“There is no such word as ‘coincidence’ in God’s vocabulary.”

Hal Lindsey is the one I first heard say this. Perhaps others said it before him, but I’ll just give him credit for that truth. And truth it is. Nothing that happens occurs without God knowing. As a matter of fact, He knew about it—whatever it might be—since as far back as eternity goes. And this gives me great confidence that when the Lord Jesus says our redemption is drawing near when we see things He foretold begin to come to pass (Luke 21:28), we can be sure those things we see are not coincidences.

Jesus is the very Word of God (John 1:1). So the things His Word tells us we should look for to determine the nearness of His return to “redeem” or “rescue” God’s children can’t be mere coincidence. We know these are bona fide indicators that His return is on the very brink.

Jesus said great deception and deceivers would be on the scene as the time nears for Him to intervene in the wickedness of humankind. He said there would be great tumult within the seas of humanity, and there would be great ethnic turmoil. Things, He said, would be like they were in the days of Noah and of Lot in Sodom. He said there would be wars and rumors of wars.

Through the Apostle Paul, Jesus warned that the times would be perilous as the end of the age nears. People would be fierce. They would be without natural affection, meaning, I take it, that humankind would be going after “strange flesh,” as Jude described the greatly increased ungodliness. They would, like in Lot’s day, be engaging in homosexual activity and abortion, both of which are as far from “natural affection” as any society or culture can get.

Do we see great deception today? Just consider the way the American political process the deceivers, with the assistance of the mainstream news media, blatantly display this end-times characteristic.

Is there tremendous tumult among the peoples of earth, with ethnic strife ramping up to the point that there are great rumors of war, and, in fact, major wars that threaten much wider conflict?

Are things like they were in the days of Noah and of Lot? Is there ever-increasing violence, with homosexuality seemingly becoming the norm rather than aberrant?

Are there indicators today that, like Jude points out, this world is filled with ungodliness and incorrigible wickedness that is deserving of God’s judgment and wrath? How about, as a prime example, the slaughter of babies by the multi-millions in their mothers’ wombs?

Any believer filled with Holy Spirit discernment can testify that we see all these end-of-days’ characteristics and activities in every direction. But, to go deeper into where this generation stands on God’s prophetic timeline, let’s examine up close things taking place that cannot be mere coincidence in showing the nearness of Christ’s soon, sudden involvement in the evil affairs of fallen humankind.

In my thinking, the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump is an astonishing indicator of Heaven’s direct reach into this wicked time. That the candidate for the presidency was providentially protected is nothing short of miraculous. Yet the matter has been totally washed over by a lack of mainstream coverage. The prince of the power of the air turned all the right devices of control to influence his broadcasting minions to ignore what surely was one of the most overt acts of Deity in history.

Mainstream media, after twenty-four hours or so of semi-coverage, relegated the near assassination, the murder of another, and the near-fatal wounding of two others to being nothing more than coincidence.

But it was not coincidental. The intervention was on full display before the entire world. It was God making a statement. He is now showing His great right hand of omniscience and omnipotence at this late hour of the quickly fleeting Age of Grace.

Our God has reached down to make such statements before in recent times. These, too, have been treated as coincidence by mainstream media–and subsequently they have deceived their mass audiences.

You might recall that one memorable event took place several years ago as the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) was voting to approve a “social statement on human sexuality” designed to open the way for congregations to be led by openly homosexual ministers and to make way for ELCA to perform same-sex marriages. A fierce storm described by many as a tornado unexpectedly ripped through downtown Minneapolis, where the ELCA convention was taking place. The storm damaged the convention center, along with the ELCA church across the street—even knocking over the church’s steeple in a bizarrely symbolic occurrence.

The tornado touched down near the outskirts of the city and made its track directly to the church, where it struck precisely at 2 p.m., the exact time the vote on the matters involved was to begin.

The Washington Post reported on the event in a joking way, calling it a coincidence and chiding mockingly those who attributed it to anything other.

Jesus said through the prophets that His return to intervene into the affairs of humankind would involve the nation Israel at the center of the turmoil that would be raging at the time. There is great turbulence at this moment in the Middle East. And Israel is at the center–not only of the troubles in the Middle East, but of the entire world of diplomatic chaos.

Those diplomats are crying “peace and safety,” wanting to force Israel to bring to an end the ongoing conflict against Iran and its proxy terrorist entities.

Israel, because of the October 7, 2023, assault that killed 1,200 people, has directly attacked Iran, killing one of the top terrorist leaders in Teheran. Iran’s supreme leader has vowed to make Israel pay for the attack. This, the diplomatic sorts fear, could spark all-out war–even one that might go nuclear.

But just as everything pointed to this expanded war taking place, another “coincidence” has taken place. My friend Dr. Mark Hitchcock frames the incident: 

The main story I would like to highlight surrounds the earthquake that took place recently in Syria. There’s an article in the Jerusalem Post about this fascinating development. The headline of the article says, “Heaven sent: Is Lebanon’s earthquake a testament to divine protection?”

Here is some intriguing information the article included:

Hezbollah’s underground ambitions may now lie buried, turned to ashes before they had any chance to harm us.

In our collective memory, Tisha B’Av has always been a solemn day, marked by the destruction of the First and Second Temples.

To provide further context, Tisha B’Av is a day of sorrow and reflection, which usually falls on our calendar in early August. It marks the destruction of Solomon’s Temple in 586 BC and the destruction of the Second Temple in AD 70. Those events happened on the same day. That’s not an accident—that’s divine providence. It was the hand of God showing the Jewish people that He was behind these destructions that took place because of their disobedience to Him.

The article continues:

This year, however, the day bore witness to what many of us view as a modern-day miracle—a testament to divine intervention that could not have come at a more crucial time.

Reports confirmed a 5.4-magnitude earthquake that struck Syria and Lebanon, profoundly impacting the region. This was not just any seismic event; it may have served as an unanticipated yet divine act that thwarted a grave threat against the Jewish nation. (“Tectonic Shifts: Did God Use an Earthquake in the Middle East to Thwart an Attack on Israel?” “Marking The End Times,” August 18, 2024)

The collapse of those tunnels filled with munitions meant to be fired into Israel is profound proof of God’s hands-on control.

I believe we will see God’s mighty hand of control continue to reach into our world of wickedness the nearer we come to the time when Jesus calls all believers to Himself in the Rapture.

I implore you to be part of that divine rescue and avoid the terrible judgment and wrath that will then befall all rebels left on earth.

Here is how to go to the Lord when He calls all believers living and who have died:

That if you will confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and will believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart man believes unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. (Romans 10:9–10)

To Holy Spirit-centered Bible prophecy observers, there should be little, if any, doubt that we are dealing now with demonic activity at every turn. This is truer than ever when considering things going on in the Middle East. Narrowing it down to the nation Israel, the dark spiritual forces become even more manifest.

The other nation-state entity that makes clear the demonic influences in that volatile region is Iran. This nation, of course, is located in the area where ancient Persia sat.

This is important to think on at this present hour; everything of significant prophetic importance now revolves around this region.

Daniel, the great prophet who was given an end-times heads-up concerning his people, the Jews, had a visit in which God’s angel told him about this very time that is front and center in our hourly news. At least it seems this is likely the beginning of the time the angel spoke of that is the nucleus of the stage being set for the wrap-up of things leading to Christ’s Second Advent.

Here is that one-way conversation the angel delivered:

Then said he unto me, Fear not, Daniel: for from the first day that thou didst set thane heart to understand, and to chasten thyself before thy God, thy words were heard, and I am come for thy words. But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me one and twenty days: but, lo, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me; and I remained there with the kings of Persia. Now I am come to make thee understand what shall befall thy people in the latter days: for yet the vision is for many days. (Daniel 10:12–14)

The angel then laid out what would happen after those many days had passed. Those days have now passed, and the book that was closed to him, Daniel was told about later, is now almost certainly opened.

That prophecy said the “wise who see these things of the end times will understand” (Daniel 12:10). All who view the issues and events developing in the Middle East, overlaid by the template of Bible prophecy, are the “wise” the angel mentioned.

Things involving Daniel’s people, Israel, and the area of ancient Persia, Iran, have the diplomatic world in a fever pitch to force peace and safety in the region. There is great fear that Iran is about to attack Israel in retaliation for the Israelis eliminating Iran’s proxy terrorist leaders. And, to add insult to injury, Israel did so in one instance by going to the heart of Teheran.

Iran has been threatening ever since to launch a major assault to destroy the Jewish State.

This hasn’t happened, nor do I believe it will. The Iranians (Persians), creators of the game of chess, are smart enough to know better. They are fully aware that Israel has one of the great militaries in the world and possesses nuclear weapons that would devastate any enemy. The Iranian Israel-haters know better than to threaten Israel’s destruction at this point.

To attack in such a way would give Israel the excuse it has been wanting—to do whatever is necessary to destroy Iran’s budding nuclear program hidden deep within the Bushehr Mountains area.

Now, our God is in complete control of all things at all times. He is restraining at every level throughout this world of evil that is straining at the leash to bring about the Antichrist. That said, I think it is accurate to believe the same prince of Persia the angel, with the help of Michael, fought against is alive and well in that region. He is doubtless whispering in the ear of the supreme leader of Iran, Ali Khamenei. He is likely saying in the ears of the ayatollahs to withhold their attack until a more propitious time—when they and the massive coalition outlined by Ezekiel come together with tremendous power to destroy the hated Israel.

So, in that sense, it might well be the prince of Persia who is postponing the war that everyone in the diplomatic world fears.

The blustering Khamenei and his fanatic Islamists are obviously quite hesitant to carry out their threats to get revenge. Their hesitancy is based in fear, we can conclude. The following somewhat adds credence to this likelihood.

For all Iran’s threats to retaliate against Israel for assassinating key Hamas and Hezbollah leaders, the key concern for the ayatollahs will be that, in any confrontation with the Israeli military, they have no chance of winning.

Tensions between Iran and Israel have risen considerably since Israel was accused of carrying out the assassination of Hamas Political Bureau leader Ismail Hanimex in Tehran shortly after the swearing in ceremony for Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian last month.

Although Israel rarely confirms or denies its involvement in overseas assassinations, the Iranian regime has been quick to accuse Israel of killing Haniyeh, who reportedly died after a bomb exploded in his guest apartment in northern Tehran.

A senior Hezbollah commander, Fuad Shukr, was assassinated in Beirut the previous day, in an operation for which Israel took credit. (“Iran knows it cannot win a war against Israel,” By Con Coughlin, Gatestone Institute, August 11, 2024)

Other news items frame Iran’s reluctance to launch an attack on Israel. The following briefs on Raptureready.com news linked to stories relevant to Iran’s hesitancy.

Ayatollah Khamenei faces tough dilemma when it comes to retaliating against Israel

The 85-year-old despot is keenly aware of the repercussions of a major strike on Israel and, given the delicate timing of Masoud Pezeshkian’s first steps as president, it’s somewhat likely Iran’s Supreme Leader will opt for a more prudent approach.

Internal strife: Iran’s delayed retaliation to Israel sparks rift within terror proxies

Iran has angered its allies, particularly Hezbollah and Hamas, by once again urging caution in responding to Israel after the assassinations of high-ranking Hezbollah terrorist Fuad Shukr and Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh, the Kuwaiti newspaper al Jarida reported on Wednesday.

An all-out Middle East war just might be restrained for the moment with the assistance of the Prince of Persia, that old nemesis of Daniel’s angel visitor and Michael, God’s mighty archangel.

You want to be among the “wise” who watch with understanding the entire stage being set, not among those who haven’t a clue. Those who are wise can take comfort from knowing that all these things happening mean Jesus is about to call all believers to Himself in the Rapture.

Here is how to go to Him when He summons Christians in that great event.

That if you will confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and will believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart man believes unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. (Romans 10:9–10)