Abortion has topped several infectious diseases as the world’s leading cause of death for at least the fifth year in a row, even though multiple abortion restrictions have gone into place at the state level following the U.S. Supreme Court’s reversal of Roe v. Wade.
This statistic alone tells you there is something desperately wrong with our world.
Statistics compiled by Worldometer, a database that tracks quantitative data on health, the global population and other metrics in real time, show that more than 44.6 million abortions were performed worldwide in 2023. The last available snapshot of Worldometer from 2023, captured by the Internet Archive Wayback Machine by Dec. 31, shows that the number of abortions performed last year exceeds the combined number of casualties caused by the other leading causes of death listed.
Abortion is just one of the reasons God is going to pour out His wrath upon an unrepentant world once He has rescued His saints.
“Then the kings of the earth and the great ones and the generals and the rich and the powerful, and everyone, slave and free, hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains, calling to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who is seated on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb, for the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?”Revelation 6:15-17
This scripture is at the sixth seal being removed from the scroll by Jesus. It is at the trumpet blast as the seventh seal is opened that the rapture of the Saints takes place. The dead in Christ having been raised first. The wrath of God is then poured out with the seven trumpet (Revelation 8. 9 & 11) and seven bowl (Revelation 16) judgements.
The trumpet and bowl judgements will last one year and ten days. Why one year and ten days? The year before a Jubilee year is always one year and ten days on the Jewish Calendar. The year following Jesus’ return will be a Jubilee year. Also, of significance, the length of time God poured out His wrath upon the Earth during the flood of Noah’s day was 1 year and ten days. We know that at the fifth trumpet judgement, the locusts are allowed to torment people for five months. However, the bowl judgements happen in relatively quick succession.
In the Olivet Discourse in the three gospels, Jesus tells us that the world before His return will be like the days of Noah. Unbelievers will be taken by complete surprise. Lawlessness will be rampant and the amount of time God’s wrath is poured out on the Earth will also be the same.
When was this Figtree parable/metaphor given by Jesus? It is important to look at the context of when it was delivered by Jesus. Jesus commanded us to learn from this parable, He told this parable (Matthew 24:32-35 & Mark 11:14) on the same day when the disciples came to Jesus asking about the signs of the end of the age. Jesus said, learn the parable of the fig tree. He was talking about the withered tree that Jesus had cursed the previous day. Israel was the fig tree that was withered by Jesus. Hence the following Scripture is extremely important as it relates to the rebirth of Israel as a Key end-times sign.
In this video Nelson Walters does a great job of setting the scene, giving us the context for this important end-times prophecy.
The Lesson of the Fig Tree “From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts out its leaves, you know that summer is near. So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that he is near, at the very gates. Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.” Matthew 24:32-35
Depravity: Professor Says We Need “Mass Movement” for Kids’ Right to Sex Work
As I read this, there’s one word that came to mind: depravity! It is just another one of the prophesied end times signs.
If reading the news headlines makes you cry out, “Amen! Come, Lord Jesus!” (Revelation 22:20), you are not alone. It seems that evil men and women prosper with no consequences while the righteous are treated with contempt and hostility—and it’s just getting worse! Seeing this is both discouraging and sobering as we consider the consequences of evil flourishing in our nation—consequences that most dramatically impact the most vulnerable among us. What can we do?
As just one example of evil impacting the most vulnerable, consider this headline, “Professor encourages an activist to start ‘mass movement’ for kids’ right to sex work.” Yes, a Johns Hopkins University professor appears to have urged an activist during a recent Q&A at a conference to help remove the stigma around supporting child “sex work” by starting a “mass movement” to turn the tide of “moral panic” over the idea. It’s nothing more than an attempt to normalize child abuse in the name of adult sexual desire. It’s disgusting, it’s vile, and it’s hard to even begin to grasp the consequences of such depravity.
So what can we do when these headlines make us feel so helpless to stop the evil around us? Well, we do what Christians have done throughout the ages—we believe and obey God’s Word. We understand that, even in the midst of great evil, societal chaos, and depravity, God is still sovereign. He is working out his plan, and eventually, every single evildoer will receive just punishment for their sin (unless they repent and trust Christ, as we pray they do!). A great book of the Bible to turn to when you feel discouraged by evil is the minor prophet Habakkuk. He had the same questions about the ruthless Babylonians and God’s answer to the prophet’s complaint points to God’s sovereignty and mercy.
Throughout human history, evil in various forms has flourished. And God’s people have walked into the darkness with the light of Christ, starting ministries to rescue those who are exploited and abused. God has always used regular, faithful, obedient Christians to be salt and light during dark times, pointing people toward Jesus Christ and his gospel. And no matter how utterly hopeless our times may appear, we must continue to “do the business of the King” until he returns, understanding that the results aren’t up to us—they are up to God. We are just called to be faithful.
And we also must understand that the weapons we wield aren’t the weapons of the world—they are spiritual weapons designed for the spiritual battle we are in.
“For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ, being ready to punish every disobedience, when your obedience is complete.2 Corinthians 10:3–6
In the face of great darkness, don’t be discouraged. Put on your armor and fight as God has called us to do—by clinging to his Word, praying without ceasing, loving God first and neighbor second, and making disciples of all nations. And leave the results to our sovereign God!
As Emma Duncan records in The Times and reported in The Weekend Australian, July 2nd, 2022.
Edward Chancellor has a gift for timing. Devil Take the Hindmost, his book on financial speculation, was published shortly before the stock market crash of 2000. His new book, The Price of Time, The Real Story of Interest, comes out just as tightening monetary policy threatens to tip the world into recession. He could have improved on the title, however:
Doomed! We’re All Doomed! would have better represented the book’s message.
Chancellor argues that, whenever money is too easy, financial markets become unstable. He takes the story to the present day, when interest rates have sunk lower than at any time in the five millennia since they were first recorded – including the extraordinary appearance of negative rates in Europe and Japan – and highlights how this has contributed to profound economic insecurity and financial fragility.
Chancellor reveals how extremely low-interest rates not only create asset price inflation but are also largely responsible for weak economic growth, rising inequality, zombie companies, elevated debt levels, and the pensions crises that have afflicted the West in recent years – conditions under which economies cannot possibly thrive. At the same time, easy money in China has inflated an epic real estate bubble, accompanied by the greatest credit and investment boom in history. As the global financial system edges closer to yet another crisis.
As I have posted previously The World Economic Forum and the United Nations have realised that the time is right for The Great Financial Reset. Read what they say on the WEF website.
As we enter a unique window of opportunity to shape the recovery, this initiative will offer insights to help inform all those determining the future state of global relations, the direction of national economies, the priorities of societies, the nature of business models, and the management of a global commons. Drawing from the vision and vast expertise of the leaders engaged across the Forum’s communities, the Great Reset initiative has a set of dimensions to build a new social contract that honours the dignity of every human being.
We are living in the time Biblical prophecy reveals is the time leading up to when the demonically inspired world leader (Antichrist) appears on the scene for his allotted time. We should not be surprised at what is unfolding in the world today. God has told us in advance so that we know He is in control of history and even allows the suffering and yes, the evil that happens for now within the context of His overall purpose.
“There shall be a fourth kingdom on earth, which shall be different from all the kingdoms, and it shall devour the whole earth, and trample it down, and break it to pieces.” Daniel 7:23
“And the beast (Antichrist) was given a mouth uttering haughty and blasphemous words, and it was allowed to exercise authority for forty-two months. It opened its mouth to utter blasphemies against God, blaspheming his name and his dwelling, that is, those who dwell in heaven. Also, it was allowed to make war on the saints and to conquer them. And authority was given it over every tribe and people and language and nation, and all who dwell on the earth will worship it, everyone whose name has not been written before the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who was slain.” Revelation 13:5-8
“For through Him (Jesus), we have access in one Spirit to the Father. So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In Him, you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.” Ephesians 2:18-22
Jesus told us that filthy talk is indicative of the need for a heart cleansing. The heart can be like a septic tank spilling over or bubbling up into our speech.
“The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.” Luke 6:452
it should be noted that Christians sometimes slip up and curse too. You can be sure whenever a Christian does this, he or she is not following the Lord closely at that moment and is certainly grieving the Holy Spirit
“Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.” Ephesians 4:29
A filthy mouth is indicative of a foul heart. Using profanity, regardless of those who suggest otherwise or the excuses made for it, is no small thing. It makes for a vulgar, loutish, crass life and culture. Christ can deliver us from the power of such sins by regenerating our hearts. Profane words should especially never be in the mouth of a believer. But when it does happen, the follower of Christ should take it seriously, confess it as sin, and trust the Lord to forgive and take it away.
These days it’s almost impossible to escape the hearing of some “potty-mouth”. A verbal sewer and its pervasive stench permeate the air. Sadly, our society has been lowered to this. Nevertheless, it should not ever come from you and me.
“Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.” Colossians 4:5
This is another “end times: sign of the godless generation that awaits God’s judgement.
Just when we thought it couldn’t get crazier… The most egregious example of speculative excess in the art world… $18,000 for ‘air and spirit’… Signing up to get nothing in the financial realm… Ignorance is not a valid excuse… We’re living in the ‘Age of the Emperor’.
For the past year and a half, collectors have been paying outrageous prices for some truly weird works… first, a banana duct-taped to a wall sold for $120,000 in Miami back in December 2019. Then, this past March, an artist known as “Beeple” sold a non-fungible token (“NFT”) of his work – a digital-only collage of 5,000 images – for $69 million at auction. The latest example occurred last month in Milan, Italy… Auction house Art-Rite sold a piece of work by Italian artist Salvatore Garau titled Io sono (Italian for “I am“) for $18,000. With Beeple’s NFT going for $69 million, how does a mere $18,000 sale qualify as egregious excess? The answer is simple… because Io sono doesn’t actually exist. It’s “invisible art.” It’s not there. The buyer got a whole lot of nothing for his $18,000. Instead, Garau issued a certificate of authenticity to the buyer (like the banana-and-duct-tape piece). The artist – and his piece of paper “verifying” it – said Io sono is a sculpture that consists of a 25-square-foot space and that light and climate control are optional.
You can’t sell a certificate of authenticity for something that doesn’t exist without concocting a fantastic story… Garau put together a great one. As he told one Spanish news outlet… You don’t see it, but it exists. It is made of air and spirit.
THE FINANCIAL WORLD – Information from Stansberry Research Digest – Largest USA independent financial research organisation.
Art is the flag of culture. And its excesses are frequently preceded by those in the financial realm, given as it is to stoke the fires of greed.
‘Nothing’ has been on sale in the financial markets for much of the past decade…
The most obvious example is negative-yielding sovereign debt. According to Bloomberg, $13.3 trillion of this debt is circulating around the world these days. Roughly $10 trillion of the total is the sovereign debt of countries like Japan, Germany, Switzerland, and France. (Nearly all the rest is corporate debt.) This is supposed to be the second-safest debt in the world, behind only the debt of the U.S. government. When you buy a bond trading at a negative yield, it means you’re guaranteed to get less in principal and interest at maturity than you paid for it in the first place. In other words, you’re guaranteed to lose money. You’re signing up to get nothing.
Bonds are supposed to be the “smart money”… It’s where savvy investors go to get a much safer return than the stock market. And for a $13 trillion swath of the bond market, that supposedly safer return is a little less than zero today… Nothing. Nada. Zip.
The Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association’s 2020 Fact Book puts the value of the global bond market at $105.9 trillion. So negative-yielding debt – a guarantee to receive a little less than nothing for putting capital at risk – accounts for 12.5% of a massive global market.
And it’s not just bonds, either. The rational expectation for stocks is a negative average return over the next 10 to 12 years. That’s according to the work of often quoted economist John Hussman, Hussman’s return model suggests the S&P 500 is currently priced to return a 7% loss per year, on average, for the next decade. However, reality is that the market doesn’t simply tick down 7% each year for a decade. It falls 50% or more in a great washout that generally lasts somewhere between six months and two years.
Moreover, many would suggest that a great washout is about to occur or put another way the financial bubble is about to burst. In a Bloomberg interview, GMO’s Jeremy Grantham talked about his asset-management firm’s study of 330 bubbles across all asset classes. As Grantham succinctly put it… the last 12 months have been a classic finale to an 11-year bull market. And he cited plenty of data to make his point during the interview, ultimately concluding… The great bubbles by scale and significance… all accelerated late in the game and had psychological measures that could not be missed by ordinary investors. (Economists are a different matter.)
The data, like today, is always clear, just uncommercial and inconvenient for the investment industry and often psychologically impossible to see for many individuals. In other words, all of us “ordinary investors” ought to be like the child in “The Emperor’s New Clothes” who innocently blurts out that the emperor is naked. That emboldened others to say so… eventually making it impossible for the emperor himself to avoid admitting the truth.
We can all see the truth. Our only remaining task is to acknowledge it and act accordingly. But the great herd of investors just can’t do it. The herd is like the courtiers and other sycophantic hangers-on around the emperor. They’re all scared of his ire and eager to gain his favour , prompting them to proclaim the surpassing beauty of his non-existent clothes.
They’re too vested in continuing the charade to notice that doing so is an unsustainable state of affairs.
The greatest charade perhaps of all is in the cryptocurrency called Dogecoin. Dogecoin was created as a joke to make fun of cryptocurrencies being worthless, and not only has it taken off, but it’s such a success that second-level joke cryptocurrencies making fun of Dogecoin have gone to multibillion-dollar valuations. An unabashed ode to the culture of nothingness has wound up with a massive valuation… Dogecoin’s market cap peaked on May 7 at $88 billion and still sits above $32 billion today. Its value has crashed over the past six weeks. But even so, that’s still a whole lotta nothin’.
There’s no fraud going on in these instances at all. Folks are saying, “Hey, sign me up. I want nothing and I’ll pay real money for it!” Nothing is the new something.
Any sane person can see that this cannot end well. In fact, it will get so crazy that the world will be crying out for a Saviour, the scene is set for the entry of the Antichrist on to the world scene. His appearance is the most significant prophesied “end times” sign. As I have said many times before there are far more prophecies about Jesus second coming than there were of His first coming. Are you aware of these prophecies? Are you prepared for what is ahead? For Christians it is a time of intense persecution. We are already seeing the “end times” prophesied falling away in the church from the truth of God’s Word and His moral values. Wake up church, God is purifying His church. Sadly, much of the church is like the church at Laodicea which will be left behind to face God’s wrath.
“I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked.” Revelation 3:15-17
It is the Church at Philadelphia that represents the church that is raptured prior to God’s wrath being poured out with the Trumpet and Bowl Judgements.
“Because you have kept my word about patient endurance, I will keep you from the hour of trial that is coming on the whole world, to try those who dwell on the earth. I am coming soon. Hold fast what you have, so that no one may seize your crown.” Revelation 3:10-11
The Rapture of the Saints prior to God’s wrath being poured out on an unrepentant world with the Trumpet and Bowl Judgements
As seen in the graphic, we can see several important geographical features, including the Mount of Olives, the traditional Temple Mount, the Kidron Valley, the Central Valley, the Gihon Spring, and the current site for the city of David. Below is additional information on each of these locations:
The Mount of Olives is a mountain ridge on the east side of the city of Jerusalem. At one point, it had olive trees covering its slopes. Today there is a Jewish cemetery with approximately 150,000 graves. This mountain ridge was a significant location during Yahshua’s ministry. It was the place where He delivered His Olivet Prophecy and where He retreated hours before His death, i.e., the Garden of Gethsemane.
The traditional Temple Mount is where many believe the Jewish temple once stood. Again, Muslims call this place the Haram esh-Sharif, translated as, “the Noble Sanctuary.” Both the Al-Aqsa Mosque, Islam’s third holiest site, and the Dome of the Rock reside on the traditional Temple Mount.
The Kidron Valley separates Jerusalem, including the city of David and the traditional Temple Mount, from the Mount of Olives. This valley continues east through the Judean Desert and toward the Dead Sea.
The Central Valley, also called the Tyropoeon Valley and the Valley of the Cheesemakers, is a rugged ravine on the west side of the City of David or the ancient city of Jerusalem and marks its western boundary, as the Kidron Valley does on the east.
The Gihon Spring is along the Kidron Valley near the ancient City of David. The name “Gihon” comes from the Hebrew gihu, meaning, “gushing forth.” It is one of the world’s largest intermittent springs and made life possible for ancient Jerusalem. While the water from the spring was used for irrigation in the Kidron, it was also central to temple worship. We will explore the Gihon further in this article.
The City of David is the location for the ancient Jebusite City that David conquered and renamed to the City of David or Jerusalem. It is approximately 12 acres in size. It begins at the Millo (i.e., a ravine that separated the City of David from the Ophel, which Solomon filled in during his reign) and extends southward.
Today the City of David is an Israeli national park and a major archaeological site. Archaeologists have discovered many subterranean tunnels, reservoirs, and possibly an ancient room that was used for animal sacrifices. Also discovered underneath the City of David is Hezekiah’s tunnel and the Gihon Spring. On the southwest side of the city is the Pool of Siloam.
City of the David = Zion
We begin our investigation for the real temple mount by turning to the Bible. As with so many other truths, Yahweh’s Word holds the key in unlocking the truth as to where the original temple stood. Following is a compilation of Scripture confirming that the city of David and Mount Zion (i.e., the location of the temple) are synonymous: “Nevertheless David took the strong hold of Zion: the same is the city of David,” 2 Samuel 5:7.
This passage clearly states that Zion and the city of David are the same. This point is critically important, as Scripture also shows that Mount Zion was the location of the temple.
“And the inhabitants of Jebus said to David, Thou shalt not come hither. Nevertheless David took the castle of Zion, which is the city of David,” 1Chronicles 11:5.
As noted in the previous passage, 1 Chronicles 11 confirms that Zion is also the city of David. The word “castle” here comes from the Hebrew matsuwd and refers to a place of defence. Because Jebus was located between the Kidron and Central valleys, it was a well defensible area.
“In Salem also is His tabernacle, and His dwelling place in Zion,” Psalm 76:2.
The word “Salem” derives from the Hebrew shalem. Strong’s states that this word is “an early name of Jerusalem.” This passage is critically important, as it shows a connection between the ancient city of David, the temple, and Zion and offers indisputable evidence for the temple being located within ancient Jerusalem and not on the Haram esh-Sharif.
Remember that the old City of David only included the 12-acre plot of land between the Kidron and Central valleys. It did not include the 36-acre Temple Mount located a third of a mile north. The current Temple Mount platform was developed much later.
Using only the Bible as a roadmap and knowing the location for the ancient city of David, a strong case can be made for the temple being located within the City of David and not on today’s Temple Mount. However, this is only the tip of the iceberg.
The Akra, Millo, and Ophel
When it comes to the location of the temple, there are three terms to understand – the Akra, Millo, and Ophel. The Akra was another name of the City of David. The Millo was a ravine that King Solomon filled in. And the Ophel is where the temple was originally located.
In 2 Samuel 5:9 we find a description of the boundaries of ancient Jerusalem during the reign of King David: “So David dwelt in the fort, and called it the city of David. And David built round about from Millo and inward.”
The word “fort” refers to the impregnability of the City of David. This was due to its location between the Kidron and Tyropoeon valleys. We see that David built his city from the Millo inward. Tis ravine separated ancient Jerusalem from the Ophel.
Scripture records that Solomon later filled in this ravine: “And this was the cause that he lifted up his hand against the king: Solomon built Millo, and repaired the breaches of the city of David his father,” 1Kings 11:27.
The word “repaired” here comes from the Hebrew cagar and is a primitive root meaning, “to shut up,” Strong’s. By filling in the Millo, Solomon shut up the ravine known as Millo. In doing so, he also connected the City of David with the Ophel.
This is why Psalms 122:3 describes Jerusalem as a city “compact together.” The word “compact” comes from the Hebrew chabar and according to Strong’s means to “join.” When Solomon filled in the Millo, he enlarged the City of David by joining it with the Ophel.
Now what connection do the Millo and Ophel have to the temple? According to 1 Maccabees 13:52 the Ophel is the location of the temple. The KJV with Apocrypha reads, “…Moreover the hill of the temple that was by the tower he made stronger than it was, and there he dwelt himself with his company.” As a secondary reference, the Catholic Study Bible states, “…He also strengthened the fortifications of the temple mount alongside the citadel, and he and his people dwelt there.”
Even though Maccabees is not considered inspired or part of the canon of Scripture, it still offers invaluable historical insight during the time of the Maccabees and Hasmoneans.
As seen in the above citation, the biblical temple mount or “temple hill” was located alongside the tower or citadel. As 2 Samuel 5:9 shows, the “fort” or “citadel” refers to the City of David: “So David dwelt in the fort, and called it the city of David….”
This provides conclusive evidence for the temple being located on the Ophel and alongside the City of David. This also places the biblical temple mount approximately a third of a mile south from the traditional Temple Mount.
I will do another post on the Old City of David as it is an important end times sign.
Many Jews are coming to accept Jesus as their Messiah and Saviour. Watch a great story of how a Jew came to Jesus and what God has done with his life since that time.
An explosion of Jews turning to Jesus and returning to Israel, particularly in the Soviet Union. Jonathan explains why this is happening now and that it is prophesied as an “end times” occurrence. The greatest Aliyah is happening now both from the north and the south. Jews running down the aisle to come to Jesus. You will see them, hundreds of them, on this video.
LIVING ETERNAL NOW 