Category: prophecy

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
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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.

Posted in encouragement, prophecy

We take refuge in a mighty God

Posted on by elizabethprata

Though we are in a battle, “The LORD is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble.” (Psalm 9:9). Our Lord of hosts is God commanding, ordering, summoning the hosts of heaven. These are the angels, in and among the starry worlds.

He organizes and dispenses helps from these realms to those who love Him. If you are feeling troubled, take refuge in Him. “The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah” (Psalm 46:7)

His protections are never ceasing, constant, and uninterrupted: “He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: he that keepeth thee will not slumber.” (Psalms 121:3). He misses nothing, He is not unaware of anything. We do not have to be fearful of him being overtaken by stratagems or surprise. He does not sleep.

Even when it seems to us that His helps are meager, not enough, ineffectual, they are not. “And the LORD said unto Gideon, By the three hundred men that lapped will I save you, and deliver the Midianites into thine hand: and let all the other people go every man unto his place.” (Judges 7:7).

Hearken to God, precious brethren. The days are going to grow darker, but He is LIGHT!

“But whoso hearkeneth unto me shall dwell safely, and shall be quiet from fear of evil.” (Proverbs 1:33).  Of those who love Him we have a new heart: “A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.” (Ezekiel 36:26).

He strengthens this new heart, “Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.” (Psalms 27:14). Eventually, precious brothers and sisters, “Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.” (Matthew 5:8).

He is our shield and our reward!

“After these things the word of the LORD came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward.” (Genesis 15:1)

Therefore, we will not be afraid

Source

Posted in damascus, Isaiah, massacre, prophecy

Behold the burden of Damascus

Posted on by elizabethprata

Bible students and those interested in prophecy will know that the title to this entry is from the introduction to Isaiah 17. The first verse in the ESV reads: “An oracle concerning Damascus. Behold, Damascus will cease to be a city and will become a heap of ruins.”

Source Britannica.com

“Oracles are the divine revelations given to God’s people. God’s method of communicating these oracles varied from dreams and visions (Num. 12:6-8), to wisdom (Prov. 30:1), and even the Urim and Thummim (Num. 27:21; 1 Sam. 14:37).”

In Isaiah 17:1 He is telling the people what will happen to Damascus, capital of Syria. It will be destroyed. I wrote extensively about the prophecy of what is foretold for Damascus, and the wider areas of Syria mentioned in the ensuing verses, here.

I’ve always thought that the Isaiah 17:1 prophecy is one of the more dramatic unfulfilled prophesies because of its clarity and the absolute fact that though parts were fulfilled in 732BC it has never been completely fulfilled yet. The overnight destruction of the world’s oldest continuously inhabited city will be sudden, dramatic, and a clear sign of God.

Given that the so-called “Arab Spring” has wrought geo-physical changes in the Middle East that bible students see brings us to the brink of fulfilled prophecy, such as Ezekiel 38-39, Isaiah 19, and Psalm 83, it is wise to watch Damascus, Syria and the events unfolding there.

The events unfolding there are terrible.

Syria’s uprising began along with the other neighboring nations’ in the Arab Spring last year, but unlike those events in Egypt, Tunisia, Libya et al, there has not yet been a conclusion. In the other cases, Kings bought off citizenry, depots fell, revolutions staved off, concessions made, elections held. In some form or fashion, even if only on the surface, order was restored. Not so in Syria.

source

The violence of the ongoing revolution has not petered out, it has not swung one side or another to victory or near-victory, it has simply gotten worse. By this point, it is terrible to even read the news. On twitter the other day, I saw a photo that made my heart drop with grief. It was not a violent photo, not a drop of blood was in it. I did not report on it at that time because the sign the protester is holding is in Arabic and I had not been able to find a translation to verify that is indeed what the sign says. But now, given other events of today, I will show you.

There had been unconfirmed reports of massacres earlier in the week. Massacres are almost a daily event now in Syria, even in Damascus. That much has been confirmed by UN observers. This particular massacre though, involved the killing of children. Hence, the photo.

The caption on twitter states, “A boy in Homs holds this sign during a protest: “Kill me and leave the other children alone.”

I freely admit to you, I cried. Then I prayed.

That same day, Ynet News from Israel reported,

Syria opposition: Regime lost control of Damascus, other cities
Iran and Hezbollah bear some responsibility for the recent atrocities in Syria, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday.”It’s not just the Syrian government. It is being aided by Iran and Hezbollah,” the PM the weekly cabinet meeting. “The world must recognize this focused axis of evil. People must understand what kind of environment we are living in.”Netanyahu said Syrian President Bashar Assad’s regime is massacring civilians. “We see horrific photos of children and elderly people,” he said.

That was Sunday. Sunday saw “the heaviest fighting in the Syrian capital since the beginning of the uprising” and those battles were in Damascus, and there were tanks.

The UK Telegraph reported, Syrian rebels take battle to heart of Damascus: “Government tanks opened fire in central Damascus for the first time in the 15-month uprising against President Bashar al-Assad this weekend, as William Hague compared the situation in Syria with “Bosnia in the 1990s”.”

MSNBC reported, “‘Battle is in Damascus’ as Syrian tanks fire in 12-hour exchange“

As horrific as all that is, what of the children? Is that photo a fake or is it true that that little brown eyed Syrian boy holding the poignant sign?

Associated Press reports the following today: “Assad regime also charged with killing and maiming, arbitrary arrest, detention, torture, and sexual violence against kids“
“UNITED NATIONS (AP) — A UN report released Monday includes Syrian government forces and their allied “shabiha” militias for the first time on a list of 52 governments and armed groups that recruit, kill or sexually attack children in armed conflicts.In Syria, it said, children as young as 9 years old have been victims of killing and maiming, arbitrary arrest, detention, torture, and sexual violence, and have been used as human shields.“In almost all recorded cases, children were among the victims of military operations by government forces, including the Syrian armed forces, the intelligence forces and the shabiha militia, in their ongoing conflict with the opposition, including the Free Syrian Army,” the report said.” Left, Bashar Al-Assad, Wikipedia photo

That information is from a UN observer report. Almost 19,000 are estimated to have been killed in fighting and outright massacres by the Assad regime since the uprising began last February, a regime that the Russians have been allies with since the cold war and still are today, despite the horrors the Assad regime is perpetrating. Russia (and China) have several times invoked their UN Security Council veto power to prevent intervention into the ongoing revolution in Syria. The US has ruled out military intervention. Israel has said nothing but of course is watching intently. Turkey, though an ally of Russia and Syria, is getting angry about the influx of refuges into their abutting nation. But still, the fighting goes on.

The Lord is in control.

Children and women are trapped in Homs, and UN observers are trying to negotiate their release. And the regime uses children as human shields. This is brutality beyond endurance.

The US intervened in Libya, Viet Nam, Bosnia, Grenada for heaven’s sakes. Will the world stand by and watch children be horrifically used? The LORD’S timing is perfect. His ways are not our ways, and His thoughts are not our thoughts. I know it must grieve Him to see children be so evilly used. Yet I will trust Him.

An entire city of 2.6 million people is prophesied to be destroyed in mere hours. That is what Isaiah 17 foretells. There is no weapon that can do that so quickly and so thoroughly as is described here except for nuclear device. The chapter in Isaiah 17 goes on to describe blowback against Israel. Parts of Israel will be reaped when the oracle is fulfilled. (Isaiah 17:4-5).

The Lord is in control. It is still somewhat unsettling to realize the nearness of fulfillment predicted for thousands of years. It is still a grief and a woe to know that children are so horrifically violated. When our society has devolved to the point where small children are willing to sacrifice their lives on behalf of other children, and no doubt ARE sacrificing their lives at this moment, I can’t help but plead to my savior for Him to return and gather us all away from this cruel planet.

Posted in apocalypse, prophecy, tribulation

The Last Family on Earth: the Apocalyptic survival game show!

Posted on by elizabethprata
source

Surviving the apocalypse is now a game show. I am not making this up. There has been a recent worldwide spike in interest in prepping for the chosen calamity of the month. Daily, hourly, we are inundated with news and theories of the imminence of the end of the world. (Yes, I am aware of the irony in what I just wrote.)

If the end doesn’t come by supervolcano eruption, it’ll for sure be asteroid collision, earthquake, plague, civilization’s collapse, society’s collapse, US implosion, or definitely the Mayan apocalypse. It seems that every other movie released these days has an apocalyptic theme. We have been subjected to a plethora of end of the world movies just in the last couple of years, such as The Book of Eli, The Road, War of the Worlds, I Am Legend, 2012, and so on. Let’s not leave out the movies about doom by plague, such as Contagion, 12 Monkeys, and Outbreak.

There have also been constant television documentaries about how the world could end, proposing real scenarios and depicting in graphic detail the doom that awaits. BBC’s End Day is incredibly compelling, as is History Channel’s After Armageddon.

Of the doomsday pantheon of reality television shows we recently had “Doomsday Preppers” added to the media-pushed doomsday scene. Speaking of the Doomsday Preppers show, on its homepage, we read the following:

“Which Disaster Scenario is Trending? Will it be a megaquake, economic collapse, global pandemic, a 2012 cataclysm, nuclear war, solar-flare-induced power failures, or an extreme oil crisis that leads to the unraveling of society? Using Twitter, we are mining the chatter to see what is at the forefront of the public’s collective consciousness. Find out what the masses are saying, and see which catastrophe is on top of the Doomsday Dashboard.” (PS, as of this writing running ahead of the pack with 30% of the chatter, it’s Nuclear War as the likeliest scenario that does humanity in.)

As a result of all this, there is a booming business in survival bunkers, an issue I wrote about in July 2010, here. In that blog essay two years ago, I mentioned the company Vivos and their bunkers, and how they were selling like hotcakes- then. Apparently the demand has grown exponentially, and no wonder, with the barrage of media messages that the world is about to end. Because Doomsday Preppers was such a success, you KNOW that television producers hot to copy the concept won’t leave it alone for more than a minute. So this brings us to the point of the blog entry: a new reality game show, “The Last Family On Earth.” And a Vivos bunker is the grand prize. Here is their blurb–

“Produced by Pilgrim Studios, the six-episode one-hour series will premiere on Spike TV this fall, with the finale airing just in time for the family to move into their bunker, built by Vivos, the leader in this type of structure construction, and await the world’s potential cataclysmic demise on December 21, as predicted by the Mayan calendar. The families chosen to participate come from a wide variety of backgrounds and are among the 15% of the world’s population, according to a recent Reuters poll, who believe the end of civilization is near. The competition will showcase survival techniques and provide key information that like-minded viewers may also use in preparation for doomsday. In addition to endurance and physical skills, challenges will test the contestants’ leadership abilities, integrity and character. A panel of three survivalist-expert judges, along with viewer input via social media, will help determine which family is eliminated each week. Last Family On Earth will not only focus on the Mayan interpretation of the Apocalypse; the show will help prime contestants for a wide range of annihilation scenarios, including a pandemic, global government or economic collapse, nuclear war, reactor meltdowns, solar flares, massive asteroids, lethal climactic change, a pole shift, calamitous earthquakes, and even widespread anarchy.”

Wow, that’s a lot of annihilation scenarios. But they forgot one. Included in the list should be a Wrathful God Pouring Out His Anger on Sinful Society.

I will flatly state that indeed, yes, there will be doomsday events that are going to happen. There will be meteors and asteroids and earthquakes and superflu and plagues and hurricanes and tsunamis and supervolcano eruptions and societal collapse. It will happen, the earth’s people will die like flies. (Isaiah 51:6). All the above and more will occur within a 7-year period of ever faster unrolling and eventually overlapping events that will dizzy the surviving world. The bible’s last book, Revelation, in addition to lengthy excerpts in Matthew 24, Isaiah, Ezekiel, Amos, and many other of the bible’s books, predict it. The bible is 100% true. If it is predicted, it will come to pass.

Two of the reasons doomsday is predicted to occur is that according to Daniel 9:24, God is going to allow the transgression to be finished, and then He will put an end to sin.

“Seventy weeks are decreed about your people and your holy city, to finish the transgression, to put an end to sin, and to atone for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal both vision and prophet, and to anoint a most holy place.” (Daniel 9:24)

The Hebrew word for transgression is a national, moral, or religions revolt. The Hebrew word for to put an end to is to accomplish, to complete, or to come to the full.

God is planning to remove His Bride, the born again believers that comprise the Church, (1 Cor 15:51-55; 1 Thess 4:13-18) and accompanying that removal is the removal of the Holy Spirit in His restraining ministry, (2 Thess 2:7) and then allow sin to run wild, until sin is accomplished to the full. (Dan 9:24, 2 Thess 2:3). This is known as the Tribulation, or the Time of Jacob’s Trouble. The world will be completely saturated with sin, all kinds and every kind.

Sin is anything we think, say, or do that displeases God and His laws. (Mt 22:37-40). Sin is defined in the bible as transgression of the law of God (1 John 3:4) and rebellion against God (Deuteronomy 9:7; Joshua 1:18). Left, The Temptation and fall of Eve, Artist: William Blake

There will be no place for sinners to hide. Not even a Vivos bunker.

God will punish for hubris. Pride is something that God abhors, and it is the pinnacle of pride to believe that man’s cleverness in building an underground bunker will protect Him from the Creator of All things on His Day of Wrath.

It’s counter-intuitive.

“and I will break the pride of your power, and I will make your heavens like iron and your earth like bronze.” (Leviticus 26:19).

We have no power. It is all given by God.

Source Chris Koelle’s
Revelation App

This is the full context of the above verse: “But if you will not listen to me and will not do all these commandments, if you spurn my statutes, and if your soul abhors my rules, so that you will not do all my commandments, but break my covenant, then I will do this to you: I will visit you with panic, with wasting disease and fever that consume the eyes and make the heart ache. And you shall sow your seed in vain, for your enemies shall eat it. I will set my face against you, and you shall be struck down before your enemies. Those who hate you shall rule over you, and you shall flee when none pursues you. And if in spite of this you will not listen to me, then I will discipline you again sevenfold for your sins, and I will break the pride of your power, and I will make your heavens like iron and your earth like bronze.” (Lev 26:14-19)

In the Leviticus chapter, God explains to His people that obedience brings manifold blessings, the glories and wonders that being in right relationship with God will deliver. But disobedience brings woes. If they are contemptuous of His warnings, if they dismiss his corrections, if they ignore His punishments, then their final days will be of terror. It is the same with the people living at the end of days. Who can stand? None. Vivos bunker or not, the only way to stand will be in Christ.

That said, let’s talk about being in Christ for a moment. Who wouldn’t want to be a friend to the Savior? Obedient to the Holy God who descended from glory to submit to the Father and take His wrath for us? We CAN stand, thanks to Jesus and His sacrifice. We WILL stand on the day He brings us to him, joyously singing praises. Read this. Really read it. Let its majesty soak in.

“After this I looked, and there before me was a door standing open in heaven. And the voice I had first heard speaking to me like a trumpet said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this.”

“At once I was in the Spirit, and there before me was a throne in heaven with someone sitting on it. And the one who sat there had the appearance of jasper and ruby. A rainbow that shone like an emerald encircled the throne. Surrounding the throne were twenty-four other thrones, and seated on them were twenty-four elders. They were dressed in white and had crowns of gold on their heads. From the throne came flashes of lightning, rumblings and peals of thunder. In front of the throne, seven lamps were blazing. These are the seven spirits of God.”

“Also in front of the throne there was what looked like a sea of glass, clear as crystal. In the center, around the throne, were four living creatures, and they were covered with eyes, in front and in back. The first living creature was like a lion, the second was like an ox, the third had a face like a man, the fourth was like a flying eagle. Each of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around, even under its wings. Day and night they never stop saying:

“‘Holy, holy, holy
is the Lord God Almighty,’
who was, and is, and is to come.”

“Whenever the living creatures give glory, honor and thanks to him who sits on the throne and who lives for ever and ever, the twenty-four elders fall down before him who sits on the throne and worship him who lives for ever and ever. They lay their crowns before the throne and say: “You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being.” (Revelation 4)

Believers will be there. We will see that. Repentance to Jesus and Godly sorrow for our sins, faith in Him as Savior and Lord is what it takes to be in right relationship with God. Please repent now, don’t hide in a bunker. Stand up for Jesus by bowing your knee and inclining your heart to the One who wants to know you as friend, not come after you as His enemy.

Posted in israel, prophecy, psalm 83

Fox News leaves Israel off Middle East map

Posted on by elizabethprata

Et tu, Fox News? From Breitbart:

FOX NEWS LEAVES ISRAEL OFF MIDDLE EAST MAP

“During a segment on the political purge in Syria, Fox News identified nearly every Middle East nation, even a territory labeled “Gaza,” but not Israel.”

Psalm 83:4- “They have said, “Come, and let us wipe them out as a nation, That the name of Israel be remembered no more.”” You can rest assured that GOD has not forgotten them as a nation nor has He left Israel off HIS map.

Posted in dmitry orlov, infrastructure, prophecy

Our fragile electrical grid

Posted on by elizabethprata

I wrote a piece on June 1 regarding societal collapse. You can read the entire piece here. In it, I mentioned the work of former Soviet Republic citizen Dmitry Orlov, who witnessed the collapse of that society and the breakup of the Republic of Soviet Socialist States, and emigrated to the US, where he has written about it happening here too. He is an astute observer. I have been reading him for about five years. His Five Stages of Collapse article is highly relevant in putting the current collapse in perspective. He updated it this week, in a piece titled “Fragility and Collapse: Slowly at first, then all at once“. I recommend both the pieces I’ve linked to.

In the fragility article, Orlov posted a graph. I was startled by it. Here it is:

No matter how many times I write about prophetic infrastructure and actual infrastructure, and God stripping away man’s achievements to expose our folly to worship them, our need for total reliance on Him, it is still striking when you see it graphically put.

Orlov was right to explore the nation of societal “fragility.” He is coming at it from a sociological perspective and I am from a Christian perspective, but the fragility our civilization is seen when the thin veneer is so easily taken away. We are really not as advanced as we think we are.

Posted in gay, homosexual, macarthur, masterchef, prophecy

Is America under judgment?

Posted on by elizabethprata

One question Christians are asking frequently these days is whether America is under a judgment. We know we are at the end of the end of days. We know that God’s wrath will pour down upon the rebellious world after the rapture (Rev 6:16). But with all that is going on, are we under a judgment of God now, before the rapture?

The answer is yes.

Here is a transcript from a Q&A held between the pastor of Castle View Baptist Church in Indianapolis, IN and Dr. John MacArthur. At 21:50 the question was asked about the then recent news that Obama had declared his support for homosexual marriage. Dr. MacArthur answered in this way:

“I’d go so far to say that what America is experiencing now is divine judgment. You ask me why do I say that, and I say that because of Romans 1. It says ‘The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness…’ verse 18.

“If there has ever been a nation that has suppressed the truth in unrighteousness, it’s America. We’ve had the truth, we’ve had the gospel truth, we were founded on that … there was a Judeo-Christian approach to law, life, and social behavior.”

“The gospel flourished in America and we have suppressed that at this point so the judgment of God falls.”

“How do you know that? Well, Paul goes on in that same chapter, this is what it will look like, “God gave them over. We go to the verse in Romans 24-26-28, ‘God gave them over’,’God gave them over…’ Here is the sequence,”

“Verse 24, God gave them over to sexual immorality. You know the judgment of God falls on a society is when it is consumed by sexual immorality.”

“Verse 26 says, “and women did that which is unseemly with women, and men with men.” Subsequent to heterosexual revolution is homosexual revolution. When you see that, you know the wrath of God is at work. ‘He gave them over’ that’s a legal term for a sentence. You’re turning someone over to the punishment prescribed for the crime.”

“Verse 28, That’s when God gave them over to reprobate mind. That is when the mind is so far gone you can’t find your way back. That is when the president of the nation declares that he supports homosexual marriage. You know that not only is the behavior corrupt but the thinking is corrupt.”

“The thinking is SO corrupt that the man with the most responsibility in the country advocates immorality at a base, perverse level as normal behavior. So when you ask where America is, America is living in the very chapter of Romans 1. We are watching Romans 1 unfold.”

“In connection with Acts 14, God has allowed all the nations to go their own way. This is the cycle of history, the cycle with Romans 1 is repeated again and again.”

In another question asked of Dr. MacArthur about culture, he responded,

“The generation of young people growing up is learning to see homosexuality as normal, because the most lovable, affable, endearing funny person on every sitcom is a homosexual. Or many of them. So they have a completely different view of these people. They are not outraged by it. They think it’s funny, they’re winsome kinds of people, they are overexposed to these kinds of people, they drive the fashion world, they drive the media world, and so this generation is seriously softened up on this. And it is going to be a challenge for parents to embed in their children what a terribly perverse and tragic kind of life this is. And it is tragic, because they have no future.”

When he said that television is saturated with presentations of homosexuality as a normal lifestyle and that the homosexual characters are presented as engaging and winsome, it made me think of not only the scripted shows, but the reality television shows. I enjoy watching cooking shows and competitions, and also the HGTV design shows. Even a few years ago, it seems, there were not as many homosexual and lesbian competitors who stated up front that they were “out.” One supposes that in the design shows as with fashion, there would be many people who have chosen that lifestyle. But few remarked on it. Now, they do, and right away too.

When Dr. MacArthur said the media invariably shows the homosexual characters as winsome, cuddly, lovable, I thought of the kid on Masterchef, Michael. The very first competitor in Masterchef by Gordon Ramsay was a 19 year old boy named Michael. He is Asian, and completely cute. He really was a winsome kid. The show is a reality show so it is not scripted, but the boy is cuddly and engaging! He’s a total doll. This is part of the conversation he and the judges had as Michael was contesting for a spot in the show:

Got a girlfriend? No. I’m gay, actually.
Got a boyfriend?
No, I am 19 and I don’t believe in dating before high school.
You’re very proper aren’t you?
I try to follow the rules most of the time.
Did you tell your dad on the same day I want to be a chef and by the way I’m gay?
I came out to my dad right before I came to Masterchef. I don’t want to hide my true self.
Embrace it!
You’ve got no reason to, either.

It is this relentless message that the homosexual lobby promotes. The contestant Michael went on to win a spot in the competition/show. The same goes for Hell’s Kitchen and Chopped, Top Chef and Food Network Star. These cooking shows all have contestants who are bold in proclaiming their homosexuality, in introducing their partners, or in mentioning their sexual preference. Since when do we need to know who a person sleeps with in order to learn to make soup?

Dr. MacArthur is right. This generation is de-sensitized to the hopelessness and emptiness of the homosexual lifestyle. They think it is OK.

We are under judgment. The utter depravity in our morals these days from the highest levels, to media, to personal spheres is indicative of how far we have fallen. And God is judging that. Read Romans 1.

As much as He judges, he forgives. He died on the cross as the sacrifice to satisfy God’s wrath for all sins, including homosexuality. The Corinthians were a pagan orgiastic culture, and Paul said some of the worshipers there were greedy, drunkards, thieves, slanderers, swindlers, etc, and some were formerly homosexuals (1 Corinthians 6:9-11) but now all were forgiven:

“But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.”

Allow the Lord to forgive you of your sins, no matter what they are. America is under judgment and we know that there is not a lot of time left. Do not delay. Repent. He is willing to forgive whatever lifestyle you have adopted. Do not remain in it, for it has no future. Jesus is your future!

Posted in earthquakes in diverse places, judgment, prophecy

Earthquakes in diverse places

Posted on by elizabethprata

With half the year gone, I decided to update my earthquake data. My last update was Dec. 31, 2011. With the many prophetic references to the coming earthquakes both as signs (Mark 13:8) and judgment (Is 29:6; Zech 14:5; Rev 6:12), I decided to check the United States Geological Survey data and see how the quake numbers are running. Click to enlarge.

Source

The KIND of quakes have been more worrisome than the sheer number of them. For example:

Mayo (Ireland) quake surprises seismologists
“A leading seismologist has said yesterday’s earthquake off the west coast was “unexpected” and poses “very interesting questions for geologists”. The earthquake, which registered a magnitude of four on the Richter scale, was recorded as 60km west of Belmullet, Co Mayo, at a depth of 3km, at 8.58am. It was the largest local seismic event ever recorded, according to Tom Blake of the Irish National Seismic Network (INSN) and the Dublin Institute of Advanced Studies. It was also the second-largest local earthquake on record in either Britain or Ireland, he said – the first being of 5.4 magnitude on July 19th, 1984…”

Remember the Northern Italy quake two weeks ago that was a thrust quake (which is two plates thrusting one over the other) but the location of the quake was hundreds of miles from the plate boundaries? Seismologists could not figure that one out either. They called it “weird”.

Another earthquake in a diverse place, (Mark 13:8) occurred yesterday in Tamworth Australia

Quakes shake up townships in state’s north 
“The centre’s director Kevin McCue said these were the first earthquakes greater than magnitude 4 to strike inland northern NSW since December 1969, when a magnitude 5 quake struck near Coonabarabran. “It’s unusual to have an earthquake of this size.” (They both were 4.2 mag).

How about THIS weird happening? June 4, Lake Erie:

Freak wave sweeps three off beach
“A sudden wave that swept several people off the beach on Sunday, was likely an edge wave, or seiche. The National Weather Service confirms the rare event which almost took the lives of three Lake County teenagers. “It came up on us so fast we didn’t have time to react,” said Connor Bachmann, 15, of Madison, who was standing on the beach with a number of other people Sunday evening about 6 o’clock. “It started pulling on us and when I turned my back it completely covered us and started pulling us out.” Bachman, Molly McGill, and Rachel Pridemore were swept out almost half a mile onto the lake, almost instantly. “I’m a strong swimmer and I never felt that helpless in my life,” Bachmann admitted. “I thought I was going to die.” Jim Channell of Kirtland Hills witnessed the whole thing. He just happened to be on his jet ski, heading for shore, when he saw the seiche crash onto the beach. “It took out the whole beach,” he told WKYC, with amazement still in voice. “I didn’t believe what I was seeing. Then it hit a second time.”

The seiche has happened before, just not frequently. The last one was 1942 and one before that in 1882. It looks like water sloshing around in a goldfish bowl and is thought to occur either when a far off quake happens, or wind and air pressure makes the wave pounce. This one was 7 feet. In but a moment it swept the three teens half a mile out.

“Throughout history, God has used earthquakes in many ways for various reasons. The Bible shows that God used earthquakes in history to show His presence, His deliverance, His wrath and His power. God will also use earthquakes yet in the future to announce Christ’s Return, accompany prophetic events, and reshape the earth’s surface. In Matthew 24, Christ told His disciples of the signs that would precede His Second Coming. In verse 7, He stated, “and there shall be…earthquakes, in diverse places.” This meant earthquakes would take place in various places—scattered throughout the world—and would increase in frequency as the time of His Return drew near (see Mark 13:8 and Luke 21:11). Had earthquakes been as prolific throughout history as they are today, then they would not indicate that the end of the age was near. They are much more common now than at any other time in history. ” (source)

So that is the quick and dirty on quakes lately!