Category: end time

Posted in bible, diane sawyer, end of days. prophecy, end time, joplin, men fainting in terror

Cowering under His power: prophesied astonishment and terror appearing on the scene

Posted on by elizabethprata

I look at language in the bible and look deeply into the meanings and I’m struck with how plainly it tells us what the Tribulation is going to be like. And then I look around at people who report current news and I see the same kind of stunned silence. It’s starting.

In Matthew 12:33 it says, “And when the multitude heard this they were astonished at his doctrine.” Look up the word astonished in the New Testament as it relates to what Jesus said and what He did, and you will see how much they were astonished. It doesn’t mean just that the people were dazzled or amazed, briefly tickled and then went their way. The Greek word means “strike out of one’s senses” , i.e. with the outcome of being utterly amazed (dumbfounded) or left “at a loss” from witnessing the incredible (causing the viewer to gape in astonishment).” Strong’s Numbers. In other words, just listening to Jesus preach or witnessing Him do miracles caused them to go outside their senses and be struck dumb, unable to cognitively cope with what they were hearing or seeing.

This is a link to a page showing how many times people were “astonished” (ekplesso) at Jesus and His preaching, and in Matthew 19:25, they were not just astonished, but greatly and exceedingly astonished. If you’re already out of your senses after hearing Jesus how much more can you get out of our senses? How much more at a loss can you be? It is superlative atop superlative.

We know from the reaction of every prophet or Apostle taken to heaven to view the proceedings, that their reaction was to fall on their face. Isaiah, John, Ezekiel, Paul, and the others fell dead in a faint. Isaiah shouted “O I am undone!” (Isaiah 6:5). The word undone means utterly destroyed, completely unraveled. Not many people have had the privilege of seeing heaven in a vision while in unglorified body, but we can see the reaction of those and of the people who witnessed Jesus even as a man, that the reaction is to cower under that power. All the people seeing Jesus immediately recognized His great power and authority. They had different reactions to it, with the Pharisees choosing not to accept it, and many believers turning away. But they were all “astonished,” gaping, after witnessing the incredible.

We read in the bible that in the Tribulation men will cower upon seeing incredible power. They will be astonished, equally unable to cope with the incredible, their puny brains unable to take it all in. God’s might is astonishing;

“And great earthquakes shall be in divers places and famines and pestilences and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven.” (Luke 21:11). That ‘fearful sight’, in Greek is phóbētron – a fearful sight, emphasizing its terrifying impact on people trying to withdraw or flee from it. It is used only in Lk 21:11. So from the Age of Grace we move to the Tribulation. We go from the astonishing, amazing enough to knock you back on your senses, to the terrifying, so much so that they try to flee.

In Luke 21:26 we read, “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). That word fear is a panic flight, terror. The word is most often used to indicate negatively withdrawing from the Lord (His will). Men will see what is happening and they will have massive heart attacks on the spot. Their bodies are unable to absorb the shock of seeing such power.

That fear, astonishment, and panic is beginning. You see it in Journalists. Reporters are at the forefront. The are at the front lines of witnessing terrors coming upon the earth, which will worsen in the Tribulation. They have to absorb and internalize what has happened, make sense of it, and then report comprehensibly to you and me. At some point the ability to absorb the scope of what is happening will outstrip cognition, as it did those disciples and prophets and followers who witnessed Jesus’ power. Here are two examples:

Weather Channel’s Mike Bettes was the first to arrive on scene in tornado devastated Joplin, MO. Surveying the scene around him, he was overcome with emotion. Though reporters are supposed to appear unengaged and unaffected, reporting the news unemotionally, I was touched by his obvious pain in witnessing the scene. It is the only humane response to what he was seeing. And just what was he witnessing? The power of God. I dare to say that the word ekplesso can be applied here. One is “struck out of one’s senses”, i.e. with the outcome of being utterly dumbfounded or left “at a loss” from witnessing the incredible.”

Also reporting a little while later from Joplin was Diane Sawyer. She is under a tent and rain is pounding on the canvas. Thunder booms above them, and briefly she and the crew debate whether it is even safe to be there. There is no power, the printer had stopped working, and ongoing the technical difficulties of reaching the NY office from a destruction zone are apparent. At one point Sawyer- seeing that she’s going live in moments, and despairing of ever getting paper copy- begs for a Blackberry at least. With time ticking away, Sawyer says repeatedly, “I have nothing.” The crew to me seems unorganized, dumbstruck, and fearful. Others have said that Sawyer looks “anxious, tentative, and confounded” but I think Sawyer looks composed. She refers to the area as a moonscape. Certainly the area outside the tent is a pile of unrecognizable rubble. Truly, how does one report on a massively emotional story in a few moments of air time? How do stories like this affect a person emotionally? One does absorb the tragedy no matter how one tries to filter it. A journalist IS the filter. The Joplin tornado news story is one that is on the edge of ability for humans to report it emotionally, technologically, humanely.

If you read Matthew 24 or Revelation, you know that the severity of natural disasters will ramp up considerably until absolutely nothing is left. Even the mountains crumble. We rely on people to report these disasters and we rely on technology to carry the pixels and the voices back to us. The impossibilities of continuing to be able to do that on an organized basis are rapidly coming to a close.
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Posted in bible, bible jesus, end time, nehemiah, prophecy

The only proper response to the Word

Posted on by elizabethprata

I read Nehemiah 8 this morning. It is a short book in the Old Testament, and it is good. Nehemiah was the fellow who supervised the rebuilding of Jerusalem and alongside Prophet Ezra help to purify the Jewish community that had re-gathered there. Nehemiah was governor and Ezra was the priest and the scribe.

The day came when Ezra called all the adults, and all children who could understand, to come and listen to the reading of the Law. They stood and listened. The Levites were there to help them understand what they were hearing. Soon there were tears, weeping, and crushed hearts. They fell on their faces. “For all the people wept, when they heard the words of the Law.” The Jews realized how far they were from God. But Ezra said not to weep, for it was a day of rejoicing. The Festival of Booths was born, and the people celebrated, giving gifts to those who had nothing, and went their way eating and drinking. It is a short chapter. I recommend reading it.

The response of the people was the only proper response but it is one from which we can gather strength and praise our Savior all the more. First, the people listened to the word. Any walk with the Lord should begin with listening, either by reading yourself and listening with your mind and heart, or listening to a pastor. The people were instructed, and that is a good start.

Then they wept. There are a lot of reasons people weep when they read or hear the Word. It is precise,  beautiful, true, and convicting. It is a gift delivered once for all to the saints, and it is good for reproof, exhortation, and education. The Word also reminds us how far we are from Him, Him as savior and we as sinners forgiven by His blood and His grace. But the Word also reminds us of how close we can be to Him!

Then the people were glad. He restores us! He hears prayer, he regenerates us in His likeness, and we are glad, going forth in joy to know that we CAN know our Savior personally. They celebrated, and they gave gifts. We should do that as well, always being on the lookout for those who are in need to fill that need. Giving the gift of the Word, or our time, or our love or all three!

Finally, the people went away rejoicing but their response to hearing the Word did not stop there. They DID something. In this case it was to begin the Festival of Booths (Sukkot). The Israelites evidenced an emotional response but the instructors encouraged them to apply the words to a spiritual response, and they did so.

What is your response to hearing the word? Do you remain unaffected? Do you fall on your face? Do you weep? Do you rejoice….but remain inactive? Or does hearing the word motivate you to a response in the world that in turn affects others?

Our joy should be all the greater because not only do we have the word, we have the promise of the Word.

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.” (John 1:1-5)

May He shine brightly in your heart today. If it has been a few days,…weeks…months since you have really listened to the Word, do it today. In Him is life!

Posted in end of days. prophecy, end time, jesus, twelve tribes

One ‘lost’ tribe coming home to Israel? The twelve tribes of Israel in prophecy

Posted on by elizabethprata

A very interesting story out of The Jerusalem Post:

“Thousands of kilometers to the east, in the furthest reaches of northeastern India, a long-lost community continues to nourish its age-old dream of returning to its ancient homeland, the land of Israel. The Bnei Menashe, or “sons of Manasseh,” are descendants of one of the 10 lost tribes of Israel, which were exiled by the Assyrian empire more than 27 centuries ago. The community, which numbers 7,232 people, resides primarily in the Indian states of Mizoram and Manipur, along the border with Burma and Bangladesh. Despite generations of wandering, the Bnei Menashe never forgot who they were, where they had come from, or where they aspired to return. Three times a day, every day, they turn in silent prayer toward Jerusalem, pleading with the Creator to put an end to their long exile and bring them home to Zion. That dream is now poised, at last, to become a reality.” [Below, I created a map to show where Manasseh resides now and how far that is from Israel]

“This past Monday, an extraordinary meeting of the Ministerial Committee on Immigration and Absorption took place in the Prime Minister’s Office. At the top of the agenda was the issue of the Bnei Menashe. … As Chairman of Shavei Israel, an organization that has been assisting the community for over a decade, I had lobbied intensively for much of the past year for the committee to address the issue. … And rest assured, I told the ministers, the Bnei Menashe are our lost brethren. In March 2005, Sephardic Chief Rabbi Shlomo Amar recognized them as Zera Yisrael, or the “seed of Israel,” and said they should be brought to the Jewish state.”

“So I turned to the members of the committee and made a simple yet forceful plea: It is time for Israel to let the remaining Bnei Menashe come home.”

“And then a miracle took place. After deliberating the matter, the ministerial committee, headed by Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, formally decided to draft a government resolution and bring it to the cabinet for approval no later than the end of July. The resolution will permit all the remaining Bnei Menashe in India to make aliya, and will finally bring an end to their years of waiting and uncertainty. Both the foreign minister and Absorption Minister Sofa Landver said they were behind the measure. This means we are just one month away from an historic turning point, one that will restore 7,232 precious souls to the Jewish people. … Soon enough, I am sure, the Bnei Menashe will cross the sea, reuniting with the Land and people of Israel after a remarkable journey. Just as the prophets foretold, Manasseh’s children are at last coming back. And all one can say is: Thank God.”

So when in 2005 Shlomo Amar, Sephardi Chief Rabbi of Israel, announced that he regarded the Bnei Menashe’s claim of tribal inclusion to be true, under the Law of Return this allows them to migrate to Israel, as long as they formally convert to Judaism in accordance with halachic standards. This is what the author of the Opinion piece above was explaining.

It is a miracle, hands down, that all the tribes and the People, including the Bnei Menashe, never assimilated, never acculturated, but maintained a distinct identity apart from their surroundings. That has never happened to any people or culture in history, ever. The study of the twelve tribes is an interesting one, however there are no clear answers as to which of the tribes will end up being considered a ‘real’ tribe in the Millennium Kingdom. We do have a list in Revelation 7:5-8 of which tribes receive the blessing of being chosen to participate in the sealing of the 144,000 in the Tribulation. (12,000 from each tribe). God certainly knows His remnant and under His sovereignty He chooses the tribes. Here is the Jewish Virtual Library’s list of the twelve tribes if you care to see a list and explanation of the characteristics of each tribe.

I do think that it is highly interesting that several years ago Ehud Olmert (Israel Prime Minister) stopped the Bnei Menashe’s aliya (return) and now the Powers That Be seem open to it. Just the fact that one of the Tribes of Israel is in the news is prophetically interesting. Praise the Lord for His works and wonders!

The above chart’s information was gotten from GotQuestions.org, here and I put it into chart form. Additionally, the piece explains: “Some Bible teachers understand Dan being left off the list in Revelation 7 because of what is said in Genesis 49:17, “Dan will be a serpent by the roadside, a viper along the path, that bites the horse’s heels so that its rider tumbles backward.”

The Levites are not mentioned in some lists perhaps because they never went to war and they never were given land, rather, they were assigned to service in the Temple. So maybe they are considered more of a priestly caste than a Tribe. (Joshua 14:3).
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Posted in bible jesus, cracks, end time, groundwater, inskip, olpad

Australia- Inskip Point swallowed up by sinkhole, India- Olpad endures groundwater spurt

Posted on by elizabethprata

The Australian Courier Mail reports:
“A MASSIVE sink hole is swallowing up the beach at Inskip, north of Tin Can Bay. Campers have told The Courier-Mail the hole, which appeared about 11am, could be up to 100 feet deep. Camper Shane Hillhouse said four-wheel-drives had been travelling along the popular stretch of sand, near Inskip Peninsula, shortly before the hole appeared.”

“This has the potential to take the tip of Inskip Point with it – this is huge and on a scale I’ve never seen before,” he said. “People are bringing chairs and sitting back to watch it in awe. “This is absolutely amazing – it’s almost at the tree line now.” Mr Hillhouse said the sink hole had expanded dramatically since 11am. “It’s three times bigger than it was an hour ago,” he said. “Chunks are falling out of the beach into nowhere. Where is the sand going? It’s just incredible.” Another camper said sand was dropping 150m into the ocean, although the depth of the hole is unknown. “Sand is sinking in big sections,” he said. No one is believed to have been injured.”

This article says:

Beached sucked away
“CAMPERS are watching in awe as a giant sinkhole swallows a popular stretch of beach at Inskip Point, near Rainbow Beach north of Tin Can Bay. A 100m-wide stretch of beach has been sucked into the ocean since 10.30am, and trees were this afternoon being pulled under. Visitor Rhonda Harris said it was a “phenomenon”. “When we first came up about 11am the water was actually bubbling like it was boiling,” she said. “We saw the ‘no camping’ sign get washed out.”

There is Brisbane news video of the sinkhole from beach side and ocean side but I couldn’t get it to play. It kept buffering. Maybe you’ll have more luck. Of course, the ad played, but not the news vid, lol. Here is the link to ‘7 News Brisbane‘.

This is citizen’s Video of it at Fraser Island (the youtube name is misspelled):

“In other news, there is a ‘peculiar’ situation in Olpad, India. There, groundwater is gushing out to the surface from different locations. And later in the week, the same thing began happening at nearby Surat. The news article reports on the fact of it happening, and what the government is doing about it, but not why it is happening in the first place.”

Another locality spurts groundwater
“Despite efforts to control the peculiar situation in Olpad, water woes continue to haunt people of the area. In fact, the situation worsened on Sunday with groundwater starting to spout from another area of the town late on Saturday night. Groundwater started coming out with high pressure at Isanpore area, which is more than four kilometres away from Olpad town. It spurted from bore-wells and the ground floor of two houses at Halpati Vaas of Isanpore. After complaints from residents, officials rushed to Isanpore and asked residents not to panic. Along with Isanpore, water started to spurt from two more places at Asamanabad.”

“Meanwhile, four families were shifted from Malifalia to government quarters in Olpad on Sunday. Houses of these families got filled with water, after groundwater seeped from cracks in the floor. These families were provided necessary requirements after shifting to government quarters. Moreover, ONGC officials started drilling its well no. 1 located at Olpad in a bid to control the situation. Officials also started digging a temporary pond beside the well, to pump out excess gas and water. Sources said that the drilling and digging procedure will be completed within a week.”

I’ve been showing that one of the signs of the imminent return of Jesus is that the weather (air and circulation systems), earth itself, and celestial bodies will be behaving increasingly erratically. During the Tribulation this will be apparent in a big way as soon enough, nothing will be working correctly any more. A third of the sun will go dark, earthquakes will be happening on a monumental scale, the moon will go blood red, there will be no rain for three years, the sea will be struck as blood, and more. In the time just prior to the Tribulation, known as the Church Age, the signs o these things to come will be increasing. Jesus said they will be like birth pangs. The metaphor He relayed is akin to the contractions in a woman having labor. When the water breaks then you know the baby is almost here. The rapture will be the water breakage and the upheaval, bloody and painful labor that will be the Tribulation will eventually birth a new earth and Jesus’ kingdom, fresh and new

One of those signs will be the earth cracking up. Things will get so bad that by the very end,

“The earth is broken asunder,
The earth is split through,
The earth is shaken violently.
The earth reels to and fro like a drunkard
And it totters like a shack,
For its transgression is heavy upon it,
And it will fall, never to rise again.” (Isaiah 24:19-10)

The indicators that these things are almost upon us are the continual earth changes, cracks, and upheavals that the people themselves who are experiencing them call ‘peculiar’, ‘strange’, ‘unexpected’, or ‘unprecedented.’ They are are correct. It is a sign that ‘natural’ processes that we have come to think are ours to manipulate are not. The earth is in the LORD’S hands, not ours.
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Posted in asteroid, bible jesus, birth pangs, end time, prophecy

Newly discovered asteroid to swing closer to earth than some satellites

Posted on by elizabethprata

You can read or watch video the entire summary of the world’s recent weather here, from Irish Weather Online. Below is one short video focusing on the North Dakota flood situation, but there is so much more going on in the world! The Irish Weather link gives a great overview.

The situation in Minot ND is dire. The is about to be wiped off the map. Flooding has been particularly swift and record-breaking there, and 800 National Guardsmen have taken over the town to try and keep it above water. This report from AL Jazeera English acknowledges “Mother Nature’s” participation in this terrible event. Sigh. The soldier talking about it is at the .53 mark and generously gives ‘Mother Nature’ a vote in the proceedings.

Asteroid to Pass Extremely Close By Earth On Monday
“Here’s something to dwell on as you head to work next week: A small asteroid the size of a tour bus will make an extremely close pass by the Earth on Monday, but it poses no threat to the planet. The asteroid will make its closest approach at 1:14 p.m. EDT on June 27 and will pass just over 7,500 miles above the Earth’s surface, NASA officials say. At that particular moment, the asteroid — which scientists have named 2011 MD — will be sailing high off the coast of Antarctica, almost 2,000 miles south-southwest of South Africa.”

Er, the asteroid was just discovered on Wednesday. Four days’ notice?? With all the fancy telescopes and all the billions in dollars they spend scanning for, well, asteroids? The astronomer in this next piece tries to explain the oops. The headline from Space.com made me laugh out loud. It is exactly the headline one would expect to see in an end of the world spoof, but the headline is real.

Incoming! Asteroid to narrowly miss earth on Monday!
Astronomer Mark Thompson reports on the large asteroid that will pass within 8,000 miles from Earth and why we were given such short notice.
“This may sound like late notice, but astronomers have just spotted a rather chunky asteroid heading our way, set to narrowly miss us on Monday. In fact, it will be such a narrow miss that astronomers in the Southern Hemisphere should be able to spot the flyby with fairly modest telescopes. Coincidentally, I was watching yet another re-run of Armageddon the other night when the heroic Bruce Willis and his motley crew of oil drillers-turned-astronauts saved Earth from certain asteroid doom. On arrival at the asteroid, and having sacrificed many of the team, Willis et al. succeeded in dropping a typical Hollywood-style uber-bomb into the depths of the incoming asteroid and blew it to bits, giving everyone on Earth a glitzy meteor shower.”

‘Coincidentally’ the near earth asteroid passage made him think of an end of the world movie?? Hmmm, to continue the article from Discovery News:

“This newly discovered interplanetary interloper is thought to measure no more than 20 meters wide, making it no real threat — but it’s a warning all the same.”

Yes, it’s a warning! Jesus said He would send warnings. “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). It is unfortunate that though Christians correctly see this as the warning that judgment cometh, astronomers and secular people see this as a warning that they need better telescopes or something.

“If 2011 MD did hit us, then it would more than likely break up in the atmosphere and give us an amazing display of fireballs and meteors. As it turns out, it will sail harmlessly by at a butt-clenchingly close distance of only 7,500 miles, 32 times closer than the moon, and closer than some geosynchronous satellites.”

‘Butt-clenchingly close?’ Descriptive language for an astronomer. However, he mirrors biblical language.

“Then the king’s countenance was changed and his thoughts troubled him so that the joints of his loins were loosed and his knees smote one against another.” (Daniel 5:6). In other words, the king didn’t clench his butt close enough, and he pooped his pants. That is a physiological reaction to seeing the power of the Lord unleashed and His imminent judgment against you. In Luke during the Tribulation, when they see these things they will faint dead away in perfect fright. There is nothing like the Power of a Holy God to remind us all that we are puny and He is mighty. And, that we are accountable.
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Posted in bible, end time, gay marriage, prophecy

New York State approves gay marriage law

Posted on by elizabethprata

NY legalizes gay marriage 42 years after Stonewall

“Champagne corks popped, rainbow flags flapped and crowds embraced and danced in the streets of Manhattan’s Greenwich Village as New York became the sixth and largest state in the U.S. to legalize same-sex marriage. Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed the bill shortly before midnight Friday, almost 42 years to the day that the modern-day gay rights movement was born amid violent encounters between police and gay activists at the Stonewall Inn.”

According to secular experts,When New York became the sixth and by far the largest state to legalize same-sex marriage, following a grueling overtime session in the state Legislature on Friday, it immediately transformed the national debate over the issue, legal experts said. … “I think that having same-sex marriage in New York will have tremendous moral and political force for the rest of the country — in part because New York is a large state, and in part because it hasn’t come easily,” said Suzanne Goldberg, a professor at Columbia Law School. The New York Assembly passed same-sex marriage legislation twice before, in 2007 and 2009, but in both cases it stalled in the state Senate, as it nearly did again this week. The bill passed late on Friday after legislators agreed on language allowing religious organizations to refuse to perform services or lend space for same-sex weddings. The new law’s impact can be measured in part by the numbers at play: New York is home to more than 42,000 same-sex couples, according to an analysis of U.S. census data conducted by the Williams Institute. This means, among other things, that the number of same-sex couples living in states allowing same-sex marriage has more than doubled overnight.”

Wasn’t that nice of them, to provide a footnote acknowledging that at the moment at least, the law won’t force people who honor God to dishonor Him by performing unbiblical marriages.

The photo above of the “revelers” in the streets exulting in the passage of the gay marriage law reminds me of what it will look like during the Tribulation, when revelers do all sorts of ungodly celebrating. One of those ungodly celebrations will be when the Two Witnesses are killed and they dance in the streets and send gifts over their dead bodies. “And those who dwell on the earth will rejoice over them, make merry, and send gifts to one another, because these two prophets tormented those who dwell on the earth.” (Revelation 11:10)

The bible regards homosexuality as immoral. Leviticus 18:22; Romans 1:26-27; and in 1 Corinthians 6:9 it is noted that the homosexual will not inherit the kingdom. Because of their unbelief, God gave them over to their degrading lusts. (Romans 1:24). The model for our marriages is the first marriage and that was between a man and a woman.

We can no longer think of the NY gay marriage law, which failed two times previously, as a Sisyphean effort. Sisyphus was the mythological man who was condemned by the ‘gods’ to eternally roll a rock up a mountain, only to have it roll back to the bottom again just as it reached the top. The rock has reached the top and has been loosed on the other side. It will gather steam as the forward progression of immorality continues ever faster in this labor pang world.

Our Jesus is a forgiving Savior and will open His arms to anyone who repents. God hates sin but He loves His children, and He wants to help them remove themselves from their degrading lusts with the aid of the Holy Spirit. He is gracious, and will send the Spirit to all who repent. He will regenerate that person into a new creation, one that is righteous and pure in His eyes.

For those who refuse to repent however, Jesus is the Rock.

As Daniel interprets Nebuchadnezzar ‘s dream: “You, O king, were looking and behold, there was a single great statue; that statue, which was large and of extraordinary splendor, was standing in front of you, and its appearance was awesome. “The head of that statue was made of fine gold, its breast and its arms of silver, its belly and its thighs of bronze, its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of clay. “You continued looking until a stone was cut out without hands, and it struck the statue on its feet of iron and clay and crushed them. “Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver and the gold were crushed all at the same time and became like chaff from the summer threshing floors; and the wind carried them away so that not a trace of them was found. But the stone that struck the statue became a great mountain and filled the whole earth.” (Daniel 2:31-35).

It’s obvious the world is fallen and I believe the NY gay marriage law is indicative of that. Further, the passage of the law in that state means that we have pushed the rock to the pinnacle of the mountain and the next phase will be a fast downward slide that soon roars into a pell mell tumble into depravity. Revelers take note! Jesus is the rock who will crush the world’s fallen governments and establish His righteous Kingdom on earth!
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Posted in angels, bible, end time

Angels, God’s other creation

Posted on by elizabethprata

We often look at Genesis and marvel over the creation of the universe. We look at humankind as another of His marvelous creations. But what of His other creation, angels? The bible has a lot to say about them. This is a rudimentary summary, because there is so much to be learned about these created beings, but here is an overview:

Angels are shown throughout the bible from Genesis to Revelation. We learn that they were present at the creation in Job 38:7, “When the morning stars sang together And all the sons of God shouted for joy.” We meet our first angels in Genesis 18:2. After the LORD appeared to Abraham, three ‘men’ appeared to him, and Abraham bowed low. More on the bowing at the end. A parallel verse here is Hebrews 13:2, “entertaining angels unawares.” We see clearly that angels can look like men or they can look utterly like something that is unable to be described, like the wheel within wheel, four faced angels Ezekiel saw. (Ez 1:10-18, Revelation 4:6, “they had eyes all around”). Wow!

Though in our culture angels are depicted as having wings, only two kinds of angels are shown in the bible to have wings – Cherubim (Exodus 25:20; Ezekiel 10) and Seraphim (Isaiah 6). Many other times they are shown to look like men, and as a matter of fact, pass for human when we are entertaining them unawares.

Speaking of the cherubim, the famous painting detail from the Sistine Chapel in Rome, by Raphael, shows two typical cherubs but that is far from how cherubs really look! Cherubim are involved in the praise and worship of God. Two cherubim also guarded the entrance to the Garden of Eden after the fall. (Genesis 3:24). It is a sure thing they aren’t roly poly little tots flying around having a grand old time! Forget Cupid.

Ezekiel 28:14 refers to Lucifer as an angel who covers (guards). It is an allusion to the cherubim over the mercy seat, which was covered with their wings. They are a sort of an Honor Guard at God’s throne. We know that the LORD can defend Himself but as with the Highest Sovereign, it is fitting to have a guard nearby to Him to give the honor due Him.

Gabriel is depicted as the angel who brings messages but all angels are messengers, really, their name in Greek means messenger (Aggelos, Hebrew,‘malak’). Archaggelos means chief of angels of ruler of angels. This reveals the hierarchy in the angelic order.

Did you know there are only three named angels in the bible? Can you guess who they are? I’ve already mentioned all three: Gabriel and Michael are easily remembered but we often forget that Lucifer is an angel too. He is now fallen in his status with God, being his opposer, satan. That is what satan means, adversary. So satan is the title, and Lucifer is the actual name. One of his other names is the Devil, which means slanderer. I wrote about the satan’s celestial slander here: It is the story of how he got that title and why.

Other names in general for angels besides messenger are morning stars, sons of God, and curiously, The Watchers. They are mentioned in Dan 4:13, Dan 4:17, and Dan 4:23, where it says that “a watcher” a “holy one” “came down” so we assume that since they are a holy one and live in heaven and come down at the behest of God, they are another class of angels. But that is an assumption, the Aramaic for the word watcher is…watcher, and since nothing else is stated about them in the bible that is all I can say!

Angels have many duties, numerous duties actually. One angel is in charge of the fire. (Revelation 14:18) and another is in charge of the water (Revelation 16:5). We know they come to earth to minister to the saints. 1 Kings 19:5 is a good example where a ministering angel was sent to help Elijah. He woke Elijah, gave him food and drink as he lay exhausted in the wilderness, having fled from Jezebel. Angels also attended Jesus after his ordeal in the desert. (Matthew 4:11). Despite being depicted tenderly in these scenes, angels are extremely powerful. In Revelation, four are seen holding back the four winds. (Rev. 7:1), and another thrusts his sickle into the earth and all humankind is reaped (Rev. 14:17). One stands on the sun! (Revelation 19:17). One is seen flying at midheaven (the stratosphere) and declaring the Gospel in such a loud voice every nation, tribe, and tongue hears it. (Revelation 14:6). Satan is an angel too, and therefore is this powerful. Don’t think you can resist him on your own! But enough about that guy.

They announce the will of God. The most famous is the Annunciation by Gabriel to Mary, of God’s plan for her to beget Jesus, the Savior and promised Messiah. They also announced the Savior’s birth to the Shepherds on that silent, holy night.

They participate in the judgments of God. They have done so throughout time but Revelation depicts with ghastly specificity of their roles in aiding God to execute the judgment of man. (Revelation 14:14-18).

Angels worship God night and day in His temple (Nehemiah 9:6). They fight for God. “And Elisha prayed, and said, LORD, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the LORD opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha” (2 Kings 6:17). They delight in the Gospel and they sing for joy over one repentant sinner (1 Peter 1:12; Luke 15:10)

There are fallen angels. The ones who listened to satan’s slanderous accusations against God and followed satan in hopes of something better. They are forever damned (2 Peter 2:4).

Last, that verse we began with in Genesis 18 when three ‘men’ appeared to Abraham. Abraham bowed low. We know that these were angels because later they went to execute judgment on the 4 sinful cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, Admah and Zeboiim (Deuteronomy 29:23). But if the angel said to John the Revelator not to bow to him nor worship him (Rev 19:10) then why didn’t these angels tell Abraham not to bow down to them? Because one of them was Jesus! Jesus made pre-incarnate appearances in the Old Testament. When you read “The angel of the Lord” it is Him, which is different from “An angel of the Lord.” In the Genesis 18 verses, we see it played out:

“Then the LORD appeared to him by the terebinth trees of Mamre, as he was sitting in the tent door in the heat of the day. So he lifted his eyes and looked, and behold, three men were standing by him; and when he saw them, he ran from the tent door to meet them, and bowed himself to the ground, and said, “My Lord, if I have now found favor in Your sight, do not pass on by Your servant.” (Genesis 18:1-3).

The verse begins with an appearance to Abraham by the LORD, all capitals. In the Hebrew translation that word is Jehovah. Then in verse 3 it says “My Lord” with a capital L. The word in Hebrew is Adonai. The Angel did not rebuke Abraham because Abraham had the proper response: worship of Yahweh.

Next time you are in church, look up to the rafters and imagine if the Lord would open your eyes as He did for Elisha at Elijah’s request. How many angels would you see? Do the same for your home. Look around and wonder if they are present. When you pray, remember to thank God for sending them to smooth your way and prevent the bad things that could have happened to you. Thank God for sending them to comfort you and minister to you. They help you, rejoice with you, sing for you. They may be standing next to you in line, sitting next to you at the coffee shop. They are in heaven singing with loud voice that shakes the rafters, HOLY HOLY HOLY is our mighty God. He is a mighty God, who ordered the hierarchies of heaven with the heavenly hosts, angels, another of His magnificent creation.
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Posted in a city upon a hill, china, end of days. prophecy, end time

America’s light on the hill is going out- part 1

Posted on by elizabethprata

In Matthew 5:14, Jesus tells his listeners, “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.” In John Winthrop’s 1630 sermon “A Model of Christian Charity”, Winthrop told the future Massachusetts Bay colonists (Puritans) that their new community would be a “city upon a hill”, watched by the world. Winthrop’s sermon and subsequent likening of America to that city upon a hill, gave rise to the firm and generational belief in Americans that the USA is God’s country because metaphorically it is a Shining City upon a Hill, an early example of American exceptionalism. Or rather, it was.

In last Saturday’s Prophecy Newsletter (email me to sign up) I spent a good deal of time in the opening segment setting a context for the decline of America’s hegemony (influence). I defined hegemony, and I spent noted the fact of it happening and the possible outcomes of such a decline. It was a prescient piece. Today in the Financial Times of London, a similar article appeared. Here is part of what I wrote in the Newsletter about hegemony, and in the next part of the blog entry (Part 2) I’ll offer excerpts of the Financial Times’ analysis of the global economy on a precipice with America’s decline, the Orient in prophecy, and I’ll also share some astounding news about the rise of China, in America.

————-America’s Hegemony and Decline————

Hedge-EM-onee

Wikipedia does a decent job of defining hegemony. “Hegemony is the political, economic, ideological or cultural power exerted by a dominant group over other groups. It requires the consent of the majority to keep the dominant group’s leader in power. The term is often mistakenly used to suggest brute power or dominance, when it is better defined as emphasizing how control is achieved through consensus, not force. … hegemony describes one state’s predominance over other states.”

It can be said that America has wielded —

–political hegemony, diplomatic influence to determine a course of action. America has been the singular hegemonic influence of the Middle East peace process since 1948 but that hegemony is almost gone now. The US wields almost no influence in diplomatic arenas any more.

–cultural hegemony, “the imposition of its way of life, i.e. its language and bureaucracies (social, economic, educational, governing). When the Coke logo shows up on pygmy men’s tee shirts in interior Papua New Guinea jungle, you know the hegemonic influence is complete.

–sociological hegemony: The US’s version of English is known and used worldwide, in many cases as a default language. An example would be aviation, in which the default language worldwide is English. All air traffic controllers speak English on the job. In English is the lingua franca in Europe’s business landscape, firmly entrenched nearly everywhere as the international language of business, finance, and technology.

For decades, for all of my generation and perhaps the one before, the world bowed to the American brand. America’s hegemony was understood to be the default condition in all spheres of life, including cultural, geographic, sociological, diplomatic, technological, economic and financial. America was it! Capitalism and liberal democracy swept the world, if not in fact at least in ideals. However, since the economic crash of 2008, we begin to see a post-American world in which the US is no longer the world’s only superpower. In this 2008 article asking the question of whether America’s hegemony in economics and finance will be crushed by the 2008 crash, “The critical point here, and the one which could bear significant consequences, is the existence, within the US economy, of structural weaknesses that enhance the current distress and limit the scope for future policy action.”

Yes, policy action over the last three years has been stymied by our decline in influence. So the answer to that question from 2008, is yes.

In this article from Global Geographic Times, 2009, by Zhang Wei, the statement is made in the headline: “For Humanity’s Sake, Put an End to Western Hegemony“. “Some Westerners believe that human history will eventually fall completely into a Western pattern and that in the future, the West will unquestionably lead the world. The truth is that any religion, theory, or ideology – including democracy and market capitalism – once it’s pushed to the extreme and regarded as fundamental to all else, triggers an irrational response by its followers. The outcome of this is never good, and is often crushing defeat. That is the position the West confronts today, with the plight of the Iraq War, the failure of the “color revolutions” and the financial tsunami. How can world history possibly end up following the Western model? Developing countries that choose to imitate the West have seen almost all their attempts fail. The world’s peoples continue to explore and test alternatives to development, and humanity’s exploration of the political future is far from exhausted.  “Western civilization has arrived at a crossroads. One road leads to a resentment of the world, aggression, indifference, neo-conservatism and violent liberalism. And the other road … to the building up of oneself through diligent striving, optimism, rationality, sympathy, equality, and a coherent, mutually-affirming society.” It so happens that this other road coincides with the idea of the “harmonious middle way” advocated by the Chinese.”

We ARE at a crossroads. It so happens that this crossroad is coming into view at the end of the Church Age, but it is still a crossroad nonetheless. America’s hegemony in all the arenas mentioned above is declining, as the Chinese model rises. As the world realizes that the Western model is failing, they will explore others that suit, including not only the Chinese ‘harmonious middle way’ but the Muslim jihadi way, and perhaps once again flirt with the Iron Curtain Communistic/Marxist way. As vultures and jackals circle a wounded tiger, so the nations who have either enjoyed America’s hegemony or have hated it, are now ready to pounce, stripping influence from our spheres and ripping it to pieces until only white bones are left, the meat picked clean. America is wounded, and it is my opinion that this trajectory will result in a bleached, bony carcass in the Tribulation. The results of our decline in influence will have devastating effects on the world.

The most obvious effect of our loss of influence is in the diplomatic arena and also perhaps by association, military, is that we can no longer protect Israel to the extent that we once did, even if our current occupant of the Oval Office would want to. (And it seems he does not want to, in my opinion). It is no sure thing that America’s influence of other UN Security Council permanent members against a Palestinian State, coming up in the  July-Aug time-frame, will yield any “NO” votes at all. It is obvious that our influence as a Quartet member in direct peace talks has vaporized, along with respected George Mitchell, who resigned.  Once the loss of strength is deemed to exist in the American will and execution of military force to protect our Israeli ally, then the jackals will pounce. They are circling already.

In February of this year, the voice of the Muslim Brotherhood Youssef al-Qaradawi, the Muslim televangelist whose program Sharia and Life has been the no.1 hit on Al Jazeera for the past fifteen years “Calls for Establishing a United Muslim Nations“. Qaradawi said “establishing a United Muslim Nations is the only alternative to the hegemony of the West.”

Solomon was the richest king, wisest priest, and much loved by God. His kingdom was influential and the envy of all around. It lasted 40 years, falling from its seeming permanent pinnacle to a divided land under his son. At the end of his life, Solomon wrote about the folly of earthly grasping, and wise once again but only because of the pain of wrong choices and advanced years of bitter experience, noted that-
“To everything there is a season, A time for every purpose under heaven” (Ecclesiastes 3:1)

America is wonderful and I love it. But America is not my church- I do not worship it. My residence is not this country. It is in New Jerusalem, where He has been preparing a place for me. It is time for us to get used to the sad fact that America’s season, long and glorious though it was, has fulfilled and is finally ending its purpose under heaven. It is time for others to rise now, to be used in all His purposes for bringing about the end of days. The Kings of the East are restless…He is raising them up even as America sinks. Rather than bemoan the fact that America’s hegemony is in severe decline, I praise Him that we were used at all for a Godly purpose, “He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also He has put eternity in their hearts, except that no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end.’ (Ecc 3:11). Friends, glory in His work, do not grasp for a temporary nation under God on a dying earth. “Better a handful with quietness Than both hands full, together
with toil and grasping for the wind.” Ecc 4:6
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Posted in bible jesus, children, end of days. prophecy, end time, pole dancing

UK: three-year-olds being taught to pole dance

Posted on by elizabethprata

A year ago, I wrote “Sexualizing the young: the ‘Single Ladies’ little girls dancing controversy“. In that blog entry I’d shown that a certain dance number held in Los Angeles for little tots at a competition had sparked a controversy. The tots wore sexy lingerie and were dancing in choreographed moves that were sexual in nature. At that time I’d said, “He discusses the importance of marriage and having godly offspring in Malachi 2:13-14. To desecrate a little one by perverting them through sex for a dancing award is definitely not Godly. The main issue is the morality slide. Every time a benchmark line is crossed, non-believers say that there can be no absolute morality, but that the downward slide will certainly stop before it gets too bad. Right? Wrong. Man’s craven and fallen state means that he is led by satan and satan lives to destroy. His perverted depth knows no bottom. We will slide further and further down until…”

And now we have another example of how this fallen culture sexualizes their children. This time the offending region is in the United Kingdom, and it is about a pole dancing school for young girls, some as young as three years old. The UK Daily Mail reports:

“To the tiny students at this dance studio, the moves are totally innocent. In fact, they are being instructed in the sleazy art of pole dancing. And their age? As young as three. Child protection groups yesterday labelled these images from the classes ‘deeply disturbing’. Parents pay £5 an hour for their daughters to learn pole dancing at the Little Spinners classes. Instructor Carly Wilford insists it helps youngsters keep fit and boosts their self-esteem. But charity Kidscape warned it was another indication of the growing sexualisation of children, which has prompted Government-backed proposals to protect their innocence. Up to eight girls attend the weekly classes at the Make Me Fabulous dance studio in Northampton. The revelation comes a week after it emerged that a beauty parlour is offering make-overs and facials for children as young as one.”

“Trendy Monkeys in Brentwood, Essex, caters only for the under-13s. It offers to transform children with face masks, new hairstyles and lipgloss. The pole dancing lessons take place in a room decorated with pink feather boas and sparkling mirrors. They are advertised on a website which also promotes adult lessons, features pictures of lingerie-clad women and describes pole dances as ‘sexy, relaxing and invigorating’. The children, aged three to seven, learn moves including holding their legs in a V-shape while sliding down the pole.” More at link.

In this parable on prayer found in Luke 18:8, Jesus is speaking. “Now He was telling them a parable to show that at all times they ought to pray and not to lose heart, saying, “In a certain city there was a judge who did not fear God and did not respect man. “There was a widow in that city, and she kept coming to him, saying, ‘Give me legal protection from my opponent.’ “For a while he was unwilling; but afterward he said to himself, ‘Even though I do not fear God nor respect man, yet because this widow bothers me, I will give her legal protection, otherwise by continually coming she will wear me out.’” And the Lord said, “Hear what the unrighteous judge said; now, will not God bring about justice for His elect who cry to Him day and night, and will He delay long over them? “I tell you that He will bring about justice for them quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?”

We could just the same wonder if Jesus won’t ask, ‘However, when the Son of Man comes, will He find innocence on the earth?” “‘

I DO cry out. I cry out loud and long when I see our innocents abused and neglected and forgotten and worse, sexualized to conform to a craven culture. When I read stories like this I DO lose heart. But then I take solace in His promise. “He will bring about justice for them quickly.” The parable is explained this way, “surely be true to his promises; but the danger is that his elect – his afflicted people – will be discouraged; will not persevere in prayer; will not continue to have confidence in him; and will, under heavy trials, sink into despondency. The sole meaning of this phrase, therefore, is, that “there is more danger that his people would grow weary, than that God would be found unfaithful and fail to avenge his elect.” For this cause Christ spoke the parable, and by the “design” of the parable this passage is to be interpreted.” [Barnes Notes]

Pray, ye faithful. Never cease praying. Prayer is the lifeline that keeps us from despondency. The rapture is an event that is not prophesied to have a date, if it comes the next moment God would not have set aside His true promise therefore to come. The more of us who pray the likelier it will be He will arrive ‘quickly’.

I despair for our little ones, but then I re-draw myself into a soldier posture and I pray to Him whose promises are true. I trust His justice and I trust His soon coming. It is nearly unbearable now, Lord, but your timing is perfect. I know you will take your children, the adults you know are your children and the little ones who are the children of children, and you will sweep us up into your eternal arms where love and peace reigns forever. Not one more child will be abused. Not one more child will be unloved. Not one more child will be traded for sex. I am looking forward to that day, O Lord, and I cry out to you in faith, SOON COME!”

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Posted in days of Noah, end of days. prophecy, end time, fallen angels, nephilim

The Nephilim and the Fallen Angels, part 2

Posted on by elizabethprata

I wrote Part One of the Nephilim and laid the scriptural groundwork for the fact that before the Flood, fallen angels took women, all that they chose, and mated with them. (Genesis 6:1-2). The result was a hybrid race called The Nephilim, or Mighty Men of Old, of Men of Renown. There have been two ‘irruptions’ (opposite of eruption. Irruption is bursting in, rather than exploding out.) One irruption was before the flood, when Genesis 6 speaks of it, and the other was after the flood, which Genesis 6 also confirms. In addition, the race of giants were spoken by their tribal names (Anakim, Raphaim, Emim) throughout the Old Testament until David was sent to stamp out the last of these tribes. Finally there seemed to be relief from the ungodly mating of angels and human women. No weird races have been spotted since then.

But in the Olivet Discourse, Jesus spoke of the Days of Noah, warning that the same conditions plaguing the earth then would be repeated at the end of days. One of those conditions was the infestation of Fallen Angels taking women and producing ungodly progeny as just mentioned. Then, the thoughts of men were of only evil continually (Gen 6:5) and the implication as that it was due to the Nephilim. Noah was found to be perfect in his generations, or bloodlines, untainted by the hybridization of the plan of the fallen angels.

The unusual amount of Unidentified Flying Objects in my opinion are fallen angels, hovering at the edge of our dimension, waiting for the day when the Holy Spirit will be removed from the earth (an act that also preceded judgment as in Gen 6:3) to have their way with sin upon the world. I also believe the current  fascination with vampires in all levels of the culture is also due to the Fallen Angels. I wrote about that, here. Last, I mentioned that the myths from pagan religions also spoke of celestial beings, gods, that came down and mated with women in a variety of ways, in some cases transfiguring themselves into animals, other men, or even showers of coins in order to seduce the women. In some cases, the ‘gods’ simply enchanted them. In most cases, the myths spoke of the women falling into a drugged state, whether through the enchantments of the gods or because of wine drunk at festivals or orgies that they had attended. Remember the enchantment and the transfiguration.

Let’s examine some of the New Testament scriptures that may allude to the infestation of fallen angels mating with women in the end of the end time and certainly the Tribulation.

Paul told us in no uncertain terms that false apostles will roam the earth from his day to the end of days. We should not be surprised at this, “For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ. And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness, whose end will be according to their works.” (2 Corinthians 11:14).

It is good to look at the original Greek words. Most of the English translations say satan “masquerades” or “disguises” himself into an angel of Light. King James uses “transforms.” The Greek word is “metaschématizó” and it means “change the outward appearance of something, to transfigure.” Satan AND his fallen angels can change their outward appearance to something else as it suits them. It is important to note that the word as it is used, ‘transfigure’ is a different one that used for when Jesus transfigured on Mount Tabor, (Mt 17:1-2). That word is metamorphoó, meaning to change from the inside out. Satan cannot change his spots as a leopard can’t change his spots. (Jer 13:23). But he can change enough on the outside to fool the unwary.

Those unwary are prophesied to be silly women. (2 Tim 3:1-6). Let’s unpack the following verses a bit.

Gen 6:5, Titian, “Profane Love (Vanity)” I wonder who that man is, creeping in, & whom the mirror is turned towards?

In those days: “men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts, Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. Now as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, reprobate concerning the faith. But they shall proceed no further: for their folly shall be manifest unto all men, as theirs also was.” (2 Timothy 3:1-5, KJV)

Men will have a form of godliness, a “morphósis” or an outward appearance only. Of these kind, they creep into houses, and lead silly captive women away who are laden with diverse lusts.” Strange. These men who have an outward appearance of godliness, men who are mentioned in the middle of a passage where every unsavory kind of behavior is described, these men appear godly and will worm their way into homes where silly women are ensnared and captivated. Duped and enchanted, these women are drenched in lust, and will respond to these men and be “aichmalótizó-” captivated and ensnared. Hmmm.

Then the verse continues immediately by mentioning Jannes and Jambres withstanding Moses. These were the two magicians who were Pharaoh’s sorcerers. Of all the men who rebelled against God in the bible, these two are mentioned here in connection with carrying lustful women away. Not Saul, not Achan, not Herod or Esau or Cain. The two divinely inspired examples purposely written here are two sorcerers who have an appearance of godliness and take women by enchantment. It is reminiscent of the fallen angels who took women, all that they chose, and mated with them.

The verse goes further in verse 13, saying “But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse __ deceiving and being deceived”. Note the difference between ‘evil men’ and ‘seducers’. Other translations say imposters. Why the distinction between the two? Is not an evil man a seducer and vice versa? And imposter? Well, not when he is an enchanter, as the Greek word for seducer shows. The Greek word seducer/imposter  means, “This person uses their verbal spells and incantations to give the (false) impression they can do miracles, a wailer, enchanter, a sorcerer, a swindler.” Like Jannes and Jambres, enchanters doing false miracles. The verse above says that satan “masquerades” as an angel of light, which is an imposter, and we are also told that he can perform false miracles to fool people.

I am just posing some thoughts on these words in the verses and their deeper meaning within the context. When you really begin looking at the language, and learning the original meanings of the Greek words, it begins to perk me up to the possibilities this is what Jesus and Paul were alluding to about perilous times and the Days of Noah.

Here is my summary of the verses from Jesus and Paul: in the last days, seducers, magicians, enchanters and imposters will come, masquerading as godly, that have light but are dark, that pretend godliness but are the opposite, captivate and then lead away lustful women just as they did in the Days of Noah when every inclination was evil.

I didn’t realize this was getting long, so next time in Part 3, I’ll go into the mighty men who are prophesied to be behind the economy in the Tribulation, also vampirism and drug-induced states where silly women fall captive to these men- i.,e. the vampire’s erotic gaze.
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