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. Everyone, to varying degrees, struggles in trying to understand the Bible, Rick. Even after nearly 2,000 years of church history, there are some Bible verses and passages and prophecies that leave even the most brilliant of Bible scholars speculating as to the exact and correct meaning.
Why is it so hard to understand the Bible? Why does it take so much effort to fully and correctly understand the Bible? Before that question is explored, it must be made clear that God did not make his word unclear. The message of God's word is perfectly clear. The reason that the Bible can sometimes be hard to understand is that we are fallen beings, sin clouds, and distorts our understanding and leads us to twist the Bible to our own liking.
Well, this program happens to look at Bible prophecies. Prophecy, and I can guarantee you that we are looking at the foundational pieces to Bible prophecy with our broadcast partners, Ken Timmerman, David Dolan, Dr. Richard Schmidt, Dr. Heath Marion, and Dr. Jimmy DeYoung teaching today from the book of Isaiah why it's important to study Bible prophecy.
Rick, we've got a lot to cover, so let's get started with our first, Ken Timmerman.
Well, that's right, Jimmy. I have Ken Timmerman with us. He is an author and analyst. He's our expert in geopolitical affairs. Lets us know what is going on around the world.
You can find out more about Ken by visiting his website, ken Timmerman dot com. Ken, thank you for being with us today. Thanks for having me on, Rick. It's always a pleasure. Ken, always plenty to talk about.
And we're not necessarily an economic program here, but the big news story this week: Donald Trump's tariffs, that's certainly going to have geopolitical consequences. Can you give us an update? How is this going to affect America and their relationship with countries around the world?
Well, I think, Rick, what we're seeing is something extraordinary in American politics. A president who is actually playing the long game, who is betting that Dramatic changes of policy today will have dramatic benefits for the American people. In a year from now, in two years, in four years from now, he is trying to re-onshore America's manufacturing base, which was sent overseas to China, to Vietnam, to Malaysia, all across Asia in particular, during the 1990s and the 2000s. He's shown, I think, pretty dramatically that NAFTA was wrong. We shipped our car factories to Mexico and to Canada.
The trade agreements bringing China into the World Trade Organization in the 90s under Clinton was wrong. We shipped our factories to China. The so-called Trans-Pacific Partnership that was going to be adopted had Hillary Clinton won the presidency in 2016, that was wrong because it would have shipped more jobs overseas. Our industrial base has been decimated over the past four years. And since Donald Trump's election, we have had over $6 trillion of new industrial investment announced here in the United States, with some new factories.
Actually, opening now or being built, but this is going to take time. And Republicans are betting, Rick, that Americans will see the results in time for the 2026 elections. I don't know if that's going to happen, but this is a long ball game. Trump is in it for the long term, and he really does want to dramatically reorder the way the world does trade with the United States.
Well, that certainly is true, and it is a gamble. And like you said, it remains to be seen whether or not it will work. A lot of that probably depends on how he navigates his way through the negotiations and different things. But one thing I just wanted to point out: since the early 90s, maybe like you just mentioned there, there's been a trend towards globalization. And Donald Trump is definitely seeking to put an end to that trend, isn't he?
He is, Rick. And look, since World War II, we've had a global trade system built on a trade-off. The United States wanted to help Europe and Japan to rebuild. In exchange, we allowed them to ship their products to us without tariffs. And we paid for international security.
We paid for maritime security to keep those trade routes open. Those days are over. Certainly, Germany and Japan have been rebuilt, so has France and all the other European countries.
So there's no reason to let them get away with unequal trade barriers that they've imposed on us. You know, the real question to me, Rick, is why is Donald Trump the first U.S. politician to call out China and others for ripping us off for so long? It's really astonishing. He is the first non-globalist president of the United States, the first president to stand up for America and not for Europe or for China.
Well, we'll keep an eye on that as it continues to develop. But let's move to the Russia-Ukraine crisis. And it seems like maybe that President Trump's peace initiative is sort of slowing down, and maybe Russia is stalling for time. Can you tell us what's happening there?
Well, I think both sides are stalling for time. Remember on March 18th, and we talked about that on this show, there was supposed to be an energy attack moratorium where neither side would attack their energy infrastructure. It was proposed by Russia, and we were told that the Ukrainians agreed, but just days later, they launched drone attacks against the Russians, and the Russians did the same thing.
Well, it turns out that the Ukrainians never did agree to the moratorium, so there wasn't one. And we are now in a period where there's actually been an uptick in drone attacks in March by both sides. Drones account for 75% of the casualties in this war, Rick. And the problem is it's very difficult to shoot the drones down. People are using shotguns in many cases for close in defense to shoot down these drones.
This is all against a background in Ukraine where they're having severe manpower shortages. Zelensky this past month had to drop the mandatory conscription age from 25 to 18. That's not a good sign for Ukraine. It means Ukrainians do not have lasting power here. The Russians do.
They desperately need a ceasefire, but they haven't agreed to terms yet.
So we are in the negotiations phase. The Russians are talking about their demands. The Ukrainians are essentially in veto mode.
Well, President Trump controversially put pressure on Vladimir Zelensky at the White House and then said he would do the same if President Putin does not respond. Is there any more leverage that he can pull to force these guys to come to an agreement? There is. And President Trump just this week has talked about putting sanctions on Russian oil and on countries that buy Russian oil, something he hasn't done yet. It's clear that Putin is foot-dragging.
There's no doubt about it. And Marco Rubio went to Brussels this week to talk with our NATO allies. He said, quote, President Trump is not going to fall into the trap of endless negotiations about negotiations.
So we're going to know soon enough, whether it's weeks, not months, Rubio said, whether Russia is serious about peace or not. I must say, the Europeans are stepping up to the plate a bit. This past week, we had the Germans announcing more military aid, about $3 billion. The Dutch provided $550 million, and the Swedes also announced a $1.6 billion. An aid package to military aid package to Ukraine.
But I'm a little worried here, Rick, because I hear, in particular, Kier Starmer, the UK Prime Minister, and France's Emmanuel Macon, they're talking of war with Russia like prep school boys who got beat up at recess, and now they want to prove their toughness to the world. Germany is openly calling for the return of mass conscription. I am seriously worried because these are unserious people. Unserious people start wars and unserious leaders end nations. Europe is filled with an unhealthy supply of both.
Ken Timmerman of reporting here for Prophecy Today. And Ken, we're going to move away from the Russia-Ukraine crisis and what is going on there in Europe. And we're going to talk about Iran.
Now, your latest book, The Iran House, Tales of Revolution, Persecution, War, and Intrigue, it details your experiences that you have in that part of the world. I certainly recommend it to our readers. And calling upon that experience, there's a lot going on in Iran right now as President Trump, seemingly with an endless supply of carrots and sticks, is looking to bring an end to Iran's nuclear program and get that situation under control. Could you give us the status of what is taking place in Iran right now? You'll recall that President Trump sent this letter through an intermediary to Khamenei, the Supreme Leader, on March the 2nd, and he said, you must dismantle.
Your nuclear infrastructure, not just slow things down, not just enrich less, but dismantle your nuclear infrastructure. And by the way, I want an answer within two months.
So that gives us a deadline of May 2nd. This was not a slippery, slidey deadline as you have with Russia and Ukraine. This was a hard deadline. The Iranians came back and said, well, we're not going to have direct talks with the United States, but we might be able to talk to you through intermediaries. Trump said, eh, not so sure I like that.
I'm sending B-2s to Diego Garcia. Oh, and by the way, we're sending a second carrier strike group to the region. I would prefer direct talks with Iran, he said, but, and he said this this past week, Grick, if they don't make a deal, there will be bombing.
So I think we're going to see some movement on that Iran front. The Russians have warned also that they don't like this. They don't want to see a military confrontation between the U.S. and Iran. They said it could lead to, quote, irreversible catastrophe.
Now, I think that's a little bit of hyperbole, but what they're really trying to do is to use. Iran as leverage with Trump in their negotiations with Ukraine. That's the way that I see it. They have not threatened the United States about bombing Iran, but they are trying to serve as an intermediary. At this point, the Iranians have not shown.
any interest whatsoever in a direct negotiation with the U. S.
Well, my final question for you, if it does lead to a fact where a military attack needs to take place, do you see it actually coming from the United States? Or would you see that President Trump gives his blessings to Israel and Prime Minister Netanyahu to deal with a situation that he has always said is an existential threat for Israel?
Well, I think the way that President Trump has been talking, he's not talking about delegating this. He's been talking about direct strikes on Iran. As I mentioned, the B-2 bombers, Jago Garcia.
So they are now well within range of Iran. They don't have to fly all the way from Huntsville, Alabama, and that second carrier strike group. We have very heavy lift weapons, 38,000-pound bombs that the Israelis cannot deliver, even with F-35s, that the B-2 can deliver against Iran. And these will be very useful in destroying deeply buried targets, such as Iran's uranium enrichment facility at Fordeau.
So I think President Trump is serious. Does not want to go to war, but he does not want to allow the Iranians to have the ability to make a nuclear weapon. The U.S. has many more options and better cars than the Iranians do, Rick. Let's see if the mullahs wake up and realize that.
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.
We've got to take a break, and when we come back, our Middle East News Update with David Dolan, right here on Prophecy Today weekend. I'm Jeremy Scott with Mission Network News. Zimbabwe recently arrested nearly 100 anti-government protesters amidst a wave of political unrest. Protesters are upset over a proposal to extend President Emerson's Manangagwa's time in office past the end of his term. Greg Yoder, president of Christian World Outreach, says amidst political uncertainty, Zimbabwe's youth face an uncertain future.
CWO supports teens in Zimbabwe with biblical programs and recently hosted a camp experience. They were asked the question: dream about your future. What would you want to do? And one of the young ladies shared that there's only one clinic in her area and that she wanted to become a doctor so she could come back to her area and be able to help. Ask God to use this next generation for his glory.
Then, ministries in China face challenges of funding, opportunity, and access. Kurt Rovenstein of Bibles for China says the need for Bibles remains. Every year we have requests and projects that are no smaller than the year before, and this year is no exception. And so we're excited about as much opportunity as we've ever had. Rovenstein says the road to scripture access often winds through the registered church.
If you have access to a registered church, there's a good chance you can get a Bible in many of the provinces. But not every province takes advantage of that opportunity. They don't have large supplies, either because they can't afford them or they choose not to get them. Please pray that BFC would find open doors for its Bible distribution projects and head to missionnews.org for more prayer points. 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 the links at missionnews.org. I'm Jeremy Scott. Welcome back to Prophecy Today Radio, the program that looks at current events in the light of Bible prophecy.
Well, this is the portion of our program. We call it our 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 a journalist with over 30 years of experience reporting on Israel. Dave Dolan, Dave, thanks for being with us today.
As always, Rick, it's a blessing and a blessing to talk to your listeners.
Well, David, there is so much going on in Israel, in the Middle East, all over the place. But if you could give us an update, what's the important news that we'd need to know about this week?
Well, there's some significant news from Gaza, but the main news during the week was once again to the north. in Syria. The Israelis launched two major bombing campaigns against various locations in Syria, including right around Damascus. earlier in the week and then again on Thursday. And Rick, one of the targets was the T four Airbase.
Now Rick, that's in central Syria, very strategically located next to the city of Palmyra. That's an ancient city. The main highway from Iraq to Damascus, the M twenty goes right through it. Another highway to Holmes to the west branches off right there. And it's a major airbase that the government under Assad controlled.
And now the new government under Ashara controls it. ISIS had it for a while. The US has bombed it, etc.
Well, Israel hit it.
Well, on Friday, a Qatari paper said they had the reason for that, and that's because Turkey is taking it over and expanding the runways and will consider it a major Turkish airbase.
Now Rick, this is about half as much close to Israel as any actual Turkish base in Turkey.
Now they already control another base in the northwest of Syria, where Ashara used to rule just that area. But so the Israelis are very concerned, and the defense minister issued a warning to Turkey saying, We don't want war with you, but if you just let in these people, you will, quote, pay a heavy price. He was talking to the Ashara. um government there.
So heating up there And we had a Shiite Iraqi leader next door claim that Israel is building a corridor in southern Syria to the Kurdish area of northern Iraq, an autonomous area. And of course, the Kurds are. allied more or less with Israel. He said it's going to be called David's Corridor, and then it will steal, is the way he put it, from Syria a bunch of land around the border.
Well, we don't have any confirmation of that, but we see that the region is still very, very tense there. Down in the south, I mentioned Gaza. The Israelis said they killed two more senior Hamas leaders, including the head of their media department, Rick. He was overseeing the filming on the horrible Day of the massacre, he was there, and they saw him in footage, and they saw him with glee taking these photographs himself, etc. And he was responsible for a lot of their hostage videos.
So they got him, and obviously, I'm glad. And uh they got another one and military leader, but they also, Rick, got the man that they say carried out the Beavis. killings, the mother and two kids.
So emotional week for the Israelis as they've been watching all of that. But, Rick. Finally, the newspapers during the week, these are unconfirmed reports. Said that the security corridor that Israel has openly stated it's building along the border with Israel, going to keep about a half a mile or so into the strip. But the reports say it's going to be much larger than that, the whole northern half of Gaza.
Will be evacuated, will be completely leveled, the tunnels will be completely destroyed. And that's where Donald Trump's big, beautiful Riviera. Building program will go on. In other words, the U.S. will help to rebuild that, but it will be under Israeli control.
And they will allow Palestinians to live there if they're vetted, if they're not Hamas supporters, etc. But they expect most would move to the southern half, these reports say that would be the new Palestinian center, and they're Basically, rebuild Gaza city down there from scratch, and the U.S. would help with that. And they expect many of the Palestinians would want to leave the strip altogether. I told you two weeks ago about the poll that says that, and many would go to this new city that's being planned in the northern Sinai.
I've been to the area when I was there before Israel handed it back over to Egypt. It's beautiful. And that's President Trump's big, beautiful new Riviera project. would be that.
So it would be for the Palestinians that want to stay. But the young men in particular overwhelmingly say they want to move to other countries and start their lives anew there. As you talk about the people that were involved in filming and creating propaganda from the October seventh attack, the brutal Hamas attack on the Israelis, and it certainly seems that Israel I don't know if you want to call it vengeance or bringing people to accountability.
Now, Israel has a history of this. You look at the famed Israeli Nazi hunters and you look at those that were responsible for going after the people that were responsible for the Berlin massacre.
So so many different things. And this is something that Israel is not going to forget about. This is part of their culture. This is ingrained in their life, isn't it?
Well, very much so. And of course, everything you said about World War two and the leaders and their determination, I mean, what in Argentina, in wherever they were around the world, Hunted down and prosecuted. But of course, it was an era where film was pretty new. And we have footage, of course, of World War II and of the Holocaust. that took place of the the liberation in particular.
The U. S.
Army filmed all of that.
So we have all that. But of course, today, everybody has a camera. Everybody's phone is a camera. But this guy was the one in charge of Putting together their propaganda pieces, inspiring, they said, the IDF Fed Hamas demonstrations abroad, sending them this material via various means that they were screening in their halls and in their mosques around the world and all this sort of thing.
So he was their goebos. And they have the shots from some of these cameras and other shots. shots of him gleefully filming these atrocities. taking place so No, it's uh it's deeply etched in everybody's uh minds and uh You know The Beavis family is everybody's family in Israel basically, and so they they won't forget uh that. They certainly won't, David.
Well, in the final few minutes let's turn our attention to the North and with this new regime in Syria there has been a wait and see attitude.
Well, what have we seen? What is the direction of things taking place in the North?
Well, it's clear that Turkey is indeed planning to take over all of Syria or as much of it as they can, and that would be most of it. Maybe right along the southern border, maybe right next to the Golan, where there were clashes during the week. And by the way, the IDF said it will not be pulling out of the top peak on Mount Hermon or Hermon, many people say in the West. That they will hold on to that forever.
So that's going to be a thorn in the side. But Turkey is clearly on the march. We had Erdwan on Sunday, Rick, the end of the Ramadan month, the Edal Fitr feast taking place, ending the fast. And he openly stated that Israel will be destroyed, and he gave a prayer. This was all at a mosque.
He said, Allah destroy the Zionist entity.
Well, he didn't use the actual Arabic name Allah. Allah, their God in the Quran, has about a hundred other names, Rick.
So he used the word for destroyer. Hasatan, the the enemy, but it's not that's not what it is in Arabic.
So, the destroyer, destroy Israel, is what he basically said. It was an incantation.
So it shows us what he's planning. He's definitely, I would say now, the greatest danger to Israel. surpassing Iran even, of course, unless Iran gets a nuclear weapon. As long as he's still part of NATO, Turkey, Erdogan. We're hopefully there'll be some restraint.
There's still two U.S. air bases there in Turkey, but he is moving in a very hardline direction. He's moving fast, it looks, to set up his New Ottoman Empire, and Ashara in Syria is his man and will be the titular head of the Syrian country. while Turkey takes over as much of it as it can. And The Syrian Sunnis are mostly okay with that.
In fact, many of them are enthusiastic, and ISIS is thrilled. Because they'll finally have their caliphate back again, not that they will control, but they'll be part of. dark clouds for me to the north, but Israel taking as much military action now as they can to weaken Ashara's authority there and to take out his remaining Assad forces and equipment and sites. But the reality is Turkey will just come in quickly and rebuild stuff and supply new weapons, it looks like. David, as we look at this situation in the Middle East, Israel has experienced some success militarily after that october seventh catastrophe, but the psalmist says to pray for the peace of Jerusalem, pray for the peace of Israel.
That's certainly something we should be doing right now as we look at the variety of threats that they face. Absolutely, and again, we got to keep in mind that this has all been prophesied. We knew this would come at a certain point, and it's coming. We're watching it, it's difficult. To watch, you know, I lived there 33 years, so it's really a majority of my life in Israel, and I love the country and the people.
this is indeed a time to be praying for them very, very much. Dave Dolan for Prophecy Today. Dave, thanks for being with us today.
Well, thank you for what you do on the program. God bless. We're going to take a break right now, but we'll be back with more of Prophecy Today Radio. Every believer needs to understand Bible prophecy. Whether you're a novice or a student, we are here to help you.
Just visit prophecytoday.com and click on the link for the prophecy bookstore. There, you will find a large selection of CD sets, DVDs, and books for the Bible prophecy student written by Dr. Jimmy DeYoung and other prominent scholars. While you're there, be sure to check out Dr. DeYoung's latest series called Presidents, Politics, and Prophecy.
This series examines how God has used human leaders in general and specifically the last seven U.S. presidents to set the stage for Bible prophecy to be fulfilled. This was shot on location in Washington, D.C., and is available on DVD or as a 10-hour audio series on CD. Be sure to check back often for special deals. You can visit ProphecyToday.com and click on Bookstore, or you can go directly to ProphecyBookstore.com.
Um Uh Welcome back to Prophecy Today. I'm Jimmy De Young Jr. Along with Rick, we're examining current events in the light of God's prophetic word.
Well, we are studying the nations of Bible prophecy and world leaders that are involved in Bible prophecy. If you've listened to this program before, you know that the United States is not mentioned in Bible prophecy.
Well, only one place. Zachariah chapter 14, when it says, all nations of the world will be gathered to Jerusalem for the Battle of Armageddon. And that takes place at the end of the seven-year period of time of tribulation.
Well, as we talk about the events that are taking place, it looks like today that we would say we're having a good run right now with the President of the United States, seemingly very much in favor of Christians and the Jewish people, which is something that is very important in Bible prophecy. But I do want to bring in a person that I consider America's pastor. At least on this program, he is that way, Dr. Richard Schmidt. And then I want to bring in Dr.
Heathen. Marion, at the end of this half hour, to talk to us about things that we still need to be aware of as the body of Christ. Rick, let's bring in our good friend, Dr. Richard Schmidt. Well that's right, Jimmy.
I do have a good friend of both yours and mine, Pastor Richard Schmidt.
Now he's the former sheriff of Milwaukee, but right now he is the pastor of Union Grove Baptist Church and the head of a ministry that is focussed on Bible prophecy. Entitled Prophecy Focused Ministries. Dr. Schmidt, thanks for being with us today.
Well, thanks so much for having me, Rick.
Well, there's so many things that I would like to get to talk about. But again, you have a lot going on. In fact, when I was calling to kind of set up this interview, you have multiple prophecy conferences planned. Could you just give us, if you don't mind, an update on your ministry and an update on what you're doing, especially when it comes to teaching Bible prophecy?
Well, I appreciate that. First of all, of course, pastoring at the church, I don't travel quite as much as I used to. But this happens to be a really busy week coming up. We're going to be in Minnesota at Maple Grove. Minnesota at Victory Baptist Church for a three day conference.
Then we're heading down to Iowa midweek, and I'll be speaking at Faith Baptist Bible College. And then about a day off, and then all the way down to Somerset, Kentucky, where we'll be speaking for two days at the King of Kings Prophecy Conference.
So, lots of things going on this week. We've been busy. A brand new book that just came out a couple of, actually, about a week ago, The Coming Millennial Kingdom. And then, of course, the book that I co-did with your wonderful ministry, President's Politics and Prophecy, which we may get a few minutes to talk about that later in our broadcast.
Well, you can find out more about Dr. Schmidt by going to his website at prophecyfocus.org. You can see that book and the book that he wrote with us, President's Politics, and Prophecy. And that's where I'd like to start as we begin today. You have kind of kept us updated on the political aspect and the writing of this book and how God uses world leaders to help his plan and his will come together.
And we've talked specifically about how God has used American presidents. This is Donald Trump's second go-around in the office. And he's inside his first hundred days. Give us an update, especially from a prophetic view, maybe some key points, things that are then taking place that we need to keep note of.
Well, as always, anytime we talk about Israel, it's centered of Bible prophecy. Ezekiel 5:5 makes it very clear. That Jerusalem, all the nations surround her.
So, as your dad used to make very clear when he'd preach, it's like if you want to know what's happening prophetically, just take a look at what's happening in Jerusalem.
Well, some of the things that have happened under President Trump, fortunately, he is being very aggressive in supporting Israel. Of course, we saw in the first hundred days his deal working with Hamas, if you will. Hostages were released. The ceasefire went into effect. But unfortunately, as we know, the ceasefire had to be broken.
Hamas was getting aggressive again.
So the issues that we've been seeing for well over a year and a half now between the Houthis in Yemen, Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah up in the north in Lebanon and Syria area, those things are all still somewhat active. What is interesting though is that President Trump recently did an offensive attack against the Houthis in Yemen after they continued to send missiles towards Israel. It's really amazing. I mean, Yemen is about one thousand miles away from Israel, yet they're still part of the Iranian axis of proxies that are trying to take out Israel. And I think that's another one of the major points that we're seeing with President Trump and his contact now with Iran.
Very interesting that Iran is in somewhat of a difficult situation now. Israel has done a phenomenal job in taking out their enemies, if you will, kind of deflocking them.
So the Houthis, the Famas. Has just really taken a pounding from the Israel Defense Force.
So we're looking now, President Trump, of course, is posturing with Iran. And Iran's in a bit of a situation where I think it's going to be forcing them to deal with President Trump specifically regarding what was called the Iran nuclear deal. Under the past administration when President Biden was In power, there was a real issue there. It looked like there might be an aggressive again of allowing Iran to. To get that nuclear program going, but certainly under President Trump.
We realize Iran hates the United States. He looks at us as the large Satan, and Israel as the small Satan.
So I strongly project, if you will, that the Iranian nuclear deal will come to naught, at least at the present So those are some of the main things. One other quick thing is President Trump has been working with Israel and Saudi Arabia trying to get a normalization agreement there.
So again, President Trump has been very active in the Middle East. He's really working hard, I believe, with his cabinet to try and get peace within the Middle East area.
So lots of things developing, and we'll stay tuned to see where it all leads. We certainly will, and we look at President Trump. And of course, we keep an eye on what is taking place in the world because we want to know how to vote and what we should be doing as concerned citizens. But then, of course, we also look at it and maybe how it is potentially setting the stage for future Bible prophecy to be fulfilled. One thing that President Trump really is focusing on is making NATO, especially in this Russia-Ukraine crisis, making them pull their own weight, making those European countries essentially militarize, essentially learn how to fight their own battles.
Now, another project that you were involved in with us is the USA in Bible prophecy. That was a DVD that we put out, and you're on that as well. But the answer is not necessarily, not really. Maybe at the Battle of Armageddon, when we talk about that, and Jerusalem there, but it's not specifically mentioned. But Europe is, and the fact that Europe is being pressed to become more of a a political power and a military power, that plays right into Bible prophecy, doesn't it?
Well, it sure does. And we're looking at so many different things. We're looking at the NATO situation. We're looking at Europe. We're looking at Russia.
And of course, excuse me, when we look at the Russia situation, I mean, your program constantly is looking at the Ezekiel 38, 39 picture, where the coalition of nations is going to rise up and attack Israel one day. And again, it's just amazing that the Muslim world didn't come about until about the seventh century AD. And Bible prophecy, really, it was very hard for the first six centuries of Bible scholars to understand everything that Ezekiel 38 and 39 were talking about. But now we look at Russia, who's making friends with Iran, making friends with other of the nations that are part of that coalition. And it really is.
It's just absolutely amazing. When you look at how God is bringing those things together, and then another country that isn't part of the Ezekiel 38 group, but China, which has been working hand in hand with Russia, Syria, and other major countries. China, which is talked about in Revelation chapter 16, being part of the Kings of the East Coalition, which are going to rise up again and be part of the final battle of Armageddon when Christ comes back at a second coming.
So amazing things are taking place. I mean, really, and again, I go back to what your dad and you folks have. constantly saying the stage is absolutely being set for Bible prophecy to come to fulfillment.
Well, Pastor Schmidt, we know your book, President's Politics and Prophecy, you did in conjunction with our ministry and basically through a series of lectures that dad did, and you've kind of expanded on them and put them in written form. We're going to offer that on our program. Of course, you can go to our website or your website and get it. But just special for today, for a donation of any amount, we would like anybody who is interested in this book to see how God uses world leaders for His will to be fulfilled. You can call us.
We'd love to get you this book. We'll get your information. Call us at 423-825-6247.
Well, briefly, you had a lot of big news this week in your neck of the woods. Like I said, you're near Milwaukee there, you're former sheriff of Milwaukee, and there was an election. And, of course, we've been calling following politics. Can you talk a little bit about that election and what happened?
Well, it's an amazing thing that in fact, it's a national known election that just took place here in Wisconsin for the Supreme Court. And two individuals were running, Susan Crawford and Brad Schimmel. Susan Crawford being a very strong liberal, Brad Schimmel being a strong conservative. And unfortunately, the liberal side had a massive win in this particular Supreme Court election. It it's very disturbing because Wisconsin being one of the swing states during the presidential election actually voted for President Trump as a whole.
And now there's been this massive liberal swing where almost $100 million was spent on this particular election. It's unprecedented for a, if you will, a state Supreme Court election of Wisconsin.
So it's very disturbing because what it's showing is that Again, liberal politics is winning out. It's the statistics show, and this is what's really disturbing, sixty one percent of all people living in Wisconsin Based on a Pew research report, states that they are Christians.
Well, I think what we're seeing, which is very unfortunate, is that the concept of what is a Christian has been totally upended from the biblical concept. In other words, a Christian by definition in the Bible is one who's placed their faith and trust in Christ. And follows a biblical worldview. In other words, they believe the Bible and what it states.
Well, what we just seen is that with the massive win that the liberal side of things just had, the biblical worldview is no longer in view in Wisconsin. Conservative Christianity is certainly not in view in Wisconsin. And it's really setting a bad trend, if you will, not just here, but in the country with other liberal states.
So it's a very concerning issue. It's certainly concerning for those of us that are conservative Christians. And we just really this was a major, major loss for Wisconsin and one that's going to set the tone potentially to have repercussions on the federal level as well with redistricting of some of the federal spots. Yeah.
Well, it is an issue, and we appreciate you keeping us informed because we do need a biblical worldview, and it helps us to know how to vote from using our biblical worldview.
Well, we appreciate you doing that. That election, as I said, close to home for you.
Well, from your vantage point, and again, I said you lead a ministry based on Bible prophecy. You have a wide background working in the government and in law enforcement. And then, of course, you're a pastor. With all that we have talked about today, and you look at all that is going on in the world, you said there's so much going on we could talk about it for hours. But as we focus in on it, what should it cause us as believers to do?
I know you have a specific ministry, and you're looking to do initiatives to help evangelization, to help spread the gospel. If you could, just help us focus in right now and tell us what should we do as believers in the light of all of this information that we now have.
Well, I think one of the major things right now underneath the current presidential administration, which is conservative, they are defending our First Amendment rights. The problem that it's easy to get into is when things are going well, when the government, at least on a federal level, Seems to be supporting the freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom of press, and so forth. We can get very lazy. We can get into a status quo mindset, and it's like, well, we're good for the next few years.
So let's eat, drink, and be merry. Life is good.
Well I would suggest just the opposite. While we have the opportunity, while we have the freedom before potentially we lose that with a new administration in four years, We as God's people need to take advantage of Getting out, just as you said, we've got to get the gospel out, we've got to help disciple people, we must become more biblically literate, understanding what's in the Word of God. And as you stated many times, about one-third of our Bible is prophecy. 500 prophecies have yet to come to pass, and it speaks to things that will be happening in the future.
So it's essential for God's people that we're telling others the greatest news ever given to mankind: that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. And then we must be aggressive, and pastors must be aggressive. Bible teachers, Sunday school teachers, get the word to young people and adults and teenagers. Teach them the word of God. Teach them prophecy.
Teach them the importance of being strong. strong in their beliefs and not backing down, not sitting on the sideline, but being aggressive in spreading the gospel. Biblical literacy, studying the word and also sharing the gospel. Excellent exhortation. Thank you so much.
As Jimmy calls you sometimes, America's pastor, pastor. And Dr. Richard Schmidt, thanks so much for being on the program. We look forward to talking to you again soon.
Well, thanks for having me. Dr. Richard Schmidt, thanks, Dr. Schmidt. And yes, that nickname is sticking with you.
We really appreciate what you bring to us. If you can imagine, Dr. Schmidt, as a sheriff, yes, he's very much a great pastor at his church and a great speaker at prophecy conferences around the United States. I want to touch on something, Rick, that Dr. Schmidt said there at the very end about teaching the word of God.
Now, we believe that the next thing to happen, the next event to happen on God's calendar is the rapture of the church. We are preparing believers in the body of Christ to live in this world, to provide God's plan of salvation for all of mankind. When the rapture of the church takes place, we are caught up off of this earth. And we believe that we've talked about that many times on this program. After that, begins a period of time of the tribulation period.
And so this is why we are teaching God's word and encouraging people to be involved about teaching, especially to the young people, the next generation.
Well, a good friend of ours, Dr. Heath Marion, is one of those men who also has an understanding and has a word for us because even in our churches today, even amongst everything that we're dealing with, we're still dealing with this thought process that. I believe, is very anti Christ. It's anti Christian, and it is prepping people for the end times, for the last days during the tribulation period that are still left on the earth after the rapture of the church. Which is why, on the issue of wokeism, I wanted to invite back Dr.
Heath Marion. Dr. Heath Marion, he graduated from Dallas Theological Seminary, has multiple degrees. He is also a former pastor, and he's in the business world consulting pastors today and churches. And so, Heath, welcome to the program.
Hey, thank you for having me back. It's always good to be with you. Yes, sir.
So, Heath, on this issue of wokeism, what's your thoughts in the church today as to what you're seeing in our churches? Because I know a lot of churches and people have sent questions into us about their pastor is becoming woke.
Well, I think it's a huge issue that each church denominations are trying to figure out. I mean, for goodness sakes, it's even coming into the school systems, and our kids are struggling through these conversations.
So, Christians are being faced with this head on. And so, I think it's something that we do need to talk about, and we need to have a really vibrant discussion regarding. Sure.
Well, when it comes. to being woke What should Christians keep in mind?
Well, I know that when we start talking about this, it's a very sensitive topic, and we want to make sure that we interact with it correctly. But as a Christian, here's one thing that we want to say is that we understand and we have we do know that in America, Racism has played a part. There has been shame and injustice. And at some points in history, there's even been terrible violence.
So there's no clear thinking person really would say that the remnants of racism have been erased since the Civil War. And I think there's a lot of things that still need to be done. I now know that even when you start talking to the Southern Baptists and those denominations, they're trying to write new Um just statements acknowledging the this response and that there should be a conversation regarding this. Sure.
And I know that there's laws and legislation that guard the principle of equal rights, but really what should be as a Christian, what should we understand about really the heart of the matter? The reality is it's Just passing a law, and I think there should be laws that guard and protect. Americans' rights or rights for all people, but a law cannot change the heart. I mean, for goodness sakes, God gave the Ten Commandments, and that hasn't changed our hearts at all.
So, I mean, for us, when we start looking at it, Jeremiah 17 talks about the evil of the human heart, who can know it. And what we really get from Jesus is there's a mandate to, you should love your neighbor as yourself. And Jesus went to great lengths to cross racial divides. He went to the woman at the well, the Samaritan woman, and his disciples were even questioning: why would you cross these racial lines? And Jesus makes it clear, there's.
No racial divides that he's not going to cross. First of all, Jesus going to that woman in Samaria, when he said, I must go through Samaria, that was to me, that's one of the huge pivotal points when he makes the point to I'm going over here. And then we get into other statements where Paul says that there's neither Jew nor Greek nor Gentile, no free man, no slave. Male or female.
So he really calls us to attention, saying, We are the members of the body of Christ. Wow. Very good. When does real racial reconciliation take place, Heath? One, when we first start recognizing who we are in Christ, that we are all members and every member has its own place, and we're all supposed to be bringing and shining the light of Christ and of God to this world.
And when we love each other. Instead of being known by our hate. The world will see a difference, right? That's what it says: that we should be known by our love. And that really is the call.
The God of this world is going to blind us. And when we're blinded, we are going to hate. 1 John talks about how it's the God of this world darkens our eyes.
So, for us, we need to wake up to this call, wake up to the life of the gospel, and how that God is calling us to love others. And when we love others, real change begins to happen. We begin to cross those boundaries. You know, Peter even struggled on baptizing a Roman soldier, right? Right.
He had to have a dream to recognize: oh, I need to cross this boundary.
So, we all might have some kind of prejudice in us. And yet, as we grow in our love for God, then it causes us to grow in our love for people, and we will cross those divides.
Well, you know, in our world today, we're thinking about this one-world system that's coming into place that is prophesied, that will take place. It's a system of the Antichrist, Satan, the Antichrist, and the false prophet, the satanic trinity. Do you see the church really starting to? I mean, how as Christians, understanding the future, how then should we really go forth as individual believers?
Well, one, let's not live in fear. Let's not be afraid to talk about God. When everybody else is wanting to talk about all kinds of spirituality and they're wanting to bring in new ideology, as Christians, we should be able to talk and interact and love people and be willing to stand. kindly, gently, but to say that all people need God, all people need love, and we should not be hating each other. And I think that's a huge mark for us when we start doing that.
You know, both Paul and Peter, you've brought them up in this conversation. They gave instructions to the early church how to live in the days that they were living, in these days, in the last days. And Peter said in 1 Peter, he said, be ready to give an account. You know, first of all, sanctify yourself unto God. Be ready to give an account for what you believe.
Really, apologetics. And that is so important and that we do it in love, which is what you just said. And that really is the key, right? Right. I mean, I'm not going to go out and try to change people.
What I need to go out and do is love people. And as I'm loving, they're seeing my responses. They're seeing my actions. They're seeing how that I help. Others, and when I do that, then they're going to have these questions: why are you helping them like that?
And I can say, because. Christ loved me. God changed my life, and I want to give back. And I'm telling you, millennials can get on board with that. And even people our age or older, they can get on board with that when we start really truly helping people because we've been dramatically changed in our lives.
That's right. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have eternal life. Heath, Dr. Heath Marion, thank you for joining with us today and again helping us to understand why the world is acting as it is and how the church should act in these last days in which we're living. Thanks for joining us, Heath.
Thank you so much with much love and respect. Have a great day. As Christians, we should be woke to the love of God for our family in Christ. Anyone who hates his brother or sister is in the darkness and walks around in the darkness. They don't know where they are going because the darkness has blinded them.
And I think that's one thing that these two men over the last half hour have encouraged us: don't become complacent. We should be woke to the light of the gospel. 2 Corinthians 4:4. In their case, the God of this world has blinded the minds of unbelievers to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel. We should be woke to the fact of temptation in the world.
We should not be complacent. Matthew 26, 41 says, Watch and pray that ye may not enter into temptation. The Spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak. We are reconciled with God and united to Christ, allowing us to be truly reconciled with one another. 2 Corinthians 5, 18, All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation.
Real change and real answers to the problems of racism, injustice, social evils are found in God's words and in the peace he gives us.
Well, we've got to take a break. And when we come back, Dr. Jimmy DeYoung in the Legacy series. He's still teaching in the book of Isaiah, but this week we're going to study why study Bible prophecy. How is it profitable to us as the body of Christ, as believers?
Dr. Jimmy DeYoung in the Legacy series will come up after the break. This is all ahead right here on Prophecy Today weekend. Yeah.
Welcome back to Prophecy Today. I'm Jimmy DeYoung Jr. Along with Rick, we've been examining current events in the light of God's prophetic word. Rick, a great session this last half hour. Dr.
Richard Schmidt offered a book. Help our listeners to find out where they can get that book. Jimmy, the book is President's Politics and Prophecy. It's based on a series of lectures that our father, Dr. Jimmy DeYoung, did, but Dr.
Rich Schmidt, he put it into a form, into book form, and he updated it with the latest the Biden administration and then an introduction to the new Trump administration. It's an excellent book, something that I think our listeners would like for a donation of any amount. We'd love to get it in your hands. Call us, talk to us here at the office, 423-825-6247 for a donation of any amount. We'd love to get this in your hands.
Yes, we would.
Well, on the legacy series this week with Dr. Jimmy DeYoung, Dr. DeYoung is going to explore why should we believe the prophetic passages of God's Word in the Bible. Allow Dr. De Young to think through that answer to that question with you.
Go to Revelation chapter 1 as we begin our study with Dr. Jimmy De Young and the Legacy Series. Revelation chapter 1. As I was studying last evening, I asked myself a question: why in the world? Should I believe These prophecies will be fulfilled.
I'm reading a book, I'm studying, preparing to teach on what I would probably say would be the beloved process. prophecy by the beloved prophet Isaiah, Quoted some twenty-two times by New Testament writers, more than any other prophet. in the entire New Testament is lifted up. Isaiah, his prominence unbelievable. But first of the Written prophets in the Old Testament, those seventeen books, and I was still thinking through why in the world should we, upon what basis should we?
Accept these prophecies and have faith that they indeed might come true. One of the things I thought about, and I brought that to your attention, was fulfilled prophecy. And I could start in the book of Genesis, and I could go through almost every book of the Bible and bring to your attention a prophecy that has been fulfilled. Genesis chapter 15, the Abrahamic covenant. God, the person Jesus Christ, I believe, in a pre-incarnate appearance, meeting with Abraham, made the statement to him: Your people are going to be out of this land in a foreign land for over 400 years.
The record indicates that was the case. In the Egyptian bondage, the children of Israel fulfilled that particular prophecy. I brought to your attention chapters 44 and 45 of the book of Isaiah, 150 years before the fact. Isaiah wrote about a man named Cyrus. He gave complete detail: a man named Cyrus who would come to power.
He would be that one who would allow the Jews to return to Jerusalem. And the book of Ezra is a record, the first six chapters of that book, giving us the evidence that Cyrus' responsibility of allowing the Jews to return to Jerusalem to build their temple. He allowed some 50,000 of them under the leadership of Zerubbabel, who was the political leader, Joshua, who was the spiritual leader. And they did return to Jerusalem and they did rebuild that temple. In fact, chapter 6 of the book of Ezra is the record of the dedicatory service of that taking place.
and we can come into the New Testament.
Someone has said there are over 367 prophecies about a man that would be the Messiah. God man, Emmanuel, God with us, would be that Messiah. And as we study the New Testament, we study the record of the life of Jesus Christ, we see indeed that he fulfilled those prophecies in absolute detail. We'll look at some of them, but I believe that the basis upon which we can move forward to accept and believe prophecies will be fulfilled that we can read about in the Word of God would be the fact that previous prophecies have been fulfilled. That lays a foundation for that to take place.
But I think most likely, the most important reason that we can believe that God's word, the prophetic word of God, is going to be fulfilled, is because of the event that is recorded in Revelation chapter 1, verse 18. Remember, John on the isle of Petmus, he's there as a prisoner because of his testimony and for his love of the word of God and the spreading of the word of God. He comes to meet with John the Revelator. He tells him what he wants him to do. John was able to write a description of the one he was face to face with, I do believe.
And then in verse 18, this is what Jesus testifies to John the Revelator: I am he that liveth and was dead, and behold, I'm alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of hell and of death. I believe this is the cornerstone of our faith, and it is also the foundation for Bible prophecy. The resurrection of Jesus Christ.
It is the key event in all of history. If Jesus Christ did not resurrect from the dead, he was not then the one he claimed to be, and we are still living in our sin according to the writings of Paul in 1 Corinthians chapter 15. We need a Savior. We need that ultimate sacrifice to take care of our needs. And so I think, based upon the fact that he resurrected from the dead, he has the authority at least.
He has been authenticated as the one who can give us the future. And in fact, he follows up the next statement to John with that exact thought. Verse 19. The Lord Jesus Christ tells John, John, write the things. Which thou hast seen, And if you're ever looking at Revelation and want a little simple outline to study the book by, that would be the first point, chapter one of the book of Revelation, The Things Thou Hast Seen.
And then he says to John, And the things which are. That would be chapters two and three. Remember, John was the pastor of the church at Ephesus. He may have had a very unique responsibility in helping start some of the other churches. For sure, he was a part of the circuit writing ministry of John through these other churches.
The reason I believe that Jesus selected him to deliver the letters to these other six churches in addition to his own home church in Ephesus. The third point, and by the way, that would be chapters two and three of the book of Revelation and your simple little outline of Revelation. And then the last point that he says to John, and write the things which shall be hereafter. Because he had resurrected from the dead, he can tell then John to write it down so it'll come to us ultimately down the line of history sometime and be able to tell us exactly what is going to happen hereafter. His resurrection, guaranteed he was who he said he was.
It also gave him the basis upon which he then has the authority to tell us of the future. Look at chapter 4 and verse 1 of the book of Revelation just for a moment. This depicts the rapture of the church, the next main event in God's calendar of activities. Not one thing has to happen before the rapture of the church. But notice what Jesus again is going to be saying to John.
And I do not believe this was simply a vision. Like I have difficulty believing that when Isaiah went into the temple in Isaiah chapter 6, that was simply a vision. I believe he saw Jesus Christ in that temple when he went in there, a pre-incarnate appearance of Christ. Chapter 4, verse 1 of Revelation. After this, I looked and behold, a door was opened in heaven, and the first voice which I heard was, as it were, of a trumpet talking with me.
Now, that's apocalyptic, as it were, that phrase is used 52 times in Revelation, introducing apocalyptic literature. Just for your information, apocalyptic comes from the Greek word apocalypsis, which means to foretell, to reveal, to make known, to prophesy. And what it is in apocalyptic literature is a symbol, a literal symbol that will. Communicate a literal activity or event or prophecy that must be fulfilled. Four books in the Bible use apocalyptic literature: Daniel, Ezekiel, Zachariah, and Revelation.
And you interpret apocalyptic literature by additional apocalyptic literature. For example, a simple little example. In the book of Ezekiel chapter 37, verses 7, 8, 9, and 10, you read about the bones coming together, the flesh on the bones, the breath of life being breathed into those bones.
Well, that's apocalyptic literature. It's a symbol. Bones coming together, flesh on the bones, breath of life being breathed into them.
Now, how would we interpret that? Apocalyptic literature is interpreted by the Word of God. I just gave you Ezekiel chapter 37, verses 7 to 10. Verse 11. In Ezekiel chapter 37, it says this: And these bones are the whole house of Israel.
That then makes it very easy to understand the bones would coming together, be the regathering of the Jewish people, the flesh on the bones, the restoration of a Jewish state, and the breath of life being breathed into these flesh-covered bones that stand up like a mighty army. That would be the regeneration of the Jewish people.
Now, that's the apocalyptic literature and hermeneutical principle as to how you interpret it. When you come to chapter 4, verse 1 of Revelation, it says, as it were, a trumpet talking with me. Remember, how do you go back and interpret it? Use other scripture. 1 Thessalonians 4, 13 to 18.
Jesus shouts, Archangel shouts, trump of God sounds. 1 Corinthians chapter 15, verses 51 to 53. In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump we shall be caught up. And so he's using a symbol, a literal symbol, to communicate a literal truth. And he says, Come up hither.
Now, that's depicting the rapture, but notice what he says at the end of verse 4. Chapter 4, verse 1. And I will show thee things which must be hereafter. Again, Jesus, with the authority of his resurrection, Is the one who can tell us what's going to happen in the future.
Well, how can we then accept that Jesus Christ resurrected from the dead?
Well, if we could open a court of law right here, and I would be the judge, and I could bring five hundred witnesses. to this place They would all testify. We saw him. He was alive. He was in the Galilee teaching us for 40 days.
We give testimony. Not a one of those 500 who saw him, First Corinthians 15. Not a one of them ever backed up. on that testimony. They saw him alive.
There were 11 men that walked with him for three and a half years in ministry, watching everything he had done. And six months before he would go to Jerusalem, be crucified, buried, and on the third day resurrect. Giving the details, what was the test for a true prophet of God? Deuteronomy chapter 18 says, That prophecy, if it's from God, will be fulfilled in absolute detail. Jesus says in Matthew 16, I got to go to Jerusalem.
I'll be crucified. I'll be buried and on the third day I will resurrect. That's exactly what happened. Prophesying before the event and after his resurrection, these 11 men spent time with him, spent those 40 days with him, just very, very intimate with his relationship as he trained them up, teaching them prophecy again. When he left, they with great eagerness had their faces, their heads, their eyes fixed on the heavenlies, anticipating he would return at any moment.
Those men lived a life of ministry, never denying that Christ resurrected from the dead. Proof that he resurrected. And in this womb, Absolutely. proof. of the resurrection of Christ.
You're changed. Life. And how God. Because of his resurrection. has made you.
A new person in Christ. Living testimony. He resurrected from the dead. And based upon that, We have. The capability.
of go to the prophetic word of God. and realize what he is telling us. Is going to come to pass. Arhez. come to pass.
Revelation one eighteen. the resurrection of Jesus Christ is indeed the answer to my question why should we believe the prophetic passages of God's Word will be fulfilled? Jesus prophesied that he would be crucified and then resurrect from the dead. He fulfilled prophecy, and this fulfilled prophecy guarantees that prophecy yet to be fulfilled will be fulfilled. Dr.
Jimmy De Young and the Legacy Series. Go to our bookstore, ProphecyToday.com. You can go to the bookstore and look at the series on Isaiah. There are many other series there, and a lot of these series are series that Dr. Jimmy De Young taught over his many years of ministry, along with doing the radio program.
Rick and I have continued on that ministry, and we're so very fortunate and blessed to be able to do that. We've got 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 Jeremy Scott with Mission Network News. Myanmar's military declares a temporary truce in the country's civil war to facilitate relief efforts as the death toll from last week's earthquake climbs above 3,000. Military leaders say the ceasefire will last until April 22nd.
Conflict between the Army and ethnic resistance groups has plagued Myanmar for decades, complicated further by the 2021 coup. A3's Joe Hanley says: While these may be dangerous times, they're unbelievably opportunistic times. It's our chance for the body of Christ to shine. In these moments of chaos and Show that real stability comes from Jesus. While politics tie up international aid, local believers have a distinct advantage.
We're more connected right now in Myanmar, and that means that we have the opportunity to be a conduit of help. Find your place in the story at missionnews.org. And in the stages of young motherhood, it's not easy to find ways to get involved with ministry. That was the experience of Ariane Norwood, a mom in the western United States with three young kids ages six and under. Then she became a mentor with Crossroads Prison Ministries.
It's a unique opportunity from home where Christian mentors correspond with Crossroads Bible Study students in prison through writing letters. Today, Arianne even sees the spiritual impact it has in her family. My kids see me working on the lesson or writing the letter. They'll ask about what I'm doing. I love sharing with them about God's heart for those who are in prison and the role that we can play.
We pray for them together. It's not an isolated activity. It's definitely something I love to share with my loved ones. Find your place in the story: 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 the links at missionnews.org. I'm Jeremy Scott. Welcome back to Prophecy Today.
I'm Jimmy DeYoung Jr. Along with Rick, we've been examining current events in the light of God's prophetic word. Well, this is the time of the program where we kind of look back and pick maybe a topic that we've covered over the last hour and a half. Rick, as we talk to our broadcast partners today, and I'm so very thankful for them and the job that they do, what stands out to you in our program today?
Well, Jimmy, of course, we've had our broadcast partners, including Ken Temmerman, Dave Dolan, Dr. Richard Schmidt, Heath Marion. We've talked to them, and for many of those, we've looked at current events, things that are happening today politically around the world, right here in the United States, things that are taking place that are setting the stage for Bible prophecy to be fulfilled. That's what we do on this program, and we share that every week. One thing I liked about Dr.
Rich Schmidt, as we Kind of wrapped up our time with him. He kind of went to a place where we talked about what should we be doing in light of this knowledge, in light of you know, a student of Bible prophecy, a regular listener of this program, the knowledge that we have that how near the end time events could be to being taking place, what should we be doing? And he focused on two things: one thing was biblical literacy, understanding the Bible. And Jimmy, I could think that is so key to not only understanding Bible prophecy, but the whole Christian life. And that is a study of God's Word, being consistent and faithful to be in the Word.
And that's so important, isn't it? It sure is. You know, I started out the program today by saying and asking the question: why is it so hard to understand the Bible?
Well, there are several factors that make the Bible hard to understand. First, there is a time and cultural difference, Rick. Depending on what part of the Bible you are studying, there is Between 3,400 years and 1,900 years between when the Bible was written and what we are reading today.
So it's really important as you read through God's Word, which is really good to have a proper understanding of how to study God's Word, how to read it, and how to decipher and to use the parts and pieces of God's Word. Second, there is the fact that the Bible contains different types of literature. Rick, we happen to focus, I mean, there's history, law, poetry, songs, wisdom, prophecy, which is what we focus on, and understanding Bible prophecy, how much of it there is in God's Word, really helps us to better. Be able to navigate through the pitfalls during today's world. Oh, that's right, Jimmy.
And we know we have all these different parts of the Bible, but all of the Bible must work together. They don't work independently. All scripture works together. Bible prophecy is meant to be a part of it. If it was not meant to be a part of it, it would not be in God's Word.
So we incorporate it. We understand it. Dad used to say your eschatology or your study of the end times is your theology as well. And that is, again, it all has to work together. You can't say, well, I think I've got this part figured out and we'll leave this part for later.
No, we are called to study the scripture from Genesis to Revelation and understand it. And we can seek to do that. God will reveal it to us as we study. But of course, we have to do our part and study. The part that we focus on mainly on this program, but I like what you said, we take all of God's word.
Is you know, is profitable. That's what Paul told Timothy. All of it is profitable, and that's why we should study it. The apocalyptic literature, and that's Daniel, Ezekiel, Revelation, Zachariah. There are 17, there are 16 minor prophets in the Old Testament that are just as important as the major prophets.
And by understanding those books, really helps us. You know, when we think about all these things, and sometimes people ask, why is it so hard to understand God's word, Rick? We must realize that we're all sinners and we all make mistakes. And as much as we strive not to read our preconceived biases into the Bible, it's inevitable that we all occasionally do so. And sadly, at some point, everyone misinterprets the scripture.
When we had gotten a lot of letters, Rick, about this and you know, how we don't understand Bible prophecy or You know, we've got it all wrong. But really, we have set our heart, and this is what Daniel did. We have humbled ourselves before God. We realize that this is a responsibility that God has given us to do, and we try to teach folks and believers, Christians that are a part of the body of Christ, how to be prepared for the end times. We certainly do, Jim.
I mean, Dad used to say when he was talking, you know, we appreciate people coming to us. We appreciate people with questions. But Dad used to say, don't bring your experience to talk to me about the Bible. Bring the Bible. Bible in hand.
We'll look at it today. Together. And that is what we are to do. That is what we are supposed to do as we study the scripture and find out what the Bible is actually saying to us. And we can only do that when we have a Bible-centered focus on our study, on our conversation, on our thought.
I think that is so important. And then, Jimmy, of course, the other thing, Dr. Richmidt, he talked about being biblically literate, but he also talked about putting feet to our faith, getting out there, sharing the gospel, doing what we are supposed to do, evangelization to let people know of the soon return of Jesus Christ. It's sure. That is so great.
And that's what it's all about. Trying to understand the Bible can sometimes be a difficult task, but with God's help, it is possible. And remember, if you are a believer in Jesus Christ, God's Spirit indwells you. That's Romans 8:9. Romans 8:9 says, You, however, are not in the flesh, but in the spirit, if in fact the spirit of God dwells in you.
Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to Him. Having the Spirit of Christ, and that's what really motivates us to tell others about God's plan of salvation for mankind. The same God who breathed out Scripture is the same God who indwells you and I and will open your mind to the truth and understanding of His Word if you rely on Him. And sometimes people say, You know, I don't want to witness because I'm just not sure how to do it. But it's the Holy Spirit that does all of that work for us, Rick.
Great job on the program today. Really, the best way to understand God's word is to get into it on a daily basis to be prepared to meet the cares of this world, isn't it? It sure is, Jimmy. And that's what we seek to do every week, and that's what I seek to do personally as well. Yes.
Folks, as we examine current events in the light of God's prophetic word, as we understand God's word, we live with an expectancy that the rapture of the church could happen at any moment. And it surely could after listening to these events today. With all that being said, and the rapture of the church that could happen at any moment, we need to 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.
