Prophecy Update Newsletter
December 14, 2016
IN TODAY'S NEWSLETTER...
When the Timing is Right - by Pastor Mike Taylor - http://pastormiketaylor.blogspot.com/2016_12_11_archive.html
24 "Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy. 25, Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times. 26, And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined." (Daniel 9:24-26) The prophecy given to Daniel has caused many people to strain to understand what this prophecy begins and ends. Many believe that it was all settled in 70 AD when the temple in Jerusalem was destroyed, and there is no more prophecy to be completed. That would be a Preterist view, but they can't explain why it is that 483 years was completed to the day, when Jesus rode into Jerusalem on the back of a colt. 9 "Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass." (Zechariah 9:9) In the New Testament, this was repeated in Matthew chapter 21: 5 "Tell ye the daughter of Sion, Behold, thy King cometh unto thee, meek, and sitting upon an ass, and a colt the foal of an ass. 6And the disciples went, and did as Jesus commanded them, 7And brought the ass, and the colt, and put on them their clothes, and they set him thereon. 8And a very great multitude spread their garments in the way; others cut down branches from the trees, and strawed them in the way." (Matthew 21:5-8) In a few days, Jesus would be condemned to death in an illegal Sanhedrin Court and crucified on a Roman cross...the Time clock of this prophecy, stopped. There is still one year week that must be completed that would complete the prophecy given to Daniel by Gabriel. The Bible calls this the time of Jacob's trouble and it is in the future...possibly, the near future. 6, "Howl ye; for the day of the LORD is at hand; it shall come as a destruction from the Almighty. 7Therefore shall all hands be faint, and every man's heart shall melt: 8And they shall be afraid: pangs and sorrows shall take hold of them; they shall be in pain as a woman that travaileth: they shall be amazed one at another; their faces shall be as flames. 9Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate: and he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it." (Isaiah 13:6-9) The Bible talks of this time, also called the Tribulation for 3.5 years. Followed by the Great Tribulation for the same time frame. During this time, a man we have read about in the Bible called the Anti-Christ, the son of peridition...The Beast. He will arise and reveal himself with a signed treaty with Israel for 7 years. I had a member of my online "congregation" ask me why the Jews would accept this man as their "savior" when he may not be even Jewish. Good question. Why would they? Answer is the nation of Israel has been looking for a "political" savior, much as they did in the time of Jesus...The ruling authorities would not accept Jesus, the Son of God, who was standing right in front of them, because He didn't fulfill the pre-conceived notion of who the Messiah would be. They were looking for a warrior king, much like King David to rid themselves of Roman domination and restore their golden days as a nation. They didn't believe in a lowly, poor Rabbi, even if He did miracles. It was not who they wanted, so they rejected Him...Jesus said to the ruling authorities: 47, "I am come in my Father's name, and ye receive me not: if another shall come in his own name, him ye will receive." (John 5:47) Roman occupied Israel didn't think they needed a "Savior"...they had Moses and the Law that could justify them in God's eyes...little did they know the real purpose and mission of the only Begotten Son of God, and they helped complete the plan of salvation, unwittingly. But it was God's plan all along. Flash forward to our time, and the nation of Israel is again in great threat of extinction, at least in their own minds. They are again, looking for a political savior and they have the same attitude the world has when the secretary general of NATO said: "What we want is a man of sufficient stature to hold the alliances of all people and to lift us out of the economic morass into which we are sinking. Send us such a man, and be he god or devil, we will receive him." Henri Spaak circa 1957-1960 Secretary General of NATO I believe the nation of Israel will accept a "peace maker" who will give them a sense of security, even if it's a false security, and he doesn't have to be Jewish, just a powerful political presence. It's a political savior they seek, not a spiritual one. Unlike, but in some points, similar to their forefathers, Israel today is not concerned about their spiritual condition. They are more concerned about their safety and their national identity before the world. They long for peace, and that Israel be recognized the homeland of the Jews. Stage right, the Anti-Christ, a political "savior" that gives them what they want...although it's that false sense of security. WHEN WILL THE ANTI-CHRIST TAKE OVER? According to the Bible, before this man of sin can rise to power and perform a peace treaty with Israel that kicks off the Tribulation, there must exist three things for this to happen. 1. there must be an operational global government in place that he takes control of. 2. There must be an existing, operational global economy 3. And there must be an operational global religion to bind them all together. Why do they have to be all in place before the Anti-Christ seizes control of complete dictatorship of the whole world? His agenda is a pretty ambitious schedule for this man of sin when he arrives on the scene and reveals himself to the world. He has only seven years to complete his plans according to Bible prophecy, which is barely enough time to accomplish these tasks assigned to him by God who is really in control of this part of the final rule of mankind on earth. Before this man arises, there must a "glue" that binds the nations together to complete the other two. He must have a global religion to demand worship, the global economy to enforce compliance, and the global government to punish transgressors. So to accomplish all this in so short a time, these things must already be in place. After all, remember, he only has seven years. It is enough time to seize power of the reins of the government, but not enough time to build the system. Looking to the United Nations, there is already a weak global governance system in place, but there in no centralized global government......YET!! Reason being, the United Nations is a paper tiger when it is put under political pressure. The idea is sound, the infrastructure is there..the plan and resources are there, but there is no real leadership to bring it all together. While the U.N. has the authority and the power necessary, the debate over the use of force to back up its own resolutions continues to rage on. They make resolutions, but no resolve to complete them. To have this come to pass in rapid fashion, something major would have to happen...a major revolution to convert the current national systems of the world over to a centralized authority...OR besides a revolution, a loss of several million people all in a flash, without a logical explanation would hasten that development. Everyday, I see fascinating developments that is bringing the plan all together, one piece at a time...but in rapid succession, then slowing down and speeding up again. Here we find different prophecies from different parts of the Bible, made in different eras, overlapping and becoming interdependent upon one another to bring about their fulfillment. The global religion is continuing to develop. It is unclear what its final form will be. It is possible that it could be Islam in some form, or maybe a hybrid combination of all three major religions. I've written in the past about a hybrid form of the merging of Christianity and Islam called Chrislam....it is being pushed for the unity of all the major religions, even as I type this message. Presidents have pandered to the Islamic religion, as noted by former president Bush that called Islam a religion of peace, or this "idiot in chief" we have now, that takes every chance he can get to call Islam a religion of peace and push for recognition of this "religion" in this country. Or that God is just another name for "allah"...Plus there is all the other suspects that push for unity of main religion that is saying, come to the "mother Church" ....by none other than the Vatican and the Pope. Many have believed, including yours truly, that the Pope in Rome is a prime candidate to fulfill the prophecy of the false prophet. The Bible says he will have two horns like a Lamb (symbolic of Christianity) but will speak like a dragon (Satan). - 11 "And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon. 12And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed."(Rev 13:11-12) All that remains is to get rid of all that 'fundamentalist extremism' within each system that claims exclusivity. It's no coincidence that all three systems in their current form are beginning to convulse and shudder. Jesus warned that signs in the sun, moon and stars, together with the fear of sweeping climate changes would overwhelm the planet. "And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken." (Luke 21:25-26) We are already have seen natural wonders on earth and in the heavens...animals dying all over the world...fish dying by the millions...earthquakes that cause tsunamis that have killed 1/4 of a million people in one horrific event...Volcanoes that have suddenly come awake all over the planet...People are getting alarmed, but this is just the birth pangs...Wait when it really gets fearsome to live on this planet and even survive the natural environmental disasters, let alone what can only be labeled plagues that kill millions of mankind. THE PLAGUE OF CLIMATE CHANGE??? Men have been trying to convince the world with science that can only be labeled as "suspect", but they demand that we embrace the concept as settled scientific facts. Consider Robert F. Kennedy's contemptuous comments at the Live Earth event at Giants Stadium in NJ on July 4, 2009. "The next time you see John Stossel, or Glenn Beck, or Rush Limbaugh or Sean Hannity - these flat earthers, these corporate toadies, lying to you, lying to the American public and telling you that global warming doesn't exist - you send an e-mail to their advertisers and tell them you're not going to buy their products anymore." The guy sounds more like a fundamentalist railing against the sin of mankind, insteal of a politician. And this is the left's definition of tolerance?? Then there is the "prophet" Al Gore who is been spewing this same idea forever since he lost the election back in 2000. Personally, I have always believed in a climate change pattern, but it's natural...it's been going on since time began. It's called "weather". I don't believe in a man-made climate problem that we must throw tons of cash at. All that is about is global control and re-distribuation of wealth. During the last century, the earth's weather has cooled, then got warmer, then cooled again to where they were predicting unusual cold patterns...it got so ridiculous, that the "global warming" fanatics had to change tactics and call it "Climate Change' to encompass everything. That brings me to the U.N.'s Climate Change initiatives called in the 1990s as Agenda 21...that didnt' go anywhere for awhile, until they got a spokesman for their NEW and IMPROVED Agenda 2030 as a mascot who advocated that we must all fight climate change and spoke at the U.N. in favor of this debacle...who was that "man"....wait for it....the Pope in Rome. It all falls under the mantra of "Sustainable Development" that all nations must sign onto by the year 2030. I wrote about this Pope being the leader of the new religion surrounding "Climate Change" here: http://pastormiketaylor.blogspot.com/2016/09/by-pastor-mike-taylor-revelation-1311.html It all surrounds the notion of "fear" that our planet won't survive unless we battle this "catastrophe" called climate change that is driving global alarmist and the global government proponents to act. Remember the third point that must be in place, before the Anti-Christ can seize power?...a global religion to bind the nations together. That is the third pillar that the coming Anti-Christ government will rest. The New World Order will push the notion of save the planet, and as a Pagan belief about "Mother Earth" it will become the new world religion surrounding this mantra promoted by the Pope and the U.N. But first the coming lawless one must have control of the world's economy. The global economy exist right now, but what is missing is some centralized authority. Right now, a shakey econmic authority is the central banking system found in the Federal Reserve. I say shakey, because the the U.S. Dollar has hit many bumpy roads and in the near past, thanks to the flooding the market with trillions of counterfeit dollars and,was devalued in favor of the Chinese currency, or a New World Currency called the SDR (Special Drawing Rights). Because of the fraudulent manipulation of the global economy, the world's nations are not fooled, as fraudulent, means imitation because the Fed has the authority to print them, but NOT the money to back them. THE COMING WORLD WIDE RULE BY THE ANTI-CHRIST The prophet Daniel says the Anti-Christ is a "prince' of the empire that would destroy the Temple and Jerusalem and that happened in 70AD by General Titus, who also became Emperor of Rome. "And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate." (Daniel 9:27) But the Apostle John saw the Anti-Christ as a political leader who would rise up out of the sea of nation. "And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy." (Revelation 13:1) But before this global "emperor" can arise, there must be an empire in need of one. But it is apparent that the Western World would only be too happy to submit to one, at least in the last dozen or so years. The push for a New World Order took a huge leap under this present administration, that thankfully will leave the office he usurped 8 years ago, peacefully. This last election gave the religious right the hope that this push for a global government will have met a stall, as the President elect is rabidly a nationalist, who made "Populist" promises of "America First" and we will make "America Great Again"..But at this point, that is only a promise. We will have to wait and see if the man is up to the task. THE GLUE THAT WILL BIND THEM. That issue, 'religion' -as mentioned, is the third pillar upon which the antichrist's infrastructure rests. John prophesied of a second 'beast' -- the false prophet -- who will elevate the antichrist to the position of deity. "And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon. 12And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed. 13And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men, 14And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live. 15And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed. 16And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: 17And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. (Revelation 13:11-17) The Bible says that in the last days, God will send a 'strong delusion' but that delusion will only affect those "who received not the love of the truth that they might be saved." The need for a global religion that is globally accepted is palpable. The Roman Catholic Church is front and center to draw all denomination together, under the banner of Climate Change and save the planet. No other leader of the so-called religious community demands the attention that the Pope in Rome garners. His words are on the lips of over a billion people who actually, if truth be told, worship this man as "God on earth" or the vicar of Christ. In the last days, the Bible says the whole world will be conditioned to accept a savior, a messiah of sorts, who will seem to have all the answers to the religious, economic and political problems facing the world. The Bible demands the existence of a global government (in need of leadership) a global economy (in need of leadership) and a global religion (in need of leadership.) The world demands global leadership, period. Any leader will do, provided those who love unrighteousness like what he promises. It's not even a problem to them that they know he can't deliver it. It is the promise that is important. The present "idiot in chief" promised change for a platform that "we can believe in" without even outlining what that change would be or how he would get from point A to point B. Many thought the man was the coming Anti-Christ, and he sure had some of the marking of him, but I believe he was just setting the stage for the real-deal. Never in history of mankind has it been possible to impose a global government, a global economy, or a global religion. Not politically, not administratively, and surely not technologically..until the time we live in...the end of this age, we call the Age of Grace. IN the past 100 years..or even the last 70 years, the efforts to unite the world under a single government was a recipe for disaster and for World War...it did cause WW2...Hitler was a precursor to the rise of the Anti-Christ, but it was not time. What he did cause was the birth of a new nation...the birth of Israel...Not before that time, was the last days clock even wound, until Israel again became a nation against all odds. Then that clock that heralds the last generation began to TICK.....so now almost 70 years later, a One World Government is seen by many in the public and government arena as the only option. But make no mistake, the currect economic condition and it's system will probably not survive. Don't be fooled with the rally on Wall Street sending the market near the 20K mark...it's a fluff, smoke and mirrors. By all reports, the stock market crash of 1929 looks a lot like the economy we are seeing today and could very well be a repeat of the Great Depression. I have explored many possible scenarios of what the Beast power will look like and where it MIGHT come from...such as Rome, the USA, or even a Middle Eastern Country, such as Saudi Arabia, or Turkey. But we just don't know for sure...the picture is a little hazy and we see the picture growing a little more clear as time passes, but I am a firm believer that we will never know the man himself, as he takes control. Here is what I do know. I know that the Bible says that three things would have to come into existence, more or less simultaneously, as part of the overall blueprint of Bible prophecy for the last days. Those three things, are what we have been talking about ,the global government, global religion, and global economy. At no time in all of recorded history were all three systems "on the table" so to speak. But they are today. Even the most ardent and determined skeptic can't deny the trends -- at best they can only quibble over the details. But the all the signs are there -- and the signs are what Jesus told His disciples to watch out for. WHAT WOULD SEND THE WORLD OVER THE EDGE? Let's back up a bit and flesh out a comment I made earlier that was highlighted in bold...what would happen if this were became true in the near future? Let my hypothesize for a moment and ask you what would happen to the world's economy if upwards of nearly a billion (give or take a million) people suddenly vanished? In the USA, the world's center for Christian values, (I use that tongue in cheek, as it is fast going south) were to have officials, CEO's, military officers, maybe even the POTUS and his Vice President suddenly vanish? See the world has been teetering for a long time, and you got to wonder, what is holding this planet, the civilizations of the free world together? Many have forecast doom and gloom for a long time, but still we stand. Many grow skeptical at the prophecy of a coming Beast Power, or an Anti-Christ, or the "catching away" of the church, the Bride of Christ...They scoff. 3 "Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, 4And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation. 5For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water: 6Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished: 7But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men." (2nd Peter 3:3-7) What would be the impact if this prophecy were fulfilled in the 'twinkling of an eye"? You would see chaos, pandemonium, lawlessness, looting, and all forms of murder and mayhem. The world would be in upheaval. The stock market would crash, if it hasn't already done so. Men would be desperate. Men would resort to "survival of the fittest". The world would cry out for a savior, some one to deliver them from themselves. "16For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: 17Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord." (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17) The Word of God tells us that when this all begins to happen, then, mens heart will fail them for fear, but to look up: 25 "And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; 26Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken. 27And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. 28And when these things BEGIN to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh." (Luke 21:25-28) The world we live in has been rocking to and fro from peace, to war, from economic upheavel to depression, but the timing has just not been right for the completion of the rule of mankind on this earth. The rise of the Anti-Christ, is close at hand...everything is in place...every resource needed in this modern world is crying for a leader to bring it all together. That leader will arise unexpectantly when God's timing is right. " 3, "Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; 4Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God." (2nd Thessalonians 2:3-4) That day is fast approaching. Make no mistake about it...When the timing is right in God's plan for mankind, then the Anti-Christ will be revealed...But first, one other thing must take place.. 51" Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 52In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. 53For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal mustput on immortality. 54So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. 55O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? 56The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. 57But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." (1 Corinthians 15:51-57) Then the timing will be right!! This is Pastor Mike Taylor, praying for you in spirit and in truth of God's Word...if you need any counseling, prayer, or just a listening ear, email me at [email protected] , or visit me online at www.pastormiketaylor.blogspot.com . God bless you all, TILL MEET AT JESUS FEET 
Netanyahu to Iran: 'Don't threaten Israel, we're a tiger not a rabbit' - Yossi Melman and Daniel J. Roth - http://www.jpost.com/Arab-Israeli-Conflict/Liberation-of-Palestine-remains-first-priority-in-Muslim-world-says-Khamenei-475365
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanayhu conveyed a message to Iran on Wednesday, warning the Islamic Republic's leaders, "Don't threaten us, we are not a rabbit we are a tiger. If you threaten us you endanger yourself." Netanyahu sent the message after being asked during his visit to Kazakhstan by President Nursultan Nazarbayev if he wants to send a message to Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, who was scheduled to visit Kazakhstan next week. Netanyahu added that if Iran changes its policy and its attitude to Israel, "We will change ours." When he was asked by his host if he sincerely believed that Iran means what it says, that it wants to destroy Israel, he answered, "Yes, I do believe it." Earlier on Wednesday, Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said that Israel will not exist 25 years from now. Hours before Netanyahu's statement, Khamenei claimed that the "liberation of Palestine" remains the number one issue facing the Muslim world despite the numerous conflicts currently destabilizing the Middle East. Khamenei made the comments during a meeting with the head of Palestinian terror organization Islamic Jihad in Tehran, according to semi-official Iranian news agency Press TV. "Despite being engaged in certain regional issues, the Islamic Republic has always announced explicitly that Palestine is the number one issue in the Muslim world and has fulfilled its obligations in this regard," Khamenei told the group's leader, Ramadan Abdullah Shalah. The Iranian leader continued by stating that the "only way to liberate the holy city of al-Quds is struggle and resistance," while adding "other solutions are useless and futile." Al-Quds is the Arabic word for Jerusalem. Khamenei also rejected claims that religious issues were at the heart of regional tensions, casting blame on the United States and its allies. "The Sunni people of Aleppo, Mosul and other cities are being slaughtered by the Takfiri criminals, therefore, these crises have nothing to do with Sunnis or Shias," the leader said. Takfir is a Muslim who accuses another Muslim of apostasy. Instability in the region, Khamenei insisted, was the fault of the United States and its interference in the affairs of Middle East countries, describing Washington as "the most arrogant [power] and the Great Evil." The comments came a day after Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said that the only option left for Palestinians in the pursuit of an independent state was "jihad," Iranian news agency Fars reported. "Today, the world public opinion is faced with this strong argument that the Zionist regime has never been after peace, and this argument and reasoning should be used to show that there is no way, but jihad and resistance for the Palestinians against the usurper regime," he said to Shalah during their meeting on Tuesday. According to Fars, Rouhani blamed Israel for increased sectarian conflicts in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and North Africa. Iran's supreme leader and president frequently rail against the United States and Israel, making threats specifically against the Jewish state with promises of annihilation. 
Hamas says it now has 'real army' to fight Israel, is 'leading' missile-maker in Arab world - http://www.timesofisrael.com/hamas-official-says-group-is-now-leading-missile-maker-in-arab-world/
Member of terror group's political bureau praises Gaza leadership under which he claims 'nobody has died of hunger or anything' A senior Hamas official said that the terror group has built a so-called "real army" to fight Israel and that it has become the leading manufacturer of missiles in the Arab world. Fathi Hammad, a member of the group's political bureau and a former interior minister in Gaza, said Hamas "has made a resolute decision to remain steadfast and wage jihad, as the only means to liberate Palestine," according to the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) which picked up a media interview he gave on Al-Aqsa TV on December 8. Hammad called Israel's 2005 Disengagement from the Gaza Strip a liberation "under the watch of Hamas," thanks to its "Jihad [holy war]." Two years after Israel's withdrawal, the Islamist group carried out a violent coup to seize power from Mahmoud Abbas's Palestinian Authority and has tightly controled the Palestinian enclave since. Israel and Egypt maintain a security blockade on Gaza in an effort to prevent Hamas, which has fought three recent wars against Israel, from importing weaponry. The blockade has affected the Gazan economy and the Strip maintains one of the highest unemployment and poverty rates in the world, according to the World Bank. Hammad, however, claimed in the interview that Hamas "has proven itself through its rule" and that under its leadership "nobody has died of hunger or anything." On the contrary, he went on, "following the liberation of Gaza, [Hamas's armed wing] the Izz Al-Din Al-Qassam units have become an army" with "its own industry." "We are now ready to sell our missiles to Arab countries. These are advanced missiles. If you look into the missile or weapon industries of developed countries, you will find that Gaza has become the leading manufacturer of missiles among Arab countries. We are prepared to sell them (to Arab countries) - so that they will launch them against the Jews, not for infighting among themselves." Hammad said Hamas, which is sworn to Israel's destruction, should "not cooperate with any settlement deal" with the Jewish state,. There is an expected international peace conference set to take place in Paris next year. 
Trump picked Tillerson for tough new Iran policy - http://www.debka.com/article/25832/Trump-picked-Tillerson-for-tough-new-Iran-policy
Rex Tillerson, Chairman an CEO of Exxon Mobil, was named this week as the next administration's Secretary of State to execute the tough foreign policies charted by president-elect Donald Trump, including his decision to stiffen the nuclear accord signed with Iran as soon as he moves into the White House on Jan. 20. debkafile reports this exclusively from New York and its intelligence sources. While campaigning for the presidency, Trump called the accord "the worst deal" ever. According to our sources, a special team is already working on revisions of the accord which the US and five other global powers concluded with Iran in 2015 in the hope of retarding Iran's nuclear weapons program by a decade. As new president, Trump will issue Tehran with a unilateral demand to accept those revisions as pre-condition for the continuation of relations between the US and Iran. He does not intend consulting America's co-signers, Russia, China, Germany, Britain and France, or asking them for their endorsement of the revamped accord. The teams preparing the Trump administration's Iran policy were put in place last week by Tillerson and designated national security adviser Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn. No members of the incumbent NSC, State Department, Pentagon or Treasury, who managed the Obama administration's Iran policy, was invited to take part. The teams were instead chosen from among scientists, military leaders and intelligence officials who opposed the nuclear accord with Iran. Also attached were former administration officials hired by Exxon for their extensive knowledge of Iran's oil trade and their close ties with oil circles in the Gulf Emirates, which like Israel, fought hard to pre-empt the nuclear deal with Iran. Our sources have also learned that if Iran rejects the revised accord, the president elect has a list of new economic sanctions drawn up which are a lot tougher than the sanctions regime imposed by the Bush and Obama administrations. The incoming president will have a fight on his hands to get the Tillerson appointment through the Senate in the face of objections raised by Republican lawmakers over his ties with Russian President Vladimir Putin. However, Trump hopes to turn those ties to his advantage. He trusts that Tillerson is just the man to sell the new administration's Iran policies to the Russian president. 
Nearing Midnight: The Wall - Terry James - http://raptureready.com/rap16.html
Everyone who has access to any news outlet these days is familiar with the wall mentioned hundreds of times by Donald Trump throughout the presidential campaign season. Now president-elect Trump continues to proclaim that he will build a wall on America's southern border. That highly controversial proposed wall involves Mr. Trump's promise to keep illegal would-be immigrants from entering the United States. Those who support building of such a wall obviously believe this will prevent potential terrorists from entering the country en masse, as they fear is happening presently. A physical structure of the nature described by some will be a massive and expensive undertaking to be sure, as I perceive the project as proposed. It is to be constructed in order to keep American citizens safe. There is a wall of another sort I would like to think on for a bit. This is a structure that also involves keeping America safe. However, it is a wall not of physical materials as in the case of the one proposed to stand between America and Mexico. I'm referring to the barrier that has suddenly appeared with this presidential election. Again, it is not a physical wall, but one that is made of much sterner stuff--as Shakespeare's Mark Antony might put it. Globalism's growing invasion into the American way of life has been marching all but unchecked for at least two decades. Its force of movement into all strata of life has increased dramatically during the administration of Barack Obama over these past eight years. Globalism's threat is greater than just the hordes of illegals from the south--those illegals being but one ingredient within the globalist elite's plans of action: to bring America into configuration with new world order as they envision it. The danger implied stretches across the broad spectrum of culture and society of our nation. The inculcation has been a long time in process. The youth of America in particular have been dumbed-down to the point that they know little of truth about the country's founding principles. The churches of America have not, since the days of the Moral Majority efforts, resisted the globalist drive to take the nation as far away from God's influence as possible. The godless teaching of the corrupted and corruptive educational system from K through the doctorate programs has convinced many that there must be a separation of church and state. That demand has come down, finally, to governmental dictate--approved by the Supreme Court--that opposition to social matters perceived as anti-biblical must be confined to the sanctuaries. Just as the president-elect plans to put up that wall to stem the physical flow of illegals in to America, there has suddenly been erected an even more spectacular wall. It is a spiritual wall, as I view it. God, Himself, has put it up for His own good purposes. It is, almost certainly in part, a wall to stop the globalist invaders from continuing to move the United States farther along the pathway toward the new world order being prepared for Antichrist and his regime of horror. I wrote the following in my commentary that immediately preceded the November 8 presidential election. Although the nucleus of God's people who hold fast to the Heavenly Father's precepts and promises might be a dwindling number, we are still here in the hundreds of thousands, if not millions. We are engaged in this prayer war for a restoration of sanity in America's government, society and culture. We are praying specifically that the evil forces that are raging to make this nation into a state totally apart from all godliness will be, at least on an interim basis, kept from their lucifirian goal. I say "on an interim basis," because Bible prophecy plainly foretells that the satanic, globalist forces will for a time one day achieve establishment of a one-world order as Antichrist's platform of power. It will happen. It's just a matter of time. Meantime, however, while the church of Jesus Christ is here, thus the Restrainer(the Holy Spirit) resident within that body holding back evil, it is right and proper--and I believe expected--that God's people, called by His name, are to pray the prayer of 2 Chronicles 7:14. God has erected this wall in answer to the prayers of His people. Yet, only He knows the purposes in full. One reason, I sense, is to give the true church (all born-again believers) time and room to carry out the Great Commission. At the same time, as I've written previously, this wall seems to offer hope of a brighter economic future. The free enterprise forces seem to be saying this with their optimism. But, this, if it does eventuate, makes these days just ahead precisely like the time predicted when Christ will next catastrophically intervene into the affairs of mankind. Jesus indicated, as recorded in Matthew 24:36-42 and Luke 17:26-30 that business will be good--even perhaps booming--at the time He next intervenes. This will be the Rapture of the church. There is one more wall I wish to touch on in this essay--the wall that separates lost mankind from God and Heaven in eternity. The wall is made of the awful, soul-killing matter called sin. Man himself constructed this wall with his disobedience in the Garden of Eden. This wall keeps all of the lost of mankind from entering into God's Kingdom. They are aliens who cannot go through that great barrier. But, God has provided a Gate in that great wall of separation. It is a narrow gate that leads to salvation, the Scripture tells us. Jesus put it this way: "I am the door: if by me any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture" (John 10:9). I believe the reason God has constructed this wall against globalism is primarily to provide time and opportunity to get out this message that Jesus is the only way to salvation. Let us who are called by His Holy Name do our utmost for His Highest in honoring Him for allowing this reprieve. 
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 
Christmas ... the Rest of the Story - A Bible Study by Jack Kelley - https://gracethrufaith.com/childrens-stories-for-adults/christmas-the-rest-of-the-story/
For You created my inmost being, You knit me together in my mother's womb ... all the days ordained for me were written in Your Book before one of them came to be. -Psalm 139:13,16 Celebrating the Lord's birthday on December 25 is a tradition that's probably about 1300 or 1400 years old. "Wait a minute," you say, "There's a 600 year gap. What did people do before then?" Let's find out. First, we believe the December date came to be as a result of the integration of Christianity into the Roman Empire as first a permitted belief and later the official religion of the Empire. Previously, it had been outlawed and its practice punishable by death. But the Emperor Constantine changed all that, the worship of Jesus was made legitimate, and in the 4th century AD what was to become the Holy Roman Empire was born. Tradition, Tradition You know how deeply ingrained traditions become. For generations the pagan Feast of Saturnalia had been a part of Roman life, celebrated at the time of the winter solstice, late December. Rather than abandon this tradition when Christianity was legalized, the pagan holiday was declared to be the day of our Lord's birth and renamed Christmas. This was not the first time that traditions from different cultures had been blended together in the Roman Empire. When the seat of pagan religion moved from Babylon, it first settled in Pergamus (modern Turkey) before moving to Rome. Traditions from the Babylonian winter feasts like mistletoe, hot cross buns, yule logs, and evergreen trees (see Jeremiah 10:1-5) were incorporated into the Feast of Saturnalia and later found their way into celebrations of Christmas. Knowing their origins, early Christians accepted neither the date nor the pagan traditions and refused to celebrate the Lord's birth in December. It was several hundred years before the custom gained acceptance in the Christian world. Hence the gap. To discover the Lord's real birthday requires some detective work, and the biggest clues come to us from John the Baptist. John was six months old at the time of the Lord's birth and discovering his birthday is somewhat easier so let's start there. Happy Birthday, John Zechariah and Elizabeth, John's parents, had been unable to have children. Then the Angel Gabriel visited Zechariah during one of his tours of duty in the Temple to inform him that he and Elizabeth were being given a son (Luke 1:8-11). Zechariah was a priest and had been chosen by lot to offer prayers at the Golden Altar just outside the Holy of Holies. This was already a once in a lifetime honor but Gabriel's appearance made it dramatically more unique. Only twice before had an event like this taken place, and all involved barren women and Messianic promise. Hannah was given a son Samuel who later anointed David King of Israel. The mother of Samson was told her son would begin the deliverance of Israel from the Philistines. And now Zechariah was being told that his son would be the one to proclaim the coming Messiah. Now comes the first assumption. Wanting a son more than anything (it was a woman's crowning achievement in that era, whereas being barren was considered a punishment from God) we have to believe that Zechariah and Elizabeth went about the process of conception immediately upon his return home. So when was that? Choosing Teams King David had divided the priests into 24 courses (divisions) to serve rotating one-week periods in the temple. All 24 divisions served during the Feasts and so each one also served twice a year on rotation. The religious year began about mid-March on our calendar and right away there were nearly three weeks of preparation and Feasts; Passover, Unleavened Bread, and First Fruits. Then the divisions began their rotation. Comparing Luke 1:5 to 1 Chronicles 24:10 shows that Zechariah was of the division of Abijah, number eight in the weekly rotation. Counting the time all divisions were on duty and eight weeks of rotation, Gabriel's visit occurred about 3 months into the religious year, mid-June on our calendar. Assuming Elizabeth conceived shortly after Zechariah's return home from temple duty, a normal 9 month gestation period places the birth of John the Baptist at the beginning of the following religious year (mid-March remember) and indeed there are many who believe John was born on Passover. According to Luke 1:26-27 Mary conceived in the sixth month of Elizabeth's pregnancy. Based on our discovery of John's birthday, that means our Lord would have been conceived in late December and born the following September. Assuming this is an accurate conclusion and Jesus was really born in September then is Christmas just the result of overlaying Christian beliefs on a formerly pagan holiday as I've stated above or is there more to it? Happy Hanukkah Maybe you've heard the story of Hanukkah. During the Maccabean Revolt (166-142 BC) the Jews recaptured their desecrated Temple from Syrian dictator Antiochus Epiphanes and undertook a rebuilding and cleansing process to make it fit for worship again. (Angry with the Jews and defiant toward God, Antiochus had sacrificed a pig on the altar and erected a statue of the Greek god Zeus in the Holy Place requiring them to worship it. This outrageous act rendered the Temple unclean and was known as the Abomination of Desolation.) Jewish tradition holds that when they prepared to cleanse the Temple not enough Holy Oil could be found to complete the required 8-day purification ritual. But the small supply they did have miraculously lasted for the full eight days making the Temple holy again. This event gave rise to the popular 9 branched Hanukkah Menorah as distinguished from the 7 branched menorah ordained in Exodus 25:31-40. The Hanukkah Menorah has a single elevated branch representing the available supply of oil and 8 additional branches, one for each day of the purification ritual. It symbolizes the miraculous cleansing of the Temple and is often seen at Christmas time. Hanukkah is also referred to as the Festival of Lights for this reason. What Day Is This? As you know Hanukkah takes place around Christmas so I'm going to use the intersection of the two holidays to make what some call an outrageous claim. I believe there's a theological connection between Hanukkah and Christmas that does nothing less than declare God's position on the beginning of life. Remember, John the Baptist was conceived in what would have been mid to late June on our calendar and born the following March, and according to Luke 1:26-27 Mary conceived in the 6th month of Elizabeth's pregnancy. That means that our Lord was conceived in late December and born the following September. Because the calendars are different the exact dates vary from year to year, so this year Hanukkah began on the evening of December 9th and ended at sunset on the 17th. Some years Christmas falls within the 8 days of Hanukkah. Jesus is called "the True Light that gives light to every man" (John 1:9). Was Jesus, The Light of the World, conceived during Hanukkah, the Festival of Lights? Is this why Mary's response to Gabriel (Luke 1:38) was an excerpt from the Hanukkah prayer? Are we actually celebrating the Lord's conception at Christmas, instead of His birth? If that's the case do you realize what God is telling us? When Did Christmas Begin? The fact that Jesus is God incarnate is amply supported in Scripture, despite liberal theology's views to the contrary. But when did He become God incarnate and why did He choose to come into the world the way He did? Jeremiah 1:4-5, Psalm 51:5 and 139:13-16 all allude to the fact that God knew us at the moment of conception, knew all the details of our lives and considered us human from that time. To merely be with us in human form Jesus could have arrived as a fully grown man, a teenager or even a baby, but He came as an embryo, a fetus, because that's the way all humans come into the world. Christmas began at the moment of divine conception. God the Father planned it, God the Holy Spirit planted the fertilized seed in Mary, and at that moment God the Son took on human form ... the form of an embryo, a fetus in the womb of a virgin. From that first moment of conception Jesus was very much alive, very much human, very much God. He didn't become the Incarnate God somewhere along the path of His life, or even when He emerged from Mary's womb. He had been such from the moment of conception (Luke 1:35). God could not have made any stronger statement about the sanctity of pre-born life. As a poor, unwed teen-aged girl about to be ostracized from family and society, Mary met all the modern criteria for a therapeutic abortion. Had she and Joseph sought one, it would have been just as much the murder of the Messiah as was His death on the cross 33 years later. So the life of the Christ child really did begin at Christmas. Immanuel ... God with us. And now you know the adult version. Merry Christmas. 
Daily Jot: The real fake news revealed - Bill Wilson - www.dailyjot.com
Have you ever experienced someone who accuses you of something only to find out that the accuser is the one doing the very thing that he accused you of doing? This is a pattern with the Democratic Party, Hillary Clinton, the "president" and their vassal, the mainstream news media. Notice the pattern-Benghazi was an attack based on a hate video about Islam, white Republicans are uneducated hate mongers, racists and bigots, Donald Trump is dangerous because he may not accept the results of the election, we lost the election because of Russia hacking our emails and fake news reporting nasty untrue things about us. Does anyone know the source of this fake news, this untrue narrative? The originators of fake news and untrue narratives that demonize people are revealed when you look at what happened during this past election. Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton was so sure of victory that she and the media characterized most Americans as irredeemable and deplorable. Almost every mainstream news media outlet declared her the victor in an effort to discourage anyone from independent thinking. They cited poll after poll showing Clinton with an insurmountable lead, even though they admitted that the polling samples were weighted by at least 12 percentage points in favor of registered Democrats. Day after day for month after month, Americans were told that Clinton would win handily. The only counterweight to this narrative were the unethical and perhaps illegal things that Clinton and her minions were doing as exposed by the WikiLeaks release of Clinton and Democratic Party emails. And the mainstream media essentially quit covering these releases and blackballed anyone who did as perpetrators of false news and hate mongers. From the organized government crime and influence peddling scheme of pay to play to illegal email servers to a host of unethical dealings, Americans who believed these reports were labeled as uneducated, Bible banging, gun toting, haters, xenophobes, and racists. No place for these folks in the Democratic society so carefully engineered by the progressives. The real fake news originates in the leftist propaganda machine, and is spewed forth by its vassal public relations arm recognized as the mainstream news media. They used polls that were admittedly skewed, parroted the political narrative and continue their progressive political campaign every day by reporting the propaganda of their agenda. They are the fake news. We need to come to the realization that whatever is put out by the CNNs, MSNBCs, ABCs, NBCs, CBSs, Washington Posts, New York Times and so on cannot be trusted because it is likely untrue or in the very least twisting the facts. As Jesus said in Matthew 24:4, "Take heed that no man deceive you." There are those with a proven track record of fake news and they try to pin the blame of it on everybody else. 
Daily Devotion: The Man Who Tried to Stop Christmas - Greg Laurie - www.harvest.org
Then Herod called for a private meeting with the wise men, and he learned from them the time when the star first appeared. -Matthew 2:7 King Herod was the man who tried to stop Christmas. With all his wealth and power, he came to complete ruin. Historical writings tell us that in the final year of his life, his body was infected with disease. Ironically, Herod pretended to be a worshiper. He said to the wise men, "Go to Bethlehem and search carefully for the child. And when you find him, come back and tell me so that I can go and worship him, too!" (Matthew 2:8). Yet Herod was a false worshiper. There are people like him today. They say they believe in God, but they live a life that contradicts what the Scriptures teach. Herod wanted to be the king of his own life, but he really was a slave. He ended up being not the King of the Jews but the king of fools. Herod ended up on the ash heap of history like dictators before and after him, reminding us that those who live wicked lives eventually will reap what they sow. Adolf Hitler went into his bunker and shot himself as his nation crumbled around him. Saddam Hussein was found hiding in a hole and was eventually executed by his own people. Muammar Gaddafi was hunted down by his own people, beaten, and shot to death. All those who blaspheme God, fight with God, or try to stop the work of God eventually will fail. Yet God's Word ultimately will prevail. Philippians 2:9-10 says, "Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all other names, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth." One day, everyone-every man, every woman, every believer, and every nonbeliever-will bow before Jesus Christ. 
FROM THE HEART
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