdate.com/donations/ Or write us at: Prophecy Update P.O. Box 40516 Bakersfield, CA 93384-0516 
|
|