That Day is Coming

by Daymond Duck

 

Several news articles caught my attention this week, but I have decided to focus on just one because of the length and because this strikes me as being so important.

On April 29, 2019, the UN Security Council met to discuss the Middle East Conflict.

Nations were allowed to express their concern about Pres. Trump’s peace plan.

There were calls for the Promised Land to be divided along the pre-1967 lines.

Israel’s Ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon, spoke on behalf of Israel.

Among other things (this is not a full text of his message as presented), Mr. Danon told the UN Security Council and the nations that were there, “Israel’s existence derives legitimacy from four things: the Bible, history, legality and the pursuit of international peace and security.”

Holding up the Bible (the first pillar), Mr. Danon said, “This is our deed to our land. From the book of Genesis; to the Jewish exodus from Egypt; to receiving the Torah on Mount Sinai; to the gates of Cana’an; and to the realization of God’s covenant in the Holy Land of Israel; the Bible paints a consistent picture. The entire history of our people, and our connection to Eretz Yisrael (the Land of Israel), begins right here.”

Mr. Danon added, “It is not just the Hebrew Bible, or the 15 million Jews worldwide that accept this right; it is accepted across all three monotheistic religions: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. The Koran itself accepts the divine deed of the Jewish people to the Land of Israel.”

“Mr. President, the second pillar is the history of the land of Israel and the Jewish people over the past two millennia. The Jewish Kingdom in Eretz Yisra’el comprised twelve tribes. The largest of those tribes, the Tribe of Judah, lived in the area now known as Judea (what the world calls the West Bank). You all know the words “Jew” and “Jewish.” “Jew” and “Jewish” come from Judea. This was the Kingdom over which King David and King Solomon ruled. It was a kingdom with Jerusalem as its capital.”

“Even the Romans themselves admitted the land was ours. Those of you who have visited Rome may have seen that Emperor Titus famously commemorated his victory and the Jewish expulsion by building an enormous arch on the Via Sacra in Rome. If you look at the Arch (Arch of Titus in Rome), it includes an illustration of his men carrying away the menorah from the Jewish Temple.”

“The Romans attempted to destroy that link by renaming the land Palestina. This is how the narrow strip of land in Eretz Yisrael, nestled between Egypt in the south and Lebanon in the north, came to be called ‘Palestine.’ For two millennia, Jews across the world continued to pray three times every day for our long- awaited return home to Zion and Jerusalem. As we just said on Passover last week, as we do every year, ‘Next year in Jerusalem!’”

Concerning the third pillar, International Law, Mr. Danon cited the Balfour Declaration, the 1922 mandate of the League of Nations, and the 1945 UN Charter that legalized the establishment of a Jewish homeland in the Promised Land.

On this issue, it is this writer’s understanding that International Law says when one nation attacks another nation, and the attacking nation loses territory, the lost territory belongs to the nation they attacked.

Put another way: In 1967, five nations gathered troops, tanks and other weapons near the borders of Israel in preparation for an attack on Israel.

Israel launched a pre-emptive strike and captured East Jerusalem, the Temple Mount, the West Bank and more.

According to International Law, that land now belongs to Israel.

Before the war began, Israel sent word to the king of Jordan, “If you will keep your nation out of the war, no harm will come to Jordan.”

Jordan ignored Israel, sided with the attackers, lost East Jerusalem, the Temple Mount, and the West Bank; so, according to International Law, those areas now belong to Israel.

Concerning the fourth pillar, peace and security (peace and safety), these are the words that will begin the Tribulation Period.

It is interesting to this writer that Mr. Danon told the UN Security Council the Bible is Israel’s deed to the Promised Land just weeks before Pres. Trump’s peace proposal is to be released.

If the UN divides the Promised Land, they will have to set aside the Bible, set aside historical facts, set aside International Law, and seek peace and safety on their terms, not God’s terms.

God is in control, and He told the nations the consequences of dividing the Promised Land and declaring peace and safety on their own terms (Joel 3:1-2; I Thess. 5:3).

That day is coming.

Prophecy Plus Ministries, Inc.
Daymond & Rachel Duck
duck_daymond@yahoo.com

Gap Between the Rapture and the Tribulation

By Frisco Vigario

 

Jesus perfectly fulfilled His first coming at the four spring festivals – Passover, the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Feast of Firstfruits and the Feast of Weeks. These are God’s “appointed times,” also called “holy convocations.”

After the spring feasts, there is a period of time before the autumn feasts begin. This time is spiritually symbolic of the church age in which we live today. Christ’s sacrifice and resurrection are past, we have received the promised Holy Spirit, and now we await His second coming. Just as the spring feasts pointed toward the Messiah’s ministry at His first coming, the autumn feasts point toward what will happen at His second coming.

Rosh Hashanah, also known as the Feast of Trumpets, is a picture of the ‘catching away’ of the bride of Christ. The significance for ‘the believer’ is that the blowing of the ‘shofar’ is prophetic to the rapture of the church and will inaugurate the ‘End of days,’ the coming Day of the Lord – The Great Tribulation (also called Jacob’s Trouble, the day of wrath, day of desolation, day of the Lord, the wrath of God, the wrath, the tribulation and many more).

1 Corinthians 15:51-54 “Behold, I tell you a mystery; we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For this perishable must put on the imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality. But when this perishable will have put on the imperishable, and this mortal will have put on immortality, then will come about the saying that is written, ‘Death is swallowed up in victory’” (NASB).

1 Thessalonians 4:15-18 “For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words” (NASB).

Rosh Hashanah also commemorates the creation of the universe. Jewish tradition links Adam and Eve’s creation to 1 Tishri as the day of creation from Adam’s perspective – but how? The first words of the Hebrew Bible say “In the beginning.” By rearranging the Hebrew letters, the phrase “aleph b’Tishri” is formed, meaning “on the 1^st of Tishri.”

Rosh Hashanah is also known as the head of the year – Jewish New Year’s Day.

Rosh Hashanah therefore represents the day that God began to rule as King of the Universe. It also anticipates the prophetic fulfillment of the Lord’s covenant faithfulness to Israel in Daniel’s 70^th week when all of Israel will repent and their Messiah will return to restore Israel as Saviour, Lord and Deliverer.

According to Jewish tradition, on Rosh Hashanah the destiny of the righteous are written in the Book of Life, and the destiny of the wicked are written in the book of death. However, most people will not be inscribed in either book, but have 10 days until “Yom Kippur” (Festival of Atonement) to repent before sealing their fate. Hence the Ten Days of Repentance (days of Awe). At the Feast of Atonement, then, everyone’s name will be sealed in one of the books.

The Day of Atonement is the next of the three autumn festivals. It is the holiest day of the Jewish year, and it reveals the Priestly work of Jesus – Our High Priest. This festival, also known as Yom Kippur, provides prophetic insight regarding the Second coming of Messiah, the restoration of national Israel and the final judgment of the world.

The Day of Atonement marks the high point of the 10 days of Awe and is regarded as the day when Israel will seal her fate. It is the only day of the year when the High Priest could enter the Holy of Holies and offer blood sacrifices and prayer for the sins of the people. Their sins were ‘covered’ for one year only.

Only at Christ’s death on the cross were sins forgiven “by grace through faith.”

The Rapture of the Church and the relevance of the gap between the Feast of Trumpets and the Day of Atonement:

Why did God place 10 days between the Feast of Trumpets and the Day of Atonement? Does it mean anything? Is it part of His perfect will? Would it make any difference if it were 5 days or 20 days or 30 days? I believe that God in His perfection has a perfect meaning for every letter and number that appears in His word.

Does the rapture of the church take place before the Tribulation or in the now-popularized Rapture at the mid-tribulation point before “The wrath”?

How is it possible that anyone in their right spiritual mind would consider, even for a moment, that the Rapture could take place during the 7-year Tribulation?

There are many scriptures both in the Old and New Testament that prove that the church will not go through the Tribulation. How can it be that some are still going down this dark rabbit hole?

I offer just one Old Testament and one New Testament scripture that prove beyond a shadow of doubt that the church will NOT enter the Tribulation.

Daniel 9:24 “Seventy weeks have been decreed for your people and your holy city, to finish the transgression, to make an end of sin, to make atonement for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the most holy place.”

Daniel’s people and Daniel’s holy city can only be the Jewish nation and Jerusalem. The church is not Israel and it does not have a capital. The church is the Temple of God; we are priests and we are filled with the Holy Spirit.

Nobody disputes that God has perfectly fulfilled 69 weeks at Jesus’ first coming and death on the cross and we now await the final week which will commence with “a firm covenant.” In the middle of the 7-year Tribulation, the “Abomination of desolation” will take place (see Daniel 9:27).

The purpose of the last 7 years is twofold – for the restoration of Israel (God’s “elect,” His covenant people and the “apple of His eye”) and the wrath of God to a sinful, unrepentant Gentile world.

2 Thessalonians 2:7-8 “For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only he who now restrains will do so until he is taken out of the way. Then that lawless one will be revealed whom the Lord will slay with the breath of His mouth and bring to an end by the appearance of His coming.”

According to Paul, the “lawless one” (the Antichrist) will only be revealed after the “Restrainer” is taken out of the way. Who is the restrainer? It’s not me or you, or Donald Trump or any other world or religious leader. So who can it be? Who has the strength to restrain evil, the devil and the Antichrist?

Surely it can only be the person of The Holy Spirit. So, if the “Restrainer” is taken out of the way, does that mean that Jesus says to His bride – ‘I have carried you in my hand for long enough – now you are on your own. Survival is now in your hands, so be careful. See you later.’ Is that the message of the Bible as you read it?

Or is it “…I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5).

The Holy Spirit is in us. If the Holy Spirit is taken out of the way – then so are we – it is called the Rapture of the Church.

We can only conclude that we will not be here during the 7-year Tribulation. So, if we are raptured before the Tribulation – is it possible that there is a gap between the rapture of the church and the start of the Tribulation?

The rapture of the church does not start the 7-year Tribulation. According to Daniel, the signing of a “covenant” does. So, yes, there must be a gap – but how long? It could be a few days, weeks, months or years. Since every word in the Bible is significant, we do indeed question the reason for a 10-day gap between the Feast of Trumpets and the Day of Atonement.

The book of Revelation follows a progression of future events. Most commentators see the letters to the seven churches as representing actual churches that existed at the time that the book of Revelation was written, but it also represents the seven church ages – ending with today’s church, the church of Laodicea, the lukewarm church.

Revelation 4:1 alludes to the possible rapture of the church: “After these things I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven. And the first voice which I heard was like a trumpet speaking with me, saying, ‘Come up here, and I will show you things which must take place after this.’”

John then sees in heaven the things that follow. He sees the “scroll” that is sealed with seven seals. Inside the scroll are the seven Trumpet judgments and the seven Bowl judgments that come from heaven. Jesus then opens one seal at a time, but we are nowhere told that the events that are described with the opening of the seals take place before or after the start of the Tribulation.

Is it possible that the events that take place between the breaking of the first seal and the Trumpet judgments represent a 3-year time frame between the rapture of the church and the start of the 7-year Tribulation? I believe that it is possible.

First note Revelation 5:1 “And I saw in the right hand of Him who sat on the throne a scroll written inside and on the back, sealed with seven seals” (NKJV).

The scroll is sealed with 7 seals. The sealing of a document is intended to keep the message that is contained inside secret – until it is opened by an authorized person. Jesus has the authority, and He opens the seven seals that reveal events that will take place on earth during the 7-year Tribulation. The seals reveal earthly events as well as future events.

As the first four seals are removed, a message is given by each of the four living creatures. The messages are:

– A king goes out to take peace from the earth but with a bow only.

– Peace is taken from the earth by means of “a great sword.”

– Scarcity of food

– A fourth of the earth is affected by war, starvation, disease and by animals.

What do the four living creatures represent?

The four living beings described in Revelation chapter 4 and chapter 6 are the same as the seraphim shown in Isaiah chapter 6.

The four seraphim from Isaiah and Revelation are described as having A FACE – with one being LIKE a lion, one being LIKE a calf, one being LIKE a man, and one being LIKE an eagle. Also having six wings instead of four (Ezekiel’s Cherubim).

The Lion is the chief of land beasts, and the Eagle is the chief of birds with its superior speed and strength. These two creatures exert a great and dominant force on the earth, where people live. The face of a man is a reference to the crowning creation of God, intelligently-created human beings. The calf/ox represents the field-working/sacrificial animal.

In the history of ancient Israel, the ox was valuable to both the people’s everyday wellbeing as well as their religious life. The ox did most of the laborious field chores which could result in great prosperity. It was therefore mentioned as one of the things that should not be coveted from a neighbor. So great was the significance of the ox to the people that it was once infamously raised to a godlike stature in the incidence of the “golden calf.”

I believe that the inference of the announcements coming from the four living beings is that they are representative of earthly (natural/human) events that take place and not the wrath that comes from heaven in the 7 Trumpet and Bowl judgments.

The number “4” in scripture has a pattern of identifying the covering of all sides, or going in all directions, such as the “Four Winds” of Heaven, representing the Resurrection of the Saved from all directions of the earth. In Revelation 7:1 we see 4 Angels holding the Four winds of destruction back until the 144,000 are sealed with God’s Seal on their foreheads.

The 5^th seal shows us “martyrs” that appear under the altar. These are very different to the martyrs that appear later in the 6^th seal. I believe that the 5^th seal martyrs are the Old Testament martyrs that are now asking, “How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” If the Tribulation had already commenced, surely they would not ask this question. Of the second group of martyrs, it is stated: “These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation….”

In other words, they are still future. If the Tribulation had already started, scripture should read – These are the ones that came out – and not “who come out.”

There are several other factors that add weight to a 3-year gap theory, especially the revelation of the sixth seal ‘cosmic events’ and the 144,000 that I will not cover here, but you can see them on my YouTube teaching on the “Rapture of the church” – part 6.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Opi5LPLJcfs&t=1s

You will also find on YouTube the full series on “The Rapture of the church” which consists of an introductory study plus a 6-part teaching.

Becoming Antichrist: Vol. 1

I don’t agree with the authors of the following article regarding the body of Christ not being able to know the identity of the Antichrist. Never the less, they make a number of excellent points…

 

by Pete Garcia & Randy Nettles

 

I do not think about the Antichrist often, nor do I want this to seem as if I am glorifying him in any way, shape, or form, but I have at times, wondered about a few things.  How does Satan go about selecting the Antichrist? Is he alive today? Does he know he is the Antichrist? If he does know, when and how did he find out? What does he hope to achieve? Does he have a long-term plan, or is it more like playing out things as they unfold? Is he like the Hitler with the unsustainable four-year economic plan? Or is he like the Hitler with his thousand-year Reich plan? Does he know his fate? Does he care?

The Scriptures has much to say about antichrist. Not only is it a real person(s), or a human condition, but it can also be a zeitgeist (spirit of the age). Not only are there antichrist(s) (little ‘a’), but a final, literal, future Antichrist (big ‘A’) who assumes control over the entire earth. Here are the four passages (all New Testament-all from John) that use the actual term antichrist.

• [Deceptions of the Last Hour] Little children, it is the last hour; and as you have heard that the Antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come, by which we know that it is the last hour. 1 John 4:3
• Who is a liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist who denies the Father and the Son. 1 John 2:22
• And every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the world. 1 John 4:3
• [Beware of Antichrist Deceivers] For many deceivers have gone out into the world who do not confess Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist.  2 John 1:7

In a broader sense of the word (referencing both the Old and New Testament), an antichrist is one who opposes God, His agenda, or His people. Although there are only four New Testament passages using the term antichrist (antichristos, Greek-ἀντίχριστος), Scripture affords us an abundance of clues as to the nature of the coming future Antichrist. He is called the worthless shepherd, little horn, man of sin, the lawless one, son of perdition, the beast, the dragon, and the rider on the white horse. However, we are not told who he is. Granted, every generation has had their favorite candidates, and up until now, they have all been wrong. The reason we know they were wrong, was well, all of those Roman Emperors, Catholic Popes, and brutal tyrants have thankfully come and gone and yet we are still here.

Fortunately, as born-again believers, we will not be here to find out who he is when he is finally revealed. The Apostle Paul writes in his second epistle to the Thessalonians that the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way. And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming (2nd Thess. 2:7-8). First, the Restrainer can be none other than God the Holy Spirit. Second, Christ must destroy the Antichrist at His coming; no other death will suffice.

Some Preliminary Discussions

Since the Pre-Tribulation Rapture view is to my knowledge, the only eschatological view that identifies the Holy Spirit as the Restrainer, critics of the Pre-Tribulation Rapture view scoff at the Holy Spirit/Restrainer interpretation. The reason they scoff is because the Holy Spirit is the third Person of the Godhead and as such, is both omnipresent (everywhere at once) and will remain in the salvation business even after the Rapture.

I (as do other Pre-Trib believers) whole-heartedly agree with them.

However, let us deconstruct this passage even further.

What this phrase taken out of the way does notmean, is that God the Holy Spirit is physically (or spiritually) removed from the earth, because that would be impossible. What it does mean is that His role will change, specifically, because of the Rapture (or removal) of the Church from the earth will necessitate a change in function. For those who do not understand this idea of what changing roles means, just think back to Acts 2 Pentecost and the giving of the Holy Spirit to those Jewish believers’ fifty-days after the Resurrection. Keeping that in mind, ask yourself-

1. Did God the Holy Spirit exist on the earth before the Acts 2 Pentecost? Yes He did.

2. Did His role change from Old Testament to New? Yes it did.

3. Can the Holy Spirit exist on the earth after the Rapture? Yes, He Can.

4. Will His role on the earth be different from before the Rapture? Yes, it will.

So the main question becomes, what will the primary role of the Holy Spirit be after the Rapture? Well, what was the primary role of the Holy Spirit before Christ came?

The Holy Spirit had many different roles over the history of the world. During Creation, He was the energizer or life-giver (Gen. 1:2, 2:7). From Adam to John the Baptist, the Holy Spirit’s role included empowering select persons to accomplish specific missions (for ex. Moses and David). He could infill someone from a young age (Samson) or even before birth (John the Baptist), but could also depart from people for whom He once indwelt (for ex. Samson and Saul). He overshadowed Mary at the Incarnation (Luke 1:35), visually descended upon Jesus at His baptism, and at the incarnation of the Church at Pentecost (Matt. 3:16, Acts 2:1-4).

However, after He was given as The Helper at Pentecost, His role in this dispensation was to permanently seal those believers into the universal, singular, Body of Christ (ex. 1 Cor. 12:27, Eph. 5:23) until the day of Redemption, which is the Rapture (or Harpazo). For those who have already died, will receive their glorified bodies just ahead of those of us who are alive at His coming for the Church. We shall be instantaneously translated from mortal to immortal and from corruptible to incorruptible. This is in part why we groan within ourselves for, awaiting our birth into glory (Romans 8:23). The groaning gets worse as the days get darker. What changes after the Rapture, is that the Holy Spirit will no longer restrain the dark forces from interacting here in the human domain.

After Christ’s body (the Church) is removed fully from the earth, they will have unfettered access to our physical realm. Therefore, in strictly mechanical terms, although Christ ascended to the Father forty-days after His resurrection, He still has His body (the Church) here on earth carrying out the Great Commission. This is why I said the incarnation (putting on of flesh) of the Church. Once the Holy Spirit infilled those believers, we were not born, but began to grow and gestate much as a baby does after it is conceived. Remember what Christ said,

And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. Matthew 16:18-19

First, Christ is building His Church- not the Pope, not Martin Luther, not the Southern Baptist Association, nor any other human organization. Second, the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. Clearly, when reading the summarized accounts of Daniel’s 70^th Week in Revelation 13, we see that authority has been given to the Antichrist to overcome the tribulation saints, so this group cannot be the Church. For two-thousand years, Satan has been trying to stamp out the Church. Moreover, the more he crushes it, the more it grows. This is not the case inside the 70^th Week. This is also, why God has to resort to using Angels to proclaim the gospel (Rev. 14:6), because there are so few remaining on the earth during this time.

Secondly, at present, what the Church binds on earth means that the effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much (James 5:16). And since the Church has direct access to the throne of God (Heb. 4:16), the things we war against here on earth (Eph. 6:12), not only has heavenly authorization, but divine execution on our behalf. This is what restrains Satan and his demonic forces at present, from plunging the world headlong into darkness. Trust me, if Satan could have done this, he already would have.

Once the Church is physically removed from the earth, the path to salvation goes back to one similar to that of the Old Testament. Salvation by faith through grace, yet, the believers (tribulation saints) are not permanently sealed by the Holy Spirit as we are now. They must maintain their faith, and can lose it should they take the mark of the beast, or apostatize in some other way (Matt. 24:13, 2 Thess. 2:10-12, Rev. 12:17). In fact, the only ones we do see who are specifically mentioned as being sealed by the Holy Spirit, are the 144,000 Jewish male virgins, 12,000 from each tribe (Rev. 7:1-8).

It is for this reason, that the book of Revelation often paints strange and bizarre images of demonic beings waging war on mankind in a visually symbolic way. We often try to relegate these images to things we understand in order to make some sort of sense of it all. However, the reason we cannot understand it, is that for the past two-thousand years, the spiritual domain has not been open to us. Once we are removed, those “bizarre images” so many have relegated to pure symbolic mumbo-jumbo, will be mortified to see them fill their headlines and reality.

In summary, even though we cannot know the identity of this Antichrist this side of the Rapture, the bible is not silent on the nature of this wicked man. My hope and prayer is that this article may serve as a warning to those left behind and perhaps persuade some, to avoid him and his mark of damnation. In the next Volume, we will look at the forerunners of The Antichrist.

The Eastern Gate

By Daymond Duck

I wrote this article before going out of town for several days, so most of it is not about current events (there are some current events at the end of the article).

In Old Testament times there was a wall around the city of Jerusalem, and there were several gates in that wall.

One of those gates was called the Eastern Gate (It was also called the Golden Gate, the Gate of Mercy and the Beautiful Gate).

Ezek. 44:1-3 records a very interesting prophecy about the Eastern Gate:

“Then he brought me back the way of the gate of the outward sanctuary which looketh toward the east; and it was shut. Then said the LORD unto me; This gate shall be shut, it shall not be opened, and no man shall enter in by it; because the LORD, the God of Israel, hath entered in by it, therefore it shall be shut. It is for the prince; the prince, he shall sit in it to eat bread before the LORD; he shall enter by the way of the porch of that gate, and shall go out by the way of the same.”

The Lord was saying that there will come a time when the Eastern Gate will be shut because the Messiah passed through it (Jesus passed through it at His Triumphal Entry), and no one will pass through it until the Messiah comes back.

In 70 A.D., the Romans destroyed Jerusalem and the Temple.

In 1517 A.D., the Ottoman Empire (the Turks) took over the Middle East.

At some point in the 1530’s or 1540’s, the Turkish ruler Suleiman the Magnificent heard that the Jews believe that their Messiah would come from the east and pass through the Eastern Gate (Christians believe this will be Jesus’ Second Coming).

Suleiman didn’t want the Jewish Messiah to pass through the Eastern Gate, so he ordered his people to shut it and seal it up.

They closed it in with bricks, but that was just one part of the prophecy. The other part of the prophecy said the Eastern Gate will remain shut until the Messiah appears and passes through it.

In 1967, both Jordan and Israel almost opened the Eastern Gate; but both nations failed, and the Eastern Gate is still shut.

This is how Jordan failed:

Jordan controlled East Jerusalem. Jordan’s king wanted to open the Eastern Gate and build a hotel against the inside of the wall so that people could enter his hotel through the Eastern Gate. Jordan’s king sent workmen, equipment and materials to the Eastern Gate to knock out the bricks and open it up. The workmen moved their equipment and materials to the Gate and left it there for the night. They intended to go back the next day to break the gate open.

That night, the 1967 war between Israel and Jordan broke out, and Israel captured East Jerusalem and the Temple Mount. The king’s crew could no longer break open the gate, and his hotel never got built.

This is how Israel failed:

The 1967 war broke out, Israeli troops captured the Temple Mount, and some of Israel’s military leaders wanted to blow open the Eastern Gate to send tanks and troops through it for an attack on Jordan. Other Israeli military leaders were aware that the Scriptures say that the Gate will remain shut until the Messiah appears and passes through it. Israel’s military leaders discussed blowing open the Eastern Gate, but the leaders that were familiar with the Scriptures won the debate.

Israel attacked Jordan from a different location. The Jordanian troops were caught by surprise, and Israel won the war. Since capturing it, Israel has not allowed the Eastern Gate to be opened.

Following the 1967 war, Israel agreed to let Jordan administer activities on the Temple Mount, and Jordan agreed to let Israel be in charge of security on the Temple Mount. The two nations also agreed to maintain the status quo on the Temple Mount.

In 2005, the Palestinians tried to occupy an area on the Temple Mount just inside the Eastern Gate. Israel wouldn’t allow the Palestinians to occupy that area, and the Palestinians rioted.

The disagreement went to court, and a judge ordered the area next to the Eastern Gate closed to everyone. Israel installed a fence with an iron gate leading to the Eastern Gate, and access to the area on the inside of the Eastern Gate was blocked off with a fence, a gate, a chain and a lock.

Calm prevailed on the inside of the Eastern Gate from 2005 until Feb. 2019.

On Feb. 22, 2019, the Palestinians rioted, destroyed the lock on the iron gate barring access to the Eastern Gate, and took over the area butting up against the inside of the Eastern Gate. Rumors circulated that the Palestinians intended to build another mosque and hold Muslim prayers inside the Eastern Gate. Prime Min. Netanyahu said he wouldn’t allow it.

Mr. Netanyahu gave the Palestinians until Monday, Mar. 11, 2019, to leave the area near the Eastern Gate. Palestinian leaders ignored Mr. Netanyahu’s ultimatum.

A group of Jewish settlers said the Palestinians were breaking their agreement with Israel to keep the status quo by illegally opening the area inside of the Eastern Gate for a mosque and Muslim prayers. They said the status quo that Israel and Jordan agreed to no longer exists. They added that the door is now open for Jews to ignore the status quo and build a synagogue on the Temple Mount for Jewish prayers. They said the Israeli government should not agree to any settlement of this issue unless Jews are allowed to pray on the Temple Mount too.

Israel and Jordan started holding high-level talks to resolve the issue, but they couldn’t reach an agreement.

On Mar. 9, 2019, the King of Jordan went to Washington to seek help to resolve the issue in his favor, but it didn’t work.

On Mar. 11, 2019, Mr. Netanyahu’s deadline came, and the Palestinians were still occupying the forbidden area inside the Eastern Gate.

Israel had a large number of police and security forces in the area.

On Mar. 12, 2019, a protester threw a Molotov cocktail at a police cart in the area. Israeli security forces closed the entrances to the Temple Mount, arrested some of the protesters, and ordered everyone on the Temple Mount to leave.

There was another court hearing, and the court told Israel to keep the area closed; the judge gave Jordan 60 days to respond to the court order.

I am not privy to Palestinian secret schemes and motives, and I don’t know how all of this is going to come out. But I do know that Jordan wanted to open the Eastern Gate to send in workers, material and equipment to build a hotel in 1967, and I tend to believe that opening the Eastern Gate is what the protesters want to do now.

I believe their ultimate goal is to thwart the prophecy in the Bible.

Nevertheless, the issue hasn’t been settled; and I rejoice over the fact that the Eastern Gate is still closed and that it could soon be opened to greet the coming Messiah.

Prophecy Plus Ministries, Inc.
Daymond & Rachel Duck
duck_daymond@yahoo.com

 

Absolute Truth

 By Daymond Duck

On a daily basis, the news continues to show that God’s Word, including Bible prophecy, is absolutely true.

Here are several examples:

First, it was recently reported that Pope Francis told the king of Morocco that Jerusalem is the “common patrimony (inheritance) of humanity and especially the followers of the three monotheistic religions.”

I interpret this to mean that Pope Francis believes that Jerusalem belongs to the world and especially to the three religions that trace their roots back to Abraham.

If I am right, Pope Francis is either totally in the dark about what the Bible teaches or he is a false teacher that doesn’t believe the Bible.

God does not contradict His written Word.

Second, I was recently honored to speak at the Mid-America Prophecy Conference in Tulsa, Ok.

Dr. Mike Gendron, a former Roman Catholic and an expert on Bible prophecy, was one of the speakers.

Dr. Gendron is a former corporate executive and the founder of Proclaiming the Gospel ministry.

He has devoted his life to exposing false doctrines in the Roman Catholic Church.

I said to Mike, “I am not ready to say that Pope Francis is the False Prophet, but I admit that he has me wondering about it. What is your opinion?”

Mike’s reply went something like this, “If we are as close to the return of the Lord as it seems, we have to admit that he is the only candidate on the scene.”

I got the impression that Mike believes that the Roman Catholic Church and Islam will come together to form the one-world religion, and Pope Francis is the most likely person to head it up.

Considering the Pope’s age (82) and that he would have to be alive and active until the end of the seven-year Tribulation Period, a one-world religion would have to be close.

Third, the Bible is clear that God is against the division of the Promised Land.

Three days before the April 9, 2019, Israeli elections, the polls showed that Prime Min. Netanyahu would lose.

In a TV interview on Apr. 6, 2019, Prime Min. Netanyahu promised to extend Israeli sovereignty over all of the Jewish settlements on the West Bank, if he was re-elected.

He said he will not allow the Palestinian Authority (PA) to rule over the Jewish settlements on the West Bank.

He may let the PA rule over some Arab communities on the West Bank, but he will not allow them to have a separate army, air force, etc.

Mr. Netanyahu’s strongest opponent called these promises irresponsible, and the election suddenly flipped.

Mr. Netanyahu took a Biblical stand against dividing the Promised Land, and he came from behind over the next three days to win re-election.

Fourth, the disciples asked Jesus about the sign of His coming, and of the end of the age” (Matt. 24:3).

Among other things, He said, “Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh: So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors. Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled (Matt. 24:32-35).

Notice two things: 1) Jesus said when Israel is young and growing you will know that His return is near, and 2) Near means the generation of Jews that sees a convergence of all of the prophecies won’t pass away until everything is fulfilled.

In 1948, Israel became a nation again.

In 1967, Israel retook East Jerusalem, the Temple Mount and the Golan Heights.

In 2018, the U.S. moved its embassy to Jerusalem.

In 2019, the U.S. recognized Israel’s sovereignty over the Golan Heights.

In 2019, Prime Min. Netanyahu said he intends to annex the Jewish settlements on the West Bank.

Israel is literally a young and growing nation that will soon be 71 years old.

Fifth, in late March, the city of San Antonio, TX, banned Chick-Fil-A from doing business (buying and selling) at the city airport because of the company’s religious beliefs.

This is a good example of the Mark of the Beast that will be used to force people that want to buy and sell to support world government dogma.

San Antonio has been asked to reconsider its decision to keep Chick-Fil-A from buying and selling its products because of the owner’s religious beliefs, and we should pray that they do.

In the meantime, please support Chick-Fil-A for standing on the Word of God.

Sixth, on Apr. 13, 2019, Israel struck Iranian targets near a Russian base in Syria.

Israel has taken responsibility; it has been reported that several Syrian, Iranian and pro-Iranian troops were killed, 17 others were wounded, and satellite photos show that the destruction was extensive.

The Iranians are furious because Russia didn’t try to shoot down the Israeli jets.

It turns out that Pres. Trump had sent a back-door message to Vladimir Putin to leave Israel’s jets alone.

Mr. Putin understands that Pres. Trump might protect Israel if Russia starts trying to shoot down Israel’s jets.

Please pray for the U.S. to continue to support Israel.

Seventh, this week it was reported that another new gas field has been discovered off the coast of Israel.

This solidifies Israel’s position as a global energy superpower.

It also adds to the proof that God’s Word, including Bible prophecy, is absolutely true.

Prophecy Plus Ministries, Inc.
Daymond & Rachel Duck
duck_daymond@yahoo.com

The Beating Drums of War

By Matt Ward

Israel is facing a multi-spectrum war in the very near future. While the West has largely been distracted, Iran, Hezbollah and Russia have been busy over the past six months cementing their positions in Syria, readying themselves for what is fast becoming an inevitable confrontation with Israel. At this point, it is not a question of “if” but “when” war will come to the Middle East.

Yet, strangely talk of “peace” will not be quieted. Both Jared Kushner and President Donald Trump are still addressing closed-off meetings, garnishing support for the much-anticipated US-led peace plan. At point of writing, the assumption is that this peace plan will be presented later this year, possibly “after the Israeli” elections, which would be later on in the second half of 2019. And the air is full of talk of “concessions” being needed from “both sides.”

Despite this talk of concessions, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu has not dismissed the suggestion of this peace plan out of hand, but seemingly remains open to its possibilities. He said, “We wait and see what the final plan will look like. It will be presented after the Israeli elections – as you can imagine, that takes up a little bit of my time right now. I don’t think that any of us should reject the plan and reject this initiative by the American administration before it’s even presented.”

Netanyahu went on to say, “If we make progress and indeed a formal peace with the Palestinians, it would help enormously in the Arab world, and I would say with parts of the Muslim world; but I think it is equally true that the normalization of relations with the Arab world also helps achieve peace with the Palestinians, and I’m happy to say that there’s progress on that.”

Yet, amidst the continued talk of “peace,” what we actually see in the Middle East is frantic preparations for war. On Israeli’s southern and northern borders, war is only a hair’s breadth away.

Hezbollah, Israel’s implacable and blood-avowed enemy from Lebanon, north of Israel, are now resurgent in Syria and have been working hard on converting their Zel Zal 2 medium range missiles into precision-guided missile systems. Of the 14,000 missiles they currently have, at least 250 have so far been upgraded and converted into precision-guided cruise missiles.

Hezbollah is striving to develop its precision-guided missile technology, and there can only be one immediate target for that technology: Israel. At the moment, 250 upgraded missiles would not constitute enough to fight a war with Israel, but it is a very good start, and as clear an indication as is needed of their intention for war.

Considering the density of population in the Israeli heartland, if only a few of these missiles got through the Israeli defenses, or were not shot down by the IDF, the devastation they could cause would be shocking. As, no doubt, would be the Israeli retaliation.

Yet, the missile threat now facing Israel does not end there. Iran themselves are a growing and increasingly significant threat. On February 2nd, the new Iranian designed and built Hoveizeh cruise missile was tested. This is a medium-range cruise missile designed specifically for attacking Israel. It is clear that Iran has a growing determination to use them. This Hoveizah missile has a reliable range exceeding 1,200 km, which just so happens to also be the exact distance from Iran to Israel.

This Iranian cruise missile is different from all others that have come before it. Unlike other missiles produced by the Islamic Republic, where defensive countermeasures do exist, this low-flying missile flies underneath radar to its target, thus enabling Iran to claim, with some justification, that neither the United States nor Israel have any credible defense against this specific threat.

They are likely right in that assumption as up to this point there is no military in the world that has been able to develop a consistently reliable means of intercepting cruise-missile technology, including the United States of America.

This missile represents a grave threat to the Jewish State. One can only assume that the only thing keeping this from Israel right now is the international condemnation using such a weapon would bring, and the enormous retaliation Israel would undoubtedly bring to bear on Iran should they dare launch even one at the Israeli heartland.

There is no benefit at this point in playing down the growing threat to Israel; the Hozeizeh represents a powerful new weapon in the Iranian armory, and at present there is nothing Israel or her allies can do to counter it.

Additionally, Iran has been heavily lobbying Russia to extend its formidable S-300 air-defense systems over Lebanon and southern Syria. The reason for this is that such a system would dramatically increase cover for Hezbollah’s own precision-missile programs. To this effect, Moscow has recently announced that it has begun the process of actually training Syria crews in the operation of these S-300 batteries, training that is predicted to be completed by mid to late March.

The developing situation in Iraq does not look much better. In Iraq – not often talked about these days amidst the backdrop of a ruined Syria – Iran is utterly dominant, having finally succeeded in creating a land bridge through to the Middle East. At this point, Iranian forces are moving, almost uninhibited, through Iraq to take up positions almost directly against the Israeli border in northern and eastern Syria. To deflect international attention from this obvious provocation, Russia has been jumping on the Palestinian issue as international “cover” for these Iranian movements, successfully drawing attention away from Iran and back onto Israel.

It is also worth noting that there is no doubt that the recent announcement by the US of its forthcoming troop withdrawal in Syria has, without question, benefited both Iran and Hezbollah. Intelligence has already confirmed that Iran has been redeploying its forces, regrouping them in northern and eastern Syria. This can only be so that they can take immediate advantage of the US withdrawal and so extend their strategic depth deep into Syria, increasing the stranglehold on this ruined Middle Eastern nation.

War is coming to the Middle East between Iran and Israel. There seems to be an inevitability to it at this point. In order for war between Israel, Iran and her proxies to be prevented, it is absolutely essential that Israel is able to develop a stable deterrence to their actions in Syria.

Israel simply has not been able to do so. In fact, they haven’t even come close to developing a coherent deterrence to the Iranian threat in the Syrian theater. The downing last year by Syria of a Russian transport aircraft with the loss of a number of active Russian servicemen, and the subsequently hostile Russian reaction (blaming Israel) has fundamentally changed the environment for Israel, effectively tying Israel’s hands behind her back.

Equally, a second key component part in the prevention of regional war lies in Israel’s ability to make explicitly clear, and then be able to fully enforce, what her “red lines” are. At present, while everybody seems to know what Israel’s “red lines” are, the menacing presence of Russia in Syria, and Russia’s overt support for Iran and her proxies like Hezbollah has meant that, frankly, nobody cares about Israel’s declared “red lines” anymore.

Where there is no deterrence for war, war often becomes an inevitability. The truth is that Iran and Hezbollah feel emboldened in their opposition to Israel. On February 23rd, Iran’s National Security Advisor, Ali Shamkhani, decided to take the extraordinary step of publically publishing, and then commenting on, Iran’s foreign policy goal of toppling Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu.

Iran has even gone so far as to openly acknowledge that they intend to do this through war.

Moscow is also no longer masking its true intentions in the Middle East. Ahead of the recent visit to Russia by Netanyahu, Moscow revealed that its loyalty now lies exclusively with Hezbollah, whom they believe is a “force for stability and security” in the region.

Vladimir Putin is simply not interested in hearing reports from Netanyahu about the misdemeanors of Hezbollah, and has no time for talk of their military buildup in Syria opposite to the Israeli border. This deepening Russian attitude towards the Shiite Lebanese group comes after a direct face-to-face meeting between Vladimir Putin (Russia), Hassan Rouhani (Iran) and President Tayyip Erdogan (Turkey) at the Black Sea resort of Sochi on February 14th. The discussions centered on two discussion points: Israel and Syria. It would seem to me that Israel’s enemies, as predicted long ago in scripture, are indeed now taking counsel together, actively preparing to invade an un-walled land to take a “plunder.”

Russia is not even attempting to hide these intentions anymore. Russia has revealed that its support for Hezbollah and Iran’s buildup in Syria is expressly because of Lebanon’s energy and gas supplies. Russian energy giant, Rosneft, has just signed a 20-plus year contract for the exclusive management of the oil and gas fields in northern Lebanon. And because of this, they are very soon expected, with full Russian backing, to claim that the recently discovered Israeli Leviathan gas fields belong to them, and not Israel.  And now they have the full weight and might of Russia backing up that claim.

We are on the brink of the prophesied war of Gog and Magog. I have always viewed this war as a post- rapture event because it is about the time of this war that God once again begins to turn His face back to his ancient inheritance, Israel. Whether this is right or wrong, it is looking increasingly likely that we will not have too long to wait to determine whether this confrontation really does take place after the Gentile age has concluded or not, because this war is going to happen soon. Really soon.

Keep looking up.

wardmatt1977@gmail.com

The Mountains of Israel

By Daymond Duck

First, in 2014, a powerful Islamic terrorist group called ISIS (Pres. Obama called it ISIL or the Levant) captured several cities and towns in Iraq.

The original Levant was a geographical area near the Mediterranean Sea in the Middle East that included Cyprus, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, part of Saudi Arabia, part of Turkey, part of Egypt, part of Iraq and all of Israel.

Other Islamic terrorist groups quickly joined ISIS, and the group soon started calling itself a Muslim Caliphate (a Muslim kingdom).

God promised to bless those that bless Israel and to curse those that curse Israel.

He also promised that Israel will not be defeated at the end of the age.

In mid-March 2019, the ISIS Caliphate came to an end, and Israel still stands.

God’s Word is being fulfilled.

Second, the Bible says the nations around Israel will claim the mountains of Israel, slander Israel and make God angry at the end of the age (Ezek. 36:1-7).

God added that He will be on Israel’s side; Israel will possess the mountains and grow crops on them.

Israel captured the Golan Heights in 1967, annexed them in 1981, and is growing crops on some of them.

On Mar. 21, 2019, the U.S. recognized the Golan Heights as sovereign Israeli territory, and God’s Word is being fulfilled.

Third, a Syrian official said, “The Syrian people remain committed to the liberation of the Golan Heights by all means at its disposal.”

The Word of God says Syria and Israel will get into a war at the end of the age; and Damascus, Syria, will cease to exist in one night (Isa. 17).

Syria would be wise to consider what has happened to ISIS and to read the above about the nations around Israel claiming the mountains and making God angry.

Syria won’t liberate the mountains of Israel because God has already liberated them and permanently returned them to His people Israel (Ezek. 36).

Fourth, on Mar. 22, 2019, Russia, Iran and Syria condemned U.S. recognition of Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights, and Turkey quickly did the same.

A large deposit of oil and natural gas has been discovered in the Golan Heights, and some think these nations will try to take it.

It is clear that these nations will be part of a group that will attack Israel from the north in the latter years and latter days to take a spoil and a prey. This will anger God, and they will perish on the mountains of Israel (Ezek. 38:12, 15, 18-23).

Fifth, on Mar. 24, 2019, it was reported that the U.S. and Israel are anticipating a breakout of violence along Israel’s border with Syria and Lebanon at any moment due to U.S. recognition of Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights.

As a result, the U.S. has sent reinforcements to six U.S. bases in Iraq and Syria.

Sixth, on Mar. 21, 2019, U.S. Sec. of State Mike Pompeo was in Israel when Pres. Trump recognized the Golan Heights as sovereign Israeli territory.

It was the day before the Jewish holiday called Purim, and he was interviewed by Chris Mitchell of the Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN).

Mr. Mitchell said, “Jews worldwide and here in Jerusalem are talking about the fact that Esther 2,500 years ago saved the Jewish people with God’s help from Haman” (a Persian or Iranian official that wanted to destroy the Jews).

Mr. Mitchell added, “And now, 2,500 years later, there’s a new Haman here in the Middle East that wants to eradicate the Jewish people just like Haman did: the state of Iran.”

Then, Mr. Mitchell asked, “Could it be that President Trump right now has been sort of raised for such a time as this, just like Queen Esther, to help save the Jewish people from the Iranian menace?”

Mr. Pompeo replied, “As a Christian, I certainly believe that’s possible.”

Israel will survive because God promised to protect her, and it is not too far-fetched to believe that God raised up Pres. Trump for Israel’s sake.

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Ready or Not

First, it was AOC. Then, it was Bernie Sanders. Now, it is Beto O’Rourke.

On Mar. 13, 2019, former Texas Rep. and candidate for the U.S. Senate, Beto O’Rourke, launched his campaign to become president of the U.S.

He used the event to say, “We have 12 years to fix the planet or we suffer the extinction of the human race.”

It is too early to know who the globalists will endorse, but we can be sure that they will put big money behind their candidate, get their candidate favorable coverage in the media, have illegals voting where they can, etc.

On another subject, it was recently reported that the president of the Mormon Church, Russell M. Nelson, and Pope Francis held a relationship-building meeting at the Vatican in Rome.

The Bible doesn’t reveal the identity of the False Prophet, but I have to admit that the theology, words and actions of Pope Francis sets off alarm bells.

On another subject, it was recently reported that all international passengers will undergo a face scan at the 20 largest airports in the U.S. by the end of next year.

The above three stories have implications for world government, world religion and tracking everyone (things that will happen after the Rapture of the Church).

On another subject, Jason Greenblatt, Pres. Trump’s special assistant that is working with Jared Kushner on Mr. Trump’s peace plan, held a 4-hour meeting at the White House on Mar. 7, 2019, to brief Mr. Trump’s faith advisers and other well-known guests (John Hagee, Joel Rosenberg, etc.) on the issue.

Mr. Rosenberg recently blogged that after the meeting broke up, he had lunch with VP Mike Pence, and then they met with Pres. Trump, Sec. of State Mike Pompeo, and National Security Adviser John Bolton in the Oval Office where they discussed Israel, Jerusalem, Iran and No. Korea.

I don’t know if anything good will come out of the meeting, but I am pleased to know that these issues were discussed with a reliable expert on Bible prophecy at such a time as this.

Our leaders need to know what the Bible says, and we need to pray that God will guide them and use them to accomplish His will.

Concerning Pres. Trump’s peace plan, I have the impression that Joel Rosenberg believes that the plan will be released; it will be loaded with good things for the PA; the PA will probably reject it; at least a few Arab nations will decide that the stalemate has gone on long enough; some will establish diplomatic relations with Israel; and ultimately there will be a peace treaty.

No light was shed on what was said about Jerusalem, Iran, etc., other than the fact that the Iranian threat is causing some Arab nations to rethink their position on Israel.

Concerning Arab-Israeli relations, on Mar. 13, 2019, Prime Min. Netanyahu revealed that Israel is holding secret meetings with about half a dozen Arab and Islamic nations to expedite the process of normalization.

The motivation behind these meetings is the Iranian nuclear threat, and one of the most significant points is the need to speed up the recognition of Israel.

These nations know that Iran’s immediate goal is the destruction of Israel, but Iran’s ultimate goal is the establishment of a Shiite world religion and government.

Their continued existence of Sunni Islam depends on stopping Iran, and it must be soon.

Concerning Bible prophecy, many church members have their fingers in their ears and their heads in a hole in the sand, but it is being discussed in the White House, significant events are taking place on a daily basis, and Jesus is coming soon – ready or not.

Prophecy Plus Ministries, Inc.
Daymond & Rachel Duck
duck_daymond@yahoo.com

The False Promise Of Peace With Arab Countries

BY EDY COHEN/JNS.ORG

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On Jan. 6, the Foreign Ministry released a statement in Arabic revealing that a number of delegations from Iraq had visited Israel, including influential Sunni and Shi’ite figures in the country, in 2018.  The Foreign Ministry did not name names.

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The news made waves in Iraq after it was leaked to the press that some of the officials that took part in the delegation were sitting members of parliament. Many lawmakers, including the head of Iraq’s parliament, demanded an investigative committee be established and officials who came into contact with the “Zionist entity” be punished to the full extent of the law.

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Everyone in the country was outspoken about their opposition to the normalization of ties with Israel–everyone that is, except for one former lawmaker. But we’ll get to him later.

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A majority of Israelis would like to be at peace with our neighbors, but decades of experience have led us to seriously contemplate the concessions we are interested in making in return for a false peace.

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Peace with Egypt is very cold, and peace ties with Jordan are at a rough spot following Amman’s refusal to renew part of the Hashemite kingdom’s 1994 peace treaty with Israel that allows Israel to lease two small areas of land–Naharayim in the northern Jordan Valley and Ghamr in the south.

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It Is evident that our neighbors are only interested in making peace with us because they are in distress. They have learned how to acquire Israeli aid through empty promises of future peaceful relations.

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With the help of social-media networks and mass Syrian immigration to Europe, many Israelis have been able to communicate with members of Syria’s opposition in recent years. These opposition members have expressed interest in making peace with Israel, after it helps bring down Syrian President Bashar Assad’s regime. Well, Assad hasn’t been removed from power, and there is no peace with Syria.

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Immediately after the fall of Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, dozens of Iraqi parliamentarians arrived in Israel, a majority of them afraid to make their visit public. The most conspicuous of them was Parliament member Mithal al-Alusi, who did not fear public knowledge of his Israel visit.

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Israeli commentators saw his bold stance as proof the winds of peace were blowing from Baghdad. Except a short while later, he was kicked out of parliament and his two children were murdered. Al-Alusi was never again elected to parliament.  He wasn’t able to pass the electoral threshold.

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Iraq is a failed state. Despite being one of the richest countries when it comes to natural resources, it is unable to provide its residents with electricity and drinking water. Iraqis are sick of living such lives. They are sick of standing idly by as their oil and other natural treasures are stolen by Iran, which has controlled Iraq through Shi’ite militias ever since Saddam Hussein’s fall from power.

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The Iraqis, who are interested in freeing themselves of the Iranians at any price, are now asking for Israel’s military assistance in return for empty promises of peace. Unfortunately, Israel is allocating substantial resources towards this hopeless end.

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There are tens of thousands of Iraqi refugees in Europe who cannot return to their homeland. They hope that Israel will help remove the Iranians from Iraq, and promise us peace when they return home and take control of the government.

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And so, let us add Iraq to the list of Arab countries that seek Israeli aid in return for promises of a future peace and pay us the same kind of lip service we were paid by the opposition fighters in Syria.

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Peace with Iraq is light years away. In October 2017, the Iraqi parliament passed a law prohibiting the raising of the Israeli flag in the country and punishing violators with jail time. If we haven’t learned from past experiences, let us at the very least read the present situation correctly.

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Bible Prophecy expert Bill Salus believes that Iraq, Jordan, Syria several other Arab nations will eventually rise up in a coalition against Israel described in Psalm 83.  Learn more about this prophecy and many more that could be on our horizon by clicking here.

Palestinian Media Watch – Exposing The True Words Of The Palestinian Authority

BY STEPHEN FLATOW/JNS.ORG

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The Palestinian Authority last week removed a photo from the website of one of its ministries because it showed a meeting of P.A. officials in which bottles of a popular Israeli juice were visible on the table.

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For friends of Israel, it was another in a long series of mildly amusing incidents in which P.A. officials have gone to absurd lengths to slight the Jewish state. It was all the more entertaining because it exposed the blatant hypocrisy of P.A. officials who call for boycotts of Israeli products while they are enjoying Israeli products.

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It also fits into a narrative that friends of Israel have been repeating for decades, but which the Arabs never accept: If the Palestinian Arabs would just realize that peace is good for them, they could be enjoying delicious Israeli foods, having easier lives thanks to advanced Israeli technology, be exposed to the latest agricultural techniques and so on.

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I have a different take on stories about P.A. boycott advocates who violate the boycott. I say: Wait, that doesn’t make any sense. The Oslo accords obligate the P.A. to have friendly relations with Israel. It’s not allowed to promote a boycott of the Jewish state. J Street and The New York Times keep telling us that we can trust the P.A., that it wants peace, that it honors the treaties it signs. So why is the P.A. so blatantly violating the accords it already signed?

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Meanwhile, the official P.A. newspaper Al-Hayat Al-Jadida last week featured remarks by leader Mahmoud Abbas resurrecting the blood-libel accusation that Israel “poisoned Yasser Arafat.”

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Wait, that doesn’t make any sense. Separate teams of French, Swiss and Russian scientists have investigated the poisoning accusation and never found evidence to support it. Peace Now and the United Nations have been assuring us for years that Palestinian leaders are reasonable, rational people. So why are the P.A.’s leader and official newspaper knowingly propagating such baseless lies?

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And don’t forget the little matter of such falsehoods blatantly violating the Oslo accords. The accords obligate the P.A. to refrain from “hostile propaganda” against Israel. Accusing Israel of murdering the P.A.’s most beloved leader surely qualifies as “hostile.” So why does the P.A. keep violating the accords? What happened to all those promises that it can be trusted to honor the agreements that it signs?

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Also in the past few days, a rally was held in Tulkarm–under Abbas’s official auspices–to honor convicted Palestinian murderer Maher Younes, while the Bethlehem branch of Fatah (the ruling party, chaired by Abbas) posted photos on its Facebook page glorifying teenage terrorist Ahmed Sanagrah.

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Wait, that doesn’t make any sense, either. The proponents of creating a Palestinian state keep telling us that it’s safe to create such a state because the P.A. is against terrorism. They say Hamas is the bad one, while the P.A. is moderate. So if the P.A. is against terrorism, why do its leader and ruling party keep glorifying, sheltering and paying terrorists?

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By the way, when Abbas spoke at the United Nations earlier this month, he proclaimed the P.A.’s “commitment to international law and legitimacy and to a peaceful solution.”

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And that makes perfect sense. Abbas is truly bilingual. When he speaks to Western audiences, he uses all the right words that they want to hear. He sounds peaceful, reasonable and moderate. But when he speaks to his own people, he literally speaks another language: the language of hatred and violence. It’s the kind of language that gets innocent people killed.

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There was a time, not so long ago, when it was almost impossible to find out what was being said by Palestinian Arab leaders in their own media. Every once in a while, something would leak out. But by and large, the world news media did an effective job of keeping Americans in the dark about what Arafat, Abbas and the others were saying.

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That’s all changed, thanks to Palestinian Media Watch, which exposed the above-cited outrages and so many others. By exposing the P.A. leaders’ true words, PMW has affected U.S. and European policy towards the P.A. and in some cases has led directly to reductions of Western aid to the PA.

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Palestinian Media Watch is a uniquely worthwhile organization, and it deserves to receive a level of support from Jewish federations comparable to what is given to various other Israel-based agencies that do good work. Now that would make a lot of sense.

 

The Tower of Syene: A Prophetic Wonder

by: Gary Stearman

It’s not often that one can point to a physical object at a specific geographical location in the contemporary world, and identify it as being the focus of a biblical prophecy that was written long before Christ. Yet, that is exactly what we can do in the case of a remarkable manmade edifice in Egypt that didn’t exist until 1970. It is a 230-foot tower, called the “Lotus Tower,” because it is topped by the five petals of the lotus blossom. The tower was designed as a token of Arab-Russian friendship, its five petals perhaps signifying the five pillars of the Islamic faith. It is only 49 years old, yet Ezekiel referred to it by name … twice.

In the 29th and 30th chapters of his prophecy, “the tower of Syene” is mentioned as a landmark that is specifically related to the fulfillment of latter-day prophecy. In fact, this prophecy is profoundly powerful, sounding the death knell of Egypt.

We have written about the current crisis in Egypt, which began with street riots in 2010, followed by Hosni Mubarak’s resignation early in 2011. This was followed by another coup, the assumption of power by the Muslim Brotherhood and more Islamic riots, finally resulting in the rise to power of Abdel Fattah el-Sisi in June of 2014. Egypt, like other countries in the Mideast, continues to experience uprisings and internal dissent. As this is written, war clouds surround Egypt in every direction.

In this context, we have long studied a graphic prophecy in Ezekiel 29 and 30 that summons up the dark vision of Egypt’s future destruction by a great flood, which itself, is linked to a number of end-time prophecies.

A STAFF OF REED 

That Egyptian prophecy directly addresses these developments. In it, Ezekiel states that because of its failure to support Israel, Egypt will at some future point, be grievously judged. That judgment will turn it into a wasteland. This is clearly stated in the opening words of the following prophecy:

“6 And all the inhabitants of Egypt shall know that I am the LORD, because they have been a staff of reed to the house of Israel. 7 When they took hold of thee by thy hand, thou didst break, and rend all their shoulder: and when they leaned  upon thee, thou brakest, and madest all their loins to be at a stand. 8 Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will bring a sword upon thee, and cut off man and beast out of thee. 9 And the land of Egypt shall be desolate and waste; and they shall know that I am the LORD: because he hath said, The river is mine, and I have made it. 10 Behold, therefore I am against thee, and against thy rivers, and I will make the land of Egypt utterly waste and desolate, from the tower of Syene even unto the border of Ethiopia. 11 No foot of man shall pass through it, nor foot of beast shall pass through it, neither shall it be inhabited forty years. 12 And I will make the land of Egypt desolate in the midst of the countries that are desolate, and her cities among the cities that are laid waste shall be desolate forty years: and I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations, and will disperse them through the countries” (Ezek. 29:6-12).

THE DRAGON’S RIVER 

For a time, Egypt joined the legions of Islamic terrorists bent upon the annihilation of Israel. Currently, Sisi’s administration has stabilized the situation. But in the days ahead, such militancy is bound to spread like wildfire, finally arriving at a critical mass, at which time the Brotherhood will believe that it has arrived at a historic moment. Then, it will launch its invasion against Israel.

Many object to interpreting the above passage in Ezekiel 29 as being an end-time prophecy. They say that the context of this chapter took place in the past, during the days of the Babylonian captivity. In fact, it may be partially interpreted in that way. But the very nature of Ezekiel’s words, places the final outcome of the Syene prophecy in the last days. Egypt has never been desolate and uninhabited for any 40-year period, as described above. Presenting its self-evident truth, this prophecy must be contemporary in nature, because when Ezekiel first wrote it, there was no “tower of Syene.” In fact, it didn’t even come into existence until 1970, at the dedication of the Aswan High Dam, spanning the Nile at the location of the first cataract, Egypt’s southern border. The proper noun “Syene,” from the Hebrew S’veneh [vbux], means “opening,” or “key.” This name is said to be the ancient designation for the opening to Egypt, as one approaches from the south, or from the direction of Ethiopia.

From several sources, it is quite easy to confirm that the biblical Syene is really Aswan. One of these is the Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament, first published in 1866. It affirms the connection, from the Greek Septuagint: “[Suhnh], Syene, in the inscriptions according to Brugsch [was] the most southerly border town of Egypt in the direction of Cush, i.e. Ethiopia, on the eastern bank of the Nile, some ruins of which are still to be seen in the modern Assuan (Aswan) …” (Vol. 9, Ezekiel 29-48, p. 8).

When Keil and Delitzsch wrote their commentary in 1866, there was not a trace of the prophesied tower at Aswan. And when Ezekiel wrote his prophecy around 570 B.C., there was no tower. In fact, until the huge hydroelectric project was completed there, by the Russians and Egyptians in 1970, there was no tower at Aswan. Today, this dam is the most imposing feature of the area, doomed by biblical prophecy to be wiped out at some point between now and the Tribulation.

Using Russian technology, the Egyptians completed the dam, effectively placing themselves in the position of being able to say, “The river is mine, and I have made it for my own use.”

“2 Son of man, set thy face against Pharaoh king of Egypt, and prophesy against him, and against all Egypt: 3 Speak, and say, Thus saith the Lord  GOD; Behold, I am against thee, Pharaoh king of Egypt, the great dragon that lieth in the midst of his rivers, which hath said, My river is mine own, and I have made it for myself. 4 But I will put hooks in thy jaws, and I will cause the fish of thy rivers to stick unto thy scales, and I will bring thee up out of the midst of thy rivers, and all the fish of thy rivers shall stick unto thy scales. 5 And I will leave thee thrown into the wilderness, thee and all the fish of thy rivers: thou shalt fall upon the open fields; thou shalt not be brought together, nor gathered: I have given thee for meat to the beasts of the field and to the fowls of the heaven” (Ezek. 29:2-5).

At first glance, this prophecy seems generically directed toward “Pharaoh, king of Egypt.” But upon further examination, its real target is, “… the great dragon that lieth in the midst of his rivers.” This scaly creature seems to represent the remnant of Egypt’s power, lurking behind the scenes since the days of Moses. In Ezekiel 28, the chapter that immediately precedes this one, Satan, as the “anointed cherub,” is shown as defeated. This prophecy in Chapter 29, then, may possibly be taken as an extension of that preceding prophecy.

Here, the fish of the Nile River figuratively stick to the dragon’s scales, as all are hurled from the river onto its banks to rot and dry in the sun. His power is destroyed. The Nile, which annually flooded with clocklike predictability, has ceased its flooding since the construction of the High Dam at Aswan. Total destruction of this dam is the only way it could flood as catastrophically as described in Scripture.

THE RUSSIAN PROJECT 

Interestingly, the huge dam is so massive that experts have pronounced it indestructible … except through the use of nuclear force. This fact alone makes it more than clear that this is a latter-day prophecy. With the foregoing in mind, it is interesting to examine two distinct biblical prophecies. As we shall see, they are related. But they evoke a mystery. They suggest that Egypt will soon experience a massive devastation that is unique to its geography. And apparently, for reasons that shall become clear, this event will predate Gog’s lightning assault upon Israel.

We have written at some length about the first of the two prophecies, found in Ezekiel 29. As it begins, it seems to be directed to a specific Pharaoh, perhaps the one on the throne at the time Ezekiel wrote his prophecy. But as one reads carefully, it becomes clear that “Pharoah” is really a literary title given to the evil spirit of Egypt in general. It is quite easy to see this, since this particular “Pharoah” is a dragon who lives in the Nile River. Taking an expanded look in the verses that follow, the dragon professes ownership of the Nile, even boasting that he has created it. His arrogance is about to be challenged:

“6 And all the inhabitants of Egypt shall know that I am the LORD, because they have been a staff of reed to the house of Israel. 7 When they took hold of thee by thy hand, thou didst break, and rend all their shoulder: and when they leaned upon thee, thou brakest, and madest all their loins to be at a stand. 8 Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will bring a sword upon thee, and cut off man and beast out of thee. 9 And the land of Egypt shall be desolate and waste; and they shall know that I am the LORD: because he hath said, The river is mine, and I have made it. 10 Behold, therefore I am against thee, and against thy rivers, and I will make the land of Egypt utterly waste and desolate, from the tower of Syene even unto the border of Ethiopia. 11 No foot of man shall pass through it, nor foot of beast shall pass through it, neither shall it be inhabited forty years. 12 And I will make the land of Egypt desolate in the midst of  the countries that are desolate, and her cities among the cities that are laid waste shall be desolate forty years: and I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations, and will disperse them through the countries” (Ezek. 29:6-12).

In the last few decades, this arrangement has radically changed. The Russian hydroelectric project was amazing in its scope. It is huge, measuring 360 feet in height, 10,200 feet (almost two miles!) long and 3,200 feet wide at the base. Backed up behind it is the vast Lake Nasser, and the waters of the Nile that pool all the way into Ethiopia. The dam’s dimensions are so massive that it is considered indestructible. Saboteurs using ordinary explosives wouldn’t make a dent. However, experts have said that one or two well-placed nuclear bombs could blow it wide open.

In Ezekiel’s day, Aswan (biblical Syene) was a small village, some 550 miles south of the Great Pyramid, on the bank of the first cataract of the Nile. It was considered the southernmost extent of Egypt. When Ezekiel wrote this prophecy, the entire area was geographically different. Of course, there was no “tower” there! Today, of course, there is the towering High Dam, which this prophecy indirectly names as the source of the great flood that will ravage Egypt.

Ezekiel wrote his prophecy about 2,500 years, before its targeted object even existed, saying that it will break, allowing flood waters to surge almost six hundred miles to the north, where they would empty into the Mediterranean Sea.

If nuclear weapons are used to accomplish this catastrophe, the floodwaters would cover all Egypt with nuclear waste. As we have mentioned in the past, this would account for the virtual abandonment of the country for the forty-year period mentioned by Ezekiel. This has never before happened.

ISRAEL’S EXPERT ASSESSMENT 

In 2002, Israeli Knesset member (MK) Avigdor Lieberman, admittedly a man given to controversial statements, announced that Israel could defeat an invading Egypt by bombing the Aswan High Dam. He knew that this would require the use of nuclear force, since many experts have testified that the dam is too massive to fall to ordinary explosives. Lieberman, who served as Israel’s Deputy Prime Minister, and as Minister both of Foreign Affairs and Strategic Affairs, had obviously been briefed upon military alternatives. It appears that he wanted to give Egypt something to think about.

Nor was he alone in his opinion. MK Yigal Allon had publicly made the same statement during the early 1980s. A Labor Party representative, he too, had served as a government minister for seven years. These men were saying what others knew, but refused to speak about openly.

They were simply stating the obvious. If Israel’s existence were threatened by an Egyptian invasion, drastic measures would be brought into play, The Aswan Dam holds back the waters of the enormous Lake Nasser, 340 miles long and 22 miles wide at its widest. If the dam were breached by a nuclear blast, radioactive waters would cover Egypt from Ethiopia’s Blue Nile, through Sudan to the Mediterranean Sea.

Satellite photos reveal a staggering truth about Egypt. Virtually its entire population lives in close proximity to the Nile River, from Aswan all the way down to Cairo and the Mediterranean Sea. Night photos show the Nile as a narrow river of light that fans out at the Nile Delta. Egypt may be the only country on earth so vulnerable to total destruction.

FIRE FALLS UPON SYENE 

Naturally, when we read about the horrific event mentioned above, our first question is: When does this prophecy take place? In the following chapter of his prophecy, Ezekiel answers this question, too.

The following verses link the Tribulation Period (Day of the Lord) and the coming of this dire event. Also, notice again that the “tower of Syene” is mentioned:

“The word of the LORD came again unto me, saying, 

“Son of man, prophesy and say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Howl ye, Woe worth the day, 

“For the day is near, even the day of the LORD is near, a cloudy day; it shall be the time of the heathen. 

“And the sword shall come upon Egypt, and great pain shall be in Ethiopia, when the slain shall fall in Egypt, and they shall take away her multitude, and her foundations shall be broken down. 

“Ethiopia, and Libya, and Lydia, and all the mingled people, and Chub, and the men of the land that is in league, shall fall with them by the sword. 

“Thus saith the LORD; They also that uphold Egypt shall fall; and the pride of her power shall come down: from the tower of Syene shall they fall in it by the sword, saith the Lord GOD. 

“And they shall be desolate in the midst of the countries that are desolate, and her cities shall be in the midst of the cities that are wasted. 

“And they shall know that I am the LORD, when I have set a fire in Egypt, and when all her helpers shall be destroyed” (Ezek. 30:1-8).

The language of this prophecy is unmistakable. A storm is gathering; the Day of the Lord is approaching. Note that not just Egypt, but all of northeast Africa is involved. Today, northeast Africa – Ethiopia, Somalia, Sudan, Chad and Libya – constitute a seething cauldron of Islamic terrorism. These countries surround Egypt, which is, itself, a seat of Islamic power. In spite of an intervening peace treaty, it has never deviated from its desire to eradicate Israel.

In the prophecy above, Ezekiel states that all these countries will suffer judgment … including “Lydia,” representing modern Turkey. But the most devastating judgment of all is reserved for Egypt. Once again, the prophecy evokes the imagery of the “tower of Syene,” which we have pointed out as the Aswan High Dam. It seems to be central to all the judgments mentioned here. Egypt’s Islamic allies will also suffer greatly when the Lord sets His fire in the land of Egypt. It is clear that this fire is the instrument that will unleash the trillions of gallons of radioactive water that washes across Egypt.

Many students of Bible prophecy have asked why Egypt is not listed among the allies that come against Israel in the great invasion described in Ezekiel 38. Certainly, Russia is represented, along with Persia and some of the countries of north Africa. Nations from parts of Europe and Asia are also represented, but Egypt is not among them. Under today’s geopolitical circumstances, Egypt would be at the head of the line in support of such an invasion, as it has been in the past. We would conclude that by the time Gog launches his lightning invasion, Egypt has already been destroyed.

This would explain why Egypt is prophesied to be uninhabitable for a future period of forty years. This also explains why Egypt is missing in the prophesied attack on Israel by the allied forces of Gog, in Ezekiel 38.

Clean-up of the radioactive debris would be a staggering task. This massive project seems to extend into the early years of the Millennium. But somehow, it will be accomplished in the years following the Tribulation, probably supervised by the Lord and His followers.