PTNews
P r o p h e tic Truth in the N e w s
October 2024
Published monthly by Mike Wingfield Ministries
All Bible references are from the KJV
(Examining Current Events in the Light of Bible Prophecy)
P.O. Box 67, Boones Mill, VA 24065
The Threshold of the Tribulation
“When thou art in tribulation, and all these things are come upon thee … [the LORD] will not forsake thee, neither destroy thee, nor forget the covenant of thy fathers which he sware unto them.” Deuteronomy 4:30-31
By Mike Wingfield
It appears that we are standing near the threshold of great upheaval known as the Tribulation Period. The Bible speaks with detail about what the Tribulation will look like. These horrific events will unfold after the true believers in Christ are raptured to heaven.
World events tell us that mankind is racing toward the divine judgment of Almighty God. The Tribulation will be a seven-year period in which God will pour out His wrathful judgment on sinful man.
We are not in the Tribulation Period. However, it appears that the opening events of the Tribulation are being prepared. Everything is falling into place. Jesus told us that the final generation before the beginning of the Tribulation would be able to see it coming. He said, “when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors” (Matthew 24:33).
According to the Bible, the nation of Israel will be at the center of the whirlwind of activities that will unfold during the Tribulation (Jeremiah 30). Before the children of Israel entered the Promised Land 3,400 years ago, the Lord told Moses that when Israel returned to their ancient homeland in the last days they would suffer a time of “tribulation” (Deuteronomy 4:30).
The prophet Daniel followed Moses about 800 years later. The Lord gave him many detailed revelations about the disturbing world events regarding the world at the time of the end. Daniel was greatly “troubled” by these revelations (Daniel 7:28). Near the end of his life, God told Daniel that when the last days would arrive, his people would suffer “a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered” (Daniel 12:1).
While speaking to the inhabitants of Jerusalem about the events of the Mid-Tribulation, Jesus said, “For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened” (Matthew 24:1-22).
To grasp the full impact of these predictions by Moses, Daniel, and Jesus, we need to examine the word “tribulation.” The Hebrew word is “tsar”. It speaks of a time of affliction, destress, and oppression. The Greek word in the New Testament, “thlipsis,” is much more defining. The idea communicated by this word is a vise-like pressure that emotionally crushes people, creating a serious time of great mental distress. It literally means that the circumstances of life cave in on them. These threatening events create lethal conditions. They feel trapped in a situation that has no visible way of escape. Humanly speaking, they are at the point of destruction and death.
Speaking of this time, the prophet Jeremiah called this “the time of Jacob’s trouble” (Jeremiah 30:7). Jeremiah said that this future time of suffering of the Jewish people will be like a woman in her time of intense pain in childbearing. He exclaimed, “We have heard a voice of trembling, of fear, and not of peace” (Jeremiah 30:5).
Since Israel’s rebirth on May 14, 1948, it has endured endless threats, wars, and gruesome acts of terrorism. As predicted in Ezekiel 36:1-7, for 76 years, Israel has been attacked by the Arab-Islamic nations that surround it. The world and the Muslim countries of the Arab world have deceitfully denied Israel’s Biblical right to the land that God promised the Jewish people. This war for the land of Israel and its right to live there is at the heart of these modern-day wars with Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Even before the beginning of the modern nation of Israel, the world supported the Arab-Islamic world in the battle over the Promised Land. However, we are entering a renewed diabolical effort to force the Jewish people out of their land and the city of Jerusalem.
On September 18, 2024, the United Nations General Assembly passed a resolution that recognizes the Palestinian claims to all the “West Bank” in Israel and the ancient city of Jerusalem. This resolution agrees with the lies that the Jewish people have no claim or rights to these territories. It ignores the Bible, extra-biblical historical records, and archaeological evidence that the Jewish people have any claim to these territories. This resolution will set the stage for an international recognition of a Palestinian State on the West Bank and Gaza, with Jerusalem as its capital. Therefore, this resolution calls for the …
- Withdrawal of all Jews (more than 520,000) from the “West Bank” area, known in the Bible as Judea and Samaria. [See photo on this page.] This resolution is to give full support to the International Court of Justice which has stated that Israel’s presence in any area over the 1949 armistice line is illegal.
- The removal of all Jewish Israelis (more than 220,000) living inside of the Old City of Jerusalem. This is the ancient biblical city of Jerusalem. Jerusalem is mentioned by name more than 800 times in the Bible! It is the site of all the Biblical events in the Old and New Testaments.
- The Israeli Defense Forces is called upon to physically withdraw all Israeli Jews from Judea and Samaria, Gaza, and the eastern portion of Jerusalem within the next 12 months.
- For a complete ban on all arms sales to Israel. In essence, the United Nations has stated that Israel does not have any right to defend itself against enemies who want to destroy them.
This U.N. resolution was passed by a 124-14 margin, with 43 nations in abstention. The following nations joined Israel and the United States in opposing this resolution: Argentina, Czechia, Fiji, Hungary, Malawi, Micronesia, Nauru, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Tonga, Tuvalu. The notable nations who abstained were Germany, the United Kingdom, Canada, Italy, Ukraine and Australia.
This resolution will fan the flames of anti-Semitism that are already burning out of control around the world. According to the Bible, the hatred for Israel and opposition to its ownership and occupation of the Promised Land and Jerusalem will continue to escalate throughout the Tribulation Period.
The world’s rejection of Israel and the Jewish people will intensify during the last 42 months of the Tribulation Period. It will finally culminate with the closing battle of Armageddon. This battle is all about the world’s effort to physically remove the Jewish people from their land and the city of Jerusalem.
Understandably, the current Israeli government will not yield to the world’s goal to remove its people from the land that God promised to them more than 4,000 years ago. On Wednesday, July 17, 2024, Israeli lawmakers at the Knesset in Jerusalem voted by a wide margin (68-9) that they will reject the establishment of a Palestinian State on any land west of the Jordan River.
The new policy statement of the Israeli government is as follows:
“The Israeli Knesset opposes the establishment of a Palestinian state on any piece of land west of the Jordan River,” the resolution reads. “The existence of a Palestinian state in the heart of Israel will pose an existential threat to the State of Israel and its citizens, will further extend the Israel-Palestinian Arab conflict and be a source of destabilization for the entire region.”
“It will be only a matter of time before Hamas takes over such a Palestinian state turning it into a base for radical Islamic terrorism in full alignment with the Iranian regime that aims to eradicate the State of Israel.”
“Supporting Palestinian statehood would reward terrorism and serve to encourage Hamas and its supporters. Israel’s enemies will interpret it as the victorious outcome of the massacre perpetrated on October 7th and a precursor to the conquest of jihadist Islamism of the entire Middle East.”
Therefore, the showdown between Israel and the world is beginning to reach a point of no return. The hatred for Israel and the Jewish people is no longer on the back burner. It is on the front burner and the nations are turning up the heat!
The world continues to demonstrate that it does not care about the Jewish people. The world says nothing to the enemies of Israel when they threaten to destroy Israel. For more than three decades, Iran has brazenly called for the annihilation of Israel. The world ignored these repeated threats and has also aided Iran in its goal of developing nuclear weapons.
For years, Hamas and Hezbollah have fired missiles into southern and northern Israel. The world said nothing! Then, after Hamas’ demonic invasion of southern Israel on October 7, 2023, Israel struck back with vengeance. The world condemned Israel, blaming it for causing the war and falsely accusing Israel of genocide in Gaza. Now the United States is joining the world in demanding Israel agree to a cease fire.
Israel is now responding to the daily attack by Hezbollah in the north. Hezbollah, a proxy of Iran, has fired more than 8,000 missiles and rockets into Israel before Israel began its aggressive military campaign.
In just a few weeks, Israel has successfully used its intelligence information to target and remove almost all the senior leaders of this terrorist organization. This included a stunning attack in which Israel bombed the major Hezbollah command center, buried in a bunker in the heart of a neighborhood in Beirut, Lebanon, killing their chief leader of 30 years, Nasan Nasrallah. Amazingly, Israel has also destroyed almost fifty percent of Hezbollah’s stockpiles of missiles, rockets, and drones. Once again, the world is ramping up its pressure on Israel for a cease fire.
Israel’s immediate goal is to defeat Hezbollah and drive its forces back across a natural border in southern Lebanon. This strategy would protect Israeli citizens from an attack along the northern border with Lebanon. That natural border is the Litani River, located several miles inside of southern Lebanon.
This is Israel’s third war in Lebanon, the last one was in 2006. The last war ended with the United Nations agreeing to establish the area south of the Litani River in southern Lebanon to protect Israel from future Hezbollah attacks, establishing U.N. Resolution 1701. This resolution stated that Hezbollah was forbidden to operate south of the Litani River. However, in a very short time, the U.N. failed to enforce this resolution.
Therefore, the United Nations is to blame for not following its mandates and is responsible. This dereliction of duty has led to the current war between Israel and Hezbollah. But again, Israel has become the scapegoat of the world. The world blames Israel for the wars and acts of terrorism in the Middle East.
The world is spiritual blind does not understand that Israel is fighting against an enemy, Iran, and its militant and radical leadership. Their stated goal is to create a global Islamic kingdom. Israel is not only fighting for its own freedom, but for the freedom of the entire world against an aggressive fanatical religious group that wants to rule the world.
The international body of government embodied in the United Nations is being dominated by 57 Islamic nations, and other communists and socialists that want to take away our freedoms. These evil nations want the world to become their slaves.
For years, the United States and Israel were the only nations that were confronting this diabolical effort. However, now the U.S. is being attacked from within. Our cherished nation may soon fall into the grasp of a militant, liberal generation. This generation has been deceived by the socialists since post- WWII. This next U.S. election is very critical. Be sure to order my latest book, God and Government- Unmasking Socialism.
Those who devote time to studying Biblical prophecy are growing increasingly concerned about the current developments along Israel’s northern border.
They say these events may be preparing the Middle East for the Ezekiel 38 war of Gog and Magog. The Jewish Press reports, “The IDF is anxiously following about 40,000 militia volunteers and mercenaries who came from various countries in the Middle East including Iraq, Yemen, and Syria, and are assembled in Syria, near the Golan Heights …” (The Jewish Press, September 25, 2024). We are watching to see if Russia and Turkey will join these forces.
In July, Iran, Russia, and Turkey issued threats about going to war with Israel. These nations have stated that if Israel invades Lebanon and attacks Hezbollah, they will go to war with Israel to defend Hezbollah, Gaza, and the Palestinian cause. If Iran, Russia, and Turkey follow through we could be looking at a massive ground invasion of Israel that will dwarf anything Israel has seen in its 76 years of modern history. It will be the same war that Ezekiel spoke about in Ezekiel 38-39. The Bible says this massive invasion of Israel will appear “as a cloud to cover the land” (Ezekiel 38:9, 16).
God will supernaturally defend His land and His people by destroying the armies of these invading nations. He will send a massive global earthquake that will trigger 14 dormant volcanoes that dot the landscape of the Golan Heights to erupt, spewing “an overflowing rain, and great hailstones, fire, and brimstone” (38:22), killing the armies of Iran, Russia, Turkey, and other radical Islamic nations that join them. Russia and many other nations will also be destroyed by God (Ezekiel 38:6).
The Bible states that this divine intervention by God will stun the entire world and bring Israel to a place of spiritual repentance (Ezekiel 38:23; 39:7, 21-22). This will perfectly set the stage for the beginning of the Tribulation Period. [See my latest Bible Study Chart on the Timeline of the Gog and Magog War.]
According to several Biblical passages, the wars Israel is fighting in Gaza and Lebanon will lead the region into the Battle of Armageddon at the end of the Tribulation Period (Joel 3:4). While Israel is involved in these wars, it is not an accident that other pieces of the prophetic puzzle in the Bible are falling into place. These events will force the world to invade Israel at the Battle of Armageddon.
As we stand at the doorstep of the Tribulation Period, the world is oblivious to what is about to take place. Our world reflects the time of Noah before God flooded the earth in an act of judgment. In the New Testament, the Apostle Paul informed us that some sudden catastrophic event will hurl the world into its confrontation with God – “and they shall not escape” (1 Thessalonians 5:3). He was writing about the Tribulation Period.
One of the overall teachings of the Bible states that when the world blesses Israel, God will bless the nations. But the Bible warns that when the world curses Israel, God curses the nations (Genesis 12:3). When the world threatens Israel, God will threaten the world. When the world attacks His people, the Lion of the Tribe of Judah (see photo) will attack the world.
Consider the following words of Jeremiah 30:16, 23-24 about Israel and the last days, “Therefore all they that devour thee shall be devoured; and all thine adversaries, every one of them, shall go into captivity; and they that spoil thee shall be a spoil, and all that prey upon thee will I give for a prey. … Behold, the whirlwind of the Lord goeth forth with fury, a continuing whirlwind: it shall fall with pain upon the head of the wicked. The fierce anger of the Lord shall not return, until he hath done it, and until he have performed the intents of his heart: in the latter days ye shall consider it.”
The earthquake that will rumble under the feet of the Gog and Magog invaders of Israel (Ezekiel 38:18-23) will only be the beginning of a series of devastating global earthquakes. These earthquakes will destroy life as we know it in this modern era. The most powerful Biblical passage that collectively speaks of the devastating impact of the global earthquakes during the Tribulation Period is found in Isaiah 24. Read this entire chapter.
Beginning with the Battle of Gog and Magog, God will entrap the entire world in a world of death and destruction. Meditate upon Isaiah 24:17-18, 22, “Fear, and the pit, and the snare, are upon thee, O inhabitant of the earth. And it shall come to pass, that he who fleeth from the noise of the fear shall fall into the pit; and he that cometh up out of the midst of the pit shall be taken in the snare: for the windows from on high are open, and the foundations of the earth do shake. … And they shall be gathered together, as prisoners are gathered in the pit, and shall be shut up in the prison, and after many days shall they be visited.”
Friend, there is only one way to escape the horrors of the Tribulation and the eternal fires of hell. Jesus paid the penalty for your sins. As the eternal Son of God and the perfect Jewish man from Galilee, He gave His life for the forgiveness of your sins. He fulfilled the redemptive plan of His Father and died as “the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world” (Revelation 13:8). As required by God, He shed His blood on the cross of Calvary for the sins of the world.
Jesus is the only path to eternal salvation. He said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me”(John 14:6). To receive God’s gift of eternal life, you must confess that He is Lord and that He arose from the grave on the third day after His death (Romans 10:9). Salvation is a gift that He will freely give if you repent of your sins, humble yourself, and ask Him to forgive you and save you from your sins (Romans 10:11-13).
Don’t wait and don’t delay “Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation” (2 Corinthians 6:2).
Friend, Jesus is coming soon for His family – the true church. Those who have confessed Christ and are born again will be suddenly and supernaturally air lifted into His presence.
Don’t wait! Many who are already in hell probably thought they would someday accept Christ and be saved. However, they waited too late, and death suddenly snatched them away. Now they are eternally lost! Don’t let that happen to you! If you need my assistance, please contact me. It will be my joy to assist you in coming to Christ.
To our dear Jewish friends, we encourage you to know that there is only one way to salvation for all of us – Jews and Gentiles. Jesus is a Jew. He is coming again and will rescue the entire living nation of Israel from the jaws of death at the hands of the armies of the world that will invade Israel during the last days at the end of this age. He is the Lion of the Tribe of Judah and He will defend His people!
True peace will never come to our world until the Messiah of Peace comes to rule over the nations of the world. Come King Jesus! Be ready for the shout that will take us out!