A MILESTONE WAS reached on May 17, 2024. Rhema Bible Training College held its 50th graduation ceremony. In 1974, Kenneth and Lynette Hagin never dreamed Rhema would grow to what it is today. The mandate to “Go teach My people faith” is as strong now as it was then. But much work still needs to be done. Many people have never heard the Gospel. The class of 2024 stands ready to spread the message of faith and redemption far and wide.

Rev. Matt Beemer, director of Rhema Middle East and North Africa, and a 1992 RBTC graduate, delivered the commencement address. He outlined how we can bring back the Lord Jesus Christ in our generation.

Grooms want to be with their brides. Jesus is no different. He is the groom of the bride of Christ, and He wants to be with His bride. Why then has he delayed His coming? James 5:7 (NIV) says, “Be patient, . . . until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop.”

This verse isn’t talking about wheat, barley, or corn. It’s talking about people—human spirits being born again. The Lord is waiting for the harvest to come in. Jesus can’t return for His bride until there is a generation in which the Gospel message has gone to every nation.

The Church plays a role in Christ’s return. But some are saying, “Come, Lord, come,” when Jesus is saying, “Go, Church, go.”

Matthew 24:14 says the end will come when the Gospel has been preached throughout the world as a witness to every nation—or every ethnic group. We can bring back the King in our generation. Habakkuk says, “The earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea” (Hab. 2:14 NIV). There will be a generation that sees God’s glory cover the earth. Why not ours?

The Early Church came close to doing this. Paul said he had fully preached the Gospel from Jerusalem to Illyricum (Rom. 15:19). In the space of two years, all of Asia heard the Gospel (Acts 19:9–10).

The Early Church was seeing Habakkuk 2:14 take place. But what happened? They stopped doing what Jesus said and stopped looking at the harvest field. As a result, the world went into the Dark Ages for 1200 years.

Then the Reformers came: Luther and Calvin. For a couple hundred years, the Church tried to get its act together. In the 1800s, people like William Carey, the father of modern missions, inspired the Church.

A student movement took place across America. Revival broke out in universities like Yale, Princeton, and Harvard. But in the ʼ60s, the Church took their eyes off the harvest field and focused on social issues.

In 1974, two major events took place. Billy Graham invited evangelistic ministries from around the world to Lausanne, Switzerland. They talked about completing the Great Commission. And Rhema Bible Training College started in Tulsa, Oklahoma. It’s no accident both events happened in 1974.

In recent times, I’ve seen a new generation rise up. They are willing to do whatever it takes to go wherever God directs. And if necessary, live for a cause that’s worth dying for.

In 1975, Kenneth E. Hagin gave a prophecy that was labeled the New Breed Prophecy. In it he said, “And there shall sound throughout the land, the cry and the hue of Hosanna to the Lord. . . .
And the last soul shall have been won, the last spirit shall have been saved, and the Body shall have been completed. Then the cry shall come forth, ‘Behold the Bridegroom cometh. Go ye out to meet Him’ ” Let us hasten the coming of the Lord.

 

In Their Own Words

Rhema students are young, old, and in between. They come from near and far and from all walks of life. Hear what they have to say.

 

“Coming to Rhema has meant so much to me because I got to be in the will and plan of God. I got to follow His call. It’s a mandate: the call to go in faith.”

—Amanda, 2nd Year Itinerant

 

“My Rhema journey has been awesome and amazing. I’m retired military, and Rhema is like a spiritual boot camp. It gives you a foundation: how to love, your identity in Christ, how to walk out your Christianity, and how to walk by faith.”

—Orane, Rhema School of Itinerant Ministry

 

“Attending Rhema has meant a lot. The connections I’ve made here with like-minded believers that are on fire for the Lord has helped me grow in my passion for the things God has for me.”

—Micah, 2nd Year Ministry Fundamentals