17 Feb 2025

The Nuclear Iran Non-Sequitur

The mullahs who drive the hatred for Israel have, through Iran’s foreign minister, warned the newly inaugurated US president, Israel’s government, and the world that any attack on Iran’s nuclear development facilities will be met with catastrophic consequences for the region and the attackers.

Iran will react immediately and decisively if its nuclear facilities come under attack, an action that could trigger an “all-out war in the region,” Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi warned on Friday.

Araqchi, speaking to Al Jazeera TV and quoted by Reuters, cautioned that any military strike by Israel and the United States on Iran’s nuclear infrastructure would be “one of the biggest historical mistakes the US could make.”…

Iran recently informed the IAEA of its intention to “significantly increase” its production of uranium enriched up to 60 percent.”

The Biden administration sought to return to the 2015 deal and held indirect talks with Iran on a return to compliance, but those talks failed due to Iran’s insistence on the closure of the UN nuclear watchdog’s investigations of its nuclear sites…

Top Iranian officials have become increasingly concerned that Trump might grant Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu the green light to launch an attack on Iran’s nuclear sites. (“Iranian FM warns: We will react decisively if our nuclear facilities are attacked,” Israel National News, Arutz Sheva, Elad Benari, Canada)

While the radical Islamic regime continues to grow as the greatest threat for initiating all-out war in the Mideast, the Iranian government grows ever closer to Russia in setting up for hegemony over all the region. The mullahs, not the people of Iran, intend to wipe Israel from the earth. They say so almost daily.

Iran (Persia), of course, is to be one of the primary members of the invading force in attacking Israel, according to Ezekiel’s Gog-Magog prophecy (Ezekiel chapters 38–39). We believe Russia, Togarmah (Turkey), and Iran (Persia) will lead many other peoples in the assault on Israel in order to take “great spoil.”

The diplomats of the world approach the matter of Iran and its drive to develop nuclear weaponry from a totally humanistic perspective. No doubt, none among that community give much thought to Ezekiel’s prophecy. The only thing most diplomatic sorts care about is that all-out war won’t be initiated in the region. Israel—and now America, in particular, under the Trump administration—insists that Iran never gets a nuclear-weapons capability to make good on their wanting to erase the Jewish state from the world. I doubt seriously that many within the new administration give much thought to Ezekiel’s prophecy about the coming attack.

Well, Mike Huckabee, now the ambassador to Israel, certainly knows all about the Gog-Magog prophecy. He will, I hopefully presume, explain it to those in the new administration. And I have hope for the new Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth. He declares without any hesitation that Jesus Christ is his Savior and Lord. That is quite heartening, to be sure. How deeply he understands the Ezekiel prophecy…another question.

Whether there is understanding by Secretary Hegseth or within the new administration, they have vowed—along with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and most all of Israel’s government and military—that Iran’s getting nuclear weapons capability is not going to happen.

Thus the mullah-driven, carrot-and-stick approach. Again, Iran’s foreign minister has threatened all-out war that will be catastrophic for the world—especially for those who attack their nuclear development laboratories, etc. At the same time, Iran is slyly reaching out with the carrot, trying to “reason” with President Trump to come to the table of negotiation to assure that peace remains the order of the day. All the while, Iran feeds military assets to its proxies–such as, for example, Hamas, the terrorists who incessantly afflict the Jewish state in attacks such as those that took place on October 7, 2023.

I really am convinced that soon, Israel, led by Netanyahu, backed strongly by the new US president – both of whom have vowed there will be no nuclear Iran – and the American military in some way will destroy the nuclear weapons labs deep in the mountainous caverns of Iran. I base this on the Ezekiel 38–39 Gog-Magog prophecy.

Iran (Persia), as a major military force in the Gog-Magog coalition, apparently has no nuclear weapons in that attack. As a matter of fact, Ezekiel seems to go out of his way to present the assault as one of a conventional sort. He even uses the antiquated warfare methodology of his own time—horses, etc.—to describe the attack.

Now I know that “fire on the coastlands,” which might indicate involvement of nuclear explosions, is part of the attack, but it seems, almost certainly, that this “fire” is God’s own doing as the Gog-Magog forces invade His land.

This lack of nuclear weaponry in the attack upon Israel is why I titled this commentary “The Nuclear Iran Non-Sequitur.”

It does not follow logically. That there is a nuclear Iran (Persia, in the Ezekiel prophecy) doesn’t seem to be the case in the least.

On this premise, and on the strength represented by America’s 47th president adamantly backing an immovable Israeli prime minister, I believe it’s relatively reasonable to conclude that Iran’s nuclear program will soon be no more.

All of this and the Elam prophecy that a powerful destruction of some sort in the mountainous area where Iran’s nuclear facilities are located gives backing to this likely scenario. The Iranian nuclear weapons development will somehow be brought to a halt.

And all of this prophetic progression means Christ’s call to the Church into the clouds of Glory must be very near indeed.

“For when you see all these things begin to come to pass, then look up and lift up your head, for your redemption is drawing near” (Luke 21:28).

Tell all the people you know about how near is the coming of Christ. Witness to them the saving power that’s only found in the Lord Jesus Christ and what He did on the old rugged cross at Calvary.

Tell those that God gives you the opportunity to witness to the following:

“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


The Necessity of an Eternal Perspective

In America, it’s easy to live as though this life is all that we have. Even those of us who believe in the pre-Tribulation Rapture at times lose the perspective that Jesus could dramatically intervene in our lives at any moment.

In his devotional book, New Morning Mercies, pastor and counselor Paul David Tripp refers to our tendency to forget about what lies ahead for us as “eternity amnesia.” He describes it in this way:

“We say we believe in the hereafter. We say that this moment in time is not all there is. We say that we are hardwired for forever. But often we live with the compulsion, anxiety, and drivenness of eternity amnesiacs. We get so focused on the opportunities, responsibilities, needs, and desires of the here and now that we lose sight of what is to come.” (February 11 entry)

An eternal perspective not only keeps us from becoming overly consumed with everyday life, but it’s also a necessity for other reasons as well.

We Cannot Make Sense of this Life Without It

Tripp also wrote, “The fact is that you cannot make sense of life unless you look at it from the vantage point of eternity.” This is so true whether we are attempting to understand world affairs or the ups and downs of our spiritual journey. Scripture alone provides us with hope during life’s mysteries.

Apart from my belief that the Lord will someday radically intervene in human affairs, I would go crazy. We live in a world where many government leaders prosper at the expense of the ones they govern (as has been demonstrated by recent reports of spending in the US). The wicked not only succeed at times, but they also amass wealth beyond what we can imagine. When overwhelmed by such thoughts, I read through Psalm 37 and recognize that soon its words will reach their full fulfillment as the judgments of Revelation chapters 6-18 sweep over the earth. We live on the edge of eternity.

As New Testament Saints, we look forward to the moment we meet Jesus in the air and He gives us our “imperishable” and “immortal bodies” (1 Corinthians 15:50-55). Our lives as followers of Jesus are not a random, disconnected series of blessings and adversities. The Lord carefully manages all our experiences, weaving them together in preparation for the day we inherit the kingdom in resurrection bodies. In eternity it will all make sense, but now we trust Jesus.

It Honors Jesus

When we forget about eternity, we not only lose a true perspective on life, but we also lose sight of the essence of our hope, Jesus. Watching for His appearing is not just a matter of obeying what He taught us to do in Matthew 24:42-25:13, but it’s also a matter of making Him the focus of our lives rather than our own aspirations and the things that absorb so much of our attentions.

Notice the apostle’s emphasis in Philippians 3:20-21:

“But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.”

We see an identical focus in Titus 2:13, “… waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ.” When we make Jesus the sole object of our hope, we exalt His place within our souls.

Of course, it’s wise to plan and prepare for our future. However, we honor our Lord when we consider that He may appear at any moment to take us home to glory. We temper our earthly aspirations via a two-world perspective that values eternal realities over our temporal aspirations (2 Corinthians 4:17-18).

It Prepares Us to Serve Him in a Broken-Down World

Understanding the stark difference between now and the hereafter uniquely prepares us to serve our Master. Notice the encouragement that Paul gives to us as His summation writing about the Lord’s appearing and His gift to us of glorious, resurrected bodies:

“Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain” (1 Corinthians 15:58).

After the Rapture, Jesus will reward our faithful service. He will not overlook anything but will perfectly acknowledge all that we have done in serving Him with our various spiritual gifts that He entrusts to us (read Romans 12:3-8).

Living with an eternal perspective not only preserves our sanity in a broken-down world but also prompts us to serve the Lord as we watch for His glorious appearing. Regardless of our lot in life, we know that a wonderful day is coming, perhaps today, when we will stand before Him clothed in perfect righteousness with imperishable resurrection bodies that will never grow old, get sick, or suffer pain of any kind.

I will conclude with the words of Paul David Tripp:

“Let the values of eternity be the values that shape your living today, and keep telling yourself that the difficulties of today will someday completely pass away.”

Living with an eternal perspective doesn’t mean we forget about this life but that we always keep in mind that a much better day awaits us. Jesus will come to take us to the place He’s preparing for us (John 14:1-3). Count on it.

-Jonathan

10 Feb 2025

Donation Drive February–May: Jesus’ Call to End-times Work

While the newly elected president declares a golden age ahead for America–an eventuation I, like you, wish I could foresee but cannot—the world around this generation continues to darken. We are in a time Jesus spoke of, I believe, while He and His disciples were approaching a man with whom I can somewhat commiserate.

The man had been blind since birth, while I lost my eyesight at around age 51, so my suffering with the affliction of darkness had been much less than this man’s.

Here is that account:

“And as Jesus passed by, he saw a man which was blind from his birth. And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind? Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him. I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world. When he had thus spoken, he spat on the ground, and made clay of the spittle, and he anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay, And said unto him, Go, wash in the pool of Siloam, (which is by interpretation, Sent.) He went his way therefore, and washed, and came seeing” (John 9:1-8).

This story of Jesus’ encounter with the blind man touches me as few other stories about our Lord’s interaction with people while He was in the flesh. The man no doubt had spent his life unable to do what society would consider productive work. Perhaps he spent his entire life begging for sustenance from passersby.

I, on the other hand, had very good vision until, at age 50 or 51, retinitis pigmentosa (a hereditary retinal disease) invaded my central vision and quickly caused total blindness. So I can in no way fully appreciate the degree of suffering this man endured.

Today, I know people blind since birth who have accomplished far more than I did when in full possession of visual acuity. But in that culture in Christ’s time, there were no such technological marvels to give the blind the means to accomplish great things, as I have witnessed.

I myself am using one such technological marvel while composing this week’s commentary. It is a word synthesis program called JAWS (Jobs Accessible Word System). A young woman, blind since birth, taught me how to use this phenomenal computer-based system nearly thirty years ago. Liz is as close to my heart as a daughter in that regard.

All this I mention is to reveal that God, in this encounter between Jesus and the blind man, has put at the center of my spirit what He desires for my life. In regard to the key phrase in the scriptural account above is the following:

“I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work.”

Also, Jesus’ answer to His disciples about the man’s or his parents’ guilt that caused the blindness keeps my thoughts focused each and every day regarding the purpose for the time I am allowed to live here and now at the end of this Church Age–the dispensation of Grace. The Lord gave the reason this man was allowed to suffer total blindness:

“But that the works of God should be made manifest in him.”

This truth that Jesus gave at the time of the encounter with the blind man He healed has powerfully spoken to me personally. Time is limited; soon there will not be any opportunity to serve Heaven’s purposes–to serve the True, Living God. And we are here to serve Him. That is our great overall purpose—yours and mine.

One moment, perhaps much sooner than any of us can imagine, our time on this sphere where we have been placed by Heaven’s appointment will be over. We will be called into God’s presence, either through the Rapture, to be with Christ forever, or through the portal of death, at which time we must answer for the days of light and life we were given to accomplish Christ’s Great Commission–spreading the salvation message in order that souls will be redeemed.

In these times that certainly look like night is about to fall and the Tribulation is about to begin, it is wise for us, as believers, to work in the way Jesus worked to accomplish His Father’s will.

The Lord knew His time to do that earthly work was rapidly approaching the final moments. He was about His Father’s business in a mighty way, and, as we know, He said with finality while on that old rugged cross, “tetelestai,” meaning, “It is finished!”

That is what you who come to Raptureready.com and Todd, Jonathan, editor Cindy, and yours truly are all about–finishing the work we have been put on earth to do in our God’s great cause: the saving of souls of men and women, boys and girls.

Rapture Ready–which is your website as well as ours—is devoted to carrying out our Lord’s Great Commission. Because of monetary requirements on the rise and attempts by some to interfere with our efforts, increased funding is very much needed to carry on with this work. We thank you with all the thankfulness possible to our Lord and gratitude to you, our wonderful RR family, for your love and generosity as we do our very best to serve the purpose we believe Heaven has assigned this website that is so Christ-centered and focused on the Lord Jesus’ any-moment call to you and to us. We ask for and will apply with all due diligence the donations you send under the direction of our Heavenly Father.

So let us together forge ahead in full service while there is still time and light to share, even as we see the nighttime of Tribulation approaching.

Here is how to contribute to this effort on behalf of Jesus Christ, who died and rose again so that we can, on one eternal day (perhaps today), hear Him say, “Well done, good, faithful servant.”

There are three ways you can contribute to RR: You can send a financial gift via our P.O. Box address; you can make a one-time donation; or there is a “frequent” option that allows you to make monthly donations. If you’re interested in signing up, find the links on the Donation Depot page. Donations can be sent to our P.O. Box at:

Rapture Ready
P.O. Box 969
Benton, AR 72018

—Terry

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Gaza Belongs to Israel

As I was reading through the book of Genesis last month, I noticed something that speaks directly to one of the hottest topics of our day. In Genesis 26:2-4, we have the record of the Lord reiterating the Abrahamic Covenant to Isaac:

“And the Lord appeared to him [Isaac} and said, ‘Do not go down to Egypt; dwell in the land of which I shall tell you. Sojourn in this land, and I will be with you and will bless you, for to you and to your offspring I will give all these lands, and I will establish the oath that I swore to Abraham your father. I will multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and will give to your offspring all these lands. And in your offspring all the nations of the earth shall be blessed.”

What makes this so intriguing is the location God chose to affirm His promise of the Land in which He would later include Jacob and all of his descendants.

“Now there was a famine in the land, besides the former famine that was in the days of Abraham. And Isaac went to Gerar to Abimelech king of the Philistines” (Genesis 26:1).

Do you see it? Isaac was in the land of the Philistines when the Lord appeared and told him not to leave the Land that He promised to Abraham and his “offspring.” This is the only recorded instance of the Lord directly including Isaac in the everlasting covenant of the Land (see also Psalm 105:7-11), and it happened while the Patriarch was in Philistia, or what we know today as Gaza.

The Philistines became a thorn in Israel’s side before and during the forty-year reign of King Saul; the Jewish people suffered greatly from their vicious and cruel attacks. King David later subdued them and incorporated their territory along the Mediterranean Sea into his kingdom.

More recently, Satan created Hamas to oppose Israel similar to how the Philistines treated Israel so long ago. These Arabs are not descendants of this ancient people that have long since vanished, but just like them, Hamas possesses a fierce and murderous hatred toward the Jewish people. And they live in the exact same area that the Philistines inhabited in ancient times.

President Trump’s Plan

I began working on this article before President Trump announced his plan to remove all the current occupants of Gaza, take possession of it, and rebuild it into a resort similar to that of the French Riviera. At the February 4 news conference, he also voiced his opposition to a two-state solution as the way to peace in the region.

His statements most certainly came as welcome news for Israel. The clearing out of all their brutal and barbaric enemy from Gaza would remove a constant threat from their border. Even if the US governs it for the near future, it’s far better than the status quo.

The President, however, faces fierce opposition to his plan. First, no Arab nation wants the Gazans living within its borders. Egypt has amassed a host of tanks and other military forces close to its border with Gaza because, at least in part, it doesn’t want them entering their nation (and for good reason). According to Amir Tsarfati’s Telegram recent post, Jordan is ready to go to war with Israel if that’s what it takes to stop the Palestinians from migrating into their territory.

Second, the UN, along with nations such as Russia and Germany, have voiced strong, unrelenting opposition to Trump’s plan.

Third, Saudi Arabia maintains it won’t normalize diplomatic ties with Israel apart from the existence of a Palestinian State, which coincides with the world’s obsession with implementing a two-state solution, which most likely would retain Hamas’ control of Gaza.

So, is Trump’s plan dead in the water? Or did he have another purpose for making such a bold proposal?

Prophetic Implications

Regardless of what happens in the coming months or years with Gaza or the Middle East, the Bible says that someday the world’s passion to divide Israel and Jerusalem will prevail (Joel 3:1-3). Any agreement that brings peace to the region will be temporary at best until Jesus returns to set up His kingdom.

At the moment, a coalition of nations plan to meet at the United Nations in early June 2025 with the intent of settling on a Middle East peace accord of either a seven or ten-year duration. I believe it’s more than likely that they will somehow incorporate Saudi Arabia’s idea of a two-state solution into their proposed peace plan.

I don’t say this because I’m a pessimist or desire to see Trump’s bold initiatives fail. I do so because the Bible long ago predicted the world’s current obsession with Jerusalem, the dividing of the city and the Land, and the eventual peace accord between Israel and the antichrist (Zechariah 12:1-3; Daniel 9:27).

Sometime in the future, after the Rapture, the coming “man of lawlessness” will step out of the shadows and take over the reins of the Middle East peace negotiations. The Apostle Paul tells us that he cannot make his identity known until after Jesus’ appearing and our disappearing (2 Thessalonians 2:3-8).

I don’t know what will happen between now and the Rapture, but as I witness the turmoil and angst that exists over Gaza, I cannot overlook the significance of the Lord’s choice to confirm His Land covenant with Isaac while the Patriarch was residing in that exact same area.

Long ago, God staked His claim on Gaza, and when Jesus reigns over the nations (Revelation 20:1-10), it will become a place of great beauty. Perhaps during His millennial reign, with resurrection and immortal bodies, we will walk along its shores in amazement at how He transformed it into a place with such breathtaking views everywhere we look.

-Jonathan