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. By the way, this week, Rick's been in Rome all week. He's doing the program today from Rome.
President Trump has been in China for a couple of days now, and we'll be examining those events. Plus, we'll be looking at the Middle East. Surprise, surprise.
Well, let's get started, Rick, with our first Ken Timmerman, because we've got a lot to cover today.
Well, that's right, Jimmy. I have Ken Timmerman with us. He's our expert in geopolitical affairs. He's an author and an analyst. You can find out more about him by going to his website at kentimmerman.com.
Ken, thanks for being with us today. Thanks for having me on, Rick. It's always a pleasure.
Well, Ken, the big story this week: President Trump's visit to China, a huge event. Can you talk about this? It was a momentous event, Rick, and you could see the personal chemistry between President Trump and President Xi, and that was part of the point. Trump went to China offering the Chinese a choice. Do you want to be part Of our group of countries allied with us, or do you want to be Iran's best friend and weapon supplier?
I think it was an easy choice. And the Chinese said, you know, we kind of like this $400 billion trade relationship we've got with the United States rather than our dependence on Iranian oil.
Now, the kicker obviously is going to be whether they stop supplying missile fuel to Iran, whether they stop supplying drone parts. But the optics of that press conference, Rick, between Trump and Xi, where Trump said, we are united and we're united against Iran. You guys in Iran are on the outs. That was really bad news for the Iranians. Iran just saw its biggest ally go over to the enemy.
And I don't think that's going to go down well in Tehran.
Well Ken, in this meeting between the two most powerful political leaders in the world, it seems like President Trump got what he came for. I think he did. And, you know, at one point, he said that China now belonged to the G2. He said, I'm going to call our relationship the G2, a reference, obviously, to the G8.
Well, boy, that's a slight to not only the other members of the G8, but it's a slight to the Russians. And our listeners probably know, probably remember that the U.S. has a very long history of playing the Chinese off against the Russians, starting with Nixon's trip to China in 1972. But Trump has never made the same kind of effusive statements with Putin during his first term before the Ukraine war as he made here with Xi. Nor has he ever traveled to meet with Putin with a plane load of U.S.
corporate CEOs.
So I think this was a big deal. We haven't yet seen all the fallout yet. We don't know whether the Chinese really are going to follow through on that commitment to stop arms sales to Iran. We don't know if they're going to sign the deal with Boeing for 200 new planes. We don't know.
If they're going to really finalize the deal with NVIDIA for their chips. But all that looks to be going in the right direction. And Trump also mentioned he's going to have four more meetings with Xi.
So this is not over. President Trump also said that the decimation of the Iranian army is to be continued after discussing the straits of Fermuz with President G. They did discuss the Strait of Hormuz, and the President remembers said before going to Beijing he didn't need China's help and he wasn't going to ask China for help. And then later on, he said, Well, the Chinese offered to do everything they can with Iran.
Now, again, this remains to be seen. The Chinese want their oil. They want their ships to get through the strait. The President did not commit to do that.
So I think this is going to be an interesting part of the relationship to see how that works out. I suspect Trump wants to see the Chinese deliver. Before he gives them anything in Iran. And he is increasingly frustrated with the Iranians. This so-called 15-point response that they sent, it's just a list of demands that they've been making for 25 years of the United States.
They want all sanctions removed. They want the U.S. out of the Persian Gulf. They want war reparations. They want this.
They want that. They want to not even discuss their nuclear capabilities, but to put that off for some future discussion. I mean, it is one non-starter after the other. And the President, I think, is at the end of his patience. I was joking with some friends on Thursday night, Rick, that we would probably see hostilities begin once Trump wheels up in Beijing.
Well, it didn't happen exactly then, but I don't think it's going to be long. And I think it's going to be very violent, very brutal, very fast, and the Iranians are not going to know what's hitting them.
Well Ken, as we transition from China to the Middle East, new developments coming out of the UAE saying they coordinated attacks against Iran with Israel. That also is a huge deal, Rick. The UAE and the Saudis both launched military strikes using their air forces into Iran in the month of April. And this wasn't reported until two days ago. They were retaliating for Iranian missile and drone strikes on their oil facilities.
And the Saudis, in particular, in one piece with Reuters, they talked to a Reuters reporter. While they didn't confirm their airstrikes, they did say they wanted to see the Iranians de-escalate and to stop their attacks on their oil facilities. And after these Saudi strikes happened, the Iranians did reduce airstrikes into Saudi Arabia. Instead of sending missiles directly from Iranian territory, they had their Iraqi proxies send missiles into Saudi. The Saudis retaliated against them too.
So I think this is a big development. The UAE has something like four or five hundred thousand Iranians who live there. Who owned property. Many of them were permanent residents. They left, most of them left at the beginning of the war.
They returned to Iran.
Well, now the UAE is not allowing them back into the country. And these people own big fancy apartments. They got multi-million dollar bank accounts. This is the elite of the regime. These are the wealthy elite of the regime, and the UAE is essentially putting it to them.
When the elites get hurt, Rick, the regime is in trouble. Ken there was also more action in the Middle East as a ship was seized and another was sunk in the Strait of Fermeuse.
Well, again, this happened as President Trump was arriving in Beijing, and maybe the Iranians felt that he was not going to launch attacks against them while he was in Beijing. I think that was probably a pretty safe bet.
So they said, well, let's just turn up the heat a little bit. And they attacked one ship outside of the strait and sunk another one, an Indian cargo ship reportedly carrying 4,000 sheep. I don't know why they wanted to do that. But look, it just shows you that the IRGC, because they are the ones with the guns, they are calling the shots, they are doing everything they can, Rick, to provoke the United States to retaliate. They still believe that in war they win because they believe they will survive.
And I think they've got a big surprise coming for them because what's going to hit them probably next week will be so hard and so heavy, they're not going to be able to lift their heads up for a very long time.
Well, Ken, it certainly seems like we could be in for fireworks next week. We'll have to wait and see what happens. But before I let you go, Ken, I'd like to get your thoughts on a few more subjects. One of them is nuclear saber rattling in Russia. Can you talk about this?
The Russians just conducted a successful test of a new ICPM. It's called the Sarmat in Russian. We refer to it as Satan-2. It's a huge, huge missile, the biggest they've got. It's been under development since 2011.
They've only had one previous successful test, one failure as well, in 2024. Putin says they're going to deploy it later this year. We'll see. But look, Russia is increasingly looking like Venezuela with nukes. They're dangerous, sure, but all they've got are Weapons sales and oil.
They don't have the Huge amount of commercial products to offer the United States that China does, for example. They cannot make their own chips. There's so many things they cannot do. They cannot make their own ships. They import many of the devices used on their military equipment as well, Rick.
So Putin is in big trouble. We mentioned last week the May Day parade. He did not have tanks. He did not have the ICBMs on parade, as he always has done, as the Russians have done for 50 years at least. And he's losing the war in Ukraine.
The President referred to this on the way back on Air Force One. He said they lost 25,000 men in Ukraine in the last month. I mean, it's just staggering, staggering losses.
So I think Putin is in big trouble. He can show us this new ICBM, but he's losing on a conventional battlefield against a fourth-rate. Power.
Well, Ken, a final question that I have for you, and it's about the country of Sweden, a country that I know is near and dear to your heart, and that is the fact that they've been severely affected by Islamic immigration, changing the character of the nation, and they seem to have taken a stand. The Swedish government, Rick, became the first European country to challenge the use of the term Islamophobia. They're saying that it stops honest debate over Islamist influence in Europe, and they urge other countries to follow suit. I was absolutely stunned to hear that. The Swedes are politically correct more than just about any other country in Europe, and yet here they are taking the forefront, saying we should talk perhaps about anti-Muslim racism, which, by the way, is a real thing.
But Islamophobia is very different because Islamophobia essentially forbids you from any discussion of Islam in the public place. And the Swedes are saying, no, no, no, we need to discuss that. This is a real thing. They did a study, Rick, just last year, looking at Islamist influence in Sweden and the influence of the Muslim Brotherhood. And they were not happy about what they found.
They found an active Muslim Brotherhood. Presence in Sweden, and they saw them trying to infiltrate government institutions, money coming from Qatar, and they're now talking about revising their multicultural policies. This is a big deal. I want to see how this plays out over the coming months. My wife will be there over the summer, and I will be up there as well.
I want to see how this kind of trickles down. In the countryside in Sweden, you don't have the multicultural left-wing. Urban nonsense that you do in Stockholm.
So, I want to see if this actually migrates into the Stockholm elites as well. We'll see. Ken Timmerman for Prophecy Today. Ken, as always, we appreciate your insight. Look forward to talking to you again soon.
Thanks so much, Rick. God bless. Great job, as always, Ken. Ken Timmerman, you know, how many of those stories and those events that we just covered can you draw and think about prophetic scripture that pertains to it?
Well, we've still got more to cover. Our Middle East News update is coming up with David Dolan right here on Prophecy Today weekend. I'm Ruth Kramer with Mission Network News. Lebanon wants Israeli attacks to stop ahead of peace talks in the United States on Thursday and Friday. How for Lebanon's Camille Melkey says Washington doesn't have an unbiased role in hosting the discussion.
The U.S.'s desire is that Israel sign cease agreements. With the other neighbors, as it did with Egypt and Jordan. Conflict won't stop believers from caring for the displaced.
Some one point two million people have been driven from their homes in southern Lebanon. It is important that everybody we come in contact with knows and understands what drives us. We are sent with the love of Jesus Christ. Sharing it with everyone in need, regardless of their faith, their ethnic background, and political affiliation. And one tactic of spiritual warfare is convincing us that certain people aren't worthy of love.
That's a daily reality in ministry to those struggling with addiction. Brandon Bauer from the Lighthouse recalls Chris, a young man battling multiple addictions. After Chris stole money from the team, their decision to forgive him revealed Jesus' love in a powerful way. Stories like his point to a bigger truth. All believers have a responsibility to care for the broken.
Just as Christ cared for them in their brokenness. Another example is Matt. Though he knew Christ, poor hygiene made him unwelcome in local churches. The team lovingly taught him how to care for himself, looking past outward appearance to see the value of his soul. If we're not loving others while we're not representing Christ, pray that churches would see the unlovable and show them Christ through their care.
Thanks for listening to Mission Network News, a service of one-way ministries. This month, Trans World Radio is offering a free devotional, Hope Within Reach, sharing stories of how God is moving around the world and how you can be part of it. We pray it's Strengthens your faith and reminds you that the hope of the gospel is never out of reach. Get it at missionnews.org. I'm Ruth Kramer.
Welcome back to Prophecy Today Radio, the program that looks at current events and the light of Bible prophecy. This is a portion of our program. We call it our Middle East News Update. We look at news coming out of the Middle East in general, but Israel in particular. To do that, we have with us journalist Dave Dolan.
Dave, thanks for being with us today. You're welcome, Rick. Glad to be with you.
Well, David, if you could start by giving us an update on the news coming out of Israel this week.
Well, it's been another week of pretty heavy fighting in Lebanon, Rick, South Lebanon in particular, but also some more action in the Beka Valley and other parts of the country. The IDF struck the port city of Tyre in the south quite heavily several times during the week, where Hezbollah has some trading facilities and other things. On Friday, it was announced that an Israeli soldier had been killed, another one in a Hezbollah drone attack. That came as Hezbollah stepped up its attacks late in the week and Friday night in particular in the north. Kiryat Shmona, Matullah, the cities up there were hit.
Earlier in the week, the coastal city of Rosh Hanikra, that's a tourist center right in the north, I'm sure you've been there, a building took a direct hit and eight Israelis were wounded. None killed in that, but eight Israelis were wounded. The IDF announced it was putting up a mesh wiring rick to prevent these. I mentioned them a couple of weeks ago, these new fangled drones that Hezbollah has from Iran that are wire guided and are impossible to electronically jam.
So this is a physical barrier. Twenty football fields long RIC of wire is being strung up around IDF forces and bases there in the area.
So that's something. We had an announcement from the White House on Friday afternoon that the ceasefire in Lebanon would be extended in another forty five days. Of course, the quote ceasefire is only between the Lebanese government and Israel, and it's not really a ceasefire. It's again an attempt to get the Lebanese government to disarm Hezbollah. And they held talks, the ambassadors in Washington from Lebanon and Israel.
And they announced that later in the month there will be U.S. reinvolvement in those direct talks. that they will send a delegation of military officials For a first set, and then there'll be a political set after that. But, Rick, all this comes as reports circulated that Hezbollah is preparing to take over. All of Beirut.
To kick the government out, the Sunnis and the Ameronite Catholics that are running the government overall. The speaker of the parliament there is a Shiite Muslim. He would presumably take over the country, and the IDF says that they have indications that this is being planned. Of course, it's what Iran would love to see. Then they would totally control Lebanon.
Then we'd be having no peace talks, obviously, or anything like that. And of course, Hezbollah is not a party to the ceasefire accord or agreement, and they show that every day with their attacks upon Israel. One other development in Lebanon, Rick, very important in the south. East corner of the country, right along the Israeli border, not far from it, is the city of Bent Jabil. I've mentioned it before.
I've been there. It is a Hezbollah stronghold, very close to the border. The idea has been fighting over it for some weeks. They said on Wednesday, I think it was, that they had captured the entire town, and there was great joy over that. And then, Rick, we had a very important development in the south in the Gaza Strip.
Late Friday evening, the Prime Minister and the Defense Minister of Israel announced that they had taken out the military commander of Hamas. That's Iz al-Din Haddad. They'd been tracking him for a week and a half, they said. He was involved in personally leading some of the kidnapping operations during the horrible. October 7th massacre several years ago.
He was involved in holding the five female soldiers that have been positioned right along the Gaza border as a reverse. That he kept them around him, it was said, because he let the Israelis know that indirectly so that they wouldn't kill him. He knew he was a high target. And the Israelis said he was the main opponent. of Hamas disarming in the Gaza Strip.
So they said we've done a great service to the Trump plan for Gaza as well as for our justice. And two of the females issued immediate posts on Facebook saying that they were thrilled he'd been gotten and he deserved to be gone. Alrick, this came as the New York Times published a Article early in the week claiming that Israeli forces, Israeli troops and interrogators and border guards and others, are regularly raping. Mostly male prisoners being held by Israel, Palestinian prisoners, and that they've even trained dogs. How to literally rape humans.
The Israeli leadership was outraged. The Prime Ministers call it one of the most heinous and distorted lies ever published against the State of Israel. And the claims were supported by a Hamas-linked human rights group saying, yes, we have a lot of indications that this is happening. The Israeli says that's nonsense. And I can tell you, I know enough about their military judicial system to say that's just nonsense.
They're not raping people. I mean, it may happen on the off occasion, of course, like it does in all of life, but as a consistent policy. And so the Prime Minister said they're going to sue the newspaper. The paper retorted that they're not retracting the story. They stand by it.
And so we have a fight going on there. And finally, Rick, we had Jerusalem Day on Thursday in Jerusalem. And of course, that's the annual commemoration of the conquest of the Temple Mount in 1967. Parades are held. Flags are waved.
All sorts of celebrations take place. And at the main gathering in the afternoon, Minister Ben Gevere, who of course is known for his advocacy of Jewish rights on the Temple Mount, went up there and there was a large crowd with him. He said, The Temple Mount is in our hands.
Well, that's a direct quote. from what one of the military commanders of the IDF said in nineteen sixty seven, june sixth, when they captured that city. He said, additionally, the Temple Mount is ours. Later in the day, the Finance Minister, Smotrik, made a speech at a synagogue, and he said we will soon control all of Judea and Samaria. We will erase all lines between it.
And he said also that the Temple Mount is ours.
So of course, we're going to see some blowback probably from the Arab world and the larger Muslim world over those statements.
Well, David, a lot to follow up on there. Let's start with your report on Hezbollah. Long the military power in Lebanon, now wanting to become the political power as well, this takeover by the Iranian backed proxy would be a huge threat to Israel, wouldn't it? Oh, absolutely, it would be. It would be a terrible development.
And for the Lebanese people, it would be a disaster as it's been for the Iranian people for forty seven years. Yes, Rick, I have to say that, and I know Lebanon quite well, as you know. I worked there and have followed it very closely, still have close Lebanese Christian friends I keep in touch with, and Hezbollah is definitely a stronger military force than the Lebanese army. And the Lebanese Army also has another disadvantage. Half of it is Sunni and half of it is Maronite Catholic, not half and half exactly, because there are some Shiites in that force as well, but mostly it's those two groups.
And they don't always get along. In fact, they've fought a civil war before. The equipment they have, the training they have, the facilities they have, the underground facilities that the Hezbollah group has, all greater by far than anything that the Lebanese have. And they are a part of the government. They have a couple ministries in it, and they do take part in cabinet meetings and different things.
They're represented there. But of course, it's their, quote, military wing that posts. Poses all the problems to Israel and prevents peace between Lebanon and Israel. And as I said, they signed a peace treaty in 83. Hezbollah broke it within six months, forced it to be broken by the government.
So they already have a huge influence there, Rick. And if they get the right support, they might be able to pull it off. It's a question, again, of American. Will of President Trump's will in this situation because it's all very much tied in. With the war in Iran.
And by the way, Rick, one other addition to that, the Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu announced during the week that he had visited the United Arab Emirates, first time an Israeli Prime Minister has done so, secretly during the active part of the war. And later it was announced that also the Israeli Chief of Staff, Zamir, had visited the UAE also. During the war.
Well, the UAE leader denied that. That's Mohammed bin Zaid. He said, no, nobody was here. We didn't have. any meetings, but people accompanying the Prime Minister confirmed that it happened, that it was very cordial.
The President actually drove Bibi in his own car to his palace So, you know, but of course the UAE doesn't want to get another. Barrage of missiles from Iran. They've continued to attack them over the past few days, several more this week. But they certainly don't want to come out as a full enemy against Iran. But that may be coming.
And Rick, I have to end by saying this. That the opinion in Israel, according to the Israeli press, according to several publications and according to Several politicians. We will be back in active war, kinetic war with Iran fairly soon is the expectation. They believe that the President Trump delayed it because of his trip to China, but now it's seemingly back on. Many indications of that.
So the idea of unfold Alert for that possibility. Dave, we have to take a break, but we have more to talk about. Can you come back in the next segment? I sure can. Got to take a break, but when we come back, more with David Dolan, right here on Prophecy Today Weekend.
Mm-hmm. Reminders of a lost world. This is Ken Ham, author, speaker, and blogger on the Bible's reliability and authority. Uh The world destroyed by the global flood of Noah's Day was very different from today. And here's just one example.
In the pre-flood world, there were towering stromatolite mounds built from algae and sediments washed in by tides. In today's world, much smaller mounds still exist in a few places.
Now, these tromatolites are identical to ones in the past, just smaller. But why?
Well, the fountains of the Great Deep forever changed the pre-flood ocean environment. And the new conditions made it hard for stromatolites to grow like they did before. These algae mounds are a reminder of the flood. and a world lost because of sin. Want to learn more about the flood and how it affected the world?
Go to answersradio.com for answers. 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. And let me remind you: Rick's doing the program in Rome.
Well, actually, in Florence. He's been in Rome all week, but he's in Florence. And it's about midnight there.
So, Rick, we're going to bring you back in here in just a moment where you and I will carry on a conversation together about your trip. But. I wanted to get to two questions to David Dolan. One about Flag Day in Jerusalem in the Old City and the Temple Mount. And a very interesting event that actually happened this last week.
So let's continue. Let's bring in back Dave Dolan to continue our conversation with him.
Well, that's right, Jimmy Dave has agreed to come back for this next segment. And as we continue to follow up on the conversations that we had with David, let's talk about that New York Times article. Kind of an unbelievable article from what many say is the paper of record, the New York Times, with some absurd claims, seemingly backed up by some very anti-Semitic people. Just another example of the anti-Semitism that is quickly becoming even more and more accepted in this world.
Well, sadly, Rick, that's true. Of course, it's the newspaper of record, as people say in the United States, one of the leading papers in the world. How they got around and the reason that the paper is saying they can't be sued for libel is that it was an opinion piece by their opinion writer, Nicholas Crystal, well known. For many years, he's been writing left-wing basically views of the world and America and Israel. He's known for his anti-Israel.
columns in the past.
So they say this wasn't a news article, this was an opinion piece, and opinion pieces have opinion in them. And you can't be sued for libel or slander or false information in an opinion piece.
Well, The Israelis say this is so absurd.
so over the top. And it's been in social media for months now, Rick, these allegations.
So it's not a new thing. The Israelis were aware of it. They'd already put out some statements denouncing the articles and saying they have the highest standards in the military and in their judicial system and in their military prisons and all of this sort of thing. And of course, Rick, this is to the Hamas's great advantage. to make this allegation.
It wouldn't be hard to get one hundred, five hundred even of the Palestinian prisoners, the hardened Hamas guys in particular, the hardliners, the religious fanatics, et cetera, to make such charges. And who can disprove them, if you will? They're in prison, they're locked up.
So, what happens behind locked doors is. You know, subject to people's imaginations, etc. But there's been several. Several scientists, Rick, that have pointed out you cannot train a dog. To physically rape a human being in the manner that that normally takes place, if I can be so graphic with a man.
you know, it's terrible. It's just a terri it's not even possible And it didn't happen, and it doesn't happen. And what Beebe said in his initial statement about it was so true. The Hamas people. are the ones that came and raped In front of people, in front of cameras.
They wanted to be filmed. Hundreds of people. During this mass attack on southern Israel, the Gaza envelope, October 7th, two years ago.
So they're the ones that do this. The IDF has the occasional. We talked about it. The occasional something happens. We had this soldier that was attacking a statue of the Virgin Mary or put a cigarette, I should say, in the mouth of a statue of a Virgin Mary up in Lebanon a week ago.
That caused a great stir, and his buddies were taking pictures, and he was heavily reprimanded. And then before that, this other soldier that was smashing the head of of Christ on a crucifix at a Catholic church in South Lebanon.
Well, again, it was a lone incident.
Somebody else photographed it, but it wasn't an order from their leadership, et cetera. And he was court martialed and will serve time. In fact, he is serving time right now, Rick.
So he's in that same prison system that they're alleging is raping people and doing these sorts of things. It's just not the case. My final follow-up question for you, David. You talked about Jerusalem Day, and I know this celebrates the reunification of the city of Jerusalem, which is such an important event. First of all, talk a little bit about that reunification and the important event and and how Israelis can't take it for granted necessarily because of all the pressure that is being put on them from around the world, but that is such an important and key integral part of Israeli life and Jewish life there in Israel.
Well, it is Rick, and you know, its conquest in June of sixty-seven was a great joy. to these ready people. And we have to remember that from nineteen forty eight Until 67.
So that's what the nearly 20 years No Jews. No juice, none, zero. were allowed into the old city. were allowed into the Jewish quarter where they'd lived for over a century before that, were allowed certainly onto the Temple Mount, none of that. Nor were Jews allowed to live in Hebron, in Jericho, in any other part of Judea and Samaria.
Um, it was Judenrine, and that was Jordan that was controlling it, not Hamas. Not the more radical groups, but it was the consensus in the Arab world that Israel had to disappear and in the whole Muslim world, of course, that Israel was illegitimate and its recreation couldn't stand. And as I've said before, that's basically because the Quran states they're the final chosen people of God, their religion is the final truth, their prophet, the final prophet.
So if the Jews, the ones that were defeated, the tiny Jews, the Disperse Jews, the hated Jews, etc., if they were taking back Islamic land and the center of Islam one of its centers the Temple Mount, then this couldn't stand.
So of course, till today, they're still fighting for that, very much backed by Iran and other radical groups, the Houthis, the Iraqi rebels, rebels in Syria and Lebanon, etc.
So Israel is fighting still for its survival, but it does have Rick, and we can we've been talking about this, it does have more freedom now to ascend the Temple Mount than since Of the conquest in 1967. And Jews are going up there, are openly praying now. They're not dancing or doing anything too ostentatious, but they're going up there in great numbers. And the Temple Mount has been in Israel's hands, but as the right-wing politicians say, not really, because we haven't had full rights there. And basically, Ben Govir was declaring: it now is really in our hands.
And in other words, you're free, you Israelis, you Jews, to come up and pray on our ancient home. Holy site, which of course has been the case for over 3,000 years, less than 1,500 for the Muslims, and they have no real Quranic reason to claim it. They just, again, their supremacy over Judaism has to be displayed, and that's a place they feel they have done it and want to, again, do it. And David, just an example of the controversy that typically surrounds the Temple Mount, and you just mentioned the importance of the Temple Mount, Ben Gavir, the minister you mentioned there, he actually waved an Israeli flag atop the Temple Mount and he stood next to a Knesset member who calls for the destruction of the mosque and the rebuilding of the Temple.
Now, Ben Gavir didn't actually say that, but it just shows you the controversial aspect of the Temple Mount and the way things are somewhat moving in Israel and something that we're going to keep an eye on. Yes, Rick, it was a member of his party in the Knesset, and it's well known that that's exactly what Ben Gevere himself believes and says, has said privately. But of course, for him to have declared that as a senior minister in the government from the Temple Mount would have probably immediately sparked rioting. in the city from the Arab side, of course. But the Knesset member was expressing what is the feeling of a lot of Israelis.
Now, as for destroying the the mosque, They're talking about the Al-Aqsa Mosque, not the Golden Dome shrine, which everyone agrees is one of the great buildings of the world and a heritage foundation, blah, blah, blah. And if Israel were to slightly touch that, there would be pandemonium, to say the least. But the Al-Aqsa Mosque was a church until the Muslims conquered it. It was a Byzantine church, and they converted it into a mosque and have used it ever since. Actually, during the Crusades, it reverted back to the Roman Catholic Church for a while.
They took it over, and then the Muslims got it back and have held it ever since. And of course, they have huge services in there. That's where we have a lot of incendiary speeches. Every week, I used to listen to those speeches when I worked for CBS Rick. I would be up on a building nearby.
But even from my home, about a half mile away, they would turn the volume up on the loudspeakers so loud during their noontime preaching from the mosque that you could hear it.
Now it was all in Arabic, so I didn't understand most of it. But then you would hear the roar of the crowd at some statements, and you could tell they were saying something pretty nasty about Israel. And then later on in the day, it would be on the Israeli news, a recap of the latest sermon against them.
So there's a lot of feeling in Israel for that mosque to go down, but that the Muslims should still have their shrine up there and still have access. Most Israelis, the Poles, show, support that. They know there would be, you know, like I said, pandemonium. It would be more than that if they, you know, tore everything down, et cetera. But rebuilding the temple, that is an increasingly popular topic.
And it was a very ephemeral thing when I first moved to Israel. You heard about it in certain Jewish synagogues and yeshivas, seminaries, etc. There were factions that believed in it, but most people, most of the Orthodox Jews said, no, only the Messiah himself can rebuild the temple. We shouldn't touch that with a ten-foot pole. And that is still a very strong feeling, Rick, amongst the ultra-Orthodox in particular.
But amongst what we call the modern Orthodox, the nationalistic Orthodox, those that fight it. the Army, et cetera, and Bengavir and Smotrik is an example of that and others, there is pretty strong support for rebuilding the temple. And of course, you know well, and your late father used to report on it, preparations are actually going on. amongst Jewish groups in the Old City and elsewhere for the rebuilding of the temple for the sacrifice of red heifers and other things. All of that is continuing while the political struggle obviously goes on as well and the spiritual struggle that's behind it all.
Dave Dolan, giving us an update on what is going on politically around the Middle East, but especially Israel.
So much going on, so much from a prophetic standpoint as we look at the stage being set for Bible prophecy to be fulfilled. Dave, as always, we appreciate your time. Thanks so much. You're welcome, Rick. God bless.
Well, David Dolan, he's our man. He's the one that gets it done. We really want to find out what's happening in Israel from a journalist perspective.
Now, Rick, you and I have been there many years in Israel. I was there close to, I don't know, 35 to 40 years. You were there somewhat about the same amount of time, and we've worked there. And, you know, so we know a lot of this, but it's just great to hear. When David Dolan brings it into a perspective, from it's almost like you're listening to a CBS journalist.
That's right, Jimmy. And, you know, you look at as he was talking and he was talking about the temple and the idea of rebuilding the temple and the idea of a Jewish presence on the temple mount and how, you know, 40 years ago when we started coming, it was so not a part of what was going on there. And, you know, we were not, the Jews were not going up on the Temple Mount, but things have changed over the years. And we were involved in the very beginning doing the ready to rebuild video and then the ready to rebuild revisited video. And we look at all those things.
Things are slowly being changed. And of course, a high-ranking minister in the cabinet now up on the Temple Mount, unfurling an Israeli flag, and other members talking about rebuilding the temple on the Temple Mount. That consciousness is there. Are they going to do it tomorrow? No, not necessarily.
I don't think so, but we certainly see this linear progression over the years that you and I have been witness to. Yes, we sure have, and that is crazy.
Well, let's let everybody know where you are, Rick. You're in Florence right now, and you've been in Rome, and you will be taking your group back. And we really haven't even talked about it that much. I mean, I mentioned it at the beginning of the program. You, of course, with modern technology, we could do Ken Timmerman, David Dolan.
We're keeping up on what's happening in the world.
So let's kind of talk about some of the things that we talked about, that you talked about with them. While you're there, but let's find out first: how's the trip going for you in Rome? You know, this trip came together. Within about 30 days, we have 85 young people and their parents. Half the young people, half parents.
And it's just been a wonderful trip. We were hopefully planning on going to Israel, but it didn't work out necessarily because of what is the situation in the Middle East right now.
So we came to Italy.
Now, we've been doing some Bible teaching. You and I, there's Bible teaching to be done here. You and I did a video with our dad called Rome Rising. You know, it's on any place you can get our videos. You can find that video.
But we talk about some of the things here in Italy, some of the things here in Rome specifically, one of the things, Jimmy, that you and I always talk about when we're here and that we pointed out in that video yesterday, yeah, yesterday, I think it was. We were at the Roman Colosseum, we were at the Forum area, and we saw the Arch of Titus. We saw that menorah relief on there as it celebrated, according to them, Titus and the destruction of the temple in AD 70. And one of the things we point out, because they're carrying out that treasure from the temple, and that was prophesied in the Bible. And we find it in Matthew and Luke, how Jesus said there would be not one stone left upon another.
And, you know, we know Titus standing on the Mount of Olives there, telling his soldiers, you know, you can take what you want, and telling in the gold of the temple burning and the gold coming between the rocks, and the soldiers pushing the rocks over, pushing. Them over the side of the Temple Mountain. We've been down there at the bottom of the Temple Mount there as we see those rocks. We talk about that as prophecy being fulfilled. Important not only because of the event and what took place there, but also when God says it, when the Bible tells us this is what's going to happen, that is what has happened.
500 prophecies fulfilled. With the coming of Jesus Christ and his death, burial, and resurrection. But there's another 500 prophecies, Jimmy, that have not been fulfilled yet. And the assurance that we have that those will be fulfilled is the fact that the ones in the past were fulfilled. You know, in that video that we did in 2014, it's a biblical prophecy documentary written by our dad.
And he really looked at exploring the eschatological times, focusing on the biblical prediction of a revived ancient Roman Empire during the end times. And we talk about that. Quite a bit on this program. We look at the European Union, which is at least the infrastructure for The revived Roman Empire. That's, and we get the bottom, basic, bottom line.
From Daniel chapter two and Daniel chapter seven. The statue in Daniel chapter two. Of the the feet and ten toes of the Of iron and clay. And which is the base of that statue, which is the beginning of the times of the Gentiles. And of course, the times of the Gentiles definition: any time that the Gentile world is in control of the city of Jerusalem or the Jewish people, which is the times in which we're living now.
Jesus talked about the times of the Gentiles. Luke chapter 21, when that fulfillment would come to an end. Times of the Gentiles began with the Babylonian Empire conquering and destroying the city of Jerusalem, taking Daniel in his first trip back to Babylon, and of course Ezekiel on the second trip. And then the rest of the Jews were taken out of the land. And they were out of the land for 70 years, and they were allowed to come back in, rebuild a rudimentary temple that was then later added onto by Herod the Great.
So, as we look at, and I'm so glad you brought up Rome Rising. That video that we did was a great time to work, you and I working with dad. Traveling around, going to different spots. If you haven't seen it, you could go to many different areas. Tubi, YouTube, there are so many different areas where you can find this video and watch it.
But, Dad, examine how the historical Roman Empire relates to the prophesied revival of a political. Religious world power outlined in the book of Revelation. Daniel, it's listed there in Bible prophecy. It's on location. We start out in Jerusalem, we go to Ephesus and Rome.
To evaluate historical and archaeological context of how the Roman Empire becomes so very important in the end times. And then, really, the theological theme: it details the future return of a global religion. Centered in Rome. That's Revelation chapter 17. The rise of modern Roman rulers and their critical role in the end time prophecy.
And that's. Listed in the book of Daniel, again, Daniel chapter 2. And Daniel chapter 7.
So, Rick, you being back there now and being able to go. You went to the Vatican. You actually. Had a visit with the Pope. Am I correct?
We were there. Our group was there to witness a historical event. It was, we saw the Pope, we were in St. Peter's Square, and he comes out on Wednesdays to kind of give an audience. And he comes in the Pope Mobile and he drives around and probably was 10 feet away from the Pope.
So it was very interesting as we look at that and we realize how all that plays into Bible prophecy. And Timmy, you just talked about, you know, how the revived Roman Empire is going to come into play. I was at the Capitoline Hill yesterday, and that is where the Treaty of Rome was signed.
Now, this was basically the start of the European Union. And this is what I wanted you to talk about, maybe a little bit, Jimmy. We are not saying that the European Union. That the European Union is the revived Roman Empire, but it's the infrastructure. It's the setting of the stage.
And that's what we talk about on this program all the time. Things are being put into place. We know what the Bible says is going to happen in the end time.
So all these things are the infrastructure. All these things are the setting of the stage. And as the stage gets closer and closer, that curtain's about to go up. And it seems like just around the corner, the rapture of the church.
So let's take a look about what Ken Timmerman said about President Donald Trump. And what role the European Union plays now? And you've done this, you've done your homework on. The news items, the current events, and examining them in the light of God's prophetic word.
So, where do we see? The European Union playing a major role in the future, do you think?
Well, Jimmy, as we look at what's going on, the European Union right now and Europe in general, I feel is in a position, and Ken talks about it all the time, they're in a weakened position. They don't have that leader that is unifying the whole country. They don't have that one central figure that is, you know, that Russia is posting on the round. They're relying on the United States and President Trump to deal with that situation in Russia. And I think the vacuum that is created there by that weak leadership.
Is essentially creating the right stage for a world leader based out of the European Union to come in there and take control. And I think that is. Again, like we say, setting the stage for Bible prophecy to be fulfilled. Yeah, Dr. Rob Congdon has always talked about a supra.
leader Of course, the Parliament for the European Union is in Brussels, Belgium. But when you look at the leader that they're asking for, they need a military. This is the role of what the Antichrist, who will be, his headquarters will be in Rome for the first three and a half years of the tribulation period. And from Rome, he then goes, sets up the abomination of desolation at the temple that we've been talking about, that the Jewish people are wanting to rebuild now. That, you know, an Israeli minister went up onto the Temple Mount and unfurled that Israeli flag.
Donald Trump has said he wants to rebuild the temple. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth has said we need to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem.
So, yes, there's a consciousness about building this temple. And that temple has no religious significance except for the fact. That the Antichrist will go in and set up the abomination of desolation as spoken of by Jesus Christ in Matthew chapter 24, verse 15.
So, you know, when we're talking about all of these things, they all relate to, you know, future fulfilled events that are going to take place in the future after the rapture of the church. That's always important that we talk about that, that it will help happen after these 500. Remaining prophecies that you first talked about. These all happen after the rapture of the church. And I think it's so very important that you take young people and parents.
I mean, how many people? Would take 85 kids, young adults, and their parents, and walk around Rome, taking them, teaching them about the Arch of Titus, showing them Bible prophecy, the fulfillment. One of the tangible items is the Arch of Titus. And the implements that That General Titus carried back to Rome, that we know for sure probably. In the Vatican basement, right?
I mean, we've all seen the Indiana Jones movie, but I know the Ark of the Covenant is not there, but. Maybe the menorah is there, maybe the silver trumpets, which were in that lineup. On that relief of the Arch of Titus. But I know you've had a great time. Always love and remember.
And for this very fact alone, I wish people would watch. Rome Rising, because Dad walks into the Vatican and he says, I don't know who's buried in that tomb, but it's not Peter, who the Roman Catholic Church feels as the first Pope.
So, anyway, it's a great time, and I hope you've had a great time on your trip. And we're looking forward to you getting back, Rick. Oh, we certainly are too. And then we have had a great time, and it's great to see these young people and people with the heart for studying, and not just young people with the heart for learning, but also parents that are willing to be involved in their children's education, be involved in their children's life. And they're so impressive.
They're so impressive the way they talk, the way they are responsive. They're such good kids, you know. Teenagers nowadays, Jimmy, sometimes you worry about them, but these kids are so good, and they're just building each other up. And it's been a really wonderful time. I know you were worried about marching 85 of them around Rome, but you did it, brother.
I really appreciate that. Hey, at the end of the program, we usually finish up with a look at the book. Today, at the end of our program, you talked to a young man that was in the Coliseum. You did a quick interview with a young man who tell us quickly about what we have to look forward to. Jimmy, it was an exciting interview.
He has worked with. The stands, Kurdistan, Kazakhstan, all of these things. He's worked in Russia, but he has also worked with missionaries in Iran and Afghanistan. He's going to tell us a little bit about that and what it's like ministering in those areas that are dominated by Islam. Yes, I look forward to it at the end of the program today.
And of course, Dr. Jimmy DeYoung is coming up next with our legacy series. And I always love when I run into people. We know why you keep your father on the program because nobody would listen to you two. No, seriously, we are very honored to be able to have worked underneath our father.
He taught us all these years working together in the land of Israel, the land of the Bible, Jordan, Turkey, Rome. We've done that many times, and we're so honored to do that. And we do encourage you to get Rome Rising. You can get it for free. Rick, I do look forward to getting back.
And many people have been praying for you as you have been on your trip. In Rome with these young people and being able to edify and educate these people and affecting them, discipling them. To reach out to others and tell others what they have seen.
Well, we've got to take a break 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 my brother Rick, we examine current events in the light of God's prophetic word. In the last half hour, we were speaking about a video, Rome Rising. Which you could go to our website. You'll get free access to a lot of our DVDs that we've done over the years.
Great Bible teaching by our father, Dr. Jimmy DeYoung. Rick, where else can they get some of our videos?
Well, that's right, Jimmy. If you would like to get this series, or we've got other series, we've got books, we've got PDFs, we've got CDs, DVDs, we've got all kinds of information. We've got a bookstore. You can find all of this stuff at prophecytoday.com. You could also listen to some of our other materials that we have put out throughout the year, and you can go read our devotionals.
We strongly encourage you to do that as we look at prophecy all the way from Genesis to Revelation throughout the Bible, going book by book. And of course, if you would like to support our ministry, we always appreciate that. We are a listener-supported ministry, and we appreciate all that you do. Thanks so much for being involved with Prophecy Today. We look forward to serving you in the future.
That's prophecytoday.com. We're going to begin. A series on why it's important to study Bible prophecy. You know, one-third of God's Word is Bible prophecy. All the books of the Bible, all 66 books of the Bible, contain a portion of Bible prophecy.
There are 17 Old Testament books, and those would be the major and minor prophets found in the Old Testament. And then there's one major New Testament book, the book of Revelation, that would be included in what we think about when we think about Bible prophecy. But in addition to that, every single book of the Bible contains a passage on Bible prophecy. Why study Bible prophecy? It's profitable and it's proven.
Bible prophecy helps us to understand the times in which we are living. Dr. Jimmy DeYoung and the Legacy Series. Take your Bibles and turn to the book of Lamentations just a moment. Put your thumb in Lamentation, and then go over to Revelation chapter 22 and put your index finger there.
Your thumb in lamentation. Your index finger in chapter 22 of the book of Revelation. There are 1,188 chapters in the Bible. What you have pinched between your thumb and your finger is 392 chapters. It's basically 42 books of the Bible: 27 books in the New Testament, 15 books in the Old Testament.
And that's how much is Bible prophecy in your Bible. It's one in every three pages. 31% of the entire word of God. is Bible prophecy. Thus, I do believe it behooves us to study Bible prophecy.
My plan is to. To give you five keys to unlocking God's plan for the future. We're living in a time like I don't believe anybody in history has ever lived before. There are so many current events unfolding that would give us an indication that the stage is being set. As Dr.
John Walvard used to say, the stage is being set for Bible prophecy to be fulfilled. If you look at the last year, Hillary Clinton made a very interesting statement when she stood in front of the European headquarters in Brussels, Belgium. She said the greatest event, the greatest historic event in the last 50 years had just happened. And that, of course, was with the ratification of the Lisbon Treaty on the 3rd of November last year, and then on the 19th of November, the election of the leaders to lead the European Union into the future. They gelled probably one of the most unbelievable political units, and indeed they put leadership in that role of leading that organization, the European Union.
At the same time, if you're a China watcher, you have to be aware of the fact of what's going on in China. China has surpassed America in consumption of oil products, petroleum products. They control every single sea lane leading into China. They have their battleships, they have their military personnel all along every sea lane from every major producer of oil in the world today. If you look at China, you can realize they've, in addition to that, been spending a lot of money on military armament and munitions, plus the fact that they probably are the banker of the entire world, and they do control basically the economy, I believe, of the United States by the fact that they are back in all the debt, or much of the debt here in the United States.
And I could go on and on and tell you of what is happening in our world. If you've studied Bible prophecy at all and have any idea. Of some of the players I've just mentioned and how they fit into Bible prophecy, you're aware of the fact that this world is about to see the end time scenario that's laid out in God's Word and the Bible. And Bible prophecy confirms exactly. What I'm saying along that line.
So, I do suggest that we need to spend some time in understanding Bible prophecy. Why should we study Bible prophecy? The first reason is because it is profitable. Remember 2 Timothy 3, verse 16. All scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable.
So, studying any portion of the Word of God. is profitable. I did a little project for myself this last year. I developed a devotional. Everybody's doing devotionals.
I wanted to do mine with a prophetic perspective.
So I went through every single book of the Bible. In every book of the Bible, there's Bible prophecy. We set aside 17 Old Testament books, one New Testament book, the book of Revelation, and we say those are prophecy books. But in all 66 books, somebody said Philemon, the little book in the New Testament, does not have a prophetic passage. It does.
It talks about the judgment seat of Christ, which is a very important component in the prophetic events that are going to happen in the future. And so it is that all books of the Bible have Bible prophecy in them.
So it is profitable. To you and to me, if we study the Word of God and, in particular, study Bible prophecy. It's proven as well. Go to 2 Peter just a moment. 2 Peter chapter 1.
2 Peter is the swan song for the Apostle Peter. He's a man that had played a very important role in the ministry of Jesus Christ, and of course, Jesus playing a very important role in his life as well. We look here in 2 Peter 1, verse 15 of 2 Peter 1. Moreover, I will endeavor that ye may be able, after my demise, after his decease, he knew he was going to be dying soon, that ye may be after my decease to have these things always in remembrance. For we have not followed cunningly devised fables when we made known unto you the power and the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
But we were eye-witnesses of His Majesty. For he Received from God the Father honor and glory. When there came such a voice to him from the excellent glory, This is my Son in whom I am well pleased. This voice, which came from heaven, we heard when we were with him in the holy mount. This is recounting how it was when the inner circle, Peter, James, and John, Went with Jesus.
They were at Caesarea Philippi. That's the location where. Peter announced that Jesus was the Messiah, the Son of the living God. That's where Jesus then told his disciples. That he was not going to set up the kingdom, but instead he was going to Jerusalem, he was going to be crucified, he would be buried, and then resurrect from the dead.
In three days, and that was exactly what did happen, but he told them that in the 16th chapter of the book of Matthew. 17, the last verse of chapter 16. Jesus says to his disciples, Some of you are here who are not going to die before you see me come in my glory. Chapter 17, six days later, Jesus took his disciples. If you know where Caesarea Philippi is, it's the northeastern corner of Israel.
And it's right in the foothills of Mount Hermon, the highest mountain in all of Israel, 9,000 plus feet high. Jesus took them onto the slopes of Mount Hermon, and there the transfiguration took place. The inner circle, Peter, James, and John. It was at that point when you remember if you read that passage before. Peter wanted to put up three tabernacles.
Now that's not talking. I've heard a lot of pastors wax eloquent on the fact that there goes Peter again. He's working, moving ahead, in action without thinking about what he's doing. He wasn't talking about putting up three statues to Jesus, Moses, and Elijah. He was simply talking about he saw Bible prophecy fulfilled.
And in fact, Jesus had told him: some of you are not going to die before you see in my glory. There's Jesus in his glorified body, as he will be in the kingdom. And what Peter was doing when he said, put up the tabernacles, he was talking about putting up a sukkah. S-U-C-A, a sukkah, is a thatched hut. That's what the children of Israel used when they wandered throughout the wilderness for the 40 years.
And Peter thought that Jesus now was in the kingdom. They had moved immediately into the kingdom. That's why he wanted to put up the sukkah. That all goes through.
Now, I want you to notice Peter was there. He saw every bit of it.
Now, notice verse 19. We have also a more sure word of prophecy. In other words, he was an eyewitness to all of this that happened. But we have a more sure word of prophecy, wherein ye do well that ye take heed as unto a light. That shineth in a dark place until the day dawn until the day star arise in your heart.
That's Jesus Christ coming back. And so studying Bible prophecy is not only profitable, but indeed it is proven to be a more sure word of prophecy. Better than even seeing with our own eyes. Many people today are talking and bragging about: well, we saw this happen, we saw that happen. That's really not faith.
What is faith? Hebrews chapter 11, verse 1. Faith is the substance of things hoped for, things not seen.
So, you know, seeing something doesn't make it real, and it's certainly not by faith. But Peter said, We have a more sure word of prophecy, and this book right here, from Genesis 1:1 to Revelation 22:21.
Well, it's very practical, too. If you look back in Matthew chapter 16, sometimes. You'll see that the Sadducees and the Pharisees came to Jesus Christ. And they wanted a sign. They said, Jesus, show us a sign.
Now that is the most ironic statement I've ever seen in my life. That's chapter 16. Do you not remember what happened in chapter 14 of the book of Matthew? In chapter 14 of the book of Matthew, Jesus Christ fed 5,000 men plus the women and the children.
So they had 5,000 men, 5,000 ladies. You got 5,000 men, you got 10,000 kids, 20,000 people on the mountainside. And he feeds them all enough fish sandwiches so they can take up baskets full after it's over, after everybody was fed as much as they want to. The Sadducees and the Pharisees show us a sign. You go over to the 15th chapter.
And it's an event happening several weeks later. He feeds 4,000 men plus the women and the children. shows a sign I do a lot of high school speaking. I speak in public high schools and Christian high schools. But when I'm in public high schools, I do the same thing I do in a Christian high school.
I speak about Jesus Christ. And I was in this one high school over here in West Seneca, New York, and I was talking about some of the things that Jesus did: feeding the 5,000, feeding the 4,000. I said, that was miraculous. I said, you know, plus all the women and the children and everything else. I got finished, and this real sharp guy came up and said, hey, man.
I said, yeah. He said, I don't know how he did that. I said, how he did what? I know how he fed those five thousand.
Okay, tell me, how did he do it? Those weren't little fishes, and those weren't little loaves of bread. I said, what? He said, no, those were big fishes and big loaves of bread.
Well, I thought he had me. I was kind of back it up that I started my calculator running in my mind. Man, if he'd 5,000 men, 5,000 ladies, 10,000 kids, 20,000 people, two pieces of bread for each sandwich, and they probably had two sandwiches. That's about, oh, 80,000 pieces of bread. Wow.
If those were big fishes and big loaves of bread, Uh the The fishes weighed 625 pounds apiece, and the loaves of bread are 197 feet long. Can you see that little kid getting, hey mom, give me some fish and bread? He starts out down the road. Look, those fishes. were sardines, the smallest fish that has ever fished out of the Sea of Galilee.
And there were little rolls of some type of bread. That's how he fit it. And the Sergei says, show us the sign. You know what Jesus said to him? You can discern the weather.
He talked about the weather here. He said, you know what the weather is. You can look outside. You can tell what the weather is. You can look up in the sky the night before.
You can tell what the weather is going to be. and you cannot discern the times. Show us some signs. The signs that I just alliterated to you a few moments ago are all over the place. We need to pay attention.
It is practical to study Bible prophecy because it helps us to know how to live. I was walking out here to speak this morning. A lady walked by, pushing her little stroller with her baby. She says, How then shall we live? I love that.
Because that's basically how I close out everything. How then shall we live in light of what we've learned today? And she was remembering that.
Well, studying prophecy is very key, very important. Yes, indeed, your study of Bible prophecy is very important, not only to understand God's calendar of events, but to motivate you and me to live a life that will bring glory to God.
Next week, we are going to look at the assurance of Bible prophecy and the imminent return of Jesus Christ in the rapture.
Well, we've got to take a break, and when we come back, Rick will interview Timor. A missionary in the Far East. Right here on Prophecy Today weekend. I'm Ruth Kramer with Mission Network News. Peace talks between Israel and Lebanon are underway in the United States.
Discussions occur as the current U.S.-backed ceasefire nears its expiration date on Sunday. As part of the talks, U.S. President Donald Trump is urging Beirut to repeal a 1955 law. Nuna of Triumph for Mercy Lebanon says: In our constitution, there is a compound that says Lebanon has no connection with Israel.
So we need to change that clause. The Lebanese government is taking steps toward peace with Israel and independence from Iran, but at a cost. Lebanon submitted an official complaint against Iran for the first time this week. And this is causing a big problem inside Lebanon. Pray for Lebanese Christians as they care for displaced people in Jesus' name.
It's not just a one-way gospel, just salvation, and that's it, but it's also realignment with God's purposes. And standing firm through both the good times and the bad sends a powerful message. Rose Linda Hart says For Haiti with Love is there for every season. Many Haitians they serve are exhausted by the struggle for daily needs. And sometimes they don't want to hear the gospel.
So we show them love. We show them what the gospel is. Then they will listen when we tell them about Jesus, when we tell them about the gospel. The ministry provides food, clothing, shelter, medical care for burn victims, and much more. And that work can only be done with God's help, given the chaos in Haiti today.
We need people to pray for Haiti. Without God's help, Haiti cannot change. It's a sobering reality, but God's promises remain. For Haiti with Love continues to see Haitians turning to hope in Christ.
So remember the people of Haiti in prayer and ask God how he may want you to take part in his work there. Thanks for listening to Mission Network News, a service of one-way ministries. This month, Transworld Radio is offering a free devotional, Hope Within Reach, sharing stories of how God is moving around the world and how you can be part of it. Get it at missionnews.org. I'm Ruth Kramer.
Welcome back to Prophecy Today. I'm Jimmy DeYoung Jr. And along with my brother Rick, we've been examining current events in the light of God's prophetic word. Today, the program was about Rick being in Rome, and we still covered current events happening around the world, but we did talk a little bit about his time in Rome. And we want to finish up our look at the book series today with the testimony of a missionary.
A testimony for Jesus in view here would be a lifestyle and words that openly acknowledge our personal experience. Of following Jesus Christ. That testimony must be public. Because its purpose is to tell others. What has taken place in the Christian experience?
Our regeneration should be a testament evidence to other people that Jesus is alive and is changing lives. We testify by our words and actions, and if our lives are a testimony for Jesus Christ, then we then they should be reflections of Christ. as we follow in his steps. 1 Peter chapter 2, verse 21.
So I thought it would be good, and I'm looking forward to hearing this testimony with Timor. And Rick, as they're at the Roman Coliseum.
Well, that's right, Jimmy, as I sometimes do. We are on location right now, actually standing looking at the Coliseum, the Arch of Constantine, and of course, the Arch of Titus. That is something that we talk about on all our trips to Rome, and the tangible evidence of Bible prophecy being fulfilled in the destruction of the Temple in 70 AD. But I have a friend that I met along the way.
Now, I'm going to give you his name. It's not his real name for reasons you will find out later, but we're going to call him Timor. And I've met him. Timor, he's a missionary, a direct missionaries. Timor, thanks for joining us.
Yeah, thanks. Great to be with you.
Well, the reason I wanted to talk to him, we talk on this program all the time about what is taking place in Iran right now. We talk about what is taking place in Russia. We talk about things that are taking place in Afghanistan and how they are setting. The stage for Bible prophecy to be fulfilled, but we also talk to people from those areas because we have a heart for those people. They need the gospel, and the church in some of these places is growing, and that's what Timor does.
That's why we're not sharing his name. We want to keep his anonymity, but you're going to have a chance to pray for him. But if you could tell us what it's like when you're working in these such impressive environments. I mean, Some of them are kind of oppressive, like maybe Russia, but then you go into places like Afghanistan and you go into places like uh Iran. Can you talk a little bit about what it's like doing mission work in those areas?
Yeah, well I have actually not been in Iran myself, but I've got uh I've got nationals that I do work with who are there and I'm in contact with them quite frequently. Uh it's getting harder right now because there's no internet connection.
However, uh they are putting themselves at uh a great uh danger by calling on their their telephones themselves even though they're being hunted down by the Revolutionary Guard.
So it's a lot of a lot of difficulties. We've we have lost a lot of our believers since January, which is of course before Trump started bombing Iran. Uh they uh have been uh Our believers that are on the ground have been they were calling, actually calling, and every day asking me, Would you please call President Trump and have him start bombing? They said nothing's going to stop this regime. It's it's a religious fanaticism that has to annihilate Israel.
and they will never stop. And uh they said, We've been taken hostage by our government. Uh we try to hold them back from the political s side of it, say if you want to really anger your government, lead people to faith in Jesus. And uh we've been able to do that that and see many, many Iranians come to faith in Christ. as we we were talking about it a little bit earlier, Amazingly, even through the persecution, it's one of the fastest-growing churches in the world.
Persecution, instead of oppressing it, instead of keeping it down, it's actually accelerating in their understanding the gospel and their need for the Savior. That's absolutely true.
So, it's kind of a bittersweet prayer when we ask God to see a regime change in Iran. Obviously, our believers there on the ground want to see the Ayatollah and the wickedness of this regime fall. But on the flip side of that, we get so wrapped up in the political avenues of things, we neglect to see what God's doing behind the scenes. And we are seeing God use this oppressive regime to lead thousands of people to Himself. They're sick of the oppression, sick of Islam, searching for freedom.
If we get freedom in front of their faces, they come to faith in Jesus. You mentioned something earlier. You called it Islam is not the untouchable religion. Many people feel that you cannot witness its own. It's really hard, but that's not the case, is it?
No, not at all. They're searching for salvation. They have no hope of eternal salvation other than killing an infidel and dying in doing so. And even then, if they're honest, they're going to say inshallah, which means if Allah wills. And they all know that He doesn't.
So it's a terrible form of fatalism. They're serving a false God, obviously, that delights in death. Like I said, I met you here in Rome, and as we look at this, I did not use your real name. Your name is Timor. And I would love to give your ministry out so people could support it.
But I think that in order, and this is going out over the radio airwaves, we don't want to put a target on anybody's back. But tell you what, they can't pray. They can pray for you. They can pray for your ministry. And folks, do your homework.
Search out ministries. In the world right now, that are consistent with your biblical beliefs, your biblical worldview, and especially those that are going into these parts of the world. And they can use not only your prayers, but your financial support as well. Timor is great meeting you on this trip. Thanks so much for talking to us.
And maybe we'll talk to you again sometime in the future.
Sounds great. Thank you. Great testimony, Timor. And, Rick, thank you for bringing that to us. And let's pray for Timor.
And other missionaries around the world, because there's no better time right now. Then To evangelize for Christ. At this very moment. You know, a life dedicated to Christ is a powerful testimony. Paul describes such a life in Second Corinthians chapter one, verse two, where he says, For our boast is this, the testimony of our conscience that we behaved in the world with simplicity And godly sincerity, not by earthly wisdom.
But by the grace of God. And supremely so toward you.
So, we have conducted ourselves in this world, and especially in our relations with you, is basically what Paul says with integrity and godly sincerity. We have done so, relying not on our worldly wisdom but on God's grace when our actions of godly living match the words coming from our lips, our testimony will be seen as true. And remember, The testimony of Jesus Christ is the spirit of Bible prophecy.
Well, we hope that you have enjoyed the program today. Rick will be back in the States next week as we'll be focusing on what's happening again around the world, examining current events in the light of God's prophetic word. With everything that we've seen today, the rapture of the church cannot 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. Prophecy Today is a listener-supported production of Shofar Communications in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
