Welcome to Prophecy Today. I'm Jimmy the Young Jr., along with my brother Rick. We examine current events in the light of God's prophetic word. And what a week to be examining current events. President Donald Trump, the President of the United States of America, going against Pope Leo, the head of the Catholic Church, one billion strong, and people that believe in the Catholic religion.
We also have Israel and Lebanon talking to one another. We have still war going on in the Middle East, decisions that are being made, and it all leads up to fulfillment of Bible prophecy. We've got a lot to cover today with Ken Timmerman, David Dolan, Mike Jendren, and Paul Scharf, plus the Legacy Series. Rip, so 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. His latest book, The Iran House, Tales of Revolution, Persecution, War and Intrigue is very relevant in today's world. Ken, thanks for being with us today.
Thanks for having me on, Rick. It's always a pleasure.
Well Ken, the last several weeks we have been leading off with what is taking place in the Middle East, especially in the war between the United States and Iran. Lots of news this week, maybe even some positive news for President Trump. Can you tell us what's going on?
Well, we're negotiating. And apparently, the president is negotiating personally by phone with the Iranians. We assume it's with Khaliba or with the foreign minister. And he appeared on Fox Business the other day. And Maria Barti Romo asked him, What's happened to your voice?
He said, I've been shouting at the Iranians all day.
So it hasn't been an easy negotiation. And I don't think any of us would like to be on the other side of the president of the United States shouting on a telephone. But apparently, he's gotten them to agree to not fire on ships in the Strait of Hormuz. The foreign minister on Friday morning announced on Twitter that Iran was declaring the Strait of Hormuz open, but he said it was open, but under the Iranian route, meaning that Iran would still be escorting vessels.
Well, that's not what the president said. The president said it's open. It's open, but our blockade against Iran is holding. And that's not what Mohsen Rezai, Major General Mohsen Rezai, former commander of the Revolutionary Guards, now The senior military advisor to the supreme leader. He said, Well, all of this is nonsense.
Our missiles are locked and loaded on U.S. warships.
So Different people are saying different things, but the President is hopeful. He says he has negotiated the nuclear dust. Iran will return the nuclear dust, and most other things have been negotiated, and he himself could be flying to Islamabad as we speak, Rick.
So we'll have to see just exactly where this goes. For now, there's definitely movement, but it's not over. There certainly is movement. How about our NATO allies? I know France and UK have been getting involved.
Can you tell us what they've been up to? The British Prime Minister, Kier Starmer, flew to Paris on Friday to meet with Macron and have a Zoom call with 40 other leaders or representatives of 40 other countries to talk about providing a naval force that would open the Strait of Hormuz and guarantee the security of the Strait of Hormuz. The United States was not invited to this meeting. Very interesting because Starmer and Macron had both, of course, refused to provide any help whatsoever when help was actually needed to open the Strait.
Now that we have sent our destroyers through the Strait, now that we are sweeping the mines in the Strait with the destroyers and with underwater robots, underwater drones, we don't really need the French and the Brits any longer. They're strutting around, Rick, like self-important peacocks in Paris. But I can report this. They did one very, very important thing. They had lunch.
Well, I guess a good meal is very important, Ken, and I want to talk a little bit more about NATO at the end of this segment. But before I do that, I want to talk about this deal that we are doing right now with Iran. Is this something that we should be optimistic about? Give me your thoughts.
Well, look, the markets voted on Friday. Stocks zored. You know, the Dow was up over 900.
Now, traders are always looking for a sugar high, and they got one. But the agreement is not done. And I've got to tell you, I have got a very serious concern, a big concern, when I hear both the president and the vice president throw out the term grand bargain with Iran. And they both of them use that to describe these negotiations. It's a term, Rick, that's fraught with past failures that screams Iranian deceptions, not the interests of America first.
Bill Clinton was the first to use that phrase towards the end of his term in office to describe his aspiration to end what at the time was a simmering, low-intensity conflict with Iran that had lasted for 20 years.
So did Obama, so did Biden. They both talked of a grand bargain with Iran, and it meant selling out the Iranian people, allowing the regime to continue to stop. Stay in power, that's exactly what the regime wants. They want to stay in power, they're willing to give many concessions as long as they stay in power. Here's the problem.
President Trump is going to leave office in January of 2029. I don't think we're ever going to have another president like him. We may have good presidents, we may have strong presidents, but here is somebody who, for the first time in forty seven years, Recognized the threat from Iran, stood up to Iran, to the Iranian regime, and tried to eradicate the threat. Here's what a good deal means, Rick. It means Iran can't have nukes.
Not nuclear isotopes, not a little bit here, not a little bit there. They cannot have any nuclear technology. They are in violation of the non-proliferation treaty. They have no right to nuclear technology because of those violations. Second, they cannot have these long-range missiles.
There may have to be some kind of disarmament commission led by the United States, something perhaps along the lines of UNSCOM, what we set up with the UN after the first Gulf War with Saddam Hussein, but without UN supervision. I think it's something that the U.S. can do, perhaps with some of the Gulf, our Gulf allies across the Persian Gulf from Iran. Third, they cannot threaten the Strait of Hormuz or their neighbors. Fourth, they have to cut off support for proxies like Hamas and Hezbollah.
And most important, in my view, Rick, in my view, there has to be some kind of U.S. guarantee to the people of Iran that they will not be slaughtered by. The regime, if they go out and peacefully protest, and if that does happen, that the ceasefire is off and we go back to killing the bad guys. We look at these points that you bring up, Ken. If they are not met, that means that the can is just getting kicked down the road, doesn't it?
That's the problem. That is exactly the problem. And I don't think President Trump wants to do that. He sees himself as resolving wars. And if he allows this one to simmer, it will come back later on.
He has got to douse the fire permanently. I happen to think that means eradicating the regime, but if he allows a Rumpf regime to survive, he has to put such restrictions on it that it cannot rise again to repress the Iranian people or threaten its neighbours. Negotiations here running parallel with negotiations taking place between Israel and Lebanon. And of course, the problem there is Hezbollah, an Iranian base proxy. Can you talk about these negotiations and what we're looking at?
Monumental talks, Rick. President Trump invited the Israeli and Lebanese representatives, I think the president of Lebanon was there, to the White House to talk about this. They have a 10-day ceasefire that Hezbollah has actually agreed to. The Lebanese government is overjoyed to finally have some help, some real help, in getting rid of this plague of Hezbollah. It's been there since 1984.
Rick, I remember, I may have mentioned this on air sometime in the past couple of weeks, but I can remember in 1984 when they had a peace agreement. Lebanon and Israel had a peace agreement, and I was in Beirut in February, I think it was, and Hezbollah came into the bar of the Commodore Hotel where all the journalists hang out, and they shot up the booze. And I said, ah, that's it. It's all over now. I'm not going back to Beirut.
I'm going to Baghdad instead.
So I stopped covering Lebanon, and weeks later, Hezbollah began taking Western hostages. Hezbollah has been there ever since, Rick. They've been there ever since. It's been 42 years that they have dominated this country. They have destroyed Lebanon.
And for them finally to reach this stage with Donald Trump as the intermediary is really phenomenal. I am thrilled for all my dear friends in Lebanon and obviously for all the people in northern Israel who now will no longer have to face those Hezbollah rockets.
Well, a hopeful report there from Lebanon, and that is great to see as we look into the future.
Well, let's wrap up the Middle East here. And I want to talk, like I mentioned before, my final question for you. I want to talk about NATO and what it's going to look like in the aftermath.
Now, I know you said this is not over. Everything that is taking place in the Middle East is not over yet. But when it is over, what is going to be the fallout for NATO and their relationship, especially with the United States?
Well, NATO's in big trouble, and Trump has called them a paper tiger. And it's not just Trump saying that. The Europeans understand that. Brits Are spending something like two point one percent of their GDP on France on defense. The French are spending a little bit less, the Germans less than that.
The only ones spending reaching the five percent target that Trump has set and that the NATO Secretary General, by the way, thanked Trump for setting, are Sweden, Finland, and the Baltic states, Poland, and Hungary. I think the U.S. is going to change our basing strategy in Europe. I think we will probably move troops out of the old European countries and move them eastward, perhaps to Poland, to Hungary, perhaps into the Baltic states. I don't think we're going to actually pull out from NATO because that's a little bit complicated.
It is a treaty. In theory, it requires a two-thirds vote of the Senate, although some people are saying the President can simply withdraw unilaterally as a presidential declaration. That remains to be seen. I think we're going to shift assets. I think that's what's going to happen.
But let me tell you the most significant result of all this, Rick. Is that the US-UK special relationship? That we enjoyed since 1945, really, since 1941, since World War II. The US-UK special relationship is over. It has been replaced by a U.S.-Israel special relationship, something that we have never really seen in the past.
We are now going to war. With our ally Israel and not with our allies from NATO. That is a huge, huge shift. I think it's a very positive shift for the future. Excellent insight, Ken.
As always, we appreciate what you do, Ken Timmerman, reporting for us on Prophecy Today. You can find out more about Ken by going to his website, sign up for his newsletter at kentimmerman.com. Ken, thanks so much. Thanks so much, Rick. God bless.
Ken Timmerman for Prophecy Today. We've got to take a break, but don't go anywhere because our Middle East news update is upcoming with David Dolan. Right here on Prophecy Today, weekend. I'm Rhys Kramer with Mission Network News. Even if the United States and Iran enter more negotiations this week, they have different vocabularies.
Mana Silk with Transform Iran says that to many Western minds, peace means coexistence with mutual respect. But for the Iranian regime, they are not talking about that when they talk about peace. They want to dominate. They want submission of everyone to Islam. Silk says the current ceasefire hasn't changed fundamental security and freedom concerns about Iran.
She says Iranians had hoped that the war would bring deliverance from government oppression and are devastated by the ceasefire. Please enter the spiritual battle for Iran through prayer. We don't have the ability to influence what world leaders are doing except in prayer. And that's where we should be really focusing. Stand with Transform Iran as they reach people with the hope of Christ.
And find your place in the story at missionnews.com. Yeah. And a routine ministry trip turned into a mid-air emergency. Pastor Luke Salik and his team with Life International were on their way to Bangladesh to conduct biblical pro-life training with Christian leaders. Then the U.S.
and Israel attacked Iran. Mid-flight, their plane was rerouted and had to return to the U.S. But in Bangladesh, he says, When they found out that we weren't able to make it, they decided to hold the training anyway. And so the leadership team, they're from several different countries in South Asia, they kind of banded together and thought, hey, what can we do together to help? Equip a lot of these pastors or ministry leaders who are coming together.
The training equip Christian leaders to support crisis pregnancies with Christ's love. There's more at our website. Thanks for listening to Mission Network News, a service of one-way ministries. We're listener-supported by people just like you.
So by giving to Mission Network News, you enable us to keep the stories of God's kingdom coming. And together, the Great Commission happens. Look for links at missionnews.org with Arnold's framework. 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, which we have been doing quite a bit today, but we focus on Israel in particular. To do that, we have with us journalist Dave Dolan. Dave, thanks for being with us today.
It's great to be with you, Rick.
Well, Dave, lots going on in the Middle East, but especially in Israel. And a focus on the North this week with their situation with Lebanon. Could you give us an overall news update?
Well, yes, Rick, a lot of news at the end of the week again. Of course, the announcement midweek by President Trump, or on Thursday, I should say, of a ceasefire. in Lebanon that Israel would stop attacking Hezbollah positions And Hezbollah, of course, is not subject to this agreement at all, and they denounced it, so they have not. promise not to attack Israel. But in the first twenty four hours, it seemed to be holding But then came some bombshell news on Friday.
where the Israelis, I should say first, agreed to a ten point ceasefire plan That the State Department published on Thursday, and the cabinet, the Security Cabinet, was meeting and about to vote on it. or discussing it and then going to vote on it when the President announced the ceasefire.
So They basically had no choice but to approve it. And when the Prime Minister was asked later why he so quickly approved it, he said. The President wanted it. What could we do?
So that made many in his cabinet upset. The opposition called it a disaster, but then they've been railing against VB for the whole war, basically, and on every aspect of it.
So that's not a surprise. But the agreement stated that Israel, according to the State Department, has the right to take, quote, all necessary measures in self defense at any time Against planned. Imminent or ongoing attacks.
So that was what Netanyahu expected, and he said, well, we can live with that. But then late morning on Friday, the President put out another he had a whole series of true social postings on the reopening of the Straits of Hormuz, which Iran said they had done, although there was little evidence of that on the ground, reports said. Very few ships were taking any risk there or moving. And the Iranians said they still had to come through their narrow little section right next to their country.
So it's not freely open at any point. But they said it was because of this ceasefire deal.
Well, the President put out a very strong post saying that they're go the U. S. is going to get their nuclear dust. Created by our great B-1 bombers and some other things. He said it's no way subject to Lebanon, the overall deal.
But he finished it by saying, quote, Israel will not be bombing Lebanon. And the Israelis really dislike that. They're not bombing Lebanon. They're bombing Hezbollah in Lebanon, not the Israeli. government bombing the Lebanese people or government.
They're supposed to be talking to them. Israel will not be bombing Lebanon any longer. They are, and in big letters, prohibited. From doing so by the USA. And then he ended it, enough is enough, with three exclamation points.
And then he said, Thank you, President DJP. In other words, Israel doesn't have the right to, as the State Department Plan said, To retaliate if they're attacked or if they see an imminent threat. to take it out before it's not. It happens this sort of thing that they are prohibited from taking any action in Lebanon.
Well, that. It just created an earthquake in Israel when that was published, Rick. many, including in the Cabinet and in the government, are very upset over that. The Northern residents are very, very upset. They met On Thursday evening and the council leaders of the different communities, they're very upset.
Of course, they don't want Hezbollah rockets firing down on them, but they don't see this as anything that will last or be productive. And again, to disarm Hezbollah completely is Israel's ultimate demand insistence. They have nothing against the Lebanese people or the Lebanese government, except that the Lebanese government did agree at the last ceasefire in 2024, Rick. to disarm Hezbollah. And guess what?
They didn't feel like they were able to do it. This is a brutal, ruthless death cult organization that will kill them as much as it will kill anyone else and has done so over the years.
So it looks pretty bleak in that sense, even though of course there's relief that there's ongoing talks. whether they can produce anything real that will actually make especially the north of Israel any safer is very much in question.
Well, David, there seems to be a bit of optimism as we look at these ceasefire negotiations, and optimism, maybe not the problem is all solved, but that maybe there'll be a little bit more peace and quiet in Israel. But as we look at the situation, we do need to be careful. I talked with Ken before this, and he expressed a little bit of worry that if we make a deal with Iran, that is not a good deal. We're essentially just kicking the can down the road, and this is going to be a problem in the future.
So it is certainly important, not only from the perspective of Iran, but also of Hezbollah and Lebanon in the north. Israel needs to figure out a situation that they can live with. And you don't necessarily want to rush into a deal, do you? No, and that's the thing, Rick, that it's the same situation, that the Israelis don't see the evidence on the ground, as it were, that Hezbollah has changed its position, its religion, its convictions, its jihad based ideology. In any way.
And of course, the Iranian leadership is fame. But the Iranians are well and truly defeated. I mean, in a military way and in an economic way in that. But they still have cards to play. They still can fool around with the straight.
And the Israelis, again, they don't see any sign that Hezbollah has altered its convictions that it must destroy Israel and that it has the right to do that and to be in Lebanon and be a non-government militia force there that has a bigger military force did have than the army, than the Lebanese government has. Those are just the realities on the ground. And again, the Israelis found when they started up the action again this year. That Hezbollah had rearmed far more than they suspected and far faster than they expected. And the same is true.
with Iran.
So yes, they is a bad deal is worse than no deal at all, in other words. And certainly, the Israeli right to self defense means they have to have the right to do bombings at Hezbollah targets in Lebanon if needed. And again, Hezwell isn't a part of this agreement, has denounced it totally.
So they have every incentive to continue To strike, and they haven't been financially decimated in all the things that the Iranian government has been. They've been wounded badly, no question. And Israel got in a lot of last minute action. They sent a squad. Of soldiers up onto a strategic ridge north of Mount Hermone just minutes before the ceasefire went into effect.
So they took as much as they. as they could to keep on to to for a buffer zone. And they said on Friday, the military that they don't intend to withdraw any troops. There's five divisions there, Rick, and that they intend to hold on to the up to the Latani River, that people can return to their homes north of there and Nabatea and other places they were flooding into, Sidon, Tyre, but not into that southern buffer zone. Nobody can return.
So there's every incentive for Hezrillah to continue to war against Israel. With some support from others in the country, but it's mostly just the Shiites. And again, not even all of them are Hezbollah fans. In fact, a lot of them blame Hezbollah for the Suffering that they've endured over the years. And again, not because Israel said, oh, we hate the Lebanese.
Like I said last week, they had a peace accord in 1983 with Lebanon. Israel did that the U.S. brokered under President Reagan. They would love to be at peace with all their neighbors, but their neighbors. Have been warring against them, and Hamas, of course, in the south, and the Houthis further south, and Iran, and its proxies.
all around.
Well, David, as we always talk about on this program, the future has already been written. We know from Bible prophecy what is going to happen, and these nations that are involved in the news today are going to be involved in the future, aren't they? They certainly are, and they're all going to be benefits of the peace that the Prince of Peace will bring to to the Middle East and to the world. politicians and God bless them for trying. It's too late, too little.
And we still have basically the Iranian regime in place, and we still have Hezbollah in place in the Houthis. And even now, Hamas. is sounding like they're preparing to go back to action.
So until he comes, we're going to have trouble, but he is going to come. And Lebanon, we have the wonderful prophecy in Isaiah twenty nine that it will be a fruitful land, verdant, green again with peace reigning there. And so that's good news. It certainly is. Dave Dolan for Prophecy Today.
Dave, as always, we appreciate your insight. Thanks so much. Look forward to talking to you again soon. Blessed to do it, Rick. God bless.
Great job, as always, David. You know, support for Israel among American Christians, particularly evangelicals, is experiencing a noticeable generational erosion with younger believers increasingly questioning or opposing Israel's policies in Gaza. While older generations maintain stronger support, studies show a sharp decline in pro-Israel sentiment among evangelicals aged 18 to 34, driven by social media, concerns over Palestinian rights, and a shift away from traditional Christian Zionist theology. When we come back, we'll talk to Mike Gendren and Paul Sharp right here on Prophecy Today Weekend. Extreme weather evolution?
This is Ken Ham, author, speaker, and blogger on Why We Can Trust the Bible. Several years ago, parts of the southern United States experienced a severe winter. and researchers found that in just one winter a species of lizard evolved a greater tolerance to cold. They were shocked at how fast evolution happens. But is this really evolution?
But now it's not. The lizards remained lizards and they didn't gain any new genetic information. This is simply adaptation and natural selection using genetic variety that already exists. Selection pressures like this cold snap forced a species to adapt using genetic variety. That's nothing new, it's not evolution.
Get more answers on natural selection, adaptation, evolution, and creation by visiting answersradio.com. 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.
Well, if you're like me, along with everyone else this last week, we watched the kind of the brew ha-ha brewing between President Donald Trump and Pope Leo.
So we thought it would be a great time to get our good friend Mike Jendren back on the program. And Paul Scharf will come on right after Mike.
Well, that's right, Jimmy. I have Mike Jendren from Proclaiming the Gospel Ministries. You can find his information about his ministry at proclaimingthegospel.org. Mike, thanks for being with us today. Always a pleasure to be with you.
Mike, I've done this many times before, but very briefly, could you just share your background? Because I'm going to ask you a couple of questions, and specifically related to the Pope in the news this week and also the Catholic Church. Could you just share your testimony, your background?
Well, sure. My testimony is is such that The nature of deception is that people never know they're deceived until they're confronted with the truth. As a devout Roman Catholic, I never opened the Bible until I was 35 years of age and began studying it. And that's when I was confronted with the truth of God's Word. I repented of the false way the Catholic Church had taught me regarding salvation and put my trust in Christ alone for my salvation.
And shortly thereafter, I just had a great burden, a great love and compassion for Catholics who are where I was. Being deceived, but not even aware of it.
So, our ministry is really dedicated to sharing the gospel with Catholics and equipping the body of Christ. to reach out to this huge Ministry of 1.4 billion precious souls. That's what we've been doing for thirty five years, and it's just been real exciting to see how the Lord's Word and His Spirit has brought many to saving faith. It certainly has, and we appreciate your ministry and what you do. And again, we are just sharing what the Bible says, what the word says, because that is what is all important.
Well, let's talk a little bit about what happened in the news this week. You could not escape it, of course. President Trump and the new Pope, Pope Leo, kind of going head to head. Could you give us your thoughts on this situation? Yeah, it really is interesting to see the ongoing war of words.
I think it all started when Trump said the Pope is wrong. Clearly, he doesn't know his Bible because I think his statement was that God doesn't answer the prayers of those who are in unjust wars. But He does indeed answer prayers. I mean, all we have to do is look into the Word of God, and the Pope didn't bring this up, but you look to David. He was a man of war who killed many in his lifetime, but God answered his prayers for guidance in battle.
We see that in First and Second Samuel. And then God even called David a man after his own heart. David wrote many psalms of prayer amidst the conflict that he was going through. And then you look at Joshua. Joshua prayed for the sun and the moon to stand still during the battle against the Amorites.
Well, guess what? God answered his prayer. pretty dramatically as we see and Josh was Account chapter 10 verses 12 to 14. You can always look at Gideon. He was a reluctant warrior, but God answered his fleece.
prayers for confirmation before fighting the Midianites and granting victory with a small force. See that in Judges 6 and 7.
So the Pope really needs to study his Bible more. He just can't cherry-pick a verse and And say that he knows the Bible. He's misleading Catholics not only in this, but also, of course. in the most important issue, and that is what must I do to be saved. The Pope preaches a false gospel that leads many Catholics on the wide road to destruction.
So I commend President for standing firm against the Pope. I guess the probe Doesn't really remember the Catholic history of unjust wars, the Crusades, and the 11th, 12th, and 13th century. Maybe the Pope doesn't remember the Saint Bartholomew Day massacre in Paris. When Catholics put to death thousands of French Huguenots, the blood in the streets of Paris were said to be ankle-deep. And then What was the reward for those who massacred?
all the Protestants in Paris, well, The Pope invited them to Rome to give them a plenary indulgence, and I mean, we could go on and on about the history of the unjust wars in the Catholic Church. The Spanish Inquisition would be another one.
So anyway, I just think that it's good that we have Donald Trump standing firm against the Pope when it comes to his defense of what he's doing in this war in Iran. Mike, the Pope, in the recent past, has said that he would not get into politics, but this certainly seems like a political battle. He's recently likened. It seems like he could liken President Trump to a savage tyrant that is ravaging the world. He met with some democratic political operatives.
It certainly seems like the Pope is getting more and more political, isn't he?
Well, he really does and I think he needs to stay out of the political realm, but a lot of people don't realize that he's not only a religious leader, but he's also The leader of the Vatican State.
So he's got ambassadors from all over the world coming to Get his advice on political issues.
So this is all tying into Bible prophecy because we know in the end there'll be a global government, a global religion, and a global economic system. And so the office of the papacy will play a major role and the United Government and the United World Religion.
Well, Mike, as a continued maybe escalation of this conflict between President Trump and the Pope, he has actually made some political moves. Can you talk about that?
Well, sure. The Trump administration just in the last day or two, canceled an eleven million dollar federal contract with Catholic charities, and many people are saying it's because of the Pope's rebuke of Donald Trump.
Some have linked the timing of this to an ongoing public quarrel between Trump and the Pope and over the U. S. Israel military actions against Iran.
So the timing people say it's been in the works for a while, but I think it all came to a head this week based on the conflict between Trump and the Pope. We heard recently that Pope Leo is to receive a Liberty Medal for promoting religious liberty and human dignity. He says to do that at the at the celebrations for the two hundred fiftieth anniversary of the United States. Can you talk a little bit about that?
Well, it really plays into what I just said because what why is he receiving the Liberty Medal? It's because of his work in ecumenism and his efforts to unite the religious and political worlds into one global family. I mean, you see this prophetically all the way through. In the end, there will be a global religion and a global government, and he's getting an award. He's getting a Liberty Medal because of his ecumenical efforts to accomplish this.
We're really staring in the face of prophecy right now as we see this Pope aggressively attempting to unite all the religions of the world. In fact, right now he's in Algeria. And you may have seen that he visited A Muslim memorial. That was uh really dedicated to those who killed Christians. It's important to note that this martyr's monument that the Pope is visiting doesn't honor those who lost their lives in the war, it honors the terrorists and the killers.
Who actually murdered Christians. And so here you see Pope Leo. over there honoring these Murders these jihadists and their attacks that resulted in the deaths of many Christians. Critics would argue that this move prioritizes interfaith optics over the suffering of Christians and victims at the hands of Islamic groups. We know that the Pope is building bridges into all the religions of the world, and here we is we see him in Africa doing that in despite of um overlooking really the murder of this Islamic group to kill the Christians and really eliminate primarily the Roman Catholic religion in Africa there.
I'm talking with Mike Dendren from Proclaimingthegospel.org. And Mike, we were talking before we went on the air here, and we're just looking at this. We are looking at the words of Scripture. That's how we govern, how we rule our lives. We are looking at that.
We're not necessarily looking to attack Catholics, but theology matters. What you believe matters. How you determine what you believe matters. And we see that affecting all areas of life, even in politics, even in our culture today. I wanted to, as I finish up here, and I know you've got some things coming up at proclaimingthegospel.org that our people want to be in tune to.
And maybe for a sneak preview, I want to ask you a little bit about a doctrine that has been really prevalent, especially among even What you would call the right-wing, people like Tuckle Carlson and that like, who have been using a specific theology, and it's called fulfillment theology, very similar to replacement theology, w which we've talked about on this program. But if you could talk to me about this and the dangers that it has for us. Yeah, there's a lot of people now that are really denying the future glory of Israel. And we know prophetically that the Lord Jesus will return as the king over the earth and there will be a glorious future of Israel. But uh people like Tucker Carlson and others are Saying that uh there is no future for Israel, that either the church has replaced Israel or it will no longer be important in God's plan.
But we know from scripture That is not true. The Word of God exhorts us to be diligent to present ourselves approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the Word of truth.
So God delights in His people walking together in agreement with Him and His Word.
So we cannot put up with this division within evangelicals and Those who deny The thousand-year reign of our Lord Jesus Christ on earth. You know, a lot of people don't realize, but the amil position that many of our reformed evangelicals hold to came out of the Roman Catholic religion. The Catholic Church has always been on mill, and that's because They go back to Thomas Aquinas in the fourth century. He's the one that. originated the idea that The thousand-year reign of Christ in Revelation 20 is not literal, but it's allegorical.
And so the reformers coming out of the Catholic Church held to the eschatology of the Catholic Church because they never addressed eschatology.
So the reformers today, rather than going back to Christ and His Apostles, they Take on the eschatology of the apostate religion of Rome. And we're just seeing this have an effect, I think, more than ever. On the status of Israel and whether or not it has a future with many of our politicians. There are some people, I think, that are joining the Catholic religion not because of spiritual issues, but because of political issues, because they do not see a future for Israel, and they don't believe that the war in Iran right now is legitimate war because It's uh protecting Israel. And more than ever, I think, in my next newsletter, I'm going to address this in more detail.
This all just emphasizes the fact from Genesis to Revelation, we look at the scriptures as preeminent, and we have to get it right. We look at Bible prophecy, and that's a third of Scripture. And those that look at Israel and say there's no future for Israel are not interpreting Scripture correctly. It just goes to show how important it is to get the understanding of the Bible right, doesn't it? It really does.
Mike Jendren from Proclaimingthegospel.org. Mike, as always, we appreciate your insight. Look forward to talking to you again soon. Likewise, blessings to you, and keep looking up.
Well, Rick, we want to share the truth. Which is always something that's very important to us.
Well, after understanding fulfillment theology and then hearing that part, I said, you know what? I've got to get my friend Paul Scharf back on the radio with us. And Paul is a Friends of Israel Church Ministries representative. Paul, welcome back to the program. Thank you, Jimmy.
Great to be with you. Yes, and so I want to continue on this conversation because I do think it's important when we're dealing with other theologies. You know, theology determines your eschatology, or vice versa. Eschatology determines your theology. And so I'm very interested in this, and I know that you've been interested in this, conversation with others about within conservative Christianity, there is a diametrically opposed opinion on Israel.
Tell us, you know, how should we be thinking about Israel?
Well, Jimmy, of course, the Bible is absolutely filled with truth about Israel. The fact that God has a future for Israel, and that as He has been with His chosen people in the biblical past.
So he continues to be in the strategic present and will be all the way through. that fulfillment in the prophetic future. He still has that plan and that purpose. For the people of Israel that he has called and with whom he has made his great covenants. But as you said, Certainly, all through church history, there's been this division.
And controversy, and it's heating up now more than ever, even though it's not a new division or difference. But this idea that not all agree With our position on the fact that God has that future for Israel, and there are many. And uh they seem to be increasing rapidly in our day. As you said, those that would hold to what we would call replacement theology, or what they might prefer to call fulfillment theology, or some other term like that. But it all boils down to the idea that the church ultimately replaces Israel.
Or becomes the new Israel, and that instead of God having that marvelous future for The people, nation, and land of Israel, literally, as promised in his covenants with them. That uh that those blessings are instead Sort of wrapped up and given over to the church. in a spiritual sense. And that's the idea of replacement theology.
So let me ask you this, Paul, and I'm going to put you on a spot, and you can take your time, you can think about it. What do you how do you answer people that say The Israel today is not the Israel that God intended and it's a different Israel. How do you answer that question too? Because that question pops up within Christianity, within the a more national debate about the Jewish people and the nation of Israel. Right.
Well, of course, I'm not a genetic scientist or anything like that who's done any kind of study on the people in terms of. Ethnic physical qualities. But from God's word, Jimmy, that God knows those who are involved in the 12 tribes of Israel. He's going to have them in place. In fact, during the tribulation There's a special group of 144,000, 12,000 from each of the 12 tribes.
That we're told about in Revelation seven and Revelation fourteen and And uh they're called uh the first fruits. Of the redemption of the people of Israel, of the whole nation.
So we know that the true nation of Israel. The biblical people that God has called and chosen, the people of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, they're going to be in the land. In fact, they have to be in the land in unbelief. for the tribulation to begin. And so There's no doubt about the fact that God knows those people and We cannot look at any person and see either their heart or even their.
Their physical makeup with our physical eyes, but God knows, and He has. His people, and he's going to prepare them for the tribulation to come, and then ultimately the kingdom to be given to his chosen people. And he has them coming back to the land today. we understand biblically in unbelief.
So, as we are looking at this topic and we're trying to understand, and again, I think a lot of people get their information in their news from social media today. And so, as they are following social media, they're following what people are saying that, you know, why are Christians, and I would say the more dispensational, pre-mill, pre-trib, we understand the role of the Jewish people in the future and Bible prophecy. We understand that the Jewish people today are going through. What they're going through because they disobeyed God, and this was God allowed this to happen. But still, how do you defend what Israel is doing today?
Well, that's another great question, Jimmy. The amazing thing to me is How God is blessing the Jewish people today.
Now, we could get into a long conversation of. everything that's happening in Israel, and especially related to their multifront battles that they're facing and the current conflicts that they're defending against terrorism and all the terrible things that have happened since October seventh of twenty twenty three. But again, the amazing thing to me that we have to remember is that the people of Israel today are in a state of unbelief. Paul tells us that very clearly. And Romans chapter 11.
Verse 25, he tells us that temporarily and and ju and in part They are in spiritual blindness. It's partial and it's temporary. It will one day. They will return completely and fully as a nation in faith. But today, many of the Jewish people are in unbelief, and for this time, they are in unbelief as a nation.
And yet, God has blessed the people of Israel so richly, even in their unbelief, and blesses the world through them. That's really an astounding thing to me that I try to meditate on and reflect from scripture. Of just how truly amazing God's grace is in that particular sense. Paul, you were telling me a little bit before we went on the air about your testimony growing up. And how that has Um More or less, kind of helped you develop your thought process one way or another.
Why don't you share with us your testimony and how you got to where you are today? Sure, Jimmy.
Well, I was actually raised a conservative confessional Lutheran.
So, I have a very, very complete understanding, I think, of replacement theology and amillennialism and. Opposition to dispensationalism. And I kind of view my own life as following the trajectory of the church age, in a sense. Um Really there's been a stage of d uh stages of development in what Has brought about what we call dispensational theology coming out of the Reformation, and I've had a lifelong fascination with the Reformation to be sure. But people began in the century or so after Luther and Calvin, they began to think about a great number of end time Jewish converts entering the church.
As we approach the end of time. But then people built on that and talked about the fact: no, it has to be stronger than that. Israel will actually be saved as a nation. And then, of course, his dispensational theology was really refined and developed. In the decades and the centuries that followed, people came to hold the view that you and I would espouse Jimmy.
That Israel has to be saved as a nation and restored to her land. And that's what we, of course, hold to, not only that there will be a great ingathering of Jewish people into the church. Or even that the nation itself will be saved, but the people, the nation will be saved in their land, the people, nation, and land of Israel. And so I have great respect for. Uh my fellow Bible-believing Christians, even who don't Fully understand or grasp those things yet.
There are many sincere believers. Who do not have our position on Israel or our full understanding of these things? And as I mentioned earlier, this is an ancient division in the church. that theologian Michael Vlock traces back to Justin Martyr in the one hundreds.
So just the generation after the Apostles. And so not all not every and and I believe that not everyone who holds to what we would call replacement theology is is an anti-Semite. But I am concerned that there is a growing Uh really um Incredible focus. On replacement theology, by some who I'm concerned, Jimmy, really what we would even call anti-Semitism. Because they're pushing it to the point of uh Really seeing the Jewish people as the cause of all the problems and all the evils in the world.
And boy, when you start thinking that way, I think it's really time to stop and check yourself and consider and especially meditate on what the Bible has to say. Of the real importance of the Jewish people. And I think as you search the scriptures with an open heart and with the Spirit of God helping you. You'll also be convicted that indeed God still has that future for Israel. I'm always, when people are questioning me, I will give them questions back here at this point because I always ask them, well, what does the Word of God say?
You know, we always want to go to outside sources or extra-biblical writings, but when you study the Word of God, it clearly indicates. God's role for the Jewish people in the future. And I know there are certain, and there are great institutions in Europe. Who are reform, but as far as how they understand, and they read the same word that we do. Right.
What's the key? for helping people to understand when they're reading to Understand what the word of God is saying?
Well, that's a great question, Jimmy, and I don't want to, in any way, um. Underestimate or underemphasize the importance of the things we're talking about. I'm not. In any way saying that there's a choice here that people can sort of decide what they want to believe. There certainly has been this division through church history, but I certainly believe that.
God does have a future for Israel. And I think to answer your question, the key is the literal interpretation of the scriptures. And when we take the scriptures literally, I think we'll come to that understanding. And I think, even though, again, Not everyone who opposes us theologically on these issues. They may not at all be anti-Semitic.
In fact, they may love Israel and the Jewish people. But there still is a danger, Jimmy. And in fact, I've written about this in a three-part blog series for foi.org. Called The Danger of Replacing Israel. And I trace replacement or fulfillment theology.
Through the centuries, And talk about the fact that ultimately, in spite of even good intentions by those who hold those views. When we replace Israel Theologically, or in our interpretation of scripture, it blurs our senses. To the importance that God has given Israel in the prophetic future, and it ultimately also dulls our consciences. With regard to the imperative of taking the gospel. Romans 1.16 to the Jew first.
And I think those are such important. Concepts in the scriptures. And again, it's all built on a literal interpretation. Wow. Great stuff, Paul.
Paul Sharf, Paul, where can we find your articles and information to help us as we study? Thank you, Jimmy. Again, people can go to FOI.org and search the blog there and see this series, The Danger of Replacing Israel. And they can also find me and my ministry personally at sermonaudio.com/slash P. Sharf, that's S-C-H-A-R-F, sermonaudio.com/slash P Sharf.
Great stuff, Paul. Thank you so much. I think it's so very important, especially in the times that we're living, that we have a proper understanding of God's Word. All of Scripture is given by inspiration, and it's good for all of us in every area of our life. Correct?
Absolutely, Jimmy, and thank you so much. It's always an honor and a joy to be with you. Paul Scharf, and you can go find his information. We'll put a link to that blog on our news stories on the weekend program on our website. We've got to take a break, and when we come back, Dr.
Jimmy D. Young and the legacy series, right here on Prophecy Today, weekend. Welcome back to Prophecy Today. I'm Jimmy DeYoung Jr. Along with Rick, we've been examining current events in the light of God's prophetic word.
That's right, Jimmy. And we hope you've enjoyed the program today. If you like and appreciate this program, go to our website, prophecytoday.com. You could learn a little bit more about our ministry, look at the devotions that we offer every day, figure out a way to engage with us. That would be great.
And also, if you would be interested in supporting our ministry, we'd love to have you do that as well. That's right. Prophecy Today.com. And we do have trips going to Rome and Israel. Coming up Israel in the fall.
We're looking forward to going back.
Well, this week we continue our study on the false church established at Babylon some 4,500 years ago. Nimrod had a wife, Semiramus, and and they had a son Tirmus. the mother and the son became the co equal recipient of worship, and this information is from extra biblical sources And we have a reliable source for this information. Dr. Jimmy DeYoung will tell you more about that in just a moment.
But right now, please take your Bibles and go to the book of Jeremiah. Chapter seven. doctor Jimmy D. Young and And the Legacy Series. My source is Dr.
John Walbert, the late Dr. John Walbert, who was president of Dallas Theological Seminary, Chancellor, and one of the great scholars, biblical scholars, as it relates to Bible prophecy. In his commentary on the book of Revelation in chapter 17, he deals with this issue. Let me give you a compilation of what he says. I've studied it from other sources as well, but I give you one that you can get a hold of very, very easily.
And the Bible Knowledge Commentary put out by Dallas Seminary would be where you could get that information. Here's what happened. Nimrod had a wife. Her name was Simiramis.
So Nimrod and Siburamus, husband and wife, had a child. His name was Tammuz. In light of developing this religious portfolio, Nimrod brings his family into it. And he brings Simiramus and taboos The co-recipients of worship. A mother, son, daughter.
Caught. Established 4,500 years ago as a religion.
Now, one of them, Simiramus, is not mentioned by name. She's mentioned by title in the Bible. Her son, Tammuz. The son of the mother-son cult is mentioned by name. Go to Jeremiah.
Jeremiah chapter 7. Chapter 44 is another passage that five times uses the name for Semiramus. It's used one time here in chapter 7, but it has some interesting things I want you to study with me. Jeremiah chapter 7, starting in verse 16. God is telling Jeremiah, remember he was a prophet to the nations, and he's telling Jeremiah what he wants him to do and how to go about his ministry.
Verse 16, therefore, pray not thou for this people. Neither lift up crying nor prayers for them, neither make intercession to me, for I will not hear thee. He's pretty specific to Jeremiah.
So, don't even pray for them, don't intercede for them. I'm not going to hear your prayer. Verse 18. These are the children that gather wood and the fathers kindle the fire and the women knead their dough to make cakes to the queen of heaven. That is the name for Semiramus, the queen of heaven, used one time here, used five times over in chapter 44 of the book of Jeremiah.
The queen of heaven. And God says: listen, don't even pray for the queen of heaven. Don't pray for those who follow her. The queen of heaven. You notice what it says here?
They're going to need the bread, they're going to make the bread. Let me tell you what happened. There was a special holy day once a year when they would make hot cross buns on this special holy day to serve. And then when they would take Hard-boiled eggs, the boiled egg, the symbol of Babylon. And they would take these hard-boiled eggs, paint them up in beautiful colors, hide them in the woods someplace, give the children a little basket, tell them to go out and find those hard-boiled colored eggs out there.
On this day, they're eating hard-cross buns, and while they're out there, they would remember the holy day that they were celebrating. It was called Ishtar.
Sound familiar? God said, don't even pray for people that do that. The Queen of Heaven. false religion. Go to Ezekiel chapter 8.
In Ezekiel chapters 8, 9, 10, and 11, we see the account of how the glory of the Lord leaves the Ark of the Covenant, hovering there between the cherubim on the ark of the covenant. He goes over in chapter 9 to the eastern door of the temple. Chapter 10, he goes to the eastern gate of the city. In chapter 11, he goes to the eastern mountain, which is the Mount of Olives, and the glory of the Lord departs the earth and goes into the heavenlies. That's what this account is about.
It starts in chapter 8, though, when God brings Ezekiel back to the temple. And I think it's literal because he grabbed him by the nap of the hair and brings him back to the temple. The word says, and so he brings him back to the temple to see what he does, can see. And he walks around, he sees the image of jealousy in the entrance of the temple itself. That's verse 5.
That's another oblisque, just like the one that Nimrod built. It's in the temple complex. And what it represents is so vulgar, I cannot even tell you in public how vulgar it is.
Now notice what he says here. He sees all kind of verse 10, creeping things, abominable beasts, and all kinds of portraits upon and around the walls of the temple complex. And he brings him inside. Look here at verse 14. And then he brought me into the door of the gate of the Lord's house, which was toward the north.
And behold, there sat women weeping over Tammus. The son of this mother-son cult receiving co-equal worship, the false religion established at Babylon.
So we see. The rise of Nimrod. Nimrod's religious portfolio. Let's look at his protégé. Go to chapter 17 of the book of Revelation.
Revelation chapter 17. In Revelation chapter 17. We can see exactly how there is a connection between Nimrod. And his religious portfolio, and his protege who is going to come to power. When you look at the book of Revelation, what covers the seven-year period of time would be those 16 chapters from chapter 4 through chapter 19.
But there are two chapters that give us an overall big picture of three and a half years and three and a half years. Chapter 17 is the first three and a half years of the tribulation period. Chapter 18 is the second three and a half years of the tribulation period. We're going to look at chapter 17 today. We'll see the connection with the king and his kingdom.
Nimrod and Babylon, and we'll see how it fits into end-time Bible prophecy. Have you got chapter 17? Go to verse 5. And upon her forehead, I'll tell you who the her is in just a moment, upon her forehead was a name written, Mystery Babylon the Great, the mother of harlots and abominations of the earth. In other words, he's talking about what was established at Babylon 4,500 years ago today.
Was that which is a False religion, the mother of all harlots. When you read through chapter 17, you're going to read the word whore. It's used three times in chapter 17. The word woman is used six times.
So nine times you're reading about an unvirtuous, non-virgin woman in chapter 17.
Now, again, apocalyptic literature is a symbol communicating an absolute truth. And you go to the rest of the scriptures. The book of 2 Corinthians says that Paul wants to present us to Christ as a chastened virgin. He will present us pure, perfect, as it relates to a sexual relationship with ever no man until they come to the altar. What is the opposite of a virtuous virgin young lady coming to the altar to be married in holy matrimony?
A whore, a prostitute.
So what chapter 17 is talking about is a false religion. And I submit to you, it is a mother-son cult still in operation as established at Babylon by Nimrod and now carried on and coming to power under the leadership and the tutelage of Nimrod's radical protege who's going to come into power. In chapter 17, the word beast is used eight times. Look with me here as the whore is being described. Chapter 17, verse 1.
And there came one of the seven angels who had the seven vials and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither, and I will show thee unto the judgment of the great whore, that false church that sitteth upon the many waters. The many waters, look over here. This is apocalyptic literature. It's going to translate itself. Look at verse 15.
And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples and multitudes and nations and tongues. That's talking about the Gentile world, basically. All right, we go back now to verse 2. With whom the kings of the earth had committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth had been made drunk with the wine of her fornication.
So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness, and I saw a woman sitteth upon a scarlet-colored beast. The word beast used eight times. Who is it talking about? We have to go back to chapter 13 of the book of Revelation and verse 1. Chapter 13 and verse 1, which is the description of this beast who actually comes up out of the sea.
And this individual has 27 different names. Over in the book of Daniel, chapter 7 and verse 7, he is the little horn. In Daniel chapter 9 and verse 26, he's the prince that shall come. In Daniel chapter 11, verse 36, he's the willful king. In Matthew chapter 24, he is the false Messiah.
In the book of 2 Thessalonians chapter 2, he's known as the wicked one, the son of perdition. In 1 John chapter 2, he's known by the name that you know him best, the Antichrist. The Antichrist is Nimrod's radical protege who's going to come to power over that false religion that Nimrod established with his mother, his wife, and his son, the mother-son cult, receiving co-worship. Here in chapter 13, verse 1, notice. And I stood upon the sand of the sea, verse 1, and I saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns.
Okay, that's apocalyptic literature. Let's go back to chapter 17 just a moment. Look at verse 9. Here's the seven heads. And here is the mind which hath wisdom.
The seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman sitteth. The woman's the false church. The seven mountains are a city. And in the time when John wrote this in 95 A.D., the seven-hilled city of Egypt, Now fame was Rome, Italy. And so it is.
That he's going to establish this false religion. Hey, by the way, what happened to the Babylonian religion, this false religion with the fall of the Babylonian Empire in 539 BC? Let me tell you what happened. They had to change their headquarters. You know where they moved the headquarters for this false religion, this mother-son cult, after the fall of the Babylonian Empire, 539 B.C.?
They moved it to the city of. Pergamus. Pergamus. Oh yeah, that third church in Revelation chapter 2. Pergamus.
You know what was established in Pergamos? You know what they started doing in Pergamos? They started worshiping the Roman emperors. In fact, they deified him. They made him gods.
They had a political title that was Caesar. You don't think all of them were named Caesar, do you? Caesar meant emperor. They had a religious title. I can take you right now to Bergamos, to the statue of some of these former Caesars, and at the bottom, engraved in the stone, is their religious title.
You know what it was? Potiphus Maximus. The major keeper of the bridge. Oh, that was too long, so they shortened it to Poteth. I'm giving you history.
I'm reading the prophetic word of God. Thank you. brought into Power. These Roman Caesars and Pergamus. They had a whole group of priests that served them, a convent of virgins.
They wore scarlet and purple outfits, which is what's described in chapter 17 of Revelation. Fish-shaped hats. They carried a chalice full of blood and a cross made out of diamonds and pearls. And that. was when it went to Pergamos after the fall of the Babylonian Empire.
and it stayed in Pergamus. Until the fall of the Roman Empire 476 AD. Then it moved to the seven hilled city. Rome, Italy. And the one that controlled it was Nimrod's radical protege, the beast out of the sea.
who would control it. from the city of Rome, Italy. That beast out of the sea. That beast out of the sea. Is the antichrist as revealed in Revelation chapter thirteen.
The Antichrist will use the worldwide false religion to rule the whole earth during the first half of the seven-year tribulation period. That is revealed in Revelation seventeen. This is the precursor to the Antichrist destroying the false church and moving his operation to literal Babylon, to set up a world wide economic power base for the last half of the tribulation period. That's our study for next week. Please don't miss it.
Dr. Jimmy DeYoung and the Legacy Series. You know, at our website, you can go, we have a bookstore. There are many DVDs that are up there that were produced. One specifically was done in Rome.
And Dr. Jimmy DeYoung went into the Vatican and said, I don't know who's buried in that tomb, but it's not Peter. You need to get the video just to see that. We've got to take a break when we come back. Rick and I will take a look at the book right here on Prophecy Today, weekend.
I'm Ruth Kramer with Mission Network News. Yesterday, Russia launched its largest attack on Ukraine this year. 18 people were killed and over 100 wounded. One target destroyed was a church in Zaporozhia. Safety Gospel Association's Eric Mock was there recently visiting ministry partners.
Church leaders and pastors there traveled to multiple villages that were in an area called the Gray Zone, which is about 20 miles away from the front lines, close enough that we could hear the rumble of explosions in the distance, and close enough that the people lived in terror. These pastors go out with literal body armor and the spiritual armor of God. And while church buildings are struck down, the believer's faith is not destroyed. Pray for Ukrainian Christians, encouraging others in Christ. And in a move that may ease pressure on war-torn Lebanon, Syrian refugees are increasingly returning to their homeland.
Nearly 200,000 people have crossed from Lebanon into Syria since the war began. Heart for Lebanon's Camille Melkey says: Electricity, water, sewage, roads, everything is affected right now with the extra harm caused by this recent war. Heart for Lebanon's unbiased care for those who remain leads to gospel opportunities. There is a vacuum in their life. It can either be filled by people who give them a bag of food to control them and indoctrinate them, or it's our opportunity to come alongside with them and lead them out of despair into hope in Christ alone.
Find your place in the story of missionnews.org. Thanks for listening to Mission Network News, a service of one-way ministries. We're listening supported by people just like you.
So by giving to Mission Network News, you enable us to keep the stories of God's kingdom coming. And together, the Great Commission happens. Look for Links at missionnews.org. That's missionnews.org. I'm with Kramer.
Welcome back to Prophecy Today. I'm Jimmy DeYoung Jr. and along with Rick, we've been examining current events in the light of God's prophetic word. Great pro gribe today, Rick, as we uh interviewed Ken Timmerman. And David Dolan on you know world news and And then we focused on something that everybody's had their eyes on this last week: Donald Trump.
President of the United States and Pope Leo, uh head of the Catholic Church. What did we learn?
Well, Jimmy, we look at these situations and we pick these stories, and you and I both talk about it as we kind of plan this program out. We pick the stories because these are stories that have a reflection as to what is going to take place in the future, what is going to take place in the end times.
Now, we're not necessarily assigning events or people, but we are saying the Bible says that Persia, which is modern-day Iran, is going to be involved in the future. The Bible says that there is going to be a one-world religion based out of Rome, essentially, that is going to be involved in the end times.
So, we're looking at things that are taking place, and that is certainly, I mean, you know, Jimmy, we look at these things, these things are going to happen. After the rapture of the church, and that's the timeline as we look into the future.
So we look at these things, and we and that's the importance of it because we are saying, Where are we at in God's timeline? We must be close to the rapture of the church because this stuff is going to happen after that. Yes.
So when we look at the timeline, we begin with the next event, which we feel is imminent. That the rapture of the church is the next thing to happen on God's timeline. First mentioned in John chapter 14, Paul mentioned it in 1 Thessalonians chapter 4, 2 Thessalonians chapter 2. John mentioned it in Revelation.
So the rapture would be the next. And then there's a period of time that takes place, the time of Jacob's trouble or that seven-year tribulational period. where that is designed for the Jewish people. On today's program, we more or less talked about Israel, and especially with Paul Sharp, we talked about how Israel. Is not the Israel that God instituted in the past, and it's not the Israel today, and that's been a big discussion.
In fact, that was basically a discussion between Donald Trump and Pope Leo, correct? That's right, Jimmy. As we look at what role does Israel play in the world today, and we look at what we talked a little bit about it with Mike Gendren, that fulfillment theology, and that is so important. We need to understand the scriptures, and that it's all laid out there for us. And we have a system here at Prophecy Today.
Our dad and you developed a system that helps us to study what is going to happen. And if you don't have that right, if you don't get it right, it's going to mess up your theology everywhere else. And on down the line, you're going to make mistakes because you don't have that proper framework of understanding. Yes.
You know, a lot of times people ask us, Are you a Jewish? Program that you focus just on the Jewish people and Jewish evangelism. No, we're a program that focuses on everybody needing. God's plan of salvation for mankind, which was God sending His Son to die on Calvary's cross for us. But we do realize and we recognize that the Jewish people have a particular role to play in the future.
A lot of churches today, and there's a there's this diametrically opposed opinion in churches where uh some don't like what Israel is doing today. Remember, Israel will be punished in the future For disobeying God, and this all started all the way back. With in the book of Daniel and the book of Ezekiel, those men were in Babylon. you know, because they the Jewish people as a whole disobey God and God punished them. That's still continuing on today, and it will be in the future.
That God's people will be the Jewish people, and the Jewish people will have God as their God, the same God, Rick, that you and I worship.
So, I think that's important for people to understand why we focus so much on the Jewish people, what's happening there. But it's not just the Jewish people, it's all events that are taking place according to how we feel that Bible prophecy plays out. And of course, when we talked about. with Mike and and even with uh Paul Scharf. uh the Pope and this uh theology This theology that's permeating the church today, and a lot of young people, the Gen Zers, are gravitating to the Catholic Church.
Uh for many different reasons. But what that's doing is that's causing anti Semitism in the world, and people forget or don't realize or don't understand the role that the Jewish people and the State of Israel are going to play in the future in Bible prophecy.
Well, that's right. But if you only looked at the scriptures and you understand what God said, God has a role for all of us, and that's what we talk about. The Jewish people, they have a role to play.
Now, we focus on the Jewish people because God chose them. And He didn't chose them because they were very obedient, He didn't choose them because they were perfect, He chose them so He could. Bring forth the Messiah so he could show who he is. He has a role for them. He also has a role for us as Christians, and that's what we need to understand, and that's what we need to make sure that we know.
So that fits into our framework.
So as we study Bible prophecy, we see these current events, we can help it to put us in our framework. But I love what you said there, Jimmy. What's our main focus on this program? As it is, the Bible says that we are to share the gospel, we are to give the good news.
Now, all of this fits into God's framework, and all of this. Fits into the fame work for Framework of Bible prophecy, but our goal on this program is to share the gospel. Yes, and to have a, to help people to really understand, you know, that there are. Three strands of the human family: Gentiles, Jews, and Christians. You're only a part of one of those groups.
You can't be a part of two of those groups. And you know, God has sent His Son. We understand the book of Daniel, Ezekiel, and Revelation are the three main prophetic books of the Bible: Daniel, the times of the Gentiles for the Gentile world. Ezekiel is a book that lays out the timeline for the Jewish people and how they're brought back together and what causes them to be brought back together in the land of Israel. As Paul Sharp said, they must be in the land as unbelievers, and then they will recognize that God is their God, and that is still to come.
But. The plan of salvation appears to have come for all men, and everybody has the opportunity to accept Christ as their personal Savior. And then we look at the three main events. Of Bible prophecy, the rapture of the church, the second coming of Christ, and then the great white throne judgment. Each one of those events.
is enough to motivate each and every single one of us to be Busy about doing what God wants us to do, studying God's word, understanding where we are on his timeline. Rick, thanks so much for doing the program today. I look forward to see what next week's current events are going to bring us as we talk about Bible prophecy. Folks, with everything that we've seen today, we can't help but say that the rapture of the church can't be far away. Let's keep looking up.
Until Thank you so much for joining us today. This is Jay Johnson inviting you to join us again next week for more of Prophecy Today.
