Jesus Sees and Soon the Entire World Will Witness His Dramatic Intervention

 Jesus Sees and Soon the Entire World Will Witness His Dramatic Intervention – By Jonathan Brentner - https://harbingersdaily.com/jesus-sees-and-soon-the-entire-world-will-witness-his-dramatic-intervention/ The questions that Habakkuk asked long ago in ancient Judah resonate again in today’s world: Habakkuk 1:2-3 KJV – “O Lord, how long shall I cry, and thou wilt not hear! even cry out unto thee of violence, and thou wilt not save! Why dost thou shew me iniquity, andcause me to behold grievance? for spoiling and violence are before me: and there are that raise up strife and contention.” The Lord responded to the inquisitive prophet by telling him that His judgment was already on the way (Habakkuk 1:5-11). His wrath came in the form of Nebuchadnezzar and theBabylonians who destroyed both Jerusalem and the temple. God indeed saw the wickedness and violence, and He warned the people of Judah beforehand through Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Habakkuk. Back to today. Despite a world that’s overrun with violence, deception, injustice, lawlessness, and wickedness, very few church leaders ask questions similar to that of Habakkuk.They do not connect what they see with biblical prophecy. As I wondered about how again to respond to the normality bias so evident among believers today, I thought about the title of a Francis A. Schaeffer book that I read in college,He Is There and He is Not Silent. For today, I suggest we adjust it to: “He Sees, He Is Not Silent, and He Is Coming Soon.” Jesus Sees Jesus sees the perilous times in which we live. He sees the grieving family members mourning the loss of the multitudes murdered by the COVID injections, the deceit and injustice rampant in our governments (especially inthe U.S.), the anguish of children caught in the web of sex trafficking, the horror of children ruthlessly slaughtered in the womb, and the violence that’s wreaking havoc on the streets of our cities. He saw all that happened on October 7, 2023, in Israel, and He grieves with along with those suffering from this great tragedy. Based on what the Lord sees today, how might He reply if someone asked Him the same questions Habakkuk raised so long ago? I’m certain His response would include the wordsof Psalm 75:6-8: Psalm 75:6-8 KJV – “For promotion cometh neither from the east, nor from the west, nor from the south. But God is the judge: he putteth down one, and setteth up another. Forin the hand of the Lord there is a cup, and the wine is red; it is full of mixture; and he poureth out of the same: but the dregs thereof, all the wicked of the earth shall wring them out, and drink them.” As we wait for the Lord’s appearing we can be sure He sees what’s happening in this world and His response is already on the way. Perhaps it’s closer than most people canimagine. One thing for sure, He is not silent. Unless the perpetrators of the evil around us turn to the Savior, they will feel the full force of God’s “cup” of wrath both in thislife and in eternity. Jesus Is Not Silent Jesus is anything but quiet today concerning the horrors of our day, but so few are paying attention. There are more precursors to future Tribulation events than I can track.[All] these things resound with this message: My judgments will soon sweep over the world. Jesus is most certainly not silent today. What then accounts for the silence in so many churches? Why are most shepherds deaf to the alarms that Jesus is sounding to alertthe world of the approaching Tribulation? Based on my experience, it’s because many of those that tend the Lord’s sheep make these assumptions: (1) Jesus will not dramatically interfere in the affairs of humankinduntil the very last day of human history, (2) the restoration of a nation to Israel is just a fluke of history, and (3) Jesus will not appear anytime soon. God’s Word is clear: there will be an extended time of wrath upon the earth, described as the Day of the Lord in passages such as Isaiah 24:1-23, and Jeremiah 30:5-7. TheApostle John wrote about this time in Revelation chapters 6-18. During this time, the Lord will not only judge the world’s wickedness, but also bring a remnant of the Jewish faith to saving faith in their Messiah. Many will turn to the Savior during this time,but the false church and antichrist will kill most that do. As the time of the Lord’s wrath approaches, He is anything but silent, but very few people are listening. Jesus Is Coming Soon Jesus not only sees and warns people of what’s ahead, but He’s also coming soon. He will intervene in our world. The good news for us as New Testament saints is that the Lord, through the Apostle Paul, promises that we will not experience the wrath of the Day of the Lord or what we referto as the seven-year Tribulation (1 Thessalonians 5:9-10). 1 Thessalonians 5:9-10 KJV – “For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, weshould live together with him.” Jesus’ dramatic intervention in the affairs of humankind will begin when He comes for His church. This will wreak havoc throughout the earth. As the His judgments follow,even the most powerful leaders of the time will recognize them as “the wrath of the Lamb” (Revelation 6:12-17). Jesus’ imminent appearing was the excited expectation of the early church (Philippians 3:20-21). In my book, The Triumph of the Redeemed, I provide a thorough defense of thepre-Tribulation Rapture. This is the belief that the fulfillment of passages such as 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, 1 Corinthians 15:47-55, and 1 John 3:2-3 happens before God’s wrath falls upon humankind during what we refer to as the seven-year Tribulation. TheRapture will happen before the Tribulation. This glorious expectation of meeting Jesus in the air is the “blessed hope” of the Gospel (Titus 2:11-14). I know of no better encouragement for the day in which we live. We may have to wait a little longer than we would like, but we can be absolutely certain that our Lord is coming to take us to glory, to the place He’s preparing for us (John14:1-3; Colossians 3:4). Don’t believe the scoffers; Jesus is coming soon for us. It could happen today. We Are Richly Blessed The entire world will soon witness Jesus’ dramatic intervention in the course of human events on the earth and nothing will ever be the same. He will appear to catch His brideaway, over the course of seven years severely judge the world’s wickedness that grieves us today, and later establish His righteous rule over all the nations. The rapid approach of the Tribulation period tells us that we will be home with Jesus in paradise in the near future. For those of us watching for His glorious appearing, it cannot happen too soon. In the meantime, please know that we are richly blessed to live in biblical times with a validexpectation of being alive when Jesus comes for His Church.

Jewish People Back To The Promised Land

 The Two Key Events That Lead To The Regathering Of The Jewish People Back To The Promised Land – By David Reagan - https://harbingersdaily.com/the-two-key-events-that-lead-to-the-regathering-of-the-jewish-people-back-to-the-promised-land/ Two key events lead to the regathering of the Jewish people back to the Promised Land: World War I and World War II. World War I prepared the land for the people. World WarII prepared the people for the land. How did World War I prepare the land for the people? Most Americans are not aware of the fact that in World War I we fought not only the Germans, but also their ally. TheGerman ally was the Ottoman Empire made up of the Turks. When the Germans lost, the Turks also lost. The Allies not only divided up the German empire, but we proceeded to divide up the Ottoman Empire as well. The Ottoman Empire could boast of being a great empire. This wasthe last of the Muslim caliphates. Their empire was divided up after World War I by the British and French in particular. The American’s were not so much involved in this division, but we helped divide it up. Right in the middle of the Ottoman Empire was a tiny speck of land called Palestine. That parcel was given to the British. As soon as Palestine was given to the British, theBritish issued a document in November of 1917. I believe this document stands out as the first tangible sign in history that we were moving into the end times. That document was the Balfour Declaration. In that declaration, the British announced they weregoing to turn Palestine into a homeland for the Jewish people. Lord Balfour wrote precisely, “His Majesty’s government views with favor the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people.” The Jews were electrified all over the world at the issuance of the Balfour Declaration. They rejoiced in the streets! At long last the Jews were going to regain the homelandfor the Jewish people. Not only the Jews, but evangelicals as well from all over the world who knew God’s prophetic word, realized the importance of this declaration. Finally, they realized, the world was moving into the end stages of the end times becausethe Jewish people were going to go back home and reclaim their own land. At the time of the Balfour Declaration, Palestine included modern-day Israel plus modern-day Jordan. All that land was given to the British. Israel plus what is today Jordanwas the land the British promised to the Jewish people. That’d be 45,000 square miles of territory. But, in 1922, the British double-crossed the Jewish people. In 1922, the British stabbed the Jews in the back because they realized that the Arabs were beginning to discoveroil, and so they needed to curry favor with the Arab peoples. As a result, in 1922 the British decided to divide Palestine into two parts and to give the majority of it, two-thirds, to the Arab peoples. The decision left the Jewish people a very small sliverof land that was only 10,000 square miles. Once again, the Jews felt like they had been doubled-crossed. They reeled from being stabbed in the back, but they still wanted that little sliver of land. And so, the Jews prayed and they looked forward to the daywhen that little sliver of land would become their own piece of land. The People for the Land The second step was World War II which prepared the people for the land. Even though the Jews were given the sliver of land by the British, they did not go back in large numbers.They had to be motivated to go back. The horrors of World War II, the horrors of the Holocaust, provided the grim motivation. After World War II was over and the Jews were released from the Holocaust, they came out of the Holocaust saying, “Never again! Never again! Never again will we live undera Hitler. We are going to have our own nation and our own government. We are going to rule ourselves.” And so, they began to flood into the land of Israel. World War I prepared the land for the people, but World War II prepared the people for the land. Finally, in November of 1947, when the United Nations voted to create a Jewish homeland, the Jewish people were betrayed yet again. The United Nations voted to take that littlesliver of land that was only 10,000 square miles and divide it equally between the Jews and the Arabs. Jerusalem was to become an internationalized area. Naturally, the Jews were despondent. They were of course very upset. Though they felt like they had been betrayed, they stood resolute announcing, “We want a state nonetheless,for that has been our dream.” And so they accepted the United Nations resolution very reluctantly, but still they accepted it. On May 14, 1948, in a tiny room in Tel Aviv, David Ben Gurion stood up and read the Declaration of Independence. After nearly 1,900 years, the state of Israel had finallycome into existence. Now, I want to tell you something at this point that I hope you will never forget. It is something that no one ever mentions. On the very same day Israel declared itself a nation, the Arabs could have meet in Ramallah and declared a Palestinian State, because the United Nations voted to create twostates — a state for the Jews and a state for the Arabs. The Jews accepted the UN’s terms and created their own state, but the Arabs cried, “No! We want it all.” There could have been a Palestinian State ever since 1948, but the Arabs wanted all of the land. On the very next morning after Israel declared its nationhood, five Arab states attacked Israel simultaneously from all directions. The Arabs were determined to annihilatethe infant state. The Arabs announced to the world, “We will make the Mediterranean Sea run red with the blood of the Jews!” And so, they attacked. Strategically, there really was no hope for Israel. Israel made for a tiny little nation with only 600,000 people. All they had were the primitive guns they had brought fromthe Warsaw Ghetto. There seemed to be no hope whatsoever. But, they survived. The Arabs rejected the UN’s offer of a Palestinian state, and have done so over and over again. Three to four times, when the Arabs could have founded a Palestinian state,they turned it down because in their greed they wanted all of the Levant. Because of their lost opportunity, the greatest diplomat in the history of Israel, Abba Eban, made this statement, “The Palestinians have never missed an opportunity to miss an opportunity.” The “Palestinian’s” worst enemies have always been their leaders. Their leaders are determined that they will settle for nothing less than the total destruction of Israel.

What Happens to Our Clothes at the Rapture?

 What Happens to Our Clothes at the Rapture? - by Bill Perkins - https://compass.org/what-happens-to-our-clothes-at-rapture/ It breaks my heart to listen to "Bible teachers" teaching the horrible mid-Trib or post-Trib Rapture theories. I can promise you it is not from the Lord. People are all overthe place these days. I heard someone this week on the radio saying "We're about to enter the 6th Seal of Revelation." Really? I guess I missed 25% of the earth dying during the 4th Seal. 🙁 Properly understanding Bible prophecy from a pre-tribulational, dispensational viewpoint is hugely important. Especially today! You can't just say you're a pan-millennial("It'll all pan out"). preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction. 2Tim. 4:2 If you're not familiar with dispensational theology, you can't explain the marriage chart at the top of this page! Without applying dispensations to your Biblical understanding,nothing makes sense. always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks 1Pet:3:15 God has given us great insight into what is taking place in the world today and He wants us to share and teach truth to those Believers and non-Believers who have no clue.Time to be bold! I hope the nuts-and-bolts Rapture article below is helpful—maybe good to pass along to those in your sphere of influence. "There is not one problem I have that won't be fixed at the Rapture." - Andy Woods What Happens to Our Clothes At The Rapture? The Rapture of the Church is a special event when New Testament Believers, who are alive at the end of the Church Age, bypass physical death and go straight to heaven. The Doctrine of The Rapture brings up lots of interesting questions, like: What happens to our clothes? What age/look will our new bodies be? Do we want to live to be 100 if we'll look like that forever? What happens to our pets (that surely God loves as much as we do)? What happens to our glasses and contacts? What happens to our old bodies—are they left behind or do they disappear? The late Ed Hindson once noted that even if our bodies disappear at the Rapture, what happens to false teeth, dental fillings, false eyelashes, titanium hips or shoulders,toupees, false fingernails and jewelry? His conclusion was that some people would have more left behind than that which was Raptured! So if you have a room full of Believers, what would the room look like post-Rapture? Surely those God-awful tattoos will remain behind. Surely! To answer these questions let’s look at what we know... There are two Raptures that are similar mentioned in the Bible: 1. Enoch (Gen 5:21-24; Heb 11:5) 2. Church Age Saints (1Thes 4:13-18; 1Cor.) Elijah and John, the Two Witnesses (Rev. 11), were also taken to heaven before death but they will come back to the earth and be killed before being taken up to heaven infront of everyone in Jerusalem. (More on that CLICKHERE) For the Church Age Saints’ Rapture, there are two Pauline verses most people point to: For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we whoare alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord. 1Th. 4:16-17 Now I say this, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. Behold, I tell you a mystery; we will notall sleep [die], but we will all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. 1Cor. 15:50-52 So we learn from those verses that Believers are “changed” at the exact moment of the Rapture. We get our new bodies instantaneously...from our original earthly, sinful, temporalbodies to our new eternal, heavenly bodies. The Bible compares our new body to upgrading from a temporary tent to an eternal house. For we know that if the earthly tent which is our house is torn down, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. 2Cor. 5:1 This new body is eternal and sinless as it was washed clean by the cross. This body will be just like the new body that Jesus received upon His resurrection. ...the Lord Jesus Christ; who will transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory, Phil. 3:20b-21a God’s not about to put a new body into old temporal clothes. So we have to assume that our new body comes with a white robe attached…at least those in heaven who were martyredin the Tribulation are wearing white robes: After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could count, from every nation and all tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne andbefore the Lamb, clothed in white robes, and palm branches were in their hands; Rev. 7:9 Since God made it so the Israelites’ shoes didn’t wear out as they wandered in the desert for 40 years, I’m guessing that, like our new bodies, our robes will be fashionedby the Lord for eternal use. I’ll bet we won’t even have to iron them—ever! And do note that we meet the Lord in the air, not on the ground and not in heaven. Therefore we can fly, we can move about at the speed of thought. I’m guessing it’ll takeme a while to get used to my new jets. At the moment of the Rapture, those who have previously died will be Raptured a split second ahead of those who are alive. ... the dead in Christ will rise first. IThes. 4:16 There are other verses that refer to the Rapture of the Church Age Saints: “If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also.” John 14:3 It’s important to note here that Jesus takes His Church to heaven for the Marriage Supper of the Lamb (Rev. 19:7, 9). Therefore it’s unlikely that just before the weddingJesus would drag His beloved Church through the horrors of the Tribulation, and then say "Let's get married!" Just saying. And since we’re going to that Big Dinner and Jesus promised He would again drink wine with us, well, are there restrooms in heaven? CLICKHERE After these things I looked, and behold, a door [Jesus is the door] standing open in heaven, and the first voice which I had heard, like the sound of a trumpet speaking withme, said, “Come up here,” Rev. 4:1 This verse comes after Revelation chapters 2 and 3, which discuss the good and bad Believers in the Church Age. It signifies that when the Church Age is over, the Rapturehappens. I heard another voice from heaven, saying, “Come out of her, my people, so that you will not participate in her sins and receive of her plagues;” Rev. 18:4 This verse teaches that before the beginning of the Wrath of God, those Believers living in Babylon will be Raptured out so as to not receive God’s Wrath. I’m 99% sure Revelation18 is referring to the USA as Babylon, even down to its worldwide drug deception and distribution in v. 23 (CLICKHERE for more on this). So a big question is, what happens to our bodies? Do they disappear or are they left behind on the ground? To add some additional insight to what happens to our bodies and clothes, we know God is big on consistency. And we can look to the past to see what the future looks like.The Bible says: That which has been is that which will be, and that which has been done is that which will be done. So there is nothing new under the sun. Eccl. 1:9 In light of that, Enoch was Raptured quickly, and he disappeared. By faith Enoch was taken up so that he would not see death; AND HE WAS NOT FOUND BECAUSE GOD TOOK HIM UP; Heb. 11:5 Enoch was translated, changed to permanent status in heaven. Jesus was also Raptured up at His ascension, maybe a bit more slowly, but He also disappeared. And after He had said these things, He was lifted up while they were looking on, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. Acts 1:9 But maybe our best example is when Jesus rose from the dead. His grave linens were found but the body vanished without unwrapping them. Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, Matt. 27:58b [Peter] saw the linen wrappings only Luke 24:12b and stooping and looking in, he saw the linen wrappings lying there; but he did not go in. And so Simon Peter also came, following him, and entered the tomb; and he saw thelinen wrappings lying there, John 20:5-6 Jesus didn't have to unwrap Himself like Lazarus. His clothes basically imploded as he was Raptured away. We have an excellent, free, point-and-click-to-view, Steeling Conferencevideo on Jesus' resurrection and what happened to His grave clothes by Gary Habermas. CLICKHERE So using Jesus as the model, Believers’ bodies would disappear at the Rapture and the clothes left behind. Probably mixed in with all the fake body parts. This is how thelate Tim Lahaye described the Rapture event in his Left Behind novel series. We already addressed “Are There Pets In Heaven.” CLICKHERE And “Are There Restrooms In Heaven?” CLICKHERE And we had a GML deal with how old we will look in heaven. GML QUESTION FOR THE DAY I have often wondered: If we don't age in heaven, do babies that have gone there always stay babies? And what age will we be? I don't want to live to be100 if that's what I'm going to look like for eternity! ANSWER: The new body believers receive is different than the one we now have here on earth. Although we will have all the knowledge accumulated on earth (1 Corinthians 13:12), wewill be different physically as we are transformed into a body similar to Jesus' resurrected body: who will transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory, by the exertion of the power that He has even to subject all things to Himself.Phil. 3:21 Our new state also will be similar to angels: . . . in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven. Matt. 22:30 Being compared to angels is not too shabby. •Angels are majestic in appearance, "awesome" (Judges 13:6). •Angels have great wisdom: "know all that is in the earth" (2 Samuel 14:20). •Angels are "mighty in strength" (Psalm 103:20). But realize we are a higher order than the angels:". . . we will judge angels" (1 Corinthians 6:3). But the most important parts of us, our spirit and soul, have no mass. Our current sinful earthly containers will be done away with when we die and we'll receive new eternalsinless containers in the future. I consider it right, as long as I am in this earthly dwelling, to stir you up by way of reminder, knowing that the laying aside of my earthly dwelling is imminent. . . . 2Pet. 1:13-14 For we know that if the earthly tent which is our house is torn down, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. 2Cor. 5:1 But for a rough idea in human terminology, we think the men will all be around age 21 and the women age 18. (No, we don't have a verse for that! 🙂 If you want to sign up for our free Good Morning Lord! daily (Mon-Fri) Bible study, CLICKHERE. But be warned—don't sip your coffee while you're reading it! You can try it for a few days and then opt out if you can't take the scriptural heat! 🙂 Bottom line: The Rapture will be one exhilarating ride to the top! BP Love this verse: He must increase, but I must decrease. John 3:30

Messiah Will Come Twice

 Messiah Will Come Twice - By Daymond Duck - https://www.raptureready.com/2023/11/18/messiah-will-come-twice-by-daymond-duck/ A faithful Rapture Ready reader recently sent me an e-mail saying this Scripture keeps coming into my mind, “For truly I say to you that many prophets and righteous men desiredto see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it” (Matt. 13:17). The reader added, “This generation is blessed, and most don’t even realize it.” As I understand the entire event (Matt. 13:10-17 and Jesus’ reference to Isa. 6:9-12), many of the prophets and righteous men in Old Testament times and Jesus’ day longedfor the day that the Messiah would appear, but they made two mistakes: •One, they rejected the idea or misunderstood the fact that the Messiah would come twice (a first and second coming), not just once, and… •Two, they focused on the Messiah’s reign as King (Second Coming and Millennial reign), overlooked His death, burial, and resurrection (first coming), and failed to realizethat there would be an interval (Church Age) between the first and second coming. They were enthusiastic about learning the Scriptures and the reign of their King, but they did not understand or hear that the gospel (death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus)and Church Age would happen before Jesus came to rule on earth. They were blessed to walk the earth when more than one hundred first-coming prophecies were being fulfilled, but they did not understand the incredible events that were takingplace. Having said this, I totally agree with the Rapture Ready reader’s statement that “This generation (our generation) is blessed, and most don’t even realize it.” Many pastors and church members are so focused on the first coming (and it is all-important) that they do not understand the incredible events that are happening now. Pastors and church members who are not interested in Bible prophecy today are missing a blessing by not focusing on the fact that Messiah is coming twice, and there is aninterval between those two magnificent events. Think about it: The King is coming at the end of the Tribulation Period. It looks like that is close, but many are not interested. Here are some current events that seem to indicate that history is approaching the Tribulation Period. One, concerning wars and rumors of wars: on Nov. 6, 2023, Russia’sForeign Minister said the West’s policy is on full display in Ukraine, Iraq, Libya, and Syria, and it is pushing the Middle East toward a big war. Two, concerning wars and rumors of wars and Israel being attackedby all the nations around her at the end of the age: on Nov. 8, 2023, a top Hamas official told the New York Times that Hamas did not attack Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, to improve the life of Palestinians in Gaza (the attack was not to get more water, fuel, electricity,better jobs, etc. for the Palestinians). He said Hamas attacked Israel to spread the war to all of Israel’s borders (sounds like Psa. 83; Isa. 17, and Ezek. 38-39), put the Palestinian issue back on the table, getall the Arabs to join the war on Hamas’ side, and to wake up the world. Three, concerning Russia, Iran, and others attacking Israel (theBattle of Gog and Magog) in the latter days and latter years: on Nov. 10, 2023, Joel Rosenberg, editor-in-chief of All Israel News and All Arab News, reported on an interview he had with Gideon Sa’ar—a member of Netanyahu’s cabinet—who said he dropped hisopposition to Netanyahu and joined his cabinet because Russia’s Pres. Putin “has now decided to openly side with the Iranian regime and the leadership of Hamas against the State of Israel.” Four, concerning the Battle of Gog and Magog and the fact thatthe Word of God must be fulfilled: on Nov. 9, 2023, Iran’s Foreign Min. said, “Due to the expansion of the intensity of the war against Gaza’s civilian residents, expansion of the scope of the war has become inevitable.” Hassan Nasrallah, head of Hezbollah, said, “What is happening now along the Israeli-Lebanese border is significant, and it is not the end.” The U.S. warned Iran and Hezbollah that the U.S. is prepared to get involved militarily if they expand the war. Five, concerning Hezbollah: on Nov. 9, 2023, Israel’s DefenseMin. said (my words for the sake of clarity): •Hezbollah is getting close to being wiped out. •What Israel is doing in Gaza, Israel can do in Lebanon. •Israel has used less than 10% of its Air Force’s power in Gaza. Six, concerning wars and rumors of wars: on Nov. 9, 2023, it wasreported that Iranian proxies have attacked U.S. troops in Syria and Iraq 46 times in the last 30 days, and Pres. Biden has responded by attacking an empty warehouse in Syria that Iran sometimes uses for weapons storage. (My opinion:The U.S. should be more concerned than it is about Iran’s efforts to acquire nuclear weapons, and about terrorists coming across America’s open border with Mexico.) (More:As of Nov. 14, Iranian proxies have continued to attack U.S. troops in Syria and Iraq, and the U.S. has struck back twice.) Seven, concerning world government and the Mark of the Beast:on Nov. 7, 2023, it was reported that Brazil plans to follow World Health Organization (WHO) recommendations by requiring children between the age of 6 months and 5 years to be vaccinated for Covid-19. Families that refuse to comply will not be eligible to draw welfare; they may be treated as criminals (fined, sent to prison) and have their children taken away from them. Eight, concerning the decline of America and a U.S. economic collapse:according to the U.S. government, the U.S. now owes $33.6 trillion, and the interest on that this year was $1.027 trillion. A collapse of the U.S. economy would collapse the global economy. U.S. financial support for the war in Ukraine and Israel’s war with Hamas is causing this situation to worsen fast. (More:On Nov. 10, 2023, it was reported that the Federal Reserve raised interest rates seven times in 2022 and 4 times in 2023 to slow inflation. Now, because of high interest rates and a failure to curb government spending, Moody’s Investor Service has loweredits rating outlook on the U.S. from stable to negative.) (More:On Nov. 13, 2023, the U.S. Homeland Security Committee reported that immigrants coming across the U.S.-Mexico border have cost U.S. taxpayers $451 billion for housing, education, health care costs, property damage, etc. Another report said 6.5% of the childrenin school are illegal immigrants.) Nine, concerning the coming one world false religion: on Nov.11, 2023, Pope Francis removed Bishop Joseph Strickland, the conservative Bishop over the Catholic Diocese of Tyler, TX. When asked why he was removed, Strickland said, “The only answer I have to that is because forces in the Church right now don’t want the truth of the gospel.” Strickland believes that some of those who hold high positions in the Roman Catholic Church may not be saved. Here are some daily updates on Israel’s war with Hamas: Wednesday, Nov. 8, 2023 Erdogan of Turkey and Pres. Raisi of Iran met, expressed support for Hamas, and condemned Israel. Thursday, Nov. 9, 2023 •Israel agreed to 4-hour daily pauses in the war to let Palestinians leave northern Gaza. •Israel said it has destroyed 130 tunnels since the war began on Oct. 7, 2023. •Hamas asked for a 3-day pause in the war in exchange for the release of 10-15 hostages. •Israel captured the military headquarters of Hamas in Gaza, including many military intelligence documents. •Israel’s Defense Min. said, “This entire city (Gaza City) is one big terror base. There are kilometers of tunnels underground. They connect to hospitals, to schools. Theyare connected to each other. They have communication rooms, ammunition depots, places to sleep in order to serve as a base of terrorism from which the citizens of the State of Israel and IDF soldiers can be harmed.” •Hamas has placed command posts under every hospital in the Gaza Strip. •Israeli troops have surrounded all the hospitals. •Explosions were heard near four hospitals in Gaza (3 regular hospitals and a pediatrics hospital in Gaza City). •Thousands of Gazans have left Gaza City’s main hospital, Al Shifa. •Israel claims that it has the top leader of Hamas cornered. •More than one hundred employees of the UN have been killed in the conflict. •Israel increased today’s 4-hour pause to 6 hours for citizens to leave northern Gaza. •Citizens who have not left Gaza City are facing severe shortages of food and water, with fighting raging in the streets. •While searching a house, Israeli troops found the entrance to a Hamas tunnel under a child’s bed. •Hezbollah also has sites in the Gaza Strip, and Israel started attacking them today in response to Hezbollah attacks on Israel from Lebanon. •Hezbollah announced plans to start using more powerful weapons during its attacks on Israel. •Israel responded that what Israel is doing in Gaza, Israel can do in Lebanon. Friday, Nov. 10, 2023 (Day 35) •Multitudes have run out of food, and there is no place to buy anything. •Bodies are being lined up along streets and covered with blankets. •The refrigerators where bodies are usually kept are full, and there is no electricity to keep the bodies cold. •There is a growing concern about the spread of diseases. •Twenty hospitals are surrounded by Israeli troops. •There are patients who need surgery, but the hospitals are out of food, water, medicine, fuel, electricity, etc. •Representatives from 57 Islamic-Arab nations have gathered to discuss Israel’s attack on Gaza. •They are blaming Israel for killing women and children, ignoring what Hamas did that started the war. Saturday, Nov. 11, 2023 •Israel has struck more than 15,000 targets in Gaza. •Turkey’s Pres. Erdogan called for an international peace conference to produce a permanent solution to the Middle East conflict. •Israel’s Defense Min. said, “When the war is over, there will be no Hamas.” Sunday, Nov. 12, 2023 •Clashes between Israel and Hezbollah on Israel’s northern border with Lebanon are becoming more frequent and destructive. •Turkey’s Pres. Erdogan urged Islamic and Arab nations to increase the pressure on the U.S. to halt Israel’s attack on Hamas. Monday, Nov. 13, 2023 •Hezbollah injured at least 18 Israeli citizens by firing rockets and anti-tank weapons into Israel. •Israel said Hezbollah is pushing their luck. •3 million Palestinians have fled their homes (two-thirds of the population). •Documents that Israel captured from Hamas reveal plans to attack Israel a second time after the Oct. 7, 2023 attack. •More than 100 dead bodies are piled up (and rotting) in the courtyard outside the Al-Shifa hospital. •Israel showed members of the press video of a Hamas tunnel in the basement under the Rantisi hospital (Israel also found computers, weapons, explosives, and money in thetunnel). •Israel showed members of the press video of a Hamas commander’s house with a nearby tunnel that was built next to a school. •Israel killed 21 Hamas terrorists who were launching rocket-propelled grenades and an anti-tank missile from the Al-Quds hospital in Gaza City. •27 EU member states signed a statement of condemnation of Hamas for using human shields in its war against Israel. •Israel contends that Hamas had a command center under the Al-Shifa hospital in Gaza. •Biden insisted that the Al-Shifa hospital in Gaza must be protected. Tuesday, Nov. 14, 2023 •Hamas started the war with 24 battalions of troops, and they are down to nine. •Israeli tanks and armored vehicles are just a few yards from the Al-Shifa hospital, but Israeli troops have not yet entered the hospital (according to the UN, there may beas many as 10,000 people inside. One report said some people who have tried to leave have been shot in their legs). •A doctor at Al-Shifa hospital said medical staff have buried 200 bodies in a mass grave on hospital grounds. •During the interrogation of several captured Hamas terrorists on video, one admitted that Hamas commanders ride in ambulances, and another admitted that Hamas leaders werehiding in the basement of Al-Shifa hospital. •Israel said they have intercepted Hamas calls with terrorists talking about using ambulances, Israel has made videos of rocket launchers inside schools, etc. •In Gaza City, Israel captured the Hamas Parliament building, the so-called governor’s house, offices of Gaza’s military wing and police, offices of Hamas’s intelligence division,and other important targets. •Al-Shifa hospital is a complex with many buildings. •At Al-Shifa hospital, Israeli forces entered the emergency and surgery departments. •At Al-Shifa hospital, Israeli troops started going room to room in some buildings, asking all males 16-40 to go out to the courtyard where they pass through a scanner thatchecks for weapons. •Israeli officials said they found an operational command center with weapons, combat gear, technological equipment, grenades, ammunition, and more in the basement of Al-Shifihospital, and they plan to keep searching. Also, on Nov. 14, 2023, greatly respected prophecy teacher and author Amir Tsarfati commented on Israel’s war with Hamas in a Special Newsletter. His comments are very important, and here is just part of what he said (as I understand it in my words for the sake of brevity): •Hamas assumed Iran, Hezbollah, Yemen, and others would join them in the fight against Israel, but that hasn’t happened. •Hamas assumed they would be safe dispersed among their human shields (the Palestinian people), so they hid under hospitals, mosques, schools, playgrounds, etc., but thatwas wrong. •Hamas assumed they would be safe in tunnels while Israel dropped a few bombs, but their tunnels have turned into a trap. •Hamas assumed Israel would drop a few bombs and stop, but Israel dropped hundreds of bombs, sent in tanks and troops, and hasn’t stopped. •Hamas assumed the EU, U.S., and others in the Middle East would force Israel to back off, but Israel hasn’t backed off. •Hamas assumed that Israel is a weak and divided nation, but Hamas’ extreme evil united the citizens of Israel. Tsarfati said Hamas trusted in her allies, human shields, tunnels, and other factors, but Israel’s God has proven that He is greater than all those things, and Hamas may sooncease to exist. More of Tsarfati’s videos and writings can be found at www.beholdisrael.org. (My opinion:Israel will fight many wars between now and the Second Coming of Jesus at the end of the Tribulation Period, but Israel will not be defeated. Jehovah is using Bible prophecy and Israel to prove to the world that He alone is God.) FYI: God does not send anyone to Hell (all of us are born witha sin nature and destined to go to Hell because we sin), but God has provided a way (Jesus) for everyone to go to Heaven (and He is the only way to get there; John 14:6). Finally, are you Rapture Ready? If you want to be rapture ready and go to heaven, you must be born again (John 3:3). God loves you, and if you have not done so, sincerely admit that you are a sinner; believethat Jesus is the virgin-born, sinless Son of God who died for the sins of the world, was buried, and raised from the dead; ask Him to forgive your sins, cleanse you, come into your heart and be your Saviour; then tell someone that you have done this. duck_daymond@yahoo.com

The Days Leading Up to The Lord’s Return Are Filled With ‘Trouble’

 The Days Leading Up to The Lord’s Return Are Filled With ‘Trouble’ – By Hal Lindsey – https://harbingersdaily.com/the-days-leading-up-to-the-lords-return-are-filled-with-trouble/ As the Bible describes the days leading up to the Lord’s return, a word pops up over and over again. That word is “trouble.” The seven years of tribulation are known as “thetime of Jacob’s trouble” (Jeremiah 30:7). But that won’t last. Isaiah 65:16 speaks of the millennium, a time after the tribulation when, “the former troubles are forgotten.” The world is rapidly being prepared for the tribulation period. Christians are destined to be rescued from the world before the actual hurricane hits, but the outer bandsare already kicking up quite a storm. Whatever your view of the end times, you probably agree that the world is in a particularly troubled state right now. And it looks as though it could get much worse very quickly.I feel for today’s politicians, ordinary men and women trying to stave off chaos even as they watch the house around them rattle, creak, and break. The Bible has much to say about God’s people in times of trouble. Psalm 9:9-10 says, “The Lord also will be a refuge for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble. And theythat know thy name will put their trust in thee: for thou, Lord, hast not forsaken them that seek thee.” Do you know His name? That involves knowing Him and the kind of Person He is — that He is ever faithful and ever true. Have you put your trust in Him? This is a good timeto renew that trust, to remember who He is, and that you can always count on Him. Psalm 107:1 says, “O give thanks unto the Lord, for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.” Psalm 69:30 says, “I will praise the name of God with a song, and will magnify him with thanksgiving.” In the United States of America, our ancestors bequeathed many giftsto us — not the least of which is a special day set aside to do exactly what the Psalm says, “magnify Him with thanksgiving.” Psalm 147:7 says, “Sing unto the Lord with thanksgiving…” We sing because our hearts are full when we consider God’s goodness and graciousness to us. But even when our heartsdon’t feel full, we sing anyway because His goodness and graciousness are real and true regardless of our mood or circumstance. Maybe like Martha in Luke 10:41, “thou art careful and troubled about many things.” If so, try to be more like her sister Mary. In verse 42, Jesus said, “Mary hath chosenthat good part, which shall not be taken away from her.” Choose the good part, and it will not be taken away from you. Choose thanksgiving. Choose to see the infinite expressions of God’s love for you. Never forget what Jesus said in John 14:1-3. “Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were notso, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.” In verse 27 of that chapter, He added this. “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neitherlet it be afraid.” That’s for you — a gift this Thanksgiving from the Lord of the universe.

Lucifer’s Furious Frenzy

 Lucifer’s Furious Frenzy – Terry James - https://terryjamesprophecyline.com/2023/11/19/lucifers-furious-frenzy/ All who watch end-times developments presently flowing in confluence, as Jesus commanded, know that antediluvian-equivalent evil is building toward Tribulation-level corruption.If not for the comfort we find in God’s Word about prophetic utterances of gloom, the fear factor would be raging, even among the most Spirit-controlled believers. Sadly, few folks within God’s family during these times have a clue about the rapidly metastasizing violence and wickedness in today’s world. That is, few Christians withinthis generation even think about the evil that is building toward the time Jesus spoke about here: For then shall be great tribulation such as was not from the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. (Matthew 24:21) However, the comfort God promises believers turns the fear factor into absolute assurance that the raging corruption, lawlessness, murder, and immorality will one day—perhapsat any moment—no longer concern those in God’s family: For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we whichare alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. (1 Thesalonians 4:16–17) And the proof that this promise is for the comfort of believers of our generation is given in the next thing the Holy Spirit inspired Paul to write: Wherefore comfort one another with these words. (1 Thessalonians 4:18) Another sort, an entirely different kind of proof, if not for the above promise, would, if people truly understood what’s going on, terrorize and torture to the point of heartfailure. But the proof I’m referring to can’t be seen with our physical eyes. It must be discerned only through spiritual eyes that can peer into the dimension inhabited by the powers and principalities of Ephesians 6:12. A recent email I received from a friend who posts regularly on Rapture Ready News, and who stays in touch to provide me with news of possible prophetic import, gives significantinsight. Mark, who has such spiritual eyes for discerning these matters, speaks, indirectly, to a prophecy that will at a time during the Tribulation greatly accelerate the serpent’s final assault on God’s chosen nation and on all of humanity left behind afterthe Rapture of the Church. The world is not yet in that horrendous era, but is heading toward that time of Daniel’s seventieth week and Jacob’s trouble at breakneck speed. Here is what is scheduled during the middle of that Tribulation. I refer to Revelation 12, where we read that Lucifer–Satan—is ejected from the heavenlies for the final time. He comes to earth, the prophecy says, with great fury. The prophecyfurther says, “woe unto those who inhabit the earth, because he knows he has but a short time.” We often note in these commentaries that we are not yet in the time of Tribulation, but are witnessing the stage being set for it. Mark, I believe, has correctly surmised exactly the situation we’ve witnessed in the unbelievably evil attack that was launched on Israel on October 7 and the world’s suddenturning against the attacked, Israel, rather than the attacker, which is comprised of many of the nations of Islam. Mark writes the following: As I peruse all the stories on line about hatred of the Jews, and its insane intensity against them, I must say that I’m appalled by the level of Satanic ferocity being displayedagainst them, especially in Europe and the United States. And particularly at institutes of higher learning. It is as though Satan himself has become unhinged in his preoccupation with his desire to kill every Jew in the world. I do believe that part of his insane rage is due tothe “restraining” by the Restrainer and the Adversary not being able to progress with his scheme for global rule and total destruction of Israel and all of Jewry, but having to accede to the limitations placed on him by our Father in Heaven. Indeed, Lucifer, the old serpent, must, because of God’s restraint against his insane intentions, be angry beyond all understanding of those who aren’t spiritually tuned into what’s really going on in these closing days of this Age of Grace. And, no doubt, that enragement is bound to grow the nearer the time of the Tribulation approaches. But for the Christian who studies the whole Word–including Bible prophecy—spiritually discerning that approaching storm that will usher in the King of all Kings shouldn’tcause fear, but assurance of a future as bright as all of Heaven’s glory. The Rapture of all believers will instantaneously separate us from all judgment and wrath that will deal with Lucifer’s furious frenzy and with the anti-God evil of this fallensphere. Here is how to be a part of that coming instantaneous separation. That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heartman believeth unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. (Romans 10:9–10)

Isaac and Ishmael

 Isaac and Ishmael - By Rick Segoine - https://www.raptureready.com/2023/11/21/isaac-and-ishmael-by-rick-segoine/ The irony of the story about the two sons of Abraham is coming around full circle in these last days just before the “Time of Jacob’s Trouble” takes place. The two sons were Isaac, who was born of Sarah and Abraham, and Ishmael, who was born of Hagar and Abraham. Hagar the Egyptian was the handmaiden of Sarah. This biblical story is a very familiar one and an altogether amazing one as well. One son was born to fulfill a prophetic promise, and the other was born out of a spirit of doubt and perhaps a touch of impatience. Yet, both Isaac and Ishmael were born withthe foreknowledge of the Holy One of Israel, and each son was born with a role to play in the future plans of God Almighty. God’s promises to Abraham can be found in the book of Genesis. The first promise that was made by God to Abraham happened years before either son was born. It happened when Abraham was still known as Abram. It was and still is a mightypromise, and it has played and still plays heavily into the relationship between the descendants of the two sons of Abraham. The first promise God made to Abraham can be found in Genesis 12:1-3, and this is what God said, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the landthat I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all families of the earth willbe blessed.” This was an amazing promise but also an important one to remember as the centuries rolled by. This promise is still in effect to this very day. Abraham was 75 years old when, as Hebrews 11:8 records, by faith, Abraham believed this promise, and with God leading the way, embarked on what would become a journey thatwould shape all of world history. Along the way, God would reveal to Abraham events that were certain to happen sometime in the future. Abraham trusted God by faith that these events would occur. And occur, they did indeed. Upon arrival in the land of Canaan, after trekking about 1,000 miles from the land of Ur, God made this revelation to Abraham as recorded in Genesis 12:7, “To your offspring,I will give this land.” God expanded on this promise in Genesis 13:14-17 by saying to Abraham, “Look around from where you are, to the north and south, to the east and west. All the land you see I will give to you and your offspring forever. I will make youroffspring like the dust of the earth, so that if anyone could count the dust, then your offspring could be counted. Go, walk through the length and breadth of the land, for I am giving it to you.” Abraham was about 85 years old at this point, and his wife Sarah was barren. Genesis 15:3 explains how Abraham assumed that any offspring of his would have to come through a maidservant or perhaps a concubine. But, in Genesis 15:4-5, God says to Abrahamregarding such an assumption, “This man will not be your heir, but a son who is your own flesh and blood will be your heir.” God took Abraham outside and said, “Look up at the sky and count the stars—If indeed you can count them.” Then God said to him, “Soshall your offspring be.” Neither Abraham nor Sarah could quite believe or imagine how, in their advanced years, and with her being barren, together they could conceive a child together. Sarah thengrew impatient and decided to take the matter into her own hands. She told Abraham he must go in to Sarah’s maidservant Hagar and lay with her. In those days, this was not an unusual thing to do, and lo and behold, Hagar became pregnant and gave birth to Ishmael(Genesis 16:3-4). Remember, in Genesis 15:4-5, the Lord told Abraham, “This man will not be your heir.” Thirteen more years went by as Ismael was growing into a young man when God said this to Abraham, as revealed in Genesis 17:5-8: “No longer shall your name be called Abram,but your name shall be Abraham, for I have made you a father of a multitude of nations. I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make you into nations, and kings will come from you. And I will establish my covenant between me and you and your offspringafter you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your offspring after you. And I will give to you and to your offspring after you the land of your sojournings, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession,and I will be their God.” The literal meaning of Abraham is “father of many.” The Lord then confirms to Abraham that these promises and blessings would come through his own flesh and blood son, the one who would be born to his wife Sarah and not theson born to Hagar. These early promises that God gave to Abraham are of vital importance today, as we live in a time when individuals with ulterior motives have no shame in rewriting historyto suit whatever agenda they are attempting to push on everyone else, especially in regard to the Jewish people and the land of Israel, formerly known as Canaan. (More on this later.) And then, sure enough, Sarah gave birth to Isaac, the son of God’s promise, in her 90th year after a lifetime of being barren. Isaac means, “He laughs.” It is God who laughs at our unbelief. God knows He can do anything, even if we humans, like Sarah, don’t know or believe that. This was a miracle of God – a miracle along the lines of the Virgin Mary being with child by the overshadowing of the Holy Spirit – as a barren woman 90 years of age cannotordinarily get pregnant nor give birth to babies. It is quite safe to say that the God of Israel is God, that He has an amazing sense of humor, and that He is a God of miracles. As Abraham and Sarah’s flesh and blood son Isaac began to grow, Ishmael was behaving in wild ways, and Hagar had become resentful and jealous. This was making life miserablefor Sarah. Sarah asked Abraham to banish Hagar and Ismael, and although Abraham loved Ismael, he, with God’s admonition, agreed to do so. In the wilderness, Hagar called out to God on behalf of her son, and God told her, “As for Ishmael, I have heard you, and I will surely bless him; I will make him fruitfuland multiply him greatly. He will become the father of twelve rulers, and I will make him into a great nation” (Genesis 17:20). Ishmael was described to Hagar in Genesis 16:12 like this: “This son of yours will be a wild man, as untamed as a wild donkey. He will raise his fist against everyone, andeveryone will be against him. He will live in open hostility towards all of his relatives.” These character traits were first noticed when Ismael was about 13 years old and Isaac was just a toddler. Ishmael would utter insults, mockeries, and generally just say rudethings (Genesis 21:9-10). Genesis 21:9-21 reveals that following their banishment, Hagar the Egyptian and her son Ismael landed in Paran, an area between Canaan and Sinai, where Ishmael became a greatarcher and desert chief. When Abraham died at age 175, Ishmael met with his half-brother Isaac to say farewell to their father, Abraham, and they buried him in the Cave of Machpelah. Ismael was 90years old at that time. Ishmael lived to be 137 years old, but history is unsure where he died (Genesis 25:17). Ishmael fathered twelve sons who became the founders and rulers of tribes collectively known as the Ishmaelites. They populated large and mostly desert areas from the Red Sea to the Euphrates River (Genesis 37:25-28). Genesis 39:1 says this about the Ishmaelites, “their hand againstevery man and every man’s hand against them.” As the centuries have slowly rolled along, a valid question might be: has this attitude and these character traits of Ishmael and the Ishmaelites and their descendants changedmuch, or at all, over time? Could a feud over the birthrights of the firstborn last not just centuries but millenniums? Apparently, the answer is yes to both questions. Fast forward for just a moment to modern times to read a poem entitled “The World’s Longest Feud.” From Saudia Arabia to the Sudan, Egypt, Iran and Afghanistan From Syria, Iraq, and Libya, to Lebanon, Gaza and Pakistan; From Indonesia and Turkey, it is all too true with all of the -stans and Jordan too, Every nation with Islamic rule, hating the Jews with a hate so cruel. This hatred has raged over 3,000 years, Long before Muhammed was even here. It goes all the way back to Abraham, and to the day that Ishmael was exiled from Canaan. Ishmael, as the Bible recalls, was a wild, stubborn man who was hostile towards all. Ishmael sired twelve strong sons, and they all lived in hostility towards everyone. Even their own, it did not matter, as all throughout the Middle East, they did scatter. The only thing that has united them, and it’s sad but true Is their unending and unbending hatred for the Jews. And it’s not going to stop until the Jews are wiped out Or until the Lord returns with a mighty shout, And with His two-edged sword slays bad attitudes And puts a welcome and final end to the world’s longest feud. Getting back to the chronology, we know from history that the promises made by God to Abraham, as well as the ones made to Hagar, have come to pass. We know that Isaac was the father of Jacob, that God changed the name of Jacob to Israel, and that Jacob (Israel) fathered the twelve tribes of Israel. Isaac, the son of Abraham,is the grandfather of the 12 sons of Jacob (Israel). We also know from history about the amazing journey of the Israelites and their hot and cold, on-again, off-again relationship with the God of Israel, who chose them in thefirst place by making that covenant with Abraham. We know of the many miracles God manifested on their behalf, such as: •the 10 supernatural plagues on Egypt to convince the Egyptian Pharoah to free the Israelites from bondage. •the parting of the waters of the Red Sea to provide an escape route from Egypt. •the Ten Commandments that were written on stone and given to Moses by the “Great I Am” to share with the Israelites and to the whole world. •the raising up of Prophets who foretold of future events with 100% accuracy. •the Ark of the Covenant and the supernatural powers kept within. •and so many more, too numerous to mention in any one article. Most importantly, our Heavenly Father gave to us, through the nation of Israel, His only begotten Son Jesus, the Messiah (Savior) for all of planet Earth. He did this to reconcilefallen humanity back to Himself by allowing His Son Jesus to take upon Himself the punishment for yours and mine and everyone’s sins. Those same prophets raised up by the God of Israel, as well as Jesus Himself, also provided details and signs to watch for regarding the soon-to-come second coming of theMessiah. The history of Israel is fraught with ups and downs, from the glorious times of King David and King Solomon to the splitting up into two kingdoms, and having the northernkingdom of Israel conquered and taken captive by the Assyrians around 722 B.C., and then the southern kingdom of Judah taken captive by the Babylonians around 586 B.C., with the temple Solomon had built being destroyed in the process. Though the temple was rebuilt with help from King Cyrus the Great of Persia, Jerusalem once again came under siege a few centuries later, and the rebuilt temple was defiledby Antiochus Epiphanes (a foreshadowing of the antichrist) in the 1st century B.C. during the times of the Maccabees. Not long after that, the land of Israel came under Roman rule. This was the time period when Jesus appeared on Earth. About 40 years after the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus, the Jews were scattered by the Romans into nations far and wide after the Roman general Titus destroyed theJewish temple once again in 70 A.D. and thus ignited the Diaspora. Adding insult to injury, Roman emperor Hadrian changed the name of Israel to Palestine and the name of Jerusalem to Aelia Capitolina. Palestine is derived from the word Philistine, and we know the Philistines were ancient enemies of Israel during the time of Goliath. Changing Jerusalem to the name of AeliaCapitolina was also part of the insult, as Hadrian turned Jerusalem into a pagan city. Hadrian was attempting to wipe out Jewish history and any connection to the land God gave to them. It didn’t work, as proven by the mighty miracle of 1948 when Israel, upon their God-given ancient land, became a sovereign nation once again. Jewish history is so filled with pogroms and persecutions and fraught with seething hatred toward the Jews that many thick books have been written to document all of it. TheHolocaust alone, in the late 1930s and 1940s, fills the pages of entire books. The term “Jews” came into existence when Israel split into two kingdoms around 931 B.C., and the tribes of Judah (Jews) and Benjamin became the southern kingdom. Israel, comprisingthe other ten tribes, became known as the northern kingdom. In modern times, the terms Jews and Israelites are often used interchangeably. Meanwhile, the history of the descendants of Ishmael was also plodding along. For centuries, it all moved with the speed of a camel. For literally hundreds and hundreds ofyears, nothing much changed for the desert-dwelling nomads known as Ishmaelites. The sons of Ishmael each formed and ruled tribes that roamed the deserts of the Middle East in the Arabian Peninsula and were eventually known as the first Arabs. They werenot known for keeping detailed chronological records of their ancestry as the Jews did, and so less is known about their existence over those hundreds and hundreds of years, though the history of their forefather Ishmael, the firstborn of Abraham, and Ishmael’sbanishment, as well as his younger brother Isaac receiving the birthrights and the promises of God, were passed from one generation of Ishmaelites to the next. Nothing much changed until Muhammed came along in the seventh century A.D. It is said that the bloodlines of Muhammed can also be traced back to Ishmael. The religion of Islam began to spread all through the Middle East and in all the areas where the ancestors of Ishmael dwelt. This happened at a time when the Jews had no physicalnation of their own and were scattered all over the world. Although there were always some Jews inhabiting the land of their forefathers, mostly they remained scattered all over the world until 1948. Islam, meanwhile, from the 7th century right up to modern times, steadily subdued the entire Middle East and became the main religion as well as the main political force. As time passed by during this period of history, probably few, if any, knew that some of the Islamic teachings that vilified Jews would be like a ticking time bomb. Also, as alluded to earlier in this article, some historical facts were altered over the centuries, in this case by ancestors of Ishmael who had become hard-core Islamists,either out of resentment of what happened to Ishmael, or possibly jealousy, or perhaps just being influenced by the father of lies. Some of the historical alterations were, for example, stating that Abraham was a Muslim even though Abraham lived over 2,000 years before there was such a thing as Islam. Another one is that Abraham and Ismael built the Kaaba in Mecca together. One other one is that everyone in the bloodlines of Isaac was also Muslim, including Jesus. The Koran states that Jesus was a prophet but not the Son of God, for they have been taught that God (whom they call Allah) has no son. These are just a few of the fabricationsthat contradict Bible history and only scratch the surface in regard to false narratives perpetuated by various leaders of Islam over the centuries. These are things that can easily be proven historically inaccurate by just a minimum of honest research. However, millions of people have had these teachings ingrained into them over many generations and have been threatened with death by the Imams and Mullahs if they dared toquestion the teachings of Islam. In World War 2, the citizens of Earth witnessed the unthinkable. Adolph Hitler, inspired by the supreme Jew-hater Satan, murdered over six million Jews and confiscated allof their properties and possessions. Some of the Jew-haters in the Middle East, like Yasser Arafat’s uncle (the Mufti of Jerusalem, Haj Amin al-Husseini), were Nazi sympathizers and cheered Hitler on. Yasser Arafat proved to be a chip off of the old blockof his Uncle Haj. Then, after the war ended, the Balfour Declaration came into play, and the allied powers, led by England, on May 14, 1948, awarded the land of Israel back to the Jewish people.The state of Israel was proclaimed by David Ben-Gurion, who was the executive head of the World Zionist Organization, Chairman of the Jewish Agency for Palestine, and first Prime Minister of Israel. It was at this moment in history that the time bomb, which had been ticking for hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of years and fueled by Islamic teachings, exploded. The20th-century descendants of Ishmael went berserk with Jew hatred. All of the worst character traits of their father Ishmael began boiling over as if on steroids, and it has not stopped to this very day. There were the wars of 1948-1949, 1956, the 1967 Six-day War, 1973, 1982, and 2006. All of these wars were started by various coalitions of Arab forces, many of which cantrace their heritage back to Ishmael. So here we are today. Israel is now in the process of wiping out Hamas. Hamas is an Islamic jihadist army made up of cold-blooded murderers, rapists, kidnappers, and baby killers. They use their own population as human shields, and then, througha very well-oiled worldwide propaganda machine, they lie, accusing Israel of having no compassion and committing genocide on Palestinian civilians. They do this to incite Jew hatred worldwide, and it works. They are aided by the leftist-owned fake news. This is a tactic they share with the globalist/Leftist/Marxist Democrats, accusing your enemies of what you and not they areactually doing and getting millions of ignorant fools to believe you, support you, and commit to hating whoever it is that you hate. The word Hamas, by the way, in Hebrew, means violence, violent person, wrong, false, false prophet. Just another bit of irony. Think back to the biblical description of Ismael and his twelve sons. “A wild man, like an untamed wild donkey,” “He will raise his fist against everyone, and everyone willbe against him.” “He will live in open hostility against all of his own relatives.” Islam itself is split into two factions, the Sunni and the Shiite. Although they are at odds with each other over Islamic issues, they are united in their hatred of the Jews. The traits of Ishmael and his sons are magnified in today’s Ishmaelites through radical Islam. The living God, the God of Israel, foresaw from long ago how the saga of Isaac and Ishmael would eventually play out. He foresaw the roles that the descendants of Isaac andIshmael would play in the last days, right before the return of His Only Begotten Son Jesus. God knew that each line of the descendants of Ishmael and Isaac would play a huge part in setting the stage and igniting the sparks that would lead into the “Time of Jacob’sTrouble.” The Time of Jacob’s Trouble is also known as “The 70th Week of Daniel” and “The Seven-Year Tribulation.” One more ironic twist to the whole saga is this: The Jews, who were scattered all over the world, have been taking part in Aliyah since 1948. Aliyah is the return of Jews to live in Israel. It is prophesied that this wouldhappen. In Ezekiel 36:24, speaking prophetically about the scattered Jews during the end times, God says, “For I will take you out of the nations, I will gather you from all the countries and bring you back into your own land.” Meanwhile, the descendants of Ishmael, who are now nearly all Muslim, in the last couple of decades, have been in a kind of a Diaspora of their own, with mass migrations intomostly Western nations. As Muslim populations increase in Europe and other Western nations, so do their demands. Like their forefather Ishmael, they don’t seem to be able to blend in or get along well with the folks in the host nations, even establishing no-go zones where citizens ofthe host nation go only at their own risk. These migrations are sometimes due to displacement by wars but are also encouraged and enabled by the globalists who are attempting to destroy Western civilization so theycan “build back better” with them in control of everything and everyone. These mass migrations are, sadly, contributing greatly to the demise of these Western civilized nations. The hordes of Islamic “migrants” are right now very loudly protesting Israel’s dismantling of Hamas in Gaza (the place where Samson slew 1,000 Philistines with the jawboneof an ass), and they have lots of support from brainwashed useful idiots supplied by the Marxist globalist leftists. Useful idiots that have bought into the anti-Jewish and anti-Israel propaganda hook, line, and sinker. Right at this very moment, thousands of American college students are putting forth their best efforts to prove beyond any shadow of a doubt that there is actually such athing as “single-digit IQ human beings.” These angry, noisy mobs are threatening violence against Jews globally while chanting along with the many Islamic descendants of Ishmael that genocidal refrain, “From theriver to the sea, all of Palestine will be free.” The irony is that this dangerous situation is causing even more Jews to join the Aliyah. It is actually accelerating the complete fulfillment of Bible prophecy (Ezekiel 36:24). The Holy God of Israel is in control and always has been. Only the Rapture stands between the end of what Jesus called “birth pains,” acting as signs that are revealing the time of the conclusion of the Age of Grace and the beginningof the seven-year Tribulation. The Book of Revelation describes in detail the things that will happen on Earth during those seven years. What Jesus refers to as the worst seven years in all of history or that ever shall be will also lead to the salvation and total reconciliation between Yahweh and His belovednation of Israel. That same nation that was promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Promises that were and are eternal in nature and never to be broken. No matter how hard the devil attempts to cause these promises of the Holy God of Israel to be broken and no matter how many ways and lies his minions come up with to inspirehatred and destruction upon God’s chosen nation of Israel, God’s will shall continue to be done. “Behold I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling unto all the people round about, when they shall be in the siege both against Judah and against Jerusalem” (Zechariah12:2). While in these last days, Jesus is personally saving some of Ishmael’s descendants by visiting them in dreams, and while some Jews are coming to Him also, the majority ofboth lineages still look back to their common father Abraham rather than to Jesus. The time will come when all will know that Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. All will know that Jesus is Lord of Lords and King of Kings. Until that day arrives, much prayer is needed both for the Israelites and the Ishmaelites. Ishmael and Isaac, Isaac and Ishmael, who knew? Only God knew, and He knew it the whole time. Your brother in Jesus and adopted son of Abraham, Rick Segoine Come to Jesus today, for only God knows what tomorrow may bring. Eternal salvation awaits all who trust in Jesus. Romans 10:9-10 teaches how to pray for Jesus to become your Lord and Savior. “If you confess that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, andwith the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”

Peace and Safety

 Peace and Safety The apostle Paul gave a warning to the church at Thessalonica that we would do well to heed: For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night. For when they say, "Peace and safety!" then sudden destruction comes upon them,as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape. (I Thessalonians 5:2-3) Far from being a reference to Sunday—or the Sabbath, for that matter—the "Day of the Lord" is when Jesus Christ returns, overthrows the governments of the earth and anyone else opposing Him, and establishes His Kingdom on earth. Though the ultimate end will be happy, the Day of the Lord signifies a great deal of calamity and destruction! Those who believe in a sovereign God know that human military might is of no consequence to Him. God protects whom He chooses to protect and destroys whom He wills to destroy. The size of the armies was irrelevant when Gideon's 300 men conquered 120,000. Physical stature mattered not whenDavid brought down Goliath. The Empire of Egypt was all but eliminated without Israel so much as raising a sword. Even Satan was powerless to harm Job until God lessened His protective hedge. This may be impossible for secular Americans to grasp and even difficult for religious Americans to comprehend if they do not take God at His Word. But from these examples, it is evident that neither the sizenor skill of armies is relevant. What is relevant is God's will. What matters is which side God is on. How much longer will God be on our side? How long until our sins—national and individual—demand a reckoning? There is little doubt that America is still on top of the world right now. Economically and militarily, we remain essentially unchallenged. Ancient Israel also stood at or near the height of her power when God saw fit to allow Assyria to conquer her. Her wealth and armies could not save her, just as America'svaunted power will not save the United States if God's will is contrary. If God is against us, who can be for us? As history tends to rhyme, the same stench that arose from ancient Israel is now wafting up from modern America. The book of Amos records an almost exact parallel account to what is happening in our day. It chronicles the social, political, economic, military, and religious conditions and attitudes prevalent in ancient Israel in about 760 BC, about forty years before Assyria invaded and completely devastated the nation. So awesome was Israel's defeat that, as far as the world is concerned, her people disappeared from history andare now considered the "Lost" Ten Tribes of Israel. What were ancient Israel's sins? Ezekiel 20 lays the charges of idolatry and Sabbath-breaking at their feet. Amos goes into great detail in describing greed, materialism, pride, oppression of the weak, perverted justice, an overall moral degeneracyincluding sexual sins, and a religion that allowed them to feel good about themselves even while bringing in heavy elements of paganism. They were complacent about immorality—within themselves or in the culture at large—because of their wealth. They were "rich,and increased with goods," and by their own accounting, they needed nothing—physically or spiritually. Are things so different today? Are we not mistaking our physical blessings as signs of God's acceptance of our behavior? This nation collectively crowed over the capture of Saddam Hussein and again at the elimination of Osama bin Laden, Muammar Gaddafi of Libya, and Qassem Soleimani of Iran. But have not more innocent human beings been legally killed in the wombin civilized America than at the commands of all these evil men together? This fact cannot stand as a defense of Islamic despots or terrorists, but it should make one question this nation's appropriation of the moral high ground. America has been blessed farbeyond the nations descended from Ishmael and Esau, both materially and in having access to God's Word. Yet "to whom much is given, from him much will be required" (Luke12:48). God truly is merciful. But He is also just, so He cannot allow blatant sins against Himself or His creation—of which mankind is preeminent—to continue indefinitely. Without national repentance, national calamity becomes a certainty. Using ancient Israel as a guide, being the world's sole superpower matters not a whit if God is against us. In this past year, decade, and century, a steadily increasing moraldecline has been begging for His intervention. The biggest threat to the United States is not a bellicose Russia, a rising China, or an Islamic uprising in our midst. Our greatest threat is our own proclivity to trample on the instructions and the intentions of the Sovereign who decidesthe fate of nations. - David C. Grabbe

Satan’s Efforts To Incite People Against Israel

 ‘Cut Them Off from Being A Nation’: Satan’s Efforts To Incite People Against Israel – By Amir Tsarfati - https://harbingersdaily.com/cut-them-off-from-being-a-nation-satan-efforts-to-incite-people-against-israel/ The question that everybody’s asking is, “How come so many people all around the world are rising up to destroy this country and the people of Israel for no apparent reasonever since the dawn of history?” I believe that the answer is not anywhere else but in the Bible itself. In the Book of Psalms, Psalm 83 is giving, in my opinion, the answer for all of these questions. TheBible says in Psalm 83:1-2, “Keep not thou silence, O God: hold not thy peace, and be not still, O God. For, lo, thine enemies make a tumult: and they that hate thee have lifted up the head.” The enemies of God and those who hate God are up to do something,yet they cannot fight the living God, the God of Israel. Pslam 83:3-4 KJV – “They have taken crafty counsel against thy people, and consulted against thy hidden ones. They have said, Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation;that the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance.” And so we can see that the battle is between the enemies of God and those who are God’s. And in their attempt to fight God, they come up against His people, His shelteredones, Israel. And their obvious goal is to cut the name of Israel off so it’ll be remembered no more. The prayer of Asaph in Psalm 83 reminds us that there is “nothing new under the sun” (Ecclesiastics 1:9). Satan is always opposing what God is doing for, and through, Hispeople. Whether it’s Israel or the church, the enemy roams like a roaring lion seeking to devour the people of God. Psalm 2:1-5 KJV – “Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord,and against his anointed, saying, Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us. He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision. Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure.” The current war in Israel is the age-old rejection of the Lord and His anointed in an effort to break the bonds of God’s authority and cast away any obligation to Him. Psalm 83:4-5 KJV – “They have said, Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation; that the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance. For they have consulted togetherwith one consent: they are confederate against thee:” What the Psalmist wrote in Psalm 2 and Asaph prayed in Psalm 83 are what we are seeing today. Satan is trying to incite people against Israel to cut them off from being anation, because God said through Amos that when He brought them back from the nations to which He scattered them, they would never be uprooted again (Amos 9:14-15). The One who sits in the heavens laughs at their efforts against Him and His Anointed. His Anointed is Jesus, the Holy One of Israel, the Savior of the world, the King of kingsand Lord of lords, the Son of David, the bright and morning Star! We are watching what is very likely the final preparations for Satan’s hostile takeover of the world. His “man of sin, the son of perdition” is most probably waiting in thewings for his short-lived opportunity to rule the world. We could also be seeing the stage set for the Ezekiel war as animosity towards the Jews escalates. After all, Satan is an opportunist and is behind the mentality that will cause this coalition to havethe boldness and justification, in their minds, to invade Israel. As our hearts break for the nation of Israel, as well as for this messed up and mixed up world, we have to remember that we know the end of the story. We know Israel willnot be uprooted. We know there will not be a two-state solution. We know Russia, Turkey, Iran, Libya, and Sudan will be soundly defeated when they conspire together against the Lord and His Anointed. God will not be silent about His chosen people and the landHe gave them by unconditional and eternal covenant. We also know this: 1 Thessalonians 5:9 KJV – “For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ.” We are nearing the end of the generation that saw the regathering of God’s chosen people into their national homeland. Within that generation is the Time of Jacob’s trouble,also known as the 70th week of Daniel and the Great Tribulation. This is a time of God’s global wrath, which we, as born again Christians, do not have an appointment with. Hosea 5:15 KJV – “I will go and return to my place, till they acknowledge their offence, and seek my face: in their affliction they will seek me early.” The events we are watching unfold today in relation to Israel are a glimpse of the rampant antisemitism that will be dominant in the Tribulation. Yet this time of afflictionwill lead the surviving one-third of the Jews to finally see Jesus of Nazareth as the Holy One of Israel, their Messiah. Psalms 122:6 KJV – “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee.” Keep praying for Jerusalem and the Jews to come to know the only source of true peace, the Prince of Peace, Jesus of Nazareth, who is Christ the Lord. Even so, come quickly Lord Jesus.

GivingThanks in Times of Trouble

 GivingThanks in Times of Trouble By Hal Lindsey As the Bible describes the days leading up to the Lord’s return, a word pops up over and over again. That word is “trouble.” The seven years of tribulation are known as “the time of Jacob’s trouble” (Jeremiah 30:7). But thatwon’t last. Isaiah 65:16 speaks of the millennium, a time after the tribulation when, “the former troubles are forgotten.” The world is rapidly being prepared for the tribulation period. Christians are destined to be rescued from the world before the actual hurricane hits, but the outer bands are already kicking up quite a storm. Whatever your view of the end times, you probably agree that the world is in a particularly troubled state right now. And it looks as though it could get much worse very quickly. I feel for today’s politicians, ordinary menand women trying to stave off chaos even as they watch the house around them rattle, creak, and break. The Bible has much to say about God’s people in times of trouble. Psalm 9:9-10 says, “The Lord also will be a refuge for the oppressed, A refuge in times of trouble. And those who know Your name will put their trust in You;For You, Lord, have not forsaken those who seek You.” Do you know His name? That involves knowing Him and the kind of Person He is — that He is ever faithful and ever true. Have you put your trust in Him? This is a good time to renew that trust, to remember who He is, and thatyou can always count on Him. Psalm 107:1 says, “Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever.” Psalm 69:30 says, “I will praise the name of God with a song, And will magnify Him with thanksgiving.” In the United States of America, our ancestors bequeathed many gifts to us — not the least of which is a special day setaside to do exactly what the Psalm says, “magnify Him with thanksgiving.” Psalm 147:7 says, “Sing to the Lord with thanksgiving.” We sing because our hearts are full when we consider God’s goodness and graciousness to us. But even when our hearts don’t feel full, we sing anyway because His goodnessand graciousness are real and true regardless of our mood or circumstance. Maybe like Martha in Luke 10:41, “You are worried and troubled about many things.” If so, try to be more like her sister Mary. In verse 42, Jesus said, “Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her.” Choose the good part, and it will not be taken away from you. Choose thanksgiving. Choose to see the infinite expressions of God’s love for you. Never forget what Jesus said in John 14:1-3. “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a placefor you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.” In verse 27 of that chapter, He added this. “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” That’s for you — a gift this Thanksgiving from the Lord of the universe.

Abraham’s Family Feud – Part 1

 Abraham’s Family Feud – Part 1 – Randy Nettles - https://www.rev310.net/post/abraham-s-family-feud-part-1 Who are the modern-day Palestinians? What are the historical origins of the Palestinians, and why are they in constant conflict with the nation of Israel? What does the Biblehave to say about this conflict and how it will end? We will try and answer these questions, and others, in this article. FROM WHOM ARE MODERN-DAY PALESTINIANS DESCENDED The Palestinians are a group of people descended from different kingdoms and nations who have inhabited the region of the Southern Levant over the millennia, and who are todayculturally and linguistically Arab. The Southern Levant is a geographical region encompassing the southern half of the Levant (a large area in the Eastern Mediterranean region of West Asia). It corresponds approximately to modern-day Israel, Palestine (WestBank and Gaza Strip), Jordan, southern Lebanon, southern Syria, and the Sinai Peninsula. “Prior to the mid-20th century, the term Palestinian was used as a regional term, much like referring to residents of parts of the United States as ‘Southerners.’ This usagedates back to several centuries before Christ. The word Palestinian has its roots in a Hebrew word meaning ‘Philistine.’ Until Israel was re-established as a nation in 1948, Palestine was the term for the territory between the Mediterranean Sea and the JordanRiver. The word Palestinian was applied to anyone living in that area. As one of the longest continually inhabited places on earth, this region has changed political ownership numerous times and has been a nexus of migration for many differentcultures. The modern-day ‘Palestinians’ represent a mixture of local inhabitants and many other groups of Muslims brought from Bosnia, the Balkans, and the Caucasus by the Turks in the 16th to 19th centuries; and from the Sudan, Egypt, Syria, and Lebanon bythe British in the 20th century. In common use today, the term Palestinian is primarily applied to non-Jewish, Arabic-speaking residents of this region. This usage is highly controversial, however, sincefor most of human history a ‘Palestinian’ was simply a person born or living in that land. When used in reference only to non-Jews, it implies a historical claim to the territory in opposition to Israel. In reality, the concept of Palestine as a nation-statein opposition to Israel or as a racial group predating the presence of Jewish inhabitants is historically false. Recent genetic studies have confirmed that the ancestries of Jewish and Arabic inhabitants of Palestine are extremely similar. Geneticists have concluded that the people livingin these regions share a common ancestry, through people groups continually living in the Palestine territory. This directly contradicts the claim that certain inhabitants, particularly Jewish inhabitants of Israel, have no ancestral claim to the land. Atthe same time, there is no evidence suggesting that modern Palestinians are direct descendants of either the Canaanites or the Philistines of the Old Testament. Many Arabs are descendants of Ishmael; but, since the land of Canaan was promised to the sons ofJacob, Arabs have no biblical claim to the land of Palestine.” {1} From whom are the modern Palestinians descended? | GotQuestions.org The term Palestinian did not take on its current popular meaning until the mid-20th century. The ‘Palestinians’ of today do not descend from, and bear no relation to, theancient Philistines who dwelled along Israel’s coast in Biblical times. Many scholars believe the Philistines weren’t descendants of Shem or Ham but of Japheth. It was only on May 28, 1964, the date on which the PLO was established, that the Arabs in Israelbegan using the name ‘Palestinian.’ THE LAND OF CANAAN IN THE TIME OF THE HEBREW PATRIARCHS According to the Torah, the land God promised to Abraham was originally called Canaan. “And Terah took his son Abram and his grandson Lot, the son of Haran, and his daughter-in-lawSarai, his son Abram’s wife, and they went out with them from Ur of the Chaldeans to go to the land of Canaan; and they came to Haran and dwelt there” (Genesis 11:31). After Terah died in Haran, Abram departed and traveled to the Promised Land. “So Abram departed, as the Lord had spoken unto him; and Lot went with him: and Abram was seventyand five years old when he departed out of Haran. And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother's son, and all their substance that they had gathered, and the souls that they had gotten in Haran; and they went forth to go into the land of Canaan; andinto the land of Canaan they came”(Genesis 12:4-5). It was at this time that the LORD appeared unto Abram and made a promise (an unconditional covenant) to him. “And the Lord appeared unto Abram, and said, Unto your seed willI give this land: and there built an altar unto the Lord, who appeared unto him.” Abram and his family entered the land of Canaan in 2084 AM (1876 BC according to my reckoning). Abram was 75 years old at this time. The land of Canaan got its name from one of the sons of Ham, the son of Noah. Canaan was one of four sons born to Ham after the great flood. The sons of Ham were Cush, Mizraim,Put, and Canaan. “Canaan begot Sidon his firstborn, and Heth; the Jebusite, the Amorite, and the Girgashite; the Hivite, the Arkite, and the Sinite; the Arvadite, the Zemarite, and the Hamathite” (Genesis 10:15-18). In Genesis 15, the LORD confirmed His covenant with Abram, saying “Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates:The Kenites, and the Kenizzites, and the Kadmonites, And the Hittites, and the Perizzites, and the Rephaims, And the Amorites, and the Canaanites, and the Girgashites, and the Jebusites” (Genesis 15:18-21). Out of the eleven descendants of Canaan, the namesof four only are given here; the others are included in the common name of the Canaanites. On the other hand, four tribes are given, whose descent from Canaan is very improbable. The antisemitic slogan often chanted by Hamas and their followers, “From the River to the Sea, Palestinians will be free,” implies a desire for Israel to be exterminated andthe ‘Palestinians’ to then inherit the land between the Jordan River, which borders eastern Israel, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. However, the LORD told Abram that his descendants (through Isaac and Jacob/Israel) would inherit the land from the Nile River in Egypt to the Euphrates River that flows frommodern-day Syria through Iraq per Genesis 15:18-21 and Exodus 23:29-31. The land would include Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, part of Saudi Arabia, a portion of Egypt, and about half of Iraq per Numbers 34:2-12 and Ezekiel 47:13-20. See a map of the land God gaveAbram in Genesis 15 - Bing images. Today Israel only possesses a small portion of the Promised Land. After Abram had been in the land of Canaan for ten years, Sarai gave him Hagar, her Egyptian handmaid, as a surrogate wife. When Abram was 86 years old they had Ishmael. WhenAbram was 99 years old, the LORD appeared unto him and told him Sarai, who was 90 years old, would conceive and have a child the next year. At this point, God changed her name to Sarah. “And God said, Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son indeed; and thou shalt call his name Isaac: and I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, andwith his seed after him. And as for Ishmael, I have heard thee: Behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly; twelve princes shall he beget, and I will make him a great nation.But my covenant will I establish withIsaac, which Sarah shall bear unto thee at this set time in the next year“ (Genesis 17:19-21). When Isaac was old enough to be weaned, Sarah had Abraham exile Ishmael and Hagar because of their lack of respect for her and Isaac. God promised Hagar that Ishmael, as ason of Abraham, would become a great nation (Genesis 21:17-18). The beginning of this prophecy is recorded in Genesis 25:12-18. Ishmael had twelve sons (with an Egyptian wife) who became great rulers and eventually a nation of people. Ishmael’s descendantslived in the northern part of the Arabian Peninsula. Also settling in this area were the descendants of Keturah’s (Abraham’s second wife) sons and some of Esau’s descendants, among them the Amalekites. The descendants of Ishmael became known as Arabs, which basically means “nomads.” From the beginning, the descendants of Ishmael were a warlike people, as “they lived in hostilitytoward all the tribes related to them” (Genesis 25:18). This fulfilled God’s earlier word that Ishmael would be “a wild donkey of a man; his hand will be against everyone and everyone’s hand against him, and he will live in hostility toward all his brothers” (Genesis 16:12). When Isaac was forty years old he married Rebekah, his second cousin. According to the Book of Genesis, the patriarchal family line is a self-contained unit, originating solelyin Abraham’s father, Terah. Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and even Joseph were all descended on both sides from Terah. Sarai was Abram's half-sister (Genesis 20:12) and therefore not only Isaac's mother but also his aunt. Rebekah was the daughter of Bethuel, Isaac's own cousin through Nahor(Abram’s brother). Bethuel was also the son of Isaac's own cousin, Milcah (Nahor’s niece through his other brother Haran). Jacob, in turn, married his cousins, Rachel and Leah (daughters of Laban, son of Bethuel). Rebekah and Isaac were closely related, assecond cousins on both sides, separated by one generation through Nahor and Bethuel, or two generations through Haran, Milcah and Bethuel. Confused yet? See Abraham'sfamily tree - Wikipedia for a better picture. Isaac and Rebekah had two sons (twins), Esau, the elder, and Jacob. Before she conceived, the LORD told her, “Two nations are in your womb, Two peoples shall be separatedfrom your body; One people shall be stronger than the other, And the older shall serve the younger” (Genesis 25:23). Their birth is told in Genesis 25:24-26: “And the first came out red. He was like a hairy garment all over; so they called his name Esau. Afterward,his brother came out, and his hand took hold of Esau’s heel; so his name was called Jacob.” Esau’s name means ‘red’ and Jacob’s name means ‘supplanter,’ ‘deceitful,’ or “one who takes the heel.” Esau’s name appears to be prophetic (as well as Jacob’s), as we allknow the story of how he sold his birthright to Jacob for a bowl of red stew (Genesis 25:29-34). Verse 34 says, “Thus Esau despised his birthright.” Genesis 27 tells the story of how Rebekah and Jacob deceived Isaac into giving the blessing (usually reservedfor the eldest son) to Jacob. Verse 29 gives the last part of the blessing, “Let people serve you, and nations bow down to you: be lord over your brethren, and let your mother's sons bow down to you: cursed be everyone that curses you, and blessed be he thatblesses you.” Esau, seeing that the daughters of Canaan didn’t please their father, Isaac, married a daughter of Ishmael, the son of Abraham. Many years later, after Isaac died, Esau marriedtwo Canaanite women, one a Hittite and the other a Hivite. “ And Esau took his wives, and his sons, and his daughters, and all the persons of his house, and his cattle, and all his beasts, and all his substance, which he had got in the land of Canaan; andwent into the country from the face of his brother Jacob. For their riches were more than that they might dwell together; and the land wherein they were strangers could not bear them because of their cattle. Thus dwelt Esau in mount Seir: Esau is Edom” (Genesis36:6-9). The Bible mentions that the descendants of Esau grew and became a nation, the Edomites, while Israel and his sons eventually moved to Egypt and exploded in numbers. The ancientkingdoms of Edom, Moab, and Ammon were located in what is today called Jordan. Moab and Ammon were children of Lot’s incestuous relationships with his two daughters after the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 19:30-38). After the children of Israel left Egypt after centuries of slavery, and the Angel of the LORD destroyed the armies of Pharaoh at the Red Sea crossing, Moses and the peoplesang a song to the LORD. It was also a song of prophecy for when the Israelites would eventually enter the Promised Land. And they sang unto the LORD: “The people shall hear, and be afraid: sorrow shall take hold on the inhabitants of Palestina. Then the dukes of Edom shall be amazed; the mightymen of Moab, trembling shall take hold upon them; all the inhabitants of Canaan shall melt away. Fear and dread shall fall upon them; by the greatness of your arm they shall be as still as a stone; till your people pass over, O Lord, till the people pass over,which you have purchased. You shall bring them in, and plant them in the mountain of your inheritance, in the place, O Lord, which you have made for you to dwell in, in the Sanctuary, O Lord, which your hands have established. The LORD shall reign foreverand ever” (KJV - Genesis 15:14-18). 40 YEARS IN THE WILDERNESS After a few months in the wilderness, the first battle that the children of Israel fought was against the descendants of Amalek. Amalek was a grandson of Esau and ruled aclan or territory in the Negev desert region. Joshua leads Israel in battle, and Moses watches from a hillside. When Moses' hand is raised, Israel prevails, but when it is lowered, Israel falters. So he keeps his hand raised through the entire battle, evenhaving assistants hold him up so that the battle will go to Israel. So Joshua defeated Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword. “And Moses built an altar and called its name, The-Lord-Is-My-Banner; for he said, Because the LORD has sworn: the Lordwill have war with Amalek from generation to generation” (Exodus 17:15-16). In Deuteronomy 25:17–19, the Israelites are specifically commanded to blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven once they have taken possession of the promisedland in retribution for what Amalek did to them as they were coming out of Egypt. “Remember what Amalek did to you on the way as you were coming out of Egypt, how he met you on the way and attacked your rear ranks, all the stragglers at your rear, when youwere tired and weary; and he did not fear God. Therefore it shall be, when the LORD your God has given you rest from your enemies all around, in the land which the Lord your God is giving you to possess as an inheritance, that you will blot out the remembranceof Amalek from under heaven. You shall not forget.” Later that year, after the 12 spies of Israel gave their mostly bad report of the inhabitants of Canaan, the Israelites tried to enter Canaan without the LORD’s blessing andpermission. The LORD had actually told them to turn around and go back by the way of the Red Sea but they disobeyed Him once again. “Then the Amalekites and the Canaanites who dwelt in that mountain came down and attacked them, and drove them back as far asHormah” (Numbers 14:45). The children of Israel would spend the next 39 years wandering in the desert for their lack of faith and disobedience. During the last year of the Exodus, Israel “came into the Wilderness of Zin in the first month, and the people stayed in Kadesh; and Miriam died there and was buried there” (Numbers 20:1). This was the place where Moses and Aaron disobeyed the LORD and struck the rock to bring water out of it instead of speaking to the rock. Also, Moses spoke as if it was by his and Aaron’s power and not the Lord’s that water would come out ofthe rock. “And Moses and Aaron gathered the congregation together before the rock, and he said unto them, Hear now, you rebels; must we fetch you water out of this rock” (Numbers 20:10). For their disobedience, they would not enter the Promised Land. After this, Moses sent messengers from Kadesh to the king of Edom asking for permission to pass through their land to get to Canaan. The message began by calling the Edomites “brothers” (as Esau and Jacob were brothers). The message stipulated “We will not pass through fields or vineyards, nor will we drink water from wells; we will go along the King’s Highway; we will not turn aside to the right hand or to the left until we havepassed through your territory” (Numbers 20:17). Edom responded with, “You shall not pass through my land, lest I come out against you with the sword.” Israel asked permission again stipulating they would simply pass throughdisturbing nothing, but once again Edom said “You shall not pass through.” So Israel turned away and went around Edom. The LORD did not want Israel to wage war against Edom at this time because God had given the land of Edom to Esau and his descendants (Deuteronomy2:5). From Kadesh, the children of Israel traveled to Mount Hor where Aaron died. All the house of Israel mourned him for thirty days. The Israelites then fought and won againstthe king of Arad, the Canaanite, and utterly destroyed their cities. They then camped in the wilderness east of Moab and fought and won against the Amorites. The king of the Amorites was King Sihon, who was similar to the king of Edom in that he would notallow the Israelites to cross through his country to Canaan. The Israelites took possession of all their lands and lived in their cities for a brief period. Sihon’s territory was next to Ammon, however, the Israelites did not possess the lands of Ammon asthe LORD had given that land to Lot’s descendants (Deuteronomy 2:9). Next on the list were the Amorites of Jazer and Og, king of Bashan. They defeated him, his sons, and all his people, until there was no survivor left him; and they took possessionof his land. Then the children of Israel moved and camped in the plains of Moab on the side of the Jordan across from Jericho. They did not take the lands of Ammon as the LORD had given that land to Lot’s descendants (Deuteronomy 2:19). In Numbers 22-24, we see the story of Balak, king of Moab, hiring Balaam the seer to curse Israel. However, the Angel of the LORD intervenes and puts words in the mouth ofBalaam that bless Israel instead. This occurs four times. On the fourth time, Balaam prophesies that Israel will eventually conquer Edom, Moab, and the Amalekites. While Israel was in Moab, the people began to commit harlotry with the women of Moab and Midian.They invited the people to the sacrifices of their gods, and the people ate and bowed down to their gods. So Israel was joined to Baal of Peor, and the anger of the Lord was aroused against Israel. The LORD sent a plague that killed 24,000 people before Hestopped It because of the righteous act of Phinehas the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest (Numbers 25:6-7). Israel went to war against the Midianites and killed all their males, including five kings of Midian and Balaam the Seer. The slaughter and the dividing up of the spoil andbooty, both of man and beast, is mentioned in Numbers 31. Two and a half tribes of Israel (Gad, Reuben, and half of Manasseh) decided to settle on the lands east of the Jordan River (Jazer and Gilead) as an inheritance with the promise to help the other tribeswhen they went to war against the tribes of the inhabitants of Canaan. Before Moses died on Mount Nebo in Moab, across from Jericho, the LORD told Moses,“ Speak to the children of Israel and say to them: When you have crossed the Jordan into the land of Canaan, then you shall drive out all the inhabitants of the land from beforeyou, destroy all their engraved stones, destroy all their molded images, and demolish all their high places; you shall dispossess the inhabitants of the land and dwell in it, for I have given you the land to possess. But if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you, then it shall be that those whom you let remain shall be irritants in your eyes and thorns in yoursides, and they shall harass you in the land where you dwell. Moreover, it shall be that I will do to you as I thought to do to them” (Numbers 33:50-53,55-56). This was a prophecy that was fulfilled about seven centuries later for the kingdom of Israel and then another century later for the kingdom of Judah. Randy Nettles rgeanie55@gmail.com