Prophecy Update Newsletter
March 15, 2017
IN TODAY'S NEWSLETTER...
How Jesus Holds Us Accountable for Bible Prophecy - By Bill Perkins - http://www.raptureready.com/2017/03/14/how-jesus-holds-us-accountable-for-bible-prophecy-by-bill-perkins/
Some background on the Roman world at the time of Jesus: At the time Jesus began His ministry on earth, only the Jews were looking for a future Messiah. Only the Jews had written prophecies from God foretelling of a time that their Messiah would come and rule the world in righteousness. "And the LORD will be king over all the earth; in that day the LORD will be the only one, and His name the only one."(Zech. 14:9) "You will judge the peoples with uprightness and guide the nations on the earth." (Psalm 67:4) But Israel's Redeemer had yet to come, and the cruel Roman rule was detested by all of Israel as they waited for their Messiah. The Jewish hierarchy, mostly Pharisees and Sadducees, controlled the theocratic Israeli government and worked with the Roman officials to stay in power. They promised Rome there would be no problems if they allowed the Jews to worship in their temple, celebrate their feasts, make their sacrifices This partnership kept the Jewish hierarchy in power and prestige. But even though Israel managed to have some autonomy, Rome still had ultimate rule...and it was a vicious rule. The glory of the pro-Israel days of King Herod the Great, who died in 4 BC, was fading fast. After Herod's death, his son Archelaus ruled over Jerusalem, Jaffa and Caesarea for nine years, 4 B.C. to 6 A.D. He acted like a pompous king wearing all white and sitting on a golden throne. Archelaus made pagan changes to the outside of the Jewish Temple by force. Trying to keep peace, he had his army kill 3,000 Jews. He even cancelled an entire Passover! Obviously, he was loathed by the Jews. With the tax receipts from Jerusalem to Rome dropping and his inability to keep peace and rule effectively, Archelaus was eventually replaced by an appointed Prefect by Roman government. Pontius Pilate, who was ruling at the time of Jesus' ministry, was the third in a series of these appointed Prefects to exercise an iron-clad rule over the Jews in Jerusalem. King Herod built many new buildings in Israel, including expanding the Temple Mount and rebuilding the Temple from the foundation up. However, not all the Jews were willing to wait for the Messiah. Between 20 A.D. and Jesus' death in 33 A.D., there were some 60 Jewish insurrections put down by Rome. The biggest rip-your-robe and throw-dirt-in-the-air of the Roman rules was that they made the Jews use Roman coins-forbidding Israel from minting and using its time-honored shekel. And adding to the Jewish misery, most Roman coins had a physical image inscribed on the coins. The Jews thought this was blasphemous due to the second of the Ten Commandments: "You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth." (Exodus 20:4) And using a coin with Caesar's picture on it to pay for the mandatory 1/2 shekel Temple tax was detestable. "'Show Me the coin used for the poll-tax.' And they brought Him a [Roman] denarius. And He said to them, 'Whose likeness and inscription is this?' They said to Him, 'Caesar's." (Matthew 22:19-21) So by 30 AD the Roman taxes were sky-high and the tension between Rome and Israel was at a fever-pitch. The people in Israel prayed daily for relief as they waited for their Messiah to come, defeat Rome and set up His prophesied kingdom. Messianic Expectations: This was the life and times of the Jews into which Jesus was born. He began His ministry in this tense environment, and to local Jewish observers the miracles He performed made Him look, sound and act like He could be the prophesied Messiah. This is why Jesus was asked so many times, by a wide range of people, whether He was the Messiah, the King of the Jews. Was He the Messiah? Had He come to set up His Kingdom? So, expectations of a coming Messiah were quite rampant in Israel when Jesus came on the scene. King Herod mentions the future Messiah when the wise men came to Jerusalem looking for the King Who had just been born: "Gathering together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, [Herod] inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. They said to him, 'In Bethlehem of Judea; for this is what has been written by the prophet.'" (Matthew 2:4-5) The Samaritan woman at the well mentions the Messiah: "The woman said to Him, 'I know that Messiah is coming (He who is called Christ)." (John 4:25) Prior to Jesus' arrest, the Pharisees ask about the Messiah: "Now having been questioned by the Pharisees as to when the kingdom of God was coming, He answered them and said, 'The kingdom of God is not coming with signs to be observed.'" (Luke 17:20) Pontius Pilate quizzed Him... "Pilate questioned Him, 'Are You the King of the Jews?'" (Mark 15:2) The two thieves on the cross both mentioned it: "One of the criminals who were hanged there was hurling abuse at Him, saying, 'Are You not the Christ [Redeemer]? Save Yourself and us!'" (Luke 23:39) "And he was saying, 'Jesus, remember me when You come in Your kingdom!'" (Luke 23:42) Even after Jesus' resurrection, His somewhat still-confused disciples asked Him if He was now going to set up His "kingdom." "So when they had come together, they were asking Him, saying, 'Lord, is it at this time You are restoring the kingdom to Israel?'" (Acts 1:6) It was in this climate that Jesus spent 3.5 years healing myriads of sick and lame people all over Israel. He did so much in those few short years that John wrote: "And there are also many other things which Jesus did, which if they were written in detail, I suppose that even the world itself would not contain the books that would be written." (John 21:25) In 3.5 years Jesus crisscrossed the Holy Land at a dizzying pace, drawing HUGE crowds everywhere He went. "Jesus was going throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every kind of disease and every kind of sickness among the people. The news about Him spread throughout all Syria; and they brought to Him all who were ill, those suffering with various diseases and pains, demoniacs, epileptics, paralytics; and He healed them. Large crowds followed Him from Galilee and the Decapolis and Jerusalem and Judea and from beyond the Jordan." (Matthew 4:23-25) But His incredible miracles were not welcomed by everyone in the land. The Jewish ruling authorities were at their wits' end. They feared He had grown so well known that if they allowed Him to continue, the populace would inaugurate Him as King and they would lose their power. "Therefore the chief priests and the Pharisees convened a council, and were saying, 'What are we doing? For this man is performing many signs. If we let Him go on like this, all men will believe in Him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation.'" (John 11:47-48) Trying to catch and kill Jesus So after 3.5 years, we find Jesus and His disciples walking up the road from Jericho to Jerusalem for the required attendance of the Passover celebration. "Three times a year all your males shall appear before the Lord GOD." (Exodus 23:17) But Jesus stopped short of Jerusalem by a mile or so to spend the night with Lazarus in Bethany. One week earlier Jesus had raised Lazarus back to life. It was His biggest miracle yet and was performed right under the noses of those who wished to kill Him. Lazarus had been dead for four days-the corpse was even beginning to rot and smell. So there was no doubt to anyone that he was quite dead. The Roman historian Tacitus said 2,700,000 Jews came for the Passover celebration each year. Since only 350,000 or so could cram inside the walls of Jerusalem, the rest would have to camp in side-by-side tents and makeshift shelters easily stretching as far as Bethany. Therefore, when Jesus raised stinky Lazarus from the dead, everyone in town heard about it. Raising Lazurus from the dead was the talk of the town for the millions arriving for Passover. Jesus, knowing the purpose for which He had come to earth, was simply stoking the fires of the Pharisees. They had given the order that if anyone knew where He was, they were to report it so Jesus could be seized. After raising Lazarus from the dead, Jesus left for one last week, sort of a goodbye trip to friends and family, and performing his last miracles in Galilee and the Jordan Valley. His last stop was in Jericho, where He healed two blind men and spent the night with Zaccheus, a rich tax-gatherer who got saved by believing Jesus was the Messiah. The next day Jesus departs Jericho on the road to Jerusalem, a day's journey by foot, weaving 23 miles up a total elevation of 3,000 feet through the Judean Desert. "As they were leaving Jericho, a large crowd followed Him." (Matthew 20:29 ) Jesus arrived at Lazarus' house just before dark on Friday evening as the whole city shut down at dusk for Shabbat. But when Shabbat was over, the crowds came to Lazarus' house... to see both of them! "The large crowd of the Jews then learned that He was there; and they came, not for Jesus' sake only, but that they might also see Lazarus, whom He raised from the dead." ( John 12:9) By this time the chief priests had seen enough. The entire town, 2 to 3 million people, was talking about Jesus. Was He the Messiah? Would He come to Passover so they could see Him? "So they were seeking for Jesus, and were saying to one another as they stood in the temple, 'What do you think; that He will not come to the feast at all?'" (John 11:56) So in their fearful state of mind, the Chief Priests somehow determined that killing both Jesus AND Lazarus would solve the problem! "But the chief priests planned to put Lazarus to death also; because on account of him many of the Jews were going away and were believing in Jesus." (John 12:10-11) "So the Pharisees said to one another, 'You see that you are not doing any good; look, the world has gone after Him.'" (John 12:19) So the day after Shabbat, Sunday, with the Pharisees seeking to kill Him, Jesus did the unthinkable. He sent two of His disciples to get a colt in nearby Bethphage so He could PUBLICLY ride it about a quarter-mile to the top of the Mount of Olives. "When they had approached Jerusalem and had come to Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, 'Go into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied there and a colt with her; untie them and bring them to Me.'" ( Matthew 21:1-2) This was a special day. Christians refer to it as Palm Sunday, because the throngs of people lining the narrow street threw their coats down in front of Jesus riding the colt while waving palm branches. "Most of the crowd spread their coats in the road, and others were cutting branches from the trees and spreading them in the road. The crowds going ahead of Him, and those who followed, were shouting, 'Hosanna to the Son of David; blessed is He Who comes in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest!'" (Matthew 21:8-9) This must have been some sight. If they hadn't seen Jesus healing people in their hometown, they certainly had heard about Him. The crowd would have been in the thousands...which means thousands of coats and palm branches would have been spread over the road. And with people deliriously screaming "Jesus is the Messiah!" It must have been a celebration atmosphere beyond description. The Jews DO know how to party! But there were also Pharisees in the crowd watching all this take place. Again, fearing they were losing their power and influence, they demanded Jesus stop being called "King "Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Him, 'Teacher, rebuke Your disciples.' But Jesus answered, 'I tell you, if these become silent, the stones will cry out!'" (Luke 19:39-40) Jesus made the profound statement that the crowd had to proclaim Him Messiah or the rocks would have to speak out that truth! This sets up the most incredible fulfillment of Bible prophecy to date. For 3.5 years Jesus had discouraged any talk about Him being the Messiah. In Caesarea-Philippi, when Peter made his famous "You are the Christ" statement, and Jesus said "Yes," He was the Messiah, but not to tell anyone. "Then He warned the disciples that they should tell no one that He was the Christ." (Matthew 16:20). But on this day, things had changed. On this day Jesus allowed, even encouraged, the multitudes to welcome Him as their Messiah. What was different? Why did Jesus say it was now OK to call Him Messiah and/or King? The reason is simple. This was a prophesied day that the Jews should have recognized. The "seventy weeks" (490 years) prophecy given by Daniel had begun to count down 173,880 days earlier. "Seventy weeks (weeks of years, 490 years total) have been decreed for your people and your holy city..." (Daniel 9:24a) "Then after the sixty-two weeks (483 years from the beginning of the prophecy, 173,880 total days), the Messiah will be cut off [executed]." (Daniel 9:26 ) When Jesus got to the top of the Mount of Olives, seeing the Temple in the distance, He dismounted the donkey and cried. The Greek word actually means "sobbed." "When He approached Jerusalem, He saw the city and wept over it, saying, 'If you had known in this day, even you, the things which make for peace! 'But now they have been hidden from your eyes.'" (Luke 19:41) The Daniel 9:24-27 prophecy was being fulfilled right before the Pharisees eyes. Daniel gave the exact day the Messiah would arrive. This was that day! And, despite the prophecy in Daniel, the ruling Jewish hierarchy totally missed it! Instead of watching for and welcoming the Messiah, they instead crucified Him. But the main point is that Jesus was holding the Pharisees accountable for knowing, understanding and applying Bible prophecy. Interestingly, the Daniel 9 prophecy wasn't even in the first five books of the Bible (the Torah) that were read completely through once a year on Shabbat (each Saturday). You had to dig a little to find this scriptural nugget...and think a lot to understand it. So we should learn a great lesson: Jesus believes Bible prophecy is important! He expects us to know, understand and apply latter-day prophecies. It's important to include it in our overall biblical studies. Too many churches today are moving away from teaching prophecy, usually saying it's too divisive. Well, Jesus sure thinks it's important. And it broke His heart when the Jews missed His arrival. Therefore, we can safely and boldly say that Jesus wants us to know all about the Rapture and His Second Coming. And, as you're probably fully aware, Jesus is coming again! And with some 28 percent of the Bible actually being prophetically oriented, most Christians should be doing more, not less, study of Bible prophecy. Most importantly, Bible prophecy is an incredible witnessing tool as it gives hope to a hurting world! Jesus is coming as a just and righteous King of the world. When the Church is raptured, the more people left behind who understand what just happened (even though they didn't believe it at the time), the more likely they'll make decisions that count for eternity. For example, "Refuse the mark!" So, since we're living in the last of the last days, it's incumbent to us to have a working knowledge of what's ahead. We're to be ready to make a defense of what we believe. "...but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence" (1 Peter 3:15) 
Russia Appears Gearing Up For Another Intervention In A Middle Eastern War - by Yochanan Visser - http://www.westernjournalism.com/russia-appears-gearing-another-intervention-middle-eastern-war/
"Moscow is clearly testing the waters ..." Russia appears to be planning to interfere in another prolonged Middle Eastern war, Reuters and other media reported on Tuesday. U.S. and Egyptian diplomatic sources told Reuters that Russian Special Forces had arrived at an airbase in western Egypt near the border with Libya over the past few days. U.S. intelligence services had observed how Russian Special Forces and drones had been flown in to Sidi Barrani in Egypt some 65 miles from the Libyan border but Egypt denied the claims and said that there were no Russian forces in the country. The Russians will reportedly interfere in the Libyan war on behalf of military commander Khalifa Haftar, who heads the opposition against the UN-backed Government of National Accord, led by Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj, which has suffered some setbacks recently. Haftar visited Russia repeatedly last year and paid an unexpected visit to the Russian aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov earlier this month when the vessel was cruising the waters opposite the Libyan city of Tobruk. The Libyan opposition leader reportedly spoke with high-ranking Russian military officials and conducted a video call from the ship with defense minister Sergei Shoigu. "Moscow is clearly testing the waters with respect to tipping the political and military balance towards Libya's east," Ethan Chorin, a former Tripoli-based U.S. diplomat told Reuters. Chorin also said Moscow is looking "to project influence in the southern and eastern Mediterranean and (for) increased influence over Libya's oil and gas resources." The United States top commander for northern Africa, Marine Gen. Thomas Waldhauser, told the Senate Armed Services Committee the Russian moves near the Libyan border are "very concerning" to the U.S. Committee member Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., asked Waldhauser what he thought about the apparent deployment of Russian forces in Libya. "Senator, Russia is trying to exert influence on the ultimate decision of who becomes, and what entity becomes, in charge of the government inside Libya," Waldhauser said. "They're working to influence that decision." Waldhauser said the current situation in Libya is "very fractured" and ISIS still poses a threat despite the defeat in its stronghold Sirte. "The status of ISIS in Libya is they, right now, are regrouping. They're in small numbers, small groups. We try to develop intelligence," the commander told the committee. He said the instability in Libya and other countries in northern Africa is a "significant near-term threat" to the U.S. and its allies. He called for continuous pressure on Islamic State in Libya in order to save the government of al-Sarraj. Russian presence in the frontlines of the Libyan civil war is not a new phenomenon but the deployment of forces of the Russian army would be a game changer on the scale of Putin's intervention in Syria in September 2015, when the Russians saved the regime of Bashar al-Assad. Haftar used privately armed Russian security contractors who operated in the warn-torn country until last month when they completed their mission of removing mines in industrial complexes near Benghazi in east Libya. The opposition leader, who served in the Libyan army under Gadaffi, is seen by Moscow as a strongman who can finally end six years of chaos and anarchy in Libya and put an end to a situation whereby the country is run by two different governments - one in eastern Libya and the other, the UN-backed Government of National Accord, in the capital Tripoli. Forces loyal to the Libyan parliament in the eastern part of the country scored a major victory Tuesday when they seized major oil facilities in Ras Lanuf and al-Sidra from Islamist-allied militias. The oil facilities were captured March 3 by the Islamist rebel coalition and have been the scene of fierce fighting ever since the fall of Gadaffi in the autumn of 2011. 
Russian elite units land on Egypt-Libya border - http://www.debka.com/article/25963/Russian-elite-units-land-on-Egypt-Libya-border
Russian elite units armed with attack drones were detected on Tuesday, March 14 landing at the big Egyptian air base of Sidi Barrani in the Western Desert near the Libyan border, US military sources reported The incoming Russian troops took up position 95 km from the Libyan border and 240km from the eastern Libyan oil and gas terminals at Tobruk port in eastern Libya. They arrived after their Libyan ally suffered a major defeat. On March 3, Gen. Khalifa Hafter's Libyan National Army (LNA) militia was attacked in the central region by the rival Benghazi Defense Brigades and driven out of five towns, including the country's biggest oil terminals at Ras Sidi and Ras Lanuf. Officials in Washington, Moscow and Cairo declined to comment on whether or not the Russians had acted in coordination the Trump administration. According to debkafile's military sources, the Russians an Egyptians appear to be preparing to support a counter-offensive by Hafter's militia to recover the oil facilities. For some months now, Moscow, Cairo and Qatar have been working together to bolster Gen. Haftar, who strongly challenges the UN-backed government of Tripoli. His LNA has taken delivery of Russian fighter jets and tanks, while the Egyptian air force has bombed the mostly Islamist militias fighting him, some of them branches of the Islamic State or Al Qaeda. Although Haftar's troops are engaged in battle with rival militias across a broad swathe of territory, from Sirte in central Libya to Tobruk in the east, his main objective is to seize control of the oil and gas fields and refineries in the eastern ports. For President Vladimir Putin, support for Gen, Hafter is a key step in Russia's military and strategic reach for footholds across the Middle East. He has chosen Tobruk as the next Russian air and naval base in the Mediterranean as a counterpoint to Latakia in Syria. Hafter's LNA will provide protection. debkafile first picked up on this development three months ago, when our military sources spotted the Russian aircraft carrier, Admiral Kuznetsov leaving Syrian waters and heading west. The carrier sailed into Tobruk port on Jan. 12. Gen. Hafter was invited on board for a tour of the ship's facilities and connected to Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu in his Moscow office for a videotaped chat. This was an exceptional gesture on Moscow's part in support of a controversial Middle East figure. More recently, the Libyan general visited Cairo to discuss the details of cooperation between the Egyptian army and the LNA with President Abdel-Fatteh El-Sisi. 
Ministers push for state-funded Temple Mount foundation - By Raoul Wootliff - http://www.timesofisrael.com/ministers-push-for-state-funded-temple-mount-foundation/
In response to UNESCO decision, new body would fight 'distortion of facts' relating to Jewish 'history, tradition and culture' Hitting back at a controversial UNESCO resolution ignoring the Jewish connection to the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, senior Likud ministers put forward a proposal to establish a new government body what would preserve the holy site and educate about its Jewish history. Proposed by Culture Minister Miri Regev and Environmental Protection and Jerusalem Minister Ze'ev Elkin, the plan includes a NIS 2 million ($550,00) yearly budget to set up the Temple Mount Heritage Foundation that will be responsible for "research, information and advocacy" about the Jewish connection to the site. As first reported by Yedioth Ahronoth on Monday, the new body would be based on the government-funded Western Wall Heritage Fund, which administers the site adjacent to the Temple Mount. "In recent years the State of Israel has been facing a deligitimization campaign based on a distortion of facts regarding the history, tradition and culture of the Jewish people," reads the explanation of the proposal, seen by The Times of Israel. "One of the peaks of this trend took place recently with the October 2016 UNESCO decision to attempt to nullify the connection of the Jewish people to the Temple Mount. In light of this trend, the government of Israel sees itself as responsible to prevent this disinformation and distortion of historical truth," it says. The controversial UNESCO resolution used only Muslim names for the Jerusalem Old City holy sites and was harshly critical of Israel for what it termed "provocative abuses that violate the sanctity and integrity" of the area. Lawmakers from both the right and left of the Israeli political spectrum slammed the decision and accused the UN's cultural arm of anti-Semitism. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the decision "absurd," while President Reuven Rivlin called it an "embarrassment" for UNESCO. The flashpoint Temple Mount, which is administrated by the Jordanian authorities, is the holiest site in Judaism, revered by Jews as the site where the biblical Temples stood. Muslims call it the Noble Sanctuary and believe it is the spot where the Prophet Muhammad ascended to heaven. It is the third-holiest site in Islam and houses the Al-Aqsa mosque and Dome of the Rock shrine. The Palestinians have frequently charged that Israel is trying to change longstanding understandings, in place since 1967, under which Jews are allowed to visit, but not pray at, the site. Last week Regev unveiled the logo to be used in the upcoming celebrations marking the 50th anniversary of reunification of Jerusalem under Israeli rule. The emblem features an Israeli flag flying atop the old city walls and the Temple Mount and is accompanied by the slogan: "50 years since the liberation of Jerusalem." Regev said her insistence on using the word "liberation" and not "reunification" in the logo's design sought to counter efforts to distort the Jewish connection to Jerusalem. Regev also stressed that part of the image featured "an Israeli flag that has returned to fly above the old city walls, the Western Wall, and the Temple Mount." Once a fringe issue, Temple Mount activism has in recent years become an increasingly prominent issue in the Israeli political discourse, even as Palestinians attributed the year-long wave of terror attacks in 2015 and 2016 to their public's anger at ostensible imminent changes by Israel to arrangements on the holy site, which Israel firmly denies planning. Following the October 2014 attempted assassination of Temple Mount activist (and current Likud MK) Yehuda Glick, Netanyahu declared his intention to maintain the status quo at the compound. In a Monday statement, Glick said he welcomed the plan for a Temple Mount Heritage Foundation and has personally lobbied for its creation. "We need to state clearly: The temple mount is the foundation of the history of the Jewish people and of the return to the land since the beginning of Zionism," he said. 
Nearing Midnight: The Left Turns to Satan for Help - Todd Strandberg - http://www.raptureready.com/category/nearing-midnight/
One of the key phrases used to describe America is this: "We are a divided nation." You have those who support Trump and those who oppose him. This division has reached the point where the people on the left are becoming absolutely fanatical in their anti-Trump stance. The folks on the right generally side with Trump-mostly because we want him to succeed. The left seeks the total destruction of the Trump Administration. The Democrats are willing to embrace any evil that will help their side. The recent death of Alan Colmes shows how bad things have gotten. Colmes was a liberal political commentator who had worked on radio stations like WABC, WNBC, WHN, WMCA, and WEVD in New York City; WNHC in New Haven, Connecticut; and WEZE and WZLX in Boston. He was mostly known for the time he served as the co-host of Hannity & Colmes (1996 - 2009)-a nightly political debate show on the Fox News channel. It is a general rule of life that you don't speak ill of people who have just died. The day after Alan Colmes lost his battle with lymphoma, a writer at Slate attacked him with fangs dripping with venom for daring to be part of the Fox News network: Colmes was the most absurd, useless and mocked television personality in America for many years, precisely because he was-nice. In the context of Fox News, being a nice guy-and a "liberal" nice guy at that, meant being a buffoon and a patsy. Colmes not only played the part to perfection-he defined it. If that writer at Slate worked for me, I would have him cleaning out his desk. His nasty attack on a dead guy was applauded by the mainstream press because this is the level to which they have descended. This growing madness has motivated some liberals to turn to the devil himself to help them combat Donald Trump. On Feb. 23, at the stroke of midnight (eastern time), witches from around the country cast a collective spell to drive Trump from office. The plan is to continue every night of each waning crescent moon until he is no longer president. Organizers set up a Facebook page, called, "A Spell to Bind Donald Trump and All Those Who Abet Him." The ritual calls on spirits, which include the "Demons of the infernal realms," and commands to "bind Donald J. Trump so that he may fail utterly..." This blind rage at Trump has caused many people to embrace Satanism. The perceived crackdowns on abortion, freedom of the press, and transgender rights are being used by Satanists to draw new members. The Christian views of Vice President Mike Pence, Education secretary Betsy DeVos, and soon to be Housing and Urban Development appointee-Ben Carson, are also being used to sell people on Satanism. William Morrison, a co-founder of the Satanic Temple in L.A. said membership in the organization surged after Trump was elected. The Satanic Temple's global membership has gone from 50,000 to around 100,000. The liberal media has been very helpful to the demonic cause. I have read several stories about the witches spell plot against Trump, and they were all reported in a very casual way. A few years ago, it would be pure poison for a political party to be linked to witchcraft or the devil. Today, Satan is being presented as very cool, because he is the "greatest rebel" of all time. (Now that Donald Trump has become the poster boy for evil, it is a positive thing to have Lucifer on your side.) Father Vincent Lampert, the designated exorcist for the archdiocese of Indianapolis, warned of the danger of people using the occult to influence events. "They should realize that we can't use the devil; the devil uses us. People can't control it and the devil ends up using them for his own purposes." I think it is incredibly dangerous for us to have reached the point where people are giving an open invitation to the demonic spiritual world. In Revelation 9:14-15 we are told that four angels will someday be loosed from their bondage and go out and "slay the third part of men." There is no telling what would happen if the current realm of demonic angels had control over America. The force that might bind Trump may do so by bringing calamity to the whole nation. I fear we are headed for destruction simply because there may not be enough believers praying to prevent a demonic genie from being let out of his bottle. "Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places" (Ephesians 6:10-18). 
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 
Study Shows World Is Moving Towards Judaism. But Is Israel Ready? - By Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz - https://www.breakingisraelnews.com/85081/israel-failing-prophetic-mission-connecting-global-emergence-jewish-roots/#UcxBYTFMzZtcWByY.99
"And Hashem shall be King over all the earth; in that day shall Hashem be One and His name one." Zechariah 14:9 (The Israel Bible™) Millions of people around the world are connecting to Judaism in a historically unprecedented way which could greatly benefit Israel, but the movement is encountering challenges from within Israel and Judaism over the definition of 'what is a Jew'. One prominent rabbi believes the rabbinic authorities are failing in what he believes is this generation's most important prophetic imperative. In their recent book, Becoming Jewish: New Jews and Emerging Jewish Communities in a Globalized World, Dr. Netanel Fisher, of the Open University of Israel, and Professor Tudor Parfitt, from Florida International University, revealed that millions of people around the world are discovering their ancestral roots in the Jewish People. This includes the Igbo and Lemba of Africa, Bnei Menashe from India, Chinese Jews of Khaifeng, and millions of descendants of Anousim, Jews forcibly converted to Catholicism during the Iberian Inquisition. According to Rabbi Chaim Amsalem, a prominent Sephardi rabbi, recognized authority on halacha (Torah law), and former Knesset member, connecting to these people is the most important mission for the Jewish People today. "We have to go out and do everything in our power to return them. It is commanded to us in prophecy," Rabbi Amsalem told Breaking Israel News, quoting Ezekiel. The weak have ye not strengthened neither have ye healed that which was sick neither have ye bound up that which was broken neither have ye brought back that which was driven away neither have ye sought that which was lost; but with force have ye ruled over them and with rigour. Ezekiel 34:4 "That is our mission in this generation," Rabbi Amsalem said. "We are blessed with new tools, genetic and academic, to investigate this and to determine who has Jewish roots." The rabbi noted that as important as the mission is, rabbinic authorities are struggling to respond. "The rabbinic authorities are not even coping with the hundreds of thousands of descendants of Jews in Israel right now, and their problems with their Jewish status," he said. The study by Fisher and Parfitt confirm the rabbi's claim against the rabbinic authorities. According to the study, there are today 300,000 residents of Israel who made aliyah - immigrated to Israel - under the Law of Return but are not considered Jewish according to Jewish law. Only 25,000 of those residents have converted, meaning 250,000 Israelis are not considered Jewish, though they are now a part of the Jewish State. Dr. Fisher described an even more surprising phenomenon revealed by his study: millions of people outside of Israel with no genealogical connection are connecting to Judaism for spiritual reasons. This movement, he believes, creates an even greater conflict within the Orthodox Jewish world. "There is a big fight inside the Jewish world as to whether to accept this new movement," explained Dr. Fisher. "The traditional Orthodox point of view is to reject this movement, because these people may not intend to keep a traditional Jewish lifestyle. The Orthodox see this as fake, diluting Judaism. They see it even as a threat, because it lures away the borderline Jews. As a result, discouraging conversion has grown in recent years." Dr. Fisher noted that this global religious phenomenon of connecting to the Jewish People is very recent, and he credits it to the creation of the modern State of Israel. "The US president's daughter can marry a Jew, and you won't have a single person viewing it as degradation," Fisher notes. "Fifty years ago, it would never have happened that prominent people openly married Jews. It is a new phenomenon that so many people in America now want to connect to Judaism. If you connect the dots , Ivanka, Russians in Israel, and all the people in Africa and around the world, all this is happening in the last decade. People want to be part of the Jewish story. It is an enormous change." 
Daily Jot: Soros, forces of communism organize in US - Bill Wilson - www.dailyjot.com
The ex "president," billionaire George Soros, the American Civil Liberties Union, the Soros-funded Moveon.org, and the ex "president's" organizations Organizing for America (his 2012 campaign organization) and Organizing For Action (his 2008 campaign organization) have all teamed up to oppose President Donald Trump. Soros is providing the money, the ex "president" the inspiration and contacts, and the others legal, organizational structure and boots on the ground. This is according to several news reports that have pieced the ex "president's" mosaic of Islamic Marxist resistance together through various sources following the inauguration. An extreme left mainstream news media follows in the wake. One of the partners in this axis is the Indivisible Project, which has produced a video and guide to resist the Trump agenda by encouraging protests, mass call dates, encouraging revolution, and targeting Congressmen. The website says, "we want to demystify the heck out of Congress and build a vibrant community of angelic troublemakers." There have been many documented reports of Soros-funded protesters in the streets. Moreover, the ACLU lawyers and other Soros-funded groups are part and parcel to the legal filings against Trump immigration efforts and the public row over Russia and Attorney General Jeff Sessions. You see, they have a lot of sway, especially with a sympathetic media. They are all working together to ostensibly stop Trump. But the real end game here is to establish an irreversible Marxist foothold in America. The ex "president's" narcissism provides motive in preserving his so-called legacy, but he has been a revolutionary communist as far back as his associations with Saul Alinsky, the Democratic Socialists of America, well-known communists Frank Marshall Davis, Sam Webb, and John Drew, as well as weatherman underground terrorist Bill Ayers. These are perfect bedfellows for Soros, an 86 year old duel Hungarian American citizen non-observant Jewish anti-capitalist worth $25 billion, who seeks to see Trump removed from office. He is also a supporter of anti-Israel groups. These forces are marshaling together like a bad storm for America. They are the underbelly of a shadow government led by the ex "president" to undermine the ability of the duly elected to govern. Over the next few years, we will see these groups fight the crazy fight, the fight of darkness against our land, seeking to foment civil war, race war, Islamic war, gender war, class war-whatever will divide our nation and provide opportunity to establish their brand of economics and government over America. Every news article deserves your discernment. Every move of these people should draw your careful watch. We need to pray and stand for we are living in perilous times. Christ said in Matthew 24:4, "Take heed that no man deceive you." 
Daily Devotion: God's Plan from the Beginning - Greg Laurie - www.harvest.org
All who dwell on the earth will worship him, whose names have not been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. -Revelation 13:8 Some think the crucifixion of Jesus was a rude interruption of what appeared to be the ministry of a great humanitarian and moral teacher. But the Bible tells us something different: the cross was the goal of Jesus from the very beginning. The wise men brought Him unusual gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. They brought Him gold because He was to be a king, frankincense because He would stand as a high priest between us and the Father, and myrrh, an embalming element, because He would go to the cross. Even before His birth in Bethlehem, a decision was made in heaven that God would have to come to this earth and take drastic measures because of the dilemma humanity had gotten themselves into in the Garden of Eden. The decision was made that Jesus would come to earth and go to a cross. Revelation 13:8 says He is "the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world." And in the gripping Old Testament account of Abraham and his beloved son, Isaac, we have a classic picture of what took place at the cross from God's perspective. Isaac's name actually means "laughter," and that is what he brought into the home of the aged Abraham and Sarah. So imagine what a shock it must have been when God came to Abraham one day and told him to take his beloved son and go offer him as a sacrifice. There was nothing greater God could have asked from Abraham. And as Abraham took Isaac to that place of sacrifice, he prophetically said, "My son, God will provide for Himself the lamb" (Genesis 22:8). That is exactly what happened at the cross. God provided for Himself the Lamb when He gave His Son-His only Son, whom He loved-for us. 
FROM THE HEART
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