WORLD AT WAR: 11.9.24 - Iran to strike before US elections?

Iran to strike before US elections? Islamic Republic reportedly plans ‘definitive and painful’ response Iran is considering launching a retaliatory response to Israel’s strike before the U.S. elections next Tuesday, Nov. 5, CNN reported on Wednesday afternoon. The U.S. news site reported that a “high-ranking source” told them Israel’s recent strike on Iran will be met with a “definitive and painful” response. “The response of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the aggression of the Zionist regime will be definitive and painful,” the source told CNN. The source also claimed that Iran’s response “will probably take place before the day of the US presidential election.” Following the Israeli strikes last week, which hit primarily military targets, there was some hope that Iran would not choose to respond. Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's comments on Sunday appeared to strike a balance that some analysts hoped would indicate it was not planning to retaliate. “It is up to the authorities to determine how to convey the power and will of the Iranian people to the Israeli regime and to take actions that serve the interests of this nation and country,” Khamenei said. Newly appointed Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian also appeared to be pushing for restraint. “We do not seek war, but we will defend the rights of our nation and country.” Several Iranian military officials appeared to downplay the significance and damage caused by the Israeli strike. It appeared this was partially an attempt to minimize the demand for a response. On Monday, IRGC Commander Maj.-Gen. Hossein Salami claimed that Israel had “failed to achieve its sinister goals.” However, Salami also warned that Israel would face “the bitter consequences” of its actions. Remarks issued from this “high-ranking source” appear to signal a departure from Iran’s initial attempts to downplay the severity of the Israeli strikes. CNN has reached out to the Israeli military for comments. In his initial response to last weekend’s strikes, the Iranian regime's leader, Khamenei, opted to give a more measured response, saying the strikes should “neither be exaggerated nor downplayed.” Israeli defense and security officials claimed to have struck “strategic systems,” including key air defense systems and ballistic missile facilities. As Iranian rhetoric became more aggressive in recent days, Israeli leaders warned Iran not to retaliate. Visiting an Israeli Air Force base on Tuesday, IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Herzi Halevi warned that the IDF is ready for an Iranian response and will respond harshly in return. “If Iran makes the mistake and launches another barrage of missiles at Israel, we will once again know how to reach Iran, reach even with capabilities that we did not use this time, and hit very, very hard both the capabilities and places that we spared this time,” Halevi said. On Wednesday, opposition Knesset Member Avigdor Liberman said Israel should not wait for Iran but should engage in a “preemptive strike.” “We must not wait until the Iranians carry out their threats against the State of Israel,” Liberman wrote on 𝕏. “We must switch from waiting to a preemptive strike, from a proportional reaction to a clear defeat.” ------------------------------------ Replacement Hezbollah Chief Debuts with Violent Speech Vowing to Continue Jihad Naim Qassem, chosen the week to replace Hassan Nasrallah at the helm of the jihadist terror organization Hezbollah, delivered his first speech as leader of the group on Wednesday evening, promising to “remain on the path of war” against Israel and threatening to the genocidal removal of the Israeli people from their country. Qassem used his first address to honor both Nasrallah, who led the Iran-backed terrorists in Lebanon for decades, and Yahya Sinwar, the slain mass murderer who led Hamas this summer after former Hamas “political” leader Ismail Haniyeh died in an explosion in Tehran. He also insisted that Hezbollah was in fighting shape and prepared for a prolonged war against Israel despite its high-profile losses in the past four months, including both top leaders and a vast network of associated targeted in what was believed to be an Israeli attack weaponizing pagers, walkie-talkies, and other low-technology communications devices. Hezbollah also lost one of its main coordination centers to Israel Defense Forces (IDF) airstrikes in Lebanon, where Hassan Nasrallah is believed to have met his demise. “They wanted our secretary general’s killing to defeat our spirit of resistance and shatter our will to fight. But his blood continues to boil in our veins and strengthens our determination,” he vowed. “We fight on our land and liberate our occupied territory; no one asks us for anything, nor does anyone impose anything upon us.” Multiple media outlets outside of Iranian and pro-Hezbollah propaganda focused in their reports on the speech on the fact that Qassem appeared to contemplate the potential of a ceasefire with Israel. Qassem mentioned it as a possibility only in the event that Israel concedes all of Hezbollah’s demands, which appear to include the elimination of the Israeli state. ---------------------- North Korea intercontinental ballistic missile test records longest-ever flight time North Korea test-fired an intercontinental ballistic missile that flew for its longest ever recorded flight time and with a theoretical range capable of striking the U.S. mainland, South Korea and Japan's militaries reported Thursday. It marked North Korea's first ICBM launch since December and comes as the reclusive nuclear-armed country may be seeking to grab U.S. attention ahead of the Nov. 5 presidential election. The launch also comes as the nation has ratcheted up its rhetoric against U.S. allies South Korea and Japan, and as NATO and the Pentagon estimate that North Korea has sent about 10,000 soldiers to train in eastern Russia for possible eventual deployment in Ukraine to support Russian President Vladimir Putin's war effort there. U.S., allies:We have evidence North Korean troops deployed to Ukraine The ICBM was in the air for 86 minutes, beating its previous record by 13 minutes. It was launched from near North Korea's capital Pyongyang and traveled for about 620 miles before crashing into the sea in waters off Japan. However, because the missile was fired at what Japan's defense ministry described as a "very high" angle, reaching an altitude of about 4,350 miles, this means it could in theory have flown much farther. Anchorage, Alaska is fewer than 3,700 miles from North Korea. Washington, D.C. is about 6,800 miles from Pyongyang. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said Thursday's launch showed "our will to respond to our enemies," according to comments he made to his country's state media. Kim described the test as "appropriate military action." The White House's National Security Council Spokesman Sean Savett said in a statement that the test was a "flagrant violation" of multiple U.N. Security Council resolutions. Savell said United States Indo-Pacific Command assessed the launch "did not pose an immediate threat to U.S. personnel, or territory, or to our allies." Tokuda Ryosuke, a journalist for Japan's state broadcaster NHK who specializes in North Korea, said there was "no doubt" that Pyongyang had the U.S. and its upcoming election "in mind" when it conducted its test. North Korea is estimated to have an arsenal of about 50 "stored" nuclear warheads, meaning they are not actively deployed on its various land-based weapons systems including its long-range missiles. Of the more than 12,000 global inventory of nuclear warheads, more than 10,500 belong to the U.S. and Russia, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. The U.S. and Russia each have about 1,700 "deployed" nuclear warheads, meaning they are ready to be used with land-and-sea missile systems, as well as aircraft. -----------------------------

NOTICE: 10.31.24 : NEW FORMAT

Dear Readers, I am trying to get my website working like it used to be. I recieve articles from other websites that I subscribe too. The websites are now paid subscriptions. I am not one of those. I go through websites that I like and post them to my website. The subscriptions are many. I do this for free as I have been doing this for over 40 years. The paid subscriptions and new formats are reather difficult. I will continue to update my website. It will have fewer articles until I can figure out how to make it like it used to be. I am very busy daily, and will continue to add articles to PWNG. The websites that I go to now have many pop up ads,and can be lengthy and time consuming. I am very busy and will send articles throughout the week. I am going to try different ideas to make it flow better......Thank You.....Terry PWNW

Here Are 8 Major Election Developments That Everyone Needs To Know About

Can you believe that we are less than a week away from Election Day? Over 57 million Americans have already voted, and in some states more than half of the total expected vote is already in. So it may already be too late for a last minute surprise to alter the outcome of the election. In 2020, Democrats absolutely dominated the early voting period, but in 2024 things are very close between Democrats and Republicans. Is this an indication that a “red landslide” is coming, or are Republicans simply shifting votes that would have been cast on Election Day into the early voting period? We will soon find out. In any event, the following are 8 major election developments that everyone needs to know about… #1 The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that the state of Virginia can purge approximately 1,600 non-citizens from its voter rolls… The Supreme Court on Wednesday allowed Virginia to move forward with its removal of roughly 1,600 alleged noncitizens from its voter rolls just days before the 2024 election. The high court granted a request from state officials to pause a lower court order that blocked Virginia from continuing its voter removal program that was launched in August, exactly 90 days before Election Day. A provision of the National Voter Registration Act requires states to complete programs aimed at purging ineligible voters from registration lists up to 90 days before federal elections. #2 There were reports that officials in Bucks County, Pennsylvania had been turning away on-demand mail ballot voters early. Now a judge in Bucks Country has extended on-demand mail ballot voting until Friday, and this is considered to be a major victory for the Trump campaign… Bucks County Judge Jeffrey Trauger has ordered the Bucks County Board of Elections to extend its on-demand mail-in ballot deadline until “the close of business” on Friday, Nov. 1. The Wednesday afternoon ruling stems from a lawsuit filed several hours earlier by former President Donald Trump’s campaign and other state and national GOP groups claiming Bucks County illegally turned away voters. The filing with the Bucks County Court of Common Pleas, posted online late Wednesday morning, alleges that the county violated the state’s election laws by not allowing some voters to use the “on-demand mail-ballot” option in the final hours of the mail-in ballot application at 5 p.m. Oct. 29. #3 In Wisconsin, turnout in the conservative counties of Waukesha, Ozaukee, and Washington is far higher than turnout in the liberal bastion of Dane County… The conservative “WOW” counties of Waukesha, Ozaukee, and Washington have increased their turnout advantage over liberal Dane County up to 12.16%. Dane’s turnout advantage going into Election Day 2020 was 0.9%. This represents a 13% turnout swing compared to ‘20. #4 In Arizona, Republicans are doing a much better job of turning out “low propensity voters” than Democrats are… A look at AZ voter frequency scores shows that Democrats are trailing Republicans by a couple of points in the zero, one, and two buckets, turning out more of their 3/3 voters. It’s not an excellent combination for available votes down the stretch, so Republicans are likely to outvote Democrats by 300,000+. #5 Abortion is on the ballot in both Arizona and Nevada, and this was supposed to be a major advantage for Kamala Harris in those states. But it turns out that vast numbers of pro-abortion voters are going to vote for Trump anyway… While an Washington Post-Schar School poll conducted in October found that 68 percent of voters in Arizona and 80 percent of voters in Nevada say they planned to support their state’s abortion referendum, the same poll showed Harris narrowly behind Trump in Arizona and tied in Nevada. Harris’s support among likely voters in the poll was 46 percent in Arizona to Trump’s 49 percent, and they both had 48 percent support in Nevada. Meanwhile, Trump — who has claimed credit for Roe’s reversal — has been working to assuage the concerns of independent and Republican voters who support abortion rights. In recent weeks, the former president has promised to veto a national abortion ban, after repeatedly refusing to make such a pledge. While he has maintained that each state should choose its own abortion laws, he said in a recent town hall geared toward women voters that many of the current bans are “too tough.” Republican and independent voters who plan to split their ticket on abortion — voting for an abortion referendum and for Trump — said they were willing to give Trump the benefit of the doubt on the issue, with some feeling reassured by his recent promises not to crack down further on abortion. #6 As I discussed yesterday, it appears that the Harris campaign may be giving up on the swing state of North Carolina. So far, Democrats in the state have cast over 300,000 fewer votes than they did at the same stage of the 2020 early voting period… According to AdImpact, a political intelligence firm, on Monday the Harris-Walz campaign reserved $2.7 million worth of ads in North Carolina for the last stretch of the campaign, only to turn around and kill more than $2 million of its reservations on Tuesday. Though Harris is following through on a scheduled Raleigh rally on Wednesday morning — while Trump is holding his own event in Rocky Mount, NC — her campaign managers’ hopes of winning North Carolina’s 16 electoral votes have likely plunged as daily updates of early voting numbers continue to paint a grim picture of her prospects in the Tar Heel State. The 2020 vs 2024 contrast in early voting patterns is striking. Compared to the same time four years ago, North Carolina Democrats have cast 341,000 fewer votes,while Republicans have cast 9,000 more, noted Andy Jackson of the Raleigh-based John Locke Foundation. Aside from the party mix, North Carolina is also seeing lower turnout among two traditional Democratic voter blocs: young people and blacks. In 2020, 92% of the state’s black voters backed Biden. Across the country, however, black support of Trump is surging. #7 A television station in Pennsylvania is apologizing for broadcasting “randomly generated test results” that were meant to “help news organizations make sure their equipment is working properly in advance of election night”… Test results for the upcoming November 5 general election mistakenly appeared on WNEP-TV early Sunday evening during a broadcast of the Formula 1 Mexico Grand Prix. Those numbers should not have appeared on the screen, and it was an error by WNEP that they did. The numbers seen on the screen were randomly generated test results sent out to help news organizations make sure their equipment is working properly in advance of election night. #8 It turns out that the incendiary devices that were used to set ballot boxes in Oregon and Washington on fire had a pro-Palestinian message inscribed on them… Ballot boxes in Oregon and Washington were set on fire with incendiary devices early Monday in what authorities believe are connected incidents, police said. The devices used in the arson incidents carried markings with the expression “Free Gaza,” two sources familiar with the ongoing investigation told ABC News. Sadly, I believe that this is just the beginning of the chaos that is coming. November 5th may be the end of the campaign, but it will also be the beginning of a very dark chapter in our history. There is going to be such an outpouring of negative emotion in the aftermath of this election, and whoever emerges as the winner is going to be facing crisis after crisis.

Halloween

Most people gleefully celebrate Halloween without ever thinking about how it originated or what our Halloween traditions really mean.  They just assume that it must be okay since almost everyone else is doing it.  Today, Halloween is celebrated all over the world, but that hasn’t always been the case.  In fact, there was a time when most Americans did not celebrate it.  It was only during the 20th century that it actually became a nationwide holiday that was celebrated on a widespread basis, and only within the past few decades has it really taken off as a truly global holiday. To find the original roots of Halloween, one must go back approximately 2,000 years to the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain… Halloween’s original roots trace back to Samhain (pronounced “sow-in”—because of course the Celts couldn’t make it easy), an ancient Celtic festival that marked the end of the harvest season in Ireland. The Celts believed that on October 31st, the boundary between the living and the dead became, shall we say, a little thin. To keep any wandering spirits at bay, they’d light massive bonfires and don costumes—probably doubling as a solid excuse for some much-needed group bonding (what else was there to do in ancient Ireland, really?). This is where the tradition of “Halloween costumes” began. Some revelers apparently wore costumes to ward off spirits, but others apparently wore them “to allow for communication with the spirit world”… Besides the reasons given above, Halloween masks and costumes were used to hide one’s attendance at pagan festivals or—as in traditional shamanism (mediated by a witch doctor or pagan priest) and other forms of animism—to change the personality of the wearer to allow for communication with the spirit world. Here, costumes could be worn to ward off evil spirits. On the other hand, the costume wearer might use a mask to try to attract and absorb the power of the animal represented by the mask and costume worn. According to this scenario, Halloween costumes may have originated with the Celtic Druid ceremonial participants, who wore animal heads and skins to acquire the strength of a particular animal. Today, some of the most popular Halloween costumes are of ghosts, witches, vampires and fallen angels. But most people are entirely convinced that there is absolutely no danger in dressing up as such entities. According to the History Channel, during Samhain the Celts would also “burn crops and animals as sacrifices to the Celtic deities”… In addition to causing trouble and damaging crops, Celts thought that the presence of the otherworldly spirits made it easier for the Druids, or Celtic priests, to make predictions about the future. For a people entirely dependent on the volatile natural world, these prophecies were an important source of comfort during the long, dark winter. To commemorate the event, Druids built huge sacred bonfires, where people gathered to burn crops and animals as sacrifices to the Celtic deities. During the celebration, the Celts wore costumes, typically consisting of animal heads and skins, and attempted to tell each other’s fortunes. That is quite alarming. And there are also some ancient documents that indicate that humans were often sacrificed in massive Samhain fires as well… According to old documents, in its most primitive guise, Samhain would have featured many sacrifices to the Celtic gods of death, with both animals and humans thrown in to huge firepits as offerings. People claimed the ancient Druids ate their first born children on Samhain, or collected the blood of their sacrificial humans in cauldrons and drank it. But nobody does such things anymore, right? Well, Pastor John Ramirez says that when he was a practicing Satanist he actually participated in the sacrifice of animals on Halloween… Ramirez, now a pastor, knows all about the dark reality of Halloween. He once sacrificed animals as part of satanic rituals and his friends even knew him as “Lucifer’s son.” Now as a born again believer, he strongly warns Christians against celebrating Halloween and participating in harvest festivals. “The only harvest we should celebrate is the harvest of souls,” he adds. Those that are obsessed with spiritual darkness take these things very seriously. Many of them even still call this holiday “Samhain” even though most of us call it Halloween. So how did it come to be called Halloween? Well, it all started when the Celts were invaded by the Roman Empire… However, when the Roman Empire took over the majority of the Celtic region, two ancient Roman festivals merged with the festival of Samhain over the 400 years the Romans occupied the territory. These festivals were Feralia, a day honoring the dead, and a day celebrating Pomona, the Roman goddess of fruit and trees who is primarily symbolized with an apple. It was not until roughly the 9th through 11th centuries when early Christianity was spreading throughout the Celtic territory that we finally obtained the name we all know and love. The Christian (specifically Catholic) holiday of All Saints’ Day was very similar to the festival of Samhain with bonfires and costumes, though it was celebrated in early November. It was also called All-Hallows and the festival of Samhain—celebrated the night before—became known as All-Hallows Eve and eventually Halloween. From that time forward, “Halloween” was primarily a Catholic celebration. That is why the Puritans that settled in early America were steadfastly against it. The following comes from Wikipedia… Lesley Bannatyne and Cindy Ott write that Anglican colonists in the southern United States and Catholic colonists in Maryland“recognized All Hallow’s Eve in their church calendars”,[141][142]although the Puritans of New England strongly opposed the holiday, along with other traditional celebrations of the established Church, including Christmas.[143] Almanacs of the late 18th and early 19th century give no indication that Halloween was widely celebrated in North America.[26] It was not until after mass Irish and Scottish immigration in the 19th century that Halloween became a major holiday in America.[26] Most American Halloween traditions were inherited from the Irish and Scots,[27][144] though “In Cajunareas, a nocturnal Mass was said in cemeteries on Halloween night. Candles that had been blessed were placed on graves, and families sometimes spent the entire night at the graveside”.[145]Originally confined to these immigrant communities, it was gradually assimilated into mainstream society and was celebrated coast to coast by people of all social, racial, and religious backgrounds by the early 20th century.[146] Then, through American influence, these Halloween traditions spread to many other countries by the late 20th and early 21st century, including to mainland Europe and some parts of the Far East.[28][16][147] Today, Halloween has become one of our biggest holidays. In fact, it is being projected that Americans will spend more than 11 billion dollars on Halloween this year alone… Americans are projected to spend $11.6 billion on Halloween decorations, costumes, candy and other festive purchases this October, according to an annual survey from the National Retail Federation. When broken down, that $11.6 billion translated to $3.8 billion spent on costumes, $3.8 billion dedicated to decorations, $3.5 billion allocated to purchasing candy and $0.5 billion spent on greeting cards, per the survey. If you can believe it, Americans even spend approximately 700 million dollars on costumes for their pets each year. Can you believe that? One survey found that 93 percent of Americans celebrate Halloween in some way. Needless to say, this makes certain people very happy. The founder of the Church of Satan, Anton LaVey, once made the following statement: “I am glad that Christian parents let their children worship the devil at least one night out of the year. Welcome to Halloween.” Like I noted earlier, most people celebrate Halloween without ever even thinking about it. In fact, many people don’t know why they believe what they believe about most things. If we are going to do something, we need to understand why we are doing it. As for where Halloween originally came from, now you know the truth.

Historical Facts that Prove Jesus Really Did Rise from the Dead" on YouTube

https://youtu.be/RmKg62GDqF4

Prophecy Unfolding: Why Today's World Looks Exactly Like The Bible Warned

Almost two thousand years ago, Peter prophesied about the last days. He said just before Jesus returns, people will openly mock the Second Coming. They'll say, "What happened to Jesus? I thought He was coming back? Yet everything remains the same as it has since the world first began" (2 Peter 3:3-4). I'll bet you've heard this argument many times. But is it true? Is the world of today "the same as it's always been"? Absolutely not. In fact, it's absurd to say it is. Why? Because the truth is the exact opposite. Our generation is unlike any before it. Not only can we point to clear signs of His Return, but almost every sign the Bible says to look for is present right now. Some signs are completely fulfilled (such as the re-establishment of Israel as a nation state). Others seem to be in an early stage of fulfillment (such as the emergence of a revived Roman Empire in the form of the European Union). Regardless of the stage of fulfillment, some form of almost every end times sign is converging in our time. Nevertheless, most people remain ignorant of these signs. And that's a shame. Remember, Jesus rebuked the religious leaders of His time for their failure to recognize His coming. He said they knew how to interpret the weather signs in the sky, but they didn't know how to recognize the signs of the times: "He replied, 'You know the saying, 'Red sky at night means fair weather tomorrow; red sky in the morning means foul weather all day.' You know how to interpret the weather signs in the sky, but you don't know how to interpret the signs of the times!'" Matthew 16:2-3 (NLT) Jesus expected the religious leaders of His day to recognize the signs of the coming Messiah. In the same way, Jesus expects us to recognize the signs of His Second Coming. So let's take the same approach. Just as you know a storm is coming when you see dark clouds on the horizon, these signs will alert you to His return: 1) Israel Back in the Land In A.D. 70, Roman soldiers put down a rebellion, sacked Jerusalem, destroyed the Temple, and carried the Jewish people to the farthest corners of their Empire to serve as slaves. They tried to eliminate every trace of the nation of Israel, even renaming the land Palestine in honor of Israel's historical enemies, the Philistines. Rome intended to erase the memory of Israel forever. Fortunately, God had other plans. Thousands of years ago, He foretold the long exile of His people. He promised to call them from "among the nations" (Ezekiel 39:28), from "the farthest corners of the earth" (Isaiah 11:12), and from "north, south, east, and west" (Psalm 107:3). He promised to welcome the Jewish people home from the lands where they were scattered (Ezekiel 20:34), and He promised to restore them to the land of Israel from distant lands (Jeremiah 30:2, 10). And this is exactly what He did. Every person on earth is an eyewitness to the modern miracle of Israel. Long ago, the prophets said this restoration will precede a monumental event - the coming of the Messiah to set up His everlasting Kingdom (Isaiah 35, Joel 3, Jeremiah 23, Micah 4). In other words, Israel's existence in our day and time is a sign the Second Coming is near. Think about that. Then think about this... For 1,878 years, Christians could not point to this sign. Israel didn't exist, and the Jewish people were not in the land. But today? Jewish people from around the world return to Israel on a daily basis. 2) The Jewish People Back in Jerusalem When the disciples asked Jesus to reveal the signs of His coming and the end of the age, He gave them one of the keys to understanding the timing of His return. He told the disciples this: Jerusalem "will be trampled by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles come to an end." And then? After that, Jesus promised to return (Luke 21:24-28). So when did this time period begin? The Gentile trampling of Jerusalem began with the destruction of the Temple in A.D. 70 by Titus and the Roman legions. For centuries thereafter, Gentile kings and kingdoms held complete control over the Temple Mount and the Old City of Jerusalem. However, in June 1967, the Six-Day War concluded with Israel in control of Jerusalem and the Temple Mount for the first time since A.D. 70. And according to Jesus, the Jewish repossession of Jerusalem will immediately precede His return. For 1,897 years, Christians could not point to this sign. The Jewish people did not control Jerusalem. For those 1,897 years, numerous Gentile kingdoms ruled over Jerusalem. But today? Today, Israel controls Jerusalem. 3) Israel's Neighbors Out to Destroy Her More than three thousand years ago, the prophet Asaph claimed the surrounding nations would be unanimous in their contempt for Israel. He said they will say: "Come, let us wipe away the nation of Israel. Let's destroy the memory of its existence." (Psalm 83:4) And "Let us take for ourselves these pasturelands of God." (Psalm 83:12) Do these statements sound familiar? They should. They're almost word for word what we hear in the Middle East today. And we've heard these same declarations from the Muslim world over and over again since May 14, 1948. Ezekiel predicted these same neighbors would say "God has given their land to us" (Ezekiel 11:14-17), and "Israel and Judah are ours. We will take possession of them. What do we care if their God is there?" (Ezekiel 35:10). Isn't this what we read in the headlines each day? It is. The enemies of Israel claim the land belongs to them, that "the mountains of Israel have been given to us" (Ezekiel 35:12-13). Syria, which lost the strategically important Golan Heights in the Six-Day War joins a chorus of Israeli critics in claiming "the Golan Heights belong to us" (Ezekiel 36:2). Again, for 1,878 years, this sign didn't exist. Israel's neighbors weren't out to destroy her because Israel as a nation state didn't exist. But today it does, and the Bible tells us this hatred toward Israel will take place "when the time of Israel's iniquity comes to an end" (Ezekiel 35:5). In other words, when God brings His people back into the land after a long exile. 4) Israel With An Exceedingly Great Army In his Valley of the Dry Bones vision (where God breathes life back into the Jewish people), the prophet Ezekiel saw the Jewish people come to life and stand up as "an exceedingly great army" (Ezekiel 37:10). Zechariah repeated this promise, speaking of a day when Israel is like a fire among sheaves of grain, burning up the neighboring nations (Zechariah 12:6). In fact, he claims even the weakest soldier among them will be like David (Zechariah 12:8). Do we see this today? We sure do. What are the odds of Israel winning four conventional wars in a 25 year period? Israel barely cracks the Top 100 nations in terms of population, but its military consistently ranks among the most powerful in the world. The whole country is less than 13,000 square miles (approximately the size of New Jersey). That's less than one-tenth of one percent of the land mass of the surrounding nations that wish to destroy her. Does this sound like a recipe for "an exceedingly great army"? Yet, that's exactly what the Israeli Defense Force (IDF) is. Surrounded on all sides, a brand new nation that didn't even have a formal military emerged victorious in a multi-front war in 1948. With Syria, Jordan, and Egypt preparing for war, the Israelis struck preemptively in 1967. The result? They achieved overwhelming victory in just six days. Caught by surprise on Yom Kippur in 1973, her enemies almost cut Israel in half within 48 hours. But the IDF quickly won back all the territory it lost in the opening days of the war, and the world brokered a truce with the IDF at the gates of Cairo and Damascus. Against all odds, Israel always seems to come out on top. Just looking at the last few weeks Israel's military has demonstrated not only it's military power but it's tactical genius in taking out some of the worlds top terrorist leaders. And what does the Bible say about the timing of Israel's emergence as a world military power? When does it say Israel will have an "exceedingly great army"? You guessed it. The Bible says, "when God's people are re-gathered in the land just before the Messiah returns" (Ezekiel 12, 36, 37). When the Jewish people have been "brought back from the nations where they were scattered, and given the land of Israel by God Himself" (Ezekiel 11:17). 5) An Increase in Travel and Knowledge Approximately 2,600 years ago, an angel told the prophet Daniel to keep his visions secret until a later date. What later date? The angel said, "Until the end times, when travel and knowledge will increase" (Daniel 12:4). In other words, a significant increase in travel and knowledge will mark the end times and the time just prior to the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. Have we seen such an increase? I think the answer is obvious. For all of human history right up until the early 19th Century, the fastest mode of land-based transportation was a horse. Yet today, we can travel to the other side of the earth in a matter of hours. As for an increase in knowledge, think about how much information is on the Internet. In 1990, there was only one website. Six years later, the Internet featured more than one hundred thousand. And a decade later? One hundred million. Today, estimates place the number of websites at somewhere around six hundred million. 6) The Rise of a Revived Roman Empire The Bible repeatedly states a revived version of the Roman Empire will ascend to power in the end times (Daniel 2, Daniel 7, Revelation 17). This will be the final world empire before Jesus returns. According to Daniel, it will be a ten nation alliance made up of weak and strong nations. Some parts will be as strong as iron, while other parts will be as weak as clay. Do we see this empire today? No. Not yet. Do we see an alliance of strong and weak nations in the area of the old Roman Empire. Absolutely! It's called the European Union, and its entire purpose is to collectively strengthen the member nations through alliance - just as the statue's iron and clay feet and toes would attempt to strengthen themselves through "intermarriage" (Daniel 2:43). As of this writing, the European Union contains the world's 3rd and 7th largest economies (Germany and France) - but it also contains the world's 100th, 106th, and 118th largest economies (Estonia, Iceland, and Malta). Individually, no EU nation is a world power. Together, the combined nations of the EU are the world's leading economic power. And this is precisely the type of arrangement the Bible says will exist in the time just prior to Christ's return. 7) The Gospel Preached Throughout the World In answering His disciples, Jesus described many signs to look for. Among them, He said this: "And the Good News about the Kingdom will be preached throughout the whole world, so that all nations will hear it; and then the end will come." Matthew 24:14 (NLT) Think we're getting close to that day now? I do. The Bible is available in hundreds of languages. Satellites broadcast Christian programming throughout the world. And every day, missionaries carry the Gospel to people who have never heard it before. We're not there yet, but we're getting close. Unfortunately, while this sign is all around us, most people don't see it as a sign. They don't think the global reach of Christianity is a big deal. But think about it. The promise to see the Gospel preached throughout the world was made by a Jewish carpenter with some fishermen as followers nearly 2,000 years ago. That's a bold proclamation, and its fulfillment is something the world takes for granted. Even after 1,500 years of Christianity, the message of Jesus was largely confined to the European continent. But today, the Gospel is preached in every nation. The Converging Signs All the signs mentioned here - the re-establishment of Israel, the Jewish back in Jerusalem, the dramatic increase in travel and knowledge, and many more - point to the nearness of His return. Not a single one of these signs existed for almost the entire history of Christianity - and now they all do! Think that matters? I do. When the disciples approached Jesus and asked Him, "What are the signs of your coming and the end of the age?" (Matthew 24:3). Jesus replied by giving them a list of signs and events to look for - signs such false prophets, earthquakes, wars, and desecration of the Temple. But Jesus said one sign in particular is cause to "look up" because your redemption draws near. Our generation is witness to that sign. So what is it? Convergence. That's right. The most significant sign of all is not a single sign, but the convergence of all the signs Jesus, Moses, and the Old Testament prophets said to look for. Jesus said, "When you see all these things occur, look up. For your salvation is near!" (Luke 21:28). Note that Jesus didn't say, "When you see these things, I might come back in a couple hundred years." No. He said, when you see all these signs, I'm "right at the door" (Mark 13:29). The convergence of so many specific and detailed events - events Jesus told us to look for - should command the attention of even the most hardened skeptics. Why? Because for more than 1,800 years following the crucifixion, these signs were noticeably absent. But today? Today, we see them all around us. For the first time ever, each of these signs is present - and all at the same time. Think that's a coincidence? I don't. It's not a coincidence. And time will prove it's not. Jesus is coming. Now is the season of His return.

How to Overcome Evil

How to Overcome Evil By Tom Gilbreath Spooks and specters… talking heads and attack ads… Halloween and Election Day. We live in terrifying times. But we don’t need to be terrified. God is good. And God still reigns. Not long ago on X, someone wrote that their work had become tedious. This person felt the world was on the verge of something big, perhaps something of biblical proportions. Next to that, the daily labor needed to put bread on the table felt inconsequential. The post resonated with large numbers of people. Many replied, “Same,” or “Feel it too.” Some were relieved to learn they were not alone. One spoke of being “crippled” by “overwhelming stress.” Others couldn’t enjoy life as they had in the past, found it difficult to sleep, or just couldn’t get over the jitters. The upcoming US elections caused many of these fears. This was even true of people who don’t live in the United States. Many felt overwhelmed by the suspense of who might win, or what it would mean if their side lost. For still others, the feeling was about something bigger than an election. So much has gone horribly wrong in America and elsewhere, they felt that a reckoning was imminent. The election certainly looms over most people’s thoughts these days. Both sides agree that the America we have known is at stake. We always hear that this is the most important election ever. This time they may be right. So, vote! But the political issues of our day are only symptoms of a bigger, deeper problem. Romans 1:18-32 (NKJV) tells the story of a civilization in moral freefall. It starts with rejection of God. Verses 21-22 explain the result of that rejection. People “became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools.” Verse 28 says, “Even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind.” The KJV says, “reprobate mind.” The NASB says, “depraved mind.” Most of us who are Christians lead pretty sheltered lives. Only occasionally do we get a glimpse of just how horrible things have become outside our neighborhoods or beyond the doors of our churches. But those glimpses of depravity are enough. Should we hide in fear? Will it help to rage against those leading our country toward cultural suicide? No. We respond to society’s sickness by lovingly presenting God’s cure for the problem, and that problem is sin. 1 John 1:7 says, “The blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.” If you are a follower of Jesus, you know it worked for you. It still works today. We can speak the Gospel in bold confidence knowing that we have what the world needs. Vote, but don’t fear. Election outcomes do not diminish God’s power, love, or care. Don’t let fear-mongering political ads make you afraid. The Bible teaches us to be good citizens. That means we have a responsibility to vote. But we are also citizens of God’s kingdom, something earthly elections cannot change. As a Christian, you represent Jesus and His Gospel. And that’s what the world needs. So, in this season when evil is often glorified, follow Romans 12:21. “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”