Back to Business as Usual

Once again, I want to address the belief expressed by a number of those who watch in anticipation of the Rapture of the Church. I’m referring to those who assert that now it looks like that glorious event will occur later than expected. Things now look not so Tribulation-like in the wake of the election of Donald Trump. It is now back to business as usual, with prospects much brighter. “It will have to get much darker again before Christ will call the Church out of this doomed planet of God-rejecting rebels” represents the thought of many.

The prophecy by Jesus frames how the times must be when He calls the Church in the Rapture. I’ve written about this prophecy many times. I believe this prophecy is exactly where the world is on God’s prophetic timeline. I believe it is the most relevant prophecy for this moment in regard to expecting the Rapture. Here, again, are Jesus’ words:

“Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded; But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all. Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed” (Luke 17:28-30).

My series of articles I titled “Scanning a Fearful Future” had this prophecy at its center. I, therefore, did have some reflective/introspective moments when I observed the economies of America and the world growing extremely tenuous under the Biden regime. With inflation, the loss of hundreds of thousands of jobs, and an invasion of illegal aliens, this administration was increasingly funding with US taxpayer money; I was reflecting on whether my thoughts about this prophecy might be in error. It didn’t look like it was the “business as usual” environment I thought necessary to meet Jesus’ words recorded in Luke 17:28–30.

Here is a snippet of what I wrote in the series–written at the end of 2010 and beginning of 2011.

Yet Jesus tells us that it will be business as usual right up until the moment He removes believers from the planet. There is no man-made, worldwide catastrophe in Christ’s prophecy. As a matter of fact, Jesus says all will be relatively normal, in terms of human activity, until that removal. Then He will be revealed by way of His cataclysmic judgment that begins to devastate planet Earth. It is God who causes the cataclysm, not George Soros or any other human or other entity.

I went on to say in the series that business as usual, like in the days of Lot in Sodom, meant that business would be more or less booming, not on a downward trajectory like during these last four years.

So, unlike those who look for the Rapture in a darkening economic environment as the most likely time for Christ to call in the Rapture, I see the opposite. Jesus says business will be as usual. And business in Sodom in Lot’s time was apparently booming, even though the culture and society beneath the surface of activity there was as wicked and evil as our own subculture has become within the last number of years.

And unlike those who think the Rapture must be farther off than before because of Mr. Trump’s election, my thinking is opposite. I believe it is Back to business as usual… There will be no collapse into economic dystopia that will be in effect at the moment of Rapture.

Since Trump’s landslide election, the business world, even as reported in Trump-hating European media, is looking for business to boom. The American stock market recorded a record high immediately following election results.

Here is one such report.

LONDON, Nov 13 (Reuters) – Global investors changed their expectations on the global economy in the wake of Donald Trump’s election win, and now see higher growth than they did before, as well as higher inflation, according to Bank of America’s monthly fund manager survey.

As a result, investors have increased their allocations to U.S. stocks and to U.S. small caps, which are more domestically focused and so potentially likely to benefit particularly from a stronger U.S. economy.

BofA polled 179 participants with $503 billion assets under management. Of those, 22% responded after the U.S. election, won by Republican former president Trump.

A net 23% of those polled after the result said they expected the global economy would get stronger in the next 12 months, the most optimistic since August 2021.

This is a turnaround from October’s survey, which had shown more respondents thought the economy would be weaker in 12 months’ time…

Investors upped their allocations to U.S. stocks. A net 29% are overweight U.S. equities, the highest since August 2013, the survey showed. (“Investors expect more growth and inflation after Trump win, BofA survey shows,” Reuters, November 13, 2024)

All of America’s most knowledgeable folks in the world of finance and business are optimistic about the coming Trump presidency. He is a businessman of first order. It is provable that he had the nation going in a positive direction that verged on a boom when, in my view, the election was stolen in 2020.

My desire is to exhort pre-Trib Rapture believers to not be part of the think not generation. We are certainly in times like the days of Lot as recorded in Genesis chapter 19. At the same time, there appears on the immediate horizon every signal Jesus gave as what to look for when the time of His Return nears.

Let us therefore do as our Lord instructs through that conversation He had with the disciples who were at His side that day on the Mount of Olives:

“And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh” (Luke 21:28).

—Terry

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On the Edge of Suddenly

In just the past few weeks, we have witnessed a dizzying array of signs pointing to the nearness of the Tribulation and, thus, to the Rapture, which happens before it begins. The world lies breathtakingly close to the start of the catastrophic conditions described throughout Revelation 6, and yet God’s judgments seem mysteriously paused.

In 2 Thessalonians 2:7-8, Paul explains why the world can rest on the edge of cataclysmic events and yet escape the dire consequences of what surely lies ahead:

“For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work. Only he who now restrains it will do so until he is out of the way. And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will kill with the breath of his mouth and bring to nothing by the appearance of his coming.”

Revelation 6 begins with the antichrist riding throughout the world on a white horse, but this can’t happen until the Lord removes His restraining hand, which for now keeps him from unveiling his true nature. The restricting force is the Holy Spirit’s presence in true believers through which He not only holds back the man of lawlessness, but also the start of all we read about in Revelation 6.

After the Rapture, the beast will be free to ride.

Closer to the Edge of Destruction

Just this month, we have witnessed events that have brought the world closer to the time when we will watch the Lord open the seven seals. What follows are but a couple of examples of this.

On Sunday, November 17, President Biden took the world a giant step closer to a nuclear world war by allowing Ukraine to fire U.S. missiles into Russia, which happened two days later. As I write, we await Vladimir Putin’s response. Will he carry through on his threats of a nuclear response? If nothing else, the President’s decision has put many people on edge and will surely escalate the war, resulting in the deaths of many more people.

And just this past week, the U.S. debt total passed the thirty-six trillion-dollar mark. There’s no rational explanation for why the American economy hasn’t completely collapsed with worldwide implications that align with Revelation 6:5-6.

Suddenly

How does this seeming delay fit with Bible prophecy? 1 Thessalonians 5:3 reveals that when the world falls off the edge into the coming series of catastrophic events, it will happen abruptly and unexpectedly:

“While people are saying, ‘There is peace and security,’ then sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.”

In a moment, everything will change. The word normal will remain in dictionaries, but any sense of normality will instantly disappear.

As New Testament saints, we will disappear in the “twinkling of an eye” (1 Corinthians 15:52). The Lord will instantly change our mortal bodies into ones that will never perish or grow old. We will immediately experience the eternal life that we now possess through faith.

Our departure alone will cause a rapid deterioration of any remaining sense of calm and result in great chaos throughout the world. I believe that the antichrist will begin his crusade for peace in the weeks or perhaps months after the Rapture.

Revelation 1:1 provides us with another indication of just how quickly world conditions will deteriorate.

The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants the things that must soon take place.

The Greek word for “soon” in this verse is tachos, which more often denotes the speed or quickness of an action. John is not saying that the prophecies of the apocalypse would happen soon, at least with how we reckon time, but rather that they would happen quickly. Like a large boulder rolling downhill, they will happen with increased speed and intensity.

Yes, the Bible tells us that the Tribulation will last seven years, beginning with a peace agreement between the Antichrist and Israel. However, the Day of the Lord will begin suddenly and continue with a series of judgments that will continue in rapid-fire succession. The experience of “sudden destruction” will repeat over and over again through the Tribulation.

The Warning

Everywhere we look, we see precursors to the fulfillment of so many things that we read about in the book of Revelation and, in particular, chapters 6 and 13. As a result, some mistakenly believe that the four horsemen of the apocalypse are already riding through the earth. I believe the Lord is allowing the world to see glimpses of what lies ahead as a warning of what’s to come.

At the moment, the world is speeding down the road to a nuclear war. Could we be hours, days, or weeks away from the “sudden destruction” that will inaugurate the Day of the Lord after we are safely in Heaven with Jesus? Yes, we are that close to the Lord’s appearing. Or might He continue to restrain the forces that He has allowed to take the world to the edge of suddenly?

If nothing else, the events of the past few weeks should be a wake-up call of just how quickly our lives can instantly change. I know that many in the world still cling to the belief that normality will prevail, but what about the church?

Sadly, many saints plan for their future with no thought of the Lord’s nearing intervention in their future aspirations nor with any consideration of the warning that comes from James 4:13-17.

-Jonathan

Final Donation Drive of 2024

Think-Not Time to Be Rapture Ready!

Let me say up front that this article is dedicated to appealing to our Rapture Ready family, asking that you help fund our efforts now, so late into the Church Age.

That funding is very much needed at this time. This is in large part because of pressures exerted by Internet-control authorities who, within their ability, make it as financially difficult as possible for us to go forward in presenting God’s message for this late hour. Obtaining the revenue to adequately meet our needs has become increasingly problematic.

This is something we must inform you of because the downturn in revenue comes at the time of an upturn in costs. We’re at a time when the prophetic picture is powerfully shaping up in pointing toward the great event we look for with great anticipation.

It is time to be Rapture Ready! We must present the message of salvation and of Christ’s any-moment intervention into this world so opposed to God’s righteousness.

So many within the Christian community across America now see this time of the election of Mr. Trump as a return to sanity and to movement toward America as founded. Todd and I agree that this is a positive development. Our God has so obviously intervened—from the moment when the former and future president missed being assassinated by mere inches—to Heaven’s influence having the anti-God forces in Psalm 2 derision as the political season unfolded.

We also see this as a dangerous time of possible miscalculation. By this, I mean many I’ve heard from think this election and a turn toward a less ungodly America, with the coming to power of this new administration, indicate that the Rapture must now be farther off than we had expected. Now we are going to see a time of peace and prosperity–a return to cultural and societal norms and moral sanity. The Rapture has been put on hold, is the sense I get from some of the Christian world.

While we welcome the turn of events in this election and the thought that voters have seen the light to some extent with regard to wanting a course correction, we must warn that this growing belief that now things will move back toward “Making America Great Again” creates a time our Lord warned about.

Those of you who are in our Rapture Ready family–as others who hold to the pre-Trib Rapture view within God’s family—have looked at all the portentous issues and events of these times as foreshadowing the Tribulation (Daniel’s seventieth week). And this is the correct observation. The Tribulation is almost upon this generation.

Just considering the matters involving God’s chosen nation and people–Israel—is, within itself, enough to prove where we stand on God’s prophetic timeline. Hatred for Israel and the desire of the world of diplomats to divide that land–and even eliminate Israel as a nation—prove we’re bumping right up against the end of this quickly fleeting age. So it is wise to see all the stage-setting we’ve observed coming with such frequency and intensity as showing how near the Rapture must be.

But, again, there is now a growing sense expressed by many that maybe the Rapture will not occur for quite some time, based on the political turn of events.

This is foolish, and we implore those who think this way to reconsider. The Rapture is right at the door. And the very attitude we’re getting from those who miscalculate where we are in God’s timing for prophetic fulfillment is itself prophetic fulfillment. It is fulfillment given in the tremendous forewarning by our Lord, Himself. Don’t miss it. It is profound at this late moment of this closing Age of Grace:

“Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh (Matthew 24:44).

This is a think-not time unlike any we’ve seen in the past. It’s as if all things have been brought to a providential pause. All the massive developments toward the Tribulation seem to some to be on hold. But we must not be apathetic or unaware. Jesus declared it’s at a time such as this when He will intervene through human history’s most dramatic event at this point–the Rapture of the Church.

So we ask that you help with donations at this end-of-the-age hour when Satan is coming with increasing vehemence against God’s ministries such as Rapture Ready. Thank you, as always, for being part of our Rapture Ready family. Your support, we believe, will be credited to your heavenly bank account. Like you, we want to hear our Lord’s words: “Well done, good, faithful servant” (Matthew 25:23).

There are three ways you can contribute to RR: Send a financial gift via our PO box address; make a one-time donation; or make monthly donations. If you’re interested in signing up, find the links on the Donation Depot page. Donations can be sent to our PO Box at:

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

—Terry

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Trump, the Globalists, and the Rapture

For a long time, I dreaded the 2024 U.S. Presidential Election, believing it would turn out far, far different than it did. I contemplated not voting, but the nomination of Kamala Harris, followed by the VP selection of Tim Walz, negated any hesitation I might have had. How could I possibly stay home and not cast my ballot against the anti-biblical and Marxist agenda of those at the head of the Democrat ticket?

The Trump victory is great news for the American people, especially for families that continue to suffer because of high inflation, which would’ve surely continued to soar amid higher taxes had Harris prevailed. Despite his many faults, I believe Trump genuinely loves his country and its people. Biden expressed the attitude of his administration when he referred to Trump supporters as “garbage.”

My doubts concerning the 2024 election stemmed from what I saw in 2020 with the all-out effort to cheat so that Biden would prevail. Did the Republicans successfully block the efforts to rig this election? Or have the globalists who control the deep state turned their attention elsewhere?

I don’t know the answer to those questions, but I know the elite powerbrokers of our day are moving forward with their plans for world domination.

Is Trump’s Victory Really a Setback for the Globalists?

Shortly before the election, Yuval Harari, a key leader in the World Economic Forum (WEF), stated that a Trump win would deal a “death blow” to their efforts.

I’m not sure if that’s true. Although the president-elect vigorously opposes all forms of global governance, might it be too late to stop the momentum toward this goal?

The globalists have achieved much recent success in furthering their agenda of world domination. This past September, they significantly strengthened the powers of the UN with agreements that place member nations directly on the path to a one-world government. They also agreed to a pact that will lead to a uniform digital currency for all countries, which is essential for fulfillment of Revelation 13:16-18, the mark of the beast.

Please know that this is just my speculation, but I suspect that the globalists believe that the seeds they have planted for the destruction of the U.S. will remove it as a key roadblock on their path of world dominance.

I doubt that the Trump victory can prevent the economic Armageddon that’s rapidly speeding our way. During the past four years, the U.S. government has added seven trillion dollars to its debt total, which just reached thirty-six trillion dollars. The U.S. is adding one trillion dollars to that total every one hundred days with interest payments on this debt now over one trillion dollars a year.

The restraining hand of the Lord is the only reason America hasn’t yet reaped the disastrous consequences of the reckless financial mismanagement of the past few decades. The fast-approaching train wreck will directly lead to Revelation 6:5-6 conditions throughout the earth.

Besides the debt explosion that lies on the horizon, the multitudes of U.S. enemies that have poured across our southern border, along with the estimated ten million illegal immigrants during the past four years, pose a substantial threat to our nation’s future well-being. Is there time to avert an eruption of violence within our borders? Perhaps, but I rather think it’s unlikely.

Satan Hates Israel

With the seeds of destruction already sown in America, the globalists have already turned their attention to another nation they regard as an obstacle to their success: Israel.

Why would they turn their attention to such a tiny nation? Because the one who guides and motivates them hates Israel and the Jewish people. Why is his opposition so intense and deadly?

It’s because Satan’s ultimate goal is to eliminate both the nation and its people so as to stop the fulfillment of Bible prophecy, such as we read in Revelation 19:11-20:10. Our adversary knows what Zechariah wrote about the Second Coming; He’s returning to a repentant remnant of the Jewish people who will see the restoration of their kingdom during the time Jesus rules over the nations from the city of Jerusalem (12:10-14:9). If he can’t defeat the nation militarily, might the devil be already working on a backup plan to destroy Israel and its people through peace?

Days before the U.S. election, ninety-four nations met in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, with the purpose of reaching a seven-to-ten-year peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinians, which they believe will bring peace to the Middle East. Both Israel and America sent representatives to this gathering, which calls itself the Global Alliance. It’s almost as if they had read Danial 9:27 and decided that now is the time to start fulfilling its words.

President-elect Trump has already begun talking about reviving his 2020 peace initiative along with the Abrahamic Accords. He, much more than Harris, would give Israel’s leaders the confidence to agree with future agreements because they know he will do all he can to defend the nation.

Rapture Ramifications

There are definite Rapture ramifications to all these things. During the past week, two verses keep coming to mind.

The first, as you might suspect, is 1 Thessalonians 5:3:

“While people are saying, ‘There is peace and security,’ then sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.”

On the surface, the world seems to be a safer place since Donald Trump secured his election victory. Though the cries of “peace and security” have long echoed through the halls of the UN and among the throngs at WEF meetings, there’s a deep sense of relief among many others as well.

The following developments occurred within days of the election.

• The EU says it wants to buy American natural gas to avoid Trump’s tariffs.
• Putin says he will sell Russian oil in U.S. Dollars.
• Hamas is calling for peace.
• Mexico broke up a migrant caravan heading for America.
• Zelenskyy held a private phone call with President Trump and Elon Musk about ending the war in Ukraine. ^[1]

As the sense of stability grows throughout the world, I look for the cries of “peace and security” to become louder and even more prevalent. In the past, we heard these words despite the fact that the world teetered on the brink of devastating wars on many fronts. How much more might we hear them in the weeks and months that lie ahead?

There’s also that ominous phrase “sudden destruction” in 1 Thessalonians 5:3. Almost two thousand years ago, Paul wrote that God would suddenly pour out His Day of the Lord wrath at a time when people felt secure.

If not for the myriad of other signs that tell me the Tribulation is ever so close, I might not regard what I see as the fulfillment of Paul’s words. But combined with such unmistakable evidence of its nearness, I believe we are on the eve of the rapid devastation that will mark the start of the Day of the Lord.

The mood of many following the U.S. election aligns rather well with what the apostle said would exist just before the Rapture and the beginning of this coming day. The time is ripe for Jesus’ sudden intervention in the world.

The Lord has been reminding me of another verse this past week:

“Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect” (Matthew 24:44, emphasis added).

I admit that I felt relieved when I saw that Trump had won. The world suddenly seemed less foreboding and safer. I’m not saying this is true, not at all, but it’s what I initially sensed.

As if to keep my eyes heavenward, the Lord keeps reminding me that the Rapture will happen at a time when most Christians least expect it. If He’s going to come for His Church at a time when even fewer believers expect it, now seems to be the ideal time for that to happen.

Based on outward appearances, the world seems like a safer place than it was just a couple weeks ago. However, could that in itself be a sign pointing to the nearness of the Rapture? I think so.

The Lord is coming for His Church when most Christians will least expect it. The seeming reprieve from the many dangers facing our world may be a sign itself pointing to Jesus’ soon appearing.

-Jonathan

[1] Charlie Kirk Telegram Channel is the source for these developments.