YOU WILL GET NO WARNING

YOU WILL GET NO WARNING

Edward

128 BANKS ACROSS WESTERN JAPAN JUST WENT DARK AT THE SAME TIME.

Shinkin banks from Tokai west, all the way to Kyushu. A system failure on a Friday afternoon.

ATMs: OFF
Teller counters at 3,430 branches: OFF
Internet banking: OFF
Transfers to other banks: OFF

Fully unavailable. The money is still in the accounts. Customers can’t get it out.

→ 27 banks hit in Kansai and Tokushima alone
→ ALL 8 in Fukuoka prefecture
→ Seto Shinkin cards blocked even at convenience-store ATMs
→ paper “SUSPENDED” signs stuck on ATMs in Osaka

Not a war. Not a bank run. No sign of a hack.

The suspected cause: broken communications equipment at the West Japan Center of ONE shared system that 236 shinkin banks run on.

One center failed. 128 of those 236 banks froze with it.

As of Friday evening in Japan, still NO time given for a fix.

3 days ago it was Paraguay. 3 million customers locked out of Ueno Bank, $380 million of the state pension fund stuck inside.

Now it’s 128 banks in Japan.

Terry James: Iran’s Prophetic Destiny

Iran’s Prophetic Destiny

Terry James

There is constant speculation, even chatter these days, that President Trump will soon order another strike on Iran’s nuclear weapons production areas. Some reports say this will take place before the midterm elections (and at the time this article is being posted, it hasn’t happened; that tells us it won’t happen before the midterms). And some say it will take place following the midterms.

President Trump himself has said in impromptu news gatherings that he will likely strike again following the midterm elections.

There has been much speculation by news pundits and politicos about the whys and whens of such a strike. My own speculation is that such a strike is destined to take place, and it will have severe ramifications to the regions struck, as outlined by the prophet Jeremiah, which we have covered a number of times in these articles.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu recently spoke to his view of the necessity to deal finally with the Iranian regime. An excerpt of his thoughts is covered in the following news item.

Israel has achieved stunning military accomplishments against Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Houthis in Yemen, militias in Syria, and, most notably, against the head of the terror proxy snake: Iran.

These pivotal elections, like the five consecutive elections between April 2019 and November 2022, are again a referendum on the continued governance of Israel’s longest-serving prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu.

Netanyahu is presenting Israelis with a stark electoral choice: Renew his mandate to capitalize on Trump’s bold endorsement this past week or risk surrendering the strategic gains of a multi-pronged war.

Netanyahu argues that the campaign remains unfinished. Even after the blows that Israel and the United States have delivered together and apart, Tehran, he warns, could restart its nuclear program. He therefore frames Trump’s endorsement as a promise to finish what was started, contingent on his remaining in the top job.

In a wide-ranging pre-election interview with JNS, Netanyahu casts his partnership with Trump as the foundation for an ambitious agenda: to bring down Iran’s regime, further weakening its regional proxies; expand the Abraham Accords normalization agreements with Muslim-majority countries in the region; and prevent the creation of a Palestinian state anywhere within Israel’s current borders. (“Netanyahu to JNS: ‘The only way to guarantee the future of Israel is to remove the Iranian regime’,” Alex Traiman, JNS, RR News, October 22, 2026)

I believe there can be little doubt that this prime minister and this US president fully intend to deliver a blow to this hellish regime. I am convinced they will attempt to do so. And the blow will be catastrophic, especially to the people of the region affected.

To do otherwise would be to make the previous destruction of Iran’s nuclear facilities nonsensical and merely an exercise in futility.

Much speculation about the MOAB (“mother of all bombs”) being used comes from some top Trump administration officials. This, of course, is the most powerful weapon in the American military inventory that is non-nuclear in nature.

But decimation to Iran’s nuclear facility is not the same as removal of the regime that has vowed to destroy both the “little Satan” (Israel) and the “big Satan” (the United States of America).

Most observers of geopolitics apparently believe and forecast that it would take a massive invasion of troops on the ground to finally and forever remove Iran’s regime structure. Neither Netanyahu nor Trump is willing to commit to such an all-out ground invasion.

However, more to the point, there is going to be in place during the future invasion of Israel an Iranian regime at least as wicked and hate-filled as the present Iranian regime.

Ezekiel the prophet was given, through Holy Spirit inspiration, the armies of people to Israel’s north that will come to “take spoil” and annihilate God’s chosen people. This will never be allowed to happen, of course, as God Himself will intervene and destroy all but one-sixth of the invading force.

One of the chief members of that force will be the armies of Persia. This, of course, is the ancient name for the region of present-day Iran. So, a regime at least as evil as that in today’s Iran will exist at the time of the Gog-Magog attack outlined by Ezekiel.

Therefore, because of the lateness of the prophetic hour—based upon all of the signals that we are near the end of the Age of Grace—the present Iranian regime seems destined to be part of the Gog-Magog attacking force.

My own view is that the assault will take place very soon after the Rapture of the Church. I believe the man of sin who will become Earth’s last and most terrible tyrant will watch, knowing this force will be defeated by God, then will move into Jerusalem to become that son of perdition.

So, my own take is to watch for a devastating strike against Iran’s nuclear facilities, but not for Iranian regime change. Iran’s destiny—that is, Persia’s evil regime’s prophetic destiny—is in God’s crosshairs for destruction!

Iran, Russia, and Ezekiel 38: Is the Stage Being Set?

Iran, Russia, and Ezekiel 38: Is the Stage Being Set?

Video

Iran Celebrates Trump’s Setback, but the Price of Perceived Victory Is Mounting at Home

Iran Celebrates Trump’s Setback, but the Price of Perceived Victory Is Mounting at Home

JCFA Iran-Syria Desk

Tehran portrays the U.S. midterm results and pressure in Hormuz as evidence that its strategy is working. But major domestic issues are raising a harder question: what does Iran’s “victory” actually deliver?

The Iranian media opened on November 5, 2026, with a relatively simple story: Trump lost, therefore Iran won. ISNA drew a connection between the hostage crisis that weighed on Jimmy Carter and the current midterm election results, arguing that the war against Iran was a major factor in hurting Trump’s party. Even though the article itself acknowledges that the two events are not identical, it constructs a historical continuum in which confrontation with Iran repeatedly spills over into American politics and destabilizes sitting presidents. This is a media narrative, not proof that American voters cast their ballots because of Iran, but it clearly illustrates what the establishment wants the Iranian public to take away from the elections: the price Iran has paid was not one-sided, and Washington is paying for it at home as well.

The conservative press went further. The morning headlines directly linked the American ballot box to Hormuz, presenting the result almost as a continuation of the military campaign by political means. The newspaper Iran spoke of the end of the myth of American invulnerability, while senior officials had already articulated the same line more directly the previous day: the Supreme Leader warned that an Iranian response to further aggression would be broader, Mohsen Rezaei claimed that Tehran had inflicted a military and political defeat on Trump, and Esmail Qaani extended the language of deterrence to Bab al-Mandab as well. From the establishment’s perspective, the logic is clear. If the public can be persuaded that the enemy has been weakened as a result of the confrontation, it becomes easier to explain why the price was worth paying.

But within Iran itself, there are also warnings against reading too much into the results. Experts quoted in moderate media outlets noted that even a Congress more hostile to the president does not deprive him of his broad executive powers, and that Trump still has tools such as the veto and control over foreign policy. Donya-e Eqtesad presented two opposing scenarios: Trump could be deterred from further escalation because of its political cost, but he could also choose to escalate precisely in order to repair an image of weakness. In other words, even within Iranian discourse there is an understanding that an electoral defeat is not a ceasefire agreement, and certainly not an end to the disputes over Hormuz, the nuclear issue, and Israel.

This debate is not only about how to interpret the election results. It is also becoming a debate about the legitimacy of the price being paid. 

The morning’s most consequential figure comes from the economy. According to an analysis of a report by the Iranian Chamber of Commerce, forced shutdowns and disruptions to activity during the previous year caused an estimated $34 billion in damage, with about 22 percent of potential economic activity lost. The estimate includes electricity and gas shortages, internet disruptions, air pollution, unrest, and wartime conditions. Even if this is an estimate rather than a final national accounting, it provides a much more concrete picture of what lies behind the word “resilience”: a factory unable to operate because of a power outage, a business unable to sell because the internet is down, a supply chain brought to a halt, and workers whose wages depend on a production day that never happened.

Producer prices also continue to show that pressure remains embedded in the system. According to figures cited in the economic press, annual producer price inflation in industry, mining, and electricity remained above 100 percent, reaching 147.3 percent in industry alone. That does not mean every consumer product has already risen in price by the same amount, but it does mean that the cost of producing it has increased dramatically. Some of that increase can temporarily be absorbed by the producer or offset through subsidies, but eventually the pressure tends to be passed on through consumer prices, reduced business profitability, or workers’ wages.

The state treasury is not providing much breathing room either. After seven months, only 47 percent of the tax revenue target had been achieved, compared with a linear pace that should have been higher, while revenues were reportedly down 18 percent in real terms from the corresponding period. This is a dangerous combination for the government: at a time when it is being required to spend more on reconstruction, energy, welfare, and protecting purchasing power, its sources of revenue are struggling to keep pace with projections.

Winter Reveals How Narrow the Government’s Margin of Safety Has Become

Energy is now becoming one of the central tests. The Oil Ministry is asking the private sector to participate in demand management, imports, and investment in the gas sector, while the Chamber of Commerce emphasizes that such cooperation will require economic viability and a clear repayment mechanism. The very fact that the government is turning to the private sector indicates that the state is not confident it can close the supply gap on its own if the winter is cold.

This is where the energy crisis connects directly to the production crisis. Less gas means more restrictions on factories. Less production means lower revenues for businesses and less tax revenue for the state. Lower state revenues make it harder to finance the infrastructure reconstruction needed to resolve the energy shortage. This creates a cycle that is difficult to break through a single administrative order.

And that is precisely the difference between a perceptual victory and economic resilience. It is possible to argue that Hormuz has increased the cost of confrontation for the United States, but if that same confrontation also reduces the ability to supply energy to Iranian industry, the success is not one-sided. The regime may be capable of increasing the cost for its adversary, but it still has to prove that it can absorb its own costs over time.

Desk Conclusion: The Greater the Declared Victory, the Greater the Expectation of a Payoff at Home

This, ultimately, is the central problem with the story the establishment is trying to construct. If the midterm election results constitute an Iranian victory, and if Hormuz has already succeeded in influencing American politics, the public can reasonably ask what comes next.

Is the war moving closer to an end? Will sanctions ease? Will there be enough gas for the winter? Will factories operate without interruption? Will wages erode more slowly?

The higher the government and conservative media elevate the scale of the achievement, the higher they also raise expectations.

This morning’s economic data do not describe a country on the verge of collapse, but they do describe a country with less room for error. Lost production, exceptional input costs, tax revenues falling short of projections, and an anticipated energy shortage are gradually reducing the government’s ability to absorb additional months of emergency conditions.

Iran can present Trump’s defeat as proof that the pressure is working. Now comes the more difficult stage: proving that this victory is worth something to those living in Tehran, Isfahan, Shiraz, or Mashhad.

Otherwise, what appears to be a strategic achievement abroad could turn into a much simpler question at home: if we won, why are we still paying so much?

Why Christians Should Study Bible Prophecy

What God Wants To Reveal: Why Christians Should Study Bible Prophecy

Greg Laurie

A UC Irvine study published this year revealed that up to 40% of Americans actually believe we’re living in the end times. Now, this was not a poll for only those who profess to be Christian—it included non-Christians who are reading the same headlines we all are, and wondering if these are the last days. 

So I want to talk to you about what Jesus said about the end times in Luke chapter 21. It’s actually an answer to a question from his disciples. And by the way, it’s the longest answer he gave to any question that was ever asked of him.

The question was, “What will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the world?” People are asking this very question today. What are the signs of Christ’s coming? Is the end of the world near? … I want to focus on why we should even talk about this. 

So why should we talk about the end times? Answer: because 25% of the Bible is prophetic. So it’s not some obscure side note. The Bible literally oozes with the return of Jesus Christ. In fact, the New Testament contains over 300 references to the return of Jesus Christ to the earth. So if the Lord talks about this a lot, shouldn’t we be talking about it as well? Shouldn’t we be paying attention to it?

Some people say, “Well, it’s so hard to figure it all out. It’s hard to understand.” I understand that. But listen, it’s not God’s desire to conceal, but to reveal. 

In fact, the last book of the Bible, the book of Revelation, the word actually means “the unveiling.” When Jesus talked about the abomination of desolation, he added this word of commentary: “Let the reader understand.” In other words, he’s saying, “As I’m talking about these end times events, I want you to understand these things.” 

When the apostle Paul was addressing the topic of end times events in 1 Thessalonians, he said, “I would not have you ignorant, brothers and sisters.” So, hey, we can [and] we must know about this, and we can understand it.

I heard a story about a guy who just loved studying the book of Revelation, and some academics came up to him. And they considered themselves far more intelligent than he was. They were great theologians. And they said to this guy, “Why do you read the book of Revelation all the time? No one can understand that book. It’s an enigma.” The guy says, “Well, I love to read it, and I do understand it.” They said, “Oh, do you? Okay, well, then explain the book of Revelation to us.” And the guy said in response, “It means we win in the end.”

Bible Prophecy Brings Hope in a Hopeless World

So why should we study Bible prophecy? Why should we know more about end times events? Answer: understanding Bible prophecy brings hope in a hopeless world. … And that is why the Bible calls it the blessed hope. In Titus 2:13, Paul writes, “Looking for that blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ.” And by the way, that word blessed can be translated happy. So we can say it’s a happy hope. It’s a happy thing to realize that Jesus could come back at any moment.

Bible Prophecy Unravels the Mystery of History

Another reason it’s a good thing to study Bible prophecy is it unravels the mystery of history.

You know, we ask the question, why is there so much evil in the world? When will right prevail over wrong? When will Satan finally be judged? Answer: when Christ comes back and establishes his kingdom.

Isn’t that what he taught us to pray in what we call the Lord’s Prayer? He says, “After this manner, therefore, you should pray: Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be your name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”

Bible Prophecy Brings Sense to Our Suffering

Another reason we should study Bible prophecy is it brings sense to our suffering.

Because we ask questions like, what do you say to someone who has suffered a great tragedy? What do you say to someone who has been going through life with a severe disability? What do you say to someone who has lost a loved one? What do you say to someone who is weeping with grief? You say, “This is not God’s final plan.” You say, “There’s coming a day, according to Revelation 21:4, when God will wipe every tear from our eyes, and there’ll be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying, for those things are gone forever.”

What do you say to someone who has lost a loved one? Well, if that loved one has died in faith, you come back to the words of the apostle Paul when he was writing to the believers in 1 Thessalonians 4, who had lost loved ones. And he said, “The Lord himself is going to descend from heaven with a shout and with the voice of the archangel and the trump of God, and the dead in Christ shall rise first, and we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds. And so shall we ever be with the Lord.” That’s what you say. 

You see, you tell them, “If your loved one died in faith, you’re going to see them again. You’re going to be reunited with them again. They’re not just a part of your past. They’re also a part of your future.” And that is why Paul adds this statement after he talks about the Lord’s return. And that statement is, “Therefore, comfort one another with these words.” Whenever you see the word therefore in the Bible, find out what it’s there for. Paul’s drawing upon what is said. He’s saying, in effect, “Christ is coming. You’ll be reunited again with your loved ones. So comfort one another with these words.”

Bible Prophecy Motivates Us to Live a Godly Life

Another reason we should study Bible prophecy is it causes us to live a godly life.

The more we think about the future, the more we’ll be motivated to live right in the present.

Whenever you read what the Bible says about the future, there is usually an exhortation to live a godly life attached to it. As an example, 2 Peter 3:11 says, “Since everything around us is going to be destroyed like this, what holy and godly lives you should live.” And then in 1 John it says, “He that has this hope [the hope of the Lord’s return] purifies himself even as he is pure.”

We Don’t Have to Fear the End Times Because God Is in Control

Luke 21:28: “When you see these things begin to happen, look up, because your redemption is drawing near.” Know this. Governments change, wars erupt, threats increase, people panic. But again, Jesus says look up, not freak out.

I know it can be scary at times, but why should I not freak out? Why should I not panic? Simple answer. God is sovereign, and God is in control. Listen, nothing is catching God by surprise right now. History is not spinning out of control. History is moving exactly as God said it would, because history is His story.

The great preacher C.H. Spurgeon put it this way, and I quote, “The sovereignty of God is the pillow upon which a child of God rests his head at night, giving perfect peace.” I love that statement.

… So listen. You can lay your head on the pillow at night knowing that the Lord has all things in control. … Know that our God, who loves us, is sovereign, He’s in control, and everything is going according to His plan. In the end, like the guy said who loved to study the book of Revelation, we win. That’s true. We win in the end.

So, in closing, why should we study Bible prophecy? Well, Bible prophecy is not given to scare us, but to prepare us. It’s not given to make us argumentative. It’s given to make us evangelistic. 

We should not be focused on who the Antichrist is. We should be focusing on who Jesus Christ is. The Bible does not tell us to look for Antichrist. It tells us to be looking for Jesus Christ.