We are all very pleased to add another Bible prophecy expert to our staff. Pastor Mondo Gonzales will be joining us in July, from the Lake Tahoe Community Church in Lake Tahoe. He will begin working with Gary to launch a prophetic news network; serve as an occasional co-host of our program; contribute to The Prophecy Watcher magazine and help expand the outreach of this important end-time ministry. We are grateful and excited at the things the Lord is doing! —Editor 

If you are a reader of The Prophecy Watcher Magazine, you no doubt have a dedicated interest to watching the end-time prophetic scenario unfold before our eyes. Ever since 1948 with the establishment of the state of Israel and the extremely popular book, The Late Great Planet Earth by Hal Lindsey in 1970, we have been exposed to the various component stages being set for the events leading up to the rapture and seven-year tribulation. God in His grace, saved me at 18 years old in 1993 and I immediately began to grow in my understanding of prophecy. I feasted on books by John Walvoord, Arnold Fruchtenbaum, Chuck Missler, Randall Price and Thomas Ice (among others). I was so excited as a teenager that I began to collect newspaper articles in a binder that connected to Biblical prophecy and used it as an evangelism tool. I realized very soon that my binder was too small! 

Soon after, I had the privilege of being called to be a pastor in Illinois and attend Moody Bible Institute. Even though I had come to see the logical consistency of classical Dispensationalism, I was able to study it more in depth at Moody which was ardently dispensational at that time. I majored in Jewish studies under Michael Rydelnik which provided me with solid instruction in not only Jewish studies and evangelism, but with understanding the prophetic significance of the modern state of Israel and its future. Sadly, so much of the contemporary church (mainly national denominations) is losing its Biblical understanding of the role of Israel in future prophecy. They are participating in the boycott and divesting initiatives without properly taking into consideration that one day Israel will accept Jesus as Messiah and be saved (Rom 11:25-26); after the time of Jacob’s trouble (Jer 30:7). 

God has always given me a love for the glorious land of Israel and has provided me the opportunity to earn a master’s degree in Near Eastern Archaeology and Languages from Trinity International University near Chicago, IL. It’s been a joy over the last 20 years to do archaeological work and field study in Greece, Turkey, the Island of Patmos, Israel, Jordan, Peru and all over Egypt. I have been to Israel seven times and as a tour leader four times, being able to take churches and other groups to experience the spiritual wonder of visiting God’s land. My longest stint was a month in Israel where I was able to participate in the excavations at Tell es-Safi (also known as Gath where Goliath was from). 

Back in 2014, I became connected to the work that L.A. Marzulli was doing on the elongated skulls of Peru. We spent many years preparing documents and much paperwork to satisfy the requirements of the National Ministry of Culture in order to obtain permission to extract additional samples and remove them from the country for ancient DNA analysis. Our findings from the DNA as well as other multi-disciplinary approaches proved to be extremely significant in showing that the elongated skulls were genetically modified and contrary to typical human skeletal structures. It truly was groundbreaking research which has been ignored by many of the mainstream universities or research institutes. 

Having the privilege to pastor at churches in Illinois, Washington, and Lake Tahoe, Nevada has helped me to see the absolute need to make sure God’s people in the church are trained properly in the various facets of eschatology. Events are escalating at an increasingly rapid pace in both intensity and frequency as Jesus said it would in His analogy of birth pains (Matt 24:8). Jesus scolded the Pharisees for not recognizing the signs of the times (Matt 16:1-3) and no doubt He commanded all of His followers to be watching at all times (Matt 24:42). When God’s people are being alert to the signs of the times, it will cause them to grow in holiness and purity as they await their Lord’s return (1 John 3:2-3; 2 Peter 3:11). When it comes to eschatology and specifically the rapture, God instructs us through Paul that we are not to be ignorant of these things (1 Thess. 4:13). Our growth and knowledge will equip us to not just satisfy our own intellectual interests, but to evangelize those around us with the gospel. 

Personally blessed by the work of Prophecy Watchers through the years, it is an honor and privilege to be called to join the excellent team God has put together. Their vision to reach the world with the gospel of Jesus Christ, along with the focus of educating and directing everyone to be watching for Jesus’ soon return excites me. Your prayers would be much appreciated as we continue to share Jesus’ command to be watching with as many people as possible (Mark 13:37). Maranatha! – Mondo