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March 30What Should We Be Doing?
From the very beginning of the site, I determined that one of my main duties would be to motivate fellow Christians to be productive in their faith. Far too many prophecy sites have an exclusive fixation on dire news. I think it is foolhardy for people to be watching the end-time signs unfold, while at the same time divorcing themselves from any responsibility that comes with being a believer.We are seeing spectacular signs of how close we are to the tribulation hour. Bible prophecy is advancing on all fronts. I'm particularly amazed at how the world is casually talking about creating a new global currency. I have noticed many long-time prophecy commentators have been writing, "I've never seen anything like this before" type articles. The interest in prophecy is showing up in our traffic. March will easily be Rapture Ready's busiest month ever for bandwidth traffic.Yes, all this end-time news is amazing, but what are doing about it?We've all seen the headlines concerning the shaky state of the financial system. It makes me wonder where Christians have their priorities when they continue to put their faith in a system that is based on a mountain of IOUs . If believers could see the ultimate fate of their earthly treasures, they would probably be more inclined to invest in their heavenly accounts.I get a lot of emails from Christians who express their frustration at having to watch the world slowly fall into the enemy's hands. They want to go home and leave this wicked world. I think the best cure for the rapture blues is the realization that we are accountable for every second we spend here on earth. Someday, we will stand before the Lord and tell Him what we've done in His name.After the rapture, it's show and tell: "For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad" (2 Cor. 5:10).I don't understand how Christians can believe so strongly in Bible prophecy, and yet have such a cloudy grasp of their role in the kingdom of God. I recently came across a website that lectures visitors about the importance of being busy about the Lord's work. The site's owner needs to take his or her own advice. The main page has a daily news log that has not been updated for two years. I've seen enough of these abandoned prophecy sites to know that laziness or boredom are the prime reasons a web venture becomes defunct.What has kept me motivated to maintain this site for 22 year is the understanding that the only things that have lasting value are what I do in Jesus' name. A couple of years ago, I retired from the Air Force after two decades of service. Even though I enjoyed serving my country, very little of my work in the military will translate to the life to come.It is very important to regularly ask ourselves how dedicated we are to the cause of Christ. We can often tell when the rest of the Church is losing its focus, while at the same time, we overlook our own slothfulness. Here are few questions to test your motivation level:How active is your prayer life?
Do you regularly study God's Word?
Do you live a life of spiritual integrity?
When is the last time you shared your faith with someone else?
Do you support Christian causes?
One of the key things missing from the Church today is a sense of duty. The first century Christians weren't willing to die for their faith simply because they joined a club. They were willing to suffer martyrdom because they had a hope that went beyond the cares of this world.Our actions are what really define us as believers. The desire to spread the gospel message is something that should be on the hearts of all Christians. Charles Spurgeon once put it very bluntly, "Have you no wish for others to be saved? Then you are not saved yourself. Be sure of that."Opportunity abounds here at Rapture Ready. We are probably the only major prophecy site that welcomes input from the public. Most prophetic websites are run by people who have a bias for featuring their own content. We're so open to receiving anything that promotes the gospel message, we've even gone as far as editing some articles submitted by people with good ideas but a shortage of good grammar skills. Once we cleaned up and post their articles, they become productive witnessing tools to thousands of people each month.The hardest part about doing something for the kingdom of God is getting started. If you decided to write a personal testimony and you only write two words a day, what does it matter if it takes you two years to complete the task? Once it's finished, you will have accomplished something that 99.9 percent of your fellow believers will never do.Another factor that keeps my nose to the grindstone is the realization that the opportunity to be productive in the Lord's work is only for a limited time and will never be repeated. Once the rapture takes place, intercessory prayer, the sharing of our faith, and the ability to financially support godly causes will abruptly end."And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his work" (Rev 22:12).-- ToddWhere is Antichrist? Part I
The most frequently asked question at prophecy conferences and in Bible prophecy classesat least in my experienceis: "Is America in Bible prophecy?" The second most asked is: "Do you think the Antichrist is alive on earth today?"These questions are for the most part posed by people in the audiences or classes in general. However, more and more frequently I find these questions being asked by journalists, both print and broadcast. It is interesting to me that I rarely hear a skeptical or scoffing tone in the voices of the media representatives who interview me. There seems a sense, even among secular journalists, that perhaps there's something to this Bible prophecy stuff after all.Don't get me wrong: I'm not sensing a sudden turning to God, or to His Word. However, there is a halting uncertainty there. Like, "Well, maybe I had better be just a bit more serious about the subject, since there is such angst over these strange economic conditions."Economic ConditionsThere is a sense that strange, unexplainable things are happening, and even secular newshounds seem to viscerally understand that Bible prophecy has something to do with the increasingly troubling issues and events of our time. U.S. leadersI use that term looselyhave seemingly thrown caution to the wind. It's like, as I heard one Bible prophecy broadcaster say the other daythose who are supposed to be trying to fix the melting financial structure of America have placed the whole shebang on 17 black, and have given the roulette wheel a hope-filled turn. Actually, it is more like they have written trillions in IOUs and put them on 17 black, and have given the wheel a turn.If the little ball ends up on any number other than 17 black, what then? That is the crux of the crucial nature of this insanity surrounding the American economy as the end of the age approaches. Craziness rules--like when the Federal Reserve reached in its right pocket and transferred more than a trillion dollars IOU to its left pocket to keep the American financial system afloat."Just last Wednesday the Fed said it would flood the teetering financial system with an additional $1.2 trillion. The money will be used, the Fed said, to buy government bonds and mortgage-related securities in hopes of lowering the borrowing costs for home mortgages and other types of loans, thereby stimulating economic activity. In other words, the central bank will print more money to pay for the purchases. What the Fed does not explain publicly is how those kinds of infusions of money out of thin air, with nothing to back it, reduce the purchasing power and assets of all Americans by devaluing the dollar. The $1.2 trillion is in addition to hundreds of billions already added to the system since the beginning of the year and dwarfs even the biggest government bailouts to date
" ("Fed's secrecy policy 3 years old," WorldNetDaily MoneyNetDaily, March 22, 2009).Keep in mind that Federal Reserve is a non-government agency. Congress designated this monetary governing body to control the nation's money supply. The Fed's actions directly impact the value of the dollar. This body, manned by the non-elected financial elite, holds sway over every investment held by Americans.Actions like those taken by the Federal Reserve in the case of creating out of nothingness the trillion plus dollars, then putting that massive IOU into the system with a blind faith that that unbacked infusion will beat the odds of failure, will, if nothing else is done, put not only America's economy, but the economies of the nation-states of the world into the final stages of collapse.The following excerpt tells of just how surreptitious are the actions against the taxpayers and their offspring, who are expected to shoulder the burden of funding the globalist elite's grandiose plans to build their new world order."WASHINGTON As America's economy continues in freefall, tomorrow marks an auspicious three-year anniversary the day the Federal Reserve announced, with little fanfare, its decision to stop reporting to the public the M3 money supply, the broadest measure of three standards of measurement
Since 2006, Americans have seen their investments plummet in value and witnessed the shrinking buying power of their earnings. Why did the Fed make that decision three years ago? What was its rationale? The justification for the secrecy by the organization that prints money was cost. By not producing those numbers for the public, the Fed would save about $1.5 million annually
" (ibid.).The Craziness Proliferates!It should be astonishing to think that the media, so obsessed with nefarious financial dealings by civilian monetary elitee.g., the AIG executive bonuses, would let civilians with the power of the Fed go without being punished for perpetrating such surreptitiousness on American taxpayers. There seems to be, however, not the slightest notice.The $1.5 million savings by the Fed in not reporting to the public the M3 money supply amounted to 0.00000699 percent of its annual net income of last year. This savings was highlighted as sufficient reason to keep vital information from the public. Just to point out the deceptive nature of this piddling savings being reported in order to justify keeping taxpayers in the dark, remember that the same media went all out in diverting the publics' attention from the enormous bailouts by focusing onby contrast to the prodigious bail-out dollar amount the infinitesimal bonuses paid to AIG executives. Remember, too, that the bonuses were given to the AIG executives through contractually mandated arrangements.The sleight of hand by the Fed in transferring the massive IOU from one pocket to the other to keep the country's economic ship afloat was done under the knowing eyes of the Obama Administration and Congress. An uninformed American public was, and is for the most part, kept in ignorance by news media not fully disclosing the scope of the thievery of the economic well-being of this and future generations.What About Antichrist?This essay's title is "Where Is Antichrist?" So, where, if anywhere in this present hour, is this future evil Bible character in all of the foregoing? Can he be on the scene today?Jesus forewarned that false christs will come on the scene in the latter times. The definition of antichrist is most often given as the one who will present himself in place of (imitate) Jesus Christ, and will at the same time oppose Jesus Christ. The "beast" is prophesied to be the world's worst tyrant of human history. The prophet Daniel was given the following about this person who is called "son of perdition," "man of sin," and many other names."And in the latter time of their kingdom, when the transgressors are come to the full, a king of fierce countenance, and understanding dark sentences, shall stand up. And his power shall be mighty, but not by his own power: and he shall destroy wonderfully, and shall prosper, and practise, and shall destroy the mighty and the holy people. And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand; and he shall magnify himself in his heart, and by peace shall destroy many: he shall also stand up against the Prince of princes; but he shall be broken without hand " (Dan. 8:24-25).We will examine in next week's Nearing Midnight commentary this man who is of legendary proportions, yet who transcends by far any legend. He is not an imaginary monster such as Dracula in the Stoker novel, or Darth Vader as in Lucas' fictional wars among the stars. Antichrist is a real monster, and a most treacherous one, because he will through supernatural deceit appear as a geopolitical and socioeconomic savior of mankind. Be sure, the beast of Revelation 13 is about to step into the spotlight of history's final act.-- Terry***PROPHECY CONFERENCE WAKE UP AMERICA!*** America stands today on the brink of a prophetic leap into the unknown. The nation is not mentioned by name in Bible prophecy, but is she there, by inference, within the pages of history about to be written by God's own Majestic Hand? Southwest Radio Church, now a 120 station, nation-wide network which has been broadcasting since 1933, with a voice commissioned by god for the end times, will host a series of presentations to address where lies the ultimate destiny/fate of the United states of America. Terry James will be featured speaker, dealing with the most pressing current issues and events of prophetic relevance as presented by his book just released by Harvest House Publishers. "The American Apocalypse: Is the united States in Bible prophecy?" examines the nation's standing as the most advanced in human history, and at the same time dissects the many-faceted perplexities that threaten its fall. Why is the United States, which has almost single-handedly brought the world to the technological apex of human history,not mentioned in the Bible? Or is it? The American Apocalypse examines how and why America stands as the global pillar to which all nations are tethered through the fantastic electronic and satellite inter-linkages she has been primary in producing. James maintains that key to where this nation Stands, and to her destiny, is America's supernaturalrelationship with God's chosen people, Israel. ALSO: 5 other top prophecy experts will speak on where America and the world stand at present on God's Prophetic Timeline. Saturday, April 18, 2009 Embassy Suites Hotel 11301 FinancialCentre Parkway Little Rock, Arkansas Call 1-800-652-1144, or go to swrc.com for further details. The conference is FREE, and there is no registration required.