Category: prophecy

Posted in end time, jupiter impact, prophecy, signs

Signs in the sun, moon, and stars: Jupiter!

Posted on by elizabethprata

In Luke’s account of the Olivet Discourse, when Jesus sat down with the Apostles and told them about the signs marking the end of the world, one of them was:

“There will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and on the earth dismay among nations, in perplexity at the roaring of the sea and the waves, Luke 21:25

The Greek word for ‘sign’ used in Luke is miracle. Probe Ministries describes it this way: “Miracles are those acts that only God can perform; usually superseding natural laws. Baker’s Dictionary of the Bible defines a miracle as “an event in the external world brought about by the immediate agency or the simple volition of God.” It goes on to add that a miracle occurs to show that the power behind it is not limited to the laws of matter or mind as it interrupts fixed natural laws. So the term supernatural applies quite accurately. It’s very interesting that a common word used for miracle in the New Testament can also be translated “sign.” A miracle is a sign that God uses to point to Himself; the same way we follow signs to find a museum or an airport.”

Recently there have been some interesting signs in the universe. Whether they qualify as miracles or signs according to the biblical definition, I leave up to you to decide. What interests me, though, is that many of these things happening have either never occurred before, or are things scientists are at a loss to explain.

Solar Scientists Agree That the Sun’s Recent Behavior Is Odd
In very rough terms, the sun’s activity ebbs and flows in an 11-year cycle, with flares, coronal mass ejections and other energetic phenomena peaking at what is called solar maximum and bottoming out at solar minimum. Sunspots, markers of magnetic activity on the sun’s surface, provide a visual proxy to mark the cycle’s evolution, appearing in droves at maximum and all but disappearing at minimum. But the behavior of our host star lately is not as predictable as all that—the most recent solar minimum was surprisingly deep and long, finally bottoming out around late 2008 or so. “I think we’re almost in violent agreement that this is an interesting minimum,” said David Hathaway of the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala. “My main impression of all this is I’m gratified to see that we all agree that this is an interesting minimum,” Hill said. “What’s not so gratifying is we have no clue why any of these effects are happening.”

Jupiter’s belt is gone
In the small hours of the morning, even before the sun is up, a bright star is rising. This is Jupiter. If you look closely, you’ll see white stripes and dark bands the color of L.A. smog. Usually, two enormous belts flank the equator like rust-colored tire tracks. But now something is different. One of the belts is missing. And no one really knows why.

Another object strikes Jupiter
Amateur astronomers observing Jupiter have witnessed an impact with the giant planet’s atmosphere. Both Anthony Wesley of Australia and Christopher Go of the Philippines saw a flash of light as an object struck Jupiter at 20:31 UT on June 3, 2010. Both observers have video of the event. There are a number of interesting coincidences about this new impact on Jupiter. Only last year, on July 20, 2009, Jupiter was struck by an object that proceeded to produce a large bruise in the planet’s atmosphere.

Jupiter hit by another impactor Thursday; video inside
Detailed analyses of last year’s impact on Jupiter by an asteroid wasreleased by NASAon Thursday. By coincidence, Jupiter was impacted yet again on the same day by an unknown object. This time, the impact was caught on live video.

‘Zombie satellite’ threatens other craft A satellite “goes rogue” and inexplicably begins stealing other communications signals
Don’t be alarmed. High above your heads, a zombie satellite is on the loose. OK, actually, it won’t really be a bother to us earthlings. Or at least to most of us. (More on that later.) But the rogue communications satellite is wreaking havoc in Earth’s orbit and does threaten to interfere with signals coming from other satellites. Here’s the backstory… The communications satellite named Galaxy 15 lost contact with ground control after a solar flare probably fried its brain. As a story from the Christian Science Monitor reports, attempts from Earth to contact the satellite have been unsuccessful. But instead of just dying and drifting off, the satellite has continued to orbit the Earth, even though it refuses to receive instructions from its owner, Intelsat.
For the science nerds out there: The satellite is still on, with its “C-band telecommunications payload still functioning even as it has left its assigned orbital slot of 133 degrees west longitude 36,000 kilometers over the equator.” Translation: Not good. What’s confounding scientists is that even though the satellite is toast, it continues to operate at full power, but with nobody telling it what to do. Why on earth we should care: The “zombiesat” (as its known in space talk) could steal a working sat signal, and interrupt programming for its customers.

Just about the only sign we have not seen is a sign on the moon.

Posted in end time, gog magog, israel, prophecy

Israel poised for prophecy fulfillment

Posted on by elizabethprata

Events are rapidly coming together and have recently entered the spiritual vision of many Christians and even many unsaved. The Lord’s program with Israel that has been written since the foundation of the world contains prophecies that have yet to be fulfilled, but seem close to fruition.

Of most concern is the prophesied Gog-Magog battle. This future event is prophesied to occur in the last days and can be read in Ezekiel 38-39. It is this event which God uses to draw Israel back to Himself by announcing His presence on earth. In the last days, Israel is surprised in an attack by an alliance of nations that include Russia, Iran, Libya, Sudan, Armenia, Turkey and others. Israel is so surprised, perhaps exulting in relaxation after her decisive win in the Psalm 83 prophetic war, that she is on the verge of losing the battle. Until the last moment, it seems that Iran’s long-standing promise to “wipe Israel from the face of the earth” will come true. However, God supernaturally saves Israel and all who participate in this battle know it. The Gog-Magog battle is widely considered to be the gateway into the Tribulation, because it is at this time that God returns His attention to dealing with Israel as the prophesied last 7 years of the original decree states:

Seventy ‘sevens’ are decreed for your people and your holy city to finish transgression, to put an end to wickedness, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up prophecy and to anoint the most holy.” – Daniel 9:24

490 years…but Jesus came in year 483 of the decree and when He died, it stopped the decree clock for a 2000 year ‘pause’ in order to build His church. When the church is built, and Paul told us that it will be finished when “the full number of the Gentiles has come in” (and no one but God knows that number) then God will resume His dealings with His people and their transgression of the last 7 years.

So that you will not be conceited, brothers, I do not want you to be unaware of this mystery: a partial hardening has come to Israel until the full number of the Gentiles has come in. Romans 11:25

The Israelites cannot understand about their transgression (rejecting Jesus) until we are raptured out of the way and that will occur sometime between this moment and the end of the Gog-Magog Battle.

What gets Russia et al so furious that they combine to attack Israel directly? Prior to the Gog battle likely it could be any number of things: a fulfillment of the Isaiah 17:1 prophecy that Damascus will be destroyed … Israel’s resounding win in the prophetic Psalm 83 war … or Israel’s extreme wealth that draw Russia to plunder. The neighboring onlookers cheer the Gog alliance on:

“Sheba and Dedan and the merchants of Tarshish with all its villages will say to you, ‘Have you come to capture spoil? Have you assembled your company to seize plunder, to carry away silver and gold, to take away cattle and goods, to capture great spoil?'” Ezekiel 38:13

Sheba and Dedan are Saudi Arabia and the identification of Tarshish is contended, but may be Britain. It is thought that the onlookers are cheering because they participated in the Psalm 83 war that likely occurred just prior to the Gog battle and are out of commission, having been soundly beaten by Israel.

So are there events today which are serving as a catalyst for the Gog-Magog coalition to join forces against Israel? Does the world hate Israel? Does it look like friend Turkey will finally tip over from pro-Western to pro-Muslim and become Israel’s enemy? Does it look like Damascus is at risk, that Israel’s neighbors will attack her, that Iran is crazy enough to nuke go against her long-hated nemesis? All these are conditions that need to be in place for the prophecies to come about. And the answer is Yes.

Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling unto all the peoples round about, when they shall be in the siege both against Judah and against Jerusalem. And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all peoples; all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the nations of the earth be gathered together against it.” Zechariah 12:2-4

Allies turn on Israel
Israel’s allies froze military ties and summoned its ambassadors on Monday over the storming of an aid flotilla bound for Gaza, as Muslim leaders slammed the deadly raid as “criminal” and “inhuman”.

Israel’s attack on Gaza flotilla outrages the world
The predawn Israeli naval forces attack against international aid convoy Gaza Freedom Flotilla, in which 20 activists on the board were killed and more than 30 wounded, outraged Arab and world countries.

Joel Rosenberg writes: Israeli Rabbis say current events could lead to “War of Gog and Magog”
A pastor friend of mine who is helping us set up the 2010 Epicenter Conference in Philadelphia later this month just sent me an urgent text message with this headline from Israel National News: Rabbis: Flotilla Clash Similar to Gog and Magog Prophecy. As you might expect, it caught my attention right away. Excerpts-
‘The Rabbinical Council of Judea and Samaria issued a statement Thursday in which it said that the results of the incident in which Israel intercepted a flotilla trying to break the naval blockade of Gaza seem like the Biblical description of “the beginning of the Gog and Magog process where the world is against us, but which ends with the third and final redemption….’

And of the ‘great spoil’ and the ‘plunder’ the Gog coalition seeks from Israel?

Israel set to become gas exporter Consortium finds enough gas to secure energy needs for 50 – 70 years.
A consortium led by billionaire Yitzhak Tshuva announced on Thursday that it has struck natural gas in a field called ‘Leviathan’ off the coast of Israel. The field is estimated to contain 15 trillion cubic feet of gas and is the second large scale gas find in a month. Last month’s find, in a field called ‘Tamar’, is thought to contain enough gas to supply Israel for the next twenty years.

 Is Iran capable of wiping Israel from the map? And do they have the will? Yes

U.N. says Iran has fuel for two nukes
In their last report before the United Nations Security Council votes on sanctions against Iran, international nuclear inspectors declared Monday that Iran has now produced a stockpile of nuclear fuel that experts say would be enough, with further enrichment, to make two nuclear weapons.

Events of the day are hurtling us toward fulfillment of the last seven years. The timing is the Lord’s and no one knows exactly when the the now-lit match will reach the fuse. The best thing for the Christian to do is pray, stay in the Word, and witness like there’s no tomorrow. For there may be no tomorrow.

Posted in bp, end time, famine, hurricane, oil, prophecy

Hurricane season and the Oil Slick

Posted on by elizabethprata

Back on April 30, I pondered the implications of a hurricane season on the oil slick in the Gulf of Mexico. The enormity of the disaster hadn’t hit home yet, since it was only days old at that time, and many people casually thought that the slick would be cleaned up by then. No one in their wildest dreams thought that not only wouldn’t it be cleaned up, but the the oil would still be pumping by the time hurricane season hit.

Now that hurricane season is upon us, having opened on June 1, let’s take a look at the outlook.

The 2010 Hurricane Season in the Atlantic Ocean began on June 1, 2010, and will end on November 30, 2010. Atlantic hurricanes affect the eastern and Gulf coasts of the U.S. and the Caribbean nations. The experts are predicting a busier-than-usual hurricane season for 2010. According to the forecast, there is an 85% change of an above-average hurricane season in 2010. We can expect an “active to extremely active” season. 14-23 named storms (winds 39 mph or higher)8-14 hurricanes (winds 74 mph or higher) 3-7 major hurricanes (winds of at least 111 mph)

So it seems that there will be a steady parade of storms in the Gulf, and only once in 12 years did NOAA’s prediction turn out to be an overestimate. Let’s take a look at the oil and where it is predicted to be:

The NY Times’s simulation reporting shows the oil going around Florida and up the East Coast. The University Corporation’s Atmospheric Research showed the oil going around Florida and up the east Coast. The oil is going to escape into the Atlantic, there is no doubt about it. Here is a computer simulation.

But here is science for the third part of this study of oil and hurricanes: wind plastering it all over the United States. It’s hard to imagine the effects of wind-driven oil and chemicals on the farmlands in LA, TX, Alabama, Mississippi, Florida, but not so hard to imagine there will be some. We know that salt-driven inland has devastating effects on vegetation up to 45 miles inland. (Photo: This satellite-based image shows brown areas along the Texas and Louisiana coasts where vegetation has been killed off by saltwater after Hurricane Ike pushed seawater inland. The brown area in the gulf indicates sediment taken from the coast when surge waters flowed back out.)

But what about the effects far inland? Yes, I said far inland. A NASA study conducted in 23 of the effects of wind-driven salt and plankton from the Pacific hurricanes of 1998 found that the winds had indeed driven them far inland. Like, from California to Oklahoma.

Hurricane Winds Carried Ocean Salt & Plankton Far Inland
Researchers found surprising evidence of sea salt and frozen plankton in high, cold, cirrus clouds, the remnants of Hurricane Nora, over the U.S. plains states. Although the 1997 hurricane was a strong eastern Pacific storm, her high ice-crystal clouds extended many miles inland, carrying ocean phenomena deep into the U.S. heartland. Scientists were surprised to find what appeared to be frozen plankton in some cirrus crystals collected by research aircraft over Oklahoma, far from the Pacific Ocean. This was the first time examples of microscopic marine life, like plankton, were seen as “nuclei” of ice crystals in the cirrus clouds of a hurricane.

National Geographic also studied the effects of hurricane wind-driven salt onto the far inland parts of the US, enough to change the local ecosystem. Answer: yes the hurricanes drive surface items such as salt far inland. It would likely do the same for oil. Wat I wrote back on April 30 was “As the hurricane makes landfall, the oil foam would be plastered on everything for hundreds of miles. When trees, grasses, plants, animals, etc. get pounded with the foamy winds they will get a thin layer of oil. That thin layer of oil mixed with sea water would likely kill any vegetation.” If it has been proven that salt carried far inland has devastating effects on the land and trees, then what of the effects of oil?

Thirty-seven percent of the Gulf is already closed to fishing. As the slick grows, that number grows. It was 31% only a few days ago. Fishing is food, and food is already scarce. As the farmlands inland receive chemicals and oil from wind-driven tropical force and hurricane driven winds, from the Gulf AND the east coast, it is not hard to imagine the end time warning of famine in Matthew 24:7 coming to fruition very soon.

Posted in al and tipper gore, end time, marriage, prophecy

So Al and Tipper separate. Why the hoopla?

Posted on by elizabethprata

So after forty years, Al and Tipper Gore are separating. A very public marriage fails after four decades, and the world is stunned. Immediately, the fallen seek to make sense of this failure, and attribute all sorts of reasons as to why the marital cement should crack after so many years of apparent solidity. “Why do marriages fail?” asked David Arp in Time Magazine. The possible reasons were listed throughout the article, speculated over, wondered about to the best of fallen man’s ability. Here they are:

What often happens is that the fun goes out of the marriage
The two of them decide they just can’t do this anymore
They took a detour onto the Appalachian Trail, (adultery)
They went though life change
It is a burden being in the public eye
A union of more than 35 or so years is not always pretty to behold.
They decided they did not enjoy the view.
They grew apart and the chasm was too wide to bridge.
After all these years of pretending, they can finally admit they never liked each other.

All those are external, superficial reasons. Life change? It happens to everybody, so if that is the criteria then no wonder half of all marriages fail! It is burdensome? Life is burdensome! Burdens happen to everybody. If that is the criteria then no wonder half of all marriages fail! It is typical of man to be so casual of his own sinful reasons for a sacred failure. “It’s not fun”, or “I don’t like the view” are horrific statements. But we know all this. We read from  2 Timothy 3:1-5, “But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power; Avoid such men as these.” We know man is fallen and getting worse each decade. We know that men trivialize the sacred, including marriage. We know that most are ungrateful and selfish. The above statements indicate the truth of the prophecy. So what else is there to say about this failed marriage? Let’s return to the national reaction for a moment for the deeper reason:

The Chicago Tribune said the “news came as a shock“. The Washington Post as “stunned.” The Huffington Post reports that friends are “dumfounded.” Tampa Bay Online reports that friend Chris Downey is “beyond shocked“.

Did you ever stop to think why, in this day and age, people are shocked and stunned at the failure of a 40-year marriage? After all, isn’t marriage ‘just a piece of paper’? And isn’t marriage, well, anything we want it to be, since men can marry men, women can marry women, and triads are the next thing? Can’t marriage end through ‘no fault’ these days? Dennis Hopper, who just died, was married 6 times and one of those was only for 8 days. Hollywood marriages, they call them. Women are discarded for the “flavor of the week”, men are “sugar daddies”. When illegals marry a citizen to become a citizen themselves marriage is simply a vehicle to citizenship. There are marriages of convenience, and when no longer convenient, we are told the just tear up ‘that piece of paper.’ Marriage is scorned, ripped, trivialized, redefined, used, and discarded. So why the shock? Sadness? Why the hoopla? If marriage is ‘nothing’ as our culture keeps telling us it is, then why aren’t people just saying, ‘oh well, too bad’ for Al & Tipper and move on?

Marriage is sacred, that’s why. Though the secular world denies it as sacred institution, marriage is in fact, a spiritual state to which our soul longs. Why? Because Jesus is in the middle of it. We long and thirst to fill that emptiness with Him. We are born with that emptiness and that thirst for Him, our Groom. Every sinner longs for the spiritual mirror of His security that Jesus provides for us through marriage and family. God so loves marriage that He uses it as a picture of the relationship Jesus has with His believers, the bride, and wants to have with unbelievers, His lost. That’s why marriage is sacred. That’s why we seek its enactment and mourn its failure, despite our culture’s apparent trivialization of it.

Marriage is described in the bible as a union becoming “one flesh” (Genesis 2:23-24). This relationship is not centered on self with statements of “me and my” but on sacrifice toward the other, “us and our.” It is where our up and down relationship with Jesus translates to our back and forth relationship between husband and wife. A marital relationship without Jesus will ultimately fail, either publicly like the Gores, or spiritually, privately. A Godly marriage is a spiritual blessing. An ungodly marriage is man’s palest and worst presentation of fleshliness, doubled.

The world is “shocked” because at heart we, the bride, are empty without our Groom.  Deep in our souls, the only Person who can fill that emptiness inside us is Jesus. Marriage is sacred, no matter how the people try to sweep it under the rug. And the reaction to the Gore’s failed marriage shows us that despite man’s best attempts to crush marriage as a sacred institution, the thirst for the Divine is in all of us.

Posted in end time, mark of the beast, one world government, prophecy, WOCU

One world currency is here: WOCU

Posted on by elizabethprata

The Tribulation is a punishment to the world for their blasphemy and ungodly acts. God uses increasingly devastating judgments to bring the world to repentance. Many repent and are saved. But many choose not to submit. In fact, the Great Tribulation is a time when the world governmental systems fall and the world economic systems are replaced with the Beast’s. This is known as The Mark of the Beast, a mark that the Antichrist institutes in Rev 13:16-17 after he is indwelled by satan in Rev 13:3. The bible does not use the words “one world currency” nor does it use “one world government” but we can deduce these things by the verses which state “that authority over every tribe and people and tongue and nation was given to him.” (Rev 13:7b) and “All who dwell on the earth will worship him, everyone whose name has not been written from the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who has been slain.” (Rev 13:8) and “And he causes all, the small and the great, and the rich and the poor, and the free men and the slaves, to be given a mark on their right hand or on their forehead, and he provides that no one will be able to buy or to sell, except the one who has the mark, either the name of the beast or the number of his name.” (Rev 13:16-17)

With this in mind, I report to you that a global currency now has been launched. Whether it becomes THE world currency spoken of in Revelation remains to be seen. But the concept, framework, and execution of it is a reality. It is called the WOCU, or World Currency Unit. The currency symbol for the Wocu is The plan is for nations to systematically liquidate their rapidly devaluing Dollar reserves and build new holdings in the more stable and safer WOCU, resulting in volatile-free international trade. And who would be against less volatile international trade? Hmmm…

World currency unit intended to rival U.S. dollar for supremacy
A new currency is intended to challenge the U.S. dollar as the world’s foremost reserve currency. The WOCU, short for world currency unit, was actually launched by London-based WDX Organization in September 2009, but only seems to be gaining recognition now. Its value is determined as a derivative of the exchange rates of the world’s top 20 currencies, as measured by GDP, in order to reduce the risk associated with exchange rate fluctuations. The new currency is similar to the International Monetary Fund’s special drawing rights (SDR), which the IMF uses as a reserve asset to supplement the currency reserves of its member states. Both Russia and China have been pushing for the world to switch to a new currency.

From March this year, a financier’s opinion:

The WOCU is Here! Finally, a Stable Reserve Currency to Replace the Dollar
It may sound like a character from StarWars, but starting in Q2 of 2010, the WOCU or World Currency Unit will become the medium of exchange among trading nations. This is welcome news to a world weary of Dollar hegemony and the violent and bloody US imperialism that comes along with it. One of the most beneficial aspects of the Wocu is a stabilization in the prices of imports, exports, and traded commodities — freeing the people of the world from the crippling manipulation of currencies by Central Banks, which is directly responsible for a great deal of human suffering at the consumer level. For me, it’s not such great news since I am a currency trader and rely on the international corruption of big banks to make a living. Oh well, it’s a small price to pay to finally jettison the Dollar and the massive reserves that nations are forced to hold [often against their will] in order to do business with one another. For my part, I’ll find another Plutocratic enclave to exploit. Meanwhile, the Wocu is apolitical — and it’s about d*&# time.

Another article:

“The Wocu has been developed as a derived world currency unit to allow corporations, financial institutions, governments and even individuals to trade across national boundaries and hold foreign assets with minimal risk of losses caused by exchange rate fluctuations. How does the Wocu differ from the IMF’s SDR [special drawing rights]? The SDR, while a valuable tool, is based on 4 currencies and re-weighted only every 5 years, unlike the Wocu which is re-weighted by an independent institute every six months (when the IMF releases its GDP figures).”

For many years, people thought that the Euro, the currency for 16 of the 27 European nations, would become the supranational currency for the world. However, we have seen the euro’s fortunes fall lately as well as the dollar’s. God spends a great deal of time carefully setting up conditions for prophecy fulfillment, but when prophecy is fulfilled, it happens fast. Just two years ago, who would have thought that the US Dollar would fall so low? That we’d have a Muslim president dedicated to destroying this country? That the European Nations would be bankrupt? It will be interesting to watch the WOCU gain traction. We know the result, the bible tells us. What is interesting is the journey, seeing Him work, and being alive to see His promises come to fruition.

Speaking of journey, there are two paths, and you do not need to be faced with the horrific choice to either take the mark and eat, or refuse the mark and starve and get beheaded. You can accept Jesus NOW, by repenting of your sins (to be sorry for the bad things you have thought, said, and did). You can ask Jesus to forgive those sins, and make Him the Lord of your life. If you submit to Him, He will send the Holy Spirit to indwell you, guide you, help you, and grow you. He will reveal His Plan for your life, and though you will still have daily troubles, you will know an ultimate peace that passes all understanding. Then you will be raptured to be with Jesus always. (1 Corinthians 15:52; 1 Thess 4:16). The choice is yours. It will always be yours. But the risks FAR outweigh the benefits the longer you put off making it.

Posted in brimstone, end time, erupt, marianas island, oil volcano, prophecy, sarigan

More volcanoes erupting

Posted on by elizabethprata

For a lengthier study of volcanoes and the bible, go here

Several more volcanic eruptions, this time, in the South Pacific.

Volcanic eruptions in Vanuatu and CNMI
May 31, 2010 16:20:40

“A giant plume of volcanic ash is disrupting flights in the Pacific and threatening villagers in Vanuatu, echoing similar problems which caused air traffic chaos in Europe. Forecasters in New Zealand say the cloud, spewing from Vanuatu’s Mount Yasur volcano, was about 18-hundred metres high, covering an area of about 200 square kilometres. Tourists have been urged to stay away from the volcano on Tanna island, which has disrupted domestic flights in neighbouring New Caledonia.” [that’s a mile high ash plume!]

“Meanwhile, an underwater volcanic eruption has led to a state of disaster being declared across the entire CNMI, the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas Islands. The governor, Benigno Fitial, declared the state of disaster following a loud explosion at the active submarine volcano on the island of Sarigan, located about 175 kilometres north of Saipan. A huge smoke plume was seen over the island on the weekend. As a result sea and air traffic has been severely affected – posing a big threat to the CNMI’s biggest income earner, tourism.” [the smoke plume from this eruption was EIGHT miles high, according to this bulletin]

Apparently Sarigan has never been active. According to Science Blog entry here “Sarigan has not had any known historical eruptions, but two seismic swarms were centered at the volcano in August 2005. Holocene lava flows on the flanks of the volcano are the only signs of geologically recent activity at Sarigan” and here “There are no known historic eruptions of Sarigan, but there is a small pyroclastic cone at the summit, which might suggest it has erupted relatively recently (as in the last few hundred years). The only signs of life at Sarigan were an earthquake swarm in August of 2005.”

Volcano eruptions are on the rise for 2010, on track to be the most ever. More information on the number of eruptions in history, here

Posted in end time, guatemala sinkhole, prophecy, revelation

OK, this is just getting weird. Sinkhole from hell in Guatemala

Posted on by elizabethprata

UPDATED- If you are looking for the story of the man in Florida who was sleeping and a sinkhole opened under his bed, go here.

 —————————

The CNN article this appears in alludes to, but does not explain, how a tropical storm cause such a massive and eerie hole. A three-storey building fell into it.

The office of Guatemala’s president handed out this aerial view of a crater that opened up after Agatha hit.

In this same place, Guatemala, a violent tropical storm battered the region, resulting in mudslides and floods and deaths, and just two days before the tropical storm hit, a volcano erupted.

I’ve been tracking sinkholes lately, and it seems they are opening with regularity in unexpected places. Not that a sinkhole by itself means instant plague of biblical proportions, but the work that God is doing on the earth that was promised and described for us in Matthew 24 and other places means that his warnings for the end time will come and are coming. His language has not changed. So we look to the bible as to what these things meant in the past and see if they could be applied to what is happening now. Are there examples of the earth opening up in the bible?

In Revelation:

“And the serpent poured water like a river out of his mouth after the woman, so that he might cause her to be swept away with the flood. But the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and drank up the river which the dragon poured out of his mouth.” (Rev 12:15-16)

Note, the flood is always a symbol of overwhelming destruction. The earth opening its mouth is reminiscent of the incident in Numbers 16:31-33:

“As he finished speaking all these words, the ground that was under them split open; and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up, and their households, and all the men who belonged to Korah with their possessions. So they and all that belonged to them went down alive to Sheol; and the earth closed over them, and they perished from the midst of the assembly.”

In other sinkhole incidents, this incident happened a week ago in Canada. Note the use of the word “freak” and that the area was not known for sinkhole activity…
Horror as freak sinkhole swallows home and family of four
“There’s news of a tragedy today concerning a home in Canada which was engulfed by a giant sinkhole. All the four members of the family were killed in the incident which occurred while they were watching T.V. together. During a freak landslide in Quebec, the sinkhole opened up to swallow the French-Canadian family home. The family that lived there, the Prefontaines had been watching an ice-hockey game in the basement lounge of their home in Saint-Jude overlooking the Yamaska River. The two children killed were only around the ages of 9 and 11, according to the Timesonline.co.uk. Although rescuers launched a desperate attempt to save the family, late last night their bodies were finally found with Quebec’s emergency management co-ordinator, Michel Dore saying, “They were found very close to one another, some of them lying on the family couch in the basement.” The giant crater that formed completely destroyed the family home and five other houses in the area were evacuated. Apparently the house was in a location not considered to be at risk from sinkholes and the Saint-Jude Mayor, Yves Bellefeuille said the community was in shock. For more on this story go to the timesonline.co.uk. We send our thoughts to the extended family and friends of those killed.”

In TN a sinkhole on the Interstate opened up last week, swallowing half a lane:

I-24 reopens after sinkhole repair
A stretch of eastbound Interstate 24 between Nashville and Chattanooga has reopened after a massive sinkhole was repaired. The 25-foot deep sinkhole developed suddenly on Tuesday in Grundy County. Crews with the Tennessee Department of Transportation had to excavate 35 feet to reach the bottom of the sinkhole and remove unstable material. The area was filled in with more than 5,400 tons of graded solid rock and the interstate was repaved.

What does it mean? I don’t know. I do know that in the end time and especially the Tribulation God re-forms the earth. The earth certainly is groaning lately. That it is cracking up is no surprise. One can only hope that Isaiah’s praise of God holds true today for those experiencing travail:  “When Your judgments come upon the earth, the people of the world learn righteousness. (Isaiah 26:9b)

Posted in end time, gaza flotilla, prophecy, protests, srael

Prophetic indicators on the Gaza Flotilla event

Posted on by elizabethprata

Three years ago the terrorist organization HAMAS took control of the Palestinian territory in the course of a conflict with rival Palestinian group Fatah. The Israeli navy maintains a sea blockade from three nautical miles offshore. Egypt is constructing an underground steel barrier to prevent circumvention of the blockade through smuggling tunnels.  Israel maintains that the blockade is necessary to limit Palestinian rocket attacks from the Gaza Strip on its cities and to prevent Hamas from obtaining other weapons. Egypt maintains that that it cannot open the Rafah crossing since opening the border would represent Egyptian recognition of the Hamas control of Gaza, undermine the legitimacy of the Palestinian Authority and consecrate the split between Gaza and the West Bank. The Gaza Strip has land borders with Israel and Egypt, and a sea border. Egypt fearing a spill-over of Hamas-style militancy into their territory assisted in the blockade. The sanctions were tightened in response to rocket attacks on southern Israel and Palestinian militant attacks on crossing points between Israel and Gaza. Egypt and Israel largely keep their borders with the territory sealed. Israel allows only limited humanitarian supplies from aid organizations into the Strip. [source, Wikipedia]

Nine times over the three years, ‘humanitarian aid flotillas’ have been mounted and tried to breach the blockade. Five times, the Israeli forces allowed them through. The denials have occurred when the ships were carrying banned products, such as arms or materials used for supporting arms, like cement (to make bunkers).

A rocket fired by Palestinian militants from the northern Gaza Strip flies towards an Israeli target Friday, Jan. 2, 2009. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)

The Palestinians claim that there is a dire humanitarian issue in the Strip, even starvation, Israel maintains that while there is hardship, no humanitarian issue exists. And of course, if Hamas would release the land it took, then the entire issue would be over. Hamas is deaf to the pleas of the people. They continue to lob rockets, as seen above.

The flotilla approaching the Gaza Strip last night was the largest to date, with 6 ships. Haaretz reported, “IDF sources say that a clash with the activists on the ships will produce bad press from Israel’s point of view – but they believe that this is inevitable in any eventuality. … The basic assumption is that the activists are looking for a clash, and perhaps even a little bloodshed, which will be captured in the media. As far as is known, there are no arms on board the ships.”

Despite repeated warnings from the Israel Navy not to approach, the Flotilla ships did. And as they did, they were stopped by the Israeli Navy. A gunfight ensued, and 15 activists were killed. Of course, cell phones and video cameras caught the action. Unfortunately, the clash occurred in International waters.

This morning, “Defense Minister Ehud Barak said Monday that the organizers of the Gaza aid flotilla were to blame after at least 15 activists were killed when Israel Navy commandos stormed the ship. In a press conference hours after the incident, Barak said that Israel was prepared to accept the consequences of its actions and would continue to protect its autonomy. Barak voiced regret for the deaths, but called the flotilla a political provocation by and said the sponsors of the flotilla were violent supporters of a terror organization.”

Worse, Israel suspects that Hamas is combining forces with Al-Qaeda. “MIDEAST: Gaza Extremists Drifting Towards al-Qaeda?” Two separate bomb attacks on Internet cafes in Gaza last week have served as an uncomfortable reminder that extremist groups within the coastal territory may be stronger than the moderate Hamas organisation which rules the strip. The attacks in Khan Yunis preceded a warning in a study, due to be released this week by the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, that Gaza-based, militant, Palestinian groups may be moving closer to the al-Qaeda – the international Islamist network that has called for global jehad. The Associated Press (AP) has obtained a copy of the study…” [Left, a phosphorous bomb over Gaza]. Here is another report linking the flotilla activity with Al-Qaeda.

The Jerusalem Post reports the Deputy Foreign Minister said that “Their intent was violent, their methods were violent and their results were unfortunately violent,…” This is supported by the statement that “They claim to have offered to transfer all of its aid to Gaza overland from an Israeli port and say that offer was turned down multiple times.” Bad PR for Israel was the intent and that is what the flotilla organizers got, in spades, as the world turns against Israel. “It was never going to look good and Israelis knew that, but it was never meant to be this bad. That sums up Israeli reaction to the flotilla fiasco unfolding in the waters off Gaza.”

It’s pretty bad.

Now, there are protests all over the Middle East decrying Israel’s actions. Protests in Nazareth, in Beirut, in Turkey. Turkey is recalling its ambassador to Israel. Israel is warning Israelis not to travel to Turkey. Israeli forces are on high alert. Turkish protesters try to storm the Israeli consulate.

It’s really bad.

Turkey’s involvement is important because, remember, they eventually ally with the Muslim nations in the evil coalition that surprise attacks Israel in the very last days. This is the Gog-Magog battle as described by Ezekiel in chapters 38 and 39. The attack by Israel on the Gaza Flotilla seems to be a huge step toward cementing that coalitition, with wavering Turkey wavering no more and falling firmly on the side of the Muslims and against Israel.

Interestingly, terrorist group Hamas’s PR had been on the decline of late, and this event by Israel will undeniably give them a shot in the arm, bolstering their credibility in the world standing. They are already crying for the UN to do something against Israel. “Israel’s attack on Gaza flotilla outrages the world.” And again this is a prophetic indicator, because Zechariah said that “Behold, I am going to make Jerusalem a cup that causes reeling to all the peoples around; and when the siege is against Jerusalem, it will also be against Judah. “It will come about in that day that I will make Jerusalem a heavy stone for all the peoples; all who lift it will be severely injured. And all the nations of the earth will be gathered against it.” (Zech 12:2-3) (photo source)

And even more indicators from Zechariah’s prophecy, Allies turn on Israel
“Israel’s allies froze military ties and summoned its ambassadors on Monday over the storming of an aid flotilla bound for Gaza, as Muslim leaders slammed the deadly raid as “criminal” and “inhuman”.”

The world is reeling this morning, against Israel, in a scene ripped from Zechariah. Oh, Lord, come soon!

Posted in armageddon, end time, prophecy

We serve a mighty God!

Posted on by elizabethprata

The scene in Gethsemane usually focused on is the sweet scene where Jesus is praying, alone. It touches the heart to see the beginning of the emotional and physical travail our Savior endured for our sakes. But John’s Gospel alone has the scene where Judas arrives with the soldiers and the soldiers approach Jesus. Jesus asks the soldiers whom they seek:

Jesus therefore, knowing all things that should come upon him, went forth, and said unto them, Whom seek ye? They answered him, Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus saith unto them, I am he. And Judas also, which betrayed him, stood with them. As soon then as he had said unto them, I am he, they went backward, and fell to the ground. (John 18:4-6)

This is a picture of what will happen in Armageddon. Both the Old and the New Testaments are replete with passages that at once depict live events, events that are partial fulfillments of the near future, and are complete fulfillments of things that will happen in the far future. One example comes to mind, the destruction of Sodom for sin, and how Peter advised us that what happened at Sodom is an example of what will happen to the ungodly in the future.

As Jesus spoke, his very words (almost) slew the soldiers, and they fell onto their backs. This is a picture of Rev 19:15, 21

The Coming of Christ
From His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may strike down the nations, and He will rule them with a rod of iron; and He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty. And the rest were killed with the sword which came from the mouth of Him who sat on the horse, and all the birds were filled with their flesh.

And to confirm, Isaiah 11:4;

But with righteousness He will judge the poor, And decide with fairness for the afflicted of the earth; And He will strike the earth with the rod of His mouth, And with the breath of His lips He will slay the wicked.

THIS is the mighty God we serve! He speaks, and the wicked fall. He speaks and worlds are made. He speaks, and angels fly. He speaks, and billions are redeemed. He is mighty and wonderful! No matter what comes upon us in this world, He will see us through it, and then see us as we fly to Him and meet Him in the air, and so we shall be with Him always!

Posted in brimstone, Does the oil platform explosion and oil spill have prophetic implications?, end time, oil, prophecy, sulfur

The Language of God: fire and brimstone

Posted on by elizabethprata

Part 1 in the series “Language of God- Hail”

First, in unusual news, Spaceweather.com reports On May 1st, volcano photographers Steve and Donna O’Meara were stunned when they photographed a perfectly shaped volcanic smoke ring blown out by Eyjafjallajokull volcano in southern Iceland:

©Steve & Donna O’Mears, http://VolcanoHeaven.tumblr.com

“This is a rare phenomenon,” say Steve and Donna. “We’ve only seen it one other time at Italy’s Stromboli volcano in 2001.” Joseph Licciardi, an earth sciences professor from Oregon State University, was there to see it, too. “The ring was visible for five minutes and then fell apart,” he told the UK Daily Mail. “I am thrilled that I was present at the event.”

The Volcanology glossary defines the smoke ring phenomenon as “quite rare.” In other volcano news,

Arenal erupts
Costa Rica’s Arenal volcano has erupted, spewing geysers of lava, ash and toxic gases from its crater and forcing the evacuation of the national park where it is located.  The 1633-metre-tall cone-shaped mountain in northern Costa Rica shuddered into activity at 4am this morning issuing eight successive rivers of lava that flowed down its steep slopes, National Volcanology and Seismology Observatory expert Elicer Duarte said.

Volcano eruption in Guatemala kills 1 injures 20 in Pacaya
President Colom declared Regions in Guatemala are in a “state of calamity” after the Pacaya volcano, 25 miles south of Guatemala City, increased its activity. Pacaya volcano, located about 15 miles (25 km) south of Guatemala City. Pacaya volcano erupted tonight and shut down Guatemala’s international airport in the capital and caused the urgent evacuation of several populations. President Colom said during a press conference that at least four people are missing after the eruption. Police said a local television journalist, who had been reporting on the volcano, died when he was crushed by falling rock. at least 20 people injured as volcanic debris fell on villages.

Ecuador’s Tungurahura erupts, causing evacuations
Lava and ash from Ecuador’s Tungurahua volcano forced the closure of Guayaquil Airport until Saturday afternoon, an airport spokesman said Friday. The glacier-capped, 16,478-foot (5,023-meter) volcano has erupted periodically since 1999, with major eruptions occurring in August 2006 and February 2008, the government’s emergency management agency said.

Is Katla Ready To Erupt And Bring Europe To Its Knees Again?
A report from University College London is pointing towards a near term eruption of Iceland’s giant volcano, Katla, according to MSNBC.com (heard through Zero Hedge). The President of Iceland has also cautioned against an imminent eruption saying that Europe, its governments, and its airline industry needs to prepare. Katla happens to be one of the largest, southernmost volcanoes in Iceland, potentially causing an even graver threat to Europe than Eyjafjallajökull.

Whether the author of the last headline knew it or not, the last headline hits close to the intent of the end time. In this period just prior to the rapture, God makes Himself known more directly and in a variety of ways. (Of course, He makes Himself even MORE known during the Tribulation). Those ways are listed in the bible throughout the New and Old Testaments, but particularly in the Olivet Discourse in Matthew, Mark, and Luke’s Gospels. In Mathew 24, Jesus tells the disciples what the generation at that time can expect, and natural disasters are one of them. One volcano erupting does not mean we are in the end time, and regularly erupting volcanoes that erupt do not mean we are in the end time. But the totality of the volcanic activity combined with the suddenness of some of them, and the appearance of rare phenomena, indicates that God may be speaking, using one of His signature languages: fire and brimstone.

God’s signature use of hail, famine, pestilence, earthquakes, and “brimstone” (sulfur) are well-known throughout history. In a recent entry, we looked at God’s use of hail as a warning to the wicked. Now, let’s look at fire and brimstone.

The KJV of the Bible offers many examples of the phrase “fire and brimstone.” Brimstone is sulfur (British spelling, sulphur). In Genesis 19, God destroys Sodom and Gomorrah for their immoral homosexuality via a rain of fire and brimstone. In Deuteronomy 29, the Israelites were threatened with the same punishment if they abandoned their covenant with God. Divine judgments involving fire and sulphur are prophesied against Assyria (Isaiah 30), Edom (Isaiah 34), Gog (Ezekiel 38), and all the wicked (Psalm 11). The ultimate book of wrath, Revelation, shows God using the punishment with fire and brimstone throughout. Here is one example…

“And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever” (Revelation 20:10, KJV)

Interestingly, in Isaiah 30:33, the breath of God is compared to brimstone: “The Breath of Jehovah, like a stream of Brimstone, doth kindle it.”

“Brimstone,” used to be the common name for sulfur. The word when used today is almost exclusively in allusions to God’s fiery wrath, with one exception in popular culture being the underwater volcano named “Brimstone Pit.” But more on that later.

According to the Jewish Encyclopedia, “sulfur is … found in Palestine, in the region along the banks of the Jordan and around the Dead Sea, both in combination with other elements and in its pure state. In the latter condition it is still employed medicinally for skin-diseases by the wandering Arab tribes, who make further use of it in the preparation of gunpowder. Brimstone is also found in the hot springs that line both shores of the Dead Sea. In one of these springs (at Callirrhoe), Herod took baths in the hope of finding a cure for his ailment (Josephus, “Ant.” xvii. 6).”

In the biblical punishments, God rained down brimstone from the sky. Volcanic eruptions also contain sulfur in its solid and its gaseous state, which, when erupting, rain down fire and brimstone from the sky. And there have been a lot of volcanic eruptions lately.

In 2008 Volcano Chaiten in Chile erupted suddenly for the first time in 9500 years. (that’s the scientists’ dateline, not the bible’s). Have the number of volcanic eruptions been increasing lately? The world’s fevered attention on the Yellowstone Volcano’s quake swarm was only a recent reminder of some of earth’s more ferocious potential for disasters…I set about quantifying the answer to whether volcanic eruptions are on the rise, or not.

First, I found this:

“How many volcanoes erupt every day?”
“The Smithsonian Institution has the Global Volcanism Network and a monthly bulletin about eruptions. About 50 to 60 eruptions happen each month. Some volcanoes are in constant activity — Stromboli, Kilauea, or Sakurajima, for example. There are many examples of volcanoes which show some sign of renewed danger and then erupt within an hour, though more commonly, within one day. Most eruptions last hours but some continue for weeks and months.”

However, in looking further, I found data that gives a better view over time. It seems that the stated average of “50-60” is much higher than it used to be and lower than it is now. According to the Smithsonian’s Global Volcanism Program data, in the 1910’s -1940s, only 30-40 eruptions occurred each year. In the 1980’s and 1990’s the average rose to 58 volcanoes erupting per year. In this millennium, an average of 70 volcanoes erupted each year. In 2010, with only half the year gone, fifty have already erupted. If the trend holds, the year will end with 100 eruptions.

Here is a graph with the data from the above source. It depicts decade average eruptions since 1850. Note, last bar is year only, 2010. I’ll tell you why below:

It is statistically inappropriate to mix apples and oranges, but I’ll tell you why I included the year-only for 2010 with all the previous bars representing ten years’ worth of data. At no time in all the years that Smithsonian has been collecting data, and I looked back to year 580 AD, there have been more than 78 eruptions in one year. That year-high was 2008. Yet in 2010 with only HALF the year gone, there have already been 50 eruptions. An additional eruption occurred overnight while I have been formulating this entry. If the trend holds, the year 2010 will end with 100 eruptions, a phenomenal high.

Biblically, God has used fire and brimstone to warn and punish. He has threatened to use fire and brimstone to punish. He will threaten to use fire and brimstone to punish (Revelation). It is part of God’s vocabulary to us humans.

Now as to the BP oil spill. On April 30, 2010, I asked “Does the oil platform explosion and oil spill have prophetic implications?” I didn’t answer that questions definitively at that time, it being too soon and having formulated no conviction after prayer. I have now decided that the answer is YES. Here is why. Brimstone is sulfur. Sulfur exists on the earth in solid and gaseous states. In 2004 the world’s deepest volcano was discovered, underwater, and it is constantly erupting at that. They named it “Brimstone Pit.” Brimstone pit emits huge amounts of sulfur.

“View of a de-gassing event at Brimstone Pit at NW Rota-1 volcano releasing an extraordinary number of bubbles probably carbon dioxide. The yellow parts of the plume in the background contain tiny droplets of molten sulfur. Credit: NOAA”

It reminds me of a photo that the world has become all too familiar with: BP Oil Leak under the Gulf of Mexico:

The amount of sulfur (hydrogen sulfide) emitted from the oil leak is making crews on boats sick and making those on shore sick too. Sulfur = Brimstone. When the people of the Gulf smell that distinctive “rotten egg” smell, it is sulfur, or brimstone. The LORD will destroy the earth by fire in the end, said Peter in 2Peter 3:10. And Isaiah said “For the LORD will execute judgment by fire And by His sword on all flesh,” (Isaiah 66:16) Brimstone is the language of God, and it is being thrown upon the earth from north to south, in all hemispheres, from volcanoes in high latitudes to those under the sea. Are we listening?