The Prophecy Update Newsletter - 10/29/24

News & Information for the End Times

Oct 29, 2024

ISRAEL AT WAR!!! Day 389 - PRAY!!!

Pray For Israel — Psalm 122:6-8, "Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee. Peace be within thy walls, and prosperity within thy palaces. For my brethren and companions' sakes, I will now say, Peace be within thee."

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In Today’s Newsletter…

Is The Condition of Today’s Church A Sign of Jesus’ Soon Return?
Are We in the Time of the Lord’s Return?
Prophecy Update Videos
Recommended Reading
Approaching Apocalypse
All Hail King Jesus
Daily Jot: Trump’s uphill battle; Harris’ downhill slope
Daily Devotion: Darkness and Light
Prophecy Update News Headlines

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Is The Condition of Today’s Church A Sign of Jesus’ Soon Return?

By Jonathan Brentner - https://harbingersdaily.com/is-the-condition-of-todays-church-a-sign-of-jesus-soon-return/

When we think of the prophetic signs of the last days, we typically begin with Israel, examine the closeness of the world to the appearance of the riders of the apocalypse, and perhaps turn our attention to the formation of the beast kingdom that’s now rapidly taking shape. These are excellent places to look, and they lead us to a myriad of related signs that unmistakably point to Jesus’ soon appearing.

I would like to suggest that the condition of today’s church also shouts with the message that we live in the last moments before the Rapture of the church.

In 2 Timothy 3:1-5, Paul depicts that the rebellious nature of people would mark the “perilous times” of the last days. We certainly see these attributes everywhere we look in our world. Sadly, however, they also exist among professing Christians, even among many who are truly born again.

When I look at the apostle’s list, the traits related to pride immediately catch my attention:

Lovers of self
Proud
Arrogant
Swollen with conceit

These qualities are far too common within the body of Christ and, more than any other sin, cause division among the saints and harm the cause of Christ in our world. Most, if not all, of the false teaching that exists in churches stems from those who believe their interpretation of a text is far superior to the actual intent of the author who penned the biblical text in question.

As a result of the prideful condescension to other viewpoints, particularly those related to Bible prophecy, believers who believe what the New Testament teaches about Jesus’ imminent appearing often find that they are no longer welcome at the churches they attend. I know this has been the experience of a great many followers of Jesus. It’s been my fate as well.

Pride was the key fault that the Lord found with the church at Laodicea (Revelation 3:14-22). He didn’t criticize the church for teaching errant theology or for the acceptance of immorality in its midst. No, the Lord chastised this group of Christians for their pride. Their smugness at what they had accomplished caused the Lord to severely warn them with these words, “I will spit you out of my mouth” (Revelation 3:16). They had achieved much visible success as a church and credited themselves for their amazing achievements.

Why did Jesus respond in such a harsh way to their arrogance? I believe it was because such spiritual superiority makes it impossible for the atmosphere that Paul described in Colossians 3:12-14 to exist: “Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.”

The body life that Paul describes in the above verses absolutely cannot coexist with the pride that the Lord warned would mark humanity during the last days, the time in which we now live.

Arrogance. It’s often displayed via a self-righteous spirit that causes great harm to the body of Christ because it leads to some of the other ways that the apostle describes people, even Christians, during the last days (2 Timothy 3:1-5):

Heartless
Slanderous
Brutal
Treacherous

When the above qualities manifest themselves inside the walls of a church, and they do, they create a hostile and unsafe atmosphere. Mercy flies out the window, body life dies, and the words of Colossians 3:12-14 become merely matters of verbal assent but fail to change anyone’s behavior toward his or her fellow saint.

For many, today’s church has become a place of pain rather than a safe haven of acceptance that nurtures spiritual growth.

Many Bible-believing churches today resemble the Laodicean church rather than the church at Philadelphia (Revelation 3:7-13), whose qualities now define but a remnant of New Testament saints.

In his book, New Morning Mercies, Paul David Tripp wrote the following about “mercy forgetfulness.” I have read these words many, many times during the past month as a needed reminder of what’s important as I await Jesus’ soon appearing:

Mercy forgetfulness is dangerous because it shapes the way you think about yourself and others. When you remember mercy, you also remember that you simply did nothing whatsoever to earn that with which mercy has blessed you. When you remember mercy, you are humble, thankful, and tender. . . When you forget mercy, you take credit for what only mercy could produce. When you remember mercy, you name yourself as righteous and deserving, and you live an entitled and demanding life.

When you remember mercy and think you are deserving, you find it all too easy not to extend mercy to others. Proudly, you think that you’re getting what you deserve and that they are, too. Your proud heart is not tender, so it is not easily moved by the sorry plight of others. You forget that you are more like than unlike your needy brother, failing to acknowledge that neither of you stands before God as deserving. Humility is the soil in which mercy for others grows. Gratitude for mercy given is what motivates mercy extended. Paul says, “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another as God in Christ forgave you” (Eph. 4:32).

When we forget God’s merciful dealings with us, we open the door for Paul’s descriptors of perilous times to affect our dealings with others.

There’s no room for an attitude of superiority in the body of Christ. We are all equal in terms of how we initially came to saving faith in Jesus as well as in our need for the mercy and grace that daily sustains us in our walk with the Lord.

Are We in the Time of the Lord’s Return?

Britt Gillette - brittgillette@substack.com

The Bible Says, Yes…

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.

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.

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PROPHECY UPDATE VIDEOS

Approaching Apocalypse

Terry James - https://terryjamesprophecyline.com/2024/10/28/approaching-apocalypse/

The term “apocalypse” as related to the coming Tribulation (Daniel’s seventieth week) means the “unveiling” or “revelation.” Particularly, it is the revelation of Jesus Christ in all of His power and glory, and in His judgeship over all of the world evil since Lucifer’s rebellion and the Fall of humankind in the Garden of Eden.

I’ve addressed many times the next step in Christ’s coming judgment over this fallen world. Jesus, Himself, used the word in giving what I believe is the most important prophecy for believers of this Church Age (Age of Grace):

Also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded; But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all. Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed. (Luke 17:28–30)

According to the Lord’s own words, the son of man will be revealed the very day that something occurs like it did in the days that Lot lived in the wicked city of Sodom. Again, the apocalypse—the unveiling or revealing of Jesus Christ—will take place when something happens just like it did in the days of Lot.

That “something” that brings about the revealing of Jesus in His power as Judge of the world’s evil has everything to do with Lot’s removal from Sodom. Here is what Lot was told in that regard before he and his family were taken from the doomed city:

Haste thee, escape thither; for I cannot do any thing till thou be come thither. (Genesis 19:22a)

The angel charged with taking Lot and his family to safety because the city was about to be destroyed said they must be removed before the destruction could be carried out. Jesus is telling future believers in the Luke 17:28–30 prophecy that there is coming a time when we must be taken out of the wicked place we’re living in before He is revealed as Judge. The Lord said the place out of which we will be removed will be dealt with in judgment, just as Sodom and its left-behind residents.

Christ’s judgment–His revealing in his power as Judge—will begin at that very moment. The Apocalypse —that unveiling of power and authority—will begin the process of God destroying the present evil system of satanically inspired, humanistic government. In its place, through seven years of purging by twenty-one specific judgments—seven seals, seven trumpets, and seven bowls—will come the Second Advent of Christ, the King of all kings, and His thousand-year reign on a restored, Eden-like earth—the Millennium.

Each week, I receive emails and phone calls in which I’m told: “I’ve never felt like this before. There’s something that makes me think we might not even reach the November 5 election.”

That sense of impending something-or-the-other indeed seems on the minds of many believers who are paying attention. I must admit, I’ve had those “feelings” in recent days.

Of course, we can’t go too far down the road on “feelings,” because such sensations most generally are a mere reflection of human emotion. We’re confronted with all sorts of troubled symptoms of these times. Like old Lot, whom the Bible tells us was “vexed from day to day” with the ungodliness all around him in Sodom, we sometimes can see only a bleak future for ourselves and those we love.

Certainly there seems a time immediately ahead that is portentous. There are so many symptoms that look exactly like the Lord Jesus described when He answered His disciples’ question: “What shall be the sign of thy coming and of the end of the age?”

To the believer who observes from the pre-Trib view of Bible prophecy, it’s as if the time of the Apocalypse is very near indeed. God’s judgment–Jesus Christ revealed in His divine office of Judge—must be about to, like in the days of Lot prophecy, rain down a fire and brimstone-like cataclysm upon the ungodliness all around us.

We’re approaching Apocalypse, to be sure. Israel’s front-and-center positioning on this end-times geopolitical landscape isn’t happenstance or coincidence. The way the world is dealing with God’s chosen people makes it clear that this age of God’s grace and divine patience is about to end, and that the time of His apocalyptic judgment is poised above a planet ripe for the Almighty’s wrath.

So, in my estimation, it isn’t altogether beyond spiritual reasoning to look with trepidation at the very near future. It is an ominous picture, to be sure. However, it isn’t a picture filled with trepidation for believers. The darkening angst we rightfully have is for those who haven’t come to salvation.

As a matter of fact, for the believer in Christ’s sacrifice as the only Way to God the Father (John 14:6), the immediate future is bright with God’s glorious promise.

Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, nor has it entered into the heart of man, the things God has prepared for those who love him. (1 Corinthians 2:9)

We will, at any moment, in the “twinkling of an eye,” look into the eyes of our Lord and Savior. So, while we approach Apocalypse, let’s look at all the fearful signals happening in every direction as being but reminders of Jesus’ promise.

And when ye shall see all these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your head, for your redemption draweth nigh. (Luke 21:28)

If you haven’t come to Christ for salvation, here once again is the way to make sure you will not be left behind to suffer the worst time in human history, but will go into the clouds of Glory to be with Jesus when He calls:

That if you will confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and will believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart man believes unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. (Romans 10:9–10)

All Hail King Jesus

John Bellam - https://www.rev310.net/post/all-hail-king-jesus

There is soon coming a day when one man will claim the throne of the world and be the undisputed leader of the human race. Not only that but He will have absolute sovereign control over every aspect of life on this planet from nature to economics to the environment to morality. His authority will be complete and every word he says will be law and those who choose to disobey that law will be punished for their insubordination. The nations will bow at his feet and his adversaries will be scattered and chastened accordingly. The world will be totally and completely under His unchallenged control!

No this man is not the Antichrist. Satan’s man of sin is a mere imposter. The true king is about to return and seize His rightful place as the sovereign monarchy of ONE at the head of creation and the planet better be ready.

Prepare yourself world because the “Greater Palm Sunday” is getting closer every day and it will be a day when the whole earth will sing together in one accord “All Hail King Jesus!”

3044 YEARS AGO…

“So, all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah. 5 They said to him, “You are old, and your sons do not follow your ways; now appoint a king to lead us, such as all the other nations have.”

6 But when they said, “Give us a king to lead us,” this displeased Samuel; so he prayed to the Lord. 7 And the Lord told him: “Listen to all that the people are saying to you; it is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected me as their king. 8 As they have done from the day I brought them up out of Egypt until this day, forsaking me and serving other gods, so they are doing to you. 9 Now listen to them; but warn them solemnly and let them know what the king who will reign over them will claim as his rights.” (1Sam 8:4-9)

Once upon a time, God was Israel’s King. They followed Him out of Egypt and into the fabulous “Promised Land “that the Lord had promised to the Patriarchs (Abraham, Isaac and Jacob). The land was divided and given to their 12 tribes and God led them through the guidance of His chosen Judges who were mediators between The Lord and His People. But then … the people got restless. They saw how all the other nations had an earthly king and they envied those nations. They went to the final Judge (of the judges era), Samuel, and asked that he give them a king. Although God had always provided faithfully for them even through their disobedience, had given them victory over their enemies and supernaturally showed His superiority over the gods of the nations, still they sought to have a human being they could visibly see to be their great ruler. So…God accommodated them!

God gave Israel a king but only after He warned them of the price that they would have to pay for submitting to a flawed human monarch. A human king would seek after his own will and strive to build his own wealth for his own glory at the expense of the people. They would find themselves and their children subjects to a sinful man rather than servants to a perfect Divine Father. They chose to accept these terms though and so God gave them King Saul.

King Saul was a paranoid man. He was a jealous man. He was an impatient man and he was also a man that sought to do things his own way rather than God’s way. He deluded himself into believing he was doing God’s will even when God gave Him specific orders which he ignored. He also made excuses for betraying God’s plans, claiming to be right rather than accept his chastening. And when God chose to inform Him that he was being replaced on the throne by someone else of God’s choosing, He chose to rebel against God’s plans and sought to kill His Successor.

Now God had planned on an earthly king being the leader of Israel all along. One that would bring forth a descendent that would be God Himself incarnate. But Israel’s impatience to short cut the process according to their own timeline rather than God’s time line led to Saul’s disastrous reign. Even so, waiting in the wings was a man who had been refined and prepared by God to lead His chosen people …David!

DAVID: GOD’S KING

The Lord said to Samuel, “How long will you mourn for Saul, since I have rejected him as king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and be on your way; I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem. I have chosen one of his sons to be king.” (1 Sam 16:1)

David was already a hero in Israel long before God officially replaced Saul with the youngest Son of Jesse. He had slain Goliath the great Philistine giant and had become a Great War hero that Saul envied greatly. Saul’s jealousy grew so vehement that he spent the latter days of his reign trying to hunt and kill David but even though David, in turn, had multiple opportunities to end Saul’s life and hasten his own ascension to the throne, David refused. He vowed to never lay a hand on God’s anointed king and waited until God removed Saul himself. This is because David’s heart belonged to God and his desire was to do His Heavenly Father’s will and not his own.

“The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” (1 Sam 1:7b)

THE CORRELATION

Like Saul, the coming Antichrist will be the people’ s choice as the global king. The world will marvel after him and seek him as the one to set up a global paradise to fulfill John Lennon’s song “Imagine”. But God already has a global (and Eternal) King prepared to rule the world and His name is Jesus …Just as He had David prepared to be Israel’s greatest king all those centuries ago. Because Israel chose to reject God and seek an earthly king by their own will, God gave them Saul for a short time before revealing His own Chosen Man. Likewise, God will allow humanity to coronate the Antichrist for a short time to bring world-wide destruction and judgment before He sends His Son to gloriously save and rule the planet.

Long before David was elevated to the throne, He defeated Goliath, the mighty enemy of Israel. Similarly, two millennia before Jesus is set to return and replace the Antichrist and initiate His glorious millennial reign, Christ came to defeat Satan at the cross. And like David, who had opportunities to quicken his rise to the throne but refused, Jesus the Messiah also refused Satan’s tempting offers to instantly gain the world’s worship choosing to obey His Father’s timeline and ignore His own human inclinations. Jesus knew He was destined to have every knee on earth and under the earth bow to Him one day, but God’s plan called for Messiah to come to earth twice, and the world’s throne has been reserved for His second coming; Not His first!

SOLOMON’S KINGDOM OF PEACE

When Christ came in His “Humiliation” the first time as “Son of Man”, he was God in human flesh. When He returns to set up His millennial Kingdom He will be returning in His Glory. When Jesus took Peter and John to the Mount

Of Transfiguration, they saw Him in His Glory with His human veil pulled back and His glowing divinity exposed. When Jesus returns He will be a glorified King, beaming with radiance. In a sense, we see the humanity of Jesus’ first visit to defeat sin and death, in David’s kingdom where He had to fight Israel’s battles to bring peace to His people. But David’s son Solomon brought about a peaceful kingdom of might and riches and abundance and glory and for a period of time, Israel was living in tranquility and was the head of nations. Solomon’s kingdom was a preview of Israel’s peaceful kingdom in the Millennium under Messiah when He returns.

JESUS GIVES A PREVIEW

While Solomon’s reign showed a glimpse of the future Israeli national glory, Jesus’ first earthly ministry showed glimpses of the amazing global restoration project He will initiate at His Second coming.

When Jesus came to earth two millennia ago, He displayed His total authority over the demons and over Satan commanding them with total sovereignty. He displayed His great authority over all sickness ordering it to leave at His very word! He displayed complete authority over nature, instructing the wind and waves to cease and directing fish into nets. He proclaimed His Divine authority over the Sabbath which only God could do. He claimed complete exclusive right to forgiveness of sin as the final judge of all creation. And He displayed His power over death when He raised Lazarus and when He Himself walked out of the tomb. Jesus has total authority over everything. That is because He is sovereign as God Himself and His work in Israel in the first century was a small sampling of the wondrous power He will display during His millennial reclamation project of the earth.

THE PROPHETS’ VISIONS

The Old Testament Prophets gave many prophesies of the Messiah, recording in advance His two incredible missions to earth. His humiliation as a suffering servant can be read about in Isaiah 53 and Psalm 22 among many other passages. His Glory as a conquering king who will bring harsh judgment on the rebellious world and redeem the cursed planet can be found in Joel 3 and Ezekiel 34 along with dozens of other OT prophesies. There are Seven absolute objectives the Messiah will have to fulfill in the two visitations to earth.

Atone for the sin of humanity
Defeat sin and death
Graft in the gentiles to salvation
Chasten and Redeem Israel
Punish and judge the rebellious world
Set up His millennial kingdom on David’s throne to fulfill His promises to Israel and restore the fallen world to God.
Conquer and vanquish the fallen angelic rebels and their leader Satan

At His first coming the world rejected Christ and He was punished by God as payment for the sin of humanity at the Cross. He arose from the grave to defeat sin and death. And the Church He formed took on the mission of taking the Gospel to the Gentiles to graft them into the family of God. The final 4 objectives still must be fulfilled. And think about this; God loves His Son perfectly. He would certainly not allow His Son to suffer humiliation at the hands of His Creation at His first coming without ultimately giving His Son the glory of creation’s total submission to the Son at His second coming. All must be fulfilled. And that brings us to our current world.

THE GLOBAL PEOPLE’S CHOICE

All around us we see the stage being set for a global king. Nation states are being destroyed. National Borders are being corrupted with uncontrolled and undocumented immigration. National Economies are being bankrupted with uncontrolled spending. Freedoms are being suppressed with censorship and draconian measures enforced to align everyone with the globalist mindset. The Judeo-Christian world view is being abandoned for a new woke global ethic that rejects truth and promotes a new upside down reality. With all sense of structure in the world being torn asunder, Someone has to step up and bring the pieces of this broken planet together on a new global scale and for a brief moment, humanity will turn to the Antichrist to lead them.

One of the founders of the early European Union, Paul-Henri Spaak (Belgian Prime Minister) made this statement in the 1950s which has proven to be eerily prophetic:

"We do not want another committee, we have too many already. What we want is a man of sufficient stature to hold the allegiance of all people, and to lift us out of the economic morass into which we are sinking.

Send us such a man, and be he god or devil, we will receive him."

And for a short time the world will receive him . He will be Satan’s man of the hour and He will think he is claiming the world for himself. But he will be so very wrong .

THE TRUE KING

God has orchestrated history to unfold by His exact plan so that the global throne will be ready for the True King of Kings. It is our tendency to look at the destruction of the nations and of their national economies and of the rise of globalism and feel like everything is crashing and we are losing everything we had confidence in. But the complete opposite is true. The things we have always clung to for stability in this world are not where our real security lies. The real foundation of our peace and stability is in Christ and all this is being done so Jesus can reveal His great Glory to humanity.

We need to remember that all this is happening for the Glory of Jesus Christ. The rapture will be for His Glory as He translates His Saints in

the blink of an eye to be His adoring bride. The Tribulation happens so that Christ can display His mighty Holy wrath as the undisputed conquering King punishing the nations for rejecting Him and His Word and making all nations bow at His knee Honoring Him. Israel is put through the fire so they will finally accept Jesus as the Messiah they had rejected and their hearts are broken as they cry out to Him for salvation and He returns in the nick of time as their conquering king vanquishing His foes and Israel’s enemies to fulfill all the Old Testament promises and prophesies they have longed to see. He will be glorified on David’s throne just as God promised and every jot and Tittle of the Word of God will be fulfilled by Jesus just as He promised at His first coming. He will destroy the false king and false prophet and ultimately Satan and the demonic realm, showing His glory to all creation and displaying that no one is a match for the King of Kings and no one will usurp His Glory and rightful throne.

CONCLUSION

This is all about Jesus. All about Every knee in Heaven, and on earth, and under the earth, bowing and proclaiming He is Lord! He will be adored by the redeemed eternally because He saved us from the damnation we deserved. He will be honored by Israel as the mighty king they long desired, and by the nations who will honor Him as the only one worthy to rule humanity in righteousness. His enemies will prostrate themselves, defeated, and honor His greatness. The angels will worship and cheer Him for saving humanity and destroying the leaders of the heavenly rebellion. And most important, His Father will give Him glory as the one who completed the plan and restored creation to its proper condition completing the Father’s plan which was set forth before the foundations of the world

This is all for Jesus glory. It’s playing out to perfection. And it’s unfolding before our eyes. We see the carnage beginning to happen but that is exactly what Jesus said would happen. It is all part of the end game that will culminate in true coronation of the only deserving King! Jesus is coming. And Hallelujah that He is! All Hail King Jesus!

“The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”- Matthew 21:9

“Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father! “-Phillip 2:9-11

Daily Jot: Trump’s uphill battle; Harris’ downhill slope

Bill Wilson – www.dailyjot.com

A week ahead of the presidential election, an analysis of the electoral votes underscore the tremendous uphill battle for Donald Trump to win election and the built-in advantage of Kamala Harris. Whether a state requires voter identification to vote; if voter rolls are up to date; and if ballots can be authenticated all play an essential role. In this constitutional republic only qualified voters are allowed to vote in a presidential election. Those requirements are one must be 18 years of age, an American citizen, meet their state’s residency requirements, and be registered to vote. Some states, as you will see in this analysis, game the system toward democrats, greasing Kamala Harris’ path to election victory.

Currently, there are 15 states that do not require voter identification to cast a vote for president. They are: ME, VT, MA, NY, PA, MD, NJ, IL, MN, NM, NV, CA, OR, WA, HA. These states comprise 207 of the 270 electoral votes needed to secure the presidency. Interesting that all these states are traditional Democratic Party strongholds and have voted for Democratic Party presidential candidates in the past. In addition, states won by Democrats in the last three of four presidential elections or all four of the last four elections are MI, WS, CO, VA, NH. They represent another 51 electoral votes. Before any presidential election even begins, the Democratic Party candidate has an advantage of 258 electoral votes.

“Mail-in ballots without excuse” allowed for massive mail-in votes that were virtually impossible to authenticate. In addition, there are 27 states and the District of Columbia that allow ballot drop boxes. Most of those states vote or lean Democratic. Twelve states specifically prohibit ballot drop boxes. Interesting, those states vote or lean Republican. In both non-voter ID states and those allowing ballot drop boxes, the prohibition on voter roll purging comes into play. Unqualified voters—such as illegal aliens and dead people—can pose as someone and cast their votes without authentication. It is no coincidence that states leaning or voting for Democratic Party presidential candidates have these methods written into law.

Considering the mail-in and voter roll issues in Georgia, Arizona and Washington, DC during the 2020 election, Democrats were able to gain another 30 electoral votes, bringing the built-in electoral vote advantage to 288 of the 270 needed to elect a president. Republicans have to be extremely effective to win a presidency under these conditions. This is why ballots need to be secure and the best way to secure a ballot is by paper ballot, that way ballots match the number of voters in each precinct—no over-voting. Voter ID, up to date voter rolls, and ballot security are paramount. They are all compromised in Democratic Party-controlled states, making it nearly impossible for a Republican to win the presidency. Christ said in Matthew 24:4, “Take heed that no man deceive you.” Prayer, action and the hand of God are necessary.

Daily Devotion: Darkness and Light

by Greg Laurie – www.harvest.org

Don’t participate in the things these people do. For once you were full of darkness, but now you have light from the Lord. So live as people of light! For this light within you produces only what is good and right and true. Carefully determine what pleases the Lord. Take no part in the worthless deeds of evil and darkness; instead, expose them.

—Ephesians 5:7–11

https://harvest.org/resources/devotion/darkness-and-light/ - Listen

One of the first things God did in creation was to separate light from darkness (see Genesis 1:4). That separation between light and darkness becomes a recurring theme in Scripture. Spiritually speaking, light represents God and His ways. Darkness represents evil.

In his Gospel, the apostle John wrote of Jesus: “The Word gave life to everything that was created, and his life brought light to everyone. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it” (John 1:4–5 NLT). The lines are drawn. Jesus is the light. Everyone who follows Him does so in the light. The light can penetrate the darkness, but the darkness can never extinguish the light.

Not everyone is drawn to the light, of course. Jesus said, “And the judgment is based on this fact: God’s light came into the world, but people loved the darkness more than the light, for their actions were evil. All who do evil hate the light and refuse to go near it for fear their sins will be exposed” (John 3:19–20 NLT). It’s not that people don’t believe that Jesus is the Son of God; it’s that they don’t want to follow Him because it means they must turn from their sin. And they don’t want to do that.

Christians ask, “Why do people attack us for our faith? Why do they oppose us for what we believe? Why do they want to cancel us, our message, our voice, and our culture?” The answer is that we’re bright lights in a dark place.

The gravitational pull of darkness is strong. We escaped it when we came to Christ. But it’s still there, trying to drag us back in. Darkness takes advantage of our curiosity. It exploits our boredom. It urges us to join the crowd. It appeals to our sense of adventure and our impulse to walk on the wild side.

In Ephesians 5, Paul counters darkness’s pull with a simple caution: Remember who you are. Remember all that you have in the light. Instead of allowing darkness to pull you in, shine your light on it. Expose it for what it really is.

If you find yourself in darkness, move to the light. Ask God to forgive you and set you back on the well-lit path. The Bible says, “The night is almost gone; the day of salvation will soon be here. So remove your dark deeds like dirty clothes, and put on the shining armor of right living. Because we belong to the day, we must live decent lives for all to see. Don’t participate in the darkness of wild parties and drunkenness, or in sexual promiscuity and immoral living, or in quarreling and jealousy. Instead, clothe yourself with the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ. And don’t let yourself think about ways to indulge your evil desires” (Romans 13:12–14 NLT).

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