Prophecy Update Newsletter
IN TODAY'S NEWSLETTER...
Remembering Chuck Missler
- By Terry James - http://www.raptureready.com/2018/05/01/remembering-chuck-missler-terry-james/ Chuck Missler, one of the most brilliant and devoted to Christ people I have known has passed into the Presence of the Lord. I have just an inkling of first-hand Knowledge -due to my heart stopping three times on Good Friday of 2011- of what that moment must have been like for Chuck when he opened his eyes following that last heartbeat. What a Glorious Home Coming must still be going on! And, it will never end! Chuck was a dear, personal friend. But he was much, much more. He was one from whom I learned much -a hero of the Faith that served to lift my eyes toward that Prize which he has now attained. Chuck will not, as they say, Rest In Peace. He was never one to do so, and his Life is Dynamic now beyond anything imaginable from perspective of this earthly sphere. He was a dear colleague, but I was not his peer. Chuck Misssler had few peers -those who can reach such stratospheric levels in presenting Biblical Truth, bringing in all relevant human study-disciplines into the mix as he lectured. Chuck Missler was a powerful force for the Lord's Work. I have no doubt that he is now undertaking on Assignments it is not possible to fathom while still in this flesh. Not "goodbye," Chuck. -Just "See you soon". Koinonia House Announces Death of Founder Reporoa, NZ - Koinonia House announces the death of its Founder and retired Board Chairman, Dr. Charles W. "Chuck" Missler. He was 83 years old, and passed away peacefully at his home in Reporoa, New Zealand. He was preceded in death by his wife Nancy and his two sons, Charles "Chip" and Mark. He is survived by two daughters, Lisa Bright and Meshell Missler, grandchildren Emily Wilmore, Madeline Wilmore, Mason Missler, Noah Bright, James Bright, Sommer Bright, Alexandra Bright, and Sophie Missler. Two Careers in One LifetimeDr. Missler was fond of saying that he enjoyed two careers following his graduation from the United States Naval Academy and service in the armed forces: leading edge technology ventures and biblical studies. Truly the passion of his life was encouraging of others to commit to the serious study of the Bible as the inerrant Word of God. Biblical Studies and Koinonia House Dr. Missler's effort as a Bible scholar, author and teacher lead to him gaining international recognition. Starting with an informal affiliation with Calvary Chapel of Costa Mesa, California Chuck became known for his insight into the integration of Scripture with science, history and prophecy. Ove the past 40+ years literally millions of Dr. Missler's teachings has been distributed and enjoyed. From cassette tapes to MP3 audio down loads, from VCR tapes to YouTube videos the message of "The Grand Adventure" has been enjoyed by many. American Technology Ventures During his 30-year business career, Chuck served on the Board of Directors of over a dozen public companies, and was Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of five of them. Dr. Missler received a Congressional appointment to the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. Upon graduating with honors, he received his commission in the U.S. Air Force, completed his military obligations, he had become Branch Chief of the Department of Guided Chuck completed a Masters Degree in engineering at UCLA with additional post-graduate studies in applied mathematics, advanced statistics and information sciences, and completed his PhD at Louisiana Baptist University. His civilian career began as a systems engineer at TRW, followed by a Senior Analyst position in a "think tank" serving both the intelligence community and the Department of Defense. Recruited by the Ford Motor Company into a Senior Management position, Chuck established the first international industrial computer network in 1966. Leaving Ford to start his own company, he founded a computer networking organization later acquired by Automatic Data Processing (NYSE) to become its Network Services Division. He subsequently served as a consultant to the Board of Directors of Rockwell International for corporate acquisitions (which included Collins Radio, American Data Systems, and others); and has also participated in over 100 business ventures as a principal, strategic advisor, or turnaround specialist. His final consultancy in the American technology sector was as an advisor to the Super-Wide Area Satellite (SWANsat) System, an international telecommunications venture. After a lifelong citizen of the United States, Dr. Missler repatriated to New Zealand in 2010 where he resided with his wife Nancy. * * * A memorial service will be held on 9 June in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho and a funeral/burial service will be held on 16 June in Reporoa, New Zealand. Why Should We Study the Tribulation? - Steve Schmutzer - http://www.omegaletter.com/articles/articles.asp?ArticleID=8635 In my role as a teacher, I get asked a lot of questions, and here's one. It's asked various ways, but it's basically this: "Why should we study The Tribulation if we as Christians won't experience it?" I believe problems arise if we assign value to the study of certain doctrines or portions of scripture, based on whether we believe we will or won't experience the circumstances of a particular text. I'll begin high-altitude here. First, this sort of rationale runs the risk of regarding much of the Word of God as irrelevant. If one believes in the pre-trib Rapture as those who ask this question do, then any element of Scripture which finds fulfillment after the Rapture could be conveniently set aside. "We'll be with Jesus! Everything will be great for us then, so what does it matter what comes next, right?" I've heard people say these things. Secondly, this posture steps into a tar pit of uncertainty. Since the Rapture is imminent, no specific event must occur before it can take place, so there's no way to know when the Rapture will happen. Which Scriptures are worth studying now, and which ones are not? Anyone's guess is as good as the next person's. Thirdly, it's not just future things which are vulnerable to this pattern of flawed thinking, but also past events. For example, none of us were around when Creation took place. Maybe we should just ignore this whole topic of Scripture too - and most of the Old Testament. We weren't present for any of that either. Finally, the notion that it's unnecessary to study anything we will not directly experience unwraps the double standard of many who feel this way. To illustrate, genuine Christians will participate in the future Millennial Kingdom when Christ physically reigns on earth. But most Christians choose to ignore this doctrine entirely - or they twist it to mean something else. This is intellectual inconsistency. If this all feels ridiculous, it's because it is! Qualifying Scriptures based on whether we will or won't be around to experience what's being discussed is immature and irrational. I don't plan to be in hell, but I do my best to be informed about it. What we have in the Bible is what God wants us to have, and what we have is what He wants us to study and understand. Now let's be candid. This question about studying The Tribulation exposes another layer of important issues below that absurd stuff. These deeper issues should be much more convicting to all of us. My overarching concern is this: Any rationale which gives priority to some Scriptures over others has the net effect of devaluing the entire Word of God. According to God's own words revealed in 2 Tim. 3:16, the standard is set; ALL Scripture is essential and profitable. ALL of it is also eternal (Psalms 119:89; Isaiah 40:8), powerful (1 Thess. 1:5), and complete (Deut. 4:2; Rev. 22:18-19), among other virtues. The moment we elect to assess the Bible by human sensibilities is the moment we've decided the immeasurable attributes of God are best defined by a box. Failure to regard God's Word as we are instructed to regard it remains one of the easiest traps to fall into, and it's been happening for a very long time. Remember, the serpent asked Eve, "Did God really say....?" (Gen. 3:1). The seed of doubt was planted and it found root. Things went downhill for her and all the rest of us from there. To doubt the intent and benefit of God's standards is to place one's own spiritual welfare at risk. Grading the relative importance of scripture is a dangerous exercise that pits man's foolishness against God's wisdom. Unfortunately, this practice is much more commonplace in our churches than we realize, and here are a few ways it shows up: ASSUMING CERTAIN BIBLICAL DOCTRINES ARE MORE IMPORTANT THAN OTHERS. While I feel that the doctrine of Salvation holds value that the doctrine of demonology for example, does not, my greater concern is how some people feel it's within sound judgement to make sweeping and careless claims. Here are three comments I found from discussion forums which illustrate my point: "How we view pre-trib or post-trib beliefs or when we think Jesus will come has NOTHING to do with salvation. So my question is, why even bother with any of it?" "It's not important if some people believe God used evolution to create us. Science irrevocably proves that evolution played a significant part somewhere. What matters is Jesus died for our sins and that's all that matters." "The church is new Israel, and the 'land' is its spiritual blessing. The Jews are no more special to God than anybody else. Some Christians wouldn't be so narrow minded if they would focus on the NT and understand how everything changed for all of us after the cross." Unfortunately, these statements express views that are not uncommon in the pews and behind the pulpit, and they show how easy it is to elevate man's opinion over God's truth. The first comment belittles prophetic Scripture, the second one subordinates the facts to fables, and the third one chooses to overlook God's unconditional promises. In all three examples, important Biblical doctrines are subordinated to personal bias. The first quote deemphasizes Christ's Second Advent and His arrival as King of Kings and Lord of Lords, the second one doubts God's supernatural creation, and the third completely ignores God's unchangeable character. All three comments show a motive to frame God as something less than He really is, and the results are irreverent and foolish. They show the grave danger of dismissing God's complete revelation. ASSUMING THE NEW TESTAMENT IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN THE OLD TESTAMENT. If confronted about this issue, I believe most churches would deny any culpability. Yet, the familiar cliché says, "Actions speak louder than words," and most churches swim endless laps in the New Testament while they rarely dip their toes in the Old Testament. It seems to me that the average church has adopted the second portion of the Bible as their chief text. All one has to do is peruse through the sermon archives of a broad number of churches to discover that the passages of the New Testament dominate by far. In addition, only certain portions of the New Testament seem to be emphasized. When was the last time your church took a deep dive into the entire book of Revelation? Or how about Jude, 2 Peter, or even 2 Thessalonians? When did your pulpit last resound with an accurate exposition of chapters 9 - 11 of Romans, or did your "study in Romans" dodge those chapters? This inequity exposes the immaturity of many pastors and teachers today. While they may be educated by man's benchmarks, they lack the Godly wisdom and humility which translates into more responsible service. Rather than diligently seeking to model the standards of Scripture, they prefer to mimic the methods of popular movements and preachers. In a misguided fixation to attract the lost, many church leaders have become convinced the Old Testament holds little relevance. It's easier to package contemporary themes with familiar passages of the New Testament. These may seem germane to daily life on the surface, but these strategies generally fall short of the greater Biblical priority to "....equip the saints" (Eph. 4:11-12). Ironically, it is within the pages of the New Testament that we discover a strong emphasis on the Old Testament. Consider the following: 1. Jesus taught from the Old Testament - We hear it's "all about Jesus" these days. OK, fair enough. So, "What would Jesus do?" Well, Jesus used the Old Testament for everything He taught. If it's good enough for Jesus, it should be good enough for us. 2. The early church was raised on the Old Testament - The early church didn't have the New Testament, or at least most of it. Yet they flourished under the sort of challenges and trials that much of the modern church has never faced. The meat in the Old Testament sustained them, grew them, and gave them hope. It's there for us too. 3. The salvation plan originates in the Old Testament - While Jesus is the fulfillment of salvation, the wonderful plan of redemption begins in the Old Testament. Both testaments tell the same story. The One True God who began to reveal Himself in the Old Testament shows Himself fully in Jesus Christ, and the New Testament testifies of this connection (Heb. 1:1-2). 4. Both advents of Jesus are prophesied in the Old Testament - The modern church focuses on Jesus' first coming, though it often sidesteps the Old Testament prophecies which foretold it. Sadly, 8 times as many Old Testament prophecies about Jesus' second coming are also overlooked. And although the theme of Christ's Second Advent is contained within one-fifth of all New Testament verses, it's generally discounted there too. 5. The Gospel was proclaimed in the Old Testament - The gospel's roots are in the Old Testament. When John the Baptist said, "Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!" (John 1:29), that good news was based on centuries of Old Testament Jewish rituals. In all respects, the gospel played out "according to the Scriptures" (1 Cor. 15:3-5), a clear reference to the Old Testament. The Old Testament endures as a vital part of God's revelation to His church today just as it was in earlier times. Churches which discount it are willfully short-circuiting God's best intentions for us. ASSUMING IT IS OK TO TEACH DERIVATIVES THAT ARE NOT INTENDED BY THE TEXT Many churches engage in the practice of grading the importance of Scripture by spinning certain Biblical texts to support themes that are not there in the first place. The passive way of doing this seeks to extract applications that should not be formulated at all. A major trend in churches now is to impose a gospel message upon every phrase, every verse, and every passage of the Bible. While I believe God intends to reveal the good news of salvation to all people through His written Word, this coercive micromanagement of specific Biblical texts is nothing less than irresponsible exposition. Arguing that certain Biblical texts do not mean what they are plainly saying is a more active means of getting off track. It is a convenient way to overlook the truth of God's Word as well as the accountability it demands in our lives. It amounts to the same thing as saying a particular passage or doctrine is not important if we choose to take that Scripture's divine intentions in a completely different direction. In wrapping up these issues, a sobering question emerges. What good is the Bible to us if we force it to mean something it is not saying, or if we ignore something it is saying? I believe this dilemma looms large over many teachers and pastors as they flirt with reckless principles every week. While reasons may be offered for any reluctance to responsibly study The Great Tribulation and other important elements of Scripture, the root problem under of all of them is an improper view of God. When we are stripped of all our rationales, our pontifications, our defense tactics, and our sleights of hand, it's our choices that define us and show who we are. A. W. Tozer once said, "What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us." Our failure to regard God as He must be regarded shows up whenever we dilute, dismiss, discount, or deny any element of His divinely-inspired Word. How did today's top prophecy experts overlook Jeremiah's Nuclear Iran Prophecy? - By Bill Salus - http://www.prophecydepotministries.net/2018/nuclear-iran-are-ezekiel-38-persia-and-jeremiah-49-elam-the-same-prophecy/ Nuclear Iran: Are Ezekiel 38 (Persia) and Jeremiah 49 (Elam) the Same Prophecy? According to a long forgotten prophecy that is recently being rediscovered, Iran appears to be the subject of two differing end time's prophecies. One prophecy is described in Jeremiah 49:34-39 concerning ancient Elam, and the other is in Ezekiel 38 regarding Persia. This article denotes the differences between Jeremiah 49:34-39 and Ezekiel 38 and 39. Several of these dissimilarities are substantial, which suggests that Jeremiah and Ezekiel are not describing the same prophetic event. Jeremiah issued his prophecies concerning Elam about 596 BC. Jeremiah wrote about Elam about a decade before his contemporary Ezekiel prophesied about Persia in Ezekiel 38:5. Ezekiel's ministry spanned between 595-573 BC. Modern day Iran is comprised of ancient Elam and Persia. Ezekiel was familiar with Elam according to Ezekiel 32:24-25, but he did not include Elam in the lineup of invaders in Ezekiel 38. As the remainder of this article points out, Elam was probably intentionally omitted, because it is the subject of its own distinctly different prophecy, outlined by Jeremiah. According to a long forgotten prophecy that is recently being rediscovered, Iran appears to be the subject of two differing end time's prophecies. One prophecy is described in Jeremiah 49:34-39 concerning ancient Elam, and the other is in Ezekiel 38 regarding Persia. This article denotes the differences between Jeremiah 49:34-39 and Ezekiel 38 and 39. Several of these dissimilarities are substantial, which suggests that Jeremiah and Ezekiel are not describing the same prophetic event. Jeremiah issued his prophecies concerning Elam about 596 BC. Jeremiah wrote about Elam about a decade before his contemporary Ezekiel prophesied about Persia in Ezekiel 38:5. Ezekiel's ministry spanned between 595-573 BC. (i) Modern day Iran is comprised of ancient Elam and Persia. Ezekiel was familiar with Elam according to Ezekiel 32:24-25, but he did not include Elam in the lineup of invaders in Ezekiel 38. As the remainder of this article points out, Elam was probably intentionally omitted, because it is the subject of its own distinctly different prophecy, outlined by Jeremiah. DIFFERENT BATTLE FIELDS The events described in Jeremiah 49:34-39 take place inside of the borders of Iran. Jeremiah 49:35 informs that Iran is struck at the foremost of its might and this causes Iranian refugees to seek exile outside of their homeland. Jer. 49:36 predicts that "the four winds from the four quarters of heaven" will be brought "against Elam." Jer. 49:37 declares that the "disaster" comes "upon" the Iranians. Jer. 49:38 informs that the Lord will "set" His "throne in Elam." These prophecies are geographically specific. They must occur within the borders of Elam, which is the Central Western region of modern day Iran. Conversely, the Ezekiel 38 and 39 invasion, from start to finish, takes place in Israel according to Ezekiel 38:8, 16, 18, and 19 and Ezekiel 39:2, 4, 9, 11, and 17. At the time of the Ezekiel invasion, Israel may have enlarged their borders as a result of an IDF victory over the Psalm 83 countries, but there is no biblical basis to believe that any part of modern day Iran will be part of a future greater Israel. There is one possible exception to the argument that Ezekiel 38 happens entirely within Israel, and it is found in Ezekiel 39:6 which says, "And I will send fire on Magog and on those who live in security in the coastlands." However, the "coastlands," already mentioned several times by Ezekiel (cf. Ezek. 26:15, 18; 27:3, 6-7, 15, 35), imply the farthest reaches of the known world." (ii) EZEKIEL 38 CONSPICUOUSLY OMITS ELAM AND THE PSALM 83 POPULATIONS The fact that Ezekiel 38 omits Elam from the very specific list of populations that coalesce with Russia against Israel could be telling. Neither Elam nor any of the Psalm 83 countries are included in the Ezekiel 38 coalition. I think this is a conspicuous omission on Ezekiel's part. Ezekiel 38 and 39 provides an enormous amount of meticulous details about the entirety of the Ezekiel invasion. It includes the participants, the spectators, the battle zone, the motive, the destruction involved, and the important details surrounding the aftermath events, i.e. the mop-up of the war. Why would Ezekiel overlook Elam and Israel's prime enemies today that are listed in Psalm 83? After all, the Ezekiel invaders have to travel over the lands of the Psalm 83 countries to even get into Israel. WHAT ABOUT PSALM 83? The first question to address is, was Ezekiel aware of Elam and the Psalm 83 populations of Edomites, Ammonites, Moabites, and seven other populations? The answer is yes! Ezekiel listed the various Psalm 83 populations by one or more names about eighty-nine times in his forty-eight chapters. Ezekiel mentions Edom, Edomite, or Edomites six times. Ammon, Ammonite, or Ammonites are written about six times also. Moab, Moabite, or Moabites are identified by Ezekiel three times. Egypt, Assyria, Tyre, Philistia and most telling even Gebal are also included in Ezekiel's forty-eight chapters. In fact, Gebal, which is located in modern day Lebanon, is only listed in Ezekiel 27:9 and Psalm 83:7. Why does Ezekiel 27:9 include Gebal, but Ezekiel 38 omit Gebal from the list of invaders? It is safe to presume that if Gebal was a participant in Ezekiel 38, that Ezekiel would have included Gebal. I believe the answer is quite obvious. The Psalm 83 populations are not involved in Ezekiel 38 and 39, because they are complicit in their own war prophecy. The Psalm 83 confederacy is probably soundly defeated prior by the IDF. The Psalm 83 prophecy is the subject of my book entitled, "Psalm 83: The Missing Prophecy Revealed, How Israel Becomes the Next Mideast Superpower," and accompanying DVD titled "America and the Coming Mideast Wars." WHAT ABOUT ELAM: DID EZEKIEL KNOW ABOUT ELAM? The second question is, what about Elam? Did Ezekiel know about Elam? If Elam didn't exist at the time, or if the prophet was ignorant of its existence, then that could logically explain the omission of Elam from Ezekiel 38. The truth is that Elam existed when Ezekiel 38 was penned, and the prophet was fully aware of its location at the time. Ezekiel actually issued a prophecy concerning Elam in chapter thirty-two. Ezekiel authored his forty-eight chapters between 593-571 BC. (iii) By the time Ezekiel 38 was written, Elam had already been identified in Genesis 10:22, 14:1, 14:9, Isaiah 11:11, 21:2 22:6, and Jeremiah 49:25:25 49:34-39. In fact, apart from Daniel 8:2 and Ezra 4:9, Ezekiel 32:24-25 represents the last biblical inscriptions of Elam in the Old Testament. As you read the pertinent Ezekiel verses below, note that they were probably written around 585 BC. (iv) This means that Ezekiel prophesied about Elam approximately eleven years after Jeremiah 49:34-39 was written. "There is Elam and all her multitude, All around her grave, All of them slain, fallen by the sword, Who have gone down uncircumcised to the lower parts of the earth, Who caused their terror in the land of the living; Now they bear their shame with those who go down to the Pit. They have set her bed in the midst of the slain, With all her multitude, With her graves all around it, All of them uncircumcised, slain by the sword; Though their terror was caused In the land of the living, Yet they bear their shame With those who go down to the Pit; It was put in the midst of the slain." (Ezekiel 32:24-25 NKJV) Since these verses were penned after Jeremiah prophesied about Elam, Ezekiel appears to be providing supplemental information regarding the events of Jeremiah 49:34-39. Ezekiel prophesies that many unsaved (uncircumcised) Elamites will be slain by the sword. The prophet mentions the sword two times in this passage. This seems to correlate with Jeremiah 49:37, which says, "And I will send the sword after them Until I have consumed them." Ezekiel connects more prophetic dots by acknowledging that Elam is guilty of causing "terror in the land of the living." The prophet also mentions this fact two times in these verses. Iran is notably the world's foremost sponsor of international terror. Below is a quote from the Council on Foreign Relations website. "The U.S. State Department considers Iran the world's "most active state sponsor of terrorism." U.S. officials say Iran provides funding, weapons, training, and sanctuary to numerous terrorist groups-most notably in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Lebanon-posing a security concern to the international community." (v) THE MESHECH AND TUBAL CLUE This next section continues to answer the question as to whether Ezekiel intentionally omitted Elam from Ezekiel 38 and 39. It has already been shown that Ezekiel was familiar with Elam, but there is more to consider concerning his omission of Elam. The conclusive clue for me is contained in Ezekiel's multiple references of Meshech and Tubal. Ezekiel writes about this dynamic duo in Ezekiel 32:26-28, 38:2-3, 39:1. Ezekiel 32: Meshech, Tubal and Elam (no Persia) Ezekiel 32:1-32 identifies seven significant populations among the slain. These peoples are listed in the order of Egypt, Assyria, Elam, Meshech, Tubal, Edom, and Sidon. It is important to notice that Persia is not listed anywhere in Ezekiel 32. Iran was primarily identified by the western world as Persia until 1935. Modern day Iran is included in Ezekiel 32, but only under the banner of Elam! Ezekiel 38: Meshech, Tubal and Persia (no Elam) With the exceptions of Meshech and Tubal, Ezekiel 38 and 39 provides a lengthy list of entirely different populations than Ezekiel 32. These two peoples from Meshech and Tubal are alluded to in both Ezekiel 32 and Ezekiel 38. Ezekiel 38 and 39 includes; Magog, Rosh, Meshech, Tubal, Persia, Ethiopia, Libya, Gomer and Togarmah. These nine comprise the Ezekiel invaders. A possible list of the modern day identities of the Ezekiel invaders are displayed with the red lines on the Ezekiel 38 image. Notice that Elam is not listed anywhere in Ezekiel 38! EZEKIEL 32:26-28 MAY BE PART OF EZEKIEL 38-39 Meshech and Tubal were the sons of Japeth, who was Noah's youngest son, according to Genesis 9:18. Both Meshech and Tubal settled in what is today modern day Turkey. In tandem, they show up together seven times in the Holy Scriptures, but only in Ezekiel 32 and 38 and 39 are they depicted in Bible prophecies. "Now the word of the LORD came to me, saying, "Son of man, set your face against Gog, of the land of Magog, the prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal, and prophesy against him, and say, 'Thus says the Lord GOD: "Behold, I am against you, O Gog, the prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal." (Ezekiel 38:1-3; emphasis added) "And you, son of man, prophesy against Gog, and say, 'Thus says the Lord GOD: "Behold, I am against you, O Gog, the prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal; and I will turn you around and lead you on, bringing you up from the far north, and bring you against the mountains of Israel. (Ezek. 39:1-2; emphasis added) These above verses from Ezekiel 38 and 39 include three out of the four prophetic biblical references to Meshech and Tubal. They are clearly identified as members of the Gog of Magog invaders that come to take a spoil from Israel in the latter years according to Ezekiel 38:1-13. Ezekiel 32 taken in correlation appears to add some concluding details surrounding the destruction of Meshech and Tubal. "There are Meshech and Tubal and all their multitudes, With all their graves around it, All of them uncircumcised, slain by the sword, Though they caused their terror in the land of the living. They do not lie with the mighty Who are fallen of the uncircumcised, Who have gone down to hell with their weapons of war; They have laid their swords under their heads, But their iniquities will be on their bones, Because of the terror of the mighty in the land of the living. Yes, you shall be broken in the midst of the uncircumcised, And lie with those slain by the sword." (Ezekiel 32:26-28) In my book titled, Nuclear Showdown in Iran, Revealing the Ancient Prophecy of Elam, I explain the potential connections between Meshech's and Tubal's involvement in Ezekiel 32:26-28 and Ezekiel 38 and 39. IRAN'S DOUBLE JEOPARDY: PERSIA IS IN EZEKIEL 38, BUT ELAM IS IN EZEKIEL 32 At this point, it's important to discuss Iran's double jeopardy in the latter days. Iran is the subject of dual judgment prophecies, one in Jeremiah 49:34-39, and the other in Ezekiel 38 and 39. This means that the rogue nation will experience double trouble in the end times. One of the strongest arguments for believing that Jeremiah's prophecy concerning Elam is not part of Ezekiel 38 is found in the observable omission of Elam in Ezekiel 38. Elam's exclusion from Ezekiel 38 appears to be intentional. The prior section pointed out that Ezekiel was extremely familiar with Elam, and Meshech and Tubal, because he predicted their final fates in Ezekiel 32. The prophet includes Elam in Ezekiel 32:24-25 and Meshech and Tubal in Ezekiel 32:26-28. These verses neatly blend into one another on the pages of the Bible. This congruency possibly suggests that Elam's judgment closely precedes that of Meshech and Tubal. The astute Bible prophecy buff would be remiss not ask the following questions; 1.) Why would Ezekiel lump Elam and Meshech and Tubal together in Ezekiel 32, but extract Elam from Ezekiel 38, which also incorporates Meshech and Tubal? 2.) Why would Ezekiel substitute Persia in place of Elam in Ezekiel 38 alongside Meshech and Tubal? 3.) Does this imply that Elam is the subject of its own prophecy, written by Ezekiel's contemporary Jeremiah, and is not involved in Ezekiel 38? These and many other questions are answered in the Nuclear Showdown in Iran, Revealing the Ancient Prophecy of Elambook. Several other important distinctions between Ezekiel 38 and Jeremiah 49:34-39 are also pointed out in the book. Netanyahu Exposes Iran's Nuclear Program Lies - By Sean Savage - http://www.prophecynewswatch.com/article.cfm?recent_news_id=2221 Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claims that Iran has "lied big time" about the nature of its nuclear program. In a speech delivered in English and broadcast during prime time in Israel on Monday night from the country's Defense Ministry, he said that Israel had covertly obtained some 55,000 pages of documents and 55,000 files on CD showing that "Iran is brazenly lying when it says it never had a nuclear-weapons program. The files prove that." The cache is full of "incriminating documents, incriminating charts, incriminating presentations, incriminating blueprints, incriminating photos, incriminating videos and more," he said. According to Netanyahu, found within the documents in proof of the existence of Project Amad, a program that Iran had set up to design, build and test nuclear weapons but was scrapped in 2003. However, Netanyahu claimed that Iran continued its program, splitting it into covert and overt tracks to avoid scrutiny. "This is exactly what Iran continued to do," said Netanyahu. "Iran planned at the highest levels to continue work related to nuclear weapons under different guises and using the same personnel." The Israeli leader stated that despite Iran denying its past nuclear work to the International Atomic Energy Agency--the United Nation's nuclear watchdog--when it signed the 2015 nuclear deal, the files showed that Tehran "authorized, initiated and funded Project Amad." Netanyahu said Iran has "lied" about never having a nuclear program, that it continued to "preserve and expand its nuclear know how for future use," and that the nuclear deal is based on "Iranian lies and deception." "This is Israeli intelligence at its most extraordinary, changing history through the patient access of key information. I expect this trove of documents will lead to a fundamental change in dealings with Iran's nuclear buildup," Daniel Pipes, president of the Middle East Forum, told JNS. Nader Uskowi, an Iranian-born visiting fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy and former senior policy advisor for the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), similarly praised the "intelligence coup" by Israel, explaining to JNS that the evidence presented by Netanyahu also calls into question the validity of the Iranian nuclear agreement. "In 2015, prior to the JCPOA going into effect, Iran had to certify to IAEA that it never had a nuclear weaponization program--the so-called military dimension of their nuclear program. JCPOA went into effect based on false certification by IAEA that there were never any weaponization program in Iran," he said. "Now we know that IAEA's certification was based on false information, and this development questions the validity of the agreement." Reactions from experts on social media were mixed to Netanyahu's speech, with some seeing this as clear evidence that Iran negotiated the nuclear deal in bad faith, while others did not see the Israeli leader providing proof that Iran is violating the current agreement. "Iran regime conducted nuclear-weaponization activities, lied to the IAEA and to the world & hid 100,000+ documents, videos, photos with the instructions to restart a nuke weapons program at a time of its choosing," tweeted Mark Dubowitz, CEO of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. However, Iranian-born Israeli Middle East commentator Meir Javedanfar tweeted that Netanyahu did not present anything new. "We all know Iran lied in the past about military nuke program, but Netanyahu did not show that Iran is continuing to build weapons after the #Irandeal," he put forth. "All he proved was Iran lied in past." New information could sway the Europeans In his speech, Netanyahu also noted that Israel shared the information on Iran with the United States, and that he believes that U.S. President Trump will "do the right thing" on the May 12 deadline regarding whether or not he will pull out of the nuclear accord. According to Bloomberg News, the United States has verified the material as "authentic." The speech by Netanyahu comes one day after the new U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo visited Jerusalem. Pompeo, who has long been a critic of the nuclear deal, said the president has insisted that the deal be fixed. "He's directed the administration to try and fix it, and if we can't fix it, he's going to withdraw from the deal. It's pretty straightforward," he said. Former U.S. Ambassador to Israel Dan Shapiro tweeted that he believes Netanyahu's address was fully coordinated with the Trump administration. "Obviously, Netanyahu's announcement tonight on the Iranian nuclear program is fully coordinated with the U.S. side," according to Shapiro. "The call with Trump yesterday and Pompeo's visit would have locked it in." As such, Uskowi believes that Israel's evidence may strengthen the Trump's administration's goal of fixing the deal or implementing a more comprehensive agreement. "The skeptical Europeans, after examining the documents and their validity, would more likely side with the U.S. about the need for a much stronger nuclear deal with Iran--a significantly revised JCPOA--and the Iranians might not have much option now but to agree to renegotiate the agreement," he said. "Otherwise, they would put themselves into a corner, facing a united E.U.-U.S. front, and the prospects of snap-back sanctions and tougher measures." Uskowi added: "President Trump most probably will not certify the agreement as is. But that does not mean that the U.S. could not join the Europeans to come up with a much more comprehensive agreement--one that would include Iran's ballistic-missile program as part of its nuclear program; tighten inspection regime, including all sites, military or civilian, suspected of being part of the country's weaponization program; and the elimination of sunset clause." Nearing Midnight: European-Russian Anti-Trump Collusion - Terry James - http://www.raptureready.com/category/nearing-midnight/ While Iran and Russia continue to merge and coalesce north of Israel, controversy is stirring mightily over the Iranian nuclear "deal." President Barack Obama, in 2015, agreed to the nuclear deal between Iran and six world powers. The agreement that included the US, the UK, Russia, France, China, and Germany was considered the signature foreign-policy achievement of his presidency. The lifting of crippling economic sanctions on Iran in return for limitations to Iran's forging ahead with nuclear development was at the heart of the deal. The agreement was struck out of fear that the Iranian regime would use their nuclear program to develop nuclear weapons. With Iran's Islamist-controlled government constantly and consistently calling for the total annihilation of the "Little Satan"-Israel-the deal continues to be the international community's idea of the best way to assure that the nukes never reach the level of being usable. The election of President Donald Trump disrupted the deal-consummating matter. Trump stumping for president, while calling it a "bad deal," declared that, if elected, he would do away with it and would do a "better deal." The new president has said he will not recertify it because it is too weak and Iran has already violated key provisions. He said that it is much too lenient, and that Iran has broken the agreement by, for example, violating heavy-water limits and access to international inspectors. He wants new sanctions on Iran and, in particular, against the regime's Revolutionary Guard police force. He has referred the deal to Congress for changes to the US terms. Israel has seemingly exercised considerable patience, staying relatively silent, while the Trump administration applies its policy-making to the critically important process. The world of diplomats-particularly in Europe-look with a wary eye not toward the treacherous Iranian-Russian cabal, but at the Jewish state. They see Israel as the most dangerous element in the whole matter. And with good reason. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has made it clear that if the world of diplomacy doesn't get rid of the nuclear threat-a threat directly aimed at Israel-the IDF will. So it is that President Trump has yet another pressure point to his multitudinous pressure points since taking office. There is rumor-speculation-that he will renege on his campaign promises and presidential promises to drop the Iran nuclear deal and do a "better deal." Europe sent to America the leader they consider to be closest to having Trump's proverbial number. France's young president, Emmanuel Macron, and the American president seem to have formed a mutual admiration society of sorts. While the president has rubbed most of Europe's leadership the wrong way, especially the EU's most economically powerful leader, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Trump and Macron seem to hit it off, personally and diplomatically. The same reports that say Trump might be about to change his mind on his campaign opinion, and that since becoming president, regarding the Iranian nuclear deal, he is about to face a dual assault in an attempt to sway him into keeping the deal as is. Both Macron and Merkel are scheduled, as of this writing, to present their unified message. That message, it is said, is save the deal. The French president has done some stage setting for the meetings with his close friend, as the media pundits would have it. "I don't have any Plan B for nuclear [protections] against Iran," Macron said Sunday on Fox News. "Let's preserve the framework because it is better than a sort of North Korea-type situation." The American president wasted little time upon Macron's visit to make clear that his mind has not changed about the "worse deal ever made" in reference to the Iranian deal the Obama administration put together. Trump said if the Iranians start again toward a dangerous nuclear program, they will pay a price like no one else has paid. At the same time, he indicated that the North Korean situation to which the French president made reference is on track for a meeting that might lead to denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. If not, he will walk away from the meetings. International politics, like national politics, often make strange bedfellows, as the saying goes. Certainly that seems to be the case in this instance of today's diplomatic machinations. I hope the following gives some clarity to what I mean. MOSCOW - Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Monday he had agreed with his Chinese counterpart that Moscow and Beijing would try to block any U.S. attempt to sabotage the Iran nuclear deal, Russian state news agency TASS reported. "We are against revising these agreements, we consider it very counter productive to try to reduce to zero years of international work carried out via talks between the six major powers and Iran," TASS quoted Lavrov as saying after talks with Wang Yi, China's top diplomat, in Beijing. "We will obstruct attempts to sabotage these agreements which were enshrined in a U.N. Security Council resolution," Lavrov was cited as saying. (Jerusalem Post Breaking News, "LAVROV: RUSSIA AND CHINA TO OBSTRUCT U.S. 'SABOTAGE' OF IRAN NUCLEAR DEAL," Rapture Ready News, April 23, 2018). The strange bedfellow situation, however, in this case, isn't really so strange, when considering things from the perspective of Bible prophecy. All who are involved against this president are under the master director of the globalist cabal. That cabal belongs to Satan, who desperately desires to construct the platform from which his coming man of the hour-Antichrist-will launch planet earth's deadliest conflict. Beware, Mr. President. Russia is definitely colluding-and with America's so-called friends, at that. Daily Jot: The prophetic drumbeats of a nuclear Iran - Bill Wilson - www.dailyjot.com Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Monday revealed that Israel had obtained over 55,000 pages and 183 CDs proving that Iran has lied about its nuclear program. Netanyahu further stated that the documents prove that Iran expanded its nuclear program even after the highly controversial deal with the previous US "president' that paid Iran billions of US dollars in cash on pallets to stop its weapons program. Haaretz reports that a diplomatic source said that if the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) had prior knowledge of the Iran program, it would not have issued a report clearing Iran of developing nuclear weapons, and the Iran nuclear deal would have never reached agreement. The IAEA is a toothless, incompetent UN agency where several nations developed nuclear weapons under its watch. In June 2005, Mohamed ElBaradei, an Egyptian-born Islamist, was unopposed for a third term as head of the IAEA. During his time at the helm, North Korea, Pakistan, Egypt, Syria, Iraq, Iran and, quite possibly, terrorists were suspected or proven to have active nuclear ambitions. ElBaradei, who stepped down in November 2009 and rose to power in Egypt as a result of the Muslim Brotherhood coup in 2011, was ineffectual in stopping any of it. ElBaradei, by his own admission, refused to declare a nuclear program in effect until he verified both the nuclear bomb plans and a way to deliver the weapon. In November 2004, ElBaradei said of Iran, "I am not ready to jump to the conclusion and say this is a weapons program unless I see a diversion of nuclear material to such a program or I see clear cut proof that this is a weapons program. And we are not there yet." On February 22, 2008, ElBaradei said, "I should, however, add that in connection with the weaponization studies, we have not seen any indication that these studies were linked to nuclear material." Because of ElBaradei's Iranian apologetics and delay tactics, Iran steamed forward with its nuclear program on one side, and its nuclear missile development program, aided by Russia, China and North Korea, on another side. Nearly 20 years have passed after first suspecting that Iran was developing a nuclear weapon. There has been proof aplenty that this foremost sponsor of international terrorism is secretly building the most dangerous weapon known to mankind. A US "president" empowered Iran to quicken its nuclear development in July 2015. At that time, Netanyahu said, "The world is a much more dangerous place today than it was yesterday...what a stunning historic mistake." The current US President said he intends to end the agreement and Netanyahu has provided good reason. Zechariah 12:4 says, "And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people: all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces..." These are the prophetic drumbeats of a nuclear Iran, an end time enemy of Israel, and those who empower it. Daily Devotion: Get Up and Keep Running - By Greg Laurie - www.harvest.org Don't you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize? So run to win! -1 Corinthians 9:24 When I was in high school, I went out for the track. I was a pretty good runner in the short-distance events. But I got killed on long-distance runs. I would take off at the beginning of the race and leave everyone in my dust. I would be ahead of the crowd and feeling good. But then I would start getting a little fatigued. And pretty soon people started passing me. I think the apostle Paul must have been something of a sports fan, because he used athletic analogies quite often, especially the analogy of running a race. Writing to the church in Corinth he said, "Don't you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize? So run to win! All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize" (1 Corinthians 9:24-25 NLT). And in Philippians 3:14 Paul wrote, "I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us" (NLT). Paul was saying in effect, "I'm like a runner in the last stretch, and it hurts. But I'm going to make it. I'm determined." A lot of Christians start out their spiritual race with a bang, much like the way I started my races in high school. They are so excited about the Lord. They take off running and leave everyone else in their dust. Then they collapse and fall. The Christian life is a race, but it isn't a sprint. It's a long-distance run. There will be times when we collapse and fall. And all we can do is get up again and keep running until we cross the finish line. 
FROM THE HEART
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