Hal Lindsey : 3.17.18

March 16th, 2018

A few days ago, South Korea's National Security Advisor, Chung Eui-yong made a dramatic announcement. Standing outside the White House on a cold Washington evening, Chung told the press that North Korea's Kim Jong-un had personally asked him to arrange a face-to-face meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump as soon as possible.

Chung had then traveled to the U.S. to convey that request personally to President Trump. The President immediately decided to accept the invitation and asked Chung to inform the media.

The speed of these developments has stunned everyone: world leaders, reporters, Congress, even members of the Administration. Things like this are supposed to take months, not days. Usually, several weeks are spent discussing the shape of the negotiating table.

The President has indicated that he wants to meet Kim by May.

Already, the President has encountered substantial criticism. (No surprise there.) Some say that by requesting meetings, Kim is stalling to give his scientists time to finish their work on the hydrogen bomb and ICBMs they're developing.

Some say that Trump is rushing things by demanding a meeting as early as May. However, it seems to me that by requesting a meeting as soon as possible, Kim will be forced to put up or shut up, and do it fast.

The President has said that he will not ease the sanctions against North Korea in the meantime. He plans to continue the intense economic pressure that has brought Kim to the table in the first place.

Further, the President is insisting that Kim stop all work on nuclear development immediately as a condition for the meeting.

Another criticism of the possible meeting is that, by meeting face-to-face with Kim, President Trump is bestowing credibility on him. However, the CIA has determined Kim to be a "rational actor" who is capable of making rational decisions when given the appropriate information and options. And, the man commands an arsenal of as many as a hundred nuclear devices!

So President Trump has decided that talking is better than fighting, as least for now.

In Matthew 24:6, Jesus warned that in the time leading up to His return, there would be "wars and rumors of wars." Let's pray that the world's confrontation with North Korea will turn out to be just a "rumor of war."

On the other hand, Russian President Vladimir Putin is ratcheting up the rumors.

A couple of weeks ago, Putin made a very public speech in which he detailed -- with videos and graphic animations -- some of the major advances in Russian weapons.

It was an impressive show.

He showcased a new hypersonic cruise missile that travels at ten times the speed of sound. It not only carries a nuclear payload, but it is nuclear powered. Which means it has virtually unlimited range.

NORAD Commander General Lori Robinson (USAF) told Congress that Russia's new generation of cruise missiles possess the "capability to hold targets at risk at ranges we haven't seen before."

Russia's new RS-28 ICBM, labeled "Satan 2" by NATO, has enough power and range to approach the United States from the South Pole rather than arriving from over the North Pole -- which is where all of our defenses are aimed.

Our defenses are geared to intercept suborbital ICBMs. The RS-28's re-entry vehicle is "maneuverable," which gives it a greater chance of evading U.S. defense systems.

Further, Putin announced that Russia has developed a nuclear underwater drone. It has the ability to travel thousands of miles before taking out a coastal city or an aircraft carrier group.

But Russia isn't the only nation frantically developing doomsday weapons.

As the manufacturing center of the world, China is using its technological prowess to develop next-generation weapons of war. They've just introduced a futuristic stealth fighter jet. They're putting new, cutting-edge submarines into service.

Most importantly, China is emphasizing high-tech and space weapons. One of their priorities is to gain the ability to disable or destroy enemy satellites. And since many critics say America's military is "overdependent" on satellites, that makes our nation highly vulnerable to such weapons.

And as technology get simultaneously cheaper and more sophisticated, smaller countries are able to enter the doomsday weapons sweepstakes.

Bible prophecy describes planet earth of the future as being wracked by a series of battle more devastating, by far, than anything known to history. It will culminate in Armegeddon.

It looks like we are well on our way!

No reasonable person can deny this statement: The Jews are a miracle!

It is miraculous that they exist as a people; that they have regathered in their ancient homeland; that Israel has reconstituted as an independent nation; and that Jerusalem is again its capital.

Even after thousands of years of dispersion throughout the world, the Jews have remained a distinct people. In 1754, Bishop Thomas Newton wrote: "Their preservation is really one of the most illustrious acts of Divine Providence.... What but a supernatural power could have preserved them in such a manner as no other nation on earth has been preserved?"

And he said that long before Hitler's "Final Solution" or the regathering of Jews to the Promised Land!

In just a few weeks, Israel will celebrate 70 years as a modern nation. This is just what the Bible said would happen!

In the last few decades, we've seen prophecies fulfilled that previous generations had written off as impossible. But the Jews have an even bigger miracle in their future. One day, the blindfold will come off and the Children of Israel will recognize Jesus as their Messiah.

Romans 11:26 promises that sometime in the future "...all Israel will be saved." It will take place during the Tribulation. As we get closer to those days, we see signs of things that lie ahead.

We may be witnessing a "thawing" of the Jews' historic coldness toward Jesus Christ. A recent Barna Group survey revealed that 22% of Jewish millennials agree with the statement that Jesus was "God in human form who lived among people in the first century." That's more than one-fifth of young Jews!

Further, another 29% do not acknowledge Him as God, but believe that Jesus was "a prophet or spiritual leader...." That's significant because it shows a growing level of respect for Jesus among young Jews.

These findings are not the fulfillment of Romans 11, but they may be an exciting precursor of that fulfillment. And they may be one of the strongest signs yet that we are getting extremely close to the end of this age.

Finally, this week I will share with you a little review of "Humanity's Biography."

In the beginning, God gave Man the privilege and responsibility to rule the earth. He gave them a perfect, luxurious environment. Adam and Eve were brilliant and were the most beautiful Homo sapiens to ever walk the earth. All their needs and wants were provided. And they had personal fellowship with God.

Yet they threw it all away. And, in a flash, things changed drastically for mankind.

It was tragic. But it was not irretrievable.

When humanity fell from its perfect created state, God launched His plan to redeem it. A plan that had been in place "from the foundation of the world." (Revelation 13:8)

Don't miss this week's Report on TBN, Daystar, CPM Network, various local stations, www.hallindsey.com or www.hischannel.com. Please check your local listings.

God Bless,

Hal Lindsey