Category: end time

Posted in end time, middle east unrest, prophecy

Unrest in the Middle East: ripped from the pages of the bible (UPDATED)

Posted on by elizabethprata

UPDATE: Please go here for update as of 2-21-11, as events are moving so fast. Link also includes map.

There has been unrest, regime change, or heavy protesting taking place in Tunisia, Algeria, Egypt, Yemen, Sudan and Lebanon over the last several weeks. Arutz Sheva reports, “With no fewer than five major areas of unrest/revolutions/regime changes going on in the Arab world, Arab satellite television, one of the mainstays of information dissemination in the Middle East, has been playing a major role in communicating news – or attempting, if not to suppress it, then at least to spin it.”

Part of that suppression is Egypt’s decision to shut off internet today in the wake of intensifying protests against the government. The people have been protesting President Hosni Mubarek, Egypt’s President for nearly thirty years. As this Dallas Morning News editorial aptly titled ‘Why we should care about Egypt protests‘ states, “American foreign policy in the Middle East, for the past four decades, has relied heavily on keeping certain dictatorships firmly in power — Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Jordan. We call most of them monarchies, but their rulers are not in power because of any kind of free and fair election. They survive because the U.S. government does everything in its power to keep them there. Despite all of our talk about democracy, it would be America’s (and Israel’s ) worst nightmare if the government of Hosni Mubarak were to suddenly fall from power and be replaced by a democratically elected government that truly represents the will of the Egyptian masses. Because the Egyptian masses are not predictable and could easily be swayed by the populist promises of Islamist parties such as the Muslim Brotherhood. Every single Middle Eastern country with a democratic form of government has experimented with the extremes — even Israel. Eventually, voters learn to moderate their leadership, but it takes time. And when you’re talking about the Middle East’s most populist country with an extremely high poverty rate, it really could take Egyptians a long time to figure out what, exactly they want. In the meantime, Egypt risks lurching back and forth, and an elected Islamist government could well decide, for example, that it’s No. 1 priority is to support its Hamas brothers in neighboring Gaza.”

Unrest and collapsing peace talks in the Middle East are constant and troublesome, but revolutions and prophetic alliances being cemented before our eyes is quite another thing entirely. Tunisia, Algeria, and Sudan are northern tier African countries prophesied to ally with Turkey-Iran-Russia in the Gog-Magog battle Ezekiel describes in chapters 38 and 39. Joel C. Rosenberg discussed a growing concern of the tightening ties between Russia, Iran and Sudan, here.

As we know, last week Lebanon’s government fell because of a governmental coup by the terrorist organization Hezbollah. Hezbollah is backed by Iran and Syria. Tunisia and Algeria are protesting economic hardships and the obvious graft and corruption of wealthy officials in the face of devastating poverty. Additionally, the Israel peace talks are widely acknowledged to have failed this month.

In a short article titled “Winds of Arab revolt reach Yemen” it was stated “Tens of thousands of protesters took to the streets of the Yemeni capital yesterday to demand the end of the three-decade rule of its President in the latest sign of rebellion sweeping the Arab world.”

It seems that unrest, even revolutions, are catching. Yet Jesus told us in Matthew 24:7 that in the Tribulation nation would rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. The word for nation in this context is “ethnos”, or ‘race’. This means that civil war will be a norm in addition to country vs. country kinds of war. It is interesting to note that Yemen and Egypt’s leaders have been in power for about thirty years, Tunisia’s President has been in power for for 22, Yemen’s president for 21 years.

There is a reason all these middle eastern nations are in the news just now. They are prominent in the last days and in the Tribulation. They are biblically prophesied to have a role in God’s continuing plan of redemption and judgment. That they are nearly at the point of fulfilling that role now speaks to how close we are to the rapture.
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Posted in end of days. prophecy, end time, piano on sandbar

Piano on sandbar, wood block on iceberg. How’d they get there? Strange and funny

Posted on by elizabethprata

Here are a couple of weird pieces of news that I found oddly synchronous this week. Odd, but of little consequence. Just something to tickle your brain’s funnybone–

Mysterious grand piano found on Biscayne Bay sandbar
“Here’s a mystery that gives a whole new meaning to the phrase “piano bar.” A grand piano recently appeared on a sandbar in Biscayne Bay, about 200 yards from the Quayside condominiums off Northeast 107th Street. Whoever put it there placed it at the highest point of the sandbar so that it’s not underwater during high tide. How and why the piano got there is a mystery. A grand piano weighs at least 650 pounds and is unwieldly to move, said Bob Shapiro, a salesman at Piano Music Center in Pembroke Park. “You don’t take it out there in a rowboat,” Shapiro said. This much is clear: The piano isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. Unless it becomes a danger to wildlife or boaters, authorities have no plans to haul it away.” Photo Allison Diaz / for the Herald/ written by Laura Edwins

A chip off the old block
“I’ve heard the Southern Ocean attracts a hardy individual but a block of wood on an iceberg is ridiculous. This lonely piece of timber was spotted on the top of a small berg at 66 degrees south, just north of Commonwealth Bay. Wildlife watchers near Aurora Australis’ bridge first thought it was a relaxing seal but it was soon apparent it was rectangular in shape. How it got to such a prominent position, instead of just floating around, is anyone’s guess.” Photo- Baffling: How did this block of wood end up on top of an iceberg? (Photo Credit: Jodie Smith)

“Since it is lifeless and non-magnetic, its baffling position won’t be due to the fact that we are very close to the south magnetic pole. Yes, we are near the wandering point in the earth’s surface where the geomagnetic field lines are vertical, rather than lying across the planet from pole to pole. Normal compasses don’t work in this region. The one I have brought on board is now confused by all the iron in the ship. The south magnetic pole was positioned on the Antarctic continent 100 years ago. It has since wandered out to sea due to changes in the Earth’s magnetic field.” Article credit, Australia’s ABC News Online reporter Karen Barlow

How about that? Pretty cool, weird, odd, and interest-piquing.
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Posted in end time, gog magog, hezbollah, lebanon, pre-tribulation rapture, prophecy

Lebanon falling into the abyss

Posted on by elizabethprata

Washington Post reports today:
“BEIRUT – The Shiite armed movement Hezbollah cobbled together enough support Monday to appoint Lebanon’s next prime minister, effectively ending nearly six years of rule by Western-backed leaders and prompting the United States to warn it could cut off aid to this key Arab nation. The apparent strength of Hezbollah marked an important political achievement for the group. It also signaled what appeared to be a significant shift for the country, away from alliances with the United States and Saudi Arabia, and toward Iran and Syria, which support Hezbollah.”

The result of this is that Lebanon is suffering a “Day of Rage” as supporters of deposed Prime Minister Hariri protest. According to Lebanon’s Naharnet News:
“Protests turned violent on Tuesday in Lebanon’s Sunni bastion of Tripoli as frenzied demonstrators wrecked an Al-Jazeera van while protesting the likely appointment of Hizbullah-backed premier. Angry demonstrators set upon the vehicle, smashing the windshield and tearing down the satellite dish before setting it on fire, AFP reporters witnessed. Demonstrators also torched the mopeds of other media outlets considered close to the Iranian-backed Shiite group Hizbullah. Local television reported similar incidents in the capital Beirut but security officials could not confirm the reports. The incidents came as Sunni supporters of outgoing prime minister Saad Hariri held a “day of rage” to protest the likely appointment of Hizbullah-backed Sunni tycoon Najib Mikati to head the next government.”

Hezbollah is a terrorist group. It is backed by terrorist nations Syria and Iran. Both Syria and Iran, as well as Lebanon figure into the end times. Psalm 83 predicts an alliance of nations abutting Israel to attack. Sometime in the last days also, Damascus is destroyed completely (Isaiah 17:1.) Damascus is Syria’s capital. And in Ezekiel 38-39, Iran leads a confederation of nations to attack Israel. This second attack includes nations of Turkey, Russia, Armenia, the northern tier of African nations, probably Comoros Islands. It does not include the nations of Psalm 83, so it is interpreted that Psalm 83 happens first and Israel decimates them enough so that they cannot participate in the Gog Magog battle of Ez 38-39. We may be looking at the run-up to Psalm 83 and Isaiah 17:1 now.

Analysis by knowledgeable parties covering the Lebanon situation say Israel’s response has been to monitor closely and send a recon team of Israeli commandos into Lebanon for a brief period last night. It is not known if or when Israel will respond, because they are staying totally tight lipped on military intentions. There was an emergency security meeting last Sunday from which no details were leaked or discussed.

Gunfire has been reported from Kola, Lebanon, and Al-arabiya reports: heavy clashed between protesters and Army in central Beirut. The vote has been completed and the pro-Hezbollah candidate wins for Prime Minister, ensuring a Hezbollah led pro-Syria, Iran-proxy government. This is basically the worst case scenario for Israel and by extension Lebanon since they will be the literal battleground.  It looks like the pro western Mar14 now have no role in government unless there is a sudden deal. As of this moment,  there has been a massive upsurge of violence and protest once the result of the vote became known.

With the collapse of Western-led peace talks with Israel and the “Palestinians”, with the collapse of Western influenced peace talks with Iran over their nuclear program, and with the collapse of the tenuous Western-supported government in Lebanon, the tide is turning heavily against Israel and tensions are giving sway to violence and military conflicts. A UK official speaking anonymously said this morning that he thinks Lebanon is falling into the abyss. Pray!
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Posted in dubai, end of days. prophecy, end time, rapture, the world, tower of babel

Dubai unfinished development sinks back into the sea

Posted on by elizabethprata

Note: the headline is all theirs.

The end of The World: Dubai island development sinks back into sea after being scuppered by financial crisis

It exemplified the booming property market and ambition of Dubai’s entrepreneurs. But after the global financial crisis led to the collapse of the emirate’s home-building market, a unique development known as ‘The World’ is reportedly facing Armageddon. The project, a man-made archipelago designed to resemble a map of the planet, is facing disaster as its islands have begun sinking, a tribunal heard this week. The development, which sits a mile and a half from the mainland, is all but vacant after investors who bought up its ‘nations’ saw their finances collapse after the economic crash.

The end of The World: A near-empty property development in Dubai is sinking

A company that ferries people to the islands is now seeking to withdraw from its contract with Nakheel, developers of The World, due to a lack of business and the erosion of the islands’ sands. Richard Wilmot-Smith QC, a British lawyer for Penguin Marine, told a property tribunal the islands are ‘gradually falling back into the sea’. He added there was evidence of the ‘erosion and deterioration of The World islands’. Only one of the ‘nations’ – Greenland is inhabited currently, with Dubai’s ruler owning a show home on the island. While Nakheel deny penguin Marine’s contention that the project is ‘dead’, the firm admits The World has slipped into ‘a coma’. ‘This is a ten-year project which has slowed down,’ he told the tribunal. ‘This is a project which will be completed.’ He added Penguin would see a return on its investment.

Facing extinction? This virtual photo of the Europe section of The World shows the dream of the Dubai project, not its sad reality

That’s the price Penguin makes to stay in the game,” he said. ‘They have the potential to earn millions.’ The tribunal found for Nakheel on Thursday, with full reasoning to come later. A spokesman for Nakheel insisted the islands were not sinking. ‘Our periodical monitoring survey over the past three years didn’t observe any substantial erosion that requires sand nourishment,’ a statement said. The World has already experienced its fair share of problems, with the businessman who bought the Ireland residence committing suicide after the collapse of his company while a London businessman who paid £43million for the Britain island was jailed for seven years last year for bouncing cheques. The claims of the erosion of The World comes as a Reuters poll showed Dubai’s house prices are set to fall by another 10 per cent over the next two years. Property prices in the emirate have fallen 58 per cent from their peak in the fourth quarter of 2008.

Here is an interesting promo video for The World:

The World islands are next door to the more famous man-made palm looking islands:

Kind of reminds me of the sudden halt of the Tower of Babel.

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Posted in agriculture, bacteria, canker, end time, florida citrus, prophecy

What is happening to the world’s agricultural industry? Pests, weather, and losses bring us to the brink of famine

Posted on by elizabethprata

What is happening to the global agricultural industry? We know that the terrible winter has taken a devastating toll on crops all over the world, but it has also taken its toll on acreage. In Sri Lanka, “this month’s floods washed away swathes of agricultural lands, taking away livelihoods of thousands of people.” The situation report for the week ending January 13 states, “A total of 967,115 persons have been affected, with 18 deaths, two missing and 49 injured as of 12 January. A total of 195,919 persons are displaced in 493 temporary relocation centers in eight districts.” According to the Asia Tribune, “the floods have inundated 200,000 acres of paddy lands in the 5 major paddy cultivation districts and it is estimated that rice harvest in the next season may go down by over 360,000 tons which could precipitate a food shortages in the country in the coming months.”

Australia lost fields the size of Egypt in this current flooding season. Thousands of acres of ripe farmland have been lost, not to mention cattle and crops. On the other side of the world, “Parts of northern China are seeing their harshest winter in decades, with Beijing this month receiving its heaviest one-day snowfall in 59 years. Also Monday, Mongolia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Zandanshatar Gombojav said most rural provinces in the poor, landlocked country sandwiched between China and Russia were covered by up to 20 inches (50 centimeters) of snow. He said nearly 800,000 animals had been lost while many transport routes were blocked by heavy snow.”

Almost a million cattle, lost? That hurts.

Florida’s non-citrus crop losses from cold could total $370M
“Green bean prices have tripled in North Florida. Mustard greens are hard to find at any price. Cabbage is now going for 69 cents a pound, way more than the three-pounds-for-$1 usually available in January. The hikes in fresh vegetable prices are the most obvious signs for many Floridians that the exceptionally cold weather this winter has taken a big bite out of the produce supply chain. The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services has estimated 2.5 million cartons or cases of fruits and vegetables were lost during December — not including processed citrus. Officials said another 4 million cartons of produce are expected to be lost before the end of March. Those losses translate into more than $150 million of lost cash sales so far, according to agriculture department spokesman Sterling Ivey.”

It is evident just from those few excerpts that the extreme weather has taken a serious toll on the agricultural industries around the world. Though all farmers expect weather-related setbacks, the deep losses and difficulties of weather struggles of record-setting events will be nearly impossible to recover from. We’re talking millions upon millions of lost revenue, millions and millions of pounds of food, and that is not something the world recovers from easily, even if we were promised the best of conditions in the near term. And the conditions are absolutely going to get worse in the near term, that is a biblical promise. So you see where this is going.

But another kind of impact besides weather is also taking its toll on agriculture. Strange plant pestilences and diseases are cropping up all over the world, many of which ave never been seen before. These plant diseases are stumping scientists as to a remedy.

In New Zealand a new Disease Threatens New Zealand Kiwi Industry
“At ground level, a typed notice warns people not to enter the orchard since the discovery of a destructive canker, found in New Zealand for the first time last Monday. What the notice does not say is that pseudomonas syringae pv actinidae, usually known as PSA, has the country’s kiwi industry, worth 1.5 billion New Zealand dollars, or $1.2 billion, in a crisis mode.”

Monsters & Critics reported about “the potential impact of a vine disease never seen before in the country.”

Speaking of bacterial canker “never before seen”, the same thing is happening in Oregon in the US, but this time with wheat:
Investigators baffled as wheat fields wither
The wheat mystery of Umatilla and Morrow counties
“The Oregon Department of Agriculture and Oregon State University are investigating the yellowing of upward of 40,000 acres of wheat in Umatilla and Morrow counties. So far, the cause is a mystery, and researchers do not know if the problems in the two counties are related. In early November, Umatilla County growers noticed wheat fields turning yellow and dying, OSU Extension soil scientist Don Wysocki said. Sixteen fields from three to 10 miles northwest of Pendleton were affected, Wysocki said. OSU Morrow County Extension associate professor Larry Lutcher said 30,000 to 40,000 acres of wheat in his county have plants with yellow or purple tips. The discoloration spreads inward and downward on the leaf. In some cases, plants are completely desiccated and will not recover.”

And…speaking again of an incurable bacteria killing the crops and the plants and trees on which they grow, it is happening in Florida, as reported January 20, 2011:

Incurable bacteria poses threat to citrus trees
“While Florida farmers have lost some of their crop to cold weather for the second year in a row, they say a fast-spreading, incurable bacteria presents a greater threat to their trees and the citrus industry. Citrus greening has destroyed groves in the U.S., Brazil, Asia and Africa. Detected in Florida in 2005, it leaves fruit sour, malformed and unusable. Eventually, it kills the tree. The disease has been particularly devastating because it takes years for citrus trees to reach peak production, and the disease targets young trees, making it difficult for growers to replace those that have been lost. “It’s probably one of the biggest negative impacts in Florida today, short of the housing collapse,” said Louis Schacht, a Vero Beach farmer whose family has grown oranges for 60 years.”

I emphasize that weather and pests are part of the normal hazards for farmers. However, the range, scope, and pure mystery of these events coming at so close a time to each other is what bears looking into. And I was struck by the similar language in these two agricultural press releases this week:

CBP Stops Agricultural Pest at Nogales Port 
A U.S. Customs and Border Protection agriculture specialist discovered a potentially dangerous insect on fresh citrus leaves being brought into the U.S. from Mexico on Jan. 4, according to a CBP spokesman.
Brian Levin said the insect discovery was the first of its kind at the Mariposa Port of Entry near Nogales.

Destructive beetle unheard of in U.S. nabbed at San Diego Port
A beetle spotted by a sharp-eyed agriculture specialist at the Port of San Diego early this month turned out to be a highly destructive pest never before seen in the United States, federal officials reported Friday. On Jan. 3, the inspector discovered the tan-and-black insect lurking in a load of bananas in a maritime shipping container from Peru…

Do you get the idea that this is a losing battle? It is. Agriculture will wither all across the globe before too much longer. Accept Jesus as your Lord and ask him to forgive your sins and then He will do your battles for you!
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Posted in end of days, end time, pre-tribulation rapture, prophecy, yellowstone

Yellowstone Has Bulged as Magma Pocket Swells

Posted on by elizabethprata

Good morning all! I have to run, headed to work, but I saw this and wanted to get it out there ASAP. Yellowstone is the site of a super-volcano. I wrote about a link between prophecy, volcanic activity, and scripture here. My, oh, my it seeks the birth pangs are increasing up to warp speed. Please, PLEASE get right with Jesus!

January 19, 2011:
Yellowstone Has Bulged as Magma Pocket Swells
Yellowstone National Park’s supervolcano just took a deep “breath,” causing miles of ground to rise dramatically, scientists report. The simmering volcano has produced major eruptions—each a thousand times more powerful than Mount St. Helens’s 1980 eruption—three times in the past 2.1 million years. Yellowstone’s caldera, which covers a 25- by 37-mile (40- by 60-kilometer) swath of Wyoming, is an ancient crater formed after the last big blast, some 640,000 years ago. Since then, about 30 smaller eruptions—including one as recent as 70,000 years ago—have filled the caldera with lava and ash, producing the relatively flat landscape we see today. But beginning in 2004, scientists saw the ground above the caldera rise upward at rates as high as 2.8 inches (7 centimeters) a year. (Related: “Yellowstone Is Rising on Swollen ‘Supervolcano.'”) The rate slowed between 2007 and 2010 to a centimeter a year or less. Still, since the start of the swelling, ground levels over the volcano have been raised by as much as 10 inches (25 centimeters) in places. “It’s an extraordinary uplift, because it covers such a large area and the rates are so high,” said the University of Utah’s Bob Smith, a longtime expert in Yellowstone’s volcanism.”

The article goes on to say that experts don’t think there is any cause for alarm. They also say that such dramatic uplifts do not presage an eruption, and also that it is a natural part of Yellowstone’s cycle. You can decide…there’s more at link from NatGeo.

I wrote about Yellowstone as a volcano here, “Yellowstone shown to have plume on the rise“
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Posted in end of days, end time, pre-tribulation rapture, prophecy

More on why the rapture will happen pre-tribulation

Posted on by elizabethprata

Christians are being ‘turned’ by the promotion of the false doctrine that believers will go through all or part of the tribulation break my heart, because their angst is so unnecessary. Here is a short biblical response to that insidious, joy-stealing stance.

Now, some people say that the rapture itself is a made-up doctrine. I deleted a comment yesterday that was dismissive of the rapture, the commenter said “rapture isn’t even in the bible.” Well, bible isn’t in the bible either. And the bible isn’t a figment of my imagination, is it? Neither is the rapture. The word comes from the clearest explanation of this soon-event, 1 Corinthians 15:52, and in 1 Thess 4:14-17. The popular English word for the catching-up event is “rapture”, a word derived, as are so many English words, from the Latin language. In fact, when St. Jerome, who lived from approximately 347 to 419 AD, penned the Latin Vulgate translation of scripture, he used the verb rapiemur in I Thessalonians 4:17 as follows: “Deinde nos qui vivimus qui relinquimur simul rapiemur [suddenly caught up] cum illis in nubibus obviam Domino in aera et sic semper cum Domino erimus. I The 4:17 Then we who are alive, who are left, will be suddenly caught up [rapiemur].”

“In the Greek translations of the bible, the verb harpazo is used a total of 17 times in the New Testament in a variety of ways, with several referring to the sudden nonconsensual seizure of human beings. The purpose of the above presentation of both the Greek and Latin translation of this verse is to stress that language should not be a barrier to understanding any concept that is established in scripture. Whether a particular English word is or is not found in the bible is not important. What is important is whether the concept is found. The original language in which the text was written reveals that the concept of the sudden catching up is valid.” source

That taken care of, we can move to the bible and ask the people who claim the rapture won’t happen before the tribulation several questions. As with any position taken of a biblical doctrine, it is important to ask the person to show scriptures that support their stance. In other words, make them prove it.

The pre-tribulation rapture is the only stance that is consistent with scripture. Believing anything else raises more questions than they answer. Like these:

1. Since the Tribulation is to punish sin (Dan 9:24), but God said that our sins are wiped clean (Acts 3:19), not remembered (Heb 8:12), and we are free from accusation (Col 1:22) why, then are we being punished?

2. The tribulation is a time of His wrath (Rev 6:17), so how do you reconcile that He said the church will not be enduring His wrath? (1 Thess 5:9)

3. If our salvation can be lost in the Tribulation, and it can, (Matt. 24:13 / Rev 14:12) how do you reconcile that God said not even the devil can snatch Church-age believers out of His hand? (John 10:29).

4. In post-rapture time, believers must offer sacrifices to demonstrate their faith, follow His commands, and attend the Feast of Tabernacles. (Rev. 14:12; Ez 40-46; and Zechariah 14:16-19). Since God is not the author of confusion (Jer 29:11; 1 Corinthians 14:33) then do post-rapture believers follow the Old Covenant or the New? Do they sacrifice or do they not sacrifice?

5. If as when the wrath begins with the opening of the seals, and at the 6th seal it’s asked “For the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand?” (Rev 6:16) then why are believers told that”Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.”?

No, the only answer is that the Church age is a unique time in history. The Old Covenant was paused at the ascension of Jesus, not done away with. It was paused with 7 years to go. During that time, God has been building His church, “Simon has declared how God at the first visited the Gentiles to take out of them a people for His name.” (Acts 15:17). And “I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers, so that you may not be conceited: Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in.” When that full number is reached and we are out of the way, “just as it is written: ‘After this I will return And will rebuild the tabernacle of David, which has fallen down; “(Acts 15:16). After what? After taking a people for himself. He will return His attention to Israel, their hardening removed and the punishment to begin, then the rebuilding of David

Take comfort in all these things, brethren. It seems with the news of each passing day that we are closer to hearing the trumpet, and soon we will gather at His feet.
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Posted in end of days, end time, pre-tribulation rapture, prophecy, tares

Mystery of dying wheat in Oregon

Posted on by elizabethprata

There is an interesting story out of Oregon today:
Investigators baffled as wheat fields wither
Mysterious yellowing affects 40,000 acres of Eastern Oregon; new problem feared

“The Oregon Department of Agriculture and Oregon State University are investigating the yellowing of upward of 40,000 acres of wheat in Umatilla and Morrow counties. So far, the cause is a mystery, and researchers do not know if the problems in the two counties are related. In early November, Umatilla County growers noticed wheat fields turning yellow and dying, OSU Extension soil scientist Don Wysocki said. Sixteen fields from three to 10 miles northwest of Pendleton were affected, Wysocki said. They are “more or less but not completely contiguous,” he said. Not every field in the area was affected. The area was predominately planted to soft white Clearfield variety ORCF-102, but other varieties were also affected, Wysocki said. “There’s probably more than one thing going on in these particular fields, like in any field,” he said.”

“OSU Morrow County Extension associate professor Larry Lutcher said 30,000 to 40,000 acres of wheat in his county have plants with yellow or purple tips. The discoloration spreads inward and downward on the leaf. In some cases, plants are completely desiccated and will not recover. The symptoms have been observed in many fields in the county, Lutcher said, but do not appear tied to any particular location. “Most of the symptoms in Morrow County are unlike anything I have ever seen,” Lutcher said.” [emphasis mine. more at link above]

It is interesting in light of what is going on with wheat around the world. It is interesting in light of what prophecy says about wheat. Finally, it is interesting in terms of the allegory and symbolism of harvest used so often in the bible. First, here is what is happening with wheat around the world.

1. Ug99 is a wheat rust disease that was discovered in Uganda (Ug) in 1999. The stem, black or cereal rusts are caused by the fungus Puccinia graminis and are a significant disease affecting cereal crops. An epidemic of stem rust on wheat caused by race Ug99 is currently spreading across Africa, Asia and most recently into Middle East and is causing major concern due to the large numbers of people dependent on wheat for sustenance. The strain was named after the country where it was identified (Uganda) and the year of its discovery (1999). It spread to Kenya, then Ethiopia, Sudan and Yemen, and is becoming more virulent as it spreads. Scientists are working on breeding strains of wheat that are resistant to UG99. It is virulent to the great majority of wheat varieties. Unlike other rusts, which only partially affect crop yields, UG99 can bring 100% crop loss. Up to 80% yield losses were recently recorded in Kenya.

However, that genetic work seems to be failing. “Four new mutations of  Ug99, a strain of a deadly wheat pathogen known as stem rust, have overcome existing sources of genetic resistance developed to safeguard the world’s wheat crop. Leading wheat experts from Australia, Asia, Africa, Europe and the Americas, who are in St. Petersburg, Russia for a global wheat event organized by the Borlaug Global Rust Initiative, said the evolving pathogen may pose an even greater threat to global wheat production than the original Ug99.” That was from Science Daily, May 2010. So the wheat is being killed all over the world and there is nothing we have yet been able to do about it.

2. The Oregon wheat failure is interesting in light of prophecy. Wheat figures into end time prophecy quite starkly. In the Seal Third Judgment (Black Horse) it is said, “When the Lamb opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, “Come!” I looked, and there before me was a black horse! Its rider was holding a pair of scales in his hand. Then I heard what sounded like a voice among the four living creatures, saying, “Two pounds of wheat for a day’s wages, and six pounds of barley for a day’s wages, and do not damage the oil and the wine!”Wheat will be in such short supply, a person will have to spend his entire day’s wages just to get enough to feed him, never mind the family. Barely will also be in short supply. The Black Horse is famine, which will affect all the people on the earth, except the very rich.

3. The Oregon wheat failure is interesting in light of the bible’s use of harvest and reaping. One example of the judgment God brings is the following from Joel 1:10-11- “The fields are ruined, the ground is dried up; the grain is destroyed, the new wine is dried up, the oil fails. Despair, you farmers, wail, you vine growers; grieve for the wheat and the barley, because the harvest of the field is destroyed…” Matthew Henry says about that verse, “Let the husbandmen and vine-dressers lament, v. 11. Let them be ashamed of the care and pains they have taken about their vineyards, for it will be all labour lost, and they shall gain no advantage by it; they shall see the fruit of their labour eaten up before their eyes, and shall not be able to save any of it. Note, Those who labour only for the meat that perishes will, sooner or later, be ashamed of their labour. The vine-dressers will then express their extreme grief by howling, when they see their vineyards stripped of leaves and fruit, and the vines withered, so that nothing is to be had or hoped for from them, wherewith they might pay their rent and maintain their families. The destruction is particularly described here: The field is laid waste (v. 10); all is consumed that is produced; the land mourns; the ground has a melancholy aspect, and looks ruefully; all the inhabitants of the land are in tears for what they have lost…”

A less direct and a more symbolic use of wheat and harvest in the bible is in Matthew 13:30 parable of the wheat and the tares. Read it in its entirely in Matthew 13:24-30. “Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.” (v. 30; KJV) This parable represents the present and future state of the church of Christ’s gospel; His care of it, the devil’s hatred against it, the mixture there is in it of good and bad, and the separation between them in the other world.

The LORD looks at the saved sheep as wheat, at the lost sheep as tares, and judgment as harvest time. (Rev 14:14). I think that it is very interesting that the wheat died in Oregon. It is dying elsewhere due to Ug99, it is dying in OR due to who knows why, and it is dying in places like Australia and Russia because of ‘natural’ disasters like floods and heat, respectively. The wheat is dying. It is dying in Africa, Asia, and the Middle East. It is dying in Australia, Russia, and America. The wheat is dying, and soon and very soon, it will cost you everything to even obtain a fistful. Hunger is coming, and then the harvest. Are you ready?

I’m ready, because I know I will escape all these things. I will be raptured to Jesus when He calls us (read here) and I will be dining with Him at a wedding banquet while those who refused His offer of salvation by His grace will perish from famine on earth. If you ask Jesus to forgive your sins, and make Him LORD of your life, worthy to be obeyed and followed, you, too, will dine with the King. Or, you can choose to be harvested like chaff on the last day. As always, it is up to you.
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Posted in animal deaths, end of days. prophecy, end time, rapture

More animal die-offs; Pelicans, seals, cows. They’re getting bigger

Posted on by elizabethprata

Pelicans turn up sick, dead off Jacksonville FL coast
Hundreds of Eastern brown pelicans, some with missing wings and frostbite, have been injured or killed in the St. Johns River the past couple of weeks in the Mayport area. The exact reason is unknown but the cold weather could have caused hypothermia when the birds landed in the water.

Yankton (S. Dakota) sees bird kill-off
It is estimated that more than 200 dead starlings were found in downtown Yankton Monday. However, it is not believed the deaths pose a threat to humans. Yankton Animal Control Officer Lisa Brasel estimated that she collected 200 starlings Monday, and employees of the city Parks and Recreation Department were also on the scene picking up deceased birds. The total number of corpses gathered up by city employees has not yet been compiled. “I talked to one of the local vets, and they said there is nothing wrong (with the birds),” said Brasel, who took specimens to a veterinary office.

200 dead cows found on farm in Stockton
“The Portage County Humane Society is trying to figure out what caused 200 cows in the town of Stockton to perish. Deputies were dispatched to the town just after 1 p.m. on Friday after they were notified of numerous dead cows lying in a field in the 8000 block of Fourth Avenue, according to a Portage County Sheriff’s Department news release.”

Hundreds of dead seals in Labrador Canada
People on the north coast of Labrador say scores of dead seals have been washing ashore since early December.  A conservation officer with the area’s Inuit government estimated late last week that hundreds of adult and young seals have died in the area between Hopedale and Makkovik this winter. At the time, a federal seal researcher said the early birth of seal pups in Labrador may be an indication the area’s seal population has grown too large. DFO researcher Garry Stenson said that seal population growth could lead to reproductive problems.

Whether the causes are supernatural or natural why are we surprised when the earth and its animals turn up dead and dying? We use the highly toxic chemical corexit, we spray chemtrails to rain down acid rain, we pollute the waters, we exhaust the water table, we fracture the earth in pursuit of natural gas (fracking). How did we get this way? Well, it wasn’t always like this, but it didn’t take long for things to turn bad.

All of creation groans under the curse. The curse is the curse God laid on the man, the woman, the serpent and all of creation when sin entered the world in the Garden of Eden. Eve, then Adam, ate of the fruit God said not to eat, thanks to the serpent’s influence and goading. Disobedience against God is a crime against God and He will always judge it. His justice then included a curse, and among the things cursed was all of creation.

Up until that time, Adam and Eve existed peacefully with all the animals. Adam named them, each one. The garden was perfect, His creation earth was “Good.” God gave man dominion over the animals to rule gently (Gen 2:15; 19-20). Adam and Eve’s physical life was undemanding, the rain/dew simply sprung up from the ground to water everything. There were no thunderstorms, washouts, or floods. There was no toil. The work was easy, we know this because when God cursed Adam and Eve He said Adam’s work will now be hard, “by the sweat of his brow.” (Gen 3:19)

Animals were gentle and non-carnivorous. After the curse, though, they became useful to man for food and clothing. We know this because the first death in recorded history was not Cain’s murder of his brother Abel. It was an animal. In Genesis 3:21 it is said “The LORD God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them” In order for there to be skins, there had to have been an animal it came from.

Is it any wonder that all creation groaneth? Romans 8:22, “For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now.” Sin has effects. Whether the strange animal deaths are supernatural from God or natural because of man’s abuse of the earth in sin, it all ends up being the same: curse.

Thankfully, He reverses the curse in the Millennium. Isaiah 11:6 says “The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling together; and a little child will lead them.” Until then, we will suffer the effects of our sin and we will suffer the effects of His warnings prior to judgment. Animals will continue to die, waters will continue to be polluted, the air will continue to smog. The benefits to man of the land and the sea and the waters and the animals evaporated at the curse, and it literally has been downhill ever since.

I have no doubt that we will continue to see these massive animal die-offs spring up around the world. They perplex scientists. The reasons for the die-offs have variously included fireworks, stress, trauma, disorientation, overeating, failure to migrate, the cold, the heat, mass suicide, virus, no explanation, poison, and reproductive anomalies. No scientist has proposed the most likely reason for this happening: GOD. Soon, He says, “I will sweep away both man and beast; I will sweep away the birds in the sky and the fish in the sea— and the idols that cause the wicked to stumble.” (Zephaniah 1:3.) By then it will be too late for many people. Do not let it be too late for you. You see where this is going, He told us the end of the story. It will ALL be wiped away. From where we are now it won’t get any better, only worse. Accept Jesus as your savior for your sins now, repent of them and ask Him to be your Lord. He will do it, and then you will never be wiped away, but you will be one of His children. You will see Him reverse the curse, and restore the earth.
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Posted in end time, giotto, prophecy, renaissance

How can I not speak of Jesus?

Posted on by elizabethprata

I have a set of Italian paintings and photographs over my couch. I’ve always said to myself that eventually I was going to find out the name of the Renaissance artist who painted the piece from which this detail of the little putto is taken. A putto is a Renaissance figure of a toddler with wings, like a human cherub. I used to know what painting the little angel came from, and I keep thinking Caravaggio or Titian, but I’ve never gotten around to searching for the painter’s name of the piece. Until last night.

I have a wealth of Renaissance books and also art-history books, and access to the internet of course. I spent several hours looking high and low for the painter’s name but came up short. I was getting aggravated but as I searched I got interested in art history again and I kept looking through my books at all the beautiful art. I’ve always been interested in Giotto, the painter from the very late Byzantine-early Renaissance period who represents the bridge between the two styles. Giotto was genius. I stumbled across his Lamentation (Mourning of Christ) and I stopped dead in my tracks, sleeping putto forgotten. I looked, I peered, I studied. And then I cried.

What is it about art that can move us so? Giotto’s use of emotion, placement of figures, tenderness of the scene leaped off the page and into my heart. Giotto was the first to use weight and heft in his clothing, suggesting musculature of the bodies underneath, as opposed to the skinny, stylized figures of the Byzantine era. Mary, holding the head of Christ, is seen using her right knee to prop him up. The emotions on the faces of each of the mourners are each unique but all are real, so real, I mourned along with them. The angels swooping, almost writhing in intense display of grief is also quite moving. One is pulling his hair and another is tearing his clothes. I was dumbfounded that a piece could have such an effect on me, and then I remembered.

I spent a great deal of time in Italy throughout the 1990s. I went over there at least 6 times, and in addition, also spent time in Paris, France, Scotland, and other places around the world. I visited the great art museums such as the Uffizi, Met, Louvre, Edinburgh National Museum, British Museum, etc. I’ve gazed upon painting after painting, walked with the crowds along velvet-cordoned rows on one continent or another. I peered at the Mona Lisa, musing at how small she actually is. I craned my neck up at Michaelangelo’s David, amazed at his evocation of movement in marble. I squinted at pointillists and lounged in front of lazy patchwork sunny scenes of lily pads and canoes in Monet’s world. And, shamefully, I griped at how much of the Renaissance art was religiously focused. Not being saved, and being an enemy of Christ, I understood none of it. I admired the technique, I liked the colors, I could discuss composition. But I could not speak to the content. I glanced, grimaced, and hastened to Botticelli’s Primavera, and Birth of Venus, pagan pieces exalting goddesses. And to my now-grief, I missed  the point of all of it.

How I wish, I wish, I wish (if wishes were horses) I could go back to Florence and review those magnificent pieces through the lens my my born-again eyes!! I mourn the lost time in front of art that speaks to the painter’s fervency, his dedication to the moments of Christ’s life. You see, when you’re saved, you cannot help but speak of Christ. There is much to say! His glory, His love, His mercy, His infinite attributes. The artists who paint the scenes that speak to so much of human history is a glorious way to exalt Him. Bringing to life on canvas what is in the imagination as I read the Word is a wonderful way to impress upon the penitent the timelessness of the scenes.

I understand the painter’s urge, because I write of Him. I write because He lives. I write because He loves. I write because of His glory, I write because if I could not write I would shout to the heavens of His mercy and grace. I write because He must be shared.

But in looking at all the art last night, I mourned because of lost time in admiring these masterpieces. Not only lost time in art appreciation, that is just cerebral and emotional. I am mourning the lost time in communing with HIM, in any form. I’m thrilled I am saved, and the adage of “better late than never” applies to me. But He is such a treasure, even one day less of admiring him in painted form, exalting Him in writing, communing with Him in prayer, knowing Him in my heart is such a LOSS. If you are reading this and you are not saved, likely you are thinking that I am silly, nuts, or just ignorant. I used to think those things of saved people too. But knowing Him is an extreme treasure in my life that even one squandered moment I count an immeasurable loss. I pray that the Holy Spirit speaks to you as well and that not another moment goes by before you  capitulate to the Holy Spirit’s drawing you to Him. I’d do anything to go back decades in time just so I could accept Him into my life and know him that much longer. But the glory is, He accepted me, forgave me, so that He and I can spend an eternity together. I’ll be exploring universes, growing in Christlikeness, worshiping Him and serving Him in ways He has not yet revealed.

Thankfully, the story does not end with Giotto’s piece, with a dead Jesus on the ground, being mourned over by followers and family. He is not here, He is risen! He triumphs over death and sin, to rise to heaven, taking His rightful place at the right hand of the Father. Don’t waste another minute, looking at the Story  on canvas but not comprehending. He is waiting for you, and when you ask Him to forgive your sins, He will. And your wasted moments apart from Jesus will fade and your moments ahead with him will stretch into eternity.

[Here is a link to a discussion about the Giotto’s Lamentation painting.]