Awaken Bible Prophecy

Over the last number of years, I’ve spent a fair number of computer bytes discussing how Israel gets from her current situation to the Gog-Magog War of Ezekiel 38-39. I’ve also mentioned various circumstances around Iran’s journey to that seminal place where it collaborates with Russia and Turkey to attack Israel en masse. Turkey I’ve pretty much ignored, although it’s got its own trajectory to this war as well. Today let’s summarize what we have already discussed, where things stand, and then look primarily at Russia. The transcript for this audio commentary is available at my website blog under the post with the same title: https://garyritter.com/biblical-audio-commentary-russias-path-to-gog-magog/ Gary Ritter website: books & blog http://garyritter.com/

There is a large swath of the church that believes in Cessationism. As GotQuestions.org tells us: Cessationism is the view that the “miracle gifts” of tongues and healing have ceased—that the end of the apostolic age brought about a cessation of the miracles associated with that age. Most cessationists believe that, while God can and still does perform miracles today, the Holy Spirit no longer uses individuals to perform miraculous signs. The questions I have regarding this belief are: Does this view hold water? Why would so many in the church think this is true? What are the implications in the world if Cessationism has indeed caused miracle gifts to no longer operate? The transcript for this audio commentary is available at my website blog under the post with the same title: https://garyritter.com/awaken-bible-prophecy-update-4-17-24-satanic-influence-christian-cessationist-ignorance/ Gary Ritter website: books & blog http://garyritter.com/

Yes, I’m commenting about Israel a lot these days, and with good reason. Israel is at the absolute center - the literal heart - of end-times Bible prophecy. Anyone purporting to teach Bible prophecy should maintain a clear focus on Israel. Failing to do so misses the point as to what God intends to accomplish in this world. It creates an erroneous eschatology which leads to bad theology. The transcript for this audio commentary is available at my website blog under the post with the same title: https://garyritter.com/biblical-audio-commentary-american-treachery-against-israel-consequences/ Gary Ritter website: books & blog http://garyritter.com/

Another piece of the end-times puzzle may be falling into place. As the world engages in antisemitic hatred of Israel in its continuing efforts to incur God’s wrath, the Lord’s prophetic Word moves toward its ultimate fulfillment. One of the key upcoming wars that will astound both the people of Israel as well as the rest of the world is that of Gog-Magog, a.k.a. Ezekiel’s War based on Ezekiel 38-39. We’re not yet at the point for the beginning of this huge and decisive conflict. Israel must complete its current course of action by definitively defeating Hamas. In that process, it is my belief that the Psalm 83 War will be triggered. This means that all the hostile nations surrounding Israel will conspire – by one means or another – to come together in the effort to drive Israel into the sea, i.e. to completely destroy the apple of God’s eye and steal the land which was never intended for them to occupy. They will not succeed. The transcript for this audio commentary is available at my website blog under the post with the same title: https://garyritter.com/awaken-biblical-prophecy-commentary-israel-to-annex-ezekiel-3911-valley-of-the-travelers/ Gary Ritter website: books & blog http://garyritter.com/

It may very well be that nothing significant happens tomorrow April 8, 2024 in the wake of the Great American Eclipse. If that’s the case, won’t the mockers and scoffers have their day? The transcript for this audio commentary is available at my website blog under the post with the same title: https://garyritter.com/bonus-biblical-commentary-the-nineveh-40-day-countdown-to-judgment-for-america/ Gary Ritter website: books & blog http://garyritter.com/

The narrative and lessons from the book of Esther are not just for Sunday school. They are true for today and a warning that those who conspire against Israel should heed. The transcript for this audio commentary is available at my website blog under the post with the same title: https://garyritter.com/awaken-biblical-commentary-esthers-message-for-israel-haters-today/ Gary Ritter website: books & blog http://garyritter.com/

The people of Israel have shown over the years how unfaithful they can be to the God who called them His own and gave them the Promised Land. However, does a single one of us Gentiles who call ourselves Christians really think we would have acted any differently? If you do, you are greatly deceived and have learned nothing in your relationship with God. The transcript for this audio commentary is available at my website blog under the post with the same title: https://garyritter.com/awaken-biblical-prophecy-commentary-israel-in-the-flesh-vs-gods-promises/ Gary Ritter website: books & blog http://garyritter.com/

Many people have heard the term Hegelian Dialectics and have possibly also listened to various people discussing them. However, if you’re like me, despite having numerous encounters with this phrase, perhaps it still hasn’t hit home with you exactly what it means and what its implications are. I came across a useful article written over ten years ago on this subject that helped clarify it for me. If you’re not totally understanding what Hegelian Dialectics is, maybe the Commentary today will help. The transcript for this audio commentary is available at my website blog under the post with the same title: https://garyritter.com/biblical-audio-commentary-compromise-the-devils-hegelian-synthesis/ Gary Ritter website: books & blog http://garyritter.com/

That’s not just a silly title for the Commentary, it’s a stupid and impossible thought. But if that’s the case, why isn’t making Christianity great again in America a foolish idea? Christians in this country have a very parochial view of Christianity. We tend to consider America as the apex place for all things Christian. This is probably one reason for the rise of the New Apostolic Reformation, a.k.a. NAR, a.k.a. Dominionism, a.k.a. Kingdom Now Theology. At its core what do these various-named movements have in common? It is that the church must clean up the world so as to pave the way for the return of Christ. The transcript for this audio commentary is available at my website blog under the post with the same title: Gary Ritter website: books & blog http://garyritter.com/

The Hamas massacre perpetrated against Israel on October 7, 2023 was the most horrendous genocidal event against the Jews since the Holocaust. Over 1,200 innocent civilian men, women, and children were ruthlessly murdered that day. Before they were slaughtered, many were mercilessly raped and tortured. You may have seen this comparison, but based on population percentages, if the United States had suffered an equivalent loss of life on 9/11, 54,000 Americans would have been killed instead of 3,000. That’s the proportional difference, why it was so tragic, and why the psychological damage to the Jewish people in Israel has been so great. Think of how many more people you might have possibly known or come into contact with in our nation with so many more people senselessly killed in that 9/11 attack. The transcript for this audio commentary is available at my website blog under the post with the same title: https://garyritter.com/biblical-audio-commentary-barbarians-at-israels-gates/ Gary Ritter website: books & blog http://garyritter.com/

It’s funny how these Commentaries sometimes come together. I watched a video that discussed aliens and decided one thing that was mentioned was rather interesting. The very next day along came a much shorter video that tied into what I wanted to explore. As a result, the Commentary outline expanded just like that. So here we are back with this rather popular topic of aliens from a little bit different perspective than what you may have heard before. The transcript for this audio commentary is available at my website blog under the post with the same title: https://garyritter.com/awaken-biblical-prophecy-commentary-lets-talk-about-et-aliens/ Gary Ritter website: books & blog http://garyritter.com/

Where does Israel stand in regard to God? Is she a has-been as much of the church believes, or is Israel destined to be a key player in the world in the years ahead? When the church embraces Replacement Theology and declares itself is the new Israel, subject to all of God’s Old Testament promises, is that true? Is it even reasonable to think this? The transcript for this audio commentary is available at my website blog under the post with the same title: https://garyritter.com/biblical-audio-commentary-israel-a-light-to-the-world-or-not/ Gary Ritter website: books & blog http://garyritter.com/

Pressure is building in the world. We are rapidly moving toward a time of great chaos; dare I say it: toward the 7-year Tribulation? Those of us with eyes to see and ears to hear know the reason. Israel is in great peril. Much of the threat is coming about because of the United States. As has often been said: Things are not falling apart; they are all falling into place. That which Jesus warned of is happening. He said in Matthew 24:7-8: For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are but the beginning of the birth pains. We are living in a period where the risk of war is rising on every side in every corner of the planet. The global elites, those who fancy themselves as our overlords, are manipulating the weather to such extremes that we have famines and droughts side-by-side. People are starving to death in some places while others are being swept away by unprecedented floods or buried under impossible levels of snow. There are signs in the skies and earthquakes rocking the earth. The sky, land, and sea are all being deliberately poisoned leading to disease and death. Despite what some so-called prophecy experts may tell you, we are not currently in the Tribulation. What we’re seeing and experiencing are but the birth pains. When the birth itself comes, that will be the Tribulation – worse than anyone can imagine. Please note that the transcript is available on my website blog under the post with the same title. Gary Ritter website: books & blog http://garyritter.com/

It’s quite helpful when someone else essentially writes my Commentary for me. That happened in my prior offering that I titled A Hard Heart. Today, we have an addendum to that based on another email this particular author sent to his subscriber list. The transcript for this audio commentary is available at my website blog under the post with the same title: https://garyritter.com/biblical-audio-commentary-a-fool-mocks-god/ Gary Ritter website: books & blog http://garyritter.com/

There have been a lot of factors lately that have gotten me thinking about the surveillance state and the role of artificial intelligence as it grows more potent. Intimately coupled with these highly intrusive technologies are the concepts of power and authority. For the Christian, we must consider our response to these issues as the world grows darker, yet knowing the urgency of the hour to accomplish what God would have each of us do in these times. The transcript for this audio commentary is available at my website blog under the post with the same title: https://garyritter.com/awaken-biblical-prophecy-commentary-surveillance-ai-a-child-of-god/ Gary Ritter website: books & blog http://garyritter.com/

The story of Nineveh is fascinating, not only in its own right, but because it’s a morality tale for America. Nineveh was the primary city of the Assyrian empire. Assyria was noted for its ferocity in battle and for the fact that its victims suffered immensely. It was not unusual for people in an intended target city of the Assyrians to commit suicide rather than subject themselves to the horrors of what they knew was coming. Think Hamas on October 7, 2023 with the tortures, rapes, and murders its depraved terrorists committed, rolled into a single nation whose purpose is to pillage, and plunder, and destroy anything in its maniacal desire to take over the world. Hmmm, sounds like the proposed plan for a Palestinian state comprised of radical Islamists. But I digress. The transcript for this audio commentary is available at my website blog under the post with the same title: https://garyritter.com/biblical-audio-commentary-reprieve/ Gary Ritter website: books & blog http://garyritter.com/

Doing what I do in this blog is a public endeavor that puts my beliefs and thoughts out for all to see. As you can imagine, that results in both positive and negative feedback. One has to develop somewhat of a thick skin to take the various darts and arrows. One other thing I do on rare occasions is to comment on other people’s postings. It’s not a regular practice with me since I have enough to do without fueling more interactions. In recent weeks, however, I decided I had to comment and push back on something that was extremely derogatory toward God. He doesn’t need me or anybody else to protect Him, but there are times I believe we need to act as Biblical apologists. The transcript for this audio commentary is available at my website blog under the post with the same title: https://garyritter.com/awaken-biblical-prophecy-commentary-a-hard-heart/ Gary Ritter website: books & blog http://garyritter.com/

Much ink has been spilled about the shenanigans that many churches engage in to promote their version of Christianity in these last days. In recent years we’ve been inundated with social justice, LGBT, black liberation theology, New Age doctrines, and Israel hatred. The latest church that has come to our attention in this regard is the seeker-sensitive Crossroads Church in Cincinnati, Ohio. The transcript for this audio commentary is available at my website blog under the post with the same title: https://garyritter.com/biblical-audio-commentary-another-generation/ Gary Ritter website: books & blog http://garyritter.com/

Tribulation Woe: Midpoint Desecration is the third book in The Tribulation Chronicles. The first book was Tribulation Rising: Seal Judgments and the second book was Tribulation Terror: Trumpet Judgments.

Perhaps you’ve noticed in your own Bibles when reading either Old Testament or New Testament accounts, that whenever leprosy is mentioned, there’s inevitably a footnote. Regardless of the context, the footnote reads something like: Leprosy was a term for several skin diseases. Now that’s all well and good, but for the most part – in context – does this make sense? The transcript for this audio commentary is available at my website blog under the post with the same title: https://garyritter.com/awaken-biblical-prophecy-commentary-leprosy-just-a-skin-disease/ Gary Ritter website: books & blog http://garyritter.com/

Over the years I’ve been doing these Commentaries, one of the foremost concepts I’ve constantly urged is that as true believers in Jesus Christ – especially those of us who are watching for His soon return in the pre-Tribulation Rapture – we should double-down on being in God’s Word each and every day. The transcript for this audio commentary is available at my website blog under the post with the same title: https://garyritter.com/biblical-audio-commentary-bible-stories/ Gary Ritter website: books & blog http://garyritter.com/

Since October 7, 2023 when Hamas terrorists brutally attacked Israel and killed hundreds of innocent civilians, one of the things I’ve been saying is that at some point the US will abandon Israel, and she will be on her own. Sadly, our American government, and far too many others in our country – including much of the church, which should know better – are against Israel. Antisemitism has reared its ugly head in every segment of our society and in every corner of the world. This shouldn’t surprise us, of course, because the Bible is clear that this is a spiritual battle. Satan’s last gasp effort to destroy the Jewish state so as to prove God a liar is on display. It will only get worse. The transcript for this audio commentary is available at my website blog under the post with the same title: Gary Ritter website: books & blog http://garyritter.com/

One of The Israel Guys, who puts out regular updates, wrote an article that I want to share. Others in their group do video news on developments in Israel a couple times weekly. Since the Hamas atrocities committed on October 7, 2023, the world has turned on its head against all logic and reason to condemn Israel rather than Hamas for the current conflict. Worse yet, the world has taken the position that because Israel is so horrible – an apartheid state according to South Africa – that what this Palestinian terror group did to innocent civilians was totally justified. The world now considers the murder, torture, and rape of men, women, and children to be perfectly acceptable in its increasing moral depravity. The transcript for this audio commentary is available at my website blog under the post with the same title: https://garyritter.com/biblical-audio-commentary-october-7-its-implications/ Gary Ritter website: books & blog http://garyritter.com/

Is it any wonder we don’t, and cannot, have unity in the church this side of eternity? We have so many different interpretations of Scripture that are so far apart, it’s difficult to find anything about which we can all agree. How do we have common cause in the debate regarding pre-Tribulation Rapture versus post-Trib, or no Rapture, or no Tribulation? In the context of today’s Commentary, how do we who believe in free will (i.e. Arminianism of one stripe or another) and those who adhere to Calvin’s doctrine of election with no free will whatsoever on our part come together as one? Yes, presumably we all believe in the shed blood of Jesus for the forgiveness of our sins and our eternal salvation, but even that has its major differences, as we’ll discuss later. We could probably all enjoy an ice cream social together as brothers and sisters in Christ as long as none of the conversation veers toward anything theological. Is it any wonder we have so many denominations and other schisms in the body of Christ? Please note that the transcript is available on my website blog under the post with the same title. Gary Ritter website: books & blog http://garyritter.com/

What did the Tree of Life in the Garden of Eden offer? I would argue that it provided eternal security. The problem God had with Adam and Eve eating from that tree after their disastrous bite of the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil was what that meant. They would be immortal just like all the other heavenly beings, except that the first couple would have a sinful nature. The transcript for this audio commentary is available at my website blog under the post with the same title: Gary Ritter website: books & blog http://garyritter.com/