Look at our nation now. Instead of being a support to the rest of the world during this economic crisis, we have descended into the worst financial condition since at least the Great Depression. Despite endless rhetoric from the politicians and economic experts, we are still in free-fall.  Our investments have declined, our jobs have been given to other nations and our own people are sinking into poverty. 

Our military sacrifices have been undercut by bad governmental decisions. Terrorists are convinced that they will ultimately overcome in this present struggle. We are about to leave Afghanistan and Iraq without improving that part of the world. We can’t keep Iran from developing nuclear weapons. Our support for Israel is anemic. We have lost the peaceful gains we enjoyed for a little time with Russia.

Why is this happening, and what does it mean for our generation?  Historians assure us that the early greatness of America was a byproduct of our moral and ethical world view.  Our leaders were generally Bible-believing heroes.  Our word was our bond: we kept our promises.  We taught our children what was right and wrong.  We worked hard and were proud of what we produced.  Our churches were valiant for the truth and were faithful to expose evil. 

During the past two generations the church in America has turned from its literal interpretation of the Bible, and has allowed the corrupting influences of secular humanism, the sexual revolution, abortion, and other ungodly beliefs and practices to slowly infiltrate its leadership.  This change is actually one of the main predictions of the End Times.  It is called apostasy, or a “falling away” from the truth.  The Apostle Paul warned…

For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.  They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.  – 2 Timothy 4:3-4

As a result, at the very time Christians should be most concerned about the rapid fulfillment of End Times predictions, many of them have been anesthetized to the seriousness of their condition.  Therefore, our nation has lost its vitality and is in the process of becoming irrelevant. The Bible did not need to mention our presence because we will have lost our influence. 

Does it have to end this way?  Actually, no!  There is still hope for America. What God promised for believers in the Old Testament would still apply today if we would just turn back to Him and allow him to bring a great redeeming revival! 

If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.  – 2 Chronicles 7:14

 We didn’t know it at the time, but soon after the attacks, our site was being tracked and archived by a massive project that would eventually be released as the September 11 Digital Archive. This historical collection is available online, and is physically housed in the Library of Congress. 

 We recommend that you browse this incredible project, the largest of its kind in the world, and be sure to check out Prophecy Central’s contributions.  In their abstract of our site, they wrote:

Prophecy Central, a Web Site produced by Ron Graff, is part of the Library of Congress September 11 Web Archive and preserves the web expressions of individuals, groups, the press and institutions in the United States and from around the world in the aftermath of the attacks in the United States on September 11, 2001.

 You may also read the actual posts directly from the Prophecy Central site, starting with the very day that the drama began.  We have kept all our news summaries online ever since 9/11/11.  You can trace the mood of the country, the eventual war in Afghanistan, and even Osama bin Laden’s death recently.  Of course, many of the links to external sources on these old pages no longer work, but we have kept our brief summaries of the news stories so you can still see what was happening.

Over a year ago it was known that Hezbollah had hundreds of bunkers and over a thousand sites in Southern Lebanon where they could launch their 40,000 or so missiles against Israel.

Now it is known that more sophisticated missiles are being moved to Lebanon, including the Iranian-made Zilzal, Fajr 3 and Fajr 4 models.

Israel is taking the threat very seriously. They just concluded a week-long military drill called Turning Point 5. It simulated a full-fledged war game and simultaneous mass casualty events, such as a plane crash in a residential area, a head-on collision between a bus and a truck loaded with dangerous materials, and riots. Some 3,100 air raid sirens summoned about half of Israel’s population into shelters. 

It is likely that such a war will be swift and devastating for Syria, possibly fulfilling the warning from Isaiah 17.

¹ A prophecy against Damascus: 

 “See, Damascus will no longer be a city
   but will become a heap of ruins.
² The cities of Aroer will be deserted
   and left to flocks, which will lie down,
   with no one to make them afraid.
³ The fortified city will disappear from Ephraim,
   and royal power from Damascus;

If Syria and Lebanon are disabled by a defensive strike from Israel, it would explain why they are not mentioned in the alignment of the greater war of Gog and Magog  (Ezekiel chapters 38 and 39) that might be the same as the second seal of Revelation 6:3-4.

 For details, read today’s Top Story at Prophecy Central: Hezbollah moves missiles from Syria to Lebanon, fearing fall of Assad regime.

Someone sent this Email to Lambert:
I’ve been reading your book “Thy Kingdom Come” and really appreciate the hard work you put into this. It seems that with only some updating for current events (I remember asking my self if this was pre-9/11) many would benefit from your explanation of Revelation.

Lambert wrote back:
Thank you very much for your kind words.
Last November Ron Graff and I released a completed updated and revised version of this book. You should find many major changes and updates.
The new book is “Connecting the Dots: A Handbook of Bible Prophecy.” So far it has had an excellent reception. It is available online at our Prophecy Central store (It is the only product there), or any of the major booksellers. But it takes time to get the word out without a huge advertising budget. Please visit our Facebook page, where we post news about the book’s progress. While you are there, please click “Like.” That helps let other people know about the book.

Connecting the Dots: A Handbook of Bible Prophecy

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What prophetic importance might be attached to the current U.N. Resolution 1973 establishing a no-fly zone in Libya?  For the past week Western nations, including the U.S., Britain, and France have destroyed anti-aircraft targets and command and control systems in Libya to keep its leader, Colonel Muammar Gadhafi from slaughtering the masses there who are protesting against his corrupt regime.

It is well known that Libya and Colonel Gadhafi have been sponsors of terrorism for the past 42 years – starting long before our own “War on Terrorism” began in 2001.

In 1986 President Reagan bombed parts of Libya, including Gadhafi’s residence, in retaliation for the terrorist bombing of a disco in Germany which killed or injured many U.S. servicemen.  Libyan terrorists were also responsible for the bombing of Pan Am flight 103 over Lockerbie in Scotland.

Libya is only mentioned 7 times in the Old Testament and once in the New Testament.  The Hebrew word used in the Old Testament is Phut (or Put), who was a grandson of Noah and a son of Ham (Genesis 10:1-7). 

The most interesting prophecy of Libya is in Ezekiel’s account of a great war, known as the War of Gog and Magog.  This war is described in chapters 38 and 39 of Ezekiel.  This End-times conflict, will take place after the “rebirth” of Israel as a nation, which was predicted in chapters 36-37.  Israel has indeed become a nation again, after more than two thousand years of being scattered all over the Earth.  That great event took place in 1948.

This War of Gog and Magog is to be a great war – perhaps a world war – against Israel. Since we are living in the time after Israel’s rebirth but before a war that fits the description of the Magog scenario, it makes sense to identify the forces that will be rallied against Israel.  When we do so, we see that it looks a lot like our present world scene. 

Some Bible teachers equate this war to the Battle of Armageddon at the end of the Tribulation Period, but there are many differences. Another description of a great war is given in Revelation 6:3-4, after the opening of the Second Seal, near the beginning of the Tribulation. It seems more likely that this would be the Gog/Magog conflict.

The word of the LORD came to me: ² “Son of man, set your face against Gog, of the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshek and Tubal; prophesy against him ³ and say: ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: I am against you, Gog, chief prince of Meshek and Tubal. ⁴ I will turn you around, put hooks in your jaws and bring you out with your whole army—your horses, your horsemen fully armed, and a great horde with large and small shields, all of them brandishing their swords. ⁵ Persia, Cush and Put will be with them, all with shields and helmets, ⁶ also Gomer with all its troops, and Beth Togarmah from the far north with all its troops—the many nations with you. – Ezekiel 38:1-6

Magog has been identified since before the rise of the Soviet Union as the area of Russia and the countries nearby. Magog and his allies are nations that have developed from some of Noah’s descendants in Genesis 10. They include other lands north of Israel, Gomer and Beth Togarmah, which could include Turkey.  Other allies of this northern coalition will be Persia, which is modern Iran; Cush, the ancient name for Ethiopia; and Put, which is Libya. All of these nations stand against Israel today.

Last year Russia announced that Libya will be the first country in the Middle East to obtain their top-of-the-line S-300 PMU-2 interceptor missile batteries. Some of the Islamic countries near Russia, which used to be part of the Soviet Union, could be allies in this coalition. When U.N. Resolution 1973 to impose a no-fly zone was adopted last week, Russia abstained from the vote. Prime Minister Vladimir Putin compared the air strikes by Western militaries on Libya to a “medieval crusade.”

Turkey, the center of the last Islamic Caliphate, disbanded by World War I, has drifted recently from attempts to become part of the EU, to open enmity with Israel. Following the Israeli capture of a ship carrying aid for Palestinians, Turkey’s very popular Prime Minister Erdogan, called for a jihad against Israel. As the only Muslim country that is a member of NATO, Turkey expressed disagreement with some aspects of the military action against Libya.

Now Libya will enter into a political vacuum that could lead it in either direction, but most likely into a stronger alliance with the Gog and Magog coalition.  It will be most interesting to see what happens next in that part of the world.

More information and documentation in our Gog and Magog section and in our book, Connecting the Dots: A Handbook of Bible Prophecy.

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While the nuclear reactors at Japan’s Fukushima plant are disintegrating and releasing radiation into the air, many are asking what Bible prophecy has to say about radiation in the End Times. 

This is an area where it would be unwise to be dogmatic, but there are two possible connections to nuclear destruction from the account of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.  Revelation chapter 6 describes the early part of the Tribulation as a vision of four riders on different colored horses.  First there is the rider on a white horse (verses 1-2), a mighty conqueror and apparent messiah who appears to be able solve the world’s problems, but in reality is a false savior – the “beast” of Revelation 13, who is often called Antichrist.

The second symbolic rider comes on a red horse (Revelation 6:3-4). This speaks of the ravages of a great world-wide war. It is not likely that this war is started by the rider on the white horse, since, as the previous verses indicate, he is seen as a messianic hero.

Jesus told us that the period leading up to the Tribulation would be characterized by “wars and rumors of wars” (Matthew 24:6; Mark 13:7).

It is likely that this is the war of Ezekiel 38 and 39, which results in fiery destruction of the aggressors from the north when they try to conquer Israel. This could very possibly escalate to nuclear warfare, which involves more than one of the present-day nuclear powers. The emerging world dictator could take credit for the destruction of Israel’s invaders, or at least take advantage of the situation, to bring about the seven-year peace treaty between himself and Israel that was prophesied by Daniel. If this is the case, this war would take place at the very beginning of the seven years of the Tribulation.  And, of course, if it involves a nuclear exchange, it will result in the release of unwanted radiation.

The third horse will be black, and it will bring great famine, probably as a result of the world war and continued global economic problems (Revelation 6:5-6).

The fourth horse has brings a variety of deadly situations. 

When the Lamb opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature say, “Come!” ⁸I looked, and there before me was a pale horse! Its rider was named Death, and Hades was following close behind him. They were given power over a fourth of the earth to kill by sword, famine and plague, and by the wild beasts of the earth. – Revelation 6:7-8

The color of the fourth horse is translated many ways. Some Bible versions translate it as “pale,” others as “ashen,” or “pale green.” The Greek word is chloros, “greenish.” It is the root of the well known “chlorophyll”, the tiny green chemical converters in the leaves of most plants. 

Chloros also suggests deadly chlorine gas, which is pale green in color and quickly fatal to all who breathe it. The intended picture here is a sickly pale green that symbolizes death as a result of the terrors of nuclear, chemical, and biological warfare.

Therefore, one of the main causes of this Fourth Horseman’s deadly mission might be radiation and the cancer that it produces.  This radiation could be the result, not only of nuclear weapons, but of damaged nuclear power plants as well.  And these catastrophes could be caused by terrorism or natural disasters, such as earthquakes and tsunamis.

One other possibility for the meaning of the green horse has been suggested by some Bible teachers in the light of the growing threat by Islamic radical terrorists. They wonder if the green could come from the well-known fact that Islamic countries all use green in their flags and seem to prefer that color.  Time will tell if there is any connection here.

 More related information is available in our book, Connecting the Dots: A Handbook of Bible Prophecy.

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We are happy to announce that our new book, Connecting the Dots: A Handbook of Bible Prophecy, is now available as a digital/electronic book (eBook).  It is already available on Amazon.com for their Kindle reader. And it is scheduled to be released soon by other eBook suppliers like Barnes and Noble for its Nook reader and Apple iBooks for the iPad.

I have been doing most of my reading on the Kindle recently because I can literally have a whole library of books in one convenient device that also lets me pick the size of the font. 

Prophecy students will still want to have the printed book because Connecting the Dots is a reference manual – a notebook of sorts that you can underline and make personal notes in the margins.

However, the Kindle version is better in some ways.  You can set bookmarks to favorite places.  It remembers where you stopped reading and lets you continue quickly. It is lightweight, and as mentioned before, you may choose the font size that suits you best.  It allows you to do a word search through the entire book. And, if you want, you can even have the Kindle read it to you with their text to speech feature that has been enabled for this book!

A great deal of extra work went into this version to enable hundreds of hyperlinks. Each chapter and subtopic in our 12-page Table of Contents is linked. Just click on the topic and the reader takes you to the section you want to read.  Amazingly, the extensive index is also linked.  When you find an entry in the index, you can click on the “page” number and the reader will find the proper section in the book, even though page numbers are not used in eBooks.

Lambert Dolphin and I are blessed to be able to share our passion for Bible prophecy through our book, and it is our prayer that it can be a tool to equip a new generation of Bible students and help stimulate an End-Times revival!

More information about the book is available at Connecting the Dots.

The Kindle version can be downloaded in one minute from Amazon.com

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We don’t often add a new section to Prophecy Central.  With about 100 existing topics, we can almost always find a spot for an important new story.  However, the sudden collapse of Egypt’s government and the rapid rise of The Muslim Brotherhood has made us decide to devote a separate “page” to this powerful force in the End Times scenario.

 We all rejoice at the demise of a dictatorship. But important questions need to be answered: “Who will fill the leadership vacuum?”  And, “How will the new leadership of Egypt relate to the United States and Israel?”

 Apparently, the only organized leadership in Egypt at present is the Muslim Brotherhood. The liberal media and some in our government tell us not to worry about a take-over of Egypt by Islamic Radicals like what happened in Iran in 1979.  They say the Muslim Brotherhood only represents about 20% of the people of Egypt, and that their goals are peaceable.

On the contrary, their history and stated objectives tell us that they are dangerous.  It was formed in 1928, four years after the dismantling of the Ottoman Empire, and its sole purpose was the resurrection of the Caliphate.  Their goal is to restore Islam and Sharia Law in its fullness.

Their graduates include Al Qaeda’s number two leader, Ayman al-Zawahiri who was imprisoned for three years on weapons charges following President Anwar Sadat’s assassination in 1981. They also produced Hamas, the terror network behind suicide bombings and rocket attacks in Israel.

 In the midst of the Egyptian protests, Muhammad Ghannem, a leading member of the Brotherhood, said that he would like to see the Egyptian people prepare for war against Israel.

Visit The Muslim Brotherhood at Prophecy Central for details and documentation about the true radical agenda of this group and why it is likely that the majority of Egyptians will follow them into a new and more disturbing kind of dictatorship.

Thanks to Jeff and Nicole Alexander, there is a new Facebook page for the Inland Empire Prophecy Conference!  It includes pictures, schedule information, and even a special video clip about the conference.  Please visit the page, and be sure to click the “Like” icon.  You can also chose to recommend the page to all your friends. 

The conference will be held at the Ontario Convention Center on Friday, Jan. 14th and Saturday, Jan. 15th.  Pre-registration is phenomenal, with half of the 2000 seats reserved already.  You can pre-register at KKLA.  Friday night’s closing session will be a strong evangelistic message by Jack Hibbs.  Don’t miss this chance to bring a friend who needs to know Jesus. But be sure to pre-register yourself and your friend!  Wristbands for entrance will be given to those who have registered. 

Additional  information is available on the conference website.

Frank Pastore, America’s most popular Christian talk show host will broadcast his program live from the conference on Friday night from 4 to 7 p.m. It is a free event, but love offerings will be received to cover the cost of such an event.  Pre-registration is necessary because, even though we will have a huge meeting space, seating is limited.

The outstanding speaker lineup includes Tim LaHaye, Chuck Missler, David Hocking, Bill Koenig, Gary Kah, Ron Carlson, Jack Hibbs, and Lambert Dolphin.  I will also have the privilege of speaking, not because I belong in such company, but because I am host pastor.

We have a web page devoted to the conference at  http://www.Bible-prophecy.com/conference.  A beautiful poster may be downloaded and printed in any size you want.  Pictures and information about the speakers is included, along with suggestions for hotels in the area that will give a “prophecy conference discount.”

The Friday night program will conclude with a powerful evangelistic message by Jack Hibbs, so be sure to bring your friends who need to hear the Gospel!

If you would like to attend, please block out Friday evening and all day Saturday and don’t forget to pre-register!  There is a special toll-free phone number for this purpose, and KKLA will also have online registration during the month before the event.  The number is 888-974-4242.