Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro has been ‘captured and flown out of the country’ to stand trial in the United States, Donald Trump has said.

On our Podcast yesterday, we asked a question. We wanted to know why the man who calls himself the ‘president of peace’, Donald J. Trump, was at the same time creating a Department of War, appointing a Secretary of War, if peace was his goal. In the early morning hours of Day 3 of 2026, we have our answer. Donald Trump is the war president, and Venezuela is his first stop.

“The words of his mouth were smoother than butter, but war was in his heart: his words were softer than oil, yet were they drawn swords.” Psalm 55:21 (KJB)

The reports coming over the wire are showing that Maduro has been captured, leaving Venezuela a leaderless nation, just waiting for some nation like the United States, or Russia, to swoop in and take control. As exciting as the headlines are right now will pale in comparison to what will come in the aftermath. Just for fun, I went to AI and asked this question, “What is it called when one nation launches a military strike on another sovereign nation and captures their leader?” This is how it responded.

When one nation launches a military strike against another sovereign nation and captures that nation’s leader, the act is generally described using a combination of established terms rather than one single universal label. The most accurate terms are:

1. Act of War

• This is the broad and primary classification.
• A direct military strike against another sovereign state constitutes an act of war, regardless of the stated justification.

2. Invasion

• If armed forces enter the territory of the other nation, it is an invasion.
• Capturing the leader during such an operation does not change this classification.

3. Regime Change Operation

• When the purpose (explicit or implicit) is to remove or neutralize the ruling government or head of state, it is often described as a regime change operation—especially in political, diplomatic, or historical analysis.

4. Decapitation Strike

• In military doctrine, targeting and capturing (or killing) a nation’s leader is called a decapitation strike.
• This term emphasizes the removal of leadership to cripple command, control, and morale.

5. Violation of Sovereignty
In international law and diplomatic language, such an action is described as a violation of national sovereignty, unless conducted with:

• UN Security Council authorization, or
• The consent of the nation involved (which is rare in such cases)

6. Kidnapping / Unlawful Seizure of a Head of State
If done without international legal authority, the capture of a sitting leader may also be framed legally as:

• Unlawful detention, or
• Abduction of a head of state

In short, Trump has launched what looks like for all the world, an ‘unauthorized military action’ against Venezuela after months of attempting to provoke them into open war. Congress did not vote, the Senate was not consulted, and the American people had no say in the matter. Prediction? Buckle up, Christian, wars and rumours of war have begun.

US ‘ peace president’ Donald Trump has launched a ‘large scale attack’ on Venezuela

FROM THE DAILY MAIL UK: President Trump released a statement that said the US had ‘successfully’ carried out a military strike after several explosions rocked in the capital of Caracas early Saturday.

‘The United States of America has successfully carried out a large scale strike against Venezuela and its leader, President Nicolas Maduro, who has been, along with his wife, captured and flown out of the country,’ Trump said. ‘This operation was done in conjunction with U.S. Law Enforcement.’ Trump announced that he would hold a press conference at Mar-a-Lago later in the morning to release more details.

Airplanes, loud noises and at least one column of smoke were being heard and seen in Venezuelan capital Caracas in the early hours of Saturday morning, witnesses told Reuters. Smoke could be seen rising from the hangar of a military base in Caracas. Another military installation in the capital was without power. Blasts began at 1:50am local time and one targeted Fort Tiona, which is where the Venezuelan ministry of defense is headquartered. People in various neighborhoods rushed to the streets. Some could be seen in the distance from various areas of Caracas.

‘The whole ground shook. This is horrible. We heard explosions and planes in the distance,’ said Carmen Hidalgo, a 21-year-old office worker, her voice trembling. She was walking briskly with two relatives, returning from a birthday party. ‘We felt like the air was hitting us.’

Venezuela’s government, in a statement, called on its supporters to take to the streets.

People to the streets!’ the statement said. ‘The Bolivarian Government calls on all social and political forces in the country to activate mobilization plans and repudiate this imperialist attack.’ The statement added that President Maduro had ‘ordered all national defense plans to be implemented’ and declared ‘a state of external disturbance.’ Venezuela’s communications ministry told The New York Times it ‘rejects, repudiates, and denounces’ US military aggression. READ MORE

 LIVE: Scene in Caracas after US strikes Venezuela and says Maduro captured

Live from Caracas. The United States hit Venezuela with a “large-scale strike” early Saturday and said its president, Nicolás Maduro, had been captured and flown out of the country — an extraordinary nighttime operation announced by President Donald Trump on social media hours after the attack.

Now The End Begins is your front line defense against the rising tide of darkness in the last Days before the Rapture of the Church

• HOW TO DONATE: Click here to view our WayGiver Funding page

When you contribute to this fundraising effort, you are helping us to do what the Lord called us to do. The money you send in goes primarily to the overall daily operations of this site. When people ask for Bibles, we send them out at no charge. When people write in and say how much they would like gospel tracts but cannot afford them, we send them a box at no cost to them for either the tracts or the shipping, no matter where they are in the world. We have a Gospel Billboard program. We are now broadcasting Bible studies, Podcasts and a Sunday Service 5 times a week, thanks to your generous donations. All this is possible because YOU pray for us, YOU support us, and YOU give so we can continue growing.

But whatever you do, don’t do nothing. Time is short and we need your help right now. The Lord has given us an open door with a tremendous ‘course’ for us to fulfill that will create an excellent experience at the Judgement Seat of Christ. Please pray for our efforts, and if the Lord leads you to donate, be as generous as possible. The war is REAL, the battle HOT and the time is SHORT…TO THE FIGHT!!!

“Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;” Titus 2:13 (KJB)

“Thank you very much!” – Geoffrey, editor-in-chief, NTEB

President Trump has commissioned a new fleet of battleships called ‘Trump Class’ named after himself and they’ll be the ‘deadliest warships ever built’

Donald Trump said today “America’s battleships have always been unmistakable symbols of national power. They’ll help maintain American military supremacy, revive the American shipbuilding industry, & inspire fear in America’s enemies all over the world.” Calling them the ‘Golden Fleet’ he’s decided to name them after himself. Trump Class. I have never seen this level of narcissism and self-glorification in any elected leader, this is a first. Not even Barack Obama exhibited this level of pride, and that’s saying something. America First? Trump first.

“And the king shall do according to his will; and he shall exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak marvellous things against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the indignation be accomplished: for that that is determined shall be done.” Daniel 11:36 (KJB)

Throughout his half-century career as a real estate mogul, Trump very much enjoyed naming everything he built after himself, and why not? It’s his company, and he’s certainly entitled to do that if he so chooses. But as the president of the United States, that same luxury should not be afforded to him to name things after himself. Having something named after you is usually reserved to honor those people after they have left office or passed away. But to have things named after yourself, while still in office, is the height of arrogance, pomposity and vanity. The Trump Ballroom, the Trump-Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, and now a line of Trump Class battleships is just awful, truly awful.

Trump announces new class of U.S. battleships named after himself

FROM NBC NEWS: Making the announcement at an event at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, Navy Secretary John Phelan referred to the warships as “Trump-class battleships” and said a forthcoming vessel dubbed the USS Defiant will be “the largest, deadliest and most versatile and best-looking warship anywhere on the world’s oceans.”

Trump’s eponymous battleships will be armed with guns and missiles, as well as hypersonic weapons, electronic rail guns and high-powered lasers.

“We envision that these ships will be the first of a whole new class of battleships to be produced in the years to come,” Trump said, noting an eventual goal of 20 to 25 new battleships.

Phelan said the battleships will also carry the “nuclear-armed sea-launched cruise missile.” The last time the U.S. used battleships in combat was in 1991, during the first Gulf War against Iraq.

“These have been under design consideration for a long time, and it started with me in my first term, because I said, ‘Why aren’t we doing battleships like we used to?'” Trump said Monday.

President Trump just announced a new brand of warship to be named after himself, called Trump Class, and the first one will be titles USS Defiant. I have never seen this level of vanity and narcissism in any president including Bill Clinton. This is off the charts. https://t.co/yuzvHzBtBO

— Now The End Begins (@NowTheEndBegins) December 23, 2025

The Navy is tasked with leading the design of the new battleships, which are expected to be ready early next decade, according to the Defense Department. Trump said he will also play a role, “because I’m a very aesthetic person.”

Signifiers of Trump, from his likeness to his name and his birthday, have become more commonplace during his second term.

Last week, a board handpicked by Trump voted to rename the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington the Trump-Kennedy Center. Trump’s name was also added to the U.S. Institute of Peace headquarters in Washington this month, and the Interior Department the Interior Department in a video last month displayed a national park pass for 2026 that will bear Trump’s image. The legality of some of those moves, however, faces legal challenges.

Trump said the new battleships are not meant as a deterrent to any one country.

“It’s a counter to everybody. It’s not China. We get along great with China,” he said. “It’s just everybody. You don’t know who comes along, but we just wanted peace through strength. Hopefully we never have to use them, but there will never be anything built like these.” READ MORE

Now The End Begins is your front line defense against the rising tide of darkness in the last Days before the Rapture of the Church

• HOW TO DONATE: Click here to view our WayGiver Funding page

When you contribute to this fundraising effort, you are helping us to do what the Lord called us to do. The money you send in goes primarily to the overall daily operations of this site. When people ask for Bibles, we send them out at no charge. When people write in and say how much they would like gospel tracts but cannot afford them, we send them a box at no cost to them for either the tracts or the shipping, no matter where they are in the world. We have a Gospel Billboard program. We are now broadcasting Bible studies, Podcasts and a Sunday Service 5 times a week, thanks to your generous donations. All this is possible because YOU pray for us, YOU support us, and YOU give so we can continue growing.

But whatever you do, don’t do nothing. Time is short and we need your help right now. The Lord has given us an open door with a tremendous ‘course’ for us to fulfill that will create an excellent experience at the Judgement Seat of Christ. Please pray for our efforts, and if the Lord leads you to donate, be as generous as possible. The war is REAL, the battle HOT and the time is SHORT…TO THE FIGHT!!!

“Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;” Titus 2:13 (KJB)

“Thank you very much!” – Geoffrey, editor-in-chief, NTEB

President Donald Trump said Tuesday he has ordered a blockade preventing all ‘sanctioned oil tankers’ from entering Venezuela, promising to take ‘land and oil’ in the process

For weeks now we’ve been telling you that the Department of War was about to declare war on Venezuela, and moments ago Trump ordered a naval blockage around them. Seems like a president doesn’t need approval from Congress anymore to declare war, he is doing it by sheer force of his own will, and no one is pushing back on him. What does he want? Land and oil, that’s the memo.

“But in his estate shall he honour the God of forces: and a god whom his fathers knew not shall he honour with gold, and silver, and with precious stones, and pleasant things.” Daniel 11:38 (KJB)

Trump is operating with impunity, daring anyone to stop him as his MAGA sycophants loudly cheer. For the past few months, he has ordered the execution of over 100 ‘narcoterrorists’, seized an oil tanker and bragged about keeping what he plundered. Now he is about to invade Venezuela with zero approval from the Congress or the Senate bodies that are there to keep the Executive Branch in check. Simply put, Trump is now a law unto himself, doing whatever he wants, and that should terrify you. Donald Trump did not create the Department of War to ‘keep the peace’, he created the Department of War to launch wars.

CLICK TO ORDER THE NEWEST GOSPEL TRACT AT THE BIBLE BELIEVERS BOOKSTORE!!

Trump orders blockade on Venezuelan oil tankers, escalating pressure on Maduro regime, says he will ‘seize oil and land’

FROM ABC NEWS 6: The announcement follows the U.S. seizure of an oil tanker off Venezuela’s coast last week, an unusual intervention that came amid a stepped-up U.S. military presence in the region. In a statement posted to his social media platform Tuesday night, Trump accused Venezuela of using oil revenue to fund drug trafficking and other criminal networks, and he signaled that additional military deployments are underway.

“Venezuela is completely surrounded by the largest armada ever assembled in the history of South America,” Trump wrote. “It will only get bigger, and the shock to them will be like nothing they have ever seen before — until such time as they return to the United States of America all of the oil, land, and other assets that they previously stole from us.”

pic.twitter.com/knzoUmgJcV

— Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) December 17, 2025

The military buildup has coincided with a series of U.S. strikes on small vessels operating in international waters in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific. At least 95 people have been killed in 25 documented strikes, a campaign that has prompted bipartisan concern in Congress about the scope and legality of the operations.

Administration officials have defended the effort as a key tool for reducing drug shipments to the United States and rejected suggestions that the campaign oversteps legal boundaries.

While the White House has repeatedly framed the operations as counter-narcotics missions, Trump’s chief of staff, Susie Wiles, appeared to link them directly to efforts to pressure Maduro. In an interview with Vanity Fair published Tuesday, Wiles said Trump “wants to keep on blowing boats up until Maduro cries uncle.” READ MORE

Trump orders blockade of all sanctioned oil tankers going in an out of Venezuela

Now The End Begins is your front line defense against the rising tide of darkness in the last Days before the Rapture of the Church

• HOW TO DONATE: Click here to view our WayGiver Funding page

When you contribute to this fundraising effort, you are helping us to do what the Lord called us to do. The money you send in goes primarily to the overall daily operations of this site. When people ask for Bibles, we send them out at no charge. When people write in and say how much they would like gospel tracts but cannot afford them, we send them a box at no cost to them for either the tracts or the shipping, no matter where they are in the world. We have a Gospel Billboard program. We are now broadcasting Bible studies, Podcasts and a Sunday Service 5 times a week, thanks to your generous donations. All this is possible because YOU pray for us, YOU support us, and YOU give so we can continue growing.

But whatever you do, don’t do nothing. Time is short and we need your help right now. The Lord has given us an open door with a tremendous ‘course’ for us to fulfill that will create an excellent experience at the Judgement Seat of Christ. Please pray for our efforts, and if the Lord leads you to donate, be as generous as possible. The war is REAL, the battle HOT and the time is SHORT…TO THE FIGHT!!!

“Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;” Titus 2:13 (KJB)

“Thank you very much!” – Geoffrey, editor-in-chief, NTEB