Category: prophecy

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)
http://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

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.

http://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

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.

http://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

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.
http://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

Posted in end time, prophecy

Are you a true believer in Jesus Christ?

Posted on by elizabethprata

From World View Times, “The Most important true/false test you’ll ever take“. They write:

“The late Dr. Francis Schaeffer was one of the greatest defenders of the Christian faith in the 20th Century. He predicted the American church would become inconsequential because of a false concept of spirituality. Self-professing Christians would talk about God and proclaim a belief in God while rejecting the God of the Bible-instead following a man-made New Age god.”

“I believe one of the main reasons we have a crisis in the American church, that Christians poll no differently from the world, and that students are leaving the church in large numbers is that we have an epidemic of false converts within the American church. Many people today call themselves Christians but do not believe in many, if any, of the essential Christian doctrines.”

“My own study of the Old Testament moral law revealed to me that I was not a good person, but it was when I opened the book of 1 John, took a pen, and underlined every sign of a true convert that I realized I did not meet even half of them. To my dismay, I recognized myself as a false convert.”

“First John 5:13 tells why the book of 1 John was written: “These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life”.

“Here are 1 John’s ten signs of a true convert (you might want to compare yourself to make sure you’re where you think you are):”

1. A true convert admits he or she is a sinner. He does not believe he can go to heaven by being a “good” person. She understands her own totally depravity. (1 John 1:8)
2. A true convert lives a life of obedience by keeping God’s commandments more often than breaking them. A true convert is not a habitual sinner. There’s a difference between stumbling into sin and jumping in with both feet. While true converts may continue to sin as part of the struggle with our sin nature, the life of a true convert is marked by a desire to pursue holiness and walk in obedience to God’s Word. (1 John 2:3-6, 3:6, 5:2)
3. A true convert does not harbor hate for his brother but displays forgiveness, love, and compassion. (1 John 2:9, 2:11, 3:15, 4:16, 4:20)
4. A true convert does not love the world or the things of the world, nor the world’s system of evil, ruled by Satan. (1 John 2:15)
5. A true convert proclaims Jesus Christ as the Son of God and defends the exclusivity of Christ in a world of multiple religious systems. (1 John 4:15)
6. A true convert hopes and longs for the return of the Lord. (1 John 3:2-3)
7. A true convert desires to serve and help other Christians. (1 John 3:17, 3:14)
8. A true convert loves being with other believers and hearing the Word taught. (1 John 5:1)
9. A true convert rejects false teaching. (1 John 2:22-23)
10. A true convert remains in the truth and perseveres in the faith. (1 John 2:24)

This article is from Brannon’s newest book, Christian Worldview For Students Vol. II: Your Worldview Notes For Going To College Without Going Astray.

Check yourself, and either way, don’t forget to praise the Holy Spirit for his ministry to you!
http://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

Posted in end of days, end time, hole punch cloud, pre-tribulation rapture, prophecy, signs in the sky

Signs in the sky: triple hole punch clouds in SC

Posted on by elizabethprata

Spaceweather “TRIPLE PUNCH HOLE CLOUDS: “I’ve lived by the sea for many years, but never seen anything like this,” reports Wesley Tyler of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. “On Friday, Jan. 7th, there were three punch hole clouds in the same place.” He grabbed his camera and recorded the phenomenon:

In Oct. 2009, a really REALLY weird cloud appeared over Moscow, and the scientific response was that it was a hole punch cloud. At that time, I posted NASA’s explanation of what hole punch clouds are and how they form, leaving it up to the reader as to whether the Moscow cloud was indeed a hole punch or not. I’ll post the NASA explanation of hole punch clouds again, and again leave it up to you as to discerning the odds of the rare hole punch cloud appearing at all, never mind in triplicate…

NASA: “What could create a huge hole in the clouds? Such a hole, likely hundreds of meters across, was photographed last month from a driveway near Mobile, Alabama, USA. Very unusual to see, hole-punch clouds like this are still the topic of meteorological speculation. A leading hypothesis holds that the hole-punch cloud is caused by falling ice-crystals. The ice-crystals could originate in a higher cloud or be facilitated by a passing airplane exhaust. If the air has just the right temperature and moisture content, the falling crystals will absorb water from the air and grow. For this to happen, the water must be so cold that all it needs is a surface to freeze on. The moisture lost from the air increases the evaporation rate from the cloud water droplets so they dissipate to form the hole. The now heavier ice crystals continue to fall and form the more tenuous wispy cloud-like virga seen inside and just below the hole. Water and ice from the virga evaporates before they reach the ground.”

One of the end time signs are: “There will be signs in the sun, moon and stars. On the earth, nations will be in anguish and perplexity at the roaring and tossing of the sea.” (Luke 21:25)

http://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

Posted in end of days, end time, pre-tribulation rapture, prophecy

Another mass bird death: this time in Karacabey Turkey

Posted on by elizabethprata

In Turkey mass killing birds [google translated from Russian]
“In Turkey, there was a case of an unexplained mass deaths of birds. Dead starlings found residents of the county Karacabey in Bursa province. Promptly reported the incident to local authorities launched an investigation of the incident. Experts are currently conducting the necessary tests. However, while they failed to establish the cause of death of starlings.”

The UK Telegraph grapples with the facts of these worldwide events and explores the spiritual side of it. They do so incorrectly, but still, attempts to reasonably explore whether these mass bird and fish and animal deaths really harbinger the end of days is always a worthy discussion-.

Aflockalypse now: on a wing and a prayer
Were sinister wildlife deaths around the globe foretold in the Bible, asks Philip Sherwell – or just foul play?
But last week, it found itself at the centre of a frenzy of doomsday prophecies and conspiracy theories after some 5,000 dead blackbirds — roughly one for each resident – rained down from the night skies on New Year’s Eve. That was strange enough. But mass deaths of thousands of birds and millions of fish were also reported elsewhere in Arkansas, in nearby states, and finally worldwide, from Scandinavia to the South Pacific. As the world wondered whether celestial or terrestrial factors were at play, the commuter town of Beebe, 35 miles north-east of the state capital, Little Rock, was struggling to recover from its “aflockalypse”. For those outside at about 11pm on New Year’s Eve, it proved a terrifying experience as dead and dying creatures crashed down on to roofs, roads and gardens. The carnage looked even grimmer in daylight…. For the apocalyptically inclined, the answer was obvious. Some Christian fundamentalists claimed the end was nigh, finding biblical justification in Hosea 4:1-3, which reads: “Because of this the land dries up, and all who live in it waste away; the beasts of the field, the birds in the sky and the fish in the sea are swept away.” That the birds fell from the sky in the southern Bible Belt, where Old Testament plagues of frogs and locusts are often viewed as part of a creationist account of history, only fuelled such interpretations.”

The article ends with the usual conclusions- that mass animal die-offs happen all the time, that because of the instant nature of our information delivery we are just hearing about it more, and the birds got scared and flew into things. However, as the die-offs continue, that explanation will less and less pass the straight-face test, and people will search for an answer. As always, the answer is JESUS. He loves you, He wants none to perish, He knows everything that is in your heart, and loves you anyway. “Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin? And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father’s will. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.” (Matthew 6:29-31). What comfort!

http://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

Posted in end of days, end time, loughner, pre-tribulation rapture, prophecy

Alleged Tucson shooter, Loughner, may have been a devil worshiper

Posted on by elizabethprata

Sad news regarding alleged Tuscon shooter Jared Loughner. Here is an excerpt from the NY Daily News:

Source

“A sinister shrine reveals a chilling occult dimension in the mind of the deranged gunman accused of shooting a member of Congress and 19 others. Hidden within a camouflage tent behind Jared Lee Loughner’s home sits an alarming altar with a skull sitting atop a pot filled with shriveled oranges. A row of ceremonial candles and a bag of potting soil lay nearby, photos reveal. Experts on Sunday said the elements are featured in the ceremonies of a number of occult groups. Investigators have focused on Loughner’s online anti-government ramblings as the chief motivation for the shooting Saturday of U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.). The discovery of the shrine raises the possibility that Loughner, 22, may have been driven by other forces.”

When the shooting began, people immediately blamed Sarah Palin’s web page which had political targets on it. Then people blamed liberals, then they blamed conservatives, the tea party, and the guns. As a matter of fact, there is a gun control bill in Congress today, already. Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY readies gun control bill.

People want to make sense of the world, and one way to make sense of it is to place blame, personalize, and then process it through the filter of our own prejudice, experience, and emotion. But the one place to lay blame is never spoken of: sin and satan who is the father of it. His influence on the world is more dramatic than people give him ‘credit’ for. Satan perverts the Scripture, he opposes God’s work. He hinders the gospel. He works lying wonders. And he roams up and down upon the earth looking for someone to devour.

He is invisible, so it is natural for unbelievers to dismiss him and his effect on the world. It is they who are under his sway, though. He who is not for Jesus is against Jesus (Luke 11:23) and are therefore one of the devil’s children. (1 John 5:19)

But Jesus came to us to break that bondage. The Son of God came to destroy these works of the Devil. (1 John 3:8). Praise Him for loving us, and giving us the ministry of the indwelling Holy Spirit to resist the devil and his influence. If you submit to God and resist the devil he will flee from you! (James 4:7; Eph 6:13; 1Peter 5:9).

God knows the devil and his angels and He also knows what we are capable of. So God told us “not to be ignorant of the schemes, or the plans, or the stratagems, or the tricks of Satan.” (2 Cor 2:11). In his sermon, “Satan: How Does He Operate?” John MacArthur wrote, “It’s amazing that even those who claim to worship Satan are really not worshiping the Satan that exists, but a manufactured Satan that Satan himself uses to trap men. He is a deceiver.” God told us to repent and receive the Spirit, that being the best way to resist the devil and his schemes. He also told us not to practice divination, soothsaying, witchcraft, or to worship false gods and idols. All these are an invitation for the deceiver to enter the heart and mind and eventually drag a person down to bottomless depths of madness. By the way, I HIGHLY recommend the MacArthur sermon series on satan. If, as Paul said, we should not be ignorant, then please take some time to educate yourself or to refresh your knowledge of satan and his schemes. The link above is a good place to start

I am upset that mass shootings like this happen in the world and in our nation. I am saddened that an aunt can’t even safely take her niece to a political function without the child being killed for it. I am aghast at the amount of violence and evil in the world. I hope Mr Loughner gets justice, and swiftly. But I’m also compassionate over him. He is an example of what the devil can do to men’s hearts – and minds. The perversion of thoughts in that young man’s head were twisted beyond belief.

If you are going to blame someone, blame satan, and then accept God. God is pure, holy, loving, and willing to receive sinners unto Himself. Come home to Jesus, and dwell safely in HIS arms.

http://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

Posted in end of days, end time, pre-tribulation rapture, prophecy

The end time is not a downer!

Posted on by elizabethprata

Most people think the end of days is a downer. It’s not. The last days assuredly are a downer for non-believers, and trust me, true Christians mourn over the wasted spiritual opportunity and the massive loss of lives that are to come. As each day grows closer to the time when our Savior redeems us and leaves the rest to their fate, it gets easier to mourn over what will happen to the millions and even billions of non-believers that have closed their hearts to Jesus.

But amongst ourselves, we see Him coming, and we hear His footsteps. We listen for the trumpet. And as we do, we see His work in the world. God’s work is always good!

Even as the doves rain down on Faenza, and blackbirds on Beebe, Arkansas, and all the other places the birds have been falling dead down to the ground, it is good. Even as miles and miles of fish go belly-up in China, South Carolina, New Zealand, it is good. How can it be good, you ask?

Because I see it this way: every end time sign Jesus sends is a marker of His constancy of justice. He judges sin. He always has, He always will. I take enormous comfort in His constancy and His eternal attribute of Judge.

With every dead bird that falls, with every fish that dies, I see His sovereign control over all of creation. He made the world, He cursed the world, He will judge the world, and in the end, He will restore the world! He is in control, because He is the Maker, the Creator, the King!

With every sign that sparks fear or awe of consternation, I take comfort in His patience. That He doesn’t judge us now, this instant, is a wonderful testament to His love. With each indicator of His increasing wrath, I take joy that His promises will be fulfilled. He warns, He shakes us out of our apathy, but His long-suffering patience is to be praised!

The end time is the final punctuation mark that began in Genesis 1. It is the fulfillment of all that He has shown Himself to us as, and is the finalization of all that He allows us to be. It is the culmination of all the ages, the point toward which we have been longing ever since the Fall. Judgment Day is supreme in His Plan, with the exception of the death of Jesus on the cross, the moment that allows the rest to occur.

These end times are a magnificent display of the constancy of His justice, His continual sovereignty over creation, the comfort of His patience, the joy in fulfilled promises, and the final punctuation on our hearts as the Redeemed. How can these days NOT be good?

http://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

Posted in animal deaths, dead birds, end of days, end time, fish kill, pre-tribulation rapture, prophecy

More animal deaths: fish in China, saiga antelope in Kazakhstan

Posted on by elizabethprata

BBC News reports: Mystery over mass antelope deaths in Kazakhstan
A mystery disease has killed more than 12,000 saiga antelope in Kazakhstan. Conservationists are warning that the mass deaths could spell disaster for the saiga, which is already an endangered species. The figure could account for up to a quarter of the global population of the species. “No one can figure out what’s happened. We see dead animals concentrated in a certain area.” A lung disease may be to blame. “The government is baffled.” It is noted in the video that this phenomenon happened in another district, “where a strange white fog was seen.”

In China yesterday, wholesale death on a large scale. Here is news, Google translated from Chinese: “Jiaxing City, about 2.5 millions kg of fish aquatic products wholesale death”
“The day before yesterday morning, is located in Jiaxing Economic Development Zone, integrated logistics park’s aquatic products wholesale market, almost all of the fishmongers have suffered heavy losses – they just wholesale to the number of sudden mass mortality of fish. Even more surprising is that the same group of fish, the river side of the river with the market almost all the deaths raised deposit, with the water the fish are kept safe and sound support.” The translation seems to be saying that all the fish in the fishmongers’ tanks died.  Apparently, as fishmongers arrived to their stalls, they saw that all the fish were dead. “said the fish market in the large-scale emergence of unnatural death. Police rushed to the aquaculture market.” Further, “After the accident, the environmental protection department of Jiaxing City staff quickly rushed to the scene, taking the water samples for testing, yesterday, the reporter learned that, after testing, the environmental protection department did not find water contamination.”

There are also unconfirmed reports of sparrows dead in a Chinese village too, but the video is in Chinese and I can’t translate that.

Here is a Google Map of the animal deaths. I can’t vouch for its complete accuracy, but I believe it does show a close-enough picture of what is going on. When you see the map, you’ll know.

http://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js