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 is a program where we study Bible prophecy with a proper understanding of Bible prophecy. And through that, we understand the times in which we're living.
Today, Jews around the world are celebrating Purim. The Feast of Purim, detailed in the Old Testament Book of Esther, celebrates the deliverance of the Jews from genocide during their exile in Persia. On today's program, we're going to talk about the Feast of Purim and how that relates to today's world news and how it relates to the body of Christ. We've got a packed program today with Ken Timmerman, David Dolan, Israel Medad, Osama Dakdak, and Steve Herzig at the end of the program. Rick, let's get started with our first Ken Timmerman.
Well, that's right, Jimmy. I have Ken Timmerman with us. He is our expert on geopolitical affairs. His latest book, The Iran House: Tales of Revolution, Persecution, War, and Intrigue, is out right now. You can find out more about Ken and all the other books he's written by going to his website at kentimmerman.com.
Ken, thanks for joining us today. Thanks for having me on, Rick. It's always a pleasure.
Well, Ken, we'll start our look around the world at geopolitics by looking at the Russia-Ukraine crisis. And you know, first of all, we had that explosive meeting between Zelensky and President Trump and Vice President Vance in the White House. Then this week a ceasefire. I mean, and now what is Russia going to do? Can you give us an update on the crisis there and what is actually going on?
Well, first, let me just be very clear. We don't know how How is this going to end? We don't know how sincere Putin is, and we don't know how sincere Zelensky is in wanting a peace or a ceasefire. But what happened this week is that Putin agreed in principle to Trump's proposal for a 30-day ceasefire. But he said, of course, more discussions are needed, and the ceasefire itself must resolve the, quote, root causes of the conflict.
Now, that sounds an awful lot to me, Rick, like Putin says no ceasefire until you declare Russia the winner. And I just don't think that's going to fly. I don't think that's going to fly with President Trump. It's certainly not going to fly with Ukrainians. But Trump is saying he's seen good signals from Moscow.
He wants to continue the talk.
So I think he wants to send Steve Witkoff and possibly Marco Rubio to Moscow to talk with Russian leaders, possibly Putin as well. Witkoff has already sat down with Putin for three and a half hours. We talked about that last week. It was an unannounced meeting. We didn't learn about it until quite some time afterwards.
So things are moving along. Things are moving along. But we know. Putin's bottom line. He says He does not want Ukraine and NATO.
He wants to limit the size of the Ukrainian army. And I guarantee you, he's going to want to keep, at the very least, Crimea and probably the Donbas, which Rick is really almost one hundred percent Russian.
Well, this situation is very complex, as you were saying. We don't actually know what's happening. But we look at President Trump's style of negotiation and his detractors, of which there are many, would say that he's on Russia's side and he came down too hard on Zelensky, but he was able to get them to the table. Can you talk about how this power negotiating is working and your opinion? Is it working out well for both sides?
Are we going to come to an agreement that would work?
Well, remember what Trump said during the meeting with Zelensky. He said, you're trying to rope me in, basically, on your side. You want the United States on your side in this war. And we're not going to do that. We're not on anybody's side.
We're going to play the middle here. We're going to help the two of you broker a peace deal. And remember also, last week when Putin launched this major attack, missiles and drone strikes on Ukraine's energy infrastructure, Trump said, Hey, I'm going to rethink the sanctions on Russia. And we're going to perhaps impose new sanctions. And this week he did just that.
He allowed a waiver, which was in place so the Europeans could continue to buy some oil from Russia. He allowed that waiver to expire.
So now they can no longer buy the oil from Russia.
So Trump has got a lot of cards to play. He is using them. Putin can see that. Zelensky has been a little bit less smart in his response, thinking, of course, that it's still President Biden. He can push around and bully and come here to the United States and strut like a peacock.
Those days are over. We're getting down to the real negotiations here, Rick. I think Trump also wants a return to normal relations with Russia. He wants to end the war footing. He wants to end Russian aggression.
I think that is his ultimate goal: to leave. The country, the world, Europe in a more secure situation than it was when he took office.
Well, I'm reminded of that old adage, Ken, keep your friends close and your enemies closer.
So this is not necessarily to say that he's endorsing President Putin or the way President Putin is operates in Russia, but this is just something that makes sense for the whole world, is for us to have at least some type of working relationship. Is that true? Yeah, absolutely. It's a bit like Riemann Henry Kissinger. It's realpolitique.
This is the way the world is. You cannot be a superpower, as we are, if you're not talking to the other superpowers. And now we have basically three of them: China, Russia, and the United States. We need to be talking to them. We don't have to like them, we don't have to agree with them, but we certainly do need to be talking.
Well, Ken, since you brought those up, let's go there next. Two of those superpowers, Russia and China, are holding nuclear talks with Iran and Beijing this week. Can you talk about that?
Well, remember, too, that President Trump has asked Russia in particular to intervene with the Iranians to see if there's a way of arranging a deal, a nuclear deal with Iran. He said, I'd much prefer to make a deal than to go to war. But if we got to go to war, we will.
So they held those talks yesterday in Beijing, and the Chinese have come on board as well.
Now, you got to remember, Rick, there's a real supreme irony here. Russia and China built. Most of Iran's nuclear infrastructure. The Chinese built their hexafluoride conversion plant, which allows them to take yellow cake uranium, the mineral, and then turn it into hexafluoride gas that they can then enrich. The Russians were the ones who initially provided centrifuge technology in the mid-1990s, ultimately canceled it, but they sent lots of Russian nuclear scientists to Iran as well.
All of Iran's ballistic missile equipment comes from Russia and China, with some additional from North Korea.
So the question is: are those two states, Russia and China, actually willing to pressure Iran? It's going to get really interesting here. There used to be, Rick, what we called a non-proliferation norm: that the nuclear powers, Russia, China, France, and Britain. Would not accept non-nuclear states going nuclear, right? We had the Non-Proliferation Treaty and all the rest.
And those nuclear states would not sell nuclear enrichment equipment or bomb-making equipment.
Well, that's all gone out the window, Rick, with the behavior of Russia and China over the past 15 years or so.
So I am not sure that Russia and China are so dead set against. Iran becoming a nuclear weapon state, that still remains to be seen.
Well, Ken, one of the unintended consequences of the isolation that we have imposed on Russia because of this Ukraine war is the fact that it has driven them into the arms of China and Iran. Can you talk a little bit about that and how it may change with this ceasefire? It has driven them together, the isolation of Russia under Biden. They've been holding these drills, though, since 2019 when Donald Trump was president. It was a first effort.
It was just the beginning of that cooperation. We all took note of it at the time, and we talked about that on this show, Rick. They held those drills every year since then, except during the COVID year, and it's bringing Russian and Chinese warships into the Gulf of Oman. This is this very strategic area off the coast of Iran and the coast of Oman. It's the entry into the Persian Gulf where still roughly one-third of the world's oil transits every day.
So this is an area, Rick. That used to be patrolled exclusively by the U.S. Navy and by NATO Navies.
Well, guess who's there now today? Russia and China as well. Not such a good development, if you ask me. Very concerning for sure, Ken.
Well, let's move away from Europe there and we'll go to the Middle East. And there have been reports from Syria that there was an increase in violence and killings this week. Can you talk a little bit about that?
Well, Rick, we have been getting reports of an uptick in violence against minorities, against Alawites in particular. This is the Shiite sect that was of President Assad and his followers, but also attacks on Christians and Kurds where militia groups have gone in, militias close to the new regime, have gone in and killed Christians in their homes, have looted shops. And this is very disturbing. The United Nations has been following it using their kind of strict verification methods. They say they've documented the killing of 90 men, 18 women, two girls, and one boy.
So, you know, a little under 120 people. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which has been tracking Death toll all during the Civil War. They say that about 20%. 1,200 people have been killed, civilians have been killed since the fall of Assad, and these people have been killed by the anti-Assad fighters who now run the country. But look, on the positive side of the ledger, you see Syria's interim president, Ahmad Al-Shara, he has first agreed to form an independent investigative committee to look into this and to hold people accountable.
Now, let's. we'll see if that actually happens. But even more importantly, Greg, This new Syrian government has agreed with the Kurds in the north of the Syrian Democratic Forces to integrate. All of their, basically their operations into the government. This is their oil fields, their gas fields, the airports they control, but also their militias.
Now, if that happens, that was a deal, by the way, brokered by Marco Rubio this week. We announced it on Monday. If that actually happens and it happens in a way where the Kurds retain their identity and retain their ability to be Kurds in Syria, I would call that a very positive impact.
So, Rick, it's really glass half full or the glass half empty. It depends on how you look at it. Better than it was under Assad. Not as good as one would like to see. Ken Timmerman for Prophecy Today.
Ken, as always, we appreciate your insight. We appreciate you using your experience to help explain what is going on around the world. Look forward to talking to you again soon. Thanks so much, Rick. God bless.
Great job, as always, Ken.
Well, we 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 Ruth Kramer with Mission Network News. Complexities in Syria have deepened. Last week, a band of fighters from the old regime killed more than a dozen government soldiers in western Syria.
When the government sent in troops, a massacre began. Numbers are still coming in, but think hundreds of fighters and civilians dead, primarily from the Alawite Islamic sect, but also Christians. Samuel from Redemptive Story says there's a deeper issue in the fallout. The new government is showing their inability to really try to. Form systems of society that are needed in order to be able to govern its people.
He calls Syria slightly organized chaos.
So we're just praying for our brothers and sisters on the ground that they can find that balance of still being able to engage people and particularly help them in their season of fear and concern. Prayer points and more can be found at our website. And what makes men truly courageous? David Carlson from Trans World Radio says, Muslim men have been overlooked in outreach efforts in a culture where weakness must be hidden. Many struggle emotionally.
To address this, Carlson launched Men of Courage, a program based on global research into the challenges they face. The vision for this is bringing fresh perspective on life and eternity. We want really to bring hope, bring help to the Muslim men. If they become Christians, praise God, we want to go that direction. But already, from the startup, we want to help them do better in their own life and grow the society, of course, with the biblical values underneath.
The program includes social media content, a drama series, and a talk show available in several languages. We can connect you at our website. 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. That's missionnews.org. I'm Ruth Kramer.
Welcome back to Prophecy Today Radio, the program that looks at current events in the light of Bible prophecy.
Well, this is 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 in Israel, Dave Dolan. Dave, thanks for being with us today.
As always, Rick, it's a blessing.
Well, Dave, we were talking about this before we came on air. There's never a shortage of news coming out of Israel. What's the latest?
Well, Rick, a lot of it uh just occurred in the last twenty-four hours. where we had Hamas. Saying is ready to release Edan Alexander, the dual American-Israeli hostage, being held in very poor health. In Gaza, of course, President Trump very much demanding his immediate release, along with the four bodies of the deceased dual American Israelis. in exchange for Israel getting back fully to the negotiating table and declaring that Phase two is here and that this will end with an IDF pullout, all these sorts of things.
Well, the Israelis responded the Prime Minister's office calling it cheap manipulation, that they're trying to drive a wedge between the U.S. and Israel, that they know that more than one living hostage is being asked for to be released, and not just this one. They said that the Hamas claim that this is a positive response from them. And it also went on to say in their statement, Rick, that Israel must be held accountable for fully implementing its commitments.
Well, this is the Israelis say nonsense. They're making unrealistic.
So the negotiating team was called back home last evening from Doha. And then we had statements at the same time from Steve Witcoff and Marco Rubio, the two leading U. S. negotiators to try to bring about a solution. we had Witkopf say that this is a quote very poor gamble on Hamas's side, that thinking time is on its side, it's not true.
He added they're making quote unrealistic demands. That can only be addressed in a final accord if one ever comes, and not at this stage. This came after Adam Buller Rick earlier this week was fired.
Now, that was the Special envoy to the talks, another special envoy, actually a friend of the president's son-in-law. He was his roommate, George Kirchner, in college. He was fired for talking last week to Hamas in an unauthorized manner and for making proposals that hadn't been cleared with Israel or the U.S. Beforehand. Marco Rubio made some very strong statements last night, Rick.
He said that these exchanges are ridiculous, 400 prisoners for three hostages. He said this is sick and disgusting. He said it's not normal negotiating with these people who he called, quote, bad.
So it looks like the negotiations over the hostage release are falling apart again, Rick, and that we may be heading into full conflict. And frankly, the Israelis believe that Hamas is just stalling for time here, that they're just trying to rearm and get as ready for the coming war, a rewar, as it were, as they can, and that this isn't a serious proposal at all. The other big story this week, Rick, was up in Syria, where we had the new government there and basically declare that it's in power for the next five years. They introduced a constitution on Monday that calls for Islamic rule. That calls for Sharia rule to be all over the country.
Then the new government made a pact with the Kurds in the northeast of Syria. Of course, that's the US-backed forces there. And basically disarming them and joining them to his new army. And that came, Rick, after the Russian ambassador to Syria said that around 8,000 Syrian residents, citizens are housed in the Russian air base, taking shelter there in the northwest of Syria because they're afraid to go home to be slaughtered by this new government.
Meanwhile, Israel showed its displeasure with some of this by launching the largest air raid in two months. In and around Damascus earlier in the week, striking dozens of targets connected to the Syrian regime and the military there. Not a good sign for the future. And of course, the Syrian government condemned this very, very much.
So they see Sharia law coming in. They see this, quote, interim president for five years. And Rick, he's supposed to set up a committee to set up a new constitution and hold elections after five years. One-third of the members will be named by Ashara, and two-thirds by a committee that he appoints.
So he has rapidly established himself as the strongman, the new dictator, the new leader. And of course, he's a radical Muslim fundamentalist. Israel is already very concerned about Islamic Jihad, signs that they're operating again from. Damascus. In fact, they bombed a headquarters of them on Wednesday.
So, Rick, the situation up there is heating up. But just to end with some good news: the Israelis have Had a delegation of Druze leaders from southern Syria.
Now, the Druze, of course, is a small offshoot sect. Of Islam that's headquartered in that area. They came into the Golan Heights, into Israel proper during the week, visited some Druze shrines that are there, and Israel is seeking to very much strengthen its ties with the Syrian Druze community as a buffer basically to this new, frankly, Islamic state that's being formed. And finally, on that, the Islamic State leader in Iraq, next door to Iraq, the US said, was killed by Iraqi and US and coalition forces. On Friday, he had been known to be conducting some of the raids some of the attacks upon US forces in the area.
Well, David, lots to follow up on there. Let's start with the first part of your report. You were talking about Hamas. And you were saying that Hamas is attempting to drive a wedge between the United States and Israel. And David, you have always said that Israel's most important ally is the United States.
Is there any chance that Hamas can use this issue to drive a wedge between the relationship between Israel and this new Trump administration?
Well, it already is doing that. And by the way, Rick, it was the Netanyahu government that said that, that the U. S. is trying that Hamas is trying to drive a wedge between us. And the United States.
And it's Israeli reports that are confirming all of this.
So What can I say? They have a real weapon here. Because, of course, the Israelis that are demanding the hostage releases. The Alexander family, of course, and many others. are putting constant pressure on Netanyahu to do some sort of a deal to declare the end of the war so that they can get these people home alive.
And we're only talking about twenty six or so now that are thought to be alive. I think it's twenty four actually is the latest.
So they see this as a real weapon that Hamas has. And again, it's just a ridiculous what let me just quote you what Rubio said exactly. Quote, these exchanges are ridiculous. 400 prisoners for three. It's insane.
They kidnapped children, babies, took them and put them in tunnels. We're acting as if these are normal exchanges. We should all agree that what Hamas did is ridiculous. Sick, disgusting. And should never have happened.
This is not a normal negotiation. These are bad people. We want all the hostages out.
So obviously, the U. S. is not going along. with this ploy, if it indeed is a Hamas ploy. And again, it was Witkopf that said that in these direct talks that are taking have been taking place in Doha, they are making absurd demands.
They want a solution to the whole thing guaranteed and in writing before they proceed with anything else. That wasn't the deal. The deal was for Stage two to begin negotiations for that, but that, that would take some time. And meanwhile, there would be more hostages released.
So, Israel's pulled back partly because of the horrors of the earlier releases and the Beavis boys and all of that.
So they of course pulled back, but not stop the whole thing. They did halt aid. to uh Gaza, and of course they turned off some electricity this week into Gaza. Israel supplies them with electricity. People don't know that.
A lot of their water comes from Israel. People don't know that, but it's the reality. And the US is not pressuring, Rick, this is interesting, Netanyahu at this time to reverse those things. And it's pretty obvious to me that President Trump has really had it, like he said. And that really, this is on such a thin thread.
And Witkoff's warning, you don't play with this any longer. You don't have forever, Hamas, to do something here. We made some earlier agreements. You show some good faith here and don't put forth these Totally unreal proposals. One hostage would be released, Rick, and again another 400, one living hostage, and for four dead bodies.
Israel will release another four hundred And Rick, by the way, I'll end with this. They're seeing already the results of releasing the earlier Prisoners in Israeli jails, terrorists mostly, were seeing a sharp upsurge in terror attacks and suspected planning and plotting and different things like that in Judea and Samaria, where some of them many of them have gone back to family homes.
So the popular opinion for this to go forward as it has been is getting thinner all the time, I'd say. Dave Dolan reporting for Prophecy Today. Dave, as always, we appreciate you keeping us aware of what is going on in Israel. We look forward to talking to you again soon. And I do as well.
God bless. Great job, as always, David. We've got to take a break. And when we come back, Israel, Madad, and Osama Dakdak, the holiday of Purim and Ramadan happening at the same time. We'll take a break.
Right here on Prophecy Today weekend. I'm Rich Kramer with Mission Network News. Last week, a band of fighters from Syria's old regime killed more than a dozen government soldiers in western Syria. When the government sent in troops, a massacre began. Numbers are still coming in, but hundreds of fighters and civilians are dead, mostly Alawites, but also Christians.
Samuel from Redemptive Story says the new government is showing its inability to form systems of society in order to govern. Pray that Christians will find gospel opportunities despite Syria's deep suffering. And David Carlson from Transworld Radio says: Muslim men have been overlooked in outreach efforts. In a culture where weakness must be hidden, many struggle emotionally. To address this, Carlson launched Men of Courage, a program based on global research into the challenges they face.
The program features biblical values and includes social media content, a drama series, and a talk show. You can find your place in the story at missionnews.org. Mission Network News, a service of one-way Ministries on Ruth Kramer. 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. You know, we've been doing this for so many years. And actually, Rick, I've been in Israel since 1984. We first started living there, working there, reporting from Israel, producing programs. And then mom and dad moved there in 1991.
We've been through quite a few of the wars that have been there during this time. We have reported on them. We have tried to keep the body of Christ educated on what is taking place in the land of Israel. And, you know, so we do have an Israeli flavor to this program.
Now, it's not a Jewish program. We do focus on the Jewish people. And as you understand Bible prophecy, you understand that the Jewish people play a major role in the future, according to God's prophetic word. Word. And we need to always keep in mind as we study God's Word that over a third of God's Word contains Bible prophecy.
Past prophecies that were fulfilled with the birth of Jesus Christ and through the Old Testament and into the New Testament. And now there are many, in fact, 500 prophecies left to be fulfilled in the future.
So that's why we focus on the Jewish people so much. One of the things that I thought, and this is the holiday of Purim, and most of the Jewish world, if not all of them, have just celebrated Purim. And Rick, you and I have been there also in Israel on the Feast of Purim. But I thought there's no better person to give us an understanding of exactly how Purim fits into today and world events and as they are taking place, but what is going on in Israel at this moment.
So I thought we should go to our good friend Israel Madad.
Well, that's right, Jimmy. We do have Winky Madad with us. He is our good friend. He's a political commentator in Israel. He keeps up with everything that is going on.
Going on, especially as it pertains to the Middle East and to Israel. Winky, as always, thanks for being with us today. As always, thank you again for having me on.
Well, Winky, you're coming to us from your home there in Israel, and you are currently celebrating Purim. Of course, Purim, that holiday that commemorates the Jews' deliverance from annihilation from Persia or Haman at that time. And of course, we know Iran is modern day Persia, so things like they say, the more they change, the more they stay the same. You are still facing a threat from Iran, and we know that you will continue in the future to face that threat. But can you talk a little bit about the Jewish festival of Purim and then, of course, how it relates to our modern day situation right now?
Well, we have in Judaism two holidays That are post-Biblical. The first, of course, is Purim, which we're going to talk about, and the other one was Kanaka. which he talked about about three months ago. And so they're not as strict in religious observance in terms of desisting from work or other things like that. But they're very important because actually they apply much more to the community of Israel.
Or the Commonwealth of Judea as it was at the time. Purim, for example, takes place basically during the first exile in in in Babylon. which eventually, as we all know, became Persia. And Persia became Iran. And today, we have a lot of problems with Iran.
so that history seems to repeat itself or at least flow in general directions, which always bring us back to the Bible. And so reading the book of Esther in the Bible, And reading the book of the Maccabees, which was not. Included at all in the Bible. There are many lessons to be learned, and anybody who has eyes. in their head.
that history does repeat itself and people have to be prepared. to prevent the bad history from happening again.
Well, Winky, as we continue this Purim theme of talking about Israel's relationship with modern-day Persia, which is Iran, we have to talk about October 7th, and that changed everything. The Iranian-backed proxy, Hamas, attacking Israel. But since that time, Israel had a terrible day there. But since that time, they have grown stronger. And now, according to an article that you wrote, an opinion piece for the Jerusalem Post, they are in a position to defend non-Islamist minorities in the Middle East.
Can you talk about that?
Well, it's an old idea that I twisted around a little bit to come up to contemporary political history. I'm sure most of the older people listening in will remember the attempt of Menachem Begin. Back in the late seventies to try to protect the Maronite Christians in Lebanon. And you and I, and myself and your father. And I've been talking for decades about the fact that The Middle East is actually made up of many, many minorities that were conquered by Islamist forces back in the seventh century.
And these still exist. They're Christians. the Maronites, the Yazidis, the Berbers, uh Assyrians It must be about twenty-five or so larger and smaller minorities, including the Kurds, who are very large, and the Druze. And we just saw over the past couple of weeks Israel extending a threat To Syria. We're responsible.
We're guaranteeing the Druze. right along our new border with Syria. And last week, we had the massacres of the Alawites. on the northern Syrian coast. And my suggestion was that Israel align itself With the Christian world that has an understanding of what it means to have civilization crushed by murderous forces And together, protect all the minorities whether they're Christian, whether they're non-Christian or otherwise.
extending around the Middle East, that we build a new I would hope, a new sort of federation of an anti-Islamist for anti-Islamist forces on the ground. Very interesting thought. And for those that are interested, you can go to the Jerusalem Post and look at the opinion piece. Israel Madat has that article there talking about all of that.
Well, another thing that I saw, and this is something I saw that you posted on Twitter, we talk about the Hamas attack, and you look at the fact that Hamas is still trying to survive.
Now, Israel has said they're going to get rid of them, but Hamas has a plan. What is that plan? Maybe they're going to follow the game plan of Hezbollah, where they're not officially in charge, but they have a de facto shadow army there in Gaza. Is this something that you see as potentially could happen? And it's certainly dangerous for Israel if they do let this happen, isn't it?
Absolutely. It was a position paper I I caught which I think I agree with. And as you said, Chizbullah over the past twenty five, thirty years, has established itself as a state within a state. And Lebanon officially, at least until this newest government, and we're still going to give it some chance. has not been able to do anything security wise, economically wise.
culturally wise, religious freedom wise in Lebanon, which is still has a large Christian Maronite population, but it doesn't take responsibility. It is a political party, but everybody knows that its guns are what protects it. and asserts its rule and dominance over Lebanese politics. And the paper said simply that's what Commerce wants to do. He wants to end the war with Israel.
It wants to stay in power. It wants to hold on to its guns. And if I can mention another Twitter I mentioned, Everybody should remember that when the IRA entered into a peace agreement, It decommissioned itself. Decommission was a British term for giving up all the psalms.
Well, I think anything that we have to do with Hamas is first, Give up all your weapons. Right? And then you can play around whatever you want to do in Gaza Beach in the sand or whatever you want to do. but we're not going to allow you any regime status, any political status. You want to become a religious group?
fanatic as much as you want to, that's your problem as long as you don't attack Israel. And so that parallel between his valah and what Hamas wants to do, I think people should keep an eye on. They certainly should.
Well, another thing I want to keep an eye on is the thought and I again I mentioned at the very beginning that you live in the area of Judea and Samaria, and there's a heavy Palestinian population there, and even quite a few Hamas sympathizers and possibly Hamas there. I saw this week that the IDF was preparing for what would happen there if the factions there in Judea and Samaria did an October seventh style massacre. Can you talk about the danger that those Jews living in Judea and Samaria face?
Well, the original idea of Yahya Sinoir was that the Arabs of Judea and Samaria should arise, Hezbollah should attack, Iran would do more. Only the Houthis down there in Yemen were the only ones who followed through.
So we were a little bit lucky on that. But directing an answer to your question, The IDF has increased Both what I call static defense, in other words, around defenses. etc., but also going into hotspots like Jenin and Tulkaram and other places. of where Hamas has been building itself up over the last couple of years. I think we mentioned here that there's been a lot of sneaking of arms across the border from Jordan and Egypt.
And so we should not relax our vigilance. In order not to repeat an october seventh incident, Their hatred, their willingness to use terror is ongoing all the time. and we cannot allow them to entrench themselves in any way whether it's training, whether it's storing arms. Whether it's exercising theirselves in the military maneuvers, the Army has to be very much more proactive in going after them, and we hope they're successful.
Well, in a follow-up to a story that I did last week, I talked about some American congressmen, American politicians, saying that they wanted a resolution to start referring to the West Bank area as Judea and Samaria. The West Bank means it's essentially part of Jordan. If you call it Judea and Samaria, that's the biblical name. That's what it should be called.
Well, let's fast forward to this week, and there's a group of Israeli politicians, ministers, and MKs that have sent a letter to the U.S. Congress. Urging them to recognize the Jewish people's historical and religious connection to the Temple Mount.
Now, resolutions can be whatever you want, but the way the things are in America right now with President Trump in office and quite a few people that are sympathetic to Israel, can you talk about something like this and whether how it we do you think it'll be received and do you think there'll be any uh change in the official American position?
Well um years ago, I think, once in a while we discussed the Annual religion religious freedom report of the State Department. And they always managed to find a way of intimating that Jews don't belong on the Temple Mount. I would hope that Secretary of State Rubio Reconsider how the chapter or the section on the Temple Mount or Jerusalem. will be worded by his new administration control over the State Department. And this letter going to senators.
and Congressman, I'm not sure exactly who was on the list, But uh whoever it is This will, of course, increase the acknowledgment That Jews in Jerusalem, in Israel, should have at least equal rights to the Moslems on the Temple Mount. That should be a given. we can argue about whether or not a temple is going to be built tomorrow and by whom. We'll leave that more to the area of theology and religion. although eventually it will happen because we know it's in the Bible.
But We are talking here politics, and politics means that human beings are equal and they should have equal rights. Jews, as we've discussed the years on this program, uh have been uh uh second class in terms of whether they can pray, whether they can study up there, whether they can archaeologically excavate up there. It's as if Jews are only tourists but don't belong there as people who have rights to their sacred uh location. And if this Further is The case of the Jews and the Temple Mount, I'm all for it. We'll certainly see how that develops.
Well, for my final question for you, as I said, we are in the holiday of Purim. If you could let us know a little bit about what you do there in Israel to observe Purim, and maybe give us a brief Hebrew lesson. If we have Hebrew friends, if we have Jewish friends and we want to wish them greetings during this Purim time, can you tell us how we do that?
Well, let's start with that first, so I don't forget it. The Hebrew phrase Is Yeah. Samea. We don't say Chag Samer because Chag is usually reserved for the pilgrimage at festivals.
So it's Purim. Samea. With a harsh CH at the end there. And there are four Uh obligations For observing Jews on the Purim Festival. One is to listen and hear.
the Magilla being read from parchment. Uh scroll I guess you would describe it. The second As always, partake a festive meal. Third is handing out gifts. And the fourth.
is handing out gifts to friends.
So that this way, as I can describe it, There's a personal The community? and is also a charitable connection So that you're talking about All levels of interpersonal relationships here. In a Purim holiday. And I think that's very unique about Judaism. It always it talks about the individual responsibility and obligations, but it also connects to the community and the greater world around so that we are always on at least two levels inter interrelating with people.
And I think that's a very good thing that everybody of any religion Should have ducked.
Well very good explanation, and then may I be th the first to say purim samaak to you, is that right? That is absolutely correct. You've won the prize. Thank you so much, Wiki.
Well, as always, we appreciate your insight into the political situations, into the situation with Purham, and we appreciate your explanations for us. We look forward to talking to you again soon. Thank you very much. Goodbye to you and our audience. Rick, you have won the prize.
Israel Madad in Israel, and I always love what he does. You know, the story of Esther and the Feast of Purim are powerful reminders of God's enduring faithfulness and deliverance. Just as he preserved the Jewish people from annihilation through Esther's courage and Mordecai's steadfast faith, so too does God continue to intervene in our lives today. The Feast of Purim stands not only as a commemoration of salvation, but as a call to recognize and celebrate the ongoing deliverance God grants to his people. It prompts us to reflect on our own experiences of rescue and redemption, reminding us that God remains faithful in every circumstance.
He sure does, offering hope, protection, and times of adversity. And it lets us renew our trust in God's providence and take comfort in his promises to deliver and sustain his people throughout all generations. Steve Herzig is going to come at the end of the program to wrap it up for us on what Purim means for the believer.
Well, let's talk about Ramadan. We're in the midst of Ramadan in Israel and around the world.
So I thought it would be good that, Rick, we bring in our good friend Usama Dakdak. Usama Dakdak. He's the founder of the Straightway of Grace Ministry. He's a speaker on a daily radio broadcast revealing the truth about Islam. He speaks fluent Arabic and has translated the Quran into English.
He's the author of Exposing the Truth About Quran and Exposing the Truth About Jihad, as well as booklets called The Violent Truth About Islam and the Straight Way to Eternal Life. Have I missed out anything there, Osama? You are absolutely right on the money. That's all what we got so far.
Well, so much. We appreciate you being on the program. Like I said, you are an old friend of ours. We've been at conferences and done things together in the past, so we appreciate you coming on the program today. Thank you so much.
It's always my joy and my pleasure to be with you and all your wonderful audience. Osama, we were talking before we came on the air and we said a little bit. You know, you haven't been on in a while, and I said I only needed a few minutes today. And you said, Well, I need at least half an hour.
So I tell you, after this, we're going to try to get you on the program maybe for a longer segment next time. But right now, in the brief time that we have, we are in the middle of Ramadan. We've talked about it over the last few weeks.
Now it is coming up, and Ramadan is being used essentially as a call for violence against the Jewish people, against Israel. Can you talk a little bit about Ramadan and its relation to violence? Absolutely. You know, throughout the history of Islam, the last fourteen hundred and fifty years, Muslims, starting by Muhammad, the self proclaimed Prophet of Islam, use that month for jihad. As a matter of fact, if you go online right now and search in the Arabic language and say The month of Ramadan.
You will see the first title of all the articles. The month of Ramadan is the month of Jihad. And they they brag about all what they have accomplished. During that month in the last four ten years, and they give you history, days, years of the many battles we won, if it is in Spain or if it is in Morocco, or if it is in Egypt, or if it is literally. And they brag about October seven, that is the big war we have led in nineteen seventy-three against Israel.
Obviously, we did not win any war. It's just It's just in the mind that this is the month where they have be blessed. by performing jihad for the sake of Allah and Allah honor is their offered in that month. We were talking with Dave Dolan last week. He's the author of a book talking about the spread of Islam.
And looking at it, this is not something that is new, the relationship between not only Ramadan and violence, but just the religion of Islam and violence. That is the main way that Islam was spread throughout the years, ever since its inception, right? Absolutely, but you have to understand that Muhammad kinda picked up that month because it is a month where he claimed to receive the Quran. And in the teaching of the Quran, which is full of violence, it is like, well, it's a double blessing. If you do jihad in the month of Ramadan, you kill one infidel, a Christian or a Jew.
Well, guess what? You got tenfold blessings.
So it's better to fight in the month of Ramadan than any other month. And don't forget that there are two big battles. the big batter battle and the opening or the invasion of Mecca also took place in the month of Ramadan.
So Muslim always say, well, if we put any effort in that month, Allah will reward us ten times false. But we know for sure we will be blessed because that is the month of jihad. Of course, and we've talked about it in the past, that they have called Islam a religion of peace, and it certainly does not seem that that is the case. And it also seems as we look at the news and we look at people calling for a ceasefire, and of course there are horrible things happening in Gaza, but where do you put that blame? That's the question.
But as we look at that situation, can you talk a little bit maybe in general about some of the misconceptions that the world in general, maybe especially us here in the United States, have about Islam? Sure would. Islam is a religion of peace when Muslims are weak. Quran, chapter 47, and verse 35. Is very well-known verse by all Muslims, and they practice it all their life.
So Allah said: Do not be weak. And do not call for peace when you have the upper hand.
So, whenever Muslims do not have the upper hand, means they're weak, they do not have enough. Weapon or do not have enough men to fight. They are peaceful people. But the reality is, in Islam, there is no peace. Only when they are weak.
And when they have the strength, then the true nature of Islam, the violence and the savage teaching throughout the Biden Quran, are put into action. And that is the problem. We see some Muslims are peaceable people. Why? Because they're pretending, they're practicing what we call taqiyyah, Quran chapter 3, verse 28.
That is, they took an infidel as infidels with their tongue, but not with their heart. And once again, this can only be practiced when Muslims do not have strength and do not have the upper hand.
So it may look like a peaceable religion, peaceful religion, but in reality. There is no peace in Islam whatsoever as long as Muslims have strength to fight and to invade other lands. We certainly could take a look at this. Islam has a certain amount of consistency, and there's that old saying, if somebody is going to tell you what they are, you should believe them and take them at their word. And that is a situation that we look at here.
Islam is telling us what they're going to do. as you said, when they get the upper hand.
Well, the problem also, as the scripture said in Hosea 4:6, my people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. And I see some imams, some Muslim leaders of Many jihadi chapters all over America who actually present themselves to be like a non-profit ministry, like a church like your ministry or my ministry. And these people are these people are lying, uh practicing taqiyyah. And you know, in Islam it is lawful to lie to an infidel.
So here we go, you see them lying to us. And because people do not know the true nature of Islam and the true practices uh of the Islam, and so if it's the word of Allah or the command of Muhammad, then America can be who I call naive. They come to believe that Islam is a peaceful religion, but Once again, there is no peace in Islam because there is no command in the Quran for Muslims to live in peace or in harmony with anybody, especially when they do have strength and they have the upper hand. Again, we're speaking with Hassama Daktak. He's the founder of the Straightway of Grace Ministry.
You are helping to educate us now on what Islam is. And this is essentially from the reading of the Quran. You're not conjecture. There's no supposition here. You're reading what the Quran says, and this is what the Islamic world is reacting to.
And that is part of your ministry. If you could, could you talk a little bit about your ministry, the Straightway of Grace Ministry, and how you are using that ministry to educate the Christian community, but also to reach the Muslim world? Brother, this is exactly the heart and the desire of our ministry. We need to see Muslim people get saved, and they will not be saved unless they know the reality and the true Sabbat, their cult. It is a savage cult.
Not every Muslim has the chance to read and understand the Quran. And as I always said, if it is in the Quran, And as it is interpreted by Muslim scholars, it is Islam. If it is not in the Quran, It is not Islam.
So it is as well with the teacher of Muhammad. If Muhammad said it, And Muhammad practiced it, that means it is Sunnah. It is the way of life of every Mo of every Muslim. And that is my heart desire, is to see Americans Learn the truth about Islam for the love of their children and for the love of this great country, and also for the love of the Muslims. Because how can we reach out to the Muslim with the truth of the gospel if we do not know too much about Islam or if we know the false information which some Muslims spread all over this land?
So I hope and I pray that through your ministry here and any effort given by anybody to expose the truth about Islam, this is It's very important. If you never know that you're sick, why you go to the doctor? Why you take medicine, why you bring healing to your body. And that is what I believe Muslims need to know. They need to be set free, and they will never be set free until they know that they are lost.
And that is, once again, the hope and the desire of our ministry. And I'm looking forward for the next podcast with you as well when we have a little bit more time to go a little bit in depth.
Well, absolutely, and we will certainly do that. If you could, could you let our listeners know how they can find out more about you, get your books? Do you have a website? What can they do to find out more about your ministry? It is zestraightway.org.
Zestraightway.org. And if you go there, there are plenty of materials, and we have lots of articles of uh which we wrote throughout the years and uh lots of pretty broadcasts.
So I I hope and I pray that people will go and visit our site and come and check it out. Usama Dakdak from the Straightway of Grace Ministry. Usama, thank you again. It's been good talking to you again and we're going to talk to you again soon. Same here, brother.
Thank you so much. God bless you now. Osama Dak Dak, excellent job, as always. You know, Rick, this last half hour was a very good half hour of information that we could use. We hope that people understand and use that information to broaden their worldview, to broaden their prophetic biblical worldview as to God's working in the world today, so that we might be aware.
Well, we have a new study that we're doing on our legacy series with Dr. Jimmy DeYoung, and it's in the book of Isaiah. That's all ahead, right here on Prophecy Today weekend. 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. That's right, Jimmy. That's what we do here on this program, and we love to interact with our listeners. If you'd like to send us a message, go to our website, prophecytoday.com. Call us 423-825-6247.
We'd love to hear from you. I want to take just a quick second, Jimmy, to tell people that we appreciate the support. This program is supported by our listeners. If you'd like to be a part of that, go to our website, prophecytoday.com. We have a DVD that we would like to offer.
It's called Ready to Rebuild, Revisited. It's the revisiting of our very first video, Ready to Rebuild, 20 years later, looking at what's been done to rebuild the temple and the city of Jerusalem by the Jewish people, the Temple Institute, and all those that are interested in the Temple being rebuilt.
So, if you would like to get that DVD for a gift of any amount, we will gladly send that to you. Just call our ministry at 423-2222. 825-6247 and ask for the special offer and that you have a gift that you would like to give prophecy today. On the legacy series today, we're going to continue our study in the book of Isaiah. But first, we've got to go to the book of John.
Go to John chapter 12, verse 37, where Dr. Jimmy D. Young begins our study on the legacy series. Go to John chapter 12 with me, if you will, just a moment. The authority is the person Jesus Christ, and he's going to give testimony that indeed the book of Isaiah was written by one person, and that would be Isaiah.
The book of John 12, and let's look at verse 37. Jesus, of course, answering and interacting with the Sadducees and the Pharisees and the non-believers at the time he was in ministry. Look at verse 37. But though he had done so many miracles before them, yet they believed not on him. Verse 38, that the saying of Isaiah Let me just tell you, Isaiah by name is mentioned 22 times in the New Testament.
That's more than any prophet is mentioned in the New Testament. 22 times. Here, Jesus is quoting from Isaiah. Verse 38, that the saying of Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled, which he spake, Lord, who hath believed our report, and to whom hath the arm of the Lord been revealed? That's a quote from Isaiah chapter 53, verse 1.
Now, of course, you might have recalled Isaiah 53. We're going to look at the authenticity of Isaiah 53 and who is it talking about in Isaiah 53. Our Jewish friends believe it's talking about the nation. There are other ideas that our Jewish friends have, but I'm going to show you from the scripture that it's talking about Jesus Christ Himself. Here, Jesus quotes from Isaiah 53:1, verse 39: Therefore, they could not believe because that Isaiah said again.
Verse 40. And he hath blinded their eyes, and hardened their heart, that they should not see with their eyes, nor understand with their heart. and be converted, and that I should heal them. These things said Isaiah when he saw his glory and spake of him. That's Isaiah chapter 6.
In a moment, we're going to go to Isaiah chapter 6, and we'll see the call of the prophet Isaiah. It is so interesting to me, though, to see that Jesus Christ, in this passage in John chapter 12, quotes from the second section of the book of Isaiah, those 27 chapters that are in question as to whether Isaiah wrote that prophecy. And then he quotes from the first section, which basically nobody is questioning was written by the prophet Isaiah. And so we see the evidence. There was a test that God gave Moses to determine whether a prophet was true or not.
Go back just a moment. We'll go to Isaiah in a minute, but go back to Deuteronomy chapter 18. God lays out a test for those who are going to be prophets so that we can know for sure that we are hearing from God a prophecy. Deuteronomy chapter 18. Chapter 18.
Three verses I want us to look at here in Deuteronomy chapter 18. Verse 20. But the prophet Which shall presume to speak a word in my name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or that shall speak in the name of other gods, even that prophet shall die. By the way, that could take care of a lot of the problems we're having today with these people who say they have the gift of prophecy and can foretell the future. I've had people come to me when there was an announcement that I was going to be teaching prophecy in a location, and they said, well, can you tell me what's going to happen as it relates to my family?
Can you tell me what the future is? Are you one that can prophesy upon us? I say, no, I am not a foreteller of the future. I am a fourth F-O-R-T-H, fourth teller of the future. I've studied the prophetic word of God, and I can tell you what, thus saith the Lord, there is, but I cannot tell you how it's going to happen.
I'm not a prophet nor the son of a prophet, and I'm not going to be able to give you a prophecy. And so God's saying, if there's those who come saying that they prophesy in my name, And they are not really speaking for me, they should die. Verse 21. And if thou shalt say in thine heart, how shall we know the word which the Lord hath spoken? In other words, how are we going to find out if this is a true prophet or not?
Verse 22. When a prophet speaketh in the name of the Lord, if the thing follow not, not come to pass, that is the thing which the Lord hath not spoken, but the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously, thou shalt not be afraid of him. In other words, if it's a true prophet of God, it's a prophecy of God, God has given it to him, and that prophet will then give that prophecy, and it has to come true exactly by every single detail. Let's go to the book of Isaiah now and let's look and see, indeed, who the prophet, this prominent prophet, The number one of the prophets, probably the most beloved of all the prophets, the most quoted prophet in the New Testament. And let's look at some of the prominence that this man has.
We start here in chapter one, although chronologically that is not the place to start, but I want to show you chapter one first, then we'll go to chapter six, which is. Chronologically, the number one chapter in the book. But notice with, if you will, chapter 1, verse 1 of the book of Isaiah: the vision of Isaiah, the son of Amus. Which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem.
Now, notice who he is prophesying to. I said some of the prophets would prophesy to Israel, the northern kingdoms, the ten in the north, some to Judah. And so we now see specifically that here Isaiah is going to be a prophet to Judah, those two tribes in the south, and he's going to focus in particular on Jerusalem. I'm going to show you an amazing prophecy. during our study that is so unbelievable as it relates to the protection of the city of Jerusalem.
The word Jerusalem is used 15 times in the book of Isaiah, excuse me, 52 times in the book of Isaiah. It is unbelievable how the focus on Jerusalem is key to understanding God's plan for the future. If you want to know what God's doing, and this is the case as it relates to other prophecies as well, the book of Daniel, remember Daniel chapter 9, 24, God has a special plan for a special people in a special place. That special plan was a 490-year period of time, which would dictate when Messiah would be crucified. It would dictate the last seven years before the return of Jesus Christ.
That was the special plan, 490-year period of time, 483 years to the time of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. And in fact, Jesus said in Luke 19, if you had only read the book, you would have known I was to be here today. It was actually 173,880 days from the time that that 490-year period started until the time that Christ was to be crucified. The day that it was to happen, that is exactly what the prophecies talked about. And then it said, A special plan for a special people.
He said to Daniel, thy people. And then a special place, thy holy city. Nehemiah 11:2 says the city of Jerusalem is the holy city. And so we see that many of the prophets are prophesying about what will happen in Jerusalem. Zachariah chapter 12: Jerusalem shall become a cup of trembling, a burdensome stone.
Focus on Jerusalem. We have so many prophecy people that talk about everything except what is the epitome of understanding Bible prophecy. They talk about the New World Order, they talk about the Illuminati, they talk about the Bilderbergers and the Rockefellers, they talk about the United Nations, they talk about the world conspiracy.
Well, those are all interesting things, but that is not the central or should not be the central focus in studying Bible prophecy. The central focus has to be on the Jewish people in the city of Jerusalem. And that's exactly where Isaiah is going to go. Hey, this is going to be a prophecy to Judah. And to Jerusalem.
Now, get ready, you Jews. I'm going to be telling you what the situation is. You had better repent. Remember, the first 39 chapters are a message of retribution, of judgment. And that's what he's going to tell them here.
In chapter 1, I'm not going to read again, 66 chapters. We're not going to be able to cover it all. I want to give you the high spots. Hope you will just allow this to whet your appetite to study the book of Isaiah and go into it more in depth than I can spend with you in our hours together. But he says that Jerusalem and Judah are going to be key to understanding.
Notice what else he says: in the days of Usiah, of Jotham, of Ahaz, and of Hezekiah. I always tease about Hezekiah. That's in the book of Hezekiah, chapter 3 and verse 12, and people go to the Bible immediately, try to find it. There is no book of Hezekiah, but I have to tell you this, and we'll see this as the case as well. Hezekiah was one of the greatest kings of Judah.
Uzziah was a good king of Judah as well. Howbeit he made a mistake and he went into the temple. He was not allowed, even as the king of Judah, into the temple. God cast leprosy upon him, and he was to live out and didn't die his life early in life because of his disobedience to God. But it's four kings that Isaiah is going to have a responsibility with.
Verse 2: Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth, for the Lord has spoken. I have nourished and brought up children, and they have rebelled against me. And that sets the theme for most of the entire book of Isaiah in that one verse. And you notice what the Lord is doing, it's like he's calling all of creation into the courtroom. And he says, pay attention.
You only know what's The way to live and Why I'm going to chastise? Here I nourish the people. The tribe of Judah The Jewish people. They rebelled against me. They're the chosen people.
They rebelled against me. Pay attention. everybody else. If you're not being chastised, For your sins. You're not of me.
As the text says, and this is not vernacular. You're not a son of God. Hebrews. is the text. He says in the courtroom of all the creation, wake up heavens!
Wake up earth! I nourish this people. They're the apple of my eye. They rebelled against me. I'm gonna deal with them.
The rest of chapter one is setting the stage for that to happen, but there's a precious verse in here. And it's one oft quoted by Christians, especially when trying to lead somebody to the Lord. It's a very familiar verse. Starting verse 17, look, and then I'll give you the familiar verse. Verse 17, he talks about judgment.
He talks about, I will not hide mine eyes from you, I will not hear your prayers in verse 15. Get yourself right. Cease doing evil in verse 16, verse 17. Learn to do well, seek judgment. Relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widows.
Then look at verse 18. Come now. Let us reason together, saith the Lord, though your sins be of scarlet. They shall be as white as snow, though they be red like crimson. They shall be as wool.
In this pronouncement of judgment, Through the prophet Isaiah. God even comforts. These people. who've rebelled against him. Though your sins be of scarlet.
They shall be as white as snow. Purity. Sin red. White purity. Isaiah chapter one, verse two.
seems to set the theme for this magnificent book. The Lord's children have rebelled against him. But as we close and after the program concludes, Please read again Isaiah chapter one verse eighteen. Your sin as my sin is as scarlet but we as sinners shall be white as snow. What a promise Please join us again next week as we continue our study of the book of Isaiah.
We pray that you'll be able to be with us. Dr. Jimmy DeYoung and the Legacy Series. We've got to take a break, and when we come back, Steve Herczik with Friends of Israel as we wrap up the program today talking about PERM. Right here on Prophecy Today Weekend.
I'm Ruth Kramer with Mission Network News. On Tuesday, militants from the Baloch Liberation Army in Pakistan hijacked a passenger train and took over 400 people hostage. Pakistan's military says they've now freed the hostages, but 21 passengers were killed.
However, as of yesterday, the BLA claims it still holds over 100 hostages. Nehemiah with FMI says this attack highlights growing extremism in the country. Pakistan is now ranked as the second most Terrorism affected the country in the world. right after Burkina Faso and before Syria. Alarmingly, terrorism related deaths in Pakistan rose by forty five percent in twenty twenty four alone.
Despite the threat of rising extremism, Pakistani believers are praying that the terrorists would come to know Jesus. Would you join us in praying with them? And Tom Adamas says Heart for Lebanon is currently educating just under 2,000 students in the country, many of whom are Syrian refugees between the ages of 5 and 13. You can mold that mind very appropriately in one of two directions: for good or for evil. And we bend it for good so the radical groups don't bend it for evil.
Students at each of the two ministry centers take classes in everything from science to Arabic. Most importantly, they hear the word of God. Adamas says this biblical training is a seed for spiritual growth and gospel spread. Most of these kids, I would say, are the best, some of the best ambassadors for Jesus Christ because they're winning mom, and if they have a dad at home, dads, and their family to Christ. Heart for Lebanon is looking for another 275 prayer partners this year.
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 for the last hour and a half.
Well, as we're coming to the end of the program, we always call this section of the program a look at the book, where we examine all the current events that we have looked at and tie it into God's prophetic word. This week, on a look at the book, we have Steve Herzig, who is the North American Director of Ministries for Friends of Israel. Welcome to the program, Steve. Oh, it's great to be here with you.
Well, the Jewish people have just come through the holidays of Purim. Could you just give us an understanding as we are taking a look at the book and how this fits in with the book of Esther? I sure will, Jimmy. I really appreciate the time.
Well, you know, it's an interesting book because God's name's not mentioned in it. There's a lot of coincidences, Jimmy, and you and I know as we take a look at the book, there is no such thing as coincidences. The Jewish people were spared. And I like to say if it wasn't for Forum, There wouldn't be Christmas. If it wasn't for Hanukkah, there wouldn't be Christmas.
And if it wasn't for Purim, there wouldn't be Christmas. Because if all the Jews were killed, there'd be no Lord Jesus Christ. And so. That book is important. Only book, as I said, that God's name is not mentioned yet.
I submit to you, He was there all the time. The Jewish People Are Spared. I grew up celebrating. Forum. We read the whole book of Esther.
It's called the Megillah. Whenever we hear Haman's name, we go and hiss, and we have noise makers. That's right. And I did it with my grandkids this week. And it's just a joy to do that.
And it's just a celebration of God's working. Under the conditions That are there, and he does. He was there all the time, and Jewish people celebrate. I know you've probably been in Israel during Forum, and all the kids are dressed up, and every kind of. Thing you can imagine when I was a kid, you were either Esther, Haman, Mordecai, or Ahashuaris.
Now they're Marvel, Thomas, Iron Man, Iron Man, all that stuff.
So that fit in a nutshell, Jimmy.
So I think one of the keys is that if it wasn't for Purim or if it wasn't for Esther and being there at a time such as it was, the Jewish people by the Persians would have been wiped out. And this is a program that Satan really has been trying to inflict throughout all of history. He wants to defeat the Jewish people. If he can defeat the Jewish people, wipe them out, he can defeat God. And as we learned from you, all he has to do is to get rid of the foundations of the sun, the moon, the stars, and the earth.
But how can we relate this? As we're taking a look at the book, how does this fit in today as we are watching what's taking place in our world? And how does Esther fit in with what's happening?
Well, you know, I told you that the name of God is not there yet. I Submit to you that the gospel is there. Let me tell you why I think that the king. Is as a Persian king, once he signs a decree, he can't change the decree. He's allowed to write a different decree.
And in the book, that's exactly what happens. He wrote a decree under Haman that Jews were to be killed on a certain day, but he issued another decree so that the Jewish people could defend themselves, and they did.
Well, God issued a decree. And that decree was the soul that sins Dies. And God can't change that decree. Then you have Haman, more illustrative of Satan, of Satan wanting to destroy the Jewish people, to thwart the plan of God. Haman wanting to destroy the Jewish people.
And then Then you have esther. Esther was willing to give up her life. In the text, she says, If I perish, I perish. She was willing to die for her people, so she goes into the king and tells him she's Jewish. And then the story here is that the Lord Jesus was willing to.
Perish. He was sent by the father who sent his only son to die. Only in this case, There was no sparing of his son. His son had to go to the cross to pay the price. For our sin.
And so you can see the gospel narrative, even in a book where there is no. Name of God there. You have the king who has a decree. God issued a decree. The king issued a second decree.
God sent his son, the seed of the woman, back in the garden, and that plan is laid out. Isaiah 53, he was wounded for our transgressions, bruised for our iniquities.
So you see how the gospel plays a role in the book of Esther. And then, Jimmy, you made that your statement from Jeremiah, of course, is where nothing can stop the Jewish people from existing because God would have to eliminate the sun, moon, and stars.
Well, if you go back in history, you realize that Satan tried to prevent. The seed from coming. The seed did come. Then he tried to prevent that seed, the Lord Jesus Christ. He wanted him to compromise.
And he did not. He refused to do that. And then Jesus, who came to the earth, he came to suffer and die. I'm sure Satan would have wanted to prevent him from going to the cross. That's why he offered him the kingdoms.
But instead, Jesus died, rose again, and now Satan is about the business of Trying to prevent him from coming back in power and glory. And so he's unleashing anti-Semitism against the Jewish people. He's threatening the existence of the land of Israel as belonging to the Jews. He wants to do that. But of course, we know that Jesus Christ is coming back to Israel.
He's coming back to his own people. And Satan has already lost. And Jesus has won, but in the meantime. Just like in the book of Esther, when it all seems for law, when it seems that the Jewish people are going to lose, Jesus Christ gets the victory. He got the victory as God getting the victory over Satan with the Jewish people overcoming with Antiochus' second decree.
Jewish people, Israel is interested in peace. And as we try to relate the Bible, the book of Esther, to today, you look at the nation of Israel, and you know, Jimmy, the nation of Israel is interested in peace. The nation of Israel is interested in helping nations. It's wanting to desire harmony. And we, of course, know there will not be peace until the Lord Jesus, the Prince of Peace, comes.
Amen. Amen. Steve Herzog from Friends of Israel, National North America Director. You're at a conference right now. Thank you so much for taking the time to explain to us how we can see God, even though the name God is not mentioned in Esther, we can see God in his hand throughout Esther and how.
It applies to us today. Thank you so much, brother, for taking the time to share with us. Hey, thank you, Jimmy. You know, Rick, as we finish up the program today, we do see God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit present in the Old Testament and in the New Testament. And we know that God is sovereign over all of the world, and He has a plan from the past, He has a plan for the present, and He has a plan for the future.
And we are looking forward to that event that kicks it all off, which will be the rapture of the church. Thank you for joining us today. Join us again next week on Prophecy Today weekend. 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.
