China Update 5/14

~ Randy Harris ~ Leave a comment

Secretary of State, Marco Rubio with China updates today.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio tells NBC: China has confirmed that it does not support turning the Strait of Hormuz into a military tool, and that it opposes imposing fees on passage through the strait.

U.S. State Secretary Marco Rubio:

I think China’s preference is probably to have Taiwan willingly voluntarily join them.

In a perfect world, what they would want is some vote or a referendum in Taiwan that agrees to fold in. I think that’s what they would prefer.

Ultimately it’s featured prominently in President Xi’s mandate in the time he’s been in office. He’s made clear that what they call reunification, what they call it, is something that has to happen at some point.

We think it would be a terrible mistake to force that through force or anything of that nature.

President Trump:

President Xi would like to see a deal made. He said, “If I can be of any help at all, I would like to be of help.”

Anybody that buys that much oil obviously has some kind of relationship, and he’d like to see the Hormuz Strait open.

China has also agreed to buy 200 Boeing airplanes.

An Unfaithful Husband And A Bitter Wife

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The back and forth between the World’s most powerful nation and a semi third-world wannabe has taken on the role of divorce court 2026.  Every day or two it seems the scorned wife (Iran) blows up and threatens the unfaithful husband (Trump) with humiliation.  Of course then Trump responds with “unacceptable”!  Back and forth we go in an almost daily stream more reminiscent of divorce court rather than two nations attempting to work out a cease fire. Can we get a mediator in the room, please.

One of Trump’s biggest problems, and his best advantage is that he says whatever pops into his brain.  Not always good for mediation, but does keep the enemy off balance.  So I can’t remember is this the third or fourth time Trump has threatened to blast Iran off the face of the earth?  Too many threats and not enough action.  Do it or stop saying it.  The U.S. is starting to sound like a bully, or Obama and his notorious red line in the sand.

Heres is my take:

  • Iran can’t be trusted, they lie
  • If a deal is made, Iran will break it
  • Trump has pressure at home; mid-terms, high gas prices etc
  • Bad advice from the advisors inside the White House
  • Get rid of Kushner and Witkoff, they are money hungry idiots

Just as with Gaza the war which was stopped too quickly, so it is with Iran.  In the case of Gaza it was simply wanting peace so badly that Trump overlooked the fact that throwing money at a religious war will not work.  Been there, tried that more than once.  How do you think Iran got the money to build and buy their weaponry? Obama and his pallets of cash, anyone?  The same thing has happened in Iran, we stopped too soon.  Or IMO we should have been more aggressive in taking Kharg Island, that would have stopped the global oil pressures, and opened the Strait of Hormuz.  Surely we had the firepower to do that with very minimal and possible no loss of life.  

Granted I’m a keyboard warrior when it comes to military intelligence, but come on, we had enough fire power to do the job.  Back to divorce court for another round of “he said”, “she said”.  Will this ever end?  Iran cares less about a solution than Trump does.  That does not bode well for the U.S.

Time will tell the endgame, but as of now the results I see in the future are not at all what I hoped for.  Let us also bear in mind the lateness of our time on earth.  We are in the last days, Iran will still be somewhat viable when Turkey and Russia join them to move against a somewhat peaceful and secure Israel. (Ezekiel 38). God is sovereign and it is all in His timing, but it does seem to be Déjà vu all over again. 

Up next a high pressure meeting with China.  

Prophetic Preaching A. W. Tozer

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If Christianity is to receive a rejuvenation, it must be by other means than any now being used. If the Church in the second half of this century is to recover from the injuries she suffered in the first half, there must appear a new type of preacher. The proper, ruler-of-the-synagogue type will never do. Neither will the priestly type of man who carries out his duties, takes his pay and asks no questions, nor the smooth-talking pastoral type who knows how to make the Christian religion acceptable to everyone. All these have been tried and found wanting. Another kind of religious leader must arise among us. He must be of the old prophet type, a man who has seen visions of God and has heard a voice from the Throne. When he comes (and I pray God there will be not one but many), he will stand in flat contradiction to everything our smirking, smooth civilization holds dear. He will contradict, denounce and protest in the name of God and will earn the hatred and opposition of a large segment of Christendom. Such a man is likely to be lean, rugged, blunt-spoken and a little bit angry with the world. He will love Christ and the souls of men to the point of willingness to die for the glory of the One and the salvation of the other. But he will fear nothing that breathes with mortal breath. This is only to say that we need to have the gifts of the Spirit restored again to the Church. And it is my belief that the one gift we need most now is the gift of prophecy.

I am not speaking of the dime a dozen prophets of today, but holy men preaching the Word! Today’s prophets want to tell the future, the future is written in the Bible. Prophetic preaching is of two kinds, foretelling (predictive) or forthtelling (declaring the Word.

  • Proclamation over Prediction: addresses the immediate situation
  • Exposition from God’s prospective
  • Strengthen, encourage and comfort
  • Brings a vibrant and holy church, rooted and grounded in the Word of God

I pray God raise up holy men and women of God to proclaim God’s Word in a world of confusion and deception. Standing for righteousness with a holy boldness. If God says it, I believe it and declare it. Amen Rh

Keep Your Eyes On Turkey

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Turkey is taking a significant step toward joining the global military elite by testing a missile that would put much of Europe and the Middle East within reach and eventually lead to the launch of real-time intelligence satellites, according to people familiar with the plans.

The country showcased an intercontinental ballistic missile at an expo this week, joining the US, Russia and only a handful of other powers that have the weapons. Turkey’s ICBM has a range of 6,000 kilometers (3,750 miles) and the plan is to test fire it in Somalia later this year at the earliest, the people said, declining to be identified when talking about sensitive defense matters.

For full article: Bloomberg

As I said earlier in another post, Turkey is the next big Muslim country to be wary of in the Middle East. Leadership of turkey has openly said, “we will dance around Jerusalem”, and they are not talking about in friendship, but in the defeat of Israel. This is a NATO country that is a thorn in the side of Israel. Ezekiel 38 talks of Iran, Turkey, and Russia leading a coalition against a peaceful Israel. It will happen. Be wary of Turkey. Rh

Movement With Iran

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Reports that the U.S. and Iran are at the closest point to an agreement since the war began.

• The naval blockade by the US and Iran will be gradually lifted during the detailed negotiation period.

• The US will commit in the memorandum of understanding to gradually remove sanctions and release tens of billions of dollars from freezing.

• Negotiations are still ongoing regarding the duration of the uranium enrichment freeze. Three sources said the freeze will last at least 12 years, and one source estimated the final result will be 15 years. Additionally, the US wants to include a clause in the agreement stating that any Iranian violation regarding uranium enrichment will extend the freeze period.

• Two sources claimed that Iran will agree to remove the highly enriched uranium in its possession from the country.

• The United States expects to receive Iran’s response within the next 48 hours on several key points in the draft framework agreement.

Trump to PBS: Trump to PBS network: It is possible that we will reach a deal before my visit to China next week. There is a good chance to end the war with Iran. I don’t think I will send Witkoff and Kushner for talks.

More from Trump to PBS: The enriched uranium will be transferred to the US as part of the deal. Iran will not use underground facilities. If there is no agreement, we will bomb them to hell

IMO – it will never happen. Iran’s leadership is fractured. Hardliners only want delay, the more moderate faction does want some type of deal. What will Trump do? Who knows, Mr preference is take ‘em out. Rh

Update:

Bottom line:

Once again, the political level of the Islamic Republic is making promises to the Americans that the military level – which is de facto ruling the country – is not in agreement with.

Netanyahu

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Netanyahu

By Jim Fletcher

Below is a powerful tribute to a roaring lion for the nation of Israel. Some love him, most hate or despise him. He and Trump, (IMO) are much alike. Raised for such a time as this, together they have proved a valiant and resolute pair of compatriots against the evils of the day in the Middle East, especially there firm conviction that Iran must be de-clawed. Never count either one out. Cheers and God’s best to them both. Rh

I well remember asking a new Israeli friend in 1996 how to pronounce the name of a rising politician, one running for prime minister of Israel against the old lion, Shimon Peres.

The new lion would do quite well for himself.

Benjamin Netanyahu, against all odds, beat Peres in 1996 and though he lost to the hapless Ehud Barak three years later, he re-emerged later to become Israel’s longest-serving PM. 

(When I say “hapless,” I mean that Barak was as a politician. As a commander within the IDF’s elite counter-terrorism unit, Barak was truly elite. Israel’s fighters-turned-politicians often do maddening things once in office. Netanyahu himself has bucked that trend and has served with distinction.)

Netanyahu was hated from the beginning, although he’s always had a strong base within the Likud Party (somewhat akin to our Republicans). Raised on a strong diet of Zionism from Benzion and Cela, he and his brothers have been devoted lions for the state of Israel. I remember in Bibi’s book, A Durable Peace, he described a training maneuver that took his unit through the Negev Desert, emerging at Masada one night. Sweating, breathing hard as he looked at the ancient fortress, Netanyahu felt a real link to his ancestors. This is the essence of Zionism and has served him well as he navigated evil leaders like Arafat, Clinton, and all UN chiefs. 

This week, I thought he got a nice tribute via X, as @liberallikudnik wrote:

“Begin grew old and weary and handed over all of Sinai to Egypt. Rabin grew old and weary and brought armed terrorists into the heart of the country. Sharon grew old and weary and turned Gaza into Judenrein and a terrorist state. Netanyahu in their age, a hero like a lion, full of vigor, building in Judea and Samaria, leading the IDF back to Gaza, to Lebanon and Syria, and eliminating the regime of evil in Iran. May he be healthy.”

True enough. Although I take exception to the partial description of Menachem Begin, a truly elite PM for Israel. As the winner of the premiership in 1977, leading Likud, Begin has arguably been Israel’s most religious prime minister. He was a great man. Yes, he tired at the end, but his mind and body were spent fighting as a Zionist. May his memory be a blessing.

I would say Yitzhak Rabin, as perhaps Israel’s least religious leader, made some fundamental diplomatic errors, yet. Sharon inexplicably emptied Gaza of Jews, but I suspect that had a lot to do with intense pressure from the George Bush gang. Among the weakest Israeli PMs—if you can call Naftali Bennett’s and Yair Lapid’s five minutes in office actual leaders—are those two, ideological foes that still came together in their hatred of Netanyahu.

New Israeli elections will emerge this fall and as usual, like clockwork, Netanyahu’s political obituary is being polished up as we speak. It can be added to the dozens more than have come before. It’s a bit like Oklahoma and Texas, or vice versa, not having a chance against the other in the Cotton Bowl. Then…the inevitable upset.

Benjamin Netanyahu has been criticized, heavily, by literally everyone. He has a polarizing personality, but I would argue not of his own making. I haven’t always liked his decisions, but everyone does that. I will go to my grave believing that he is much more the young man that sat around the family dinner table in the Old Katamon neighborhood in Jerusalem. As I’ve written before, I knew the old man the last decade he lived, and a couple times walked a few blocks over to gaze on the sublime scene of Jerusalem’s Old City in the moonlight. My wonderful conversations with Benzion make it clear to me all three Netanyahu boys will take Zion into their hearts for the duration. All three served in the same unit, Sayeret Matkal. 

At present, there is no one fit to tie Netanyahu’s shoelaces among their political echelon. 

Here’s to King Bibi!

Believing the Declaratives and Obeying the Imperatives

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A.W. Tozer Daily Devotion

The last cause I shall name is nonobedience. Truth is given to be believed and obeyed. Certain truths can only be believed, the reason being that they are revelations of fact and contain no command or instruction to be carried out. Other truths must be obeyed or for the hearer they have no meaning. “I will come back” (John 14:3) is a statement of fact which cannot in the nature of it be obeyed; there is nothing in it to obey; it can only be believed. “Go and make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19) is a command which can only be obeyed. It is addressed to the will, and the only proper response is obedience. We cannot possibly discharge our obligation to such a passage by trying in some dubious manner to “believe” it, though I am sure many try to do just that. Is it any wonder that confusion arises? We will go far to simplify our religious concepts and unify our lives if we remember these four points: First, truth is a spiritual entity and can be grasped in its inner essence only as the Spirit of truth enlightens our hearts and teaches us in the deep, mysterious recesses of our souls. Secondly, since God is love we must surrender ourselves to love or we can never know the truth of God in its higher meaning. Thirdly, we must come to the Word with the simple faith of a child, ready to believe it whether we can understand it or not. And lastly, we must obey the truth as we see it, trusting God with the consequences.

Trump On NATO

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BREAKING: President Trump says he’ll consider pulling U.S. troops out of Italy and Spain after hinting he may do so with Germany.

“Why shouldn’t I? Italy has not been of any help to us and Spain has been horrible.”

“When we needed them, they were not there.”

“We didn’t need any help with Iran… I didn’t need their help, but I said, yeah, we’d love to have your help because I wanted to see if they’d do it. And in all cases, they said we don’t want to get involved.”

(Fox News)

IMO: Let the European Union fend for themselves. They have never paid their fair share. And if they’re not there when you need some help, they certainly won’t be there if we were in a desperate situation losing a war. There Muslim population will soon rule Europe, if they aren’t already. Rh

Jews Returning Home

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The scene at Ben Gurion Airport on April 23 carried a significance that stretched far beyond a routine arrival. As 240 members of the Bnei Menashe community stepped onto Israeli soil, many wept, embraced relatives, and lifted prayers of thanksgiving. Their journey–from remote regions of northeastern India to the modern state of Israel–was not merely geographic. For many, it marked the culmination of generations of longing tied to identity, history, and faith.

This latest arrival, part of “Operation Wings of Dawn,” represents the beginning of a broader effort to bring thousands more from this community home. The Bnei Menashe trace their lineage to the biblical tribe of Manasseh, one of the “lost tribes” of ancient Israel. While scholars debate aspects of that claim, what is beyond dispute is their persistent preservation of Jewish customs across centuries and continents. Their Aliyah–the Hebrew term for immigration to Israel–reflects a powerful combination of cultural continuity and spiritual conviction.

Yet this story is not unfolding in isolation. It is part of a much larger and ongoing movement. Even amid the conflicts with Hamas, Hezbollah, and Iran, Jewish immigration to Israel has not slowed–it has, in some respects, intensified. Full article on Prophecynewswatch.com

 “For I will take you from among the nations, gather you out of all countries, and bring you into your own land.”

‭‭Ezekiel‬ ‭36‬:‭24‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

As one noted Messianic Jew said, “in today’s world amid anti-Semitism, the safest place for a Jew is in the land of Israel”.  I second that statement.  Even during war and terror attacks being home for the people of Jewish faith is still something they long for.  The government of Israel has been planning for months to handle the influx of Jews returning to Israel.  The draw home is two fold in those desiring “Aliyah,” which is the Hebrew term for immigration to Israel.  Most importantly it is the Almighty who is drawing them, second Israel is a safe place.  Even amid chaos it’s always good to be home!. Rh

Mission: Souls For The Kingdom

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I hope you have noticed, and missed me, since I haven’t published much content lately.  I had three generic articles scheduled to be released during the week that I spent time in a foreign country doing mission work for my Church.  

Our group of twelve, including my wife and myself, spent nine powerful and encouraging days reaching out to the locals in that country.  It was my first trip to share the Gospel outside the United States.  I absolutely loved it!  It was 🔥preaching and teaching and seeing the lives that were changed with the simplicity of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Tiring, exhausting, filled with spiritual battles, but so fulfilling.  The great commission in action.  

Working with local churches we had the opportunity to reach out in homes in pre-arranged appointments to personally share our faith.  We faced many obstacles, however we fought and won many victories.  Seeing the faces that on first contact were questioning and even argumentative completely turned joyful and excited as they accepted Jesus Christ as their saviour.  Praying for a young man in his 30’s to receive Christ who had just recently received a terminal cancer diagnosis shook me to the core.  This young man had to be carried into the house by his brother-in-law. He was so weak.  Whether God heals on this side of death or not, his name is written down in the book of life.  His present may be sickness, but his future is heaven! 🙏❤️

Visiting a feeding program for children and teens in an area of intense drug and prostitution was truly heart breaking. 💔 I realized that the only real life these young kids have come from the generosity of strangers who provide food and a place of safety. This program is the hands and feet of Jesus.  Pulling young girls away from the lure prostitution, and boys from the poison of the drug trade is truly Christlike. Seeing these kids and the joy on their faces as we visited…..brought tears to our eyes.

Jesus told us if you do it unto one of the least of these, you are doing it unto me.  I was truly wrecked by what I experienced.  We did nothing but go, it was all the Spirit of Christ.  I will go again. Realizing that nothing in this world is as important as spreading the Gospel, something I knew, but something that in our hurried world I had allowed to falter.  Preaching and teaching to the Churches in the country, was the most relevant and Christ honoring endeavor I have undertaken in quite some time. No cameras or publicity, just Jesus.  Simple child-like faith in the Jesus of the Bible!  Praise God!

We in America are so blessed.  We have been given such grace and mercy from our Lord, and yet are we truly appreciative of that favor?  We need revival and a great awakening in the United States of America.  Our moral compass is broken. Join me in praying for a move of the Holy Spirit on our world.  Time is running out.  Our world seems to be falling apart, but it is really falling into place according to Bible prophecy.  Blessings, Maranatha!