Prophecy Update Newsletter
November 15, 2016
IN TODAY'S NEWSLETTER...
A Hammer Blow - By Matt Ward - http://raptureready.com/soap2/ward72.html
Donald J Trump has upended the entire U.S. political system. It is not an over exaggeration to say that his election to high office is perhaps the greatest political upset of all time, of any nation, anywhere. It is simply astounding that in 2016, a complete political outsider, a man with no political experience whatsoever can on his own rise to assume the presidency of the most powerful nation on earth. Trumps success has broken all the traditional rules of election politics. Donald Trump declared war on the ruling establishments and their accepted norms, even going against his own political party-many of whom actively disowned him. Trump did not care. He knew that he had struck an authentic cord with legions of disgruntled and alienated Americans. He understood the deep-seated frustrations and popular anger that exists against a system that he was prepared to go to war with, and with almost boundless energy. Voters turned to him in droves and the consequence has been a genuine democratic revolution in the United States of America. Trump has done more than beat his Democratic rival, he has gone some way to destroying the traditional support base Democrats have long relied upon in such places as Pennsylvania, Florida and Ohio. It is an amazing result. It is living proof that despite all the ills of the world and the worries about the future, democracy is still alive and well in the USA in 2016. This election result also represents the biggest rejection of traditional ruling elites that we have ever seen. It is a huge hammer blow to them and represents a monumental slap in the face to their globalist aspirations. Donald Trump's election is the single largest setback to one world, globalist aspirations of recent times. This dwarfs Brexit. Brexit is in the little leagues compared to this result. Trump is a complete anathema to the aspirations of the power elites of the United States. He is nationalist where they are globalist; he is pro-America where they are pro-UN; he is pro-life where they are pro-choice. He is pro-Israel where they are pro-Palestinian, he is completely independent and unfettered by secret back room deals that take place at events like Bilderberg or the Council for Foreign Policy Relations. He is a free agent not beholden to anyone; he is a president free to follow his own agenda in exactly his own way as he has repeatedly stated, "for the American people." He owes no one. And now for Trump comes the business of "draining the swamp." Trump will now no doubt begin the repealing or revoking Obamacare, alongside the crucial task of rehabilitating the depleted and demoralized U.S. armed forces. He faces the daunting task of creating millions of additional jobs that will exist in reality, not just on a fictional Barack Obama statistically manipulated spreadsheet. Trump will attempt to bring manufacturing back to the USA from abroad and in the process rebuild the crumbling U.S. economy. He will be responsible for America's future Supreme Court nominations and most crucially, will, in the short term-attempt to find a suitable replacement for Justice Scalia. He will no doubt seek to completely renegotiate international trade deals so that they reflect America's best interests, not those of the global markets. And he will begin addressing in real terms the problems caused by illegal immigration. Trumps election victory will also have very real foreign policy consequences, specifically related to the tinder box that is the Middle East. This will likely begin with an attempted rapprochement with Russia. Trump has indicated a number times during the election campaign that he is willing to leave combating ISIS in the Middle East mainly to Russia and Iran. Trump believes that as a direct consequence of Obama's failed Middle East policy and the ineptitude of his foreign policy, Syria has de-facto already been handed over to Russian control, making direct American involvement in this fight complicated and potentially dangerous. This policy, however, should he choose to follow it, will have ramifications for the U.S. relationship with the Gulf States of Saudi Arabia and the Emirates, who fear Iran's clear expansionism into Syria. With regard to Iran and the nuclear deal signed with them, he may well take a harsh line with Tehran over the obvious and blatant breaches of the agreement, especially as this may be a real way to appease the Saudi and Emirati concerns over Iran's ever-increasing presence in the region. Most crucially, though, Trump will certainly seek to improve the dire relationship the United States currently has with Israel. Trump, up until this point has strongly indicated that he is a supporter not just of Israel but of Jewish rights-to places like Jerusalem and the Temple Mount. He also seems to be clear about where violence comes from and where it originates, and it isn't from Israel. Whilst this is a cause for celebration within Israeli government circles this will no doubt be tempered by the potential damage Barack Obama may inflict before he leaves office on January 20th. Knowing Trump's positivity towards Israel, it is highly probably that before Trump can even assume office, Obama will make very real moves at alienating, destabilizing and delegitimizing Israel at the UN. In particular it is highly probable that Obama will move toward a formal recognition and declaration of a Palestinian State at the UN level, thus being responsible for dividing the land of Israel. It would be the final spiteful act of a man who's presidency can be characterized by the animosity it has shown towards the nation of Israel and the real life and death issues that affect the country every day. If he does this, with his final act, Barack Obama could bring direct judgment down on America before Trump even gets to step foot inside the Oval Office. There is something else though about Trump's presidency that strikes me and concerns me. The central tenant of Donald Trump's campaign was that he would "...make America great again." This is currently a cause of much celebration and optimism within America, and understandably so. However, this aspiration of "making America great again" presents a problem. According to my reading of Scripture, American influence is absent at the time of the very end of this age. I believe we are rapidly approaching that time right now. The Bible details world events at the end and very clearly and America is simply not there. It is unthinkable that the America that exists today would not be mentioned as a part of those end times events, should America continue into the future exerting the power and influence it does in 2016. Therefore something happens between now and then to make that future prediction of a diminished, less powerful America a present day reality. Trump's promise to "make America great again," is, I believe, a genuine aspiration. I believe making America great again is something that Trump wants to do. His election may be a reprieve, a last chance type of situation for repentance and the renewal of a once great nation and power. But I am not sure that America, or the world have that kind of time left. When I look around today I can see the obvious convergence of end time's Bible prophecy in a way never witnessed before. This convergence is coupled by the clear speeding up of prophetic events. We are careening toward a point of no return. These two facts alone clearly point to the lateness of the hour. If the assumption that we are rapidly approaching a point of no return is correct, a presidency that involves at least four or potentially eight years of "making America great again," led by a man who genuinely wants to affect this change, would therefore seem to be incongruous to Bible end times prophecy. I believe this is or could be a genuine Cyrus the Great moment-where God appointed a leader to safeguard the Jews and Israel. I believe this election is in the spirit of Cyrus the Great. However, none of us should be under any illusion as to the unseen war this will prompt against Donald Trump, especially in the unseen realm, or the forces that will now be arrayed against him. He will be in the very eye of the storm. Donald Trump sits outside of the political system. He is not controllable in anyway like Hillary Clinton or almost any other Democrat or Republican establishment candidate. America has gone rogue with this election and it must terrify the behind the scenes power brokers of globalism. To this end, and it burdens me to say it, the overriding conviction I am left with as a result of Trump's election success is hope tinged with unease. I am concerned that Donald Trump's presidential success will not be allowed to stand. Too much time and effort has been invested into securing the globalist agenda and no man, especially Donald Trump, will be allowed to destroy all the progress made under eight years of Barack Obama. If Trump is true to his electoral mandate, then his intention is nothing less than the destruction of all the key pillars of Obama's eight year term; nationalism in favor of globalism, Israel in favor of the Palestinians, private health care as opposed to Obamacare - America first in all things. I have watched closely for a long time as geopolitical events began to make the future one world system described in such detail in the Bible, a reality of our own day. I find it hard to accept that the people responsible for this rapid globalization process will allow Donald J Trump to undo all of their work without challenge. Which leaves me with a sense of unease, that something may happen to Donald Trump himself in the near future, or that other planned events, or naturally occurring events, may now take place to make Trump's presidency irrelevant. Now, more than ever, even though the election is over we have to keep praying. We also need to remember that true hope is found in only one man; Jesus Christ. He is the only real giver of life, the only true righter of wrongs and the only person who can heal the nation and our world. It is important now, at a point in time when many are shouting "peace, hope and safety," to ensure that each of us knows exactly where our own hope and future truly rests, "Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God's wrath remains on them" (John 3:36). [email protected] 
Israel in the Trump Era - By Caroline Glick - http://www.breakingisraelnews.com/78574/israel-trump-era-opinion/#vVKSQwrhOssAJOf3.97
What can we expect from President- elect Donald Trump's administration? The positions that Trump struck during the presidential campaign were sometimes inconsistent and even contradictory. So it is impossible to forecast precisely what he will do in office. But not everything is shrouded in mystery. Indeed, some important characteristics of his administration are already apparent. First of all, President Barack Obama's legacy will die the moment he leaves the White House on January 20. Republicans may not agree on much. But Trump and his party do agree that Obama's policies must be abandoned and replaced. And they will work together to roll back all of Obama's actions as president. On the domestic policy front this means first and foremost that Obamacare will be repealed and replaced with health industry reforms that open the medical insurance market to competition. With the support of the Republican-controlled Senate, Trump will end Obama's push to reshape the US Supreme Court in the image of the activist, indeed, authoritarian Israeli Supreme Court. During his four-year term, Trump may appoint as many as four out of nine justices. In so doing he will shape the court for the next generation. Trump made clear during the race that the justices he selects will oppose the Obama-led leftist plan to transform the court into an imperial judiciary that determines social and cultural norms and legislates from the bench. Trump will also clean out the Internal Revenue Service. Under Obama, the IRS became an instrument of political warfare. Conservative and right-wing pro-Israel groups were systematically discriminated against and targeted for abuse. It is possible to assume that Trump will fire the IRS officials who have been involved in this discriminatory abuse of power. To be sure, much is still unclear about Trump's foreign policy. But here, too, certain things are already known. Trump will vacate the US's signature from the nuclear deal with Iran. Trump will not be able to repair the damage the deal has already caused - at least not immediately. He will not be able to reimpose the multilateral and UN Security Council sanctions on Iran that the nuclear deal canceled. Such a move will require prolonged negotiations and their conclusion is far from assured. Trump will likewise be unable to take back the billions of dollars that Iran has already received due to the abrogation of economic sanctions and through cash payoffs from the Obama administration. At the same time, from his first day in office, Trump will change the trajectory of US policy toward Iran. He will oppose Iran's acquisition of nuclear weapons. He will oppose Iran's rise to regional hegemony. A second conclusion that it is already possible to draw about the Trump presidency is that Trump will be much more like the hands-off Ronald Reagan than the hands-on Obama. His past as a businessman along with his lack of governmental or political experience will lead Trump to set general policy guidelines and goals and delegate responsibility for crafting suitable policies and programs to his cabinet secretaries and advisers. This means that personnel will very much be policy in the Trump administration. Whereas Obama's cabinet members and advisers have been more or less interchangeable since Obama himself determined everything from the details of his policies to the ways that the policies would be sold to the public (or hidden from the public), and implemented, Trump's pick of advisers will be strategically significant. Clearly it is too early to know who Trump's advisers and cabinet members will be. But there is good reason for Israel to be encouraged by the advisers who have worked with Trump during the campaign. Vice President-elect Mike Pence is one of the most pro-Israel policy-makers in America. Former speaker of the House Newt Gingrich is an outspoken ally of Israel and of the US-Israel alliance. Likewise, former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani, former senator Rick Santorum, retired general Mike Flynn, and former UN ambassador John Bolton are all extraordinary champions of the US alliance with Israel. Trump's Israel affairs advisers during the campaign, David Friedman and Jason Greenblatt, are also among the strongest advocates of the US-Israel alliance who have arisen in decades. The striking friendliness of the Trump election team is even more notable when we consider what Israel would have faced from a Hillary Clinton administration. Clinton's cabinet in waiting at the George Soros-funded and John Podesta- run Center for American Progress contained no serious advocates of the US-Israel alliance. And her stable of advisers were not merely indifferent to Israel. The WikiLeaks revelations from Podesta's emails, like the correspondences published by Judicial Watch from Clinton's tenure as secretary of state, made clear that Clinton's team included several advisers with deep-seated hostility if not animus toward Israelis and toward the Israeli government. The third thing that is already clear about the nature of the Trump administration is that it will not hesitate to abandon received wisdom on a host of issues and initiate policies that the bipartisan policy elites wouldn't be caught dead even talking about. Trump's victory was first and foremost a defeat for the American elite, what Prof. Angelo Codevilla memorably referred to as America's "ruling class." Trump's campaign did not merely target the Democratic establishment. He attacked the Republican establishment as well. True, in his victory speech Trump said that he intends to heal the rifts in American society - presumably starting with his own party. But at least one thing ought to be clear about that reunification. As the president-elect, Trump will set the terms of the healing process. There is every reason to expect that at a minimum, Trump will not soon forgive the Republicans who refused to support and even opposed his presidential bid. Members of the Never Trump camp will be denied positions and influence over the Trump administration and sent into the political desert. Another establishment that fell on its sword in this election is the American-Jewish establishment. Led by the Anti-Defamation League, the American-Jewish establishment, including its largest donors, stood almost as one in its support for Clinton. The members of the American- Jewish leadership placed their partisan preferences above their communal interests and responsibilities. In so doing they enfeebled the community in a manner that will be difficult to repair. Both the Democratic Party and the Republican Party have antisemites in their ranks. The Jewish establishment ignored and pretended away the Democratic antisemites, even when they were burning Israeli flags at the Democratic convention. They said nothing when anti-Israel ravings that were at best borderline antisemitic of senior Clinton advisers like Thomas Pickering and Anne Marie Slaughter were published by Judicial Watch. On the other hand, the Jewish establishment castigated Trump as antisemitic for the presence of antisemites like David Duke on the fringes of the Republican Party. Legitimate criticisms of anti-Israel financier George Soros were condemned as antisemitic while truly antisemitic assaults on Trump donor Sheldon Adelson by Clinton backers went unaddressed. The consequence of the Jewish establishment's almost total mobilization for Clinton is clear. The Trump White House won't have an open door policy for those who falsely accused Trump of antisemitism. Jewish Americans are going to have to either oust the leaders of the groups that put their party before their community, or establish new organizations to defend their interests. Whatever path is chosen, the process of rebuilding the communal infrastructure the community's leaders have wrecked will be long, difficult and expensive. Unlike the American-Jewish community, for Israel, the defeat of the American establishment is a positive development. The American foreign policy elite's default bipartisan position on Israel was bad for both Israel and for the health and reliability of its alliance with the US. As I explained in my book The Israeli Solution - A One-State Plan for Peace in the Middle East, there was a dismaying consistency in US policy toward Israel that ran from Bill Clinton's administration through the George W. Bush administration and on to the Obama administration. At least since the Clinton years, the received wisdom of the American foreign policy elite has been that the US must seek to swiftly cause Israel to sign a deal with the PLO. The contours of the deal are similarly clear to all concerned. Israel must surrender control over all or most of Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria, and transfer the areas, more or less Jew-free, to the PLO. This bipartisan view is inherently hostile to Israel. It places all the responsibility for making peace on Israel. And as the sole responsible party, Israel is also the sole party that is guilty for the absence of peace. The flipside is similarly dismal. Palestinians are absolved of responsibility for terrorism, hatred and political warfare against Israel. The anti-Israel hostility inherent in the two-state paradigm has brought on a situation where even pro-Israel US officials end up joining their anti-Israel colleagues in bearing down on Israel to act in ways that are inimical to both its national security and to the very concept of a US-Israel alliance. The foreign policy ruling class's commitment to the two-state paradigm has blinded its members to Israel's strategic importance to the US and caused them to see the US's only stable ally in the region as a drag on US interests. Many of Trump's advisers, including Gingrich, who has been raised as a leading candidate to serve as either Trump's White House chief of staff or as secretary of state, have rejected this received wisdom. In a Republican presidential debate in 2011, Gingrich referred to the Palestinians as an "invented people," and noted that they indoctrinate their children to perceive Jews as subhuman and seek their annihilation. For his statement of fact, Gingrich was brutally assaulted by Democratic and Republican elites. But he never rescinded his statement. Trump's election provides Israel with the first opportunity in 50 years to reshape its alliance with the US. This new alliance must be based on a common understanding and respect for what Israel has to offer the US as well as on the limits of what the US can offer Israel. The limits of US assistance are in large part the consequences of the many genies that Obama unleashed during the past eight years. And the opportunities will come more in areas related to Israel's relations with the Palestinians and the political war being waged against it by the Europeans and the international Left than to the challenges posed by the ascendance of Islamism in the Middle East. To be sure, Trump is inconsistent. But from what we do know we must recognize that his rise marks a deflection point in US history. It is a rare moment where things that were unimaginable a month ago are possible. And if we play our cards right, like the American people, Israel stands to gain in ways we never dreamed of. 
Will Donald Trump Fire the Iran Nuclear Deal? - Sean Savage - http://www.prophecynewswatch.com/article.cfm?recent_news_id=805
The election victory by Donald Trump, a billionaire businessman who has never held political office and is a neophyte on foreign policy, has left many observers wondering about the future direction of U.S. policy abroad. Against that backdrop, supporters of Israel are immediately focusing attention on Trump's approach to the much-discussed Iran nuclear deal, which was approved by the Obama administration and five other Western governments in July 2015. As a presidential candidate, Trump made a variety of comments regarding his opposition to the Iran nuclear deal, ranging from calls for stronger inspections to entirely nixing the Obama administration's signing of the pact. "You'd have to have onsite inspections anytime, anywhere, to start off with, which we don't have at all. The whole deal is a terrible deal. There's no way the Iranians are going to adhere to any deal we make," Trump said in an interview with JNS.org in June 2015, shortly after he had announced his presidential candidacy and before the Iran deal was signed. Trump went further in his opposition to the deal during a speech at last March's American Israel Public Affairs Committee conference, saying he would "dismantle" the nuclear deal. "My number one priority is to dismantle the disastrous deal with Iran. I have been in business a long time...this deal is catastrophic for Israel, for America, for the whole of the Middle East...We have rewarded the world's leading state sponsor of terror with $150 billion [in sanctions relief], and we received absolutely nothing in return," he said. President-elect Trump "has cultivated a fair amount of ambiguity towards how he would approach the Iranian nuclear deal," said Behnam Ben Taleblu, a senior Iran analyst at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD) think tank. "Whether this was intentional or not cannot be deduced at this point," Ben Taleblu told JNS.org. "This ambiguity is best exemplified by Trump's claims of both renegotiating and tearing up the JCPOA (Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, the Iran deal's formal name)." Shortly after Trump's victory, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani made it clear that Trump would not be able to unilaterally destroy the deal. "Iran's understanding in the nuclear deal was that the accord was not concluded with one country or government but was approved by a resolution of the U.N. Security Council and there is no possibility that it can be changed by a single government," Rouhani told his cabinet, Iranian state TV reported. While Trump has not commented on the deal following the election, one of his top foreign political advisers, Walid Phares, offered some insight into how the president-elect might handle the nuclear agreement, saying it will likely be renegotiated by Trump rather than ripped up. "Ripping up is maybe a too strong of word....He will take the agreement, review it, send it to Congress, demand from the Iranians to restore a few issues or change a few issues, and there will be a discussion," Phares told BBC Radio. "It could be a tense discussion but the agreement as is right now--$150 billion to the Iranian regime without receiving much in return and increasing intervention in four countries--that is not going to be accepted by the Trump administration." FDD's Ben Taleblu believes that Trump will likely resolve to keep the accord intact and instead prioritize cracking down on Iran's other troubling behavior in the Middle East, such as the Islamic Republic's sponsorship of terrorism, something for which the Obama administration has often been criticized for not addressing. "I would say [Trump] will keep the accord but feel less restricted about using coercive financial measures to target the rest of Iran's bad behavior. Whether this is rolled into a larger attempt to renegotiate the accord remains to be seen, as that would involve coordination with the other P5+1 members," Ben Taleblu told JNS.org. At the same time, Trump may seek a tougher line on Iran's compliance with the current deal. A recent report compiled by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the United Nations' nuclear watchdog, found that while Iran has largely struck to its commitments under the deal to not enrich uranium above low purities and to keep its stockpile of uranium below agreed levels, the Islamic Republic has still violated the nuclear agreement. According to the IAEA, Iran surpassed the 130 metric-tonne threshold for the production of heavy water, a material that is used as a moderator in nuclear reactors. Iran has 130.1 tonnes of heavy water, the IAEA report said. "On 2 November 2016, the [IAEA] director general expressed concerns related to Iran's stock of heavy water to the vice president of Iran and president of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran...Ali Akbar Salehi," the IAEA said in a confidential report, Reuters reported. This was the second time since the nuclear deal was signed that Iran was found to have exceeded the heavy water limit--in February, Iran had 130.9 tonnes of the material. Unlike the hard limit on uranium imposed by the deal, any excess heavy water is available for export on the international market. As such, the Obama administration did not find any issue with Iran's heavy water production. "It's important to note that Iran made no effort to hide this, hide what it was doing from the IAEA," U.S. State Department spokesman Mark Toner said. As far as the Iran deal is concerned, there are inherent challenges with inspections and enforcement that may pose problems for a Trump administration, Ben Taleblu explained. "The JCPOA set quite a low bar for Iranian compliance," he told JNS.org. For instance, said Ben Taleblu, "a violation of the deal requires something called 'significant non-performance' to occur, which is a vague term. But while the IAEA has offered less data about the Iranian program in the aftermath of the deal, it has routinely attested that Iran was fulfilling its deal related obligations." As such, Ben Taleblu believes that Iran has been "flouting the spirit of the deal," and the issue of the Islamic Republic's heavy water production indicates it is "engaging in incremental cheating." "This reflects poorly on the deal, as it has no mechanism to formerly punish this," he said. Regardless of what President-elect Trump will choose to do vis-à-vis the nuclear deal, Iran will also pose a threat to U.S. interests in the Middle East through its direct involvement in Syria, Iraq, Yemen, and elsewhere, as well as through its threats to Israel, America's closest ally in the region. "Given the broad range of issues that separate the U.S. and Iran, I think it is fair to say that Tehran will continue to pose a national security challenge to the next American administration," Ben Taleblu said. "It too soon to speculate how a different U.S. policy in Syria or other theaters of the Middle East would affect relations with Tehran," he added, "but Iranian hardliners have so far been trying to recast this entire election to their advantage." 
Obama hits Trump tie with Putin, Erdogan on Syria - http://www.debka.com/article/25776/Obama-hits-Trump-tie-with-Putin-Erdogan-on-Syria
Half a dozen long convoys of trucks carrying US arms, hurriedly put together by US military headquarters in Baghdad, have crossed the border in the last three days on their way to the Syrian Kurdish PYD-YPG militia, debkafile military and intelligence sources report exclusively Monday, Nov. 14. The deliveries were expressly ordered by President Barack Obama in a radical turnaround from his five-year refusal to supply Kurdish fighters with American weaponry, least of all anti-air and anti-tank missiles. More arms convoys are being organized for the same destination. What caused President Obama's sudden and belated change of heart about arming the Syrian Kurdish fighters? Our sources report six motives: 1. To get in the way of the deal for Syria that president elect Donald Trump is developing with Presidents Vladimir Putin and Tayyip Erdogan. Obama has chosen Syria as the first arena to disrupt the incoming president's foreign and security policies. 2. debkafile's Moscow and Ankara sources report that the accord taking shape between Trump and the Russian and Turkish leaders would have the Turkish army, with Russian air support, mount an offensive to retake Raqqa from ISIS. The Russians and Iranians would meanwhile wind up the battle to defeat the Syrian rebels still holding out in eastern Aleppo. 3. The timeline they have sketched for the conquest of Raqqa is mid-January 2017 in time for Donald Trump's inauguration as president and well ahead of the defeat of ISIS in Mosul, Iraq. The Trump's strategic team reckons that the Obama plan to retake Mosul is heading for fiasco, because the Iraqi army after four weeks of fighting is still held back by ISIS resistance from breaking through into the city. Trump is therefore hoping to steal the march on Obama in the war on ISIS by seizing Raqqa before he steps into the Oval Office. Obama, aware of this, has determined to throw a spanner in his successor's works. 4. The president elect has posted retired US officers to Kurdish provinces in Syria and Iraq as his emissaries for on-the-spot- reporting. 5. Armed with US heavy weapons, the Syrian Kurdish militia, which numbers 45,000 troops, is capable of upsetting the Turkish army's role in the conquest of Raqqa - that is if Erdogan decides to divert the military forces he has deployed in Syria and Turkey to the anti-ISIS operation. He might be dissuaded from this step when he realizes that a Kurdish army, substantially upgraded with US weapons, is sitting in northern Syria just across the Turkish border. 6. Our military sources don't rule out the possibility of Turkey and Russia, whose spy planes are tracking the arms convoys for the Kurds, deciding to bomb them before they reach their destination. The Trump team of strategist advisers is no doubt in hectic consultation on this course with Moscow and Ankara. 
Nearing Midnight: Which Way America? - Terry James - http://raptureready.com/rap16.html
July 4, 1976 brought the bicentennial celebration of America's birth. The nation was, at that time, like in most every era of modern U.S. history, facing challenges at home and abroad. The Soviet Union was at full strength and threatening to exert hegemony over territory even beyond the post-World War II nations it had dominated for more than three decades. China threatened its neighbors and the world. Our nation was considered to be in moral decline even then, having come out of the hippie generation and the sexual revolution and drug culture produced from the time before and since Woodstock in 1969. Roe v. Wade had just been instituted by the Supreme Court decision and all looked to be on the fast track to degeneration into a moral abyss. The pastors and evangelists of the time were preaching from the pulpits against the many debaucheries going on. There was pushback against the evils of the day that seemed to permeate every stratum of society and culture. My own memory of the time is wrapped up into a single recollection. Our pastor at the time, who was an eloquent speaker-and a died-in-the-wool patriot-brought into our sanctuary sermons that rang with passion for restoration of the founding fathers' Judeo-Christian based principles. Dr. Russell J. Clearman also wrote a book, whose poignant title I chose for heading this commentary as we emerge into the post-election light-"Which Way America?" Dr. Clearman's book was, like his spoken words from the pulpit, a moving clarion call, through the question implicit in the title, for America to choose which way it would move. Would the nation choose to continue the road that would lead to oblivion, or the road that would return to a Godly course? Our nation went into severe economic recession shortly after that 200th birthday celebration, the Jimmy Carter years bringing fiscal distress and disrespect from nation-entities around the world. Iran turned from being an ally to, after overthrowing the Shaw, holding hostage Americans in the American embassy in Tehran. Then, with God's people's appeal to Heaven through movements such as the Moral Majority, with much prayer, the nation went into an era of relative peace and prosperity. But, alas, America has again determined to walked down that descending slope of anti-Godliness, toward its doom. Today, with the election of 2016 just concluded, God has again answered prayers for national rescue. And, make no mistake, it was the God of Heaven-listening to His people-who answered prayer and saw to the outcome of this election. This is, of course, a foolish assessment by those who haven't spiritual discernment, but is true, none-the-less. Just as was the 1976 celebration of America's birthday, this election of the 45th president of the United States seems a place to ask the question, "Which Way America?" The nation is much deeper in its descent into the abyss of anti-Godliness than it was during the 1970s. Back then, homosexuality still had a moral leash. Public restrooms being shared by both sexes simultaneously was unthinkable. Same sex marriage condoned and institutionalized by the U.S. Government was unacceptable. Christians being forced to serve customers whose demands went against the business owners' Christian principles was unimaginable. We, as a people in America, have a much sharper turnaround to accomplish than during that earlier era. The effort will require more resolve this time. The spiritual battle is much more intense and will become even more profound as we proceed into the next 4 years of this new presidential administration. Which way we choose to go will depend directly upon God's people becoming staunchly resolute. -In how devoted we are to Heaven's directives in our prayer closets and on the frontline of these satanically spawned battles we face in this end of the age war. With all that said, I sense a very possible prophetic scenario developing, which I share here with the caveat that it is only a scenario, not a "word of knowledge," as some would claim. We have coming into the office of president on January 20, 2017, a person who has a certain degree of business genius. I have no doubt of that, having observed him over many decades of his empire building. He is God's man for this troubled hour in this nation and world, I have absolutely no doubt. I say "God's man," not in the sense that he is devoted to Godliness. I mean by this that I believe he is appointed to this prophetic hour for God's own purposes. There are profound things afoot. Globalism has been put briefly in the pause position upon the engine of world dynamics. The president-elect is a nationalist-one who holds firmly to national borders-to national sovereignty. He has vowed to "Make America Great Again." Whereas, I certainly don't know the future in its detailed unfolding, I can, based upon studied, scripturally-based exploration, speculate and postulate just a bit about things to come. We now have one of history's proven, great builders in the business world about to take the reins of power in the United States of America-the most materially-blessed nation of human history. We have in Revelation chapter 18, a description of the most powerful and materially dominant entities in all human history. "Which Way America?" I know this flies in the face of traditional, seminary teachings, but might we be witnessing the beginning of the final development of this entity that will eventuate in becoming the mystery Babylon described in that most astounding prophecy? This is not to imply that Donald J. Trump-or anyone else-is a satanic plant. I've been a "Trumper" all the way, since he won nomination. However, God lifts kings (leaders) to power and He brings them down. Could this genius builder be about to help build a national entity that is destined to fulfill a specific prophecy? We can only stay tuned-and spiritually attuned. But, we won't see the final product, in any event, if we know the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation. There is an even greater event-that destruction of Babylon event scheduled for the tribulation era. We are looking for our blessed hope (Titus 2:13). Even so, come Lord Jesus. 
My Review of "Rapture Ready...Or Not?" Over the last 35 years, I have literally read hundreds of books on Bible Prophecy and End Time signs. I especially enjoy books on the Rapture, and I have read almost every Rapture-related book published. In all those years, devouring thousands of pages, and millions of words, I have not read a better book on the Rapture than, Rapture Ready...Or Not? Terry James might be physically blind, but he is spiritually sharp and well discerning beyond most authors. In "Rapture Ready...Or Not?" Terry has nailed the pre-trib Rapture, and removed any doubt what so ever about the Church going through the Tribulation. With great insight and Godly discernment, Terry explains with simple, yet profound words, why and how that he has come to believe the ways he does about the Rapture, the Tribulation, and the End Times scenario. I think after reading "Rapture Ready...Or Not?" you too will believe as Terry does, and be Ready for the Rapture like never before! - Randy Thomas - Publisher / Editor - Prophecy Update For more information and or to get your copy of "Rapture Ready...Or Not?" use this link: http://www.raptureready.com/terry/book35.html 
The Election, the Culture, and the Church: Where are We, and Where are We Headed? - John Stonestreet - http://www.christianheadlines.com/columnists/breakpoint/the-election-the-culture-and-the-church-where-are-we-and-where-are-we-headed.html
For most Americans, the results of Tuesday's presidential elections came as a shock, even a surprise, and for many, a bit of a relief. That feeling of relief is understandable. While there's no way to be sure what will happen over the next four years, Christians may very well have gained a reprieve in areas such as religious freedom and attempts to impose the new sexual orthodoxy and gender ideology on our schools. So relief? Yes. But I'd caution against elation, because what happened on Tuesday was more of a reprieve than a vindication. A close read of Tuesday's results, beyond the presidential race, shows that the cultural trends we've been talking about on BreakPoint for years continue unimpeded. The saddest example is Colorado voters' approval of doctor-assisted suicide by a two-to-one margin. I warned on this broadcast that so-called "right to die" invariably becomes a duty to die. I reminded my fellow Coloradans that in a state currently in the midst of an epidemic of teen suicide, approving doctor-assisted suicide sends the wrong message. But it didn't matter. The siren song of unlimited personal autonomy and self-definition proved irresistible to a large majority of Coloradans. And a similar dynamic was at work in the various ballot initiatives concerning marijuana. Voters in California, Massachusetts, and Nevada joined Colorado and Washington in legalizing marijuana outright. As of this writing, the result in Maine is too close to call, although supporters of legalization have already declared victory. Meanwhile, voters in Florida, Arkansas and North Dakota approved so-called "medical marijuana" use. I say "so-called" because if history is any indication, these laws amount to legalization by just another name. Only Arizona, thanks largely to the efforts of the Council for Arizona Policy, bucked the trend for legalized weed. So, all in all this was a bad night for the idea that human good involves something other than unlimited personal freedom and pleasure. And no matter how much relief we feel over the defeat of what would certainly have been a radically pro-choice, anti-religious freedom Clinton administration, the serious moral concerns about the man who was just elected president remain, as do the serious moral concerns about the nation that elected him., and those evangelical leaders who went on record saying that character no longer matters in a leader. So where does all this leave us today? How will we use this reprieve? Well first of all, we should, as the Bible instructs us, pray for those in authority. We should also pray for President-Elect Trump to surround himself with wise and godly counselors, and to act justly, wisely, and rightly. Beyond that we should support any of his policies that promote the common good. We should urge him to protect the unborn, as well as those who believe in traditional marriage, and to safeguard religious freedom. But what we can't do is fall prey to the political illusion. As Chuck Colson liked to say, the Kingdom of God never arrives on Air Force One. Too often Christians lose sight of this basic truth and have allowed themselves to become court preachers instead of prophets. But prophets we must be. The church's duty is to speak truth to power, especially when the power doesn't want to hear it. If Jesus is Lord, no one else is. 
Daily Jot: Post Election deception and arrogance - Bill Wilson - www.dailyjot.com
What should be a victory lap across Europe celebrating his legacy, the occupant of the Oval Office embarks on his last tour as a lame duck agent of policies, regulations, and laws rejected by the American people. A reflective "president" held a news conference at the White House once again missing the opportunity to unite Americans, opting to lecture them about the transition of the presidency and what a wonderful job he and his staff have done over the years in holding the highest office of the land. He had several opportunities to send a message to supporters of the Democratic Party to stop rioting and end the violence against supporters of President-Elect Donald Trump. He didn't take them. Instead of telling the rioters to return to their homes in peace, he once again lectured Americans and excused the dissenters: "Look, the people have spoken. Donald Trump will be the next President, the 45th President of the United States...And those who didn't vote for him have to recognize that that's how democracy works. That's how this system operates...And I think that whenever you've got an incoming President of the other side, particularly in a bitter election like this, it takes a while for people to reconcile themselves with that new reality. Hopefully it's a reminder that elections matter and voting counts. And so I don't know how many times we have to relearn this lesson, because we ended up having 43 percent of the country not voting who were eligible to vote. But it makes a difference." In one of his more reflective moments during the news conference, He summed up how he misjudged America's concept of fairness: "Now, I made an argument -- thus far, unsuccessfully -- that the trade deal we had organized, TPP, did exactly that, that it strengthened workers' rights and environmental rights, leveled the playing field and, consequently, would be good for American workers and American businesses. But that's a complex argument to make when people remember plants closing and jobs being offshored. So, part of what I think this election reflected was people wanting that course correction that you described. And the message around stopping surges of immigration, not creating new trade deals that may be unfair--I think those were themes that played a prominent role in the campaign." Throughout the news conference, the "president" tooted his own horn to protect his legacy by enumerating his deeds to a very supportive press corps. His "it takes a while for people to reconcile themselves with that new reality" remark is, in many ways, indicative of his presidency-breaking the law is justifiable if it advances progressivism. Sending jobs offshore is fair because it supports globalism. And the list goes on. As in Jeremiah 49:16, "As for the terror of you, the arrogance of your heart has deceived you." The progressive left believes it is right on all matters and no one dare question it. The American people not only questioned, but rejected, the terror of its agenda. Now we must hold accountability. 
Daily Devotion: A Prayer for the Enemy - Greg Laurie -
www.harvest.org But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you. -Matthew 5:44 The first statement Jesus made from the cross was, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do" (Luke 23:34). Maybe we would have understood it more if He had said, "Father, condemn them," or "Father, judge them." But the first thing Jesus said from the cross was a prayer for His enemies: "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do." Jesus was practicing what He preached. Remember, in the Sermon on the Mount He said, "Love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you" (Matthew 5:44). And Jesus also was fulfilling a Messianic prophesy. Isaiah 53, written hundreds of years before Christ died, said that the Messiah would make intercession for the transgressors. And that is exactly what Jesus was doing. He was interceding for all the people who played a role in His death. Pilate himself knew Jesus was innocent. He said, "I find no fault in this Man" (Luke 23:4). But because he was so concerned about his career and position, he would not pardon Jesus and let Him go. The religious rulers knew that no legitimate charge could be brought against Christ. Even the Roman centurion at the cross said, "Truly this Man was the Son of God!" (Mark 15:39). Judas Iscariot knew he had done wrong, saying, "I have sinned by betraying innocent blood" (Matthew 27:4). So Jesus was essentially saying, "Father, forgive them. They don't realize how bad this is. Forgive them, because they need forgiveness so desperately. Forgive them, for they have committed a sin that is beyond all comprehension. Forgive them, for they have done something that is beyond bad. Father, forgive them." When was the last time you prayed for your enemies? 
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 
|
|