PTNews

P r o p h e tic Truth in the N e w s

March 2024

   Published monthly by Mike Wingfield Ministries

All Bible references are from the KJV   

Just like the Bible predicted, the world is formulating a plan to destroy the modern nation of Israel. Filled with hate, lies, wickedness, and deception, the nations of the world are manufacturing a plan of action to remove the only Jewish nation from the face of the earth. This ever-evolving plan puts the nations of the world in direct conflict with the Holy One of Israel.

The Unites Nations is an organization that is to function to promote peace and security throughout the world. However, this global body consistently attempts to demonize Israel by passing three times more resolutions against the Jewish nation than all other countries combined! In January, the International Court of Justice in South Africa – the judicial arm of the United Nations – continued this alarming trend by accusing Israel with genocide of the people of Gaza in its ongoing war with Hamas.

During Israel’s advance against Hamas’ territory in Gaza, the Israelis made an alarming discovery. In a bunker under the Gaza Strip headquarters of the United Nations’ Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), they discovered a complex data center of Hamas. Times of Israel News reports, “The subterranean data center — complete with an electrical room, industrial battery power banks and living quarters for Hamas terrorists operating the computer servers — was built precisely under the location where Israel would not consider looking initially, let alone target in an airstrike.

“The revelation of the server farm comes amid other accusations of UNRWA collusion with the Gaza-ruling terror group and the entanglement of the UN body that provides welfare and humanitarian services for Palestinian refugees from the 1948 and 1967 wars and their descendants” (Times of Israel News, February 10, 2024).

These resolutions against Israel, the ploy to accuse Israel of genocide against Gazans, and the discovery of the UNRWA’s protection of Hamas prove that the United Nations promotes a very biased network of lies and deception against Israel. This global body seeks every opportunity to make Israel look bad in the eyes of the world. And it is working!

At the same time, the Biden against administration is taking a hard position against Israel. With the world’s support, the U.S. is demanding Israel allow the establishment of a Palestinian State. World Israel News has reported that President Joe Biden is preparing to make an “unprecedented U.S. diplomatic initiative to promote a Palestinian state — NOW” (World Israel News, February 1, 2024)! This is a major shift in American foreign policy. Previous U.S. administrations have stated they would not unilaterally recognize a Palestinian State. It has been the U.S. policy that such a move must come out of a diplomatic process that includes the two parties involved in this conflict – the Israelis and the Palestinians. Other countries, like France, are now preparing to recognize Palestinian statehood. The United Nations is also calling for such a move. This plan would reward the Palestinians with a state that includes the entire West Bank (biblical Judea and Samaria). This would also recognize East Jerusalem (the ancient biblical city) as the capitol of the Palestinian State.

These developments are occurring while Israel is still in shock over the barbaric invasion by Hamas on October 7, 2023. As Israel’s war in Gaza continues the effort to destroy the ranks of the terrorist organization and Hamas’ leadership, the world is preparing to reward the Islamic terrorists throughout the Middle East by giving them another terrorist state – Palestine – next door to Israel. Most Israelis are sending a clear message to the world that they do not want and will not accept a Palestinian State on the land that God promised their forefathers 4,000 years ago. The world condemns their stance and deceptively believes that a Palestinian State is in the best interest of peace in the Middle East. Once again, the world’s evil desire comes at the expense of the Jewish people. And it is a direct attack against God’s eternal covenant with His people.

Those of us who know the Bible and the integrity of the Israelis in their fight for survival understand how critical and dangerous the demands of the world are. The world is standing on the wrong side of evil. Their fight against Israel is riddled with lies and deception. The world has chosen to believe Hamas’ reports of conditions in Gaza. They reject the reports of the Israeli government, while unquestionably accepting Hamas’ casualty reports in Gaza. Hamas fighters are filled with such hate they murder the innocent and take joy in mutilating their bodies. Is it any surprise that they would also lie to the press about their casualty count and condition of their forces? Jesus stated that the father of murderers is also the father of liars (John 8:44).

As prophesied in Psalm 2, the world is in a rage of hatred against God, His Messiah, and His commandments. Those of us who know what the Bible says about the end of this age agree that the stage is being set for the final war between God and the nations, between heaven and hell and between good and evil. The battle ground is the Middle East in general, and the nation of Israel in particular.

With the Bible as our final authority, let us examine the real facts about the Middle East and the final conflict. According to the Bible, God has chosen the Middle East as the epicenter for His purposes. It is where life began, and where it will end. Except for Paul’s missionary journeys, all the events in the Bible took place in the Middle East!

In sharp contrast to most of the Western world, the Middle East has had a long history of conflict that has featured the struggle of the Jewish people and the nation of Israel. It is not an accident that the nation of Israel is at the geographical center of the nations. It is the place where the European, Asian, and African continents join together.

More than 4,000 years ago, God spoke to Abraham on seven different occasions, promising him that he and his descendants would receive an eternal land grant from Him. God said to Abraham, “Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates” (Genesis 15:18). While standing in the middle of what is today called the “West Bank,” God gave the following promise to Abraham, “For all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed forever” (Genesis 13:15). Please take note that this promise was given to Abraham while he was standing at Bethel (Genesis 13:3-4) in the middle of the “West Bank.” In Genesis 17:7-8, God reiterated to Abraham that His agreement with him was “an everlasting covenant” concerning “an everlasting possession.” How much clearer can the Bible be concerning Israel’s eternal right to all the Promised Land, including the “West Bank,” biblical Judea and Samaria?

Furthermore, in the context of this promise in Genesis 13-15, God’s title is El Elyon, “The Most High God” (Genesis 14:18-22). This title means that God is “the possessor of heaven and earth” (Genesis 14:19, 22). God is sovereign over all the earth. He owns it all! However, God uniquely calls the Promised Land “my land” (Ezekiel 36:5; Joel 3:2). God made it clear to Israel that they could not sell the land to any other people. He said to them, “The land shall not be sold for ever: for the land is mine; for ye are strangers and sojourners with me” (Leviticus 25:23).

Those who attempt to change this eternal covenant are in conflict with God! According to the Bible, it is the world’s rejection of God’s people and land that will bring about the final conflict between God and the nations. The nations have already begun their march toward Armageddon! During the final seven years leading to Armageddon, the Most High God will devastate the nations in His holy wrathful judgment!

You might be asking, “But what about the Arab Palestinians? God promised the Arabs that they would also become a great nation and He gave them a great land heritage (Genesis 16:10; 17:20). God has kept His promise to the Arab nations. Today, there are 21 Arab nations that have a combined land mass that is 650 times more than what Israel possesses, including the “West Bank.” The land of Israel is only one-sixth of one percent of the size of all Arab land.

The conflict over the land of Israel today is a Holy War for the Holy Land. All the nations that are mentioned by name that come against Israel at Armageddon are Muslim nations of the Middle East (Psalm 83:1-8; Isaiah 34:1-10; Ezekiel 35-36). According to Muslim law, the world is divided into two realms. The realm under Islamic authority is called “the House of Islam.” The other realm is called “the House of War.” The Muslims passionately claim that once a piece of land becomes a part of “the House of Islam” it must be considered Islamic land forever. Since the land of Israel was controlled by Islam for more than 500 years, it is considered by all the Muslim community (2 billion people) to belong to Allah, their god. The presence of the Jewish people in the land once called Palestine is an embarrassment to their religion. Therefore, they must regain this land, even if it results in their death!

In light of all of the lies and misinformation about Israel and the conflict in the Middle East, let us examine four biblical facts about the Middle East.

1. God Placed Israel in the Middle East

God called Abraham and his descendants to live in the land of His choice – the land of Canaan (Genesis 12:1-5). In the beginning, God created this land for the children of Israel (Deuteronomy 32:8-10). He created this land mass to be at the geographical center of all nations (Ezekiel 5:5). This entire region was a place of spiritual darkness. God called His people, Israel, to live in this darkness to represent Him and to be a light to those around them. God chose for Israel to live in a small land in the middle of the great kingdoms and empires of the ancient world. Today, Israel is the focus of the international media almost every day.

2. God Chose Israel to Dwell in Conflict

When God placed His people in the Middle East, He knew it would be a difficult place for them to live. Concerning Israel, the Lord declared, “I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction” (Isaiah 48:10). The Bible teaches that difficult times and persecution build godly character and cause us to trust God. Israel as a nation was born in slavery in Egypt. After the exodus, they wandered in the wilderness for 40 years. After their rebellion against the Lord, the Lord drove them out of their land into exile. Eventually, their land was occupied and controlled by other kingdoms for 700 years – by the Assyrians, Babylonians, Persians, Greeks, and Romans. After their defeat by Rome in the first century, Israel was driven out into the nations and their land was occupied by the Romans, Muslims, and Great Britain until Israel became a nation in 1948.

3. The Truth about Jews and Arabs in the Middle East

There has always been a remnant of Jews and Arabs who have lived in harmony together in the Middle East. However, many of the Arabs, since the time of Ishmael and Esau, have hated the descendants of Isaac and Jacob. They have been jealous of the blessings of the birthright of the chosen people. The Bible points the finger at the Arab nations east of Israel as the perpetual cause of the Middle East conflict.

• The Arabs will be a people of war. Genesis 16:12
• God says He is against them. Ezekiel 36:4-5
• The Arabs are provoked by anger, envy, and hatred. Ezekiel 35:11
• They have stated that they want the land God gave to Israel. Ezekiel 35:10
• They want to destroy the property of Israel. Ezekiel 35:12; 36:5
• They have boasted against God. Ezekiel 35:13
• They rejoiced at the time of Israel’s defeat. Ezekiel 35:15
• God calls them “the people of my curse.” Isaiah 34:5
• God will judge them because they have had “perpetual hatred, and hast shed the blood of the children of Israel by the force of the sword.” Ezekiel 35:5
• The Arabs are for war when Israel is for peace. Psalm 120:6-7
• They are called enemies of God. Psalm 83:1-8

4. The Spiritual Foundation of the Conflict

The Bible teaches that the conflict in the Middle East is more than a family feud over land. All the animosity, hatred, envy, and war has been driven by the forces of hell. Satan and his demons are deeply motivated to defeat God’s eternal purposes that He has invested in the Jewish people and the land of Israel. The minions of hell know if they can destroy the Jewish people, they will defeat God. This is at the heart of their plan since the death of Christ at Calvary (Revelation 12).

In Isaiah 14:12-14, the Bible reveals that it is Satan’s strategy to defeat and dethrone God. Above all things, Satan wants to control the one place on earth where God has placed His glory and His name – the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. This is the ordained location of the throne of the Messiah on earth during the Millennial Kingdom (Psalm 2:6; Isaiah 2:1-4).

Satan knows that when Jesus rules the world from the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, he will be in prison for a thousand years in “the bottomless pit” (Revelation 20:1-3). Obviously, this is motivating Satan to not allow the Jewish people to rule over Israel from Jerusalem and ultimately rebuild the temple on the Temple Mount. This is currently at the center of the conflict between Islam and Israel. Israel and Islam are the only people in the world who are passionate about the possession and control of Jerusalem and the Temple Mount.

The ongoing, raging conflict in the Middle East is beginning to engulf the entire world! This is a sure sign that the war in the spiritual realm is also reaching a new level that is preparing the world for the end of this age!

The world is ignorant of the dangerous actions taken against Israel and the Jewish people around the world. Listen to Psalm 33:10-11, “The Lord bringeth the counsel of the heathen to nought: he maketh the devices of the people of none effect. The counsel of the Lord standeth forever, the thoughts of his heart to all generations.”

Those who war against Israel and the Jewish people will go down in utter defeat. “They that war against [Israel] shall be as nothing, and as a thing of nought” (Isaiah 41:12).

The world is joining Israel’s enemies in the Middle East in plotting the demise of Israel. According to World Israel News, a recent survey of 16 nations in the Middle East support what Hamas did to Israel on October 7, 2023. Their report states, “Arabs across the Middle East and North Africa overwhelmingly view Hamas’s Oct. 7 massacre, which left over 1,200 people dead in Israel and saw 240 others kidnapped to Gaza, as ‘legitimate resistance.’ … Most Arabs said they disapproved of recognizing the State of Israel, with 89% saying they would support rejecting or revoking such a move” (World Israel News, January 24, 2024).

The response of the Palestinians in this survey is even more shocking. “According to the Palestinians Survey Report, more than half believe that Hamas is ‘the most deserving of representing and leading the Palestinian people today.’ … Almost all (98%) of the respondents said the slaughter made them feel ‘prouder of their identity as Palestinians’” (World Israel News, January 24, 2024).

Comments like these clearly indicate that real peace among the Arabs and Jews in the Middle East is humanly impossible. Only Jesus, the Prince of Peace, can bring real lasting peace to the Middle East and the world. For 1,000 years, while Jesus is on the throne of David in Jerusalem, there will be perfect global peace. There will be peace in Israel for the first time since the rule of King Solomon. Speaking through the prophet Isaiah, the Lord gave this Kingdom promise to Israel, “Violence shall no more be heard in land, wasting or destruction within they borders; but thou shalt call thy walls Salvation, and thy gates Praise” (Isaiah 60:18).

Friends, this is the world’s only hope for peace. According to the Bible, the world is about to enter the most volatile time of war, violence, and death in the history of the planet (Matthew 24:21-22). Pray for Israel and the Jewish people. Pray for their safety and salvation. Pray that we will obey the Holy Spirit and seek to share the gospel with those around us. The age of God’s grace is about to end and the age of God’s wrath is about to begin!

There is only one way to escape the deadly Tribulation Period that is coming upon America and the world. Only those who have personally received Jesus Christ as their Redeemer can escape with us when the trumpet of the Lord sounds and calls us into His presence. Friend, call upon the Lord to save you from your sins.

The Lord has promised, “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Romans 10:9-13).

“Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon” (Isaiah 55:6-7).

Don’t delay. The time is short. He is coming soon!

Be ready for the shout that will take us out!

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   

Download this Newsletter

(Examining Current Events in the Light of Bible Prophecy)

P.O. Box 67, Boones Mill, VA 24065

The Rapture & Feast of Trumpets

“Behold, I [show] you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.” 1 Corinthians 15:51-52

By Mike Wingfield

Thinking about Eternity

“Lord, thou hast been our dwelling place in all generations. Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God.”

Psalm 90:1-2

By Mike Wingfield

Eternity. What comes to mind when you hear that word? Time. What is time and how does it relate to eternity? These are great questions that we need to honestly consider from a biblical perspective. As we begin a New Year, it seems fitting that we would consider what time and eternity are, and their relationship to each other. By doing this you will discover this is a great mystery that is difficult for the finite human mind to grasp. Without God’s revelation from the Bible, it would be impossible to even begin an accurate consideration of time and eternity.

While this matter is profound, it is very basic to the Christian faith and all that we should live for. It is very important that we call upon the Holy Spirit to teach us through His Word the meaning of time and eternity. Join me as we think about eternity.

God is Eternal

When we speak about man and all of God’s creation, we can reference it within the created boundaries of time. However, when we speak of God, we must also go outside of the boundaries of time. God has no beginning or end. He is eternal (Deuteronomy 33:27). The triune God in His very essence is an eternal Spirit. He lives outside the realm of finite time, space, and matter. All of time, space, and matter are a part of His creation for His purposes and for His glory. He controls and rules over all of time, space, and matter. Therefore, He is not bound or limited by any part of His creation. He is free to operate within His own self-imposed restrictions which eternally qualify Him to be holy, good, perfect, and sovereign. He cannot speak or act contrary to His infinite attributes. He is eternally true and faithful.

It is impossible for man to completely understand each of the statements above. While we by faith accept them, it is difficult for our finite minds to grasp them. God in His person is great beyond our comprehension. Long ago, the ancient prophet Isaiah asked, “To whom then will ye liken God? or what likeness will ye compare unto him” (Isaiah 40:18)? Later, Isaiah declared that when you consider the everlasting God “there is no searching of his understanding” (Isaiah 40:28). Hundreds of years later, the Apostle Paul would exclaim, “O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out” (Romans 11:33)!

In no way is the One and only triune God limited or controlled by His finite creation. He is self-existent (John 5:26). That simply means He depends on nothing or no one for His being. He is the great “I am.” He is not bound by time. He is the sovereign King over all time (1 Timothy 1:17). Time began when the Lord spoke it into existence “in the beginning” (Genesis 1:1). Time, as defined by the Bible, is the measurement of the continuation of all events and activities in their association to earth’s position in relationship to the movements of the sun, moon, and stars (Genesis 1:14-19). Thus, time began when God spoke the creation into existence. Time will end when God speaks, and the creation will be completely renovated after the Millennial Kingdom (Psalm 102:25-26; 2 Peter 3:10-12).

One of the oldest Psalms, written by Moses 3,400 years ago, declares, “Lord, thou hast been our dwelling place in all generations. Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God” (Psalm 90:1-2). God does not live in time. He lives in eternity. He lives in the eternal now (Isaiah 57:15). He has no past. He has no future. He sees, understands, and controls all events within the boundaries of time all at the same moment. This is why the Bible declares “that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day” (2 Peter 3:8).

He lives in His eternal perspective where He sees the formation of all the atoms at the beginning while He also sees and controls the renovation of all the atoms at the end of time. He sees and rules over the invisible atoms and the great space of all the millions of galaxies that are beyond the intellectual capacity of man. The earth and God’s vast creation are His servants (Psalm 119:91). They obey when He speaks. Nothing escapes His total comprehension or divine sovereign control.

It is vitally important to realize that the entire Bible is God’s revelation about Himself and His creation from eternity past to eternity future. Psalm 90:2 profoundly declares that He lives “from everlasting to everlasting.” In other words, God was before time began (eternity past) and will always be after time will end (eternity future). The Bible is a book about God and eternity. God expects us to discover His revelation about Himself and His eternal plan within and beyond time. This is another reason why biblical prophecy is so vitally important. This is why there is so much biblical prophecy in the Bible. Through the prophetic texts, God is transforming our thinking from creatures of finite time to redeemed children of God who will live in eternity.

If we are only interested in ourselves and our own little world at this moment in time, we are acting selfishly and foolishly. We will be out of touch with God and the very purposes He has for us and all His creation. “If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable” (1 Corinthians 15:19).

Man is Eternal from His Conception

Man is eternal from his conception. We were made in the image of God. “And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth” (Genesis 1:26). What does it mean to be created in God’s image? This is a deep and profound subject. Several volumes could be written to answer this question. Simply, this means we were made as spiritual, moral, social, eternal, and intellectual creatures. In this newsletter, I am only briefly focusing upon the aspect of man being an eternal person.

T he Bible overwhelmingly testifies that all mankind will live forever from the moment of their conception in their mother’s womb. After speaking about the passing away of the creation, the Psalmist in Psalm 102 declares, “The children of thy servants shall continue, and their seed shall be established before thee” (Psalm 102:28). The Hebrew word “continue” speaks of the continuation of a person’s life and dwelling place. This is speaking of God’s children living with God in His place. Psalm 90:1 reminds us, “LORD, thou hast been our dwelling place in all generations.” The word “established” in Psalm 102:28, speaks of the child of God being sustained or secured in the presence of God. While the world is in a state of passing away, man is secured by the eternal God and will live forever.

When Jesus stood before the tomb of His friend Lazarus, He said to his sister, Martha, “I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die” (John 11:25-26). The Bible states that the believer in Jesus Christ has eternal life now and “in the world to come” (Mark 10:30). When the believer in Christ dies on this earth, he is ushered into the presence of the Lord, where he awaits the resurrection of his earthly body at the time of the Rapture (2 Corinthians 5:8). He never dies but continues to live with Christ and the saints in heaven (Hebrews 9:15). All believers will enjoy “eternal glory” (2 Timothy 2:10) and receive an “eternal inheritance” (Hebrews 9:15).

In sharp contrast to this, all the unsaved will live forever, but suffer “eternal damnation” (Mark 3:29). They will be raised out of hell and made to stand before the Lord Jesus to be judged and condemned to the Lake of Fire (Revelation 20:11-15). In the Lake of Fire, all the sinners of all the ages will “be tormented day and night for ever and ever” (Revelation 20:10). They will not be annihilated or cease to exist. They will live forever in a state of eternal judgment and torment separated from God.

Each human being has been created as an eternal being. All who have ever been conceived will live in heaven or in eternal damnation. How sad that most people live only for the moment and never think about eternity. They never think about where they will spend eternity.

Thinking about Eternity

Thinking about time and eternity is very basic to the Christian faith. When a person gets saved, it is the goal of the Holy Spirit to begin a gradual process that will transform them back into the perfect image of God. This is called sanctification and it is part of the salvation process. At the moment of our salvation, we are saved from the penalty of sin once and for all. We are being saved each day from the power of sin through the sanctifying work of the Spirit. Ultimately, we will be made perfect and sinless when we are saved from the presence of sin at the Rapture.

When a person gets saved, he begins to learn how to “walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:7). The Bible says that “faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1). At the time of our salvation, the Holy Spirit begins to teach us to look at things in this world from a spiritual perspective. “[The] eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God (1 Corinthians 2:9-10). This transformation directed by the Holy Spirit is always connected to a person’s reception of the Word of God. “Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Romans 10:17).

The life of the apostle Paul gives us a perfect example of how faith is produced by the Spirit through the Bible. In 2 Corinthians 4:16- 5:10, we learn how Paul walked by faith and not by sight. In this passage, Paul teaches us that biblical faith transcends time, space, and matter. We learn to look at life from God’s perspective.

When a person gets saved, there are three dynamic ways his vision changes. This is the very basic stuff that creates and maintains our faith. First, man begins to look at things that are not only physical, but invisible (2 Corinthians 4:18). There is a spiritual realm that is invisible. The Spirit of God uses biblical prophecy to help develop our spiritual vision of the invisible. Because of divine revelation, people of faith look beyond the physical realm. They cannot physically see it, but they believe this realm is there! For example, look at the testimony of the faith of Abraham and the patriarchs in Hebrews 11:8-10, 13-14.

Second, at salvation, the Spirit begins to teach man to look at things that are not only temporary, but eternal (2 Corinthians 4:17-18). A biblical faith helps us to develop an eternal perspective on life. It is a restoration to our image of God as eternal persons like God. The core problem in our godless culture is the passion to pursue instant gratification. People do not stop to think about the eternal consequences of their sin.

Biblical prophecy is the perfect tool the Spirit uses to create an eternal perspective in us. The Lord wants us to develop a timetable of eternity for finite man. We only live on this earth for a very short time. But this is not the reality of all that we will experience in eternity. There is a reason why there is so much prophecy in the Bible. When we study about the details of God’s eternal plan in the Bible, we are looking at the mileposts of the future that help to fix the reality of eternity in our minds.

Practically, this helps us to make choices based upon the BIG PICTURE, rather than being overwhelmed with instant gratification. This is where the sinful heart lives in foolishness and the dangers of the wages of sin. For example, look at the testimony of Moses in Hebrews 11:23-29.

Third, biblical faith causes us to look at things that are not only earthly, but heavenly (2 Corinthians 5:1-6). Heaven is mentioned numerous times in the Bible. Heaven is at the heart of the longing of those who have real biblical faith! What we think about heaven and its daily application in our lives is essential for our spiritual growth and maturity (Colossians 3:1-4).

Biblical prophecy is like an eye chart. It helps us to check our spiritual vision. Biblical prophecy causes us to look beyond time, space, and matter. We are exercising our faith as we view ourselves as pilgrims and strangers on this earth. This is the real stuff that faith is made of. It is at the heart of our salvation experience and our real daily walk and worship experience. If heaven is not our home and our daily hope and focus, then our spiritual vision is really suffering!

The Practical Application

One of the main goals of the Holy Spirit is to produce a godly character in us. A part of that godly character is our application of the reality that we are eternal. As we grow in our understanding of this reality, it will radically alter our perspective of life and living. Our glorious hope is bound up in our faith – a faith that is anchored in eternity.

This perspective of the hope of eternity is what helps us live in a world full of pain and disappointment. It strengthens us when our bodies and this world are falling apart. It comforts us when we are forced to say goodnight to someone we love, who has passed through the door of death. It reminds us that we can weep, but not as others who have no hope (1 Thessalonians 4:13). It leads us to redeem the time because the days are evil (Ephesians 5:16). It helps us to rejoice in times of persecution and rejection (1 Peter 4:12-13).

In Psalm 90, after reminding us of the eternality of God and the brevity of our life on this earth, we are admonished, “So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom” (Psalm 90:12). Psalm 39:4-5 adds, “Lord, make me to know mine end, and the measure of my days, what it is: that I may know how frail I am. Behold, thou hast made my days as an handbreadth; and mine age is as nothing before thee: verily every man at his best state is altogether vanity.” Life is short when compared to eternity. Our time on this earth is very limited. We must be wise to invest our time and talents for the rewards that will count for eternity. Soon, all of this will come to pass and only what has been accomplished by the Holy Spirit in us for the glory of God will really matter. Life is not about the collection of the junk of this world. The best investments we can make while on this earth are those that are forwarded ahead to be deposited in the bank of heaven (Matthew 6:19-21).

Our Lord expects us to be a people who are passionate about the future, especially as it relates to what He has prepared for us. Sadly, most people today fail to think about eternity. They live their entire lives focused upon the things of this world and how it can bring them pleasure at this moment in time. It is all about gratification now!

Most people are selling their souls to the cheap, instant thrills of this world. They do not realize that the God Who loves them created them to live for eternity. He created them to know Him and enjoy being with Him for all eternity. As you begin this New Year, please challenge yourself to apply the same warning given by Jesus to His disciples, “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul” (Matthew 16:24-26)?

Be ready for the shout that will take us out!

Is He the One?

The Bible plainly states that the illumination of the identity of the antichrist will not take place until after the Rapture of the church (2 Thessalonians 2:1-10). While we will never know for sure who the antichrist will be, it appears that there are several persons on earth at this moment who could be the one who is being groomed by Satan to be his superman.

One such person is the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Salman. Just a few months ago, in August, the Crown Prince signaled that he wants Saudi Arabia to replace Jordan as the Islamic custodian of the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. He mentioned that Saudi Arabia already controls the two most holy sites in the religion of Islam – Mecca and Medina. Therefore, in his eyes, it is only fitting that it also controls the third most holy site of Islam, which is the Temple Mount in Jerusalem.

T hose who recognized this change believe that Mohammed bin Salman is positioning himself to strike a treaty of peace with Israel. According to the Bible, this is exactly what the antichrist will do (Daniel 9:27). It appears that the antichrist’s false peace agreement with Israel will include Israel’s right to build a Jewish temple on the Temple Mount.

Currently, there are only two groups that are passionately struggling for the right to control the holy mountain of Zion – Islam and Israel. Therefore, it appears that the stage is being set for the final war over the Temple Mount. It seems obvious to say that this war will be between Israel and Islam. When the antichrist breaks his false covenant with Israel at the mid-point of the Tribulation, he will make his move to take back his control over the Temple Mount (Daniel 9:27; 2 Thessalonians 2:4; Revelation 11:1-2).

Before Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, it appeared that a peace agreement between Israel and Saudi Arabia was about to take place. Since Israel began its war in Gaza to destroy Hamas, the Islamic world has voiced its opposition to and hatred of Israel. However, to many people’s surprise, Mohammed bin Salman has guarded his comments on Israel’s war with Hamas and is trying to keep the door open for a peace deal with Israel.

Haisam Hassanein, an Arab Associate Fellow at The Washington Institute, in Joel Rosenberg’s All Arab News, reports that some influential Arabs are saying that Saudi Arabia holds the key to bringing peace to the Middle East. This report states, “Direct Saudi Arabian involvement in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is likely to be the shortest route to a stable peace in the Middle East. … Clearly, a new Washington-Jerusalem-Riyadh entente is the best path to stable peace. Will U.S., Israeli, and Saudi leaders seize the opportunity” (All Arab News, December 21, 2023)

For quite some time it has been my conviction that the antichrist would be a Muslim leader in the Middle East who would have a face of peace, but a heart of war. We can not be sure that Mohammed bin Salman is the antichrist. However, it is obvious that the events of October 7 and its aftermath of Israel’s war with Hamas have created the perfect storm in the Middle East and the entire world that could set the stage for the antichrist’s entrance and his deceptive peace deal with Israel.

The time appears to be right. It is very likely that the antichrist is making his bid to garner global attention as a rising global political star. This could be it!