Uh Welcome to Prophecy Today. I'm Jimmy DeYoung Jr. Along with my brother Rick, we examine current events in the light of God's prophetic word. This week, we'll be focusing on Passover. That's what we have planned to talk about this week: Pesach in Hebrew.
It's the celebration of the Jewish people reliving, retelling the story of the exodus of the Israelites from out of slavery in Egypt. Rick, a lot is happening in our world today, and obviously, we can't focus on everything that's taking place. That's right. And around the world, Jimmy, there's been so many things going on: protests, heartbreak, tragedies, political upheaval, all these things taking place. We keep an eye on these things, but I tell you what, Jimmy, if I didn't know, we study Bible prophecy to be assured that we know how this story is going to end.
If I didn't know that, I don't know how I'd make it through this. Yes. Bible prophecy does help us to understand that. We've got our broadcast partner standing by today: Ken Timmerman, David Dolan. Winky Madad, Steve Herzig, and the Legacy Series.
Well, let's get started with our first, Ken Timmerman.
Well, that's right, Jimmy. I have Ken Timmerman with us. He is our frequent broadcast partner. He's an author and an analyst. You can find out more about Ken by going to his website, ken Timmerman.com.
Ken, thanks for being with us today. Thanks for having me on, Rick. It's always a pleasure.
Well, Ken, I'd like to deal with your expertise in Iran, and I'm going to finish up this program talking about that. But before I do that, I want to get some updates on a few other situations around the world. We'll start in Russia, the Russia-Ukraine crisis, and we're following the negotiations there. Can you give us the status?
Well, Steve Witkoff, the President's special envoy for the Middle East, went to Moscow on Friday for a previously unannounced trip. It will be his third meeting with Putin. They're meeting in St. Petersburg, where Putin had a previously scheduled trip. President Trump has expressed a great deal of frustration with Moscow because they have not moved forward with the ceasefire that he had wanted to negotiate with Ukraine.
And he says people are dying every day. There's far too many people dying. It's a waste. It never should have happened. They're wasting human lives.
And he really wants to get a ceasefire going. And he now sees that Putin is dragging his feet. Rick, let me just mention, though, out of a duty to report here, there is a Ukraine wildcard here. There were reports this week that surfaced in the preparations for the upcoming trial of Trump's alleged second assassin, Ryan Roof. The government is saying that Roof contacted someone in Ukraine, and we don't know if it's the Ukrainian government or if it's just an individual in Ukraine, trying to buy a Stinger missile or some form of ground-to-air shoulder-fired missile to take down Trump's aircraft.
If the Ukrainians had any any foreknowledge of this assassination attempt against President Trump in twenty twenty four at his golf course in West Palm Beach, that is going to really throw a monkey wrench into these negotiations. But leaving that aside, The President wants to push this forward. He wants to end the killing.
Well, that certainly is an explosive story, and we'll see how much the Department of Justice reveals when the trial starts.
Well, Ken, this all comes against the backdrop of all the things geopolitically that are taking place around the world. And that brings to mind that a top U.S. military official says that China, North Korea, and Russia military cooperation raises huge threats in the Pacific.
Well, the new commander-in-chief of the Indo-Pacific Theater, Admiral Samuel Paparo, was testifying this week in Congress. And he said, Look, all of this aid that China and North Korea are giving Russia in their war in Ukraine, well, actually, it's a two-way street. And the Russians are giving both of those countries aid for their missile programs and potentially for their nuclear weapons programs as well. And he said this could have a severe blowback for U.S. security and, in fact, the security of the world in the Pacific region.
So, whenever you hear about China and North Korea helping Russia, remember, Russia is also helping them with advanced technologies.
Well, we discussed this China-Russia alliance because it is so important. And let's talk a little bit about the China component there. Last week our lead story was the tariff trade wars.
Well, they have pretty much gone away except for China. Can you talk about the situation, the trade war, that might be just a little bit more than a trade war? Yes, I think it is more than a trade war, and it is now full-blown. You've seen the Chinese retaliated first with 36% tariffs, and now, you know, the whole thing is blown up with over 100% tariffs on each side. It's basically going to cut off U.S.-China trade.
And President Xi of China has said, Well, you know, I am going all the way on this. If the Americans want to have a trade war, we're going to have a trade war. We're not backing down.
Well, let's just see whether he backs down or not, Rick, because we happen to hold all of the cards. The Chinese, with their $300 billion trade surplus with the United States, depend immensely on trade with America. If that trade gets cut off, those Chinese companies are either going bankrupt or they're going to have to desperately try to find other markets. And I can tell you, those other markets do not exist, not in the volume that they're trading with the United States. President Trump holds a hand.
Of five aces, basically. He's, or if you prefer a different metaphor, he's playing chess, not checkers. The Chinese are not going to be able to continue with this trade war. And what the president's goal is, as we talked about last week, is to. Re-onshore American manufacturing.
He wants to bring U.S. factories back from China. And when he does that, China's industrial base is going to falter. They're going to have huge problems. And this could be a huge political problem for the Chinese Communist Party.
So, Rick, I like to remind people of what Ronald Reagan said about his strategy towards the Soviet Union and ending the Cold War. He said it's simple: we win, they lose. I think that is Donald Trump's strategy with Communist China as well.
Well, we turn from one very serious situation to another serious situation, and that is Iran's quest for a nuclear weapon. President Trump is dealing with that as well.
Now, we come to you, we talk to you for your expertise. Your latest book, in fact, The Iran House, Tales of Revolution, Persecution, War and Intrigue is out right now. And we want to call on your experience to help us tell us what is going on there. Can you explain where the negotiations stand right now?
Well, as we mentioned right at the top, Rick, the President's special envoy, Steve Witkoff, is traveling from St. Petersburg to Oman to meet with the Iranian Foreign Minister.
Now, President Trump has said this will be a direct negotiation. The Iranian said, no, no. This will be indirect. They will be sitting in separate suites, and an Omani official will be the go-between. I am very worried about Steve Witkoff.
This is the man who just a few weeks ago admitted in public that he had been duped. By Hamas. That was the word he used: duped by Hamas. Rick, anybody who can be duped. By Hamas is really going to get taken to the cleater by the Iranians.
They are the masters of negotiations. I have written a piece, which will be out next week, with the do's and don'ts of negotiating with Iran. But the very first lesson, and I hope that Steve Witkoff takes this to heart, is that he has to be prepared at every single moment to walk out and to tell the Iranians, hey, We're not going to have more negotiations about negotiations. The President made that clear. We're not going to talk about the size of the table or who's going to be sitting at the table.
We're sitting at the table, whether it's a coffee table, a dinner table, or a conference room table. I don't really care, but I want you guys on the other side of that table, and then we can kind of get down to brass tacks. Oh, and the other thing, Rick, very important to remember. The President has made this very clear. This will not be the resumption of the Iran deal.
This will not be a new JCPOA, which is what the Obama administration and John Kerry so foolishly negotiated in 2015. You know, three times Kerry thought he had a deal with Mohammad Java Zarif, the Iranian foreign minister. And Java Zarif said, Oh, yes, this is great, Mr. Secretary. We've got a deal, but I I've got to go to Tehran to clear this with the Supreme Leader.
And every time he went back to Tehran, the Supreme Leader said, You mean they agreed to that? Oh my gosh.
Well, we've got to demand this and this and this in addition.
So he went back three times, and each time Kerry. Agreed to every single demand the Iranians made. That is not going to happen this time. And Trump and Witkoff are going to have to make that clear right at the beginning.
Well, one thing that shows how serious this is is that there is actually not just a war of words, but Iran defied President Trump by sending missiles to Iraq, and then President Trump essentially at the same time sending an amazing amount of B two s into that area. Can you talk about this? It's kind of like the poker game he's playing with the Chinese. You up me 20?
Well, I'll see you 20 and up you 50.
So they want to send missiles to proxies at Iraq. We'll send B-2 bombers to Diego Garcia. The Iranians understand that those bombers carry a 30,000-pound bomb that no Israeli aircraft can carry, which has been specifically designed to destroy deeply buried underground targets like their uranium centrifuge plants.
So this is a very serious leverage he is giving to Witkoff as a negotiator. I just hope that Witkoff is able to take advantage of it, that he doesn't get snookered by the Iranians, that he doesn't start to get into talks about talks, negotiations about negotiations. Again, President Trump has made clear. There is An endgame here, and there's only one endgame to these negotiations. Iran dismantles its nuclear weapons infrastructure.
Not that they just limit it as they did with Obama and John Kerry, that they dismantle it. And you can say, well, gee, well, what are the Iranians going to get in exchange? Sanctions relief? No, they're not going to get sanctions relief. Just the nuclear sanctions, but they're still going to have sanctions because of their support for Hamas and other generic terrorist groups.
The Iranians get one thing and one thing only, Rick. They get a temporary reprieve from U.S. military action to destroy their nuclear weapons infrastructure. That's it. They get a temporary lifeline for the regime.
You know, the Iranians are going to squeal at this, but that's okay. If they don't agree with Mr. Trump's terms, they won't be squealing at all, at least not for long. Ken Timmerman for Prophecy Today. Ken, as always, we appreciate your insight.
Look forward to talking to you again soon. Thanks so much, Rick. God bless. Excellent job, as always, Ken. Giving us the Headlines behind the media headlines that the world wants us to see, so that we will be caught up with what is going on in the area of the world that pertains to Bible prophecy.
Well, let's take a break when we come back. Middle East News Update with David Dolan, right here on Prophecy Today weekend. I'm Ruth Kramer with Mission Network News. U.S.-China tensions are rising amid tit-for-tat tariffs.
Now, U.S.-based ministries say new travel restrictions from China are cutting off direct access to church partners in country. Eric Birklin with China Partners says: We were invited to come and do some more trainings in two different provinces, in three different schools, like seminaries and Bible schools. And we have just been informed by our friends over there who are with the registered church that they did not receive permission by their government. to receive us. Thankfully, God's work isn't dependent on travel approvals.
The church is still operating in China. Whether that is in a house church movement or in a registered church movement, God is still working. Pray for wisdom and encouragement for China's believers. And Nathan Foggerly is a pilot with Mission Aviation Fellowship. Listen to his account of one memorable landing field in Papua.
I love this airstrip. It's called Apahapsali. And in the people's language, I asked them, What's this mean? They said, Apa means human, and Lapsali means where we removed their skin. He asked for the backstory.
They pointed across the valley at another village and said, You know, we used to do a lot of night raids to that village, and we'd capture people alive, we'd bring them back here, would skin them, and would eat them. Then this village heard the gospel and they received it. And they said, Well, this place that we used to skin and eat them now is the airstrip. And our celebration hut, that's now our church. And that place across the valley that we used to go and raid, our sons and daughters now marry their sons and daughters.
Read more of this incredible story, including how you can pray into it at missionnews.org. 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. 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.
This is the portion of our program. We call it the Middle East News Update. We look at news coming out of the Middle East in general, but Israel in particular. To do that, we have with us journalist Dave Dolan. Dave, thanks for being with us.
I'm happy to be with you.
Well, Dave, if you could give us an update on what took place in Israel this week.
Well of course right now this evening is the beginning of Passover, the week-long celebration of Passover with the festive Seder meal taking place in homes and other places, but there aren't so many public gatherings. This has been the case since the war began over a year and a half ago. Hotels basically aren't hosting large groups, this sort of thing, because there is still some rocket fire into Israel. We had ten rockets fired at Ashkelon in the south of Israel on Monday, I think it was, or Tuesday. Half of them got through.
There was quite a lot of damage. Nobody killed, but a lot of damage to vehicles and apartments. Other places in Gaza, Rick, heavy fighting continuing in various places. A discovery of another tunnel. It was underneath a kindergarten in the south of the country.
Meanwhile, Israel's defense minister announced early in the week the construction of what he called the Mareg Corridor.
Now, Mareg was a community right along the coast in Gaza. Israeli community that was evacuated in 2005 as part of that pullout from Gaza.
So that's interesting that it's that name, but it's a half mile wide corridor that's really seven miles long from the entrance of Gaza to the ocean. And that's just north of Rafa. That will isolate Rafa. In the south, completely. They'll be completely surrounded by IDF forces.
And they're telling the residents that remain there to head to the northwest, to the coastal area where Morag was actually located, ironically, to get out of the area because they're going to keep going after Hamas until, of course, the hostages are released.
So we had news on that. We had Steve Witcock, Trump's representative to the Middle East, tell various families on Thursday that a deal is imminent. That's what he was quoted as saying: that he thinks there will be a release of a significant number of hostages soon, and that if so, Israel will stop. stop the fighting for a period at least, this sort of thing. Of course, there's reluctance in Israel over that, Rick.
There's a large segment of the Prime Minister's cabinet that wants to see the war continue until Hamas is well and truly eliminated from Gaza, which of course is the goal. But we had a letter signed by over 8,000 Reserve Air Force officers during the week, and another one signed by Navy personnel.
Now, many of these are retired, older men. but protesting the continuation of the war, demanding that the Prime Minister end it right away and claiming that he's keeping it going for political reasons. because he knows he's gonna uh face the music, as it were, when the war ends. That's their accusation.
Some of them have been dismissed from active duty, and that comes as the judiciary arguments are restarting and all the things that were going on before the war began.
So we'll have to see. Of course, Rick, also today we have the US and Iran holding talks in Oman negotiations. That's the first time in, well, several years that we've had what are called direct negotiations, although the Iranian leader said they wouldn't be sitting in the same room, they'd be somewhere else and that the Omanis would mediate between them. The U. S.
says no, they'll be actually direct. But those are beginning. Of course, we had President Trump early in the week in his meeting with Netanyahu at the White House. say that the time is coming where Iran has to decide. It's either going to be war or peace, basically.
And when he was asked who will lead any attack, he stated quite clearly, Israel. will lead any assault, but we will support them entirely.
So we're coming down to the wire there. And finally, Rick, I'll just say we had talks in Azerbaijan on Wednesday between Turkey and Israeli officials, Turkish and Israeli. Reports said that the Israelis demanded that the T4 airbase I discussed last week in Central Syria not be taken over by Turkey and that Israel will view that very poorly. And they talked about how to talk to each other. If there's air incidents going on, Israeli aircraft working over Syrian skies, the Syrians Of course, they are calling for that to end, and Turkey is as well, so they discussed that.
And yesterday we had the Turkish leader Erdogan again. Israel a quote terror state. He said they're behind most of the trouble in the area. He said they've got to take their hands entirely off of Syria. We won't allow Israeli action there.
So again, we have a talk of war there, talk of peace between Iran and the U.S., but not most people not seeing it actually coming to fruition. And I'll just say finally that the Prime Minister Bibi made it clear that it would be a Libyan solution. In other words, it would be like Libya's disarmament where they had to give up all of their weapons. They had to give up all of their weapon producing material, close down all of their factories and destroy all of that.
something that most analysts think the Iranians will never agree to.
Well, David, just to follow up on your report about Turkey, last week you said that they may be a bigger threat to the nation of Israel than Iran, and given their proximity that certainly makes sense, especially when you hear the way Erdogan is talking.
Well, exactly. It's much, much closer. Plus, of course, it's a Muslim nation that is Sunni in nature, not Shiite. Shiites are what, fifteen percent of the Muslim world, Sunnis are eighty percent. Almost all of the Arabs are Sunni Muslims, so to have Turkey in such a hostile position is definitely worrying.
To the Israelis, of course, they've got a large, much larger standing army than Iran has. And they've got the best Western weapons, which the Iranians don't, for the most part, have.
So yes, they're a a greater potential threat. And of course, we looks like will have A military attack upon Iran's nuclear program. The former ambassador to the States, Herzog, is saying they have 17 nuclear weapons in production. They could produce those in just weeks. In other words, they have everything ready.
They just have to enrich the uranium a little bit further, and then they can pack it in, and they're set to go.
So Iran is the gravest immediate threat, but it looks like That will be dealt with militarily, at least to put back their program some. But to take on Turkey is to take on a NATO member. Israel would be officially going to war against the United States, Rick, if it launched anything directly against Turkey.
Now, it's not going to do that, but it does look like there's going to be ground clashes and probably air clashes. Between Turkish and Israeli forces in the coming months over Syria as Erdogan continues to expand his control in the area with the ideas, he says, of recreating the great Ottoman Empire.
So lots of tension there. And this, of course, comes amidst the world financial crisis. The Israelis are worried about that. The 10% import fees that remain in effect are still quite stiff for Israel because their economy is in such terrible shape right now with the war and everything that's been going on. Not terrible shape, but the best part of it is the high-tech sector.
And that's where most. of the Israeli exports to the states Come from, Rick.
So there's quite a bit of concern about that as well. But of course, more to the point is the possibility of a nuclear war with Iran or a nuclear attack with them or a major war with Turkey.
So they're watching all these things all at once.
Well, they certainly are, David, and we will continue to watch it as well as we look at current events in the light of Bible prophecy.
Well, let's switch gears a little bit and let's talk about Passover. Dave, you were a journalist for over 30 years in Israel. You spent many Passovers in Israel. Can you talk about what those experiences were like and what it might be like right now in Israel during Passover?
Well, Rick, in my first Passover in Israel in 1980, the uh American hostages. were being held still in Iran. And it wasn't, of course, until Ronald Reagan took over that they were released.
So it's a festival of freedom, freedom from slavery, freedom from being hostages.
So of course, for the last two years, The theme has been the remaining hostages. in Gaza, sixty seven, sixty nine. There's various sixty four. We're not exactly sure, Rick, you know, how many are alive and how many are dead. We're not exactly sure, but at least twenty are alive.
And uh when they're free, then it will be a a much more joyous Passover. It's and I've not been to the past two years, but I've talked to friends and it definitely has been a more subdued like all of the holidays, have been more subdued with everything going on and so much death and destruction in the area. But still, it's the God of Israel that freed them, and they remember that. He's still God. And they will have their family gatherings and friends and be as joyous as they can in this very difficult time.
They certainly will, David.
Well, as always, we appreciate you taking the time to update us on what is coming out of Israel, giving us the political but also prophetic perspective. Dave, thanks so much. We look forward to talking to you again soon. You're welcome, Nick. God bless.
Great job, as always, David. And David is on Facebook, David Dolan, D-O-L-A-N. He's on Facebook. A lot of people follow him. He's always posting our weekend program on there.
We really appreciate that. And there's a lot of people that comment. And if you so wish, you should go there and follow him as well. We're going to continue the thought of Passover with Israel Madad, Steve Herzik, and Mino Kaloshir coming up right here on Prophecy Today weekend. I'm Ruth Kramer with Mission Network News.
Islamist hardliners are threatening to fill a political power vacuum in Bangladesh. Popular support for traditional parties has fallen since last summer's unrest, creating an opportunity for fundamentalist groups. Scott Clifton with Farms International says radicals are targeting believers from a Muslim background.
However, there is a silver lining: believers are gathering together and reading their Bibles more often. Would you praise God for the increasing faith of believers in Bangladesh? And in the Middle East and North Africa, many teens feel unheard. That's why STAT7 launched What's Up, a program that tackles tough questions and gives youth a voice. For teens facing personal loss, war, and crises, suffering is a daily reality.
The program explores these struggles through the lens of scripture. Pray that more young people will be encouraged and that What's Up brings change in their generation. Learn more at missionnews.org. Thanks for listening to Mission Network News, the service of one-way ministries on. It's Kuima.
Welcome back to Prophecy Today. I'm Jimmy DeYoung Jr. Along with Rick, we are examining current events in the light of God's prophetic word. Today starts Passover, it will go all week, so we thought it would be good to focus on Passover this week. And to do that, we're going to go to Israel twice and to friends of Israel Steve Herzig as we talk about Passover.
But first, let's go to our good friend, Israel Medad in Shiloh.
Well, Jimmy, I have Winky Madad with us. He is a good friend of the program. He's the former mayor of Shiloh, and he comes to us regularly. He's a researcher, analyst and political commentator that lives in the Judea and Samaria area of Israel. Winky, thanks for being with us today.
Thank you again for having me on and allowing me to talk to the listeners.
Well, Winky, before I let you go today, I want to talk about Passover a little bit. But before I do that, I want to get your thoughts on a variety of political issues and get your unique perspective. And so let's start with the situation in the north. Of course, with the war with Hamas and Gaza, and then Hezbollah escalated there, and then you had what took place in Syria with the overthrow of Assad.
So you have all of these things taking place.
Well, now Syria is kind of in flux and Turkey seems to be moving in. Can you talk from your unique political perspective there? What do you see going on in the north?
Well, the first newest thing that we learned this week is that Israeli representatives flew out to Azerbaijan. And the Turkey representatives came there. And the talk that I heard is that they're trying to draw lines In other words, explain one country to another exactly what to do or want to be done in northern Syria. We have a problem. because we know that the President of Turkey, is trying to revive the Ottoman Empire in some sort of a sense.
and he's been very negative talking about Israel for the past several years. And so it could be a situation that can get out of hand. We don't want another enemy in our north. We thought we basically finished with Syria We moved up on the Golan Heights into Syria a little bit. to make sure that we have strategic positions We're making friends with the Druze.
in order to stave them off from attack, and this is a new situation.
So It all depends on Turkey. We're not interested in taking over Syria any more than a few miles that we did. And I hope that is understood by that country.
Well, what's the general view there? Because, like you said, President Erdogan, he wants to reestablish that Islamic caliphate. There are some that are saying that maybe at this point, with the fact that the threat from Iran has been somewhat handled since the war with Hamas started, that Turkey may be even a bigger threat. Can you talk about that?
Well, I don't know exactly what we're talking about bigger. I mean, we have to consider that Iran has some sort of nuclear capability either immediate or at the present.
So we have to be very careful. and they have all this military industry that needs to be destroyed or dismantled.
Now if President Trump is as good as his word and is going to go after Iran, then I think we can relax just a little bit. As you mentioned, though, Turkey, they're sort of out of the rational. And there's no need for him to threaten Israel or to increase his land mass. he has enough trouble with the Kurds and other minorities in Turkey. I want to remind everybody.
It's not one country with only one people, and I'm not quite sure whether he has the military capability of following through. He can do damage. But I don't think that we need fear. an immediate military threat by Turkey.
Well, we'll keep an eye on that situation in the future as it develops, but you talked about President Trump. I'd like to spend the next section talking to you about the two people that are going to have to deal with these threats. And I am of course talking about Prime Minister Netanyahu, but also Israel's greatest ally, especially now, and their leader, President Trump. Can you talk a little bit? I know those two met this week and they are saying that President Trump asked Prime Minister Netanyahu to come to DC.
It was kind of an impromptu trip. Various reports coming out of that. Can you talk about what you know about this meeting and the relationship between President Trump and Prime Minister Netanyahu?
Well, the first thing I think is they're basically uh And to coin not to coin a phrase, but to use a phrase, they're broadcasting on the same wavelength. Uh I think Mr. Trump has Uh information from his aides. From his advisers that point to the fact that the Obama-Biden approach to Iran was wrong. It did not stop them.
It rewarded them. And the threat has only gone bigger.
So I think Trump and Netanyahu do understand one another. We're still at the beginning of the Trump Presidency, I remind everybody. And although he's made statements on the international stage in terms of not wanting war, wanting peace, but bombing the Houthis and threatening Iran, I think we're still at the stage where you have to say, prove it to me.
So we'll have to wait just a little longer. I don't think we have an immediate answer to that. Trump has been speaking very loudly. But again, for example, on economic issues, he also spoke very loudly. and is giving another chance to see what the tariffs can do or not do if he suspends them.
So I'm sorry I think we're still in an early stage In the Trump presidency, we can't expect. everything to go the way we think it's going to go. There are reports out that in that meeting President Trump said that Israel would be the leader of the strike on Iran, so that kind of portends a close relationship and working hand in hand.
So that says something about the relationship, especially at least militarily between the two, doesn't it? Yes, I would agree fully. I mean, but again, there are two major things that we need. Number one, Israel needs weapons. In order to do the strike, we need these bomb busters or bunker busters, I don't know what they need, the names are, heavier weapons.
And we also need cover. We need American troops in the area, just simply flying around or being close in order to make sure that Iran, if it desires to strike back, is going to be very limited in that.
So it's going to be one, two, punch to phrase it that way. And I don't know if that's an immediate arrangement, that we're talking about another month or another week or another two months.
Well, we'll continue talking about this situation and this relationship between President Trump and Prime Minister Netanyahu. And there are many that say there's a lot of parallels between those two. Similar, you either love them or hate them, and in some cases they really, really hate them. Their political enemies do. One of the things that you had an article in the Jerusalem Post this week.
President Trump has talked a lot about battling what they call the deep state here in the United States. And you had an article, an opinion piece, in the Jerusalem Post talking about Prime Minister Netanyahu battling the dark state. Could you talk about that?
Well, as we know, deep state is is a term which is used for entrenched bureaucrats that Never seemed to move. They only go up in their office. No one ever says are they doing a good job or whatever. And they hang around for many, many years. I don't know how many of our listeners uh have ever heard of the British Comedy series called Yes Minister and then Yes Prime Minister, but it exists also in Britain.
We don't move anybody who is in charge of this sub department or other. I said here in Israel, not only do we have a deep state problem, But it's a dark state problem. In the sense of It's actively engaged. in thwarting government policy that's led by Netanyahu. They're leftovers from political parties and political persuasions.
that are from the left. Over many, many years, Uh some of them are fathers and sons. I know cases of that, especially in the foreign ministry, in the Treasury Department. And another issue especially in the courts. And so in a similar situation that mister Trump is facing, where certain judges are going against him, et cetera, at least in the States, there are certain mechanisms that are much different from Israel, that you can move people, you can fire people, you can replace them.
In Israel it's much more difficult and because it's a dark state, It's more political antagonism Towards a Likud government, it's much more dangerous. Certainly is. And for those that are interested, you can go to the JerusalemPost.com, look up Yisrael Madad. You can find that opinion piece there.
Well, we've talked a little bit about Prime Minister Netanyahu, and we have you on the program because we appreciate your political view and you give us your unique perspective. I'd like to ask you, just overall, you've seen many Prime Ministers come and go. You've seen Prime Minister Netanyahu here for quite a while now. Are you still confident, given everything that has taken place, all the quote-unquote water under the bridge? Are you still confident in Prime Minister Netanyahu's ability to lead Israel in this time?
I'm confident in his ability. I know he makes mistakes. I know he's not perfect. But I look around and I wouldn't want anybody else In his shoes, in his chair in the Prime Minister's office. Look, he's he's he's approaching eighty years old.
So we begin to see on the horizon change. But I mean, he came back from Washington by plane and three hours later was in the courtroom adroitly answering questions about his supposed Criminal record. Which is referring, of course, to the dark state that we talked about just previously. But he and then he goes off and he makes a military decision and then he makes another diplomatic decision. I don't see anybody.
Able to fulfill his role right now. And if I had his ear, close up, I I tell him a few things. I'm not saying he's perfect. But you asked me, is he the best at the present moment? Yes, he is.
Well, very good. That's why we have you on the program to give us your opinion on things. We appreciate that.
Well, as I said at the beginning of this interview, I was going to ask you about Passover. That very important Jewish holiday is coming up. And if you could, as something that we often do on this program, you give us maybe just a little bit of the flavor of what you do as a religious Jew when observing Passover, and then maybe the uniqueness of the situation in Israel right now, the wars that are being fought, and all the stuff that is going on, and how does that context affect the celebration of Passover? Could you give us your thoughts there?
Well, let's briefly remind our listeners: Passover is the holiday the Jews celebrate to recall the Exodus from Egypt. And in that sense, we are commanded over seven days to do away with what we call leavened bread. anything that has leavens, no cakes, No cookies. No bread. We eat what we call much salt.
The leavened bread, it doesn't rise. And special foods that are checked for any sort of leavened material.
So it could be very tough on the stomach sometimes. On the other hand, we managed to find substitutes that make it a very nice holiday. We have a very special festive meal on the very first night or in the cities in the diaspora two nights. Which is very ceremonial with foods that remind us of what went on in Egypt, what went on in the desert. And all sorts of things and and it and ev it's a again, I think I've said this many times on the program to our listeners: it's a family meal.
Everybody gets together. And so that's basically the holiday in a nutshell. And as regards the second part of your question, it recalls the fact For us today, That we have fifty-nine hostages still left behind in in a in a in a in a Hamas slavery, in an Hamas dungeon. And the holiday sp Is called in the Bible the holiday of freedom, the time of our freedom. And so, of course, it strikes a very, very Emotional and potent chord, the fact that we're able to those who are.
are able to eat and sing and eat matzah for as much as they want. We're sixty-nine people. Can't. And that is very a strong influence on the holiday spirit.
So when we enjoy the holiday, we also remember it's not perfect. Certainly isn't, and that is a reminder of the political reality there in Israel.
Well, as I often do during these times, d the Jewish holidays, I ask for that Hebrew lesson. If we do have a Jewish friend and we want to say a greeting during this Passover time, what would we say? Most probably you say Hug. Samea. Which means happy holiday or joyful holiday, that's the best greeting I can give to you.
Well Hagsamayak Winky, I hope you have a wonderful Passover, we look forward to talking to you again soon. Thank you very much, and goodbye to you. and our listeners.
Well, a friend that is a friend of ours, and throughout the year, especially at the time of the feast, high holy days, the high holidays, if you will. Steve Herzig, welcome to the program again, Steve. Hey, Jimmy, always good to be with you. Steve is a national director of North America for Friends of Israel. I encourage you to go to their website.
Well, let's talk about the Passover. Passover is starting this week. Interesting that it is also starting at the same time in the holidays and kind of a confluence, if you will, of Easter. Specifically, we want to talk about the three spring feasts: Passover, unleavened bread, and the feast of first fruits.
So, the first feast of the year, the festival calendar, is Passover. And we understand that from the book of Leviticus chapter 23. Tell us. Uh a little bit about what we should know about Passover.
Well Jimmy, the the main thing you should know about Passover and really what is the least emphasize amongst Jewish people. Is since the destruction of the temple, is the lamb. The lamb is the feature of this. Specifically, the blood. Of the land.
And you know, in Exodus chapter twelve, in verse three, it says, Speak to all the congregation of Israel, saying, In the tenth of this month, every man shall take. for himself a lamb. according to the house of his father, a lamb for a household. And if the household is too small for the lamb, let him and his neighbor next to his house take it according to the number of the persons according to each man's need. You shall make your count for the lamb.
Then it says, Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year. You shall take it from the sheep or from the goats.
So the idea is the lamb jump. Jimmy, the blood has to be applied. Exodus chapter 12 tells us that. To be applied on the lintels. And God says, when I see the blood, I'll pass over.
And the verses you alluded to in Leviticus chapter 23, and by the way, Jimmy, I always say this: Leviticus is that book that most of us in our Bibles have the pages. still stuck together. But this this this particular Chapter is so important. Verse 4 of Leviticus 23 said, These are the feasts of the Lord. Holy convocations, which you shall proclaim.
That's what you're doing, Jimmy, on the radio. We're proclaiming these feasts, and we're Not communicating them primarily to the Jewish people as Moses was writing here. But we are during this time of the church age. Proclaiming these words because they tie in to the church. We're not bound under the law, but if we can get an understanding of these feasts, It's going to help us glorify God.
It's going to help us understand the plan and the workings of God because I believe all seven feasts really tell a prophetic picture of what God has in store for the nation of Israel and his people, the Jewish people.
So you have this picture of the blood has to be on the doorpost. You have matzah, unleavened bread, and leaven is always symbolic of sin. The rabbis say in the Haggudah, we use a Haggadah, which tells us the story of Passover. And you're right, Jimmy, this year, the story takes place in Jewish homes. almost exactly the way it was enacted when what we call Jesus' Last Supper, which really was the Passover, that would have been a what we would call a Thursday night.
And what Jewish people would have called a Friday morning, because when the sun goes down, it already is the next day.
So you have this Friday. Passover, where Jewish people are going to remember it. And you have the unleavened bread. Rabbis say that represents the evil inclination of the heart. Jimmy, think about that.
Leavens. I don't know what most of your listeners have when they do communion. I've been to numbers of different churches and denominations, and they do it differently. But I will say this: if they're not using matzah or some sort of unleavened bread, They're doing it injustice because in Matthew chapter 26, Jimmy, Jesus. Yeah.
He wasn't holding marble rye or Italian sourdough. He wasn't holding pumpernickel or even wonder bread. He was holding unleavened bread because he was celebrating Passover. And then he said, This, Jimmy, this. is my body.
That's significant because Jesus had just been on the earth thirty three years as a man, one hundred percent man, and there was no sin found in him. Oh, they tried, they tried to find sin in his life and in his work, but they couldn't find any. Because there was no sin in him. And then he held up the cup. And you know what's interesting, Jimmy, is in Exodus chapter six, And Jewish people do this to this very day.
There are four cups Of wine during the Passover. And we know from the Talmud, which is extra-biblical, that these cups existed during the first century when Jesus was walking the earth and on the earth. And listen to where these cups Come from because they're vital in understanding the communion that he established in Matthew chapter 26. In verse 6 of Exodus, it says. Therefore say to the children of Israel, I am the Lord.
And here's the first cup: I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians.
So bringing them out from the burdens of the Egyptians, that's the first cup that's taken at Passover. I will rescue you from their bondage, rescue from your bondage. That's the second cup. And listen to the third cup, for this was the cup. That Jesus held up in Matthew chapter 26, when it says in Exodus 6.
I will redeem you. With an outstretched arm and with great judgments. In other words, Jimmy, this third cut. That Jesus was taking using Passover as a background, he was now instituting a new, under the new covenant, under his blood. A cup of what's called redemption.
It's so exciting to me to realize that he used redemption of. Slavery of Egypt. As a background, as something they knew, to institute. For you and me, redemption out of the marketplace of sin. And to freedom.
So they're going to the promised land. Jimmy, you and I are going up to meet Jesus Christ, and what a day that will be. And that fourth cup. The fourth cup. The fourth cup.
The fourth cup is the cup in Matthew that he did not take. He'll do it later. And that fourth cup says, I will, that's future tense, I will take you to be my people. And I will be your God. And he said, I'll drink that henceforth when you're with me.
So he didn't drink that fourth cup. We're waiting to drink that cup with him. Steve, thank you so much for being with us this week and explaining to us, as you do always, about the Jewish holidays and especially this time, the Passover holiday. Hey, Jimmy, always good to be with you. Well, Rick, let's switch gears for a little bit and let's go to Israel.
Let's go to Jerusalem and talk to our good friend Menno Kalashir. Menno Kalashir joins us. Longtime listeners of the program will recognize that name. He is the pastor of the church in Jerusalem, Keila Yerushalayim, the Assembly at Jerusalem, a church that Menno, along with my father and another man, started many, many years ago now, and he has been the pastor. A great work going on in Jerusalem.
First of all, Menno, I wanted to give greetings to you from our family and our ministry. You're a longtime friend. Thank you for being on the program. It's a joy. And it's a privilege.
Thank you. Before I ask you some questions, I want to talk about Passover and maybe just get your take on what's going on in Israel right now politically. But before I do that, just a quick update. If you don't mind, our listeners, I know, pray for the church there. They pray for the Christian community that lives there in Jerusalem.
Can you give us an update on the church? True, the church is growing, thank God. I cannot say that every week a new bus loaded of people coming, but let's call it by drops. Each week, we see new faces. And it's really encouraging.
I thank God for that. When I was a child, there were about a few hundred Souls. of Jewish believers in Israel. In all Israel, not in one church, in all the land. And today it's about thirty thousand of them, only in Israel.
The church is growing. I remember when I was in the army, you could say that in one big bait there would be only one believer. And the army didn't know how to digest us as Jews who believe in Jesus. Today it's different. There is about five hundred active believing soldiers.
We know that because there are monthly conferences for soldiers, young adults and so on.
So we know how many attend, how many are registered. It's simply a joy. But that's not enough. There are so many more that I believe that God chose. and the gospel needs to reach them.
So we are in a task, we are happy with this task, to continue to share the gospel because by accepting the Gasparian faith. People are same. And I thank God that He allows us to to be. On that kind of permission. I'd like to ask you about Passover.
Now, I know the Feast of Passover is coming. That's a Jewish feast. But I know that your church incorporates the Jewish feast and you use it to share the gospel. Could you talk about that and what you do there in Israel at the church to present the gospel story? Absolutely.
I mean, every year we are proudly celebrating the Sedo, the Passover Seder. And it's not because we think it's a command that we need to do, otherwise, the gates of heaven will be closed to us. God forbid. It's our freedom to do so, and we gladly do so. Why?
Because It's the best tool for evangelism. we invite everyone to come to church. Most of the years, we do it in the church. Once in a few years, we do it in homes as families, and the families invite other people. But I do not No, even one Israeli Bible-believing church.
that celebrates the Passover Sadder and is not using it for evangelism and does not use the Passover as a shadow of the Lamb of God who is Jesus Christ himself.
So I really believe that all the churches are using it, whether in the church or whether at home. We do as as well. This year, in the coming next Wednesday, we are going to do the cellar in different homes. Families are doing it at home. And invite Right.
on a day after, we will do it in the church for those who were didn't have families to do it with. It's some of the volunteers in our church, some of the young people who don't have families nearby and so on.
So we do two settles this year. And in each one of them The major idea is to present Jesus as the Lord and Savior, as the Lamb of God, very much. This is the target. This is the purpose. And if you don't put Jesus in the center, You just have a good meal, but nothing more than that.
Well, Meno, thank you so much for being on the program. Love to you and your family, and we will continue to pray for the ministry there. Amen. Thank you, Rick. A big hug to the family.
Well, we've got to take a break, and when we come back, Dr. Jimmy DeYoung in the Legacy Series, right here on Prophecy Today weekend. 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.
As a ministry, we are so very encouraged by so many people that reach out to us and let us know how much you're learning Bible prophecy. And that is very encouraging to a ministry that's all about teaching Bible prophecy. There are so many other ministries that teach Bible prophecy. The Christian life, the Spirit-filled life, all of those things. But this ministry just happens to be about using Bible prophecy to.
Educate and edify the body of Christ to help us to live pure, productive lives in an unholy world. That is for sure. And to understand why the world is acting as it is. And we want to thank all of our radio stations and partners that help us do this. This week on the Legacy Series, as we continue our study of the first of the written prophetic books, I want to remind you of what an amazing book of Bible prophecy this book of Isaiah is.
This book contains so many prophecies that focus on the first coming of Jesus Christ, the Messiah, to the Jewish people. It's almost difficult to know where to begin in Isaiah on these prophecies. Maybe the best place would be the birth of Jesus Christ and what his mother must be in order to give birth to the Son of God in the flesh, that is, God-man. Let's go to Isaiah chapter 7, verse 14 as we begin our study today. Dr.
Jimmy D. Young and the Legacy Series. In the book of Isaiah, we've talked about These passages Some 66 chapters divided into two parts. First 39 chapters, similar to the Old Testament, a message of retribution of judgment. The last 27 chapters, chapters 40 to 66, similar to the New Testament, a message of restoration.
More is written in the book of Isaiah about the. Kingdom to come. than any other book in the Bible. In fact, in the second chapter, we read after the first chapter when Isaiah was making the statement, my Prophecy, my ministry is focused on Judah and Jerusalem. And then at the beginning of chapter 2, he says, There will be a time when the Messiah, Jesus Christ, will come back.
And from the city of Jerusalem, on the temple, Mount, and the location where the temple that the Messiah will build, he will teach us, and the word shall go forth from Jerusalem. A guarantee. Even in the first five chapters, where Isaiah is focusing on what is going to be judgment for Judah and Jerusalem, he gives them a guarantee of the future of the kingdom to come. In addition to that, we have more information, more prophecy about the Messiah than any other book of the Bible. 39 different prophecies.
Of the coming of the Messiah, his birth, which would be the cradle, his life, and then the cross, and then his crown that he would wear, all talked about in the book of Isaiah. And so I wanted to spend a few moments looking with you at some of these prophecies based upon our assurance that because he's resurrected from the dead, we'll be able to have an understanding that these prophecies have been filled or will be filled. In the life of Jesus Christ, probably the most prominent prophecy that we can think about would be Isaiah chapter 7 and verse 14.
So let's go to Isaiah 7:14. Let me remind you that in the days of Uzziah, Isaiah the prophet had started his prophecy. He was actually called in chapter 6 in the year that Uzziah died. Jotham followed him, and then Ahaz, Jotham's son, became king of Judah. Remember, the 12 tribes had divided.
10 went into the north, that would be Israel, two in the south, that would be Judah, Benjamin, and Judah in the south. And now we have Ahaz as the king, and there is a threat from the Those 10 tribes in the north, Israel, and also a threat from Syria that they're going to attack the two tribes in the south, they're going to come to Jerusalem. Because of that, the Lord comes to Isaiah the prophet and tells him to go to Ahaz and tells him to ask for a sign. Look what it says here, verse 10, Isaiah chapter 7. Moreover, the LORD spake unto Ahaz, saying, Ask thee a sign of the LORD thy God.
Ask it either in the depth or in the height above.
Now, notice how arrogant Ahaz is. He was the worst of the four kings during the ministry of Isaiah as a prophet. Verse 12. But Ahaz said, I will not ask, neither will I tempt the Lord. I'm not going to test the Lord.
Who am I to test the Lord?
Now, wait a minute. The Lord told Isaiah to tell him to ask for a sign. You're in trouble. The ten tribes in the north are about to attack. Syria is about to attack.
Razan is the man who is leading the Syrian force. He's ready. He's perched now to come into Jerusalem, to wipe out Judea, wipe out Jerusalem, wipe out the Jewish people, wipe out the southern tribes. You need to deal with this, and I'm going to take care of you, God says through Isaiah the prophet. And if you don't believe that, Ahaz, just ask for a sign.
I don't think we're supposed to look for signs today, but this was the Old Testament economy when they didn't have the word of God written so that they could, you know, what Peter says, 2 Peter chapter 1 talks about, he had the responsibility and opportunity to be at the transfiguration on the Mount of the Transfiguration there just outside of Caesarea Philippi on Mount Hermon. And he saw that, eyewitness to it. But what does then Peter say? We have a more sure word of prophecy. Study it.
It's the word of God. More sure word of prophecy is something even better or beyond being able to visually see it yourself. But here, the Lord is going to sell Isaiah, tell Ahaz to ask for a sign. He asked for a sign and. You know what?
It sounds like spirituality when you're not going to try to tempt the Lord, but the Lord had told him to do it. And what he was doing, he was irritating the Lord. The Lord was going to get impatient with him because he told him to ask for a sign.
Well, the Lord responds, verse 13, and he said, Hear ye now, O house of David, is it a small thing? For you to weary men, but will you weary my God also? Isaiah, on behalf of the Lord, says to him, You're starting to weary the Lord. I told you to ask for a sign. Therefore, verse 14.
The Lord Himself shall give you a sign. Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Emmanuel. A very unique prophecy. MB experience of the one who would be the Messiah. He would be born of a virgin, and he would be called Emmanuel.
God with us. I believe that this was a sign for those who who recognize the Messiah. The true Messiah, Jesus Christ, and the one that would be born of a virgin would be that Messiah. Keep your finger here. We'll come back.
Go over to the book of Matthew. Matthew chapter 1. There are 168 verses in the Bible that deal with the birth of Jesus Christ. They're found in four chapters, Matthew 1 and 2 and Luke 1 and 2. Matthew 1 and 2, Luke 1 and 2.
Go to Matthew chapter 1, verse 18.
Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise, when as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, espoused meaning engaged. They had not been married. The marriage had not been consummated yet. The marriage ceremony had not taken place. There are three parts to a Jewish wedding, the engagement, the ceremony, and the celebration.
He was espoused. He was engaged to her. And so, as an espoused one, before they came together, before they had a sexual relationship. She was found with child of the Holy Spirit. Based upon the resurrection of Jesus Christ, I can believe this detail is absolute.
Because a member of the Godhead, the Holy Spirit of God, breathed into Matthew to write this information. Verse 19. Then Joseph, her husband, he's considered a husband at the point of engagement in the Jewish temple. Text, Deuteronomy, the law gives us the evidence of that. In this case, he was married to her.
In fact, it calls for divorcement in the book of Deuteronomy. And the only time a divorce is legal in Judaism is during the engagement period. And the only reason for divorce would be adultery if the husband-to-be found out that the bride-to-be had had a relationship before and she was not a virgin. That would give him then the right to put her away and have her stoned to death. Verse 19.
Then Joseph her husband, being a just man and not willing to make her a public example, was minded to put her away privately. In other words, that's following the law of the Torah in Deuteronomy. But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord, this would be Gabriel, appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus, for he shall save his people from their sins.
Now, all these things were done that it might be fulfilled, which was spoken of the Lord by the prophets, saying, Behold, a virgin shall be with child and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is God with us. Then Joseph, being raised from his sleep, did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him and took unto him his wife, and knew her not, had no sexual relationship with her till she had brought forth her firstborn son and called his name Jesus. And so it is, we have the record of the fulfillment of this prophecy, a very keen prophecy in the life of the one who would be the Messiah. There's many more details in the birth of Jesus Christ that we could look at. I love the one.
Just for a moment, go to Luke chapter 2 with me, if you will. The angel. Of the Lord are there going to announce the birth of the Messiah, Jesus Christ, as they have this opportunity to do that. They will confront these shepherds, and these weren't teenage shepherd boys. These were adult men, 30 years of age or older.
They were priestly shepherd. They had the responsibility to watch over the sheep in the shepherd's fields that were destined to be crucified three miles away on the Temple Mount. Those sheep born and raised in the shepherd's fields of Bethlehem, that was the holding pin for the sacrificial lambs. And that's where they would be taken. And these young men, young, 30 years of age or older, because they had to qualify to be priest.
And in that shepherd's fields, and I could take you to the spot where Migdal-Adar is located. Migdal-Adar, talked about twice in the Bible. It's the location where Jacob pitched his tent after he buried Rachel at Rachel's tomb, just a couple of miles away from Migdal-Adar. Migdal-Adar was a two-year-old. Story stone tower on the edge of the shepherd's fields.
The chief shepherd would stand in the top of the two-story stone tower looking out over the fields to make sure nobody was bothering his sheep. Migdal Adar, Micah 4, verse 8 says, is the location of the announcement of the birth of the Messiah. Messiah will be born at Migdal Adar. Every Jew believes that. It's in the Talmud, extra-biblical Jewish writing.
Migdoll Oh, by the way, I forgot to tell you. In the Laura's story? of that two-story stone tower, Migdal Adar. That's where they birth the new born lambs. Uh that priestly shepherd would very carefully Take the new born lamb from the womb of its mother.
And then reach back and get some swaddling. And wrap that newborn lamb in swaddling. Because of that newborn lamb. Hit a slim. It was marred, without blemish, without spot, it had to be.
He would wrap that new born lamb with swaddling, Lay it up in a manger. For let it relax. And when it had relaxed, he would pick that newborn lamb up, hold it to his chest, unwrap the swaddling. Put it down and let it run off to its mother. And the angel said in chapter two of the book of Luke.
And this shall be a sign unto you, verse 12. You shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And so God uses the prophetic word of God to put in place the one who is the true Messiah. In the Shepherd's Fields at Migdal Adar, the Tower of the Flock, The shepherds, the priestly shepherds, went quickly to the site of the birth of Jesus Christ. This study of Isaiah is such a help to each and every one of us as we try to understand his second coming and the kingdom period when he will rule and reign forever.
Please join us again next week as we continue our study of Isaiah. Dr. Jimmy DeYoung and the Legacy Series. The Bible is a story of human history and God's work in it. The most significant event in human history is the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
The story of this event permeates the text of Scripture, even the prophecies pertaining to the birth of Jesus Christ. That was the Legacy Series with Dr. Jimmy DeYoung. We're going to take a break, and when 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.
The International Committee of the Red Cross just released a new report highlighting trends of concern in Sudan, whose civil war will hit the two-year mark on Tuesday. Sudan now hosts the single largestly internally displaced population ever reported. Unknown Nations Greg Kelly says: Sudan, for many reasons, should be on our radar. A, it's the worst humanitarian crisis in the world today. This is a country of only 50 million people, and more than half of them are literally dependent upon some kind of aid or else they are facing death.
Yet the Lord is bringing good from Sudan's tragedy. Muslims are hearing about Christ for the first time in refugee camps and turning to him for salvation. When everything has been taken from you, your heart is open to a different message. Even last week, there were 15 new baptisms. And when a young boy, Akhil, began attending a 10-day children's Bible club in India, he was escaping conflict at home and struggled with anxiety.
Raina Miller with Mission India says at their Bible Club, Akhil played games with other kids, sang songs, and heard about Jesus for the first time. As he was at the Bible Club each day, He felt relaxed in a way that he didn't feel at home. And he noticed that the Bible stories he was hearing contradicted what his parents believed. But he believed in them and he believed in Jesus. And he was moved and received Jesus as his savior.
From now until April 21st, every donation to Mission India's 10-day Bible clubs will be doubled up to $350,000.
Now, normally, a dollar provides for one kid like Akhil to attend Bible club, but now that covers two kids. Find your place in the story at missionnews.org. 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. And together, the great commission happens. Look for links at missionnews.org. I'm Ruth Kramer. Welcome back to Prophecy Today.
I'm Jimmy DeYoung Jr., and along with my brother Rick, we have been examining current events in the light of God's prophetic word. Rick, as I look at everything that we covered in the last hour and a half, it really does. And you and I often look at social media, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram. We watch the news consistently. Man, if you look at it, it does seem like a chaotic world, doesn't it?
It certainly does, Jimmy, but. We've talked about it a little bit earlier. This chaos is preparing the world for something. And we look at it, we know as we study Bible prophecy. In fact, as I think about this chaos, do you remember the movies, not the Left Behind movies, but the one before that, the Thief in the Night movies?
Do you remember those? I sure do, Rick. Man, every time I watch that, it scared me as I watched it. It certainly did scare me as well. But I remember thinking as I got a little older, you know, this stuff seems.
Really far-fetched, an antichrist rising to power, or the government forcing you to take the mark, or the armies of the world gathering at the Battle of Armageddon.
Well, as we talk about this program, and the more we look at the direction that the world is headed in, this chaos is moving towards, it doesn't seem so far-fetched anymore, does it? It doesn't. And I think that I like what you said at the beginning of the program. If you didn't know how it was going to end, yes, we are in a chaotic world. I think about the families, the tragedy, the loss.
And not only that, next week we're going to focus on the Christian holiday of the resurrection. I call it Resurrection Day, where we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ, God's plan of redemption for all of mankind. The world is not getting any better. And we're going to focus next week on the persecution of Christians around the world, not just around the world, in Israel. There's persecution of Christians.
And in the United States, I do think a systematic way of thinking that is anti-God, anti-Jesus Christ, anti-Christianity. And that's what the world is heading to. And can you imagine as we look at Bible prophecy, we understand the timeline of Bible prophecy beginning with the rapture of the church, that's the next event to happen on God's calendar. After that, There's a period of time, the tribulation period will start, where a one-world leader will come on the scene to bring peace to the earth. That seven-year period of time, called the time of Jacob's trouble, the day of the Lord.
Any time when God intercedes with the affairs of man on earth, that's called the day of the Lord. It is the tribulation period, and there will be much more devastation. Half of the world's population will die off during those 21 judgments on the earth. And as you look at this, Rick, I mean, today I think sometimes when I look at the news, man, can it get any worse? But it will get worse, won't it?
It certainly will, Jimmy, and that is a sobering thought. And again, that's why God put that into Scripture because that sobering thought. What's going to take place during the tribulation period should motivate us? We've talked about on this program: so many people will suffer such a tough time. It means that we need to get out there.
We need to be motivated to share the gospel, to let people know what is happening. We know how this story ends, we know what happens in the end, and we need to be motivated to let people know. And, Jimmy, I think about it, and you talked about the tribulation period.
So many of the things that we're talking about on this program take place during the tribulation period.
Well, before the tribulation, the rapture of the church takes place. If those things are so close to happening, how close is the rapture? Yes, I think it could happen at any moment. That's what we always expect: an imminent event of the rapture of us, the church. And we do live in the church age, the age of grace.
That grace period is people accepting Jesus Christ as their personal Savior. That's the only way they can have a restored relationship with God the Father in heaven. And that rapture, I remember when Dad used to say he hated clear days because the Lord will return in the clouds, as it's described in 1 Thessalonians 4, will take place, and that's the next event. But We're living in a period where people still do evil things around the world, and it's not just one certain event, it's almost events on a daily basis, on an hourly basis. And we need to remember our role as we're here using all of God's word, even that.
Period of time that's talked about in the future in God's Word, that prophetic timeline that's going to take place. That's what motivates us. That's what gives us that blessed hope. That's what helps us to understand time is short and we need to be about telling others about Jesus Christ. Rick, as we do this, I appreciate the fact that you go through these stories and you talk to these men about what's happening so that as we understand Bible prophecy, it helps others to understand where we are on the timeline and the urgency of the hour.
It's my privilege to be able to do that, Jimmy. And we do that just so that we can keep the body of Christ aware what world leaders are doing, why they're acting as they are, why governments are doing what they're doing. It is setting up for a future time when Satan will increase his activity with himself, with the false prophet, with the Antichrist, and his evil demons, Satan's evil demons on the earth. And it's going to be a very difficult time for people that are left here on the earth after the rapture of the church. That's why we do what we do.
And our encouragement to you is to don't get waylaid by the things of this world. Remember, we have the answer, and we need to get it to people, and we need to get it to them soon because the rapture of the church could happen any moment. You know, I'm reminded of what John said as he wrote in Revelation chapter 22, verse 7. He adds to the common phrase, Blessed is he that. Keepeth the sayings of the prophecies of this book.
This is a description of how to live. In verse 12, John wrote after the statement that he was coming quickly, and my reward is with me to give every man according as his work shall be. That is why we live according to the book. This verse also tells us our eternal job description is determined. The last utterance of the quick coming of Jesus is found in verse 20, the next to the last verse in the Bible.
He has John's response to the I come quickly. John offers a prayer 2,000 years ago that has not yet been answered. Even so, Come, Lord Jesus, and This is my prayer on a daily basis as I eagerly await his shout for me to join him in the air at the rapture. I pray that that is your prayer as well. Remember, John had received all the prophetic passages that will be fulfilled as we lead up to the second coming of Jesus.
And John's prayer was for Jesus to come right then. I also want to see Jesus, even so. Come, Lord Jesus. And after seeing what we are seeing today in the news and what's taking place around the world, we need to be ready because that rapture could happen at any moment. 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. Uh
