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. On today's program, it seems like I'm along for the ride because, Rick, you're going to be doing a lot of the heavy lifting today as we interview Ken Timmerman, David Dolan, Inamar Marcus, and Colonel Bob McGinnis. The Legacy Series on the program today is finishing up.
The book of Revelation with Dr. Jimmy DeYoung. You know, as Christians, we view the end times as a future event centered around the return of Jesus Christ. Of course, all of that happens after the rapture of the church. Then you have this terrible time, seven-year period of time, the tribulation period, all followed by Jesus' actual return to the earth.
On this program, we look at nations, people, and world leaders as they fit into a future prophetic view looking at Bible prophecy. Rick, we've got a lot to cover today, so let's get going with our first, Ken Timmerman.
Well, that's right, Jimmy. I have Ken Timmerman with us. He is our expert on geopolitical affairs. He's an author and an analyst. You can find out more about him and sign up for his newsletter by going to his website at kentimmerman.com.
Ken, thanks for joining us today.
Well, thanks for having me on, Rick. It's always a pleasure.
Well, Ken, we often play a game called Where in the World is Ken Timmerman. Where do we find you now, Ken?
Well, I happen to be in Budapest, Rick. It's my wife's birthday. I like to take her someplace special to celebrate her birthday. But I wanted to make sure before booking those tickets that there wasn't going to be a major Trump Putin summit here in Budapest this weekend, because that would have made it pretty difficult. Very interesting that you bring that up.
You happen to be right in the middle of history as it is being made, like you said, a Trump Putin summit that was supposed to be there, but it has been cancelled. Could you give us your thoughts on that?
Well, Rick, what's going on is that Marco Rubio and the Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov are trying to lay the groundwork for a successful summit, and they've not succeeded yet. They have not yet gotten to the point where Trump will be happy and Putin will be happy and they will have a deal to sign. Right now, Putin is basically taking the same hardline positions that he's taken all along. Trump is slowly coming around to some of those. He had a very hot meeting with Zelensky in the White House this past week, where he said to Zelensky, Look, you're not going to get back all of the Donbass.
And that contradicts what he has said in the past. He said, You're not going to get back all of the Donbass. You should stop fighting right now. Just stop in place where you are. The Russians control areas that are predominantly inhabited by Russian nationals or ethnic Russians, and you are still on the front.
Further lines where there are Ukrainians in the Donbas. Stop where you are, stop fighting. Zelensky was not happy, but Putin is not happy yet either. Trump has also just imposed new sanctions on Russia, oil sanctions on Russia. And this was his, I don't like to say his Trump card, but this was his big cannon, if you wish, that he has been holding back ever since he took office this second term.
So now he has played that big card on the table. And we'll see how Putin responds.
Well, Ken Temmerman, our reporter, on the scene there in Budapest as we look at that situation in Europe. But let's move away from Europe and let's talk about the rest of the world. And we look at China right now, and there has been some reports that President Xi has been experiencing some difficulties, maybe even a threat to his position as the leader of China. Can you talk about this? Look, Rick, there is a game going on.
It's called China Watching. We had the same thing during the Soviet Union when we had Kremlin Watching. It is an arcane art. One of the Reputedly best practitioners and a friend of mine, Gordon Chang. He appears frequently on Fox News.
He said about 10 days ago, he warned that this upcoming plenum of the Communist Party, which took place this week, it could actually lead to the end of President Xi, that he could be deposed at that plenum. And he said, What I see happening is that he has just fired his top ally on the Central Military Commission. That's the commission that runs the People's Liberation Army, the Chinese Army. And he said, why would Xi fire his own best ally? He said, wow, that really bodes well for Xi.
It looks like he's losing control.
Well, Rick, you know, as often happens in this space with the China watchers or the Kremlin watchers before them, the people who you think are the best informed. Just get it wrong. And that's not at all what happened. The plenum was over on Thursday. She came out of it absolutely in control.
And what was remarkable about the plenum. was not the challenge to she. But Xi's challenge to corrupt cadres in the party.
So it looks like the general he fired was fired for corruption. In fact, there were 22 of 33 generals on this plenum who were supposed to be at the plenum of the Chinese Communist Party. 22 out of 33 did not show up. Which suggests that Xi is cracking down on corruption inside the People's Liberation Army. By the way, afterwards, they had a, I shouldn't call it a press conference because it wasn't anything like what President Trump does with the media, but there were some statements made by a spokesperson for the Chinese Communist Party.
And that is all they talked about: corruption. We are going to crack down on corruption. That's what this is all about: cracking down on corruption. We've known for years, Rick, that the PLA has been a center of corruption, also of slave labor. And this may be Xi's way of cracking down, cracking down on those generals who are operating useless factories, which he can no longer support with U.S.
tariffs, by the way.
So I think this is a very interesting development. It's different from what some of the China watchers were expecting. And it shows that Xi is still in control, but he's trying to find other ways of dealing with the United States. And one way is to reduce. Their overproduction, their factory overproduction in China.
And doing that, he does by putting pressure on the PLA.
Well, it sounds like, Ken, you're saying to me that Xi is.
Solidifying his rule there, and he's been in power there for quite some time now, and quite some time in the future, it seems like.
So, what's the long game for China? This is kind of a projection. If you could give us your opinion, what are they playing for in the long term?
Well, I read a page one commentary in the New York Times on Friday. Rick, I don't do this often, but to tell you the truth, I found it in the baggage cart as I got on the airplane at the south of France.
So I said, okay, I'll take a free newspaper. I haven't read the New York Times for 15 years. I used to work for them back in the 80s when they were still a real newspaper. But on this page one analysis, they said that Xi's secret weapon against Trump and against U.S. tariffs was their massive factory production.
I said, you've got to be out of your mind. That's their weakest point because these factories are shutting down. China, because of tariffs imposed by the United States, has massive unemployment. They have shuttered factories. China, which normally has a growth rate of six, seven and a half percent, eight percent a year, they're down to one and a half to two percent.
Some quarters have been negative.
So their economy is hurting. And this overproduction is hurting. The New York Times, a little bit like Gordon Chang, but with more politics behind, with more of a political motivation behind, an anti-Trump motivation, the New York Times predictably got it all wrong.
Well, we moved from China and we want to look at other parts of the world. And one of those nations that is kind of floating under the radar nowadays, but they certainly could pop up as they play an important role is Turkey. We don't talk about them often on this show, especially if their influence is increasing in the world. But if you could give us an insight into how Turkey is planning on increasing their role in the Middle East.
Well, the first thing that happened was the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran, that 12-day war. And that essentially removed Turkey's ally, but also their often rival in the Middle East.
So Iran was heavily involved with the Syrian regime. The Syrian regime was destroyed. It fell because of the U.S. and the Israeli advance in the region. And that allowed Turkey to go into Syria.
They're trying to go into Lebanon as well. They have long had a foothold in Libya.
Now they're going to have a foothold in Gaza. This re-entry, if you wish, of Turkey into what used to be the Ottoman Empire's territories, right? The Levant, whole Levant area, which is today the Palestinian areas, Israel, Syria, and Lebanon, used to be under Ottoman control, Ottoman domination, and Turkey wants to get it back. And Erdogan, by the way, has been saying this for many, many years. This was orchestrated to a certain extent.
By the September twenty fifth meeting in the White House, Erdogan came to the White House. He said it was a very successful meeting. Trump was a little bit less glowing about it. He said, well, Erdogan says he wants the F thirty five. It's under discussion.
No decision has been made yet. Yeah, of course Erdogan wants the F-35. We cut him out of the program after he bought Russian S-400 air defense missiles, very sophisticated air defense missiles. And for the Russians to be able to operate those missiles or teach the Turks how to operate them, they had to know what aircraft they were operating against, including the F-35.
So the United States said, and by the way, Congress also affirmed this: no way we're giving the F-35s. To Turkey, as long as they have Russian military advisors in the country.
So, this is a kind of touch and go, Rick. You know, Turkey has had a very contentious relationship with Israel recently. They have sponsored these flotillas to Gaza. And the big question right now. is whether the Turks will supply troops.
For that Gaza stabilization force.
Some of the Arab partners there have been showing cold feet. They say, well, look, we're not really sure we want to go in until Hamas has been disarmed. And we don't want to disarm Hamas.
Somebody's got to do it. We don't want the Israelis to do it either.
So, Turkey looks like it might be one of those countries to go in and advance. By the way, Indonesia has offered 20,000 troops, not just for Gaza, but for other operations in the region, stabilization operations.
So, you know, they could be. Ironically, the first ones on the ground to disarm Hamas.
So we'll have to see. Turkey wants in. They've got conditions on what they will do in the region, on what role they will play in the Gaza stabilization force, but clearly they see themselves on a roll. Ken Timmerman reporting for Prophecy Today from Budapest, Hungary. Ken, as always, we appreciate your insight into what's going on around the world.
Look forward to talking to you again soon. Thanks so much, Rick. God bless. Great job, as always, Ken. And I want you to understand: we focus on nations that have a major role in Bible prophecy in the future.
We focus on Russia. China, Iran, all of these nations and world leaders are involved in the future.
Well, let's take a break and we'll be back with our Middle East news update with David Dolan right here on Privacy Today weekend. I'm Matthew Scott with Mission Network News. India's Rajasthan state has a new anti-conversion law that increases risk of persecution for Christians. But there's hope for nationwide relief. Todd Nettleton with The Voice of the Martyrs USA explains India's constitution guarantees freedom of religion.
But India's Hindu nationalist government supports contradictory anti-conversion laws. That's why all eyes are on the India Supreme Court case currently scheduled for November 4th. They're not considering the constitutionality of the anti-conversion laws yet. But they are considering putting a stay on the enforcement of the laws. While they consider the constitutionality.
Please pray the Supreme Court decision could lift this type of persecution for good. They could just leave the stay in place and then not ever issue a final ruling about the constitutionality. In other news, Mission Cry recently sent 10,000 copies of the New Testament in Spanish to Cuba and the surrounding areas, according to Mission Cry president Jason Wolford. Cuba is number 26 on the World Watch's list of 50 countries where Christians face the most extreme persecution. Crime is also on the rise there, according to the Cuban Observatory of Citizen Audit.
It's so exciting to know that we have the word there, giving it to people that are in a bad way, right? Those that are being persecuted, and then hopefully reaching those that are doing the persecuting. You know, when we see the word of God being distributed, when we see lives being changed, if you can imagine stuff going out from Cuba to Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Haiti, Venezuela, and Colombia. seeing how God's using that as a hub is truly miraculous. Thank you for listening to Mission Network News, a service of one-way ministries.
This month, Bibles for the World is offering a 15-day Hindu World prayer guide and an invitation to join together in praying for them through October 26th. Get your copy when you click the banner at missionnews.org. I'm Matthew Scott. Welcome back to Prophecy Today Radio, the program that looks at current events in the light of Bible prophecy.
Well, this is the portion of our program. We call it our Middle East news update. We look at news coming out of the Middle East in general, but Israel in particular. To do that, we have journalist Dave Dolan. Dave, thanks for being with us today.
Always glad to do it, Rick.
Well, Dave, we typically start this segment off with an update on what is going on in Israel. And this week, that includes an update on the ceasefire between Hamas and Israel. Can you give us the latest?
Well, Rick, that was the main item of the news all week. And of course, starting with Sunday's breakdown, one day breakdown of the ceasefire, you could say total collapse really, but it just lasted about a day. After 10:30 in the morning, several armed Hamas fighters popped out of a tunnel. And started firing anti-tank grenades at Israeli soldiers who were operating heavy equipment. clearing rubble actually from a another part of the tunnel that had earlier been destroyed.
Two were killed in that audacious, unprovoked attack. While they were working, their attention turned elsewhere. A third was severely wounded, is in still. critical condition right now. And within minutes, the IDF was ordered into action.
Rick, we had strikes sixty to one hundred. We didn't get an official total, but that was the news reports. Up and down the Gaza Strip, and especially Rick in areas along the coast that the IDF. Wasn't striking until now because the living hostages were being held there, and they knew that around Gaza City and a couple other places.
So they hit some targets there, including a makeshift tent restaurant on a beach south of Gaza City. And there were some senior Hamas commanders in there. Having lunch and meeting, and they were killed. And the Palestinians said. Scores of people were killed.
The Israelis said most of them military people. Of course, the Hamas said the opposite as they usually do. Rick, we had an estimate from the IDF given to visiting Vice President Vance during the week. that Hamas still has between fifteen to twenty five thousand active fighters, most of them against coming out of their tunnels. taking over streets everywhere.
So, of course, the one-day violation, there were other incidents. I just should add that. There were shooting incidents from Hamas spiders. two other locations that same morning that It was obviously coordinated to the IDF and to the government.
Well, Jared Kirshner, the president's son-in-law, was of course visiting Israel with Trump's special envoy Witkoff. They immediately. Met with the Prime Minister and other Israeli officials on Sunday as this was all happening. Asked, passed on Trump's request that the ceasefire be returned as quickly as possible, but he said he understood. uh that they had to defend themselves and it was an unprovoked attack, et cetera.
And then, of course, on Monday, Trump issued himself a very stern warning after things calmed back down. that Hamas would be obliterated if it didn't release the remaining hostages uh remains uh that are still in In Gaza thirteen, as I said as of now, but it was fifteen because within minutes, Rick. Hamas suddenly found two more hostage bodies to transfer to Israel just right after. Trump issued his warning and they were Tuesday evening transferred back. And there were more funerals, of course, and more sadness over that.
I mentioned Witkoff and Kirschner here. Then, of course, we had The vice president came. That was not certain he would, but he did in the end.
Some say they're holding BB's hands, BB holders, some are saying. Uh but uh He came and met with all the senior officials. And then we had Marco Rubio, the Secretary of State. And While Vance was actually meeting with the Prime Minister, Rick, we had a Knesset vote. To approve Israeli law being extended to all Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria, the West Bank.
Now not over the Arab areas or towns that the PAA already controls, but over the Jewish areas there. It was a first reading of a Knesset bill that there has to be two more before it could become law. It was scheduled before events. Was known to be coming to Israel. It had nothing to do with him.
It was carried out by a minor two man party in Netanyahu's government, in his coalition. They introduced it, and only twenty five Knesset members voted for it, twenty four opposed. Most weren't even there.
So it wasn't aimed at Vance, but he gave a very strong statement the next day. He said this was a farce. This was a stupid stunt, he called it. And he said, I'm personally insulted. that while I'm here meeting with your leaders that you're taking this action after Donald Trump has said you'll never annex Judea and Samaria, the West Bank.
And he repeated that, Vance did. You'll never annex this area as long as Trump is in power.
So That stirred up a big debate in Israel. Rick, are we now a vassal state of America? And many said, well, you know, this is an internal issue. It's not up to the White House to decide it, et cetera. The fact remains America is Israel's strongest by far ally and essential ally in many ways.
But of course, there's still the God of Israel. to keep in mind. as well.
Well David, that is certainly true, but I'd like to follow up on this visit by Vice President Vance.
Now he is the quote-unquote heir apparent to President Trump's presidency and potential presidential prospect for the future, but this visit kind of gave us an insight into how he would view Israel. What does this visit say about how Vice President Vance views Israel?
Well, Rick, of course, we don't know and it's Several years until there's an election, and we don't know who the candidate will be. But he is the heir apparent, and that was clear when Trump picked him, basically, that he would be the new head of the MAGA movement and therefore a major force in the Republican Party from the start. And so he is. I can only say that I read a couple of commentaries after Van spoke. uh the comments I just mentioned.
Uh, saying, you know, is this asking the question: is this man an anti-Semite at his heart? It seemed. harsh to people, you know, that he was insulted personally by this vote that Netanyahu tried to stop it according to Israel's Parliamentary laws, you know, any party he doesn't control the different parties in his coalition to that degree. He obviously has a major say in what they do or don't do, but. But they're their own parties, and they can introduce whatever they want when they want.
and he can oppose it, which he did very vocally and publicly, But they still went ahead. And it was a minor, in that sense, a minor thing. And of course, the whole issue of. Israeli law and Judea and Samaria is a major issue that's been debated for many years. And Netanyahu would like to see it extended, and Mike Huckabee, the ambassador, has said so.
But Vance just spoke a little strongly, many Israelis felt about that, that you know you're never going to get that done. That's not going to happen. we're calling the shots here. That's how it sounded to people. And I think it was a bit surprising because they don't know Vance very well in Israel, or much about him, really.
And I think that, well, I know because I've read the reports that it. It didn't come over. Very well. And certainly amongst the right wing Israelis and the religious Zionist Jews that very much believe Jewish sovereignty should be Restored to all of Judea and Samaria, but certainly the Jewish held areas right now. Um you know, they're not going to like that at all.
Well, they're not, David. And you look at this situation, uh Vice President Vance's counterpart, Marco Rubio, he's the Secretary of State and he's a strong supporter of Israel, and he said this week that Israel has met its ceasefire commitments and that Hamas must disarm. And this is somewhat in contrast to Vice President Vance, isn't it? It is. It's a tonal difference, but it's a real difference, Rick.
And of course, The Israelis know Marco Rubio. He's been a pro-Israel senator for many years. He's from the state in America with the second largest Jewish community after New York, Florida. And he's well liked in Israel, and they feel his friendship is very genuine. They just don't know that much about JD Vance, and to his comments there.
Were I think a little bit strong and were, you know, nothing was aimed at him or at America. This is a totally separate thing. it doesn't it will boost, I think, Israeli hopes that indeed Rubio will be the nominee. Dave Dolan, a journalist with over thirty years of experience reporting to us about what's going on in Israel and these complicated interactions between America and Israel. Dave, as always, we appreciate your insight.
Look forward to talking to you again soon. Glad to do it, and God bless. Great job, as always, David. And I'm reminded of Luke 21:24, where Jesus speaks of future events, including the destruction of Jerusalem and his return. He says that Jerusalem will be trampled underfoot by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.
A similar phrase is found in Romans 11:25, which says, A partial hardening has come upon Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. We know a definition for the times of the Gentiles is any time the Gentile world is in control of the Jewish people or the city of Jerusalem. And that certainly reminds me of this situation here with not only Vice President J.D. Vance, but President Trump. Trying to tell the Jewish people.
And control the city of Jerusalem. It's something for us to keep an eye on, and we'll talk about it when we get to a look at the book. We got to take a break when we come back. Itemar Marcus and Colonel Bob McGinnis, right here on Prophecy Today weekend. I'm Matthew Scott with Mission Network News.
Ukraine has struck at least 21 of Russia's 38 large oil refineries since January.
Meanwhile, recent Russian strikes have caused blackouts across Ukraine. Imagine the struggle facing families without power as winter sets in. Eric Mock with Slavic Gospel Association says the aid they send goes through the churches. That way, people in need can see Christ's love in action and hear the gospel from local believers. Consider partnering with SGA in this work.
Then, while many people in Myanmar are still recovering from the devastating earthquake that hit this March, they are also facing destruction at the hands of their government. Over 20 people died at a candlelight vigil this month that was intentionally attacked by Myanmar's military. It dropped bombs from a mechanical paraglider. AMG International has been working to rebuild houses and care for families since the earthquake. Pray for those who are suffering and learn more in the full report online.
Mission Network News, a service of one-way ministries. I'm Matthew Scott. Mm. Welcome back to Prophecy Today. I'm Jimmy DeYoung Jr.
Along with my brother Rick, we are examining current events in the light of God's prophetic word. You know, as we do the program, we love for our listeners to send us in response. And sometimes even our broadcast partners will send us an email and said, You gotta get this person on the radio.
Well, Itemar Marcus is one that we've had on the program many times, but Ken Timmerman said you've got to get Itamar on the radio this week and cover his pay-for-slay article that he put on his website, palwatch.org.
Well, Jimmy, I have Itemar Marcus with us from Palestinian Media Watch. Itemar, thanks for being with us. Hi. Great to be with you. Yeah.
The story is a hundred and sixty new Palestinian terrorist millionaires thanks to the Pay for Slay program. Can you tell us about this story? Sure. And I reported this to the Palestinian Authority. uh rewards terrorists who who were imprisoned in Israel.
with a salary, with a monthly salary from the day that they're arrested uh Sure, sure. the entire time they're in prison and many of them continue getting it for the rest of their lives.
So Israel had to release two hundred fifty terrorist prisoners in order to get the Hamas terrorists to release our twenty hostages. And when they left prison, we calculated how much each one had earned A hundred and six. 60 of them earned so much money in prison that they were leaving prison as millionaires. And in fact, A number of them were leaving as multimillionaires. Uh that's how much money the Palestinian Authority uh had paid to to these these people.
Well, Idomar, for those that are hearing about this story for the first time, it's really unbelievable. This is a supposed potential peace partner for Israel, the Palestinian Authority, and they are paying Palestinians to commit acts of terrorism against Jewish people.
Well, let me just tell you about some of these people. One of them, for example, is a terrorist uh named Mohammed Daoud. He was just released from prison. He made two 2,240,000 shekel. 2,240,000 shekel while he was in prison.
Um what was he in prison for? He threw a Molotov cocktail. At a car? and it burned to death. Ofra Moses and her five-year-old son Tal.
In the car, were there three other children as well who were all injured with the burns? The kids literally saw their brother and mother burned to death.
So this error is left jail With over two million shekel in his bank account, he is now a Palestinian hero. And how City Authority Television actually interviewed him. After his release. actually interviewed this monster. Uh presenting him to Palestinians, because they see all terrorists, especially those that did the worst and the largest number of crimes.
as superheroes. In the Palestinian Authority. And now this is the Palestinian Authority. That The United States, very possibly. is going to try to have Rebuild Gaza and rule Gaza.
They shouldn't even be ruling in Judea and Samaria. They shouldn't be ruling anywhere. This is a terror entity. They should be designated as a terror As a terror entity and Then They are actually being considered. for a role in Gaza.
Being considered, by the way, because the Palestinian Authority is supposed to be the more moderate version instead of Hamas, Hamas is who they're fighting now, this is the moderate Palestinian leadership. Exactly, that's what we're trying at Palestinian Media Watch. We're trying to convince the world for years, for years that the Palestinian Authority is really no different than Hamas. Telze Hamas has been more successful at terror. The Palestinian Authority has been behind terror.
really since their inception and their If security services are involved in terror, for example. Not not only did they interview, I mentioned to him uh Uh a Mahmoud Abbas, who's the head of the PA. sent one of the most senior officials In the PLO. to Egypt Who is he sent to greet? He was sent to greet The Palestinian terrorists who were released who were So evil?
That Israel wouldn't even allow them to go to Judea and Samaria or Gaza. Yeah. So Egypt.
So a boss. Eddie Pay send this Palestinian leader to the Talk to them and to send him, he sends. Is blessings. to the blessed Brave heroes.
So we're talking about A hundred and sixty murderers. mass murderers, many of them. uh cruulers and a boss calls them blessed brave heroes and sends his emissary all the way there to greet him. This is a Palestinian authority, like I said, that is a terror entity. And it's the the biggest mistake that the United States has done over the years.
is to keep trying to convince the Palestinian Authority stop All of their various evil practices. At the time they designated them as terror entities. That's the only way we will ever find a decent Palestinian leadership. And it's not going to be from the Palestinian Authority. Itamar, your information provides context for what is taking place in the Middle East, and I want to thank you for coming on the program because you help us understand the situation and it's different than what the mainstream media portrays every day in the news.
You're very welcome at that point. that one more thing. That you mentioned, of course, that Hamas is the one that did the atrocities on October 7th. But the Palestinian Authority has descended it The Palestinian Authority has has never, ever condemned it. And in fact Mahmoud Abbas's uh close advisor named Mahmoud Arabash.
on television just a few months ago was asked about october seventh, And he said five times he said. that it was legitimate resistance. five times in a minute. It was legitimate resistance and then he condemned Hamas for for the destruction he brought on Gaza. But October seventeen, he was insistent on saying it was legitimate resistance.
Abbas himself was asked about it. And all he did was glorify all the terrible things. that happened there. Talked about them in glorious terms. Israel failed at this, Israel failed that.
And then he says, with all the important goals that Hamas was trying to achieve it wasn't worth all the destruction in Gaza. Again, I'll stand authority leader. The top leader. separating between october seventh as if it was an independent entity. That is something that was important goals.
as opposed to What happened in the end in Gaza that was destroyed?
So they're trying to both support the the killings of the Israelis And at the same time, they're trying to make political points against their political A competitor Hamas. by condemning them for the destruction that they brought on God. Idamar Marcus from Palestinian Media Watch. Again, that website, I encourage you to go there is palwatch.org. Itemar, as always, we appreciate you coming on the program.
Look forward to talking to you again soon. Thank you very much. Jimmy, we have retired Lieutenant Colonel Bob McGinnis with us. He's a frequent contributor to this program. He's a prolific writer, has many books that you can find on Amazon.com or wherever you get your books.
He's also a contributor to Fox News, amongst other places. Lieutenant Colonel Bob McGinnis, thanks for being with us today. Thanks, Ray. It's my pleasure. Colonel McGinnis, we're going to talk about your book, AI for Mankind's Future: A Christian Perspective on the High-Tech Revolution, which is an extremely relevant book in today's world.
But before we do that, I wanted to get your thought on a few subjects facing us today. And so I'm going to start right there with the Russia-Ukraine crisis. President Trump has tried the carrot and the stick, and the stick and the carrot, and nothing seems to be working. Can you give us your view on what is taking place in the Russia-Ukraine crisis? And is it going anywhere?
What's going to end this?
Well, certainly near term, the prospects for a durable ceasefire or even a piece. uh seem to be relatively low. You know, that neither side is willing to give what the other side is demanding. And so the Trump-Putin meeting in August and Alaska and then the hope-for meeting that was going to take take place here recently. And Hungary never came to Pass.
What Trump has done is floated the idea and even had a meeting a week ago with Zelensky at the White House talking about tomahawks for Ukraine that would provide Ukraine with the ability to reach deep into Russia after strategic targets. And of course That was perceived. Preceded by a two-hour discussion between Trump and Putin, and evidently Trump never made the actual offer of Tomahawks to Zelensky, though. Evidently, according to Zelensky, they did discuss Yeah.
Now meanwhile of course the EU. has c come up to the table. It's going to provide what you Ukraine seems to want. What we have to you know, watch for though at Rick. is whether or not the Efforts by the Russians and Ukraine are going to go after not only the energy infrastructure Yeah.
closing in. Are they going to try to regain some of what they've lost in the Black Sea region? True. Really, they're they're very effective. Way in which the Ukrainians have been using Uh unmanned.
sea vehicles as well as air vehicles. the UAVs and the like.
So there there's a lot that's going on here. I don't see near term though. that uh w you know, as mister Trump Try to promised during the campaign a year ago. that he would quickly get a resolution. This is a quagmire that seems to have legs.
Well, it certainly does, and I'm certain it's a confusing situation. But if you were advising the President, if you were telling him this is what you should be doing right now, or at least what we can be doing at this moment, what would you say?
Well, I I think that Putin has shown Resilience acts. Keeping the war going, but we have to go after uh his energy income. promise to, you know, really put the pain to China Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
lot of Russian energy which fuels the ongoing war. Uh we've got to get serious about that. And not just that, you have to do Far more to cripple the Russian economy, which I don't think is. Doing all that. bad at this particular particular point, even though a vast majority of the And certainly the profits From energy are being plowed back into the ongoing war in eastern Ukraine.
We've got to do a lot of that. I think that perhaps you know, the the Europeans are going to have to step up and do much more of They've done. They've promised to buy all the weapons that Ukraine needs from us. But there considerable more that can be done. economically as well as helping the Ukrainians in the ongoing arms Yeah.
to sustain the fight. But at some point you know, both sides have lost arguably maybe a million people. the Russians more so. And the Ukrainians are not a giant country, certainly not as large as the Russians, which are. arguably two hundred fifty million people.
So Ukraine is suffering badly. in terms of human beings to to fight this fight.
So there's got to be some end in sight if we're going to sustain Certainly uh Ukraine has a viable nation going forward.
So there's a lot at stake here.
Well, there certainly is, and we'll continue to keep an eye on that. But while I have you on the program today, I'd like to switch gears a little bit and talk about a few other things before we get to your book. And one of those is some changes at the Pentagon.
Now, you have spent much of your life here, a graduate of West Point, a career army man. And like I said, you've been in and out of the halls of the Pentagon so much. There's been some changes instituted by the new Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth. And I'm wondering: could you tell us about these changes? Are they good or bad?
Were they necessary? What do you think? Yeah. I wrote an op-ed on the American thinker about this very And apparently What has happened is that uh Pete Hegseth has put in place new credential rules. accreditation rules.
So if you want to be a news reporter in the Pentagon. You've got to abide by the rules. And so what it's done, it's limited in clearly defined restrictions that we're not here. Yeah, yeah. And then of course, there are a lot of uh organizations that in protest said no, we're not going to do this.
I will leave. credentials on the on the floor and and leave the five-sided building.
So that's Yeah. Where we are. The concern is that we are going to be able to do that. Is that of course Yeah, and I've like I've spent I spent you know, quarter of a century inside the building. Uh A.
And I also did a lot of media while I was working there. as a kind of contractor for The last 20 years. And I I understand how how to work with the media there. But I also understand that A lot of classified and sensitive material unfortunately was a leak and if you give the press unvetted accuracy. Access to all those many corridors Then they will find sympathetic people that want to leak something, especially to hurt a A particular administration.
So Pete tried to. circumvent that by establishing new rules. and you know it really upset a lot of people.
So what we need to do is to find a fair balance. And that is We have to support targeted safeguards. For classified programs use more I would argue narrower rules. At the same time, we need to Yeah, support. Yeah, the free press in this country And to prov them to have an opportunity to kind of share with the American people what it's just Yeah.
Establishment is doing. There are a host of things. I I kind of walk the line here because I'm sympathetic to the media desires for information. and there need to be more press meetings. Evidently Pete has only had a couple.
Since he's been in the uh office there at the Pentagon since January of 2025. Uh and at the same time Yeah, I've seen some terrible leaks. coming out of the Pentagon. And and that doesn't serve uh our national interests much less protect our young men and women that are serving across the country.
So There has to be some give and take on both sides. Very interesting. I was excited to hear your response to that because I've been listening to it in the news, and your response does make sense.
Well, let's move on. One more question before I get to your book. And this is a question I kind of ask you almost every time you're on the program. One of the things you did in the Army was threat assessment.
Now, you do it not only from your career in the military, but you, like you said, a prolific writer and you've written books about all of these subjects. But we look at the threats around the world: Russia and what they're doing in Ukraine, but maybe even threatening Europe, China, and the role that they want to play in the world and they're committed to. And then, of course, militant Islam, which comprises many different nations, but of course, it is a force in the world today. As we look at all of these things, can you help us just kind of prioritize these dangers that we are facing in America and really the Western world in general today? Yeah.
Well Yeah, you can go to the intelligence community's 2025 annual threat of assessment and You know, they kind of delineate uh What the threats are, that China, of course, is systemically Our pure competitor and many fronts. Yeah, I have the world's largest nuclear arsenal and of course they're engaged in a war in eastern Ukraine and that's disruptive and It also has to do with our NATO alliance and Iran Yeah, albeit in June. it suffered tremendous losses thanks to the Israeli attacks and the American B two s. But it has a chance to recuperate. I wrote a piece for Fox News Yeah.
you know, kind of the five scenarios that are a possible outcome of the Middle East and especially the Gaza mess. North Korea is a ongoing threat. It you know, it's launching Efforts to produce very sophisticated drones, much like the Iranians and the Russians are using in various and sundry places. Yeah, I think that needs to be watched. Their nuclear arsenal continues to grow.
I would argue that Cyber and AI-enabled threats are very significant on our. future as Things ramp up. Certainly, space and counter-space, ASAT, anti-satellite system. And jamming and Orbital threats, those are all going to excel. Yeah.
It's pretty crowded up there. And as we get closer to more competition from the Chinese especially. Yeah. and for very high orbits they will weaponize if they already haven't. Outer space.
Then, of course, there's the the old transnational terrorism, extremism, economics security friction points. But I'm probably growing more concerned about domestically and how we're beginning had to see our own culture. inplode. I've seen what's happening. Yeah.
Through naive immigration policies, we have the similar here. We're not quite as bad. as you know some of the European countries but They're losing their culture. And when you lose your culture, Yeah. Judeo-Christian based, then you become a country that is unlike anything that we've ever seen.
Yeah. Very, very critical. for people to begin to understand.
Well, it certainly is, and it is just so very interesting to listen to you list all of those threats and all of these things that we are facing. Of course, those are things that affect our personal life today, but they are also things that fit into a prophetic end time scenario, and so it kind of all works together.
Well, let's get to your book. And with this new book, it's called AI for Mankind's Future: A Christian Perspective on the High-Tech Revolution.
Now, I think, like I said, could not be more timely. Could you tell us what? Why you wrote this book? Yeah. Wanted to explain AI's mechanics and its reach, especially to Chris.
because There's a lot of hope. But there's a lot of fear. Uh in in the minds of a lot of people with regard to this. Yeah. Suppose if you get the jargon and you use you know, the chat GPTs, the Claude, the Gemini and and these LLMs.
and I know I'm using terms in Yeah. I'm very familiar with. but many listeners might not be. But there's a whole technical piece there, and so some people won't feel comfortable with that. There's also a very significant theological piece here.
Yeah, that's Uh this is incredibly smart. working properly. And some people think it's going to be a Social system For the future human beings, it's going to uh provide Eternal. Uh like heaven for People, it's going to provide salvation. I mean, the In the theological implications of AR are very significant.
What I'm in the middle of, Rick. is I'm actually writing three books. And each answers. a very important question that every listener needs to The first one is, what is AI? And that's what I've written in my the The new book.
Yeah. coming up is AI for mankind's future. What is AI? And I define it, I go through its implications for all of All the Yeah. issues for our families, our education establishment, for our business Our agriculture, our production Our military You name it.
Uh I s and of course theologically I have An analysis biblically of every part of that and how it impacts today's world. The second book, which I'm about finished with. which will come out in late winter. is who controls AI, and it's frightening. If it's smarter than human beings, or even exceeding human beings.
It really matters who controls it. And who controls it? of course is you know what I call the AI New Cold War. And moments ago we talked about the threats. Justice.
uh threatening as you know any nation state. going forward. And then the final, which will come out probably late summer, early fall, a year from now is The final algorithm, which Answers the question Where does AI lead us? And they're very theological spiritual implications there as well as Yeah, just some common sense things that unfortunately you're going to transform nation states and the the globe as we know it today. This is ambitious.
I already have two. finish of the three. Breaking the third one now. Uh and I think it it is answering questions. questions that every Yeah.
must ask and come to grips with because these are important.
Well, they certainly are. And, you know, we look at this situation, artificial intelligence is here. We cannot roll back the clock. We cannot stop it.
So we need to learn how to move forward going into the future. And I just want to read the synopsis of your book that is on Amazon.com. And here's the line: We must embrace God's purpose for man while rejecting the notion that AI is our replacement, as secular futurists claim. Rather, it can become Satan's tool to undermine God's plan for humankind and the instrument the coming Antichrist could use in his failed quest to take over the world and the prophetic end times. And that is basically verbatim from the cover on your book there.
But that is essentially saying AI, as in all of these other events that are taking place around the world, is setting the stage for Bible prophecy to be fulfilled in the future, isn't it? Oh yeah. many of us didn't anticipate. That's why I kind of go through these three steps. You have to know what we're talking about here.
What are the aspects? of AI that I need to understand technically. And then I have to answer the question Who controls it? Who really makes it do what it's doing.
Now, and that's where Do you have a very serious spiritual component. You have a human component, but also A spiritual component that is very, very Mm-hmm. And then, of course, you have to say, well, those people that are controlling are those spirits. that are controlling it.
Now what does that lead us to?
Well, I think it leads us to the prophetic end times. But you have to understand how that happens. And there's a lot here. You know, I've The book that you have, my first, AI for a Mancan's Future, almost five hundred pages. What Yeah, seventeen chapters twenty two Appendices, because some people only want the big picture, so they read the 17 chapters.
Yeah. deeper understanding, you go into the appendices and 'cause I I ch I show you a lot of Most of it's technical. But the next one you know, the the new c AI Cold War is is structured much the same way, but it kind of looks at the various Uh threats. That we talked about earlier, the China, what are they doing? Why is China such a pervasive And I'm Big AI component going forward.
What are the Russians doing? What are all these other uh you know whether or not they're nation states or they're they're criminal syndicates, or they're just corporations that are wielding great influence in today's world using artificial Yeah. Yeah, like I said, is smarter than any of us, and I deal with it literally. multiple times. and day in and day out.
I even took a course at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology this past summer to you know, really feel comfortable with the technology.
So Uh I deal with this.
Okay. come to Appreciate uh Yeah, it's dangerous as Well as it's Yeah. And That's a good idea. I I think the first book you have to Yeah, really has to grab. We have to understand what this stuff is.
Is and then you have to say, okay, you know, who's really pulling the strings, and then finally. I I help people Late next year. when this third part of the trilogy comes out. help you understand. Yeah, really where this is ultimately leading.
It is Very, very close to biblical prophecy, but you have to see the path. Way to that. Retired Lieutenant Colonel Bob McGinnis on his book, AI for Mankind's Future: A Christian Perspective on the High-Tech Revolution, and of course the following books, the trilogy that he's talked about. Colonel McGinnis, as always, we appreciate you coming on, giving us insight. We encourage our listeners to go seek out these books, get these books, get this knowledge, because this is something that is so relevant, something we need to understand so we can develop our prophetic Christian worldview perspective.
Thanks so much, Colonel McGinnis. Look forward to talking to you again soon. Well, thanks, Rick. Have a great day.
Well, we've got to take a break, and when we come back, the Legacy Series with Dr. Jimmy DeYoung, right here on Prophecy Today weekend. Uh Welcome back to Prophecy Today. I'm Jimmy DeYoung Jr. Along with my brother Rick, we've been examining current events in the light of God's prophetic word.
And Rick, that last half hour with Itamar Marcus, and interesting that Ken Timmerman suggested to us that we have Itamar on. I always think that's fantastic when people send us information or requests. And here we had one of our broadcast partners send it in. But then Colonel Bob McGinnis did a fantastic job on AI and fascinating stories about the Pentagon. Rick, we've got some trips coming up to Israel.
Why don't you tell our folks about that? That's right, Jimmy. We are planning to go back to Israel.
Now, we've been to Israel all since October 7th of 2023. We've been there several times, but now that there is a ceasefire, now that groups are really starting to go back in force, we have a trip upcoming January 23rd of 2026. We are going back. We already have a group, it's about half a bus full. And so there's room for those that might be interested in going.
If you want to give our office a call at 423-825-6247, you can find out more information or go to our website, prophecytoday.com. We'd love to have you join us in Israel. It is good to be able to be back in the land. We're excited to do that, and we'd love to have you with us.
Well, on the legacy series today, we're going to study the last book of the Bible, the book of Revelation. And Dr. DeJoun is concluding his talking about Babylon. Remember, Dr. DeJoung told us the last thing that happens before Christ comes back to the earth will be Babylon is destroyed.
Many of you may say, well, Babylon was destroyed 2,500 years ago, as recorded in Daniel chapter 5, but that was the destruction of the Babylonian Empire, not the city of Babylon. In just a few moments, Dr. De Young will discuss the passage found in Revelation chapter 18 about how Babylon will be destroyed.
However, we must begin this study by looking at two chapters in the book of Revelation. I want you to take your Bible and turn to Revelation chapters 17 and 18. These two chapters cover the entire seven-year period of time known as the tribulation. It's an intense time of judgment on the earth that happens right after the rapture of the church. Right now, let's begin our study in Revelation chapter 17 with Dr.
Jimmy D. Young and the Legacy series. Right here, chapter 17 in the first three and a half years, unfolds. That is a false church. Verse 5 of chapter 17 says: Babylon, the mother of harlots.
Established. This false religiosity. It was a mother-son cult that was established 4,500 years ago at Babel. You might remember chapter 11, verse 4 of the book of Genesis. Let us build us a tower whose top may reach unto heaven.
That's a religious terminology. A tower topping and going into heaven? No way it was going to do that. Nimrod had a wife, her name was Simeon Ramus, they had a son, his name was Tammuz. They became the co-equal recipients of a mother-son cult evil worship.
They're both talked about in the Bible. Jeremiah chapters. 7 and 44 calls her the queen of heaven. And they celebrated with a very interesting agenda. They would make hot cross buns to celebrate Her special holy day.
They would take hard-boiled eggs and paint them up in beautiful colors and lay them out in the woods for the children to go find. And they did this on a ungodly holy day called Ishtar.
Sound familiar? In Jeremiah 7, God says to Jeremiah, don't even pray for these people that worship like that. Their son? Tammuz? He's mentioned in the book of Ezekiel, chapter 8, when God brings Ezekiel back to Israel, shows him all the idolatry that's going on.
He sees a convent of virgins worshiping Tammuz, the son of the mother-son cult. With the fall of the Babylonian Empire, 539 BC, that mother-son cult changed this location from Babylon. You know where it moved to? Pergamus. Pergamus?
Oh yeah, that's that third church in Revelation chapter 2. Pergamis is the location, and Judy and I could take you. We've been there a number of times, we could take you, we could show you the statues of the Roman emperors. They were called Caesars. That was our political title.
But at that time in history, they were deified, and so they were given a religious title. You know what the religious title was? Pontiphus Maximus. And that was too long. That means major keeper of the bridge.
So they shortened it to Paktev. And that was too long, so they shortened it to Pope. Don't you dare go out of here and say, I've just been preaching against the Catholic Church. I haven't said the word Catholic at all. I'm telling you what happened in history.
And chapter 17 says, These people that worship this false Religiosity will wear purple and scarlet. They carry a chalice full of blood and a cross made out of diamonds and pearls. They have a convent of virgins that serve them. Oh, by the way, this false mother son cult headquartered in Pergamus, and then they moved to Rome, Italy. which chapter 17 Verse 9 says, And here is a mind which hath wisdom, the seven heads, and that's what they saw, the beast and the whore, that's the word used in the scriptures referring to a false church.
What's the opposite of a whore, a beautiful virgin bride. That's what we are, the bride of Christ. He said, I saw its seven heads are seven mountains in which the woman sitteth. The false church will be headquartered in the city of Rome in the first three and a half years. Look what's going to happen here.
Verse 16. The ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast, these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire. They're going to wipe out the false church at the midway point of the tribulation. I told you when we looked at Ezekiel. Islam will be wiped out so that activity can take place and they wipe out this false church.
Look at verse 17. For God hath put in their hearts to fulfill his will. God puts in the hearts of evil men to accomplish his will. What happens after the first three and a half years? The false church is destroyed.
Where does the Antichrist go? Chapter 11, verse 1 says, John measure the place for the temple. What happens? The Antichrist walks into the Holy of Holies, claims to be God. That's the abomination of desolation.
They put up a statue. Revelation chapter 13, verses 15 and following. They put up a statue. It's made to talk and it's made to move. And the world is caused to worship it by the miracles that the false prophet performs.
And then where does the Antichrist go? Since there's a statue in the temple, he doesn't need to be there. He goes to Babylon. Chapter 18. Look at chapter 18.
And after these things, I saw another angel come down from heaven. having great power in the earth, was lighted with his glory. And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babel and the great. Great has fallen, has fallen. And you can study down through here, and you can talk about the merchants.
The merchants waxed rich, and with the destruction of Babylon they weep. Look at verse 10, standing afar off for the fear of their torment, saying, Alas, alas, that great city, Babylon, that mighty city, for in one hour thy judgment is come. Verse 17, for in one hour so great riches have come to naught. How does he set it up? You know, Revelation chapter 13, verses 16 and 17, he says, every man, every woman, everybody who wants to buy or sell during this last three and a half years has to have an identification mark.
We talk about the mark of the beast. What is it? 666? I don't know. It's on the forehead, it's on the back of the hand.
Is it a computer chip? I don't know. The Bible doesn't say, I don't speculate. But it's an identification mark. How in the world could we get everybody to take an identification mark?
To buy or sell. I got an idea. Let's have a worldwide financial crisis. And let's have the G20 come together and set up a global economic structure. Which is exactly what G20 China?
Russia The United Nations is calling for. as we stand here. And so everybody takes a mark, an identification mark.
So you can buy or sell. This is all headquartered in the city of Babylon.
Well, I thought Babylon was destroyed. No, Babylon wasn't destroyed. The Babylonian Empire, chapter 5 of the book of Daniel, was destroyed. But I want to tell you, Ezra chapter 7 says, 75 years after the fall of the Babylonian Empire, Ezra was living in Babylon. He traveled five months to get to Jerusalem to become the one who reinstituted the temple practices.
You ever read about Alexander the Great? 200 years after the fall of the Babylonian Empire, he headquartered his Grecian Empire in Babylon. Babylon has not been destroyed, I know. You know what how I know? I watch CNN.
And I saw the CNN cameras. In Babylon the other day. It was a multinational headquarters for a peacekeeping organization. 21 nations headed up by the Polish. Babylon has never been destroyed.
It must be destroyed. How do I know it has to be destroyed? Isaiah 13 and 14. Jeremiah 5 and 51. Ezekiel.
Tells us Babylon will be destroyed. Revelation. It says right there, the last of the 21 judgments, Babylon is destroyed. Greatest earthquake to hit the face of the earth. Why?
Because the Babylonians Burn down the temple of God. and took the implements. and desecrated him. Chapter 5 of Daniel. Why do you think the United States military went into Babel.
Iraq. Because Babylon had to be prepared. for prophecy to be fulfilled. Oh, what caused us to go in was Saddam Hussein. He was going into Jerusalem.
You may not know this, but Seven million man army Saddam Hussein was going to lead into Jerusalem to liberate and give it to the Palestinians. All of them had weapons training. 2,000 of them were volunteers that would be suicide bombers. The Israeli Defense Force went on high alert. Judy and I were living there then.
We were there for Thirty Nights' Guds. From Iraq, we knew Saddam meant business. Benjamin Netanyahu said, Iraq is now putting in place A state-of-the-art cutting edge. telecommunication system. Oil is running out in Saudi Arabia and Iran.
The greatest oil sources in the world are under the earth. in Iraq. They've only touched 2%. they'll become the richest nation of the world. And that'll set the place for Babylon.
Be set up. and the Antichrist. You know what the last thing that will happen is? before he comes back to earth? The Lord destroys.
Babylon. And then he steps down on earth. Daniel. Parents of Antichrist. Ezekiel the The temple.
in the tribulation. Revelation. Babbling in power. destroyed and Christ comes back. And all three offense.
Could happen. within days. We're here. before it all starts. and we go to the heavenlies.
These are the keys. unlocking God's plan for the future. Be a watchman. Warn the people. and live.
and light. Are these truths? Revelation sixteen eighteen. says that the greatest earthquake to ever hit the earth will be used to destroy Babylon. It is stronger than any earthquake that has ever happened on this earth throughout all of history.
This passage in Revelation sixteen, verses seventeen to twenty one, is the prophecy of the destruction of Babylon. It's the last vile judgment, the twenty first of the twenty one judgments that happened during the tribulation period, and after this judgment happens, Jesus Christ comes back to the earth. Remember, in our study of keys to understanding God's plan for the future, we studied a quick survey of Daniel, Ezekiel, and Revelation. We saw in the book of Daniel the appearance of Antichrist, And I believe the Antichrist is alive to-day. We also studied the book of Ezekiel, and our attention was focused on the coming temple to be built on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem.
This last study was on the book of Revelation, and our study to day on the rise and fall of Babylon in our world to day. We are alive at the time of these three events: the Antichrist, the Temple, and Babylon. But remember, the rapture of the church will happen before any of these prophecies will be fulfilled. The rapture is the very next prophecy to be fulfilled, and it could happen at any moment. Even today.
Next week on the broadcast, we begin a brand new study entitled Alpha and Omega. In this study we will be looking at the past and the not too distant future, as we look at the beginning and the end of times in this dramatic study of Bible prophecy. this is one study that you do not want to miss. I'll start in the book of Genesis, where all of Bible prophecy begins, and end with another look into the future from God's prophetic word. Please be sure to join us in our study of Alpha and Omega.
Dr. Jimmy DeYoung and his study on the book of Revelation. This is Jimmy DeYoung Jr., and thank you for joining with us this week. 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 423-825-6247 and ask for the special offer and that you have a gift. that you would like to give prophecy today. You know, we need to continue this ministry that my father started. And we will give you, in return for a donation of any amount, we will give you our DVD.
Ready to rebuild, revisit it. I'm Matthew Scott with Mission Network News. On Tuesday, American citizen and missionary pilot Kevin Rideout was abducted by armed men in the capital of Niger. Rideout works with the evangelical missions agency called Serving in Mission. Here's Ilya Jadi, who serves with Open Doors International as a senior analyst for Africa.
So far, no group has claimed the kidnapping. But there are ways to make an educated guess. Niger, along with neighboring countries, is experiencing rising Islamic insurgency. Authorities believe Rideout's kidnappers took him toward Western Niger, which is the area where an al-Qaeda affiliate is mainly active. Ask God for a miraculous release, but also for endurance and faithfulness for Rideout, as he faces unimaginable circumstances.
Learn more about the challenges the church in Niger endures today in the full report online. And the Middle East may come to mind when you hear the term persecuted Christians. Mission India's Raina Miller says India is a persecution hotspot, too. It's definitely a very bold and courageous thing to follow Jesus in India.
So, just over a decade ago, Open Doors ranked India as number 32 on its list of the 50 most persecuted nations. And now, India is all the way up at number 11. Millions of people have never heard the name of Jesus and have no access to a Bible or church. Those who do follow Jesus risk everything for him. Mission India's new devotional will introduce you to the faces behind these facts.
It's a seven-day devotional starting on October 27, going through November 2nd, which is the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church. Get yours at missionnews.org. Thank you for listening to Mission Network News, a service of one-way ministries. This month, Bibles for the World is offering a 15-day Hindu World prayer guide and an invitation to join together in praying for them through the 26th. Get your copy when you click on the banner at missionnews.org.
That's missionnews.org. I'm Matthew Scott. Welcome back to Prophecy Today. I'm Jimmy DeYoung Jr. Along with Rick, we've been examining current events in the light of God's prophetic word.
And, Rick, what a great program today. I know I was basically along for the ride, but you did such a great job. And the topics that, again, that you picked, understanding Bible prophecy, really helps us to know how to pick these stories that are all stories that are really relating to future prophetic events that take place after the rapture of the church. But you talked about China, you talked about Russia, you talked about the world leaders that are involved in all of this, you talked about Turkey. There's a lot that was going on in the program today.
Well, that's right, Jimmy. And I picked those stories out specifically because those are nations that are involved in what the Bible says is going to happen in the future, what the Bible says is going to happen in the end times. Of course, China, Revelation 16, we look at Turkey. Turkey and Russia, and those two nations involved in Ezekiel 38. This is part of the alignment of nations that is going to come against Israel in the end times, isn't it, Jimmy?
It sure is. When you look at Ezekiel 38, those nations that are listed there, Russia is listed as Magog. And of course, you and I believe God is a personality. At this very moment, that personality would be Vladimir Putin and his decisions on running his nations and then bringing in along with Iran. You've got Turkey mentioned in Ezekiel 38.
You've got other nations such as Somalia, Sudan, and Ethiopia mentioned there. You've got Libya. Daniel 11 talks about the king out of the north, which is Syria. Daniel 11 also talks about the king out of the south, which is Egypt. All of these nations are involved in Bible prophecy.
And of course, in Psalm 83, the way that we see it, the nations that are there would be those. Nations that are a part of the Abrahamic Accord.
So I think these are all very important major players. Taya Verdigan, we've been talking about him for years. Dad talked about him in the past. He wants to be the pan-Islamic leader. He wants to basically surround the nation of Israel.
He wants to be a part of the rebuilding process and be involved in the Gaza Strip, which puts him right on the cusp and right on the border with Israel. He also is involved in Syria.
So, you know, when you look at these nations that are coming together, we are seeing an alignment. Although, you know, they've been aligned. I think in the past, we've called it, both Ken Timmerman and Colonel McGinnis have called it the access of evil. And you throw China in there, we certainly are looking at nations and leaders that are playing a particular role in the Middle East.
Well, that's right, Jimmy. And as we look at the situation there at the Russia-Ukraine crisis and President Trump negotiating for peace, we forget Focus also with Dave Dolan on the next segment on the ceasefire agreement and, of course, what Donald Trump called peace in the Middle East.
Now, we know that is not necessarily the case, but we know that Scripture says during the tribulation there will be a peace agreement on the table. We see peace being negotiated now, but none of it is quite working as it should. That is very significant, isn't it? Yes, you know, I'm amazed that President Trump and Vice President Vance are basically involved. And I refer to it as the times of the Gentiles.
And that definition is when the Gentile world nations and the United States, although it's called itself a Christian nation, basically it's the Gentile nations that. That it's a part of, it's trying to control the decision-making process of the Jewish people. That's their job to do. The Jewish people, Prime Minister Netanyahu, his Knesset, that's a decision that they make whether they want to annex a part of the state of Israel and add Judea and Samaria to the present-day state of Israel. And I think when we always look at Israel today, it only has 10% of the land that has been promised forever.
So every time they want to expand the borders or expand their borders of Israel, we salute them because we're getting closer to the fulfillment of Bible prophecy. Of course, that will be fulfilled in the future.
Well, Jimmy, as we look at all these events that we are looking forward to, these prophetic events, these all happen after the rapture of the church. And that brings me back to that old analogy, Jimmy. I was at Walmart yesterday. Guess what I saw? What did you see?
Crazy. Christmas decorations. Christmas decorations all over the place. Trees up, lights up. You know what that means?
Guess what's right around the corner? What, Rick? Thanksgiving. You know why? Because Thanksgiving comes before Christmas.
And we talk about that, but it's a way of showing you that as we look at these events that are going to happen in the future, in the tribulation period. They happen after the rapture of the church.
So when we look at these events, we believe that they are going to happen soon. Before all of these things take place, the rapture of the church has to happen at any moment. That's what we're looking forward to. Yes, you know, and I think one thing that I thought was very important, and I, you know, you sent me an article about Senator Ted Cruz speaking at John Hagee's Church here in San Antonio. But one of the other things that I've seen is there are other articles about those people, evangelical Christians under the age of 35, are significantly less involved in Israel and looking to replace Israel with the church.
And I think that's, again, indicative of the end times in which we live. We have churches, we have people that don't understand the role of the Jewish people. And I've said this often. This is not a Jewish program, but we focus on the nation of Israel because that is a major part of Bible prophecy in the future. And I think it's just something that, you know, as we look and we pick these stories out every week, it does help us to understand.
Bible prophecy, and that's how we can develop our biblical worldview.
Well, that's right, Jimmy, and I think that subject that you're talking about, the way that the the church is moving away from Israel, is something that will continue to develop in the future. And that's for future programs, Jimmy, but this is such s something that we all need to focus on right now. Yes, and I think it's very important that you are a part of a church, a body of believers, that. Think alike and understand, and it's not always going to happen, but you need to understand the role that the Jewish people play not only in the past but today and in the future. And that's something that we need to keep our eyes on.
And we will develop that in the future. But as we still keep looking at these nations, these leaders, understanding Bible prophecy helps us to understand why the world is acting as it is. And that is something that is coming. And it shows us how close we are to the rapture of the church. Great job on the program today, Rick.
And with everything that we're seeing in the news with Ken Timmerman, David Dolan, Itamar Marcus, and Colonel Bob McGinnis, we can't help but say that the rapture of the church. can't be that far away. Let's keep looking up. Until Thank you so much for joining us today. This is Jay Johnson, inviting you to join us again next week for more of Prophecy Today.
