I will ask you to indulge me just a bit while I think on the great lie that is prophesied for the time of Tribulation.

Perhaps it’s again the novelist within me struggling to burst forth, but I rather believe the impression to address the much-gone-over topic goes beyond any mere desire I have to create fiction.

Nonetheless, this is a theory; it’s not based on exactly what’s entailed in that great “lie” scheduled to deceive most of the world’s population.

One thing is sure: Just within the past few years, we’ve endured deception and lies of cataclysmic consequences for the future of our nation and the world. These lies are spawned by the father of lies, Satan, and are setting the stage for prophetic fulfillment that’s on the brink of engulfing all who will be left behind when the next great intervention into human history by God takes place.

To begin considering all of this, here is the prophetic lie that will be the culmination, I believe, of all lies Lucifer has foisted upon humanity.

And then shall that wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness. (2 Thessalonians 2:8–12)

We pre-Tribbers believe this is saying Antichrist will be “revealed” after the disappearance of millions of believers. There should be no doubt by anyone—believer or not—that such a massive vanishing of people before the eyes of others would cause unprecedented panic. The world would, at least temporarily, go nearly insane.

I believe when all children go to Christ at the Rapture, the magnitude of that panic will be beyond anything we can fully anticipate. Even children at conception will be missing. The sheer terror almost certainly produced by such an occurrence is almost unfathomable. 

So the powers that be—the human minions, backed by the demonic beings of Ephesians 6:12—will have to produce answers to quell the terror that will grow from that event.

Here is a scenario-type supposition I believe might hold at least a degree of possibility. Actually, I base my thinking on two elements that are becoming more prevalent in the news at this very hour.

The first is a proven compliance-assured matter, already validated as a winner for the globalists who want a one-world government. The second involves an answer to what that great lie of 2 Thessalonians chapter 2 might well be, long speculated by some. I’m pondering whether some combination of the two could be at the heart of the lie Satan will put forth to explain what happened to all those who suddenly vanished.

The First Element

I believe that most will agree that things changed perceptibly with the onslaught of the so-called pandemic near the beginning of 2020.

There eventuated, and in short order, an almost complete worldwide lockdown.

There had never been anything like it in history. No government, no dictator, had ever achieved such a global shutdown of human activity and redirection toward—demand for—compliance. We were to take the vaccine against the COVID–or else…or else we would lose our right to travel and congregate, lose our jobs and many other rights. At least that was the threat.

The Second Element

There is a ramped-up interest in extraterrestrial activity. The UFO controversy isn’t so controversial these days.

Now the governments—the US and others—have acknowledged that extraterrestrial evidence exists, and such information is continually forthcoming as governments release what much of the populace has thought about the probability of the presence of other life on other planets. This opens the door to helping foment the great delusion, once the disappearance of millions happens.

We have wondered whether the powers that be will say that those who have disappeared have been taken from the earth by the “space brothers.” 

I offer two items of interest in thinking on how the two elements mentioned above might play into Antichrist and his Ephesians 6: 12 minions foisting the lie God’s Word predicts.

The First Element

The World Bank has created a global pandemic fund, the largest fund in its history.  At the same time, preparations to implement the World Health Organization’s Pandemic Treaty marches forward.

We recently published an article about G-20 leaders calling for the establishment of global vaccine passports.  In it, we included remarks by Indonesian Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin on 13 November, from Day 1 of B20 Indonesia 2022. “G20 country has agreed to have this digital certificate using WHO standard,” Sadikin said.

Earlier in his remarks, he mentioned that the global pandemic fund is the largest fund the World Bank has ever created and it will increase in the next 5-10 years. (“Preparations to implement WHO’s Pandemic Treaty march forward as World Bank creates the largest fund ever for global pandemics,” Rhoda Wilson, December 4, 2022, Expose-News.com)

The Second Element

We’re unprepared for when E.T. reaches out to us. A team of experts is determined to change that with the first new alien “contact” protocol in 35 years.

If extraterrestrial life sent us a message tomorrow, how would humanity respond? According to researchers, we don’t know yet — and that’s a problem.

That’s why, for the first time in 35 years, a team of policy experts and scientists have united to establish a set of alien-contact protocols for the entire world to follow in the event of a sudden encounter with E.T. (“Scientists are working on an official ‘alien contact protocol’ for when ET phones Earth,” Isobel Whitcomb, Live Science,  November 5, 2022)

Everywhere we look, we see the stage being set for fulfillment of prophecy during the Tribulation. I’m just pondering whether the two items above might be combined to produce one of those stage-setting foreshadowings.

People are already conditioned for being controlled by governmental masters in the matter of a future pandemic that might be promoted as one even deadlier than the one that produced worldwide panic and unprecedented compliance. Many have been preconditioned to believe we will one day be visited by other beings from somewhere out there.

When millions vanish, might global leaders, under Antichrist, say it was a strange virus or microbe that caused the dissolving of flesh and bone? Will they say someone from “out there” is descending to help the people of planet earth, who now must accept a “666” vaccination/remedy?

Too fantastic, you say? Well, we believe Jesus will call us and we will vanish from earth in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, don’t we?

Can’t get more fantastic than that! But in the case of Rapture, it’s not a scenario; it’s an absolute promise from God Himself!

Here’s how to make sure you go to Jesus when He calls in that fantastic instant.

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

Sensing that we’ve arrived so near that spectacular moment those who are Rapture Ready desire, I present this with Holy Spirit-engendered expectation.

The following directive from Heaven should beat profoundly at the spiritual heart of every Christian who views God’s prophetic Word from the perspective of truth it presents: Jesus Christ will call all believers to Himself before the last seven years of human history leading to the Second Advent of Christ begin. 

Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching. (Hebrews 10: 25)

That “day “we see “approaching” is wrapped up in Paul’s joyous foretelling of the moment of great expectation that’s there for every person who trusts in Jesus Christ for Salvation:

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: ^4: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. (1 Thessalonians 4: 16–17)

Paul tells us further: 

Wherefore comfort one another with these words. (1 Thessalonians 4:18)

This magnificent promise from our God is meant to bring great anticipation and relief from anxiety about the darkening times as we look for our “blessed hope,” as exhorted in Titus 2: 13:

Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ.

The Scripture telling us to not forsake assembling together as we see the day of Rapture approaching (Hebrews 10:25) has most always been taught as referring to gathering in church-house assemblies. And church attendance in that sense is important, to be sure. But the words of Hebrews 10:25 are perhaps most relevant to the anticipation of our going to be with Jesus when He shouts with the sound of a trumpet and the voice of the archangel: “Come up here!”

We are to gather our senses as one body in looking at all we see taking place around us when that moment of Rapture is upon us.

My own spiritual impression—and the message of agreement I’m getting from others—is that those who are truly attuned to these times of signs are being gathered in our spirits at this very moment. We sense with all that is within us that our Lord is about to shout those words of the Harpazo we earnestly long to hear. It is God the Holy Spirit Himself who is giving us a heavenly heads-up. Our work here on earth as royal ambassadors is nearly done.

And while the world continues to move in wickedness farther and farther from God and His divine order for humankind, believers who truly understand these times sense a calming comfort that brings peace to our spirits.

I hope you’re sensing that calm and comfort, or at least are beginning to.

In regard to our gathering and being comforted by a growing embrace of peace in these last of the last days, I’m deeply impressed to introduce you to a venue I believe God has brought on the scene specifically for sharing the peace, comfort, and even joy of this prophetic hour.

I want no one to think for one second that I hold any person up as one we should look to for new enlightenment, as do the guru worshippers. Jesus, the Living Word, is our only Hope–our Savior –our God.

However, when God directs us to ministries that display extraordinary devotion to His truth, I gladly lift them up for all to see. This is the first time I believe I’ve done so—at least to this degree of recommendation.

I began listening to the podcast some time ago, and have heard nothing but powerful words of truth from God’s Word—particularly from the prophetic Word. Yet what has drawn me totally into what is presented by this ministry is the soft, gentle presentation.

The host I find as God-centered and forthright as any who teaches from the pre-Trib view. Yet, he lays out his analysis of issues and events in a most unique way. He is one-on-one in his half-hour presentations. He talks in conversational tones in a humble way that makes me think of how Jesus must have spoken while teaching here on earth.

Now, I’m not comparing this man to Jesus. You know me much better than that. And Tom would be the first to be aghast at any such comparison. But he speaks in a gentle way and connects with those listening in a very special way. The Rapture and the comfort it promises are usually at the center of his conversation. He is unique among all presenters I’ve encountered.

So, after listening for a number of weeks, I contacted him. I believe the Lord wants our website to put forward Tom’s podcast as a must to visit at every opportunity.

I don’t make such recommendations lightly. I believe he’s been commissioned to help believers gather and be comforted as we see that day approaching. You’ll most likely sense the same after joining my new friend Tom for his journeys into Bible prophecy as he simply talks with you about the joy we can anticipate, almost certainly in the immediate future.  

I hope you will listen by clicking this link I’ve chosen. I believe you’ll want to continue to hear his almost-daily podcasts and will pass the links on to others.

This particular program looks at seven questions about the Rapture. Tom discusses these as if you’re sitting there with him asking the questions he addresses, and he follows up by reading comments from those online at the time of the podcast.

All in all, there emerges a togetherness of the sort spoken of in Hebrews 10: 25. There is a gathering together in spirit around the Lord Jesus Christ as He prepares us for going Home.

Watchman River Podcast

Thanksgiving, the holiday, is just past, and thanksgiving is yet in the future when all the things Jesus and the prophets forewarned will play out on the timeline of human history leading to our Lord’s return. Turkey is at the center of that thanksgiving future, and the nation by that name is hastily dressing—militarily—for its part in a key prophecy, according to the prophet Ezekiel, as we have looked at numerous times.

To reiterate our overview, I revisit what I’ve written before in this regard.

A major leg of the Ezekiel 38-39 Gog-Magog coalition is coming into view. The Turkey leg is now on the end-times table of Bible prophecy.

We are given the nations that will make up that attacking force by the prophet Ezekiel:

Son of man, set thy face against Gog, the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him, And say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal:And I will turn thee back, and put hooks into thy jaws, and I will bring thee forth, and all thine army, horses and horsemen, all of them clothed with all sorts of armour, even a great company with bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords: Persia, Ethiopia, and Libya with them; all of them with shield and helmet: Gomer, and all his bands; the house of Togarmah of the north quarters, and all his bands: and many people with thee. (Ezekiel 38:2–6)

Modern-day Turkey covers most of the territory that made up ancient Togarmah. Ezekiel was told to prophesy that the house of Togarmah will be among the horde from the north of Jerusalem that will assault Israel near the time of Christ’s return.

Many things have been written that analyze developments to Israel’s north. It is as if those with spiritually attuned eyes and ears are being given a play-by-play unfolding of this coalition.

Russia is pared down from its configuration as the nucleus of the former Soviet Union. It more or less once again covers territory that it encompassed when Ezekiel gave the Gog-Magog prophecy. Meshech and Tubal comprised that territory. The “Gog” demonic spirit will, according to this prophecy, inhabit the chief prince, or leader of Russia. This leader is also destined to be the leader of the entire coalition.

Developments toward these prophecies have been nothing short of phenomenal lately.

Russia, after falling apart as the USSR, is again a powerful force. It has inserted its influence, including a considerable military presence, into the region directly north of Israel.

Iran, which is the centermost territory today that once was called Persia, has joined Russia as a close ally—again, just to Israel’s north. Russia and Iran’s military assets co-mingle in the region to influence Syria, another end-times player. 

Russia’s president, Vladimir Putin, as we’ve said many times, looks to be the prototype for the leader who will be Gog of the Gog-Magog force prophetically scheduled to invade toward Israel to the south.

The prophet Ezekiel was told to foretell that God, Himself, will put hooks into the Gog-leader’s jaws and jerk him southward like a fisherman would set hooks into a big fish’s mouth and reel him in.

Now Togarmah (Turkey) is hastily in the process of militarily dressing for its end-times fulfillment as part of the Gog-Magog assault on God’s chosen nation.

[Turkish] President Tayyip Erdogan said on Wednesday that Turkey’s air operations against a Kurdish militia in northern Syria were only the beginning and it would launch a land operation there when convenient after an escalation in retaliatory strikes.

He said Turkey was more determined than ever to secure its southern border with a “security corridor,” while ensuring the territorial integrity of both Syria and Iraq, where it has also been conducting operations against Kurdish militants.

“We are continuing the air operation and will come down hard on the terrorists from land at the most convenient time for us,” Erdogan told his AK Party’s lawmakers in a speech in parliament.

“We have formed part of this corridor (and) will take care of it starting with places such as Tel Rifat, Manbij and Ain al-Arab (Kobani), which are the sources of trouble,” he added.

Russia has asked Turkey to refrain from a full-scale ground offensive in Syria, senior Russian negotiator Alexander Lavrentyev said on Wednesday after a fresh round of talks about Syria with Turkish and Iranian delegations in Kazakhstan. (“Turkey plans to take action on Syria when it would be in its best interest to move forward,” Reuters, 11/23/22)

Syria, of course, is another key player in end-times prophecy. Damascus, as we have looked at many times, is prophetically scheduled for destruction. All Gog-Magog players in the Ezekiel 38–39 drama have their attention on Syria. This is the area to watch of great prophetic interest.

The burden of Damascus. Behold, Damascus is taken away from being a city, and it shall be a ruinous heap. (Isaiah 17:1)

We’ve looked many times at how Satan wants to be worshipped as God. From the very beginning, in the account of his actions against God, we can see that prideful tendency that exploded into full-fledged rebellion.

For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. (Isaiah 14:13–14)  

As brilliant as this angel is (at one time he was said to be the most powerful of God’s angels), Lucifer (Satan) apparently never had an original thought. His only strategy seems to be mimicking God–counterfeiting what God has already finished.

Probably the best example of this is seen in what is prophetically scheduled for the Tribulation (Revelation 19:11). I and others have pointed out on numerous occasions the nature of Satan’s activity during that most terrible time of all history, as Jesus called it (Matthew 24: 21).

Lucifer will counterfeit the Trinity (God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit). This is found in Revelation chapter 13, with the introduction of the first beast, the second beast, and Satan himself as giving power and authority to these wicked cohorts during the Tribulation era.

Satan is, in the Revelation 13 account, the counterfeit of God the Father; Antichrist is counterfeit of God the Son; and the False Prophet is scheduled to be the counterfeit of God the Holy Spirit. We usually call these three the “unholy trinity.”

This evil triumvirate will cause all to worship Satan or be killed. They will be able to perform imitations of miracles—one of the most dramatic of which is described as follows:

And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast. (Revelation 13:3)

This deception, of course, will be Satan mimicking Jesus’ return to life after death. The Antichrist will appear to be raised from the dead in a mocking counterfeit of the magnificent Resurrection of Jesus Christ.

So the time of the Tribulation will be an era marked by satanic counterfeit miracles–signs and wonders from the dark dimension. The entire world full of deluded earth-dwellers, as they are called, will follow this false trinity to their doom.

We often point out that we’re now seeing foreshadows of things that will be in full force from Satan once the seven years of hell on earth arrive. For example, the Antichrist regime is in view in the form of the globalist efforts such as Agenda 21 and the World Economic Forum. Artificial intelligence (AI) and other technological wonders foreshadow the coming absolute surveillance controls that will be in effect when the marks-and-numbers system of Revelation 13:16–18 is in effect.

And, most interestingly, the harlot religious system of Revelation chapter 17 has leaped to the forefront of hints of things to come. We’ve recently looked at this blatant false religion emerging, and now eerie details are suddenly right in our faces as we watch prophetic progression.

Many of us remember the Cecil B. DeMille movie, The Ten Commandments. Despite literary license and occasional glaring errors, it was, in my view, a masterpiece.

One of the most dramatic scenes was when Moses came down from Mt. Sinai carrying the two tablets bearing the Ten Commandments that had been carved by the finger of God.

Remember how Moses, infuriated that the children of Israel were dancing nude and worshipping the golden calf, raised the tablets above his head and flung them angrily toward the then-terrified people. It was one of the most powerful moments of the film, as God’s righteous anger brought an earthquake, and many were swallowed in the fissure that opened beneath their feet.

Well, Satan’s foreshadowing is again in view as he prepares equally rebellious people of earth for his continuing intention to usurp the throne of God. We see this in the following:

A group of religious leaders held a ceremony in the Sinai Peninsula to call on the world to pay more attention to the environment by smashing a pair of tablets on the ground earlier this week.

In an initiative called The Sinai Climate Partnership, The Interfaith Center for Sustainable Development (ICSD), The Elijah Interfaith Institute, the Peace Department, the United Nations Faith for Earth Initiative, Gig watt Global, and the Israeli environmental advocacy organization, Adam Teva V’Din took part in the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP27), which is taking place in the Sinai Peninsula, in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt.

But the faith leaders took an alternative approach, seeking a faith-based solution to the ecological crisis by promoting the “Ten Principles for Climate Justice” in a global initiative. Toward this end, they held a sunrise ceremony on Sunday at the summit of Jabal Musa, a mountain in the southern Sinai Peninsula that according to some traditions is the site where Moses received the Ten Commandments.

A symbolic delegation of five members ascended and was joined by several participants from the COP conference. The group read from a new draft of their “Ten Principles for Climate Repentance,” recently composed by dozens of multifaith leaders meeting in London over the week. (“Spiritual ecological partnership smashes Tablets on Mount Sinai claiming ‘broken promises.’” Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz, Israel365 News)

Seems that Satan’s human minions have watched DeMille’s movie, too. The ten counterfeit commandments point to the false religion of Mother Earth worship that is front and center. The climate changers are angry that we aren’t all falling in line to join their one-world effort to save the planet—thus the symbolic Charlton Heston slamming of the tablets.

All of this means that the Lord’s call to His Church must be very near indeed.

Don’t be left behind to face what this devilish religious system has in store for those who will have rejected Jesus Christ–the only Way, Truth, and Life with God the Father in Heaven for eternity.

Here is how to make sure you don’t miss that call to “Come up here!” (Revelation 4: 1):

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

Often we overlook much prophetic truth when we read and study God’s Word. The Bible is without limits in its rich wisdom available to be mined. The Creator’s purpose in giving His Word to the human race is to provide direction for living in the most abundant way possible.

Jesus Christ is that Word. The last book of the Bible—Revelation—is the unveiling of Jesus in all His power, glory and majesty.

Prophecy—telling of the future—resides at the heart of that Word. The promises issued from the holy pages guarantee eternal life for each person ever to be born who genuinely accepts God’s grace-given redemption from sin through belief in Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection.

Jesus Christ is the Second Person of the Godhead, whom God the Father sees as the nucleus around which all things hold together:

“For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.” (Colossians 1:16–17)

So, with it established that the Lord Jesus is preeminent in all things, we come back to the opening statement to add that one truth we often overlook deals most directly with the next prophecy to be fulfilled—the Rapture of the church.

Jesus spoke about this commentary’s primary topic—the gates of Hell. Although the disciples He was speaking to really had no concept of what He was referring to, the prophecy and its details have been coming to pass ever since—and are now set for fulfillment.

“He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” (Matthew 16:15–18)

They didn’t understand the concept of “the church;” at that point they were totally ignorant of that “structure” Jesus prophesied to be built. But built it was, and it is still under construction as each person who comes to salvation is added.

The specific part of this prophecy I want to look at in perhaps a new way is wrapped within the phrases “my church,” “the gates of hell,” and “shall not prevail against it.”

My study of how God deals with people–including believers—in different dispensations leads me to conclude that there are entirely different fates awaiting believers in Christ. And I’m talking about physical fate, not spiritual/eternal fate.

In terms of eternal fate, the gates of hell cannot and will not prevail or win against any believer in Jesus Christ. All believers, of every dispensation, will enjoy the bliss and exultation of Heaven forever. But in terms of physical fate, believers are prophetically scheduled to meet differing destinies.

Here is something we’ve looked at before, but still is not the primary point I wish to address.

Jesus said in Matthew 16, as we’ve read above, that He will build His church and the gates of hell will not prevail against it. That has turned out to be the dispensation we call the Church Age. This began at Pentecost, as recorded in Acts chapter 2, when the Holy Spirit came to indwell believers. (I’m aware there are those who believe the church began along the shores of Galilee when Jesus began His ministry.)

On the other hand, the same Jesus, in His ascended form, gave the following prophecy to John to write in the Revelation.

“And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations.” (Revelation 13:7)   

So it is plain that in the physical sense, Satan (his Antichrist) will overcome—prevail against—the saints (believers in Christ). But the gates of hell, referring to Satan’s evil domain, will not prevail over the church. The devil will never be able to physically or spiritually totally overcome or destroy Christ’s Bride, the church.

Now to get to that nuance of examination I hope will help make clear just how important this promise to the church—all believers of the Church Age—really is.

My friend Jonathan Cahn, in his most recent book, The Return of the Gods, points to the spiritually and even physically observable reality that portals of the demonic sort have been somewhat opened in these obviously manifest times of insane, anti-god activity. We’ve examined many of the bizarre manifestations over and over in these columns, but I will only repeat that it looks like God is in the process of turning rebellious human beings over to a reprobate mindset—to demented, upside-down thinking, as Paul prophesied in Romans chapter 1:

I’m in agreement with Jonathan. And I believe these portals equate to Jesus’ reference to the gates of Hell. Those gates are opening wider by the day, it seems. The demonic minions from those portals, as well as the human minions that are anti-God, intend to completely erase all vestiges of the true Christian church from the planet.

That will never happen. The very God who created all that exists has said so: “The gates of hell shall not prevail against it”—the church Jesus Christ is still building.

I’m convinced that the moment the Restrainer (the Holy Spirit) lifts His hand of restraint against these hellish forces, all believers will go to the Lord Jesus when He says: “Come up hither!” (Revelation 4:1). 

The church cannot and will not be on planet earth when those gates of Hell are fully opened and allowed to overcome the saints of the Tribulation era (those saved following the Rapture). We have Christ’s Word on that wonderful promise.

With all the wickedness deluging this time on earth, the end is about to come like a flood (Daniel 9:26). The gates of hell will soon swing fully open, bringing the most horrible, deadliest time of human history, according to the Lord (Matthew 24:21).

But you and I, if we know Christ for salvation, don’t have to worry for a second about being here to face that time. Jesus said He will keep us out of that hour of horror (Revelation 3: 10). To be sure you are a part of the church that will be taken out before that Tribulation era begins, follow Paul’s Holy Spirit-given instructions.

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

Again we consider the words of the greatest of all prophets. He is the greatest of all prophets, of course, because He is God.

The words of Jesus Christ are reverberating today to all who are familiar with end-of-the-age signals. And one instruction the Lord Himself gave for this very generation, I’m convinced, is the most significant. It is the “heads-up”  we’ve looked at continually for months and even years.

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)

Jesus had just stunned His disciples, telling them that the beautiful Temple they were looking at would be completely thrown down. The Lord then addressed the questions Peter, James, John, and Andrew had asked: ^“Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign when all these things shall be fulfilled?” (Mark 13:4).

We’ve gone over the Olivet Discourse many times, learning all of the things Jesus said would come to pass. He told of the horrors of the coming Tribulation, the arrival of Antichrist, and the plight of the Jewish people at the time of the Great Tribulation.

But let’s remember that Jesus wasn’t limited to only prophesying things that were scheduled for fulfillment. Concerning Jesus Christ, we are told: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1).

Every single prophecy in God’s Word, no matter the prophet through whom it is given, is a foretelling by the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the Word! So whether we’re considering the prophecy given under Ezekiel’s watch, or those given under the Apostle Paul’s, or those presented by anyone else in Scripture, it is the same as the Lord Himself speaking.

When Jesus left us with the command to “look up and lift up your head” when “you see all these things begin to come to pass,” He was saying that we should pay close attention to every prophecy for the end of the age. He was directing believers to carefully observe all prophetic signals when we know these things are beginning to happen, because, at that time, He is on the very cusp of calling all of His children to Himself.

So we look now at the title of our commentary: “Foreshadowing Foretellings.”

Jesus said we will “see these things begin to come to pass” (Luke 21: 28). He didn’t say “if” we see them come to pass. He was telling obedient believers who “watch,” as given in Mark 13:37, that we will know He is drawing near when we see things prophesied for the end of the age “begin” to come to pass.

Observation of these signals involves “foreshadowing of foretellings” found throughout the Word of God. We’ve looked—in practically every blog, article, and book I’ve written—at how things are precisely setting the stage for fulfillment of prophecy.

We’ve looked at the events and issues of these times that foreshadow the formation of the New World Order; we’ve seen the forming Babylonian beast that both Daniel and John said casts a darkening cloud of coming horrors upon the geopolitical landscape at this late hour.

We’ve gone over Israel’s rebirth into modernity and the prophecies surrounding that miracle. We have examined the headlines involving Israel’s enemies to the north as foreshadowing the Gog-Magog attack Ezekiel foretold.

The man of sin’s platform of world power seems almost ready for Antichrist’s ascendance.

We recently looked at the world’s governmental and religious leaders now coming together at the traditional Mount Sinai (Sharm El Sheikh) in Egypt—to pay homage to the planet by bringing their unholy machinations to bear in their insane efforts to save Mother Earth. We thereby see the foreshadowing of the false worship system of Revelation chapter 17—the whore that rides the beast foretold by Daniel (chapter 7) and John (Revelation chapter 13).

Time and time again, we ‘ve gone over the cultural and societal wickedness that has saturated our nation and the world with Sodom and Gomorrah-like evil. These blasphemous, debased developments foreshadow Jesus’ prophetic words of Luke 17: 6–30.

A number of personalities arising in world leadership seem to foreshadow entities foretold to appear at the end of the age.

Vladimir Putin of Russia, for example, seems to have the characteristics of the one who will be the “Gog” Ezekiel described. And all circumstances surrounding what’s going on in the Middle East and with Mr. Putin add to the intrigues regarding the possible soon fulfillment of the Gog-Magog prophecy.

And now I find most interesting the 33-year-old Jewish rabbi who is praised and even worshipped in some Jewish Orthodox circles. Rav Shlomo Yehuda is believed to be a miracle-worker who can quote the Torah and other Jewish holy scrolls with instant and total recall. He has been filmed performing healing and other miracles, according to reports.

Whether or not he might turn out to be the False Prophet—the second beast of Revelation chapter 13—his appearance at this time certainly is a false Messiah-type foreshadowing. That is, it seems to foreshadow Jesus’ foretelling about deceivers who would come in His name as the time of His return nears.

Jesus told Israel that they would reject Him, but would accept as Messiah another who would come in His name.

When I began my novel a number of months ago—MESSIAH and the Prince That Shall Come, this candidate for that end-times partner of Antichrist wasn’t in view.

Jesus’ words about these things beginning to come to pass are now on a fast track. Let us follow his directive!

But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father. Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is. For the Son of man is as a man taking a far journey, who left his house, and gave authority to his servants, and to every man his work, and commanded the porter to watch. Watch ye therefore: for ye know not when the master of the house cometh, at even, or at midnight, or at the cockcrowing, or in the morning: Lest coming suddenly he find you sleeping. And what I say unto you I say unto all, Watch. (Mark 13:32–37)

Each passing second, advancing history goes deeper into the unknown for much—maybe for most—of the world’s population. From that unknown boils fear. The fear Is steeped in self-conjured premonition that the evilest things imaginable will soon engulf life, bringing devastation and even death.

It is the feeling of impending doom, of something dreadful lurking just ahead. In terms of Greek mythology, it’s the sword of Damocles hanging overhead threatening to decapitate the fearful.

Probably you’ve had that feeling, but maybe not as intensely as described above. I’ve certainly had moments when I had a sense that something bad is about to happen.

For me, the dread, thankfully, has never played out. The anxiety soon passes, and sometimes even a sense of joyful anticipation resides where the fear sat just a short time before.

For others, the premonitions have seemed to play out in worst-case scenario.

At this moment, even for those who are Bible-believing, born again people of God, the times are producing such fear. I know this because I get emails in which people share their worries about what’s on the horizon that will affect their lives and the lives of those they love.

Usually the alarm is expressed through questions such as: Do you think there will be a time of martyrdom for Christians before the Rapture?

Of course, what most writers really mean by that question, I suppose, is: Do you think Christians in America will face martyrdom before the Rapture?

Another question I often get is: Do you think there will be a World War III before we are raptured?

With all the reports of some of America’s powerful enemies preparing for war, we’ll think about that last question in particular a bit more deeply.

As we’ve looked at more than once in this column, it looks like the current American government and the so-called Western allies are doing much to provoke such a nuclear conflict. Rather than looking to ask Mr. Putin to sit down with the Ukrainian leadership—which itself seems to be a complicit partner in poking the nuclear bear—the United States is sending elite forces such as the 101st Airborne into places near the bear’s cave.

And, while that once-unthinkable move—provoking toward war rather than toward peace—brings the world closer to unleashing the nuclear genie, China leers Westward.

As amazing as this administration’s actions are in seeming to make Russia do something Putin obviously doesn’t want to do at this time, even more amazingly, the entire US diplomatic machinery all but totally ignores the threat China poses.

The US Navy has a presence in the South China Sea and purports to be a buffer against China invading Taiwan. But, in reality, with Taiwan being just miles from the Chinese mainland, it would take nothing short of nuclear weapons to offer any hope of dealing with such an assault. And, in that regard, China is as equipped as American forces. So it is feared that the US couldn’t win such a conflict due to having to confront China in its own backyard.

There’s good reason for many of us to be anxious, as that deadly sword is indeed hanging over our heads, based upon just these geopolitical realities. It seems as if everything is out of control—as if even the top leaders on both sides of the nuclear threat have little interest in a peaceful resolution to prevent WWIII.

But for those who know what God’s Word has to say about how things end up, the fears of nuclear holocaust this side of the Rapture don’t need to reach the level of trepidation I described earlier. That’s because of the thought wrapped up in the title: “Prophetically Appointed Day and Hour.”

We’ve incessantly gone over the Gog-Magog war prophesied by Ezekiel and how Russia is destined to lead that assault. There has even been speculation that Putin might be the one who will be indwelt by the Gog spirit at the time of that invasion against Israel. Although I have to say here that while he is a known dictator and a KGB operative from the Soviet days, Putin seems in many ways more honorable than a number of the Western leaders who foment globalist surreptition.

If there is all-out nuclear war, neither Putin nor Russia would be available to take part in that Gog-Magog attack—that is, not if the assault is scheduled to take place soon. God, Himself, is going to take care of that invasion force. And, while He could use nuclear force to take care of business, the description given by Ezekiel seems to be that God has scheduled a supernatural fire from Heaven, like in the case of Sodom and Gomorrah.

God’s schedule is key in considering why believers don’t need to sense that dreaded sword of destructiveness.

We see this by looking at the great book of prophecy that God has given us so we can know how things play out.

China is at the heart of God’s final dealing with humankind’s rebellion, I’m convinced. We can see clearly that the massive nation continues to build in every way toward becoming the head of the hegemonic force that will kill a third of the world’s population during the Tribulation. John, the prophet chosen to present the Revelation, terms this force “the kings of the East.”

I call China the “king of the kings of the East.” That nation is, I believe, scheduled to gather all others within its Oriental orbit for the movement to the Euphrates—the apparent barrier separating the Oriental and Occidental worlds.

Their 200-million-man army will, John said, be possessed by demons that have been kept beneath that area for a certain prophetic moment. It will be the time appointed by God, who knows and controls all things from beginning to end. Here is what He says about that horrendous army from the East:

And the sixth angel sounded, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God, Saying to the sixth angel which had the trumpet, Loose the four angels which are bound in the great river Euphrates. And the four angels were loosed, which were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year, for to slay the third part of men. And the number of the army of the horsemen were two hundred thousand thousand: and I heard the number of them. (Revelation 9:13–16)

John also said:

And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared. (Revelation 16:12)

The reason believers shouldn’t fear all-out nuclear war is tied up in John’s statement in Revelation 9:15:

And the four angels were loosed, which were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year.

Just as Russia is scheduled to come against Israel, the kings of the East have been scheduled by God Himself to cause—because of His righteous judgment—massive deaths across the world. He has appointed the “hour,” “day,” “month,” and “year” when it will happen. It is the God of all there is, not human warmongers, who will control when death and destruction on a massive scale will occur.

Meantime, we have been promised that we’ll be kept from that appointed time:

Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth. (Revelation 3:10)  

It becomes more evident by the hour that the world is quickly headed toward the Tribulation storm. That’s what our new book, TRAJECTORY: Tracking the Approaching Tribulation Storm, is all about HERE

You don’t want to be left on this judgment-bound planet when that storm begins. Here’s how to go to Jesus Christ and heavenly shelter before that judgment falls.

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

Author’s note: This article, written some years earlier, perhaps more than when written puts focus on the times God’s Word speaks to in regard to being faithful to completing the mission and the assignments the Lord has placed us here to accomplish.

Vince Lombardi, the famous Green Bay Packer coach of the 1960s, known for his draconian training regimen in preparing his players, said: “Fatigue makes cowards of us all.” He put his observation to practical use against his opponents by making sure it was the opponents, not his team members, who were fatigued by game’s end. Each Packer player was totally spent at the end of each practice session;  the coach and the players left all they had on the field of preparation.

When strength was returned and fully pumped up on game day, there was more than enough to overpower those not as intensively conditioned. The result was a championship team that continues to be memorialized in sports lore all of these years later. There was no team that could match Lombardi’s Packers when the fatigue set in during the later stages of the games they played during the height of their power. There were teams that could match their natural athletic abilities, but none could match their endurance.

The game was won by the intensive time of preparation as much as it was won on the actual field of play.

The use of the above sports analogy is not far-fetched. Paul, the great champion for taking the gospel of Christ forth, used just such an analogy to describe his life, death, and glorious future in God’s kingdom:

For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing. (2 Timothy 4:6–8).

Paul, it is obvious by studying his writings, was a sports fan. He used things like running a race, beating the air, finishing the course, and other terms that give us insight to the fact that he at least took interest in the society of his day. That society was one filled with sports activities, and would have been a natural area of subject matter for the great teacher to interject as he presented the gospel and matters of Bible doctrine.

The games of the day included Olympic-type events. The races in particular turned on the cheers of fans of the day. Crowns of laurels (formed from leaves) were placed upon the victors’ heads by the judges.

Paul made the linkage of the races of his time to the bema (judgment seat of Christ), at which children of God will receive  crowns of victory based upon how they ran the race in Christ’s cause during their lifetimes. The very nature of such a race indicates the necessity of enduring–of persevering—through the long, sometimes uphill miles of living a life of righteousness.

Most often, Paul used such analogy to indicate, as in the verses above, the fact that the Christian should be willing to endure. In many places, he taught how to build endurance. That preparation most often was wrapped around prayer, Scripture study, and practical action–witnessing and teaching truth to others.

God’s Word telling us to endure is one topical area of Bible prophecy that has caused anxiety-ridden questions among some.  It seems to those who question that the command to endure, according to the language used, is a requirement in order to assure that salvation is achieved. One must “endure unto the end” to be saved–to win in the game of life, thus to secure one’s place in heaven for eternity.

Endurance is one of the things God requires of His children. As a matter of fact, He demands it. But, what does the term “endurance” used in the scriptures, causing anxieties among some believers, mean, exactly?

A close examination of the key verses involved is necessary to understand the term “endurance” in God’s prophetic lexicon. One such reference is found in the Apostle Paul’s foretelling about departure from Bible doctrine in the end of the Church Age:

For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;

And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables. But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry. (2 Timothy 4:3–5).

Paul was prophesying a time—indeed, I am convinced we are in that time—when many within the very heart of the Christian church will move away from preaching and teaching that man is lost and needs the Savior, who is Jesus Christ, alone (John 14: 6). This failure to endure the sound doctrine taught by Jesus, Paul, and the other apostles would, Paul indicated, be a fatigue that would make cowards of many, causing them and those they teach to turn to lies.

We see today this very thing. The gospel that man is lost in sin, thus must turn to the shed blood of Jesus Christ for remission of that deadly sin, has been changed to give the feel-good message that God is love and would never condemn those He knows to be less than perfect. The fable makers teach and preach the do-good message that we must go along with the world of philanthropists who preach a social gospel to feed, clothe, and, in general, show the have-nots that humanism is their savior.

Much of the Church today thus has failed to “endure until the end.”

Jesus pronounced, in strong language, the role “endurance” will play in the days leading up to His second advent:

And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. (Matthew 24:11-13)

Jesus even asks in one instance whether He will find any faith on earth when He returns. And, this is where the anxiety comes in for some. Is Jesus saying that those who do not hold to absolute Bible truth until the very end won’t be “saved”? Must we—and those of the Tribulation era—never slip up and sin, thus departing from truth, or else suffer the eternal damnation of hellfire?

The answer is found within the character of the One who issued the solemn statement. Jesus, who said “It is finished” when He completed the redemption plan of God on the cross at Calvary, also said:

My Father, which gave [them] me, is greater than all; and no [man] is able to pluck [them] out of my Father’s hand. (John 10:29)

Saints “endure” through Christ. We haven’t the ability to resist this fallen world apart from the strength found only in our Savior. The supernatural endurance required to “endure unto the end” is not in us, but in Jesus, who paid the full price for our eternal souls:

For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. (Ephesians 2:8–9)

When we are “in” Christ, we will “endure,” because Christ “endures.” He is the same yesterday, today, and forever!

Now, this does not excuse the Christian from remaining faithful to God. In that sense, “endurance” is our responsibility. It is our responsibility to the very end—of our lives, or until the Rapture of Christ’s body, the Church. We are to strengthen ourselves for spiritual battle in order to not become fatigued through prayer, Bible study, and exercising our witness before our fellow man. We put on the whole armor of God as we are directed to do in Ephesians, chapter 6.

God equips us. He doesn’t demand such a hard thing without providing the ability—even the absolute guarantee—of that sort of “endurance” that takes His child “unto the end.”

Those who fail to exercise their witness, in whatever way God directs, become flabby, ineffective ambassadors in Christ’s royal service. There is always a heavy price to pay for such sloth. Not loss of salvation for those who are truly in Christ’s grip, but a loss of position within the kingdom of God.

Those who fail to endure in the center of God’s will suffer loss of rewards when kneeling before their Savior at the judgment seat of Christ.

That is one primary reason we at Rapture Ready and this blog exhort Christians to join in our efforts in these closing days of the Age of Grace—the Church Age. There are many, many opportunities to labor, to “endure,” during these trying times that are presented by the dynamic Rapture Ready website and this blog’s efforts to reach the lost world for Christ.

Many are writing articles, many are writing encouraging emails, and some are giving in other ways to God’s work on raptureready.com.

One area we very much need help in is finances. Donations have dwindled, yet the ministry-associated needs of Christ in these closing days of the age have never been more pronounced. Enduring to the end also means supporting Christ-centered ministries with our financial offerings. If hundreds of millions can be contributed to the prosperity ministries who teach that false message of giving to get, why do not those who hold to Bible truth not support faithful ministries with greatly abundant offerings?

Jesus said: ”For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also” (Matthew 6:21).

Incessant assaults against all that used to be considered saneness and biblical holiness brings into focus a particular end-times Scripture.

“And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.” (Matthew 24:12–13)

The word “iniquity” is defined as “lawlessness” in scriptural terms. Jesus Christ was saying in His Olivet Discourse that one of the primary markers of the very end of the age would be an increase in lawlessness.

Because of this, He said, the love of many inhabitants of earth would grow cold. But those who will endure to the end will be saved.

Now we have some serious dissecting to do to “rightfully divide” this truth, as God’s Word directs us to do.

We don’t have to go too much in-depth to understand the kind of lawlessness the Lord was warning about. We see it abounding within activity and actions no matter which direction we look.

However, the term “lawlessness” can, I believe, be broken down into both the physical realm and the spiritual. And the two often overlap. I will try to make clear my meaning.

A number of my great friends in prophecy ministry and I wrote a book in recent years that had at its heart the words of Jesus as recorded in Matthew 24:12–13. The book, perhaps you will remember, had the title LAWLESS: The End Times War Against the Spirit of Antichrist.

I can do no better than to recount what I wrote about the book effort those few years ago:

Today, chaos and turmoil inflame daily life within the fever of uncertainty. Geopolitical, cultural, and societal upheaval rip at the heart of America and the world.

Much of humanity is in a state of uncontrollable anger, while an infinitesimally small enemy—visible only under powerful microscopes—holds populations in its fear-paralyzing, pandemic grip.

LAWLESS: The End-Times War Against the Spirit of Antichrist is an intensely focused volume that answers questions about what’s really going on in these volatile, inexplicably strange times.

What does it all mean? Why such a divide? Why such anger and hatred? People want to know answers, and the answer is spiritual. It’s all there in Bible prophecy. The tumult altogether constitutes a major indicator of how near we are to the end of this age—the Age of Grace.

I said above that the term “lawlessness” can be broken down into both the physical realm and the spiritual. And the two often overlap. Again, as promised, I will try to make clear my meaning.

The iniquity–the lawlessness—abounding in every direction is physical. By that, I mean our very way of life is more and more affected by the insidious and more overt assaults.

For example, within cities governed by leftist officials, Christian groups have, while peacefully and legally protesting in authorized areas outside abortion clinics, been physically attacked by thugs–some paid by anti-God forces bent on changing America to fit their Marxist blueprint. Law enforcement and judicial offices have allowed these attacks in a growing number of cases –without action being taken against the attackers.

Additionally, the peaceful Right to Life protesters have themselves been prosecuted by the so-called justice system. This sort of lawlessness is taking place in an increasing number of instances, while violent protests by the likes of Black Lives Matter (BLM) and Antifa, as well as other lawless groups, perpetrate anarchic destruction without suffering consequences of their iniquitous actions.

On the spiritual side of the lawless equation, school boards in these leftist-run districts, for example, institute rules that go against biblical commands. These declare Christian values to have no place within today’s culture and society. They stack the school board panels with those who champion the LGTBQ+, etc., agenda. They even have managed to get the FBI involved in charging parents who oppose such anti-God activity with being domestic terrorists worthy of fines and even incarceration.

And this is where the physical and spiritual iniquity–the lawlessness—overlap. We see this in story after story of how not only older children, but very young ones as well, are affected and infected by the spirit of lawlessness –the Antichrist spirit, as John the apostle said was prevalent even in his time.

Iniquity is indeed abounding, and wickedness is bleeding from the governing authority into the religious entities that purport to represent Christianity. The following gives a clue as to what all this has wrought.

Pastor Andy OIiver…in a children’s sermon Oct. 2, 2022, with drag queen “Ms. Penny Cost” at Allendale United Methodist Church in St. Petersburg, Florida…

“We have a special guest,” Oliver told the children.

“Are you always dressed up like this?” the pastor asked.

“I wish!” replied the drag queen, Isaac Simmons, who is undergoing the process to become ordained in the United Methodist Church. (Art Moore, “Renewal of our minds: Church features drag queen in kids’ sermon; Pastor applies Romans 12:2 to approval of transvestism,” WND, October 12, 2022)

One can only imagine the lawlessness that will abound in the nation and world beginning the second after believers leave the planet when Christ calls (1 Corinthians 15: 51–55; 1 Thessalonians 4:13–18; Revelation 4:1–2).

The Holy Spirit’s restraining influence is the glue holding together any civility and order the Lord is seeing fit to continue in this quickly darkening moment in human history. Can there be any doubt that love is disappearing as these wicked times continue to allow hatred for God and fellow man to intensify?

About the prophetic statement within Matthew 24:12–13, “But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved”: I believe it might have dual meaning. First, that those alive at the end of the Age of Grace (Church Age) who are believers will be saved (physically) from entering the Tribulation to come. Second, those who accept Christ during the Tribulation and live to the end of that seven years of horror will be brought safely (physically) into the Millennium at Christ’s return.

You don’t want to be on this judgment-bound sphere when the Restrainer (the Holy Spirit) –and all Christians He indwells—departs the earth in that spectacular event called the Rapture.

Here is how to avoid being left behind.

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