Member/s of a Herbert W. Armstrong cult have deceptively
started a Facebook page called Rapture Ready International Ministries. People
thinking they are joining in uplifting discussions about the soon return of
Jesus instead are led into false teaching. On this FB ‘about’ page they list
their website as www.raptureready.com
- which is the site of Rapture Ready, a website that keeps believers up-to-date
on news items and articles about the end times.
No doubt, the majority of the subscribers to this FB page
are friends of Rapture Ready and listeners of Rapture Ready Radio.
The problem came to my attention on February 17, 2016 when a
meme of the inside of a cathedral showed up in my timeline with the words, “There
is no such thing as the trinity! There is only 1 God.” It linked to a page called “Real Bible” that
was discovered to be associated with the United Pentecostal Church UPC,
considered heretical for their “Oneness” doctrine – the belief that God the
Father became the Son and then became the Holy Spirit, as opposed to the
doctrine of the Trinity that defines God in three persons, Father, Son, and
Holy Spirit – distinct, yet One God.
The discussion that followed between me and the FB page’s
moderator, Walter Hernandez, consisted of his attempt to denounce the Trinity
and defend his viewpoint. To do so, he posted three links to the same source,
the United Church of God, producers of the TV program Beyond Today. The UCG on their website calls the Rapture a false
teaching, demands legal observance of the Sabbath, and denounces the doctrine
of the Trinity.
So I looked up Rapture Ready’s position on the Trinity and
posted it in the thread:
"Who is Elohim?
Elohim is the plural word for God in the Hebrew
language. It can refer to three or more. It is used of the Father, Son and HOLY
SPIRIT throughout the Old Testament. Even though it is translated
"God" it should be "Gods." All translators use
"God" instead of "Gods" to emphasize the unity of the
Trinity. This unity of the Trinity is stated clearly in the Old Testament by
using singular verbs with the plural noun, Elohim."
It is just like cults
to be sneaky and not operate on the up-and-up. They pretended to
be one of us – impersonating RaptureReady.com – showing RR's link as their own
– just to deceive people and try to draw away those who trust Rapture Ready -- Bait-and-switch
tactic of wolves in sheep’s clothing.
I had already un-friended Mr. Hernandez for coming to my own Facebook page, arguing with my
friends about the Trinity and showing Ambassador College as his place of
training. Ambassador College is an institution of the late Herbert W. Armstrong,
a heretic and dangerous religious leader who taught that we can become gods.
Rapture Ready’s
owners, Todd Strandberg and Terry James were contacted and neither of them know
Walter Hernandez -- Strandberg confirming that the Rapture Ready International
Facebook page has no connection to RaptureReady.com.
If you are one who
has been fooled into thinking this FB page is valid, you might want to leave a
rebuke in the comments before making a hasty retreat.
Addendum-
After my confrontation of this bogus Rapture Ready Int'l Facebook page, the owner of the page issued this statement after taking the "Ready" out of the title of his page. However he continues to show RaptureReady.com as his website in the 'about' page.
"There is no relation with the Rapture Ready or any of their
publications. I am single out as a heretic because I am standing for the
only true and Living God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Check the
website and do your own research. He is coming back for us his church
of his body. How sad that Christians should be united but there are
divisions because we do not fit the theology and their seminary
teachings instead if the word of God. How sad the state of this at this
moment, but I am not surprise since Jesus Christ was single out as a son
of the devil. Thanks God por his matchless Word of truth."
