Prophecy Update Newsletter
IN TODAY'S NEWSLETTER...
What Does It All Mean? - Jonathan Brentner -
https://www.jonathanbrentner.com/https/jonathan-brentner-g8fgsquarespacecom/config/2020/8/31/what-does-it-all-mean Last week, I watched much of the Republican National Convention. I felt inspired as I heard several life stories of those who love both Jesus and our nation. The speakers from every walk of life reminded us that President Trump loves the United States as well as all its people regardless of their race or status. Those sharing experiences of their encounters with the President decimated the false narrative of the media that portrays him as a racist and a hateful person. I felt a bit of optimism for America should President Trump win a second term this fall. However, the stirring stories of everyday Americans stand in stark contrast to what we witnessed on the streets of the United States at the same time. I will start with the violent thugs who bullied those leaving the White House grounds after the President's speech. The unruly mob harassed people with bullhorns and obscene jesters and attempted an attack on Senator Rand Paul who credits the Capital Police with saving his life. I felt much disgust as I watched videos of these hooded and vile rioters targeting people as they walked to their cars. In Kenosha, Wisconsin, Marxist anarchists burned down businesses and churches in the name of "justice." Despite claiming to care about the lives of black people, they destroyed countless businesses owned by black people and burned a church that outwardly proclaimed its loyalty to Black Lives Matter. They destroyed the lives of many people regardless of their race or political affiliation. The week ended with the killing of a Trump supporter in Portland, Oregon that drew cheers from the Black Lives Matter and Antifa crowd. How do we reconcile these diverse scenes? On the one hand, we saw a firm stand for liberty, the life of the unborn, and the preservation of our freedoms. At the same time, we witnessed demonic outbursts of hatred, murder, and violence fully intent at destroying our way of life and God-given rights. What does this clash of conflicting worldviews mean for the days ahead? Will this soon change the lives of everyone on the planet? THE RESTRAINER REMAINS ACTIVE As I struggled last week to put these conflicting pieces together, 2 Thessalonians 2:1-12 came to mind. In these verses we see the same opposing forces that I see at work in the United States. Satan is the driving forces behind the "mystery of lawlessness" (v. 7) that has continued from the time of the Apostle Paul until its current manifestation on our streets. This passage reminds us that the growing anarchy we see in our world will lead to the rise of the one Paul refers to as the "lawless one" who will someday proclaim himself to be "God" and defile the future Jewish temple in Jerusalem. The work of the Holy Spirit also helps us understand where we are at today. He is the "restrainer" (vv. 7-9) who now holds back the appearance of the one who will someday embody the rampant lawlessness and wickedness of our day. Satan cannot unveil his man, the antichrist, until after the current restraining work of the Holy Spirit ends. While we witness anarchy and wickedness growing exponentially, we also see the Holy Spirit at work drawing people to the Savior in large numbers and turning the eyes of a multitude of saints upward in anticipation of Jesus' imminent return. As the words of 2 Thessalonians 2:1-12 come ever so close to reaching fulfillment, it's not surprising that we see evidence of the Holy Spirit's work in changing the lives of so many in our world at the same time as lawlessness grows at an ever accelerating pace. THE RAPTURE WILL CHANGE EVERYTHING Without question, I believe Paul's words in 2 Thessalonians 2:1-7 tell us that the Lord will remove the Holy Spirit's restraining influence when He takes His church out of the world. This means the rapture must happen before the Lord allows Satan to install his man at the helm of the coming New World Order or what the World Economic Forum refers to as the Great Reset. The rapture will change everything in regard to the current dynamic between the demonic forces of evil seeking to destroy our world and the convicting work of the Holy Spirit working in the hearts of countless millions. Without His restraint, Satan will bring his many to power and wreak much more havoc on the world that we currently see. I do not know who will prevail in the November 3 election in America or what lies ahead for my country. I pray that the rapture happens soon; I see this as the best outcome for the fall although I fully realize that the Lord may tarry for a while longer. I believe violence and lawlessness will grow despite who wins on November 3. I know that when Jesus returns for His bride, the world will suddenly become a dark and foreboding place with the devil able to move forward with his agenda to bring the antichrist to power. WHY DO I BELIEVE THE RAPTURE IS SO CLOSE? If you saw the optimistic spirit of the Republican National Convention last week, you might question why I believe the tribulation is so close and with it the rapture that must occur before it. If President Trump wins the coming election, won't life return to normal? It's the convergence of a myriad of biblically prophetic signs combined with the unabated wickedness and violence I see particularly in America that tell me the rapture must happen soon. Eventually, the forces that seek to subject the world to the totalitarian world government of the tribulation will prevail, perhaps in the not too distant future. The fact that we now see so much lawlessness and unrelenting evil at the same time as the Holy Spirit changes many lives tells me we are on the brink of seeing the words of 2 Thessalonians 2:1-12 come to full fruition. Yes, there is revival in many places in America, but it has not yet impacted the vile practice of abortion. While we see some progress in the war against sex trafficking on a national level, the very same powerful forces that seek to destroy America also promote this wickedness along with pedophilia and its related worship of Satan. The vivid preview of 2 Thessalonians 2:11 also tells me the rapture must be close. There Paul wrote, "Therefore God sends them a strong delusion, so that they my believe what is false" (2 Thess. 2:11). For me, this verse explains much of what I see. So many people appear incapable of recognizing truth or of understanding the times in which we live. WHAT DOES IT ALL MEAN? What does it mean? How do we reconcile the optimism and positive spirit of the Republican Convention with violence, lawlessness, and extreme wickedness around us? One the one hand, the vulgar and threatening behavior of the Marxist thugs after the President's speech remind us that we live in a time when the battle between Satan and the Lord has spilled over into this world as never before in history. Multi-billionaire globalists remain intent of bringing the world under their jurisdiction and have powerful, influential allies in the media and in leadership position in America and all across the world. They will continue facilitating violence and lawlessness in hopes of weakening America to the point where they can implement their demonic inspired agenda. On the other hand, we can rest assured that until the Lord comes for us, the Holy Spirit will keep the antichrist in the shadows of our world, continue to bring people to a saving faith in Jesus, and remind those saints who pay attention to prophecy that Jesus is indeed coming soon. Rest assured that Satan can do absolutely nothing to diminish our "blessed hope" in the imminent appearing of Jesus (Titus 2:11-14). After the tribulation, we will ride victoriously with our Lord and King as He returns to setup His kingdom on the earth and rule over the nations that now despise and reject Him. The verse that has remained a source of much comfort throughout 2020 is Psalm 46:10, "Be still, and know that I am God. / I will be exalted among the nations, / I will be exalted in the earth!" Although this is a simple verse to memorize, I often turn to it in my Bible and then read Psalm 47 that further describes the coming glorious reign of our Savior. God's sovereignty remains a blessed refuge for my soul as our world hurls toward the tribulation at a frightening pace. So yes, it remains difficult to for me to reconcile the optimism for America I see in many places with the powerful forces that seek to destroy our freedoms and subject us to the slavery of Socialism. However, I know that God is sovereign over all that we now see in our world and someday soon we will be with Him in glory. Trump's Abraham Accords Brings True Sons of Ishmael to Temple Mount as Prophesied in Zohar - Adam Berkowitz - https://www.israel365news.com/157777/how-uae-peace-deal-brings-temple-mount-prophecy-life/ "As for the son of the slave-woman, I will make a nation of him, too, for he is your seed." Genesis 21:13 (The Israel BibleTM) The agreement to normalize relations between the United Arab Emirates and Israel has raised the unprecedented possibility that in the near future, large numbers of Muslim pilgrims will be coming to pray on the Temple Mount. Ironically, the Israeli government is welcoming them with open arms but the Palestinian religious leadership has already issued a Fatwa (religious ruling) banning Muslims from countries that have signed agreements with Israel from entering the silver-domed al-Aqsa Mosque. Though essentially an agreement concerning political and economic considerations, the agreement relates directly to the Temple Mount. "As set forth in the Vision for Peace, all Muslims who come in peace may visit and pray at the Al Aqsa Mosque, and Jerusalem's other holy sites should remain open for peaceful worshippers of all faiths," the agreement states. This is also true of Trump's "deal of the century" peace plan concerning relations between the Palestinians and Israel. "People of every faith should be permitted to pray on the Temple Mount/Haram al-Sharif, in a manner that is fully respectful to their religion, taking into account the times of each religion's prayers and holidays, as well as other religious factors," the Peace to Prosperity plan states. Despite these proclamations, the Palestinian insistence on maintaining a hostile exclusivity at the site is the main obstacle to bringing about the Temple Mount's prophesied role as a house of prayer for all nations. In a direct and immediate response to the UAE agreement, the Mufti of Jerusalem, Sheikh Muhammad Hussein, issued a Fatwa declaring that Muslim citizens of the UAE will not be permitted to pray at al-Aqsa Mosque. Dubbed the Abraham Accords, the UAE agreement has Biblical roots as well as end-of-days implications. Rabbi Nachman Kahana noted that this agreement would bring the Bnei Yishmael (the sons of Ishmael) to Israel, perhaps for the first time. "The Palestinians are not the real Bnei Yishmael, Rabbi Kahana said. "The Palestinians are the result of all the nations that passed through the Fertile Crescent. With the Bedouins of this region and the true Arabs of the Persian Gulf, there is no mixing of blood. They were separate from the Persian and the Greeks." Rabbi Kahana noted that the arrival of the true Bnei Yishmael to the Temple Mount may be a part of the tshuva (repentance process) of Yishmael, citing a verse in Genesis. His sons Yitzchak and Ishmael buried him in the cave of Machpelah, in the field of Ephron son of Zohar the Hittite, facing Mamre Genesis 25:9 "In this verse, Ishmael should have come first since he is older," Rabbi Kahana noted, citing the medieval commentator Rashi who interpreted the incongruity in the verse to mean that Ishmael repented in his later years. "Ishmael realized the spiritual superiority of Isaac and displayed this by allowing him to go first when burying their father," Rabbi Kahana explained. He noted that this is being played out by the true Bnei Yishmael showing respect for the offspring of Jacob." But the arrival of the true Bnei Yishmael to the Temple Mount has end-of-days implications. The Zohar Hadash (Balak 68b) describes a process that will begin in the 274th year of the sixth millennium. This works out to be the year 5774 in the Hebrew calendar which began in September 2013. The Zohar predicts that the "Sons of Ishmael" will make war against the Messiah, and will "come and bow down before God at the holy mountain in Jerusalem". The text specifically uses the name of the God of the Jews, and not a generic term or the expression used for non-Jewish worship. This prediction of the Zohar predicts that the Arabs will worship the Jewish God on the Temple Mount and, in fact, that does seem to be what is happening. The Zohar goes on to say that Edom will rule Israel for 12 months. At the end of 12 months, the world will shake, and during that time, the Shechina (heavenly presence) will return to dwell in the cave of Moses. The Messiah will hide for 9 months - similar to the period of pregnancy - and then the people in Israel will hear a sound like the blowing of a shofar. In fact, the Temple Mount was largely ignored by the Arabs until Israel conquered it in 1967. During the First Crusade, Islam was uninterested in the Dome of the Rock and it was turned into a church while al-Aqsa, with its lead dome, was a modest mosque. In the early 20th century, the attention of the Muslim world was much more focused on the silver dome of al Aqsa than on the Dome of the Rock, which was not covered with gold until 1993, after the Jews began ascending to the Temple Mount. It appears that the Arabs become intensely interested in the site only when the Jews, and their God, are present. This same prophecy is repeated in other sources, adding that the "Sons of Ishmael" will make war against the Messiah, and will "come and bow down before God at the holy mountain in Jerusalem". "But this repentance of Ishmael didn't last," Rabbi Kahana warned. "After Isaac died, Ishmael married off his daughter Mahalath to the son of Esav, the enemy of Yisrael. Ishmael's hatred was rekindled." The rabbi noted that Ishmael's repentance is being played out today and may have the same tragic ending. "The UAE recognizes the spiritual benefits of relations with Israel," Rabbi Kahana said. "This is the form of repentance that Ishmael did but it didn't have lasting results. In the end, the elements of Ishmael that hate the Children of Israel will unite with Esau. The Arab nations will unite with the evil elements of Esau that are dispersed across Europe and the US in order to attack Israel." The Triune God of America - By Grant Phillips - https://www.raptureready.com/2020/08/23/the-triune-god-of-america-by-grant-phillips/ Michael Keaton and Jack Nicholson starred in the 1989 Batman movie. Michael Keaton played Bruce Wayne/Batman, and Jack Nicholson played Jack Napier/the Joker. When Bruce Wayne was a child, his parents were robbed and murdered by a younger Jack Napier and his buddies. Napier didn't murder young Wayne, but as he left the child standing in the street, he said to him, "Ever dance with the devil in the pale moonlight?" Those words have always stayed with me, and they grow stronger and louder every day that I look around and witness this country being destroyed by socialist thugs. In my opinion, we are so far gone there is no turning back. Satan has painted a masterpiece in the artwork of the damned. For several years now, we have been dancing with the devil in the pale moonlight. He came to us, asked for our hand on the dance floor, and we readily obliged. This conniving genius of evil has filled our hearts with his own triune recipe of a god. We have eagerly accepted his god, and under the pale light of the moon, we dance to his music. Strangely enough, Satan's message hasn't changed a bit. It is still the same ole claptrap he sold Eve in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3:1-5). He got her thinking of pleasing herself (humanism). Then he got her mind on things that could please her, in this case, the forbidden fruit (materialism). Lastly, he had her thinking of the pleasure the fruit would bring her (hedonism). There you have the triune god of hell: humanism (love of self), materialism (love of things) and hedonism (love of pleasure). Is it any different today? It is the same old package. Satan even uses the same wrapping paper, ribbons, and bows. Nothing has changed. We, the citizens of the United States of America (generally speaking of course), are for self, things and pleasure ... humanism, materialism and hedonism. All we can think about is, "I want that because it will give me pleasure." We carry armloads of pleasurers in the front door, while Satan hauls our freedoms out the back door. Christianity is exactly the opposite. In Christianity (TRUE Christianity), we set our minds upon Jesus our Savior, not self. We accept His will, not things, to please us. Our pleasure comes in being obedient to His will. With Satan's triune god, all the focus is on us, things to please us, and our pleasure. With the triune God of Heaven, our focus is upon God ... the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
The love of God grows within us, and we love our neighbor in turn. We begin taking our mind off us and thinking of others. We want others to know Christ.
If there is any wisdom at all, you must admit that we are a nation of selfish, materialistic, pleasure-seeking people. We just can't seem to get enough of Satan's "freedom" to do as we please. Every sin known to man is prevalent in this country, boiling over into the lives of millions. Even the churches are not exempt. Most churches in this country are a blight upon humanity, and are just as infested with sin as the world they have allowed to come in. I am reminded of King Belshazzar, whom God gave a message by writing it on the wall of his palace (Daniel 5). I wonder each day, "Is it today that God will say, "Enough?" He closed the curtain on King Belshazzar. Do we REALLY think we can get by with thumbing our nose at God? There are perverse atrocities taking place in this country that I would have never dreamed in a thousand years would come to our shores. Yet, here we are. There are no longer just a few rotten apples in the bushel; nearly all the apples are rotten to the core. Decent Americans are having the excrement from this triune god being shoved down their throats and told to like it. The world speaks of love but vomits out hate. We are sheep being led to the slaughter, and most don't even know it. They just keep dancing with the devil in the pale moonlight. Satan is the god of this world, and his message has been infused into the hearts of all mankind, not just Eve. Satan's religion has tickled the fancy of most in our society. They come out of the closets. They silence the pulpits. They murder the young. They open the restrooms. They use others to steal, kill and destroy in advancing their cause, but payday is coming. The Lord Jesus Christ is coming soon, and then they will run like scurrying roaches when the lights are turned on. The masses in our land have given themselves over to the ideas of this triune god of the land. Selfishness, materialism and pleasure are at an all-time high. As long as their itch is scratched, they don't care that their soul is being drawn away from the one true Trinity of Heaven. I heard just a few minutes ago that the governor of California is mandating that churches not meet and there be no in-home Bible studies, but it's still okay to riot, pillage and destroy. Most of our leadership (political, religious, etc.) is so rotten they seem to have already sold their souls to the Devil. They have no true affection for anyone but themselves. Sadly, most of the populace don't seem to care as long as they get something in return. The Hallmark channel we thought would stay the course of decency has now stated it will provide homosexual entertainment. As Ruth Graham once said, "If God doesn't judge America, He will have to apologize to Sodom and Gomorrah." The handwriting is on the wall. We must decide now whom we are going to follow. Do we dance with the devil in the pale moonlight, or do we walk hand in hand with the Lord Jesus Christ in the New Jerusalem? Grant Phillips Email: [email protected] Pre-Rapture Commentary: http://grant-phillips.blogspot.com Rapture Ready: https://www.raptureready.com/featured/phillips/phillips.html Daily Jot: Another example of accusing others - Bill Wilson - www.dailyjot.com It is a long-practiced socialist tactic of accusing others of exactly what the accuser is doing. Democrats ruling over major cities like Portland, OR, where violence, looting and killing continue on a daily basis are accusing President Trump of exciting violence. Yet, these very same democrats have been encouraging the protests, ordering police to stand down, refusing assistance to restore order from the National Guard (and the President), and, most importantly, have refused to sincerely condemn the violence. Democratic Presidential candidate Joe Biden is also blaming President Trump for stoking violence when Biden, himself, refused to condemn it until Sunday, August 30, when he called out Trump. Biden said in a statement, "I condemn violence of every kind by anyone, whether on the left or the right. And I challenge Donald Trump to do the same...we must not become a country at war with ourselves. What does President Trump think will happen when he continues to insist on fanning the flames of hate and division in our society and using the politics of fear to whip up his supporters? He is recklessly encouraging violence." Where are the examples of Trump fanning the flames of violence, Mr. Biden? Biden and his Democratic Party has sat idly by for months, encouraging the protests, knowing they will turn violent, then winking about the violence. They say they are against the violence, yet take every precaution to allow it. Actions speak louder than words, and these inactions by Democrats to stop the violence are reprehensible. Trump has month after month, week after week, condemned the violence, emphasizing law and order-something these anarchists, who are burning, looting, vandalizing, and destroying family businesses at will in Democratic Party-led cities, absolutely hate. Trump has offered National Guard assistance and it has been declined, even refused by saying that he is trying to instill the heavy hand of fascism. This is the machinations of socialism-anarchy and violence, excused by Democrats as anger over not listening to racial concerns. Who has not listened? President Trump has strongly advocated for Opportunity Zones in inner cities to encourage business, jobs, and entrepreneurship. And it is working. Until the Democratic Party-supported anarchists started looting them and burning them down. Trump has issued an executive order on police reform when Democrats in Congress refused to pass a bill that would have required exactly what they wanted-police reform, training on de-escalation, third party certification of officers, and a national database to ensure officers with bad records are not hired. Yet it is the Democrats demanding abolishing the police, which signals that violence is acceptable. To say that Trump is stoking the violence when he has been condemning it is an outright lie and the media is complicit in it by not telling the truth. This is a clear example of how these socialists accuse others of exactly what they are doing. Proverbs 12:20 says, "Deceit is in the heart of them that imagine evil: but to the counsel of peace is joy." Discern for yourself who is giving counsel of peace and who is imagining evil. Daily Devotion: Real Christianity - by Greg Laurie - www.harvest.org Therefore, be imitators of God as dear children. -Ephesians 5:1 https://harvest.org/resources/devotion/real-christianity-2/ - Listen Do you consider yourself a disciple of Jesus Christ? Every Christian should be able to say that he or she is a disciple-not a perfect disciple, but a growing disciple of Jesus. Every believer should be one. Discipleship is living the Christian life as Jesus taught it and as the early church understood it. It's real Christianity. I think some are reluctant to live that way because it seems, well, radical. Discipleship is the road less taken, and some don't want hardship. They don't want a challenge. They don't want difficulty, so they will take the path of least resistance instead of the discipleship road. Yes, discipleship is challenging, but it is fulfilling. It's difficult, but it's more than worth it, because it is living the Christian life as it was meant to be lived. Here is what it comes down to: Every believer should be a disciple. Then as disciples, we either should be discipled by someone more mature than we are, or we should be discipling someone less mature than we are. Right after I accepted Christ on my high school campus, I could have fallen through the cracks so easily. But someone I had never met before walked up to me and introduced himself. His name was Mark, and he said, "Greg, I'm taking you to church." And he did. He helped me get through that rough spot. And soon I found myself doing the same thing for others. Can you be there for someone else? When you take a new believer under your wing, you are helping that person grow spiritually as you model what a Christian looks like. Are you willing to step out from the multitude and be a real disciple? Are you willing to be more than a fair-weather follower of Jesus? 
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 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 
|
|