A faithful Rapture Ready reader recently sent me an e-mail saying this Scripture keeps coming into my mind, “For truly I say to you that many prophets and righteous men desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it” (Matt. 13:17).

The reader added, “This generation is blessed, and most don’t even realize it.”

As I understand the entire event (Matt. 13:10-17 and Jesus’ reference to Isa. 6:9-12), many of the prophets and righteous men in Old Testament times and Jesus’ day longed for the day that the Messiah would appear, but they made two mistakes:

• One, they rejected the idea or misunderstood the fact that the Messiah would come twice (a first and second coming), not just once, and…
• Two, they focused on the Messiah’s reign as King (Second Coming and Millennial reign), overlooked His death, burial, and resurrection (first coming), and failed to realize that there would be an interval (Church Age) between the first and second coming.

They were enthusiastic about learning the Scriptures and the reign of their King, but they did not understand or hear that the gospel (death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus) and Church Age would happen before Jesus came to rule on earth.

They were blessed to walk the earth when more than one hundred first-coming prophecies were being fulfilled, but they did not understand the incredible events that were taking place.

Having said this, I totally agree with the Rapture Ready reader’s statement that “This generation (our generation) is blessed, and most don’t even realize it.”

Many pastors and church members are so focused on the first coming (and it is all-important) that they do not understand the incredible events that are happening now.

Pastors and church members who are not interested in Bible prophecy today are missing a blessing by not focusing on the fact that Messiah is coming twice, and there is an interval between those two magnificent events.

Think about it: The King is coming at the end of the Tribulation Period.

It looks like that is close, but many are not interested.

Here are some current events that seem to indicate that history is approaching the Tribulation Period.

One, concerning wars and rumors of wars: on Nov. 6, 2023, Russia’s Foreign Minister said the West’s policy is on full display in Ukraine, Iraq, Libya, and Syria, and it is pushing the Middle East toward a big war.

Two, concerning wars and rumors of wars and Israel being attacked by all the nations around her at the end of the age: on Nov. 8, 2023, a top Hamas official told the New York Times that Hamas did not attack Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, to improve the life of Palestinians in Gaza (the attack was not to get more water, fuel, electricity, better jobs, etc. for the Palestinians).

He said Hamas attacked Israel to spread the war to all of Israel’s borders (sounds like Psa. 83; Isa. 17, and Ezek. 38-39), put the Palestinian issue back on the table, get all the Arabs to join the war on Hamas’ side, and to wake up the world.

Three, concerning Russia, Iran, and others attacking Israel (the Battle of Gog and Magog) in the latter days and latter years: on Nov. 10, 2023, Joel Rosenberg, editor-in-chief of All Israel News and All Arab News, reported on an interview he had with Gideon Sa’ar—a member of Netanyahu’s cabinet—who said he dropped his opposition to Netanyahu and joined his cabinet because Russia’s Pres. Putin “has now decided to openly side with the Iranian regime and the leadership of Hamas against the State of Israel.”

Four, concerning the Battle of Gog and Magog and the fact that the Word of God must be fulfilled: on Nov. 9, 2023, Iran’s Foreign Min. said, “Due to the expansion of the intensity of the war against Gaza’s civilian residents, expansion of the scope of the war has become inevitable.”

Hassan Nasrallah, head of Hezbollah, said, “What is happening now along the Israeli-Lebanese border is significant, and it is not the end.”

The U.S. warned Iran and Hezbollah that the U.S. is prepared to get involved militarily if they expand the war.

Five, concerning Hezbollah: on Nov. 9, 2023, Israel’s Defense Min. said (my words for the sake of clarity):

• Hezbollah is getting close to being wiped out.
• What Israel is doing in Gaza, Israel can do in Lebanon.
• Israel has used less than 10% of its Air Force’s power in Gaza.

Six, concerning wars and rumors of wars: on Nov. 9, 2023, it was reported that Iranian proxies have attacked U.S. troops in Syria and Iraq 46 times in the last 30 days, and Pres. Biden has responded by attacking an empty warehouse in Syria that Iran sometimes uses for weapons storage.

(My opinion: The U.S. should be more concerned than it is about Iran’s efforts to acquire nuclear weapons, and about terrorists coming across America’s open border with Mexico.)

(More: As of Nov. 14, Iranian proxies have continued to attack U.S. troops in Syria and Iraq, and the U.S. has struck back twice.)

Seven, concerning world government and the Mark of the Beast: on Nov. 7, 2023, it was reported that Brazil plans to follow World Health Organization (WHO) recommendations by requiring children between the age of 6 months and 5 years to be vaccinated for Covid-19.

Families that refuse to comply will not be eligible to draw welfare; they may be treated as criminals (fined, sent to prison) and have their children taken away from them.

Eight, concerning the decline of America and a U.S. economic collapse: according to the U.S. government, the U.S. now owes $33.6 trillion, and the interest on that this year was $1.027 trillion.

A collapse of the U.S. economy would collapse the global economy.

U.S. financial support for the war in Ukraine and Israel’s war with Hamas is causing this situation to worsen fast.

(More: On Nov. 10, 2023, it was reported that the Federal Reserve raised interest rates seven times in 2022 and 4 times in 2023 to slow inflation. Now, because of high interest rates and a failure to curb government spending, Moody’s Investor Service has lowered its rating outlook on the U.S. from stable to negative.)

(More: On Nov. 13, 2023, the U.S. Homeland Security Committee reported that immigrants coming across the U.S.-Mexico border have cost U.S. taxpayers $451 billion for housing, education, health care costs, property damage, etc. Another report said 6.5% of the children in school are illegal immigrants.)

Nine, concerning the coming one world false religion: on Nov. 11, 2023, Pope Francis removed Bishop Joseph Strickland, the conservative Bishop over the Catholic Diocese of Tyler, TX.

When asked why he was removed, Strickland said, “The only answer I have to that is because forces in the Church right now don’t want the truth of the gospel.”

Strickland believes that some of those who hold high positions in the Roman Catholic Church may not be saved.

Here are some daily updates on Israel’s war with Hamas:

Wednesday, Nov. 8, 2023

• Erdogan of Turkey and Pres. Raisi of Iran met, expressed support for Hamas, and condemned Israel.

Thursday, Nov. 9, 2023

• Israel agreed to 4-hour daily pauses in the war to let Palestinians leave northern Gaza.
• Israel said it has destroyed 130 tunnels since the war began on Oct. 7, 2023.
• Hamas asked for a 3-day pause in the war in exchange for the release of 10-15 hostages.
• Israel captured the military headquarters of Hamas in Gaza, including many military intelligence documents.
• Israel’s Defense Min. said, “This entire city (Gaza City) is one big terror base. There are kilometers of tunnels underground. They connect to hospitals, to schools. They are connected to each other. They have communication rooms, ammunition depots, places to sleep in order to serve as a base of terrorism from which the citizens of the State of Israel and IDF soldiers can be harmed.”
• Hamas has placed command posts under every hospital in the Gaza Strip.
• Israeli troops have surrounded all the hospitals.
• Explosions were heard near four hospitals in Gaza (3 regular hospitals and a pediatrics hospital in Gaza City).
• Thousands of Gazans have left Gaza City’s main hospital, Al Shifa.
• Israel claims that it has the top leader of Hamas cornered.
• More than one hundred employees of the UN have been killed in the conflict.
• Israel increased today’s 4-hour pause to 6 hours for citizens to leave northern Gaza.
• Citizens who have not left Gaza City are facing severe shortages of food and water, with fighting raging in the streets.
• While searching a house, Israeli troops found the entrance to a Hamas tunnel under a child’s bed.
• Hezbollah also has sites in the Gaza Strip, and Israel started attacking them today in response to Hezbollah attacks on Israel from Lebanon.
• Hezbollah announced plans to start using more powerful weapons during its attacks on Israel.
• Israel responded that what Israel is doing in Gaza, Israel can do in Lebanon.

Friday, Nov. 10, 2023 (Day 35)

• Multitudes have run out of food, and there is no place to buy anything.
• Bodies are being lined up along streets and covered with blankets.
• The refrigerators where bodies are usually kept are full, and there is no electricity to keep the bodies cold.
• There is a growing concern about the spread of diseases.
• Twenty hospitals are surrounded by Israeli troops.
• There are patients who need surgery, but the hospitals are out of food, water, medicine, fuel, electricity, etc.
• Representatives from 57 Islamic-Arab nations have gathered to discuss Israel’s attack on Gaza.
• They are blaming Israel for killing women and children, ignoring what Hamas did that started the war.

Saturday, Nov. 11, 2023

• Israel has struck more than 15,000 targets in Gaza.
• Turkey’s Pres. Erdogan called for an international peace conference to produce a permanent solution to the Middle East conflict.
• Israel’s Defense Min. said, “When the war is over, there will be no Hamas.”

Sunday, Nov. 12, 2023

• Clashes between Israel and Hezbollah on Israel’s northern border with Lebanon are becoming more frequent and destructive.
• Turkey’s Pres. Erdogan urged Islamic and Arab nations to increase the pressure on the U.S. to halt Israel’s attack on Hamas.

Monday, Nov. 13, 2023

• Hezbollah injured at least 18 Israeli citizens by firing rockets and anti-tank weapons into Israel.
• Israel said Hezbollah is pushing their luck.
• 3 million Palestinians have fled their homes (two-thirds of the population).
• Documents that Israel captured from Hamas reveal plans to attack Israel a second time after the Oct. 7, 2023 attack.
• More than 100 dead bodies are piled up (and rotting) in the courtyard outside the Al-Shifa hospital.
• Israel showed members of the press video of a Hamas tunnel in the basement under the Rantisi hospital (Israel also found computers, weapons, explosives, and money in the tunnel).
• Israel showed members of the press video of a Hamas commander’s house with a nearby tunnel that was built next to a school.
• Israel killed 21 Hamas terrorists who were launching rocket-propelled grenades and an anti-tank missile from the Al-Quds hospital in Gaza City.
• 27 EU member states signed a statement of condemnation of Hamas for using human shields in its war against Israel.
• Israel contends that Hamas had a command center under the Al-Shifa hospital in Gaza.
• Biden insisted that the Al-Shifa hospital in Gaza must be protected.

Tuesday, Nov. 14, 2023

• Hamas started the war with 24 battalions of troops, and they are down to nine.
• Israeli tanks and armored vehicles are just a few yards from the Al-Shifa hospital, but Israeli troops have not yet entered the hospital (according to the UN, there may be as many as 10,000 people inside. One report said some people who have tried to leave have been shot in their legs).
• A doctor at Al-Shifa hospital said medical staff have buried 200 bodies in a mass grave on hospital grounds.
• During the interrogation of several captured Hamas terrorists on video, one admitted that Hamas commanders ride in ambulances, and another admitted that Hamas leaders were hiding in the basement of Al-Shifa hospital.
• Israel said they have intercepted Hamas calls with terrorists talking about using ambulances, Israel has made videos of rocket launchers inside schools, etc.
• In Gaza City, Israel captured the Hamas Parliament building, the so-called governor’s house, offices of Gaza’s military wing and police, offices of Hamas’s intelligence division, and other important targets.
• Al-Shifa hospital is a complex with many buildings.
• At Al-Shifa hospital, Israeli forces entered the emergency and surgery departments.
• At Al-Shifa hospital, Israeli troops started going room to room in some buildings, asking all males 16-40 to go out to the courtyard where they pass through a scanner that checks for weapons.
• Israeli officials said they found an operational command center with weapons, combat gear, technological equipment, grenades, ammunition, and more in the basement of Al-Shifi hospital, and they plan to keep searching.

Also, on Nov. 14, 2023, greatly respected prophecy teacher and author Amir Tsarfati commented on Israel’s war with Hamas in a Special Newsletter.

His comments are very important, and here is just part of what he said (as I understand it in my words for the sake of brevity):

• Hamas assumed Iran, Hezbollah, Yemen, and others would join them in the fight against Israel, but that hasn’t happened.
• Hamas assumed they would be safe dispersed among their human shields (the Palestinian people), so they hid under hospitals, mosques, schools, playgrounds, etc., but that was wrong.
• Hamas assumed they would be safe in tunnels while Israel dropped a few bombs, but their tunnels have turned into a trap.
• Hamas assumed Israel would drop a few bombs and stop, but Israel dropped hundreds of bombs, sent in tanks and troops, and hasn’t stopped.
• Hamas assumed the EU, U.S., and others in the Middle East would force Israel to back off, but Israel hasn’t backed off.
• Hamas assumed that Israel is a weak and divided nation, but Hamas’ extreme evil united the citizens of Israel.

Tsarfati said Hamas trusted in her allies, human shields, tunnels, and other factors, but Israel’s God has proven that He is greater than all those things, and Hamas may soon cease to exist.

More of Tsarfati’s videos and writings can be found at beholdisrael.org.

(My opinion: Israel will fight many wars between now and the Second Coming of Jesus at the end of the Tribulation Period, but Israel will not be defeated. Jehovah is using Bible prophecy and Israel to prove to the world that He alone is God.)

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

 

“When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost” (John 19:30).

You know what an IOU is, right? It’s a promise you make when someone has done something for you, and you can’t repay them for the kindness right then. You give an IOU, meaning that you appreciate what they did for you and at some future time you will repay what is owed. Depending upon how much integrity you have, you will repay your debt as soon as possible, or you will ignore the obligation entirely.

When you came to Christ, like every Christian who ever has lived, you understood that Christ paid a debt for you that you could never pay for yourself. He paid for your redemption from sin and gave you eternal life. Unless you really understand the debt He paid, you can never be grateful enough.

God created all things, but these days there is a very satanic push to question God’s truth. It’s really a no-brainer. If you think evolution is true, you believe that nothing exploded and created everything. Maybe you think a vacationing group of aliens stopped on earth to have a picnic and we evolved from the crumbs they left. Really? It’s amazing what can be imagined when people try to deny God.

You might ask, “Where did God come from?” That’s a good question, but you have to realize that God exists outside of time. When Moses saw the burning bush, he went to explore, and a voice from the bush gave him directions to approach Pharoh and ask him to set the Israelites free from slavery. Moses asked what to say if asked who sent him on this mission.

“And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you” (Exodus 3:14).

That seems a little confusing, but the truth is that God is eternal. He always was and will always be. He created heaven and earth and filled it with marvelous animals and plants. He created man and put him in a garden that provided for all his needs. God was pleased with His creation, and he cared for it. It was a perfect existence. There was a danger there, though. That danger was for Adam to eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. If he ate that fruit, he would die. To protect Him, God gave Adam the command to not eat that fruit. Just one command. He had plenty of food from all the other trees, so there was no need for disobedience. Then Adam realized all of the animals had a partner and asked God for a helpmate. God gave him Eve.

How long did this life of contentment and perfection go on?

Scripture doesn’t tell us, but things did go wrong. Eve chose to listen to the voice of deception, and Adam chose to listen to Eve. It turns out that God was correct, and they lost their place in Paradise. The serpent spoke words from Satan and convinced Eve that God was a liar and that she should eat the forbidden fruit. He focused on the one thing that God said not to do, and made it look very tempting. Eve was deceived. When Adam saw that Eve had made a choice to defy God, he made his own choice. He joined Eve in death. They didn’t fall down dead right then and there, but their immortal bodies were now mortal. They could no longer live in the Garden.

Adam’s sin has been passed down through the ages from one generation to the next. That sin has caused evil, death, and grief to be a part of life ever since. Sadly, when something bad happens to us, quite often we blame God. We ask why God allows death, illness, and other bad things to happen. Blame Satan, not God.

That sin separated humans from God. Sin will always be a debt that we have no ability to pay, but through the ages, God has opened the way for people to be reconciled to Him. God exists outside of time, and to human perception, it took ages for His plan of redemption to be fulfilled. Throughout time, Satan has been hard at work to continually deceive people into sin. The same lies he used with Eve he uses on people today. He had lied to Eve about the forbidden fruit; He twisted God’s words. God had told Adam that if he ate the fruit he would die.

“And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: for God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil” (Genesis 3:4-5).

What about today? Do you think that God is the one trying to ruin your life by telling you not to sin? Do you listen to satanic lies of the world and embrace sin? Disease riddles your body because you yield to the temptation of sexual impurity? Your liver is filled with disease because you choose to be a drunkard? The mind-altering drugs you take into your body have caused you to be demon-possessed? Still, you blame God for allowing your choice to sin to cause you trouble. That’s what sin does.

“The wages of sin is death…” (Romans 6:23a).

The death caused by our choices to live in opposition to God’s truth will bring physical death. The liver disease caused by alcoholism will cause your body to give out. The AIDS caused by homosexual activity will destroy your body and take your life. When you embrace sin, there are consequences. We can’t blame God for the choices we make. The sin of rejecting the forgiveness that comes from Christ will bring eternal death, but that’s a choice you make.

Jesus paid our sin debt. We owe Him more than an IOU.

God has never turned His back on His creation. First, He chose Abraham to be the father of the nation of Israel. It was through Abraham’s seed that the greatest blessing has come to all people. Abraham was told to leave idol worship behind, leave his pagan family, and go to a land that God would show him.

“Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee:” Genesis 12:1.

Abram, whom God renamed Abraham, had to leave the temptation of idol worship behind and move away from the people who would draw him back to sin in that pagan culture. God hadn’t stopped loving humanity, and he was putting His plan into motion. Abraham would be the father of a great nation through his son Isaac. God showed Abraham the land that would be his, and his generations to come, forever.

“And the LORD appeared unto Abram, and said, Unto thy seed will I give this land: and there builded he an altar unto the LORD who appeared unto him” (Genesis 12:7).

This land still belongs to Abraham’s descendants to this day. There are many disputes over it, but God will never revoke the ownership of Israel. The voice of Satan is being followed by people today who are trying to destroy Israel, and Israel is hated among many nations. Any Christian who is against Israel doesn’t understand Scripture. Bible prophecy tells us that the nation of Israel won’t be destroyed or removed from their God-given land.

God’s plan of redemption would take years to complete. First, the Law was given. This was a visual aid to understand how much God hates sin but loves people. There were animal sacrifices put in place that would cover sin. They couldn’t take sin away, but for a moment, the sin was covered. Never, ever was human sacrifice acceptable. Only the shedding of animal blood was a way to cover the sins of people.

“For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins” (Hebrews 10:4).

Animal blood was only a temporary covering. God’s plan was for a perfect sacrifice, once for all. That sacrifice would come through the shed blood of God Himself. Many Bible prophecies told of God being born in Bethlehem and becoming the perfect sacrifice to take our sin away.

“For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved” (John 3:16-17).

Faith in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ will save you from eternal death, not works of any kind. He paid the debt of sin that Adam incurred.

That brings me to my question, “Did you give God an IOU?” We’ve seen that sin entered because of Adam’s choice to sin and that God still loved him. We’ve seen that the Law of Moses was a way of teaching about sin and that shedding animal blood covered it. Animal blood cannot take sin away, but only the pure blood of God can take away sin.

“By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all” (Hebrews 10:10).

Jesus was the perfect Kinsman Redeemer. His mother was human. Mary was a willing servant of God but nothing more than human. In that way, Jesus was a Kinsman of humans. Human blood is tainted by sin passed down through Adam. That’s why human blood can never be shed to take away sin. That would be like using a dirty, greasy cloth to clean up a grease spill. It just wouldn’t work. Jesus was conceived by God the Holy Spirit, so there was no sin in His blood; He was fully God and fully human.

In the letter to the Romans, Paul wrote that the wages of sin is death, but there is more to that verse. “… but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:23b). If someone gives you a gift but you choose to reject it, that gift does you no good. God has given you a gift, so don’t reject it. Accept Christ’s sacrifice to bring you eternal life.

When you realized that you are a sinner and need Jesus for salvation, did you give God an IOU? Did you accept His payment but decided to pay Him back sometime in the future?

Forgiveness of sin should be a life-changing experience. The sin you thought brought you pleasure should no longer be embraced. Jesus died for you, and He paid your sin debt. Jesus paid a huge price for you. Have you accepted His free gift of salvation but choose to hold on to your sin? That’s giving him an IOU. You want the benefit of God’s grace while you continue sinning. Do you intend to eventually stop lying, gossiping, and living in open opposition to His word? Will you someday stop having one-night stands? Now is the time to turn away from the sin that brought the wages of death and turn to Christ who gives the gift of eternal life.

If you care at all about Scripture, you just might look at prophecy and see that we are rapidly coming to the end of chances to repay the IOU. Time is running out. The final seven years of life as we know it are about to be a reality. That reality will only be faced by people who have rejected Christ for salvation.

If you’ve decided to live life by the ways of the world, then you need to accept Christ now. Let Him change you from a sinner bound for Hell to a sinner saved by grace. If you claim to have accepted His gift but have given Him an IOU instead of changing your life, it’s time to repay Him in the only way you can. That’s by living your life to honor Him. He didn’t give you an IOU. He paid your debt in full.

God bless you all,

Nathele Graham

twotug@embarqmail.com

Recommended prophecy sites:

www.raptureready.com

www.prophecyupdate.com

www.raptureforums.com

All original scripture is “theopneustos,” God-breathed.

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“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee” (Psalm 122:6).