Category: prophecy

Posted in end time, gog magog, hezbollah, lebanon, pre-tribulation rapture, prophecy

Lebanon falling into the abyss

Posted on by elizabethprata

Washington Post reports today:
“BEIRUT – The Shiite armed movement Hezbollah cobbled together enough support Monday to appoint Lebanon’s next prime minister, effectively ending nearly six years of rule by Western-backed leaders and prompting the United States to warn it could cut off aid to this key Arab nation. The apparent strength of Hezbollah marked an important political achievement for the group. It also signaled what appeared to be a significant shift for the country, away from alliances with the United States and Saudi Arabia, and toward Iran and Syria, which support Hezbollah.”

The result of this is that Lebanon is suffering a “Day of Rage” as supporters of deposed Prime Minister Hariri protest. According to Lebanon’s Naharnet News:
“Protests turned violent on Tuesday in Lebanon’s Sunni bastion of Tripoli as frenzied demonstrators wrecked an Al-Jazeera van while protesting the likely appointment of Hizbullah-backed premier. Angry demonstrators set upon the vehicle, smashing the windshield and tearing down the satellite dish before setting it on fire, AFP reporters witnessed. Demonstrators also torched the mopeds of other media outlets considered close to the Iranian-backed Shiite group Hizbullah. Local television reported similar incidents in the capital Beirut but security officials could not confirm the reports. The incidents came as Sunni supporters of outgoing prime minister Saad Hariri held a “day of rage” to protest the likely appointment of Hizbullah-backed Sunni tycoon Najib Mikati to head the next government.”

Hezbollah is a terrorist group. It is backed by terrorist nations Syria and Iran. Both Syria and Iran, as well as Lebanon figure into the end times. Psalm 83 predicts an alliance of nations abutting Israel to attack. Sometime in the last days also, Damascus is destroyed completely (Isaiah 17:1.) Damascus is Syria’s capital. And in Ezekiel 38-39, Iran leads a confederation of nations to attack Israel. This second attack includes nations of Turkey, Russia, Armenia, the northern tier of African nations, probably Comoros Islands. It does not include the nations of Psalm 83, so it is interpreted that Psalm 83 happens first and Israel decimates them enough so that they cannot participate in the Gog Magog battle of Ez 38-39. We may be looking at the run-up to Psalm 83 and Isaiah 17:1 now.

Analysis by knowledgeable parties covering the Lebanon situation say Israel’s response has been to monitor closely and send a recon team of Israeli commandos into Lebanon for a brief period last night. It is not known if or when Israel will respond, because they are staying totally tight lipped on military intentions. There was an emergency security meeting last Sunday from which no details were leaked or discussed.

Gunfire has been reported from Kola, Lebanon, and Al-arabiya reports: heavy clashed between protesters and Army in central Beirut. The vote has been completed and the pro-Hezbollah candidate wins for Prime Minister, ensuring a Hezbollah led pro-Syria, Iran-proxy government. This is basically the worst case scenario for Israel and by extension Lebanon since they will be the literal battleground.  It looks like the pro western Mar14 now have no role in government unless there is a sudden deal. As of this moment,  there has been a massive upsurge of violence and protest once the result of the vote became known.

With the collapse of Western-led peace talks with Israel and the “Palestinians”, with the collapse of Western influenced peace talks with Iran over their nuclear program, and with the collapse of the tenuous Western-supported government in Lebanon, the tide is turning heavily against Israel and tensions are giving sway to violence and military conflicts. A UK official speaking anonymously said this morning that he thinks Lebanon is falling into the abyss. Pray!
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Posted in agriculture, bacteria, canker, end time, florida citrus, prophecy

What is happening to the world’s agricultural industry? Pests, weather, and losses bring us to the brink of famine

Posted on by elizabethprata

What is happening to the global agricultural industry? We know that the terrible winter has taken a devastating toll on crops all over the world, but it has also taken its toll on acreage. In Sri Lanka, “this month’s floods washed away swathes of agricultural lands, taking away livelihoods of thousands of people.” The situation report for the week ending January 13 states, “A total of 967,115 persons have been affected, with 18 deaths, two missing and 49 injured as of 12 January. A total of 195,919 persons are displaced in 493 temporary relocation centers in eight districts.” According to the Asia Tribune, “the floods have inundated 200,000 acres of paddy lands in the 5 major paddy cultivation districts and it is estimated that rice harvest in the next season may go down by over 360,000 tons which could precipitate a food shortages in the country in the coming months.”

Australia lost fields the size of Egypt in this current flooding season. Thousands of acres of ripe farmland have been lost, not to mention cattle and crops. On the other side of the world, “Parts of northern China are seeing their harshest winter in decades, with Beijing this month receiving its heaviest one-day snowfall in 59 years. Also Monday, Mongolia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Zandanshatar Gombojav said most rural provinces in the poor, landlocked country sandwiched between China and Russia were covered by up to 20 inches (50 centimeters) of snow. He said nearly 800,000 animals had been lost while many transport routes were blocked by heavy snow.”

Almost a million cattle, lost? That hurts.

Florida’s non-citrus crop losses from cold could total $370M
“Green bean prices have tripled in North Florida. Mustard greens are hard to find at any price. Cabbage is now going for 69 cents a pound, way more than the three-pounds-for-$1 usually available in January. The hikes in fresh vegetable prices are the most obvious signs for many Floridians that the exceptionally cold weather this winter has taken a big bite out of the produce supply chain. The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services has estimated 2.5 million cartons or cases of fruits and vegetables were lost during December — not including processed citrus. Officials said another 4 million cartons of produce are expected to be lost before the end of March. Those losses translate into more than $150 million of lost cash sales so far, according to agriculture department spokesman Sterling Ivey.”

It is evident just from those few excerpts that the extreme weather has taken a serious toll on the agricultural industries around the world. Though all farmers expect weather-related setbacks, the deep losses and difficulties of weather struggles of record-setting events will be nearly impossible to recover from. We’re talking millions upon millions of lost revenue, millions and millions of pounds of food, and that is not something the world recovers from easily, even if we were promised the best of conditions in the near term. And the conditions are absolutely going to get worse in the near term, that is a biblical promise. So you see where this is going.

But another kind of impact besides weather is also taking its toll on agriculture. Strange plant pestilences and diseases are cropping up all over the world, many of which ave never been seen before. These plant diseases are stumping scientists as to a remedy.

In New Zealand a new Disease Threatens New Zealand Kiwi Industry
“At ground level, a typed notice warns people not to enter the orchard since the discovery of a destructive canker, found in New Zealand for the first time last Monday. What the notice does not say is that pseudomonas syringae pv actinidae, usually known as PSA, has the country’s kiwi industry, worth 1.5 billion New Zealand dollars, or $1.2 billion, in a crisis mode.”

Monsters & Critics reported about “the potential impact of a vine disease never seen before in the country.”

Speaking of bacterial canker “never before seen”, the same thing is happening in Oregon in the US, but this time with wheat:
Investigators baffled as wheat fields wither
The wheat mystery of Umatilla and Morrow counties
“The Oregon Department of Agriculture and Oregon State University are investigating the yellowing of upward of 40,000 acres of wheat in Umatilla and Morrow counties. So far, the cause is a mystery, and researchers do not know if the problems in the two counties are related. In early November, Umatilla County growers noticed wheat fields turning yellow and dying, OSU Extension soil scientist Don Wysocki said. Sixteen fields from three to 10 miles northwest of Pendleton were affected, Wysocki said. OSU Morrow County Extension associate professor Larry Lutcher said 30,000 to 40,000 acres of wheat in his county have plants with yellow or purple tips. The discoloration spreads inward and downward on the leaf. In some cases, plants are completely desiccated and will not recover.”

And…speaking again of an incurable bacteria killing the crops and the plants and trees on which they grow, it is happening in Florida, as reported January 20, 2011:

Incurable bacteria poses threat to citrus trees
“While Florida farmers have lost some of their crop to cold weather for the second year in a row, they say a fast-spreading, incurable bacteria presents a greater threat to their trees and the citrus industry. Citrus greening has destroyed groves in the U.S., Brazil, Asia and Africa. Detected in Florida in 2005, it leaves fruit sour, malformed and unusable. Eventually, it kills the tree. The disease has been particularly devastating because it takes years for citrus trees to reach peak production, and the disease targets young trees, making it difficult for growers to replace those that have been lost. “It’s probably one of the biggest negative impacts in Florida today, short of the housing collapse,” said Louis Schacht, a Vero Beach farmer whose family has grown oranges for 60 years.”

I emphasize that weather and pests are part of the normal hazards for farmers. However, the range, scope, and pure mystery of these events coming at so close a time to each other is what bears looking into. And I was struck by the similar language in these two agricultural press releases this week:

CBP Stops Agricultural Pest at Nogales Port 
A U.S. Customs and Border Protection agriculture specialist discovered a potentially dangerous insect on fresh citrus leaves being brought into the U.S. from Mexico on Jan. 4, according to a CBP spokesman.
Brian Levin said the insect discovery was the first of its kind at the Mariposa Port of Entry near Nogales.

Destructive beetle unheard of in U.S. nabbed at San Diego Port
A beetle spotted by a sharp-eyed agriculture specialist at the Port of San Diego early this month turned out to be a highly destructive pest never before seen in the United States, federal officials reported Friday. On Jan. 3, the inspector discovered the tan-and-black insect lurking in a load of bananas in a maritime shipping container from Peru…

Do you get the idea that this is a losing battle? It is. Agriculture will wither all across the globe before too much longer. Accept Jesus as your Lord and ask him to forgive your sins and then He will do your battles for you!
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Posted in end of days, end time, pre-tribulation rapture, prophecy, yellowstone

Yellowstone Has Bulged as Magma Pocket Swells

Posted on by elizabethprata

Good morning all! I have to run, headed to work, but I saw this and wanted to get it out there ASAP. Yellowstone is the site of a super-volcano. I wrote about a link between prophecy, volcanic activity, and scripture here. My, oh, my it seeks the birth pangs are increasing up to warp speed. Please, PLEASE get right with Jesus!

January 19, 2011:
Yellowstone Has Bulged as Magma Pocket Swells
Yellowstone National Park’s supervolcano just took a deep “breath,” causing miles of ground to rise dramatically, scientists report. The simmering volcano has produced major eruptions—each a thousand times more powerful than Mount St. Helens’s 1980 eruption—three times in the past 2.1 million years. Yellowstone’s caldera, which covers a 25- by 37-mile (40- by 60-kilometer) swath of Wyoming, is an ancient crater formed after the last big blast, some 640,000 years ago. Since then, about 30 smaller eruptions—including one as recent as 70,000 years ago—have filled the caldera with lava and ash, producing the relatively flat landscape we see today. But beginning in 2004, scientists saw the ground above the caldera rise upward at rates as high as 2.8 inches (7 centimeters) a year. (Related: “Yellowstone Is Rising on Swollen ‘Supervolcano.'”) The rate slowed between 2007 and 2010 to a centimeter a year or less. Still, since the start of the swelling, ground levels over the volcano have been raised by as much as 10 inches (25 centimeters) in places. “It’s an extraordinary uplift, because it covers such a large area and the rates are so high,” said the University of Utah’s Bob Smith, a longtime expert in Yellowstone’s volcanism.”

The article goes on to say that experts don’t think there is any cause for alarm. They also say that such dramatic uplifts do not presage an eruption, and also that it is a natural part of Yellowstone’s cycle. You can decide…there’s more at link from NatGeo.

I wrote about Yellowstone as a volcano here, “Yellowstone shown to have plume on the rise“
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Posted in end of days, end time, pre-tribulation rapture, prophecy

More on why the rapture will happen pre-tribulation

Posted on by elizabethprata

Christians are being ‘turned’ by the promotion of the false doctrine that believers will go through all or part of the tribulation break my heart, because their angst is so unnecessary. Here is a short biblical response to that insidious, joy-stealing stance.

Now, some people say that the rapture itself is a made-up doctrine. I deleted a comment yesterday that was dismissive of the rapture, the commenter said “rapture isn’t even in the bible.” Well, bible isn’t in the bible either. And the bible isn’t a figment of my imagination, is it? Neither is the rapture. The word comes from the clearest explanation of this soon-event, 1 Corinthians 15:52, and in 1 Thess 4:14-17. The popular English word for the catching-up event is “rapture”, a word derived, as are so many English words, from the Latin language. In fact, when St. Jerome, who lived from approximately 347 to 419 AD, penned the Latin Vulgate translation of scripture, he used the verb rapiemur in I Thessalonians 4:17 as follows: “Deinde nos qui vivimus qui relinquimur simul rapiemur [suddenly caught up] cum illis in nubibus obviam Domino in aera et sic semper cum Domino erimus. I The 4:17 Then we who are alive, who are left, will be suddenly caught up [rapiemur].”

“In the Greek translations of the bible, the verb harpazo is used a total of 17 times in the New Testament in a variety of ways, with several referring to the sudden nonconsensual seizure of human beings. The purpose of the above presentation of both the Greek and Latin translation of this verse is to stress that language should not be a barrier to understanding any concept that is established in scripture. Whether a particular English word is or is not found in the bible is not important. What is important is whether the concept is found. The original language in which the text was written reveals that the concept of the sudden catching up is valid.” source

That taken care of, we can move to the bible and ask the people who claim the rapture won’t happen before the tribulation several questions. As with any position taken of a biblical doctrine, it is important to ask the person to show scriptures that support their stance. In other words, make them prove it.

The pre-tribulation rapture is the only stance that is consistent with scripture. Believing anything else raises more questions than they answer. Like these:

1. Since the Tribulation is to punish sin (Dan 9:24), but God said that our sins are wiped clean (Acts 3:19), not remembered (Heb 8:12), and we are free from accusation (Col 1:22) why, then are we being punished?

2. The tribulation is a time of His wrath (Rev 6:17), so how do you reconcile that He said the church will not be enduring His wrath? (1 Thess 5:9)

3. If our salvation can be lost in the Tribulation, and it can, (Matt. 24:13 / Rev 14:12) how do you reconcile that God said not even the devil can snatch Church-age believers out of His hand? (John 10:29).

4. In post-rapture time, believers must offer sacrifices to demonstrate their faith, follow His commands, and attend the Feast of Tabernacles. (Rev. 14:12; Ez 40-46; and Zechariah 14:16-19). Since God is not the author of confusion (Jer 29:11; 1 Corinthians 14:33) then do post-rapture believers follow the Old Covenant or the New? Do they sacrifice or do they not sacrifice?

5. If as when the wrath begins with the opening of the seals, and at the 6th seal it’s asked “For the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand?” (Rev 6:16) then why are believers told that”Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.”?

No, the only answer is that the Church age is a unique time in history. The Old Covenant was paused at the ascension of Jesus, not done away with. It was paused with 7 years to go. During that time, God has been building His church, “Simon has declared how God at the first visited the Gentiles to take out of them a people for His name.” (Acts 15:17). And “I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers, so that you may not be conceited: Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in.” When that full number is reached and we are out of the way, “just as it is written: ‘After this I will return And will rebuild the tabernacle of David, which has fallen down; “(Acts 15:16). After what? After taking a people for himself. He will return His attention to Israel, their hardening removed and the punishment to begin, then the rebuilding of David

Take comfort in all these things, brethren. It seems with the news of each passing day that we are closer to hearing the trumpet, and soon we will gather at His feet.
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Posted in end of days, end time, pre-tribulation rapture, prophecy, tares

Mystery of dying wheat in Oregon

Posted on by elizabethprata

There is an interesting story out of Oregon today:
Investigators baffled as wheat fields wither
Mysterious yellowing affects 40,000 acres of Eastern Oregon; new problem feared

“The Oregon Department of Agriculture and Oregon State University are investigating the yellowing of upward of 40,000 acres of wheat in Umatilla and Morrow counties. So far, the cause is a mystery, and researchers do not know if the problems in the two counties are related. In early November, Umatilla County growers noticed wheat fields turning yellow and dying, OSU Extension soil scientist Don Wysocki said. Sixteen fields from three to 10 miles northwest of Pendleton were affected, Wysocki said. They are “more or less but not completely contiguous,” he said. Not every field in the area was affected. The area was predominately planted to soft white Clearfield variety ORCF-102, but other varieties were also affected, Wysocki said. “There’s probably more than one thing going on in these particular fields, like in any field,” he said.”

“OSU Morrow County Extension associate professor Larry Lutcher said 30,000 to 40,000 acres of wheat in his county have plants with yellow or purple tips. The discoloration spreads inward and downward on the leaf. In some cases, plants are completely desiccated and will not recover. The symptoms have been observed in many fields in the county, Lutcher said, but do not appear tied to any particular location. “Most of the symptoms in Morrow County are unlike anything I have ever seen,” Lutcher said.” [emphasis mine. more at link above]

It is interesting in light of what is going on with wheat around the world. It is interesting in light of what prophecy says about wheat. Finally, it is interesting in terms of the allegory and symbolism of harvest used so often in the bible. First, here is what is happening with wheat around the world.

1. Ug99 is a wheat rust disease that was discovered in Uganda (Ug) in 1999. The stem, black or cereal rusts are caused by the fungus Puccinia graminis and are a significant disease affecting cereal crops. An epidemic of stem rust on wheat caused by race Ug99 is currently spreading across Africa, Asia and most recently into Middle East and is causing major concern due to the large numbers of people dependent on wheat for sustenance. The strain was named after the country where it was identified (Uganda) and the year of its discovery (1999). It spread to Kenya, then Ethiopia, Sudan and Yemen, and is becoming more virulent as it spreads. Scientists are working on breeding strains of wheat that are resistant to UG99. It is virulent to the great majority of wheat varieties. Unlike other rusts, which only partially affect crop yields, UG99 can bring 100% crop loss. Up to 80% yield losses were recently recorded in Kenya.

However, that genetic work seems to be failing. “Four new mutations of  Ug99, a strain of a deadly wheat pathogen known as stem rust, have overcome existing sources of genetic resistance developed to safeguard the world’s wheat crop. Leading wheat experts from Australia, Asia, Africa, Europe and the Americas, who are in St. Petersburg, Russia for a global wheat event organized by the Borlaug Global Rust Initiative, said the evolving pathogen may pose an even greater threat to global wheat production than the original Ug99.” That was from Science Daily, May 2010. So the wheat is being killed all over the world and there is nothing we have yet been able to do about it.

2. The Oregon wheat failure is interesting in light of prophecy. Wheat figures into end time prophecy quite starkly. In the Seal Third Judgment (Black Horse) it is said, “When the Lamb opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, “Come!” I looked, and there before me was a black horse! Its rider was holding a pair of scales in his hand. Then I heard what sounded like a voice among the four living creatures, saying, “Two pounds of wheat for a day’s wages, and six pounds of barley for a day’s wages, and do not damage the oil and the wine!”Wheat will be in such short supply, a person will have to spend his entire day’s wages just to get enough to feed him, never mind the family. Barely will also be in short supply. The Black Horse is famine, which will affect all the people on the earth, except the very rich.

3. The Oregon wheat failure is interesting in light of the bible’s use of harvest and reaping. One example of the judgment God brings is the following from Joel 1:10-11- “The fields are ruined, the ground is dried up; the grain is destroyed, the new wine is dried up, the oil fails. Despair, you farmers, wail, you vine growers; grieve for the wheat and the barley, because the harvest of the field is destroyed…” Matthew Henry says about that verse, “Let the husbandmen and vine-dressers lament, v. 11. Let them be ashamed of the care and pains they have taken about their vineyards, for it will be all labour lost, and they shall gain no advantage by it; they shall see the fruit of their labour eaten up before their eyes, and shall not be able to save any of it. Note, Those who labour only for the meat that perishes will, sooner or later, be ashamed of their labour. The vine-dressers will then express their extreme grief by howling, when they see their vineyards stripped of leaves and fruit, and the vines withered, so that nothing is to be had or hoped for from them, wherewith they might pay their rent and maintain their families. The destruction is particularly described here: The field is laid waste (v. 10); all is consumed that is produced; the land mourns; the ground has a melancholy aspect, and looks ruefully; all the inhabitants of the land are in tears for what they have lost…”

A less direct and a more symbolic use of wheat and harvest in the bible is in Matthew 13:30 parable of the wheat and the tares. Read it in its entirely in Matthew 13:24-30. “Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.” (v. 30; KJV) This parable represents the present and future state of the church of Christ’s gospel; His care of it, the devil’s hatred against it, the mixture there is in it of good and bad, and the separation between them in the other world.

The LORD looks at the saved sheep as wheat, at the lost sheep as tares, and judgment as harvest time. (Rev 14:14). I think that it is very interesting that the wheat died in Oregon. It is dying elsewhere due to Ug99, it is dying in OR due to who knows why, and it is dying in places like Australia and Russia because of ‘natural’ disasters like floods and heat, respectively. The wheat is dying. It is dying in Africa, Asia, and the Middle East. It is dying in Australia, Russia, and America. The wheat is dying, and soon and very soon, it will cost you everything to even obtain a fistful. Hunger is coming, and then the harvest. Are you ready?

I’m ready, because I know I will escape all these things. I will be raptured to Jesus when He calls us (read here) and I will be dining with Him at a wedding banquet while those who refused His offer of salvation by His grace will perish from famine on earth. If you ask Jesus to forgive your sins, and make Him LORD of your life, worthy to be obeyed and followed, you, too, will dine with the King. Or, you can choose to be harvested like chaff on the last day. As always, it is up to you.
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Posted in end time, giotto, prophecy, renaissance

How can I not speak of Jesus?

Posted on by elizabethprata

I have a set of Italian paintings and photographs over my couch. I’ve always said to myself that eventually I was going to find out the name of the Renaissance artist who painted the piece from which this detail of the little putto is taken. A putto is a Renaissance figure of a toddler with wings, like a human cherub. I used to know what painting the little angel came from, and I keep thinking Caravaggio or Titian, but I’ve never gotten around to searching for the painter’s name of the piece. Until last night.

I have a wealth of Renaissance books and also art-history books, and access to the internet of course. I spent several hours looking high and low for the painter’s name but came up short. I was getting aggravated but as I searched I got interested in art history again and I kept looking through my books at all the beautiful art. I’ve always been interested in Giotto, the painter from the very late Byzantine-early Renaissance period who represents the bridge between the two styles. Giotto was genius. I stumbled across his Lamentation (Mourning of Christ) and I stopped dead in my tracks, sleeping putto forgotten. I looked, I peered, I studied. And then I cried.

What is it about art that can move us so? Giotto’s use of emotion, placement of figures, tenderness of the scene leaped off the page and into my heart. Giotto was the first to use weight and heft in his clothing, suggesting musculature of the bodies underneath, as opposed to the skinny, stylized figures of the Byzantine era. Mary, holding the head of Christ, is seen using her right knee to prop him up. The emotions on the faces of each of the mourners are each unique but all are real, so real, I mourned along with them. The angels swooping, almost writhing in intense display of grief is also quite moving. One is pulling his hair and another is tearing his clothes. I was dumbfounded that a piece could have such an effect on me, and then I remembered.

I spent a great deal of time in Italy throughout the 1990s. I went over there at least 6 times, and in addition, also spent time in Paris, France, Scotland, and other places around the world. I visited the great art museums such as the Uffizi, Met, Louvre, Edinburgh National Museum, British Museum, etc. I’ve gazed upon painting after painting, walked with the crowds along velvet-cordoned rows on one continent or another. I peered at the Mona Lisa, musing at how small she actually is. I craned my neck up at Michaelangelo’s David, amazed at his evocation of movement in marble. I squinted at pointillists and lounged in front of lazy patchwork sunny scenes of lily pads and canoes in Monet’s world. And, shamefully, I griped at how much of the Renaissance art was religiously focused. Not being saved, and being an enemy of Christ, I understood none of it. I admired the technique, I liked the colors, I could discuss composition. But I could not speak to the content. I glanced, grimaced, and hastened to Botticelli’s Primavera, and Birth of Venus, pagan pieces exalting goddesses. And to my now-grief, I missed  the point of all of it.

How I wish, I wish, I wish (if wishes were horses) I could go back to Florence and review those magnificent pieces through the lens my my born-again eyes!! I mourn the lost time in front of art that speaks to the painter’s fervency, his dedication to the moments of Christ’s life. You see, when you’re saved, you cannot help but speak of Christ. There is much to say! His glory, His love, His mercy, His infinite attributes. The artists who paint the scenes that speak to so much of human history is a glorious way to exalt Him. Bringing to life on canvas what is in the imagination as I read the Word is a wonderful way to impress upon the penitent the timelessness of the scenes.

I understand the painter’s urge, because I write of Him. I write because He lives. I write because He loves. I write because of His glory, I write because if I could not write I would shout to the heavens of His mercy and grace. I write because He must be shared.

But in looking at all the art last night, I mourned because of lost time in admiring these masterpieces. Not only lost time in art appreciation, that is just cerebral and emotional. I am mourning the lost time in communing with HIM, in any form. I’m thrilled I am saved, and the adage of “better late than never” applies to me. But He is such a treasure, even one day less of admiring him in painted form, exalting Him in writing, communing with Him in prayer, knowing Him in my heart is such a LOSS. If you are reading this and you are not saved, likely you are thinking that I am silly, nuts, or just ignorant. I used to think those things of saved people too. But knowing Him is an extreme treasure in my life that even one squandered moment I count an immeasurable loss. I pray that the Holy Spirit speaks to you as well and that not another moment goes by before you  capitulate to the Holy Spirit’s drawing you to Him. I’d do anything to go back decades in time just so I could accept Him into my life and know him that much longer. But the glory is, He accepted me, forgave me, so that He and I can spend an eternity together. I’ll be exploring universes, growing in Christlikeness, worshiping Him and serving Him in ways He has not yet revealed.

Thankfully, the story does not end with Giotto’s piece, with a dead Jesus on the ground, being mourned over by followers and family. He is not here, He is risen! He triumphs over death and sin, to rise to heaven, taking His rightful place at the right hand of the Father. Don’t waste another minute, looking at the Story  on canvas but not comprehending. He is waiting for you, and when you ask Him to forgive your sins, He will. And your wasted moments apart from Jesus will fade and your moments ahead with him will stretch into eternity.

[Here is a link to a discussion about the Giotto’s Lamentation painting.]

Posted in 340 year old bible, end time, prophecy, wisconsin

340 year old bible found, reminds me of Hilkiah’s finding the Law in the temple

Posted on by elizabethprata

Here is a small thing that is good and nice. It is a news piece out of Wisconsin, ripped from 2 Kings 22. First, the modern version:

“A centuries old relic has been discovered in a Bonduel (WI) church, tucked away for decades. No one realized it was even there, or what it was. In a cramped, rarely seen safe, no bigger than a kitchen pantry, at St. Paul Lutheran Church are heaps of old books and pamphlets. Many of which are more than 100 years old and in foreign languages. Most of the artifacts wouldn’t fetch a high price at auction, but represent the church’s nearly 150 year history and heritage. Now, one item kept there for an unknown length of time has taken the entire congregation by surprise. “This is an authentic 340-year-old Bible. We don’t know how we got it. We don’t know how it got into the safe. We’ve been asking some of our elderly folks and people in the nursing home and nobody seems to remember,” said Pastor Timothy Shoup.” source

How amazing! A beautiful original bible from over three centuries ago! How could they forget that it was there? Here is a bit more:

“A 340-year-old bible discovery can attest to the fact that they sure don’t make things like they used to. The German bible was discovered by a sixth grade teacher inside an old safe in a small Lutheran church school where she works in Bonduel, Wisconsin. “I was looking for the old baptism records to show my students and then up here in the corner was where the Bible was tucked,” explained Court, not realizing what a rare find she stumbled upon.”

Imagine, in a dusty closet of the church, lay the precious treasure, there all along but quite forgotten.

And a bit more:

“How the book ended up in Bonduel is still a mystery. But either way, Pastor Shoup says the 17th century discovery has brought him closer to his faith.”

How beautiful that the revealing of the Word caused the pastor such a sensitive and blessed reaction.  Did you know that the Old Testament records another, similar instance? I’m not making a huge doctrine out of it, I believe that the news spot out of Wisconsin is a nice event that happens more often than we know. But the similarities with the bible’s discovery and our Sunday School lesson focusing on Hilkiah, Huldah, and King Josiah was too sweet to ignore drawing some parallels. In Josiah’s reign, a long and evil, corrupt line of kingship was coming to an end. Josiah’s grandfather and father were terrible kings that did much evil in the eyes of the LORD and provoked the LORD greatly. His people had not only fallen away, had forgotten Him and His word, but they engaged in perverse and horrible worship practices to other gods. Finally came Josiah, a good king of Israel, was endeavoring to have the Temple repaired. As you can imagine, no one really used the Temple for real worship and had not for a very long time. Here is the biblical piece about it:

The Lost Book (2 Kings 22:8-11)

Then Hilkiah the high priest said to Shaphan the scribe, “I have found the book of the law in the house of the LORD.” And Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan who read it. Shaphan the scribe came to the king and brought back word to the king and said, “Your servants have emptied out the money that was found in the house, and have delivered it into the hand of the workmen who have the oversight of the house of the LORD.” Moreover, Shaphan the scribe told the king saying, “Hilkiah the priest has given me a book.” And Shaphan read it in the presence of the king. When the king heard the words of the book of the law, he tore his clothes…”

As the workmen were moving furniture around and inventorying items, this book of the Law was found! Hilkiah the Priest wasn’t sure what exactly it was, and Shaphan the scribe wasn’t exactly sure, either! The two men, along with three others searched high and low at the king’s command, so they could inquire of the LORD. (2Kings 22:13) They found Huldah the Prophetess, who told them.

Huldah Predicts (2 Kings 22:14)

“So Hilkiah the priest, Ahikam, Achbor, Shaphan, and Asaiah went to Huldah the prophetess, the wife of Shallum the son of Tikvah, the son of Harhas, keeper of the wardrobe (now she lived in Jerusalem in the Second Quarter); and they spoke to her.”

Ahikam was Shaphan’s son, a helper. Achbor was an officer of Josiah, as was Asaiah. Shaphan was a scribe of King Josiah. It is shame and a testament on the men that though they held lofty positions in the religious hierarchy, none felt they had the ear of the LORD, and they went to find someone who did, ending up with Huldah. Huldah is named as “keeper of the wardrobe”, and wardrobe then is as it is now: a closet for storing clothes. 2 Kings 10:22 is another example of the keeper of the wardrobe: “And Jehu said to the keeper of the wardrobe, “Bring robes for all the ministers of Baal.” So he brought out robes for them.”

The small closet where the bible had been stored

Huldah was also a prophet. She told the men that the LORD said that since Josiah had been repentant and tender in his heart toward the LORD, the LORD would stay His wrath upon Judah until Josiah was laying peacefully in his grave.

It is interesting to note that the King’s faith deepened upon finding the Word. Tearing of clothes was an act that was meant to convey either great grief or great righteous indignation. The custom was also done as a symbolic removal of authority i.e. the tearing of a king’s royal robe. Here is a link to a short study on the biblical act of tearing of clothes, by Wayne Blank. Josiah was immediately convicted upon hearing the words of the LORD, and he tore his clothes. He sent out a search for a person who could relate the meaning of the words and help them come into obedience to them. It is also interesting to note that the Wisconsin Pastor’s faith deepened upon finding the word. Finding the precious treasure that is God’s word is always a blessing.

Josiah’s men found the Scriptures in an old wardrobe when doing routine repairs and inventory, and the School teacher found the word of the Lord while doing routine rummaging in a forgotten closet in search of old records. The LORD reveals Himself when and where He chooses, and at unexpected times!

I think about the bible itself, being twenty pounds. It’s huge! Someone carried that bible all the way from Germany across Europe, across the Atlantic Ocean, across half the American continent! Look at it, its size and heft. Yet, the Word of God meant so much to him that he took the trouble and expense to bring it with him , on horseback, in canoes, in ships, by hand…and protected it so well all along the way!

I hope that if you own several bibles, that none of them are laying on the back of the car window, fading as the sunlight drains the print away. I hope that your bible is meaningful to you and that it is used daily, lovingly, reverently. I hope that you do not travel so far away from the Word that you forget what it says and have trouble even finding a person who can relate its meaning to you.

The Wisconsin Pastor said of the find, “To hold something that tells us in 1670 the same message of God’s grace in Christ, that tell one another other today helps me be even more thankful.” Yes, the best lesson out of all of this is God’s word is eternal! (Mt 24:35)
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Posted in board of education campbell county, end time, prayer, prophecy

TN Board of Education members told they could not pray before meetings

Posted on by elizabethprata

A couple of news stories piqued my interest today.

LaFollette Press (TN): TN Board of Education may not pray, it’s against the law
“During the meeting Attorney Cantrell took the opportunity to make the group aware of legislation that impacts their meeting agendas. According to Cantrell, Tennessee falls into the only United States district that does not allow school boards to have prayer after the meeting begins. “As of right now you cannot pray at a board of education meeting,” Cantrell said noting the Tennessee School Board Association is adamant about strictly following the law.”

“Speaking as a member of the Anderson County Board of Education Cantrell said that board had circumvented the law by gathering 15 minutes prior to the meeting to have prayer and a short devotional given by a member of the local clergy. Board members including J.L. “Sarge” Collins and Josh Parker spoke out in favor of finding a way to protest the law against prayer before board meetings. From the back of the room County Commissioner Rusty Orick stood to offer his opinion on the matter. “I wouldn’t back off from this. This is what has happened to our country,” Orick said of allowing a few to determine the direction of the whole. Parker agreed with Orick’s comments adding “some things are worth fighting for.” Chairman Mike Orick suggested the group follow Anderson County’s lead and meet prior to the start of the next board meeting for a time of prayer.”

1/12/2011 School Board Report By: Boomer Winfrey;
“The Campbell County Board of Education was told Tuesday night that they are going to have to end their tradition of leading off their monthly meetings with a prayer. At a meeting that due to weather and slick roads, was sparsely attended and promised to be both short and routine, this advice from the board attorney had some board members ready to go to war, or at least to court. Attorney Dail Cantrell told board members that the Tennessee School Board Association has notified all local boards that the federal Sixth Judicial District in Cincinnati has ruled that leading public school board meetings with a prayer violates the constitutional separation of church and state.”

“This is not the case nationally, as many federal courts in other areas of the country have allowed prayer at the beginning of meetings, but the Sixth District is one of the most liberal-leaning courts,” Cantrell claimed, adding, “It includes Ohio, which has the largest percentage of atheists of any state in the country.” “You cannot pray immediately before the meeting, the TSBA is adamant that you can’t do it,” Cantrell added. “You can meet before the board meeting begins if you wish but not at the public meeting.” Cantrell, who is also a member of the Anderson County School Board, suggested that Campbell County board members, if they wish, could do what they have decided to do in Anderson County and gather 15 minutes before the meeting for a short prayer. J. L. “Sarge” Collins asked if Congress has passed a law forbidding prayer at board meetings.”

“When told it was a judicial ruling, he asked what would happen if the Campbell County board refused to go along with the ruling. “They could put the board in jail,” Cantrell flatly replied. “There’s a lot of smart people in this room, it seems we could start the protest here in Campbell County,” Collins observed. County Commissioner Rusty Orick, sitting in the audience, told board members, “I wouldn’t back off on this, I’d stand my ground and fight it.” When board members were recognized at the end of the regular agenda, however, Josh Parker insisted, “We should stand our ground on the prayer issue. I’ll go to jail with you. I agree with Sarge, this is worth fighting for.”
————————————-
It IS something worth fighting for. I admire the group of men who are taking a stand for their faith. I ask all of us to pray for these men and to pray for brethren across the country and the world we do not know personally but who may be having their faith infringed upon at this moment.

There is quite a bit of debate these days amongst Christians who are asking if we are going to be persecuted before the Tribulation. It’s a bit myopic to ask that if you are in America, because from the moment Jesus ascended Christians were persecuted. Millions have lost their lives for His name. Christians are being persecuted this minute in Baghdad, Lebanon, Egypt, Indonesia, and many other places. They are being machete’d, burned, hung, and hunted. He said “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. Remember what I told you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also.” (John 15:18-20). I still think it is a legitimate question, because we can talk about levels of oppression and persecution. My personal opinion is that I do not think that here in America Christians will be killed for their faith (before the Tribulation begins). But it is increasingly apparent that even in freedom-loving America, Christians are being forced to make hard choices every day.

Our pastor says that we should be ready to make tough choices. The time is now, he says, when we may be faced with that choice. I read these articles and I thought about that statement and I thought about the choices the Board members may indeed have to make within the next few weeks.

They stood firm on their faith and vowed to fight. I applaud that. I applaud the very fact that they get together and have a devotional and a prayer before the meeting,. It is as it should be! They seek the Holy Spirit’s guidance in order to govern well, something that is right and proper. The bible calls for those in power to be wise. “Now therefore, be wise, O kings; Be instructed, you judges of the earth” says Psalm 2:10, and just where are they supposed to get that wisdom? The Holy Spirit of course! And the best way to access the Spirit is through prayer. In Jeremiah 22:16 the LORD says “He [the King] defended the cause of the poor and needy, and so all went well. Is that not what it means to know me?” declares the LORD.” Caring for those who are under you in government with compassion and through the LORD is what it means to be a representative of government.

But when happens when the police come to the next meeting, with warrant and handcuffs, and the Board members must make a choice to pray and face arrest, or succumb to pressure? And make that choice knowing that their family and children depend on his income to eat. Will they still pray? To some people it is given to have a big battle and in that battle the LORD’s name is being erased in big swoops as Christians lose their lives. To other Christians they are given a smaller but still important battle, where the forces of evil are erasing the name of the Lord from public life inch by inch. Defending the Lord means not only dying through a stoning, but it means inch by inch battles in the halls of justice, courts, government, and public life. Whether or not to retreat from that line is a choice we all may have to make. Pray for the Tennessee Board Members named here. I pray that when you and I are faced with that choice, we may stand for Him, unflinchingly, because someone prayed for us.

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Posted in end of days, end time, prophecy, tower of babel

Man is busy re-creating creation in his own image

Posted on by elizabethprata

I’ve been saying constantly that God will judge due to rebellion against Him. One way people rebel and stay in their own sin is to fail to acknowledge Him and His sovereignty over all the universe. Another way to sin is that even if man acknowledges Him, man still elevates himself to His position. Satan did that in his “I will” statements found in Isaiah 14: 12-15 wherein satan vowed to elevate his throng above God’s. It was how and where sin entered into his heart, and then the world.

We have seen what happens when man and angel elevates himself to positions to which he is not entitled. The Tower of Babel is one example where that process comes to mind. (Genesis 11:1-9). God confused the languages and scattered the inhabitants who were building the tower not because He is a killjoy oppressing the people who were trying to make something of themselves. Rather, He knew they were not ready for cities, had told them to go forth and multiply, and they didn’t. Their leader was Nimrod and his name is from the verb ‘let us revolt.’ Nimrod was the world’s first dictator and the tower was being built to worship astrology and to push the envelope of man’s technological achievements (Gen 11:3). Genesis 11:4 says that the people wanted to make a name for themselves. They did not say ‘let us honor God’s name’.

Ever since then, man has been wanting to make a name for himself, supplanting God in his endeavors either by failing to acknowledge His means or by plowing ahead in ambition absent the Holy Spirit. I’ve noticed today four headlines that are examples of this in today’s world:

Man is using DNA to re-imagine warfare…

Dept. of Defense may begin collecting and mapping genome of all military personnel
“A new report from a highly influential group of scientists [The JASON Group] is urging the Department of Defense to begin collecting and mapping the full genome of all military personnel. Pentagon officials believe gene-mapping all military personnel could lower health costs within the military and help scientist learn a great deal about the link between fighting and genetics. So, “what’s the big deal, why does it matter?” The report sneakily inserted the possible idea of the weaponization of genetic information into the report. “It may be beneficial to know the genetic identities of an adversary,” it says. The Department of Defense will be in charge of the giant database housing the soldiers records and will likely benefit by organizing personnel data into phenotypes for the military.” source

JASON is an independent group of scientists which advises the United States government on matters of science and technology. The group was first created as a way to get a younger generation of scientists—that is, not the older Los Alamos and MIT Radiation Laboratory alumni—involved in advising the government. It was established in 1960 and has somewhere between 30 and 60 members. For administrative purposes, JASON’s activities are run through the MITRE Corporation, a non-profit corporation in McLean, Virginia, which contracts with the Defense Department. JASON typically performs most of its work during an annual summer study. Its sponsors include the Department of Defense (frequently DARPA and the United States Navy), the Department of Energy, and the U.S. Intelligence Community. Most of the resulting JASON reports are classified.

Man is using technology to re-create extinct animals for no reason…

Cloning might create live woolly mammoth
The extinct woolly mammoth could be brought back to life in as little as four years thanks to a breakthrough in cloning technology, a Japanese researcher says.

Man is re-engineering one of God’s creatures…

[W]hat if there were a way to breed poultry that are genetically resistant to H5N1 or any other avian flu virus, thus severing a major link in the flu’s evolutionary chain? That’s what a team of scientists in Britain tried to do recently, and they were remarkably successful. The result, reported in a study in the Jan. 13 issue of Science, is genetically engineered chickens that, while they’re still vulnerable to H5N1, don’t seem to pass on the disease to other poultry.
Man is re-wiring human brains…
This minimally invasive method of generating neural plasticity allows us to precisely manipulate brain circuits, which cannot be achieved with drugs. Pairing sounds with VNS provides that precision by rewiring damaged circuits and reversing the abnormal activity that generates the phantom sound.” 

I am not saying technology is bad. I am not saying technology is good. Technology is technology, by itself it’s inherently neither. It is only after man overlays his own uses upon technology that it becomes evil or good. And if the new technology is being managed by a humanity that has no moral compass grounded from the bible, then that technology could go in any direction. It always does.

Secondly, there are always unintended consequences to everything that man produces, but especially in the technological realms. Only God is omniscient, knowing the end from the beginning. We do not know how a new technology will be used in the future. We make all safeguards against improper use but because we are not omniscient, we will miss something. That is why we rely on the omniscient God to guide us in all our ways. Because He knows! Absent His guidance, as God said in Genesis 11 at the conclusion of the tower of Babel incident, “And this is what they began to do, and now nothing which they purpose to do will be impossible for them.” (Gem 11:6b). Quite often, we are not ready for what we unleash on the world, yet man must still suffer the unintended consequences. God also takes seriously when we worship created things instead of the Creator and exchange the truth of God for a lie (Romans 1:25; Jeremiah 13:25).

This spate of few is but a tiny fraction of the scientific and technological headlines being published every day around the world. God made creation. But man is busy re-creating it in his own image. This will not be allowed to go on indefinitely. As in Genesis 11:5 states, at a certain point “the LORD came down to see the city and the tower which the sons of men had built” he will come down again, and take action. As a globe, we are lost and will be judged. That is prophesied and will come true. The unforgiven will fall on their faces, every tongue confessing He is Lord and every knee bowing in belated acknowledgement that He is King. As individuals, however, we always have the option to turn to Him and acknowledge His sovereignty over creation, and over our souls until the moment we breathe our last! If you repent, and make Him your Lord, when you face Him, you will be able to stand, His forgiveness and love holding you up.

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Posted in end time, prophecy

Greenlanders worried: for first time in history, sun rises early

Posted on by elizabethprata

I admit, over the last 2 years when I read commenters claiming that the sun is rising or setting in a different spot than usual, I dismissed it without much investigation. I also dismissed claims that the pole degrees were off. Dismissed it that is, until Tampa International Airport shut down a runway because their degree markers were so out of whack. Dismissed it until Scientific American asked “Why is the magnetic North Pole racing toward Siberia?” and dismissed it until the British Geological Society noted that the South Magnetic Anomaly is enlarging at an incredible pace. Now I’m interested.

Today, from Greenland comes this: “The sun rises two days early in Greenland“
“The sun over Greenland has risen two days early, baffling scientists and sparking fears that Arctic icecaps are melting faster than previously thought.”

OK, before we go any further let’s take a look at the two parts to the lead sentence. First, scientists again are “baffled” over an unexpected celestial event. Second, they again attribute it to global warming. How global warming makes the sun rise at a different time is what is baffling. To continue:

“Experts say the summer sun should have risen over the Arctic nation’s most westerly town, Ilulissat, today. But for the first time in history they say it began creeping over the horizon at around 1pm last Tuesday. The mysterious sunrise has confused astronomers, who have struggled to come up with an explanation for the phenomenon. Wolfgang Lenhardt, director of the department of geophysics at the Central Institute for Meteorology in Vienna, scotched suggestions that the observation could have astronomical reasons. He said: ‘The constellation of the stars has not changed. If that had happened, there would have been an outcry around the world.’ ‘The data of the Earth’s axis and Earth’s rotation are monitored continuously and meticulously and we would know if that had happened.’ Caption from article- Ice caps: One theory is that the ice melts, the horizon lowers giving the impression in Greenland that the sun has risen early.”

Of course astronomers who do not believe in God will ‘scotch suggestions’ that the observation will have astronomical reasons”.  But it absolutely could have astronomical reasons. We are in a time of the end time when we are told by the truthful God that He will (in the Tribulation) shake the stars from the sky, the moon to go dark, the sky to open as a scroll, and the sun to stop shining. (Rev 6:12; Isaiah 34:4; Ez 32:7; Joel 2:10; Rev 8:12;  etc) He is sovereign over all celestial bodies. He created them. He can move them with a word, and in this case, He just might have.

It’s just another sign in the sun, moon, and stars, if you ask me.
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