God’s Chain Restraining End-times Tyrants

Mike Hile, my great friend of many years who has kept this old, blind purveyor of Bible prophecy between the ditches in our many travels, sent an interesting report and a suggestion I believe has tremendous relevance at this late hour of our fleeting age.

We hear from all the news reports and punditry almost hourly that World War III might break out at any moment. And, looking at the many hostilities around the globe, we could easily conclude that, indeed, all-out nuclear conflict is on the brink.

The Russian-Ukrainian war still rages. Israel is still dealing with the war-making of Hamas and the terrorist evil that comes against the Jewish state and people. Other smaller wars and rumors of war occur and threaten because of the likes of the North Korean dictator and other minor tyrants.

And of the major tyrants, recent news isn’t good. While China still threatens to invade Taiwan and wreak havoc in other regions, it seems for the moment to be more focused on keeping its communist dictatorship from imploding due to economic pressures–many of these being brought to bear by one Donald John Trump.

Russia, also under terrific economic pressures, threatening the dictatorship of Vladimir Putin with internal degradation, rather than backing down at Trump’s sanction actions, warns of the nuclear option.

My friend Mike weighed in on all this, reminding me of why he and I, and anyone who studies Bible prophecy from, particularly, the pre-Trib viewpoint, can look at this development with calm assurance. There will not be all-out nuclear World War III as long as we remain in this Age of Grace, also called the Church Age.

These two major tyrannical entities, we believe—China and Russia—are prophetically scheduled (that is, we are told through God’s foreknowledge, His omniscience) to fulfill their dastardly destructiveness at a time yet future—a time after all believers in Jesus Christ have been taken (paralambano) into the gathering we call the Rapture of the Church.

Russia, we believe through much intensive study by ourselves and others, will be the lead national force that takes the coalition of Israel-hating hordes toward Jerusalem in the Gog-Magog assault described by Ezekiel the prophet.

China, we are convinced, will be the king (or lead nation) of the massive force called the “kings of the east” that will destroy a third of the world’s population at the time of crossing the dried-up Euphrates River. This war-making venture is found in Revelation chapters 9 and 16.

So, with this as a prophetic backdrop, I insert part of my friend Mike Hile’s email to me that precipitated this commentary:

It is interesting how the Lord (Holy Spirit—The Restrainer) keeps China on a leash with weather problems (also Russia with war in Ukraine) so that they do not accelerate the prophetic process (think an evil thought) beyond what the Lord’s plan is and what He allows them to do. Look at the list of weather events at the end of this article that China has been dealing with.

At least 30 people died and more than 80,000 were evacuated in Beijing, China, after record rainfall from July 26-28, 2025, caused severe flooding and landslides.

Record-breaking rainfall from July 26-28, caused severe flooding across Beijing, leaving at least 30 people dead and forcing more than 80,000 to evacuate, Beijing Municipal Government officials confirmed on July 29. (By Reet Kaur Tuesday, July 29, 2025, https://watchers.news/2025/07/29/30-dead-80-000-evacuated-extreme-rainfall-beijing-china/)

Mike’s information went much more in-depth, making his point that China is being diverted in its wicked ambitions to control the world through its rapidly building military might.

The Trump administration is greatly inhibiting this evil regime from being able to complete its long-game plans to rule the world, through President Trump’s economic savoir faire. And this president is doing the same to stymie Vladimir Putin’s apparent desire to reconstruct the old Soviet Union—despite Russian saber-rattling recently in threatening nuclear war if America intervenes in their bloody war-making against Ukraine.

However, it is the God of Heaven who has the chains of restraint around the necks of the tyrants of Russia and of China–and around the necks of the other dictators of this violent world. We can be assured that the chains of restraint will stay firmly in place, so far as preventing all-out nuclear war, until God’s people, the Body of Christ—are removed to the shelter, Jesus, in the clouds of Glory.

You want to be part of that removal to the shelter when God’s judgment and wrath begin to fall on this rebellious world. Here is how to go to Christ when He calls the Church:

“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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Unbelief, Scripture, and the Rapture

During the time I pastored a small church in eastern Iowa, now just over forty years ago, the pastor of the Methodist church called and asked me to come to his office. When I arrived, I saw he had been studying More Evidence that Demands a Verdict by Josh McDowell. I remember that he asked me a few questions about the book before telling me that he was a pastor for twenty years before he became a born-again believer.

Last week, the Lord reminded me of his startling confession, and I began wondering what made the difference between knowing God’s Word and the arrival of saving faith. Surely he had often read the Bible and preached from it many times. The answer came as I remembered the book he was reading at the time, one that defended the veracity of Scripture. He now trusted its life-giving message, which led him to believing in Jesus.

Why is it that so many professing Christians refuse to believe the words of Scripture? Jesus said this in John 14:6, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” Despite the unmistakable clarity of His message, many insist that He isn’t the only path to eternal life. A well-known “evangelical” pastor teaches that God saves Muslims apart from their belief in the Savior. Why would he make such a statement that not only contradicts Jesus’ words but the entire New Testament?

Many Bible scholars, who are far more intelligent than I, read the same promises that the Lord made to Israel and teach that somehow they no longer apply to the descendants of Jacob. Despite their wealth of knowledge regarding Scripture and its original languages, they don’t believe what the Lord clearly says about the future restoration of Israel. Why is that?

Even fellow believers, who read the same New Testament that I do, ridicule the whole idea of a Rapture. I have heard several pastors, even those who had a solid grasp of the basics of the Gospel, deny that there is such a thing as the Rapture and preach that all believers will die before the Lord returns. They don’t believe what Paul wrote early in his ministry when he expressed his hope that he might be among the saints who would be alive at the time of Jesus’ appearing (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17).

Why do even pastors who claim that the Bible is inerrant go off on tangents that contradict the words of Scripture? I believe there are two key reasons for their unbelief.

A Refusal to Submit to the Words of Scripture

It remains a mystery to me why so many teachers of God’s Word submit to what it reveals about the saving message of the cross, yet refuse to do so when it comes to future things.

Instead of relying solely on what the Bible says about prophecy, many pastors and Christians adopt variant beliefs after reading books that contradict what the Bible says about the future of Israel. One pastor told me he adhered to the belief in a pre-Tribulation Rapture until he read two such books. Now he believes there’s no such thing. For him, human wisdom trumps all that the New Testament says about our future as believers.

During the past several years, I have crossed paths with many pastors and Christians who retrofit the words of Scripture to fit their own wisdom-based beliefs about future things. They say that the book of Revelation is either allegory, past history, or previously fulfilled prophecy up to the point of the White Throne judgment in 20:11. Reliance on their own insight blinds them to the most thrilling truths in all of God’s Word pertaining to our future as the redeemed. They refuse to accept the plain sense of Scripture.

Is it not this same form of unbelief that keeps many pastors from talking about what lies ahead for the saints and the world? They don’t believe that the Lord will honor a willingness to preach all of Scripture, especially such things as the Rapture or Millennium. Gifted preachers attract large numbers of people to their churches, resulting in multiple services and church plants. Their exclusive emphasis on this life, however, leaves their congregations in the dark regarding what lies ahead for the world.

Pride

Another primary reason that keeps many from submitting to the words of Scripture is something we all deal with on a daily basis: pride. It’s something that keeps many people from believing what theologian Jonathan Edwards said long ago, “You contribute nothing to your salvation except the sin that made it necessary.” Pride keeps them bound in their unbelief.

I have often witnessed the bond between pride and a refusal to believe what the Bible says about the Lord’s restoration of Israel and the Rapture. One pastor roared with laughter as I showed him the biblical basis for Israel’s future restoration as a nation. Is it not this same proud spirit that lies behind much of the mocking we endure because of our belief in Jesus’ imminent appearing?

Please know that I struggle with pride on almost a daily basis. I often need to remind myself that it’s only because of the Lord’s grace and great mercy toward me that I have a ministry of writing about our exciting and glorious future as New Testament saints.

In the months following my visit with the Methodist pastor, opposition surfaced in his church because he believed and preached the Gospel. Those opposing forces later succeeded in having him removed as their pastor. Many in his congregation proudly refused to submit to the words of Scripture and persisted in their unbelief regarding the saving message of the cross.

I know most of you experience rejection and ridicule because of your adherence to what Scripture teaches about the Rapture and the fast-approaching Tribulation period. But take heart; Jesus sees and will surely reward your perseverance and longing for His appearing (1 Peter 1:6-9; 2 Timothy 4:8). Perhaps soon, we will all be with the Savior in Heaven with glorified bodies.

Maranatha!

-Jonathan

Donation Drive August to October

For over 38 years, Rapture Ready has played a significant role in Bible prophecy. I sincerely appreciate everyone who has contributed to the site in any capacity.

Recently, I received an unusual complaint from someone who found a message on a bathroom wall promoting our humble domain. The note read, “Your wife loves my website, RaptureReady.com. I am coming soon – Jesus.” I took the opportunity to clarify that we do not endorse graffiti as a means of promotion.

If someone wanted to alert others about the end times, RaptureReady.com would be an excellent link to post in a public forum such as a men’s restroom. Every article on our site is freely available for anyone to access and share with other people.

We once included a humorous message at the bottom of the main page: “Many people have asked if they could reproduce content from Rapture Ready. I always respond, ‘Absolutely!’ In fact, readers are welcome to share this information through mail, email, airmail, conversations, billboards, carrier pigeons, pony express, smoke signals; by phone, television, telegraph, teletype; using Braille, sign language, messages in bottles, drum beats, books, CDs, radio, and even telepathy for those New Age enthusiasts. The only copyright I request is that if you reproduce our work, please do it correctly.”

Regarding donations to support RR, I’ve always aimed to keep requests minimal. As most of you already know, we only post our financial needs every three months.

We don’t maintain a donor mailing list. If you haven’t donated to RR in the last quarter, you won’t receive another thank-you letter until your next donation. Many ministries inundate new donors with solicitation letters. I once reached out to several radio-based Christian organizations, and I was quickly overwhelmed with junk mail.

As search engines become increasingly influential in determining who visits our site, they can affect our donor base. While our traffic and financial support have remained steady, the number of new donors has mysteriously declined. We suspect that Big Brother is pointing more people to the site who are hostile or indifferent to the Christian faith.

Yes, we want to reach the lost, but believers are the lifeblood of any Christian ministry. If we attract too many atheists, it could lead to our eventual demise.

Rapture Ready has a significant mathematical counterbalance: we only need support from a small fraction of our visitors. Years ago, I noticed that our donor base consisted of just 0.1% of our audience.

When the Blessed Hope occurs, RaptureReady.com will become an immensely valuable domain. Some tech companies are currently valued in the trillions of dollars, but the worth of RR extends far beyond mere currency, as it explains Bible prophecy from beginning to end. Please help us sustain this beacon of hope.

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

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Days of Noah, Days of Lot Alert!

Ever since Donald J. Trump became president #45, I’ve presented in this column the conviction that his coming into such global power must have dramatic prophetic significance.

Specifically, I’ve expressed that Trump’s presidency might be relevant to what I believe is one of the most obvious prophecies for the time of the Rapture of the Church.

I believe and have often put forward that the words of Jesus about the days of Lot, as recorded in Luke 17:28-30, portray precisely what things will be like when Christ steps onto the clouds of Glory and shouts, “Come up here!”

That belief about social and cultural atmospherics at Christ’s next catastrophic intervention into the affairs of mankind has been framed as “business as usual.” In other words, things will be going along pretty much as usual, economically speaking, when the Church is called into eternity at the Rapture. People will be buying, selling, building, planting–doing all the things of normal life.

As a matter of fact, I believe Jesus’ words in that prophecy indicate that things, fiscally speaking, will be moving along at a better-than-usual pace.

Sodom and Gomorrah constituted the region in the Middle East that had to offer the richest lifestyles for inhabitants. Remember, Lot chose to go to Sodom when his Uncle Abraham offered him his choice of places to establish residence. Sodom was the lushest, most desirable area in the region.

Of course, Sodom and Gomorrah at the same time constituted the wickedest place on earth, according to Genesis chapter 19.

I draw the parallel of our society and culture today to that experienced by Lot in Sodom. Just as America’s economy is beginning to pick up at a reluctantly acknowledged pace of increase by some anti-Trump pundits, we have endured a corruptive and wicked societal and cultural degradation over the past months and years.

We all know about the woke insanity that was intended to fundamentally transform America, according to Barack Obama. Things became so insane that government was preventing parents from keeping the evil forces from mutilating their children to change their genders, even arresting parents in some instances.

And now, the much-hated Donald J. Trump is credited—reluctantly so by Trump-haters—with creating an economy that is on the verge of booming. For instance:

>Wall Street sentiment is surging as the stock market reaches new record highs. JPMorgan Chase & Co., Goldman Sachs, Citigroup, Deutsche Bank, UBS Global Wealth Management, and Barclays have all elevated their S&P 500 Index year-end targets—now predicting record gains to continue.

>Consumer outlook is on the rise. With core inflation at its lowest level since March 2021, expectations for an inflation spike have “completely receded” as Americans grow increasingly confident about the economic outlook.

>Price hikes never materialized. A new study found that prices for imported goods have actually declined faster than prices for overall goods — confirming that tariffs have had little effect on prices.

>By all metrics, President Trump is overseeing another economic boom. Jobs numbers have trounced expectations for four straight months, gas prices remain at their lowest level in four years, and blue-collar wage growth has seen the largest increase in nearly 60 years. (https://www.whitehouse.gov/articles/2025/07/trust-in-trump-sentiment-surges-as-economy-booms)

And even the most ardent anti-Trump entertainment types have joined in praising the Trump economic phenomenon.

Bill Maher said he has been proven wrong about his belief that President Trump’s tariff plan was going to wreck the economy.

The veteran comic, during the latest episode of his “Club Random” podcast on Monday, said he agreed with those who projected the president’s “Liberation Day” tariffs, which were announced in early April, would result in the economy being “tanked” by the Fourth of July.

“I would have thought—and I gotta own it—that these tariffs were going to [expletive deleted] sink this economy by this time—and they didn’t,” Maher said.

A moment earlier, he noted how the stock market has reached record highs and that it does not look like the country is on the verge of a 21st-century Great Depression when he drives around town.

His comments stand out, considering he originally lambasted the tariffs in April. At the time, Maher said on his HBO show “Real Time” that using tariffs to try and get a better trade deal with China was a “completely a–backwards” approach. (“Bill Maher Says He Was Wrong About Trump Tariffs: ‘I Gotta Own It’,” Sean Burch,  July 28, 2025)

Since Maher reversed his course on the Trump economic successes, the president’s trade deals and their achievements with China, the EC, and many other such fiscally amazing deals based upon tariff dynamics continue to perplex his political enemies and astound the financial experts.

With the “days of Lot” prophecy by Jesus plainly appearing like our own day, the other foretelling by the Lord cannot be missed either. Jesus said that as it was during the days of Noah, so will it be in the day of the coming of the Son of man (Luke 17:26-27).

The primary characteristics that marked that antediluvian time were total moral and genetic corruption. One other thing that made God say He was sorry He had made mankind was the blood-drenched violence throughout the world.

Our generation is, in my estimation, becoming more and more like that antediluvian age. Just this morning, as I compose this commentary, there have been reports in a single newscast of multiple shootings throughout America and the world–murderous rampages that have no apparent causes the authorities can figure.

The liberal news reports call these “gun violence,” but it is “people violence,” and it is saturating all societies throughout the world.

There is but one answer to the days-of-Noah-and-Lot characteristics from which this world suffers. The answer is the Person who warned that these societal and cultural characteristics would be prevalent when He next intervenes into the affairs of humanity. The Lord Jesus Christ will suddenly call all believers–all who are righteous in God’s holy eyes—to Himself.

When the Rapture of the Church happens, judgment will begin falling on a world of rebellious, violence-filled people. This righteous act by God must take place in order to bring His Son Jesus to rule on a restored planet where righteousness reigns.

You don’t want to be left behind when Christ’s call is heard by all who are Christians. Here is how to be sure you will hear that call:

“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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What Makes Our Blessed Hope so Wonderful?

Why is it that so few believers today watch for Jesus’ appearing? I believe the primary reason for this is unbelief; they either attend churches where the pastor combines the Rapture with a distant end-of-the-age return of Christ or they believe they will die long before Jesus appears.

In a recent blog post, The Ghost of a Good Thing (2005), my friend and prophecy expert made this insightful observation about the nonchalant attitude of most Christians regarding their blessed hope:

I still think that part of the reason that so many out there in Christendom struggle with the concept of a Pre-Tribulation Rapture is that it seems too fantastical to fit into today’s mundane existence. It seems too good to be true, and we as human beings have been let down so many times throughout our lives, that it’s easier to believe it’s not real than to believe that it is. We don’t think we are good enough, or that we deserve that level of deliverance, but rather, we should suffer first and ‘purge’ our sins.

But there it is in scripture clear as day. Still, many go out of their way to do the mental gymnastics of making it more complex and more unattainable than it really is.

The wonder of “our blessed hope” (Titus 2:11-14) does seem at times to be far “too good to be true.” We can scarcely comprehend what we feel when we are suddenly in glory with immortal bodies, totally healed from all the maladies of this life, but outside and inside. Until then, we bask in the glow of the many life-changing benefits of the time our wonderful hope becomes a reality.

It Tempers Our Aspirations for This Life

The practice of watching for Jesus’ imminent appearing tempers our aspirations for this life. It’s not that our temporal hopes are necessarily misguided; they are not. An awareness of our blessed hope, however, keeps our dreams for the future grounded in reality. It does so by reminding us that eternal realities are superior to temporal ambitions that will surely fade away someday (see 2 Corinthians 4:17-18).

I have observed that believers who don’t think Jesus will return in their lifetime are far more vested in their future aspirations than those who watch for His appearing. They not only place an undue emphasis on their future in this life, but they often ignore the wise counsel of James 4:13-17.

It Renews Our Hope Amid the Lawlessness of Our Day

As I have written many times, I couldn’t cope with all that I see in our world apart from the certainty of Jesus’ direct intervention in the affairs of humanity, beginning with the Rapture. What the Bible says about “our blessed hope” calms my soul whenever the evils so rampant in our world begin to enrage my soul.

Deadly attacks in stores and workplaces seem to happen every week. It’s difficult to avoid the continual reports of government corruption, deception, epidemic immorality, and those wickedly celebrating the horrors of abortion. These things dismay us for sure, but the Bible long ago said the world would look like this before the start of the Tribulation period.

This is the season of Jesus’ appearing, and as such, we have an excellent chance of being a part of the “we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord” that Paul wrote about in 1 Thessalonians 4:17. We most assuredly live in biblical times as we watch the convergence of signs unlike any other time during the church age.

It Reminds Us that a Better Day Is Coming

Awareness of our blessed hope constantly reminds us that a much better day lies ahead. These evil days, filled with wars and violence, most assuredly don’t represent the kingdom to which New Testament saints are heirs. If this world is the promised glorious kingdom, we are all people most to be pitied (see 1 Corinthians 15:19).

In the articles cited above, Pete Garcia wrote this about our anticipation of a better day:

The “blessed hope” to me is not about escaping this broken world in the nick of time (although that’s admittedly an added blessing), but it is about finally being in a reality where all things are made right. And that reality can only exist for us when we are finally freed from sin. And our freedom from sin can only be by one Person, the man Christ Jesus. When Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life, no one comes to the Father except through Me” …He meant it. Not simply because He wanted to be exclusive and shut people out, but because His blood was the only thing in the entire universe that could forever wash man’s sinfulness away.

The Bible reveals the glories of what lies ahead for us. Someday we will return with Jesus and reign with Him in His kingdom with immortal and sinless bodies. Our glorious future starts the moment Jesus takes us home to the place He’s preparing for us. For those already with their Savior in Heaven, they will soon experience resurrection life to the full as Jesus transforms their dead bodies to glorious ones like that of Himself (Philippians 3:20-21).

Our blessed hope is wonderful beyond what we can possibly imagine. There’s nothing more comforting than knowing we will see our loved ones again. Someday, perhaps soon, Jesus will instantly transform us and take us home to the place He’s preparing for us.

-Jonathan