The Prophecy Update Newsletter - 4/16/25 - The Drum Beats Of War with Iran Are Booming, War May Be Imminent

News & Information for the End Times

Apr 16, 2025

ISRAEL AT WAR!!! Day 558 - 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…

*The Drum Beats Of War with Iran Are Booming, War May Be Imminent

*If Negotiations with Iran Fail, The Course of Human History Could Quickly Take a Turn in an Apocalyptic Direction

*Prophecy Update Videos

*Recommended Reading & Links

*Palestinians: Slaughtering Jews While Falsely Using Al-Aqsa Mosque as a Pretext

*Second coming of Christ: Interpreting the parable of the 10 virgins the right way

*Daily Jot: Stupidocrisy: Panic over Tariffs on China

*Daily Devotion: Fulfilling Prophecy to the Very End

*Prophecy Update News Headlines

(Scroll Down to Read

The Drum Beats Of War with Iran Are Booming, War May Be Imminent

By Robert Gottselig - https://harbingersdaily.com/as-the-drum-beats-of-war-with-iran-are-booming-war-may-be-imminent/

Last week, I discussed how the Trump administration has put Iran on notice to get a deal or face getting bombed. As the US is pouring military assets into the Middle East, Trump’s deadline for Iran to come to the negotiating table fast approaches.

World Israel News, reporting on the situation, detailed: “Following disagreements with the US over nuclear deal talks, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has ordered the military to be on full alert… The rhetoric between Khamenei and US President Donald Trump has intensified recently with Trump threatening to bomb the Islamic Republic if a nuclear deal is not reached.”

As I highlighted last week, Iran further escalated the situation by posting a video of their “underground missile city” showing that their missile launchers are loaded and are ready to be fired if attacked.

Amir Tsarfati, on his informative Telegram channel, shared an AI-generated video that was created and distributed by Iran Revolutionary Guard Corps supporters allegedly showing the destruction of the Island of Diego Garcia—where the US has at least six B2 bombers.

While I highly doubt that will ever happen, one thing is for sure: Iran is racing towards a nuclear bomb.

Rafael Mariano Grossi, director of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), says Iran now has enough enriched uranium to build six or seven nuclear weapons. So much for Iran’s “peaceful” nuclear program!

War could be imminent. The only thing that will for sure stop Iran from getting the bomb is to take out their nuclear facilities—and it may be just a matter of time. Israel and the United States have both said that they will never allow Iran to possess nuclear weapons.

Iran has made their ultimate goal crystal clear. Earlier today, Iran’s Supreme Leader posted a call for the elimination of the Jewish State. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responded in a video message, holding up an image of “dictator” Khamenei’s post, which was entitled, “Why must the Zionist regime (Israel) be eliminated from the region.”

“Here you have the ruler of Iran openly declaring – again – that his goal is to destroy the State of Israel,” Netanyahu stressed. “And the most brazen thing about this is that he issues this while he’s negotiating – supposedly negotiating – peace with the United States.”

“Well, Israel will NOT be eliminated,” he asserted. “What must be eliminated is Iran’s axis of terror and its nuclear weapons program. Not only for the sake of Israel, but for the sake of our entire region, and for the sake of peace in our world.”

What are we to make out of all this? Well, very simply, that war with Iran could be imminent. The more important question is: what does God’s Word have to say concerning the situation?

I am reminded of Psalm 120:6-7. These verses aptly describe not only how the Jewish people are feeling today but also the mindset of their enemies. The psalmist writes, “My soul hath long dwelt with him that hateth peace. I am for peace: But when I speak, they are for war.”

When Israel declared independence in 1948, they offered peace to their neighbors to build a future together. Part of their Declaration of Independence reads: “The state of Israel will foster the development of the country for the benefit of all its inhabitants. It will be based on freedom, justice, and peace as foreseen by the prophets of Israel. It will ensure complete equality of social and political rights to all its inhabitants irrespective of religion, race or sex. It will guarantee freedom of religion, conscience, language, education, and culture. It will safeguard the holy places for all religions and it will be faithful to the principles of the charter of the United Nations.”

Israel’s Declaration of Independence further states: “We extend our hand to all neighboring states and their peoples in an offer of peace and good neighborliness and appeal to them to establish bonds of cooperation and mutual help with the sovereign Jewish people settled in its own land.”

There you have it. Just as the psalmist wrote, Israel is for peace, but when they speak, their enemies are for war.

Unfortunately, even if the US and Israel together bomb Iran’s nuclear facilities or go as far as to destroy the Iranian terror-funding regime, it will not be enough. Bible prophecy tells us that Iran will still live another day to attack Israel. That is precisely what we read in Ezekiel 38-39, where the three main players (Russia, Iran, and Turkey), amongst others, come against Israel. Unlike what we are seeing today, the difference is that the God of Israel will intervene by Himself during this future war—finally destroying the armies of these demonically inspired enemies of Israel.

God says this in Ezekiel 39:4-5 God says, “Thou shalt fall upon the mountains of Israel, thou, and all thy bands, and the people that is with thee: I will give thee unto the ravenous birds of every sort, and to the beasts of the field to be devoured. Thou shalt fall upon the open field: for I have spoken it, saith the Lord GOD.”

Let’s continue to pray for the peace of Jerusalem (Psalms 122:6).

If Negotiations with Iran Fail, The Course of Human History Could Quickly Take a Turn in an Apocalyptic Direction

by Michael Snyder - https://endoftheamericandream.com/if-negotiations-with-iran-fail-the-course-of-human-history-could-quickly-take-a-turn-in-an-apocalyptic-direction/

President Trump says that we have “a problem with Iran”, and he insists that he is going to be the one to solve that problem. If the Iranians are willing to compromise, there is a chance that we could see a negotiated deal. If the Iranians are not willing to compromise, there will be military action against Iran. The Iranians are prepared to hit back with everything that they have got if their nuclear facilities are attacked, and once that happens there will be no turning back. So there is a lot riding on the negotiations with Iran that began last weekend and that will continue this upcoming weekend. If the negotiations go badly, the course of human history could take an apocalyptic turn very rapidly.

The Iranians would love to buy time by dragging out negotiations with Trump for as long as possible.

But Trump has already clearly stated that he is not going to allow that to happen.

In fact, on Sunday he told the press that a final decision on Iran will be made “very quickly”…

Trump, who has threatened military action if no deal is reached on halting Iran’s nuclear program, told reporters aboard Air Force One that he met with advisers on Iran and expected a quick decision. He gave no further details.

“We’ll be making a decision on Iran very quickly,” he said.

Subsequently, on Monday Trump gave us even more insight into what he is thinking.

In the Oval Office, he told reporters that he will solve the “problem with Iran” one way or another…

“We’ve got a problem with Iran. I’ll solve that problem. It’s almost an easy one,” Trump declared, speaking to reporters in the Oval Office during a meeting with Nayib Bukele, the president of El Salvador.

“Iran has to get rid of the concept of a nuclear weapon. They cannot have a nuclear weapon,” Trump said. “I want them to be a rich, great nation. The only thing is, one thing, simple, it’s really simple: They can’t have a nuclear weapon. And they’ve gotta go fast. Because they’re fairly close to having one. And they’re not going to have one.”

“And if we have to do something very harsh, we’ll do it,” he added. “And I’m not doing it for us. I’m doing it for the world. These are radicalized people, and they cannot have a nuclear weapon.”

When a reporter asked Trump to clarify what “something very harsh” means, Trump once again threatened to conduct a military strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities…

He was asked, regarding his reference to something harsh, “Does that include a potential strike on Iranian nuclear facilities?” And he answered: “Of course it does.”

This is it.

This is the fork in the road that many of us have been anticipating for a long time, and so let us hope that the negotiations that will happen this weekend go well.

On Tuesday, Trump and his team gathered in the White House situation room to discuss negotiating strategy…

President Trump held a meeting on Tuesday morning in the White House situation room about the ongoing nuclear deal negotiations with Iran, two sources with direct knowledge told Axios.

Some members of Trump’s team apparently want to compromise with the Iranians, while others are supporting “a maximalist approach to the negotiations”…

The meeting took place amid intense debate within the administration over the way forward in the negotiations and the compromises the U.S. should or shouldn’t make.
Vance and Witkoff think diplomacy could lead to a nuclear deal and think the U.S. should be ready to make some compromises in order to get it.
Other senior members of the administration, including Rubio and Waltz, are highly skeptical and support a maximalist approach to the negotiations.

It appears that those supporting a maximalist approach to the negotiations may have won the debate, because Trump’s top negotiator is now publicly telling us that Iran “must stop and eliminate” all nuclear enrichment…

United States special envoy Steve Witkoff has said that Tehran “must stop and eliminate” its nuclear enrichment program to reach a deal with Washington, seemingly raising the bar of US demands ahead of another round of talks with Iranian officials.

Witkoff’s remarks on Tuesday appear to contradict his suggestion a day earlier that the US would be satisfied with Iran enriching uranium at a low level to produce energy.

“Any final arrangement must set a framework for peace, stability, and prosperity in the Middle East – meaning that Iran must stop and eliminate its nuclear enrichment and weaponization program,” Witkoff said in a statement on Tuesday.

I think that it is extremely unlikely that the Iranians will go for this.

So unless the negotiating position of the Trump administration changes or the Iranians feel like completely caving in, I don’t see how a negotiated deal is going to happen.

Hopefully I am wrong about that.

Hopefully when the two sides sit down at the negotiating table we will see some magic happen.

But right now I am not particularly optimistic.

And the clock is ticking.

Right now, the Iranians are constructing a brand new nuclear facility that is “believed to be deep enough to withstand America’s bunker-buster bombs”…

A recent US intelligence assessment found that Iranian scientists were looking for shortcuts that would allow them to create a crude weapon in months, if the country’s leadership decides to do so.

Iran is also building a new underground centrifuge assembly facility at Natantz, one believed to be deep enough to withstand America’s bunker-buster bombs.

Once the facility is complete, the threat of US or Israeli military strikes becomes far less meaningful.

Of course there is already a lot of doubt about whether or not conventional weapons are actually capable of taking out Iran’s existing nuclear facilities.

If we attempt to destroy them and fail, that would be a humiliating turn of events for the Trump administration.

And even if we destroy Iran’s nuclear facilities, what would stop them from building facilities that are even deeper underground in the future?

Would we have to keep bombing Iran again and again?

Some experts are convinced that it would actually take regime change in Iran for any military option to be permanently successful…

“Ultimately, short of regime change or occupation, it’s pretty difficult to see how military strikes could destroy Iran’s path to a nuclear weapon,” said Justin Bronk, senior research fellow for airpower and technology at the Royal United Services Institute, a British defense think-tank.

“It would be a case of essentially trying to reimpose a measure of military deterrence, impose cost and push back breakout times back to where we were a few years ago.”

There is no easy military solution to this crisis.

If the Trump administration decides to attack Iran, it will spark an all-out apocalyptic conflict in the Middle East.

So let’s hope that negotiations with Iran succeed.

If there is a peaceful way to keep the Iranians from getting nuclear weapons, that would be good for everyone involved.

I don’t want to put too much pressure on the negotiators, but the decisions that they are about to make will alter the course of human history.

May they choose wisely.

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PROPHECY UPDATE VIDEOS

Palestinians: Slaughtering Jews While Falsely Using Al-Aqsa Mosque as a Pretext

by Bassam Tawil - https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/21549/palestinians-slaughtering-jews-al-aqsa-pretext

As the Hamas-Israel war continues in the Gaza Strip, the Palestinian Authority (PA) has resumed its false claim – first propagated in 1929 by Adolf Hitler's subsequent ally, the Mufti of Jerusalem, Amin al-Husseini, and again and again after that -- that Jews are violently "storming" the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem and planning to divide it in time and space between Jewish and Muslim worshipers.

Such claims were also used by the Iran-backed Hamas terrorist group to justify the October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, in which Gazan terrorists murdered 1,200 Israelis and wounded of thousands. On that day, another 251 Israelis were kidnapped to the Gaza Strip, where 59 -alive and dead – remain in captivity. It is worth noting that Hamas called its invasion of Israel "Operation Al-Aqsa Flood."

Shortly after the October 7 massacre, Hamas published a report highlighting the motives behind the cross-border attack on Israel. According to Turkey's Anadolu Agency, the report, titled "Our Narrative, Operation Al-Aqsa Flood," said that:

"Operation Al-Aqsa Flood was a necessary step and a natural reaction against Israel's plans to eliminate the Palestinian cause, seize lands, Judaize the Palestinian lands, and establish complete control over Al-Aqsa Mosque and holy sites."

Needless to say, Israel has not established complete control over Al-Aqsa Mosque. In 1967, after the Six-Day War, Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Dayan gave total control and management of the mosque to the Jerusalem Waqf and Al-Aqsa Mosque Affairs Department, an organ of the Jordanian Ministry of Islamic Affairs and Holy Places. An agreement signed in 2013 between the Palestinian Authority and Jordan recognized Jordan's role in managing the holy sites in Jerusalem, including the Al-Aqsa Mosque.

Last month, tens of thousands of Muslim worshipers converged on the mosque to attend special prayers for the end of the holy month of Ramadan and the Eid al-Fitr feast. In previous years, similar numbers of Muslim worshipers enjoyed unlimited access to the Al-Aqsa Mosque. This, however, did not stop the PA and Hamas from peddling Husseini's useful lie that Jews are imposing restrictions on Muslims' freedom of worship and plotting to control the mosque.

On April 12, the PA's Ministry of Foreign Affairs inaccurately claimed in a statement that Jews were planning "to storm the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque during the Jewish holidays." According to the ministry, the Jews' goal is to "divide the mosque in time and space [between Jews and Muslims] and Judaize the Christian and Islamic holy sites in Jerusalem."

Hamas, for its part, said:

"[Jewish] threats posed to Al-Aqsa Mosque require mobilization and action at all levels to thwart the [Israeli] occupation's ambitions and systematic plans to impose a new reality at the mosque and expel the Muslims."

The PA and Hamas were referring to routine visits by Jews to the Temple Mount, the holiest site in Judaism, where two ancient Jewish temples once stood. Notably, the Jewish visitors do not enter the Al-Aqsa Mosque during their outdoor tour of the Temple Mount compound. Moreover, the Islamic Waqf authorities do not ban non-Muslims from visiting the grounds around the mosque, so long as they do not set foot inside the mosque itself.

Over the past decade, however, the PA and Hamas have been deliberately and falsely been exploiting visits by Jews in order to incite Palestinians and other Muslims against Israel and Jews. Peaceful and permitted outdoor tours to the grounds around the Al-Aqsa Mosque are regularly described by the PA and Hamas as violent incursions into the Al-Aqsa Mosque.

The Palestinian campaign of anti-Israel incitement reached its peak in 2015, when PA President Mahmoud Abbas joined the club of falsely accusing Jews of desecrating the mosque:

"We salute every drop of blood spilled for the sake of Jerusalem. This blood is clean, pure blood, shed for the sake of Allah... Every martyr will be placed in Paradise, and all the wounded will be rewarded by Allah.... The Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Church of the Holy Sepulcher are ours. They are all ours, and they [Jews] have no right to defile them with their filthy feet. We shall not allow them to do so..."

Shortly after Abbas's threat, Palestinians launched the Knife Intifada, a wave of stabbings and car-ramming attacks that resulted in the murder of 38 Israelis between October 2015 and March 2016.

This was not the first time that Palestinian leaders used a purported threat to the Al-Aqsa Mosque as an excuse to slaughter Jews.

In 2000, the Palestinians launched the Al-Aqsa Intifada also under the false pretext that Israel was planning to seize control of the mosque. The intifada, which mainly consisted of a massive wave of suicide bombings against Israelis, came shortly after a brief and peaceful visit by Israeli politician Ariel Sharon to the Temple Mount compound.

A year after the intifada erupted, Marwan Barghouti, a senior official with Abbas's ruling Fatah faction, described his role in the lead-up to the uprising:

"I knew that the end of September [2000] was the last period [of time] before the explosion, but when Sharon reached the al-Aqsa Mosque, this was the most appropriate moment for the outbreak of the intifada.... The night prior to Sharon's visit, I participated in a panel on a local television station and I seized the opportunity to call on the public to go to the al-Aqsa Mosque in the morning, for it was not possible that Sharon would reach al-Haram al-Sharif just so, and walk away peacefully. I finished and went to al-Aqsa in the morning.... We tried to create clashes without success because of the differences of opinion that emerged with others in the al-Aqsa compound at the time.... After Sharon left, I remained for two hours in the presence of other people, we discussed the manner of response and how it was possible to react in all the cities and not just in Jerusalem. We contacted all [the Palestinian] factions."

The Palestinian Authority and Hamas might disagree on many issues, but when it comes to spreading defamation against Israel and Jews, the two parties are invariably in full agreement. Over the past few decades, the claim that Jews are plotting to seize control of the Al-Aqsa Mosque has resulted in the death of thousands of Israelis and Palestinians. PA and Hamas leaders bear full responsibility for the violence and bloodshed.

It is time for the US and other Western countries to impose consequences on Palestinian leaders, especially Mahmoud Abbas and his senior representatives, for spreading falsehoods and libels against Israel and Jews. It is precisely this type of rhetoric that incentivizes Palestinians to carry out terrorist attacks against Israelis and Jews. The message to Palestinian leaders should read: "Stop using the Al-Aqsa Mosque as an excuse to slaughter Jews. The mosque remains intact, and is not facing any threat, despite Palestinian libels and lies." Failure to comply would result in international donors imposing financial sanctions on the Palestinian leadership.

If anyone is desecrating the mosque, it is those who exploit it to encourage their people to carry out terrorist attacks.

Second coming of Christ: Interpreting the parable of the 10 virgins the right way

By Dan Delzell - https://www.christianpost.com/voices/second-coming-of-christ-interpreting-parable-of-the-10-virgins.html

During the Lord's earthly ministry, Jesus often spoke in parables, which were earthly stories with a heavenly meaning. And the Parable of the Ten Virgins is among the most memorable (see Matthew 25:1-13). The cultural setting for this parable is a first-century Jewish wedding, and it points to the need to be prepared for the second coming of Christ.

In the parable, Jesus taught that "the kingdom of Heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish and five were wise. The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them. The wise, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps" (Matthew 25:1-4).

The ten virgins are ten bridesmaids. And while all 10 of them were planning to attend the wedding banquet, only the five wise virgins were allowed to enter the banquet when the bridegroom finally arrived. The meaning? Proper preparation is needed in order to enter Heaven when Jesus Christ returns, while those without any "oil" will be barred from entering.

Oil is mentioned more than 200 times in the Bible, and it often represents the Holy Spirit, who is the Third Person of the Trinity. The Holy Spirit comes to live inside your body (your "jar" and "lamp") the moment you are born again through faith in Jesus. The Apostle Paul wrote to believers, "Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God?" (1 Corinthians 6:19).

The Gospel message which Jesus delivered was "first for the Jew, then for the Gentile" (Romans 1:16). Christ ministered among both Jews and Gentiles and He wanted all of them to be saved (see John 11:25-26; 1 Timothy 2:4; 2 Peter 3:9). Those who receive Jesus the Messiah as Savior (see John 1:12) have plenty of oil in their jars and lamps, like the five wise virgins. Believers in Jesus are saved, redeemed, forgiven, justified and born again on the front end of their relationship with God.

The clearest teaching in the Bible about being born again involves a discussion Jesus had with a Pharisee named Nicodemus. He was "a member of the Jewish ruling council" (John 3:1) called the Sanhedrin. Interestingly, the man's religious credentials were not enough to produce even a drop of oil in his lamp. You see, Nicodemus needed what every Jew and Gentile needs, namely, "new birth" (1 Peter 1:3).

Jesus told him, "I tell you the truth, unless a man is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God" (John 3:3). Apart from new birth through faith in Christ, a religious person remains like the five foolish virgins who had no oil when the bridegroom returned.

The Parable of the Ten Virgins applies equally to Jews and Gentiles. Regardless of whether or not you currently participate in a church or synagogue, there is no oil for your jar and lamp apart from the Third Person of the Trinity. The Holy Spirit enters your body when you repent of your sins and trust the Second Person of the Trinity (Jesus) to forgive you and save your soul. And once you are saved through faith in Christ alone, you have God's oil within your body and soul.

You won't fully appreciate and comprehend this parable, or any of the Savior's parables for that matter, until you receive God's oil the moment you are converted (see John 3:6; 1 Cor. 2:14). Apart from spiritual conversion, you will be like the five foolish virgins who were prevented from entering the wedding banquet. "And the door was shut ... 'Sir! Sir!' they said, 'Open the door for us!' But he replied, 'I tell you the truth, I don't know you'" (Matthew 25:10-12).

Jesus said, "I am the good shepherd. I know my sheep and my sheep know me" (John 10:14). Sadly, multitudes of Jews and Gentiles today do not know Jesus. Nevertheless, quite a few of them cling to the erroneous notion that their religious pedigree or pious rituals will gain them access to the eternal wedding banquet. But they are tragically mistaken.

Those who live and die without God's oil will have the door shut on them as they are sent away to pay for their sins in Hell. Jesus concluded this famous parable with a critical directive: "Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour" (Matthew 25:13).

In other words, get ready because Christ, the Bridegroom, could return any day! Repent and believe the good news of the Gospel because it is the only way to be prepared. There is absolutely no other way to have oil in your jar and lamp. And without God's oil, you will miss out on the Kingdom of Heaven (Matthew 25:1).

In the parable, the five foolish virgins implored the five wise virgins, "Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out" (v. 8). The five wise virgins told them, "Go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves" (v. 9). "But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived" (v. 10).

Jesus was not suggesting that a person can pay for the Holy Spirit or purchase the forgiveness of sins. The prophet Isaiah used similar language: "Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost" (Isaiah 55:1).

The application? Anyone who is thirsty for salvation can come today and "buy" from the Lord. If you are currently procrastinating like the foolish virgins, then stop putting it off because you may very well run out of time. Prepare to meet your Maker! Come to Christ immediately in repentance and faith to be forgiven of your sins.

One of the last verses in the Bible emphasizes this open invitation to Jews and Gentiles alike: "The (Holy) Spirit and the bride say, 'Come!' And let him who hears say, 'Come!' Whoever is thirsty, let him come; and whoever wishes, let him take the free give of the water of life" (Revelation 22:17).

Daily Jot: Stupidocrisy: Panic over Tariffs on China

Bill Wilson – www.dailyjot.com

The news media and Democrats are creating panic over market corrections and China’s reaction to President Trump’s tariffs. but in reality the tariffs against China are designed to protect national security against the Chinese military. China’s military spending mirrors its trade deficit with the United States. For example, China announced its military spending in 2024 was $231 billion similar to the previous year. China’s trade deficit with the US in 2024 was $294 billion. In 2022, China budgeted $230 billion for military spending, but spent $292. Its trade deficit with the US in 2022 was $382 billion. A similar pattern has taken place since the 1990s—China uses the US trad deficit for its military spending.

Trump makes no bones about China’s use of its trade deficit with the US to increase military spending. He said, “China is a massive surplus. That they take and they spend on their military we don’t want that. I don’t want them to take $500 billion, $600 billion a year and spend it on their military. I don’t want them spending money on their military.” In the decade from 2014-2024, Chinese military spending increase 61% from $182 billion to $296 billion. During that time the US trade deficit with China has fluctuated from a low of $279 billion (2023—most recent under Trump) to a high of $418 billion (2018—also under Trump), averaging $351 billion over the ten-year period. Every president since Bill Clinton allowed China Most Favored Nation trading status has seen China’s military spending increase with the increasing US trade deficit.

China says it will fight to the end over Trump tariffs, sending chills down the spines of the news media and Democratic Party politicians. China’s Foreign Ministry Affairs spokesperson Lin Jian said on Tuesday, “I believe the actions of the US side do not reflect a willingness to engage in serious dialogue.” He said that the US should “adopt an attitude of equality, respect and reciprocity” if it “truly wants to negotiate.” A lack of equality and reciprocity is exactly what China has been doing for decades in trading with the US. It’s the same old communist playbook—accuse your opponent of exactly what you, yourself, is doing. In this case, China has adjusted its tariffs and manipulated its currency for greater advantage over the US for decades. There is nothing fair, equitable or reciprocal about China trade policy toward the US.

Democrats and the media are focused on the near term. They think the sky is falling because markets are correcting and China is upset over Trump tariffs. They think they can win Americans against Trump if they fearmonger enough. They should be focused on the national security threat China has become because of the trade deficits with the US. China increasingly has become aggressive over Taiwan. China has become more strident in its rhetoric against the US and in favor of Russia and Iran. Our national security is at stake. Proverbs 14:8 says, “The wisdom of the prudent is to discern his way; but the folly of the foolish is deceit.” Don’t be fooled by the deceitful panic about trade with China. It’s, say it with me…Stupidocrisy.

Daily Devotion: Fulfilling Prophecy to the Very End

by Greg Laurie – www.harvest.org

For the Lord protects the bones of the righteous; not one of them is broken!

—Psalm 34:20

https://harvest.org/resources/devotion/fulfilling-prophecy-to-the-very-end/ - Listen

Jesus’ suffering and death on the cross made eternal life possible. It’s the greatest gift ever offered. And God wanted to make sure that people recognized the gift for what it was. So even in the most agonizing moments of Jesus’ sacrifice, He continued to fulfill prophecies about His death that had been made hundreds of years earlier.

Isaiah 53:12 predicted that Jesus would be put to death alongside criminals. “I will give him the honors of a victorious soldier, because he exposed himself to death. He was counted among the rebels. He bore the sins of many and interceded for rebels” (NLT).

Mark 15:27 says, “Two revolutionaries were crucified with him, one on his right and one on his left” (NLT). In Luke’s account of the crucifixion, one of the revolutionaries taunted Jesus. The other defended Him. “Then he said, ‘Jesus, remember me when you come into your Kingdom.’ And Jesus replied, ‘I assure you, today you will be with me in paradise’” (Luke 23:42–43 NLT).

In Exodus 12:46, God gave Moses and Aaron instructions for the first Passover. “Each Passover lamb must be eaten in one house. Do not carry any of its meat outside, and do not break any of its bones” (NLT). The verse from Psalm 34 above turns those instructions into prophecy.

Jesus was our sacrificial lamb. When John the Baptist saw Him, he said, “Look! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29 NLT). Psalm 34:20 predicted that the Lamb of God’s bones would not be broken.

To understand the significance of this prophecy, you have to know a little about crucifixion. Most people who were crucified died of suffocation. The position of their bodies on the cross restricted their lungs and made it hard to catch their breath. They had to push themselves up with their feet, which were nailed to the cross, to take a breath. If a crucifixion took too long, the Roman soldiers would break the person’s legs so that he couldn’t push up anymore.

That’s what almost happened to Jesus. John 19:33 says, “But when they came to Jesus, they saw that he was already dead, so they didn’t break his legs” (NLT).

Instead, one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear. And “immediately blood and water flowed out” (verse 34 NLT). The water was likely fluid that had built up around Jesus’ heart and lungs. The piercing of the spear confirmed that Jesus was dead.

It also confirmed that God works in amazing ways. In Zechariah 12:10, which was written hundreds of years before Jesus’ crucifixion, God says, “Then I will pour out a spirit of grace and prayer on the family of David and on the people of Jerusalem. They will look on me whom they have pierced and mourn for him as for an only son. They will grieve bitterly for him as for a firstborn son who has died” (NLT).

The biblical account of Jesus’ crucifixion is unflinching. Our sin made it necessary for Jesus to suffer as no one else has ever suffered. And the Bible pulls no punches in recording His suffering. But even the smallest details of the story reveal the perfection of God’s plan. He caused all things to work together for good, and He made eternal life possible.

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