Welcome to Prophecy Today. I'm Jimmy DeYoung Jr., and along with my brother Rick, we examine current events in the light of God's prophetic word. When we speak of the imminence of Christ's return, we mean that he could come back at any moment. We sincerely believe that. And when we look at current events in the light of God's prophetic word, we're looking at these events that pertain to prophecies that will happen after the next thing on God's calendar, which is the rapture of the church.
So, on today's program, we bring our broadcast partners, Ken Timmerman, David Dolan, Winky Medad, Dr. Richard Schmidt, and of course, Rick and myself. We will be looking at current events that are affecting the world and the body of Christ.
So, Rick, we've got a lot to cover. We need to get going.
So, let's get started with our first Ken Timmerman.
Well, that's right, Jimmy. I have Ken Timmerman with us, he's the man that we go to when we. We want to look at things that are taking place around the world. We call it our geopolitical update. Ken is an author and analyst.
His latest book, The Iran House: Tales of Revolution, Persecution, War, and Intrigue could be found on Amazon. You want to find out more about Ken? Go to his website at kentimman.com. Ken, as always, thanks for being with us today. Glad to be with you, Rick.
Thanks for having me on.
Okay, let's start our trip around the world by going to Berlin first, where President Biden has traveled for a summit with European leaders. Can you tell us about this?
Well, he went to Berlin on Thursday, Rick. This was a lame duck trip, really as lame a lame duck trip as you could get. Obviously, they had to talk about the Ukraine war, but everybody is waiting for Trump. Even Biden is waiting for Trump. The Germans are pulling back their support for Ukraine in the expectation that Donald Trump is going to win the White House.
And the French are absolutely frantic. At least the French President Macron is frantic because he has been pushing the Europeans to go all in in their support for Ukraine. And he is now going to be the one who is with the greatest exposure, really, in that Ukraine war. Look, little cookie, as I call him, Rick, was caught this week also in his own gaffes. He said that Israel's creation was the result of a UN decision.
And then he had to walk that back in a press conference. Conference where he said that France recognized Israel immediately in 1948, which the press promptly told him was a lie.
So, this trip by Biden to Berlin, Rick, was really his goodbye trip to European leaders who he's been very close to over the past three and a half years.
Well, very interesting as we look at the tail end of President Biden's administration.
Well, Vladimir Zelensky, maybe, like you said, in anticipation of a change in leadership, potentially a new Trump presidency, is coming forward with a victory plan.
Now, can you talk about this quote-unquote victory plan that Zelensky has? But just give us an update right now. Where do we stand in this Russia-Ukraine crisis? What's the status of the situation there?
Well, again, victory plan. It's kind of a pipe dream plan. Ukraine is not doing well on the battlefield. Yes, they continue to hold territory inside Russia around Kursk. They are vastly outnumbered, but they're still holding ground.
Zelensky has made it clear he wants to use that as a bargaining chip in some ultimate negotiation with Putin. But Putin's not ready to negotiate at this point. Russian troops have made greater advances on the battlefield in the past couple of months than they ever have since the war began. And that's according to the British Ministry of Defense. They put out recent maps showing that the Russians are very close to occupying a city called Pokrovovsk, which is the westernmost city in Donetsk, that province that the Russians want along with Luhansk.
And it's just a few miles from the rest of Ukraine, if you wish.
So the Russians are making significant advances on the battlefield inside Ukraine. Zelensky is asking for more weapons. He was in Brussels this week asking NATO countries for more weapons and also their permission to use long-range missiles from Britain and the United States and Germany inside Russia to attack those targets at long distance inside Russia. Not sure he's going to get either one of them. President Biden did announce a small new aid package, about $400 million of military aid.
But look, the big news, Rick, and we all knew this, the big news was Zelensky's meeting with President Trump. They met last week. We mentioned it a bit in our talk last week. Trump feels this whole Ukraine war is a tragedy. It never should have happened.
It never would have happened on his watch. He's appalled by the destruction in Ukraine. He's appalled by the massacres that the Russians have carried out. He's got no soft spot for Putin, as a lot of people seem to think. That is not a reason not to talk to Putin.
We did that during the Cold War. The United States always talked to the Russians, to the Soviets. It is not a reason not to talk to Putin. President Biden has not spoken to Putin at all since 2021, and that is a huge, huge strategic error.
Well, we'll continue to follow the situation there. And in fact, let's keep on talking about the Russia-Ukraine crisis, and let's look at Russia's allies. We talked often of Russia's reliance on their allies, including Iran and China, but now North Korea really seems to be stepping up, and South Korea is saying they're even sending troops into Russia. We talked about this a little last week, but there certainly seems to be an escalation.
Well, last week we weren't entirely certain whether these initial reports were true.
Now we're getting more information about it. It now appears that there are satellite photographs and other evidence showing North Korea moving 1,500 special operations troops by sea to Vladivostok in Russia, and they're going on into the Ukrainian theater. According to South Korean intelligence, and they're getting very public about this information, Rick, they were given, these North Korean troops were given Russian military uniforms, Russian weapons, and forged identity documents.
So they're going to go to the Ukrainian battlefield pretending to be Russians. And Russia does have a very large portion of its territory in Asia.
So they won't necessarily look different from some of the Russian troops who are in the field. The South Koreans are saying that up to 12,000 North Korean troops are eventually going to move to Russia to fight in Ukraine. That's not going to tip the balance on the battlefield, but it could take some of the pressure off Russian units that have been in the field for longer than any of them would like.
Well, let's move away from North Korea and let's look at another one of the Russian allies that they are relying so heavily on, and that's Iran. And we'll finish out our conversation talking about Iran. We'll start at this spot right here. Iran, right now, is facing Israel. They sent 181 ballistic missiles into Israel a few weeks ago, and now Israel is weighing their response back.
Some say they might have even decided on that response, but Russia is telling Israel not to even consider attacking Iranian nuclear facilities.
Well, I kind of smile, Rick, when I see the Russians adopting the Joe Biden negotiating stance. The Russians are saying don't, don't hit Iranian nuclear facilities. I'm sure they're going to take that very, very seriously. And we learned also, Benjamin Netanyahu was speaking to the Washington Post this past week, and he said Biden also said don't hit Iran's nuclear facilities. And Bibi seems to have responded by saying, okay, we're just going to go after.
Military targets. We got plenty of those. And you know, they do have plenty of military targets that they can strike. One thing that's not going to happen, I'm pretty sure, Rick, is that you're not going to see a True joint U.S.-Israeli strike on Iran. Biden is not going to go out of office launching U.S.
aircraft against the Islamic Republic in Iran. They have been two good friends of his, and he's engaged in far too much appeasement of the Iranian regime to join a strike against Iran with Israel.
Well, Ken, before I let you go, one quick thought I'd like to get from you. Alan Dershowitz, of all people, wrote an article. You can find it at GateOne Institute, where he talks about the fact that President Biden can still save the world in his remaining time in office. Have you read this article? What do you think about it?
Well, this is, I put this down again in the category of pipe dreams. Dershowitz, who has been very critical of Obama and Biden and is in this piece, he calls Obama the Neville Chamberlain of the 21st century. That's a pretty heavy accusation. You know, the reference to the British prime minister who gave in to Hitler in Munich in 1938. And he says that Biden has also been appeasing Iran.
And he says the result has been an entirely predictable disaster. This is a quote from this piece, which I think is interesting. He says, by receiving sanctions relief and a humongous increase in oil revenues, Iran has been enabled to expand its proxy war against Israel and the United States through its surrogates in Lebanon, Gaza, Iraq, Yemen, and possibly Sudan. And Dershowitz then calls for the U.S. to support regime change in Iran.
Now, you know, Rick, I happen to be an advocate of regime change as well, not the U.S. getting involved directly. No boots on the ground, no ostensibly. U.S. support, but we can do a lot of things to empower the Iranian people.
I talk about some of that in my new book, The Iran House, and I also talk about it in my work for the America First Policy Institute, which I'm hoping that President Trump is going to listen to when he takes office again.
So there are alternatives to appeasement. There are alternatives to just giving up and allowing Iran to become a nuclear weapon state, as Biden and Obama seem to have done. And I am hoping that President Trump will put those alternatives into practice when he returns to the White House in January.
Well, I certainly agree with that, Kent. And I just want to ask you one final question. Would it be in America's interest to encourage Israel to attack and take out those nuclear facilities? Because that could really eliminate a big problem for us.
Well, I don't think Israel needs any encouragement. I think they will do what they believe they need to do for their own strategic reasons. But let me just reiterate this. I am a strong believer that it is in America's national security interest to help the people of Iran to get rid of the regime. It's in our national security interest because our problem is the regime.
It's not even their weapons. It's not even what, you know, the militias that they're supporting. Those militias would not exist. Hezbollah and Hamas would not exist today, would not have the resources they have if they weren't getting the support of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
So it's in our strategic interest to help the Iranian people get rid of that regime. Ken Timmerman for Prophecy Today. Ken, as always, we appreciate your insight. For those that want to find out more. About his new book, go to his website kentimmerman.com.
Ken, we appreciate you joining us today. We look forward to talking to you again soon. Thanks so much, Rick. God bless. Great job, as always, Ken.
And you know, it's so very important. We always remind folks: your worldview helps you to understand what is going on in the world, and to have a biblical worldview helps you even more. That means using the Bible to understand what's happening in the world. But let's 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.
The radical Muslim group Hizba Tahrir is growing in Bangladesh. Neighboring India is concerned by the group's ISIS ties and declared it a terrorist organization last week. John Padetti with Bibles for the World says: With rising religious tensions between Hindus and Muslims in both India and Bangladesh, Christians get caught in the middle as easy targets. They are an extreme minority in both countries, perhaps two point three percent in India. and zero point three percent in Bangladesh.
And so as these tensions are rising between these radicalized groups of Hindus and Muslims in the respective countries, it often is the case that who does that violence get meted out to but the Christians? Pray for the people of India and Bangladesh to reject extremism and seek Christ. Then, the MENA Leadership Center helps to equip Christians in the Middle East and North Africa for faithful leadership in the body of Christ. Right now, that means walking with believers who are asking hard questions from the past year. Fadi Sharia says one university student was asking, Do you think that God isn't fair or God loves war?
Sharia pointed to what the cross of Jesus Christ says about God. Speaking of justice, yes, he is just, but also speaking of love, oh, God is love. I mean, mercy and justice coming together is beautiful whenever we look at Jesus.
So, what we try to do is pray with the people, the leaders, and also refer them to meet Jesus, listen to him, talk to him, ask him those questions. Please pray for wisdom and protection against division for MENA Leadership Center and local churches. Find your place in the story at missionnews.org. Thanks for listening to Mission Network News, a service of one-way ministries. This month, Transworld Radio is offering a free 30-day devotional written by TWR President Warren Levy.
Called Get Hope, it's meant to encourage you through scripture and help you meet life's challenges. Sign up for free when you click on the banner at missionnews.org. I'm Ruth Kramer. Welcome back to Prophecy Today Radio, the program that looks at current events in the light of Bible prophecy.
Well, this is 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 journalist Dave Dolan with us. Dave, thanks for being with us today.
It's good to be with you, Rick.
Well, Dave, big news coming out of the Middle East and Israel this week, and that is the death of the Palestinian leader, Yahyasinwar. I know you're going to talk about that. Plus, you're also going to give us a general update on what's going on in Israel. What's the latest?
Well, Rick, yes, of course, that was the major story of the week. The. Accidental, if you will, killing of Yahya Sinwar, the Hamas' overall leader, after the assassination of Hania in Tehran during the earlier in the summer. We've gotten the details of that now. He was walking with two other men.
One was a battalion commander who was later killed as well. And some soldiers spotted them, and they were wearing coverings over their head to. hide their identities, blankets or something like that. And uh two ran into one house, another ran into another, and it turned that the single one was the overall Hamas leader.
Well, the soldiers didn't know that. This was in the morning on Wednesday. They for six hours, Rick, besieged the house. And both houses. And then eventually sent a drone in.
And you may have seen the footage of that. People have seen that: a drone to survey the damage on the second floor, which is where they found a man sitting in a chair with one of his hands badly injured. The stories went around that it was shot off, but they later said no, it was still there, but it was badly injured. And he had been shot earlier in the day when he fled into the house.
So he'd been in there bleeding for several hours. And when the drone came in, he picked up a stick, and you can see him throwing it at the drone, which he missed. And it blew up and killed him. It had an explosive charge on it. And only later, Rick, when the pictures were sent to Army headquarters of the three dead men, one of them said, That looks like Yahya Sinwar.
Could that be Yahya Sinwar? And So they immediately, the chief of the Southern Command went to The scene and others. This was on Thursday, Rick. They left it overnight. His body remained in there overnight on Wednesday.
And they took the body, did the tests, and found that it was indeed Sinoir. And Rick, they had his DNA and they had his fingerprints and his dental records because, of course, he was a prisoner in Israel. He was imprisoned for killing four Palestinians. who he accused of being traitors to the Hamas cause. And the Israelis caught him and he was jailed for several years there.
And of course, he had brain surgery while he was there. An Israeli doctor performed it. They saved his life. And it was very controversial when he was released in this prisoner exchange a little over 10 years ago for one Israeli soldier, Gilad Shalit. There had been a long campaign, as you remember, to free him.
And so it was a very emotional time when he was released. A lot of people were opposed to it. And he turned the organization basically from more of a charity welfare organization, which it was founded as, into a full military organization. And he was the one that was the mastermind behind the most horrific attack on Jewish people anywhere on earth since the Holocaust. And of course, now he's dead.
And the question is, who will take over after him? In the Northrick, we again had heavy shelling all week, including last evening, Friday evening, into Haifa. Of course, it's Now Sukkot, the Feast of Tabernacles in Israel.
So it's normally a very festive holiday period, but people are ordered to stay out of crowds, to stay near their shelters and their homes. The IDF has been taking out most of those projectiles coming in from Lebanon. But Hezbollah announced on Friday, Rick, that it would escalate its war against Israel as a result. of Tinwar's death.
So even though their leader, Nasrallah, is dead and many of their top officials are dead, and in fact, the Chief of Staff Halevi was in the North seeing Galani soldiers on Friday, and he spoke with them and then spoke to reporters. And he said, we have decimated their leadership, and at least 1,500 of their fighters are also dead, including many commanders.
So that's a very interesting situation. He also announced that another reserve brigade is being called up to fight in Lebanon. Of course, this comes as the White House and France and others are demanding an immediate ceasefire. They're still President Biden saying Sinoar's death may pose a new opportunity for a ceasefire in Gaza as well. Frankly, Israeli leaders don't see that.
And of course, Prime Minister Netanyahu said no. We will continue with this war until we achieve our goals. They started it. We have to finish it. And we're finishing it on our terms.
And finally, Rick, we had a terror attack on Friday. Two men dressed as Jordanian soldiers, whether they were or not, we don't know, cut the border fence near the Dead Sea. And they were spotted by soldiers. A firefight ensued, and both of them were killed. And two soldiers were, they said, moderately wounded in that exchange.
David, thank you so much for the update. And I guess the obvious next question that I would have is with the death of Sinwar, what is going to happen with the hostages there in Gaza? It doesn't look like it will affect it positively, Rick. Of course, time will tell. But the acting leader of Hamas right now in the Gaza Strip, Khalil Al-Haya, he was the chief aide to the Hamas leader until his death on Wednesday.
He said on Friday, Rick, that the hostages would remain in captivity until all Israeli soldiers were completely out of the Gaza Strip, and he named several other conditions.
So it doesn't seem like. There's going to be any change in their position. We know that it was Sinoar that was the most opposed to releasing any of the hostages before a full end of the war. And it's likely that his brother, Mohammed Sinwar, will take over now, Rick, as the overall leader. It may be Haya stays in that position, but the speculation is it will be Mohamed Sinwar.
He's even more hardline. than his uh late brother was.
So there's not a lot of optimism in Israel about this. And of course, Joe Biden is just desperate for any good news out of the region in light of the election just being less than three weeks away and polls showing it to be so tight.
So of course everything also, Rick, is awaiting Israel's final decisions on Iran, what to do. We still haven't had a response two and a half weeks later to the largest ballistic missile barrage in history. that occurred from Iran a little over two weeks ago.
So we'll just wait and see. But the war has not ended and the hostages, Rick, I don't know, it doesn't look really good now. But of course, Netanyahu said to the people of Gaza, if you have some of these hostages, Hamas has fallen apart. They're no longer going to be ruling you and you can hand them over to us. And he said, if you do, you will go free.
We will not imprison you. We will not charge you with anything, even if you're part of these groups. You will go free.
So let's see if anybody takes them up on that. That would be a real blessing and a miracle. It certainly would, Ken.
Well, we just have a few minutes left here. And before I let you go, I'd like to get your opinion as not only a journalist, but also as a student of Bible prophecy, as we look at what has taken place in Israel over the last, I don't know, three months, a series of astounding successes for Israel, both militarily and intelligence-wise. It's really been quite amazing. I believe that you could kind of see the hand of God here protecting Israel, preserving his people for the role that they're going to play in the end times. Can you speak to that?
Well, Rick, I definitely believe that we're seeing the hand of God in defense of his people and his land. And the Bible says he would do that. We know that in the end times there will be more wars. We know that many Israelis will be. killed in those wars, the prophets foretold that.
But we see them with these amazing, incredible victories after the enormous failure of October 7th from the security forces and the Officials of the country, et cetera.
So they have definitely returned their credibility, Rick. There's no question that they are now once again respected throughout the region. Syria is showing signs of not wanting to go to war with Israel. The leader apparently ordering that Hezbollah fighters in Syria and other pro-Iranian militias be restricted in their movements, that they no longer are allowed to go up to the Golan border, etc. That hasn't been confirmed, but that's been in press reports this week.
We had a poll come out that showed that a majority of Gazan residents now, Palestinians, Opposed the october seventh attack. Fifty-seven percent told the pollsters that. Thirty-nine percent support, but that's the reverse of what it was a few months ago, Rick.
So Israel's having victory after victory, but it's taking a high toll on the country, as Netanyahu stated, and on the people. But definitely, the morale is much better now, Rick. People are starting to see light at the end of the tunnel. But really, until those hostages are returned and until, frankly, Hezbollah is fully dealt with and Iran is dealt with. the war isn't over, and everybody knows that.
And prevailing opinion, Rick, is let us fight this and let us win this. And I think that is the right attitude to take at this time. They're doing it. They're using their minds and their weaponry and they've been planning things for years. And you know, they are a small people surrounded by hundreds of millions of enemies.
So, what can they do but be strong? But they couldn't do it without the help of the Lord. And I think we're seeing much evidence that. He's giving them that help. Dave Dolan, journalist and author for Prophecy Today.
Dave, thanks so much for being with us today. You're welcome, Rick. God bless. We need to take a break right now, but we'll be back with more of Prophecy Today weekend. I'm Ruth Kramer with Mission Network News.
Leo Sharkar with A3 says that after clashes with student-led protests this summer, the once brutal police force in Bangladesh can no longer preserve civil order. Christians make up less than half of 1% of the population, but mob violence is a danger, and they're struggling with the potential cost of speaking boldly of Christ. Pray for faithfulness for these brothers and sisters as they respond to a testing situation. And Guinea is one of the poorest countries in West Africa. Mission Aviation Fellowship flies in the gap with aviation services for humanitarian, medical, and gospel outreaches in the name of Christ.
MAF's Guinea Country Director Lisa says that last part is key. Guinea is also 95% unreached, with roughly 13 million people who've never heard the name of Jesus Christ. Over 80% of MAF's flights in Guinea are in partnership with local churches and missions. Find your place in this story at missionnews.org. Mission Network News is serving.
Of One Way Ministries, I'm Ruth Kramer. Welcome back to Prophecy Today. I'm Jimmy D. Young Jr., and along with Rick, we're examining current events in the light of God's prophetic word. Watching the world news, especially watching Israel, we focus on what's taking place there.
And I think that we need to continue. We're going to bring in our good friend Israel Madad. Israel lives out in Shiloh. He's a philosophical man. He understands.
He works at the Begin Library. Winky, welcome back to the program. And as always, I'm glad to be on, and thank you very much for the privilege.
Well Winky, it's been several weeks since we have spoken with you, and so I'd just like to get a quick update. You live in Shiloh, which is in the area that we call Judea and Samaria, because that's what the Bible calls it.
Some may call it the West Bank area. But I'm sure that being in that area has its own set of security concerns. Can you talk about what it's like to be living in the area of Judea and Samaria right now?
Well, look, i in fact about a year and a half before the october seventh two oh two three invasion by Hamas. The situation here was Can I use the word brewing and There were many more Terror attacks. or they were growing at least, And in fact, over the past year or so, The army has been very busy. Thankfully, in the area of Shiloh, we've not had that much problems. the occasional stone throwing, but nothing uh uh Syria shall I call it, but other places Have And in fact, from Judea and Samaria, or should I say Samaria to pinpoint North Samaria.
Jenin and the areas close to the area that is known as the Hadera and Wadi'ara area. have been subjected to shootings from within Uh the Palestinian Authority uh territory.
So, uh I can't say that everything is perfect, but I think basically It's still under control, although we have to keep an eye on it.
Well, Winky, we're talking about your home there in Shiloh, there in the area known as the West Bank. We call it Judea and Samaria. But I'd like to talk a little bit about your old home. That's the United States. You've been in Israel for over 50 years, but you were born in the United States, Queens, if I'm not mistaken, there in New York City.
And the United States and the Biden administration have been in the news. They have been threatening to withhold military aid to one of their greatest allies, Israel, unless they provide more quote-unquote humanitarian aid to Gaza.
Now, Israel is fighting a very complicated war in Gaza. They are fighting an enemy that is hiding amongst civilians, and so it's a very difficult situation. Can you talk a little bit about the United States threatening to withhold promised aid to Israel?
Well, to be semi facetious, I'm glad the Biden administration did not exist when Winston Churchill and the United Kingdom was fighting for its life against the Nazi Germany enemy. You know, no land lease land lease act, no support, no volunteers flying missions over Europe. You know, it'd be terrible.
Okay, we're living in a different era, a different mindset. Too many woke people with progressive and extra liberal ideas about how to wage war and how to see Hamas. as if there's some sort of resistance group instead of simply a terror organization. Um But let's narrow down to give you an idea of how illogical things are, okay? I can't deal with the entire subject And we don't have enough time.
the humanitarian aid that we're being accused of not getting enough into because we're asking for the NGO human rights agencies to sign off that what they're receiving does not include anything dangerous like bombs, grenades, guns. And the United States doesn't think that's fair. And they claim that because of that, too much aid is being held up. Not only that. I just checked the Colgat site, COGAT, which traces daily the amount of humanitarian aid going in.
There are hundreds of trucks for it. that are not going in because they haven't been picked up. Mm. whether they're no drivers, whether they're afraid of Hamas stealing it, whether Maybe they're trying to cause Israel problems on the backs of poor Gazens, I don't know, but you have to look below the headlines. You have to be a little bit more encouraged on talking to all our listeners here.
not just go after the headlines or even my tweets. Go to the resources. Go to the Point some I and other people are pointed to to read the stories. and find out it might be another truth. Winkie, that's certainly why we have you on the program, as you help to give us that extra information, or at least tell us where to look for it, so we can be informed and make informed decisions, like the decision we're going to be making in November.
I talked a little bit about the Biden administration.
Well, that administration is going to end one way or another. We're either going to have Vice President Harris or we're going to have former President Trump back in the presidential office. If you could, as you look at it from your view there in Israel, can you talk a little bit about what either a Trump administration or a Harris administration will mean for the people of Israel?
Well, let me give you another one example, okay, that hopefully we can extrapolate from. A friend of mine, Eugene Kantarovich, wrote an article saying that if Trump is elected, the first thing he should do is fire Unifil.
Okay. UNIFIL is the UN agency or force, I should say, that deals with southern Lebanon. They're supposed to keep Hezbollah out of all the territory south of the Litani River. Can I give you a secret? Hezbollah is all over southern Lebanon.
It's right on the border with, right? They have munitions, stores. Positions, military, whatever you want to call it. within one hundred yards of uniform positions.
Well, if they're done operating, And obviously, Israel's going to be in trouble. And if you don't do your job, United Nations. or those people who are unified soldiers, whatever you want to call them, okay, don't blame Israel when a war breaks out and we have to fight in order to make sure that these rockets don't come over the border. just take a few steps backwards and find out how we got to this situation and then try to solve the problems before blaming Israel either for retaliating or for responding or for defending itself.
Well, as we continue to talk about what is taking place in Israel right now and the situation that the Israeli government, the Israeli people, the Israeli military find themselves in, let's move a little bit away from the United Nations. And we've been talking about Hamas and Hezbollah, Israel fighting those two entities.
Well, those are Iranian proxies.
So essentially, you are fighting Iran.
Now, not directly. A couple of weeks ago, there were those 181 ballistic missiles sent directly from Iran to Israel. Israel still weighing a response to that attack. But if you could give us an update on where you see the situation right now between the Jewish nation of Israel, the state of Israel, and the Islamic Republic of Iran. Is Israel going to respond to that attack?
Give us an update.
Well, I think it will be coming. But again, let's go a little bit deeper. Let me link my answer to the previous question you had. Right? I the best thing would have been that fifteen years ago, Or so An American administration, specifically the Obama administration, would not have done what they did with Iran.
and allow a nuclear deal basically to go through and releasing them money and the Biden administration removing oil boycott resolutions in place.
So, you know, it's You know, the all of this could have been avoided years ago if what they promised to do tomorrow had been done yesterday. I want to ask you a hypothetical question, and maybe just a for instance, and we're just going to talk about this. And I'm not certainly not saying I advocate for this, but there are many that say that the biggest problem right now in the Middle East is the fact that Jewish people, the Jewish people, Israelis, have control of that land.
Now, take away the fact that that's your ancestral homeland, as you said, 3,000 years of history.
So we know that that is the Jewish people's homeland, and you have a right to at least share the land there. But there are many that say that no, you don't have the right. And really, the only thing to do to bring peace to that part of the world is to get rid of the Jewish state of Israel.
So if you could talk to me about what a world without Israel would look like. Of course, you're there on the front lines fighting Islamic extremism there. Tell me, what do you think the world would look like without the nation of Israel? Mm. I think it'd be in in deep trouble.
It's already happening in Europe. We see it beginning in the United States. In terms of what I would call resurgent Islamism. in which Islam is seeking To dominate the world. It happened in Germany.
when they let in over two million Muslims, Sweden France Especially in the south?
Okay, in United Kingdom? especially in its midlands. I mean, you could just Google this and see all that's happening in terms of riots and crime. And if they don't push around any Jews over a war in Gaza, they're pushing around other people. Christianity would be threatened.
And Christians will be threatened. Jews have been in this situation before in Germany, in England, all throughout the medieval period and in the modern periods.
So we've seen how people can turn on other people. and engages in the most violent and immoral acts. It won't be limited to the Jews. If you think that you can say, well, it's the Jews that are the problems. Trust me.
If we're gone, God forbid.
Okay, you're next. Winky, let's turn away from the harsh realities of the current political climate there in Israel and really around the world. And let's talk about the upcoming Jewish holiday of Sukkot, or the Feast of Tabernacles, as it is also called. And Winky, we were talking before you came on the air that you already have your Sukkah ready. Of course, when we have these Jewish holidays, and we love to have you on the program to give us a little flavor of what it's like to observe these holidays there in Israel.
Can you talk a little bit about Sukkot, what it means to you, and how you're going to observe it?
Well, the Sukkot That's in plural. Holiday is, as you mentioned, is commanded to us in the Bible. We shall sit seven days in these booths, if you want to call them, or tabernacles or huts. I'm sure there's a deep meaning like this, some symbolism of traveling through the desert and being. Temporary in this world, or trying to give us over to God's providence and move out of our houses, or at least during the meals, recognize that.
We give ourselves over to God in a certain sense. But it's also an agricultural holiday. In the synagogue, we take the palm fronds and myrtle leaves and the etrog, which is a citron fruit. and we wave them around. It could look a little bit weird, but I've seen some festivals in Spain and other places that look very weird to me.
So I hope people are generous with the consideration about what we Jews do sometimes. And some people, more observant than me, will sleep in the Sukkot and not just only eat in there.
So it's it's again, it's a it's a it's a holiday that ends The high holy days, like we've atoned, we've asked for repentance. Etc., etc. And now let's Eat and enjoy and be happy. In the temple times, there was dancing in the temple courtyards. There are so many things to tell about this holiday.
And I think our Christian friends have made this holiday special. special by coming over here in large numbers. to celebrate uh the atmosphere with us.
So it's something good, it's something positive, it's something like, if I can say it that way, and we all try to enjoy it.
Well, we certainly do hope you enjoy it, Winky. And uh one final question that I have for you. We recently observed one year since october seventh happened, but it happened at the end of this festival, the festival of Sukkot, the last day, Simketorah, and that is when october seventh happened. Hamas took advantage of Israel's guard being down during that holiday, and that's what basically anticipated this entire crisis. If you could, how will that affect the celebration of Sukkot this year in Israel?
What uh I would presume that in very many synagogues there'll be a little bit more somber Celebration of the, as you say, Simchat Torah, the joy of the of the Torah of dancing with the Torah scrolls and going around Some people said maybe we should be silent. or say something added to the prayers that would uh recognize the fact that hundreds of people were killed on that day. And we have precedence in Jewish history. In Krakow, there was an incident about in the sixteen hundreds That changed the character of the holidays.
So it's been in, I'm not going to say debate, but it's been in discussion, and I'm sure. we will come up with some sort of symbolic noting of our religious observance of the political and and events That happened a year ago.
Well, I'm sure it's going to be a somber time as they remember those horrific events from a year ago.
Well, Winky, if those that are listening to us right now have Jewish friends and they want to wish them a special greeting during this holiday season, during Sukkot, what would they say?
Well, the best phrase would be Hug. Samayach. Which would mean happy holiday. That's the easiest one, even though perhaps gutturally it's difficult for many Americans. Of course, if you want to use Yiddish, you could say Gut Jonterf.
But then they'd look very strange at you if you look too Christian and say that, okay. But that would be the best way to go about it. And I'm sure a lot of Jews would appreciate being recognized and and congratulated on these holy days.
Well, Haksamayak, Winky, and of course we do appreciate you. We appreciate you taking the time to be with us today to educate our listeners. We look forward to talking to you again soon. Thank you. Thank you very much.
And we should all enjoy our lives as we can fulfill them the best. And thank you. Goodbye to you and our listeners. We have been examining current events in the light of God's prophetic word. And, Rick, what we always do on our programs is that we try to look at current events and what's happening around the world as it pertains to our understanding of Bible prophecy.
And I think it's safe for us to say that we are in the last days for sure, and Bible doctrines like the pre-tribulational rapture of the church are under attack by Christians on a daily basis.
So, I saw a headline and I wanted to get my good friend, Dr. Richard Schmidt, back on the program. I call him America's Pastors. He's a former sheriff of Milwaukee County in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He has a ministry, has a church.
He's very active. He's written a new book, which we're excited about. But, Dr. Schmidt, welcome to the program.
Well, thanks so much for having me. I'm looking forward to this. Yes. And so, I saw this headline. I know a lot.
Of our listeners have a biblical worldview and they get their information from news sources. I'm sure a lot of our folks watch Fox News or one of those conservative news media sites. But just recently, John Rich made a statement and he goes on Tucker Carlson and he attacked the Bible doctrine of the pre-tribulational rapture of the church. In fact, he said that the rapture is a fake. And I thought, man.
Look, we are defending the faith and this is something that you and I talk about A lot.
So, what do we know about this?
Well, Dr. De Young, as you well know, the prophecy today, your wonderful ministry has been a bulwark, if you will, in the defense of the pre-tribulation rapture. One of the big things that is facing theology across the country and even across the world is attempting to downplay the truth of the scriptures when it comes to this very important doctrine, the pre-tribulation rapture. I'm going to go through very quickly three specific things that That prove from Scripture that the pre-tribulation rapture has been historically the position of the Bible as well as past, present, and of course the future. One major thing that those that don't hold to the pre-tribulation rapture position, they absolutely fail to find is that 1 Thessalonians 4, 13 to 18 and 1st Corinthians 15 to 54, you cannot prove, catch that, you can't prove when the rapture is going to take place based on those two very important passages.
So how do you prove when the rapture is going to take place?
Well, the passage actually comes out of the Old Testament, which does not prophesy about the rapture. You say, well, how's that going to work?
Well, we have to go to Daniel 9, chapter 9, 24 to 27, and it discusses the 70-week plan. Prophecy for the Jewish people, not the church age people, but the Jewish people. The first 69 weeks of Daniel's prophecy ended right before Jesus Christ came to be crucified. It tells us that in Daniel 9, 26. The second thing Daniel 9.26 prophesied was the destruction of the Second temple over 500 years before that prophecy came true.
After Daniel 9:26, the next event on the Jewish prophetic calendar is the Antichrist confirming the peace treaty with the Jewish people. That starts the 70th week prophecy, if you will, for the Jewish people, which is synonymous with the seven-year tribulation period.
Well, where's the church age?
So first thing we saw, the normal passages people use, 1 Thessalonians, 1 Corinthians, doesn't give us the time. Secondly, we have to go to Daniel chapter nine to find out, well, where does the church fit in?
Well, finally, number three, why didn't the Old Testament prophecy Prophesy about the rapture. And here's the answer: because the church age was a mystery kept secret until after the ascension of Jesus Christ.
So I'm going to encourage people, grab a pen or replay your broadcast multiple times. I'm going to very quickly give the three key passages that prove that the church age and thereby the rapture was something that God, for whatever reason, decided to keep a secret or a mystery until after the ascension of Christ. First passage, here we go. Number one, Ephesians chapter three, verses one to seven. Paul is talking to the people, the Christians at Ephesus, and he said, Listen, let me tell you about, and the word in verse two, he uses the actual word dispensation.
In Greek, the words economia.
So we're talking about a dispensation, a different way that God is going to be working with people in a different scenario.
Well, what is that? Ephesians 3:4, by which one you read, you may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ. which in other ages was not made known to the sons of men as it has now. Present tense, when Paul was speaking, been revealed by the Holy Spirit to his holy apostles and prophets.
Well, what got revealed? That the Gentiles should be fellow heirs of the same body, being the body of Christ and partakers of his promise in Christ through the gospel.
So the church age was something that God kept secret in the Old Testament. It was revealed in the new, and thereby the rapture concept, of course, tags right along with the verses in 1 Thessalonians 4 and 1 Corinthians 15. Very quickly, let's look at the second passage. Paul then writes to the church at Colossi. And once again, he uses that same word that's translated dispensation, Colossians 1.25.
Paul says, of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God, which was given to me for you to fulfill the word of God. And here he uses the word again, the mystery, which has been hidden from ages and from generations, but now present tense has been revealed to his saints.
Well, what's that revelation? Again, God says it's the Gentiles and the Jewish people becoming one in Jesus Christ.
So the rapture is Something that is specific to the church age saints, not revealed in the Old Testament. And we just read two of the three passages that back that up. The final passage, or number three, is Romans chapter 16, verses 25 to 27. And I'll just read a little bit from verse 26, where of 25, where he says, The revelation of the mystery kept secret since the world began, but now is made manifest. All right, so let's wrap this all up.
What do we have here? The rapture, which again, some of the people listening, and just like you said, they're denying the rapture is even going to take place. And they deny that the word rapture is in the Bible.
Well, the actual word rapture comes from about 300 AD when Jerome translated the Bible into. Latin, the word that is used to basically describe the words we translate to be caught up or to be snatched away, which is the rapture in 1 Thessalonians 4. That word in the Latin is raptor. The Greek word is harpazo, the Latin word is raptural, and we know, of course, that the word rapture, then the theological position of the rapture was embraced by, if you will, the conservative theological community, and the rapture is a biblical fact, and we just gave you six different proofs. That rapture is the next event on God's prophetic calendar for the church age.
Saints. Yes. And if you were to give encouragement to your parishioners and your church, the sheep that you watch over, what would you tell them as far as making sure that they get their understanding of God's word? What's the best way that they can do that?
Well, I'll tell you, and again, I looked to Prophecy Today. I looked to what your dad did. I looked to all the D V D's, the books, the C D's that are available through your ministry of Prophecy Today. That's where I learned a great deal of the best arguments about the rapture of the church.
So I encourage people, yes, stay in the scriptures, but get these resources. And again, I'm promoting you on purpose because your ministry, Dr. Jimmy Young Sr., is the individual that put most of these things into writing, into various media resources. And boy, we need to go back to 2 Timothy 2:15 to do what? To study, to show ourselves approved unto God, workmen and work women that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
Well, Dr. Schmidt, that's a good admonition for all of us. And make sure that we get our understanding of God's word from resources, specifically God's word. That's what really helps us to understand why the world is acting as it is, what's happening in our world, and how we as believers should live on a consistent basis each and every day. Dr.
Schmidt, thank you so much for being on the program today. I'm sure we'll revisit this topic again soon. Mm-hmm.
Well, thanks for having me. God bless. Jesus taught his disciples to watch for his return. You must be ready because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him. Luke chapter 12, verse 40.
The command to be ready implies imminence. Throughout the New Testament, the church is told to be ready. If the disciples of the early church were to expect the coming of the Lord at any time, how much more should we be waiting in keen expectation? At this point, it is good to distinguish between the second coming of Christ proper and the rapture of the church. The second coming of Christ, when he defeats his enemies and sets up his kingdom, will not occur until after certain other end time events take place, as Dr.
Schmidt laid out. Our salvation is ready to be revealed in the last time. Jesus could return for his own at any moment, and that event will set in motion the series of events detailed in Revelation 6 through 18. Rick and I will continue this conversation when we take a look at the book right after the The Legacy series. That's all coming up after our break, 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. Rick, a very interesting conversation with Dr. Richard Schmidt, one of our students that graduated and got his doctor's degree with LBU Louisiana Baptist University.
But he promoted a shameless promotion for our ministry as to resource material. What are some of the items on our website that people should be looking for to help assist in their study of Bible prophecy?
Well, Jimmy, we've got a collection of DVDs. We've got CDs. But another thing we have, we have books.
Now, I still, I'm old school. I still like to have a book in my hand, but we also have PDFs.
Now, that is also handy, especially for those who are studying. You can put it on your iPad, different things like that. Three of my favorite books and books that are kind of crucial for your understanding of Bible prophecy are Daniel, Ezekiel, and Revelation books. We strongly suggest that if you need a place to start, start with Revelation, Ezekiel, and Daniel. That's part of our trio of triplets.
And that is something that'll get you started on your study of Bible prophecy. Yes, and you can go to prophecytoday.com and get that. And as Dr. Schmidt testified, Dr. Jimmy DeYoung's teachings were some of the very important information that helped him develop his understanding of the end times.
Well, today we begin a brand new series in our study. This time, the book of 2 Peter. We call this series. A manual for living in the last days. As Dr.
De Young studied the prophetic word of God and looked at current events in this world, as we do, that seemed to be setting the stage for God's prophetic scenario to be fulfilled, and seemingly very soon, he knew that we needed this manual for living in the last days. And we're going to go to 2 Peter in a moment. But first, a testimony in this series was done a few months before Dr. DeJoun passed away.
So enjoy this teaching on his favorite topic: End Times Bible Prophecy. Dr. Jimmy DeYoung and the Legacy Series. But I got to tell you, what's going on in my life? It's, you know, I have more time to study the Bible than I've ever had in all of my life.
Because when I can't sleep, I just get up and study the Bible. I guess the Lord wants me to spend more time in the Word, and I'm having some great opportunities to do that. And then, when I get up and get ready to go back to bed after I've studied maybe sometimes for 45 minutes or an hour, and the other morning, two hours before I went back to bed. Then, when I get back into bed and get ready to go to sleep, I start thinking. You know what I start thinking about?
Death. As I study the Word of God, I see two other men. who were thinking about death. One was named Paul. The other?
Peter. Have you ever stopped to think about it? Here are two. of the outstanding Christians of all time. The Apostle Paul, the Apostle Peter.
Peter spent three and a half years of intense study. with Jesus Christ. And in fact, he was told that he was not going to see the rapture. He was no way going to be able to be caught up to meet Jesus in the air at the rapture of the church. We'll look at that later, but I'll tell you, he had a direct word from Jesus Christ that he was going to grow old and he was going to die.
And as he wrote his book, Second Peter. That was on his mind. And in light of that, He prioritized what he was going to do in those days. That's another thing that's been happening with me.
So I think about death and it becomes more real every day, and it seems closer as I get up every morning, there's a new ache or pain someplace, and I run to Jude. What's wrong? Am I dying now? I don't know if that's happened to you or not. But uh Peter prioritized how he was going to live his life out.
The Apostle Paul Both Peter and Paul wrote a swan song. In other words, they put down Thoughts that they had by being inspired by the Holy Spirit of God that would deal with their soon demise. Both Paul and Peter would die In about the same year, sixty seven AD, It was a result of Nero who in 64 AD allowed Rome to burn down. And then, if you know the rest of that Roman history, after Rome burned down basically, and the Roman Empire was in bad shape. Then Nero started persecuting Christians.
He became very, very active in trying to wipe out Christianity. And gave the command for the Apostle Paul to die because Paul was the leader at the church there in Rome. It wasn't Peter, it was the Apostle Paul. And Then the word went to Peter where he was in Babylon. And the word came down that he was going to die.
We don't know for sure. Tradition says that the Apostle Peter was crucified. But not the way the Lord was. Instead of head up, he was crucified upside down, head down. Because Peter said, I'm not going to suffer.
The way my precious Lord did. I had to be more Involved in a death that denigrates me instead of denigrating and replicating Jesus Christ. We don't know exactly how The Apostle Paul died. There is tradition that says he was decapitated. to die.
But both of them, fourth chapter of Second Timothy is Paul's swan song. He says in verse 7, I ran the race, fought the fight, kept the faith, finished your course, and laid up for me as a crown of righteousness when he got to verse 8. He talked about, you know, soon my time to come. He was not told, however, that he was going to die. In fact, if you look at 1 Thessalonians, especially chapter 4, verses 13 to 18, you'll see the use of the word we.
As he was illustrating and giving the information to the people of Thessaloniki about the rapture of the church, he kept saying, and we shall be caught up.
So I believe the Apostle Paul had an anticipation of the rapture taking place.
Now when you get to the swan song for Peter, and that would be the first chapter of 2 Peter, his last writing to the church at large, both the Jewish church and the Gentile church, Peter said, Well, my demise is close. Look at 2 Peter with me in Huill in just a moment. We're going to spend some time in 2 Peter because I believe 2 Peter is the manual as to how to live in the last days. And whether we go by the rapture or by the Lord taking us in death. There is a way we should be living, prioritizing our activities in the last days.
Look at verse 14. Here's Peter speaking: Knowing that shortly I must put off this my tabernacle, even as our Lord Jesus Christ hath showed me.
Now, that refers back to the 21st chapter of the Gospel of John. When the Lord met with him, and remember, he asked him three times, Do you love me, Peter? And then the Lord, after response by Peter, Yes, Lord, you know I love you, said, Well, feed my sheep. And then he says to Peter, Peter, you're going to grow old and you're going to die. Do you know the rapture could not happen?
Before Peter died? Because you don't die after the rapture, you're caught up to be with him in the air. The rapture was not imminent. At the time that Jesus Christ went into the heavenlies, there had to be a period of time, almost 50 years, before the rapture could even take place, because Peter had to die before the rapture of the church. And that's what he's writing about here in 2 Peter.
And that's how he has decided he's going to prioritize what he's going to have happen by writing out a manual to help us all know how to live. And I would think this audience is the greatest recipients of what God's Word has to say through Peter, who wrote about how to live in the last days.
So I'm excited. I have been studying 2 Peter now for about five months, exclusively. I've studied it before, but exclusively focused on 2 Peter. And it's impacted my life. It's helped me to understand what I really need to be doing.
It's helped me to get ready for that time of my demise. Should that be the case, should the Lord decide that that's what he wants for me to have? Happen and take place, and then still at the same time, I'm looking for the rapture. That's exactly what Peter is doing as well, except he knows the rapture is not going to affect him. He's helping everybody else recognize that.
You know, if I had one sentence to explain the book of 2 Peter, it would be this. I am responsible for maturing in my faith. That's chapter one.
So I'll be able to stand against apostasy or false teachers. That's chapter 2. As I await his coming, that's chapter 3. And that would explain 2 Peter. Chapter 1.
Maturity. In our relationship with Jesus, you say, well, wait a minute. I'm an old guy. I'm an old woman. I've been a Christian for a long time.
I don't care how long you've been a Christian. You could still be a baby Christian. Physical life and expansion of life doesn't mean you're mature in the Lord. We need to understand how we need to be. You know how old Peter was?
About 70 years of age. part of the greyheads. And so he has put together this manual to help us understand what is going to be taking place. It's an amazing manual, and I'm excited about the opportunity to pass along to you some of the truths I've found in this scripture and hope that you will apply these to your lifestyle at this time in history.
Well, I want to talk about three things as we look at 2 Peter chapter 1, at least the first 14 verses of chapter 1. And I'm going to focus this on the autobiography of the Apostle Peter, the autobiography. We're going to talk about Peter's life. He had an amazing life. He had some unbelievable experiences.
And as you think through and go with me through Peter's life, you're going to realize these experiences were helping him set up for how he was going to write the book of 2 Peter and what he was anticipating was going to happen.
So we're going to look at the experience of Peter's life. We're going to see what his exhortation to us was, and then what his expectation was. If we look at the beginning of the book, we see Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ.
Now, that helps us to see the beginning of this life of a dedicated man to Jesus Christ, who's going to be crucified by tradition. I'm not saying that's absolute, by tradition, upside down as it related to his Savior Jesus Christ, crucified on the cross, right side up. He says, I'm Simon. You know, that was his real name. Peter was given to him by Jesus Christ.
A part of those who would be selected in the 10th chapter of the book of Matthew as apostles. Certain men set aside for the purpose of the church and establishing the church, gifted like no other people are. In fact, they would have basically the same gifts of Jesus Christ because they would have the responsibility. As Jesus did the miracles, He was presenting the proof to the people He was truly the Son of God, the one who came to be the King of kings and Lord of Lords, the King of the Jewish people. And those miracles that He did and all the activities in the life of Jesus Christ were helping Him convey to the people He was who He was and was going to do what He said He was going to do.
Well, then he selects in the fifth chapter of the book of Matthew, he selects a group of twelve men. One of them had the devil in him at that point in time, and later he would let him go away, and then he would bring the apostle Paul into this number of 12 apostles. And these were special men with special gifts, with a special ministry ahead of them. And Simon Peter was one of them. But I mentioned Simon because he starts with that.
In chapter 1, verse 1 of 1 Peter, he says, I'm an apostle. I'm an apostle.
Well, that's down the line. He first says, I'm Simon. I'm Simon. I'm just an old fisherman. I'm from Bethsaida.
And then he says, I'm a servant. He's a servant, and that helps us to understand really what we need to be. You know, Jesus Christ was, of course, the Son of God, but he developed as the man as well. He was all God and all man. But 2 chapter of the book of Luke, verse 52, says he developed physically, mentally, socially, and spiritually.
He was a leader, but you know what gave him leadership? His servants' attitude. It was a server. The whole book of Mark is focused on Jesus Christ as the servant. And that's true leadership today.
A servant attitude, serving others. That makes a true leader.
Next week, as we continue our study of Second Peter, a manual for the last days, we'll begin in Second Peter, chapter one. This is an autobiography of the Apostle Peter. We'll see how Jesus, a servant, taught Peter to be a servant as well. being a servant, by the way, Is the key attribute for being a Christian leader? Dr.
Jimmy DeYoung and the Legacy Series. Rick and I'll be right back with a look at the book right here on Prophecy Today, Weekend. I'm Ruth Kramer with Mission Network News. How are Israel's targeted strikes against Hezbollah impacting the next generation? Pierre Hosni with Horizons International says: many Lebanese aged 34 to 50 are reliving memories of the nation's civil war.
Younger adults and children are grappling with this trauma for the first time. The UN says more than 400,000 kids in Lebanon have been displaced in the last three weeks. Horizons staff have dropped everything and are cooking for and ministering to these people. Pray for them in the spiritual battle going on. These crises that happen in the worldly realms, they always represent open doors for the spiritual impact of people.
We do not spare any opportunity to share the gospel in a way that they can understand and in a way that shows genuine love. More at missionnews.org. And while Pakistan has committed to equal rights for women, cultural and societal barriers remain. Yasmeen Joseph says women are often seen only as caretakers of the home and children. She founded Society for Relief and Development to empower and disciple Pakistani women.
Her ministry provides opportunities for women to learn job skills, grow spiritually, and become leaders. Over time, women gained more roles in their churches and found their voice. The first challenge was to get them involved and engaged in our programs, what we have for them, and then to raise their participation in all those activities. Pray that the ministry may empower even more women in Pakistan. They told us they really want to know more about the Bible.
They really want to listen to the Bible and to read themselves. Thanks for listening to Mission Network News, a service of one-way ministries. This month, Trans World Radio is offering a free 30-day devotional written by TWR President Lauren Libby called Get Hope. It's meant to encourage you through scripture and help you meet life's challenges. Click on the banner ad at missionnews.org.
I'm Ruth Kramer. Welcome back to Prophecy Today. I'm Jimmy DeYoung Jr., and along with my brother Rick, we've been examining current events in the light of God's prophetic word. And what a program it has been today, Rick. It sure has.
We heard from our broadcast partners, they always bring such great information, and we get a chance to basically compare the information they're bringing to us with maybe what we're seeing in the mainstream media. And it's not always the same exact thing, but we really look at these stories. We try to curate them so we can bring you stories that relate to what the Bible says is going to happen in the end time. These are things that set the stage in the future for Bible prophecy to be fulfilled. One of the things that I was certainly thinking about as I was talking with Dave Dolan, and we look at the death of Yahya Sinwar, and we look at basically this remarkable streak of successes since October 7th.
Of course, that was terrible, but since October 7th, you really see Israel having some astounding. Successes. And I mentioned to Dave that I believe that you can see God's hand preserving and protecting Israel for the role they're going to play in end-time prophecy. Oh, exactly right, Rick. And you and I get interviews, and we're on so many other different stations that want to talk to us about what's happening in the Middle East.
Because of our many years that we were there understanding Bible prophecy, it's something that we kind of focus on. But I have said that often. You can certainly see the hand of God.
Now, we do know, according to what Dr. Rich Schmidt said, and the time of Jacob's trouble, we've talked about that. God is disciplining Israel. He's not going to let them be wiped out. In fact, they have survived over 3,000 years in God's program, and they have a role in the future.
That's why we focus on them. But.
Sometimes, Rick, I feel like Almost like we're living back in 1948 when there were situations, and against all odds, Israel survived an attack after it became a nation. In just a few hours, they were under attack. And I kind of feel that sometimes, you know, I remember the stories of the victories that have been told by Israel since 1948. And I remind people: the Bible is filled with stories of victories of Israel defeating those people that came to wipe them out.
Well, that certainly is true, Jimmy. And, you know, we've always talked about it. You and I have been taking so many groups to Israel. We talk about that historic event that took place in 1948, the tangible evidence of Bible prophecy being fulfilled with the formation of the Jewish state of Israel after 2,000 years, an unprecedented event. And of course, now we look back at that and we look at some of the things that are happening right now.
And again, We are living in special times. We are listening for the sound of the trumpet because as we look at all these things that are taking place, the rapture of the church, as you talked about earlier, could be at any moment.
Well, Jimmy, one other thing I wanted to notice, and as we've been talking, and I talked with Winky about it a little bit, the United Nations, and we see their animosity towards the nation of Israel. We talk about that weekly, essentially. And I've been wondering, Jimmy, do you see many people think that the possibilities for peace rely on an international peacekeeping force? This is something that I've been hearing over and over: Israel allowing somebody else to guarantee their security. The Bible says that's going to happen in the future, doesn't it?
Yes. Well, if you would ask them, the Israelis, they would say no. And they see the results of allowing somebody else. You know, previously in history, the United States protected Israel during the First Gulf War. As a matter of fact, they sent the Patriot missiles there.
And really, you know, those Patriot missiles didn't do that much. But there will be a man that's coming to establish peace, and he will provide protection for the Jewish people against the enemies of the world. Although it's God, again, in that tribulation period, when Ezekiel 38, those nations in Ezekiel 38, Daniel 11, and Psalm 83 that come against Israel, it's God that protects Israel in that moment. In a time of Jacob's trouble, he's still going to protect Israel from being wiped out. But it's the Antichrist that.
Claims that he protected the Jewish people, and that's why they are still living. In fact, he will take that credit in the process of blaspheming God and all that he does. And speaking of that, Rick, you know, I talked to Dr. Rich Schmidt, about a country singer that has made and written a song on the book of Revelation when he talks about the. The event of the rapture of the church and it being fake and it not being in the word of God and something that people have misconstrued and is a revelation or a made-up deal from a man by the name of Darby who came in.
You can go back to the early days of the church. And those early believers and the first church in the first century knew that they were living in the last days. And that was 2,000 years ago. And if. We're that close back then to it being fulfilled.
How much closer are we today, Rick, as we examine? And that's why we do this program. That's why we do it. We have a passion. About helping people to understand, to be pure, and productive, and prepared.
For the rapture of the church. And this week on our legacy series, Dr. Jimmy D. Young. Shows his passion for that as he talks about these instructions that were given to the body of Christ so that we can live.
And I think it's so important, and I know you said it on last week's program, it's very important where we get our information from when we're studying and we're developing ideas in our head, correct? It sure is, Jimmy. And I so appreciate what you and Rich talked about. And, Jimmy, I think many of these things, if we were to live our life in the light of the rapture, assuming that it could happen tonight, it could happen tomorrow night, it's imminent, it could happen at any time, nothing left needs to be fulfilled. That would change our lives, wouldn't it?
It sure would, Rick. And we would have an urgency about us. And that's what the early believers, and that's what missionaries who believed that the rapture of the church, that they could be taken home at any moment, they had an urgency about them.
Well, folks, that's why we do this program. I hope you understand that we are looking at events that. Take place after the rapture of the church. But if we're so close to those events now, how much closer are we to the rapture of the church? It could happen at any moment.
But let's remember this: the Bible says that Jesus' return is near, and we are to wait eagerly for it. Paul talked about that in Romans, 1st Corinthians, Philippians, Jude, and James encourages us to be patient and stand firm because the Lord's coming is near. James 5:8, Revelation 1:3 and Revelation 22:10 also say that the time is near. With all that being said and with everything that we've looked at today, Rick, thanks for doing the program with me and helping us to understand where we are. 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.
