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. I start off the program today by saying something that my father used to always say and that Rick and I always say. Current events are setting the stage for Bible prophecy to be fulfilled. And as we do the program today, we are watching current events unfold before us.
And Rick is in Rome. Rick, how was your trip in Rome?
Well, that's right, Jimmy. We had just finished up our tour of the seven churches of Revelation and then also the city of Rome. The city of Rome here, where we have been for the last few days, has been an excellent time of education, both historical but biblical as well. We went to the Colosseum, the Arch of Titus, and that commemorates that event in 70 AD that was prophesied in Scripture, the destruction of the second Jewish temple. We also went to the Vatican Museum.
We saw the Sistine Chapel. We went to St. Peter's Basilica. And out there in St. Peter's Square, we talked about Revelation 17 and the role of the one world religion that is coming in the tribulation period that is going to bring about the Antichrist.
All that on this trip. That's what we do on this tour.
Well, I know you had a great trip while you were there.
Well, we've got a lot to cover today. We've got Osama Dakdak, Sharam Hadian, and Mike Jendron. Plus, our regulars, Ken Timmerman and David Dolan. And we've got a lot to cover with all that's happening in our world. Rick, let's get started with our first, Ken Timmerman.
Well, that's right, Jimmy. I have Ken Timmerman with us. He's our expert on geopolitical affairs. He's an author and an analyst. You can find out more about Ken by going to his website at kentimmerman.com.
Ken, thanks for being with us today. Rick, thanks for having me on. It's always a pleasure. Ken, lots to get to as always this week.
So, we'll start with the situation in Iran. The final pieces may be getting moved into place for something to happen. How do you see it?
Well, the USS Gerald Ford, the largest aircraft carrier in the world, is one hundred thousand tons of diplomacy, our most recent carrier. It passed the Strait of Gibraltar on Wednesday evening. It's expected with its carrier strike group To be offshore Israel by tomorrow morning, by Sunday morning. This is a big deal. My guess is that they will probably stay in the eastern Mediterranean.
They can just as easily strike Iran, should that be the president's goal, from the eastern Mediterranean as they can from the Persian Gulf or from the Arabian Sea. That gives us just an extraordinarily large strike force. Each aircraft carrier, remember, the Abraham Lincoln is in the Indian Ocean, the Arabian Sea. Each aircraft carrier has about 90 combat aircraft, 60 perhaps attack aircraft, and then refueling intelligence planes and the rest of it. It's a big armada.
We've also been moving F-22s into Lakenheath Air Force Base in Britain and from there into Jordan, most likely. We have other assets on the ground and airfields in Jordan, in Bahrain, in Qatar, where we have an enormous aircraft. Air Force Base, destroyers in the Mediterranean, destroyers in the Red Sea. I could go on, Rick. This is a huge strike force, an offensive military buildup, but there is one thing that's missing.
Previous presidents who've waged major wars in the Middle East have built up hundreds of thousands of troops. Both of our invasions of Iraq involved hundreds of thousands of ground troops. President Trump has made clear. He does not intend to launch a ground war against Iran. This is not going to be a forever war.
It's not going to be a ground invasion. It will be a war, I believe, to accomplish a number of goals. The first of which is clearly to take out what remains of Iran's nuclear weapons programs. I suspect that we'll see a Venezuela-style raid to locate and exfiltrate that 450 kilograms of highly enriched uranium. Remember, that's enough to make 10 bombs, 10 nuclear weapons.
So I expect the president's going to do that. I expect if we do have strikes, he's going to go after their ballistic missile capabilities. And I have suggested in a column that came out this morning on Fox News opinion that the president should have a strategy to weaken the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, to separate the soldiers from their commanders in the Guards Corps.
So you can have revolt from below, to separate the commanders from. The mullahs and essentially to encourage the Iranian people to revolt and to truly have their back. I think that we can use our drones, for example, in very targeted strikes to go after those killers should they come out on the streets again to try to shoot into the crowds.
Well, this buildup certainly is building towards something. We'll see what will happen. By the way, President Trump said this week that he's fed up with the Iranians. He's fed up with their negotiating tactics, their refusal to really engage on his red lines. And he said on Thursday that he's given them a deadline of 10 to 15 days.
And if they don't negotiate in good faith and come up with a deal in that time, then he says the Iranians are not going to like what happens.
Well, I am guessing, Rick, given his previous behavior, that that 10 or 15 day deadline is a smokescreen, and the operation could be much more imminent than that.
Well, Ken, that's not the only thing that's going on, these negotiations with Iran, but President Trump is also moving forward with his initiative, the Board of Of peace, the first meeting took place this week in Washington, D.C. What do we need to know about that?
Well, this was pure performance art on the part of the president. He gathered several dozen world leaders, each who had contributed a lot of money to join the Board of Peace at the newly renamed Donald J. Trump Institute of Peace in Washington, D.C. This was daddy really bringing all of his kids around the table and giving each one of them their particular role. Trump called on each leader by name.
In many cases, he had them stand up. He had the Armenian and Azerbaijan leaders stand up, reach across the aisle, and shake hands.
Well, these two had been fighting for 30 years, and Trump resolved their conflict. And they thanked him for it publicly at that meeting of the Board of Peace. You know, just think of how that contrasts to Obama leading from behind or to Biden, who, had he stood up in a venue like that, wouldn't have recognized the leaders in front of him, even if. They stood up and waved their arms at him.
So, President Trump was showing himself as the master. Of the new world order. This is the world, according to Trump. It's a world, Rick, where countries join together for a common purpose, where they have common interests, but are also serving their own interests at the same time. That's what's new.
Trump does not want countries to be setting aside their own national interests. He wants to be able to work together where those national interests coincide with our own. Ken, I have a couple of follow-up questions for that Board of Peace. And the first one is this was formed with the intent of administering Gaza, of solving that situation. But to solve that situation, you have to have willing partners on both sides.
Is Hamas really willing to do what is necessary to solve the situation in Gaza? They're not, and this is going to come to a head. The U.S. has given Hamas 60 days to disarm. Clearly, they are not going to do that.
They have been stating in Arabic interviews, not in English, but in Arabic interviews, Khaled Mashel, who's the senior political leader in Mahmoud Mardawi, have said that they oppose Trump's plan and specifically those provisions concerning the disarmament of Hamas. They oppose the involvement of foreigners in the governance of the Gaza Strip. They oppose the deployment of an international security force there.
So I think over the next two months, things are going to get very, very interesting in Gaza. I think it will come to a confrontation, probably a military confrontation, and we'll have to see if those countries such as Indonesia, who have pledged troops to keep the peace in Gaza, are really up to the task.
Well, Ken, my final follow-up question as we talk about the Board of Peace, and as I mentioned earlier in the program, I am in Rome, and we talk about here on Capitol Ion Hill the Treaty of Rome, which essentially established the European Union. You have other multinational organizations like NATO and, of course, the United Nations, but these organizations have varying degrees of success. How does the Board of Peace fit in with these organizations?
Well, the Europeans in particular, Rick, have challenged the Board of Peace, and none of them have joined it. They've challenged it because they believe it could eventually substitute itself for the United Nations Security Council and the UN writ large. And there's a good reason why it just might do so. The UN has shown itself to be feckless. The European Union has shown itself to be feckless.
J.D. Vance went to Munich, this Munich Security Conference, last year and basically gave the Europeans a spanking, saying that they had departed from the shared values that had brought us together as an alliance. Marco Rubio went there just last week and tried to reassure them: honey instead of vinegar, if you wish, but it was. tough love, nonetheless, tough love and tough realities, telling the Europeans that they have to be strong because only strong partners can make a good alliance. And if they are too weak as they are today, they will be useless as a partner.
As the Europeans licked the honey from their lips, Rick, I think. Bit by bit, Marco's message actually reached them, and they were very worried. They are worried about the Board of Peace, they are worried about their lack of defense spending, they are worried that the United States is charging forward into a new world order and will leave them behind. Ken Timmerman reporting for Prophecy Today, Ken, you mentioned Marco Rubio's speech. Can you tell us a little bit more about that?
Seems to be a groundbreaking speech.
Well, it was, and it was a groundbreaking speech because Rubio was overwhelmingly accepted as a diplomat, as a representative of the United States, as somebody who was much smoother than J. D. Vance, who was much more likable than J. D. Vance, or that President Trump sometimes.
Trump joked on Thursday at the Board of Peace, he says, I'm so proud I almost terminated his employ because they were saying, Why can't Trump do this? I do, but I do it differently, Trump said. I mean, it was hilarious to watch. He said, But Marco, don't do any better than you did, please, because if you do, you're out of here. This is just pure Trumpian humor.
The media doesn't get it. They thought he was being sarcastic. No, he was actually being funny. And I think Rubio took it that way as well. Ken Timmerman for Prophecy Today.
Ken, as always, we appreciate what you do. Keeping us informed as they stay here in Rome, ciao for this week, but we'll see you next week as you come to us again on Prophecy Today.
Well, ciao bendy, Rick, and enjoy Rome. God bless. Great job as always, Ken. And we're going to keep rolling with David Dolan in a minute with our Middle East news update. But first, we've got to take a break.
We'll be right back, right here on Privacy Today weekend. I'm Steve O'Dell with Mission Network News. Invited world leaders gather in Washington, D.C. for the inaugural meeting of the Board of Peace. The new international body's goals include governing the strategies and the funding to reconstruct Gaza.
Yet, to Fadi Sharaiha with the MENA Leadership Center, Phase 2 of the Gaza ceasefire thus far isn't actually changing life. The church now is really shrinking. I think we have maybe 300 Christians down in Gaza. Yet, if the Board of Peace succeeds, it could open the way for true help for people in Gaza. This is what is bothering me that people over there don't have hope.
And I think hope is so crucial to any human being. Ask God to bring his gospel of hope and peace deeper into the region. The MENA Leadership Center is ready to serve Gaza with trauma, healing, and other interventions once some kind of stability comes. Also, what determines whether a ministry flourishes or struggles along the way? The integrity of its leaders.
Janelle Stoops from A3 says, We believe that the foundation for godly leadership is an ever-growing, transformative relationship with Christ. She notes that leaders face threats from pride, isolation, and the pressure to achieve high numbers and visible success. To help, Stoops suggests a simple tool alongside prayer: ask trusted people how it feels to be around you and reflect on their Feedback. A3 nurtures leaders worldwide in two-year cohorts, emphasizing personal maturity. Healthy leadership then helps advance the gospel.
Leadership is really not doing something for God, but it's joining God in His work. Thanks for listening to Mission Network News, a service of one-way ministries. We are listeners supported by people just like you.
So, by giving to Mission Network News, you enable us to keep the stories of God's kingdom coming, and together the great commission happens. Look for the links at missionnews.org. I'm Steve Odell. Welcome back to Prophecy Today Radio, the program that looks at current events in the light of Bible prophecy.
Well, this is the portion of our program. We call it our Middle East News Update. We look at news coming out of the Middle East in general, but Israel in particular. To do that, we have journalist Dave Dolan with us. Dave, thanks for being with us today.
It's always a blessing, Rick.
Well, David, you typically start our segment by talking about what happened in Israel over the past week. What's the latest?
Well, of course, the main story being the possible pending war with Iran. and whether and how deeply Israel will get involved in that. Of course, to deter Iran from attacking Israel, the USS Gerald Ford, is now in the Mediterranean. It entered on Friday, and it will go over to the Eastern Edge and is thought that its duty will be to help protect Tel Aviv and Haifa and other Israeli cities from Iranian missile bombardments. There's a possibility it could carry on through the Suez Canal and into the Red Sea and into the Iranian area closer, but most analysts think it will stay in the Mediterranean.
It's a little safer to do that. Of course, we had the Ayatollah homini threatening earlier in the week to U.S. ships in the region. There are seven destroyers, most of them in. the Persian Gulf, but there's also some in the Mediterranean and in the Red Sea.
And of course, the aircraft carrier Lincoln is already there, and that's what he mentioned.
So another threat from them. But we had a report on Friday from the Wall Street Journal that President Trump is considering limited initial strikes on Iran. and then more if no progress is made, if they don't come up with a satisfactory proposal to end their nuclear program.
So everything's on edge. And the Iranian Foreign Minister was on Morning Joe in the States on Friday, Foreign Minister Arachi, and he said that the U. S. has not asked for zero uranium enrichment from the regime. But of course, the White House has said the opposite, and Secretary of State Rubio and others, that indeed the desire is to see the nuclear program completely ended.
So again, the feeling in Israel is that we're probably facing a major war, possibly the most serious yet in Israel's seventy five plus years on earth as a reborn state. And preparations continue. The Home Front Command continues to issue some statements to people, and there's definite signs of increased security preparations throughout the country. And people are on alert, but news reports say most people are fairly calm. And then we had the beginning of Ramadan during the week, Rick, on Wednesday.
Coinciding this year with the season of Lent in the Catholic Church and other churches. And of course, it will go through Purim, the commemoration every year in Israel of the ancient attempt to wipe out the Jewish people by Persia, Iran. And of course, Haman hung on a gallows at the end of that.
So there'll be celebrations for that. The Israeli security forces were out in force on Friday. There were around eighty thousand Palestinians allowed to come in to pray. That included some children, but no teenagers. And in fact, you had to be, I think it was 55 or over if you were male to even get up there, and 50 or over if you were female, and then some children.
But we also had an Israeli presence again, a greater presence than we've seen in recent years. We had the controversial minister Ben Gavir, the police minister, ascend the mount early in the morning before the Friday noon prayers where the Muslims gathered. And he issued some stern warnings to the Muslims not to Create any problems or incitement. The police said they'd arrested 17 inciters, they called them, media inciters on social media who were calling for violent acts, et cetera. They've been doing that over the past few days.
So tension there. And of course, if we have a war, Pull war with Iran on top of Ramadan. Boy, it could be an explosive situation, and the Israelis know that and are preparing as best they can for that. A couple follow-up questions there for you, David. You mentioned Purim and the historical biblical animosity of the Persians toward the Jewish people, and of course, modern-day Persia, Iran, and their stated goal to destroy the Jewish state of Israel.
Even if Israel is not involved in these strikes, do you think they will be pulled into this war? Is that a certainty? It seems very, very likely, Rick. In fact, I've been reading a bunch of experts and analysts this week who've been commenting on that. And they particularly point out that Israel's role in the 12-day war last June was extremely successful in targeting.
Leaders in Iran, with more than twenty killed, including the Armed Forces Chief Mohammed Bagheri.
So Israel seems to have a little bit of an edge over the United States in terms of that. And that makes sense because they have, frankly, more people operating inside of Iran. We have a lot of Iranian Jews. They're fluent in Farsi, the language, and they blend in very well.
So we may see that. And the Reuters news agency said on Friday that the White House is considering These targeted attacks to begin with, and also to begin with attacks on the infrastructure of Iran, especially electricity plants. and then pause a bit and give the Iranian regime a chance to really negotiate a peace deal, not a peace deal, but an end to the nuclear program and to discuss the missile program. But again, Arachi said on Friday, we're not going to quit enriching uranium and we're not going to touch our missile program, these sorts of things.
So there's no sign that before any action, they're going to change. But yes, it's it's and Iran has said very clearly that it will immediately strike Israel if there's any US action against it.
So Israel would be involved whether it wanted to be or not. And they are willing to be and able to be, and it helps to have that aircraft carrier right off the coast. But again, we might be seeing everybody going to shelters. And of course, there were reports all week, Rick. I'm sure you saw them.
as early as this weekend. The battle could continue. Others, though, say that not until after the Olympics and some say not until after the President's State of the Union address on Tuesday.
So we'll see what happens. But certainly everything is on a knife edge and forces continue to gather for U. S. forces from an airbase in Great Britain where my a relative of mine is stationed, a lieutenant colonel there. They've been coming in from Portugal and other areas in the region.
And of course, the U.S. has already thirty five to forty thousand forces in the area all the time, but they've been buffeting that very much during the past week. And F thirty five jets and others are coming in every day.
So it looks like we're heading to that mountain, and we'll see what happens. We certainly will, David.
Well, one final question. You mentioned Bed Gevir in his ascension to the Temple Mount. Another situation that Bible prophecy speaks about in Zachariah, that it will be a cup of trembling, a center of controversy. Can you talk about the Temple Mount?
Well, of course, it is the place on earth that the Lord chose to place his name forever, the Bible tells us, forever. And of course, Jews, like I said, once again going up to pray there. And more open than before, there were videos of groups of young Jewish men singing as they were entering the Temple Mount. That used to be not allowed, but it is now. But they were told as they were entering to be careful and not to do any dancing and just to be discreet, basically.
But, Rick, I think the Muslim attitude was best summarized in a recent version on Friday when the Washington Beacon newspaper published a story that the Al Jazeera television network, the most popular Arabic language News channel in the entire Middle East and really in the world, of course, based in Qatar. Had issued guidelines to all of its journalists to call Israeli visits to the Temple Mount quote incursions.
Well, that's a military term, incursion. not to call Israel the Jewish state. not to call the IDF the IDF. and to call Gaza occupied territory, which of course Israel left over twenty years, and they're only back there, hopefully, temporarily even because of the attack upon them, not to use the word jihad or Islamist, these sorts of things.
So and that's again the largest, most powerful, most watched Arabic language satellite channel, news channel in the region.
So that just tells you what the attitudes still are. And again, the Israelis are tasting a bit of more freedom up there than they used to have. And that's, of course, because of Ben Geveer, who visited there. As I said, he's been helping to loosen some of those restrictions. And you and I know prophetically that there will be something happened up there in the final days.
The Bible indicates that quite clearly, that there will be another temple and how that will develop, whether this war will play a major role in that. It could very well, Rick. We'll see. But definitely movement there and action there. And again, another sign that as the Bible calls it in Ezekiel, Jerusalem is at the center of the world.
both spiritually and politically and travel all around. Dave Dolan for Prophecy Today. Dave, as always, we appreciate you reporting not only on the political, but also on the prophetic as well. Thanks so much. Look forward to talking to you again soon.
Glad to do it, Rick. God bless. Well, great job as always, David. Way to bring in the prophetic for us as we look at these current events. We've got to take a break when we come back.
Osama Dak Dak, Sharam Hadian, and Mike Jendron. All ahead, right here on Prop See Today Weekend. Churches of Atheism This is Ken Hamm, CEO of the ministry that built a full-size Noah's Ark near Cincinnati. Every day, millions of American children enter government-funded churches of atheism. Where are those atheistic churches?
There's probably one in your hometown. a public school. Naturalism and atheism in the form of evolutionary ideas and relative morality are being taught exclusively in public schools across the nation. Public schools aren't somehow neutral because they got rid of God. They replaced Him with atheism.
There is no neutrality because everyone has a religion, a worldview, through which they interpret everything. If your child attends a public school, are they equipped to deal with the constant atheistic teaching? Want to learn more about what's happening in our culture? Go to AnswersRadio.com and plan your visit to our full-size Noah's Ark in northern Kentucky at AnswersRadio.com. Welcome back to Prophecy Today.
I'm Jimmy DeYoung Jr. Along with Rick, we're examining current events in the light of God's prophetic word. Rick is in Rome this week. And by the way, Rick, we shot a great video with our father, Dr. Jimmy DeYoung, called Rome Rising.
Religion and rulers, and uh we examined the historical Roman Empire, and we also looked at the revival of the Roman Empire that is prophesied in God's word. Shot on location in Jerusalem, Ephesus, and Rome. And Rome Rising will shed light on how current events are setting the stage for Bible prophecy to be fulfilled.
So, if you're interested in that, it's a great plug for our and by the way, you can probably see these things on YouTube now. You don't even have to buy it from us, but it does help our ministry if you do. In the next half hour We have Osama Dakdok, Sharam Hadian, and Mike Jendron. Osama Dakdok is going to talk to us a little bit about the holiday or the period of Ramadan that the Muslims are in right now. And Sharam Hadian is going to talk with us about the reset of what really is in the mindset of the Muslims in the Middle East, even though.
Donald Trump, President Trump, did an excellent job in bringing together those nations of the Abraham Accords. But we'll talk to him about what really is behind what they're thinking. And then, of course, something that's been bothering me. For a while now, but I wanted to get Mike Jendren on to talk about this new app. Hollow app that I think a lot of Christians are falling for right now, and I'm really concerned about that.
But let's get started with our first Rick. Osama Deck Duck.
Well, that's right, Jimmy. I have an old friend of ours, but somebody that hasn't been on the program in quite some while, Usama Daktak. He's the founder of the Straightway of Grace Ministry. He's a speaker on a daily radio broadcast revealing the truth about Islam. He speaks fluent Arabic and has translated the Quran into English.
He's the author of Exposing the Truth About Quran and Exposing the Truth About Jihad, as well as booklets called The Violent Truth About Islam and The Straight Way to Eternal Life. Have I missed out anything there, Usama? You are absolutely right on the money. That's all what we got so far.
Well, so much. We appreciate you being on the program. Like I said, you are an old friend of ours. We've been at conferences and done things together in the past, so we appreciate you coming on the program today. Thank you so much.
It's always my joy and my pleasure to be with you and all your wonderful audience. Osama, we were talking before we came on the air and we said a little bit, you know, you haven't been on in a while and I said I only needed a few minutes today, and you said, Well, I need at least half an hour, so I tell you, after this, we're going to try to get you on the program maybe for a longer segment next time. But right now, in the brief time that we have, we are in the middle of Ramadan. We've talked about it over the last few weeks.
Now it is coming up, and Ramadan is being used essentially as a call for violence against the Jewish people, against Israel. Can you talk a little bit about Ramadan and its relation to violence? Absolutely. You know, throughout the history of Islam, the last fourteen hundred and fifty years, Muslims, starting by Muhammad, the self-proclaimed Prophet, use that month for jihad. As a matter of fact, if you go online right now and search in the Arabic language and say, the month of Ramadan, you will see the first title of all the articles.
The month of Ramadan is the month of Jihad. And they they brag about all what they have accomplished. during that month in the last fourteen years. And they give you history, days, years of the many battles we won, if it is in Spain or if it is in Morocco, or if it is in Egypt, or if it is literally. And they brag about the October seventh, that is the big war we have led in nineteen seventy three against Israel.
Obviously, we did not win any war. It's just It's just in their mind that this is the month where they have they be blessed by performing jihad for the sake of Allah and Allah honor is their offer in that month. We were talking with Dave Dolan last week. He's the author of a book talking about the spread of Islam. And we're looking at it, this is not something that is new, the relationship between not only Ramadan and violence, but just the religion of Islam and violence.
That is the main way that Islam was spread throughout the years, ever since its inception, right? Absolutely, but you have to understand that Muhammad kinda picked up that month because it is the month where he claimed to receive the Quran. And in the teaching of the Quran, which is full of violence, it is like, well, it's a double blessing. If you do jihad in the month of Ramadan, you kill one infidel, a Christian or a Jew.
Well, guess what? You got tenfold blessings.
So it's better to fight in the month of Ramadan than any other month. And don't forget that there are two big battles. the big battle battle and the opening or the invasion of Mecca also took place in the month of Ramadan.
So Muslim always say, well, if we put any offer in that month, Allah will reward us ten times false. But We know for sure we will be blessed because that is the month of Jihad. Of course, and we've talked about it in the past that they have called Islam a religion of peace, and it certainly does not seem that that is the case. And it also seems as we look at the news and we look at people calling for a ceasefire, and of course, there are horrible things happening in Gaza, but where do you put that blame? That's the question.
But as we look at that situation, can you talk a little bit, maybe in general, about some of the misconceptions that The world in general, maybe especially us here in the United States, have about Islam? Sure.
Well, Islam is a religion of peace when Muslims are weak. Quran, chapter 47, and verse 35. Is very well known verse by all Muslims, and they practice it all their life.
So Allah said, do not be weak. and do not call for peace, we have the upper hand.
So whenever Muslims do not have the upper hand, means they're weak, they do not have enough weapons or do not have enough men to fight. They are peaceful people. But the reality is, in Islam, there is no peace. Only when they are weak. And when they have the strength, then the true nature of Islam, the violence and the savage teaching throughout the Biddy of the Quran are put into action.
And that is a problem. We see some Muslims are peaceable people. Why? Because they're pretending, they're practicing what we call taqiyyah, Quran chapter 3, verse 28. That is, they took infidels, Jews and Christians, as took Jews and Christians as infidels with their tongue, but not with their heart.
And once again, this can only be practiced when Muslims do not have strength and do not have the upper hand.
So it may look like a peaceable religion, peaceful religion, but in reality, There is no peace in Islam whatsoever, as long as Muslims have strength to fight and to invade other lands. We certainly could take a look at this. Islam has a certain amount of consistency, and there's that old saying, if somebody is going to tell you what they are, you should believe them and take them at their word. And that is a situation that we look at here. Islam is telling us what they're going to do, as you said, when they get the upper hand.
Well, the problem also, as the scripture said in Hoda 46, my people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. And I see some Imams, some Muslim leaders of many jihadi chapters all over America who actually present themselves to be like a nonprofit ministry, like a church like your ministry or my ministry. And these people are these people are Lying, practicing taqiyyah. And in Islam, it is lawful to lie to an infidel.
So here we go, you see them lying to us. And because people do not know the true nature of Islam and the true practices uh of the Islam and so if it's the word of Allah or the command of Muhammad, then Am American people who are I call naive, they come to believe that the Islam is a peaceful religion. But once again, there is no peace in Islam because there is no command in the Quran for Muslims to live in peace or in harmony with anybody, especially when they do have strength and they have the upper hand. Again, we're speaking with Hassama Dakdak. He's the founder of the Straightway of Grace Ministry.
You are helping to educate us now on what Islam is, and this is essentially from the reading of the Quran. You're not conjecture, there's no supposition here. You're reading what the Quran says, and this is what the Islamic world is reacting to. And that is part of your ministry. If you could, could you talk a little bit about your ministry, the Straightway of Grace Ministry, and how you are using that ministry to educate the Christian community, but also to reach the Muslim world?
Brother, this is exactly the heart and the desire of our ministry. We need to see Muslim people get saved, and they will not be saved unless they know the reality and the true Sabbat, their cult. It is a savage cult. Not every Muslim has the chance to read and understand the Quran. And as I always said, if it is in the Quran and as it is interpreted by Muslim scholars, it is Islam.
If it is not in the Quran, it is not Islam.
So it is as well with the teacher of Muhammad. If Muhammad said it, And Muhammad practiced it, that means it is Sunnah, it is the way of life of every Muslim. And that is my heart desire. Learn the truth about Islam for the love of their children and for the love of this great country, and also for the love of the Muslims. Because how can we reach out to the Muslim with the truth of the gospel if we do not know too much about Islam, or if we know the false information which some Muslims spread all over this land?
So I hope and I pray that through your ministry here and any effort given by anybody to expose the truth about Islam, this is It's very important. If you never know that you're sick, why you go to the doctor? Why you take medicine, why you bring healing to your body. And that is what I believe Muslims need to know. They need to be set free, and they will never be set free until they know that they are lost.
And that is, once again, the hope and the desire of our ministry. And I'm looking forward for the next podcast with you as well when we have a little bit more time to go a little bit in depth.
Well, absolutely. And we will certainly do that. If you could, could you let our listeners know how they can find out more about you, get your books? Do you have a website? What can they do to find out more about your ministry?
Sure.
It is thestraightway.org. The straightway. Raceway.org, and if you go there, there are plenty of materials, and we have lots of articles of which we wrote throughout the years and lots of ready broadcasts.
So I hope and I pray that people will go and visit our site and come and check it out. Usama Dakdak from the Straightway of Grace Ministry. Usama, thank you again. It's been good talking to you again, and we're going to talk to you again soon. Same here, brother.
Thank you so much. God bless you now. Right now on the radio, a good friend of ours, Sharam Hadian, Sharam, is a great, great brother in Christ. Sharam, welcome to the program. Jimmy, thanks for having me on again.
It's always an honor. Thank you, sir. And, man, you've got so much information.
Now, give us your website real quick. The website is tilproject.com. The TIL stands for Truth in love, then the word project.com, and that's what we're focused on. We're going to speak the truth in love. I think that's very important.
And folks, I would go there, follow what Sharam does. Sharam, quickly, give us your testimony for maybe new listeners that are listening to us.
Well, I'm originally from Iran, born there, born into a Muslim family. Just over almost 23 years ago now, the Lord Jesus Christ got a hold of my life. here in the States after we had left Iran, we always fled there right Just before the the uh the coup of 1979. Um but the Lord later in life got a hold of my of my of my heart, brought me into the kingdom. I've been following the Lord Jesus Christ for the last twenty-three years, leaving Islam.
Becoming what is referred to as an apostate. But so a lot of our ministry, of course, deals with what's going on in the Muslim world, deals with evangelism to Muslims, but also exposing Islam, exposing the spiritual dangers of false ideologies. And what we see happening today Particularly with this movement towards a one you mentioned one world government as well, the one world coming religion. That's what we're also seeing and we're warning about. Yes, you have talked to us many times, and I know that I just wanted those to hear your testimony because you have a very good understanding of the Islamic world, and we're going to be talking about the Mideast reset.
Now, one of the great accomplishments that President Donald Trump did was the Abrahamic Accords. And just recently, a bipartisan group of U.S. lawmakers launched a new caucus this last week promoting and supporting the Abrahamic Accords, a set of normalization agreements between Israel that has signed with its Arab neighbors. And in just one year, the Abrahamic Accords have already transformed. The Middle East by contributing to regional peace and stability, promoting US interest, and enhancing Israeli security.
Now, I know that this is what's being talked about. There is another article that we have put on our website that I sent to you, Sharam, about making sense of the Middle East. Great reset that this normalization that Arabs, that the Arab countries have signed with Israel. is not really a progress towards peace, but It's really just putting on hold what their agenda has been all along, which is to wipe Israel off the face of the map. How do you make sense of this?
Well, I agree with that last statement, Jimmy. I think that that's exactly what it is. Really, what we're witnessing. Is a simply just sort of a freeze, putting things on hold. And that is ultimately, as I've taught for many years.
within Islam, within the Middle East, within the ideology, There's, of course, a deep-seated hatred for Israel, for the Jewish people, because of what the text teaches, not just from an individual Muslim.
So, what you're seeing geopolitically, first of all, the article is very interesting because it proves part of the freeze is because you see now the major influence of China and Russia within the region. The Abraham Accords, while they have temporarily brought that normalization. There's two things that I want to quickly point out. One is That Sally and Turkey have not come on board.
So let's not forget that there's a difference between the Arabs that come from Saudi and Oman and Qatar and UAE. These are what I refer to biblically as the Keturah Arabs, not the descendants of Ishmael that you see in places like Jordan and Syria and further west.
So I think there's a aligning is very interesting. Part of that, I think, is fulfilling prophecy where you're seeing this shift. But let's not forget, Saudi Arabia and Turkey, they're two key players within Islam, particularly Turkey now. They are not aboard. They have not normalized relationship with Israel.
In the Arabic Course. Number two, the Arab Accords. Spiritually are convoluted, spiritually, not politically, because they promote interfaith. They promote the three great Abrahamic religions, which, of course, we know. Islam is not an Abrahamic religion.
It is not. the same God. As the God of the Jews, the God of Christians.
So those things. convoluted a little bit. But politically, yes, it has brought a freeze But I think at the end of the day, you're still seeing The globalist, the the the the Revelation thirteen, one world government, one world economy, one world religion coming together. And you're seeing that Islam, I think, is going to lose some of its power because. The global shift, the great reset globally, Jimmy, is going to bring about the preparation for the global leader who's going to come on the scene.
Ultimately, we know that's going to be Antichrist eventually.
So, in one sense, I think that the Islamic nations are losing some of their power. Power, but yet they're aligned with the globalists, they're aligned with China, they're aligned with Russia, they're aligned with. within the elements of the United Nations. They've gone lockstep That term, of course, comes from Agenda 21, 2030, locks up with the globalist agenda during COVID. And ultimately, it will shift power.
to those nations that are going to come against Israel.
So I think we're right on track. For what Bible prophecy has predicted. And I think that you have to look past the normalization with Israel to understand that spiritually. They still hate What God loves. Yes.
And that is the Jewish people and the nation of Israel. Yes. And when you look at Psalm 83, when those nations that are listed there that come out of a council meeting and they decide to wipe Israel off the face of the map, I think that's what we're seeing these days. Sharam, thank you so much. I knew your background, and as you have been all these years working and Teaching truth, not only in Christianity to the Christian world, but also in the Islamic world, and trying to help them that you would understand what is taking place.
And we are not to be fooled. In fact, that's why God gives us one-third of His word is about prophetic events that are going to happen in the future. And we are to be wise and understanding of that. And that's how we understand why the world is acting as it is. Thank you, Sharam, for joining with us today.
We're going to get back together again and talk about some of the things that you're doing in your ministry. But quickly, again, give us your website: tilproject.com for truth and love, tilproject.com. Jimmy, God bless you guys. Love your ministry. Love your dad.
And thank you for what you're doing. Thank you, Shoram. Jimmy, I have a good friend of both yours and mine, Mike Gendren of Proclaiming the Gospel Ministries, is with us. Mike, thank you for taking the time to join us today. Always a joy and a pleasure to be with you.
Thanks for having me. Mike, I have a few questions for you to day, but before I do, just to provide some context, can you tell us a little bit about your background, your testimony, and what your ministry focuses on?
Well, sure, it's an evangelistic ministry because I was lost for thirty-five years of my life, even though I thought I belonged to the one true church, the Roman Catholic Church. It wasn't until I opened the Bible at age thirty-five that I realized I was woefully deceived about really life's most critical issue, and that is How can I become right with God? What must I do to be saved? And so when I had this crisis of faith, I left the Catholic Church and Began worshiping God in spirit and in truth. And because of my love and compassion for Catholics, we developed a ministry outreach to equip the body of Christ to share the true gospel with Roman Catholics.
Well, we have you on when we look at subjects that concern the Catholic world, and that is part of your ministry there. And as we talk about that, Jimmy and I were talking about this cultural phenomenon that is going on right now. It's a prayer app, it's called Hallow. You can get it on your phone, and it is being heavily pushed. A Super Bowl ad heavily pushed by celebrities such as Mark Wahlberg and Jonathan Roomi, the man who plays Jesus on the very popular Chosen series.
And Jimmy and I just wanted to talk to you about this app, and can you tell us what we need to know about it?
Well, sure, it's a very ecumenical app. They are really trying to unite all of Christianity to reverse the Reformation. There's a lot of money behind it, as you've stated. But Catholic prayers often fall on deaf ears, and that's because Many of the prayers that are featured on Hollow Our prayers to Mary, prayers to guardian angels. And we know from scripture, there's never a God fearing person that prays to anyone other than God because He's the only one that can hear and answer prayers.
The Hello App encourages the Rosary. And some of your listeners may not be familiar with the Rosary, but that's where Catholics pray fifty three repetitious prayers to Mary. There's also an app for prayers for the dead. And of course, that's based on the false theology of the Roman Catholic Church, that there is an intermediate place between heaven and hell where people go when they die, called purgatory. In fact, it's based on the Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraph 1030.
All who die in God's grace and friendship, but still imperfectly purified, are indeed assured of their eternal salvation, but after death they undergo purification so as to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of heaven. And so on the Hallow Prayer app, it says, why pray for souls? In the answers given, our prayers can help to purify the souls of those who are in purgatory. Purgatory is a place of temporary purification where souls go to be cleansed. And so that's very misleading.
And then Rickett says how to pray for the dead. And the answer is, we can offer any specific prayer for our loved ones, including the rosary. or novenas, or especially a holy mass. And then they even use a Bible verse to help pray for the dead. And I know because of your prophecy listeners, they'll really get a kick out of this.
They the Bible verse that they use is for the Lord himself With the word of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God, will come down from heaven, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Those who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Of course, that's based on the rapture in 1 Thessalonians 4. But the Roman Catholic Church rejects the rapture because. The souls in purgatory cannot be raptured instantaneously.
They have to be purified first, and they have. different amounts of time in order to Purify themselves before they can make it into heaven.
So that's just a. Kind of a summary, but I guess another one we should probably talk about is they encourage prayers to guardian angels. And um one of the uh apps on the hollow prayer app is to pray for your guardian angel's intercession, protection and guidance. And they even give a sample prayer that we can pray to our guardian angel. It goes like this: Angel of God, my guardian.
dear, To whom God's love commands me here, Ever this day be at my side, to light and guard, rule and guide. And they also have prayers to Our Lady of Lourdes, But I guess something we need to talk about, you mentioned that there's a lot of highly visible actors from Hollywood. that are jumping on this Yeah, that's a good idea. One of them has received a lot of backlash, and it's Liam Leeson. He obviously is a very popular Hollywood actor.
But in a video promoting the Advent prayers, Neeson is seen speaking with actor Jonathan Rumi, the one who plays Christ in the controversial series The Chosen. Neeson told Rumi that he is really excited to join Hallow and would be going through meditations largely from C.S. Lewis. But Hollow users were quick to point out that Neeson's vocal support For abortion, the legalized Pre-born child killing. has caused a backlash because One of the good things about the Roman Catholic Church, it's pro life.
It's against abortion.
So there's been a heavy backlash against using Neesen to promote the prayer app.
Well, Mike, as we look at this situation, and you mentioned earlier, this is a very ecumenical movement. It is very broad-based. It looks to bring in all kinds of people under a big tent and you celebrities and different things like that. And it certainly moves away from doctrine, even the doctrine of the Catholic Church. And this is something that is led by the current Pope.
This is a direction that the world is moving in. And this is a direction that the Catholic Church is moving in, too, isn't it?
Well, it really is the Pope's goal. It's a very aggressive agenda to unite all of Christianity under the power and influence of the papacy. He is seeking to reverse the Reformation, but Catholics and evangelicals both need to be warned that he has the spirit of Antichrist. And I'm not saying this to upset Roman Catholics, but when Jesus was on this earth, he spoke more about hell than he did about heaven because he came to save people from the burning fires of hell. But yet, just last week, the Pope denied that hell is a place Instead, he says it's a posture towards life.
And I say he has the spirit of Antichrist because his statement goes directly against the teachings of our Lord Jesus Christ. And everybody needs to be warned that this is a false prophet, probably the most influential false prophet in the world today. Mike Gendron of Proclaiming the Gospel Ministries. I urge you to go to his website at proclaimingthegospel.org to learn more about his ministry. But, Mike, this is something that you help keep us up to date on as we look at all of these things that are taking place around us today.
Things that are in our face, ads, and we're seeing these things all the time. These things are coming to fruition right before our eyes. Mike, we appreciate what you do to help keep our listeners involved and informed. And we also appreciate what you do in your ministry as well. Thank you so much for coming on today, and we look forward to talking to you again soon.
Well, thank you so much for having me. Wow, what a great half hour. And we need to be praying for lost people around the world. No matter what false religion they're in, we need to be praying for them. We got to take a break, and when we come back, we'll have Dr.
Jimmy DeYoung in the Legacy Series right here on Prophecy Today weekend. Mm. Welcome back to Prophecy Today. I'm Jimmy DeYoung Jr. Along with Rick, we've been examining current events in the light of God's prophetic word.
Rick, great program today. If people were interested in finding out more about our ministry and about the trips that we have to Israel, where would they go? Jimmy, you can go to our website, prophecytoday.com. You can find out more about the ministry. You can see how you could donate to our ministry or look at materials that we have.
And also, we're headed back to Israel. We've been already once this year. We're going again in May. You can go to our website to find out more information about that or call us at 423-825-6247. 423-825-6247.
And we would love to take all of you with us. And as Rick always says, it's a great classroom. It's the best classroom in the world for teaching Bible prophecy, Israel past, present, and future.
Well, on the legacy series today, Dr. Jimmy DeYoung is finishing up his preview of Matthew and how that relates to our study of 2 Peter, which is the manual for the end times. We will return today to chapter 3 and verse 9. Mm-hmm. And Dr.
DeYoung will lay out the Lord's promise. His plan and procedure for these The last days. Please take your Bible and let's go to 2 Peter 3, verse 9. doctor Jimmy De Young And the Legacy Series. This is a conclusion of everything that Peter had done.
In the first chapter, he exhorted us to grow, to mature in the Lord, to live virtuously, to have a moral excellency. He told us that we needed to be patient. And then he also exhorted us to be involved in brotherly love. That is exciting because that is what Peter exhorted us to do, be involved in brotherly love and brotherly kindness. And he wanted us to make sure we did that.
He wanted us to be involved in temperance, self-control. But again, remember when we looked at chapter one, we were seeing that what Peter was exhorting us to do would assist us in the judgment seat of Christ and bring us to a position where we would then be able to go with excitement to the judgment seat of Christ, which happens immediately after the rapture of the church. Chapter two, he exhorted us to pay attention to apostasy. And I exhorted you, and Peter, I think, does the exact same thing. Get out of an apostate church, get out of a church that's teaching apostasy, and find a good Bible-believing, Bible-teaching church.
That was chapter 2. He was preparing us for what's going to happen. The result, the result of being involved, or listening to or allowing apostate teaching to take control of you is that there will be those who will deny the coming of the Lord, they will deny creation, they will deny the flood, and ultimately, we didn't go all the way to the end. They will deny that there is judgment coming when the world is going to burn. And that's going to be the final judgment.
It was by water in the beginning, it's going to be fire in the end. And so he was telling us, stay away from apostate teaching because that'll take you down a wrong path. And that was just, I think, a great bit of information that helps us. And we're to allow Peter to. Stir up our pure minds by remembering what the apostles, what Jesus Christ, and what the disciples had taught us in the scriptures there that have been provided by these men who God has placed in a very important position in history past for the establishment of the church.
But now we come to the end game, and the Lord is going to assure us he's not negligent. He is going to keep his promise. And we'll see, his promise then becomes his will for you and for me. We're going to see his plan, and we'll understand that's the way that we need to prepare as we go into the times in which we're living. From this point on, we're so much closer to the rapture of the church than anybody in history has ever been.
And every day that continues to intensify, and so we're waiting for that. But he has a way, and he's going to lay out his plan. And finally, we need to get involved in his work. There's a procedure for it, we're going to see it.
So, let's go right now to the third chapter of the book of 2 Peter, and let's begin with verse 9. Because here's the promise, and here's his will going to be revealed to us. Verse 9: The Lord is not slack concerning his promise.
Now, what has he promised?
Well, he's promised two things, basically. He did it in the Passion Week, Passion Week, beginning when Jesus Christ and His disciples come into Jerusalem, and then leading up that week up to the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. That's Passion Week. He made a promise that he is going to do two things during that week. First of all, in the Olivet Discourse, which would take place on Monday afternoon of Passion Week, after he had been up the third time to the temple, he went up the first time as King of kings and Lord of Lords, the potentate.
And then the next day, remember, he went up and he cleared the temple of the money changers.
So he was the priest, the high priest up to the order of Melchizedek. And on the third day, he goes up as the prophet. Those are the three offices of Jesus Christ: potentate, priest, and prophet. And he goes up there as the prophet. He's going to cleanse the temple out.
And then from there, he goes across and goes to the Olivet Discourse. And he, at the end of the Olivet Discourse, is going to make a promise. He had been offering the kingdom. I went through the book of Matthew to show the offer, the legitimate offer, the kingdom, then the postponement of that offer, and then the promise is going to happen. Chapter 24, verse 30.
You see me coming in the clouds with great power and great glory. This is a sign I am coming back to the earth. I promise I'm going to come back. Again, he says here, I'm not slack concerning my promise. I will come back.
And in verse 29 of Matthew 24, he says, immediately after the tribulation.
So if this is going to represent the second coming of Christ, the return of him back to the earth, this would be Matthew chapter 24, verse 30. Verse 29 says that happens immediately after the tribulation period, a period of time that's going to unfold prior to his return. But the beginning of that, and in the upper room before he's going to be crucified the next day, he makes another promise. This time it's at a different event. It's not the second coming of Christ.
In the book of John, chapter 14, verses 1 to 3, he said, don't let your heart worry. He's got some very worried men at this point in time. For about six months, he's been teaching he's going to have to die, be buried, and resurrect. They are having anxiety. Anxiety attacks.
And so he stops and he looks at him. He says, Let not your heart be troubled. You believe in God?
Well, you believe also in me.
Okay. In my father's house are many mansions. If it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go, I shall come again.
The promise coming into focus. I shall come again and receive you up to be with me, that where I am, there ye may be also. And so there's the promise of the return of Christ, the second coming of Christ. He then says that happens immediately after the tribulation and before the tribulation takes place. Here's my promise: I'm coming to gather you up to be with me, the rapture of the church.
So he lays out the promise. He said, I'm not slack concerning this promise. I am not slack. You know, if you got your notepad out, right in your Bible, I love to take my notes in my Bible. I've always had it with me.
But in the tribulation period, there are four major trends in Bible prophecy.
Now, this is true in the 17 books in the Old Testament that are particularly focused on Bible prophecy. And in the New Testament prophetic books, which would be Matthew, all of them have Bible prophecy in them, but there's a special dealing with Bible prophecy in Matthew, 1, and 2 Thessalonians, and in the book of Revelation. Four major trends. If you'll pay attention to what is going to happen, four major trends. Here's the first one: Aleyah.
Aliyah, A-L-I-Y-A. Aliyah. That's a Hebrew word that means literally to go up to Jerusalem. That's what the Jewish men are to do three times a year at the pilgrim feast day: Passover, Pentecost, and Tabernacles. They were to go up to Jerusalem, and that's the literal translation of Aliyah.
That now has been appropriated to refer to immigration. And so the first major trend of Bible prophecy between the rapture of the church and the second coming of Christ during the tribulation period will be Ali Ah. And there will be people coming, Jewish people from all over the world, coming back into the land. You'll see that throughout every passage of prophecy, basically, because that's a trend, a major trend. The second major trend would be alignment.
And we see that coming together, an alignment of nations, the political arena. World leaders are going to come together and form an alignment of nations to try to wipe the Jewish state off the face of the earth. Have you ever heard that phrase before? The Iranian president, almost on a daily basis, says, We need to wipe the Jewish state off the face of the earth, that her name be forgotten forever. You know, that's almost a quote from Psalm 83 and verse 4.
They had a council meeting. They came out of the council meeting and said, Let's wipe out Israel so that her name be never mentioned or remembered again. Aliyah, the alignment of the nations. The third major trend is going to be anticipation, anticipation of peace. When does that attack on the Jewish people by the nations of the world begin?
Well, there's one at the end just prior to the second coming of Christ, and that would be for the campaign of Armageddon. And the reason I call it the campaign is because all the nations of the world gather in Jerusalem. Not in the Jezreel Valley. They will ultimately go up there. When Jesus steps back on the Mount of Olives, he splits the Mount of Olives.
If you look at Zachariah chapter 14 and verse 5, it says he splits the mountain so all the people gathered to go against Jesus Christ can go to the valley of the mountains, which is 97 miles away up in the Jezreel Valley. It's a valley, a thousand square miles, with mountains all around it. That's why the Lord says, Go to the valley of the mountains. And so it's the campaign. It starts in Jerusalem, ends up in the Jezreel Valley.
But there is going to be a way when you can recognize when it's going to happen. Ezekiel 38, verse 8 says, when the Jewish people are dwelling safely in the land. And verse 11 uses a military terminology when they're living in unwalled cities, dwelling safely in the land.
Now what that's talking about is there's going to be a semblance, a pseudo-peace. And what happens? The Antichrist confirms a peace treaty, Daniel 9 and verse 27. The Jews believe that the Messiah has come. They believe the Antichrist is the Messiah because they believe the lie of Satan.
And so they accept that. They see peace, a short period of peace at the beginning of the tribulation period. And it only lasts for about six months. And so anticipation for peace. Is not every world leader wanting to know how they can bring peace in this world?
And in fact, they want to bring peace, first of all, to the Middle East. The former Secretary General of the United Nations, he said, my ultimate goal is to bring a resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. And there's going to be those. Listen, Ezekiel the prophet didn't understand an F-16 or an F-35, the new stealth aircraft, the jet aircrafts that Israel has just been delivered. He didn't understand an Apache attack.
Helicopter. He didn't understand a Markva tank, which is the most sophisticated tank in the world. He knew that the Jewish people had a wall around the city.
So he said, when they lay down their walls, when they're living in unwalled cities, anticipating peace. And that's a theme that runs throughout the entire prophetic passage of God's Word.
So you have Aliyah, Jews returning to the land, alignment of the nations, a coalition formed to wipe out the Jewish state, anticipation for peace, and the fourth trend.
Now, this is across the board in all prophetic passages. The fourth trend is the arrangements for the temple. And Jesus Christ in the book of Zachariah chapter 1 and verse 16 says, I will return to Jerusalem. I will build my temple. Zachariah chapter 6 and verse 12, he says, Jesus, the branch, will build the temple, and then he will rule and reign from that temple.
That's verse 13 of Zachariah chapter 6. Over in the book of Ezekiel, there are 202 verses of scripture dealing with the temple that Jesus Christ is going to build in the kingdom period. He is going to build it. The 202 verses, the book of Ezekiel, chapters 40 to 46. More details, more details about him building the temple and how it's going to be, and it's very specific.
More details than about the birth of Jesus Christ. In our study today. We looked at his promise, his plan, and his procedure in these last days. The ancient prophet Ezekiel gave us the trends to look for as we quickly approach the rapture. with this information we must on a daily basis look for the rapture to happen at any moment.
However, until that time of the rapture we need to continue to look at this manual for the end times, the book of Second Peter. Please join us again next week as we continue our study of 2 Peter. Dr. Jimmy DeYoung and the Legacy Series. We've got to take a break, and when we come back, Paul Scharf will join with me again as we talk about the day of the Lord and can people mistakenly take the mark of the beast now?
That's all right ahead, right here on Prophecy Today weekend. Mm-hmm. I'm Steve O'Dell with Mission Network News. Lebanon's military says it needs another four months to disarm Hezbollah. The government faces mounting pressure to disarm the terrorist group, with Israel launching raids and near-daily airstrikes in southern Lebanon.
Meanwhile, protests broke out in Beirut on Tuesday over a new gas tax designed to pad the pockets of government employees. Elio Constantine of Heart for Lebanon says: The end result of policies like this is more people living in despair, whether it's nationwide because of the economy or South-specific because of the war and the efforts to disarm Hezbollah. Division is commonplace during desperate times. Keep Lebanon in your prayers. Pray for the team at Heart for Lebanon for wisdom, discernment, and protection as they navigate in turmoil.
And what does it mean for you that Ramadan began this week? For the world's 2 billion Muslims, it means a special month of seeking Allah through daily fasting, prayer, and more. For tens of thousands of Christians, it means a special season of praying that Muslims will encounter Christ. Suzanne Higard with Prayercast invites you to join this year's 30-day Ramadan prayer campaign. When God's people pray.
He moves. It's a mysterious work, and it's so exciting because he does not need us to save those who he's going to save, but he invites us to be a part of the process. Join God's mission by connecting with the PrayerCast Challenge at our website, missionnews.org. Sign up. Put your email in.
You'll get a prayer video each day from a Muslim background believer, and you'll get to pray along with that Muslim background believer for Muslims. Thanks for listening to Mission Network News, a service of one-way ministries. We're listeners supported by people just like you.
So by giving to Mission Network News, you enable us to keep the stories of God's kingdom coming. And together, the great commission happens. Look for the links at missionnews.org. I'm Steve O'Dell. 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. This is a section of the program where we take a look at the book. And as promised, Paul Scharf with Friends of Israel Ministry is back with us. Paul, welcome back to the program.
Thank you, Jimmy. Great to be here. Yes, so let's talk about this. I want to give you as much time as I can here in our last segment. What is the day of the Lord?
Well, Jimmy, the day of the Lord is really an expansive topic, and it's mentioned more than 20 times in both the Old Testament. Combined with the New Testament, and it can be used for near-term fulfillments of God's work. In the world, in which he's doing his special acts of judgment, for instance, on behalf of the nation of Israel in the Hebrew prophets. But as we move into the New Testament, building on that Old Testament foundational understanding of the day of the Lord. The term really relates to end time events.
Especially what we would call the days of the tribulation to come following the rapture. and even extending into the millennial kingdom, the judgments Right at the end of the Millennial Kingdom, 2 Peter 3, 10 to 13 talk about, and Peter describes those judgments at the end of the millennium before the Lord God ushers in eternity future, when of course all believers will be with Christ in the new heaven and the new earth forever.
So the day of the Lord, it's a simple concept, but it can also get somewhat complicated. But for our purposes here to zero in on the issue of how we as believers should prepare and live our lives, Paul, coming off of the great rapture passage in First Thessalonians A four. at the end of Chapter four, and I referred to that in the previous segment, He says in Chapter five, he switches the emphasis He's been talking about we and us and how we're going to be with the Lord at the rapture. But in Chapter five, As Paul comes into 1 Thessalonians 5, he says, when they say, when they say, And he's saying, Brethren, you have no need that I should write to you about the times and the seasons, for you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night. For when they say again, not when we say, but they who are left behind, At the rapture.
They're going to say peace and safety. And the reality is what's going to happen to them Sudden destruction, no escape. The day of the Lord will come upon them. Like a thief. In the night, but Paul says, verse four: You're not in darkness.
A believer, this day will not overtake you as a thief. I'd like to sum this whole section up by saying to the believer us who know Christ, wake up. It's already getting dark. In other words, the day of the Lord is coming, the tribulation is coming. But we won't be here, we'll be with Christ.
But this should motivate us. It has implications for how we live today. Paul goes on to say in this passage, Verse six, let us not sleep.
Now that's a different word for sleep. Than Paul had used earlier in First Thessalonians 4, where he's obviously using sleep. as a euphemism for death. But here in Chapter five, he's using sleep to talk about someone who's sort of, we would say, asleep at the wheel.
sort of sleepwalking through life. It's a different Greek word entirely. Let us not sleep, but let us watch and be sober. For those who sleep sleep at night, and those who get drunk are drunk at night. But let us who are of the day be sober.
And Paul goes on. to talk about this. And he says, why should we be concerned and live our lives to the fullest for the Lord God during this time? Because God has not appointed us to wrath. First Thessalonians five nine.
Just like 1 Thessalonians 1.10, We're not here to face the wrath of God in the coming tribulation. We're going to be delivered from that.
So, live your life to the fullest. Wake up. Because Christ died for us, that even if we sleep, verse 10, Paul says, even if we miss. The great blessings we could have in the Christian life, we're going to live together with Him.
So don't sleep. Wake up. It's already getting dark. Yes. So a question came in then.
How do we know that we are not taking the mark of the beast today?
Well, Jimmy, I would say the quickest answer to that is we know that the mark of the beast isn't here yet because the beast isn't here. Yeah, it's true. And there's so much that could be said about the mark of the beast, which is described in Revelation thirteen. which, by the way, we know the Mark of the Beast isn't here again because the events surrounding it that are detailed in that chapter And in the surrounding context, they're not happening yet.
So we who believe in a pre-trib rapture coming out of a literal interpretation of the scriptures, We know that the things that are going to bring about the mark of the beast aren't happening today.
Now, there are technologies and there are circumstances that are developing that may be preparing the way for the ultimate Implementation of the Market of the Beast. But, Jimmy, we don't have to worry about taking it today because the Beast isn't here. Nothing that we're taking today in any form, whatever it be, Is not related to that final Antichrist who's coming because he's not here yet, and when he comes. And when he launches the Mark of the Beast, God is so gracious and so merciful Revelation fourteen tells us he's going to send three different angels. To give a warning to the whole world so that no one can miss it.
And they're going to say, in essence, to the whole world, to everyone listening. Do not take the mark. It will cost you your life if you don't take the mark. But if you refuse the mark and trust in the Lord God, you'll live eternally. Don't take the mark.
Don't take the mark. Don't take the mark. Because the third angel in Revelation 14:9 says, if anyone worships The beast and his image and receives his mark on his forehead or on his hand. That's the key, Jimmy. Taking that mark will be an act of worship.
And no one who takes it will be doing so unwittingly. They won't have just gotten in the wrong line. At somewhere in some setting where they incidentally ended up taking the mark of the beast. they are going to know that by taking that mark, whatever it is, and it will, I'm sure, relate to economic and different kinds of opportunities that are open to them so that they can have the right credentials, et cetera, but it will have some of those facilities with it, but it will also represent worship of the beast. And everyone who takes it Will know what they're taking.
Paul, you know, with what you've told us, with what Dr. Andy Woods told us, with our broadcast partners today. Things that we see. We see That we are very close to the rapture of the church taking place, and it can't be too far away. In fact, it could be in the next moment.
So 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.
