end time – Page 30

Solar X-class flare, report

Posted on February 15, 2011 by elizabethprata

I reported last last night (here) that an X-class solar flare has occurred. At that post, I noted what an X-class flares is and what its possible effects on earth may be. Now we have a little more detail from Astronomy report about where the flare will be hitting–

From Astronomy Report:

“Sunspot 1158 has exploded again, this time producing a X2.2 Class Solar Flare. It also caused an R3 Radio Black Out on the on sunlit side of Earth. The storm should hit the Earth about the time the sun is coming up on the East coast of the united states, so a majority of the energy should be directed at the Atlantic Ocean. Solar storms like this usually only last for a few hours, so most of the energy should be absorbed before the sun reaches it zenith on the East Coast. If for some reason the storm slows down, as they sometimes do, more of the energy will be directed towards the East Coast.”

“This storm was pretty well tracked and was actually predicted by several solar weather agencies around the world, so most satellite operators should have ample warning to get their systems in safe mode. It may cause temporary disruption of services, but it shouldn’t permanently damage any satellites. Radio communications may be temporarily disrupted as well, though it may only reduce the range of radio transmissions rather than black them out.”

“During the initial blast wave that hits the Earth, it may cause some beautiful aurora in both the southern and northern hemispheres. North America, should have a beautiful view in the early morning hours as far south as Utah. During this early blast wave, our magnetosphere will quake and will also allow more radiation through than normal. It is possible that air traffic will be rerouted or even possibly canceled during the early part of the storm.”

I have some thoughts on this regarding the end time tribulation period, the magnetosphere, and some news out of Louisiana that may relate. I’ll post it later this afternoon, after work.
Tweet http://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

end of days. prophecy, end time, x-class solar flare

X-class solar flare (major) has occurred

Posted on February 15, 2011May 9, 2016 by elizabethprata

Major Flare (X2.2) / Full Halo CME
02/15/2011 by Kevin VE3EN at 02:20

“UPDATE – This was rated an “X2.2 Major Solar Flare” – The sun showed some love on Valentines Day. Massive Sunspot 1158 has produced a major X2.2 Class Solar Flare at 01:56 UTC Tuesday. This is the largest Solar Flare of Cycle 24 and a CME could be associated with this event. A strong R3 Radio Blackout has taken place as well. More to follow.”

X-class flares are described here:

“Scientists classify solar flares according to their x-ray brightness in the wavelength range 1 to 8 Angstroms. There are 3 categories: X-class flares are big; they are major events that can trigger planet-wide radio blackouts and long-lasting radiation storms. M-class flares are medium-sized; they can cause brief radio blackouts that affect Earth’s polar regions. Minor radiation storms sometimes follow an M-class flare. Compared to X- and M-class events, C-class flares are small with few noticeable consequences here on Earth.”

Australia is already experiencing some effects. There are reports of down internet and the radio disruptions as mentioned above. It generally takes 48 hours for flares to hit us so we will see what happened, if anything, over the next few days. The X-flare was earth-directed, however, so there will be some effects.

From WOOD-TV, Grand Rapids MI:

Thanks to Jay for pointing out that we now have an X-class solar flare. Check out this picture of any aurora from up by the Arctic Circle in Norway tonight. Here’s more and more here. X-class flares are big and are major events that can trigger planet-wide radio blackouts and long-lasting radiation storms. According to NASA, this is the biggest solar flare so far from this solar cycle. We’ve had reports that the flare produced a blast of radio emissions heard in shortwave receivers around the dayside of Earth.
Tweet http://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

algeria, end of days. prophecy, end time, revelation, yemen

Customs official: Weapon of mass destruction found in US

Posted on February 15, 2011May 9, 2016 by elizabethprata

From UK Daily Mail today:

“A port official has admitted that a ‘weapon of mass effect’ has been found by ‘partner agencies’ in the U.S., raising major questions over a possible government cover-up. The disturbing revelation came in an interview with San Diego’s assistant port director screened by a television channel in the city. The Customs and Border Protection Department tried to dampen speculation over his remarks, but doubts remained over whether he had inadvertently revealed a dirty bomb plot to attack the U.S. mainland. Concern over a secret WMD bust came after U.S. cables made public by the Wikileaks whistleblower website revealed terror groups were plotting a ‘nuclear 911.’ “

Partial transcription of the interview:
‘So, specifically, you’re looking for the dirty bomb? You’re looking for the nuclear device?’ asked Mr Blacher.
‘Correct. Weapons of mass effect,’ said Mr Hallor.
‘You ever found one?’ asked Mr Blacher.
‘Not at this location,’ Mr Hallor said.
‘But they have found them?’ asked Mr Blacher.
‘Yes,’ said Mr Hallor.

“Earlier, Mr Hallor told Mr Blacher: ‘Potentially every city in America is a target. Given the waterways and the access to the Navy fleet here, I’d say, absolutely, San Diego is a target.” Read more at the link…

It doesn’t take a genius to know that the world is a very, very dangerous place. Wars are asymmetrical now, and could be launched by anyone, anywhere, at any time, and in some cases, we’d never know what hit us. The book by William Forstchen in “One Second After” an apocalyptic book illustrating the effects of an electro-magnetic pulse over the US, is true-to life scenario where things go to pieces very quickly, but the enemy was never known.

Speaking of waterways and an unknown enemy perpetrator, in Joel C. Rosenberg‘s book “Dead Heat“, waterways were used to launch a shoulder-held scud missiles simultaneously from 4 strategic cities, Seattle (technological center), LA (entertainment center), Potomac (political Center) and NYC (financial center). Container ships anchored on rivers giving access to these cities, or anchored immediately offshore, allowed through the proximity for a terrorist crew to simply unclasp a tarp that had covered a disassembled missile on deck, assemble it within seconds, launch it, up anchor, and steam out while the crew repaints the ship’s name en route.

It is an entirely plausible and scary scenario. It is so plausible, that it has leapt from the pages of political fiction to near possibility, according to the Customs officer. It makes TSA patting down 5-year-olds look like the ridiculous government intrusion that it is, while waterways and borders go unprotected.

As far as the end time goes, if you are thinking that “it couldn’t happen in America”, think again. Revelation 6:3-4 depicts the first devastating judgments, and second in line is war. “When the Lamb opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature say, “Come!” Then another horse came out, a fiery red one. Its rider was given power to take peace from the earth and to make people kill each other. To him was given a large sword.” Peace will be taken from the earth. That means ALL the earth, including America. No section, place, plot, or nook will escape the effects of the second seal. War will be the order of the day.

We see it setting up, now, even before the Tribulation. Look at a map of the eastern Mid-East and northern Africa. The unrest has spread from Lebanon, to Egypt, to Saudi Arabia, to Bahrain, Algeria, Yemen, and now Italy. The “A” marks a tiny island owned by Italy, called Lampedusa, where the Tunisians are fleeing. More on that news, below. Click on the map to enlarge it.

Yemen: Hundreds of anti-government protesters marched toward a presidential palace in Yemen on Sunday, calling for regime change in the Middle Eastern country. Some of them chanted, “First Mubarak, now Ali,” referring to Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh and Hosni Mubarak, who recently resigned as president of Egypt after nearly 30 years in power. Security forces put up a barbed wire barricade and blocked the protesters’ path about two miles from the palace. At that point, the situation intensified as protesters turned away and attempted to reach the palace through side streets.”

Algeria: Unrest, protests and clashes. “Police reportedly used tear gas and batons to drive back crowds protesting over unemployment. About 30 people, most of them protesters, were hurt. In January Algeria was the first in a string of countries to see street protests, as people rallied against high food prices and unemployment. Several people were killed as unrest spread across the country. The sporadic protests have been continuing since early January.”

Bahrain: “Following Algeria over the weekend, the latest country to see an escalation in rioting following the revolutions of Tunisia and Egypt, is the tiny island of Bahrain, situated just off the coast of Saudi Arabia, which just happens to be home to the US Navy’s 5th fleet. From the Washington Post: “Bahrain’s security forces fired tear gas and rubber bullets Monday at thousands of anti-government protesters heeding calls to unite in a major rally and bring the Arab reform wave to the Gulf for the first time.” We are currently searching to bring readers a live feed, but don’t hold your breath. As noted above, this country is situated just off Saudi, and the last thing the oil exporting country needs to show is how volatile the region has suddenly become despite attempts by various emirates in the region to purchase the loyalty of their citizens.

Italy: “Due to political and economical instability in Tunisia, thousands of Tunisian migrants are fleeing to Lampedusa, a tiny Italian island located 70 miles from Tunisian ports. In less than a week’s time, between 4,000 and 5,000 migrants have arrived on Italian shores, almost doubling the population of Lampedusa. The situation is so urgent that Italy had to declare the state of emergency and called the EU for assistance.”

Italy: Thousands of Italians took to the streets in some 200 cities across the country Sunday in protest of Prime Minister’s Silvio Berlusconi’s alleged behavior toward women. The largest gathering was in Rome, where organizers said 100,000 people gathered, under the slogan, “If not now, when?” In Milan, organizers estimated that 60,000 people gathered. Protests also took place outside Italy, including marches in Tokyo and Geneva. Sunday’s demonstrations were the biggest anti-Berlusconi rallies since the most recent sex scandal broke in January, when Milan prosecutors said they were investigating whether the prime minister abused his power by helping an underaged woman, who he had allegedly paid for sex, get out of jail on a theft charge..”

Where will the unrest end? After Jesus comes and sets up His Millennium Kingdom on earth. From here on out, there is only more violence, revolution, and war. Lord, come soon!

Tweet http://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

end time, quakes, supervolcano, usgs, yellowstone

4.6 earthquake at Yellowstone: USGS deleted it

Posted on February 13, 2011May 9, 2016 by elizabethprata

There have been a series of quakes at Yellowstone that have been collected as data on the recent quakes page, but then deleted. I don’t know why. Quake swarms are common at Yellowstone because it is the site of seismic activity after all, and also the site of a supervolcano that has magma on the move. But with the recent mega-swarm that caused so much panic last year, it behooves us to watch the location closely. But why were the quakes deleted from USGS lists? They are still captured on Intellicast maps, and are properly sourced to USGS. One of the quakes was a 4.6, which is an unusually large quake for the area.

Here are the links to check it out for yourself:
Intellicast quake maps
USGS Recent Quakes
Look on the USGS list for Feb 11-12 quakes. USGS doesn’t have any, but Intellicast does- citing USGS. Look at the screen shot of the Lat-Long for Feb 12:

The red box indicates a 4.0+ sized quake on that date in that latitude and longitude. Now look at a screen shot of the same Lat-Long a day later. The 4.6 quake is gone, along with most of the others…

Also gone are most of the other quakes, and they are removed from the list on the Recent Quakes page, too. None for MT, UT or WY except for one 2.5 quake in Utah. File it under things that make me go “Hmmm.”

Tweet http://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

end of days. prophecy, end time, pre-tribulation rapture, salt and light, stocking up

To stock up or not to stock up?

Posted on February 12, 2011May 9, 2016 by elizabethprata

Christian friends are wondering what to do about the current food scarcity. In many countries around the world, most of them actually, food is an issue. “Almost half the world — over 3 billion people — live on less than $2.50 a day.” (source) That is an amazing fact. If you are like me and live in America, and have been privileged to live in wealth all your life, that fact is hard to comprehend. “But I’m not rich!” you might protest. Maybe you have been out of work for 32 weeks and are on the verge of losing your house. Well, you HAVE a house. Maybe you have already lost your house. Well, unless you are living under the RR tracks and reading this at the library, you are rich. If you have some sort of shelter, occasional food, and clothes, you are rich- comparatively. (Image no. ww1646-79 courtesy Northwestern University, WWII rationing)

So, many people around here are wondering what to do about the hard times on us. No longer are our jobs secure. An entire generation grew up knowing that their company would be loyal to them and they would be loyal to their company, retiring after 40 years with a party, and a gold watch. Government workers were the most secure, teachers, cops, public works crews. But with recent budget crises, entire police forces are being laid off, teachers are not being hired and suddenly, parks don’t need to be leaf-blown every day. Layoffs in every sector abound and no new jobs are to be had. It’s not hard for people to see the writing on the wall. (Side note: that phrase came from the bible.)

It’s natural to want to stock up. Witness any store before a snowstorm- bread and milk are wiped out within hours. People who have families naturally want to gather supplies to take them through the storm. You want to provide for them in case there is scarcity and want. So what I am going to remind you of is counter intuitive. Don’t stock up for the coming storm. Share all you have. Give sacrificially. Be generous.

“WHAT?!” you say. ‘Even the bible shows Joseph stocking up for the famine to come upon Egypt! He knew what was coming and he prepared!” Well, not really. The Joseph story is not a good example of biblical giving. Read the chapters carefully.

In Genesis 41:46-57; Genesis 42:6; Genesis 47:13-22 Joseph went throughout all the land of Egypt and he took the one-fifth of the grain that the people had grown. (Gen 41:34). Joseph stored it in the cities (because cities are guarded and protected). When the famine came, he sold it back to them. When they ran out of money, he took their livestock, and when they ran out of livestock, he took their land as collateral. He turned all the people of Egypt and a good measure of those around Egypt into serfs.

Actually the bible is rife with stories about how we should give it all away. I am NOT talking about socialism. What I am talking about is that the Lord is counter-intuitive. Everything He asks us to do is counter to how we would act in the natural. Love our enemy. When we’re hit on the cheek, give the other cheek. When asked for a shirt, give the coat, too. Become poor to be rich. Die to live. He said He would take care of us. He said He would take care of us even if the way seems impossible. He said it over and over and over!

Consider the ravens: for they neither sow nor reap; which neither have storehouse nor barn; and God feedeth them: how much more are ye better than the fowls?” (Luke 12:24)

“Who provides food for the raven when its young cry out to God and wander about for lack of food?” (Job 38:41)

“These all look to you to give them their food at the proper time.” (Psalm 104:27)

“He provides food for the cattle and for the young ravens when they call.” (Psalm 147:9)

And Did He not denounce covetousness? “Then He said to them, “Beware, and be on your guard against every form of greed; for not even when one has an abundance does his life consist of his possessions.” And He told them a parable, saying, “The land of a rich man was very productive. “And he began reasoning to himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no place to store my crops?’ “Then he said, ‘This is what I will do: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. ‘And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years to come; take your ease, eat, drink and be merry.”’ “But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your soul is required of you; and now who will own what you have prepared?’ “So is the man who stores up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.” (Luke 12:15-21)

“Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, and spend a year there and engage in business and make a profit.” Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away. Instead, you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and also do this or that.” But as it is, you boast in your arrogance; all such boasting is evil. Therefore, to one who knows the right thing to do and does not do it, to him it is sin. (James 4:13-17)

In my personal life, I’ve come to the conclusion that Christians are not to stock up but to give sacrificially. A year and a half ago the situation around here was hard but not dire. Recently it has become dire for many of our families in the county. Dozens per week are knocking at the door of the church at all hours asking for food. The County food bank is regularly depleted. The Feed the Kids program is always asking for food so that the little ones at home from school aren’t hungry over the weekend. Don’t save. GIVE! We really have a lot more than we think we do, and we need a lot less than we use.

When you hear people saying “prepare” take that to mean being prayed up, solid on your bible reading, and having walked arm in arm with the Lord. Don’t stray from a close walk with Him and His statutes. Be spiritually prepared. Why? He called us to be salt and light. THIS is what it means to be light to the people who are in the dark, lost and wandering. THIS is what it means to be salt, preserving the word by acting on it. So Christian, prepare! But prepare to be salt and light:

“You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled under foot by men. “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. “Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 5:13-16)
Tweet http://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

end of days. prophecy, end time, peace

Thoughts on a morning drive

Posted on February 11, 2011May 9, 2016 by elizabethprata

I was driving to work this morning, amid an inch of powdery pure snow that had fallen overnight. The birds were chirping, and the mist was rising above the snow as the sun rose. The pastures were pure-looking, and the cows and calves and horses were kicking up snow puffs and cavorting around. I thought of how blessed I am to have a job to drive to, and how it is also a blessing that it is such a short distance away.

The rapture is coming soon, I thought, and it is a signless event. “It could happen right now” I thought. We can see from the nearness of the fulfillments of the first judgment in Revelation that the rapture is close. The rapture will precede the Tribulation, and since the Tribulation’s initial judgments are moving at such a rapid pace toward fulfillment, the rapture could literally be any day.

That God will even cause a rapture to happen is a miracle in itself. Seeing the gorgeous morning reminded me of God and His creation. That He allows us to be a part of it is another blessing I counted on the way in to work. “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” (Jeremiah 29:11). He includes us in His plans, and allows us to be used for His glory. How beautiful. He put us here on this earth, to work and play and experience pain and happiness and His presence. He draws us to salvation, and blesses us when we accept it. He gave us His all.

The beauty of the fields and farms this morning made me long for my true home, New Jerusalem. But while I am here on earth I am also blessed to be used of God for His kingdom, in whatever way He deems. When He calls, I say “Here I am Lord.” If He doesn’t call to me today, I say, “I will wait for you, Lord.” Either way, I am blessed. Those of us who know Christ know the feeling. It is called “Peace.”

Tweet http://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

end of days. prophecy, end time, fish die-off

Millions of Man O’War wash up on FL Beaches

Posted on February 9, 2011May 9, 2016 by elizabethprata

Another die-off:

Portuguese man-of-war invade Florida beaches
More than 450 beach-goers were treated for injuries after scores of Portuguese man-of-war washed ashore on South Florida beaches over the weekend. “It’s extreme. It is wall-to-wall man-of-war,” Delray Beach ocean rescue supervisor Heather Irurzun, a 14-year veteran, told the Palm Beach Post. “I’ve never seen it this bad.”

In an interview on Fox News, Irurzun said that though wash-ups in winter sometimes happen, “this one seems out of control. It’s just wall-to-wall blue.”

The following video was posted on Youtube by a local:

Meanwhile, 50 miles up the coast at Sebastian Inlet, FL, locals are stunned by a fish die-off of massive proportions. The lead sentence in the video-story is “We’re talking a lot of fish…biologists say up to a million.” There were so many dead fish that locals who have lived there for years were “stunned.” The biologists’ theory is that the fish are deliberately bunching up together in the shallow waters, but because there are so many of them, they use of all the available oxygen…and asphyxiate. They said that the species was menhaden, which makes it unusual behavior for that kind of creature.

Tweet http://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

end of days. prophecy, end time, homosexuality

God gave them over…is America under judgment?

Posted on February 9, 2011May 9, 2016 by elizabethprata

Our culture depicts the Holy God as a “loving God” which by extension means “He would never put us in hell. He will accept all peoples into heaven. He doesn’t discriminate…all paths lead to Him.” I have one word for that philosophy.

No.

God is loving, but He is also Holy. That means He is pure and untainted by sin. Because people refuse to accept His offer of forgiveness through the sacrifice of His son Jesus on the cross, God will judge them for those sins. People these days like to think that they can live free and unfettered by moral constraints, that whatever they do will have no consequence on earth or in heaven. I have one word for that philosophy.

No.

There are consequences. Individually, people who refuse the offer of salvation by Jesus’ substitution death on the cross are in effect, choosing hell, because they are choosing sin. We are all sinners, me, you, all. (Romans 3:23). But those who escape judgment of those sins are the ones who asked Jesus to forgive them, and repented. All others will be eternally separated from God in a place called the Lake of Fire. God doesn’t send you there…you chose it by rejecting the alternative.

That was individuals. God judges nations, also. He is judging America. This is a short commentary from John MacArthur today, about this verse from Romans: “Therefore God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, that their bodies might be dishonored among them.” (Romans 1:24-25; 28).

Introduction: “If we chart the spiritual course of America, a distinct pattern of sin emerges. Evolution has become the dominant world view. People live as if God doesn’t even exist. And even the destructive sin of homosexuality has become commonplace. Sounds like Romans chapter 1 where God gave them over to impure lusts, degrading passions, and a depraved mind. Three times in that passage it says “God gave them over.” What does that phrase mean, and what application is there for our nation today?”

MacArthur’s answer: “Giving someone over was actually a legal term that was used in the court to speak of a person who had been found guilty and who was handed over for judgment. And that is exactly its meaning in Romans 1. This is God’s judgment on nations. And what Romans 1 is describing happens over and over though all human history. Nations know the truth about God, they reject the truth about God, they create false gods, they live according to their lusts, and there’s a sequence. First, sexual immorality, second homosexuality, thirdly reprobate minds. When you look at a nation, or a civilization, and you see that nation honoring immorality, honoring homosexuality, and laughing and enjoying the reprobate mind, then you know that nation is under Divine judgment. That is the wrath of God at work in that nation. That’s where we are. We need to pray that God will be gracious to this nation and bring revival.”

A reprobate mind is mentioned three times in the New Testament: Romans 1:28, 2Timothy 3:8 and Titus 1:16. Other translations use the words depraved, disapproved, and worthless. A reprobate mind, no matter what the word used in which translation, adds up to the same thing: a mind rejected by God.

I think no one can argue that this nation is immoral. Licentiousness abounds, even in the simplest of commercials. Abortion doctors make millions. Some Grandmothers pose in short short hot pants in front of the world. Other grandmothers do the same. Homosexual marriage is legal in five states and recognized in three more. Homosexuality is promoted as normal on television, movies, ads, and in this startling report, half of boyfriends say that adultery from their girlfriend is OK as long as it was with another woman.

I think anyone with eyes can see that America is in a terrible moral decline, and not only is approving of it, accepting of homosexuality, but laughing at it with a reprobate mind. As MacArthur showed us in the verses from Romans, God gave us over. And we know what comes next: judgment.

If you are sorry for your sins though, you can ask Jesus to forgive them, and He will. He is loving and gracious that way, taking on all sinners. He died for every sin that was ever committed and will ever be committed. No sin is too big for our Jesus to handle. He loves you and does not want to reject you. But if you persist in choosing sin, He WILL give you over to it, just as He is giving America over to it.
Tweet http://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

end of days. prophecy, end time, pre-trib

How to counter when Christians dismiss prophecy

Posted on February 8, 2011 by elizabethprata

Revelation 3 is a letter to the Laodicean Church, and Jesus has nothing good to say about them. He says that He would rather they be cold or hot, but they are lukewarm, saying they are rich and in need of nothing. Jesus knocks at the door, but they do not open. He tells them that since they are neither hot nor cold, that He will vomit them out of His mouth.

He is not saying that He will vomit Christians out, because once we are saved not even the devil can snatch us out of Jesus’ hand, (John 10:28) but He will spit out lukewarm believers. In other words, lukewarm people are those who talk the talk, but never really repented to walk the walk. They make a show of Christianity, but Jesus knows their true spiritual condition, and it is an unrepentant sinner. Belief never reached the heart.

I mentioned the other day on Saturday’s prophecy newsletter, (email me if you want to sign up) that I find it harder to talk with lukewarm Christians than cold atheists. The most common response I get when talking to CHINOS (Christians In Name Only) when I mention prophecy, the rapture, or end times, is “Oh, we don’t know the day or time…” and with a wave of the hand they dismiss all prophecy. Do NOT let them get away with it!

Prophecy is incredibly important. It comprises almost 30% of the entire bible, Old and New Testaments. One could summarize the Old Testament as ‘faith and the promise of a future Messiah’, and the New Testament as ‘salvation and the promise of future judgment’. 1 Thessalonians 5:19-22 specifically urges us not to despise the prophesies “Do not quench the Spirit; do not despise prophetic utterances. But examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good; abstain from every form of evil.”

No, we do not know the day or the hour, but too many real and fake Christians use that as an excuse not to study prophecy at all. At this late point in God’s timeline, the prophesies left to be fulfilled are all about sin and judgment, and that hits too close to home for too many wobbly Christians, and certainly too close to home for Christians In Name Only. Jesus rebuked the Pharisees for not knowing the season: “Then the Pharisees and Sadducees came, and testing Him asked that He would show them a sign from heaven. He answered and said to them, “When it is evening you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red’; and in the morning, ‘It will be foul weather today, for the sky is red and threatening.’ Hypocrites! You know how to discern the face of the sky, but you cannot discern the signs of the times.” (Matthew 16:1-3)

When the disciples asked what would be the signs of the end of the age, He gave a long and specific answer. (Matthew 24:1-51; Luke 21:5-38), Mark 13:1-37). Revelation is a letter describing what will happen to the ungodly, unrepentant, unredeemed at the end of the age. It is also the only book that blesses the one who reads it. (Rev. 22:7). Jesus placed a great deal of emphasis on end time prophecy. Why anyone would turn their back something our God thinks is important is beyond me.

When Paul says “I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile” I am also not ashamed. I’m not ashamed of any part of the Gospel. The flip side to God’s Holiness is judgment. The flip side to the cross’s salvation is unredeemed sin. I am not ashamed of any part of what is in the bible, and you shouldn’t be either. CHINOS and others attempt to paint a taint onto prophecy, marginalizing it to something less important, less savory. It is not. It is the fulfillment of all that God is, all that He has shown of Himself to us. It is something to cling to, it buttresses our faith and gives us the next pictures in our walk that we clamor for and are blessed to read. Stand firm in your prophetic studies. At the end of his life, Paul said,

“For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time has come for my departure. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day–and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.” (2 Timothy 4:6-8). We are near the end. Keep proclaiming, Keep studying.Keep longing. And keep looking up!
Tweet http://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

children, end of days. prophecy, end time

His Light is so bright in the children!

Posted on February 5, 2011 by elizabethprata

At Church Club we started a new unit this Wednesday called “God’s Creation.” I love how the Spirit is so alive in children. I love how they respond.

I told the kids that my unsaved friend didn’t think the bible was right because the bible says the sun moon and stars was made on the 4th day, so there could not have been light on day 1. I said to the kids, listen to what God said, and you tell me the riddle. I read the creation account from Genesis 1.

As each day’s creation was made, I paused to list them on the white board.

Day 1: The heavens, the earth, light and darkness.
Day 2: Heaven
Day 3: Dry land, the seas, and vegetation.
Day 4: The sun, the moon and the stars.
Day 5: Living creatures in the water, birds in the air.
Day 6: Land animals and people.

As the verses were read, the kids were absorbing every scrap. Eyes wide, they hung on the words.

“Here is a riddle”, I said. “If the sun wasn’t made until the 4th day, where did the light on day 1 come from?”

5 seconds beat…

“GOD”! They shouted. “The Holy Spirit!” “Jesus!” “Because He is a light unto my feet and a lamp unto my path!”

Ta-DA! The kids know, they shouted it with no hesitation, and the ones that didn’t know, heard it from their PEERS. 🙂

The Spirit is in these kids. They understand intuitively about God, and creation. I thank all you parents who read the bible with them, and bring them to church, and be a Godly example to them. I thank the grandparents and the relatives and the classroom teachers and the Sunday School teachers for nurturing the seed of the Spirit in them. That no matter how tired you are…no matter how distraught or stressed, it makes SUCH a difference that you take the time to nurture the spark God put in all of us.

We are all born intuitively knowing about God. We immediately comprehend that we are a part of creation that is bigger than us, a creation that that was made and not evolved. Far from “church indoctrinating the children”, they already know. It is the world that beats it OUT of them. You are all making a difference in your children by being a good example in these tumultuous times. May His light shine that brightly in all of us.
Tweet http://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js