Awaken Bible Prophecy

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/

In recent posts, I’ve addressed serious issues concerning Preterism and other non-pre-Tribulation Rapture doctrines. What I’ve dealt with is a somber reminder that when we don’t read the Word of God as it is literally written – except where it specifically tells us something is symbolic – then false belief systems generally arise from this error. 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-the-curse-of-jesus-blood-1-31-24/ Gary Ritter website: books & blog http://garyritter.com/

Being as fervent of a pre-Tribulation Rapture adherent as I am, I’ve discussed numerous times in my various Commentaries the problems and inadequacies with other end-times positions. In my Awaken Bible Prophecy Update on January 24 titled Preterist Pretensions, I addressed this particular method of Biblical interpretation, and if you’ll recall, I pronounced it a false doctrine. 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-spirit-suckers/ Gary Ritter website: books & blog http://garyritter.com/

A friend sent me a link to an online message from about three months ago in the aftermath of the October 7, 2023 atrocity of Hamas terrorists attacking Israel. She was a little confused by this pastor’s message and asked if I could comment on it. I had a pretty strong impression right off the bat by the title of the message that I’d find it problematic; as I listened and took five pages of notes, that sense was more than confirmed. In fact, what this man said really fired me up in righteous anger. As a result, I couldn’t let the opportunity pass to outline some of what was said and convey the dangers of this mode of thinking. 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/

The account in Genesis 14 of the ancient war between four kings and five kings has some fascinating aspects to it that I just saw myself and thought you might find the logistics of that conflict equally intriguing. 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-abram-rephaim-logistics/ Gary Ritter website: books & blog http://garyritter.com/

When we read the account of Joseph, and how God turned what was meant for evil into good, we rightly see that his difficult circumstances led to the salvation of the Jewish people. What we seldom reflect on is the nature of what happened to the people in Egypt due to the terrible famine, and Joseph’s solutions to their dire problems. As beneficial as this situation ultimately turned out for the Jews, I wonder how the Egyptians eventually fared in the aftermath of this impossible time? More relevant to us today is how what we see played out then models what will happen as we close in on the fulfillment of the Agenda 2030 objectives. 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-the-time-of-josephs-troubling-control-1-17-24/ Gary Ritter website: books & blog http://garyritter.com/

There is a concerted effort to significantly reduce the population of the United States (as well as the world, of course), and I would say that it’s coming along quite nicely as far as the global elites are concerned. However, as our indigenous population is being decimated, the population of illegal aliens is increasing rapidly. What does this dynamic look like? 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-u-s-depopulation-yes-no/ Gary Ritter website: books & blog http://garyritter.com/

Here I am again on Wednesday. It’s difficult to refrain from putting these offerings out when the Lord keeps feeding me things to write about. You’ll note I’m not calling this a Prophecy Update; rather another form of my Commentaries, i.e. a Prophecy Commentary – with new color coding for the splash page to differentiate it. Speaking of feeding that I mentioned earlier, that’s the theme of today’s discussion. 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-food-control-desperation-1-10-24/ Gary Ritter website: books & blog http://garyritter.com/

Have you ever wondered why Israel seems to be so dependent on the United States for its military activities? If so, wonder no more, as I’ll tell why that’s the case, and who caused Israel to be a welfare queen to America. 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-israels-dependence-on-the-u-s-why/ Gary Ritter website: books & blog http://garyritter.com/

Here we are in the New Year of 2024 - a year that some have said could have a Black Swan event. This is what Britannica says concerning this: Black swan event [is a] high-impact event that is difficult to predict under normal circumstances but that in retrospect appears to have been inevitable. A black swan event is unexpected and therefore difficult to prepare for but is often rationalized with the benefit of hindsight as having been unavoidable. The description could almost be referring to the Rapture. Maybe – maybe not. I know that the majority of you listening to or reading this brief Commentary are certainly rooting for this above all other Black Swan events – as am I. Beyond that blessed event, there are bunches of other potential America or world disrupting crises that could happen. 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/

If there was ever a movie depicting the philosophy of modern man, it’s Cool Hand Luke. Luke, played by Paul Newman, is a small-town drifter who has no purpose in life. He comes home from the war (WW2) and sometime thereafter is arrested, convicted, and incarcerated. His crime? Drinking heavily and cutting the heads off parking meters. Hilarious, but pathetic. 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/

Have you ever wondered why it is that so many people deny the wondrous promise of the solid doctrine of the pre-Tribulation Rapture? I’ve attempted in prior Commentaries to outline a number of reasons. Among them are the fact that many continue to believe a flat-out lie that won’t die within this community of pre-Trib deniers. That untruth, of course, is the false notion that John Nelson Darby conceived of the pre-Trib Rapture in the 1800s because of his association with a mystic who had a demonic vision. This fiction has been thoroughly debunked time after time, but the post-Tribbers always come back to it – seemingly unable to shake off Satan’s deceit. In a Prophecy Update I did in September 2023 titled NAR Post-Trib End-Times Beliefs, I noted how Mike Bickle, a well-known NAR Bible teacher associated with the International House of Prayer (IHOP), has based his beliefs, not only on the John Nelson Darby fairytale, but by reading into Scripture what he wants it to say. This is technically called eisegesis and is an absolutely incorrect method of Bible study. We must do what’s known as exegesis, whereby we read God’s Word and interpret the world through that lens. When we attempt to make the Bible adhere to our personal biases, nothing but false teaching can result. 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/

The identity of the Two Witnesses has an interesting twist that I don’t think has been discussed much. Three men are identified as possibilities for the Witnesses. Enoch and Elijah are strong candidates because both were Raptured, having never seen death. The other candidate is Moses, yet he died, which could be problematic. 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-the-moses-conundrum/ Gary Ritter website: books & blog http://garyritter.com/