Tracking Toward Tribulation – New Book

Tim Moore, head of Lamb and Lion Ministries and Christ in Prophecy TV, encapsulates the essence of my new book of compilation, I think. He mentions in his chapter in this new book, Tracking Toward Tribulation: And the Any Moment Intervention by Jesus Christ, the words of Dr. Adrian Rogers, the late pastor of Belleview Church of Memphis, Tennessee. So I guess I will give credit to Adrian Rogers, as well as to my great friend Tim for capturing my thoughts as I began praying and thinking about this volume as it progressed.

Tim writes the following in opening his chapter:

The storm clouds of the Tribulation are gathering. The signs of the times are increasing in frequency and intensity. Even those who are spiritually blind can discern that our world is hurtling toward a chasm.

For those who are awaiting Jesus Christ—our Blessed Hope—even these foreboding signs point to the imminence of His return. As Adrian Rogers once said, ‘It’s getting gloriously dark!”

Indeed, movement toward the time on earth the Lord Jesus Himself declared would be the worst of all human history is storming upon this generation. Jesus said about that coming era that if He didn’t intervene, no flesh would be saved; all of humankind would perish. But He added that for the sake of the saints–believers in Christ—the days of that terrible time will be shortened.

And this is, in fact, the essence of Tracking Toward Tribulation.

Tim Moore was agreeing with Dr. Rogers that the times are growing “gloriously dark,” meaning the Lord Jesus Christ has assured believers He will intervene so we who accept Him as our Savior and Lord will not perish in that coming time of unalloyed evil. And I am convicted that, in some sense, Jesus was referring to the Rapture of the Church as well as to the rescue of Tribulation saints.

It is glorious to think of the moment of Rapture when Jesus calls us into the clouds of Heaven’s domain to be with Him forever.

That promise, of course, is reinforced in the words given to John, the writer of Revelation, by the Ascended Christ:

“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).

This book is a bit different from my many previous books of compilation—compilation meaning a number of authors writing chapters. It is different in that, in the previous books, I assigned topics I requested each author to write. The chapters were based largely on each writer’s area of expertise and interest.

For Tracking Toward Tribulation: And the Any Moment Intervention by Jesus Christ, I asked each author to choose material they’ve recently produced, with the only direction from me, the general editor, being that they stay within the bounds of our basic title (Tracking Toward Tribulation). And our main thrust, of course, was implicit within my request. The glorious part about all the darkness in considering the time of Tribulation is the Heaven-guaranteed promise by Jesus Himself that He will suddenly interrupt that movement into the evil-spawned darkness by removing believers of the Church Age from this judgment-bound earth.

We taped television programs for this book at SkyWatch TV in Crane, Missouri. Defender Publishing, the publisher of this and many of my books, is, along with SkyWatch TV, a part of my great friend Tom Horn’s inspired and brilliant vision for a corporate Christian media entity that deals largely in matters of Bible prophecy. Preparing for the programs and actually doing them, I think, helped me to understand just how special this particular book effort is in covering where the world stands at this moment on God’s prophetic timeline.

The SkyWatch TV program’s host, Joe Ardis Horn, always manages to bring out in these interviews the most pertinent and fascinating information from among the authors involved during the tapings of the books Defender publishes. This was no exception. The book is one of the best volumes of its type of my experienced memory. And it’s due to the great writers and their acumen and expertise in God’s prophetic Word and in observation of prophetic import they see developing as this generation moves more deeply in the direction of the coming time of trouble described by Jesus and the prophets.

In my view, the Holy Spirit’s imprint is heavily on this joint effort. Each author, I believe this book validates, has been given special insight while addressing the topics they chose to present.

Anyone familiar with today’s writers, broadcasters, preachers, and teachers of God’s Word in general and in Bible prophecy in particular will recognize this line-up of contributors as God’s people, gifted to do His prophecy-oriented work. I believe the reader will agree this book is meant to be released in this late hour of this fleeting Age of Grace.

In addition to my own contributions, here are the authors of Tracking Toward Tribulation. I give them here in the order of their chapters as presented: Jan Markell, Brandon Holthaus, Jonathan C. Brentner, Mike Gendron, Dr. Nathan E. Jones, Pete Garcia, Donna Howell and Allie Anderson, Bill Salus, Tom Hughes, Daymond Duck, Tim Moore, Dr. Randall Price, Jim Fletcher, Wilfred Hahn, and Mondo Gonzales.

With the words, “And when you shall see all these things begin to come to pass, then look up and lift up your head, for your redemption draweth nigh” (Luke 21:28), Jesus, God Himself, gave the formula for knowing just how close is His coming to receive unto Himself those who believe.

The key in this statement by the Creator of all that exists are the words “all these things.”

There are many things to consider included within this framework given by Jesus Christ in answering his immediate disciples’ question: “What shall be the sign of thy coming and of the end of the age?”

We who have determined to enter this examination prayerfully look at each of “all these things” in order to give the reader of this volume an accurate as possible picture of where this generation stands on God’s prophetic timeline.

Most who observe these times as Jesus commanded—“What I say unto one, I say unto all, watch” (Mark 13:37)—agree. All these things we are to “watch” have accelerated significantly within the recent months, weeks, and days. The ominous foreshadows of the Tribulation–Daniel’s seventieth week—hang heavily above every point on earth.

Yet the gathering darkness that closes in gives those who are in God’s family the opportunity to shine the light of His Truth that Jesus Christ alone is the hope for mankind. Christians are to be the light that reflects from our Savior’s heavenly luminescence. We are to be both salt and light to a decaying, darkening world.

We are to be looking up all the while for our redemption, which is growing ever nearer.

That moment—the twinkling-of-an-eye moment of Rapture—is indeed imminent!

There is one and only one way to go to Jesus in this glorious event when He calls—the one and only way of escaping the coming time of trouble such as people of the earth have never endured:

“That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation” (Romans 10:9-10).

—Terry

Order Tracking Toward Tribulation: And the Any Moment Intervention By Jesus Christ at the ministry website of your choice, or at the following:

Tracking Toward Tribulation: And the Any-Moment Intervention by Jesus Christ: James, Terry: 9781948014847: Amazon.com: Books

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The Missing Piece

Unlike any other time in the church age, we see a multitude of signs telling us that the Tribulation period is rapidly approaching. However, like pieces to a jigsaw puzzle scattered about on a tabletop, we don’t yet fully recognize how they will all fit together to complete the biblical picture of the end times for Israel.

In one grouping of pieces, we see the world’s obsession with Israel and Jerusalem, precisely as the prophet Zechariah predicted for the last days (12:1-3). The purpose of the upcoming UN Conference on Palestine’ set for June 2-4, is to set in motion a two-state solution to resolve the Middle East conflict. The member nations hope to impose their seven or ten-year peace accord upon Israel during the UN’s celebration of its 80th birthday this coming September.

The UN initiative also calls for an immediate ceasefire of all hostilities in the region, with Israel giving up all the territory it acquired in the Six-Day War of 1967, including East Jerusalem.

Obstacles

While the upcoming meetings at the UN point us in the direction of Daniel’s seventieth week (see Daniel 9:27), they don’t quite get us there; something is missing. First, we notice at least two key obstacles that stand in the way of the UN imposing its will on Israel.

First, President Trump opposes the two-state solution offered by the UN. In addition, he has promoted the ideas of clearing all the Palestinians out of Gaza, settling them in other Arab nations, and creating a Palestinian State within the borders of Saudi Arabia. He has established a starting point for negotiations that’s far afield from the tried and failed solutions of the past.

Second, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will certainly refuse the UN plan. He has oftentimes rejected the idea of a return to pre-1967 borders, recognizing that such a solution would be suicidal for the Jewish people living in Israel, and he’s absolutely correct! With the backing of a popular and highly influential US President, Netanyahu stands on firm ground in his resistance to the UN plan.

The Antichrist Will Confirm the Covenant

Furthermore, the Bible tells us that the antichrist will confirm the upcoming peace covenant with Israel, which initiates Daniel’s seventieth week, the seven-year Tribulation for the world. Daniel 9:27 mentions the “many,” which suggests the inclusion of other nations in the deal. However, they are not the ones who will impose the prophetic peace accord upon Israel such as the UN intends to do later this year. The two prominent participants in the biblical peace accord will be the antichrist and Israel.

In Isaiah 28:14-22, the Lord admonishes Israel for entering into a future “covenant of death,” which is almost certainly a prophecy concerning the accord the nation will make with the antichrist. God will judge the nations for dividing the Land (Joel 3:1-3), but He will hold Israel’s leaders responsible for agreeing to the antichrist’s terms. In other words, Israel will agree to the deal that kicks off Daniel’s last week; it’s not something the nations will impose upon Israel apart from the consent of its leaders.

The Hidden Piece

The missing piece to all that we see happening with the UN, Israel, and Jerusalem is the Rapture. It’s the key piece that enables the completion of the puzzle.

It’s possible that the coming “man of lawlessness” is already involved in some way with the UN Conference on Palestine. However, he cannot take center stage on the world scene until after Jesus removes His church from it (2 Thessalonians 2:3-8). In the meantime, we might have guesses concerning his identity, but we cannot know for sure. Because the Lord is restraining him at the moment, he can’t lead the peacemaking negotiations until after we are gone.

The Rapture will also remove the US as a key obstacle to the UN plan. The ensuing chaos will instantly remove America as a world power and greatly limit its ability to defend Israel. I believe that the Gog/Magog invasion will happen after the Rapture as the participants take advantage of a greatly weakened US.

The radically changed landscape of the post-Rapture world will also give the antichrist the perfect opening to convince a war-weary Israel to agree to his covenant of peace. After the Gog/Magog war, he will be able to make his deal all the more appealing by allowing for the rebuilding of the third temple, which Israel greatly desires at the moment but won’t receive as a part of the UN Conference on Palestine, which will likely take away their access to the Temple Mount.

Of course, the current UN agenda for Israel and Jerusalem is prophetically significant. I always expected the Rapture would occur before I heard even any mention of a possible seven-year peace accord with Israel. The fact that the nations of the world are considering such a plan tells us we surely live in biblical times.

Until the Rapture occurs, the UN’s plan seems headed for failure. After that, however, the antichrist will be free to take control of the negotiations and make Israel an offer they will not refuse.

-Jonathan

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

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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