Ephesians 6:12 in Session

While at Prophecy Watchers’ studio recently, taping programs for their broadcast and podcast venues, TV hosts Gary Stearman and Mondo Gonzales asked questions relative to the material in my latest book, Tracking Toward Tribulation: And the Any-Moment Intervention by Jesus Christ.

We covered issues and events of these troubled times through the lens of Bible prophecy examined by fifteen different authors. This turned out to be, in my estimation, one of the most comprehensive “compilation” books, as we term this type of book, I’ve been a part of.

When we came to discussing one of my own contributions to the book, the chapter I called “Preparing Antichrist’s Geopolitical Platform,” either Gary or Mondo—can’t remember which—asked what I meant by the title. The questioner wanted to know, as I took it, where in Scripture I had arrived at that title and what all was involved.

The first part of the question was easy. I believe all we see happening in today’s world is driven by God’s chief antagonist, Lucifer. And when it comes to considering the geopolitical turmoil and all attendant to it, we only have to look at one verse to understand the nucleus around which all the problems within and between nation-states come:

“For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places” (Ephesians 6:12).

Here, God’s Word—through Paul, the apostle and prophet—gives information about the demonic cabal from which Satan commands all the wickedness—especially involving all the geopolitical conflict. This cabal consists—unwittingly, for the most part—of human minions as well as willing demonic minions.

So my answer to the question was that Ephesians 6:12 is the verse around which I composed this chapter for our book. Satan is the “father of lies,” God’s Word tells us. And we need look no further to understand that the world of national and international relations within governments is burgeoning to the bursting point with lies.

Satan is also the “prince of the power of the air,” we’re told in God’s Word. And the mainstream broadcasts (over the “air”) are the most prolific transmitters of the lies Satan and his minions, both demonic and human, foist upon us daily. The results are that we live on the precipice of World War III.

Certainly, I think the title of this commentary is appropriate because the oppressive evil from that satanic cabal hangs heavily over our everyday lives.

The so-called Deep State is at work within every nation on earth. Even God’s chosen nation, Israel, has a Deep State every bit as wicked as America’s own.

We see it at work against the Benjamin Netanyahu government, which tries to govern in a sensible way in order to keep Israel’s blood-vowed enemies at bay. The Jewish state’s Deep State has been as pernicious as America’s in every way possible, and anyone should be able to see that evil enclave in DC and Tel Aviv at work over the past decade and even longer.

Nowhere is this Ephesians 6:12 human-minion membership more on display than within the United Nations. The evil is so overt that only those whose consciences are seared to the point of being ineffective are completely numbed to U.N. treachery.

The following validates the UN’s Ephesians 6:12 membership, I think:

Danny Danon, the Israeli ambassador to the United Nations, slammed forces in the U.N. Security Council for “facilitating terrorism.”

“While the blood of Israeli representatives is not yet dry on the sidewalk in Washington, the Security Council is meeting to condemn Israel,” he stated. “This is a moral disgrace. Instead of condemning terrorism, it has become a tool serving those who carry it out.”

Algeria published a draft of an anti-Israel resolution “less than 24 hours after the brutal terror attack, in which two employees of the Israeli embassy in Washington were murdered,” Danon stated.

The Security Council will put the resolution to a vote on May 28.

“The draft demands the lifting of restrictions on the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza, the release of prisoners, and a complete withdrawal from Gaza—without mentioning Hamas or the terror attacks waged against Israel on Oct. 7, 2023,” the Israeli mission to the United Nations stated. (“Terror forces at work at UN while blood of Israeli embassy staffers ‘not yet dry,’ Danon says,” JNS staff, May 22, 2025)

In the interview at Prophecy Watchers, I again mentioned that Satan, no doubt, is not in the camp of the pre-Trib Rapture deniers. The devil is in total agreement with those of us who believe Jesus will one day, perhaps much sooner than is thought, call believers to Himself in that glorious event.

The devil knows the Rapture of the Church is about to happen. He has fomented all the evil and wickedness prophesied for these end times. He’s been doing all he possibly can to get the geopolitical, societal/cultural, religious, and economic platform set for placing his horrific dictator—Antichrist—on the Tribulation throne.

The Ephesians 6:12 cabal is indeed in session!

You don’t want to be left behind on this judgment-doomed, rebellious earth when Jesus takes all who have been saved by belief in Jesus’ sacrifice on Calvary for salvation of their souls to Heaven.

Here again is how to go to the eternal safety of Jesus Christ into the clouds of Glory.

“That if you will confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus Christ, 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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Unaware

Despite the 24/7 access to world events, at times, as soon as they happen, most people have no idea what’s happening behind the scenes. It’s understandable that those outside of Christ are oblivious to the unseen spiritual warfare that’s driving much of what we see. Sadly, this same unawareness typifies the majority of those who attend church on any given Sunday.

Jesus warned that such blindness would characterize humanity before His return. In Matthew 24:37-39, He compared the days of Noah to a future time when people would be unaware of the approach of another time of worldwide judgment:

“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.”

The Lord’s warning reveals at least a couple of truths that pertain to our day:

1. The current epidemic of unawareness should not surprise us; it fulfills Jesus’ prediction for the last days.
2. Most people will remain in this state of blissful ignorance until the Rapture occurs and another extended time of God’s judgment begins. Even then, the majority will refuse to repent and put their trust in Jesus.

Sadly, many believers fail to recognize that they live in biblical times despite the myriad of signs pointing to the rapidly approaching seven-year Tribulation. I believe a primary cause for such unawareness stems from a lack of understanding regarding the nature of the spiritual warfare that’s driving world events toward an inevitable conclusion. Jesus’ words in John 10:10 certainly concern our walk with Him, but do they not also include Satan’s behavior throughout our world?

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.”

The rest of the New Testament makes it abundantly clear that redeemed New Testament saints have an enemy, Satan, whose sole objective is to “steal and kill and destroy.” The Apostle Peter describes our adversary as a “roaring lion” who is constantly seeking victims to “devour” (1 Peter 5:8).

The devil continually strives to disguise the existence of the warfare that rages around us, which not only makes believers vulnerable to our enemy’s devices and attacks against them personally, but also accounts for their inability to identify the same driving force behind the headlines of our day.

John Eldredge, in his book Waking the Dead, put it like this:

Until we come to terms with war as the context of our days, we will not understand life. We will misinterpret 90 percent of what is happening around us and to us.

When we take Eldredge’s words into the realm of Bible prophecy, they point us to the failure of so many Christians to interpret world events in light of Satan’s deadly opposition to the Lord’s redemptive purposes, which began long, long ago.

Before the flood of Genesis 6, Satan sought to thwart God’s plan to send the deliverer He promised in Genesis 3:15. He attempted to destroy humanity both through violence and the contamination of its DNA. Later, after God revealed that the Promised One would come through the descendants of Jacob, he sought to “kill and destroy” them so as to prevent the birth of the Messiah.

Satan’s failure to stop the birth of the Savior and His redeeming work on the cross, however, didn’t quell his murderous rage against the Jewish people.

The devil’s fury against God and His people explains why Israel, since its miraculous rebirth as a nation in 1948, has faced almost constant warfare, terrorism, and repeated threats of impending destruction. He knows how Israel’s existence fits into God’s revealed plans to wrap up human history and inaugurate the millennial kingdom at Jesus’ Second Coming, events that spell his doom.

The world recently witnessed Satan’s savage brutality against the Jewish people in Hamas’ October 7, 2023, barbaric massacre. His obsession with murdering God’s people again manifested itself in the vicious Washington, DC, murder of Israeli embassy staff members Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim.

Why the all-out blitz to kill the Jewish people?

Our adversary has not given up on his efforts to thwart the Lord’s redemptive purposes, namely that of restoring a glorious kingdom to Israel as promised throughout the Old Testament. He understands the Lord’s intent to use the terrors of the Tribulation to bring a remnant of the Jewish people to repentance (Zechariah 12:10-13:9) before He returns to rule over Israel and all the nations of the earth.

Satan’s efforts to stop these things from happening explain a lot of what we see today as he displays his true nature of being a “murderer” and “the father of all lies” (John 8:44).

The inability of most Christians today to recognize the behind-the-scenes battle is a byproduct of the assortment of teachings rooted in the errant belief that God no longer has a purpose for Israel but is rather fulfilling his kingdom promises through the church. As a result, they have bought into the lie that the Land doesn’t belong to the Jewish people. They regard the Middle East war as no different than any other conflicts among the nations and fail to understand the prophetic implications of both the wars and the world’s obsession with bringing peace to the Middle East.

When I retired nine years ago to engage in a full-time writing ministry, I never would’ve identified such teaching, known as Replacement Theology, as a “doctrine of demons.” Since then, my time of studying and reading, along with witnessing the fruits of such teaching, has led me to the conclusion that Paul’s words in 1 Timothy 4:1 apply rather well to it.

The adherence to some form of this false teaching in most churches not only accounts for the widespread unawareness of so many believers to the prophetic signs that characterize our day, but it’s also a contributing factor to the frightening growth of antisemitism that has tragically infiltrated many churches.

-Jonathan

This Most Dangerous Moment

The message I sense in my spirit that is the most important to address is that we –humanity—are now on the precipice of history’s most dangerous moment.

It is the most dangerous because of the Forewarning Words of the very God of all creation. They are the words of Jesus when He walked in human flesh upon the streets and hills in and around Jerusalem. I would get tired of repeating them so many times in these commentaries. But I dare not stop repeating them because I sense this prophetic Message involves what I am convicted the Holy Spirit wants us to know – that is, all of humanity, both the born-again and the unsaved.

And it is dangerous, particularly to the unsaved—all of humanity who are of understanding age (age of accountability)– those who don’t know Christ for Salvation of their souls. It is also dangerous in a sense to the born-again (all who know Jesus for Salvation) – thus, because we are commanded to watch (Mark 13:37) and to Discern this late hour of the Age of Grace (Church Age). To disregard this command by the Lord is to disobey God.

Again, I’m convicted in my spirit that the world of humanity at the present hour is exactly at the time Jesus spoke of in Giving Forewarning of His next catastrophic Intervention into this world of advancing wickedness. And the conditions that the Lord Foretold to be manifest immediately before He Calls the Church into Heaven are nothing like some Bible prophecy pundits who deny the preTrib Rapture are presenting.

And, it is not my purpose to be disrespectful to the people who are misreading and falsely reporting on what Paul the apostle and even the Lord Jesus Prophesied regarding the very end of this Age of Grace. My purpose is to present the Truth so Christ’s Forewarning is Conveyed by the Holy Spirit to the understanding of mankind.  

Those Bible prophecy writers and pundits to whom I refer have taught for years that we are seeing the economy and all else get worse, and that we should prepare to enter history’s worst time –the Tribulation (Daniel’s 70^th week). They accuse that Christians have been led astray by those of us who preach, teach, broadcast, and write that Christ will Call all believers in the Rapture to Himself and safety before that terrible time of Tribulation begins. Christians, these anti-preTrib Rapture proponents declare, therefore won’t recognize Antichrist and won’t be prepared to “endure unto the end” (endure unto the Second Advent of Christ at the time of Armageddon).

For the past months, in particular the preTrib Rapture opponents, have had us look at economic conditions that are so dire that we should, they declare, recognize that the world will be swept into unprecedented depression at any moment. They say this is the beginning of the world of humanity going into the prophesied Tribulation. Indeed, things were looking extremely bleak in that regard. All of the secular economic gurus agreed that depression is on the way. It cannot be avoided or averted.

My own take has been focused not on what men say but on what the Lord Jesus Christ Foretold for the end of this Age of Grace. And, please understand, I have no delusions of grandeur that I’m an Old Testament-type prophet, nor even one who has had a “word of Knowledge,” as some claim to have. I just read what our Lord says about the end things and believe him. Therefore, the Holy Spirit Directs as I adhere to God’s Holy Word. Any Christian can do the same.

I have written that I believe there will be no great economic disaster on a worldwide scale; neither will there be a nuclear conflict that will be world-rending.

The Lord, through His Word and prayerful consideration thereof, made it Known to me that the economy will, at the end of this Age of Grace, be, rather than in great depression, in a business- as-usual condition. My spiritual understanding has been –and I’ve written on it probably until folks are tired of reading it—that I believe Jesus said it will be business even better than usual at the time He was referring to, as recorded in Luke 17:28-30.

Here again is that prophecy for when He next catastrophically Intervenes into the wicked affairs of mankind.

“Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded; But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all. Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed” (Luke 17:28-30).

Again, I believe the Lord was saying here that at the time He next catastrophically Intervenes into the affairs of mankind, business will be booming, not in a state of depression and calamity. Sodom and Gomorrah, at the time Lot lived there and served as a city administrator and judge, were the envy of the entire region. Business was booming –while just beneath the surface of civility, those twin cities were probably the most wicked and debauched on earth. Jesus Foretold it will be just like that when He next Reveals Himself to mankind. The Righteous (represented here by Lot) will be removed, then destruction will befall those left behind.

Now we come to the present time on this wicked, debauched Planet Earth. Until recently, the economic outlook was bleak –very bleak. Depression and worse looked to be on the cusp of plunging mankind into both economic disaster and World War III. Wars and rumors thereof were –and remain—in the news.

I believe that we are being shown that God is still in complete Control, no matter how bleak things look. Jesus –God Himself—has Foretold about this very moment just before the world plunges into that abyss the pundits, secular and some Bible teacher sorts have predicted for years.

Suddenly, we see the world of economy begin to bloom. Remember, I’ve written that I believe Donald John Trump is not a godly man, but he is, I have no doubt, God’s man for this hour.

He is a builder and negotiator like none I can recall, either by observation or by my understanding of human history. I believe that we are about to witness an economic Boom.

And even our friends who oppose teaching the preTrib Rapture are lightening up a bit, although never coming into the preTrib camp. I offer as evidence these brief prompts from one such writer. The first is found in our Rapture Ready News list for Tuesday, May 11, 2025. The second is a couple of days later, May 13, when Trump’s bringing the UK, China, and other nations into talks about trade has begun producing spectacular results in economic upswing worldwide. Even the previously skeptical Wall Street types are now predicting not gloom and doom but a boom if things keep moving ahead under the direction of Mr. Trump.

On May 11, the writer’s take was almost Tribulation gloomy:

Financial Stress Is at An All-Time High For 70 Percent of Americans
When you don’t have enough money to pay the bills, it can make for a lot of sleepless nights. If you are in that position right now, I want you to know that you are definitely not alone. I have heard from so many people that are being absolutely crushed by our ongoing cost-of-living crisis that seems to have no end in sight. Just about everything has become substantially more expensive over the past five years, and now the global trade war threatens to push prices for foreign-made goods into the stratosphere.

On May 13, after Trump began his bringing together top nations to talk trade deals, the writer has lightened his dire presentation –but only to a degree, and with a tone of sarcastic wit.

The Truth About The “Trade Deal” With China
Everybody is so happy right now. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up more than 1,000 points today, the talking heads on television are bubbling over with optimism, and even many of President Trump’s harshest critics are cheering. It warms my heart to see everyone so happy, and so there is part of me that is not inclined to dump rain on everyone’s parade. But I am not going to tell people what they want to hear just to tickle their ears. I have got to tell the truth about the agreement that has just been made with China, and the truth is not all rainbows and lollipops. [End of excerpt]

I agree with his conclusion in that statement. The truth is not all rainbows and lollipops.

It is for certain not “all rainbows and lollypops” for those who are not under the Sheltering Wing of the Lord Jesus Christ. Those who haven’t accepted Christ’s Grace Gift offer of Salvation from the wages of sin are at the most dangerous moment of human history.

Jesus said that He would next Intervene into history catastrophically when conditions are precisely as they are quickly becoming while we Watch things unfold hourly. It looks to the world that all is about to make a climb out of certain economic collapse and all-out worldwide war into a time of peace and prosperity. This is, however, a time exactly like that about which Jesus Forewarned. Rather than a spectacular climb into the stratospherics of peace and prosperity, sudden destruction is about to begin.

The great Dave Hunt wrote masterfully of this time in his book: Peace, Prosperity, and the Coming Holocaust.”

This economic boon and cry for peace and safety –even from the just elected pope from America in Rome, all means that it is like it was in the days of Lot when he and his daughters (the only Righteousness God Saw in Sodom and Gomorrah) were removed to safety. Sudden destruction fell following that Removal. Jesus said conditions will be exactly like that when He is next Revealed –makes God’s Presence Known to the entire world.

Even so, come, Lord Jesus!

           –Terry 

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The World Versus Israel

Since its rebirth as a nation in 1948, Israel has been the key to understanding Bible prophecy. This remains the case as we watch the growing determination of many nations to recognize a Palestinian state along with dividing the land of Israel and Jerusalem via a two-state solution.

They have scheduled two meetings for next month, June, with the purpose of furthering this “solution” as the pathway they erroneously believe will lead to peace in the Middle East.

According to a BubbaNews report on Telegram, the first UN two-state solution gathering of the nations will be a preparatory meeting in PARIS from June 11-13. This gathering of a “diverse group of people will serve as extensive preparation for the international conference scheduled at UN headquarters in New York between June 16-18.”

According to an online May 19 report on Israel Hayom:

The Paris conference is expected to draw Israelis and Palestinians from across society – politicians, business leaders, academics, artists, and civil society activists – alongside opinion leaders from Europe, Arab countries, and throughout the world. According to those behind the initiative, this represents the first such effort of its kind since the Oslo Accords and their accompanying international efforts, aiming “to build broad popular and professional support for practical steps toward regional peace, and to prepare the ground for the hoped-for breakthrough in New York.”

BubbaNews summarized the purposes of the upcoming meetings in this way: “Both UN conferences share a single objective – promoting the establishment of a Palestinian state WITHOUT depending on a diplomatic process with Israel.” In other words, the decisions for dividing the Land and Jerusalem will happen regardless of objections from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his government.

The Bible Said This Would Happen

Although it grieves us to watch this push to reward Palestinian violence with a piece of the Land and Jerusalem, the Bible said this would happen in the last days. In Joel 3:1-2, the Lord warned His prophet about the end-times push to divide His Land:

“For behold, in those days and at that time, when I restore the fortunes of Judah and Jerusalem, I will gather all the nations and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat. And I will enter into judgment with them there, on behalf of my people and my heritage Israel, because they have scattered them among the nations and have divided up my land.”

The above verses reveal one of the Lord’s motives for destroying the armies at the battle we know as Armageddon. At the end of human history as we know it, the nations will pay a great price for dividing the Land God gave to the Jewish people. God will severely judge those who participate in the dividing of Israel and Jerusalem.

The prophet Zechariah also warned of dire consequences for countries that become obsessed with dictating Israel’s future:

“On that day I will make Jerusalem a heavy stone for all the peoples. All who lift it will surely hurt themselves. And all the nations of the earth will gather against it” (12:3)

Not only will the Lord judge the nations at His return to the earth, but here the Lord also warns that in the near term, they will “surely hurt themselves” for interfering with the boundaries of Israel. Many have documented the cause-and-effect relationship between natural disasters in the U.S. and decisions by our presidents that in some way limited Israel’s access to the Land God gave to them.

Are such outcomes in store for those that now seek a two-state solution in the Middle East?

Setting the Stage

The UN Conferences for establishing a Palestinian State signal the nearing fulfillment of another key prophecy, that of the peace agreement between the antichrist and Israel (Daniel 9:27). This covenant will start the clock ticking for Daniel’s seventieth week, the seven-year Tribulation.

Although the June gatherings of the nations are setting the stage for this future accord, some of its key components remain missing.

First, we do not yet see the presence of one man, the antichrist, leading the charge for this deal. Instead, the push is coming from a variety of world leaders, and that’s what we would expect at the present time. According to 2 Thessalonians 2:3-8, the Rapture will occur before the man of lawlessness appears on the world scene and has the power to make a deal with Israel, guaranteeing its nation’s security.

Second, the current movement to divide Israel is happening without input or approval from its government. Benjamin Netanyahu will most certainly not agree to giving up Judea and Samaria, along with a part of Jerusalem. He has repeatedly objected to any such scenario, referring to it as “suicidal” for the nation.

When the Lord spoke through Isaiah concerning this future agreement with the antichrist, He referred to it as a “covenant with death” and chided His people for making such a deal (Isaiah 28:14-22). It will not be a solution forced upon them, as we see happening at the moment, but rather something for which the Lord will hold them accountable.

Lastly, in contrast to what the nations currently propose, I believe the antichrist will offer genuine peace and security for Israel. I agree with many others who believe he will include the building of the third Temple in his deal since we know it must exist by the midpoint of Daniel’s seventieth week for the antichrist to defile.

Game Changers

The current clamoring of the nations for a Middle East peace deal doesn’t appear to be the event that will someday kick off Daniel’s Tribulation period. However, two other prophesied events could rapidly bring about the fulfillment of Daniel 9:27 and disrupt any decisions made this June.

The Rapture will change everything. We know it will remove the Restrainer (2 Thessalonians 2:3-8), which will allow the antichrist to rise to power. After our departure, he will gain the needed authority to make a covenant guaranteeing peace and security for Israel. Some believe he will take an existing agreement and make it better or stronger.

I believe that the Gog/Magog war will most likely happen between the Rapture and the start of the seven-year Tribulation. This also will drastically change the landscape of the Middle East and perhaps make it possible for the antichrist to include the rebuilding of the Temple in his deal.

The obsession of so many nations to interfere with Israel’s sovereignty is bizarre. How can we possibly understand it apart from Bible prophecy? It may look like it’s the world versus Israel, but behind the scenes, it’s Satan seeking to disrupt the Lord’s intent to bring a remnant of the Jewish people to repentance before His return, and then reward them with a glorious kingdom.

-Jonathan