All over the Middle East except in Israel Christians are being subjected to brutal assaults, imprisonment and death. In some countries, Christian men are crucified, beheaded and shot. Others are forced to dig their own grave before they are burned or buried alive.

Women and young girls are kidnapped, raped and sold into slavery. Some are swapped for as little as a pack of cigarettes or just given away as gifts to terrorist-supporting friends.

These persecuted Christians receive no help from their government, the military or the police. The prayers and outrage of the Church should be deafening, but it doesn’t appear that God is hearing very much from the Church.

Our brothers and sisters in Christ are under severe persecution and most of the Church says little or nothing about it. Who cares if pastors are tortured in Muslim prisons and Christians are robbed and driven out of their homes? Who cares if the babies of Christian mothers are ripped from their crying mother’s arms and cut in two or left to die on the side of a road?

Every Christian should care for many reasons, but especially because this wanton killing of Christians is spreading all over the world. The threat has even penetrated the highest levels of American politics and it is growing stronger and more dangerous in the United States with every sunrise.

On April 23, 2015, Hillary Clinton, who is now running for president of the United States, spoke at the Women in the World Summit in New York. She was talking about women’s reproductive rights (abortion) when she said “religious beliefs have to be changed.” Really! Does Hillary Clinton have the authority to tell the Church that it has to change its religious beliefs?

Mrs. Clinton said “governments should throw the power of state coercion behind the effort to redefine traditional religious dogmas.” Really! Should the government of the United States pass laws to force Christians to change their principles or the articles of faith in the Christian church?

Mrs. Clinton called government coercion to redefine traditional religious dogmas “the great unfinished business of the 21st century” and she said it must be accomplished “not just in far away countries but right here in the United States” (Google it). One would think her outrageous tyranny would be booed in the United States, but her oppressive statement received much applause.

The First Amendment to the United States Bill of Rights reads:

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press . . . .

One would think that Mrs. Clinton knows this and is willing to protect the rights of Christians. On second thought, “When the wicked beareth rule, the people mourn” (Proverbs 29:2). Anyone who thinks they can trust an unscrupulous person to rule over them in a Christian way needs to think on it a little more. It should not surprise us that someone who defends the killing of millions of unborn babies would advocate persecution of the Church.

On June 4, 2015, Rep. Louie Gohmert spoke before the United States House of Representatives and the chilling things he said were put into the Congressional Record. He said there have been articles (I assume in newspapers) that say a Catholic Bishop in Nigeria asked the United States to help the Christians that are being killed, kidnapped, raped and abused by the violent Islamic terrorists known as Boko Haram.

Mr. Gohmert said according to these articles, officials in the Obama Administration told the Catholic Bishop the Nigerian Christians would not receive any help from the United States unless they changed their laws about same-sex marriage and agreed to start paying for abortions (Google it).

Mr. Gohmert also put into the Congressional record that other members of Congress have told him the same thing that the articles said. He said other members of Congress have traveled to East African nations and come back saying the Obama Administration has informed East African Christians that the United States will help defend them against terrorism and persecution if they will change their beliefs about same-sex marriage and start paying for abortions, but the United States won’t help them if they refuse to make these changes.

Mr. Gohmert also put the following in the Congressional record: “If there is a God as the Bible talks about, there will be a price to this nation for acting in such a way.”

For this writer, the idea that Hillary Clinton and Pres. Obama want to force Christians to replace the teachings of the Word of God with the vile beliefs of the LGBT community is disturbing, disgusting and devilish. It is morally wrong; vicious and mean spirited; malicious and nasty; low down and dirty; rotten to the core. And unbecoming of any presidential candidate or president of the United States. Christians beware.

Prophecy Plus Ministries
Daymond & Rachel Duck

The assertion that Syria is on its last legs implies that the nation is crumbling and could soon fall apart. It means that Syria is being worn down and someone must act quickly or the nation will run out of troops, weapons, territory and resolve.

Iran is in a mad scramble to prevent the demise of Syria, but the situation has become critical and it may exceed Iran’s ability to help. It is extremely dangerous and there is no telling what a desperate Syria or a frantic Iran might do.

Jeremiah 49:23-27 could be coming into play. Jeremiah foresaw a time when the people in three Syrian cities (Damascus, Hamath and Arpad) will become confused, fainthearted and gripped with constant sorrow. The people of Damascus will become weak, turn to flee, be seized by fear, and be taken by anguish and sorrow as of a woman in travail. Her young men will fall in the streets, her troops will be cut off and fire will consume the city.

This could very well be a prelude to Isaiah chapter 17. That prophecy reveals that Damascus, Syria will cease to exist as a city and become a pile of rubble in one night (verses 1 and 14).

The cities of Aroer that lie just north of Damascus (some say the area includes part of northern Jordan) will be abandoned and given over to flocks of sheep (verse 2). Some of the cities in northernIsrael will be weakened and Damascus will no longer be the capital of Syria (verse 3).

War will break out with Israel, there will be great destruction in northern Israel and many Jews will go hungry (verses 4-6). But good will result from all of this because hard times will cause some of the Jews to abandon their religion of works and look to the God of Israel and trust Him (verses 7-8).

This leads us to the current situation. Since 2011, a civil war has been raging in Syria that has resulted in about 220,000 deaths; more than 7 ½ million Syrians driven to other parts of the nation; almost 4 million Syrians driven out of the country; multiplied thousands wanting to flee, but they can’t escape; women turning to prostitution to survive; almost half of the children with no school to attend and many begging for food. It is a heartbreaking situation that is growing worse by the minute.

Pres. Assad’s military has lost control of all but 20-30% of Syria’s land area. Enemies now control most of his oil and a large number of his natural gas wells. They also control most of his valuable phosphate mines. Large areas of farmland are lying fallow because the farmers have been killed or fled to other areas.

The Syrian military is fighting a war on five different fronts and it is losing on all of them. Many soldiers have been killed. Many others have laid down their weapons and left the battlefield. Many towns and villages have been abandoned. Syrian men under 42 years of age are being rounded up and forced into the military. Syrian women are being recruited to serve in the military.

Muslim rebels and Islamic State forces have Damascus almost surrounded and at least one group that is armed and funded bySaudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkey has said Damascus is its next target. Russia has already started withdrawing her advisors (and their families) that were working in Syria’s war room at Damascus.

Hezbollah and Iran have sent in some troops, but those troops have been unable to turn the tide. Iranian soldiers are now supervising some Syrian troops, but this is causing dissention in what is left of the demoralized and decimated Syrian military.

Ehud Yaari, a highly respected expert on the Middle East, said the end of Pres. Assad’s government is near. Yair Golan, Deputy Chief of Staff for the Israeli Defense Forces said, “De facto (in effect), the Syrian army has ceased to exist. Sean Osborne, a retired military man and excellent prophecy teacher, believes we are witnessing the final days of Pres. Assad’s reign.

If these men are right (and it looks like they are), perhaps we should recall something Pres. Assad said back in 2012 when it looked like his government would soon fall. He said he would attack Israelbefore he will step down or be defeated.

And then there was that report in January 2014 that said he met with his top military leaders and ordered them to launch Syria’s ballistic missiles at Israel if he is killed in Syria’s ongoing civil war. That report said he believes he would secure a positive legacy by making the destruction of Israeli cities the final act of his life.

Whether he launches his missiles at Israel or the Islamic State troops or the rebels that are trying to overthrow him is a matter of conjecture at this time, but no one needs to speculate about this: In a war with Israel, Damascus is destined to become a pile of rubble in one night.

Before closing (and for your information) in my recent article titled “Showdown” I wrote, “The U.S. is working with France to draft a resolution for presentation to the UN Security Council shortly after the P5 + 1 is supposed to have a final agreement with Iran over her nuclear weapons . . .

So, supposedly (but probably not long) after June 30, 2015 the UN Security Council will pass a resolution to give Israel and the PA 18 months (perhaps until early 2017) to negotiate a peace treaty.”

It is now being reported that France will submit the resolution to the UN Security Council after the 70th session of the UN begins on September 15, 2015. Count off 18 months and you arrive at the spring of 2017.

Prophecy Plus Ministries
Daymond & Rachel Duck