Nathan's presence in the genealogy of Jesus underscores the divine orchestration of history and the fulfillment of God's promises, which have been given in detail throughout the Bible. So, this Christmas, as you celebrate the cradle, make sure you also celebrate the fact that Jesus will wear the crown and rule from David’s throne, as revealed to Mary in Luke 1:32-33: "He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end."

The times of the Gentiles is coming to a close, and we rejoice to know that through God’s program of redemption and restoration, Israel will hold the preeminent position amongst the nations, exactly as prophesied. But we also rejoice to know that in the future Millennial Kingdom, God will make provision for believing Gentiles to enjoy the rich spiritual and material blessings which will flow from Jerusalem because the King’s throne will be there.

As believers, we must warn against the practice of “algorithmic spirituality”. You see, algorithms do not take into account biblical truth when suggesting information to users. The algorithm will identify a common point of interest and suggest the more popular content without an examination of the validity or substance of the information.  Therefore, people who are prone to accept what they see without being good Bereans will allow their spiritual life to be shaped more by algorithm than the Holy Spirit. 

Have you ever heard the expression, “I’m no Rhodes Scholar”? It is a self-deprecating way of indicating that a person cannot match the intelligence of another. But have you ever wondered what the term “Rhodes Scholar” even means? People generally equate it with those who have had the opportunity to seek education at the highest levels. However, there is a dark side to the name and legacy of the person from whom the Rhodes Scholarship derives its name.

Throughout the generations, mankind has sought out and developed a myriad of inventions with the express purpose of finding happiness in the world outside of a renewed relationship with God. Fallen human beings are creative and energetic in the field of evil, but when it comes to spiritual matters, there is a great deal of lethargy and rebellion.

Under the theory of ideological possession, because there is unwavering commitment to a person’s particular ideology, opposing views are seen as an existential threat, often leading to violence. That was clearly seen in the context of Nazism and seems to have also taken root in movements such as wokeism, which has no hesitation in turning to violence to silence opponents.

May all who claim the name of Christ remember that He is the Lion of Judah and He will reign as King from Zion.  May the Holy Spirit use Scripture to open their eyes to see that Israel—the physical descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—are God’s unique possession and that He raised them up for His purpose. He made everlasting covenants with them that provide for salvation, the redemption of mankind, and the restoration of His Kingdom that fell under the curse of sin.  Because of that, Christians should rejoice over Israel, not reject Israel!

Although I am sure that all of us are very excited about seeing God bring about the new heavens and the new earth, for good measure, I remind you that in 2 Peter 3:13 we are instructed to look forward to this promise: "Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells."

Israel is also right to be grateful for the involvement of President Donald Trump. But amongst the hyperbole which often accompanies exuberant celebrations, we must remember there is a truth to behold. During a brief interview by an Australian news journalist at Hostages Square in Tel Aviv, the interviewee excitedly claimed that Donald Trump is making the world great again. There is a subjectivity to that statement, which I am sure will be debated endlessly by people on the other side of the aisle. But my greater concern was the man’s follow-up statement. He called Donald Trump “the king of peace”. 

Because the Montanists were also premillennial by conviction (with some carrying their Premillennialism to extremes not supported by the Scriptures) some lead­ers of the Greek Church at the time became suspi­cious of the entire premillennial view.  Consequently, they began to associate Premillennialism with extremism and heresy.

While the nations of the world continue to put their hopes of peace squarely on the carefully crafted words of The Abraham Accords, many seem to be forgetting that God has His own Abrahamic document that He is working to fulfil.  It is known as the Abrahamic Covenant and it is the fountain from which flows all of God’s redemptive purposes for Israel and for mankind as a whole. 

It would be safe to say that all of us have come to accept this simple truth: evil exists, but God is good.  Of course, the world is yet to experience the pinnacle of evil.  That will come during the Tribulation Period through the evil agenda of the unholy trinity of Satan, Antichrist, and False Prophet. 

The actions of many world leaders, particularly as it concerns Israel, is most certainly a cause for distress amongst the remnant church.  The quality of leadership which exists throughout the nations (with the exception of a few) is extremely poor.  Yet, we look ahead with confident assurance that one day, the world will be governed by the perfect Ruler and the redeemed will no longer be distressed or depressed!  No votes will be cast, no UN resolution will be sought, no social media poll will be taken.  Jesus Christ, King of kings and Lord of lords will reign and He will do so from Jerusalem. 

To the earth dwellers in the Tribulation Period, God’s truth causes such severe physical and mental pain, the death of the two witnesses will be celebrated as an international holiday.  How could people act so wickedly?  Wonder no more.  The vile reactions which have flooded social media in response to the death of Charlie Kirk demonstrates that the same blackened heart which exists in the future earth dwellers is just as prevalent in the church age.    

We often focus on the resurrection of Jesus (and so we should) but the Word of God also tells us about the resurrection of mankind, some to the resurrection of life and others to the resurrection of condemnation (John 5:29). In Daniel 12:3 we read something similar: "Any many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, some to shame and everlasting contempt."

finally, we have positive news from the Land Down Under, with recent reports indicating that the Australian Government has expelled the Iranian Ambassador.  Reportedly, this is the first time since World War II that Australia has taken steps to expel a foreign ambassador.  Since this is quite a rare diplomatic move, let’s take a moment to understand the events which led to these actions.

Australia has not only succumbed to bad politics but also bad theology.  You see, Australia has been infected by replacement theology and this virus not only affects pulpits, it affects public office as well.  At the core of replacement theology is the view that Israel, as a nation rejected, is undeserving of a glorious future.  In this warped theology, Israel is therefore seen as powerless, stateless, fruitless and futureless.

For those familiar with geography, you will know that Australia is called “the Land Down Under” because of its location in the southern hemisphere, below many of the northern continents.  However, many remnant believers feel that Australia is not just under the equator but also about to find itself under God’s wrath as a result of recent decisions which indicate that Australia is abandoning the national interests of Israel. 

Clearly, instead of committing significant financial resources towards destroying Israel, it should have invested in water security.  Finally, Iran is blind to one very important detail: the sovereignty of the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.  The Iranian regime set themselves the goal of wiping Israel from the map.  Perhaps the lack of rain and subsequent drought signifies God’s deep displeasure with Iran.

"How convenient of the enemy to blur the sound theology behind true Dispensationalist teaching and get people wondering if all prophecy is history, the Church is Israel, and we are deluded if we think our 'purpose' is to believe sound prophecy teaching when that is but a diversion."

Ask people to point to the country of Qatar on a map, and it is safe to say that the majority of people would struggle to find it.  At only 100 miles (160 km) from north to south and 50 miles (80 km) from east to west, Qatar is small in size, yet it wields a tremendous amount of influence throughout the world.

Iranian hardliners are claiming that the nation of Israel relied on occult practices during its recent war with Iran. Many, however, are pointing out that the Iranian regime is simply looking for a convenient scapegoat to explain why they could not withstand the military might of the Israeli armed forces.  

“The UFO waves of the 1960s were accompanied by the occult explosion – the rapid spread of witchcraft and magical practices. An interesting side effect of the flying saucer phenomenon is that many of the people attracted to the subject, people with very materialistic and pseudo-scientific outlooks, gradually drift into the study of psychic phenomenon..."

Satan has fundamentally normalised the occult in our world today.  Even something as traditionally innocent as comic books has now been corrupted through the introduction of characters that obtain their supposed powers through occult practices.

Remote viewing appealed to military and intelligence officers for one simple reason – battlefield advantage. Paranormal activities like ESP, clairvoyance, remote viewing, etc., are a counterfeit of God’s work, empowered by the enemy of our souls in an attempt to deceive.  The modern interest in remote viewing reflects mankind’s persistent desire to access supernatural knowledge and power apart from God.