Prophecy Update Newsletter
December 12, 2016
IN TODAY'S NEWSLETTER...
It's the End of the World, Now What? - Pete Garcia - http://www.omegaletter.com/articles/articles.asp?ArticleID=8352
Hal Lindsey's been saying now for the better part of 50 years, that Christ's return is imminent, but I fear that for many, apocalypse fatigue is setting in. The "Left Behind" series sparked a huge renewed interest into the idea of the Rapture and for what follows, but even that excitement seems to have faded. With all the geo-political, economic, and technological changes happening every day, modern man's attention span is steadily decreasing. Increasingly, we express concern over the swelling anti-Christian sentiment that is growing here in the West, and express outright shock over the brutality of that same anti-Christian sentiment in the East. Half of Christianity wants to reclaim the world, this present world, for Christ and build His kingdom for Him, and the rest of Christianity is divided on how the end does happen. In fact, MOST of Christendom today, does not advocate the only doctrinal position that is logical, Biblical -- a Pre-Tribulational Rapture, otherwise known as our "Blessed Hope" (Titus 2:13). All that aside, the truth is that believers for millennia have long pondered, wondered about, and longed to see what the days we live in would be like. While our days may be increasingly onerous and dangerous, it is also exciting to see the pages of the prophetic scripture come to life right before our very eyes. And so it is both bitter and sweet, that we live to see these days come to pass, just as Christ, the prophets and apostles said they would. "But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief. You are all sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness. Therefore let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober...For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, that whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with Him (1 Thess 5:4-6, 9-10). So it is that we, the final generation, are called to stand firm in the growing tide of darkness which all the more enshrouds this fallen planet. But in our standing, we are to do four things which will not only bring glory to God, become a witness and a testimony to the lost, but will also encourage and embolden our brothers and sisters in these trying times. We are to worship, wait, work, and watch. Worship "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. (Romans 12:1-2) For the born-again Christian, our worship is not solely limited to what we do in a church building on Sunday morning's, but it also involves how we live our lives. All of the life of every Christian should be an act of worship. The Apostle Paul, via the Holy Spirit, instructs us to present our bodies, our hearts, and our minds, to God as a living sacrifice. Once you become a believer in Jesus Christ, you are no longer your own, because you were bought with a price. (1 Cor 6:19-20) We are to become living sacrifices, crucifying the flesh daily, so that we may live in the Spirit. This is not easy, because the flesh becomes a powerful obstruction to our walk with God. Our primary goals as believers are to worship God, mature in the faith, and witness to those who do not know the Lord. We demonstrate our worship, by how we live our lives, by being a living sacrifice. We mature in the faith, when we learn how we live by our worship which by glorifying God puts our trust in Him, and not ourselves. Therefore our worship, becomes a living testimony to those who do not know Christ, and Christ said that if we would glorify Him, HE would draw all men to Himself (John 12:31-33). Wait "For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself". (Philippians 3:20-21) Anyone who has ever had to wait for anything, realizes that waiting is not fun. But waiting adds to faith in a way that immediate gratification cannot. It develops and matures you in your walk (sanctification) with the Lord. Abraham, who exhibited an amazing amount of faith, waited many decades for the promise of a son that the Lord would provide to both him and Sarah. Once that heir (Isaac) came and grew, God then instructed Abraham to take him to Mt. Moriah (modern day Golgotha/Calvary), making Isaac carry his own wood which Abraham would use to sacrifice him. This all seemed contrary to all that God had promised him, but Abraham was prepared to do this up until the point that the Angel of the Lord stayed his hand. Abraham demonstrated his faith that even if God had him kill his own son, God would raise him again or else God would be breaking his own promise (Gen. 15:1-5; 22:3-5). While the waiting was something that Abraham and Sarah struggled with, it developed and matured them. And our waiting is not in vain because "The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance" (2 Peter 3:9). Anytime we lose sight of this, let us remember the day we came to Christ: what if God had chosen the day prior, to be the day of the Rapture? While we wait, let God develop us into the people He wants us to become. In our waiting, let us focus on the goal of running for the prize (1 Cor. 9:25; Phil. 3:14). Even though our ultimate goal is Heaven, our goal here on earth should be that " we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head-Christ." (Ephesians 4:13-15) Work "...But we urge you, brethren, that you increase more and more; that you also aspire to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business, and to work with your own hands as we commanded you, that you may walk properly toward those who are outside, and that you may lack nothing". (1 Thessalonians 4:10-12) Unlike the prosperity propaganda that many successful self-help televangelists love to promote, God has not called us to a life of luxury and riches. I am not saying that a Christian can't be wealthy, or that God can't bless us in those areas, because He can and He does. What I am saying is that that should not be our focus in life. While our fiat currency system may be a necessity to survive in these last days, it should not be what motivates us. That should not be what we strive for or yearn for. Wherever you are, and whatever you do, do it for the Lord. Don't do it so that other men can notice you, or that you do it for the accolades and praise of people, but serve God with a willing heart. "Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." (Matthew 6:19-21) Watch "Let your waist be girded and your lamps burning; and you yourselves be like men who wait for their master, when he will return from the wedding, that when he comes and knocks they may open to him immediately. Blessed are those servants whom the master, when he comes, will find watching. Assuredly, I say to you that he will gird himself and have them sit down to eat, and will come and serve them. And if he should come in the second watch, or come in the third watch, and find them so, blessed are those servants. But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into. Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect." (Luke 12:35-40) What is increasingly perplexing to me, considering all that is transpiring around the world, is the outright rejection and denial of the Rapture and of Christ's Second Coming by those who claim to be Christian. I expect this from mainstream media, government, and pop culture, but how a denomination (take your pick) rejects 30% of their Bible, only to focus on everything BUT Christ's soon return, baffles my mind. Consider these events that are rapidly advancing in our day: -the coming together of global governance -the rapid technological advancements that are enabling and merging together a tracking, monitoring, and digital financial system that ultimately will become the 'mark of the beast' -growing lukewarmness and apostate nature of "Christianity" -Geo-political alignments of nations, all seemingly hostile to Israel -increasingly devastating natural disasters and pestilence -false/pseudo messiah's -wars and rumors of wars -rise of occultism and paganism -the rise of all sorts of violence around the earth -global economy on the verge of collapse Literally, I could go on and on with what is going wrong in the world, but I think you get the drift. Many in Christendom would say pompously- "ahh that stuff has been going on since the beginning. Everything is cyclical, and we are just in another cycle of endless cycles-- when things get bad, then they get better, and then bad, and so on and so forth." I have spoken personally to many people and clergy who hold to this opinion. For them, Christ's return is about as important a focus for them and their ministries as the color of icicles are on Saturn's rings. They are far "too busy building up His Kingdom here" to worry about if or when Christ will return. For these people, Christ Himself said this... Remember therefore how you have received and heard; hold fast and repent. Therefore if you will not watch, I will come upon you as a thief, and you will not know what hour I will come upon you. (Revelation 3:3) Ah, but the skeptic says, "Hey, that doesn't apply to me, Jesus (if He even wrote that), was speaking to some church in ancient Asia Minor. That has no relevance to me today." Notice what Christ says in the very next verse... "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches" (Rev. 3:4). Conclusion We are called in these last days to stand firm and to be bulwarks in a growing storm that is increasingly and violently shifting and moving everything about. The only way we can stand firm is if we stand in Christ because in and of ourselves, we do not possess the ability, nor even the desire to go against the dark tide. It is not pleasant, especially considering what is coming upon the earth and in particular, what we have to look forward to so long as the Lord tarries. But we stand nonetheless, and we proclaim the saving power of the blood of Christ through worship, waiting, working, and watching. Some worship and work, but do not watch or wait for the Lord's return, and they quickly burn out. Some watch and wait, but do not work or worship, and they drift off into the fringe. We need all four to balance out our faith, because work is tiresome, and without the hope of our "Blessed Hope" we lose heart. All watching and no worship causes us to watch for anything, and soon our short attention span hearts, will drift into areas that appear more exciting or conspiratorial. We need all four because God built us to do all four, and when any of the four are missing, we drift from where God intended us to be. God built us with eternity in our hearts, and only the eternal can fully satisfy what we know is lacking in the here and now. "Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal. (2 Cor. 4:16-18) 
Analysis: Israel's northern front - Hezbollah's supply lines - Sarit Zehavi - http://www.jpost.com/Opinion/Israels-northern-front-Hezbollahs-supply-lines-475078
Twice in the past week, Syria has reported an Israeli attack on military targets in the Damascus region, around 25 kilometers from the Lebanese border and approximately 50 kilometers from the border with Israel. During the first attack, a truck convoy on the Beirut-Damascus Highway that, according to the news reports, was transporting weaponry or even rockets from Syria to Lebanon, and a Syrian army arms cache were hit. A week later, an apparent arms cache was targeted at the Mazzeh Military Airport, and the ammunition caused secondary explosions that were heard and seen for many hours throughout the region. The Al-Jazeera TV station even reported that the weaponry at Mazzeh included barrel bombs, similar to those used by the regime against the rebels. It is unclear whether anyone was hurt in the two attacks. This is not the first time reports have been received regarding Israeli attacks on Hezbollah weapons convoy and arms caches in Syria, aiming to thwart the transfer of Syrian weaponry to Hezbollah in Lebanon. Up until approximately a year ago, Hezbollah even tried to create a tit-for-tat equation for some of these attacks; however the IDF's tough and cautious policy has apparently caused it to reconsider. The number of attacks against Hezbollah's arms convoys and caches has dwindled over the past year, and it was assumed that this was a consequence of the Russian presence in the area, including the positioning in Syria of advanced air defense systems and later the arrival of the Russian aircraft carrier and missile boats to the Mediterranean Sea. This latest incident, however, was irregular in several respects, including the non-kinetic way in which the sides are conducting themselves: Hezbollah and Syria have clearly laid the blame for the attacks on Israel. That was followed by announcements by Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman, who clarified that although Israel has no interest in intervening in Syria's civil war, it acts to preserve its citizens' security and protect its sovereignty, and attempts to prevent the transfer of smart weapons, military equipment and weapons of mass destruction from Syria to Hezbollah. Liberman emphasized that this is Israel's policy and Israel "will make decisions according to this policy without taking other circumstances or restrictions into account." The IDF generally refrains from referring, or even hinting, to these attacks, and reference to Israel's red lines by political ranks in the past was only general. The statement that Israel will not take restrictions into account is presumably intended to refute the premise that the Russian presence prevents the IDF from acting freely. The two most recent attacks, if they were indeed carried out by Israel, prove that the coordination mechanism between the two countries is working at the highest levels. This is manifested, among other things, by the many visits of the highest Israeli echelons to Moscow. Senior officials in the Israel Air Force have even clarified that Israel understands that the anti-aircraft weapons that Russia has positioned in Syria are not directed at Israel and, therefore, the IAF "flies [regardless of] their presence." However, this is not the end of the story. At the same time, and seemingly not coincidentally, the IDF published - in English - a map of Hezbollah's military infrastructure in Lebanon - marking 10,000 structures and underground positions the IDF has identified in recent years. The map's publication on the morning of the second attack was intended to serve as a message not only to the international community, but also to Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, as part of the efforts to discourage the Shi'ite alliance from retaliating over the attacks in Syria. The IDF and Hezbollah have been waging this type of psychological war for years. Hezbollah repeatedly threatens that it has new abilities to attack Israel, including occupying communities or IDF posts close to the border and firing rockets at Haifa's ammonia tanks. On the other hand, the IDF reveals that it knows where Hezbollah's "capabilities" lie, and that everyone knows their location is a breach of international law. As part of this strategy, the IDF has published video clips of Hezbollah depicting its clearing of arms caches inside villages that exploded as the result of accidents, maps and aerial photographs of Hezbollah's deployment in villages in southern Lebanon and much more. After the civil war broke out in Syria, Israel sought to emphasize that despite the sending of Lebanese manpower to aid the war in Syria, the supply of Syrian weaponry to Hezbollah in Lebanon has not stopped. Incidentally, Israel takes Hezbollah's threats very seriously. Along the border with Lebanon, one can see the fortifications the IDF has built to protect the border communities and farmers. Reports are constantly published in Israel regarding the Home Front's readiness for rocket attacks, and the IDF frequently holds training exercises for such scenarios. During a week when Syrian President Bashar Assad's regime is about to emerge victorious in Aleppo, and the confidence among the Shi'ite alliance is on the rise, one might ask how the Shi'ite leaders will choose to react. Will they not respond to the incidents and focus on northern Syria? Will they respond in a way that in their assessment will deter Israel from keeping to its red lines and allow them to continue transferring weaponry to Lebanon? Or will they respond mildly, merely to transmit the message that every Israeli action will be met with retaliation, or in other words, return to last year's equation of action-reaction? The last two options might, in certain scenarios, lead to regional escalation. 
ISIS bombs Cairo, retakes Palmyra in fresh impetus - http://www.debka.com/article/25830/ISIS-bombs-Cairo-retakes-Palmyra-in-fresh-impetus
Judging from the rash of reports claiming US-Iraqi military progress in the Mosul offensive against ISIS and the extra American special operations forces personnel posted to Syria for an impending US-Kurdish operation to capture the ISIS Syrian stronghold of Raqqa, the Islamic State ought to be cowering under siege, finally defeated - or at least on the run. But the facts tell another story. ISIS is on the offensive - so far in the Middle East. Over the weekend, Islamist terrorists accounted for dozens of deaths and injured hundreds more. Sunday, Dec. 11, at least 25 people worshipping at the Coptic St. Peter's and St. Paul's church adjacent to St, Mark's cathedral in Cairo were killed and scores injured. The Coptic pope often leads the prayers there. debkafile's counterterrorism sources reveal that the attack was carried out by Islamist terrorists from Raqqa who bided their time until they struck in the Egyptian capital. Saturday, six Egyptian troops were killed by another Islamist bomb near the Giza pyramids. On the same day, ISIS fighters pushed back into the ancient Syrian town of Palmyra, nine months after their expulsion. The Raqqa terrorist stronghold is clearly alive and kicking on more than one front. A number of contributing factors enable the Islamic State to unleash a fresh spate of terror. 1. The US-Iraqi-Kurdish drive has stalled without driving ISIS out of Mosul or choking off the terrorist fighters' freedom to move between Mosul and Raqqa, their Syrian bastion. US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter, who arrived in Baghdad Sunday, Dec. 11, was assigned by the Obama administration to make a last effort to reactivate the Mosul campaign. His chances of success are slim. The military coalition which launched the campaign two months ago has lost a vital component, the Kurdish Peshmerga, which backed out three weeks ago. The Iraqi military units which captured some of the city's outskirts stopped short when they reached the strongest defense lines set up by the Islamic State and have been unable to break through, even with US air support. The pro-Iranian Iraqi Shiite front which undertook to seize Tal Afar in order to sever the ISIS connecting link between Iraq and Syria are parked outside, having been warned by Turkey not to set foot in the town. Added to these setbacks, the US CENTCOM which is running the aerial war in Iraq is at loggerheads with the Iraqi Air Force command and has practically grounded all Iraqi warplanes. Even if Carter can wave a magic wand and resolve all these issues, the momentum and high hopes that actuated the Mosul campaign when it started have been lost and can hardly be recovered before Barack Obama leaves the White House. At least two of the incoming president Donald Trump's designated security advisers - Defense Secretary Gen, James Mattis and National security Adviser Gen. Michael Flynn - have criticized the operation in is current form. 2. What is happening in Raqqa doesn't fit the designation of an offensive. At most, small Kurdish and Syrian rebel groups are mounting sporadic raids against ISIS fighters on the town's outskirts, with the support of the Obama administration. Our military experts say that Raqqa can't be captured from the Islamist terrorists by conventional means - mainly because it is spread over a large area of mostly empty desert. ISIS has taken advantage of this terrain to distribute knots of defenders across a vast area ranging hundreds of kilometers from northern to eastern Syria up to the winding, heavily overgrown banks of the Euphrates River. So when Ash Carter announced Saturday that he would be sending another 200 Special Operations Forces into Syria to join the battle for Raqqa, he had no idea that he, the Russians and the Syrians were about to be caught off guard by a fresh ISIS initiative to reoccupy Palmyra, the ancient Syrian two from which they are thrown out in March. This was a poke in the eye for Russian President Vladimir Putin who proclaimed Palmyra's capture from ISIS as a signal coup for the Russian army in its war on Islamist terror. 3. He might well commiserate with Egyptian President Abdel-Fatteh El-Sisi. For two years, the Egyptian armed forces have been fighting an uphill battle to crush the ISIS groups infesting the Sinai Peninsula. The jihadists constantly elude punishment with the help of supportive Bedouin tribes. Every few months, they pose a real threat to the stability of the El-Sisi regime by striking inside Cairo, the capital, with some terrorist atrocity, for which they are aided by the Muslim Brotherhood underground and Palestinian Hamas extremists in the Gaza Strip. The bombing of the Coptic church Saturday was unusually the work of jihadists deployed from Raqqa, Syria. Egypt has reacted by placing extra guards at Christian sites and declaring three days of national morning for the disastrous bombing attack on Egypt's largest minority. The new Islamist drive is looking ominously like the onset of the Christmas-New Year holiday terror onslaught the Islamic State has threatened to unleash in the Middle East and beyond. US and European security services have been placed on high alert in the belief that returning jihadis are programmed to strike at home. 
Does Joel 3:4 Refer to Deadly Electromagnetic Pulse Attack? - By Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz - https://www.breakingisraelnews.com
"The sun shall be turned into darkness and the moon into blood before the great and terrible day of Hashem come." Joel 3:4 (The Israel Bible™) An end-of-days scenario that was impossible, even irrelevant, not so long ago is now being developed by America and Israel's enemies in a manner that fits perfectly into Biblical prophecy. Experts predict it could wipe out 90 percent of America's population and render the military ineffective, but if used against our enemies, it might even go unnoticed. An electromagnetic pulse (EMP) is a powerful burst of electromagnetic energy capable of destroying susceptible electronic equipment over a wide area. EMPs do not harm living organisms or physical structures, but a single pulse can entirely disable a modern country by rendering all electronics useless. This would include disabling computers and permanently wiping out memory. Shutting down electronics is more than an inconvenience. In its first report eleven years ago, the Congressional EMP Commission warned that one EMP attack could kill up to 90 percent of America's civilian population within one year through starvation, disease, and societal collapse. This scenario conforms to how the Prophet Joel described the end of days. The sun shall be turned into darkness and the moon into blood before the great and terrible day of Hashem come. Joel 3:4 The most powerful source of an EMP is a high-altitude nuclear detonation. One specialized nuclear EMP device detonated 300 kilometers over the center of the US would generate an EMP field over all 48 contiguous states. In an interview in September on Israel News Talk Radio, Rabbi Alon Anava discussed three possible end-of-days scenarios based on Zechariah. And it shall come to pass that in all the land saith Hashem two parts therein shall be cut off and die; but the third shall be left therein. Zechariah 13:8 He stated that one possibility is a nuclear-generated EMP attack. "There are prophecies that there is going to be an 11-second war. That can only be a nuclear war," Rabbi Anava said, noting that an EMP attack was especially likely. Such an attack, the rabbis said, would return America to "the 18th century by completely burning out anything that has electronics in it." Joshua Wander, a member of National Emergency Management Agency of Israel, told Breaking Israel News that an EMP is one of the scenarios they are concerned about. "EMPs are a force multiplier that can change the whole game," Wander explained. "If a country like Iran or North Korea got their hands on a small nuclear device, using it to create an EMP would be far more devastating than its blast effect. "It is precisely in the situation where a high-technology country is fighting a low-tech country that the effects are most felt," Wander said. "This is the case with America, and Israel faces this threat as well, in which the high-tech weapons basically become useless." This is not a theoretical threat. EMP devices are now being developed by terrorist organizations to use against their more technologically developed enemies. According to Secure the Grid, a coalition dedicated to strengthening the resiliency of America's electrical grid, America's enemies are already developing the technology. "Russia, China, North Korea, and Iran have already incorporated EMP attack into their military doctrines, and openly describe making EMP attacks against the United States," their website reads. "Indeed, Iran has practiced ship-launched EMP attacks using Scud missiles, which are in the possession of scores of nations and even terrorist groups." Such an attack would probably target the East Coast of the United States, which generates 75 percent of U.S. electricity and supports most of the national population. Even a small attack could have a very large impact. In 2013, gunmen armed with AK-47 rifles attacked an electrical substation in Metcalf, California, severely damaging 17 transformers and cutting fiber-optic cables. Jon Wellinghoff, chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission at the time, briefed the Congress on the incident. He told the Wall Street Journal that if a surprisingly small number of substations were knocked out, it could destabilize the system enough to cause a blackout encompassing most of the U.S. Treated as a terror incident, it motivated lawmakers to begin legislation to protect the grid from attack. Even if there is no attack, a crippling EMP can still strike from heaven. Coronal mass ejections traveling over one million miles per hour frequently strike the Earth's magnetosphere, generating geomagnetic storms. Before technology became a mainstay, these storms passed unnoticed. In 1989, the Hydro-Quebec Storm blacked out half of Canada for a day, causing economic losses amounting to billions of dollars. According to NASA reports July 23, 2012, a massive solar storm that would have crippled electronic systems globally crossed the path of the Earth, missing the planet by just three days. 
Many Writers But One Subject - By Daymond Duck - http://raptureready.com/featured/duck/dd257.html
The beginning of the Tribulation period is marked by the Antichrist confirming a covenant for seven years of peace in the Middle East (Dan. 9: 27). The end of the Tribulation period is marked by the Second Coming of Jesus (II Thess. 2:8; Rev. 19:11-21). But did you know that the Bible says more about what happens at the middle of the Tribulation period and most of it will probably start on the same day. This article shows how many Mid-Tribulation period events are connected, how consistent the books of Daniel, Matthew, II Thessalonians and Revelation are and how many different individuals (Daniel, Gabriel, Jesus, Paul and John) talked about them. Daniel chapter 7 records Daniel's vision of Four Great Beasts. Most prophecy writers agree that the fourth Great Beast is the beast of Revelation that is called the Antichrist (Dan. 7:7-10; Rev. 13:1). He is also called the little horn (Dan. 7:8). During the Tribulation period, the Ancient of Days (God) will sit in judgment and determine that the Antichrist should be destroyed by fire (Dan. 7:11), and it will happen (Rev. 19:20). Then, one like the Son of Man (Jesus) will replace the rule of Antichrist with the rule of Jesus (Dan. 7:13-14) and He will rule on earth for a thousand years (Rev. 20:1-4). Daniel asked for an interpretation of the vision (Dan. 7:16) and among other things he was told that the saints would be given into the hands of the Antichrist for a time (one year) and times (two years) and the dividing of times (half a year; Dan. 7:25). This means that there will be severe persecution of believers during the Tribulation period and it will last for three and one-half years. We will soon learn that it will start at the middle of the Tribulation period and last until the Second Coming of Jesus. Daniel chapter 9 reveals that the angel Gabriel told Daniel the Antichrist will confirm a covenant for one week of years (seven years), but in the middle of that week of years (after three and one-half years) he will cause the sacrifice and oblation to cease (Dan. 9:27). Stopping the sacrifice and oblation at the Temple will mark the middle of the Tribulation period. Moving from the book of Daniel to the book of Matthew it is recorded that the disciples asked Jesus about the signs of His coming and the end of the age (Matt. 24:3). Jesus referred back to the book of Daniel and said when the abomination of desolation (the Antichrist or an image of the Antichrist) stands in the Holy Place (at the Temple) the people of Judea should flee into the mountains (Matt. 24:15-16). He said, "Then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world. And except those days be shortened, there should no flesh be saved" (Matt. 24:21-22). Further down in this article it will be shown that the Jews in Judea will flee at the middle of the Tribulation period. Moving from the book of Matthew to the book of II Thessalonians it is recorded that apostle Paul said that the Antichrist will exalt "himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God" (II Thess. 2:4). It is speculation, but it looks like the Antichrist will visit Israel at the middle of the Tribulation period, enter the Temple, stand in the Holy Place (Holy of Holies), sit in the Temple and declare that he is God, order the Jews to stop the animal sacrifices and start severe persecution of believers all on the same day at the middle of the Tribulation period. Moving from the book of II Thessalonians to the book of Revelation, the apostle John was told that the outer court of the Temple and the city of Jerusalem will be trodden down by Gentiles for forty-two months (Rev. 11:1-2). That is three and one-half years. Gabriel said the Temple will be desolate for the last three and one-half years of the Tribulation period (Dan. 9:27). Starting at the middle of the Tribulation period, Gentiles will impact what goes on in Jerusalem and at the Temple. Earlier we read that Jesus told the Jews to flee into the mountains when all of this happens because there will be severe persecution (Matt. 24:14-15, 21-22). Moving on in the book of Revelation, the apostle John said the sun-clothed woman (Israel) will flee into the wilderness for a thousand two hundred and threescore days (Rev. 12:6). That is 1260 days which is 42 months, and it is also three and one-half years. The fleeing of Judea and the desolation of the Temple will start on the same day at the middle of the Tribulation period. John revealed an ominous reason for this. He said Satan and his angels will be cast down to the earth and intensify the persecution of Israel (Rev. 12:7-9, 13). He added that God will protect Israel for a time, and times, and half a time (Rev. 12:14-15). This means 1260 days which is 42 months, and it is three and one-half years. God's miraculous protection of the fleeing Jews will start at the middle of the Tribulation period. All of these passages refer to events that appear to happen or start on the same day. They were inspired by the Holy Spirit, but written by several different people over a period of slightly more than 600 years. They are complimentary. They don't contradict each other. And they show why the Bible is so amazing. They also show that the book of Revelation is more than a book of symbols. It is also Holy Spirit inspired Scripture that links to other Scriptures. Prophecy Plus Ministries Daymond & Rachel Duck [email protected] 
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 
Watchman Warning: Deception and the Bible - By Hal Lindsey - http://www.hallindsey.com/ww-12-10-2016/
In Matthew 24, when Jesus taught about the end of the age, He began with a stark warning. "See to it that no one misleads you." (Matthew 24:4 NASB) Deception has been a primary part of human character since Adam and Eve sinned. But it is worse today. That's partly because evil people tend to become more evil over time. 2 Timothy 3:13 says, "But evil men and impostors will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived." (NKJV) The other thing that makes deception worse today isn't about human character, but the technology that amplifies human character - whether good or bad. Today, we think of radio and television as old communications media. But in the sweep of history, they're new. In fact, the development of the printing press is a relatively new event in the overall human experience. Think about how much the ability to deceive grew with each of these advances. Mass producing printed material instead of copying documents one at a time, took deception to a whole new level. The telegraph made communication instantaneous across vast distances. The completion of the transatlantic cable in 1858 made that communication available from one continent to another, changing the world in a fundamental way. After that, came the telephone, allowing people to speak and be heard from one side of the world to the other. Radio and television allowed a few people to talk to the masses, and without a connecting wire - creating another communications revolution. With the advent of the internet, it all changed again. Today, a television program can be created, edited, and made available to the world using one, pocket-sized device - a smartphone. Social media found a way to harness the power of the internet for the masses. These tools did good things, but they also threw rocket fuel on the fires of deception. And since deceiving is a deeply ingrained part of humanity, that spells trouble. From "fake news" websites to the mainstream media, technology amplifies lying to a whole new level. Jesus showed the human condition without Him in John 8:42 and 44. After some ultra-religious types told Jesus that they were children of God, He answered, "If God were your Father, you would love Me.... You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature; for he is a liar, and the father of lies." (NASB) The devil and deception go hand in hand. Satan is at war with God. And in any military campaign, armies try to destroy their enemy's command and control. For Christians and the Church, God's command and control comes primarily from the Bible. It makes sense then that the devil works to diminish God's word at every turn. In an age of deception, expect the Bible to be attacked in every way possible. One of Satan's most successful ploys against the Bible has been to make Bible-reading subjective instead of objective. In churches, seminaries, Sunday Schools, and Bible study groups across the land, people are being taught to read into the Bible their own feelings and prejudices. Many Bible teachers don't teach. Instead, they ask questions. They read a scripture, then ask, "How does this make you feel?" or, "What does this mean to you?" But in reading anything, the first question should always be, "What meaning did the author intend?" If we give other authors that consideration, shouldn't we extend the same courtesy to God? The Bible will address your feelings, and it will give you feelings. But that's not how we interpret it. We primarily interpret the Bible by reading the words, and studying the context. But you will never understand it unless you choose to make God's thoughts paramount. He is God, after all. Psalms 100:3 says, "It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves." (NASB) Hebrews 1:1-2 says, "God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son." (NKJV) It's an amazing thing to realize that "God... has... spoken." Speaking is a means of imparting one person's thoughts to another. The Bible is God's word. It imparts the very thoughts of God to human beings like you and me. What a privilege! Today, many see the Church as an institution whose primary function is to make people feel good. It follows that they try to limit the Bible to this same role. But that totally misses the point. We have the honor of bringing into our minds the very thoughts of God. Should we relegate those thoughts to self-help, or self-esteem building? Psalms 107:20 says, "He sent His word, and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions." (KJV) People around the world are starving for the healing and deliverance of His word. And in a sea of babbling voices, they're also starving for truth - not touchy-feely stuff - but built-upon-the-rock truth. And in the Bible, we have it. Let's use the powerful communications tools of today to export God's unadulterated word across the world. 
Daily Jot: It was the Russians after all, yeah right - Bill Wilson - www.dailyjot.com
The Washington Post is reporting that the CIA has briefed Congress that the Russians tried to influence the presidential election in favor of President-Elect Donald Trump, trying once again to sell the narrative that Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton repeated throughout the campaign. It was the Russians, the CIA is saying, who may have hacked the Clinton and Democratic Party emails that exposed Clinton's unethical, if not possibly illegal, acts. Still no evidence, however. The point here is not who hacked the emails and turned them over to WikiLeaks, it's who wrote the emails and what was in them that brought to light an entire Clinton governmental organized crime scheme. But there is more to it than that. If Hillary Clinton and the Democratic Party were so "qualified" to lead the nation, then one would have to assume that they were also adept at keeping sensitive information secure. But Clinton and her minions were loose with the information that was most sensitive to them, and with information that was vital to national security. Email servers in home closets? Really? There is no way for Clinton to convince anyone that she was a good steward of classified documents. The Russians, according to the CIA narrative, hacked the information. Who are among those we want to keep our secret information from the most? Traditionally, it has been the Russians. Clinton and Democrats couldn't even do that. The Washington Post and other news outlets are also on the squawk about what they are calling "fake news." The Russians and fake news brought down the Clinton campaign. If there is anyone who should be able to recognize a communist, it's the Russians. And if there is anyone who is able to recognize fake news, it's the Washington Post. The Post and organizations like it have been peddling fake news for decades. There is so much misinformation out there that one has to have great spiritual discernment to separate the truth from the lies. When Jesus said in Matthew 24:4, "Take heed that no man deceive you," he was warning about the end times, but it is good advice for any time. Paul also warned in 2 Timothy when he said in verse 3:1, "This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come," and in verse 3:13 saying, "But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived." Its about time the Clintons and the Democratic Party take responsibility for losing the election because of the content of their character rather than shifting blame to the whistleblowers. It's also time for the mainstream media to do some self-examination. If they would report real news without an agenda, they wouldn't have to blame fake news for exposing their agenda. It may have not been the Russians or fake news at all, just the Lord exposing the darkness to the light for all to see. 
Daily Devotion: The Color of Christmas - Greg Laurie - www.harvest.org
For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell, and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross. -Colossians 1:19-20 Red is the color of Christmas-not because Santa suits are red or because we wrap packages in red. Red is the color of Christmas because of the blood of Jesus Christ that was shed. We see a battle being played out in our culture today that is actually the battle of the gods. It is the God of the Bible, the true and living God, versus all contenders. This battle goes back to the first Messianic verse in the Bible when, after Satan tempted Adam and Eve to sin, God said to him, "And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel" (Genesis 3:15). Thus, Satan wanted to stop Christ from coming. The cradle was pointing to the cross. The Incarnation was for the purpose of atonement. The purpose behind the birth of Jesus was the death of Jesus. This is New Testament Christianity. It's the division between light and darkness, righteousness and unrighteousness, good and evil, and right and wrong. Interestingly, it's actually through conflict that we can find real peace. For example, when someone walks into a dark place and turns on a bright light, it changes the entire dynamic. Through this conflict, through this disagreement, the ultimate unity will come. Why? Because as a Christian, you make people aware of their sin-and they don't like it one bit. You don't even have to say anything, really. You're just being you as a Christian. So don't be upset because there is a little conflict. Just hold your ground and keep praying. This division can result in people thinking about their souls, considering the claims of Christ, and then ultimately turning their lives over to the Lord. 
FROM THE HEART
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