prophecy – Page 60

"Infomercials for dictators", or How the Media is now our Enemy

Posted on October 3, 2012 by elizabethprata

I read a headline the other day I didn’t follow up on. I’m following up on it now, because I read a second headline that startled me even more. The first headline was from Pat Caddell, who said that the “press is the enemy of the American people”. Pat Caddell is a former Democratic pollster. He said in his speech in part,

“it is one thing for the news to have a biased view, but It is another thing to specifically decide that you will not tell the American people information they have a right to know.”

“But all I want to conclude to this is that we face a fundamental danger here. The fundamental danger is this: I talked about the defense of the First Amendment. The press’s job is to stand in the ramparts and protect the liberty and freedom of all of us from a government and from organized governmental power. When they desert those ramparts and decide that they will now become active participants, that their job is not simply to tell you who you may vote for, and who you may not, but, worse—and this is the danger of the last two weeks—what truth that you may know, as an American, and what truth you are not allowed to know, they have, then, made themselves a fundamental threat to the democracy, and, in my opinion, made themselves the enemy of the American people. And it is a threat to the very future of this country if that—we allow this stuff to go on. We have crossed a whole new and frightening slide on the slippery slope this last two weeks, and it needs to be talked about.”

The reference to “the last two weeks was about the terrorist attack in Libya, killing an American Ambassador, and the subsequent refusal of the White House to admit it was a terrorist attack, the collusion of the media to not press the issue, nor even report on the many embassy attacks after the Libyan attack.

I agree with Caddell that the media is the Peoples’ enemy. The Media is colluding with the ones the media is supposed to inform us about and protect us from by giving good information. We cannot make informed choices if we are not informed. We saw that clearly in the 2007-2008 Presidential campaign. Just ask Joe the Plumber.

I lived in a small town in the 90s. There was one weekly newspaper in addition to the daily big city paper. The little paper reported on the doings around town, the activities of the council and school board, had a religious column in it, as well as the obits and lunch menus. You know the kind of paper.

Well, when it started in the 70s, it was a good, activist, journalistic paper. It did its job with courage and without favor. But as the 80s wore on it became tame and innocuous, but at least it did no harm. When the paper was taken over by its new editor in the 90s, it became a lapdog organ for local government and a club to browbeat active citizens. It published without impunity innuendo, sarcasm, and outright lies, if it thought it would help their friends in town hall. The paper even moved into a town building, where it got its rent for free! The whole thing sucked swamp water.

Well, I was not active nor interested in town doings for most of the decade. I traveled widely with my husband and much of the time we were not at home. When I was, I didn’t read the rag.

But then I did get involved through no volition of my own. The government came to us, and it wasn’t here to help us. So we sought redress for our grievance through the regular means available to all citizens, committee advocacy, positive change through petitioning, and began a process of a charter change. [The charter was the governing document of the town]. All this was outlined in normal methods available to any citizen, However, most normal citizens never availed themselves of those means, due to the browbeating they’d get in the paper. We ignored that and went forward.

As the issues wore on and I knew the truth because I was living it, and read the lies the paper was producing, and wondered about the gap, I mulled over what to do. As soon as our government issue was concluded (satisfactorily to my side), I decided I’d start a newspaper to compete with the monopoly-stranglehold going on in my town. Citizens were being hurt, freedom of speech was not allowed, and the government and media had too close a relationship. This is never a good thing for a democracy. I started my paper to shoehorn in a crowbar between the coziness of the other paper and the local government, which was run by the way, via nepotism and patronage.

My paper was successful and won awards. It grew economically as the advertiser base expanded. In content, I sought to educate the citizenry as to their rights and duties, to put the local government on notice they were being watched, fairly, but watched nonetheless, to show what journalistic standards should be, and to reflect a vibrant and lovely community back to itself.

The other paper did not go gently into that good night. They employed every dirty trick, every lowbrow act, and every mean thing they could to subdue us. I would not be cowed, and eventually I ran the other paper into the ground. They sold out and then I sold the paper and moved to GA. My work there was done, lol.

I was saved by Jesus during that 8 years. As I grew in faith I began to realize the Lord’s provision was such that the event (and there was much more I haven’t told you, including spiritual warfare!) was a microcosm for what went on nationally in 2007-2008. During the first Obama campaign, we saw a media abdicate its responsibility to the citizens, collude with government, exist by nepotism, monopoly, and patronage, fail to properly vet the candidates or inform the electorate as to the issues in a fair manner, and browbeat citizens, companies, or candidates who didn’t conform to the media’s standards or ideals. Just ask Joe the Plumber.

When you have a media that refuses to reflect the society back to itself you have a society with a skewed view. An uninformed society. An apathetic society. All these things are anathema to an active democracy. In that sense, the media as the Fourth Estate has become the enemy of freedom, a treasonous entity set to destroy us. I am convinced of this. Just look at the words of Mr Caddell.

Now I want to bring you to another article I read today. As you read the excerpt I’ll post, keep in mind that America’s Fifth Fleet docks at Bahrain. We NEED Bahrain to maintain our presence in the Gulf. On Russia Today’s website, they published the following:

‘Bahrain buys favorable CNN content’
“Amid a violent crackdown on a popular uprising, Bahrain paid CNN to get favorable coverage, says a former reporter who believes her documentary on the protests there was censored by the network. What CNN is doing is they are essentially creating what some people have termed “infomercials for dictators.” And that’s the sponsored content that they are airing on CNN International that is actually being paid for by regimes and governments. And this violates every principle of journalistic ethics, because we’re supposed to be watchdogs on these governments. We are not supposed to allow them to be a paying customer as journalists. And that’s the issue here – that CNN is feeding, then, this propaganda to the public and not fairly disclosing to the public that this is sponsored content.”

I’ve often thought about the Tribulation and media. As we watched the Iran uprising and then the Arab Spring on Twitter, Youtube, and Facebook, I know, and you know, that the unfettered access to citizen journalism will be the first thing to go. The Main Stream Media is already gone. Dear ones, do not even trust Fox News. Pastor JD Farag noticed a distinct shift in tone regarding Israel over the last year and a half, and he noted this may be due to the fact that News Corp.’s second-largest shareholder, after the Murdoch family, is Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, the nephew of Saudi Arabian King Abdullah, and one of the world’s richest men.

The powers that be will NOT allow people to express themselves. Christians certainly will be shut off.

I read an article about Duck Dynasty today. Duck Dynasty is a reality TV show on A&E that follows the Robertson family, makers of duck calls. The family has a staunch faith in Jesus. Each show ends with a prayer around the family dinner table, and though each and every prayer is ended with the phrase, “In Jesus’ name” each and every time, the editors chop that part out. Hardly any depiction of their faith is given light of day. The folks on the show do not swear, so to spice things up, the editors bleeped a couple of non-curse words anyway! The article is here, and it is really good in showing how the Robertsons, fervent and relentless evangelizers, plan to get around the censorship.

If media won’t even allow a faithful family, on a hit show (which means America WANTS to see the Robertsons) to express their faith by saying Jesus, what do you think it will be like during the time of total sin, the Tribulation? Total censorship. Total collusion with power-brokers, and what you see on tv and in the movies and in the papers will be at your peril. Satan has surely claimed Hollywood. I think we all recognize that. The media IS our enemy.

The Tribulation will be a time for total sin to saturate the world. That means every organization will also be total sin. Media included. Revelation 18 shows the mourning of the world’s merchants, kings, captains, and seafarers at the fall of Babylon. Revelation 17 shows the death of the world’s religious system. So if the economic organization is total sin, media will not escape that economic death. Their collusion by filthy lucre to the governments will be exposed and the cause of death on their certificate will be “FORNICATION.” Their prostituting of themselves may seem sweet to them now, but it will cost them heavily on the LORD’S Day.

The media is an enemy of the state, taking money from dictators to produce infomercials. Read/watch/listen at your own risk.

How wonderful we can turn to the bible for all truth! I find it exhilarating that the world’s headlines are in the bible right now. The things the dictators are saying are almost word for word in the bible. The events we see happening are lining up exactly. We can take heart that His word is not polluted, but pure. He is the Sinless Groom, glowing and holy, and His word is the same. The bible is the enemy of the world but is the friend, comforter, and sustainer of the Christian who seeks truth. Seek it not in the news media, but in the holy scriptures. It does a body good!

earthquakes, end time, jesus, prophecy

Major Earthquake in Columbia, how many earthquakes have we had this year so far?

Posted on September 30, 2012May 9, 2016 by elizabethprata

Here is some information regarding earthquakes. The year is not over so we cannot compare this year to previous years…unless we compare the exact same time frame, January 1 to Sept 30, which is what I did.

What did the data reveal? How is the number of earthquakes running so far this year, compared to previous years? How is the number running, compared to annual averages by United States Geological Survey? (USGS gives annual averages from Jan-Dec., so the time frame is not exact but you can get an idea of the running total to see if this year is under, the same as, or over expected number of quakes.)

This first chart is the major magnitudes and the annual number of each magnitude of quake, from Jan 1 to Dec 30 for each year, USGS source.

This next chart is one I generated by using USGS search engine to find total of quakes between January 1-Sept 30. I highlighted in red the years where each magnitude of quake exceeded the annual average by Sept 30.

This chart is straight from USGS (though I cropped off the lesser magnitudes). Click to enlarge.

As for quakes in diverse places, there were two just north of Dallas Texas which rattled windows, and nerves. The magnitude was 3.4 with a 3.1 aftershock.

A 7.3 occurred in Columbia today, which was a very strong one, but so far thankfully no deaths are reported. Here is a news story about it, but the current reporting of the magnitude is 7.1 which is wrong. Initially USGS posted the magnitude of the Colombian quake at 7.4. Then USGS downgraded it to 7.1, and that is where most news reports came in. But then USGS upped the magnitude again to 7.3, where it is currently staying.

The other strong quakes this week were:
6.2 at the Gulf of California
6.4 at Andreanof Islands, Alaska
6.0 Solomon Islands

There have been 167 quakes of small size at or just north of the Virgin Islands. They all range roughly from 2.5 to 3.5 in magnitude.

Jesus said, as a sign of His soon return, “There will be famines and earthquakes in various places.” (Matthew 24:7b). Not every quake by itself is an indicator of His soon return. However, the totality of the signs He told us would be present is a better barometer of the times. Israel being in the land existing as its own nation is sign number one, given the focus of God upon Israel as the major eschatological component.

However also included but not limited to the signs on the list are earthquakes, famines, diseases, false teaching, false prophets, and sin rising to levels that make the times absolutely perilous.

God either causes or allows each and every thing to happen on this earth, and if an earthquake has occurred, it is of God and from God, as part of His plan in some way. In other words, He is speaking. Are we listening?

end time, falling away, jesus, prophecy

Apostasy and the Remnant Church, part 2

Posted on September 30, 2012May 9, 2016 by elizabethprata

Yesterday I wrote how the remnant church is like a peanut M&M. I think anyone with eyes to see understands that the global body of believers in Jesus Christ is persecuted, surrounded, discriminated against, and generally derided. I think it’s obvious that the church in the West has been thoroughly polluted by Gnosticism, Phariseeism, ecumenism, and prosperity gospel. The church, especially in the west, is largely apostate.

This is prophesied. We read in Luke 18:8 that Jesus asked the disciples, “I tell you that He will bring about justice for them quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?” He had just finished telling them the parable of the unrighteous judge, and He warned them that at the end the oppressed will get justice, but it won’t be on earth. He was speaking of the time of the Tribulation, but we see that apostasy being set up now.

At the last day, there will be faith on the earth in the form of Tribulation saints, but they will be so few in number and there will be so many who don’t believe, that realistically speaking the believer’s influence will be statistically negligible.

Apostasy will abound in the last days, and that means not only in the tribulation, but now, too. (Matthew 24:12; 2 Thessalonians 2:3; 1 Timothy 4:1-3). But what does that apostasy look like? How does it begin?

First, let’s look at apostasy in the person who has never believed. How can a life-long unbeliever be an apostate, you say? Because we all know God from the beginning. Any unbeliever, whether they have never believed or they seemed to have believed for a while and fallen away, are apostate.

You see, we all start out on equal footing when we are born. We all have a sin-nature. (Genesis 5:3; Psalms 51:5). And as we grow, we all see the glory of God made manifest in the world through His creation. All.(Romans 1:19). Romans 1 continues by showing us the process of how people end up dead in their sins for all their lives.

First, they deliberately suppress the truth. (Romans 1:19). Then, though they know God, they refuse to give Him honor. As a result, their hearts are darkened. (Romans 1:21). Still needing to honor something greater than themselves, though, they trade giving honor to God for giving honor to idols. (Romans 1:22). That’s the end of the mental portion of the process.

If a person has come this far without repenting, then they start dishonoring God with their bodies. (Romans 1:24). The tipping point seems to be the moment when they actively start worshiping nature or idols. If they continue without repentance, then their bodily dishonor deepens and they become homosexuals. (Romans 1:26-27).

At the last, their mind becomes so polluted due to their having suppressed the truth and dishonored God with their bodies, their minds are given over to total debasement. (Romans 1:28.) You notice in the next verse it says they were “filled” with all manner of unrighteousness. The Greek word used here is defined “to make full, to complete”. God allows all sins to flood into them and they are capable of anything at that point.

But what about apostates, you ask. I described the unbeliever’s process, but an apostate is someone who falls away from the faith, right? Yes and no. Yes they fall away from the faith, but they were never IN the faith to begin with. They were an unbeliever the same as those I described above, they just happened to have made a little foray into the church for a while.

It is important to understand that Jesus will never lose one of His sheep. (John 10:28; John 6:39). Those He brings into the faith will never leave. John wrote:

“They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out, that it might become plain that they all are not of us.” (1 John 2:19).

How they leave may take a long time or a short time, but they never were in the faith. They only looked like it on the outside.

An apostate could be someone who came forward at an altar call, who responded to the pastor’s plea for “the sinner’s prayer” to be answered. Maybe they were even baptized. But after that week you never saw them again. They never came back. That was a false convert, an apostate who fell away.

An apostate could be someone who had served as deacon for thirty years. Who had been a long-time member of a church, dong all the right things, saying all the right things, but slowly began drifting away. Their church attendance became spotty, and they gave up on Wednesday night teaching. Then their absences became longer and longer and when asked about it, they said they needed a break. Eventually you realize, they never did come back. They stopped leading devotionals at home…they quit praying… That is apostate also.

So how does apostasy happen to a person who looked like a believer? The exact same way as Romans describes.

In 2 Peter 3:3 Peter reminds us that we should remember the predictions of the prophets of old, that in the last days, “knowing this first of all, that scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own sinful desires.” The Greek word used here for scoffers implies a false teacher. These mockers will be false teachers, who look like they are in the faith, but they mock and scoff at His coming and at the doctrines surrounding His coming, such as pre-tribulation rapture, literal Millennium Kingdom, or even his second coming at all.

Jude 1:18 says the exact same thing. “They said to you, “In the last time there will be scoffers, following their own ungodly passions.” Haven’t we seen a steady chipping away of the truth of these doctrines? Some even claim that there is no rapture.

But look at this, Peter goes on after reminding them that there will be scoffers, to say in verse 4-5: “They will say, “Where is the promise of his coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation.” For they deliberately overlook this fact, that the heavens existed long ago, and the earth was formed out of water and through water by the word of God,” [emphasis mine]

We saw in Romans 1 that the process begins with knowledge of God, even for the overt unbeliever. Of those who claim to be in the faith, and by definition have some familiarity with the bible and the history of our faith, they deliberately overlook the facts that they know. When a person deliberately suppresses the truth, they are on dangerous ground! Whether it is an unbeliever suppressing general revelation of God by His creation or a false believer suppressing biblical fact & history, they purposely suppress. That is the first step for the apostate.

So first the apostate suppresses knowledge. Then they begin to mock and scoff at those in the faith, or aim their ire at who hold to certain doctrines that are evidence of His sovereignty. Then they abandon the faith, either abruptly or slowly.

Picture a hot air balloon anchored to the ground. Those who are in the basket are those who are solidly in the faith. They are being sanctified, going higher and higher by God’s process of Spirit-filled consecrating. Sanctification means we are becoming more Christlike every day.

Some people are around the basket, tying ropes and filling the balloon. They are easy to spot as people who will never get into the basket and allow the Spirit to lift them higher and higher. They are hangers-on, doing works that look Godly in form but they have no solidity. Some people hang on to the basket, even as it rises. Some hang on for a long time. But the further a person goes in sanctification, and the higher the Spirit takes them, the harder it is for the apostate to hang on. Eventually they drop off. They drop off because they were never IN the basket of faith. The hand of Jesus was never holding them (otherwise they never would have fallen away!)

Source

Though it is painful to see our church swamped with apostates, flooded with ungodliness, and surrounded by false doctrines, it is part of the process! The apostasy we see now is a mini-version of what will happen at the end of the 1000 year reign of Christ. At the end of the Millennium Jesus will allow satan out of the abyss for a short while. Satan will gather the nations and like the sand of the sea they will march against the beloved city. (Revelation 20:7-9).

How can this be, you wonder!? The people will have lived for a long, peaceful life, on earth when Jesus made everything perfect, and there was no war nor high degree of sin, because Jesus ruled with a rod of iron. How could satan gather rebellious ones so fast, and so many of them, too! It will have been be a pure theocracy for a thousand years!

Because those people will have been born during the millennium with a sin nature, and the last rebellion is to weed them out. For hundreds of years of their lives, they looked the part, they acted the part, they said all the right things on the outside, but Jesus knew their heart was not inclined towards Him.

Satan’s drawing out of them is an opportunity to give them one last chance to decide for him or against Him. Satan was the magnet that drew out the apostates.

This apostasy is a weeding out, too. Though we may feel surrounded at times by encroachment of false teachers, false pastors who strike the sheep, mockers and scoffers even sitting next to us in the pew, the fact that “The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons” (1 Timothy 4:1), means these things must be so.

Don’t worry, peanuts! At the rapture, the brittle candy exterior will be cracked, the chocolate confection melted away, and the peanuts who had been the core of the church will burst out and up. We’ll be brushed off, cleaned up, and forever will be in the presence of Jesus! We’ll be shot out of all that sickening sweetness like a cannonball!

As we strive toward the goal, the balloon is rising higher and higher in our process of sanctification, those who are just hanging on are exposed, and they fall away.

Even so, come Lord Jesus!

earthquakes in diverse places, plates cracking, prophecy, quakes, tectonic

Earth’s tectonic plates are breaking up

Posted on September 27, 2012May 9, 2016 by elizabethprata

Sumatran quakes in April were part of tectonic plate breakup
The article I linked to there opens with noting the earth shows up a shattering surpise now and then: “Such was the case on April 11 when two massive earthquakes erupted beneath the Indian Ocean off the coast of the Indonesian island of Sumatra, far from the usual danger zones. Now scientists say the seafloor ruptures are part of a long suspected, yet never before observed, event: the slow-motion splitting of a vast tectonic plate. “It was jaw-dropping,” said Thorne Lay, a professor of Earth and planetary sciences at UC Santa Cruz. “It was like nothing we’d ever seen.” At first, Lay wondered whether the computer code he used to analyze earthquakes was wrong. Eventually, he and other scientists realized that they had documented the breakup of the Indo-Australian plate into two pieces… Scientists say the 8.7 main shock broke four faults. The quake lasted 2 minutes and 40 seconds — most last just seconds — and was followed by a second main shock, of magnitude 8.2, two hours later.”

The earth is cracking up, eh? This is interesting in light of bible prophecy.

God uses earthquakes to warn and to judge. He has done this in the past and will again in the future. Regarding future judgment, He said many things about coming earthquakes and seismic shifts at the end of the age.

In a specific answer to the Apostles who had asked what will be the signs of the end of the age, Jesus said one of the signs will feature “earthquakes in various places.” (Matthew 24:7b). Earthquakes, plural. In my opinion, ‘diverse’ places does not only mean surface location. It also means deep-focus quakes too. Let’s take a brief side-trip before I get to the earthquake prophecy to take a look at one of the ways Jesus may have meant “diverese places.”

There are quakes that happen that are so deep that scientists say earthquakes should not even be able to happen at that depth at all, but they do. “Shallow earthquakes are between 0 and 70 km deep; intermediate earthquakes, 70 – 300 km deep; and deep earthquakes, 300 – 700 km deep.” (USGS source)

“Geophysicists are really not certain what causes the very deep quakes, because at 640 kilometers rocks are so hot that they flow rather than snap under geological stresses. The more common, shallow earthquakes are generally created when rocks snap and fracture.” (source).

Here is a chart I made just for the heck of it. I looked up quakes for the last 30 years that according to USGS would be the deep quakes, 300-800 km below the surface. I found something interesting. There was a steady number of 250-400 deep-focus quakes on average from 1981 -1995. Then abruptly the number of deep focus quakes roughly doubled, to 800 or more per year. For several years, the deep, impossible-to-happen quakes exceeded four digits! Then just as strangely, the number of deep-focus quakes dropped startlingly in one year from 1380 quakes to 291!! The deep quakes seem to be stabilizing back at the low numbers seen in the early 1980s. Click graph to enlarge. Data from USGS

One of the prophesied mega-quakes is mentioned in Revelation 11:13. The LORD resurrects the Two Witnesses who had been lying in the street of Jerusalem for three and a half days, saying “Come up here!”, and at that very hour “a great earthquake occurred and a tenth of the city fell”. The Greek word for great earthquake in this verse is megas seismos, or mega-quake. Another great quake prophesied to occur is described in Revelation 16:19- “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.” It is the great quake where every island flees away and every mountain crumbles. (verse 20).

The Old Testament prophets speak of a time when a great quake precedes the Lord’s coming. “The LORD Almighty will come with thunder and earthquake and great noise, with windstorm and tempest and flames of a devouring fire.” (Isaiah 29:6).

The earth’s end is prophesied to be melted in fire, (2 Peter 3:10) but not before splitting apart at the seams and cracking up. And it is this which made me think of the news item at the top:

“The earth is utterly broken, the earth is split apart, the earth is violently shaken.” (Isaiah 24:19).

It seems to me that a mega-quake shakes the earth, and it splits apart. It also seems to me that the process has begun.

Please repent of your sins and believe the Gospel. The Gospel is

“Now, brothers and sisters, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain. For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures” (1 Corinthians 15:1-4).

Gospel literally means Good News, and the good news is that if you repent and believe you will not have to endure God’s wrath. That IS good news! Further, you will be safely tucked away in heaven when His wrath cracks apart the earth and melts it. Do not delay, He is coming soon.

end time, iran, middle east, prophecy, temple mount

Did you know that Jews are not allowed to pray on the Temple Mount? And other news

Posted on September 26, 2012May 9, 2016 by elizabethprata

An Op-Ed piece in the Israeli National News (Arutz Sheva) newspaper today just tore me up. I’ve been reading over the years of the incremental chipping away at Israel’s right to her holy and historic sites. Today there was an Opinion Editorial (Op-Ed) lamenting this sad fact.

Has Israel Lost the Temple Mount Race?
Op-ed:Olympic races don’t mean a thing, but the race for the control the Temple Mount is one that we must win. By Giulio Meotti
“A Palestinian flag is now flying on the Temple Mount, the most holy site on earth, where the First and Second Temples stood and the Holy of Holies was. Piece after piece of Eretz Israel is becoming a symbol of Arab nationalistic achievements. Several months ago, the Palestinian Rehabilitation Committee raised the UNESCO flag next to the Palestinian flag in front of Hevron’s Tomb of the Patriarchs. A Palestinian flag on the Temple Mount not only makes the Jewish people psychologically weaker, it looks as though Islam won the race in climbing to the top of the most sacred mountain. It’s an implicit recognition of Muslim hegemony.”

He’s right.

Then I read this about a young man:

Youth Arrested for Prostrating Self on Temple Mount
“A 21-year-old resident of the Judean Jewish community of Kiryat Arba was detained for questioning, Tuesday morning, after he prostrated himself on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. The action violates guidelines for non-Muslim visitors to the holy site, who are not allowed to do anything that resembles praying.”

There are rules that no one may stop walking on the Mount, or fold hands or whisper or bow. Once, a woman was arrested for putting her head on a bench. You cannot bring a bible. You cannot bring anything with Hebrew lettering on it, even a newspaper. If you break some of these rules you will be summarily arrested. Others, you will be detained and your item confiscated. Sad!! It will be so great when all believers are in the presence of Holy God and we can pray all we want.

The Lebanon Daily Star is usually pretty interesting. I read Arutz Sheva and the Jerusalem Post, the Jordan Times, and Turkey’s Hurriyet News to get my dose of news from epicenter mainstream sources, and whatever the King of the dictator in power at the moment has allowed into print. The Lebanon Daily Star has an interesting feature: Photos of the Day. They offer a different perspective than the similar feature at the Boston Globe does. For example, here is one of yesterday’s photos:

An Afghan man stands near the window of a tea house in downtown Kabul. AFP PHOTO/ Roberto SCHMIDT

Or this one from today

A riotpoliceman reacts after he was hit by a petrol bomb thrown by protesters during a nationwide general strike in Athens. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)

The Greek and Spain economic situation is terrible. People are dumpster diving in Spain in increasing numbers just to find some food so they can stay alive.

Spain Recoils, as Its Hungry Forage Trash Bins for a Next Meal
“On a recent evening, a hip-looking young woman was sorting through a stack of crates outside a fruit and vegetable store here in the working-class neighborhood of Vallecas as it shut down for the night. Getty Images The European Union (EU) flag, left, flies alongside the Spanish national flag. At first glance, she looked as if she might be a store employee. But no. The young woman was looking through the day’s trash for her next meal. Already, she had found a dozen aging potatoes she deemed edible and loaded them onto a luggage cart parked nearby. “When you don’t have enough money,” she said, declining to give her name, “this is what there is.”

It is a gripping, sobering, and heartbreaking article. This is so especially because the real hunger hasn’t even started yet. (Revelation 6:6; Matthew 24:7)

Also in the Daily Star is this news article:

Tehran unveils drone capable of reaching Israel
“Iranian military leaders gave details Tuesday of a new long-range drone and test-fired four anti-ship missiles in a prelude to upcoming naval war games planned in an apparent response to U.S.-led warship drills in the Persian Gulf. The show of Iranian military readiness and its latest tool – a domestically made drone capable of reaching Israel and most of the Middle East…”

Hmmm. This bodes ill. Today Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu promised an appropriate response to Iran Prime Minister Ahmadinejad’s speech a the UN where as usual he promised to wipe Israel from the map.

Netanyahu promises fitting response
“Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu left hours after the end of Yom Kippur Wednesday night for New York to address the United Nations where he pledged to give a fitting response to Iran’s desire to “sentence us to death.” In an unusual letter to the Israeli public before leaving for the US, Netanyahu wrote that history showed that those who desired to wipe the Jewish people “off the map” failed, while the Jewish people persevered and overcame all obstacles. Netanyahu – referring to Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s speech to the UN on Wednesday – said that while “we prayed to be inscribed in the Book of Life, a platform was given to a dictatorial regime in Iran that strives, at every opportunity, to sentence us to death.”

Poetic words. History shows that Netanyahu is right. The bible as history book shows time and again that when God wants Israel to be an immovable rock, He makes Israel an immovable rock. (Zechariah 12:3).

Turkey used to be fairly secular. Over the past ten years or so it has turned into a Muslim state. Now, there are complaints that high school children are being forced to attend imam hatip schools. These are schools which focus not only on secular curriculum but teach conservative Islam theology. If you want to be an Imam you graduate from one of these schools. They call them Muslim preacher schools.

Students forced to enroll in religious schools in Istanbul
“Students living in Istanbul’s European-side district of Sultangazi who failed to earn good enough marks to enter the advanced Anatolian High School system or a vocational school have been enrolled in the religious imam-hatip schools without their knowledge, daily Hürriyet reported. Nearly 3,000 students were prevented from enrolling the Anatolian and vocational schools following the entrance tests, and most of those were subsequently enrolled in religious imam-hatip schools against their wishes.”

Parents are quoted as saying their child had checked off vocational school but the child wound up in the religious school instead, despite there being plenty of openings and the preference being having been made clear.

Meanwhile in Jordan there is concern that there is not enough Arabic content on the internet.

‘Gov’t to form council on Arabic web content’
“The government said on Wednesday that it will establish a consultative council to increase Arabic content on the Internet. The council will include representatives of the public sector, private content development companies, academia, publishers, lenders and investment funds, a source at the Ministry of Information and Communications Technology said. “Our objective is to help look into ways to increase Arabic content to serve Internet users not only in Jordan but across the Arab world,” the source told The Jordan Times.”

People are nuts. The smallest thing will set them off. In NYC, two businessmen fight over a taxi. The scuffle began on the street with chest bumping and shoving, then one guy raced to the taxi with the other guy close on his heels, then the two shoved their way into the open passenger door, with one man briefly putting the other in a chokehold. One man entered the cab victorious and the other slammed the door very hard as the taxi prepared to speed away.

The newscaster said that though people argue over cabs all the time in the big city, you don’t often see this:

I can’t imagine how difficult it is living in proximity to many millions of people who are off their rockers in sin and haven’t been saved. With sin rising the way it is a city would be the last place I would want to spend any time at all.

Though tragedy finds us here in the country, too. Sadly a few weeks ago, in a nearby county, a student took his own life at school. It shocked us all that a youth would end his life, (he died a day later in hospital) and in such a public and dramatic way, too. Now I read another story today of a youth killing himself in a public school. This one was in Oklahoma. And he was 13 years old.

Police: Student shoots self at Stillwater school
“STILLWATER, Okla. — A 13-year-old student shot and killed himself in a hallway at an Oklahoma junior high school before classes began Wednesday, police said, terrifying teenagers who feared a gunman was on the loose.”

Oh, our precious babies!!

So the end will be soon but not yet. Maybe tonight. Maybe tomorrow. Maybe next week. Soon- for believers will be taken out of the way before the Tribulation begins. (Isaiah 26:20; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, Revelation 3:10). But not yet.

“And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet.” (Matthew 24:6.)

Have you ever considered that one evidence of the Holy Spirit’s work in regeneration is the very fact we look forward to the final ‘regeneration’ at the end of the age? (Matt. 19:28). “By His resurrection, our Lord Jesus Christ became the ‘firstborn among many brethren.’ In the new birth, we are born again into the family of God, and the new light of the world to come begins to irradiate our lives. We yet live in ‘this present evil world’ (Gal. 1:4), but we live the life of the world to come because it has already come in the indwelling presence of God’s Spirit, the Spirit of God’s new and proper Man, Jesus Christ. The Spirit’s indwelling, renewing presence imparts a new direction, even trajectory, to our lives.” [more here]

Pastor Steve Lawson preached on the signs of the end of the age in a sermon called “Get Ready!” He said toward the end of his portion on the signs themselves,

“There will be forerunners who will announce His coming. And they are one of the signs that are mentioned throughout the entirety of this chapter. And Jesus says, ‘When you see these signs being fulfilled, we are to recognize and know that He is near, right at the door. The picture here is of Christ, arising from His throne in heaven, and approaching a door that would lead from heaven to the earth…He has arisen from His throne and His hand is on the door, ready to open the door and burst upon the stage of human history. Jesus says ‘when you see these signs increasing as leaves on a tree do suddenly appear on a tree in spring and grow and increasing fashion, when you see these signs growing in fullness, know that the judge is standing right at the door….Is it wrong to look at world events and try to estimate where we are in God’s prophetic calendar? The answer is no. Or He would never have told us what are these signs to look for. It would be a total denial of what Jesus said to not have one hand on the bible looking into the scripture and the other eye looking around at the world to see what is going on.”

So keep looking up, He is right at the door!

lightning, prophecy, suddenly, SUV

Lightning hits SUV as it is driving

Posted on September 24, 2012May 9, 2016 by elizabethprata

This is one lucky driver. A driver of the SUV is apparently OK after a lightning bolt hit his vehicle directly. It happened so suddenly!

Our very lives on earth could be over that quickly! Or, the rapture could happen that fast! Look at these verses at supernatural things that happened suddenly:

“But evil shall come upon you, which you will not know how to charm away; disaster shall fall upon you, for which you will not be able to atone; and ruin shall come upon you suddenly, of which you know nothing.” (Isaiah 47:11)

“While people are saying, “Peace and safety,” destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.” (1 Thessalonians 5:3)

At the Mount of Transfiguration-
“And suddenly Moses and Elijah appeared to them conversing with Him.” (Matthew 17:3)

“Suddenly, there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly army praising God, and saying,” (Luke 2:13)

“When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught Philip away, and the eunuch didn’t see him any more, for he went on his way rejoicing.” (Acts 8:39)

“And passing through the first ward and the second, they came to the iron gate leading into the city. This opened to them of itself; and, going out, they passed on through one of the streets, and then suddenly the angel left him.” (Acts 12:10)

“And Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him, saying, “I will; be clean.” And immediately his leprosy was cleansed.” (Matthew 8:3)

When God purposes to do something it happens suddenly.

Babylon fell in one night. (Daniel 5:30-31)

In modern times, “less than five years after Gorbachev took power, the Soviet imperium in central and Eastern Europe had fallen apart, followed by the Soviet Union itself in 1991. If ever an empire fell off a cliff — rather than gently declining — it was the one founded by Lenin.” (“Complexity and Collapse: Empires on the Edge of Chaos” by Niall Ferguson.)

And what of the United States? Could a lightning bolt hit us and we collapse just as suddenly as the former empires? Some say that the US has been in collapse for four years and that all it would take is one tiny push to get us over the edge. Ferguson goes on in his 2010 piece to say:

“OVER THE EDGE”
“If empires are complex systems that sooner or later succumb to sudden and catastrophic malfunctions, rather than cycling sedately from Arcadia to Apogee to Armageddon, what are the implications for the United States today? First, debating the stages of decline may be a waste of time — it is a precipitous and unexpected fall that should most concern policymakers and citizens. Second, most imperial falls are associated with fiscal crises. All the above cases were marked by sharp imbalances between revenues and expenditures, as well as difficulties with financing public debt. Alarm bells should therefore be ringing very loudly…”

And Mr Ferguson wrote that two years ago, in 2010.

He continues with a reminder

“that empires do not in fact appear, rise, reign, decline, and fall according to some recurrent and predictable life cycle. It is historians who retrospectively portray the process of imperial dissolution as slow-acting, with multiple overdetermining causes. Rather, empires behave like all complex adaptive systems. They function in apparent equilibrium for some unknowable period. And then, quite abruptly, they collapse. To return to the terminology of Thomas Cole, the painter of The Course of Empire, the shift from consummation to destruction and then to desolation is not cyclical. It is sudden.”

That series of paintings by Thomas Cole is called The Course of Empire. The five-part series of paintings were completed by Cole during the years 1833-36. Wiki explains, “It is notable in part for reflecting popular American sentiments of the times, when many saw pastoralism as the ideal phase of human civilization, fearing that empire would lead to gluttony and inevitable decay.” I gotta say, they were right. The paintings are truly remarkable in the way they illustrate the lightning bolt suddenness and chaos of collapse. The are titled: “The Savage State”, “The Pastoral State”, “The Consummation of Empire”, “Destruction”, “Desolation.”

Jesus said people would be going about a normal life and caught unaware of the sudden changes. “But watch yourselves lest your hearts be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and cares of this life, and that day come upon you suddenly like a trap. 35For it will come upon all who dwell on the face of the whole earth.” (Luke 21:34-35).

Suddenly as that lightning bolt! Are you ready?

iran, islam, prophecy

Iran pulls Quds back to "neighboring states", sinkhole still getting bigger, global blasphemy law

Posted on September 21, 2012 by elizabethprata

Some news for you at this week’s end. Have a wonderful weekend everyone. Our home is in heaven, and what a day that will be! Meanwhile, there’s kids to feed and a dog to walk!

Iran’s Supreme Guide orders Quds Force to focus on neighboring states: source
“Iran’s Supreme Guide Ali Khamenei gave his instructions to the country’s Revolutionary Guard, and all its affiliated units, especially the Quds Force, to stop their activities worldwide, especially in Africa and Latin America, and to focus on the neighboring countries, Al Arabiya reported on Friday, citing a source at the Iranian Revolutionary Guard. The Quds Force, an elite special operations unit, is an arm of the Guard that is active abroad. The Quds Force is tasked with carrying out operations outside Iran — official and clandestine. It has several thousand members, and it is especially active in the Middle East, according to Western analysts. The source, who talked to Al Arabiya on the condition of anonymity, explained that the Supreme Guide fears a possible military strike against Tehran by Israel, on the one hand; and the grave financial effects of the international sanctions against Iran over its nuclear program, especially regarding the funds provided to the Revolutionary Guard and its affiliated units.”

Deep-focus quakes at Fiji:

Two quakes occurred at Fiji that were of the deep-focus variety. Deep focus quakes are earthquakes that occur at depths where they should not be able to occur. Geologists didn’t even know deep-focus quakes existed until 1922 until HH Turner of Oxford England provided evidence that they do indeed occur. Confirmation came in 1931. It was only in the lifetime of a person in one generation that seismology was turned upside down with the evidence that quakes are occurring “in diverse places,” lol.

I’ve written about deep-focus quakes before, when several happened in quick succession in the Philippines in 2010. I’d quoted then from a scientific article:

Wikipedia explains the depth levels,

The majority of tectonic earthquakes originate at the ring of fire in depths not exceeding tens of kilometers. Earthquakes occurring at a depth of less than 70 km are classified as ‘shallow-focus’ earthquakes, while those with a focal-depth between 70 and 300 km are commonly termed ‘mid-focus’ or ‘intermediate-depth’ earthquakes. Deep-focus earthquakes may occur at much greater depths (ranging from 300 up to 700 kilometers).

Here is the quake data-
Friday: magnitude 4.7, South of the Fiji Islands, 572.0 km deep
Thursday: magnitude 5.7, 35km ESE of Ndoi Island, Fiji 544.2 km deep

The sinkhole in Louisiana is still percolating and expanding. Concerned residents met last night. The emergency has been going on for four months.

Assumption group still seeks answers
“PIERRE PART — Residents and evacuees along with environmental groups and others worried about a large sinkhole, tremors and natural gas releases in the Bayou Corne area detailed on Thursday their concerns about the emergency dating four months with the appearance of mysterious bubbles in waterways.”

The movie “Innocence of Muslims” sparked violent protests his week all over the world. The subsequent publication by French media of Muhammad cartoons fueled it. Did you know that for several years now, Muslims have been pushing for a Global Blasphemy Law? Well it died (again) last year but the notion has again been revived.

The Muslim News has the story:

Saudi Arabia: World Islamic body pushes global blasphemy law
The world Islamic body signaled on Wednesday that it will revive long-standing attempts to make insults against religions an international criminal offense. The bid follows uproar across the Muslim world over a crude Internet video clip filmed in the United States and cartoons in a French satirical magazine that lampoon the Prophet Mohammad. But it appears unlikely to win acceptance from Western countries determined to resist restrictions on freedom of speech and already concerned about the repressive effect of blasphemy laws in Muslim countries such as Pakistan. Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, secretary-general of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), said the international community should “come out of hiding from behind the excuse of freedom of expression”, a reference to Western arguments against a universal blasphemy law that the OIC has sought for over a decade. He said the “deliberate, motivated and systematic abuse of this freedom” were a danger to global security and stability.”

A crazy thing is happening now in a small town of Haren in the Netherlands. A 16-year old girl organized a party, posted the invites to Facebook, but forgot to turn it to private. Thousands showed up to her party and a riot ensued. At least 20 people are hospitalized and riot police had to be called in from all environs to quell the violence. Even the journalists covering the riot were in turn attacked by the attackers. It still isn’t under control, the Haren mayor says. More here, and it is a really weird story.

A man has ended up in a tiger’s den in the Bronx Zoo. He had jumped the zoo’s monorail ride. No one knows why he jumped. He got his leg eaten off for his troubles.

People are acting C-R-A-Z-Y! Really! I don’t want to do a ‘back in my day’ kind of speech, but man, back in my day…people didn’t riot when they turn up uninvited to some teenager’s party, jump off a zoo ride and hurl themselves at a tiger, and riot when a cartoon is published. I never thought I’d say it but the 1960s are starting to look tame compared to all this.

Here are some recommended essays:

Ask for Tolerance
“If you’re placed in a situation where you suspect your convictions will be labeled intolerant, bigoted, narrow-minded, and judgmental, turn the tables. When someone asks for your personal views about a moral issue—homosexuality, for example—preface your remarks with a question…”

Weird Stuff People Do on Facebook By : Jordan Hall
Have you done any of them that are listed? LOL, I have.

Kittehs!

Interview: Photographer of World’s Cutest Kitten

Because who doesn’t need a cute kitten picture at the end of a long week?!

ishmael, jihad, jihad girl, muslim, prophecy

Jihad girl: "Nobody is too young" for jihad says 8-year-old

Posted on September 20, 2012 by elizabethprata

The Australian Herald Sun reports this morning of a Muslim conference where an 8-year-old girl wants children of her age to join jihad.

“This is a recording of 8-year-old Ruqaya urging other children to join the fight for a global Islamic state. As she sees it, “nobody is too young”. Ruqaya delivered her speech to an audience of 600 at a conference called Muslims Rise, hosted by an Islamic group called Hizb ut-Tahrir. It was held in Bankstown in Sydney’s west on Sunday. Muslims Rise advocates the restoration of the Islamic caliphate – a global government for all muslims, operating under strict sharia law. Ruqaya was one of nine speakers in a considerable line-up, which included a controversial keynote from Taji Mustafa, described by the Opposition as a “hate preacher”. … “Children as young as myself can be seen on the streets joining the uprisings, risking their lives to bring food, water and medicine to their wounded family members, some of them never returning to their mothers … Nobody is too young, she said.”

2-minute video below.

Oh, Islam! ‘Appeasing the unappeasable’ is what the world did with Hitler. Though Hitler unleashed much evil, God used it for His good and in His plan & timing. That generation was horrified as they watched the evil Nazi stain march across the continent. Those carted off to the Camps cried out, “Why?” Those imprisoned and tortured by evil men struggled to understand what good could ever come. However, the Lord does use evil for His good and for His glory.

The distance of time has showed us what the good was. In 1948, Israel was reborn according to scripture. God is mighty. His word will come to pass. ‘I have declared it, saith the LORD.’

Now we have another evil stain, Islam, marching across the globe. The Muslims believe themselves to be the prophesied vehicle to bring about holy jihad. Their commitment to jihad supposedly demonstrates to Muhammad how serious they are for His name. Thus endearing themselves to him through blood and killing, Muhammad will return and take over the world. This in turn will please their false god ‘Allah.’

This isn’t the first rise of Islam. I do feel it will be the last, however.

It all stems back to Ishmael and Isaac, Jacob and Esau.

Though God had promised a son to Abraham and Sarah, ten long years had passed and they weren’t getting any younger. Sarah and Abraham took matters into their own hands and in the custom of the day, Abraham went to Sarah’s handmaiden and conceived a child with her. Culturally, the child would be considered his and Sarah’s. That child was Ishmael. Later, Isaac was born of Sarah, just as God had said.

Though Ishmael was not the covenant child God promised to the patriarch, the child was promised to receive blessings.

“As for Ishmael, I have heard you; behold, I have blessed him and will make him fruitful and multiply him greatly. He shall father twelve princes, and I will make him into a great nation. But I will establish my covenant with Isaac, whom Sarah shall bear to you at this time next year.” (Genesis 17:20-21).

“And I will make a nation of the son of the slave woman also, because he is your offspring.”Up! Lift up the boy, and hold him fast with your hand, for I will make him into a great nation.” (Gen 21:13, 18)

Unfortunately it was also prophesied by God that Abraham and Hagar’s son Ishmael would be contentious.

“He shall be a wild donkey of a man, his hand against everyone and everyone’s hand against him, and he shall dwell over against all his kinsmen.” (Genesis 16:12).

Ishmael became the father of the Arabs, many of whom today are Muslim. Ishmael, Hagar, and Abraham are all part of Muslim tradition.

The conflict continued with Ishamel’s sons… “His descendants settled in the area from Havilah to Shur, near the border of Egypt, as you go toward Asshur. And they lived in hostility toward all their brothers.” (Genesis 25:18)

Back to Abraham. Abraham’s son Isaac and Rebekah had twin sons, Jacob and Esau. God determined that His covenant would continue through Jacob, later named Israel. Though God did not choose Esau to be the recipient of the covenant promises, He still blessed Esau in many ways.

Unfortunately, Esau had issues, too. The bible says that we pray “that no one is sexually immoral or unholy like Esau, who sold his birthright for a single meal. For you know that afterward, when he desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no chance to repent, though he sought it with tears. (Hebrews 12:16-17, also Genesis 25:33).

Esau became the father of the Edomites. God hated the Edomites (“Jacob I have loved, but Esau have I hated,” Malachi 1:2-3). Obadiah and Malachi tell the story of God’s constant hatred of the Edomites and why. “For the violence done to your brother Jacob, shame shall cover you, and you shall be cut off for ever,” (Obadiah 1:10)

So while the Muslims say they will bring about the jihad, they are just about right, but they don’t know it. God planned a series of Islamic wars in the very last days which have not yet been fulfilled. Edom (Jordan) has not been cut off forever. Isaiah 17, Isaiah 19, Psalm 83, Ezekiel 37-38 and other chapters and verses describe that the old enmity between Ishmael, that wild donkey of a man, and his brothers is almost fully here. War from the Muslim world has arrived. My opinion is, when I say that the coming Muslim wars will be the last is because those books and chapters I mention will break Islam. It will not be a contender for much longer. This is my opinion,based on the wars Israel will win and by definition the Muslim states will lose.

Islam began when Muhammad allegedly received divine revelations in 610AD from an unholy angel alleging to be Gabriel. He started preaching these revelations and at first had few followers. Muhammad encountered hostility from Jewish sects and Meccans. Eventually what has come to be known as Islam gained traction. It is the fastest growing religion today.

But what of Islam as a nation? Or an empire?

The Byzantine Empire (remnants of old Roman Empire) fell when Constantinople (Istanbul) fell in 1463. This began the rise of the (Muslim) Ottoman Empire. The Ottoman Empire reached its peak in 1683 and fell in 1922. The caliphate was disbanded in 1923 and its authority was given to modern Turkey’s Grand National Assembly.

The Ottoman Empire encompassed the following lands (Source, Wiki).

It was a big empire!

People today have no idea how large and powerful the Ottoman Empire was. Many dismiss Turkey today as a backwater nation of little consequence. Not so! Turkey is the seat of the presently disbanded caliphate power. Turkey has the second largest military in NATO- after America. 99.8% of Turks are Muslim, according to the government anyway. Turkey will be an ally with Russia and Iran in the Gog-Magog surprise attack against Israel, as described in Ezekiel 37. As a matter of fact, some think the Ottoman Empire may be the 7th kingdom mentioned in Revelation 17:9-11.

While some say that the 7th kingdom will be a revived Roman Empire, the Romans split their empire at the time of the Byzantines, as illustrated by the two legs Nebuchadnezzar’s statue (Daniel 2:31-35). The capital of the empire at that time was Rome and Constantinople, now Istanbul. So the horn mentioned in the Revelation verse could easily be Ottoman, if I’m wrong and the Muslim world does survive the Psalm 83/Isaiah 17/Isaiah 19/ Ezekiel wars.

As for all this history and biblical prophecy and Ishmael and Esau and the Muslims…perhaps it will make it easier to love them knowing God has a plan for them. His plan for them is just as valuable to Himself as His plan for His people the Jews.

I get caught up in hating their violence done in the name of a false God. I strive to pray and remember that God will take His vengeance on those who blaspheme His holy name and who bow to idols and then I feel calm again.

I have a harder time with their abuse of their children. Molech sacrifice is alive and well. That little girl calling for children to be used in a violent jihad is just as surely being passed through the belly of Molech as a sacrifice as those idolaters did in the ancient days. (1 Kings 23:10; Jeremiah 32:35; 2 Kings 16:3;21:6; 2 Chronicles 28:3; I). I can’t imagine the children there being indoctrinated into a hate religion in the name of a false god or even sacrificed. If they aren’t now, they will be. Remember, that little girl was in Australia, not Jordan and Not Turkey. I can’t imagine life for a Turkish daughter…

Our God is a good God. If not a sparrow falls without Him knowing about it, how much more will he take the precious children to His bosom. Their eyes will be cleared of the hate and they will see only love. Little Ruqaya, you may love Allah and hate Christians, but hopefully soon you will meet God. God IS love.

“but Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 19:14).

end of days, prophecy

Praise the Lord, we live in interesting times!

Posted on September 19, 2012May 9, 2016 by elizabethprata

There is quite a bit of interesting news out today with prophetic implications. I am making another post of the actual news. This post is to praise the Lord for the news.

There is a proverb/curse of alleged Chinese origin, “May you live in interesting times.” The implication is that a life lived in interesting times is less desirable than one lived in peace and tranquility. To be sure, the danger and uncertainty and lack and want of these years are difficult to manage sometimes, but surely it is better to live in interesting times than uninteresting. Why? Jesus.

We could change that phrase to “May you live in prophetic times” and it would be better applicable for the believer. For those who are IN the Lord, believers in Jesus and saved by His grace, we know that though difficult, the times that are more “interesting” offer more growth in sanctification than times when everything is going along peacefully. If I had my druthers, I would prefer to live in prophetic times. LOL, I don’t have my druthers, He put me here, of all us are here, for just such a time as this.

The tremendous opportunity we have to actually watch God at work in the world in such an interesting and visible way fuels my love for Him and my amazement at His sovereignty. Yes, a life in a previous time might well have been more peaceful, but less astonishing. And the difficult times offer us the opportunity to grow in Jesus. He is the Potter. He sanctifies us and shapes us through trials and challenges. And my, what challenges these times offer. Therefore the growth in Christlikeness should be even greater than when living in uninteresting times.

I agree, the times are hard. No one likes living in the era when our beloved nation America failed, collapsed, and imploded. Instead, let’s focus on what God is doing. He is so high above us, yet He told us ages ago what He would do. And now He is doing it. This is cause for praise and celebration.

What is God doing on earth? He said He would judge nations, set up kings and take them down.

“but it is God who executes judgment, putting down one and lifting up another.” (Psalm 75:11). Also see Daniel 2:21)

Imagine being in heaven where we can recount His mighty deeds from our own generation! ‘In 1990, God threw down Gog and in 2000 He raised Him up again!” Or, ‘His might destroyed Damascus, just like He said He would!’ Or, “I lived in America, the greatest nation in centuries but He completely struck that nation down for idolatry and godlessness in just four years!’

Keep that Psalms & Daniel verse in mind as election season approaches. A Pastor friend of mine wrote: “Our vote does not determine who will be elected to serve in any political office. God ordains and appoints who will serve and for how long. … Our vote reveals our convictions and value system; what we believe.”

We can be mindful and diligent in our voting but if the outcome seems drastic (like Obama re-elected) or is not your preferred outcome, then just remember He is doing a work! We get to see it! And then we get to praise Him!

“A Psalm of Asaph. God takes His stand in His own congregation; He judges in the midst of the rulers.” (Psalm 82:1).

Matthew Henry explains, “Good princes and good judges, who mean well, are under Divine direction; and bad ones, who mean ill, are under Divine restraint.”

Obama is under restraint. What is happening is under God’s divine plan. Russia’s Putin is under restraint. Iran’s Ayatollah Khamenei and Ahmadinejad are under restraint. Even Hitler was under restraint. The Holy Spirit sends His restraining power upon the earth. No king, or president or Prime Minister or dictator is doing anything God does not want to happen.

But… woe to the inhabitants of the earth when the Spirit is taken out of the way!

“And you know what is restraining him now so that he may be revealed in his time. For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work. Only he who now restrains it will do so until he is out of the way.” (2 Thessalonians 2:6-7)

The world really does feel like it is out of control. But it isn’t. See, this verse comforts:

“We give thanks to you, O God; we give thanks, for your name is near. We recount your wondrous deeds. “At the set time that I appoint I will judge with equity. When the earth totters, and all its inhabitants, it is I who keep steady its pillars.” (Psalm 75:1-3).

The LORD will steady its pillars. May you live in prophetic times! (and enjoy them!)

Diaoyu islands, kings of the east, prophecy, Senkaku islands

UPDATED. China protests turning violent: Kings of the East now in play

Posted on September 17, 2012May 9, 2016 by elizabethprata

UPDATE: Today in an unusual move, a Chinese General today said ‘Prepare for Combat‘. Top Chinese general in unusual move tells troops to ready for combat with Japan
———————————–
It’s amazing to see the Lord work His sovereign will in the world. Over the last few years we have seen the Gog-Magog alliance shape up, Russia’s return to power, the incendiary fanaticism of Iran, the abandonment of Israel, The emergence of the Arab Spring and Muslim brotherhood’s rise to power, Egypt and Jordan breaking their peace treaties with Israel (or almost), the inclusion of Libya and Sudan on the world prophetic stage, the near-collapse of the EU, and the decline of the US. The nations He intends to use in the very last days prior to the rapture and during the Tribulation are in play.

The only arena left out is Asia. Where are the Kings of the East? Well, they showed up, big time.

You might remember on August 18 I’d posted about an obscure standoff between Japan and China over even more obscure islands. I thought it was something at the time, and it has turned into something indeed. Here is the August news excerpt.

The latest dispute began in August, with Japan detaining 14 Chinese activists who clambered onto a bleak little islet claimed and controlled by Tokyo. The activists, who had set sail from Hong Kong, dodged Japanese coast guard vessels and planted Chinese and Taiwanese flags on one of the Senkaku islands, which are also claimed by China and Taiwan. The Chinese call them the Diaoyu islands. Map is from Wikipedia.

“The incident has the region in something of an uproar, especially in China. Global Times, a mainland newspaper with a nationalist bent that is affiliated with the Chinese Communist Party, ran a photo on its front page on Thursday of an activist standing on an outcrop and waving the Taiwanese flag. A state-run media outlet showing the flag of China’s “breakaway republic,” well, it’s almost unimaginable.’ “

The article makes the case that the dispute is “not about oil, gas, or fish, it is about World War II. It is about national pride. And they’re about historical scar tissue that refuses to heal.”

Well the issue has flared up a lot the past two days. The Voice of Russia reports-

1,000 Chinese fishing boats make for disputed islands
“A flotilla of one thousand Chinese fishing boats is on their way to the Senkaku, or Diaoyu, Islands, which are at the heart of a dispute between Tokyo and Beijing. The news has been reported by Japan’s Kyodo news agency with reference to the Internet site of China’s government radio. Japanese Coast Guard frigates are currently on naval alert in the disputed island area, in the East China Sea. Tokyo does not rule out that the Chinese may attempt to land on the Senkaku archipelago. Meanwhile, mass-scale anti-Japanese protests have been on in China for a week now. The protests flared up after Tokyo bought out the islands from private owners last week. The dispute over the islands was aggravated after oil and gas fields were discovered on the islands in the 1970s.”

on the mainland, protests by the Chinese against the Japanese are like a prairie fire, popping up everywhere.

China-Japan hostilities are always simmering. This latest flare-up over the islands is only a pretext, much like the alleged Muslim protests against the West is a pretext based on the youtube low-budget film they claim insulted Muhammad.

The protests in China against the Japanese are taking on a disturbingly violent tone. BBC reports,

“Never forget the national humiliation,” and “Protect China’s inseparable territory,” read some. More disturbing: “Let’s kill all Japanese,” and “Nuclear extermination for wild Japanese dogs.” Those are some of the sentiments irate Chinese are displaying on protest banners across the country, as demonstrators in more than a dozen cities including Beijing, Shenzhen, Guangzhou, and Nanjing take to the streets, angry about Japanese control of the disputed Senkaku islands—known as Diaoyu in China—an uninhabited but possibly resource-rich atoll in the East China Sea.”

The Chinese protests are getting so violent that today several major businesses packed up and closed for a few days, hoping it would all blow over. Temporarily suspending operations were Panasonic, Canon, Honda, Mazda and Nissan

Now, why they would burn a US flag, I don’t know. The caption from the article says it is a combination US-Japan flag… A person on twitter stated that the Chinese writing on the banner next to the flag burners is “a taoist curse hurled at U.S. & Japan, claiming their rage is that of Supreme Lord.” I don’t know if that is true but there you have it.

These are not small demonstrations!

So what do massive protests in China against the Japanese (and the US) have to do with prophecy? Because an important arena of influence and military might in the Tribulation is from the East, the Orient. And until now, they had seemed to be escaping the fray of global general violent anger and protest against the current system.

Revelation 16:12 says, “The sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up, to prepare the way for the kings from the east.”

A parallel verse to this one is in Isaiah, the LORD will dry up the Euphrates.

“The LORD will dry up the gulf of the Egyptian sea; with a scorching wind he will sweep his hand over the Euphrates River. He will break it up into seven streams so that men can cross over in sandals” (Isaiah 11:15 NIV).

The Euphrates is a great river and is mentioned many times in the bible. The eastern border of the land originally intended for Israel was from the Mediterranean all the way over to the Euphrates at the east. (Genesis 15:18, Deuteronomy 1:7, Joshua 1:4, Deuteronomy 11:24).

So the Kings of the East will unite and march to the Battle at Armageddon. It is demonic spirits that induce them to come at that future time. Now, we see the beginning of that inducement. The world is going crazy and that is not a coincidence. Individuals everywhere and whole nations are violently turning on other individuals and other nations. The violence is over small and stupid things, like the rocky outcrop of the contended islands, a youtube video, slashed salaries or even wants for higher salaries.

The Orient is now having their share of irrational violence, and it is evident that the Lord is allowing satan to heighten their anger, in preparation for the First and Second seals being broken in the Tribulation (Revelation 6:1-4).

It may sound strange to anyone reading this that I speak of satanically induced anger, or demons and their whipping up of violence. But the bible tells us that the god of this world is satan (2 Corinthians 4:4) and that we believers “do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” (Ephesians 6:12).

For the most part, the struggle has been invisible, with a few exceptions, such as when satan appears as an angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:14). But in the Tribulation the battle will become visible as God allows hell on earth to be unleashed. That the Chinese are whipped up and their multitudes are violently protesting a few rocks in the East China Sea just tells me that the latest player in God’s prophetic timeline has arrived.