PTNews
P r o p h e c y T o d a y N e w s
July 2021
Published monthly
All Bible references are from the KJV
(Examining Current Events in the Light of Bible Prophecy)
P.O. Box 13006, Roanoke, VA 24030-3006
Israel’s Government & Antichrist’s Covenant
“Wherefore, hear the word of the LORD, ye scornful men, that rule this people, which is in Jerusalem.” Isaiah 28:14
By Mike Wingfield
As Americans celebrate their historic independence and freedom as a nation on July 4th, we will collectively be facing the greatest political crisis in the history of this great nation. Those in charge of the federal government are planning the demise of our democratic society. Furthermore, they want to remove all the precious freedoms that Americans have enjoyed since the founding of this nation in 1776. These freedoms are embodied in our founding documents, the U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights. These documents were crafted by our founding fathers, and they are based on the eternal truths found in the changeless Word of God. The laws of this land are in many ways an extension of the moral values given by God to Israel at Mount Sinai more than 3,400 years ago.
God gave these laws to His people, Israel, that they might become a “kingdom of priests, and a holy nation” (Exodus 19:6). This simply means that God wanted His people to live in a way that would honor Him as the one and only God (Exodus 20:1-8). He wanted them to be a model for all the other nations to follow. God’s law is founded upon the reality that man has been created in the image of God. Therefore, mankind must respect and honor the life and property of others (Exodus 20:9-17). History demonstrates that any nation or culture that attempts to depart from these foundational truths is in rebellion against God, and invites its own ultimate demise.
Satan, the author of lies, murder, chaos, and destruction, has a track record of deceiving and weakening the nations (Isaiah 14:12; Revelation 20:3, 8). He wants the world to follow him in his rebellion against God. In the beginning, the devil deceived Eve into believing she needed to set herself free from the restrictive commandments of God. In essence, he told her that she could become a god and make her own rules (Genesis 3:1-5). When Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit, they disobeyed God and enslaved themselves and all of mankind to Satan’s rebellion. The Bible says that since that time we have walked “according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now [works] in the children of disobedience” (Ephesians 2:2).
This was the beginning of the war in the spirit world between God and Satan. According to the Bible, this war has been raging since that time. The history of this planet is one of ruin, chaos, wars, death, and destruction because man has followed Satan’s way against the path of God, which produces life, peace, and joy.
According to the Bible, we know how the final phase of this war in the spiritual realm will end. It will end with a specific period of seven years. Satan will once again unite the world to be in rebellion against God. We call this “the Great Tribulation.”
The Bible teaches that when this time comes, Satan will unite the world against God and His commandments. According to Psalm 2, the people of the world will unite in open, defiant, disorderly conduct against the law of God. The leaders of the world will set themselves up as god and agree with each other that they must stand against God, His Son, and the commandments of God (Psalm 2:2-3). This is now unfolding, and it is called “the New World Order.”
Currently, there is a spirit of rebellion fomenting across the globe among the nations. The present international political body, the United Nations, is anti-God, anti-Christian, and anti-Bible. The U.N. is preparing the way for the Antichrist! The U.N. is made up of atheists (Communists and Socialists), and Muslims (those who worship another god). Under the banner of peace and security, the U.N. is ushering in a godless New World Order.
The Bible indicates the Antichrist will step onto the stage of human history at a time of global lawlessness and rebellion. According to the Bible, the Antichrist and his global kingdom are depicted symbolically as a wild beast coming up out of a raging sea (Daniel 7:2-3; Revelation 13:1). In the Bible, the ocean is a picture of the chaos and turmoil that exists in a world that is in rebellion against God. The Bible says, “But the wicked are like the troubled sea, when it cannot rest, whose waters cast up mire and dirt. There is no peace, saith my God, to the wicked” (Isaiah 57:20-21).
We have arrived at a very significant point in the political developments of our world. Since the formation of the U.N. after World War II, there have only been two nations that have held back the tide of rejection against God and the foundational guidelines that today are called the Judeo-Christian laws. Those two nations are the United States and Israel.
Both these nations are hated among the nations of the world. The evil powers of this world are eagerly awaiting the demise of America and Israel. They view these two nations as the last bastions of the old world order that honors the God of the Bible and respects His Word. In the eyes of the world (especially China, Russia, and Iran), America and Israel must either disappear or be rendered as useless nations with no power or resources. The blueprints for this world order come right out of hell. Satan is bent on making this happen. As all of this develops, we are looking at the final preparations for the entrance of the Antichrist. As believers in Christ, this means that the Rapture of the church is imminent. As Paul said to the church at Rome, “… for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed” (Romans 13:11).
In previous newsletters I have written extensively about the political end of the United States. We are gradually succumbing to the design of the United Nations to become a socialist state. More and more, Americans are beginning to feel like helpless pawns, being forced into an evil power structure that is rapidly forming before our very eyes. The powers of darkness have enveloped our beloved nation with their lies. According to the Bible, America will ultimately join hands with Satan and his Antichrist against God and Israel.
It has become abundantly clear in the last few weeks that Israel is facing a political crisis that is eerily similar to America’s. Since the collapse of the conservative, right-wing government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in 2018, Israel has been in a state of political turmoil. During this time, they have had four major elections to form a government. The Israeli population is divided between the conservative religious traditionalists and the more liberal secularists. [Does that sound familiar?]
Before I proceed, let me attempt to explain the complicated political system in Israel. Israel is a true democracy. The government is directed by the Jewish parliament in Jerusalem, called the Knesset. This political body of 120 members is elected by the public to a four-year term. In this election, the people do not vote for a person, but for a political party. In recent years there have been about 10-12 political parties. Each party selects its list of leaders. Based upon the number of votes each party receives in the general election, they are assigned a proportionate number of seats within the Knesset. No party has ever received enough votes to have a majority number of seats to form a government. Therefore, the leader of the party with the most seats is usually given about a month to negotiate with other parties to reach a majority of seats (61-plus) and thus form a government.
This government is elected to a four-year term. The coalition government crumbles if some of the leaders withdraw their support and remove themselves from the coalition, leading to its failure to maintain a majority number of seats. If this happens, a caretaker government is formed and a new election is called to be held within three months. Then, the whole process takes place again.
In recent years, no government has lasted the entire four-year term. Since 2018, Prime Minister Netanyahu’s party has received the most votes. But he was only able to form a coalition government once, and it tumbled after a few months.
Netanyahu has served as Prime Minister of Israel longer than any person in the history of the modern Jewish nation. Until recent events transpired, he had served as Prime Minister for more than 12 consecutive years.
During that time, the opposing parties grew very weary of Netanyahu’s popularity and power. Using their influence with the media, journalists, educators, and the judicial system, they began a movement to get rid of Netanyahu. [Does that sound familiar?]
In the latest election a few months ago, Netanyahu’s party received more votes than other parties. After about a month of political maneuvering, Netanyahu failed to create a majority coalition. His political opponents hated him so much they were determined to not allow him to continue as the Prime Minister of Israel. [Does that sound familiar?]
With Netanyahu’s inability to reach a majority of seats to form a government, a liberal party headed by Yair Lapid, a former journalist and television personality, was given a chance to form a government. He and eight other political
parities hate Netanyahu so much that they agreed to lay aside their political differences to form what they are calling a “unity government.” [Does that sound familiar?]
These eight political parties represent a wide spectrum of the political persuasions in Israel. They represent the liberal left, the extreme right, and most surprisingly, the United Arab Party, with their leader Mansour Abbas. This is the first time in the history of Israel that the Arab members of the Knesset have been a part of the government leadership. Abbas does not call himself an Israeli Arab, but a Palestinian Arab. He is a Muslim and a member of the Islamic Brotherhood, which has sworn to the destruction of Israel. The inclusion of this party in this coalition demonstrates that these leaders have allowed their hatred for Netanyahu and political ambitions for power to become more important than what is best for their country. [Does that sound familiar?] They are willing to share the leadership of the country with a group in their ranks that wants to replace Israel with a Palestinian State.
The majority in this new government, not only hate Netanyahu, but they also oppose the Zionist agenda that calls for Israel to be a Jewish state, led by Zionist principles. They want to remake Israel into a purely godless secular state. [Does that sound familiar?]
Zionism is the nationalist movement among the Jewish people that seeks to establish and maintain a Jewish presence in the land of Israel. It believes that the Jewish people have a right to their ancient homeland that God has given unto them in an eternal covenant. It seeks to call all Jewish people to return to the Promised Land.
In the truest sense of Zionism, the Jewish people will seek to renew and strengthen their commitment to the Torah [Law] of God. This will include their commitment to the laws of the Sabbath and the feasts of Israel.
Some in this new government want to get rid of the Sabbath law restrictions. They want open public transportation on the Sabbath. They want business establishments to be open on the Sabbath. They want to recognize gay marriages and civil unions. In essence, they want to fundamentally change Israel so that it will no longer be a Jewish state. This is why they are willing to embrace the inclusion of the Arabs in this new government. It does not matter to them that the Arabs oppose the Jewish state’s right to exist.
This new government in Israel is committed to unraveling all of the great past achievements of Netanyahu. [Does that sound familiar?] They are seeking to erase Netanyahu’s diplomatic triumphs.
Many in this new government are willing to make great sacrifices to appease the world and the Palestinians. Some advocate the recognition of a Palestinian State on the West Bank [biblical Judea and Samaria]. They are willing to surrender most of the West Bank territory, the Golan Heights, and East Jerusalem.
In order to form this coalition, they agreed to allow Naftali Bennett, who represents a political party that is of the far right and would oppose all of things mentioned above, to serve the first two years as the Prime Minister. During this time, Yair Lapid, of the more liberal persuasion, will serve as the Foreign Minister. Then, after the two years, they will swap political roles. This arrangement was created to lure these parties into a coalition because they needed to reach the majority number of seats to have a government.
In essence, this makes this a very weak and fragile government. They must agree to disagree on many issues to lead the country. Within this government, the left will oppose the right and the right will oppose the left. Some in Israel believe that this government will soon collapse, forcing them into a fifth election.
The one thing they all agree on is the opposition to Iran’s nuclear ambitions. They all recognize that a nuclear Iran is an existential threat to Israel and most of the Middle East.
According to the Bible, Israel now has a government that is anti-God. They want to make Israel like all of the other nations. They want to remove the very laws and traditions of Zionism that have been a part of the nation of Israel and the Jewish people since the days of Moses. This goes against the purposes of God.
Furthermore, Israel now has a government like the one the Bible describes will enter into a covenant of the Antichrist. The Bible tells us that Israel will confirm a covenant with the Antichrist. This covenant will thrust the world into the seven-year Tribulation Period (Daniel 9:27).
In an amazing passage, the prophet Isaiah gives us God’s viewpoint on the details of this covenant in Isaiah 28:14-22. This passage begins with God speaking to Israel’s godless government. “Wherefore hear the word of the LORD, ye scornful men, that rule this people which is in Jerusalem” (Isaiah 28:14). In verse 22, God calls these leaders “mockers.” These two words indicate that these leaders are in frivolous contempt of what is good and upright. They do not honor nor respect the Lord and His Word.
According to Isaiah, these leaders will be opposed by those in Israel who are clinging to the Messianic hope, God said, “Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he that [believes] shall not make haste” (Isaiah 28:16). Here, God is saying that those who have this hope will not be so quick to embrace this government. At this current time, the religious community in Israel has declared war on their new secular government.
God reports that these spiritually blind political leaders in Jerusalem will ignore all the warnings around them. They will act very foolishly. God says the covenant they will sign will become “a covenant with death” (Isaiah 28:15). He calls it an agreement with “hell” (Isaiah 28:15).
These leaders will be driven by appeasement of Israel’s enemies. Foolishly, they will take refuge in the lies of these enemies (Isaiah 28:15, 17). While Israel strives for peace, their enemies deceptively plan for war.
According to Isaiah, these leaders accept this covenant to avoid a massive war against Israel. This is the meaning of the words, “when the overflowing scourge [war] shall pass through, it shall not come unto us” (Isaiah 28:15).
Daniel tells us that at the mid-point of this seven-year covenant, the Antichrist will break this treaty and attack Israel, taking over the Temple area in Jerusalem (Daniel 9:27). Also see 2 Thessalonians 2:4; Revelation 11:2.
Isaiah reports that the covenant the leaders in Israel have accepted will collapse and that Israel will be flooded with the very war they were trying to avoid (Isaiah 28:18).
God informs these leaders that their foolish actions will create a time of “vexation” [terror] (Isaiah 28:19). All of Israel’s past attempts to appease the world and the Arabs have produced an increase in terror and wars against the Jewish state. In verse 20, Isaiah gives a colorful picture of how uncomfortable and unbearable this covenant will be. It is like a man that wants to go to bed to rest. However, “the bed is shorter than that a man can stretch himself on it: and the covering narrower than that he can wrap himself in it” (Isaiah 28:20).
Isaiah proclaims that God will rescue Israel from ultimate destruction in this war – Armageddon. He points to two historical examples when God supernaturally intervened on behalf of Israel when they were facing great odds. First, in Isaiah 28:21, he mentions Israel’s defeat of a massive army of the Philistines that were gathered against King David and his forces. 1 Chronicles 14:10-17 gives the details how God supernaturally aided Israel to defeat their enemies. Second, Isaiah mentions the supernatural defeat of the kings of the Amorites in Joshua 10:6-11. God accompanied the attack of Joshua’s army with a massive storm of great hailstones as the enemy fled from them.
Once again, at Armageddon, God will fight in behalf of His people (Zechariah 14:2-3). Israel’s enemies will be defeated by God’s supernatural intervention with the aid of His creation (Zechariah 14:12, 15).
Isaiah calls the Lord’s salvation of Israel at Armageddon “his strange work,” and “his strange act” (Isaiah 28:21). This means that this work will be a supernatural work that only God can bring to pass. Dr. Ava J. McClain, the former founder and president of Grace Theological Seminary, writes that these words indicate this covenant is the one connected to the Tribulation Period (Alva J. McClain, The Greatness of the Kingdom, p. 188). Furthermore, Isaiah indicates that all of this will come to pass at a time when there will be “a consumption [complete destruction], even determined upon the whole earth” (Isaiah 28:22). Obviously, this is a reference to the global destruction that will take place at the end of this age during the Tribulation Period (Isaiah 13:6-13; 24:1-23).
My friend, do you realize what is happening at this hour? The United States and Israel are openly embracing godless governments that have plans to join the evil New World Order. Humanly speaking, they have been the only restraining influences holding back the tide of godless, wicked, violent rebellion on planet earth. The kind of world that will survive the collapse of these two governments that were founded upon the Judeo/Christian values will prepare the way for Satan’s Antichrist.
We are on the threshold of very dramatic events that are rapidly shaping our world for the final drama between heaven and hell. The Bible informs us that while these leaders are deceptively calling for “peace and safety; then sudden destruction [will come] upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape” (1 Thessalonians 5:3).
When the Rapture takes place, the church, God’s spiritual restraining influence, will be taken out (2 Thessalonians 2:6-7). Immediately after this, the Apostle Paul says, “And then shall that Wicked [one] be revealed” (2 Thessalonians 2:8).
Be ready for the shout that will take us out!
American Jews Face Increasing Anti-Semitism
Almost 6 million Jews live in America. In recent weeks they have expressed their concerns about the increased hatred and acts of violence against the Jewish population. It is now reported that 77 percent of American Jews are concerned, and many are afraid of what the future holds. Could this be the beginning of the departure of the American Jewish population to Israel?
According to the Bible, there will come a time when the floodgates will open and all of the Jews will return to Israel. Following the war of Gog and Magog in Ezekiel 38-39, God says he “will bring again the captivity of Jacob, and have mercy upon the whole house of Israel, and will be jealous for my holy name” (Ezekiel 39:25). During this time, God declares He will “[gather] them out of their enemies’ lands … [and gather] them unto their own land, and have left none of them anymore there” (Ezekiel 39:27-28).
Earthquake Strikes Red Sea Area
On June 15, a 4.2 earthquake was felt in southern Israel northeast of Eilat, near the Red Sea. Once again, Israeli geologists reminded the Israeli public that according to the geological history and data collected in Israel, a massive earthquake is due to the nation strike at any time.
According to the prophetic Scriptures, there will be a series of massive earthquakes in Israel and the surrounding region. An earthquake will play a major role in the defeat of the enemies of Israel at the Gog and Magog invasion (Ezekiel 38:19-20). Other earthquakes will take place at the mid-point of the Tribulation in Jerusalem (Revelation 11:13). The big one will strike when Christ returns at the end of the Tribulation (Zechariah 14:4-10; Revelation 16:18-21).
Great Israeli Archaeologist Dies
Israel is mourning the loss of a great archaeologist – Dr. Eilat Mazar of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem’s Institute of Archeology. She suddenly passed away at the age of 64 on May 25, 2021.
God used her as a great instrument to open the eyes of the Israeli public to see the Bible as a trustworthy book. Before Mazar’s work, many of the liberal Jews living in Israel did not believe that the Bible is the Word of God, making it a supernatural book. They viewed the Bible as a collection of fictional stories. They said that all the people in the Bible were nothing more than mythological figures. Then, God sent Mazar to get in the face of these scoffers.
Mazar entered the world of archaeology a few decades ago when most Israeli geologists had little respect for the Bible. Whenever she went out to the archeological dig, she carried “her heavily bookmarked Bible” (The International Jerusalem Post, “Eilat Mazar, the archaeologist of Jerusalem”, June 4-10, 2021, p. 25). In her office and out in the scorching sun, “in both settings, the Book of Books always accompanied her.” She was quoted as saying, “I work with the Bible in one hand and the tools of excavation in the other. … The Bible is the most important historical source and therefore deserves special attention.”
Mazar was the director of the very significant archeological work at the original city of David in Jerusalem. Under her
leadership, many very momentous finds proved the historical accuracy of the Bible. She discovered many items with names that appear in the Bible, including the royal seal of King Hezekiah. She discovered the palace of King David, and the pool of Siloam, among many other very significant biblical proofs. Among her colleagues, she earned “the title of the greatest Jerusalem scholar of the generation.”
The Lord is using all of this to prepare the hearts of Israelis to listen to the Bible with great respect. That is important, because “Faith [comes] by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Romans 10:17). The day is coming when a great moving of the Spirit of God will open the spiritually blind eyes of millions of Israelis and all of living Israel will be saved (Romans 9:25-26).