ISRAEL AT WAR!!! Day 466 - 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."
Visit the Prophecy Update website, for Newsletter Archives, Headlines, Video Teachings, Recommended Links and to Support this ministry (Click Here)
In Today’s Newsletter…
*The Last Year of Grace
*A Comet That Appears Every 160,000 Years, A ‘Glowing Ring of Metal’ That Just Fell Out of The Sky, And A Giant Coronal Hole Spanning 1/4 Of the Circumference of The Sun
*Prophecy Update Videos
*Recommended Reading
*Endtime Technology Booms: From Bezzle to Fizzle, Part 2
*In These Deceptive Days, even ‘Churches’ Are Not Always a Safe Place for Believers
*Daily Jot: The shame of NY Democrat lawfare persecution of Trump
*Daily Devotion: Two Kinds of Blindness
*Prophecy Update News Headlines
(Scroll Down to Read)
John Bellam - https://www.rev310.net/post/the-last-year-of-grace
The man stepped forward on the platform, certain of his impending doom! He was recently arrested for inciting an insurrection in Jerusalem and was about to have his death sentence confirmed by a mob of people who were bloodthirsty and were gathered in a huge mass of humanity just below where he stood. As he waited, his mind surely drifted back to other days when he witnessed other condemned men each dying a cruel death on one of those torturous Roman crosses and the thought of the pain and the agony awaiting him made him close his eyes and wince! Just then …another man stepped forward. Unbeknownst to everyone present, this second man was a Substitute who had been prepared from eternity past to die in the convicted man’s place. Somehow, some way, the Lamb of God had arrived just in time to supply a substitute of mercy at the exact moment Barabbas needed it most! The Substitute’s name was Jesus. Barabbas was pardoned. And thus began the Age Of Grace that is frighteningly about to close on an unsuspecting and sleeping world!
CIRCA 1826 BC…..
The Father of the nation Israel is bewildered! Abraham has shockingly been commanded by God to lead his son Isaac up Mount Moriah and sacrifice him on an altar similar to the child sacrifices practiced by the pagan religions of the day. Although Abraham is well aware of the blood lust required by the gods of his neighbors in their practice of child sacrifices, he is surprised and troubled by the test his own God is presenting him with. He had waited 100 years for his barren wife to miraculously provide him with an heir and now the same God who promised him that heir years ago was asking him to take his precious son’s life! In spite of his dismay, however, Abraham dutifully leads Isaac up the mountain with wood in hand and a heavy heart. He will be obedient to His Lord and trust that God will resurrect his dead son after the sacrifice is complete.
Abraham’s life had already been punctuated with several pivotal moments of truth when great faith needed to be exhibited for God to move him on the set course that the Maker had designed for his life.
-The moment of his calling to leave his father’s home and travel to a new land where a new nation would come from his offspring.
-The promise of a son from his wife Sarah (though she was old and barren) and the belief that the entire world would be blessed through that offspring.
-The belief that a land currently inhabited by numerous fortified hostile tribes would one day belong to his children and his promised nation would be the mightiest in the world.
Believing God would fulfill all those promises was a testament to Abraham's trust.
“Abraham believed God and it was counted to him as righteousness.” (Gen 15:6)
But now the greatest test of all is before him and a weary Abraham obediently forges ahead!
As Isaac lies on the altar, Abraham sadly raises a knife to perform the heartbreaking deed. Providentially, somewhere close by, the familiar sound of “baaa” distracts Abraham and he turns . Then he hears a voice of an angel commanding him to release the rope-bound boy and instead, sacrifice the ram who is within view and has his head caught in a thorn bush. (The parallels of what Isaac must have felt and what Barabbas would one day experience are hard to miss)
“Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram caught by its horns. He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son. So Abraham called that place The Lord Will Provide. And to this day it is said, “On the mountain of the Lord it will be provided.” -Gen 22:13-14
Although the practice of sacrificing a choice lamb to Almighty God had been practiced since all the way back in Able’s day, this was the official beginning of a sacrificial practice known as “substitutionary atonement” by the Jewish family. God will emphasize this principle with an entire animal sacrificial system entrusted to the Levitical priests when Israel is freed from Egypt over four hundred years in the future. The first “Passover” will set the stage for what will be a 1400-year model of constant animal sacrifice to show the sinfulness of the people and the need for someone to pay for sin in their place. The burnt offerings of these creatures could not actually take away sin. They were never intended to. They were merely a temporary signpost pointing to the One True worthy substitute who would one day come, His head wrapped in a crown of thorns, and take the place of all the world’s condemned!
And like the ram in the bush … He will accomplish it all on Mount Moriah!
JESUS, OUR SUBSTITUTE
From before the creation of the world, the plan of God was always to send His Son as a substitute for sinners to pay our debt to God.
“…the Lamb who was slain from the creation of the world.” (Rev 13:8b)
In God’s plan, redemption for the fall of humanity would be completed in one man, His Son, and all history would point to that Substitutionary Atonement!
-The pre-flood sinfulness showed the potential of unchecked evil and the downward trajectory of humanity under the influence of the evil fallen angels and their own sinful hearts. Judgment was coming! And with it, the need for salvation. But salvation could only be accomplished by a “Substitute” who could take the punishment of judgment in the place of all the sinful creation. Otherwise, all would perish in their sin.
-The Ark in the flood waters showed a microcosm of there being only one singular hope of salvation from the wrath of the watery judgment, just as the prophesied “Substitute” would be the singular hope for humanity in the wake of eternal judgment.
-The Law showed the hopelessness of the human condition with everyone falling short of the “good” and “perfect” standard God required to enter Heaven. Without that required perfection, only a “Perfect Substitute” (who could take our place in judgment and impute His perfection to us) would allow us to escape damnation.
-The Sacrificial system showed the pattern of a constant need for a final sacrifice and the unworthiness of animal sacrifices to take away sin permanently. The perfect and worthy human “Substitute “ was needed.
-The prophets and God’s Word foretold the purpose and details of the life of the “Substitute” and prepared the world for the Messiah’s incarnation.
-John The Baptist announced the “Substitute’s” arrival and called the Jews (who had long been the recipients of God’s Word and should have known what to look for) to repent and turn their hearts to Him.
-The Church has been pointing back to that “Substitute” for 2000 years as the only Hope for humanity.
-The watchers of our day are pointing to the “Substitute’s” second coming to fulfill all the rest of prophesied History.
And in the middle of it all is the Cross and the man hanging from it who was “The Substitute” for you and me. The same man who stepped forward as a “Substitute” for Barabbas the day before Jesus’ crucifixion.
THE LAMB
John the Baptist understood all the lamb symbolism and the purpose of the Sacrificial system and the Passover. He confirmed that understanding when He first saw Jesus before His Baptism as recorded in the Book of John:
“The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29)
John knew Jesus was the “Substitute” sent by God to take the place of sinners. And upon that Substitutionary act, Jesus would open the door to Grace that would welcome in the nations of the world to receive eternal forgiveness by believing in God’s “Substitute”. The practice of the sacrificial system constantly placed a lamb on the altar before God as a symbol of what would happen to His Son when He would obediently lay down His life for the sins of humanity. The Cross was erected on Mount Moriah (“The Lord will Provide”) and wearing a thorny crown, Jesus took our place just as the ram had for Abraham’s son nearly two millennia before.
“But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.
All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.” (Isaiah 53:5-6)
THE OPEN DOOR
“I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” (John 10:9-10)
Jesus Christ is the door to get into Heaven.
He proclaimed Himself as such in John 10. Our Lord used many metaphors (ladder, Good Shepherd, Light of the World, Living Water, Bread of Life, etc.) to show us how He is the Only One worthy to save mankind from Hell and these metaphors all have Old Testament references that prove Jesus is who He claimed. But … when He says He is the Door, He not only is opening up a way for us into Heaven, but He is also the One who someday will close the Grace Age by shutting the door.
It is a sad fact that most of the world does not understand or appreciate the “Age of Grace” we have been experiencing for the last two thousand years since our Lord opened the Heavenly door. While the religions of the world seek works and enlightening experiences to pave the road of their eternal journey toward some universal cosmic balancing act they think will give them peace, they ignore the wide open door to eternal life that Jesus has placed right in front of them. The truth is that salvation isn’t a destination, it is a Person. Eternal life isn’t a path or a journey …. It is a Being. The world is looking for a pilgrimage when it should be looking for a Door! Jesus is that door. And without Him, all those religious paths are simply dead ends.
THE CLOSING DOOR
“So they went into the ark with Noah, two by two of all living beings in which there was the breath and spirit of life. Those which entered, male and female of all flesh (creatures), entered as God had commanded Noah; and the Lord closed the door behind him.” (Gen 7:15-16)
Our Heavenly Father is not bound to any particular Modus Operandi in unfolding history. In His all-powerful perfect sovereignty, He can keep things hidden if He wants or reveal things in any way He so chooses and He owes no explanation to anyone. But … that is not how He does things. He uses patterns and foreshadowings and typologies and His prophets throughout His Word to prepare us for what is to come and when He was about to bring judgment to the pre-flood world, He put an exclamation point on that age by closing the door of the ark. That was the end of any hope those outside the giant boat had to survive and God closing the door meant their fate was sealed.
The Apostle Peter chose to refer back to that time of global judgment when he sent out a warning to those who would be doubters just before the Lord Jesus returns to judge the world the second time.
“Above all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. They will say, “Where is this ‘coming’ he promised? Ever since our ancestors died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation.” But they deliberately forget that long ago by God’s word the heavens came into being and the earth was formed out of water and by water. By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed. By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly.” (2 Peter 3:3-7)
Furthermore, Jesus himself used a similar analogy of what the end of the “Grace Age” would look like when answering one of His followers' questions about salvation :
“Then one said to Him, “Lord, are there few who are saved?”
And He said to them, “Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I say to you, will seek to enter and will not be able. When once the Master of the house has risen up and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and knock at the door, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open for us,’ and He will answer and say to you, ‘I do not know you, where you are from…” (Luke 13:23-25)
This is a frightening warning by our Lord and one we would do well to pass on to anyone who will listen. The “Grace Age” is wonderful and a time of incredible patience from our God but it does have an expiration date. It has been ongoing for 2000 years now and with all the signs of Jesus' return being fulfilled at breakneck speed around us, it is becoming apparent that very soon, the “Grace Age” will come to a close and our Lord will stand up and close the door! When He does, literally, all Hell will break loose.
THE LAST YEAR OF GRACE
As we enter 2025 it would appear that all the Biblical timelines will be intersecting within the next 8 years or so. The climax of the first 6000 years of man on earth (since sin first entered the world) coupled with the anniversary of it being 2000 years since our Lord’s Crucifixion and resurrection, makes the 2032-33 timeframe quite intriguing. In addition, we have the potential arrival of a falling Astroid or star (Apophis) in 2029 (possibly explaining an event in Revelation 8:10-11) and the beginning of the last Trump Presidential term this month (Rapture being at the last Trump) and it all gets a little eerie when speculating on the near prophetic future.
If our calculations are accurate (We know a day is as one thousand years to the Lord and a thousand years is as a day ) then Scripture teaches us that a week to the Lord would be the same as 7000 years. We are about to embark on the seventh millennium which should be the Sabbath millennium (since the sabbath was the seventh day) when the Lord returns to rule the earth with peace (“The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath”). If that’s about to happen and 2032-33 are the anniversary years to welcome the Lord’s return to rule, then the rapture should occur by the end of 2026 or sooner. That means the door of this age is about to close quickly and abruptly!
It is very possible that New Year 2025, as the ball drops, will be the ushering in of the final year of Grace. The final year that the Holy Spirit is freely available to anyone who will believe and put their trust in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior while maintaining the blessed Hope of being kept from the hour of trial coming upon the whole earth. The last year to avoid the awful Tribulation period and the dark reign of the Antichrist that lies just ahead. Most of the Christian world is living in denial as to the lateness of the hour. And the lost world is totally unaware of the Horrific season of wrath that is about to engulf planet Earth! It is very reasonable that the rapture may be as close as one of the days on the 2025 Calendar you just received for Christmas!
CONCLUSION
Will 2025 be the last New Year of the Age of Grace? Perhaps watchers are overthinking the signs? Maybe we are getting too technical in trying to determine the time of the Lord’s return when He Himself said “ No man knows the hour or the day!”(Matt 24:36) Maybe we are just supposed to always be watching and seeking to recognize the season as it approaches but we are not to get too meticulous as to dates? Maybe; But I don’t think Scripture supports that view.
“But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief“ (1 Thess 5:4)
While I truly believe that our Heavenly Father is sovereign to do as He pleases and He can certainly delay or speed up the timelines any time He wishes, it seems He is too exact of a mathematician to use random dates and times to fulfill His incredibly detailed plan. Everything is lining up EXACTLY as Scripture has indicated it would just before Jesus’ return. And we are about to see a trap spring closed on the unsuspecting world.
“Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness, and the anxieties of life, and that day will close on you suddenly like a trap. For it will come on all those who live on the face of the whole earth. Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man.” (Luke 21:34-36)
Barrabas unknowingly was standing before the son of man but his concern was his growing feeling of doom that the mob was about to sentence him to. He was totally unsuspecting of the amazing grace that was about to be poured out on him as our Lord took his place in judgment and opened the door on the Grace Age. The world today is just as unaware that the Grace age is about to close. And when the Lord stands up and shuts the Door, they will not be standing before the Merciful Savior as Barabbas was, but they will be standing before the Righteous Judge!
“And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.” (Rev 22:12-13)
2025 has been quite a chaotic year already. On New Year’s Eve lightning struck four of the most iconic buildings in our entire country, on New Year’s Day we had terror attacks in New Orleans and Las Vegas, Justin Trudeau stepped down just a few days later, and now we are in the midst of the worst fire disaster in U.S. history. Meanwhile, a lot of other really weird stuff has been going on in the sky above our heads. For example, a “once-in-a-lifetime comet” that only comes around once every 160,000 years is about to be visible from our planet…
If you’re a fan of skygazing, make sure you have your eyes to the skies this evening.
A once-in-a-lifetime comet is set to become visible for the first time in 160,000 years – and you don’t want to miss it.
The comet, called C/2024 G3 (ATLAS), was discovered by the ATLAS survey sytem, and has been slowly approaching the inner solar system.
Most people have never even heard of this comet, and that is unfortunate, because this is the only chance that we will ever have to see it.
According to the BBC, this comet was at perihelion on Monday…
A bright comet could be visible in skies across the globe over the coming days for the first time in 160,000 years.
Nasa said the future brightness of a comet is “notoriously hard” to predict, but that Comet C/2024 G3 (Atlas) could remain bright enough to be seen by the naked eye.
On Monday, the comet was at perihelion, the point at which it is closest to the Sun, which influences how bright it appears. Experts say it could be visible from Monday night.
Scientists are telling us that those living in the southern hemisphere will have the best chance of viewing it with the naked eye.
Unfortunately, those that miss it now will not get another opportunity for 160,000 years.
Of course it is just a matter of time before the next comet comes around.
According to NASA, there are literally billions of comets in the Kuiper Belt…
NASA estimates there are billions of comets orbiting the Sun in the Kuiper Belt – a region of the solar system home to Pluto – and the more distant Oort Cloud.
That is a lot of giant space rocks.
Sadly, I am entirely convinced that giant space rocks will make a lot of headlines during the chaotic times that are rapidly approaching.
So any time there is a giant space rock in the news, it will definitely be getting my attention.
On another note, it is being reported that an absolutely huge “glowing ring of metal” fell out of the sky and landed in Kenya earlier this month…
It has been more than a week since reports first emerged about a “glowing ring of metal” that fell from the sky and crashed near a remote village in Kenya.
According to the Kenya Space Agency, the object weighed 1,100 pounds (500 kg) and had a diameter of more than 8 feet (2.4 meters) when measured after it landed on December 30. A couple of days later, the space agency confidently reported that the object was a piece of space debris, saying it was a ring that separated from a rocket. “Such objects are usually designed to burn up as they re-enter the Earth’s atmosphere or to fall over unoccupied areas, such as the oceans,” the space agency told The New York Times.
Officials insist that this was simply a piece of space junk.
But none of them can tell us where it originated.
Isn’t that odd?
You would think that it wouldn’t be too difficult to identify a giant ring of metal that is over 8 feet wide and that weighs more than 1,000 pounds.
But so far, this is an unsolved mystery…
Since those initial reports were published in Western media, a small band of dedicated space trackers have been using open source data to try to identify precisely which space object fell into Kenya. So far, they have not been able to identify the rocket launch to which the large ring can be attributed.
On top of everything else, the Sun is starting to behave very strangely once again.
All over social media, people are talking about an absolutely enormous coronal hole that spans “1/4 of the circumference of the Sun”…
A huge coronal hole spanning 1/4 of the circumference of the Sun is opening, allowing unusually fast solar winds to head towards Earth, #NASA announces.
So far, the mainstream media in the western world is not really talking much about this story, but I did find a news outlet overseas that is discussing it…
NASA reported that a massive coronal hole recently opened across the Sun’s circumference, further letting out an alarmingly fast stream of solar wind reaching speeds up to 800 km/s, towards the Earth causing concern and panic across social media.
The matter in question also sparked debate among scientists about its possible effect on Earth, since it can lead to geomagnetic storms causing disturbance for satellite operations and electrical systems. Moreover, these geometrical disturbances can also result in lower magnetic latitudes.
For the moment, it does not appear that there is a serious threat to our planet.
But this is yet another example of how erratic the Sun has become.
Over the past several years I have written numerous articles about this, but very few others seem to be too concerned.
But I would suggest that they should be concerned.
We could not exist without the giant ball of fire that our planet revolves around, and the recent instability that we have been witnessing is extremely alarming.
Most people have no idea how large the Sun really is. Approximately 1.3 million Earths could fit inside of it, and even the smallest change to the Sun has dramatic implications for our climate.
It isn’t a mystery why global weather patterns have gone completely nuts. The Sun has been behaving very strangely, and I believe that this will be an enormous story during the years ahead.
So let’s keep a close eye on the sky, because the weirdness that we have seen so far is only just the beginning.
Prophecy Update: What In the World Is THIS Really About?! – Tom Hughes & Brandon Holthaus
Islam, Islamism and YOU | Israel Update with Brian Schrauger
NEWS: California, Iran & HOSTAGE RELEASE DEAL? – Watchman River Tom
Unpacking Trump’s Impact on the Middle East What you need to know now!! – David Tal
Desperate Israeli Left PANICS as Trump Inauguration Nears | Caroline Glick In-Focus
This Hasn't Happened Since Germany in the 1930's... – Britt Gillette
What Happens Next: A Traveler’s Guide Through the End of This Age – by Max Lucado
Discovering Daniel: Finding Our Hope in God’s Prophetic Plan Amid Global Chaos – Amir Tsarfati
Nearing Midnight: As It Was In the Days Of Lot - Terry James
Educating Our World - Don Stewart - Download 65 Bible Based Books - all Free!
The Non-Prophet's Guide to the Book of Daniel: Bible Prophecy for Everyone
New World Order: Worlds in Collision and The Rebirth of Liberty - by Terry James & Pete Garcia
The New Heavens and Earth: Recreation or Renovation? – Lee Brainard
Lost But Not Forgotten: A Story of Redemption During the Great Tribulation - Skye Burgdorf
By Wilfred Hahn - https://www.raptureready.com/2025/01/11/endtime-technology-booms-from-bezzle-to-fizzle-part-2-by-wilfred-hahn/
We continue with our examination of the relationship of financial booms and busts and the advancement of technologies that will allow Satan to wield power over humanity. Again, reviewing history, we know that booms and busts go through several stages. First, a catalyst is needed … something that is newly discovered or developed that holds great promise. It may be a newly invented technology (for example, the railroad, or the automobile). Or it may be the discovery of a major gold deposit (or some other mineral). Whatever the case, a general pattern may be observed relating to the booms and busts.
We must understand the role of money and greed. Whenever money is on the move, huge forces are unleashed. Profits attract investors. This, in turn, boosts the share prices of the companies that are involved, making even more capital available to them. This helps to accelerate development of the new technologies that may be involved. Investors clamor to chase up the share values. The more that share prices rise, the more willing investors queue up to buy even more shares.
At this point, a mania usually takes hold. Share values rise for no other reason than that share prices are soaring and are expected to do so far into the future. All connection with reality is lost. Finally, the bubble bursts … this always being the case. Share prices of the bubble stocks then collapse. Losses of 90% and more are typical. Certainly, Satan takes advantage of human beings who are spurred by greed and madness.
In the boom phase, the financial wealth that appears to have been created is seemingly beyond measure. Stock bubbles give rise to many new billionaires …some even super-wealthy plutocrats. Not unusually, many of these newly rich titans, having accumulated tens and hundreds of billions in financial wealth, become evangelists for various humanist causes … some outright vainglorious.
Mammon Dangling Incentives to Boom and Bust
Why is there such a huge financial award for mankind’s new technology booms? Why does new technology get such a big boost from Mammon … only to be followed by busts and enormous investment losses? Few understand the significance of the boom/bust cycle … the rapid rise and bursts of investment bubbles.
It is as designed. Mammon has a pull on humanity like no other force. Like no other, Satan understands the behaviors and capricious whims of mankind. He knows how to lure mankind to do his will.
After all, he is given such lofty titles as “the ruler of this world” (John 12:31), “father of lies” (John 8:44), “god of this world” (2 Corinthians 4:4), “ruler of the power of the air” (Ephesians 2:2), and Beelzebul, “ruler of the demons” (Matthew 10:25; Mark 3:22; Luke 11:15).
Significance of Endtime Busts
Of what significance are economic booms and busts? Crucially, do they factor into an endtime agenda? The answer to the latter question is undoubtedly yes, it is of great importance. Especially so, given that the current bubble is, in fact, so big that it is literally engulfing the entire world and, along the way, is rearranging global wealth and economic power distribution. These developments promote the control (capture) of the entire world. Understanding that, indeed, there is an agenda to control the entire world through one dictator, we then understand its endtime significance.
This latest extension of the technology bubble is different from previous manias. For one, as mentioned, it is of global span as never before. The entire world has been inveigled to its attractions. Secondly, the technology bubbles of the last 25 years have all centered on information management. These applications have served to network and centralize the world.
Regarding the “Handi” … or as we in North America call it, the smartphone … we have witnessed the fastest global adoption of a new technology than ever before in history. In a timespan of only 11 years, over one-half of the world’s population has purchased one. It is estimated that global penetration of the smartphone was 69% at 2023 year-end. In the US, by comparison, the penetration rate was 82%.
This is a key objective and game point for Satan. He is not omnipresent as is the Holy Spirit or God. His promotion of global networking partially addresses his handicap in this regard. Most critical is the individual connection … the social media component. Critically, more than half of mankind already has a smartphone of some type. These users are all directly and personally hooked into the worldwide web (www).
According to experts, the number of smartphones in the world is expected to exceed 8 billion by 2029. (For purposes of comparison, the world population at the end of 2023 was 8.2 billion.)
Choice of Good and Bad
The world makes its choices. Mankind can use its technologies for good or bad. However, technology uniquely is a double-edged sword. The conveniences it offers all come with a price … usually a vulnerability of some kind. It may be a dependence, a loss of independence and self-reliance, or a rising vulnerability to widening controls and tracking.
Technology (and knowledge of true science, for that matter) always moves forward. Its advances do not reverse. Yes, it is possible that some new inventions may be sequestered because of their existential dangers … as has been attempted with weapons-grade nuclear applications. However, once mankind has the knowledge, it is not likely to reverse. We have to live with it.
For the Christian, the progression of science and technology presents additional challenges. While on the one hand, enjoying the conveniences that technology offers, we must be alert to the increasing vulnerabilities and unholiness. It may also introduce temptations. And we must not lose an attitude of reliance upon God.
In the case of the advance of the world-capturing smartphone and other technologies, we see that humanity chooses to become increasingly smug and proud. Worldliness and ungodliness find ever bigger and more effective pulpits and distribution channels. The “self” becomes more venerated … and destructive. Who can stand firm in times such as we witness today?
Says the Psalmist: “Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God. They are brought to their knees and fall, but we rise up and stand firm” (Psalm 20:7-8).
The New Testament, several times, encourages one to stand firm. Paul advises believers, “Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong. Do everything in love” (1 Corinthians 16:13-14). The flock is also encouraged that God helps in this task, for: “[…] it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come” (2 Corinthians 1:21-22). “[…] Stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near” (James 5:8).
Thoughts to Ponder
At this point in the human timeline on planet Earth, an epic phenomenon is unfolding as never before.
As quoted in Part 1 of this short series, Timothy tells us: “But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves […] of pleasure rather than lovers of God” (2 Timothy 3:1, 4).
According to Paul, the world will be typified by people who are centered upon themselves … pursuing their individual wants. They love themselves uppermost. They, therefore, will have fallen into a trap. Only God can love us fully and perfectly. People who are lured to the notion that they can love themselves better than God face unhappiness. No doubt, this trend is linked to the rapid rise of depression—what the World Health Organization has observed to be an epidemic. Sadly, it is seen as a disease, not at all as a spiritual malady.
At the same time that selfishness and narcissism become rampant, the world becomes more bewildering and filled with anxiety. “Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that day will close on you suddenly like a trap. For it will come on all those who live on the face of the whole earth” (Luke 21:34-35).
Therefore, any technology that serves to enable the “love of self” … that spreads information leading to the magnification of the “anxieties of life” … and centralizes influence and personal monitoring is therefore likely to play a prophecy-enabling role.
As it is, we are at the end of technology. This writer made the case that we had indeed reached the end of technology in 2013. That was triggered with the introduction of the Smartphone. What we meant was that nothing more needed to be invented to enable the onset of the Tribulation period. All the facilitating technology already exists in our view. Booms and busts may indeed keep occurring, serving to inflame other greed-induced booms. But this would not invalidate the conclusion that no yet-to-be-invented technological invention stands in the way of the onset of the Tribulation period.
Says Jesus Christ: “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me” (Revelation 3:20).
By David Fiorazo - https://harbingersdaily.com/in-these-deceptive-days-even-churches-are-not-always-a-safe-place-for-believers/
All the way back in the first century, the apostle Paul pleaded and warned believers to be on guard against men within their own ranks who would try to “draw away disciples after them.” They would distort the truth of God’s Word, teach only selected parts of it, or take Scripture out of context to deceive the flock. These are also tactics of certain modern day evangelical leaders who some might describe as emergent, liberal, or postmodern.
Postmodernism can be traced to the early 1970s and generally questions whether truth can be known with certainty, if it even exists at all. The danger, of course, with accepting ambiguity over truth is it leaves the door wide open to debate right and wrong in terms of feelings and experiences. Postmodernism rejects there is scientific, philosophical, or religious truth which is the same for everybody.
Acts 20:27-30 KJV — “For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God. Take heed therefore unto yourselves… For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them.”
Doubt and uncertainty are the devil’s tools going all the way back to the Garden of Eden when the serpent tempted Adam and Eve by getting them to question God’s literal words. We can practically take those deceptive words, “Did God really say…?” and finish the question with whatever ending you’d like in order to plant seeds of doubt in the minds of believers…
We now need to take a critically important look at how big of a threat false teachings are to the stability of the church in America.
You’d think the church would be a safe place for believers, but these are dangerous times in which we live. In the same way socialism has infected America, false teachings have infected Christianity. Some well-known leaders have gone astray and have taken some of the flock with them… Please pray for discernment, test every spirit according to the Word of God, and check with other sources.
It is unwise to put our pastor or favorite national religious leader up on a pedestal. We are all fallen beings looking up to the perfection of Jesus Christ, who is seated at the right hand of the Father in heaven. The Bible warns teachers to watch their doctrine closely (1 Tim. 4:16). Many emergent church leaders do not focus on the deity of Christ and the authority of the Bible as much as they call attention to themselves or a doctrine they are espousing.
Remember this: we are more likely to defend and stand up for what we love. It is imperative we get back to loving the truth – the living Word of our God. (Have you read Psalm 119 lately?)
The watering down of sin and the Bible has now spread like poison in American churches. Truth has sadly become vague or irrelevant to many Christians, and grace and tolerance are over-emphasized today, thanks in part to the seeker-sensitive church mentality. Sinners are attracted to these emergent teachings, and some end up liking what they see and hear because it is patterned after the world. It makes them comfortable, but is this the church’s job? Whatever happened to preaching the whole truth and leading people to repentance?
Many churches in America now have beautiful buildings, coffee shops, bookstores, great music and sound systems, state of the art lighting, edgy drama, video presentations, and some even offer yoga classes. Some churches seem to put more of an emphasis on entertaining the flock than on feeding them God’s word. Well, at least it keeps the young people occupied, but what will they do when the go out into the real world? Are they prepared to face spiritual warfare and withstand attacks on their faith?
The very existence of the Bible is divisive because it forces people to make a decision about its message. It offers two options; accept it as God’s Word or reject all of it. Picking and choosing verses like a spiritual buffet is not permissible. Cafeteria Christianity won’t cut it.
Jesus never backed down when it came to facing prideful religious leaders. He challenged both their teachings and their actions. Everything we hear today must be held to the standard of Scripture because the enemy is active within the church working to blot out God. We must strive to continue in the Word of God and its authority.
2 Timothy 4:3-4 KJV — “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; 4And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.”
The better we know the Word of God, the quicker we will recognize false teachings. With a solid foundation rooted in absolute truth and a faith based on Christ the Lord, it will be harder for us to fall for counterfeits. You might be surprised by some of the statements and beliefs of some of today’s influential Christian leaders…
Theologian Dr. R.C. Sproul stated: “In every age the church is threatened by heresy, and heresy is bound up in false doctrine. It is the desire of all heretics to minimize the importance of doctrine. When doctrine is minimized, heresy can exercise itself without restraint.”
Minimizing the person and the gospel of Jesus Christ is a good way to describe what many evangelical leaders do regardless of whether it is on purpose or not. Teachers will be held to account one day for everything they teach. Having said that, these men are best-selling authors, speakers at Christian music festivals and conferences, and several are mega-church pastors…
These ideas and teachings were not accepted by Christians overnight. The progressive pathways of emergent leaders have gradually merged with the wide road that leads to destruction. I don’t believe leaders set out at first with the agenda to poison Christianity, but their liberal theology has evolved to the point of contaminating the church. They intended to avoid harsh teachings regarding hell, judgment, and sin, but what has emerged is a wishy-washy, compromised and weakened message of a broad, tolerant gospel.
Conversely, Jesus was not very tolerant. He said even families would be divided over Him and that “For judgment I came into this world (John 9:39).”
John 8:23-24 KJV — “And he said unto them, Ye are from beneath; I am from above: ye are of this world; I am not of this world. I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins.”
“But wait,” one might argue, “look at the size and growth of our church buildings and marketing campaigns and fundraisers! Look at how hip and relevant we are! We even serve cappuccino and lattes! Our sermons are catchy, our services are attractive, the kids are having fun, and we’ve even blended in with culture!” This is my point exactly about the dangers of conforming to the world’s ways.
When the Holy Spirit isn’t invited by the preaching of solid Scripture to come in and work in our hearts, there can be no conviction. Without conviction and revelation of sin, there can be no repentance leading to forgiveness…
Jesus warns us that He is returning quickly and said Hold fast what you have, that no one may take your crown (Rev. 3:11). It’s up to individual Christians to live counter-culture for the Lord and resist those who oppose the light and truth of Christianity.
Thankfully, there are some good churches and pastors out there who still teach the unfiltered truth. There is also a remnant that understands the times. These committed soldiers are seeking allies, like-minded individuals to encourage and sharpen one another. Take up your position! There are watchmen exposing darkness and soldiers fighting the good fight of faith who are hoping to one day hear God say, “well done.” Let’s do our best to be counted among these.
1 John 4:4-6 KJV — “Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world. They are of the world: therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth them. We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.”
Bill Wilson – www.dailyjot.com
The persecution of Donald Trump by the corrupt New York Democratic Party machine is unquestionably one of the most horrendous miscarriages of justice in American history. Democrats persecuted Trump by twisting the intent of laws, selectively allowing evidence in court, conjuring up crimes when there were no crimes, and imposed excessive fines. The entire force of the New York legal system was leveled at Trump to prevent him from being elected as President. Judge Juan Merchan “Unconditional Discharge” sentence of Trump is akin to a communist show trial, saying “we put Trump through all this and nothing has come of it, but we want to damage him forever anyway.” New York should be ashamed.
In February 2024, Democrat NY judge Arthur Engoron fined Trump and his companies $355 million for inflating his wealth in financial statements to banks—even though no criminal laws were broken and the banks suffered no financial losses. Trump’s sons also were fined $4 million and were barred from being officers of NY companies for two years. Some of Trump’s companies were barred from doing business in NY. This case, and others resulting in multi-million dollar fines, was resulted from lawsuits by NY Democrat Attorney General Letitia James. Trump was earlier ordered by another NY court to pay $83.3 million to writer E. Jean Carroll for defamation after she accused Trump of sexually assaulting her in the 1990’s.
The Unconditional Discharge sentence stems from a $130,000 hush money payment to former porn star Stormy Daniels. Apart from the moral aspect of Trump being involved with a porn star and paying her money to keep quiet about it, NY Democrats had to once again creatively use the law to get a 34-count conviction for falsifying business records in what many considered a kangaroo court. Trump becomes the first president to take office as a convicted felon. All this out of NY and done by Democrats, elected and appointed. This is in addition to the false charges on hiding classified documents and the twisting of the anti-trust RICO laws to try Trump for election interference and insurrection in Georgia—also done by Democrats. All this flies in the face of the 8thAmendment preventing excessive punishment by the courts.
The last four years of lawfare against Trump is shameful. And pretty much like he said, it was based on falsehoods. This, combined with what Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, Joe Biden, and several Democrat Congressmen did during the previous Trump campaign and presidency, was all dramatic theatre to keep Trump out of office and ruin his reputation. A true miscarriage of justice. The self-proclaimed defenders of Democracy, the Democratic Party leadership, pulled out all the stops to undermine democracy and the rule of law. As is said in Isaiah 59:14, “Justice is turned back, And righteousness stands afar off; For truth is fallen in the street, And integrity cannot enter.” This is what godless communists do. And if they can do it to Trump, they can do it to any of us.
by Greg Laurie – www.harvest.org
‘I don’t know whether he is a sinner,’ the man replied. ‘But I know this: I was blind, and now I can see!’ —John 9:25
https://harvest.org/resources/devotion/two-kinds-of-blindness/ - Listen
Jesus and His disciples encountered a man who had been blind his entire life. The disciples asked the Lord, “Why was this man born blind? Was it because of his own sins or his parents’ sins?” (verse 2 NLT). That may seem like an odd question about someone who had been blind since birth. But some Jewish people believed that it was possible for unborn babies to sin in the womb.
Whatever prompted their question, for the disciples, the man’s blindness was an abstract theological puzzle. They had no real compassion for him. They lacked humility, empathy, and concern.
Jesus did not. He explained that the man’s blindness wasn’t the result of his or his parents’ sin. In fact, the man’s blindness gave God an opportunity to work in his life in a way that sighted people would never experience.
The apostle Paul makes a similar point in 2 Corinthians 12. Paul had some kind of disability or affliction that hindered his work. He called it a “thorn in my flesh.” Three times he asked God to remove it from him. And three times God said no. “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9 NLT). Our flaws and weaknesses can bring us closer to God if we look at them from the right perspective. They remind us that we need Him. They encourage us to depend on Him.
Jesus showed the power of God in the man’s life in a hands-on way. The man’s blindness wasn’t an abstract theological concept to Him. He spit on the ground, made mud with His saliva, and rubbed it on the man’s eyes. He told him to wash off the mud in the pool of Siloam. And when the man did, he could see! The Light of the world led the man out of his literal darkness.
You can probably guess on which day of the week the healing occurred: the Sabbath. When the Jewish leaders heard about it, they were—again—outraged. How dare Jesus ignore their religious rules to change someone’s life forever by giving him the ability to see for the first time!
Some Pharisees argued that Jesus couldn’t possibly have been sent by God because He worked on the Sabbath. (The man may have been healed of his physical blindness, but their spiritual blindness was still a huge obstacle.) Other Pharisees rightly argued that an ordinary sinner couldn’t perform such a miraculous healing.
Things got so absurd that the religious leaders sent for the man’s parents and tried to get them to admit that their son hadn’t been blind at all. The parents carefully avoided the matter. They had been told that anyone who even suggested that Jesus was the Messiah would be kicked out of the synagogue.
So the leaders again sent for the formerly blind man. They tried to get him to admit that he’d been healed by an ordinary sinner and not the Messiah.
“If this man were not from God, he couldn’t have done it,” the man replied in verse 33 (NLT). The outraged religious leaders threw him out of the synagogue.
Their unwillingness to see Jesus for who He really was clouded their judgment in practically every other area of their lives. They couldn’t see—or admit—the obvious. Their pride kept them in spiritual darkness. They had no interest in the light.
Yesterday's Prophecies - Today's Headlines
HEADLINES IN PARTNERSHIP WITHTRACKING BIBLE PROPHECY
1/14/25
http://trackingbibleprophecy.org/birthpangs.php
Israeli officials say hostage-ceasefire deal is close, awaiting final Hamas approval
Israeli officials: Deal will see 33 hostages freed in 1st stage, most of them alive
'Distinct possibility' of Gaza ceasefire deal this week, senior US official says
'Never give up': Biden says Israel, Hamas 'on the brink' of hostage-ceasefire deal
Hostage talks advanced after 'tense' meet between Netanyahu, Trump envoy - officials
Coalition hawks pan nascent Gaza deal as 'catastrophe'; opposition, UTJ vow support
Israeli Finance Minister Smotrich blasts emerging Gaza deal as a 'national security catastrophe'
Israel seizes billions from Palestinians in shock debt maneuver
House votes to sanction International Criminal Court leaders over Israel charges
Five soldiers killed, 10 wounded in explosion in northern Gaza, IDF says
IDF soldier severely injured in Gaza battles, fights drug-resistant bacteria
For second time in hours, missile launch from Yemen triggers central Israel sirens
Lebanon's Nawaf Salam to be designated PM, angering Hezbollah
Int'l Court of Justice top judge Nawaf Salam named Lebanon's prime minister
Israeli envoy to UN accuses Hezbollah of trying to rebuild, with help from Iran
Palestinians dedicate new West Bank olive grove to Jimmy Carter
Top rabbi urges Europe to act to ensure Jews remain amid antisemitism surge
China constructing 'D-Day style' barges for possible Taiwan invasion
North Korea launches missiles toward eastern waters in 2nd launch of year, South says
Final Working Pipeline Bringing Russian Gas Into Europe Attacked, Claims Kremlin
Iran and Russia to ink 'strategic partnership' deal as Tehran seeks money, arms
Riyadh set to monetize all minerals, including uranium 'yellowcake' - Saudi minister
House GOP introduces 'Make Greenland Great Again Act' to authorize US buy of territory
Senate braces for 'train wreck' as hearings kick off for Trump Cabinet picks
Judge Cannon OKs release of special counsel's report into Trump and election subversion
Trump makes last-ditch effort to block Jack Smith's final report after judge OKs its release
David Weiss confirms Hunter made millions on family name in final report, blasts Joe Biden
Washington Post traffic craters, loses $100M amid identity crisis as talent, readers flee: reports
Washington Post has lost nearly 90% of its audience since 2021: report
Israel's education minister declares 2025 - 'Year of Artificial Intelligence'
Israeli sources say Biden's new AI chip export rules a 'major blow' to industry
5.0 magnitude earthquake hits the central Mid-Atlantic Ridge
Significant damage reported, two injured as intense seismo-volcanic crisis hits Main Ethiopian Rift
Extreme rainfall leaves 10 dead in Ipatinga, Minas Gerais, Brazil
Devastation of raging Los Angeles fires visible from space in satellite images
'Insanely Powerful': Holocaust Survivor's Menorah Survives L.A. Fires
It's a mitzvah: LA fires activate Jewish law of saving Torah scrolls from calamity
Mel Gibson on Loss of Home to L.A. Fires: It's All Just 'Stuff'
LA resident sues California utility company for allegedly causing deadly Eaton Fire
LA fires forecast to be costliest blaze in US history with estimate of over $200bn in losses
L.A.'s wildfires have leaders fighting on two fronts: Nature and politics
Enraged Dems warn Johnson not to condition California wildfire aid
DHS and FBI issue joint warning regarding possible copycats of New Orleans terror attack
India kicks off a Hindu festival touted as the world's largest religious gathering
India's Maha Kumbh festival sees 15 million people take holy dip on first day
Virus leads to 'severe pneumonia in days' as people claim 'it's worse than 2022'
FROM THE HEART
Let Us Make the Short Time We Have Left,Count for ALL of Eternity!
IF YOU HAVE BEEN BLESSED THROUGH THIS MINISTRY, THEN WE ASK THAT YOU PLEASE REMEMBER PROPHECY UPDATE IN YOUR GIVING - WE ARE TRULY,TRULY,THANKFUL FOR YOUR SUPPORT
WORTHY OF YOUR SUPPORT?
One of the most reliable ways to determine if a ministry is worthy of your financial support is to examine its fruits. If Prophecy Update is keeping you informed, and if that information inspires you, and causes you to draw closer to the Lord, if Prophecy Update equips you with valuable information and knowledge to share with and encourage other believers, and open the eyes of non-believers, and if Prophecy Update keeps you connected to current events relating to Bible Prophecy, then you are partaking of the fruit produced through this ministry. None of this would be possible without the Lords blessings and your support. I believe where the Lord guides, the Lord provides, and most of the time He provides through the willing and generous hearts of believers just like you and me.
Humbly Seek 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 Lindsey
1) 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 9:10-13
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:
Or write us at:
Prophecy Update
P.O. Box 40516
Bakersfield, CA 93384-0516
Thanks for reading The Prophecy Update Newsletter! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.
Share
Leave a comment