PTNews
January 2022
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
International Attempts to
Cancel Messiah’s Kingdom
“The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together,
against the LORD, and against his [Messiah]…” Psalm 2:2
By Mike Wingfield
As we begin this New Year, we are witnessing a global uprising by world leaders as they ignore and oppose God’s plans to establish His global Messianic Kingdom on earth. At the end of this age, God has promised to establish a physical kingdom on this earth. It is a prominent part of His plan of the ages. It was a major consideration of the prophets, apostles, and the Lord Jesus during His earthly ministry.
In the Scriptures, the Lord has chosen to reveal that His creation will end on this earth with a glorious period in which God’s Messiah, Jesus, will directly rule over the nations for 1,000 years. The amazing details of this earthly kingdom will penetrate every facet of human life. The earth will be a place of peace, justice, harmony, righteousness, and true prosperity. It will be free of death, diseases, and tragedies. It will be characterized by joy and praise. It will be saturated with the presence, blessings, and knowledge of God. Finally, the earth will have a righteous king and perfect laws that will govern every person on the planet. A love and respect for God and His chosen people, Israel, will permeate the global population.
For centuries, many people have spiritualized Scriptures that speak of the Kingdom of God. In essence, they believe they are currently building Christ’s kingdom on earth. For them, the expansion and influence of the church is the fulfillment of all of God’s promises concerning His Kingdom. This vision of God’s kingdom on earth is shallow and void of the real change that is needed to transform a planet in pain and ruin due to sin and rebellion against God. Only a literal interpretation of Scripture will help us discover that God’s kingdom will be an actual physical Jewish kingdom. The Father has declared, “Yet have I set my king [Messiah] upon my holy hill of Zion” (Psalm 2:6). Jesus will reign from Jerusalem, Israel.
Those of us who know the Scriptures believe that nothing will stop the eternal plans of God. What He has decreed will come to pass, just as He has said. He has commanded us to pray for this Kingdom to come. “Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10).
However, we also know the Bible tells us that this heavenly promotion of the Kingdom of God at the end of this age will be met with the greatest opposition that Satan can muster. Satan knows that if he fails to stop the beginning of the Kingdom of God it will bring his doom. For the first time in his diabolical career, the arch enemy of God will be bound by God and cast “into the bottomless pit” (Revelation 20:3). For the duration of the kingdom, 1,000 years, he will be confined so that he cannot deceive the nations into following him in his rebellion against God (Revelation 20:1-3). As we watch the unfolding of the prophetic events at the end of this age, we can rest assured that Satan is preparing the wicked rulers of this earth for his final assault upon God’s Kingdom preparations.
At this very moment, the governments of this world are in league with evil angels to bring about a New World Order without God. Their chief aim is to depose God from His throne, replace His commandments, and remove His people from the earth (Psalm 2). At the heart of Satan’s wicked scheme is a political/religious ideology that is forcing its way upon the nations – Islam. In additional, Satan is being aided by a godless political world system – socialism/communism. Satan will use at least one of these godless forms of government to usher in his kingdom of darkness to take over the planet.
The Scriptures clearly state that God’s Kingdom promises are focused upon a particular group of people and a particular place. In Daniel 9, God revealed to His prophet, Daniel, that God’s calendar of events that precede His Kingdom on earth will include the people of Daniel – the Jewish people (Daniel 9:24). Furthermore, Daniel was told the Kingdom will center upon the holy city of Jerusalem and the place of sacrifice – the Temple Mount (Daniel 9:24).
According to the Bible, the Kingdom of God on earth will begin suddenly and it will be preceded by seven years of great tribulation. Before this time of tribulation envelops the earth, a remnant of the Jewish people will return to their promised land – Israel. This reoccupation of the holy land will be a divinely orchestrated process. God has declared, “For I will take you from among the heathen, and gather you out of all countries, and will bring you into your own land” (Ezekiel 36:24).
God’s chosen people – the Jewish people, are currently dispersed across the nations as a part of their global exile, just as the Bible predicted. But God gave the prophets of Israel a divine revelation. They foresaw a time when their people would return to their promised land and be met with regional religion from what we now know as the Middle East (Ezekiel 36:1-7). Today, all the nations surrounding the nation of Israel are dominated by the political/religious ideologies of Islam. Obviously, Islam is the driving force behind the fervent opposition against the Jewish occupation of the Promised Land.
Islam has become a global political force that is imposing its ideology upon a godless world. As the world walks in spiritual darkness, the people are blind to the fact they are being guided down a dangerous and deadly path that has brought them into direct conflict with the God of heaven. In essence, they are in league with Satan.
It is not a coincidence that while the Jews are returning to their land, Islam has a major, growing influence over the global media and governments (Revelation 17:2; 18:3). Due to the unrest in the Middle East and Africa, Muslim refugees are flooding Europe. These refugees refuse to assimilate or adopt the customs of their European benefactor. Rather, they are planning a radical takeover of Europe, making it a part of their vision of a future Islamic global empire. [See article on page 7.]
At the same time, they are planning the demise of the United States. Due to the Biden Administration’s policies, they are using the porous southern border of the United States to flood our nation with thousands of Islamic warriors who are passionately pursuing the destruction of the United States and ending its reign as the world’s greatest free society. Islam has declared jihad (holy war) on America. [See article on page 7.] Islamic terrorists are patiently waiting for the moment when they have their warriors in place to execute their strategic plan to dismantle this great nation and forcefully present it to their god, Allah. To illustrate, we must remember that before the 9-11 attacks against the United States, Islamic terrorists’ cells were in place upon American soil, and they meticulously planned for years before their plan was executed.
It is not a coincidence that the leaders of the world are ramping up their frantic call for an international form of government. Outside the circles of Islam, there is a passionate and persistent movement to force the non-Islamic nations of the world into a socialist/communist type of government. Advocates of this movement want to manipulate and control the global population to conform to their plans to dominate the world. In America, we are witnessing a war as it is being waged against the Biblically based constitution and freedoms we have enjoyed since the founding of this country.
The ideologies of Islam and socialism have much in common. They are both godless forms of government that have a history of brutally murdering innocent people who refuse to submit to their authority. They take property from people and enslave them to their ideological agenda. They hate the freedom of religion and the free press. They use deception, force, and hatred as tools to accomplish their purposes. History demonstrates that poverty and corruption dominate the regions where these ideologies have ruled over the masses. Their rejection of the God of the Bible and their lack respect for the freedom of people who have been created in the image of God have resulted in a failed societal collapse for hundreds of years. Despite these realities, the wicked, self-centered global populations have been prepared to follow the promoters of these creeds to their own destruction and death.
As an example of the international community’s attempt to cancel Messiah’s Kingdom, I will focus upon the latest attempt by the United Nations to proclaim, from their perspective, that there is no Jewish connection to the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. Let’s look at the facts.
As usual, beginning on the eve of the 25th day of the Jewish month of Kislev (usually in November and December), Jews around the world celebrate Hanukkah, the festival of lights. During this celebration, they light candles for eight consecutive nights to commemorate a miracle that took place at the time of the recovery of the Jewish temple and its re-dedication following the Maccabean revolt in the 2nd century B.C. According to John 10:22-23, Jesus went to Jerusalem to celebrate this feast.
This year, during the time of the Jewish celebration that was connected to the re-dedication of the Jewish temple in Jerusalem, the United Nations voted on what is called the “Jerusalem resolution.” On December 1, the nations of the world voted overwhelmingly to declare that the Temple Mount in Jerusalem does not hold any significance “for faiths outside of Islam” (World Israel News, December 2, 2021). This vote passed by a 129 to 11 vote, with 31 abstentions. [The U.S. representative did vote against it.] The resolution called for “upholding the unchanged historical status quo at the Haram al-Sharif [the Muslim name for the Temple Mount] and called any actions by Israel to impose its laws on the city of Jerusalem ‘illegal’” (Israel 365 News, December 3, 2021).
As a response to this action, the World Israel News staff commented, “It’s absurd that in the year 2021, out of some 20 UN General Assembly resolutions that criticize countries, 70 percent are focused on one single country – Israel. What drives these lopsided condemnations is a powerful political agenda to demonize the Jewish state” (World Israel News, December 2, 2021). Israel’s ambassador to the UN said, “the resolution is an attempt to erase Jewish history in our eternal capital” (Israel 365 News, December 3, 2021).
This U.N. resolution demonstrates the contempt the world has for the Bible, Judaism, and Christianity. The world openly rejects the plain statements of Scripture concerning Jerusalem and the Temple Mount.
They furthermore reject the true historical facts that have produced the current conflict over this holy site.
We are now witnessing the battle call that will lead the world to its final conflict with God. According to the prophetic Scriptures, this is the very heart of the conflict that will engulf the entire world and pave the road for the nations to bring their military might against Israel at the battle of Armageddon at the end of the Tribulation Period.
The roots of this conflict go much deeper than most people realize. The Bible reveals that this great struggle over the Temple Mount go back to God’s selection of the site as the place of worship and sacrifice for His chosen people. In Deuteronomy 12:10-11, 13-14 the Lord gave this very clear commandment to Moses. “But when ye go over [the] Jordan, and dwell in the land which the LORD your God giveth you to inherit, and when he giveth you rest from all your enemies round about, so that ye dwell in safety; Then there shall be a place which the LORD your God shall choose to cause his name to dwell there; thither shall ye bring all that I command you: your burnt offerings, and your sacrifices, your tithes, and the heave offering of your hand, and all your choice vows which you vow unto the LORD. … Take heed to thyself that thou offer not thy burnt offerings in every place that thou seeest. But in the place which the LORD shall choose in one of thy tribes, there thou shalt offer thy burnt offerings and there thou shalt do all that I command thee.”
Many Scriptures make it abundantly clear that the place the Lord chose was Mount Moriah, which is recognized today as “the Temple Mount.” Approximately 600 years before this commandment was given to Moses, God tested the faith of Abraham by instructing him to take his son Isaac and sacrifice him on this mountain (Genesis 22:1-14). After Abraham proved that he was willing to obey this extremely difficult command, the Lord provided a ram as a substitute sacrifice for Isaac. According to Genesis 22:14 this mount became known in Abraham’s day as “the mount of the LORD.” Also, according to this verse, Mount Moriah continued to be the recognized location of this significant event in the days of Moses.
According to 1 Chronicles 21:18-30, about 400 years after the commandment given to Moses, King David purchased Mount Moriah and made it the location for the first Temple, which his son Solomon would build. After Solomon dedicated the completed Temple, the Lord appeared to him and gave the following blessing. “I have hallowed this house, which thou hast built, to put mine name there forever, and mine eyes and mine heart shall be there perpetually” (1 Kings 9:3).
A careful study of Bible history demonstrates that the Temple built by Solomon would stand for almost 400 years until it was destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 B.C. Then, after a 70-year Babylonian captivity, a Jewish remnant returned to build another Temple on the same location. This rather small Temple was in use until King Herod, about 20 years before the birth of Christ, restructured Mount Moriah and began a massive building project that remained under construction during Jesus’ earthly ministry (John 2:20). This construction continued until the Temple was destroyed by the Romans in 70 AD.
The retaining walls that enclosed the 35-acre plaza created a flat plateau that reshaped the mountain. Except for the Western Wall (also known as “the Wailing Wall”), these retaining walls were leveled by the Romans. However, the present retaining walls, which are only a few hundred years old, were for the most part, built upon the remaining stones of the original wall. Therefore, the Temple Mount is believed to be about the same shape and size it was in the days of Jesus.
Secular historical sources indicate that following the destruction of the Jewish Temple in 70 A.D., the Romans 
built a pagan temple to the Greek god, Jupiter, on the same location. After Islamic armies conquered Jerusalem in 638 A.D., they built a mosque on the southern end of the mount (which today is the building with the silver-colored dome called Al-Aksa). In 693 A.D. the Dome of the Rock (the current building with the gold-colored dome) was built. (See photo on page 4.)
According to Islamic tradition, their prophet Mohammed ascended to heaven on a horse and returned to earth. Although the Koran does not mention Jerusalem as the place where Mohammed traveled to heaven on this horse, a later interpretation of this tradition names the rock that is in the Dome of the Rock as the location of this event. Islam also claims that Abraham was about to sacrifice Ishmael, rather than Isaac, upon the rock that is today under the Dome. Therefore, the Temple Mount has become the third most revered site in the Islamic religion.
A study of the history of the land called Palestine before the 20th century, reveals that Jerusalem was never consid-ered important within the practice of the religion of Islam. It was not until the return of Jewish immigrants to the Holy Land in the first part of the 20th century that Jerusalem took on an important role in the Islamic world. It is apparent that this was a response to the perceived threat that the Temple Mount would ultimately be surrendered to the growing Jewish population as the location of a future Jewish Temple. It is no secret that this has been the longing and prayer of the Jewish people for 1,900 years.
After the War of Independence (1948-49), the city of Jerusalem was divided. West Jerusalem was retained by the victorious Jewish nation as its capital. However, the ancient walled city, East Jerusalem (which included the Temple Mount), would remain in the hands of the Jordanians. This arrangement continued until the Six-Day War of June 1967. During those few days, some of the most dramatic moments occurred when Israeli forces captured the Temple Mount and the Old City from the occupying Arab forces.
For the first time in over 2,000 years the Jewish people were in control of the ancient city of David and the Temple Mount, considered to be the most sacred ground to the Jew. Emotions in Israel were at an all-time high because it was perceived by many that the State of Israel was approaching the time when it would build the Temple and usher in the anticipated Messianic age. However, the secular Israeli government believed that any attempt to remove the Islamic places of worship from the Temple Mount would invite a holy war. Therefore, a few weeks after the Six-Day War, the Israeli government declared that the Islamic authorities could continue with their worship on the Temple Mount and that Israel would maintain the security of the area from outside the retaining walls. Israel annexed the Old City, including the Temple Mount, but allowed the Jordanian government to oversee the Islamic authorities on the Temple Mount. This has been the status quo for this delicate and sensitive matter for almost 50 years.
According to the prophetic Scriptures, the Jews will be in control of the Temple Mount in the last days. The most glorious and significant days for Jerusalem and the Mountain of the Lord will take place during the last days. At the beginning of the final seven years at the end of this age, two Jewish witnesses (Moses and Elijah) will appear in Jerusalem (Revelation 11:3-11). These two witnesses will proclaim God’s Word and perform miracles before the nation of Israel. They will be divinely protected so that no man can harm them. Through the impact of their message, 144,000 young Jewish men will be saved, sealed, and trained to go out from Jerusalem with the gospel message to all the nations (Revelation 7:1-8; 14:1-5). Like the Jewish Feast of Pentecost in Jerusalem almost 2,000 years ago (see Acts 2), God will once again pour out His Spirit upon the Jewish people and the Word of Lord will go forth from Jerusalem (Joel 2:27-32). The temple in Jerusalem will be built and temple worship will be restored during the first half of the Tribulation Period (Daniel 9:27; Matthew 24:15, 26; 2 Thessalonians 2:4; Revelation 11:1-2). During the last half of the Tribulation Period, the Temple Mount will be seized and controlled by the Antichrist. The Apostle John stated that it shall be “given unto the Gentiles [the forces of the Antichrist]” (Revelation 11:2).
Today, several groups in Israel are actively preparing for temple worship. Through DNA analysis, some men have been identified as belonging to the priestly tribe of Levi and are being trained in temple worship. The Temple Institute in Jerusalem has constructed more than 90 of 120 items that are necessary for worship in the temple as described in the Bible
During the Millennial Kingdom, the Mountain of the Lord will be the center of the Messiah’s rule over all the nations. It will become the spiritual, political, judicial, educational, and geographical hub of the world (Isaiah 2:1-4; Ezekiel 5:5). All nations will be required to annually go up to Jerusalem for the Feast of Tabernacles (Zechariah 14:16-21). Finally, Mount Zion will shine forth with righteousness “and the salvation thereof as a lamp that burneth” (Isaiah 62:1). For the glory of God, the Lord will establish Jerusalem, making it “a praise in the earth” (Isaiah 62:7). The nations of the world will honor Jerusalem and call it “The City of the LORD, The Zion of the Holy One of Israel” (Isaiah 60:14).
Presently, the radical Islamic authorities in the world continue to adamantly claim there is no evidence that the Temple Mount was ever occupied by the Jewish people. They ignore the multitude of Scriptures previously mentioned in this article. They also refuse to recognize the overwhelming archaeological evidence that has been uncovered in recent years, proving the historical Jewish connection to the Temple Mount and the Old City of Jerusalem [which the world calls “East Jerusalem”].
Limited space will only allow us to mention a few of these archaeological discoveries. The area around the Temple Mount has produced overwhelming evidence that it is the actual location of the historical temples that stood in Jerusalem.
In 1969, archaeologists found a stone [see photo on page 5] at the southwest corner of the retaining wall lying in the destruction debris from the temple in 70 A.D. In ancient Hebrew script, it said, “the place of trumpeting.” This stone marked the point at the top of the wall where the priests would blow the shofar to call the worshipers to the Temple Mount for worship.
Further evidence is given to indicate this as the place of the Jewish temple. Dozens of ritual baths, mikveh, have been discovered by the area of the temple near the southern and southwestern wall corner entrance. According to the law and customs of the Jews of Jesus day, they were to immerse themselves in the mikveh before ascending the stairs to the holy temple.
In and around the Temple Mount area and the original City of David to the south, many inscriptions and items with Hebrew writing have been discovered in recent years. A few years ago, archaeologists found an incredible seal belonging to King Hezekiah (see photo below). This seal reads in ancient Hebrew, “”Belonging to Hezekiah [son of] Ahaz king of Judah.”
The archaeological digs around the Temple Mount and the original ancient city of David to the south continue to yield incredible discoveries. One of the recent finds marks the ancient path that worshipers traveled from the significant Pool of Siloam, in the lower part of the ancient City of David, up to the Temple area. This path has been restored and is available for tourists to experience in their visit to Jerusalem.
Today, we live at a time when we can see, feel, and touch the evidence that proves the historical accuracy of the Bible. These current events and discoveries are clearly pointing out that we are approaching the final days when all these exciting prophecies will come to pass.
Be ready for the shout that will take us out!
Danger at our Southern Border
An article by The Center for Immigration Studies, at www.meforum.org, on December 3, 2021, gave the following report about the developing dangers occurring at our southern border:
“The nation’s main border policing agency put out a November 30 press release pointing out that in just one randomly selected time frame in just one of the Texas border’s overwhelmed sectors (Del Rio), during the third week of November, Border Patrol agents caught migrants from regions of the world bristling with Islamic terrorist organizations. … The agency noted that in just October, Del Rio Sector agents encountered 28,111 unauthorized migrants from more than 50 countries. In the just-ended fiscal year of 2021, the Del Rio Sector encountered migrants from 106 countries.”
It is of utmost importance that many historians are reminding us that the Great Roman Empire collapsed due to some of the same issues currently facing the United States. One of the causes of Rome’s demise was the lack of controlling the illegal entry of people who were enemies sworn to their destruction.
France Bowing to Islam
In America, we do not need to guess about the future of our nation. We need to look at France and the rest of Europe. Unless our immigration and border policies change soon, Islam will exert it influence over America just as it has done in Europe.
In an electrifying and frightening report about France’s ongoing fall to radical Islamic groups, Gatestone Institute highlights these current developments.
“More than 500 districts in France are declared ‘sensitive’. To put it bluntly, we are talking about several million people who are subject to Islamist law”.
“Every two weeks in France, a mosque is created and a church disappears.”
“Two thousand military servicemen signed a letter to French President Emmanuel Macron and the government, warning that France is on the verge of collapse and civil war because the state has ‘surrendered’ to radical Muslims. The letter followed an appeal by 20 retired generals and hundreds of former officers, in which they speak of ‘disintegration and Islamization’ in progress, as well as a document sent to parliament by other generals and officers, proclaiming, ‘We are in a hybrid war, it is multifaceted and will end in a civil war at best and a cruel defeat with no future at worst’.
To read this entire article on the collapse of France see:
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/17843/france-election-immigration