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

The Trump Arrangement Syndrome

Sometimes, as a morning routine, I listen to the Chris Plante national radio show. The other morning, he played sound bites of a typical anti-Trump night-time comedian saying, with sarcasm, that it is now, since the election and inauguration, 24/7 coverage of Donald Trump, whereas before it was only 24/7 coverage of Donald Trump.

Chris Plante then said in his own humorous way: “Ahh yes…mental illness is such a terrible thing, isn’t it? When did they all come down with the same mental illness?”

Plante was, of course, talking about what long ago became known in pseudo-psychological vernacular as the “Trump derangement syndrome” (TDS). Certainly, that widespread hatred for the now forty-seventh president of the United States wasn’t stanched by his overwhelming win in the 2024 presidential race. The Trump bashers, which include the radical left on the political spectrum, mainstream media, and almost the entire entertainment industry, continue apace in manifesting the syndrome.

One of the more amusing aspects of the ongoing hatred these TDS entities project is that they now–after Donald J. Trump’s win—seem to be joining in agreement with those of us who study Bible prophecy from the pre-Trib view. I’ve heard some of these anti-God types refer to Trump as “the Antichrist” a number of times, so I guess they now believe in Bible prophecy.

Of course, I’ve also read the charge that Mr. Trump will be the Antichrist put forward by more than a few who are presumably Christians claiming Bible prophecy as their source for such a proclamation. These, too, seem to have been infected by the Trump derangement syndrome.

Truly, there has never been such a man as Donald J. Trump to so dominate presidential political headlines most every day since he came down the golden escalator at Trump Tower in New York City. Since that moment in 2016, never has any person endured at one and the same time such hatred and accolades on the national stage.

Despite the Trump derangement, the election on November 7 seems to indicate powerfully that most of America’s voting public didn’t fall for the mainstream and entertainment media-fueled Trump hatred. In spite of everything thrown at Donald J. Trump, including the proverbial kitchen sink, he has emerged as the leader that even many of his former hate-filled enemies, in many cases, now eagerly seek to embrace.

Those who exclusively attribute to his charismatic persona this mercurial political entity’s rise to the ultimate governmental position in the world, then his nation-rendering fall, then his rocket-like rise again is, I believe, as blind spiritually as I am physically. I, you see, am not downcast by the Trump derangement syndrome. Rather, I’m spiritually enlightened and uplifted by understanding what I call the “Trump arrangement syndrome”–a thing, as believers, we must avoid, as I hope to make clear.

This understanding begins with the knowledge that God raises up kings and brings them down:

“He changes the times and the seasons; He removes kings and establishes kings; He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding” (Daniel 2:21).

Donald Trump is, as I’ve written many times, not a godly man. He is, however, there is no doubt in my thinking, God’s man for this late hour of the Church Age (Age of Grace). In this sense, the term “Trump arrangement syndrome” is the right one that encapsulates this president’s ascent to the ultimate, earthly, geopolitical power. The present Trump arrangement is a matter only our Mighty God could bring into this, the prophetic hour just before He again begins dealing in a final prophetic way with His chosen people and nation, Israel.

Proof of this heavenly action–arranging Trump’s positioning–I now believe, was when God spared Trump’s life on that August 14, 2024, afternoon in Butler, Pennsylvania, for the entire world to witness. It was the God of all creation making a statement and preparing the way to get back to “business as usual” rather than allowing the reprobate thinking to be unchecked—the anti-God insanity that was moving too quickly toward satanic stage-setting for Antichrist’s rise to power.

Now let me explain. By saying “business as usual,” I’m not referring to the business of returning to normalcy in the human sense so that we can all just live happy, secure lives. That would mean God approves of the wickedness that “business as usual” has produced–business that has taken us far from Him.

The “business as usual” to which I refer is the exact kind that was going on at the time Lot, his wife, and daughters were removed from Sodom. That activity was, I believe, very much like it will be here in America—and by extension, the world—at the moment Christ next breaks into the wicked affairs of humanity on earth.

We see how quickly this arrangement is shaping up following Trump’s return to the Oval Office. Even the technocrats–the billionaire producers of the great, advancing technologies are on board this man of destiny’s Trump Train. The president has announced the AI wonders that will constitute what he termed Stargate, which he says will be funded by $500 billion, and immediately produce more than 100 thousand jobs.

I believe Mr. Trump truly believes this will lead to making America great again and will bring about an American Golden Age, as he puts it. Indeed, America might, for a time, experience an unusual uptick in economic achievement. But we must not be deluded. It all smacks of preparing the post-Rapture world for AI technological controls for the era Jesus said will be the worst of all human history.

So the Trump arrangement taking place is, I believe, Heaven preparing the world for fulfillment of Jesus’ prophecy as recorded in Luke 17:28-30.

The Lord said it will be “as it was in the days of Lot” when He is next “revealed.” Then, just like in Lot’s day, judgment will begin falling on a world that has rebelled against God.

It will be, Jesus said, at “a time you think not.” We’re told in Scripture that “It will come upon the world” “like a snare (a surprise snatching-up).”

For the Christian, we are to be watching all these developments (Mark 13: 37). We’re to notice that Israel is again in the center of all things, and that the desire for peace also is at the center of all things. We are to take notice that the world is not in as dire a situation, economically speaking, as it was looking when the Biden era came to a close. Yes. The world continues to be in an anti-God spiral downward morally, culturally, and throughout society. But now we see an almost exponentially upward spiraling economic and technologically advancing situation in America—and, by extension, worldwide—we are assured by Mr.  Trump and others.

At the same time, there are wars and rumors of wars, and all of them revolve around major players in God’s prophetic Word for the time of the end. Russia, Iran, Turkey, China–all are poised to fulfill their disastrous destinies during the Tribulation—the last seven years leading to Christ’s Second Advent.

We do not want, as believers in Jesus Christ, to get caught up in the Trump arrangement syndrome. This term means Donald Trump is going to make America great again. That syndrome is as wrongheaded as what those with the Trump derangement syndrome suffer.

I am, like you, thankful the 2024 presidential election went the way it did. The Lord arranged it, no doubt. All thanks and glory be to Him! This heavenly arrangement perhaps gives believers time to work to bring more souls into God’s family through salvation in a culture and society that remains free to do so.

At the same time, we are to be “looking up,” for our Redeemer is drawing near. The Rapture is the next event on God’s prophetic calendar!

Here again is the message to share as we go about witnessing the soul-saving power of our Lord:

“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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Donald Trump: Deliverer or Globalist

During the two weeks following Donald Trump’s inauguration, I read two divergent positions on social media regarding his presidency. I believe that neither one of these viewpoints is accurate.

Let me explain; I believe that the popular perspectives favored by Christians fall short of reality.

The “Trump Will Save Us Crowd”

Some Christians view the President as one who delivers our nation from all that threatens its future security. Their social media posts reveal their trust in him to successfully deal with all our problems and enable us to ultimately win the culture war.

Many in this crowd hold to the false teaching of Dominion Theology, which asserts that the church will cure society of all its troubles and usher in the Millennium. This errant doctrine contradicts biblical passages of Jesus’ preeminence by reducing His future role in the world to that of a spectator rather than a Redeemer who alone will change the course of human history. Proponents of this theology reject what the Bible says about His future millennial rule over the nations.

In spite of all the good that has come from Trump’s initial days in office, we must remember that our hope rests with Jesus alone. The President’s changes to our government are wonderful and sorely needed, but they won’t last indefinitely.

The Lord’s judgment is on its way to the US; His warnings of the devastation that lies ahead for America, as well as the world, are everywhere. We live in the last moments of human history as we know it; no human can change the current trajectory of human history.

The “Trump Is No Different than the Globalists Crowd”

Then there is what I also refer to as the “woe is me crowd.” They tell us the November election was all about choosing between the “lesser of two evils” with both options inevitably taking us to the same destination, that of the New World Order (NWO). They claim to be glad that Trump won, but their social media posts tell a different story.

The “Trump is no different crowd” points to his Stargate Program as proof that he’s no better than the devil himself. They overlook that Trump’s stated motive for doing so was to keep up with China’s AI technology. Are we to believe that he’s knowingly helping to build the beast system of Revelation 13?

Yes, the President mistakenly favors mRNA vaccines. However, I know of some born-again saints and at least one Bible-believing pastor who also wholeheartedly supports these injections (this preacher booted me out of his church because of my opposition to them). Trump’s favorable position regarding these vaccines doesn’t make him a globalist any more than it does other believers and Bible-believing pastors who favor them with equal vigor.

Furthermore, Trump’s actions during his first week in office refute the charge that he favors a one-world government or is a trojan horse for the NWO.

First, President Trump immediately removed the US from the Paris Climate Accord and stopped all Green New Deal policies in America. This will deprive the globalists of at least one trillion dollars, money they are collecting for the NWO under the ruse of a “climate emergency.”

Second, on Thursday, January 23rd, Trump issued an executive order outlawing the formation of a Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) in the US. The globalists will someday combine all CBDCs into one in preparation for the future mark of the beast. I regard this future unified CBDC as essential to the antichrist’s ability to control the world’s buying and selling. But for now, it’s illegal in the US.

Third, when President Trump spoke to the World Economic Forum (WEF) on January 23rd, he eviscerated their beloved Build Back Better platform. His blistering attack on their globalists’ agenda no doubt angered those gathered at the WEF’s annual meeting in Davos, as did his outlawing of their cherished CBDC initiative to solve the world’s financial woes.

Fourth, Trump foiled another key part of the globalists’ agenda by closing the southern border and beginning the deportation of illegal aliens. Illegal immigration is key to the plans of the deep-state globalists to destroy America from within.

Fifth, by removing the US from the World Health Organization (WHO), the President cut off its backdoor plans to bring the NWO to America. Proposals before the WHO would grant its chairman total control over a nation and its response to what it deemed to be a health emergency. Trump’s blow against the WHO will become even greater if other nations follow his lead, as some news reports suggest might happen.

Sixth, the deep state in America consists of globalists. Many of these deep-state villains from the US were in Davos last month cheering Klaus Schwab’s NWO agenda and writhing in anger as they listened to Trump’s America First speech.

It’s not reasonable to say, as some do, that Trump opposes the deep state but not those who favor an NWO. They are the same entity with identical goals, agendas, and dreams of enslaving humanity.

Let’s Be Thankful Trump Is Our President

I don’t agree with President Trump on everything, but the past election was most certainly not about choosing the lesser of two evils. I wholeheartedly disagree with those who say it was. It was all about repudiating the wicked, vile, and totally insane policies of the Biden administration. The election was about electing a President who, despite his faults, genuinely loves the American people and seeks to protect us.

I believe Trump’s biggest test will come as he deals with Israel amid the world’s mad rush to divide the Land and Jerusalem via a two-state solution. The passion of the nations to impose a seven or ten-year peace accord upon Israel later this year has placed them on a glide path to fulfill the words of Daniel 9:27, perhaps during 2025?

How will President Trump respond to the current obsession of many nations to impose a years’ peace covenant upon Israel? We know this will surely happen in the future, but how soon?

In the meantime, I’m enjoying the reprieve from the outlandish agenda of the previous president, who hated the American people and advocated policies aimed at destroying both it and its citizens.

I love reading about Trump’s bold actions and new policies, but my future security rests exclusively with the Lord and His promises to me revealed throughout Scripture. Jesus is the sole reason I sleep peaceably at night.

Despite the welcome outcome of the past election in the US, I’m convinced that Jesus is coming for us in the near future. Did not Jesus say that He would intervene in human history at a time we “do not expect” (Matthew 24:44)? I’m praying that He surprises us this way in the coming days, weeks, or months.

Unless something disrupts the obsession of many nations seeking to impose upon Israel a peace accord, which they plan to ratify at the UN meeting this coming September, we may be home with Jesus very, very soon.

Maranatha!

-Jonathan