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. According to Bible prophecy, the Middle East is considered a central powder keg because it is to be the stage for end-time events leading to the return of Jesus Christ. The region is viewed as a focal point for intense conflict involving Israel and surrounding nations, with key prophetic markers including the rise of specific alliances, threats to Jerusalem, and the ultimate battle. of Armageddon.
Well, Rick is fresh off of his trip to Israel. He's in the studio. And we've got a lot to cover, Rick, with Ken Timmerman, David Dolan, Winky Medad, and all the others that are going to be on today's program. Let's get right to it with our first, Ken Timmerman.
Well, that's right, Jimmy. I have Ken Timmerman with us. He is our expert in geopolitical affairs. He is an author and an analyst. You can find out more about him by going to his website at kentimmerman.com.
Ken, thanks for being with us today. Thanks for having me, Rick. It's always a pleasure.
Well, Ken, of course, we'll start this week with the top story, and that is the situation in Iran. The first round of talks have been completed. Could you let us know what has happened? What didn't happen, Rick, right away was an announcement from the White House of some kind of great deal or grand bargain between Iran and the United States. And I'm not surprised because the two countries were so far apart.
In their negotiating requirements. The United States wanted a total end to Iran's nuclear weapons program, but they also wanted. Dramatic concessions by the Iranian regime not to kill their dissidents. And that's something they would not even discuss. It was not on the negotiating table.
And on the nuclear issue itself, Rick, I believe that the real subject that they discussed was the location of Iran's stockpile of highly enriched uranium. They have 450 kilos that we know they enriched before the June 22nd U.S. strike, the B-2 bomber strike that obliterated their underground enrichment facility. And according to the IEEA, that 450 kilograms is enough to make 10 nuclear weapons. 10, Rick.
That is not just one or two. That is a nuclear weapons arsenal. I believe that the President and Pete Hegseth, the Defense Department, the CIA now have hard intelligence that the Iranians got that highly enriched uranium out from the Ford facility before the strikes. and that they are hiding it some other place in the country.
Some of my Iranian sources believe that they have a series of container trucks where they're stockpiling this, in other words, a mobile shell game that they can deploy around the country. You know, we've got quite an armada off the Coasts of Iran today. Not just the aircraft carrier, not just six destroyers, not just all those Tomahawk missiles, but F-35s and various bases around the region, and several battalions of Marines on board those two literal combat ships. I could see very well some sort of military operation that would go in a la Maduro, a la Venezuela. And spirit away that 450 kilograms of highly enriched uranium in the middle of the night.
Whatever Trump does, my guess is it will be something the Iranians have not yet imagined. That's what he does.
Well, it certainly is, Ken. And you talk about the nuclear aspect of this, which brings this whole situation to another level. But the buildup in the area, it certainly seems like tensions around the Middle East are really high at the moment. It certainly seems like something is going to happen probably in the next few days.
Well, again, we don't know. And the president, for all of his bluster and his bombast, and his love for talking to the press. He plays his cards pretty close to the West, and nobody at this point knows what he's planning to do. All we know are the U. S.
military capabilities in the region itself.
Well, certainly all eyes in the region and we ourselves are also looking as to what is going to take place there in Iran, and we'll just have to wait and see. But let's move on. Let's look at other things that are taking place around the world. And let's start with China. And it certainly seems like there may be some turmoil at the top.
Can you talk about potential problems that President Xi is facing?
Well, Rick, over the past two weeks, President Xi has purged yet more senior officers from the military commission. In fact, he has purged all but two of this 26-member commission, I believe it is. And he's gotten rid of top generals, people who've been there for 20 years, for 30 years, especially those, Rick, who were reluctant to move militarily against Taiwan.
So Xi has taken over the Central Military Commission. He is running it now. And they have taken the unusual step of actually publicly criticizing some of these generals for corruption and for mismanagement inside the PLA. I think President Xi could be in trouble politically, but this again happens against a backdrop of a call with President Trump on Wednesday. Trump called it a very, very good call.
And President Xi promised, for example, to buy 25 million tons of U.S.
soybeans, which is good news for U.S. farmers. But those calls with President Trump are one thing. What's going on inside China is far less clear, much more opaque. We do not have clear vision into the Chinese regime, but something serious is taking place, and we have those officers being purged.
Well, certainly something to keep an eye on there in China, but let's move on to the European Union, and they have agreed to a $90 billion lifeline for Ukraine. Can you talk about this? The Ukrainians are desperate for money. Obviously, in the middle of a war, half of their economy is shut down. They don't have the tax revenues that they would have otherwise.
So the Europeans have agreed to yet another 90 billion Euro loan. That's over $100 billion. And the Ukrainians will not be liable for paying it back if the Russians don't pay them war reparations. And I have a sneaking feeling that President Putin is not going to agree to war reparations.
So this could be a 90 billion Euro gift to the Ukrainians, half of which will be spent on defense. The Europeans wanted to condition it on buying only European defense articles, but Everybody knows, including the Europeans, that they're going to have to use some of it to buy U. S. goods that the Europeans simply don't produce, like Patriot missiles, like supplies for the F sixteen's which we have delivered them, bombs and rockets and missiles.
Well, Ken, in a related story, and we know that NATO is essentially the military arm of the European Union, there was a report coming out this week that a wargame simulation with Russia attacking a NATO country suggests that the Kremlin could achieve their goals in days. Can you talk about this? Well, this particular war game was run by ex-NATO officials, ex, very important, and it was run by Germans and Poles who have Putin derangement syndrome. But nevertheless, it is true. Lithuania is the weak point of the NATO alliance.
And they know it, and we know it, and the Russians know it. This particular war game focused on a crisis in Kaliningrad. The Russians claimed there was a humanitarian crisis. Kaliningrad, by the way, is a former Soviet, now Russian enclave on the coast of Germany. And it's completely surrounded by German territory and close to Belarus and close to Lithuania.
And the scenario had the Russians then taking troops across the border into Lithuania and essentially capturing the country with 15,000 troops.
Well Look. I'm a little bit skeptical that NATO defenses are that weak, but it is true Lithuania is a weak point. Everybody is looking in that area for potential Russian advance. Do the Russians really want to launch another war, and especially a war that would entangle them with NATO? I'm inclined, Rick, to be skeptical on that one, especially given the weakness that the Russian military has shown in Ukraine and clearly the weakness of the Russian economy as U.S.
sanctions on Russian oil exports get tougher. Of course, Ken, this is all happening as the US and Russia agreements on the Newstart nuclear pact is expiring, and that is a big deal, but maybe it's being extended. Could you tell us about that situation?
Well, this was the new start agreement that Obama signed a bit over 10 years ago. It has just lapsed now. It limits our deployed warheads to around 1,900 each for the United States and Russia. President Trump has never been happy with that. He would like to see a lower limit on deployed warheads, but especially what he wants to see, and he has said that recently, he would like to see China join some kind of nuclear disarmament agreement.
And there's very good reason for that. The Chinese, we believe, are cheating. They have approximately 600 deployed warheads, at least that's what they say. But there are reports that I have seen, Rick, and very credible reports by China watchers who've been looking at the underground facilities they have been building for the past decade.
Some believe they could have as many as 2,000 or 2,500 warheads, which is beyond the start limits already.
So I think President Trump is right. We don't need another nuclear arms reduction agreement with the Russians at this point. Point. They're not about to sink hundreds of billions of dollars into expanding their arsenal. But we do need something that holds the Chinese to some limits.
And that, I think, would be real progress. Ken, would it be fair to say, as we look at this situation, this is kind of right in President Trump's wheelhouse as he's looking to negotiate a deal, a deal that is of extreme importance because we're talking about nuclear weapons here. This is something that potentially President Trump could really do well, isn't it?
Well, it is, and he could, again, leverage those personal relationships he has with both Putin and Xi. But I don't see a package, and there's a huge package deal where Putin agrees to end the war in Ukraine in exchange for a nuclear arms control agreement. He doesn't really want a nuclear arms control agreement, nor does he need one, but I could see President Trump leveraging those personal relationships for sure. Ken Timmerman for Prophecy Today. Ken, as always, we appreciate your insight.
Look forward to talking to you again soon. Thanks so much, Rick. God bless. Great job, as always, Ken. And let me remind you: when we focus on these stories, these stories relate to prophecies that will be fulfilled in the future after the rapture of the church.
Iran, Ezekiel 38, China, Revelation chapter 16, the EU, Ukraine, NATO, all of those having to do with the European Union. That's Daniel chapter 7 and the revived Roman Empire coming back to power. We've got a lot more to cover. David Dolan's coming up next with this Middle East news update right here on Prophecy Today weekend. I'm Ruth Kramer with Mission Network News.
On Tuesday, radical Muslim militants attacked two villages in Nigeria and killed at least 162 people. It was Nigeria's deadliest Islamic attack since the U.S. Christmas Day airstrike on terrorist targets. We spoke with Unknown Nations Greg Kelly, who is just in Nigeria, where the ministry supports gospel outreach efforts. It is a mission sporce because it's broke into literally 50% Christian, 50% Muslim, and all this carnage that's taking place is largely in the majority Muslim areas where they're trying to eradicate Christianity.
The problem goes deeper than regional and political powers, though. It's a spiritual conflict. The 99% of the North that is Muslim, they don't know what they don't know, and they don't know that Jesus came as the Savior to the world.
So pray for northern Nigeria's believers who are preaching Christ. And you have given. That God might want to use in ways you haven't dreamed of yet. For Brian and Bonnie Foxley, volunteers with Prisoners for Christ, they stepped into prison ministry with music and conviction. Bonnie tells us, We read verses like, I was sick and you visited me with help and ministering care.
I was in prison and you came to see me. The Foxleys performed music evangelism concerts in United States prisons along with their two sons. When COVID-19 happened, it made prisons less accessible.
So today, the Foxleys have also developed a digital approach to reach inmates through things like testimony and music videos.
So is God calling you to use your gifts in prison ministry? Brian says listening comes first. Hear the voice of the Lord and what his heart is for the broken and the lost, and you will be compelled to at least look into it, and then you'll know if it's a calling. Find your place in the story at missionnews.org. Thanks for listening to Mission Network News, a service of one-way ministries.
We're listeners supported by people just like you. By giving to Mission Network News, you enable us to keep the stories of. God's kingdom coming, and together the Great Commission happens. Look for links at missionnews.org on this framework. Uh 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 with us our longtime broadcast partner, Dave Dolan. Dave, thanks for being with us today.
Getting old, Rick. I'm glad to be with you.
Well, it's better than the alternative, Dave.
Well, typically what we do at this point in the program is we get an update on what is taking place in the last week in Israel. Can you give us the latest?
Well, Rick, some of the stories were similar to the past few weeks in terms of the actual kinetic activity in and around Israel. We had more airstrikes, IDF airstrikes in the Gaza Strip after more penetrations by Palestinians into the Israeli zones there. the last one being on Friday. And several were killed in that. The Rafa crossing into Egypt is operating now as of Monday, but it's very, very limited.
Palestinian officials are complaining about that, but it's uh better than nothing. And then in the north, in Lebanon, we again had IDF action all week, Rick, including again on Friday evening, yesterday evening, airstrikes on Hezbollah positions. Course, that partly in anticipation of a possible war with Iran, in which Hezbollah's leaders have already said they would. Participate.
So the IDF is obviously keeping very close watch on that. But once again, all the attention was outside of the country, this time focusing on the Gulf region and Oman on Friday, where we had the talks begin, formal talks begin between the United States and Iran's foreign minister, Iranian officials. And that came, of course, after the attempted drone attack, it seems. On the USS Lincoln.
Now, this would have been horrific had they actually been able to do some damage. on one of our aircraft carriers, and we probably would be in full fighting by now. And the the Central Command said that it was heading aggressively towards the aircraft carrier. And then an F thirty five aircraft was sent up to shoot it down. And of course, we had an American tanker, oil tanker, attempted to be seized by Iranian forces just a couple of hours later.
Uh they attempted to board it. Uh but the pilot sped up and got out. They claimed the Iranians that he was in interna he was not in international waters, but Iranian waters. Didn't the U. S.
denied that? And then we had the talks on Friday, Rick, which we had the participation, it turns out, of the CENTCOM commander, Admiral Brad Cooper. showing how serious the military is involved in this. And by the way, right after the talks, CENTCOM released a new post showing the Lincoln. have four pictures of it showing it in good condition and noting that it was sailing ever closer to Iranian shores.
along, of course, with its support ships.
So In other words, the military option is still very much on the table. At the talks itself, Rick, we had Iran's Foreign Minister Arachi. Sitting down directly, it seems, at one point with Jared Kirshner, President Trump's son-in-law, and of course the chief negotiator, C. Witkoff. Most of the talks they went on for a couple of hours were by the mediation of the Omani Forum Minister.
He met with one side and then he met with the other, then again with the first and then with the second.
So it wasn't direct talks for the most part, but they did in the end actually meet, the report said. And Iran made once again clear it has no intention of stopping the enrichment of uranium, which President Trump has said is a red line that must occur. They said they would discuss Maybe reducing the levels of enrichment and maybe the storage of it and different technical aspects in future talks, which was announced at the end of the talks that there would be another round, but not much was accomplished really. Iran again refused to discuss its missile program. That amidst Israeli reports that at least twelve missile production sites are fully active once again in Iran.
They are rushing to build as many ballistic missiles. as they can apparently. This while very little work is being cited, this was the New York Times report on the nuclear facilities that were destroyed in three locations during last June's war. And by the way, the Iranians again saying they would attack Israel if there was any U. S action against it.
This was reported Friday night on Israel's main T V network. A top official, unnamed, but they said a senior official said if so, this will be Rising Lion on Steroids. this time, which of course Rising Lion, the Israeli name for the June twelve day war.
So it would be a much greater response, he obviously was saying. And the Israelis are very skeptical about the outcome of these talks, but watching very, very closely what goes on there. And we'll see whatever else happens. But tensions remain very, very high. You've just come back from Israel, so you know that as well as anyone.
Well, that's true, David. It certainly seems that things are on a knife's edge in the Middle East right now.
Well, I want to talk about Steve Witkoff and Jared Kirshner. Those are the two negotiators. They do not have a lot of experience. Can I get your thoughts on how you think they will do in these negotiations?
Well, Rick, I've been following the Israeli media reports all week closely on that topic.
Well, everything to do with Iran, really. And they say the reports that top leaders in Israel are very dubious, let's put it that way, skeptical maybe is the is another word over the participation of the leadership of the talks being Kirshner and Witkoff. Witkoff, of course, the New York real estate magnate, a close friend of Trump's. And his son-in-law, Jared Kirschner, well, obviously, neither one are professional. Negotiators or diplomats that have had much experience in that at all.
and yet we have them at the lead of this as well as talks with Putin in Russia.
So there's some skepticism there because Arachi is thought to be is known to be a very senior veteran negotiator, a very smart man, a fast talker, And one that really hates America. He's made that plain, and Israel. uh many, many times in different uh sayings.
So obviously they look a little mismatched, Rick. And as Israel is looking at that, more details are coming out of the horrific attack on january eighth and ninth last month that killed maybe thirty to sixty thousand Iranian citizens. More details about that. We now have been told by some Israeli media reports that the Basij, which is a militia related to the Revolutionary Guard Corps, which has hundreds of thousands of members in it, it was the main force attacking the Iranian citizens, that they were given jihad pills. That's what they're calling them.
pills right before this massacre that made them sort of bolder and go out and kill sort of thing. We don't know that, that's true, but there's been quite a few reports like that.
So just the nature of the war, the nature of the situation in Iran is very much under discussion. And we are hearing, Rick, for the first time this week that there were some Some defections from the Revolutionary Guards, not from the top leadership, but mid-range levels, some people having their own relatives shot at or killed. of some of these Revolutionary Guard and Basige members.
So that could be a crack that would bring the regime down. The regime is set to be much more fragile than they're pretending to be, and that they really do fear. U. S. military action.
But of course, President Trump has already undergone quite a bit of criticism for. other foreign interventions, especially in Venezuela. and doesn't really want another war in the Middle East, but on the other hand, can they just look the other way? with a country continuing to insist on its right to enrich uranium. It's right they're not even willing to discuss their missile program.
They made that clear on Friday in these talks in Muscat.
So it's a bad situation, Rick. It's a very The Israelis, I would say, have a very low estimate, the leadership. Of the chances of there being any sort of diplomatic solution.
So really, they just continue to get ready militarily, even though, as you know, talking to people in Israel, nobody wants another round of war. Everybody's very tired after over two years of this, but It's like I mentioned to you before, the analogy I think of is you're told you have cancer, it's severe, it's got to be operated on right away or you're going to die.
Well, you don't want to be operated on, you don't want to go through all of that, but you have to have the operation if you want to stay alive.
So it I think it's the way the Israeli leaders look at this is we have to maybe swallow the pill now. Another round of attacks from Iran. But hopefully, at that point, with the regime being as weak as it is, That will be the end of this jihad crusade to destroy. the State of Israel. That is certainly the hope, David.
Well, as always, we appreciate your insight as we look into what is going on in Israel and the Middle East. Thanks so much. Look forward to talking to you again next week. Blessed to do it, Rick. God bless.
David Dolan, great job as always, David. We've got to take a break, and when we come back, we will talk to Winky Madad and Dr. Andy Woods right here on Prophecy Today weekend. God's Word, the Authority in Our Churches. This is Ken Ham, author of the book Divided Nation: Cultures in Chaos and a Conflicted Church.
How do we make sure God's Word is the authority in our church? one. Bible based preaching. Scripture commands ministers to accurately handle God's word, not just give emotional messages to make people feel good. We need to teach what the Bible states, even if it clashes with the culture.
And two? Teach the whole Bible. Don't just stick to the New Testament. Dive into the Old Testament and show how the Bible's history explains what we see in the world and points toward our Saviour, Jesus. Three, address issues like LGBT with an open Bible showing others how to apply God's Word.
Want more answers to questions about our culture, science, and the Bible? Go to answersradio.com. Welcome back to Prophecy Today. I'm Jimmy D. Young Jr.
Along with Rick, we're examining current events in the light of God's prophetic word. In the next half hour, Winky Madad and Dr. Andy Woods. But first, Rick, let's go to Winky Madad. And you're just fresh off of returning from your trip to Israel.
Let's talk to Winky about his thoughts and the Jewish people and what they're thinking about the whole Iran situation.
Well, that's right, Jimmy. I have Winky Madad with us. He is on site in Israel. He lives in Judea and Samaria, the town of Shiloh. Winky is a commentator on all things historical, political.
He's on the program frequently. Winky, thanks for being with us today. Thank you again for having me on.
Well, Winky, I just left the land, as you know, and I had a great time. It was without problem at all. And it was really a wonderful tour. And I just wanted to ask you a few questions about a few of the things I saw. And let's start with what the Israeli, the body politic, feels about Iran.
Now, we know there is no love lost for Iran. They have a stated goal of destroying the Jewish nation of Israel. They also fund Iranian proxy terror, which led to October 7th, amongst other things.
However, I'm getting the notion potentially, and I'd like for you to verify this or explain it to me, that most of the people in Israel are not sure how to feel about this Iranian standoff, potential military action in Iran, because things are kind of back to normal, and there's certainly the possibility that that will escalate and potential attacks on Israel.
So, if you could explain to me how the typical Israeli views the situation in Iran right now. Typical Israeli is actually not that much politically conscious. When I use that phrase, I'm talking about. Does he read more than two or three items on a certain topic. And probably one of the reasons you have me on this program is because I read five or more sources on a certain topic, is that you don't get enough information.
And most Israelis would simply like to get on with life. And they don't want to be interfered with. or bothered with all these security issues. Unfortunately, Iran is quite serious about its strategy. The strategy is to eliminate the Jewish state of Israel.
It does that by killing Jews abroad, it does that, as you said in the introduction, funding other groups that do that. or bringing a fire Around Israel in Yemen, in Lebanon, up until recently, a year ago or so, Syria. and other places or take over these countries in one way or another.
So, eventually, we're going to have to deal with Iran. The main thing is not. Actually, can I turn the tables on you? Donald Trump sort of is off and on on this. And I don't know where he's getting his information from, but I can assure your audience.
That you'll be hearing more of Iran because they're not giving up on their nuclear program. And Israel is only the first line of attack Because United States is right behind. Europe is in between. Iran will not play the game. Of being a quiet, nice neighbor where you can make deals with.
And I would hope that both here in Israel And in the United States, they wake up earlier to the threat that continues to grow. Prime Minister Netanyahu has been very aggressive in his stance that Iran is an existential threat to Israel and that it needs to be addressed, essentially what you're saying. But he has been under threat. There has been an october seventh kind of investigation that he's been having to go through right now. Where is he politically?
Does he have the political strength to lead this country potentially against a conflict with Iran? The short answer is yes. There are two things interfering, as you say, the ongoing trial. The insistence upon people who make up what we call the public. opinion, usually reporters who are not telling you all the facts simply either do not like Netanyahu or do not like his background from the right wing of Zionism.
And the other aspect is that people very quickly forget. If I'm not mistaken, tens of thousands of Iranians were either killed and/wounded recently by Iran.
Now, if they can do that to their own population to stay in power, they will do that to other people. Non-Iranians, specifically Israelis, but others, who are in their way. And uh the the way that uh Hollywood uh newspaper editors And other politicians, specifically in the Democratic Party, ignored basically. What was going on in Iran? Just shows you why the body politic here in Israel is very wary of Iran and uncertain about how much support we will gain.
will be supplied with When the time comes to attack. Switching gears a little bit as we talk about what is taking place in Israel. I was driving just a couple days ago now, descending on Route 1 from Jerusalem to Tel Aviv, and coming the other direction on the highway, the main highway there, was a, I guess, a rolling protest, if you want to call that. And I believe it was the ultra-Orthodox who are very, very upset about the fact that Israel is starting to arrest people they call draft evaders. This seems to be a potential issue that can continue to divide the country.
Can you talk a little bit about that and kind of what's going to become of it? How serious is this?
Well, it's serious on three levels. The first, of course, is that. A lot of the people in the ultra-Orthodox community Who should be serving because either they're faking studying in Yeshivot and other. Areas of education.
So they're basically um Well, I'm not going to call them criminals, but uh they're malfeasant and uh they should be uh serving. Uh secondly, one of the main reasons they're not serving is because they claim that they don't recognize basically the Zionist underpinnings of of of Israel. as if we're s uh you know substituting Israelism and Zionism for Torah practices, which is not true because, as you know, because you're a frequent visit to Israel, we have tens, many tens of thousands of religious Jews who are serving in the army. Right, but the other question is, they have a sociological interest in keeping their community together. And therefore, if you take them out of their school system, out of their community, out of their social cocoon.
they are afraid they're going to lose. their members to less observance and even worse. And Israel is trying to answer that specific problem. By setting up all sorts of frameworks in which they can serve in the Army. Completely according to their kosher regulations and social regulations, which means less women than normal.
In the army or near the units, I should say. And so, hopefully, we'll be able to overcome this, but it's taking much too long. And the demonstrations are not good for anybody.
Well, and just to kind of continue to address that subject, the two more factors that I noticed in that the demographic of that community is growing. They typically have very large families, and they're one of the only Jewish demographics that are growing at that rate from what I understand. And also, they have a political voting bloc in the coalition there that gives them a lot of influence.
So those are two more factors that add to this situation, correct? Absolutely. They are a powerful group. While demographically they are increasing, And I can't give you the exact figures. My impression is.
Their actual voting Proportion or their electoral proportion within the Knesset has not dramatically changed. Uh, there was a jump about 10 years ago or so, but basically, since then, it has evened out. And if you take a look at the polls, they're always getting. more or less the same number of seats within the difference of one and two. But they are an element in it.
Israel has a coalition government, which means I have to collect 61 votes. And if even if only ten or twenty was whatever I held by the ultra-Orthodox. Just like I would give Preferences to people who live on the farm. or socialist, I don't know. It it works on either side of the of the political divide.
I'd have to provide some sort of answer to those of the ultra Orthodox who demand or ask for this or that. Yeah, and um I learned the phrase horse trading when I was studying American politics.
So, this is nothing specific to Israel or unique. And it goes on a lot of places around the world.
Well, it certainly does, Winky. And politics as usual is the phrase that comes to mind when thinking of that situation.
Well, I'd like to switch gears again, and I want to talk about the Temple Mount. I just recently took our group up onto the Temple Mount. We make it a focus to get our people to visit what we feel is the most important and sacred piece of real estate in all the earth, the Temple Mount in the city of Jerusalem there. And we talked about an evolving idea that there needs to be a Jewish presence on the Temple Mount. This is essentially grown in Israel from a fringe, kind of extreme.
Position to now moving more and more mainstream. The typical Israeli, they feel like there needs to be a Jewish presence on the Temple Mount. Can you talk a little bit about this development and how it came about?
Well, I'd like to credit myself and about twenty, thirty other people who've been working very hard over these past three decades. in terms of raising the consciousness and and and acknowledging the fact that there is discrimination. I think that has worked. When people portrayed the idea of the Temple Mountain and Jewish rites there, if they kept it only within a religious A framework, people would say, Oh, you know, why should I eat kosher? You want to eat kosher?
Fine, but You know, they get uneasy, but when you say, listen, He can do this, I can't do that. If you go to Rome, you can do that. But if you're a Jew and you want to come to the Temple Mountain, you can't do this. Why? You know, we're not building a temple, we're not digging underground, we're just simply visiting there.
Why can't we do this or that? argument I think works a lot better than any of the The other things that were going on at the time. The second thing. Especially in the past two years, has been the fact that there was a war in Gaza. and hundreds of thousands of soldiers Went through Gaza and almost in every single building, house, apartment, institution, school.
or bunker had the Dome of the Rock painted on the wall. And a lot of people again asking themselves if this is what's driving them. What is our answer? And our answers would be: well, we also believe that the Temple Matter is ours, and we also have a claim. And so, in a certain extent, That has been a powerful uh incentive to say wait a second I'm not asking to build a temple tomorrow.
What I am asking for is A, B, and C. Can I walk around there more freely? On the side, can I open up a prayer book? If you were up there, perhaps you saw even some people clapping their hands or s dancing around a little bit on the eastern side. And these things have been incrementally Growing And we have a very sympathetic Police minister.
Mr Bengvir, Itama Bengvir. and uh a more sympathetic uh police commander on the ground. And we're getting a lot more progress. And unfortunately, it's taking a long, long time, but that's what happens in these matters. One final follow-up to that question.
You talk about the symbol of The dome of the rock that is there, that commemorative building that's on the Temple Mount, there, and how it was all over the place in Gaza and Hamasin, and really throughout the Muslim world, they're using that as a symbol, a rallying cry to punish Israel. And so, that could take some Israelis who feel like those Temple Mount faithful and people that are advocating for more of a Jewish presence or for possibly even the rebuilding of a temple there. They are saying that is causing things like what happened on October 7th. Can you talk about that? How would you address that?
Well, let me redefine it for you and the audience. A lot of people Are willing to accept equal rights or semi-equal rights. Uh when it comes to places like holy sites. And it's basically a human feeling of fairness. What they're seeing, at least now, is that wait a second.
This is a mountain. We have archaeological, historical proof. from Roman times for sure, which means two thousand years ago, that there was a temple there. We see construction all around. I don't know if you took your group into the Western Wall tunnels.
And we see the huge stones. We're not talking about the horse of Muhammad that flew here from Arabia. We're talking about things that you can touch and see. Whether their pottery, stones, or coins, and know that Jewish history there was correct and true and genuine.
Now if you Pushing an Islamic supremacism. That not only is it fake But that you deny Jewish history and Jewish rights. Then any normal person would get a little bit angry or a little bit upset or a little bit. Wait a second, this shouldn't be. That's a human natural reaction.
And so I think that's also playing a part more recently now. Then, the more they sort of push the Temple Mount, the more the Jews are saying, wait a second. We also have a stake in this. Why not? Can we at least share?
And if you're not sharing, then we're going to ask a little bit more than we normally would ask for. Winky, I know I'm asking you tough questions, and I certainly appreciate your thoughtful answers as you help us to explain these situations.
Well, as always, thank you so much for what you do, educating our listeners. Look forward to talking to you again soon. Thank you very much for having me on, and goodbye to you and our listeners. Great job as always, Winky. And Rick, you know, we've always been very interested in the third temple, the next temple to be built.
There are two previous temples and a third one coming. That's why I think it's very important we bring in Dr. Andy Woods. Well, that's right, Jimmy. I've got Dr.
Andy Woods with us. He is formerly a professor of Bible and theology at the College of Biblical Studies in Houston, and he now serves as the president of Schaefer Theological Seminary and senior pastor of Sugarland Bible Church. Dr. Woods, thank you for being with us today. Hey, great to be here.
Thanks for having me.
Well, Dr. Woods, we focus on the temple.
Now, we focus on the temple because there will be a temple standing there during the tribulation, which is after the rapture of the church. And this is one of the things where it helps us to pinpoint where we are in history. But if we look at this, an Israeli minister proposing dividing the temple mount between Jews and Muslims. Can you tell us about that story just a little bit? It's kind of interesting.
Almost every time you look at the headlines today, there's something about the temple. And as some have articulated it, when the discussion of the world moves to Israel, you know, God's hand. In terms of his stopwatch is on the hour hand. And then when it leaves Israel and gets more specific into Jerusalem, now you're dealing with the minute hand. And then when the discussion of the world moves to the Temple Mount, now we're dealing with the second hand.
So that's why I find any Story about the temple of interest. And this one is very interesting because it deals with a Knesset. Um member And keep in mind, this is not yet a law, but my point is, it's in the discussion. I mean, people are thinking about this. And as you well know.
The Jews, of course, after the 1967 war. The Six-Day War gave control of that area back to the Muslims under Ember Moshe. Dayan did that. And this particular Knesset member is basically saying, Yeah, it's time to take that area back. It belongs to the Jews.
Let's remove Jordanian control over the Temple Mount. And area, which will give the Jews unlimited access to go up there for religious purposes. Right now, they're only allowed up there. Uh on a very limited basis. And it basically says the Muslims can have the al-Aqsa.
Area and the Jews will take control of the Dome of the Rock, which, according to basic tradition and history, I know there's some debate on it, but that's where the Temple, Solomonic Temple, once stood. And so it's just fascinating that you read this kind of public proposal, not by a crazy person, but by an actual Knesset member. And it's paving the way, I believe, for ultimately Israel to rebuild Temple Number Three, which, as you said before. Has to be standing midway through the tribulation period.
So the fact that this is even being publicly proposed and discussed shows us that the Stage is being set for the seven-year tribulation period, and it's just another sign that we can look at. to see where we are on God's um prophetic calendar and stopwatch. I love the way you put it there. When you talk about the Temple Mount, that's the second hand, and that is so close to where we can look and see what God has planned for the end times.
Well, last time we had you on the program, we talked about your book, Babylon: The Bookends of Prophetic History. And you talk about a literal Babylon that has a role to play in God's end time scenario. And there's now new developments talking about the rebuilding of Babylon, isn't there? Constantly, there are new developments. There's a port that they're seeking to build in that area, which is going to.
Economically connect a lot of different powers in that area and the trading route is going to go right through Iraq. Right through the city of Babylon, which will make Babylon phenomenally wealthy. You can talk about the fact that they are building city complexes. To the tune of billions of dollars. The figure I saw was $7.7 billion.
And they're, of course, wanting to locate these city areas that they're building in the city of Babylon. You look at Iraq. Babylon, of course, is in modern day Iraq between the Euphrates and the Tigris. And how Iraq is OPEC's number two oil producer. And you just look at fact after fact after fact, and you can see exactly what God said in His Word, Revelation 18, that Babylon will be catapulted to a position of world prominence and has a major role to play in the end times scenario as well.
One last question before I get you to wrap all this up for us, doctor Woods. Globalism. This is something that we know in the end times there will be a one world religion, a one world government, and globalism seems to be trending in this world today. Can you talk to us just a little bit about that?
Well, I remember when George Herbert Walker Bush back in the 90s used the expression the New World Order. And there was such an outcry against that that I think after using the term a couple of times, he quit using it. But today, that was back in the 90s. Today, it's almost like politicians can't even get through a speech, you know, Republican or Democrat. Without some sort of reference to globalism or the new world order.
And so, globalism is here to stay. It's not going away anytime soon. I would argue that the Trump political ascendancy is sort of a reaction against globalism because a lot of people feel like in this push for globalism, our own country you know, has sort of um you know gotten the shaft, so to speak.
So, you know, even the fact that our borders are wide open. You can just look at issue after issue after issue, and it relates to the idea that people want the United States and other countries to sort of. Acquiesce to some kind of transnational or supranational global authority. And that, too, along with all of the other signs that we've discussed in this program, is also an outworking of Bible prophecy because the Bible clearly predicts that before Jesus returns in his second advent a one world government Will exist over planet Earth. You can see it in a lot of different prophecies, such as.
Daniel chapter 7, verse 23, Revelation chapter 13, verses 16 through 18, and countless other passages we could speak of. But every time you see globalism in the headlines, in harmony, in confluence. Um in concert. With all of these other signs we've talked about, Israel's wealth, the temple and the temple mount. Babylon.
When you see all of these things coming together simultaneously, it shows us that the tribulation period. can't be very far away. And so that's this is what we mean by prophetic uh stage setting and looking for the signs of the times.
Well, that's the perfect intro into my final question then for you, Dr. Woods. You look at all of these things taking place.
Now, if we looked at one issue in general, you know, this could be kind of maybe a one-off, or but if you take all of these events, you combine them all together, you certainly see a scenario where it looks like we are heading into the next level, the next stage that's going to take place. And that stage, of course, is the tribulation period. But before that, as you and I believe, Dr. Woods, the rapture of the church must take place.
So when we get all of this information, we take it all in together that God has provided for us with His gift of Bible prophecy in Scripture. How then should this motivate us to live, Dr. Woods? That's the way to understand all of these signs. It shows us that the rapture of the church.
Is even more imminent if the signs of the tribulation period are approaching. Because, as you rightly pointed out, the rapture of the church precedes the seven-year tribulation period. And once you start to understand that, you start to understand the urgency of the hour. You know, we need to get the gospel out to as many people as possible, or they're going to be left behind. and face these horrors of the seven year tribulation period.
And it also helps us prioritize our lives as Christians because we don't want to spend our waning hours on the earth involved in trivial pursuit. You know, we want to have our lives focused into things that are going to matter. And for eternity, and are going to stand the test of time. Things related to the Bible, the church. you know, scripture, evangelism.
spiritual disciplines, the our prayer life, Our times of scriptural meditation, supporting the work of our local churches, using our spiritual gifts. I mean, we start to use those things and do those things more when we understand the urgency of the hour, and yet you really can't understand the urgency of the hour. unless you see these signs that we've been speaking of.
Well, Doctor Woods, excellent exhortation. We appreciate you being on the program. You're a great friend to our ministry, and we appreciate the ministry that you have. Again, if you could, just let us know how we could follow your ministry. I'm easy to follow.
Just look me up online, andywoodsministries.org. You can find our website. You can find our app in the app store. Just look for Andy Woods Ministries. If you want to follow us on YouTube or Rumble, just type in Andy Woods Ministries into your search engines related to those vehicles.
We're also in podcast format, just type in Andy Woods Ministries into your podcast search engine. And if you're interested in other things that we're doing in terms of teaching at our local church, just go to Sugarland Bible Church. That's www.slbc.org. Pastor Woods, as always, thanks for being with us, and we look forward to talking to you again soon. Great privilege to be here.
Thanks for having me.
doctor Andy Woods.
Well, we've got to take a break, and when we come back, doctor Jimmy D. Young will be talking about the very first prophecy in the Bible. Make sure you have your Bibles out. The Legacy Series will be next, right here on Prophecy Today weekend. Welcome back 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. Rick, you've got to tell us a little bit about your trip to Israel.
Well, Jimmy, it was so great being back in the land, seeing people and going to places that both you and I know so well. And we both always say it's the perfect classroom to study the Bible, to look at Israel past, present, and prophetic, to walk where Jesus walked. And maybe those that are listening with us now, they might get the chance to go with us. Go to our website, prophecytoday.com. You can follow us and find out when we're going again.
I know you're going in April. Maybe we're both going to be there in May. It could be a special trip. If you'd like to join us, go to our website, sign up for our newsletter, and we'll let. Let you know when we're going again.
Well, today we're going to continue our study on Satan's subtle strategy from the first prophecy of the Messiah to come that was going to save humankind. And that prophecy is revealed in Genesis chapter 3. The results of the implementation of Satan's plan is recorded in Genesis 6. But first, let's look at the very first prophecy of a coming Messiah. Please take your Bibles and let's go to Genesis chapter 3, verse 15, Dr.
Jimmy DeYoung, and the Legacy series. What this verse, chapter 3, verse 15, is talking about, it is the first prophecy of a Messiah to come in the future. And the prophecy is this: a woman will bear a son. He will. Have you or allowed you to bruise his heel, but he's going to burst your head.
He's going to bruise your head, wipe you out, throw you into eternal damnation.
Now, do you pay attention to that, Satan? You understand? That's where you're going. And Satan said, Wow. Man.
I better go into a strategy session here. Man, I gotta do something. They're gonna have a Messiah? That Messiah is probably going to come from a pure Young lady? A virgin?
I got an idea. I can contaminate. Humankind. I will contaminate their bloodline. Hey, that's great.
That's what I'm going to do. Let's see what the word says. Chapter 6. Verse 1. And it came to pass when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them, that the sons of God, let me define that phrase, sons of God.
It's defined over in the book of Job, chapter 38, verse 7, as an angel. It's defined in Job chapters 1 and 2 as angels. That the sons of God saw the daughters of men, that's flesh women. That they were fair, and they took them wives of all which they chose, given unto marriage. That's what Jesus said, Matthew 24, Luke 17.
Skip over here to verse 4. There were giants in the earth in those days, and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men, and were of old men of renown. Satan's malicious contamination was that he would contaminate the bloodline.
So a pure Virgin woman could not bring forth a Messiah. And so he sent his angels to have sexual relationship with women. How could an angel take on the form of a man? If you've read the book of Genesis chapter 18, Jesus Christ appears to Abraham in a preincarnate appearance, spends time with him. There's a couple of angels with Jesus Christ.
Jesus Christ goes back to heaven. Those two angels go over to Sodom. When they walk into Sodom, as they walk into Sodom, out comes Lot and say, hey, you men, come here with me. Come to my house. I want to wash your feet.
That's a Middle East tradition. That's what Jesus did, remember? The upper room, the Lord's Supper, he washed the feet of his disciples. You do that. Come here.
Come into my home. I'll wash your feet, and my wife will fix us a delicious meal. Those were angels, and the texts called them men. angels in the forms of men. Those were two men.
Who came, went into the house of Lot, had their feet washed, had a meal, and those Sodomites in Sodom came and said, Hey, can those two men come out? We want to deal with them. sexually. Angels in the forms of men. who ate food, you say, wait a minute.
You're trying to tell don't you remember what Jesus Christ said to the lady who had seven husbands And one of the disciples said, Well, which one's going to be our husband in heaven? And Jesus said too, her and the disciples. There's not going to be a relationship between husband and wife in heaven. They'll be like the angels in heaven. Yeah, I remember that statement.
But what does that have to do with what I'm talking about? He's talking about in heaven. I'm talking about on earth. You don't use that text to prove that a man and a woman can't have a sexual relationship on earth, do you? Just in heaven.
So why say the angels can't have a sexual relationship? on earth.
So don't use that text.
Well, I but then look. God put him in prison. 200 million of them in prison for having sex with women. Where do you get that from? 2 Peter chapter 2.
Go back to 2 Peter. Second Peter chapter two. Verse four. 2 Peter 2.4. For God spared not the angels that sin, but cast them into hell, the abyss, the bottomless pit, the Tatorus, which is the Greek here, the Tatorus.
And he delivered them into the chains of darkness to be reserved unto judgment. And he spared not the old world, but saved Noah and the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness. In connection, he's taking these evil angels, putting them in the to Taurus. The lowest part of hell. The abyss, I believe, someplace in outer space, and I'll show that to you in just a moment.
You say, what are you talking about? I I thought angels were out. They're not bound to why there are evil angels out. And I talked about that. Evil angels are attacking all the time.
We better be aware of that. Remember in the times of Jesus Christ, what was most of his ministry? Casting out demons. Much of his ministry, you know what a demon is? An evil angel who takes up habitation in a human body.
That's a demon. And so he was dealing with that. Those are evil angels. But these are a group of 200 million evil angels. That were put aside, waiting for that day of judgment to come.
Go to the book of Jude, the book just before the book of Revelation. The book of Jude, look at verse six with me. And the angels, which kept not their first estate, that was around the throne of God. Likely in the Garden of Eden, but let their own habitation, that would have been the heavenlies, he hath reserved in everlasting chains unto darkness unto the judgment of that great day. Notice verse 7, even as Sodom and Gomorrah and the cities about them, in like manner.
In like manner to what?
Well, how they acted in Sodom and Gomorrah is exactly what the evil angels did, in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication and going after strange flesh and setting forth an an example suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.
Okay. If this didn't happen in Genesis 6, tell me when evil angels had fornication. as a part of their activities. Fornication, we call fornication today. When a couple, man and a woman who are not married, have a sexual relationship.
We call adultery when married people, maybe not with their same mate, their mate, but they with another person's mate, have a sexual relationship. God calls it fornication. And fornication is any sexual activity that God forbids.
Now when did angels do that? In Genesis chapter 6. And God said, That's it! I'm going to wipe out. One billion of you.
Everybody. except eight souls. are going to be Left on the earth. Everybody else. will be wiped out.
So the reason for the flood, evil angelic activity. Satan's Malicious contamination. Go back to chapter six. Let me show you something else. I want to show you one more thing.
God's merciful. Compassion, chapter six of the book of Genesis. Genesis chapter six. Let me show you. God's merciful compassion.
Starting in verse 8. But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord. And these are the generations of Noah. Noah was a just man and perfect. There's an interesting thought.
Perfect. in his generations. Does that mean Noah is without sin? Uh uh All have sinned. and come short of the glory of God.
That doesn't mean Noah was without sin. That means Noah had no evil angelic contamination in his bloodline.
Well, how do you know that? I read chapter five. What is chapter five? It's the genealogy. Who's it a genealogy of?
From Adam to Noah. And there are no gaps in there. And never is there mentioned an evil angel who had a sexual relationship with one of the ancestors or one of the family before Noah. Perfect! No angelic.
Evil. Bloodline. These are the generations of Noah. Noah was a just man and perfect in his ways, and Noah walked. With God, and Noah begat three sons: Shem, Hem, and Jepheth.
And because of that, God is going to protect him. gonna protect Noah. His three sons, their four wives, eight people. He's gonna take them from one side of the flood to the other side of the flood and start it all over again. Braining humankind in chapter 9 and verse 1, he says to Noah, Be fruitful, multiply, and replenish or repeople the earth.
Then he's gonna start it on the other side of the flood. God's merciful compassion. That's the reason for the flood. That's the reason. Let's look at the details of the flood.
I'm not going to be able to do this very good justice. Please excuse me, but you spend some time studying this as well. Let me show you the warning, the warning for the flood. Look here in verse three, chapter six and verse three. And the Lord said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he is also But he also is flesh, yet his days shall be a hundred and twenty years.
a hundred and twenty years. In other words, God comes to Noah and said, Noah, Got a little assignment for you. I'm going to give you 120 years to do this.
Now you've got to get doing it. First of all, I want you to warn the people about what's going to happen. And secondly, I want you to build an ark. Noah said. Nark.
What's an arc? He said, oh, it's a boat. A boat. What's a boat? He said, well, you floated on the water.
And there's going to be a flood. A flood? What's a flood? He said, Well, it's going to rain a lot. Rain What's rain?
Because until that point there'd never been rain. Go to chapter 2, verse 6. Let me show you. Chapter two And verse six. This is so good.
Well, start in verse 5. And every plant of the field before it was in the earth, and every herb of the field before it grew, for the Lord God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was not a man to till the ground. But there went up a mist from the earth, and watered the whole face of the ground. No rain! And God says, Noah.
I want you to build an ark, and while you're building the ark, the people of the world are going to come say, What are you doing, Noah? And you're gonna say, I'm building an ark. And they'll say, what's an ark? It's a boat. What's a boat?
Well, it floats on the water. There's going to be a flood coming. A flood? What's a flood? Well, it rains a lot.
A rain? What is rain? Same dumb questions. Noah had a hundred and twenty years, and to warn the people. I don't know how good of a preacher you might think he was.
He only had seven results. Seven people is all that believed him. Out of one billion. Noah had seven results. Out of our billion people over 120 years of ministry.
But he warned the people, it's coming. Judgment. is coming. Uh In Noah's day, the coming judgment was the worldwide flood. That judgment did happen some forty five hundred years ago, as recorded in God's Word.
The next judgment is the seven year tribulation period.
However, before that judgment comes, we who know Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour will be caught up to meet Jesus in the air at the rapture of the Church, an event that could happen at any moment, even to day. Please make sure that you're ready for the rapture.
Next week on the broadcast we'll see that people will deny the coming of Jesus Christ because they deny a coming judgment. Be sure to join us for that very important study. Dr. Jimmy DeYoung and the Legacy Series. You know, we are so grateful for the radio stations that carry our program.
And help us teach the body of Christ to educate, to help them to understand God's prophetic word and to understand the times in which we're living. And I'm always appreciative of folks that will call us and ask us for wisdom for understanding the word of God.
Well, we'll take a break, but when we come back, Rick and I will take a look at the book right here on Prophecy Today Weekend. Hello. Mm-hmm. I'm Ruth Kramer with Mission Network News. The United States and Iran are preparing for renewed nuclear talks in Oman this weekend, signaling a diplomatic pause.
Mediators from Qatar, Turkey, and Egypt are helping to steer the talks.
However, our Middle East expert Mike Ansari says diplomacy abroad hasn't eased pressure at home after Iranian officials responded with overwhelming force to weeks of protests.
Some of the leaders of the House churches have been arrested. Under the guise of being agents of Mossad and bringing discord into the Iranian government. Many of the people who are being arrested, we haven't heard anything from them. Yad Ansari says they also hear testimonies of the Holy Spirit moving. It's amazing to know that God is way ahead of all of us.
Many people are still reporting that they're having dreams and visions. Finally, a handheld solar-powered MP3 player is opening doors for the gospel in a former Hindu kingdom. Greg Yoda with Keys for Kids explains why church planters request the storyteller. In Nepal, reading is not on the top of the agenda, it's listening. They're oral learners.
And so, with the Keys for Kids storytellers, they can have God's word speaking to them every day, all day if they want to. Entire families hear the gospel as children and adults often listen together. Local pastors see these storytellers as a game changer, but demand has quickly outpaced supply. For $20,000, we're going to distribute 1,000 Keys for Kids storytellers to people who desperately need it in crazy places like the Himalayan mountains, where you can't even get by car. Want to help?
You can find your place in the story at missionnews.org. Thanks for listening to Mission Network News, a service of one-way ministries. We're listeners supported by people just like you. By giving to Mission Network News, you enable us to keep the stories of God's kingdom coming and together the great commission happens. Look for links at missionnews.org.
I'm Ruth Gramer. 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. You know, Rick, I I said earlier Revelation 4:1 introduces a section of Scripture that details things which must be hereafter.
What follows are prophecies of the end times. We have not yet reached the tribulation, the revelation of the Antichrist, or other end time events. What we do see is a preparation for those events to take place. Jesus said that the last days would be preceded by several things. Many false Christs would come, Deceiving many, we would hear of wars and rumors of wars, and there would be an increase in famines, pestilence, and earthquakes in divers places.
All these are the beginnings of sorrows. That's Matthew chapter twenty four, verses five and eight. Today's news that we've been covering is full of false religions, warfare, natural disasters. We know that events of the tribulation period will include all that Jesus predicted. Revelation chapter 6, verses 1 through 8.
Current events seem to build up for greater trouble ahead, don't you think?
Well, I sure do, Jimmy. And we look back on the program today, and there are so many things on this program, and we do this every week. There are so many things where we look at the stage setting. Dr. Wood said it great earlier in the program.
So many things that are taking place in the world today are setting the stage. But of course, we have to look at these things that are going to take place take place during the tribulation period, which is after the rapture of the church. And God gave us this information. He wanted us to know what was to happen so we could have confidence, so we could understand where we are in God's timeline of events. And certainly seems like we can't be very far away from the rapture of the church with all these things taking place, right, Jimmy?
Right. I love what he said. You know, the fullness of time, Galatians 4:4. Everything was prepared for Christ's first coming. But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to Redeemed those who were under the law that we might receive the adoption as sons.
When you look at this, everything was prepared for the first coming of Christ. Why shouldn't we expect everything that we talk about in Matthew 24, everything that's talked about after this, which is Revelation chapter 4 and after, when we talk about those things, why shouldn't we expect things to be set up in place and be ready to take place just like it was at the first coming of Christ?
Well, that's right. And you look at those Old Testament prophecies, and as you say, the fullness of time, as time was prepared, and you look at the way things were prepared and set up for Christ's first appearance. And now we look at his second coming, and these things are getting set up in the exact same way. And we are getting to see these things take place right before our eyes. Another thing I liked about what Dr.
Wood said is when you look at God's stopwatch or God's plan, you know, you look at Israel, that's the hour hand, you look at Jerusalem, that's the minute hand, but you look at the Temple Mount and what's taking place there. That's the second hand. That is where you see how close we are to the soon return of Jesus Christ. And we've talked about it all this time on the program, but that's a center of controversy. And it is also where they are preparing to rebuild the third temple, which will stand in the tribulation period.
Yes. You know, and I love it. I was listening to the interview between you and Dr. Woods, I love it when you chuckle because it makes sense and it's so practical. Like, look, folks, we used to look at the hour, the minute, and now we're looking at the second hand.
And, you know, as the seconds tick by and as all these things start to come into place, we know that we are getting close to the rapture of the church because that has to happen first before any of these other events take place. That's why we focus with Ken and Dave and all of our broadcast partners, RC Merle and Winky Madad, and just all the gentlemen, Dr. Rich Schmidt, all these gentlemen that we have on here are there for you to be able to see. These things are happening. I always like when I speak in conferences, Rick, I like to snap my finger, you know, like I snap my finger.
And really, that's God. When we see these things happening, He's snapping His finger if He could. I mean, but it's for us, it's like, hey, pay attention. when you see these things what things? False Christs, false prophets, deceiving many, when you hear of wars and rumours of wars, when you hear of increased famines and pestilence and earthquakes in divers places, all of these are the beginnings of sorrow.
You know, one thing as we look at, you know, Jesus gave that great prophecy, that first prophecy conference on the Mount of Olives. But Paul and Peter also warned us of things and what they would be in the end times or the last days. Paul warned that the last days would bring a marked increase in false teaching. And we've been behind the rebuilding of a temple in the city of Jerusalem because we understand where it fits into Bible prophecy. There's not just going to be one more temple, there are going to be two more temples.
The second temple, Jesus Christ built, that's Ezekiel's temple. But we do need to be careful because all of this stuff is not to give a special pass to the Jewish people or to anybody else in this world. We have an understanding that God. Said, I am the way, the truth, and the life. There's no way to the Father except through me, Rick.
And I think that's so important when we study Bible prophecy. It is to motivate us for two reasons, right? One is to help us to understand the urgency of the hour. Number two, to understand that we are to share with others. God's plan of salvation for mankind.
Correct? That's right, Jimmy, and our study of Bible prophecy should only point towards that goal, sharing the gospel to a lost and dying world. Yes, very well said, Rick. Very well said. You know, while there is no biblical proof that the things mentioned in our program today are about prophecy being fulfilled, we've been focusing on this for a long time, we can see how many of these events are similar to what the Bible describes.
In any case, we are to be watching for prophecy fulfilled because Jesus told us that the day of the Lord, his return for his own, would come like a thief in the night. 2 Peter chapter 3, verse 10. Unexpected and unannounced. Be always on the watch and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man. Luke chapter 21, verse 36.
Rick, our look at the book today is really about taking a look back at what we talked about, but it's so very important for the times in which we're living. Thanks for doing the hard work with Ken, Dave, and Dr. Andy Woods for being on the program today, Rick. Look forward to being with you next week. I look forward to it as well, Jimmy.
Yes. Folks, really, with the things that we have seen. We have to say that the rapture of the church cannot be far away. Even so, Lord Jesus, come quickly. 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. Prophecy Today is a listener-supported production of Shofar Communications in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Mm-hmm.
Yeah.
