Jeremiah 49 Elam Destruction

Mike Huckabee, US ambassador to Israel, has perhaps framed my thinking in this commentary.

He says that US B-2 bombers “need to visit Yemen” after Houthis missile intercepted.

“We thought we were done with missiles coming to Israel, but Houthis just lit one up over us in Israel,” the ambassador noted after the first missile attack since the Iran war. “The law of Yemen is the law of Tehran,” he wrote. “After we strike the head of the serpent in Tehran, we will also strike the tail of the serpent in Yemen” (Rapture Ready News, July 2, 2025).

Huckabee’s words validate that the 12-Day War between Israel and Iran, as it has been termed, isn’t over. This is no surprise to any Bible student who is familiar with God’s prophetic Word. The war with Israel’s surrounding enemies has been waged for thousands of years, and we know from Bible prophecy that the conflict hasn’t come to an end with the B-2 bombers dropping multiple bunker-buster bombs down the center of the mountain hiding the Iranian Fordow nuclear facility.

The leak to CNN and others from out of the Department of Defense claiming that the huge ordnance sent into that facility three hundred feet beneath the mountain didn’t finish off the Iranian nuclear program, whether true or not, has created a strong sense that there’s more to be done to end the Iranian regime’s nuclear-weapons ambitions.

The leakers inside the DOD, who are being pursued by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and by the Trump administration, are thought to be of the deep-state variety. These, it is charged, want never-ending war, particularly in the Middle East, to feed the greed of the so-called military-industrial complex. (That, plus the desire to bring down the presidency of Donald J. Trump.)

Some who study Bible prophecy from the pre-Trib perspective have suggested that this strike to rid Iran of its nuclear program was the fulfillment of the following Jeremiah 49 prophecy:

“The word of the LORD that came to Jeremiah the prophet against Elam in the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah king of Judah, saying, Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Behold, I will break the bow of Elam, the chief of their might. And upon Elam will I bring the four winds from the four quarters of heaven, and will scatter them toward all those winds; and there shall be no nation whither the outcasts of Elam shall not come. For I will cause Elam to be dismayed before their enemies, and before them that seek their life: and I will bring evil upon them even my fierce anger, saith the LORD; and I will send the sword after them, till I have consumed them: And I will set my throne in Elam, and will destroy from thence the king and the princes, saith the LORD. But it shall come to pass in the latter days, that I will bring again the captivity of Elam, saith the LORD” (Jeremiah 49:34-39).

The prophecy certainly seems to fit, in some respects, with what the Israel’s IDF and America’s B-2 attacks wrought in Iran.

My good friend Bill Salus, whom I believe has a Holy Spirit-directed focus on the evil in the Middle East against God’s chosen nation, Israel, wrote several years ago with uncanny accuracy about the Jeremiah 49 prophecy.

In this prophecy, Jeremiah declares that a time would arrive when the Lord would be furious with the leadership of Iran. We know this because Jeremiah 49:38 says that the kings and the princes will be destroyed. This most likely represents the Iranian government in place when the prophecy occurs. The Lord would never destroy good kings and princes, so we can safely presume that bad Iranian leadership is the problem.

An example of good Iranian leadership was King Cyrus the Great of Persia, who lived between 600-529 BC. Isaiah 44-45 predicted his arrival on the world scene a century before Cyrus was even born. Isaiah called Cyrus by name and confirmed that he was anointed by the Lord. If Iran’s current supreme leader, Ayatollah Khamenei, was a good leader like Cyrus, then Jeremiah 49:34-39 would not be a NOW prophecy. The Lord would be pleased with the Ayatollah rather than furious with him.

But why is the Lord fiercely angry with the government of Iran at the time of the prophecy? The reason is because Iran wants to launch something powerful somewhere. This is why the Lord will break the bow at the foremost of Iran’s might in order to prevent such a lethal launch.

But where does Iran want to launch something powerful? (The Now Prophecies by Bill Salus, Prophecy Depot Publishing, 2016)

Despite the Israeli Defense Force reportedly taking out almost all the Iranian regime’s leadership, and most of the nuclear scientists involved with the weapons program, and American bombers “totally obliterating” the Fordow facility, according to President Trump and Secretary Hegseth, there is growing evidence that Iran is back at it. That is, enough of Iran’s nuclear program survived to begin anew the development of nuclear bombs, some sources say.

Satellite and other surveillance apparently observed a number of eighteen-wheeler-type trucks moving from the Fordow facility just before the attack by the B-2 bombers. This indicates, to those who are concerned, that the ninety-something canisters of enriched uranium were removed to another location or locations. That nuclear material, the sources say, was almost at the point of being usable to construct the nuclear weapons the regime is determined to affix onto the nose of their ballistic missiles.

Whatever the case, it’s obvious that the total destruction indicated in the Jeremiah 49 prophecy against Elam hasn’t yet been fulfilled. The inhabitants haven’t been totally dispatched from the area. The nuclear fallout that many of us think is part of this prophecy that will scatter the inhabitants of Elam far and wide hasn’t occurred. Not yet.

My thinking, as I wrote above, as framed by Ambassador Mike Huckabee’s words on the need perhaps for the B-2s to again be used, is that Iran will again be struck in powerful attacks. With the brilliance of Israeli intelligence and the sophisticated technologies to detect movement of assets, one must presume that if the canisters of enriched uranium or whatever were transported to safety, Israel—and America—know with precision where they now are.

I very strongly suspect that at the appropriate time, if these nuclear materials exist, they will be hit. Could this be when the full extent of this prophecy about Elam’s destruction reaches the beginning of its fulfillment?

—Terry

 ***Pakistani Christian Ministry Need***

The Pakistani minister that you, our RR family, have so generously supported in the past brought to my attention a need in his ministry work at this time.

Prophecy Power: Strength From God To Face Your Future, my Sunday School quarterly-size book, which the minister translated into his Urdo Language, has once again been reprinted thanks to the generosity of a wonderful Rapture Ready friend.

However, the distribution of that little book needs additional funding in order for the continuing delivery of God’s end times Message to take place throughout that spiritually dark region.

If you are able and willing to support this much needed distribution effort, please go to my blog website and see where to send your donation. Any help will be much appreciated.

Here is the link: Please donate to this Gospel witness effort in Pakistan « Terry James Prophecy Line 

This is a vital Mission in reaching out with the Gospel, using God’s Prophetic Truth at the center of the Message. As always, I’m Thankful for you, my Sisters and Brothers, for your compassion and generosity. I know your Rewards will be Great when our Heavenly Crowns are handed out during that Time before the Throne.

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Why Is Modern Israel Prophetically Significant?

Most churches today believe that Israel’s existence doesn’t matter in regard to Bible prophecy. The popular message is that the Church is now biblical Israel and that modern-day Israel is no different than any other nation with the same challenges and threats to its existence.

I can think of many reasons why such a dismissal of Israel’s prophetic significance is wholly unbiblical; here are a few of them:

The Lord’s Many Promises to Restore a Kingdom to Israel

The Old Testament prophets repeatedly predicted a future restoration of Israel with a descendant of David reigning over it. In Zephaniah 3:20, the Lord made this key promise to the nation:

“’At that time I will bring you in,
at the time when I gather you together;
for I will make you renowned and praised
among all the peoples of the earth,
when I restore your fortunes
before your eyes,’ says the Lord.”

At no time since the Lord spoke these words through the prophet have the Jewish people occupied such a place of honor among the “peoples of the earth.” It’s been exactly the opposite.

Notice the permanence of the restoration that the Lord promises Israel through the Prophet Amos:

“’I will restore the fortunes of my people Israel,
and they shall rebuild the ruined cities and inhabit them;
they shall plant vineyards and drink their wine,
and they shall make gardens and eat their fruit.
I will plant them on their land,
and they shall never again be uprooted
out of the land that I have given them,’
says the Lord your God” (Amos 9:14-15).

With words that can only apply to Jacob’s descendants, God promises a lasting restoration with many physical blessings. How can these words even remotely apply to the church today apart from doing great damage to the understanding Lord intended for them at the time He spoke them through Amos?

When the disciples asked Jesus if He intended to “at this time restore the kingdom to Israel,” He didn’t chide them for asking a foolish question or deny that it would happen someday. Instead, He told them that their timing was wrong and turned their attention to the task ahead for them (Acts 1:6-8).

The Bible Predicted the Israel that We See Today

What we see in modern Israel aligns perfectly with what the prophets wrote about the nation in the last days. God’s Word predicted that:

• Israel would become a nation again “in one day” (Isaiah 66:8).
• Israel would initially exist in a state of unbelief (Ezekiel 37:1-14).
• The nations would seek to divide the Land of Israel and mistreat the Jewish people (Joel 3:1-3).
• Jerusalem would attract the world’s attention (Zechariah 12:3).
• Israel would build a temple while still in a state of unbelief (Daniel 9:27; Matthew 24:15).
• Rather than rely on God for protection, Israel would agree to a covenant with the antichrist (Daniel 9:26-27; Isaiah 28:14-18).

All of the above prophecies align perfectly with what we see today. Israel miraculously became a nation in one day on May 14, 1948, and while many believers live there, the majority of its people still reject Jesus as their Messiah. The passion for building a third temple grows by the day, which the Bible tells us will be in place by the midpoint of the seven-year Tribulation when the antichrist will desecrate it.

As I was working on this article, Israel announced that it had two red heifers that qualified for the purifying of the temple and practiced offering it upon an altar.

God’s Steadfast Love Guarantees a Future for Israel

Third, God’s “steadfast love” also verifies that He has not replaced Israel with the church. He cannot renege on the solemn promises He made to Jacob’s descendants.

The Hebrew word for “steadfast love” is chesed. Some Bible versions translate it as “lovingkindness” or simply “kindness.” The full meaning of the word is difficult to convey with just one word or phrase. It denotes the Lord’s enduring covenant relationship with His people, including His never-ending faithfulness and unfailing love for them.

The essence of chesed is a permanent and long-lasting covenant that depends on God’s faithfulness, not that of His people. The Lord never lets go of His own. In the Old Testament, it denoted the permanence of His relationship with the Jewish people. This does not imply that every descendant of Jacob will inherit eternal life, not at all, but that God will never forget His promises to the nation and its people. The Land belongs to them via an “everlasting covenant” (Psalm 105:7-11).

The Good News for Us

God’s steadfast love for His own is exceedingly good news for us. As saints redeemed by the blood of Jesus, we also have a covenant relationship with God. Hebrews 9:14-15 says that Christ “is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance, since a death has occurred that redeems them from the transgressions committed under the first covenant.”

As such, we also fall under the umbrella of chesed, God’s covenant love for His own. In our case, it’s not with a nation or particular race of people but with all who trust Jesus alone for eternal life.

Just as with Israel, God will never let us go; we are eternally secure. Ephesians 1:13-14 says we “were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.”

Israel indeed matters to Bible prophecy. We dare not confuse it with the church because it matters in our understanding of Bible prophecy, God, the times in which we live, and our secure position in Christ as justified saints.

God’s love for us is permanent (chesed); He never lets go of His own. He never reneges on His promises to them. Never!

The words of David in Psalm 40:11 apply to all who belong to the Lord:

As for you, O Lord, you will not restrain
your mercy from me;
your steadfast love [chesed] and your faithfulness will
ever preserve me!

-Jonathan

 

Almost Persuaded

When I heard the words, I sat a bit straighter in my chair while the president ended his uncharacteristically brief speech. He was reporting the “total obliteration” of Iran’s nuclear facility buried 300 feet below a mountainous terrain.

In ending his speech, Mr. Trump thanked the pilots who flew the B2 bombers that released the “bunker buster” bombs. He thanked the Israeli military for their work in making it possible to fly to the targets in an uninhibited way. He then thanked God, and followed that by what made me sit straighter in my chair.

The president of the United States said, “We love you, God.”

Never had I ever heard such words coming from a president of the United States. And it came from a man I have always supported, yet have said he isn’t a godly man – but is God’s man for this time and place so near the end of this Church Age.

What does this statement mean? Is it a statement just for speechifying? Is it a comment of momentary elation over a spectacularly successful mission sent by this presidential administration? Is it made just to solidify and satisfy the president’s evangelical Christian base? Is it a genuine thanks to the God of Heaven made by a worldly man who has seen the light and now is a believer for Salvation of his soul?

His statement of love for God did come from a tone of heartfelt gratitude.

Regardless of the reason for saying, “We love you, God,” it is, in my view, a most significant, even profound matter in this profoundly late Prophetic hour.

Upon reflection of the statement and things going on that give evidence of God’s Great Hand in all things involved in not just Iran and the bombing of the nuclear facility but in all matters surrounding this president, my thoughts immediately leaped to the Apostle Paul and his meeting with King Agrippa.   

Paul was accused falsely of blasphemy, fomenting uprising, and for crimes of sedition and other charges. He claimed the right of a Roman Citizen and was brought before King Agrippa.

The apostle laid out before the king how he had greatly persecuted Christians but that Christ disrupted his journey on the road to Damascus. He told of Jesus’ Words to him and all the rest. How he was thus converted to the Christian Faith.

Festus, who brought him before the king, was incredulous. Here is the account.

“And as he thus spake for himself, Festus said with a loud voice, Paul, thou art beside thyself; much learning doth make thee mad. But he said, I am not mad, most noble Festus; but speak forth the words of truth and soberness. For the king knoweth of these things, before whom also I speak freely: for I am persuaded that none of these things are hidden from him; for this thing was not done in a corner. King Agrippa, believest thou the prophets? I know that thou believest. Then Agrippa said unto Paul, Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian. And Paul said, I would to God, that not only thou, but also all that hear me this day, were both almost, and altogether such as I am, except these bonds” (Acts 24-29).

So, I am led in my spirit to wonder, based upon his being spared death in the assassination attempt, whether our president, in view of his “We love you, God” prayer-like words stem from his conversion like the Apostle Paul’s, or to the “almost I am persuaded” words of near conversion like in the case of King Agrippa.

I prayerfully hope, of course, that it is the former rather than the latter of those possibilities that is the case.

But the real point in pursuing this line of thought with this commentary involves the number one prophetic indicator of where we stand on God’s Prophetic Timeline. I mean, of course, the nation Israel.

A prominent Jewish writer presented for me a most interesting segway into my thinking with regard to matters somewhat akin to the Apostle Paul’s meeting with King Agrippa. The writer offers a novelist’s perspective into the Jewish look at Bible prophecy. It fits within our theme, “Almost persuaded.”

“The Bible is a story,” the Yeshiva University philosophy professor told a global audience Thursday evening. “It has a beginning, middle, and an end—and we are the characters writing its final chapters.”

[Rabbi Yosef Bronstein’s] thesis was unlike anything being said by other commentators: this isn’t about ancient prophecies coming true, but about understanding ourselves as active participants in a divine narrative that began with creation and is racing toward its climactic conclusion. By Sunday night, as President Trump announced Iran’s nuclear program had been “completely and totally obliterated,” Rabbi Bronstein’s vision of real-time biblical storytelling seemed prophetic.

The author of Engaging the Essence: The Torah Philosophy of the Lubavitcher Rebbe wasn’t offering traditional religious commentary. Instead, he presented something far more compelling: a framework for understanding current events as the latest chapters in the ultimate story ever told.

“The Bible begins with Genesis—’In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth’—and ends with the eschatological perfect world where God’s presence is revealed for all to see,” explained Rabbi Bronstein, who leads a rabbinical training center in Efrat and holds a PhD in Talmudic studies. “In between, you have an unfolding story where God is constantly trying to push the world forward from creation all the way to redemption.”…

Three days after his presentation, as Iran’s nuclear facilities lay in ruins and the world witnessed what seemed like divine intervention through human action, Rabbi Bronstein’s vision of participatory biblical narrative seemed less like literary theory and more like an instruction manual for understanding our times.

We aren’t just witnessing history—we’re writing the Bible’s final chapters. And the story, Rabbi Bronstein suggests, is approaching its long-awaited happy ending. Source: “We Are Characters in God’s Story” – Scholar Reveals How Israel’s War Writes the Bible’s Final Chapters, Elie Mischel, Biblical News Israel365 June 23, 2025

This author, an orthodox rabbi, is persuaded that God’s Story of humankind is right and true and he can see it developing to a “happy ending.” But he, along with all who are of belief held within Judaism, as well as all other belief systems not centered in Jesus Christ, are almost persuaded, just as was King Agrippa almost persuaded when Paul preached to him. Sadly, tragically, theirs, apart from coming to Belief in God’s only Way to Salvation –His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ—is destined to end in Eternal separation from God and Heavenly Bliss. It will, for these, not be a happy ending.

This is why it is vital that we who name that Majestic, Holy Name Witness as never before to those who need to come to Jesus, Who is the only way, truth, and life that leads to the Heavenly Father and Happiness in Heaven Forever.

Here, again, is how to witness to those who are not yet persuaded.

“That if you will confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and will believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart man believes unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation” (Romans 10:9-10).

             –Terry

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The Days of Noah Come to Life

Do you know there’s credible evidence regarding the discovery of Noah’s ark? In 1959, a Turkish army captain and pilot, Ihan Durupinar, noticed what appeared to be the outline of a large ship near Mount Ararat on the eastern edge of modern-day Turkey. His pictures of what appeared to be the shape of a large seagoing vessel encased in mud attracted worldwide attention, led to the investigation of the site by experts, and attracted thousands of visitors to the site.

Rick Renner, in his book World Before the Flood, recounts the evidence that resulted from the analysis of the site. The length and width of the ship precisely match the dimensions of Noah’s Ark recorded in Genesis 6:15-16. Through the use of advanced technology, we know the buried seaworthy vessel had three levels, which also matches the Lord’s instructions to Noah.

Furthermore, those investigating the site discovered twenty-six huge drogue stones near the site, which ancient sailors used to stabilize ships and keep them from capsizing. The number and size of these stones found near the site of the ark fit with what it would have needed, given its size and weight, to survive the tumultuous beginning to the Genesis flood.

The location of such a large ship also confirms that it’s Noah’s Ark. The nearest body of water, the Caspian Sea, is about 500 miles away.

Although the site didn’t receive much attention until 1959, the Kurds who live near the site claim that Noah’s Ark emerged from the mud because of an earthquake that impacted the area in 1948. According to my research, there was a strong earthquake in nearby Kumukh, Russia, on June 29, 1948, that could’ve impacted the site, causing the form of the ark to become visible.

A Coincidence?

In His Olivet Discourse about the end times, Jesus predicted the reemergence of Israel as a nation and warned about life resembling the days of Noah. How can it be a coincidence that today we have visual evidence of Noah’s Ark along with the miraculous rebirth and existence of Israel? And if the Kurdish people are correct about the timing of the ark’s reappearance, both happened in 1948.

I believe that the reappearance of Noah’s Ark is yet another warning that we live in the time Jesus described in Matthew 24:37-39:

“For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.”

Unaware

Despite Noah’s preaching, those living in the pre-flood era remained unaware of God’s approaching judgment. It wasn’t until Noah’s family entered the ark and the rain began falling that they knew their end had come. The people of Noah’s day ignored God’s warnings and believed nothing could interfere with their wicked lifestyle, until it was too late.

Does this not sound like today? The vast majority of people fail to recognize the time in which we live. They plan their lives as though nothing can possibly interfere with their future aspirations.

Sadly, most Christians also fall into this camp. Many of them sit under the teaching of those who teach that the Lord won’t return until the end of the age to judge the dead and inaugurate the eternal state. Such preaching contradicts what Jesus taught in Matthew 24-25 and turns the eyes of those in the pews away from the mountain of evidence confirming that we live in the last days. As a result, their view of what lies ahead for them in this life differs little from the unbelieving world.

Life as Usual

Another striking aspect of Jesus’ description of Noah’s day is that life continued as usual up to the very end. Right up to the time the rain began falling and the flood waters came, they “were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage.” His words emphasize the normality of life that accompanied their unawareness of impending destruction. Is that not also like our day?

It’s not that we do away with our routines and schedules, but that we keep in mind what lies ahead for us and the world. We live in the season of Jesus’ appearing, which means the normality of life on Earth might quickly disappear at any moment.

I believe Jesus’ comparison to the days of Noah is with the Rapture and the judgment that will soon follow it. By the time of the Second Coming, life on Earth will be far from normal. After the seal, trumpet, and bowl judgments, life on Earth will be anything but ordinary among those who somehow manage to survive. The Lord earlier described the years leading up to His return as the worst that the world had ever seen as humanity neared the point of extinction (Matthew 24:21-22).

Scoffers, Too

Do you know that the Apostle Peter faulted the latter-day scoffers with overlooking the message of the Genesis 6 flood? In 2 Peter 3:5-7, we read:

“For they deliberately overlook this fact, that the heavens existed long ago, and the earth was formed out of water and through water by the word of God, and that by means of these the world that then existed was deluged with water and perished. But by the same word the heavens and earth that now exist are stored up for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly.”

It’s significant that the apostle criticized these scoffers because of their failure to understand the significance of Noah’s flood. They may not deny that the flood happened, but they “deliberately overlook” its relevance to their understanding of Bible prophecy and hence to the day in which they live.

As a result of their failure to understand the comparison of Noah’s day to ours, they regard the Day of the Lord prophecies about a future time of God’s wrath upon the earth, the seven-year Tribulation, as either something that’s already happened in the past or symbolic of another reality.

The evidence strongly supports the conclusion that the huge seaworthy vessel, discovered near Mount Ararat, is that of Noah’s Ark.. What other explanation could there be for such a large ship so far from a body of water large enough to sustain it?

And given Jesus’ words comparing the last days to those of Noah’s day, it’s highly unlikely that the ark’s reappearance and the attention drawn to it are just coincidences.

-Jonathan