As we enter 2026 the sea of the nations is roaring and casting up mire and dirt. On Friday night, in an audacious move, America took the dictator of Venezuela prisoner, over the last few days massive protests against the regime have surged up in Iran,  Israel recognized the new country of Somaliland, Yemen is becoming unstable and the war continues in Ukraine, with Russia advancing every day.

It’s striking to recall that just last year, Joe Biden was still president, Iran had an intact nuclear program, Hamas held nearly 100 hostages, and Israel was actively at war in Gaza, with soldiers dying regularly. Israel’s home front also endured frequent Houthi missile attacks.

The terrorist attack at Australia’s Bondi Beach shocked the world this past week. Jews were gathering to celebrate Hanukkah when gunfire broke out. This event is not isolated but is a result of the call for a Global Intifada, which has been permitted in many Western countries. The Bible is clear that the Jews will return to the land, and many Jews living there are now calling for their dispersed brethren to return to the place God has appointed for them.

The spirit of Amalek is still alive very much today. The rise of America’s far-right is a testament to this fact. A war of ideas has been raging in the Republican Party - the party of conservatives in America. The traditionally pro-Israel consensus is being challenging by a much more sinister far-right, Orthodox Christian movement that certainly leans into the Amalekite spirit of Antisemitism. 

In this Unscripted! conversation, John Billington and Peter Owen discuss current events related to Israel, the Middle East peace process, and the implications of rising anti-Semitism. They reflect on historical lessons from the Holocaust, the prophecies regarding the Jewish return to Israel, and the role of the Bible in shaping current events. The discussion also touches on the Pope’s first international travel taking him to Turkey to celebrate 1700 Years since the Nicene Creed. Further they focus on Britain’s shifting religious landscape and the broader implications of these developments in the context of biblical prophecy. Most importantly they discuss the implications of these developments on believers as the return of Christ draws ever closer.

A storm is brewing in the court of public opinion. As conflicts rage in the Middle East, Western media outlets - once regarded as pillars of neutrality and truth - are being exposed for what they are increasingly becoming: instruments of bias and ideological warfare. This trend is especially clear in coverage concerning the State of Israel.

We might imagine that if Iran were to collapse it might be a result of Israel winning the war against them or America bombing their nuclear site, or the international sanctions. However, these are not the greatest problems or threats to Iran and the regime. The greatest threat against Iran today is a lack of water. A severe drought combined with poor mismanagement of the country's water resources, have led to a crisis. A crisis so great that there is talk of having to move the population out of the capital city Tehran!

Jeremiah lists two phases to the return of the Jews to the land: the phase of fishers (the age of persuasion), and the phase of hunters, where they will be pushed by persecution. In this week’s Bible in the News, we see that the hunter phase is now becoming the reality that Jews of the diaspora are facing in everyday life.

Here is a video version:

I think during COVID it was hard for us to understand the scope of the changes that we are about to see come across our world. Welcome to the Bible in the News this week. This is Tim Billington joining you. We've seen culture wars in society around us and they're only heating up. We're seeing resurgence of religion. Young people are believing in God more than they did before. The woke left is not only getting worse but turning violent.

All the living hostages have now been returned to Israel. Delays over the Hamas terror group's return of deceased hostages, is causing the ceasefire to hang in the balance. Hamas has again shown their true colours with lynchings and torture of their own people within the Gaza strip. Trump has been able to unite a large portion of the oil rich Gulf States to get behind his ceasefire agreement, which is a large achievement and force Hamas to give up the hostages. Trump’s next step, is the expansion of the Abraham accords, which would bring peace and more prosperity to the region.