(Geschrieben von Jack Kelley)
With all the killer storms, earthquakes, wars and disease dominating our news, it’s not surprising that people are becoming more interested in End Times Prophecy. Even non-believers are wondering if the end is near. What is surprising is how little most Christians actually know about prophecy, especially since by some accounts it comprises nearly 40% of the Bible’s content, more than any other topic.
With few exceptions seminaries don’t teach it, so preachers don’t preach it. And therefore Christians don’t learn it. In all my years as a denominational Christian, I never once heard a message explaining the importance of prophecy to a believer’s walk with the Lord. And yet the Bible devotes more space to End Times Prophecy than it does to all the teachings of Jesus.
When Christians are asked why they don’t study prophecy more seriously the most common reasons given are 1) because it scares them, and 2) because it confuses them. Both responses are borne out of a lack of understanding. For the believer, prophecy is neither scary nor confusing but the key to understanding God’s plan for man.
(Written by Jack Kelley)
This is the word of the Lord concerning Israel. The Lord, Who stretches out the Heavens Who lays the foundations of the Earth, and Who forms the spirit of man within him declares, “I am going to make Jerusalem a cup that sends all the surrounding peoples reeling. Judah will be besieged as well as Jerusalem.
On that day when all the nations of the earth are gathered against her I will make Jerusalem an immovable rock for all the nations. All who try to move it will injure themselves” (Zech 12:1-3).
True, the ultimate fulfillment of this passage will come at the very end of the age, but a careful reading shows the progressive nature of the prophecy. First the surrounding nations will be sent reeling, with both Judah (West Bank) and Jerusalem besieged. Ultimately all the nations of the earth will be involved, and those who move against Jerusalem will wind up injuring themselves. And please don’t miss the way the Author identifies Himself: the One Who stretches out the heavens, lays the foundation of the earth and forms man’s spirit within him. Not much doubt as to Who’s speaking, so we better pay attention.
By Hal Lindsey
Iran's Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is preparing Syria to cover his flank, should war break out between Israel and Iran over Tehran's nuclear arsenal. Ahmadinejad is evidently gambling on Syria taking out Israel while Iran squares off against the United States. Were Iran and Israel to face each other head-to-head, one or the other would inevitably cease to exist. Israel would have no choice but to annihilate Iran before Iran annihilated Israel.
Israel's "Samson Option" is named after the biblical judge who sacrificed himself in order to take his enemies with him. In the event of its impending destruction, Israel's retaliatory plan involves taking the Middle East along with it.
As the Iraq experience has proved, war with the United States is survivable. The terms of Israel's "Samson Option" mean war with Israel involving first-use weapons of mass destruction is not.
To Ahmadinejad's way of thinking, if somebody has to be martyred to the Mahdi's cause, why not Syria? Twenty-five hundred odd years ago, the Hebrew prophet Isaiah prophesied of the destruction of Damascus. This prophecy is made more fascinating by the fact it remains unfulfilled in history.
While we watch the seizing of freedom in America and the steady march to the collapse of the dollar [which is taking world economies with it], the Middle East is starting to come unglued. We are a front row witness to the prophetic setting of the stage for the War of Gog & Magog. We have seen alliances form between lifelong enemies Russia and Iran while at the same time countries like Turkey move from leaning to the west to path of strategic alliance with Russia and Iran. We are very close to the War of Gog & Magog, but before this happens there will be a Middle East war that will quickly start, rapidly conclude, and then soon followed by the War of Gog & Magog.
Looking at the road ahead, Israel is on the verge of a preemptive strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities. It is likely that this strike will either initiate this war or start a chain reaction of events that will quickly lead to this war.
(Written by Jack Kelley)
They called to the mountains and the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! For the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?” (Rev. 6:16-17)
I saw in heaven another great and marvelous sign: seven angels with the seven last plagues—last, because with them God’s wrath is completed (Rev. 15:1)
For 20 centuries various forms of the phrase “Wrath of God” brought one image to mind and that was the period of end times judgments that immediately precede the 2nd Coming. But lately it has begun to mean different things to different people. At the same time phrases like the Wrath of the Lamb, the Wrath of Man, and the Wrath of Satan have also crept into the discussion. In addition, some have begun speaking of a period of judgment they call the Wrath of God which is not mentioned in the Bible. They say it comes right after the 2nd Coming. Others have even said the Wrath of God refers to the eternal punishment that follows the Millennium.
(Written by Jack Kelley)
(Note: This narrative is a summary of dozens of end times prophecies from both the Old and New Testaments. Its objective is to present a readable overview of the times ahead from a Biblical perspective.)
One day soon when many are not expecting it, there will be a sudden attack against Israel. Even the Israelis will be caught by surprise, carelessly thinking themselves to be at peace. Israel will have recently defeated its next door neighbors as foretold in Psalm 83, and destroyed Damascus, ending its reign as the world’s oldest continuously populated city (Isaiah 17:1). Iran’s proxy Hezbollah and Egypt’s stand-in Hamas will have also been defeated putting an end to the Palestinian issue for good. In a kinder, gentler world the Jews would have had a little time to catch their breath and enjoy a period of peace.
I would like to recommend this website "Are we living in the Last Days" to all who want to know more about future events in the Middle East. Please click on the link http://www.arewelivinginthelastdays.com/road
MIDDLE EAST WAR
ISRAEL REGIONAL SUPERPOWER
WITH NEW BORDERS
(Written by Jack Kelley)
This is an update of an article I first posted 2 years ago. Two things prompted me to post it again at this time. First, it’s a good follow up to last week’s article on the growth of Islam. And second, last week, at the last minute, Turkey booted Israel out of a joint training exercise also involving Italy and the US. When they withdrew in protest, Turkey responded by scheduling a training exercise with Syria instead. The reason Turkey gave was Israel’s inability to deliver an order of Heron surveillance drones to Turkey on the agreed schedule, even though it was the failure of a part produced by Turkey that made on time delivery impossible.
Turkey has been distancing itself from Israel since the Gaza offensive, and on top of the canceled training exercise recently began airing a TV series depicting Israeli soldiers as child killers. Inside sources indicate that Turkish PM Erdogan has become convinced that Turkey is destined to play a more pivotal role in Middle Eastern politics by reviving the Ottoman Empire. To that end Turkey has been more involved in MidEast diplomacy, acting as a mediator between Syria and Israel, and has formed a pact with Syria and Iran that features increased military and commercial involvement among the three. Some see in this the re-birth of an end times military force known as the King of the North in Daniel 11. Let’s take a closer look.
(Written by Jack Kelley)
Nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom. There will be great earthquakes, famines and pestilence in various places and fearful events and great signs from Heaven. (Luke 21:10-11)
Wow! Do things seem to be heating up or what? Earthquakes and a tsunami causing nuclear meltdown in Japan, a new war in Libya, (where the US curiously finds itself edging toward fighting on the same side with al Qaeda and Hezbollah) serious civil disorder throughout the Moslem Middle East, the Palestinians preparing to unilaterally declare statehood in September with growing European and UN support, and Israel threatening to take some unspecified unilateral action of their own if that happens. The rockets and missiles are flying into Israel again, and there's talk in Israel of another Gaza invasion, perhaps as early as this spring.
(Written by Edward Wood)
As I have continued to study both the Bible and the news, I am becoming more and more convinced that though the most profound and catastrophic events will come to pass on Earth only after the seven year tribulation begins. Yet I believe the precursors of most of them already well under way, involving the political, economic, religious, and natural realms. In short, they are now evident everywhere but still ignored by the secular world and even by most of organized religion, the latter no doubt a topic of lengthy discussion in itself.
Last year, I presented an article called "Signs from Above," which focused on the possible things we can expect to see in the heavens as the end of this age approaches (http://www.raptureready.com/soap/wood7.html). Terry James and I have kept in touch concerning a wide variety of prophecy-related topics over the years and he suggested it might be helpful to revisit this subject at this time. I agree!
(Written by Jack Kelley)
Revelation 17-18 shows there are three components to the one world system of the Last Days. There's a one world religion, a one world government, and a one world commercial system. All have been developing for longer than most people suspect and are rapidly coming to fulfillment. As this happens they're becoming more and more obvious to the public. No longer just the realm of the fanatical conspiracy theorists, today only those who refuse to see are unaware of their existence.
One World Religion
Islam is the most influential religious force in the world today and the goal is nothing less than world domination, by any means necessary. It's also the world's fastest growing religion, and is second only to Christianity in number of adherents. Nearly one out of every four inhabitants of the world is a follower of Islam . After the rapture Islam will be the largest, strongest, best organized, and fastest growing religion in the world by a wide margin. No other group or combination of groups will be in a position to challenge it. And since Islam is not an ecumenically minded religion, all others will have to join it.