Prophesied destruction of Damascus Imminent!

Prophesied Destruction of Damascus Imminent?

Isaiah 17:1

This message came to me concerning Damascus:

“Look, the city of Damascus will disappear!

It will become a heap of ruins."

A stunning report published by Jane's Defense Weekly confirms rumors of a July explosion at a Syrian military base at al-Safir, near Aleppo, in which reportedly "dozens" of Iranian engineers were killed along with their Syrian counterparts.


Syria had originally dismissed reports of the explosion by saying the blast was generated by the desert heat causing the accidental detonation of a stockpile of explosives.

Jane's reported that the explosion was actually triggered while the engineers were fitting a chemical warhead onto a Scud-C missile. The explosion and fire released containers of the deadly nerve agents VX and sarin gas, as well as a mustard gas blistering agent.

Israeli Internal Security Minister Avi Dichter told reporters this week, "Iran has entered into strategic cooperation with Syria on conventional and nonconventional weapons development," adding, "The Iranians are very big in Syria."

Iran's Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is preparing Syria to cover his flank, should war break out between Israel and Iran over Tehran's nuclear arsenal. Ahmadinejad is evidently gambling on Syria taking out Israel while Iran squares off against the United States. Were Iran and Israel to face each other head-to-head, one or the other would inevitably cease to exist. Israel would have no choice but to annihilate Iran before Iran annihilated Israel.

Israel's "Samson Option" is named after the biblical judge who sacrificed himself in order to take his enemies with him. In the event of its impending destruction, Israel's retaliatory plan involves taking the Middle East along with it.

As the Iraq experience has proved, war with the United States is survivable. The terms of Israel's "Samson Option" mean war with Israel involving first-use weapons of mass destruction is not.

To Ahmadinejad's way of thinking, if somebody has to be martyred to the Mahdi's cause, why not Syria? Twenty-five hundred odd years ago, the Hebrew prophet Isaiah prophesied of the destruction of Damascus. This prophecy is made more fascinating by the fact it remains unfulfilled in history.

Damascus is the oldest continually inhabited city on earth. Although conquered many times, its status as an economic and cultural center of antiquity preserved it intact to this day.

But Isaiah predicted Damascus would one day face utter destruction: "Behold, Damascus is about to be removed from being a city and it will become a fallen ruin," he writes in Isaiah 17:1.

The prophet also predicts Damascus' destruction will come at a time when "the glory of Jacob" had begun to fade (Isaiah 17:4), at a time when Israel is in great peril of being "shaken like an olive tree," leaving only a few "on the topmost bough."

Isaiah prophesies that, when Damascus' destruction comes, there will be "an uproar of many peoples" and "the rumbling of nations" but that they will flee at God's rebuke.

It seems clear from recent events that Syria is preparing chemical and biological weapons, and possibly some form of nuclear weapon for use in some future war against Israel. Syria and Iran have been outfitting Hezbollah with the latest in offensive weaponry since the war of June 2006.

Israel is unlikely to sit back and wait for a first-use chemical or gas attack from Damascus. Neither is it likely to wait until Ahmadinejad can use Syria to flank them in the event of conflict with Iran. So the number of Israeli raids against Syrian targets is likely to escalate until either Israel has destroyed the threat or Syria responds militarily. If Syria attacks with weapons of mass destruction, it can expect a massive, in-kind Israeli response.

Bible prophecy doesn't make allowances for a full-scale unconventional war of annihilation of Israel by Iran, however. Ezekiel predicts Iran's participation of the Gog-Magog invasion as part of a Russian-led alliance, not a regional alliance with Syria. Both Iran and Israel are listed as participants in that future conflict.

But Syria isn't.

Syria isn't numbered among any of the various protagonists prophesied to participate in the conflicts of the last days.

Isaiah describes the destruction of Damascus in much the same terms that would be used today to describe the effects of all-out, no-holds-barred Israeli retaliatory strike against a Syrian gas attack.

"At evening time, behold, there is terror! Before morning, they are no more" (Isaiah 17:13-14).

Assad had better reconsider his options – while he still has some.

By Hal Lindsey

Iranian Video Says Mahdi is 'Near'

Iranian Video Says Mahdi is 'Near' By Erick Stakelbeck
CBN News Terrorism Analyst Monday, March 28, 2011RSS



New evidence has emerged that the Iranian government sees the current unrest in the Middle East as a signal that the Mahdi--or Islamic messiah--is about to appear.

CBN News has obtained a never-before-seen video produced by the Iranian regime that says all the signs are moving into place -- and that Iran will soon help usher in the end times.

While the revolutionary movements gripping the Middle East have created uncertainty throughout the region, the video shows that the Iranian regime believes the chaos is divine proof that their ultimate victory is at hand.

'The Coming is Near'

The propaganda footage has reportedly been approved at the highest levels of the Iranian government.

It's called The Coming is Near and it describes current events in the Middle East as a prelude to the arrival of the mythical tweflth Imam or Mahdi -- the messiah figure who Islamic scriptures say will lead the armies of Islam to victory over all non-Muslims in the last days.

"This video has been produced by a group called the Conductors of the Coming, in connection with the Basiji -- the Iranian paramilitary force, and in collaboration with the Iranian president's office," said Reza Kahlil, a former member of Iran's Revolutionary Guards who shared the video with CBN News.

Kahlili, author of the book, A Time to Betray, worked as a double agent for the CIA inside the Iranian regime.

"Just a few weeks ago, Ahmadenijad's office screened this movie with much excitement for the clerics," Kahlili told CBN News. "The target audience is Muslims in the Middle East and around the world."

To watch the video in its entirety, visit Kahlili's website.

The video claims that Iran is destined to rise as a great power in the last days to help defeat America and Israel and usher in the return of the Mahdi. And it makes clear the Iranians believe that time is fast approaching.

"The Hadith have clearly described the events and the various transformations of countries in the Middle East and also that of Iran in the age of the coming," said a narrator, who went on to say that America's invasion of Iraq was foretold by Islamic scripture--and that the Mahdi will one day soon rule the world from Iraq.

Other 'Prophetic' Signs

The ongoing upheavals in other Middle Eastern countries like Yemen and Egypt--including the rise of the Muslim Brotherood -- are also analyzed as prophetic signs that the Mahdi is near -- so is the current poor health of the king of Saudi Arabia, an Iranian rival.

"Isn't the presence of Abdullah, his illness, and his uncertain condition, great news for those anxious for the coming?" asks the narrator.

Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Khameini, and Hassan Nasrallah, leader of Iran's terrorist proxy Hezbollah, are hailed as pivotal end times players, whose rise was predicted in Islamic scriptures.

The same goes for Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadenijad, who the video says will conquer Jerusalem prior to the Mahdi's coming.

"I think it's a very grave development," Mideast expert Joel Rosenberg, author of The Twelfth Imam, told CBN News, "because it gives you a window into the thinking of the Iranian leadership: that they believe the time for war with Israel may be even sooner than others had imagined."

Kahlili says The Coming is Near will soon be distributed by the Iranian regime throughout the Middle East. He explained that their goal is to instigate further uprisings in Arab countries.

Has the U.S. Turned its Back on Israel for Good?

U.S. Blocking Weapons to Israel?

Let’s make one thing clear, how you treat God’s people determines your future. This was spoken thousands of years ago in the book of Genesis.

Genesis 12:1

1 The LORD had said to Abram, “Leave your country, your people and your father’s household and go to the land I will show you.

God gave the Jewish people the land of Israel. After punishing the Jews for their sins and dispersing them throughout the world, He miraculously gave the land back to them in 1948 after two thousand years.

Genesis 12:2-3

2 “I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”

God has, is and will bless those that bless his people. God will curse those who curse his people. This is something the world doesn’t seem to understand or want to learn from history. So let’s look at what is happening right now in politics. It’s actually something the main stream media (MSM) will not report on.

Since the current Obama administration has taken power, they essentially have placed an embargo on military equipment being shipped to the state of Israel. Most all major requests from Israel have been blocked. This includes advanced U.S. weapons such as AH-64D Apache attack helicopters, refueling systems, advanced munitions and data on a stealth variant of the F-15E fighter-bomber. Israel also requested shipment of 387 bunker buster bombs that could penetrate Iran’s nuclear facilities but the U.S. has blocked the delivery. Washington has also put a huge amount of pressure on the leadership of Israel to give up construction in Jerusalem and make unthinkable concessions to the Arabs. Michael Oren, Israel’s ambassador to Washington, has claimed the situation represented the worse crisis in US, Israeli relations in 35 years. The once great relationship between the U.S. and Israel appears to be failing quickly.

Since Israel became a nation on May 14th, 1948, the U.S. have been its greatest protector and friend. So going forward, if the U.S. continues down this path, God could easily lift His hand of protection on it. In the past, the U.S. congress has always been steadfast in supporting the only democracy and true friend in the Middle East regardless of how the president saw Israel. It seems that the majority in Washington are less concerned about supporting God’s chosen people and more concerned with their own political future.

How does this relate to bible prophecy?

Let’s look at a prophecy that talks about the state that Jerusalem will be in close to the time of the Rapture.

Zechariah 12:3

On that day, when all the nations of the earth are gathered against her, I will make Jerusalem an immovable rock for all the nations. All who try to move it will injure themselves.

Israel today is surrounded by her enemies and Jerusalem has become a burden to all those that do not understand and trust in God’s words. All the nations that do choose to go against her will injure themselves. This has been the case since 1948 and will continue because it is written in the bible.

There will also come a time that Israel will stand alone against the armies of Gog. I have always struggled to see how the U.S. (Israel’s greatest supporter) could stand by and not lift a finger to help Israel in its time of need. But with relations becoming so strained, imagine if the Rapture occurred tomorrow. The great restrainer is taken out of the world along with those that believe in Jesus Christ. The only people left are those that have no love for Israel.

The relationship between the U.S. and Israel is extremely important and going forward, we must have the wisdom to elect leaders that understand that significance.

By Kevin Rupture Sign

Roaring Revival / Distress of nations with perplexity

Roaring Revival / Distress of nations with perplexity

By Tony Pearce

Jesus said in the last days of this age there would be a situation which he described as the ‘distress of nations with perplexity.’ The word in Greek translated ‘with perplexity’ is ‘aporia’ meaning with no way out. In other words at the end of this age there will be a crisis so severe that there will be no solution to it. In fact bringing this age to an end and starting again will be the only solution from God’s point of view. Things will be so bad that it will be impossible to patch up, repair or recondition the state of the world. This will apply to the physical world as multiple crises combine for the final perfect storm created by human rebellion against God.

It will also apply to the spiritual world as all manner of errors and deception bring people into bondage to evil spirits instead of true faith in God through the Messiah Jesus. Sadly we are seeing more and more error and deception taking over the professing church of Jesus Christ. We have liberal theology questioning more and more of the Bible, especially the Creation, the uniqueness of Jesus Christ as the only Saviour of humanity and the hope of the Lord’s return to judge the world in righteousness. We have supposed evangelicals joining hands with Roman Catholicism in ecumenical prayer gatherings and projects to save the world. In doing this the evangelicals have to compromise on the teachings of the scriptures in order to accommodate the errors of Rome.

Now we have God TV broadcasting night after night ‘miraculous revival’ meetings taking place led by Todd Bentley in Lakeland, Florida. The miracles are apparently being done under the power of the ‘anointing’ which causes Todd Bentley to shake backwards as he waves his arms over the audience and shouts ‘Fire, Fire, Fire!’ Then people start roaring, groaning, shaking, jerking, experiencing burning sensations in the body and laughing uncontrollably. There have been reports of people having their eyes rolled in the back of their heads and women gyrating and pulsating like they are being ravaged from behind by some unseen force.

Bentley is credited with bringing ‘a million people into the kingdom of God in the last eight years’ and with being ‘one of the most accurate prophets of our generation’ (interview with Patricia King on Xtreme Prophetic TV show). People travel from around the world to pick up this ‘anointing’ which is said to be the most ‘contagious’ one ever. Some Christians are convinced that this is the great end time revival that will bring multitudes into the church and transform the world. Others that it is a great deception that will end in tears and tragedy.

Bentley claims that his miracles are accomplished with the help of angels – in particular an angel called Emma – who provide him with revelations and are bound to do his bidding. ‘Angels are commissioned to carry out the word that God's servants speak and prophecy,’ he says. In fact angels are messengers of God who do His will but there is nothing in the Bible to suggest that humans can command them to do our will.

Bentley claims succession to noted false prophets – in particular William Branham, Paul Cain and Bob Jones. William Branham was a Pentecostal preacher who made a name for himself in the 1950s with claims of sensational miracles. He was denounced as a heretic by the Assemblies of God on account of his false teaching. Branham denied the doctrine of the Trinity claiming it comes from hell, and taught that the zodiac and Egyptian pyramids are on a par with the authority of Scripture. He taught that Cain was the product of the sexual coupling between Eve and the serpent in the Garden of Eden. He first taught the Latter Rain teaching of the ‘Manifest Sons of God’. This teaching states that in the last days a "new breed" of believers would attain to immortality and conquer the last enemy of death. Latter-Rain prophets look forward to the appearance of a glorious end-time church which will become perfect and thus qualify for immortality here upon the earth prior to Christ's return. (Branham died in a car crash). The prophetic movement teachers identify this great end time company as the "Manchild" of Revelation 12, which will rule the nations with a rod of iron. This indestructible and immortal company become impregnated with the presence of the "Christ" and they will put all things under their feet. In fact the Bible teaches that in the last days the Antichrist will reign and true believers in Jesus Christ will be persecuted. The idea that Christians can become perfect or immortal here on earth before the return of Christ is a delusion.

Both Bob Jones and Paul Cain have been exposed as false prophets who have been guilty of sexual sin. Bob Jones appeared recently on a TV programme with Todd Bentley boasting of daily trips he makes to heaven. Unfortunately he is also suffering from a kidney disease and having to have painful dialysis treatment for this. He asks for prayer about this condition. Why doesn’t he ask Todd Bentley to heal him instead of going to the hospital? Is it because he knows that the healings are fake?

With most charismatic Christians today if you mention the word ‘healing’ or ‘miracle’ they suspend all critical faculty and go off into waves of ecstasy. They never question whether or not the healings are really taking place. In an article by Andrew Strom on the Florida events a pastor is quoted as saying, ‘When Todd Bentley conducted a healing meeting in a large charismatic church in England in 2005 he laid hands on many people who were apparently healed. I know of at least one instance when a pastor’s wife with cancer was prayed for by Todd. Soon afterwards she heard voices in her head telling her ‘to drown herself like her father did.’ The poor woman ended up in a mental hospital. I believe she still has cancer. No one is following up or keeping records of what happens to people who have hands laid on them by Todd or others like them. I have kept records as far as I can concerning this particular church. Over a relatively short period there has been a dramatic increase in premature deaths, cancers, marriage break-ups, sickness and disease amongst the congregation where the leadership have allowed this type of ministry into their church. Many people left the church in fear. These are the consequences of following this type of ministry which no one is aware of or wants to address. I know. I have visited the people in hospital and attended one of the funerals.’

If Todd is to be believed they could well end up in hospital as a result of attending his meetings. In one of the most appalling scenes I have ever witnessed on God TV (which is saying something) he claims that ‘God’ told him to grab a crippled lady and bang her legs up and down like a baseball bat, to kick another lady in the face with his biker boot. He also ran and hit a man so hard "it drove him back several feet! He hit the ground and his tooth popped right out of his mouth!" The worst thing about this madness was that the congregation was sitting there laughing at all this. This blatant incitement to violence if repeated by his deluded followers could well end up with these preachers being arrested for assault. It would certainly cause any unbeliever watching to reject Christianity as dangerous lunacy and even move for the suppression of the faith by the authorities.

Jesus warned of a great deception in the last days of this age. His first word when asked by the disciples about the sign of the end of the age was ‘Take heed that no one deceives you. For many will come in my name saying I am the Christ and will deceive many. … For false Christ and false prophets will arise and show great signs and wonders to deceive if possible even the elect.’ Matthew 24:4-5, 24. It is clear that evidence of the miraculous is no guarantee of faithfulness to God. The Antichrist and the False Prophet perform miracles by the power of the devil. ‘The coming of the lawless one (the Antichrist) is according to the working of Satan with all power, signs, and lying wonders and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish because they did not receive the love of the truth that they might be saved.’ 2 Thessalonians 2:9-10. ‘He (the False Prophet) performs great signs so that he even makes fire come down from heaven
on the earth in the sight of men and he deceives those who dwell on the earth by those signs which he was granted to do in the sight of the beast.’ Revelation 13:13-14.

Any true miracle will always glorify God and point to the Lord Jesus, not angels or men, as the only mediator between God and humanity. In the programmed I have seen of the events in Florida I have not seen any preaching from the Bible or heard any explanation of the Gospel. People are invited to come to Jesus or to come to catch the fire but unless they understand what the Gospel means they are not coming to the real Jesus. At the very least they must understand that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures, that he was buried and rose again on the third day and was seen by the disciples. They must understand that we are sinners who deserve God’s judgment and hell, but in God’s mercy He is offering us eternal redemption through the blood that the Lord Jesus shed at Calvary. They must know that they need to repent and believe that Jesus died and rose again and they must be willing to confess their faith before men. Anyone who
really understands this should come in a sober and penitent way not in this wild uncontrolled and irrational behavior which has much more to do with paganism than true Christianity.

In fact many people who have come to Christ from a New Age or occult background see strong connections between this kind of behavior and what they were into before coming to Christ. In an article on this subject Yakov Prasch notes that in these meetings ‘people react to the powerful suggestion, or touch, of the minister by barking, crowing, jerking, jumping on the spot, falling over (‘slain in the Spirit’), screaming, crying, becoming tingly, having visions, seeing lights and so on. These effects, in various measures, have always followed occult ministry – the most extreme form being kundalini yoga. Awakening kundalini energy is so dangerous that many yoga gurus refuse to fully release it in disciples – but Charismatic have no such qualms and people get hurt.’

Much of the church today is looking for gimmicks to bring people into the churches. They try one thing after another, but ignore the Master’s instructions and some even boast that they ‘don’t do doctrine’. In fact doctrine is a dirty word in many Christian circles today. But when the church abandons doctrinal teaching it is inevitably on the way to error and ultimate collapse. Isaiah 29 shows what happens when the word of God is no longer taught and the true prophets of God ignored – the Bible becomes a closed book and religion becomes man made and empty. Jesus told the disciples to go into all the world and make disciples ‘teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you.’ Matthew 28:18-20. Teaching involves doctrine.

Jesus said His doctrine was from the Father (John 7:6-7) and that He had come from heaven so He could tell us the truth about God and the kingdom of heaven (John 6:43-51). The apostles taught new believers the doctrine they had received from the Lord. ‘And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread and in prayers.’ Acts 2:42. They filled Jerusalem with this doctrine according to the opposition (Acts 5:28). Obviously this was not some weird experience or wild behavior, but something which related to the blood of Jesus and His sacrifice for the sin of the world.

Paul told the Ephesians that ‘we should no longer be children tossed to and fro and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, but speaking the truth in love may grow up in all things into Him who is the head – Christ.’ Ephesians 4:14-15. He told Timothy to pay attention to doctrine and to teach it in the church. 1Timothy 4:16. He says ‘All scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for instruction in righteousness that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.’ 2 Timothy 3:16. He also says ‘The time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers and they will turn their ears away from the truth and be turned aside to fables.’ 2 Timothy 4:3-4.

That time has certainly come. People today are looking for preachers who will tell them what they want to hear – that they can have power, wealth and health without having to bother with repentance, faith and walking humbly with God. As a result they are being blown about like leaves before the storm and turned aside to fables. Fables are basically made up stories. The kind of revival happening in Florida feeds on stories and testimonies. The stories become ever more exciting – healings, people being raised from the dead, angels coming and filling your teeth with gold, sending down feathers into meetings etc.

No one bothers to ask how much of all this is happening in the real world and how much is in the imagination of the people giving the stories – in other words how much is based on fables. If it is real and they have such power why don’t they go and empty the hospitals? Why does Bob Jones need dialysis for his kidney problem? Why are there as many people suffering from various diseases in ‘signs and wonders’ churches as there are anywhere else? Why do any of these preachers die in road accidents or of cancer? If such extraordinary things are really happening why the world does for the most part pay no attention and even laugh at the claims of these poor deluded Christians?

There might have been opposition to Jesus and the Apostles but the evidence of the scriptures is that everyone knew something supernatural had happened including the opposition. The Apostles never made exaggerated claims about what they were going to do in order to get people excited. They demonstrated the fact of the risen Lord Jesus Christ through the signs that He granted them to do and then they explained what had happened to the people. In Acts 4:14 we read how the Sanhedrin reacted to the healing of the cripple at the Temple: ‘Seeing the man who had been healed standing with them they could say nothing against them.’ They might not have liked it but they could not deny that a notable miracle had been done and that it was evident to all who dwelt in Jerusalem.

People like me who criticize this movement are often compared to the Pharisees in the New Testament. On the contrary if I really saw genuine lasting, medically verified miracles happening on the scale that is claimed I would join in praising God. But I see many disappointed people who have been prayed for over and over again and who remain just as sick as they were before and then have the added burden of being told it is because of their lack of faith that they are not healed. And that makes me wonder who the real Pharisees are.

We also find that the Apostles did not rush around laying hands on people to impart an experience of ‘fire’ or power. In fact the ‘anointing’ which most of these preachers talk about has no basis in biblical teaching. In the Old Testament the word ‘mashach’ (verb) and mashiach (noun) is used exclusively of anointing priests and kings and prophetically of the Messiah which is the English form of the Hebrew mashiach. Jesus the Messiah is both priest and king so the Old Testament anointing points to the anointed one – the Messiah. In the New Testament the word anoint in Greek is chrio (verb) and chrisma (noun) from which we have Christos (the anointed one or Messiah). Chrio is used 5 times in the New Testament (Luke 4:18, Acts 4:27, Acts 10:38, 2 Corinthians 1:21, Hebrews 1:9). Apart from the Corinthians reference all these verses apply to Jesus Christ as the anointed one.

The verse in Corinthians reads ‘Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and has anointed us is God who has also sealed us and given us the Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.’ This has nothing to do with transferable anointings calling down fire, but is about God placing us into the body of Christ by the Holy Spirit, a theme found elsewhere in Paul’s letters (1 Corinthians 12:3, Ephesians 1:13-14). The only use of the noun chrisma in the New Testament is 1 John 2:27, ‘These things I have written to you concerning those who try to deceive you. But the anointing which you have received from Him abides in you and you do not need that anyone teach you; but as the same anointing teaches you concerning all things and is true and is not a lie and just as it has taught you, you will abide in Him.’ In this case the anointing is the Holy Spirit in us who guides us into the truth and glorifies the Lord Jesus (John 16:13-15). That is one anointing which we really do need today.

The ‘transferable anointing’ actually never happened in scripture. Acts 8 is an interesting passage in which Philip preaches in Samaria and many people are saved, but Peter has to come from Jerusalem to lay hands on the people so that they might receive the Holy Spirit. When Simon the Sorcerer sees what is happening he offers to pay for the ability to pass on the Spirit to others. One wonders what today’s signs and wonders preachers would say to this generous offer to fill the funds of the church from a wealthy sorcerer. In fact Peter says ‘Your money perish with you because you thought the gift of God could be purchased with money. … Repent therefore of this your wickedness and pray God if perhaps the thought of your heart may be forgiven you. For I see that you are poisoned with bitterness and bound by iniquity.’ Acts 8:22-23.

The laying on of hands is used in Acts in order to commission ministry and to give spiritual gifts and in working miracles. Nevertheless the kind of manic laying on of hands on everyone who comes up at a meeting pushing them over as a sign of the power of the Holy Spirit is not to be found in Acts or the Epistles. In fact Paul counsels Timothy ‘Do not lay hands on anyone hastily.’ 1 Timothy 5:22. The fruit of Paul laying hands on Timothy was the very opposite of the frenzy and manic behavior we are witnessing today in Lakeland: ‘Therefore I remind you to stir up in you gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.’ 2 Timothy 1:6-7. Far from some magical power been transferred by the touch of one anointed person to another, the message of the Christian faith was to be spread by teaching its content from one to another: ‘And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also.’ 2 Timothy 2:2. How much we need this today.

Tony Pearce
http://www.lightforthelastdays.co.uk/

See also:

Who will left behind?

Rapture Alert! Make Sure You don't Left Behind

What Will You Do If You Are Left Behind?

After the Rapture

The Tribulation

Patricia King: Feathers or Fiddlesticks?

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by Bud Press, Director

Christian Research Service

"When he heard that Jesus had come out of Judea into Galilee, he went to Him and was imploring Him to come down and heal his son; for he was at the point of death. So Jesus said to him, "Unless you people see
signs and wonders, you simply will not believe." --John 4:47-48

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More than at anytime in the history of their movement, Charismatics are claiming to experience signs and wonders in the form of miraculous healings, resurrections from the dead, time-travel into the past, dreams and visions, spare body parts in heaven, prophecies, supernatural manifestations, angelic visitations, visits to heaven and to the throne of God, and one-on-one encounters with Biblical prophets, apostles, and "Jesus Christ."

And Patricia King and her Extreme Prophetic team is no exception.

Patricia King is a professing Christian and the founder and president of Extreme Prophetic. Her claims of supernatural manifestations--such as diamonds, rubies, gemstones, gold dust, gold nuggets, gold glitter, oil-soaked Bibles, and angel feathers--has caused a great deal of concern, controversy, and skepticism.

While King and others maintain the manifestations are a supernatural blessing from God, others say the manifestations are nothing more than sideshow gimmicks to draw the crowds, and draw away their hard-earned money.

In her January 23, 2008 article, "WHEAT AND TARES IN THE SAME FIELD OF SUPERNATURAL PHENOMENA IN 2008," Patricia King maintains that the "Lord" will intensify supernatural manifestations in 2008, and testifies of her encounters with the supernatural--both the true and the false:

     In the last 7 years there has been accelerated manifestations of supernatural phenomena. Healings, deliverances, manifestations of glitter, feathers, gemstones, various heavenly fragrances, visions, angelic visitations and heavenly encounters are a few. In 2008, the Lord will increase the amount and the intensity of true supernatural phenomena in His church. It is going to be both glorious and necessary for the Body of Christ as we grow in understanding of the power of the invisible Kingdom of God being made manifest in the earth. While the true manifestations of the Kingdom accelerate, so also will the false--both in the church and in the world.

On one hand, King claims to recognize true manifestations. On the other hand, she warns against false manifestations, but is confident that "feathers" are an integral part of the signs and wonders movement.

However, is Patricia King willing to produce the evidence to back her claims?

Watch the angelic birdy!?

In the following excerpts from her December 20, 2005 "Prophetic Directives For 2006," Patricia King shares a story about an angelic visitation that not only shimmers with New Age, but resembles the central theme of the popular book and movie series, The Lord of the Rings:

In December 2005, our producer Shirley Ross was visited by an angel called "Purity". Purity is a white eagle with piercing fiery eyes and yet soft, gentle, and dove-like in nature. Shirley also saw a golden ring that Purity carried. It was a ring of power and protection and it was placed around individuals and groups who chose the virtue of purity. I was present during the visitation and also felt the presence of Purity at that time although I did not see it...The angel Purity returned the next day and the day after. I saw the vision of this being during the two days and also felt the softness of its breast feathers on one occasion.

Patricia King (formerly known as Pat Coking), has a fascination with angelic eagles that borders on the surreal. In her January 24, 2002 article, "Vision of Eagles-A Prophetic Destiny for Canada through Pat Coking," she stated that,

At the Eyes and Wings Conference in Kelowna, angels filled the sanctuary, hundreds of them. Their heads were like the heads of eagles and their bodies were like angels – white, pure, glistening.

They were building nests and sitting on eggs. The eggs were the prophets that were being raised up for the last days. These angels were assigned to incubate the eggs and were mandated to call the eaglets out of their shells, for it is now the time.

And Todd Bentley and Bob Jones1 aren't the only ones who claim to have encountered a female angel. Add Patricia King to the list:

The angel of Wisdom appeared in the vision. She had a lamp in her right hand and in her left was a little gold book with silver lined pages. The book was called "The Eternal Word". The print inside the book was written in blood red. She said, "from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it, you shall surely die. (see Genesis 2:17)" ["Pat Coking: The Beguiling Serpent (Part One),"

While a white eagle-angel named "Purity" with feathers on its breast is found nowhere in Scripture, and while eagle-angels hatching prophet-eggs cannot be backed by Scripture, and while female angels do not exist in Scripture, statements of this nature demonstrate how incredibly deceived these people are. This, in itself, should cause Patricia King's followers to fly to the nearest exit and separate from her and Extreme Prophetic.

Ironically, Patricia King's article, "Prophetic Directives For 2006," includes the following paragraph, which falls under the category of, The deceived warning the deceived about being deceived:

Deceitful last day’s doctrines will attempt to be birthed into the minds of believers that will give license to lustful and worldly pleasures. Confusion will come to some as supernatural visions, revelations and even some scriptures will be used to support the doctrine. These doctrines will seem right to some but the end will be destruction. They will fall away from the truth as a result.

Again, The deceived warning the deceived about being deceived.

Clouded minds

Common with all false teachers is mixing a little truth with a lot of deception. One part truth, shaken and stirred with two-parts deception--then bottled in a new, divine revelation--produces a demonic cocktail sauce waiting to be spoon-fed to impressionable, Biblically illiterate Christians.

False teachers are subtle and methodical in their approach. Slowly but surely, they condition their followers to nod their heads in approval over things that God has clearly warned against for thousands of years. And when they know their claims and teachings become too "controversial," false teachers go to great lengths to explain it away, and always caution or warn their followers to avoid those who "judge falsely" and "attack God's anointed."

But what the followers of false teachers fail to realize is that God commands the believer to judge righteously and without hypocrisy (Matthew 7:1-6; Matthew 18:15-17; John 7:24; 1Cor6:3-5).

And when false prophets and false teachers spew their doctrines of demons, God commands Christians to guard the flock, defend the faith, and expose false teachers publicly (Acts 20:27-31; Jude 3; Ephesians 5:11). How else are Christians to know the vast difference between truth and deception than to test the claims and teachings by God's written word?

Truth mixed with error leads the innocent and unwary away from Jesus Christ and sound doctrine into the arms of the world and eternal separation from God.

"They are from the world; therefore they speak as from the world, and the world listens to them. We are from God; he who knows God listens to us; he who is not from God does not listen to us By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error" (1 John 4:5-6).

Again, from her December 20, 2005 article, "Prophetic Directives For 2006," Patricia King states that,

The nature of deception is that when you are in it, you do not know it. Strong relational accountability will be needed to help avoid the pitfalls that come with deceptive doctrines and mindsets. ["Prophetic Directives For 2006," ]

The conditioning process prepares the mind for deception. Deception clouds the conscience and the thinking process therein. Doctrines of demons burn the conscience like a hot iron. Departing from the faith opens the door to seducing spirits (1 Timothy 4:1-2).

Patricia King would do well to follow her own advice.

Signs or the Savior?

Question: Is a claim true simply because someone says it is true? Answer: No. A claim without proof is like a bird without feathers--it won't fly. The burden of proof rests with the one making the claim.

Common sense dictates that when a person makes a claim, but refuses to provide PROOF, it calls into question ALL the claims he or she has made, both past and present.

Most importantly, where in God's written word does it teach that diamonds, rubies, gemstones, diamond glitter, gold dust, gold nuggets, gold glitter, oil-soaked Bibles, oily stigmata, purple angels, angelic footprints, and angel feathers are supernatural manifestations of God? It doesn't.

Supernatural manifestations said to appear out of nowhere, specifically those described and supposedly experienced by Patricia King and others, are found nowhere in God's written word. Yet, those caught up in the signs and wonders movement are listening to false teachers over Scripture, and claim the manifestations are from God in heaven.

It is the experience (personal feelings and emotions) that cause people to look to themselves and place their trust in what man teaches, instead of trusting in the Lord. It is the experience (something seen; something felt; something tangible) that takes precedence over the written word of God. It is the experience that draws people away from Jesus Christ and into deception. It is the experience, instead of the Holy Spirit, that becomes the teacher:

"But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of Mine and will disclose it to you" (John 16:13-14).

The Holy Spirit guides the believer into all truth and glorifies Jesus Christ, not signs and wonders; not supernatural manifestations; and not experiences rooted in false teachings.

"Trust in the LORD with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight. Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD and turn away from evil" (Proverbs 3:5-7).

In his article, "To be Forewarned is to be Forearmed," Mike Oppenheimer speaks directly to those who are caught up in the experience, rather than God's truth:

If people gather to see signs and wonders, they are already removed from the prescribed order for a church gathering. God is interested in communicating truth not just His power. God’s Word is truth that has the power to change lives. God said He would lead us into truth through His Word, not through miraculous signs. God still does miracles but He will NOT honor falsehood by the power of His presence. Any sign or wonder must be questioned, and tested by the word rather than relying on the experience itself to validate it.

Therefore, which is primary? Experience-driven signs and truth sacrificed on the altar of experience, or trusting in the Savior Jesus Christ?

Manifestations or man-infestations?

Patricia King's Extreme Prophetic website includes "Supernatural" photos taken during various functions. On this page, Joshua Mills (accompanied by his wife and Patrica King) is seen with "Gold" in the palms of his hands. This page features photos of Mills with glitter on his forehead and hands, and "oil" dripping stigmata-style from his hands. This page consists of an "Angel" hovering over a building, numerous angel "orbs," "Fire" and "Flagging Lights," "Gold Leaf," a "Purple Angel" hovering above a crowd, "Gemstones," "Glory Clouds" and, in the bottom left-hand corner, and a photo taken in Puerto Rico of what is claimed to be footprints of an angel (click here for the enlarged version).

While Patricia King, Joshua Mills, and others within the Charismatic movement publicly testify to supernatural manifestations of the expensive kind, it is the manifestations of the feathered kind that prompted the following letter to King, with the hope she would back her claims and cooperate with a very simple request:

September 23, 2008
Patricia King

Extreme Prophetic
PO Box 1017
Maricopa AZ 85239
P: (250) 765-9286
F: (250) 316-6285
http://www.extremeprophetic.com/

Dear Patricia:

I have spent a considerable amount of time on your website reviewing the "Supernatural Revival Photos" of gold dust, gold nuggets, gemstones, oil, and diamonds--all of which is claimed to have appeared supernaturally.
http://www.csa-xp.com/index.php/media/media-photo-gallery/category/4

In the Ask Patricia section of your website, under "Gold dust, gems, signs and wonders," you stated that,

Many times in meetings or in devotional times, signs and wonders will manifest such as gold dust, gemstones, diamond glitter, oil, feathers, manna and many other things. [ http://tinyurl.com/PKFeather ]

I am requesting a feather from one of your meetings for scientific analysis. Please be assured that it will be handled with the utmost care, and will be promptly returned after a thorough examination by a qualified expert.

If, by chance, you aren't in possession of a feather, please feel free to provide one from another source.

Should you agree to my request, my mailing address will be promptly provided.

Please know that this letter, comments on your reply, and the results of the scientific analysis on the feather will be published on my website.

Thank you, Patricia. I look forward to hearing from you at your earliest possible convenience.

Sincerely in Christ,
Bud Press, Director
Christian Research Service
http://www.christianresearchservice.com/

Jude 3

Bud Press is a Christian Investigative Researcher and the Director of Christian Research Service. CRS is a discernment ministry that provides information, documentation, and referral on a wide variety of issues to the body of Christ and the Christian news media worldwide. All correspondence is subject to public scrutiny.

The above letter was e-mailed to three different addresses at Extreme Prophetic. The same day, an Extreme Prophetic Team member provided the following automatic replies:

Thank You for contacting Extreme Prophetic. Your needs and requests are important to us and we will try to get back to you as soon as possible. Due to the overwhelming amount of e-mail we receive, it may take us a few days. Thanks or your understanding. Patricia and the Extreme Prophetic Team

Thank you for emailing the Extreme Prophetic Resource Department. Due to the high volume of emails we receive it may take a few days before you hear back from us. Thanks for your patience. -The Extreme Prophetic Team

Obviously, more than a "few days" have passed since CRS's September 23 letter to Patricia King. Nevertheless, in a follow-up on September 30, CRS called Extreme Prophetic to speak to Patricia King about the request for a feather, as well as other issues. During the call a representative said King was out of the country, and that King would read and reply to her e-mails upon her return at the end of the week.

But the end of the week came and went with no reply from King or her staff.

On October 7, CRS called Extreme Prophetic, again, to speak to Patricia King, but was told she was unavailable. The staff member said she would make sure CRS's letter would be referred to the proper individual for review.

In light of 1 Thessalonians 5:21-22 and 1 John 4:1, when claims of the supernatural are made, those making the claims should be ready, willing, and able to validate their claims and provide proof. If their claims are true, they have nothing to fear from public scrutiny.

Yet, as of this writing, there has been no reply from Patricia King, and no further replies from her staff.

Are the feathered manifestations a supernatural blessing from God, or infestations of mankind's ignorance and greed?

Closing comments...

Simply put, those caught up in the signs and wonders movement should take serious Jesus' warnings to His disciples in Matthew chapter 24:

"Many false prophets will arise and will mislead many...For false Christs and false prophets will arise and will show great signs and wonders, so as to mislead, if possible, even the elect. Behold, I have told you in advance."

In 2 Thessalonians chapter 2, the Apostle Paul warns that lying signs and wonders will play an important part in the downfall of those who choose to follow a lie over the truth:

"Then that lawless one will be revealed whom the Lord will slay with the breath of His mouth and bring to an end by the appearance of His coming; that is, the one whose coming is in accord with the activity of Satan, with all power and signs and false wonders, and with all the deception of wickedness for those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved."

Although supernatural manifestations are considered by many as "great" signs and wonders, it doesn't mean that the manifestations are real. Those who truly love Jesus Christ do not waste their time crawling around on the floor searching for gold nuggets and gemstones, nor do they fixate their eyes on church ceilings and the sky searching for "angel" feathers.

Christians keep their eyes on the One Who suffered and died on the cross, the Alpha and the Omega, the Savior and King of kings--Jesus Christ:

"Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God" (Hebrews 12:1-2).

While claims of supernatural manifestations will increase, here are some important words from Jesus Christ, Himself, that should be strongly considered by anyone caught up in the signs and wonders movement:

"The Pharisees and Sadducees came up, and testing Jesus, they asked Him to show them a sign from heaven. But He replied to them, "When it is evening, you say, 'It will be fair weather, for the sky is red.' "And in the morning, 'There will be a storm today, for the sky is red and threatening.' Do you know how to discern the appearance of the sky, but cannot discern the signs of the times? "An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign; and a sign will not be given it, except the sign of Jonah." And He left them and went away (Matthew 16:1-4).

An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign... Jesus didn't mince words. He said what He meant and meant what He said. Seeking after a sign is a sin that draws the believer away from the Person and work of Jesus Christ. It is a form of idolatry:

"We know that we are of God, and that the whole world lies in the power of the evil one. And we know that the Son of God has come, and has given us understanding so that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life. Little children, guard yourselves from idols" (1 John 5:19-21).

Christian Research Service tried to contact Patricia King numerous times, and allowed her plenty of time to reply. Indeed, with all those "feathers" floating around, surely King or a member of her staff could have spared at least one feather for scientific analysis?

FIDDLESTICKS!

Footnote:
1 Refer to the article, Todd Bentley: An Angel Named 'Mary'

Recommended reading:
The Purpose of Signs and Wonders
Lucy Rael caught faking angel feathers...
Patricia King and Extreme Prophetic Exposed
Patricia King: Mortuary Ministry???
The Hurt of Healing (Faith Healers)
All That Glitters: Gold Fillings and Truth Decay Toronto
Todd Bentley Articles Page
Todd Bentley Videos Page

See also:

Who will left behind?

Rapture Alert! Make Sure You don't Left Behind

What Will You Do If You Are Left Behind?

After the Rapture

The Tribulation

BiblicalProphecies and World Affairs

“I Will Set Egyptians Against Egyptians” A Simulation-Scenario Analysis
                          Dr.Lawrence Prabhakar Williams* Sunday, February 6, 2011

What is currently happening in Egypt--particularly in the Sinai-Gaza corridor is stealthy infiltration of the Hizbullah into Gaza while an exchange of the Hamas backed by the Muslim Brotherhood (MB) into Egypt. The Rafah Crossing is no longer manned by the Egyptian Border Police and the Egyptian army is fully focused in the internal cauldron. That leaves the Egyptian-Gaza-Israeli border open for all kinds of infiltration and stealthy buildup by the Hizbullah in collusion with the Hamas;

The Iranians are also around the place since their small-boat navy is doing its exercises in the Mediterranean. I suppose the Israeli Navy is also watching out for them in the region. Particularly vulnerable is the Suez that could have some kind of "maritime spectacular" orchestrated by the radicals as Egypt is roiling in this cauldron. If the Suez region is vulnerable then it heightens the vulnerability of maritime and naval shipping into and out of the region including US and Western naval carrier and expeditionary task forces. The last time a US Carrier expeditionary and strike group moved along the Canal; there was an impressive lineup of the Egyptian armed forces besides Egyptian naval craft in pilot positions in the Canal.

So the turbulence that is now engulfing Mubarak and his regime has all the fine print of the Muslim Brotherhood (MB) who are obviously "masquerading" as reformists--hijacking the reformist agenda lacing it with radical ideas that presently are subtly camouflaged.

In Phase-I The Muslim Brotherhood (MB) that is at work with its street-savvy and reformist masquerade garb is all set to:

a) Unseat the Mubarak strongman regime;

b) Outmaneuver the El-Baradei group that may be the genuine reformist face of Egypt--orchestrating their usual assasinations;

c) Ride on the chaos (along the pathways of how the Khomeini Group overwhelmed Shah Reza Pahalvi of Iran-- ousting him--(thanks to the insipid and arrogantly idiotic Jimmy Carter) and then they had Abolhassan Banisadr take over and then they overwhelmed him--culminating in America's most infamous 52 US diplomatic personnel held hostage for 444 days by the Khomeini gang--of one of those ring leaders is the current Mahmoud Ahmadinejad);---- a possible seizure of US and Western diplomatic missions could be an eventuality--triggering US and Western naval-Special Operations Forces intervention--albeit requiring Israeli logistical and intelligence support;

I would not surprised if the Iranians had already slipped in their covert agents into Egypt to catalyze the overthrow of the Mubarak regime (Since Egypt is the only credible Sunni Arab military power that could stand up against the expanding Shiite Empire of "Iranistan" "Bill Salhus's conception")-- With Egypt gone, the rest of the Sunni Arab world would be as what Isaiah writes to describe Egypt in Isaiah 19:16 as "....it shall be afraid and fear because of the shaking of the hand of the LORD of hosts..." even as Egypt shivers; the rest of the Sunni Arab world would freeze;

Again, the terror is also induced since the "apparent" military balance of power shifts irrevocably to Israel (Egypt despite the Peace Treaty with Israel has been hostile) and so if this force (Egypt) is gone; the rest of Psalm 83 war coalition partners are already alarmed; what is left is Syria (under the Shiite "Iranistan") Lebanon (effectively the proxy and stooge of the Iranians with Hizbullah reigning strong and that leaves Jordan (Petra) and Saudi Arabia (the Ishmaelites);

In Phase II a Muslim Brotherhood (MB) dominated Egypt would join hands with the Hamas,Hizbullah, Syria (backed by Iran) and the cascade of similar MB and Hizbullah inspired revolt jolting Jordan (Moab and Edom) would commence their siege on Israel with a sharp escalation of their attacks on Israel (given the comfort to them of the loss of the Mubarak regime that hitherto was an American ally --"stooge") thus setting the stage for Psalm 83. With no Egyptian control on the Gaza-Egyptian corridor; the Suez security being compromised; Israel's southern flank would be exposed inasmuch as it Northern Theatre with Lebanon-Syria;

Phase-III would see the trigger of the prophesied events of Psalm 83--->Isaiah 17----->Jeremiah 49 unfold--even as the Shiite regime in Teheran would initiate missile strikes with Iranian military advisors and the IRGC (Iranian Revolutionary Guards Council) in tow in Lebanon--coordinating with a joint Hamas-Hizbullah attack from Gaza with Egyptian regime Muslim Brotherhood regime/ or MB dominated regime in Cairo (the Hizbullah-Lebanon style of governance) in collusion opening for Israel a 360 degree "War without Fronts" with redlines crossed by the introduction of Chemical-Biological warheads on Israel (Isaiah 17:4-6) destroying Israel's agricultural produce--thus setting the "crossing the redlines of deterrence" that compels Israel to resort to the nuclear strike on Damascus; It is possible with the Israeli nuclear arsenal coming out from its recessed deterrence to its ready arsenal; Israel's 400+ nuclear warhead arsenal is plentifully available for both battlefield strikes using Tactical Nuclear Weapons and particularly its Neutron Warheads (Enhanced Radiation Reduced Blast) on the asymmetric enemy; besides Israel also has Particle Beam weapons/ Plasma weaponry that is unleashed on its adversaries with impunity (Obadiah 1:14-18)

Isaiah 19 follows Isaiah 17 and therefore it could be presumed (my assumption--since the Chapter is chronically arranged) that Israel's "escalatory response" commences with Hizbullah-Hamas-Lebanon-Syria--overrunning Jordan--striking Northwest Saudi Arabia and then turns to Southeast to strike Egypt.

Isaiah 19:17 points the "....And the land of Judah shall be a terror unto Egypt...." (southern part of Israel--geographically adjacent to the Egyptian mainland--and the Israeli Southern Theatre Command of its forces are based with Eilat as its naval port) (By the way, the Southern Command has its operational jurisdiction from the Yishai River in the north until the Taba Pass in the south, from Taba until the Rafah coast in the north) would see the massed IDF (Israeli Defence Forces) and its air power deployed in full strength along with the Navy in battle stations in the Mediterranean even perhaps taking positions along the Suez since Israel needs the Suez for its deployment along the Iranian Coast-specially the Dolphin class submarines armed with Israel's Popeye Turbo Cruise missiles with nuclear warheads that stabilizes israel’s nuclear strike capability against Iran/ Elam/Persia)

It is also possible that Israel could launch a pre-Psalm 83 war operations, a combined arms air-land-sea expeditionary operations crippling and effectively neutralizing the Egyptian operational capabilities that could be used against Israel—that could also be the imputing of the essence of Isaiah 19:17 "....And the land of Judah shall be a terror unto Egypt....".

In a striking similarity, the run-up to the forthcoming Psalm 83-à Isaiah 17--à Jeremiah 49 War Prophecies has all the imprint of the events that were prevalent prior to the overwhelmingly victorious war that Israel won in the Six Day War, June 1967

What I have narrated above is a scenario-simulation analysis that is inspired by Biblical Prophecies !
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
* Dr Lawrence Prabhakar Williams affirms his faith and conviction on the indispensable primacy of Biblical Prophecy in world affairs. The author is an academic and policy research analyst; Associate Professor, Department of Political Science, Madras Christian College, Chennai, India; Visiting Professor, Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology-Madras, Chennai, India. The author specializes in Defence-strategic affairs, nuclear and missile issues, maritime security and Grand strategy studies.

Egypt Fit Into Bible Prophecy!

"I Will Set Egyptians Against Egyptians" By Bill Salus
                      Friday, January 28, 2011


These are the days when the Bible is its own best commentary. Imagine Isaiah the prophet standing on the streets of Cairo today speaking in front of a mainstream news camera declaring:

The burden against Egypt. Behold, the LORD rides on a swift cloud, And will come into Egypt; The idols of Egypt will totter at His presence, And the heart of Egypt will melt in its midst. “I will set Egyptians against Egyptians; Everyone will fight against his brother, And everyone against his neighbor, City against city, kingdom against kingdom. The spirit of Egypt will fail in its midst; I will destroy their counsel, And they will consult the idols and the charmers, The mediums and the sorcerers. And the Egyptians I will give Into the hand of a cruel master, And a fierce king will rule over them,” Says the Lord, the LORD of hosts. (Isaiah 19:1-4, nkjv)

Like a swift moving cloud, Isaiah predicts the rapid deterioration of events in Egypt. Civil unrest causes Egyptians to fight against each other. This fighting spreads from household to household and grows into a kingdom war. Probably quoting Isaiah 19:2, Christ warned kingdoms would rise against each other in Matthew 24:7. Unlike nation coming against nation, which alludes to world wars, “kingdom against kingdom” refers to regional conflicts. Christ taught these prophecies would come upon the world like birth pains. Like a woman about to deliver her newborn, these events are foretold to come with increased frequency and intensity each building upon the other.

Rumors of regional kingdom wars presently abound in the Middle East. Egypt and Saudi Arabia reportedly conducted joint military exercises in 2010 preparing for a possible confrontation with Iran. Iran represents the Persian kingdom and Egypt and Saudi Arabia the Arab kingdom. Additionally, the apocalyptically minded president Ahmadinejad of Iran has threatened on several occasions to wipe Israel, representing the Jewish kingdom, off of the map.

Psalm 83 predicts the Arab kingdom will someday rise against the Jewish kingdom to banish the name of Israel forever. Both Egypt and Saudi Arabia along with eight other Arab populations join the Arab kingdom in this pending prophetic war.

Isaiah’s prognosis for Egypt worsens as you read the rest of his chapter nineteen. Isaiah 19:5-12 tells us unprecedented religious and economic strife plagues the nation according to the purposes of the Lord. Apparently, this disastrous condition befalls Egypt because of its future involvement in Psalm 83 since we read in Isaiah 19:16-18 that Israel will take over five cities in Egypt and cause Hebrew to be the spoken language inside their city limits. One of these cities will be called “the City of Destruction,” implying the I.D.F. destroys this city.

In that day Egypt will be like women, and will be afraid and fear because of the waving of the hand of the LORD of hosts, which He waves over it. And the land of Judah will be a terror to Egypt; everyone who makes mention of it will be afraid in himself, because of the counsel of the LORD of hosts which He has determined against it. In that day five cities in the land of Egypt will speak the language of Canaan and swear by the LORD of hosts; one will be called the City of Destruction. (Isaiah 19:16-18, nkjv)

Will the civil strife developing in Egypt cause the overthrow of President Hosni Mubarak, who supposedly has cancer and turns 83 on May 4, 2011? Many expected his son Gamal Mubarak to be his replacement; however, Gamal and his family have reportedly fled to the U.K. for safety. If the Mubarak government is overthrown will the Muslim Brotherhood fill his office with one of its own fulfilling Isaiah 19:4? The Muslim Brotherhood, presently banned in Egypt, hates Israel and supports Jihad against the Jewish State. Hamas, also participating against Israel in Psalm 83, is their political arm inside of the Gaza. Hamas, like the Muslim Brotherhood, calls for the destruction of Israel.

Will the present protests inside Egypt metastasize into the fulfillment of Isaiah 19? If so will the coming cruel leader be the one who leads Egypt into the Psalm 83:6-8 confederacy? All of this is unknown but entirely possible. One thing is for certain; the Middle East appears to be on the verge of going apocalyptic.

January 2011 has seen the governments of Lebanon, Tunisia, and Egypt become severely challenged. The government of Jordan is expected to be next. Lebanon, Egypt, and Jordan are involved in Psalm 83 and Tunisia appears to take part in the Ezekiel 38 - 39 prophecy. It appears high time Christians familiarize themselves with the prophecies of Isaiah 19, Isaiah 17, Jeremiah 49, Psalm 83, and Ezekiel 38 - 39. These are a few of the world changing prophecies stage setting on the prophetic horizon.