Category: prophecy

Posted in headlines, prophecy

Ominous headlines this morning

Posted on by elizabethprata

My what a morning. We are on the cusp, so many things converging, all in the air, none landed, holding our breath, in suspended animation…

  • Sandusky on suicide watch
  • Egypt braces [for election results]
  • Islamist president or army rule?
  • IDF Update: Fire from Gaza won’t stop: 3 more rockets hit southern Israel. Over 150 rockets during the last week endangering over 1mill lives
  • Today’s 22 rockets bring the total number of rockets fired into Israel over the past six days to 150. We pray for an end to the violence.
  • Turkey Calls for NATO Mtg Over Syria Attack on Jet
  • Tropical Storm Debby continuing to move slowly northward and is expected to strengthen – National Hurricane Center
  • Turkey files official protest to Syria about shooting down of plane in international airspace – @AP
  • Stop asking for more help, Germany tells Greece
  • Oil platforms evacuated

Watching…waiting…praying!

    Posted in Obama, prophecy, registry

    Obama’s Messiah complex continues: he’s now the National Groom

    Posted on by elizabethprata

    Obama didn’t call himself Messiah, but he certainly didn’t make any attempt to dispel the notion. The name was attributed to him many times, as here, “A messiah won’t be landing at the Heliopolis airport Thursday. Nonetheless, the expectations raised by Obama’s brief visit to Cairo are almost messianic.”

    Or here, “Obama, a junior senator, the son of a white mother and a Kenyan father, has been happy to run as a black man and, more important, as America’s new messiah.”

    He was depicted as such in paintings, here, for example.

    He was photographed as such, here, for example.

    Lately a spate of unusual and frankly, weird, statements have emerged that surpass the language, visual depictions and opinions of Obama as Messiah. News bloggers and editorialists can’t figure out how or why this new language is now entering the pantheon of Obama-descriptors. But I can. Any Christian would spot it a mile away.

    First, here is the new stuff coming out:

    Dan Collins wrote at the Weekly Standard,
    OBAMA: OH, HE’S MORE THAN JUST MILD; YOU’RE MARRIED TO HIM, TOO
    “I put off blogging about this latest bizarre emanation from the desperate Obama campaign, because I had other things to write about it, and other bloggers covered what was to be covered well enough, I thought; but the more I think about it, the stranger it gets. In a campaign fund-raising mailer, Michelle Obama asserts that Barack is all the ladies’ husband.”

    Obama is the National Husband?

    The Obama Event Resigtry
    “What this involves is a plea from the Obama campaign for brides to request that guests send money to Obama instead of buying the new couple some gifts. “Let your friends know how important this election is to you—register with Obama 2012, and ask for a donation in lieu of a gift. It’s a great way to support the President on your big day. Plus, it’s a gift that we can all appreciate—and goes a lot further than a gravy bowl.”

    Obama is the National husband, and we’re all getting married to him?

    Why not? Isn’t the Messiah also known as the GROOM? (Isaiah 54:5,6; Jeremiah 3:14;31:32; Hosea 2:19-20; Revelation 21:2). And we aren’t all going to have a marriage supper? It is a perfectly logical (blasphemous) continuation of the prophetic/biblical language Obama likes to employ.

    Posted in iran, kings of the east, prophecy, turkey

    Enter the Kings of the East into prophetic play

    Posted on by elizabethprata

    I saw the following news article and I though, “Hmmm, that’s a little strange.”

    Jerusalem Post: ‘Iran, Russia, China, Syria plan ‘largest’ war game‘
    “Syrian, Iranian media reports say air, ground and naval forces to conduct ‘Middle East’s largest ever military exercise.’ “

    China? I can see Iran and Russia and Syria, they are prophesied to ally in the Gog Magog war. Russia has a port in Syria and Syria is the proxy nation for Iran. But China? Where’s their stake in it?

    Of course the next day Russia, Syria deny war games with China, Iran. But the inclusion of China into the prophetic mix perked up my ears.

    Then I see the following by an an energy media outlet synopsizing from the Wall Street Journal:

    “Saudi Arabia, China Sign Nuclear Cooperation Pact“:

    “With its energy consumption surging and its own power supply under threat, Saudi Arabia will rely increasingly on nuclear generation. To help it along, it has turned to the country that is emerging as the world leader in nuclear technology: China. The Wall Street Journal reports that the two countries have agreed to jointly develop nuclear power plants, reactors, fuel and maintenance. The agreement follows a 6-day visit to Saudi Arabia by Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao.” [Photo above from Lebanon Daily Star, released by Saudi Press Agency, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao, left, meets with Saudi King Abdullah, right, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Saturday, Jan. 14, 2012.”]

    This deal, Saudi’s oil free flowing to China in exchange for nuclear technology, is already shaping up to be be responsible for a dramatic shift of the security environment of the Middle East, not to mention the future of the petrodollar.

    The Washington Times explained it this way:
    “U.S. intelligence agencies are closely watching Saudi Arabia for signs that the oil-rich kingdom will seek to develop nuclear weapons, amid tensions in the region centered on Iran’s nuclear program. One key warning sign was the cooperation agreement signed Sunday in Riyadh by China and Saudi Arabia. According to the Saudi Jidda News, the agreement will seek joint development of “atomic energy for peaceful purposes, which will help to meet the kingdom’s rising demand for energy and cut its growing dependence on depleting resources.” The agreement was signed by King Abdullah and Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao ”

    The Asia Times simply said: Saudi Arabia pivots toward Asia

    I kept thinking…hmmm, enter the Kings of the East. It wasn’t until last night when this week’s Hal Lindsey’s report dropped the last penny for me and the pieces fell into place. He opened his weekly report by bluntly saying:

    “Why is no one in the mainstream media talking about the latest deal between Saudi Arabia and China? In case you haven’t heard, the Saudis recently offered to guarantee the Chinese unlimited oil until 2035. In exchange for Chinese off-the–shelf nuclear missiles. … [Here, Lindsey cites the source DebkaFile, which is a dubious source, but the following is true:] “The raw fact, which the West does not want to acknowledge, is that the Saudis fear Iran and want nuclear weapons as a counterbalance to Iran’s growing nuclear potential.”

    Lindsey continues:
    “This is what the Israel has been warning the West about for years now. If Iran is allowed to acquire nuclear weapons, not only would it pose a direct threat to Israel, but it will force other nations in the Middle East to acquire nuclear weapons for heir own self defense. It will ignite an arms race in a rough neighborhood. I think it is interesting that even though most nations in the Middle East have long suspected that Israel possessed nuclear weapons, none of them felt threatened enough to seek their own arsenals. But now that is almost a guarantee that one of their own Muslim brothers is going nuclear, some of them suddenly feel the need for a nuclear deterrent.”

    Lindsey widens the picture from the looming new nuclear arms race in the unstable regions to the wider view of additional prophetic pieces entering the picture. It begins to bring into focus a long puzzling question: how or why China would be drawn into the war of Armageddon.

    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.”

    Revelation chapter 9 describes the preparation for that war. It involves the King of the North and the King of the South. In Daniel’s prophecy of “the time of the end” beginning in Daniel 11:35, a king is pictured in the Mediterranean area who engages in a military conflict with the king of the south, the king of the north, and a military force from the east. A question that has always puzzled Lindsey is why would the kings of the East cross the Euphrates with a 200 million man army? Daniel 11:40-45 describes the battle plan of this final war.

    ‘“At the time of the end the king of the South will engage him in battle, and the king of the North will storm out against him with chariots and cavalry and a great fleet of ships. He will invade many countries and sweep through them like a flood. He will also invade the Beautiful Land. Many countries will fall, but Edom, Moab and the leaders of Ammon will be delivered from his hand. He will extend his power over many countries; Egypt will not escape. He will gain control of the treasures of gold and silver and all the riches of Egypt, with the Libyans and Cushites in submission. But reports from the east and the north will alarm him, and he will set out in a great rage to destroy and annihilate many. He will pitch his royal tents between the seas at the beautiful holy mountain. Yet he will come to his end, and no one will help him.’ “

    Now, I don’t understand all that. And by the disagreement over who, exactly, is the King of the South, others aren’t sure either. But from what I have read on Bible.org, Hal Lindsey and Jack Kelley, there seems consensus that it looks like Iran and Turkey both want to be seen as the King of the North, while Egypt is the front-runner for King of the South, supported by Saudi Arabia.

    Jack Kelley describes the final power struggle:
    “According to Daniel 11 the End of the Age would see two Middle Eastern power blocks, which he called the King of the North and the King of the South. Today, although they appear to be allies, two countries from the former Seleucid Empire, the first King of the North, are openly competing for the right to be the Bible’s End Times King of the North. They are Turkey and Iran. … Until recently it seemed like Syria and Iran would combine to take the title King of the North, but now there’s a new kid in town due to Turkish PM Erdogan’s vision of resurrecting the Ottoman Empire into the leader of the Moslem world.”

    If you have seen the news of Turkey’s shift away from the West over the last five years, Prime Minister Erdogan’s call for the reclusive but powerful Imam currently living in Pennsylvania to come home and take his place in the faith and in the nation, and the issue with Syria downing a Turkish jet fighter and Turkey’s declaration that it will not be ignored, you know that Turkey’s rise as a powerful player over these last few years is incredibly prophetic.

    As we sort out the prophetic kings and the final pieces of prophecy, one consensus seems clear. The Kings of the East seem generally acknowledged to be an Oriental Confederacy, which includes the 200 million man army of China. China is now considered to have the most powerful army ever assembled in world history.

    North Korea: Kim Jong Il’s funeral

    I used the photo above to demonstrate that the Oriental kings already have the ability to mass not only the military but their civilian populations, with ease. As we go forward on this day and this week and this month…let’s remember Jesus. he is the King, Prophet, and Priest into whose hands God has delivered all authority. (Matthew 28:18). His hand is passing over the earth to bring these events about. He is in control, and nothing is out of control. All is progressing exactly as He ordained. The best thing we can do is obey him and be joyful in His works, which are to the good of those who love Him. (Romans 8:28).

    We witness, sharing His peace with one and all, even in the face of mounting war. As Solomon said in Ecclesiastes 3:1-8:

    “For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:
    a time to be born, and a time to die;
    a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted;
    a time to kill, and a time to heal;
    a time to break down, and a time to build up;
    a time to weep, and a time to laugh;
    a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
    a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together;
    a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
    a time to seek, and a time to lose;
    a time to keep, and a time to cast away;
    a time to tear, and a time to sew;
    a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
    a time to love, and a time to hate;
    a time for war, and a time for peace.

    First, war. Then, eternal peace.

    Do you love Jesus? Do you want to? Here is what you must do. And here is a simple, concise explanation of the Gospel. Please read it, if you are not saved. We’re experiencing a moral, spiritual, financial, and cultural implosion as we speak. Please don’t be caught in the rubble. Jesus will forgive you, lift you, and bring you to heaven to feast with Him as part of His bride. You will be born (again), heal, build up, laugh, dance, embrace, seek, speak, and have peace.

    Posted in flip off, homosexual, judgment, prophecy

    Flipping off Reagan in the White House and the judgment of the wrath of abandonment

    Posted on by elizabethprata
    Is there any one picture that can illustrate better that the LORD of the Universe has given over the nation of America and has abandoned us to our reprobate mind??
    Gay Activists Visiting White House Take Photos of Themselves Flipping Off Reagan Portrait
    Image source: Facebook

    The photo is of homosexual activists who had been invited to the White House. They chose to demonstrate their decorum and manners by raising their middle fingers to the portrait of a former President who had served 30 years ago.

    Who’s dead.

    Yeah, those lesbians sure showed Reagan. Sigh.

    The main issue isn’t even of homosexuality primarily. When one is invited to the People’s House, the national seat of power, and arguably the most powerful location on the planet, choosing to demonstrate your sexuality in the White House living room instead of your private bedroom is beyond juvenile. Raising your middle finger in public, especially that place of honor and distinction, is beyond immature and profane. Stay classy, ladies. Oops, too late.

    Homosexuals insist they are not defined by their sexual orientation but the photo below and their actions like this and others make it clear they are led by their lust. They claim that they just want to live an ‘out’ life being “who they are” but they prove over and over that who they are, are people who are led by perverted lust with an inability and unwillingness to control themselves. Certainly they are not led by reasonable decision making as mature adults living a lifestyle of respectful civil discourse and behavior…

    Gay Activists Visiting White House Take Photos of Themselves Flipping Off Reagan Portrait
    Image source: zoestrauss.blogspot.com

    Strauss posted a second photo on her blog with the comment: “Me and LB making out under a portrait of Reagan at the White House. That was amazing.” (source)

    Romans 1:18-31 describes the progression of “God’s Wrath Against Mankind.” That is what the section of verse is called. It outlines what happens when individuals and a nation decide to overthrow the sovereignty of God and pursue their own lusts. In an interview this week with Brannon Howse of WorldView Weekend, Dr. John MacArthur explained this wrath, which he called the Wrath of Abandonment:

    “I believe America is under Divine judgment, and I’m not saying that just as a whim. Romans 1 says, Romans 1:18 says, the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all unrighteousness of men who hold the truth in unrighteousness. Okay, if we took America and asked, did we have the truth? We had the truth, yes. But we have held the truth in unrighteousness, getting increasingly unrighteous.”

    “So what is the wrath of God against us? Well, it defines it in verses 24, 26 and 28. “He gave them over,” “He gave them over,” “He gave them over.” This is not eschatalogical wrath, this is not eternal wrath, this is not sort of consequential wrath (sowing and reaping), this is not cataclysmic wrath, like the flood or like a tidal wave, this is the wrath of abandonment. God gave them over, gave them over, gave them over. And you see a sequence.”

    “When this wrath acts – and according to Acts 14 He allows all the nations to go their own way, so this is the cycle of human history – when this wrath is in action, the first thing he says is, God gave them over to fornication. The first thing that happens, you will notice a sexual revolution, you will notice that sexual behavior will begin to be accepted outside of marriage. Then he says in verse 26, He gave them over to homosexuality, women with women doing that which is unacceptable, men with men, and it even talks about getting the due results of their sin, which would be something like AIDS.”

    “So you can tell when a society has been turned over by God, abandoned: first, there’s the sexual revolution, that’s the 60’s, the whole Playboy sexual deal, the hippie culture, then you get a homosexual revolution. Then verse 28, God gives them over to a reprobate mind. Now nobody can think straight, and all the stuff that follows out of that. I think that’s what we’re seeing in America. You’re not gonna overpower God’s judgment on this country at that level.” (HT for transcription to Sola Sisters)

    The word reprobate in the verse ‘reprobate mind’ is actually depraved, and it is defined in the Greek as “rejected, fail the test”. Mind is translated, “the God-given capacity of each person to think (reason); the mind; mental capacity to exercise reflective thinking. For the believer, is the organ of receiving God’s thoughts, through faith.”

    So back to the beginning when I asked “Is there any one picture that can illustrate better that the LORD of the Universe has given over the nation of America and has abandoned us to our reprobate mind?” I believe, NO. I believe that it is the picture of God’s judgment of Wrath of Abandonment and an example of the National Reprobate Mind.

    Posted in damascus, prophecy, syria, turkey

    US concerned about Israeli strike on Damascus; Turkish jet shot down by Syria?

    Posted on by elizabethprata

    It’s getting serious…Isaiah 17, Isaiah 19, Psalm 83…

    —–update #1———
    Some updates as details emerge. Regarding the downed Turkish jet, it is confirmed that Syria shot it down. AP: Office of Turkey’s prime minister says Syria has downed a Turkish air force jet.” Syria claims the jet was over Syrian territorial waters. Turkey says,

    “REUTERS: TURKEY WILL TAKE ALL THE NECESSARY MEASURES “DECISIVELY” ONCE ALL THE DETAILS OF THE INCIDENT EMERGE-PM OFFICE STATEMENT”

    Remember, Turkey has the largest Army in Europe, and the 2nd largest Navy. Turkey has the 2nd largest military in NATO, behind the US.
    —–end update #1———

    —–update #2———
    From Zerohedge, a nice analysis about what this all means and what could happen next. For example, one part:

    “The only question remains whether Syria’s act was offensive or defensive. Naturally, its version is one of self-defense. Turkey obviously will claim it was in its right to be wherever the plane may be, and will say this was an act of provocation. Then NATO, read Hillary Clinton, will promptly step in, and make this a case in which Turkey was in its right and that Syria committed an act of aggression. From there, things will just escalate…”

    —–end update #2———

    US concerned about Israeli strike on Damascus
    “U.S. intelligence agencies are closely watching Israel’s military for signs it will conduct strikes on Syria’s stockpiles of chemical weapons, amid concerns the deadly nerve agents could fall under the control of Hezbollah or al Qaeda terrorists, U.S. officials said. Syria’s arsenal remains vulnerable as the result of the internal conflict currently underway in Syria between government forces and opposition rebels, one official said.”

    Syria correspondent @AlexanderPageSY reports on Twitter: “CONFIRMED #Qudseya just 6km from presidential palace in #Damascus will face a full force military bombardment in the next 2 days #Syria”

    Turkish jet shot down by Syria?
    “Military aircraft crashes over Syrian waters after being intercepted by Assad’s defense forces, media reports claim; Erdogan convenes emergency meeting with ministers…Turkey said on Friday it had lost contact with one of its military aircraft while it was over the sea off the southeastern coast, and a television station said it had crashed in Syrian territorial waters. Hezbollah’s al-Manar television and Pro-Iranian Al-Mayadeen television station, which are both based in Lebanon, reported that the plane was shot down by Syrian defense forces. “Syrian security sources confirmed to a Manar correspondent in Damascus that Syrian defence forces shot down the Turkish fighter jet,” the Hezbollah-owned channel said.”

    Saudi Arabia plans to fund Syria rebel army
    “Saudi officials are preparing to pay the salaries of the Free Syria Army as a means of encouraging mass defections from the military and increasing pressure on the Assad regime, the Guardian has learned. The move, which has been discussed between Riyadh and senior officials in the US and Arab world, is believed to be gaining momentum as a recent flush of weapons sent to rebel forces by Saudi Arabia and Qatar starts to make an impact on battlefields in Syria.’

    Keep praying and keep looking up.

    Posted in end of days, prophecy

    Why study prophecy?

    Posted on by elizabethprata

    Leonard Ravenhill used to say that the Puritan preachers were so heavenly minded they lived in eternity 6 days a week and came down on Sunday to preach. Those guys sure were fiercely intentional about their walk with God! I don’t think it could be said that the Puritans gained biblical knowledge for knowledge sake but failed to apply it, that is for sure.

    In my opinion, the more you study the bible, including prophecy, the more you want to apply it. Why study prophecy? Why seek to be watchful and respect the signs? Aside from the fact that we are commanded to? (Mark 13:37).

    I study prophecy because –

    –it is part of the bible, God’s revelation of Himself through holy inspired word
    –it is commanded (See above)
    –it instills in me an urgency to live righteously and to witness. We don’t study just for the information and go our way. It has to affect our Christian walk, just as any scripture does.
    –It comforts me to think of these promises being fulfilled:

    “In the last days the mountain of the Lord’s temple will be established as chief among the mountains; it will be raised above the hills, and peoples will stream to it. Many nations will come and say, “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob. He will teach us his ways, so that we may walk in his paths.” The law will go out from Zion, the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. (Micah 4:1-2)

    If you are driving in a fogbank, you get disoriented. You slow down. You look carefully. You are on high alert. You see a fogline at the edge and you know how far to go.

    When in the fog you look for distinct landmarks, but the fog may be so heavy you don’t see them unless they are large or unless they are close. Eventually you start to emerge from the fogbank and you can see more clearly, landmarks near and far.

    It is like these days, we are emerging from the fogbank. The prophetic unclarity is lifting. And even this is a prophetic fulfillment:

    “But you, Daniel, shut up the words and seal the book, until the time of the end. Many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase.” (Daniel 12:4).

    I’m convinced that the last 5 years’ sudden burst of interest in, understanding of and controversy about prophecy is that it is a progressive fulfillment of the Daniel verse above.

    The knowledge that is increasing is not just worldly knowledge like what makes the sun work and how to beat cancer. It is also knowledge of the prophecies, and we are gaining that knowledge because it is the time of the end, and the fogbank is lifting. Christians see the signs, and non-Christians feel something is about to happen.

    I liken myself and other watchmen to the fogline: we inhabit the edge, and sound the warning about going too far. ‘Your doctrine is drifting!’ we say. We do this because we are protectors of the truth, contending for the faith. We live on the boundary and when someone is about to wander off we sound the alarm, and their course is hopefully corrected… While everyone is coming and going and using their gifts in church, we keep watch for potential collisions.

    I feel an ever burdened weight to speak and to write. Look at the following sermon excerpt regarding the burden Jude felt:

    “Like Paul, who wrote to the Corinthians, “For necessity is laid upon me; yes, woe is me if I do not preach the gospel” (1 Cor. 9:16, nkjv), Jude felt the necessity—a heavy burden or mandate—to write. Agcho, the root of the noun rendered necessity, means literally “compress.” Jude recognized that he was a watchman for the truth (cf. Ezek. 3:16–21) who could not simply watch in silence as his readers slipped into error. His fervent passion for sound doctrine, especially regarding the gospel, made even the thought of false teaching a heavy burden on his heart (cf. 2 Cor. 11:28). And he and his readers would not be able to share a common salvation if they lost the gospel.” (source)

    Again, why study prophecy?
    –We are observing and studying not just for knowledge:
    –to learn the entire sweep and scope of God’s promises,
    –to instill a wonder at His sovereign hand from beginning to end,
    –to create in us an urgency so as to live righteously and to share boldly,
    –to be encouraged.

    I have a sincere love of the brethren that we stay strong and thus receive the ultimate blessings of God: closeness with Him in light and in truth. As we all go down the narrow path toward glory, won’t it be wonderful on that Day when we are raised to heaven and there will be no more need for watchfulness. All will be clear sailing. No more wolves, no more false doctrine, no more false teachers, no more alarms. No more watchmen! Just a blessed rest and peace with Jesus.

    source
    Posted in defect, MiG, prophecy, syria

    News from the Middle East: Syrian jet pilot defects to Jordan, sources

    Posted on by elizabethprata

    Syrian MiG fighter jet pilot defects to Jordan: sources
    “AMMAN (Reuters) – A Syrian MiG 21 fighter jet landed in Jordan on Thursday in what opposition activists said was the first defection involving an aircraft since the start of a 15-month-old uprising against President Bashar al-Assad. “The plane landed at King Hussein Airbase at 11 a.m. (4:00 a.m. EDT),” a Jordanian security source told Reuters, referring to a military airport 80 kilometers (50 miles) northeast of the capital Amman. Syrian state television said communication was lost with a plane of the same model at 10:34 a.m. while it was on a training mission near the southern border with Jordan.’ “

    Reuters Twitter Stream: “Activists say Syrian MiG-21 fighter jet defects to Jordan; Jordanian security confirms plane landed at a military airport – @Reuters”.

     A MiG of this kind, I read online, is an advanced fighter jet. A twitter person said the following:

    “#Syria TV says contact lost with jet fighter. Oppn says Syrian MiG has landed in Jordan. Similar event was seminal moment in #Libya”

    However, Jordan says the pilot simply made an emergency landing. But then, this article says the pilot has just asked for asylum in Jordan.

    Here is King Hussein Air Base:

    Source

    There have been other Syrian defections on the ground, but the loss of a pilot and the plane is significant. As the Twitter person noted, this was a big event in turning the tide in the Libyan revolution.

    Jordan’s role in prophecy is that it is not mentioned after Psalm 83, and there seems to be consensus that blowback from the Isaiah 17 prophecy fulfillment and the Psalm 83 prophecy fulfillment that results in Israel likely taking back land once promised to her. More explicitly, this prophecy states Jordan is the nation to be untouched and unconquered by the antichrist. (Daniel 11:41). When the Jews flee Jerusalem at the Abomination of Desolation, (Matt. 24:16) they flee to what scholars agree is likely Petra, (Rev. 12:14) at the southern end of Jordan. There, they are supernaturally protected by Jesus for the remaining 3 1/2 years of the Tribulation when Jesus returns to deliver them. (Isaiah 63: 1-6).

    Events are moving quickly. Stay tuned, and stay in prayer.

    Posted in damascus, jesus, prophecy, russia, syria

    UPDATED 2X–Rumors: Russia to escort Assad out of Syria?

    Posted on by elizabethprata

    UPDATE #2
    IDF: Iran Realizing Assad is Finished
    DF Spokesperson Brigadier General Yoav (Poly) Mordechai said Friday that Syria’s allies Iran and Hizbullah are coming to realize that Bashar Assad’s regime has “reached its end.”“Another week is almost over, during which the desperate effort by Iran and Hizbullah to help the Assad regime survive was evident,

    UPDATE #1
    A story below mentioned that the US had enlisted UK’s aid in stopping the alleged shipment by Russia of helicopters to war-torn Syria. Today the UK Telegraph reports “A Russian ship believed to be carrying helicopters and missiles for Syria has been effectively stopped in its tracks off the coast of Scotland after its insurance was cancelled at the behest of the British government.’ More here
    ——————–
    During the fog of war there is by definition a clash of truth and rumor. It becomes very hard to know what is true and what’s a feint. What is propaganda and what is accurate. With that in mind I bring you some news of the events in the fast-unfolding arena of imminent prophecy fulfillment: Syria, Israel, Egypt.

    Syria, which Isaiah 17 prophesies its capital city of Damascus and environs will be totally destroyed, has been in the news since winter of 2011. The citizens rose up against its dictator, much like the citizens in Tunisia, Egypt, Bahrain, Algeria, Libya etc did. Except the Syrian uprising is still going on. The feeling of imminent fulfillment deepened last week when Secretary of State Hillary Clinton reported that Russia was planning to deliver attack helicopters to Syria’s leader, Bashar al-Assad. The two nations have been allies for 40 years, and Syria is Russia’s biggest customer for war weapons.

    Egypt has also been in the news, with the uprising, capture of dictator Mubarek, and Muslim Brotherhood ascension to power, and now their elections. Isaiah 19 is an unfulfilled prophecy regarding Egypt in the last days.

    It is also no coincidence that Russia began expanding Syria’s port of Tartus last year so that it can host Russian warships. Tartus is the only port on the Mediterranean that Russia has access to. For Russia, having an ally and thus a presence in Syria is critical. Russia is in prophecy in Ezekiel 38-39 as a participant in the Gog-Magog war.

    That was the background. Several news stories caught my eye this morning.

    EGYPT-ISRAEL

    Amid presidential elections, al-Qaida leader urges Egypt to cancel treaty with Israel
    “Al-Qaida’s leader has urged Egypt to cancel its peace treaty with Israel and to establish Islamic rule, according to an audio message released Sunday. He said the goal was to stop Israel from turning Jerusalem into a Jewish city.”

    IDF moves tanks closer to Egypt
    “The IDF has deployed Armored forces near the Israel-Egypt border, moving tanks closer to the fence, Ynet has learned. The unusual move followed Monday’s terror attack on defense contractor crews building the new security fence”

    RUSSIA-SYRIA

    US enlists Britain’s help to stop ship ‘carrying Russian attack helicopters’ to Syria
    “The US government has enlisted Britain’s help in a bid to stop a ship suspected of carrying Russian attack helicopters and missiles to conflict-riven Syria, The Sunday Telegraph can reveal.”

    Stop the presses! Forget the helicopters, that was so yesterday. Today Russia just upped the ante from helicopters, to warships and troops.

    Russia to send ships and marines to Syria
    “Two Russian navy ships are completing preparations to sail to Syria with a unit of marines on a mission to protect Russian citizens and the nation’s base there, a news report said Monday. The deployment appears to reflect Moscow’s growing concern about Syrian President Bashar Assad’s future.”

    Ahhh, now here comes the rumor:

    Russian Commandos ‘to Escort Assad Out of Syria’
    “Ships carrying Russian commandos may soon sail to Syria to escort strongman Bashar Assad to safety from the country where a rebellion against him is growing fiercer.Reports to this effect were cited by Voice of Israel radio’s veteran “listener” Miki Gurdus, who specializes in listening to radio broadcasts on various frequencies worldwide.”

    Of course Israel is in prophecy, everywhere. Most applicable today is the prophecy in Zechariah 12:1-2.

    “The burden of the word of the LORD concerning Israel: Thus declares the LORD, who stretched out the heavens and founded the earth and formed the spirit of man within him: 2“Behold, I am about to make Jerusalem a cup of staggering to all the surrounding peoples.”

    While Isaiah 19 foretells a time of strife and wrath from the Lord upon Egypt, it is hopeful to know that God has a glorious future in store for Egypt (and Assyria and Israel as well!!) Egypt turns to the Lord! Assyria is blessed! (What IS Assyria? Here is a map)

    Isaiah 19 ends with the following promise that will be fulfilled in the Millennium:

    “In that day there will be an altar to the LORD in the midst of the land of Egypt, and a pillar to the LORD at its border. It will be a sign and a witness to the LORD of hosts in the land of Egypt. When they cry to the LORD because of oppressors, he will send them a savior and defender, and deliver them. And the LORD will make himself known to the Egyptians, and the Egyptians will know the LORD in that day and worship with sacrifice and offering, and they will make vows to the LORD and perform them.

    “And the LORD will strike Egypt, striking and healing, and they will return to the LORD, and he will listen to their pleas for mercy and heal them. In that day there will be a highway from Egypt to Assyria, and Assyria will come into Egypt, and Egypt into Assyria, and the Egyptians will worship with the Assyrians. In that day Israel will be the third with Egypt and Assyria, a blessing in the midst of the earth, whom the LORD of hosts has blessed, saying, “Blessed be Egypt my people, and Assyria the work of my hands, and Israel my inheritance.”’ (Is 19:19-25)

    The LORD is good!

    It is my opinion that with events moving into place so quickly and the probable fulfillment of these prophecies coming into view, nay, landing on our laps, that the rapture is even closer. The rapture is an event that has no sign, and could happen at any moment. It is dependent upon Jesus taking the full number of believers that he has set aside, (Romans 11:25) and we don’t know what that number is or how close we are to it. That is why the rapture has always been imminent, meaning, could occur at any time. It is not dependent upon one certain thing occurring before it could take place.

    In listening to Pastor JD Farag’s weekly prophecy update last night, he said he is changing his message from “get ready” to “BE ready.” He said it is too late to get ready. Make preparations now for being snatched up to the Lord. No more waiting, no more dithering, no more researching, no more wondering. This is it. The rapture seems so close, he said, in his opinion, it is closer than any of us can imagine.

    I agree.

    He referenced the rapidly moving events that coincide with what the Lord said to look for and what the Lord promised would happen. Things are moving at a day-by-day clip now, with each dawn unfolding new developments that seem to be ripped out of the pages of the bible. Now is the time to know the Lord through repentance of your sins and acceptance of Him as Savior and Lord.

    WHAT MUST I DO TO BE SAVED??

    “Because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.” (Romans 10:9-10)

    Believe upon the Gospel. WHAT IS THE GOSPEL?

    The basic ingredients of the gospel message are the death, burial, resurrection, and appearances of the resurrected Christ. “Now I want to make clear for you, brothers and sisters, the gospel that I preached to you, that you received and on which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold firmly to the message I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. For I passed on to you as of first importance what I also received—that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures, and that he was buried, and that he was raised on the third day according to the scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve… (1Corinthians 15:1-5)

    He was buried, so His death became an established fact. He was resurrected which witnesses verified, therefore His claims of being God were verified. He is who He says He is: God in the flesh, come to seek and save the lost in their sins by becoming the sacrifice upon which God poured out all His wrath for sin, so we would not have to bear it. He took the penalty for it. However, His though His death and resurrection provided the way, it is the ONLY way to heaven and thus of escaping God’s wrath. Any other way is not the pardon, it is the death sentence.

    Do we have to work our way into heaven? Even if we accept Jesus?

    No. His grace is sufficient. “For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.” (Romans 6:14)

    “Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.” (John 6:29)

    Repent and believe! The end is nigh.

    Posted in prophecy, summer, the true vine

    The promise of future bounty

    Posted on by elizabethprata

    The summer has been gentle and the Lord has provides bounty from the earth. The summer garden crops are coming in and they are plenteous. The figs are coming in. The muscadine vine is full. It reminds me in particular of two verses in the bible. They are promises. That is what prophecies are, you know. Promises of things the Lord has in store for the people who love Him and for those who don’t love Him.

    “Every man will sit under his own vine and under his own fig tree, and no one will make them afraid, for the LORD Almighty has spoken.” (Micah 4:4).

    “In that day, declares the LORD of hosts, every one of you will invite his neighbor to come under his vine and under his fig tree.” (Zechariah 3:10)

    In the bible, vines (usually grape) and fig trees were emblematic of agricultural abundance and that abundance bespoke wealth. Many fig trees meant prosperity. The promised land was described in Deut. 8:8 as “a land of wheat and barley, and vines and fig-trees and pomegranates.”

    It was not described as a land flat and therefore ripe for land prospecting development. It was not described as a land full of silver and gold mines. It was not described a land of great cities producing a rich population. The prosperity the land promised was riches from a bountiful earth. Remember that after the Fall, Adam was cursed with toil, and that the land would not yield unless he worked it with sweat and labor, and even then it would produce thorns and thistles.

    “Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat of it all the days of your life. It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground,” (Gen 3:17b-19b).

    What was it like before the Fall? I can’t wait to find out, and that is what these prophecies promise. That curse will be reversed and the land will pop with generous abundance. Remember the two spies who came back, in Numbers 13:23 reporting that they saw huge grapes and figs and pomegranates? Doesn’t sitting under our own fig tree and our vine and sound relaxing? Refreshing? Cool? Like walking with God in the garden in the cool of the day.

    And Jesus said, “I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5). And look what Jesus did! He did everything!

    He accomplished redemption for mankind, by breaking His own body and allowing it to be poured out! We are His branches, connected to the Great Gardener whose vine covers us, and which provides all sustenance. When you’re out haying this summer, sweat running down your face, or you’re out mowing this summer, and thirsting because of the heat, or you’re gardening and battling the bugs who are killing your bean plants, remember, the prophecies.

    “My people will live in peaceful dwelling places, in secure homes, in undisturbed places of rest.” (Isaiah 32:18).

    “I will sing for the one I love a song about his vineyard: My loved one had a vineyard on a fertile hillside.” (Isaiah 5:1).

    How beautiful the relationship. We are the branches, closely grafted into the true vine. The true vine covers us, and we sit under it in peace and abundance. The abundance comes from the Vine Dresser who is the Father (John 15:1), who cares for the true vine in love and cares for his children, the branches.

     Our God is a tremendous God!!!!!

    Posted in grasshoppers invade town, jesus, locusts, prophecy

    Huge swarm of grasshoppers invades rural California town

    Posted on by elizabethprata

    I shouldn’t look at my stats. I get depressed doing that. I mean, I’m blessed to have a few thousand per day visit the site. Since it began three and a half years ago, 1.4 million people have stopped in for one reason or another. I’m thrilled for that.

    They come for all different reasons. Some come from Googling key words and landing here, some come from a bookmark, and some have wandered over from my other blog. But mostly, looking at the stats for each post, I see a trend that makes me sad.

    I put prayer and thought into each post, but the doctrinal posts, the ones about the bible directly either through interpretation of a passage or using a passage to share encouragement, get some good amount of hits.

    But is has always been the weird posts that get the most hits. Weird, and weather. And when we have weird weather together it busts the hit counter. I’d like to continue to delude myself that people come here for the Jesus stuff, but it is not so, the stats tell me. Well, I lure you in with the freak weather posts and then talk about Jesus in every post anyway, bwahaha.

    Today the post with the most is “Tornado Sweeps Across Venice Italy.” It is really sending out the siren call to people from near and far. This week’s top view-getter is “Transgendered Chastity Bono and Dancing with the Stars“, for some reason. The piece was news 9 months ago. Oh, well, praise the Lord that they come for any reason.

    The Ghost horse of Cairo Egypt’s Tahrir Square is still reeling in the hits as all time heavy hitter.

    Weather especially will claim the internet surfer’s attention. The freak hail in CO I wrote about earlier in the week is clipping along in the hits department. The post “Indian villagers attacked by swarms of suddenly appearing spiders” is holding its own, too.

    Here is another one that will be sure to attract a lot of views:

    Huge swarm of grasshoppers invades rural California town
    “A massive swarm of grasshoppers has invaded a rural town in Sacramento County, eating foliage, hopping around and creating a nuisance. … Entomologist Steve Heydon said these types of swarms are rare. The working theory: This winter was dry and warm, so there’s less vegetation around for the bugs to eat. But the winter before saw a lot more precipitation than usual, so with plenty of food there were a lot of extra little bugs born.”

    This story describes the grasshopper infestation in a way that made me think of the plague of frogs in Exodus:

    “The Nile shall swarm with frogs that shall come up into your house and into your bedroom and on your bed and into the houses of your servants and your people, and into your ovens and your kneading bowls. The frogs shall come up on you and on your people and on all your servants.” (Ex 8:3-4) 

    “They’re everywhere,” said Debbie. It’s an insect infestation. “We’re being invaded,” said Brian Campbell. Grasshoppers are taking over the Campbell family farm. They saw some a few days ago. “But, then it went to the extreme,” said Debbie. They’re covering the house, the ground and everywhere you look.”

    I think it’s funny that the news story which features a video of the grasshoppers shows a portion where the camera guy is filming the field of grasshoppers and they are crawling over his lens. Look, see it on the screen as the newscasters are introducing the spot?

    We have been having a spike in snake bites here in the rural South this summer. Officials say that we’ve seen more snakes for the same reason as those entomologists in CA say they are seeing more grasshoppers, the overly dry and warm winter was the culprit.

    In Libya right now, locusts are out of control and that is blamed on Muammar Gaddafi. Even though he is dead, the uprising that toppled him from his throne, and from life, caused locust-watchers to be unable to scour the countryside to apply the necessary pesticide to control them. As a result, locusts, like the population that rose up and killed their so-called King of Kings, are out of control in Libya. And now those swarms are threatening Mali and Niger.

    I’m only half-kidding about the depressing stats. I personally wish I received a thousand hits on the “We take refuge in a Mighty God” post and less on the “Freak hail on CO” posts, instead of the opposite. But I know the Spirit sends just the right people here and for His own reasons. Those who come to read about extra-large hail may stay to read the plan of salvation. Those who want to know about the Ghost Horse of Tarhir Square may read the left behind letters. And after the rapture, all this information will still be available to anyone wanting to know how to be saved. I’m grateful for the million and a half souls who for whatever reason drew them here, saw the name of Jesus on the page. His name is the most precious seed which the Holy Spirit waters with truth. God is growing a wonderful garden of redeemed souls who will shine with His glory on the Day. Praise His name and all His works – doctrinal, freaky, and everything in between.