Tag: prayer

Laugh All You Want, The Rapture Is Not Escapism Or Fantasy… It’s Biblical

~ Randy Harris ~ Leave a comment

ByGreg Laurie

August 21, 2025

Let’s start with the obvious: the Rapture sounds crazy. Jesus descends from Heaven, dead people rise from their graves, and living believers are suddenly caught up into the sky—like the world’s strangest episode of “Stranger Things.” Sounds like the stuff your uncle mutters about after three cups of church coffee. Except—it’s right there in Scripture. Paul says it. John says it. Jesus says it. The only ones who don’t are usually the skeptics writing editorials dismissing the very faith that gives us hope.

Opposing Views on the Rapture

Now, critics like to pounce: “But the word Rapture isn’t even in the Bible!” Congratulations, Sherlock. Neither are the words Trinity or even Bible. And yet, here we are, still believing in all three. The word comes from the Latin rapturus, which translates the Greek word harpazo—meaning “to snatch up, grab by force.” Imagine a parent reaching out and pulling their child away from danger just in time. That’s the picture Scripture gives us of the Rapture.

Some say, “Oh, the Rapture is just a modern invention, some 19th-century gimmick.” Nonsense. Yes, J.N. Darby helped popularize it in more recent times, but long before him, the early Church Fathers like Irenaeus and Cyprian wrote about believers being “snatched up” before judgment. It’s not new—it’s biblical. We also hear about the Rapture straight from Paul, Peter, James, and most importantly, Jesus Himself: “I will come again and receive you to myself.”

The most familiar passage on the Rapture is 1 Thessalonians 4:16–18: “For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together (Greek word: harpazo, meaning ‘snatched up’) with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words.”

And if that sounds far-fetched, remember Enoch—who literally walked off the face of the earth into God’s presence—and Elijah, who rode to Heaven in a fiery chariot. The prototypes are already in the Old Testament.

Why This Matters

Here’s why this isn’t just a fun theological parlor game: the Rapture gives hope. Paul calls it the “blessed hope.” When you’ve buried a loved one, you don’t need vague talk about them being “in a better place.” You need the solid promise that in one split second, you’ll be with them again. Parents reunited with children. Husbands with wives. Brothers and sisters together again. And at the center of it all—Jesus Christ Himself.

And it does more than comfort grief. It motivates godliness. If you really believe Jesus could return at any moment, maybe don’t binge sin like it’s Netflix. You wouldn’t invite your best friend into a house piled with dirty laundry and Taco Bell wrappers. Don’t greet your Savior that way either. You want to be ready—walking with Him, keeping your spiritual house in order.

Of course, there’s always the circus clowns with their calendars: “88 Reasons Jesus Will Return in 1988!” They were wrong, just like every other date-setter before or since. Jesus made it pretty clear: “No one knows the day or the hour.” Which, funnily enough, includes you, me, and that guy on YouTube with the chart and the whiteboard. The Rapture isn’t about prediction—it’s about preparation.

The Takeaway

So, what do we do with all this? We wake up. We stay alert. We stop living like the world is a Vegas buffet that never closes. Paul said: “The night is almost gone, the day of salvation is soon here.” Translation: time is short. Knock it off. If you’re a believer, live clean, live holy, live hopeful. If you’re not—well, get right or get left.

Because one day, maybe in our lifetime, maybe tonight—in a blink, in the twinkling of an eye—everything changes. Loved ones raised. The Church caught up. Judgment delayed until after the Bride has been rescued.

It’s not escapism. It’s not fantasy. As C.S. Lewis reminded us, looking forward to the eternal world is one of the things a Christian is meant to do.

So, laugh if you want. Roll your eyes. Write your snarky post. But when it happens—when the shout comes, when the trumpet blows—mockery won’t matter. Only hope will.

Prophetic Journalism 8/21/25

~ Randy Harris ~ Leave a comment

POLITICAL EARTHQUAKE

Tulsi Gabbard Slashes Over 40% of the Office of Director of National Intelligence Staff

By Cristina Laila Gateway 

Tulsi Gabbard on Wednesday said she is reducing the Office of Director of National Intelligence staff by more than 40 percent.

The spy agency is expected to go from more than 1,800 employees to approximately 1,200.

“Over the last 20 years, ODNI has become bloated and inefficient, and the intelligence community is rife with abuse of power, unauthorized leaks of classified intelligence, and politicized weaponization of intelligence,” Tulsi said in a statement,” according to The New York Post.

“ODNI and the IC must make serious changes to fulfill its responsibility to the American people and the US Constitution by focusing on our core mission: find the truth and provide objective, unbiased, timely intelligence to the President and policymakers,” Tulsi added.

The Daily Mail reported:

  • America’s top spy agency announced it will ‘rightsize’ its overall footprint by cutting almost half of all its employees after President Donald Trump directed that members the ‘deep state’ be rooted out.
  • Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard sent out an email to Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) employees on Wednesday announcing the launch of ‘ODNI 2.0,’ the culmination of a months-long effort to reduce redundancies and cut costs, including employees.

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  • This will reduce ODNI by over 40 percent by the end of the fiscal year 2025 and save taxpayers over $700 million per year,’ an ODNI press release announcing the shift says.
  • An estimated 550 to 700 staffers are expected to receive the ax.

On Tuesday Tulsi Gabbard stripped security clearances from 37 Deep State officials tied to the Trump-Russia hoax.

Clapper’s aide Vinh Nguyen was among the 37 stripped of his security clearance.

“Free Tina Peters” – Trump calls for Release of “Tortured” Former County Election clerk: “If She is Not Released, I am Going to Take Harsh Measures!!!”

Peter’s was sentenced to nine years in prison last October after she was accused of breaching the Mesa County election systems and leaking Dominion voting passwords during the Arizona Election audit in 2021.

This is a political hit job. Colorado state court didn’t simple punish her for her conduct, he explicitly cited her ongoing political speech as justification for denying her bond and keeping her in prison

This is another political prisoner. Pray for her! You can murder someone in New York or California and serve far less time than this. Isaiah 59:14-15 “Justice is turned back, and righteousness stands afar off; For truth is fallen in the street, and equity cannot enter. So truth fails”.

“Know this: In the last days perilous times will come. Men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, unforgiving, slanderers, unrestrained, fierce, despisers of those who are good, traitors, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God, having a form of godliness, but denying its power. Turn away from such people.”
‭‭2 Timothy‬ ‭3‬:‭1‬-‭5‬ ‭MEV‬‬

AI Jesus; Have It Your Way

~ Randy Harris ~ Leave a comment

Jesus told us, Paul told us, and now we are witnessing a new phenomenon that is a fore shadow of the time of the end.  You don’t have to be a doomsday preacher or an end times Prophet to know we are headed for grave times.  Confusion and a compromised Gospel along with your personal Jesus.  Ask him anything, this false Jesus will tell you what you want to hear, soften sin, and make you feel special.  AI generated Jesus is all the rage.

In a recent article by “Study Finds,” the number of AI generated programs that are claiming to be Jesus are only continuing to grow. As Study Finds noted, these artificial intelligent impersonators of Jesus are chatbots that are acting as though they are “…the Son of God, offering spiritual guidance, answering prayers and even taking confessions from believers.”

Some of the AI bots included Virtual Jesus, AI Jesus, Ask Jesus, Jesus AI and Text with Jesus.  The scary part is that their algorithms are used to gauge reaction so as to make sure and soften hard and critical responses to make them more appealing to the questioners.  It’s a have it your way kind of gospel that is being presented.  

These growing platforms have not been introduced to the public through churches or Christian organizations, but rather from for profit businesses. It gives you a “popular theology,” not one based on the true Word of God.  It’s the personal God attitude that is present in our society today.  We want love and acceptance to make us feel good in our beliefs and actions, not the hard truth of scriptures.

Counterfeit voices leading lukewarm Christians down a path of destruction.  Have it your war, but the outcome won’t be what you imagine.  

Jesus said ““Enter at the narrow gate, for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who are going through it, because small is the gate and narrow is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.”

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭7‬:‭13‬-‭14‬ ‭MEV‬‬

The New Demonically Improved Jesus Christ Superstar Play

~ Randy Harris ~ Leave a comment

For those of us in the long ago hippie movement, one will remember the play Jesus Christ Superstar.  At the time I was in my nomadic period, running from God, but still knowing the truth and feeling quite happy that I could simultaneously run from and to God all at the same time.  Sound familiar?  As best as I remember the former play it was a somewhat innocuous adaptation of Jesus done with hippie garb and a nice sound track.  I was probably naive to the danger it imposed, but still it portrayed at a time of sex, drugs, and rock and roll a somewhat accurate portrayal.  (Maybe). But a new version is out and of course it has all the usual present day suspects.  A female Jesus and a LGBTQ (former American Idol heartthrob Adam Lambert).  

Have you noticed that so much of leftism is simply taking what is good, true, and beautiful and inverting it?  Isaiah 5:20 is quoted too often, but it fits perfectly here.  “Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; who exchange darkness for light, and light for darkness; who exchange bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!”

This is also known as the “privation theory,” the idea that evil doesn’t exist by itself apart from good. Rather, they believe it is the absence of and defilement of good. They do this often, be it with marriage or the biological realities of male and female. They take something that is good and strip all of it away until you’re left with something ugly and wicked. That is how you’re left with same-sex marriage, abortion, transgenderism and more.

They also do this with religion. Cynthia Erivo is a self-identified LGBT actress known for her role in the Broadway hit “Wicked.” Her fame was turned to infamy after she was cast as the Son of God in the new production of “Jesus Christ Superstar,” a show purported to depict the final days of Jesus in His betrayal by Judas Iscariot.

Footage has gone viral online showing a frail, and what many are calling “demonic imagery,” of Erivo with wide eyes and long talon-like nails alongside fellow LGBT performer Adam Lambert. Lambert took on the role of a more sympathetically portrayed Judas Iscariot, who is not seen so much as a traitor but more of a pragmatist concerned with the direction Jesus was going.

In defense of his colleague, after receiving backlash for her casting and much of the clips of the play circulating online, Lambert said, “Jesus Christ Superstar is supposed to provoke and challenge. That’s the point. And shouldn’t the teachings of Jesus transcend gender?”

Provoke??, how about outright blasphemy.  What we see in these last days is a concerted effort to cause as many illogical viewpoints on true Christianity as possible.  The spirit of anti-christ is alive and well in our world.  Deception and outright corruption of the truth of God’s Word is rampant.  Deception is cloaked in “seeker friendly” churches, performance based entertainment centers, (not traditional churches) and a watering down of truth.  Now it’s all about a feel good live your best life now mentality that promises a smooth road to Heaven.  What did Jesus tell the Pharisees of His day?  “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! You travel sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves.”

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭23‬:‭15‬ ‭MEV‬‬  Is this not exactly what weak, compromised churches do to new converts. 

This is truly the day we are living in.  The apostasy has begun.  Hold fast my dear Christian friends, the fight for truth will be worth it!

The Rise of Anti-Semitism

~ Randy Harris ~ Leave a comment

It is certainly not a surprise in the world we live in that hatred of Jewish people is on the rise. I say that, however, a part of me thinks it’s absolutely mad that we have forgotten the terrors of Nazi Germany so quickly. The Jewish people have a saying “never again,” speaking of the holocaust. Unfortunately never again happened on Oct. 7th 2023. I am not here to deal with that, we have spoken on that hideous attack with all its atrocities on many occasions.

The point of my essay today is to share the reason of this demonic hatred of a people that really are a bother to no one. They live their lives. They make the world better through their scientific and cultural activities. All they really want is to live in peace in their homeland, yes it is theirs from antiquity. Given to them by God to the Patriarch Abraham, passed down to Isaac and Jacob. In that same line we find our Savior Jesus Christ. Aw, now we are getting somewhere.

The pure demonic hatred is found from the beginning. From Haman, the Roman emperors, to Hitler and all points in between. It all started in the garden. It still flourishes today. The anti-christ spirit that lives in this world was spoken of in 1 John 1:18. It was alive then and it is on steroids today. The pure hatred brandied about on our college campuses by Marxist professors and students rivals the rise of Nazism in the 30’s in Europe. So it really is a sign of the times, but also a deep thread of evil that a sinful unrepentant world loves to soak in. Evil has to hate something or someone, and the Jews are an easy target.

Surprisingly even some Christian denominations have forsaken the Biblical command to pray for the peace of Jerusalem. To lift up and pray for a people who through them came the sure Word of God and our Messiah. God is not finished with Israel. The very fact that this small country bothering no one is under heavy attack military and economically is proof they are still a part of God’s plan. Replacement theology is a lie.

The backlash to this is the saying of the radical Islamist who declare boldly they are coming for the Saturday (Jews) people first then the Sunday (Christians) people next. Mark my words the anti-Christ spirt is targeting and will increase attacks on churches and Christians. We are already seeing this happen in Europe, Africa, and Canada. Not surprising. This so called religion of peace, demands to “convert or die.”

Hate Israel if you want, but if you do, you will be standing and fighting against Almighty God. I choose to stand with Israel. That doesn’t mean I agree with everything they do, but it does mean I want to be on God’s side. I stand with the Word! I stand with Israel!

From Capitol Hill to Mount Zion: Huckabee’s Wake-Up Call to America

~ Randy Harris ~ Leave a comment

ByChris Katulka

July 18, 2025

Below is an article that tells us all we need to know about how far America has drifted from it’s moral foundation. Pray for our country! It is badly needed, we are so far gone only a genuine revival will ultimately save us. Rh

In the latest episode of The Jew and Gentile Podcast, Steve Herzig and I had the opportunity to speak with Ambassador Mike Huckabee, a longtime friend of the Jewish people and one of the clearest voices today on Israel and the Middle East.

Fresh off meetings in Washington, D.C. with President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Huckabee offered firsthand insights into discussions about the future of Israel in a new Middle East with the expanding reach of the Abraham Accords.

But it wasn’t the closed-door diplomacy that surprised him most—it was the streets of his own nation’s capital.

Twice, while walking through Washington, Huckabee was aggressively confronted by pro-Hamas protestors. “They recognized me, surrounded me, screamed at me,” he told us. “It made things so uncomfortable that about fifteen D.C. police had to intervene. That happened—not once—but twice.”

In a comment that startled many, Huckabee added, “I got to get out of this crazy town, Washington, and get back to Jerusalem, where I’m safe. People laughed—they thought it was a joke. I said, ‘No, I’m serious.’ I feel very comfortable and safe in Jerusalem. I do not feel that way in my own nation’s capital.”

Think about that. 

A former governor and presidential candidate—targeted and heckled in the heart of American democracy—feels safer in Jerusalem than in Washington, D.C. What does that say about the state of our national discourse? And more importantly, where does it point us as people who are Biblically minded?

It points us to Zion.

In the ancient days of Israel, the prophet Micah envisioned a time in the future when peace wouldn’t be legislated from the palaces of human power, but from the holy mountain of God.

Micah 4:1–4 reads, “In the last days, the mountain of the Lord’s temple will be established as the highest of the mountains; it will be exalted above the hills, and peoples will stream to it. Many nations will come and say, ‘Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the temple of the God of Jacob. He will teach us His ways so that we walk in His paths.’ The law will go out from Zion, the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. He will judge between many peoples… they will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up the sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore. Everyone will sit under their own vine and under his own fig tree, and no one will make them afraid, for the Lord Almighty has spoken.”

What Micah describes isn’t a political ceasefire—it’s transformation. It’s not temporary relief brokered by diplomats—it’s lasting peace ushered in by the Lord Himself.

And that’s the contrast Huckabee felt so keenly. Washington is a place of power, but not peace. It’s a city filled with tension, noise, protest, and confusion. But Jerusalem—despite being surrounded by enemies—holds a remarkable sense of clarity and calm for those who understand its Biblical significance.

Jerusalem is where God’s promises converge. It’s where His Word was written, His Son was revealed and resurrected, and His kingdom will be established. When Huckabee says he feels safer in Jerusalem, he’s not just making a statement about crime or politics. He’s articulating something deeper—a spiritual alignment, a sense that in Zion, God’s purposes are unfolding, even amid present conflict.

It’s no surprise, then, that supporters of Israel are increasingly targeted in major US cities and on American college campuses. We are watching in real time as standing with God’s people is met not with applause, but with opposition. But the ancient call still stands: “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord.”

That mountain—Mount Zion—is where peace will come. Not Capitol Hill. Not the UN. Not any man-made institution. Peace begins with the Prince of Peace, and He has chosen Jerusalem as the city of His throne.

So as the noise of culture grows louder, and the pressures to compromise truth intensify, let us remember where true peace is found. It’s not in the fleeting treaties of men, but in the eternal promises of God.

Capitol Hill may pass laws—but Mount Zion will bring lasting justice. Washington may host summits—but Jerusalem will send out the Word of the Lord. And while ambassadors are shouted down in D.C., one day, nations will stream to Jerusalem to learn the ways of peace.

Just as the prophet Jeremiah foretold, the Holy Spirit writes God’s law upon our hearts—and in doing so, He directs our attention toward Zion, where the Word of the Lord will go forth and peace and justice will be made known.

Chris Katulka is the director of North American Ministries for The Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry, the host of The Friends of Israel Today radio program, a writer for Israel My Glory magazine, and a Contributor to Harbinger’s Daily.