The False Peace Covenant with Israel

By Mike Wingfield

A very significant development is occurring that signals our world is moving closer to a time of great distress known as the Tribulation Period – a false peace covenant between Israel and her Arab neighbors. According to Daniel 9:27, this treaty will begin the Tribulation Period. This is significant to Christians because the rapture of the church will take place immediately before this false agreement officially begins.

Daniel was a godly prophet to the Israelites during their Babylonian captivity. When Daniel reached his elderly years, the Lord revealed to him that the kingdom of God on the earth would begin after a very unique time of seven years that would begin when “the prince that shall come” (Daniel 9:26), whom we call the antichrist, “shall confirm the covenant with [the] many for one week [sevens of years].” (Daniel 9:27) That same verse of the Bible tells us the Lord revealed to Daniel that the Antichrist would break the false covenant with Israel, consequently reveal­ing his true character and purposes. Daniel tells us that Antichrist will abruptly seize control of the newly rebuilt Jewish temple on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. Then, he will begin his systematic annihilation of the Jewish people living in Israel. (Compare with Matthew 24:15-22; 2 Thessalonians 2:2-3; Revelation 12:17.)

In the previous chapter, God revealed to Daniel that this enemy of his people would “destroy the mighty and the holy people. And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand; and he shall magnify himself in his heart, and by peace shall destroy many…” (Daniel 8:24-25) An examination of many other prophetic texts reveals that the last half of the Tribulation Period will be known as “the time of Jacob’s trouble.” (Jeremiah 30:7) Zechariah 13:8 reports the heart-breaking prediction that two-thirds of the Jewish people will be killed as Antichrist carries out horrific and unspeakable acts of vengeance upon Israel. Near the end of Daniel’s life and ministry, the Lord once again reminded him of this gruesome time for his people: “And at that time shall Michael [the arch­angel] stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book.” (Dan­iel 12:1)

In an amazing prophetic text in Isaiah 28:14-22, the prophet Isaiah was given a detailed view of the deadly and deceptive peace process that will lead up to the covenant between the Arab/Islamic nations and Israel. In this text, the Lord revealed to Isaiah that the Israeli leadership in Jerusalem would believe the lies and false promises made by an enemy that was sworn to Israel’s destruction. He warned that this “covenant of death” (Isaiah 28:15) would lead to a massive war campaign by the enemy in which the Israelis would be “trodden down by it.” (Isaiah 28:18)

Therefore, it must be concluded that one of the major signs of the end of this age is a deceptive covenant of peace between Israel and its Muslim neighbors. The Mus­lims will weave a false and deceptive peace, when their ultimate goal is the destruction of Israel. This covenant will eventually catapult the world into the deadly war with God over His sovereign promises to Israel. He has prom­ised to bring them back to their land (Ezekiel 36:24) and set the stage for Christ’s glorious return at the end of the Tribulation Period to rescue Israel from the invading forc­es of the Antichrist at Armageddon. (Zechariah 12:1­14:3; Revelation 19:11-21)

In light of all of this, it is absolutely stunning to read the following report given by messianic Israeli believers who publish Israel Today: “There are more than a few in the Palestinian Authority who are upset over the pending re­newal of peace talks with Israel. Hamas in particular be­lieves the move to be a detriment to the Palestinian cause.

“But Palestinian Authority Minister of Religious Affairs Mahmoud Al-Habbash reassured everyone [in July] that the political process is just a ruse, and part of a larger scheme to defeat their enemy.

“In a sermon delivered in the presence of Palestinian lead­er Mahmoud Abbas and broadcast on official Palestinian Authority TV, Al-Habbash compared the US-driven peace negotiations to the Hudaybiyyah Peace Treaty conducted between Islam’s prophet Mohammed and the Quraish tribe of Mecca.

“Peace talks with Israel at this time are ‘the right path,’

which leads to achievement, exactly like the Prophet [Mo­hammed] did in the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah,’ Al-Habbash stated, noting that all of the Palestinians’ achievement to date ‘never would have happened through Hamas’ impul­sive adventure.’

“Al-Habbash explained that, like Hamas, many of Mo­hammed’s companions burned with anger that their leader was negotiating with the Quraish tribe rather than attack­ing Mecca. But Mohammed knew that only a more meas­ured approach would lead to ultimate victory.

“Two years after signing the treaty, Mohammed’s forces had gained enough strength and he launched the brutal conquest of Mecca.

“‘This is the example and this is the model’ that the Pales­tinian leadership is following, Al Habbash acknowledged.

“Amazingly, all of the doe-eyed Israeli commentators who believe that this round of negotiations is for some reason going to be different from all the previous [attempts], fail to take the simple step of listening to what the Palestinians themselves are saying.

“‘Abbas is a real peace partner,’ they shout, while willful­ly ignoring what Abbas’s own ministers are telling the public, in his name and in his presence, without any refu­tation by the president.” (http://www.israeltoday.co.il, July 29, 2013)

This comparison of the treaty of Mohammed with the Quraish tribe has been promoted by the Palestinian leader­ship from the very beginning of the peace process. In September, 1993, only a few days after the signing of the Oslo Peace Accords on the lawn of the White House, for­mer Palestinian Authority leader Yasser Arafat was speak­ing in a mosque in Johannesburg, South Africa, where he was caught on tape making these same comments. It is very obvious that their goal is to slowly get all of the land and concessions they can from Israel to weaken Israel and strengthen the Arab/Muslim cause. It is their strategy to eventually bring about the complete annihilation of Israel. This will also be the same strategy used by the Antichrist in his covenant with Israel. It is very significant that the Obama administration has announced that it will soon force a peace covenant upon Israel and the Palestinians.

As one examines all of this, it is very evident that we are moving rapidly toward the perfect conditions that will prepare the way for the Antichrist to step onto the stage of human history. Then, the Tribulation Period will begin. However, the church will already be in heaven.

Get ready for the shout that will take us out!

Significant Developments in the Middle East

The fact that the following developments in the Middle East are all taking place at the same time is overwhelming in the light of prophetic Scriptures. Without question, the Middle East is rapidly moving toward a very dramatic change that will set the stage for the end-time events. As you read these articles, you will note that most of the events that are taking place in the Middle East have direct connections and applications to the future predicted inva­sion of Israel by the Gog and Magog coalition of Russia and her radical Islamic allies. (Ezekiel 38-39) I know that I have repeatedly reported on these news items in recent newsletters. However, the following reports are the great­est evidence yet to indicate that we are getting very close to this prophetic event.

Iran-The International Christian Embassy in Jerusalem has reported that the Institute for Science and International Security think tank “now estimates Iran is capable of pro­ducing enough weapons-grade uranium to build a nuclear bomb within a month.” (www.icej.org, October 25, 2013) In his recent address to the U.N., Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned: “Israel will never acquiesce to nuclear arms in the hands of a rogue regime that repeatedly promises to wipe us off the map. Against such a threat, Israel will have no choice but to defend it­self. I want there to be no confusion on this point: Israel will not allow Iran to get nuclear weapons. If Israel is forced to stand alone, Israel will stand alone. Yet in standing alone, Israel will know that we will be defending many, many others. The dangers of a nuclear-armed Iran and the emergence of other threats in our region have led many of our Arab neighbors to finally recognize that Isra­el is not their enemy. This affords us the opportunity to overcome historic animosities and build new relationships, new friends, new hopes. Israel welcomes engagement with the wider Arab world. We hope that our common interests and common challenges will help us forge a more peaceful future.”

It is my opinion that Israel will face strong retaliation if it carries out a military attack to seriously damage nuclear facilities scattered throughout Iran. Retaliatory measures against Israel could very well bring the battle of Gog and Magog, as predicted in Ezekiel 38-39.

Turkey-Several developments in Turkey are of great concern in light of Biblical prophecy. First, due to the rise in diplomatic tensions between Turkey and Israel, and the rising levels of anti-Semitism in Turkey, many Jewish Turks are fleeing Turkey – many of them immigrating to Israel. Second, it is worth noting that Turkey is distancing itself from its NATO status and relationship with the U.S. as witnessed in its recent plans to buy Chinese air defense systems. While several sources indicate that most Turks have a fear of Russia, it is apparent that the economic co­operation between Turkey and Russia is growing. The movement in Turkey toward a more radical Islamic posi­tion helps us understand that Russia and Turkey in the immediate future will become friends and military allies against Israel and the West. Please remember that Turkey is one of the nations that will join Russia and Iran in the Gog and Magog invasion of Israel mentioned in Ezekiel 38-39.

Russia & Iran-Israel’s military and security website, DEBKA -file, released a very special report on October 21 concerning the increasing military cooperation between Russia and Iran. “In his four-day trip to Tehran, Russian Air Force Chief Gen. Victor Bondarev and his hosts, Brig. Gen. Hassan Shasafi and other senior Iranian military chiefs, laid the groundwork for a series of agreements to upgrade their military ties to a level unprecedented in their past relationships.” DEBKA-file’s military and Iranian sources report that Iran is deliberately accentuating those ties as a message to the Western powers that if they give the Islamic Republic a hard time over its nuclear program it will go all the way to a full-dress defense pact with Russia. … Tehran has put in special requests for massive Russian technological assistance for upgrading its missile industry by extending the range of their ballistic missiles and improving their precision.

This report reveals the level of deception and lies that are being promulgated in Iran as they continue to develop nu­clear weapon-grade materials. While the Western leaders, including the Obama administration in Washington D.C., continue to talk with the Iranians, the radical Islamic cler­ics that control Iran, with the help of Russia, are steadily moving forward with achieving the production of nuclear warheads. It seems that Israel is the only nation that is sensibly evaluating this issue with any degree of moral clarity.

I remind you that Russia and Iran will be the two princi­ple nations in the coalition of the Gog and Magog invasion of Israel as predicted in Ezekiel 38-39.

Iraq & Russia-After all of the defense, military training, and assistance the U.S. has given to the Iraqis, it is alarm­ing to learn that they are now moving toward receiving military assistance from Russia. “A senior Iraqi govern­ment official announced on October 17 that Bagdad has begun receiving the first shipments of a $4.3 billion pack­age of weapons and military equipment from Russia, in­cluding attack helicopters, surface-to-air missiles and re­lated radar equipment.” (www.icej.org, October 18, 2013)

It is apparent that Russia is increasing its arms sales and cooperation with the Islamic nations in the Persian Gulf to give it a military presence in this strategic region. Based upon Russia’s previous support of the Arab Muslims against Israel in the days leading up to the Yom Kippur War in 1973, and the prophetic Scriptures, we know what the future holds. With the United States’ influence in the Middle East weakening, it would appear that Russia is seizing the moment and preparing to make its move against Israel with the aid of its radical Islamic friends in the Middle East. Read Ezekiel 38-39.

Russia and the Muslims-In a recent article of The Wash­ington Times, Daniel Pipes (a well-known journalist and Middle East expert with the Middle East Forum) reported on the growing Muslim population in Russia. “Not only do ethnic Muslims account for 21-23 million of Russia’s total population of 144 million, or 15 percent, but their proportion is fast growing.” He reports that this is due to the greater child birth ratio of the Muslims compared to the ethnic Russians, the conversion of Russians to Islam, and the growing Islamic immigration (primarily from the former Russian republics of Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan) to Russia. Pipes quotes another expert on Russian minori­ties, Paul Goble: “Russia is going through a religious transformation that will be of even greater consequence for the international community than the collapse of the Soviet Union.” Pipes concludes that this growing Muslim presence in Russia will make Russia a part of the Middle East, moving them away from their former Western-orientation. In 2009, former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev stated that due to Russia’s large Muslim popu­lation, “Russia does not need to seek friendship with the Muslim world: Our country is an organic part of this world.” Therefore, Pipes correctly concludes that the growing Muslim presence in Russia “will have a profound impact on Russian foreign policy.”

He continues to report that “within a few years, Muslims will make up half of the conscripts in the Russian army. ‘ (www.danielpipes.org, October 21, 2013) Obviously, this report has incredible application and implications for our consideration of the approaching battle of Gog and Ma­gog. (Ezekiel 38-39)

Egypt & Russia-Israel is very concerned about develop­ments in Egypt. This concern was heightened when the Obama administration recently announced that it was freezing most of the United States’ promised $1.5 billion in military aid it gives to Egypt each year. The U.S. said it will withhold the money due to Egypt’s rejection of the democratically-elected government of President Moham­med Morsi. Morsi has strong ties to the radical Muslim Brotherhood. Israel had warned our administration that this is a strategic error. The aid that was given to Egypt was viewed as a part of the 1979 peace treaty that was brokered by President Carter at Camp David between Egypt and Israel. Therefore, Israel fears that its treaty with Egypt will now be annulled by the Egyptians.

In the wake of the Obama administration’s decision, Egypt has announced that it will begin looking to Russia to supply it with arms and military aid. This is not a good development for Israel, the rest of the Middle East, or the world. It is apparent that Russia desires to fill a void in the world, and especially in the Middle East, with the de­clining influence of the U.S. on the international scene.

The Growing International Rejection of the Powerful Influence of the U.S

While Russia and her radical Islamic friends solidify their positions in the U.N. and in the Middle East, it is very frightening to witness the mounting evidence of the inter­national rejection of the powerful influence of the United States of America. The following announcements and public declarations will have very serious consequences for the future of America and the world as we know it.

While the U.S. politicians a few weeks ago were wran­gling over the federal government’s debt ceiling, China’s official news agency startled the world with the following announcement. “As U.S. politicians of both political par­ties are still shuffling back and forth between the White House and the Capitol Hill without striking a viable deal to bring normality to the body politic they brag about, it is perhaps a good time for the befuddled world to start considering building a de-Americanized world.”

(www.ibtimes.com, October 13, 2013)

As the U.S. moves closer to economic suicide, the world is watching very nervously. Most Americans do not un­derstand that their currency is the international reserve currency throughout the world. When a country wants to buy anything from another country, the purchase is made in U.S. dollars. This has given the United States an in­credible economic advantage throughout the world since the end of World War II. No nation in the history of this planet has ever enjoyed the political, economic, and mili­tary clout that has belonged to the United States for the last 60 years! However, when the U.S. dollar collapses, the world will not be prepared for the devastating ramifi­cations that will follow – international economic and monetary systems will suddenly collapse. As a result, the entire world will be engulfed in social, political, and eco­nomic upheaval. It is my opinion that the New World Or­der that the Bible speaks of will be born out of this global economic meltdown. A study of human history reveals that major economic crises always lead to political revolu­tions. (Think about how this happened to Germany in the 1930s and 1940s.)

The economic uncertainty of the U.S. dollar and the Obama administration’s shifting foreign policies have helped fuel radical Islamic elements in the Arab uprisings in the Middle East over the past two years. These upris­ings have sent shock waves throughout the world and es­pecially in the Middle East. On October 23, the Interna­tional Christian Embassy in Jerusalem released the follow­ing stunning report: “The position of the United States, Israel’s main ally, in the Middle East received a shock on October 22 when it was reported that Prince Bandar bin Sultan, intelligence chief of Saudi Arabia, told a recent gathering of European diplomats that his country was pre­paring to make a ‘major shift’ away from the traditional partnership with Washington. He explained that Rhiyad [the capital of Saudi Arabia] has been shocked and alarmed over the Obama Administration’s mishandling of the so-called ‘Arab Spring’ in general and specifically in regards to the civil war in Syria. Additionally, America’s apparent willingness to come to an accommodation with Iran and the lack of progress in Israeli-Palestinians negoti­ations have angered Saudi Arabia.”

“‘The shift away from the U.S. is a major one,’ a source close to Saudi policy said. ‘Saudi doesn’t want to find it­self any longer in a situation where it is dependent. Prince Bandar told diplomats that he plans to limit interaction with the U.S.” (www.icej.org, October 23, 2013)

In order to understand these proposed changes in Saudi foreign policy, it is important to appreciate the fear that the Saudi have of Iran and its proxies in the Middle East. The Saudis fear, and rightly so, that Iran is developing an axis of radical Shiite power across the Middle East. This axis includes Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and Turkey, all of which is being supported by Russia. One has to under­stand the great Islamic division that makes Iran and Saudi Arabia view each other as enemies. Within Islam there are two major divisions struggling for power and influence in the Middle East. Each of these Muslim power bases has the ultimate goal of establishing a global Islamic em­pire. Iran and many of its friends belong to the more radi­cal elements of Islam, the Shiites, and are numerically much smaller than the Sunni Muslims who make up most of the nations in the Persian Gulf area. Furthermore, the historical animosity that exists between Iran and Saudi Arabia also has an ethnic component. The Saudis and most Sunni Muslims are Arabs and speak Arabic (the original language of the Koran), while the Iranian Shiites are Persians and speak Farsi.

Therefore, we must understand why the Saudis are back­ing away from their traditional alliance with America. They have sought relations with Washington because of the U.S. military protection that has been offered them due to the strategic importance of the region primarily because of the great oil reserves, especially in Saudi Arabia. For example, when Saddam Hussein led an Iraqi invasion of Kuwait in the 1990s, he also had plans to invade Saudi Arabia. The U.S. immediately responded with military protection, and established temporary military bases estab­lished in northern Saudi Arabia.

Consequently, when the Saudis watch the U.S. administra­tion’s change its foreign policies in the Middle East, they are greatly concerned. The U.S. has recently supported the radicals in Egypt (bringing Egypt into the Russia orbit with Iran). Also, the U.S. recently backed away from a retaliatory military attack upon Syria because of the Assad government’s use of chemical weapons against his own people. The attack was called off due to the introduction of a Russian plan to eliminate the chemical weapons in Syria. Saudi Arabia looks upon this with concern because they know Russia and Iran have very close ties with Syria. However, of greatest concern to the Saudis is the U.S. mishandling of the Iranian nuclear threat. Perhaps more than anyone else besides Israel, the Saudis fear what will happen in the region if Iran is allowed to create nuclear weapons.

The announcements by China and Saudi Arabia illustrate that the world is concerned about the apparent decline of America as a major world player. This is of utmost con­cern to the Israelis as they have become so dependent up­on their friend and ally, the United States, for support and defense. Without the strong hand of America in the Mid­dle East, the Israelis know that the growing Islamic threat against them will continue to mushroom. In the last two years, several Israeli leaders have been warning Israel to prepare for the day when the United States will no longer be a superpower nation.

Noteworthy Developments in Israel

Earthquakes Rattle Israel-In September, a 3.5 magni­tude earthquake shook the northern area of the Dead Sea and was felt in Jerusalem. This was followed on Thurs­day, October 17th until Sunday, October 20th, by four earthquakes that were felt in Israel. On Thursday and Sunday, a 6.4 magnitude earthquake centered in the Medi­terranean near the island of Crete was felt in Greece, Egypt, and Israel. Following these quakes there were two smaller earthquakes near the Sea of Galilee.

Israel’s eastern border, formed by the Golan Heights, the Sea of Galilee, the Jordan Valley, the Dead Sea, the Arava Valley, and the Red Sea, is a part of the great Syrian-African Rift. This rift valley straddles one of the most dangerous shifting tectonic plates in the world, producing major earthquakes at predictable intervals. Israel’s last major earthquake was in 1927 and Israeli geologists are very concerned that the recent quakes may be a precursor to a very large earthquake that is due to strike Israel at any time.

In light of all of the other previously mentioned prepara­tions for the Gog and Magog war, it is worth noting that the Lord will use a massive global earthquake centered in Israel to foil the attack of the nations that come against Israel. (Ezekiel 38:17-22) Could it be that these earth­quakes are signaling that the next big earthquake will be the one mentioned in Ezekiel’s prophecy?

Netanyahu’s Prophetic Speech at the UN-It is my opin­ion that the recent speech given by Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was a stunning and timely warning to the nations concerning what is about to take place. Netanyahu spoke more like a prophet of Israel than a poli­tician. He quoted from the Bible at least five times. This is unheard of in a global political body that is anti-God, anti-Christ, and anti-Israel. (Read Psalm 2:1-12; Psalm 83:1-8.) He spoke with great boldness as he exposed the evil agenda of Iran and warned that Israel would not toler­ate Iran’s possession of a nuclear bomb. He reminded the global body that the Jews were an ancient people that date back to the time of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob about 4,000 years ago. He reminded them that the Jewish people have overcome great adversities to return to their ancient home­land.

In dramatic fashion, he ended his speech with these words:

“In our time the Biblical prophecies have been realized.”

Then, he quoted, both in English and then in Hebrew Amos 9:14-15. He closed with these words: “Ladies and Gentlemen, the people of Israel have come home, never to be uprooted again.”

The world doesn’t know it yet, but when Netanyahu quot­ed from the Bible he was speaking on behalf of God to the nations. How fitting that the God of Israel would use the modern-day prime minister of Israel to deliver this mes­sage of warning to the world! In just a very short time, the Lord is going to speak from heaven “and the heathen shall know that [He is] the LORD, the Holy One in Isra­el.” (Ezekiel 39:7)

Pottery with Biblical Name-Recently, archeologists in Jerusalem uncovered a significant piece of pottery. “The pottery … dates back to at least 586 B.C. … The ancient Hebrew lettering would appear to spell out part of the name of Zechariah, the son of Benaniah, who, we know from 2 Chronicles 20:14, was the father of the prophet Jahaziel, who prophesied to King Jehoshaphat before he departed for war.” (www.israeltoday.co.il , August 19, 2013)

Birth Pangs of the Tribulation

By Mike Wingfield

We are living in a most incredible moment in church history. Almost two millennia have passed since Jesus promised His disciples that He would one day personally return for His church. He said: “In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto my­self; that where I am there ye may be also.” (John 14:2-3) While the disciples did not immediately understand the meaning of Jesus’ words, the book of Acts and the epistles of the New Testament tell us that they ultimately grasped what the Lord had told them. As a result, their faith was greatly impacted, transforming their ministries and how they lived their lives on a daily basis. An examination of the epistles of the apostles reveals that about 30 percent of the content of their exhortations and writings were riveted upon the expectation of the imminent return of their Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

It is my personal opinion that the doctrine of the rapture of the church became the very heartbeat of the early church. It colored everything they did – the motives of their actions, the expressions of their worship and the ur­gency of their prayer life. It was the driving force behind their evangelism, discipleship, and church-planting efforts. When they met one another, the common greeting was “maranatha.” This is an Aramaic word that was coined by the early church as a greeting within the circle of believ­ers. Some Biblical scholars believe this word means, “our Lord comes,” and served as a reminder of the final prayer of the Bible: “Even, so, come, Lord Jesus.” (Revelation 22:20) This seems to be supported by the use of the word by the Apostle Paul in the context of 1 Corinthians 16:22. Previous to the last chapter of this epistle, which contains final personal exhortations and greetings to the church at Corinth, the Holy Spirit directed Paul to give a lengthy revelation concerning the hope of the resurrection or rap­ture of the saints of God at the time of our Lord’s return. Therefore, when believers came into each other’s pres­ence, it was their intention to greet one another in such a way that they were reminding one another of the coming of their Lord. In other words, it was always on their minds and was the daily longing of their lives!

According to the Scriptures, the Rapture of the church will be followed by a seven-year period of God’s wrathful judgment upon the nations. This time of great upheaval, known as the Tribulation Period, will be a prelude to the Lord’s return to establish a literal kingdom upon this earth for 1,000 years. (Revelation 20:1-6) This time of judg­ment is called “the day of the LORD” in the Old Testa­ment Scriptures (Isaiah 13:6, 9). Jesus referred to this time as a time of “great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.” (Matthew 24:21)

This approaching Tribulation Period will not take place in a historical vacuum. It will be preceded by a series of very detailed events that will set the stage for the exact developments spelled out in hundreds of prophetic pas­sages. The disciples of our Lord understood this, and it prompted them to ask Him: “What shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the [age]?” (Matthew 24:3) The response of Jesus is known as His Olivet Discourse and is recorded in three of the four gospels. (Matthew 24:1-25:46; Mark 13:1-37; Luke 21:5-36) A reading of Jesus’ answer to the disciples’ question gives a summary view of the trends that should be anticipated by believers. These trends will precede and therefore set in motion the events that will lead into the unique developments of the Tribulation Period. I am personally overwhelmed by sheer volume of truth that we have been given in the pro­phetic Scriptures that give the specific details of what will take place during the Tribulation Period.

Throughout the Scriptures, the prophets and apostles, and the Lord Himself, used a perfectly understood meta­phor that sheds incredible light upon what is taking place in our world today. The trends that will set the stage for the end-time events to unfold are described as a woman going through the natural and painful process of giving birth to a baby. (Isaiah 13:8; 66:8-9; Micah 5:3; Matthew 24:8; Mark 13:8; 1 Thessalonians 5:3) In the process of natural child birth, two things take place. First, the birth of the child suddenly begins with painful muscle contrac­tions that intensify until the child is born. At the same time, these muscle contractions follow a prescribed pat­tern. In this natural process, the painful muscle contrac­tions are initially relatively mild and subside and reoccur with increasing intensity and frequency until the moment the baby is born. Similarly, we can expect the events that are shaping our world today to become more frequent and intensify as we approach the Tribulation Period. For those of us who are following world events, especially those occurring in the Middle East, it is apparent that we have entered into a very unusual era. Global trends, including politics, changes in the global economy, social and reli­gious patterns and geological upheaval are ushering in movements that will reach their climax in the Tribulation Period. These trends are manifesting themselves with in­creasing intensity and frequency. Let us examine a few of them in this brief article.

At the center of all our attention are developments in­volving the divine process of the return of the Jewish peo­ple to their own land, and the world’s opposition to this work of God. The Lord promised the Jewish people: “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) The Scriptures predicted that when the Jews would return to their land in the last days they would face great opposition by the Arab/Islamic na­tions that surround Israel. (Ezekiel 36:1-7) Furthermore, the Bible tells us this regional opposition would eventually be supported by the global community. The Scriptures say the nations of the world will conspire to divide the Promised Land, and especially the city of Jerusalem, in­cluding the Temple Mount. (Joel 3:2: Zechariah 12-14; Revelation 11:1-2) Since the end of World War I, the world has witnessed a massive immigration of Jewish people back to their ancient homeland. And, as this oc­curs, there is growing opposition to the fulfillment of this divine prophecy. Islamic hatred of Israel has reached a fever pitch. We have witnessed the world’s attempt to appease the Muslim nations by joining the opposition against the Jewish presence in the land God promised them forever. (Genesis 13:15) There have been repeated attempts to force Israel to concede the land promised to her, which she has acquired while defending herself from the military aggression of her enemy neighboring nations. In essence, Israel is being forced to concede land to ene­mies that are sworn to her destruction.

It is very apparent that this process is intensifying and has entered a final stage. It is evident that there is a con­certed effort on the part of the Obama administration, sup­ported by the Europeans and the rest of the world, to force Israel into a covenant with the Palestinians. According to Aaron Klein, a Jewish journalist with World Net Daily living in Jerusalem, the Obama administration has made it one of its main objectives to reach an agreement that will create a Palestinian State on the West Bank. According to Klein, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry is promoting a call for a final agreement that will create a Palestinian state. This plan promotes the following major points of agreement: (1) The Palestinian Authority and Jordan will

“receive sovereignty over the Temple Mount while Israel will retain the land below the Western Wall.” (2) Within the old city of Jerusalem, the Jewish areas will remain un­der Israeli control, while the Arab sections will remain under Palestinian control. (2) An international force will join an unarmed Palestinian police force to maintain secu­rity control of the Jordan Valley. Israel will “retain secu­rity posts in some strategic areas of the Jordan Valley.”

(3) Israel will be asked to surrender about 90 percent of its Jewish communities that are currently located in the West Bank (a total Jewish population of 340,000). Israel will surrender some Israeli controlled areas in the Negev to the Palestinians in exchange for some of the larger Jew­ish settlements on the West Bank that will be retained by Israel. (E-mail from Aaron Klein, Trouble in the Holy Land, “Secret Obama Plan Forfeits Temple Mount to Pal­estinians,” July 21, 2013)

While the world forces the Israelis to surrender land to the Palestinians, it ignores what is happening on the West Bank and in Gaza. The Palestinian people are currently divided with two governments, Fatah on the West Bank and Hamas in Gaza. In reality, both governments are sworn to the destruction of the entire state of Israel, from the Mediterranean Sea to the Jordan Valley. The Pales­tinian leader on the West Bank, Mahmoud Abbas, contin­ues to work behind the scenes to promote incitement against all Jews in Israel. Maps in their political offices and school books do not recognize the state of Israel. State controlled media and the Islamic leadership in the mosques continually promote hatred of the Jews and the destruction of Israel. Recently, the Palestinian Authority took $148 million from U.S. aid and gave it as “grants” to convicted Palestinian terrorists who have Israeli blood on their hands. (www.foxnews.com/world/2013/09/07)

Abbas recently visited Egypt, where he provided his vision of an Israeli-Palestinian peace to Egyptian journal­ists. He said: “In the final resolution, we would not see the presence of a single Israeli – civilian or soldier – on our lands.” (The International Jerusalem Post, “Palestine without Jews,” August 2-8, 2013, p. 7) Is this the lan­guage or vision of a man who really is seeking peace with Israel? The real issue, as Israelis have come to realize, is that the Arab Muslims fail to recognize the right of Jews to live in any part of the land formerly called Palestine. It is all an act of deception to take control of the land of Is­rael piece by piece, until the Muslims have it all and the Jews are all gone.

All of this is rapidly setting the stage for “the covenant of death” that the prophet Isaiah declared the rulers in Je­rusalem would sign with those who are filled with lies and are promoting the destruction of Israel. (See Isaiah 28:14­22) This is the same covenant that is mentioned in Daniel 9:27 that will officially begin the Tribulation Period. [For more insight, order Mike’s message: #024-“The Tribula­tion Covenant.”]

The Tribulation Period will open with a massive global Islamic Jihad against all non-Muslims and especially pro­fessing believers in Jesus Christ. (Revelation 6:1-11; 7:9­17) While all true believers in Jesus Christ will be rap­tured before the Tribulation begins, there will be millions of professing Christians who are not really born-again that will be left behind.

In my opinion, the four horses of Revelation 6 represent a powerful military conquest and its devastating effects at the beginning of the Tribulation. This text predicts that Islam will reach its global goal with the restoration of a Caliphate (Islamic global dictator who will rule the world by the law of the Koran) during the opening months of the Tribulation. As a result, there will be a massive Islamic slaughter of one-fourth of the world’s population. [For more on this interpretation and application see Mike’s message #165: “The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.”)

In recent years, in conjunction with the spread of radical Islam, Christians are being murdered and persecuted, causing millions of them to flee from their homes as a means of survival. Hudson Institute scholars, Paul Mar­shall, Lela Gilbert and Nina Shea, who have documented their findings in their new book, Persecuted, The Global Assault on Christians, state that Christians are the most persecuted religious group in the world. They document that Christians are suffering in 133 nations. (The Jerusa­lem Post Christian Edition, “Covering for Islamic Cruel­ty,” July 2013, p. 28)

Raymond Ibrahim, a Coptic Orthodox Christian and scholar with the Middle East Forum, states: “Wherever and whenever Muslims are in power or getting more pow­er, churches are outlawed, burned and bombed, while Bi­bles and crucifixes are confiscated and destroyed. Free­dom of speech – to speak positively of Christianity or crit­ically of Islam – is denied, often on pain of death. In many places, Christian women and children are routinely abducted, raped, and forced to convert to Islam.” (The Jerusalem Post Christian Edition, “Covering for Islamic Cruelty,” July 2013, p. 27) In his new book, Crucified Again: Exposing Islam’s New War on Christians, Ibrahim “notes that in the early part of the 20^th century, 20 percent of the Middle East was Christian. That number now stands at around 5 percent and is dwindling fast.” (The Jerusalem Post Christian Edition, “Covering for Islamic Cruelty,” July 2013, p. 27)

In light of this, the slaughter of professing Christians across the Middle East in the last few months is very sig­nificant. One of the main Islamic groups behind this bloodshed is the Islamic Brotherhood. It is this same group, founded in Egypt in 1928, that has as its main goal the establishment of the Caliphate once again. In Egypt alone, hundreds of Christians have been killed and over 60 churches burned to the ground in recent weeks. One of these churches was built in the 4^th century.

Michael Snyder recently commented: “Over the past couple of days, we have witnessed some absolutely horrif­ic examples of Islamic terror groups specifically targeting Christians and those from other non-Muslim religions. Sadly, this is not a new phenomenon. The recent events in Pakistan, Kenya and Egypt may have taken this persecu­tion to a new level, but this is just the continuation of a trend that has been building for years. Unfortunately, Barak Obama does not seem too concerned about Islamic terrorism. In fact, he specifically directed that ‘all refer­ences to Islam’ be removed from terrorism training mate­rials that the federal government uses.” (www.theendoftheamericandream.com[link no longer recommended], September 23, 2013)

It is also most alarming to note the Vatican’s response to all of this. Pope Francis, on the day after his installation as the new pope, “urged the Catholic Church to ‘intensify’ its dialogue with Islam and Muslim leaders to influence ‘all people in such a way that everyone can see in the oth­er not an enemy … but a brother or sister.’” (The Jerusa­lem Post Christian Edition, “The Vatican and Islam,” July 2013, p. 44) This compromising and ecumenical position by the Vatican demonstrates that they will not oppose the march of Islam to become the global religion of the Tribu­lation Period.

It is very frightening to observe that the United States is focused upon the condemnation of Israel as the aggressor against the Palestinians, while ignoring the slaughter of thousands of Christians all over the Middle East. Fur­thermore, it seems that the world is ready to come to the aid of the rebels in Syria that are killing Syrian Christians and are promoting a global Islamic Caliphate. Israel To­day reports that the Al-Qaeda rebels have vowed to slaughter Christians in Syria after the U.S. helps them lib­erate Syria from the Assad regime. (www.israeltoday.co.il, “Al-Qaeda Vows to Slaughter Christians after

U.S. Liberates Syria,’ September 12, 2013) This is not only shocking, but very revealing concerning the direction our world is moving. This trend is gaining momentum and is a definite birth pang of the Tribulation Period. Speaking of the Tribulation Period, Jesus warned His Jew­ish apostles: “ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake.” (Matthew 24:9) Jesus also told His Jew­ish disciples: “The time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service.” (John 16:2)

While all of these significant developments are escalat­ing and intensifying, the entire world is rapidly moving toward an unprecedented global economic meltdown. Most Americans think that the economic downturn that took place in 2008 is history and that global markets are recovering and moving once again toward a health global economy. An examination of the real economic facts re­veals that we are tediously standing on an economic cliff and are ready to plunge into a chasm of economic oblivion that the modern world has never experienced. This is sig­nificant because the Tribulation Period will begin with global hyperinflation that will force the average person to spend an entire day’s wage to buy one quart of wheat – the equivalent of two loaves of bread. (Revelation 6:5-6) Most Americans are not aware that this is already a reality for about one-half of the world’s population.

Looking at the Asian economy, both Japan and China are facing economic uncertainties. Japan’s economy is on the verge of an economic collapse. The total amount of the Japanese government’s debt is more than 211 percent of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP). This debt is so large that the Japanese government is spending 51.5 per­cent of its tax revenue just to pay the interest on its debt. Private domestic debt in China has increased from $9 tril­lion in 2008 to $23 trillion today. (www.thethruthwins.com [no longer a valid link], September 17, 2013)

The European debt is still rapidly rising. Greece, Italy, Portugal, Ireland, Spain, and Netherlands are all getting worse, not better. The collective Euro area’s debt ratio compared to its GDP has increased from 88.2 percent a year ago to 92.2 percent today. (www.thethruthwins.com [no longer a valid link], September 17, 2013)

However, the real threat of an economic meltdown is still present because of what is taking place in America. The U.S. debt is now approaching $17 trillion. The U.S. government debt per capita is more than that of Greece, Portugal, Ireland or Spain! In essence, every American citizen’s portion of their government’s debt is currently over $188,000. In addition to this, Americans are witness­ing the approaching collapse of city and state govern­ments. Most of these governments are in trouble because they can no longer fund pension programs that have been promised to retired employees. The Federal government is facing the same kind of scenario with Social Security. “It is being projected that the number of Americans on Social Security will rise from 57 million today to more than 100 million in 25 years.” (www.thethruthwins.com [no longer a valid link], September 17, 2013)

In reality, the American economy is more vulnerable to collapse today than it was in 2008. This is primarily due to trends within the U.S. banking system. Since 2008 there has been an alarming trend of six big banks swallow­ing up hundreds of smaller banks. Michael Snyder writes: “The too big to fail banks are now much, much larger than they were the last time they caused so much trouble. The six largest banks in the United States have gotten 37 per­cent larger over the past five years. Meanwhile, 1,400 smaller banks have disappeared from the banking industry during that time. What this means is that the health of JP Morgan Chase, Bank of America, Citigroup, Wells Fargo, Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley is more critical to the U.S. economy than ever before. If they were ‘too big to fail’ back in 2008, then now they must be ‘too colossal to collapse.’ Without these banks, we do not have an econ­omy. The six largest banks control 67 percent of all U.S. banking assets, and Bank of America accounted for about a third of all business loans by itself last year. Our entire economy is based on credit, and these giant banks are at the very core of our system of credit. If these banks were to collapse, a brutal economic depression would be guar­anteed. Unfortunately … these banks did not learn any­thing from 2008 and are being exceedingly reckless. They are counting on the rest of us bailing them out if some­thing goes wrong, but that might not happen next time around.” (www.theeconomiccollapseblog.com, Septem­ber 20, 2013)

The developments mentioned in this article are only a very small part of the overall picture of the intensifying conditions that are setting the stage for the beginning of the Tribulation Period. In light of what is happening and what the Bible projects into the future, our world is staring into the face of a horrific time. We are about to embark on an era of deception, wickedness, wars, revolutions and social upheaval on a level never experienced in the annals of human history. This will be magnified by the fact that there is a record 7 billion people living on this planet at this hour.

I will be the first one to admit that the mental considera­tion of all of this is very difficult to grasp. There is a part of all of us that wants to live in denial that we are near the end of this age and that our world is facing, perhaps in just a very short period of time, the horrors of the Tribulation Period.

We need to recall the message of the Apostle Paul in 1 Thessalonians 5:1-3: “But of the times and season, breth­ren, ye have no need that I write unto you. For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord [the Tribulation Period] so cometh as a thief in the night. For when they [the world] shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden de­struction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.” In this text, the Spirit of God reminds all of us that when the final time comes, people will be oblivious to the world events that will bring sudden destruction upon their world, from which they will not escape. In the following verses of this text, Paul ex­horts us to remind our fellow believers in Christ that we are not in spiritual darkness because of our Biblical world view. Our Lord exhorted His disciples to be watching world events so that they would know that their redemp­tion is very near. (Luke 21:28)

In 1 Thessalonians 5:3-11, the Spirit of God directed the Apostle Paul to remind the church that when they see these things coming to pass that it is not a time to be spir­itual lazy or asleep. It is a time to be serious about letting our light shine for the Lord Jesus. Furthermore, this should not create a spirit of doom and gloom for the be­liever. This is intended to “comfort” the church. God commands us to live in a spirit of joy as we come along side of our fellow believers and exhort them to look past all of the pain of the present age. We should remind them of the woman who is giving birth to a baby. The birth pangs will be painful. However, the precious hope that at the end of this pain she is going to have a baby should help her to endure the pain of childbearing. Likewise, what we are and will experience until Jesus comes will be painful. However, let us not forget that at some point in time our redemption will be complete and we will be sud­denly and supernaturally ushered into the presence of our Lord Jesus in the twinkling of an eye. (1 Corinthians 15:51-52)

“It will be worth it all when we see Jesus. Life’s trials will seem so small when we see Christ. One glimpse of His dear face, all sorrow will erase. So, bravely run the race, till we see Christ.”

Get ready to fly! We are going home!

The Gog and Magog Coalitions

According to Ezekiel 38-39, in the last days Russia will lead a coalition of Islamic nations in an attempted inva­sion of Israel. This coalition will include: Magog [Rus­sia], Persia [Iran], Cush [the area of Ethiopia and Sudan], Put [Libya], and Gomer with the house of Togarmah [Turkey]. It is usually overlooked that there is another coalition of nations mentioned in Ezekiel 38:13 which will express concern that Russia and her Islamic allies are in­vading Israel. This verse mentions: “Sheba [Northern Arabia], and Dedan [Southern Arabia along the Persian Gulf], and the merchants of Tarshish [perhaps a reference to the European nations, especially Great Britain], with all the young lions…” [Some think this could refer to the former nations that were once a part of the of British Em­pire that surrounded the globe – the U.S., Australia, New Zealand and other nations in the free-world.] If our iden­tification of the nations in both of these coalitions is cor­rect, it is very significant to note what is happening in the Middle East at this time. It is apparent that the rearrange­ment of the nations that is taking place in what is called “the Arab Spring” is shaping these two coalitions.

Israelis are watching these developments in their Islamic neighborhood and are very concerned about the new alli­ances that are forming. “The political Middle East is be­ing arranged around the religious fault-line that has run historically between Sunnis and Shi’ties. This is what is happening in Iraq, where Sunnis feel they are being taken over, this is what is happening in Bahrain, where the Shi’ites are on the defensive, and this is what is happening in Syria, where the Alawites [the political party of Assad] are allied with Lebanon’s and Iran’s Arab and Persian Shi’ites.

“Turkey is essentially aligning with Russia.” (The Jeru­salem Post Christian Edition, August 2013, p. 200) In addition to this, “Iran is building a Red Sea naval base at Port Sudan facing the coast of Saudi Arabia. … a large-scale munitions production and distribution center for supplying Iran’s Middle East allies is going up in Sudan.” (www.debka.com, DEBKA file, September 24, 2013) So, the coalition that will invade Israel is already beginning to form.

What has happened in recent weeks concerning the glob­al division over what to do about Syria reveals something about the other coalition that will be questioning the in­vading Shi’ite – Russian forces in the Gog and Magog invasion of Israel. Notice that the United States, some European countries, and the Sunni Islamic states of the Persian Gulf – the same group mentioned in Ezekiel 38:13 appealed to the United Nations concerning a military strike against Assad in Syria because of his use of chemi­cal weapons upon his own people. It is apparent that Obama and his allies backed down from their threat of a strike against Syria because of the strength of those who opposed their plans – Russia, Iran and their Shi’ite friends.

China also opposed the attack upon Syria because of her friendship and economic cooperation with Iran. One can­not tell, but, perhaps the U.S. also decided to back away from a strike against Syria because China owns about $1.275 trillion of our national debt and Russia about $138 billion (collectively, about one-fourth of our national debt owned by foreigners). Should China and Russia decide to start dumping our debt because of a military strike against Syria, it could begin a trend that would bring about a col­lapse of our economy. Therefore, the weakness of the United States and her allies, in the Middle East is begin­ning to come into focus. This is of great concern to our allies in the Middle East. Our great friend and long-time ally, Israel is especially concerned because they know this makes them very vulnerable in their dangerous neighbor­hood.

More than ever before, we need to pray for the peace of Jerusalem, and stand still and see the salvation of Israel. The God of Israel will defend His people in His land for His glory. The fireworks are about to begin and some­where in the midst of all of this we will fly home to be with our Lord!

Get ready for the shout that will take us out!