This is Daniel Whyte III with the Second Coming Watch Update. This is update #939. 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 EARTHQUAKES IN DIVERS PLACES — According to The Daily Express, Located inside Yellowstone National Park, the caldera is dubbed a supervolcano due to its capability to inflict untold devastation on a global scale in the event of a supereruption. The area is constantly monitored by the United States Geological Survey for signs an eruption is on the way, but science writer Bryan Walsh painted a bleak picture of what could happen in the future. In his recently-published book ‘End Times: A Brief Guide to the End of the World,’ he wrote: “First would come a swarm of increasingly intense earthquakes, a sign that magma was rushing toward the surface. The pressure would build until, like champagne in a bottle given a vigorous shake, the magma would burst through the ground in a titanic eruption that would discharge the toxic innards of the Earth to the air. It would continue for days, burying Yellowstone in lava within a forty-mile radius of the eruption.” But, Walsh warned the devastation would not be restricted to the local area. He detailed how Yellowstone’s plume of ash, lava, and volcanic gases would reach a height of at least 15 miles, and make their way across North America. Walsh added: “Hospitals would be choked with victims coughing up blood as the silicate in the ash slashed at their lungs.” Worst still, the ash could poison crops and create a worldwide volcanic winter – in which global average temperatures could plunge as much as 8C for a decade. This could produce a recipe for a global starvation event that may endanger hundreds of millions of people.

Second, today, under the Sign category of PESTILENCES & FATAL EPIDEMIC DISEASES — According to CNBC, Coronavirus infection rates in the New York City area continue to soar far above other parts of the state just days after it reopened indoor dining spaces and returned more students to classrooms for in-person learning. According to a statement from Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s office on Saturday, New York is responding to growing clusters of coronavirus cases in 20 “hotspot” ZIP codes that are reporting positivity rates, or the number of tests coming back positive, as high as 18%, based on a weekly average. Dr. Tom Frieden [FREE-DEN], the former director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention under President Barack Obama, warned on Twitter Saturday that New York City is “on the edge of a precipice” and is at “a high risk of Covid resurgence.”

Third, today, under the Sign category of WARS & RUMOURS OF WARS — According to Israel National News, The International Atomic Energy Agency said on Wednesday it has inspected the second of two suspected former secret atomic sites in Iran, as agreed upon with Tehran last month. The IAEA said in a statement, “As part of an agreement with Iran to resolve safeguards implementation issues specified by the IAEA, the Agency this week conducted a complementary access at the second location in the country and took environmental samples.” Those samples and others taken at the first site will be sent to labs and analyzed for traces of nuclear material, since the agency’s main task is to account for all nuclear material in a country to ensure it is not being used to make weapons. The agreement allowing inspectors to visit the sites followed a recently released IAEA report in which the agency expressed ‘serious concern’ that Iran has been blocking inspections at two sites where past nuclear activity may have occurred.

Fourth, today, under the Sign category of THE RISE OF GOG & MAGOG — According to SpaceWar.com, Russia announced the successful test-firing of its Zircon hypersonic missile on Wednesday, striking a target 300 miles away after traveling at over 6,100 mph. The announcement came in a teleconference between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Russian Armed Forces Chief of Staff Valery Ger-as-i-mov, transcribed on the presidential website. Ana-to-ly An-to-nov, Russian ambassador to the United States, said on Wednesday that the test was not meant to intimidate any enemy. An-to-nov said on Russia television, “We will discuss today’s example with Zir-con for a long time, but I would like to emphasize that Russia is not thus trying to show its muscles or rattle weapons.” He added that the United States is “watching very closely what is happening here. If the Pentagon is silent, this does not mean that they do not pay attention. Any step of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation is important for them.”

Fifth, today, under the Sign category of RE-ESTABLISHMENT OF ISRAEL — According to Ynet News, French President Emmanuel Macron reportedly offered to broker a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hezbollah. The move came following French inquiries into the Shi’ite terrorist organization’s position on the matter. Hezbollah is also a Lebanese political party, complete with seats in parliament. According to a source familiar with the offer, France suggested holding parallel talks to the unprecedented U.S.-brokered talks between Lebanon and Israel over their maritime border. France believes Hezbollah’s Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah viewed the idea favorably, according to the paper. Macron hopes this will lead to a reduction in Hezbollah’s arms, reportedly, so that the organization can operate more like a political party. The source said the U.S. showed interest in Macron’s initiative for Lebanon to enable Lebanon to strike a peace deal with the Jewish state after demarcating borders.

——–

The prophetic passage of Scripture that we are looking at today is Ezekiel 36:22-32.

Ezekiel 36:26 reads: “A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.”

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.

In the second stage of restoration as described in verses 25-27, Israel’s spiritual regeneration is presented through the ceremonial imagery of liturgical cleansing. This is in keeping with the Levitical ritual of purification from defilement.

The renewal of national Israel requires an individual spiritual regeneration that will prevent the loss of a ceremonial state and preserve the restoration in perpetuity. Verses 26-27 present this spiritual regeneration as a radical change in the inner disposition by the removal of that which caused ritual defilement and the implantation of a new nature. This is depicted in the original Hebrew text by the use of a chiastic [KY-AS-TIK] arrangement (A/B/B/A pattern) in which the elements of divine activity and human change are emphasized: (A) “I will give” (B) “a new heart” (A) “a new spirit” (B) “I will put within you.” The theological expression of “new” finds its place chiefly in the eschatological announcement of a New Covenant, a new covenant community, and a new creation. The “new heart” (volitional aspect) and “new spirit” (relationship aspect) therefore are inner dispositions of will and spiritual inclination that were formerly nonexistent and have been given in order to bring national Israel into the spiritual provisions of the New Covenant.

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 Glen Spencer. He said, “The Christian’s duty is to live at all times the way he would want his Saviour to find him living at the rapture. Jesus Christ asked the question, when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth? To live a holy life we must have the right perspective. The faithful Christian is living and watching for the return of his Saviour.”

Let’s Pray

***

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.

This is Daniel Whyte III with the Second Coming Watch Update. This is update #938. 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 TURMOIL IN THE MIDDLE EAST — According to Israel Hayom, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused the Iranian-backed terrorist group Hezbollah of maintaining a “secret arms depot” in a residential neighborhood of Beirut [BAY-ROOT], warning it could cause another tragic explosion in the Lebanese capital. In an address to the UN General Assembly on Tuesday, Netanyahu showed maps purportedly showing the missile depot’s location next to a gas station and residential housing. He also showed what he said was a picture of the entrance to the depot. Netanyahu said, “Here’s where the next explosion will take place, right here.” Addressing the Lebanese people, he said: “You’ve got to act now, you’ve got to protest this, because if this thing explodes, it’s another tragedy. … You should tell them, ‘Tear these depots down.'” In August, a warehouse filled with nearly 3,000 tons of ammonium nitrate exploded in Beirut’s [BAY-ROOT] port, killing nearly 200 people, wounding thousands and causing widespread destruction in the capital. The ammonium nitrate had been stored there for several years.

Second, today, under the Sign category of THE MARK OF THE BEAST — According to CNN, Amazon’s latest effort to speed up shopping trips lets you pay with the palm of your hand at some of its stores. On Tuesday, the company introduced Amazon One, which connects your palm print to a stored credit card so you can place your hand above a sensor to enter and buy items at checkout-free Amazon Go stores. (Typically, visitors use a code on their smartphone to open electronic gates inside these stores.) Initially, the feature will be available at two Amazon Go stores in Seattle, and the company plans in upcoming months to add it to more Amazon Go stores, which are spread across Seattle, San Francisco, New York, and Chicago. Amazon plans to bring it to other retailers — and perhaps places like offices and stadiums — in the future. Before trying it, users must insert a credit card in an Amazon One device and hold a palm above it, facing down, so it can be scanned. In an effort to make the system as accurate as possible, a camera takes multiple images of the fine lines and ridges of the palm, and captures some subcutaneous details, such as veins, that aren’t as visible in typical photographs. After enrollment, a user holds their palm above an Amazon One scanner to enter the store.

Third, today, under the Sign category of FAMINES — According to The New York Times, the top humanitarian official of the United Nations has warned the first famines of the coronavirus era could soon hit four chronically food-deprived conflict areas — Yemen, South Sudan, northeast Nigeria and the Democratic Republic of Congo. In a letter to members of the Security Council, the official, Mark Lowcock, said the risk of famines in these areas had been intensified by “natural disasters, economic shocks and public-health crises, all compounded by the coronavirus pandemic.” Together, he said, “these factors are endangering the lives of millions of women, men and children.” In April, David Beasley, the executive director of the World Food Program, the anti-hunger arm of the United Nations, warned the Security Council that while the world was contending with the coronavirus pandemic, “we are also on the brink of a hunger pandemic.” Mr. Lowcock, who is the United Nations’ under secretary for humanitarian affairs, effectively escalated the warning, saying a lack of funding for emergency relief and the complications created by the coronavirus scourge have now pushed some of the world’s neediest populations closer to famine conditions.

Fourth, today, under the Sign category of PESTILENCES & FATAL EPIDEMIC DISEASES — According to Arab News, In ordinary times Yom Kippur brings much of Israel to a standstill, as businesses close and roads empty for the holiest day in the Jewish calendar. But the world has looked very different this year, so deserted highways in city centers have become something of a familiar sight, even on days other than religious holidays. Israel entered its second-wave lockdown on Sept. 18 after a surge of new cases had hospitals worrying about the strain on admissions. Health ministry directives that prayers be held in small, socially-distanced groups outdoors spelled an effective shutdown order for many synagogues, the first widespread curbs on the houses of worship during Yom Kippur since Israel’s founding in 1948. The country of nine million people has logged at least 1,441 deaths from COVID-19.

Fifth, today, under the Sign category of RE-ESTABLISHMENT OF ISRAEL — According to Ynet News, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas called for United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to convene an international conference early next year to launch “a genuine peace process” between Israel and the Palestinians. Abbas urged Guterres to work with the Middle East Quartet of mediators – the United States, Russia, the European Union and the UN – and the UN Security Council on a conference “with full authority and with the participation of all concerned parties, early next year, to engage in a genuine peace process.” Abbas told the UN General Assembly in a pre-recorded video, “There will be no peace, no security, no stability and no coexistence in our region while this occupation continues and a just, comprehensive solution to the question of Palestine, the core of the conflict, remains denied.” He said the Palestinians remained committed to the 2002 Arab Peace Initiative, drawn up by Saudi Arabia, in which Arab nations offered to normalize ties with Israel in return for a statehood deal with the Palestinians and full Israeli withdrawal from territory captured in 1967.

——–

The prophetic passage of Scripture that we are looking at today is Ezekiel 36:22-32.

Ezekiel 36:23 reads: “And I will sanctify my great name, which was profaned among the heathen, which ye have profaned in the midst of them; and the heathen shall know that I am the Lord, saith the Lord God, when I shall be sanctified in you before their eyes.”

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.

This vindication is necessary because God’s name is “great” in the sense of “great in importance,” which underscores the majesty and incomparability of Israel’s God as opposed to the insignificance of the gods of the nations. It is not simply that God must recover the national status of a powerful local deity, but that He must be acknowledged by the nations as the only and true God. To accomplish this requires an act greater than simply returning the Jewish people to their land. Thus the Lord will demonstrate His true nature and character “among you [Israel] in their sight.” This requires a supernatural physical and spiritual restoration in Israel as a people and a land. Verses 24-31 reveal the theological and historical order of this restoration with an initial focus on the land of Israel: “I will…bring you into your own land.” This confirms that there can be no fulfillment of any of the prophetic promises of the past unless Israel is restored to the Promised Land.

Verse 24 also demonstrates that the restoration of Israel takes place in stages, with the first stage being a regathering from the nations and a return to the land. This is followed by the second stage, which is described in verses 25-27. The first stage is physical: restoration to the land. The second stage is spiritual: restoration to the Lord. These stages are evident in the next chapter as well, where restoration is seen in the vision of the dry bones and the reuniting of the nation is seen in 37:15-28. The regathering and return of Israel to its land is seen in other prophets to be a process that begins with a partial regathering in unbelief followed by a complete regathering in belief. In other words, the fulfillment of verse 24 can take place progressively through time until both national spiritual regeneration and repentance take place at the end of the Tribulation, resulting in the full and final regathering of Israel into the land for the millennial kingdom.

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, “We are not just looking for something to happen, we are looking for Someone to come! And when these things begin to come to pass, we are not to drop our heads in discouragement or shake our heads in despair, but rather lift up our heads in delight.”

Let’s Pray

***

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.