Good News for 2006!
Recently we at Rapture Ready were accused of presenting only news of the worst kind. Never, it was charged, do we accentuate the positive. So, it is perhaps
appropriate to look ahead into this new year with the hope of finding prospects that are brighter than most of the reports coming all too often from this
much troubled world.
To look into the future, we, as mere mortals, must look to the past in order to determine if there will be good news during the coming year. And, although
the news is predominantly always going to be not so good, the following tidbits of past offerings make us hopeful there is still good news to come. In
searching for items of interest, I hit the mother lode on a site called happynews.com. Here are some items this site proposes as “happy news,” which we
might consider in the hope of at least a scattering of bright spots ahead in 2006.
Please note that I’ve only got the headlines. I’m sure you will want to hurry to the site to get the full stories, which are provided there.
Norwegian Calls for Sri Lanka Peace Talks in New Delhi, India
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka - A Norwegian official who brokered Sri Lanka's 2002 cease-fire called on the Asian country's government and the Tamil Tiger rebels to
resume peace talks urgently to avoid sliding back into civil war…(World News, Wednesday, Dec. 28, 2005. Associated Press, DILIP GANGULY, Updated: 12/29/05).
Japanese Honor Kabuki Acting Great Hayashi
TOKYO - Dressed in kimono and hair-do, Japanese geisha women, entertainers trained in traditional dancing and singing, join in a parade marking kabuki actor
Ganjiro Nakamura's succession to Tojuro Sakata. A Kabuki actor named Kotaro Hayashi is honored as one of the greatest performers in the 400-year-old Japanese
drama… A beloved Kabuki actor who is considered a Japanese national treasure paraded through the streets of Tokyo on Wednesday, flanked by geishas in black
kimonos and men singing traditional songs to the cheers of hundreds of admirers. The parade honored Kotaro Hayashi as one of the greatest performers in
the 400-year-old Japanese drama…(Associated Press, CHISAKI WATANABE, Updated: 12/28/05).
Now… Let’s see… What else is “happy news”?…
Here’s another…
Soldiers Leave Tsunami-Ravaged Aceh, Indonesia
LHOKSEUMAWE, Indonesia - Indonesia started the final phase of a troop reduction in tsunami-ravaged Aceh province on Thursday, a key step in a peace agreement
with separatist rebels that was propelled forward by the disaster one year ago…(Thursday, Dec. 29, 2005, Associated Press, AYI JUFRIDAR Updated: 12/29/05).
More happy news from abroad…
Kenya's Hippo, Tortoise Mark Year Together
NAIROBI, Kenya - Mzee, a giant tortoise, is still with his adopted companion, a young hippopotamus named Owen, a year after the tsunami in the Indian Ocean…
(Wednesday, Dec. 28, 2005, Associated Press, RODRIQUE NGOWI, Updated: 12/28/05).
So much for world news… Let’s see…Ah! Yes! Here’s what we’re looking for…
Home News:
Poodle Survives Eight Days After Crash (I’ve put in the description of the photo, to present the happy reunion…You can go to the site and see it, if you
wish)
ELKO, Nev.- Irene DellaSilva, of Ogden, Utah, kisses her poodle, Lizzie, after their reunion Monday, Dec. 26, 2005, at Vega Construction in Elko, Nev. Lee
DellaSilva looks on at left. The poodle was spotted and rescued by a Union Pacific crew thanks to a "missing dog" poster that the owners had provided to
a UP outpost…(Associated Press, Updated: 12/29/05).
And,another…
Virginia Zoo workers Try To Rescue Prairie Dogs
NORFOLK, Va.- After numerous prairie dogs' burrows collapsed last week, workers in the Virginia Zoo rescued the animals and [the animals] are being kept
safe…(Associated Press).
Candy Bar Inspired By Idaho Spuds a Seller
BOISE, Idaho-Even the maker of the Idaho Spud candy bar thinks it's a little weird. But the chocolate-covered, potato-shaped Spud sells at a rate of 3 million
bars a year…” (Associated Press, ANNE WALLACE ALLEN).
Sorry, but that’s about all the “happy news” I can manage for now. Maybe we can do it again at the beginning of 2007. However, we are looking for even happier
news between now and then. That’s the purpose of the raptureready.com website, is it not?
Our purpose here is to point to the Lord Jesus Christ as the “blessed hope” of Titus 2: 13. Our thought is to leave behind for the left behind the message
–many messages, as a matter of fact—that the “blessed hope” for the Church Age saints is the only hope for the tribulation earth-dwellers.
We think it’s serious business that we are about. This doesn’t mean that we are adverse to “happy news,” or that we don’t like to have a little fun, even
when it comes to Bible prophecy. Just look at some of our articles and their titles. Todd is one of the few people in existence with the good humor and
–in my view—the genius--to see God’s great humor in even such a somber study as biblical prophecy.
We present something far superior to “happy news,” I believe. We present the “good news,” the gospel message of Jesus Christ. That good news is that He
came from the throne room of heaven to become both God and man, to die as a sacrifice for our sin, to be buried –taking our sins with Him into the grave—then
to resurrect and ascend where He is our advocate before the heavenly Father.
Jesus Christ could come at any moment in the Rapture, and we want you to be ready for that stupendous event.
Now, that really IS good news for 2006!
--Terry
Terry's New Book: The Rapture Dialogue
This generation is seeing many signs, and experiencing conditions Jesus and the prophets foretold would be like birth pangs for a very troubled Planet Earth
just before His return.
I’m convinced that one of the great signs that is not yet fully in view, but soon will be, is found in the Lord’s words in Luke 17: 26 –“And as it was in
the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man.”
My new novel deals with this prophetic signal, which suddenly materialized at the mid- 20th century point, in my view. We are beginning to see increased
fascination with the matter, and the major TV networks are jumping on the band-wagon.
The UFO phenomena can be intelligently probed by examination of Genesis, Chapter 6. This novel, and the sequels which I hope will follow, explore, through
unique storyline and theme, the strange sightings, encounters, abductions and other aspects of this enigma. The characters run the prophetic gauntlet,
from now to eternity, with particular focus on the earth-stunning event the Apostle Paul was referring to when he prophesied: “Behold, I show you a mystery…”
(1 Cor. 15: 51)
As the author, I’m receiving a pre-worldwide release edition of 1000 copies this December. The novel will be released to the major markets in the spring,
probably March.
I, of course, would like to get the book off to a rousing start. But, I would also like to offer it to my raptureready.com family/friends, first, with the
prayer that you will –if you agree it is a worthy book—spread its attributes to everyone you know. If you don’t like it, just e-mail me, and I will apologize,
personally…
To get one or more of the early release copies of “The Rapture Dialogues,” I ask that you send $14.50 for each copy you desire, free shipping for U.S. orders,
add $10 shipping for orders outside the U.S., plus your name, address, and e-mail address) to :
Terry James
P.O. Box 1108
Benton, AR 72018
For paypal payments:
Make payments with PayPal - it's fast, free and secure!
I promise to sign your copy, unless you stipulate otherwise.
Remember, the book will be sent to you next month, or by mid-January. but, I want to give those of you who are interested an early chance to get on the
list for receiving this pre-mass market release. Also, it will be yours at a reduced price.
Can’t thank you enough for your love and friendship.
WTJ___
For Wednesday January 4, 2006
Hal Lindsey’s Finest Hour
British Prime Minister Winston Churchill once said that Great Britain’s unyielding stand against Nazism and Hitler’s hellish blitzkrieg warfare was something
people throughout the ages would declare as “England’s finest hour.” That prediction has thus far proved to be true. Freedom-loving people everywhere look
back to those nightmare months, so nobly endured by the British people, as inspiration for their own attempts to stave off their enslavers' desires to
keep them in bondage.
While TBN (Trinity Broadcasting Network) has thrown in the towel to the political correctness of the times by giving in to doing whatever it takes to placate
the world’s adamant demands that we all step lightly around Islam, Hal Lindsey has strapped the helmet of salvation even tighter beneath the chin and is
standing in accordance with Ephesians, chapter 6:
"Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities,
against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour
of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and
having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith
ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God…”
(Eph. 6:11-17).
The author of The Late, Great Planet Earth has, in my view, struck a second significant blow against the “principalities and powers” of the “wickedness
in high places.” That 1970 book was monumental in God’s economy of endtime things, while we near His Son’s coming again. But, the stand Hal has taken before
the whole world, demonstrating Ephesians 6 in action, is truly his finest hour. The Lord is going to bless him mightily for that bold step. He will no
doubt suffer for that stand for the short term, but, the heavenly reward of such Christ-affirming action will make the present ire he might suffer pale
into nothingness.
Just in case you aren’t aware of what has transpired in this last-days matter, here it is in brief. TBN suspended Lindsey’s weekly commentary on that network,
some of the executives of TBN apparently charging that Lindsey’s stand against Islam was too harsh. They are, they claim, trying to reach out to the Muslim
world, and can’t do so properly with such reporting and teaching as Hal Lindsey puts forth. That message, of course, is that Jesus Christ –alone—can save
the soul. Also, that Israel and all of the land God granted the Jews are still, in God’s view, theirs--not that of the Arabs or of any other peoples.
Some have accused Lindsey of making all who believe in Islam equal in guilt (legally and morally speaking) to the murdering terrorists of radical Islam.
These also accuse him of racism against the Arabs. Here are Hal’s own words on the charges, and on the truth of the matter:
"I don't have to cast radical Islam in a bad light. If the intimidation and persecution of moderate Muslims makes radical Islam look bad, that is because
it IS bad. It is not that I cast them in a bad light. But I have never cast the Arabs as a race in a bad light. I believe that as a watchman I must warn
America and I must obey" ("Hal Lindsey walks out on TBN," Olive Tree Ministries newsletter, Jan. 3, 2006).
For those associated with TBN who continue to hold to the truth in God’s Holy Word, I think it appropriate to ask them to revisit the situation that caused
Hal Lindsey to walk away from perceived wickedness in high places. He was –I infer—invited back to TBN after the first of the year. But, apparently, the
network people in charge wanted to handcuff him so far as telling the truth about Islam, and its spoken and written satanic desire to scour Jews –and the
nation Israel in particular—from the face of the planet.
We must ask those Christians within the network who look at the situation through the prism of God’s light, and not through the microscope of corporate
profit margins and bottom lines, to consider a prophetic admonition to Tribulation Age saints who will find themselves in the condemned Babylonian system
of Revelation, chapter 18: “And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye
receive not of her plagues” (Rev. 18:4).
This is not TBN’s finest hour.
--Terry
Terry's New Book: The Rapture Dialogue
Here’s what Dr. Tim LaHaye, co-author of the 62 million selling “Left Behind Series,” says about Terry’s novel.
“my good friend and colleague author Terry James has penned a highly suspenseful and thought-provoking novel entitled The Rapture Dialogues. This fascinating
work, which begins with the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls, weaves together an incredible tale involving mysterious UFO sightings, secret government
cover-ups, international warfare, and frightening encounters with extra-dimensional beings. The Rapture Dialogues chronicles these seemingly unrelated
and fantastic events as they collectively set the stage for the biblically prophesied Rapture of the Church and the rise of Anti-Christ. Intriguing, unique,
and entertaining…”
***Notice regarding Terry’s new novel “The Rapture Dialogues!” The pre-release copies were supposed to be in my hands for mailing to you by mid-January
at latest. Unfortunately, as is not uncommon in the book publishing world—there has been asnag, thus a slight delay. ****
I’m now told the books will be in my hands by the first or second week of February. This, of course, is out of my control, but I apologize none-the-less
for the delay. Again, I do so much appreciate your wonderful consideration and friendship in ordering the book. I will immediately see to it that your
copy(ies) get to you just as quickly as possible.
This generation is seeing many signs, and experiencing conditions Jesus and the prophets foretold would be like birth pangs for a very troubled Planet Earth
just before His return.
I’m convinced that one of the great signs that is not yet fully in view, but soon will be, is found in the Lord’s words in Luke 17: 26 –“And as it was in
the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man.” My new novel deals with this prophetic signal, which suddenly materialized at the
mid- 20th century point, in my view. We are beginning to see increased fascination with the matter, and the major TV networks are jumping on the band-wagon.
The UFO phenomena can be intelligently probed by examination of Genesis, Chapter 6. This novel, and the sequels which I hope will follow, explore, through
unique storyline and theme, the strange sightings, encounters, abductions and other aspects of this enigma. The characters run the prophetic gauntlet,
from now to eternity, with particular focus on the earth-stunning event the Apostle Paul was referring to when he prophesied: “Behold, I show you a mystery…”
(1 Cor. 15: 51)
As the author, I’m receiving a pre-worldwide release edition of 1000 copies this December [changed, now, to February]. The novel will be released to the
major markets soon thereafter.
I, of course, would like to get the book off to a rousing start. But, I would also like to offer it to my raptureready.com family/friends, first, with the
prayer that you will –if you agree it is a worthy book—spread its attributes to everyone you know. If you don’t like it, just e-mail me, and I will apologize,
personally…
To get one or more of the early release copies of “The Rapture Dialogues,” I ask that you send $14.50 for each copy you desire, free shipping for U.S. orders,
add $10 shipping for orders outside the U.S., plus your name, address, and e-mail address) to :
Terry James
P.O. Box 1108
Benton, AR 72018
For paypal payments:
Make payments with PayPal - it's fast, free and secure!
I promise to sign your copy, unless you stipulate otherwise.
Remember, the book will be sent to you next month, or by mid-January. but, I want to give those of you who are interested an early chance to get on the
list for receiving this pre-mass market release. Also, it will be yours at a reduced price.
Can’t thank you enough for your love and friendship.
WTJ___
For Monday January 9, 2006
Madonna, Morality, and Motherhood
This is a strange age, indeed, as we are inculcated by the mainstream media in matters of morality. In the case of pop icon Madonna’s being held up as role
model for proper parenting, the indoctrination is underway to try and make the ridiculous the sublime. We are expected to now look at the material girl
as just an everyday mom, trying to raise her children above the down-and-dirty fray of the seamy side of life.
Such reprogramming is not an easy thing to do. She, perhaps more than any other entertainer of our time, contributed mightily to the cesspool out of which
she says she is determined to keep her kids. Even so, I prayerfully hope she can do it. No child –including hers--should be subjected to, or even exposed
to, the things Madonna and her colleagues have foisted upon us during recent times, aided and abetted by the same media that now wants to whitewash her
nefarious doings.
The cultural dichotomy is perplexing to the point of being mind-numbing. It is, however, the precursor, I’m convinced, to societal diametrical opposites
that will be absolutely mind-bending.
I refer to the era of tribulation (Daniel’s seventieth week), during which there will be the embracing of a religious system of pseudo-morality designed
to bring peace, love and prosperity--and at the same time unprecedented degradation, hedonism and worldwide genocide.
To be perhaps a bit trite, Antichrist will –in effect—produce a global state that will promise earth-dwellers that they can have their cake and eat it too.
Madonna seems, in my view, to represent in microcosm that coming system of false promises and soul-destroying consequences. Her own words of Babylonian-like
confusion reflect through out the same media that has lifted her to atop the pedestal of…well…almost virginal motherhood…the supreme paradox, except in
one God-given instance in all of human history.
"At the end of the day when I'm standing at the golden gates, I'm sure God doesn't give a s--- how many records I've sold or how many number one hits I've
had," Madonna said in an interview with Britain's Observer. "All He gives a s--- about is how I behaved, how I treated people. So understanding that, and
still doing my best making records, is the conclusion I've come to. I think about that more now than I used to."
Madonna often waxes eloquent these days on her new-found religion, Kabbalah, a mystical form of Judaism. She proclaims that Jesus was a Kabbalist, but provides
no evidence of her epiphany. She sees no problem claiming a close relationship with God, and at the same time, giving open-mouthed kisses to fellow pop
stars, like she did to Britney Spears during an MTV event that presented a mock-lesbian wedding.
Dressed as the masculine member of the pair, in a tuxedo, she danced her way down to Britney, the feminine representative of the couple. They kissed each
other passionately. They next danced happily and sang, completing the ridicule of the God-given marriage union between a man and a woman.
The latest was broken by ABC news. Now, Madonna declares herself to be as traditional as any mother in America has ever been. She says, in fact, that she
insists that her children pick up their toys and respect her as a mother, and others as their equals. She says further that she intends to keep her kids
from knowledge of her “professional” activities.
To be somewhat trite again, this is indeed burning the candle of life at both ends! The same pop star who demonstrated through her performance “art” to
star-struck teenage girls the finer points of oral sex and group sex now comes at us from the opposite end, with determination to keep her own daughter
from ever knowing about any of the debaucheries she made many millions promoting.
This isn’t to say we should hate Madonna. No, we should love her by pointing out, in no uncertain terms, that neither she –nor anyone else—can have it both
ways. Unless repentance is forthcoming, there can be no turning over a new leaf…of becoming born again, as Jesus told Nicodemus (John 3: 3). There must
be turning away from sin, and turning to Jesus Christ. Else Madonna and all others who continue in sin are fulfilling a key prophecy given this generation
through the Apostle Paul:
“This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient
to parents, unthankful, unholy,..having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof…” (2 Tim. 3: 1-2, 5).
Immorality and motherhood, in God’s eternal economy, cannot co-exist. This is one reason I’m convinced that all children, before the age of accountability,
will go to be with the Lord at the rapture, just as they do at death.
--Terry
WTJ___
For Monday January 16, 2006
The Departure
The Scripture is haunting. It echoes and reverberates throughout the spiritual hallways of the Church with each passing hour.
“Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils”
(1 Tim. 4:1).
This forewarning fits into the last-days pattern, also given by the Apostle Paul, in the familiar prophetic passage: “Let no man deceive you by any means:
for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of Perdition…” (2 Thes. 2:3).
The “falling away,” apostasia in Greek, means a “departure from.” Paul prophesied in the 2 Timothy 4:1 passage that there will come a time at the end of
the Church Age when people will depart from the “faith.” He foretells in 2 Thessalonians that this will be a general “falling away,” the apostasy of the
endtime. What is this “faith” from which people will fall away, and who are the “people” who will fall away? Another crucial question is: Can the departure
that God, through Paul, forewarned about be recognized when it occurs?
“Faith,” as here defined, must, by context, be the faith in the One who is at the heart of the Gospel--faith in the Lord Jesus Christ as the Lamb of God,
chosen from the foundation of the world to be the propitiation for the sin that separates fallen man from God. It is the faith you and I must have in order
to confess with our mouths that Jesus is the only begotten Son of God, and to believe in the deepest part of our spirits that God raised Him from the dead.
“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”
(Rom. 10:9).
A person can’t fall from a position (doctrinally speaking in this case) he never has attained. The “people,” then, whom Paul the apostle is writing about
in his prophecies of 1 Timothy 4:1 and 2 Thessalonians 2:3 are those who have believed in Jesus Christ for salvation of their souls.
This brings us to the question: Can the departure God, through Paul, forewarned about be recognized when it occurs? To recognize that “falling away”–that
apostasia, or apostasy— when it begins to happen, will almost certainly give the Christian attuned to God’s will a heads-up on the nearness of the Tribulation
era, thus to the nearness of the rapture of the Church.
We have looked at the “faith” as faith in Jesus for salvation, and at the “people”who will "depart” from the faith as being the Church--that is, the true
Christians who are alive at the time of the end, when the apostasy takes place.
Although there are those who think this departure includes the possibility of one losing one’s salvation, the “falling away” of 2 Thessalonians 2:3 cannot
include that meaning. A quick look at Romans 8:38 and 39, to name just one security-of-the-believer passage, shows that God’s Word teaches that the believer
can’t depart from the Heavenly Father to the point of losing his or her family status. Jesus, in John chapter 17, makes that absolutely clear. I suggest
that if you have questions about this, read the Scriptures I just mentioned.
What, then, is meant by “departing from the “faith”? Glad you asked. The “faith” mentioned in 2 Thessalonians and 1 Timothy 2:3 is a collection of faith
principles wrapped up in the Lord Jesus Christ. These principles are doctrines put forth by the Word of God. The Word of God is none other than the Lord
Jesus: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1).
“People” at the time of the “falling away” will “depart” from the “faith” –the doctrines put forth by the Word of God, who is Jesus Christ. This departure
will mark the generation of Christians at the very end of the Church Age.
The question that applies most relevantly to us today is: Are we seeing signals of the departure about which Paul forewarned?
We have analyzed, dissected, examined, and inspected every endtime signal found in God’s Word many times in these raptureready.com webpages: Israel again
in the land of promise; the EU looking to be the reviving Roman Empire; Russia, Persia (modern Iran) and other nations looking to be a nucleus that will
one day form the Gog-Magog force of Ezekiel chapters 38 and 39. These, plus, all of the other endtime characteristics of this generation.
However, I believe the most insidious of all the things taking place under the clever, devious hand of the devil –Satan—is the falling away, the departure
from the faith being currently orchestrated by Lucifer, the fallen one.
This departure is evident to the spiritually discerning when looking at the church growth movement. This “seeker friendly” approach to both the saved and
the lost (all who don’t know Christ) through New Age, corporation-type seminar seductiveness and brainwashing techniques that water down or completely
eliminate true Bible doctrine is leading in a profound departure from the “faith once delivered” (see Jude 1: 3).
The new paradigm instituted by the champions of the church growth movement is the shift from New Testament Christianity to “New Spirituality-Driven Christianity.”
Like in the modern corporate organization, invented in large part by German economic guru Peter Drucker, who mentored some of the leading designers of
the church growth movement, the system is more an organism than an organization –adopting Drucker’s model based upon Freudian psychology and Darwinian
evolutionary principles. The individual is assigned a value, and he must fit in, or be removed from the system. To put it as I heard one person of the
movement say: “Pillars just hold things up. So, they need to be moved out of the way.” So, those who hold to doctrine must get out of the way so no one
will have their feelings hurt by talk of sin, and blood atonement, and eternal punishment in the place called Hell, if repentance is not forthcoming. Again,
the Apostle Paul wrote God’s view of this watering down of doctrine:
“But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed” (Gal. 1:8).
Are we at the point of departure from the faith that is prophesied for the very end of the Church Age? Maybe we can get a better sense by looking at one
more area of Scripture pertaining to the matter: “I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead
at his appearing and his kingdom; Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. For
the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And
they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables” (2 Tim. 4:1-4).
There is another prophetically scheduled departure to consider. It’s the one we should be looking forward to. It is a God-ordained departure that will remove
every child of God of the Church Age –living and dead—from Planet Earth in one millisecond of time:
“Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ” (Tit. 2:13).
--Terry
WTJ___
For Monday January 23, 2006
Tri-Lateral Tribulation Tremors
Geopolitics again seem to place planet earth in the crosshairs of the coming tribulation –that last seven years of human history before Christ’s second
advent. The most recent arrangement of apocalyptic-type signals are three-fold.
The first to consider is Israel in transition, so far as leadership is concerned, and the ongoing "Roadmap to Peace" process that continues to influence
all that is going on in that land so prominent in end-time Bible prophecy.
Israel’s acting prime minister is determined that the deadly process continues.
Acting Prime Minister Ehud Olmert reiterated Israel’s support for the U.S.-backed Road Map initiative for the Arab-Israeli dispute at a meeting Tuesday
with President Moshe Katzav.
Olmert said that while he was prime minister, his government would “stick to the Road Map.” “It would be a mistake to release somebody from a responsibility
whose framework he is obligated to,” he said.
Olmert said he hoped Israel will start negotiating a permanent status agreement with Palestinian Authority chief Mahmoud Abbas, after elections are held
both in Israel and the PA (Arutz Sheva - Israel National News, by Scott Shiloh, Jan. 17, 2006).
You might have noticed I called it a “deadly process.” This is quite accurate, when describing any peace plan for Israel that leaves God out of the equation.
The tribulation will produce just such a deadly peace. The covenant of Dan 9: 27, which Antichrist will confirm (because that peace plan will apparently
already be in place) is described further by the Lord, through His prophet, Isaiah:
“Because ye have said, We have made a covenant with death, and with hell are we at agreement; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, it shall
not come unto us: for we have made lies our refuge, and under falsehood have we hid ourselves…And your covenant with death shall be disannulled, and your
agreement with hell shall not stand; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, then ye shall be trodden down by it” (Isa. 28:15,18).
The second of the tri-lateral tribulation tremors currently causing the prophecy meter to quake involves Iran, the nation that presently occupies the ancient
Middle Eastern land called Persia. Persia, as most prophecy students are aware, will be one of the nations that God’s Word, through Ezekiel the prophet,
foretells will storm southward over the “mountains of Israel” to take “spoil.” An evil leader from the land of “Rosh” (Russia, most scholars say) will
lead the charge. This will most likely take place during the tribulation era, though many believe it could happen even before the Rapture occurs. The full
account of this attack is found in Ezekiel Chapters 38 and 39.
Events are stirring in Iran that smack of biblically prophesied things to come, with Russia –the nation that provides much of Iran’s nuclear technology
and fuel-- not far in the background of the volatile situation.
“Iran's nuclear programme began in 1974 with plans to build a nuclear power station at Bushehr with German assistance.The project was abandoned due to the
Islamic revolution five years later, but revived in 1992 when Tehran signed an agreement with Russia to resume work at the site.
There are two Pressurised Water Reactors at the site - one reportedly near completion… According to some estimates, when complete Natanz [another nuclear
facility] could house some 50,000 advanced gas centrifuges, which would produce enough weapons-grade uranium for more than 20 weapons per year.
Other estimates suggest the plant will have a total of 5,000 centrifuges when initial stages of the project are completed. With that number, Iran will be
able to produce sufficient enriched uranium to make a small number of nuclear weapons each year…” (BBC NEWS, Middle East, Jan 17, 2006).
The third of the geopolitical dynamics seemingly setting up for the tribulation era is the European Union (EU) consistently, and increasingly asserting
its influence in the Middle East.
“European powers have begun circulating a draft resolution that asks the UN nuclear watchdog to report Iran to the Security Council, drawing a scornful
response from Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
The governing board of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) will hold an emergency meeting on Iran's nuclear work on February 2 at the request
of European Union powers, an IAEA spokesman said…” (EU trio's nuclear resolution stepped up, Iran defiant. 19/01/2006. ABC News Online).
As always, we confirm that the EU will be a chief player in endtime things –especially in the Middle East. The nucleus of the EU occupies the very geographical
region that was the heart of the old Roman Empire. That empire, according to Bible prophecy, will revive in the end of days, and will serve as the central
power base for the world’s last and most terrifying dictator, Antichrist –or, as is put here, “the prince that shall come.”
“And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and
the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined” (Dan. 9:26).
Things involving Bible prophecy continue to manifest themselves as we get deeper into 2006. All Christians should be good watchmen, as directed by the Lord
Jesus in Mark 13: 37. While watching, we should also be praying, and doing all within our power –individually, and collectively—to carry the Gospel of
Jesus Christ into the world, as we go about life on this soon-to-be-judged planet.
--Terry
WTJ___
For Monday January 30, 2006
God’s Prophecy Not Enough?
People have, over the years--following the completed Word of God, with its 66 books--made predictions based upon dreams and, less frequently, upon visions.
Despite all of the twisting of logic and rewriting of historical record, both recent and of the past that is far removed from the present, the non-biblical
dreams and visions have proved to be non-events.
Oh, people can find things supposedly fulfilled within the quatrains written by the French “seer” Nostradamus. His and others’ “prophesies” are declared
by many as having come to pass, as demonstrated by the rise of Adolf Hitler and the advent of other “foretold” regimes and events.
I have heard stories of blazing fires in the major cities of the U.S., “prophesied” by both well-known and lesser-known preachers of various stripes. America
was going to be judged and destroyed by God’s mighty hand in the 1960s, '70s, '80s and '90s. Now there are predictions –and I get them constantly through
e-mail--of the most horrendous fate imaginable for the United States, based upon dreams of the most detailed variety. The dream date-setters missed January
23 on just such a prediction. A married couple saw all of the things we’ve been warned about –American cities aflame, getting exactly what she deserves.
They saw the dreams that were almost identical, so the story goes. January 23 (Monday last) was to be America’s judgment day. Defenders of the couples
missing the target are saying that their appeals for prayers that the Lord would spare the nation and give America another chance were likely the reason
the dreams didn’t become reality.
Now, folks, may I say this as gently as possible? What sort of fodder does such dreamstuff –which is always claimed to emanate from the very throne of God—give
Satan’s army in this fallen world that he so effectively rules already? Is it not time to stop disseminating these bad cases of nocturnal indigestion during
somnolence –or whatever is prompting such utter nonsense? Do we never learn that these are not from the Lord our God, after every single one of the “prophecy--dreams”
have failed to produce a single proof of their validity?
I get them every week. If every one I’ve been sent just since January 1 of this year came true within the time allotted, you wouldn’t be reading this. But,
I wouldn’t be writing it, either! We would all be finished! A bit of prayerful and well-studied speculation is within the realm of being good “watchmen,”
as Jesus exhorted in Mark 13: 37 and Luke 21: 28. But dreams and visions that are extra-biblical are not right to either issue or receive. They are either
bad spaghetti, absolute falsehoods, or “dreams and visions” that emanate from somewhere other than from the throne room of God.
God’s “dreams and visions,” you see, ALWAYS COME TRUE!
My apologies for screaming at you in this cybertext, but we’ve got to realize that dreams and visions that are not already in God’s Word–the Bible—are,
well, not from His Son, Jesus Christ, the Living Word. His prophecy ALWAYS comes true –every time, without exception. And that prophecy is based upon the
consistent principles laid out plainly in the Word He left us in the form of God’s great love letter, the Holy Bible.
“We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and
the day star arise in your hearts: Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in
old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost. But there were false prophets also among the people, even
as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves
swift destruction” (2 Pet. 1: 19-2: 1).
I know the cry that will be forthcoming. "That same Bible says: ‘And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon
all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams’” (Acts 2:17).
Agreed. Very strong proof text that these dreams will again be in effect, following the Bible’s completion, when the last prophet wrote the last prophecy.
But, to understand Acts 2:17, we must also understand that the following, in this New Testament passage, is taken from the Old Testament, which puts it
in proper context.
“And it shall come to pass afterward, [that] I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall
dream dreams, your young men shall see visions: “And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and
your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams” (Joel 2:28).
This is what is meant by the above Scripture, “Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.” Scripture must be
interpreted by Scripture. Scripture must be looked at in total context; it cannot be dissected and used any way the user wishes.
So what does this earlier passage in Joel say, to give context to the latter in Acts? The key is given by the words: “And it shall come to pass afterward…”
Specifically, the operative word is “afterward.”
The Word of God plainly teaches in the preceding 27 passages and before that the day of the Lord--the tribulation--must first have taken place. These wondrous
“dreams and visions” for a time yet future are for the glorious days of the millennium!
Still, I realize I will get all kinds of arguments about this. So, let me just ask those who would do the rock throwing: “Where are your dreams and visions
that have come 100 percent--or even 10 percent--true, by Bible standards, God’s standards?"
These exercises in hyperbole and sensationalism must stop, for the sake of the Gospel of Christ. Let us simply watch and try to determine the times and
seasons we are in, so far as God’s prophetic timeline is concerned. But, let us do so through God’s microscope of Bible truth. Let’s not try to build personal
reputations upon false prognostications –or bad pizza.
--Terry
WTJ___
For Monday February 6, 2006
America: Stumbling Block or Catalyst?
Antichrist and the false prophet of Revelation chapter 13 will be the drivers of the geopolitical and religious juggernaut that will crush anyone and anything
that opposes it during the tribulation era. The engine that will power Satan’s cruel, soul-rending beast of Revelation 13: 1-2 will be an all-controlling,
enslaving economy. We see the beast described as follows:
“And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon
his heads the name of blasphemy.And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth
of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority” (Rev. 13:1-2).
The control that beast will wield is described in this way:
“And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: And that no man might
buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name” (Rev. 13:16-17).
The technologies for setting up just such a system of control over the people of Planet Earth have grown exponentially during the past several decades.
Computer-satellite hook-ups between continents, linking most all of the world in a geometrically progressing network of electronic funds transfer capability,
brings this generation ever closer to the type control prophesied in those familiar passages of Scripture. The United States of America, the most materially
blessed nation to ever sit atop earth’s surface, has been concentric to the global networking. Most of the great contributions to the computer and satellite
revolution have been spawned from this country. But, other super-industrious peoples around the globe continue the “progress.” Other nations are now taking
the relevant technologies to new levels of “achievement.” Now, it is America who seems to be dragging her feet in bringing in economic Utopia.
The problem is that we Americans won’t make significant movement toward giving up our paper bills and coinage. We seem to be fighting the desire of the
other major economic spheres who want to convert to digital money –total electronic funds.
An article sent to me by a Rapture Ready friend (thanks again, Jason) somewhat sums up the cause of the growing rift between the economic elites.
"Joe Levine, a senior analyst at Yankee Group, is skeptical that U.S. paper money or coins will fall by the wayside anytime soon. Creating a cashless society
in the U.S. with either mobile phones or smart cards would require enormous effort by players in several industries, he said, including credit-card companies,
mobile-phone service providers, manufacturers, and retailers."
There is considerable concern among the financial powers who plan for all-encompassing globalization in order to create their economic heaven on earth.
The article addresses that concern to some extent.
“So, what would get the U.S. to the day when cash becomes obsolete? According to Levine, we are still far enough away that trying to foresee a turning point
is difficult. In the same way that cash was still on the scene after the introduction of checks, so will it eventually coexist following any adoption of
digital money, [Charles Goldfinger, a consultant who has advised the European Commission on e-finance and smart-card-based financial applications] said.
Nor will e-cash eliminate credit cards and debt, he said. People still will be reluctant, he pointed out, to use a prepaid card to buy something like a
computer” ("Is It Time To Say Goodbye to Paper Money?" Walaika K. Haskins, newsfactor.com Mon Jan 30, 5:55 PM ET).
Is America, then, a stumbling block to or a catalyst for the emerging system that will almost certainly serve as the framework for Antichrist’s Revelation
13 hegemony over Planet Earth?
Rationale prompts one to believe that something must happen to cause the U.S. citizenship to come around to a total e-money solution to the confusing state
of currency exchanges, etc. But, the process is agonizingly slow, and would likely have to take place with powerful opposition from the American Congress
and its constituencies and lobbyists.
Many observers of Bible prophecy, including yours truly, can’t see decades for such a situation to develop. That is, we can’t imagine a scenario that would
allow, in America, a lengthy transition to the coming global order essential to the future Antichrist regime’s system of control. This, because most all
other prophesied signals for the tribulation appear to now be in place –so far as stage-setting for the tribulation is concerned.
Again, the factor that fits perfectly into a scenario in which America instantly is brought to such a state of chaos that she acquiesces to the world’s
call for a cashless system of digital economics, is –you guessed it—the rapture!
--Terry
WTJ___
For Monday February 13, 2006
Ahmadinejad's Apocalypse
The perfect human being is on the way to manifesting his presence in a chaotic world, over which he will exert absolute control, according to Iranian President
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. The Israel-hating leader believes the twelfth Imam will assume his prophesied place upon the world stage, at a time of cosmic upheaval,
earthly war, bloodshed, and destruction on a global scale. “The Mahdi,” as the miracle man is also called, will, Ahmadinejad proclaims, bring universal
peace– Utopia.
One news item reports: “The man in charge of hoodwinking the Western powers about Iran's now 18-year-old secret nuclear program believes the apocalypse
will happen in his own lifetime. He'll be 50 in October. President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's Shi'ite creed has convinced him lesser mortals cannot only influence
but hasten the awaited return of the 12th Imam…” (Arnaud de Borchgrave, "Later than we think," Washington Times, February 6, 2006).
And within that brief excerpt, we find the frightening difference between just another Mid-East dictator’s ludicrous rantings and an ominous reality that
is smoldering within the satanically-inspired thoughts of an endtime tyrant.
Ahmadinejad doesn’t just plan to sit around while his religious prophetic belief of apocalypse comes to pass. The Iranian leader intends to be an active
participant in its coming to pass. The bellicose Iranian president believes that the twelfth Imam is the heir to all prophets (all will be fulfilled in
him). According to his reported statements, Ahmadinejad believes the coming of the final prophet is only two years away. The news item further enlightens
us on Ahmadinejad’s portentous view of the immediate future.
“Mr. Ahmadinejad is close to the messianic Hojjatieh Society, which is governed by the conviction the twelfth Imam's return will be hastened by ‘the creation
of chaos on Earth.’ He has fired Iran's most experienced diplomats and scores of other officials, presumably those who don't share his belief in apocalyptic
conflagration” (Borchgrave).
It is more than just interesting to understand that the one leader who is moving with all diligence and speed to develop nuclear weaponry has such an apocalyptic
grand design in view. The Iranian could have his finger on the nuclear trigger at any time in the near future, with the thought toward drawing Israel’s
IDF into a conflagration. Such a war, he openly surmises, could well be that which will fulfill the prophecy he perceives as the consummation of international
rule by a western industrial-military complex, and the predestined installation of Allah on Planet Earth.
I believe with all that is within me that such an all-out war scenario as Ahmadinejad envisions cannot occur while the Church of Jesus Christ is still in
the world. That level of holocaust is reserved for the time of God’s wrath. However, there could certainly be some troublesome confrontations and lesser
conflicts than all-out war in the Middle East before the era of horror described in Revelation from chapter 6 through chapter 19, when Jesus Christ returns
in great power and glory.
It could be just such angst over these building prospective nuclear confrontations, in the near term, that will be the catalyst for galvanizing agreement
to consider peace. Likelihood of atomic war might be the future reason for the covenant of Daniel 9: 27, which Antichrist will confirm –promising to bring
in supposed peace and prosperity.
Another aspect of all of this is the treatment of those of us who believe in the coming Apocalypse, as given in the Book of Revelation and Old Testament
books, as opposed to how Ahmadinejad is treated for his apocalyptic view.
We are seen as Christian fundamentalist warmongers who want to bring Christ’s rule to earth by convincing our leaders to start war in the Middle East, thus
bringing in Armageddon. This, despite the truth that we simply look at the world situation under the microscope of God’s prophetic light and try to determine
and report where this generation stands on God’s prophetic timeline. We go out of our way to put forward the Prince of Peace. Ahmadinejad clearly says
“bring it on” so Allah can pick up the pieces of a totally trashed planet, and the news media, overall, ignore that he craves Armageddon. We want to do
all we can to prevent people from having to endure such a war. The Iranian dictator-master wants to start such war.
Ahmadinejad –and no other diabolist—can bring on man’s final war, thankfully, until Christ’s born-again believers are called to be with the Lord Jesus.
That stupendously thrilling coming moment gets nearer by the second!
--Terry
WTJ___
For February 20, 2006
Orwell’s Nightmare in View
Let me preface this commentary with the thought that when it comes to conspiracy theories and clandestine plots, you will find me among the last of those
who observe these prophetic times to latch on to such fear-fetchings. Chattering about the Tri-lateral Commission, the Bilderbergers, the Council on Foreign
Relations, or even Yale’s Skull and Bones –all talk of these things usually sends me veering from the cabal engaged in such rumination. The conspiracy
to consider, so far as humanistic drive toward one-world government and the like is concerned, is that ongoing desire of Lucifer to put his throne above
the Stars of God. Satan is the real conspiracy-maker!
We find his conspiracy-making within the following Scriptures.
“How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! For thou hast said
in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides
of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High” (Isa. 14:12-14).
This is the conspiratorial evil conglomerate about whom we, as Christians, should be concerned. Here’s the familiar exhortation God gives us through the
Apostle Paul:
“Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities,
against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour
of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and
having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith
ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: Praying
always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints…” (Eph. 6:11-18).
With all of that laid down as prerequisite to looking into our troubled times, we have to agree with many who believe that Orwellian developments continue
apace. Satan is observably shaping the humanistic drive to return to Babel. George Orwell, of course, was the English writer most famous for his dark,
futuristic novel, 1984.
The year was, as the novel’s title indicates—1984. At the time of the book’s release in 1947, Orwell’s fictional account portrayed a time quite in the future.
Orwell’s story portrayed a world divided into dictatorships. The dictator that enslaved most of the western world involved –not surprisingly for an English
writer of his time—England, and London, in particular. It is fascinating, therefore, that developments in our time involving governmental controls that
might someday provide machinery of world-encompassing dictatorship, seem to be spawned in Great Britain.
We’ve mentioned a number of times in these commentaries the closed-circuit television (cct) technologies that have exploded, especially in Great Britain.
London, as well as most larger cities in England, has become a prototype for the surveillance society of the future. Although his arrival is tardy, Orwell’s
Big Brother approaches.
Government in the UK continues to march toward Orwell’s world, despite considerable opposition. We see the struggle in the following news excerpts:
“The Government comfortably survived the first of a series of crunch votes last night when MPs overturned an attempt by the House of Lords to make identity
cards voluntary rather than compulsory… Government won the vote on the Identity Cards Bill by 310 to 279, a majority of 31. Twenty Labour MPs voted against
the Government in the key first vote. The Government's success in overturning the series of defeats inflicted by peers means that within two years people
renewing or applying for passports will be required to have an ID card, at a cost of £93 for both documents” (London Telegraph 10 Feb, 2006, "ID cards
in two years as rebellion defeated," by George Jones and Brendan Carlin).
Great Britain now has in place a civil ban on anti-social behavior. This is supposed to assuage the more petty criminal activities, like minor theft, hooliganism,
and rowdiness in general. Known as the ASBO (Anti-Social Behavior Order), it is being used to point fingers of anti-social behavior charges at anyone who
disagrees with civil order within the state. This is not unlike Hitler’s Germany of the 1930s, whereby national socialism came into play in the hands of
the Nazis, leading up to marginalizing anyone and everyone –including those holding to Judeo-Christian values from the Bible.
And, the Orwellian knot tightens, strangling what small degree of personal liberty remains in Great Britain. The noose snuffs the life from liberty, incrementally.
Not unlike humanism and secularism has snuffed light from Christianity, which once shone brightly throughout Britannia.
So, seeing the Luciferian conspiracy grow to ever-increasing dimensions as of late, perhaps I should not be so quick to dismiss, out of hand, reports like
this one I once would have viewed with a much greater degree of skepticism: "BERKELEY, Calif.--A Halliburton subsidiary has just received a $385 million
contract from the Department of Homeland Security to provide 'temporary detention and processing capabilities.'
The contract -- announced Jan. 24 by the engineering and construction firm KBR -- calls for preparing for 'an emergency influx of immigrants, or to support
the rapid development of new programs' in the event of other emergencies, such as 'a natural disaster.'…No paper so far has discussed the possibility that
detention centers could be used to detain American citizens if the Bush Administration were to declare martial law..." ("Homeland Security Contracts for
Vast New Detention Camps," New America Media, News Analysis/Commentary, Peter Dale Scott, Feb 08, 2006).
When considered alongside all of the other prophetic signals that the real Big Brother is on his way, there is good reason for us who name the name of Christ
to look up and lift up our heads, for our redemption draws near (Luke 21:28).
--Terry
WTJ___
For Monday February 27, 2006
Endtime Perplexity
Believers in Jesus Christ, in terms of the majority, don’t recognize the crucial prophetic times in which this generation finds itself. To prove this, just
ask almost anyone you know –outside of the very few Christians you know who might consider prophetic issues-- and watch the blank stares, the smiles, with
accompanying gesticulations that indicate they don’t worry, or even think about these things. Observe, while they quickly go onto other subjects, like
"what’s for dinner," "who’s getting married," "who’s getting a divorce," "who’s living with whom," or a thousand and one other more generationally appropriate
topics –in their view—than where we are at present on God’s prophetic timeline.
When the Christian who is truly a student of what God has to say about things to come stops to analyze the flood of prophecy-laden matters deluging this
generation, he or she quickly realizes that we are at the very door that will open into the tribulation. But, he or she knows – if prayerfully diligent
in studying God’s prophetic Word, (i.e., is led by the Holy Spirit to truth) and is thus discerning in analyzing world conditions-- that another door is
about to swing open. That is the door that leads through the fabric of space and time. The door that will be opened by Jesus Christ. As a matter of fact,
Jesus Christ IS that door! After all, He said”…I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh to the Father, but by me” (John 14:6).
And, the things for the discerning Christian to consider are staggering in numbers, and in prophetic relevance.
Of these many things of prophetic import we could think upon, none is more glaring at this moment –in my view—than signals of Christ’s coming again wrapped
up in the title of this commentary article: “Endtime Perplexity.”
The prophecy was given by Jesus in His Olivet Discourse, as recorded in the following:
“And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves
roaring” (Lk. 21:25).
Review, for just a moment, the dynamics shaping up endtime world conditions while this generation rages toward Daniel’s 70th week –the seven years of tribulation,
when God’s wrath will begin falling upon incorrigibly rebellious mankind.
Israel is at the very center of the last-time perplexity, just as Jesus and the Old and New Testament prophets foretold. Think of it! Everything of great
significance, so far as world conditions are concerned, points right back at Israel!
1) Hamas is in control of the Palestinian drive for statehood. The terrorist organization is on record, determined to expunge Israel from the region. These
are blood-vowed to kill every Jew they find.
2) Iran’s leadership is threatening to develop (might already have) the ability to produce nuclear weapons. The purpose is to annihilate Israel –and any
other nation that gets in Iran’s path.
3) The U.S. is in turmoil over the Bush Administration’s wanting to approve United Arab Emirates' (UAE) purchase of American seaports. (A truly profound
issue that has created great perplexity, both within the U.S. and abroad.)
4) Islamic hate-filled doctrinal differences perplex American military planners in Iraq, while the Muslim madmen kill each other and bomb centuries-old
religious sites in reprisal for perceived inequities and wrongdoings. The seas and waves of humanity are indeed “roaring.”
5) Islamic fascist-like, rage-filled terrorists protest by the hundreds of thousands, inciting millions to attack and destroy even their own possessions
in Europe and other places. Christ’s words “nation (ethnos –or ethnic entities) shall rise against nation…” have been fulfilled to some extent in our time.
Certainly, there can be no doubt that this is happening en masse across the world.
Again, Israel is the chief reason for the incitement. Anyone who supports Israel in any fashion comes under the radical Islamic threat of sword applied
to the neck. Then there is the cry for “peace and safety.” But there is total disregard for the Prince of Peace, Jesus Christ. At the risk of being castigated
as “touching the anointed,” I must say that even the major players among pastors and leaders of churches in this Laodicean era have a P.E.A.C.E. plan for
saving the world from perplexity.
It won’t work, of course. Peace –even if used in clever, marketing terms of acronym—will fail. Only the Prince of Peace, and His godly, Heaven-sent peace
will bring the raging seas of humanity under control, like He did the storm-driven waters on the Sea of Galilee those millennia ago.
Christians, it is past time to awake from the slumber under which the Church of Jesus Christ has –for the most part— been put, since allowing Satan and
his minions to pull their deception over the spiritual eyes of many individual believers. We are at that point–in attitude--at the end of the age, about
which Jesus forewarned:
“Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.” (Matt. 24:44).
To me, this is among the most foreshadowing of the perplexities about which our Lord prophesied: the question of why Christians will not awake in this endtime
era, and look around at all that points directly at the truth that we are, as a generation of earth dwellers, on the very cusp of the apocalypse, of tribulation.
This should make us, rather than be filled with only thoughts of earthly things, busily engaged in activities spiritually ripe with great anticipation
of the "blessed hope" of Titus 2:13. He could come at any second, and all of the things of this fallen world instantly will no longer matter to the Christian
of the Church Age. We will stand before Him, and see Him face to face, and give account for our attitude toward Him, and activities for Him, when back
on Planet Earth.
--Terry
WTJ___
For Monday March 6, 2006
The Next Foreshock!
A number of years ago, I put together (was general editor of) a book with a number of prophecy scholars, broadcasters, and writers. That book was called
Foreshocks of Antichrist. The compilation of chapters dealt with issues and events of the times, issues and events the other authors and I believed significant
in considering prophecies that surrounded the coming of Antichrist to power, as foretold in chapters of the books of Daniel, Revelation, 1 John, and others.
That was about 1996, I think, and I believed, at the time, that conditions could not ripen much more so far as the world’s being ready to reap the bitter
harvest the Antichrist will bring was concerned.
I was wrong, of course, which proves we must never be too quick to think that things can’t get much worse. They can, and have, gotten worse, since my great
colleagues such as Dr. John Walvoord, Dave Breese, Zola Levitt, and many others, dissected the issues of our time with the omniscient scalpel of God’s
Word in that Harvest House book a decade ago.
Back then, Israel was in a peace process –just as now. Then it was Yasser Arafat, Yitzak Rabin, and Bill Clinton working on the Oslo Accords. Peace was
in the offing, and some thought this was the covenant in the making that would bring Daniel 9: 27 to fruition. But, Rabin, prime minister of Israel, was
assassinated, and Bill Clinton soon fell into the Monica Lewinsky quagmire that exposed his infidelities and held the nation’s rapt attention for months.
Earthquakes came again and again, seemingly in greater numbers and intensities. The Middle East teetered constantly on the edge of igniting into major conflict
in that region, and beyond. It looked more and more as though the world could not move into a mode that was any more prepared for the coming of Antichrist
and his global dictatorship. But, I was wrong. Things could get worse –much worse.
The next shocker that stepped up signals of the prophetic times occurred Tuesday, September 11, 2001. Giant, fuel-laden passenger jets slammed into the
twin World Trade towers in lower East Manhattan, and into the Pentagon, and another aircraft headed for the nation’s capital was forced into a Pennsylvania
field by heroes on the plane. Planet Earth seemed to go into an even higher level of stage-setting for the coming Antichrist. Fear spread among Christians
and non-Christians alike, and churches –you will remember—were filled the following Sunday. I, myself, was asked by my pastor to speak to my own church
about these startling events. It was a time of trepidation about the future and reflection on how to best cope under the changed circumstances. It was
a foreshock that had overshadowed other terrorist attacks and other events of recent times. Terrorists from the Middle East –the land of the Bible, and
of Bible prophecy—had turned up the heat on the Armageddon boiler.
Things seemed to settle. Then came fears of Saddam Hussein developing weapons of mass destruction. This meant, also, an economic stranglehold on the oil
supplies of the world, if he could get into position to hold Middle Eastern oil hostage, and to threaten Israel and other of his neighbors. The tension
again was raised. The fast track to Armageddon seemed back on track.
Fear that Armageddon lay right around the next geopolitical corner was not assuaged, while George W. Bush and the American military planners and state department
forged military alliances for the assault on Hussein’s Iraq. The alliances were less numerous than those put together by the first President Bush to be
sure, but nonetheless, they were more powerful in ability to accomplish the task due to advancing technologies for war-making.
The battles for Iraq succeeded, but the larger war on terrorism rages still, while the whole world waits for the next proverbial shoe to drop.
Europe looked like the next major foreshock to the coming tribulation and Antichrist’s regime of global government. The talk and actions of trying to forge
an EU Constitution had all of us looking with great wonder at developments, in consideration of prophecies in the book of Daniel. But, again, the foreshock
–for the moment—has seemed to fizzle just a bit.
The greatest tsunami ever to be recorded, following the great quake in the Indian Ocean, stunned Asia and the rest of us as well. More than 285 thousand
people are believed to have lost their lives –maybe even more. This event, combined with the most prolific and record-setting hurricane season in the history
of record-keeping, sent national and international news media to us at raptureready.com, and to others who study prophecy in an almost frenzy of wanting
to know if God was telling Planet Earth something.
So, the foreshocks, when they manifest themselves –the birthpangs—continue to get stronger. The longer the lull between contractions, the more shocking
the calamities that follow seem to be. This might be the potential Caldera-supervolcano of foreshocks --silent, seething, building, swelling, while God’s
cup of wrath fills to the brim.
We are in a lull. The lull has brought, in Todd’s and my view, apathy among Christians that itself dangerously smacks of endtime prophecy: “Therefore be
ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh” (Mat. 24:44).
--Terry
WTJ___
For Monday March 13, 2006
UFOs, and the Real War of the Worlds –Part 1
Satan, according to Bible prophecy, plans spectacular displays of fireworks and other supernatural pyrotechnics for the tribulation, the last seven years
before Christ’s second advent. Those phenomena will, again, according to God’s Word, take place in the atmosphere above earth and in space. We are given
that forewarning in the following Scripture:
“And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men, And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by
the means of those miracles which he had power to do…” (Rev. 13: 13-14).
Jesus made it clear that the phenomena that will come at the end of days will be fearsome to behold:
“And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves
roaring; Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken”
(Lk. 21: 25- 26).
There is coming a second great war in the heavenlies, and it will make H.G. Wells’ War of the Worlds fiction look tame by comparison. The resulting devastation
and carnage will literally cause the hearts of earthdwellers of the tribulation era to explode with adrenalin-pumped fear. However, and strangely perhaps,
from our mortal perspective, Lucifer, now named Satan and called “the Devil,” continues to be given access to God’s throne, above which he was once a guardian.
He is now an accuser of believers in Jesus Christ.
The first war of all creation--not just a war of mortal worlds, or of galaxies-- took place when Lucifer and the angels who joined him in rebellion against
the Most High were cast out of God’s realm. That is, they were no longer a part of God’s kingdom, but now were forever lost, outside of God’s eternal kingdom.
We know that Lucifer, the fallen one, came before God to ask to be allowed to torment and test the great man of God, Job. We know that he asked the Lord
to”sift” or put the Apostle Peter to a similar torturous testing. Satan will be allowed to come before the throne of God until a certain point. We learn
this in the following:
“And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser
of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night” (Rev. 12:10).
And, this Scripture brings us to the most fierce part of human history for tribulation earth-dwellers. It will be the second great war of the Creation –the
war of two worlds, eternally apart in their intents and purposes. Satan and his fallen angelic armies are to be removed from the very presence of God and
confined to Planet Earth.
Now that isn’t such good prophetic news for flesh and blood earthdwellers of that future time of apocalypse! The prophecy tells us:
“And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and
his angels were cast out with him” (Rev. 12:9).
Jesus said, of that time: “And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven” (Lk.10:18).
John the prophet and apostle was given the words to encourage believers, and forewarn unbelievers down through the centuries:
“Therefore rejoice, [ye] heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having
great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time” (Rev. 12:12).
The great Apostle Peter forewarned of this rage Satan has for all of God’s human creation, and for believers in particular: “Be sober, be vigilant; because
your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour…” (1 Pet. 5: 8).
God has placed so much in His Word to warn about this adversary and his legions, the devil and his minions, that the evil that has been in all the cosmos
since that first great war in heaven must saturate every aspect of existence. But, we who name the name of Jesus Christ can take comfort. We are on the
other side –the other spiritual dimension of this cataclysmic collision of supernatural worlds.
It is true that we who are flesh and blood must exist side by side with that dimension, because we live in a third dimension –one we perceive to be reality,
but which is really existence that is no more than a vapor, in terms of God’s eternal economy. But, we are not left without defense against our horrific
enemies that comprise Satan’s evil forces. God tells us in Ephesians 6:10-18 that not only CAN we stand against Satan and his evil, but that it is our
duty to do so. He promises to provide armor to fight the good fight. But, we are required to put it on. And, it is not a defensive, but an offensive strategy
the Lord demands. Our defense, you see, IS our offense: the cross of the Lord Jesus!
--Terry
Please TAKE ACTION the week of MARCH 12-19!
Terry, my partner in Rapture Ready, has written a new, just-released book, The Rapture Dialogues: Dark Dimension. The subject matter within his fictional
account involves things that I believe are prophesied for these last days, for instance in Luke 17: 26-29.
The UFO sightings, encounters, and abductions, in addition to the supposed ghost hauntings, apparitions, stigmata reports, etc., are part of the setting
up of a grand satanic scheme.
The “strong delusion” of 2 Thessalonians, chapter 2, could be well underway even in these strange days leading up to the glorious rapture of the Church.
Terry begins to uncover this plot with the first of what he hopes to be several novels, revealing, through a fascinating, swiftly moving story, all of the
things wrapped up in the Genesis, chapter 6 account. Dr. Tim LaHaye endorses the novel, and writes its foreword. He says: “…My good friend and colleague
author Terry James has penned a highly suspenseful and thought-provoking novel… The Rapture Dialogues chronicles these seemingly unrelated and fantastic
events as they collectively set the stage for the biblically prophesied Rapture of the Church and the rise of Anti-Christ. Intriguing, unique, and entertaining.”
Even though you might have already bought a pre-release copy, on behalf of my partner and friend, as well as on behalf of Rapture Ready, I will be most
grateful if you will buy copies of The Rapture Dialogues by going to Amazon.com and ordering. Besides word-of-mouth advertising about the book, helping
the novel to a high beginning rank on Amazon will go a long way toward spreading the fact that the novel is a worthy and engrossing book.
To make the greatest impact, I ask that you order from Amazon.com on, or right around, March 15.
Also, when you’ve read the book, and like it, as I believe you will, I ask that you go to Amazon.com and write a favorable review. Many favorable reviews
will help immensely in the acceptance by local, national, and international media and other reviewers of The Rapture Dialogues.
Again, remember that the few days leading up to March 15, and the several days following that date, is the time we can make the greatest impact for the
book’s distribution.
Here is the ordering information:
The Rapture Dialogues
By Terry James
Fiction--Futuristic/Fantasy
VMI/Musterion Press
ISBN: 1-933204-18-4
384 pages
The Rapture Dialogues Amazon.com Link
Remember: if you like the novel, I ask that you write a favorable review in the designated place on amazon.com. This, too, will greatly boost the novel’s
visibility in the book marketplace.
Thanks much for your consideration and help.
Your friend in Christ,
Todd
WTJ___
For Monday March 20, 2006
UFOs, and the Real War of the Worlds – Part 2
The war of the worlds has never come to armistice since Satan first rebelled. It won’t stop until Christ ends it at Armageddon (Rev. 19: 11). The war is
heating up, as anyone with spiritual discernment from the Bible’s perspective can understand. Our hourly, even minute-by-minute, news reports tell us that
earth’s great volcano is building to an explosive eruption.
Todd and I get calls from the world’s news media, whose reporters want to know what’s up. While they are likely just looking for some answers from us that
might “entertain” their viewers, listeners, or readers, I detect trepidation in their tone and questioning when we have gone over things of prophecy and
news of the world for a few minutes. They walk away thinking, I can instinctively tell, their eyes turned downward in deeper thought than when they came
to us. “Is this old guy crazy like we thought coming in, or does he have the truth, and we are the ones in trouble?”
I get the distinct sense that the journalists who interview us go away wondering if there is the world of spiritual battle, unseen by those who have had
pounded into their heads that if you can’t see, hear, touch, or smell it, it doesn’t exist.
The answer is –my journalist friends—YES! There is a supernatural world. It is not the supernatural world as perceived existing by Hollywood producers,
or those who believe in ghosts of departed human beings inhabiting the plane just outside physical existence. This is the endtime topic I’ve attempted
to address to some extent in my just-released novel, The Rapture Dialogues: Dark Dimension.
Without turning this into an ad, or commercial, the story involves the UFOs –the shiny disks that people over the millennia have reported, and have reported,
particularly in these closing days of human history. The subtitle is, in my perhaps not so humble view—perfect as a descriptive. “Dark Dimension.” We’ve
seen –if you did your Bible reading where suggested—that we struggle against this dark dimension. This is the world with which all of creation is in conflict.
The collision of the worlds isn’t coming. It’s already here!
While the media of news and entertainment sorts look to extraterrestrial sources for these “visitors” many people claim to have been abducted by, probed
by, or impregnated by, the general of these forces –which are absolutely real, according to Ephesians, Chapter 6, grins his evil grin and seethes his loathing
through clinched teeth of supernatural hatred that rages within him.
The physical plane is beginning to reflect that loathing for all of God’s creation, while the devil turns up the heat. We are seeing this begin to manifest
itself, I believe, in the great increase in sightings of the UFOs, and strange goings-on in matters assigned by those who don’t know the truth, to stigmata,
ghostly hauntings, or other phenomena intruding into our dimension of existence. At the same time, the astrophysical elements surrounding our small planet
–including our own sun—seem to be increasingly affected. One story of late presents interesting fodder for speculation of where it might fit within Jesus’
forewarnings of “signs in the sun, stars, and moon.”
“Sun-spawned cosmic storms that can play havoc with earthly power grids and orbiting satellites could be 50 percent stronger in the next 11-year solar cycle
than in the last one, scientists said on Monday…‘This prediction of an active solar cycle suggests we're potentially looking at more communications disruptions,
more satellite failures, possible disruptions of electrical grids and blackouts, more dangerous conditions for astronauts,’ said Richard Behnke of the
Upper Atmosphere Research Section at the National Science Foundation” ("Sun's next 11-year cycle could