Prophecy Letters
"Blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear. For verily I say unto you, That many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them." Matt. 13:16-17
The Prophecy Letter is a circular letter that we send out relating to the development of latter-day prophecy.
March 2024
War All Over & the Imminent Return of Christ
TGP Prophecy Letter – March 19, 2024
The signs we are seeing are simply too many to count, and while we can’t possibly comment on them all, we must comment on many of them. I wish to state the goal of these letters is to be as clear and informative as possible so that anyone from a new reader to one who has been with us since the beginning can follow along. While this can be a more difficult approach at times, it is one I endeavor to stick to as much as possible. So, let’s get right to it and start with the most pressing issue for Israel:
The Hamas Conflict and Impending War with Hezbollah
The situation in the ancient Philistine territory (the Gaza Strip) continues to worsen. For a brief moment, the world hoped that a cease-fire would be reached, but these hopes seem to be fading. Currently, the IDF is planning to enter Rafah (if it hasn’t already) – a move that is integral to exterminating Hamas, but would incur the wrath of the world. More on that in a moment.
Adding to the fear of escalation is Ramadan. It’s supposed to the be the month that Mohammad received the revelations that make up the Quran, and it runs this year from March 10-April 8. The timing of this Islamic commemoration adds fuel to the fire of their religious zeal, and it has caused many to worry that it will not only increase tensions, but also potentially expand the war to other fronts:
IDF: Ramadan flare-up could lead to multi-front or even regional war – JNS
This is what we expect from Scripture, and so now may be the time for it to happen. Many prophecies relate to the final Arab-Israeli war when Christ and the saints destroy the Arab nations “round about” Israel who hate them with a perpetual hatred (Ezekiel 25:15, 35:5). The attitude of these latter-day enemies toward Israel is concisely relayed in
Psalm 83:4 – …Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation; that the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance.
On this note, a Sister recently shared a video which shows the attitude of the Palestinians in their own words. The video is just over 15 minutes long, but if you listen/watch even the first 5 minutes, the message is abundantly clear: their purpose is to wage jihad to destroy every Jew in the land. Here’s the video: Let’s listen to what Palestinians are saying – All Israel News
Yet somehow, the world believes that “peace” and a “two-state solution” is feasible. It’s worse than nonsense, but it is precisely the position we expect the world to take in the latter-days, and for that, we rejoice.
Now, to the relevance of these things. Hamas (Biblical described as “the Philistines”) is currently engaged in a war with Israel. From the prophecies of Psalm 83, Zechariah 12, 14, Obadiah 15-21, and many others, we expect that the Gaza Strip along with the nations of Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and Iraq will join confederate against Israel. As Hamas is currently engaged, we would expect the other nations to somehow become involved if what we are witnessing is indeed the formation of this confederacy. What’s exciting is that these other nations are growing closer and closer to joining in. Lebanon to the north seems next on the list.
Rockets have been flung back and forth between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon for months now, and they are increasing in intensity. Now, it seems that it’s not a question of if the two nations will go to war, but when. Allow these headlines to tell the story:
Ben-Gvir calls on IDF to respond after 100 rockets fired at North – The Jerusalem Post
Commander: Israel constantly strengthening readiness for Lebanon offensive – Israel National News
Israel gives Hezbollah deadline for diplomatic end to conflict – The Jerusalem Post
Hamas, Hezbollah coordinating 'next stage' of war on Israel – The Jerusalem Post
It seems apparent that Hezbollah could join at any moment. And they are not planning to fight completely on their own, but together as a confederacy just as the Scriptures say. They are “coordinating” for the next stage of war.
Currently, the IDF has been dominating the war with Hamas, and there is a prophecy that appears to relate to the very scenario we are witnessing:
Isaiah 11:14 – But they (regathered Israel) shall fly upon the shoulders of the Philistines toward the west; they shall spoil them of the east together: they shall lay their hand upon Edom and Moab; and the children of Ammon shall obey them.
It would appear, then, that the first enemy that is engaged in this latter-day war are the Philistines, or the modern-day Gaza Strip. And indeed, Israel has been “flying upon their shoulders” and making sweeping gains. If we are indeed witnessing the fruition of this prophecy, we would expect that Jordan (Biblical Edom, Ammon, and Moab) would follow suit shortly, for after dominating the Philistines, Israel then turns to “them of the east” and “lays hands upon Edom and Moab, and the children of Ammon shall obey them.”
Israel and Jordan had enjoyed a cold peace for decades, but the past two years have seen a marked worsening of the relationship. There are many things we could cite on this, but the latest comes from the Queen of Jordan:
Jordan's Queen Rania: Israel had one October 7, the Palestinians have had 156 – The Jerusalem Post
Her position is clearly with the Palestinians, and she is over-extrapolating their “suffering” by the hands of the Jews throughout the years. While this is certainly not a declaration of war against Israel (which we expect in the future), we see the trend going more and more in that direction.
US-Israel Relations Continue to Worsen as Expected
The relationship between the US and Israel is a critical component when discussing latter-day prophecy, namely because the Scriptures show Israel facing her enemies alone without any carnal aid. Only the Lord and the saints come to her aid in their time of need (Isaiah 63:1-6, Zechariah 12:7, 14:5). Therefore, we expect something to occur that will cause the US to either abandon Israel entirely or simply choose not to assist them in their most desperate hour. We have frequently reported on the souring of ties between these two nations which indicated that we may be witnessing the cause for Israel’s isolation, but the relationship has gotten significantly worse since then.
There are multiple points of contention, but the main irritant is currently Israel’s planned invasion of Rafah in the Gaza Strip. For Israel, this is a critical step to eliminate the Hamas threat, and according to the Israeli War Cabinet Minister Benny Gantz, “The IDF not operating in Rafah is like extinguishing 80% of the fire” (World Israel News). For Israel’s security, it is crucial for them to rid the territory of Hamas. Otherwise, another massacre like October 7 will happen again.
Yet the Biden administration is vehemently opposed to Israel operating in Rafah, and they’ve made significant threats over it:
Senate Dem says blocking weapons shipments ‘on the table’ if Israel invades Rafah – POLITICO
Will Biden ban American weapons for Rafah offensive? – World Israel News
A refusal to supply arms would be a major statement from Israel’s greatest ally, and the fact that this conversation is even taking place must be noted. But the strain in the relationship is taking other ugly forms:
Biden claims Netanyahu 'hurting' Israel, wants to address Knesset – World Israel News
Biden caught saying Netanyahu needs a 'come to Jesus' moment – World Israel News
Biden trying to 'force Netanyahu gov't to collapse' – World Israel News
Chuck Schumer: Netanyahu a major obstacle for achieving peace – The Jerusalem Post
Is the United States seeking to oust Netanyahu? It certainly appears so. The US has replaced world leaders in the past, but in the moment has always denied doing so. Yet now the US is openly calling for the end of Netanyahu’s rule. The last article from The Jerusalem Post mentions that US Senate Majority Leader Chuck Shumer is openly calling for Israel to hold elections to oust Netanyahu. Where is the relationship heading? Down the drain, it appears, and it looks like tensions could be coming to a head here shortly.
Biden has stated that Israel’s invasion of Rafah would mark the crossing of a “red line”. What exactly this means will have to be seen, but Netanyahu wasted no time in his response:
Netanyahu hits back at Biden: ‘I've got my own red line' – JNS
Netanyahu Resists International Pressure, Declares ‘We Will Operate in Rafah’ – United with Israel
Will this mean that the US will officially withdraw support for Israel on the issue? We wait to see, but it is nevertheless becoming more and more easy to see how a scenario could play out where this war grows to the regional war of Psalm 83 where Israel no longer has US backing. If Israel crossed Biden’s “red line”, continues to oppose Biden’s wishes, and Netanyahu’s actions cause the war to grow, we can easily see Biden saying, “You got yourself into this mess, you can get yourself out.” In my view, it appears that the war will escalate before it will de-escalate, so this scenario looks plausible.
I have wondered whether the US would still feel obligated to support Israel as they’re the only nation in the region that remotely represents US interests, but it seems like this is becoming less and less of a factor, particularly in light of the fact that the rest of the world is opposing Israel. While it is certainly possible that Israel is taking some extreme and rough measures to win in Gaza, a lot of disinformation is being spread which makes the Palestinians look like the good guys. Hamas is known to use civilians as human shields and hold them as hostages, and therefore any action on Israel’s part looks like they’re deliberately harming civilians. Israel has been preventing goods from entering Gaza, and it’s likely that they’re doing this because they know Hamas would seize the aid from the hands of civilians. This puts Israel in a difficult position, and it has caused much of the world to oppose them:
Scholz to Netanyahu: cannot stand by as Palestinians risk starvation – Reuters
Gaza far exceeds famine-level food shortages, mass death imminent, monitor says – Reuters
The facets to this conflict are many, yet this is a fairly comprehensive review of where things currently stand, and it is a wondrous testimony to the Word of truth, for in the latter-days, Israel will find no friends with the nations of the earth. We are seeing this come to pass.
The Reason for Iran’s Omission from Psalm 83?
We had to include this short section, for it may directly answer a question I’ve had: why is Persia (Iran) who currently sponsors many of the Psalm 83 nations not mentioned as part of that confederacy that comes against Israel, yet they are mentioned as coming down with Russia in the later conflict of Ezekiel 38?
We have before suggested that Israel could strike Iran which would temporarily neutralize them, or perhaps that the actions of the US would force Iran to stay on the sidelines while her “proxy states” of the Gaza Strip, Lebanon, Syria, and Jordan attack Israel. Yet a recent meeting between a Hezbollah leader and Iran may have just answered the question: perhaps Iran simply does not want to get involved yet!
Hezbollah assures Iran it will not drag regime into larger war with Israel – All Israel News
The article states,
“The Hezbollah terror forces in Lebanon told the Iranian regime, which supports them, that it would not drag Iran into a larger war with Israel if current tensions continue to escalate, according to a Reuters report on Friday…
“In a meeting with Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, the two reportedly discussed the possible dangers in the case of Israel escalating the current fire exchanges into an all-out war, which would risk dragging Iran into the conflict and could ultimately lead to other parts of the Middle East joining the conflict.
“In such a scenario, Iran would feel pressured to join on the side of its main proxy force in the region, three of the senior Iranian sources told Reuters.
“However, Nasrallah assured Qaani that his group could fight Israel alone and was not looking for massive Iranian support.
“‘This is our fight,’ Nasrallah told Qaani...”
Perhaps it is that simple? The Psalm 83 nations may say to their Iranian supporter, “This is our fight. You do not need to get involved.” We wait to see.
The Role of Saudi Arabia
On the note of the Psalm 83 confederacy, I believe it’s important to follow developments relating to Saudi Arabia, for I understand them to be “the Ishmaelites” of Psalm 83, and we have been waiting for their stance of Israel to turn sour. While there has been the hope that the Saudis and Israel would normalize relations, it’s clear now that this prospect is contingent upon a Palestinian state:
Saudi official: Peace with Israel requires Palestinian statehood – The Jerusalem Post
The likelihood of Israel allowing a Palestinian state (under the current Israeli administration, at least) is incredibly unlikely. And so, just like everywhere else, tensions continue to grow.
Putin Threatens WWIII – A Lead to Ezekiel 38?
As many know from the subjects I choose to discuss, the Arab proximal war occupies the majority of my comments, for I have found the Scripture to teach in many ways that this war is the very first instance in which we see Christ and the saints appear on the scene. This war results in the establishment of the Kingdom of God upon the earth in its initial stage: the inheritance of the land promised to Abraham and the clearing of those enemy nations which now inhabit it (Obadiah 1:17-21, Jeremiah 23:5-6). It also perfectly sets the stage for the Ezekiel 38 conflict in every respect (a subject for another time). This conflict is therefore the most pressing for us servants of the Lord, but it is also important to keep up with how the other conflicts are being set up, and so we know look at what Russia and her allies are doing.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is beginning to expand to threaten nuclear war with the Western powers of the US, Britain, and others. Here are some recent developments that tell the story:
Putin declares 'we are ready' to go head-to-head with America – MSN
China, Russia, Iran Join Forces for War Games Amid US-Houthi Clashes – Newsweek
NATO fighter jets get green light to carry nukes as tension with Russia soars – Express
Warships from Iran, Russia and China deploy for major joint drills – Telegraph
The list goes on and on, and it appears that a direct conflict between these opposing powers is not a question of if, but when.
I wish to be clear and state the I do not believe Daniel 11 has anything to do with this conflict whatsoever. There is no longer a King of the North or King of the South, and there hasn’t been since 1917. This is certainly a subject that deserves its own space for consideration, and so I will defer for now.
Although I find no prophecy which directly mentions a war between Russia and the other nations of the world, I do find potential evidence of such conflict in the form of its results. For example, we do not read of a war between the West and the East, but we do find the Western powers of Tarshish, Sheba, and Dedan taking what may be a submissive or helpless position toward Russia when Gog descends toward Israel, for they simply question Gog’s intent (Ezekiel 38:18). This could hint that the Eastern powers of Russia will be running the show at that point.
Yet another possibility is that the Ezekiel 38 war could be a battle which is part of a third World War. If we look to the first two World Wars, we see that there were numerous fronts where fighting was taking place simultaneously. In WW2, the US fought Germany and Japan at the same time, just as the Germans fought Britain in western Europe and the Russians in eastern Europe. One move on Hitler’s part we want to focus on was his invasion of the Caucuses in 1941. He had different motives for attacking each nation he conquered, but one of the main reasons he attacked the Caucuses region was to resupply on oil for the war effort. In order to continue waging war effectively, he needed more oil and goods for his tanks and equipment.
With the prospect of WWIII more likely than ever, could it be that Ezekiel 38 shows Russia making a similar move toward Israel that Hitler made toward the Caucuses? It’s critical to note that the only Scriptural reason given for Russia’s attack on Israel is SPOIL:
Ezekiel 38:11-12 – And thou shalt say, I will go up to the land of unwalled villages; I will go to them that are at rest, that dwell safely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates, (12) To take a spoil, and to take a prey; to turn thine hand upon the desolate places that are now inhabited, and upon the people that are gathered out of the nations, which have gotten cattle and goods, that dwell in the midst of the land.
Perhaps Russia will be fighting a war with the West and Western Europe, run low on supplies (as they already have in many ways from the Ukraine war), and will find it necessary to resupply. Then, they notice a nation which just recently acquired “the wealth of all the heathen round about… gold, and silver, and apparel, in great abundance” (Zechariah 14:14). Not only are they increased with riches, but they have no carnal defenses – no walls, bars, gates, or even weapons (Ezekiel 38:11-12, Zechariah 9:10). When Christ reigns in Jerusalem, it is said that “Jerusalem shall be inhabited as towns without walls for the multitude of men and cattle therein: For I, saith the LORD, will be unto her a wall of fire round about, and will be the glory in the midst of her” (Zechariah 2:4-5). THE LORD will protect Israel, and Christ does not require barbed wire and tanks to defend his nation. But I believe that Russia will be in ignorance of this fact, and we’re also told that they will be deceived as to who Christ actually is, for Revelation 20:7-8 lists Gog and Magog as two of the worlds powers who are deceived into warring against Christ. I expect this “deception” to be a culmination of the current humanistic thinking of the world coupled with Pope’s positive declaration that Christ is actually the anti-Christ. Russia will think, “Ah, they have no defenses and the Pope himself has sanctioned my fight against this new ‘Jewish King’, so it should be an easy conquest.” Yet they will be destroyed upon the mountains of Israel without hand (Ezekiel 39:4). This is just one scenario of how things could play out, and while we certainly should never be dogmatic, it is incredibly exciting to see how plausible such scenarios appear to be based on the current events in the earth.
To conclude, we simply wish to say that there are many more signs besides these which we have not commented on, and all the events in the world scream with unity, “THE LORD JESUS CHRIST IS SOON TO RETURN!” Let us heed these signs with thankful, loving, and trusting hearts, for the One who is controlling these events is our God, and while He is sending His son to execute vengeance and judgment on the world, Christ comes to us for a different purpose. He has told us, “I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also” (John 14:3). To borrow the words of a familiar hymn,
He comes in vengeance, but not for thee:
For thee he comes, his might to impart
To the trembling heart and the feeble knee
In the One Hope of Israel,
Tanner Hawkins