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Pastor to Pastor
End Time Prophecy: Pre Tribulation Prophecy And Today's Global Events Ep 1
What if the signs of the end times are unfolding right before our eyes, and we're not prepared? Pastor Jason Watson and guest Pastor Michael Edds unravel the mysteries of biblical prophecy, bringing to light the astonishing parallels between Biblical, End Time Prophecy and today’s global events in Israel. From the rebirth of Israel in 1948 to modern geopolitical tensions involving Iranian-backed attacks, Pastor Edds offers a compelling perspective on how these occurrences align with biblical scripture. We explore the significance of Israel's prosperity and technological advancements, and their prophetic implications, delving into the urgent reality of these times.
As we journey deeper into these prophetic insights, our conversation shifts to the anticipated spiritual awakening and cleansing within the church—an essential precursor to the end-time harvest. Reflecting on the parable of the wise and foolish virgins, we underscore the importance of spiritual readiness. The discussion extends to the manifestation of the Obadiah War and its connection to prophecies in Psalm 83 and Isaiah 17, contemplating potential events like the destruction of Damascus. We also provide a glimpse into future episodes where we will tackle post-rapture events, including divine judgments. The episode closes with a heartfelt priestly blessing, emphasizing the vital need for peace and grace in these tumultuous times.
End time prophecy. How close are we Coming up? Next on Pastor to Pastor hey look, it's another episode of Pastor to Pastor. I'm Pastor Jason Watson and missing today is Pastor Seth Odom, but I got a great, great replacement it's my pastor, pastor Michael Edds, royalty from West Virginia. How you doing, pastor.
Speaker 1:I'm doing good Pastor, jason, how are you? I'm doing great. It's so good to have you on. Look, we're talking about a topic today. Look, outside of revival. This is the next big topic I've always heard you talk about. It is something I know. You have studied and studied long and hard, and it's end-time prophecy. It's the second coming of Jesus leading up into it, and so I'm ready to dig right in. Let's dig, let's go ahead. So quick question Now. I know prophecy talks about the second return of Jesus and he says that no man will know the hour. But Matthew 24, between 32 and 35, talks about when you see and I'm paraphrasing here when you see the fig tree budding, you know that it's at the door. So what exactly is that budding?
Speaker 2:Matthew 24, the fig tree budding is when Israel would be reborn as a nation, and that happened in May 1948. Yeah, and he said when you see this happening, you know that it's near. His coming is near, even at the doors. One thing that really excited me is that this generation will not pass away till all things be fulfilled. The generation that was born in 1948 will not pass away till all these things happen and we'll see Jesus return. I was born in 48. That's my generation, so that excites me, excites you. Yeah, I may be older and dirt, but I'm waiting for Jesus to come Waiting for Jesus, yeah, yeah, and what do you think?
Speaker 1:let me ask you this what do you think? Is something I know many Christians have heard before. They keep hearing Jesus is coming. Jesus is coming. What would you say? For you is a definite sign of this parable of the fig tree budding. Tell me what stands out more today than has ever stood out before.
Speaker 2:I've heard that all of my life. Jesus is coming. Jesus is coming. But now I'm seeing with my eyes prophecy come to pass, one of the prophecies that not only would Israel be reborn as a nation, but the Israeli people, the Jewish people, would return. When I was just a little fella, there were about 2 million Jews in Israel. There are 9 million there now and that the ancient cities would be rebuilt.
Speaker 2:I was over there about three or four years ago. I was astonished. Whole cities at one time are skyscrapers, houses and everything are going up Roads going everywhere. Israel is one of the top nations in the world in technology. All of the major corporations have branches there. She said she would be prosperous, she would be powerful. I saw that and it said the desert would blossom. Everywhere you look over there it's like the curse on the land's been lifted. I was there in 80. I thought who in the world would fight over this barren place right four years ago it blew me away. Everywhere you look there, gardens, there's fruit and um. But one of the biggest things that lets us know that it's near is this when the descendants of Esau and sometimes it's called Edom will attack Israel from all sides and they would be allied by a, by Persia, which is modern-day Iran. What's on the news right now?
Speaker 1:yeah, just that yeah, the Iranian proxies are attacking Israel from Gaza, from Lebanon.
Speaker 2:Seven areas.
Speaker 1:Yeah, all around. Yeah, that's pretty interesting. I mean, it's all over the news today. You can't get away from it. It's talking about Israel fighting wars on pretty much all fronts.
Speaker 2:Well, the thing that excites me. As you know, I've studied these prophecies for years, and the prophecy of El BBadai talks about it. It talks about them attacking Israel. The descendants of Esau are the Arabic nations there's 240 million and said Israel would be, or the Jewish nation would be, a fire and the house of Joseph a flame. A fire and the house of Joseph a flame. Well, the only nation that's. And if you watch the news, look in Lebanon, look at what's happening to Hezbollah, look what's happening to Hamas, israel's dropping these bombs and it's fire. And I thought my mercy, I'm seeing this happen, since you would be assisted by the house of Joseph, and I believe that's the United States. I believe there are enough descendants of the lost tribes of Israel, the 10 lost tribes that are here in the United States. I believe that's who it is Said they would be a flame, the house of Judah would be a fire, and so it means they're helping them at a lesser amount, which is happening right now.
Speaker 1:Yeah, okay, so let's go through some of the steps that we can expect in terms of seeing the fig tree budding and the coming I know it talks about until the son of perdition be revealed or he set himself up in the temple. You want to go through that just a little bit.
Speaker 2:Sure, uh, this war that's taking place. You know, I shared all these other prophecies about Israel being returned, being prosperous, having a mighty army and so forth and so forth. But the thing that's got me excited, this war in the middle East when Israel was attacked a year ago in October suddenly. This war in the Middle East when Israel was attacked a year ago in October, suddenly, and it was like the Holocaust all over again and the United States tried to hold them back. Well, israel will not be. They're fighting for their national survival Right. And what Obadiah said that they would be attacked and they would be encouraged by Iran it's happening right now. Yeah, giving them arms. She would be encouraged by.
Speaker 2:Iran. It's happening right now. Yeah, giving them arms. She would be attacked on all sides, but the prophecy says Israel will wipe them out. That's 240 million Arabic people. That's a lot of people and this thing is accelerating, especially with Lebanon and Syria's getting involved. And those people on the Persian Gulf. I can't think of the little nation that's sending missiles into Israel. Israel's on the offense. For the first time in my life, I've seen Israel on the offense. All these other wars it was wars of survival, trying to fight them back the 1967 war, the Yom Kippur War, I think 72. Those were defensive wars. Now she's on the offense and I thought my these prophecies have to be happening. What's going to happen? She's going to defeat all these nations around her.
Speaker 2:I was reading in I believe it's Isaiah 17, and in Jeremiah 49, syria will get involved. Damascus is one of the most ancient cities on earth never been destroyed. That city will be totally wiped out. It says it'll be uninhabitable. Right, it will never be inhabited again. Their government will be wiped out. Their army will be wiped out. It said fearful noise or commotion would come from the sea. Well, the Israeli Navy is going to be shooting missiles there Right now. They say they're going to attack Damascus because there's a lot of the Iranian weapons there and the Iranian government is the government. There is a puppet government for Iran. And then these prophecies go on Israel will wipe out these Arabic nations, she'll defeat all of them in Lebanon, she'll destroy this nation of Syria. All of these nations Jordan, saudi Arabia all of them will get involved and when she does, she'll have a period of peace. Now, the thing that got me excited about how close it is there are three nations will form an alliance. That's Turkey, iran and Russia. Well, israel's going to hit Iran pretty hard, probably knock out a lot of her military bases, set her back good ways For a period of time, it said, israel will have a period of peace.
Speaker 2:This coalition of three nations Israel, iran and Turkey will invade Israel. After all of this, it says she will possess her possessions. She will possess the Middle East, from the euphrates river to the nile. She has never possessed that. She will possess the oil fields. She will possess the temple mount. She'll rebuild her temple. No one will be able to stop her. Well, after a little period of peace, these three nations will invite, invade with a multi-million man army.
Speaker 2:If you read Ezekiel 38 and 39,. When that happens, they'll come to the mountains of Israel. The United States, these other nations, will not defend Israel like in this war of Obadiah, where she defeats the nations. No one will defend her, but God will. He'll send an earthquake, he'll send fire out like sodom and gomar all over, wipe out their multi-million man army five, six of them and destroy those nations with fire from heaven. They came against israel and said the world will fear the god of israel. Yeah, but there's some tragedy will, a great will happen. Someone's going to arise after that war and say listen, we're going to wipe ourselves out If we don't do something. I've got a peace plan For seven years peace and prosperity. Now this is quite interesting.
Speaker 1:You talk about that seven-year period. I remember when Trump was president If I remember correctly, somebody he had working come up with this Abrahamic Accord Right, and it was for seven years, the Abrahamic Accords are still in operation.
Speaker 2:It's his son-in-law, and his son-in-law is an Orthodox Jew. That's interesting.
Speaker 2:And, matter of fact, his grandchildren are now Jewish, his daughter and this young man. He's brilliant. I watched his presentation. I believe it was in Saudi Arabia. It was brilliant and a lot of the Arabic nations bought into it. He said it makes more sense to have prosperity through peace than war. And he's a genius. Yeah, somebody's going to rise with something like that, like that, and the nations of the world will buy into it. Because you have the Arabic nations wiped out. You have Russia, iran and Turkey wiped out, yeah, and Israel will sign a seven-year treaty of destruction, and she won't even know it.
Speaker 1:Because it says they will destroy them in their prosperity right.
Speaker 2:He said when people say peace and prosperity, sudden destruction comes. He said he will destroy many in their prosperity. For three and a half years this world leader will be rising in power and making people prosperous. There will be peace everywhere. Israel will be doing great, the nation is doing great, but after three and a half years he'll set up his image in the rebuilt temple and he'll say I'm god. So this is pre-rapture, this is um. I believe the first three and a half years will, uh, be pre-rapture. Yeah, he second thessalonians.
Speaker 2:Chapter two says um, when you see these things coming to pass, what things Said the son of tradition? Well, he said two things have to happen. The great falling away yeah, that's the church. We saw that Pastor Jason in COVID. Yeah for sure. A lot of those people still haven't come back. They got an excuse Maybe at Walmart, but I can't come to church. I might get COVID. Well, I had it twice and still lived. That has happened. And said the son of perdition be revealed. That's the Antichrist. I believe we'll see his rise. But the Lord says the word, says I've not appointed you a day of wrath. The day of wrath is the last three and a half years when he sets himself up in the temple and says I'm God, you're going to bow down to me. Take my mark and Israel will revolt. And in that day it says if you're on the rooftop, don't come down. You know, hightail it out of town to the mountains, don't look back.
Speaker 2:Don't grab anything, just go. He will destroy two-thirds of the Jewish nation suddenly. And he will destroy two-thirds of the Jewish nation suddenly, and a third of them will be airlifted to the wilderness called Basra.
Speaker 1:Before we get there. Let me ask you this, because I know I've had this question before what is the difference between what Hitler did and what this guy would do?
Speaker 2:Hitler slaughtered 20 million Jews or, I'm sorry, 6 million Jews. Hitler was defeated by human armies. This man will if it's 9 million in Israel right now that's 6 million, and most of those are young people. I was over there. Everywhere you look are young people Wipe them out. But he's not only going to do that, it's beware of wild slaughter Anybody that does not submit to him or take the mark. They'll have their head cut off or be killed, all right.
Speaker 1:So you're saying that you believe the church will be raptured right before this tribulation starts, because it's going to be three and a half years of peace, right, and the last half is going to be where All hell? Breaks loose, yeah yeah, for lack of a better term, it's going to be two-thirds.
Speaker 2:The world's population will be destroyed in one war. When the antichrist goes out, a third, it said uh, the four horsemen of the apocalypse, the one on the white horse with the crown and the sword and is given authority, that's the Antichrist. He will destroy a third of the world's population to enforce his rule. And that's what? Two and a half million people, or around two million, and he'll wipe out two million Jews. But it goes on and on. There will be a horrible slaughter during the last three and a half years and the word says Billion, billion, billions. Yeah, that if it wasn't shortened, nobody would survive it. Right, but I believe that we will see. I grew up being told that we're going to be raptured out before the tribulation. Tribulation has two parts. The tribulation was the first three and a half years. Be peace and prosperity Everybody's doing good.
Speaker 2:Last three and a half years is the day of wrath, god's wrath, where he pours out 21 judgments on the earth. He said I've not appointed you a day of wrath.
Speaker 1:And I believe that we will be taken out shortly before that.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I believe I've been seeing more and more of, and I'm kind of cautious in prophecies and dreams and all these things, because and I know Scripture tells us not to despise prophecies, so I'm very careful, but I'm also very intentional when it comes to because you know, there are a lot of people they prophelying they ain't prophesying right and so but I have seen a lot of dreams, a lot of things that have resonated with me recently. There are a lot of people who are dreaming and having visions and dreams of the rapture occurring, the calling up, if you will, occurring, and it seems increasingly more so. I have somebody reach out to me at least once a week, sometimes multiple times during the week, telling me of dreams that they've had of not just their individual lives, of the community of churches, but also the world and things occurring. So I definitely feel like in this moment now, one subject I want to talk about is revival. That's a huge topic for you because I know you have studied it thoroughly and in depth.
Speaker 1:We talk about revival all the time, but you think there's going to be a revival before the calling. How do you think that's going to happen. I believe there will be two.
Speaker 2:First of all, the Scripture says the Lord you seek and delight in will suddenly come to his temple, but he's coming to purge his church. I've been in church all my life, jason, and 76 years grew up in it, seen a lot, I've seen a lot of Christians, I've seen a lot of church folks and there's a big difference. Not everybody that says Lord, lord knows the Lord, and a lot of bad stuff has gone on in churches that has driven the world away. The Lord says I'm coming to my house, my temple, with a refiner's fire and I call it a pruning hook. He's going to separate wheat and tares. God's going to cleanse his church and I believe once he does, then there is going to be an end-time harvest.
Speaker 2:I believe before the rapture, but I believe after the rapture, but I believe after the rapture. If you study the little parable of the five wise and the five foolish virgins, five had oil in their lamps and they were prepared, right. The five foolish didn't and they went out to get oil. When they got oil, the door was closed, right. Uh, there will be a revival or a lot of people seeking god after the rapture because they know they missed it. There will be people saved.
Speaker 1:be saved during the tribulation but they'll have to pay for their faith.
Speaker 2:Oh gosh most of them will be martyred yeah he said.
Speaker 2:Revelation said there's a great multitude before the throne of god, yeah, and they were slaughtered by the antichrist. So, um, but the reason, I believe that the rapture, uh, will take. These two things have to happen. Second, thessalonians says concerning being caught up to be at the lord. That's a rapture, isn't it? These two things have to happen the great falling away, which we've seen, and the son of perdition be revealed. I believe that's within the next year. I'm not prophesying, but I feel it in my gut and what I'm seeing, because the world is in a mess. There are 120 wars going on throughout the world right now. The whole world is in an uproar. They're looking for somebody to help them and when this guy comes along, the nations will flock to him Because he'll supposedly have the answer to all the problems, and it'll work for three and a half years yeah so do you think?
Speaker 1:um? So I personally think that we're going to see. So the war of obadiah. Which one is that one?
Speaker 2:the war of obadiah is. It's just one chapter. That's the war we're seeing taking place now, right now. Between the Jews and the descendants of Esau, the Arabic nations, and I was reading in Obadiah, and I believe Psalms 83 talks about it too. It said let us go and destroy them. Let Israel cease being a nation, nation. What are they saying right now? They, they, they want to, from the river to the sea, wipe out who's ever between the jordan river and the mediterranean sea who is it?
Speaker 2:israel, israel, yeah it's happening right now. Let us destroy them from being a nation. Let us possess their possessions, possessions. And I saw the war, the 67 war, and it blew me away. I saw the war of 72. But this war, I've never seen Israel on the offense. This is the first time in my lifetime Israel has been on the offense and she's not letting the United States stop her. Israel was going to go and attack Cairo because she'd wiped out all the Arabic air forces in the 1967 war. And guess who stopped her? The United States. The United States stopped her in 1972. She was fighting for her existence both times. This time they've attacked her, but she is on the offense and she will not stop until she has security. Okay, so the Obadiah.
Speaker 1:War is happening now, right now, and so the Psalm 83 War. Is that the same war or is that a different war?
Speaker 2:The Psalm 83, war is the same war, and it even mentions those nations. If you look at, those ancient names are the same nations right now. Yeah, that will be followed by the um uh. Isaiah 17. It may be a part of that, it may follow it. Something's going to cause israel to attack syria right now. They're saying Damascus is next.
Speaker 2:This prophecy in Isaiah 17, I believe it's Jeremiah 49, talks about Syria. Damascus will be totally destroyed by fire. She might get nuked, I don't know, but it will never be inhabited again. Her government will collapse, her army will be destroyed and many of the cities there now will become pasture lands. They will be wiped out. That will follow this war. And then there will be a peace of time that Israel will be at peace, be prosperous. She'll possess her possessions from the Mediterranean to all the oil fields, because Ezekiel 38 and 39 says Russia, turkey and Iran will come against a nation that is at peace and secure. She's not secure right now, is she? She will be after this war, and then God himself will wipe them out, and so the nations will rush against Israel and God will rebuke them.
Speaker 2:So there will be peace before the son of perdition is revealed. What will happen? There will be a period of peace, I believe, after this war of Obadiah where she wipes out the descendants of Esau, these Arabic nations. There'll be a period of peace, followed by Russia, iran and Turkey invading Ezekiel 38 and 39.
Speaker 1:And was that the one where Scripture says they'll put a hook in their mouth and draw them down?
Speaker 2:And right now Putin has sent Israel a message don't you dare attack Iran. Turkey is threatening to go to war. It's all falling into place. She will defeat these Arabic nations. There will be a short period of peace, but these three nations in Ezekiel 38 and 39 will come against her, and when God wipes them out, that's when the antichrist is going to arise say listen, we got to do something. We're wiping everybody out. I've got a plan, yeah, and they will buy into it. The great. So there's a great deception coming up on the face of the earth. That's right.
Speaker 1:That's why it pays to be close to god and tapped into the vine and and I don't know there, and I know you guys have seen a lot of growth in your ministry. He's the pastor here in Laurenburg, north Carolina, at a place in Gibson which is right beside us called Gibson Pentecostal Church, and so there's Sister Church of Us here at Crosspoint and Seth Odom's Reliant Church, and so I know we have seen growth. You guys have been seeing growth. God is calling people and so I know we have seen growth. You guys have been seeing growth there. God is calling people like that God is, I believe.
Speaker 1:I don't believe personally, I don't believe we're quite in revival yet, but I believe we are right at the door of. I just see God drawing people out of nowhere. We've had more visitors in the past two months than we've had probably I don't know, I wouldn't say the rest of the year We've had. We have a lot of people come through here, but there have been an increasingly noticeable difference in the amount of people who just woke up and said you know what I felt like God was calling me to church, or I felt like God was calling me to Crosspoint, and so they're starting to come in, and so, of course, my prayer is on how to steward every single one of them.
Speaker 1:But anyway, you're doing a good job too. Well, thank you, sir, you are too, but it's been interesting to be a part of it, to see God drawing people, and I feel like, if anyone is listening and tapped in right now, god is calling people, and so I encourage anyone who's listening or anyone who may watch this at some point. Look, don't wait. I'm telling you, the day after the rapture, the moment the rapture occurs, if the government can't explain it away, if the moment after the rapture occurs, people are going to be beating down the doors of the church, and it's too late.
Speaker 2:And it will be too late.
Speaker 2:One of the things I know we're on the verge of something is I've been through two awakenings in my 76 years. The early 60s a lot of us I grew up in another church. I grew up in a Baptist church. They're good people taught me about salvation, but we didn't know anything about the Holy Spirit. We thought that was for another day in time. But a bunch of us started being filled with the Spirit Baptists, methodists, catholics, episcopalians, millions of people. I saw that. It was astonishing. I saw it again in 72.
Speaker 2:The Lord gave me a dream of people trying to come to church, couldn't get in the front door and I shared this with you. The Lord dropped in my heart to start a bus ministry. I was just a young fellow, a bunch of us young folks. We went out to the community. I felt God was going to do something, started a bus ministry. The very first Sunday we brought 26 new people in and the Sunday school superintendent said you know, we're at 75. It's always hard to get over 75. They locked the door on us, just like in my dream, because they weren't ready. It went from that. Within the first year we went from 75 to 900. We had to leave water in the baptismal pool because 30 and 40 were getting saved every Sunday. I've seen that. I'm seeing it the beginnings of it again.
Speaker 2:Our little church has gone through a lot. I used to be here with you and I've been over there. They have doubled in attendance the last six months. That's amazing and there's an excitement. And they're going out everywhere, right. God gave me a dream the other day that we were giving out Red Delicious apples. I thought well, and it was in Technicolor. And I thought, well, what in the world does that mean? And then there was a 10-foot tall Red Delicious apple and we were cutting off pieces feeding people. The Red Delicious apple has the most nutrients in it and antitoxins of any apple out there. God is going to raise up his people to feed the lost with the good news of the gospel and that antioxidants. That's getting rid of sin. Yeah, the biggest in gathering in the history of the church is beginning to happen. There's an excitement and I thank god I'm still around to see it.
Speaker 1:yeah it makes me excited sitting there, thinking about peter. Whenever he said when jesus was asking, do you love me? He said then feed my sheep, tend to my. That that's right. And so I think that's what shepherds are doing now. Those who are listening are called, they're going out, they're sharing the gospel, they're sharing those apples, they're sharing what they need, and I'm super excited about what God is doing in the earth now and what he's going to continue doing.
Speaker 2:You know, when I was still pastor here and we worked together and I had a dream, or whatever it was, and I told you about it this balcony out here, the fire escape, you are preaching on it, there was a thousand people in the field. Well, I believe we saw that at the fourth of july yeah you were out there and there was hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of people. There's a great in gathering coming cross. You're going to have to build balconies or build on. God is bringing in the harvest.
Speaker 1:It's coming, I feel it in my spirit. Yeah, Well, let's do this. I want to bring you back next week and I want to talk about the judgments. I want to talk about the bowls.
Speaker 2:I want to talk about the seals being broken.
Speaker 1:I want to talk about all that, because this is everything we've talked about up until now has been pretty much pre-rapture leading into the rapture. I want to talk about what it's going to look like after the rapture. I'll be glad to do that After the calling, so I'd love to bring you in next week and let's talk about that.
Speaker 2:Sounds good.
Speaker 1:All right, let's do this. Let's close everybody out. Do that with a blessing, with a priestly blessing, from Numbers 6, 24 through 26. Scripture says the Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you. The Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. Hey, this is Pastor Jason, from Pastor to Pastor, along with Pastor Michael Edds. Look, come join us again next week as we talk about what it looks like post-rapture. We can't wait to see you. God bless you.
