Prophecy Today Weekend - June 14

Uh Welcome to Prophecy Today. I'm Jimmy D. Young Jr., and along with my brother Rick, we examine current events in the light of God's prophetic word. In a historic and major military operation, Israel Thursday night launched a surprise attack on Iran, bombing all nuclear sites. At 3 o'clock Israel Standard Time, the whole nation was woken by an air raid siren and alert on their phones from the Home Office Command declaring a countrywide emergency situation.

Folks, two verses for today: one, out of the book of Numbers, Numbers chapter 23, verse 24: Behold, a people, as a lioness, it rises up, and as a lion, it lifts itself. That is the name of this preemptive military action against Iran by Israel, Rising Lion. And then I also want to remind you of Psalm 122:6: Pray for the peace of Jerusalem. They shall prosper that love thee. On today's program, we're going to cover everything so far.

Far of what we know of what's taking place between Israel and Iran. Ken Timmerman, David Dolan, Winky Madad, Shram Hadian. We're all here today to talk about the events that are taking place right now in the Middle East as we speak. Rick, we've got a lot to cover, so let's get started with our first, Ken Timmerman.

Well, that's right, Jimmy. And our continuing special report on what took place this past week in Iran, we have Ken Timmerman with us. Ken joins us from his home in France. Ken, thanks for being with us today. Thanks for having me on, Rick.

It's always a blessing.

Well Ken, your latest book is called The Iran House, Tales of Revolution, Point. Persecution, war, and intrigue. And I think now you're going to have to write a sequel to that book because there's a lot going on and there may be some fundamental changes. But before we get to all that, can we get your report, your assessment of what took place when Israel struck Iran?

Well, most of what we're learning, Rick, actually comes from the Israelis. And the Israelis are talking, not openly and publicly, but they're giving their account to the public through spokespeople and through anonymous sources. And they're telling us how the IDF launched this strike with 200 aircraft, that they hit Natans, which is the main uranium enrichment plant. They hit both the pilot plant, which is on the surface, and these three underground halls, enormous halls the size of a football field each, where they have thousands and thousands of enrichment centrifuges. And the Iranians, of course, thought that that would be impervious to bombing.

Well, guess what? It wasn't. We also learned that Mossad had set up a drone base inside Iran.

So they were doing exactly what the Ukrainians did 10 days ago against the Russians, where they had drones based near the ultimate targets, and they could launch so quickly that they could not be shot down. But what I'm also hearing, Rick, from inside Iran, that people are elated. First, they were terrified at the news and they saw all of the rockets and the missiles hitting Tehran. They didn't know what was going on. They thought they were under a massive attack that would kill thousands of civilians.

And later on, they learned: oh, no, no, they just killed the head of the Revolutionary Guards. Oh, they just killed the head of the missile forces. Oh, they just killed the head of the nuclear program. And people started cheering. When they saw that the Israelis had this large-scale targeted attack, targeted against the regime, targeted against the military capabilities of the regime, both the missile bases, manufacturing plants, and some of the nuclear facilities, people were happy.

So we're also told, Rick, finally, that this is not the end, that Israel is going to be launching subsequent attacks. Ken, you alluded to the fact that many of the main military heads were taken out. And I saw something trending on Twitter. Did Israel settle all their accounts with Iran? Coming from a popular American movie where the main character basically took out all of his rivals in one time.

And it seems like that might be what's happened here, essentially cutting the head off the snake. Can you talk a little bit about that strategy?

Well, this snake has many hundreds of heads. That's the problem.

So, no, the Israelis did not get all of the heads of the regime. They're about 350 key people, military and especially clerical, and they did not get all of those people. They got a half a dozen of the very top people at the Revolutionary Guards and the Missile Forces and in the Army. And it was not really settling scores, Rick. This was an attack to keep the Iranians from doing something truly evil, truly bad.

The Israelis knew, and the International Atomic Energy Agency knew as well that Iran was accelerating its enrichment program and they were enriching at virtual weapons grade. Prime Minister Netanyahu went on television and explained part of this raid to the Israeli public, and he said the Iranians had enough highly enriched uranium today for nine warheads. And by the way, some people think that that is a low estimate. The IAEA has been talking about 17 weapons within five months. Certainly underscores the need for Israel to do what they did.

Well, let's move this situation a little bit and talk about the interaction between Prime Minister Netanyahu and President Trump. You know, they talked earlier in the week.

Now we look at this situation: Israel acting on its own. Can you explain to us the dynamics here? Was this done with Trump's blessing or against Trump's wishes? What do you know?

Well, I know what the president says. And, you know, he is his own best spokesperson, and he's not shy. Let me just say how he feels, Rick. And, you know, he said that he gave Iran on the 12th of April, he gave them 60 days to make a deal or else Israel was going to take care of them. And guess what?

Yesterday, when this took place, was day 61.

So it was not a coordinated attack. As far as we know, Marco Rubio, the Secretary of State, came out quite publicly and said we were not involved in this attack, but the U.S. did give a green light. And there was a discussion on Monday between the president and Israeli representatives from the Mossad and the Strategic Affairs Bureau. And they made it sound in public as if the president was telling them not to attack.

I think that was a feint. I think they did that to fool the Iranians, and that the Israelis came to tell the U.S. government and President Trump in person exactly what they were going. To do. They did want to get it on his wrong side, and it looks like they have not got on his wrong side.

Essentially, it was not done in coordination, but now, even though we were not involved in the strike, that I believe Iran has said they are going to respond not only to Israel, but also to the United States. Can you talk a little bit about that, where we might be vulnerable with our bases in the Middle East and maybe even here at home?

Well, we still have pockets of troops around the Middle East, Rick. There are a couple of thousand between Syria and Iraq. There are a couple of hundred in Jordan and other places. We have a big air base in Qatar, obviously. I kind of doubt that the Iranians are going to hit Qatar because they're allied.

But we have our big naval base in Bahrain.

So there are places where we are vulnerable. We have a fleet, obviously, in the Red Sea and the Mediterranean. And the Iranians, through their Houthi allies in Yemen, have been consistently targeting our fleet.

So yeah, the Iranians can do us damage. But If they do so, I think they'll be making a big mistake because we will strike back, and the President's made that known, and Secretary Hagseth has made that known, we will strike back with devastating force, and they will regret the day that they attacked U. S. facilities in the region.

Well, let's move on and we'll talk about how the rest of the world is reacting to this, especially let's start with Iran's allies, Russia, China, and Russia, especially their close relationship. They have been talking about this situation over the last few weeks. Can you tell us how they are going to react? Are they going to come to their aid? What do you see?

Well, they're not coming to their aid, Rick. They are going to do what great powers do when they've been beaten on the battlefield and don't want to get hit harder. They will submit a resolution at the United Nations. They will file a complaint. They will complain about the unprovoked Israeli attack, but I do not expect them to do anything.

Even the Europeans, Rick, and I was a little worried about the Europeans. Even the Europeans have come out and been pretty supportive of the Israeli strike because they realized that they were being unsuccessful in their negotiations with Iran as well. The IAEA has said Rafael Grossi, the head of the IAEA, the International Atomic Energy Agency, has said he will go to Iran to assess the damage.

So far, the Iranians are claiming that there's no nuclear leakage, there's no radioactive leakage from the attacks, and it may well be that the Israelis did not attack facilities where they knew there was. Live enrichment going on. We'll know more about this in the coming weeks. But right now, this just looks like a spectacular success on the part of the Israelis. And once again, they say it is not the end, it is not over.

We talked about Russia and China and those allies in Europe. What about their Middle Eastern allies, the Arab Muslim nations that are surrounding them? How are they going to react to this?

Well again, the Arabs, most of them, are going to be very happy. The Saudis, I think, are going to cough into their jebullah and then be grinning on the other side of that. Look, I think they're going to, again, make noise about how Israel should not have done this, that they're unprovoked, that this was an aggression on the part of Israel. But they're very happy to see Iran's nuclear capabilities seriously, seriously eroded by this attack. Ken, I think I know what your answer is going to be based on the way you have been answering questions so far and based on the way the rest of the world sees Iran.

But if you could, Israel took this action. And one of the things Prime Minister Netanyahu always said is that Iran was a threat not just to Israel, but to the entire world. After this attack and maybe what's coming on in the next couple of weeks, is the world a safer place?

Well, if the Israelis succeed in taking out the majority of Iran's nuclear weapons capabilities, absolutely. Absolutely. Again, we're going to have to wait and see how extensive these attacks were, how extensive the damage was, and what the follow-on attacks go after. There's still the buried site in Fordeaux, which is the biggest enrichment sites. And my guess is that they're going to go after that soon as well.

But look, the Iranian regime armed with nuclear weapons was a threat to everybody. They basically spread a pall of nuclear war over the entire Middle East, and this was, frankly, unsettling to every country in the region. Ken Timmerman reporting for Prophecy Today. Ken, as always, we appreciate you taking your time from your home there in France to be with us to help us with this special report today. Thank you so much.

Look forward to talking to you again next week. Thanks so much, Rick. God bless. Great job as always, Ken. You know, here's two things that we do know.

Iran is not going to stop attacking Israel. That's according to the word of God. And Israel is not going to be wiped out by Iran. And that is according to the word of God. But we're going to continue our special report, Rising Line, Israel's Preemptive Attack on Iran, right here on Prophecy Today weekend.

I'm Ruth Kramer with Mission Network News. As the gospel spreads in China, authorities continue to attempt to sever Christians from the global church. Bob Fu, a contact with The Voice of the Martyrs Canada, says: Now, international travel by Christians is being hailed as an illegal border crossing. Problematic international activities include anything from worship conferences to seminary studies. In recent weeks, we have learned another four Christians were criminally arrested for going to South Korea and Malaysia attending the Christian conferences.

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So, by giving to Mission Network News, you enable us to keep the stories of God's kingdom coming. And together, the Great Commission happens. Look for links at missionnews.org. I'm Ruth Kramer. Welcome back to Prophecy Today Radio, the program that looks at current events in the light of Bible prophecy.

Well, this is a special report as we look at Israel's attack on Iran. Joining us today is journalist Dave Dolan. Dave, thanks for being with us today.

Well, Rick, I wish it were better circumstances, but I'm glad to be with you.

Well, we are glad to have you here. And we talked with Ken Timmerman as he gave us the details of the Israeli attack. But could you let us know how this attack started and maybe what Israel is doing even right now to deal with the Iranian response?

Well, Rick, before the attack was launched on Friday morning, the Prime Minister, Bibi Netanyahu, went to the western wall, Judaism's holiest site, of course, being the whole Temple Mount, but that's the only part they have full access to. And he showed the reporters, he put a prayer in the wall on a piece of paper, and it was Numbers 23, 24. And that's where Balak, a ruler east of Israel, of the Promised Land, hires Balaam to curse Israel. And people who read it, no, he instead blesses them. And the last thing he says is: Israel will be powerful, will be strong.

Its enemies won't be able to overcome them. It will be like a rising lion.

So this is being named Operation Rising Lion. A second wave, Israeli wave, was launched on Friday evening, Rick, about eight PM. And about an hour later, we got what the Iranians had promised, some missile strikes, more than some. We had nearly one hundred missiles Fired at Israel. Again, most of them were intercepted, but at least seven hit their targets in the first wave.

And then there was a second wave, and there were more targets hit, and there were more casualties. As of midnight, it was up to about 35 people. And several of them critically, but there were no reported deaths. But Iran said this is just the start of their response. And their leader, Ayatollah Khomeini, called it.

A full war. He said, we are at full war with Israel. With the U.S. helped Friday evening, Rick, it was announced to take out some of the missiles.

Now, I have to say that other drones were also fired at Israel.

So it wasn't just the hundred that Iran fired. And we had one Ahouthi missile from Yemen strike the city of Hebron just outside of it, and three Arab children were wounded in that simultaneous strike.

So we're probably going to see a lot more of this in the coming days. The Israelis spent most of the night, Friday night, in, or they were told to be at least near their bomb shelters. And of course the sirens uh went out Across all of Israel, and the IDF said the entire country i is being targeted now. We're not sure that they used their top missiles on Friday evening, Rick, but we know that they seem to be more precise, it was said. They seem to be a little bit better grade.

And of course, Iran has been busy supplying Russia with tons of drones.

So they have huge production facilities operating. I'm sure Israel struck some of those. And Friday evening, Rick, the Prime Minister, met in his bunker. He has under his the office building he's in, there is a bunker that Golda Maier actually built. In the sixty-seven before the sixty-seven Six-Day War.

We all knew it was coming when she was Prime Minister. He met down there with some other senior, the defense minister and other senior ministers, to discuss the next move. And then late at night in Israel, he had a phone conversation, brief, they said, with President Trump, who the report said, and the White House didn't deny, that he basically expressed his full support for Israel. He understands why they're doing this. Netanyahu gave a speech on Friday evening directed at the Iranian people, Rick, in which he said, We don't have any animosity towards you.

And our countries were allies before 1979. It's this Islamic fundamentalist regime that started all this and is arming all these Militias everywhere and Hamas and Hezbollah killing scores of their own people as well as. Jews whenever they can and all that sort of thing. And of course, a nuclear bomb is a game changer. And even the International Atomic Agency Rick said on Thursday that Iran is close.

very close. To developing a full nuclear warhead, and they could probably do it within weeks or months.

So, this isn't just Israel's paranoia. Hopefully, they'll be successful. But the dimensions of the strikes, Rick, are just coming to light. Israel is carrying out a tremendous response to Iran's nuclear program. And if Iran keeps hitting Israeli cities, Then we may see it expand, that people are saying, to not just military targets in Iran, but to the government itself and civilian infrastructure.

Well, David, I know you're concerned for the nation of Israel, you're concerned for the Jewish people. Of course, you don't want anything to spiral out of control here, but you are very worried about Iran's capabilities to hurt Israel. And now some people may feel like because of what happened over the last year and the other previous attacks that Iran doesn't have that ability, but you are concerned, aren't you?

Well, Rick, I'll quote the Chief of Staff Friday evening. He said, quote, the Iranians have capabilities to significantly strike the Israeli home front. And the truth is, they've gotten better since their original missile attack on Israel. Why? Because they become much more deeply involved in the war in Ukraine.

And it's made them, as I said, like a factory for producing these drones. And the technology of the drones keeps improving. And the technology of the ballistic missiles keeps improving and all of this. But I mentioned the war in Ukraine, they're allied with Russia. And Putin strongly called Netanyahu and spoke with him, but he also called the Iranian president.

And he strongly condemned Israel. and didn't say anything about Iran. And in fact, his statement was was almost laughable, Rick. He said, this is against international law, what you're doing, Israel, that you're using force where you shouldn't be doing that and whatever. And he invaded his neighbor.

And has killed hundreds of thousands, maybe we don't even know, of people so far, and mostly is attacking civilian targets deliberately. And he's lecturing Israel. But Russia is a strong ally, and again, China. China's getting a good portion of its oil from Iran. Iran can call up Alex.

I mean, this could spread into a full-scale world war. It really could. And the Israelis know that. But the the good news, Rick, on Friday was that most of the Arab countries had a mild Reaction to it. They didn't outright condemn Israel.

Some of them even said they understood. Why they were doing this, especially, of course, the countries they're in sort of an alliance with, the accords they have, the Abraham Accords. But of course, there was some strong condemnation from other groups. And, you know, will Iran now unleash terror squads in the United States? We know that they've been training these squads in South America for years.

We know that many of them came over the border. And, you know, so this could escalate into a real, real dangerous war. But again, Israel didn't start it. Hamas started it. And really, Rick, we can now say thank God that they started it without.

the coordinated attack that we expected with Hezbollah and Iran all at one time. Hamas launched its own thing. Hezbollah came in the next day. The Houthis came in the next day. Iran came in a few days later.

But those forces, their proxy forces, have been fairly leveled. And that definitely makes this A better situation for Israel than they were anticipating. But again, Iran's. Direct capabilities now are greater than they've ever been.

So Israel is certainly not resting easy right now.

Well, David, they certainly are not, but you and I both know that as these things take place and as chaotic as things are right now, this is all setting the stage for Bible prophecy to be fulfilled. And Rick, one of those prophecies was the one I quoted, Balaam, hired to curse Israel on behalf of Jew hating leader Balak. You could think of Hamas And instead, God gives a blessing to them, and it includes that Israel will rise like a lion and be great and be able to defeat its enemies. That's what the scriptures. Predict.

But that doesn't mean there's not going to be battles. And we know very well from the book of Revelation, from other prophets in the New Testament and in the Old Testament, Jesus himself, that all this was going to happen, and Israel will suffer. There's no question, suffer greatly. in the coming tribulation period. But overall, We know the end result.

We know it has arisen. The fact that Israel even exists is absolutely a miracle. And you know, condemned by the UN, condemned by the world. And this is what, its 10th war, maybe. But yes, we can, in that sense, Rick, be thankful, not obviously for the attack, but that Hamas.

seemed to have jumped the gun a little bit with its partners. And so the initial the long feared initial joint attack from all directions. with thousands of rockets at once and missiles. That leaders were expecting didn't pan out that way. And now Israel's been piece by piece.

frankly, dismantling her enemies. And again, Nets and Yahoo made clear, and I want to end with this. Iranian people are not Israel's enemies. There were good relationships before Khameni came into power. A portion of the people are fundamental Shiite Muslims that want this war and want, we've got to remember, they believe that this Mahdi is coming and world crisis needs to precede it, so they're not afraid of that.

And Khomeini said on Friday, we're going to carry on with this war until the end, and et cetera, et cetera. But the God of Israel is in charge. But boy, there really is much room for prayer right now, obviously. There certainly is.

Well, David, thank you so much for taking the time to be with us on this special report today. We look forward to talking to you again soon. Hopefully with better news, Rick. God bless. You're listening to our special report on Israel and Iran.

Got to take a break. We'll be right back with more right here on Prophecy Today Weekend. The Book of Revelation is God's final word to man and the timeline of the last days revealed to the Christians. This symbolism-filled example of apocalyptic literature can be difficult to understand, especially when simply reading it from beginning to end. Dr.

Jimmy de Young's latest book, Revelation, a Chronology, takes a walk through the prophetic book of Revelation in the order that the events will take place, chronologically, sharing insights into its true meaning and doing so in an easy to understand and practical way. If you have difficulty understanding the book of Revelation, get your copy of Revelation, a chronology, and let Dr. Jimmy de Young aid you in your understanding of this profound end times prophecy book that God has preserved in his scriptures for Christians in the last days. To order your copy of Jimmy DeYoung's Revelation, a chronology, call us toll-free at 877-674-3298 or visit our website at prophecytoday.com. Welcome back to Prophecy Today.

I'm Jimmy DeYoung Jr. Along with Rick, we're examining current events in the light of God's prophetic word, and we're continuing our coverage on Rising Lion, Israel's preemptive attack on the nuclear facilities in Iran. And, Rick, we need to bring in Winky Madad, he's our go-to man for what's going on on the ground and gives us a clear picture of how the Israeli person is thinking right now in the land of Israel.

Well, that's right, Jimmy. We do have Winky Madad with us. He is at his home in Shiloh, which is in Judea and Samaria. Winky, thank you for being with us today. I thank you for having me on.

Well, Winky, our prayers are with you in particular, but also with the nation of Israel right now as Israel's attack on Iran, an attack that they feel like they had to make because of the chance of Iran developing a nuclear bomb that took place this week. If you could, could you give us an idea of what you experienced the night of the attacks and then after the initial attack, what is it like right now in Israel?

Well, to tell you the truth, the alarm or the siren, I guess you'd call it, went off. It woke me up somewhere around three point thirty in the morning. I listened. It went off after about thirty seconds. And I figured I could go back to sleep.

My wife, on the other hand, stayed up for a while. And it turned out to be that they were alerting us to the fact that Israel had launched a preemptive strike Honey Ran. Uh we don't know the full Details yet, although a lot more than I thought would get out are getting out. In terms of air flights, Mossad operations on the ground in Iran. But as I hope our audience has learned from the past few years, Israel has exact information as much as possible on the enemy.

the top military leadership was taken out in their beds. through missiles going into windows. And a lot more of the military. strength of Iran in terms of ballistic missiles. Nanta's nuclear development location.

A few other things are burning. I hope that Iran is listening to President Trump and willing to come to the table to arrange for a better agreement that they had rejected. because they have oil reserves refinery machinery and a lot of other things So I could get them into trouble not only internally, but externally, because China and other countries are being their import or should I say, export partners, and that could set their economy back about three hundred years.

Well, certainly have to see how this is going to continue to develop. But as evidenced by the fact that you were willing to go back to sleep after the initial alarms, you must be very confident in the way that Israel and the IDF, the government there, is looking to protect their citizens. Can you talk about that? Maybe you're on the ground there in Israel. You know that a potential retaliation attack is coming.

Can you talk about what Israel is doing to protect its citizens?

Well, we have learned, of course, that Iran has sent drones over and even some ballistic missiles. We know that the Air Force has been on this As you know and probably maybe one of the reasons I am on the program over the past I don't know, over two decades, is that I'm a man of faith as well as politics, strategy and a few other little things. And things like Elijah up on Mount Carmel come to mind, cooling down God to intervene. A few other things that give me confidence that. I think we can trust the ability of Israel as a nation If it is good to benefit from God's grace as well as the assistance from his friends, who also want to be in God's grace.

And we'll get through it as best possible. You know, there's a a little bit of a joke we say here in Israel that You have to understand that the only thing normal in Israel Is that little knob on the washing machine that points to normal?

So if you if you assume that, then you can get to the rest of Israel activities.

Well, it certainly is. And Jimmy and I, that's a great analogy. Jimmy and I were just in Israel. There were a few rockets sent from, or missiles sent from Yemen, and we lived through a couple of the sirens. You know, life went on, people go on, and people I believe they do have confidence that Israel can protect its citizens.

But if you're not in Israel, and ironically, maybe Israel right now is the safest place to be a Jewish person because Iran has demonstrated a willingness to use terror with its Iranian proxies around the world. And there are soft targets. Even here in the States, there have been several acts committed in the name of Hamas against Jewish people in the States. There's going to be maybe a retaliation. Maybe Iran can't do what they want to do to Israel.

But do you have concern for Jewish people around the world? I always have concern for Jewish people around the world. Don't forget that the bombing in Argentina if I'm not mistaken, over twenty years ago, or maybe more now. I lose track sometimes with all the terror that they've launched against us. It destroyed the building of the Jewish Community Center.

I think over eighty Jews were killed. but also Iranians themselves are positioning us Our positionists to the regime have been targeted by Iranian secret services. This is a regime that sponsors terror. a regime that speaks in the name of a fanatical religious uh interpretation of history. It's not good for Israel.

It's not good for the Western democracies. It's not good for Christians. It's not good for even for Sunni Muslims. Because they're Shiite Muslims, which I won't get into the difference right now, but this is something that is illogical and fanatical, and people just Dealing with the Middle East, not only with Israel, but the larger Middle East picture, simply do not grasp.

Sometimes people think widely different about things. And if you don't understand that, you're not going to solve the problems of the region. And I hope that the people listening to me will pay a little bit more attention to a few layers below the news to understand why people are making decisions that they're making this way or that way. As you alluded to earlier in this interview, we have you on the program for your analysis, for your analytical process. And maybe if I could get you to speculate a little bit, looking into the future, your hopes and fears, maybe even a best case and a worst case scenario for the nation of Israel.

And this comes, again, as I remind our listeners, from somebody that is living in Israel, in Judea, Samaria.

So this is going to affect your life for the upcoming future. Can you tell me what are your hopes and fears for the future here? First of all, this is not going to end immediately. We're talking about anywhere from two to three weeks And of course, with the Shiites, they always observe forty days after.

Someone has been killed. They did that with the United States. They've done that with Israel.

So I mean, we're not talking about anything less than forty days in near future. On the first day or so of their uh performance It looks to me, again, an uneducated military expert, that they really had a lot of severe limitations placed on their military capabilities. Uh Hopefully uh that w will cause them to collapse within a week or two. maybe they'll try something from Yemen. Maybe they'll try something from Iraq.

Remember, they have militias in Iraq that have By the way, have been rocketing American forces and diplomatic compounds in Baghdad, by the way. But Hezbollah has declined. to participate in this round so far. openly, publicly, they they declare that.

So basically, Iran thought that they wouldn't look like Gaza or Beirut. after Beirut and Gaza attacked Israel. It took us some time, but I think I can place my trust in the fact that the Army or the defense establishment has the upper hand. And I hope eventually the people of Iran will rise up and take back their regime From the Mullahs and everybody else there who has kept them in oppression uh religiously, politically, socially and culturally For so many years since Khomeini took over back when, but that was 1978, 79, or something like that. Uh and be a free people.

That certainly is the hope.

Well, for my final question for you, and I know you can't necessarily speak for all of Israel, but you can speak for yourself and you have a good grasp, a good idea of the way the political situation in Israel is trending, is moving. We look at Prime Minister Netanyahu. He is ultimately the one that made this call. Can you tell me are the people of Israel behind these actions that Prime Minister Netanyahu took? And is he still in a strong position as he looks to lead Israel going forward?

Uh yeah. That's kind of difficult to judge because that would make also a political call, and I hope I'm trying to be as objective as as much as possible. there's an element what we call Tel Aviv. I'm putting that in quotation marks for our audience, right? It means Ramata Sharon, Herzalia, the area around Tel Aviv, including Tel Aviv.

They're in shock. I mean, this past week they thought the government was going to fall. With the slaw of the mobilization, recruitment of Haredi people into the army. That fell, that hope fell in the Knesset earlier. And now all of a sudden, we've got a tremendous victory.

I mean, I can't go into I'm not going to say it's a six days war victory yet. But a lot of the leftists here in Israel are saying that's it. You know, Netanyahu has sealed his ability to keep his government together for the next year and a half. And so hopefully, people will realize that This government is on the right track. It should deserve it, the the people's support.

And hopefully, we'll get this get through this There's a lot more unity rather than disparity that was our public scene, I should say, for the last two and a half, three years. Winky Madad joining us from his home in Shiloh, Israel. Winky, like I said, our prayers are with you and the people of Israel and the nation of Israel right now as you face these challenges. Thanks so much for taking your time to be with us, and we look forward to talking to you again soon. Thank you so much for your prayers and all those listening who are participating as well.

Goodbye to you and our listeners. Great job as always, Winky. Let's, Rick, let's bring in Sharam Hadian. He's got a very good insight as to what is happening in Iran at this point.

Well, that's right, Jimmy. As we continue our coverage of Israel's strike on Iran, we have Pastor Sharam Hadian with us. He's a pastor, but he's also the director of the ministry called the Truth in Love Project. Pastor Sharam, thanks for joining us today. Great to be with you back on the program.

Thank you for having me. Sharam, if I could, for those listeners that don't necessarily know you or this may be their first time hearing you, we are having you on to talk about Iran. You have a particular connection to Iran. Could you talk a little bit about your testimony and your connection to Iran? Yeah, I mean that's my birth country.

I was born there and my family lived there before the current uh regime took over, uh committed There was a overthrow in 1979, and we fled Iran from that. situation came to the States. And then, of course, by the grace of God, by the power of the Holy Spirit, uh twenty six years ago in nineteen ninety nine, I left Islam and I became a follower of Jesus Christ. Uh but yeah, that's that's where I was born in Iran and many of the things that are happening there are they hit close to home when you see these headlines. And of course, I still have family in Iran that we're trying to you know, keep tabs on.

Well, then that would be my next question as we look at this situation. Obviously, you ha you know much about the country. You you're also a pastor, so you you can comment in so many different directions, and I have several questions for you. But before I get into that, can you tell us what you do know about the situation there on the ground in Iran following these attacks?

Well, let me just talk about, if I can, for a second, the situation before the attacks, because it has been a very challenging time for the Iranian people. There has been much upheaval, really going back to September of twenty twenty three. when there's a murder of a young woman named Massa Amini. Since that time, there has been a consistent and steady Basically, uh, pushback, uprising, the Iranian people. who are very much they're done with this regime.

They're done with Islam. They're done. The majority of them want to break free. They want a, quote, more democratic society.

So really, that underpinning has been there. And there has been much movement towards defections within the military, within police, within aspects of where it seems like the tide is turning. What was miss, and also economically, it has been a brutal situation for the Iranian people who have been suffering under unbelievable hardship. Rations, lack of water, lack of food, lack of fuel.

So that was just before.

Now, you take this situation. Here's the irony of it is Though this is going to mean unbelievable hardship for the Iranian people. the majority of the Iranian people have been wanting this attack. That's the crazy thing. They've been wanting Israel.

to hit the this regime and topple the infrastructure of this regime.

So you know, this obviously happened. At about three in the morning, uh the attack happened. When the major aspects of the military apparatus were sleeping, they were not in bunkers, they were in their homes. This is an unprecedented Attack. that I think caught Iran off guard in so many ways.

And now the waves are coming.

So what we know is that the Iranian people are preparing for more and more waves, the latest being that they've hit the airport in Tabriz. They're hitting multiple targets, not just the nuclear facilities, not just the high ups in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

So it's unfolding rapidly right now, and we're trying to get word of Of what the latest is, but the generally the sense within the general sense of the Iranian people is that they're this is like But finally. Finally. This is the moment. Israel had to act. And I know we can talk more about that and more about America's role, but that was that's kind of just the overview.

Well, then let's continue along that line just for a second. When we look at the Iran of your youth, you said you were born there. The Iran of your youth was different than the one that is there now. There was much more freedom. Women had freedom.

And that did not all change when these Islamic clerics came in, but they did change the society there. It's not necessarily a popular government. It would seem now that maybe this attack, this regime, is ripe for a change. Can you talk about how possible or probable, likely do you think that is? I think this is probably the most probable chance.

The most opportunistic moment that has occurred in the forty-six years since. The government was overthrown. September of twenty twenty three, as I mentioned, would have been an opportunity. But at that time, The Iranian people, when they rose up against the regime, and we saw an unbelievable courage of standing up against Islam, women taking off their hijab, young people. in the street.

the brutality of this Really, dictatorship. It's an Islamic dictatorship. It's an Islamic theocracy governed by Islamic law. The people of Iran did not have the support of America at that point.

Now fast forward, Israel has stepped up. Israel has One of the things that I've appreciated about Prime Minister Netanyahu, is that time and time again He has directly spoken to the Iranian people. Whatever people may or may not agree or disagree with the politics of what's going on in Israel right now. or you know decisions about you know the war with Gaza consistently there has been a symbiotic relationship. Between the the Jewish people in Israel particularly and in Iran, the people of Iran.

So this is the best opportunity. They have now. Israel is absolutely dismantling. The infrastructure. the and not just taking out senior leadership, They're dismantling the infrastructure of the regime.

This wasn't just, in my opinion, about taking out the nuclear facilities. This was dismantling the regime. And I think the pr the hope is now that the people will rise up. when this this attack occurred immediately. the Religious Council issued a warning.

A gag order on all social media, on all media that is not, of course, state controlled.

So that was a sign to me. of unbelievable weakness. By the way, that happened. Both in 2023 And also it happened, you know. Back in nineteen seventy nine.

You know, you got to control the narrative, make it out to be better than it actually is. I think this is so crippling. That they're trying to now control the spin and control the people. They're trying to warn people: don't come out, don't say anything negative about the regime. I'm just praying.

And I pray Christians will pray. Uh that The Iranian people once again be emboldened, empowered. to come out into the streets to rise up. The key is, what will America do? Will the President will President Trump verbally Come out and stand.

and say, we're with you. We are with you. Or is it going to be more about no, we're trying to negotiate and we can make a good deal and all those things? And again, we can talk about that. But that to me, I I don't know if it's posturing.

I don't know what the motivation is. I do have my thoughts on that I believe that there's not good Counsel for the president when it comes to Iran, Israel, the Middle East. I don't trust the counselors. but I do believe that he wants to do the right thing for Israel. But This is a critical moment.

for him to rise up. Ends verbally say to the Iranian people. This is your chance. We're with you. We stand with you.

Go forth and lift up your voices in Iran. and say enough is enough. I think it's time. It th it this is Petering on the brink.

Well, it certainly is. It certainly is a time for prayer, and it is a time for action as we look at that situation and support Israel and support the Iranian people.

Well, just get a little background on this situation. Iran is an Islamic republic, and they're roughly a thousand miles separating the nation of Iran and Israel. There is no strategic reason that Iran and the regime there should be committed to the destruction of Israel, but there is a spiritual reason. Can you talk a little bit about Islam's role in this conflict? Yeah, that's a great question because that's really the heart of this, isn't it?

The heart of this really comes down to a spiritual question. Right now, and one of the things that I was watching on my social media feeds and whatever is all of the Christians that are out there bashing Israel, all the Christians out there who are operating with a false doctrine that we know as replacement theology. They believe that Israel has been replaced in God's plan, and therefore, why are they even there? And they're just an aggressor, and here they go bombing another nation.

So what a failure of understanding and scripture and having a right perspective of what is happening. We are living in the last days, and we're living in unbelievable times of prophecy. Spiritually, it also, the same people that, and the reason I'm bringing that up, is the same people that are espousing those types of thoughts. False doctrines and false dichotomy are the same people that think that Islam doesn't pose a threat. that Islam is somehow benign or peaceful or misunderstood and that it doesn't pose a threat to Christianity.

Islam is the single greatest threat to Christians. It is the single greatest threat to Jews. It is the single greatest threat to the gospel. And so Its ideology is teaching that their prophet need to have control of Jerusalem. This isn't even about the land of Israel.

because we can argue about the the geographical boundaries of the land. Of course, I would go back to Genesis 15, Exodus 23. Very clearly, the land has been given to the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. But The battle is for Jerusalem. the as Zechariah twelve tells us.

And Islam claims Jerusalem. Even though Jerusalem is not mentioned in the Quran one time. Islam wants to annihilate the Jews. Why? Because their text says that that's what they have to do.

They claim that Jesus is going to come back. And Jesus is going to help to rule the caliphate from Jerusalem. and remove all the Jews.

So Iran, which is a Shia Islamic country, but yet they're still following the same ultimate doctrine. that they need to remove the Jews off the face of the earth. And therefore That's how they're going to conquer Jerusalem. And as long as the Jews are there, then they can't fulfill their mission. And that's what's so incredible about this timing.

is it seems like no matter what the nations are doing, The Jewish people are back in the land. And they're never, the Bible says they're never going to be uprooted again.

So we're watching literally history and prophecy. unfold before our eyes. But you can't separate what's going on from the ideology of Islam. Hamas, Iran, the Arab nations, same goal. It's a good idea.

to fulfill what Islam teaches them and their eschatology. Shrom, as a pastor and a student of Bible prophecy and somebody who teaches Bible prophecy, this is just a sign that we are closer than ever now to God's end time scenario. Is that the way you look at this? Without a doubt, I think that in light of this unprecedented attack, we got closer to God. To the Ezekiel 38 and 39 scenario of the Lagog-Magog war.

We know in that scenario that Persia is going to be a part of that coalition. That's Iran, but it's a coalition.

So I believe, and I believe for a long time, that it is a weakened Iran that is going to be pulled into this. I think that we're getting closer to that. We are absolutely witnessing prophecy. Keep an eye on Turkey. Turkey is a key player in this to see what comes out of Turkey.

Of course, we have we're going to keep an eye on Russia and China. And seeing whether they're going to react to this or not. And then, of course, Syria is a key component there with what's going on there. My goodness, how can we not be witnessing Bible prophecy when This couldn't have happened one hundred years ago. Israel was not a nation one hundred years ago.

And now we are seeing a unilateral back and forth. between Israel and Iran, that is also unprecedented, that they're now going back and forth.

So we're praying for the protection of the Jewish people. Also, Please pray for America. Because Not only do we see the increase of violence and lawlessness in America, but please remember that those forces, the same spirit that is trying to wipe out the Jews, is the same access here of the communist, the Marxist, the globalist.

Socialists working with the Islamic movement to tear down America and to bring harm here.

So Um We've got to be praying for our nation, for Israel, the peace of Jerusalem. Pray for the Iranian people also, please, that they would rise up and that this would be the opportunity. And again, I'm just praying President Trump will stop trying to make a deal here and do the right thing, and that is morally stand with the Iranian people and their freedom. That's what's the most important for Iran. Sharam Hayden, thank you so much for being with us today.

We look forward to talking to you again soon. My honor. Thank you. Sharam Haidian. Thank you, Sharam.

You know, this is unprecedented times in world history. We take a break and when we come back to Legacy Series with Dr. Jimmy De Young, right here on Prophecy Today weekend. Welcome back to Prophecy Today. I'm Jimmy DeYoung Jr.

Along with my brother Rick, we've been examining current events in the light of God's prophetic word. Rick, you know, we are living in unprecedented times, and I think it's so very important that we have a good, proper understanding of Bible prophecy. It certainly is, Jimmy, and that's what our ministry is dedicated to as we look at the study of Bible prophecy from the book of Genesis all the way through the book of Revelation. It's important to us. And if you are interested in engaging with our ministry, go to our website, prophecytoday.com.

There, you can find out more about our ministry, what we do. And if you're interested and would like to get involved in our ministry, support our ministry, pray for our ministry, you can find out ways to do that there as well. That's prophecytoday.com.

Well, in the legacy series this week, we're going to begin our study where we stopped last time: a look at Babylon and Babylon today, which is modern day Iraq. We will refresh our thinking about the destruction of the Babylonian Empire, not the city of Babylon, the Babylonian Empire. Remember, the book of Ezra chapters 1 to 6 is the account of the rebuilding of the Temple in Jerusalem. Then in chapter 7, Ezra is living in Babylon when he will go back to Jerusalem, and then we'll conclude our study in Isaiah chapter 13. Dr.

Jimmy D. Young and the Legacy Series. Ezra chapter seven. Chapters one through six is the rebuilding of the temple. Chapter six is the dedicatory service of that temple.

Chapter seven, notice what it says here in verse six. This Ezra went up from Babylon. He was a scribe to go back to Jerusalem to reinstitute the temple practices. Verse 9: For upon the first day of the first month began he to go from Babylon. This is a 75-year period later.

After the fall of the Babylonian Empire, Ezra chapter 7. Ezra, the scribe, leaves living in the city of Babylon, a very thriving metropolis at that time, and goes to Jerusalem to reinstitute the temple practices. 75 years after the fall of the Babylonian Empire, but not the city of Babylon, it had not been destroyed. I've read some secular history, maybe you have as well. And if you've ever heard anything about Alexander the Great, the leader of the Grecian Empire, who would ultimately defeat the Babylonian Empire, once he defeated the Medo-Persian Empire, Alexander the Great, at 32 years of age, went to the city of Babylon.

And in Babylon he set up his Grecian empire. At thirty two years of age, conquering the known world, he sets up everything headquartered in the city of Babylon. By the way, that's two hundred years after the fall. of the Babylonian Empire, but not the city. The city was still operating.

Alexander actually opened up the Euphrates River, which flows into the Persian Gulf, made it large enough so it could bring 500 gunships up to Babylon itself to make it naval power as well. 200 years after the fall of the Babylonian Empire. I want to take a moment now to give you about a four-minute glimpse. At Babylon today. Because Babylon has never been destroyed.

Saddam Hussein spent half a billion Half a billion, five hundred million. to try to refurbish Babylon. And I want to show you something, fellas. If you Welsh run that uh Video force quickly. It's been seven years since the war began in Iraq, and for the first time you're beginning to see work again in places like Babylon behind me and other archaeological sites around the country.

Avalon. The ancient capital of King Nebuchadnezzar. is easily the most famous of Iraq's historic sites. Over the millennia, it has suffered damage from time and nature and from Saddam era reconstruction in the nineteen eighties that put new walls and palaces on top of the old ruins. See exactly the line between the original wall and the part rebuilt or reconstructed during the eighteenth.

And more recently, the damage from coalition forces who dug trenches while using it as a base after two thousand three. As workers begin refurbishing the museum and a replica of Ishtar Gate. A much harder task is to stop things getting worse. Only then can they start making them better. What you need first to do is to create documentation.

to understand what's wrong in what are the problems at the monument. And look at this, this is all modern masonry. All this back here. The World Monuments Fund completed a survey and last month received two million dollars from the United States government to begin restoration work. In this guidebook from the 1980s, we have a picture before the restoration work during the Saddam period.

And so, what you see in the background here are the reconstructed. Bays or increnellations of the processional way as envisioned by the people within the Antiquities Department in the 1980s. Fundamentally, how many of the problems you face are man-made and how many are natural?

Well, I think that if we just had to deal with one or the other, it would be fine. But the two together is nearly toxic for the preservation of monuments. This is the Tower of Babylon, the Ziggurat Temple Tower of Babylon. Which is likely to be the tower that the Exiled Hebrews were thinking about in Babylon when they were retelling the story of a great tower from their own past. In the center ground here, just past the water, the mud brick core, which is, if you look at an aerial view, if you fly over it, it's a square.

And then the trench beyond it is the area where the foundations were, as far as I can tell, which were of baked brick, and so they were mined away by. people who were building houses in historical times. You can see modern building fabric that was an effort in the 1980s by Saddam Hussein to conserve and to reconstruct the site. Like this, some parts bricks. But I think water's getting in there too.

You could go to the Saddam Palace and see a lot of graffiti from the various forces which occupied the site in recent history. Today the palace lies in ruins, looted. and pillaged of anything of value. The site management plan will guide the future of Babylon. The stakeholders ranging from the governor of Babel to the SBAH.

To local residents living next to the site, they all have a stake in this. conserving such an important site as well as benefiting from it. Iraqi officials want more visitors at places like Babylon. They hope to make it a UNESCO World Heritage Site. That may mean undoing some of Saddam Hussein's renovations in the 1980s.

The fundamental point is the authenticity and the integrity of the monument in Babylon.

So we are obliged in the conservation plan to remove part of the the buildings which was reconstructed and restored in nineteen eighty. The work at these sites has only just begun. and no one thinks it'll be easy. Past presidents in Iraq would suggest that it's difficult to predict and say we will do this in five years or that in ten years. To do that would be somewhat naive.

At the same time, we're going to try our best with the circumstances given us. We're there to help them put the pieces together towards developing a future way of preserving and presenting the site. But the development of Babylon as a tourist site is going to be a very important part of Iraq's economic welfare in the future. We're going to see a lot of visitors passing this way. We're gonna see a lot of visitors passing this way.

Do you hear him talking about the government? of Babel. and Babbalone. Babylon has never been destroyed. Tangible evidence.

By the way, that was not produced by me. That was produced by the New York Times. the paper of record. in America. They have given a report about the Refurbishing of the city of Babylon.

The Prime Minister of Iraq, Prime Minister Malachi, was born in Babylon. That location you just saw, and you saw that New York Times article about. The forces, the military forces, a 21 nation multinational peace force headquartered in Camp Babylon. I'm telling you this because of what the prophecies are calling for: the total destruction. of Babylon.

I've given you the past history. I'm giving you the present situation as it relates to Babylon. It's never been destroyed. They're waiting for thousands of visitors to come. He said, as they put Babylon up as the center of all of their touristic trade to bring tourists from the world there, it would help to rebuild this war-torn nation.

and we expect many visitors in the future. Ironic statement. My people have no idea. of how important that statement is. With that thought in mind, go to Isaiah chapter 13.

Isaiah chapter 13 is a prophecy. It is what is considered a prophecy of double reference. That means that In this passage of Isaiah 13, Isaiah the prophet is going to be giving a prophecy to deal with the future captivity of the Jewish people and the defeat of Babylon then. But also looking into the future. It's called, according to hermeneutical principle, the law of double reference.

If you would like a reference upon which I'm speaking, Dwight Pentecost, the man who wrote the great volume on second coming activities, things to come, and a section of it has a section on hermeneutics and talks about this as a key component to interpreting prophecy. That law of double reference is in effect here in Isaiah 13. We're going to see that he prophesies about what's going to happen in the future and the short-term future about 170 years later, and what would happen in the long term. The first portion of Isaiah chapter 13 is God telling Isaiah, I'm going to select my sanctified ones. That does not mean holy people.

Sanctified means set apart people. Notice the text. The burden or the prophecy. Babylon, which Isaiah did see. Lift up now a banner upon the high mountain, exalt a voice unto them, shake the hand that they may go into the gates of the nobles.

I have commanded my sanctifying ones. I have also called my mighty ones for my anger, even them that rejoice in my highness. The noise of the multitude in the mountains, like as a great people, a tumultuous sound of the kingdoms of nations gathered together. The Lord of hosts mustereth the host of the battle. They come from a far country, from the end of the heavens, even the Lord, to the weapons of his indignation to destroy the whole land.

He's talking about the land of Israel. And that word in Hebrew is Eretz, and it means the land of Israel. He said, This land is going to be destroyed. He's talking about sanctified ones, people he's going to set apart. The Babylonians under the leadership.

Shippah Nebuchadnezzar will come in, as we read in 2 Chronicles 36, and devastate the land. They are going to come in and do that. But notice now, verse 6, what he says, and this is the change of the time period as it relates to the prophecy. And I'll tell you how we recognize that. How ye, for the day of the Lord is at hand.

That's the definition that we need to look at. The day of the Lord. Dr. Charles Ryrie, in his study Bible, he gave a definition of the day of the Lord. That phrase is used 72 times in the Bible, first introduced in the book of Joel.

The day of the Lord is any time in history when God intercedes in the affairs of man personally on the earth as it relates to the end times. Uh Next week we'll continue our study in Isaiah chapter 13, the future destruction of the city of Babylon, located fifty-eight miles out of downtown Baghdad, on the shores of the Euphrates River, modern day Iraq. Isaiah thirteen and fourteen discuss this the results of these prophecies. Please don't miss our study on Isaiah thirteen.

Next week. Dr. Jimmy DeYoung and the Legacy Series. In a time when things seem so out of control, it's so comforting to know that we can go to God's Word. He gives us everything that we need to have in order to live in the times in which we're living.

I encourage you to keep studying God's word, even when things seem hopeless, because that's the way we should do it. We're going to take a break and we come back. Rick and I will take a look at the book right here on Prophecy Today, weekend. I'm Ruth Kramer with Mission Network News. Last month, Pakistan set the legal age for marriage at 18 in the Islamabad territory.

But Nia Maya with FMI offers a sobering reality check. A similar 2013 law in Pakistan's Sindh territory hasn't stopped or penalized child marriages. From 2018 to 2024, Only 30 convictions under the child marriage law were recorded out of 272 post-information reports. And that's because Islamic leaders argue that under Sharia law, puberty, not age, is the deciding factor for marriage readiness. Nehemiah says, Muslims will follow their imams, not this law.

Tragically, each year an estimated 1,000 girls from religious minorities, including Christians, are kidnapped, forcibly converted to Islam, and married in Pakistan. Pray for God's wisdom and strength for Christians under these complex pressures and dangers. And finally, the impact of Mission India Bible Clubs extends beyond the children who attend. Raina Miller with Mission India says kids in Bible clubs are becoming witnesses to their parents. One girl named Jada prayed for her sick father in Jesus' name, and he was healed.

When these parents get to know Jesus, it completely changes the whole household. A lot of times, that happens through a child. We are really passionate about reaching children. And a lot of times that turns into kids reaching their parents as well.

So it's really exciting when we get to see not just a child's life change, but the whole family. Mission India is reaching impoverished areas with their new monthly giving program, Pathfinders. They invite supporters to provide 18 kids with Bible Club for a year.

So please pray for Jada, her family, and for God to move in the hearts of children who attend the clubs. Thanks for listening to Mission Network News, a service of one-way ministries. We're listeners supported by people just like you.

So by giving to Mission Network News, you enable us to keep the stories of God's kingdom coming. Look for links at missionnews.org. I'm Ruth Kramer. Welcome back to Prophecy Today. I'm Jimmy DeYoung Jr.

Along with my brother Rick, we've been examining current events in the light of God's prophetic word. You know, Rick, I started off the program today talking about two Bible verses. One, which is in the book of Numbers, chapter 23, verse 24: Behold a people, as a lioness, it rises up, and as a lion, it lifts itself. It does not lie down until it has devoured the prey. That is Rising Lion.

The name, the code name for this operation, the operational name for Israel and its preemptive strike on Iran. And we are living in unprecedented times, aren't we? We certainly are, Jimmy. And we seem like. We say that every week, and it continues to escalate.

We've been doing this program for over 25 years now, I believe. And we started off looking at the trends that are taking place around the world. And maybe we were kind of the forerunners of being able to do that. But as you look at things coming kind of in a fast and furious way now, with what's taking place with Russia and Europe, but now this Israel's attack on Iran, Jimmy, in the last since October 7th of 2023, and that you know, that horrible event, the things that have taken place have kind of accelerated what is happening in the world right now. And, you know, we've had three ballistic missile attacks, three interactions between Israel and Iran, something that was unthinkable before that.

It certainly looks like the stage is being set, as we always say, but in a Way that is more obvious than ever, right? Yes, it sure is, you know, and there's an interest in people knowing something is happening, trying to figure out where it fits into God's plan. And if you read and or you listen to this program, if you at least study God's word, you know where it will take place. We believe that the war of Gog and Magog in Ezekiel 38, which uses Daniel 11 and Psalm 83, we believe that that takes place within the first few months of the confirmation of a peace treaty between the Antichrist and Israel, which starts the tribulation period. And by the way, that's after the rapture of the church.

But as you look at this, you know, there's two things that we need to remember. And I said this earlier: two things that we know for sure. Number one, Iran is not going to stop trying to wipe Israel off the face of the earth. We know that. The Bible prophecy tells us that.

It's listed many times. Our broadcast. Broadcast partners today talked about it. Sharam Hadian talked about this future war, this alignment of nations that will come against Israel to try to wipe Israel off the face of the earth.

So we know Iran is going to continue doing that. The second thing that we also know, we know that we know, is that the Jewish people are not going to be annihilated off the face of the earth, as Iran will try to do, not only Iran, but the alignment of nations, which would include Russia, Turkey, Iran. You've got Ethiopia, Somalia, and Sudan, Libya. You've got the king out of the north in Daniel chapter 11, which is Syria, the king out of the south, which is Egypt. You've also got the nations of Psalm 83, which would be those nations of the Abrahamic Accord, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, those nations.

So, Rick, yes, I mean, it is something that is happening. We're watching it, but we do know information according to God's word. And that's what gives us the comfortability to realize that in a world that seems like it's out of control. And I've had several people call me this morning saying it's out of control, but it's a little exciting.

So, how should I feel about this, right?

Well, that's right, Jimmy. I saw something posted today.

Somebody said Bible prophecy is not meant to scare us, but to prepare us. And I thought that was really good because when you look at this whole situation, we have the gift of Bible prophecy. We know what is going to happen in the future. And the events that are taking place around us just confirm what we know is going to take place.

So we don't need to be scared, but we do need to be prepared. We do need to prepare ourselves for what looks like is inevitable and closer than ever, obviously, in our lifetime. Yes, you know, I love that. Say that again. It's not meant to scare us, it's meant to prepare us, correct?

That's right. Yeah, you know, and when you think about that, you know, people, you and I, you know, and everybody, there are some that seem to get very anxious about the times in which you're living. But when you see people, for whatever reason, whether they've been through things and they're very calm in situations, that's how I picture, you know, we as Christians should be. We should be very calm, understanding that God is sovereign. He's got it in control.

It's laid out for us in God's word, how it's exactly going to take place. The confidence that we have is the prophecies of the past that have been fulfilled exactly as they were. And what we have, the confidence that we have in the future, that's what gives us the calmness to weather the storm. And so I think that was really good, Rick. But But as we listen today, you know, one thing that You know, that all of this just says to me, when I see this and I hear these things, and you know, we've got our rocket alerts on our phones that have been going off all day, and we're praying for the peace of Jerusalem, which is the other verse I shared at the beginning of the program.

Psalm 122:6, pray for the peace of Jerusalem. But the one thing that I do know is that the rapture of the church is getting closer and closer by the second. And I think that's one thing that should motivate us to live a pure, productive life in an unholy world, correct? That's right, Jimmy. And that's a reality that is staring us in the face more than ever before.

And again, what's the point here? What do we do? What did Dad used to say? Keep the main thing, the main thing. And what's the main thing?

We need to be about the business of what we are supposed to be doing right now as we prepare for the return of our Savior. We need to be out there sharing the good news of the gospel. Yes, there's so much that we could have focused on, but I do want people to focus on our responsibility. Our responsibility is to share the gospel message, to tell others about Jesus Christ, to give them the good news, to tell others, your neighbors, those people that you work with, to be a light, a shining light in a dark world. And that's one thing that we will think about for eternity: how we handled the situation in this world during these times.

Rick, thanks so much for doing the program with us this week. We look forward. And next week, we're going to see where Israel and Iran went in the past week. And I'm looking forward to that. There's so much going on, folks.

With all that we have seen and heard today. The rapture of the church can't be far away.

So let's keep looking up. Until Thank you so much for joining us today. This is Jay Johnson inviting you to join us again next week for more of Prophecy Today.