Articles

Italy Offers to Join Arab-Led Peacekeeping Mission in Gaza
Italy has announced its willingness to participate in a proposed Arab-led peacekeeping mission in Gaza, signaling growing European alignment with a regional initiative aimed at stabilizing the war-torn enclave. Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani made the statement during a parliamentary session on Wednesday, underscoring Rome’s support for a multilateral approach to post-war governance. The plan, which has also received backing from France, Germany, and Britain, envisions a $53 billion reconstruction effort and rejects any displacement of Palestinians from Gaza.

Mossad chief Barnea and Minister Dermer meet with Witkoff in Washington as hostage talks stall
The meeting comes after Hamas claimed to have accepted the recent proposal by Witkoff, but Witkoff later denied that the terror group had accepted. After reports on Monday that Hamas had accepted his proposal, Witkoff told Axios that Hamas’ response was “disappointing.” “What I have seen from Hamas is disappointing and completely unacceptable,”

600 days of war: Has Israel won, lost – or is the ending still unwritten?
On Wednesday, May 28, Israel marks 600 days of war – the longest war the country has fought since its founding. The truth is, we won’t know who – if anyone – won this war until it ends and how it ends.

Aid distribution turns chaotic in Gaza as thousands storm compound after Hamas tries to block access
Hamas set up roadblocks to prevent Gaza residents from reaching two aid distribution centers that opened today in the Rafah area – this was reported this evening (Tuesday) on Kan News. Palestinians were outraged by the roadblocks, which eventually collapsed. Following the breach of the roadblocks and the announcement by the American security team that the compound would close at 5:30 p.m., a large number of residents began flocking to the site. This created a crush of Palestinian residents who insisted on entering the compound that same day, which ultimately led to the entry of thousands of people.

New Wave Jew-Hatred: Killing Christian Zionists
This point was brought home in the most painful way possible last week with the murders of Sarah Lynn Milgrim and Yaron Lischinsky. The media is claiming it was an act of antisemitism. While factually inaccurate, this is true. Regardless of their theologies and faith, Millgram and Lischinsky were murdered for their love of Israel.

‘We got him’ – Netanyahu confirms death of Mohammed Sinwar
In a dramatic address to the Knesset today, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced a major victory in the ongoing war against Hamas, confirming the elimination of Mohammed Sinwar, the de facto leader of the terrorist group in Gaza. “We have eliminated Mohammed Deif, Yahya Sinwar, and Mohammed Sinwar,” Netanyahu declared.

Ultra-Orthodox lawmakers mull toppling government over draft
A growing political crisis over the draft exemption law for yeshiva students is pushing the ultra-Orthodox parties toward a potential showdown with the government. Indeed, there is speculation it could lead to early elections, Israeli outlet Channel 12 News reported on Wednesday.

‘It’s a no-brainer’: Legal expert backs deportation of Palestinian Authority-funded terrorists
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz disclosed on Wednesday that the government will begin deporting Israeli nationals convicted of terror offenses who received “pay for slay” stipends from the Palestinian Authority. The implementation of existing legislation is a “no-brainer” that “fits within international law,”

Iron Beam incoming: Israel’s laser shields take down enemy threats
the Israeli Air Force (IAF), and Rafael Advanced Defense Systems revealed on Wednesday that during the Swords of Iron War, they executed an accelerated development program to deploy revolutionary interception systems. As a result of this initiative, soldiers from the IAF Aerial Defense Array operated high-power laser system prototypes in the field, successfully intercepting scores of enemy threats.

Israel destroys Houthis’ final aircraft in strike on Saana International Airport
The IDF on Wednesday attacked Yemen’s Sanaa International Airport in response to several Houthi ballistic missile attacks fired against Israel over the last week. Defense Minister Israel Katz said the air force destroyed the last airplane the Houthis still had to use at the airport after Israel had already struck it multiple times in the past several months. Katz continued, saying that Israel had or was in the process of instituting an aerial and naval blockade on the Houthis to try to deter them from future attacks on the Jewish state.

Global Leaders Sound Alarm on Surge of Antisemitism at IHRA Conference
British Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis warned that anti-Zionism has become “the new antisemitism,” amid mounting global concern over a surge in antisemitic incidents and anti-Jewish hate crimes Speaking at the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) conference in Jerusalem on Tuesday evening, Mirvis asserted that anti-Zionism is increasingly being weaponized to mask anti-Jewish sentiment, disguised as legitimate political criticism of Israel.

Israel’s Culture Minister Miki Zohar Joins Israeli MKs in Calling for Death Penalty for DC Jewish Museum Shooter
Israel’s Minister of Culture and Sports Miki Zohar believes authorities in the United States should pursue the death penalty against the alleged gunman responsible for last week’s murder of two Israeli embassy staffers in Washington, DC, he told The Algemeiner on Tuesday. “I think this is an important message that all the antisemitic people should know — that there is a big price to pay if they do these kinds of actions,”

Tropical Storm Alvin forecast to form off the coast of Mexico this week
Tropical Storm Alvin, the first named storm of the 2025 eastern Pacific hurricane season, is forecast to form off the southern coast of Mexico this week from a developing low-pressure system designated Invest 90-E. A Gale Warning has been issued for offshore waters from Guerrero to Jalisco due to strengthening winds and rough seas associated with the system.

Iraq launches water initiative as reserves hit 80-year low
The Iraqi government has announced a new water initiative to manage water resources from the Tigris and Euphrates rivers as the country records its lowest water reserves in 80 years. Current storage levels are only 10 billion m³ (353 billion ft³) compared to the seasonal norm of 18 billion m³ (636 billion ft³), threatening the country’s agricultural production.

Blanco tornado gets EF-3 rating, Oklahoma
The Blanco tornado that struck Pittsburg County, Oklahoma, on May 19, 2025, has been rated EF-3 by the National Weather Service (NWS). With a maximum width of 2.7 km (1.7 miles), it now ranks as the third-widest tornado recorded in Oklahoma since 1950.

Smotrich Calls For ‘Rebuilding Temple’ During Jerusalem Day Celebrations
Far-right Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has called for the rebuilding of a Jewish temple on the site of Al-Aqsa Mosque and for the expansion of Israel’s borders and Jewish settlements in Gaza.

FBI Probing Allegations Of ‘Targeted Violence’ Against Religious Groups in Seattle: Official
They said the movement organizing the event stands against indoctrination of children “by a liberal, political, and sexual agenda that seeks to destroy their God-given identities.” Counterprotesters, including the Freedom Socialist Party, said their demonstration was meant to “keep your bibles off our bodies.”

‘A Trojan Horse’: Christian Legal Experts Sounds Urgent Warning Against The EU’s New ‘Digital Surveillance’ Law
Members of the European Parliament, a Christian legal agency, and other experts convened to discuss the dangers of the Digital Services Act (DSA), a European Union law nicknamed by some as the “Digital Surveillance Act.”

When They Say “Peace And Safety”…
It has often been said that “war is hell”, and that is so true. It has been estimated that somewhere between 70 and 85 million people died during World War II, and now World War III is looming. I just asked Google AI to tell me how many people will die during World War III, and I was told that “it’s likely that the death toll would be devastatingly high, potentially reaching into the billions”. We are literally closer to that sort of an apocalyptic conflict than we have ever been before, and yet most of the population is partying as if there will be “peace and safety” long into the future. So many of us have been lulled into a false sense of security, but the truth is that the very small window of opportunity that we have to avoid World War III is rapidly closing.

The Middle Class Is Collapsing: Nearly 1 Out Of Every 4 Americans Is Now “Functionally Unemployed”
Do you ever feel like you are “functionally unemployed”? If so, you are definitely not alone. There are lots of people out there that cannot pay the bills each month even though they have jobs. In fact, there are lots of people out there that literally cannot afford to put a roof over their heads even though they are employed. Yes, there are many hard working Americans that are now living in their vehicles or in “tent communities” because that is all they can afford. In recent years, the cost of living has been rising much faster than paychecks have, and so now a substantial percentage of the population is living in a state of constant financial stress. The middle class has been collapsing all around us, and we are witnessing an extraordinary amount of economic suffering all over the country right now.

FBI to Probe ‘Targeted Violence’ Against Christians After Seattle City Hall Protest, 8 Arrested
“We have asked our team to fully investigate allegations of targeted violence against religious groups at the Seattle concert. Freedom of religion isn’t a suggestion,” Bongino announced on X.

Geert Wilders is Done Waiting.: Revoke Citizenship and Start Deporting
The Freedom Party (PVV) leader is demanding that the Dutch government revoke citizenship from criminal immigrants and begin mass deportations, starting with the 60,000 Syrians who arrived during the migrant crisis. And he’s warning that if his demands are ignored, he’s ready to bring down the government.

Florida Congressman Randy Fine Says What No One in Washington Dares: ‘Violent Islam Is the Norm — Peaceful Islam Is the Exception’
In a political landscape gripped by denial and fear of public backlash, one elected official is daring to speak the truth about the rising tide of Islamic violence and ideological conquest…and he’s not whispering.

NYC’s Mayoral Candidate Zohran Kwame Mamdani: A Jew- and Hindu-Hating, CAIR-Approved Radical Who Wants to Rule America’s Largest City
Zohran Mamdani’s mayoral campaign represents a coordinated attempt to subvert America’s largest city through a dangerous fusion of Islamic radicalism, Marxist activism, and anti-Western ideology, under the deceptive banner of social justice.

The Same University Ideology That Radicalized Elias Rodriguez Is Spreading Like A Cancer Across America
Wake up, America. “Free Palestine,” “Resistance By Any Means Necessary,” and “Globalize The Intifada” are calls to murder Jews. Do you get it now?

Something I’ve often fought against in my writer’s mind in these commentaries is the matter of being too America-centric. That is, it’s always tempting to bring things involving the United States into articles. I’m most familiar with our nation and its influence on geopolitical and other areas of life upon the planet. So it’s perhaps a sense of familiarity that produces laziness in my research if my guard against such isn’t at full resolution.

However, in this particular piece, it is altogether appropriate to make America the focal point. The reason is that I continue to receive a number of emails from writers who look at developments in which the US is undeniably at the center of critical areas of nation-state interaction.

Of course, the emails I receive are inevitably steeped in and surrounded by questions with Bible prophecy at their center. And with the frenetic pace of developments lately, those messages are, almost as a unified theme, posing the question: Why is America so powerfully observable in geopolitical and geo-economics activity at this late hour of this Age of Grace (Church Age)?

Without exception, these mention the fact that the American president commands full attention in all he does, and now there is, with the death of Pope Francis, a newly elected pontiff—an American.

President Trump seemingly has the magic touch in leading all nations–even antagonist nations like China—to join in working to make the world economy one that will benefit all. This president also leads the way in seeking peace in the Middle East in dealing with Iran and Israel, between Russia and Ukraine, and between India and Pakistan–all areas that present the danger of igniting nuclear conflict.

Pope Leo XIV, who is already ballyhooed as “the American pope,” joins the movement in calling for peace and safety as he demonstratively aims to lead with great vigor from the Vatican, Christendom’s most powerful center from the world’s diplomatic perspective.

Many who watch things develop toward prophetic stage-setting and even fulfillment are speculating as to whether the powerful influence the US is currently exhibiting in the areas of geopolitics, geo-economics, and religion might indicate that America is destined to be the Babylon of Revelation 18.

One of the most-asked questions by those interested in end-times matters is: “Is America in Bible prophecy?” Or, “Why isn’t America, certainly considered the greatest nation to this point in history in terms of wealth and material achievement, not in Bible prophecy?”

The most common answer given by teachers and others who view prophecy from the premillennial, pre-Tribulation, futurist perspective is: “No. America is not found in Bible prophecy.” That has most frequently been my own answer to that basic question. The US isn’t found within the pages of God’s prophetic Word.

I can’t answer for others who deal with biblical eschatology (the study of end things). I can only say that my own meaning within my answer is that the US isn’t mentioned by name anywhere in prophecy.

Whether this most materially blessed nation in history, despite the absence of its name, is or is not somewhere in prophecy is another matter. Regarding that, my thinking has trended in more recent times toward “perhaps.”

Babylon, the city second only to Jerusalem as far as the number of times it’s mentioned in the Bible, is, of course, at the center of most controversy in the question of whether America is implied in Scripture. Is the United States Babylon the Great?

Despite the adamant answers to this query by some of my colleagues and friends on both sides of the America/Babylon matter, I must say they cannot—nor can I—know for certain. Only history playing out can provide the answer. We don’t know the future in detail when speculating upon such peripheral prophetic issues. Such is reserved exclusively for the God of Heaven.

Time’s unfolding, however, always draws things to come into focus so that prophetic detail can be more clearly discerned. It seems to me that recent times have provided ever-increasing magnification, showing America’s possible inclusion within these “end-of-days” prophecies, as the secular world terms them.

I’m not declaring that I think America is Babylon the Great. Like this commentary’s title implies, however, our nation, in many ways, looks more and more like a mirror reflection of that prophesied entity. The speculation , therefore, is allowable, in my view.

If God’s Word is true—and it is in every respect—there must be a city, nation, and commercial influence of tremendous magnitude during the time of what John was told to call the Apocalypse: the “Revelation of Jesus Christ.”

We must then, if trying to understand whether the present generation is near the time of Christ’s revelation, or Second Coming, ask whether a city-state commercial system as described in Revelation 18 exists.

As a matter of fact, there is indeed such an entity. It is the only one on the scene right now. Far beyond that fact, the one presently on the scene is unlike any other that’s ever existed.

The United States of America is, in terms of human achievement and attainment of every conceivable development of material convenience, the absolute apex of all nations of all of history! This isn’t being boastful of my nation. It’s simply fact that even the most ardent America-hater can’t truthfully deny.

At the same time, as we’ve seen over these closing days of the age, America is the exporter of evil even the likes of Sodom couldn’t claim.

Here are God’s Words, through John while the apostle and prophet was exiled on Patmos. Is there any possibility that these words might fit America the Great?

Let’s look here at the mysterious entity God called “Babylon the Great.” Its total destruction assuredly describes how it will be the apex nation/city/commercial and religious system of human history.

“And the kings of the earth, who have committed fornication and lived deliciously with her, shall bewail her, and lament for her, when they shall see the smoke of her burning, Standing afar off for the fear of her torment, saying, Alas, alas that great city Babylon, that mighty city! for in one hour is thy judgment come.

“The merchants of these things, which were made rich by her, shall stand afar off for the fear of her torment, weeping and wailing, And saying, Alas, alas that great city, that was clothed in fine linen, and purple, and scarlet, and decked with gold, and precious stones, and pearls!

“For in one hour so great riches is come to naught. And every shipmaster, and all the company in ships, and sailors, and as many as trade by sea, stood afar off, And cried when they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, What city is like unto this great city!

“And they cast dust on their heads, and cried, weeping and wailing, saying, Alas, alas that great city, wherein were made rich all that had ships in the sea by reason of her costliness! for in one hour is she made desolate (Revelation 18:9-10, 15-19).

It’s a frightful and exceedingly sad speculation, to be sure. But we are commanded by our Lord to “watch” (Mark 13:37). Therefore, we must do so in accordance with Christ’s other command:

“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).

29 May 2025

The America-Babylon Speculation :: By Terry James