This main Commentary page contains all entries for the current year of 2024. Commentary entries are posted weekly (normally Tuesday in Taiwan) and briefly discuss recent news events. Although any news story that catches my attention is fair game, I make no bones about the fact that these entries tend to lean toward news events that might be of interest to believers who, like me, have an interest in end-time prophecy and its fulfillment.

You can use the text links provided at the beginning of each month if you want to move around the page, and the menu below will take you to similar pages for previous years.

Just take me to the most recent entry and I'll take it from there...

*Entries normally include a link to an external article. It's always
possible that any such article may have been moved or deleted.

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1/2/2024 — From the "Shot Across the Bow" Department...

A powerful 7.6-magnitude earthquake struck the Western coastline of Japan at 4:10 pm local time on Monday, January 1. Tsunami alerts have gone out, with waves of up to 3 meters already reported and waves of up to 5 meters anticipated. Power has been knocked out to thousands of homes, and a number of homes and buildings have collapsed or been damaged by fire. Airline flights and rail services have been disrupted, and numerous streets and highways have been damaged. Updated reports are still coming out.

As soon as I heard about this quake, however, my thoughts didn't turn to tsunamis and power outages.

My thoughts turned to prophecy.

As I have discussed here and there in several previous articles (and will no doubt discuss more in future articles), there are a number of what could be called prophetic "tracks" that seem to lead to and point toward 2024 as being an extremely significant year in regard to the end-time scenario. And yes, I mean the Rapture. Before I say another word, however, I'm gonna let you in on my New Year's Resolution:

I hereby resolve not to be among those who will be expounding about how 2024 just has to be the year of the Rapture. Gotta be! THIS IS IT!!!

And I say that even though down deep I honestly do believe this could be the year (go easy, bro)—and I will continue to feel that way until I wake up on the morning of January 2, 2025 (you know, the International Dateline and all that). It's just that I've made the decision to refrain from blasting that feeling from the rooftops on a monthly basis for the next 12 months.

The way I see it, it's like this: I know it's agonizingly close; you know it's agonizingly close; anyone who knows Bible prophecy from banana pudding knows it's agonizingly close. I am content to leave it at that and ease up on the "THIS IS THE YEAR!!!" stuff.

But the thought that shot through my spirit the moment I heard the news about the powerful earthquake striking Japan on New Year's Day was this:

Could this be God's idea of a little shot across the bow, effectively warning the world that this coming year is going to bring a shaking like we haven't seen in living memory? A shaking that will ultimately plunge the world into the throes of His judgment? And a shaking that will launch us right up into the clouds to be with our Lord and Savior?!

I admit that it's awfully tempting to view it that way. And even though I know perfectly well that we could easily have several more years until the Rapture, the more I consider what's going on and where things are heading, the more I am drawn to the idea that 2024 really could be the year!

(Aargh! Rats! Oh well...another one bites the dust. Hey, that New Year's Resolution lasted a few minutes longer than others I've made.)

1/9/2024 — From the "Someone a Little Higher Up" Department...

If you've read much of what I have posted on this website, you are no doubt aware of the fact that I support Donald Trump.

Yep...MAGA extremist numero uno, that's me. (Shhh! Don't tell the FBI!)

Please understand one thing, however, and this needs to be emphasized:

I do not worship Donald Trump.

I have openly and unashamedly supported Trump ever since he was elected in 2016, and the reasons I do so are quite simple:

1. He loves America.
2. He supports Israel.

That pretty well sums it up, all his personal flaws and failings notwithstanding. It's not rocket science—his record speaks for itself. Under Trump, unemployment was at record lows. We were energy independent. Our border was secure. We were trusted by our friends and feared by our enemies. And Israel was confident it had a strong friend in the White House.

Today, after a blatantly hijacked election followed by three years of drowning in a cesspool of lies, misinformation, and phony narratives pushed by a compliant mainstream media and brutally tone deaf efforts to cram a perverted woke agenda down the throats of average Americans under a department store dummy implanted and controlled by the Deep State, everything I just said about Trump's tenure as president sounds like a distant pipe dream.

(And forgive me for insulting department store dummies like that.)

So it's easy to appreciate why millions of good Americans desperately dream of seeing Trump back in the White House where he can fix the damage done to our country by those who hate America and seek to tear it down to make way for a shiny global government that will lead to what they fantasize will be a brave new world...

A world where up to seven billion "useless eaters" have been eliminated and the ruling elite will live in luxury while a few hundred million doped-up serfs obediently grease the wheels to keep it all rolling along.

And before God: If you think I'm exaggerating, screw up your nerve and read some of the things written by some of World Economic Forum founder Klaus Schwab's closest associates.

Honestly, I would place Trump's chances of being elected in a fair election in November and being placed back in the White House at zilch point nada. What makes me feel that way? Say it with me: They. Will. Stop. At. Nothing. But in spite of that, millions of good Americans ache to see it come true. The problem is that in their desperation to see our country's course righted, they have come to see Trump as a messiah figure sent by God to save America.

And apparently so do the people working for Trump's campaign.

The Trump team has just released a video that presents Trump as just exactly that: a messiah figure sent by God to save America.

The video is so over-the-top that it's clearly meant as a bit of tongue-in-cheek, but that won't matter to many of the millions of people who so desperately want to see Trump save America. Tongue-in-cheek or not, this video will do nothing but feed the already frenzied desire to cast Trump in the role of our country's savior...which he isn't.

Even as Trump himself has sagaciously stated, that role belongs to someone a little higher up.

The Bible makes it clear that as we enter the general time frame of the launching of the Tribulation (which is just about where we are now), it's pretty much all downhill from here. No one is going to fix things—no one is going to Make America Great Again: It's downhill into the judgments of the Tribulation because rather than America being made great again, it will be slammed by the hand of God's judgment just like the rest of a Christ-rejecting world in preparation for the Millennial Kingdom Christ will establish when He returns to rule and reign. Which reminds me...

I want a hat that says "Make the World Great Again."

And I'm sure that Trump would echo the same sentiment:

That role belongs to someone a little higher up, too.

1/16/2024 — From the "Face Reality" Department...

As you may have heard on the news, we just had a presidential election here in Taiwan last Saturday. FYI: Our presidents serve four-year terms and are limited to two terms, just as in America.

In the United States, it's blue vs red, or Democrats vs Republicans. This translates to left-wing liberals vs right-wing conservatives. Here in Taiwan, it's blue vs green, or the Nationalist Party (KMT, or the Blue Party) vs the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP, or the Green Party). This translates to nationalists who lean toward eventual (and hopefully peaceful) reunification with mainland China vs independents who lean toward full-fledged, globally recognized independence for the island nation no matter what China says.

Incidentally, there is also the new left-of-center Taiwan People's Party (TPP, aka the White Party). Formed in 2019, it placed third in the election. In the view of some, all the White Party accomplished was to keep the Blue Party out of power by wooing Greeners who are fed up with what the ruling DPP has degenerated into over the last few years, but still balk at fully supporting the Blue Party. (Of course, there are also those who similarly feel that all the Blue Party did was keep the White Party out of power.)

Naturally, the Communists in mainland China loathe the independence-minded Green Party, and are sure to engage in a predictable flurry of saber-rattling at the Green Party's third consecutive election win. To wit, the Chinese Foreign Ministry wasted no time in pooh-poohing the election results, responding with mainland boilerplate:

"The Taiwan question is China's internal affair. Whatever changes take place in Taiwan, the basic fact that there is only one China in the world and Taiwan is part of China will not change."

In reality, it did change 75 years ago, radically and likely irrevocably so. The problem is that mainland China has never been able to face that reality. In response, Taiwan's Foreign Ministry admonished the mainland...

"...to respect the election results, face reality and give up its oppression against Taiwan."

In other words, it's pretty much the same old song-and-dance routine the people of Taiwan have learned to live with over the last 75 years. Will China ever attack Taiwan? One must admit that it's a possibility. After all, the Communists really are that blind and stupid. Of course, they would love to take advantage of the fact that they currently have a U.S. prezzzident in their back pocket who exists for no other reason than to allow Barack Obama to continue his efforts to cut the legs out from under America for another four years, and who wouldn't even blink at throwing Taiwan under the bus for the big bucks he has had lavished upon him and his son.

(*By the way, please don't bother to write to me and urge me to pack a suitcase and dash to the airport to escape to the "peace and safety" of the good ol' U.S. of A. I have lived here for 32 years: I have a home, a darling Taiwanese wife, and a job I adore teaching adult English, and have absolutely no intention of ever living in the United States again (which has essentially morphed into a foreign country where I just happen to speak the language like a native). I love Taiwan: It. Is. My. Home. I know God brought me here, and here I will stay. And I'm not trying sound like Joe Tough Guy, but if it's God's will that I die here, then so by God be it.)

The good news (and there is some) is that the world is approaching a crescendo that we will not be here to witness. We are anxiously anticipating the removal of the body of Christ in the Rapture, which is the trigger that finally unleashes the flood of evil and deception that will break over the levees of the world following the removal of the Restrainer.

So, talk about facing reality... A lost and dying world needs to face the reality that a holy God is preparing to release His final judgment on it for spurning His grace and mercy and persecuting His people Israel. And when the world finally has to face that cold, hard reality, we will be enjoying mind-blowing bliss in the presence of our Lord and Savior in a place He has prepared for us that is wonderful beyond our imagination.

And that is a reality I am anxiously looking forward to facing.

1/23/2024 — From the "Three-Stage Plan" Department...

Well, it appears the good old Helpful Henry is at it again. According to a recent article, Joe Biden (or at least those controlling him) has come up with a swell idea to get the remaining hostages (or at least their bodies) released from Hamas in Gaza. Some of the terms of the deal, however, are not going over well with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu:

Israel has to lose the war.

The plan, which is being supported by Qatar and Egypt (and I should probably tack on a hearty "for what it's worth" to that, since Qatar has been hosting some of the exiled Hamas leaders in style, while Egypt has been accused of secretly helping Hamas smuggle weapons into Gaza). It is a 90-day plan that is divided into three stages, and goes roughly as follows:

1. In phase one, the current fighting in Gaza would be paused for Hamas to release all Israeli civilian hostages and at the same time the Israelis would release hundreds of Palestinians that are being detained in Israel. Israel would also withdraw their troops from towns in Gaza, allow freedom of movement, stop drone surveillance, and double the amount of aid going into Gaza.

2. In phase two, female Israeli soldiers held by Hamas would be released and Israel would release more Palestinian prisoners.

3. In phase three, male Israeli soldiers and any fighting-age men would be released by Hamas, and Israel would redeploy a portion of its forces to areas outside the border of Gaza.

Meanwhile, although there is certainly widespread support for the effort, there is increasing frustration among Israeli citizens that Hamas has not yet been destroyed, and some are beginning to question whether or not that is even a realistic goal (as are some in Helpful Henry's administration).

Speaking of three-stage plans, the Bible also lays out a three-stage plan for removing born-again believers from earth before the launching of the coming Tribulation, and it goes roughly as follows:

1. In phase one, the dead in Christ shall rise first, which includes all believers who have died in the last 2,000 years.

2. In phase two, we are who alive and remain will be caught up together to be with them in the clouds. That's all believers who happen to be alive at the time, and I am 99.9 percent certain it will include me (and I pray it includes you).

3. In the third phase, Christ will take us all to be with Him in a place He has prepared, where we will live for eternity in unimaginable bliss.

And we don't even have to lose a war. On the contrary:

Our race will be won.

1/30/2024 — From the "Step by Step" Department...

And the beat goes on, as the song goes. I've touched on it before, but the military ties and cooperation between Russia and Iran just keep expanding and increasing—which is precisely what one would expect in the run-up to the attack of Gog Magog that follows the Rapture.

According to a recent news article, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi will soon sign a new treaty that is in the final stages of discussion. According to Maria Zakharova, spokeswoman for Russia's Foreign Ministry, this treaty...

"...will consolidate the strategic partnership between Moscow and Tehran and cover the full range of their ties."

The treaty is expected to be signed at the two leaders' next meeting, although an exact date has not been set.

The Russian government has openly stated that in recent months that Russia and Iran have been developing their relations in fields that include military-technical areas, and there is talk that Iran is considering making ballistic missiles available to their Russian comrades.

In like manner, the Iranian government has openly stated that "military cooperation with Russia is expanding day by day." To wit, in recent months Iran has arranged to receive Su-35 fighter jets, Mi-28 attack helicopters, and Yak-130 pilot training aircraft from the Russians.

And Gog Magog draws closer and closer, step by step.

And while the world trembles at this alarming news and nervously ponders what all this portends, we as born-again believers can look up and rejoice for one simple, obvious reason. So to the Russian and Iranian leaders, I say cooperate away. Swap weapons and military technology like there's no tomorrow. But there will be a tomorrow, because God's end-time program as outlined in His Word is just getting in gear.

Oh, and I scarcely need to remind you what that simple, obvious reason is:

With every step Russia and Iran
take to increase their military
ties and cooperation, we are
one step closer to home.

I am so ready for that blessed hope—and I know you are, too.

And that blessed hope draws closer and closer, step by step.

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2/6/2024 — From the "Sneak Peeks" Department...

It never goes away. This idea just keeps rattling around in the background, like a nagging rumor that never gets put to rest. No matter what anyone says or does, the rattling just continues. And that idea?

The call for a two-state solution.

Under any former U.S. president I can recall, America's standing position was that the Israelis and the Palestinians had to work this one out among themselves, with no foreign power dictating to them how to go about it or what such a two-state solution might actually look like in the final analysis. To most involved, that always seemed like the most commonsense manner in which to approach this issue.

Ah, but now...the Biden administration thinks it knows better, didn't ya know. That rattling you hear is the Biden administration (aka the Deep State Dipsticks) revealing sneak peeks at the fact that they are looking to whistle the tune and make the Israelis dance to it.

Not sure, but maybe it's the cold, hard realization that the Israelis, left to their own devices, will never agree with the Palestinians over a two-state solution.

Because they won't.

At least not with a government that possesses a lick of common sense, as does the current administration under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He knows better than anyone what is best for his nation.

The current Israeli administration understands that a two-state solution is effectively a death sentence for the Jewish nation, which is precisely what the Palestinians have been dreaming of ever since they were invented. Anyone who has any substantial understanding of the realities of the situation and knows absolutely anything about the Palestinians and what passes for their "leadership" understands this.

For decades, the Palestians have been indoctrinating their children to hate the Jews and the nation of Israel, and to believe that their highest goal should be to be a martyr in the fight to drive out the evil Zionists who are occupying the land of Palestine, all of which rightfully belongs to the Palestinians. And they have done a pretty good job of indoctrinating most of the world to believe things along the same line.

It's not rocket science: Most versions of the two-state solution would basically divide Israel into two nearly indefensible parts with a vicious enemy camped out in their living room that would seek their destruction in every conceivable way, and greatly hinder Israel's ability to defend itself.

And the majority of the nations of the world seem OK with that, foolishly and naively believing it is the only way to achieve "peace" in the Middle East.

No. In reality, it's the surest way to achieve the destruction of Israel.

And the majority of current Israeli leaders understand this, as do the people of Israel. Why? Simple: Unlike the rest of the world, they have seen with their own eyes what the Palestinians are capable of...and will do again and again given half a chance.

Yet the U.S. persists in this fantasy of bringing peace to the Middle East through an ill-advised move that would all but ensure Israel's destruction, and now they are talking about unilaterally shoving it down Israel's throat. Biden's National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan appeared on ABC's This Week recently and laid out the plan pretty clearly:

"Well, the U.S. position on this is very straightforward. The only long-term answer to peace in the region, to Israel's security in the region, is a two-state solution, with Israel's security guaranteed. A Palestinian state that also has security guarantees for Israel. That's what we’re going to keep working for."

Yes, he actually said that: "Security guarantees for Israel."

Oh, really? Guaranteed by who? The United Fair-Weather Friends of America? Oh, wait, don't tell me...let me guess:

By the United Nations, the singularly most anti-Israel organization on the face of the planet?!

This is beyond naive...and Israel would have to be even more naive to agree to it, if that's possible.

But at the end of the day, many people who have studied the end-time scenario in depth believe there will in fact be a two-state solution as part of the treaty of Daniel 9:27, brokered by the Antichrist-to-be, who will be hailed as the world's great Peacemaker.

That is, until he starts going out conquering and to conquer (Rev. 6:2).

And that will put an end to the Peacemaker business and begin to reveal sneak peeks at who and what he is about to be revealed as.

2/13/2024 — From the "Falling Dominoes" Department...

Israel is preparing for what looks like the potential kill shot for Hamas, as it eyes an offensive into Rafah, a small community in southern Gaza right across the border from Egypt. According to an article in the Times of Israel, this is believed by many to be last stronghold/hideout for some of the remaining battalions of Hamas and their leaders, and a strong ground attack on Rafah just might very well finish them off. At least that's the plan (for Israel, that is).

And that's precisely why the world is screaming bloody murder about it.

Oh, and ramping up their condemnation of Israel and squalling for a ceasefire and for a hostage deal that is "delusional" according to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Of course, much of that is the same old noise from the same old nitwits. But in a more significant development, now Egypt is saying that it may consider suspending their longstanding peace treaty with Israel if the Jewish nation mounts an offensive against Rafah.

Egypt and Israel agreed to a highly celebrated peace treaty following the Camp David Accords in 1978, and the treaty was signed on March 26, 1979, under the auspices of Egyptian President Anwar Sadat, Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin, and U.S. President Jimmy Carter. And that treaty has held firm through thick and thin for the last 45 years. But like they say:

That was then. This is now.

Now it's time to do everything conceivable to ensure that the Hamas terrorists win this battle with Israel by pressuring and threatening Israel to lay down their arms and play nice with these demonic monsters, and make sure that they survive so they can attack Israel again and again and continue their part in the planned effort to wipe out the Jews and destroy their nation.

So it could be that Egypt is the next domino to fall in the relentless crusade to come against Israel and leave them defenseless, and this is significant because when the time comes for the attack of Gog-Magog, Israel will have no one to count on for help except the God of Israel.

Not Egypt under the current peace treaty. Not the United States under Barack Obama and friends (frankly, I scarcely see any reason to mention Biden's name anymore). And certainly not the U.N., who, if anything, will be cheering the Gog-Magog players on from the sidelines.

So as the dominoes fall just as prophecy says they will, it will reach the point where Israel will have nobody to turn to except the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. And the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob will take great satisfaction in showing the world that He fights for His people.

But as the dominoes around us fall, we should be looking for the Church's domino to do something a bit different.

Hint: It's the opposite of falling...

2/20/2024 — From the "Stage Setting" Department...

To the surprise of no one, the push to force a two-state solution down Israel's throat for politically correct and politically expedient reasons continues to grow. And it is clearly being pushed by the Biden administration, although such pushing was denied by United States Ambassador to Israel Jack Lew on Sunday at the Conference of Presidents at the Museum of Tolerance Jerusalem.

But to their credit, the Israelis are showing few signs of budging. Israel understands better than anyone in the world the utter folly of attempting to live side by side with a state run by demonically oppressed animals who maniacally seek their death and destruction, and that anyone's "guarantees of security" for Israel under such a train wreck of a policy would be worth less than the paper they were printed on.

In a bold, unwavering display of that lack of budging, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu submitted a resolution to the Israeli government on Sunday—a resolution that unequivocally opposes the imposition of a two-state solution by other countries or organizations outside the area. The text of the resolution reads as follows:

1. Israel utterly rejects international diktats regarding a permanent settlement with the Palestinians. A settlement, if it is to be reached, will come about solely through direct negotiations between the parties, without preconditions.

2. Israel will continue to oppose unilateral recognition of a Palestinian state. Such recognition in the wake of the October 7th massacre would be a massive and unprecedented reward to terrorism and would prevent any future peace settlement.

Or, the short version:

This is soo not happening.

And to the surprise of no one, the resolution was passed unanimously.

Netanyahu had this to say, and the leaders of the world would be well advised to take it to heart:

I made it clear to the Cabinet and I reiterate it to the world this evening: An arrangement will be achieved only by direct negotiations between the parties, without pre-conditions. Under my leadership, Israel will continue to strongly oppose unilateral recognition of a Palestinian state. And when do they want to give such unilateral recognition? After the terrible massacre of October 7. There can be no greater and unprecedented prize to terrorism, which will also prevent any future peace agreement.

Of course, the leaders of the world won't take it to heart. That's because the world is falling increasingly under the sway of Satan, who is actively moving the final pieces of furniture into place to prepare for his chance to launch Daniel's 70th Week with a treaty that will spell doom for Israel, and then launch his ill-fated 42-month kingdom at its midpoint through his tool the Antichrist.

And Satan is busily moving those final pieces of furniture into place because he knows something the leaders of the world don't know:

The curtain is about to come up.

If you think the world is under the sway of Satan now, oh baby.

The events we are witnessing now are just the preliminaries. This is just stage setting—stage setting that is nearing a critical juncture. And let there be no doubt about what event marks that critical juncture. As soon as the Church is removed in the Rapture—and with us the Restrainer, the momentum toward the treaty that will launch Daniel's 70th Week (that will certainly include provisions for that two-state solution) will immediately shift into overdrive, and Satan's kingdom will quickly befall a deceived world.

And no resolution will stop it:

It will take a returning Redeemer to do that.

2/27/2024 — From the "Be Not Conformed" Department...

Alistair Begg, a Scottish minister who is the senior pastor at Parkside Church in Cleveland, Ohio, made a comment on his "Truth For Life" podcast back in September that has gone viral—and it is coming back to haunt him.

During that podcast, Begg discussed his response to a grandmother who had asked him whether or not she should attend the wedding of her grandson and a transgender man who identified as a woman. Begg advised the woman to go ahead and attend the wedding and bring a gift, as she would normally do for any other wedding.

According to Begg, part of his reason for saying that was to avoid reinforcing the stereotype of being judgmental that Christians in general have been saddled with forever:

"Your love for them may catch them off guard, but your absence will simply reinforce the fact that they said, 'These people are what I always thought: judgmental, critical, unprepared to countenance anything."

After making these comments, several of the outreaches that Begg's ministry included were dropped due to disagreement over his stand on the issue. Reverend John MacArthur, who has pastored Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, California since 1969 and who has been friends with Begg for decades, came out recently and repudiated Begg's comment (in as loving and brotherly a way as possible). According to MacArthur:

"My response to that is the most loving thing you could possibly do would be not to go, and to condemn the relationship; that is loving. It's not loving to help somebody celebrate stepping into the fury of God's judgment. This is not a time for you to celebrate, thinking that your affection for somebody is the means of their salvation. They will come to salvation when the Lord exposes their sin. That's why the Holy Spirit convicts of sin and righteousness and judgment. And what should be said to somebody is: 'This is wrong, this is against God's order, this is not a marriage.'"

So, it is clear that John MacArthur, at 84, is still in fine form. Another angle from which Begg's advice could be viewed might be stated thusly:

If you go to a homosexual or transgender wedding bearing a gift and a smile, convinced that by showing those people your loving heart that you will somehow draw them to a loving God, you are wrong. I'm sorry—you are simply flat-out mistaken. Why? Because I guarantee you that 99.99 percent of those in attendance or who learn of your attendance will interpret your presence and your actions as one single thing: acceptance. After all, the reasoning goes:

"If you really had a problem with same-sex marriage like all those other intolerant, homophobic bigots, you wouldn't be here, right? Of course not! You'd stay home being judgmental and holier than thou and looking down on others like all the rest of you church-types. But my oh my...how open and tolerant and inclusive you are for a Kristchin! Gosh, maybe I was wrong about you people!"

I hope it doesn't shock you that I am in 100 percent agreement with MacArthur, and 100 percent disagreement with Begg. This issue is surprisingly clear and straightforward when approached from a strictly biblical world view—which is becoming a rarity these days.

I used the word "acceptance" a moment ago, but I could have just as easily used the word "conformity." And that's precisely the problem:

So in agreement with MacArthur, I say don't go. If you want to send them a gift, that would be a swell idea: Send them a nice leather-bound Bible...

With a bookmark at Romans 1.

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3/5/2024 — From the "Keep on Pressing" Department...

In an article I wrote several months ago, I discuss Iran's plan to pave the way to a major offensive meant to destroy Israel in the coming months, and I laid out this four-stage plan based on information gleaned from a video by Mark Hitchcock. The following is quoted from that article:

*     *     *     *     *

1. Have Hamas attack Israeli territory from Gaza. Obviously this has already occurred, and provoked a strong response from the IDF, which is determined to essentially put an end to Hamas. — Status: Complete.

2. Wait for Israel to get bogged down in a ground-war slugfest with Hamas that could drag on for several months. — Status: Currently in work.

3. While Israel is still bogged down with Hamas, have Hezbollah spring into action from Lebanon and open a second, more intensive front that stretches Israel's military capabilities to the limit. — Status: On standby.

4. Leverage the resulting chaos as an excuse to put the pedal to the metal of their nuclear weapons program, which would enable Iran to rapidly finish developing a nuclear weapon. — Status: In prep mode.

In stage four, depending on how things go and the timing involved, it's not inconceivable that Iran could have a nuclear weapon ready by the time the plan gets to that stage (in fact, I have a sneaky feeling that is precisely the plan). But however you look at it and however things go, Iran has a clear and definite plan laid out to destroy Israel.

And don't think for a second that Israeli leaders aren't keenly aware of it.

*     *     *     *     *

So to the surprise of no one (except those who are unaware of Iran's plan), it appears for all the world that Israel and Hezbollah are on a collision course for a major conflict—according to some experts within the next six to eight months. Suddenly leaders around the world are bemoaning what seems to be an inevitable war between Israel and Hezbollah that, according to United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, would be "a total disaster." And as you can imagine, there is no small amount of diplomatic scurrying about going on in efforts to stave it off.

And now, according to some sources, Iran has just recently officially greenlighted Hezbollah to initiate its phase of the plan, with some saying it will begin if and when Israel launches an attack against Rafah near the Egyptian border in a final effort to finish off Hamas. And from the talk coming from Benjamin Netanyahu and others, it would seem this is going to happen, all the hand-wringing by world leaders who fail to grasp the basic truths of the situation notwithstanding.

And just to be crystal clear, there is little doubt in the minds of most watchmen that this plan will culminate in the attack of Gog-Magog.

And just to be even clearer, the Rapture of the Church will almost certainly precede the attack of Gog-Magog.

I know many people are taking a long, hard look at the current year of 2024 as a potential year for the Rapture; and if you've read my current article "The Year of the Dragon," you can see I am among them. Of course, this is mere speculation. But few watchmen would deny we are within spitting distance of the catching away of the body of Christ, whether it's this year or 2025 or possibly even 2026.

But I have to admit that hearing people claim that an all-out war between Israel and Hezbollah is likely to occur within the next six to eight months fills me with a sober but excited anticipation for His return to take us to be with Him, and I have to admit that it puts me in a Philippians 3:14 frame of mind:

In other words, it makes me want to keep on pressing.

3/12/2024 — From the "Calling Evil Evil" Department...

I couldn't resist commenting on the following story because (a) it's almost comical, and (b) it's a quintessential snapshot of what's wrong with American culture today—especially in the field of entertainment—as it succumbs to the siren song of the woke agenda and careens toward the rocks.

According to what most Hollywood insiders are reportedly viewing as a reliable report, an unnamed Disney executive recently shared his theory as to why the entertainment titan has been releasing a steady stream of box-office bombs in the last few years.

Now, you might think it could be pinned on such things as production problems, strikes by writers or studio personnel, conflicts among cast members, and so on and so forth. After all, the movie business is no walk in the park, and there is certainly no guarantee of success.

The average American might consider some of these and other things as possibly contributing to Disney's demise.

But no...apparently they would be wrong.

That unnamed executive pinned the blame for Disney's seemingly endless string of flaming box-office flops on something that I guarantee you not one single American would think of:

Bigoted fans!

Of course, in reality it might have something to do with the fact that Disney is openly and desperately shoving the LGBT agenda down the throats of fans (and their innocent children). Yes, Disney—arguably once the most family-friendly company in America. According to some, going for quantity over quality is another factor. Betting the house on over-budget, can't-miss blockbusters that miss by a mile is another, according to some Hollywood pundits.

Oh, but no...the real problem is obvious, isn't it?

The real reason for Disney's string of box-office disasters is the fact that there are so many fans out there who are so darn bigoted! Who knew?!

According to this executive, when fans complain about their children being force-fed LGBT propaganda and plead with Disney to simply "make better movies," what they really mean is:

"...make movies that conform to regressive gender stereotypes or put men front and center in the narrative."

(You know, those "regressive gender stereotypes," like the Neanderthal idea that you're born a boy or a girl and that settles it! And excuse me...but put men front and center in the narrative?! Gads, how positively binary!)

As one fan commented:

"Disney's head is so far in the sand that they call their consumers *bigoted* for not buying their woke products. A major shake up at the top is needed to restore the excellence that Walt Disney himself created."

Of course, you don't exactly have to be a Scripture maven to see that the woke agenda is satanic to the core, and designed to help blind the minds of legions of people to the truth of the gospel while institutions they could once trust brazenly and foolishly call evil good and good evil.

And pardon me if this comes across as a bit blunt, but that means that as born-again believers, we have no business passively going along with it or agreeably acquiescing to it. We are obligated by Scripture to speak the truth in love—and that involves calling evil evil and giving it no quarter in our lives.

And since we're on the subject, I want to share with you my own personal little twist on this whole "woke" thing:

WOKE = Willingly Open to Known Evil.

Oh, and a "major shakeup at the top" is not going to fix this and make it all better. The forces of darkness are gaining too much power and control for that to happen to any substantial degree in the foreseeable future—so don't make the mistake of looking forward to any such thing. On the contrary. According to Scripture, we can expect things to get worse.

And rather than a "major shakeup at the top," the only thing we should be looking forward to is a "major catching-up to the top"—that is, to be caught up into the clouds to be with our Lord and Savior.

Now that's gonna be a real blockbuster!

I've already got my ticket...and I pray you have yours.

3/19/2024 — From the "One Step at a Time" Department...

You know, sometimes I wish the Democrats would just come out and say what they really mean. Can you imagine how refreshing that would be? You know, something along the following lines:

We are tired of having to pretend to support Israel. In reality, we hate Israel. We hate the God of Israel. And we are determined to do everything in our power to cripple the Jewish nation and see them destroyed by their Muslim enemies. We will continue to blink at the atrocities Hamas committed against Israel on October 7 and hurl accusations of genocide at them for simply defending themselves and eliminating the threat against the Israeli people the way any reasonable country would be expected to do. We will continue to engage in hypocritical posturing by demanding that Israel cave in to our double standard and do things that would result in Israel losing this war and perpetually remaining in the crosshairs of a demonic terrorist organization. That would suit us just fine and dandy.

Delusional U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) has a brilliant idea for Israel: Stop the fighting and as a result lose the war, and have a snap election to supposedly remove the best leader they could possibly have at this critical juncture. And delusional Joe Biden concurs (at least he awakened from his nap and appeared to nod his head when told the news).

(Oh, and just to be clear: I have never graced him with the title of "President" and never will.)

Of course, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu easily sees through this sickening hypocrisy and responded they way any strong, capable leader who is determined to protect his people would respond:

No.

Well, in a manner of speaking. But he may as well have simply said "no" because that would have wasted far less of his precious time in responding to deluded puppets like Chuck Schumer and Joe Biden. Here is part of Netanyahu's bone-crushing response:

"In the international community, there are those who are trying to stop the war now, before all of its goals have been achieved. They are doing so by hurling false accusations at the IDF, the Government of Israel and the Prime Minister of Israel.

"They are doing so by means of an effort to bring about elections now, at the height of the war. They are doing this because they know that elections now will halt the war and paralyze the country for at least six months.

"Then let it be clear: If we stop the war now, before all of its goals are achieved, this means that Israel will have lost the war, and this we will not allow. Therefore, we cannot, and will not, succumb to this pressure." [...]

"To our friends in the international community, I say: Are your memories that short? Have you so quickly forgotten October 7, the most horrific massacre of Jews since the Holocaust? Are you so quick to deny Israel the right to defend itself against the Hamas monsters? Have you so quickly lost your moral consciences? [No, they lost them long ago—assuming they ever had one. Ed.]

"Instead of pressuring Israel, which is fighting a war, the justice of which is unparalleled, against an enemy of unparalleled brutality, apply your pressure to Hamas and its patron—Iran. It is they who constitute a danger to the region and to the entire world.

"In any case, we will withstand any pressure and with G-d's help, we will continue to fight together until total victory."

He also made it 100 percent clear that Israel will enter Rafah to finish the job, in spite of all the howling and whining of the international community.

Of course, prophetically knowledgeable people already know where this is ultimately leading, and that is a coalition of nations including Russia, Iran, Turkey, and several Northern African nations unleashing an existential attack on Israel that God will personally crush with His mighty arm.

So don't look now, but we are getting there...

One step at a time.

3/26/2024 — From the "Dumber than Dumb" Department...

Kamala Harris was in the news the other day, and I always love it when she is because I enjoy listening to people who are so dumb that they're funny without intending to be and without realizing it. But this is dumber than dumb.

Harris was being interviewed by ABC news correspondent Rachel Scott, and gave her take on the current situation in the Israel-Hamas war and Israel's determination to finish off Hamas by attacking their last remaining stronghold in Rafah, which lies on Gaza's side of its border with Egypt. The Biden administration has been scolding and threatening Israel in its effort to dissuade the Jewish state from doing what obviously must be done to win the war and eliminate Hamas as a threat to Israel.

Scott asked Harris if attacking Rafah was a red line for the Biden administration, and Harris was in fine form:

"Let me tell you something: I have studied the maps. There's nowhere for those folks to go."

Kamala has studied the maps! So now she might know where Gaza is actually located. And, uh...excuse me, Kamala, but the fact that "there's nowhere for those folks to go" is, you know, kind of the whole idea. It's called "strategy."

But make no mistake, the comic efforts of Kamala Harris trying to impress us with her cartographical insight aside: The Biden administration's efforts to pressure Israel into refraining from attacking Rafah is dumb enough to qualify as an actual attack on the Jewish nation—and no one from Bara...er, I mean Joe Biden on down can comprehend this. In reality, it is nothing but a thinly veiled attack on Israel, whom they fawningly claim to support.

Conservative commentator AG Hamilton expressed it about as well as it can possibly be expressed:

"Kamala Harris is now openly stating that this administration's position is that Israel cannot win the war. They must ensure Hamas' survival. This not only is wrong and unacceptable from a military standpoint, but takes away any incentive Hamas has to negotiate their surrender...Why would Hamas release the hostages or agree to surrender if they know the U.S. is telling Israel that they can't go in and take them out where everyone knows the remaining battalions exist and likely all the hostages are being held? Hamas can hold out in Rafah forever. They certainly aren't short on supplies as they steal or get a cut of much of the aid and the U.S. plan is basically just to give them more...This is the opposite of seeking a deal to end the war, it's undermining the possibility of one. It's terrible military and negotiation strategy from an incompetent administration more concerned with appeasing an extremists element in their base for an upcoming election than doing what is in the best interest of the country, our ally, and the Americans being held hostage. Shameful."

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said that Israel is working on ways to evacuate civilians from the areas that will be affected by an attack, and to ensure the humanitarian needs of Gazans are met...contrary to twisted claims by UN officials. He also says that an attack on Rafah is imminent, and will be carried out with or without the support of the U.S. So...as always:

Pray for the peace of Jerusalem.

It's the same as praying for the Prince of Peace to return.

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4/2/2024 — From the "One More Slap in the Face" Department...

On Saturday, March 30, Joe Biden announced that March 31 would be "Transgender Day of Visibility." I'm a bit hazy on the details, but I presume this holiday is a way to lavish even more undeserved attention on transgender people. (Apparently having their perversion shoved in our faces everywhere we go just wasn't quite enough.)

Here is an excerpt from Biden's announcement:

"NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim March 31, 2024, as Transgender Day of Visibility. I call upon all Americans to join us in lifting up the lives and voices of transgender people throughout our Nation and to work toward eliminating violence and discrimination based on gender identity."

(Pardon me while I dry my eyes and thump my chest...)

But there is just one small problem, and the White House is pooh-poohing it as if it were a trivially incidental oversight:

The day in question—March 31—just happened to be Easter Sunday.

Oops. As you can imagine, Christians all over the country are understandably seething with righteous indignation, since they see it as a deliberate, insultingly blasphemous attack on Jesus Christ and His work of atonement.

A number of Christian leaders around the country were quick to pull the trigger, and one shot that hit the bullseye came from Franklin Graham:

"President Biden has declared tomorrow—Easter Sunday—as 'Transgender Day of Visibility.' This once again shows how little respect President Biden and his administration have for God. On the most significant day of the Christian calendar, when the Church around the world celebrates the resurrection of Jesus Christ who died and shed His blood for the sins of mankind, the Biden administration uses this opportunity to flaunt sin, to glorify sin, and to celebrate sin. The Bible says, '...they proclaim their sin like Sodom; they do not hide it. Woe to them!' (Isa. 3:9). Judgment is coming. Instead of celebrating sin, we need to confess our sins, repent of our sins, and ask for God's forgiveness."

There was also the traditional Easter Egg Roll, along with the display of eggs selected from each state's Easter Egg Design Contest. However, some people hammered away at the fact that no eggs with religious themes were allowed.

Donald Trump also called out Biden on his egregious lack of sensitivity toward this most revered Christian holiday:

"It is appalling and insulting that Joe Biden's White House prohibited children from submitting religious egg designs for their Easter Art Event, and formally proclaimed Easter Sunday as 'Trans Day of Visibility.' Sadly, these are just two more examples of the Biden Administration's years-long assault on the Christian faith. We call on Joe Biden's failing campaign and White House to issue an apology to the millions of Catholics and Christians across America who believe tomorrow is for one celebration only—the resurrection of Jesus Christ."

Just to be fair: Before you get too triggered, be aware of a couple of facts. I later learned that banning religious themes from the Easter Egg Roll and various egg design contests has been the official White House policy since 1979, with specific themes often announced in advance. I also learned that Transgender Visibility Day began in 2009 and has always been on March 31, and so it wasn't as if Biden were introducing something new (although he sure seemed intent on making it sound that way). He was just making a big deal out of the fact that the next day was Transgender Visibility Day.

Unfortunately the Biden administration failed to take into account that the next day also happened to be Easter Sunday...which is something they easily could have and should have taken into consideration. They could have easily avoided this controversy by displaying a bit of diplomatic tact and some artful rearrangement of events, but no. For the Biden admin, it's...

"Easter?! Who cares about Easter?! Let's focus the nation's attention on something LGBT! That's way more important than all that religious stuff."

And surrounded by Easter Bunnies, Biden succeeded in making it seem as if he were supplanting Easter with this day that celebrates sin, with nary a word about the Savior who died and rose from the grave to redeem us from sin. As a result, the Biden admin is getting what it richly deserves. Apologies? Not a chance. In fact, all the Christian backlash is being called "cruel" and "hateful."

Color me surprised. As profoundly insulting as all this is, however, there is a positive takeaway. As usual, God takes what Satan does and uses it to advance His plan of redemption. I have never seen so many people openly discussing the true meaning of Easter before, both saved and unsaved...and all the bungling insensitivity and open disrespect of God the Biden administration can muster can't stop it. Many people are openly talking about what Easter is really all about, even if to defend Biden's indefensible insult to what Christ accomplished for us two thousand years ago on a cross at Calvary.

Of course, it is one more slap in the face of a holy God, who at this moment is preparing the judgment that will befall this nation that has all but officially abandoned Him. Which reminds me:

I wonder if any of the kids who entered the Easter Egg Roll prepared an egg decorated with images of fire falling from the sky...

4/9/2024 — From the "Creeping a Little Closer" Department...

Amazon has introduced a new method of signing up for its palm-scanning payment service by launching an app that allows new users of the Amazon One biocentric payment service to sign up from the convenience of their own homes, rather than having to go to the trouble and inconvenience of visiting a brick-and-mortar store. All they have to do now is take a photo of the palm of their hand and upload it to Amazon.

Wow! Now that's convenience!

Said the spider to the fly. Or perhaps I should say "Said the masters of the coming one-world economic system to the digital slave-to-be."

It might seem like a little thing, but experts are increasingly sounding the alarm over such advances in what they see as a growing threat to people's privacy and social freedom and autonomy. Many of those experts point out that there are insufficient laws in place to protect people from having big tech companies abuse and misuse their personal data in various ways (ways that include selling that information to heaven only knows who for heaven only knows what purposes). And to top it off, Amazon has an established history of data leaks and other known security breaches.

Critics are decrying this as another small step toward our digital enslavement, and have very real fears that it won't be long before it includes a social-credit system not unlike what mainland China is already using. In China, you get digitally rewarded for desired social behavior, and digitally punished for less desirable behavior. In other words, they have laid the groundwork for what is being called a tech-enabled system of social surveillance and control.

Don't look now, but this type of system is being tried in other countries.

James Lindsay, founder of New Discourses and author of Social (In)justice assesses the situation this way:

"(The risk) is real, but I am also optimistic that they've lost the ability to truly implement it if we keep exposing and speaking up about it...If we do nothing, it is certain, however."

Well, that's great! So...all we have to do in order to prevent this nightmare from becoming reality is to keep "speaking up about it."

You know, speaking up, like at town hall meetings, on Facebook and X, etc.

Nod if you are beginning to see a potential problem here.

Pardon me for saying, but you don't have to be the sharpest knife in the prophetic drawer to see where this is heading, and that is straight to the kingdom of the Antichrist.

And neither do you have to be the sharpest knife in the prophetic drawer to imagine some of the things that will eventually draw the ire of the one-world government that controls that technology:

• Posting anything online that expresses belief in the Bible or the God described therein.

• Attending any events where the gospel is being preached.

• Giving food, drink, clothing, shelter, medical aid, or assistance of any kind to anyone who has been identified as a deluded heretic who expresses belief in dangerously intolerant, archaic religious myths such as the Bible (Matt. 25:35–36).

Scripture is clear: These will be crimes. And technology will be in place to monitor and control people's behavior and brutally punish such crimes...and no doubt reward those who report such criminal activity to authorities.

And so here it comes...creeping a little closer.

The good news, of course, is that we are also creeping a little closer (and doing so more quickly, I might add) to something that is even more breathtaking than the digital enslavement system, and its advent is just as certain:

It's called the Spiritometric Caught-Up-in-a-Moment System.

4/16/2024 — From the "What a Great Idea!" Department...

Harvard Law professor emeritus Alan Dershowitz has a great idea to end the trouble being caused by Iran and her proxies as they seek to intimidate and ultimately destroy Israel and place the entire Middle East at the mercy of the Shia branch of Islam:

Topple the Iranian regime!

Hey, he's completely serious. And the longer one thinks about it, the more sense it makes—Dershowitz makes a compelling point:

"All we need is for the United States and Israel to get together and help bring about regime change, and topple the ayatollahs. The vast majority of Iranians would support us, and the vast majority of Arab countries in the region would support us."

Dershowitz argues that Iran has declared war on Israel, and that we have an opportunity to do what needs to be done to effectively deal with the situation:

"They can now help to destroy the Iranian nuclear arsenal...This is an opportunity that cannot be wasted and cannot be missed, and the world will thank the United States and Israel, the Arab world will, and the Saudis will, as well...It would bring about peace in the Middle East."

Dershowitz also correctly argues that toppling the Iranian regime would put an end to their proxies like Hamas and Hezbollah, which amount to nothing more than puppets manipulated by Iranian fingers.

But he also acknowledges that Joe Biden isn't ready for that:

"He wants to narrow the war, and I think the war ought to be widened. So many people in Iran, everybody would jump for joy if they could get rid of these tyrants who are destroying the lives of the people of Iran...destroy the Iranian regime and let the Iranian people live in peace."

To which I respond:

Gosh, Mr. Dershowitz, that's a great idea! And I'm sure Israel, with the full support and assistance of the United States, could knock this one out of the park! Ahh, but unfortunately the chances of that happening are a big, fat zero. No, not because Joe Biden is a spineless imbecile who can't find the bathroom. Not because it might damage the Democrats' chances of hanging on to the White House in November (as if the Republicans actually had a chance to win a fair election). Not because there's a real chance Iran could actually win such a conflict—the Ayatollahs and the IRGC would be no match for such an attack. I say that for one simple little reason that the world is strongly inclined to completely ignore:

God's Word says otherwise.

God's Word says we are heading for a major offensive against Israel that will include Russia, Iran, Turkey, and several Northern African nations that will be designed to completely wipe out Israel once and for all, but that will be crushed by the hand of God—the God of Israel that fights for His people, as the nations of the world will quickly learn.

So, forget about toppling the Iranian regime. As usual, God has a much better idea, and a much bigger and better plan for mankind than merely stopping the threat of Iran. So perhaps we should be studying God's Word and advancing the gospel while we still have time, before this event described by the prophet Ezekiel goes down.

I think that would be a great idea.

Because before it does, I am convinced we are going to go up.

4/23/2024 — From the "Cutting Class" Department...

I know this has happened to me before, and I'm sure it's happened to you at least a couple of times since last October 7:

You desperately want to protest the fact that those despicable Israelis are engaging in senseless genocide in Gaza, trying to exterminate those poor, defenseless, freedom-loving Palestinians. And you want to do something in a particular American city that will cause maximum disruption and chaos and that will get the attention of American citizens and influence them to support those poor, oppressed Palestinians and hate their evil Jewish oppressors and demand a ceasefire in their wanton killing of those poor Palestinians and the noble Hamas freedom fighters that sacrifice their lives trying to protect them from those Israeli monsters. But what?! You think and you think, but just can't seem to come up with any good ideas about how to inflict maximum economic damage—not to mention hassle and inconvenience—on the citizenry of the American city in question.

What to do...what to do??

Never fear...the U.N. is here!

Please tell me you know I'm being sarcastic. Then feast your eyes on the following Fox News headline:

The UN has been caught red-handed aiding and abetting
pro-Hamas anarchists in American cities and streets

Yes...the United Nations: arguably the most antisemitic organization on the planet. The United Nations Division for Palestinian Rights has a newsletter, didn't ya know. It's called NGO Action News, and it provides information and updates concerning news pertaining to Palestinian issues (and as it turns out, soo much more). In its April 11 issue, this newsletter contained a link to the U.S. Campaign for Palestinian Rights (USCPR), which has posted a handy item entitled "5 Ways to Take Action for Tax Day." ("Tax day" being a reference to April 15, the day Americans' tax forms are due.)

Interested users were ultimately connected to useful tips such as:

"...identify and blockade major choke points in the economy, focusing on points of production and circulation with the aim of causing the most economic impact...(effectively) blocking the arteries of capitalism and jamming the wheels of production."

Yes, this is one great suggestion on how to protest what is happening in Gaza, as Israel is doing its utmost to defend itself against the Hamas lunatics that are blindly devoted to the death of the Jews and the destruction of Israel. And the great majority of those "poor, oppressed Palestinians" in Gaza have been indoctrinated to loathe Israel and fully support the efforts of the Iranian sock puppet known as Hamas.

In spite of that inconvenient truth, however, there are legions of wealthy, pampered, otherwise intelligent college students at prestigious universities all over the country who are following such links and exclaiming...

"Say, that's a swell idea! Wait till I tell the gang in World History class!"

World History—a class they have apparently been cutting far too frequently.

4/30/2024 — From the "Nod and a Wink" Department...

This is so bad it almost leaves me speechless. The International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague is reportedly planning to issue arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other top Israeli officials.

And any reasonable person might inquire as to why.

Why do you think? Because the ICC, just like the rest of the "civilized" world, has fallen head over heels for the lies and propaganda of Hamas, who is desperately trying to make the Israelis look like bloodthirsty villains for doing their utmost to defend their country and their people from murderous attacks by a sock puppet of Iran. And the left-wing media is lapping it up like the sock puppets of the Deep State they be.

According to sources, the U.N. Security Council is leading this effort by the ICC. Which shouldn't surprise a whole lot of people. But what makes this so bad and so troubling for Americans is one simple fact:

It is being widely acknowledged among many insiders that the ICC would never have even considered doing this without a nod and a wink from the United States, who is a member of that U.N. Security Council.

Of course, some helpful media sources are claiming the U.S. is doing its best to stop it. Netanyahu and other Israeli officials have been working around the clock to persuade the ICC to call this off, and Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz stated that "he expects the court to refrain" from taking this drastic step. Well, good luck with that.

Netanyahu had this to say:

"Under my leadership, Israel will never accept any attempt by the International Criminal Court in The Hague to undermine its basic right to defend itself. While decisions made by the court in The Hague will not affect Israel's actions, they will set a dangerous precedent that threatens soldiers and public figures."

Amen. But the primary reason this is so bad, for the United States in particular, is because I have little reason to doubt the "nod and a wink" business concerning America quietly signaling its approval and support of the ICC's actions. It's hard not to believe, all the straight-faced denials notwithstanding. And what does that mean?

It means America has ramped up its betrayal of God's people a notch.

And that means God has no choice but to ramp up the second part of the following verse of prophetic Scripture a notch:

"Emphasis added" indeed.

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5/7/2024 — From the "Moral Courage" Department...

A couple of years ago, I saw a video online that cracked me up. It was taken with a smart phone by a person sitting on the passenger side of a vehicle stopped at a stop sign. In the video, a young man was walking across the street in front of the car, and as he strode across the street he glared angrily at the driver. Each step of the way, he maintained threateningly furious eye contact with the person driving the vehicle, presumably for some perceived slight or indiscretion. As the man reached the other side of the street, still glaring back at the driver, he promptly walked face-first into a telephone pole.

The video is an entertaining example of instant karma, when someone doesn't have to wait long to get their just deserts. And recent events in the news provide us with an example of what might be called the biblical version of instant karma that I couldn't resist sharing with you.

You all know about the wave of pro-Hamas, anti-Israel protests that are sweeping the nation's universities, protests in which naive young people who have been influenced by the woke trends of today's left-wing politics and manipulated by radical plants paid for by the left are praising and glorifying their Hamas heroes, threatening Jewish students, and calling for Israel to stop the "genocide" (i.e. lose the Gaza war and passively allow themselves to be the victims of real genocide).

Reactions to these protests have been mixed, with many taking a dim view of these ridiculously misguided, uninformed demonstrations and childish attempts at disrupting the lives of hard-working Americans.

But then one Andrew Dudem decided to let his feelings be known on the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.

Andrew Dudem is the CEO of Hims & Hers Health, a telehealth company that specializes in the online sale of prescription and over-the-counter drugs and other personal care products. And it seems that Dudem is quite taken with these students who are protesting in support of the Hamas terrorists who slaughtered over 1,200 innocent Israeli citizens on October 7, 2023 and will do so again unless destroyed. In fact, according to his recent post on X, he wants to hire them for their "moral courage" and insists many other CEOs are "eager" to do likewise:

"If you're currently protesting against the genocide of the Palestinian people & for your university's divestment from Israel, keep going. It's working. There are plenty of companies & CEOs eager to hire you, regardless of university discipline."

Oh yeah, the instant karma thing. Before Dudem could finish patting himself on the back for his gushing praise of these students and their naively juvenile antics, something interesting happened:

The stock of his company began to tank.

The stock dropped eight percent on Friday, shedding $210 million in value—and with trading volume more than doubling, indicating that investors were in a big hurry to dump it. According to reports, the stock continued its precipitous slide in after-hours trading. So my note to Mr. Dudem would read as follows:

Dear Mr. Dudem,

This is so much better than walking face-first into a telephone pole! I confess the only thing that would please me more is to see your company go out of existence permanently and you go broke.

Sincerely,
A firmly pro-Israel bystander

P.S. Guess what? Genesis 12:3 is still in the Bible: "And I will bless them that bless you, and curse him that curses you." Just thought I'd share that. =:)

Arguably the most accurate and succinct comment to Dudem's post, however, was the following brilliant one-liner:

You are about to be Bud Lighted.

So may it be. But the most galling thing about Dudem's post was his fawning abuse of the words "moral courage."

No, Mr. Dudem...that's not "moral courage." Not even close. If you want to see moral courage, check out the students at several of those same universities who are standing up to these deluded protesters, openly demonstrating their love for America and support for Israel at their own risk, and gathering to surround and protect the American flag from desecration at the hands of spoiled, misguided children who have no clue what it stands for or what was sacrificed to give birth to it.

All I have to say to these pro-Hamas student protesters is this:

Shut up and go back to class. We're sick of you and we're not going to waste our time listening to your clueless blather.

And while you're at it, sign up for a class in American History—you know, the country you spoiled, self-centered, ungrateful brats were raised in. You might accidentally learn what the words "moral courage" actually mean.

5/14/2024 — From the "One Thing" Department...

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has ratcheted up the anti-Israel threats and bluster coming from the Biden administration to the highest levels we have seen to date. In a television interview this past Sunday, Blinken went full-throttle against Israel's efforts to eliminate Hamas by attacking Rafah, the terrorists' last stronghold. Blinken's message to Israel was clear and direct:

Get out of Gaza.

The message from the Biden administration (i.e. Antony Blinken and others, no doubt with some input from Barack Obama) is that there are just too darn many civilian casualties in this ongoing conflict, and preventing civilian casualties is obviously far more important than a country defending its own people from unprovoked barbarism.

At least it is in the case of Israel, that is.

The Biden administration had been wringing its hands and making veiled threats in its criticism of Israel's tactics in actually attempting to win this conflict by destroying Hamas once and for all, but this is the strongest slam on Israel yet. And it is just as biased and myopically one-sided in favor of the terrorists who seek Israel's destruction as all their previous remarks.

As I discussed in a previous article, Ezekiel 38:13 is unmistakably clear that the United States will do nothing but sit on their hands and whine as the Gog-Magog crew gathers to annihilate Israel. Although the growing anti-Israel rhetoric coming from the Biden administration is putting us on pace for this prophetic fulfillment, I suggested that one other thing that might contribute to that is the Rapture, which will remove all Israel-supporting born-again believers from our government.

But the way things are going, it is entirely possible the leaders of the United States could get to the Ezekiel 38:13 level of anti-Semitic apathy and impotence all by themselves, without the aid of the Rapture.

Proof? Exhibit A: Antony Blinken.

People who understand the dynamics of the situation in the Middle East and more specifically the conflict in Gaza can easily interpret Blinken's true meaning, and might translate his remarks along the following lines:

• Israel must be forced to lose this war.

• The lives of innocent Palestinian civilians are far more valuable than the lives of innocent Israeli citizens.

• Who do the Israelis think they are, defending themselves by attacking those who attacked them first? What a preposterous notion!

• The deep sagacity of people like Biden, Blinken, and Obama clearly outshines that of any Israeli leader.

• Hamas must be allowed to regroup and rearm for humanitarian reasons (and...you know, for future attacks on Israel).

• The United States must kowtow to the anti-Israel rhetoric of the rest of the world and put a leash on what the world views as its lapdog.

In terms of Bible prophecy, we know that God will use His thundering intervention on behalf of Israel in Gog-Magog to bring His people to the point where they realize they do not need to depend on the aid of a spineless gaggle of clueless clowns in Washington.

God is preparing to show Israel that they only need one thing.

Israel has no need for guidance from
the likes of Biden, Blinken, and Obama.

The only thing Israel will ever need is
the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

5/21/2024 — From the "Jokes and All" Department...

As I'm sure you've heard by now, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian, and several other high-ranking Iranian government officials were killed in a helicopter crash that occurred in mountainous, fog-enshrouded terrain just a few miles south of Iran's northern border with Azerbaijan on Sunday.

Although the political fallout of this incident is just beginning to percolate, there have already been spurious claims that Israel's Mossad (like the CIA only better) somehow had a hand in it. Plus, Iran's first vice president Mohammad Mokhber has become the acting president, and he has already been contacted by Russian President Vladimir Putin to let him know that Russia fully intends to continue to forge stronger military ties with Iran, and that all existing agreements will be sustained and honored.

But as all the obligatory condolences pour in from around the world, one thing you probably won't hear about on the western mainstream media is the reaction of ordinary Iranian people, both in Iran and around the world:

THEY'RE CELEBRATING!!

They're partying and dancing in the streets and shooting off fireworks like Yanks on the Fourth of July!

Apparently the Butcher of Tehran wasn't all that popular with average Iranian citizens, and many expressed the same sentiments as one Tehran resident who posted a video in which he exclaimed:

"Let's celebrate the good news of Ebrahim Raisi's chopper crash!"

Even jokes about the crash that killed Raisi have gone viral, such as the one about how the pilot of the chopper was actually a Mossad agent named Eli Copter. (Get it? Eli Copter...helicopter.)

Now, if you don't think that joke is all that funny, that's OK. The reason I say that is because what really is funny is the fact that the official Hamas Telegram page unwittingly cited this joke as a fact! =XD

Of course, students of Bible prophecy will have to wait and see how all this shakes out and how it might influence the ongoing fulfillment of end-time prophecy. And I know that watchmen the world over will have their ears to the ground, and will be quick to report what they hear.

Helicopter jokes and all.

5/28/2024 — From the "End This Nightmare" Department...

So Israel's promised strike on Rafah has officially begun, as Israel seeks to eliminate Hamas from its last stronghold on the border of Egypt. According to reports, several top Hamas commanders have already been killed, and more will almost certainly meet the same fate.

And jerk goes the knee...

Efforts to tie Israel's hands, twist their arms, and force them to stop their campaign of retaliatory self-defense have predictably been ramped up, with the United Nations' top court, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) based in The Hague, ordering an immediate halt to Israel's military efforts to eliminate the terrorist organization Hamas. This, according U.N. officials, amounts to "genocide" and must be stopped at once.

Of course, luckily for Israel, such orders from the ICJ, although technically considered "legally binding," lack enforcement mechanisms. In other words, it's mostly PR. All they can really do is generate negative media narratives that they hope will be sufficient to pressure other countries into forcing Israel to stand down from their efforts to wipe out Hamas.

And it is failing. Israel, to their credit, is showing zero interest in the "Ceasefire! Stop the genocide!" anti-Israel, pro-Hamas PR campaign, because they are not blind and foolish enough to fail to see the outright lies behind it and the true intentions of Hamas and their mommies in Tehran.

Israeli officials insist the U.N. has got it wrong, and Israeli National Security Advisor Tzachi Hangbi stated:

"Israel has not and will not carry out military operations in the Rafah area that create living conditions that could cause the destruction of the Palestinian civilian population, in whole or in part."

So no matter what is done to them and no matter what they do to stop it from being done to them again, Israel is the Big Bad Guy that must be stopped at all costs...same old thing. Nothing has changed.

British diplomat Martin Griffiths, the U.N.'s Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, recently lamented:

"End this nightmare."

But if such officials have their way, the nightmare will continue for Israel. But apparently that's OK for such people, because they're...you know, Israel. They're Jews. So whatever happens to them doesn't count.

What remains perpetually unclear to such people, however, is one simple, glaringly obvious fact: That is precisely what Israel has resolved to do...

End this nightmare.

 JAN  FEB  MAR  APR  MAY  JUN 
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6/4/2024 — From the "Dance and Sing" Department...

To the surprise of no one except those who believe the American justice system still has a shred of legitimacy, Donald Trump was convicted on all 34 counts of...whatever invalid, paper-thin charges they could scrape together and gussy up into bona fide f-e-l-o-n-i-e-s.

And we all know why. This was amply demonstrated in a CNN interview that Wolf Blitzer did with Senator J.D. Vance (R-OH), whose name has been mentioned as a possible running mate for Trump. And whaddya know...the very first question out of Wolf Blitzer's mouth was...

"Are you interested in being a
running mate of a convicted felon?"

He actually said that. (Well, it is CNN, but still.) If you don't believe me, give it a listen. What Blitzer did, of course, is smugly and brazenly advertise to the entire world the primary reason this sham trial was put together in the first place—and it is this:

This was put together to give the
Democrats and the mainstream media
an opportunity to say those words:

 C-O-N-V-I-C-T-E-D  F-E-L-O-N!!! 

Ooooh... This sham trial was crafted for one primary reason, and that is to give all the Trump-haters a reason to dance and sing:

"Trump's a convicted felon,
Trump's a convicted felon,
Neener neener neener!
Donate to him? No, not me!
Vote for him? No siree!"

And all they can do is hope that their little jingle resonates with enough voters until November.

It sounds silly, I know, but that's just about what it amounts to. Never mind the fact that the average first-year law student could get this dismissed on appeal without cracking open his notes. As we speak, Trump is officially a "convicted felon." That's all that matters, and the Democrats' dream is to somehow keep him that way until November.

As I was scratching my head trying to think of something to compare this to, it suddenly hit me:

Calling Trump a convicted felon is a
bit like calling Jesus a blasphemer.

And if you are determined to think of Trump that way, you are obligated to think of Jesus that way.

Now, please don't think I am comparing Trump to Jesus. God forbid. That's not the point. I'm comparing the desperately contrived hypocrisy that has been unleashed on Trump by the Democrats, the Don't-Ya-Hate-Trump political/legal establishment, and the mainstream media with the desperately contrived hypocrisy that was unleashed on Jesus by the Jewish religious leaders two thousand years ago.

Trump was convicted on flimsy if not falsified accusations that, with a bit of twisting, barely amount to a misdemeanor—not 34 felonies. And it was done simply to impede his run for the presidency by people who hate him because he exposes their hypocrisy to the people, and as a result they fear for their wealth, power, and influence.

In a similar manner, Jesus was convicted of the capital crime of blasphemy in a series of illegal trials with absolutely zero evidence and the testimony of false witnesses who contradicted each other. And it was done by religious leaders who hated Him because He exposed their hypocrisy to the people, and as a result they feared for their wealth, power, and influence.

Gotta admit—some interesting parallels there.

So, not unlike Wolf Blitzer and all his mainstream media cohorts and the Democratic establishment, for a few hours the Jewish religious leaders could dance and sing:

"Yeshua is a blasphemer,
Yeshua is a blasphemer,
Neener neener neener!
Honor Him? No, not me!
Worship Him? No siree!"

And just as it did long ago for the Jewish religious leaders, the current dancing and singing by the liberal left in celebration of their presumed "victory" over Trump will come to a screeching halt soon enough...one way or another.

6/11/2024 — From the "Delusional" Department...

As you may have heard, on Saturday the IDF rescued four Israeli hostages that were taken by Hamas terrorists last year in the October 7 attack. The four were rescued in a pair of daring, broad-daylight missions that were carried out simultaneously at two different locations in Gaza.

To no one's surprise, Hamas leaders are fuming and spitting out the type of delusional rhetoric they are so well known for. Top Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh furiously pouted:

"We will not surrender: If the occupation believes that it can impose its choices on us by force, it is delusional, and the movement will not agree to any agreement that does not achieve security for our people first and foremost."

Well, bim bam boom... Take that, you dirty, rotten "occupiers." I laughed out loud when I read the words "any agreement that does not achieve security for our people first and foremost." The "our people" he is referring to, of course, would be the civilian population of Gaza, who are treated and used as little more than strategic pawns by Hamas to achieve their evil, deluded goals. And it has been amply demonstrated time and again that those goals do not include benefiting those civilians in Gaza one tiny little bit.

So according to you, Mr. Haniyeh, Hamas "will not surrender." Well, all I can say is that you can relax, because Israel has zero interest in getting you to surrender anyway. They wisely seek nothing but the destruction of you and your gang of terrorists—and the sooner the better.

Oh, and you are the one who is delusional, Mr. Haniyeh. You sincerely believe that you can hoodwink the governments of foreign nations and international organizations like the U.N. into believing the outright historical lie that the land of Israel actually belongs to the Palestinians, and that the Jewish people are nothing more than a bunch of wicked, Zionist occupiers intent on stealing that land from your poor, oppressed people. And you suppose that you can make the world believe that as a result, Israel warrants being punished and censured in every conceivable way.

The bottom line is that you are deluded enough to think you can con the world into denouncing and denigrating Israel and treating the Jewish people like occupying oppressors in their own land. And you honestly believe that you can induce thousands of intelligent young college students in America to violently demonstrate and protest against Israel and in support of Hamas, and mouth a slew of deluded slogans and memes without understanding the reality of the situation in the Middle East.

Uhm, wait a second... You know what, Mr. Haniyeh? On second thought, although you may be a supremely evil man, perhaps you're not quite as deluded as I thought.

6/18/2024 — From the "Prep Mode" Department...

According to a recent article in the Times of Israel, the IDF is warning that Lebanese terrorist group Hezbollah is bringing Israel to the brink of all-out war by unleashing attacks of increasing intensity on targets in Israel from the north. Of course, this is occurring as Israel attempts to finish off Hamas in Rafah. Hmm...what a coincidence.

Hezbollah has been launching attacks on Israel since October 8 of last year, in solidarity with what is essentially their Little Brother, Hamas. And Big Brother has been escalating those attacks recently as Israel draws nearer to eliminating Little Brother as a threat to them.

And Israel is increasingly responding to those attacks...just as planned.

Yes...just as planned. I've written about this before, but drawing Israel's military forces into a second front by escalating attacks from Hezbollah in the north as the fighting with Hamas nears its end is in accordance with the script being followed by Big Daddy, and that would be Iran (oh, and don't think Uncle Vladimir is being left out of the loop).

As I discuss in that article, Iran has a four-stage plan to wipe out Israel, and here are those four stages quoted from that article:

*   *   *   *   *

1. Have Hamas attack Israeli territory from Gaza. Obviously this has already occurred, and provoked a strong response from the IDF, which is determined to essentially put an end to Hamas. — Status: Complete.

2. Wait for Israel to get bogged down in a ground-war slugfest with Hamas that could drag on for several months. — Status: Currently in work.

3. While Israel is still bogged down with Hamas, have Hezbollah spring into action from Lebanon and open a second, more intensive front that stretches Israel's military capabilities to the limit. — Status: On standby.

4. Leverage the resulting chaos as an excuse to put the pedal to the metal of their nuclear weapons program, which would enable Iran to rapidly finish developing a nuclear weapon. — Status: In prep mode.

*   *   *   *   *

So as we near the end of stage two, stage three is in prep mode and nearly ready to be launched full force.

The point is that Iran has a road map laid out, and the final destination is the attack of Gog-Magog, which will be led by Russia. And according to descriptions in Ezekiel 39, it will apparently involve nuclear weapons (which will decimate the troops of Gog-Magog themselves, not Israel). And since the Rapture almost certainly has to precede Gog-Magog, the bottom line is this:

If you need a barometer to get
a sense of how close we are to
the Rapture, just keep your eyes
on what is happening to Israel.

That's the best barometer I know of, because God is getting ready to fight for His people. But before He fights for His people, He's going to tell His Son get His bride out of the way.

6/25/2024 — From the "Back Off" Department...

In last week's Commentary entry, I talked about how attacks on northern Israel by Lebanese terrorist group Hezbollah threaten to drag Israel into a multi-front war. I also talked about how such an expanded conflict was stage three of Iran's four-stage plan to wipe out Israel.

Well, apparently others are starting to get the hint.

According to an article in the Times of Israel, U.S. military officials are warning that if Iran felt Hezbollah were being "significantly threatened," they would be liable to join the conflict.

According to Air Force Gen. Charles Q. Brown, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, Iran would be much more likely to support Hezbollah than Hamas, and would be inclined to do so if they felt Hezbollah were attacked in a substantive manner by Israel.

So Charlie Brown kinda sorta gets it.

Someone please tell Charlie that Iran entering the conflict has always been the ultimate stated goal according to their own plans—not a potential spontaneous reaction to attacks on their primary puppet Hezbollah. This is being orchestrated by Iran with the full backing of Russia, and it doesn't take an Air Force General to figure this out.

All you have to to do is read Ezekiel 38–39.

As for Israel, the IDF has already stated they are ready and able to fight on several fronts, and a few days ago said they had approved a plan for an offensive in Lebanon, even if the U.S. does its best to prevent the conflict from "spiraling into a full-blown war."

Which is precisely what the Biden administration is doing as we speak.

The basic message the U.S. is trying to get across to Israel in their effort to dissuade them from allowing the conflict with Hezbollah to escalate is...

"Think about the second order of effect of any type of operation into Lebanon, and how that might play out and how it impacts not just the region, but how it impacts our forces in regions as well."

(Translation: "The safety and stability of U.S. forces in the Middle East are more important than your continued existence...so back off.")

On a side note, more information is coming out about America's lapses in supporting Israel with needed military equipment. And as one believer to another, I scarcely need to tell you what that means:

As Israel continues to prepare for the fight of their lives in fulfillment of prophecy, America continues to invite God's judgment.

 JAN  FEB  MAR  APR  MAY  JUN 
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7/2/2024 — From the "Panic Mode" Department...

I'd be lying if I said I didn't get a kick out of the debate between Trump and Biden. It was an unmitigated disaster for Biden, and shouldn't have been much of a surprise to anyone who has any idea how badly Biden's mental condition has deteriorated since his installation three and a half years ago.

I'm getting an even bigger kick, however, out of some of the screamingly lunatic reactions from Democrats. A few cases in point:

• The Philadelphia Inquirer says it's Trump who should drop out of the race.
• Nancy Pelosi claims Trump is the one with dementia, not Biden.
• Rep. James Clyburn (D-SC) whines CNN didn't fact-check Trump enough.
• Biden family blames Joe's disastrous showing on a poor makeup job, etc.

According to many in the mainstream media, the Demcrats are in full-blown panic mode. Well, they are...and for good reason:

The fantasy of Biden running for a second term is finally coming unraveled for the entire world to see with stunning, mortifying clarity.

The show is over. You can give the body-doubles their walking papers. They are finally waking up to the cold, hard reality that they can't completely fool the American public any longer. There is literally no point trying to deny it and fantasize that Biden is still in the race.

Note, however, that the only ones actually panicking are the ones who aren't in on the truth behind the lie. What do I mean? Let me ask you three questions:

Q. Is Barack Obama is panicking?

A. Not so you'd notice.

Q. Are any of the Obama administration officials who have been hand-picked to assist Obama in running the country behind the scenes for the last three and a half years are panicking?

A. Same answer.

Q. Why do you suppose that is?

A. Panic?! Why? Everything is pretty much going according to plan.

The process of swapping out a feeble mannequin for an alternate candidate that Obama and his crew can completely control is proceeding as planned. Who will it be? I could be wrong, but for the longest time I've had a month's salary that says it'll be none other than  Michael ...er, I mean Michelle Obama.

It might strike some as a bit odd that the Democratic National Convention will be held in Chicago this year from August 19–22, since Illinois is an absolute lock for the Democrats. Political parties have been known to sometimes hold their national conventions in key swing states they want to swing their way. But clearly that's not the case this time around. Hmm...

Oh, wait...Chicago is Michelle Obama's hometown! What a coincidence! And oh my, what a show that's going to be! Momentum in spades, anyone?

But whatever happens, I personally am still convinced it won't be Trump in the White House come January 2025. The powers that be will find a way...any way to prevent that from happening. Don't underestimate them—they've got far too much riding on this.

But if you think some are in panic mode now, just wait till they see several hundred million believers changed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye and caught up into the clouds.

And oh my, what a show that's going to be!

7/9/2024 — From the "Who's the Boss?" Department...

As you probably know, the attack of Gog-Magog described in Ezekiel 38–39 involves a coalition of nations led by Russia, and includes Iran, Turkey, and several North African countries that are Muslim nations that hate Israel. As a result, it should surprise no one to see the diplomatic relationships among Russia, Iran, and Turkey become more cooperative and mutually supportive—not to mention see them all becoming even more virulently anti-Israel.

Along these lines, I noticed two tidbits in the news recently that caught my prophetic eye:

1. Forget NATO...say hello to NYETO.

This actually goes well beyond the boundaries of the players of Gog-Magog; but according to a recent news article, Vladimir Putin is actively working to put together a military coalition that will rival NATO. This is the assessment of D.C. think tank Institute for the Study of War (ISW). Putin recently told military graduates at the Kremlin in Moscow that Russia is planning to "create an equal and indivisible security in Eurasia."

Equal to what NATO does for the West, that is.

This obviously provides a clear lens through which to view Ezekiel's prophecy and this coalition's attempt to wipe out the Jewish nation to take advantage of their massive natural gas reserves...something Putin has been licking his chops over for years. In other words, this has Gog-Magog written all over it.

2. Who's the boss?

Some in the prophetic community may be minimizing the possibility of Gog-Magog occurring relatively soon due to the fact that it's Iran that seems to be producing all the "death to Israel" huff-n-puffery. Putin, they argue, seems intent on minding his own business in his dustup with Ukraine, rather than overtly focusing on wiping out Israel, as are the Iranians.

There may be a degree of truth to that, but it is becoming quite clear that the leaders of Iran and Turkey are clearly looking to Putin as ascending to such a Eurasian leadership role. That is, they are increasingly regarding him as the regional "boss," at least tacitly if not overtly.

Case in point: This item isn't really that big a deal all by itself, but I think it tends to reflect this "boss" mentality with which other regional leaders view Vladimir Putin.

Recently at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit that was held in Kazakhstan on July 3, Turkish President Recep Erdogan met Putin on the sidelines of the summit to personally offer Turkey's assistance in helping to mediate a ceasefire in Russia's war with Ukraine. Erdogan has already made efforts to insert himself into such mediations, previously attempting to get Volodmyr Zelenskyy to agree to Turkish-hosted peace negotiations while the Ukrainian leader was visiting Istanbul in March. That didn't go very far, but Putin's response to Erdogan's recent offer to help mediate a ceasefire in the conflict was rather telling:

Nyet.

No. Well, it was actually a bit longer than just "no," but not much. According to reports, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on behalf of his boss:

"No...it's not possible."

What strikes me is the simple fact that this seems coolly and curtly concise for such high-level diplomacy. And it comes across as if he had actually said...

The boss says "no."

(OK? So beat feet back to Ankara and wait for further orders.) In other words, in my mind this tends to underscore the growing reality that Putin is being regarded as the boss in Eurasia to an ever growing degree. Same deal:

This "no" has Gog-Magog written all over it as well.

Of course, the Church has a Boss, too. And what all this tells me is that our Boss is about to deliver a message to us as well...and there is nothing cool or curt about the message He has for us. Our Boss, who has already said "yes" to our forgiveness of sin, our reconciliation to our Heavenly Father, and our guarantee of spending eternity with Him in unimaginable bliss is certainly not going to say "no."

Our Boss is about to say "Come up here!"

7/16/2024 — From the "BOOM" Department...

I suspect that like many others, I am waiting for the cyclone of conspiracy theories concerning the attempted assassination of Donald Trump to blow itself out a bit before saying too awfully much about it.

I admit, however, that I cracked up when I saw a news item about a janitor in Oklahoma who "prophesied" three months ago that there would be an assassination attempt made on Trump.

Welcome to the club, dude! I've been saying this was likely to happen for the past year. No visions, no dreams, no prophecies—just a commonsense awareness of the reality of the situation:

They. Will. Stop. At. Nothing.

And I made it a point to include in that statement the possibility of them putting a bullet in him. You don't have to be a prophet to know that shooting Trump was a distinct possibility in the desperate minds of the left-wing shadow government that's been freely calling the shots for the last three and a half years (no pun intended, but I'll stick it in my backpack). And everything they have concocted to stop him so far has failed spectacularly...so do the math. In the words of the man illegitimately occupying the White House:

"It's time to put Trump in the bulls-eye."

You know, I'd really like to think this was just an unfortunate choice of words. But in reality, I'm not so sure.

I know that Biden only says what he is told to say when it matters—at least to the best of his ability to read cue cards and written notes, or understand what he hears over his earphone. And he said this in a private phone call to donors days before the attempt...so one can't help but wonder if those words were inserted into what Joe was supposed to say as a signal to a certain "donor" that it was time to put Operation Bulls-Eye in motion.

Yeah...who's the conspiracy theorist now, huh?

Two things genuinely surprise me about this assassination attempt (not the attempt itself, but things regarding it).

1. I am surprised it came this early.

I assumed they would wait until later this fall to do it in order to take better advantage of the chaos that would ensue.

2. I am surprised the attempt was this poorly planned and badly botched.

Now, if you choose to believe this all came down to one 20-year-old punk kid, you are free to do so. But I am not so inclined. I am reasonably certain there was much more to this attempt than just that one silly kid clambering around on a roof in plain view of a good number of people. This assassination attempt was downright amateurish in my humble opinion. And what's worse for the Democrats is that now it will be all that much more difficult to take down Trump, since his security will be greatly enhanced even if he has to pay for it himself...which he probably will, judging from the blatant efforts to strip him of just such legally warranted security in the last few months.

According to reports, the best Secret Service agents had been transferred to Jill Biden, who was making a speech at the time. Reports have claimed that the Secret Service personnel assigned to Trump the day of the assassination attempt were far less experienced than those who were assigned to the First Lady. Of course, the Secret Service denies such claims.

OK, but then why do we see Secret Service agents in videos of the attempt failing to do the most basic things in such a situation? They should have had Trump completely down, completely covered, and completely out of there in a matter of a few seconds, giving a shooter essentially zero opportunity to hit the intended victim with a subsequent shot. But what do we see? We see Trump getting back up and heroically raising his fist in defiance (with Secret Service agents scrambling around him, looking very much as if they're not quite sure what to do next). Well, that makes for a great meme, I have to admit. But in my mind this puts on public display the relative inexperience of the SS agents assigned to Trump that day.

But one thing that strikes me in all this is how suddenly the unthinkable can happen. We can speculate about the possibility of such an event...but even when we do, its actual occurrence seems remote and "out there." We can't quite visualize it actually occurring for real.

And then BOOM...suddenly it happens.

It also strikes me that this is how it's going to be with the Rapture. We achingly speculate about how soon it might occur, but we have to restrain ourselves because it's not for us to know. No matter how certain we are that it simply must be "soon and very soon," we do not know and so we have to brace ourselves for the possibility that it might be several more years. No matter how anxiously we anticipate it, it seems remote and "out there." We can't quite visualize it actually occurring for real.

And then BOOM...

7/23/2024 — From the "Gimme an 'R'" Department...

"Gimme a 'K'...gimme an 'A'...gimme an 'M'..."

The Democrats and their high-profile donors are chanting and singing and are doing their best to generate enthusiastic support for Kamala Harris as the potential Democratic presidential nominee prior to the Democratic National Convention, which is slated for August 19–22 in Chicago.

Yes, the Democrats are chanting and singing...with one noteworthy exception. There is one particular Democrat who is remaining tight-lipped, and he is a pretty important Democrat.

Just how important? Well, he's been making essentially all the important decisions for the Biden administration for the last three and a half years. The most important decision Joe Biden has made since being installed in office is what flavor of ice cream to order. And for all the public knows for absolute certain, he could literally be dead as I write this.

Several leading Democrats were taken out back on the South Lawn of the White House Lawn and beaten up to bring them around to endorsing Kamala, and bring them around they did. But this particular Democrat generated some buzz recently by being one of the key people who has conspicuously NOT endorsed Kamala Harris. And I trust you know exactly who I'm talking about:

Barack Obama.

Naturally, the conspiracy theories are flying. But sometimes what we call "conspiracy theories" are events that we can easily see coming simply because we are paying attention and ignoring the lies and false narratives spooned out to the American people by the mainstream media.

You don't have to be the sharpest knife in the drawer to see that having Kamala Harris as the Democratic nominee for president makes about as much sense for the Democrats as nominating Bozo the Clown in drag (come to think of it, Bozo might actually get more votes). She has a glowing track record of ineptitude, incompetence, and indecisiveness that is tough to match and that she will never succeed in shaking off, and even most Democrats just flat out don't like her. So, the question is quietly being asked:

What is really going on?

Straight up, I wish I had the answers...of course, I don't. All I have is my personal opinions. And my opinion has long been that Obama is quietly crafting a path that will lead to Michelle Obama being the nominee. And who knows...he might even be her running mate! What a show that would be! But regardless of whether or not he has that extreme step in mind (and I do have real doubts about that), just having Michelle as president would pave the way for Barack's fourth term. And that's the goal, regardless of who turns out to be the new prop (Joe Biden being the first).

It strikes me that part of God's plan for the end times is allowing Satan to help out by pursuing his own warped little plan to deceive the nations and establish his puny excuse of a kingdom. This all fits neatly into God's real plan, which is to purge His people Israel and judge the nations of the world during the Tribulation prior to His Son's return to establish His kingdom. And there will certainly be no shortage of chaos and deception in the run-up to and during that Tribulation period.

But there is one event that will pull the trigger and release the hounds, so to speak. That event will remove the restraining influence of the Holy Spirit on earth, and let Satan mount up and give it his best shot. And you know exactly what that event is:

"Gimme an 'R'...gimme an 'A'...gimme a 'P'..."

7/30/2024 — From the "Backfire" Department...

So the Olympics are underway in Paris, and with it the usual sense of the world coming together to celebrate athletic competition and sportsmanship.

And to have LGBT perversion shoved in their face.

The opening ceremony of the 2024 Olympics featured a gaggle of drag queens and other various LGBT-types putting on a vile, sexually oriented mockery of one of Christianity's most celebrated events by imitating the scene of Leonardo da Vinci's masterpiece "The Last Supper."

As sickening as what happened on the world stage in Paris may have been, however, I admit that it has been heartening to see Christians and Christian leaders of various stripes all over the world speak out and voice their outrage and their condemnation of the event—and in so doing effectively stand up for Christ and the gospel.

I also admit that I am a bit surprised that so many Catholic leaders are speaking out. I don't get many opportunities to praise the Roman Catholic Church, but kudos to those who have done so—and done so with vigor and scriptural authority. May God bless your efforts to honor God and glorify the name that is above every name.

It doesn't take a genius to see that this is demonic to the very core, and Satan is making it crystal clear who he is going after. As Minnesota Bishop Robert Barron surmised:

"This deeply secularist, post-modern society knows who its enemy is, they're naming it, and we should believe them. They're telling us who they are and we should believe them."

In other words, this is all about Satan, and Satan is going after Christ. But we would do well to remember that everything Satan does ultimately backfires, and this is certainly no exception. Even some of those who are mouthing support for the nauseating display are tending to do so in ways that are noticeably weak and mealy-mouthed—as if they know they have to support it or risk being identified with the real right wing...perish the thought.

For example, Sen. Mitt Romney (RINO-UT) described the sickening display as "imaginative, inventive and memorable." Frankly, such gutless palaver makes me nearly as sick as the wretched performance itself.

Even sports figures are having their say. Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker (who is Catholic) didn't hesitate to go straight to Scripture for an appropriate response, quoting Galatians 6:7–8:

"Be not deceived, God is not mocked. For what things a man shall sow, those also shall he reap. For he that soweth in his flesh, of the flesh also shall reap corruption. But he that soweth in the spirit, of the spirit shall reap life everlasting."

Amen. (And I couldn't help but smile when I read that as a result, some are now calling him Harrison Buttkicker.)

It's not hard to see what is happening here. Satan is signaling to the world that his kingdom is on the way, and no one can stop it. But that, too, will backfire when Christ returns to toss him into the abyss while He establishes His kingdom. There Satan will have a thousand years to stew over his previous failures, and plan one grand, final effort to destroy Christ and steal the world back from Him.

And that will backfire as well.

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8/6/2024 — From the "Wait Till Next Year" Department...

Two years ago, I wrote an article called "A Pattern With a Hole" concerning the Jewish celebration known as Tisha B'Av, or the ninth day of the Jewish month of Av. This is the day that both the First and Second Temples in Jerusalem were destroyed by the Babylonians (586 BC) and the Romans (AD 70), resp.

In that article, I discuss how there is a clear pattern at work in the destruction of both of these temples:

1. The Jews are guilty of great sin against God—idolatry, hardhearted rejection of their Messiah, etc.

2. The temple, or the symbol of God's presence among them, is destroyed and effectively removed from their midst.

3. God releases a severe round of judgment on His people Israel.

I also discuss in that article how during the end times, we will see this pattern repeat for a third cycle. Over the last two thousand years, the Jews have steadfastly hardened their hearts and rejected God's plan of salvation that was brought into effect by their own Messiah two thousand years ago, and during the Tribulation God will unleash the final (and most severe) round of judgment on His people who continue to reject that Messiah.

But wait a second...what about that temple thing?

The First Temple was closely connected with God the Father, the only form of God the Jews understood (and the same is still true today). The Second Temple was closely connected with God the Son, who presented Himself to the Jewish people as their promised Messiah in the environs of that temple.

But what about the third time around? I'll let the apostle Paul address that one:

During the Church Age, the Church, whose members are sealed and indwelt by the presence of the Holy Spirit, is literally the temple of God the Holy Spirit on earth. Pop quiz:

Q. And what happens at the Rapture?

A. That "temple" is removed.

This third time around, the hole in that pattern could certainly be considered to be filled by the removal of the temple of God the Holy Spirit from earth in the Rapture.

OK, let's get our feet back on good ol' terra firma for a moment. We all know how wrong and misguided it is to announce that we have calculated the date of the Rapture, or that we are 100 percent certain it's going to happen on the umpteenth day of the umpteenth month of 20-umpteen, thus saith the LORD. Most of us get that.

But on the other hand, we are commanded to watch—and that means there things to watch for. So it's not as if the Lord wants us to remain utterly clueless about how close we are to the Rapture. On the contrary. We are commanded to look forward with active anticipation to our blessed hope of the Rapture—we just aren't supposed to try to pin down any specific day of any specific month of any specific year as being THE DAY with some kind of manmade authority. As if we knew for certain something that Christ told us point-blank was not for us to know. That's where He draws the line.

I've also written about how I believe that 2024 makes for a prime year for the Rapture. It's seven years after the confirmation of the REV12 sign in 2017, which many believe was a heads-up to those with ears to hear that we're entering the final phase of our wait for His return to gather us to a place He has prepared for us. A seven-year warning? Could be. In that article, I discuss how I am inclined to believe that 2017 marked the beginning of the seven good years that were foreshadowed by Joseph's seven good years in Genesis 41. At the end of those seven good years, the winds changed, the rain stopped, and seven years of famine ensued.

In like manner, could it be that at the end of these seven "good years," the winds of the Spirit change (by the removal of His temple on earth via the Rapture), the rain stops in a spiritual sense, and seven years of God's judgment falls in the form of the Tribulation upon the unbelieving remnant of Israel that has staunchly rejected the grace and mercy God expressed to the world through Christ, along with the nations of the world who have persecuted His people Israel? Hmm...

Of course, if am lucky enough to even be in the ballpark of being right, that would make Tisha B'Av of this year an extremely interesting day indeed. And for the record, that would be August 12–13.

And that would be next week.

I laugh when I think about it, but here lately I've basically reached the point where I feel as if every article I post could be my last. But this is the first time I've ever felt that way about a weekly Commentary entry!

Of course, when August 12–13 comes and goes and nothing happens, we'll all know that ain't the case. That's cool. (I suspect I'll actually breathe a sigh of relief.) It is true, however, that what I wrote about Tisha B'Av applies to every Tisha B'Av of every year, so I'll still be able to break out the old Chicago Cubs mantra that I was forced to repeat in the fall of every single year of my entire childhood growing up in Central Illinois:

Wait till next year!

Or better yet, just wait.

8/13/2024 — From the "Short and Simple" Department...

On July 31, Ismail Haniyeh, the political leader of Hamas, who was in Tehran to celebrate the inauguration of Iran's new president Masoud Pezeshkian, was killed in Tehran in a pinpoint strike by Israel's IDF. His assassination was a major humiliation for Iranian security forces, and effectively reiterates to Israel's enemies the same message that has been sent repeatedly in the past. And that message is short and simple:

"We can get to whoever, wherever, whenever."

So don't mess with us. Of course, jerk goes the knee. The Iranians immediately vowed a "harsh and painful response," and so the world has been on pins and needles waiting to see what will happen next. But no matter how you view this, it is clearly a major escalation in the ongoing conflict between Israel and its regional enemies. And those enemies would certainly include Russia.

On August 5, Sergei Shoigu, Secretary of the Security Council of Russia, arrived in Tehran to meet with Iranian officials, and assured the incoming Iranian administration that Russia is prepared to continue and deepen its full "cooperation" in "regional affairs." And make no mistake: This "cooperation" includes sending Iran more sophisticated fighter jets, radar equipment, and air defense systems, because those "regional affairs" include the loftiest goal of all—the ultimate dream of nearly every country throughout the entire region:

Wiping Israel off the map.

On a side note, President Recep Erdogan of Turkey recently threatened to attack Israel outright all by his lonesome as he raged against the Zionist nation for their bloodthirsty violence against the poor, innocent people of Gaza...and Hamas. I doubt seriously if that's going to happen, but still. That helps give you a sense of the mood throughout the region.

But as the rhetoric flies, threats are exchanged, and theories are bandied about as to who will do what and when, many speculate that Iran is willing to sit on its hands until it has beefed up its military muscle a tad thanks to its Russian BFFs before daring a major attack on a technically superior Israel. Many also speculate that Iran wants to reach the nuclear goal line before launching such an attack on the Jewish nation, and most insiders agree that they are getting worryingly close to that goal line.

Many watchmen the world over (this writer included) are convinced we are witnessing the buildup to the attack of Gog-Magog, but one point of speculation revolves around how much preliminary scuffling may occur before we get to the main event described in Ezekiel 38–39.

Some, such as the venerable Mark Hitchcock, are convinced the attack proper of Gog-Magog doesn't occur until after the launching of the Tribulation. Some, such as yours truly, are inclined to see the attack of Gog-Magog occurring sooner ("sooner" as in before the Tribulation), and effectively being the event that paves the way for the launching of that seven-year period of judgment. The latter makes better scriptural sense to me personally, as I have a couple of issues with the former. (If you're interested, I hashed over this whole idea about three years ago in an article entitled "Before or After?")

But however you see the current flow of prophetic events, it goes without saying that the real message to believers everywhere isn't about what Russia, Iran, and Turkey might do or when they might do it. The message to believers has nothing to do with geopolitics. It has nothing to do with ceasefires in Gaza or Iran's development of a nuclear weapon.

The message to believers is short and simple:

Look up!

8/20/2024 — From the "On With the Show" Department...

Well, it's time for the Big Show—the Democratic National Convention. And I know that many people are waiting with bated breath to see what kind of loopy shenanigans are going to unfold in Chicago from August 19 to 22.

Frankly, I don't think the landing of an alien spacecraft decorated with a "Harris–Walz '24" banner is entirely out of the question.

But according to a recent news article, one thing that's hard to miss is the glaring amount of sheer hypocrisy that is on full display in Chi-town right now, courtesy of the Democratic Party.

And that is in the level of security we see being implemented.

For over three and a half years, we have seen the Biden administration, under none other than "border czar" Kamala Harris, allow a free-flowing torrent of illegal aliens into America, where they are being coddled and cared for and only asked to do one single thing: Vote Democrat.

We have had no southern border whatsoever since Biden took office, and cities all over the country are feeling the pain. Millions of illegal immigrants from God-knows-where have flooded our country, as they have many European countries, who are feeling the same pain. Border security is a distant memory. At least it is if you consider memories of the Trump administration "distant."

But what do we see in Chicago for the DNC, pray tell? We see the erecting of huge walls and steel fences, thoroughly protecting the United Center, the venue of the current DNC. This is to keep out all those nasty protesters that might cause a disruption to the proceedings, heaven forbid. Now all of a sudden they're concerned about security.

Not only that, but ID's are mandated for entrance into the United Center. So under the Democrats, millions of illegal immigrants can flood into the U.S. and be provided for (and vote) without a scrap of identification, but oh no...not into the Democratic National Convention, so sir.

Not only that, but the Chicago police are fully prepared for mass arrests. According to reports, an unused courtroom has been prepared to streamline the processing of a large number of arrests of expected protesters.

The speculation has been flying as to what will transpire at the DNC, with some opining that Kamala Harris will be given the boot and the real Democratic nominee will be inserted into the mix. Of course, this is eminently plausible, and some have their eyes on Michelle Obama as that insertion.

Others are convinced that the Democrats really have decided to go with Kamala Harris, rather than swap her out. You could argue that this is plausible as well, since they got away scot-free with massive fraud in the 2020 election, so the thinking for some is the old cliché:

If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

Tons of damning evidence of widespread fraud were readily available within a matter of weeks after the 2020 election, and what happened? Nothing. Never happened. Baseless, every bit of it. Thanks to a compliant FBI, DOJ, and mainstream media, anyone who so much as acknowledged the existence of such evidence was attacked, had their reputations destroyed, and was summarily branded as a MAGA extremist who was a threat to democracy and who needed to be silenced. And I gotta hand it to 'em: It worked.

Some believe Harris won't be swapped out until after the DNC (for reasons that are steeped in political skulduggery), and that may be true as well. We'll just have to wait and see.

So grab some popcorn and enjoy the show, because that's what it truly is—nothing is at it seems.

You know, it almost seems a bit ironic, but it's reaching the point where I sometimes feel that we as believers understand what the Bible says will happen in the end times better than we understand what is actually happening in the flesh, right before our very eyes. But either way...

On with the show!

(And for a terrific idea for a grand finale, see 1 Thess. 4:16–17.)

8/27/2024 — From the "Ominous Undertones" Department...

On early Sunday morning, the IDF launched a major preemptive surprise attack on Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon, an attack that struck thousands of rocket launchers located in over 40 launch areas.

According to reports, Israeli intelligence had recently learned that Hezbollah was preparing for an extensive missile attack on northern and central Israel...

And you might say the IDF wasn't interested in waiting to find out just how extensive that missile attack might be.

Of course, the threat to Israel from Hezbollah remains, but at the very least Israel has succeeded in sending a clear message to Iran and her puppets:

Any imminent threat to Israeli civilians or territory will be met with force sufficient to neutralize that threat.

And maybe just a spoonful more. According to Israeli sources, Iran and Hezbollah are assessing the situation and plotting their next move, and some are saying that Iran is potentially seeking to end this episode of the conflict and focus on the next phase of their war against Israel. And there is a reason why Iran is willing to bide its time.

Experts have been saying recently that it is completely feasible that Iran could be in possession of nuclear weapons (not just a bunch of highly enriched uranium, but actual nuclear weapons ready to go) by the end of this year. So let's add two and two and see what we get:

That means that any talk of "assessing the situation," "plotting their next move," and "focusing on the next phase" in their war against Israel can't help but drip with ominous undertones.

Unless, that is, you happen to be aware that an attempt to wipe Israel off the map by a coalition of nations that includes Russia, Iran, Turkey, and others almost certainly takes place after the Rapture.

In that case, talk of Iran "assessing the situation," "plotting their next move," and "focusing on the next phase" of their stated effort to destroy Israel—all while racing toward the completion of nuclear weapons—shouldn't have any ominous overtones at all. Far from it.

In that case, those "ominous undertones" should be a thrilling harbinger of our blessed hope.

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9/3/2024 — From the "Leaving Something Out" Department...

Several days ago, six of the Israeli hostages taken by Hamas back on October 7 of last year were found murdered by Hamas terrorists in a tunnel in Rafah. According to reports, all six were killed by several gunshots from close range, execution style.

On a side note, the way in which several mainstream media outlets including CNN, NBC, and USA Today initially reported the murder of the hostages drew fierce backlash from many quarters. The headlines from these august news outlets read that Israeli-American hostage Hersh Goldberg-Polin "has died." As if he had died from an injury from a fall while out hiking. Or from COVID-19. Or from complications from turbo-cancer caused by the COVID-19 vaccines. Or from monkeypox, a dreaded new disease on the horizon that is in reality nothing more than a side effect of the COVID-19 vaccines that has been conveniently mislabeled to provide Big Pharma additional opportunities to rake in some more Big Bucks. But I digress.

And it doesn't take a genius to figure out why Hamas killed these hostages when they did. Following the successful rescue of four Israeli hostages by the IDF in a raid on Nuseirat back in June, new standing orders were issued by Hamas leaders that instructed Hamas terrorists guarding any hostages that those hostages were to be immediately executed in the event Israeli troops were approaching.

And Israeli troops were approaching.

According to Hudhaifa Kahlout (aka Abu Obeida), spokesman for the military wing of Hamas:

"We say to everyone clearly that after the Nuseirat incident, new instructions were issued to the mujahideen assigned to guard the prisoners regarding dealing with them if the occupation army approached their place of detention."

And to that statement, Obeida added the obligatory dig at Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his aggressive, unrelenting efforts to destroy Hamas rather than giving in to their manipulation to force him to make a deal that would guarantee their ability to regroup, rearm, and regain the level of threat to innocent Israeli citizens they held prior to October 7:

"Netanyahu's insistence on liberating the prisoners through military pressure instead of concluding a deal will mean that they will return to their families inside coffins and their families will have to choose whether they are dead or alive."

Obeida's announcement was accompanied by a photo showing a Hamas terrorist holding a gun to a hostage, with the caption:

Military pressure = death and failure.
Exchange deal = Freedom and life.

But I think the terrorists are leaving something out. In reality, both of these two sentences should be followed by the words:

"...for Hamas."

9/10/2024 — From the "Ball of Flames" Department...

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is at it again. On Monday, he once again urged Muslim countries to form an alliance to counter what he referred to as Israel's "expansionism."

According to Erdogan, part of this Israeli "expansionism" is focused on Jerusalem, specifically the Temple Mount. Although he never actually mentioned any specifics, in his recent statement delivered after a cabinet meeting in Ankara, Erdogan somehow managed to make it sound as if Israel was trying to take over or attack the Al-Aqsa mosque on the Temple Mount. And in Erdogan's words, this is a "red line" for the Muslim world that should prompt Muslim leaders to convene and join forces to come upon Israel like a storm.

OK, he didn't actually use those words...I'm just paraphrasing his real meaning based on Ezekiel 38:9.

And I may as well borrow a phrase from Ezekiel 38, because that's precisely where this is heading. But even though many prophecy watchers fully understand and readily acknowledge this, one point that seems to divide some in the watch community is whether Gog-Magog occurs before the Tribulation begins, or shortly after it begins.

I've written before about how I subscribe to the former, while some noteworthy prophecy people like Mark Hitchcock align themselves with the latter. However, this recent news item about President Erdogan, at least in my mind, serves to underscore the validity of the "before" view. Here's why I say that:

One of the many reasons why I believe Gog-Magog occurs prior to the Tribulation (and effectively initiates the sequence of events that leads to the treaty of Daniel 9:27 that launches it) pertains to the current feelings of a fully empowered Muslim world in regard to the Temple Mount in Jerusalem—the third holiest site in Islam. I believe the treaty of Daniel 9:27—the confirmation of which starts the Tribulation—includes a provision that allows Israel to rebuild their temple, since there is clearly a temple standing at the midpoint of the Tribulation (Dan. 9:27; Matt. 24:15).

Now, considering the current sentiments of the Muslim world toward the Temple Mount, as so passionately expressed by Mr. Erdogan, what do you suppose it would take to get the Muslim world to suddenly roll over and allow the Jews to rebuild their temple on this sacred Muslim site before the Tribulation begins? That's right! We've got a winner!

AN. ACT. OF. GOD.

Not an act of some smooth-talking political leader—an act of God. Please understand that immediately after the thundering smackdown God lays on the mostly Muslim enemies of Israel in Gog-Magog, two things will be true:

1. An empowered Israel will be reveling in the knowledge that God just wiped the floor with their enemies.

2. A weakened Muslim world will be reeling from this divine attitude adjustment and will be in a much more cooperative mood.

And it won't be long before the leaders of that weakened Muslim world come hat in hand to the negotiating table to form a peace agreement with those chest-thumping Israelis that will do the unthinkable: allow the Jews to build a temple to worship the God who just made the overwhelming Gog-Magog attack on Israel go up in a ball of flames.

And that's the point: Those who believe Gog-Magog doesn't occur until after the Tribulation begins effectively have no answer for what causes the Muslim world to agree to a treaty that allows Israel to desecrate their beloved Haram al-Sharif (er...I mean the Temple Mount). All they can do is blow smoke and change the subject. So that's the question:

Q. After listening to the anti-Israel rhetoric of President Erdogan in regard to Israel's so-called "expansionism" on the Temple Mount (er...I mean Haram al-Sharif), how do you suppose he (or any of today's Muslim leaders for that matter) might react if someone were to ask him if it was OK for Israel to build a temple on their precious holy site?

A. His head would do a preview of what God will do to the Gog-Magog attack.

9/17/2024 — From the "Guilty Pleasure" Department...

Just in case you were under the delusion that anything had changed in the Roman Catholic Church, here's a headline that will give you a timely update:

Pope Francis claims that all religions are a path to God.

So just in case you thought perhaps some of the 1.4 billion Catholics in the world were somehow being influenced to come to a greater understanding of the gospel, let those papal pearls of wisdom sink in.

Pope Francis recently said that different religions are like different languages people use to reach God. According to the pope:

"If you start to fight, 'my religion is more important than yours, mine is true and yours isn't,' where will that lead us? There's only one God, and each of us has a language to arrive at God. Some are Sheik, Muslim, Hindu, Christian, and they are different paths [to God]."

"My religion is true and yours isn't..." Where will that lead us, you ask? Well, if "my religion" happens to be the gospel of Jesus Christ based on the propheticaly confirmed Word of a holy, just, loving Creator God and "your religion" is a gaggle of speculative human ideas with no basis in fact, it just might lead a few people to the truth.

Thankfully, some Roman Catholic clergy were quick to jump on the pope's utterly heretical remarks. Bishop Joseph Strickland of Tyler Texas said:

"Please pray for Pope Francis to clearly state that Jesus Christ is the only Way. To deny this is to deny Him."

I have a gut feeling that's not gonna happen. But yes, please pray for Pope Francis, leader of 1.4 billion Catholics worldwide, to come to a basic, Bible 101 understanding of God. And I say that because according to another one of his profound statements...

"Since God is God for all, then we are all children of God."

Sigh... You know, this is the sort of stuff I expect to hear from giggling teenagers that don't know the Bible from bubble milk tea...and this is the leader of the Roman Catholic Church. This is what our world has become.

Anyway, someone please inform the pope we are not all "children of God." Shockingly enough, there is a condition attached:

Surprise! You only a child of God through faith in Jesus Christ, because...

Bible 101. OK, I have a small confession to make. I know it's a bit fleshly, but I actually enjoy writing about the pope. Call it a guilty pleasure.

Here's the thing: Writing about stupid, biblically ignorant stuff the pope says invariably ends up making me feel more scripturally erudite than I am in reality. I mean, it makes me feel like a scriptural genius.

At least until the Holy Spirit breaks out His needle and pops my little balloon.

9/24/2024 — From the "Operation 'You've Got a Message'" Department...

Israel's intelligence agency Mossad is known and recognized by people who know about such things as the best such agency in the world. And the reason they are the best is quite simple:

If they weren't, there would be no Israel.

Seriously. Mossad makes the CIA look like a gaggle of Cub Scouts—and I have a sneaky feeling that right now Hezbollah would grudgingly agree with that assessment if they were being honest. As I'm sure you've heard, recently 5,000 pagers used by Lebanese Islamic terrorist group Hezbollah all exploded simultaneously, injuring about 3,000 of these terrorists—many seriously, and killing several dozen others.

At some point in recent months, Hezbollah wisely made the decision to replace all their cell phones with relatively low-tech, one-way pagers. The motivation behind this decision had to do with security, because modern cell phones transmit signals and so can be traced, which means the user's location can be pinpointed. So, Hezbollah saw this as a way to protect their troops from being located by the IDF.

Seemed like a good idea at the time.

Unfortunately for Hezbollah, however, Mossad became aware of this decision early on. When Hezbollah purchased 5,000 pagers to equip a number of their men a couple of months ago, they ordered them from a little-known company in Hungary called BAC Consulting. This obscure company manufactures pagers under a license from a Taiwanese firm called Gold Apollo (and FWIW, I've lived in Taiwan for 32 years and I've never heard of them).

But here's where it gets interesting. It is believed by many that BAC Consulting in Hungary is actually a front set up by Mossad, and the reason they did so was because they were planning such a large-scale operation. This was on a much bigger scale than assassinating one individual, or spiking the punch with cyanide at a Hezbollah birthday party, or some such. This was BIG.

So, the key question is this:

How exactly did senior officials of Hezbollah end up ordering 5,000 Gold Apollo Model AR-924 pagers from an obscure firm in Budapest?

We don't know that for certain yet. But it is likely that high-level Hezbollah officials are ripping their ranks apart trying to identify a potential traitor in their midst as we speak.

As for the explosions, first a message alert was sent out to all the pagers. This was to ensure that a maximum number of personnel would actually be holding and/or looking at their pagers at the time. A few seconds later, all 5,000 pagers were detonated simultaneously by one coded signal.

KA-BOOM!

I like to call this Operation "You've Got a Message." And that message is straight from the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob:

I will bless them that bless you,
and curse him that curses you.

Of course, government officials from President Isaac Herzog on down are flatly denying any Israeli involvement in the pager operation. No surprise there. But if Israel is planning an attack on Hezbollah, crippling their communication network would sure be a good first step.

And as far as what Hezbollah is currently planning to use as a communication system is concerned...

I suspect they haven't ruled out smoke signals.

I admit that reading about Operation "You've Got a Message" gave me some weird ideas about how the Rapture might unfold. Of course, it's difficult for us to visualize exactly how the Rapture will go down, but can you imagine every living believer on earth simultaneously receiving a message from the Holy Spirit that gets our attention, and a split second later we get changed into our glorified bodies and go WHOOSH into the clouds?

What could we call it? How about...

Operation "Come Up Here."

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10/1/2024 — From the "One Step Closer" Department...

As you may have heard, on September 27 the IDF carried out a pinpoint strike in southern Beirut which killed Hassan Nasrallah, the commander of Islamic terrorist group Hezbollah. Together with other very recent strikes of a similar nature—not to mention a covert op carried out by Mossad that caused 5,000 Hezbollah pagers to explode recently, Israel has successfully decimated the leadership of Hezbollah and left them reeling.

All together, these recent strikes have killed the following Hezbollah kingpins:

1. Hassan Nasrallah: Nasrallah had been the leader of Hezbollah since 1992, and was responsible for amassing a huge stockpile of weapons in Lebanon to be used against Israel. He had recently been working even more closely with Iranian leaders than ever before, and his death is a severe blow to the Islamic terrorist group.

2. Nabil Kaouk: Kaouk was the deputy head of Hezbollah's Central Council. A part of Hezbollah since its early days in the 1980s, Kaouk was seen as a possible successor to Nasrallah.

3. Ibrahim Akil: Akil was the leader of Hezbollah's Radwan Forces, an elite group operating out of southern Lebanon that Israel has been attempting to push further away from its border. He was also a member of Hezbollah's highest-level military group, the Jihad Council, and has been linked with the 1983 bombing of the the U.S. Embassy in Beirut.

4. Ahmad Wehbe: Wehbe was the commander and one of the founders of the Radwan Forces.

5. Ali Karaki: Karaki was the leader of Hezbollah's southern front, and has been described as a key figure in Hezbollah's leadership. He was killed in the same strike that took out Nasrallah.

6. Mohammad Surour: Surour led Hezbollah's drone unit, which was used for the first time in the current conflict with the IDF. Under his leadership, Hezbollah successfully launched both weaponized and reconnaissance drones deep into Israeli territory that passed through Israel's defense systems, which were focused primarily on Hezbollah's rockets and missiles.

7. Ibrahim Kobeissi: Kobeissi was the leader of Hezbollah's missile unit, and according to the Israeli military planned the kidnapping and murder of three Israeli soldiers in 2000.

There are more, but this is a Top Seven list of those who have been taken out in very recent strikes. Naturally, Hezbollah is doing its best to minimize these losses, curtly stating that these individuals have been replaced. Right.

Now it is being reported that IDF ground forces have crossed into southern Lebanon, marking a major escalation of the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, which haven't engaged in ground conflict since 2006.

Both Israel and Hezbollah have been preparing for this escalation in the fighting for months (in a sense, they have been preparing for it since 2006), and Israel has described these ground incursions as "limited, localized, and targeted."

Of course, the hand-wringing is in full swing. Joe Biden promised to "speak with" Israeli leaders, stating that an all-out war in the Middle East must be avoided (especially this close to a U.S. election).

But as for the ongoing development of Bible prophecy, this push by Israel is certain to ramp up the pressure on Iran to play the role of the BDB (Big Dog on the Block), and is certainly a significant push in the direction of the major orchestrated attack on Israel described in Ezekiel 37–39.

Which just got one step closer.

10/8/2024 — From the "Forever War" Department...

As we mark the one-year anniversary of the insanely bloody attack on innocent Israeli citizens by terrorist group Hamas on October 7, 2023, many are looking back over the events of the past year to see where we stand—to see what hope we have for a resolution to the conflict.

According to Alexander Smith, a senior reporter for NBC News Digital, any such "glimmers of hope have been shredded."

In an article posted at the website of NBC News, Smith paints a fairly gloomy picture of the current state of affairs that exists among Israel, Hamas, Hezbollah, and Iran. Of course, as a writer for NBC, Smith is obligated to equate the unspeakable horrors inflicted on innocent Israeli citizens with the unavoidable death and destruction resulting from Israel's determined, focused efforts to root out an enemy that deliberately hides behind its own schools and hospitals and that will attack Israel again and again in like manner until they are destroyed. And let me be crystal clear:

Equating these two things is far beyond illogical:
It is purposefully vile and utterly unconscionable.

Unfortunately that doesn't prevent it from being de rigueur for those locked in orbit around Planet Mainstream Media.

It is certainly true, however, that the situation is looking more and more like an inexorable slide into World War III. In his article, Smith quotes Frank Lowenstein, special envoy for Israeli-Palestinian negotiations under Barack Obama. In the opinion of Lowenstein:

"There's no endgame—it's starting to feel like a forever war."

I can certainly understand the world's feelings about the situation, because nothing resembling a peaceful settlement appears to be on the horizon. On one side, we have an axis of groups that are maniacally committed to the destruction of the nation of Israel and the obliteration of the Jewish people. On the other side, we have a Jewish nation that is trying to defend itself, and that is turning out to be a far more formidable foe than their enemies bargained for. And nobody is backing off; nobody is backing down.

In the eyes of the world, it really does look like a "forever war."

But as born-again believers who study and seek to understand God's Word, we know this is not true. We know where this is heading. We know the end result. Why? Because the Word of God tells us in black and white:

We know this is leading to a coalition of nations including Russia, Iran, Turkey, and several Northern African nations attempting to descend upon Israel to destroy it, but this attack will be miraculously thwarted by the hand of God. We know a seven-year peace treaty between Israel and her enemies will ensue in the aftermath, which will be confirmed by a man who will rise to the position of global dictator and who will rule a global government with a global economic system and a global religion. We know that at the midpoint of that seven-year period, he will appear to be killed and yet will live, and he will force the world to worship him as God on the pain of death. He will seek to finish the job of killing every last Jew until the climax of that seven-year period, when Christ will return to save them and will cast that global leader and his religious compadre into the lake of fire and slay all his followers. Then Christ will establish His 1,000-year kingdom on earth, assisted by the Church, which was raptured before what I just described got off the ground. In other words...

We also know we won't be here to see all this play out.

So, Mr. Lowenstein, there is an endgame, and that game ends with the Christ ruling His 1,000-year kingdom on earth that God promised His people thousands of years ago. And there isn't a "forever war," because that massive conflict you dread so much is going to be nipped in the bud by the mighty hand of a God who fights for His people.

I just pray that you will come to know the Ruler of that 1,000-year kingdom while there is still time.

10/15/2024 — From the "You-Know-What" Department...

On October 1, Iran launched a barrage of missiles at Israel in retaliation for their series of pinpoint missile strikes that successfully eliminated the entire upper echelon of terrorist group Hezbollah's command structure, including leader Hassan Nasrallah.

And so it should come as no surprise that Israel is currently mulling over an appropriate military response to that attack.

Considering how effective Iran's missiles were, however, I'm thinking Israel might respond with a dozen or so spitballs.

Israel's air defense systems intercepted nearly all of Iran's missiles, and the handful it didn't intercept plopped harmlessly into the sand away from any populated areas, causing very little if any damage. If I were Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, I'd almost feel embarrassed to even talk about retaliation. I'd be tempted to just tell Iran:

"Retaliate? Naah...forget about it. Better luck next time!

But retaliate they will...that's how war works. Israel is currently mulling over what targets to hit in response, and according to an article posted at NBC News, Israel is considering Iranian military and energy infrastructure, as U.S. officials are urging Israel to make their response proportional, and focus on military targets and avoid gas, oil, and nuclear facilities.

Speaking of which...I have a funny feeling those may come a bit later.

Israel has repeatedly and publicly declared that they will do whatever is necessary in order to prevent Iran from completing a nuclear weapon, a finish line that experts say is anywhere from a matter of weeks to a few months away. So Israel may avoid the nuclear facilities for now, but don't be surprised if they take such action at some point in the foreseeable future to set Iran's nuclear progress back enough to give themselves some breathing room.

And when they do, it just may blow the lid off things and shove the world headlong into you-know-what.

Ezekiel 38–39?! Oh, you do know what!

10/22/2024 — From the "Main Event" Department...

About three weeks ago, Iran unleashed a major barrage of missiles on Israel, ostensibly in retaliation for Israel's offing of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah (which was the crowning jewel in their elimination of the entire upper echelon of Hezbollah's command structure).

As "major" as this barrage of Iranian missiles was, however, Israel's air-defense systems intercepted vitually every missile—and most of the few that managed to slip though their defenses landed in the desert, although there was one reported death of a Palestinian man and a small amount of scattered minor damage. And I've noticed recently that most mainstream media reports only mention the (one) death and the (minor) damage. Surprise, surprise.

But in spite of the impotence of Iran's attack (which according to observers, was rendered impotent by nothing less than the hand of the God of Israel), the Israelis are determined to retaliate with a little barrage of their own.

No big secret there.

But Israel's plans for that retaliatory attack were secret...top secret, as a matter of fact—as plans for any attack of that nature certainly would be.

But oddly enough, Israel's attack plans showed up on messaging app Telegram, on a pro-Iranian Telegram channel apparently based in Tehran. The channel owner claimed he got the documents from a source in the Pentagon, and U.S. officials are investigating to determine whether the documents were leaked deliberately, or obtained through a computer hack of some type. They are also trying to determine exactly who had access to the documents.

Of course, the Pentagon and the IDF have "no further comments." It's almost a sure bet that someone in the U.S. intelligence community has some loose lips, and seeks to undermine Israel's military moves against their number one enemy, Iran. And that shouldn't shock anyone, because it has happened before on more than one occasion.

But loose lips or no loose lips, Israel's plan to retaliate against Iran will proceed...according to some before the U.S. election on November 5. Whether it will focus on the same targets as indicated in the leaked documents remains unknown, however. Frankly, however, I have a feeling it doesn't matter.

Why? Because both Israel and the world are watching God fight for His people, and please understand two things:

1. A few leaked documents aren't going to stop Him.
2. The show is just getting started.

Things are steadily building up to the main event, where the world will witness God decimate a huge existential attack on His people in the form of Gog-Magog. And when they do, both Israel and the whole world will know beyond a shadow of a doubt that God fights for His people.

And that God always wins.

Of course, this main event involves Israel and others who seek to destroy the Jewish nation. This has nothing to do with the Church. Our main event will already be over.

We will have already taken a bow and exited stage up.

10/29/2024 — From the "Take-a-Spoil Hotline" Department...

It took about four weeks, but this round is complete. On Sunday, Israel launched its anticipated retaliatory strike against Iran, hitting drone and ballistic missile production and launch sites, and also air defense batteries. According to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the strikes were "precise and powerful" and achieved all of Israel's goals.

On the other hand, however, according to Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, it was a "mistake."

It is important to note that the targets struck by Israel were limited to strategic military targets. They didn't go after any nuclear or oil facilities, perhaps due in part to pressure from the United States, who urged Netanyahu to limit the attack to military targets.

In my October article, I discuss the fact that I believe Israel will in fact strike at least some Iran's nuclear weapons facilities at some point, but I also noted that they may not do so in their upcoming retaliatory strike. So, at least I got that part right. However, I couldn't help but be intrigued by something I read in an article at the Times of Israel.

According to the article, Israel's airstrikes severely damaged Iran's ability to produce long-range ballistic missiles, and that it will be difficult and time-consuming to get the production of such missiles back up to snuff. It also reported that critical energy facilities were left more open to future attacks by the destruction of air defense batteries the protected them.

In addition, the strike by Israel was one of its largest ever, in terms of both its scale, its duration, and the distances involved. And Israel openly acknowledged responsibility for the attack immediately, unlike previous occasions when there has often been an air of coyness about things. But not this time, oh no. This time it was more like...

"There...we slapped ya back. How do you like them apples?"

Add to this the fact that this strike of Israel's that did some significant damage was in retaliation for a barrage of missiles that Iran fired at Israel on October 1 that did very little damage, and zero operational damage.

So what's my point? Despite all the inflammatory bluster coming from Iran, one thing is shining through clearly to any casual observer:

Israel looks strong,
and Iran looks weak.

I can't say it any more plainly. Of course, from the viewpoint of any believer, it is clear that God is fighting for Israel. And Iran? Not so much. Iran's efforts are looking uncoordinated and ineffective, while Israel's efforts are looking, as Netanyahu said, powerful and precise. It is completely clear that Israel could have easily done much more extensive damage to anything in Iran it jolly well pleased, but simply refrained from doing so for its own reasons.

And why is this noteworthy? Simple: It strikes me that this is contributing to exactly the kind of atmosphere that will lead Iran to join with Russia and Turkey and several Northern African nations in order to stomp Israel out of existence, rather that attempting to do it all by its lonesome, as they have long dreamed of doing. Iran is beginning to make out a bit more of the handwriting on the wall, and they are beginning to realize, along with the rest of the world, that Israel is a far more formidable foe than they imagined.

As a result, this unpleasant reality is going to make Iran more inclined to respond in the affirmative when they get a call on the Take-a-Spoil Hotline from their buddy Vladimir. And Vlad doesn't even have to write down that hotline number, because it's pretty easy to remember:

1-800-EZE-3839.

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11/5/2024 — From the "Hunker Down" Department...

Well, they tried burying him under a mountain of bogus lawsuits, and that failed. They tried killing him...twice, and both attempts failed. So what's left? How to stop the Orange Man? How to ensure once again that Donald Trump gets nowhere near the White House? Everybody in the entire country should know the answer to that one:

The same way they stopped him four years ago.

And how was that?

The f-word: fraud.

Call me crazy, but I have a suspicion that techniques similar to the ones used in the theft of the 2020 election are in play as we speak, perhaps bolstered with some new, improved technology. I may be wrong. I hope I'm wrong. But that's the sneaky feeling I'm getting, and it just won't go away.

I thought the Democrats would have something better planned this time around to stop Trump. And actually they did—relentless lawfare...and if that didn't work, assassination. But as I said: FAIL...FAIL...FAIL.

As a result of the failure of every other attempt to derail Trump's drive to get back in the White House, something tells me the Democrats have been left with no recourse but to turn to their old tried-and-true standby:

Cheating.

The way I look at it, they would be stupid not to. They got away with it scot-free four years ago, largely by siccing the dogs of the mainstream media on anyone who so much as acknowledged the existence of the tons of evidence of fraud that was uncovered in the weeks following the election.

And it worked. Hey, if it ain't broke, don't fix it and all that.

In my opinion, one of the things that is emanating the distinct odor of a repeat of the 2020-style fraud are fake polls, or certain polls that show Trump and Harris neck and neck in key places where there is reason to believe Trump has a clear (and growing) edge. One prominent Democratic pollster came out recently and decried these fake polls, and said that he personally had Trump up 55% to 45% nationally.

Not exactly neck and neck.

The Democrats did something very similar in 2020. Numerous fake polls were released that had Biden much closer than he actually was, and there was a very good reason for that:

That made the fraud more believable.

Fake polls were the sugar that made the medicine go down. Millions of people around the country just rubbed their chins and mused:

"Well, you know the polls showed Biden was real close, so I guess I can believe it. And CNN said all those claims of voter fraud are baseless."

And that's exactly what we've seen over the last few weeks: Polls making people on both sides think, "Gosh...you know, this election could go either way!" Call me jaded, but in my mind that's a clue.

Another possibility, of course, is that the Democrats have secretly conceded that it's "too big to rig" at this point and have something far more sinister planned if Trump gets in the White House...which it appears he will, given a fraud-free election. And it's too horrifying for me to even speculate as to what such sinister plans might entail.

As I discuss in my current article, it may be God's plan to have Trump actually win this election. Why?

To give this country and the believers who
dwell in it one final lift before the Big Lift.

But whoever wins, things are probably going to be pretty tumultuous in the aftermath of this election.

So may God keep His hand of protection on each one of you as we hunker down and watch how all this turns out, because I have a feeling it's going to be pretty intense no matter who is declared the winner, with lies, deception, and accusations flying like artillery fire.

But whatever happens, keep looking forward the the Big Lift!

11/12/2024 — From the "Two Out of Three Ain't Bad" Department...

It saddens me to say it, but there were a number of charismatic Christians who prophesied a Trump victory in the 2024 election...just like they did last time and the time before that.

If you're keeping score at home, you will note that those who prophesied a Trump victory in 2016 and again in 2020 are sitting at 50 percent accuracy. But for the third and presumably final time, many of those same self-proclaimed prophets came out with more prophecies of a Trump win in this election, and those who did chalked up another hit. So those individuals now stand at a whopping 67 percent accuracy.

Hey, two out of three ain't bad, right?

Oh, but wait a second...there's this Old Testament verse that's buzzing around in the back of my mind. Oh, what was that...oh yeah:

Ouch. In other words, God's standard for prophets in the Old Testament was simple: If they prophesied one single thing that failed to come to pass as prophesied, they were false prophets and were to be put to death. And last time I checked, God's standards weren't subject to change.

Yeah, yeah, I know...we're not under the Law of Moses. But at the very least this verse puts on display God's attitude toward those who speak forth spurious things they claim came from Him, but didn't. And just to be clear:

If anything they prophesy fails to come to pass exactly as prophesied, then there is absolutely zero chance that it came from Him. Period.

I hope I didn't lose anyone...I realize that's a pretty deep statement that's bound to furrow a few brows. If necessary, go back and read it again.

A number of these self-proclaimed prophets, however, are seeking to clean up their record a bit by explaining away their errant prophecies in 2020 as really being intended for 2024. Perhaps they misheard God, or God coughed a bit at the words "two thousand and twenty." And as lame and self-serving as that is, they are completely serious.

Never mind the fact that the prophecies most of these people spewed in 2020 bear no trace of ambiguity about the fact that they were prophesying in regard to that election.

Look, I don't care how you feel about Trump. But love him or hate him, don't pay a lick of attention to such self-proclaimed prophets who claim they are hearing from and speak for God. Why?

Because they aren't and they don't.

(See this month's Blast From the Past for more.)

11/26/2024 — From the "Going Global" Department...

I might have known. Now that Donald Trump has stunned the Democrats and the left-wing liberals with a resounding election win, they suddenly realize they only have until January 20, 2025 to plunge the world into chaos so that Trump and his team will be forced to struggle mightily to fix it.

And with any luck at all, fail.

One of the initial lurches toward that goal is the Biden administration's reckless and irresponsible decision to give Ukraine carte blanche to use American long–range missiles directly against Russia, a move that is widely being viewed as exactly what it is:

An attempt to plunge the world into World War III just to make Donald Trump and his new administration look weak and helpless by dumping them headfirst into a mad, futile scramble to get things under control.

Yes, it's infuriating. Yes, we should have seen this coming (and some did). And I just want to remind you that this is the kind of government we've had for the last four years thanks to the deep state, their cardboard-cutout prezzzident, and hordes of liberal, left-wing globalists who seek nothing but their own wealth, power, and control. (And that certainly includes one washed-up presidential candydate named Kamala Harris.)

Yes, believe it or not, they really are that evil, corrupt, and indifferent to the needs and interests of millions of average Americans.

And now they're in panic mode.

It's DEFCON 1 for the Democrats. Why? Because all of a sudden they see their wealth, power, and control as being in jeopardy. Tsk, tsk, tsk... Sorry, guys, no more secret, highly profitable investments in those Ukrainian biolabs. Oh, I'm sorry...how do I know this? Simple:

For one thing, the mainstream media caustically dismisses it as just another right-wing conspiracy theory.

With all due respect, that should tell any clear-thinking individual pretty much everything they need to know.

Of course, maybe you assume I'm just another MAGA extremist—a threat to democracy that needs to be silenced and removed for the good of the country. Well, conservative Americans aren't the only ones who feel this way:

This is going global.

Sven von Storch is a Chilean-German businessman who collaborates with conservative leaders in Germany and who strongly supports a conservative political group called Alternative für Deutschland (AfD), or Alternative for Germany. He recently wrote a letter to Trump, and I want to post it in its entirety because it says what needs to be said:

Dear President Trump,

The Deep State and the globalists want to prevent you from taking over the new administration by driving the world into a great war.

The first step in this direction is that the Biden administration has allowed Ukraine to use American long-range missiles to attack Russia directly.

In doing so, the globalists want to force a hot war between NATO and Russia.

A war that, on the one hand, is intended to prevent the handover of power to you in Washington. [Not sure how realistic a possibiity that is, but at the very least they want to see Trump fail. Ed.]

And a war that, on the other hand, is intended to destroy the order and freedom of our nations and our civilization.

In doing so, they want to impose a new totalitarian globalist world order on us.

But you know that better than anyone.

You are the only person who, together with your allies, can prevent this war and this catastrophe now.

We, the people of good will in Germany, Europe and the whole world, are now at your side and ready to support this peace mission.

Please act now, stop the war. Time is running out.

God bless you, our families and all free and sovereign nations of this world.

Thank you.

All I can say is "Ich kann dir gar nicht genug danken, Herr von Storch."

("I can't thank you enough, Mr. von Storch.")

And I might add to that from God's Word: "Siehe, ich komme bald."

("Behold, I come quickly.")

 JAN  FEB  MAR  APR  MAY  JUN 
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12/3/2024 — From the "Convicted Felon" Department...

Ever since November 5, the American public has been peppered with the words "convicted felon" or words to that effect in regard to Trump's victory in the 2024 election. You've all seen and heard them, flowing freely and repeatedly from some of the most respected mainstream media outlets in the country:

• "Donald Trump has been reelected to the White House as a convicted felon who is awaiting sentencing in his hush money case..." — CNN [Source]

• "Guilty: Trump becomes first former US president convicted of felony crimes." — The Associated Press [Source]

• "He was already the first former president ever to be charged with and convicted of felonies. Now he has become the first convicted felon ever to win a presidential election." — Politico [Source]

• "The first former president to be convicted of a felony is now also the first convicted felon to be elected as president." — The Atlantic [Source]

Legions of mainstream media pundits are taking great delight in tossing those words around, and I know full well why they are doing it:

They literally can't help themselves from taking advantage of every available opportunity to sway the American public into accepting without question the left-wing liberal narrative that Orange Man Bad.

Why? Because...he is, that's why. Because we say so. And you will continue to listen to us and believe us, or you will be lumped in with all those right-wing MAGA extremists who are a threat to democracy and must be silenced.

And you sure don't want that, now do you?

Yes, Trump was convicted of felonies, most of which were deliberately dummied-up lies that are crumbling like Christmas cookies, much to the horror of people like Jack Smith. Smith is the Special Counsel for the United States Department of Justice who went all out in a desperate attempt to sink the evil Orange Man's chances at getting re-elected (and whose furious backpedaling, if harnessed, could provide electrical power for a medium-sized city).

It occurs to me, however, that to persistently snag every opportunity to call Trump a "convicted felon" under these circumstances has a biblical equivalent. Now, please don't think for a second that I am preparing to compare Donald Trump to Jesus Christ—I'm certainly not. Trump's just another sinner like the rest of us.

What these interminable cries of "Trump's a convicted felon!! Trump's a convicted felon!!" remind me of is the way Jesus was charged with the capital crime of blasphemy (the first-century equivalent of a felony) by the Jewish religious leaders based on bogus, fabricated charges, tried in a series of illegal trials, wrongly convicted with the aid of conflicting testimony from false witnesses, and sentenced to die by crucifixion by Pontius Pilate, governor of the Roman province of Judaea.

Now, consider the following little Q&A:

Q. Was Jesus actually guilty of blasphemy?

A. No. They were bogus, dummied-up charges.

Q. Did the Pharisees continue calling Jesus a "blasphemer"?

A. Yes, and the Jews do so to this day.

But Jesus was charged and found guilty, so technically that would make Him a convicted felon in the eyes of many.

Here's my point: As we watch the flimsy, fabricated charges against Trump crumble into the dust, and we listen to people in the mainstream media continue to dance and sing that Trump is a "convicted felon," I can't help but see the similarities between them and the Pharisees in Israel who sought to destroy Jesus two thousand years ago.

So to all those who delight in continuing to call Trump a "convicted felon":

I finally pinned down the category you are placing yourself in.

Bottom line: If you insist on continuing to call Donald Trump a convicted felon, that's fine. But just be aware that doing so leaves you no choice but to call Jesus a convicted felon as well. And just for the record:

The only "convicted felon" I worship is Jesus.

12/10/2024 — From the "Plan in the Works" Department...

As I'm sure you've heard, Syria's government under President Bashar al-Assad has fallen, with Assad fleeing the country for Russia and Syrian rebels taking over the country. Although this chaotic situation is certainly going to be shaking out in the coming weeks, one thing is already crystal clear:

God is stirring the pot: This is a stunning development that clearly has great potential to influence the ongoing fulfillment of Bible prophecy.

For a number of years, both Russia and Iran have effectively been using Syria as a staging area for military muscle in the region—muscle that has Israel in its crosshairs. Iran has basically used Syria as a loading ramp to keep its terrorist proxies like Hamas and Hezbollah supplied with weapons, and Russia has also maintained a military presence in Syria.

The basic story I'm getting from various sources, however, involves America's newly elected president. According to some, Trump has been able to influence to some degree both Xi Jinping of China (who also propped up Assad's regime) and Vladimir Putin of Russia—at least enough to dissuade them from getting involved in Syria's internal conflict and let Assad's government fall. All involved are evacuating military personnel from Syria as I write this.

Released from the burden of supporting Syria, however, Russia would be able to deal with Ukraine from a position of greater strength. As a result, the goal of a brokered resolution to the Russia-Ukraine war may well come into view.

But think about it: It does seem odd that as Assad's regime fell, Russia, China, and Iran all sat on their hands when they could have conceivably stepped in to aid and protect Assad's government.

That sends a message, and the message is that the power brokers have a plan in the works.

(It also makes one other thing quite clear...as if it wasn't already patently obvious: Those power brokers include Trump, and do not include Biden.)

The chaos in Syria has also allowed Israel to do more to secure its border with Syria, and the Israelis have already taken full advantage of it by striking a number of Syrian chemical weapon and missile sites near the border.

One thing that stands out to me as being prophetically significant about all this is the fact that one of the paramount goals of the current flurry of events is to bring the Russia-Ukraine war to an end.

"That's just swell, Bible Dude...but why is that prophetically significant?"

Easy: There is zero chance of Russia leading a coalition of nations in an existential attack against Israel while they are bogged down, slip-sliding away in Ukraine. Not gonna happen. So any talk of Russia's conflict with Ukraine coming to end should cause all prophetically knowledgeable believers to prick up their ears, because that helps clear the way for a date with Gog-Magog.

We will all have to simply wait and see how all this turns out, however. We may know the major prophetic milestones, but we don't know exactly what route the world will take to connect them.

But there is a God in heaven who does,
and He clearly has a plan in the works.

12/17/2024 — From the "Happy Hanukkah" Department...

According to recent reports, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has stated that a ceasefire-hostage deal to end the conflict between Israel and Hamas and win the release of the remaining hostages that were taken on October 7, 2023 could be struck within a matter of weeks...possibly by the upcoming celebration of Hanukkah (Dec. 25–Jan. 2).

One of the key sticking points has been the number of hostages to be released within the "humanitarian" category, with Hamas low-balling Israel in this regard. Netanyahu spoke on the phone with President-elect Trump recently, and stressed the need for the U.S. to pressure Hamas to release a much higher number of hostages in this category—and there is optimism among Israeli leaders that a deal can in fact be reached.

Israel believes that of the 251 hostages originally taken, 96 remain. Of those 96, 34 are confirmed dead by the IDF, leaving 62 who may still be released alive should a deal be reached.

According to the Wall Street Journal, Hamas recently capitulated to an Israeli demand that the IDF remain in Gaza temporarily under such a deal. This is a ray of hope for Israel, since Hamas had previously refused to release any more hostages unless and until Israel agrees to completely end their hostilities toward Hamas and withdraw completely from Gaza.

In related news, Israel has carried out waves of airstrikes on positions in Syria that have eliminated about 80 percent of the Assad regime's military assets. This has many in Israel breathing a sigh of relief, since there has been understandable concern that such assets could fall into the wrong hands amid the current chaos in Syria.

And Israelis spell "wrong hands" as "Islamist, jihadist-led rebel forces."

It is clear that things are changing rapidly in the Middle East, and so we have to be on our toes to keep up with developments. As Netanyahu said recently:

"(Israel is) changing the Middle East. Syria is not the same Syria, Lebanon is not the same Lebanon, Gaza is not the same Gaza, and the leader of the axis—Iran—is not the same Iran."

But one thing that hasn't changed is God's prophetic Word. As I keep saying: The same prophetic milestones are in our future. We may not know the exact route God will take to connect them, but they haven't changed one iota.

Now that I think about it, perhaps it's a bit ironic that the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah begins on Christmas Day this year, the day on which Christians the world over have long celebrated the birth of our Lord, our Savior, and our soon coming King. It goes without saying that a deal that releases the remaining Israeli hostages from their captivity would certainly make for a Happy Hanukkah for Israel.

And the sound of a trumpet that releases all born-again believers from our "captivity" in this sin-infested world would certainly make for a Merry Christmas for us.

12/24/2024 — From the "Nothing Has Changed" Department...

Just a few months ago, Iran loomed over the Middle East like a fire-breathing dragon, threatening Israel through its heavily armed terrorist proxies Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon.

What a difference a few months make.

Since then, you might say things have changed. All of a sudden, Iran is in a position that can only be described as vulnerable: Its proxies Hamas and the more powerful Hezbollah have been pounded by Israeli forces and greatly weakened, and Iran has seen its sophisticated air defense batteries destroyed, leaving them open to similar (if not even more damaging) future attacks.

About the only thing that hasn't happened (at least not yet) is a direct Israeli attack on Iran's nuclear weapons facilities. And the IDF has openly proved that such an attack is eminently doable—and that they wouldn't so much as bat an eye if things came to that.

Tsk tsk tsk...what's a wannabe Middle East bully to do?

Of course, many people are looking at the current situation and hoping it will force Iran to come to their senses and ease off on their demonically inspired drive to destroy Israel. Many people are hopeful that the chances of a major conflagration in the Middle East are diminishing as a result of these recent events. But are they?

You know, demonically inspired drives are funny things:

The lead the victim to do irrational things.

It would be completely rational for Iran to back off from their utterly insane drive to destroy Israel. It would make perfect sense for them to rethink their maniacal goal of attaining nuclear weapons with which to do just that. Some might even say that's where the smart money is in regard to Iran. Why?

From our limited human perspective, things have changed.

But one thing hasn't changed, and that's the fact that we read in Scripture that Iran will join with Russia, Turkey, and several Northern African nations in an existential attack intended to wipe Israel off the map and in the process take a spoil, which in this case would be Israel's huge deposits of natural gas.

And seeing Iran stumbling into a much more vulnerable position takes us a step closer to the point where they would jump at the chance to join forces with their Israel-loathing BFFs to do the deed—which is exactly what Scripture tells us will happen.

From God's perspective, nothing has changed.

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