Prophecy Update Newsletter
IN TODAY'S NEWSLETTER...
Time of the Signs - By Terry James -
https://www.raptureready.com/2019/08/15/time-signs-terry-james/ This generation of passengers on Planet Earth is passing through a corridor John the apostle and prophet called "the last time" (1 John 2:18). More to the point, we are somewhere near the very end of that corridor, and signs the size of billboards are on either side of the broad way that leads the world's inhabitants toward Armageddon. The only way to miss those gargantuan signs, for the true child of God, is to deliberately ignore them, choosing instead to focus on things of this world that perspective hides in the distant blackness. We are, as my good friend Chuck Missler says, in the time of the signs. They are signs so dramatic, so blatant, that the whinnying and violent snorting of the four horses of the apocalypse can almost be heard as they angrily paw the earth with rage, straining to burst to full gallop, determined to carry their death-dealing riders on their missions of globe-shattering devastation. Jesus Christ, the Creator of all things and the One who holds all of creation together (Colossians 1:16-17), gave the signs that would be most prevalent at the time just before His return to earth. These primary signals are found in three of the Gospels: Matthew 24, Mark 13, and Luke 21. We will first look at the Matthew account of the signs He gave for the final generation of human history, just before His second advent. Sign 1: Deceivers who Claim Christ Jesus was directly asked by His disciples: 1) When would the things Jesus prophesied be? 2) What would be the signs of His second coming? and 3) When would be the end of the world? He gave the following answer: "...Take heed that no man deceive you, For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many" (Matt. 24:4-5). Jesus gave "deception" as the first major sign that will alert the spiritually attuned believer that His second coming is near. Jesus, as recorded a few verses later, amplified His words on "deception" that would be manifest at the very end of the age: "And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many" (Matt. 24:11). The Lord begins by saying that Many will come in His name. This means, I think, that these end-times deceivers will claim to come as true believers in Jesus Christ. They will use His holy name to convince the undiscerning that the individuals making the claim are of the Church, the body of Christ. These are those who will be among the individuals Jesus condemned, as recorded in the following Scripture: "But he shall say, I tell you, I know you not whence ye are; depart from me, all [ye] workers of iniquity" (Lk. 13:27). However, this prophecy that Jesus gave as the first sign of the very end of the age goes, I'm convinced, much deeper. These deceivers will be declaring that they, themselves, will be Christ-like, not in the sense of being a true Christian who is a Spirit-filled follower of Jesus Christ, but in the sense that they have powers and abilities like Jesus himself. They will claim to be the special conduit from God, used by the Almighty to read minds, receive special telepathic words from Him upon command, and even to raise the dead. But, it will all be smoke and mirrors. There will not be a single validated case of any of these supposed miraculous activities direct from the portals of heaven to the mortals of Planet Earth. The question to ask, then, while considering the time of the signs and whether we are indeed at the very end of the age as predicted by Jesus is: Do we see today any sign, any indicator, that there are such "deceivers" among us? There have always been deceivers and those specifically claiming to be Jesus Christ. Some have been certifiable lunatics, some have been proven charlatans, and have faded into the darkness of the exposed and deposed. Today, it seems, to me at least, they are announcing their Christ-like powers from the very billboards mentioned earlier-the ones lining either side of that broad way that leads to destruction during these troubling days. We see many of them as glitzy, projected TV images calling the gullible to give their money to special programs they proclaim God has told them about, which can make the members of their audiences healthy, wealthy, and wise beyond their wildest imaginations. These promote the outward-turning message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ only in a minimal way, their messages designed to turn thoughts inward to the feel-good message that God wants them to materially prosper. Viewers are deceived because they can see through glazed, mesmerized eyes that the wealth message certainly works for the rich and famous purveyors of the prosperity gospel. Their desire to obligate the God of heaven to provide overflowing wealth and health, based upon the TV magicians' special formulas for success, make the deluded open their wallets with glee. Paul the apostle's prophetic words ring true for our time: "For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables" (2 Tim. 4:3-4). Others, appearing more sophisticated and high-minded, claim to have Christ within their pontificating, but are turned far from truth found in God's Word. These ecclesiastical elitists fit the mold of false prophets/teachers found in forewarnings of Paul and Peter: List of 2 items: "This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come...For men shall...[have] a form of godliness, but [deny] the power thereof..." (2 Tim. 3:1, 5). "But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction" (2 Pet. 2:1 These, though under the guise of Christian clergy, join the ecumenists who proclaim that there are many ways to God and heaven. By this heresy, they deny the Lord Jesus, who said: "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man cometh to the father, but by me" (Jn. 14:6). Sign 2: Wars and Rumors of Wars The second sign of the very end of the age given by Jesus is in His declaration: "And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: See that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet" (Matt. 24:6). "What is so different about hearing of wars and rumors of war?" one might ask. Such has been part of the human condition since history first began to be recorded. The key to what makes this profoundly different is found in Jesus' words in Matthew 24:21: "For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be." The Lord himself said that the time of the end will be worse than any in history. This declaration, by its very nature, makes the "wars and rumors of wars" He predicts well beyond the norm. We see just how far beyond the norm they will be, as recorded in His next statement: "And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened" (Matt. 24:22). Christ's words indicate something of humankind-ending power. This statement follows His warning of wars and rumors of wars for the very end of the human history timeline that immediately precedes His second advent. All flesh will die if Jesus doesn't return upon His divinely scheduled appointment time! The question naturally emerges: Do we see any such power upon the world scene today? I, perhaps, don't even need to go into answering that-at least not very deeply. That power to destroy all flesh has been on the scene as a major sign of where we are on God's prophetic timeline since 1945. The first atomic bomb test at Alamogordo, New Mexico, flashed that sign across the night desert sky in a stupefying instant. Soon "Little Boy" and "Fat Man" incinerated and blew apart almost 200,000 Japanese citizens of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The hydrogen bomb tests, coupled with intercontinental ballistic missile developments, made the whole world aware that the planet's inhabitants could well be living on borrowed time. These weapons, yielding unfathomable power to destroy, continue to scream from the billboard of forewarning while this generation nears the denouement of the age. Weapons of such horrific magnitude must certainly be the subject of and reason for Jesus' "wars and rumors of wars" sign being issued for the terminal generation. And this prophetic sign must, it follows, because of that world-destroying weaponry being ubiquitous today, refer to our present generation of earth dwellers. Third-World powers and terrorist organizations lust after weapons of mass destruction. Potential for developing atomic weaponry is on the agenda of governments. North Korea, Iran and other nation-states race forward with nuclear programs, defying the international community as the G-8 and others try to prevent World War III. Sign 3: Nations and Kingdoms in Distress The most obvious category given by Jesus that we are in the time of the signs is that involving the geopolitical disposition of nations. No observer of the world scene today who believes that God has told the end from the beginning can look at the way countries are prophetically juxtaposed and not see the end times are upon this generation. Let's look more closely at this third end-times prophecy Jesus put forth while on top of the Mount of Olives, overlooking the Jerusalem of His time while still in His flesh body: "Then said he unto them, Nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom" (Lk. 21:10). The Lord forewarned tremendous ethnic upheaval at the time just before His second advent. We've looked many times at the Greek term used here, translated into the KJV as "nation." The Greek term is ethnos, meaning "ethnic" in English. Jesus said that the end times would be marked by ethnic hatred and strife. "Kingdom" against "kingdom" can be interpreted nation-state entities or countries will be at war or about to go to war. These wars and rumors of war will present unprecedented levels of danger to the peoples that inhabit the "kingdoms," is the implication. We have looked at why this is so. The nuclear and other threats from weaponry of mass destructive capability brings our time to this level of concern. Jesus, when considering the Luke account of His Olivet Discourse, goes on to express this fact in expanding upon the time of the signs: "And there shall be...upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity..." (Lk. 21:25b). Threat of calamitous destruction, should there be all-out nuclear war, is obvious. Worry about such potential catastrophe certainly fits Jesus' prediction of end-times perplexity and distress among the nations. The causes of this Armageddon-like potentiality, however, seem to be now coming into focus. During the Cold War, there seemed little rhyme or reason why kingdom should rise against kingdom and want to destroy each other and the rest of the world with thermonuclear warfare. The unofficial doctrine termed "Mutually Assured Destruction" (MAD), in fact, kept the superpowers, with their potentially world-ending nuclear stockpiles, from doing the unthinkable-attacking each other just for the sake of empire building or stopping empire building. Again, there was no rhyme or reason-at least not enough-that convinced the leaderships of the superpowers to pull the nuclear trigger. Warfare on such a horrific scale was absolutely a no-win scenario for all concerned. The Catalyst Now, in this, our generation's time of the signs, a reason to go to Armageddon-like war might just be in view. The catalyst that just might be a large part of galvanizing the nations of the world into a collective mindset that throws MAD out the window of sanity, thus bringing all into the valley of Jehoshaphat (Joel 3:2), isn't so far-fetched to contemplate. The thirst, thus the lust, for petroleum looks more and more like a potential reason to cause all to gather at Megiddo on the plain of Jezreel. The nations in distress, with perplexity, exactly describes the industrialized nation-states of Planet Earth while they scramble to secure for themselves the black liquid gold that can fire their engines of wealth production. While there is talk of alternative fuels, none of practical development and implementation looks to be in view for decades ahead. The oil-rich Middle East is the logical place to look first in the attempt to secure energy-producing fuels. Oil in the region surrounding God's chosen nation, Israel, is the quickest, most accessible such arena of supply. The Nations in this Time of the Signs The alignment of the nations pertinent to Bible prophecy, as they are presently positioned and are dynamically rearranging, are eerily similar to the configuration Jesus and the Bible prophets forecast for the time just before Christ's return to put a stop to Armageddon, and to prevent the end of all flesh on Planet Earth. Rosh (Russia) sits due north of Jerusalem. The nation who will produce the evil leader called "Gog," those of us who hold to pre-trib rapture eschatology believe, struggles internally and externally to become again a superpower to rival the United States. To do this, that prophetic nation will need energy to fire the engines of its industrial base. Iran, the area where ancient Persia largely sat, is in the throes of international turmoil while it seems inalterably determined to produce nuclear weapons. At the same time, it is allying in many ways with Russia, in keeping with the Ezekiel 38 and 39 prophecy that foretells its joining forces with Gog to attack over the mountains toward Israel. All the while, its leader declares his desire is to erase all Jews from the Middle East. Nations of the area of the ancient Roman Empire have put aside centuries of disputes and warring to form a reviving Roman Empire. The EU looks more and more to fit the prophetic Daniel 9:26-27 template in a way that can be denied only by those who refuse to acknowledge that Bible prophecy is to be interpreted as literal. The great dragon nation, China, is perhaps the oil-thirstiest of all of the industrial giants. The prophetic scenario is not difficult to embrace that this behemoth, which by itself could field the astonishing, prophetically stipulated 200-million-troop force, will move toward the Middle East at some point yet future. Despite recent attempts to slow the use of petroleum a degree, this emerging industrial titan, with its one-and-a-half-billion people, looks to be developing into becoming the king of the kings of the East of Revelation 9 and 16. Modern Israel, the greatest sign in this time of signs, is positioned almost precisely where the prophet Zechariah foretold, as recorded in Zechariah 12:1-3. Most all of the distressed, perplexed nations of the world seem focused on God's chosen people as the key to war and peace in the Middle East, thus the key to world peace. Again, modern Israel sits at the center of the region where the planet's greatest pools of petroleum reside beneath what the world calls the Holy Land. It is a land destined for man's most destructive war, then to become the heart of Christ's glorious 1,000-year kingdom. Is the Palestinian Authority Preparing for a New Intifada? - by Bassam Tawil - https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/14730/palestinian-authority-new-intifada The Palestinian Authority (PA) spent the Muslim feast of Eid al-Adha this week inciting against Israel because of Jewish visits to the Temple Mount, or Haram al-Sharif in Arabic, in Jerusalem. The site is also sacred to Jews and Christians: it is where the First and Second Temples had stood before being destroyed by the Babylonians in 587 BCE and by the Romans in 70 CE. (The Western Wall, or so-called Wailing Wall, sacred to Jews, an ancient retaining wall of the Temple Mount, is all that remains of them.) Depicting the peaceful visits as "incursions by Jewish settlers and extremists," PA officials and media outlets accused the Israeli government of repeatedly carrying out "provocations and assaults against holy sites in Jerusalem, particularly Al-Aqsa Mosque." Mahmoud Habbash, religious affairs adviser to PA President Mahmoud Abbas, went as far as describing the Jews visiting the Temple Mount as "terrorists." Habbash, who also serves as Supreme Shari'a Judge, also accused the Jewish visitors of "defiling the Haram al-Sharif and provoking the feelings of Muslims." He further appealed to all Muslims to "defend Al-Aqsa Mosque against Israeli conspiracies and barbaric violations." Habbash was echoing Abbas's notorious statement that Palestinians won't allow Jews with their "filthy feet" to "defile our Al-Aqsa Mosque." Abbas's statement came during a meeting with a group of Palestinians from east Jerusalem in his office in the West Bank city of Ramallah. Abbas even encouraged Palestinians to engage in violence by saying: "We bless every drop of blood that has been spilled for Jerusalem, which is clean and pure blood, blood spilled for Allah, Allah willing. Every shahid (martyr) will reach Paradise, and everyone wounded will be rewarded by Allah. We will do everything in our power to protect Jerusalem." A few days after Abbas made his statement in September 2015, Palestinians launched the "Knife Intifada" against Israel - which included a wave of terror perpetrated by individuals inspired by vicious incitement in the Palestinian media and urged on by Palestinian leaders. In the first 12 months of the terror attacks, mostly by stabbings and car-rammings, 40 Israelis were killed. The PA government, headed by Prime Minister Mohammed Shtayyeh, has also joined the anti-Israel campaign of incitement and praised Palestinian rioters who clashed with Israeli security forces at the Temple Mount on the first day of Eid al-Adha. The rioters, who were trying to stop Jews from touring the holy site, threw rocks and chairs at policemen guarding the visitors. Shtayyeh's government said that the rioters were seeking to thwart Israeli schemes to "Judaize Jerusalem in the face of organized state terrorism." Needless to say, none of the Jews visiting the Temple Mount was involved in violence or any kind of "provocation." The only violence that took place at the holy site came from Palestinians, who attacked the policemen with stones and chairs and hurled insults at the Jewish visitors. The PA's rivals, Hamas and Islamic Jihad, which occupy the Gaza Strip, in response to the Jewish visits, called for "escalating the Intifada (uprising) against Israel. When Hamas and Islamic Jihad talk about "escalating the Intifada," they are actually urging Palestinians to carry out various forms of terror attacks against Israel. The two groups are responsible for thousands of terror attacks against Israel in the past few decades. Let this be made unquestionably clear: the PA leadership's incitement and the threats by Hamas and Islamic Jihad to step up terror attacks against Israel could trigger another wave of terrorism like the "Knife Intifada." By describing any Jew who visits the Temple Mount as an "extremist settler," the Palestinian leaders are sending a message to their people that the peaceful Jewish visitors are legitimate targets -- and that it is open season on them. By calling the visits "incursions" and "raids," the Palestinians are trying to create the false impression that Jews are violently storming an Islamic holy site. The Arabic word Palestinians use to describe the visits: Iktiham (storm or break in). This rhetoric is meant to imply that the "extremist settlers" are carrying out a violent action against innocent Palestinians and their holy sites, thus signaling the Palestinians to rise to defend themselves and their mosque. In the eyes of Palestinian leaders, Jews are always the "aggressors," while Palestinians are the perpetual "victims." Consider this: in the Palestinian lexicon, a Jew peacefully touring the Temple Mount is an "aggressor," while a Palestinian who throws stones and chairs at police officers and abuses the visitors is the real "victim." This is the image Abbas, Hamas and Islamic Jihad are seeking to create in the minds of their people and the rest of the world. Why do Palestinians always refer to the Jewish visitors as "settlers"? Because they falsely assume that most religious Jews live in West Bank settlements -- as opposed to Haifa, Ashdod or other Israeli cities, or are affiliated, in one way or another, with settlers. Palestinians regularly refer to settlers as "illegal colonizers" and "herds of colonizers and extremists" as a way of delegitimizing them and justifying terror attacks against these Jews. It is the Palestinian way of saying: "We have the right to murder these Jews because they are illegal colonizers living on our land." In the eyes of Palestinian leaders, the Jews visiting the Temple Mount are not only "extremists," but also "terrorists" -- supposedly like the Israeli government and its leaders -- and not like the Palestinians who attack the policemen and Jews during those visits. Against this backdrop of whipped-up incitement, the next murder of a Jew is no longer a matter of whether it will take place, but rather when. It is this type of rabble-rousing and fabrications by Palestinian leaders that drives terrorists to set out on their mission of murdering the first Jew they see. Palestinians leaders are masters in condemning and delegitimizing Israel and Jews. They have specialized in this behavior for decades. Yet, when it comes to denouncing crimes committed against their own people by their Arab brothers, Palestinian leaders are happy to look the other way. As Abbas and his officials were busy issuing one poisonous statement after another against Israel in the past week, a report released by the Action Group for Palestinians of Syria revealed that 250 Palestinian children have been killed in Syria since the beginning of the civil war in 2011. According to the report, 128 children died under shelling; 15 were fatally shot by snipers; 11 were gunned down; two children were tortured to death; 22 drowned at sea while fleeing Syria; 22 others were killed in car explosions, and 35 died due to the blockade and medical neglect. Another 14 children died of other causes, including burns, suffocation, run-over accidents, and abduction. The group pointed out that the total number of Palestinians killed in Syria since 2011 now stands at 3,989. Where is the outrage from Palestinian leaders in the West Bank and Gaza Strip about that? It is reserved for a Jew peacefully visiting the Temple Mount. For them, such visits are far more important than 250 Palestinian children killed in any Arab country. this sums up the Palestinian leaders' attitude -- ruinous disregard for the lives of their own children, and malign intentions for the Jews and their children. IRAN is in Ezekiel 38, but why NOT their PROXIES? - Bill Salus - http://www.prophecydepotministries.net/2018/iran-is-in-ezekiel-38-but-why-not-their-proxies/ Why are Syria, Hezbollah, Hamas and the Houthis MISSING IN ACTION? Ezekiel 38:5 lists Persia, renamed Iran in 1935, as a member of the Magog coalition that invades Israel in the latter days. Persia, Ethiopia, and Libya are with them, (Magog Coalition), all of them with shield and helmet. (Ezekiel 38:5) The fifty-two verses in Ezekiel 38-39 provide some of the most literally descriptive predictions within the entire Bible. It identifies the invaders, their motives, their defeats, the Lord's divine intervention and purposes and the sequence of aftermath events. The focus of this article is the identification of WHO IS and WHO IS NOT, part of Ezekiel 38-39. WHO IS PART OF THE EZEKIEL 38 PROPHECY? Ezekiel 38 and 39 involves at least fourteen participants in the prophecy. They are; 1.) The Victor: God. 2.) The (intended) Victim: Israel. 3.) The Invaders: Magog, Meshech, Tubal, Persia, Ethiopia, Libya, Gomer, and Togarmah. (Refer to the Ezekiel 38 map image to find out the consensus of the modern-day equivalents of the Magog coalition). 4.) The Protestors: Sheba, Dedan, the merchants of Tarshish and their Young Lions. The prophecy informs that, in the latter years the invaders will attack Israel to capture plunder and booty. They covet Israel's economic prosperity and conspire militarily to confiscate this livelihood as part of their spoils of war. As the victor, the Lord, not the IDF or America, prevents this from occurring by utilizing supernatural means to defeat these invaders. These miraculous events are described in Ezekiel 38:18-39:6. Meanwhile, as the epic event unfolds, the protestors complain about the evil intentions of the invaders. Their protests are lodged in the questions in Ezekiel 38:13 quoted below. "Sheba, Dedan, the merchants of Tarshish, and all their young lions will say to you, 'Have you come to take plunder? Have you gathered your army to take booty, to carry away silver and gold, to take away livestock and goods, to take great plunder?" (Ezekiel 38:13) Ultimately, after the invaders are conquered, Israel graduates from being the intended victim and instead becomes the resultant benefactor. The modern-day equivalents of these protestors today are commonly understood and taught to be; 1. Sheba: Yemen, where the Iranian proxies, the Houthis, exist today. 2. Dedan: Saudi Arabia and perhaps parts of the Gulf Cooperative Council (GCC) Arab Gulf States. 3. Tarshish: Either the UK or Spain. 4. Young Lions: Either the colonies that came from the UK, namely North America, or the offshoots of Spain, mainly the Latin American countries. (In my book entitled, The Now Prophecies, I explain why the "Tarshish" is likely the UK and their "Young Lions" seems to be America. WHO IS NOT PART OF THE EZEKIEL 38 PROPHECY Having identified WHO IS part of the action in Ezekiel 38-39, now let's observe who appears to be MISSING IN ACTION (MIA). The emphasis is put upon Iran and its present proxies, who are, Hezbollah, Syria, Hamas and the Houthis. Iran also has a burgeoning presence within Iraq. THE HOUTHIS Iran-aligned Houthis in Yemen fire missiles at Saudi capital - Reuters 5/8/18 "Yemen's Houthis fired a salvo of ballistic missiles at Saudi Arabia's capital on Wednesday - an attack Saudi authorities said they intercepted in the skies over Riyadh. The assault took place a day after Saudi Arabia's top Western ally the United States pulled out of a deal with Iran over its disputed nuclear program and could signal an uptick in tensions between Riyadh and regional rival Tehran." The Houthis are busy helping Iran spread its hegemony throughout the Middle East. Some suspect the Houthis, who were given missiles by Iran, are testing the proficiency of these missiles, by using Saudi Arabia as a punching bag. The purpose in part, is to confirm that Hezbollah's 150,000 Iranian provided missiles will be effective against a war with Israel. At the very least, it is observable that the Houthis in Yemen are currently enemies of the Saudis. Yet, in Ezekiel 38:13, we see that Yemen, as Sheba, and Saudi Arabia, as Dedan, are aligned together protesting Iran's participation in the Magog invasion of Israel. The glaring question is: "Why is Yemen not included among the Magog invaders?" The probable answer is that something adverse happens to the Houthis before Ezekiel 38, that eliminates them as an affective proxy of Iran. HEZBOLLAH Iran hails 'victory against Israel' by its proxy Hezbollah in Lebanon elections - Times of Israel 5/8/18 "A senior Iranian official on Tuesday hailed the "victory" of the Hezbollah terrorist group in Lebanese elections as a success in the "fight against Israel" and the United States." Hezbollah is a major threat to Israel. Estimates are that they have about 150,000 advanced missiles pointed at a bank of strategic Israeli targets. Some analysts suspect that when Iran gives its Hezbollah proxy the green light to war against Israel, that with the amount of launchers they have, could launch 1000 missiles per day into the Jewish state. Yet, we see no resemblance of Hezbollah mentioned among the Ezekiel invaders. Hezbollah hails from Lebanon, and if they were part of the Ezekiel prophecy, they would likely be identified by the biblical names for Lebanon, which are Lebanon, Tyre, Sidon, or Gebal. None of these names are listed in Ezekiel 38, however, Tyre and Gebal are listed in the Psalm 83 prophecy. The question is: "Why isn't Lebanon, Tyre, Sidon or Gebal listed alongside Persia in Ezekiel 38:1-6?" In his forty-eight chapters Ezekiel refers to these places at least twenty-times, but not even an honorable mention in Ezekiel 38-39. Additionally, perplexing, is the fact that Ezekiel 38:15 and 39:2 specify that the Magog invaders attack from the North of Israel, which is the actual geographic location of Hezbollah in Lebanon. Perhaps like the Houthis, Hezbollah has something crippling happen to this terrorist group that eliminates it from the Magog invasion. SYRIA Israel strikes Iranian targets in Syria after rocket fire - Reuters 5/9/18 "It was the heaviest Israeli barrage in Syria since the 2011 start of the civil war in which Iranians, allied Shi'ite Muslim militias and Russian troops have deployed in support of President Bashar al-Assad. The confrontation came two days after the United States announced its withdrawal, with Israel's urging, from a nuclear accord with Iran." Iran has been instrumental in supporting President Bashar al-Assad of Syria throughout the Syrian revolution. Yet, there is no mention of Syria, Assyria, Damascus, Hamath or Arpad among the Magog Invaders. These are the biblical names for modern-day Syria. Ezekiel alludes to these names at least twelve times in his forty-eight chapters, but not once in Ezekiel 38. However, Assyria shows up in the Psalm 83 prophecy. Damascus is destroyed in the prophecies within Isaiah 17, and Damascus, Hamath and Arpad are the subjects of Jeremiah 49:23-27. "Why isn't Syria listed alongside Iran in Ezekiel 38?" Is it because Damascus gets destroyed in Isaiah 17 beforehand? HAMAS HAMAS AND IRAN CLOSEST THEY'VE BEEN SINCE SYRIAN WAR, SENIOR OFFICIAL SAYS - Jerusalem Post 3/28/18 As this Jerusalem Post headline points out, Hamas is another Iranian proxy terrorist group. Hamas is located in the ancient biblical lands of Philistia or Gaza among other names. Although Philistia is identified in Psalm 83:7, it is nowhere to be found in Ezekiel 38-39. "Why not?" Is it because Psalm 83 finds fulfillment prior to Ezekiel 38? Is that also why Hezbollah and Assyria are not part of Ezekiel 38. All three of these Iranian proxies today, were aligned together in the 3000-year old prophecy of Psalm 83. They have said, "Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation, That the name of Israel may be remembered no more." For they have consulted together with one consent; They form a confederacy against You: The tents of Edom and the Ishmaelites; Moab and the Hagrites; Gebal, Ammon, and Amalek; Philistia with the inhabitants of Tyre; Assyria also has joined with them; They have helped the children of Lot. (Psalm 83:4-8) DOES PSALM 83 PRECEDE EZEKIEL 38? IS THAT WHY THESE IRANIAN PROXIES ARE MISSING IN ACTION IN THE EZEKIEL 38-39 PROPHECIES? For more information about this possibility, read my article entitled, "Psalm 83 or Ezekiel 38, Which is the Next Middle East News Headline." Below is a map of the Inner Circle of the Psalm 83 confederacy. These are Israel's notorious enemies. Compare this to the Outer Ring map above of the Ezekiel 38 coalition, who have never been Israel's historical enemies. REVEALING IRAN'S DOUBLE JEOPARDY Many of you may not recognize that Iran is the subject of two latter days prophecies. Jeremiah 49:34-39, which identifies Iran as Elam and Ezekiel 38:5, which mentions Iran as Persia. The map below identifies these two ancient territories as part of modern-day Iran. The Jeremiah Elam prophecy, in my estimation, appears to be dealing with Iran's present nuclear scenario, and I believe it could happen NOW! Take My Hand, Precious Lord - By Dennis Huebshman - https://www.raptureready.com/2019/08/15/take-hand-precious-lord-dennis-huebshman/ Unless someone has been on another planet for the past few years, it should be obvious the whole world is changing direction, and not going the right way. The hate from the liberal left is growing stronger day by day, and the majority of it is being directed toward anything Christian or Jewish. Further, it's all prophesied in the Bible. (any emphasis mine) The worst part of all this is, that even evangelical Christianity is turning around and going away from pure biblical teaching. The mode of today is, "Make me feel good." "Give me messages that tell me what a good person I am, and don't bring up anything negative like sin." "Entertain me with humorous stories, upbeat music, and tell me that just because I'm at every service, I am guaranteed a spot in heaven." There really is no hell. We all worship the same god. Jesus was just a good prophet. Because the "Jews" killed Him, they're out of the eternal picture. The Bible is out-of-date, and the abominations in it are ancient history as well. Now for a reality check: Malachi 3:6, "For I, the Lord do not change; therefore, you, O children of Jacob (Jews) are not consumed." Hebrews 13:8, "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever." 1 Peter 1:24-25, "For all flesh is like grass, and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls, but the Word of the Lord remains forever. And this Word is the good news that was preached to you." Finally, don't forget the warnings in Revelation 22:18-19 about "adding to or taking away anything from" the Word of God's book. It's no wonder that there are so many people that feel as if their lives are hopeless. Satan is gaining speed in his promoting confusion and doubt; and there are more and more falling because of this garbage. What we should see is that his time here is getting short, and he's getting desperate. He's pressing his followers (demons, antichrists and false prophets) to increase the rhetoric to draw souls away from the Holy Trinity (Father, Son and Holy Spirit). He knows every trick possible to get even the most devout Christians to have doubts and fall. Jesus is not surprised by any of this, and told us what the attitude would be during the times of the end. Matthew 24:9-12, "Then they will deliver you up to tribulation, and put you to death; and you will be hated by all nations for My name's sake. And then, many will fall away, and betray one another, and hate one another. And many false prophets will arise, and lead many astray. And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold." Sounds as if He were reading from today's headlines. To see even more, read Paul's words to Timothy in 2 Timothy 3. Every one of the traits is very visible in today's world. How can the true believer begin to combat this? It's enough to test even the strongest in their faith, and if they listen to the world, they might start having serious doubts. Kris Kristofferson wrote a song in 1972 that is very prevalent today: "Why Me Lord?" For the one who does not have solid footing with the Lord, this question may come up. What's so special about me, who has "wasted it so"? How can I ever be forgiven for what I've done? The chorus of the song expresses it quite well: "Lord Help Me, Jesus, I've wasted it so; Help Me Jesus; I know what I am. But now that I know that I've needed You so, Help Me, Jesus, My Soul's in Your Hand." Very powerful words that apply especially in today's atmosphere. (More about this song in a future message - Lord Willing.) First and foremost, we need to realize we are all sinners (Romans 3:23); and, without a Savior, we are lost. We need to call out to the Savior and confess that we need Him in our lives to save us. We must have faith in His promise and accept the free gift He gave us, which was paid in full at Calvary. We must literally put our souls in His hands. When we call out to Him, we will be saved (Joel 2:32; Acts 2:21 and Romans 10:13). We need to read His words from a true version of the Bible daily to seek His guidance. Okay, we've turned our lives over to the Lord, and are determined to live for Him from that moment on. That's all there is to it - Right?? Not even close. We've accepted Him today, and are bound and determined to stay with Him. This is when Satan and his crew start their vicious attacks. They don't go after the ones they know are totally theirs, but try to steal away the souls of any who profess to belong to the Lord. On our own, we are on a course for absolute failure, and will not be able to withstand all the fiery darts that are thrown at us constantly. Anyone who believes they can battle Satan without Jesus is going to lose. Going back to 1932, Thomas Dorsey (not one of the Dorsey Brothers of the Big Band era) was in a band, and was very much into his religion. His father was a Baptist minister in Georgia, and Thomas' early teachings stayed with him. He was called from his home in Chicago to sing at a revival in St. Louis. His wife Nettie Harper was very pregnant, and stayed home. On the first night of the revival, Thomas received a telegram that his wife had died in childbirth, and he returned to Chicago. Ms. Nettie had delivered a baby boy who also died the next day. Brother Dorsey was totally filled with grief. At this point, many would have turned away from anything that had to do with religion, blame God for their hurt, and go into a deep, bitter depression. Brother Dorsey was with a friend in his home, and he was sitting at the piano just playing a tune. Over and over again, he said, "Blessed Lord; Blessed Lord; Blessed Lord!" The friend was listening and suggested that Thomas might make it "Precious Lord," and the words came flowing out. This was the birth of a Christian Gospel Standard that many many people have recorded. The first recording was in 1937 by the Heavenly Gospel Singers. Today, it is translated in over 40 languages. Consider the message in this beautiful call out to the Savior. By the way, Thomas Dorsey's version with him singing this song is on YouTube. 1.) When my way grows drear, Precious Lord, linger near, when my life is almost gone. Hear my cry, hear my call, hold my hand lest I fall; take my hand, Precious Lord, lead me Home. c.) Precious Lord, take my hand; lead me on, let me stand. I am tired, I am weak, I am worn. Through the storm, through the night, lead me on to the light; take my hand, Precious Lord, lead me Home. 2.) When the darkness appears, and the night draws near, and the day is past and gone. At the river I stand; guide my feet, hold my hand; take my Hand, Precious Lord, lead me Home. (c.) This song was a favorite of Dr. Martin Luther King, and Mahalia Jackson sang it at his funeral. Later, Aretha Franklin sang it for Mahalia at Mahalia's funeral. There are numerous recordings of this inspirational song including one by Elvis Presley. My personal favorites are sung by Jim Reeves and Carroll Roberson. The lyrics are telling Jesus we absolutely need Him and ask for His protection from all life's troubles. Jesus said we would have tribulations in this world, but through Him we would have peace as He has overcome the world (John 16:33). He knows we are "tired, weak and worn." We tell Him the only way we can make it through our issues is for Him to lead us all the way, and right up until we are finally with Him. That day is soon coming when we will hear His call, hear the trumpet/shofar, and rise up to meet Him in the air (Rapture). In the meantime, we must rely on Him for our strength. We can talk to Him (prayer) at any time and know He is there listening to us. His word gives us all we need to have a true and everlasting relationship with our Savior. Consider reading John 3:16-18; John 10; John 14:6; Acts 4:12; Romans 5:8; Romans 6:8-11; Romans 10:9-13 and Ephesians 2:8-9 to get started. Be sure to ask that the Holy Spirit would enlighten you with understanding, to make the passages even more personal. After all, when God gave us His love letter, He had you and me in mind. This world is not going to get any better, but we don't have to sink with it. His flock will be on that straight and narrow way (Matthew 7:13-14), walking hand-in hand with the Lord. We will slip and fall, as we're human. He has even given us the way to forgiveness in 1 John 1:8-10. He is never too busy to hear from each and every one of us. Take My Hand, Precious Lord; Lead Me Home! Shalom 'b Yeshua! Daily Jot: Prophetic trend of the week - Bill Wilson - www.dailyjot.com 2 Timothy 3:13 says, "But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived." This is a prophecy by the Apostle Paul about how in the latter days perilous times shall come. This week certainly was an example of how evil men and seducers are waxing worse. On Thursday, for example, 2020 Democratic Presidential candidate Senator Amy Klobuchar (MN) said that Israel shouldn't ban visits by Congresswomen Ilhan Omar (D-MN) and Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) for their anti-Semitism, and then blamed President Donald Trump for "literally exporting intolerance." This tying together ills of society and projecting them onto Trump rather than offering legitimate solutions was an ongoing trend this week. During CNN's "Situation Room" Monday, Representative Denny Heck (D-WA) said, "the president hates all immigrants, except his mother- and father-in-law and his wife, evidently. He hates them whether they're here without documents, they're here with a green card, they're here seeking asylum. He hates them all." On Monday's broadcast of MSNBC's "All In," 2020 presidential candidate former HUD Secretary and former San Antonio Mayor Julián Castro (D) said, "this administration is not just against undocumented immigrants, it's also against legal immigrants...And it goes back to what he's displayed from the beginning of his political career, from birtherism, to the way he started his campaign, to those comments about the Mexican-American judge, to his comments about Ilhan Omar and her colleagues. He wants a whiter, wealthier nation." Presidential candidate Senator Kamala Harris (D-CA) Sunday said Trump, "has been fueling the flames of hate. I said recently on the issue of El Paso...when people ask me is he responsible for these killings? Well no he obviously didn't pull the trigger, but he's sure been tweeting out the ammunition." Breitbart reports that another Democratic presidential frontrunner, Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) claimed Trump wants citizens to blame people of color for all their failures in life, Warren said, "Blame people who aren't the same color as you. Blame people who don't sound like you. Blame people who weren't born where you were born. Blame people who don't worship like you. Blame them. And that is his message." Warren concluded, "And he thinks if he can stir up people against people, keep people fighting each other enough, then nobody will notice who's actually picking their pockets. And that the folks at the top are just getting richer and richer and richer, just scraping more and more of the wealth for themselves." But this is exactly what these people have done all along. They stir up strife by blaming others for it, all the while enriching themselves with money and power through their congressional votes. All week long, Americans have heard the "hate" claims against Trump. They wax worse and worse, to the point one has to suspend disbelief to believe them. Truly a prophetic time where truth is claimed as a lie, and lies are held as truth. Daily Devotion: The Lasting Effects of a Godly Life -by Greg Laurie - www.harvest.org So be careful how you live. Don't live like fools, but like those who are wise. Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days. - Ephesians 5:15-16 There are times when one of the best things to do to engage a nonbeliever is to just listen for a while and get to know them a little better. Then when the Holy Spirit prompts you to speak up about your faith, speak up. In the book of Esther we read that she "had not told anyone of her nationality and family background, because Mordecai had directed her not to do so" (Esther 2:10 NLT). Some would say that she should have identified herself as a Jew, and by not doing so she was effectively compromising her faith. There's some merit to that argument, but there are some flaws in it as well, because sometimes you should speak up, and sometimes you should be quiet. The problem with some Christians is they're always talking about their faith but don't back it up with their lifestyle. You might be surprised to hear me say this, but I think some Christians speak up too much. They feel they have to give a complete presentation of the gospel to everyone they meet. It's this constant drone, and it isn't the best way to do evangelism. One of the great secrets of Billy Graham's effectiveness was that he not only was a great preacher, but he also was a great Christian. He backed up his words with personal integrity. He loved his wife and children, and he was a humble man. That gave him even greater effectiveness in his ministry, because he never contradicted it with his lifestyle. It's a huge plus for the church when Christians live godly lives. They work hard and with integrity. They're faithful to their spouses and keep their marriages together. Or, if they're single, they don't have sex before marriage. That's a great testimony. Do that. Be that. 
FROM THE HEART
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