The Appetizer, Entrée, and Dessert :: By Daymond Duck

On Apr. 21, America’s new Ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, officially presented his credentials to Israel’s Pres. Isaac Herzog.

Herzog noted that:

  • Huckabee is beginning his new job at a decisive moment in Israeli history.

He warned that:

  • Iran continues to pursue its radical vision of regional dominance and destabilization – on its own and via its proxies – while pursuing nuclear arms and openly calling for the destruction of Israel.

Huckabee replied:

  • I never had a conversation with him (with Trump about the Ambassador’s job. I got a call out of the clear blue).
  • The president did not say, ‘Would you think about going? Have you ever considered? He simply called and said, ‘Mike, you’re going to be my ambassador to Israel.’
  • You don’t say ‘no’ to him. And quite frankly, I felt it was not so much saying ‘yes’ to a president – it was certainly that – but it was ‘yes’ to a calling from God Himself to come and fulfill what I believe is not just a job but a mission.

Huckabee added:

  • I share with you that concern that the Iranian regime – and all of its hostility that has been inflicted upon the world for 46 years – continues to threaten not just the peace of Israel but the peace of the United States.
  • I constantly remind people that the Iranians have said, ‘Death to Israel,’ and chapter two is, ‘Death to America.’
  • It has always been their desire that Israel would be the opening act, and then it would be America’s turn to face destruction.
  • Or to put it another simple way, Israel is the appetizer, and the United States is the entrée.
  • We care deeply, Mr. President, about the threats that face Israel, because those are also the threats that face our country.

Our Ambassador said it well: the opening act is ‘Death to Israel,’ the so-called ‘Little Satan,’ and chapter two is ‘Death to America,’ the ‘So-called Great Satan.’

Many nations have opened their doors to hordes of Muslims with high hopes of providing them with better living conditions, good jobs, peaceful lives, and more, but it has rarely turned out that way.

Many have remained peaceful for a few years, produced large families, been careful not to assimilate, then started to build mosques, run for elective office, etc.

Many have started holding protests on college campuses, calling for days of rage, started attacking Jews, committing violence, etc.

It is a pattern that can be checked out with France, Sweden, Belgium, Nigeria, the Netherlands, and others, or in the U.S. state of Minnesota, as far as that is concerned (AOC, the Squad, etc.), or with Christians in Plano, Texas.

It is important to understand that their main goal is not better living conditions or peaceful lives.

Their main goal is to establish Islam as the one-world religion and political power.

I agree with Huckabee, but will say it like this: In the radical Islamic world, chapter one is about the destruction of Israel, chapter two is about the destruction of the U.S., and chapter three is about the establishment of a global Islamic religious and political system.

Israel is the appetizer, the U.S. is the entrée (main course), and the world is the dessert.

(My opinion: The radical Islamic hatred of Israel is more than antisemitism. It is a deliberate attempt to dominate the entire world.)

(My opinion: Some Muslim nations are worse than others, but perhaps the worst of the worst is Iran. America needs to speak softly and carry a big stick.)

(Update: On Apr. 25, 2025, Paraguay officially declared that Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Iranian Revolutionary Guards are terrorist groups. U.S. spokesperson Tammy Bruce said, “Iran remains the leading state sponsor of terrorism in the world and has financed and directed numerous terrorist attacks and activities globally, through its IRGC-Quds Force and proxies such as Hezbollah and Hamas.”)

Here are some recent stories that seem to indicate that the end of the age is near.

One, on Apr. 24, 2025, it was reported that three people have been indicted on charges of bomb-making and defacing a Jewish Synagogue in Pittsburgh, PA.

One has served in the Air Force National Guard, fraudulently obtained top-secret clearance, and expressed the desire to die as an Islamic martyr (killed in the act of jihad).

According to the report, this is a growing pattern in the U.S.

Two, concerning Islamic terrorism: on Apr. 22, 2025, Islamic terrorist disguised as soldiers stopped vehicles, demanded ID cards, ordered occupants to recite Islam’s declaration of faith, and when they couldn’t, the terrorists brutally killed at least 27 Hindu tourists in Kashmir (a disputed area between India and Pakistan).

The massacre occurred less than one week after Pakistan’s Grand Mufti issued a fatwa declaring that all Muslim governments are religiously obligated to wage jihad (holy war) to reclaim all land that was once ruled by Islam.

That came almost one week after Pakistan’s Grand Mufti issued a fatwa calling for global Muslim governments to launch a military war against Israel.

(My comment: Wake up, world. Huckabee is right. Israel is the appetizer, the U.S. is the entrée (main course), and the world is the dessert.)

(Update: India and Pakistan are both nuclear powers, and for two days, there have been military reports of cross-border firing. This is a highly volatile situation.)

Three, concerning perilous times at the end of the age: on Apr. 24, 2025, Israel’s Channel 12 TV reported that Israeli officials are concerned that the US Administration is hastily rushing toward a bad deal that will not prevent Iran from developing a nuclear bomb.

Israeli sources said U.S. declarations of real progress are deeply disturbing.

Four, concerning Iran: on Apr. 26, 2025, Time Magazine reported that Trump said if we don’t make a deal (with Iran), I’ll be leading the pack (in an attack on Iran).

(Update: On Apr. 27, 2025, Netanyahu said Israel is prepared to act alone if Iran refuses to abandon its quest for nuclear weapons.)

Five, concerning a normalization agreement (that MAY be the agreement that is strengthened by the Antichrist after the Rapture): on Apr. 25, 2025, Fox News reported that Pres. Trump is scheduled to travel to Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates next month, and he expressed optimism that he could broker a normalization deal between Israel and the Saudi Kingdom.

Trump said,

  • I think Saudi Arabia will go into the Abraham Accords.
  • I think it will be full very quickly.

Six, concerning the Two-State Solution and peace in Israel: on Apr. 27, 2025, Israeli Prime Min. Netanyahu told a group of diplomats and policymakers:

  • The idea that creating a Palestinian state would bring peace is folly, nothing more than folly.
  • We just tried a Palestinian state in Gaza.
  • You saw what that brought, right?

His understanding is Biblical, whether he realizes it or not.

The Two-State Solution, normalization agreements, rebuilding the Temple, offering animal sacrifices, Israel’s great army, and Israel’s great weapons won’t bring peace.

Israel will not have peace until the Jews accept Jesus as their Messiah.

Seven, concerning wars and rumors of wars and the destruction of Damascus in one night: following Islamic terrorist attacks on Druze communities in Syria, on Apr. 30, 2025, Israel launched an airstrike on Islamic terrorists near Damascus.

Israel warned the Syrian government that Israel will strike more targets in Syria if Syria does not stop the Islamic terrorist attacks on the Druze.

Eight, concerning an increase in knowledge at the end of the age: on Apr. 22, 2025, Technocracy News & Trends posted an article by Noor Al-Sibai that quoted Eric Schmidt, the former CEO of Google, who said:

  • Once AI begins to self-improve and learn how to plan, it essentially won’t “have to listen to us anymore.”
  • At that stage, AI will not only be smarter than humans but will also reach what is known as artificial superintelligence (ASI), which occurs when AI becomes smarter than all humans put together.

Here is a link to the entire article:

https://www.technocracy.news/trilateral-commissioner-eric-schmidt-warns-that-ai-is-about-to-escape-human-control/

Nine, concerning globalism: on Apr. 29, 2025, Paul Dragu (The New American) wrote this about Canada’s new Prime Min. Mark Carney:

  • Carney is an elite globalist  He has an economics degree from Harvard, he is a former central banker (he served as the governor of the Bank of Canada and the governor of the Bank of England), he is a former World Economic Forum Young Global Leader along with his predecessor Justin Trudeau, and he has ties to the Bilderberg group, Chatham House, and the United Nations, for which he was appointed as special envoy for climate action and finance.

In my words, he is a globalist to the core, and Canada needs our prayers.

Ten, concerning wickedness and the attempt to destroy Israel: as I write this, several major fires are raging in Israel, and it appears that they have been deliberately set (perhaps by Islamic terrorists, but no official finding as of yet).

Several people have been hurt, at least five communities have been fully evacuated, and two major highways have been closed in both directions.

Israel has requested international help, and it is flowing in.

(My comment: No weapon formed against Israel will prevail.)

FYI: God does not send anyone to Hell (all of us are born with a sin nature and destined to go to Hell because we sin), but God has provided a way (Jesus) for everyone to go to Heaven (and He is the only way to get there; John 14:6).

Finally, are you Rapture Ready?

If you want to be rapture ready and go to heaven, you must be born again (John 3:3). God loves you, and if you have not done so, sincerely admit that you are a sinner; believe that Jesus is the virgin-born, sinless Son of God who died for the sins of the world, was buried, and raised from the dead; ask Him to forgive your sins, cleanse you, come into your heart and be your Saviour; then tell someone that you have done this.

duck_daymond@yahoo.com

 

The Last Prophecy :: By Daymond Duck

I have heard the destruction of Babylon by fire in one hour at the end of the Tribulation Period referred to as The Last Prophecy in the Book of Revelation to be fulfilled before the Second Coming.

It may be the last prophecy to be fulfilled before the Second Coming if we do not count a final attack on Jerusalem and the Battle of Armageddon.

Anyway, on Apr. 13, 2025, a reader sent me some links to videos that are about some stunning events in the land of Babylon (Iraq) that are not too far from the ancient city of Babylon (where there has already been a limited amount of repairs and construction) that I believe many students of Bible prophecy would like to know.

Here are the links to four videos:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4HNrKGzBmTs&t=3s (James Kaddis’ interview of Dr. Andy Woods)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5vb2tuA7Pz0 (James Kaddis’ comments)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WYHwpeggvmc (video of what has happened)

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/markets/iraq-is-building-a-17-billion-trade-corridor-to-bypass-the-suez-canal/vi-AA1B7XjP?ocid=hpdhp17 (Iraq is Building a $17 Billion Trade Corridor to Bypass the Suez Canal.)

I do not want to bore you with complicated teaching that you may not be interested in, but some prophecy teachers allegorize the Book of Revelation.

Some teach that Babylon in Rev. chapters 17 and 18 is New York City, the U.S., the EU, etc.

I hold a literal view and have been teaching for more than 30 years that the ancient city of Babylon will be rapidly rebuilt during the Tribulation Period, and it will be the headquarters of the one-world economic system and the one-world religious system.

I do not think Babylon needs to be a big city like New York City.

I think it will need only a few buildings for offices, staff, AI, a communication system, etc.

Here are seven reasons why I believe Rev. 17-18 should be interpreted literally, not allegorically.

One—All of the other cities mentioned in the Book of Rev. were literal cities.

When God said Ephesus, He meant Ephesus (not the EU).

When God said Jerusalem, He meant Jerusalem (not New York).

When God said a city, He meant a city, not a nation or a group of nations.

So, I believe that when God said Babylon, He meant Babylon, not the U.S.

Two—Zechariah 5:5-11 is about a woman called Wickedness who represents commerce and false religion.

Wickedness will be moved to the land of Shinar (the land of Babylon) at the end of the age.

I believe Wickedness and Mystery Babylon the Great are one and the same, and commerce and false religion will be located at rebuilt Babylon at the end of the age.

Three—Virtually all Bible scholars trace false religion and world government back to Nimrod and the Tower of Babel (just a few generations after the Great Flood).

Add to that the fact that Rev. 17:10 teaches that a false religious system existed in five previous kingdoms before the Roman Empire came on the scene.

Those five kingdoms are Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Medo-Persia, and Greece.

So there was false worship at the Tower of Babel and at Babylon.

In fact, Nebuchadnezzar built the statue that he ordered his world leaders to worship (including Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego) in the plain of Dura, in the province of Babylon (Dan. 3:1).

Four—Isaiah said Babylon’s final destruction will be like the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah Isaiah. 13:19).

Ancient Babylon wasn’t destroyed by fire and brimstone like Sodom and Gomorrah. (It was buried under water when the Euphrates River changed course.)

But three times in Rev. 17-18, God said Babylon will be destroyed by fire in one hour.

This means Babylon must be rebuilt so it can be destroyed by fire.

Five—Isaiah said that after Babylon is destroyed, it will never be inhabited again (Isaiah 13:20).

But there are a few people living in Babylon today.

This means Babylon must be destroyed in the future and never inhabited again.

Six—Isaiah 14 teaches that Israel will be in the land when Babylon is destroyed.

But Israel wasn’t in the land when the Medes and Persians diverted the Euphrates River and captured Babylon.

Seven—After the final destruction of Babylon, the bricks that it was built with will never be used again.

But some of the bricks in the limited construction that is there now are used bricks that were taken from ancient Babylon.

This means Babylon will have to be destroyed again, so none of the old bricks will be used.

Know that there are many prophecies about Babylon in the Old Testament books of Isaiah and Jeremiah that are repeated in the Book of Rev., chapters 17 and 18. For example:

  • Isaiah 13:21 says, satyrs or demons (devils and false spirits) will dance in Babylon after its final destruction. We go over to the book of Rev., chapter 18:2, and we read that Babylon will become the habitation of devils and false spirits.
  • Jeremiah 50:15 says, as she (Babylon) has done, do unto her. We go over to the book of Rev. chapter 18:6 and we read, reward her even as she has rewarded you.
  • Jeremiah 51:7 says Babylon hath been a golden cup in the Lord’s hand. We go over to Rev. 17:4, and we read that Mystery Babylon has a golden cup in her hand.
  • Jeremiah 51:7 says the nations have drunk Babylon’s wine. In Rev. 18:3, we read that Babylon has made the nations drunk on wine.
  • Jeremiah 51:8 says Babylon has suddenly fallen. In Rev. 18:2 we read that Babylon is fallen, is fallen.
  • Jeremiah 51:9 says Forsake her. Rev. 18:4 says Come out of her, my people.
  • Jeremiah 51:13 says Babylon sits upon many waters. In Rev. 17:1, we read that Mystery Babylon sits upon many waters.
  • Isaiah 14:4 refers to the Antichrist as the king of Babylon. We know he will rule over every nation on earth, not just New York City, or the U.S., or the EU.

I don’t believe these things are a coincidence.

I believe God tied the prophecies in Isaiah and Jeremiah to the prophecies in Rev. 17-18 for a reason.

And that reason is that the ancient city of Babylon will be quickly rebuilt in the Tribulation Period.

I want to give you one of the problems that I believe has caused students of prophecy to go astray.

It will set the stage for the stunning event that I am leading up to.

Rev. chapter 18 teaches that Babylon will be a place of global commerce and global shipping at the time that the city of Babylon is destroyed.

World leaders, merchants, shipmasters, and sailors will bitterly weep when they see the smoke from Babylon (Rev. 18:9-18).

Erring prophecy teachers have said the city of Babylon is not a place of global trade and that it is too far from water for shipmasters and sailors to see the smoke.

It has been my position that world leaders, merchants, shipmasters, and sailors could see the smoke over the internet.

Elon Musk is even launching satellites to make that possible.

Anyway, here is the stunning event (use the video links above).

A large port, called the Al Faw Grand Port, has been built at Babylon to accommodate global commerce.

Construction started in 2020, and it is now complete.

Billions of dollars have been pledged, and there is a plan to build a canal and a road to bypass Iran’s threats to close the Suez Canal and the Houthis’ attacks on shipping through the Red Sea.

Global traders are anxious for an alternate route.

The last prophecy to be fulfilled before the Second Coming in the Book of Revelation could be coming on the scene now.

Here are more current events that seem to indicate that the end of the age is near:

 One, on Apr. 18, 2025, Israel shot down a Houthi missile that appeared to be aimed at Bethlehem.

Two, concerning the U.S. and Iran negotiations over Iran’s nuclear weapons program: on Apr. 18, 2025, it was reported that Iran gave the U.S. a written proposal for a three-phase deal:

  • Phase 1— Iran will temporarily reduce uranium enrichmentto 3.67% in return for access to frozen financial assets and permission to export oil.
  • Phase 2—Iran will permanently end high-level enrichment and allow International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspections, including surprise inspections, in exchange for wider U.S. sanctions relief and the EU not imposing UN sanctions.
  • Phase 3—Iran will transfer its stockpile of highly enriched uranium to a third country in exchange for the U.S. Congress approving a new nuclear agreement with Iran and lifting primary and secondary sanctions against Iran.

America’s negotiator, Steve Witkoff, welcomed the proposal, the Ayatollah Khamenei called it a good first step, and skeptics said Iran is just stalling for time to rebuild its air defenses and missile program.

(My opinion: Highly regarded and well-informed prophecy teacher Bill Koenig and his wife Tania have been very skeptical of Witkoff’s negotiations and have even implied that Witkoff may betray Israel. Iran doesn’t keep its agreements, and I find Witkoff’s immediate acceptance of Iran’s proposal very troubling.)

(Update: On Apr. 20, 2025, it was reported that another round of negotiations has been set for Apr. 26, 2025.)

Three, on Apr. 18, 2025 (Good Friday; also called Crucifixion Day), the incoming U.S. ambassador to Israel (Mike Huckabee) made his first official visit to Israel.

Huckabee immediately went to the Western Wall (called the Wailing Wall because Jews have shed tears there for about 2,000 years), where he placed Trump’s handwritten prayer for the peace of Jerusalem in a crack between some stones.)

Huckabee said Trump gave him the handwritten prayer and asked him to make his first official act as ambassador to Israel the placing of the prayer in the wall.

Huckabee inserted the prayer and then read Psa. 121 at the Western Wall.

Huckabee was scheduled to formally present his credentials to Israel’s president on the day after Easter.

(My opinion: It is just speculation, Trump’s attitude toward Israel is an indication that he would support the rebuilding of the Temple on the Temple Mount. The fact that Trump chose a staunch Bible-believing, Israel-supporting Christian to be his ambassador to Israel is not insignificant and could well be an act of God who fulfills every jot and tittle of His Word. This is not to say that Trump is the Antichrist, because I have often said that I do not think he is, but it is to say that some think he would support a rebuilt Temple.)

Four, on Apr. 20, 2025, Joel Rosenberg (All Israel News) reported that Mike Huckabee and his wife attended a sunrise service at the Garden Tomb in East Jerusalem to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus.

Hundreds of Christians from all over Israel and the world were there for the same reason.

Huckabee said he and his wife are not only representatives of the U.S. government in Israel, they are also representatives of Jesus Christ.

Five, on Apr. 18, 2025, it was reported that Franklin Graham led prayer at a worship service at the White House on Wednesday night and that he preached at a White House service on Thursday night during Holy Week.

Following Graham’s prayer on Wednesday, Trump said,

  • Nearly 2,000 years ago, during this sacred week, the living Son of God entered Jerusalem in triumph.
  • Soon after, the Savior of mankind, who brought truth and light into the world, was betrayed, arrested, tried, beaten, nailed to a cross, and crucified.
  • For our sake, He gave up His life, and as the very great Rev. Billy Graham once said, “God proved His love on the cross. When Christ hung, and bled, and died, it was God saying to the world, ‘I love you.’”

At the White House worship service on Thursday, Graham preached, worshipers took communion, and students from Liberty University provided special music.

Five, concerning wars and rumors of wars: on Apr. 18, 2025, U.S. Sec. of State Marco Rubio said Pres. Trump has spent 87 days trying to end the war between Russia and Ukraine.

Rubio added that the U.S. will not continue this effort for weeks or months on end.

He said there must be significant progress in the next few days or the U.S. is prepared to abandon the effort.

Six, Pope Francis died on Apr. 21, 2025.

Following a period of mourning, a conclave will gather to elect a successor.

Pope Francis removed several conservative Cardinals and replaced them with liberals.

There will likely be a lot of speculation that Saint Malachy’s 900-year-old prophecy will come into play and the next pope will choose the name Petros Romanus (Peter the Roman) and be the False Prophet.

Be careful: True prophecy comes from Scripture.

The predictions of others may or may not be true.

We need to wait this out and see what happens.

FYI: God does not send anyone to Hell (all of us are born with a sin nature and destined to go to Hell because we sin), but God has provided a way (Jesus) for everyone to go to Heaven (and He is the only way to get there; John 14:6).

Finally, are you Rapture Ready?

If you want to be rapture ready and go to heaven, you must be born again (John 3:3). God loves you, and if you have not done so, sincerely admit that you are a sinner; believe that Jesus is the virgin-born, sinless Son of God who died for the sins of the world, was buried, and raised from the dead; ask Him to forgive your sins, cleanse you, come into your heart and be your Saviour; then tell someone that you have done this.

duck_daymond@yahoo.com