Rumors of Peace

Peace is perhaps the most prevalent issue on the minds of humankind in these volatile times. The rumors of war that look to be much like those prophesied by Jesus in His Olivet Discourse (Matthew chapter 24) are on the increase when thinking upon things brewing in the Middle East. This region threatens to break out in much wider violence between Israel and its enemy neighbors at any moment, an action that could swiftly progress to a much larger conflict involving atomic weaponry. This must be avoided at all costs; therefore, every effort at peace is explored by the internationalist powers that be.

Some efforts at squashing war before it can get started are genuine. Others look suspiciously to be simply repositioning in ways that will help those involved secure advantage for themselves in one way or the other. That’s how I view most peace initiatives taking place in the region in and around the so-called holy land.

And, in addition to all the possibilities of war breaking out into nuclear conflict in the Middle East, the potential for war is even more likely to burst forth from things going on now between Russia and NATO, with the Russian/Ukrainian matter at the heart of the conflict.

NATO has issued a blunt warning to Russia’s Vladimir Putin as follows:

‘We’ve got this’: NATO commander unveils theory of victory against Russia 
NATO’s top military commander delivered a blunt warning to Moscow on Monday, setting out how allied forces would repel a Russian attack and insisting the alliance knows “how to win a war on its territory.” The speech was an unusually public account of how NATO intends to fight. It was also a deterrent message in its own right, warning any potential adversary of what it would face in the event of an attack. (Rapture Ready News, October 13, 2026)

The endeavor to quell the likelihood of conflagration in the Mideast is often found in disseminating rumors of peace. These strange, diametrically opposite war and peace matters—and their genuine/self-serving repositioning stratagem—used to be wrapped up at one and the same time in what was termed the “Roadmap to Peace.” Now it is presented within President Trump’s “Board of Peace” stratagem.

Time and time again, we hear about the various tactics to be employed in order to bring the antagonists to the table of peace. These “rumors of peace” are, indeed, for preventing war in the region. But the reasons for wanting that peace are not merely so people of the region will get along, thus enjoy a life free of fear of any moment’s attack. The reasons are more steeped in 1) making sure World War III doesn’t spring from such conflict; 2) the fact that the parties involved in the peace-making continue to have maximum access to the massive petroleum reserves; 3) the fact that a presence is maintained by the American/European/Russian referees that keep Israel and her enemies separated.

We who observe conditions in that region from the perspective of Bible prophecy note that the peace plan never seems to get installed. Peace never eventuates from the actions of the diplomatic community.

Every president since George W. Bush has promised a peace agreement, some involving establishment of a Palestinian state, before they leave office. We could be surprised, but other than the rumors, there seems nothing substantial in that peace coming to fruition. And the days of the current presidential administration are dwindling. We are dealing with rumors of peace at the same time we are dealing with rumors of war. Peace is defined as:

1. The normal, nonwarring condition of a nation, group of nations, or the world.
2. (Often initial capital letter) An agreement or treaty between warring or antagonistic nations, groups, etc., to end hostilities and abstain from further fighting or antagonism: the Peace of Ryswick.
3. A state of mutual harmony between people or groups, esp. in personal relations: Try to live in peace with your neighbors.
4. The normal freedom from civil commotion and violence of a community; public order and security: He was arrested for being drunk and disturbing the peace.
5. Cessation of or freedom from any strife or dissension.
6. Freedom of the mind from annoyance, distraction, anxiety, an obsession, etc.; tranquility; serenity.
7. A state of tranquility or serenity: May he rest in peace.
8. A state or condition conducive to, proceeding from, or characterized by tranquility: the peace of a mountain resort.
9. Silence; stillness: The cawing of a crow broke the afternoon’s peace. (Random House Unabridged Dictionary, 2006).

Those definitions pretty much cover the meanings of the word “peace” in human terms. But fulfillment of the definitions to any great extent is far, far from this generation–like it has been from every generation of the past.

True peace in this fallen realm, you see, is not possible in the physical or even psychological sense. We are at every point dealing with mere “rumors” of peace. Here is why:

“From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members? Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not” (James 4:1-2).

We only have to consider the headlines of a week or so ago to understand what the Apostle James was, under divine inspiration, telling us. War is a constant, and planning for it is an undeniable part of the fallen human condition.

US warns of limited defence industrial capacity for European orders 
US Ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker on Monday urged Europe to increase its defence production, warning that US defence industrial capacity is limited. Speaking at the annual Warsaw Security Forum, Whitaker said that the US could spend between $1 and $1.5 trillion on defence in 2026 alone, meaning that US defence firms will be busy fulfilling orders for the Pentagon rather than foreign purchasers. (Rapture Ready News, October 13, 2026)

[“There is] no peace, saith the LORD, unto the wicked” (Isa. 48:22). All of fallen humankind is wicked. There is none good, no, not one, the Scripture tells us. The only “good” is in Jesus Christ, who came to take away the sin of the world. When individuals turn over their soul to Christ for salvation, they then can bring true peace into their lives that is absolutely elusive under any other prescription for conducting life on this decaying planet. Even those who are Christ’s (have become born again into the family of God) must submit moment by moment to Christ to receive God’s peace within their innermost being.

“And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus” (Phil. 4:7).

All efforts at achieving peace are just rumors of peace unless those efforts have Jesus at their center. Whether thinking on the individual life, from which all war-making begins according to James 4:1-2 – about society, geoeconomics and geopolitics, or any other frame of reference concerning the human condition – if Christ is left out of the equation for achieving peace, there will be no peace.

Considering modern Israel and the rumors of peace in particular, here’s what God’s Word says about His daughter, Israel, and the world’s dealing in the process of peace involving that nation:

“For they have healed the hurt of the daughter of my people slightly, saying, Peace, peace; when [there is] no peace” (Jer. 8:11).

Thankfully, Christ will one day–perhaps very soon—return to bring true peace, rather than the rumors of peace in our daily headlines today.

–Terry

Wtjames1@swbell.net

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Veiled Antisemitism

One cannot properly understand the Middle East mess apart from the insight of Scripture, particularly the book of Esther.

It’s not that the book contains prophecy; it does not. It does, however, highlight Satan’s ongoing efforts to thwart God’s redemptive plans, which continue today.

By the time of Esther and Mordecai, the devil knew that the Savior would come through Jacob’s descendants, specifically the tribe of Judah. In order to stop the birth of the promised Messiah, he prompted Haman to initiate the killing of all the Jews. His plan backfired, but it did not stop Satan’s efforts to hinder God’s prophetic purposes.

Fast forward to today, and we see the same violent hatred for the Jewish people. And just as it was in the days of Esther, the root of the antisemitism that’s raging in our world is spiritual. There’s no sane reason for the attacks against Israel to continue in the light of repeated failures, but they do. All the ceasefires and peace initiatives eventually fail because they ignore the demonic element that drives the hatred of Israel and the Jewish people.

Veiled, But Antisemitism Just the Same

Last week, Barack Obama addressed the Middle East crisis during an interview with Irish journalist and author Susan McKay. In it, the former president resorted to his worn-out moral-equivalence argument. This time he applied it to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, suggesting both sides are equally at fault in the ongoing conflict.

Although he attempted to sound intellectual and bipartisan, he clearly blamed Israel for the continuing strife. While he acknowledged the oppression of the Jewish people during the past two thousand years, the gist of his argument was that it was no excuse for stealing the land from the Palestinians. He put it this way:

That is undeniable. What is also undeniable is that they took land off people, and they were excessive. And those people understandably said: “This is injustice, and I want my land back.”

His Muslim roots were clearly evident in his remarks, as was his ignorance of Scripture and a willing oversight of the events that led to the UN’s recognition of Israel in 1948. He chose to ignore the fact that there was never a Palestinian State in the land that Israel possesses. The Palestinians are a blend of Arabs from the surrounding nations. It was sleight-of-hand antisemitism designed to appear reasonable and fair.

Even more egregious were Obama’s remarks concerning Gaza, in which he described the conflict as reflective of a “cycle of historical grievances.” Really? Someone needs to remind him that Israel gave Gaza back to the Palestinians in 2005, and their self-rule led directly to the demonic and barbaric slaughter of 1,200 Jews eighteen years later. His abhorrent comments regarding Gaza reflect a willing and total disconnect from reality.

The quote below, from an article on the All Israel News website, precisely sums the former president’s failure to disguise his hatred of all things Jewish:

You really have to hand it to Obama, though, because he didn’t just drop the bombshell statement in a willy-nilly manner. He adeptly sought to couch it in the cleverest way possible, which attempted to sound conciliatory but, at the same time, became a forceful condemnation of Israel’s right to defense.

What we see today is a not-so-secret all-out blitz, waged by “the spiritual forces of evil” (Ephesians 6:11), against Israel and its people. But why now? Why the overt and covert hatred?

Why Oppress Israel Now?

So just as in the days of Queen Esther, the devil’s strategy remains the same: eliminate the people instrumental to God’s plan of redemption for humanity and thus thwart the fulfillment of Bible prophecy. He recognizes that the seventieth week of Daniel awaits a future fulfillment (9:24-27):

“Seventy weeks are decreed about your people and your holy city, to finish the transgression, to put an end to sin, and to atone for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal both vision and prophet, and to anoint a most holy place” (Daniel 9:24).

According to this verse, the Jewish people and Jerusalem will play a key part in fully realizing all the Lord’s redemptive purposes. They will be instrumental in bringing Jesus’ reign of peace to the entire world.

Israel’s miraculous birth as a nation in 1948 signaled the nearness of Jesus’ return to Zion and His reign over the nations from there. Satan not only knows this, but he also recognizes the great number of signs pointing to the nearness of the Tribulation period and thus to the Lord’s return to a repentant remnant of Jews at its conclusion.

The devil is again seeking to eliminate the Jewish people as he continues his age-long agenda of thwarting God’s rescue of humanity. Jesus’ triumphant return to a repentant Jewish remnant will inaugurate His glorious and righteous thousand-year reign over the nations (and Satan’s long imprisonment in the bottomless pit).

It’s Spiritual

The raging antisemitism of our day, along with the hatred for all things Israel, is rooted in Satan’s hatred for God and his attempt to stop His redemptive purposes for humanity. In short, it’s a spiritual conflict that will not and cannot be fully resolved until the Price of Peace returns to the earth.

We see this hostility played out in the continuous warfare and threats of war against Israel. It’s behind the antisemitism that results in violence against the Jewish people throughout the world.

More subtly, the animosity also manifests itself in intellectual verbiage that seeks to veil the hatred while vainly assigning blame to both sides, while naively regarding Islam as a “religion of peace.”

It’s spiritual. As such, we should expect both overt and veiled hostility to continue and, sadly, also gain traction, as it’s doing in America. Little do they know, they are fulfilling Bible prophecy themselves. Not only that, it will not end well for them.

-Jonathan

jonathanbrentner@yahoo.com

 

“Mostly Peaceful” Seas and Waves Roaring

A significant prophetic indicator is in full view that warrants notice at this late hour of this dispensation. Jesus Himself gave it as part of His Olivet Discourse:

“Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled. And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring” (Luke 21:24–25).

Memory doesn’t have to go far back into recent history to remember how hatred for President Donald J. Trump caused great rioting in the streets of America.

We remember how reporters for mainstream news stood in front of all the rioting. In the background, buildings, cop cars, and even the so-called Church of Presidents in Washington, D.C., were burning.

President Trump and his family and staff had to evacuate the upper floors of the White House and go underground to avoid danger of being assaulted by the raging rioters just outside White House grounds.

The reporters told us that the protests were “mostly peaceful,” even though there were serious injuries and total destruction in some instances.

There was true insurrection from anti-American evil organizations like Black Lives Matter and Antifa. These were given by mainstream news media the façade of legitimacy—of being ”peaceful organizations” conducting “legitimate protests”—while, in actuality, the rioters tried to tear the nation apart and create chaos.

Yet, in the case when President Trump, who had lost the 2020 presidential election, urged people to peacefully protest at the Capitol, and the people were for the most part genuinely peaceful in doing so, mainstream news organizations dutifully reported for anti-Trump political entities that that protest was a full-blown insurrection. One young woman, a member of the American military, was shot by a security person on Capitol grounds even though she was doing nothing of a confrontational or violent nature.

There is an exponentially growing spirit of insurrection manifesting today. This is seen not only in this country with the Trump Derangement Syndrome that media have ginned up, but it has gone viral worldwide.

The latest spirit of insurrection that is truly from demonic portals, with religious fanaticism at its core, is seen in this report from Europe.

The Red/Green Alliance is in the streets of France, setting her on fire. Muslims and leftists, along with a lot of students, are setting fire to hundreds of schools, churches, and vehicles. They are also setting fire to principals, firefighters, and bystanders. It’s an evil apocalypse come home to roost.

France is experiencing the Red/Green Alliance’s loving touch in its streets. Violent Muslims and leftists wreaked havoc across France on Friday, setting fire to everything they could, including people. Many of the protesters were African and Arab students. Riot police clashed with teenagers in several French cities as roughly 400 high schools were closed. At last count, almost 2,000 people had been arrested as the government blamed leftists for the upheaval…

After setting their schools and even their teachers on fire, Muslim students rioting in France are now torching firefighters as they try to put out the fires… [It is] a war zone. (“France Is Literally on Fire as Muslims and Leftists Violently Protest in the Streets, Declare War Against the French State,” Terresa Monroe-Hamilton, RAIR, October 2, 2026)

Just like in the case of mainstream news reporting in the US, reporters in France and other foreign places are calling these protests “mostly peaceful.” Of course, we remember that God’s Word tells us Satan is the prince of the power of the air, so it shouldn’t surprise that such lies are going viral and are global.

In the Luke 21:24-25 prophecy by the Lord Jesus, we are warned that there will be “upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring.”

This is a reference to a worldwide upheaval among the people of the earth. Certainly, we are witnessing a spreading of this hell-spawned “perplexity” among nations. The seas of humanity—instigated, I believe, by radical Islam, in conjunction with the leftist, Luciferian ideology—are roaring as these foment anti-God, anti-Christ evil.

Jesus’ prophecy, like all other Bible prophecy, is clearly manifesting in these closing hours of this Age of Grace. The evil we see spreading at an alarming rate, as Islam attempts to upset the Judeo-Christian foundation of the United States and to infect the entire world with anti-God wickedness, must be opposed at every level by the Church of Jesus Christ. This means we must, as individual Royal Ambassadors for our King, be ever watchful and fervent in our opposition to that wickedness.

Sadly, most churches today are slumbering and not recognizing these prophecies as being on the front pages and hourly news cycles. Heavenly alerts signaling the lateness of the prophetic hour are pulsing brightly. The Tribulation hour is on the immediate prophetic horizon.

We must put out the warning and offer the only rescue from that coming hour of satanic darkness. Here, again, is that offer from the God who loves the world of humanity so much that He provided forgiveness and redemption for all who accept His grace gift offer.

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

–Terry

Wtjames1@swbell.net

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What Does It Mean to Be Heirs to a Kingdom?

Those who teach that the church fulfills the kingdom promises to Israel in no small way diminish what Scripture promises us as New Testament saints.

Why do I make such a claim?

It’s because the Bible also specifies “the kingdom” as our inheritance: “Listen, my beloved brothers, has not God chosen those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom, which he has promised to those who love him?” (James 2:5).

James reveals that we are “heirs of the kingdom.” It’s not just any old realm, but “the kingdom.” Let’s look at what the Bible says about our privileged status as heirs.

It’s a Future Reality

The New Testament says that we are heirs, as Paul emphasized in Romans 8:16-17:

“The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.”

Is that not wonderful news? We do not yet possess all that is promised to us. A distinct difference exists between being an heir and receiving what’s promised. Other texts also describe our status as heirs, such as Ephesians 1:14, Titus 3:7, and 1 Peter 1:4. Of course, we are heirs to eternal life and all that will mean for us.

But could it be that our inheritance also includes the kingdom over which Jesus will rule? It does; consider the words of 1 Corinthians 15:50-53:

“I tell you this, brothers: flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. Behold! I tell 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 trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality.” (emphasis added)

Beyond the multitude of biblical texts that proclaim Israel’s continuing place in God’s prophetic program for our world, these verses also dispel the error of Replacement Theology. How is it possible for the church to have replaced Israel as God’s kingdom on Earth when it’s impossible for believers in their current state to inherit this kingdom?

The wording is unmistakable: “flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God.” These words dispel any and all ideas that we now belong to the realm promised to Israel or can ever hope to do so before the Rapture.

I have read and heard interpretations of 1 Corinthians 15:50-55 that claim these verses refer to what happens to the believer at the time of their redemption. Although this false teaching shocks me, I realize that it’s necessary to maintain the error that the church is the promised kingdom of God. Both the passage and its context make it abundantly clear that the kingdom is our future inheritance, not our past or anything we now possess.

Being heirs to the kingdom rather than possessors of it is exceedingly good news. Today’s church is full of strife, divisions, and false teaching. Isn’t it rather disheartening to consider the church as our glorious inheritance of a kingdom? Besides the disharmony, it’s also a time when we suffer affliction from without, aging bodies, and death (unless Jesus appears first).

Those who say the church is somehow the kingdom promised to Israel throughout the Old Testament diminish its glory into something totally unrecognizable to those prophecies and, frankly, undesirable.

But where does Israel fit into the kingdom if we are also its heirs?

Differing Experiences

Although the millennial kingdom is promised to both Israel and New Testament saints, our future experience of it will differ from that of the Jewish people, both those alive at the time and those whom the Lord raises from the dead at His Second Coming.

During the Millennium, Jesus will rule over the earth from Zion. Israel will occupy a prominent position in this kingdom, as we read in Psalm 47:1-4:

“Clap your hands, all peoples!
Shout to God with loud songs of joy!
For the Lord, the Most High, is to be feared,
a great king over all the earth.
He subdued peoples under us,
and nations under our feet.
He chose our heritage for us,
the pride of Jacob whom he loves. Selah”

Not only will the Lord restore a kingdom to Israel and give it a premier place in His worldwide kingdom, but He will also dramatically change the world’s opinion of the Jews. Rather than outcasts, God will make them “renowned and praised among all the peoples of the earth” (Zephaniah 3:20).

As New Testament saints, we will reign with Jesus (Revelation 2:26-27 and 5:9-10; 1 Corinthians 6:2). Along with Israel, we will experience the glories of the coming kingdom, but our roles will differ.

All the various “no-Israel” teachings not only negate the future of the Jewish state, but also greatly diminish what it means for us to be heirs of that kingdom as well. As believers, we already belong to God’s spiritual kingdom (Colossians 1:13). But oh, what a day it will be when we return with Christ and watch as He sets up His physical kingdom on the earth (Revelation 19:11-20:4).

What we believe about Israel supremely matters. Returning to the earth with our triumphant Savior will be far more exciting than we can imagine. It’s then that He will destroy the last vestiges of Satan’s kingdom, which will lead to His earthly rule from Zion. Can you even imagine the thrill of being with Jesus at His Second Coming and then participating in His righteous reign over all the nations?

The removal of Israel from Bible prophecy is far more than just a question about Israel’s future; it also dramatically impacts what Scripture promises us as believers.

-Jonathan

jonathanbrentner@yahoo.com