Pastor Carl Gallups has connected the dots to see that events unfolding in the world are prophesied to occur exactly as they are happening in the Bible. Proof the Bible is inerrant and God is in control of history. It should be a wake up call for Christians but sadly the Bible also foretells a great falling away from the church in the last days which is also evident.
In the days and years ahead we should see the emergence of a Northern leader (King of the North) from the general region of the former Seleucid Empire – Turkey, Syria, Iraq as outlined in Daniel 11. Whilst Iran was part of the Seleucid Empire, it is Shia, and it is likely the Antichrist, the Northern leader, will be a Sunni.
The title King of the North is used seven times in Daniel 11 (v.v. 6, 7. 8, 11, 13, 15) The first six times it refers to the various kings of the Seleucid Empire but in verse 40, the Antichrist as the last days Antiochus 1V Epiphanes.
Turkey has thrown its weight behind the Syrian rebels which puts the Sunni Turkey at odds with the Shiite power of Iran, at a time of growing Sunni-Shiite tension in the Middle East.
The Bible also tells us that we should see a Southern leader of Egypt that will clash with the Northern leader in what will lead to a large scale military confrontation. Egypt will fall to the Northern leader, Libya and Sudan (Cush) will then submit to the northern leader/Antichrist and his emerging empire. After this seven other nations from the region will willingly throw their support behind the norther leader/Antichrist and his emerging empire.
This revived empire (Ottoman) is what is prophesied in Daniel 2 as the feet of iron and clay and in Daniel 7 as the ten horns. This will be the final Antchristic empire that will crush the people of God throughout the region and in much of the earth before being destroyed by our Lord Jesus Christ.
The church is not prepared for Jesus second coming just as the religious leaders of Jesus day missed His first coming. They did not heed the Scriptures.
We need to get back to church as it was in the Book of Acts. Francis Chan, author of Crazy Love has got it right – see my recent post Church As God Intended.
For more get Joel Richardson’s book The Mid East Beast – The Case for an Islamic Antichrist.
In the Book of the Prophet Daniel 7:7, we read of the system of the Antichrist. It is described using the metaphor of a beast, “dreadful and terrifying and extremely strong.” After its initial assault on its enemies with its iron teeth, it continues to trample even the residual survivors. Its hard not to see this being fulfilled right now throughout the Middle East. After Muhammad died and his successors burst forth out of Arabia, they rapidly conquered the whole Middle East and North Africa. Within ten years the very heart of the ancient Christian Church was ripped out.
All of the great former missionary sending capitals were conquered: Ephesus, Antioch, Jerusalem, Alexandria. Yet while a smaller minority of Christians managed to hang on in those cities, they have forever since been a struggling minority among their Muslim neighbours. Now the residue is even being trampled, and we read of repeated reports that speak of Christianity virtually disappearing from Iraq and Syria.
Yet despite the gravity of what is unfolding before the eyes of the world and the global church, I genuinely don’t think that most Christians have truly put the prophetic pieces together.
Before ISIS came, the Yezidis in Iraq numbered around 400,000. As the mass graves continue to be unearthed and the bodies counted, some estimates suggest that as many as one fifth of Iraqi’s Yezidis were massacred under the exceedingly cruel hand of the ISIS Caliphate.
I am still amazed when a village of Chaldean Catholic Christians is decimated because of the name of Jesus, simply because they are not Muslim, and some American prophecy teachers and watchmen continue to claim that it is the Catholics who are the real threat. Could it be that the eastern beast is now knocking at the gates of the city while far too many of the “watchmen” are either determinedly perched on the western wall looking in the wrong direction, or are asleep entirely? The way things are moving, I truly believe we may be far closer than most think. Let us all repent, for the Day of the Lord is indeed at hand
It would fit with Bible prophecy of a revived Ottoman Empire in the “last days”. In Daniel 11:40, the Antichrist, as the last days Antiochus IV Epiphanes, is also referred to as the King of the North who will rule over a last-days version of the Seleucid Empire (revived Ottoman Empire). In verse 41, we are then told he invades the Glorious Land – Israel.
World events are consistent with a Muslim Antichrist – the Mahdi, the prophesied redeemer of Islam who will rule prior to the Day of Judgement
Turkey is reportedly positioning itself as a Muslim power in Jerusalem by investing millions of dollars in the Old City and the Temple Mount.
According to an investigative report, due to be published in full in the coming weekend edition of Israel Hayom, the Turkish government-funded Cooperation and Coordination Agency, also known as TIKA, has invested millions of dollars into 63 different projects “defending and strengthening the Muslim heritage and character of Jerusalem” since 2004.
Turkey has teamed up with Sheikh Raed Salah, the leader of the Northern Branch of the Islamic Movement in Israel, which was outlawed in November 2015, as well as with former Jerusalem mufti Sheikh Akram Sabri. Both are opposed to Israel’s existence.
Among other activities, TIKA has invested resources in restoring the Ottoman Muslim archives on the Temple Mount, renovated the Muslim cemetery adjacent to the eastern wall of the Temple Mount, and been involved in numerous community-related work throughout the eastern sections of Israel’s capital.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has consistently supported TIKA’s work and condemned Israel’s control of Jerusalem, which he labels “an insult.”
Last month, in a speech at the International Al-Quds Forum in Istanbul, Erdogan urged Muslims to make frequent visits to the Al-Aqsa Mosque, located on the Temple Mount, in order “to protect the Muslim identity” of the site, the Turkish daily Sabah reported.
“As a Muslim community, we need to visit the Al-Aqsa Mosque often; each day that Jerusalem is under occupation is an insult to us,” he was quoted as saying.
While Turkey is enhancing its position in Jerusalem, the influence of Jordan, the traditional custodian of Jerusalem’s Muslim sites, appears to be declining.
Visitors to Jerusalem’s Old City can easily notice the increased Turkish presence through the numerous Turkish national flags on display. In addition, Turkish culture and cuisine are becoming more popular in the area. Turkey’s government also covered some of the expenses for the new golden crescent atop the Dome of the Rock a few years ago.
Paul clearly tells us in Ephesians 6:12 that we don’t fight against flesh and blood but against principalities, against powers , against the rulers of the darkness of this age. Therefore, we know that principalities and powers in the heavens control events here on earth. We can therefore expect that all the so called god’s in history are deceptions of Satan himself. The following presentation shows the underlying links between the God’s of earlier civilisations and the religion of Islam. It also clearly shows that we are in the Biblical prophesied “last days” and reveals the identity of Mystery Babylon – Mecca.
A group of Ethiopian Falash Mura arrived at Ben Gurion Airport on Tuesday, the first group in a new wave of aliyah (immigration to Israel).
“I will gather you from foreign nations and bring you home.” Ezekiel 36:24
“Behold, I the Lord will bring them from the north country, and gather them from the ends of the earth.” Jeremiah 31:8
The 72 new Jewish immigrants arrived in the Jewish state as part of a collaborative effort between the Jewish Agency for Israel and the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem (ICEJ).
More than 200 families and supporters greeted the new immigrants at the airport.
Another three immigrant flights from Ethiopia are expected to arrive in Israel this month.
Tuesday night’s flight marked the first group of Jewish immigrants from Ethiopia to arrive in Israel since the Israeli government approved and renewed the Ethiopian Aliyah program in October 2016.
ICEJ, a Christian Zionist global ministry, sponsored the latest Ethiopian immigration wave to Israel and has worked to raise funds for the first year of the reintroduced Ethiopian Aliyah program, which will bring 1,400 new immigrants to the Jewish state.
Falash Mura is the name given to those of the Beta Israel community in Ethiopia and Eritrea who converted to Christianity under pressure from the Christian Mission during the 19th and 20th centuries. The establishment of the Jewish state and the waves of aliyah from Ethiopia have brought them back to their roots and heritage.
In 2003, the Israeli government applied Resolution 2958 to the Falash Mura, which grants maternal descendants of Jews the right to immigrate to Israel under the Israeli Law of Return and to obtain citizenship if they convert to Judaism.
Some 9,000 Jews still reside in Ethiopia and are waiting Israeli government approval to make aliyah.
Also Tuesday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu welcomed Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn and his wife to the Prime Minister’s Office in Jerusalem.
“The Ethiopian community, Mr. Prime Minister, is a human bridge between our two nations,” Netanyahu said. 
This article originally appeared at unitedwithisrael.org.
This is another end times sign. When Jesus was asked by His disciples what it would it be like at His second coming, Jesus said it would be like the days of Lot. This is just one of the signs; a great falling away in His church (apostasy) would be another. Church denomination after another has capitulated with gay marriage and homosexual leaders in the church. Where does your church stand on the inerrancy of Scripture?
Trystan Reese is a trans man who is expecting a baby with his partner of seven years, Biff Chaplow.
Alan Kurshner of Eschatos Ministries on the Prewrath Rapture.
What are key passages that best represent the Prewrath Rapture position?
I think the strongest passage is 2 Thessalonians 2, where Paul reassures Thessalonian believers that they are not experiencing the day of the Lord’s wrath. Paul explains that they are not experiencing the day of the Lord’s wrath because two discernible events must happen first—the revelation of Antichrist and the apostasy. Since they have not happened, Paul argues, the day of the Lord has not materialised. This passage eliminates the possibility of a Pretribulation Rapture.
I also see Jesus’ Olivet Discourse as a key passage that supports the Prewrath Rapture position. It depicts all the key elements: the Antichrist’s great tribulation, cutting short of the great tribulation, celestial disturbances, Son of Man’s return to the clouds, rescue of God’s people, and the impending wrath of God.
I would argue, as well, from the book of Daniel and Revelation, but the former two passages, in my view, form a strong case for the pre-wrath position.
What role does Daniel 9 have in your understanding of the timing of the rapture?
I do not see Daniel 9 informing a particular eschatological sequence vis-à-vis the rapture question (but I do in Daniel 11:36–12:4). There are at least two points that Daniel 9 informs us on: (1) There will be a future seven-year period during which time key events will unfold, and (2) the fulfilment of the salvation of Israel will happen when the seven-year period is complete.
How does your understanding of the rapture affect your life?
Jesus ominously warns believers, “See, I have told you beforehand” (Matt 24:25). This is not a cliché, but a real warning to God’s people. The great tribulation will be a concrete event occurring in the future just before the Lord returns. Jesus says it will be characterised by martyrdom, hatred, apostasy, betrayal, deception, and lawlessness. So much so that he says, “such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be” (Matt 24:21).
To be sure, if we do not experience this event in our lifetime, there are still important faith-principles that we can use to apply to our lives in the present time.
Since God has ordained that the last generation of church will experience tribulation before she meets her Rescuer bride-groom, should this not be an urgent warning for the church? The temptation during the great tribulation to capitulate to persecution, false teaching, and slothfulness will be intense. There will be two imperative duties for the believer during the great tribulation: to overcome the adversity through faith and to encourage the fellow believer to do the same.
One final implication is saliently portrayed in the angelic warning not to take the beast’s mark, lest they suffer eternal punishment in hell (see Revelation 14:9–12).
God perseveres the faith of his people through concrete warnings, so it is incumbent on Christian leaders not to dismiss these eschatological warnings for their people that God has entrusted to them. So the practical implications for the basic correct interpretation are sober for the believer.
This information is taken from Alan Kurshner’s book Antichrist Before the Day of the Lord: What Every Christian Needs to Know About the Return of Christ.
In 1 Peter 4:12-13, the apostle Peter says, “Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that is taking place among you to test you, as though some strange thing happened to you. But rejoice insofar as you share in Christ’s sufferings, so that you may rejoice and be glad also in the revelation of His glory.”
The same Peter who wrote these words once rebuked Christ for declaring His intention to go to the cross (see Matthew 16:21-23). Peter once found suffering abhorrent, but now he tells us we should rejoice. Peter had grown in his understanding of the role of suffering in the Christian life. He had seen that the suffering of the cross was not the end—but only the way to the resurrection.
The persecution of the church is not new. In fact, history proves again and again that Christianity flourishes best under persecution. How then are we as Christians to respond to persecution?
On February 12, 2015, 21 Egyptian Christians were beheaded on the coast of the Mediterranean at the hands of ISIS fighters. Just before they beheaded each man, they offered him his life—if only he would deny Christ. But these brave men loved Jesus more than their own lives.
In this age of tolerance, we must love those who persecute us—but never surrender the truth. We must invite all people to come to the one who loves them and died for their sin. We must “implore [them] in Christ’s stead: Be reconciled to God” (2 Corinthians 5:20). Above all, we must resist the temptation of being ashamed of the Gospel.
In the midst of suffering, God makes us some incredible promises:
There is an indescribable blessing that can only be received through suffering for Christ. When you trust in Him, even amid persecution or difficult circumstances, you will experience His presence with you in a unique and powerful way. And as you walk with the Lord in obedience, He promises that He will never leave you or forsake you—in the fiery furnace, the lion’s den, or even in your workplace.
This article originally appeared on Leading The Way.
Last week Jews celebrated “Jerusalem Day,” commemorating the recapture of Jerusalem in 1967. The name “Jerusalem Day” is taken from Psalm 137:7.
Israelis celebrate as they hold the Israeli flag during a parade marking Jerusalem Day, the day in the Jewish calendar when Israel captured East Jerusalem and the Old City from Jordan during the 1967 Middle East War, as they enter Damascus Gate in Jerusalem’s Old City, May 24, 2017. (Reuters/Ronen Zvulun)
Article from Revive Israel: “Hanoch Maoz shared his story with us. He was in the squad that blew up the closed Zion’s Gate as the troops entered the Old City to the Western Wall. Seeing the supernatural protection on his life with bullets flying, fellow-soldiers dying and bombs exploding, was part of what brought him to faith.
Hanoch mentioned that after the War, he noticed how the following verse had been literally fulfilled in his life. “Our feet shall stand within your gates, O Jerusalem” (Ps. 122:2). We told him, “Yeah, it just didn’t say you’d have to blow up the gate on the way.”
Jerusalem Day is a fulfilment of God’s promises to King David 3,000 years ago; and a fulfilment of Yeshua’s prophecy 2,000 years ago, that Jerusalem would be trampled by the Gentiles “until the time of the Gentiles are fulfilled” (Luke 21:24). If God would be faithful to fulfil these promises after 2,000 to 3,000 years and seemingly impossible situations, we can be sure all the rest of the prophecies will be fulfilled as well.”
LIVING ETERNAL NOW 