Prophecy Line
Jude Foretells Our Time
We look around at the insanity that seemingly dominates culture and society and ask: “Has the world gone completely mad?” The Bible has the answer, of course. Paul the great apostle, for example, gives an answer:
And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, Without understanding, covenant breakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them. (Romans 1:29–32)
We are in the middle of a generation that embraces evil, as we have looked at many times. I’ve proposed in these commentaries that Jesus’ own words give us the truth about a future generation like the one described by Paul. It is the Lord’s prophecy about the generation who will be alive when He next intervenes catastrophically into the wicked affairs of humankind. He said it will be just like it was during the time of Lot Sodom.
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)
While there are many things we can call “evil” and “wicked,” there is a specific form of wickedness that marked Lot’s day, as we all know. God came down to Abraham, Lot’s uncle, to say He was going to check Sodom to see if all the wickedness was taking place. Of course, God knew the state of that debauched society and culture. After Abraham tried to bargain with the Lord, asking if he would spare the city if a certain number of righteous people could be found, and only Lot fell into that category, God destroyed the city after removing the only righteous people–Lot and his daughters.
The primary evil reported in the Word of God concerning God’s judgment of and destruction of Sodom was the sexual debauchery rampant in the city. The sexual wickedness, according to Genesis 19, was that of homosexuality.
Again, Paul mentions this:
For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet. (Romans 1:26–27)
Jude tells of this matter that angers the God of Heaven to the point that He must act in His perfect righteousness. Many who read the little book of Jude are struck by his word that is ubiquitous in his prophecy for the very end of humanity’s war against the God who created them. That word is “ungodly”:
And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints, To execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him. These are murmurers, complainers, walking after their own lusts; and their mouth speaketh great swelling words, having men’s persons in admiration because of advantage. But, beloved, remember ye the words which were spoken before of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ; How that they told you there should be mockers in the last time, who should walk after their own ungodly lusts. These be they who separate themselves, sensual, having not the Spirit. (Jude 1: 14-19)
Jude, in his condemning prophecy about ungodliness, gave an example of the wickedness that would bring God’s wrath.
Even as Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire. Likewise also these filthy dreamers defile the flesh, despise dominion, and speak evil of dignities. (Jude 1:7–8)
Jesus, Paul, and Jude were speaking of our own time so near the end of this Age of Grace, I have no doubt. The following news story should make it clear as to the above prophecies could very likely apply to this very hour.
A video of a mock “de-baptism” ritual at a Michigan LGBT “pride” festival has emerged on Instagram.
The video shows a man in an orange shirt reading “God Hates FAGs” pointing an unplugged hairdryer labelled “reason” at a woman’s head.
The Instagram user said she underwent the ceremony at Lansing Pride 2025.
She reflected on being baptized in the Mormon Church at age 8, saying she had been baptized without “informed spiritual consent.” She described the “de-baptism” as a moment of release and healing, writing, “Dry, whole, and finally, by my own choice.”
The booth offering the ritual was hosted by “Michigan Atheists,” which described the ceremony as “a powerful act of self-affirmation.” The group also pledged support for gender ideology under the banner of “freedom of expression.” It plans to offer similar activities at “Royal Oak Pride” and “Ann Arbor Pride” later this summer.
So-called “de-baptism” (and “un-baptism”) ceremonies have also become common amongst satanist groups.
“Lansing Pride” itself featured over 200 vendors and performances. This year’s events included the “Free to Bee Family Zone” for children, which offered drag story times, free books, and LGBT-themed activities aimed at “empowering kids to embrace and celebrate differences.” (“LGBT ‘pride’ participants undergo sacrilegious ‘de-baptism’ ritual,” LifeSite, Rapture Ready News July 3, 2025)
What more appropriate word to use in defining such wickedness than that word used by the prophet Jude in describing Christ’s return to judge such evil? “Ungodly” is that word and, as Jude describes, ungodliness is worthy of God’s wrath.
For those caught up in the wickedness of this age so near the Tribulation, here again is how to accept God’s forgiveness and not come under His wrath and judgment that is swiftly approaching.
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)
Please donate to this Gospel witness effort in Pakistan
Dear Rapture Ready family, my translated Sunday School-size book “Prophecy Power: Strength From God To Face Your Future,” has been reprinted in Pakistan, thanks to a generous donation by a friend of the RR ministry. Just as we are so grateful to each of you who have contributed in past efforts, we are most grateful to him, and thankful to our Lord for that funding so the book can go forth with God’s word to those so in need in that sin-darkened area of the world.
The Pakistani minister who translated my book into his native language must travel far and wide –and at great personal risk due to the hatred of Christianity, as you know.
There is a great need for travel and other expenses in the preaching, teaching and distribution of this book.
The pastor reports much positive response to the efforts, as the people are hungry for good news. And the Gospel is the Ultimate Good News!
So please, if the Lord is speaking to you in spirit, donate to this important Great Commission cause so near the end of this quickly fleeting Age of Grace.
Again, I have no doubt that great will be your Heavenly Rewards.
To donate, please send to my attention.
I’m sorry, but checks are the only option this time in this effort. Please make them payable to me,Terry James, putting on the line at the bottom the words: “For Pakistan”.
Please send to:
Attention: Terry
Rapture Ready
P.O. Box 969
Benton, AR 72018
Jeremiah 49 Elam Destruction
Mike Huckabee, US ambassador to Israel, has perhaps framed my thinking in this commentary.
He says that US B-2 bombers “need to visit Yemen” after Houthis missile intercepted.
“We thought we were done with missiles coming to Israel, but Houthis just lit one up over us in Israel,” the ambassador noted after the first missile attack since the Iran war. “The law of Yemen is the law of Tehran,” he wrote. “After we strike the head of the serpent in Tehran, we will also strike the tail of the serpent in Yemen” (Rapture Ready News, July 2, 2025).
Huckabee’s words validate that the 12-Day War between Israel and Iran, as it has been termed, isn’t over. This is no surprise to any Bible student who is familiar with God’s prophetic Word. The war with Israel’s surrounding enemies has been waged for thousands of years, and we know from Bible prophecy that the conflict hasn’t come to an end with the B-2 bombers dropping multiple bunker-buster bombs down the center of the mountain hiding the Iranian Fordow nuclear facility.
The leak to CNN and others from out of the Department of Defense claiming that the huge ordnance sent into that facility three hundred feet beneath the mountain didn’t finish off the Iranian nuclear program, whether true or not, has created a strong sense that there’s more to be done to end the Iranian regime’s nuclear-weapons ambitions.
The leakers inside the DOD, who are being pursued by Defense Secretary Pete Hegset and by the Trump administration, are thought to be of the deep-state variety. These, it is charged, want never-ending war, particularly in the Middle East, to feed the greed of the so-called military-industrial complex. (That, plus the desire to bring down the presidency of Donald J. Trump.)
Some who study Bible prophecy from the pre-Trib perspective have suggested that this strike to rid Iran of its nuclear program was the fulfillment of the following Jeremiah 49 prophecy:
The word of the LORD that came to Jeremiah the prophet against Elam in the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah king of Judah, saying, Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Behold, I will break the bow of Elam, the chief of their might. And upon Elam will I bring the four winds from the four quarters of heaven, and will scatter them toward all those winds; and there shall be no nation whither the outcasts of Elam shall not come. For I will cause Elam to be dismayed before their enemies, and before them that seek their life: and I will bring evil upon them even my fierce anger, saith the LORD; and I will send the sword after them, till I have consumed them: And I will set my throne in Elam, and will destroy from thence the king and the princes, saith the LORD. But it shall come to pass in the latter days, that I will bring again the captivity of Elam, saith the LORD. (Jeremiah 49:34–39)
The prophecy certainly seems to fit, in some respects, with what the Israel’s IDF and America’s B-2 attacks wrought in Iran.
My good friend Bill Salus, whom I believe has a Holy Spirit-directed focus on the evil in the Middle East against God’s chosen nation, Israel, wrote several years ago with uncanny accuracy about the Jeremiah 49 prophecy.
In this prophecy Jeremiah declares that a time would arrive when the Lord would be furious with the leadership of Iran. We know this because Jeremiah 49:38 says that the kings and the princes will be destroyed. This most likely represents the Iranian government in place when the prophecy occurs. The Lord would never destroy good kings and princes, so we can safely presume that bad Iranian leadership is the problem.
An example of good Iranian leadership was King Cyrus the Great of Persia who lived between 600-529 BC. Isaiah 44-45 predicted his arrival on the world scene a century before Cyrus was even born. Isaiah called Cyrus by name and confirmed that he was anointed by the Lord. If Iran’s current supreme leader, Ayatollah Khamenei, was a good leader like Cyrus, then Jeremiah 49:34-39 would not be a NOW prophecy. The Lord would be pleased with the Ayatollah, rather than furious with him.
But why is the Lord fiercely angry with the government of Iran at the time of the prophecy? The reason is because Iran wants to launch something powerful somewhere. This is why the Lord will break the bow at the foremost of Iran’s might in order to prevent such a lethal launch.
But where does Iran want to launch something powerful? (The Now Prophecies by Bill Salus, Prophecy Depot Publishing, 2016)
Despite the Israeli Defense Force reportedly taking out almost all the Iranian regime’s leadership, and most of the nuclear scientists involved with the weapons program, and American bombers “totally obliterating” the Fordow facility, according to President Trump and Secretary Hegset, there is growing evidence that Iran is back at it. That is, enough of Iran’s nuclear program survived to begin anew the development of nuclear bombs, some sources say.
Satellite and other surveillance apparently observed a number of eighteen-wheeler type trucks moving from the Fordow facility just before the attack by the B-2 bombers. This indicates, to those who are concerned, that the ninety-something canisters of enriched uranium were removed to another location or locations. That nuclear material, the sources say, was almost at the point of being usable to construct the nuclear weapons the regime is determined to affix onto the nose of their ballistic missiles.
Whatsoever the case, it’s obvious that the total destruction indicated in the Jeremiah 49 prophecy against Elam hasn’t yet been fulfilled. The inhabitants haven’t been totally dispatched from the area. The nuclear fallout that many of us think is part of this prophecy that will scatter the inhabitants of Elam far and wide hasn’t occurred. Not yet.
My thinking, as I wrote above, as framed by Ambassador Mike Huckabee’s words on the need perhaps for the B-2s to again be used, is that Iran will again be struck in powerful attacks. With the brilliance of Israeli intelligence and the sophisticated technologies to detect movement of assets, one must presume that if the canisters of enriched uranium or whatever was transported to safety, Israel—and America—know with precision where they now are.
I very strongly suspect that at the appropriate time, if these nuclear materials exist, they will be hit. Could this be when the full extent of this prophecy about Elam’s destruction reaches the beginning of its fulfillment?
***Please donate to this Gospel Witness effort in Pakistan ***
Dear Rapture Ready family, my translated Sunday School-size book “Prophecy Power: Strength From God To Face Your Future,” has been reprinted in Pakistan, thanks to a generous donation by a friend of the RR ministry. Just as we are so grateful to each of you who have contributed in past efforts, we are most grateful to him, and thankful to our Lord for that funding so the book can go forth with God’s word to those so in need in that sin-darkened area of the world.
The Pakistani minister who translated my book into his native language must travel far and wide –and at great personal risk due to the hatred of Christianity, as you know.
There is a great need for travel and other expenses in the preaching, teaching and distribution of this book.
The pastor reports much positive response to the efforts, as the people are hungry for good news. And the Gospel is the Ultimate Good News!
So please, if the Lord is speaking to you in spirit, donate to this important Great Commission cause so near the end of this quickly fleeting Age of Grace.
Again, I have no doubt that great will be your Heavenly Rewards.
To donate, please send to my attention.
I’m sorry, but checks are the only option this time in this effort. Please make them payable to me,Terry James, putting on the line at the bottom the words: “For Pakistan”.
Please send to:
Attention: Terry
Rapture Ready
P.O. Box 969
Benton, AR 72018
Foreshadows of 1984
The apothegm “life often imitates art” has never been more applicable than when considering today’s headlines in the literary shadow of the novel 1984. And that maxim, upon considering that novel, shows, I think, just where at this late hour of the age this generation stands upon God’s prophetic timeline.
Many years ago I wrote a novel along the lines of Orwell’s fiction, all the while trying to stay within exactly how things are prophesied to unfold in God’s Word. That novel, Jacob’s Trouble 666, is still available, I think, on Amazon.
While my effort in writing the story of my protagonist, Jacob Zen, didn’t rise to the level of the brilliance in creativity and syntax of Orwell’s portrayal of his protagonist, Winston Smith, Jacob’s Trouble 666 did, like 1984, foreshadow, I’m confident, what we have long since begun to witness big time. That is, life is now imitating art, just as both Orwell’s novel and mine were intended to present.
George Orwell’s story now seems almost prescient in its conception. While mine didn’t anticipate as accurately how the world would be divided as the dictatorships developed to their present state.
By that I mean Jacob’s Trouble 666, although biblically centered, was, as is most of my writing, America-centric. Orwell’s fictional account of the coming global dictatorship was…well…global in scope.
Not only that, his was British-centric, which, as we will see below is important to examination of a current news item as relative to prophetic development, in my view.
A synopsis of 1984 novel provides futuristic geographical orientation for the reader.
1984 is set in a dystopian future where the world is divided into three superstates constantly at war: Oceania, Eurasia, and Eastasia. The story unfolds in Airstrip One (formerly Great Britain), a province of the totalitarian superstate of Oceania, which is under the control of the Party led by the figurehead Big Brother.
Britain has, in the story, become the center of power for an all-controlling dictatorship. I don’t know to what extent George Orwell looked into Bible prophecy and the foretold coming Antichrist when forming his storyline. But I have to believe he at least was cursorily familiar with the book of Daniel, Revelation chapter 13 and beyond.
Whatever the case, the author, by accidental good fortune, highly intuitive reasoning, or through premonition provided by a muse on his shoulder, hit upon where such dictatorship might emerge to Antichrist-level control. And to astute observers of recent developments in Great Britain and the UK in general, things are trending swiftly toward change that is disturbing.
While Islamic influence is becoming overbearing in many areas of Britain –and European nations in general— the cultural degrading being foisted upon the society is nothing short of dystopian.
The following news indicates that movement into Orwell-like dystopia.
The UK government is considering a mandatory digital ID for all citizens and legal residents in the UK. And the NHS has plans to sequence and store the DNA of all babies born in England. We are fast approaching a dystopian digital surveillance state, similar to what China’s communist government has implemented.
The UK government is considering a proposal for a mandatory digital ID, known as the “BritCard,” which would require the entire population to download it and connect their birth records to the “One Login” system.
The BritCard scheme was proposed by the “think tank” Labour Together. Labour Together’s team is made up largely of former Labour MPs, former local government politicians, former civil servants and former politicians’ assistants. It is influential within the Labour Party and, currently, the Labour government under Keir Starmer.
Labour Together claims that, according to a poll they had conducted, 80% of Britons would support a digital identity card. We would like to know who they polled – their office staff?
“For a progressive society to work, it needs to be able to collectively agree who is allowed to join it. Because it will exclude those who cannot join it, it needs to give its members proof that they belong,” Labour Together said. “Progressive” doesn’t mean that society is improving or people’s lives are going to improve; it means that society is progressing towards the Globalists’ aims of totalitarianism…
Meanwhile, the Bank of England and HM Treasury are currently in the design phase for a potential digital pound, the UK’s central bank digital currency (“CBDC”), with an Academic Advisory Group supporting the process. In January 2025, the Bank of England announced plans for a “Digital Pound Lab” to enable “hands-on experimentation” as part of its preparation for a potential CBDC. (“Digital dystopia looms large in the UK,” by Rhoda Wilson, The Expose, June 26, 2025)
Those who watch (Mark 13:37)-who view all these goings-on-see the prophetic shadows creeping across the European landscape. Just as we are witnessing the peace efforts spreading across the Middle East-an effort that will ultimately bring the “peace that will destroy many,” we know the moving forward of the global, digital economic efforts will result in enslavement for that dystopian Tribulation world in which all will be forced to accept the mark and number in the worship of Antichrist, or face starvation or death by beheading.
While the actual year 1984 is long since in the past, George Orwell’s novel, 1984, is casting shadows into and over our time, it seems. But it is God’s infallible, Holy Word –His prophetic Word—from which those who seek to know where we are on Heaven’s timeline for the wrap-up of this great supernatural novel (the Greatest Story Ever Told) finds truth not fiction.
We have indeed been seeing “all these things begin to come to pass” for quite some time. And it is past time that we who name the Majestic Name of Jesus Christ be “looking up, for our Redeemer is drawing near!”
Here again is how to be rescued by that Redeemer before that time of satanic evil of the Tribulation begins.
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)
Almost Persuaded
When I heard the words I sat a bit straighter in my chair while the president ended his uncharacteristically brief speech. He was reporting the “total obliteration” of Iran’s nuclear facility buried 300 feet below a mountainous terrain.
In ending his speech Mr. Trump thanked the pilots who flew the B2 bombers that released the “bunker buster” bombs. He thanked the Israeli military for their work in making it possible to fly to the targets in an uninhibited way. He then thanked God and followed that by what made me sit straighter in my chair.
The president of the United States said: “We love you, God.”
Never had I ever heard such words coming from a president of the United States. And it came from a man I have always supported yet have said he isn’t a godly man –but is “God’s man” for this time and place so near the end of this Church Age.
What does this statement mean? Is it a statement just for speechifying? Is it a comment of momentary elation over a spectacularly successful mission sent by this presidential administration? Is it made just to solidify and satisfy the president’s evangelical Christian base? Is it a genuine thanks to the God of Heaven made by a worldly man who has seen the light and now is a believer for salvation of his soul?
His statement of love for God did come from a tone of heartfelt gratitude.
Regardless of the reason for saying “We love you, God,” it is, in my view, a most significant, even profound, matter in this profoundly late prophetic hour.
Upon reflection of the statement and things going on that give evidence of God’s great hand in all things involved in not just Iran and the bombing of the nuclear facility, but in all matters surrounding this president, my thoughts immediately leaped to the Apostle Paul and his meeting with King Agrippa.
Paul was accused falsely of blasphemy, fomenting uprising and for crimes of sedition and with other charges. He claimed the right of a Roman citizen and was brought before King Agrippa.
The apostle laid out before the king how he had greatly persecuted Christians, but that Christ disrupted his journey on the road to Damascus. He told of Jesus’ words to him and all the rest. How he was thus converted to the Christian faith.
Festus, who brought him before the king, was incredulous. Here is the account.
And as he thus spake for himself, Festus said with a loud voice, Paul, thou art beside thyself; much learning doth make thee mad. But he said, I am not mad, most noble Festus; but speak forth the words of truth and soberness. For the king knoweth of these things, before whom also I speak freely: for I am persuaded that none of these things are hidden from him; for this thing was not done in a corner. King Agrippa, believest thou the prophets? I know that thou believest. Then Agrippa said unto Paul, Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian. And Paul said, I would to God, that not only thou, but also all that hear me this day, were both almost, and altogether such as I am, except these bonds. (Acts 24-29)
So, I am led in my spirit to wonder, based upon his being spared death in the assassination attempt, whether our president, in view of his “We love you, God,” prayer-like words stem from his conversion like the Apostle Paul’s, or to the “almost I am persuaded” words of near conversion like in the case of King Agrippa.
I prayerfully hope, of course, that it is the former rather than the latter of those possibilities that is the case.
But the real point in pursuing this line of thought with this commentary involves the number-one prophetic indicator of where we stand on God’s prophetic timeline. I mean, of course, the nation Israel.
A prominent Jewish writer presented for me a most interesting segway into my thinking regarding matters somewhat akin to the Apostle Paul’s meeting with King Agrippa. The writer offers a novelist’s perspective into the Jewish look at Bible prophecy. It fits within our theme “Almost persuaded.”
“The Bible is a story,” the Yeshiva University philosophy professor told a global audience Thursday evening. “It has a beginning, middle, and an end—and we are the characters writing its final chapters.”
[Rabbi Yosef Bronstein’s] thesis was unlike anything being said by other commentators: this isn’t about ancient prophecies coming true, but about understanding ourselves as active participants in a divine narrative that began with creation and is racing toward its climactic conclusion. By Sunday night, as President Trump announced Iran’s nuclear program had been “completely and totally obliterated,” Rabbi Bronstein’s vision of real-time biblical storytelling seemed prophetic.
The author of “Engaging the Essence: The Torah Philosophy of the Lubavitcher Rebbe” wasn’t offering traditional religious commentary. Instead, he presented something far more compelling: a framework for understanding current events as the latest chapters in the ultimate story ever told.
“The Bible begins with Genesis—’In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth’—and ends with the eschatological perfect world where God’s presence is revealed for all to see,” explained Rabbi Bronstein, who leads a rabbinical training center in Efrat and holds a PhD in Talmudic studies. “In between, you have an unfolding story where God is constantly trying to push the world forward from creation all the way to redemption.”…
Three days after his presentation, as Iran’s nuclear facilities lay in ruins and the world witnessed what seemed like divine intervention through human action, Rabbi Bronstein’s vision of participatory biblical narrative seemed less like literary theory and more like an instruction manual for understanding our times.
We aren’t just witnessing history—we’re writing the Bible’s final chapters. And the story, Rabbi Bronstein suggests, is approaching its long-awaited happy ending.(“We Are Characters in God’s Story” – Scholar Reveals How Israel’s War Writes the Bible’s Final Chapters, Elie Mischel, Biblical News Israel365 June 23, 2025)
This author, an orthodox rabbi, is persuaded that God’s story of humankind is right and true and he can see it developing to a “happy ending”. But he, along with all who are of belief held within Judaism, as well as all other belief systems not centered in Jesus Christ, are almost persuaded, just as was King Agrippa almost persuaded when Paul preached to him. Sadly, tragically, theirs, apart from coming to belief in God’s only way to salvation –His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ—is destined to end in eternal separation from God and heavenly bliss. It will, for these, not be a happy ending.
This is why it is vital that we who name that majestic, Holy Name witness as never before to those who need to come to Jesus, who is the only way, truth, and life that leads to the Heavenly Father and happiness in Heaven forever.
Here, again, is how to witness to those who are not yet persuaded.
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)
“Looking Out” vs. “Looking Up”
We should all be on the same prophetic page, but that isn’t the case. Prophecy “watchers” are attuned to differing wavelengths on a prophetic spectrum. And it’s a man-made rather than a biblically constructed spectrum that is divisive to the point of being a disservice to God’s family here on Earth.
Here I intend to present my thoughts on Bible prophecy yet in the future, which I maintain is based only in truth from God’s Word—in contrast to what I perceive as a falling-away from that truth at this late hour of the Church Age.
By this, I’m not in any way intimating that this falling-away is the apostasies (departure or falling away) foretold in 2 Thessalonians 2. That sort of departure from the faith denies gospel truth that belief in Jesus Christ alone for salvation is the only way to God the Father and Heaven (John 14:6).
Although some who are truly saved by their belief in Christ say there is no pre-Trib Rapture, I do believe they are misguided to the point of being damaging to the great cause of Christ. These observers of today’s issues and events relative to the anticipation of prophecy to be fulfilled are, as the title has it, “looking out.” But they are not, as the second part of the title says, “looking up.”
They are watching for issues and events that signal fulfillment of things prophesied in God’s Word. But they aren’t anticipating the any-moment call of the Lord Jesus Christ to all believers who have lived and died during the Church Age—this Age of Grace.
These who watch are “looking out”–that is, at things going on around them, but they aren’t “watching” the way Jesus and the Apostle Paul instructed.
Jesus said to “watch” for the signs He gave in His Olivet Discourse:
What I say unto one, I say unto all. Watch. (Mark 13:37.
The watchers of the first sort–the ones who only “look out” at things happening that appear to be setting the stage for the fulfillment of prophecy—aren’t following through on Jesus’ words in His final instruction about “watching”:
And 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)
Those who only “watch” the signals of prophetic stage-setting miss the true point of the Lord’s instruction. Those of us who are believers–who are saved by His wonderful grace—must be looking for Him, our Redeemer, not for a fulfilled prophecy other than that of the Rapture.
And what these mistaken observers watch for is the start of the Tribulation, that seven-year period–Daniel’s seventieth week—the second half of which Jesus said will be the most horrendous time of all human history. And the first half of era won’t be much better, according to the twenty-one specific judgments given in the book of Revelation, following Christ’s call to the Church (Revelation 4).
That time of horror will be ruled over for the most part by Antichrist. He will be history’s most vicious tyrant, a dictator indwelt by Satan who will demand worship (Revelation 13).
So those who are in grievous error of watching exclusively for signals of the Tribulation, rather than for the imminent (any-moment) call by Jesus into the clouds of Glory in the Rapture, are looking for Antichrist. This is not what our Lord commanded. This is not what the great Apostle Paul, who was given this mystery by God the Holy Spirit to divulge to believers during this Church Age, told us. We are, Paul said:
Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ. (Titus 2:13)
There is no “blessed hope” in looking for Antichrist and the Tribulation. And there is no comfort in looking for God’s wrath that will befall rebellious humankind during that terrible seven years of judgment upon this fallen planet.
About that comforting blessed hope, Paul writes:
For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words. (1 Thessalonians 4:16–18)
We are to take great comfort–encouragement—as we watch all these things that signal that the Tribulation is very near beginning: things that will bring about the worst time in human history. We who are saved by the precious blood of Christ will not be here to suffer God’s judgment. God’s Word tells us:
There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. (Romans 8:1)
The Church–all born-again believers in Christ—is mentioned nineteen times in Revelation chapters 1–3. The Church is not in Revelation’s prophetic picture again until chapter 19, where we read that the saints, robed in pure white, accompany King Jesus back to put an end to Armageddon. The Church will be in Heaven, not on Earth, during Daniel’s seventieth week–the Tribulation.
Now there is great comfort in that promise!
So while we look outward at what’s going on—the evil that is so troubling to others—believers should find comfort, even thrilling anticipation, that we are about to see our Lord face to face in Heaven. We are, as instructed by our coming King, to be “Looking up,” as well as watching the issues and events that are setting the prophetic stage, and working to bring others to a saving knowledge of Christ.
Here, again, is how to be saved from the sin that condemns those who have not accepted Christ’s redeeming forgiveness.
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)
Israel Here to Stay?
Authors note: While awaiting President Donald J. Trump’s decision on ridding Iran’s Islamic regime of its nuclear weapons-making capability, I researched through past commentaries I’ve written on this troubling topic. There were a number of such articles, but the one I chose, I think, portrays just how long the threat has been allowed to build to this moment of absolute necessity of eliminating a sure and present danger—a danger not only to Israel and America, but to the entire world.
Now the president has made the decision that will have resounding ramifications throughout the world. Iran’s nuclear facilities have been totally eliminated in the strikes Saturday night, June 21, 2025.
However, none of the usual pundits can answer: What happens next? Will there be regime change? There are no answers coming from the so-called experts.
There is no uncertainty from this quarter. It’s not that I am super-smart or prescient. But I read the future that is found only in the Holy Word of our God.
The ”Persian” evil is not finished. Iran is destined to join the Gog-Magog coalition of Ezekiel chapters 38-39.
Because of Bible prophecy, I’m prepared to offer with a significant degree of certainty the opinion that this action–righteous though it is in ridding Israel and the world of an immediate nuclear threat from this wicked regime, has started a process that will very quickly push Iran further into the arms of the likes of Russia, Turkey, and others that will constitute the Gog-Magog coalition.
The following was posted on Raptureready.com August 23, 2010.
My thought in reposting here is to show that no matter how things look from human perspective, God is in full control at all times. He is restraining and has the satanically inspired forces of evil often in derision as promised in Psalm 2.
The dangers examined in that article still exist, and the Lord continues to restrain and be in full control. So, those who know the Lord and watch prophetic developments as we are Instructed by Jesus (Mark 13:37 and Luke 21:28) can be assured that God’s promise to take believers home to Glory is imminent, while witnessing “all these things begin[ning] to come to pass.”
Israel Here to Stay?
Originally posted August 23, 2010
My inbox and the news from Bible prophecy circles bulge with talk of Israel’s almost-certain attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities. The scuttlebutt has been coming hard and fast since 2007 or even earlier. Each summer was going to bring an assault by Israel,and all-out Mideast war was sure to ensue.
As I write this, the predictions are at fever pitch. John Bolton, former American UN ambassador, declared that Israel had until Saturday, August 21, [2010.] to take out Iran’s nuclear plants, or risk—by their bombing—spreading radiation contamination across the area and into the Persian Gulf.
The flood of emails proclaims that this is it. The region is going to go up in flames, with Russia coming to the aid of Iran, because the Russians are so heavily invested in the Iranian nuclear program. There will be Russian nuclear technicians installing the radioactive rods necessary to fuel and power up the facility. They will be in harm’s way, and Moscow–from which Gog of Magog prophetic infamy will come—will not abide such an insult. The thought frequently conjectured: Could this be the beginning of Ezekiel 38-39—the Gog-Magog attack?
Israel can’t afford, the argument goes, to allow the facility to come online. This, because the spent fuel rods will provide plutonium and other byproducts to give Iran the materials from which they can produce nuclear weapons. That’s a simplification of the matter, but should suffice, I hope, for making my point.
This attack by Israel will be, the emailers apparently believe, prophecy being fulfilled. This preemptive attack by the Jewish state upon the land of ancient Persia surely will, the messages exclaim, instigate a chain reaction of events. These events will bring the Gog-Magog attack, and perhaps Isaiah 17:1 will also be fulfilled. Some even believe it will provoke the long-pondered-over Psalm 83 war supposed by many to be in the offing.
I could have waited until Saturday, August 21, had passed to write this piece, but chose not to do so. My reason is primarily that I don’t believe this is the time for the Gog-Magog War, or for the proposed Psalm 83 conflict, should it be an actual prophecy. Exigencies just aren’t ripe for producing the horrific results such conflicts as the Gog-Magog, or even the supposed Psalm 83, conflagrations would inflict. At least, that’s my view from my present perspective.
More than that, I believe that’s the way it is presented from the perspective of Bible prophecy. One thing I do think is an almost 100-percent certainty is that Israel isn’t going anywhere. Iranian tyrant Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s promises to erase Israel from the face of the Middle East and the world are empty threats. It will never happen—not even with the help of the Gog nation, Russia.
Why do I say “an almost 100-percent certainty”?
This goes to the argument of those who say it is possible that Israel could be removed from its land yet again. Then, all would have to once more rearrange in order to get the prophetic indicators into place like they are now. God might allow Israel’s enemies to again take the Jews from the Promised Land because of their unbelief.
Zola Levitt and I were once discussing the hatred of the Arab nations for Israel. I mentioned that the late Dr. J. Vernon McGee didn’t think the Jews being back in the land was necessarily a major signal of the nearness to Christ’s return. My friend Zola, a very passionate man when it came to Israel, got pretty exercised, as I recall. He said he and Dr. McGee “got into it” over this subject.
Zola said Dr. McGee said it could be that Israel might yet be removed from the land of promise. Zola didn’t like that at all, so they had a rather lively discussion on the matter—on camera. I said, “Well, Dr. McGee [who went to be with the Lord in 1988 at age 84] knows now, that’s for sure.” That seemed to calm Zola a bit.
Dr. McGee would no doubt agree that Israel is back in the land to stay, if he could have watched developments of the years since he left the planet. Israel being: the center of most all controversy so far as issues of war and peace are concerned; pressured by the international community to give up God’s land; at the center of a forced, phony peace process, with Iran (ancient Persia) threatening from the north. How could he or anyone being privy to such facts say otherwise?
Whatever happened last Saturday—as you read this on August 23 or later—Israel isn’t going anywhere. So, I’ll change my “almost” to an absolute 100-percent certainty.
Although Israel—and the world—is in for some terrible times ahead, I firmly believe we have the very Word of God about the current and future disposition of His chosen nation. Israel is here to stay.
And I will bring again the captivity of my people of Israel, and they shall build the waste cities, and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, and drink the wine thereof; they shall also make gardens, and eat the fruit of them. And I will plant them upon their land, and they shall no more be pulled up out of their land which I have given them, saith the LORD thy God. (Amos 9:14–15)
Revelation 17 Harlot System
We can see on the prophetic horizon a monstrous beast lumbering in this direction with a woman riding astride its back. Dave Hunt, you might recall, wrote a provocative—even controversial—book on the subject: The Woman Rides a Beast. Most literalists believe (as did Hunt) the “woman” represents the apostate religious system that will be Antichrist’s mistress, as a counterfeit of the Church, the Bride of Jesus Christ.
The matters involved present a terrifying specter—a foreshadowing of bloody things to come, given John to record on the Isle of Patmos almost two thousand years ago:
So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns. And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication: And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH. And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration. (Revelation 17:3–6)
Historicists–those who believe that most prophecy, including this one, has been fulfilled historically—say this all took place during the Roman-based persecutions throughout early Church history. The prophecy, they say, has nothing to do with things to come, except in the most general sense. Certainly, the prophecy has nothing specific to do with an end-times persecution leading to the most terrible time in human history. Such a view presents a torturous task for historicist adherents who try to explain the Revelation 17 prophecy of the wicked woman on the hideous beast.
And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast. These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast. These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful. (Revelation 17:12–14)
This powerful ten-nation entity and the beast have no historical basis as accomplished fact. Any dealing with this part of the prophecy from the perspective of any but the futurist view—that there is much Bible prophecy yet to be literally fulfilled—requires spiritualizing, allegorizing, or else applying pure sophistry to everything to do with these Scriptures.
Contemporary headlines, as they do for so many prophecies yet future, make the case for the Revelation 17 prophecy coming into view in our time. It is literally shaping up for fulfillment before the eyes of those with prophetic discernment. We’ve used these commentaries many times to dissect and examine news stories that show the governments of the world reconfiguring into what George H. W. Bush, Henry Kissinger, Zbigniew Brzezinski, Barack Obama, and many others have termed “New World Order.” The dire global economic crises that have moved toward critical mass just within the past couple of years have shown the inextricable national fiscal interlinkages. It has become obvious that the world is being forced into a monetary mold that could easily morph into something like the ten-kingdom power bloc God’s Word says will give its power and authority to the beast.
I believe it will be the Rapture of the Church that will quickly bring about that ten-kings fiscal power bloc.
So, it’s reasonable to expect the harlot who rides the beast—the agglomerate ten kings and kingdoms of Revelation 17—to be somewhere in the prophetic picture, if indeed we are witnessing that monster in the making.
There has always been much talk, among those who watch for signals of the end times, about a final Catholic pope who might be Antichrist’s False Prophet. I ‘m not one who believes a future pope will necessarily become that second beast of Revelation 13.
However, the religious organization the pontiff heads will, I believe, be a major part of the nucleus of the religious amalgamation outlined in Revelation 17.
It’s quite interesting to consider here the perspective of one who came out of the Catholic Church and who I believe is one of the key observers of these profound times we face as we watch for our Lord’s return.
The new pope appears to be well qualified to be the head of an international organization. He can speak five languages including English, Spanish, Italian, French, and Portuguese and he can also read Latin and German. He is well educated with advanced degrees in Mathematics and Theology. But is he qualified to be the head of the church that Catholics believe was founded by the Lord Jesus Christ? The short answer is a resounding “No!” Jesus Christ, God’s perfect man and man’s perfect God, is the only one qualified! He is the One who purchased His church with His own blood and He is its only Head and only foundation (Acts 20:28; Eph. 5:23; 1 Cor. 3:11).
Catholics have foolishly replaced Christ as Head of the church with the pope. This is why the Reformers referred to the Pope as the antichrist, which means, the one who replaces or stands in the place of Christ. The Bible has many warnings concerning antichrists and trusting in mortal men. “Cursed is the one who trusts in man, who depends on flesh for his strength and whose heart turns away from the Lord. He will be like a bush in the wastelands…But blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in Him” (Jer. 17:5–7). “Do not trust in princes, in mortal man, in whom there is no salvation” (Psalm 146:3).
Will the Pope Be Liberal, Conservative or Biblical?
Many Catholics are wondering if Pope Leo XIV will be liberal or conservative on social and political issues. Yet, they should be more concerned with biblical issues that have eternal consequences. If he continues to preach a false gospel that keeps 1.4 billion Catholics on the wide road to destruction, he is accursed (Gal. 1:6-9). (“What Will Catholics Do with Pope Leo XIV?”, Mike Gendron, Proclaiming the Gospel, June 2025)
The new pope is at the center of the ongoing reach of the Catholic Church into the European structure from which the Antichrist regime, I believe, will emerge. The following shows that continuing relationship between the EU and the Vatican.
Led by its President, H.E. Mgr Mariano Crociata, the COMECE delegation introduced itself and engaged in discussion with the Holy Father on the current state of the European integration process and the European Union’s role in promoting peace and integral human development in an increasingly uncertain and rapidly evolving world. During the audience, Pope Leo XIV underscored the significance of COMECE’s mission of dialogue with the institutions of the European Union.
During the meeting, a number of pressing themes were addressed. These included the urgent need to promote dialogue and peace both within Europe and globally; the challenges posed by migration and asylum; the social implications of emerging technologies, particularly those based on Artificial Intelligence (AI); and the erosion of democracy in various regions.
The new pontiff particularly emphasized the Christian roots of Europe and their significance for the European project, while also acknowledging the presence of other cultural and religious traditions, and highlighting the importance of guiding younger generations in their faith and supporting their integral development. (“Pope Leo XIV to Host EU Bishops’ Delegation in First Official [Meeting],” CatholicVote.org, https://catholicvote.org)
This brings home to my thinking how many of the megachurches within Christianity are, similarly to the EU “summits,” contributing to setting up platforms that will produce the woman who will one day ride upon the back of the beast government of Revelation 17. Like in the EU get-together, there is compromise at the heart of these mega-efforts at man-made salvation.
The methodologies employed by such churches include the idea to bring together the saved and unsaved in a sort of “summit.” The idea is one of thesis (Christian faith) and antithesis (the lost or unsaved), with the objective of producing synthesis. The “summits,” in these cases, aim to bring about dialogue between the two opposite worldviews to produce answers (synthesis) that both sides can live with.
The process is satanic at its core, denying that God’s way to redemption and reconciliation is necessary. Apostasy is the result—the Laodicean model for the end of the age.
Be sure that you’re not a part of helping that woman of wickedness climb upon the back of the beast that will one day be scarlet with the blood of the Tribulation saints.
Last-Days Lawlessness and Power
In 1887, in a series of letters to Bishop Creighton about the moral issues of writing history about the Inquisition, British historian Lord Edward Acton wrote, “Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” His understanding of the human psyche bordered on prescient, it seems, considering the all-out quest for power that saturates the American political culture at present.
Former US Secretary of State Dr. Henry Kissinger famously said: “Power is the ultimate aphrodisiac.” Growing up in Germany as a boy, because of lawlessness among governmental leaders, he became pessimistic about human nature, skeptical about the inevitability of progress, and deeply committed to the values of order and stability. To these ends, Kissinger viewed power, not moral ideals, as the driving force of history. (This according to “Henry Kissinger and the Seductions of Power,” Iowa Capital Dispatch, https://iowacapitaldispatch.com.)
In America, at this late moment of this Age of Grace, we certainly have to consider Dr. Kissinger’s viewpoint, brought about from his experience in the power struggle he witnessed early in his native country. Stability, in this world of lawlessness, in reality, comes not from moral ideals, but rather from power. There is no reasoning from a morally correct position that will calm the paid-for rage/chaos that has swept the streets of Los Angeles, San Francisco, and other cities. The organized No Kings rioters claim they’re protesting the Trump administration’s use of ICE (the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement) to carry out raids against those who have illegally entered America.
While the violent rioters are held up as bastions of righteous cause by mainstream news media, and the Trump administration is falsely accused as authoritarian and an evil wielder of power, the lawlessness expands to what looks to be prophetic levels.
Jesus, in the Olivet Discourse, told about how things will be as His return nears:
And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. (Matthew 24: 12 NKJV)
To my way of seeing this, in an important sense, the Lord’s words could be taken that the lawlessness being demonstrated to champion illegals staying inside America stems from the absence of love for this nation as founded. I realize much more is involved in the meaning of Jesus’ prophecy here, but there is an undeniable coldness in the way the vicious rioters throw at police and ICE agents frozen bottles of water and chunks of concrete taken from curbs they’ve sledgehammered, in addition to the property they loot and damage at every opportunity.
It is telling of just how appropriate it might be to consider Jesus’ prophecy for this particular time, because almost half of the members of the US House of Representatives and the US Senate either back the lawlessness by supporting the rioters, or, at the very least, offer no condemnation.
This is because one political party has demonstrated time and time again that power is what they seek above all else. They want to swell the voting base with illegals—almost all of whom will support them—no matter the cost to other, legitimate, citizens. Their aim is to garner all power into their political party. Love for country and lawful conduct within government and society is out the window with this party. In this ideology, they’re in agreement with the ideology that sparked the 1917 revolution in Russia: “The end justifies the means.”
To those on the totally reprobate political left in America today, power is indeed the ultimate aphrodisiac.
Indeed, as Lord Acton presciently said, “power corrupts.” And they—the leftists—seek absolute power, and at any price—even to the undoing of the document that gave us a constitutional republic…the American government that Benjamin Franklin told someone the founders had given we the people (adding, “If you can keep it”).
The lawlessness we witness taking place on an increasing level hourly is but another ingredient that adds to the last-days prophetic puzzle. It is a large part of “all these things” our Lord told us to look for at the moment He is about to come for us in the Rapture:
And 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)
Jesus will soon return to this unlawful, politically corrupt planet to establish righteous rule and lawful conduct among earth’s inhabitants. It will take His omnipotent power to bring about His millennial (thousand-year) reign.
But it is His power that can bring about a change in the minds and spiritual hearts of humankind even now, amidst this current time of lawlessness and chaos. He can take away the sinful, destructive thoughts, thus the evil actions, of each person who will receive His grace gift of salvation.
Here again is how to receive that gift that renews the mind and dispels lawlessness while empowering with God’s righteousness:
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 James Prophecy Line 