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Understanding “The Deal of the Century” in light of Biblical Prophecy

Understanding “The Deal of the Century”

in light of Biblical Prophecy

“For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.”

1 Thessalonians 5:3

By Mike Wingfield

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The Middle East has had a history of violence and wars for millennia! For 4,000 years the sons of Ishmael and the sons of Isaac have been in a bitter battle over the land God promised to the Jewish people. According to the Bible, God established an eternal land covenant with the descendants of Abraham through the line of Isaac and Jacob. Therefore, the conflict over the Promised Land traces its roots to the ancient conflict between the sons of Isaac (Jews) and the sons of Ishmael (Arabs).

The Biblical prophecies indicate that due to their disobedience, God would thrust the Jewish people out of their land and eventually scatter them to the nations of the world (Deuteronomy 28:63-64). Then, in the last days, God would cause them to return to the land of their forefathers (Jeremiah 30:3). This would reignite the ancient conflict over the land. Ezekiel 36:1-7 indicates that Israel would be in conflict over the Promised Land with the nations surrounding them. It is not an accident that all of these countries are currently Arab/Islamic nations.

The Bible indicates that the conflict over the Holy Land will culminate in a false treaty between Israel and Satan’s counterfeit messiah – the Antichrist (Daniel 9:27). According to the Bible, the signing of this treaty will mark the beginning of a very deadly and dangerous seven years referred to as “The Tribulation Period.” Therefore, any human effort to bring about a covenant to resolve the conflict between Israel and her Arab/Islamic neighbors captures the attention of students of Bible prophecy. We wonder how any attempt to bring peace to the Middle East will relate to the future covenant Israel will make with the Antichrist.

There have been many attempts to bring the Israelis and the Palestinians to the peace table to create a peace treaty. The leaders of the world have had a longstanding goal of bringing a durable peace in the Middle East. All attempts to bring about such an agreement have failed.

Peace between Israel and her Arab neighbors has been the focus of many American presidential administrations for more than 40 years. In March 1979, President Jimmy Carter persuaded the leaders of Israel and Egypt to sign “The Camp David Peace Accords.” This cold form of peace between Egypt and Israel remains in effect today.

In September 1993, President Bill Clinton helped finalize the negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians with the signing of the Oslo Peace Accords. Instead of creating an atmosphere of peace, the so-called accords resulted in the

At the Oslo Peace Accords, Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and PLO Chairman Yasser Arafat shake hands in acceptance.

Palestinians launching a series of terrorist attacks against innocent Israeli citizens. Thousands were killed in just a few years after these accords were signed. Then, under the direction of President Bill Clinton, a peace treaty that still exists between the Arab country of Jordan and Israel was signed on October 26, 1994.

Twice more, President Clinton attempted to bring about a peace agreement between the Palestinians and Israel. In October 1998, President Clinton directed the Wy River Memorandum with negotiations between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and PLO Chairman Yasser Arafat. In President Clinton’s final attempt at brokering a peace agreement, he met with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak and Arafat at the Camp David Summit in July 2000. At this summit, Israel offered the Palestinians 94 percent of the disputed land called the “West Bank.” Arafat rejected the offer from the Israelis, leaving President Clinton frustrated and furious. This outright rejection by the now deceased PLO leader made it clear that the Palestinians are not really interested in any deal that does not give them all of the land of Israel. They are not interested in controlling only the area known as the “West Bank.”

In February 2005, President George W. Bush brought together the Israeli Prime Minister, Ariel Sharon, and Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas, at the Red Sea Summit. These talks resulted in a removed of Jewish residents from the Gaza area. After this attempt to bring peace, Hamas, a terrorist group supported by Iran, overthrew the Palestinian leadership and took over Gaza. Since that time, Israel has had three wars with Hamas. Hamas and other terrorist groups in Gaza continue to launch rocket attacks against Israel. In recent months, they have fired hundreds of rockets and missiles into southern Israel.

In November 2008, President George W. Bush invited Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Abbas to the peace table again. In this meeting, the Israelis offered the Palestinians 98 percent of the West Bank and additional land. Once again, the Palestinian leadership rejected this generous offer.

On January 28, 2020, after two years of research, President Donald Trump unveiled his “Deal of the Century.” The Israelis accepted the peace plan, along with many other Persian Gulf Arab states. However, the Palestinians refused to attend the gathering and made it very clear they are in firm opposition to it.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House on January 28, 2020.

Let us examine this peace plan in light of the prophetic Scriptures. First, it must be understood that this is not theAntichrist’s peace plan spoken about in Daniel 9:27. That covenant will begin the Tribulation Period.

Obviously, the Tribulation Period has not begun, even though signs of its coming are growing more evident each day. Therefore, this peace offer is not the agreement spoken about in Daniel 9:27.

Let us examine the Trump peace offer in light of Biblical prophecy. Overall, this plan calls for a two-state solution to the conflict. It calls for a Jewish State (Israel) that would be recognized alongside a Palestinian State (Palestine). The map below represents the starting point for negotiations concerning the final borders of each state. Notice that the darker areas would represent Palestine, connected to Gaza by an underground tunnel. The 15 circled areas represent Jewish communities that would be imbedded within Palestine. Each Jewish community would have a road linking it to a part of the Jewish state.

Major Points of the Trump Peace Plan

Under the Trump plan, no Israelis or Palestinians would be uprooted from their homes. The plan attempts to accept the current population demographics in these territories. Israelis would need to agree to freeze settlement growth for four years while negotiations for the Palestinian State continue. Jerusalem would remain Israel’s undivided capital, while Palestinians would get an East Jerusalem community, Abu Dis, as their recognized capital. The Temple Mount in Jerusalem, which has long been a point of friction between the Arabs and the Israelis, would remain a place of Muslim worship.

Positive Aspects of the Trump Peace Plan

I applaud the efforts of the Trump administration and the Israeli leadership for seeking peace. President Trump is the first U.S. president to clearly demonstrate an unwillingness to appease the Arab world by caving in to the demands of the Arab world and jeopardize the security of Israel. His plan also calls for the Arabs to recognize Israel. This is something that the entire Arab world has refused to do since 1948. The Trump plan also recognizes Israel’s security needs. It allows Israel to annex the entire Jordan Valley. Israel believes this is most significant to assure that it would be able to militarily repel a ground invasion from the east. Study the map below and you can see why this is so important to the Israelis.

This plan also demands that the Palestinian State would be demilitarized. It calls for the Palestinians to end incitement against Israel and to stop pay-for-slay benefits to terrorists in jail and families of terrorist martyrs. Overall, the Trump plan is the most balanced of all previous plans. It attempts to create a fair approach to what has become an impossible nightmare.

Negative Points of the Trump Peace Plan

However, the Trump plan does not consider the deeply rooted religious passions of the Muslim Arabs. At the heart of this conflict is the Muslim belief that the area called Palestine was a part of the Islamic empire for hundreds of years. Therefore, it must never be surrendered to any infidel (non-Muslim). For devout Muslims, recognizing Israel as a legitimate state would be an act of religious treason and bring disgrace to their god. From the Islamic perspective, there is no acceptable solution for the existence of a Jewish state on Muslim land. This deep passion and hatred will lead the Antichrist and his jihad forces to the final conflict called Armageddon.

A major point of the Trump plan is an attempt to divide the land that God promised to the Jewish people in His eternal land covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. God told Moses “the land is mine” (Leviticus 25:23). The Bible repeatedly declares that God has chosen the Jewish people to be the caretakers of His land. The Bible calls the land Israel’s heritage or possession (Psalm 136:21-22).

The prophetic Word of God declares that God will “cause” (Jeremiah 30:3) His people to return to their land in the last days. God said to Israel, “For I will take you from among the heathen, and gather you out of all countries, and will bring you into your own land” (Ezekiel 36:24). Therefore, any attempt to take this land away from the Jewish people should be viewed as entering into a direct conflict with God Almighty. God said that one of the major reasons for Armageddon will be His vengeance due to the nations’ abuse of His people. He has declared, they have “scattered [them] among the nations, and parted my land” (Joel 3:2).

Should this plan be adopted, 15 Jewish communities on the West Bank would be surrounded by a Palestinian controlled authority. It may look like it would be feasible at this time when Israel has a great friend in the White House. However, that could radically change in the future with a change in U.S. leadership. If that occurs, it would become a very difficult arrangement to maintain, and we could see a repeat of what happened in the Gaza area several years ago.

The Palestinians have proven that they are not reliable partners for peace. They continue to incite hatred toward the Israelis. The Palestinians have a pattern of breaking promises they make. Their untrustworthiness grows out of their Islamic doctrine. Islam teaches that is acceptable to tell a lie and deceive an enemy for the glory of their god, Allah.

It is apparent to me that the global stage has been prepared for the entrance of the man of sin – the Antichrist. If this is so, then the Antichrist is presently standing in the political shadows ready to confirm his false covenant with Israel, thus beginning the Tribulation Period.

In light of this, let us examine a text that defines the nature of this future covenant and the events in Israel that take place at that time. That text is Isaiah 28:14-22.

Does Isaiah 28:14-22 Refer to the

Antichrist’s Covenant?

How can we be sure that Isaiah’s covenant in this text refers to the covenant mentioned in Daniel 9:27? There are three considerations that convince me that Isaiah is referring to the covenant of the Antichrist. First, this covenant will lead to a time when Israel will suffer a major military invasion. This is described in verse 18 as “when the overflowing scourge shall pass through.” Furthermore, this is described as a time when Israel will “be trodden down by it” (verse 18). While speaking about the Tribulation Period and the resulting battle of Armageddon, Jesus said that “Jerusalem shall be trodden down by the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled” (Luke 21:24). In describing the last half of the Tribulation, the Apostle John declared that the Temple Mount and the city of Jerusalem would be controlled by the Gentiles. He wrote, “it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months” (Revelation 11:2). Notice that Jesus and John refer to Jerusalem being trodden down, as does Isaiah.

Isaiah also points to historical examples of how Israel’s future enemies will be defeated at the time of this failed covenant. Verse 21 states, “For the LORD shall rise up as in mount Perazim, he shall be wroth as in the valley of Gibeon, that he may do his work, his strange work: and bring to pass his act, his strange act.” In this verse, Isaiah says that the defeat of Israel’s enemies at the time of this failed covenant will be similar to two other times in Israel’s history. On both occasions, the Lord supernaturally intervened to destroy Israel’s enemy. First, Isaiah points to 1 Chronicles 14:10-17. This text speaks of the supernatural defeat of the Philistines during the days of King David. [It is most interesting to note that the word Palestine comes from the word Philistine.] Then, Isaiah mentions the connection with the last-day battle with the “valley of Gibeon,” (verse 21) which is the Valley of Jezreel, or the valley of Armageddon. So, Isaiah connects this covenant with a people, the Palestinians, and a place, the valley of Armageddon.

Furthermore, Isaiah describes the acts of God during this time as God’s “strange work,” or “strange act” (verse 21). The late Biblical scholar, Alva J. McClain, connects these unique acts of God with events during the Tribulation (Alva J. McClain, The Greatness of the Kingdom, p. 188).

The strange act that the Lord will use to destroy the forces of the Antichrist is described in Zechariah 14:12, “Their flesh shall consume (melt) away while they stand upon their feet, and their eyes shall consume away in their holes, and their tongue shall consume away in their mouth.” According to a multitude of prophetic Scriptures, Armageddon will end with the most colossal global upheaval known to man. Unparalleled earthquakes on a global scale will trigger massive volcanic eruptions. In Israel, volcanic eruptions will produce a deadly flow of molten lava that will kill some of the armies of the Antichrist. Zechariah gives a graphic description of their bodies melting away. It is a perfect illustration of what happens when human flesh comes in contact with liquid magma at more than 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit.

The covenant that Isaiah mentions also describes a time of difficulty in Israel, when the Lord brings about “a consumption, even determined upon the whole earth” (verse 22). This confirms that it is the same covenant as the one confirm by the Antichrist. There is only one future period of time that speaks of divine destruction that will come upon the entire earth. That will happen during the Day of the Lord – the Tribulation Period. The Scriptures repeatedly refer to the complete global destruction that will encompass the entire world during the Tribulation Period.

The Particulars of this Covenant

Isaiah tells us five things about the covenant of the Antichrist. First, it will include a secular, non-religious, Jewish leadership in Jerusalem (verse 14-15). It is amazing that Israel is currently experiencing the same political upheaval, much like what is occurring in America. Israel is being led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (this name means “gift from God”). He has attempted to lead Israel by navigating his way through the various religious factions in Israel within in his government. Netanyahu continues to refer to Israel’s Biblical right to the Jewish land. His political opponents have vowed to not allow any religious parties in their government. They are very liberal and some have socialist aspirations. Like America, Israel is involved in a political struggle between the right and the left for the future control of the country. At some point, the political left in Israel will win control and lead the nation into the waiting arms of the Antichrist and his false covenant.

God warns Israel in this text that they will adopt a covenant with a partner that is full of deceit and lies, while deviously plotting the destruction of Israel (verses 15, 18). This is a perfect description of the character and actions of the Palestinian leadership, as well as many of Israel’s enemies.

Isaiah also adds that the secular and godless leadership will adopt a peace treaty with the Antichrist, who will divide the land of Israel. These leaders in Israel will be opposed in by religious Israeli Jews who are focused on God’s promises (verse 16). Today, there are many Messianic Jews who are opposed to giving away any of the Promised Land to create a Palestinian state. They clearly see through all of the lies and false promises and know that the Palestinians want all of the land of Israel. They know that peace with the Palestinians is impossible. These Messianic Jews openly reject the idea of a two-state solution. They are calling for the Israeli government to immediately annex the West Bank. They recognize that this is Biblical Judea and Samaria and that it all belongs to Israel. This is at the heart of their Messianic hope mentioned in verse 16.

In a very descriptive way, Isaiah mentions that this covenant with the enemies of Israel will result in increased terrorism (verses 19-20). This is exactly what Israel has experienced in the last 40 years. Every time Israel makes concessions to bring about peace, it has experienced an uprising in terrorism and rumors of war. Citizens of Israel face this reality on a daily basis. Notice that Isaiah describes this by saying that each day will begin and end with a threat of terror in Israel. In verse 20 he uses the illustration of a person lying in bed. This is likened unto a nation that enters into a covenant, thinking that it may rest from the threats of war and terror. In Isaiah’s illustration, that rest never comes because of the complications brought about by the ongoing daily reports of terror and threats war. This perfectly describes life in Israel today and it will continue until the Lord Jesus comes to their rescue at Armageddon.

Finally, this failed covenant will lead to Armageddon (verses 17- 18). Isaiah tells us that the godless leadership in Jerusalem will enter into this covenant to avoid a major war (verse 15). However, their covenant fails and Israel will be faced with the flood of the armies of the world coming against them at Armageddon (Zechariah 14:2; Revelation 16:12-16).

After Armageddon, the Lord will establish His kingdom of peace upon this earth. His people will be free from terror, wars, and rumors of wars. God has promised His people, “Violence shall no more be heard in thy land” (Isaiah 60:18).

I long for peace in our world. I hate war, violence, and terror. I love the Jews, the Arab people and the Palestinians. I want what is best for all of them. What is best for them is to not be at war with God. If they fight over the land of Israel, they are bringing themselves into conflict with God. God gave the Arabs far more land than He gave to the Jews. However, the Arabs are not content with what God has given them.

There is coming a time during the millennial kingdom when the Arabs will accept Israel and honor them as God’s chosen people. They will also recognize that Jerusalem and the Holy Land belong to the Jewish people. Read the amazing text of Isaiah 60. In this chapter Isaiah prophetically writes about how the former Arab/Islamic enemies of Israel will love and honor the Jewish people during the time of the kingdom. Isaiah 60:14 says, “The sons also of them that afflicted thee [mentioned in verses 6-7] shall come bending unto thee: and all they that despised thee shall bow themselves down at the soles of thy feet; and they shall call thee, The city of the LORD, The Zion of the Holy One of Israel.”

According to several prophetic texts, at the beginning of the kingdom the Lord will give Israel all of the land that He originally promised them, from the great river of Egypt to the Euphrates. See the map below.

When Israel receives her full promise of all the land, it will be 574,175 square miles of territory. The details of this land division are given in Ezekiel 45:1-8 and 47:13-20. Today, Israel only possesses 10,175 square miles, which is only 1.7 percent of all the land it will possess during the millennium kingdom.

I long for peace in the Middle East. Too many innocent people have been killed in the war that is being waged against Israel by the powers of hell. We are commanded to “pray for the peace of Jerusalem” (Psalm 122:6). When we pray for this, we are praying for Jesus to come and bring His kingdom of peace to this earth, and especially the Middle East.

The history of this planet since the fall of man proves that there is no peace outside of a personal relationship with the God of the Bible. Only Jesus can give you real peace. Jesus said, “These things I have spoken unto you that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).

Friend, if you have conflict in your life, only Jesus can give you inner peace in the midst of the storms of life. Some day we will live with Him. Then all of our conflict will be over. Come to Jesus for salvation and peace.

Keep listening for the shout that will take us out!

February 2020 – Iran’s War with the God of Israel

PTNews

February, 2020

Published monthly

All Bible references are from the KJV

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Iran’s War with the God of Israel

“Fear not, thou worm Jacob, and ye men of Israel, I will help thee,

saith the LORD, and thy redeemer, the Holy One of Israel.” Isaiah 41:14

By Mike Wingfield

The nations in the Persian Gulf area, especially Iran, have been a demonic stronghold since the beginning of time. Satan’s seat of authority has resided in the area of Iraq and Iran for millennia. This geographic area has played a major role in the kingdom of darkness in its plot to overthrow the God of Heaven and foil His eternal plan.

According to Isaiah 14:12-14, Satan has always wanted to dethrone God. God’s chief opponent wants to take His position as the ruler of heaven and earth. Satan’s plot has always focused upon God’s chosen place to display His sovereignty – the City of Jerusalem and the Temple Mount.

Satan’s efforts, along with His kingdom of darkness, have had the destruction of the Jewish people at the heart of their agenda of rebellion since God revealed His plans in His written revelation, the Word of God. This is displayed in symbolic form in Revelation 12. In this text, Satan is depicted as a great red dragon that seeks to devour, persecute, and make war with the Jewish people.

Iran is just one of many nations being used as pawns by Satan. These nations are praying and longing for the destruction of Israel. The records of the United Nations indicate that no other nation has received as much global condemnation as the modern state of Israel. Israel has been unfairly singled out for condemnation by the United Nations. According to a UN Watch organization, the UN Human Rights Council condemns Israel more than all of the other nations in the world. In the UN General Assembly, more than 86 per cent of all condemnations are aimed at Israel (https://unwatch.org/un-israel-key-statistics/). It is also a proven fact that anti-Semitism is on the increase around the world. All of this proves that the world really hates the nation of Israel in particular and the Jewish people in general. Israel is the nation they all love to hate!

The prophetic Scriptures indicate that when the end of this age comes, the nations will oppose the Messiah of Israel (Psalm 2:2) and God’s declaration that He will rule the nations from God’s “holy hill of Zion” (Psalm 2:6). Ultimately, they will join forces with the Antichrist and declare war against Israel, leading to the battle of Armageddon at the end of this age (Revelation 16:12-16; 19:19-21).

According to the prophetic Word of God, the central attack against Israel in the last days will come from the nations that surround the Jewish nation. Ezekiel 36:1-7 is a profound and detailed prophecy that is unfolding right before our eyes. In this text, God’s speaks to His land and “the mountains of Israel” (a geographical reference to the “West Bank,” which is Biblical Judea and Samaria). This geographical area is the heartland of what God promised to Abraham and his descendents in an eternal, unconditional covenant. While Abraham was standing on a mountain near Bethel, God said to him, “For all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed forever” (Genesis 13:15).

According to Ezekiel 36, when the Jewish people return to their land in the last days, the nations surrounding Israel (see verses 4, 7) will oppose their occupation of the land. Today, all of the nations that surround Israel have one thing in common. They are all Islamic nations that give passionate allegiance to their god, Allah. A study of the Bible and secular history indicates that this region has always been at war with the Jewish people. These nations have always coveted the land that God promised to Israel as an everlasting possession. History demonstrates that this war against the Jewish people over their land has intensified since the birth of the religion of Islam in the seventh century, fourteen centuries ago.

Ezekiel 36 states that these nations will claim that the land belongs to them. God says they have “appointed my land into their own possession with the joy of all their heart”(verse 5). This text states that this passion for the land will come from an area called “Edom” (Hebrew word) or “Idumea” (Greek form of the same word). The mountains of Edom presently extend from southern Jordan into Saudi Arabia. In Biblical times, this became the home of Esau (Genesis 36:8-9, 19) and Ishmael (Genesis 25:18). Muslims claim that Ishmael is the father of their religion. Saudi Arabia was the geographical center of the beginning of the religion of Islam. Therefore, 3,600 years ago, God revealed through Ezekiel that when the Jews returned to their land in the last days, they would be in constant conflict with the Muslim nations surrounding them.

Furthermore, Ezekiel was told that the center of this conflict over the land would be the high places of worship. Ezekiel 36:2 states, “Thus saith the Lord GOD; Because the enemy hath said against you, Aha, even the ancient high places are ours in possession.” At the center of Israel’s war with Islam is the city of Jerusalem and the Temple Mount (the central place of worship for Israel), and Hebron (where the patriarchs of Israel are buried in the cave of Machpelah- Genesis 25:9-10).

According to Ezekiel 36, these nations who oppose the return of the Jewish people to their land, and especially their occupation of Jerusalem and Hebron, are at war with the God of Israel. The Bible says, “Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Surely in the fire of jealousy have I spoken against the residue of the heathen, and against all Idumea [central area of Islam today], which have appointed my land into their possession with the joy of all of their heart, with despiteful minds, to cast it out for a prey” (Ezekiel 36:5).

History demonstrates that during the period of the Ottoman Turkish rule of the Holy Land (1517-1917) that the Muslim occupants did not care for the land of Palestine and allowed it to become a desolate wasteland. Notice that Ezekiel 36:3 states that God’s enemies made the land “desolate”

during their occupation. It is a given fact that the intense interest of Islam over the land of Israel did not begin until the return of the Jewish people to the land in the first few decades of the 20th century. The driving force behind the opposition of Israel’s occupation of the land is spite, or feelings of hostility. God says it was due to their “despiteful minds” (Ezekiel 36:5). This means that the enemies of God did not really care about the land, they just spitefully did not want the Jews to have it.

As we watch current events unfold in the Middle East, it is critically important for us to observe that one nation, Iran, is seemingly fueling the Middle East’s hatred toward Israel. While Iran is not an Arab nation [Iranians are Persians], it is the leader of the Shiite sect of Islam.

Since 1979, Iran has been passionately driving itself toward the creation of a global Islamic empire. Iran wants to be at the center of the Islamic world. This has created a bitter rivalry between the two major Islamic sects – Shitte and Sunni. While this is not the major focus of this article, this brewing Islamic division is setting the stage for the coming kingdom of the Antichrist.

From Iran’s perspective, there are two nations that stand in the way of its global aspirations – the United States and Israel. At the beginning of the Islamic revolution in Iran, the radical Islamic leader, Ayatollah Khomeini, referred to the U.S. as “the Great Satan.” He also coined the idea that Israel should be called “the little Satan.” Anyone who has followed the foreign policies of Iran since 1979 would know that Iran has a deep hatred for the U.S. and Israel.

In recent decades, Iran has continually fomented its hatred of Israel. According to Aljazeera news [an international Islamic news media outlet funded by the Persian Gulf states], Iranian President Hassan Rouhani called Israel a “cancerous tumor established by Western countries to advance their interests in the Middle East” (www.aljazeera.com). Since the founding of the Islamic revolution, many political and military leaders in Iran have openly called for the destruction of Israel. They have repeatedly stated that they are praying and preparing for the day when the Jewish nation will be removed from the face of the earth.

Cover of Khamenei’s book

Iran’s goal of global supremacy is driven by a radical Islamic belief concerning the end of this age. These goals are clearly spelled out in a 2011 book, called Palestine, written by the Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. In this 416-page book, Khamenei calls for the destruction of the U.S. (who he openly calls “the Great Satan”) and the removal of all of the Jews from Israel. He does not call for a military war with Israel because he knows they could not win such a confrontation. … He believes that Iran has been called to bring about global chaos and destruction that will invite their Islamic messiah, known as the mahdi, to come. They believe their messiah will return along with Issa (Jesus) and destroy all religions and make Islam the only religion of the world.

Most world leaders, including the liberal politicians in the U.S., do not comprehend the danger that Iran poses to world peace. Iran is the world leader in promoting and funding global terrorism, all in the name of their god Allah. For more than 41years, Iran has been plotting the destruction of the United Sates and the demise of the Jewish state of Israel. They fund terrorists groups in Lebanon, Syria, and Gaza that are firing missiles into Israel. Their goal is to make Israelis so fearful that they will leave the land of Israel and abandon their Zionist dream of the establishment of the Jewish nation of Israel on the soil of what was once a part of the greater Islamic territory of the Middle East. This is clearly delineated in Khamenei’s book.

Instead of taking Iran’s evil plot seriously, six leading nations – the United States, Britain, France, Germany, Russia and China – signed a nuclear deal with Iran under the leadership of President Barak Obama. This deal proved how blind world leaders are to the real threat of radical Islam. Common sense tells us that you cannot trust an evil regime with nuclear capabilities.

From a Biblical viewpoint, we can be glad that President Donald Trump is not blinded by Iran’s evil schemes. From the beginning of his campaign to become the president of the U.S., President Trump called the Iran nuclear deal a “disaster.” Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had previously called the Iran nuclear deal a “recipe for disaster.” In May, 2018, President Trump wisely removed the U.S. from the Iranian nuclear deal. From a Biblical vantage point, President Trump is standing with God on this issue as he opposes a country that continues to threaten God’s chosen people in God’s Promised Land.

On January 3, 2020, President Trump shocked the world when ordered the assassination of Iran’s Quds Force, Major General Qasem Soleimani. Soleimani was the chief architect of Iran’s plot to control the Middle East and the world. He was the director of terrorism, answering directly to the Supreme Leader of Iran, Ayatollah Khamenei. Most people do not know that in Arabic, the city of Jerusalem is known as al Quds, which means “holy sanctuary.” So, the Quds force in Iran was a special elite military force dedicated to the liberation of all Muslim lands from the infidels (all non-Muslims). Its real focus was the liberation of Jerusalem from the hands of the Israelis. Once again, President Trump’s decision and action stand with God and His eternal plans to establish Jerusalem as the place from which Jesus will rule over the nations of the world.

Most people in the world do not understand how passionate Iran is about conquering Jerusalem and liberating it from Israeli control. In August 2015 an Iranian Revolutionary Guard website released a video highlighting Islam’s war over Jerusalem. A computer generated animation depicted Islamic armies attacking Jerusalem’s Temple Mount. This is the dream of Iran and all the Islamic hordes that will follow the Antichrist in the future.

These dreams, however, will turn into nightmares for Iran and others who oppose the God of Israel. In Isaiah 29, God refers to Jerusalem as “Ariel.” This word in Hebrew means, “lion of God.” In this chapter, God’s prophet wrote about the nations that dream about fighting against Zion. God said, “And the multitude of all the nations that fight against Ariel, even all that fight against her and her munition [stronghold- a reference to the Old City and Temple Mount] and that distress her, shall be as a dream of a night vision. It shall even be as when an hungry man dreameth, and, behold, he eateth; but he awaketh, and his soul is empty: or as when a thirsty man dreameth, and, behold, he drinketh; but he awaketh, and, behold he is faint, and his soul hath appetite: so shall the multitude of all the nations be, that fight against mount Zion” (Isaiah 29:7-8).

More than 4,000 years ago, God spoke to Abraham and told him to leave Ur, now located in Iraq. He spoke to him and said, “Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will show thee. And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing. And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed” (Genesis 12:1-3).

A careful study of the history of the nations will reveal that God has kept His word to the Jewish people. All nations have been blessed or cursed on the basis of how they treat the Jewish people in general and the nation of Israel in particular. God is sovereign. He rules over all of His creation. God has declared, “So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth; it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it” (Isaiah 55:11).

The word “curse” means: “to vilify, despise, dishonor, show great displeasure, hate, treat with contempt, desire evil to fall upon them …” Iran is leading the charge among nations today that are cursing Israel and the God of Israel. As I have noted, Iran has a deep-seeded hatred of Israel and they are openly planning and boasting of their dream of destroying Israel and liberating Palestine and Jerusalem from Jewish occupation.

In recent months, several earthquakes have rocked Iran. The latest was a 5.2 earthquake on January 22. God is reminding Iran and the nations that He is in control. However, is anyone listening?

In the near future, Iran will join Russia and Turkey and an Islamic collation of nations in an invasion of Israel. The details of this invasion of Israel are found in Ezekiel 38. In this text, God states that He is against these invading nations. Just at the precise moment they begin their invasion, God will send a massive earthquake that will trigger the volcanic eruptions of several ancient dormant volcanoes on the Golan Heights. This geological upheaval will destroy these invading forces. Ezekiel wrote that all of this is done so that “the heathen shall know that I am the LORD, the Holy One in Israel” (Ezekiel 39:7).

Using the ancient name of Iran, Elam, the Bible declares that something will develop in Iran that will cause its inhabitants to be internationally dispersed to the nations of the world (Jeremiah 49:36-37). We cannot begin to know what will bring about this dispersion. Could it be nuclear radiation fallout that comes as a result of the destruction of Iran’s nuclear facilities due to God’s divine judgment? What will cause this destruction?

It is amazing to me that the Bible has almost nothing to say about most of the nations in the world, including the United States of America. When the end comes, the center of power of the world and of the Antichrist will be in the Middle East. A handful of nations are named in the prophetic Scriptures. One of them is Iran. However, Iran will fall during the Gog and Magog confrontation with God (Ezekiel 38-39). Then, the remaining nations will ultimately join forces with the Antichrist for man’s final attempt to defeat God during the last seven years of this age.

As we watch Iran and its allies shake their fists at God and call for the removal of the Jewish people from Israel and the liberation of Jerusalem, we know that we are near the end of this age. While the Bible does not give us all of the details, we know enough to understand that the increasing tensions of war between Iran, Israel, and the United States will ultimately help to shape the Middle East for the Gog and Magog invasion of Israel.

The latest Israeli intelligence indicates that Iran will have enriched enough uranium to make one nuclear bomb by sometime this spring. However, the same intelligence indicates that it will take Iran another two years to weap onize it “sufficiently to be placed in a warhead” (www.unitedwithisrael.org, January 15, 2020).

It is my opinion, on the basis of all of the clues given to us in the Bible, that the Rapture of the church will most likely occur before the Gog and Magog invasion of Israel. If I am right, then we need to be getting ready for the shout that will take us out!

Israel Develops Laser Defense Systems

The World Israel News Staff recently gave the following report: “Israel’s Ministry of Defense revealed on [January 8] that it has made a breakthrough in the development of high-energy lasers for the interception of long-range threats. … The ministry called it a strategic change in the defense capabilities of the State of Israel. .. We are entering a new age of energy warfare in the air, land and sea. The research and development investments made by the [Defense Ministry] in recent years have placed the State of Israel among the leading countries in the field of high-energy laser systems” (www.worldisraelnews.com, January 9, 2020).

This system will provide Israel with a complete defense system against all of the hundreds of thousands of missiles that their enemies have created to threaten the Jewish state.

Global Increase in Volcanic Eruptions

One of the chief characteristics of God’s last days judgments will be the increase in catastrophic activity of natural disasters. Earthquakes and volcanoes will increase with frequency and intensity (Luke 21:11).

In an article by Adam Berkowitz for Israel Breaking News, he states that volcanic activity is dramatically increasing as we begin the 21st century. He said, “There is no doubt that volcanic activity is on the rise. There were about 25 significant volcano eruptions globally in the first 18 years of this century compared with approximately 65 in the entire 20th century” (www.breakingisraelnews.com, January 13, 2020).

In an amazing chapter on the approaching global earthquakes and volcanoes, the prophet Isaiah wrote, “Behold, the LORD maketh the earth empty, and maketh it waste, and turneth it upside down, and scattereth abroad the inhabitants thereof. … the inhabitants of earth are burned, and few men left” (Isaiah 24:1, 6).

NASA to Deploy Telescopes to Detect Large Threatening Asteroids

An article in Raw American Truth states, “When a recent poll was taken about what NASA should do, detecting killer asteroids and defending the planet against their colliding with the Earth won the support of 68 percent of respondents, more than establishing a base on the moon, sending astronauts to Mars, or standing up the Space Force.

“While the United States is still embarked on those and other missions, NASA has announced that it will deploy a space telescope designed to detect Earth approaching asteroids that might prove to be a danger. …

“The chances of an asteroid hitting the Earth are small, but not nonexistent. In 1908, an asteroid hit an area in Siberia that caused an explosion that was the equivalent of a 20 to 30 megaton atomic bomb. More recently, a rock exploded over the Urals mountain town of Chelyabinsk Oblast at a height of almost 30 kilometers with the power of a 400 to 500 kiloton nuclear bomb. The explosion caused widespread damage to buildings and numerous injuries” (www.rawamericantruth.com, November 17, 2019).

According to Revelation 8:10-11, an asteroid will implode in Earth’s upper atmosphere during the Tribulation Period. The substance from this fragmented asteroid will rain down a poisonous substance upon one-third of the surface water of earth. The Greek word for star is “astar,” from which we get the word asteroid. This word can refer to any heavenly body.

Jewish Exodus to Israel

According to the Bible, one of the major signs of the last days will be a mass exodus of Jews from the nations back to Israel. Moshe Kantor, president of the European Jewish Congress and Chair of the World Holocaust Forum’s Organizing Committee has said, “It is a possibility that in 30 years there will be no Jews in Europe” (worldisraelnews.com, January 22, 2020).

The March newsletter will examine the recently announced U.S. peace plan in the light of the prophetic Scriptures. I plan to publish it as soon as possible.

January 2020 – Global Technology and the End of Days

Published monthly

All Bible references are from the KJV

(Examining the News in Light of Biblical Truth)

P.O. Box 13006, Roanoke, VA 24030-3006

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Global Technology and the End of Days

“But thou. O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.”

Daniel 12:4

By Mike Wingfield

The dawn of a new decade is upon us, and it is very apparent that we who live in 21st century are in the midst of a highly advanced technological age. We live at a time that is known as “the information age,” or “the computer age.” This unique period of time began in the late 20th century and it has continued to grow with blazing speed into our present day. The increasing ability of technology to calculate and store incredible amounts of information is mind boggling to the majority of people on our planet. The most advanced computers of our generation have a cognitive ability, known as Artificial Intelligence, that far exceeds the ability of man.

Computer technology is impacting every facet of our lives. It has radically changed the way we do work, regardless of the occupation we are in. In our highly advanced society, the workforce is not being driven by intensive labor, but by the knowledge and the technological skills of the laborers. People no longer are paid for what they do. They are paid for what they know.

While mankind revels and marvels in many of these technologies, we must consider the possible negative impact this is having upon our world and its future.

When a person reads and studies what the Bible has to say about the end of days, it is very apparent that the last days will feature a world that is very advanced in its knowledge and technological capabilities. Previous generations could not fathom how some of these prophecies are coming to pass. Clearly, we live in a world that uses advanced technologies that the ancient prophets wrote about thousands of year ago. But they could not comprehend the content of their writings. In the closing days of the prophet Daniel, he became very puzzled by the prophecies given to him. In this moment of wonder, God described to him that “the time of the end” (Daniel 12:4) would be a time of rapid travel and increased knowledge. When we compare our present generation to the previous cultures than our ancestors lived in, it is apparent that the uniqueness of our times perfectly fit the prophetic description given to Daniel. Continue reading “January 2020 – Global Technology and the End of Days”