Pres. Trump’s Recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s Capital
READING TIME: 31 MINUTES
The following are the notes to the discussion found at this link (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PNmQn8AqLxc) for anyone who would like to study the subject more in depth.
Sister Tammy’s remarks on Jerusalem, the Tribulation, and the Talmud:
Jerusalem is important to what are referred to as the three Abrahamic faiths, -Islam, Judaism, Christianity, which as true believers, we know all are not so. Abraham is not the “father” of those that have not their trust in Jesus Christ as the one who came to pay the sin debt and rise again.
And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise. - Gal 3:29.
Many proclaim that any Jew is automatically born again and has no need of repentance, but the Word of God clearly states otherwise when we hear Jesus addressing those that would claim to be born of Abraham and the hypocrisy they had – Firstly we see that not all Jews are true Jews –
Romans 2:28-29 For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh: But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.
John 8:37 - I know that ye are Abraham's seed; but ye seek to kill me, because my word hath no place in you.
John 8:39 - They answered and said unto him, Abraham is our father. Jesus saith unto them, If ye were Abraham's children, ye would do the works of Abraham.
Jesus acknowledged these were physical descendants of Abraham but later goes on to say if they were really they would do the works of Abraham, which was believe on Jesus and justification by faith that would change their hearts but they could not understand His speech. Jesus described these Jews as children of the devil so we must remember that being the physical seed of Abraham is not enough - Ye must be born again (John 3:3).
God promised to bless those who would bless the seed of Abraham and as we have distinguished here these who are the true seed then let this be so. Abraham is the “father” of all who believe (Romans 4:11–17). God will bless those that bless true believers, Jew, gentile that have come to faith in Jesus– Abraham’s seed. And curse those that curse us - We are not called to bless a nation to receive blessing but to give them the gospel.
The Word tells us that during the Tribulation God will purge the rebels:
Ezekiel 20:38 And I will purge out from among you the rebels, and them that transgress against me: I will bring them forth out of the country where they sojourn, and they shall not enter the land of Israel: and ye shall know that I am the LORD. This will happen during the Tribulation.
So where does this leave the Believer in light of supporting Israel as a nation? I suggest we most definitely should support Israel’s right to exist as this will be where Jesus comes back but we do not support the false gospels and enemies of the cross, we can pray for the peace that will come after the Tribulation and bless this nation with the Only Hope they have for entering the promise land after Jesus returns. This is the best way I can give to believers because we know God will take care of these situations and His will shall be accomplished without our needing to be present. He already has in place the end and we must continue to trust His Word alone.
If we try to fit something into this time that is meant for the end of the Tribulation then we might find ourselves in spiritual deception. The Jewish people will repent at the end of the Tribulation and true peace will not come here until Jesus comes back.
Jerusalem has never ceased to be God's place where Jesus will come to rule and reign after the time of Jacob's trouble. We must remember that the Jewish people will accept someone called the Antichrist thinking he is their promised Messiah, but a remnant will be saved. Many will be deceived by this man of sin, yet God will preserve His people that are not deceived and they will believe at the end. God knows who are His but they also do need to exercise freewill and repent. It's so amazing that God knows in advance who will accept the sacrifice Jesus paid on the cross for sinners! The Only Hope for the Jews is the Gospel of Jesus Christ and pray for them, that the Lord will do as His Word says and that they will repent, even for those individual Jews now that they will turn before this time does arrive.
The way all these religions can unite is by recognizing Jerusalem as a Holy Place but true Christians know that Jerusalem has always belonged to the Lord and as always been where He will come to rule and reign at the second coming after the tribulation. Even if many are in favour of a place as is fitting in which as believers we will be looking forward to that day when Jesus returns, but these still need to acknowledge the Lord and be saved. Many are fighting for a solution to peace in the middle east and are not reading the scriptures that tell us that there will be no peace – Matthew 24 explains a picture of the last days and this is no peace - For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. Peace will come when Jesus the Prince of peace returns at the second coming after the tribulation period, the tribulation will last for seven years Daniel 9:24-27– and that will include a man of sin – the Antichrist- ruling from Jerusalem in a false peace which will kick off the start of this tribulation period, The second three half years will be much worse than the first because after the three half years, the Antichrist will break his covenant with Israel and turn on them, he will enter the temple, where the abomination of desolation will be and claiming to be God. He will have an image that will somehow speak and the mark of the beast will be required by people to buy or sell during this time. Many will not survive the tribulation period but the Lord will have a remnant that will not take the mark of the beast and He will protect – Revelation 12. Israel will ultimately repent and God will restore what His Word promises to the believing remnant of Israel that will make it through the tribulation.
As I have said though before the full restoration of Israel at the Second Coming of Jesus Zech 12:10 - And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn.
Rev. 1:7 - Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.
Before this happens there will be the ecumenical one world religion set up and eventually all will worship the beast and his image who have been deceived. There will be horrendous times when God pours out His wrath upon this world and the purpose is for the Jewish people to come to acknowledge their Messiah is Jesus, they will repent and believe and realize Jesus is the Christ. They will see Him as He is and God will have mercy and save. We must remember that God is in full control of this situation but gives believers clear warning to be separate from these systems and not to support the wickedness of any nation or people, we are to come out from Babylon as pertaining to her sin and unbelief and system. We are to not join with other religions in the name of peace and safety, even if it is not the timing for the Antichrist to step out or even if it is, we are to remain separate because this was a command we were given for this time and always.
The three religions that I want to talk about are firstly Judaism – There is much talk on how this is a sect of Christianity and that the Jewish people are all going to be saved despite their unbelief and false gospel, the remnant that will believe upon the Lord will have to be saved the same way as any other believer because there is only one way of salvation, not a separate way for Jews, and Gentiles. In Christ there is neither Jew nor Gentile. We must keep this understanding clear, so we do not give over to a faulty ecumenical alliance with people stuck in the religion of Judaism but that we are clear to give them the Only Hope and not a twisted version despite their unbelief. You see the importance of not having an unequal yoke in these matters. The Lord will see to it that the Gospel shall be preached to His people, He will have the 144,000 Jews, the two witnesses and an angel all in the tribulation proclaiming the gospel of salvation. We cannot have a separate message at any time, otherwise we are accursed! So, what I am aiming to get at is that many will be deceived in this time because the Jewish people are looking for a Messiah, they have been waiting for a man to come and bring this peace and this is why they will accept the false messiah, the antichrist. These that have been deceived will take his mark and not be saved. So, we need to just be clear on the disturbing beliefs these have and see how they are in dire need of the gospel.
A basic description of the Talmud:
The Talmud, which literally means “learning,” is actually a vast library, consisting of sixty-three individual works, or “tractates.” This enormous collection of literature covers a range of subjects as diverse as biblical law, medicine, agriculture, and philosophy. It is the embodiment of what is called the “oral law” – a compilation of Jewish religious traditions developed over the centuries and handed down orally from generation to generation. The Talmud consists of two main parts – the Mishna, written in Hebrew around A.D. 200, and the Gemara, written in Aramaic, around A.D. 400 in Palestine and around A.D. 500 In Babylonia. The Gemara is related to the earlier Mishna in the same way as a Bible commentary is related to the biblical text. The mastery of this enormous collection of literature, sometimes referred to as the “sea of the Talmud” (yam hatalmud), requires a lifetime of diligent study. Various attempts over the years have been made to summarize Talmudic teachings into accessible “topics,” since the style and reasoning of the rabbis quoted in its pages is rather difficult to comprehend.
Jesus according to the Talmud:
Jesus was born out of wedlock (Mishna Yebamoth 4,13) to His mother, Miriam, and her lover Pantera (Shabbat 104b). She is said to have been the descendant of princes and rulers, and to have played the harlot with a carpenter (Sanhedrin 106a). Jesus spent time in Egypt, from where He learned magic. He was a magician who deceived and led Israel astray. He mocked at the words of the wise, was tainted with heresy, and was thus excommunicated (Sanhedrin 107b). He called Himself God, also the Son of Man, and said that He would go up to heaven (Jerusalem Taanit 65a). He was “near to the kingdom” and had five disciples (Sanhedrin 43a). He was tried in Lydda as a deceiver and as a teacher of apostasy (Tosephta Sanhedrin X, 11: Jerusalem Sanhedrin 25c,d). He was executed in Lydda, on the eve of Passover, which was also the eve of the Sabbath, by being stoned and hung, or crucified (Tosephta Sanhedrin IX, 7). For forty days a herald proclaimed that He was to be stoned, and invited evidence in His favor, but none was given (Sanhedrin 43a). He (under the name of Balaam) was put to death by Pinchas the Robber (Pontius Pilate?) when He was thirty-three years old (Sanhedrin 106b). He was punished in Gehennaby the means of boiling filth (Gittin 56b, 57a). Finally, under the name of Balaam, He is one of those excluded from the world to come (Mishna Sanhedrin X, 2).
Thank you so much for all that very important information, sister Tammy.
As we consider Trump’s declaration, a very important point to keep in mind is how completely ecumenical this president is, and how his efforts in this area are all laying the groundwork for the one world religion. I want to give a brief overview of the recognition and acceptance this man has given to many religions starting with the Republican National Convention, held in July of 2016. This convention featured prayers by members of the Greek Orthodox, Muslim, Mormon, Catholic and Sikh religions. (Those who watched any of the sessions and viewed these prayers will remember that the majority of the delegates bowed their heads to these prayers!)
Then, in a video Trump made which aired on EWTN on the eve of election day in 2016, he stated the following: “My administration will stand side by side with the American Catholics to promote the values we all share as Christians and Americans.” (And, we hear the subtle assertion that Catholics are Christians which most people have been indoctrinated to believe).
In addition, the presidential inauguration featured prayers by those of the Catholic and Jewish faiths. The Mormon, Catholic, Greek Orthodox, Baha’i, Muslim, Sikh, and Hindu faiths were all represented at the prayer service held at the Washington National Cathedral the day after the inauguration.
Then, from this past May, we have the example of the National Day of Prayer event which was held in the Rose Garden. Catholic Cardinal Donald Wuerl, Archbishop of Washington, D.C. and Rabbi Marvin Hier both prayed at this event, along with Jack Graham, pastor of Prestonwood Baptist church. Trump had this to say: “It is a beautiful thing to see these three faith leaders from three very different faith traditions come together and lift up our nation in prayer,” Mr. Trump said. (As if we are all praying to the same God!)
Also, in May we witnessed Trump’s trip to Saudi Arabia. Part of his speech there is as follows: “Our vision is one of peace, security, and prosperity in this region and all throughout the world. Our goal is a coalition of nations who share the aim of stamping out extremism and providing our children a hopeful future that does honor to god.” (Does honor to god? To which god is he referring? Not the God of the Bible. Man is not able to provide a hopeful future anyway. The record of mankind is one of violence and greed. This vision of peace, security, and prosperity cannot be accomplished by man.) He went on to say: “When we see the scenes of destruction in the wake of terror, we see no signs that those murdered were Jewish or Christian, Shia or Sunni…We see only that they were CHILDREN of God whose deaths are an insult to all that is holy.” (Here we notice Trump referring to Jews, Christians, and Muslims all as children of God. However, John 1:12 tells us what makes someone a child of God. It says, “But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name.” So Muslims and Jews cannot be considered children of God according to this verse because they do not believe on His Name; they do not believe Jesus is the Son of God). Trump continued: “If these three faiths can join together in cooperation, then peace in this world is possible, including peace between Israelis and Palestinians. (Of course, true believers again know that peace is only possible by the Prince of Peace, not by people joining together like this).
In addition, when Trump traveled to Israel he continued his talk of acceptance for all three religions. He stated: “Let us dream of a future where Jewish, Muslim, and Christian children can grow up together and live together in trust, harmony, tolerance, and respect.” (You know, people get mad when we say Trump is not a Christian, but what kind of Christian wants Jewish and Muslim children to retain their religious beliefs when this will cause them to end up in hell?) Trump continued: “As we stand in Jerusalem, we see pilgrims of all faiths coming to this land to walk on this hallowed ground. Jews place the prayers from their hearts in the stone blocks of the beautiful Western Wall. Christians pray in the pews of an ancient church. Muslims answer the call to prayer at their holy sites. This city, like no other place in the world, reveals the longing of human hearts to know and to worship God.” (Again, no true believer speaks like this! Listen to this language. We can all have our own god and we can get along, hold hands, and sing kumbaya. This is heartbreaking! And, again, as we say so often, talk about the enemy coming as an angel of light! We can see how easily the antichrist and the false prophet will come in, unite the religions, and then do away with religion per say, replacing it with worship of the antichrist).
And, then during Trump’s trip to the Vatican, Pope Francis blessed Melania Trump’s rosary beads. One article I read said that for a Catholic, a blessing of beads by the Pope is a pinnacle of holy ceremony. (And, it was quite a news story because no one had reported that she was a Catholic before that). Most people, I’m sure, did hear about Trump’s tweet concerning his visit with the pope: “Honor of a lifetime to meet His Holiness Pope Francis. I leave the Vatican more determined than ever to pursue PEACE in our world.” (Now, when we hear the phrase ‘His Holiness, pope Francis’ we just flinch because no man should be referred to like this. And, again, this talk concerning peace, but we know the only peace man can bring will be a false peace. Man will tolerate false religions, but Jesus will return and smash the antichrist system).
Additionally, Trump proclaimed Sept. 3 as a National Day of Prayer for the Victims of Hurricane Harvey and for the National Response and Recovery Efforts. Here are three of his statements from the proclamation and the problems with them: 1) “I urge Americans of all faiths and religious traditions and backgrounds to offer prayers today…” – (With this statement the President has legitimized all false religions. He has given them the false assurance that their religion is valid and that their gods hear and answer their prayers). 2) “Each of us, in our own way, may call upon our God for strength and comfort during this difficult time.” – (The phrases “in our own way” and then “upon our God” instead of saying upon our own God, along with the capitalization of “God” indicate a belief that all paths lead to the same God, the true God, which is universalism). 3) “I call on all Americans and houses of worship throughout the Nation to join in one voice of prayer…” – (The President has given equal standing to all houses of worship: churches, mosques, synagogues and so forth. Again, we see the idea all Americans pray to the same God with the “one voice of prayer” phrase. So, with this phrase he has shown his support for false unity).
And, then, Trump stated the following at the recent tree lighting ceremony at the White House: “Each and every year at Christmas time we recognize that the real spirit of Christmas is not what we have, it's about who we are. EACH ONE OF US IS A CHILD OF GOD… we are called to serve one another, to love one another, and to pursue peace in our hearts and all throughout the world." (So, again with the claim that we are all “children of God.” And, just to say that if he just means we are all part of God’s creation, he needs to say that. Calling anyone a child of God means something very specific as we brought out earlier).
Now, I would like to read parts of Trump’s speech declaring Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. I hope the listener will especially notice that he continues his ecumenical line of thinking in this speech, obviously especially concerning Jews, Christians and Muslims. Additionally, from all we have heard from this man he must believe in universalism. He obviously believes all religions have equal value and status and these are not ideas true believers will have. But, on to the speech (https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/06/world/middleeast/trump-israel-speech-transcript.html):
“Jerusalem is not just the heart of three great religions, but it is now also the heart of one of the most successful democracies in the world.” (Three great religions? What on earth? Judaism and Islam don’t even recognize Jesus as the Son of God as I said earlier. I find it quite crazy that these evangelical leaders who are supposedly his spiritual advisers haven’t mentioned this to him. Or, are they relying on the fact that Trump can say and do just about anything and his evangelical fan base won’t even bat an eye? But, something that is also interesting to note is that people were so upset about Obama seeming to be on the side of Islam and many even thought he was a Muslim. So, where is the criticism of Trump calling Islam a great religion? Trump does call out the Muslim extremists but does not mention the violent language in the Quran. The holy book for Islam contains at least 109 verses that speak of war with nonbelievers, usually on the basis of their status as non-Muslims. Some are quite graphic, with commands to chop off heads and fingers and kill infidels wherever they may be hiding. This is not a peaceful religion). (https://www.thereligionofpeace.com/pages/quran/violence.aspx).
He continued: “Over the past seven decades, the Israeli people have built a country where Jews, Muslims and Christians and people of all faiths are free to live and worship according to their conscience and according to their beliefs…Jerusalem is today and must remain a place where Jews pray at the Western Wall, where Christians walk the stations of the cross, and where Muslims worship at Al Aqsa Mosque.” (You know, we heard all the arguments during the election season of why we just had to vote for Trump: we heard he would improve the economy and maintain a capitalistic society whereas Hillary Clinton would bring in Communism or at least socialism; we would still have freedom of speech and religion with Trump, freedom to preach the gospel specifically; we heard he was a type of Cyrus who would navigate through any storm, and much, much more. I wish I could talk to those who pushed his candidacy so much and ask if they think it’s all right to support someone who would make such a statement concerning Israel, saying people of all faiths should be free to live and worship there. Trump may not know any better, but these evangelicals who promoted him so much at least once knew there is only one true faith, whether they’ve forgotten this now or not.).
He goes on: “Above all, our greatest hope is for peace. The universal yearning in every human soul…With today’s action, I reaffirm my administration’s longstanding commitment to a future of peace and security for the region. There will, of course, be disagreement and dissent regarding this announcement. But we are confident that ultimately, as we work through these disagreements, we will arrive at a peace and a place far greater in understanding and cooperation. This sacred city should call forth the best in humanity. Peace is never beyond the grasp of those willing to reach it. (This is a true statement if one is talking about a false peace and that is exactly what the antichrist will bring in, so again, we see the groundwork is being laid for the one world religion).
Close to the end of the speech he states: “And finally, I ask the leaders of the region political and religious, Israeli and Palestinian, Jewish and Christian and Muslim to join us in the noble quest for lasting peace.” (And, interestingly enough the antichrist system is a political and religious one. And, lasting peace? According to an article entitled “What Every Person Should Know About War” of the past 3,400 years, humans have been entirely at peace for 268 of them, or just 8 percent of recorded history. But, mainly, man won’t bring true, lasting peace because God’s Word says Jesus will bring it after putting down man’s system). (http://www.nytimes.com/2003/07/06/books/chapters/what-every-person-should-know-about-war.html)
Now, I want to mention three individuals who influenced Trump to make this declaration. One is a casino billionaire and Republican donor named Sheldon Adelson. Early in Mr. Trump’s campaign for the Republican presidential nomination, he privately courted the Adelsons, seeking a meeting and asking for financial support, even as he publicly declared that he did not need or want backing from major donors. Wanting to be seen as a friend to Israel, in March 2016, Trump told the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, the most powerful pro-Israel lobbying group, “We will move the American embassy to the eternal capital of the Jewish people, Jerusalem.” The Adelsons were persuaded and donated $20 million to a political action committee that supported Mr. Trump’s campaign. (https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/06/us/politics/trump-embassy-jerusalem-israel.html)
Another man who influenced Trump is Mike Evans, an author and the founder and head of a number of politically conservative Christian organizations, one of which is called the Jerusalem Prayer Team. Here is part of an email sent by Mike Evans, soliciting donations: “Your support of the Jerusalem Prayer Team today allows us to carry out media campaigns in support of Israel, to continue our work on the Friends of Zion Heritage Center, and to meet urgent humanitarian needs among the poor Jewish people living in Israel. Thank you so much for being part of this vital worldwide prayer movement.” (I didn’t hear one word about preaching the gospel to the people of Israel, did you, Sister Tammy? But, this is the major problem with many of these groups and this is heartbreaking.)
Concerning Trump’s declaration, Evans said, “We have been hard at work doing everything possible to encourage the government in Washington to take this important step.” (http://pages.jerusalemprayerteam.org/index.php/email/emailWebview?mkt_tok=eyJpIjoiT1dVM05UYzVNR1ppTVdZeCIsInQiOiIzZVF0WHJcL1hlUXNIR3RodkVaYWFwWW1QeThuMVVGb2JzN2NXcFQ3cmc2SmhaSHhJZG12ZTh6QTNUNHdFYWVoV1J2bUNFMnd5clJ1ek16TFlXUER4OUppcFgyRm8zTVFKSWs0bkZJMkVpMGR4dmg3MlwvRFF1XC9SZmRoRGw4alRXdyJ9) (You know, many evangelicals would say they voted for Trump so we could maintain our freedom of religion. Many were convinced we would lose these rights if Hillary Clinton was elected president. Well, never mind that our rights come from God and not man, but it is quite interesting that this nation has as a basic premise the idea of the separation of church and state. So, when we find religious leaders influencing the political leaders to take steps of any kind, one would think those interested in maintaining the freedoms in this nation would protest. But, since so many evangelicals support the actions of the President, they are fine with this collusion. However, they’re not thinking of where this joining up will lead. It’s all fine for them because they agree with what the President has been doing. What happens when he’s wanting to do something you don’t agree with, but you’ve already given him so much power and promoted him so much that he feels he can get away with anything?)
And, then, the third person I wanted to mention as having impacted Trump is John Hagee. An article from the Jerusalem Prayer team site states that “Hagee has exerted considerable pressure on Trump over the past year to make good on his Jerusalem campaign promises.”(http://pages.jerusalemprayerteam.org/index.php/email/emailWebview?mkt_tok=eyJpIjoiTWpsbFlqTTBORGMzTXpkbCIsInQiOiJzbnVqazJhY1h2c1BtN0xodzNnODBib1kxMmd0SW9BbmcyVExrWFwvXC9jMGMyXC82V2tyZmVNaktNUDlIOXFMb0JTemRBTktERzFINHBaUitCdStXZ1BUSEVHU3h4anFLcGUwdFV2N25RXC9uZ1dITDRybnZLa2JzWUUyU2NZb1dXbTYifQ%3D%3D)
And, then, in an interview with CBN news, Hagee says he talked with the president about the significance of moving the embassy in this "Jubilee Year." He states, "...I told him that God measures everything in modules of 50 years. And I said this is a principle that's carried out in Leviticus, the 25th chapter. If you look at 1917, it was a Jubilee Year, and the Balfour Amendment came, and then in 50 years, it was 1967, and Jerusalem was reconnected to Israel. And you add 50 to 1967, and you're in 2017. This is the year to move the embassy and make that declaration because it is a Biblical timing of absolute precision.” (http://www1.cbn.com/cbnnews/israel/2017/december/biblical-timing-of-absolute-precision-john-hagee-praises-trumps-jerusalem-decision) And, we have heard so much about Jubilee years signifying this or that from people like Mark Biltz and Jonathan Cahn. But, according to a website about Jewish practices called Chabad.org, Jews believe the following: “With the destruction of the Second Temple and the disbandment of the Sanhedrin (supreme rabbinical court), we ceased to mark the Jubilee year in any form.” (http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/513212/jewish/When-is-the-next-Jubilee-year.htm)
(So, that’s a good point to keep in mind concerning jubilee years, but all of this influence on Trump tells me his decision concerning Jerusalem was mainly based on his desire to keep his campaign promise, especially to evangelicals, knowing this is his base and without it he doesn’t stand a chance of reelection in 2020).
Now, I want to mention the fact that due to Trump’s declaration he was presented the “Friends of Zion” award by Mike Evans and I additionally want to share some of the statements made at a press conference after the presentation. Mike Evans explained that, "This award was commissioned by the 9th president of the state of Israel, Shimon Peres, to recognize a global leader with courage to stand with the nation of Israel and the Jewish people. We believe no American president in history has done more to defend the Jewish people in the United Nations.” (https://www1.cbn.com/cbnnews/politics/2017/december/trump-given-friends-of-zion-award-no-american-president-has-done-more-to-defend-jews)
(https://www.facebook.com/cbnnews/videos/10160086465030393/) Tony Perkins made the following statement at this press conference: "Evangelicals and conservatives across this country are grateful for the fact he has actually done exactly what he campaigned on," Perkins explained. "He campaigned on protection of religious freedom. He campaigned on making our military strong and reversing the radical social policies of the previous administration. He has focused on making our economy strong again. In short, he is working to make America great again. (I don’t know how much the listeners know about Tony Perkins, but he is the founder of Family Research Council and very much a patriotic dominionist. These statements I just read prove this beyond the shadow of a doubt. None of these things he mentioned have anything to do with preaching the gospel and they are completely focused on the here and now. And, we would also have to say these things are true of those who are designated as Trump’s spiritual advisors and of those evangelical leaders who promoted him during the election season and continue to do so today. Where are we told in God’s Word to join up with political leaders? Where are we told to promote any politician who attempts to make any nation great?)
Then, James Dobson stated the following: “He has kept all the promises he made to us, including the Johnson amendment, which is about to be overridden. And, so it’s a pleasure to be here today, to honor a man that we deeply love. (This is off-topic, but I would like to ask James Dobson if any of them love Trump enough to give him the true gospel? Sadly, most of these are not focused on preaching the true gospel, but rather on a social/political gospel which centers on reclaiming the American culture).
Jentezen Franklin had this to say: “I am profoundly thankful to President Trump for what he did, last Wednesday Dec. 6, when he affirmed the city of Jerusalem to be the capital of the nation of Israel. See, we believe as evangelicals, that the Jewish people, the nation of Israel, and the city of Jerusalem are intertwined with our faith. We cannot separate the two. And, we believe that when our President and our nation stands with Israel Genesis 12 boldly declares that God will bless those that bless Israel.” (But, as you already explained so well, sister Tammy, Abraham is the “father” of all who believe (Romans 4:11–17). God will bless those that bless true believers, Jew, gentile that have come to faith in Jesus– Abraham’s seed).
Now, I want to list some of the evangelical leaders who wrote statements in support of Trump’s declaration. Their statements appeared in an issue of Charisma Magazine. The leaders were Gov. Mike Huckabee, Robert Jeffress, Paula White, Samuel Rodriguez, David Jeremiah, Ronnie Floyd, Jack Graham, Greg Laurie, Alveda King, Jim Garlow, and Tony Perkins and Jentezen Franklin that I’ve already mentioned. (https://www.charismanews.com/opinion/standing-with-israel/68574-paula-white-samuel-rodriguez-mike-huckabee-and-jentezen-franklin-all-agree-on-this-one-thing)
I just wanted to mention the information from one of the statements because it would take too long to read them all and they all make pretty much the same points; it was time for this happen, they stand with the president, and support Israel’s right to have Jerusalem as their capital, the president has incurred blessings on America by taking this stand, and they pray for the peace of Jerusalem. Gov. Mike Huckabee stated that Israel “exudes tolerance, steadiness and strength.” To help the listener understand exactly what this tolerance means I want to read from an article at the telegraph site in your country, sister Tammy: “Each faith community autonomously administers its own holy places: the Rabbinate oversees the Jewish sites, the Islamic Waqf oversees the Muslim holy sites, and the relevant churches oversee their respective Christian holy sites. In a region plagued by extremism and intolerance, where in recent years all too many religious sites have been desecrated or destroyed, and where religious minorities have been forced to flee persecution, contemporary Jerusalem stands out as a beacon of tolerance and freedom.”(http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/12/17/recognising-jerusalem-israels-capital-good-peace-britain-should/)
(You know, Christians have become so used to the idea that in order to have the freedom to believe as we want, we must tolerate all other religions, so knowing that all religions are being tolerated in Israel probably doesn’t surprise anyone. However, it’s interesting to note a few things. First of all, what was ancient Israel’s greatest sin, do you think, sister Tammy? Yes, idolatry. And, both the nations of Judah and Israel were carried off into captivity for that sin. So, it’s interesting to think about the fact that they are still participating in this today. Now, of course, Judaism itself is a false religion because it does not recognize Jesus as the Son of God and says completely despicable things as you stated so well earlier. Additionally, for any nation where Christians have been influenced to believe all religions must be tolerated so that Christians have the freedom to preach the gospel, I wonder if anyone thinks about the fact that this freedom gives satanists, witches, and so forth the freedom to spread their evil beliefs also. You know, if people would recognize our true freedom comes from God alone, they might get off this “save the culture, save the nation, Trump train” they’re on).
I wanted to mention another ministry which wholeheartedly supported Trump’s declaration, but was not mentioned in the article with the other leaders. This is Jimmy Swaggart ministries and here is a statement from one of their facebook posts: “We are thrilled about President Trump’s historic announcement today, when he officially recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, as well as beginning efforts to move the U.S. embassy there from Tel Aviv. Thank you, President Trump, not only for having the courage to do the right thing regarding Israel, but also for being a true friend to God’s chosen people.” (Now, if people are thrilled about Trump’s declaration because it means we are that much closer to Christ’s return that is one thing, but I have not heard one evangelical leader say that. You know, there has been much talk of the building of the third temple since the declaration and this, of course, will happen because the antichrist will sit in this temple, showing himself that he is god according to 2 Thes. 2:3-4. It’s quite sad to say, but every single evangelical leader I have named has dominionist and/or ecumenical leanings, ranging from being part of Trump’s spiritual advisory board to having those from other religions speak in their pulpits. People need to stop making excuses for these leaders and come away from these ministries. I would venture to say that years ago these leaders would have recognized the danger in being involved in political/religious enterprises because they condition people to accept the antichrist, but now so many have fallen for the “we must preserve the American way of life” mantra. I pray people will turn their focus back to the Lord and get back to preaching the true gospel of salvation).
Sister Tammy: “We want to just always state the true gospel message, how to become a son or daughter of God is by repenting and believing. Jesus Christ came to this earth, you know, He died, He was perfect, He didn’t sin. It’s us that are guilty that deserve punishment in hell and deserve to be eternally lost. But He gave us the way to the Father because He was free from sin and that’s why He could be the perfect sacrifice…Jesus has finished the work on the cross and He’s rose again from the dead and He’s coming back. But, the only way to be saved is by knowing how rotten and guilty we are, but knowing how perfect He is. But, He paid the punishment for our sins. He’s the only One that can save your soul. We can’t be saved by works or by what we do, by being kind to people, giving to charity and going to church, supporting politicians and all of this. We can’t be saved this way; we’re saved by grace alone, through faith alone, in Jesus alone…There’s two systems in this world: there’s God’s and there’s the antichrist’s. And, you’re going to belong to one or the other. And, one leads to life and one leads to death. And, this is talking about eternal separation from God. If you’re not saved there will be the hell, the lake of fire that you will end up in. And, if you are saved there will be the perfect age to come; where it will be peace, it will be joy that is unspeakable. There will be no more tears, no sorrow, no more pain, nothing to cause a problem again, no more Satan, no more sin eventually in the perfect age to come…You can have the truth that will set you free. So, this is our hope today, that people will not be deceived.”
READING TIME: 31 MINUTES
The following are the notes to the discussion found at this link (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PNmQn8AqLxc) for anyone who would like to study the subject more in depth.
Sister Tammy’s remarks on Jerusalem, the Tribulation, and the Talmud:
Jerusalem is important to what are referred to as the three Abrahamic faiths, -Islam, Judaism, Christianity, which as true believers, we know all are not so. Abraham is not the “father” of those that have not their trust in Jesus Christ as the one who came to pay the sin debt and rise again.
And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise. - Gal 3:29.
Many proclaim that any Jew is automatically born again and has no need of repentance, but the Word of God clearly states otherwise when we hear Jesus addressing those that would claim to be born of Abraham and the hypocrisy they had – Firstly we see that not all Jews are true Jews –
Romans 2:28-29 For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh: But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.
John 8:37 - I know that ye are Abraham's seed; but ye seek to kill me, because my word hath no place in you.
John 8:39 - They answered and said unto him, Abraham is our father. Jesus saith unto them, If ye were Abraham's children, ye would do the works of Abraham.
Jesus acknowledged these were physical descendants of Abraham but later goes on to say if they were really they would do the works of Abraham, which was believe on Jesus and justification by faith that would change their hearts but they could not understand His speech. Jesus described these Jews as children of the devil so we must remember that being the physical seed of Abraham is not enough - Ye must be born again (John 3:3).
God promised to bless those who would bless the seed of Abraham and as we have distinguished here these who are the true seed then let this be so. Abraham is the “father” of all who believe (Romans 4:11–17). God will bless those that bless true believers, Jew, gentile that have come to faith in Jesus– Abraham’s seed. And curse those that curse us - We are not called to bless a nation to receive blessing but to give them the gospel.
The Word tells us that during the Tribulation God will purge the rebels:
Ezekiel 20:38 And I will purge out from among you the rebels, and them that transgress against me: I will bring them forth out of the country where they sojourn, and they shall not enter the land of Israel: and ye shall know that I am the LORD. This will happen during the Tribulation.
So where does this leave the Believer in light of supporting Israel as a nation? I suggest we most definitely should support Israel’s right to exist as this will be where Jesus comes back but we do not support the false gospels and enemies of the cross, we can pray for the peace that will come after the Tribulation and bless this nation with the Only Hope they have for entering the promise land after Jesus returns. This is the best way I can give to believers because we know God will take care of these situations and His will shall be accomplished without our needing to be present. He already has in place the end and we must continue to trust His Word alone.
If we try to fit something into this time that is meant for the end of the Tribulation then we might find ourselves in spiritual deception. The Jewish people will repent at the end of the Tribulation and true peace will not come here until Jesus comes back.
Jerusalem has never ceased to be God's place where Jesus will come to rule and reign after the time of Jacob's trouble. We must remember that the Jewish people will accept someone called the Antichrist thinking he is their promised Messiah, but a remnant will be saved. Many will be deceived by this man of sin, yet God will preserve His people that are not deceived and they will believe at the end. God knows who are His but they also do need to exercise freewill and repent. It's so amazing that God knows in advance who will accept the sacrifice Jesus paid on the cross for sinners! The Only Hope for the Jews is the Gospel of Jesus Christ and pray for them, that the Lord will do as His Word says and that they will repent, even for those individual Jews now that they will turn before this time does arrive.
The way all these religions can unite is by recognizing Jerusalem as a Holy Place but true Christians know that Jerusalem has always belonged to the Lord and as always been where He will come to rule and reign at the second coming after the tribulation. Even if many are in favour of a place as is fitting in which as believers we will be looking forward to that day when Jesus returns, but these still need to acknowledge the Lord and be saved. Many are fighting for a solution to peace in the middle east and are not reading the scriptures that tell us that there will be no peace – Matthew 24 explains a picture of the last days and this is no peace - For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. Peace will come when Jesus the Prince of peace returns at the second coming after the tribulation period, the tribulation will last for seven years Daniel 9:24-27– and that will include a man of sin – the Antichrist- ruling from Jerusalem in a false peace which will kick off the start of this tribulation period, The second three half years will be much worse than the first because after the three half years, the Antichrist will break his covenant with Israel and turn on them, he will enter the temple, where the abomination of desolation will be and claiming to be God. He will have an image that will somehow speak and the mark of the beast will be required by people to buy or sell during this time. Many will not survive the tribulation period but the Lord will have a remnant that will not take the mark of the beast and He will protect – Revelation 12. Israel will ultimately repent and God will restore what His Word promises to the believing remnant of Israel that will make it through the tribulation.
As I have said though before the full restoration of Israel at the Second Coming of Jesus Zech 12:10 - And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn.
Rev. 1:7 - Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.
Before this happens there will be the ecumenical one world religion set up and eventually all will worship the beast and his image who have been deceived. There will be horrendous times when God pours out His wrath upon this world and the purpose is for the Jewish people to come to acknowledge their Messiah is Jesus, they will repent and believe and realize Jesus is the Christ. They will see Him as He is and God will have mercy and save. We must remember that God is in full control of this situation but gives believers clear warning to be separate from these systems and not to support the wickedness of any nation or people, we are to come out from Babylon as pertaining to her sin and unbelief and system. We are to not join with other religions in the name of peace and safety, even if it is not the timing for the Antichrist to step out or even if it is, we are to remain separate because this was a command we were given for this time and always.
The three religions that I want to talk about are firstly Judaism – There is much talk on how this is a sect of Christianity and that the Jewish people are all going to be saved despite their unbelief and false gospel, the remnant that will believe upon the Lord will have to be saved the same way as any other believer because there is only one way of salvation, not a separate way for Jews, and Gentiles. In Christ there is neither Jew nor Gentile. We must keep this understanding clear, so we do not give over to a faulty ecumenical alliance with people stuck in the religion of Judaism but that we are clear to give them the Only Hope and not a twisted version despite their unbelief. You see the importance of not having an unequal yoke in these matters. The Lord will see to it that the Gospel shall be preached to His people, He will have the 144,000 Jews, the two witnesses and an angel all in the tribulation proclaiming the gospel of salvation. We cannot have a separate message at any time, otherwise we are accursed! So, what I am aiming to get at is that many will be deceived in this time because the Jewish people are looking for a Messiah, they have been waiting for a man to come and bring this peace and this is why they will accept the false messiah, the antichrist. These that have been deceived will take his mark and not be saved. So, we need to just be clear on the disturbing beliefs these have and see how they are in dire need of the gospel.
A basic description of the Talmud:
The Talmud, which literally means “learning,” is actually a vast library, consisting of sixty-three individual works, or “tractates.” This enormous collection of literature covers a range of subjects as diverse as biblical law, medicine, agriculture, and philosophy. It is the embodiment of what is called the “oral law” – a compilation of Jewish religious traditions developed over the centuries and handed down orally from generation to generation. The Talmud consists of two main parts – the Mishna, written in Hebrew around A.D. 200, and the Gemara, written in Aramaic, around A.D. 400 in Palestine and around A.D. 500 In Babylonia. The Gemara is related to the earlier Mishna in the same way as a Bible commentary is related to the biblical text. The mastery of this enormous collection of literature, sometimes referred to as the “sea of the Talmud” (yam hatalmud), requires a lifetime of diligent study. Various attempts over the years have been made to summarize Talmudic teachings into accessible “topics,” since the style and reasoning of the rabbis quoted in its pages is rather difficult to comprehend.
Jesus according to the Talmud:
Jesus was born out of wedlock (Mishna Yebamoth 4,13) to His mother, Miriam, and her lover Pantera (Shabbat 104b). She is said to have been the descendant of princes and rulers, and to have played the harlot with a carpenter (Sanhedrin 106a). Jesus spent time in Egypt, from where He learned magic. He was a magician who deceived and led Israel astray. He mocked at the words of the wise, was tainted with heresy, and was thus excommunicated (Sanhedrin 107b). He called Himself God, also the Son of Man, and said that He would go up to heaven (Jerusalem Taanit 65a). He was “near to the kingdom” and had five disciples (Sanhedrin 43a). He was tried in Lydda as a deceiver and as a teacher of apostasy (Tosephta Sanhedrin X, 11: Jerusalem Sanhedrin 25c,d). He was executed in Lydda, on the eve of Passover, which was also the eve of the Sabbath, by being stoned and hung, or crucified (Tosephta Sanhedrin IX, 7). For forty days a herald proclaimed that He was to be stoned, and invited evidence in His favor, but none was given (Sanhedrin 43a). He (under the name of Balaam) was put to death by Pinchas the Robber (Pontius Pilate?) when He was thirty-three years old (Sanhedrin 106b). He was punished in Gehennaby the means of boiling filth (Gittin 56b, 57a). Finally, under the name of Balaam, He is one of those excluded from the world to come (Mishna Sanhedrin X, 2).
Thank you so much for all that very important information, sister Tammy.
As we consider Trump’s declaration, a very important point to keep in mind is how completely ecumenical this president is, and how his efforts in this area are all laying the groundwork for the one world religion. I want to give a brief overview of the recognition and acceptance this man has given to many religions starting with the Republican National Convention, held in July of 2016. This convention featured prayers by members of the Greek Orthodox, Muslim, Mormon, Catholic and Sikh religions. (Those who watched any of the sessions and viewed these prayers will remember that the majority of the delegates bowed their heads to these prayers!)
Then, in a video Trump made which aired on EWTN on the eve of election day in 2016, he stated the following: “My administration will stand side by side with the American Catholics to promote the values we all share as Christians and Americans.” (And, we hear the subtle assertion that Catholics are Christians which most people have been indoctrinated to believe).
In addition, the presidential inauguration featured prayers by those of the Catholic and Jewish faiths. The Mormon, Catholic, Greek Orthodox, Baha’i, Muslim, Sikh, and Hindu faiths were all represented at the prayer service held at the Washington National Cathedral the day after the inauguration.
Then, from this past May, we have the example of the National Day of Prayer event which was held in the Rose Garden. Catholic Cardinal Donald Wuerl, Archbishop of Washington, D.C. and Rabbi Marvin Hier both prayed at this event, along with Jack Graham, pastor of Prestonwood Baptist church. Trump had this to say: “It is a beautiful thing to see these three faith leaders from three very different faith traditions come together and lift up our nation in prayer,” Mr. Trump said. (As if we are all praying to the same God!)
Also, in May we witnessed Trump’s trip to Saudi Arabia. Part of his speech there is as follows: “Our vision is one of peace, security, and prosperity in this region and all throughout the world. Our goal is a coalition of nations who share the aim of stamping out extremism and providing our children a hopeful future that does honor to god.” (Does honor to god? To which god is he referring? Not the God of the Bible. Man is not able to provide a hopeful future anyway. The record of mankind is one of violence and greed. This vision of peace, security, and prosperity cannot be accomplished by man.) He went on to say: “When we see the scenes of destruction in the wake of terror, we see no signs that those murdered were Jewish or Christian, Shia or Sunni…We see only that they were CHILDREN of God whose deaths are an insult to all that is holy.” (Here we notice Trump referring to Jews, Christians, and Muslims all as children of God. However, John 1:12 tells us what makes someone a child of God. It says, “But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name.” So Muslims and Jews cannot be considered children of God according to this verse because they do not believe on His Name; they do not believe Jesus is the Son of God). Trump continued: “If these three faiths can join together in cooperation, then peace in this world is possible, including peace between Israelis and Palestinians. (Of course, true believers again know that peace is only possible by the Prince of Peace, not by people joining together like this).
In addition, when Trump traveled to Israel he continued his talk of acceptance for all three religions. He stated: “Let us dream of a future where Jewish, Muslim, and Christian children can grow up together and live together in trust, harmony, tolerance, and respect.” (You know, people get mad when we say Trump is not a Christian, but what kind of Christian wants Jewish and Muslim children to retain their religious beliefs when this will cause them to end up in hell?) Trump continued: “As we stand in Jerusalem, we see pilgrims of all faiths coming to this land to walk on this hallowed ground. Jews place the prayers from their hearts in the stone blocks of the beautiful Western Wall. Christians pray in the pews of an ancient church. Muslims answer the call to prayer at their holy sites. This city, like no other place in the world, reveals the longing of human hearts to know and to worship God.” (Again, no true believer speaks like this! Listen to this language. We can all have our own god and we can get along, hold hands, and sing kumbaya. This is heartbreaking! And, again, as we say so often, talk about the enemy coming as an angel of light! We can see how easily the antichrist and the false prophet will come in, unite the religions, and then do away with religion per say, replacing it with worship of the antichrist).
And, then during Trump’s trip to the Vatican, Pope Francis blessed Melania Trump’s rosary beads. One article I read said that for a Catholic, a blessing of beads by the Pope is a pinnacle of holy ceremony. (And, it was quite a news story because no one had reported that she was a Catholic before that). Most people, I’m sure, did hear about Trump’s tweet concerning his visit with the pope: “Honor of a lifetime to meet His Holiness Pope Francis. I leave the Vatican more determined than ever to pursue PEACE in our world.” (Now, when we hear the phrase ‘His Holiness, pope Francis’ we just flinch because no man should be referred to like this. And, again, this talk concerning peace, but we know the only peace man can bring will be a false peace. Man will tolerate false religions, but Jesus will return and smash the antichrist system).
Additionally, Trump proclaimed Sept. 3 as a National Day of Prayer for the Victims of Hurricane Harvey and for the National Response and Recovery Efforts. Here are three of his statements from the proclamation and the problems with them: 1) “I urge Americans of all faiths and religious traditions and backgrounds to offer prayers today…” – (With this statement the President has legitimized all false religions. He has given them the false assurance that their religion is valid and that their gods hear and answer their prayers). 2) “Each of us, in our own way, may call upon our God for strength and comfort during this difficult time.” – (The phrases “in our own way” and then “upon our God” instead of saying upon our own God, along with the capitalization of “God” indicate a belief that all paths lead to the same God, the true God, which is universalism). 3) “I call on all Americans and houses of worship throughout the Nation to join in one voice of prayer…” – (The President has given equal standing to all houses of worship: churches, mosques, synagogues and so forth. Again, we see the idea all Americans pray to the same God with the “one voice of prayer” phrase. So, with this phrase he has shown his support for false unity).
And, then, Trump stated the following at the recent tree lighting ceremony at the White House: “Each and every year at Christmas time we recognize that the real spirit of Christmas is not what we have, it's about who we are. EACH ONE OF US IS A CHILD OF GOD… we are called to serve one another, to love one another, and to pursue peace in our hearts and all throughout the world." (So, again with the claim that we are all “children of God.” And, just to say that if he just means we are all part of God’s creation, he needs to say that. Calling anyone a child of God means something very specific as we brought out earlier).
Now, I would like to read parts of Trump’s speech declaring Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. I hope the listener will especially notice that he continues his ecumenical line of thinking in this speech, obviously especially concerning Jews, Christians and Muslims. Additionally, from all we have heard from this man he must believe in universalism. He obviously believes all religions have equal value and status and these are not ideas true believers will have. But, on to the speech (https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/06/world/middleeast/trump-israel-speech-transcript.html):
“Jerusalem is not just the heart of three great religions, but it is now also the heart of one of the most successful democracies in the world.” (Three great religions? What on earth? Judaism and Islam don’t even recognize Jesus as the Son of God as I said earlier. I find it quite crazy that these evangelical leaders who are supposedly his spiritual advisers haven’t mentioned this to him. Or, are they relying on the fact that Trump can say and do just about anything and his evangelical fan base won’t even bat an eye? But, something that is also interesting to note is that people were so upset about Obama seeming to be on the side of Islam and many even thought he was a Muslim. So, where is the criticism of Trump calling Islam a great religion? Trump does call out the Muslim extremists but does not mention the violent language in the Quran. The holy book for Islam contains at least 109 verses that speak of war with nonbelievers, usually on the basis of their status as non-Muslims. Some are quite graphic, with commands to chop off heads and fingers and kill infidels wherever they may be hiding. This is not a peaceful religion). (https://www.thereligionofpeace.com/pages/quran/violence.aspx).
He continued: “Over the past seven decades, the Israeli people have built a country where Jews, Muslims and Christians and people of all faiths are free to live and worship according to their conscience and according to their beliefs…Jerusalem is today and must remain a place where Jews pray at the Western Wall, where Christians walk the stations of the cross, and where Muslims worship at Al Aqsa Mosque.” (You know, we heard all the arguments during the election season of why we just had to vote for Trump: we heard he would improve the economy and maintain a capitalistic society whereas Hillary Clinton would bring in Communism or at least socialism; we would still have freedom of speech and religion with Trump, freedom to preach the gospel specifically; we heard he was a type of Cyrus who would navigate through any storm, and much, much more. I wish I could talk to those who pushed his candidacy so much and ask if they think it’s all right to support someone who would make such a statement concerning Israel, saying people of all faiths should be free to live and worship there. Trump may not know any better, but these evangelicals who promoted him so much at least once knew there is only one true faith, whether they’ve forgotten this now or not.).
He goes on: “Above all, our greatest hope is for peace. The universal yearning in every human soul…With today’s action, I reaffirm my administration’s longstanding commitment to a future of peace and security for the region. There will, of course, be disagreement and dissent regarding this announcement. But we are confident that ultimately, as we work through these disagreements, we will arrive at a peace and a place far greater in understanding and cooperation. This sacred city should call forth the best in humanity. Peace is never beyond the grasp of those willing to reach it. (This is a true statement if one is talking about a false peace and that is exactly what the antichrist will bring in, so again, we see the groundwork is being laid for the one world religion).
Close to the end of the speech he states: “And finally, I ask the leaders of the region political and religious, Israeli and Palestinian, Jewish and Christian and Muslim to join us in the noble quest for lasting peace.” (And, interestingly enough the antichrist system is a political and religious one. And, lasting peace? According to an article entitled “What Every Person Should Know About War” of the past 3,400 years, humans have been entirely at peace for 268 of them, or just 8 percent of recorded history. But, mainly, man won’t bring true, lasting peace because God’s Word says Jesus will bring it after putting down man’s system). (http://www.nytimes.com/2003/07/06/books/chapters/what-every-person-should-know-about-war.html)
Now, I want to mention three individuals who influenced Trump to make this declaration. One is a casino billionaire and Republican donor named Sheldon Adelson. Early in Mr. Trump’s campaign for the Republican presidential nomination, he privately courted the Adelsons, seeking a meeting and asking for financial support, even as he publicly declared that he did not need or want backing from major donors. Wanting to be seen as a friend to Israel, in March 2016, Trump told the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, the most powerful pro-Israel lobbying group, “We will move the American embassy to the eternal capital of the Jewish people, Jerusalem.” The Adelsons were persuaded and donated $20 million to a political action committee that supported Mr. Trump’s campaign. (https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/06/us/politics/trump-embassy-jerusalem-israel.html)
Another man who influenced Trump is Mike Evans, an author and the founder and head of a number of politically conservative Christian organizations, one of which is called the Jerusalem Prayer Team. Here is part of an email sent by Mike Evans, soliciting donations: “Your support of the Jerusalem Prayer Team today allows us to carry out media campaigns in support of Israel, to continue our work on the Friends of Zion Heritage Center, and to meet urgent humanitarian needs among the poor Jewish people living in Israel. Thank you so much for being part of this vital worldwide prayer movement.” (I didn’t hear one word about preaching the gospel to the people of Israel, did you, Sister Tammy? But, this is the major problem with many of these groups and this is heartbreaking.)
Concerning Trump’s declaration, Evans said, “We have been hard at work doing everything possible to encourage the government in Washington to take this important step.” (http://pages.jerusalemprayerteam.org/index.php/email/emailWebview?mkt_tok=eyJpIjoiT1dVM05UYzVNR1ppTVdZeCIsInQiOiIzZVF0WHJcL1hlUXNIR3RodkVaYWFwWW1QeThuMVVGb2JzN2NXcFQ3cmc2SmhaSHhJZG12ZTh6QTNUNHdFYWVoV1J2bUNFMnd5clJ1ek16TFlXUER4OUppcFgyRm8zTVFKSWs0bkZJMkVpMGR4dmg3MlwvRFF1XC9SZmRoRGw4alRXdyJ9) (You know, many evangelicals would say they voted for Trump so we could maintain our freedom of religion. Many were convinced we would lose these rights if Hillary Clinton was elected president. Well, never mind that our rights come from God and not man, but it is quite interesting that this nation has as a basic premise the idea of the separation of church and state. So, when we find religious leaders influencing the political leaders to take steps of any kind, one would think those interested in maintaining the freedoms in this nation would protest. But, since so many evangelicals support the actions of the President, they are fine with this collusion. However, they’re not thinking of where this joining up will lead. It’s all fine for them because they agree with what the President has been doing. What happens when he’s wanting to do something you don’t agree with, but you’ve already given him so much power and promoted him so much that he feels he can get away with anything?)
And, then, the third person I wanted to mention as having impacted Trump is John Hagee. An article from the Jerusalem Prayer team site states that “Hagee has exerted considerable pressure on Trump over the past year to make good on his Jerusalem campaign promises.”(http://pages.jerusalemprayerteam.org/index.php/email/emailWebview?mkt_tok=eyJpIjoiTWpsbFlqTTBORGMzTXpkbCIsInQiOiJzbnVqazJhY1h2c1BtN0xodzNnODBib1kxMmd0SW9BbmcyVExrWFwvXC9jMGMyXC82V2tyZmVNaktNUDlIOXFMb0JTemRBTktERzFINHBaUitCdStXZ1BUSEVHU3h4anFLcGUwdFV2N25RXC9uZ1dITDRybnZLa2JzWUUyU2NZb1dXbTYifQ%3D%3D)
And, then, in an interview with CBN news, Hagee says he talked with the president about the significance of moving the embassy in this "Jubilee Year." He states, "...I told him that God measures everything in modules of 50 years. And I said this is a principle that's carried out in Leviticus, the 25th chapter. If you look at 1917, it was a Jubilee Year, and the Balfour Amendment came, and then in 50 years, it was 1967, and Jerusalem was reconnected to Israel. And you add 50 to 1967, and you're in 2017. This is the year to move the embassy and make that declaration because it is a Biblical timing of absolute precision.” (http://www1.cbn.com/cbnnews/israel/2017/december/biblical-timing-of-absolute-precision-john-hagee-praises-trumps-jerusalem-decision) And, we have heard so much about Jubilee years signifying this or that from people like Mark Biltz and Jonathan Cahn. But, according to a website about Jewish practices called Chabad.org, Jews believe the following: “With the destruction of the Second Temple and the disbandment of the Sanhedrin (supreme rabbinical court), we ceased to mark the Jubilee year in any form.” (http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/513212/jewish/When-is-the-next-Jubilee-year.htm)
(So, that’s a good point to keep in mind concerning jubilee years, but all of this influence on Trump tells me his decision concerning Jerusalem was mainly based on his desire to keep his campaign promise, especially to evangelicals, knowing this is his base and without it he doesn’t stand a chance of reelection in 2020).
Now, I want to mention the fact that due to Trump’s declaration he was presented the “Friends of Zion” award by Mike Evans and I additionally want to share some of the statements made at a press conference after the presentation. Mike Evans explained that, "This award was commissioned by the 9th president of the state of Israel, Shimon Peres, to recognize a global leader with courage to stand with the nation of Israel and the Jewish people. We believe no American president in history has done more to defend the Jewish people in the United Nations.” (https://www1.cbn.com/cbnnews/politics/2017/december/trump-given-friends-of-zion-award-no-american-president-has-done-more-to-defend-jews)
(https://www.facebook.com/cbnnews/videos/10160086465030393/) Tony Perkins made the following statement at this press conference: "Evangelicals and conservatives across this country are grateful for the fact he has actually done exactly what he campaigned on," Perkins explained. "He campaigned on protection of religious freedom. He campaigned on making our military strong and reversing the radical social policies of the previous administration. He has focused on making our economy strong again. In short, he is working to make America great again. (I don’t know how much the listeners know about Tony Perkins, but he is the founder of Family Research Council and very much a patriotic dominionist. These statements I just read prove this beyond the shadow of a doubt. None of these things he mentioned have anything to do with preaching the gospel and they are completely focused on the here and now. And, we would also have to say these things are true of those who are designated as Trump’s spiritual advisors and of those evangelical leaders who promoted him during the election season and continue to do so today. Where are we told in God’s Word to join up with political leaders? Where are we told to promote any politician who attempts to make any nation great?)
Then, James Dobson stated the following: “He has kept all the promises he made to us, including the Johnson amendment, which is about to be overridden. And, so it’s a pleasure to be here today, to honor a man that we deeply love. (This is off-topic, but I would like to ask James Dobson if any of them love Trump enough to give him the true gospel? Sadly, most of these are not focused on preaching the true gospel, but rather on a social/political gospel which centers on reclaiming the American culture).
Jentezen Franklin had this to say: “I am profoundly thankful to President Trump for what he did, last Wednesday Dec. 6, when he affirmed the city of Jerusalem to be the capital of the nation of Israel. See, we believe as evangelicals, that the Jewish people, the nation of Israel, and the city of Jerusalem are intertwined with our faith. We cannot separate the two. And, we believe that when our President and our nation stands with Israel Genesis 12 boldly declares that God will bless those that bless Israel.” (But, as you already explained so well, sister Tammy, Abraham is the “father” of all who believe (Romans 4:11–17). God will bless those that bless true believers, Jew, gentile that have come to faith in Jesus– Abraham’s seed).
Now, I want to list some of the evangelical leaders who wrote statements in support of Trump’s declaration. Their statements appeared in an issue of Charisma Magazine. The leaders were Gov. Mike Huckabee, Robert Jeffress, Paula White, Samuel Rodriguez, David Jeremiah, Ronnie Floyd, Jack Graham, Greg Laurie, Alveda King, Jim Garlow, and Tony Perkins and Jentezen Franklin that I’ve already mentioned. (https://www.charismanews.com/opinion/standing-with-israel/68574-paula-white-samuel-rodriguez-mike-huckabee-and-jentezen-franklin-all-agree-on-this-one-thing)
I just wanted to mention the information from one of the statements because it would take too long to read them all and they all make pretty much the same points; it was time for this happen, they stand with the president, and support Israel’s right to have Jerusalem as their capital, the president has incurred blessings on America by taking this stand, and they pray for the peace of Jerusalem. Gov. Mike Huckabee stated that Israel “exudes tolerance, steadiness and strength.” To help the listener understand exactly what this tolerance means I want to read from an article at the telegraph site in your country, sister Tammy: “Each faith community autonomously administers its own holy places: the Rabbinate oversees the Jewish sites, the Islamic Waqf oversees the Muslim holy sites, and the relevant churches oversee their respective Christian holy sites. In a region plagued by extremism and intolerance, where in recent years all too many religious sites have been desecrated or destroyed, and where religious minorities have been forced to flee persecution, contemporary Jerusalem stands out as a beacon of tolerance and freedom.”(http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/12/17/recognising-jerusalem-israels-capital-good-peace-britain-should/)
(You know, Christians have become so used to the idea that in order to have the freedom to believe as we want, we must tolerate all other religions, so knowing that all religions are being tolerated in Israel probably doesn’t surprise anyone. However, it’s interesting to note a few things. First of all, what was ancient Israel’s greatest sin, do you think, sister Tammy? Yes, idolatry. And, both the nations of Judah and Israel were carried off into captivity for that sin. So, it’s interesting to think about the fact that they are still participating in this today. Now, of course, Judaism itself is a false religion because it does not recognize Jesus as the Son of God and says completely despicable things as you stated so well earlier. Additionally, for any nation where Christians have been influenced to believe all religions must be tolerated so that Christians have the freedom to preach the gospel, I wonder if anyone thinks about the fact that this freedom gives satanists, witches, and so forth the freedom to spread their evil beliefs also. You know, if people would recognize our true freedom comes from God alone, they might get off this “save the culture, save the nation, Trump train” they’re on).
I wanted to mention another ministry which wholeheartedly supported Trump’s declaration, but was not mentioned in the article with the other leaders. This is Jimmy Swaggart ministries and here is a statement from one of their facebook posts: “We are thrilled about President Trump’s historic announcement today, when he officially recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, as well as beginning efforts to move the U.S. embassy there from Tel Aviv. Thank you, President Trump, not only for having the courage to do the right thing regarding Israel, but also for being a true friend to God’s chosen people.” (Now, if people are thrilled about Trump’s declaration because it means we are that much closer to Christ’s return that is one thing, but I have not heard one evangelical leader say that. You know, there has been much talk of the building of the third temple since the declaration and this, of course, will happen because the antichrist will sit in this temple, showing himself that he is god according to 2 Thes. 2:3-4. It’s quite sad to say, but every single evangelical leader I have named has dominionist and/or ecumenical leanings, ranging from being part of Trump’s spiritual advisory board to having those from other religions speak in their pulpits. People need to stop making excuses for these leaders and come away from these ministries. I would venture to say that years ago these leaders would have recognized the danger in being involved in political/religious enterprises because they condition people to accept the antichrist, but now so many have fallen for the “we must preserve the American way of life” mantra. I pray people will turn their focus back to the Lord and get back to preaching the true gospel of salvation).
Sister Tammy: “We want to just always state the true gospel message, how to become a son or daughter of God is by repenting and believing. Jesus Christ came to this earth, you know, He died, He was perfect, He didn’t sin. It’s us that are guilty that deserve punishment in hell and deserve to be eternally lost. But He gave us the way to the Father because He was free from sin and that’s why He could be the perfect sacrifice…Jesus has finished the work on the cross and He’s rose again from the dead and He’s coming back. But, the only way to be saved is by knowing how rotten and guilty we are, but knowing how perfect He is. But, He paid the punishment for our sins. He’s the only One that can save your soul. We can’t be saved by works or by what we do, by being kind to people, giving to charity and going to church, supporting politicians and all of this. We can’t be saved this way; we’re saved by grace alone, through faith alone, in Jesus alone…There’s two systems in this world: there’s God’s and there’s the antichrist’s. And, you’re going to belong to one or the other. And, one leads to life and one leads to death. And, this is talking about eternal separation from God. If you’re not saved there will be the hell, the lake of fire that you will end up in. And, if you are saved there will be the perfect age to come; where it will be peace, it will be joy that is unspeakable. There will be no more tears, no sorrow, no more pain, nothing to cause a problem again, no more Satan, no more sin eventually in the perfect age to come…You can have the truth that will set you free. So, this is our hope today, that people will not be deceived.”