On Joel C. Rosenberg’s site this morning. Light and dark pink are nations with unrest since January. Don’t forget to include Lebanon, too small to really see. Please be sure to visit his link to read a summary of the current unrest … It is excellent.
From Spaceweather.com:
“SPACE WEATHER IN A GADGET-DRIVEN WORLD: Authorities in Washington DC caused a stir over the weekend when they announced at the annual AAAS meeting that high-tech modern society is increasingly vulnerable to solar storms. “The last time we had a maximum in the solar cycle, the world was a very different place,” noted NOAA administrator Jane Lubchenco. “Cell phones are now ubiquitous [and we] rely on them for so many different things.” Others noted a myriad of GPS-dependent technologies that could be brought down by a strong solar flare. This is old news to many readers of spaceweather.com. Nevertheless, the web is abuzz with reports from the meeting.”
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It’s true, the web is abuzz. My earlier posts on the X-class flare that was ejected from the sun and headed our way spiked my page views tremendously. There is a lot of interest in spaceweather, solar flares, Coronal Mass Ejections (CME) Electro-magnetic pulses (EMP), with concordant dire predictions of being thrown back into the stone age after we get zapped by a flare, and resulting bands of roaming marauders stealing your last can of Spam. All that is possible, of course, but at least for the near future, I don’t believe it will happen. Here’s why:
In Revelation 11:9 it is stated, “For three and a half days men from every people, tribe, language and nation will gaze on their bodies and refuse them burial.” This verse refers to the two witnesses whom Jesus sends to prophesy in the street of Jerusalem, and whom the antichrist hates. When their testimony is finished, the antichrist is allowed to overpower them and they are killed. Rather than bury them, the bodies lay in the streets while the world celebrates their death, even sending gifts in joy that they are gone. It is during this three day period that every person in the world looks upon them. It doesn’t seem that the news can get around quickly enough to every people, tribe, language, and nation unless satellites or other electronic form of mass media is in place.
In Revelation 13:16-17, there is described a global economy in which ALL people and ALL purchases can be tracked. If you don’t have this mark on your hand or forehead, you cannot buy nor sell. I don’t know what it will look like, some have proposed a kind of chip embedded in our bodies or a bar code planted on our heads, but it will be a trackable device able to immediately detect whether you can participate in the economy. It is likely, then, that is won’t be a surface tattoo, because that can be counterfeited. Most probably it will be an electronic something or other that relies on satellite, electricity or some other kind of network or grid that will tell the people at the point of purchase whether you are a yea or a nay.
So if a Coronal Mass Ejection (CME) or electromagnetic pulse (EMP) does occur that wipes out the grid, we are told that it would take years to build it back up. We are also told that it takes time to launch more satellites which support television, radio, and GPS. While the Tribulation does include many supernatural wonders from the sun (Rev 16:8; 9:2; 8:12; 6:12) it does not seem that a mass electrical failure would be part of the proceedings.
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UPDATE: We know that Gaddafi has fled Tripoli and diplomatic sources say there are indications he is on his way to Venezuela. Witnesses say that two fighter jets have suddenly landed at Malta and other are reports saying the pilots are asking for asylum.
The disciples asked the Lord what would be the signs of the end of the age. Jesus answered in a long and explicit discourse, the longest He gave on any topic (The Sermon on the Mount in Mt 5 is about equal in length). He answered not in parables but in clear language describing a generation that would see these things come to pass. (Mt 24:33-34). One of those events are that “nation will rise against nation.” To our ears in 2011, nation means country. But the Greek word here is ‘ethnos’. Strong’s Concordance says it means “people joined by practicing similar customs or common culture; nation(s), usually referring to unbelieving Gentiles (non-Jews). In other words, races.
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In Tripoli, Libya, we read tonight, “Clashes between anti-government protesters and Gaddafi supporters escalate as army unit ‘defects’ in Benghazi.” Snipers are shooting at mourners killed in the protests. Violence has erupted in five major cities in Libya, not to mention Yemen, Morocco, and Bahrain. There are wild unsourced reports that Gaddafi has fled Libya for Venezuela. People are taking to the streets, brother against brother, race against race. Though these are the times just prior to the tribulation (and I believe just barely prior) they are not part of the Tribulation yet. But we can see that the ‘nation against nation’ prophecy is nearing fulfillment. Not to worry. even as Daniel said in 2:20-22,
“Praise be to the name of God for ever and ever;
wisdom and power are his.
He changes times and seasons;
he deposes kings and raises up others.
He gives wisdom to the wise
and knowledge to the discerning.
He reveals deep and hidden things;
he knows what lies in darkness,
and light dwells with him.
Someone told me the other day that she enjoyed my bright happy smile and my vivacious attitude. I replied that though I did have my issues and my problems, I choose joy. I do not focus on my problems. She was surprised, saying that one would never know by looking at me that I ever felt sad or down. I said that my problems will pass away but the light of Jesus will never pass away. I want people to see His Light, not my problems.
To that end, I work at making sure that I refocus my attitude each day. Some days I need to refocus it hour by hour, and some days moment by moment. It is work to choose to rely on joy and not wallow in personal problems. But what do you want people to see? Your problems written on your face, body, and posture? Or His light despite your problems? If we rely on Him, then really rely on Him. Don’t worry about the medical report, you will get a glorified body. Don’t worry about the scarce cupboard, He will provide. Don’t worry about the job, He will send one. Don’t worry about anything. He says:
“An anxious heart weighs a man down, but a kind word cheers him up” (Proverbs 12:25).
“I sought the LORD, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears” (Psalm 34:4).
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6-7).
He says all that and more. Let people see your light, for He that is within us is greater than he who is in the world (1 John 4:4). Your problems will pass away, but He will never pass away, so He should be the focus.
Well, Jesus said there would be earthquakes in diverse places…This one is just south of Mobile Alabama. By the way, the quakes are still occurring in Arkansas. There have been thirty in the last 48 hours.
USGS data. Seismicity for the northern part of the state is common, being part of the New Madrid Seismic Zone. But I have to been able to find where seismic activity occurs in the southern part.
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| Sunrise at Myrtle Beach SC |
With all the focus on the sun lately, it reminded me of how much we love the sun, how much we rely on it. Older civilizations worshiped the sun, even some civilizations nowadays worship it. The sun should not be an object of worship but it is an object that inspires awe. But with all that, we still take it for granted.
I’ve had the privilege of seeing the Aurora Borealis display twice. Once was a short display in Maine. I was driving home late at night after a class in Portland. I was on a long stretch of road and I could see up ahead that there was a strange red in the sky, even though it was long past sunset. I pulled over at a wide span in the breakdown lane and got out of the car. I was treated to a wonderful display of the lights, in reds and blues. It looked like a curtain waving.
On the other occasion, I was on an ice-breaking ferry in Labrador. It was in the middle of the night, but we were about to enter a port so everyone was up and awake. A French-Canadian gentleman became excited and pointed to the low horizon, gesticulating and urging his girlfriend to look. After a moment or two, the sky popped. A cracking sizzled in my ears and a gorgeous curtain of greens lit up the sky. I was wowed, awed, and amazed at the colors, but especially the sounds. It sounded like a harp was being played that had strings of electricity. The lights are ethereal, and I felt privileged to see the results of the solar flare’s effect on earth.I mean, it’s not every day you get to see ions light up.
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| Sunrise at Miami’s Government Cut, on the way to the Bahamas |
People love the sun so much, and its appearance and disappearance each day is always a source of anticipation, relief, and joy. Sunrises and sunsets are eagerly watched and remarked on. Sunsets are cause for parties in Key West, Naples Florida and other locations where there is warmth, beaches, and coolers. For I while I lived on a yacht, sailing to the Bahamas. While I was on watch at the 3-5am stint, sailing through the dark ocean waters, there is never such relief and happiness when the the first few rays of the sun poke above the horizon. The last night watch before dawn always seemed the longest. When the sun bursts over the waves and the first light emerges it seems the same thing is happening in my heart, waves of joy illuminate it and I feel light and happy.
A little-known solar effect at sunset is the “Green Flash.” It is fairly rare. At least, it only lasts a second or two so it is hard to see and so it’s rarely caught. I caught it when I was living in Florida for the winter. At sunset, and atmospheric conditions are just right, as the sun goes beneath the horizon, a green light shoots out from under the sun’s disk to the right and to the left, and then the entire sun is gone as well as the flash. I saw it, my husband saw it, and another guy on the beach saw it. We were so excited to have seen this rare solar phenomenon. It is kind of like finding a unicorn, fabled and mythologized, but the flash actually does happen. The other folks on the beach didn’t believe us, and accused us of drinking. But we had not taken any drink of any kind. It looked like deep green emeralds shooting out.
“Green flashes come in two common forms, succinctly described by James Prescott Joule in a letter to the Manchester Literary and Philosophical Society in 1869. First, he noted that “at the moment of the departure of the sun below the horizon, the last glimpse is coloured bluish green.” This “last glimpse” flash is associated with the inferior mirage, familiar on asphalt roads on sunny days. It is best seen from a few meters above sea level…”
The recent solar storm with ejected flare has caused a bit of consternation among scientists, aware lay people, and conspiracy theorists. However, damage from a Coronal Mass Ejection (CME) is no conspiracy- they happen and they will continue to happen. They will also continue to affect earth.
Space.com muses on the possibilities in an aptly headlined article: Catastrophe Looming? The Risks of Rising Solar Storm Activity”:
“The sun let loose its most powerful eruption in more than four years Monday night (Feb. 14), disrupting radio communications in China and generating concern around the world. But it could have been a lot worse, experts say. Despite its strength, Monday’s solar storm was a baby compared to several previous blasts, and it provides just a hint of what the sun is capable of. A true monster storm has the potential to wreak havoc on a global scale, knocking out communications systems, endangering satellites and astronauts and causing perhaps trillions of dollars in damages. The sun’s activity cycle is ramping up, so more storms will likely be coming our way over the next few years. The sun has grown more active over the last several months after rousing from a quiet period in its 11-year weather cycle last year.”
“But Earth has been walloped by monster solar storms before. One of the most powerful hit us in 1859, a blast that Rutledge estimates may have been 30 times more powerful than Monday’s event, though it’s tough to put hard numbers on such comparisons. The 1859 storm shorted out telegraph wires, causing fires in North America and Europe, and spawned spectacular auroras — the light shows visible near Earth’s poles — bright enough to read by, according to some accounts. If the 1859 storm occurred these days, it would likely have devastating impacts, since our electrical and communications infrastructures are so much more developed. A recent report by the U.S National Academy of Sciences found that such a severe storm could cause up to $2 trillion in initial damages by crippling communications on Earth and fueling chaos around the world.”
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| Sunset at Naples Florida |
We love the sun. We take endless photos of sunrises and sunsets. We admire its strength and bemoan its winter weakness. We languish under its warmth and rejoice under its light. We are awestruck at its auroral displays and marvel at its mirages. But one day, the sun will not be there.
“I looked when He opened the sixth seal, and behold, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became like blood. And the stars of heaven fell to the earth, as a fig tree drops its late figs when it is shaken by a mighty wind. Then the sky receded as a scroll when it is rolled up, and every mountain and island was moved out of its place.” This is an event described in Revelation 6:12-14. Almost a year ago, I wrote about my idea as to the events that could cause the sun to go dark as a sackcloth. You can read it here.
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| Sunset at Lubec, Maine |
This is a terrible event that happens early on in the Tribulation. The seal judgments are the first set of 7 among 21 judgments. The 7 Trumpet Judgments and then finally the 7 Bowl Judgments come after the Seal Judgments. Imagine, the sun not giving its light! Imagine the terror, the clockwork rising and setting as we have always known them, GONE. Just darkness covering the land. It will happen, but…
YOU can be in the light, the Light of Jesus and the glory of heaven. If you feel sincerely bad about your sins, then ask Jesus to forgive them. He will do it. He died on the cross so that He would be the sacrifice, satisfying God’s justice for sin. You can live forever under His eternal pardon, or you can see for yourself what it really means to be in the dark.
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This is America. America. Land of the free and home of the brave. Richest nation on earth. Winners of wars and establishers of democracy. Look what is happening to our neighbors out there. I almost cried when I saw this video. King 5 News out of Washington State has the story. What got me was the politeness of the robber, the fact that he wasn’t robbing for drugs but to feed his kids, the offer of the owner to give him $40…it all just makes me cry for the lost. Things are so hard out there for our neighbors. In desperation, he turned to crime to feed his kids. So, who is our neighbor?
“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” (Matthew 22:36-40). Our neighbors are hurting. Help them. Love them.
According to the Integrated Space Weather Analysis System at NASA,(click alerts then click on arrival time), the solar gas belched out on Feb 15th toward the earth, in scientific terms known as an X-class flare, will arrive overnight on Feb 17th and remain buffeting the earth for a total of plus or minus 6 hours.
http://iswa.ccmc.gsfc.nasa.gov:8080/IswaSystemWebApp/index.jsp?clear=1
Event Issue Date: 2011-02-15 05:47:44.0 GMT
CME Arrival Time: 2011-02-17 02:57:50.0 GMT
Arival Time Confidence Level: ± 6 hours
Disturbance Duration: 6 hours
Disturbance Duration Confidence Level: ± 8 hours
Magnetopause Standoff Distance: 5.5 Re
Some early effects are already being felt in North Korea. “The Sun emitted a strong flare on Tuesday at around 10:50 a.m. Korea time disrupting some radio communications here in Korea. According to the Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute, a powerful solar flare from “Sunspot 1-1-5-8″ interfered with radio waves in shortwave receivers. The institute predicts a massive burst of solar wind and radiation to hit the Earth’s magnetic field some time between Wednesday and Thursday which could cause further damage to electrical systems and black out additional radio communications here. A solar flare is an explosion on the Sun that happens when energy stored in twisted magnetic fields is suddenly released. Since last year solar flares have been increasing in number with one of the biggest expected in 2013.”
And also in China: “A large solar flare accompanied by electromagnetic storms affected shortwave radio communications in southern China on Tuesday, according to the China Meteorological Administration (CMA). The CMA’s space weather monitoring center reported that it had spotted the X2.2-class solar flare at 9:56 a.m. Tuesday Beijing Time. Xue Bingsen, a researcher with the center, said the solar flare caused sudden ionospheric disturbances in the atmosphere above China and affected shortwave radio communications, according to a CMA statement. A solar flare is a violent explosion in the sun’s atmosphere caused by huge magnetic activity. The flares produce large amounts of radiation that can affect the Earth’s ionosphere and disrupt radio communications. The space weather monitoring center said there is a high probability that large solar flares will appear in the next three days.”
MSNBC says that “Ideally, the associated stream of particles could reach the Earth 37 hours after the flare’s eruption.
That would correspond Tuesday, Feb. 15, at about 1:30 a.m. EST. But this is only an approximation; the actual commencement of a possible magnetic storm could occur many hours earlier or later, so it would be best to check the sky periodically during the overnight hours to assess if any activity is actually taking place.
The prospective zone of visibility can include the northern Rockies, northern Plains, the Great Lakes, northern portions of Pennsylvania and New Jersey as well as all of New York State and New England. However, if the stream of electrified particles turns out to be less energetic, aurora visibility might be confined to places farther to the north, and nearer to the Canadian border. Conversely, if the particle stream turns out to be stronger than forecast, an aurora might sighted farther south into the central U.S.”
Happy viewing! Do take a look outside if you even have the slimmest chance of seeing a Northern Light. GO OUTSIDE and LOOK! 🙂 They are spectacularly spooky and beautiful.
This essay is 1800 words, but it’s really good. Skim it, read it in two parts, whatever you need to do, but I think Mr Graham did a fine job and I hope it blesses you.
“Children of the Light” – “Day of the Lord”
By Ron Graham
“But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you. For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape. But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.” 1 Thessalonians 5:1-5.
If you are a born again child of God, you are one of the children of light spoken of by the Apostle Paul in the last verse above, therefore you cannot, and will not, be overtaken as a thief would overtake the unsuspecting. Why won’t you be among the crowd that will be overcome with sudden destruction? The “Day of the Lord” mentioned in verse 2 above is referring to the day of God’s wrath. The title given us (Christ’s Church) is “children of light” if you are in the “Light” category you are “In Christ” therefore you will not be on earth when God pours out His wrath on this Christ rejecting world.
In the book of Isaiah, the prophet speaks numerous times of the “Day of the Lord”. One such verse that really catches the eye is “Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate: and he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it.” Isaiah 13:9. When the Lord comes back to earth this time He won’t come as a suffering servant, but as a conquering King. He will come with cruel wrath and fierce anger to destroy all who’ve rejected Him. Isaiah doesn’t mince words; the reader knows exactly what God’s actions will be when He once again sets physical foot on planet earth.
It is Paul’s intention to explain further to the Thessalonian Church that they are not part of those who dwell in darkness; therefore they will not experience the “Day of the Lord”. Paul starts off using words like “you” and “yourself” in verse 2 of 1 Thessalonians 5, speaking of the church. Then he changes to “they” and “them” referring to those who’ve spent their lives dwelling in darkness – those who’ve had no use for Jesus Christ their entire lives. For when “they” shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon “them”, as travail upon a woman with child; and “they” shall not escape.
Those who choose to remain in darkness will be left here on earth to contend with God’s fierce anger. We who are born again – although just as deserving of God’s punishment as those who dwell in darkness – will never face a moment of God’s wrath. How thankful are we that Jesus was willing to sacrifice Himself on that cross. He took all of our sins and nailed them to that cross. The sin of the world nailed and forgotten, but only those who are born again are forgiven.
“Come, my people, enter thou into thy chambers, and shut thy doors about thee: hide thyself as it were for a little moment, until the indignation be overpast. For, behold, the LORD cometh out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity: the earth also shall disclose her blood, and shall no more cover her slain.” Isaiah 26:20-21. When the children of light are safely hidden and the door is shut, then the indignation will come. For the children of light, paradise will be our staging area whilst “the LORD cometh out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth”.
“For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light: the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine. And I will punish the world for their evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; and I will cause the arrogancy of the proud to cease, and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible.” Isaiah 13:10-11. Those folks who will be left to deal with God’s wrath will first be plunged into darkness – darkness will be the norm around the world. Then God will punish them for their evil, wicked ways. Those arrogant enough to reject His free gift of salvation even going as far as to say there is no God – that we all evolved from pond scum – will immediately be reminded of their foolishness.
“Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision: for the day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision.” Joel 3:14. This verse has been used by pastors as a draw to those who still need to make a decision for Christ. But, in all actuality, time has run out for the multitudes left standing in this valley. Since the valley of decision is the location of the battle of Armageddon it’s not some sort of safe haven or a place to finally make up your mind one way or the other concerning Jesus Christ. Joel is referring to this valley as a valley of judgment – by this time, if you haven’t made a decision to believe and accept God’s free gift of salvation, it’s too late. God’s judgment has come.
“The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before that great and notable day of the Lord come:” Acts 2:20. Notice the word “before” in this verse, darkness will reign supreme even before “that great and notable Day of the Lord” comes barreling down on this wicked, perverse generation. Yes, this generation.
“The great day of the LORD is near, it is near, and hasteth greatly, even the voice of the day of the LORD: the mighty man shall cry there bitterly. That day is a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of wasteness and desolation, a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness… And I will bring distress upon men, that they shall walk like blind men, because they have sinned against the LORD: and their blood shall be poured out as dust, and their flesh as the dung. Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of the LORD’S wrath; but the whole land shall be devoured by the fire of his jealousy: for he shall make even a speedy riddance of all them that dwell in the land.” Zephaniah 1:14-15, 17-18. Many times in the Old Testament we see prophecy with dual fulfillment. King Josiah inherited a corrupt nation from his father Amon and grandfather Manasseh, a nation almost wholly given over to idolatry (2 Kings 21:3-7). Here God announces judgment against the idol worshippers in Israel. Although Zephaniah speaks of how God will judge a rebellious Judah, a future fulfillment is also in view here. God will once again judge the wicked earth dwellers – neither their gold nor silver will do them any good in the “Day of the Lord”. This prophecy is about to be fulfilled, God’s wrath is about to be poured out on a Christ rejecting world. No one, in their right mind, should desire to see and be a part of the final fulfillment of Zephaniah’s prophecy.
“For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the LORD of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.” Malachi 4:1. All of these prophets are speaking of the same future event. It’s the “Day of the Lord”; it’s the wrath of God being poured out on a generation that has thoroughly rejected God and His Christ and turned to wickedness (as in the days of Noah), and to postpone His wrath God would only be allowing all humanity to destroy themselves. “For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened.” Matthew 24:21-22. The elect are those who have become followers of Jesus Christ during the Great Tribulation. We, the Church, will be watching from the mezzanine.
“The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” 2 Peter 3:9. Here we’re told of God’s patience – that He is longsuffering to us-ward. This means that God is slow to anger – slow to punish. But don’t forget that He is not slack concerning His promise. “But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.” 2 Peter 3:9-10.
Throughout His Word, God places so much emphasis on the approaching “Day of the Lord” that for us to merely relegate it to allegory, or shrug it off as a future event unimportant to us today is foolishness and completely misses His point. He’s made a promise that His wrath will be unleashed. Yes, God is longsuffering to us-ward but He’s trying to get the point across to everyone who has an ear to hear with that although He is slow to anger and slow to punish, His anger will eventually be poured out and soon, but only on those who’ve rejected His free gift of salvation.
At this point you might want to do some real soul searching to be absolutely sure just where you stand in relation to the Creator of the universe. Have you heard the Gospel of Christ? Have you believed? Have you placed Jesus Christ first in your life? Or is there an idol in that most important place in your heart?
The Children of the Light/Day, are all those who have placed their faith and trust in Jesus the Christ alone for salvation. We are those who will be caught up to be with the Lord prior to “Day of the Lord” (the wrath of God).
Many folks disagree when it comes to this mystery we refer to as the Rapture of the Church, but as seemingly old and tired as the cliché becomes it’s still just as appropriate today as we’re continually confronted by the naysayers. We simply tell them not to worry; we’ll explain it to them on the way up.
God bless you all,
Ron Grahamtwotug@embarqmail.com
96 County Road 5480-Salem, MO 65560
All scripture is from the KJV and God breathed
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I’ve written twice since late last night about the X-class solar flare that was ejected from the sun and hurled toward earth. The sun’s solar cycle is getting more active and expected to peak in 2013. With the recent activity, astronomers predicted that some kind of flare was likely to occur. Scientists were surprised when the flare eventually turned out to be an X-class, though.
Indeed, four C-class flares were ejected, and later, an M-class flare. C-class flares are small, and M-class are medium. X-class flares are big, and when they are directed toward the earth, they can cause damage. According to Spaceweather.com, “A solar flare is an explosion on the Sun that happens when energy stored in twisted magnetic fields (usually above sunspots) is suddenly released. Flares produce a burst of radiation across the electromagnetic spectrum, from radio waves to x-rays and gamma-rays.”
“Flares send a burst of X-rays and charged particles — mostly protons — out from the Sun’s surface into space. Occasionally one is pointed in the right direction so that it affects the Earth. They are classified according to how powerful they are, as A, B, C, M or X, with X being the most powerful.”
Solar flares and the end time…there is a link. In this article from the Salem Oregon news, “Magnetic Polar Shifts Causing Massive Global Superstorms,” continuing, “NASA has been warning about it…scientific papers have been written about it…geologists have seen its traces in rock strata and ice core samples…Now “it” is here: an unstoppable magnetic pole shift that has sped up and is causing life-threatening havoc with the world’s weather.” I’ve written before about the magnetic pole shift occurring, and we also know and understand that the magnetosphere which protects us from the sun’s harmful rays and flares is twisting, shrinking, and has a huge hole in it. NASA reported in 2009 that there is a giant breach in the earth’s magnetosphere. “It is ten times larger than anything previously thought to exist. Solar wind can flow in through the opening to “load up” the magnetosphere for powerful geomagnetic storms. But the breach itself is not the biggest surprise. Researchers are even more amazed at the strange and unexpected way it forms, overturning long-held ideas of space physics.”
“The Earth’s magnetosphere was discovered in 1958 by Explorer 1, which was the first U.S. artificial satellite launched to orbit earth. The Earth’s magnetosphere is shaped based on the extent of Earth’s internal magnetic field, the solar wind plasma, and the inter-planetary magnetic field. The magnetosphere prevents most particles from the sun, carried in the solar wind, from impacting earth. The Earth has the strongest Magnetosphere of all the rocky planets.” This is how the magnetosphere usually looks. At the left is the sun, at the right, in the center of the solar streams, is the earth.
Most importantly, the magnetosphere is protecting Earth from much harmful radiation from the solar wind ejected by the Sun. The magnetosphere is a very important source of protection, repelling the solar wind out and around the earth in loops formed by the magnetic field of the earth. The photo above shows the magnetosphere is its normal shape. The picture below shows the magnetosphere in its current shape: twisted in a way I’ve never seen before.
The magnetosphere protects us, and without it we would fry. Ultraviolet rays from the sun, if they were to drift upon us, would burn us terribly. Being fully exposed to a solar flare would range from harmful to deathly. Just such a thing may have happened in Louisiana. In a KATC-TV spot news report, “Around two-dozen high school students come home, in the middle of winter with what looks like… Get this— a sunburn. Now, parents and teachers want to know how this happened. It’s a mystery in the community of Hathaway and it has people burning to know the answers. “We don’t know what caused it,” parent, Donald Demary said. “We just kept trying to find answers,” Hathaway High Principal Mona Miller said. On Wednesday, about two dozen Hathaway High School students came back from a field trip with what appears to be a sunburn. The mystery is, students and teachers don’t know what caused it. “We have no idea,” Principal Miller said. “It’s very bizarre.” Demary says, “it’s something we need to be very concerned about. “It looked more like a flash burn.” Miller described, “or something someone would experience inside a tanning bed.”
A hole in the magnetosphere or strong sun shining through a weakened section of it would cause the burning. Not saying it did, but it could.
The pole shift, X-class solar flare, and the students getting flash-burned made me think of the breakdown of the celestial cycles prophesied to happen in Revelation and in Matthew 24:29. The sun goes dark, the moon goes dark, stars fall from the sky, the moon turns red, the skies roll back as a scroll, burning mountains crash into the oceans (asteroids?) it will all happen. And there is something else that will happen: “The fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun, and the sun was allowed to scorch people with fire. They were seared by the intense heat and they cursed the name of God, who had control over these plagues, but they refused to repent and glorify him.” (Revelation 16:8-9). Like the students in Louisiana, in the Revelation judgment, if you go outside for a few moments you’ll get burned. The Revelation judgment is NOT happening now, but as I said, the things happening this week with the sun and the flares and the magnetosphere made me think of the Revelation judgment. The magnetosphere could disappear and that may be how the judgment comes to pass. In any case, extreme weather and abnormal solar activity is the new normal.
But you do not have to worry about extremes or fluctuations in any cycle. Jesus is the Alpha and the Omega, and He is constant. He is the same today, yesterday and forever! You can be with Him to experience a constant level of joy and peace that you never knew on earth, X-class flares notwithstanding. Ask me how. Go on, I dare you to ask.
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