Through Peace, Not Force

We receive reports each day that war is about to burst forth, that the world will change instantly when things suddenly go out of control. Global diplomats and governors will be helpless to assuage the rage into world war once the attacks begin.

For example, one front-and-center story that warns of war involves an ages-long trouble spot that has threatened to initiate nuclear conflict.

Is China “Massing Forces at Coastal Military Bases” in Preparation for an Invasion of Taiwan?

If the Chinese decide to pull the trigger on an invasion of Taiwan, it will instantly become the biggest news story in the entire world.  Because the moment that an invasion of Taiwan begins, the United States and China will be at war, and nothing will ever be the same again. (Rapture Ready News, September 15, 2023)

The Russian invasion into Ukraine and the bellicose rants of some of Vladimir Putin’s military and diplomatic leaders make it clear the former Soviet Empire is again about to raise its ugly head. They threaten nuclear war at almost every opportunity. We can see that things are ramping up for the coming war against Israel, according to Ezekiel chapters 38 and 39.

Many pundits—even from the Bible-prophecy perspective—are warning that America might at any moment be invaded from the northern and southern borders by the Chinese and Russian militaries. This is despite the fact that: 1) there is not sufficient evidence to support the supposed threats, and 2) such hyperbole goes against what God’s Word indicates for both the “King of the kings of the east” (Revelation chapters 9 and 16) and Rosh (Russia), as indicated in Ezekiel chapters 38 and 39.

Both of these bad actors on the war-making stage are destined to do their dastardly worst in other places of the world. Both China and Russia will be dealt with in the proper places and times by the Lord Himself, we are assured.

If these diabolists attacked the United States, our military would react, regardless of the feared impotence of the presidential administration and top military of the Joint Chiefs of Staff sort. There are automatic reaction forces in place to, through nuclear submarine retaliation alone, make such attacks by America’s chief enemies a suicide mission for the entire world.

This realized and stated, such potential for making a totally destructive war that threatens to end life on earth has its place in Bible prophecy. This truth is wrapped up in the one who will become the world’s last and most powerful evil dictator.

Actually, it will be the threat of war that will cause the world to hand this wicked man his dictatorial crown. We are told this by Daniel the prophet:

“And in his estate shall stand up a vile person, to whom they shall not give the honour of the kingdom: but he shall come in peaceably, and obtain the kingdom by flatteries. And with the arms of a flood shall they be overflown from before him, and shall be broken; yea, also the prince of the covenant” (Daniel 11:21-22). 

Daniel went on to say:

“And the king shall do according to his will; and he shall exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak marvelous things against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the indignation be accomplished: for that that is determined shall be done. Neither shall he regard the God of his fathers, nor the desire of women, nor regard any god: for he shall magnify himself above all” (Daniel 11:36-37).

This is in reference, of course, to the “prince that shall come” of Daniel chapter 9. This evil prince—the son of perdition, the man of sin, the Antichrist—will come in by offering peace. He won’t have to win victories to achieve the control he desires. People will willingly give it to him.

This, of course, I believe, is verified in the prophecy of the first rider on the white horse of Revelation 6. Antichrist has no arrows but a bow and crown, which are “given” to him.

“And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard, as it were the noise of thunder, one of the four beasts saying, Come and see. And I saw, and behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer” (Revelation 6: 1-2).

So this most powerful, evilest despot of all of human history will be, at first, unlike the previous vile dictators on earth. Each of them—like Hitler, Stalin, Mao, and all of the ruthless leaders like the Khans of the ancient past—arose to power by murderous, raw aggression. This final one will come with guile and demonically deceptive powers that will make people beg for him to take the crown of dominion they will gladly offer.

The question is valid: Why will such a man be not only accepted but hailed and given complete adulation by most of the earth’s population?

The answer, of course, is that he will offer peace. This man, through demonic deceptiveness, will offer to take fear of world-rending nuclear war from the fear-filled thoughts of humankind.

We see that fear building even now in preparation for the time when people will have lost reasoning guided by the Holy Spirit’s influence. The “restrainer” of 2 Thessalonians chapter 2 will no longer hold back both the madness of humanity and human emotions. The fear will cause hearts to fail, the Word tells us.

This most charismatic geopolitical leader in history will promise peace and prosperity. But it will be “peace, prosperity, and the coming holocaust,” as the title of my friend Dave Hunt’s book so marvelously described.

Here is a further description by God Himself—through Daniel’s vision—of the coming world leader that might even now be itching to take the reins of global government:

“And in the latter time of their kingdom, when the transgressors are come to the full, a king of fierce countenance, and understanding dark sentences, shall stand up. And his power shall be mighty, but not by his own power: and he shall destroy wonderfully, and shall prosper, and practice, and shall destroy the mighty and the holy people. And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand; and he shall magnify himself in his heart, and by peace shall destroy many: he shall also stand up against the Prince of princes; but he shall be broken without hand” (Daniel 8:23-25).

The fear of all-out nuclear war will clutch the reprobate mindset of most of humanity and will cause them to give Antichrist his crown. He won’t have to fire a shot—at least, not at first. His military firepower and much worse will be used later in his satanically driven holocaust we call the Tribulation.

Antichrist’s great power and authority will come through the false peace he will promise. That delusion that mesmerizes the masses will bring on the worst time of all human history, according to Jesus (Matthew 24:21). Paul, the great apostle, said the following:

“For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape” (1 Thessalonians 5:3).

You want to escape that time of horror that humanity faces—perhaps in the very near future. Here’s how to go to Christ when He calls God’s family to Himself to escape Antichrist’s dictatorship:

“That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation” (Romans 10:9-10).

              –Terry

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Does Satan Believe in the Rapture?

With each passing day, it appears more and more likely that an alien abduction will be the explanation the globalists give to explain our sudden disappearance. Belief in extraterrestrial life is at an all-time high as UFO sightings dramatically increase and governments around the world acknowledge their existence.

Is this just a coincidence as the time of our homegoing approaches, or are the forces of darkness actively preparing the world to accept the lie that will be given to explain the Rapture?

Paul wrote about the great depths of “wicked deception” that would come with the appearing of the antichrist, as well as the fact that the Lord Himself will cause the “perishing” to believe a lie.

“The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders, and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. Therefore God sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false” (2 Thessalonians 2:9-11).

A number of things drew my attention this week to how even in advance of the appearing of the antichrist, many people already believe the lies he will tell.

A short clip of an interview I heard on Twitter last week confirms the wide acceptance of alien life among the elite of our day, or more likely, their willingness to perpetuate the lie. Yuval Noah Harari, bestselling author and confidant of Klaus Schwab from the World Economic Forum (WEF), predicted the end of human-dominated history because of the arrival of alien life. “History will continue with somebody else in control,” he said.

Harari went on to say that with a divided humanity, “it becomes almost impossible to contain the alien intelligence. I tend to think of it more in terms of an alien invasion.” The laughing of the interviewers did not deter him from stating his case. His words sounded like something from the old television show “The Twilight Zone,” but he was quite serious.

There was also this news story from a couple weeks ago. On September 16, 2018, Reuters reported that Jaime Maussan, a Mexican journalist and longtime UFO enthusiast, produced two tiny, mummified bodies with elongated heads and three fingers on each hand. These images were beamed around the world as they were presented to Mexico’s Congress as proof of alien life. Reuters concluded its report by stating that Maussan’s claim had already been debunked.

Was this just a first attempt? If so, it’s probable that the devil will produce much more convincing proof in the future.

For decades, Hollywood has produced a great number of movies and television shows promoting the agenda that we are not alone. These have created a mindset among many that the reports of UFOs could indeed be true. I have enjoyed several of these shows, unaware of their ultimate purpose in preparing the public to accept the validity of their existence.

Even just a few years ago, governments around the world routinely denied the existence of alien spacecraft, but things have drastically changed. They are now letting an increasing amount of information leak out that supposedly confirms the reality of alien life visiting Earth in the past.

As a result, belief in extraterrestrial life has quickly gone from fringe people wearing tinfoil hats to widespread acceptance. The reason for the U.S. government releasing the information at this time is said to be a matter of defense, worries about an invasion. This matches the concern of Harari, the most influential author among the Luciferian globalists.

Who are these Aliens?

These aliens are demons. I say this because:

1. God’s Word doesn’t allow for their existence.
2. When they speak through humans, they deny the truths of Scripture.
3. The UFOs perform impossible feats for which no physical being could survive.

Pastor Brandon Holthaus, in a prophecy update on Rumble from last year, pointed out how even the advocates of extraterrestrial beings admit their flying objects are “interdimensional.” He pointed out that the “ninety-degree turns” that they perform at “breakneck” speeds would “kill any creature.” Their movements prove that they are not “physical beings … the laws of the universe would kill them.”

Why Would the Aliens Remove People from the Earth?

Holthaus wrote this as an introduction to his prophecy update:

“The world is going to have to have an excuse for why millions of people disappear in the Rapture. Fortunately, the forces of darkness have already shown their hand. According to people who channel demons and fallen angels, the forces of darkness already have a deceptive lie in place that will be used to explain away the Rapture. That lie goes in concert with the Green Agenda that is currently being fostered by the ungodly, such as Globalist, Leftist, UN, nations, politics, World Economic Forum, Big Corp, Big tech, Colleges and universities, schools, entertainment industry, and the Media. Save the plate is the cry! But when one sees where this kind of Green information originates from, then you will see that there is a dragon behind it. A Green dragon.”

As Holthaus alluded to in the above quote, it’s a part of the Green Agenda. Authors who claim to know the intent of these aliens tell us that many people are holding back the earth from becoming what it’s intended to be. Therefore, the aliens must remove them from the earth to a different yet habitable planet where they will live fulfilled lives.

Other writers who claim insight into the intent of these aliens say that a great number of people need to be re-educated in order to fit in with the world that’s coming. They say that huge mother ships exist close to the earth, although we cannot see them. Those of us who are holding back the advancement of civilization will be taken to these gigantic crafts and trained so that we might fit into society as it evolves.

Perhaps this explains the nonstop effort to make everyone believe that alien life is vastly superior to humanity in both intelligence and technology. The devil wants people to believe these extraterrestrial beings have the ability to make tens of millions of people instantly disappear from the earth.

According to Pastor Holthaus, the aliens have communicated through people that there will be two phases of this coming abduction of people from the world.

• Phase 1 of the coming disappearance will be those holding back the earth from reaching its potential. Brandon cited one author as saying that twenty million people will be taken by the aliens.
• Phase 2 includes the vanishing of children and babies of all ages from all races and nationalities.

Brandon then said this: “All our understanding of the Rapture comes from Scripture, but it’s very interesting to see the enemies of God have an excuse for where the children go, and where we go” at the time of the Rapture.

It’s interesting indeed!

Does Satan believe in the Rapture? You bet he does, and what’s more, he’s already actively preparing the world to accept his lie for when we disappear.

-Jonathan

AI: Way to Man’s Stomach

A very old saying is: “The way to a man’s heart is through his stomach.”

This, of course, is a reference to romanticism—a saying that links a woman’s ability to cook delicious food to winning a man’s love for her. I have no idea about the validity of that connection, but I’ve heard the expression many times over the decades—and long before the saying became more or less passé.

Another saying is: “An army travels on its stomach.” By this, it doesn’t mean soldiers crawl on a battlefield to maintain a low profile to prevent hostile fire from hitting them. It refers to an army needing to be well fed to maintain top fighting form—in the same way the army’s war machinery, like tanks, must be kept fueled properly to be effective fighting tools in battle.     

A time is coming when food will be the primary commodity that will fuel Antichrist’s machine of control over most of the earth. The unfortunate people alive at the time will comply with the demands of the man of sin’s regime—or face starvation.

Here is the Scripture verifying that this demand is on the prophetic horizon:

“And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name” (Revelation 13:16-17).

This prophecy, of course, is about the 666 mark those of the Tribulation era must receive—or otherwise be killed, as the prophecy goes on to indicate. It involves the personal pledge of worship to Antichrist that allows people to interact within the economic system of that horrific time.

To most believers who have deeply considered this future time Jesus said will be the worst of all human history (Matthew 24:21), there is little doubt that artificial intelligence (AI) will play a major part in fulfilling Antichrist’s ability to, for a time, control almost all of the world’s population. That swiftly developing technology will, without a doubt, be used to control who eats and who doesn’t.

Those who accept the 666 mark, signifying that they worship the Beast (Antichrist), will have given their souls over to the satanic realm. They will be lost forever—no chance of redemption, according to Revelation 14.

In this sense, AI will be the way to humankind’s stomach, thus to their heart.

I once heard Dr. J. Vernon McGee say that, in the Tribulation, he wouldn’t blame people for breaking into stores and stealing food, because their little children will be starving and will need to eat.

Well, I would—because of the question of age of accountability—have some contention with this great old preacher about whether there will be children of any age beyond toddlers on earth at that time (which is another topic for another commentary). And, with the AI lockdowns and surveillance capability no doubt a thousand times greater even than it is now, it is doubtful that it will be possible to break in and steal from the Antichrist regime’s food stores.

While there will be many believing martyrs, the Holy Spirit and God’s direct intervention during those years will doubtless be tremendous, so likely miracles from on high will be almost routine. Many refusing the mark will, we can expect, be supernaturally protected and assisted by angelic activity.

That system of Luciferian control, we believe, is currently developing at a pace that is beyond astounding. We can understand the speed of things going on in AI through reports such as the following:

Customs and Border Protection (CBP), part of the Department of Homeland Security, has bought millions of dollars worth of software from a company that uses artificial intelligence to detect “sentiment and emotion” in online posts, according to a cache of documents…

CBP told 404 Media it is using technology to analyze open source information related to inbound and outbound travelers who the agency believes may threaten public safety, national security, or lawful trade and travel. In this case, the specific company called Fivecast also offers “AI-enabled” object recognition in images and video, and detection of “risk terms and phrases” across multiple languages, according to one of the documents.

Fivecast, according to its mission statement, is “used and trusted by leading defense, national security, law enforcement, corporate security and financial intelligence organizations around the world” and “deploys unique data collection and AI-enabled analytics to solve the most complex intelligence challenges.” It claims to work with the intelligence agencies of all five nations that comprise the so-called “Five Eyes” — the United Kingdom, United States, New Zealand, Australia, and Canada.

Among the many red flags that Fivecast claims to be able to detect with its software are the emotions of the social media user. Charts contained in the marketing materials uncovered by 404 show metrics regarding various emotions such as “sadness,” “fear,” “anger,” and “disgust” on social media over time. “One chart shows peaks of anger and disgust throughout an early 2020 timeframe of a target, for example,” 404 reports.

Logistical difficulties of AI assessing human emotion aside, this would theoretically open the door for the government to surveil and censor not just the substance of speech but also the alleged emotion behind that speech (which could potentially, at some point, be admissible in court to impune the intent/motive of defendants). It’s almost impossible to overestimate the dystopian applications of this technology, which, for obvious reasons, governments around the world are eager beavers to adopt. (“Techno-Hell: U.S. Government Now Using AI to Suss Out ‘Sentiment and Emotion’ in Social Media Posts” By Ben Bartee, PJ Media, September 7, 2023)

Food shortages are being reported around the world—much of it deliberately contrived by despotic governmental agents. Severe food shortage of the deadliest kind is foretold in God’s Word:

“And when he had opened the third seal, I heard the third beast say, Come and see. And I beheld, and lo a black horse; and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand. And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine” (Revelation 6:5-6).

Starvation is indicated in this prophecy. The pale horse follows the black horse of starvation, meaning the deaths of many will result from food deprivation. This lack of food availability will certainly be a way Antichrist will control the populations of earth by causing many to worship him or die of starvation.

AI, as we’ve seen, is setting the stage for fulfillment of the rider on the black horse.

You don’t want to be on this judgment-bound planet when the rider on the black horse rides across the globe. Here is how to be in the presence of the Lord through the Rapture, and instead be sitting down to the supper of the Lamb, the greatest meal ever served, while billions on earth are starving because of rejection of God’s way of salvation:

“That if thou shalt believe with thine heart the Lord Jesus, and shalt confess with thy mouth that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation” (Romans 10:9-10).

—Terry

 

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We Must Be Getting Close

Biblical prophecy is coming to life like never before. The convergence of a myriad of signs tells us that the Day of the Lord is on our doorstep and, with it, the Rapture. In 1 Thessalonians 5:10, Paul said that Jesus would come for His church before the “sudden destruction” of the Day of the Lord falls upon an unsuspecting world.

The Old Testament Prophets predicted that this day would include an outpouring of God’s wrath on the world ahead of the Lord’s coming to earth to set up His kingdom. The book of Revelation depicts 21 judgments that will fall upon the world during this period that we also refer to as the Tribulation.

There’s one particular recent news story that, for me, points to its nearness.

As a continuation of the Abrahamic Accords, the U.S. is seeking to broker a deal between Israel and Saudi Arabia that would formalize peace between the two nations as well as resolve the Palestinian issue (no small task). On September 1, 2023, the Jerusalem Post reported that Benjamin Netanyahu was willing to step down as Israeli Prime Minister if it meant completing the “peace deal with Saudi Arabia.”

In a September 10, 2023, article on his blog, Michael Snyder provided a comprehensive update on the progress of the negotiations, citing several sources. He stated that although the “negotiations are fairly advanced at this state,” many details still need to be worked out between the parties. Snyder quoted a source as saying:

The Biden administration told the Israeli government last week that it would have to make significant concessions to the Palestinians as part of any possible mega-deal with Saudi Arabia that includes normalization between the kingdom and Israel, four U.S. officials and a source briefed on the issue told Axios.

We know Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will never support an independent nation for the Palestinians. However, the leaked terms of this agreement state that “Gaza and the West Bank would be demilitarized and reincorporated as part of Jordan, perhaps the West Bank first and Gaza sometime later.” Perhaps that is more agreeable to him.

Snyder quoted a reliable source in the Muslim world as saying that in return for a national identity, the Palestinians would give up all claims of the city of Jerusalem, including the Temple Mount.

(It’s rather difficult for me to imagine that the Palestinians or Saudi Arabia would give up such rights.)

What makes this deal significant prophetically?

First, it would formalize the dividing up of the Land that God gave to Israel. Joel 3:1-3 cites such action as something that will bring the Lord’s wrath upon the nations during the Day of the Lord. A future completion of this accord will result in the kindling of God’s fierce anger toward all those involved, including the U.S. for its role in negotiating the agreement and putting great pressure on all the parties to make it happen.

Second, even if never agreed upon, this proposed covenant might further the agenda of the Antichrist. Can you imagine how the push for such a peace accord would accelerate after the Rapture and Gog/Magog War? All the parties might then be quite eager to sign such a peace deal even if it allows Israel complete control of the Temple Mount. And the “man of lawlessness” will be more than happy to make it happen.

(Update: On August 14, 2023, the Times of Israel reported that Saudi Arabia wants a “two-state” solution, which sounds different than the one that would join the West Bank and Gaza with Jordan. Could this be a roadblock in the current negotiations?)

I cannot leave the topic of the Day of the Lord without mentioning the great wickedness and violence of our day, which surely grieves the Lord and will someday bring His wrath to the earth.

When one considers the evils that brought God’s judgments on ancient Judah and other places such as Sodom and Gomorrah, it’s clear that much of the world, including the U.S., is living on borrowed time. The evils of our day go far beyond what happened in biblical times, which resulted in His fierce anger.

The blood that flows from abortion mills in the U.S. will surely lead to an outpouring of His wrath, such as the Bible says will happen during the Day of the Lord. The sex trafficking horror for so many innocent children is sanctioned and promoted at the highest levels of the U.S. government. How close must we be to the destruction of America?

How much longer can such sickening behavior continue before God shouts “enough,” sends His Son to retrieve His Church, and brings His wrath to an unsuspecting world?

Psalm 75:8 assures us that the Lord sees what’s happening and is preparing His response:

“For in the hand of the Lord there is a cup
with foaming wine, well mixed,
and he pours out from it,
and all the wicked of the earth
shall drain it down to the dregs” (ESV).

The nearness of the Day of the Lord, along with so many other signs, screams with the message that we must be getting ever so close to our homegoing.

We dare not set dates, but neither do we make the mistake of assuming the Rapture cannot happen today or in the very near future.

Maranatha!

-Jonathan