We were going to have our donation drive last week, but the software that links to PayPal suffered a malfunction. People who tried to help RR were met with a strange notice that said our “organization’s account is inactive.” Once we found the location of the problem, it was quickly fixed.

It amazes me how fast time has been flying these past few years. I was looking at an event from 2016 and was shocked to realize it had occurred 8 years ago. I talked with a young lady who had just graduated from college to be a lawyer, and she told me she was born in 2000.

Bible prophecy is a key factor in making time run so fast. About 30 years ago, it took more time for end-time-related events to unfold. Today, we advance toward the tribulation hour with little opposition.

During this quarter, the U.S. national debt surpassed $35 trillion for the first time in the nation’s history, and the federal government continues accumulating debt at a record-setting pace.

“This news is incredibly sobering – and incredibly unsurprising for anyone who has been following our fiscal trajectory,” Maya MacGuineas, president of the nonpartisan Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, said in a statement. “Just last month, the Congressional Budget Office warned Americans that debt held by the public is on its way to a new record share of the economy in three years’ time.”

“Enough with the charade of fiscal platitudes followed by deficit-busting records. True fiscal responsibility cannot exist in a vacuum. If we want any hope of putting America back on course toward a sustainable and prosperous future, our leaders need to bridge rhetoric with action,” she said. “Pay for your new spending; pay for your new or extended tax cuts; make deals, shake hands, pass budgets. In a word, govern.”

The real deficit will be over $2 trillion this year and nearly $5 trillion in ten years. I remember when our deficit was $350 billion, and I warned that we could see financial Armageddon when it exploded to $2 trillion. We have reached a milestone that 200 nations have reached, and all of them have suffered a meltdown. We’ve driven over 100 landmines without them detonating, so the general conclusion is that we can hit 100 more.

The upcoming November election has the potential to accelerate events. If Kamala Harris becomes president, we will likely experience a level of prophetic momentum never before seen.

The Presidency of Joe Biden has been a historic disaster. When I ask myself how the American people can elect a man who is senile, I can only conclude that it is part of God’s judgment on our nation.

One key saving grace for Biden is that he has maintained strong relations with the nation of Israel. Biden has threatened to slow the shipment of arms to Israel, but nothing has gone beyond verbal threats.

Biden’s poor mental state does have one positive side. Because he can’t think for himself, the damage he mostly inflicts is because of neglect. Kamala Harris is also in the thinking department, but her malfunction is not caused by dementia.

She may be a loon, but she has an evil nature that comes straight out of the pit of hell. One of her first interviews after Biden passed the torch to her was with a transvestite. If you want to see the main focus of a Harris administration, look at her Instagram account.

When the citizens of Chicago elected Lori Lightfoot in 2011, I knew calamity would be the result. While the city’s murder rate soared, Lightfoot was more concerned about racial strife, homosexual agendas, and gender inequality.

The left is giddy over Kamala’s diversity qualifications. If she wins in November, Harris will make history as both the first woman to be president and the first woman of color in the nation’s highest office—the first Black woman and the first one of South Asian heritage. She’d also most likely be the most pro-LGBTQ+ president.

The most dangerous thing about Harris is that she has an illogical dislike for Israel. When Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu recently visited Washington DC, she ran to Indiana to avoid meeting him.

Harris chose the unknown Tim Walz as her running mate because Gov. Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania, a much better pick, was a Jew. Having a president who would be more comfortable meeting with representatives of Hezbollah and Hamas than God’s chosen people would give the Bible’s Blessing and Curse prophecy a thorough test run.

“And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed” (Genesis 12:3).

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

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

— Todd

Millions of Muslims from around the world gather annually in Mecca to perform Hajj – the sacred Muslim pilgrimage. Hajj is a mandatory religious duty that must be carried out at least once in their lifetime by all adult Muslims who are physically and financially capable of undertaking the journey and supporting their family during their absence from home.

At Mina, the pilgrims perform the symbolic Stoning of the Devil by throwing seven stones from sunrise to sunset at three pillars, known as Jamrat al-Aqabah. These pillars are said to represent Satan. Pilgrims climb ramps to the multi-leveled Jamaraat Bridge, from which they can throw their pebbles at the Jamarat.

The Hajj has a long history of pilgrims dying in large numbers from events related to the stoning of the devil ritual. Here are a few examples:

• 2 July 1990: A stampede or crush inside a pedestrian tunnel (Al-Ma’aisim tunnel) leading out from Mecca towards Mina and the Plains of Arafat led to the deaths of 1,426 pilgrims, many of them of Malaysian, Indonesian, and Pakistani origin.
• 23 May 1994: A stampede killed at least 270 pilgrims at the Stoning of the Devil ritual.
• 9 April 1998: At least 118 pilgrims were trampled to death and 180 injured in an incident on Jamaraat Bridge.
• 5 March 2001: 35 pilgrims were trampled to death in a stampede during the Stoning of the Devil ritual.
• 11 February 2003: The Stoning of the Devil ritual claimed 14 pilgrims’ lives.
• 1 February 2004: 251 pilgrims were killed and another 244 injured in a stampede during the stoning ritual in Mina.
• 22 January 2005: A stampede through the stoning ritual in Mina led to the killing of three pilgrims.
• 12 January 2006: A stampede or crush during the Stoning of the Devil on the last day of the Hajj in Mina killed at least 346 pilgrims and injured at least 289 more. The incident occurred shortly after 13:00 local time when a busload of travelers arrived together at the eastern access ramps to the Jamaraat Bridge. This caused pilgrims to trip, rapidly resulting in a lethal crowd collapse. An estimated two million people were performing the ritual at the time.
• 24 September 2015: At least 2,236] pilgrims were killed during a crush and stampede. The Saudi government has yet to release an official report. An Associated Press (AP) report compiled from official reports and statements totaled the deaths to be at least 1,470, over 700 more than the figures from Saudi authorities and the worst toll so far in Mecca. The AP later updated its estimate to 2,411 pilgrims killed.

Another common problem with the Hajj is the outbreak of fire. Here are four historic events that stand out from history:

• December 1975: An exploding gas cylinder caused a fire in a tent colony and resulted in the deaths of 200 pilgrims.
• 15 April 1997: 343 pilgrims were killed and 1,500 injured in a tent fire. The tents are now fireproof.
• 13 February 2002: Forty Hajj pilgrims from the UAE died when the bus they were traveling in collided head-on with a truck in Saudi Arabia’s Al Ihsa province.
• 1 November 2011: Two pilgrims, a wife and husband, died in a coach fire. There were two coaches in the convoy, and a person in the second coach noticed smoke billowing from the coach in front. He radioed the driver to stop. Everybody evacuated the coach, and as the last two were getting out, the coach suffered three explosions.

Normally, air travel is one of the safest means of transportation. If you are a Hajj pilgrim, your chances of being involved in a plane crash will see a dramatic rise:

• 22 January 1973: A Royal Jordanian Boeing 707 crashed at Kano, Nigeria, killing 176 Hajj pilgrims returning from Mecca.
• 4 December 1974: Martinair Flight 138 crashed near Colombo, Sri Lanka, killing all 191 people aboard – 182 Indonesian hajj pilgrims bound for Mecca and 9 crew members.
• 15 November 1978: Icelandic Airlines Loftleiðir HF Flight LL 001 crashed at Colombo, Sri Lanka, killing 175 (mostly Indonesian) Muslim pilgrims returning from the Hajj and 8 crew members.
• 26 November 1979: Pakistan International Airlines Flight 740 had an in-flight fire and crashed after takeoff from the old Jeddah International Airport, killing all 156 on board the Boeing 707.
• 19 August 1980: Saudia Flight 163 had a cargo compartment fire shortly after take-off from Riyadh airport. All 287 passengers and 14 crew on board the Lockheed L-1011-200 TriStar, registration HZ-AHK, died after the aircraft made an emergency landing.
• 11 July 1991: Nigeria Airways Flight 2120 (operated by Nationair) was a chartered passenger flight from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, to Sokoto, Nigeria, which had an in-flight fire and crashed shortly after takeoff from King Abdulaziz International Airport, killing all 247 Hajj pilgrims and 14 crew members on board the DC-8.
• 7 April 1999: Turkish Airlines Flight 5904 was a flight from Adana, Turkey, to Jeddah. The plane was supposed to pick up returning pilgrims but crashed shortly after takeoff. All 6 occupants on board, who were crew members, were killed.

Despite numerous measures to make the Hajj safer, pilgrims continue to die by the hundreds. In 2004, the stoning of the devil pillars was replaced by long walls, with catch basins below to collect the pebbles. Many of the hallways were expanded several times in size. Several new ramps were added to relieve any congestion. Even with the new safety features, thousands of people still die every few years. For this current calendar year, the death count is already above 1,000.

No other religion on planet Earth has gatherings that cause more deaths. A large group of people gather at the Vatican each Easter and Christmas to hear the Pope speak. Generally, everyone walks away unharmed. If there was some minor event that caused a few Christians to be injured, it would be major world news. The Hajj can have a couple hundred people die in a stampede, and authorities would consider it a good year.

With over 10,000 pilgrims having died over the past 20 years, it would seem to be a logical move to end the stoning of the devil ritual. Since Satan is the god of this world, throwing rocks at a pillar that represents him is not going to stop him. The Bible says submission to God is the only way to combat the devil.

“In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them” (2 Corinthians 4:40).

“Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded” (James 4:7-8).