Donation Drive April to June

For nearly 29 years, Rapture Ready has been a leading site for end-time information. When I started the site computers didn’t have hard drives; monitors had a display color of either green or orange, and a mouse was only something that ate cheese. Back then, Google, Yahoo or Bing did not exist where I could list the site; I posted my updates on a source known as newsgroups, which doesn’t exist anymore.

In the beginning, I never had any idea that the entire world would eventually access my information on Bible prophecy. Only a tiny percentage of the population had a connection to the Internet, and the transmission of data was very modest. My first domain account had a monthly limit of 20 megabytes. Today, a typical dedicated server is at least 20,000 times more powerful.

The ironic thing about this giant leap in Internet technology is the lack of interest shown by some people in using this wonderful tool. Here we are at the pinnacle of communication and many Christians are oblivious to how their primary task—the advancement of the gospel message—can be achieved through this very powerful medium.

During the past few years, there has been a huge upsurge in end-time warning signs. I think we are nearing the point where it is pointless to try to explain why things are happening. I recently posted a news story about the German government covering up the New Year’s Eve Muslim rape attacks. From beginning to end, the story was pure madness, part of the last days insanity we see all around us.

It is important to be aware of what is going on. But instead of being overly fixated on the tidal wave of end-time events, we, as prophecy watchers need to realize that our window of opportunity could run out at any moment. Someday, the last news update will be posted and a final article will be uploaded to the site. After the big event of the Rapture, the site will be frozen in time.

Until the “Blessed Hope” takes place, it is my goal to keep building up Rapture Ready as a vast information resource. Rapture Ready already has an edge on several search-related topics, which means we have the potential to reach millions of shell-shocked people in the post-Rapture world. I feel an ongoing responsibility to continue this steady outflow and reach others by maximizing our efforts.

My experience in asking for help with various projects has taught me a great deal about the average person’s priority system. People may say they love the Lord, His Holy Word, and all of humanity. But that doesn’t mean they’re going to do something productive for the kingdom of God.

What makes our Web domain so popular is the hard work of all those who have invested in our efforts. The success of this site is the result of people binding together to contribute labor and financial resources to our common cause.

Over the years, I’ve been amazed by how Christians can beg for an opportunity to help with the site, yet a day later lose all interest in fulfilling their pledges. Without contributions from our beloved readers we cannot keep up with the demands the site is faced with as technology continues to evolve.

Until the Lord calls us home, we all need to be part of a strong evangelistic effort. Many Christians have divorced themselves from the idea that they are accountable for their actions. Because I know God expects a good report from me, I try to stay busy at all times—doing my part to help fulfill the Great Commission.

As we get closer to the Tribulation hour, it is important for every Christian to have an end-time mindset. If you truly believe the Rapture is drawing near, it is essential to be focused on endeavors that will contribute to the kingdom of God.

We have three ways you can contribute to Rapture Ready and enable our efforts to expand our reach. You can send a financial gift via our postal address, you can make a one-time donation; or there is a “frequency” option that allows you to make monthly donations. More information can be found on our Donation Depot page.

Rapture Ready’s P.O. box address:

Rapture Ready
P.O. Box 969
Benton, AR 72015

–Todd

---

 

Supernatural Storm Shelters

Springtime in the Arkansas-Louisiana-Oklahoma-Texas region evokes somewhat precautionary thought of nature’s most singularly powerful storms. By that, I mean storms that can do the most complete devastation within the areas across which they sweep.

These, of course, are the huge tornadoes almost certain to occur in one or more of the aforementioned states from April through June. Oklahoma, particularly, is prone to produce the most powerful of the twisters. We remember a couple of 300-miles-per-hour tornadoes within the last several decades in that state. One of them was considered by the weather experts to have contained the strongest wind ever recorded on planet earth. I believe that 318 mph was the figure.

My friends just outside Oklahoma City lost everything except their lives in one such monster storm a few years ago. Some of the readers of this column very generously contributed to a fund to help those folks–the family of a great personal friend of mine who is part of a team that heads a major prophetic ministry in Oklahoma City. When I was last in that city, someone with me pointed out a company that manufactures and sells tornado shelters that was very near the TV studio where we taped some programs. It was a stark reminder of the fact that we were right in “tornado central.” Without a “fraidy hole” (as we in the south call them) to go down into, one is on his or her own. People are subject to the vicissitudes of the winds that come sweeping down the plains in springtime, as the musical, Oklahoma would have it.

As we point out constantly and consistently in these commentaries, there is a storm brewing. It is a supernatural storm, and it is a certainty. It will strike. It can be clearly seen gathering on the prophetic horizon. Whether considering matters involving geopolitics, socioeconomics, religion, or any other aspect of the human condition, the forecast looks bleak indeed. No shelter of the human-manufactured sort can protect against the boiling, chaotic tempest that the Lord Himself predicts for times just ahead.

Daniel the prophet forecast the storm that approaches:

And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate. (Daniel 9:27)

Jesus zoomed in more specifically to forewarn about the power and destructiveness of the coming supernatural storm:

For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. (Matthew 24:21)

The entire book of Revelation, of course, is a detailed, blow-by-blow description of that coming Tribulation tempest. John outlines twenty-one specific destructive aspects of the storm in a series of seven scrolls, seven trumpets, and seven bowls of judgment.

Again, there is no human manufacturer that could produce a safe place against what is certainly scheduled to be the worst time of destruction the planet has ever known (and that’s saying a lot, considering all life was destroyed by water in the Flood of Noah’s day). But, thankfully, there is a superhuman shelter that is readily available to each and every person alive today.

In thinking on that shelter, my own ruminations caused me to wonder more deeply about God’s promises. Jesus prophesied that the time He next intervenes into the affairs of mankind–revealed by His catastrophic interaction–the world will be exactly like it was in the days of Noah and in the days of Lot. (We read of that prediction in Matthew 24: 36-42, for example.)

Like in those two instances, God’s children–those who are righteous in His holy eyes–who are alive at the time of the Rapture will be taken out of harm’s way. The terrible storm of His judgment will then fall. All believers will go into that supernatural storm shelter prepared for them in Heaven, while there is great chaos and carnage on the planet that is ripe for God’s wrath.

Many new believers who were left behind when the Rapture happened will come out of that Tribulation storm, some as martyrs and others as flesh-and-blood survivors to repopulate the millennial earth during the reign of Christ upon His Second Advent.

And, there is a second supernatural storm shelter that will be provided during the Tribulation tempest itself. I believe the following prophecy and promise applies to both the saints who will be raptured and to another group of believers –the believing remnant of Jews who will find shelter through God’s divine direction. This protection will likely include Tribulation-era Gentile believers to some extent, too.

Come, my people, enter thou into thy chambers, and shut thy doors about thee: hide thyself as it were for a little moment, until the indignation be over past. For, behold, the LORD cometh out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity: the earth also shall disclose her blood, and shall no more cover her slain. (Isaiah 26:20-21)

Jesus, Himself, points the way to the supernatural storm shelter. It is the ONLY way to assure that we can be safe while the coming Tribulation tornado ravages a judgment-deserving world.

Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. (John 14:6)

–Terry

America’s Faltering Military Readiness

There is no other nation on earth that comes close to matching what America spends on its military budget. At $600 billion, U.S. military expenditures are roughly the size of the next nine largest military budgets around the world—combined.

It should come as a complete surprise that one of the loudest cries in Washington D.C today is that we are not spending enough on defense. Last week, lawmakers were warned by the Pentagon’s top brass that a military budget was being neglected.

It has been reported that the Marine Corps lacks sufficient aircraft to fully train pilots. The Army said it can wage small wars, but doubts it can meet the demands of conflict against major enemies, like Russia or China.

“We track this very closely, and the simple fact is that we don’t have enough airplanes to meet the training requirements for the entire force,” said Gen. Robert Neller, Marine commandant.

General Mark Milley, Army chief of staff, said rotary pilots need a minimum of 14 flying hours a month to stay sharp but are getting only 10 hours. Meanwhile, the Army’s major accident rates are increasing. “It does have our concern,” he testified. “Our aircraft accidents have increased, and we’re very concerned about it.”

General Milley said the force, cut from more than 490,000 to a planned 450,000, is sufficient for counterterrorism missions in Afghanistan and Iraq. But the overriding strategy of being able to fight a major overseas war is in doubt.

There has been a reduction in military spending over the last few years. In 2013, the budget was reduced by 10.5%. A lot of this reduction was the result of the withdrawal of forces from Afghanistan. Our defense spending as a percentage of GDP has remained fairly stable at 16%, equal to what it was in the years right before 9/11.

The reason why we are seeing a decline in readiness is because we waste a huge amount of money on military programs. The cost of our weapon systems is skyrocketing and there doesn’t seem to be anyone who is willing to say, “Hey, we can’t afford this.”

The F-35 has to be the most obvious example of cost over-run gone wild. It is America’s most expensive war machine. Each fighter jet was first slated to cost $52 million. After 10 years of mounting expenditures, the per unit cost has now reached $300 million. The bill will likely continue to soar, as deliveries for the fighter jet are scheduled all the way out to 2037.

From windows to jet engines, everything on the F-35 is more expensive. Each helmet for the fighter jet costs $400,000; more than four times as much as the Air Force paid for head wear for other aircraft such as the F-16.

The F-35 easily has the most costly paint job. It takes three days just apply the primary layer of paint. This radar absorbing paint can only be applied at the Aircraft Final Finishes complex in Houston, Texas.

It takes 52 hours to swap out a jet engine in a F-35. A major battle could be long over before a repaired jet is returned to service.

The new jet is also costly to maintain. In 2014, the GAO found that the F-35 fleet would have operating costs 79% higher than the aircraft it replaced.

It’s not just aircraft that have out-of-control budgets. The Navy just sent out for sea trials a destroyer that it has been working on for 20 years. The angled hulled ship looks like something out of a James Bond movie, and has a price tag of $4.4 billion.

There is no way America could have fought World War II with the weapons systems of today. The P-47 Thunderbolt cost just $1 million in today’s money. Even if the F-35 could shoot down German planes at a 20 to 1 ratio, we would have still lost the war. With cheaper airplanes, you can make more of them. The Germans produced over 30,000 fighters. The F-35 will number 2,457 in 20 years from now.

After Pearl Harbor, we didn’t have two decades to develop our military. And you can’t conduct war when your fighters are 300 times more expensive than the ones produced by your enemy.

I have to wonder if the reason why America is not clearly mentioned in Bible prophecy is because we will implode under the financial weight of our vast military complex. At this rate, Uncle Sam will need to beg other nations for jet fuel money just to make it to the battle of Armageddon.

“For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle”… Then shall the LORD go forth…And this shall be the plague wherewith the LORD will smite all the people that have fought against Jerusalem; Their flesh shall consume away while they stand upon their feet, and their eyes shall consume away in their holes, and their tongue shall consume away in their mouth” (Zechariah 14:2a,3a, 12).

–Todd

---

End Times Petri Dish

Sin infection spawned from man’s disobedience has metastasized globally at this late point of the final dispensation leading to Christ’s return. It is not far-fetched to think of things that are happening in such biological terms, or to express them as such, while two major players in Bible prophecy bring the terminal situation into focus.

The European Union (EU), thought by many observers of prophecy in Scripture to be the nucleus out of which will come a revived form of the Roman Empire in accordance with Daniel 9:26-27, is front and center in relevant news. The most central national entity of eschatology for the wind-up of human history, Israel, is the other key player in today’s news of prophetic portent, in my estimation. Of all developments in the milieu of end-times things going on, it is as if some master pharmacologist has upon his lab table a petri dish within which broils a deadly mixture prophesied to explode in a breakout of human history’s deadliest era.

Effervescing within that dish are the virulent ingredients that threaten to take peace from the earth in the form of war unlike there has ever been on planet earth. That war will not be brought about by the players most often believed to be the instigators of man’s final war. Quite the opposite.

Armageddon will be brought about by the One the false religionists of the world of Christendom proclaim could never judge sin harshly. He is love, and no loving God could react with such hateful, punitive action, these purveyors of prevarication promise. Here, again, is what God’s Word says about the very end-times things that are taking place within that petri dish I use as analogous symbolism.

“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)

That, my friends, is Armageddon that the Lord is prophesying through Joel. The nations of the world are going to pay a terrible price for their rebellion against Him and for the treatment of His chosen people, the Jews–Israel.

The intention to divide God’s land–land He gave to Israel forever–is at the heart of the prophesied simmering brew. The world–including much of Christendom, is turning against Israel in the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanction (BDS) piling-on. This, of course, involves economically punishing Israel because they refuse to give up land in order to give the Palestinians a nation within current Israeli borders–land won by Israel in several wars that already belonged to them by divine promise in God’s holy eyes.

The EU, out of which the one who will be Antichrist will emerge, many prophetic observers believe, is presently speaking out of both sides of its official mouth. Its spokesman seems to obliquely defend Israel, while at the same time holding the Jewish state responsible for the hold up to a peaceful solution to the Israel-Palestinian so-called problem. We learn more about all this within the following excerpts of current headlines.

Without the Israeli-Palestinian conflict there would be no Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement, the European Union’s envoy to Israel said Monday, arguing that the best way to fight BDS is to take steps to advance a two-state solution…

“The most effective antidote against the BDS movement is to solve the Palestinian issue. If there were no Palestinian issue, there would be no BDS movement,” [EU] Ambassador Lars Faaborg-Andersen said at a conference in Jerusalem…

Earlier during the conference, which was organized by the Yedioth Ahronoth daily newspaper, Faaborg-Andersen expressed the EU’s desire to see Israel thrive and said the union completely rejects any efforts to boycott Israel. “Let me make one thing 100 percent clear: The European Union is against BDS. Our policy is totally opposite of BDS. Our policy is one of engagement with Israel.”…

But it is important for Israel not to be seen as undermining a two-state solution, he said. “If more effort is put into showing a will to move forward and to obtain progress in this process, it would greatly weaken the BDS movement.”

(Source: The Times of Israel , Boycotts will disappear when Israel advances peace, EU envoy says, by Rapheal Ahre, March 28, 2016)

The all-out effort to “divide” God’s land–that given Israel in perpetuity– is underway. America’s president has chosen to put the United States at the center of this dangerous petri dish mixture. Certainly the world must be near the time when the final prophecies will begin manifesting. That means the Rapture of all born-again believers is even nearer!

–Terry