4 Jul 2022

Donation Drive July to Sept

As a student of Bible prophecy, my general expectation is that the world will go from bad to worse with each quarterly update. Since we are clearly in the last of the last days, I’m amazed at the sudden abundance of good news.

I never thought that Roe v. Wade would be struck down. The six justices had the wisdom to rule that the constitution doesn’t grant women the right to kill their unborn children. The Supreme Court also ruled positively on prayer in schools. In the political realm, millions of voters are turning to the Republican Party. AOC may soon be back bartending, and Nancy Pelosi may have to hop on her broomstick and fly back to San Francisco.

Things are still getting worse in many areas. Crime is out of control in most major cities, we are drowning in a sea of debt, and the left’s definition of sexuality has become so twisted that they can no longer tell what is a man and what is a woman.

I am very amused by the liberal media’s attempt to maintain the belief that all is well. Rattled by the recall of San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin and the strong showing in the Los Angeles mayoral primary by billionaire Rick Caruso, who ran on a public safety platform, Democrats are searching for a new way to talk about crime ahead of the 2022 congressional midterms, with many convinced that a sound message on criminal justice reform has been poorly delivered but is still more potent than Republicans’ tough-on-crime rhetoric.

“Let’s not muddy the waters here,” Center for American Progress president Patrick Gaspard said on a call with reporters earlier this month. “When it comes to what is happening versus the perception of what is happening based on MAGA fearmongering, it’s clear one party has solutions and the other is only making things worse.”

The left was trying to “‘Defund the police’ in 2020 and has left a deeply damaging perception that Democrats are on the side of the criminal. They got several cop shows canceled because of hatred of law enforcement. Now that the midterms are a few months away, their party is the king of crime-fighting.

The site has done quite well in the past quarter for traffic. We had 174,000 visitors according to one Google stat. Since I don’t 100% trust any figures from this giant, I just use it as a general indicator. Our real traffic is likely to be around 225,000. When we were forced to upgrade to Word Press, I lost a system that provided wonderful stats on Rapture Ready.

I recently had to fire one of our article posters who had been with the site for 37 years. It was me. Normally, our targets for posting general articles is Sunday, Tuesday, and Thursday. Because I take several drugs to combat my chronic insomnia, I’ve noticed that I’ve lost contact time. I was posting some articles on a Sunday and realized they had been sent to me on Tuesday. Weekly articles will now be posted by Admin10.

We’ve also had some trouble with the RR News department. There are four people who add news articles to that page. I start the ball rolling at midnight each day by making the first post. Three things can go wrong that will prevent you folks from seeing the news: I put in the wrong date, I fail to select the RR news category option, or I fail to push the publish bottom.

I normally stay up till around 3 AM. Terry goes to bed around 7 pm and gets up around 5 AM. Since I often unplug my phone, a foul-up in the News page can last for several hours. I recently purchased a system that will send me an alarm if something is wrong with the site. Terry has a button that he can press to send me the alarm. If any of you wake and click on RR News around 9:00 AM and the page is still showing the previous day’s date, email Terry and tell him to press “the panic button.”

Terry and I are committed to preaching the end-time message to the very end. Please regularly pray that we are able to carry the torch high until the Lord Jesus calls us home.

There are three ways you can contribute to RR: You can send a financial gift via our P.O. Box address, you can make a one-time donation, or there is a frequent option that allows you to make monthly donations. If you’re interested in signing up, find the input links on the Donation page. Donations can be sent to our P.O. Box at:

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

–Todd


Who Goes in the Rapture?

Listening to a man who was obviously a pastor this morning, I was thinking how clearly he was laying out the pre-Trib view of the Age of Grace and the Rapture.

I’ve never heard it presented more clearly than he was teaching it. I can’t see the screen and they didn’t announce his name. (And I probably wouldn’t mention it if I did know his name and program, because this commentary gives only partial kudos to the gentleman.)

As I was saying, the sermon was about as clearly delivered as I’ve heard. It was very simple, and right on the money, from my understanding of what God’s Word has to say about the Rapture.

The man said that, at an unknown time, Christ will call the Church into the air, where believers will forever be with our Lord. Antichrist will arise, and all will be turned into the worst times in human history back on earth, according to Jesus as recorded in the Olivet Discourse.

He then launched into thoughts based upon three questions. I don’t remember the other two because the third was the one he dwelt on—and his take on things from that point definitely piqued my discernment radar system. The question was something like: “Who goes in the Rapture?” –Meaning who will leave this planet when Jesus calls, “come up here?”

He started by saying some disagree with him—including his wife. She believes, he said, that all Christians will go to be with the Lord when the Rapture occurs. The man then said that he believes Christians who don’t believe in the pre-Trib Rapture are likely to stay while those who do believe in the pre-Trib Rapture will go when Christ calls.

To restate, he said those who believe in the pre-Trib view are the ones who go to Christ at that great event, and Christians who don’t believe will be left behind. He muddled it all by saying only believers will go, and indicated that he believes all others who are Christians will be left behind with the lost of the world to go through the Tribulation.

This, of course, is all part of what is called the “partial Rapture”  theory. He was not preaching the pre-Trib position, although he evidently thought he was.

I was taken aback that, after laying out such a clear position on the pre-Trib Rapture, he veered so dramatically by saying something the Bible doesn’t teach.

The Rapture is a powerful and absolute doctrine taught in God’s Holy Word. But belief in the Rapture is not, I repeat not, the prerequisite for what it takes to be part of the millions of Christians who will be lifted in a millisecond of time when Christ says: “Come up here!”

I can’t remember the preacher’s Scripture to back up that some Christians will be left behind because of not believing in the pre-Trib Rapture, because I wasn’t taking notes. But the Scripture, I do remember, was taken out of context and used in his mistaken view.

The way he explained his view, it’s what a Christian believes that matters. That is, the person must believe in the pre-Trib Rapture. He never mentioned, that I heard, that it’s whom they believe in that matters. It is in whom the person believes—period—that makes the person part of those who will instantaneously evacuate this doomed planet at the Lord’s call.

Didn’t Jesus tell us, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man comes to the father but by me”?  I hear nothing in that statement other than “Jesus is the only way.”

Belief in anything other is a false concept—even a deadly one. It is the blood of Jesus Christ that covers our sin—past, present, and future.

So, to believe in anyone or anything besides Jesus for salvation misses the mark and dooms one to Hell, apart from God forever.

Paul the apostle makes it very clear about in whom people must believe to be saved. We use this passage, as you know, quite frequently. I don’t want people to miss what is required to go to the Father, rather than to the other place.

That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. (Romans 10:9–10)

The same Paul tells about the Rapture of the Church. He lays out very clearly exactly who will go to Christ when He calls us.

Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. (1 Corinthians 15:51–52)

Paul further says the following:

For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words. (1 Thessalonians 4:16–18)

Paul did not write that “some” will go when Christ calls. He said “all” (believerswill go in that glorious moment to be with their Lord. And we are to “comfort” ourselves with that assurance.

If you truly believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, you are saved. Nothing and nobody can ever take you out of God’s mighty hand (read Romans 8:38-39 for proof from God’s Word).

The greatest question for you, personally, is: Will you be one who goes to Jesus when He calls all Christians into the air? Only you can answer. We prayerfully hope you can answer a resounding “yes!” Believe me, everything happening points to the reality that his call will happen at any moment!

And when you see all these things begin to come to pass, then look up and lift up your head; for your redemption draweth nigh. (Luke 21:28)

—Terry

27 Jun 2022

The Biden Administration is Beyond Embarrassment

I quickly realized when Joe Biden was coming into office, we were facing a train wreck situation. What I had no idea of is that we were about to reach a level of absurdity that one would question if one was watching the most bizarre Monty Python sketch.

Biden often makes statements that make absolutely no sense. Because they are meaningless, there is no harm in implying:

“It’s not civil to call someone who lied a liar?”

“You cannot go to a 7-Eleven or a Dunkin’ Donuts unless you have a slight Indian accent. And I’m not joking.”

“How many people did you see out in Mcdonald’s parking lots with their kids in their cars — because they get access to the internet — to be able to help the kid in school?”

“I, uh, I got what we call in my old neighborhood in Claymont, Delaware – I got ‘shellacked.’ I kept saying, I’m waiting to go to South Carolina.”

“They showed me an X-ray and said a .22-caliber bullet will lodge in a lung, and we can probably get it out and save a life. A 9mm bullet blows the lung out of the body.”

There are times when Biden makes statements that are profoundly impactful on official US diplomatic policy. For decades, our nation has been very steadfast when it comes to how we would respond to a Chinese invasion of Taiwan.

Biden created panic at the State Department when he said that the US would intervene militarily to defend Taiwan if it was invaded by China. Biden’s statement ultimately implies that we would be willing to declare nuclear war if China invades Taiwan. The only thing we can hope for is that China realizes that Biden is just a senile invalid and that no actual warfare is likely between the two nations.

It has been well known for months that Biden’s wife Jill has been heavily guiding Joe on common events. A few weeks ago, a news outlet found that Biden is using cheat sheets during meetings. The instructions on these cards are extremely basic. Some of the guidelines include “take YOUR seat,” “give brief comments 2 minutes,” and “you thank participants.” This is the type of detailed instruction you would give to someone who has suffered a traumatic brain injury.

A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about the absurdity of the new press secretary at the White House, Karine Jean-Pierre, and how she was clearly unqualified for the job. She has quickly gone on to prove she is one of the worst secretaries to ever hold that position. It makes me wonder who could have green-lighted her position. It greatly worries me to realize that the same mindset may have employed similar idiots to manage our nuclear arsenal.

What makes Biden all the more dangerous is that he has the full support of the liberal media. In their eyes, he can simply do no wrong. The press is trying to claim that Biden’s verbal missteps are actually a good thing. One NBC piece claimed that correcting such gaffes “undermines him and smothers his authenticity.” They wrote, “Presidents and other elected officials are frequently told that they are selling the wrong message.”

The author added, “The reality is that if there is one skill that presidents have — and one for which they must trust their own instincts — it’s messaging,” encouraging Biden to keep being himself. Jimmy Carter must be smiling that he is no longer the worst president in American history. It is a crime against our nation for the liberal media to be so willfully oblivious to this calamity.

This is not some Mr. Magoo cartoon where everything magically resolves to no harm done. Eventually, we are going to reach a massive disaster. When Biden was elected in 2020, I wanted to ask 80 million voters, do you realize what you have just done?

As our nation descends into wickedness, we are rewarded with leaders who are void of the necessary mental skills for the job. Biden may have been intelligent in his youth, but now he greatly lacks the ability to fulfill his role as leader of the free world. It is a massive shame and embarrassment to have him in office. The only fix is for the American people to openly repent of their mistake, but I doubt that is possible.

“Where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the disputer of this world? hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?” (1 Corinthians 1:20).

–Todd


“Come, Lord Jesus”

This phrase, imploring that Jesus intervene in a less-than-pleasant moment of the life of a believer, used to be spoken in a sort of light-hearted way—i.e., the person saying this used the words to express their frustration with the way something was going they would rather not face.

One heard, “Come, Lord Jesus,” once in a while, but for the most part, it was issued with a grimace, then a smile, indicating that things weren’t really so grim as to want the Lord to rescue them. At least that is my observation, thinking back over the years.

I guess some would accuse that this was, when used in such a light vein, a way of using the Lord’s name in vain–something the Bible indicates is forbidden. Perhaps I should view it that way, but just never did, believing that His coming at any moment would be a glorious thing, not something to wish for that should be criticized as sinful. At any rate, shouldn’t we want the Lord to come back? We’re told in Scriptures like Luke 21:28, Mark 13:37, and Titus 2:13 to be looking for, watching for, the Lord coming for us.

Worry and conjecture over whether such light usage of the phrase, ”Come, Lord Jesus” is wrong no longer applies, because now there is no doubt about its usage. The appeal for Jesus to intervene in our lives is genuine in every respect.

If I put into this commentary every case lately in which I’ve received an email that uses the phrase, “Come, Lord Jesus,” in different ways, the article would be lengthy indeed. These days, Christians, I’ve found, are genuine in asking the Lord to rescue us out of this spiritually darkening—dare I say, insane—world.

American Christians have been for years, for the most part, spoiled to things going along pretty well without challenge to their belief in Christ. There has been very little persecution compared to that suffered by believers of other nations—China, for example. Those believers might not recognize much difference in the level of troubles they’re suffering because of their faith. Things might be getting worse, but their plight hasn’t changed significantly in terms of contrast.

By that, I mean that we here in America have seen things go from relatively smooth, with little challenge and no persecution to speak of, to tremendous changes and growing persecution for our belief in Christ as the only way to salvation.

We’ve seen the country’s attitudes change from America being called a Christian nation to having a president say we are not a Christian nation. We’ve watched a pastor of a president asking God to damn America, using the term in a way that takes the Lord’s name in vain in an obvious, overt expression.

We’ve endured the corruption of everything we thought secure, the US Constitution and its framers—the founding fathers—made out to be, through rewritten history, among the most evil documents and most evil men in human history.

We’ve witnessed our nation fight to win freedom from slavery for African Americans, with one party being at the helm of government that won the war and freed the slaves. The other party, who mostly advocated holding slaves, who lost that Civil War, now calls the political party that freed slaves guilty of racism.

The lies from the father of lies run rampant, even mocking God’s prescription for living righteously. For example, the homosexual lobby, although a small percentage of the citizenry, dominates the mainstream media narrative in proclaiming it is as righteous a lifestyle as any.

That same culture and media now makes out God to be a liar by saying male and female don’t have to be what they came into the world to be. A boy can be a girl, or vice-versa. It is a choice, not a biological fact of birth, as directed by God.

And, the same media and culture proclaims it is not only okay, but preferable, to murder children while in the womb or even after birth in some cases, as a matter of a woman’s right to choose whether her baby lives or dies.

So, in America, the contrast is stark. We have seen the evil cesspool of wickedness infect our culture and society in most every way possible, unthinkable only a few decades ago. That is why we say, and legitimately so, “Come, Lord Jesus!”

And it all means that the Lord Jesus must surely be about to step out onto the clouds of glory and say, “Come up here!”

And when you see all these things begin to come to pass, then look up and lift up your head; for your redemption draweth nigh. (Luke 21 28)

He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus. (Revelation 22: 20)

—Terry