Prophecy Update Newsletter
IN TODAY'S NEWSLETTER...
The Incurable Curiosity of the Cosmos: Vol. I - By Pete Garcia - http://rev310.com/2019/05/the-incurable-curiosity-of-the-cosmos-vol-i
Many of you might remember the "blood moon" craze that swept through all the eschatological circles several years ago (2012-2015). If you don't remember, or weren't a prophecy watcher back then, there was a series (tetrad) of four blood moons which fell upon the Jewish feast dates of Passover and Tabernacles. To be honest, I didn't think much of it back then, and still don't today. Neither do I think I ever wrote about them, and if I did, I was not promoting it I can assure you. Nevertheless, from what I hear, a couple fellas sure were able to sell a lot of books because of it. The next major craze that came through was the Revelation-12 movement (2015-2017). This new one seemed to find its fulfillment/alignment on or about September 23rd, 2017. This was largely centered on the literal fulfillment of the symbolic imagery spoken of in Revelation 12:1-2. Although I did write about this, it was not a wholesale endorsement. I was angrier at the various discernment police teams running around throwing cold water on everyone prematurely and indiscriminately, than I was the groups and individuals who were actually talking about this. For one, none of the serious persons and groups who were actually talking about Revelation 12 were saying the Rapture was going to happen that day. Nor were they even sure something would happen that day. They were doing what a lot of us are prone to do, which is, speculating on possibilities, and just being excited about the possibility that something could happen. Can't really fault people for being excited about the Bible and the return of Christ. On the other hand, perhaps there was some significance to the "blood moon tetrad" and the Revelation 12 thingy...and we don't fully understand, or cannot see all the connections yet. For the record, I am not dismissing discernment ministries for throwing caution out there. All I was saying then, is the same thing that I am saying now, which is what the late, great Chuck Missler use to say by quote: He who answers a matter before he hears it, It is folly and shame to him (Prov. 18:13). Nevertheless, for those of us interested in all things prophecy, we are usually the same type of Christians who want to piece together as much as the last day's events as possible, because God has stirred our hearts to want to understand the times in which we live because we long for the return of our Savior, Jesus Christ. But one of the most important things it seems we all missed (or at least I did) during all this time regarding the eclipses, blood moons, and Rev 12 hype, was in fact, the biggest sign of all, the moon itself; literally speaking, the moon should not exist! [For all the ultra-conservative discernment ministries out there who are quick to pounce on anyone who even dares mention outer space, this next section is for you] The Moon Enigma Although we see it every night, most people do not give much thought about the moon...but perhaps they should. It is one of the biggest enigmas mankind has ever known. Below are a list of quotes from (to my knowledge) non-Christians, but undoubtedly qualified experts in their respective fields who have also pondered about our moon's existence, composition, and behavior. Quotes and citations collected from Source- Isaac Asimov, American author and professor of biochemistry at Boston University and Science Fiction writer. Asimov was one of the most prolific writers of all time. "We cannot help but come to the conclusion that the Moon by rights ought not to be there. The fact that it is, is one of the strokes of luck almost too good to accept... Small planets, such as Earth, with weak gravitational fields, might well lack satellites... In general then, when a planet does have satellites, those satellites are much smaller than the planet itself. Therefore, even if the Earth has a satellite, there would be every reason to suspect... that at best it would be a tiny world, perhaps 30 miles in diameter. But that is not so. Earth not only has a satellite, but it is a giant satellite, 2160 miles in diameter. How is it then, that tiny Earth has one? Amazing." "The Moon, which has no atmosphere and no magnetic field, is basically a freak of nature" Irwin Shapiro, Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics "The best possible explanation for the Moon is observational error - the Moon doesn't exist.' "The Moon is bigger than it should be, apparently older than it should be and much lighter in mass than it should be. It occupies an unlikely orbit and is so extraordinary that all existing explanations for its presence are fraught with difficulties are none of them could be considered remotely watertight." Christopher Knight, Alan Butler From book: Who Built the Moon? The Moon has astonishing synchronicity with the Sun. When the Sun is at its lowest and weakest in mid-winter, the Moon is at its highest and brightest, and the reverse occurs in mid-summer. Both set at the same point on the horizon at the equinoxes and at the opposite point at the solstices. What are the chances that the Moon would naturally find an orbit so perfect that it would cover the Sun at an eclipse and appear from Earth to be the same size? What are chances that the alignments would be so perfect at the equinoxes and solstices? Mikhail Vasin, Alexander Shcherbakov, Societ Academy of Sciences, 1970. "Is the moon a creation of an alien intelligence?" Dr Harold Urey, Nobel Prize for Chemistry "I'm terribly puzzled by the rocks from the Moon and in particular of their titanium content." Dr S Ross Taylor, Geochemist of lunar chemical analysis Said the problem was that Maria plains the size of Texas had to be covered with melted rock containing fluid titanium. He said you would not expect titanium ever to be hot enough to do that, even on Earth, and no one has ever suggested that the Moon was hotter than the Earth. "What could distribute titanium in this way? Highly advanced technology developed and operated by entities that are immensely more technologically advance than humans." Ken Johnson, Supervisor of the Data and Photo Control department during the Apollo missions Moon rocks have been found to contain processed metals, including brass and mica, and the elements Uranium 236 and Neptunium 237 that have never been found to occur naturally. Dr. Gordon MacDonald, NASA "it would seem that the Moon is more like a hollow than a homogenous sphere'. He surmised that the data must have been wrong - but it wasn't." Dr. Sean C Solomon, Massachusetts Institute of Technology "The Lunar Orbiter experiments had vastly improved knowledge of the Moon's gravitational field and indicated the frightening possibility that the Moon might be hollow." Lon Hood, University of Arizona "We knew that the Moon's core was small, but we didn't know it was this small... This really does add weight to the idea that the Moon's origin is unique, unlike any other terrestrial body." NASA scientists The Apollo 12 mission to the Moon in November 1969 set up seismometers and then intentionally crashed the Lunar Module causing an impact equivalent to one ton of TNT. The shockwaves built up for eight minutes, and NASA scientists said the Moon 'rang like a bell. Maurice Ewing, American geophysicist and oceanographer "As for the meaning of it, I'd rather not make an interpretation right now, but it is as though someone had struck a bell, say, in the belfry of the a church a single blow and found that the reverberation from it continued for 30 minutes." Ken Johnson, Supervisor of the Data and Photo Control department during the Apollo missions "The Moon not only rang like a bell, but the whole Moon wobbled in such a precise way that it was almost as though it had gigantic hydraulic damper struts inside it." Dr. Ross Taylor, NASA He said: "This was one of those extraordinary things. When you had the impact of these things on the moon, unlike a terrestrial earthquake, which dies away quickly, the shock waves continued to reverberate around the moon for a period of an hour or more, and this is attributed to the extremely dry nature of the lunar rock. Dr. D L Anderson, Professor of geophysics and director of the seismological laboratory, California Institute of Technology "The Moon is made inside out and that its inner and outer compositions should be the other way around." Dr. Robin Brett, NASA Scientist "It seems much easier to explain the nonexistence of the moon than its existence." OTHER ANOMALIES The numerous convex Moon craters- shaped out, rather than in (from impacting meteors) Charles A. Wood, of the Department of Geological Sciences at Brown University, wrote in a 1978 paper that these convex craters were likely created by lava. He said the lava seeped up through fractures to the surface. The Moon stabilizes the earth's axis NASA- "The moon stabilizes Earth's wobble, which has led to more stable climate," NASA (Dr. Eric Christian and Beth Barbier) "[The moon adds] drag to the Earth's rotation in the form of tides, both oceanic and internal. This added drag tends to stabilize the rotation. It is also gradually slowing down the rotation of the Earth, which gradually lengthens Earth days." Size and Distance The same numbers come up in looking at measurements related to the moon, sun, and Earth. The diameter of the sun is about 400 times the diameter of the moon; the moon is also about 400 times closer to Earth than the sun. The diameter of the sun is about 108 times the diameter of the Earth; the distance between the Earth and the sun is about 108 times the diameter of the sun.
Source: https://www.theepochtimes.com/is-the-moon-man-made_404345.html Conclusion Then God said, "Let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs and seasons, and for days and years; Gen 1:14 From a Christian perspective, we understand that the universe did not come about by accident. We understand that according to Scripture, history, the laws of nature, and the presence of creation itself, that a Creator must be necessary. So part of these secular scientist's problem, is that they start their paradigm from a position that all this must have happened unintentionally, thus, the moon's existence is as Isaac Asimov once said, a stroke of good luck. We know that the Moon exists because a Creator purposefully put it there. So, having lived through the blood moon phase and the Rev12 sign phase, and gotten the t-shirt and bumper sticker to prove it, what do we make of the moon? From an eschatological perspective, one might wonder that significance the Moon does play in Bible prophecy. What does Scripture say? The sun shall be turned into darkness, And the moon into blood, Before the coming of the great and awesome day of the Lord. Joel 2:31 The sun shall be turned into darkness, And the moon into blood, Before the coming of the great and awesome day of the Lord. Acts 2:20 [Sixth Seal: Cosmic Disturbances] I looked when He opened the sixth seal, and behold, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became like blood. Revelation 6:12 Knowing what we know now, that the moon is NOT made of green cheese and is dry and quite possibly hollow, how can the Moon be turned to blood? Scientifically, we know that the sky is not really blue, but appears that way because of the way the light particles hitting and interacting with the air and dust makes the waves of light appear to our eyes. Similarly, the moon will appear to be the color of blood, due to the obscurations in the atmosphere caused by the events happening on the earth. If we look at the passages above, and take them in reverse order, we see that what this portends too either geologic and volcanic activity, or some type of nuclear exchange that can cause that level of atmospheric obscuration. This will cause the sun to appear darkened, and the moon to appear a blood-red color. Understanding that the Day of the Lord speaks to both the general time frame, and to a specific day will help us clarify how these three passages work in concert sequentially. In order-
So understanding that, we will turn in the next volume to the topic of how Satan will use the cosmos to bring on great deception in the last days deception. The Rising Crisis between the United States and Iran - Amos Yadlin - https://www.inss.org.il/publication/rising-crisis-united-states-iran/ After a year in which Iran opted for "strategic patience," in the hope that European nations would compensate for the United States sanctions, it now seeks to present a price tag for the US measures against it, and has thus embarked on a response comprising action in three realms: nuclear, military, and oil exports from the Gulf. In the current circumstances, Iran and the United States are demanding conditions that would make a resumption of negotiations difficult, although both sides apparently understand that dialogue may ultimately be the less dangerous option for them. The latest developments embody the potential for escalation and miscalculation that is liable to affect Israel's security, and therefore the security cabinet should convene to craft an appropriate policy for the near, medium, and long terms. May 2019 marks the end of a difficult year for Iran, which saw the United States withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear agreement, known as the JCPOA, and the imposition of American sanctions. The sanctions, which have hit primarily the oil and financial sectors, have inflicted severe damage on the Iranian economy. Furthermore, Iran's attempt to entrench and build up an advanced military capability against Israel in Syria appears to have failed. After a year in which Iran opted for "strategic patience," in the hope that European nations would compensate for American sanctions and that President Donald Trump will stand little chance of reelection in 2020, the US administration has succeeded in ramping up the sanctions and applying pressure beyond Tehran's expectations. Over the last month, Iran has experienced intensification of the US policy of "maximum pressure": waivers that President Trump had granted China, India, Japan, and other countries, whereby these countries were able to import oil from Iran, were canceled; sanctions were imposed on the export of iron, steel, aluminum, and copper products from Iran; and in the nuclear realm, the United States revoked two waivers that had allowed Iran to abide by its JCPOA obligation to export excess enriched uranium and heavy water that it produces. The American designation of the Revolutionary Guards as a terrorist organization was meant to denigrate the Iranian economy and raise the stakes of doing business with shadowy elements of the Iranian economy, from potential fines to the threat of prison time. The regime in Iran has thus concluded that it must devise a new strategy - or at least, update its strategy - to one that is more proactive, albeit measured and cautious. Iran now seeks to present a price tag for the US measures against it, and has thus embarked on a response comprising action in three realms. Regarding the nuclear realm, Iran is trying to compel European nations to formulate and implement the promised mechanism to provide compensation for the sanctions. In the military realm, Iran seeks to exact a price from the United States (and Israel) with the goal of creating deterrence and preserving national pride. Finally, when it comes to energy supply, Iran has threatened Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates that if it is unable to export oil, they too will be unable to do so. The Nuclear Realm Iran has three levels of action at hand in the nuclear realm (in ascending order of risk): a. undermining the JCPOA through minor breaches, inter alia by increasing the scope of uranium enrichment or boosting the level of enrichment; b. leaving the agreement and resuming broad nuclear activity, while installing tens of thousands of centrifuges in Natanz, renewing activity at the Arak reactor, and annulling Iran's acceptance of the IAEA Additional Protocol; c. withdrawing from the NPT, which would clear the way to the development of a nuclear bomb. As an initial step, Iran has opted for the limited move of not removing the enriched material above the 300 kg limit imposed by the JCPOA, and is threatening a more significant breach in 60 days. Iran has not withdrawn from the agreement, because according to its calculations, overall the JCPOA remains beneficial for Iran's nuclear and regional aspirations. To Tehran's surprise, this limited move has not won European or Russian support and has even received some backlash, and thus demonstrates that nuclear escalation by Iran risks causing it to lose the diplomatic and political (as well as limited economic) support it enjoys from these countries in the face of United States policy. The Military Realm Likewise in the military realm, Iran has a range of possible actions at its disposal: attacking American soldiers in Syria or Iraq, and launching low signature attacks via proxies in Syria, Lebanon, and the Gaza Strip against American interests or allies (including Israel). In the 1980s, Iran used Hezbollah to attack the US Marines and the US Embassy in Beirut, killing hundreds. In addition, the Pentagon has determined that Iran was responsible for the death of over 500 US troops in Iraq during the US occupation following the 2003 invasion, via its support and training of anti-American Shiite militias there. Thus far, an intelligence alert was received regarding an attempt to attack US troops in Iraq, which explained the abrupt change in Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's travel itinerary last week - from Germany to Iraq. Iran is also presumably preparing actions against Israel from Syria, Iraq, or perhaps even Lebanon. Oil Exports and Freedom of Shipping In the realm of oil exports and freedom of shipping, Iran has threatened to strike at the freedom of shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. It is capable of fomenting action by Yemen's Houthis against shipping in the Red Sea and the production of oil on the Arab side of the Gulf, by missiles, drones, or sabotage, including through cyber methods (as with proxy terrorism, here too there would be a low signature and difficulty regarding public attribution). Indeed, the United States published a warning to the Gulf states relating to their commercial shipping interests regarding a plot to attack oil tankers in the Gulf and Strait of Hormuz. On May 12, the intelligence warning was actualized. Reports emerged from the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia of an attack on four merchant ships and oil tankers. The attack, which Saudi Arabia labeled "sabotage," occurred in the Gulf of Oman, near the United Arab Emirates, as the tankers prepared to enter Persian Gulf waters. According to Riyadh, the two Saudi tankers sustained significant damage, though they were not carrying oil at the time so no spill ensued; one tanker was preparing to load oil bound for the United States. No one has claimed responsibility, but the intent was apparent: a low signature action by Iran that hints at its capabilities. The United States has not been passive in the face of Iran's threats. Last week, in a highly publicized move, military forces were dispatched to the Middle East, including the USS Lincoln aircraft carrier, B-52 bombers capable of carrying nuclear weaponry, and a Patriot battery. These are not the expeditionary forces that would befit a broad-based campaign, but certainly they constitute a message that there will be a response - perhaps surgical - to any Iranian escalation. In the current circumstances, the two sides are demanding conditions that would make a resumption of negotiations difficult. The United States seems to be insisting on the 12 demands that Pompeo made of Iran, while Iran is demanding an American apology and return to the nuclear agreement as a precondition for negotiations. With that said, both sides apparently understand that dialogue may ultimately be a less dangerous option for them than a military clash. Nonetheless, the rhetoric among Iran's military leadership has been highly aggressive. Discussing the escalation, and specifically the deployment of the Lincoln near Iranian shores, a Revolutionary Guards commander said that if the United States makes a move, Iran will "hit them on the head," and added that the American presence in the Middle East, which previously constituted a serious threat, was now - in Iran's view - an opportunity. By contrast, President Hassan Rouhani, in a speech delivered on May 11, claimed that the situation in Iran is more difficult than what confronted the Islamic Republic during the Iran-Iraq War. It is possible that this statement was meant to prepare public opinion for the unpleasant options before the Islamic Republic, somewhat analogous to a 1988 speech by then-Supreme Leader Khomeini about the need to "drink from the poisoned chalice" when signing a peace agreement with Saddam Hussein to end the eight-year war with Iraq. The calculations that prompted Khomeini to assess that continued fighting would endanger the regime's very survival may parallel Khamenei's current assessment of negotiations with the US in order to avoid further dangerous escalation. For its part, the Trump administration is likewise not eager for conflict, sending a message that the United States has been acting defensively and in response to warnings it received. Indeed, Washington's messages have assumed a new tone. In contrast to the aggressive messages relayed by Secretary Pompeo and National Security Adviser John Bolton, President Trump made a point of emphasizing his interest in preventing harm to Iran by holding a dialogue with its leadership. In the course of two days, Trump noted more than three times that he "would like to see them [Iran] call me...What they should be doing is calling me up, sitting down. We can make a deal, a fair deal...I want them to be strong and great and have a great economy...They should call, [and] if they do, we're open to talk to them. We have no secrets. And they can be very, very strong financially, they have great potential. Very much like North Korea." In parallel, it was reported that the White House relayed to Switzerland (which represents US interests in Iran) a telephone number for Iran to reach Trump directly. These statements by Trump may also point to a preference by the President to focus exclusively on the nuclear issue in a dialogue with Iran. Significance for Israel In the near term it seems the Israeli government would not bemoan a collapse of the JCPOA that might result from US pressure, Iranian breaches, and responses of the other parties to the agreement. It is important for Israel that any future Democratic administration in the United States not return to the JCPOA during the deal's later years, when the agreement is more problematic, as this is a period in which Iran would receive international legitimacy to build a full scale nuclear program. Any military clash between Iran and the United States - be it in the Gulf, Iraq, or Syria, or a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz - would not have a direct impact on Israel, but there would be indirect repercussions. The odds of Iran leaving Israel out of such a fight, should it emerge, are slim. Therefore, Israeli policy would do well to include the following components: In the immediate term: Intelligence vigilance and military readiness are required in order to foil Iranian military action, whether direct or indirect, against Israel on any front where there is an Iranian presence. An agreed joint strategy with the United States for responding to Iranian military action is also in order. Israel should reevaluate and update the "campaign between wars" that it has waged to thwart Iranian entrenchment in Syria, so that it adjusts to the changes in Iranian policy. In the medium term: Given the possibility that the United States and Iran will ultimately return to negotiations, Israel must reach understandings with the United States about what needs to be fixed in the nuclear agreement - mainly regarding the extension of the sunset clauses (as the agreement's expiration date nears), improved monitoring of the Iranian nuclear facilities, the military dimensions of the nuclear program, Iran's ballistic missile program, and Iran's efforts to destabilize and dominate the region. Israel's positions on these issues will likely earn support from the Gulf states, creating an opportunity to strengthen relations with these states in the political and other spheres. In the long term: Israel must prepare for the possibility that Iran will choose the path of escalation and renew nuclear activity with the goal of accumulating uranium enriched to 20 percent, which would shorten the time needed to produce fissile material, and even prepare for the possibility of an Iranian withdrawal from the NPT. Israel should also consider the possibility that the United States will not take effective action to stop the Iranian nuclear program (as, after all, the Trump administration is not keen on further military engagements in the Middle East). Therefore, Israel must update its force buildup plans to enable it to cope with a potential Iranian nuclear breakout alone. This would be a sweeping budgetary and operational challenge. Indeed, the IDF's multi-year "Gideon" plan, drafted under the former Chief of the General Staff, Lt. Gen. Gadi Eisenkot, assumed at least a 10-year deferral for preparations of a response to the Iranian nuclear program. Yet the developments seen in this context over the last year, and especially the last month, demand a significant updating of the plan and allocation of supplementary resources to the defense establishment. In conclusion, the combination of the maximum pressure campaign by the United States against Iran, Iran's decision to depart from its "strategic patience," and America's determination to respond to any attempt to harm US troops and interests in the Middle East embody the potential for escalation and miscalculation that is liable to affect Israel's security. The security cabinet should therefore convene to craft an appropriate policy for the near, medium, and long terms. Recent Events - By Daymond Duck - https://www.raptureready.com/2019/05/19/recent-events-daymond-duck/ First, most of those that follow Bible prophecy are aware of the connections between Prime Min. Netanyahu, Pres. Trump and the numbers 7 and 70. For example, Mr. Netanyahu had been in office 7 years, 7 months and 7 days on the day that Pres. Trump was elected. Pres. Trump was elected by a margin of 77 electoral votes and he was 70 years, 7 months and 7 days old on the day that he was inaugurated. Pres. Trump was born 700 days before Israel became a nation, so there were 700 days between Pres. Trump's seventieth birthday and Israel's seventieth birthday. Anyway, it was recently reported that Pres. Trump's Sec. of State, Mike Pompeo, is the 70th person to hold that job, and he got in the 70th year of Israel's existence. These numerical facts seem to be too much to be coincidence, and I don't want to go overboard; but it is possible that God is trying to tell us something (perhaps that He is in control and acting, or perhaps that something has changed or started). Second, a reader recently sent me a link to a video of Gary Stearman interviewing Tom Horn on Prophecy Watchers (The Rabbis and Donald Trump, May 6, 2019). These well-known prophecy teachers discussed a visit to the White House several months ago by a group of Orthodox Jewish rabbis. The Jewish rabbis (at least one is probably a member of the Jewish Sanhedrin) wanted Pres. Trump's upcoming "Deal of the Century" to give Israel permission to rebuild the Temple. Resistance and trouble, perhaps war, are to be expected, but the thought of a peace plan with permission to rebuild the Temple on the table in a few weeks is exciting. Third, on May 9, 2019, it was reported that Nancy Pelosi said she believes "the establishment of the State of Israel is one of the greatest accomplishments of the 20th century; it was a political, official establishment of a country." According to the Bible, it is a miracle greater than Israel's exodus from Egypt in the days of Moses, greater than the Ten Plagues, parting of the Red Sea, etc. Fourth, Pope Francis is still at it (a speech at the Vatican on May 2, 2019). He referred to world government as the "common good." He denounced nations for making excessive demands for sovereignty. He called for the establishment of entities with power greater than nations. He said the kind of things the False Prophet will probably say when he supports the rise of the Antichrist. Fifth, here is some good news for a change: On May 6, 2019, Amir Tsarfati, a well-known Bible prophecy teacher, traveled to Washington, DC to attend a breakfast and to speak to about 30 members of Congress about the Biblical significance of supporting Israel. All of Congress should have been there, but I thank God for alerting these leaders on the Biblical significance of supporting Israel. He will bless those that bless Israel and curse those that curse Israel. Sixth, the Middle East is about to explode over Pres. Trump's sanctions on Iran. Iran's retaliation is putting the global oil market at risk. One misstep could trigger the fulfillment of several prophecies. Seventh, the third horseman of the Apocalypse is hyper-inflation and an economic collapse. America's controversy with China is putting the global economy at risk. Jesus said watch and pray. Prophecy Plus Ministries, Inc. Daymond & Rachel Duck [email protected] Israel Watch: Israel at 71 - Jim Fletcher - [email protected] It's staggering, when you think about it. Seventy-one years! When David Ben Gurion stood at a mic on the afternoon of May 14, 1948 in Tel Aviv, he told the world that Israel had re-entered history. The founders of the state weren't even sure what to call the new state at first. Among the possibles: Zion. Finally, they settled on "Israel," and Bible prophecy rocketed forward at warp speed. Today, Israel is a vibrant miracle. We know what the Romans did to the area 2,000 years ago. The expulsion of Jews from their ancient homeland has been an open wound ever since. By 1850, there were about 10,000 Jews in Palestine. The village of Rosh Pinah (the "headstone" of Psalm 118) was established in 1882, the year of the largest influx of Jewish immigrants to the area. That began large-scale modern Jewish settlement in the Land of Israel. Just days before statehood in 1948, Golda Meir made a clandestine trip to meet with Transjordan's King Abdullah. A bit of their conversation is quite fascinating, as she told it: "'Why are you in such a hurry to proclaim your State?' he asked me. 'What is the rush? You are so impatient!' I told him that I didn't think that a people who had waited 2,000 years should be described as being 'in a hurry', and he seemed to accept that. 'Don't you understand,' I said, 'that we are your only allies in this region? The others are all your enemies.' 'Yes,' he said, 'I know that. But what can I do? It is not up to me.' So then I said to him: 'You must know that if war is forced upon us, we will fight and we will win.' He sighed and again said 'Yes. I know that. It is your duty to fight. But why don't you wait a few years? Drop your demands for free immigration. I will take over the whole country and you will be represented in my parliament. I will treat you very well and there will be no war.' "I tried to explain to him that his plan was impossible. 'You know all that we have done and how hard we have worked,' I said. 'Do you think we did all that just to be represented in a foreign parliament? You know what we want and to what we aspire. If you can offer us nothing more than you have just done, then there will be a war and we will win it. But perhaps we can meet again- after the war and after there is a Jewish State.'" Remarkable! And when President Truman recognized the new Jewish state hours after the Tel Aviv declaration, the world woke to a new reality. Very few understood the prophetic implications (fewer do now, I'm afraid), but the fact is, God had brought about the very thing He promised to do. Let us celebrate with our Jewish and Israeli friends, and remember when we get down that God always keeps His promises. Never let that thought leave your mind and heart. [email protected] Daily Jot: The Christian quandary-Political Activation - Bill Wilson - www.dailyjot.com There is a good deal of debate among the Christian community about whether Christians should be politically active. One could postulate that because Christians have chosen not to be politically active is the reason our nation is in its current condition. If the nation is 80% Christian and its elected representatives do not adhere to Biblical standards, there is a disconnect. Yet people will complain endlessly about the unethical and immoral representation in government and the moral decline of the nation. Romans 12:21 says, "Be not overcome with evil, but overcome evil with good." In a nation where we are given the right to choose our leadership, we should be choosing good leadership that leads wisely. So, what to do? How do we change the direction of politics in this country? Those who are called to politics should be exercising that calling. The rest of us should be voting for the best candidate. There is an example in the late 1970s and early 1980s that worked really well for Christian involvement in American politics. Christians were able to elect good candidates from the county to state to national levels, including President Ronald Reagan. Christians got involved. They stepped outside the four walls of their churches and took initiative to shape the future of their country. Unfortunately, that passion was not transferred to the next generation of Christian activists. Maybe now is the time. People often ask how do we change the direction of politics? To me, it's going to take hard work and dedication, much the same as the pro-life movement. In politics, it takes organization. Pastors should encourage those with political interests to gather together and work with others from other churches or Christian organizations. If your pastor doesn't want to do that kind of thing, you can take it on yourself if you are so inclined. Get involved at the local committee level. Political party people are always looking for new faces to be involved. Work with your local party committee and get elected to the leadership of the committees. Then you are in a position to recruit and select candidates. Candidate selection and backing is important. In the Reagan years, Christians worked hard to takeover local party committees, then county, then state. They had tough skin because the moderates in the party (establishment people who said they were Christians, but stood for anything that kept them in power) fought tooth and nail to prevent the conservatives from having influence. But persistence paid off and there were many good candidates selected and elected. Christians were winning leadership positions in Congress, and we elected a president. Moreover, I believe many were led to Christ in the process. I will leave you with a quote from Noah Webster, which is representative of many of our Founding Fathers: "I am persuaded that no civil government of a republican form can exist and be durable in which the principles of Christianity have not a controlling influence." Daily Devotion: Can Sadness Be a Good Thing? - by Greg Laurie - www.harvest.org How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? - Hebrews 9:14 Sometimes we have a false idea of how the Bible, even church, should impact us. We want to be blessed but never convicted. We want to be happy but never sad. We want to be inspired and encouraged. We want to walk out of a church service feeling happy. But I don't want you to be happy if you're living in sin. There may need to be a conviction of the Holy Spirit, who will show you what your sin is so that you can repent of it. Then you can walk out of a church service truly happy, because Jesus said, "Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted" (Matthew 5:4 NKJV). The word blessed that Jesus used is interchangeable with the word happy. You could translate this to say, "Happy are the sad, for they will be happy." When the rebuilding of Jerusalem's walls was complete, Ezra read the Word of God to the people. And in Nehemiah 8 we're told that "all the people wept, when they heard the words of the Law" (verse 9 nkjv). As Commentator Warren Wiersbe pointed out, "It is as wrong to mourn when God has forgiven us as it is to rejoice when sin has conquered us." In other words, if you can somehow in your mind rationalize your sin as being okay and have even managed to convince yourself that God is fine with it, then you are in a dangerous spiritual state. You're in danger of getting a hardened heart and a seared conscience. God does not convict us of our sin so He can drive us away in despair. God convicts us of our sin to send us into the open arms of Jesus, who died on the cross to pay for all of our sins. 
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 
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