Almost Persuaded
When I heard the words, I sat a bit straighter in my chair while the president ended his uncharacteristically brief speech. He was reporting the “total obliteration” of Iran’s nuclear facility buried 300 feet below a mountainous terrain.
In ending his speech, Mr. Trump thanked the pilots who flew the B2 bombers that released the “bunker buster” bombs. He thanked the Israeli military for their work in making it possible to fly to the targets in an uninhibited way. He then thanked God, and followed that by what made me sit straighter in my chair.
The president of the United States said, “We love you, God.”
Never had I ever heard such words coming from a president of the United States. And it came from a man I have always supported, yet have said he isn’t a godly man – but is God’s man for this time and place so near the end of this Church Age.
What does this statement mean? Is it a statement just for speechifying? Is it a comment of momentary elation over a spectacularly successful mission sent by this presidential administration? Is it made just to solidify and satisfy the president’s evangelical Christian base? Is it a genuine thanks to the God of Heaven made by a worldly man who has seen the light and now is a believer for Salvation of his soul?
His statement of love for God did come from a tone of heartfelt gratitude.
Regardless of the reason for saying, “We love you, God,” it is, in my view, a most significant, even profound matter in this profoundly late Prophetic hour.
Upon reflection of the statement and things going on that give evidence of God’s Great Hand in all things involved in not just Iran and the bombing of the nuclear facility but in all matters surrounding this president, my thoughts immediately leaped to the Apostle Paul and his meeting with King Agrippa.
Paul was accused falsely of blasphemy, fomenting uprising, and for crimes of sedition and other charges. He claimed the right of a Roman Citizen and was brought before King Agrippa.
The apostle laid out before the king how he had greatly persecuted Christians but that Christ disrupted his journey on the road to Damascus. He told of Jesus’ Words to him and all the rest. How he was thus converted to the Christian Faith.
Festus, who brought him before the king, was incredulous. Here is the account.
“And as he thus spake for himself, Festus said with a loud voice, Paul, thou art beside thyself; much learning doth make thee mad. But he said, I am not mad, most noble Festus; but speak forth the words of truth and soberness. For the king knoweth of these things, before whom also I speak freely: for I am persuaded that none of these things are hidden from him; for this thing was not done in a corner. King Agrippa, believest thou the prophets? I know that thou believest. Then Agrippa said unto Paul, Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian. And Paul said, I would to God, that not only thou, but also all that hear me this day, were both almost, and altogether such as I am, except these bonds” (Acts 24-29).
So, I am led in my spirit to wonder, based upon his being spared death in the assassination attempt, whether our president, in view of his “We love you, God” prayer-like words stem from his conversion like the Apostle Paul’s, or to the “almost I am persuaded” words of near conversion like in the case of King Agrippa.
I prayerfully hope, of course, that it is the former rather than the latter of those possibilities that is the case.
But the real point in pursuing this line of thought with this commentary involves the number one prophetic indicator of where we stand on God’s Prophetic Timeline. I mean, of course, the nation Israel.
A prominent Jewish writer presented for me a most interesting segway into my thinking with regard to matters somewhat akin to the Apostle Paul’s meeting with King Agrippa. The writer offers a novelist’s perspective into the Jewish look at Bible prophecy. It fits within our theme, “Almost persuaded.”
“The Bible is a story,” the Yeshiva University philosophy professor told a global audience Thursday evening. “It has a beginning, middle, and an end—and we are the characters writing its final chapters.”
[Rabbi Yosef Bronstein’s] thesis was unlike anything being said by other commentators: this isn’t about ancient prophecies coming true, but about understanding ourselves as active participants in a divine narrative that began with creation and is racing toward its climactic conclusion. By Sunday night, as President Trump announced Iran’s nuclear program had been “completely and totally obliterated,” Rabbi Bronstein’s vision of real-time biblical storytelling seemed prophetic.
The author of Engaging the Essence: The Torah Philosophy of the Lubavitcher Rebbe wasn’t offering traditional religious commentary. Instead, he presented something far more compelling: a framework for understanding current events as the latest chapters in the ultimate story ever told.
“The Bible begins with Genesis—’In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth’—and ends with the eschatological perfect world where God’s presence is revealed for all to see,” explained Rabbi Bronstein, who leads a rabbinical training center in Efrat and holds a PhD in Talmudic studies. “In between, you have an unfolding story where God is constantly trying to push the world forward from creation all the way to redemption.”…
Three days after his presentation, as Iran’s nuclear facilities lay in ruins and the world witnessed what seemed like divine intervention through human action, Rabbi Bronstein’s vision of participatory biblical narrative seemed less like literary theory and more like an instruction manual for understanding our times.
We aren’t just witnessing history—we’re writing the Bible’s final chapters. And the story, Rabbi Bronstein suggests, is approaching its long-awaited happy ending. Source: “We Are Characters in God’s Story” – Scholar Reveals How Israel’s War Writes the Bible’s Final Chapters, Elie Mischel, Biblical News Israel365 June 23, 2025
This author, an orthodox rabbi, is persuaded that God’s Story of humankind is right and true and he can see it developing to a “happy ending.” But he, along with all who are of belief held within Judaism, as well as all other belief systems not centered in Jesus Christ, are almost persuaded, just as was King Agrippa almost persuaded when Paul preached to him. Sadly, tragically, theirs, apart from coming to Belief in God’s only Way to Salvation –His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ—is destined to end in Eternal separation from God and Heavenly Bliss. It will, for these, not be a happy ending.
This is why it is vital that we who name that Majestic, Holy Name Witness as never before to those who need to come to Jesus, Who is the only way, truth, and life that leads to the Heavenly Father and Happiness in Heaven Forever.
Here, again, is how to witness to those who are not yet persuaded.
“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).
–Terry
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The Days of Noah Come to Life
Do you know there’s credible evidence regarding the discovery of Noah’s ark? In 1959, a Turkish army captain and pilot, Ihan Durupinar, noticed what appeared to be the outline of a large ship near Mount Ararat on the eastern edge of modern-day Turkey. His pictures of what appeared to be the shape of a large seagoing vessel encased in mud attracted worldwide attention, led to the investigation of the site by experts, and attracted thousands of visitors to the site.
Rick Renner, in his book World Before the Flood, recounts the evidence that resulted from the analysis of the site. The length and width of the ship precisely match the dimensions of Noah’s Ark recorded in Genesis 6:15-16. Through the use of advanced technology, we know the buried seaworthy vessel had three levels, which also matches the Lord’s instructions to Noah.
Furthermore, those investigating the site discovered twenty-six huge drogue stones near the site, which ancient sailors used to stabilize ships and keep them from capsizing. The number and size of these stones found near the site of the ark fit with what it would have needed, given its size and weight, to survive the tumultuous beginning to the Genesis flood.
The location of such a large ship also confirms that it’s Noah’s Ark. The nearest body of water, the Caspian Sea, is about 500 miles away.
Although the site didn’t receive much attention until 1959, the Kurds who live near the site claim that Noah’s Ark emerged from the mud because of an earthquake that impacted the area in 1948. According to my research, there was a strong earthquake in nearby Kumukh, Russia, on June 29, 1948, that could’ve impacted the site, causing the form of the ark to become visible.
A Coincidence?
In His Olivet Discourse about the end times, Jesus predicted the reemergence of Israel as a nation and warned about life resembling the days of Noah. How can it be a coincidence that today we have visual evidence of Noah’s Ark along with the miraculous rebirth and existence of Israel? And if the Kurdish people are correct about the timing of the ark’s reappearance, both happened in 1948.
I believe that the reappearance of Noah’s Ark is yet another warning that we live in the time Jesus described in Matthew 24:37-39:
“For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.”
Unaware
Despite Noah’s preaching, those living in the pre-flood era remained unaware of God’s approaching judgment. It wasn’t until Noah’s family entered the ark and the rain began falling that they knew their end had come. The people of Noah’s day ignored God’s warnings and believed nothing could interfere with their wicked lifestyle, until it was too late.
Does this not sound like today? The vast majority of people fail to recognize the time in which we live. They plan their lives as though nothing can possibly interfere with their future aspirations.
Sadly, most Christians also fall into this camp. Many of them sit under the teaching of those who teach that the Lord won’t return until the end of the age to judge the dead and inaugurate the eternal state. Such preaching contradicts what Jesus taught in Matthew 24-25 and turns the eyes of those in the pews away from the mountain of evidence confirming that we live in the last days. As a result, their view of what lies ahead for them in this life differs little from the unbelieving world.
Life as Usual
Another striking aspect of Jesus’ description of Noah’s day is that life continued as usual up to the very end. Right up to the time the rain began falling and the flood waters came, they “were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage.” His words emphasize the normality of life that accompanied their unawareness of impending destruction. Is that not also like our day?
It’s not that we do away with our routines and schedules, but that we keep in mind what lies ahead for us and the world. We live in the season of Jesus’ appearing, which means the normality of life on Earth might quickly disappear at any moment.
I believe Jesus’ comparison to the days of Noah is with the Rapture and the judgment that will soon follow it. By the time of the Second Coming, life on Earth will be far from normal. After the seal, trumpet, and bowl judgments, life on Earth will be anything but ordinary among those who somehow manage to survive. The Lord earlier described the years leading up to His return as the worst that the world had ever seen as humanity neared the point of extinction (Matthew 24:21-22).
Scoffers, Too
Do you know that the Apostle Peter faulted the latter-day scoffers with overlooking the message of the Genesis 6 flood? In 2 Peter 3:5-7, we read:
“For they deliberately overlook this fact, that the heavens existed long ago, and the earth was formed out of water and through water by the word of God, and that by means of these the world that then existed was deluged with water and perished. But by the same word the heavens and earth that now exist are stored up for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly.”
It’s significant that the apostle criticized these scoffers because of their failure to understand the significance of Noah’s flood. They may not deny that the flood happened, but they “deliberately overlook” its relevance to their understanding of Bible prophecy and hence to the day in which they live.
As a result of their failure to understand the comparison of Noah’s day to ours, they regard the Day of the Lord prophecies about a future time of God’s wrath upon the earth, the seven-year Tribulation, as either something that’s already happened in the past or symbolic of another reality.
The evidence strongly supports the conclusion that the huge seaworthy vessel, discovered near Mount Ararat, is that of Noah’s Ark.. What other explanation could there be for such a large ship so far from a body of water large enough to sustain it?
And given Jesus’ words comparing the last days to those of Noah’s day, it’s highly unlikely that the ark’s reappearance and the attention drawn to it are just coincidences.
-Jonathan
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