The changes in our world are breathtaking! I don't think there has ever been a time in history when geopolitical shifts have occurred at such breakneck speed. It's really hard to keep up with the narrative, and even to know what narrative to believe!

Following the "end" of the "12-Day War in Iran" I notice that our President is hotly pursuing peace deals wherever he can find them. The most recent thing I saw about this was a banner apparently being posted on walls in Tel Aviv, Israel, which includes a huge picture of President Trump surrounded by ten Arab nation leaders and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel.  This rather stunning picture (above) would stir the spirit of any student of Bible Prophecy! Does the phrase "TEN KINGS OR TEN HORNS" ring any bells? And so I guess I should not be surprised that many people are questioning me: "Do you think Donald Trump is the Antichrist? Isn't he getting ready to  make a "covenant with the many" as in Daniel 9:27?"  My answer is a RESOUNDING NO! And I will explain why. 

First, Daniel 9 verse 27 uses the word CONFIRM. "He will confirm a covenant with the many." This makes it clear that the covenant had already been made and agreed upon previously.  Therefore, the Antichrist figure is CONFIRMING it at a later time.  Secondly, I do not believe that we see the United States of America in the Bible. We Americans have a hard time with this, but any Bible scholar will tell you that the Bible, God's Story, is ISRAEL-CENTRIC; and thus the "players" in the eschatological (end-times) Scriptures are nations that surround and either align with or make war against ISRAEL. IT'S ALL ABOUT GOD'S LAND OF ISRAEL AND ISRAEL'S CHOSEN PEOPLE. And please understand, this is not because the Jewish people are such special people. It's because they were chosen by God to do very special things. After all, did God not bring Messiah Yeshua (Jesus Christ) through a Jewish line? Was He not born as a baby, raised up as a man, then crucified and buried IN ISRAEL? The prophet Isaiah makes it clear that Israel (through the Messiah) has a special calling to be a LIGHT TO THE NATIONS. (See Isaiah 60:1-3 and Isaiah 51:1-4).

So, my friends, I do not see any plausible claim or reason why an American president or a Roman leader or a pope would end up in the office of Antichrist. What I DO see is the rise (worldwide) of an Islamic Caliphate that will make a great and terrible invasion into Israel in a time when Israel is dwelling in peace and safety, with unwalled villages, as the prophet Ezekiel writes: "In future years you (Antichrist) will invade a land that has recovered from war, whose people were gathered from many nations to the mountains of Israel, which had long been desolate. They had been brought out from the nations and now all of them life in safety." (Ezekiel 38:8)

In what time has this scripture been fulfilled? Modern-day Israel has NEVER been living in safety since the DAY AFTER THEY BECAME A NATION IN 1948, when Arab nations warred against them! This is a prophecy of a future time when Israel is finally dwelling in safety with their neighbors, and this is what I see taking place right now at this very moment. The Abraham Peace Accords will SET THE STAGE for Ezekiel 38's invasion and final war. It seems to be including almost all of Israel's neighboring nations. It very well COULD be the "covenant with many" that the Antichrist will CONFIRM at some time in the future. And since this evil person who is indwelt by the spirit of Satan is called Gog, chief prince of Meshech and Tubal (Ezekiel 38:1-3), I believe we are given a very clear clue about this person's nation of origin. Ancient regions of Meshach and Tubal are in TURKEY.

My very favorite Bible teachers are Joel Richardson and David Rosenthal (Zion's Fire). They are both in complete agreement that in the very near future we are going to begin to see a rise of the original Ottoman Empire, which will be a modern-day Islamic Caliphate, undoubtedly led by the "Man of Perdition." It ONLY MAKES SENSE that it will be Allah, the Satanic god of Islam that will oppose and try to utterly destroy Israel, the Jewish people, and especially the Temple. HE will be the one to "sit in the Temple and declare himself to be "God." (2 Thessalonians 2:4).  This is the time when "the LORD makes Jerusalem a cup that sends all the surrounding peoples reeling. Judah will be besieged as well as Jerusalem. On that day, when all the nations of the earth are gathered against her, I will make Jerusalem an immovable rock." (Zechariah 12:2-3). I fully expect that in the coming days we will see more and more emphasis on the rebuilding of the Temple and more and more violence provoked over the Temple Mount.

I cannot recommend this video (link below) highly enough. David Rosenthal does an amazing job of walking us through all of this according to the Truth of Scripture, and it's just a little over 20 minutes - time well spent! He even goes into the deeper meaning of the "12 Day War" since Iran is led by an Ayatollah who is an Islamic "Twelver." Fascinating! www.youtube.com/watch?v=gyWXtXjY0T0
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On a personal note, I'm home this Shabbat with TWO sprained ankles! Hopefully Abba will show me how to rest, study and lean on Him in these days since He has apparently "grounded" me! I know He has a higher purpose for everything that He allows. May you too have a peaceful Sabbath, and may the Lord impart His Truth to you as you watch these incredible end-time events unfold in real time!

My friends,
The swiftness and stunning precision of Israel's war against Iran has been so breathtaking that I haven't been able to stop long enough to sit down and write my thoughts! Military strategists at the highest level have been awestruck by the massive take-down of Iran's nuclear facilities, infrastructures and top commanders. It is widely known by now that the Israel Defense Force had been planning this for years, and had even carried out much of their strategic plans from within Iran itself! Their intel was thorough and deep and they were more than ready when the command to strike was given.

By now I'm sure you know that the operation has been dubbed "Rising Lion," which actually came from a note that Benjamin Netanyahu left in the cleft of the Western Wall. His note quoted the whole scripture from Numbers 23:24: "Behold, the people shall rise up as a great lion, and lift up himself as a young lion." This, of course, speaks to our spirits of Yeshua, the Lion of the Tribe of Judah, who shall one day rise up over Israel and rule and reign as King of the whole earth!  It is beyond thrilling to think that we are watching in real-time what the ancient prophets recorded in the Scriptures. 

I hope you will make note that Iran has now proven, without a shadow of a doubt, that their object is and has always been to kill every Jew, and wipe Israel off the face of the earth. This is, of course, a very ancient and sinister evil that Haman of ancient Persia (now Iran) hoped to accomplish.  As it says in the book of Esther 3:2-13: "Then on the 13th day of the first month the royal secretaries were summoned. They wrote out in the script of each province and in the language of each people all Haman's orders to the king's satraps, the governors of the various provinces and the nobles of the various peoples. These were written in the name of King Xerxes himself and sealed with his own ring. Dispatches were sent by couriers to all the king's provinces with the order to DESTROY, KILL AND ANNIHILATE ALL THE JEWS - YOUNG AND OLD, WOMEN AND LITTLE CHILDREN - on a single day on the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, and to plunder their goods."

Note that Haman's wretched orders were to ANNIHILATE ALL THE JEWS, including women and little children. That is why we see the Ayatollah Khamenei, the evil ruler of Iran, as a modern-day Haman - or even a modern-day Hitler, considering that Adolph Hitler's anti-Semitic hatred accomplished the most horrific murder of the Jewish people in all of history! Now, in our present day, we see Khamenei ordering barrages of missiles INTO THE POPULATION CENTERS OF ISRAEL. He too is intent on killing every Jew, and this has been the total focus of Iran's nuclear ambitions. Please make no mistake about that! Their nuclear program was designed to kill all those in the "little Satan" (Israel) and those in the "great Satan" (America).  And Israel knew that Iran had finally reached the place where they had the capability to do this, so they wasted no time in executing their plan to dismantle the nukes.  That was Israel's SOLE PURPOSE for these attacks on nuclear plants and munitions warehouses and infrastructure. Israel is not dropping bombs on PEOPLE. Yet, Iran IS. Their proxies in Gaza, Lebanon and Yemen are all motivated by the sick and evil desire to KILL all the Jews.

It's so important for us to make this distinction as we watch all this unfold. In fact, another very thrilling aspect of this war is the very real possibility that the wicked Iranian regime could be toppled and the good people of Iran freed from their forty years of tyranny and oppression. A majority of Iranian people hate the evil regime they have suffered under and I pray that they will soon be delivered from it! In fact, the Church in Iran is the fastest-growing church in the world right now! And prophecy over Elam (Persia/Iran) appears to speak clearly about the day we are now in:
Jeremiah 49:35-39:
“See, I will break the bow of Elam, [note: I interpret the "bow" as nuclear weapons]
    the mainstay of their might.
 I will bring against Elam the four winds
    from the four quarters of heaven;
I will scatter them to the four winds,
    and there will not be a nation
    where Elam’s exiles do not go.
 I will shatter Elam before their foes,
    before those who want to kill them;
I will bring disaster on them,
    even my fierce anger,”
declares the Lord.
“I will pursue them with the sword
    until I have made an end of them.
 I will set my throne in Elam
    and destroy her king and officials,”
declares the Lord.
 “Yet I will restore the fortunes of Elam
    in days to come,”
declares the Lord.

It really speaks to me that the LORD says he will BREAK THE MAINSTAY OF THEIR MIGHT. Truly, at this point, the IDF has succeeded in breaking Iran's nuclear capabilities (the mainstay of their might) and daily we see more videos of the thousands who are fleeing Tehran (scattered to the four winds). The Rising Lion is pursuing those evil ones with the "sword" of the Israel Defense Force until HE has made an end of them. And according to this prophecy, a day will come when HE will set His throne there, which means to me that He will one day be among HIS people there, and as they worship HIM alone, their fortunes (their lives and their livelihoods) will be restored.

Breathlessly we watch the Bible playing out in real time. On our knees we pray relentlessly for the protection of the IDF soldiers, and our own soldiers in harm's way.  And with thanksgiving we praise the Lion of the Tribe of Judah, the Root of David, who has triumphed! He is able to open the scroll and its seven seals!" (Rev. 5:5).

Shalom to all, and do not forget to pray daily for the Peace of Jerusalem!