Syrian Rebels Enter Damascus, Assad Government Falls

 Things are happening in Syria!  The Assad government has fallen and Damascus is now under rebel control.  The rebels screamed “Allah akbar!”, as they entered the capital so we can be pretty sure that these new Muslims in control will not be lookin for peace with Israel.  One thing is certain, Damascus is front and center in the news and Isaiah 17 is in the window.

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The Syrian government appeared to have fallen early Sunday in a stunning end to the 50-year rule of the Assad family after a lightning rebel offensive.

The head of a Syrian opposition war monitor said President Bashar Assad had left the country for an undisclosed location, fleeing ahead of insurgents who said they had entered Damascus after a remarkably swift advance across the country.

Syrian Prime Minister Mohammed Ghazi Jalali said the government was ready to “extend its hand” to the opposition and hand over its functions to a transitional government.

“I am in my house and I have not left, and this is because of my belonging to this country,” Jalili said in a video statement. He said he would go to his office to continue work in the morning and called on Syrian citizens not to deface public property.

He did not address reports that Assad had left the country.

The rapid rebel gains, coupled with the lack of support from Assad’s erstwhile allies, posed the most serious threat to his rule since the start of the war.

The U.N.’s special envoy for Syria, Geir Pedersen, called Saturday for urgent talks in Geneva to ensure an “orderly political transition.” Speaking to reporters at the annual Doha Forum in Qatar, he said the situation in Syria was changing by the minute. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, whose country is Assad’s chief international backer, said he feels “sorry for the Syrian people.”

In Damascus, people rushed to stock up on supplies. Thousands went to Syria’s border with Lebanon, trying to leave the country. Lebanese border officials closed the main Masnaa border crossing late Saturday, leaving many stuck waiting.

https://apnews.com/article/syria-assad-sweida-daraa-homs-hts-qatar-7f65823bbf0a7bd331109e8dff419430

Alone, Broke and Under Attack

 After not hearing much about Syria and their Civil War, the rebels attacked government forces on November 27 and made some huge advances.  Syria is a proxy of Iran but Iran has a lot of bad irons in the fire so are they going to be able to bail out Assad?  Russia has good relations with Syria but they have their own problems in Ukraine.  So who is going to bail out this strange Muslim with a lisp who doesn’t wear a turban?

Some day, maybe soon, Damascus will be destroyed and so we watch to see how that will happen.  In the meantime pray that these Muslim nations will continue to come to Jesus through the dreams and visions He is using to call them.

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The last time Syrian President Bashar al-Assad was in serious trouble was 10 years ago, at the height of the country’s civil war, when his forces lost control over parts of the largest city, Aleppo, and his opponents were closing in on the capital, Damascus.

Back then, Assad was rescued by his chief international backer, Russia, and longtime regional ally Iran, which along with its powerful Lebanese proxy Hezbollah helped Assad’s forces retake Aleppo, tipping the war firmly in his favor.

Assad has since become a vital part of the so-called Axis of Resistance, Iran’s network of regional proxies, which is openly committed to Israel’s destruction. With their decisive influence over the Syrian strongman, Tehran and Hezbollah have made Syria a throughway for arms transfers from Iran to Lebanon.

“The rebel assault underscores the precarious nature of regime control in Syria,” Yacoubian wrote.

“Its sudden eruption and the speed with which rebel groups managed to overtake Aleppo … expose the complex dynamics that reside just below the surface in Syria and can transform superficial calm into a major conflict.”

Aron Lund, a Syria expert with Century International, a New York-based think tank, and a researcher with the Swedish Defense Research Agency, said the developments in Syria are a geopolitical disaster for Russia and Iran.

“They too were surely surprised by what happened, and they have all sorts of resource constraints,” including Russia’s war in Ukraine and Hezbollah’s losses in Lebanon and Syria.

https://www.timesofisrael.com/alone-broke-and-under-attack-is-assads-rule-in-syria-at-risk-of-collapse/

United Nations to Push for Palestinian State in June 2025

 As we have said numerous times, the election of Donald Trump is very fun but it doesn't change the timing of the rapture by one single day.  The world still hates Jews and is figuring out a way to make sure that the Arab-Muslims have one more permanent launching pad with which to attack Israel.  They want a Palestinian State.

Egypt won't take them.  Jordan doesn't want them.  Lebanon knows what a problem bunch these Arabs of Gaza have become and they don't want them either.

So what is going to happen to those folks who insist on dividing God's Holy Land??

It won't go well for them.

I hope America stays away from this June conference or attends and votes against another Arab State in the region.  The world needs another Muslim-Arab nation like it needs a hole in the head.

An Israeli diplomat accused the United Nations of fixation on anti-Israel resolutions brought by the world's worst human-rights abusers just hours before the General Assembly overwhelmingly passed a resolution approving a high-level conference in support of the two-state solution.

On Tuesday, the General Assembly voted by a 157-8 margin, with seven abstentions, in favor of holding a conference in June 2025 aimed at adopting "an action-oriented outcome document" to "urgently chart an irreversible pathway towards the peaceful settlement" of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the implementation of a Palestinian state.

Argentina, Hungary, Israel, Micronesia, Nauru, Palau, Papua New Guinea and the United States voted no. Cameroon, Czechia, Ecuador, Georgia, Paraguay, Ukraine and Uruguay abstained.

The text of the conference was annexed to a seven-page resolution condemning Israeli community-building beyond the so-called Green Line, and into eastern Jerusalem and Judea and Samaria. It also rejects any demographic or territorial change in the Gaza Strip and urges a Palestinian state to be formed along the 1949 armistice lines. 

The Australian government, under Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, continued to break from its long-held positions on the conflict, voting in favor of the resolution and increasing tensions between Jerusalem and Canberra. Australia has voted no or abstained on matters of Palestinian statehood since 2001.

"A two-state solution remains the only hope of breaking the endless cycle of violence--the only hope to see a secure and prosperous future for both peoples," James Larsen, Australia's U.N. ambassador, said before the vote.

Just a day earlier, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar summoned Australian Ambassador Ralph King for a formal reprimand, dressing him down for Australia's refusal to issue a visa to Ayelet Shaked, a former Israeli minister.

Sa'ar told King that the decision was "based on baseless blood libels spread by the pro-Palestinian lobby" and was contrary to the values of democracy, free speech and friendship shared by the two countries.

Australia denied the visa on the grounds that Shaked could undermine social cohesion because of her history of anti-Palestinian rhetoric.

Canada, long an ally of Israel at the United Nations, continued its backpedaling under Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

"The dynamics in the broader region show very clearly that conflict management, as opposed to genuine conflict resolution, is not, in fact, a sustainable path to peace, security and prosperity," Bob Rae, Canada's ambassador to the United Nations, said on Wednesday before the vote.

Rae conceded that the resolution should have struck a more balanced tone, but Ottawa is focusing on the viability of a Palestinian state. The ruling Liberals had voted against similar resolutions for nearly a decade.

Hungary was the only European country that voted with Israel.

'Laid bare for all to see'

Reut Shapir Ben-Naftaly, the Israeli U.N. mission's political coordinator, chided the General Assembly on Tuesday for its debate and planned adoptions of multiple resolutions this week based on a "reckless disregard for the truth."

She said that the Hamas-led massacre of 1,200 people in southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, which sparked the current regional crisis, "laid bare for all to see" the world body's "entrenched anti-Israeli bias."

She said the terrorist attacks on Jewish communities, including murder, rape, torture and hostage-taking, remain insufficiently addressed by the United Nations while it takes up resolutions from the likes of Cuba, North Korea, Syria and Venezuela.

Here;  Divine Consequences: UN To Push For Palestinian State In 2025

One thing is happening here for sure;  The world is going to try and destroy Israel once and for all. 

But God has other plans....

Bible Sales are Up!

 As the world continues to grow more shaky and talk of nuclear war and AI are in the headlines, people desire something solid.  And what’s more of a firm foundation than the Word of God?

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Circana Bookscan, the industry’s primary data collection resource on book sales, has some joyful news to report to those who love the Bible. As of October 2024, sales of the "Scriptures Bible" are up 22% in the U.S. compared to their figures of the same time last year.

In general, print book sales are decreasing with the rise in digital books, and Circana’s overall statistics show a rise of just 1% across the spectrum of all printed books. However, more people are now paying to get a physical copy of the Bible in their hands.

The Bible has always been a bestseller, outstripping the sales of every other book each year. It is the most popular book in the world with an estimated 5 billion copies sold worldwide. However, with adherence to the Christian faith allegedly dropping, according to Pew Research figures, it might seem surprising that Bible sales are moving in the opposite direction.

Jeff Crosby, president of the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association explained, “People are experiencing anxiety themselves, or they’re worried for their children and grandchildren.” 

“It’s related to artificial intelligence, election cycles…and all of that feeds a desire for assurance that we’re going to be OK,” he added. 

Whether due to concerns about the economy, international conflicts or political uncertainty, the instability caused by current events may be driving increased interest in the Bible.

In an environment where misinformation, AI, and conflicting narratives are widespread, the Bible's text has remained consistent for millennia, offering a stable reference point for many.

https://allisrael.com/bible-sales-soar-as-world-events-continue-to-shake

“Brain Preservation”, No One Has to Die

 The Bible is clear that it’s appointed for all men to die once, and then the judgment.  The only generation that will avoid this is the generation of Christ followers who are alive when Christ returns to the sky and calls his bride to meet him there.  As a Christ follower, one never dies.  We just go from one reality to another.

But how about the folks who refuse Christ and are terrified of death?  Could they figure out some way to save their brains or download themselves into a computer so that all their thoughts and memories and their personalities could be saved forever?

This article explains a scientist who wants to preserve your brain and hopefully the technology will exist in the future to place it inside a robot.

Mankind seems to be in a battle against death.  Most refuse to believe that Jesus conquered death.  For those who have accepted Christ they were transferred instantly from “the path that leads to eternal death” onto “the path that leads to eternal life.”

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Now, Zeleznikow-Johnston offers an alternative suggestion: aldehyde-stabilised cryopreservation, also known as fixation. “Essentially,” he says, “by introducing chemicals at the opportune moment which preserve the structure of someone’s brain, we can hold onto its circuitry and structures.”

Once frozen, in essence, preserving our identity indefinitely. “In labs, this process of fixation is used routinely with animal research. Developed in 2015, it’s not a complicated procedure and has been tested on large animals and humans, postmortem.”

Two groups on the US west coast, Zeleznikow-Johnston tells me, are on the cusp of offering this to the public. Another in Europe. “It can certainly be done today,” he’s confident, “and in the next year, it’ll be more accessible. It could be rolled out quickly, if there was demand.”

He tots up rough costs in the book’s closing chapters: at today’s prices, roughly $13,000 should pay for the initial preservation procedure. If done at scale, a further $1,300 annually should account for on-going storage and associated admin costs. “I’m not an accountant,” he adds, “but that’s my best estimate.” Small change compared to the cash required for many medical procedures – from cancer therapies to transplants.

But how we might eventually resurrect remains unclear. What use is pressing pause without a restart button? There, he accepts, we’re firmly into the field of sci-fi. Unfazed, Zeleznikow-Johnston opines that major advances in nanomedicine offer one route; else there’s what’s known as mind-uploading, or mind-emulation – transferring someone to a digital form. “Break down the elements and it’s a fairly straightforward extrapolation from today’s technology,” he says. “Take very high resolution scans of brain structure to characterise how someone’s neurons work, recreate it in a digital format then put it in another robotic, virtual or biological body.” Future scientists will need to fill in the details. “Yet if the memories and experiences which define us are held on to, a person has survived. A robotic or digital brain, if done right, I’d argue, is still you.”

If tomorrow, Zeleznikow-Johnston received a terminal diagnosis, he’d eventually undergo the brain preservation procedure. He’d encourage friends and family to follow. “My fear of death hasn’t been assuaged,” he says. “It still scares me. What I’m proposing isn’t magic, even if it comes to fruition.” Countless variables would need to land in our favour: the tech developed and implemented properly. Nuclear war and climate catastrophe avoided. Some future generation opting to offer their distant ancestors another chance at life. “Even with a guarantee of everyone I love returning, I’d still miss them in the short term, but it does provide some comfort. My existential despair that everyone I love will one day disappear hasn’t gone away completely, but it offers a glimmer of hope.”

Still unconvinced? Just look, he urges, to anaesthesia. “Prior to the mid-19th century, if you needed an operation, you just had to cope with the pain. Yes, you could take some herbs, alcohol; maybe opiates if they were available.” Alternatives included what was, ostensibly, strangulation, else delivering a knockout blow to the patient’s head. “This was the case throughout human history, until the discovery of anaesthesia. It was an unprecedented change. No longer did you have to suffer.”

There’s far from consensus on these topics: much is uncharted territory. A newly published survey of 300 neuroscientists found 40% predict brain preservation and restoration will prove possible. Still, Zeleznikow-Johnston is more than prepared to see his entire thesis shot down. “Sceptics should put in the effort to scrutinise and critically appraise my proposal,” he says, “either proving that what I’m advocating for can’t work – in which case I’ll apologise and abandon it – or they’ll realise what I’m suggesting has merit. It’s time to establish an academic consensus on the current and near-term feasibility of brain preservation.” One thing, however, is for certain: in an instant, what was once believed impossible can become just another fact of life.

https://www.theguardian.com/science/2024/dec/01/with-brain-preservation-nobody-has-to-die-meet-the-neuroscientist-who-believes-life-could-be-eternal

Why God Dedicated 1/3 of the Bible to Telling Us What Happens in Advance

 For the Christians who say, "yeah, I don't study prophecy because it's too confusing and only God knows the future," I would direct you to this article.  Clearly Jesus was hard on the Jewish believers 2000 years ago who didn't understand that HE was the Messiah.  So why would we expect Jesus to be any more pleased with mature Christians who don't even make an attempt to understand the glorious promises He has revealed through 1/3 of the Bible?

The Bible is a book of prophecy. Over one-third of its verses predict the future, with every fulfillment happening with one hundred percent accuracy down to the smallest of details.

The Old Testament contains forty-eight specific prophecies related to Jesus’ first coming, which happened precisely as the prophets of old foretold. The odds that one person could fulfill all of them stagger the imagination, and together, they verify that He was truly the promised Messiah, the Christ.

During His earthly ministry, the Lord prepared His disciples for what was coming by repeatedly telling them about His future death and resurrection. In the Upper Room, the Savior again told them what was to happen so as to calm their troubled hearts concerning the news that He would soon leave them. His words on this occasion provide us with a key for understanding the purpose of Bible prophecy: “And now I have told you before it takes place, so that when it does take place you may believe” (John 14:29).

Although His followers already believed that He was indeed the Christ, the Son of God, He warned them about His arrest, death, and soon departure so they wouldn’t give into doubt but would instead remain confident in spite of what they would see in the coming hours and days.

Jesus’ Promises for Us

During that same evening, the Lord also promised His disciples, and us, that He would prepare a place for us in Heaven and take us to His “Father’s house” (John 14:1-3). The apostles later expounded upon this assurance by adding many details about it. They told us He would someday:

Resurrect the dead in Christ (1 Corinthians 15:47-55; I Thessalonians 4:16).

Transform living saints into the same immortal and resurrection bodies (1 Corinthians 15:51-55; Philippians 3:20-21; Romans 8:23-24; 1 John 3:1-3).

Catch living believers up to meet Him in the air (1 Thessalonians 4:17).

Take His Church to Heaven, to the place He’s preparing for us (John 14:2-3; Colossians 3:4).

Why did Jesus provide us with so many precious promises of our future? He did so for the purpose of providing a means of mutual encouragement among believers (1 Thessalonians 4:18-5:11). While Paul was in Thessalonica, he emphasized future things, perhaps sensing that the Jews living there would persecute the new believers. Amid severe and painful opposition to their faith, the Thessalonians saints remained faithful as they held on to the hope of Jesus’ imminent appearing.

The World We Live In

Amid growing opposition to and, in many cases, persecution for our faith Bible amid daily warnings of nuclear WWIII, prophecy comforts us today in at least two ways. First, it assures us of a glorious future after the end of this life. The pre-Tribulation Rapture is biblically sound and most definitely a very “blessed hope” (Titus 2:11-14) that fills us with joyous anticipation regardless of what we face in this life.

Second, it calms our hearts by assuring us that our world today precisely resembles what Scripture foretold about the last days. The Lord revealed these things long ago so that we might remain confident in our faith as everything falls apart around us. We recognize the buildup to the blasphemous kingdom of the beast and know that regardless of the wait, Jesus is coming for us in the near future.

For example, if the antichrist is to control all the buying and selling in the world, we would expect to see the development of the means for this well ahead of the time he needs it. And that’s exactly what’s happening. The globalists are feverishly working on a cashless and digital payment system that will enable the coming beast to fulfill the words of Revelation 13:16-18.

The Bible tells us that the Tribulation will be a time of great lawlessness, deception, and wickedness. Although these things have existed to some degree throughout history, they define the day in which we live like no other time. When asked about the end of the age, Jesus’ first words were, “See to it that no one deceives you” (Matthew 24:4). Each and every day, we witness deceit on a scale that was once far beyond my imagination. I struggle to know what’s real, and as a result, constantly thank the Lord for the words of Scripture that anchor my soul amid the storms of gaslighting.

These things are just a sample of how God’s Word long ago described the day in which we live, the time leading up to the Rapture of the Church, and, after that, the start of the seven-year Tribulation. Do you not now hear the echo of the Lord’s words from the Upper Room, “And now I have told you before it takes place, so that when it does take place you may believe?”

Jesus knew all about the difficulties we would face in the days before His appearing to take us home. He realized it would be difficult to wait as we watch the Tribulation approach and wonder how much closer we can get to the Tribulation before it happens. Perhaps that’s why, as Jesus spoke of His return to the church at Philadelphia, He emphasized “patient endurance” and holding on to what we have (Revelation 3:10-11). He knew we would need these things in order to keep our focus on His appearing.

Everything remains under His sovereign control and is unfolding precisely as he said it would in the days leading up to the Rapture. As we wait, we remember His last words to His church: “I am coming quickly” (Revelation 22:20).

He is.

Here;  Why God Dedicated Over One-Third Of The Bible To Telling Us The Future In Advance - Harbinger's Daily

Watch Leftists Lose Their Minds as Biden Ignores Justice and Pardons His Son

 The leftists on MSNBC and CNN were all praising Biden who very clearly said he would not pardon his son but would respect the Justice System.  They said over and over that Democrats obey and respect the law while those crazy republicans and Trump do not.  Watch the clip below that shows what they all said and how they heaped praise on Biden and disdain on Trump.  And how are they going to eat crow today.  And what are they going to say when Trump pardons folks involved in the January 6 protests at the Capital?

Another day and another smile. 😀

https://youtu.be/QYQ6UPd0zYw?feature=shared

Trump Threatens There'll be "Hell to Pay" if Hostages Not Released by the Time He Becomes President

 Since Trump was elected there seems to be something to smile about every morning when you turn on your computer to read the headlines.

Yesterday it was all the folks, on both sides of the aisle, having fits about Biden pardoning his crack-head son, Hunter, from federal crimes.  He very clearly said he would never do that.  

Today the smiling news is that Trump wrote so his social media account yesterday and said that all the Jewish and American hostages better be released by January 20 when he gets sworn in as POTUS.  If they aren't then there will be ALL HELL TO PAY.

US President-elect Donald Trump demanded that all hostages be released by the time he takes office on January 20 or there would be “Hell to pay.”

“Everybody is talking about the hostages who are being held so violently, inhumanely, and against the will of the entire World in the Middle East – But it’s all talk and no action!” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform on Monday.

“Please let this TRUTH serve to represent that if the hostages are not released prior to January 20, 2025, the date that I proudly assume Office as President of the United States, there will be ALL HELL TO PAY in the Middle East, and for those in charge who perpetrated these atrocities against Humanity. Those responsible will be hit harder than anybody has been hit in the long and storied History of the United States of America. RELEASE THE HOSTAGES NOW!” Trump wrote.

Here;  TRUMP: Release hostages by January 20 or there will be 'ALL HELL TO PAY' | World Israel News

The back story to this is that the wife of Benjamin Netanyahu had visited Trump at Mara Lago in Florida a few days ago.  She probably gave him some more details about the mistreatment of these hostages and it struck a chord in Trump that made him make this comment.

One wonders WHY Biden wouldn't have said on October 8, 2023, "To the Hamas terrorists that are holding American hostages, you have 1 day to release them or I'm going to rain Navy Seals and Army Rangers on you until you're all dead."

What point is there in being the most powerful nation on earth if you don't carry a really large stick and use it sometimes?

You go Trump!  You took our embassy to Jerusalem and all the liberals cried in fear.  You gave the Golan Heights to Israel and all the liberals cried in fear.  You ordered the hit on an Iranian General with US blood on his hands and all the liberals cried in fear.

I'm going to guess they are already starting to cry today as they read this aggressive warning from Trump.  Even now the college kids may be going to their "safe place" on campus and petting puppies while they wrap up in blankets and sob about Trump's "mean words".

Trump, Israel, Jerusalem, Third Temple

Here is a great summary of about why Trump’s election doesn’t slow down the imminent return of Christ.  Also a reminder that Trump seems to support a two state solution which is wrong, in spite of being a great friend to Israel in numerous other ways.

You can view the summary at this link but read it below as well. https://www.raptureready.com/category/nearing-midnight/

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 Third Temple and Trump

Rather than slowing prophetic progression, the election of Donald Trump to be the 47th president of the United States seemingly continues to speed things up. (That’s although we know God’s timing is perfect and He doesn’t speed up or slow things down. He knows precisely when each prophetic event will take place.)

My thinking involves the fact that movement toward war on a global scale, emerging out of profound rumors of war, seems to be on the fast track now that Trump is president-elect. The Biden administration, under the ominous guiding hand of the deep state (the globalist elite), has slapped Russian President Vladimir Putin with the militaristic glove of insult. The US military complex now will give Ukraine advanced missile weaponry that can reach deep into Russian territory with greater firepower and precision.

This is being done following Putin’s declaration that such direct intervention by the US will likely bring a nuclear retaliation—at a minimum, that of a tactical sort. In fact, the Russians did release, in an unprecedented action, an experimental mid-range missile in a precision strike into Ukraine. The missile, which travels at a rate ten times the speed of sound, had no nuclear warhead. But Putin intimated in a speech following the attack that the next such superweapon launched might be nuclear-tipped.

It is conjectured, and I’m convinced, that this militant move by the military/industrial complex of which Eisenhower warned is intended to somehow hamstring Donald Trump’s presidency–perhaps even prevent him from taking office next January.

Whatsoever the case, Jesus’ words come to the forefront of current events.

“And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet” (Matthew 24:6).

I point you to the last of Jesus’ words here: “the end is not yet.” Jesus has this totally in control. There will be no all-out nuclear war this side of His taking God’s family of Church Age believers into the clouds of Glory!

So, as referenced above, the Trump election seems to have speeded up prophetic progression. Jesus’ words seem to be today’s prophetic headlines. The prophetic progression continues as part of this spectacular comeback of Donald J. Trump as president. We remember that Trump was in the middle of some prophetically important diplomatic movement when he was shortly thereafter defeated for a second term in what I continue to believe was a stolen election.

His involvement with God’s chosen nation, Israel, was, to those who observe Bible prophecy as absolute truth, action as from the hand of God. (Not meaning that Trump is godly, but that God used him to accomplish His holy will.)

President Trump announced the movement of the US Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, a matter that had been declared pending by previous presidents. A 2017 Jerusalem Post report explains.

SEOUL—President Donald Trump on Wednesday said the US recognizes Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and would move its embassy there, upending decades of a diplomatic consensus over the status of the city pioneered by his predecessors.

Citing a 1995 law, the Jerusalem Embassy Act, compelling the president to make the move absent national security risks, Trump said the time had come to recognize what everyone already knows to be true. “Jerusalem is the capital the Jewish people established in ancient times,” he said. “Today Jerusalem is the seat of Israel’s government.” (“Trump announces US moving embassy to Jerusalem, US president told regional leaders he intended to declare the city the capital of the Jewish State,” By Michael Wilner, Jerusalem Post, December 6, 2017.)

The United States Embassy was indeed moved to Jerusalem on May 14, 2018, despite major angst of world diplomats and fierce threats from Israel’s blood-vowed enemies.

In keeping with that obvious use of this less-than-godly individual to move prophetic progression along at what looks to be an increasing pace, we now consider the words of one of the new administration’s presidential cabinet picks.

Donald Trump’s choice as the next United States defense secretary has called for the building of a third Jewish temple on the site of Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem. Speaking at an event in Jerusalem in 2018, he said there was “no reason why the miracle of re-establishing the temple on the Temple Mount isn’t possible,” using the Israeli name for the raised plateau in occupied East Jerusalem where Al-Aqsa Mosque stands. “I don’t know how it would happen, you don’t know how it would happen, but I know that it could happen. (“Next US defense secretary Pete Hegseth called for new Jewish temple at Al-Aqsa,” Middle East Eye, November 16, 2024)

While Mr. Trump, who has appointed a Baptist preacher and former governor, Mike Huckabee, to be US ambassador to Israel, observably supports the Jewish state, background issues in the former president’s dealing with Israel are less than perfect.

Trump, so far as I know, continues to support the idea of a two-state solution to the Mideast trouble. This perhaps is forewarned of in Joel 3:2.

His advocating that Israel have the third temple is also an issue to consider. This will not be a temple approved of by the God of Heaven. God has announced it will be built, but it will be a temple of false worship (Judaism is a false worship system). It will be where the Antichrist will declare himself to be God.

This all means that things are aligning exactly as we have been told in God’s Word. The next great event on God’s prophetic timeline is not Israel’s capital being divided or the Jews having the third temple. The very next great event is the Rapture of the Church–the taking of all believers in the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation into Heaven.

God will then again begin dealing with His chosen people and nation as before His crucifixion. This will be the Tribulation, which Jesus said will be the worst time of all human history.

Here again is how to go to Jesus when He calls and not go through that terrible era ruled for a time by Antichrist.

“That if you will confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, 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).

NASA Tracking ‘Potentially Hazardous’ Asteroid

 Headlines like these seem to be appearing in the MSM on a fairly regular basis.  After watching Hollywood movies about asteroids slamming into earth, the question that comes to mind is, “would the governments of the world actually tell us if there was a cataclysmic asteroid due to slam into earth?”  Imagine the panic if NASA one day announced that a 2 mile wide “planet killer” was going to hit us in 2 months.  Imagine the instantaneous shut down of all grocery stores and basically every business on earth as people tried to get to the place on earth they thought they could survive.

Let’s remember that Revelation 8:8 tells us that a huge rock that looked like a fiery mountain, goes crashing into the sea killing and destroying much during the Tribulation.  Headlines like these serve as a foreshadowing of this event.  

8The second angel sounded his trumpet, and something like a huge mountain, all ablaze, was thrown into the sea. A third of the sea turned into blood, 9a third of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed.

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Two enormous "potentially hazardous asteroids" are due to soar through Earth's neighborhood later this week.

Both are classed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory's (JPL) Center for Near-Earth Studies (CNEOS) as near-Earth objects (NEOs) and as potentially hazardous asteroids (PHAs).

NEOs are defined as any object that comes within approximately 120 million miles of the sun, or 30 million miles of Earth, while a PHA is classed as an object measuring at least 460 feet in diameter that approaches within about 4.6 million miles from the sun.

The asteroids, named 447755 (2007 JX2) and (2020 XR), are each estimated at being around the size of the Empire State Building.

The asteroids are due to soar near our planet on December 3 and 4 respectively, with 447755 (2007 JX2) passing at a distance of 3,440,000 miles, and (2020 XR) passing at 1,370,000 miles.

For perspective purposes, the moon orbits our planet at a distance of 238,900 miles, while our closest planet companion, Venus, is about 24 million miles away at its closest point.

"A potentially hazardous asteroid (PHA) is one that has an orbit intersecting the Earth's orbit around the Sun by less than 0.05 astronomical units (1 AU is the distance to the Sun), that's just over 4.5 million miles," Martin Barstow, a professor of astrophysics and space science at the University of Leicester in the U.K.

https://www.newsweek.com/two-asteroids-empire-state-building-size-nasa-tracking-space-1994248

Syrian Rebels Take Over Major City

 We haven't heard a whole lot about Syria lately, but we do post anything that we see in regards to Damascus since Isaiah 17 still needs to be fulfilled.

Over the weekend there has been some major moves in Syria.  The rebels have taken over a major city in fighting against Assad's government.  And Assad is backed by Iran and Russia. 

The Syrian army said on Saturday dozens of its soldiers had been killed in a major attack led by Islamist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham rebels who swept into the city of Aleppo, forcing the army to redeploy in the biggest challenge to President Bashar al-Assad in years.

Russia's Defence Ministry said its air force had carried out strikes on Syrian rebels in support of the country's army, Russian news agencies reported. The strikes followed what was the boldest rebel assault for years in a civil war where front lines had largely been frozen since 2020.

Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, or HTS, once known as the Nusra Front, is designated a terrorist group by the US, Russia, Turkey and other states. Assad is a close Moscow ally.

In Washington, the White House National Security Council said it was closely monitoring the situation and had been in contact with regional capitals over the last 48 hours.

NSC spokesperson Sean Savett said Syria's refusal to engage in a political process and its reliance on Russia and Iran had "created the conditions now unfolding, including the collapse of Assad regime lines in northwest Syria."

Savett said the US had nothing to do with the offensive led by "a designated terrorist organization" and "urged de-escalation ... and a serious and credible political process" under the 2015 U.N. Security Council Resolution 2254, which laid out the steps for a ceasefire and political transition.

The war, which has killed hundreds of thousands of people and displaced many millions, has ground on since 2011 with no formal end, although most major fighting halted years ago after Iran and Russia helped Assad's government win control of most land and all major cities.

The rebels also took control of Aleppo airport, according to a statement by their operations room and a security source.

Two rebel sources also said the insurgents had captured the city of Maraat al Numan in Idlib province, bringing all of that area under their control.

The fighting revives the long-simmering Syrian conflict as the wider region is roiled by wars in Gaza and Lebanon, where a truce between Israel and the Iran-backed Lebanese group Hezbollah took effect on Wednesday.

With Assad backed by Russia and Iran, and Turkey supporting some of the rebels in the northwest where it maintains troops, the offensive has brought into focus the conflict's knotted geopolitics. Fighting in the northwest had largely abated since Turkey and Russia reached a de-escalation agreement in 2020.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov held a phone call with his Turkish counterpart, Hakan Fidan, discussing the situation in Syria, Russia's Foreign Ministry said on Saturday.

"Both sides expressed serious concerns at the dangerous development of the situation," the ministry said. They agreed it was necessary to coordinate joint actions to stabilise the situation in the country.

Turkish security officials had said on Thursday that Ankara had prevented operations which opposition groups wanted to organise, in order to avoid further tensions in the region.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi told Lavrov in a phone call that the rebel attacks were part of an Israeli-US plan to destabilise the region, Iranian state media said.

Here;  Russian and Syrian jets bomb insurgents in Aleppo city suburb - The Jerusalem Post

This is a super confusing war with many players but of course Iran blames Israel and USA for destabilizing a bunch of Muslims who've been at each other's throats since Muhammad's funeral.  

The easiest way to think about it is that you have angry Muslims fighting other angry Muslims with Shiites and Sunnis involved in the various factions.

The other confusing aspect is that you have Russia and Iran supporting the government forces loyal to Assad but you have Turkey supporting some of the rebel groups.  Ezekiel 38 says that Russia, Iran and Turkey will all be involved TOGETHER in working out a plan to destroy Israel.  So for now we just watch how this mess all plays out.

Needless to say the Syrian citizens are caught between a rock and a hard place and millions of them have chosen to flee the country and gone to neighboring nations.

The majority of Syrian refugees have stayed in the Middle East. Syria’s neighbours, Lebanon, Jordan and Turkey are hosting over 90%.

Other families have fled to neighbouring Iraq, Egypt or North Africa.

Some refugees have fled to European countries.

At the height of the European migrant crisis in 2015, 1.3 million Syrians requested asylum with Germany, Sweden, Hungary, Greece, Austria, the Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark, France and Bulgaria receiving the most applications.

Here;  https://shelterbox.org/where-we-work/syria/conflict/

Just one more example of how Islam creates a mess wherever it takes root.  Europe is going to have lots of problems keeping there Muslim immigrants at bay.

Israel Finds Chemicals and Gas Masks In Hezbollah’s Stash

 As we all know, Israel is very sensitive about Jews being gassed again.  We believe that if enemies attacked Israel using gas/chemical weapons that it could force Israel to use a nuke to stop any further attacks.  This could lead to a fulfillment of Isaiah 17 or even parts of Psalm 83.

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Israeli forces operating in southern Lebanon have uncovered chemicals and gas masks in Hezbollah strongholds, raising concerns over the terror group’s potential use of chemical weapons or plans for cross-border abductions. The findings, reported by Hebrew media on Thursday, suggest Hezbollah’s elite Radwan Force may have been preparing for unconventional attacks. 

Channel 12 reported that the materials, discovered weeks ago, could have been intended for the development or use of chemical weapons. Walla added that the items included gas masks and substances associated with drugging, raising the possibility of a plot to incapacitate and kidnap Israelis during cross-border raids. 

The discoveries come shortly after a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah went into effect on Wednesday, ending more than 13 months of conflict. Under the agreement, Hezbollah is required to withdraw from areas south of the Litani River, located approximately 18 miles north of the Israeli border. 

As part of the ceasefire terms, Israel Defense Forces (IDF) troops will remain stationed in southern Lebanon for up to 60 days while the Lebanese Army takes control of the evacuated areas. During this transitional period, some regions near IDF deployments will remain off-limits to civilians. On Wednesday night, IDF forces reportedly fired on individuals attempting to enter one such restricted zone. 

The materials found in Hezbollah bases underscore ongoing security concerns despite the ceasefire. While the truce offers a pathway to de-escalation, the presence of chemicals and drug-related equipment highlights the persistent threat posed by Hezbollah’s military infrastructure.

https://israfan.com/p/idf-discovers-chemicals-hezbollah