Answering Trump’s Question

As things in the Middle East are ramping up with a major conflict in progress (Operation Epic Fury), stage-setting for prophetic fulfillment, I think, comes into quickly tightening focus. The Iranian regime’s intransigence, in particular, helps bring matters regarding Mideast hostilities into understandable Bible prophecy perspective.

The same level of comprehension is not true for observers who don’t have God’s Word as the centerpiece of their thinking on the present warfare in that volatile region.

The primary consideration regarding what to address in the swiftly moving Iranian situation is the question the president of the United States was asking, according to a recent news item.

US envoy Steve Witkoff said in an interview with Fox News that aired on Sunday that President Trump was “curious” that Iran hasn’t “capitulated” to US demands due to the major US military buildup in the Middle East and threats of war.

“I don’t want to use the word frustrated because [Trump] understands he has plenty of alternatives, but he’s curious, he’s curious as to why they haven’t, I don’t want to use the word capitulated, but why they haven’t capitulated,” Witkoff told Fox News host Lara Trump, the president’s daughter-in-law.

“Why, under this sort of pressure, with the amount of sea power, naval power, that we have over there, why they haven’t come to us and said, ‘we profess that we don’t want a [nuclear] weapon, so here’s what we’re prepared to do,’ yet it’s hard to get them to that point,” Witkoff added. (“President Trump ‘Curious’ Why Iran Hasn’t ‘Capitulated’,” Dave DeCamp, zerohedge, February 23, 2026)

It’s easy to wonder over the Ayatollahs’ refusal to cooperate, as did President Trump, knowing how devastating the US military’s previous “obliteration” (in Trump’s own words) was of the Iranian regime’s underground nuclear-weapons-development facilities.

It is easy to ask this question the president was apparently asking. Why did the Iranian leadership not prefer to give in rather than face an even more decimating action if negotiations failed to produce results this president wanted—an ongoing assault that Trump has now delivered?

In last year’s so-called 12-Day War, American military forces proved beyond any doubt that powerful bombs of unprecedented capability could penetrate—precisely—deeply within Iran’s hiding places, and that the bombs could be delivered by aircraft so advanced they couldn’t be detected even though Iran’s defense forces knew they were going to be hit—i.e., the B-2s delivered the penetrator ordnance and were gone before the Iranians knew of the assault.

Understanding that this president doesn’t play games—he does what he says he will do—the Ayatollahs still refused to stop threatening Israel and the Mideast region…and America, for that matter. They refused to give up their ambition to develop nuclear weaponry and delivery systems that would give them the ability to accomplish those desires.

This attack in Operation Epic Fury by the American military—and by the Israeli Defense Force in Roaring Lion—proved to be much more destructive, with Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and most of Iran’s leadership killed –as forewarned by Mr. Trump’s own words.

So, why indeed did the fanatic Islamic regime not do all things necessary to avoid the inevitable?

Bible prophecy answers the president’s question from thousands of years ago.

Daniel, the great Old Testament prophet, was and is the conduit through which the answer to today’s question by President Donald John Trump was given.

The same commander of the same evil forces Daniel faced in that long-ago time is still in charge of stirring problems in the Middle East. He whispers into the demonically inspired thoughts of the Ayatollahs who want to initiate worldwide war…so their Mahdi, whom they believe will help them rule the world, will come on the scene as prophesied when total war begins.

The following gives a clue identifying this evil Ephesians 6:12 demonic minion that is as active as ever today.

My friend, the late Dr. John Walvoord, once addressed the time when the prophet Daniel had troubling questions about the threats he and his people, Israel, faced.

At that time, according to Daniel chapter 10, an angel was sent to inform and comfort the old prophet:

10:12-14 “Then said he unto me, Fear not, Daniel: for from the first day that thou didst set thine heart to understand, and to chasten thyself before thy God, thy words were heard, and I am come for thy words. But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me one and twenty days: but, lo, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me; and I remained there with the kings of Persia. Now I am come to make thee understand what shall befall thy people in the latter days: for yet the vision is for many days.…”

Daniel is further encouraged by the exhortation, “Fear not, Daniel.” To allay the fears of Daniel still further, the angel informs him that from the very beginning of his intercession three weeks before, God had undertaken to answer his prayers and send the angelic messenger to him. What a reassurance it is that when one comes to God as Daniel did, setting his heart to understand and chastening himself before God, one may expect Daniel’s experience of the response of God that his words were heard and the messenger dispatched.

The delay is explained in verse 13 as being occasioned by the opposition of “the prince of the kingdom of Persia,” who “withstood me one and twenty days.” This “prince” is not the king of the kingdom of Persia but rather the angelic leader of Persia, a fallen angel under the direction of Satan, in contrast to the angelic prince Michael, who leads and protects Israel. That the angel described as “the prince” of Persia is a wicked angel is clear from the fact that his opposition to the angelic messenger to Daniel is given as the reason for the delay of twenty-one days. (Chapter 10, The Vision of the Glory of God, https://walvoord.com)

Mr. President, this is the answer to your query. That same entity–the Prince of Persia—continues in his demonic activity. As a matter of fact, this prince of evil, like his master Lucifer the fallen (Satan), knows he has but a short time. His activity is growing in virulence, as is manifested more dramatically in each succeeding news cycle.

The Ayatollahs were and are satanically driven in their madness. Regardless of the success of this latest action to eliminate those who foment evil in the region, Bible prophecy tells us the evil minions that hate Israel will yet assault God’s chosen people, according to Ezekiel chapters 38 and 39.

All the dynamic rearrangements in the areas involved in Operation Epic Fury show clearly just how near is the time of Jacob’s trouble (Jeremiah 30:7).

Christ will call all believers into Heaven in the Rapture before the seven-year Tribulation begins. The dynamics triggered by that great event will no doubt quickly arrange all things prophesied for the Gog-Magog attack and all other prophecies yet to be fulfilled.

That twinkling-of-an-eye moment of Rapture must be near indeed!  

We must, therefore, as Royal Ambassadors on this Tribulation-bound world, instruct those who do not know the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior how to come to accept God’s grace-gift offer of salvation through His Only Begotten Son. When a person accepts Jesus as Savior, he or she is Rapture Ready. –That is, he or she will go to be with Christ before that great and terrible day of the Lord begins. Here is how to accept Jesus Christ right at this moment and become a child in God the Father’s eternal family:

“That if you will confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and will believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart man believes unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation” (Romans 10:9-10).

—Terry

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Waiting for Jesus’ Appearing

As we wait for Jesus’ appearing, our hearts often grow weary amid the rampant evil of our day and the hardships we encounter. Our cry often becomes one of “how much longer, O Lord?”

Our weariness of heart amid the wait comes from a variety of sources:

• Ongoing health issues of varying intensity.
• The limitations that come with aging.
• The sickening wickedness in our world that’s growing exponentially.
• Government corruption amid over-the-top deception and gaslighting by leaders.
• The vile depopulation efforts of the globalists.
• The everyday talk of a nuclear World War III.
• Various forms of persecution.
• The ridicule of our hope in Jesus’ imminent appearing.
• Family heartaches.
• Financial woes.

I composed this list four years ago when, at the time, I couldn’t have imagined that we would still be here in March 2026, still waiting to meet Jesus in the air. I believe that Paul summed up how many of us feel in Romans 8:23:

“And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.” (emphasis added)

The “redemption of our bodies” happens at the moment the Rapture occurs; that’s when Jesus gives us imperishable bodies. If you sigh with longing for this day to arrive, you’re in good company. The Apostle Paul also sighed with longing as he awaited Jesus’ appearing.

Is it not our anticipation of the glory ahead for us that encourages our weary hearts? That’s why I’m again writing to reassure you of the confidence we possess in Jesus’ imminent appearing. Amid the uncertainty of how the Middle East war might impact our lives, we have peace knowing that God remains in control and our hope in Jesus’ imminent appearing is unshakable.

Let’s briefly review the biblical foundation of our hope for times like these. . .

Premillennialism is a biblical necessity. Premillennialism is foundational to our belief in the pre-Tribulation Rapture. There must be a time when God restores a kingdom to Israel, which happens after a literal seven-year Tribulation when Jesus returns to the earth.

Why is this key to placing the Rapture before the Tribulation? First, those who adhere to Replacement Theology don’t believe in a seven-year Tribulation. They have no other choice but to combine the Rapture with the Second Coming.

Second, if one doesn’t interpret prophecy in the way that the writers of Scripture intended, which forms the solid basis for our Premillennial beliefs, then one cannot recognize how its words confirm the biblical necessity of a pre-Tribulation Rapture.

The Rapture is a biblical event. Because of the fierce opposition to the idea of the Rapture, let alone placing it before the seven-year tribulation, we must keep in mind that it’s most definitely a biblical event.

The late Dr. Ed Hindson, beloved author and Bible prophecy scholar, put it like this in his book, Future Glory:

“If you disagree on the timing of the rapture, please don’t tell people, ‘There’s never going to be a rapture.’ No, there must be a rapture or the Bible is not true. There must be a time when the archangel shouts, when the trumpet sounds, and the dead in Christ are raised, and the living are caught up (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18). We may differ on the timing of the rapture but not the fact of the rapture.”

Jesus is surely coming for us, and at that time He will give us imperishable bodies exactly as He promises us in 1 Corinthians 15:50-54. Regardless of what one calls the events described in passages such as John 14:1-3, Titus 2:11-14, Colossians 3:4, and Revelation 3:10-11a, we know these things must happen someday.

The Rapture cannot happen at the same time as the Second Coming. The next piece to the puzzle of our confidence comes from the differing biblical descriptions of the Rapture and Second Coming. The event recorded in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17 cannot possibly be the same one John wrote about in Rev. 19:11-20:4. They differ in many ways that make it impossible for one to reconcile the two into one event.

Here are just a few ways in which the descriptions of the two clash:

1. The place of the resurrection of saints in the order of events.
2. The identification of the risen saints.
3. The speed at which they happen.
4. The place where believers meet the Lord.
5. The destination to which Jesus takes the saints.

In addition to these differences, we know that if the Rapture happens at the same time as Jesus’ return, then everyone enters the Millennium in glorified sinless bodies. The Bible, however, tells us that sin will exist during Jesus’ reign. This alone makes it impossible to combine the two.

The New Testament expectancy of the Rapture. The apostles repeatedly described their readers as eagerly anticipating Jesus’ return for them (1 Cor. 1:7; Phil. 3:20-21; 1 Thess. 1:8-10; Titus 2:11-14; James 5:8). The first-century AD saints watched for the Rapture as though it could happen at any moment. When we say that Jesus’ appearing is imminent, we echo their expectancy. Nothing needs to occur before the Rapture takes place.

The assurance that we will miss the “Day of the Lord” wrath. For many, the clincher that the Rapture will happen before the Tribulation comes from 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11 where the Lord, through His apostle, promises to come for us before the time of judgment that’s coming to this world. This guarantee of deliverance from this future time of wrath confirms our expectation of a pre-Tribulation Rapture.

The purpose of this quick review is to assure you that our anticipation of Jesus’ imminent appearing is entirely valid. We have a solid scriptural foundation for what we believe. As such, our hope doesn’t rest in what might happen next in this world, but rather in meeting our Savior in the air.

-Jonathan

Rapture-Ready Remnant

As if to frame the entire set-up for how near we are to the last moment of this Church Age, the exodus of God’s chosen people from around the world back to their God-given land is suddenly in stark view.

The set-up includes all the eschatological stage-setting things—the issues and events we’ve pored over for many months—particularly the prophetic signals that have become manifest over these last few weeks. There can be no missing it for those whose eyes and ears are spiritually attuned to God’s Word regarding how things will be when this age is at an end.

Key among the signals is the world’s treatment of the Jews. Jesus gave the conditions that would eventuate when the time of His return at Armageddon nears:

“Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake” (Matthew 24:9).

Jesus was stating what will take place, full-blown, during the time of Jacob’s Trouble (Jeremiah 30:7). This will come to pass in its most virulent manifestation during the second half of the seven-year Tribulation (Daniel’s seventieth week).

However, it becomes more obvious with each passing hour that the nation Israel—and that includes all Jews worldwide—is in the crosshairs of satanic hatred. Anti-Semitism is on the rise, and not just in Europe or Germany as in Hitler’s day.

The effects this madness is having make it clear that one of the most profound reasons for the coming Tribulation era is right before our eyes. The Jewish people are at the beginning of the great drive to return to the Promised Land—whether knowingly or unwittingly.

By this, I mean that some Jewish scholars and others who believe God’s chosen people are prophetically scheduled to come into their God-given land see what is happening as prophetic fulfillment. They are wrong about Jesus Christ’s non-involvement, but they do believe that God gave Israel the Land of Promise and see the forced exodus from the nations of the world to that land as God’s hand in the matters involved.

The following excerpt from an in-depth article on Aliyah (a call upward to a synagogue or to Israel as homeland) frames this observation and shows just how near we must be to the Tribulation, thus to the Rapture:

With antisemitism surging worldwide, Israeli officials believe more Jews will opt to make Aliyah, but the path isn’t as easy as they think.

In December, when two gunmen opened fire at a Hanukkah celebration on Sydney’s Bondi Beach, killing 15 people and wounding dozens more, Israel’s message to the global Jewish community was clear.

“Today, Jews are being hunted across the world,” Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar said in the aftermath of the massacre, calling on Jews in Australia, Britain, France, Canada, and Belgium to “come home” to Israel.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu echoed the sentiment, urging Western governments to do more to protect Jewish citizens, while framing Israel as the only place where Jews could truly be safe.

Immigration action

Now the government appears to be backing up the words with action.

According to the Hebrew newspaper Makor Rishon, officials have begun advancing an emergency immigration plan called Aliyat HaTekuma, designed to fast-track the immigration process for those coming from countries experiencing a surge in antisemitism. (“Israel urges Diaspora Jews to come home, but will they?” Jerusalem Post, February 16, 2026)

Those who study Bible prophecy as it is meant to be studied–to be taken literally, unless otherwise directed by Scripture—know that most Jewish people alive at the end of the Church Age will return to God’s chosen land for them. Sadly, it won’t be a time of jubilation, but of great trouble, according to the Lord Jesus (Matthew 24:21).

From that regathering, God will bring out a remnant of people who will finally recognize their True Messiah, Jesus Christ. They will be rescued by the Lord Himself as He descends with the armies of Heaven to put an end to enemies at Armageddon (Revelation 19:11).

In the same sense, I’m convinced that God has gathered another remnant on this violent, Genesis 6-like present Earth. This remnant, I believe, consists of those who are saved by the matchless grace of the same Lord who will rescue the Jewish remnant of people who look to Him as He descends and who believe in Him (as given in John 14:6).

A considerably smaller group within the Christian remnant is those looking for Jesus to rescue them before that dark and terrible Day of the Lord begins, when the Tribulation is initiated by the confirming of the covenant of false peace by Antichrist.

(I want to make it clear that ALL who accept Christ for salvation will go to Him in the Rapture, not just those with the pre-Trib Rapture understanding of Bible prophecy.)

The even-smaller remnant–those of the pre-Trib Rapture belief—consists of those who hold to Christ’s promise that we won’t have to endure even one second of the Tribulation.

“Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth” (Revelation 3:10).  

You want to be part of this Age-of-Grace remnant—those who know Jesus Christ for salvation. You will thus not have to endure the terrible time of Tribulation that’s about to break upon a violent, unbelieving world that will become subject to Antichrist’s vicious reign. You will not have to suffer God’s Holy wrath that will rain down on sin and rebellion to bring out of that horrendous era that remnant of Jewish believers and all who will accept Christ during that most terrible time in human history.

The pre-Tribulation Rapture will, in the twinkling of an eye, take (paralambano) all believers in Jesus Christ into His presence in the clouds of Glory.

Here is how to make sure you are part of this present-day Christian remnant before the coming judgment and wrath of God:

“That if you will confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and will believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart man believes unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation” (Romans 10:9-10).

—Terry

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Can It Get Any Worse?

I recently saw a video on social media that showed President Donald Trump playing in a professional-level hockey game dressed in his typical suit and tie. Everything else looked entirely realistic; he did all the things that a typical hockey player would do at a high level of competition. Of course, this AI-generated video wouldn’t fool many people today, at least I hope not. However, it clearly demonstrates AI’s ability to do just that, which is just another sign that we live in the last days before Jesus appears.

When it comes to the top prophetic indicators of our day, Israel’s existence comes first; it provides the context for all the other signs. Having said that, I would place deception near the top of the list. Twenty-five years ago, it might not have placed in the top ten, but now it’s everywhere we look.

It’s the First Sign Jesus Gave Us

When the disciples asked Jesus for signs pertaining to the “end of the age” and His Second Coming, the first words out of His mouth were these: “Take heed that no man deceive you” (Matthew 24:3-4). His words from long ago serve as a warning for the day in which we now live.

Paul wrote about antichrist’s lawlessness and deceitfulness in 2 Thessalonians 2:3-12. Although he has not yet revealed his identity on the world stage, everything we see heralds his soon unveiling. If the apostle could write that “the mystery of lawlessness is already at work” back in his day, how much more so today? (see also John 4:3)

As such, we would expect his primary calling cards, lies and deceptions to increase just prior to the removal of the Restrainer, and that’s exactly what we now see.

The various applications of AI are able to generate any kind of reality one wishes to create. It can imitate voices such that people think they actually hear the voice of a celebrity. AI has the capability to create an identity and put that person so realistically in situations that those viewing the picture or video cannot tell the difference between the AI-generated person and those who belong in the picture.

The deception of our day goes far beyond AI and was around long before technology reached this level. I have no confidence in the mainstream media and never watch it. I trust very few politicians, and even among those I do, I don’t instantly believe everything they say. Years ago, the Psalmist wrote, “I said in my alarm, ‘All mankind are liars’” (Psalm 116:11). Are there not days when we think this way as well?

As a writer, I have several trusted sources for information. And I’m extremely careful to verify what I read and report from other sources, but even so, I have fallen for fake news more than once. As believers, we need discernment more than at any other time in the church age.

How Might Antichrist Add to the Deception We Already See?

With the advent of AI and the overwhelming deception from other sources, I sometimes wonder if it can get any worse. By the time antichrist arrives on the scene, most people will understand the capabilities of technology to create false realities, but many will succumb to his deception for a variety of reasons.

As I was thinking about this, I reread Revelation 13 and, in particular, verse 3, “One of its heads seemed to have a mortal wound, but its mortal wound was healed, and the whole earth marveled as they followed the beast.” For those not fooled by antichrist’s “smoke and mirrors” through technology, a miraculous healing will do the trick. I don’t think a mere recovery of a sword wound (v. 14) will convince the masses unless it’s severe enough to kill him, or at least gives the appearance of a fatal blow.

It’s evident that antichrist’s demonic powers, aided by AI, will deceive a great many people, but could the clincher for the doubters be his seeming resurrection from the dead? Dependent on what powers God allows Satan to have, it’s possible that the counterfeit messiah will die and come back to life, this time empowered all the more by Satan.

I think that answers my question; the deception of today will get worse and reach its zenith around the midpoint of the seven-year Tribulation.

The signs and wonders performed by antichrist, capped by a supernatural healing of a fatal wound, will become the impetus for worldwide worship and the taking of his mark without which people will not be able to buy and sell (Revelation 13:12-18).

For Israel, the moment of truth will come when the man of lawlessness defiles the temple. That’s the time they will recognize antichrist’s deceit and run, just as the Lord told them to do in Matthew 24:15ff. I’m also aware of 2 Thessalonians 2:11, which points to God’s role in causing many to believe and worship the antichrist, “Therefore God sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false.”

As New Testament saints, we will not witness the beast’s treachery, which he will impose on the world, causing people to take his mark. We will already be safely in Heaven with Jesus.

But as we watch the world rapidly heading for this time, we know we live in the season of Jesus’ soon appearing.

Maranatha!!

-Jonathan