The Prophecy Letter is a circular letter that we send out relating to the development of latter-day prophecy.

June 2022

Israel in Disarray – Another Election

TGP Prophecy Letter – June 30, 2022

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The structure of the Israeli government boggles us. Perhaps it is due to the simple fact that we have not set out to understand exactly how it works, but it seems to us that the office of Prime Minister is a delicate position to hold. Typically, the term length for an Israeli Prime Minister is four years, after which proceeds an election. As of yesterday June 29, the Israeli Parliament has voted to hold its fifth election in four years on November 1. Yes, five elections within the span of one normal term. This is simply unprecedented. (The Jerusalem Post)

What is the cause for such division? Is there any end in sight for Israel? There are doubtless a variety of reasons for the turmoil, but we believe these can all be summarized under the head of “lack of cohesion.” The Knesset, which is the name of Israeli Parliament, is filled with diverse representatives of both Israelis and Arabs, and among these are their prospective degrees of conservatism and liberalism, of religiousism and secularism, and so on. Choosing one governmental head who can even somewhat satisfy such a diverse crowd in the most hotly contested land on earth is simply not tenable.

However, even in the midst of such disarray, we can look to the future with unwavering confidence. The “sure word of prophecy” (2 Peter 1:19) informs us of a future time when Israel will be completely unified under one head forever. This leader will be neither a Prime Minister nor a President, but a KING:

Ezekiel 37:21-28 – …Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will take the children of Israel from among the heathen, whither they be gone, and will gather them on every side, and bring them into their own land:  (22)  And I will make them one nation in the land upon the mountains of Israel; and one king shall be king to them all: and they shall be no more two nations, neither shall they be divided into two kingdoms any more at all:  (23)  Neither shall they defile themselves any more with their idols, nor with their detestable things, nor with any of their transgressions: but I will save them out of all their dwellingplaces, wherein they have sinned, and will cleanse them: so shall they be my people, and I will be their God.  (24)  And David my servant shall be king over them; and they all shall have one shepherd: they shall also walk in my judgments, and observe my statutes, and do them.  (25)  And they shall dwell in the land that I have given unto Jacob my servant, wherein your fathers have dwelt; and they shall dwell therein, even they, and their children, and their children's children for ever: and my servant David shall be their prince for ever.  (26)  Moreover I will make a covenant of peace with them; it shall be an everlasting covenant with them: and I will place them, and multiply them, and will set my sanctuary in the midst of them for evermore.  (27)  My tabernacle also shall be with them: yea, I will be their God, and they shall be my people.  (28)  And the heathen shall know that I the LORD do sanctify Israel, when my sanctuary shall be in the midst of them for evermore.

This passage specifically refers to the unifying of the house of Judah with that of Joseph (relating to the 10 tribes), but it is nevertheless certain that this time will see the end of strife for Israel once “David my servant” reigns over them. From this point forward, Israel will never be divided again.

Who is “David my servant”? We will try to be brief. It is not David himself, but his name is here for great purpose. It is a title of the Lord Jesus and speaks to the similarities in the roles of these two individuals. David was the first King to rule in Jerusalem, the city which will be the capitol of the Kingdom (Isaiah 2:2-3). David was the King to conquer and fully destroy Israel’s enemies and give the Kingdom peace round about. In the reigns of David and Solomon, we see two phases of Christ’s reign. David was the man of war whose reign was characterized by the conquering of the remaining inhabitants of the land. Solomon’s reign ensued after this period and saw nothing but peace and prosperity. We read in

1 Kings 4:24-25 – For he (Solomon) had dominion over all the region on this side the river, from Tiphsah even to Azzah, over all the kings on this side the river: and he had peace on all sides round about him.  (25)  And Judah and Israel dwelt safely, every man under his vine and under his fig tree, from Dan even to Beersheba, all the days of Solomon.

Like David, Christ will begin his reign by conquering the land and cleansing it of both Israel’s sins and the strangers dwelling therein (Zechariah 12:10-13:4, 14:21). We believe that this “Davidic Phase” of his reign will continue until the entirety of the earth is subdued and counted as part of Christ’s empire. At this time, the blast of the Seventh Trumpet in Revelation 11 will signal the triumphant conclusion of the Davidic Phase and the herald the dawn of the Solomonic Phase of Christ’s reign:

Revelation 11:15 – And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.

Allow the following testimonies to illustrate the entirely peaceful Solomonic Phase of our Lord’s reign from this point forward:

Psalms 72:7-8, 17 – In his days shall the righteous flourish; and abundance of peace so long as the moon endureth.  (8)  He shall have dominion also from sea to sea, and from the river unto the ends of the earth… (17) men shall be blessed in him: all nations shall call him blessed. 

Isaiah 2:4 – And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.

Isaiah 61:11 – For as the earth bringeth forth her bud, and as the garden causeth the things that are sown in it to spring forth; so the Lord GOD will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all the nations.

What a time to live in! What a contrast what we see today! Such will be the days of our Lord’s reign, and the righteous of this present age will be allowed to reign with him! (Revelation 2:26, 5:10)

The point is, the time is soon to arrive when this King – our King – will arrive to accomplish these wondrous things. In that day, Israel will never again want for a constant, righteous ruler. Israel will never again need an election. Man will never have to wonder as to the true character of their ruler, for the victorious, faithful witness of the Lord will be the King.

How soon could this occur? We firmly believe it could be any day now. This prophecy of Ezekiel 37 is one of many that leads us to this conclusion. Note carefully what we read in verses 21-22:

Ezekiel 37:21-22 – Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will take the children of Israel from among the heathen, whither they be gone, and will gather them on every side, and bring them into their own land: (22) And I will make them one nation in the land upon the mountains of Israel…

Has this happened? One can make the argument that it certainly has in a sense, and it continues to happen before our very eyes! It is, however, debated as to what gathering this prophecy is speaking of. We believe that the present regathering of the Jews is incredibly important to this passage, but it must be remembered that there are still many scattered across the earth who must return. We believe that when Christ returns, he will utter a decree for the rest of the Jews to make aliyah speedily. This decree will vastly accelerate the return, acting as a kind of amplified “second wave”. We suggest that this could be the meaning of Isaiah 11:11 when it says, “the Lord shall set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant of his people...” We have other thoughts as to the possible meaning of this “second time”, but this is no place to discuss them. Regardless, it is a fact that Jews from all over the world continue to pour into their ancient homeland, and it therefore commands our attention.

Now, note what the prophecy of Ezekiel 37:22 mentions next. We repeat the beginning of the verse for context: “And I will make them one nation in the land upon the mountains of Israel; and one king shall be king to them all.” The only way for Christ to be a King “to them all” is for him to return and reign as King! This prophecy therefore indicates that this next, long-awaited event is “at the door” (Revelation 3:20). If we add this evidence to the tremendous mountain that already exists, we must confidently, eagerly, and soberly conclude, “the coming of the Lord draweth nigh” (James 5:8).

The Destruction of Damascus On the Horizon?

TGP Prophecy Letter – June 14, 2022

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It seems that at least once a week, we hear about another “alleged” Israeli strike in Damascus, Syria. Just the other day, Israel struck the ancient city and damaged the Damascus International Airport significantly enough that flights were suspended (Yahoo! News). Why did Israel target the airport, and why is it that Israel keeps striking this city? As the article from Yahoo! News explains,

 “The airport is located south of the capital Damascus where Syrian opposition activists say Iran-backed militiamen are active and have arms depots.”

Iran is smuggling weapons into Syria via passenger plane through the Damascus airport and is building their stock of weapons nearby. Iran is increasing its presence in the region, happily filling the void that Russia is leaving by pulling her troops to fight in the Ukraine War (The Jewish Press). Israel sees this and is vastly advancing their plans to strike and neutralize Iran before it is too late.

For the past year or so, we have expected the Psalm 83 war between Israel and her immediate Arab neighbors to potentially ignite as a result of an Israeli strike on Iran. Recent months have shown that Iran is either very close to or already has reached the Uranium enrichment levels necessary to create a nuclear warhead. Israel has made it clear that they intend to strike all of Iran’s positions and neutralize them at once. They acknowledge the enormity of this task and plan to strike hard and fast (The Jerusalem Post). From Israel’s standpoint, they must strike hard and fast, for if they are unsuccessful in stopping the threat quickly, Iran will certainly respond with the full power of their arsenal. This would likely spell the end of the tiny state of Israel (something which we know from Scripture will not happen).

These events are building and building, and our present thoughts are that when Israel finally pulls the trigger on the operation, Iran’s arms depots in Lebanon and specifically Damascus, Syria will be primary targets along with the Iranian home front. We believe that the prophecy of Isaiah 17 may bear heavily upon this operation. We here reproduce the first 8 verses, and we call your attention to the emboldened phrases that speak to its future relevance:

Isaiah 17:1-8 – The burden of Damascus. Behold, Damascus is taken away from being a city, and it shall be a ruinous heap.  (2)  The cities of Aroer are forsaken: they shall be for flocks, which shall lie down, and none shall make them afraid.  (3)  The fortress also shall cease from Ephraim, and the kingdom from Damascus, and the remnant of Syria: they shall be as the glory of the children of Israel, saith the LORD of hosts.  (4)  And in that day it shall come to pass, that the glory of Jacob shall be made thin, and the fatness of his flesh shall wax lean.  (5)  And it shall be as when the harvestman gathereth the corn, and reapeth the ears with his arm; and it shall be as he that gathereth ears in the valley of Rephaim.  (6)  Yet gleaning grapes shall be left in it, as the shaking of an olive tree, two or three berries in the top of the uppermost bough, four or five in the outmost fruitful branches thereof, saith the LORD God of Israel.  (7)  At that day shall a man look to his Maker, and his eyes shall have respect to the Holy One of Israel.  (8)  And he shall not look to the altars, the work of his hands, neither shall respect that which his fingers have made, either the groves, or the images.

The picture is of a Damascus that is no more and an Israel that is greatly weakened. We believe this prophecy may specifically describe the aftermath of Israel’s planned strike on Iran. We might wonder, If this is true, then why is the strike on Iran not mentioned? Recall that most of the time, what we are given in prophecy is merely a snapshot. The cause for the mentioned events is not always given to us in the text, and so we must watch for what might cause them. We believe this is the case for this passage. From Scripture, we do know precisely how Damascus will be destroyed and Israel will be weakened, we merely learn such will occur. It does, however, seem a logical conclusion that the destruction foretold is the result of fighting between Israel and Syria. In any case, it is certain that Damascus is destroyed, Israel is weakened, and Israel will thereafter look to the Holy One of Israel!

The destruction of Damascus is referred to in at least one other prophecy, one which is actually the focus of this letter:

Jeremiah 49:23-27 – Concerning Damascus. Hamath is confounded, and Arpad: for they have heard evil tidings: they are fainthearted; there is sorrow on the sea; it cannot be quiet.  (24)  Damascus is waxed feeble, and turneth herself to flee, and fear hath seized on her: anguish and sorrows have taken her, as a woman in travail.  (25)  How is the city of praise not left, the city of my joy!  (26)  Therefore her young men shall fall in her streets, and all the men of war shall be cut off in that day, saith the LORD of hosts.  (27)  And I will kindle a fire in the wall of Damascus, and it shall consume the palaces of Benhadad.

Herein, we find the same type of prophecy “concerning Damascus,” and we believe this directly correlates to Isaiah 17:1-8. Here, however, it seems we are given slightly more detail concerning the demise of the ancient city. Verse 27 says, “And I will kindle a fire in the wall of Damascus, and it shall consume the palaces of Benhadad.”

Who is this “Benhadad”? The name Ben-Hadad means “son of Hadad”; Hadad being the Babylonian god of storms. An article on GotQuestions.org explains,

“Since Ben-Hadad is a title much like Pharaoh or President, the term can refer to different individuals at different times. The context of each passage must be studied to determine just who is involved.”

The title Ben-Hadad refers to whoever rules in Syria at the time. The identity of the individual must be ascertained by surrounding evidence. Whoever it is, the Scriptures say that their palaces will be destroyed in this conflict. If the prophecy has any present relevance, this would refer to the current President of Syria, Bashar al-Assad. If our understanding of Isaiah 17 and Jeremiah 49 is correct, and if they are to be fulfilled in the near future, we then expect Bashar al-Assad’s palaces to be destroyed as a result of Israel’s strike on Iran.

Just this morning, we arose to find this spine-chilling article: Israel warns Assad, will bomb palaces if Iran operations continue - The Jerusalem Post. The article says,

“Israel has threatened to bomb Syrian President Basher Assad’s palaces if he does not cease or reduce military cooperation with Iran within his territory.”

Incredible! Israel is warning Assad that if he allows Iran to continue increasing their forces and weapons in the region, his palaces will be destroyed. This is precisely what the Lord foretold! The article is almost a quote of the Scripture! Little do these leaders know that the words coming from their mouths were foretold ages ago by the God of Heaven.

This sequence of events has been our understanding and expectation for some time, but previously, it was merely an educated guess. While this simple news article is certainly not proof that it will happen as we expect, it is nonetheless wonderfully encouraging and comforting to see that the situation in the region appears to be headed in that direction. We anxiously await further information and fully believe that these events, if our understanding is correct, are clear heralds of our Master’s return and our soon gathering to him, which could be at any moment! At the risk of redundancy, please allow us to show why we believe we could be gathered so soon:

The sequence of latter-day prophetical events bear heavily upon the general timing of when we will be gathered for a simple reason: Scripture shows Christ with his immortalized saints at a specific time and fighting in a particular conflict. It is clear, then, that before said conflict occurs, Christ must have already returned, gathered his saints, judged them, and enjoyed with them the Marriage Supper of the Lamb. Therefore, if that prophesied conflict appears to be on the horizon and the stage for it seems to be nearly set, we can logically conclude that we will be gathered very, very soon. Such, we believe, is the case with this upcoming and final Arab-Israeli conflict.

A Suggested Sequence of Events

As to the possible sequence of events, our thoughts are presently as follows:

Israel will pre-emptively strike Iran, resulting in a sharp, incredibly heavy exchange of fire between the two countries. Israel will be successful in their endeavor to temporarily neutralize Iran, who will eventually recoup from the damage and come against Israel when Gog comes down at a later date. Through their pre-emptive strike, Israel will also have destroyed Iran’s militias and arms depots in Lebanon and Syria, resulting in the decimation of Damascus and Bashar Assad’s palaces per Jeremiah 49:23-27 and Isaiah 17:1-8.

Though successful, Israel will not have gone unscathed. They will lose the “fortress of Ephraim” which we believe may refer to the Golan Heights in the north. “The glory of Jacob shall be made thin, and the fatness of his flesh shall wax lean” (Isaiah 17:3-4). Israel will be weakened and vulnerable, her weapons stores significantly depleted from the strike and her most strategic defensive position (the Golan Heights) lost. We believe that it is this weakened state of Israel that will cause her Arab neighbors of Psalm 83 to immediately and voraciously rally together under their prophesied and presently held goal, “Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation; that the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance” (Psalm 83:4). Iran, now “out of the game”, will almost undoubtedly call for this alliance to be formed.

These Arab nations of Psalm 83 will come up against Israel at once, but as the rest of the Psalm and countless other prophecies clearly show, they will be destroyed by an immortalized host. Recall again that once Damascus is destroyed and Israel is weakened, it is said, “At that day shall a man look to his Maker, and his eyes shall have respect to the Holy One of Israel” (Isaiah 17:7). We all know the identity of the Holy One of Israel! It will be the Lord Jesus Christ who comes! We read in Zechariah that Christ and the saints will deliver Israel from these aggressors “round about: “the LORD my God shall come, and all the saints with thee… And Judah also shall fight at Jerusalem; and the wealth of all the heathen round about shall be gathered together, gold, and silver, and apparel, in great abundance.” (Zechariah 14:5,14).

Do we see how tangibly close our Master appears to be? Who is ready for him? Even as we write this article, we must admit that we are not as ready as we desire to be. It can be difficult for our small, finite minds to absorb the enormity of the events we see, but we must give our very best efforts to do so! Thankfully, our readiness is strictly determined BY US. It is not something that is out of our control. You and I alone determine whether we are prepared for our Bridegroom when he comes! Now – today – is certainly the time to lift up our heads, “Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ” (Titus 2:13). If the things we are presently witnessing do not cause us to look and prepare ourselves now, what will?

Luke 12:35-36 – Let your loins be girded about, and your lights burning;  (36)  And ye yourselves like unto men that wait for their lord, when he will return from the wedding; that when he cometh and knocketh, they may open unto him immediately.

WATCH: Israel, the Arabs, and the Ukraine War

TGP Prophecy Letter - June 10, 2022

This Prophecy Letter comes in the form of a recorded class given on June 8, 2022. A Brother asked us to give a class on current events, and with his permission we now share these comments on the subject of "Israel, the Arabs, and the Ukraine War". In the presentation, we discuss

• Briefly, why Israel's Arab neighbors are relevant to latter-day prophecy and how they are referred to,

• The escalating tensions between Israel and these Arab entities,

• How the final conflict between them might begin - the likely relevance of Iran,

• How Israel standing alone might be realized,

• The effect of the Russia-Ukraine War on the conflict,

• The conflict in relation to the return of Christ, and

• The relevance for you and I!

The video is 59 minutes in length, the last 15 minutes of it being reserved for questions and comments from classmates. The class discussion carried on beyond the length of the video, so the ending is somewhat abrupt.

We would like to clarify a comment that we make to avoid the possibility of misinterpretation. There is a point when we suggest the possibility of things calming down and returning to "normal." By this, we refer strictly to the present Israeli-Iranian tensions, not the trouble we that see world-wide. Such trouble in the world will continue to escalate until the rule of man gives way to that of "our Lord, and of his Christ" (Revelation 11:15).

We hope that none are dismayed at the great troubles we see in the earth, but are rather comforted in that it communicates to us the nearness of our longed-for Master. Indeed, he comes in vengeance, but not for us if we earnestly and faithfully live unto him, longing for his return.  We are given the ironclad assurance, "Unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation" (Hebrews 9:28). Let us hold fast to the very end, "And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not" (Galatians 6:9).