This is Daniel Whyte III with the Second Coming Watch Update. This is update #946. Let’s take a quick look at today’s prophecy-related headlines which point towards the Second Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ and the end of the world as we know it.
First, today, under the Sign category of WARS & RUMOURS OF WARS — According to the Times of Israel, this week, the United States rapidly deployed several heavy bombers to the Middle East in an apparent threat to Iran, amid swirling speculation that US President Donald Trump plans to take military action against Tehran before President-elect Joe Biden enters office. US Central Command said the planes were sent into the region ‘to deter aggression and reassure US partners and allies.’ In a highly irregular move, the B-52H Stratofortress planes were seen flying toward Israeli airspace on Saturday en route to the base where they will be stationed, likely in Qatar. The aircraft were spotted on civilian tracking software approaching Israel before they apparently turned off their transponders, rendering them invisible on those applications.
Second, today, under the Sign category of TURMOIL IN THE MIDDLE EAST — According to the Jerusalem Post, Syria has blamed Israel for a series of airstrikes on locations south of the capital Damascus and on the Golan Heights late Tuesday night. Syria’s SANA news agency said that the strikes, near the village of Rwi-hi-nah, south of Quneitra [KU-NY-TRAH] near the Israeli border, and near Jabal Mane near the town of Kiswah south of Damascus, caused “only material damage.” According to AFP, however, eight pro-Iranian fighters were killed in the strikes. While there was no confirmation by either side of what was struck, according to military defectors who were quoted by Reuters, the target in Jabal Mane was a military base belonging to the Iranian Revolutionary Guards.
Third, today, under the Sign category of FAMINES — According to BBC News, A UN agency has warned of fresh waves of desert locust swarms in the Horn of Africa region after Cyclone Gati [GA-TEE] arrived in Somalia. The heavy rainfall is expected to allow widespread breeding. The Food and Agriculture Organization said the swarms are expected to move south in Somalia and Ethiopia, reaching northern Kenya, from the second week of December. It warned that the scale of the migration could be substantial. Earlier in the year, billions of the insects destroyed crops across the region – with the UN warning a second generation would be even more destructive. It was the worst invasion of locusts for more than 70 years.
Fourth, today, under the Sign category of RE-ESTABLISHMENT OF ISRAEL — According to the Jerusalem Post, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday announced plans to travel to Bahrain in the aftermath of his unusual visit to Saudi Arabia, which has no ties with Israel. As a sign of Netanyahu’s deepening relationship with regional Arab leaders, Netanyahu said he had spoken Monday with Bahraini Prime Minister Crown Prince Sal-man bin Ha-mad bin Is-a Al Kha-li-fa. Netanyahu said, “This was our second conversation; it was very friendly. Both of us are very moved by the fact that we can bring peace to our peoples and our countries in a very short time. Therefore, he also invited me to make an official visit to Bahrain soon. I will do so, on your behalf, with pleasure.” It would be the prime minister’s first such trip. According to KAN News, Netanyahu could travel to Bahrain as early as next week.
Fifth, today, under the Sign category of ARAB HOSTILITY TOWARD ISRAEL — According to the Jerusalem Post, Djibouti [JI-BOO-TEE] President Is-ma-il O-mar Guelleh [GEL-LAH] said the African Muslim state will not establish official ties with Israel without progress towards peace with the Palestinians. In an interview with French publication The Africa Report this week, Guelleh [GEL-LAH] said that ‘the conditions aren’t ripe.’ He said, “We take issue with the Israeli government because they’re denying Palestinians their inalienable rights. All we ask that the government do is make one gesture of peace, and we will make 10 in return. But I’m afraid they’ll never do that.” Guelleh [GEL-LAH] added that his country does not have an issue with Jews or Israeli people more broadly. Djibouti [JI-BOO-TEE] is one of several African countries that had been named as likely to normalize relations with Israel following the Abraham Accords.
The prophetic passage of Scripture that we are looking at today is Ezekiel 37:1-14.
Ezekiel 37:1-3 reads: “The hand of the Lord was upon me, and carried me out in the spirit of the Lord, and set me down in the midst of the valley which was full of bones, And caused me to pass by them round about: and, behold, there were very many in the open valley; and, lo, they were very dry. And he said unto me, Son of man, can these bones live? And I answered, O Lord God, thou knowest.”
Allow me to share with you some commentary on this passage from Exploring Bible Prophecy from Genesis to Revelation, by Tim LaHaye and Ed Hindson.
The vision of a valley filled with dry bones is not meant to portray the resurrection of the individual Israelite, though this doctrine is taught elsewhere. Here the focus is on the political life of the nation that had ended with the dissolution of the Davidic line at the commencement of the Babylonian captivity. The fulfillment of the historical covenants depended on the uninterrupted continuance of the Davidic dynasty, which was not revived in the second temple period. This served as a witness to the postexilic generation that the restoration, as envisioned by Ezekiel, had not taken place with the return from exile but would be fulfilled at some point in the future.
If the Lord tarries His Coming and we live, we will continue looking at the prophetic passages of the Bible in our next broadcast / podcast.
Our Second Coming quote for today is from Vance Havner. He said, “Some of the saints are singing about the Second Coming, but it is one thing just to sing the national anthem during the war and quite another to go into battle. The best evidence that the Lord’s return has really gotten hold of us is when we occupy till He come, do business for God, buy up the opportunities, because the days are evil.”
Let’s Pray
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If you are not ready for the return of Jesus Christ, may I encourage you to get ready today by receiving Him as your Savior. Here is how.
First, accept the fact that you are a sinner, and that you have broken God’s law. The Bible says in Romans 3:23: “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.”
Second, accept the fact that there is a penalty for sin. The Bible states in Romans 6:23: “For the wages of sin is death…”
Third, accept the fact that you are on the road to hell. Jesus Christ said in Matthew 10:28: “And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” Also, the Bible states in Revelation 21:8: “But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.”
Now that is bad news, but here is the good news. Jesus Christ said in John 3:16: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
Just believe in your heart that Jesus Christ died for your sins, was buried, and rose from the dead by the power of God for you so that you can live eternally with Him. Pray and ask Him to come into your heart today, and He will. Romans 10:13 says, “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
Keep looking up for your redemption draweth nigh. Let us join in the prayer of John the Revelator — “Even so, come, Lord Jesus.” God bless you.