Perspective                                     

Nations rise and fall, but why? How have Britain and the United States prospered so much since the beginning of the 19th century until now? Most do not know these two nations stem from the same father, Joseph. Joseph, the son of Rachel, received the birthright promises as the firstborn of Jacob, also known as Israel.

History and Scripture show how Britain and the United States descended from Jacob through Ephraim and Manasseh, the sons of Joseph respectively. Before Jacob died he gathered his 12 sons together and prophesied to each of them the future of their descendants in the latter days. He said this about Joseph in Genesis 49:22-26:

“Joseph is a fruitful bough, a fruitful bough by a well; his branches run over the wall. The archers have bitterly grieved him, shot at him and hated him. But his bow remained in strength, and the arms of his hands were made strong by the hands of the Mighty God of Jacob (From there is the Shepherd, the Stone of Israel), by the God of your father who will help you, and by the Almighty who will bless you with blessings of heaven above, blessings of the deep that lies beneath, blessings of the breasts and of the womb. The blessings of your father have excelled the blessings of my ancestors, up to the utmost bound of the everlasting hills. They shall be on the head of Joseph, and on the crown of the head of him who was separate from his brothers.”

Blessings bestowed on the firstborn son

God promised incredible prosperity to Joseph chiefly because of the faithfulness of Jacob’s grandfather, Abraham. Abraham bestowed those blessing on Isaac and Isaac passed them on to Jacob. God blessed modern day Joseph abundantly. Great Britain became a world power in the 19th century after the defeat of France in the Napoleonic Wars. Britain emerged as the principal, global naval and imperial power of the 19th century and expanded its imperial holdings. By 1950 Britain and the United States possessed nearly two-thirds of the world’s wealth. 

There is little doubt the greatness of the West is now waning and the Eastern nations are now emerging. Many economists predict China’s economy will eventually overtake the U.S. economy. There is disagreement when it will be—some economists say by 2024, while others believe it could be 2030, and still others think it will be as far out as 2060. 

What is the determining factor? The determining factor is based on the morality of the people of Britain and America. Why is this important? Because with great blessings come great responsibility. 

The modern descendants of Joseph, despite the great affluence God has given, have drifted farther from God and right values with each passing year. It appears there will be no going back. In ancient times God judged the unrighteous ways of the Kingdom of Judah and said through Isaiah the prophet:

“Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth! For the Lord has spoken: ‘I have nourished and brought up children, and they have rebelled against Me; The ox knows its owner and the donkey its master’s crib; But Israel does not know, My people do not consider.’ Alas, sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a brood of evildoers, children who are corrupters! They have forsaken the Lord, they have provoked to anger the Holy One of Israel, they have turned away backward” (Isaiah 1:2-4).

Immorality sent Israel and Judah into captivity

It was because of these social conditions of immorality that God allowed Israel and Judah to be taken into captivity, and God ceased blessing them. After all, why would God continue blessing a people who really did not care for Him or His ways? God’s desire by punishing them was to bring them to a repentance.

History is repeating itself because this describes our modern peoples. It also signals a time coming soon when the birthright promises will cease. The time of the dominance of modern-day Israel will come to an abrupt end. Already the world is realigning to de-dollarize the world and move toward other currencies. Saudi Arabia recently opened relations with Iran, and they agreed to reestablish diplomatic relations and reopen embassies after seven years of tensions between these Mideast rivals. Incidentally, China was instrumental in this diplomatic change. The Saudis have done the same thing with Syria after more than a decade. It is clear, nations of this world are now banding together to rid themselves of “Yankee Imperialism.”

Bible prophecy indicates that Gentile nations will succeed in this. As an aside, the word “Gentile” by definition is simply a non-Israelite nation.

Jerusalem trampled and the "times of the Gentiles"

The disciples had asked Jesus what would be the signs of the end of the age. He gave several things to watch. One sign He specifically highlighted:

“But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation is near. Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, let those who are in the midst of her depart, and let not those who are in the country enter her. For these are the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled. But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! For there will be great distress in the land and wrath upon this people. And they will fall by the edge of the sword, and be led away captive into all nations. And Jerusalem will be trampled by Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled” (Luke 21:20-24, emphasis added).

In the last days leading up to Jesus' return, the West will decrease and the Gentile nations of the world will increase. This is now happening before our eyes! The seventh and final resurrection of the Holy Roman Empire will embolden the emergence of the East as well as the Islamic nations. 

Open threats continue to come regularly from the enemies of Israel. Eventually, nations like Iran and other Islamic nations, seeing the weakness of Western powers, will be emboldened to invade Israel. Then, as Jesus said, Jerusalem will be trampled underfoot by the Gentiles. We have been privileged to have advance knowledge of these prophesied events. Whatever may come in future, we must always look to Our Father and Jesus Christ, and remain steadfast in the faith.

This is my Perspective and the current edition of the Prophetic Times follows below: 

Prophetic Times

US bombers land in Sweden for exercises for first time

June 22, 2023 spacewar.com reported:

US bomber jets have landed in Sweden for the first time in modern history for training exercises with the NATO invitee, the military said Wednesday.

Sweden, which abandoned two centuries of military non-alignment to seek NATO membership last year, announced earlier this month that it was ready to host NATO troops and material on its soil even before it becomes a member of the alliance.

Two American B-1B Lancers landed at Lulea-Kallax airport in northern Sweden on Monday June 19, the military said.
‘We are carrying out a joint exercise, both the air force and the army, with the Bomber Task Force,’ air force spokeswoman Louise Levin told AFP. She did not say how long the exercises would last.

The military said in a statement that ‘for the first time in modern times US bomber planes have landed in Sweden.’

U.S. Antimissile System in South Korea, a Source of Chinese Anger, Cleared for Full Deployment 

June 21, 2023 wsj.com reported:

A U.S. missile-defense system in South Korea that has enraged China got a clear path for a full deployment, as tensions flare up between the two countries.

A battery for the American antimissile system called Thaad—short for Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense—was installed more than six years ago in the heart of South Korea on the site of a former golf course. The deployment came during a rise in North Korean weapons provocations. China, North Korea and Russia loudly opposed Thaad as a security threat.

A complete Thaad rollout was stalled by a South Korean environmental review that was triggered by the fears of local residents living near the base. On Thursday, the review determined that the health risks posed by electromagnetic waves from the Thaad battery were insignificant, according to South Korea’s defense and environment ministries. 

The Thaad system is designed to shoot down North Korean short- and medium-range missiles, even as they begin a downward trajectory. The system’s radar capabilities also have a wider range than prior missile defenses in South Korea, allowing them to reach into China and Russia. A full Thaad deployment is expected to occur next year.

Blinken says warned Chinese leaders about Cuba

June 21, 2023 spacewar.com reported:

Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Tuesday he had warned Chinese leaders about ‘deep’ US concerns regarding reports of sensitive operations by Beijing on Cuba.

‘Yes, I made very clear we would have deep concerns about PRC (People’s Republic of China) intelligence or military activities in Cuba,’ the top US diplomat told reporters in London after visiting Beijing.

‘This is something we’re going to be monitoring very, very closely, and we’ve been very clear about that,’ he added.

Hezbollah infiltrates, sets up armed position in Israel

June 21, 2023 jpost.com reported:

Hezbollah infiltrated Israel and set up an armed military position within Israeli territory in the last few weeks, Kan revealed on Wednesday morning.

The IDF told Kan that ‘the matter is known and being dealt with together with the relevant authorities.’

Kan reported that the relevant authorities were UNIFIL and the UN.

The incident was discussed in a security government meeting last week, and according to what was said, Hezbollah terrorists crossed the border at Har Dov and set up two tents on Israeli land. The tent is manned by three to eight armed terrorists.

Due to the sensitivity of the area, the IDF has decided not to take any military action against the terrorists for now.

Iran’s President Vows to Help Fight ‘Yankee Imperialism’ in Cuba

June 19, 2023 breitbart.com reported:

Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi pledged to confront the United States and its ‘aggressive imperial policy’ alongside the communist Castro regime’s figurehead President Miguel Díaz-Canel and former Cuban dictator Raúl Castro during his trip to Havana on Thursday.

Cuba was the third and final destination in Raisi’s first Latin American tour that saw him travel to Iran’s other two authoritarian allies in Latin America, holding meetings with Venezuela’s socialist dictator Nicolás Maduro and Nicaragua’s Daniel Ortega.

National Debt Quietly Blows Past $32 Trillion

June 19, 2023 infowars.com reported:

The great anti-federalist Brutus wrote, “I can scarcely contemplate a greater calamity that could befall this country, than to be loaded with a debt exceeding their ability ever to discharge.”

And here we are. With little fanfare, the national debt blew past $32 trillion last week.

As of June 15, the national debt stood at a cool $32.04 trillion.

And when you factor in unfunded liabilities in Medicare and Social Security, the debt skyrockets to well over $100 trillion.
Since the debt ceiling was temporarily suspended, the US Treasury has added $572 billion to the national debt. This wasn’t unexpected. I warned weeks ago the real problem would start once the fake debt ceiling fight ended.

Even with the government unable to engage in any borrowing since January, it took just nine months to add another trillion to the national debt. It’s hard to fathom $32 trillion. To put things into some perspective, every US citizen would have to write a $95,631 check in order to pay off the debt. And every American taxpayer is on the hook for $249,403.

Or to look at it another way, $32 trillion is more than the total economies of China, Japan, Germany and the UK combined. You might think this is just a little glitch and that the “Fiscal Responsibility Act” solved the problem. You’d be wrong.

Netanyahu: New nuclear agreement won’t stop Iranian bomb

June 19, 2023 jpost.com reported:

A new agreement with Iran will not prevent it from attaining a nuclear weapon, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned on Sunday.

‘Our first mission is to stop Iran from going nuclear,’ Netanyahu said at the opening of the weekly cabinet meeting. ‘We made clear to our American friends time after time, and I am doing it again today, that we oppose agreements, first of all to the original agreement called the JCPOA (Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action), which will just pave Iran’s way to the bomb and will pad it with hundreds of millions of dollars.’

Netanyahu said that his ‘principled opposition’ to the JCPOA played a part in ensuring the US does not return to that deal.
‘We also tell [the Americans] that more limited understandings, what’s called a ‘mini-deal,’ does not serve our purpose, in our opinion, and we oppose that, as well,’ he said.

U.S. deploys F-22s to Middle East to counter Russia’s ‘unsafe, unprofessional behavior’ 

June 15, 2023 spacewar.com reported:

U.S. F-22 fighter jets have been deployed to the Middle East to counter an increase in ‘unsafe and unprofessional behavior’ by Russia in the region, the military said Wednesday.

The Raptor fighter jets of Virginia’s 94th Fighter Squadron were deployed from Langley Air Force Base to the Middle East to demonstrate the United States’ ability to ‘re-posture forces and deliver overwhelming power at a moment’s notice,’ U.S. Central Command said in a statement.

The announcement comes amid heightened tensions between the United States and Russia over Moscow’s war in Ukraine and follows several instances of near conflict erupting between the countries in the skies over Syria.

In April, Russian fighter jets attempted to lure U.S. military aircraft into a dogfight over Syria, CNN reported. During the month of March, Russian jets flew near daily over a U.S. military base in the Middle Eastern country, Lt. Gen. Alexus Grynkewich of U.S. Central Command told NBC News.