Category: prophecy

Posted in encouragement, end time, japan, nuclear, pre-tribulation rapture, prophecy

Christians, this is where the rubber meets the road

Posted on by elizabethprata

The immediate future looks very, very dim for all of us on planet earth. The Japan situation is one where we simply do not have words any more. The human toll, the infrastructure toll, the economic toll, the financial toll and the nuclear toll affects everyone on this planet, whether you are Japanese, American, or Finnish. As a matter of fact, the Finns are buying iodine pills like they are going out of style, which they are. Over at The Economic Collapse blog, Mike Snyder noted: “[Japan is the] 3rd largest economy in the world … Could this be the “tipping point” that pushes the Japanese economy over the edge and into oblivion? … The truth is that the economy of Japan was already deeply struggling before this disaster. The national debt of Japan is now well over 200% of GDP and there seems to be no doubt that they will need to borrow massive amounts of money to deal with the aftermath of this crisis. Up until now the Japanese government has been able to borrow money at ultra-low interest rates of around 1.30 percent for 10-year bonds, drawing on a huge pool of savings from its own citizens. But in light of what has just happened, will the citizens of Japan still have enough resources to continue to fund the rampant spending of the Japanese government? At this point, it is estimated that this gigantic mountain of debt breaks down to 7.5 million yen for every single citizen of Japan.”

Add to that the cost to rebuild, mainly from scratch in places, and you have a serious dent in Japan’s and the world’s economy.

The nuclear situation is dire. Here is a photo from satellite of nuke reactor #1 (left) and #3 which still had smoke rising from its most recent explosion. [Photo credit: Photo DigitalGlobe / Creative Commons License BY-NC-ND]

They are destroyed. The steel housings of the construction are hanging outside the building and have actually melted on the concrete, you can see them running parallel to each other from top to bottom. The core is clearly visible, the overhead protective structure is completely obliterated at the very least. They are talking about radiation, plutonium, cesium, chromium and/or MOX getting into the atmosphere. Reactor 3 was burning MOX (mixed oxide fuel) fuel which is a VERY radioactive fuel when used.  MOX is bad because it will burn hotter then regular uranium. This was warned to be a bad fuel IF the plant were to come close to meltdown. Here is a link to Japan’s MOX program.

People on conspiracy sites all over the place are putting up wind and jet stream maps to determine when and where the radioactivity will arrive in the US and in other places. All three reactors are in meltdown mode and today even the mainstream newspapers are discussing the radiation fallout and putting up maps. They are buying gas masks, getting treated for radiation poisoning, hospitals are filling up…it is truly a doomsday scenario. The spectre of radiation raises the spectre of a chilling thought: the Revelation 4th seal of death through pestilence could well be radiation. Maybe not, but it shows us how He could lift a finger there and over here something completely un-thought of comes forth.

What can we as Christians do? We know to pray. We know to donate. We also know to rely on the promises of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! Rely on His promises! This time is where the rubber meets the road. I painted a realistic picture for you and it is truly a doomish one. But He is the same yesterday, today, and forever! (Hebrews 13:8) Lest you forget what is ahead for us, and perhaps SOON:

‘He who overcomes will thus be clothed in white garments; and I will not erase his name from the book of life, and I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels. (Revelation 3:5) What a comfort to be known and spoken of by the God of the Universe!

Ps 34:19, “Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the LORD delivereth him out of them all.” Yes, we have afflictions, and more may be coming down the pike, but what a blessing to know that we will be delivered!

“I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.” (John 14:18). Does this compute? The God of the Universe, will come to you. He will come right now if you need Him, pray if you need comfort. He is there, right beside you.

We are looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ. (Titus 2:13). We are the generation that will see Him from life to eternal life without death! We are blessed to see Him soon, His glorious appearing! “Six days later Jesus took with Him Peter and James and John his brother, and led them up on a high mountain by themselves. And He was transfigured before them; and His face shone like the sun, and His garments became as white as light.” (Mt 17:1-2). We will see Him through glorified eyes, gaze upon His bright face!

Let not your heart be troubled: you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. – John 14:1-3

So though the near future looks dim on planet earth, this is not our home! It looks very bright for us in New Jerusalem.

He knows your name, He is readying a place for you, He is bright like the sun and so you shall be bright, and He is coming to gather you to His bosom. Do not quiver in fear, this is where the rubber meets the road in your faith! Stand strong and ready, “‘Do not fear, for I am with you; Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.‘”
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Posted in earthquake, end time, prophecy, repent

Holy Fear: The Great Earthquake, Part 3

Posted on by elizabethprata

Read Part 1 here
Read Part 2 here

“The earth shook and trembled; the foundations also of the hills moved and were shaken, because He was wroth.” (Psalm 18:7).

The USGS essay regarding the historical New England earthquake of 1727 and its aftermath continues:

“The people of New England were affected by this earthquake as they had never been before, being fearful of divine judgments for their sins and lax responsiveness to the call to religious duties. The clergy taught them that it was “a loud call to the whole land to repent and fear and give glory to God.” The next morning great numbers of the inhabitants of Boston gathered at the old North church for prayer and other religious services. The fear of further immediate danger was somewhat dispelled in the pleasant sunlight, but as soon as the sun had set their fright returned, and in greater numbers than in the morning the people crowded to the old Brick church, which could not hold them. The old South was then opened, and those who failed of admission to the Brick church flocked thither, and that was also filled. Rev. Thomas Paine of Weymouth, Mass., and some other ministers, tried to prove to their congregations that the earthquake had not a natural cause, but was a supernatural token of God’s anger to the sinful world.”

“The selectmen of Medford, Mass., appointed the next Wednesday as a day to be observed by fasting and prayer on account of the earthquake; and Lieutenant-governor Dummer recommended that Thursday should be kept in the same way for the same purpose throughout the province. Many sermons delivered on the latter and other days were printed and are still extant. In Salem, Mass., a meeting was held on Saturday at the upper meeting-house (then so called) which was attended by the largest congregation that was ever in that edifice.”

They repented, the fasted, they prayed, and they entreated. The people fell down before a mighty God and supplicated in proper Holy Fear.

In his sermon “A Holy Fear of God and His Judgments” John Cotton defined Holy Fear:

–Trembling for fear of God implies our solemn an awful apprehensions of the great God, who brings such judgments upon us

–Trembling for fear of God means that we are sensibly touched and affected with the consideration of the judgments that are or may yet be brought upon us.

–Trembling for fear of God means our humbling ourselves exceedingly before Him who is thus visiting and threatening us.

Do we tremble? Rarely. We strut, we dismiss, we forget the power He wields, and holds back. Holy Fear, repentance, and awe of His majesty are not popular topics today. Prosperity, ecstatic experiences, all paths leading to heaven are the topics of today, when the bible is even referred to at all.

After a 9.0 quake, tsunami, and four volcanoes exploding, what should we ALL be doing? Repenting. Falling down on our faces. As Rev Cotton said, “It suggests that we so abhor them [judgments] that they make deep impressions upon our hearts; that our spirits are so sorrowfully affected with the tokens of the divine anger visible therein that we weep bitterly in secret places in the consideration thereof. Indeed, they have the power to make us cry out, “Oh that my head were waters, and mines eyes a fountain of tears, that I might weep day and night” (Jeremiah 9:1).”

We do not weep day and night for our own sins, faults, and failures. We do not weep for neglecting to give glory to God. We do not react thus: “When I heard, my belly trembled; my lips quivered at the voice; rottenness entered into my bones, and I trembled in myself.” (Habakkuk 3:16).

We shake our heads at the poor folks way over in Japan, and we move on. We do not do the first and proper thing: repent. I am not talking to only non-believers. I am talking to believers who have forgotten what it means to be a sinner falling into the hands of an angry God.

Why are not the churches in America full today? Why are not people weeping at altars, seeking forgiveness? Do we evidence a Holy Fear? No, we talk of prosperity with a flashy smile. As the USGS essay concludes, “Seriousness was the expression on the faces of most of the people, and in some towns, large numbers were added to the church. In the parish of Chebacco in Ipswich, Mass., for instance seventy-six persons became church members. The earthquake had its effect upon some licentious characters, who became truly reformed, and afterward led honorable and moral lives.”

Rev Cotton finishes, “Oh, what need we have then to cry mightily unto God that He will make the impressions lasting on the souls of parents, children, young, old, rich, poor, bond and free! We have done it already. We will continue to do it, and we hope the Lord will not turn away our prayers nor His mercy from us.” Will the dreadful impressions of God after the Japan quake last in you? I hope so.
Give glory to God for His power. Give glory to Jesus by living an honorable and moral life in Him.
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Posted in end time, great earthquake, prophecy, repent

Holy Fear: The Great Earthquake, part 1

Posted on by elizabethprata

The greatest earthquake that New England has probably experienced since its settlement by the English occurred October 29, 1727. The people had suffered much in various ways through the summer and early autumn. A drought continued from the middle of June to the middle of September, the month of July and the first week of August being exceedingly hot. No rain fell in April after the first week, and but twice in May, only one of two slight showers occurring during the sultry, parching heat of the summer. The earth dried to a great depth, and many wells and springs, which had never failed before were now dry. There was much lightning and thunder, but very little rain. On the evening of August 1, at the close of a scorching day, the heavens burst out into a blaze of flame and a roar of thunder, the terrific display continuing for two or three hours. The flashes occurred so frequently that the sky was continually light with them and a writer of that time said it seemed “as if the heavens being on fire were dissolving and passing away with a great noise, and the earth also with its works was to be burned up.”

After the drought was broken a violent northeast storm came on, doing much damage among the vessels along the coast, and the trees on shore. This occurred September 16. It caused a high tide which carried away about two hundred loads of hay from the marshes at Newbury, Mass., and drove eight or nine vessels ashore at Salem and thirty-five at Marblehead.

After the lightning, thunder, and tempest the country was visited by a tremendous earthquake. October 24, 1727, the weather was very cold; three days later, snow fell, and on the 28th the temperature was still exceedingly low for the season. Sunday, the 29th, was fair and pleasant, and in the evening the moon shone brightly, the air was calm, and no noise disturbed the peacefulness of nature. People retired at their usual hour, and were fast asleep, when at twenty minutes before eleven o’clock a terrible noise followed by a roar and a rush suddenly woke them, and in about half a minute, before they had time to become conscious of what was taking place around them, there came a pounce as if gigantic cannons had rolled against each other from opposite directions. Latches leaped up and doors flew open, houses rocked and trembled as though they would collapse, timber worked in and out of mortises, hearth-stones grated against each other, windows rattled, tops of chimneys pitched and tumbled down, cellar walls fell in, beds shook, pewter fell off shelves, lids of warming pans jumped up and fell back with a clang, and all movable things, especially in the upper rooms, tossed about.

Most people got up in a moment, and many of them ran out of doors in their night clothes, being so frightened that they knew not what to do. The earth shook so much that they could not stand, and were compelled to sit or recline on the ground.

People that were awake when the earthquake came said that a flash of light preceded it. It was seen as it passed the windows, and a blaze seemed to run along the ground, dogs that saw it giving a sudden bark as if frightened. Before they had time to consider the source or cause of the light a sound like a gentle murmur floated to them on the still evening air, followed by a slight ruffling wind. Then came a rumbling as of distant thunder, which approached nearer and nearer and grew louder and louder till it sounded as if innumerable heavy carriages were being rapidly driven over pavements, or like the roaring of a great furnace, but incomparably fiercer and more terrible, having a hollow sound as if it came from under the earth. Then the shock came suddenly and severely and the houses were felt to totter and reel with the trembling and heaving of the ground.

The noise and shake came from the northwest, and went in a south-easterly direction. The whole disturbance occurred within the space of two minutes of time. The cattle ran bellowing about the fields, being thoroughly frightened at this sudden and fearful commotion in the still hours of night. They acted as though suffering from the greatest distress. “the fire hath devoured the pastures of the wilderness, and the flame hath burned all the tress of the field. The beasts of the field cry also unto Thee;…” (Joel 1:19, 20).”

Source: USGS Historic Earthquakes. More at link

Stay tuned for part two, coming up momentarily
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Posted in end time, God, prophecy

He is powerful and loving

Posted on by elizabethprata

Who can understand a power so great the earth trembles at a mere glance, yet is also gentle enough to wipe our tears from our face? THAT is our God. Never forget that.

“He looketh on the earth, and it trembleth: he toucheth the hills, and they smoke.” Psalm 104:32

“He will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from off all faces; and the rebuke of his people shall he take away from off all the earth: for the LORD hath spoken” Isaiah 25:8

“And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.” Revelation 21:4

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Posted in end time, japan earthquake, pre-tribulation rapture, prophecy

Earthquake: At what point do the warnings end and the Tribulation punishments begin?

Posted on by elizabethprata

Let’s discuss a bit more of the effects from this morning’s earthquake. I posted quickly after I awoke and turned on the laptop to discover that a devastating earthquake had occurred, followed by a tsunami of global proportions, damage, radiation leakage, fires, shell-shocked wandering thousands, and all the other attendant effects. Since then, scientists have discovered more about the quake and the effect it had on the earth. There are two effects of high significance. After we explore those, we’ll delve into what the bible says.

From the Italian newspaper Corriere, we learn “The impact of the earthquake that hit Japan this morning shifted the earth’s rotation axis is nearly 10 inches. It’s the preliminary result of studies carried out by INGV, National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology. According to Richard Gross, a geophysicist at NASA, the Earth’s rotation rate is increased causing a shortening of 1.6 microseconds duration of the day. A microsecond is one millionth of a second.” This quake was so powerful the entire island of Japan was moved 8 feet to the east.

TEN INCHES! That is one huge quake. I read earlier today that this quake was thirty times stronger than the famous in in 1906 at Frisco. God is powerful. No, it was not a “natural disaster”. It was God. Psalms 104:32- “He looketh on the earth, and it trembleth: he toucheth the hills, and they smoke.”

Speaking of smoking hills, in Russia, Kamchatka volcano exploded. Translated from Russian, “Almost simultaneously with the strong shock that hit Japan and triggered a giant tsunami in the Pacific, two Russian Kamchatka volcanoes erupted. Eruption was accompanied by earthquakes. In the Russian Far East, there has been a strong volcanic eruption. The air got a great cloud of volcanic dust, which can pose a threat to air traffic in the region. In both cases, the volcanoes that threatened the outbreak of several days or even months.” Mount Karangetang volcano in Indonesia erupted at the same time, as well. More here.

He toucheth the hills, and they smoke…

Another effect from the Japan quake was that the earth ruptured. “David Applegate, a senior science adviser for earthquake and geologic hazards for the U.S. Geological Survey, said the 8.9-magnitude quake ruptured a patch of the earth’s crust 150 miles long and 50 miles across.”

“The earth is broken up, the earth is split asunder, the earth is thoroughly shaken.” (Isiaiah 24:19).

God is in charge of the earth. He formed it, He created it, and He will renew it after destroying it in a fervent heat. (2 Peter 3:10). What we should be taking away from this day is the knowledge, certainty and power of an Almighty God. He is shaking us, warning us. Yes, these are still warnings. But this is really bad, you say. Yes, today is really bad. But they are still warnings.

Imagine how terrible the day will be when THIS happens: “I watched as he opened the sixth seal. There was a great earthquake. The sun turned black like sackcloth made of goat hair, the whole moon turned blood red, and the stars in the sky fell to earth, as late figs drop from a fig tree when shaken by a strong wind. The sky receded like a scroll, rolling up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place.” (Rev 6:12-14)

I’ve often wondered about how bad things will get before we are called to meet Him in the air. (1 Thess 4:16-18). How bad will the birth pangs get and what will that look like? The church is not destined to be on earth for the Tribulation, that is a fact. The angel told Daniel in Daniel 9:24 the 6 reasons God will make a Tribulation, and one of them is to punish, and end the iniquity on earth. Church age believers are not destined for punishment, our sins are pardoned and we are free from accusation. (Col 1:22). But for the Christians in Japan, if there are any, it must certainly feel like punishment. So this is how I decided to think about it.

Today’s events were the first global event of the birth pangs. Remember, the prophesied birth pangs began at Jesus ascension and will end when He returns in Glory. The nature of pangs is that they begin almost unnoticed and increase to an unbearable pitch, accompanied by screaming. Today’s quake has affected every continent and all the oceans. It is a cataclysm that we as humans on one planet are all experiencing. In the past and even in the recent past, there have been cataclysms but they have been localized. Katrina. Indonesian earthquake, Australian drought. Pakistan floods. But today, we are all affected. I think that means that we are near the tipping point from His warnings during the Church Age, to punishment for the unbelieving masses in the upcoming Tribulation. I do not know the mind of God, only what He shared with us in the bible. But He has told us that He will call us, and call us, and call us to Him, but there is a limit to His patience and His calling. It will not go on forever. Christians the world over can feel that time nearing, when He will stop calling and begin punishing. You can just feel it.

Today’s events really make us see how easily a day like that one in Revelation 6, still future, can come about. It makes us see how powerful God is, and how loving. Yes, loving. I hope that the events of today caused some to re-think their faith or beliefs. What a blessing that would be. If those beliefs do not include Jesus as number one and ourselves as sinners whose destiny should be hell, then you need a radical re-think. Jesus is love and He is shaking us. He wants to see you, and you, and you in the place He is preparing for you in New Jerusalem. I hope the events of today caused Christians to witness like there’s no tomorrow. Because there might not be.
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Posted in end time, prophecy, x flare

X flare was earth directed, dead fish in CA, Japan quakes

Posted on by elizabethprata

There have been twenty-four earthquakes today in Honshu Japan, four of them over 6.0, which are USGS classified as “major.” Twenty of them were in the upper 4.0+ range and into the upper 5.0 magnitude range. And for good measure, there was another strong quake off New Guinea.

6.6 NEW BRITAIN REGION, PAPUA NEW GUINEA
6.1 2011/03/09 NEAR THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
6.0 2011/03/09 OFF THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
6.1 2011/03/09 NEAR THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
7.2 2011/03/09 NEAR THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN

In Australia, animals have been washing up on shore in large numbers. “Dead fish, eels and crayfish have been found on shores with the coastline of Green Head, some 290km north of Perth, being covered in washed up carcasses. Green Head resident Rod Wilson said: “It’s very heartbreaking. I’ve been here for 28 years and I’ve never seen anything like it. To us it’s a local ecological disaster.””

Massive fish kill in California. “Officials said there is layer of fish about 12 to 18 inches thick covering the bottom of the marina, and those fish will wash up to the surface in the days ahead. Firefighters are using a hose at the bottom of the harbor to try to stir the fish up for a diver to capture. A sewer vacuum truck is also being used to suck the dead fish from the water with a long plastic hose. “Now that you have millions and just tons of dead fish, it’s going to become a hazmat situation,” Sgt. Phil Keenan of the Redondo Beach Police Department told KTLA.” News reports variously attribute the fish dying to winds, red tide, and/or lack of oxygen.

The dead fish are wall-to-wall and are 18 inches deep in the water.

In space, news, the sun has been active. Just as seismologists have an earthquake rating system for magnitude, the astronomers-that-be have a rating system on the gaseous emissions that flare out and eject from the sun. C class is small, M class is medium and X-class is the largest. An M1 is smallest M-class flare and a M9 is largest. Spaceweather.com summarized of one of the larger M-class flares: “FAST CORONAL MASS EJECTION: A coronal mass ejection (CME) exploded from the vicinity of sunspot 1164 during the late hours of March 7th. It leapt away from the sun traveling ~2200 km/s, making it the fastest CME since Sept. 2005. A movie of the cloud prepared by Karl Battams of the Naval Research Lab shows a possibly substantial Earth-directed component. This CME and at least one other could brush against Earth’s magnetic field on March 9th or 10th. High-latitude sky watchers should be alert for auroras.”

The Coronal Mass Ejections emitting from the sun this week sure have been crackling. On March 7th, there have been 7 M flares, on March 8th there were 5 M flares. There have been at least 2 flares on March 9th, and still counting. And this evening, we have an X flare.

NOAA Space Weather Alerts, Message Code: SUMX01
Serial Number: 69
SUMMARY: X-ray Event exceeded X1
Begin Time: 2011 Mar 09 2313 UTC
Maximum Time: 2011 Mar 09 2323 UTC
End Time: 2011 Mar 09 2329 UTC
X-ray Class: X1.5
Optical Class: 2b
Location: N90W10
NOAA Scale: R3 – Strong

Coronal Mass Ejections (when a flare is released from the  sun and its emission travels through space) can affect earth if earth is in the path. We can experience anything from satellite dish disruptions, radio transmission interruptions, to electrical power grid outages. The X-Flare that occurred just happened a few hours ago and NOAA et al are still assessing its direction and potential impact.

I wonder, at what point will people say that it is God, and not “natural disasters.” When an earthquake so bad happens that the mountains crumble and men hide in the caves? (Rev 6:14;15).  Or when the sun becomes dark, the flips on the lightswitch again? (Rev 8:12). Or when 100 pound hailstones fall? (Rev 16:21). The fact is, there are many who will continue to believe that God does not exist and that the events occurring in the world are the result of global warming or climate change or wars or man’s failure to unite with one heart or to tap into its universal consciousness or that any moment now, it will all be right again. Pharaoh himself saw the works of God and refused to believe.

Many will believe during the Tribulation, and praise God for that. He super-seals 144,000 evangelists and they proclaim His word and they believe. An Angel flies around the sun proclaiming to every tribe, nation and tongue, and many believe. The Two Witnesses proclaim God to the peoples and many believe. But many will not. I hope you believe.
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Posted in brazil ufo, end time, prophecy

UFO Brazil: Fox News reports. Is it a hoax, or not?

Posted on by elizabethprata

First, the footage:


“A UFO spied in the skies over Sao Paulo has all of Brazil buzzing. The amateur footage, shown on Brazilian TV station G1, shows blurry footage of a disc-shaped object hovering in the clouds for a minute or so — before disappearing in a bright flash of light, followed by a trail of colorful bursts. But is it an alien visitation, or merely the latest in a storied tradition of forgeries?”

“G1’s anchors explain that two passersby saw the object as they were driving in their car, near the town of Agudos in Sao Paulo state. They hopped out of the car to shoot the video with their handheld camera. According to the TV station, the cinematographers reported the earth shaking at about the same time the object vanishes in a blast of light, noting that other people reported the earth moving in the same general area. According to the U.S. Geological Survey’s Earthquake Hazards Program, there have been no earthquakes in the area. Chile was rocked by a few earthquakes in recent days, notably a 6.8 magnitude temblor on February 11. Video-editing expert Philip Cavaca told G1 that the film was a well-made montage — but a hoax nonetheless. “It can be seen in one frame,” he told the station. “When the truck goes by, you can tell that the UFO was moved, which is un-noticeable to the naked eye,” he said. According to Cavaca, by freezing the image you can see the exact frame in which the “UFO” alters. The station did not reveal the identity of the videographers, but did say that the video was the talk of the town in Sao Paulo. Watch the UFO video and judge for yourself at G1.globo.com.”

What does a UFO have to do with the end time? Or with a sane, pleasant person going about her business and having tea? Well, UFOs are really fallen angels. They are off planet dwellers who travel at the speed of light or faster, through dimensions, have been stated by God to visit is, and are extremely bright, sowing a white light that deceives. (2 Cor 11:15)

Further, this is a time when we are told would be full of deception (Rev 20:10) and falsity (Mt 7:15), and to beware (Phil 3:2).

Staying in the Word of God, and having an active prayer life in order to stay close to Jesus is the only way to avoid falsity in these deceptive end times. “He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.” Psalm 91:4.
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Posted in end time, prophecy

Are you a cotter pin?

Posted on by elizabethprata

In the body of Christ, all are important- even the seemingly small. Are you doubting your importance to Christ and His work? Don’t.

Isaiah 33:23a – “Your rigging hangs loose: The mast is not held secure, the sail is not spread”

I was reading this verse today and it reminded me of something that happened to me some years ago. We were liveaboard yachtsmen then and had sailed from Maine to the Bahamas. We were staying a while in the Bahamas, enjoying the numerous islands, hopping from one to the other. We had made some friends and sailed with them, anchoring at night and socializing over scrabble and rum. On the day of the photo, I and my husband were sailing with our chums on Sea of Abaco. It was a yacht race,  and we were aboard their boat.

I’m in the foreground in the yellow shirt

So me and the boat owner’s wife were sitting amidships enjoying the race, looking at the other boats, and chatting. After a few minutes, she said, “Let’s go below and get some water.” We moved to the galley and a second later we heard an enormous crash! The boat shook and rolled! We instantly thought we had run aground, even though the Sea was deep at that location. We scrambled up to the deck only to see that the mast had fallen down! It had crashed down on the spot where we had just been sitting!!

dismasted credit. note, this was not the boat I was on. But the mess was similar.
Again, not our boat, but the sails and rigging dragging in the water is similar

The other owner had fallen into the water and the sails and heavy ropes and rigging were ensnaring his legs, potentially dragging him under. The boat came to a dead stop in the water and we were simply in shock.

A dismasting is one of the most terrible things that can happen to a yachtsman on the water. Fortunately we were half a mile from nearly the only and the best boatbuilding and repair facility in the entire 700 mile chain of islands. The owner guy was a schmoozer and finagled parts from the States in no time and within a week they were on their way. As with any tragedy, we wanted to know why. What did the mast autopsy say?

The cotter pin was gone.

This is a cotter pin:

This is how a cotter pin is used:

A cotter pin is “a metal fastener with two tines that are bent during installation used to fasten metal together, like with a staple or rivet.” (Wikipedia)

A mast and its rigging system is complex, and it relies on the sum of its parts, plus tension, to work. “On a sailing vessel, a forestay, sometimes just called a stay, is a piece of standing rigging which keeps a mast from falling backwards. It is attached either at the very top of the mast, or in fractional rigs between about 1/8 and 1/4 from the top of the mast. The other end of the forestay is attached to the bow of the boat.”

forestay is #16

And the cotter pin holds the forestay to the bow. With the cotter pin gone, the tension of the system was disrupted, and at just the right moment, the mast fell backwards.

The first thing you see on a sailing vessel is its mast and sail. It is a beautiful thing, billowing in the wind, doing important work to propel the boat. The next thing perhaps you see is the boat itself, its lines and its beauty. As Alan Jackson sang in “Boats to Build,” it has a “fair curve from a noble plan.”

The next thing you may notice is the stays and shrouds hearing them hum and sing in the wind. You hear the engine, you see the keel when heeling in a stiff breeze. You never notice the cotter pins.

Isaiah 33:23a – “Your rigging hangs loose: The mast is not held secure, the sail is not spread”

We Christians make up a body. Every body part has a function. If we’re serious about our walk with Jesus, we want to make a difference. We see great evangelists opening hearts to the Spirit and subsequent salvation. We see missionaries making great sacrifices. We listen to pastors preach as if they were on fire, and altars filled with weeping responders. We see teachers publishing book after book, with eager readers excitedly discussing new points of view.

We never notice the cotter pins. But if the pin is gone, the mast falls down. It has its part in the system, and every body part is important to Jesus, the Head of the Body. If you have been feeling sad, like you’re insignificant, like you don’t make a difference, YOU DO.
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Posted in peace, prophecy

Saturday Interlude

Posted on by elizabethprata

It’s raining and dark on this weekend morning. And cold, too, for a Georgia spring. The gas heat is crackling in the stove. I like it. I have a cup of good, hot coffee steaming on my favorite coaster. Home fries are sizzling on the pan. I am writing my weekly prophecy newsletter for emailing later. And of course the bible is next to me and open. Gaither Vocal Band channel is playing on Pandora Internet Radio, and I am very, very happy. I have a lot to be grateful for. That I can call it the weekend means I have a job on the weekdays. I have food, and not just any food, but food I savor. I am safe from the weather, warm and dry. I am listening to hymns, something many people in the world are denied the blessing of. I am doing the work that the Lord gave me to do: writing prophecy to warn and remind. It is work I enjoy, no less, and He has mightily enabled me, another praise. Under His wings I am sheltered, happy, working. I feel peace. I know Him who IS peace.

Have you counted your blessings today? Sometimes even the smallest things are the biggest blessings. I hope you have peace today as well.

Until later,
Elizabeth
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Posted in end of days. prophecy, end time, mistresses china, prophecy

The Mistresses and the Days of Noah

Posted on by elizabethprata

Mistress event ends in uproar

“An online event intended to let China’s mistresses celebrate their status and air grievances quickly descended into a slanging match yesterday. Mistresses were joined by cheating husbands and wronged wives in an online chatroom for the inaugural “Festival for Mistresses.” The time and date chosen – 3:30pm on March 3 – was significant, as in Chinese mistresses are nicknamed “Little Three,” as they are the third person in a married man’s relationship. However, despite being dubbed a festival, good cheer was in short supply. … As levels of abuse escalated and chaos reigned, the moderator was forced to warn participants to behave. … Sister Three hoped the event would let people know more about mistresses, help them shed their scandalous image and gain social and legal status. Some mistresses complain China’s marriage law discriminates against them, giving all advantages to wives.”

Who didn’t see that coming. Anyone? Anyone?

One of the conditions the Lord said would be prevalent in the world just before His second coming would be that the world would be like it was in the Days of Noah. Jesus said: “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only. But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.” (Mt 24:40).

What were the days of Noah like?

“Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. (Gen 6:5) Now the earth was corrupt in the sight of God, and the earth was filled with violence. God looked on the earth, and behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted their way upon the earth. Then God said to Noah, “The end of all flesh has come before Me; for the earth is filled with violence because of them; and behold, I am about to destroy them with the earth.” (Gen 6:11-13)

The people were corrupt, all flesh was corrupt, all the time. They were cavorting, flaunting their immorality in front of God. Why? They thought they were secure. With no thought to their eternal destiny, they hedonistically lived only for the moment, squeezing maximum pleasure into it.

But if you are the only person in a crowd acting immorally, it is not a comfortable situation. The goal, then, is to get other people to act like you do, or at the least, to get them to accept it. Just read Genesis 19:4-5 for another example of societal immorality and pressure to conform to the evil. The situation at Lot’s house in Sodom also merits another mention by Jesus (Luke 17:29-30) as a condition we will see at the end of days.

Back to today, being a Little Three in a marriage breaks God’s Law, period. But one of the goals of the Little Three group wants is to “shed their scandalous image and gain social and legal status.” I’ll say it again, sharing a bed with a married man is against God’s law. But that doesn’t stop all flesh from corrupting their way upon the earth and all thoughts end up as evil continually. They expend energy trying to normalize adultery. They felt secure in their sins, so secure, that they noticed nothing until the flood waters came. They noticed nothing until the burning sulphur rained down. They will notice nothing until the fire from heaven comes.

If you are wondering what the eternal consequences of your sins are, they are death. But the eternal consequences of Jesus’ death on the cross is that you do not have to die. You can live! He paid the price that God exacts for sin. He is Holy and His must render justice, and He did. Jesus died as the blood sacrifice for the immorality you perpetrate, for the sins you enjoy. If you are queasy about your thought-life, if you are wondering about the emptiness of your morality, if you hate your speech when you gossip or slander, then wonder no more. Jesus can answer those questions and He will forgive everything if you ask Him to! He will embrace you, clean you of sin and welcome you to His home. Be mindful, you will be outside of the crowd, standing against the current. For the time being. But for eternity, you will be as one with the Holy God who loves you.

But if you are a mistress celebrating your sins and pushing for acceptance and status through them, you will lose it all. Jesus always gives you a choice. He tells you ahead of time. If you don’t listen… they “did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.”
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