Category: end time. prophecy

Posted in end time, end time. prophecy, great tribulation, signs in the sun

Signs in the sun and the stars and the moon. Is the sun shrinking?

Posted on by elizabethprata

Jesus said that in the end time there will be signs in the sun and the moon and the stars. The word “Signs” means something different from tokens and different from wonders and different from miracles. In Hebrews 2:4 the three words are used successively, and more importantly, separately. “God also testifying with them, both by signs and wonders and by various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit according to His own will.” Therefore it is obvious that they mean different things.

I think by any stretch of the imagination that the word miracles means something totally supernatural, cannot have occurred without Divine direction. Resurrecting people or healing their illnesses on the spot is a miracle. A sign, for which the same Greek word is used in many cases, also means pointing toward the Word’s truth in a confirmation. For example, in Luke 2:12 the angel said to the shepherds, “This will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” It is not a miracle to see a baby in swaddling cloths. It wouldn’t even be unusual to see a baby in a manger in the barn, it was really crowded in many towns during the time of the census as mass populations were on the move. It was more like a declaration of proof of what the angels were saying, ‘Go see, when you find the sign you will know what is stated is true.’ And, of course, the circumstances of the baby’s birth and the reason for it was a miracle, as the world discovered later.

A sign is just that, like the signs you see on the highway, “Des Moines, 235 miles.” You already knew you were on the road to Des Moines, and you already knew it was pretty far, but it’s still nice to see the sign confirming it.

Back to Jesus’ statement that there will be signs in the sun and the moon and the stars. I believe we have seen signs in the sun and stars (& planets) but the only sign absent has been the signs in the moon. But turning to this week’s activity up in the cold reaches of space, we have a spate of scientists scratching their collective heads at the mis-behavior of Jupiter and the sun, and jumping up and down in excitement at Comet McNaught brightening so quickly.

http://c.brightcove.com/services/viewer/federated_f9/2227271001?isVid=1

What’s wrong with the sun?
Sunspots and other clues indicate that the sun’s magnetic activity is diminishing, and that the sun may even be shrinking. Together the results hint that something profound is happening inside the sun. The big question is what?

Jupiter Impact: Mystery of the Missing Debris
On June 3rd, 2010, something hit Jupiter. A comet or asteroid descended from the black of space, struck the planet’s cloudtops, and disintegrated, producing a flash of light so bright it was visible in backyard telescopes on Earth. Soon, observers around the world were training their optics on the impact site, waiting to monitor the cindery cloud of debris which always seems to accompany a strike of this kind.
They’re still waiting.
“It’s as if Jupiter just swallowed the thing whole,” says Anthony Wesley of Australia, one of two amateur astronomers who recorded the initial flash. The other, Christopher Go of the Philippines, says “it was thrilling to see the impact, but the absence of any visible debris has got us scratching our heads.”

Newly discovered comet dazzles skywatchers with increasing brightness
Skywatchers are dazzled as a recently discovered comet is becoming brighter than initial predictions and can now be seen with the unaided eye during the next few weeks. Australian astronomer Robert McNaught discovered Comet McNaught last September Although initially an extremely faint object, it is now visible for people with dark skies away from urban and suburban lighting. By mid-June it may be an easy skywatching target for most people, reports Fox News. With the beginning of April, the comet was estimated at magnitude +12—this is still about 250 times dimmer than the faintest star that one might see without any optical aid. But the comet started brightening more rapidly in the days and weeks that followed and it is now bright enough to be glimpsed with the naked eye in a dark clear sky.

Has Jupiter sent cosmology down a false trail?

It’s supposed to be the “gold standard” of evidence supporting the standard model of cosmology– including dark matter, dark energy and the exponential expansion after the big bang known as inflation. But could it be wrong? Might misleading measurements by NASA’s Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP) have been leading us towards the wrong theory of cosmology? One astrophysicist thinks so, and he says the planet Jupiter is to blame – though others insist that there is nothing amiss.

Men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken. (Luke 21:26)

As the end time ticks over into the Tribulation, the heavenly bodies are shaken in ways that no one can miss. As Joel 2:10 describes, “Before them the earth quakes, The heavens tremble, The sun and the moon grow dark And the stars lose their brightness.” Has the process of signs in the heavenly bodies started now, before the Tribulation? According to Revelation and other verses, I believe that all the prophecies given in the bible have been either fulfilled or are in some stage of near fulfillment because the Tribulation is that near. So, yes, I think the process of signs in the sun/moon/stars has begun. Look to the moon, that is the only celestial body not to have been giving a sign as yet or have been causing scientists to scratch their heads in amazement in the change in standard behavior. But it will. Oh, it will. The Lord’s Word is good and He is faithful to the truth.

Posted in end time, end time. prophecy, jesus, mire, sin

Sin rising, mire deepening, Jesus coming!

Posted on by elizabethprata

Jeremiah was a faithful prophet. He preached the Word no matter the cost to himself. Even though the LORD had promised “Then I will make you to this people A fortified wall of bronze; And though they fight against you, They will not prevail over you; For I am with you to save you And deliver you,” declares the LORD” (Jer 15:20) it still could not have been easy for Jeremiah to go through all the things he went through. One day, he was preaching (again) in advance of the coming Babylonians, and the princes of King Zedekiah had had enough. They conspired to throw Jeremiah into a pit and they brought their petition to the King, who, though knowing Jeremiah was a prophet, did not stand for truth when push came to shove. The king said essentially, “go ahead, do what you will’ sort of like Pilate did later on.

So the princes took Jeremiah and threw him into what was probably an oubliette but is called a cistern in the NASB.

“Then the officials said to the king, “Now let this man be put to death, inasmuch as he is discouraging the men of war who are left in this city and all the people, by speaking such words to them; for this man is not seeking the well-being of this people but rather their harm.” So King Zedekiah said, “Behold, he is in your hands; for the king can do nothing against you.” Then they took Jeremiah and cast him into the cistern of Malchijah the king’s son, which was in the court of the guardhouse; and they let Jeremiah down with ropes. Now in the cistern there was no water but only mud, and Jeremiah sank into the mud.” (Jer 38:4-6).

An oubliette is from the French meaning forgotten place and is a derivative of oublier, “to forget”. We also get the English word ‘oblivion’ from oublier. Prisoners whom their captors wish to forget were thrown into an oublier, which was deep with a hole and a grate over the top. The prisoner had no way of escaping. Some oubliers were bottle shaped so the prisoner could not sit down nor even turn around. One famous oublier had no grate but prisoners were simply hustled along a dark tunnel at sword-point until they fell into the hole, shocked and stunned at their sudden descent. In the illustration, notice the man in the right-oubliette (or cistern) with upraised hands.

Whether it was a cistern being used for prisoners or was a purposely built dungeon, the pit was a terrible place. Full of garbage, decay, and rats, being in the lower most parts of the castle, the pit was usually filled with water that seeped up from the earthen floor, making survival almost impossible. Which was the point.

I notice that though the princes hated Jeremiah’s words, they were careful not to toss him but carefully lowered him by ropes. However, once lowered, he sunk way down, (Josephus said that Jeremiah sunk in up to his neck) and then Jeremiah began his lamentation.

Lamentations 3:53-57
They tried to end my life in a pit
and threw stones at me;
the waters closed over my head,
and I thought I was about to be cut off.
I called on your name, O Lord,
from the depths of the pit.
You heard my plea: “Do not close your ears
to my cry for relief.”
You came near when I called you,
and you said, “Do not fear.”

Louis Ginzberg’s Legends of the Jews says of the scene: “Hardly out of prison, he again advised the people to surrender, and the nobility seized him and cast him into a lime pit filled with water, where they hoped he would drown. But a miracle happened. The water sank to the bottom, and the mud rose to the surface, and supported the prophet above the water. Help came to him from Ebed-melech, a “white raven,” the only pious man at court. Ebed-melech hastened to the king and spoke: “Know, if Jeremiah perishes in the lime pit, Jerusalem will surely be captured.” With the permission of the king, Ebed-melech went to the pit, and cried out aloud several times, “O my lord Jeremiah,” but no answer came. Jeremiah feared the words were spoken by his former jailer Jonathan, who had not given up his practice of mocking at the prophet. He would come to the edge of the pit and call down jeeringly: “Do not rest thy head on the mud, and take a little sleep, Jeremiah.” To such sneers Jeremiah made no reply, and hence it was that Ebed-melech was left unanswered. Thinking the prophet dead, he began to lament and tear his clothes. Then Jeremiah, realizing that it was a friend, and not Jonathan, asked: “Who is it that is calling my name and weeps therewith?” and he received the assurance that Ebed-melech had come to rescue him from his perilous position.”

I am guessing that the first thing they did for him was give him a bath and clean him up. Gave him some clean robes to wear.

In thinking about the mire, I can’t help but wonder what bible symbol mire is used for in this case. Since bible interprets bible, I find Isaiah 57:20 -“But the wicked are like the tossing sea, which cannot rest, whose waves cast up mire and mud.” The sea is the wicked and what they toss up is mire, muck, and dirt. The mire is the “fruit” of the wicked. Moreover, the picture of the pit is one that has a soft bottom. Jeremiah didn’t land with a thud, he landed with a plop. Then sunk more and more and more, like we do in sin. We cannot get out of the pit by ourselves and indeed all our vain efforts will only succeed in getting us in deeper. But He will lift us out!

Psalm 40:2 – He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand.

NO ONE needs to be in the pit, ever. Jesus died so that He could lift us out of our sins of the pit would be washed away. If we ask Him, He establishes us on the rock and from which no one, not even the gates of hell, can toss us off. But you have to ask.

Jeremiah was cast into the mire, but Jesus volunteered to leave His heavenly abode and to not only spend three and a half wearying years among sinful humans, but He hung on the cross and BECAME sin. He allowed Himself to succumb to the mire and sink below it … for our sakes.

“Save me, O God! For the waters have come up to my neck. I sink in deep mire, where there is no standing; I have come into deep waters, where the floods overflow me. I am weary with my crying; my throat is dry; my eyes fail while I wait for my God.” (Psalm 69:1-3)

Imagine His horror, as He became miry sin for us all and the Father turned away … “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” (Psalm 22:1). For the first time since eternity began, Jesus was separated from the Father … His own throat dry and His own eyes not seeing His glory…but only mire.

Jesus was alone in sin, AS sin, but He does not leave us alone in it. We sink, but if we call out He raises us up out of the mire. As this old world becomes more and more sinful, does it feel to you, Christian, that we are up to our noses in mire? This entire essay began last night as a plea to Jesus to release me and all Christians and children from the sin so prevalent that feels like it is up to my nose. I can barely breathe because of the odor of sulfurous sin from all around, enveloping me. Suddenly the picture of Jeremiah came to me and how he was up to his nose in mire.

Do you feel the sins of the world are so high it strains the neck to stay above it? True repentance means hating the stench of sin, and realizing that all our actions are as nothing to wash away that smell. Only Jesus can wash it away. Well, blessings, He will raise us up! He will snatch us away and take us to the clean place and give us clean robes to wear. “And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.” (These are not the tribulation saints but the Church Age saints snatched out of the Tribulation, out of from the Greek word ‘ek’ meaning away from the time, place, and cause) Soon and very soon! Out of the mire, out from the fire, into clean garments and washed by His blood! And remember, though sins pile up all around us, Jesus sunk below that awful mire. He was alone in the universe, apart from the Father, and for that, we sing “You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation.” (Rev 5:9)

Posted in asymmetric war, damascus, end time, end time. prophecy, gog magog, psalm 83, tipping point, vallely

War is coming: Maj. General Paul Vallely interview

Posted on by elizabethprata

War is coming. I am sure of this, because the bible tells explicitly that a series of wars and battles will occur just prior to the rapture. The details are in Isaiah, Psalm 83, and Ezekiel 38-39. So war WILL happen.. and it seems from developments in the Middle East the last month, that the prophesied wars and battles are closer than ever. [Photo: Iran missile test April 2010]

[Photo: Damascus] We know that the capital of Syria, Damascus, will be obliterated in the end days. “The burden of Damascus. Behold, Damascus is taken away from being a city, and it shall be a ruinous heap.” (Isaiah 17:1) Damascus is the oldest continuously occupied city in the world so we know that prophecy has not been fulfilled yet. It is a future event.

Definition:
Hezbollah literally “Party of God”) is a Shi’a Islamist political and paramilitary (terrorist) organisation based in Lebanon. [Photo: Hezbollah salute.]

Hamas (in Arabic, an acronym for “Harakat Al-Muqawama Al-Islamia” — Islamic Resistance Movement — and a word meaning zeal) is a radical Islamic fundamentalist organization which became active in the early stages of the intifada, operating primarily in the Gaza District but also in Judea and Samaria. Formed in late 1987 as an outgrowth of the Palestinian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood. Various HAMAS elements have used both political and violent means, including terrorism, to pursue the goal of establishing an Islamic Palestinian state in place of Israel.

Outline of some of the main war events around Israel prophesied for the last days:

  • Isaiah 17:1– Damascus (in Syria) destroyed.
  • Psalm 83: Israel’s near neighbors attack Israel. Israel is successful in warding off the attack, but not without damage. The Psalm 83 nations who attack Israel are Edomites (Jordanians) Ishmaelites (United Arab Emirates, Yemen and the Saudi Arabians), Moabites, Hagrites, Gebal, Ammon (So. Jordan), Philistia/Tyre (Lebanon), Assyria (Iran/Iraq tribes at northern border. However, Israel’s military victory success leads to a state of unpreparedness. She lets down her guard and it at this time that…
  • Ezekiel 38-39: Gog-Magog battle. (Ez 38:11 – “You will say, “I will invade a land of unwalled villages; I will attack a peaceful and unsuspecting people–all of them living without walls and without gates and bars.”) Iran, Russia, Turkey, Armenia, Sudan, Libya, and others attack Israel. Israel almost loses this battle, but God supernaturally intervenes to save Israel. It is this moment that Israel recognizes her God once again and she returns to the Old Covenant. The church is raptured by the time this battle ends.

Major General Paul E. Vallely, United States Army (Ret. ) is currently a senior military analyst for Fox News. Vallely has previously said that the war on terror is a war between Islam and Judeo-Christianity: “That’s what’s going on. If you don’t understand that, then you don’t get it.” He believes that Iran already HAS the nuclear bomb and they are just trying to figure out how to attach it to a delivery missile.

The Maj. General sat down exclusively yesterday with an interviewer on PJTV and for 11 sobering minutes outlined the serious, serious indicators of imminent war in the Middle East. (link to video below, cannot embed). He reveals many things that have been noticed over the last 10-30 days in Lebanon, Israel, and Iran, such as a Russian sub flying an Iranian flag docking in Beirut and offloaded by men in HazMat suits (chemical warfare). And that “Just in the last week, we have very definitive and confirmed information that Iran is planning a preemptive attack against Israel,” said Major General Vallely during the PJTV interview. Gen. Vallely tells PJTV’s Bill Whittle, that Iran has stockpiled “50 to 60 thousand rockets and missiles” in Lebanon.

All these preparations and others discussed in the interview according to Vallely and other experts, point to Iran preparing a preemptive strike against Israel that is designed to preempt Israel’s preemptive strike against Iran. In one piece of news divulged for the first time, the General said that Iran is planning to rain down SCUD’s on ALL Israeli airfields, civilian and military, to deny Israeli flight capability in response, a tactic Iran learned from the Israelis when the Israelis used it on the Egyptians. Remember there were SCUDS delivered to the Syrians three weeks ago. And it is announced that the U.S. is postponing appointment of ambassador to Damascus ‘until further notice.’ At one point, the interviewer asks the General what is different in Lebanon, Israel and Iran and Syria over the last month that hasn’t been seen before, and is given specific answers. Then Vallely is asked if Iran is “nutty enough” to use the bomb, the Maj General says “Absolutely, plus I believe they will load up container ships and attack the US rather than use the ICBM method.” I believe this as well.

Lots to digest here and pray over! The Maj. General said “the whole chessboard has changed THIS YEAR, and the Summer of 2010 is pivotal. It could change the whole world.”

Vallely believes that the summer of 2010 will be “the tipping point for the Middle East”—that “the summer of 2010 is pivotal—it can change the whole world.”We know from the bible that at long last, war erupts in the Middle East and there are protracted battles, damage, and death on a scale that finally prompts the world to cry out for a treaty once and for all. It will happen, and the words of Daniel the prophet say that “He will confirm a covenant with the many for one week [7 years]…

Scary, scary stuff, delivered in calm, measured interview with substantive facts. It is MUST SEE TV for all Israel lovers! All prophecy lovers! All Christians! Watch!

link to video interview

And supporting Vallely’s facts are more facts in the news today:

IDF preparing for mass evacuations in case of Hezbollah strike
The Israel Defense Forces Home Front Command is putting together a plan for the mass evacuation of civilians in the event of missile and rocket attacks. Hezbollah’s rockets can currently hit practically everywhere in the country.

Hezbollah on high alert ahead of IDF drill
Thousands of Hezbollah fighters have been ordered to maintain a heightened state of alert ahead of a large-scale Israel Defense Forces exercise which begins Sunday, the Shiite group’s representatives in southern Lebanon, Nabil Qaouk, told the AFP news agency on Friday.
Spain says Mediterranean Union summit postponed
A meeting to bring together European and Middle Eastern governments has been postponed to give Israeli-Palestinian talks time to achieve results, officials said. Israel on Friday called the reason for the delay ridiculous. … The newspaper El Pais says Syria and Egypt threatened to boycott it if Israel’s hardline foreign minister, Avigdor Lieberman, attended.

The situation in the Middle East is so hot right now you could fry an egg on top of the map of it.

Posted in bp, end time, end time. prophecy, oil hurricane, oil spill

Hurricane season in the Gulf, will the oil be airborne?

Posted on by elizabethprata

On April 30, day 10 of the oil spill, I quoted Op-Ed News here regarding the likely reality that “Hurricane season starts June 1 and it will likely contain storm whipped oil splattering across the gulf towns from shorelines to well inland. “The strong winds in hurricanes, sweeping across the surging waves they have created, such up a considerable amount of surface water and blow it inland. This time, however, those winds could also end up picking up a considerable amount of the oil slick floating on the sea’s surface, which would be deposited as rain well inland, damaging croplands and forests, too.” Think about it- What happens when you mix oil with salty water? It results in a mayonnaise like light foam, an emulsion. A lot of foam can be created from a small amount of oil. The emulsion could become easily airborne under high winds. As the hurricane makes landfall, the oil foam would be plastered on everything for hundreds of miles. When trees, grasses, plants, animals, etc. get pounded with the foamy winds they will get a thin layer of oil. That thin layer of oil mixed with sea water will kill any vegetation. Normally Texas receives its first tropical storm on average around June 6.”

Above, oil splatter on a screen from Chinese oil fields, article by Sean Gallagher, “The Sea of Death”

It seems now more than ever that since the oil has not been capped but is in fact gushing more and more each day, that the “Gulf Faces ‘Difficult Reality’ of Storm-Whipped Oil“

As oil, tar balls and dead wildlife wash up on the coast of Louisiana from a leaking well at the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico, another threat looms on the horizon — hurricane season, which officially starts June 1. “It is a very difficult reality for people to fathom right now,” said Courtney Howell, 32, the executive director of Bayou Grace Community Services in Chauvin, Louisiana. “They know how big this threat is, but trying to think about that on top of a hurricane is too much to bear… If one or more storms hit the slick before making landfall, work on plugging the leak would have to stop and oil may be pushed miles inland, soiling beaches and marshes or even spreading all over the Gulf, said Barry Keim, Louisiana’s climatologist and a professor at Louisiana State University. Waves of about 25 feet can come with a tropical storm and 50 to 75 feet with a hurricane, Keim said.”

Yes it is almost too much to bear. Yet we know that in the end time that we are to encourage each other and to lift our eyes to Jesus. The tough times that are upon us are difficult but nothing like what will be for those left behind in the Tribulation. So, Christians, this is the time to urge repentance. Disasters such as the long, slow-moving oil spill disaster are opportunities to look at our inward parts and see our sin for what it is, rebellion against God.

Posted in end time, end time. prophecy, gray whale Israel coast, jonah, signs

Gray Whale found swimming off Israel

Posted on by elizabethprata

Jesus said that there would be signs to indicate His coming at the end of the age. In the Olivet Discourse with His disciples, Jesus lengthily answered the Disciples’ questions as to these warning signs. (Mark 13, Matthew 24, Luke 17:20-3) He wanted us to look to those signs as proof of His word. (Matthew 24:25 & Matthew 24:42).

To the Pharisees, however, the hypocritical and unbelieving Pharisees who kept pestering Jesus for a sign that would prove He is the Messiah rather than relying on faith and belief, He gave a completely different answer. In Matthew 12:38-42 He rebuked them sharply, “But He answered and said to them, “An evil and adulterous generation craves for a sign; and yet no sign will be given to it but the sign of Jonah the prophet; for just as JONAH WAS THREE DAYS AND THREE NIGHTS IN THE BELLY OF THE SEA MONSTER, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.”

You know the story. God wanted Jonah to preach to the fallen in the city of Nineveh (which is today’s Mosul, Iraq). Jonah hated Nineveh and ran away. He boarded a boat and a storm came. Soon the men noticed that Jonah was the cause of the storm so Jonah abashedly allowed them to toss him overboard. Jonah was swallowed by a whale (actually a great fish), and was inside its belly for three days and nights. (Jonah 1)

A careful reading of Jonah 2 will elicit the interpretation that as Jonah was sinking to the bottom of the sea and falling unconscious, he prayed for forgiveness, then died. My stance is biblically supported through the verses of Jonah 1:2; 5-7; and through Mt 12:38-40, but more on that in a moment). God sent the fish to scoop up Jonah, who was kept for three days inside the great fish’s belly and then spit up on land, alive.

The Greek renders the word “fish” in this verse dagah. Nineveh at that time was a Dagon-worshiping bunch. Dagon was a Philistine fish-god, referred to in Judges 26:23; I Sam. 5:1-7. Dagon the fish-god is still worshiped today. Imagine the impact of an unbelieving population to have seen a man spit up by a great fish and begin talking about the One True God who trumps this Dagon.

The unbelieving generation to whom Jesus was talking in Matthew 12:38-42 were the Pharisees, who had the advantage of reading the scriptures to verify what they were seeing in front of them, and yet they still refused the Truth. So for the short answer, Jesus compared Jonah’s sign with His upcoming sign. We know that Jesus died and lay in the belly of the earth for three days, and therefore in comparing Him sign with Jonah’s we also conclude Jonah died. Jesus’ warning to look to Jonah should not be dispensed with because He has risen.

So in the news there are things happening that could be called signs. They are certainly perplexing. The planet Jupiter lost a belt. Yes, indeed. One year it was there and next day it wasn’t.

And, off Israel, a gray whale was spotted. So what, you ask? Well, gray whales have been extinct in that part of the world for three hundred years. “The whale population which lives in the northeastern Pacific normally migrates southwards in around October, heading for warmer waters around the Gulf of California in a huge round trip of at least 5,000 miles (8,000 kilometers), AFP reported.” It is called the ‘most amazing sighting in history of whales’. It swam for several hours off Herzliya Marina, close to Tel Aviv. They are saying it is a “miracle” and “back from the dead.” Scientists say the North Pacific whale either took an arctic route between ice floes, or Arctic route, swam through the Panama Canal, or continued another 8,000 miles to the south and round Cape Horn at the bottom of South America. Take a look at the map and start tracking a route from Baja CA to Israel either going north to the Bering Sea, south to Cape Horn, or through the Panama Canal across the Atlantic. That is one determined whale.

I have found a useful approach to bible understanding and prophecy interpretation is, after prayer, to just think. Don’t take anything at surface level without asking, “What could it mean?” and asking the Spirit to bring you into deeper understanding. Sure, a gray whale off Israel is an amazing incident. Don’t let it end there, though. Think…Israel…why Israel? The whale could have stopped far, far earlier. There were twenty other countries along a 10,000 mile route he could have stopped at instead of the mere 168 miles along Israel’s land-sea border. Instead, he went through the Straits of Gibraltar or the Suez Canal to specifically get to Israel.

Additionally, when you think of Israel and a whale, what immediately comes to mind? Jonah. And with Jonah, the sign that Jesus Himself gave to a wicked and [spiritually] adulterous generation of their need to repent and believe.

I can’t make a case that the gray whale’s resurrection off the coast of Israel has biblical meaning but even the scientists say it “is bizarre in the extreme“. With bizarre events comes thoughts of Jesus’ promise that the end time will have “fearful events and great signs from heaven.” (Luke 21:11). A sign in the Bible is some event or activity which may or may be supernatural, that would convince OR confirm the Person and claims of Jesus. A sign is usually a miracle with a clear intent; it was a miracle designed to reveal something specific. The Greek word ‘signs’ in that verse means ‘miracle’. “Is the sea off the coast of the Holy Land harboring a miracle? That was the question for biologists after a gray whale appeared off the shores of Israel, Sky News reported on Thursday.”

In my own mind it is not even a question. It is a sign, and with that particular sign we are reminded of the consequences of running from God’s will, His power, and also His redemptive mercy. Will you heed it today?

Posted in bp, end time, end time. prophecy, oil, paul noel

Watching our own demise, live on the internet

Posted on by elizabethprata

By now everyone knows the oil rig explosion on April 22, 2010 off Louisiana was a horrendous event. Lives were lost, and oil immediately started spilling into the Gulf of Mexico. Initially the Powers That Be (heretofore known as TPTB) told us at first, here and here, no oil was leaking at all. Then they said that the oil leak was stopped, then, the magnitude of the spill was downplayed. However, thanks to the internet, by April 30th the leaking oil quantities first put forth were quickly debunked as headlines like this one were published: Gulf oil leak reaches crisis proportions and lead sentences blared, “The massive oil well leak in the Gulf of Mexico abruptly turned into a national crisis yesterday, when scientists realized oil is probably gushing from the seafloor at five times the rate they first thought.” Or this one, which said flatly “Size of Oil Spill Underestimated, Scientists Say“

Anyone with eyes could see that more oil than TPTB said was leaking into the Gulf. Photographs showing the animals struggling in their dirtied environment soon made the rounds, and after that, hundreds of dead and dying animals soon washed ashore.

A pod of Bottlenose dolphins swim under the oily water Chandeleur Sound, Louisiana, Thursday, May 6, 2010 in the Gulf of Mexico. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

An oil soaked bird struggles against the oil slicked side of the HOS Iron Horse supply vessel at the site of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Louisiana Sunday, May 9, 2010. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

Current estimates of the leak are 200,000 barrels per day. Yes, that’s barrels, not gallons. There are 42 gallons per barrel. 8,400,000 gallons a day.

Paul Noel, works as Software Engineer (as Contractor) for the US Army at Redstone Arsenal, Alabama. He has a vast experience base including education across a wide area of technical skills and sciences. He supplies technical expertise in all areas required for new products development associated with the US Army office he works in. He supplies extensive expertise in understanding the Oil and Gas industry as well. He writes for Pure Energy Systems today:

I…think that the situation is getting further and further out of hand. The nature of the crude had changed, indicating that the spill was collapsing the rock structures. If it is collapsing the rock structures, the least that can be said is that the rock is fragmenting and blowing up the tube with the oil. With that going on you have a high pressure abrasive sand blaster working on the kinks in the pipe eroding it causing the very real risk of increasing the leaks.

More than that is the very real risk of causing the casing to become unstable and literally blowing it up the well bringing the hole to totally open condition. Another risk arises because according to reports the crew was cementing the exterior of the casing when this happens. As a result, the well, if this was not properly completed, could begin to blow outside the casing. Another possible scenario is a sea floor collapse. If that happens Katie bar the door.

The deposit is one I have known about since 1988. The deposit is very big. The central pressure in the deposit is 165 to 170 thousand PSI [pounds per square inch]. It contains so much hydrocarbon that you simply cannot imagine it.

The oil industry has knowledge of the deposit more than they admit. The deposit is 100 miles off shore. They are drilling into the edge of the deposit to leak it down gently to be able to produce from the deposit. The deposit is so large that while I have never heard exact numbers it was described to me to be either the largest or the second largest oil deposit ever found. It is mostly a natural gas deposit. The natural gas that could be released is really way beyond the oil in quantity. It is like 10,000 times the oil in the deposit.

It is this deposit that has me reminding people of what the Shell geologist told me about the deposit. This was the quote, “Energy shortage…, Hell! We are afraid of running out of air to burn.” The deposit is very large. It covers an area off shore something like 25,000 square miles. Natural Gas and Oil is leaking out of the deposit as far inland as Central Alabama and way over into Florida and even over to Louisiana almost as far as Texas. This is a really massive deposit. Punching holes in the deposit is a really scary event as we are now seeing.

If there are two things to remember from Noel’s comments they are: that the rock wall surrounding the deposit may be crumbling, and that the size of the original deposit covers 25,000 square miles. Think on this! The finances of a multi-million dollar company that brings us oil (which is in most products we use today), the economy of an entire region of the US, and the environment of millions of innocent sea animals are devastated. They may be devastated forever. This certainly isn’t something from which a nation recovers from quickly. It’s death and destruction and devastation on an enormous scale. Personally I believe that the impacts have not yet even begun to be felt and that it will be a lot worse than most realize.

One of the judgments is when “The second angel sounded his trumpet, and something like a huge mountain, all ablaze, was thrown into the sea. A third of the sea turned into blood,” (Rev 8:8; 2nd Trumpet judgment which occur after the 7 Seal judgments). By the time Rev. 16 bowl judgments roll around, all the seas will be as blood and all the creatures will die. Now, think on this for a moment: the Revelation judgments haven’t even BEGUN. The above photos are of the end time warnings, they are not judgments (because we are not appointed to wrath), and it’s still pretty awful to bear!

If you think the above looks bad now, later during the Tribulation you know how much worse it will get. I encourage all non-believers to ponder the gravity of the present situation, and decide if you really want to stick around or not. Because you do not have to be here to watch the planet’s demise, live and unfolding on the internet.

You can choose to repent of your sins, which means that you are really sorry for the bad things you have thought, said, and done. Badness is rebellion against God, and He hates it. But He loves you and He made a way for you to be reconciled to Him. You ask, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” and all you need do is “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.” (Acts 16:31). Believe that He died for your sins, believe that He has the power and ability to forgive them, believe that He lives now after being resurrected on the third day. Believe. And be saved. Or stick around and watch the planet’s death throes. God leaves it up to every individual to make that decision. And know this: not deciding is deciding.

Posted in end time, end time. prophecy, god judges nations, oil rig

How/When God judges nations

Posted on by elizabethprata

God does judge nations. When He readies to do it, He first deems the sin incurable. He is not petulant nor is He quick, but is long-suffering, giving all a chance to come to repentance. For example, He waited 490 years before judging Israel’s failure to keep the 7th land Sabbath. Every 6 years they were to plant and every 7th they were to let the land rest. (Leviticus 25:18-22) Seventy times the Israelites failed to follow this law and after 490 years, God told them that they would be taken into captivity for 70 years, an equal amount of time they had failed to allow the land to rest. (Leviticus 26:28-35) After all, the earth is the LORD’S. (Psalm 24:1) Their sin had become incurable and God deemed it ready to judge.

In one case, in Jeremiah 7:16-19 God told Jeremiah NOT to pray for the people of Judah and the city of Jerusalem. God  had passed the point of no return and was in a holy anger against them for serving other gods. At the point of pronounced judgment, no display of repentance can sway the coming justice. Justice is sure.

God removes a hedge of protection from the nation. He gave an example of this in Isaiah 5:5. Then judgment comes. It comes in all forms and styles, but it comes.

Why does it come? In the above example, for disobeying His land laws. In other cases it was for one of the six things God hates:

Proverbs 6:16-19
There are six things which the LORD hates,
Yes, seven which are an abomination to Him:
Haughty eyes, a lying tongue,
And hands that shed innocent blood,
A heart that devises wicked plans,
Feet that run rapidly to evil, A false witness who utters lies,
And one who spreads strife among brothers.

Joel 3:19 pronounces judgment on Egypt and Edom specifically because they shed innocent blood. Same with Amos 1:13 to Ammon.

Wealth building at the expense of God’s commandments also wreaks judgment: “Otherwise, you may say in your heart, ‘My power and the strength of my hand made me this wealth.’ “But you shall remember the LORD your God, for it is He who is giving you power to make wealth, that He may confirm His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is this day. “It shall come about if you ever forget the LORD your God and go after other gods and serve them and worship them, I testify against you today that you will surely perish. “Like the nations that the LORD makes to perish before you, so you shall perish; because you would not listen to the voice of the LORD your God. (Deut 8:17-20).

America is guilty of all the above.

The bible says that not only nations are judged by their actions as nations, but they will be judged according to how well they treated Israel. Genesis 12:3: “And I will bless those who bless you, And the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.”

As a nation, has America committed the six things God hates? Yes. As a nation, has America been a friend or a foe to Israel this last year? Foe. And it gets worse: Jerusalem Post reports today,

Middle East may become Nuclear-free zone
“Washington and Cairo are negotiating an agreement which would see the Middle East become a nuclear-free zone, the Journal reported on Saturday.”

“According to the report, which comes two days ahead of a UN-hosted conference to prevent nuclear proliferation, the agreement is aimed at making the treatment of nuclear weapons in the Middle East more balanced. The US has been criticized in the past for expressing concern over the suspected nuclear ambitions of countries such as Syria and Iran with nary a mention of Israel’s reported nuclear arsenal. The Wall Street Journal quoted senior Obama administration officials as saying that the US officials would meet with their Egyptian counterparts in New York in efforts to promote the idea of a nuke-free Middle East which would encompass Arab countries as well as Israel, Iran and Turkey.”

Isn’t it nice that American concocts a defense posture that strips Israel of their only deterrent to obliteration. Outing Israel’s nuclear stockpile seems to be the whack-a-mole game of the day. WaPo says “For Arab nations, it is a way of highlighting their complaint that Israel’s possession of nuclear weapons has been a major factor behind any proliferation in the region, and that the United States employs a double standard in demanding no nuclear weapons programs from Iran and Arab states.”

The Nuke Free Zone was first proposed in 1991 at the Madrid Peace Conference but stalled completely in 1995 due to Israel’s stance. Now it’s been revived and seems to be gaining some traction. The resolution is aimed at halting Iran’s nuclear progress, but since it is non-binding and we all know how well Iran adheres to anything- never mind “non-binding” -all the resolution would do is expose Israel into a catastrophic, deepening vulnerability.

It is my opinion that the oil rig disaster in the Gulf of Mexico is the first of the warnings of impending judgment upon America. I believe its effects will unroll like seismic waves in ever increasing troubles for America on the environmental, commercial, political, and food production fronts. Why? The Exxon Valdez had a finite amount of oil in its holds and when that was spilled, it stopped. Additionally, the rocky shores of Alaska could be hosed down. The marshes and lowlands of Louisiana, Alabama and the rest of the states in the slick’s path cannot. The oil is gushing from the very sea floor itself and has an unlimited amount to be spilled before it stops- if it ever does. It is located 5000 miles deep and beyond the reach of men. It is almost beyond the reach of remotely operated vehicles. Even if ROV’s do descend they will first have to move the massive rig that fell on top of the uncapped wellhead. And this, they will not be able to do for months, if at all.

Though the hedge of protection for America may be crumbling, the Christian’s individual hedge will remain strong if they walk in the ways of the Lord. However, the Christian dwelling in a nation that is experiencing the beginning of judgment and the last of its warnings will not be immune to the effects. Though we’ll see the effects from this terrible catastrophe on the people all around us,  He will feed, clothe, and care for us under His very wings. Indeed, they are an opportunity to remain strong in faith so His glory can shine.

God judges nations for their behavior. He hates six things, any ONE of which can and has brought judgment. He weighs a nation’s future against how it has treated Israel. Has America’s hubris grown so great that she thinks she will cakewalk straight to the rapture? That she will somehow escape the same rules that all other nations on the planet have lived or died by? To love the LORD is to fear the LORD, and hate the same evil that He does. Does America love the LORD and hate evil? No. America loves evil and hates the LORD. You do the math!

Posted in end time, end time. prophecy, katla, signs in the sun, volcano

Signs in the sun

Posted on by elizabethprata

The scriptures say that in advance of the rapture and the ensuing Tribulation, “There will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and on the earth dismay among nations, in perplexity at the roaring of the sea and the waves,”

The sun has been interestingly busy lately. Though the sunspot activity has been strangely down, prominences are up. Big ones. The Solar & Heliospheric Observatory, a division of NASA pick of the week states “No less than three prominences erupted over a nine-hour period (Mar. 13-14, 2010) as the STEREO (Behind) spacecraft captured the action in an extreme UV wavelength of light. Prominences, which are cooler clouds of gas tethered to the Sun by magnetic forces, often become unstable and break away out into space. But, it is rare to see three of them erupt in such a short span of time.” [italics mine]

Wow. Three prominences breaking away. Rare. However, just a few weeks later we have this:

The SOHO pick of the week site reported “The largest eruptive prominence observed in years blasted into space (April 13, 2010) and SOHO was lucky enough to have caught a key moment of it. As observed in extreme UV light, the plasma cloud was caught about mid-step in its liftoff above the Sun’s surface. (Ground-based observers says the eruption took about two hours.) It was not obvious what triggered the breakaway, but it may have been associated with a coronal mass ejection (CME). Prominences are cooler clouds of gases that hover above the Sun, tethered there by magnetic forces. Occasionally, as seen here, they break free and blast into space.”

Here is a few-second video of the prominence blasting away from the sun’s limb. It gives a great idea as to the sun’s power. The video is compressed into a few seconds but is actually 19 hours of activity. Start by looking at the sun’s 11 o’clock position.

It’s when the CME enters earth’s atmosphere is when things get hairy. The magnetism from the ejection plays havoc with our electronics. Usually the CMS’s are light enough by the time they hit earth only to give us some vivid Auroras. But if a CME is powerful enough when it hits earth, it would have the same effect as an Electro-magnetic pulse, the effects from a nuclear bomb. All electronics would be zapped.

But back to the actual solar activity lately. The ‘largest one in years’ blasted off from the sun on April, but a week later another huge one blasted away again. Shucks, and they said such things were occasional!

Spaceweather.com reports:
“Another huge prominence blasted away from the sun yesterday, April 19th. The massive tendril of plasma was nearly a quarter the diameter of the sun itself when the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) snapped this picture:”

The eruption catapulted a billion-ton Coronal Mass Ejection (CME) out of the sun’s atmosphere. Good thing it wasn’t aiming for earth. We should feel no effects.

Spaceweather.com source: “The sun is powerful active, and much about how and why it does things stumps astronomers. Back here on earth, Iceland’s active Eyjafjallajokull volcano is famous for its paralyzing ash, which has grounded thousands of planes in Europe and disrupted travel worldwide. Even more amazing, however, is its white-hot lightning:”

” “Seeing this lightning crackle among the exploding lava and ash was the experience of a lifetime,” says Olivier Vandeginste, who took the picture on April 18th from Hvolsvollur, Iceland. It is well known that volcanoes produce lightning, but scientists aren’t sure why.”

Eyjafjallajokull  is a gentle giant compared to her neighbor, Katla. When Katla erupted in 1821 it lasted over a year and caused worldwide famine because the spring and summer simply never came. History has shown that when Eyjafjallajokull erupts, Katla always follows. “Locals Believe Katla Volcano in Iceland Near Eyjafjallajokull Will Erupt in Seven Days” “The earthquake build up since the beginning of the year and subsequent eruptions at Eyjafjallajokull seem to be triggering the larger neighboring volcano, Katla. For the last two days, Katla has shown a dramatic 200% rise in activity. Geophysicists at Iceland’s Institute of Earth Sciences call Katla a vicious volcano that will be locally and globally damaging.”

Another Iceland Volcano To Erupt? Katla Could Be The Worst “The Icelandic volcano Eyjafjallajokull has grounded much of international travel to a halt, but if a nearby volcano named Mount Katla should erupt, it has the potential to be many times more devastating, says a Texas A&M University volcanologist who has done research in the area for decades. Jay Miller who has made numerous trips to Iceland over the past 25 years to study the volcanoes there and currently is a research scientist in the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program, says that an eruption from Katla could dwarf anything seen so far from Eyjafjallajokull (pronounced Eye-jaff-jalla-jok-kul). “It’s a much larger volcano, and in the past, we know its eruptions have been much larger, too,” Miller explains.”

The following juxtaposition interested me. The Drudge Report had this Iceland ash cloud photo on the top of the page for over a day recently:

It reminded me of the recent fictional movie 2012, which alleges that the Mayan prophecy of the world ending will come to pass in dramatic and CGI-laden fashion:

I think it is one thing to read in the news about volcanic eruptions, solar disturbances and such, but actually seeing the force, majesty, and fear-inducing, raw power of these things is another. And when you see them, remember that “He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.” (Col 1:17) Jesus is the One who holds it together, takes it apart, and renews it. (Acts 3:21). Therefore,

“Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord, and that he may send the Christ, who has been appointed for you—even Jesus.” Acts 3:19-20

Posted in earthquakes in diverse places, end time, end time. prophecy, sign, sumatra

7.8 Sumatra earthquake, earthquakes are a sign

Posted on by elizabethprata

For nation will rise up against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; there will be earthquakes in various places; there will also be famines. These things are merely the beginning of birth pangs. (Mark 13:8)

Jesus said that earthquakes in various places will be a sign of His soon return.

Yesterday there was a 7.3 quake at the US-Mexican border. Today there has been a 7.8 in Sumatra Indonesia. Back at the Cali-Mex border there have been 1000 quakes in the last 24 hours, aftershocks of that big one yesterday evening. Also, there is a NEW quake swarm at Yellowstone: as reported at the Raging Debate blog:
“My friend Stormbringer who monitors the Seismos around Yellowstone closely wised me up to a new Swarm of quakes around the caldera there.  These swarms seem to be coming much more often now, and though so far the magnitudes are small, this seems to be a more focused event and could indicate deterioration in the integrity of the surface structrue of Yellowstone.  I’m hoping Stormbringer will join us here so we can hash this one out.  Here are the latest in the swarm of Yellowstone Quakes:”

3.0 2010/04/05 12 km ( 8 mi) SE of West Yellowstone, MT
2.8 2010/04/05 11 km ( 7 mi) SE of West Yellowstone, MT
1.6 2010/04/05 12 km ( 7 mi) SE of West Yellowstone, MT
1.2 2010/04/05 11 km ( 7 mi) SE of West Yellowstone, MT
1.0 2010/04/05 11 km ( 7 mi) SE of West Yellowstone, MT
1.7 2010/04/04 5.8 12 km ( 8 mi) SE of West Yellowstone, MT
1.6 2010/04/04 12 km ( 7 mi) SE of West Yellowstone, MT
1.5 2010/04/04 11 km ( 7 mi) SE of West Yellowstone, MT
1.7 2010/04/04 12 km ( 7 mi) SE of West Yellowstone, MT
1.6 2010/04/04 11 km ( 7 mi) SE of West Yellowstone, MT
1.1 2010/04/04 11 km ( 7 mi) SE of West Yellowstone, MT
1.2 2010/04/04 11 km ( 7 mi) SE of West Yellowstone, MT
1.5 2010/04/04 11 km ( 7 mi) SE of West Yellowstone, MT
1.5 2010/04/04 12 km ( 7 mi) SE of West Yellowstone, MT
3.3 2010/04/04 11 km ( 7 mi) SE of West Yellowstone, MT
2.4 2010/04/03 11 km ( 7 mi) SE of West Yellowstone, MT
1.0 2010/04/02 36 km ( 22 mi) NNW of Island Park, ID
1.1 2010/03/31 40 km ( 25 mi) NW of West Yellowstone, MT
1.9 2010/03/31 40 km ( 25 mi) NW of West Yellowstone, MT

Here is a USGS data pictorial of the recent quakes at Cal-Mex:

Now is the time to repent. Repent means that you recognize you are a sinner. That means you know you think, say, or do things that displease God. If you are truly sorry you have sinned (and we all have, Romans 3:23, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”) then just believe that Jesus is the only worthy one who can forgive them, and ask Him. He will! Turn from your sins, repent, for the end is nigh.

Posted in end time, end time. prophecy, sacrifices, temple mount faithful

Temple Mt Groups Ask Police to Allow Passover Sacrifice

Posted on by elizabethprata

The entire article, published in the Israeli newspaper Arutz Sheva Tuesday, follows:

“Jewish organizations that promote the reestablishment of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem wrote a letter to the Jerusalem District police commander Aharon Franco asking him to allow the offering of the Passover lamb sacrifice as is proscribed by the Torah (the Bible) Petitioners stated in their letter that “the Israeli police has the the responsibility to allow the Passover sacrifice as part of its role to allow freedom of worship to anyone on the Temple Mount.”

This request is made every year and every year the answer is always no. Temple Mount Faithful and the recently reconvened (2004) Sanhedrin are likely the organizations making the request, being the most actively concerned with the Temple Mount. Seven weeks ago, the Sanhedrin called for a Passover Sacrifice and called for the world to participate with them. They also announced that they had completed the altar of unhewn stones. This week they announced a first-ever International Temple Mount Awareness day. Jewish focus is definitely shifting to the Temple, Israel, and the right to worship G-d on that spot.

Opinion essays are urging more equitable division of the rights of the religious.  “Let us pray on Mount” is an opinion piece by Yitzchak Reuven slamming discriminatory anti-Jewish policy at Jerusalem’s Temple Mount published two hours ago in YNet News. He is the Director of Multimedia at the international department of The Temple Institute in Jerusalem. He writes that while “Enshrined in Israeli law are two cardinal principles of democracy: freedom of access to places of worship, and the freedom of worship to practitioners of all religions” At the same time, “Non-Muslims are simply not allowed to carry with them a Bible or prayer book and are not allowed to pray. Jews who ascend the Mount, in accordance with Jewish law (first immersing in a ritual bath, and only treading on areas that are permissible according to halacha), are singled out and discriminated against in an abusive, humiliating and derogatory fashion. They are detained at the security booth, their identification cards are inspected (not the case for non-Jews), they are given oral instructions on what they cannot do, (stop in any one spot for more than a few minutes, pray, silently move their lips or sway their bodies. Jews are even warned not to cry, sing or close their eyes).”

Just a few days ago, violence erupted again at Israel’s holiest site. More and more pressure is being applied to the world’s most contested piece of ground, and we know as bible readers that the pressure will only increase until hellish wars occur and then the Jews are allowed to construct the Temple. We also know that the prophetic clock will resume for the Jews and then ALL attention will be on Israel and its worship- first of the antichrist and then of the One True God. The pressure is getting unbearable, no? Bear it we must for the time is not yet.

Let us watch to see if there is spiritual softening in the hearts of those controlling the Temple Mount and allow this sacrifice. We won’t have long to wait for the police’s answer, Passover begins Tuesday, March 30. An answer ‘yes’ will undoubtedly bring violence and anguish, and a ‘no’ will undoubtedly bring violence and anguish. This is because, “And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people: all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it” (Zech 12:3).

O Jerusalem!