VIDEO: Gog And Magog

 I'm old enough to remember when the predominant theory of the identity of the land of Magog was that it was the Soviet Union. But today most recognize that Magog refers to Asia Minor (i.e., Turkey) and, of course, Gog is the leader of the people of Magog.

The video goes over both the peoples and area from which Gog and Magog come, while also addressing arguments that the prophecy of Gog and Magog already took place in history. The video explains why the events still lie in the future. Gog seems to be the Anti-Christ from the Book of Revelation.  

 VIEW: "Gog & Magog Isn’t What You Think…"
Joel Richardson (31 min.)

For My LDS Readers: Persecution of the Saints

It seems that the MIGA (Make Israel Great Again) movement has decided that the Church and its members are not Christian. Apparently it is not enough to believe that Christ is our Savior and the Son of God, that He died on the cross and was resurrected three days later. It is not enough, as the First Article of Faith states, that "We believe in God, the Eternal Father, and in His Son, Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost."

    But this article is not intended to be a theological debate, but a warning. We should be cognizant of the fact that it has been foretold that the followers of Christ, including the Church and its members, will suffer severe persecution in the Last Days. Christ, Himself, taught that "ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake." (Matt. 24:9). The Apostle Paul similarly warned that "all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution." (2 Timothy 3:12). Or in the modern vernacular, "the flak is always heaviest over the target." So is this just the normal ebb and flow we see of animosity toward the Church sometimes poking its head above the surface? Or something more? I don't know. But the Gospel Lessons YouTube channel has a video about the persecution that shall come upon the followers of Christ in the Last Days. 

VIDEO: "Persecution of the Saints in the Last Days (LDS Last Days)"
Gospel Lessons (14 min.)

NY Post: Beware Turkey's Ambitions

Writing at the New York Post, Jonathan Schanzer warns: "Beware Turkey’s ambitions in the post-Iran power vacuum." He points out:

    Tehran has for years projected power by proxy across the Middle East, sponsoring terrorist groups like Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Houthis in Yemen, Shiite militias in Iraq, and other malign actors across the region.

    Should the regime collapse, other aspiring regional powers will seek to fill the void.

    And while many countries may think regional leadership is theirs to inherit, there is one powerful player to watch: the Republic of Turkey.

    The country has the second-largest army in NATO.

    It has a growing drone industry and a government-tied military contractor, SADAT, that is training and arming militias across the Muslim world.

    Concurrently, Ankara has been cultivating terrorist proxies in the Middle East for years.

    The Turks are key patrons of Hamas, dating back nearly two decades, and are now trying to ensure their participation in the Gaza peace effort — despite opposition from the Israelis, who are wary of Ankara’s intentions.

    But the Turks are deployed elsewhere, too.

    Ankara is now supporting Hezbollah in Lebanon.

    It’s the primary patron of the new Syrian regime, led by former al-Qaeda leader Ahmad al-Sharaa, making Syria a forward base with key military and intelligence platforms.

    That’s to say nothing of Turkey’s longstanding military deployments in Northern Iraq, Somalia, Qatar and more.

    In short, Ankara has blanketed the region, leaving it well positioned to fill the void left by the Islamic Republic.

And from an eschatological perspective, I would also note that Turkey is one of the leading candidates for the land of Gog and Magog. 

For My LDS Readers: Pentagon Eliminates Christian Heading Rather Than Include Church

The Hill reports: "Pentagon reworks ‘offensive’ policy affecting LDS after Mormon lawmakers loudly protest." The article relates:

    The Pentagon has reworked a list of religious designations service members can register as after Mormon lawmakers in Congress blew up over a previous list that did not label The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) under “Christian.”

    Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth earlier this year declared the Pentagon would cut down the faith codes – the recognized faith groups meant to provide more accurate demographic data on religious beliefs held among service members – from 200 to just 31. He called the former system “impractical and unusable” with many codes never used at all. 

    On Friday, the Pentagon announced service members could only register one of those 31 religions on their personnel records. But LDS was not listed under one of the 21 Christian labeled denominations to choose from, upsetting several Utah lawmakers, including Sen. Mike Lee (R), who called the new designation “very unfortunate.”

[snip]

    In a post to X on Friday, Pentagon press secretary Sean Parnell displayed the May 20 memo directing the changes, saying they were “long overdue” He said the Pentagon is [sic] making “any claims on the legitimacy of any faith or religious belief,” rather, it is trying to streamline data collection and religious support for soldiers, sailors and airmen. 

[snip]

    But that was not an acceptable explanation for Mormon House and Senate members, prompting a quick change. The new list now has just 30 faith codes, including LDS, but does not specify which religions fall under the Christian designation.

    “Last week, a proposed list of simplified faith codes was released to the media. The Pentagon list included redundant and unnecessary labeling, and the mistake has been fixed,” a Pentagon X account posted on Monday.

    “The Pentagon’s job is not to adjudicate theological debates, but instead to ensure sincerely-held faith is respected and encouraged in our ranks,” according to the post.    

The Pentagon spokesman tried to make it sound like an oversight, but someone, somewhere, made that decision. And rather than include the Church under the umbrella of Christianity, they just removed Christianity as a category. 

Joel Richardson: What Daniel 8 Says About The War In Iran

If you are interested in whether Daniel 8 has any relevance to the ongoing conflict, I'll save you time: probably not. But it is an interesting look at a prophecy that was predictive when made and has relevance to the Last Days.

The prophecy that Joel Richardson is discussing in this video is from Daniel where he is shown a vision of things that were still in his future: a fierce ram (representing the Persian Empire) who is overcome by a goat with a single great horn (Alexander the Great) who defeats the ram. But the single great horn is broken and four horns spring up (representing the division of Alexander's empire after his death) and a small horn that springs up from one of the four, generally believed to be the Seleucid king Antiochus IV Epiphanes. Clearly this represents what is now historical periods to us, but Richardson believes it has application to the last days because the Antichrist is also described in Revelation as the little horn, suggesting a connection between the Antichrist of the Last Days and the little horn in Daniel's prophecy. 

 VIDEO: "What Daniel 8 Says About the War in Iran"
Joel Richardson (23 min.)

A Discussion Of Gog In The Septuagint

As you may already know, there are differences between the older Septuagint and the much more recent Masoretic text from around 1000 AD. I've previously linked to videos that discuss differences concerning the lifespan of the patriarchs and other information important to dating the Exodus. But in this video, well known Biblical scholar, Joel Richardson, examines some of the references to Gog in the Septuagint that do not show up in the Masoretic text. He also explains from this that the Gog prophesied about in Ezekiel is the Antichrist of Revelation.  

 VIDEO: "The Hidden Identity of Gog (Buried in the Septuagint)"
Joel Richardson (15 min.)

The Road To 2040

George Friedman has long been a successful predictor of international trends. I greatly enjoyed his books The Next 100 Years and The Future Of War. If anyone had paid attention to the latter book, we would have spent the 2000s building space stations and moon bases rather than fighting useless wars in the Middle-East and wouldn't now have to race to prevent the Chinese from gaining control of the ultimate "high ground". 

In any event, Friedman used to run a valuable service called Strat-For which I often visited. But he left years ago and, as I recently discovered, joined or started another enterprise called Geopolitical Futures. This is a subscription service, but there are a few tidbits for the rest of us. One of these to check out is a short piece written in 2021 entitled "The Road to 2040: A Summary of Our Forecast." Subscribers get access to the full forecast, but even the summary is interesting.

I'll skip over his forecasts concerning Europe as they mostly mirror those in his book, The Next 100 Years: Germany will falter and decline and Poland will become the dominant European power. 

Just as the collapse of the British Empire continues apace, he predicts the continued decline and rupture of the Soviet Empire, perhaps with even the Russian Federation breaking apart into smaller units. Which is what Joseph Tainter's work, The Collapse of Complex Societies, would have predicted. 

The United States, he predicts, will abide as the sole world dominant power through at least 2040. Not the least of his reasons is that with China's export economy faltering, China will (and has seen as events played out over the past several years) a great increase in unemployment which will eventually result in growing discontent. 

The regime will attempt to survive the economy’s downward spiral by tightening its grip on power and sliding back into dictatorship. However, the regional divergences in China are too widespread and not easily suppressed by dictatorship. Therefore, by 2040, China will see a return to regionalism, accompanied by turmoil. As China weakens, a power vacuum will emerge in East Asia, which will be filled by Japan. By 2040, Japan, with its enormous economy and substantial military capabilities, will become the leading East Asian power. 

If Oswald Spengler were describing it, he might suggest that China will enter another warring states period. In any event, speaking to my LDS readers, it is inevitable that China will suffer severe shock and loss of influence of the CCP--we know that at some point China will have to be opened up to missionary work and that Japan will provide the bulk of those missionaries. 

His predictions of the Middle-East will also interest those of end-time prophecy:

 In the Middle East, we do not foresee a definitive end or containment of Islamic extremism. On the contrary, it is likely to re-emerge and expand its territory. Turkey and Iran are the only regional actors with the capability to challenge Islamic extremist groups, and Iran is unlikely to do so in any substantial way. Given these groups’ s territorial aspirations to re-establish a caliphate, Turkey will have to engage militarily to defend its borders. As Turkey asserts its military and economic strength, these developments will effectively bring a return of the Ottoman Empire, thrusting Turkey back into the position as the dominant regional power by 2040.

He concludes:

To summarize, the dominant theme we see playing out over the course of the next 19 years is increasing disarray in Europe and Asia. We expect prolonged stability in North American with U.S. rivals working to increase their footholds in Latin America. Despite the growing unsteadiness in Eurasia, we also expect to see three regional powers emerge: Japan, Turkey and Poland. These countries will be outliers in an otherwise fragmented Eastern Hemisphere. 

Strangely, there is no mention of Israel which sees itself as a becoming a regional power, if not already one. I believe that Israel will seek (1) to consolidate control over the territories within its borders (thus, no homelands for the Palestinians), (2) continue to nibble off bits of its neighbors, and (3) consolidate its position as having the most powerful military in the region. 

Gospel Lessons: Why The Iran War Is Not Armageddon

I had noted recently that I did not believe that the current Iran conflict was the War of Armageddon because there were still too many other prophecies that had to occur before Armageddon that had not yet happened. In the video below from the Gospel Lessons YouTube channel, the author makes the same argument, but going into more detail. Rather, we are still in the wars and rumors of war phase. That does not mean that Armageddon might not come upon us quickly--remember how quickly the Soviet Empire fell apart--but that it is just not now. 

 VIDEO: "Wars and Rumors of Wars - Is the Israel Iran war the beginning of Armageddon?"
Gospel Lessons (10 min.)

For My LDS Readers: Updated Signs Of The Times Based On "God's Chiasmus"

This is a video from the Gospel Lessons YouTube channel, which I've linked to before because of his studies on end-time prophecy. But this one represents a new theory to figure out the sequence of the signs of times based on what the host calls "God's Chiasmus"--his hypothesis that the signs of the end times reflect key events in the Old Testament in a chiasmus type structure.  

The host speaks slowly, so I would recommend speeding this up to 1.25x playback in your YouTube settings.

 VIDEO: "Last Days Signs of the Times in Exact Order According to God's Chiasmus"
Gospel Lessons (52 min.)

The Iranian Conflict Spreads

The New York Post reports that Hezbollah launched 100 rockets at Israel that so overwhelmed the Iron Dome defense system that only half were shot down. Consequently, the IDF is preparing a ground invasion into Lebanon according to sources. 

    An Israeli official described the Wednesday Hezbollah strikes as a “suicide mission” on their behalf — knowing that the IDF would retaliate. Iran’s weapons supplies have run low from both launches on Israel and destruction by US and Israeli forces over the past 12 days.

    So far, the Houthis have not fired at Israel in the current war — leading Israelis to worry the Iranian proxy group is saving its weapons supply for a massive barrage all at once.

    While Iran has launched counterattacks since the Feb. 28 war began against at least 10 Gulf nations – including US military stationed there – Iran has excluded Yemen, the home base to the Houthis.

    While the Houthis so far have not joined the war, they have warned in official messages that their “finger is on the trigger,” according to a Thursday report by the Atlantic Council.

 Meanwhile, Anonymous Conservative linked to a post on X with a video of an interview with former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett suggesting that Israel may have to wage a war against Turkey if Turkey tries to create an Islamic alliance.

     I have seen a lot of videos show up on my YouTube feed suggesting that this war could turn into the War of Armageddon, usher in the Second Coming, etc. I haven't commented before on this, but I think not for a couple primary reasons. 

    First, there is still a lot to happen prior to the Second Coming that cannot happen if this were to be the war of Armageddon. The two main ones I look at is that the Gospel has not yet been spread to all peoples yet; and we have not seen the rise of the Anti-Christ/Gog. 

    Second, end-time prophecy indicates that the war that culminates in the Battle of Armageddon  commences when Israel is attacked in the midst of a 7-year peace treaty. In Daniel 9:27 it indicates that "the prince that shall come" "shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate." And in Ezekiel 38, verses 11 and 12, the angel of the Lord reveals a plan hatched by Gog, the king of Magog,:

You will say, ‘I will go up against a land of unwalled villages; I will go to a peaceful people, who dwell safely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates’— to take plunder and to take booty, to stretch out your hand against the waste places that are again inhabited, and against a people gathered from the nations, who have acquired livestock and goods, who dwell in the midst of the land. 

Again indicating that Israel will believe itself in a period of peace and security when it is attacked. A reasonable conclusion is that the peace described in Ezekiel is the result of the 7-year treaty described in Daniel. But we have seen no such treaty--nor even any person with the authority to enact such a treaty that would include all the nations around Israel. My guess is that such a treaty would be the result of a successful war waged by Israel or some other power which forces the surrounding states to accept such a covenant (to give them time to rearm). It is possible that this conflict might result in that treaty, but this is not the conflict that arises when Gog and his allies breach the treaty. 

Gun & Prepping News #66

 Just some gun and prepping related links that I thought interesting or useful:

• "Cold Weather Carry"--Handguns Magazine.  Richard Nance begins:

    As a native Californian, I sometimes forget the whole world doesn’t walk around in T-shirts, shorts and flip flops year-round. Recent trips to northern Illinois and central Pennsylvania reminded me not everyone has it so easy when it comes to concealed carry. Clearing a baggy T-shirt to draw your handgun is a lot different than having to fish your handgun out from under layer after cold-blocking layer of garments.

    Add a pair of cozy gloves to the mix and getting to your gun in a hurry can be next to impossible. Even worse, if your gun snags on a garment during the draw stroke, it can be dropped with the muzzle pointing who knows where. If moving to a warmer climate isn’t in your plans, here are a few tips for cold-weather concealed carry.

He has some tips for concealing, drawing, and reholstering a handgun. For instance, if you are wearing multiple layers, he recommends carrying the gun outside all but the outermost layer which will act as the concealing garment. 

• "Handguns: Carry Rotation Downside"--Shooting Illustrated.  The author discusses some of the difficulties had has experienced in switching between different firearms, and concludes: "For a pistol that’s intended as a lifesaving tool, there’s no reason to switch heaters because you’re in a 'different gun mood.' You don’t move the brake pedal around in your car on a whim, so why would you want to randomly cycle through carry handguns to essentially the same effect?" 
• "Underestimating Your Opponent"--Tactical Professor. He comments on a photograph circulating on social media showing an anti-ICE protestor with a an M&P 15-22 .22 rifle with a partially loaded magazine and the mocking comments:

 Within their performance envelope, which covers many urban situations, .22 rifles are incredibly lethal. One of my colleagues calls them ‘three step guns.’ After being shot with one, the shootee takes three steps and falls down dead as a hammer. Underestimating their lethality is a grave mistake. I have many incidents in my database of people killed by a single round to the chest from a .22 rifle.

• "How To Shoot Long-Range Consistently: Rifle Setup"--Rifle Shooter Magazine. An excerpt:

 Whether it’s a stock or a chassis, consider getting (or doing it yourself) the action bedded into that stock or chassis. A lot of stocks and chassis claim that they don’t need to be bedded but I’ve found that even those need to be to get the best, consistent performance out of your rifle system. This creates a 1 to 1 fit of your action to that stock or chassis. This will keep things from moving around under recoil or while you are driving down a bumpy road. This will help ensure first-shot accuracy. On top of bedding the action, make sure you have proper clearance in the barrel channel. The stock around the barrel must not contact (be free floated) the barrel for the most consistency.

• This looks fun: "Automatic For The People: Now You Can DIY A Gatling Gun"--The Firearm Blog.  The article explains:

The M1337 uses AR-pattern barrels and other parts, with all the mechanical hard parts held together by 3D-printed parts. The files for those 3D parts are freely given away online. The creator sells a parts kit that has some of the parts that you don’t make yourself, and you can source other bits yourself.   

It is belt fed according to the article. You can learn more at the designer's website here. Per the website and videos, it uses disintegrating belt links. Per the author's website, he has also been developing a suppressor for it to be used with .300 BLK. 

• "SAINT Victor 7.62 20": The Do-Everything Rifle?"--The Armory Life.  There seems to be a lot more interest in a "do-everything rifle"--truck gun, ranch rifle, scout rifle, are common types of rifles being thrown around in that regard. The author of this article offers both a review of the SAINT Victor rifle and an argument on why .308 makes an ideal "do-everything" round. The article doesn't mention it, but the rifle is 8 lbs. 1 oz. according to the manufacturer. 
• And Ruger re-imagines their scout rifle: "Ruger American Gen II Scout: Built For The Real World"--The Firearm Blog. The older Ruger Gunsite Scout Rifle was based on the Ruger M77 rifle which used a Mauser style action, including push feed and large claw extractor. It was also more open at the top allowing better access to the chamber. As the name indicates, the newer rifle is based on the Gen II Ruger American rifle. Both feature 16 inch barrels, but the new rifle is lighter than the Gunsite Scout at about 6.5 lbs. The iron sights on the new rifle seem better than the older models, which were based on the sights of the Mini-30. 
• A different type of do-it-all weapon: "EAA Brings Back Affordable Combo Guns"--The Firearm Blog. Most of the article is about what is a combination gun and some of the models historically offered in the U.S. (they are far more popular in Europe than the U.S. and never achieved lasting success). But it mentions:

Now, EAA says it’s bringing combination guns in from Turkish manufacturer Balikli. We’ve seen these guns before; Balikli was exhibiting them in a corner of the SHOT Show basement in 2024. At that time, we noted that they had some unusual chambering choices, including .300 Winchester Magnum, .30-30 and .357 Magnum—not that there’s anything out of the ordinary with these calibers, but they’re rarely found in combination guns made in Europe. 

No word on what calibers or prices, yet.  

• And on the topic of "do-it-all" rifles: "Best Ranch Rifles: A Modern Ranch Rifle Revival"--Recoil. The author defines a "ranch rifle" as "a handy, compact, intermediate-caliber rifle, carried around all-day long from dawn to dusk while on a ranch." And, in that regard:

While an AR-15 fills the same role very capably, some might prefer the slim profile and feel of a traditionally stocked rifle. Many shooters find a traditional stock to point and handle very naturally and intuitively. When transporting your gun, such as in a scabbard on horseback, a ranch rifle is slimmer from top to bottom than typical pistol-gripped modern sporting rifles.

So of the four rifles that are considered, the author's top three picks are all AR variants that mate an AR to a standard style stock: the CMMG BR4 Dissent, the Fox Trot Mike Ranch Rifle, and the now discontinued SIG Sauer MCX Regulator. Rounding out the list is the Mini-14. 

• "Free SBRs Are Coming! A Horrible Idea"--Guns America.  The author warns: "Zero-dollar NFA transfers sound amazing until you hit the real costs. Before you turn that brace AR into an SBR, read the travel rules, trust traps, penalties, and long-term risks that most shooters ignore."
• Some firearms history: "First M16 Rifles in the Vietnam War"--The Armory Life. ARPA (now DARPA) and Project Agile.
• "AR-15 vs. Bullpup Rifles: Which One Is Right For You?"--American Rifleman. The author goes over the advantages and disadvantages of both. The bullpup has the edge with providing a full length barrel in an SBR length package. But it does not do as well shooting off a bench or from a bipod and I've heard complaints that they aren't as accurate as an AR with a free-floated barrel. The article also mentions that they aren't as easily accessorized. In fact, from a military perspective, one of the issues I've heard complaints of is that even with additional rails, most bullpups don't have the room to mount all the lights, lasers and emitters, optics, and other stuff that commonly show up on modern combat rifles. I'll admit up front that I have zero experience with bullpups, but I've long thought that they would be better for the home defender and prepper because they are more compact which will be a major benefit moving in and around a structure or in and out of vehicles, whereas the disadvantages won't be as significant to the majority of civilian shooters who will not be mounting the full panoply of gear to their rifles as military operators. 
• "The 6mm ARC Cartridge: Why the Military Needed It"--Guns & Ammo.  The reason it was developed:

    America’s military has been at war against terror for 20 years. We have certainly learned a lot along the way, but so have our enemies. For example, the Taliban in Afghanistan knew that most of our guys shoot carbines chambering 5.56 NATO; if they stay 600 yards away, there’s no need to fret small arms fire much.

    The unit that adopted the 6mm ARC decided that they still wanted to get good hits at 600 yards and beyond, so they started issuing more rifles chambered in .308 Winchester because it is capable of that kind of performance. The problem is that the rifles and ammunition are both heavier than their 5.56mm NATO counterparts.

The solution was the 6mm ARC which "can keep a 108-grain bullet above 1,800 fps out to 580 yards" and stays supersonic out to 1,350 yards from an 18-inch barrel at chamber pressures of just 52,000 psi. And it does this using the AR-15 platform. 

• "Fanny Packs Can Add Versatility to Everyday Carry"--Handguns Magazine. And one important point:

First impressions are important, and the goal is for your fanny pack not to make one. Avoid a pack that appears overtly tactical. A pack that hangs from your belly button to your knees, or one with MOLLE webbing and emblazoned with gun-themed patches, will garner unwanted attention. While the interior of your fanny pack should be specifically designed for carrying a handgun, the exterior should look like any other pack. 

And for goodness sake, please avoid black unless it is leather. To me, at least, nothing screams "gun" more than a black Cordura fanny pack. 

•  Knives: "Skallywag Tactical Riptide Review"--The Armory Blog. These look like they would be good tactical or survival knives. Blades are a little over 6 inches long with either a Tanto or spear point style, with either a partially serrated edge (which I dislike) or a plain edge. However, there are a lot of good knives out there, so for me I tend anymore to look more at the sheath than the knife. In this regard:

The Riptide family of knives comes with an ambidextrous, pancake-style Kydex sheath. The sheath features a unique dual-retention system. The form-fitted sheath provides a secure, rattle-free friction fit. It’s augmented by a spring-release tab that further secures the knife in the sheath. It’s easily released in a single motion when drawing the knife by simply pulling up on the ambidextrous button on the tab. Skallywag Tactical is incorporating the dual-retention system in the sheaths of all of its new knives. 

That sounds good. The question I always have to ask myself with gear anymore is "does it do anything better than what I already have or a less expensive option," and, if so, "is it that much better that it is worth spending the money on it"?

• And speaking of "does it do anything better" and "is it worth the added cost" is this article: "Gen 2 vs. Gen 3 Magpul PMAGs – New Tech Worth Extra Cash?"--The Shooter's Log. Probably not enough of a benefit unless you need to buy it because of the particular caliber of your weapon or you have a weapon that is not compatible with the Gen 2. 
• And on the topic of Magpul magazines: "Quick Magazine Tip"--Arctic Specter. Using luminescent tape so you can more easily locate your magazines in the dark. He recommends removing the floor plate, cutting out a bit of tape large enough to go across the tab at the bottom of the floor plate, and when you put the floor plate back on it will cover the extra bit and hold it in place. 
• "Best 243 Ammo for Deer & Other Hunts"--The Shooter's Log.  Some ballistic charts for different commercial loads. 
• "Why You Don't Need "Survival Food" Until You Have Months Worth of Regular Food"--The Late Prepper.  The author advises:

    It’s not a great situation if a family is already breaking into their survival food that has a 10+ year shelf-life a couple of weeks after a long-term emergency strikes. Instead, individuals or families should have several months worth of “regular” food rotating in their pantry. Much of this will be medium-term food such as canned meals, pastas, grains, and even dehydrated meat.

    Keep in mind that I own a long-term storage beef company, yet I still advise not buying any of it until a family has at least several months worth of normal foods. It doesn’t make sense to have to bust open a bucket of freeze dried lasagna on week 3 of bugging in.

    The reason is simple: Freeze-dried meals and meats are more expensive than their canned or boxed counterparts. Canned tuna, chicken, and beef can supply a lot more protein per dollar spent than survival meats. Granted, canned beef is, in my humble opinion, far less appetizing than tuna, chicken, or even Spam, but it fills its purpose.

• "How a Simple Piece of Advice from John “Shrek” McPhee Helped Me Drop 25 Pounds"--Fleeting Survival. The advise was simply to start walking. He has some tips to help you get into the habit and stick to it. 
• Related: "I lost 50lbs thanks to a tiny lifestyle change after years of failed diets and workout plans"--Daily Mail.  The woman in the article lost her weight by adopting a challenge of walking 20,000 steps per day. 
• "How to improve your flexibility – the body’s secret weapon for staying healthy and active"--The Conversation. The article discusses the benefits of stretching and flexibility and includes advice for different stages of life, e.g.:

    For older adults, flexibility is crucial for maintaining mobility and independence.

    Gentle stretching exercises, such as chair yoga, are great options for improving flexibility without putting too much strain on the body. These exercises can also prevent stiffness, which is common as we age. Research also shows older adults who regularly stretch have a lower risk of falls and better quality of life. Older adults should also aim to stretch 2-3 times weekly.

•  "The forgotten art of squatting is a revelation for bodies ruined by sitting"--Quartz. An excerpt:

    “Every joint in our body has synovial fluid in it. This is the oil in our body that provides nutrition to the cartilage,” Jam says. “Two things are required to produce that fluid: movement and compression. So if a joint doesn’t go through its full range—if the hips and knees never go past 90 degrees—the body says ‘I’m not being used’ and starts to degenerate and stops the production of synovial fluid.”

    A healthy musculoskeletal system doesn’t just make us feel lithe and juicy, it also has implications for our wider health. A 2014 study in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology found that test subjects who showed difficulty getting up off the floor without support of hands, or an elbow, or leg (what’s called the “sitting-rising test”) resulted in a three-year-shorter life expectancy than subjects who got up with ease.  

•  "Are You Emotionally Ready for the Coming Collapse?" (Part 1) (Part 2) (Part 3) (Part 4) (Part 5) by Peter Cannon. From the authors introduction:

     Much has been written about physical prepping for a future societal collapse. However, what about the mental and behavioral side of preparation? Is it possible that Christians will live through part or all of the Tribulation? If your children are crying due to hunger, would you accept the mark of the Beast to feed them? Are you willing to die for your faith and/or other convictions? These are tough questions, but we need to face them. In the future, whether it’s a grid-down blackout, an economic depression, riot-ravaged neighborhood, war-torn country or a pandemic-plagued world, are you emotionally ready for the coming collapse?
    
    This five-part article series will include excerpts from my book, “Revelation: Illustrated and Explained.” It is a study of the final book in the Bible, including verses, commentary, photos, and illustrations. ...

VIDEO: The Mark of the Beast

An overview of the Mark of the Beast, the consequences of the taking on the Mark, and answering the question of whether a person could inadvertently take on the Mark (spoiler: the narrator believes you have to intentionally and knowingly accept the Mark). 

    The video does not attempt to delve into the identity of the Beast. Several years ago I came across someone that went to the Old Testament to try and answer that question. The key bit from the Revelation is Rev. 13:18 which reads (KJV): "Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six." This person had looked for other instances of 666 in the Bible. It only appears a few times. Both 1 Kings 10:14 and 2 Chronicles 9:13 indicate that King Solomon received 666 talents of gold yearly "not including the revenues brought in by merchants and traders." And in Ezra 2, listing those that returned to Jerusalem from the Babylonian captivity, it reads in verse 13: "The children of Adonikam, six hundred sixty and six." (Note, however, that Nehemiah 7:18 lists the number as 667). Interestingly, "Adonikam" means "my Lord has arisen". The "Adonijah" of Neh.10:16 is believed to be the same Adonikam. There is another Adonijah in the Old Testamant: the fourth son of King David who attempted to raise an army to seize the throne. 

VIDEO: "The Mark of the Beast is WORSE than we thought..."
Bible Animations (23 min.)

Governments Replaced By 2033?

Vox Day notes that Martin Armstrong (an economist) and his computer models are predicting that Western governments (including the U.S.) will fall by 2032. (Vox quotes from this video interview of Armstrong, with the key part starting about the 30 minute mark). Armstrong does not seem to be talking about a societal collapse, but rather brings up Caesar crossing the Rubicon and replacing the old, corrupted republican institutions with a new form of government. Armstrong thinks there will come a point where people won't be able to watch TV and will be forced to get off their butts and, I presume, onto the street. 

    The time frame particularly struck me because of a recent video from Nelson Walters, who hosts a YouTube channel on end-time prophecy, looking at Bible passages that seem to suggest the month and year of Christ's return. (See video below). The short take is that he points out passages that indicate that Christ's return would be in the fall and two thousand years after his crucifixion. So that gives a time frame of 2028 - 2033, depending on when the crucifixion is dated. I would point out, however, that Christ will appear at least two times before the actual "Second Coming" when he returns to rule on Earth, so the return date might not be the "Second Coming".  The scriptures cited by Walters seem to suggest that the date in this case is when Christ appears on the Mount of Olives to the Jews fleeing Jerusalem. 

    At one time I had believed that things would come to a head by 2033 just because 2,000 years after the crucifixion and ascension seemed a natural time for Christ's return. But as the years went by, it seemed too much remained in order to fit into the years remaining before 2033. 

    The biggest potential problem I see with this is that of fitting in the seven year treaty (generally considered to be a peace treaty) in Dan. 9:27 that seems to overlap the seven year tribulation period in Revelation. The seven year treaty would likely have to be in place next year (2026) in order to meet a 2033 return. 

    On the other hand, some have suggested that the Abraham Accords could be this treaty or be expanded to become this treaty. (See, e.g., this video interview of Joel Richardson from earlier this year). I doubt this. Daniel 9 speaks of a covenant with a fixed 7-year term that is breached after 3.5 years. The Abraham Accords have no fixed term. 

VIDEO: "Does the Bible Reveal Month and Year of Jesus's Return (NOT Day and Hour)"
Nelson Walters (18 min.)

David Betz: Civil War Comes to the West

I recently came across links to a two-part article by David Betz, a professor of war at King's College London, published in Military Strategy Magazine. Entitled "Civil War Comes to the West" (Summer 2023) and "Civil War Comes to the West, Part II: Strategic Realities," (Spring 2025) the author explores how "the cult of ethnicity," decline in societal trust and social capital, multiculturalism and political polarization has brought western nations to the brink of civil war. He notes, for instance:

What might be described as ‘intertribal conflict’ is by no means confined to the virtual spaces of the Internet; rather, it manifests also in physical fighting in a self-reinforcing feedback cycle. Many examples of this from recent headlines might be given. A good one though, is the city of Leicester in Britain, which over the last year has witnessed recurring violence between the local Hindu and Muslim populations, both sides animated by intercommunal tensions in distant south Asia. A Hindu mob marched through the Muslim part of town chanting ‘Death to Pakistan’. 

He also observes:

[I]t can be said that a generation ago all Western countries could still be described as to a large degree cohesive nations, each with a greater or lesser sense of common identity and heritage. By contrast, all now are incohesive political entities, jigsaw puzzles of competing identity-based tribes, living in large part in virtually segregated ‘communities’ competing over diminishing societal resources increasingly obviously and violently. Moreover, their economies are mired in a structural malaise leading, inevitably in the view of several knowledgeable observers to systemic collapse.  

All that is needed to touch it off, he predicts, would be a severe economic downturn. But he also mentions how vulnerable are modern cities to disruption of utilities and basic services, hinting that concerted disruptions could finally push the populace over the edge. 

    "The trouble is that the urge to fight, indeed the wish to accelerate towards conflict," he writes, "is not confined to just one group—as one might gather from the recent alarm over far-Right populism—but is of a rather more general character, with radicalism increasingly visible in all sorts of communities." And he uses France as an example where Muslims have committed many of the atrocities there (albeit in smaller numbers) that we saw committed against and between communities in the Middle East conflicts. He continues (footnotes omitted):

    Approximately 75 per cent of post-Cold War civil conflicts have been fought by ethnic factions. Therefore, that civil war in the West will be likewise is unexceptional. The nature of the belief that Mansoor invokes as being important is, however, worth dwelling upon. I would suggest that the belief in question is the acceptance by all groups in society of the precepts of ‘identity politics’.

    Identity politics may be defined as politics in which people having a particular racial, religious, ethnic, social, or cultural identity tend to promote their own specific interests or concerns without regard to the interests or concerns of any larger political group. It is overtly post-national. It is this above all that makes civil conflict in the West not merely likely but practically inevitable, in my view.

    Identity politics will not only play a role in the cause of any such civil war, but in how it plays out. Betz explains (footnotes omitted):

Scenarios, mostly focused on the United States, of what civil wars in the West would look like exist in the literature. They tend to share one thing in common particularly, which is the expectation as expressed by Peter Mansoor, professor of military history at Ohio State University, that they will,

…not be like the first [American] civil war, with armies manoeuvring on the battlefield [but] would very much be a free-for-all, neighbour-on-neighbour, based on beliefs and skin colour and religion. And it would be horrific.

My LDS readers may find this description eerily familiar. As I've previously related, Duane S. Crowther's book, Prophecy--Key to the Future, cites various early LDS Church leaders concerning a second civil war. For instance, Orson Pratt, speaking in 1879, described this second civil war:

[I]t will be very different from the war between the North and the South. Do you wish me to describe it? I will do so. It will be a war of neighborhood against neighborhood, city against city, town against town, county against county, state against state, and they will go forth, destroying and being destroyed and manufacturing will, in a great measure, cease, for a time among the American nation. Why? Because in these terrible wars, they will not be privileged to manufacture, there will be too much bloodshed, too much mobocracy, too much going forth in bands and destroying and pillaging the land to suffer people to pursue any local vocation with any degree of safety. What will become of millions of the farmers upon that land? They will leave their farms and they will remain uncultivated, and they will flee before the ravaging armies from place to place; and thus will they go forth burning and pillaging the whole country; and that great and powerful nation, now consisting of some forty millions of people, will be wasted away, unless they repent.

(Crowther p. 50). Joseph Smith is also quoted as saying:

A terrible revolution will take place in the land of America, such as has never been seen before; for the land will be literally left without a supreme government, and every species of wickedness will run rampant. Father will be against son, and son against father, mother against daughter, and daughter against mother. The most terrible scenes of murder and bloodshed and rapine that have ever been looked upon will take place.

(Crowther 53). 

     Despite the focus of the foregoing passages on the United States, Betz says in the second part of his article that he expects civil war to first erupt in the U.K. and France. But, he adds, "[t]he conditions are similar, however, throughout Western Europe as well as, for slightly different reasons, the United States; moreover, it must be assumed that if civil war breaks out in one place it is likely to spread elsewhere." As to how the war will break out and progress, Betz predicts:

    ... First, the major cities become ungovernable, i.e., feral, exhausting the ability of the police even with military assistance to maintain civil order, while the broader perception of systemic political legitimacy plummets beyond recovery. The economy is crippled by metastasising intercommunal violence and consequent internal displacement. Second, these feral cities come to be seen by many of those indigenes of the titular nationality now living outside them as effectively having been lost to foreign occupation. They then directly attack the exposed city support systems with a view to causing their collapse through systemic failure. 

     Betz states that his purpose is to provide a warning to both the statesmen and military leaders, and encourage military leaders to study how they might "win" such a conflict. But one has to ask, win against who? 

    Betz is quite clear that there are certain political asymmetries here focused around geography (rural versus urban) and ethnic (the native whites versus the replacement population). (Unmentioned, of course, is the power axis--elites versus commoners). For instance, he displays a map of France showing which areas voted for Marine Le Pen's National Rally in the 2024 election versus other parties, and it rather pointedly is clear that those voters in the French countryside voted for Le Pen, while only a few urban islands voted for other parties. The police and military, I would expect, will support the locus of political and economic power which are centered in the cities. Meaning that in a civil war, the police and military should be expected to turn their guns against the native white populations. 

    We see this already--particularly in Europe--where the governments are increasingly hostile to the native white populations and any speech, acts, or people around whom they might rally. How else to explain the recent conviction of a man in Britain for burning a copy of the Koran, not because the burning was illegal, but because it might cause some sort of psychic harm to Muslims; the serial prosecution of Tommy Robinson in the UK; or the threatened ban of the AfD party in Germany.  These governments are working to head off civil war, but they seem to be concentrating their efforts on only one ethnic group, and it isn't the imported populations. These efforts will ultimately fail, however, because they merely underscore how the native white populations are being turned into second-class citizens and will breed further resentment among whites while encouraging the imported populations to further assert themselves. 

Trump's Latest Will To Power: Gaza

Pres. Trump seems to leveled another shock and awe, this one across the Near East with his declaring that the U.S. will take over Gaza and clear and rebuild the territory. As part of the proposal, the Palestinians living in Gaza would be removed to other countries (and Trump has called on other Muslim countries to take them in), although it is not clear whether this would be permanent or temporary (but long term--perhaps a decade or more). Here are some articles on the subject:

• "Trump lays out exactly how he plans for US to seize control of Gaza"--New York Post. 
• "Why Arab nations may secretly approve of Trump’s Gaza ‘takeover’ proposal"--New York Post.
• "Israeli defense minister orders IDF to plan for Gazans to leave in line with Trump’s controversial proposal"--New York Post.  
• "What Trump REALLY meant when he said the US would take over Gaza: Experts decipher US President's plan to turn destroyed Palestinian territory into the 'Riviera of the Middle East'"--Daily Mail. 
• "Crazy Talk, Vol. 2: Trump's Radical Plan to Take Over Gaza"--PJ Media. 

     If you don't have time to glance at the articles, the gist is that the left has gone crazy over Trump's plan, suggesting that it is ethnic cleansing and illegal under international law. The Arab countries have declared that they are not going to take any Palestinians (although they privately may be relieved to see the U.S. impose a solution). Alternatively, some see Trump's declaration as a way to pressure Muslim countries to come up with a workable solution that doesn't involve the failed so-called "two state solution" which neither side wants. 

    I'm not going to discuss the practicality of the solution because it could very well work--at least to the extent of ridding Israel of a troublesome population. As the author of the "Crazy Talk" article cited above observes, ethnic cleansing works: "Stalin cleared Poland and Czechoslovakia of Germans (and the Soviet Union of Poles), and removed huge sources of friction in Central Europe." Actually, the World War II allies--both east and west--moved many peoples around after the war in order to create true ethno-states and a lasting peace. They knew something that we've forgotten: multicultural, multiethnic states are inherently unstable.

    Rather, there are three points that interest me.

    First, I read an article or saw a video where someone (and I can't remember the source) pointed out something amazing about this whole situation: no one is questioning Trump's power to decide the fate of Gaza, but only fighting over the technicalities of his plan: is it legal under international law? will other states take in the Palestinians? 

    Second, I had expected to see Israel object to the plan because it would essentially entail handing over what they view as Israeli territory to another power. Perhaps Israel feels that it wields so much influence over the U.S. that it will eventually have Gaza handed over to it after the U.S. has invested billions into rebuilding the area. Perhaps Israel is so desperate to have a solution it is willing to trade territory (probably in the form of Gaza becoming a U.S. protectorate) in exchange for peace. Or perhaps Israel is going along because they see it as impossible and will never happen anyway, so why not play along?

    Third, I wonder at the eschatological implications. There is a book by Chris White called Mystery Babylon - When Jerusalem Embraces The Antichrist: An Exposition of Revelation 18 and 19 which raises some good arguments why the latter-day Babylon may actually be Jerusalem based on the text of Revelation chapters 18 and 19. (See, e.g., Rev. 18:24 indicating that the blood of prophets was to be found in Jerusalem). 

    Joel Richardson has disagreed with the idea that Jerusalem could be the Babylon of the last days (although not directly addressing White's book) and  briefly sets out his arguments in his own book titled Mystery Babylon (PDF) as well as at least one YouTube video on the topic. His main objections seem to be: (i) because the Jews are "the chosen people," they (and by extension, their capital city) cannot be in league with the anti-Christ; (ii) because Babylon is to be utterly destroyed but Jerusalem will be made the capital of Christ's earthly rule following the Second Coming, Babylon and Jerusalem cannot be the same; (iii) Babylon is described as being near a sea or ocean, but Jerusalem is not; and (iv) Babylon is described as a major hub of trade, finance, and wealth, but Jerusalem is none of these. 

    I think the first two objections can be dealt with summarily, and from my perspective living in the Western United States, the distance from Jerusalem to the Mediterranean Sea (35 miles) is insignificant. The fourth one, though, might be addressed by Trump's plan for Gaza should it come about. Trump has claimed that the U.S. could build Gaza into the Riviera of the Eastern Mediterranean, such that it would attract wealth and business. This could quite literally turn Israel (and by extension, Jerusalem) into a center of finance and trade. Yes, right now Jerusalem is no City of London, New York, or Shanghai, but in 20 years?

    It will be interesting to see how all of this plays out.

For My LDS Readers: Parallels Between The Book Of Mormon And Today

I've maintained before that when looking at the United States in prophecy, we needed to look at the events in the Book of Mormon, particularly at those leading up to Christ's visit to the Nephite people. I believed that even if we didn't see the exact same things, there would still be a broad similarity. The problem has been how similar? For instance, I have tended toward a more literal parallel. The creator of the following video has used looser parallels. It is certainly worth checking out.

VIDEO: "Book of Mormon, Parallels in Our Day"--Cj j (32 min.)

Mark of the Beast Update: Kuwait Bars Financial Services For Unregistered

"And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: and that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name." Rev. 13: 16-17.

Vox Popoli noted a piece from Armstrong Economic entitled: "Kuwait Suspends Services to Thousands for Failing to Submit Biometric Data." The key part:

    Kuwait has forced over one million citizens to hand over their biometric data in one of the most extreme pushes for digital ID. Kuwait introduced a national electronic ID (eID) that they say will assist with identification verification, digital signatures, E-government access, and the secure exchange of data. The deadline to file for this mandatory program was September 30 and the consequences for failing to comply were swift.

    On October 1, the Ministry of Interior announced that those who failed to submit their data would be prohibited from all electronic services such as withdrawals, transfers, and account transfers. One cannot even withdraw cash. Around 35,000 people have been blocked out of their bank accounts and are unable to even view the balance. A few weeks later, those in noncompliance has their electronic bank cards deactivated. Visa, MasterCard, and K-Net all abided by the government’s rule.

    Beginning on November 1, The Kuwait Banking Association stated it will implement a “complete block” on all accounts, which means one cannot even withdraw funds if they go to the bank in person. Expatriates have until December 31 to submit their biometric registration.

The "no man might buy or sell" part is coming along smoothly. 

    Vox Day adds: "Notice that there isn’t one word of protest out of all the organizations that profess to be dedicated to human liberty, democracy, and the will of the people." Of course there has been no opposition or protest. There is nothing to preclude the Antichrist system from preceding the Antichrist.

VIDEO: The Antichrist Revealed

Not a video naming the Antichrist as "so-and-so" but instead reviewing the various scriptures referring to the Antichrist to get a better view of what is the Antichrist and his role in the Tribulation and as a sign of the times.

 VIDEO: "The Antichrist Revealed"
Gospel Lessons (15 min.)

VIDEO: The Abomination of Desolation

The author explains what he thinks is the Abomination of Desolation, and why he thinks it will occur in the middle of the 7 year Tribulation period (i.e., before the beginning of the Great Tribulation).

 VIDEO: "Abomination of Desolation"
Gospel Lessons (7 min.)

John Taylor's Vision Of The Destruction of America

Similar to a post a few weeks ago concerning a vision from George Albert Smith, here is another vision--this time from John Taylor--involving the last days and the destruction of the United States. (Actually the first 8-1/2 minutes is the vision/dream in question, and the rest of the video is of something else). Unlike the prior video, however, where the vision was poorly documented, this one has been better documented and I've posted about it before. Nevertheless, this vision has never received any official sanction, so you must decide for yourself whether it was truly a vision or merely a dream....

VIDEO: "John Taylor's Visions of the Days Prior to the Return of Jesus Christ."
The Words of Christ (13 min.)