By Tim Sigler, Ph.D
This article originally appeared in Ariel Magazine, Summer 2026, Vol. 1, No. 59. Readers who wish to view the article in its original magazine format may access the complete issue here.
When I first began meeting with the Board of Directors of Ariel Ministries, they were already planning ahead for the future. I was impressed by their commitment to wisely stewarding resources for lasting gospel impact. We would regularly review our strategic plan and make sure that each assignment was clear and progressing. One of the assignments that we regularly reviewed was simply known as our “Rapture Plan.” This was the name given to our desire to put our resources where our eschatology is.
If we truly believe in the rapture and what follows, we should plan now to support God’s purposes during the tribulation period and align our resources and priorities with Scripture as we anticipate the work of the 144,000 Jewish evangelists. Of course, Dr. Fruchtenbaum and our global team at Ariel Ministries have been committed to teaching these biblical truths related to the pretribulation rapture since well before the founding of the ministry in 1977. These are truths we hold dear and promote with great zeal:
For these reasons and others, we believe in the pretribulation rapture of the church and God’s plan for the gospel to continue to be proclaimed to the Jew first and also to the nations during the tribulation period. John prophesied in Revelation 7 that 144,000 Jewish people will come to saving faith during the tribulation period, and this will be followed by a great multinational multitude also coming to salvation.
After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, saying, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” (Rev. 7:9-10)
This evangelistic outreach during the first half of the tribulation will be accomplished largely through the efforts of the 144,000 Jewish evangelists. As Dr. Fruchtenbaum writes in The Footsteps of the Messiah: A Study of the Sequence of Prophetic Events, one of God’s purposes for the tribulation period is to bring about a worldwide revival:
This purpose and its fulfillment are given in Revelation 7:1-17. In verses 1-8, John describes the means by which God will bring about this worldwide revival, while verses 9-17 portray the results of the revival. Revelation 7 will be examined from a different perspective in Chapter 10 of this book, but certain things should be mentioned at this time. In verses 1-8, John introduces the ministry of 144,000 Jews who will be sharing the gospel in all of the world. It is by means of these Jewish evangelists that God will bring about the worldwide revival and accomplish another goal of the tribulation.[1]
Because of the divinely designed diaspora, with Jewish people scattered throughout the world in this current age (Acts 1:8; 8:1; Jas. 1:1; 1 Pet. 1:1), the Lord has uniquely positioned the Jewish people to be multicultural and multilingual evangelists throughout the earth. Dr. Fruchtenbaum explains, “The evangelization of the world by means of 144,000 Jews during the first half of the tribulation will fulfill the prophecy found in Matthew 24:14: ‘And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world for a testimony unto all the nations; and then shall the end come.’”[2]
Knowing God’s plan to bring a great multitude to faith during the tribulation should not be an excuse to delay trusting in Yeshua personally for salvation today. Knowing God’s plan also should not be an excuse to delay sharing the gospel faithfully with Jews and Gentiles today. Rather, knowing God’s plan presents an opportunity for believers to do God’s will today—to pray for the future salvation of Jews and Gentiles during the tribulation period and even to seek to participate in that salvation. Since we are aware of what God has revealed about the efforts of the 144,000 Jewish evangelists during the tribulation, how can we as believers today prepare to participate in what God will accomplish through them and their future proclamation of the gospel?
The Ariel Ministries Rapture Plan
The Ariel Ministries Rapture Plan was developed to enable Ariel Ministries to participate in God’s purposes after the rapture and to be faithful to Him with one last opportunity for impact. Now is the time, during this lifetime, when we can plan for the future, strategize about our end-times impact, and prepare for what is to come.
Numerous Scriptures counsel God’s people that today is the time to prepare for tomorrow. “Teach us to number our days” (Ps. 90:12), for “we must work the works of Him who sent us while it is day; night is coming when no one can work” (Jn. 9:4), since “it is appointed unto men once to die, and after that the judgment” (Heb. 9:27). We view this as our final act of stewardship of all that God has entrusted to us.
Here are the seven steps we took to establish our Rapture Plan. These could serve as a model for other believers individually and other ministries corporately to consider in establishing a rapture plan of their own.
1. List God’s Assets You Steward
I recall learning four basic principles about biblical stewardship in my early 20s, and they have come back to bless me over and over again. Here they are:
A. God owns everything; you own nothing.
B. God has entrusted you with everything you have.
C. You can either increase or diminish what God has given you; He wants you to increase it.
D. Some day you will give an account of your stewardship, and it may be today.
As the Board of Directors considered the assets the Lord has entrusted to us, we are grateful for so many examples of His gracious provision. Ariel Ministries carries no debt but owns outright the office building in San Antonio and Camp Shoshanah with its 830 acres in the Adirondacks, including all buildings, vehicles, and machinery.
2. Determine the Scope of Impact
Utilizing all that God has entrusted to us, we plan to use it all to encourage the work of the 144,000 Jewish evangelists during the tribulation period. We will leave the entirety of Camp Shoshanah to an established Jewish charitable organization as an outright gift with no strings attached. We pray that this gift of the camp will be a strong statement of our love and support for the Jewish community in a time of increasing global antisemitism. As they take possession and begin to see our signage, art, and books in the Fruchtenbaum Library, we pray that they will be curious about the Messianic Jews and believing Gentiles who established the camp and supported it over the last 50 years.
We also plan to use our other assets to fund the distribution of all of our books, gospel literature, and electronic teaching resources to as many Jewish families as possible around the world.
3. Alter Ministry Documents to Declare the Intent
This step translates theology into legal stewardship. Documents have been prepared to declare our intentions for a legal firm to carry out our Rapture Plan after we meet the Lord in the air.
4. File with the State
To ensure the continuity of ministry, all documents are filed with the great State of Texas where Ariel Ministries is registered as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit ministry. For purposes of arbitration or legal standards, the laws of the State of Texas will govern our disbursements and procedures.
5. Determine Your Transfer Agent
We have carefully selected and contracted with a firm of attorneys in San Antonio where some of the partners are Jewish and some are Gentile believers with a love for the Jewish people. They have agreed together to carry out our Rapture Plan as written. Redundancies are also in place to keep all parties accountable.
6. Think Final Outcomes: Processes and Steps
Our governing documents state that the Ariel Ministries Rapture Plan is to be activated if no member of the Board of Directors can be reached for a period of 30 days. However, our review of Texas law indicates that, when the directors of a nonprofit organization cannot be reached, the process of disbursing its assets typically extends to approximately seven years. Should the rapture occur only days prior to the tribulation, such a delay could significantly hinder our gospel outreach throughout the entire tribulation period. For this reason, we seek to ensure that our mate rials can be distributed without delay, enabling immediate and maximum impact following the rapture.
7. Prayerfully Submit It to God
All we have belongs to Him. It’s been said that the only thing we can take with us to heaven is other people. We pray that God will use our humble efforts and resources to bring many Jews and Gentiles to saving faith now before the rapture. We also pray that He will use this Rapture Plan to promote His saving work during the tribulation period.
Do You Have a Rapture Plan?
You don’t have to be a large ministry with hundreds of acres in assets in order to have a rapture plan. Bernice and I were so encouraged by the hospitality of some precious Arielniks in New Zealand who hosted us for a meal and told us about the white board in their dining room. It was a timeline with the words “You are here!” marking the beginning of the tribulation period. They have gospel literature nearby explaining God’s gift of salvation through Messiah and offering hope to all who call upon Him. They have given their neighbors a key to their home and told them about their faith. They shared that if ever they cannot be found, their neighbors should let themselves into the house and learn about where they have gone. What a creative evangelistic plan!
Pray—Ask God for discernment about how your resources can sustain His work after you meet the Lord in the air.
Plan—Structure your estate, giving, and teaching with an eternal horizon.
Partner—Support ministries that proclaim the imminent return of Messiah.
Prepare—Teach your loved ones to live—and give—in light of His soon coming
[1] Arnold G. Fruchtenbaum, The Footsteps of the Messiah: A Study of the Sequence of Prophetic Events (San Antonio, TX: Ariel Ministries, 2022), pp. 175-176.
[2] Ibid., p. 177.
This article originally appeared in Ariel Magazine, Summer 20026, Vol. 1, No. 59. Readers who wish to view the article in its original magazine format may access the complete issue here.
Copyright © 2026 Ariel Ministries. Originally published in Ariel Magazine, Summer 2026, Vol. 1, No. 59. This article is republished on the Ariel Ministries website with permission. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means without prior written permission from Ariel Ministries. Permission requests may be directed to corporateoffice@ariel.org.
