HEADLINES IN PARTNERSHIP WITH - Last Days News



Date 6/9/16? PROPHECY UPDATE NEWS HEADLINESYesterday's Prophecies - Today's HeadlinesHEADLINES IN PARTNERSHIP WITH?TRACKING BIBLE PROPHECY in Israel: At least 4 dead in shooting at Tel Aviv marketThe gunmen ordered dessert, then opened fireNetanyahu vows 'decisive' response to Tel Aviv attackHamas hails, international community condemns 'horrific' Tel Aviv attackFireworks in Hebron and Gaza After Four Israelis Killed in Terror AttackHamas vows more Ramadan attacks; IDF deploys around shooters' villageAfter attack, Israel revokes travel permits, sieges suspects' hometownIsrael bans East Jerusalem funerals for slain attackersFearful of repeat attack, Tel Aviv bolsters security at schoolsPA claims: Israel is polluting our territoryDesmond Tutu nominates Palestinian mass-murderer for Nobel PrizeAbbas to meet Hamas chief Khaled Mashaal in Doha next week Likud MK: UN funds Hamas regime in GazaDanon: Obama aides know UNSC Mideast resolution won't work PM denies calling Arab peace plan 'universally acceptable'Sissi's peace push still on the table, Egyptian MPs tell Israeli MKNetanyahu invites Russia to develop Israel's gas fields After 'historic' Russia visit, Netanyahu says US remains top allyThousands of Holocaust Victims' Personal Items Discovered Decades LaterControlled explosion carried out on suspected car bomb outside Israeli Embassy in LondonIDF working 24/7 to shore up 'insufficient' defenses on Lebanese borderNetanyahu: Does Syria's Assad have a future? Netanyahu: 'Syria won't become a launch pad against us' Chemical Weapons Could Change the Game in SyriaUN estimates 300,000-400,000 enslaved in EritreaUN says 90,000 civilians could be trapped in Iraq's FallujaThree Hospitals Attacked in Rebel Side of Aleppo, SyriaIslamic State loses ground on fronts in Syria, IraqIs ISIS facing an internal crisis amid losing territory?ISIS Twitter Accounts Hacked by 'Pornbots' Graphic Sexual ImagesIraqi Christian woman says ISIS militants 'married, divorced' her 9 times a night to justify raping herChildren of ISIS Sex Slave 'Treated Like Livestock,' Tied Down and Tortured in Scorching HeatReport: Media Give Gorilla Death 6 Times More Coverage Than ISIS Beheadings of ChristiansSaudi Arabia has been given a free pass to bomb schools and hospitals in YemenTaliban kill 12 captives in front of hundreds of people, official saysPakistani Woman Burns Daughter Alive for ElopingSuicide car bomb attack kills 3 in Turkish town; PKK blamedEgyptAir says security threat to Beijing-bound flight confirmed as hoaxTerrorist groups acquiring the cyber capability to bring major cities to a standstill, warns GCHQ chiefFenway wants volunteers for mock 'wide-scale' terror attackIf DC had to evacuate, would you know what to do? Homeland Security says you need a planJapan protests after Chinese warship sails near disputed East China Sea islandsU.S. Navy boosts presence in Mediterranean ahead of NATO summitBrexit Contagion Is Spreading Across the EU, Pew Study Finds 3rd time a charm? San Francisco to try yet again to give illegal immigrants voting rightsFeds spend nearly $20,000 to settle every refugee29 Christians Tortured by Hindu Extremists for Refusing to Forsake ChristAmid Chaos, Venezuelan Christians Gather in Revival Deutsche Bank's Shocking ECB Rant: Warns Of Social Unrest And Another Great DepressionBilderberg: still powerful but perhaps a bit more anxious this year A Bearish George Soros Is Trading Again - Billionaire investor sees opportunities to profit from various economic and political issues afflicting the worldDow gains foothold above 18,000 as oil ralliesOHP Uses New Device To Seize Money Used During The Commission Of A CrimeUniversity of Calgary pays hackers more than $15,000 to recover from ransomware infectionMysterious noise frustrates Canadian citizens in city near DetroitNASA to turn asteroids into spaceships?A Massive Sinkhole Has Opened in Downtown Ottawa6.2 magnitude earthquake hits near Kute, Indonesia5.2 magnitude earthquake hits the Southern Mid-Atlantic Ridge5.1 magnitude earthquake hits near Puerto San Jose, Guatemala5.0 magnitude earthquake hits the Central East Pacific Rise5.0 magnitude earthquake hits the Mid-Indian RidgePopocateptl volcano in Mexico erupts to 25,000ftKlyuchevskoy volcano on Kamchatka, Russia erupts to 18,000ftSheveluch volcano on Kamchatka, Russia erupts to 14,000ftKerinci volcano in Indonesia erupts to 14,000ftHere's Why Scientists Are Not Afraid of Genetically Modified MosquitoesFlushing out a new high: addicts stage a run on ImodiumAssisted Suicide Will be Legal in California Tomorrow, Targeting the Elderly and DisabledMother pens touching letter to doctor who told her to abort child with Down syndromeThree-person babies IVF technique 'safe'LGBT groups defy UN decision to bar them from AIDS meetCalifornia judge censured for sex in chambers wins re-electionWitches gather online to hex Brock TurnerPROPHECY UPDATE NEWSLETTERSTAY INFORMED, GET EQUIPPED, BE ENCOURAGEDPre-Millennium - Pre-Tribulation - PrePARED*If you missed an issue or did not receive your daily copy - All Newsletters are archived at:?? TODAY'S NEWSLETTER...?Featured Article: The Preservation of the Jewish People?Thousand-Year-Old Prophecy Predicts Land of Israel Will Encompass the World??Tel Aviv Attackers Ordered Dessert, Then Opened Fire?Hamas blames Tel Aviv attack on 'Al-Aqsa violations,' threatens more?Bilderberg 2016: What Are the Global Elite Plotting This Time Around??Should We Take Prophecy Seriously??Daily Jot: Battleground of the mind??Daily Devotion: The Fringe Benefit of Holiness?The Preservation of the Jewish People - Dr. David R. Reagan - of my spiritual mentors when I was in my 20s was a great man of God named Carl Ketcherside (1908-1989). I heard him in a question and answer session one time when he was asked, "What do you think is the greatest evidence that the Bible came from God?"?? His answer: "The Yellow Pages of the phone book." Needless to say, we were all stunned by this response.? ?When the questioner followed up by asking what he meant, Carl said, "Look at the names of the banks, the names of the department stores, the names of lawyers and doctors and accountants. You will see one Jewish name after another. God promised He would preserve the Jewish people, and He has."? ?In like manner, over 300 years ago, King Louis XIV of France (1638-1715) asked Blaise Pascal (1623-1662), the great Christian philosopher, to give him proof of the existence of God. Pascal answered, "Why the Jews, your Majesty, the Jews!"1? ?Both Ketcherside and Pascal were referring to the fulfillment of Bible prophecies about the Jews, one of the most remarkable being that despite their worldwide dispersion and unparalleled persecution, they would keep their identity and be preserved as a recognizable nation of people.? ?A Great Miracle?? ?The preservation of the Jews has to be one of the greatest miracles of history. It is so remarkable - so historically stunning - that its uniqueness has been noted and commented on by a great variety of people.?? Consider, for example, the great historian Arnold Toynbee (1889-1975). He fully recognized the unusual nature of the Jewish experience. In his ten volume work, A Study of History (1934-1961), he traced the rise and fall of 26 civilizations, developing a scheme of history which the Jewish civilization did not fit.? ?Toynbee ended up classifying the Jews as "fossils of history" because they seemed to be frozen in time, refusing to assimilate into the soup of humanity.2? ?Thomas Newton (1704-1782), the renowned British cleric and Bible scholar who served as Bishop of Bristol, declared in one of his sermons:3?The preservation of the Jews is really one of the most single and illustrious acts of divine Providence . . . and what but a supernatural power could have preserved them in such a manner as none other nation upon earth hath been preserved.? ?Nor is the providence of God less remarkable in the destruction of their enemies, than in their preservation . . . We see that the great empires, which in their turn subdued and oppressed the people of God, are all come to ruin . . . And if such hath been the fatal end of the enemies and oppressors of the Jews, let it serve as a warning to all those, who at any time or upon any occasion are for raising a clamor and persecution against them.? ?Leo Tolstoy (1828-1910), the great Russian novelist, expressed his awe over the preservation of the Jews with these words:4? ?What is the Jew? . . . What kind of unique creature is this whom all the rulers of all the nations of the world have disgraced and crushed and expelled . . . persecuted, burned and drowned, and who, despite their anger and fury, continue to live and to flourish . . . The Jew is the symbol of eternity.? ?To get a feel for how preposterous the preservation of the Jews is from a human perspective, consider this illustration by Rabbi Dov Greenberg who is the Executive Director of Chabad (the Jewish Hasidic Movement) at Stanford University:5?Imagine we could travel back in time and say to the great Pharaoh [of Moses' time], "There is good news and bad news. The good news is that one of the nations alive today will survive and change the moral landscape of the world. The bad news is: it won't be yours. It will be that group of Hebrew slaves out there, building your glorious temples, the Children of Israel."?Nothing would sound more outrageous. The Egypt of Pharaoh's time was the greatest empire of the ancient world, brilliant in arts and sciences, formidable in war. The Israelites were a landless people, powerless slaves. Indeed, already in antiquity, those in power believed that the Israelites were on the verge of extinction.?? Perhaps the most insightful commentary on the immortality of the Jewish people was written by the American novelist Mark Twain (1835-1910) who was an agnostic and a skeptic. His article appeared in Harper's magazine in 1897:6? ?If the statistics are right, the Jews constitute but one quarter of one percent of the human race. It suggests a nebulous dim puff of stardust lost in the blaze of the Milky Way. Properly, the Jew ought hardly to be heard of; but he is heard of, has always been heard of.?He is as prominent on the planet as any other people, and his importance is extravagantly out of proportion to the smallness of his bulk.?? His contributions to the world's list of great names in literature, science, art, music, finance, medicine and abstruse learning are very out of proportion to the weakness of his numbers. He has made a marvelous fight in this world in all ages; and has done it with his hands tied behind him. He could be vain of himself and be excused for it.?? The Egyptians, the Babylonians and the Persians rose, filled the planet with sound and splendor; then faded to dream-stuff and passed away; the Greeks and the Romans followed and made a vast noise, and they are gone; other peoples have sprung up and held their torch high for a time but it burned out, and they sit in twilight now, or have vanished.?? The Jew saw them all, survived them all, and is now what he always was, exhibiting no decadence, no infirmities of age, no weakening of his parts, no slowing of his energies, no dulling of his alert and aggressive mind. All things are mortal but the Jew; all other forces pass, but he remains. What is the secret of his immortality?? ?Twain's question, "What is the secret of his immorality?" can be answered in only one way, and that answer was provided by David Ben-Gurion (1886-1973), the first Prime Minister of Israel: "In Israel, in order to be a realist, you must believe in miracles."7?The Magnitude of the Miracle The preservation of the Jewish people throughout their 2,700 years of dispersion is mind-boggling. Keep in mind that they were dispersed to over 130 nations worldwide, and they were brutally mistreated wherever they went. Will Varner, a professor at The Master's College, has expressed it this way: "No nation in the history of the world ever has been exiled from its land, lost its national existence and language, and then returned as a people to that identical homeland and even revived its ancient tongue. No nation, that is, except one - the nation of Israel."8? ?The relentless persecution of the Jews dates from the very beginning of their existence as a nation. The Pharaoh of Egypt attempted to murder all their male babies (Exodus 1:15-16). A government bureaucrat named Haman conceived a genocidal plan to exterminate all the Jewish people in Persia (Esther 3:8- 10). The Assyrian Empire conquered ten of the Jewish tribes and scattered them throughout Asia. Then came the Babylonian exile of the remaining two tribes and the two horrific wars with the Romans (70 and 135 AD).?? Throughout the Middle Ages, the Jews were herded into ghettos and required to wear identifying symbols. They were subjected to pogroms, witch hunts, and blood libels. They were blamed for all the problems of society - even for the Black Plague. They were slaughtered during the Crusades, they were tortured during the Inquisition, and they became an object of complete annihilation during the Nazi Holocaust.9?? Yet, the Jewish people survived and their persecutors ended up in the dust bin of history.?? How could this be? Chance? Coincidence? Good luck? A roll of the dice? There are many theories.??Secular Theories?? The most common theory offered by secular Jews is that the overwhelming persecution suffered by the Jewish people created within them an iron will to survive, and their genius as a people produced cunning and crafty methods of survival.10 But all such naturalistic explanations seem shallow and fall flat in the face of the odds that any people could preserve their existence and identity in the midst of so much suffering.?? Other secular arguments include the high degree of education and literacy that characterized the Jews during the Middle Ages. This enabled them to more effectively preserve their traditions, and it increased their usefulness to society. Instead of living as beggars, they were able to become lawyers, doctors, bankers and bureaucrats.?? Their high level of education also made it possible for them to be extremely mobile, enabling them to move more easily from one nation to another. They had financial resources, and they posed less of a welfare problem than non-Jewish migrants.12?? Religious Theories?? I'm sure all these elements were significant, but religious Jewish spokesmen have done much better with their explanation of Jewish survival. As one rabbi has put it: "The supernatural element of Jewish survival must be squarely faced."13 Another rabbi has put it this way:14?If we wish to discover the essential elements making up the . . . unique strength [of the Jewish people], we must conclude that it is not its peculiar physical or intrinsic mental characteristics, nor its tongue, manners and customs . . . The only link which unites our scattered people throughout its dispersion, regardless of time, is Torah and mitzvot.?? Torah and mitzvot - these two are the focus of Orthodox Jewish explanations of the preservation of the Jewish people. Torah refers to the first five books of the Hebrew Scriptures - the books written by Moses, often referred to as the Pentateuch. Mitzvot are the commandments contained in the Torah.?The rabbis contend that there are 613 mitzvot in the Torah.15 They view 248 of these commandments as positive in nature ("thou shalt"). The remaining total of 365 are considered to be negative ("thou shalt not"). All the commandments are viewed as essential for a person to be holy as God is holy (Leviticus 20:25).?? The problem is that all the mitzvot must be interpreted as to their daily application, a process that results in endless discussions and disputes and often conflicting conclusions. An example would be the commandment against building a fire on the Sabbath (Exodus 35:3). The commandment is clear enough. But, does flipping a light switch or pushing an elevator button constitute the striking of a fire?? ?Halacha?? Over the centuries, the Jewish sages have developed an extensive code of oral laws that apply the mitzvot of the Torah to every aspect of daily life. This code is called Halacha.16 It is often referred to as "Jewish Law." But a more literal translation would be "the way to behave" or "the way of walking."?The observance of Halacha within the Diaspora during the 2,000 years since the destruction of the Jewish Temple in 70 AD prevented the Jewish people from becoming assimilated into the cultures where they were dispersed. The practice of Halacha enabled them to keep their identity as a people set apart by God to be a witness to the world (Deuteronomy 7:6-8).?? One rabbi has referred to observance of Halacha as "the tenacious adherence to our spiritual heritage."17 He has further stated "We [the Jewish people] are who and what we are because of a momentous faith, a faith that proved stronger than the greatest empires in history."18? ?Rabbi Akiva (50-137 AD), the great Jewish sage of the Second Century, resorted to the following illustration to explain why the Jewish people must reject assimilation at all costs:19?A fox was once walking by the bank of a river, and saw fish darting from place to place. "What are you fleeing from?" he asked the fish. "To escape the nets of the fisherman." "In that case," said the fox, "come and live on dry land together with me." "Are you the one they describe as the cleverest of animals?" the fish replied. "You are not clever but foolish. If we are in danger here in the water, which is where we live, how much more so on dry land, where we are bound to die."?? Explaining the illustration, Rabbi Akiva stressed that the Torah is to Jewish survival as water is to a fish. Yes, the Jews are in constant danger, but if they put the Torah aside, they will lose their identity and die out as an identifiable people.??The Power of Memory?? Another key element to keeping their identity which is often stressed in rabbinical writings is memory. Thus, all the Jewish feast days are reminders of either great events in Jewish history or promises of God about the future, or both.20? ?For example, the Feast of Passover points the Jewish memory back to the time when God miraculously delivered the Jews from Egyptian captivity. The Feast of Shavu'ot (known to Christians as the Feast of Pentecost) is a reminder of the giving of the Law to Moses on Mount Sinai. The most joyous feast of the year is the Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot in Hebrew) in the Fall of the year. It celebrates the completion of the fruit harvest, and it serves as a reminder of how God was faithful to the Jews during their wilderness wanderings when they lived in tabernacles. It is also a reminder that God has promised in His Word that one day He will come to the earth to tabernacle among His people (Zechariah 2:10-13).?? The observance of the seven Jewish feasts each year - year after year - kept alive in Jewish hearts the memory of God's call on their life as a nation. They were reminded of how God had come to their rescue time and time again (Psalm 78) and how He had promised that one day they would become the prime nation in the world, through whom all of God's blessings would flow to the nations (Isaiah 2:1-4).??A Problem?? ?The problem with these explanations of Jewish preservation is that they only show how the Jews kept their identity - and not how they were able to survive. As a matter of fact, the maintenance of their unique identity made them an object of hatred and an easy target for abuse.?? The result was 2,000 years of unrelenting hatred, persecution and slaughter. Their own Scriptures prophesied that once they were scattered, they would be persecuted wherever they went and would become few in number:? ?And the LORD will scatter you among the peoples, and you shall be left few in number among the nations, where the LORD shall drive you. (Deuteronomy 4:27)?? Then [after their scattering] you shall be left few in number, whereas you were as the stars of heaven for multitude, because you did not obey the LORD your God. (Deuteronomy 28: 62)?? Roman records indicate that 2,000 years ago there were between 8 to 10 million Jews living in the world.21 There are 14 million today. How many should there be??Well, in the same period of time, the population of China grew from 30 million to over one billion.22 The Arab peoples came into existence at the same time as the Jews. Today there are more than 400 million Arabs.23 Based on these statistics, the Jewish population today should be between 400 and 500 million.?? Back to the Basic Question ?So, we find ourselves still grappling with the question we began with: "How did the Jews survive?" And there is really only one answer: "Supernaturally." Psalm 124 sums it up best:? ?1) "Had it not been the LORD who was on our side," let Israel now say,? ?2) "Had it not been the LORD who was on our side when men rose up against us,? ?3) Then they would have swallowed us alive, when their anger was kindled against us;? ?4) Then the waters would have engulfed us, the stream would have swept over our soul;? ?5) Then the raging waters would have swept over our soul."? ?6) Blessed be the LORD, who has not given us to be torn by their teeth.? ?7) Our soul has escaped as a bird out of the snare of the trapper; the snare is broken and we have escaped.?? 8) Our help is in the name of the LORD, who made heaven and earth.? ?Although this passage probably speaks specifically about the survival of the Children of Israel during their wilderness wanderings under the leadership of Moses, it expresses an eternal principle concerning God's relationship with the Jewish people. The author of Psalm 121 put it this way: "Behold, He who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep" (Psalm 121:4).? ?God's Promise to Preserve His People? ?The Hebrew prophets were very precise about the fact that God would always preserve the Jewish people. Consider this symbolic prophecy of Isaiah who wrote 2,700 years ago, 700 years before the birth of Jesus (Isaiah 49:14-16):?14) But Zion [the Jewish people] said, "The LORD has forsaken me, and the Lord has forgotten me."? ?15) [God answers] "Can a woman forget her nursing child and have no compassion on the son of her womb? Even these may forget, but I will not forget you.? ?16) "Behold, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands . . ."? ?Speaking more specifically, Isaiah wrote these words about the preservation of the Jews (Isaiah 41:10-11):?10) "Do not fear, for I am with you; do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.? ?11) "Behold, all those who are angered at you will be shamed and dishonored; those who contend with you will be as nothing and will perish."? ?Likewise, the prophet Jeremiah, who wrote 75 years after Isaiah, declared that God would preserve the Jewish people (Jeremiah 30:11):?? "For I am with you," declares the LORD, "to save you; for I will destroy completely all the nations where I have scattered you, only I will not destroy you completely. But I will chasten you justly and will by no means leave you unpunished."?? A more graphic prophecy by Jeremiah concerning the preservation of the Jews can be found in Jeremiah 31:35-37 -? ?35) Thus says the LORD, who gives the sun for light by day and the fixed order of the moon and the stars for light by night, who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar; the LORD of hosts is His name:? ?36) "If this fixed order departs from before Me," declares the LORD, "Then the offspring of Israel also will cease from being a nation before Me forever."? ?37) Thus says the LORD, "If the heavens above can be measured and the foundations of the earth searched out below, then I will also cast off all the offspring of Israel for all that they have done," declares the LORD.? ?So, when will the Jewish people cease to exist? When the sun stops coming up and going down, when the seasons of the year cease to come, and only after all the heavens and the depths of the oceans have been explored. In short, the Jewish people are here to stay.?? Do I need to inform you that these prophecies have been fulfilled? Despite their dispersion, their persecution and the murderous pogroms leading up to the Holocaust, 6.5 million Jews live in Israel today (slightly more than the number killed in the Holocaust), with another 7.5 million in other countries.?? Now, you can understand why the continuing existence of the Jewish people is proof positive that there is a God and that the Bible is His Word.Thousand-Year-Old Prophecy Predicts Land of Israel Will Encompass the World - By Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz - ?"And in the days of those kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed; nor shall the kingdom be left to another people; it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, but it shall stand for ever." Daniel 2:44 (The Israel Bible?)?The borders of Israel are the subject of heated international debate, but a look at prophetic literature shows a clear and surprising picture: the Messianic age will feature an Israel that encompasses the entire world. Haters of Israel can interpret this in a negative light, but the truth is a utopian vision of universal brotherhood.?The borders of Israel cannot be described in absolute terms because they have changed frequently. Rabbi Yitzchak Ginsburgh, head of the Gal Eini religious Zionist movement, taught that there were actually three different sets of borders described in the Bible and one that came later in history. The final set of borders is described in prophetic teachings. ?The borders promised to Abraham in the book of Genesis, which extended from the river of Egypt to the Euphrates (Genesis 15:18-21). This was much larger than any of the other descriptions in the Bible.?The borders described in the Bible before the Israelites entered the land (Numbers 34:6).?The borders established by conquest after six years of battle by those who entered the Holy Land with Joshua (Joshua 13).?The borders of those Jews who returned from the Babylonian exile, which were substantially smaller than before the exile.?Rabbi Avraham Arieh Trugman, director of Ohr Chadash Torah Institute, explained to Breaking Israel News that these changes are because Israel's borders are not firmly established or part of a political or military process. Israel's borders are part of a spiritual process, even in modern times.?"Israel's borders are flexible because our merit to be here is dependent on our actions and our relationship with God," he said. "In the last 68 years of modern Israel's history, the border has changed many times, describing a developing relationship."?The final borders of Israel are described in the Pesikta Rabbati, a collection of homilies and midrash (oral teachings) compiled by Torah sages in the ninth century CE. Unlike the previous four descriptions of the borders of Israel, the final prophetic description does not describe geographic boundaries specific to Israel, but a unifying global spiritual process. ?"In the future the land of Israel will spread [and encompass] all the lands [of the earth]. The entire Temple Mount will become like the Holy of Holies, all of Jerusalem will become like the Temple Mount, all of Israel will become like Jerusalem, and all of the world will become like Israel."?Rabbi Yitzhak Batzri, a noted Kabbalist from Jerusalem, explained this prophecy to Breaking Israel News. ?"This prophecy can easily be misunderstood to be racist, as if the Jews are supposed to conquer the world. But it is actually the opposite. The world will become one, united. Jews and non-Jews will join together in serving God, and contrary to what has happened throughout history, the non-Jews will help Israel to serve God.?"Just as the Temple expands to include all of Israel, the Jews will all become as priests, helping them to serve God. This will elevate the Jewish people, making all of Israel like Jerusalem, and the nations like Israel."?Rabbi Trugman agreed with this explanation. "In the times of the moshiach (Messiah), the borders will change again and the whole world will turn into Israel, meaning the entire world will become holy and serve one God like Israel is holy and serves one God," he told Breaking Israel News. ?Rabbi Trugman expanded on the idea, explaining how this process will be a reversal of the history of the Jewish exile.?"We were brought together in Israel, but because of our sins, we went into exile and spread around the world. That spread Torah and holiness out into the world. We are told, paradoxically, that we have to come back into Israel in the geula (redemption) because moshiach has to emanate out from Israel," he explained. "Theoretically, in exile, we were in a better position to spread the Torah and the holiness when we were spread out among the nations."?The seeming contradiction, he said, is a tikkun (fixing) in Kabbalistic mystical terms.?"The holiness has to become concentrated in Israel when the Jews bring it back to Israel, and then spread out into the world in a fixed redemptive manner," the rabbi explained.?Since we see that Israel's borders are not only outlined in the Bible but also in prophecy, any decisions pertaining to them have spiritual implications. Making Israel smaller is not only a political recipe for failure and more conflict, it is a pushing the world further away from Messiah.??Tel Aviv Attackers Ordered Dessert, Then Opened Fire - Kate Shuttleworth - in suits, the two men could have been any cafe-goers at Max Brenner-until they started shooting 'point-blank,' as several witnesses told The Daily Beast on Wednesday night.?Two men wearing suits and ties entered the Max Brenner chocolate restaurant on Wednesday night, ordered dessert, and sat down.?But it wasn't long, restaurant staffers told The Daily Beast, before they jumped up and started shooting, leaving four dead and six injured in and around Tel Aviv's popular Sarona food market.?"Without touching the food they got up, pulled out their weapons, and opened fire on pedestrians near the restaurant and in streets adjoining the food market," said a member of staff Yousef Jabari of Umm al-Fahm.?As gunshots rang out throughout the facility, which is near Israeli military headquarters, diners fled their tables in a rush to get away from the shooters, both described as Palestinian.?Ambulances rushed to the scene as the wounded stumbled out of the food market.?Avraham Liber had been sitting at Max Brenner eating ice cream with friends. He was facing the shooter.?"I saw him," he told The Daily Beast. "It looked like he was sitting in a chair at the cafe and he had a rifle in his hand. He was just shooting point-blank at people. He didn't say anything."?Meital Gonen, who manages a nearby clothing store, said victims sought shelter with her amid the gunfire.?"We heard gunshots and then we saw people running into our store, and they said that there was a terrorist-'Please open the door!' They were screaming and yelling, and there was a lot of blood and people dying.?"We opened the door to let people in to make sure they were safe."?Seven wounded were evacuated to Ichilov hospital, where one died, and another was taken to Sheba Medical Center near Tel Aviv.?Four remain in serious condition, and two are in fair condition.?Tel Aviv police chief Chico Edri told reporters that one of the shooters was caught and arrested, while the other was shot and wounded, and was undergoing surgery.?Later, Israeli authorities said the shooters, both 21, whose names have yet to be confirmed, were two Palestinians from the same family, possibly cousins, from Yatta, south of Hebron in the occupied West Bank.?Soon after midnight, Israeli forces conducted a raid on the town.?The attack, the third shooting attack in Tel Aviv this year, is the worst in eight months of violence that has claimed the lives of 32 Israelis, two Americans, and about 200 Palestinians, most of them attackers.?Senior Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh praised one of the shooters, calling him a hero.?Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu landed at Ben Gurion Airport from Moscow soon after the attacked and headed to the Defense Ministry for consultations with newly appointed Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman, Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan, police chief Roni Alsheich, Shin Bet head Nadav Argaman, and other officials.?"We're going to take the necessary steps to attack the attackers and defend those that need defending," Netanyahu told reporters.?Nikolay Mladenov, the U.N. special coordinator for the Middle East peace process, immediately condemned the shooting attack.?"All must reject violence and say no to terror," he said in a statement.?"Our prayers are with the families of those killed. I am also shocked to see Hamas welcome the terror attack. Leaders must stand against violence and the incitement that fuels it, not condone it."?In Paris last week, representatives from 28 countries, the Arab League, the European Union, and the United Nations met to discuss ways of restarting the Israeli-Palestinian peace efforts.?Hamas blames Tel Aviv attack on 'Al-Aqsa violations,' threatens more - By Stuart Winer, Dov Lieber - of Arab Israeli party condemns attack, calls on Israel's leadership to change course; transportation minister says crackdown on terrorists' hometown needed ?The Hamas terror group on Thursday praised a deadly terror attack in Tel Aviv the previous evening and said it came in response to unspecified Israeli "violations" at the flashpoint Al-Aqsa Mosque at the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. ?Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said Israeli "violations" at the Mosque were responsible for the shooting attack at the Sarona Market in central Tel Aviv that left four Israelis dead and another 16 injured.? ?"The Tel Aviv operation is a natural response to Israeli desecration of the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the crimes against the Palestinian people," he said in a statement, without specifying what the so-called violations and crimes were.?The attack came during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, typically a time of increased religious tensions.?Before the attack, Israel had said it made special arrangements to allow for increased Muslim visits to the Temple Mount, including easing freedom of movement for some West Bank and Gaza Palestinians to reach the holy site.?Earlier attacks by Palestinians have been attributed to claims Israel intended to change the status quo on the Temple Mount plaza, where Jews are permitted to visit but not pray, though Israel has vociferously denied it intends to change the rules governing the site, which is revered by Muslims as Haram al-Sharif, or the Noble Sanctuary. It is the holiest place in Judaism, the site of the two ancient Temples.?Hamas earlier said the two gunmen, whose identities were placed under gag order by Israeli police Thursday morning, were members of the group. The two were caught after fleeing the scene, one having been shot and seriously wounded by a security guard.?In an official statement on Twitter early on Thursday, Hamas praised the shooting as "heroic" and intimated that more attacks would follow over the month-long Muslim holiday of Ramadan, which started this week.?Abu Zuhri also threatened more attacks, and said the shooting was proof Israel had failed to tamp down on a wave of Palestinian violence that had seemed to subside in recent weeks.?"[The attack] is evidence that the intifada continues and the occupation has failed to suppress it," he said.?A Hamas media outlet shared a photo of a traditional Palestinian Ramadan treat being stuffed with a bullet with the caption "Tel Aviv operation."?Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh called the injured terrorist a "hero" and said he was praying for his soul. The Islamist terror group said the attack was "a message from children of the resistance to leaders of the occupation, especially [Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman]," who took office last week.?The spokesperson for Palestinian Islamic Jihad also threatened more attacks, saying that the "Jerusalem Intifada" will not end until "all of Palestine is restored."?"He who bets on the decline of the Jerusalem Intifada is taking a losing bet. Our people will continue this intifada and defend its right until the defeat of the occupation and the restoration of all of Palestine," spokesman Daud Shahab said.?The Fatah party headed by Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas issued a statement on its official Twitter feed saying Israel was "reaping the repercussions of choosing violence against the Palestinian people."?Israel has consistently complained of Palestinian incitement such as praise for attacks as a leading cause for a wave of terrorism that gripped Israel from October to March. Thirty-three Israelis and four foreigners were killed in the violence, and some 200 Palestinian were also killed, some two-thirds of them while carrying out attacks and the rest in clashes with Israeli forces, according to Israel.?'No justification for shooting people in the street'?In Israel, the head of the Joint (Arab) List party in the Knesset strongly condemned the attack, but also said Israel's leadership was responsible for the violence.?"I painfully regret the terrible attack on citizens," chairman of the Joint List faction Ayman Odeh said in a statement. "My heart goes out to the families. Attacking innocent people is always obscene. There is not and cannot be any justification to shooting people in the street."?Odeh, however, blamed Israel's leadership for fueling the violence.?"This government is leading all of us only to the depths of hatred and violence," he said. "The general Israeli and Palestinian population should be excluded from the circle of horror and blood. Together we must campaign in a justified way to bring justice and peace to both peoples."?President Reuven Rivlin in a statement called the attack "despicable" but said Israel would not be deterred from fighting terror.?"The struggle against terrorism is difficult and long, but the State of Israel will not be disheartened. There will be no resurgence of terror, and we will relentlessly pursue the perpetrators," he said in a statement.?Transportation Minister Yisrael Katz called for severe action to be taken against the West Bank town of Yatta, where the two attackers reportedly hailed from.?"This is a vile murder that demands an extraordinary, strong, and painful Israeli response," he said. "The village that the terrorists came from needs to have a preventative root canal, that will be remembered in its history, and it needs to be sealed off for a long time."?IDF troops surrounded the town, south of Hebron, and security forces raided the home of one of the terrorists and interrogated the family. Israeli security agencies were working to determine how they entered Israel from the West Bank.?The Defense Ministry said it was freezing tens of thousands of permits given to Palestinians to travel to Israel during the Muslim Ramadan holy month as well as taking other punitive measures.?Katz also urged the advancement of a bill he sponsored to expel the families of terrorists.?"I am convinced that it will be an effective deterrent. If the terrorists knew that their extended families would be expelled, they would think twice before acting."?The security cabinet was scheduled to hold an emergency meeting later Thursday to review Israeli responses to the attack.?Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who visited the site of the shooting on in the early hours of the morning, vowed "decisive action" to track down those responsible for the third deadly attack in Tel Aviv this year.?We are not endorsing extreme prepping, but we do believe that we should always be prepared! We believe that the Bible teaches that the Church will be removed before the Tribulation begins! We also believe that until that day, we are not exempt from difficult times, and will experience times of trials and tribulations. We never know when our lives might be disrupted by an earthquake, flood, tornado, hurricane, power outage, or any other number of natural disasters, or even in these times, an act of terror!??As an Eagle Scout and a former scoutmaster, the Boy Scout motto of "Be Prepared," has never been more important than in these times in which we live. We believe that every family should be prepared, and have at least a good first-aid kit, food and water for three or four weeks, and other basic supplies necessary for any emergency or disruption that we might incur. We have affiliated ourselves with some of the biggest vendors in the industry to provide you the best preparedness supplies. Please use the link below, thank you!!!?BE PREPARED - CLICK HERE? The Rapture is in the Air - PreviewNew DVD - Coming Soon! -?The Rapture is in the Air?This exciting new DVD covers why, we believe that the Rapture will happen before the Tribulation and that the Church will not go through the Tribulation. Never before has the pre-trib Rapture view been under such attack as it has been in the last few years. Attackers and naysayers of the pre-trib Rapture have become downright hateful in their attempt to mock and disavow the pre-trib Rapture. Surprisingly much of this hatred, is coming from within the Church itself! ?In this DVD, we will show why we believe that the Bible teaches that the Tribulation cannot even start until the Church has been removed. We will also explain what God's wrath is and to whom it is directed at, who's who in the Tribulation, the identity of the Restrainer, and the doctrine of Imminence. All this, and much, much, more! ?"The Rapture is in the Air," is based on the recent article written by Pete Garcia of the Omega Letter - ??Pete was kind and generous enough to give us permission to do a DVD based on his article. This DVD will be released on 6/10/16* (*subject to change). You can pre-order this exciting new DVD right now, when you pre-order one of our DVD's not only are you making sure that you get your copy when it is first released, you are also helping us to finance the production and off-set some of the expenses that are involved in bringing the DVD to completion.?To pre-order your copy or copies, please visit our store, thank you!?CLICK HEREBilderberg 2016: What Are the Global Elite Plotting This Time Around? - By Michael Snyder - this week, dozens of the most important men in the world are going to gather at an ultra-luxury hotel in Dresden, Germany to discuss the future of the planet.? What will happen at this meeting will not be televised, and the mainstream media in the United States will almost entirely ignore it, but decisions will be made at this conference that will affect the lives of every man, woman and child on the entire globe.? Of course I am talking about the Bilderberg Group, and for decades you were labeled a "conspiracy theorist" if you even acknowledged that it existed.?Every year since 1954 the elite of the world have gathered at this time of the year to "discuss global events", and since the Bilderberg Group operates under Chatham House Rules, everyone that participates is banned from revealing what goes on during the conference.?But what takes place at these conferences really matters.? For example, it has been documented that the Bilderberg Group played a key role in the development of the European Union and in the decision to create the euro.?The elitists that attend these meetings are not the kind of people that would waste their time having tea and exchanging small talk.? The list of previous attendees includes Bill Clinton, Hillary Clinton, George H.W. Bush, Prince Charles, David Cameron, Tony Blair, Henry Kissinger, Bill Gates, Angela Merkel, Ben Bernanke, Timothy Geithner, Rick Perry, David Rockefeller and Joe Biden.? I have included a list of those attending Bilderberg this year at the end of this article.?The Taschenbergpalais Hotel In Dresden has been transformed into a heavily armed camp for this year's conference, which only adds to the aura of mystery surrounding Bilderberg.? The following comes from the Guardian...?You know Bilderberg's about to begin when you start seeing the guns. The Taschenbergpalais hotel in Dresden is filling up with pistol-packing plainclothes security as the last guests are ushered out. The frowning gunslingers head up and down the corridors with their hotel maps, trying door handles and checking the lay of the land while, down in the hotel lobby, corporate goons gather in muttering huddles.?I don't know why everyone's so antsy. According to the local newspaper DNN, at least 400 police officers will be surrounding the venue for the three days of the talks. There's already a ring of concrete blocks around the entrance. Is that not enough? What are they expecting? The charge of the light brigade??So what precisely is going on that is so incredibly important that it needs such protection??Well, the following list of "key topics" for discussion at this year's conference comes directly from the official Bilderberg website...?1.Current events2.China3.Europe: migration, growth, reform, vision, unity4.Middle East5.Russia6.US political landscape, economy: growth, debt, reform7.Cyber security8.Geo-politics of energy and commodity prices9.Precariat and middle class10.Technological innovation?The term "precariat" definitely caught my attention.?I didn't know what that term meant, so I had to look it up.? Here is how one source defines it...?The precariat is similar to the blue-collar workers of yesteryear in that they earn less than what Standing calls the salariat, but they are unique in that workers in manufacturing jobs, for instance, tended to have job security, benefits, and often union protection (which played a large part in the presence of the first two). Today's precariat usually has none of that, and spans income and education levels, from sub-minimum-wage illegal migrant work and low-wage retail or service work to highly educated but contract- and freelance-dependent industries (like, ahem, journalism). Members of the precariat also, unlike their working-class forebears, have to put in an alarming amount of work that no one considers "work" or compensates them for.?But of course there will certainly be other things not on the official agenda that will be discussed by the elitists that gather in Dresden.? Two topics that will definitely be on the minds of most attendees will be the upcoming Brexit vote and the Donald Trump phenomenon...?The attendance of anti-Trump Senator Lindsey Graham is an obvious sign that Bilderberg will be scheming on how to prevent Trump from defeating Bilderberg's chosen candidate - Hillary Clinton.?As we reported during last year's conference, Bilderberg was confident that Clinton could shake off her GOP challengers, but Trump's self-funded campaign and his public opposition to globalism and internationalist trade deals like NAFTA has shocked the Bilderberg elitists.?Bilderberg will obviously be discussing Brexit - Britain referendum vote to leave the EU - because it threatens the future of the European Union federal superstate that was the brainchild of Bilderberg in the first place.?Ultimately, key decisions regarding the future of the European Union, U.S. politics and the global financial system will be made at this conference, but we are not supposed to know what takes place at Bilderberg and the mainstream media in the United States has always had a policy of virtually ignoring these meetings.?But some things have changed.? In the past, it always took a good bit of detective work to figure out who was attending these meetings, but in recent years an official list of participants has been published on the Bilderberg website.? Below is the official list for this year.? Do you recognize any familiar names on this list?...?CHAIRMAN?Castries, Henri de (FRA), Chairman and CEO, AXA Group?Aboutaleb, Ahmed (NLD), Mayor, City of Rotterdam?Achleitner, Paul M. (DEU), Chairman of the Supervisory Board, Deutsche Bank AG?Agius, Marcus (GBR), Chairman, PA Consulting Group?Ahrenkiel, Thomas (DNK), Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Defence?Albuquerque, Maria Luís (PRT), Former Minister of Finance; MP, Social Democratic Party?Alierta, César (ESP), Executive Chairman and CEO, Telefónica?Altman, Roger C. (USA), Executive Chairman, Evercore?Altman, Sam (USA), President, Y Combinator?Andersson, Magdalena (SWE), Minister of Finance?Applebaum, Anne (USA), Columnist Washington Post; Director of the Transitions Forum, Legatum Institute?Apunen, Matti (FIN), Director, Finnish Business and Policy Forum EVA?Aydin-Düzgit, Senem (TUR), Associate Professor and Jean Monnet Chair, Istanbul Bilgi University?Barbizet, Patricia (FRA), CEO, Artemis?Barroso, José M. Dur?o (PRT), Former President of the European Commission?Baverez, Nicolas (FRA), Partner, Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher?Bengio, Yoshua (CAN), Professor in Computer Science and Operations Research, University of Montreal?Benko, René (AUT), Founder and Chairman of the Advisory Board, SIGNA Holding GmbH?Bernabè, Franco (ITA), Chairman, CartaSi S.p.A.?Beurden, Ben van (NLD), CEO, Royal Dutch Shell plc?Blanchard, Olivier (FRA), Fred Bergsten Senior Fellow, Peterson Institute?Botín, Ana P. (ESP), Executive Chairman, Banco Santander?Brandtz?g, Svein Richard (NOR), President and CEO, Norsk Hydro ASA?Breedlove, Philip M. (INT), Former Supreme Allied Commander Europe?Brende, B?rge (NOR), Minister of Foreign Affairs?Burns, William J. (USA), President, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace?Cebrián, Juan Luis (ESP), Executive Chairman, PRISA and El País?Charpentier, Emmanuelle (FRA), Director, Max Planck Institute for Infection Biology?Coeuré, Beno?t (INT), Member of the Executive Board, European Central Bank?Costamagna, Claudio (ITA), Chairman, Cassa Depositi e Prestiti S.p.A.?Cote, David M. (USA), Chairman and CEO, Honeywell?Cryan, John (DEU), CEO, Deutsche Bank AG?Dassù, Marta (ITA), Senior Director, European Affairs, Aspen Institute?Dijksma, Sharon A.M. (NLD), Minister for the Environment?D?pfner, Mathias (DEU), CEO, Axel Springer SE?Dyvig, Christian (DNK), Chairman, Kompan?Ebeling, Thomas (DEU), CEO, ProSiebenSat.1?Elkann, John (ITA), Chairman and CEO, EXOR; Chairman, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles?Enders, Thomas (DEU), CEO, Airbus Group?Engel, Richard (USA), Chief Foreign Correspondent, NBC News?Fabius, Laurent (FRA), President, Constitutional Council?Federspiel, Ulrik (DNK), Group Executive, Haldor Tops?e A/S?Ferguson, Jr., Roger W. (USA), President and CEO, TIAA?Ferguson, Niall (USA), Professor of History, Harvard University?Flint, Douglas J. (GBR), Group Chairman, HSBC Holdings plc?Garicano, Luis (ESP), Professor of Economics, LSE; Senior Advisor to Ciudadanos?Georgieva, Kristalina (INT), Vice President, European Commission?Gernelle, Etienne (FRA), Editorial Director, Le Point?Gomes da Silva, Carlos (PRT), Vice Chairman and CEO, Galp Energia?Goodman, Helen (GBR), MP, Labour Party?Goulard, Sylvie (INT), Member of the European Parliament?Graham, Lindsey (USA), Senator?Grillo, Ulrich (DEU), Chairman, Grillo-Werke AG; President, Bundesverband der Deutschen Industrie?Gruber, Lilli (ITA), Editor-in-Chief and Anchor "Otto e mezzo", La7 TV?Hadfield, Chris (CAN), Colonel, Astronaut?Halberstadt, Victor (NLD), Professor of Economics, Leiden University?Harding, Dido (GBR), CEO, TalkTalk Telecom Group plc?Hassabis, Demis (GBR), Co-Founder and CEO, DeepMind?Hobson, Mellody (USA), President, Ariel Investment, LLC?Hoffman, Reid (USA), Co-Founder and Executive Chairman, LinkedIn?H?ttges, Timotheus (DEU), CEO, Deutsche Telekom AG?Jacobs, Kenneth M. (USA), Chairman and CEO, Lazard?J?kel, Julia (DEU), CEO, Gruner + Jahr?Johnson, James A. (USA), Chairman, Johnson Capital Partners?Jonsson, Conni (SWE), Founder and Chairman, EQT?Jordan, Jr., Vernon E. (USA), Senior Managing Director, Lazard Frères & Co. LLC?Kaeser, Joe (DEU), President and CEO, Siemens AG?Karp, Alex (USA), CEO, Palantir Technologies?Kengeter, Carsten (DEU), CEO, Deutsche B?rse AG?Kerr, John (GBR), Deputy Chairman, Scottish Power?Kherbache, Yasmine (BEL), MP, Flemish Parliament?Kissinger, Henry A. (USA), Chairman, Kissinger Associates, Inc.?Kleinfeld, Klaus (USA), Chairman and CEO, Alcoa?Kravis, Henry R. (USA), Co-Chairman and Co-CEO, Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co.?Kravis, Marie-Josée (USA), Senior Fellow, Hudson Institute?Kudelski, André (CHE), Chairman and CEO, Kudelski Group?Lagarde, Christine (INT), Managing Director, International Monetary Fund?Levin, Richard (USA), CEO, Coursera?Leyen, Ursula von der (DEU), Minister of Defence?Leysen, Thomas (BEL), Chairman, KBC Group?Logothetis, George (GRC), Chairman and CEO, Libra Group?Maizière, Thomas de (DEU), Minister of the Interior, Federal Ministry of the Interior?Makan, Divesh (USA), CEO, ICONIQ Capital?Malcomson, Scott (USA), Author; President, Monere Ltd.?Markwalder, Christa (CHE), President of the National Council and the Federal Assembly?McArdle, Megan (USA), Columnist, Bloomberg View?Michel, Charles (BEL), Prime Minister?Micklethwait, John (USA), Editor-in-Chief, Bloomberg LP?Minton Beddoes, Zanny (GBR), Editor-in-Chief, The Economist?Mitsotakis, Kyriakos (GRC), President, New Democracy Party?Morneau, Bill (CAN), Minister of Finance?Mundie, Craig J. (USA), Principal, Mundie & Associates?Murray, Charles A. (USA), W.H. Brady Scholar, American Enterprise Institute?Netherlands, H.M. the King of the (NLD)?Noonan, Michael (IRL), Minister for Finance?Noonan, Peggy (USA), Author, Columnist, The Wall Street Journal?O'Leary, Michael (IRL), CEO, Ryanair Plc?Ollongren, Kajsa (NLD), Deputy Mayor of Amsterdam??zel, Soli (TUR), Professor, Kadir Has University?Papalexopoulos, Dimitri (GRC), CEO, Titan Cement Co.?Petraeus, David H. (USA), Chairman, KKR Global Institute?Philippe, Edouard (FRA), Mayor of Le Havre?Pind, S?ren (DNK), Minister of Justice?Ratti, Carlo (ITA), Director, MIT Senseable City Lab?Reisman, Heather M. (CAN), Chair and CEO, Indigo Books & Music Inc.?Rutte, Mark (NLD), Prime Minister?Sawers, John (GBR), Chairman and Partner, Macro Advisory Partners?Sch?uble, Wolfgang (DEU), Minister of Finance?Schieder, Andreas (AUT), Chairman, Social Democratic Group?Schmidt, Eric E. (USA), Executive Chairman, Alphabet Inc.?Scholten, Rudolf (AUT), CEO, Oesterreichische Kontrollbank AG?Schwab, Klaus (INT), Executive Chairman, World Economic Forum?Sikorski, Radoslaw (POL), Senior Fellow, Harvard University; Former Minister of Foreign Affairs?Simsek, Mehmet (TUR), Deputy Prime Minister?Sinn, Hans-Werner (DEU), Professor for Economics and Public Finance, Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich?Skogen Lund, Kristin (NOR), Director General, The Confederation of Norwegian Enterprise?Standing, Guy (GBR), Co-President, BIEN; Research Professor, University of London?Svanberg, Carl-Henric (SWE), Chairman, BP plc and AB Volvo?Thiel, Peter A. (USA), President, Thiel Capital?Tillich, Stanislaw (DEU), Minister-President of Saxony?Vetterli, Martin (CHE), President, NSF?Wahlroos, Bj?rn (FIN), Chairman, Sampo Group, Nordea Bank, UPM-Kymmene Corporation?Wallenberg, Jacob (SWE), Chairman, Investor AB?Weder di Mauro, Beatrice (CHE), Professor of Economics, University of Mainz?Wolf, Martin H. (GBR), Chief Economics Commentator, Financial Times?Should We Take Prophecy Seriously? - Ron & Nathele Graham -twotug@ ?We all know that the Bible is God's word, but do you really understand what that means? The words written in the original languages were inspired by God and He desires for us to understand what He says. "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished into all good works." 2 Timothy 3:16-17. The men who held the pen were directly inspired by the Holy Spirit and we need to take all Scripture seriously. Not only has God given us the guidelines for Christian living, but He's also given us a look into the future through the many prophecies spoken by the prophets of old. Can we trust these prophecies? Absolutely. The above verse confirms that God spoke the Scriptures and they are given for our edification. Prophecy is just a way of showing us what lies ahead. If we study it we can get a good idea where we are in relation to the final seven years. The Rapture will precede those final years and you'd be smart to study prophecy in order to understand the times in which we live.?It's been said "Every generation since Jesus died on the cross has been sure of Christ's return during their lifetime." That may very well be true, but it's also true that we need to eagerly anticipate His return. It's important to honestly study Scripture and not twist it to say something that isn't there, but we shouldn't close our eyes to what God tells us through His word. When we study prophecy we can see that certain events need to unfold prior to Jesus' Second coming. In centuries past, those who diligently studied Scripture should have understood that the signs (such as Israel being back in the land) which were to precede Christ's return weren't in place yet. It would have been a mistake to anticipate Jesus' return during any other generation than this, our current generation. Also keep in mind that the Rapture will happen at least 7 years prior to the Second Coming. Now that's exciting!?Prophecy can be a tricky subject to study. Interpretations change because we interpret it according to our human knowledge of the time. God inspired those prophets of old to write about future events, and since He sees the beginning from the end He's able to know exactly what a future event looks like. This verse from Zechariah would have been very hard to understand even a century ago.? "And this shall be the plague wherewith the LORD will smite all the people that have fought against Jerusalem; Their flesh shall consume away while they stand upon their feet, and their eyes shall consume away in their holes, and their tongue shall consume away in their mouth." Zechariah 14:12. This was written at a time when swords and arrows were the weapons of war, but today this could easily describe a neutron bomb or some yet unknown weapon of mass destruction. Very often God describes what the writer couldn't understand, but as we draw closer to the end of time we're able to understand more clearly.?Daniel was given an incredible prophecy concerning the last days. A careful study of this prophecy will help you to understand the days in which we live. When Daniel lived the Jewish Temple had been destroyed, but the 70 week prophecy talks about the Temple as if it were standing. Daniel could not have known how this would be accomplished, but he faithfully wrote the words he was given. The Temple was rebuilt but even that one was destroyed. We can be sure that it will be rebuilt because prophecy talks about still future events involving the Temple. "But thou, O Daniel, shut up the? words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased." Daniel 12:4. Jesus expanded on Daniel's 70 week prophecy and even more is revealed in the Book of Revelation. We can understand more of prophecy today because our knowledge has increased. ?In order for the Temple to be rebuilt, Israel would need to be back in the land God gave them. Until 1948 most Bible teachers twisted Scripture to say that Christians are the "New Israel". Never twist Scripture; God knows what the future holds and can be believed. "For I will take you from among the heathen, and gather you out of all countries, and will bring you into your own land." Ezekiel 36:24."And say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will take the children of Israel from among the heathen, whither they be gone, and will gather them on every side, and bring them into their own land," Ezekiel 37:21. "And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant of his people, which shall be left, from Assyria, and from Egypt, and from Pathros, and from Cush, and from Elam, and from Shinar, and from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea." Isaiah 11:11. "And I will bring again the captivity of my people of Israel, and they shall build the waste cities, and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, and drink the wine thereof; they shall also make gardens, and eat the fruit of them. And I will plant them upon their land, and they shall no more be pulled up out of their land which I have given them, saith the LORD thy God." Amos 9:14-15. These are just a few of the verses that clearly state that Israel will be back in their God-given land. Today we can see that prophecy is being fulfilled exactly as God said. By studying prophecy we can be sure that the war and hatred directed towards Israel today is only the beginning of what they will face in the very near future. Prophecy also says that when they finally turn back to God, He will fight for them and win. Pray for the peace of Jerusalem.?Prophecy has been placed in the Bible by God to bring us to a deeper understanding of just what the future history of the world holds. Peter saw wondrous miracles as he followed Jesus, but he tells us that prophecy is a light shining in the darkness. "We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts:" 2 Peter 1:19. We can get confused if we believe man's contrived interpretations of prophecy rather than understanding that the Holy Spirit meant what He said. Many erroneous ideas are put forth when mankind twists the meaning in order to make it fit a certain idea (such as replacement theology). "Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost." 2 Peter 1:20-21. God's word is true, and prophecy tells us that we are very near to the end of time. ????????? The Bible is replete with prophecies both fulfilled and yet to be fulfilled. The First Advent of Jesus fulfilled numerous prophecies, as did His crucifixion. The religious leaders of the time were blind to who He was and like many people today they thought the prophecies were not for their time. If you have any doubts be sure to read Jesus' words concerning the end of the age. "And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you." Matthew 24:4. Then He goes on to describe the signs to look for alerting us to the fact that the end of the age is near, including the Great Tribulation. Jesus was not talking about Christians in these verses, but He was talking of a time soon after the Rapture. The Temple will have been rebuilt because the abomination of desolation will be put there. "When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:) Matthew 24:15. The Temple is now ready to be rebuilt as soon as an agreement is made, and as we watch the news that agreement could soon come to pass. If you're curious about prophecy as it relates to today's news, you might want to take a look at Prophecy Update News in Review at . The signs of the times are upon us and for those have not accepted Christ as their Saviour, the horrors of those coming days will be unfathomable. "For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be." Matthew 24: 21. If you're curious about what will happen during the Great Tribulation, then read Revelation beginning in chapter 6. ?Are you too intimidated to read the Book of Revelation? If so you're missing out on a blessing. "Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand." Revelation 1:3.True faith in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ will keep you from the events described after chapter 5. If you know Jesus, you are very blessed indeed. We all know people who don't know Him and they need the blessing of reading Revelation. It will show them what they will face if they don't repent and turn to Jesus for salvation. Christians are a unique group of people. We live in the world, but are not a part of it...or we shouldn't be a part of it. Sometimes it's impossible to tell Christians apart from the non-Christians. When we truly accept Christ's death, burial, and resurrection as the atonement for our sin, our salvation is secure. Then we need to study His word and apply it to our life. ?The Rapture is a promise to Christians that won't face God's wrath and we will be called Home prior to Daniel's 70th week. "Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed." 1 Corinthians 15:51-52. The Rapture was a mystery, a hidden truth, until Paul was chosen to reveal it. Christians may face persecution from other humans, but we won't suffer God's wrath. "And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come." 1 Thessalonians 1:10. The Bible is filled with evidence of the Pre-Tribulation Rapture, from the taking of Enoch prior to the judgment of the Flood, to Lot who had to be removed from Sodom prior to God's judgment, to John hearing a voice like a trumpet saying "...Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter." Revelation 4:1b. Take comfort in this truth, and talk to your friends and relatives who need to come to a saving faith in Jesus. You don't want them to go through the Great Tribulation or face eternal death.????????? Prophecy is being fulfilled right in front of our eyes; signs of the times show us that the end of all time is upon us. You won't find answers on CNN, Fox News, or MSNBC. Truth is only found in God's word. Should we take prophecy seriously? The answer is a resounding "Yes".?God bless you all,?Ron & Nathele Grahamtwotug@ ron@ Previous commentaries archived at ??All original scripture is "theopneustos" God breathed.?This commentary was started by Ron Graham before his death on March 14, 2013, and finished by his wife, Nathele Graham ?If you'd like to be on my mailing list to receive the commentaries just drop me an email and let me know.Daily Jot: Battleground of the mind - Bill Wilson - ?In the coming months there is a war to be waged against believers in the one true God. The battleground is your mind. It cannot be stressed enough that the forthcoming election is a harbinger. America stands at a crossroads of ideals. The ideal of a nation founded, bred, steeped in the Judeo-Christian values found in the Holy scriptures versus the Marxist humanist ideal of abolishing all religion, morals, property ownership in deference to government almighty. This is what we are facing. It's not about the imperfections of Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton. It is about the American ideal. The two candidates are merely representatives of whether Marxism will overtake our country, or it buys a reprieve, a chance.?Many have expressed their disdain that I would write about politics in this column. Some have told me to stick to what I am supposed to do, that politics is not in my wheelhouse. Others say that we shouldn't be discussing politics and religion, there is separation of church and state. My response is that this election is not about politics. It's about the Judeo-Christian ideal of being an American and preserving those inalienable rights. Many are so blinded about the perceived evil in one candidate that they cannot see the greater and truer evil of the principality awaiting legal entry as represented by the other candidate. Separation of religion and state? How does one separate his spirit from his body? Only by death.?Are we, as the vast majority in this nation, going to become so bogged down in shades of gray and doctrinal gradients that we cannot or will not make a decision to save ourselves? There is a great threat to our way of life looming over us. We have had about a decade of this Islamic Marxism flooding our nation. We have had more than a generation of government promotion of sinful acts, our money funding them. While one person cannot right all this, nor will he try to do so, the other, however, will open the floodgates to the most anti-God forces we have seen to date.? Is it not time to at least begin to turn the country around rather than allow it to sink further and faster into the quicksand of Marxism? ?As the Lord said in Ezekiel 22:30, "And I sought for a man among them, that should make up the hedge, and stand in the gap before me for the land, that I should not destroy it." This is what we have before us. And the battleground of our minds will determine the outcome. We will either focus on the American ideal, the Founder's vision, of a free America with freedom of speech and religion, and inalienable rights, or we will succumb to the communist ideal of government as god. The question before us is 'will we make the hedge and stand in the gap, or will we fall in the weeds of endless debate over gray areas and allow the enemies of God to overrun us?' I for one, want to be counted among those who stand in the gap so that the last part of Ezekiel 22:30 is not realized: "but I found none." We need to get our minds right for the time ahead.Daily Devotion: The Fringe Benefit of Holiness - Greg Laurie - ?Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled. -Matthew 5:6?Have a nice day. We throw that expression around a lot in our culture. When you make a purchase, the cashier might say, "Thank you. Have a nice day." Or, maybe you want to return something, and you're told, "No, we cannot take that back again. Have a nice day." It's really their way of saying, "You can go now."?But what does it really mean to have a nice day? I suppose it would be a day free of sickness, conflict, and hardship-a day that is, well, nice.?That is how God is sometimes perceived. We might imagine Him thundering from Mount Sinai, "Have a nice day!" We like to think of Him as perpetually smiling, wanting us all to be happy, healthy, and wealthy.?I'm not suggesting that God cannot or will not bless us with health or even wealth. Nor am I suggesting that God doesn't want us to be happy. But that is not God's primary objective for us. God doesn't sit around in Heaven and wonder how He can make us happier. What God is really interested in is how He can make us more holy. He wants us to be holy more than He wants us to be happy.?The remarkable thing is that if you really are a holy person, then you will, in turn, be a happy person. Happiness is the fringe benefit of holiness. What does it mean to be holy? Maybe if we respelled holy as wholly, as in wholly committed, we would get a better understanding of the word. You can be wholly committed to surfing or wholly committed to golfing or wholly committed to money. That is a commitment.?If you want to be holy, be wholly committed to God. You will be happy as a result.FROM THE HEART??IF YOU HAVE BEEN BLESSED THROUGH THIS MINISTRY, THEN WE ASK THAT YOU WOULD PLEASE REMEMBER PROPHECY UPDATE IN YOUR GIVING - WE ARE TRULY,?TRULY,?THANKFUL FOR YOUR SUPPORT??Prophecy Update has no corporate sponsors. This ministry is paid for and prayed for by readers and supporters. Without your support, there would be no Prophecy Update, Please pray about becoming a monthly supporter - thanks!??If ever there was a time to invest in God's Kingdom, it's now!What on earth are you doing for Heaven's Sake?"Share in the Blessings and Rewards that will last Forever!""Folks, it's all beginning to unravel. America is in more danger of falling than at any time in its history. But I believe Bible prophecy predicts this very decline. From this point on, we believers have to get serious. We are going to face discouragement, disillusionment and, most certainly, persecution in the time between now and the Rapture. But don't be discouraged or disillusioned. The coming turmoil will provide us unrivaled opportunities to share the good news of the Gospel. So be ready to share your faith and your hope with those who need Christ. We still have time to reap a great harvest of souls for God's kingdom!" - Hal Lindsey1) We need your prayers!- We proclaim the Truth of the Word of God and we are under constant spiritual and sometimes even physical attack.2) We need your encouragement!- We need to hear from you, let us know how the Lord is blessing you through this ministry so that we can share it with others.3) We need your input! - If you have a prophetic article or story or if there is a news related item we missed, let us know. 4) We need your financial support!- To put it quite simply, without your support, there would be no Prophecy Update.I ask that you would prayerfully consider partnering with us to get the Word out and keep the world informed. Remember, your gift, no matter how small, does make a difference! You will be helping to touch lives, around the world, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, thanks to the internet your generosity carries a global impact! - Thanks!Our Prayer for You- "Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God. This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of God's people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God. Because of the service by which you have proved yourselves, men will praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the gospel of Christ, and for your generosity in sharing with them and with everyone else." 2 Corinthians 9:10-13Prophecy Update is a 501 (c) (3) tax exempt -?non-profit?organization, and all your donations are tax deductible.??If you have been blessed by Prophecy Update and would like to help support this ministry financially. You can make a secure donation online by going to:DONATE NOW?Or Visit our website: write us at:?Prophecy Update P.O. Box 40516 Bakersfield, CA 93384-0516???We are very pleased to offer all our readers this FREE download on Bible Prophecy from the Evangelical Bible College of Western Australia - Just download and enjoy and be blessed! Feel free to share it with all your friends and family members.Click below to download!"AS YOU SEE THE DAY APPROACHING"?If You Died Today, Would You Go To Heaven?Find out, visit:Prophecy Update - GoodSearch Toolbar Prophecy Update Toolbar is free to download and allows you to raise money for our cause every time you search or shop onlineDID YOU KNOW?You can submit an article, leave a comment or praise report at email:prophecyupdate@bak.Maranatha! (Lord Come Quickly)??"On Christ the Solid Rock I Stand, All other ground is sinking sand."??"Let Us make the short time we have left count for all eternity!"??YBIC-RandyStay Connected?? ?? ?? Prophecy Update - PO Box 40516 - Bakersfield, CA 93384 ................
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