there are deeper things going on than what appears on the surface. We'll talk about them. But also, I think what it speaks to is the hand of God. The scripture was fulfilled that God, the God of the Bible, the God of Israel, didn't slumber and sleep from October 7th, before or since. What he's been doing is he's been fighting these battles with his strong right arm.
There is no way that you could look at what has happened, even in the last month or two, and not see the miraculous hand of God. Welcome to Understanding the Times Radio with Jan Markell, Radio for the Remnant, brought to you by Olive Tree Ministries. In part one of our program, John Markel talks to Michelle Bachmann in part two of a two-part program.
Sometimes we can't make sense of our times without a biblical perspective. and we talk about that in today's program. In part two, Pastor Josh Schwartz and Ken Michael talk to longtime radio host of this program, Jan Markell. Stay tuned for an important announcement. Here is today's programming.
The new mayoral candidate, Mamdani, in Who is a self-described socialist is suddenly everywhere in the media, literally everywhere. He just won the Democratic Party in the race to be the next mayor of New York City. And this is not just a local upset. This is a flashing red warning sign for where this country is headed if a lot more Americans do not wake up. This is the future that the left wants, a nation where free stuff flows like water, taxes choke the life out of ambition, and the very idea of America is rewritten to fit the Marxist playbook.
Oh, and there's just a touch of Islamicism in there as well. Here's Mamdani on the night that he won the primary. And I played To you, that we will remake this great city, not in my image. But in the image of every New Yorker who has only known struggle. Wow, doesn't that sound familiar?
We're five days away from the fundamental transformation of the United States of America, which they dismissed and look at where we are now.
So there you go. America's largest city is poised to elect a wannabe TikTok star who's a communist as their next mayor. You know, uh We're used to total phonies in politics. But that's not what makes Mandani so dangerous. It is his ideology, which is the convergence of communism and Islamism.
That I have been warning about for years. This guy is the face of that chalkboard that he's had for so many years. He is the Mr. Rogers style friendly socialism that just wants to create a beautiful government-run neighborhood for everyone.
Socialism. Terrifying words. A lot of people are afraid of the word socialism, and a lot of people have misconceptions about what it means. I'm a democratic socialist, and what socialism means to me is a commitment to dignity, a state that provides whatever is necessary for its people to live a dignified life. Do you think that billionaires have a right to exist?
I don't think that we should have billionaires because frankly it is so much money in a moment of such inequality and ultimately what we need more of is equality across our city and across our state and across our country. Welcome back to the program. I've got part two going on right now because I had Michelle Bachman in studio last week and we're going to do it all over again. But I wanted to introduce my segment with that little clip of Glenn Beck because it said everything about the lunacy of our times and what the people of New York City might be about to do and we'll talk about it. And again, one of my most frequent guests on Understanding the Times radio and our conferencing as well is Michelle Bachman, Dean of the Robertson School of Government, Regent University in Virginia.
We've worked together a number of years and you hear her lots of places. Michelle served in the U.S. Congress from 2007 to 2015, ran for President of the United States in 2012. Good friend and lives in St. Paul when she's not jet-setting literally around the world.
Michelle, thank you for coming back in the studio today. Thank you. What a thrill to be here. You know, Michelle, that little clip that Glenn produced, give me your thoughts on this because again, if we're considering what might happen in New York City, City, this man, and he may very well win, is representing, again, redistributing the wealth, fundamentally transforming America. Who wants it transformed?
I certainly don't. Again, supports globalized suicide bombings. And the greatest capitalist city in the world, New York, could be taken down by a socialist. And here's what a lot of people aren't saying: socialist/slash Islamists.
Well, yes, that's right. Remember, he called himself a Democratic socialist.
So when I first heard of AOC, I spent a long time going through the Democrat Socialist website to see ultimately what they believe. When I finally got down to the final pages, they admit that their roots are the Communist Party of the United States.
So when people say he's a communist, that's not hyperbole. He is. He is an avowed communist. And so here we have a grown man who looks good on camera with ideas that have been tried for over 100 years. Across the world, all they bring is utter misery.
They destroy a fabulous society and leave a tragedy in its wake. Why would anyone want to do this?
Well, Jan, you've talked about it for years on this show. The reason why people want to do this is to get to one world government. Ultimately, there is a goal among communists to destroy the United States so that all nations will have to fold into a one-world government that will essentially be a communist-style government. Let me just end with this: people need to know this. He is a jihadist.
And what's a jihadist? A person that wants to bring about Islam to conquer a new area. And they will use violent means if necessary. I'm not saying he is. Calling for violent means or that he himself is using violent means.
But when you listen to his terms, calling for the global intifada, the intifada is violence in order to force Islam on any area. We've seen it now in London for all practical purposes. He wants to be the Islamic voice in New York, the largest city in the United States. This would be such a travesty, but they're trying to tee him up for 2028. The Democrats want him, I think, to be their presidential candidate.
We thought this was so improbable with Barack Obama looking at his background. Couldn't happen. It could happen with this guy, too. I think that's what's shocking. And I think also that many on the left are okay with this.
Clearly, God's end time plan is not on hold. And he's not a Democratic voice, Democrat in terms of the people's choice. But just like with Barack Obama, if you get enough money behind you, and if you can. Control the media outlets. And if you control the ballot box with mail-in elections and rank choice voting and all the methodologies of cheating, they could win a presidential contest with a guy like this.
That's exactly right.
So I want to transition in the short time we have, Michelle, and play another short sound bite. It's Dan Cohen of Real Life Network because I think we need to talk about the cover-up. Imagine your grandfather is very sick. You see him get lost, get confused, fall on stairs, fall off his bicycle. lose his train of thought.
Now imagine taking him to his doctor who's seen everything you've witnessed and he tells you your grandfather is perfectly fine. Later to learn he has stage four cancer. Your grandfather in this story is Joe Biden. And his doctor is White House physician Kevin O'Connor, who was just subpoenaed by House Oversight. Dr.
O'Connor. Were you ever told to lie about the President's health? On the advice of counsel, I must respectfully decline to answer based upon the physician patient privilege and in the reliance on my right under the Fifth Amendment of the Constitution. Dr. O'Connor pled the fifth when he was asked the most basic questions like, did you ever think Biden was unfit to serve?
And were you ever told to lie about the president's health? Why would the president's doctor plead the fifth? What is there to hide? Regarding privacy, Dr. O'Connor issued statements and made public comments about Joe Biden's health all the time.
How is his mental cognition? It's excellent. It's excellent. Is there a reason you didn't perform a cognitive test on him? Biden wasn't good every day.
In May, we learned he's battling stage four prostate cancer, which can take years to metastasize. Did doctors miss it? Or did they know and not release it to the public? Is that why Dr. O'Connor is pleading the fifth?
Or is it the cover-up from the Biden administration and the legacy media? Who told us behind the scenes Biden's sharpest attack? Start your tape right now, because I'm about to tell you the truth. And F you if you can't handle the truth. This version of Biden is the best Biden.
The mainstream media ran cover while the administration propped Biden up like weekend at Bernie's. The charade finally ended last June when Biden bombed in the presidential debate with President Trump. The total initiative relative to what we're going to do with more Border Patrol and more asylum officers. President Trump? I really don't know what he said at the end of this sentence.
I don't think he knows what he said either. Joe, you did such a great job. But the American people were asking who is calling the shots for the President of the United States and who was authorizing President Biden's signature for the auto pen. Dr. O'Connor has a right to plead the fifth, though it makes him appear guilty.
Democrats at the highest level of government are guilty of the worst cover-up in history, a scandal worse than Watergate, Monica Lewinsky, and Benghazi. Isaiah 29, 15 says, Woe to those who go to great depths to hide their plans from the Lord, who do their work in darkness. God sees. The American people see And we demand Accountability. Michelle Bachmann, you were in Congress from 2007 to 2015, but did you ever think you would see what Dan Cohen just outlined here?
No, and the fact is, we all saw it with Joe Biden. When he ran the first time for president, we saw that he had lost it at that point.
So the only people who didn't believe it were the people who were pushing the cover-up.
Now what we're witnessing really is the end of the Democrat Party.
So the Democrat Party literally put up a communist under Barack Obama for two years. Then they put a president who isn't even at home. It was a vacancy sign with Joe Biden. This is who their candidates have been for the last three years. That's why a mom Donnie could literally be their candidate in 28.
But what people need to understand, we're way beyond the Democrat Party. The Democrat Party has imploded. They're trying to run around in circles and pretend, oh, there's nothing here to see. But who ran this country? No one really knows.
But it looks quite likely that it Was the communists behind the scenes because people like Anita Dunn, who are actually communists, they were in the administration. And so they put some no-name person in charge of the autopen.
Somebody was giving the directions because we know that Joe Biden didn't even know about pardons. He had no idea, for instance, that Fauci had been pardoned. The entire January 6th committee, which was completely illegal with what they did, they destroyed all the documents of the committee. And that was, again, more pardons that Biden wasn't a part of.
So, what we are seeing is that if you have a political party that thinks their perfect candidate is Joe Biden, who clearly had dementia, and then their next candidate was Kamala Harris, that the whole country could see she didn't have enough to be in that position to run that office. She couldn't do interviews. We're hearing more coming out about how interviews just had to be thrown out. This is the Democrat Party today. Today.
And I'm not saying this to be partisan, but they are a complete lying outfit for what purpose? They're all for illegal immigration. They're all for jihadists being in our country. They're all for communism to be the economic source. Could it be that they are all for a one-world government?
They're so anti-American they want to see us collapse? It's hard to even believe that. My parents were Democrats, but Democrats weren't like that. They were wonderful, kind, loving people who wanted to help other people. Oh, that party doesn't exist anymore.
That party is dead. If you just join me who are listening to Understanding the Times Radio, Michelle Bachman is in studio with me, Dean of the Robertson School of Government, Regent University in Virginia. And we've worked together a long time. She served in the U.S. Congress from 2007 to 2015, ran for president in 2012.
And she will be our featured guest Thursday night, August the 7th in suburban Minneapolis. And that's at Revive Church Brooklyn Park, Minnesota, 7 p.m. You can live stream, as most of you who are listening will do, live stream at markhenryministries.com, markhenryministries.com, and post program. It'll be on our website, on YouTube, on Rumble, and Olive Tree Ministries. And Mark Henry Ministries has been doing this since 2021 when Michelle was our first guest back almost five years ago.
So, Michelle came across one of our favorite, it's a radical left-wing website. I'm not going to give that credit here, but here's what they said in a couple of paragraphs. A big headline about what people like you and me believe, okay? And then they go on to say. Trump's evangelical base believes that the Bible commands them to support Israel in order to bring about the return of Jesus Christ and the end times.
As, okay, they're quoting you, as former Representative Michelle Bachman explained during a recent World Prayer Network program.
Okay, Michelle, we do say things like that.
However, we say it in a tone of expectancy and looking up and enthusiasm because The Lord really is bringing this whole thing to an end and we're excited about it. That's right. The Bible says we are to say Maranatha from Lord Jesus. We want to see the Lord come back and to remove us from this life of sin and suffering. But like usual, these organizations hear something, but they have a veil over their eyes.
They can't understand it. But that doesn't stop us from proclaiming the good news of Jesus Christ. We proclaim his name. We proclaim his coming. And we do that freely because we agree with the Bible.
We want that all people are saved and that they too will be able to meet the Lord when he returns. Michelle, you are at the Blair House. This is now 10 days ago, approximately. And actually, some very encouraging things happened. In the last two weeks of radio, we've talked about some things going haywire, obviously.
So much is, but good things are happening too. Great things are. I was honored to be invited to the Blair House. That's the official residence of the White House where Prime Minister Netanyahu and his wife Sarah and team were staying. And so they had an event with Jewish leaders, evangelical leaders.
It was a fairly small group. And it was really a moment. I'm so grateful I could be there because it wasn't political. It felt biblical and it was a sacred moment. And this was, of course, after the United States and Israel had worked together to neutralize Iran.
And so just as he was taking the stage, I just had this sense of Churchill, of Benjamin Netanyahu in this generation being a Churchill, the way that he has stood up against all of the attacks that he and Israel have undertaken. They've been fighting this seven-front war, really an eight-front war from the media and the law fair. That'd be a nine-front war. But as he stood up there, I've never been in a more unifying posture. It wasn't that many years ago that Jews and Christians.
We were a little wary of each other, and you didn't see the unity. This was completely different. This was a gathering where it was biblical. We knew that God had done this thing. And Prime Minister Netanyahu himself said over and over that this was God's miraculous power that had won the victories and that it was God's miraculous power that kept Donald Trump alive at Butler, Pennsylvania.
And but for Donald Trump escaping the assassin's bullet, and but for Benjamin Netanyahu and all the things that he's been under, God supernaturally put these two men in these positions of power to bring this about. And it wasn't lost on anyone in this room that this wasn't political. This was biblical. This was the hand of God who had brought about deliverance. And it was one of the most marvelous moments.
I've been in a lot of political situations in my life. But this one was sacred. And it was a terrific representation of this unity of Jews and Christians. Coming together biblically. And I think that's what the Lord wants to see: is that our roots are based upon the Old Testament, upon the Jews, and what the Jews have done.
Our Messiah is a Jew, the apostles are a Jew, the prophets were Jews. And so we see that we are grafted in. To this root. And I sense that in a way like I'd never sensed it at that meeting. And I see this as a part of the outworking of the prayer and fasting that the believers have done.
We do our 40 days of prayer and fasting. And I believe that this is a part of the miracle that we have seen from the believers who are willing to pour themselves into the prayer and fasting. This is a part of the fruit that God is allowing us to be alive to see in this day. Never forget, we are living in the days that the prophets long to see. Folks, you can sign up for this upcoming 40 days of prayer and fasting.
It's going to go August 24th to October 2nd. You sign up at pray at regent.edu. Pray at regent.edu. For those who have signed up before, you don't need to sign up again. We've got your name.
But for those who are new to this, and there are many who are new, please email pray at regent.edu. This can change your life as you draw closer to the Lord and it can change the body of Christ because it begins with each individual drawing closer to the Lord. My life has been radically changed because of the 40 days of fasting and prayer. We begin at the beginning of the year on the Jewish calendar. And again, the prophets did 40 days of prayer and fasting.
It began with Moses. Jesus did prayer and fasting, John the Baptist.
So we are in the biblical tradition of taking these dates on the calendar, which are the biblical dates on the calendar for prayer and fasting. How do we do this? We meet on a Zoom call every day, and we invite you to come and be a part of this and pray and fast. Fast whatever the Lord speaks to you about. Maybe you're fasting from TV or maybe a food item, but there is power when we have self-sacrifice and then we draw closer to the Lord.
It's a fabulous experience, and I encourage everyone to email pray at regent.edu. Thank you, Michelle. It's been such a joy for me to be a part, kind of indirectly anyway, with your efforts at 40 Days of Prayer since 2021. I think you made the announcement right on this program. But I do need to make a quick heads up here, and a huge thank you to my audience.
I have been behind this microphone now for, believe it or not, 25 years, started in the fall of 2000, and that doesn't seem possible. And I've tried to give you a weekly report that has featured good news and kind of too often not the best news when covering the world and church events. But I've always tried to emphasize that no matter what happens, Jesus is coming soon. But this is my last program today, and I go into much more detail in part two of the program today as I'm a guest of Pastor Josh Schwartz and Ken Michael. Who will continue to do 30 minutes of Understanding the Times radio here on all radio and video outlets at the same time?
If it's on a radio program, it'll be the same time. And before we move to part two of their interview, I do want to stress how much I have appreciated to my audience your years of support, both prayerfully and, of course, financially in the Costs of media today are staggering, and you folks have provided all of those financial needs.
So I'm not going away. I'll be a guest now and then on this program and on other programs, but it's time I step away and consider some other ministry responsibilities. Olive Tree has grown to have international outreach that requires some enormous oversight.
So as you might reach out to me, do remember that this outreach takes a team and God has provided simply the best in the business.
Now, Michelle, thank you for being my most respected and requested radio guest here over those many years. And I want to say that I could not have done this without you. That may sound a bit unusual to say, but it's the truth. And you and I have worked together over 15 years and most certainly since you came into Congress back in 2007.
Well, you know, you are a profound leader and a leader that I have so much admiration and respect for, and I truly love you. And I feel like I am saying what the audience would be saying to you right now: that they have been led by your faithfulness, by your deep walk with the Lord, and the fruit that has come from this ministry of olive tree views. I have literally had the opportunity to speak all over the world. And everywhere that I have gone, it doesn't matter which continent it's on, almost inevitably, I have someone who comes up and says, I hear you on Jan Markel. It's a profound thing.
But what this says is that you've literally opened the word of God, Jan, to a number of people on a topic that a lot of pastors weren't talking about. That's end times. And you have taken the daily events at the exact right time in history when we see all of these events converging. We see the scripture, we add the daily events, and you open this living room, if you will, a global living room for all of your listeners. To be able to take what we hear in the news, add it to the Bible, and make sense to understand that Jesus is coming soon.
And then you've motivated us to tell others and to encourage our pastor and our Bible studies to talk about this and do more study.
So, I want to say on behalf of your audience, we love you. We thank you. We appreciate you. Your leadership has inspired us for years, and I'm thankful for it. And I'm so thankful you're not going away.
I think we'd be having a crying party right now if you were going away.
So, thank you for your willingness to be able to continue to appear on this show, Olive Views, with your new co-hosts who are coming along. But after 25 years, it is in some sense the end of an era, but it's an era that we see as golden. And it's an era that we are so grateful that the Lord has used your gifts and talents to benefit the body of Christ and stimulate. us to good works.
Well, thank you, Michelle. I may cry anyway. You know, since I began fall of 2000, here are just a few bullet points that have taken place. And you've watched them too. America attack, 9-11.
Israel isolated. The church fearful, many not wanting to take a stand. Bible prophecy scorned and Bible prophecy fulfilled. We've seen Washington, D.C.
somewhat ineffective. We've seen global government make huge leaps forward. We've seen many come to faith. We've seen the gospel going out to the ends of the earth. We've documented political corruption.
We've talked about that here the last couple of weeks. What is the biggest change that you have seen in the 25 years? Political upheaval, spiritual, economic. What do you see? The biggest thing that I've seen, Jan, is that we have never, in 5,000 years of recorded history, ever had available to us more knowledge of the Word of God.
We've never had greater access. Access to knowing exactly what's going on, and yet to know what the Bible says about it's all at our feet. And yet, For some reason, there are so many churches that aren't talking about the most obvious story. That's what I have loved about your show. Every week, I've seen how your guests have taken current.
Current events and tied it to the Bible. And it's obvious Jesus is at the door. We are at the pinnacle of history in this moment. And yet, where is the church? Where are the Bible teachers?
Where's the Bible studies? And so I'm so grateful for this show because I do believe today there is a new generation of people who are out speaking on this topic. People talking about prophecy and what the word says. We're a remnant from an era. There's a new generation coming.
And our job is that we have to faithfully hand the baton of the gospel of Jesus Christ to this younger generation. You have been faithful for those 25 years. And I think with all of the knowledge we have, with all of the events, now this is the moment, this precious moment. Will the church faithfully hand the baton to the next generation? We need to pray into that.
We need to support that. And the new. Young pastors that are coming up, we need to encourage them to be bold and tell the truth to this generation because our prayer is that all people will be saved as Jesus Christ comes to gather his church. And thank you, Jan, for leading us for 25 years. Thank you, Michelle Bachman.
Coming up, I'm going to be a guest with Pastor Josh Schwartz and Ken Michael. We'll have a lot more to say about the transition, so don't go away. Colleague Nathan Jones and I have a great friend on the set with us today. She is Jan Markell, and she is the founder and director of Olive Tree Ministries, located in the Minneapolis, Minnesota area.
Now, if I understand that, you're a Jewish Christian, right?
Well, yeah, my world was kind of a combination. I had some Jewish influence and I had a little bit of Christian influence, but I heard a Jewish evangelist when I was just 11 years old. Neighbors dragged me to hear Dr. Hyman Appleman. I didn't really know what he was talking about.
But you know, he preached the gospel so convincingly, and my heart was so convicted that I needed to respond to what he was talking about. As an 11-year-old, I gave my heart to the Lord. I did not know that that would. Ultimately, mean I would be in full-time Christian ministry and all the problems that come with it.
Well, you worked with Jews for Jesus for a couple of years, and then you started your own ministry. And basically, you just got in a car and started driving all over the United States, and you had your slides with you, I guess. Yeah, my AV equipment, my 12-string guitar. And David, when I started, I couldn't keep up with the demand. It was so tremendous.
And quite different from today. Quite different. Back then, I could minister every day of the week and 10 times on Sunday. And that's so strange when all the signs of the times indicate that we're living right on the threshold of the Lord's return. Welcome back to the program.
I'm Ken Michael, along with Pastor Josh Schwartz.
Well, if you've listened to Understanding the Times, you know that Jan Markell has been the radio host for the past 25 years, and we would like to acknowledge that and actually celebrate that amazing accomplishment. And with us today is none other than the founder and CEO of Olive Tree Ministries, Jan Markell. Jan, it is an honor and a blessing to have you with us. I'm so glad to be here.
So, in that clip, we kind of heard how you got started out in ministry, but for those that don't know your story, it's such an amazing story. Just share briefly how you started out and how we got to where we're at today.
Well, I would say, you know, going back 25 years, I would say that the interest in, at least in the churches, there's a little bit of difference between In the church and the people in the church, but in general, Pulpits weren't talking about the king is coming, or at least reluctantly, if they did talk about it. And that bothered me something tremendous. It really did. Because I think that's the most encouraging message almost in the Bible next to salvation: Jesus is coming again. And what happens when, after Jesus comes again, we are going to eternity with Him.
So I wanted to be excited about that. I wanted the church to be excited about that. And I tried to kind of pursue ministry in that vein, again, starting with various other organizations, forming my own some years ago now. And My goodness, Canon Josh, just look at our times. I mean, the Antichrist kingdom is being formed as we speak.
Truly it is. Yeah, we talk about it every week. I mean, you have, your story is amazing, how you started out. And I recall when I was a police officer driving around in my squad car, and I first heard you on a glorious Sunday morning, the sun's out, and I turned on Christian radio, and I'm thinking to myself, what on earth am I listening to? I have never heard this before.
But I started listening each week like many others, and I was blown away because I grew up in the Catholic faith. I had never heard about end times or eschatology, and I was completely blown away.
So you are the pioneer of what we're seeing today. I mean, it's just been amazing, Josh. Absolutely. And I remember my first time hearing you was just about the same. I wasn't in a squad car.
I was actually sitting alone in my office studying for an eschatological message. And it just. It all clicked, it made sense, and I was so thankful for someone who was going to be a watch person on the walls proclaiming the truth in the midst of utter, not necessarily lies, but. Running away from the truth, not touching the eschatology or the Bible prophecy that is so important to show us the faithfulness of God.
Well, I think you said the key phrase, Josh, watchman on the wall. And I think that's all we're trying to be, and we're trying to sound the alarm that we're running out of time. And what happens when time runs out?
Well, we're not going to be here, but there's going to be a terrible tribulation. There's going to be an Antichrist. Israel's going to rise to the center of the stage. the church disappears, I believe, before almost e All of this happens. The church disappears.
Following that, there's going to be a glorious millennium. But again, Do the people in the pews, and Josh, you've been a pastor several years, do the people in the pews even understand?
Well, they're not going to understand if they don't have a teacher. That's true. And I think that's what we've tried to do. Yeah, and that's the most important thing we can do, not only equipping the people in the pews who listen, but also helping to equip the pastors to stand confidently and say, thus says the Lord, and we can stand firm on those promises that he makes. But if the pastor's not confident to preach it and teach it, then the people are going to, at best, be foggy on what's coming.
At best. And we don't want them to be foggy. We want them to be excited. The king is coming. I mean, that's going to be a glorious time.
Whether we're spending it in a thousand years here or in eternity forever and ever, it's gonna be a glorious time. Yeah, it's all about. Teaching the full counsel of God. And that's what I found when I started listening to you. I've been with you for now 10 years, and I remember the things you were talking about 10 years ago, five years ago, three years ago, now are coming to fruition.
So it's just been amazing to watch.
So I want you to listen to another quick clip here, and then we'll get your comment. And now, Understanding the Times with Jan Markell, the program committed to helping you contend for the faith and view current events through the lens of the Bible. Here's Jan Markell. We're in a generation now where every man is doing what is right in their own eyes. The people she talked about think they're doing the right thing.
Obviously they're serving Satan, but they think they're doing the right thing. In their own eyes, they're doing the right thing. And we're in the times of Isaiah 5.20. Where evil is being called good and good is being called evil. You would think that such a traumatic and, as we properly have already stated, barbaric occasion that happened to Israel would have caused them worldwide sympathy, and in some circles it did.
But you know, the primary response that we saw globally. Was cheering for Hamas. What's wrong with the society that cheers for Hamas? What a privilege to be a part of the things that were difficult, painful. Keep you up at night for sure, but still, the things that we are witnessing.
What did you expect the last days to look like? Jan, I love that phrase. You say it quite often. But I mean, that opening clip, we heard your opening from about 2008, and man, how things have changed. I think the two events that really launched us into this change that we've seen not only globally, but especially in the church, and that's COVID and the attack on Israel.
Ken, so absolutely so true. COVID. changed the world and to to a certain degree, October 7th, 2023, when Israel was attacked by absolute barbarians, I think that certainly changed the world for the Jewish people, nation of Israel, but I think probably for the church too. And and I've said this on a number of programs. I got so many emails and Josh, you can perhaps understand the church better than some because you have been a pastor, but so many emails.
My church ignored that. This game changer, game changer, just like some other major things. I mean, I think artificial intelligence, a game changer. We've already said COVID, a game changer, but this thing that happened in Israel, a game changer, the churches didn't want to go there. Or they were embarrassed.
Or they were siding with Hamas. That goes back to my other clip. They're siding with Hamas. How do you make sense of that, gentlemen? Yeah, Josh, I think it really separated the sheep from the goats.
It did, and it was amazing. Just thinking back, I was a senior pastor of a small church in rural western Colorado in 2020, and the world went... Chaotic because we've got to stop. And I think in the beginning, rightly so, because we want to control what's happening and how disease potentially is spreading. But now that we know, five years removed from that, that was all a social project to condition people towards ultimate governmental control.
For the churches to question what to do and then be so apt and so quick to just neglect worship and neglect coming together. It's no wonder, Jan, that your ministry, the ministry at Olive Tree Ministries, exploded from 2020 forward because you were willing to say the hard things and have the people on that were telling the truth and making discernment through the lies.
Well, this ministry has been blessed to work with some of the finest teachers, preachers out there. I mean, I can't even get into them, but Mark Hitchcock and Ron Rhodes, Amir, Jack Kipps, so many have blessed this ministry. And I'm eternally grateful that any of them would spend 10 minutes with us. Many of them flew here for our conference activity. Yeah, we're going to talk about that in a moment.
So, I mean, we have been blessed big time. Everything that's happened here is a corporate event. I mean, but from employee, the best of the best, those who worked for us, to those we brought. Brought in from literally around the world, yes.
Well, before we dive too much into current events, and we do want to talk about some of this, let's reminisce a little bit. Tell us about what happened in the spring of 2001, right before 9-11. I think the world was Spring of 01, the world hadn't had their wake-up call yet. Spring of 2001. if they were going to get that in the fall of 2001.
So I think things were kind of coasting along. Earlier that year, and who could have imagined what was going to happen? I mean, again, 3,000 innocent people and I think it was about three months before nine eleven, Uh Osama bin Laden said, you know, from a cave somewhere wherever he was, that they got to slay the United States and Israel.
Well, Mm-hmm. He did. He tried. And obviously we bounced back, but it was a terrible, terrible ordeal. Never forget it.
I I won't either. And Josh, I remember like it was yesterday. I know exactly where I was and what I was doing. I was working that day. But Josh, What a transformation from then.
And we saw what happened in the church. I mean, people flocked to churches. They were filled up for a few months versus what happened during COVID and certainly after the attack on Israel. I mean, the churches are silent. Yeah, the fascinating thing is after the attacks of 9-11 that people even went to deny were terrorist attacks.
After the attacks of 9-11, people were more patriotic and people leaned into faith so much more. The churches were filled, like you said, Ken. And now we are removed from that. We have everything happen with COVID on October 7th, and the churches are emptying. People are walking away from the church because of just the wokeism and the embrace of LGBTQIA and liberal politics.
And the church is losing its place because it's trying to mirror what the culture is doing. But here on radio and on social media, all of Treeveve Ministries has been that bastion for truth and faith and hope. Hope with the blessed hope of our coming Savior. Yeah, but I think part of the apostasy and falling away was to fall away from, again, the glorious news that Jesus is coming again. And I don't know when that might have happened.
Was it in the 90s? Was it part of the church growth movement? Probably, but I don't know. My hunches when we started to want to make people feel good.
Well, For some reason the fact that the king is coming Isn't going to make you feel good. I'm sorry. I don't get that.
Well, it's like you've said before, it's a weapon of mass deception. The evil one is deceiving the world into thinking that, well, this Jesus character, he might be mythological or legendary, and he's not coming back because he hasn't come back in 2,000 years after all. And so all of that emotionalism and driving people away from the truth has placed us in the place that we're at right now. Yeah, I mean you looked at the prosperity gospel that was just exploding and people wanted to prosper versus hearing about the return of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
So Jan, you know, you started out, you know, 30 years ago, almost 30 years ago, 25 years ago, on one radio station. Tell us about, you know, now we're on a thousand radio stations. I mean, look at what God has done for this ministry.
Well, again, you know, despise not humble beginnings, I'm very, very grateful that a local station and and quite frankly it was a part of a network was willing to risk with somebody like me.
So again, that was in the fall of 2000, and I wasn't do I was going to move on in 2001 to live call-in radio.
Now, if you don't think that isn't challenging, live call-in radio sometimes the equipment would not work. That's part of live radio or live television, is you kind of go with the flow, and my goodness, you hope for the best, and a lot of times the best doesn't happen, but it's going to go out to thousands of people no matter Whether you're prepared or not, that's what happens.
Well, and those challenges. Those early programs, you had two hours of airtime. I did. And that, I mean, filling 30 minutes is a lot. And we have equipment problems with what we're doing.
So we totally get that. It's just amazing how the Lord gave you just this steel spine to fight through it and to just make it work and to get the news out there. You should have seen me behind the scenes. It was a meltdown. Every week there was a meltdown.
I get it.
Well, we have another clip for you that we want you to listen to, Jen, and then we'll get your take on it. The world is not falling to pieces, rather, the pieces are all falling into place. What in the world do you mean by that?
Well, the Bible, David, outlined so many things that would be happening as the sort of the end of the church age would close. And we're just seeing some of those, the stage setting signs. A lot are going to come true, are going to be fulfilled in the tribulation, but. We have things being fulfilled as we speak. We have things going on with the church, 2 Timothy 3, where men will be lovers of self and money and proud, arrogant.
And we see that I think that we're seeing so many of the predicted signs starting to really manifest. And they're going to intensify. And the Bible says, when you see these things begin to happen, look up and know your Redeemer is drawing near.
Well, you're listening to Understanding of the Times Radio. I'm Pastor Josh Schwartz, along with my co-host Ken Michael. And today we have a special guest with us in the studio, the founder and CEO of Olive Tree Ministries, Jan Markel. Jan, it's been a great conversation. And you have had through the years these great, just one-line sayings that are so important.
We heard earlier, what did you expect the last days to look like? And now, this saying that you've had that things aren't falling apart, they're all falling into place. What does that mean, and how has that helped you persevere in the midst of chaos through the last 25 years? I think all of us look at. the world aggrieving to be sure.
I mean, how do you look at some of the events that are going on and not wonder are things out of control? But they're not. They're really not. Everything throughout history was orchestrated. It's in the Bible.
Everything. And my goodness. Are we not privileged to be a part of the world? of this current generation where we're seeing everything kind of wind up. Um But Through this process, You know, a lot of people are being they're hurt, they're they're What about the natural disasters?
Oh, yeah. What about what we're seeing currently, next week today it might change, but in Texas. I mean, these are heartbreaking, but God allows these things to happen so that his end time purposes and ultimately his plan for the end of the age can all fall into place. I began seeing things. Look, they've been falling into place since day one of creation.
I think one of the things that in our generation is. Mass media. Internet, satellite communication, we see it instantly. What about our parents' generation? I don't even know if some of them didn't have television, but now we see it instantly.
That's a blessing and a curse. I think some of us have trouble going to sleep at night because of what we're seeing throughout the day. Absolutely. And the beauty is, like you said, things have been falling into place since the beginning of time. Absolutely.
Imagine what it would have been like to be a theologian 500 years ago and be reading the book of Revelation and asking, how in the world are any of these things going to take place? But now in the 21st century, we know that the whole world can watch an event live, and we can understand that God knew this is exactly how it was going to be. And his plan is in the midst of the rise of technology to still be honored and glorified and to have all these things right where he wants them to be for his honor and his glory.
Well, some of those theologians 500 years ago got things very wrong when it came to eschatology or the doctrine of the last days. I won't get into naming them, but some of the church fathers. couldn't understand it because they were interpreting it probably allegorically instead of literally. And I know John Darby is criticized, but I thank God for John Darby and others who came along and said, you know what, this narration is literal. Everything that's happening is literal, not allegorical.
Let's take God at his word. Time at his word. Because he's going to mean what he says and says what he means. And we can trust him because he is faithful. He's not a God of chaos.
He's a God of order and structure. I mean, my dad, when he was born and grew up as a young man, couldn't have understood what the book of Revelation meant. And now, since the rebirth of Israel, we're seeing, like you said, All these things falling into place. We're seeing everything that the Bible talked about: this false theology, false teachers, false prophets, replacement theology. Thank you.
Excuse me. Replacement theology. All of the anti-Israel sentiment that's out there. I mean, we're just seeing it blow up. And they're even attacking the pre-trib rapture.
I mean, we've got solid ministries that preach the gospel attacking us. I just don't get that. Nope, you're absolutely right, Ken. I mean, solid ministries that are mocking what we're doing, which is a heartbreaker for sure. And you know what?
One of these days, they're going to be very surprised. They're going to step back and say, you folks were right. Amen. And they'll be pleasantly raptured with us, right?
So, Jan, we. Can't talk about your ministry without talking about the amazing conferences that you held. Thank you. I mean, these were the Super Bowl of Bible conferences. That's what I call them.
I started going to them before I even met you, but after I met you and became involved in the ministry, I was your security director for a while. And man, I thoroughly enjoyed those conferences. Like I said, I always looked forward to that day. It was the highlight of the year to see all these amazing pastors come in and all these like-minded people showing up. What do we have?
Four, five, almost 6,000 people. Thank you. I'm so glad you jogged my memory because in 2017, I believe in 2018, Venue for 4,500, we had 6,200 people. And the church, as you know, the church came to me and said, Jan, we have a problem. It's called Too Many People.
Yeah, I think the fire marshal had a situation. And the fire marshal was furious and I didn't know what I was supposed to do, so they opened up every spare room in the this is a mega church, by the way. Yeah, people were sitting out in the hallways. They were in the hallways, they were pract they were We didn't the f even the parking lot was overrun. And the church was quite upset with me.
I understand completely, but So then we started ticketing. Sadly, the result of ticketing is not particularly pleasant, but nonetheless, Ken, thank you for reminding me because Those were wonderful days, and again The remnant was touched somehow to Bless us as a ministry. and flock to the Oldest state in the nation. Where are you from? I'm from Downingtown, Pennsylvania.
I'm from Chicago, Illinois. We're from Still Bay in South Africa, Orlando, Florida. Alca, Nevada, the great state of Texas. And be a part of our conference activity from 2002 to 2019, COVID put us out of business, and then we kind of downsized with Pastor Mark Henry at Revived Church in Brooklyn Park. Carrying on from there.
Well, I mean, we had people not only from all over the country. All over the world. What do we have? People from 30, 40 different countries that actually flew in just for this event.
So it was amazing. And then we need, I think we need to talk about some of the pastors and teachers that came to the conference. I don't want to leave anyone out. Pastor Jack Hibbs comes to mind. Amir Sarfate, obviously.
Just to name a few, I mean, what were some of the highlights for you? Mark Hitchcock, Ron Rhodes. My goodness, there were so many. Billy Crohn. Billy Crohn.
Yeah, we just, we were so blessed. We really were. We're going to have a grand time in heaven, aren't we? We're going to sit around and we're not going to argue about theology. That's a great heaven.
That's a great thing. It'll be a pleasant change. He does.
So, Jan, kind of a major change coming in the ministry. You're going to step back from radio, but you're not stepping out of ministry. Tell our audience about what's going to take place here.
Well, I think you gentlemen can probably talk about it better than I, but you're going to step in, you're going to be filling. 30 minutes of the programming and the program will come We cut back from 60 minutes to 30 minutes. But you know, and I want to quickly insert here, first of all, thank you for doing that. I appreciate it, and the audience appreciates it greatly. But we couldn't have done it all these years without a very faithful, loyal audience who prayed.
Who supported us financially, who encouraged us. And if there's one concept in the Bible I want to emphasize, it's Hebrews 10, 27, encouraging one another all the more as you see the day of his return drawing near.
So we couldn't have done any of these things without a very wonderful audience. And my hope and prayer is, of course, they're going to stay with. These two gentlemen who are more than capable of helping everyone understand the times, contend for the faith, and be watchmen on the wall.
So, I want to thank you for stepping in.
Well, we certainly appreciate it, Jan, and we're just honored to be able to do this. Yeah, and the format is only changing from one hour to 30 minutes. We're still going to talk about current events through a biblical worldview. We're still going to bring in top-notch guests to help us to understand and discern how things are happening.
So, none of the content is changing. Same outlets, too, same stations. Yes, yep, same stations. And exactly the same time every week. And then, of course, we'll be on social media, YouTube, Facebook, Telegram, the like.
So, really, it's just narrowing it down from 60 to 30 minutes on radio primarily.
Well, you gentlemen will have to really focus like a laser beam, and I know you can. Yeah, it's a big task and heavy shoes to fill, but we're thankful for the opportunity to do it. Thank you for doing it.
Well, Jan, we just want to thank you for your faithfulness to the Lord, to this ministry, promoting the gospel, and especially, like I said earlier, you were the pioneer that started all this in the area of end times and eschatology. And we just want to thank you for what you've done and for allowing us to be blessed to be able to continue this.
So God bless you. You're not going anywhere. We're still going to see you almost daily.
So we look forward to a continued working relationship and personal relationship. We're all friends, and we love you. You know that.
So God bless you and thank you for all you've done. Thank you, Frank, for having me today.
Well, friends, recognize nothing's changing. Jan's not going away. The truth is still going to be told. Jesus is still our absolute solid anchor and hope. And the truth is this.
We are hours, minutes, days closer to his imminent rapture.
So what are we to do? We're to look up. We're to press on. We're to share the gospel because eternal souls are at stake.
So we need to stand firm in the time and the places that God has placed us with His gospel message and our blessed hope, the imminent rapture of this. the church. I know that you've encouraged me and I can say the same for Ken. You've encouraged him over the years. I know there's countless listeners that have been encouraged and equipped to understand the times through your radio program.
So I don't think there is a better way that we could end this program than with your most encouraging radio endings throughout the years. These are things the Bible said. Look at these things and you'll know that the hour is late. You and I, we could all give 20 more things that indicate the hour is late. The increase of travel, of knowledge, etc.
So, folks, we're running out of time. That's my point here. We're running out of time. Be about your father's business while we have time. You know, in these troubled times, times of turmoil, times when headlines are absolutely startling some days, why don't you look back and thank him?
Why don't you look around and serve him? Look ahead and trust him. Always, though, look up and expect him. He is coming again sooner rather than later.
So, there you have it. We will all receive rewards, but we may also be chastised at this Bima seat. James 1:12 says, referring to the Bema, Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him. I need to go out of the procession. But I want to say this in doing so: that the psalmist said so long ago, Our times are in your hands, O Lord.
And as we watch the chaos and the confusion in our day, aren't you glad that such a verse applies to our time as well? Our times are in his hands. Nothing is out of control because God is always in control. No, our world doesn't make much sense today. It seems up is down, black is white, evil is good, and it is drowning in political correctness.
Longtime friends such as Israel are now marginalized, and that is why believers must have hope amidst it all. And that is why the marginalization of the glorious news that the king is coming is a tragedy in the church today. But whether believers talk about it, mock and scoff about it, or deny it, Jesus is returning someday. The Bible says Israel will be the key sign. The end time clock is.
Israel, the minute hand is Jerusalem, and the second hand is the Temple Mount. Keep your eyes on these, and you will never be bored. His honor and glory be unto your name.
