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

The U.S. military is moving more weapons and units into the Caribbean that give President Trump powerful new options to escalate his pressure campaign on Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and potentially bring him down.

The Trump administration has poured an extraordinary amount of firepower into the Caribbean basin: stealth fighters, electronic warfare aircraft, naval strike groups, surveillance drones, and refueling assets staged within striking distance of Venezuela. Officially, this is about narcotics trafficking and sanctions enforcement. In reality, it is about leverage, regime pressure, oil of course, and the unmistakable message that war is coming. Just ask the Secretary of WAR if peace is the goal. It’s not.

“And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.” Matthew 24:6 (KJB)

The Caribbean has not seen this level of sustained U.S. military concentration in decades. Warships patrol key shipping lanes. Advanced aircraft operate from nearby islands. Surveillance assets blanket the region. And now, with the seizure of a Venezuelan oil tanker and increasingly blunt rhetoric from President Trump, the mask is slipping. This is not a defensive posture, it’s a staging posture. This is not for peace, this is for war. History shows that major conflicts rarely begin with an announcement — they begin with “deterrence,” “security operations,” and “limited enforcement actions.” The language changes only after the first shots are fired. The Caribbean is becoming another chessboard square in a rapidly tightening global game — one that ends, according to Scripture, not with American victory or global peace treaties, but with the rise of Antichrist and the collapse of man’s systems.

GET ALL OF DR. RUCKMAN’S BIBLE BELIEVERS COMMENTARY SERIES AT 20% OFF PLUS A BONUS BOOK, CLICK NOW TO ORDER!!

United States Pours More Firepower Into the Caribbean as Trump Ramps Up Threats against Venezuela

FROM THE WSJ: After weeks of deadly boat strikes and the seizure of an oil tanker, the Pentagon is sending assets that could enable land strikes, disable Venezuela’s defenses and enforce an oil embargo—posing a direct threat not only to Maduro but to his regional allies such as Cuba. F-35A stealth jet fighters, EA-18G Growler electronic warfare planes, HH-60W rescue helicopters and HC-130J rescue planes are being staged in Puerto Rico, according to photographs and flight tracking data. Tanker aircraft that can refuel bombers and jet fighters midair have been moved to the Dominican Republic in recent days. Such aircraft could play a key role in any potential attacks on land, analysts say.

The deployments add to the significant amount of combat power that the U.S. has already shifted to the region in recent months, including 11 warships, MQ-9 Reaper drones, F-35B jet fighters and P-8 Poseidon spy planes, among other weaponry. The arrival of the USS Gerald R. Ford last month brought dozens of aircraft into the region that could also be used in airstrikes. Some of the latest aircraft movements were reported by the War Zone.

F-35A stealth jet fighters, EA-18G Growler electronic warfare planes, HH-60W rescue helicopters and HC-130J rescue planes are being staged in Puerto Rico, according to photographs and flight tracking data. War is coming in the Caribbean. pic.twitter.com/6upncKIFUo

— Now The End Begins (@NowTheEndBegins) December 13, 2025

Trump has threatened to up the ante by attacking targets on land after months of bombing alleged drug-smuggling boats off the coast of Venezuela and beyond. The administration also seized an oil tanker full of Venezuelan crude earlier this week, opening a new front in the White House’s pressure campaign.

Trump has also said that he has authorized covert CIA operations in Venezuela.

“We’ve been watching the efforts to intimidate us,” Venezuelan Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino said in an address Friday, referring to American aircraft near Venezuelan territory. “We ask humbly, don’t be mistaken. We’re ready to defend this country. You’re not going to intimidate us.”

Military analysts say the recent movement of equipment further signals the administration’s intent to carry out combat operations. The buildup also means the U.S. has the resources in place to seize more oil tankers if Trump chooses to do so.

“I think what’s important about the forces and capabilities that are moving into the theater is that they are optimized to conduct precision, stealthy strikes that can minimize collateral damage,” said Heather Penney, a former fighter pilot and director of studies and research at the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies, an aerospace think tank. “All of them together work in concert to open up the battlespace and conduct precision strikes with minimum risk to U.S. forces. And of course, you have a search-and-rescue team there just in case.”

Regional analysts and former government officials have warned that U.S. military action in Venezuela could spiral into a wider crisis across Latin America. Cuba, which suffers from a fragile economy and severe energy shortages, relies on Venezuela for oil. Any conflict could also quickly spill across the porous borders with Colombia, where armed groups rule much of the frontier. 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

US commandos from the Department of War stormed a Venezuelan oil tanker in a breathtaking airborne takedown amid ratcheting tensions in the Caribbean.

The breaking news that U.S. commandos stormed and seized a Venezuelan oil tanker is not simply another geopolitical dust-up — it is a visible sign of the times, a reminder that the world’s great powers are now moving pieces on the prophetic chessboard with increasing speed and intensity. The Department of War is open for business.

“In your patience possess ye your souls.” Luke 21 :19 (KJB)

When President Trump announced that U.S. forces had taken control of what he described as a “very large tanker” operating off the Venezuelan coast, the world caught a glimpse of something Washington hasn’t shown in decades: the willingness to use force decisively, swiftly, and without apology. And make no mistake, while the modern bureaucracy insists on calling it the “Department of Defense,” what you saw on full display was the Department of War, doing exactly what it was renamed from in 1949, projecting American power upon the seas. But where does all this lead, and more importantly, where does it all end?

The Bible Believers Bookstore has a great selection of men and women’s Christian and Patriot caps that will let people know you stand for Jesus.

President Trump orders seizure of Venezuelan oil tanker with stunning attack by US commandos at the Department of War

FROM THE DAILY MAIL UK: Footage released by the Trump administration on Wednesday showed American forces swooping on the tanker in helicopters and rappelling down ropes. Troops with guns drawn darted up stairs to the bridge to take control of the vessel off the coast of Venezuela.

Attorney General Pam Bondi wrote in a statement on X: ‘Today, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations, and the United States Coast Guard, with support from the Department of War, executed a seizure warrant for a crude oil tanker used to transport sanctioned oil from Venezuela and Iran.

‘For multiple years, the oil tanker has been sanctioned by the United States due to its involvement in an illicit oil shipping network supporting foreign terrorist organizations.’

The release of the video comes hours after it was reported on Wednesday that the tanker had been seized, sparking fears of a potential blockade and sending oil prices sky-rocketing. No name was given for the ‘stateless’ vessel, nor was it confirmed precisely where off the coast of Venezuela the raid unfolded.

Trump called it ‘the largest one ever seized’ and warned that ‘other things are happening.’

The capture sent oil prices climbing sharply, with Brent crude rising 1.21 percent to $62.69 a barrel amid fears the escalation could disrupt global supply. Venezuela is one of the largest suppliers of oil to China, which has been the destination of between 55 percent and 90 percent of the country’s oil exports.

A Bloomberg report called the move ‘a serious escalation’ after Trump demanded Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro step down. Caracas did not immediately respond to the seizure.

When asked about what the US will do with the oil seized from the Venezuelan tanker, Trump said, ‘We keep it.’

This week’s seizure marks the first time the Trump administration has moved to interfere with the country’s oil distribution amid the hostile pressure campaign. When a reporter on Wednesday asked Trump about who owns the seized oil tanker, the President responded, ‘You’ll get that information later.’ READ MORE

Dramatic Footage Shows US Forces Seize Tanker Off 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