I love my End Time banner, the bird flying. I took that photo of birds against a stormy sky. The shades of blue-to-gray seemed calming to me and the bird’s perfect silhouette was just precious.
In addition, it was uncluttered and allowed for easy reading of the blog title and title description, and didn’t compete with the text.
In a Georgia spring, there is a lot to look at. I often walk around the yard, looking at the burst of blossoms everywhere. I especially like the large fig tree in the back yard. It yields lots of figs in two or three harvests a year. Yay!
Fig trees and figs figure prominently in the bible. (Did you see what I did there?) I like this verse-
“And he told them a parable: “Look at the fig tree, and all the trees. As soon as they come out in leaf, you see for yourselves and know that the summer is already near. So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that the kingdom of God is near.” (Luke 21:29-31)
When I see the fig tree blooming, I like to think that the rapture is near. I know the two aren’t literally linked, the verse is only a parable after all, but after living so many years in Maine and never even dreaming that actual fig trees could actually grow in the yard and actual figs can be picked, well, I just grin and enjoy thinking of the verse when I see the tree out there.
So I chose a fig tree banner just to change the blog a little. It’s been a few years. No. I don’t like change, but I force myself, lol. I hope you enjoy.
I’ve written about earthquakes a lot lately. This is why. It is an excerpt of an article that reports the quake swarm occurring in OK as it has been since 2009. The rest of the article proposes that hydraulic fracturing of rocks in oil extraction could be the cause, but this has been debunked elsewhere. I’m amazed at all the things the Lord is in control of and how He handles the events that will eventually bring us to His point when all history constricts down to one moment: the Rapture.
Please read the news article below and see what you think.
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Series of small earthquakes rock Oklahoma in record seismic activity Earthquakes rattled residents in Oklahoma on Saturday, the latest in a series that have put the state on track for record quake activity this year, which some seismologists say may be tied to oil and gas exploration. One earthquake recorded at 3.8 magnitude by the U.S. Geological Survey rocked houses in several communities around central Oklahoma at 7:42 a.m. local time. Another about two hours earlier in the same part of the state, north of Oklahoma City, was recorded at 2.9 magnitude, USGS said.
Those two were preceded by two more, at 2.6 magnitude, and 2.5 magnitude, that also rolled the landscape in central Oklahoma early Saturday morning. A 3.0 magnitude tremor struck late Friday night in that area as well, following a 3.4 magnitude hit Friday afternoon.
Austin Holland, a seismologist with the Oklahoma Geological Survey who tracks earthquake activity for the USGS, said the earthquake activity in the state is soaring.
“We have had almost as many magnitude 3 and greater already in 2014 than we did for all of 2013,” Holland said.
Last year’s number of “felt” earthquakes – those strong enough to rattle items on a shelf – hit a record 222 in the state. This year, less than four months into the year, the state has recorded 253 such tremors, according to state seismic data.
“We have already crushed last year’s record for number of earthquakes,” Holland said.
I’m fascinated by earthquakes. By the spike in hits on the blog after a quake, many other people are too. There’s something primal about the seemingly solid ground under our feet turning out not to be solid, and to be literally shaken.
My only experience with a quake was the recent 4.1 magnitude in Georgia/South Carolina we had on February 15. I felt that one as it was happening.
The only other experience I’d had was the World Series Loma Prieta Quake in 1989. I was on the phone talking with a guy friend and we were “watching” the baseball game together. It was before ubiquitous use of personal recording devices or police or traffic cams, but since the game was televised live, the initial jolt was recorded live. It knocked out the cameras but before it did, we can hear announcer Tim McCarver say “We’re having an earthq”, we hear screams, and then dead air and a scrambled signal before everything went dark. That quake was a 6.9 and 63 people died.
I went on an archaeological dig in 1990 to Italy and one of the team members was a woman who lived in Loma Prieta, and she had photos she carried with her that she showed me of her destroyed house.
Oklahoma continues to experience a non-stop quake swarm. There have been 44 this week and 123 this month. This photo is a screen shot of the ‘7-DAY, recent quakes’ page at UN Geological Survey.
Yes, the quakes in OK are unusual. There isn’t an earthquake fault in the areas the quakes are occurring. The minor fault at southwest OK hasn’t moved in 1300 years. So they attribute the quakes to fracking (fracturing of rock by a pressurized liquid) to extract oil. The problem with that that theory is that fracking occurs at an even higher frequency in Texas and there is not an attendant increase in frequency or magnitude of quakes at that location. This scientist from the Oklahoma Geological Survey explains, (article from 2010)
“The only known surface expression of an active fault occurs in southwestern Oklahoma. The last slip on this fault is estimated to be about 1300 years ago and may have been equivalent to a magnitude 6.5 or 7.0 earthquake. This fault is known as the Meers Fault and is visible from the air as can be seen in the following picture.”
He says they don’t know why there has been a dramatic increase in quakes and they don’t have an answer. It is interesting that Jesus said as a sign of His coming there would be earthquakes in diverse places. That an ongoing, several year swarm is occurring in a place where no fault exists negatively impacts man’s plate tectonics theories and in my opinion directly shows God’s sovereignty.
Not every earthquake (or tornado or hurricane or tsunami) is a judgment from God, though sometimes they are. We read below in the Job verse the LORD shakes the wicked from the earth. Sometimes as Romans 8:19-21 states, the LORD made the creation subject to decay and frustration and it groans, so that man will ponder the effects of sin. Sometimes God, for His won good purposes, allows satan to control the weather. Satan was allowed to torment Job by a mighty wind and by fire falling down from heaven consuming Job’s servants and sheep. (Job 1:16-19).
As of this writing, there have been 104 earthquakes in Chile this week since the 8.2 major quake. Several of the aftershocks in Chile have been major quakes in themselves. One was a 7.6 magnitude and another was a 6.5. The news says that 900,000 people were evacuated from the coast after the quake triggered a tsunami, and in many cities, electricity went out, triggering panic. As of this date five people died in the quake and aftermath. This news article from CNN says of the Chile quake,
Chile quake: This was big but a bigger one awaits, scientist says “An 8.2-magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of northern Chile Tuesday night, triggering small landslides, setting off a tsunami and killing at least five people. But geologists say an even larger quake in the region is lurking. “This magnitude 8.2 is not the large earthquake that we were expecting in this area,” said Mark Simons, a geophysicist at Caltech in Pasadena, California. “We’re expecting a potentially even larger earthquake.” It could be tomorrow. Or it could be 50 years. “We do not know when it’s going to occur,” he said. Here’s why…“
…and the article continues in explaining how fault lines work and why they believe a bigger quake awaits Chile.
“Have you commanded the morning since your days began, and caused the dawn to know its place, that it might take hold of the skirts of the earth, and the wicked be shaken out of it?” Job 38:12-13Bible believers know that larger quakes await anyway, irrespective of the human penchant to formulate theories as to why these happen.
There will be one in the Tribulation described in Revelation 6, the 6th Seal Judgment of Revelation 6:12
“When he opened the sixth seal, I looked, and behold, there was a great earthquake, and the sun became black as sackcloth, the full moon became like blood.”
This is the earthquake to cause men to hide in the caves and under rocks and shout in fear that the Great Day of Wrath has come.
After that there will be general quakes as stated in Revelation 8:5. In Revelation 11:13 another great quake occurs, and a tenth of the city of Jerusalem falls, killing 7,000. The survivors are terrified and give glory to God in heaven.
Finally at the end of the Tribulation the 7th Bowl Judgment concludes the Wrath. An earthquake hits the city of Jerusalem, where many people will die and the city will be split into three parts. It will be the greatest quake ever to occur on the earth. It is the 6th Bowl judgment and it concludes God’s wrath. The loud voice crying out from the throne says “It is done!” (Revelation 16:18-20).
And there were flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, and a great earthquake such as there had never been since man was on the earth, so great was that earthquake. (Revelation 16:18)
Never more than through an earthquake does God reminds us that the earth is His, and everything in it. (Psalm 24:1)
Dragon’s Back (Elkhorn Scarp) in the Carrizo Plain. Source
“At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, “Yet once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.” 27 This phrase, “Yet once more,” indicates the removal of things that are shaken—that is, things that have been made—in order that the things that cannot be shaken may remain. 28 Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, 29 for our God is a consuming fire.” (Hebrews 12:26-29)
Doesn’t this section of the San Andreas Fault in California look for all the world like an earth scar? Won’t it be wonderful when He removes the curse, and the earth no longer groans! We are so grateful, Lord, for Your kingdom which cannot be shaken! You are truly the Rock, immovable!
O come, let us sing unto the LORD: let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation. (Psalms 95:1)
“For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.”
The days of Noah were when men were continually wicked and the thoughts of their hearts were only evil continually. (Genesis 6:5). It was an almost 100% saturated depraved era. Worse, though the people had a century of direct warnings of coming judgment from Noah, they were preoccupied only with the mundane things of life, such as marrying and given in marriage, eating and drinking. Jesus is saying in the days of His second global judgment, it will be of the same conditions as when Noah, a man of righteousness, preached. (2 Peter 2:5).
With that in mind, let’s look at the following headlines and sub-heds. Which is the true headline and which was the April’s Fool prank?
#1. Teenager Will Lose His Virginity in a Live Performance at Art Gallery. Clayton David Pettet, a 19-year-old from Central Saint Martins College of Arts and Design, has announced he will lose his virginity in a live performance at an art gallery on April 2, 2014 at The Orange Dot in London. Pettet reportedly plans to have sex with an anonymous male partner.
#2. Hulu’s new original series, “In the Kitchen with Hannibal” Feast your eyes on dishes that are to die for in this new cooking show from Dr. Hannibal Lecter.
#3. “The View’ hosts go nude. Jenny McCarthy and Sherri Shepherd shed their tops on The View to a live audience . Concluding the innocent frolic, McCarthy thanked everyone and said, “Have a great day everyone and take a little time to enjoy ‘our View,’” pointing to her breasts. Then she seemingly reached over and grabbed Shepherd’s breast.
#4. ‘Pastor G,’ Indicted on Child Sex Charges, to Speak at Richmond Church on Good Friday. Geronimo “Pastor G” Aguilar, the former head pastor of the Richmond Outreach Center who has been indicted on multiple counts, including aggravated sexual assault of a child under 14, is one of seven religious leaders scheduled to speak at Cedar Street Baptist Church of God on Good Friday.
Answer below
s p o i l e r
s p a c e
It’s kind of hard to tell, isn’t it? The days are so evil, that any of them could be true, or all. Only #2 is false. The rest are true! Hulu’s prank of a new original series featuring cooking by a well-known albeit fictional cannibal. But it sounds like it could be true, doesn’t it? And Number 1, 3 and 4 are true. These things happened.
I didn’t have to search far nor wide to find these headlines either. In my opinion, they represent a culture’s remaining worst of sins that are actually called sins. These represent the last taboos a culture holds on to before caving in entirely to ‘anything goes’. Homosexuality, cannibalism, child molestation, sexual depravity and immodesty/whoredom in women.
“But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people.” (2 Timothy 3:1-5)
Paul knew what tribulation was, and as he advised the Romans, let us also take heed of his advice–
“Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.” (Romans 12:12)
And what is our Hope? JESUS. He overcame the world. He nailed every sin to the cross, including homosexuality, voyeurism, child molestation, perversion, cannibalism, whoredom. As long as it is the Age of Grace, each one of the people performing the sins and watching the sins and applauding heartily (Romans 1:18-32) can be saved through faith in Jesus and repentance! He exhibits that much grace and has that much patience. As for us, we wait to be released from the presence of sin
“Now is our salvation nearer than when we believed” (Rom. 13:11)—not our salvation from the pleasure, the penalty, or the power of sin, but from its very presence. “For our citizenship is in heaven: from whence we also look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ” (Phil. 3:20). Yes, it is the “Saviour” we await, for it is at His return that the whole election of grace shall enter into their full salvation; as it is written, “Unto them that look for Him shall He appear the second time without sin unto salvation” (Heb. 9:28).”
So… we wait. “And now, O Lord, for what do I wait? My hope is in you.” (Psalm 39:7)
The United States Geological Survey recorded a large 8.2 quake off the coast of Chile this evening. Chilean seismologists put it at 8.3. There have been several large aftershocks, including a quake at 6.2 magnitude. Tsunami watches and warnings have been issued for many nearby nations, and across the Pacific to Hawaii and Southern California. Though they expect the wave height to be mere inches by the time it reaches SoCal.
Tsunami waves of 6.5 feet have already been recorded at coastal Pisagua, Chile.
Here are some interesting graphics to help visualize the impacts
Brad Panovich, Chief Meteorologist in Charlotte, NC, wrote: The whole earth is shaking from this M 8.2 quake check out the local SC seismograph.
This graphic is from Mark Baden, writing on twitter, “Chile earthquake now upgraded to magnitude 8.2. Check out how rare this is. Thanks Wunderground for the graphic“:
The Chile 1960 quake was a 9.9 magnitude and the strongest event recorded on earth. The Alaska 1964 quake was a 9.2. San Francisco 1906 was 7.2. New Madrid Missouri quake swarm was estimated at around 7.4 to 8.1. This series of earthquakes were felt strongly over roughly 50,000 sq mi, and moderately across nearly 1 million square miles. The historic 1906 San Francisco earthquake, by comparison, was felt moderately over roughly 6,200 sq mi.
Here is a tsunami propagation map.
I read that so far there has been minimal damage in Chile, some injuries but no deaths- though electricity is off and phone lines are jammed. I have not read of any deaths so far, which is a blessing.
I always think of this verse when a large quake happens, especially as mentioned above, the NC weatherman mentioned the earth shaking as far away as South Carolina, and showed the seismograph to prove it.
The earth is utterly broken, the earth is split apart, the earth is violently shaken. The earth staggers like a drunken man; it sways like a hut; its transgression lies heavy upon it, and it falls, and will not rise again. ~Isaiah 24:19-20
The LORD is patient with us, though our transgressions do lay heavy upon the earth. He is merciful. But He will not be patient forever. Please heed His warning, whether it’s a mega-quake or the stirring in your heart, and repent.
California is being rattled by the biggest earthquakes they have felt in years. Southern California Public Radio reports,
Quakes continue to rattle California “A strong aftershock to Friday’s 5.1-magnitude earthquake in Orange County shook Southern California this afternoon. The U.S. Geological Survey reported the 4.1-magnitude tremor struck two kilometers southeast of Rowland Heights at 2:32 p.m. The Rowland Heights office of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said there were so far no reports of damage. More than 100 aftershocks have rattled the region. No major damage and no injuries have been reported, but police in the city of Fullerton say 20 apartment units and half a dozen homes were red-tagged, displacing 83 people. Some residents have since returned to their homes.”
What is the third largest United States earthquake active zone? #1 is Alaska, and #2 is California. Can you guess the third? It’s Utah! Then Hawaii, and also the Pacific Northwest. In this article, a seismologist explains why earthquakes happen in CA and why they don’t understand why they happen in places like New England where there are no similar faults.
Is California overdue for a big earthquake?Was the recent earthquake in Los Angeles a warning of more to come? ‘Earthquake Storms’ author John Dvorak shares his thoughts. “…But it’s not just Californians who should pay attention to his exploration of earthquake science, the unfolding mysteries of geology, and the gaps in our seismic knowledge. As he notes in an interview, plenty of other parts of the country are vulnerable to earthquakes, including the Northwest, the Midwest, the South and – yes – even the Big Apple.”
It’s a good article, I recommend it.
I was reading through my twitter stream last night and those who live in the quake area are plenty nervous and sick of all the felt-aftershocks. Or foreshocks. One man wrote that a run on earthquake survival supplies had left his local store empty, except for one hand tool, the tool to turn off your gas valve. The 1906 quake, as devastating as it was, paled in comparison to the damage caused by fires after the quake was over. Even after a 5.1 quake where there is not much visible physical damage, the cracks and breaks in gas lines are an ever-present danger.
Two 4.3 quakes, several tremors rattle central Oklahoma “Wichita, Kan. — Two magnitude 4.3 quakes, along with several weaker ones, rattled central Oklahoma late Saturday night into Sunday morning. And residents throughout KAKEland report feeling the temblors. The first quake, a magnitude of 3.5, was recorded just before 11 p.m. Saturday It was centered about 13 miles north of the town of Crescent. At the same location, another 3.5 occurred at 1:37 a.m. Sunday. It was followed by a 4.3 about 15 minutes later and then a 3.3 at 2 a.m. The shakers didn’t end there. A 3.5 and a 3.6 were recorded between 3:07 and 3:10 a.m. A second 4.3 followed at 3:42 a.m. These three quakes were also centered about 13 miles from Crescent. But wait. There’s more.
A 2.8 tremor occurred at 4:06 a.m. and a 2.7 at 4:51. Both were a few miles south and west of the others. The KAKE newsroom has been inundated with calls since the quakes were felt in south-central Kansas. A KAKE employee reported feeling his apartment shake for a few seconds near downtown Wichita. We have received reports from across Wichita and portions of Butler County from viewers reporting feeling the earthquake. The USGS has received reports from across Oklahoma and Kansas, including the Kansas City-area. One Wichita resident reported feeling three tremors at her apartment near Harry and Rock Road.
“I thought nothing of tonight’s until I was turning off my hall light and noticed my picture on the wall was crooked,” she said in an email to KAKE News. She then noticed a long crack in her wall. “17 inches long by 7 inches at the bottom,” she said. “This most definitely happened tonight. It’s by our front door hall and we pass it countless times a day.” We’re still not done yet. Let’s go back to Saturday and venture a little further south-southeast to Choctaw. That’s on the eastern edge of Oklahoma City, and where at 2.7 tremor was reported at 7:36 a.m. Another of the same magnitude hit at 4:36 p.m. A 3.7 occurred at 10:08 p.m., followed a 2.6 at 12:49 a.m. Sunday. Several earthquake reports ranging from a 2.7 to a 3.5 were scattered about central Oklahoma from Wednesday through Friday.”
Over in Hong Kong, they are having a massive storm, complete with strobe lightning. In addition, reporter James Reynolds (@typhoonfury) reports,
“Lots of reports of hail over Hong Kong right now, this is quite rare being in tropics.” Black rainstorm warning now over HK, first of year, impressively early! Continuous strobe effect lightning over Hong Kong, impressive storm! Winds picking up!
Mayo @SungEmpress wrote
“7:45pm Amber Rainstorm Warning, then 8:15pm Red, and at 8:40pm Black Rainstorm. That much rain being dumped in Hong Kong right now!“
Here is a screen shot of others’ reaction to frozen precipitation in the tropics:
Crazy weather continues. (Pray for the families affected by the terrible mudslide in Washington State). Please be safe wherever you are. God will continue to rattle the earth’s population with events of this sort, as we are told the birth pangs will continue to increase. (Matthew 24:3). God holds the world in His hand, and everything that happens on it is by Him for From Him or allowed by Him. (1 Corinthians 10:26). It is safer to be in Jesus than to be in the world.
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Earthquake Rattles Yellowstone National Park, No Damage Reported A 4.8 magnitude earthquake rocked Yellowstone National Park in Montana early Sunday, but there were no immediate reports of damage. Peter Cervelli, a spokesman for the U.S. Geological Survey’s Yellowstone Volcano Observatory said the quake, which hit at 6:34 a.m. local time, was centered almost in the middle of Yellowstone National Park, near the Norris Geyser Basin. He said any damage from the temblor would likely be minor, adding that there are not many visitors in the park at the moment. The quake was not expected to trigger any volcanic activity, Cervelli said. Jessica Turner, a geophysicist with the U.S. Geological Service, said the quake was the most powerful to hit the park since 1985. She said residents in the town of West Yellowstone felt the quake.
[USGS puts significant quakes in pink, such as this one at Yellowstone]
There have been a lot of earthquakes in Oklahoma this week. There has been some ‘spillover’ in that there have been quakes in bordering Kansas (four of which are on this map). Here is a map showing quakes in Oklahoma in the past 7 days.
Here is a news spot about the OK quake swarm.
Magnitude 4.0 earthquake hits central Oklahoma, follows six other quakes Friday A magnitude 4.0 earthquake shook central Oklahoma shortly after 10 p.m. Friday, the U.S. Geological Survey reported. The quake followed two other earthquakes — a 2.8 and a 2.6 magnitude — that were centered near Langston just minutes earlier and four other earthquakes ranging from 2.7 to 2.9 magnitude near Guthrie, Yale and Crescent on Friday afternoon and evening, the Geological Survey reported. That makes seven earthquakes of magnitude 2.6 or greater recorded in the state on Friday. Since January 2009, more than 200 magnitude 3.0 or greater earthquakes have hit central Oklahoma, marking a significant rise in the frequency of the seismic events, the Geological Survey reported. A study released last year shows that one to three magnitude 3.0 or greater earthquakes occurred yearly in Oklahoma from 1975 to 2008 but that the average grew to around 40 earthquakes per year from 2009-2013.
In this map of earthquakes recorded by the US Geological Survey in the past thirty days (each quake is marked by a dot on the map), Oklahoma is a clear hot spot. (USGS)– (source)
This article states, “[T]here have been more than 500 earthquakes in Oklahoma this year and 150 last week. (As of 2/19/14) … No one is disputing that such a dramatic spike is unusual. The question is why it’s happening now, and science suggests that the fracking boom may be, at least in part, to blame. Researchers say the toxic wastewater, stored thousands of feet underground, reducing friction along fault lines, which can trigger earthquakes.”
Or does it? This scientist said six months ago of the connection between hydraulic fracturing (fracking) and earthquakes in OK:
Seismologist: Fracking doesn’t cause earthquakes “Frohlich cited six earthquakes since 2008 in Texas, Arkansas, Colorado, Ohio and Oklahoma, ranging from magnitude 3.3 to magnitude 5.7. Their locations show that human-caused earthquakes are geographically widespread and geologically diverse, but “very rare,” given the amount of petroleum produced and the amount of waste being disposed of. Why some injection wells cause earthquakes and others don’t remains unclear, he said. Frohlich hypothesizes that quakes occur when a “suitably oriented” fault lies near an injection site.” “Texas has 10,000 injection wells, Frohlich said, and some have been in use since the 1930s. That effectively makes the state a giant research lab for the shale-gas drilling issues now facing Appalachian states including West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Ohio and New York. If injection wells were “hugely dangerous,” he said, “we would know.” “Texas would be famous as a state that just rocks with major earthquakes,” Frohlich said. “That is not true.“”
Scientists will debate this and that. Whether all the quakes in Oklahoma are from fracking or not isn’t the issue. The issue is where can we find truth? The bible has it. We are told that in the last days there will be earthquakes in diverse places, and we are in the last days. We have been in the end times since Jesus ascended. (Hebrews 1:2).
“For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places; there will be famines. These are but the beginning of the birth pains.” (Mark 13:8) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Eschatology Charts: If you want a helpful overview of dispensationalism, historical premillenialism, postmillenialism, and amillenialism, then these charts (prepared by Mark Vander Pol) should be helpful.
Post-salvation, do you ever feel any condemnation, or ever struggle with it? A lot of people do, especially new Christians. I don’t want to seem super-spiritual or anything, but I don’t struggle with condemnation. I’ll tell you why, and maybe it would be encouraging.
Accused of being dogmatic all my life, I always saw things in black and white, right and wrong. People said that as I grew up I’d come to know that there are gray areas.
Do you see any gray there?
I mulled that over for a long time but rejected that notion, there is no gray area. There is only right and wrong, dark and light, good and bad, etc. The “seeking” of the rest of my life was to discover a philosophical construct which fit my innate sense of either/ors.
Buddhism seemed excessively complicated. Wicca seemed excessively simple but trying to be complicated. Islam, well, Islam is just crazy. Catholicism had too many rules, and they contradicted each other.
I found my dogmatism, my either-or perspective, satisfied in Jesus.
In Him there is law/grace, broad road/narrow road, condemnation/forgiveness, in Christ/out of Christ, heaven/hell. A great gulf is fixed. Everything with Jesus is clear and simple. Not simplistic, because Christianity is the most complicated and deep philosophy/religion/way of life one can ever study, but simple in its approach. The Gospel is often rejected because ‘it can’t be that simple’.
Let’s take a look at a scene. At the end of the Tribulation, Jesus will have blinked out all the lights in the universe. There will be no moon, no sun, and no stars. Earth will be wrecked so probably no electricity. It will be dark. It will be dark for a while, because Jesus says no one knows the day or time the son of Man is coming. (Matthew 24:36). whoever does not believe is condemned already. John 3:18
Then all of a sudden a blinding light fills the sky. JESUS is coming in wrath, and with condemnation on His lips, and His glory is undimmed, unveiled, and no other light competes with it. It terrifies the inhabitants of the earth! They fall down and hide under the rocks and in caves, crying out
“Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! For the great day of their wrath has come, and who can withstand it?” (Revelation 6:16-17)
If I think myself condemned, or have done an action that Jesus would condemn, I think of that scene. Am I there? NO. I am not one of those unbelievers hiding under a rock and begging to escape the notice of the Lion of the tribe of Judah? NO!
Well, since Christianity is either-or, and if I’m not there, where am I? HERE:
“More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.” (Romans 5:11)
So I never struggled with condemnation, because it’s either-or. If I think about my sins, former or present, sure, I’d feel condemned. It is a heavy weight to know I fail Jesus even today, with the Spirit in me. But I don’t think about it. If I do, I’d be putting myself on the place of those poor blasphemers in Rev. 6 at the coming of Christ, hiding under the rocks and terrified of His approach. I’m not there, that’s not me. So, who am I? I am forgiven, in the light, embraced by Jesus who knew me before the foundation of the world. It simply isn’t profitable to think of being condemned, and we’re told not to:
“Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” (Philippians 4:8)
Not that we don’t feel bad when we sin. I certainly do. But the glory of Christ is His intimate relationship with us, and my opportunity to bring my mourning over my sin to Him and ask for forgiveness. He delights in His children and wants to forgive. As for the unnecessary feeling of condemnation?
It’s not complicated.
Jesus went through excruciating pain and agony in order to satisfy God’s wrath. He took our punishment so that we would not be condemned. Therefore I will not diminish His work by adopting an attitude of condemnation.
It’s not complicated.
If we have the faith of a child, we won’t overcomplicate the message. We’re co-heirs with Christ, in us there is no condemnation. (Romans 8:1). Why purposely burden my life with a gray area of endless options for feeling condemned in my sins when Jesus stripped it all down to two? We are either outside Christ and condemned or we are in Christ and forgiven. It’s that simple.
With all the world’s attention focused on the coup in Kiev, Ukraine right now, and the ongoing problem of Syria’s civil war, little news attention has been paid to uprisings in two other places: Caracas, Venezuela and Bangkok, Thailand.
Francisco Toro at the Caracas Chronicles wrote on February 20th,
The above was an analysis opinion, though backed with links. What do other news outlets say is happening in Caracas?
The Financial Times reports that “Caracas Protesters vow to turn Venezuela into another Ukraine“ “As the death toll from 10 days of violence rose to at least eight, at dusk on Saturday he was among the demonstrators in Caracas’s Plaza Altamira, an opposition stronghold, hurling rocks at security forces at the end of a march that drew in tens of thousands of people.”
Bloomberg news reports that Opposition Agrees to talks as Unrest rocks Caracas Anti-government demonstrations are in their second week after Lopez’s Voluntad Popular party on Feb. 12 organized marches to speak out against rising crime, the world’s fastest inflation and shortages of everything from milk to medicine. The protests have turned violent on a nightly basis as police clash with students, resulting in at least eight deaths.
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Meanwhile in Bangkok
Thai PM rules out resigning as bombs, gunfire punctuate unrest Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, the target of anti-government protests in Bangkok, has been staying outside the city and on Monday ruled out resigning despite a series of deadly attacks heaping pressure on her administration. The protests have been punctuated by gunfire and bomb blasts, including one on Sunday that killed a woman and a young brother and sister. They are aimed at unseating Yingluck and erasing the influence of her brother, former premier Thaksin Shinawatra, who is seen by many as the power behind the government.
All this unrest in various nations is creating refugees and asylum seekers, who themselves are subjected to sometimes horrific conditions. Protests have been occurring where violence often breaks out. At the Australian-run asylum center on Papua New Guinea there was a riot to protest conditions, but authoritarian secrecy has locked the facility down, and there are at best conflicting reports of what actually happened. All they know is an Iranian woman seeking asylum died.
Of the unrest ongoing in the northern tier of Africa, many refugees flee to the island off Italy called Lampedusa, as they had been since the outbreak of the Arab Spring in Morocco and Tunisia in 2011. However, these facilities were never meant to handle the hundreds of thousands of refugees fleeing nations in unrest. Again, tragedies occur.
Turkey has set up refugee camps where more than half a million Syrians fleeing the three-year unrest in their native country have been living. Yet for many, there is no escape from the violence, there, either.
6.5 million Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Syria; 2.4 million Syrians Displaced to Neighboring Countries.
50 largest refugee camps “The legacy of the world’s conflicts can be seen in the scores of camps for refugees around the world. This story profiles the 50 most populous settlements administered by the United Nations High Commission for Refugees. Contrary to popular belief, many of these settlements are far from temporary, and most of the largest ones are in Africa and South Asia. In total, these camps are home to over 1.9 million uprooted people.“
The world’s unrest is making a restless population. Not only are those within the nations affected but also the ones who flee are affected, and the places they flee to are affected. I am reminded of the prophecy:
“Then he said to them, “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.” (Luke 21:10)
Nation against nation means two things. The word for nations as it is used here is ‘ethnos’ meaning nation, as in Syria against Israel, for example. It also means a race of people, as in Sunni against Shia, or Tutsi against Hutu.
There is another verse which comes to mind also.
“And there will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and on the earth distress of nations in perplexity because of the roaring of the sea and the waves,” (Luke 21:25)
I’ve often thought that the reference to the sea here is to peoples. It absolutely could mean actual sea. No doubt. But I always wondered why the peoples will be perplexed as to why the seas are roaring. So I began to believe that the restless sea (peoples) are being referred to. There is precedent that sea means mass of people as a metaphor. In Isaiah, the sea is actually defined as a metaphor of restless peoples.
But the wicked are like the tossing sea; for it cannot be quiet, and its waters toss up mire and dirt.” (Isaiah 57:20)
In Revelation 13:1 the first beast (antichrist) is described as coming out of the sea.
“And I saw a beast rising out of the sea, with ten horns and seven heads, with ten diadems on its horns and blasphemous names on its heads.” (Revelation 13:1)
The first beast rises out of the sea. In that verse it is obvious that it is a metaphor, because it is highly unlikely that the antichrist rises from the actual sea as a man, dripping with sea water and entwined with seaweed.
So I believe the word sea there is a use of the old metaphor for the restless nations. I don’t think it is too far a stretch to say that the ‘distress of nations in perplexity because of the roaring of the sea and the waves, are the wicked in the nations.
In any case, there is global unrest that is prolonged and affecting millions upon millions at this moment. Entire nations are almost being uprooted and masses of people expelled. The wicked, teeming mass of humanity in many nations is being oppressed and displaced. The global psyche is very tenuous right now.
“Again I saw all the oppressions that are done under the sun. And behold, the tears of the oppressed, and they had no one to comfort them! On the side of their oppressors there was power, and there was no one to comfort them.” (Ecclesiastes 4:1)
There are many blessings about living in this time. We see the Spirit at work, we see prophecies unfolding, we can pray in joyous anticipation for the Lord’s return. However there are also many sad parts to living in this time also. We mourn for these displaced people and for the children affected by all this national and sectarian violence. We know that many don’t have the joy of resting in Jesus, they don’t know Him. We mourn those who die, and are in hell right now because they didn’t know Jesus. We know that it is only going to be harder each day. Our brethren are persecuted and killed at a rate unheard of in any previous time. It is going to continue to get darker before it gets better.
Because the Church won’t be going through the Tribulation, we know the Lord will call for us any time. We may have one day left on earth or several more years. At least we know that we have a great joy to look forward to. You can have great joy as well.
If you don’t know Jesus and are depressed at the way the world is going, then repent of your sins. Jesus will save you from the wrath to come- both the wrath on this earth (1 Thessalonians 5:9, Romans 5:9) and the wrath in hell. (John 3:36). Repent and turn to Jesus, the only One who can save. He is building His church, He is preparing a place for His bride, and will return soon to take us to where He is.
“And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.” (John 14:3)
In January of 2012 I wrote a report of the global sky sounds people have been hearing. Variously called sky hums, sounds of the apocalypse, or sky quakes, they have appeared recently and have not only been heard by many, but have been recorded and reported on by mainstream news. I wrote:
Strange noises in the sky: hums, booms, and other apocalyptic escapades
“The noises are usually a low pitched hum that veritably drives the residents crazy, or a boom from the sky that people liken to a sonic boom. When they occur, the authorities receive dozens to hundreds of phone calls asking if there had been an earthquake. In most cases, the boom is not related to a military activity nor aeronautic exercise, not to a quake, and not to drilling or explosives. These things are checked out and the usual explanation is usually absent, leaving residents to wonder what is the cause of the noise. That’s why they are termed mysterious.”
Since the general emergence of these sounds; a few years ago, they have continued to perplex and frighten. Just this week in St. Paul, Minnesota, another spate of sounds frightened the residents there.
St. Paul Residents Ponder Loud, Mysterious Noise Heard Thursday Morning
“A loud, strange noise early Thursday morning woke up some residents in St. Paul and frightened others. People heard it for about an hour, in and around the Highland Park and Mac Groveland neighborhoods. KSTP called Ramsey County dispatch and sent a crew to investigate. Dispatch said they received about 10 calls from homeowners wondering what the noise was. They sent out a few officers to investigate but they couldn’t find anything. The howling traveled for miles, right through the walls of homes.”
Now, there is a difference between these particular sounds, and other sounds that normally occur and startle residents. For example, the transformer in front of my house was struck by lightning and blew up, and it made an enormous sound which scared me (and the cats) like to death. However, it was the suddenness of the sound and the loudness of the sound and not the sound itself which was startling. I recognized it as a normal, if very loud sound. The same with a thunderclap and the same with the boom associated with the earthquake that happened near GA this week, and the same with sonic booms that occasionally happen as jets takeoff at the Air Force Base some distance away. We have a catalog of sounds in our head and when we hear one we classify it. The brain immediately categorizes those sounds as infrequent but normal.
Not so with these sky booms. They aren’t even particularly loud, but it seems that is it the quality of the sound that spooks people. They are unclassifiable. Here are some quotes from people who heard the St. Paul noise-
Howling sound ‘creeps out’ St. Paul –“It was kind of a howling, kind of a scraping, kind of a metallic sound,” said Aaron Buesing. –Trudy Moloney explained it as “kind of a somber music and eerie sounding.”
Quite often, the noises are described as metallic, spooky, and eerie. They describe them as chains clanking or sometimes, something straight from hell.
In this report from the UK, also from last week,
Coventry residents left baffled by mystery ‘Independence Day’ noise
“Reports have come in describing a loud noise in the sky which lasted around one minute and was heard by residents in Whitley, Walsgrave, Stoke and Wyken. Mitch Wise, 19, from Walsgrave, said the noise was so loud he could hear it inside his house despite all the windows and doors being closed. He said: “I did think it sounded like something out of Independence Day, that kind of noise.” [Independence Day, the alien invasion movie]
Or this from Kentucky, also this week:
Booms in the Night; Officials scurry to locate source; MSU professor offers explanation for strange sounds
“A series of strange noises awakened Murray-area residents in the pre-dawn hours Friday, causing law enforcement agencies to answer several calls related to mysterious sounds that were being reported. Dr. George Kipphut, chairman of the Murray State University Department of Geosciences, said he is relatively certain that a phenomenon known as a frost quake is the cause of the eerie resonance…. I’ve never heard one, and this is unusual for this climate we live in,” Kipphut said. Kipphut said frost quakes — officially known in the geological community as cryoseisms — are more associated with the extreme northern portions of the United States into Canada.”
Even when the loud booms and explosions are heard and there is likely a natural explanation, like cryoseisms, it seems that there exists something weird with these, as well. In the above story, they are happening in places where they don’t usually. In the article below, they are happening much more frequently than they ever have.
A cryoseism is a frost quake. As Wikipedia explains, “They may be caused by a sudden cracking action in frozen soil or rock saturated with water or ice. As water drains into ground, it may eventually freeze and expand under colder temperatures, putting stress on its surroundings. This stress builds up until relieved explosively in the form of a cryoseism.”
This past January in Vermont, apparently several cryoseisms occurred. As Gib Brown, who works as both a geology and physics educator, explains, “I thought a tree fell on my house,” Brown recalled. “I looked outside, I looked up and down the street, couldn’t see anything. It had to have been a cryoseism.” Brown likened the phenomenon to the way potholes can be formed by freezing water, except under the earth, where their invisibility adds to their mystery. Brown called the frost quakes fairly rare but not wildly unusual. “I would say the numbers this year are way above average,” Brown said.” [underline mine]
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Let’s turn from the fact of these noises and the reaction to them … to the Bible. I’d said in the blog essay I wrote two years ago that the Bible specifically does not address the noises as a sign. Though officials have searched for an explanation (airplanes, drilling, ice, etc) they have come up empty. Neither biblical nor secular explanations seem to be coming to the fore. So from this paragraph forward there is only speculation on my part. However there is perhaps an application to the end times that I want to share.
First, there are these verses from Jeremiah 25:30-31
You, therefore, shall prophesy against them all these words, and say to them:
“‘The Lord will roar from on high,
and from his holy habitation utter his voice;
he will roar mightily against his fold,
and shout, like those who tread grapes,
against all the inhabitants of the earth.
31The clamor will resound to the ends of the earth,
for the Lord has an indictment against the nations;
he is entering into judgment with all flesh,
and the wicked he will put to the sword,
declares the Lord.”
Verse 31, ‘the clamor’ also is translated ‘a noise.’ Pulpit Commentary says of ‘a noise’, the word is used elsewhere for the tumultuous sound of a marching army, or the roar of waters.
Many people say that the noise they’ve been hearing includes a clanking or a metallic sound. I’ve said before that I often wonder if it is leak-through from the unholy angels gathering for the great unleashing upon the world. When prophet Elisha asked God to open his servant’s eyes, I wonder if in addition to seeing the angelic army … if he heard anything too.
Then Elisha prayed and said, “O LORD, please open his eyes that he may see.” So the LORD opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw, and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. (2 Kings 6:17)
The fear.
There is fear of the LORD, which isn’t a scary fear for a Christian. CARM says of the fear of God:
Yes, we should fear God because He is the Almighty Creator who can discipline us should we rebel against Him. He is so holy and so awesome that being in His presence brings an inspiring fear. … When anyone experiences the Majesty of the Lord, he naturally is humbled and the awesome greatness of God automatically produces a normal and healthy fear.
But we do not need to fear God’s judgment. As for satan, we need not fear him because Jesus has already overcome satan. We only need resist satan and he will flee from us. (James 4:7).
The unsaved don’t fear God. They do not fear satan either. They unknowingly serve satan. If they happen to have encounters with the supernatural, often times satan’s ministers appear as angels of light, (2 Corinthians 11:14-15) or in new age terms, ‘spirit guides.’ Since satan chooses either to allow himself to be culturally diminished (as in a pointy horns and a red tail made fun of on Halloween) or as a gentle spirit guide, muse, or another kind of other worldly helper, the unsaved don’t fear satan.
What would people think whose incorrect notion of satan or spirit guides were to be unmasked and they say the demons as they really are?
I believe they are getting a taste of it with these sky noises. If these people who heard the sky noise for one second and were frightened out of their wits, what will happen when they see the very demons of hell unleashed?
And the fifth angel blew his trumpet, and I saw a star fallen from heaven to earth, and he was given the key to the shaft of the bottomless pit.a 2He opened the shaft of the bottomless pit, and from the shaft rose smoke like the smoke of a great furnace, and the sun and the air were darkened with the smoke from the shaft. 3Then from the smoke came locusts on the earth, and they were given power like the power of scorpions of the earth. (Revelation 9:1-3)
Read the rest of Revelation 9.
These demons are allowed to torment any person during the Tribulation who does not have the seal of God on their foreheads. How would you feel to see a demon chasing you? Biting you? Tormenting you? The Greek word for torment in the verse is literally “torture”.
These sky booms have no liken in the world. They aren’t made naturally. They frighten people, and I believe the sounds are made supernaturally.
Matthew Henry said of the Jeremiah verse, “Who can avoid trembling when God speaks in displeasure?” And who among the unsaved can avoid trembling when the demons of hell sound their chains their appearance?
You know how it energizes the arena when Queen’s “We will rock you” STOMP STOMP CLAP comes over the loudspeakers? Of course it would incite the demons’ maniacal glee to know the time is near. Because they know. (Matthew 8:29). I wonder if the restless demons in gloomy dungeons (Jude 1:6, 2 Peter 2:4) are chanting “we will, we will bite you!” CLANK CLANK CLAP
It’s interesting to think hypothetically of the sky booms as a demonic version of this:
The GOOD NEWS is that Jesus paid it all, and we no longer need fear God in a bad way nor fear what satan can do to us. If you repent, nothing on earth can frighten you. Not an eerie noise, not a demon masquerading as an angel of light, not even satan.
And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell. (Matthew 10:28)
the-end-time.org 