January 17, 2025 – Israeli Hostages To Start Returning Home? Good Deal/Bad Deal?

Scriptures: Isaiah 61: 1 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me because the Lord has anointed me to preach good news to the poor, and He has sent me to heal the brokenhearted. To proclaim liberty to the captives and opening the prison to that that are bound.”

Luke 4:8 the words of Jesus, He opens Isaiah and reads this about Himself. He fulfills it.

News sources: Beginning of Sorrows, Times of Israel, Jerusalem Jane, Insider paper.

Israel and Hamas signed a deal to release the hostages. They have been held for 468 days. Representatives of Israel, Hamas, US and Qatar signed it.

They say 3 hostages will be released as early as Sunday. The first phase said to release 33. Says it will take 42 days before all are released. 

Netanyahu said they will be coordinating the preparations to receive the hostages and return them to Israel. Netanyahu has updated the families of the hostages. 

Netanyahu said Israel is committing to achieving all its objectives to the war including the return of the living and the deceased. Also said they have received guarantees from Biden and Trump if negotiations on phase 2 fail and Hamas does not accept our security demands they will return to intense fighting with the backing of the US.

Israel’s security advisor Smotrich and Geir both voted against the deal. Gvir said he is horrified by this. Says terrorists with life sentences are being released to Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria, and they will try to kill again. Calls on his friends in the Lukid and religious Zionism to stop the deal. 

Houthis say Israel has failed  in Gaza and the Houthis  are bragging about themselves. They say Israel has failed to achieve its goals. Said if Israel doesn’t keep its part in the agreement  they would provide military support to the Palestinian people. 

Comments:

Israel Today said Israel was talked into this ceasefire deal by both coming in and going out US administration. Both seek a foreign policy win. They can argue who deserves the more credit. They say if Trump was in Israel’s shoes he wouldn’t do it. Israel is giving more than it receives. Trump would not give more than it receives, especially not from a beaten opponent.

The article says why is the world’s most powerful nation incapable of coercing Hamas to make the greater compromise or to surrender, which is what the outcome should be. 

Yet Israel is confident if the ceasefire is violated by Hamas and almost certainly will be, the Trump administration would back Israel resuming its military operations whereas Biden would not. 

Goes on to say, this is the first time Israel lost a war. It won in 1948, 1967 and 1973. It fought Hezbollah in a draw in 2006. That has just changed. This peace deal with Hamas is clearly a win for Hamas, loss for Israel. No wonder people in Gaza are cheering. Hamas got what it wanted. Turned the world against Israel. Negotiated the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners many who have been sentenced to life terms. While some of its leaders were killed, they will be replaced with new ones. While many of its fighters have been killed according to press release Hamas has been rebuilding its fighting wing that now has 12,000 soldiers in Gaza. Hamas has proved Israel is willing to give up huge amounts to get small amounts in return.

Hamas gets to proclaim proudly October 7 2023 massacre brought results that Israel is weaker now because of that. While much of Gaza has been destroyed the world is about to provide huge sums of money to rebuild it. The money will likely go to Hamas. Hamas will still control Gaza and the UN relief organization will stay there. Next, the war has created a serious rift between Israel and the US. 

Tom says we think of the hostages. Our heart goes out to them. God is watching over it all. He is about to  step in.

Israel Today says, hope of peace and stability on fragile foundations. 

Tom says once again, peace and safely. We are waiting for Jesus to come for us, it could happen at any time. 

Comment from national security on humanitarian aid. What kind of country gives fuel to its enemies during the time of war. 

Comment from a journalist. Says when Hamas leaders dress up as doctors, journalists and aid workers the Western media fall for it and millions of Westerners would march waving Palestinian flags. 

Objections in Israel. A rally in Jerusalem with a group called settler activists. They are rallying against the hostage deal. They say Trump promised hell for Gaza and he’s giving us hell. A veteran of this organization spoke. She said President elect Trump has prospective peace with Saudi Arabia and called for Jewish settlements of the Gaza Strip. She said many on Israel’s right convinced themselves Trump will only bring us good things as if he is the messiah. But he is already seeking peace with Saudi Arabia which is just an illusion of world peace. She tells them to go back and cancel this deal. Says it a shame and disgrace and we are crawling before our enemies. The crowd began to shout, death to the terrorists. 

That is the summary on this for today.

Russia and China met for a 20 year agreement between them. 

Tom thinks we are seeing Ps 83 right now that gets things ready for the antichrist to sign the 7 year covenant. Tom thinks Ezekiel 38 is midway in the tribulation. Israel will  seem to be at peace.

Elons’ latest vision says human like robots will be the biggest product in human history. Tesla will produce and army of robots called Optimus by 2027. He plans to mass produce a half million robots by 2027. Musk even suggested a world where the ratio  could be 5 humanoid robots to one human. Meaning up to 30 billion robots could be operating globally. Tom says that looks like the tribulation. 

Gospel: we need to keep telling people the Gospel, to get saved. The time is short, Jesus wants all to be saved. He came from heaven to die for the sins of all mankind since the beginning of time. He was perfect and took the magnitude of sins on the cross so we can have all our sins taking aways by believing in what He did and receiving forgiveness. The power of the sacrifice of His blood that He shed on the cross forgives every sin past, present and future forever.

If reject Jesus and the forgiveness He gives cannot go to heaven with a Holy God but will go to hell forever, it’s one or the other. 

Be saved today by belief in Jesus and will be saved, born again, receive Holy Spirit, changed and ready for the rapture. Will not be here for the 7 year tribulation. 

Be saved today, with the Jesus and the family of God forever in heaven.

Today’s Scriptures:

Isaiah 61:1

“The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me,

Because the Lord has anointed Me

To preach good tidings to the poor;

He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,

To proclaim liberty to the captives,

And the opening of the prison to those who are bound.”

John 8:32,36

32 “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”

36 “Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.”

Romans 8:2

For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death.

Luke 10:19

“Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.”

2 Corinthians 3:17

Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.

Luke 4:18 (Jesus reading Isaiah 61)

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me,

Because He has anointed Me

To preach the gospel to the poor;

He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,

To proclaim liberty to the captives

And recovery of sight to the blind,

To set at liberty those who are oppressed”

Revelation 12:11

And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the deat