“Peace” With Iran May Have Opened Door to Ezekiel 38

Trump is outside of reality if he believes that Iran is going to scream, “death to America!”, for 47 years and suddenly forgive Trump for killing all their leaders and forcing them to sign a “peace deal”.

*******************

President Donald Trump has long been regarded as one of the strongest supporters of Israel ever to occupy the White House.

His recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital, the relocation of the U.S. embassy, recognition of Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights, and support during some of Israel's most challenging moments earned him widespread admiration among Israelis and evangelical Christians alike.

That is why many Christian supporters of Israel were surprised by a series of recent comments regarding Israel's war against Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Speaking about the conflict, Trump criticized Israel's military operations, saying that "Israel is fighting Hezbollah too long, and too many people are being killed."

He went on to suggest that Israel's approach was excessive, stating, "You don't have to knock down an apartment house every time you're looking for somebody. There are a lot of people in those apartment houses and they're not all Hezbollah."

Trump also revealed that he had privately expressed dissatisfaction with Israeli strikes in Beirut.

"I did not like that, I let them know that," he said, referring to one attack that he described as "too much."

Perhaps most surprising was his suggestion that Syria could potentially deal with Hezbollah more effectively.

"I suggested to Israel to let Syria take care of Hezbollah," Trump said. "If Israel can't do the job without killing everyone else, he'll do the job, Syria will do the job."

He further stated that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu "has to be more responsible with respect to Lebanon" and added, "I'm not happy with the way Israel has handled themselves with Lebanon, and with Hezbollah."

Yet it was another remark that generated perhaps the most concern among many evangelical supporters of Israel.

"Israel would have been blown up a long time ago, had I not gotten involved," Trump declared. Elsewhere he stated, "Without me, there would be no Israel."

To be fair, there is a practical truth behind some of these comments.

The United States has been Israel's most important ally for decades. American military aid, intelligence cooperation, diplomatic support, and strategic deterrence have undoubtedly strengthened Israel's ability to defend itself.

President Trump's own policies also contributed significantly to Israel's security position in the region.

But there is a vast difference between acknowledging America's importance and suggesting that Israel's existence depends upon any single political leader.

For Christians who understand God's covenant relationship with Israel, that distinction matters.

Israel's survival did not begin with Donald Trump.

Nor did it begin with America.

Israel survived Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Persia, Greece, Rome, the Islamic caliphates, the Crusades, centuries of exile, the Holocaust, and repeated attempts by neighboring nations to destroy it.

Why?

Because Scripture presents Israel's preservation as an act of divine faithfulness rather than geopolitical luck.

God has often used nations and leaders as instruments of protection. America may very well be one of those instruments.

But instruments are not the source.

God is.

That is why statements suggesting that Israel would not exist without a particular leader make many Christians uncomfortable. They unintentionally place human accomplishment in a position Scripture reserves for God alone.

Beyond the theological concerns lies a practical one.

Trump's comments regarding Lebanon reflect a growing frustration within portions of the American political establishment regarding Israel's military campaign against Hezbollah.

Yet critics often ignore a reality that Israeli military planners have dealt with for decades.

Hezbollah intentionally embeds itself among civilians.

Its weapons are hidden in neighborhoods.

Its fighters operate near schools.

Its command infrastructure is woven into apartment complexes, mosques, hospitals, and civilian districts.

This is not an accident. It is a deliberate military strategy.

When Israel strikes these targets, international headlines frequently focus on the destruction while paying less attention to why those military assets were located there in the first place.

The uncomfortable reality is that Hezbollah benefits from civilian casualties because they increase diplomatic pressure on Israel.

Israel did not place rockets in apartment buildings.

Israel did not establish missile depots beside schools.

Israel did not choose to use civilians as shields.

Hezbollah did.

And history has repeatedly demonstrated what happens when these networks are left intact.

They rebuild.

They rearm.

And eventually they attack again.

The suggestion that Syria could somehow replace Israel as the force responsible for containing Hezbollah raises additional questions.

The current Syrian leadership may present a different face than the Assad regime, but many of its leaders emerged from Islamist backgrounds deeply hostile toward Israel. Reports continue regarding pressure against Druze communities and other minorities.

Why should Israel assume Syria's interests align with its own?

More importantly, why should anyone believe Syria would be more committed to dismantling Hezbollah than Israel itself?

What may be emerging is a reality that Bible students have anticipated for decades.

America still supports Israel.

But America's interests are not always identical to Israel's interests.

Washington increasingly seeks stability, ceasefires, and conflict reduction.

Israel seeks survival.

Sometimes those goals overlap. Sometimes they do not.

For Christians, this moment serves as an important reminder.

Political leaders come and go. Alliances shift. Governments change.

But God's covenant promises do not.

The Bible predicts a future in which Israel becomes increasingly isolated from the nations around her. It describes a world that eventually turns against Jerusalem rather than defending it.

Whether today's developments represent part of that trend remains to be seen.

But one lesson is already clear.

Christians can appreciate political leaders who support Israel.

They can be grateful for allies.

They can celebrate wise policies.

But they should never confuse God's instrument with God's sovereignty.

Because according to Scripture, when Israel ultimately stands alone, it will not be Washington that saves her.

It will be God. 

https://www.prophecynewswatch.com/article.cfm

The Decrees of Persian Kings

 It’s fun when you “see” a tidbit in your daily Bible reading.  Of course you’ve read it many times before but for whatever reason you “see” it and it fleshes out some further understanding.

Last year I taught a class on Daniel at church.  We talked about the Seventy Sevens and how the time would start when "the word goes out to restore and rebuild Jerusalem."  Read it in Daniel 9 below.

This is one of the most amazing prophecies in the Bible because Angel Gabriel delivered it to Daniel but told him that he won't understand the prophecy but the Bible readers of the future will understand it.

So the Jews are in Babylon and the 70 years that were appointed to them are about done.  Cyrus of Persia overthrows the Babylonians and when he arrives in the city the Jews in captivity there say, "We were expecting you!"  They show him the book of Isaiah and it has the name Cyrus right there.  Cyrus is is so impressed that he issued a decree to allow some Jews to go back to Jerusalem.

So is THAT when the hour glass flipped over and started the 490 years ticking for the Jews?

No, not so fast.  If you go down and read Ezra 6 that there were THREE DECREES GIVEN BY PERSIAN KINGS.

And that was the verse that I hadn't really "Seen" until yesterday.

So it turns out that the final decree matches up perfectly to the day from when Artaxerxes issued his decree. There were Seven Sevens (49 years) to build the walls and then Sixty Two Sevens (434 years) for a total of 483 years from decree until the day Jesus died on the cross.

And now the stop watch has stopped and it won't start for the FINAL 7 years until the Antichrist makes a covenant with the Jews for 7 years!  Those 7 years will end when Jesus returns to the earth.

Thank you Jesus for giving us your Word so that we don't have to be left clueless as to what you have planned for us.  Come quickly please!

Daniel 9

24 “Seventy ‘sevens’[c] are decreed for your people and your holy city to finish[d] transgression, to put an end to sin, to atonefor wickedness, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the Most Holy Place.[e]

25 “Know and understand this: From the time the word goes out to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until the Anointed One,[f]the ruler, comes, there will be seven ‘sevens,’ and sixty-two ‘sevens.’ It will be rebuilt with streets and a trench, but in times of trouble. 26 After the sixty-two ‘sevens,’ the Anointed One will be put to death and will have nothing.[g] The people of the ruler who will come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end will come like a flood: War will continue until the end, and desolations have been decreed. 27 He will confirm a covenant with many for one ‘seven.’[h] In the middle of the ‘seven’[i] he will put an end to sacrifice and offering. And at the temple[j] he will set up an abomination that causes desolation, until the end that is decreed is poured out on him.

Ezra 6

13 Then, because of the decree King Darius had sent, Tattenai, governor of Trans-Euphrates, and Shethar-Bozenai and their associates carried it out with diligence. 14 So the elders of the Jews continued to build and prosper under the preaching of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah, a descendant of Iddo. They finished building the temple according to the command of the God of Israel and the decrees of Cyrus, Darius and Artaxerxes, kings of Persia. 15 The temple was completed on the third day of the month Adar, in the sixth year of the reign of King Darius.

The Spirit of the Antichrist

 If there are 8 billion people on earth, very few of them are looking to Jesus for purpose, hope, meaning to life and most importantly, eternal life.  But in their depression and hopelessness they want SOMETHING.  So they go seeking for purpose in drugs, illicit sex, reality games, social media persona, AI..."just give me something with meaning!"

The conditions are certainly ripe for someone to show up and tell them a story with hope, purpose and redemption.

Anti-Christ: Opposite of Christ or Instead of Christ? The greatest deception of the last days may not be the rejection of God, but the acceptance of substitutes for God. “Children, it is the last hour; and just as you heard that antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have appeared; from this we know that it is the last hour” (1 John 2:18).

Is the Antichrist alive today? Will he be European? How much of today’s technology is capable of fulfilling Revelation 13? These are questions I have been asked just this week. Yet while these questions are important, they often miss a deeper truth about the spirit of antichrist already at work in the world.

Most people think “antichrist” means someone who stands in direct opposition to Christ. While opposition is certainly involved, the Greek meaning carries another powerful implication: instead of Christ.

Humanity is increasingly looking for answers, hope, security, wisdom, and salvation from sources other than the Creator. The spirit of antichrist is conditioning mankind to trust something—or someone—instead of God.

Trusting Technology Instead of God

On July 23, 2025, the White House released Winning the Race: America’s AI Action Plan, a roadmap designed to secure American dominance in artificial intelligence. The stated goal was clear: to usher in a new era of human flourishing, economic competitiveness, and national security through AI.

To support this initiative, three executive orders were issued that accelerated AI infrastructure, expanded governmental adoption of artificial intelligence, and promoted American leadership in AI worldwide.

Among the priorities were:

• Massive expansion of data center infrastructure

• Government standards for AI deployment, eliminating all “woke” AI.

• Global leadership and influence through artificial intelligence

The message is unmistakable: technology will solve our problems, secure our future, and elevate humanity. Scripture warns us that mankind has always sought salvation through human achievement. From the Tower of Babel to the coming Beast system, humanity repeatedly attempts to build a future apart from God.

Artificial intelligence itself is not the antichrist. Technology is not inherently evil. However, when society begins placing its faith in technological solutions rather than God’s wisdom, it reveals a heart posture that is increasingly comfortable with living instead of God.

Trusting Scientists Instead of God

In recent years, scientists have issued alarming warnings about population decline.

Some forecasts predict a dramatic reduction in global population by the year 2064. These predictions dominate headlines and influence public policy discussions around the world.

The Bible also speaks of a future period, the Tribulation, of unprecedented death and suffering. However, Scripture identifies the source not as random demographic trends but as the judgments associated with the coming Tribulation period.

The world eagerly listens to scientific predictions about the future while largely ignoring biblical prophecy. The issue is not whether scientists possess useful information. The issue is where humanity places its ultimate trust. When people accept scientific forecasts as certain truth while dismissing God’s revealed Word, they are choosing authority instead of God.

Trusting Global Institutions Instead of God

Another example can be found in the growing influence of international organizations.

Recent concerns surrounding Ebola outbreaks in Central Africa prompted urgent declarations from global health authorities. Headlines warned that “the world is not ready for another pandemic.”

World leaders repeatedly emphasize that another worldwide health crisis is not a matter of if, but when. Fear drives people toward centralized solutions. Crisis creates opportunities for expanded authority. Emergency conditions often lead populations to surrender freedoms in exchange for promises of security. Again, the issue is not whether medical professionals should respond to disease outbreaks. The issue is where people ultimately place their confidence.

The world increasingly looks to international institutions for protection, guidance, and hope while giving little thought to God’s sovereignty over nations, disease, and history itself.

The pattern is becoming clear: trust the experts, trust the institutions, trust the systems—but do not trust God. That is the spirit of antichrist.

The Real Preparation for Revelation 13

Many prophecy students focus on identifying the future antichrist. Yet the more pressing question may be: Is the world being conditioned to accept him? Revelation 13 describes a global leader who will command unprecedented political, economic, and spiritual influence.

Such a figure cannot emerge overnight.

The world must first become accustomed to looking for solutions from human systems.

People must become comfortable trusting centralized authority. They must learn to seek security from technology, governance, and global institutions. In short, they must learn to live instead of God.

The coming Antichrist will not merely oppose Christ.

He will offer humanity an alternative. A substitute savior, a substitute kingdom, a substitute hope, and a world already conditioned to trust substitutes may eagerly embrace him.

What Should Christians Do?

As believers, we should not fear technology, science, or world events. We should understand them through a biblical lens. The answer to the challenges facing our world is not found in artificial intelligence, global institutions, scientific forecasts, or political leaders. The answer remains the same as it has always been: Jesus Christ.

As the world increasingly searches for answers in every direction except heaven, Christians must point people back to God’s Word. The signs of the times are not merely revealing the approach of the antichrist. They are revealing humanity’s growing desire for solutions apart from God.

That is why the Church must remain vigilant. The spirit of antichrist is not only coming. It is already preparing the world to accept a counterfeit savior. May we be found proclaiming the true Savior while there is still time: “…that is, the one whose coming is in accord with the activity of Satan, with all power and signs and false wonders…” (2 Thessalonians 2:9).

Here;  The Spirit Of Antichrist: Humanity Is Increasingly Looking For Answers, Hope, And Salvation From Sources Other Than The Creator - Harbinger's Daily

Spielberg Says His New Alien Movie Will Have Christians Questioning Their Faith

 For folks out there who identify as Christians but don’t know their Bibles, the deception that is coming will likely expose them as Christians in name only.

************

Half a century after Steven Spielberg challenged audiences to think about what lies beyond the starry canopy that defines our universe in Close Encounters of the Third Kind, the director is again challenging accepted precepts of faith and singular belief in a supreme being.

His new film Disclosure Day sees him revisit the possibility of aliens: “I absolutely think that they have been here, and they are here,” he outlined in an interview with CBS News.

First he outlined the themes behind the $115 million creation and the answers it (possibly) posed to questions of life, faith and mortality.

“‘Disclosure Day’ is about how, if somebody had the power and if somebody had possession of the entire archive of visual evidence of what’s been happening for the last 80 years, what would happen if they decided to do a data dump across the entire world all at once?” Spielberg said, adding it is as much a “chase” movie as it is a reflection on our very being.

“And the people who are trying to stop that data dump from happening, that is basically the core of this chase movie.”

https://www.breitbart.com/entertainment/2026/06/08/watch-steven-spielberg-says-disclosure-day-will-leave-christians-questioning-their-faith-in-god/

Minnesota’s Lake Giants Discovered in 1894

This video is about the awful drought of 1894 when the lakes went so low that bones of giant humanoids were uncovered in the mud.  It follows a typical pattern;  bones unearthed, Smithsonian dispatched, bones taken away, story dies and all records disappear.

Why?  Because the bones of giant humanoids didn’t fit well into the lie of evolution that Satan was selling to science.

The Nephilim WERE here just like the Bible says….and they were here before and AFTER Noah’s flood.

 https://youtu.be/8DkPzJpgYkI?si=mUoJVbxINsRA1EL8

The U.S. is Turning Against Israel

 Trump is starting to act like he’s desperate to make a peace deal with Iran, even telling Israel NOT to respond to attacks from Hezbollah.  Will he now tell them not to respond to Iranian attacks that happened a few hours ago?

This is a head scratcher.  Iran is a demonic death cult that should have been destroyed in April.  They will never make a deal with whom they call “the great Satan”

*******************

On May 29, 2026 (prophecy teacher, speaker, White House Correspondent, and author), John Haller suggested that the U.S. is turning against Israel, and here are some of his reasons for saying that:

• Younger Americans increasingly view Israel through a different lens than previous generations.
• Several trends are contributing to this shift:
• Growing secularization in America.
• Declining biblical literacy.
• Expansion of progressive ideologies on university campuses.
• Social media narratives that often portray Israel primarily as an oppressor.
• Rising isolationism on portions of the political Right.
• Demographic changes within both political parties.

(My comment: The Bible says this will happen at the end of the age.)

Here are some recent reports that seem to indicate that the end of the age is near:

One, on May 26, 2026, it was reported that:

• Last weekend the Muslim Association of Canada (MAC), widely recognized as the Canadian arm of the Muslim Brotherhood, held its national convention at the city-owned Enercare Center in Toronto.
• The session opened with glowing praise for the Muslim Brotherhood terror-linked group and its founder, Hasan al-Banna, while promoting an agenda that would eliminate all Jews from Canada.

(My comment: They want to eliminate all non-Muslims from planet Earth. We would be better off to have a Muslim-free America and Canada. Jews will live with Christians and other Jews, but Muslims won’t.)

(My comment: This is leading to persecution of Christians and Jews at the end of the age.)

Two, on May 21, 2026, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani became the first mayor in over 60 years to skip the city’s annual Israel Day Parade.

Three, on June 1, 2926, Pres. Trump unloaded on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a curse-filled phone call, blasting the Israeli leader over the country’s escalating military campaign in Lebanon.

According to the report, Trump said:

• Everybody hates you now.
• Everybody hates Israel because of this.
• Trump warned Netanyahu that bombing Beirut would further isolate Israel internationally and pointed to his support during Netanyahu’s corruption trial, telling the prime minister he’d helped keep him out of jail.

(My comment: Israel needs to bomb Hezbollah drone and rocket facilities in Beirut that are prolonging the war, but Trump is stopping it.)

Four, on June 3, 2026, Pres. Trump and Israeli Prime Min. Benjamin Netanyahu sought to downplay signs of friction after Trump confirmed he used sharp language during a private phone call over Israel’s continuing military operations in Lebanon.

Here are some war reports as they came in from the U.S. and Israel:

The U.S. calls its attacks Operation Epic Fury.

Israel calls its attacks Operation Roaring Lion.

Thurs. Day 90 (May 28, 2026) (Day 37 of Trump’s latest ceasefire extension)

• IRGC forces launched rockets towards 4 ships in the Strait of Hormuz that were passing through the strait without agreement with Iran – one of them was an American military ship.
• Fierce clashes have erupted between the US Navy and the IRGC in the coastal Bushehr area.
• Prime Min. Netanyahu told his military to take control of 70% of Gaza (up from 53%).

Fri. Day 91 (May 29, 2026) (Day 38 of Trump’s latest ceasefire extension)

• Iran said it will not continue any more negotiations until $12 Billion in frozen Iranian Funds are transferred from Qatar. Pres. Trump entered the White House Situation Room to make a final decision on a deal with Iran.
• It was reported that Trump left the Situation after two hours without making a decision. He added that he is lifting the U.S. naval blockade on the Strait of Hormuz, and no money will be exchanged until further notice.

Sat. Day 92 (May 30, 2026) (Day 39 of Trump’s latest ceasefire extension)

• Iran has rejected the US demands to surrender its enriched uranium stockpiles under any circumstances.
• Full-scale war resumed between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon this week.

Sun. Day 93 (May 31, 2026) (Day 40 of Trump’s latest ceasefire extension)

• According to CNN, citing satellite images, Iran has been able to dig out 50 of 69 tunnel entrances at 18 separate underground missile facilities across the country. It has also repaired other damaged areas of those bases, including key access roads that the US and Israel bombed during the war.

Mon. Day 94 (June 1, 2026) (Day 41 of Trump’s latest ceasefire extension)

• The United States and Iran exchanged new strikes over the weekend, raising fresh concerns across the Gulf even as negotiators continue working toward a deal aimed at winding down the fighting.
• Iran warned residents of northern Israel to leave the area if Israel carries out threatened attacks on Beirut, Lebanon.

Tues. Day 95 (June 3, 2026) (Day 42 of Trump’s latest ceasefire extension)

• The United States carried out fresh self-defense strikes on Iran’s Qeshm Island on Tuesday after American forces intercepted Iranian drones and missiles aimed at regional waters, Kuwait, and Bahrain.
• Israel said Hezbollah has not stopped fighting despite pledging to U.S. Pres. Trump that it would de-escalate, as Israeli and Lebanese representatives opened a new round of U.S.-brokered talks in Washington.
• There has been a report that seems to have some credibility that says Pakistan’s Foreign Min. called the U.S. Sec. of State to inform him that Iran now has nuclear weapons. There is a debate over the accuracy of the report with seemingly good people on both sides.
• Trump says the US will not return to war against Iran unless American troops are killed.

Finally, are you Rapture Ready?

If you want to be rapture ready and go to heaven, you must be born again (John 3:3). God loves you, and if you have not done so, sincerely admit that you are a sinner; believe that Jesus is the virgin-born, sinless Son of God, who died for the sins of the world, was buried, and raised from the dead; ask Him to forgive your sins, cleanse you, come into your heart and be your Saviour; then tell someone that you have done this.

https://www.raptureready.com/2026/06/06/the-u-s-is-turning-against-israel-by-daymond-duck/

Iran Launches Missiles Into Israel

 Watch the update from Watchman News here;  https://www.youtube.com/live/OlviwCtfkW4?si=r8m29enKDOmKI2nv

Is It Still Possible to Save Europe?

• The massacre of thousands of Israelis by the terrorist group Hamas on October 7, 2023 triggered an explosion of attacks on Jews in the United Kingdom.

• "London has become a no-go zone for Jews...." — UK Commissioner for Countering Extremism Robin Simcox, BBC, March 8, 2024.

• After every attack, the British government, along with other political leaders, take great care to condemn antisemitism. They also take great care each time to avoid saying who the perpetrators are. Their condemnations therefore amount to empty words. If you do not identify the source of the Jew-hate, how can you combat it?

• In July 2025, on behalf of the United Kingdom, Starmer agreed to the publication of a communiqué — also signed by 28 other countries — falsely accusing Israel of depriving Palestinians of "human dignity" and perpetrating the "inhumane killing of civilians." The communiqué was – no surprise -- exploited by all of Israel's enemies, particularly those also falsely accusing Israel of genocide.

• Starmer was just warming up. As if that were not odious enough, Starmer went on, in the name of the UK, officially to recognize a non-existent "State of Palestine."

• Starmer recognized this fictitious "State of Palestine" even as Hamas still held power and hostages in Gaza. His weakness cannot be overstated.

• He was -- along with the current leaders of France, Belgium, Ireland, Spain, Norway and Sweden -- just among the too many countries also recognizing an imaginary Palestinian State.

• "The Palestinian people does not exist. The creation of a Palestinian state is only a means for continuing our struggle against the state of Israel for our Arab unity. In reality, today there is no difference between Jordanians, Palestinians, Syrians and Lebanese. Only for political and tactical reasons do we speak today about the existence of a Palestinian people, since Arab national interests demand that we posit the existence of a distinct Palestinian people to oppose Zionism. For tactical reasons, Jordan, which is a sovereign state with defined borders, cannot raise claims to Haifa and Jaffa, while as a Palestinian, I can undoubtedly demand Haifa, Jaffa, Beer-Sheva and Jerusalem. However, the moment we reclaim our right to all of Palestine, we will not wait even a minute to unite Palestine and Jordan." — Zoheir Mohsen, senior official of Palestine Liberation Organization, Trouw, March 31, 1977.

• Meanwhile, Muslims continue to enter the UK, both legally and illegally. As their population continues to grow, they have been integrating less and less. Many appear to have come not only for employment opportunities and welfare benefits, but also to transform Great Britain into a country indistinguishable from the ones they left.

• Some people might call that imperialism. The Portuguese and Spanish displaced the cultures of South America; England tried to bring its customs to its colonies, and so on. At the time, the countries overtaken did not have the means to stop these invasions. Today's Britons are not Aztecs.

• Hatred of Israel and Jews, doctrinally imposed by the Qur'an and the hadith, is deeply entrenched within Muslim communities in Western Europe, and accommodated by much of non-Muslim society there.

 https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/22577/saving-europe

Jerusalem; The Gayest City in the Middle East

 There is pain coming for Israel.  They have rejected the God that brought them out of Egypt.  They have rejected the promised Messiah, Jesus the Christ.  They killed the prophets God sent to warn them to turn from their wicked ways.

And so today we read about some of the fruit that God's chosen people have been manifesting.

The Pride march in Israel’s capital city changed its traditional route on Thursday to end near the Knesset, in a show of force ahead of elections that could have major implications for the status of LGBTQ Israelis.

“If the current government has a problem with LGBTQ+ people, then the current government can go home, because the community is here to stay,” opposition leader Yair Lapid said during the culminating rally.

Jerusalem’s Pride march is always more muted than the raucous celebration that takes place each June in Tel Aviv. But this year, the looming election, which must be held by Oct. 27, galvanized participation.

More than 10,000 Israelis gathered in Sacher Park for the rally, according to Noa Fisher of the Jerusalem Open House, the LGBTQ+ equality organization that organizes the event.

“It’s always more like a protest than anything else. This year, especially,” said Hadas Bloemendal, chair of the Jerusalem Open House, walking alongside the crowd with her baby in a stroller.

“I’m supposed to be on maternity leave,” she said. “But this year, I had to be here.”

The status of LGBTQ Israelis is complex. While the country has a thriving gay culture and the speaker of the Knesset is openly gay, same-sex marriage is prohibited by law and some haredi Orthodox lawmakers have spoken with disdain about LGBTQ people and said they want to see their rights rolled back. The elections this fall will determine whether those lawmakers retain power in the next government.

Michal Rozin, a former lawmaker from the liberal Meretz party, urged rally-goers on Thursday to boo after recounting a 2023 comment by a member of the United Torah Judaism party, a partner in the governing coalition, who said the LGBTQ community is “the most dangerous thing for the State of Israel, more than Islamic State, more than Hezbollah, more than Hamas.” (He was commenting during Pride month, before Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel.)

Avi Maoz, an anti-LGBTQ politician who was part of the current government until last year, called this year’s march an “abomination” in a post on social media on Thursday.

The rally marked 11 years since 16-year-old Shira Banki was killed when a haredi Orthodox man stabbed six Jerusalem Pride attendees, weeks after being freed from prison after staging a similar attack a decade earlier.

“Some of the friends she walked with are still, today, volunteering. That’s what echoes the most, what she chose to do,” Bloemendal said.

Security was intense Thursday, and the gathering area before the march was completely sealed off. More than 2,000 Israel Police officers and border agents were dispatched to protect the march, according to Israeli police spokesperson Dean Elsdunne.

Behind a wall of tour buses was a counter-demonstration hosted by the extremist group Lehava, which opposes Jewish-Arab coexistence and gay relationships. By the time the march left Sacher Park for the Rose Garden near the Knesset, only a few dozen men remained in the heavily policed and cordoned-off area.

“Those standing outside and protesting against us have forgotten what it means to be Jewish and have forgotten what it means to be human,” Lapid said from the stage.

Despite the counter-protest, spirits were high at the rally, where attendees said they were determined to make their voices heard at a time when they feel their country is closing itself off to LGBTQ+ life.

“The LGBTQ+ community is present everywhere that the fate of this country is being written,” Rozin said in her speech. “But there are those who continue to incite against it.”

Lapid has long made LGBTQ+ equality a central tenet of his platform. His alliance this year with Naftali Bennett (a religious Zionist who historically opposed same-sex marriage) is notable in part because Bennett announced at their April 26 press conference announcing a joint campaign that a government under his leadership would advance same-sex marriage in Israel.

Marriage in Israel is regulated by the Rabbinate, which prohibits LGBTQ+ unions, leaving many couples to wed abroad and petition to have those marriages recognized at home. Lapid promised that “in the first 100 days of the next government, we will bring legislation that says the rights of every couple in Israel will be equal. Mom and dad, dad and dad, mom and mom —  everyone the same rights.”

Here;  Jerusalem Pride march turns toward the Knesset as LGBTQ Israelis eye pivotal election

I've said this 100 times but I'll keep saying it;  The Jews ARE God's chosen people.  Chosen to write and deliver the Word of God, chosen to deliver the Messiah, and chosen to be a blessing to the entire world through all of us benefiting from their incredible brains.

BUT the Bible is clear that 2/3 are going to die in the next Holocaust.  But 1/3 (all of remaining Israel) will come into the Millennial Kingdom in their human bodies.  So the Jews are also CHOSEN by God to be involved in many of the prophecies that will happen following the rapture of the church.

144,000 witnesses going all over the earth preaching the coming kingdom of Jesus WILL BE JEWS.

The two witnesses WILL BE JEWS.

The 3rd Temple WILL BE BUILT BY JEWS.

God will judge the nations for HOW they treated His chosen people.  Pray the America will support her up until the day Jesus comes for us and America goes into a quick decline.

Pride Month is Really About People in Rebellion to God Their Creator

 What a strange thing!  People who died in service of our country get a day of remembrance called Memorial Day.  Veterans get a day.  Mothers get a day and Fathers get a day...

But people who enjoy gay sex and perversion get an entire MONTH of PRIDE?

How about we start lobbying for a whole month of HETEROSEXUAL PRIDE??  The liberals would literally have their heads explode if ever there were such a thing.

*************************************

June is considered LGBTQ+ Pride Month in the United States, Canada, and many other nations. Throughout the month various activities, including Pride Parades, will be taking place in celebration and honor of the LGBTQ+ community and sexual diversity. But this celebration of LGBTQ+ Pride points to something the Bible warns against time and time again—and it is not just sexual immorality.

Pride: Confidence in Self

As the name suggests, at the heart of Pride Month and other Pride celebrations and even the idea of Pride is the sin of pride. Baker’s Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology defines pride as “both a disposition/attitude and a type of conduct,” with a proud person being “a sinful individual who shifts ultimate confidence from God to self.”

In the Old Testament book of Daniel, we find the quintessential example of pride: the Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar. By human standards, he had every right to be proud. He was the ruler of the most powerful kingdom at the time, and his capital was a dazzling city that was the envy of the ancient world. No wonder he said, “Is not this great Babylon, which I have built by my mighty power as a royal residence and for the glory of my majesty?” (Daniel 4:30).

But God “opposes the proud” (James 4:6). Just as Daniel had told Nebuchadnezzar, the proud king was humbled for seven years until he “blessed the Most High, and praised and honored him who lives forever” (Daniel 4:34). His pride was his downfall because God hates pride.

Why God Hates Pride

At the heart of Pride Month and Pride celebrations throughout the year is pride. Pride comes from a rebellious heart that rejects the benevolent authority of the Creator. A proud person ultimately claims to know better than God and his Word and believes that inventing our own rules and celebrating our own choices, achievements, and desires is greater than what God has commanded in his Word. It’s a movement that puts the focus squarely on us rather than on God.

Of course, pride is not unique to the LGBTQ+ community. It is something we all struggle with. But with the growing LGBTQ+ movement has come a public upwelling and celebration of pride, generally, and also specifically against the Creator and his rules for sexual purity and marriage.

And the Bible is very clear about pride: God hates it and will oppose those who are proud.

• “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.” (Proverbs 16:18)
• “But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, ‘God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.’” (James 4:6)
• “Everyone who is arrogant in heart is an abomination to the Lord; be assured, he will not go unpunished.” (Proverbs 16:5)
• “The fear of the Lord is hatred of evil. Pride and arrogance and the way of evil and perverted speech I hate.” (Proverbs 8:13)
• “The pride of your heart has deceived you, you who live in the clefts of the rock, in your lofty dwelling, who say in your heart, ‘Who will bring me down to the ground?'” (Obadiah 1:3)
• “The haughty looks of man shall be brought low, and the lofty pride of men shall be humbled, and the Lord alone will be exalted in that day.” (Isaiah 2:11)

Pride: The First Sin

Humanity’s first sin was really an example of pride:

“But the serpent said to the woman, ‘You will not surely die. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.’ So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate.” (Genesis 3:4–6)

Deceived by the serpent, Eve believed God was selfishly withholding equality that she wanted, so she took the fruit and ate before offering it to Adam, who also ate. At the heart of their rebellion was pride in their own thinking and lust after what they wanted. But it broke creation (Romans 8:22) and brought death and the curse into what was, moments before, a “very good” creation (Genesis 1:31).

“Pride Is the Root of All Sin”

The prophet Ezekiel, delivering a message from the Lord against Jerusalem (representing Judah), the Lord’s faithless bride, mentions the city of Sodom. This city was destroyed in Genesis 19 because of rampant homosexuality and other sins. Despite this city being destroyed in judgment, Ezekiel claims Judah has done things even Sodom did not do.

“As I live, declares the Lord God, your sister Sodom and her daughters have not done as you and your daughters have done. Behold, this was the guilt of your sister Sodom: she and her daughters had pride, excess of food, and prosperous ease, but did not aid the poor and needy. They were haughty and did an abomination before me. So I removed them, when I saw it.” (Ezekiel 16:48–50)

As a former lesbian who became a born-again believer, Rosaria Butterfield comments on this passage in her book The Secret Thoughts of an Unlikely Convert: “I found this passage to reveal some surprising things. In it, God is comparing Jerusalem to Sodom and saying that Sodom’s sin is less offensive to God than Jerusalem’s. Next, God tells us what is at the root of homosexuality and what the progression of sin is. We read here that the root of homosexuality is also the root of a myriad of other sins. First we find pride (“[Sodom] and her daughters had pride”). Why pride? Pride is the root of all sin. Pride puffs one up with a false sense of independence. Proud people always feel that they can live independently from God and from other people. Proud people feel entitled to do what they want when they want to.”

The first sin of Sodom was pride, and pride led to the other sins, including forsaking the poor and committing abomination before the Lord (homosexual relations; cf. Genesis 19; Leviticus 18:22). Pride always leads to more sin as we arrogantly think more of ourselves and less of God and his revealed Word.

A Battle of Pride

Sadly, many in the church are embracing LGBTQ+ Pride. Not only does such a stance ignore the Bible’s teaching on marriage and sexuality, but it exalts human pride. It assumes we know more about love, mercy, and acceptance (all defined by our own terms) than our God who is love (1 John 4:8), is rich in mercy (Ephesians 2:4), and invites all to receive the free gift of salvation (John 7:37; Romans 10:9). And this God of love, mercy, and forgiveness has defined marriage as between one man and one woman (Genesis 1:27, 2:24).

The battle over marriage and gender being waged right now in the church is about much more than the institution of marriage or the binary nature of gender. It is ultimately about pride. Will we allow God, our Creator and Judge, to be our authority, or will we exalt our own beliefs and opinions (or those of our sinful culture) above God and his Word? Will we elevate ourselves to judge and dishonor God, like Eve, thinking he is capriciously withholding something good from us?

Heaven Rules

Over this next month, rainbow-colored flags will flutter in parades, and many people will adorn rainbow-themed attire to celebrate Pride. But these individuals are not truly celebrating sexual diversity. They are celebrating rebellion against God (ironically, while using the rainbow, a symbol God already gave meaning to in Genesis 9:8–17). As Daniel warned Nebuchadnezzar hundreds of years ago, we must warn our generation “that Heaven rules” (Daniel 4:26) and that “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble” (James 4:6). It’s not too late to change: “If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” (2 Chronicles 7:14).

Here;  The Roots of Pride: Celebrating Rebellion Against God - Harbinger's Daily

Catholic Cardinal Removes Exorcist for Claiming Demons Disguise Themselves as Aliens

  Well, well!  Over the years we have posted how the Catholic Church has moved towards accepting "aliens" as our brothers of the universe.  They've even gone so far as to say they would baptize them when they show up.

So when one of their exorcists comes out and says that the demons he has confronted have actually disguised themselves as demons, they need to silence that message right away.

Cardinal Robert McElroy removed Monsignor Stephen Rossetti as an exorcist of the Archdiocese of Washington after the renowned priest said that he believes demons can disguise themselves as aliens or UFOs.

A press release from the archdiocese adds that McElroy, who is well-known for his heterodoxy on homosexuality and other issues, has “ended all affiliation” between the archdiocese and Rossetti’s Saint Michael Center for Spiritual Renewal (SMC) in Washington, D.C.

“Cardinal McElroy said that statements made by Monsignor Rossetti linking UFOs to demonic presence and the Center’s recent use of social media gravely undermine the Church’s very precise teaching on the devil, demons and exorcism,” according to the press release.

Rossetti responded to McElroy’s action by apologizing for “any ways that I have not been faithful to the teachings of the Church’s Magisterium” but did not explicitly repent for anything specific that he mentioned in the video. He noted that the SMC “plans to continue its ministry elsewhere”:

I am saddened by the decision of the Archdiocese of Washington to cut its affiliation with St. Michael Center for Spiritual Renewal (SMC). I ask forgiveness for any ways that I have not been faithful to the teachings of the Church’s Magisterium, particularly in the cited video on “aliens and the demonic.”

I believe it is of the utmost importance to be obedient to the Church and I will continue to endeavor to subject all that I do and the Center to be thus obedient.

Also, I will continue to encourage all to do so as well. As I often say: “Stay in the Boat!” that is, stay in the barque of Peter, it will lead you safely home.

I am grateful for 19 years of ministering in the Archdiocese of Washington as its exorcist and I thank the Archdiocese for its support and blessing all these years. We will remember the Cardinal and all in ADW in our prayers for its important ministry. SMC plans to continue its ministry elsewhere.

The video that McElroy referred to, published on YouTube on Monday, has now been deleted. It was made in response to a surge of interest in the topic after the Trump administration’s recent release of files documenting alleged observations of UFOs.

LifeSiteNews reported on the video on Tuesday.

“There’s no question in my mind personally … it’s my personal belief that probably many, if not most of these UFO sightings are in fact demons,” Rossetti said, adding that the demons can accomplish feats that humans are incapable of, such as those observed in UFO sightings, like changing trajectories at seemingly impossible speeds.

He said at the beginning of his comments that while the existence of aliens is theoretically possible, he does not believe that aliens exist. He stressed that the “danger” of entertaining this idea is that “demons like to hide,” suggesting that disguising themselves as a UFO or alien is one way that they do so.

“They don’t want us to know who they are” or what they’re doing, the exorcist said, “because they’re more effective when we don’t realize it.”

Disguising themselves allows demons to “manipulate things in the world to influence us to do evil,” he pointed out.

“The Scriptures are very clear: ‘For our wrestling is not against flesh and blood; but against principalities and powers, against the rulers of the world of this darkness, against the spirits of wickedness in the high places. Therefore take unto you the armour of God, that you may be able to resist in the evil day,’” Rossetti recited, quoting Ephesians 6:12–13.

“The fight we have in this world, the spiritual battle, is with the evil one,” he emphasized.

“Demons can indeed break into the physical world and at times they can be seen,” the priest said, noting that documentation and photos of demonic sightings exist.

Here;  BREAKING: Cardinal McElroy removes exorcist for saying demons disguise themselves as aliens - LifeSite

The Bible is clear that our REAL battle is not with flesh and blood humans but against the forces of evil in the unseen realms.  As the return of Jesus draws near we can expect these forces of evil to ramp up their deception as they make a massive final attempt to deceive all humans and lead them to hell.