From raptureready.com

It was around the middle of October.

Our church was preparing to celebrate “Hallelujah Night” instead of Halloween.

Our pastor was seeking volunteers to supervise games in the gym and lots of candy for prizes and participation.

I went to our local Dollar Store to buy some bags of candy.

I expected to see candy and also a few Thanksgiving Day supplies.

I saw the candy, and then some Halloween products: costumes, artificial pumpkins, fake ghosts, etc.

But before I got to any Thanksgiving Day supplies, there it was: Artificial Christmas trees, lights, rope, wrapping paper, ribbon, sacks, etc.

I moved on, and there it was: A display of Christmas cards.

I moved on and came to lots of toys.

I made my purchase and arrived at my car, asking myself, “Did I need to get anything for Thanksgiving?”

I decided to return to the Dollar Store after Halloween.

I don’t know the exact date I went to the store, but it seemed to me that many things in the store were saying, “Christmas is coming; get ready.”

It reminded me of an example that I have seen many times: We don’t know when the Rapture is, but many things seem to indicate that, “It’s coming and it could be close; get ready.”

I thought, “Get ready.”

“That is very important, and it shouldn’t be taken lightly.”

“I wish everyone were ready, but most aren’t.”

Here are some reasons why I believe the Rapture could be close:

One, concerning a global economic collapse after the Rapture (Rider on the Black Horse; Rev. 6:5-6): on Oct. 24, 2025, the Prophecy News Watch (PNW) staff reported that:

• It was only ten weeks ago that the U.S. national debt crossed $37 trillion.
• Now, barely three months later (on Oct. 21, 2025), it topped $38 trillion.
• A trillion dollars in ten weeks — a number so enormous it’s lost all meaning.
• Yet the most alarming part isn’t the number itself.
• It’s that no one seems to care.
• The pace of this debt explosion is staggering.
• A trillion dollars in new borrowing every few weeks — not to build bridges, not to fund innovation, but mostly to pay for what’s already been spent.
• It’s a snake devouring its own tail.
• The interest alone now consumes 23% of all tax revenue, and within a decade, that number will likely approach 40%.
• At that point, the government won’t really govern — it will simply collect taxes to pay interest.
• The world’s largest economy will become the world’s largest debtor-in-perpetuity, borrowing new money just to pay the interest on old money.
• When it breaks — and it will — the fall will be fast, furious, and global.

FYI: Here is a link to the entire PNW article.

https://www.prophecynewswatch.com/article.cfm?recent_news_id=9021

(My comment: It is incredible that some in Congress want to keep increasing our spending to fund illegal immigration, abortion, unnecessary government programs, and more. Payday is coming, and it is gaining speed fast.)

Two, concerning deceit: on Oct. 23, 2025, a reader sent me a video of Robbi on the Record saying:

• Artificial intelligence (AI) is blurring the line between truth and illusion.
• We’re witnessing the biggest reality shift in human history.
• How will we discern truth when deception looks perfectly real?
• And what does the Bible say about living in an age of mass deception and digital control?

(My answer: Jesus warned us about deception at the end of the age several times.)

Three, concerning peace in the Middle East, the division of Israel, Pres. Trump’s 20-Point Peace Plan, and the whole world turning against Israel at the end of the age: on Oct. 23, 2025, it was reported that:

• Trump is trying to reshape the Middle East.
• Trump said, Israel’s annexation of Judea and Samaria won’t happen.
• Trump said, I gave my word to the Arab countries, and I told Benjamin Netanyahu that Israel will lose all support from the United States if it proceeds with plans to annex Judea and Samaria.
• Vice Pres. Vance said Israel’s annexation of Judea and Samaria would be very stupid.

(My opinion: God gave all of that land to Israel, and He will not allow Pres. Trump and/or Vice Pres. Vance to overrule Him.)

(My opinion: When Russia, Iran, Turkey, and their Islamic allies attack Israel in the Battle of Gog of Magog, no nation – including the U.S. – will help Israel, but God will help Israel.)

Four, concerning Artificial Intelligence (AI) and its implications for the tracking and control of everyone on earth: on Oct. 23, 2025, the Prophecy News Watch (PNW) staff wrote:

• Something quietly revolutionary is happening — and it’s not about better medicine.
• Around the world, governments and global institutions are building a new kind of health infrastructure, one that blurs the line between wellness monitoring and total surveillance.
• It began innocently enough: fitness trackers, smartwatches, health apps.
• Tools designed to help us understand our bodies, count our steps, check our pulse.
• But these gadgets were never just personal accessories — they were the front door.
• Today, they’re becoming part of a vast digital network capable of tracking not just illness, but human behavior itself.
• This is not science fiction – it’s the architecture being built right now.
• Each new upgrade, each new layer of “AI-driven safety,” brings us closer to a world where freedom becomes conditional on compliance, and privacy becomes an outdated concept.
• The real question is how far it will go before people realize that a monitored world, no matter how healthy, is no longer a free one.

Five, concerning Pres. Trump’s 20-Point Peace Plan and the disarmament of Hamas: on Oct. 23, 2025, it was reported that:

• Sources in Gaza said Hamas is jailing and torturing Palestinians, in underground prisons, that they think are undermining them.
• Hamas built these prisons to jail and torture Israeli hostages, but they are now using them to jail disloyal Palestinians.

(My comment: This wouldn’t be happening if Trump would stop talking about disarming Hamas and get on with it. He is trying to make Israel keep the ceasefire and has done nothing but talk about making Hamas keep the ceasefire.)

(Update: On Oct. 24, 2025, it was reported that Hamas is using the ceasefire to rearm and gain control of Gaza.)

(Update: On Oct. 28, 2025, Hamas opened fire on Israeli troops near Rafah, an Israeli soldier was killed, and Israel responded with several powerful attacks on Hamas. On Oct. 29, 2025, Trump said Hamas struck Israel, so it was Israel’s right to strike back. Trump maintains that the ceasefire will hold, but Israel’s Chief of Staff said this war is not over. According to the Bible, Trump is wrong. At some point, there will be a brief ceasefire, but the effort to destroy Israel will continue until the Second Coming.)

Six, concerning persecution at the end of the age: on Oct. 22, 2025, it was reported that the Chinese Communist Party is taking its war on Christianity to new extremes—arresting pastors, rewriting the Bible, and turning churches into propaganda centers.

Seven, concerning deceit at the end of the age: on Oct. 23, 2025, it was reported that the Department of Justice (DOJ) has reportedly found that Democrat politicians are skewing crime statistics in an attempt to falsely state that crime is on the decline under their leadership, leading into next year’s midterm elections.

Eight, concerning Turkey’s desire to destroy Israel and its involvement in the Battle of Gog of Magog in the latter days and latter years: on Oct. 24, 2025, a Turkish group hung Israeli Prime Min. Netanyahu in effigy with a sign above it that read, “Death Penalty for Netanyahu.”

The next day, Turkish Pres. Erdoğan said that there can be no diplomatic resolution in Gaza without the involvement of Turkey.

Nine, here is a link to an interesting article about Russia training horses for use in warfare (see Ezek. 38:15). https://www.prophecynewswatch.com/article.cfm?recent_news_id=9034

Ten, concerning wars and rumors of wars and the use of nuclear weapons during the Tribulation Period: on Oct. 27, 2025, following Russia’s announcement that it has successfully tested an invincible nuclear missile with almost unlimited range and an unpredictable flight path.

Pres. Trump said nuclear missiles don’t have to go thousands of miles; the U.S. has a nuclear-armed submarine off Russia’s shores right now.

(Update: On Oct. 29, 2025, Pres. Trump ordered the U.S. Dept. of War to start testing U.S. nuclear weapons because other countries are testing.)

Eleven, concerning the government shutdown: on Oct. 27, 2025, the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), which represents more than 800,000 federal workers and gives more than 95% of its political donations to Democrats, urged the Democrats to pass the Republican stopgap funding bill.

(Update: On Oct. 29, 2025, it was reported that the Democrats will probably ignore the union’s request.)

Twelve, concerning Pres. Trump’s 20-Point Plan and ceasefire in Gaza: on Oct. 25, 2025, Trump urged Hamas to return the remains of all of the deceased hostages in the next 48 hours (as of this writing, Israel believes Hamas has 10 of the remaining 13 bodies that they could return, but have not done so.)

On Oct. 27, 2025, an Israeli official said Israel is preparing plans to go back into Gaza when Trump’s 48-hour deadline ends.

He added that if Hamas doesn’t keep the agreement, Israel will make it happen.

(Update: On Oct. 30, 2025, Hamas said it would return the remains of 2 more hostages at 4 p.m. today. If they do, that should leave 11 unreturned bodies.)

Thirteen, concerning the rebuilding of Babylon, on Oct. 24, 2025, the Iraqi government confirmed that it has developed plans to finance and build a highway, railroad, and pipeline to link its new al-Faw Grand Port in southern Iraq with the Turkish border.

Some believe the rebuilding of the ancient city of Babylon will be the last prophecy to be fulfilled before the Second Coming of Jesus.

Here is a link to an article.

https://www.iraqinews.com/iraq/iraq-cooperates-with-oliver-wyman-to-manage-development-road/

Here is a link to an older article.

https://rumble.com/v70xtei-babylon-is-rising-just-as-the-bible-predicted.html?e9s=src_v1_ucp_a

Fourteen, concerning hatred for Israel, cursing Israel, and deceit in a report that was presented to the UN: on Oct. 28, 2025, it was reported that Israel’s ambassador Danny Dannon told the UN special rapporteur (independent adviser and author of the UN report) that:

• You have tried to curse Israel with lies and hatred, but your poison has failed.
• You have vilified Israel and blamed countries that support it.
• You are a witch, and this report is another page in your spell book.
• You wrap your bias in the language of law, hoping it will hide what it really is: Hamas propaganda.

(My opinion: Dannon is fed up with the anti-Israel lies and corruption at the UN.)

(More: According to a recently released Palestinian Authority report, there has been no famine in Gaza during the Israeli-Hamas war. It was a Hamas lie that the UN reported.)

Fifteen, concerning an increase in the frequency and intensity of natural disasters at the end of the age: on Oct. 27, 2025, Hurricane Melissa dumped a record-breaking three feet of rain in isolated areas of Jamaica (one to two feet over most of the island).

Wind speeds reached 185 mph, 77% of the island has lost power, the damage is expected to be great, there is at least one death, and there are more islands in Melissa’s path.

(Update: On Oct. 28, 2025, it was reported that Melissa has killed 25 people in Cuba, and 725,000 are in shelters. Melissa is now headed to the Bahamas.)

Sixteen, concerning deceit and the dangers of Islam: on Oct. 28, 2025, Israel discovered a training facility and a weapons cache inside a mosque in Gaza.

(My speculation: I wonder what is inside the mosques in Minnesota, Pennsylvania, Texas, NY City, and in other parts of the U.S.)

Seventeen, concerning sovereignty over the Temple Mount: on Oct. 28, 2025, Rep. Claudia Tenney introduced a House resolution that affirms Israeli sovereignty over the Temple Mount and calls for equal access and religious freedom for Christians, Muslims, and the Jewish people at one of the world’s most sacred sites.

Tenney (a NY Republican), said her resolution:

• Recognizes the Temple Mount as the holiest site in Judaism and a revered place for all three Abrahamic faiths.
• Reaffirms Israel’s sovereign right to protect its sacred sites and calls for true religious equality and respect for all who worship there.
• Reaffirms that Jerusalem is the undivided capital of Israel.
• Calls for the protection of the right of all people to worship freely and peacefully.

The article did not say when the House will vote on this.

FYI: God does not send anyone to Hell (all of us are born with a sin nature and destined to go to Hell because we sin), but God has provided a way (Jesus) for everyone to go to Heaven (and He is the only way to get there; John 14:6).

Finally, are you Rapture Ready?

If you want to be rapture ready and go to heaven, you must be born again (John 3:3). God loves you, and if you have not done so, sincerely admit that you are a sinner; believe that Jesus is the virgin-born, sinless Son of God, who died for the sins of the world, was buried, and raised from the dead; ask Him to forgive your sins, cleanse you, come into your heart and be your Saviour; then tell someone that you have done this.

duck_daymond@yahoo.com

From christianpost.com

By Danny Burmawi

Dear Mr. Vice President,

Last week, Archbishop Atallah Hanna of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate in Jerusalem sent you an open letter, claiming to speak in “the language of love, faith, and humanity.” In truth, his letter was filled with distortion, resentment, and theological hypocrisy. It had little to do with the love of the One who conquered death by His resurrection, and everything to do with the political fear that has long governed dhimmi Christianity in the Islamic world.

As someone who left Islam and served Christ across the Middle East for 15 years, I must respond.

In 2008, after leaving Islam, I tried to contact a church in my hometown, Amman, Jordan. The first church I reached out to was the Greek Orthodox Church in Abdali, the very same institution under Archbishop Hanna’s jurisdiction. One hour before I arrived, Jordanian intelligence warned me not to approach any church. But I went anyway, longing to meet brothers and sisters in Christ, to feel that I was finally home. Instead, the priest publicly expelled me. He had been ordered by authorities not to welcome converts. That was my first encounter with the fearful, state-controlled Christianity that the Archbishop represents, a Christianity that bends its knees to tyranny instead of to Christ.

The Archbishop began his letter saying, “You will visit the Church of the Resurrection tomorrow and you will see doors open.”

But he failed to tell you that those doors are closed almost everywhere across the Islamic world, except in Israel. It is precisely because of Israel that Christians still have open churches, protected shrines, and access to the holy places of our faith, it is good to think of Aya Sophia as you read his letter.

When Caliph Omar ibn al-Khattab invaded Jerusalem in the seventh century, he forced Christians to sign the humiliating “Pact of Umar.” Under it, Christians were forbidden to build new churches, to repair old ones, to ride horses, or to walk in the middle of the road. They were required to rise if a Muslim entered the room, and to live visibly marked as inferiors.

That mentality still defines Islamic societies today. Don’t look at countries like the UAE as if they represent the Islamic world; they don’t. Their appearance of tolerance comes from adopting Western frameworks, not from Islamic theology.

The Archbishop dares to speak of injustice while ignoring that two million Arabs live in Israel, among them almost 200,000 Christians, with equal rights, representation, and freedom of worship. Meanwhile, in areas ruled by the Palestinian Authority, Christians have nearly vanished. In Gaza, under Hamas, even the “Baptist” hospital had to become “Aliman” hospital because Christianity should be erased or hidden.

Last year in Jordan, one of the most “tolerant” regimes in the region, Christians in Fuhais, the last remaining Christian-majority town, tried to install a small statue of Jesus. Within hours, they were threatened and forced to move it to a cemetery. If that’s what happens under one of the so-called moderate governments, imagine what Christians endure under Hamas or the jihadist factions controlling parts of the West Bank and Gaza.

This is the real Middle Eastern reality the Archbishop hides: wherever Islam governs, Christians shrink, flee, or are silenced. Only in Israel do they stand free.

He accuses Israel of genocide while staying silent about the 78 years of religious war launched against the Jewish people, wars rooted not in politics, but in theology and religious hatred. He laments security checkpoints, but not the suicide bombings, bus explosions, and stabbings that forced Israel to erect them. Checkpoints did not cause violence; violence caused checkpoints.

The Archbishop invites you to “change your character” and believe the same narrative that was manufactured by the Communists, the Muslim Brotherhood, the Ayatollah, that America’s policies caused Palestinian suffering. The truth is the opposite.

After Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan rebuilt because its culture did not glorify death. But after 1948, when David Ben-Gurion and the Jewish people invited their Arab neighbors to join them in peace and progress, five Arab nations chose war. They rejected the UN partition plan, attacked Israel, and lost. Between 1948 and 1967, when the Arabs had full control over the West Bank and Gaza, they did not build a Palestinian state. They used those territories to prepare the next war, because Islamic theology cannot tolerate non-Muslim sovereignty on land once ruled by Islam.

That is the real cause of the conflict, not colonialism, not America, not “Zionist lobbies,” but a theological refusal to coexist.

I write not to condemn Archbishop Hanna personally, but to expose the cowardice and complicity that have paralyzed much of the Church in the Middle East. For centuries, Christians there have survived by appeasing Islamic rulers, not by confronting evil. They now echo the rhetoric of their oppressors, and in doing so, betray both history and truth.

Today, Christians are being massacred across the Islamic world, displaced from towns in Iraq, Sudan, Syria, and Egypt, stripped of freedom, and silenced by fear. Yet the Archbishop reserves his outrage for the one nation in the Middle East where Christians are free.

Mr. Vice President, the letter you received was not written in the language of love, but in the dialect of submission. Do not let it deceive you. The Church of the Resurrection stands open in Jerusalem because Israel keeps it open.

History is not on the Archbishop’s side. Truth is.