Watchers on the Wall Alert!

“When you see all these things,” Jesus said. It was a warning from the Creator of all that is. We’re to be especially alert, He was saying, when certain things come into view. We—those who name Christ as Lord—should, individually, serve as watchers on the wall while we observe biblically prophetic progression.

But Jesus gave one word that, to this generation of those who “watch,” should add profound emphasis to Christ’s command. Jesus, God Himself, said God’s children should “look up and lift our heads” when we see certain things “begin” to become observable during our time on Earth. Here are the words of this important command from the Lord Jesus:

“And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh” (Luke 21:28).

Jesus was speaking to His immediate disciples—the men who followed him throughout His ministry. He was speaking to just a few of them on that day some two thousand years ago. However, He was also speaking, in the prophetic sense, to those who would be alive during some future time to witness things those men on the Mount of Olives asked Him about that day.

Jesus dumbfounded them by saying the beautiful Temple they were looking at on Moriah would be destroyed. He further implied the consummation of things of the earth.

They said:

“Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?” (Matthew 24:3b).

Jesus, the greatest of all prophets—because He is omniscient and eternal and knows the end from the beginning—gave His immediate disciples as well as us today the answer to the windup of this quickly fleeting Age of Grace (Church Age).

The Lord gave a profound commission that day: Recognize when “these things begin to come to pass.”

God in the flesh (the Second Person of the Godhead, both God and Man) gave specific things to look for. I am convinced that this is the generation that will be part of the consummation of the age He described.

Things we see happening are prophetic developments. This is what my friend, the late Chuck Missler, used to say is “the time of the signs.” If Chuck were still on Earth today, his excitement would no doubt be uncontrollable considering the matters of prophetic import now unfolding.

Jesus Gives Signs

The Lord answered His disciples on Olivet (and us, now) about when to look up for Him (our redemption) because He would be drawing very near. That is, He would be about to call to the Church (all believers in Him for salvation/redemption)

Signals the Lord gave are at this moment blazing across our headlines.

Here is Christ’s answer to the disciples’ questions:

“Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows” (Matthew 24:4-8).

Deceivers

We don’t have to look very hard to see that deceivers and deception are in every direction. Religiously, many are on the scene giving false teaching—all proclaiming they have (come in the name of) Christ. But many deny the power of Christ (His deity). This fits Paul’s “perilous times” prophecy (2 Timothy chapter 3).

Wars and Rumors of Wars

There are still living members of forces who fought in the greatest war of all history to this point. World War II is proof that horrific wars have “begun” to happen, thus fitting Jesus’ warning of what to look for at the end of the age. And rumors of wars, as we easily observe, are there to “watch.” The greatest fear is of world-ending nuclear war, thus end-times cries of “peace and safety” fill our headlines daily.

Nation against Nation

The word for “nation” here, as we’ve looked at many times, is the Greek Word ethnos, meaning “ethnic.”

Even now, many wars around the world are raging, involving ethnic differences. Ethnic hatreds are at the center of Middle East wars and rumors of wars. The conflict between Israel and its neighbors has been centered in ethnic differences for thousands of years.

Even in the United States, there are ethnic conflicts, as we saw in the George Floyd death, and even within sports, such as the attacks of some women against others in the Women’s National Basketball Association.

Famines, Pestilences, and Earthquakes 

We’ve long seen films of children with their stomachs distended because of starvation as appeals are made to feed the hungry in Africa and other places.

The COVID matter, as a pestilence, literally shut down the world’s top economic nation to some extent. Its ramifications still reverberate throughout the world; again, much involved is steeped in deception for the purposes of the love of money and power.

Great, cataclysmic earthquakes are reported almost daily, with 7.0 or higher on the Richter Scale becoming more the norm than the aberration. Witness: the recent 7.4 earthquake in Colombia.

Naysayers charge that this has always been the condition of humankind; it’s just that now these things can be reported instantaneously across the world. That might be true to an extent, but could the Lord Jesus not have known of the prolific distribution of information that would be available at the end of the age?

As a matter of fact, yes; He could have such knowledge when He spoke on the Mount of Olives that day two millennia ago.

Daniel the prophet was given a message from the throne room of God, where certainly Jesus in His preincarnate form resided when the message to Daniel was sent to the prophet:

“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).   

So, Jesus wants the watchers to be informed of the critical hour so near the time of His return so God’s message of grace—the salvation offered to all fallen humankind—can be put forth as a critical alert.

Be assured: The things we’ve begun to see come to pass—described by our Lord two thousand years ago and recorded for us today—are not coincidental. There is no such Word as “coincidence” in God’s prophetic vocabulary.

It is incumbent upon us, no matter our status in the world’s activities as we live our given increments of time, to consider our number one job to be watching in these quickly passing days. Our witness for Christ is our top priority!

“But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father. Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is. For the Son of man is as a man taking a far journey, who left his house, and gave authority to his servants, and to every man his work, and commanded the porter to watch. Watch ye therefore: for ye know not when the master of the house cometh, at even, or at midnight, or at the cockcrowing, or in the morning: Lest coming suddenly he find you sleeping. And what I say unto you I say unto all, Watch” (Mark 13:32-37).

—Terry

Wtjames1@swbell.net

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Tribulation Technology and Smartphones??

As students of Bible prophecy, we are aware of how modern technology points us to the fulfillment of several Tribulation events. For example, in Revelation 11:9 we learn that after the antichrist kills the two witnesses, people from all over the world will “gaze at their dead bodies.” Television, satellites, and 24/7 news networks explain how it’s possible for people all over the world to watch events unfold on the streets of Jerusalem in real time. They will also be able to view this morbid scene on other electronic devices any time they wish to do so.

When it comes to one person controlling all the buying and selling worldwide, just twenty-five years ago I imagined it would happen through an exceedingly large number of participants in every nation who would willingly enforce the dictates of the antichrist. Today, AI, gigantic databases, data centers, and the coming central bank digital currencies not only make it possible, but also likely. The elites already tell us that they plan to use this technology to both monitor and control how people spend their money.

During the past couple of months, I have spent many hours studying Jesus’ words in Matthew 24:15-18 where He refers to the defilement of the temple at the midpoint of the Tribulation. Although there are similarities to His words in Luke 21:20-25, where He predicts the destruction of the temple in AD 70, it cannot be the same event as the “abomination of desolation spoken of by the prophet Daniel” (Daniel 9:27, 12:11). The significant differences in the texts verify that these passages refer to different and rather distinct events. One happened in the distant past; one awaits a still future fulfillment.

In both texts, Jesus warns the Jewish people that what they “see” will prompt them to the presence of imminent danger. In Luke 21:20, it’s the sight of “Jerusalem surrounded by armies” that alerts the people to the perils that lie ahead for them, such as happened in AD 70 with the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple, which led to a time of intense persecution of the Jews.

In Matthew 24:15-16, the spectacle of impending peril is far different; there the Lord begins His warning with these words, “So when you see the abomination of desolation spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.” In this text, it’s the sight of the one we know as the antichrist, the “man of lawlessness” inside the “holy place” of the temple that alerts the Jews to danger. Despite this occurring within a small enclosure in the temple building, the Jews will “see” it take place and know to immediately flee.

But what makes this far more interesting is the examples of places where Jesus says they will observe the defilement of the temple’s holy of holies. Some will be on the housetops when they see the “abomination” take place, while others will be in the fields when they see it (Matthew 24:17-18). The Lord is not telling them to instantly flee when they hear reports about the defilement from someone running to tell them about it or read about it the next morning; it’s when they watch it happen in real time.

It was not until several weeks ago that it occurred to me that Jesus was implying that people working outside in the fields would somehow witness the abomination as it happens and know to flee without even picking up their nearby coat. The same is true with people on rooftops; they will see it take place and recognize the necessity to immediately run for their lives. Does this not imply smartphone technology or at least some other modern technology?

How else would it be possible for those in the fields to “see” it happen? And lest one thinks that rooftops belong only to the first century AD Jerusalem, I discovered that many of its homes today also have outdoor space on their roofs. It’s more common in the “for sale” listings of higher-priced houses in Jerusalem, but it’s a reality, nonetheless.

The scoffers of our day claim that we interpret prophecy with the Bible in one hand and the newspaper in the other. In other words, they argue that the news of our day determines what we believe about Bible prophecy. However, Jesus instructed us to watch for His coming, which necessitates evaluating current events in the light of what Scripture says about the last days. Might that also include recognizing the role that modern technology will play in the fulfillment of Bible prophecy? I think so.

It’s our understanding of God’s Word that alerts us to the season in which we live. Just as the cues Jesus gave to the Jews that enabled them to recognize imminent danger, so He has also told us what to watch for as we see the day approaching. Just as with Israel, the Lord not only warns us about what is coming, but also provides us with signs so that we might watch and know what lies ahead for us.

And today, what we see screams with the message that He’s coming very soon to take us to the places He’s preparing for us.

-Jonathan

jonathanbrentner@yahoo.com

 

God Restrains while Punditry Complains

President Trump showed beyond any question that he would use the American military to, as he put it, “obliterate” Iran’s nuclear development facility. Operation Midnight Hammer did just that, apparently, despite pundits and news sources on the left offering their doubts about the destruction Trump proclaimed.

Therefore, knowing this president’s proclivity to deliver on what he promises—he has proved this many times—the question arises: Why does he keep holding off finishing the job of destroying Iran’s war-making ability? Why does he keep going back to the negotiation table time after time when the Iranian regime reneges on agreements about giving up their nuclear program and continues to assault shipping in the Strait of Hormuz?

It could be conjectured that this incongruity is because Mr. Trump is a master negotiator; after all, he wrote and has lived his book, The Art of the Deal. He likely believes he can work around the Iranian regime negotiators’ lies and deception. He thinks, I imagine, that he can thereby peaceably resolve impending war.

From the biblical prophecy perspective, it seems that he couldn’t be less understanding of what’s ahead for that region of the world and for all of humanity. No matter the results of the endless negotiations or the eventual military action by this president to end Iran’s nuclear ambition and open the Strait of Hormuz, Bible prophecy will prevail. God cannot lie, and His Word on things to come says that Persia will bring a force against Israel. A Persian (Iranian) regime of some sort, hate-filled against Israel, along with the Gog-Magog coalition members, will storm toward Jerusalem. The prophet Ezekiel, in chapters 38–39 of the book by his name, lays out the prophecy.

I will let you look it up.

As of this writing, the situation is that President Trump has decided, despite attacks by Iran on ships passing through the Strait, thus again breaking all negotiation promises, to again refrain from completely destroying Iran’s war-making ability. Here is a report:

WASHINGTON (AP)—President Donald Trump says he has reached the “parameters” of a deal with Middle East allies aimed at ending the Iran war—while for now, holding off on fresh U.S. strikes that could further inflame an already dangerous conflict.

In a Saturday evening post on social media, Trump said that the emerging agreement would include the immediate, complete, and total opening of the Strait of Hormuz, alongside an end to what he described as Iran’s nuclear threat. He said he agreed to cancel attacks “for the future benefit of the WORLD” and “likewise, the survival of a successful and prosperous Iran,” adding that the pause would last only so long as Washington could rapidly make a deal.

Trump’s message also indicated Israel would join the U.S. in pushing to finalize the understanding. Iran, meanwhile, offered no immediate public response.

The announcement marks another sudden turn in a war now about five months old—one that has repeatedly shifted in purpose, timing, and intensity. When the United States and Israel began strikes on Feb. 28, the stated objectives included destroying Iran’s missile capabilities, preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, and ending support for allied armed groups across the region. But the administration’s timeline and operational targets have come under strain, as the conflict has swung between negotiations and escalation. (“Trump Says Mideast Allies Have Reached Outlines of Deal to End Iran War, Says US to Stop New Strikes,” SRN News (AP) August 3, 2026)

Many pundits on the political left, and even those on the right who agree with most of the Trump administration policies, have accused that Mr. Trump is falling prey to Iran’s (Persia’s) legendary ability to outwit those with whom they deal. Others express that the Trump brain trust is just making sure all-out war doesn’t break out just before mid-term elections. This might greatly sway voters to vote against such a war-making president, thus against his party’s candidates for Congress.

My own thinking on this is quite different. I’m of the conviction that at the center of all of this are considerations found within the pre-Trib view of God’s prophetic Word (the view that, incidentally, makes the most sense in the overall prophetic truth I find in the Bible).

In this regard, I have no doubt it is God Himself who is holding things up at this point, in the matter of Trump considering whether to negotiate with or destroy militarily what’s left of Iran’s war-making capability. God, the Holy Spirit, is the Restrainer, God’s Word informs. He—the Restrainer—is holding back the complete destruction of this evil regime. He is doing so for the fulfillment of the entirety of Bible prophecy.

This might seem confusing until one knows and accepts that the God of all Creation is outside time that governs this earthly sphere. He knows the end from the beginning and has, to a large degree, said what will come to pass in the near and distant future.

God has said the Persians (Iranians) will attack His chosen people, Israel. He Himself will destroy all but one-sixth of the Iranian (Persian) force as it comes with the Gog-Magog coalition in that future assault described in the prophetic Word. So, whether those of the current evil regime are in control or a future such regime is formed, an army of Iranians (Persians) will come down over the mountains of Israel from the north. They will be, as Mr. Trump would say, “obliterated”—all but totally destroyed by the very hand of Almighty God.

I strongly suspect that this—the restraining hand of God—is at the heart of the incongruency apparent in the Trump-Iranian negotiation/military action matter. Thus, so that there will be at least a nucleus of that wicked regime to gather forces when the prophetic timing is in place for the Gog-Magog attack.

This will not be God being complicit in the evil intended by those forces that will come against Israel; rather, it will be proof of His omniscience and His omnipotent control in bringing this world that opposes Him to judgment. The Ezekiel prophecy says that, through this, God will reveal to the world Who He is:

“”Thou shalt fall upon the open field: for I have spoken it, saith the Lord GOD. And I will send a fire on Magog, and among them that dwell carelessly in the isles: and they shall know that I am the LORD” (Ezekiel 39:5-6).

King Jesus is the ultimate proof of God’s staying hand of restraint and judgment. Christ will, one millennial day, sit on the throne ruling and reigning for a thousand years. Present-day arrangements are being orchestrated by that restraining hand in preparation for Heaven’s promise as follows:

“Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion. I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee. Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession. Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel. Be wise now therefore, O ye kings: be instructed, ye judges of the earth. Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him” (Psalms 2:6-12).

—Terry

Wtjames1@swbell.net

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A Tug of War, Literally

The tension between war and peace in the Middle East is mind-boggling at times. Just when we think President Trump is about to order a massive wave of bombing against Iran, we wake up the next day to learn he has called off the attack.

On the other hand, the ceasefires never last. Despite the highly publicized Memoranda of Peace, attacks and bombings resumed shortly after its signing.

As students of Bible prophecy, we have a unique understanding of what’s happening in the conflict between Israel, Iran, and the proxies of the Persian state. We know that the battle is spiritual. Because Satan motivates Israel’s enemies, lasting peace will never happen until Jesus returns to the earth. The anti-Zion passion will remain alive and well inside Iran until the nation’s demise at the end of the Gog/Magog war (see Ezekiel 38-39).

The tension between war and peace that we currently witness is itself prophetic. With every agreement or ceasefire, we hear the words “peace and safety” or “peace and security” in spite of the ever-present undercurrent pointing to a global conflict on the level of another world war, or even worse. It’s just as Paul wrote in 1 Thessalonians 5:3, “While people are saying, ‘There is peace and security,’ then sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.” However, what we see leading up to the fulfillment of this prophecy is confusing more often than not.

Just when we think we are on the cusp of a war that would fit with the “sudden destruction” that will initiate the Day of the Lord, the sides agree to a ceasefire. With the war in Ukraine, Russia has apparently backed away from its threat to directly attack America if Ukraine used its missiles to strike deep within the nation, which is now happening.

We see this same contrast between peace and war with the first two seal judgments. The first rider appears on a white horse, which represents the arrival of the antichrist. He initially comes in peace as symbolized by the arrowless bow. Yet, somehow he conquers just the same (Revelation 6:1-2).

The next rider of the apocalypse brings strife and war, which will be one of the causes for the horrific widespread death on the earth in numbers beyond anything experienced in all of history (Revelation 6:3-4, 7-8).

The Restrainer

2 Thessalonians 2:3-8 reveals the role of the Restrainer in holding back the unveiling of the antichrist, and the lawlessness he will bring with him, until after the Rapture. I believe the Restrainer, or Holy Spirit, is also holding back World War III, which will be far deadlier than all the wars of the previous century combined. We hear persistent rumors that this is coming, with some telling us it has already begun, albeit in a limited way. Yet such allegations never materialize.

1 Thessalonians 5:3 reveals that the widespread devastation will closely follow the Rapture. I believe this will include earthquakes and wars that will happen in close proximity to our departure. Such an attack on America would account for its absence in Bible prophecy, despite its prominent role in world affairs. (Of course, the Rapture alone will bring widespread chaos to the US and severely weaken it.)

The back and forth between peace and war is exactly what we would expect just before the Lord’s appearing to take us home. The mirage of peace that dominates the world scene is setting the stage for the antichrist to deceive the world with his own brand of illusory peace.

Setting the Stage for the Antichrist

Once the restraining work of the Holy Spirit ends, the antichrist will quickly seize the initiative as someone able to restore order amid the widespread chaos and bring peace to a war-weary world. The masses, already longing for just such a leader, will readily give him their allegiance.

Even so, deadly wars will follow his peace campaign. War and peace will be the theme of the Tribulation period after Jesus opens the second seal.

The Bible tells us that after the Rapture, the antichrist will make “a strong covenant with many,” which certainly will include Israel (Daniel 9:27). In Isaiah 25:215-18, the Lord refers to this as a “covenant of death.” Given Israel’s current experience with terrorist attacks, war, and constant threats of further violence, this agreement will likely include a much-coveted guarantee of safety and protection. If it contains permission to build a temple, and I believe it will, that will make the pact all the more desirable to Israel’s leadership.

Today’s back and forth between wars and ceasefires, including threats of fierce attacks amid claims of “peace and security,” is exactly what we would expect in the moments leading up to the realization of our “blessed hope.”

As I have often stated, I believe the Lord is allowing the world to experience a small sampling of what the world will be like after the Rapture. It’s a warning for those outside of Christ to repent. For us who believe, it signifies that Jesus will soon appear to take us home.

Maranatha!

-Jonathan

jonathanbrentner@yahoo.com