thetrumpet--2020-03-05--Will the Trump Peace Plan Bring Peace to Israel?

On January 28 , United States President Donald Trump unveiled his peace plan for the Middle East .
It was 180 pages and covered an enormous number of specifics .
President Trump called it “ the most detailed proposal ever put forward ” and “ the deal of the century.
” It received support from Israel : President Trump announced it at the White House with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu by his side .
But Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas responded , “ We say a thousand times : No , no and no to the deal of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ plan will bring peace ?
I don ’ t suppose many people do .
The Bible tells us to beware when you are hearing a lot about peace .
The Prophet Jeremiah wrote of false prophets “ saying , Peace , peace ; when there is no peace ” ( Jeremiah 6:14 ; 8:11 ) .
Isaiah the prophet foretold of a time when “ the ambassadors of peace shall weep bitterly ” ( Isaiah 33:7 ) .
Diplomats run around talking about peace , peace , peace—but we never have lasting peace @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
When they keep talking about peace , you know we are about to have war—war like you have never seen !
Did you know that Jerusalem means “ city of peace ” ?
You would almost think that is a sick joke .
There has been no lasting peace in that city .
In fact , Jerusalem has flowed with rivers of blood !
Why do man ’ s peace plans always fail ?
There is a reason—a cause we need to understand .
Jerusalem provides a stunning example of this reason @ @ @ @ @ @ @ efforts have centered around this city .
For years , many nations have labored to bring it peace and have failed .
We desperately need to understand this fundamental point .
If ever there was a time we need to be concerned about how to bring peace to this world , surely it is now .
The number one problem the world faces today is human survival !
Many nations are acquiring nuclear weapons and honing their nuclear power !
We are facing a nuclear war that stupefies the imagination !
Isaiah said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ know not ” ( Isaiah 59:8 ) .
There is a way of peace—but mankind does not know that way !
Man keeps trying to somehow generate some kind of peace , but never can .
This is a deadly dangerous issue .
If we are to avoid great suffering , we must understand how to have peace .
We need peace not only in nations , but in our own homes .
How do you have peace in a home ?
There is a way , and you can absolutely prove it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Jerusalem , “ city of peace , ” is prophetic , telling us that we will have peace—in spite of man , not because of him .
For almost 30 years , the United States and Britain have pressured the Jews to accept a peace process that has repeatedly failed .
Clearly America and Britain , like the rest of mankind , do not know the way to peace .
The “ former prophets ” include the biblical books of Joshua , Judges , Samuel and Kings .
These books were written by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ prophecy , contain forecasts intended primarily for this end time .
Notice this stunning statement in the prophetic book of Kings .
When God decided to strip the kingdom of Israel away from Solomon for his terrible sins , He said : “ Howbeit I will not rend away all the kingdom ; but will give one tribe to thy son for David my servant ’ s sake , and for Jerusalem ’ s sake which I have chosen ” ( 1 Kings 11:13 ) .
God has chosen Jerusalem .
He has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Jerusalem .
This has everything to do with our having peace in this world !
When the modern State of Israel came into being in 1948 , the Arabs immediately attacked .
The Jews had no real army .
Within three weeks , they were losing the war .
Then the Arabs strangely agreed to a temporary United Nations-sponsored truce .
This is just what Israel needed to rearm and train its weary troops—many of them civilians who carried guns .
Soon after , the Arabs started attacking again .
This time the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the war .
It was a miracle from God .
The Jews experienced many miracles in the following years .
The Six-Day War in 1967 was a major clash between the Jewish nation and Egypt , Jordan and Syria .
In that short but intense conflict , the Jews captured all of the Sinai , the Suez Canal , East Jerusalem , the West Bank and the Golan Heights—in six days !
Study that history and you will see they were aided by miracles .
In late 1973 , the Arabs attacked again @ @ @ @ @ @ @ holiday of Yom Kippur .
With much aid from the Americans , the Jews won the war in three weeks—another miraculous deliverance .
At some point , however , the Jews decided to stop looking to God for help .
They decided , prodded by America and Britain , to seek security by negotiating with the very people who wanted to destroy them .
In 1993 , Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat made a pact in which Israel gave up land for promises of peace .
Arafat , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ peace process , was the number one terrorist in the Middle East !
Does it make sense that you could somehow achieve peace by making a deal with a famed terrorist ?
There is no logic in that !
Even as Arafat talked about peace to the Israelis and to the world , in private he would often tell people of his plan to take over Israel and destroy the Jews completely !
That was always his ambition !
Yet somehow we thought that simply handing him land would soften him or convince @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reasoning shows terrible weakness and only encourages an enemy who thinks like that .
Swapping land for peace has never brought peace .
Since the start of that peace process , the Jews have given up Gaza , Jericho , Bethlehem and the other parts of the West Bank to the Arabs .
Think about that : Arabs attacked the Jews on multiple occasions with a goal to annihilate every one of them !
Where in history can you find a war where the victors later gave the land back to the aggressors @ @ @ @ @ @ @ map ?
President Trump ’ s plan differs in one critical area from the previous attempts to bring peace such as the Oslo Accords and the uniliteral withdrawal from Gaza in 2005 .
In those cases , Israel was encouraged to give up land for the promise of peace .
As Israeli commentator Ruthie Blum put it , Trump ’ s plan is “ peace for peace.
” In it , a Palestinian state would only be established if Palestinians renounce funding and glorifying of terrorism , stop paying salaries for convicted terrorists @ @ @ @ @ @ @ other proofs that they no longer want to destroy the Jewish state .
The plan gives the Palestinian Authority four years to enact these and other reforms .
As soon as they do , they ’ ll receive a state .
In the end , this plan still aims to create a Palestinian state not just next to Israel , but right in Israel ’ s midst .
The Palestinians could get it even if they only pretend , in the short term , to make these concessions .
To think that giving @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to abandon plans to destroy Israel is delusional !
To convince Israel to even consider such a deal , the United States is supporting Israel ’ s claim over 30 percent of the West Bank almost immediately .
This includes much of East Jerusalem and the Jordan Valley , a critical area on Israel ’ s eastern flank that borders Jordan .
Many in Israel support the deal because they will receive recognition of these territories right away , whereas the Palestinian state is conditioned on the PA enacting reforms that most Israelis @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ever agree to anyway .
At worst , in four years Israel will be right where it is now , except with more of the West Bank declared as sovereign Israeli territory .
By this logic , many Israelis accept the deal because they are banking on Palestinians rejecting it as they have so many times before .
But what if they are wrong ?
What if the Palestinians do start negotiating the Trump deal ?
Some signs suggest that Arab support for Palestinian rejection of the peace process is waning .
In @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Mahmoud Abbas went to the UN Security Council hoping to see a consensus vote condemning the peace plan .
But the Palestinians realized their motion lacked enough support , and the vote didn ’ t even happen .
It was a shock to the Palestinians .
One member of the delegation said , “ The sense is that we are coming back with our tails between our legs.
” He said they received a “ cold shoulder ” from Arab states , including the Gulf emirates , Egypt and Saudi Arabia .
Unlike @ @ @ @ @ @ @ world seems to be pressuring the Palestinians to negotiate with President Trump .
If Palestinian leaders give in , Israel will feel obligated to go along with the process .
This will prove to be disastrous .
Peace will not be gained by giving up land to the Palestinians !
Never !
People often forget that Israelis have already withdrawn from over 80 percent of the land they won in the Six-Day War .
Yet the Trump peace plan includes a map that shows a lot of Israeli territory becoming a new Palestinian @ @ @ @ @ @ @ solution in which Israel gives up claim to 70 percent of the West Bank .
This area is the heartland of biblical history—the lands of Abraham , Isaac and Jacob !
What does God think about it when Israel gives up land He gave them through miraculous victories ?
If implemented , this plan puts a Palestinian state on the doorstep of Jerusalem and surrounding almost every Jewish settlement in the West Bank .
It doesn ’ t create two states side by side with one continuous border : It is a series @ @ @ @ @ @ @ islands of Jewish communities in the West Bank , each surrounded by a historically hostile people .
David Ha ’ ivri lives in one of those Jewish communities inside the West Bank .
On February 3 , he spoke out about what this deal does to his and other West Bank communities .
“ President Trump says that in his plan , no Israelis or Palestinians will be forced to leave their homes .
However , it also lists 15 Israeli towns that would become isolated enclaves deep within the proposed Palestinian state @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Telegraphic Agency .
“ Some mistakenly take some consolation in the thought that the plan lists only 15 small towns to be isolated and cut off from Israel .
A closer look at the Trump map reveals that another 40 larger Israeli towns , including my own , share a very similar fate .
They will find themselves like isolated outposts connected to the rest of Israel by very narrow corridors , surrounded by Palestinian-controlled space.
” Such an arrangement wouldn ’ t bring peace .
It would actually create a dangerous wound @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are a deadly delusion !
We ought to see by now that they won ’ t work !
Every time we have tried giving land for peace , or negotiating with terrorists to bring peace , it has only brought more war !
The book of Hosea was written as prophecy for the end time .
The nation called Israel today is really biblical Judah .
Hosea includes specific prophecies about Judah .
“ When Ephraim saw his sickness , and Judah saw his wound , then went Ephraim to the Assyrian , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ could he not heal you , nor cure you of your wound ” ( Hosea 5:13 ) .
Studying this verse in the original Hebrew reveals that both Ephraim ( Britain ) and Judah go to Assyria ( the prophetic term for modern-day Germany—to prove this , request our free booklet Germany and the Holy Roman Empire ) .
Why go to Germany ?
And what is Judah ’ s “ wound ” ?
Strong ’ s Concordance defines that word , “ in the sense of binding up : a bandage , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Lexicon defines it , “ the pressing together , binding up of a wound ; here used figuratively of a remedy applied to the wounds of the state.
” In other words , the remedy is the wound !
Another word for wound appears in Obadiah 7 : “ All the men of thy confederacy have brought thee even to the border : the men that were at peace with thee have deceived thee , and prevailed against thee ; they that eat thy bread have laid a wound under thee : there @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ Lexicon defines this “ wound ” as “ falsehood ; hence , fraud , insidious dealing … net , or snare.
” It has the same root word as the word used in Hosea 5:13 .
In Obadiah the wound is directly related to being deceived by a peace pact !
Wound in Hosea means bandage .
It ’ s as if a bandage is hopelessly applied to an open , running sore .
From the beginning of the peace process , the Jews have looked to men , often their enemies @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the unseen wound .
So little trust in God—so much trust in their enemies !
The real wound is spiritual : a lack of faith in God .
The Jews keep trying to heal themselves by making peace pacts .
They were strong when they trusted God .
The Israelis will finally see that their peace agreement with the Palestinians has failed .
They really only see the effect of their wound , not the cause .
That is why they turn to Germany for another peace pact , placing their trust in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they will fail to trust God .
This will lead to the worst disaster in the Jews ’ long history of suffering .
That is where this peace plan is leading .
Where Is Their Faith ?
Something is terribly wrong with man ’ s reasoning .
“ The way of peace they know not.
” Men are trying to work the problem out themselves and are even looking to their enemies to make a peace pact with !
But how much are they looking to God ?
The truth is , nobody @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a nation apart from God !
God must be involved if you are to have real peace .
You will never have peace any other way .
These leaders seem to have more faith in their enemies than in God !
How much faith do we have in the all-powerful God who could instantly bring us peace if we would look to Him ?
That shows you what the real problem is !
How insulted must God be when men trust somebody like the top terrorist in the Middle East rather than trusting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ human mind is “ deceitful above all things , and desperately wicked.
” That is human nature , and we can never have peace as long as we have human nature .
Man must be rid of human nature before we can ever have peace !
Iran has created a presence and influence in Gaza , Lebanon and Syria .
It has surrounded the Jews , and it hates the Jews more than anybody in the Middle East .
Yet today , Israel is proffering a peace pact with , essentially , an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ !
Anybody should be able to understand that .
But when you look at Bible prophecy , the danger involved becomes even more exceedingly clear .
Zechariah 14:2 says that in the end time , half of Jerusalem will be captured by the Arabs : “ For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle ; and the city shall be taken , and the houses rifled , and the women ravished ; and half of the city shall go forth into captivity , and the residue of the people shall not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Yes , the efforts to make peace with the Palestinians are prophesied to fail catastrophically !
This peace agreement could encourage the Arabs to make a grab for half of Jerusalem .
Zechariah shows they will end up taking it by force !
I explain this prophecy in Chapter 3 of Jerusalem in Prophecy , and it is a crucial end-time prophecy to understand .
But notice : In this context God says that all nations will be gathered “ against Jerusalem to battle.
” Many other prophecies provide detail about this climactic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ all their militaries , are going to gather in Armageddon before marching on Jerusalem !
And what will happen then ?
“ Then shall the Lord go forth , and fight against those nations , as when he fought in the day of battle ” ( verse 3 ) .
Jesus Christ is going to return personally to fight them !
Revelation 14:18-20 show that this battle will be so fierce , the blood of these armies will be flowing deep enough that for 200 miles in the Valley of Jehoshaphat , at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , it will rise to the level of the horses ’ bridles !
This clash in Jerusalem will be the decisive battle in the bloodiest war in human history .
Many prophecies show that the death toll will be horrific all over the Earth .
The Bible warns soberly that the horrors of World War ii—with Germany ’ s extermination camps , Russia ’ s gulags and other nightmares including nuclear bombs incinerating whole cities—were only a rehearsal for the Tribulation to come !
Why such butchery and warfare ?
Because this is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ get man ’ s attention !
We have to recognize and acknowledge what a disaster results when we try to solve our problems on our own , without God !
And this is what is going to bring peace to this world !
Despite the lack of peace in Israel today , numerous prophecies tell us that God will give us peace !
Leviticus 26:6 says that if you turn to God , “ I will give peace in the land , ” nobody will “ make you afraid , ” and “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ land.
” This is what God says if you will do what He says !
What a promise !
Zechariah 1:17 says that God “ shall yet choose Jerusalem.
” And He is going to cause the whole world to look to Jerusalem !
He will bring peace to all mankind in just a few years .
“ And many people shall go and say , Come ye , and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord , to the house of the God of Jacob ; and he will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we will walk in his paths : for out of Zion shall go forth the law , and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem ” ( Isaiah 2:3 ) .
Clearly this hasn ’ t happened yet !
It is a prophecy that is about to be fulfilled .
Isaiah 66:10 and 12 say , “ Rejoice ye with Jerusalem , and be glad with her , all ye that love her : rejoice for joy with her , all ye that mourn for her … .
For thus saith the Lord @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to her like a river ….
” Instead of a river of blood , there will be a river of peace flowing from Jerusalem !
God is going to bring the wonderful peace and joy man has sought for 6,000 years but has never been able to find because he hasn ’ t looked to God .
Watch Jerusalem !
So much is going to be happening there !
Events are serious and sobering , yet at the same time , they are filled with the hope of God !
What hope God @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a vision this is !
How does that compare with President Trump ’ s peace plan ?
Henry Kissinger once said there is no other choice than the peace process .
That is terribly wrong !
That is not a choice of life .
Moses wrote that there are two ways before us : life and death .
Choose life !
( Deuteronomy 30:19 ) .
Man is choosing the wrong way .
We are choosing the way that God is not involved in .
God is telling us what we should be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ His instructions .
That needs to change and change quickly .
More than a hundred scriptures tell you how to bring peace !
We need faith in God .
We could save ourselves so much suffering if we would listen to God today and turn to Him !
God says , “ [ T ] urn ye , turn ye … for why will ye die , O house of Israel ?
” ( Ezekiel 33:11 ) .
He wants you to choose life—choose His way and trust Him .
When you do @ @ @ @ @ @ @ individual life , and in your nation .
And very soon , He is going to give peace to this whole world !

On January 28, United States President Donald Trump unveiled his peace plan for the Middle East. It was 180 pages and covered an enormous number of specifics. President Trump called it “the most detailed proposal ever put forward” and “the deal of the century.” It received support from Israel: President Trump announced it at the White House with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu by his side. But Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas responded, “We say a thousand times: No, no and no to the deal of the century.”
Does anybody really think this plan will bring peace? I don’t suppose many people do.
The Bible tells us to beware when you are hearing a lot about peace. The Prophet Jeremiah wrote of false prophets “saying, Peace, peace; when there is no peace” (Jeremiah 6:14; 8:11). Isaiah the prophet foretold of a time when “the ambassadors of peace shall weep bitterly” (Isaiah 33:7).
Diplomats run around talking about peace, peace, peace—but we never have lasting peace. This has been true throughout history.
When they keep talking about peace, you know we are about to have war—war like you have never seen!
Did you know that Jerusalem means “city of peace”? You would almost think that is a sick joke. There has been no lasting peace in that city. In fact, Jerusalem has flowed with rivers of blood!
Why do man’s peace plans always fail? There is a reason—a cause we need to understand. Jerusalem provides a stunning example of this reason. Many of the most arduous peace efforts have centered around this city. For years, many nations have labored to bring it peace and have failed.
We desperately need to understand this fundamental point. If ever there was a time we need to be concerned about how to bring peace to this world, surely it is now. The number one problem the world faces today is human survival! Many nations are acquiring nuclear weapons and honing their nuclear power! We are facing a nuclear war that stupefies the imagination!
Isaiah said, “The way of peace they know not” (Isaiah 59:8). There is a way of peace—but mankind does not know that way! Man keeps trying to somehow generate some kind of peace, but never can.
This is a deadly dangerous issue. If we are to avoid great suffering, we must understand how to have peace. We need peace not only in nations, but in our own homes. How do you have peace in a home?
There is a way, and you can absolutely prove it. In fact, even the name Jerusalem, “city of peace,” is prophetic, telling us that we will have peace—in spite of man, not because of him.
‘Peace’ Process
For almost 30 years, the United States and Britain have pressured the Jews to accept a peace process that has repeatedly failed. Clearly America and Britain, like the rest of mankind, do not know the way to peace.
The “former prophets” include the biblical books of Joshua, Judges, Samuel and Kings. These books were written by prophets and, like virtually all biblical prophecy, contain forecasts intended primarily for this end time.
Notice this stunning statement in the prophetic book of Kings. When God decided to strip the kingdom of Israel away from Solomon for his terrible sins, He said: “Howbeit I will not rend away all the kingdom; but will give one tribe to thy son for David my servant’s sake, and for Jerusalem’s sake which I have chosen” (1 Kings 11:13). God has chosen Jerusalem. He has chosen no other city in the world—only Jerusalem.
Why do man’s peace plans always fail? There is a reason—a cause we need to understand. Jerusalem provides a stunning example of this reason.
This has everything to do with our having peace in this world!
When the modern State of Israel came into being in 1948, the Arabs immediately attacked. The Jews had no real army. Within three weeks, they were losing the war. Then the Arabs strangely agreed to a temporary United Nations-sponsored truce. This is just what Israel needed to rearm and train its weary troops—many of them civilians who carried guns. Soon after, the Arabs started attacking again. This time the Jews were well prepared and quickly won the war. It was a miracle from God.
The Jews experienced many miracles in the following years. The Six-Day War in 1967 was a major clash between the Jewish nation and Egypt, Jordan and Syria. In that short but intense conflict, the Jews captured all of the Sinai, the Suez Canal, East Jerusalem, the West Bank and the Golan Heights—in six days! Study that history and you will see they were aided by miracles.
In late 1973, the Arabs attacked again, this time on the solemn Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur. With much aid from the Americans, the Jews won the war in three weeks—another miraculous deliverance.
At some point, however, the Jews decided to stop looking to God for help. They decided, prodded by America and Britain, to seek security by negotiating with the very people who wanted to destroy them.
In the end, this plan still aims to create a Palestinian state not just next to Israel, but right in Israel’s midst. The Palestinians could get it even if they only pretend to make these concessions.
In 1993, Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat made a pact in which Israel gave up land for promises of peace. Arafat, before he led the Palestinians in the peace process, was the number one terrorist in the Middle East! Does it make sense that you could somehow achieve peace by making a deal with a famed terrorist? There is no logic in that!
Even as Arafat talked about peace to the Israelis and to the world, in private he would often tell people of his plan to take over Israel and destroy the Jews completely! That was always his ambition! Yet somehow we thought that simply handing him land would soften him or convince him to abandon that goal. Such reasoning shows terrible weakness and only encourages an enemy who thinks like that. Swapping land for peace has never brought peace.
The Dangerous Trump Plan
Since the start of that peace process, the Jews have given up Gaza, Jericho, Bethlehem and the other parts of the West Bank to the Arabs. Think about that: Arabs attacked the Jews on multiple occasions with a goal to annihilate every one of them! Where in history can you find a war where the victors later gave the land back to the aggressors who tried to wipe them off the map?
President Trump’s plan differs in one critical area from the previous attempts to bring peace such as the Oslo Accords and the uniliteral withdrawal from Gaza in 2005. In those cases, Israel was encouraged to give up land for the promise of peace. As Israeli commentator Ruthie Blum put it, Trump’s plan is “peace for peace.” In it, a Palestinian state would only be established if Palestinians renounce funding and glorifying of terrorism, stop paying salaries for convicted terrorists sitting in Israeli prisons, and show other proofs that they no longer want to destroy the Jewish state. The plan gives the Palestinian Authority four years to enact these and other reforms. As soon as they do, they’ll receive a state.
In the end, this plan still aims to create a Palestinian state not just next to Israel, but right in Israel’s midst. The Palestinians could get it even if they only pretend, in the short term, to make these concessions.
To think that giving the Palestinians a state will inspire them to abandon plans to destroy Israel is delusional!
To convince Israel to even consider such a deal, the United States is supporting Israel’s claim over 30 percent of the West Bank almost immediately. This includes much of East Jerusalem and the Jordan Valley, a critical area on Israel’s eastern flank that borders Jordan. Many in Israel support the deal because they will receive recognition of these territories right away, whereas the Palestinian state is conditioned on the PA enacting reforms that most Israelis don’t believe Palestinian leaders would ever agree to anyway. At worst, in four years Israel will be right where it is now, except with more of the West Bank declared as sovereign Israeli territory.
By this logic, many Israelis accept the deal because they are banking on Palestinians rejecting it as they have so many times before.
But what if they are wrong? What if the Palestinians do start negotiating the Trump deal?
PA President Abbas examines President Trump’s proposed peace plan map. Spencer Platt/Getty Images
Some signs suggest that Arab support for Palestinian rejection of the peace process is waning. In February, a Palestinian delegation led by Mahmoud Abbas went to the UN Security Council hoping to see a consensus vote condemning the peace plan. But the Palestinians realized their motion lacked enough support, and the vote didn’t even happen. It was a shock to the Palestinians. One member of the delegation said, “The sense is that we are coming back with our tails between our legs.” He said they received a “cold shoulder” from Arab states, including the Gulf emirates, Egypt and Saudi Arabia.
Unlike with other peace initiatives, the Arab world seems to be pressuring the Palestinians to negotiate with President Trump. If Palestinian leaders give in, Israel will feel obligated to go along with the process. This will prove to be disastrous.
Peace will not be gained by giving up land to the Palestinians! Never!
People often forget that Israelis have already withdrawn from over 80 percent of the land they won in the Six-Day War. Yet the Trump peace plan includes a map that shows a lot of Israeli territory becoming a new Palestinian state. This plan is a two-state solution in which Israel gives up claim to 70 percent of the West Bank. This area is the heartland of biblical history—the lands of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob! What does God think about it when Israel gives up land He gave them through miraculous victories?
If implemented, this plan puts a Palestinian state on the doorstep of Jerusalem and surrounding almost every Jewish settlement in the West Bank. It doesn’t create two states side by side with one continuous border: It is a series of roads, tunnels and overpasses connecting islands of Jewish communities in the West Bank, each surrounded by a historically hostile people.
David Ha’ivri lives in one of those Jewish communities inside the West Bank. On February 3, he spoke out about what this deal does to his and other West Bank communities. “President Trump says that in his plan, no Israelis or Palestinians will be forced to leave their homes. However, it also lists 15 Israeli towns that would become isolated enclaves deep within the proposed Palestinian state,” he wrote for the Jewish Telegraphic Agency. “Some mistakenly take some consolation in the thought that the plan lists only 15 small towns to be isolated and cut off from Israel. A closer look at the Trump map reveals that another 40 larger Israeli towns, including my own, share a very similar fate. They will find themselves like isolated outposts connected to the rest of Israel by very narrow corridors, surrounded by Palestinian-controlled space.”
Such an arrangement wouldn’t bring peace. It would actually create a dangerous wound for the Jews!
These peace plans are a deadly delusion! We ought to see by now that they won’t work! Every time we have tried giving land for peace, or negotiating with terrorists to bring peace, it has only brought more war!
History proves that—and so does Bible prophecy.
Judah’s Wound
The book of Hosea was written as prophecy for the end time. The nation called Israel today is really biblical Judah. Hosea includes specific prophecies about Judah.
“When Ephraim saw his sickness, and Judah saw his wound, then went Ephraim to the Assyrian, and sent to king Jareb: yet could he not heal you, nor cure you of your wound” (Hosea 5:13). Studying this verse in the original Hebrew reveals that both Ephraim (Britain) and Judah go to Assyria (the prophetic term for modern-day Germany—to prove this, request our free booklet Germany and the Holy Roman Empire).
Why go to Germany? And what is Judah’s “wound”? Strong’s Concordance defines that word, “in the sense of binding up: a bandage, i.e. remedy.” Gesenius’ Hebrew-Chaldee Lexicon defines it, “the pressing together, binding up of a wound; here used figuratively of a remedy applied to the wounds of the state.” In other words, the remedy is the wound!
Another word for wound appears in Obadiah 7: “All the men of thy confederacy have brought thee even to the border: the men that were at peace with thee have deceived thee, and prevailed against thee; they that eat thy bread have laid a wound under thee: there is none understanding in him.” Gesenius’ Lexicon defines this “wound” as “falsehood; hence, fraud, insidious dealing … net, or snare.” It has the same root word as the word used in Hosea 5:13. In Obadiah the wound is directly related to being deceived by a peace pact!
Wound in Hosea means bandage. It’s as if a bandage is hopelessly applied to an open, running sore. From the beginning of the peace process, the Jews have looked to men, often their enemies, for help—not God. That is the unseen wound.
So little trust in God—so much trust in their enemies!
The real wound is spiritual: a lack of faith in God. The Jews keep trying to heal themselves by making peace pacts. They were strong when they trusted God.
The Israelis will finally see that their peace agreement with the Palestinians has failed. They really only see the effect of their wound, not the cause. That is why they turn to Germany for another peace pact, placing their trust in an even greater enemy! Once again they will fail to trust God. This will lead to the worst disaster in the Jews’ long history of suffering.
That is where this peace plan is leading.
Where Is Their Faith?
Something is terribly wrong with man’s reasoning. “The way of peace they know not.” Men are trying to work the problem out themselves and are even looking to their enemies to make a peace pact with! But how much are they looking to God?
The truth is, nobody can bring peace in a family or a nation apart from God! God must be involved if you are to have real peace. You will never have peace any other way.
These leaders seem to have more faith in their enemies than in God! How much faith do we have in the all-powerful God who could instantly bring us peace if we would look to Him? That shows you what the real problem is!
How insulted must God be when men trust somebody like the top terrorist in the Middle East rather than trusting in Him?
Jeremiah 17:9 says the human mind is “deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked.” That is human nature, and we can never have peace as long as we have human nature. Man must be rid of human nature before we can ever have peace!
Iran has created a presence and influence in Gaza, Lebanon and Syria. It has surrounded the Jews, and it hates the Jews more than anybody in the Middle East. Yet today, Israel is proffering a peace pact with, essentially, an Iranian proxy! That will never work!
Anybody should be able to understand that. But when you look at Bible prophecy, the danger involved becomes even more exceedingly clear.
Zechariah 14:2 says that in the end time, half of Jerusalem will be captured by the Arabs: “For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city.”
Palestinians in the West Bank protest the U.S. peace plan. Abbas Momani/AFP/Getty Images
Yes, the efforts to make peace with the Palestinians are prophesied to fail catastrophically!
This peace agreement could encourage the Arabs to make a grab for half of Jerusalem. Zechariah shows they will end up taking it by force!
I explain this prophecy in Chapter 3 of Jerusalem in Prophecy, and it is a crucial end-time prophecy to understand. But notice: In this context God says that all nations will be gathered “against Jerusalem to battle.” Many other prophecies provide detail about this climactic battle. All these nations, with all their militaries, are going to gather in Armageddon before marching on Jerusalem! And what will happen then?
“Then shall the Lord go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle” (verse 3). Jesus Christ is going to return personally to fight them! Revelation 14:18-20 show that this battle will be so fierce, the blood of these armies will be flowing deep enough that for 200 miles in the Valley of Jehoshaphat, at the foot of the Mount of Olives, it will rise to the level of the horses’ bridles!
Efforts to make peace with the Palestinians are prophesied to fail catastrophically.
This clash in Jerusalem will be the decisive battle in the bloodiest war in human history. Many prophecies show that the death toll will be horrific all over the Earth. The Bible warns soberly that the horrors of World War ii—with Germany’s extermination camps, Russia’s gulags and other nightmares including nuclear bombs incinerating whole cities—were only a rehearsal for the Tribulation to come!
Why such butchery and warfare? Because this is what it will take for God to get man’s attention! We have to recognize and acknowledge what a disaster results when we try to solve our problems on our own, without God!
And this is what is going to bring peace to this world!
Peace Is Coming
Despite the lack of peace in Israel today, numerous prophecies tell us that God will give us peace!
Leviticus 26:6 says that if you turn to God, “I will give peace in the land,” nobody will “make you afraid,” and “neither shall the sword go through your land.” This is what God says if you will do what He says! What a promise!
Zechariah 1:17 says that God “shall yet choose Jerusalem.” And He is going to cause the whole world to look to Jerusalem! He will bring peace to all mankind in just a few years.
“And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem” (Isaiah 2:3). Clearly this hasn’t happened yet! It is a prophecy that is about to be fulfilled.
Isaiah 66:10 and 12 say, “Rejoice ye with Jerusalem, and be glad with her, all ye that love her: rejoice for joy with her, all ye that mourn for her …. For thus saith the Lord, Behold, I will extend peace to her like a river ….” Instead of a river of blood, there will be a river of peace flowing from Jerusalem! God is going to bring the wonderful peace and joy man has sought for 6,000 years but has never been able to find because he hasn’t looked to God.
Watch Jerusalem! So much is going to be happening there! Events are serious and sobering, yet at the same time, they are filled with the hope of God!
What hope God gives through His peace plan. What a vision this is! How does that compare with President Trump’s peace plan?
Henry Kissinger once said there is no other choice than the peace process. That is terribly wrong! That is not a choice of life.
Moses wrote that there are two ways before us: life and death. Choose life! (Deuteronomy 30:19). Man is choosing the wrong way. We are choosing the way that God is not involved in. God is telling us what we should be doing, but we are not following His instructions. That needs to change and change quickly.
More than a hundred scriptures tell you how to bring peace! We need faith in God. We could save ourselves so much suffering if we would listen to God today and turn to Him! God says, “[T]urn ye, turn ye … for why will ye die, O house of Israel?” (Ezekiel 33:11). He wants you to choose life—choose His way and trust Him. When you do, He will give peace in your individual life, and in your nation. And very soon, He is going to give peace to this whole world!


thetrumpet--2020-03-05--Canada Paralyzed by Radical Climate Protesters

U.S. Marines with the 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade , RCT 2nd Battalion 8th Marines Echo Co. step off in the early morning during an operation to push out Taliban fighters on July 18 , 2009 in Herati , Afghanistan .
President Trump signed a deal with the Taliban to vacate America from Afghanistan .
This vividly fulfills a specific Bible prophecy !
America ’ s war in Afghanistan was doomed from the start .
In 2001 , the nation was united in wanting to strike back at whomever had perpetrated the evils of 9/11 .
Nine days later , President @ @ @ @ @ @ @ initiate a “ war on terror ” —a war , he said , that “ will not end until every terrorist group of global reach has been found , stopped and defeated.
” As he described this war , he was repeatedly cheered by unanimous standing ovations .
He explained that it would be “ a lengthy campaign unlike any other we have ever seen .
… We will starve terrorists of funding , turn them one against another , drive them from place to place until there is no refuge or no @ @ @ @ @ @ @ group and its supporters and patrons : “ The leadership of al Qaeda has great influence in Afghanistan and supports the Taliban regime in controlling most of that country .
… The United States respects the people of Afghanistan—after all , we are currently its largest source of humanitarian aid—but we condemn the Taliban regime.
” He demanded that Taliban leaders “ close immediately and permanently every terrorist training camp in Afghanistan , ” hand over every terrorist , and give the U.S. full access to camps to guarantee their closure .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or discussion , ” he concluded .
“ The Taliban must act and act immediately .
They will hand over the terrorists , or they will share in their fate.
” The Taliban did not cooperate .
Seventeen days later—within a month of 9/11—American pilots were bombing Taliban targets .
The war in Afghanistan had begun .
It sounded bold .
It looked strong .
But watching these events in light of the Bible ’ s prophecies gave us at the Trumpet a different perspective .
Note these statements from our November 2001 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 9/11 : • “ The Taliban is , at best , only a starting point .
Far from being the fountainhead of terror in the world , it is a single shaky , friendless regime that before September 11 was officially recognized by virtually no one.
” • “ Let ’ s get specific about where a truly penetrating war on terrorism would take us .
If the Taliban is just one tendril of the monster , where is the head ?
For the answer , we can go straight to the Bible.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Daniel 11 that in the end time there would be a “ king of the south ” power bloc , which Trumpet editor in chief Gerald Flurry has identified since 1992 as Iran .
• “ Understand : The Trumpet staff would like as much as anyone to see America conquer in the war on terrorism .
But prophecy shows that it is , regrettably , underestimating its enemy .
… As we now examine the facts emerging from this war , we can see unequivocally that the terrorist snake will survive America @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ever.
” In that Trumpet issue , we wrote that America was suffering the curses spelled out in Leviticus 26 : “ But if ye will not hearken unto me , and will not do all these commandments ; … I also will do this unto you ; I will even appoint over you terror … .
And I will set my face against you , and ye shall be slain before your enemies : they that hate you shall reign over you ; and ye shall flee when none pursueth you .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ of your power ….
” • “ America ’ s military power is unprecedented , but it lacks the will to use it .
Look at what it took for us to finally do something !
And even America ’ s show of retaliation has , thus far , been a cautious , coalition-conscious strike against a tiny group of Muslim extremists … .
Now , after the most inconceivably brutal terrorist act imaginable , Americans seem unified in the fact that we had to respond militarily .
What does God have to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ] our strength shall be spent in vain … ’ ( verse 20 ) .
God does not give us all the details of how this will play out .
Prophecy does indicate , however , that in the end , America will not eradicate terrorism from this Earth .
Why ?
Because we have forsaken God !
” I will appoint over you terror .
You shall flee when none pursues you .
I will break the pride of your power .
Your strength shall be spent in vain .
These terrible @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
More than 18 years have elapsed since we printed those words .
Eighteen years of efforts to fulfill President Bush ’ s promises and realize those ambitions .
Eighteen years—the longest war in American history .
In those 18 years , “ More than 43,000 civilians have died , and by 2018 there were almost 2.5 million Afghan refugees worldwide , according to the UN refugee agency , ” the Council on Foreign Relations states .
“ More than 2,400 Americans have been killed and another 20,000 injured .
Over 1,100 nato @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about 45,000 Afghan troops and police officers were killed in the past five years .
Tens of thousands of Taliban fighters are believed to have been killed since 2001.
” For 18 years , America has fought the Taliban , tried to impose its will on the Taliban , tried to eliminate the Taliban—and increasingly , tried to manage the Taliban , to negotiate with the Taliban , and now , to come to terms with the Taliban .
In 18 years , it has spent more than $ 137 billion on “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in today ’ s dollars , of what it spent on the Marshall Plan to rebuild Europe after World War ii .
“ The war is estimated to have cost the United States around $ 2 trillion , including money spent on counternarcotics efforts , development projects , and support for Afghan security forces .
Billions of dollars have been spent on medical and disability care for U.S. veterans ” ( ibid ) .
America has spent immense amounts of strength in Afghanistan !
What did it achieve ?
2019 was one of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 18-year war .
The Taliban and other insurgent groups perpetrated about 25,000 attacks , killing an average of seven people per day .
“ [ E ] xperts say the Taliban is stronger now than at any point in the last 18 years , ” the Council of Foreign Relations continues .
“ With an estimated 60,000 fighters , it controls many districts throughout the country and continues to launch major attacks , including in Kabul and on Afghan security bases .
It earns millions of dollars from opium poppy cultivation and the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ problems for the peace process .
Some analysts are also worried that rank-and-file Taliban fighters might not abide by a peace deal ” ( ibid ; emphasis added ) .
America ’ s war in Afghanistan was doomed from the start .
And this week , America ’ s president acknowledged this painful truth .
Yesterday he spoke on the phone in the first conversation between an American president and the Taliban .
And this past Saturday he signed a deal that , if it holds , establishes a temporary truce in preparation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Taliban keeps its obligations , America agreed to withdraw all 12,000 American soldiers within the next 14 months , starting with several thousand in the coming weeks .
Eighteen years of strength spent , and America is reduced to finding the least humiliating way to hand the nation back over to the exact same Islamist movement it went there to defeat .
“ This is a Taliban victory and face-saving for the Americans , ” one Taliban commander told the London Times .
“ It is a historic day that has given @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Times quoted the group as saying , “ This victory is the collective victory of the entire Muslim and Mujahid nation—of our fellow brothers and sisters who made … extraordinary sacrifices of life and wealth for nearly two decades.
” You can not say the Taliban ’ s strength was spent in vain .
The deal President Donald Trump signed calls for negotiations between the Taliban and the Afghan government to start next month .
But will these two actually agree to share power ?
The Taliban demanded the release of 5,000 of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Afghan government , but Afghan President Ashraf Ghani refused .
On Monday , just two days after President Trump signed the deal , the Taliban announced it was resuming attacks—by bombing a soccer game in eastern Afghanistan that killed three people .
The Taliban spokesman said , “ As per the agreement , our holy warriors will not attack foreign troops , but our operations will continue against the Kabul administration forces .
If our 5,000 prisoners … do not get released there will be no intra-Afghan talks.
” The Taliban certainly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
It is the United States that is desperate to flee !
Even if the Taliban doesn ’ t uphold its obligations , it is clear that America has no interest in remaining in this graveyard of empires .
It may find itself unable to leave immediately , but it has made clear that it is willing to pay dearly to get out .
America ’ s leaders know that all the nation ’ s efforts there have been in vain .
They just want the bleeding to stop .
But the bleeding @ @ @ @ @ @ @ This defeat and retreat in Afghanistan is as vivid an illustration of fulfilled prophecy as you can see .
America is suffering the curses of Leviticus 26 .
God has broken the pride of our power .
Our strength has been spent in vain .
And those curses won ’ t end by retreating from Afghanistan .
They will only end by turning to God .
Soon after World War ii , Herbert W. Armstrong looked at the prophecies of the Bible and made this bold declaration : “ The United States has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he right ?
It is difficult to argue with this statement from Al Jazeera on February 26 : “ After Vietnam and Iraq , the U.S. seems to have lost its third major war and the longest of them all.
” Like Mr. Armstrong , Gerald Flurry has said all along that America would suffer defeat in its “ war on terror.
” In 2003 , in “ Why We Can not Win the War Against Terrorism , ” he wrote : “ Our ultimate success will be determined by our relationship with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , we can ’ t lose .
But if God is against us , we can ’ t win .
And Bible prophecy relates that God is against us and is cursing us.
” Most Americans have grown war-weary and indifferent .
Many of the same people who cheered the president for starting the war 18 years ago are now cheering the president for ending it .
But this is no victory .
It is the signal of a grievous curse .
It is an occasion for Americans to look honestly at what @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cost of having turned God against us , and to recognize that unless we change direction and repent , even costlier defeats lie ahead .

Two weeks of protests and illegal blockades to roads and rail lines began on February 6, disrupting transport across Canada and causing heavy losses for industries and farmers. By the time it was over, a relatively small group of people had paralyzed key transport links and brought major sectors of the Canadian economy to near-crisis levels of supply shortages.
It began when a small aboriginal tribe in British Columbia opposed construction of a liquid natural gas pipeline that would cut across their land, claiming they had never ceded the territory to the government.
As talks with the tribe collapsed and the story spread, so did a wave of protests. Most were radical climate activists who took advantage of the situation to voice anti-capitalist views or to hit back at the government for perceived injustices.
Protesters set up encampments, blocking roads and rail lines throughout the country. Anarchists illegally placed debris and started fires on the tracks, putting trains at risk of derailing. Many of these trains carry crude oil, and ironically, a derailment would have caused an environmental disaster.
Radical environmental groups like Rising Tide Toronto called for protesters to shut down companies that “benefit from mega-extraction and colonialism.” Protests even came from groups outside the country. One United States-based website called for protesters to “shut down the ability of capitalist civilization to function” in Canada.
Protesters succeeded in blocking rail traffic around the capital, Ottawa, as well as a major rail corridor between Toronto and Montreal. They marched through the streets of major cities, blocking intersections.
In the west, British Columbia and Manitoba experienced severe disruptions to rail transport. A freight line serving the Port of Prince Rupert was forced to cancel hundreds of trains, effectively shutting down the entire port. This delayed the shipment of lumber, coal, aluminum, wheat and other vital products.
Canadian National railways said in a press release that “factories and mines will be soon faced with very difficult decisions” due to the supply chain falling apart. They noted that the ports of Montreal and Halifax, both essential to the nation’s supply chain in the east, were “feeling the impact” of blockades as well. Consumers, they warned, would soon be affected too.
One week into the protests, the nation’s main rail freight carrier announced suspension of all services in eastern Canada. Various rail companies handed temporary layoffs to over 1,000 employees. More than 400 trains were canceled.
By the time police had cleared most disruptions, lasting damage had already been done. “A return to full operating capacity will take longer than most people realize—months probably rather than weeks,” wrote the Financial Post. During the protests, around $425 million in manufactured goods were sitting idle in trains, estimated the ceo of business advisory company Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters. Economists estimate that economic growth will be reduced by at least 0.3 percent in the first quarter of 2020—a notable dip, which will certainly be felt in Canadian industries.
Another hit to the economy came on February 23, when a major oil company canceled a project that could have created thousands of jobs and generated $52 billion in revenue for the government. Its leaders blamed many factors, but most see their decision as a result of the blockades. This tells the world that Canada is not a stable place to do business.
Not only has the economy suffered, but so has trust in the nation’s leadership.
In the eyes of many, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau failed to enforce the law when it meant confronting the climate activists. Throughout the situation, a majority felt he provided little leadership at all.
A poll by National Post showed that 64 percent of Canadians do not support their prime minister, 63 percent believe he handled the crisis incorrectly, and 59 percent believe the country is generally headed in the “wrong direction.” Forty-nine percent want a federal election immediately.
When asked if they agreed with the statement, “Right now, Canada is broken,” 69 percent said yes. But for those in Alberta, a province reliant on oil production and a favorite target for environmental protesters, 83 percent said yes.
It did not help that Trudeau was out of the country when the unrest began, adding to the perception that he was never in control of the situation to begin with.
Canada’s government is becoming more and more unpopular. Canadians admit that it is broken.
The Bible gives an apt description of Canada’s current situation. “Why should ye be stricken any more? ye will revolt more and more: the whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint. From the sole of the foot even unto the head there is no soundness in it; but wounds, and bruises, and putrifying sores: they have not been closed, neither bound up, neither mollified with ointment” (Isaiah 1:5-6).
This is a picture of rioting and violence coming to the cities of Canada, Britain and the United States.
This describes a society where the leaders are too weak to deal with their long-standing problems. They fail to stand up for the law, allowing lawless behavior to go unpunished. As a result, it only gets worse. They have no solutions to the problems besetting their country. Today, Canada finds itself in exactly this situation.
Ultimately, violence is prophesied to increase. “Your country is desolate, your cities are burned with fire: your land, strangers devour it in your presence, and it is desolate, as overthrown by strangers” (verse 7).
What is the solution?
The United States and Britain in Prophecy, by Herbert W. Armstrong, explains that these prophecies are aimed at the modern descendants of Israel. Today, that is referring to Britain, including the Commonwealth nations, and the United States.
When followed, God’s law brings peace. “To Adam God revealed the way of life that would result in everything man desires: peace, enjoyable life, happiness, abundant well-being,” wrote Mr. Armstrong. “To produce these blessings—to be the cause of such desired effect—God had set in motion His inexorable spiritual law.” However, Adam rejected that law, and the entire world has followed after that pattern.
Canada, like the U.S. and Britain, is abandoning God’s law. This will lead to greater violence in the future. What the country has recently experienced is only a small foretaste of the violent anarchy and economic collapse the Bible warns about. The only way to escape is to turn to God’s law and come under His government.
To begin studying this life-saving truth today, order your free copy of The United States and Britain in Prophecy.


thetrumpet--2020-03-04--Millions of Syrian Refugees To Hasten Rise of European Military

Migrants block a road outside the port of Lesbos in Greece on March 3 amid a migration surge from neighboring Turkey after it opened its borders to thousands of refugees trying to reach Europe .
Europe ’ s migrant crisis just got a whole lot worse .
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan warned Europe on Monday that “ millions ” of migrants would soon flood into the European Union after Turkey opened its borders and gave the green light for refugees on February 28 , according to France24 .
“ We don ’ t want this money , ” said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ €1 billion offer ( us $ 1.1 billion ) to deal with the refugees , adding to a €6 billion deal in 2016 .
Erdoğan ’ s office said that is it now time for Europe to take its “ fair share of the burden.
” German Chancellor Angela Merkel responded by calling Turkey ’ s move “ unacceptable.
” Greece immediately responded by barring entrance , denying asylum , and increasing the frequency of border patrols .
Greece says that about 10,000 refugees have massed at the border ; however , Erdoğan @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ hundreds of thousands.
” Clashes have broken out along the border between refugees and the Greek police .
Turkey accused Greece of killing two migrants .
According to France24 , a Turkish official shared a video showing a boat of migrants being fired upon by the Greek Coast Guard .
Greece has also used tear gas in an attempt to disperse the migrant masses along its shared border with Turkey .
Turkey is already saturated with Syrian immigrants ; 3.6 million Syrian refugees have made their home there since the civil war @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has been refusing to allow more refugees in .
Instead , Turkey has deployed convoys of military equipment and thousands of troops to protect the Idlib province—the last remaining rebel stronghold and the last “ safe ” location in Syria from Syrian President Bashar Assad ’ s forces .
Hundreds of thousands , perhaps even more than a million , refugees are camped throughout the Idlib province seeking refuge , carrying signs with slogans like “ From Idlib to Berlin.
” Close to 948,000 Syrian migrants have been displaced since December alone when @ @ @ @ @ @ @ province .
Assad is still working to gain control of all of Syria ’ s territory .
But he can ’ t do it alone ; he relies on Russia for support .
Russian President Vladimir Putin has backed and supported Assad ’ s move to reconquer Syria ’ s territory primarily by providing aerial support .
The two forces have worked in tandem to restore the government ’ s control over Syria .
Since the Syrian crisis began , over 400,000 people have been killed and several million displaced .
This is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have led their offensive .
With backing from Russian air strikes , Syrian artillery have bombarded towns and cities , first targeting hospitals and schools and essentially flattening the city until the majority of the inhabitants have been forced to flee .
Then the Syrian Army moves in and takes control .
As a result , Syria has become the world ’ s worst humanitarian crisis .
According to a 2018 Pew Poll , 1 million Syrian refugees have already migrated into Europe , with the largest concentration in Germany , which hosts @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The migrant crisis has been crippling Europe ’ s economies , specifically Germany , as they seek to find employment , food and shelter for 3.6 million Syrian refugees .
Turkey can not absorb any more migrants ; neither can Europe .
Erdoğan ’ s decision to open the border for millions of refugees to flood into Europe is about to make Europe ’ s migrant crisis a whole lot worse .
Since the Syrian crisis began , the Trumpet has closely followed the events , observing how they affect Europe .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ s Push Toward a Unified Military , ” we explained five factors pushing Europe to unite and form a combined military force .
1 ) Brexit .
“ Britain ’ s veto has prevented any meaningful progress toward a European military , ” we wrote .
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson made Brexit his goal .
On January 31 , Parliament ratified the withdrawal agreement .
Now that the United Kingdom is no longer part of the EU ’ s political bodies or institutions , Europe is free to act as it sees @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The Schengen Area , comprised of 26 European nations , has removed passport requirements and other border controls , making travel quick and simple .
However , as we wrote , “ These nations share a border , but do not currently share any means of protecting that border .
It is clear that a weakness in the border of one state affects the whole area.
” Once the millions of Syrian refugees enter into one nation in the Schengen Area , they can freely travel between the other 25 nations as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is putting up such a fight .
Without a unified European military , can Greek police hold off millions of refugees alone ?
3 ) Terrorism .
Mixed within the millions of Syrian migrants in Idlib and those seeking entrance into Europe are thousands of al Qaeda-linked terrorists .
On February 12 , TheHill wrote , “ Recent insights on Syrian refugees reveal unique vulnerabilities—most notably , exploitation by terrorist or other violent extremist organizations who can easily exploit , recruit and mobilize downtrodden people whose countries seem indifferent to their exodus.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Terrorism Situation and Trend Report 2019 , 13 people were killed and 46 were injured in seven terrorist attacks on EU soil in 2018 , a decrease from the previous year .
The EU reported 16 thwarted jihadist terrorist attacks that year , and “ the threat level across the EU remains high.
” With an influx of millions of migrants , and likely thousands of terrorists , the number of attacks would logically increase—something Europe obviously does not want .
4 ) The withdrawal of America .
Because of America ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t needed a military .
However , America is in retreat .
On February 28 , the New York Times wrote that tension between Russia , Turkey and Europe “ has become so divisive … is a measure of how far the United States under President Trump has pulled back.
” America has turned inward and is slowly retreating from the world scene .
Its recent “ peace ” deal with the Taliban was a “ face-saving ” attempt to finally withdraw its 14,000 troops from Afghanistan .
President Trump even called on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the Middle East , with the end goal being America ’ s retreat .
America ’ s withdrawal leaves behind a large power vacuum—and one nation in particular is working to fill the void .
5 ) The rise of Russia .
As President Trump talks about leaving Syria , Russia is looking to step up its involvement .
One of the primary reasons Russia is working in Syria is to demonstrate that it is a first-rate power capable of carrying out its will outside of its borders .
Russia is working @ @ @ @ @ @ @ what has kept the Assad regime in control .
As Russia gains more control and influence , however , fear of Russian aggression is building in Europe .
The more involved Russia becomes , the more the EU feels the need to form a unified military to counter Russia .
The majority of those factors are at play in the Syrian crisis .
On March 3 , the Turkish Embassy told EU Observer that Turkey would keep allowing the Syrian refugees to migrate into Greece “ until the EU and the member states @ @ @ @ @ @ @ show willingness to do what is necessary in addressing the root causes of sufferings in Idlib.
” The Turkish Embassy also pushed the EU to establish a “ safe zone ” in Idlib where the Syrian migrants could live .
Doing so would require standing up to Syria , and to Russia , as long as it supports the Assad regime .
Turkey doesn ’ t want more money to deal with the crisis ; it wants European intervention—and it ’ s about to get it .
Psalm 83 is a prophecy about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with a unified , German-led European military superpower .
While Europe is not there yet , we can see it being pushed in that direction .
Verses 6-8 list who will be in that alliance : “ The tabernacles of Edom , and the Ishmaelites ; of Moab , and the Hagarenes ; Gebal , and Ammon , and Amalek ; the Philistines with the inhabitants of Tyre ; Assur also is joined with them ….
” The “ tabernacles of Edom ” is referring to the modern nation of Turkey , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ modern nation of Syria .
According to this prophecy , both of these nations will soon be aligned with Germany , or Assur .
The UK is out .
America is in retreat .
Millions of migrants and thousands of terrorists threaten Europe ’ s stability .
Russia is on the rise .
And Turkey is pleading for Europe to take a stand .
As the pressure intensifies and the crisis continues to worsen , watch for Europe to form a unified military and put an end to the Syrian crisis .
For @ @ @ @ @ @ @ articles “ Europe ’ s Push Toward a Unified Military ” and “ An Alliance Between Arab Nations and Europe .
”

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan warned Europe on Monday that “millions” of migrants would soon flood into the European Union after Turkey opened its borders and gave the green light for refugees on February 28, according to France24.
“We don’t want this money,” said Erdoğan, rejecting the EU’s €1 billion offer (us$1.1 billion) to deal with the refugees, adding to a €6 billion deal in 2016. Erdoğan’s office said that is it now time for Europe to take its “fair share of the burden.”
German Chancellor Angela Merkel responded by calling Turkey’s move “unacceptable.” Greece immediately responded by barring entrance, denying asylum, and increasing the frequency of border patrols. Greece says that about 10,000 refugees have massed at the border; however, Erdoğan claims the number is actually in the “hundreds of thousands.”
Clashes have broken out along the border between refugees and the Greek police. Turkey accused Greece of killing two migrants. According to France24, a Turkish official shared a video showing a boat of migrants being fired upon by the Greek Coast Guard. Greece has also used tear gas in an attempt to disperse the migrant masses along its shared border with Turkey.
“Those who seek to test Europe’s unity will be disappointed.”
The EU has pledged millions of euros and border guards to help Greece stop migrants crossing its border from Turkey. pic.twitter.com/cL5nw4OiiP — DW News (@dwnews) March 4, 2020
Turkey is already saturated with Syrian immigrants; 3.6 million Syrian refugees have made their home there since the civil war began in 2011. However, Turkey has been refusing to allow more refugees in. Instead, Turkey has deployed convoys of military equipment and thousands of troops to protect the Idlib province—the last remaining rebel stronghold and the last “safe” location in Syria from Syrian President Bashar Assad’s forces. Hundreds of thousands, perhaps even more than a million, refugees are camped throughout the Idlib province seeking refuge, carrying signs with slogans like “From Idlib to Berlin.”
Close to 948,000 Syrian migrants have been displaced since December alone when Syria renewed its offensive on the Idlib province. Assad is still working to gain control of all of Syria’s territory. But he can’t do it alone; he relies on Russia for support. Russian President Vladimir Putin has backed and supported Assad’s move to reconquer Syria’s territory primarily by providing aerial support. The two forces have worked in tandem to restore the government’s control over Syria.
Since the Syrian crisis began, over 400,000 people have been killed and several million displaced. This is primarily because of how Assad and Putin have led their offensive. With backing from Russian air strikes, Syrian artillery have bombarded towns and cities, first targeting hospitals and schools and essentially flattening the city until the majority of the inhabitants have been forced to flee. Then the Syrian Army moves in and takes control.
#Sarmeen just a few kilometers south of #Idlib City and north of #Saraqib is completely empty and destroyed. You only hear the sound of explosions & occasional motorcycle racing through the empty streets. 70k people left Sarmeen in 24 hours fleeing Russian backed regime shelling pic.twitter.com/bipXm2gvJT — Obaida Hitto عبيدة هيتو (@ObaidaHitto) February 18, 2020
As a result, Syria has become the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.
According to a 2018 Pew Poll, 1 million Syrian refugees have already migrated into Europe, with the largest concentration in Germany, which hosts more than half a million displaced Syrians. The migrant crisis has been crippling Europe’s economies, specifically Germany, as they seek to find employment, food and shelter for 3.6 million Syrian refugees.
Turkey cannot absorb any more migrants; neither can Europe. Erdoğan’s decision to open the border for millions of refugees to flood into Europe is about to make Europe’s migrant crisis a whole lot worse.
Hastening European Unification
Since the Syrian crisis began, the Trumpet has closely followed the events, observing how they affect Europe. In our Trend article “Europe’s Push Toward a Unified Military,” we explained five factors pushing Europe to unite and form a combined military force.
1) Brexit. “Britain’s veto has prevented any meaningful progress toward a European military,” we wrote. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson made Brexit his goal. On January 31, Parliament ratified the withdrawal agreement. Now that the United Kingdom is no longer part of the EU’s political bodies or institutions, Europe is free to act as it sees fit.
2) The migrant crisis. The Schengen Area, comprised of 26 European nations, has removed passport requirements and other border controls, making travel quick and simple. However, as we wrote, “These nations share a border, but do not currently share any means of protecting that border. It is clear that a weakness in the border of one state affects the whole area.” Once the millions of Syrian refugees enter into one nation in the Schengen Area, they can freely travel between the other 25 nations as well. This is partially why Greece is putting up such a fight. Without a unified European military, can Greek police hold off millions of refugees alone?
3) Terrorism. Mixed within the millions of Syrian migrants in Idlib and those seeking entrance into Europe are thousands of al Qaeda-linked terrorists. On February 12, TheHill wrote, “Recent insights on Syrian refugees reveal unique vulnerabilities—most notably, exploitation by terrorist or other violent extremist organizations who can easily exploit, recruit and mobilize downtrodden people whose countries seem indifferent to their exodus.”
According to Europol’s European Union Terrorism Situation and Trend Report 2019, 13 people were killed and 46 were injured in seven terrorist attacks on EU soil in 2018, a decrease from the previous year. The EU reported 16 thwarted jihadist terrorist attacks that year, and “the threat level across the EU remains high.” With an influx of millions of migrants, and likely thousands of terrorists, the number of attacks would logically increase—something Europe obviously does not want.
4) The withdrawal of America. Because of America’s security guarantees, the EU hasn’t needed a military. However, America is in retreat. America has turned inward and is slowly retreating from the world scene. Its recent “peace” deal with the Taliban was a “face-saving” attempt to finally withdraw its 14,000 troops from Afghanistan. President Trump even called on nato to become “more involved” in the Middle East, with the end goal being America’s retreat.
America’s withdrawal leaves behind a large power vacuum—and one nation in particular is working to fill the void.
5) The rise of Russia. As President Trump talks about leaving Syria, Russia is looking to step up its involvement. One of the primary reasons Russia is working in Syria is to demonstrate that it is a first-rate power capable of carrying out its will outside of its borders. Russia is working to show that its military intervention is what has kept the Assad regime in control.
As Russia gains more control and influence, however, fear of Russian aggression is building in Europe. The more involved Russia becomes, the more the EU feels the need to form a unified military to counter Russia.
The majority of those factors are at play in the Syrian crisis.
A Prophetic Alliance
On March 3, the Turkish Embassy told EU Observer that Turkey would keep allowing the Syrian refugees to migrate into Greece “until the EU and the member states remember their unfulfilled commitments” and “show willingness to do what is necessary in addressing the root causes of sufferings in Idlib.” The Turkish Embassy also pushed the EU to establish a “safe zone” in Idlib where the Syrian migrants could live. Doing so would require standing up to Syria, and to Russia, as long as it supports the Assad regime.
Turkey doesn’t want more money to deal with the crisis; it wants European intervention—and it’s about to get it.
Psalm 83 is a prophecy about a confederation of moderate Arab nations aligned with a unified, German-led European military superpower. While Europe is not there yet, we can see it being pushed in that direction.
Verses 6-8 list who will be in that alliance: “The tabernacles of Edom, and the Ishmaelites; of Moab, and the Hagarenes; Gebal, and Ammon, and Amalek; the Philistines with the inhabitants of Tyre; Assur also is joined with them ….”
The “tabernacles of Edom” is referring to the modern nation of Turkey, and the “Hagarenes” refers to the modern nation of Syria. According to this prophecy, both of these nations will soon be aligned with Germany, or Assur.
The UK is out. America is in retreat. Millions of migrants and thousands of terrorists threaten Europe’s stability. Russia is on the rise. And Turkey is pleading for Europe to take a stand. As the pressure intensifies and the crisis continues to worsen, watch for Europe to form a unified military and put an end to the Syrian crisis.
For more information, please read our Trend articles “Europe’s Push Toward a Unified Military” and “An Alliance Between Arab Nations and Europe.”


thetrumpet--2020-03-04--A Life Filled With Meaning and Purpose

A Life Filled With Meaning and Purpose

Super Tuesday and Coronavirus ( 17 minutes ) American politics saw Super Tuesday bring Democratic candidate Joe Biden upward in @ @ @ @ @ and the other candidates campaign on replacing President Donald Trump , the president is confronting @ @ @ @ @ God ’ s Truth ( 23 minutes ) Why are there so many unhappy young @ @ @ @ @ be that we have lost vision and God ’ s purpose—and a love for His @ @ @ @ @ Trumpet Daily Radio Show on Apple Podcasts , Google Play or by RSS

A Life Filled With Meaning and Purpose
Super Tuesday and Coronavirus (17 minutes)
American politics saw Super Tuesday bring Democratic candidate Joe Biden upward in the rankings. While he and the other candidates campaign on replacing President Donald Trump, the president is confronting coronavirus.
Fill Up on God’s Truth (23 minutes)
Why are there so many unhappy young people today? Could it be that we have lost vision and God’s purpose—and a love for His truth?
Live Trumpet Lecture Excerpt (12 minutes)


thetrumpet--2020-03-04--Demographic Change Is Fueling Socialist Revolution

Jamiat Ulema-e Islam Nazryate activists in Quetta celebrate the signing of the agreement between the U.S. and the Taliban on March 1 .
United States President Donald Trump signed an agreement with the Taliban on Saturday affirming a temporary truce and a full-scale American withdrawal from Afghanistan .
After 18 years of war , spending $ 1 trillion supporting the war effort , and the death of 2,300 American soldiers and more than 150,000 Afghans , America has conceded defeat .
America ’ s retreat from Afghanistan has been a long-standing Trumpet prediction .
In November 2001 , when the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ after the September 11 attacks , we predicted : “ The U.S. won ’ t be the victors in this war .
… As we now examine the facts emerging from this war , we can see unequivocally that the terrorist snake will survive America ’ s aggression—head intact and stronger than ever.
” Now , after America ’ s negotiated defeat in Afghanistan , this prediction rings louder than ever .
According to the New York Times , the peace deal signed with the Taliban—one of America ’ s main enemies throughout @ @ @ @ @ @ @ withdraw all of its 12,000 soldiers from Afghanistan within the next 14 months .
According to the Associated Press , immediately after the signing , America will reduce its troops to approximately 8,600 over a period of weeks .
However , the U.S. will keep warplanes in the country in case the Taliban renews its offensive on the Afghan government , along with a small force to protect its embassy .
What did America receive in this deal ?
A promise of peace .
The peace deal calls for negotiations between the Taliban @ @ @ @ @ @ @ month , which should eventually lead to a nationwide ceasefire—though many experts question whether the two parties would ever agree to share power .
The Taliban—guilty of suicide bombings and rocket attacks against Afghan and American troops—also agreed to not harbor terrorist groups , like al Qaeda , within Afghanistan ’ s borders .
The U.S. negotiated with terrorists and made a deal with the enemy .
The War in Afghanistan quickly became a quagmire for the U.S. As expenses and death rates increased , America increasingly wanted out of the miry mess @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to completely withdraw from Afghanistan because each feared underestimating the threat and risking another terrorist attack on American soil .
The motivations to stay were largely political .
Because of these factors , American presidents have wavered : To stay , or not to stay—that was the question .
As a result , the War in Afghanistan became one defined by half measures .
On Sept. 20 , 2001 , then U.S. President George W. Bush said that the “ leadership of al Qaeda has great influence in Afghanistan and supports the Taliban @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” If not for al Qaeda ’ s support , the Taliban could not have controlled the government from 1996 to 2001 .
When American troops quickly ousted it from power and forced it into hiding , the Taliban leadership fled to the Pakistani city of Quetta to regroup .
While there , it received financial and military support from the Pakistani government and al Qaeda .
With international help and a quick victory , the U.S. installed a new government in Afghanistan .
But in 2006 , the Taliban returned from Pakistan @ @ @ @ @ @ @ couple of years , Afghanistan was again in turmoil .
Afghanistan ’ s economy was in shambles .
Its insufficient infrastructure , nonexistent industry and poverty-stricken agricultural community led many local Afghans to blame the newly established government .
As a result , many joined the Taliban as jihadist insurgents .
America responded with a troop surge in 2009 that peaked in 2011 with just over 100,000 troops in Afghanistan at one time .
That year , Osama bin Laden was killed in Operation Neptune Spear .
A poll later that year found @ @ @ @ @ @ @ U.S. had accomplished its purpose in Afghanistan .
President Barack Obama declared victory and ordered a mass withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan .
Troop numbers plummeted to about 8,400 in 2016 .
“ Power players all over the Middle East were watching carefully as America … showed a will to fight , and then quickly tired of the whole affair , ” Vali Naser writes in The Dispensable Nation .
“ Our only goal seemed to be getting out , first of Afghanistan and then the whole region.
” The number one enemy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and ever since , the U.S. has been begging for peace .
The American people have simply lost the will to continue ; they want out of Afghanistan .
However , terrorism still runs rampant in the desert nation and the real head of the snake remains “ intact , and stronger than ever.
” In his November 2001 Trumpet article “ The Head of the Snake , ” Trumpet managing editor Joel Hilliker wrote : America claimed that al Qaeda was the power behind the Taliban and the 9/11 bombings ; @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be the true source of the terrorist power .
In November 2019 , the U.S. State Department released a report that drew special attention to the al Qaeda-Iran relationship .
It states : “ Tehran continued to allow an [ al Qaeda ] facilitation network to operate in Iran , which sends fighters and money to conflict zones in Afghanistan and Syria , and it has extended sanctuary to [ al Qaeda ] members residing in the country.
” Later in November , the Central Intelligence Agency declassified a large trove of documents @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bin Laden was killed ) detailing how Hamza , bin Laden ’ s son , was sheltered in Iran .
According to the Atlantic , one 19-page document showed how negotiations between al Qaeda and Iran ’ s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in Tehran discussed the funding and arming of al Qaeda members to strike American targets .
Several sources agree that evidence suggests this al Qaeda-Iran relationship even goes back two decades—before the September 11 attacks on the Pentagon and the World Trade Center , which Iran also played a role in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ al Qaeda and the Taliban in Afghanistan , the real threat , Iran , was free to continue expanding its military and funding terrorism throughout the Middle East .
In 1994 , then Secretary of State Warren Christopher called Iran “ the world ’ s most significant state sponsor of terrorism.
” Most sources claim that Iran spends $ 1 billion a year supporting terrorism ; others say this number could be as high as $ 16 billion annually .
Notice Daniel 11:40 : “ And at the time of the end shall @ @ @ @ @ @ @ him : and the king of the north shall come against him like a whirlwind , with chariots , and with horsemen , and with many ships ; and he shall enter into the countries , and shall overflow and pass over.
” No other nation in the Middle East has the power , determination or resources to be this prophesied power .
No other nation in the Middle East is as pushy as Iran .
Iran is the king of the Middle East , the king of radical Islam , the king @ @ @ @ @ @ @ identified this king of the north as a united , German-led European Union .
Iran will push at this emerging European superpower , and in response , as it says in Daniel 11:40-41 , Europe will “ come against him like a whirlwind ” in a storm of fury and will “ overflow ” and conquer many countries .
But notice , the United States is not mentioned in this prophecy !
In 2001 , we wrote that “ there will soon come a point when the U.S. won ’ t even be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is a reason why .
On February 26 , Al Jazeera wrote , “ After Vietnam and Iraq , the U.S. seems to have lost its third major war and the longest of them all.
” Herbert W. Armstrong , founder of the Plain Truth , predecessor of the Trumpet , declared after World War ii that “ the United States has won its last war !
” The Trumpet has maintained that forecast .
Following in Mr. Armstrong ’ s footsteps , Mr .
Flurry declared that America would not win its @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he wrote , “ If the Iranian leadership were eliminated , the whole course of Mideast history would change radically for the better , because it is the king .
Sadly , Bible prophecy reveals that will not happen.
” At the time of America ’ s invasion of Afghanistan , the U.S. State Department had listed five regimes that sponsor terrorism : Iran , Iraq , North Korea , Sudan and Cuba .
Afghanistan was not on the list .
America dealt with the effect and ignored the cause .
By fixating @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has gone after the pawns instead of the king .
As a result , America ’ s strength has been spent in vain .
This catastrophic failure of American policy was prophesied with remarkable accuracy in your Bible .
Leviticus 26:19-20 say , “ And I will break the pride of your power ; and I will make your heaven as iron , and your earth as brass : And your strength shall be spent in vain.
” Because of disobedience , God said He would curse the modern descendants of Israel , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ proof about the identity of these nations , request a free copy of The United States and Britain in Prophecy , by Herbert W .
Armstrong . )
According to this prophecy , America would still have its mighty military , but it would lack the will to use it .
Mr .
Flurry continued : “ Little Israel has more military might than Iran but fears to use it .
The same is the case with Britain .
And certainly that is true of America .
But our nations fear to use @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ‘ pride of [ our ] power ’ has been broken !
We simply lack the will to sustain our war against terrorism ” ( op cit ) .
The Afghanistan Papers , a confidential trove of more than 2,000 pages of government documents , revealed on Dec. 9 , 2019 , show the extent of America ’ s divided approach and its failure to go after the real threat .
The reports revealed U.S. Army generals saying , “ We were devoid of a fundamental understanding of Afghanistan—we didn ’ t know @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ t have the foggiest notion of what we were undertaking.
” One of the generals said that as a result of U.S. bureaucratic “ dysfunction ” in Afghanistan , thousands of Americans lost their lives “ in vain.
” Since 2001 , more than 775,000 U.S. troops have been deployed to Afghanistan .
According to U.S. Defense Department figures , 2,300 died and 20,589 were wounded in action .
In the same period , the U.S. spent nearly $ 1 trillion , according to inflation-adjusted estimates .
All of the effort , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in its 18-year war in Afghanistan has been “ in vain ” and has only led to America negotiating its own defeat .
The pride of our power has been broken .
For more information about this prophecy , request a free copy of The United States and Britain in Prophecy .

A self-avowed socialist is a frontrunner to become the Democratic nominee for president of the United States. Following strong showings in the Iowa and New Hampshire caucuses, Sen. Bernie Sanders took a commanding lead in Nevada, leaving his closest competitor in a distant second place. Whether or not Sanders ultimately receives the Democratic nomination, this is a sea change in American culture.
While attending the University of Chicago in the 1960s, Sanders became a member of the Young People’s Socialist League. He backed the People’s Party in the 1972 presidential election, which demanded that any income higher than $55,000 be outlawed. Sanders also helped found the Liberty Union Party, which demanded the nationalization of all banks and the government takeover of all utility companies. He served as a presidential elector for the Socialist Workers’ Party in 1980. He took several diplomatic trips to Cuba, Nicaragua and the Soviet Union, where he praised the Communist governments of these nations. And now he wants to bring what he admired about the Soviet Union to America.
Senator Sanders wants to nationalize the health-care system, break up the big banks, seize control of the energy industry, provide free college tuition for all, raise the minimum wage to $15 per hour, and guarantee homeownership and employment through massive public works projects. These socialist proposals would cost as much as $97.5 trillion over the next decade. That means government spending would have to surge from 36 percent to 70 percent of the nation’s gross domestic product. This would make America the highest-taxed nation in the world unless he plans on printing or borrowing the money.
Such radical proposals by a socialist would have rendered a candidate unelectable a generation ago. Today, these proposals are so popular that America’s largest political party is seriously considering making Senator Sander’s candidate for president of the United States.
How did socialist principles become so strong in America?
One reason is that socialists recognized the importance of American education when many conservatives did not. They have worked for decades to take over U.S. universities and public schools in their quest to educate the next generation. Another reason concerns an ancient Bible prophecy about demographic change in end-time America and Britain.
Hosea 7:8-9 say, “Ephraim, he hath mixed himself among the people; Ephraim is a cake not turned. Strangers have devoured his strength, and he knoweth it not: yea, gray hairs are here and there upon him, yet he knoweth not. And the pride of Israel testifieth to his face: and they do not return to the Lord their God, nor seek him for all this.”
In The United States and Britain in Prophecy, Herbert W. Armstrong showed how the English-speaking peoples who settled the U.S. and Britain descended from the Israelite tribes of Manasseh and Ephraim, respectively. The Prophet Hosea often refers to the northern 10 tribes of Israel, which split away from the kingdom of Judah, as “Ephraim,” the most prominent tribe, and “Samaria,” the capital. The prophecy of Hosea 7 applies to Ephraim and Manasseh jointly.
Ephraim, or Britain, has made foolish alliances with foreign nations and has allowed foreigners to settle in its major cities. Manasseh, or America, has allowed so many foreigners to immigrate to its shores that British Americans are a minority in many parts of the country.
In 1965, America passed an immigration act that abolished its earlier quota system based on national origin. It established a new system designed to let in people from all parts of the world. This act dramatically changed America’s culture and ethnic composition.
Over the past 55 years, the African-American share of the population has remained steady at about 12 percent. The Asian-American share has septupled from 1 percent to 7 percent. The Latin American share has more than quadrupled from 4 to 18 percent. Meanwhile, the European-American share has plummeted from 80 percent to 60 percent.
And falling fertility rates among white Americans is hastening this demographic change. The most common age among white American is 58 years old; the most common age among Hispanics is 11 years old.
Demographers predict that white people will become a minority by 2045. In fact, British Americans may have already become a minority as over half of white Americans claim Dutch, French, German, Italian, Norwegian, Polish, Russian or Swedish descent (though intermarriage in America’s melting pot culture has blurred these ethnic distinctions). When you understand that the British settlers of America descended from ancient Israel, Hosea’s prophecy takes on a very literal meaning. Israel has become mixed with foreign peoples.
This may be a victory for ethnic diversity, but it is also a huge component in America’s cultural transformation. Senator Sanders won by a much greater margin in the Nevada caucuses than he did in Iowa or New Hampshire because of his Hispanic support. Pew Research shows that an overwhelming majority of Hispanics (71 percent) support a drastic increase in government control. Among those who have emigrated from Latin America relatively recently, Sanders’ far-left beliefs do not sound radical. In fact, they may even sound moderate compared to some of the policies espoused in their home countries.
Further proof of immigration’s effect on U.S. culture is demonstrated by the 2016 presidential election. Exit polls show that if white Americans could not vote, Hillary Clinton would have won the election in all 50 states. Conversely, if only white Americans could vote, Donald Trump would have won a 37-state landslide. Leftist politicians will say this discrepancy is due to racism, but it is due to the failure of immigrants to assimilate into American culture. On average, those Americans of Israelite descent pay lip service to the constitutional principles of their founding fathers more than those Americans who have immigrated here from other cultures. Yet these Israelites’ nonchalant attitude toward the Bible and hostility against God’s law has enabled America’s cultural sea change.
While most do not realize it, God says that the immigrants in America currently agitating for socialist revolution have “devoured” America’s strength while those descended from ancient Israel grow older. Other scriptures show that if people do not turn back to God and His law as revealed in the Bible, then the strangers, or foreigners, living among them will rebel and burn down cities (Deuteronomy 28:43; Isaiah 1:7).
“It is time for the American people to wake up!” wrote Trumpet editor in chief Gerald Flurry in his article “Communism in America Today.” “Or is it already too late? The Prophet Hosea says that we allow ourselves “to be mixed up with foreigners. … Foreigners eat away his strength unknown to him” (Hosea 7:8-9; Moffatt translation). Foreigners are eating away America’s strength, yet we don’t even realize it because we have forsaken God. It is amazing how few people will really talk about what is happening. Our people are sick in their reasoning and are faint of heart (Isaiah 1:5). When they see something fearsome, they are afraid to face it!”
God says He allows these curses to come on America because Israel will “not return to the Lord their God, nor seek him for all this.” Obviously, God is not against migrants or people from other areas of the world. He wants all nations to embrace His law, which is the only law that brings peace, joy and prosperity. But He intended the nations of Israel to be an example to the nations of how to keep His law. Instead of doing this, the end-time Israelites have followed after the beliefs of the nations around them.
For more information on what the Bible prophesies about race conflict in America’s future, please read “Where America’s Race Riots Are Leading,” by Trumpet editor in chief Gerald Flurry.


thetrumpet--2020-03-04--Extreme Diets: The Big Fat Trap

Extreme Diets: The Big Fat Trap

These days, growing awareness of nutrition has popularized drastic diets that promise to produce significant weight loss, better moods, longer life, more satisfaction and other health benefits. From keto to raw food, vegan to low-fat, if you want to go on an extreme diet, you have plenty from which to choose.
But these regimens are rarely sustainable over the long run.
Despite decades of failure, the myth of the miracle diet is as irresistible as ever. As of 2018, about 160 million Americans annually spend over $20 billion on weight-loss schemes. Consumers are desperate enough to buy into the idea, again and again: the grapefruit diet, the cabbage soup diet, the potato diet, fruitarianism, diets using juicing, tapeworms, staples, cotton balls, soap, feeding tubes and even air.
Extreme diets actually starve the body of necessary calories and nutrients, making them ineffective in the long term. This actually slows metabolism and eventually causes weight gain. If you attempt these diets repeatedly, you may suffer a weakened immune system, heart palpitations or cardiac stress, Isadore Rosenfeld, author of Doctor of the Heart: A Life in Medicine, told cnn.
The severe restrictions can themselves become a disorder. The Emily Program, which treats eating disorders, has determined that, for some people, dieting this way and starving your body of nourishment can change your emotional relationship with food because you view many nourishing foods as damaging and feel guilty and weak for straying from your diet. Depriving yourself of foods can also result in binge eating and more weight gain.
Some diets can be effective as a short-term reset, but as a long-term effort to lose weight, they can become dangerous.
A popular “extreme” approach called the ketogenic diet (high fat and adequate protein), typically restricts carbs to about 5 to 10 percent of your total daily calories (20 to 50 grams per day). It has a variety of undeniable therapeutic benefits toward treating chronic illnesses, such as metabolic syndrome, insulin resistance and Type 2 diabetes, Parkinsons and chronic seizures in epilepsy, among others. If you suffer from these conditions, this diet may help. But it can be extremely difficult to sustain when used for weight loss. Less restrictive, effective options certainly exist.
The mistake made by many dieters (and diet promoters) is to count the quantity of calories but ignore the quality of calories. Eating low-calorie foods can often mean eating low-quality foods. Such a diet can cause insulin surges and ultimately contribute to weight gain and diabetes. Eating high-quality, natural whole foods, and worrying less about calories, decreases insulin levels and weight gain.
The smart nutritional approach is to blend food quality and quantity to attain sustainable health. Eat quality whole foods: plenty of vegetables, fruits, lean protein, healthy fats, and some whole grains. Most of us eat far too many grains and other carbohydrates. The less you move, the less carbohydrates you need. Your body may be especially sensitive to carbohydrates, so you may need to dial them back considerably to achieve the right metabolic balance.
Eat a balanced quantity of food. “Let your moderation be known unto all men” (Philippians 4:5). Avoid extremes and begin monitoring your portion size. For women that means that each meal should equate to about a thumb-size of fat-dense foods, a palm-size portion of protein, a fistful of veggies and a cupped handful of whole grains. For men, double these portions. Whether you are a man or a woman, if you are especially active, adjust your protein intake accordingly. This balanced approach will provide all of your key macronutrients and good peace of mind.
Some people have achieved an additional boost to regulating body weight through intermittent fasting. This is a trend that is safe, and it can be effective in decreasing insulin levels and increasing human growth hormone, which optimizes your body’s ability to burn fat. In a comprehensive review of data, intermittent fasting was found to bring about a reduction of free-radicals (which can damage cells), reduce weight, inflammation, glucose regulation, increase resistance to stress, and crush sugar cravings. It works by skipping one or more meals for a set period of time. The 16:8 method involves eating within an 8-hour window daily, and fasting for the other 16 hours (including sleep time). For example, you may skip breakfast and eat nutritious food between 12 p.m. and 8 p.m.
The answer to becoming healthy is the opposite of extreme diets. Eating should not be an extreme exercise, but a balanced, satisfying, energizing part of your life. Avoid extremes and simply begin disciplining yourself to get rid of health-destroying foods and to develop your taste for health-building natural foods. Notice your portion sizes and the quantity and quality of what you eat. This is the diet God created for energizing your body, for giving you a healthy weight, and for you to enjoy!