Category: Prophecy

May contain help in interpreting the prophetic scriptures, may demonstrate how current events are fulfilling prophetic scriptures.

  • December 2022 – The Jewish Roots of our Faith

           Proclaiming the Prophetic Word for 31 years!

    PTNews

    P r o p h e c y T o d a y N e w s

    December 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

    Download this Newsletter

    The Jewish Roots of our Faith

    “What advantage then hath the Jew? … Much every way: chiefly, because that unto them were committed the oracles of God.” Romans 3:1-2

    By Mike Wingfield

    Very soon, people in many nations around the world will celebrate Christmas. Sadly, most people who celebrate Christmas view it as a holiday that focuses on secular traditions. Christmas has become a part of a growing trend that captures the world’s attention in a way that is far away from God. Only a small remnant of true believers will wake up quietly on Christmas morning and give reverence to its true meaning. We know that Jesus Christ was not born on December 25th. From a Biblical perspective, we should celebrate Christ’s birth every day of the year.

    The finite mind of man continues to struggle with grasping the fact that God Almighty became flesh in Bethlehem more than 2,000 years ago! Jesus fulfilled the hope of a coming Redeemer and King who is eternal, and yet born among men. Jewish believers were anticipating the fulfillment of the coming Messiah since the time of Abraham. For the two millennia preceding the birth of Jesus, God had spoken through His Jewish prophets to declare that He would come as a suffering Messiah, and then in the last days as a conquering Messiah. These precious, yet complex prophecies, have continued to perplex the Jewish people and the entire world for more than 4,000 years.

    While rejecting these profound prophecies, most people live in utter confusion and some refuse to accept the Jewish connection of God’s Messiah, our Savior, and the Head of the church (Colossians 1:18). According to the Scriptures, the Messiah would be Jewish. He is a descendant of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Matthew 1:1-2). He is a descendant of Israel’s two greatest kings – David, and Solomon (Matthew 1:6).

    Isaiah spoke of the coming Messiah, and wrote, “For unto us a child is born…” (Isaiah 9:6). The pronoun “us” in this context makes direct reference to the Jewish people. The promise of the coming Messiah was given exclusively to the Jewish people. God gave this promise to an unbelieving Jewish king, Ahaz, “Behold a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel” (Isaiah 7:14). The name Immanuel means “God with us” (Matthew 1:23). In essence, God told this wicked Jewish king that God would become a man and be born of a Jewish virgin. This sign, a supernatural event, would demonstrate to this wicked king that the God of Israel keeps His promises.

    Both Joseph, the legal father of Jesus (Matthew 1:16) and Mary, the physical mother of Jesus (Luke 3:23-38), were Jewish descendants of King David of Israel. This means that Jesus has both the legal and physical rights to the throne of David as the Messianic King. It was this connection to the lineage of David that brought Joseph and Mary more than 2,000 years ago to the little Jewish town of Bethlehem, where Jesus would be born (Luke 2:1-7). In an amazing prophecy, 700 years before Jesus was born, God revealed to the prophet Micah that the future “ruler in Israel: whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting” (Micah 5:2), would be born in Bethlehem.

    Clearly, the Scriptures demand that Jesus was conceived as a Jew; born as a Jew; lived as a Jew; died as a Jew; arose as a Jew; and will return as a Jew. I emphasize this because the world rejects the fact that Jesus is Jewish. Some Christians naively think Jesus is a Christian because the Bible declares Him as Head of the church. And they wrongly concur that since He is the Head of the Christian faith, He must be a Christian and not a Jew.

    We must remember that the church did not exist when Jesus was on earth during His first coming. Jesus always referred to the church in the future tense (Matthew 16:18). Jesus never preached in a church. He preached and taught in synagogues throughout Israel (Matthew 9:35). He never preached the gospel that is preached in churches today. The gospel is about His death, burial, and resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:1-4). Obviously, that message had to follow His ascension to heaven (Acts 1:9).

    Let’s clarify this confusion. First, the term “Jew” is the designation of ethnic identity. It is a term that defines the ethnic identity of a group of people who can trace their lineage back to one of the 12 tribes of Jacob. Jews also can be identified by a nationalistic term. For example, they can be an American Jew or an Israeli Jew. An American Jew is a person who has a Jewish ethnicity, but lives in America. An Israeli Jew is a Jewish person who lives in Israel.

    The term “Christian” is not a term of ethnicity or nationality. According to the Bible, a person cannot be born a Christian. A true Christian is one who has made the personal commitment to repent of his sins, believe the gospel, and receive Jesus Christ [“Christ” means Messiah] as their personal Lord and Savior. A true Christian believes Jesus is both God and man. They believe Jesus is the eternal Son of God. In other words, the term “Christian” is about a person’s spiritual standing with God.

    Christians are from many different ethnicities and nationalities. The Bible speaks clearly about the distinction between a person’s ethnicity and spiritual standing. In the Bible there are two major ethnicities – Jews and Gentiles. The term “Gentile” refers to all other ethnic groups that are not Jewish. The Bible also refers to the nation of Israel, in contrast to “the nations” [all the other nations in the world]. So, in the Bible it clearly distinguishes between a person’s ethnicity and general nationality.

    A person’s ethnicity and national status is not to be confused with their spiritual standing. All true believers are a part of the one body of Christ [Messiah] – the church (Ephesians 4:4). They can be a Jew or Gentile. They can be of any nationality. God only has one plan of salvation, and it is for all people (John 3:16).

    When a person becomes a Christian, it does not change their ethnic or national identity. For example, they could be a Jewish Christian living in Germany. They are ethnically a Jew. They remain a citizen of Germany, but spiritually they are a member of the body of Christ – the church.

    When Paul wrote to the Corinthian church about not being offensive to people while practicing their faith, he wrote that they were not to offend people of any ethnicity – Jew or Gentile. He also concluded that they were not to offend a brother of sister in Christ. He wrote, “Give none offense, neither to the Jews nor to the Gentiles, nor to the church of God” (1 Corinthians 10:32).

    The confusion about the Jewish identity of the Christian faith [the church] has been in existence since the time of the first century. CAUTION: THIS MAY NOT BE IMPORTANT TO YOU, BUT IT IS HIGHLY IMPORTANT TO GOD! Jesus will judge the world based on how they have treated the Jewish people (Genesis 12:3; Matthew 25:31-46).

    In this article, I would like to address two biblical facts about the Jewish identity of the true church.

    Biblical Fact #1- The Jewish Origins of the Church

    The church began in 30 A.D. at the Jewish feast of Pentecost in Jerusalem (Acts 2). The believers in the church on that day and for the next seven years were exclusively Jewish. Their focus, as commanded by their Lord, was on Jerusalem and Judea (Acts 1:8). Jerusalem continued to be the hub of the infant church for the first 14 years (30-44 A.D.). It was not until Acts 10 [44 A.D.] that the first Gentile was saved and became a part of the church. For the next four years, the number of Gentile believers began to increase. Due to opposition from the Jews who rejected the gospel, the Jewish Christians were forced to flee from Jerusalem. Acts 8:4 says, “Therefore they that were scattered abroad went every where preaching the word.”

    According to Acts 13, it was not until 48 A.D. (18 years after the birth of the church) that the predominantly Gentile church in Antioch began to be a prevailing voice in the early church.

    During the early years of the church, the believers gathered in the Temple in Jerusalem, synagogues, or homes. Church buildings did not come into existence until the latter part of the second century.

    A study of Romans 11 reveals that the church was grafted into the true historical Jewish faith, which had roots grounded in the faith of Abraham and the Old Testament saints and prophets. In Romans 11, the Apostle Paul makes it adamantly clear that the spiritual life of the church comes out of the faith of the Old Testament believers. The faith of the church is the grafted extension of the faith of the Old Testament believers! Therefore, the faith and message of the church grows out of the faith and message about Jesus the Messiah as presented in the Old Testament Scriptures.

    Biblical Fact #2- The Jewish Message of the Church

    For the first 15 years of the church, they had no New Testament Scriptures. All they had were the 39 Old Testament books. James was the first New Testament book, written about 45 A.D. (15 years after the beginning of the church). The other 26 New Testament books were written over the next 50 years and they were passed around the churches as individual scrolls, while individual copies were made. The recognition of all 27 books as the New Testament did not take place until 300 years later at the end of the 4th century.

    The Bible is a Jewish book. With Luke as the only exception, all the writers of the Bible were Jewish. The Apostle Paul declared, “unto them [the Jews] were committed the oracles of God” (Romans 3:2). God’s Word, which is eternal, is also a historical book set in time. God’s written revelation to man is immersed in the language, customs, geography, and history of the Jewish people and the nation of Israel. To ignore or reject this is to depart from the Word, will, and way of God! It is a defiant act of sinful pride. It becomes compliant with Satan’s scheme to reject God’s chosen people (Revelation 11). Attempting to remove the Jewish foundation and source of the true church is like removing the heart and brain of a body – it means sudden spiritual death!

    The Bible demands that the message of the church must be an extension of the written message of the Jewish apostles! The teaching of the Jewish apostles is the foundation of the doctrine of the church (Ephesians 2:11-22). If a message that someone proclaims does not agree with the teaching of the apostles, then it is not of God. The apostle John wrote, “We are of God: for he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God [does not hear] us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth and the spirit of error” (1 John 4:6). While facing false teachers in the first century, the Apostle Peter admonished the church to remember the teaching of the apostles (2 Peter 3:1-3). The Apostle Paul clearly warned that anyone who attempts to change the message of the apostles, “let him be accursed” (Galatians 1:8).

    At the heart of the apostle’s doctrine are the following six core teachings:

    1. Jesus is the predicted Messiah of the Old Testament

    2. The triunity of God- three persons & one God

    3. The sacrificial death of Jesus Christ

    4. The bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ

    5. Salvation is based upon faith alone in Christ

    6. The Messianic hope – including the prophetic end-times

    A careful study of Matthew 16:13-18 shows that Christ is building His church upon the testimony of the apostle Peter at Caesarea Philippi. Peter declared, “Thou art the Christ [Messiah], the Son of the living God” (Matthew 16:16). This means that Christ must be recognized as the physical Jewish descendant of King David – the Jewish Messiah. It furthermore demands that Jesus must be recognized as the spiritual eternal Son of God.

    Many professing churches fail to accept these core teachings that are demanded of all true believers. Many churches and professing Christians ignore the Jewishness of Jesus. They reject His people [Israel] and their renewed settlement of the Promised Land. They refuse to believe and teach the doctrines of the Messianic hope. They do not believe in a literal future tribulation on earth. They also reject a physical millennial kingdom when Christ will rule over all nations [which was the core teaching of Jesus in His earthly ministry].

    Most churches today refuse to proclaim the prophetic Jesus because He doesn’t fit their mold of expectation. They view this Jesus as offensive, and to them, He does not appeal to the godless, rebellious, self-centered, materialistic, and morally bankrupt society that they want to lure into their assemblies. Our world today doesn’t want to hear about judgment. Instead, they want to hear about how they can feel good about themselves, and how they can appeal to God and have Him bless them where they are in their sinful pride.

    The confusion of the Jewish identity of the true church has existed almost since the very beginning of the church. The Spirit of God caused the Apostle Paul to clearly teach about this in Romans 9-11.

    Those in the true church must accept the divine role of Jesus’ Jewish brethren. Our efforts of evangelism should be “to the Jew first” (Romans 1:16). We should also “pray for the peace of Jerusalem” (Psalm 122:6). The Lord expects us to assist, protect, and support “His brethren” (Matthew 25:31-46).

    As we celebrate Christmas this year, let our minds go back to Bethlehem, where Christ was born. Let us also remember that it was outside the walls of Jerusalem where the Messiah was crucified for our salvation according to the Scriptures (Isaiah 52:13-53:12).

    The Changing Face of Bethlehem

    Almost all Christians know that Jesus was born in Bethlehem (Luke 2:4). What they do not know is that the city of Bethlehem is now under the authority of the Palestinian government, which is totally controlled by the tenants and traditions of Islam.

    Many decades ago, when I took tours into Bethlehem, the city had a very strong Christian community. However, when the Israeli government was forced by the international community in 1993 to surrender the “West Bank” to the Palestinians, this included the city of Bethlehem. Consequently, the Arab Christians in Bethlehem were persecuted and murdered by Islamic terrorists. For the last 30 years, the Palestinian government has done nothing to stop or curb the attacks upon the Christians in the West Bank, including the city of Bethlehem. Because of this, most of the Arab Christian community has left the West Bank and moved into areas controlled by Israel. They know that the Israeli government provides equal protection for Christians and Muslims in the territories under their control. Only a small remnant of the Arab Christians has chosen to remain in Bethlehem and suffer the threats of persecution or death.

    But amazingly, many American Christians have been deceived into making Israel the aggressor in the conflict in the Holy Land. This is simply not the truth. I know! I have personally interviewed Arabs and Jews living in Israel and I know the real facts! Our media and the liberal church leaders in America are anti-Semitic. They are ignorantly supporting the side of the conflict that is openly killing Jews and Christians. They also ignore that the “West Bank” is the same territory known in the Bible as ancient Judea and Samaria. Most of the events mentioned in the Bible took place in what is now called “the West Bank.”

    Bethlehem is a Jewish Biblical city. Rachel, the wife of Jacob died near Bethlehem and is buried there (Genesis 35:19). King David was born in Bethlehem and was anointed there by Samuel (1 Samuel 16-17). Hence, Bethlehem became known as “the city of David” (Luke 2:4). The story of Ruth took place in the fields of Bethlehem (Ruth 1-4).

    Seven hundred years before the birth of Christ, the prophet Micah declared that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem, “But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting” (Micah 5:2). When Herod was inquired of the Magi where the Messiah would be born, the chief priests and scribes pointed to Micah’s prophecy as the place of the birth of Messiah (Matthew 2:1-6).

    Many people in the world listen to the Palestinians’ propaganda about their historical ownership of the land. The Palestinians say the Jews never lived in the land. Their lies totally ignore the Biblical history of this significant Biblical city. They even claim that Jesus was a Palestinian martyr. It is amazing to me how many liberal and Biblically illiterate so-called professing Christians agree with the enemies of Jesus and hate His people, Israel.

    The hatred of the Jewish people has permeated the nations, and even the liberal churches of the world. These same people have created another religion that is totally foreign to the true Biblical church that was founded and established by Jesus and His Jewish apostles (Ephesians 2:19-22).

    What to do When Surrounded by Evil (Part 3)

    For the righteous child of God, this is a very difficult time to maintain our joy if we allow the sin around us to smother our strength in the Lord. If we, like the world, think only in terms of the physical world around us, then it can be very depressing. America is collapsing before our eyes and is facing the wrathful judgment of God. The hope of what has been called “the American Dream” is rapidly vanishing by the day. The church is in a state of decline. There seem to be so few professing Christians who are genuinely interested in spiritual things. The Psalmist said it so well, “The wicked walk on every side, when the vilest men are exalted” (Psalm 12:8).

    What should we do? How do we live in the face of evil? In the October and November 2022 newsletters, I wrote about five of eight spiritual realities to cling to when you feel overwhelmed by an avalanche of evil. Let us now turn our attention to the final three spiritual realities that will help us to rejoice during the onslaught of evil and its deadly effects.

    Reality #6- Refrain from the Presence of Evil and those who Practice Evil

    The Bible teaches that victory over evil always accompanies those who desire to be holy. God has called us to live in a world of great spiritual darkness. He has demanded, “Be ye holy; for I am holy” (1 Peter 1:16). The only way this can be accomplished is for the child of God to continually set himself apart from the spiritual filth around him. We have been called into a relationship with a holy God. In order to maintain fellowship with God we must strive for holiness and continually confess our sins. This will always be accompanied by a hunger for the Word of God (Psalm 1:2; 119:11; 1 John 1:8, 10).

    Our lifestyle must be different. Our speech, our attitudes, our actions, and interests must not be like those who are in love with the world (1 John 2:15-16). Psalm 26:5 says, “I have hated the congregation of evil doers: and will not sit with the wicked.” Proverbs 4:14 warns us, “Enter not into the path of the wicked, and go not in the way of evil men.” A holy God will not bless those who want to mimic the lifestyles of sinners (Psalm 1:1).

    This simply means that the child of God will not continually entertain himself with sin. He will guard his eyes, ears, and thoughts from wicked things (Proverbs 4:23-27)! He will not listen to ungodly music. He will not watch violent or lustful forms of entertainment on television or anywhere else. He will be careful about the friendships he develops. His heart belongs to a holy God. Therefore, he runs from everything that is offensive to God!

    Reality #7- God’s Promises of Salvation are more Important

    in the Day of Evil, Rather than my Riches!

    If we are honest with ourselves, we tend to be too concerned about the loss of our comfortable way of life. The child of God must not fall into the trap of loving material prosperity more than spiritual prosperity. His focus must be upon eternal things (Colossians 3:1-4). The true child of God may be living in this temporal world, but his heart and soul will be longing for his spiritual and eternal home in heaven. He understands that “weeping may endure for a night, but joy [comes] in the morning” (Psalm 30:5).

    Abraham was said to have a great faith because he was looking “for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God” (Hebrews 11:10). While these eternal promises were in the distant future, these great men of faith “embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth” (Hebrews 11:13).

    When difficult times come, physical riches cannot calm the soul or bring contentment and joy. The godly man in Psalm 49 said, “Wherefore should I fear in the days of evil, … They that trust in their wealth, and boast themselves in the multitude of their riches; None of them can by any means redeem his brother, nor give to God a ransom for him: for the redemption of their soul is precious…” (Psalm 49:5-8). A relationship with God in a time of evil is far more important than the false security provided by physical possessions. The evil culture in which we live may rob us of our wealth, but it cannot take away our faith and hope in the Lord! Nothing can separate us from the love of our Savior (Romans 8:35-39).

    Reality #8- Remember the End of the Wicked!

    According to the testimony of the godly in the Bible, the child of God seems tempted to wonder why the ungodly seem to flourish in the hour of evil, while the righteous suffer. (See Psalm 37; 52; 73.) The psalmist said that the prosperity of the wicked at times is very difficult to understand (Psalm 73:12-16). However, we can see the goodness of God when we consider the eternal destiny of the wicked (Psalm 73:17-19). God allows the wicked to prosper in this life because this is their heaven. For the righteous, this is hell. For the sinner, it will never get any better. For the child of God, there is a better day coming.

    Sinful men live as if there is no God. God in His patience does not immediately judge them for their sin. However, there is a day for them in the righteous courts of God!

    When the child of God keeps these eight spiritual realities in focus, he can have joy in the midst of the storms of evil around him. As our world approaches the Tribulation Period, we must remember that at any moment, we will be rescued by the Lord and taken into His arms where we will never suffer the rejection, torments, or hatred of the wicked anymore.

    I love the testimony of Revelation 7:14-17 which tells us of the love of our Savior that will be poured out upon the martyrs of the tribulation saints when they enter His presence.

    Real joy in this life comes from serving the Lord who purchased our salvation. The world cannot begin to touch the rewards that come from being in His presence and the center of His will. “For a day in thy courts is better than a thousand. I had rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God, than to dwell in the tents of wickedness” (Psalm 84:10).

  • July 2022 – This World is not our Home

           Proclaiming the Prophetic Word for 31 years!

    PTNews

    P r o p h e c y T o d a y N e w s

    July 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

    Download this Newsletter

    This World is not our Home

    “For here have we no continuing city, but we seek one to come.” Hebrews 13:14

    By Mike Wingfield

    As believers in Jesus Christ, we grieve over the moral, economic, and political collapse of our nation and world. A spirit of lawlessness has enslaved America. At the heart of this lawlessness is the rejection of God, His Son, the Bible, and the Body of Christ – the church. Read Psalm 2. Years ago, I described the United States as standing on a cliff, ready to plunge to its death as a free nation. It is apparent that we have leaped from the precipice and are in a rapid freefall that will end in our sudden demise as a sovereign nation. We are being deceived if believe we can turn the tide of wickedness, immorality, violence, and foolishness that are gripping this nation.

    The Bible records for us the process of a nation that arrives at the spiritual point of no return. When this occurs, God gives them up. Read Romans 1:18-32. We have arrived at such a point. In my opinion, based on Scripture and what we see in our nation, we are beyond turning back. When God gives up on a wicked culture, He removes the work of the Holy Spirit in the consciences of the wicked and they are left to the demise of their own foolish and wicked desires. As evidence, I point to the militant demand for the acceptance of all forms of sexually deviant lifestyles. We are also witnessing riots and protests in rebellion against the Supreme Court’s decision to reverse the federal government’s control over abortion. These events and others clearly demonstrate the wickedness that has permeated this nation. Some people today are like the militant homosexuals who surrounded the house of Lot and demanded that he release the two young men [who were really angels of God] so they could sexually abuse them throughout the night (Genesis 19:4-11).

    Listen to what the Bible says about a society where wickedness rules in the hearts of men.

    Psalm 7:11– “God judgeth the righteous, and God is angry with the wicked every day.”

    Psalm 9:17– “The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God.”

    Psalm 10:1-18– Read this Psalm and think about what we are witnessing in America.

    Psalm 12:8– “The wicked walk on every side, when the vilest men are exalted.”

    Psalm 14:1– “The fool hath said in his heart, there is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good.”

    As believers, we must be careful to not allow the hopelessness of our world to cause us to worry, despair, or be depressed. We must focus upon the blessed hope that this world is not our home. The Bible tells us these days would come. Clearly, they are now here. We are witnessing a powerful testimony that the coming of our Lord is very near. His time of wrathful judgment is coming upon the wicked world system and those who promote it.

    I fear that many professing Christians have allowed themselves to fall in love with the world. Their love for the world is greater than their love for their Savior and their true home in heaven. Christians today are enamored with the world’s forms of entertainment [TV, movies, music, computer games, sports, etc.]. But they have little or no time for God. Most professing Christians never read the Bible. Their hobbies, sports, and recreation are more important than pursuing a passionate relationship with God.

    I am convinced that most Christians in the West do not want Jesus to return now. They are very comfortable in this world. The world is satisfying the fleshly longings of their lives. Their faith is weak, and they would rather live here than in heaven with Jesus. This is evidenced by the fact that the preaching of the prophetic Word frightens them. The hope of the imminent Rapture should comfort us (1 Thessalonians 4:18) and give us hope (Titus 2:13). The believer should take great comfort in the vengeful wrath of God that will be poured out upon the wicked during the Tribulation. Read in the book of Revelation what the angels and church in heaven will say when they know that the vengeful wrath of God is taking place on earth (Revelation 11:15-19; 19:1-3).

    Most pastors are only preaching about the blessings of God in this life here on earth. This is not the foundation of our faith. We have been made for God and eternity. What this world has to offer is empty compared to the food for our souls when we walk with God. “If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable” (1 Corinthians 15:19).

    When the Bible refers to “the world,” what does it mean? The original languages of the Bible have three primary words that speak of “the world.” It can speak of the land or creation, the age or time in which we live, or it refers to the ungodly world system. Predominately, the New Testament uses the Greek word kosmos to refer to the order or system of the world that appeals to our sinful nature. This word is used 186 times in the New Testament. The frequency of the reference to this world system should cause us to realize that this is a subject that is very significant for the believer to grasp.

    The kosmos speaks of the deceitful power, possessions, prestige, positions, and pleasures that this world system has to offer. It was the prideful desire for these things that caused the good angel, Lucifer, to fall into sin (Isaiah 14:12-14). Now this angel is called Satan, and he has brought his prideful desires to earth to bring death and corruption to all of mankind. It is his goal to bring men and governments into his orbit of influence. He wants to use them as pawns to attack the God Who made everything for His glory. In John 12:31, Jesus referred to the devil as “the prince [ruler] of this world.” This clearly indicates that Satan is in control of this world system. When Satan tempted Jesus at the beginning of His earthly ministry, he offered Him control and ownership over “all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them” (Matthew 4:8). Jesus rejected Satan’s offer because He knew this would lead Him to serving the devil. Satan is still offering power, possessions, prestige, positions, and pleasure to all who will worship and serve him. Most people on earth have accepted his lies and are only living for what the devil has to offer.

    My friend, you cannot serve God and the world system. Jesus said, “No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and [the things of this world system]” (Matthew 6:24).

    Satan tempts us with the things of this world because he knows they will lure us away from God. You cannot walk in the Spirit and desire the ways of the world system. Read Galatians 5:16-21. They are opposed to each other. They war against each other. The Bible says, “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world” (1 John 2:15-16). The spirit of this world system is evil, sensual, and is of the devil, not of God (James 3:15).

    Before we came to Christ, we were following the way of the world. We were following Satan. The Apostle Paul described the former life of the believer as those who “walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience” (Ephesians 2:2).

    When a person comes to Christ for salvation, he must repent of his sins. His enemy is his own sin nature, the world system, and Satan. Those who walk with God will always be at war with these three entities. This is the daily struggle of the Christian life.

    God expects us to overcome the alluring ways of this world. 1 John 5:4-5 says, “For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?”

    Jesus prayed the night before Calvary for His disciples. Listen to His prayer, “I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil. They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world” (John 17:14-16). Jesus had repeatedly warned His disciples that the people in the satanic world system would hate Him and His followers. We are not like the lost. Our goals, thoughts, lifestyles, and words should be different. We do not fit in with their godless way of thinking and living.

    God expects us to live in this world, but to not allow the world to overcome us and make us like it. Our assignment is to proclaim the gospel of salvation and convince people they need to become like Christ and His true church. We have been called to a life of holiness (1 Peter 1:13-15).

    If we are walking with God and in the power of His Spirit, we will not be comfortable in this world. This world is not our home. Our citizenship is in heaven (Philippians 3:20). The heartbeat of our lives will be fixed upon our home with Christ in heaven. We will “set [our] affection on things above, not on things on the earth” (Colossians 3:2).

    There are at least six biblical reasons why this world should not be our home.

    1. The World is Ungodly.

    As previously mentioned, the world system is controlled by the devil. It is a system that is evil and is the exact opposite of the nature of God – Who is holy. That is why the Bible declares that anyone who loves the world does not have the love of the Father in Him (1 John 2:15). It is impossible to love evil and holiness at the same time. They are directly opposed to one another.

    When a Christian looks to the world with great affection, he is demonstrating that he is not walking in the Spirit. Instead, he is walking in step with his own sin nature, which is anchored in this world. He is living for self rather than Christ. We should not allow the world to pour us into its mold. We are commanded, “And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God” (Romans 12:2). We must reprogram our minds so we can think like God. That is done only through serious meditation upon the Word of God. “Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee” (Psalm 119:11). We are set apart from the world when we allow the Word of God to take root in our thinking (John 17:17; James 1:21).

    2. The World is Temporal.

    Man was originally made for eternity to live in the presence of God (Hebrews 13:14). This world system is only temporary. We are commanded to not love the world because it is passing away (1 John 2:17). When we live only for the things of this world, we are working for something that will eventually disappear. The Bible declares, “He that doeth the will of God abideth forever” (1 John 2:17).

    This home, our present world, is like a dilapidated house that has been inspected and slated for demolition. In contrast, God is eternal (Psalm 102:25-28). If we are like God, we will invest in things and matters that are eternal. Jesus said, “Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust [consume] and where thieves break through and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust [consume] and where thieves do not break through and steal. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also” (Matthew 6:19-21). The treasure of our heart is where our heart [mind] is. Think about that. What do you think about the most? Are you heavenly minded, or worldly minded? That is where your treasure is!

    3. The World is the Enemy of God!

    As followers of Christ, we stand with Him against His enemies. The Bible asks us to examine our heart and ask this question, “Know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God?” (James 4:4) Then, the Bible declares, “Whoseover therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God” (James 4:4).

    The world hates God and all that is of God. Jesus told His disciples that the world hates that which is of God and loves its own (John 15:18-25). We are at war with the devil and his world system. We must guard our hearts and fight the good fight of our faith with God’s armor (Ephesians 6:10-17). Too many churches are attempting to make the church like the world to win the world. That is impossible. We must call the saints of God to come out of the world and live holy lives. We cannot flirt with the world and walk with a holy God!

    When we give our soul to the world, we are acting like spiritual adulterers (James 4:4). To become a Christian is to make Christ the Lord and love of your life. No one and nothing should come before Him. He must be first in our lives!

    4. The World Overpowers the Soul!

    It is the goal of Satan and his world system to kidnap our hearts and souls and lead us astray from the presence and blessings of God. The Apostle Paul gave the following warning, “Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ” (Colossians 2:8). Those who are of this world operate in a realm of spiritual darkness. The ways of God are foolishness to them. Their whole way of life is enveloped in a world that promises to give man what only God can provide.

    There is not enough room in the human heart to follow God and the world. Jesus shared a parable about a person who claimed to be a believer. Jesus compared the heart of the person to the seed of the gospel that was sown in the soil the human heart. This believer’s heart crowed out the word of God because of the thorns and weeds that were present in the soil of his heart. Jesus explained the problem as follows, “He also that received the seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word, and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful” (Matthew 13:22).

    Unfortunately, after more than 50 years of ministry, I have noticed that most who attend church on a weekly basis and claim to be saved are spiritually unfruitful. That simply means they are not really serving the Lord and producing spiritual fruit [works] that will count for eternity. The reason for this is that the cares of this world have crowded out the influence and impact of the Word sown in their hearts. Sitting in church, they may be convicted. However, when they leave church, their minds drift back to the cares of this world and they forget about what God has said to them. Therefore, their life is spiritually empty, and they are living just like those in the world who do not know Christ.

    It takes great discipline and time in God’s Word to overcome the influence of the world upon us. We must develop great spiritual vision to focus on the blessings that we cannot see, rather than focus upon the tangible things that overwhelm our lives. Read 2 Corinthians 4:8-18.

    5. The World does not Feed the Soul

    We have been created as a physical/spiritual being. We are created in the image of God (Genesis 1:26). Unlike animals, we have an inner being – a spirit, soul, and conscience. When we are physically born in a state of sin, our inner man is dead (Ephesians 2:1). When we are saved, our inner man is born-again. Therefore, we must feed the soul, just like we need to feed the body. Jesus said, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4). When the inward man is fed, that is when we have peace, power, strength, confidence, contentment, and joy. The world system cannot feed the soul. For the soul, the world brings deception, turmoil, weakness, confusion, and frustration. The stuff of this world does not fill the hunger of the soul that was created to have a relationship and fellowship with God.

    The things of this world may deceptively satisfy a person for a while. But soon they will be empty again. Only Jesus and the things of God can bring eternal joy to the soul. Jesus said to the woman at the well in John 4, “Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again: But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life” (John 4:13-14).

    6. This World is not our Home.

    When the mind of the believer is transformed by the truth of God’s Word, he will realize that this world is not his home. Our home is wherever Christ is (Colossians 3:1-4). Our citizenship is in heaven (Philippians 3:20). The Bible proclaims that we are “strangers and pilgrims” on this earth (Hebrews 11:13; 1 Peter 2:11). A stranger is a person that does not belong where he is. He is different from the local people around him. He may look, dress, and act differently than those around them. His language will set him apart from the culture. When fashions, actions, and language are ungodly, the believer should refrain from what is customary.

    A pilgrim is a tourist. He knows he is just visiting until he makes his journey home. This is the attitude the believer should have about living in this world.

    The walk of faith that illustrates the believer’s lifestyle of longing for home, while avoiding being attached to this world, is best illustrated in the contrasting lifestyles of Abraham and Lot.

    Abraham was called by God out of the pagan culture of Ur of the Chaldees (Genesis 12:1; Hebrews 11:8-9). As Abraham walked by faith, he received the revelation from God about “a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God” (Hebrews 11:10). As he wandered about on the earth as a stranger and pilgrim, he kept looking to the future, and longing for the city of God (Hebrews 11:13-16).

    When Abraham’s and Lot’s shepherds began to quarrel in the Promised Land, they needed to separate. Abraham allowed Lot to choose between the hill country, and the plain of Jordan which was well-watered near the five wicked cities by the Dead Sea (Genesis 13:5-10). Abraham knew that His God would provide for him, and He was not concerned about the choice Lot would make. Lot chose the well-watered plains, which did not require trusting God for rain. Lot was also drawn toward the wealth and pleasures of the cities of the plain. We know from extra biblical records that these five cities were along the caravan route of the ancient world and provided a variety of wealth not available in the hill country where Abraham was living. The lucrative trading within these cities allowed the people to explore the sinful pleasures offered by their opportunities and the constant traffic from the ancient world. One of these cities was named Zeboim, which means “wild place.” In comparison, these cities were the ancient version of Las Vegas.

    Unlike Abraham, Lot chose to be a citizen of a wicked world system. He chose a land that was more conducive to the easy way of life away from God. Lot’s life was anchored in what the world had to offer, while Abraham’s life was focused upon pleasing God.

    Lot’s lifestyle cost him dearly. When the time came for God to extract Lot and his family from the cities He was to destroy, they did not leave with a willing heart. Most of Lot’s family would not leave and were destroyed in the judgment of Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 19:14). Lot’s wife loved her family and life in Sodom so much that she disobeyed God and looked back, turning to a pillar of salt (Genesis 19:26). Lot’s choice and lifestyle cost him the lives of his family! What a heavy price to pay!!!

    I fear that far too many believers, like Lot, have set their sights on the world’s lifestyle and pleasures. We need to be like Abraham. We need to walk by faith, trust God, and keep looking for the city built by God.

    The Lord is coming to rescue us from the destruction and death of the Tribulation Period. Are we ready to go? Or are we like Lot and his family who were far too attached to the pleasures of this world and therefore reluctant to leave a world marked for destruction from the wrath of God?

    “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 16:26)

    Be READY for the shout that will take us out!

  • June 2022 – The Beginning of the End (Part Three)

           Proclaiming the Prophetic Word for 31 years!

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    P r o p h e c y T o d a y N e w s

    June 2022

    Published monthly

    All Bible references are from the KJV

    (Examining Current Events in the Light of Bible Prophecy)

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    The Beginning of the End

    Part Three

    “For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.” Matthew 24:21

    By Mike Wingfield

    From eternity past, God the Father decreed a master plan for all His creation. By His grace, He has revealed much of this plan to us in the Holy Scriptures. It is God’s will that His servants have an overview of His eternal plan so that it might give us hope and wisdom for living in the context of finite time while on this earth. Someone has said that the Bible is …

    Basic

    Instructions

    Before

    Leaving

    Earth.

    For those who have studied the prophetic portions of God’s Word, it is very apparent that our world is at a major crossroads in the plan of God. There have been cycles of wickedness and rebellion in the past that have invited the holy wrath of God to fall upon godless cultures. However, the developments taking place now clearly signal that we are approaching the divinely prescribed end of this age.

    God has revealed that the end of His ordered plan for His creation will pass through a series of events during a period of 1,007 years. At the end of this age, the rebellion of man will usher in a response from the Almighty, that will cause Him to pour out His wrath upon the wicked inhabitants of earth for seven years – the Tribulation. This time of death and destruction will be followed by a time of peace and blessings as God’s Son rules over His Father’s creation for 1,000 years – the Millennial Kingdom. This wonderful time of God’s direct rule over His creation will end with the final rebellion of Satan and the masses that the devil will deceive (Revelation 20:7-10). This will bring the end to the history of planet earth!

    The Scriptures reveal that the end of this world as we know it will take place under the divine authority and power of the heavenly Father. The end of this world is not some random series of events that will evolve by chance. The Scriptures are precise in their description of the events that will transpire at the end of this age under the divine rule of the Creator.

    In the previous two issues of this newsletter, we have examined Jesus’ teaching about the conditions that will prevail at the end of this age. Jesus taught His disciples that the horrific time we know as the Tribulation is to be viewed as painful labor pangs that will give birth to the glorious messianic age – the Kingdom of God on earth. He said that the unique time of the beginning of these birth pangs will feature five global deadly threats to humanity: spiritual deception, wars and rumors of wars, famines, pandemics, and earthquakes. The first three of these contractions of the birth pangs were covered in the two previous newsletters. Let us turn our attention to the last two painful contractions that will usher in the Tribulation.

    Contraction #4- Global Pandemics

    Global pandemics of deadly disease are not new in the history of mankind. The world has faced deadly epidemics in the past that have been far more lethal that COVID-19. In the second century, 35 percent of those living in the great Roman Empire died due to smallpox. From 1200 to 1393 AD, 53 percent of China’s population died due to the bubonic plague. In 1918, the flu killed 20 million in the world, including 20,000 in New York that fall.

    However, the prophetic Scriptures testify that during the Tribulation, there will be an unprecedented wave of deadly diseases that will sweep the world, killing a major portion of the population (Matthew 24:7; Revelation 6:8). Our world is about to enter a deadly time in which hundreds of millions of people will die due to global pandemics for which there is no human solution.

    The Bible repeatedly testifies that our Creator has complete control over the body of every person. The health, sickness, and death of everyone is fully under His control! God demonstrated this to Moses in Exodus 4:6-7. When Jesus came the first time, He displayed the power of God over all diseases (Matthew 4:23)!

    The Lord has created our bodies to naturally respond to His holy standards – mentally, physically, and spiritually. He designed the immune system of our body to help maintain our health. Our wellness or sickness can be impacted by our mental, physical, and/or spiritual disobedience.

    The Bible teaches that diseases can be a form of divine retribution (Leviticus 26:21, 25; Deuteronomy 28:21-22; Romans 1:27). However, not all sickness and disease are the result of personal sin (John 9:3). Godly people get sick, suffer, and die from horrific diseases. The Bible proclaims, “It is appointed unto men once to die” (Hebrews 9:27). The time, circumstances, and means of each person’s death is under the divine control of God. From His perspective, there are no accidents. “There is a season and a time to every purpose under the heaven” (Ecclesiastes 3:1).

    Several decades ago, I was given a book by a medical doctor to aid my research about the subject of infectious diseases in the last days. That book, a 750-page volume, was written in 1994 by a research analysist, Laurie Garrett, The Coming Plague- Newly Emerging Diseases in a Word Out of Balance. As I read this book, I found the impeccable and detailed research and observations of Laurie Garrett to be very helpful in understanding the nature of the global menace of pandemics that will threaten the world’s population during the Tribulation.

    At the beginning of her book, Garrett explained, “The history of our time will be marked by recurrent eruptions of newly discovered diseases, … epidemics of diseases migrating to new areas, … diseases which become imported through human technologies, … and diseases which spring from insects and animals to humans, through man-made disruption to local habitats. [There exists] the increased potential that at least some of these diseases will generate large-scale, even worldwide epidemics. … The world has rapidly become much more vulnerable to the eruption and, most critically, to the widespread and even global spread of both new and old infectious diseases” (Laurie, Garret, The Coming Plague, p. xv).

    Rank

    Mega City

    Country

    Population

    1TokyoJapan37.5 million
    2DelhiIndia28.5 million
    3ShanghaiChina25.6 million
    4Sao PauloBrazil21.7 million
    5Mexico CityMexico21.6 million
    6CairoEgypt20.1 million
    7MumbaiIndia20.0 million
    8BeijingChina19.6 million
    9DhakaBangladesh19.5 million
    10OsakaJapan19.3 million

    The opening events of the seven-year Tribulation Period are recorded in Revelation 6. During the beginning of this time of God’s judgment, one out of every four people on earth (a current population of 8 billion) will die because of war, famine, economic collapse, and disease. According to Revelation 6:8, billions will die because of “death, and with the beasts of the earth.” The word “death” in this verse refers to diseases. Therefore, the Bible has predicted there will be a connection of diseases with the beasts of the earth in the last days. Today epidemiologists are discovering that approximately 60 percent of diseases are zoonotic [they come from animals]. In recent decades we have had swine flu, bird flu, mad-cow disease, West Nile Virus, and most recently monkey pox. This initially occurs when people live near animals, and sometimes eat the infected meat. This is especially true in China and other far eastern cultures. As a result, sometimes people become infected with the animal’s disease. In some cases, the diseases mutate and are transmitted from animals to humans. This makes this virus extremely dangerous and unpredictable because this introduces a new virus to the human body. Occasionally, there is no known medical provision to protect mankind from these new viruses.

    Our world has drastically changed in the last 120 years. At the beginning of the 20th century there were only 1 billion people on earth. Now we have 8 billion. Furthermore, more people now live in big cities, rather than in rural areas. In 1900, only 15 percent of the world’s population lived in urban areas. Now, almost 60 percent are in cities where they live in extremely confined areas. Since 1950, we have watched the development of mega cities [cities with a population of more than 10 million people]. In 1952 there were only two. Now there are more than 34. In 13 of these mega cities, they have a population of more than 15 million people. Six of these are in China, India, and Japan. These mega cities are magnets for the outbreak of dangerous diseases. Therefore, it is not an accident that most of our deadly pandemics are originating from these mega population centers.

    People in these mega cities are usually poor, undernourished, and they tend to be more immoral. They have issues with pollution and filth all around them. They have poor diet choices and are forced to purchase their food from unreliable sources. Their lifestyles are filled with desperation as they try to survive in this difficult situation. They are given over to drugs and violence. This kind of lifestyle produces a natural breeding ground for disease. God warned Israel while they were wandering in the wilderness that when they came into the Promised Land and were living in cities, they would be more vulnerable to diseases (Leviticus 26:25).

    Another factor in the rise of infectious diseases in the last days is due to the increase in sexual immorality. America and the world are suffering from an avalanche of sexually transmitted diseases. When people violate God’s sexual standards, they will suffer the consequences. God has designed sexually transmitted diseases as a form divine punishment for their disobedience (Romans 1:27).

    The use of illegal drugs and overuse of prescription drugs has in many cases enhanced the origin and transmission of viruses. The overuse and misuse of antibiotics over the last few decades have forced viruses to mutate. This creates more resistant viruses that are becoming immune to all the antibiotics we have available.

    One of the major factors contributing to the rapid spread of diseases can be traced to our methods of travel. In many cases, people encounter infected people on airline flights and in other modes of mass transportation where people are forced to sit close together for long periods of time.

    Pollution and the undoing of nature’s balance are other facets of our modern lifestyles that are creating the perfect environment for the proliferation of deadly disease. Unhealthy water conditions and bad food choices contribute to poor health and weaken immune system. These conditions are making us more vulnerable to viruses that are parading themselves in our environment.

    Most people today are consuming food that are mass produced by commercial farmers. To meet the demand of feeding the expanding global population and to sustain the farming industry, farmers are forced to use agricultural practices that result in producing food that is nutritionally depleted. The mass production of food demands the use of fertilizers, which destroy the nutrients of the soil. This is further complicated by the use of radiation on our food when it is shipped long distances to other countries or states. Vegetation is contaminated due to the use of pesticides and the increasing use of genetically modified seeds. Meat is contaminated with antibiotics and hormones. All of this has a negative impact upon the delicate chemical balance of the human body. Our food may look good and taste great, but it is literally killing us!

    I often think about my maternal great-grandfather King. He did not visit a doctor’s office or hospital until he was 83 years old. He and my great-grandmother lived very healthy lives until the time of their deaths. They worked hard to raise their own food. All their income and the food they consumed came from a little farm where they lived. Their food choices were very simple. Their water came from a spring house on their property. All their food was void of any pesticides, antibiotics, and hormones. They did not have a car and they rarely visited a store to buy the very basic staples they could not raise on their own.

    We live at a unique time in human history. In my lifetime our world has radically changed. On the surface, it appears that our lifestyles are good. However, when one looks at the Word of God and what is coming, and examines the conservative research, we are in deep trouble.

    These are some of the reasons why pandemics will become a major contributor to the death and misery of the last days. We are just beginning to witness the impact of this contraction of the birth pangs of the Tribulation.

    Contraction #5- Global Earthquakes

    Jesus stated that the fifth and final contraction of the birth pangs of the Tribulation will be massive global earthquakes. He said, “And great earthquakes shall be in [different] places” (Luke 21:11). This judgment of God on earth and its inhabitants will be far more than the modern human mind can comprehend. I have given much time to research this subject and it has profoundly influenced my life. I can only imagine how God’s revelation to Noah about the global flood must have impacted his life. I am sure it gave him a sense of urgency to warn his generation of the magnitude of God’s warning. History is repeating itself. Today, few people are really taking the biblical warnings about the end of this age seriously. They think those who sound these warnings are religious fanatics.

    When the Lord destroyed the physical world and decimated the global population in Noah’s day, He used a powerful global earthquake to accomplish His divine judgment. He said to Noah, “The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and behold, I will destroy them with the earth” (Genesis 6:13). The prophets of God in the Old Testament, while speaking about the Tribulation Period, pointed to a time when the Lord will arise “to shake terribly the earth” (Isaiah 2:19). God spoke through His servant Isaiah to warn the world that the day of the Lord [the Tribulation] “shall come as a destruction from the Almighty. … Behold the day of the LORD cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate: and he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it. … Therefore, I will shake the heavens, and the earth shall remove out of her place, in the wrath of the LORD of hosts, and in the day of his fierce anger” (Isaiah 13:6, 9, 13).

    Perhaps nothing demands man’s respectful attention like catastrophic natural disasters. Major natural disasters have the potential to immediately threaten our lives and alter our lifestyles.

    The Bible informs us that earthquakes are the work of the hand of God (Psalm 102:25). He has designed the foundations of the earth to deteriorate so that they will be like a rotten piece of cloth that will eventually unravel (Psalm 102:26). Like birth pangs, as the time of God’s judgment approaches, they will increase in frequency and intensity (Luke 21:11).

    I9have noted that all the earthquakes mentioned in the Bible were perfectly timed to display the power of God. The walls of Jericho came down just like God said they would (Joshua 6:5, 20). Earthquakes accompanied the display of God’s power at the death (Matthew 27:51) and resurrection of His Son (Matthew 28:2). God sent an earthquake to release Paul and Silas from prison in Philippi (Acts 16:26).

    The Holy Spirit directed the prophet Isaiah to write an entire chapter about the devastating earthquakes of the Tribulation Period (Isaiah 24). According to Isaiah, the earth will be annihilated (verse 1), spoiled (verse 3), and disfigured (verse 4). The earthquakes will drastically depopulate the earth (verses 1, 3, 6). The destruction will be so great that the global population will be destitute – without house or shelter (verses 10, 12). The pride of the upper class will be disgraced so that they will be placed on an equal footing with the poor (verse 2). A sense of hopelessness and fear will grip the inhabitants of earth. They will feel like they are trapped in a pit and their doom is sealed (verse 17).

    Earthquakes are becoming more frequent. Collected geological data indicates that earthquakes have increased by 2,000 percent since 1900. As previously mentioned in the April newsletter, the birth pangs of the Tribulation are directly connected to the physical and spiritual rebirth of the nation of Israel. Eleven of the 12 most powerful earthquakes since 1900 have occurred since 1948 (the beginning of the modern state of Israel)! See chart on Worldwide Earthquakes.

    Earthquakes are becoming more powerful. Geologists report that a major earthquake can release enough destructive energy as is equal 10,000 nuclear bombs per second. An 8.0 earthquake releases more destructive energy than all the nuclear weapons in man’s arsenal. At some point in time, as it was in the days of Noah (Genesis 7:11), several earthquakes will have a global impact. A global earthquake will take place at the time of the Gog and Magog invasion of Israel (Ezekiel 38:19-20). An earthquake near the beginning of the Tribulation will move every mountain and Island (Revelation 6:12-14). At the end of the Tribulation, the most powerful earthquake in the history of earth will cause all mountains and islands to vanish from the face of the earth (Revelation 16:18, 20).

    Many of the global earthquakes of the last days will trigger massive volcanic eruptions and their subsequent impact upon climate change during the Tribulation Period (Isaiah 24:6; Ezekiel 38:19-22; Revelation 6:12-14; 8:7-13; 16:8-11). The global earthquakes will set in motion a domino effect that will radically alter the earth and its climate.

    God in His grace is speaking to us today through the increase of natural disasters. Unfortunately, foolish man has attempted to remove God from His creation. The deception of evolution and the pagan concept of “mother earth” have replaced the biblical thinking of many people. The Bible emphatically, consistently, and repeatedly teaches that God created the world and everything in it (Genesis 1:1; John 1:3). He has complete control of all of it (Colossians 1:16-17; Hebrews 1:3). The Bible proclaims that the heavens and the earth “continue this day according to [God’s] ordinances: for all are thy servants” (Psalm 119:91).

    God is using natural disasters to demonstrate His power and sovereignty. The powerful forces of His creation are at His constant disposal. Jesus displayed this when He spoke to the winds and the waves on the Sea of Galilee, and they obeyed Him.

    God uses natural disasters to remind us that we are not in control. He is!! Read Psalm 46:1-3 and see God’s command in verse 10, “Be still, and know that I am God, I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.”

    God uses natural disasters to humble us and destroy our prideful, independent spirit. Isaiah 2:19-22 informs us that when the end of time comes, God will violently shake the earth to humble man and exalt Himself. Disasters have a way of making us realize just how weak and vulnerable we are to God and His creation at any given moment.

    God uses horrific disasters to remind us of eternity. After Job’s life was devastated with disasters, he said, “Who knoweth not in all these that the hand of the LORD hath wrought this? In whose hand is the soul of every living thing, and the breath of all mankind” (Job 12:9-10; see also Job 14:2 & 21:13). This world and all that is in it is passing away (Revelation 21:1). This should teach us to not fall in love with the world and the things in this world (1 John 2:15-17). Only what is done for Christ will count for eternity (1 John 2:17).

    The biblical record from Genesis to Revelation gives testimony that God has used His powerful creation as a tool of retribution and judgment upon the wicked who strive with Him (Isaiah 45:7, 9; Amos 4:6-11).

    Friends, the birth pangs of the Tribulation are here! They are increasing with frequency and intensity. Jesus said, “And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh” (Luke 21:28).

    God is in control of His creation. Is He in control of your life? Have you surrendered your life into the hand of God? This is the wisest thing a person can do.

    God, not man, is in control of our world. The wicked are in rebellion against the Lord. Read Psalm 2:1-3. This does not disturb the Almighty. He is laughing at them in His heaven (Psalm 2:4).

    The wicked are planning to take over America and the world. Their schemes will miserably fail! God has said, “The heathen are sunk down in the pit that they made: in the net which they hid is their own foot taken. The LORD is known by the judgment which he executeth: the wicked is snared in the work of his own hands. The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God” (Psalm 9:15-17).

    Be ready for the shout that will take us out!

    Russia Attacks Israel

    For years, Israel has repeatedly attacked Iranian military positions in Syria. The Jewish state has put the world and other Middle Eastern countries on notice that it cannot and will not tolerate an Iranian military buildup in Syria. Israel considers this to be an existential threat. Russian and Israeli leadership have openly discussed this on several occasions. In the past, Russia has verbally agreed that Israel has the right to defend itself. Therefore, Russia’s policy has been to not interfere with Israeli aircraft when they destroy Iranian military positions in Syria. This has now changed.

    In May, Israel reported that Russian forces opened fire on Israeli aircraft in Syria while they were targeting Iranian military positions in Syria. Russia joined Syrian forces in an attack to shoot down Israeli military jets while they were conducting their mission. This was the first incident in which Russia has shown any aggression against Israel in recent years.

    As a result of this attack, Israel Today gave the following report on May 17, 2022. “The situation in Ukraine has opened a widening rift between Israel and Russia that many fear could ultimately result in armed confrontation.

    “If an Israeli Channel 13 News report is to be believed, the first shots in the Israel-Russia conflict have already been fired. Last week, Israel Air Force (IAF) jets allegedly attacked targets in northern Syria. That’s not out of the ordinary. But this time, according to unnamed sources cited by Channel 13, Russian military units stationed in Syria opened fire on the Israeli aircraft.

    “Syrian military air defenses have been almost entirely ineffective in preventing Israeli airstrikes on targets in the country. But there are a number of advanced Russian-made S-300 anti-aircraft batteries deployed throughout Syria that until now have not been activated against the Israelis.

    “Those batteries are operated by Russian military personnel and are under Russian military command. And one of them reportedly joined Syrian air defenses in attacking Israeli planes last week.

    “If true, experts said this marks a significant and dangerous policy shift on the part of Moscow” (Israel Today, May 17, 2022)

    Could this be the beginning of the conflict between Israel and Russia that will lead to the Gog and Magog war mentioned in Ezekiel 38-39? Only time will tell!