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7.2 Earthquake at Kuril Islands, Oklahoma fault line discovered

Posted on April 19, 2013May 9, 2016 by elizabethprata

There was another major earthquake overnight. It was located at Russia’s Kuril Islands, 155 miles ENE of Kuril’sk, Russia and 323 miles NE of Nemuro, Japan.

The average number per year for occurrence of quakes in the 7.0-7.9 magnitude range is 15. Three of the quakes in the 7-point range have occurred during this month of April.

So with the year less than half over we are halfway to the yearly average of quakes in that range. It is hard to make statements on data that has more than half the year still to be gathered, and earthquakes seem not to occur on a steady trajectory so making projections is useless, however it is still interesting to look at the numbers.

In other earthquake news, I’ve been reporting on the number of quakes at Oklahoma. For several years there have been occurring clusters of quake swarms. Initially the scientists and officials thought they were due to fracking, a method of extracting oil from shale underground.

However this news article reveals the answer:

Oklahoma earthquake surge reveals previously unknown fault line, state agency trying to connect dots
A day after 10 mid-scale earthquakes rocked central Oklahoma, a series of smaller quakes shook the area Wednesday, with more likely to come. Five earthquakes ranging from magnitudes 2.5 to 4.4 occurred in a concentrated region of the state, just northwest of Oklahoma City. In the past 72 hours, 14 earthquakes of 2.5 or greater have originated in the town of Luther. The largest quake, registering a magnitude 4.4, was “felt throughout large portions of Oklahoma and into Kansas and Missouri,” according to the Oklahoma Geological Survey. Austin Holland, with the agency, says there have likely been many more that were small enough to go largely undetected. According to the survey, the swarm of earthquakes that have occurred since Monday is in the “few hundreds.” The survey reports the earthquakes have occurred along a previously unknown fault. The agency also predicts the quakes aren’t over.”

Stephen Hawking and blessed are the cheesemakers

Posted on April 19, 2013 by elizabethprata

In Monty Python’s movie The Life of Brian, which was a spoof on the Life of Jesus, Jesus was giving the Sermon on the Mount. The rabble at the bottom of the mount and at the back of the crowd had a hard time hearing what Jesus was saying. Jesus had just said Blessed are the peacemakers. The spectators misheard the quote.

“Spectator I: I think it was “Blessed are the cheesemakers”.
Mrs. Gregory: Aha, what’s so special about the cheesemakers?
Gregory: Well, obviously it’s not meant to be taken literally; it refers to any manufacturers of dairy products.”

This actually illustrates two biblical points. They are related to the real-life news that famous physicist Stephen Hawking has found a way to account for the Big Bang theory without God. “The Big Bang was strange — and we still don’t understand it, said Professor Stephen Hawking in his latest speech. But whatever happened in the first seconds of creation, it didn’t take God’s help. Our universe did not require the intervention of any divine being, he said.”

The Hawking headline –

Stephen Hawking lays out case for Big Bang without God
“Our universe didn’t need any divine help to burst into being, famed cosmologist Stephen Hawking told a packed house here at the California Institute of Technology Tuesday night. Many people had begun queuing up for free tickets to Hawking’s 8:00 p.m lecture, titled “The Origin of the Universe,” 12 hours earlier. By 6:00 p.m. local time, the line was about a quarter-mile long. Stephen Hawking began the event by reciting an African creation myth, and rapidly moved on to big questions such as, Why are we here?”

“He noted that many people still seek a divine solution to counter the theories of curious physicists, and at one point, he quipped, “What was God doing before the divine creation? Was he preparing hell for people who asked such questions?”

Yes. Yes, He was. Well, actually He was preparing hell for the devil and his angels who rebelled against His authority, (Matthew 25:41), not for those who ponder Him and His ways. And speaking of pondering God, the creation, and hell, why does Mr hawking need to mention all three if he does not believe in them? Hmm? The article continues,

“Therefore, time began at the moment of singularity, [Big Bang] and this has likely occurred only once, Hawking said.”

Again, correct. God made the universe “in the beginning.” (Genesis 1:1). Until creation, time did not exist, and God’s existence is completely separate from the creation of the universe. Answers in Genesis covers this in their essay

What Was God Doing Before Creation?

In addition, Answers In Genesis explains the universe’s creation from an evolutionary point of view–
“The big bang is the model that a majority of evolutionary scientists believe best explains the origin of the universe. This is why the textbooks present the big bang model as the history of the universe. The big bang suggests that the universe came into existence 13.7 billion years ago. The entire universe was contained in an infinitely small point known as a singularity. This singularity began to expand slowly, then extremely rapidly, and then slowly again, though there is no reason that such changes in rate had to happen. Over time, stars and galaxies began to form through natural processes. These galaxies continue to move away from one another. It is claimed that the biblical time span of 6,000 years cannot explain how light could reach earth from the distant parts of the universe.”

That, of course, reflects Mr Hawking’s point of view. Now what does this have to do with Monty Python and cheese? Easy. You can see that despite Hawking’s great intellect in understanding the deep mechanisms of the universe, he has entirely missed the boat on understanding its origins, its creation, and its sustainer.

The two comments made by the actors in the Life of Brian movie perfectly mirror the errors the bible says the unsaved will make, and indeed, Hawking is making. (I know Life of Brian is a movie, stay with me here. Besides, secular actors write the script, so the analogy still applies to examining things the unsaved say). The first comment in Life of Brian I’d mentioned is —

“Blessed are the cheesemakers.”

Of course Jesus had said “Blessed are the peacemakers.” (Matthew 5:9). The scene in the movie where the spectators turn to each other and talk about the cheesemakers is indicative of how people misunderstand God’s word. Get this though- they deliberately misunderstand! They purposefully misunderstand what He has said and they go no further in delving into what it may mean. Any idiot knows the cheesemakers won’t inherit the earth (to use the movie example of a scriptural misunderstanding) but the secular, unsaved person doesn’t try to figure out what He really said no matter how obviously wrong they are in interpreting it.

Romans 1:18 says “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth.”

2 Peter 3:4-5 reminds us also that the unsaved know the truth but they deliberately suppress it–

“They will say, “Where is the promise of his coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation.” For they deliberately overlook this fact, that the heavens existed long ago, and the earth was formed out of water and through water by the word of God,

In other words, they KNOW the cheesemakers shall not inherit the earth.

The second part of the comment that well illustrates the attitude of the unsaved is the petulance, jealousy, and covetousness of the unsaved person reflected in the second part of the movie comment: “Why should they get it?” What’s so special about them?

Rather than rise to the occasion and ask, “What do I need to do to be blessed?” the unsaved person, who is low, tries to bring others down to their level. No one tries to go higher, take the high road. They always think, well I’m down here in the muck, why should they get anything better or different?

Hawking’s endeavor to try and explain the universe without God is a sad example of how those with blinded minds act. If he doesn’t believe in God, why spend time and lecture energy explaining the universe’s existence without God?

Paul warned us in Colossians 2:8 of the kind of vain philosophies such as those Mr Hawking is making:

“See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ.”

And the worst part is, people lined up 12 hours in advance and for a quarter mile to hear what they knew would be false notions, suppressing the truth in unrighteousness.The Lord God is amazing, and His word is true and forever right.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Below, a document I made from Answers In Genesis and quotes from the Space.com explanation of Mr Hawking’s stance on the big bang.

days of Noah, end time, prophecy

The Days of Noah

Posted on April 17, 2013May 9, 2016 by elizabethprata

This is part one of a two-part series on the Days of Noah and the Days of Lot.

Students of prophecy often refer to the prediction Jesus made in the Olivet Discourse called “Days of Noah”. The Olivet Discourse is the lengthy answer Jesus gave to the Disciples who had asked what will be the signs of the end of the age and of His coming. (Matthew 24:3). Often misinterpreted as a treatise of the signs presaging the rapture of the church, it is in fact a discussion of God’s plan for the Jews/Nation Israel and His judgment on the unbelieving world. The Church will have been raptured before the events that the Olivet Discourse discusses begin.

Anyway, Jesus said that the Tribulation will be like it was in the Days of Noah.

“As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. For in the days before the
flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away.” (Matthew 24:37-39).

Even though the condition of the world as Jesus described there won’t be present in full for Christians, it is still helpful to take a look. Anyone over the age of 50 can see the change over the last 30 years in society. It is much more godless, more brutal, violent and rebellious. We are not in the Days of Noah but we can certainly see the days coming.

Genesis 6:5-8 describes the Days of Noah more specifically.

“The LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And the LORD was sorry that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart. So the LORD said, “I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, man and animals and creeping things and birds of the heavens, for I am sorry that I have made them.” But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD.”

Look closely and ponder the phrases used in the verse to describe the days of Noah.
–The wickedness of man was ‘great’
–‘Every’ intention of the thoughts of his heart was ‘only’ evil ‘continually’
–Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD

In Old Testament times, the Holy Spirit did not dwell inside a person for life after salvation like He does with us now in the Church Age. (Ephesians 1:13-14, 2 Corinthians 1:22). There were a few exceptions. John the Baptist had the Spirit in him since before birth (Luke 1:15). 1 Samuel 16:13 shows how He came upon David ‘from that day on’.

But more usually in Old Testament times, the Spirit was given for a specific period of time for a specific task. Some examples of this are the Spirit the workmen for building the temple (Ex. 28:3, Ex. 31:3) and given to the Judges for wisdom (Numbers 27:18; Judges 3:10).

So, think about how it was on earth when the earth was populated by men without the Spirit. Every man did and thought evil, completely, all the time. Humans were SO evil that God determined to wipe them out! Noah was the only one who did right. Wow.

We are so fortunate to be living in the Church Age with the Spirit actually inside us post-salvation for all our lives. He grows us in sanctification and helps us resist sin. Can you imagine what it will be like when He, the Restrainer (of sin) is removed? (2 Thessalonians 2:6-7). Wow again. It will be just like the Days of Noah!

Uncategorized

Eclipse and meteor shower this month

Posted on April 16, 2013May 9, 2016 by elizabethprata

Get ready for 2013’s first lunar eclipse. This year there are two upcoming solar eclipses and three lunar eclipses for the year 2013.

Meteor shower, partial lunar eclipse visible this April

A meteor shower and a partial lunar eclipse will highlight the treats for stargazers this April, the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said Wednesday. PAGASA OIC Vicente Malano said the Lyrids meteor shower will peak on April 22, and a partial lunar eclipse will be visible in the Philippines on April 26. He said the umbral eclipse magnitude will be 1.47 percent and will also be visible primarily in Australia, most of Asia, Africa, Europe and Antarctica. “The shower typically generates a dozen meteors per hour under optimal conditions with a brief maximum that lasts for less than a day,” Malano said. “The Lyrids meteor shower has been observed for more than 2,600 years. Chinese records show that ‘stars fell like rain’ during the meteor shower of 687 B.C. However, in recent times, the Lyrids have generally been weak,” he noted. An article on EarthSky.org recommended that the “hour before dawn is best” to view the shower.

Here is NASA’s graphic as to how much of the moon will be covered and where on earth you can see it:

Meanwhile NASA tells us that the Lyrid meteor shower peaks this weekend

Lyrid Meteor Shower Peaks this Weekend
“An annual meteor shower is set to peak this weekend, but the showing likely won’t be as strong as it has been in years past. The Lyrid meteor shower should give skywatchers in darkened parts of the world a decent show late Sunday night (April 21) and early Monday morning (April 22), but the glare from a nearly full moon will probably impede the view for many stargazers.”

I’d still go out and look up if I were you.

evil, jesus, love

The rapidity with which the world is descending into chaos is amazing

Posted on April 16, 2013May 9, 2016 by elizabethprata

I’m dizzy. Literally dizzy- physically, emotionally and spiritually.

Just in the last 24 hours there has been a terrible terrorist bombing in Boston, a meteor that swooped across Spain and was seen from the north to the south, a series of quakes at Oklahoma and a major quake at the Iran-Pakistan border.

I wrote about the meteor, and a few minutes after that I saw the quakes at OK, so I wrote about them too. Then I went to dress for work and when I checked the news again just 10 minutes later, the quake at Iran had occurred.

Is there any doubt by now that the signs are not coming year upon year, or month upon month, but minute upon minute?

When people say, ‘it isn’t the end because there have always been earthquakes and meteors and signs as described’ they are right AND they are wrong. There always have been these things, to be sure.

The only question that Christians who understand prophecy have, is how long these will be signs and not

Credit: Courtesy Dan Lampariello

judgments. Because the rapture is a sign-less event, not presaged by anything in particular. The birth pangs of Matthew 24 relate to the Tribulation. However, if we can see the solidity of the groundwork being laid for those signs, how much closer is the rapture?

The Christians are not under judgment, we are not appointed to wrath. (1 Thessalonians 5:9). The wrath upon unbelievers will begin in Revelation 6 as stated by those who are left on the earth after the rapture, in Rev 6:16-17. The seal judgments will have been opened, thus signaling the beginning of the wrath. The earth’s population cries out and mourns because of it. (Revelation 6:15-17). The Church will be gone by then.

At some point the Church Age will end, the rapture will occur and the wrath will begin.

Bystanders in Karachi Pakistan after today’s 7.8 mag quake

Until then, remember what Jesus said–

I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33).

And this–

“and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already. Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.” (1 John 4:3-4).

Notice the tense, not that you will overcome the spirits of antichrist who hate. But that you ALREADY HAVE.

iran, pakistan

Earthquake at Iran/Pakistan border, prelim 8.0-7.8

Posted on April 16, 2013May 9, 2016 by elizabethprata

The quake just occurred so details are coming in now. The initial magnitude was placed at 8.0 but rated as 7.8 after that by US Geological Survey (USGS). The quake was felt over the entire Middle East region. News from Breaking News BNO now-

–Iran’s seismological agency says quake struck only 18 kms deep, though some other agencies say it appears more deep. USGS: 7.8-magnitude quake struck 53 miles of Khash, Iran at depth of just 9 miles

(the shallower the quake the more damage and the wider it is felt).

–Iran’s seismological agency says 7.5 quake struck 81 kms from Saravan in Sistan and Baluchestan Province

RadioPakistan reports, The quake was also felt in Islamabad, Peshawar, Multan and other cities and in Gulf states

Large earthquake felt in India’s capital New Delhi; quake also felt in Pakistan, across Gulf states – according to AlArabiya English, Reuters

Haggai 2:6 “This is what the LORD Almighty says: ‘In a little while I will once more shake the heavens and the earth, the sea and the dry land.

earthquake, oklahoma

Earthquake in Oklahoma, 4.3 mag

Posted on April 16, 2013 by elizabethprata

USGS has it here
http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/recenteqsww/Quakes/usb000g7s8.php

A 4.3 is fairly large for the area. Oklahoma newspaper has the story

Another earthquake hits Oklahoma early Tuesday
Update– A fifth earthquake has been felt in central Oklahoma Tuesday. The latest was felt about 5:17 a.m.

Main story– At least four earthquakes shook parts of Oklahoma early Tuesday. A 4.3 magnitude earthquake occurred at 1:56 a.m. with an epicenter about 7 miles east, northeast of Luther and 22 miles east of Edmond, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. Rumblings were felt across a wide portion of central Oklahoma, but there were no immediate reports of damage. Austin Holland, a geophysicist at the Oklahoma Geological Survey in Norman, said he is gathering data about the quakes Tuesday. He said it is possible there were more than four quakes early Tuesday. “At this point it looks like a main shock, aftershock sequence. There are even a bunch of smaller ones,” Holland said.”

Meteor in Spain seen by whole country

Posted on April 16, 2013 by elizabethprata

From Rusia Today–

Ball of fire lights up skies above Spain (VIDEO)
A brilliant ball of flame streaked across the sky above the Spanish capital Madrid, dazzling stargazers and astronomers alike. The celestial display was so bright it could be seen across the entire country. The eye-popping moment was caught on camera by the Hita Observatory at the University of Huelva at around 11:45pm local time (2145 GMT). The object struck the atmosphere above the Villamuelas district in the province of Toledo, southwest of Madrid. “The impact was so abrupt that the object immediately caught fire, creating a ball of flame around 100 kilometers above the Earth,” Jose Maria Madiedo of the University of Huelva told the Huffington Post. The meteor then shot towards Madrid at over 75,000 kilometers an hour before disintegrating completely at an altitude of 70 kilometers.”

More at Russia Today.

It could be seen across the entire country??!! Wow.

I had written in March 2013 in an article titled “Are There More Meteors?” that yes, there are more meteors. You can go to that link to see the graphs of data showing that meteor sightings are waaaay up.

Psalm 147:4 says that God knows the names of each and every star in the heavens. With that kind of intellect, and that kind of detail regarding the celestial realms, we do not wonder if the increase in meteors is unknown to God. We do not wonder if the meteors and asteroids and comets are coincidences. They are signs from God. Nothing is an accident.

During the UNcreation which will occur in the Tribulation, there will be many signs in the sky. Luke 21:25 says,

“And there will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and on the earth distress of nations in perplexity because of the roaring of the sea and the waves,”

During that time, the sun will partially be darkened (Revelation 8:12, Isaiah 13:10, ‘a third of the sun shall be darkened’) and also a third of the moon and a third of the stars.

Joel 2:31 & Revelation 6:12 says the moon shall turn to blood.

For a while during the Tribulation the sun will become so hot it will scorch men. (Revelation 16:8)

Later in the Tribulation the sun will go out.(Mark 13:24). Luke 21:26 says that people will faint in fear for the ‘heavenly bodies will be shaken.’

God says in Joel 2:30 “I will show wonders in the heavens and on the earth, blood and fire and billows of smoke.”

He will show wonders… if He will show wonders then, and controls the entire universe to the degree that He does, isn’t it likely that the show of meteors and bolides and asteroids and comets are also His work? And that He is showing His power but also His compassion in revealing Himself in this way so that we might be mindful of HIM and repent? I do believe this is the case.

Please understand that God is real, he knows each and every thought in each and every heart of each and every person alive or dead. He is holy and sin angers Him. He is angry every day over sin!

“God judgeth the righteous, and God is angry with the wicked every day.” (Psalm 7:11)

That means He is angry every day over each and every person who has not repented and believed in the Son, Jesus Christ. God is not angry with those who are in His family because He has declared them righteous and justified. But those who reject the Son, are still in their sins and He is displaying His wrath each and every day. Please consider the sweetness of being part of God’s family in love and the danger and eternal destruction that awaits being apart from God in wrath. He is sending signs of His power. Please heed them…

boston marathon explosion, evil, suffering

God is not our therapist, and why is there suffering and evil?

Posted on April 15, 2013 by elizabethprata

T.M. Luhrmann wrote an Op-Ed piece in the NY Times Sunday. It is called, “When God Is Your Therapist.” It is a devastating indictment on our faith from someone who is actually not trying to be devastating.

Apparently Ms Luhrmann spends time in a couple of Protestant churches, trying to make sense of it all. She has attended long enough as a curious outsider to have formed some opinions about what Christians are all about, who God is to us, and why. None of her opinions are correct if looking at the bible. All of her opinions are correct based on who the emergent, therapeutic, touchy-feely, ‘God is your boyfriend’ crowd presents to the world. It is so, so, so, so sad.

All Ms Luhrmann wants to know are the same things that have haunted people for eons: why is there evil? Why does God allow it? Why do bad things happen to good people? She wrote,

“I saw the same thing at another church, where a young couple lost a child in a late miscarriage. Some months later I spent several hours with them. Clearly numbed, they told me they did not understand why God had allowed the child to die. But they never gave a theological explanation for what happened.”

Those questions can be answered theologically, and that is what she wanted. She did not want an emotional answer. She is perplexed by the constant references to emotion when talking about God. Hence the name of the piece, God as therapist.

Relying on God as therapist does NOT equip us to answer the question as to why these things happen. Relying on God as therapist does NOT equip us enough to be sanctified by the Holy Spirit to grow in truth. We see the deficiencies of such a limited relationship when things like the bombings at the Boston Marathon happen.

Her editorial comes at a precise time when we ask those series of questions again. The US has seen horrifying violence such as the Aurora CO movie shootings and the Sandy Hook CT kindergarten shootings. Today, there were bombings in Boston and many are injured and several have been killed. After Aurora, Pastor Lee Strobel delivered a sermon titled–

Why Does God Allow Tragedy and Suffering?

There IS a theological answer. Christians whose go-to position is ‘feel God’ instead of ‘know God’ do an eternal disservice to people like Luhrmann and others who want solid answers to these questions. That is why we need to be able to give an answer to all who ask for the reason that we have this hope inside us. (1 Peter 3:15).

Strobel said in his sermon, which is once again sadly applicable to today given the bombings in Boston,

“That “why” question goes back thousands of years. It was asked in the Old Testament by Job and the writers of the Psalms, and it was especially relevant during the 20th century, where we witnessed two World Wars, the Holocaust, genocides in the Soviet Union and China, devastating famines in Africa, the killing fields of Cambodia, the emergence of AIDS, the genocide in Rwanda and the ethnic cleansing of Kosovo. And the 21st Century didn’t start any better. There was 9/11 and now the Syrian slaughters, and on and on. Why all of this if there’s a loving and powerful God? Why do bad things happen to good people?”

Strobel continues with five ‘points of light’ in explaining why there is suffering in general. I encourage you to read his sermon after today’s events, especially.

We do our unsaved neighbors such a disservice by changing Yahweh into a therapist. He is not there to talk to when we feel low and need a pick me up, or to ‘hang out with’ as one of Luhrmann’s pastors said. He revealed Himself in the bible and it is important for us to read it so we know of Whom we speak when giving an answer to those who ask.

Yes, I do feel better when I pray or I read the word but that is not because God is a therapy I go to in order to sort out my feelings. It is because I know of Him enough to know He is sovereign and in control and works all to the good for those who love Him. I know His attributes by having read of Him in His revelation. I want to know God as God and not as a tool in my ever-enlarging toolbox of pick-me-ups. God is not the same as a comedy show or chocolate.

Please read your bible. Get into a good church. Plan to study with someone more mature than yourself. In any way, engage with God as God, not as therapy. The more you study Him the more you will know him. The more you know Him the more you will want to share Him with others. I hope Ms Luhrmann gets the answers she is looking for and I hope the people in her church do too, even though they are not looking. Stay away from the God as your therapist, and learn about the the real Jesus, the Jesus you can’t ignore.

rapture

Picture of the rapture

Posted on April 14, 2013May 9, 2016 by elizabethprata

Just a thought…

“And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And the earth shook, and the rocks were split. The tombs also were opened. And many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised, and coming out of the tombs after his resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many. (Matthew 27:51-53)

The photo above was from an old historic, overgrown Georgia cemetery I’d ambled one fine day in the early spring. I saw the burst-open tomb. It reminded me of the verse above, and also of the blessed day when we will be changed, and the dead shall be raised-

“Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality. When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written:

“Death is swallowed up in victory.”
“O death, where is your victory?
O death, where is your sting?”
1 Corinthians 15:51-55

That wonderful day is one day closer today than it was yesterday! Soon, my friends, soon!