JPost - Clashes break out on the Temple Mount, throughout West Bank The Jerusalem Post reports: "Clashes broke out on the Temple Mount on Wednesday morning, after a night of violent clashes between Palestinians and Arab-Israelis and Israeli security forces throughout the West Bank and Israel, as well as barrages of rockets from Gaza." Comment: It's been some time since we've seen violence on the Temple Mount on this scale. Long-time prophecy watchers know to keep an eye on the Temple Mount as it figures prominently in the unfolding of Bible prophecy.  I think it is so obvious from o ..read more

 NYT - Christian Prophets Are on the Rise. What Happens When They’re Wrong? The New York Times reports: "The desire to divine the future is a venerable one, fueling faith in figures from ancient Greek oracles to modern astrologists. Christianity in particular is a religion whose foundational text is filled with prophecies proven true by the end of the book. Whether the gift of prophecy continues into the present day has long been the subject of intense theological debate. But in recent years, self-described prophets have proliferated across the country, accelerating in stature over the co ..read more

 NPR - 2nd Person Dies Of Ebola In Congo, Marking Virus's Return NPR reports: "A second person who had contracted the Ebola virus died this week in the Democratic Republic of Congo, marking another outbreak just three months after the nation outlasted the virus's second-worst outbreak in history. [...] Ebola is a severe, often fatal illness, according to the WHO. It causes fever, fatigue and muscle pain at the start. Victims then suffer from vomiting, diarrhea, rash, and in some cases internal and external bleeding. [...] The resurgence of the illness now is not wholly unexpected, the WHO ..read more

ZDNet -  Hacker modified drinking water chemical levels in a US city ZDNet reports: "An unidentified hacker has accessed the computer systems for the water treatment facility in the city of Oldsmar, Florida, and has modified chemical levels to dangerous parameters. [...] Oldsmar city staff said that no tainted water was delivered to local residents as the attack was caught in time before any lye levels could be deployed. According to Sheriff Gualtieri, the hacker disconnected as soon as they modified the lye levels, and a human operator set the chemical level back to normal right away. Of ..read more

I'm off for my holiday break and wanted to wish you all a happy and joyous Christmas. I know that the news we link to here is often grim but I'm sure that most of you who visit this site are Christians who understand that beyond the headlines we know that God is sovereign and always in control. We know that this effort to be watchful has a purpose and a focus, and that focus is on Jesus Christ. We watch the signs of His return, but this season is all about the First Coming and not the Second Coming, so as we turn to our families and friends to celebrate the holidays we offer thanks and pra ..read more

Israel and UAE agreement to be signed in Washington will be designated as "peace treaty" - Axios Axios reports: "The agreement between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, expected to be signed within the next two weeks in Washington, D.C., will be a "treaty of peace" with the same legal and diplomatic status as peace agreements Israel has previously signed with Egypt and Jordan, Israeli and U.S. officials tell me. [...] No date has been set for the signing ceremony in Washington, according to Israeli officials, but the event is expected to take place the week of Sept. 14. [...] The White Hous ..read more

Turkey says will not reverse Russian S-400S purchase despite US sanctions - Reuters Reuters reports: "Turkey will not reverse its purchase of Russian S-400 missile defence systems and will take reciprocal steps after evaluating U.S. sanctions imposed over the acquisition, Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Thursday. [...] The United States says the S-400s pose a threat to its F-35 fighter jets and to NATO’s broader defence systems. Turkey rejects this and says S-400s will not be integrated into NATO."   The long process of Turkey leaving the Western alliance and joining with R ..read more

Turkey, Iran say Israeli-UAE deal 'shameful,' harmful to Palestinians UPI reports: "NATO ally Turkey and U.S. foe Iran on Friday denounced the normalization of ties between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, both saying the Persian Gulf state has abandoned Palestinians in their fight for a homeland. [...] As part of the agreement, Israel agreed to suspend controversial and widely condemned plans to annex parts of West Bank. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had promised the annexation against the wishes of the Palestinians and much of the West. The annexation was also part of Trump's ..read more

U.S. COVID-19 death toll surpasses 100,000 milestone - UPI.com UPI reports: "The death toll from COVID-19 in the United States surpassed 100,000 people as of Wednesday afternoon. The United States has the world's highest death toll, with 100,271 connected to the virus and also has the greatest number of confirmed cases at 1,697,459, according to figures by Johns Hopkins University." Comment: While there are those who seek to make this a political issue to divide people, this remains primarily a threat to public health and welfare. Most people I know take this seriously and are doing what they ..read more

Sorry for that lack of posts of late. Like many of you, I've just been overwhelmed with the pace of events. When I started this blog years ago I would carefully search the news of the day for reports that I considered to be of prophetic importance. It was like finding a needle in a haystack. Now, of course, we are living in a deluge and, I suppose, that's a sign in itself. So, this new coronavirus era, is it important from a BP-perspective? Here are my thoughts. First, in very general terms, fearsome events and outbreaks tend to cause people to reflect on their own mortality. This means mill ..read more