Mar 12, 2018

South Africa is Begging for God’s Wrath

The South African Parliament passed a measure last week that would confiscate all land owned by white farmers. The vote is the first step in amending part of South Africa’s constitution that would allow the government to take the land from the white farmers and not provide them with any financial compensation.

The proposal, which passed 241 to 83, has the full support the Marxist African National Congress (ANC). When the apartheid system ended in 1991, it was replaced by the much loved Nelson Mandela. Widely regarded as an icon of democracy and social justice, Mandela received more than 250 honors—including the Nobel Peace Prize. The cult of personality that surrounds him could not find the fact that he was a communist.

South Africa was once the richest nation on the African continent. Its vast mineral wealth once had it producing most of the world’s supply of gold, platinum, and diamonds. Today, South Africa has fallen to third place as an economic power. Its production of gold has fallen to fifth place. The basic income of the South African people has been in a slow decline over the past two decades.

The failure of socialism in the USSR, Cuba, and Venezuela should have spelled extinction for this system of government. It continues to thrive because of greed and envy. People cannot resist a government that promises them free things, and the idea of stealing from the rich to give to the poor is equally appealing.

When the number of takers in a society grows faster than the number of producers, the wealth of the nation begins to decline. This is what is happening in South Africa. The ANC blames the downturn on its white citizenry. Even though the blacks have a monopoly on power and comprise 90% of the population, somehow scapegoating the whites will make things better.

The leader of this effort to drive out the white farmer is Julius Malema. This radical Marxist is following the game plan of the Nazis. In 2016, Malema said he was “not calling for the slaughter of white people – at least for now.” At a recent rally, Malema called on his followers to “go after the white man” and “cut the throat of whiteness.”

The persecution of white farmers is already a reality. Last year, more than 70 people were killed in more than 340 such attacks,” reported the Australian News.com. Over the past 20 years, the number of white farmers has declined from 60,000 to 30,000.

South Africa is traveling the same path as Zimbabwe, which “plunged into famine after a government-sanctioned purge of white farmers in the 2000s.” The now deposed President Robert Mugabe thought that food just popped out of the ground. The Zimbabwe government has asked for the farmers to return; but now that many of them have set up farms in neighboring Zambia, it’s unlikely that they would return.

It is an absolute disgrace that the world has been mostly silent on this land grab by the South African Parliament. Because we live in a world where civil rights don’t apply to Caucasians, the major news media have seen no need to cover this story.

I think South Africa’s troubles are going to blossom in the coming days for a far greater sin. Cape Town has a deep devotion to anti-Israel ideology. In December, the ANC decided to downgrade the status of the country’s embassy in Tel Aviv. Last month it voted to cut ties with Israel ‘over abuse of Palestinians.’

South Africa has even refused any help from Israel over its growing water crisis. Cape Town is in the grip of the worst drought the city has experienced in 100 years. Day Zero is the date when the taps run dry. By summer, four million people in the city of Cape Town may have to stand in line to collect their ration of drinking water.

It’s interesting that South Africa was at its glorious peak when it had a close relationship with Israel. Now that South Africa is ruled by a gang of Israel-hating racist thugs, this nation is a shadow of its former self.

“As I have observed, those who plow evil and those who sow trouble reap it” (Job 4:8 NIV).

–Todd


Spirit of Antichrist Surging

Recently channeling through my  TV channels, I heard more than one preacher say that we are to get ready for the “anointing” in these last days. The anointing to which they referred, I found out by listening further, meant, according to the speakers, that a special ability will be placed upon the Church (all within the Body of Christ). The anointing will bring about a great revival and a massive move of the Holy Spirit that will bring a tremendous number of souls to salvation.

The preachers I heard didn’t say where in the Bible this promised anointing is found. At least I missed it if they did give scriptural references.

And that’s the problem I have with this last-days great revival I’ve heard about for years. I can’t find a scriptural proof-text that makes such a promise.

There are references that there will be many saved during the Tribulation. For example, Revelation 7:9-17 foretells a time when a tremendous multitude of saints will bow before the throne of God along with the angelic billions. John the Revelator is told that these are the martyrs who came out of Great Tribulation. God will wipe away all their tears and will comfort them forever in his majestic presence.

There are other references to a multitude of souls being added to God’s Kingdom. All such references, however, are to the time following the Church Age. I can find no specific prophecy that there will be either a great end-of-this-age revival, or of a massive number of souls being added because of such a revival.

Now, there might come a revival and an addition to the Kingdom of the magnitude these preachers proclaim. But if so, it isn’t announced any place in the Bible that I can find.

On the other hand, there are prophecies of the times leading up to the Tribulation that tell quite a different story than the prediction of a last-days revival. Jesus, Himself, said that the love of many will grow cold. People will be like they were in the days of Noah and of Lot–i.e., they will be doing evil and thinking only evil thoughts, while business goes on as usual.

The Apostle Paul tells us that “evil men and seducers will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived,” and that even within the Church, people will be falling for false teachers and doctrines of devils. Not only will these be following “strange winds of doctrine,” but they will “heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears.”

In other words, they won’t endure sound doctrine, but will follow fables. Much of this very thing is going on in the world of Christendom even as I write this.

Paul lists a litany of the characteristics of end-times man as recorded in 2 Timothy 3. Men will have a “form of godliness” but will “deny the power thereof.” Nowhere does Jesus, Paul, or any other of the prophets tell of a time when men would be turning to the Gospel message en masse for the salvation of their souls.

John implies that in the last days, the “spirit of Antichrist” will dominate the human condition. Here is what he writes under Holy Spirit direction:

1 John 2:18–Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time.

1 John 2:22–Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son.

1 John 4:3–And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that [spirit] of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.

2 John 1:7–For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist.

Many of the largest church assemblies today fit the portrayal of the Laodicean church. These most dramatically manifest their Antichrist spirit through their 1) turning more and more toward universalism, and 2) embracing replacement theology.

Universalism is the burgeoning belief system that teaches that there are many ways to God the Father and Heaven. It is a direct turning away from Jesus Christ as the only Way, Truth, and Life (John 14:6).

Replacement theology is the satanic lie accepted by more and more so-called mainstream Christian ministries that hold that the Church has replaced Israel as recipient of God’s promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. This, of course, is a massive part of the very satanic ploy that will ultimately bring all peoples of planet earth to Armageddon.

We don’t have to hear of ABC’s The View host Joy Behar mocking Vice President Mike Pence’s hearing Christ speaking to him to know the spirit of Antichrist is surging. Mocking anything and everything to do with the Name of Jesus Christ is rampant, even within much of a large percentage of those who claim Christianity as their spiritual platform. One great example of this is Catholic Pope Francis, who has a number of times proclaimed that there is more than one way to heaven.

This is a blatant display of the Antichrist spirit surging in these closing moments of the Age of Grace.

–Terry

Mar 5, 2018

Donation Drive March to May 

“Well done…”

Billy Graham went to be with the Lord Wednesday, February 21, 2018. Since then, he has been quoted a number of times commenting about his own passing from this life. He made the declaration in one of his crusade sermons many years ago:

“One of these days you’re going to hear that Billy Graham has died. Don’t you believe a word of it…I will be more alive at that time than I am right now… I will be with the Lord in my home in Heaven. I will have just simply changed addresses.”

I heard Dallas First Baptist Church pastor, Dr. Robert Jeffress, say of Billy Graham upon hearing of the evangelist’s death, “He is hearing the Lord say to him ‘Well done, good, faithful servant.'”

These quotes are reflective of absolute Bible truth. The very Word of God tells us that to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. We are advised that every believer should want to hear his Lord say to him or her, “Well done, good, faithful servant…Enter into the glory of your new dwelling place.”

One day each of us will come face to face with the Lord Jesus Christ, if we have accepted His death, burial, and resurrection as the only way to redemption and to God the Father. Sadly, tragically, those who have rejected God’s salvation plan will come face to face with Him as judge of their unredeemed souls.

So only the saved of the ages can look forward to having the Lord Jesus say to them, “Well done…”.

Billy Graham, as Dr. Jeffress pointed out the other day, surely has now heard those wonderful words from the One whose Holy Name the evangelist spoke in hundreds of crusades across America and the world. His homecoming must  continue to be glorious indeed.

As we think on Billy Graham’s departure for his new address in Heaven, it is apropos, I should think, to consider our own time of coming face to face with our Savior and Lord. What should we be doing to strive toward one day, perhaps soon, hearing Jesus say, “Well done, good, faithful, servant”?

Each of us who name the name of Christ must work in His great cause in the way He directs. That is, we must do our best to do His will in serving the purpose He has chosen for our time on earth. This service is individual, of course. But, it can also be done in a collective way.

And, this is the reason for this particular approach to our Rapture Ready donation drive for this quarter. This ministry–designed to lift the name of Jesus so that many will be drawn to Him, and to proclaim His soon return–provides a opportunity for all of us, together, to serve our lord in a powerful way. Those who contribute financially to our effort to alert many around the world to God’s salvation message and to the prophetic truth of Christ’s soon return are performing service that will one day bring forth the words we all want to hear from our Lord: “Well done, good, faithful servant!”

The challenges are great, and are growing more so while we move deeply into the very end of the age. Our financial needs have expanded with increased efforts to give the website a more powerful and effective outreach. As example, it was necessary to spend  three months on updating the board. Since the software was old, it took endless hours for two design teams to update the software from version 4 to version 5. Todd says that if he had known it was going to be such a costly and time-consuming affair, he would have started over with a whole new website model.

As Dr. J Vernon McGee would say, I’m a back number, and understand none of the technological aspects with which Todd has to deal. However, I have listened to him as he has worked to make Rapture Ready everything the Lord wants it to be. He continues to work diligently. The effort and financial expense, likewise,  continue to be considerable.

So, thanks for joining us in this most worthy endeavor while the coming of our Lord nears.

Time is short to work toward pleasing our Lord and Savior, who gave His all for us. What an experience it will be one day to–like no doubt Billy Graham has just done–look into Jesus’ loving, omniscient eyes and hear Him say, “Well done, good, faithful servant. Welcome into the magnificent abode of your eternal joy.”

As we get closer to the Tribulation hour, it is important for every Christian to have an end-time mindset. Prayer is essential at this crucial time. We appreciate those prayers more than we can express. If you truly believe the Rapture is drawing near, you should be more focused on endeavors that will contribute to the Kingdom of God.

Please consider becoming a monthly subscriber. This has been our best form of support. And, it is needed as never before.

An easy way to support RR is with an automatic monthly donation. The PayPal subscription service and allotments set up through a bank are convenient ways to send funds to the site. We hope you will sign up as soon as possible. You can find the link on the Donation page. Donations can also be sent to our PO Box at:

Rapture Ready
P.O. Box 969
Benton, AR 72018

As Billy Graham used to say: “May the lord Bless you real good!”

–Terry


The Coming Third Lebanon War

The nation of Israel has had two major wars with its northern neighbor Lebanon. In 1982 the first Lebanon war was launched to neutralize Palestine Liberation Organization forces. After PLO leader Yasser Arafat found himself surrounded on all sides, he graciously agreed to a ceasefire that had him and his forces retreating from Beirut to Tunisia.

The second Lebanon War occurred in 2006, and was the result of Israelis responding to shelling from Hezbollah forces. The Israel air force inflicted heavy damage on buildings in Lebanon’s capital. Due to unparalleled Iranian military support to Hezbollah before and during the war, some consider it the first round of the Iran–Israel proxy conflict.

It now appears that all along the Israeli-Lebanon border, round two is about to break out. That is what Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina told reporters last week. He had just returned from a bipartisan trip that included Democratic Sen. Chris Coons.

Graham said that Israeli officials made it clear to visiting lawmakers that the IDF will need to launch a military action in Southern Lebanon if Hezbollah continues work on a guided-rocket factory being built in the region – a factory that’s purportedly being funded by Iran, according to Bloomberg.

“They’ve told us in no uncertain terms that if this threat continues – they keep making rockets that can hit the airport and do a lot of damage to the state of Israel – they are going to have to go in,” Graham said.

The reason why Iran is directly funding the factory is a result of America’s lack of a strategy in dealing with Iranian influence in Lebanon and Syria. Because of the intense focus on destroying what is left of ISIS, US military commanders have ignored the growing threat from Iranian agents. In the Middle East, we are always a step behind in fighting the greater adversary.

Graham said that the top request from Israel, in a meeting with that country’s leaders, was “ammunition, ammunition, ammunition” and for future diplomatic support when Israel is forced to strike civilian areas where Hezbollah has heavily imbedded itself.

History shows that Israel will always respond to the need for self-preservation. Iran has repeatedly promised to destroy the Jewish state. The situation is so urgent that a partnership between former foes, Saudi Arabia and Israel, has been formed to push back against Iranian influence in the region, including the implicit threat of military violence.

There has been a typical response from the Lebanese government. Lebanon President Michel Aoun condemned the Israeli regime’s repeated violations of Lebanon’s sovereignty, saying Beirut is prepared to counter any potential Israeli threat or violation.

“Lebanon is keen on maintaining stability and calm in South Lebanon, but it is also ready to defend itself shall Israel carry out an assault,” Aoun said in a meeting with UN Under-Secretary General Jean-Pierre Lacroix.

The number of missiles Hezbollah has amassed has nothing to do with basic defense. This terrorist group has an estimated rocket count of around 200,000 which is considerably more than most countries. Hezbollah is clearly planning for World War III.

The standoff between Israel and Hezbollah shows the staying hand of God. In any other setting, it would be inconceivable for a Muslim force to have so many missiles aimed at Israel and resist the urge to fire them at their foe. Hamas in Gaza only has access to the most crude projectiles and they have fired dozens of times in Israel’s direction. Hezbollah has missiles that can hit almost any city in Israel.

There is such a profound hatred of the Jewish race in the world today that any conflict involving Israel is bound to inflame this demonic rage. Bible prophecy seems to indicate that some event will act as a catalyst to turn all nations against Israel. I believe we are living in the only time that could produce such a universally evil mindset.

“For, behold, in those days, and in that time, when I shall bring again the captivity of Judah and Jerusalem, I will also gather all nations, and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat, and will plead with them there for my people and for my heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations, and parted my land” (Joel 3: 1-2).

— Todd