Author: elizabethprata

Christian writer and Georgia reading teacher who loves Jesus, a quiet life, art, beauty, and children.
Posted in fourth of july, patriotism

A better country

Posted on by elizabethprata

Today in the United States it is the Independence Day AKA the Fourth of July. This is a national holiday where we gather together and celebrate the birth of our nation and celebrate all that she stands for. We do this by assembling at community spots where we applaud parades, have family or community cookouts, wave flags, proclaim all that is good about our nation by speeches, declarations and songs, and we honor veterans dead and alive who fought to keep us free.

I love America. I thank God that He allowed me to be born here. My great-grandparents and my grandparents, all 4, were immigrants. They took advantage of the wonderful opportunities America affords to create a good and comfortable life. That life was passed to the next generations and is still ongoing with the little ones in my family coming up.

But if we are truthful we know that America, once great, is still great but not quite so shining from sea to sea as she once was. We’re tattered, a bit downtrodden, faltering. We are not a juggernaut any more. This is because we are under the Wrath of Divine Abandonment. We forsook God and He is forsaking us. He gives individuals over to their sin and He gives over nations, too. (Romans 1).

I’m so glad that I was born in 1960. I remember the moon landings, the thrill of all the new inventions the latter half of the Twentieth Century offered (internet, CDs, VHS, cancer advances, satellites). I stood amazed at the pace that inventions were popping out that made our lives easier. I loved seeing America’s military might police the world. You know that the world does need a policeman, right? Just as communities do. And without one, there would be global anarchy. Well, we stepped up. I was proud.

But I am also grateful because I am now seeing the vivid and unmistakable decline. The Lord is stripping away my clinginess to earthly things, including patriotism, and He is gently turning my head to the heavens, where there is a better country.

“These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. For people who speak thus make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. If they had been thinking of that land from which they had gone out, they would have had opportunity to return. But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city.” (Hebrews 11:13-16).

Christians are already residents of a better country, and we have prepared for us a place in a heavenly city!

If you are reading this and you’re in America, let’s celebrate our God-blessed heritage, our veterans, and our communities today. We have so much to be thankful for and proud of. But let’s temper that with celebration and honor of and to our God who has in reserve for us a better country, one where we are truly free- in JESUS.

Posted in herod, jerusalem, temple

What Did It Look Like to Walk Around Jerusalem’s Temple Mount in the Time of Jesus?

Posted on by elizabethprata

From Israel Archaeology:

The Herodian version of the model shows visitors how excavators believe the Temple Mount site appeared prior to its destruction by Roman troops in the year 70 CE. The focus is on the southern portion of the enclosure, and includes reconstructions of Robinson’s Arch (an early overpass linking the top of the platform with the major city street below), the Hulda Street gates and passages onto the platform, the Royal Stoa, and the Second Temple. The reconstruction is based on the excavations at the Temple Mount under the direction of Ronny Reich and regional archeologist Gideon Avni. On view at the Davidson Center.

Posted in emp, power outage

Without power, how long does it take to turn back into barbarians?

Posted on by elizabethprata

This week’s super derechos are still wreaking havoc over a large portion of the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic states. Though derechos are not common but do occur once per year in the Midwest, in the Mid Atlantic states and northern states they do not. In those areas, what happened is an extremely rare occurrence, as this meteorological story says: “Derecho’s are pretty rare in this area to begin with; a “Super” Derecho is almost unheard of. And, they are even harder to forecast than tornadoes because they are so rare.” (Left, birth of the super derecho that affected millions this week.)

The Duluth Weekly’s headline tells the story pretty starkly: ” Super Derecho “The Land Hurricane” Slams 700 Miles of the US“. “AccuWeather.com reports a “super derecho” of violent thunderstorms left a more than 700-mile trail of destruction across the Midwest and mid-Atlantic on Friday, cutting power to millions and killing thirteen people. … States of emergencies have been declared in Virginia, West Virginia and Ohio. With 2.5 million in the dark, Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell stated that his state experienced its largest non-hurricane power outage in history.” (Above right, derecho in Nebraska).

Power outage. Now there’s a problem. Just a few weeks ago I posted a blog essay titled “Our fragile electrical grid.” I’ve published several articles in the past about how God is stripping away our infrastructure to reveal our helpless condition in the face of the Creator.

For example, in this essay from February 2012 I wrote about the futility of prepping for Armageddon in the way the secular media presents it, and the only secure location is in Jesus. I mentioned the book, One Second After by William Forschten. The blurb summarizes:

“New York Times best selling author William R. Forstchen now brings us a story which can be all too terrifyingly real…a story in which one man struggles to save his family and his small North Carolina town after America loses a war, in one second, a war that will send America back to the Dark Ages…A war based upon a weapon, an Electro Magnetic Pulse (EMP). A weapon that may already be in the hands of our enemies. Months before publication, One Second After has already been cited on the floor of Congress as a book all Americans should read, a book already being discussed in the corridors of the Pentagon as a truly realistic look at a weapon and its awesome power to destroy the entire United States, literally within one second.”

An EMP fries every electronic chip within its pulse. That means no banking or ATM machine so no access to money, no gas pumps, no lights, no heating, no cooling, no refrigerator, no working vehicles, tractors, combines, or harvesters, no elevators, no cooking, no business transactions, no stock market, no traffic lights, no water pumps, etc. No nothing. Nada.

The novel was written in 2009 and is realistic in the scenarios it depicts. The end of the book talked about the likelihood of a given population’s survival after an EMP with all the societal collapses. The Wiki on this book states, “Refugees from the cities show up looking for food and shelter and the fight over scarce resources leads to confrontation, home invasion, and more violence-related die-offs. The community becomes an inviting target for free prisoners and organized gangs and more violence-related die-off. Ration cards are issued to conserve the little remaining food; regardless, the community slowly starves with the elderly the first to die off. Next parents starve themselves to save their children. Throughout this period suicides are common. After a year, approximately 20% of the initial population has “survived”. It was stated in the epilogue section from actual sociologists and scientists that such a die-off rate (80%) in the aftermath of an EMP is likely….but also optimistic due to the favorable location of the ‘lucky’ survivors. Some scientists put the survival rate at a mere 5%.

The super derechos downed power lines, blew transformers, and greatly impacted the electrical grid itself. Our favorite doomsayer, Michael T. Snyder at the Economic Collapse blog asked the question yesterday:

If One Storm Can Turn D.C. Dark For Several Days, What Would A Massive EMP Burst Do?

Our “civilized” world is relatively new. The industrial revolution’s impact was not felt for the average American until the early part of the 1900s, when the ‘labor saving’ gadgets started becoming available. Automobiles, telephones, cross-country train travel and freight delivery, canned and frozen goods transported mass distances, electricity…all new. Only the last one hundred years, really, have been one of ‘civilization’ and ‘ease’. It takes relatively little to turn us back to barbarians. (Illustration source- Wikipedia)

But in the industrial age, we relinquished that tie to the land for what was believed to be a superior way of life, and in that supposed superior way of life, there was no need for a higher power, because it seemed like we had tamed the earth.

We haven’t.

It has been four days, and yet “Frustration Grows as Heat, Power Outages Persist“. The Governor said “recovering from Friday’s rare derecho storm is, in some ways, harder than hurricane recovery:”Unlike a polite hurricane that gives you three days of warning, this storm gave us all the impact of a hurricane without the warning of a hurricane,” he said.” Imagine the suddenness of an EMP.

We ask again, ‘If one storm can turn D.C. dark for several days, what would a massive EMP burst do?’ The only safe harbor is Jesus.

“The name of the LORD is a strong tower; the righteous man runs into it and is safe.” (Proverbs 18:10 ESV).

The Lord is showing us just how foolish we are to depend on our own power.

“The LORD is slow to anger and great in power, and the LORD will by no means clear the guilty. His way is in whirlwind and storm, and the clouds are the dust of his feet.” (Nahum 1:3 ESV)

“[God] will drag away [these] mighty men by his power. These people may prosper, but they will never feel secure about life. [God] may let them feel confident and self-reliant, but his eyes are on their ways. [Such people] may be prosperous for a little while, but then they’re gone. They are brought down low and disappear like everything else. They wither like heads of grain.” (Job 22-24 GWT)

He is coming, The only refuge is to be ready: that means repented, making Jesus your Lord, and living by His rules and ways thereby producing fruit for His name.

Posted in theology

How does apostasy happen?

Posted on by elizabethprata

Apostasy happens slowly. That’s how it happens.

Let’s take a look at 1st Timothy:

“Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by giving heed to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons, through the pretensions of liars whose consciences are seared, who forbid marriage and enjoin abstinence from foods which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth. For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving; for then it is consecrated by the word of God and prayer.” (1 Timothy 4:1-5 RSV).

The Spirit says, so this is a true saying. He also says it expressly. Other translations use the world clearly or explicitly.The Spirit wished to impart a clear and pointed teaching, not in metaphors or parables or symbols but in clear words, for emphasis. He expressly says some will depart from the faith. Not that they ever were true Christians (though many would have thought they were) but that they would leave the doctrines that undergird our faith and give expression to it. How would they do this? The Spirit continues: they gave heed to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons.

They gave heed. This means that they yielded some small part of their mind or their heart to some small portion of untruth, even for a moment. But that is all it takes. Remember the first words of satan in the bible, Genesis 3: “Hath God said?” This is a direct attack on His word, and Eve gave heed to it. You know the rest.

“But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of stress. For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, inhuman, implacable, slanderers, profligates, fierce, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, holding the form of religion but denying the power of it. Avoid such people.” (2 Timothy 3:1-5 RSV)

These who fall away from the faith have a form of religion. The outward appearance is one that fools people -for a while- that they are true believers.

Paul wrote about Demas three times. Demas was a co-worker alongside Paul for many years. Demas was with many wonderful men of the faith: Luke, Epahras, others. He had traveled, witnessed, prayed, served for many years.

We see Paul mention him in Colossians-
1. Our dear friend Luke, the doctor, and Demas send greetings. (Colossians 4:14)

We see Paul mention him in Philemon: 
2. Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, and Luke, my co-workers. (Philemon 1:24) 

We see Paul mention him in 2 Timothy:
3. for Demas, because he loved this world, has deserted me and has gone to Thessalonica. (2 Timothy 4:10)

Worker, worker, gone. That’s it. He’s gone. How? Why? Because Demas loved the world. Obviously the Father had not been in him, because you can’t have the world AND the Father in you. (1 John 2:15). One or the other will win out, and it will be whichever one you give heed to.

So did Demas leave suddenly? Physically, probably yes, his departure was probably abrupt. But how long had the apostasy been in him? All along. You sink slowly. Let’s look at an incident that I believe illustrates this. Peter was not apostate, but the metaphor here is interesting because of the physics of it. Remember when the storm was tossing the boat, and Jesus walked over to the men in the boat on top of the water? Peter asked the Lord, if that is really you, then I will walk on water. And Peter got out of the boat, and for a minute he walked on water too. But when he noticed the stormy circumstances and took his eyes off Jesus, is when he lost it. Most people teach that passage as an illustration of how we have to keep our eyes on Jesus, and it is true, we do. But I’m interested here in the phrase, began to sink:

“But when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, “Lord, save me.” (Matthew 14:30).

Every translation records the same, “began to sink.” Think about it. Peter was a burly guy: using his body and his hands to make a living fishing. He had muscles. He was probably 175-200 pounds. Solid muscle. If you toss a 200 pound boulder in the water, does it begin to sink? Or does it sink? Plunk, gone? The latter, it just goes under. But here the bible records Peter sinking incrementally.

That’s what happens in apostasy, you slowly sink under the waves of sin, until you’re completely covered. Apostasy is an incremental departure. It is like in Hebrews where it says:

“Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it. (Hebrews 2:1)

The Greek word pararrhyéō (“drift away from”) only occurs in Heb 2:1 where it refers to going spiritually adrift – “sinning by slipping away” (from God’s anchor). 3901 /pararrhyéō (“gradually drift away”) means to “lapse” into spiritual defeat, describing how we slowly move away from our moorings in Christ. (source)

How can you make sure you love Christ and not the world, that apostasy has not crept in, that you are not drifting away? Of course our wonderful bible has the answer:

“Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you fail to meet the test!” (2 Cor 13:5)

So…how do we examine ourselves? Here is one page using scripture that helps guide us through the common tests:

Are You A Christian?
TEST 1: Gospel Belief and Confession of Faith
2) Born Again / Sonship / Correction;
3) Repentance / Deliverance from Sin;
4) Good Works by Grace, and
5) The Fruit of the Spirit. 

Don’t sink, don’t leave, don’t drift. Examine yourself and stay in the faith!

Posted in iran, psalm 83, wipe israel from the face of the earth

Iran says they will wipe Israel off the face of the earth

Posted on by elizabethprata

Iran issues new threat to Israel
“An Iranian military official threatened to “wipe” Israel “off the face of the earth” if the Jewish state attacks, a stark new threat coinciding with the start of a European Union oil embargo to put pressure on Iran’s nuclear program, Reuters reported. Revolutionary Guards General Amir Ali Hajizadeh reportedly issued the warning as he announced new missile tests to take place in the coming week.”

“If they [Israel] take any action, they will hand us an excuse to wipe them off the face of the earth,” Hajizadeh said, according to state news agency IRNA.

They say, “Come, let us wipe them out as a nation; let the name of Israel be remembered no more!” (Psalm 83 ESV)

When prophecy meets the news, and the news meets prophecy… the convergence really gives me chills

Posted in aaron justus, godzilla weather forecast

Hot, with a chance of Godzilla. The forecast from Aaron Justus

Posted on by elizabethprata

“Freelance Meteorologist Aaron Justus worked as the Weekend Meteorologist at WTVR CBS 6 in Richmond, Virginia for just over four years. A clip of Aaron giving a wild forecast released this week and is one of the most watched videos this weekend. The forecast includes soaring temperatures to above 300 degrees from a volcanic eruption, a global super storm dropping 1-200 inches of rain and Godzilla.” (source)

Weather is getting so crazy… what else is there to say?

Posted in authoritarian axis rising, dumb church, prophecy

Authoritarian axis rising, land temperatures, the dumb church, Bethlehem in danger

Posted on by elizabethprata

The Diplomat has a good article out this week. It explores the new axis of power and the reasons for its emergence. Any student of prophecy who understands the prophesied main aggressors and players in the run-up to and through the Tribulation will immediately understand the implications analyzed in this article.

Russia is a major player as well as the Kings of the East, the Asia-Pacific nations of the Orient. (Ezekiel 38:2-3; Daniel 11:44; 9:13-21; 16:12-16). Though throughout all of history the East has never formally allied with the Middle East, the Euphrates being a divider as well as a border. Russia has always been an aggressive force through history. We are seeing these important prophetic pieces coming together as this article outlines. The reasons for the authoritarian emphasis are also prophetic. The group rising to power certainly isn’t democracy-friendly and we see that fact in the Tribulation with first the formation of the ten kings (Rev 17:12; Daniel 7:7-8) oppressing the world and then the final king of the antichrist as the ultimate expression of authoritarian power.

An Authoritarian Axis Rising?
“It isn’t the “axis of evil.” But a number of authoritarian states are showing a troubling tendency to look out for each other. It takes time for societies and policymakers to understand that a major shift in global affairs is afoot. But what we see clearly, in recent months, is the emergence of a new constellation of powers.By coordinating their policies, this grouping of powers is beginning to profoundly reshape global affairs, especially in the Asia-Pacific, Indo-Pacific, and Eurasian regions. Who are the members of this group? Today, it includes China, Russia, Iran, North Korea, Syria, and Venezuela. Such a concert of nations can only inject turmoil into the international system. It is a relatively new phenomenon that represents a radical shift in international politics, perhaps as momentous as the Soviet Union’s collapse two decades ago.”

Why are the youth leaving the church in droves? Robin Schumacher explores the answer to this question in the Christian Post:

The Tragedy of the Dumb Church
“In short, it happens because much of the Church today is dumb. Don’t misunderstand me, I mean no disrespect when I use the term ‘dumb’. What I mean is that the Church is dumb in that they aren’t well educated in what they believe, fail miserably in fulfilling 1 Peter 3:15 that says all Christians should be prepared to give a reason for why they believe, and are woefully unable to handle any challenge to Christianity that comes from unbelievers or the cults.”

This interesting article below talks not about the air temperatures, but the land temps and how these sparked and supported the many wildfires going on now in the American Midwest.

NASA’s sizzling map of U.S. heatwave displays the burning temperatures that in just eight days broke the last 11 years’ average
“While blazing wildfires throughout the central United States consume hundreds of homes and force thousands to flee into this weekend, a sizzling map captured by a NASA satellite only days before helps reveal why. … Painting the central U.S. in red, the same area currently battling unrelenting wildfires, the map taken by NASA’s Terra satellite brandishes a depiction of what they politely call: ‘unusually hot weather.’

Below is a different map showing broken heat records, and the one I clicked on is where I live. It was 109 degrees yesterday.

One of only two borders in the Middle East under a peace treaty (Jordan is the other) Israel now looks to the ominous events in Egypt with the election of Mursi the Islamic Brother, and gulps. Israel Behind the News has an analysis-

Morsi Is Israel’s Nightmare, But The Sun Will Come Up Tomorrow“We have reached the moment feared by generations of Israeli Intelligence and GSS chiefs. The ultimate nightmare scenario is playing out in front of our very eyes -the same narrative that played a major role in the terror scenarios that starred in the secret war games of the IDF and the Israeli defense system for an entire generation. The moment when Egypt fell – into the hands of the Muslim Brotherhood. The inconceivable is materializing in front of our eyes. The “cliff” – Shimon Peres,[the Israeli President]‘s, nickname for Hosni Mubarak – has been washed to sea, and is being replaced by the Muslim flood. All this transpires in the largest Arab country, Israel’s major strategic peace partner, the regional anchor, the neighborhood balance factor. It’s over.”

All is not well over at the other border, that is, Jordan and Syria. Turkey borders Syria too and Turkey hasn’t been happy with the spillover for a while. Now it’s Jordan’s turn to ratchet up their concern. The Jordan Times has the news-

Jordan ‘tightening borders’ amid Syria spillover fears
“Jordan has tightened entry restrictions along its northern borders, security officials say, amid concerns that the ongoing influx of Syrian refugees may become a threat to the Kingdom’s national security. According to a security source, authorities have imposed a new policy barring the illegal entry of unaccompanied Syrian males between the ages of 18 and 40, turning away “dozens” from the border in the last two weeks. The new policy comes amid growing concerns in Amman of attempts by opposition activists and regime agents to infiltrate the growing refugee community — whose numbers officials place at over 140,000 — to carry out political or military activities on Jordanian soil. “There are fears that as the number of rebels and regime loyalists increases, Jordan may become a new battleground for their conflict,” said the security source, who preferred to remain unnamed.”

Earthquake Shakes Baja, California
“News 11 has reports of a 4.9 magnitude rolling earthquake that shook Yuma and Imperial Counties around 8:30 P.M Saturday evening. It was centered near Guadalupe Victoria, Baja, California with the nearest larger cities being Yuma and El Centro. News 11 also recieved calls from viewers as far as Welton and the Foothills who also felt the rattle.There have not been reports of any damages or injuries but News 11 will continue to track down the details.”

There actually have been 14 quakes at Baja, near Mexicali, where the large 7.2 quake occurred 2 years ago.

Bethlehem was in the news earlier this week too. When Russia’s Putin visited  there Palestinian Authority’s Abbas held a ceremony honoring Putin with a street in Bethlehem named after the Russian Czar.

Birthplace of Jesus added to UN’s World Heritage in Danger list
“The United Nations (UN) Scientific, Cultural, and Educational Organization (UNESCO) has listed the Church of the Nativity, which sits on the site identified by Christian tradition as the birthplace of Jesus, on its list of sites in danger, officials said on Friday.”

Aren’t you glad Jesus was born to seek and save the lost? I am. So those were some headlines for today. Enjoy your Lord’s Day of worship, prayer, study, and family.

Posted in heat wave, judgment, prophecy, storms

(Updated 2X) Have you forgotten about Debby already? Fires, Derechos and heat make Debby seem like old news

Posted on by elizabethprata

Update #2: In an ironic twist to the fulfillment of what I said below regarding media’s use of ever-topping superlatives to try and explain the outsized events occurring almost daily now, the derechos that occurred yesterday and reported on this morning, are by this afternoon called SUPER-derecho. From Accuweather: “Deadly Super Derecho Strikes Midwest, Mid-Atlantic“

———————————

UPDATE #1 from the Weather Channel summarizing last night’s storms:

We are awakening to reports of some severe weather here in the eastern US overnight.
“As storm reports continue to come in from the severe storms, meteorologists say the storm reports from this event are the 2nd highest reported in a single day in 2012. Millions are without power and travel has been impacted. AMTRAK service has been suspended from Washington D.C. to Philadelphia and Washington D.C to Baltimore due to downed trees and signal power. At least two have died from storm related injuries as of early Saturday morning.”
—————————–

Original post:

Meteorologist Heather Brinkmann wrote, “Check out this radar composite of the derecho that went thru the Ohio Valley today”

NOAA defines derecho as “a widespread, long-lived wind storm that is associated with a band of rapidly moving showers or thunderstorms. Although a derecho can produce destruction similar to that of tornadoes, the damage typically is directed in one direction along a relatively straight swath.”

This is what a derecho looks like in real life:

source

Source NOAA

Definitely a scary looking storm.

Although derechos are not unheard of, they are not an everyday occurrence, either. See this frequency map from NOAA. Yesterday’s derecho occurred in exactly the place they most likely occur, “along the “Corn Belt” from the upper Mississippi Valley southeast into the Ohio Valley, and the other from the southern Plains northeast into the mid Mississippi Valley.”

Source NOAA

Yesterday’s storms were damaging, especially to the people in Washington DC. This morning millions are without power, and in some cases, it will take multiple days to get them hooked up again. This is bad news, because the extreme heat is supposed to continue. Today’s temps are predicted to be triple digit again. A dangerous situation for sure.

The weather has continually been outsized. I often talk about the language newscasters and meterologists use to describe what they are seeing. Increasingly since 2009 they use superlatives such as “greatest,” “biggest”, “most damaging”. But even those top superlatives don’t describe what is happening any more. The events keep topping themselves. They now say “Apocalyptic,” “epic”, “biblical,” and “record breaking” or “historic.”

The power of words diminishes the more you use one, and the term ‘record-breaking’, after a while doesn’t mean much if records are being broken every day. And they are. Even the Guardian UK asked what is going on:

America in grip of fire and floods
“Natural disasters are wreaking havoc across the US, with the entire state of Florida on emergency flood watch – while, in Colorado, half of the country’s entire firefighting force is battling massive blazes that have displaced thousands.”

Floods? What floods? Tropical Storm Debby. Oh yes, that’s right. Forgotten in the face of the Colorado wildfires, and then immediately after that, the extreme heat and then the derechos. Four disasters in one week, and the brain tries to maintain a sense of perspective, but it can’t. Something has to give. Debby’s devastating flooding is now relegated to the dustbin of old news, even though it happened just 5 days ago.

I wonder how quickly the plagues of Egypt happened, how long in between them they occurred. Maybe the first few started slowly but by the time the 7th, 8th, 9th plagues came they were overlapping.

Though these are not eschatalogical (end times) judgments per se, like the biblical plagues were, they seem pretty bad as it is. In reading newspaper articles about them, people often refer to the bible. Here is a quote from the Guardian article:

“Local Amanda Rice said: “It was just this God-awful orange glow. It was surreal. It honestly looked like hell was opening up.”

This is from the Colorado Springs Gazette:

WALDO CANYON FIRE: Hell in the rearview mirror

“And there I sat in traffic. It’s a memory I’ll never forget. I teared up as I scanned the surrounding cars. Everywhere were children, scared and crying, their parents looking deathly afraid and, in my rearview mirror, a view of the gates of hell.”

I want you to think about the heat wave. Here in North GA we had actual temps of 111 yesterday, though the predictions were for 105. Today the predictions are for 109 but I wonder how high the actual temps will be. They are saying that heat indexes (real feel) will be over 114. Yet it will get worse.

During the tribulation, one of the bowl judgments will be to heat up the earth so that people are literally scorched. “The fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun, and it was allowed to scorch people with fire. They were scorched by the fierce heat, and they cursed the name of God who had power over these plagues. They did not repent and give him glory.” (Revelation 16:8-9).

Bu that time they know and understand that it is God making the crazy weather, not “mother Nature” or “global warning”, because the verse says they curse Him. I wonder if it will be that He makes it so hot that asphalt and wood spontaneously combust…or if solar flares actually singe the earth itself…I don’t know. But you can imagine the havoc in DC this morning with no electricity yet all this heat. People are going to die today if they can’t get cool, it is just a fact. The elderly and the infants and sick will succumb in hot apartments where no air stirs and they can’t seem to catch a breath. And yet the bible shows us how much worse it will get.

One thing is better. All this crazy weather activity seems to be making people whose hearts are not closed to Him think of Him. Twitter is the current iteration of vox populi, a Latin term literally meaning ‘voice of the people.’ Broadcasters use it, a man on the street kind of thing. What are the people saying? Well, this morning I woke up to find on the trending list, “Zechariah 14:9.” I can’t tell you how rare it is for biblical things to be trending. That means enough people have to be talking about a certain thing over all the world’s twitter users, to make the subject one of the top ten of all the things that vox populi could be talking about. Almost always the trends list  is stuffed with celebrity news, sports, and meaningless jokes.

Zechariah 14:9 says:

“And the LORD will be king over all the earth. On that day the LORD will be one and his name one.”

The saints know Jesus is coming soon. We are excited to see what He is doing in the world. Not that people are in pain, obviously, but that His name is on the lips of many, His glory and power are noticed, and that His word is repeated online between and among believers and non-believers alike. This ‘crazy weather’ isn’t crazy. It is a controlled series of events from the Creator of weather, the Creator of the earth and all that is in it. He is telling us something. How many warnings will there be? Not many more, I fear. He has been patient with us, kind and generous. That period of warning will end and after the rapture, the judgments will begin.

I pray you are among the blessed who have already made Jesus your Lord and King. Repentance is the key. Repenting of your sins and appealing to the One Sacrifice who has the ability to forgive them is the way to heaven. The only way. For as the verse in Zechariah says, the LORD will be King over all the earth. Will you face Him as friend, or enemy? Repentence is the key.

Posted in prophecy, sounds of the apocalypse, strange sky noise

Strange Sound Reported in San Diego

Posted on by elizabethprata

The sound was felt or heard in all corners of San Diego County

“Residents from Chula Vista to Oceanside are reporting a large rumble around 12:45 p.m. Friday. Some people describe it as sounding like a door slamming while others said it was strong enough to rattle windows. A check of the U.S. Geological Survey website shows no earthquake activity. One San Diego resident mentioned the sound via Twitter “Uh… La Jolla just shook. Or at least my street did. Big boom too.” Sometimes, a military exercise known as chaff can cause a similar sound. On Friday, however, Tina Stall with the National Weather Service said there was no visible chaff in the area at the time the noise was reported. A spokesperson from Camp Pendleton said Marines are not training with anything unusual. They often train with various military equipment and will be training with tanks both Saturday and Sunday.” (more at source)

I think this is the first time that these worldwide sounds, heard in Russia, Ukraine, Canada, etc have been heard and documented so thoroughly over such a major metropolitan area in the US. People have been calling the strange sound “Sounds of the Apocalypse.” I don’t know if these sounds are a progressive fulfillment of the following verse, but it certainly gives one pause for thought with all the other historic, apocalyptic, and unusual things happening today on earth. Even the UK Daily Telegraph noted, “America in grip of fire and floods“

“A noise shall come even to the ends of the earth; for the LORD hath a controversy with the nations, he will plead with all flesh; he will give them that are wicked to the sword, saith the LORD.” (Jeremiah 25:31). 

Please continue to be in prayer for missionaries, the lost, and the weakening of faith and of strength. The LORD made this promise to Israel but He also will do the same for his Bride:

The Ransomed Shall Return
The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad; the desert shall rejoice and blossom like the crocus;
it shall blossom abundantly and rejoice with joy and singing. The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it, the majesty of Carmel and Sharon. They shall see the glory of the LORD, the majesty of our God.
Strengthen the weak hands, and make firm the feeble knees.
Say to those who have an anxious heart,
“Be strong; fear not! Behold, your God will come with vengeance,
with the recompense of God.
He will come and save you.”
 Isaiah 35:1-4