Posted in arizona, desert, mystery, purple spheres

From the weird files: ‘They’re out of this world!’: Mysterious purple spheres found in the desert spark speculation

Posted on by elizabethprata

The look like they simply landed in one spot, appearing out of nowhere. And they’re pretty. Of course the Daily Mail has the story, along with great pictures.

‘They’re out of this world!’: Mysterious purple spheres found in the desert spark speculation
“Tuscon locals are baffled by the appearance of thousands of tiny, purple sphere that have appeared in the middle of a desert. Geradine Vargas and her husband discovered the strange collection Sunday while on a walk. ‘We were taking photos around the area and we just…. I mean, how could you miss this?’ Geradine said. ‘It was just like glittering in the sun.’ ‘It’s just one of those things that you’ve never seen before.’

“It’s just one of those things that you’ve never seen before”? Really? Ho-hum, here is something weird and unprecedented and oh yah, it’s just one of those things?

That’s where we’re at. Weird things happen so often we say, oh well, here is another one. Like when the mysterious creatures washed up on a Hawaii beach and no one, even biologists, had ever seen them before. They were purple too, looked like pea-sized crabs. In that story about the Oahu mystery creatures, it was reported,

“The south shore of Oahu is being invaded by something strange from sea, that even has sand crabs running for cover. “It’s the first time I’ve seen this, I’ve never seen it before,” says beach goer Bruce Kuwana. “It’s really weird, it looks like you want to eat it like a little berry,” says beach goer Sonya Lake. “There are probably millions I’d say,” says beach goer Scott Paddock.”

In the Tuscon Arizona purple spheres mystery, the mound was completely isolated from the rest of the terrain.

Here is the Arizona media’s reporting on the purple desert spheres if you want to read the local angle on it.

Weird and interesting! I think the earth is so complex and beautiful. Who knows what there is left to be discovered. I know that Marine biologist Bob Ballard was surprised to have discovered the underwater vents deep in the ocean that sustained life- not by photosynthesis but by chemistry. There is so much we don’t know, but when we are glorified and in New Jerusalem with Jesus, perhaps we will know so much more about the earth and all that is in it!

Posted in damascus, middle east

Assad: I can win the war if I destroy Damascus

Posted on by elizabethprata

Al Arabiya news reported

Assad: I can win the war if I destroy Damascus
“What happened in the last meeting between international envoy Lakhdar Brahimi and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad as reported yesterday by Asharq al-Awsat newspaper is worth noting. The first told the second, “You cannot remain in power. Apart from the opposition’s ability to win, the price would be the destruction of Damascus.” To this Assad replied, “I can win the war if I destroy Damascus.” This, in fact, is Assad’s plan: destroying Damascus, Syria, and the region. He had tried that in Iraq before and in Gaza and is still doing it in Lebanon.

“We are dealing with a real criminal [Assad] who had intentionally killed tens of thousands, not because they were party to the conflict, but rather because he believes that killing and destruction are tools of control.” ~Abdulrahman al-Rashed

Damascus will be destroyed —

“Behold, Damascus will cease to be a city and will become a heap of ruins. 2 The cities of Aroer are deserted they will be for flocks, which will lie down, and none will make them afraid. 3 The fortress will disappear from Ephraim, and the kingdom from Damascus; and the remnant of Syria will be like the glory of the children of Israel, declares the Lord of hosts.” (Isaiah 17:1-3)

We do not know how it will be destroyed, or who destroys it, or when. But on the day it is destroyed, and the areas around the city, Israel will be brought low, too–

“And in that day the glory of Jacob will be brought low, and the fat of his flesh will grow lean. 5 And it shall be as when the reaper gathers standing grain and his arm harvests the ears, and as when one gleans the ears of grain in the Valley of Rephaim. 6 Gleanings will be left in it, as when an olive tree is beaten— two or three berries in the top of the highest bough, four or five on the branches of a fruit tree, declares the Lord God of Israel.” (Isaiah 17:4-6).

Stay tuned.

Posted in buddhism, jesus, prayer, tibet

Tibetans wonder why 100 self-immolations won’t bring about a "Tibetan Spring"

Posted on by elizabethprata

I read the following this morning, and it got me thinking:

As Self-Immolations Near 100, Tibetans Question the Effect
“A crowd of Tibetans came here to India’s capital last week, bearing flags and political banners and a bittersweet mixture of hope and despair. A grim countdown was under way: The number of Tibetans who have set themselves on fire to protest Chinese rule in Tibet had reached 99, one short of an anguished milestone. Yet as that milestone hung over the estimated 5,000 Tibetans who gathered in a small stadium, so did an uncertainty about whether the rest of the world was paying attention at all. In speeches, Tibetan leaders described the self-immolations as the desperate acts of a people left with no other way to draw global attention to Chinese policies in Tibet. … Billed as the Tibetan People’s Solidarity Campaign, the four-day gathering featured protests, marches, Buddhist prayer sessions and political speeches in an attempt to push Tibet back onto a crowded international agenda. If the Arab Spring has inspired hope among some Tibetans that political change is always possible, it has also offered a sobering reminder that no two situations are the same, nor will the international community respond in the same fashion.”

In Tibet prayer is going on most of the time. Tibetans pray in a special way. They believe that when certain sounds and words, called mantras, are said many times, they arouse good vibrations within the person. If a mantra is repeated often enough it can open up the mind to a consciousness which is beyond words and thoughts.

The reference in the article to the Arab Spring was the incident where “the catalyst for the escalation of Muslim protests was the self-immolation of Tunisian Mohamed Bouazizi. Unable to find work and selling fruit at a roadside stand, on 17 December 2010, a municipal inspector confiscated his wares. An hour later he doused himself with gasoline and set himself afire. His death on 4 January brought together various groups dissatisfied with the existing government system, including many unemployed, political and human rights activists, labor, trade unionists, students, professors, lawyers, and others to begin the Tunisian revolution” which in turn fueled the rest of the nations that ended up participating in the Arab Spring throughout 2011. You can read about Bouazazi’s story here. When Bouazazi died, protesters filled the streets chanting, “Farewell, Mohammed, we will avenge you. We weep for you today. We will make those who caused your death weep.” And they did. They made the world weep, and it is still weeping, but not in the way they intended.

The Tibetans keep burning themselves up but the people’s and the government’s reaction is not the same, and they wonder why. In the flesh, one reason is that the Tunisians themselves who reacted to the self-immolation of Bouazazi, protesting the current status and enacting change- mostly through violence. The Tibetans who self-immolate, expect the government to change as the reaction to the act of martyrdom. It won’t happen. In the spirit, though, ultimately all change is brought about by God. He sets up kings and governments and he takes them down. (Daniel 2:21, Psalm 75:7).

What got me thinking was the tragedy of it all. Neither Muslims nor Buddhists are saved. Therefore I think of the horrified reaction of Bouazazi and all 99 of the Tibetan monks who self-immolated. In Bouazazi’s case, he was angry and his act was borne out of frustration and rage against the corrupt government. In his last act of anger and frustration, he self-immolated a mere one hour after the government officials confiscated his fruit vendor scales.

The Tibetans who protest Chinese occupation in their homeland of Tibet also hope to make a positive change in a way that displays just as much frustration but in a non-violent way. Yet in all cases, the self-immolates woke up in hell. How horrible to have performed an ultimate act of self-sacrifice on behalf of your fellow countrymen only to find out to your eternal horror that your benevolent act landed you in hell, enduring God’s wrath forever. Whether Muslim or Buddhist, nice guy or evil one, upon your death it means that you will go to hell.

What do Tibetan Buddhists believe?

Tibetan Buddhism’s goal of spiritual development is to achieve a special enlightenment called Buddhahood in order to best help all other sentient beings attain this same state. Buddahood is a state of perfect omniscience, attained by self effort and/or adherence to teachings. (Omniscience is the state of knowing all things, having total knowledge).

The great mystic Padmasambhava (more commonly known in the region as Guru Rinpoche) merged tantric Buddhism with the local Bön religion to form what is now recognized as Tibetan Buddhism. While there are many forms of Buddhism, Tibetan Buddhism adheres to the following as some of its main principles:

–That all existence and manifestation can be found in one’s experience, that that experience is with one’s own mind, and that Mind is the source and the creator of all things.

–That Mind is an infinitely vast, unfathomably deep complex of marvels, its immensity and depth being inaccessible to the uninitiated.

–“Buddha-Mind is a GREAT ILLUMINATING-VOID AWARENESS”. The experience of enlightenment of the void is simple to state. It is the experience of awareness only, awareness that is aware of nothing at all except the existence of awareness itself.

–That the infinite compassion, merit, and marvels will spontaneously forth when this Buddha-Mind is fully unfolded. (source)

& etc. and so on.

When a Buddhist exalts one’s mind as the pinnacle of all experience and knowledge, it is really an exaltation of the self.

When a Tibetan Buddhist prays, they set up a prayer flag. These prayer flags were ones I took a photo of in San Francisco. Wikipedia says, “Prayer flags are used to promote peace, compassion, strength, and wisdom. The flags do not carry prayers to gods, a common misconception; rather, the Tibetans believe the prayers and mantras will be blown by the wind to spread the good will and compassion into all pervading space. Therefore, prayer flags are thought to bring benefit to all.”

So if the wind blows over the flag while you are walking near it, you will derive some benefit as its sacred air then passes over you…

To sum up, Tibetan Buddhism teaches by self-effort to become a little god. No? Yes, because they teach that one can attain by self-effort a perfect omniscience and a perfect compassion. However at the root of that perfect knowledge, is voiding one’s self of all sentience. Being aware of nothing is the goal, so that there are no hindrances to being able to help other people. First I must become perfect by emptying myself of all deisre, so than I can in turn help you, who is not perfect, being filled with desires.

Further, this little god-hood continues in a special level in Arya-bodhisattvas. These are ones who have attained a higher level and are able to escape the cycle of death and rebirth but compassionately choose to remain in this world to assist others in reaching nirvana or buddhahood. Yet no one can choose to escape the cycle of death, (and there is no rebirth, except for being born again in Christ) for God said,

“See now that I myself am He! There is no god besides me. I put to death and I bring to life, I have wounded and I will heal, and no one can deliver out of my hand.” (Deuteronomy 32:39)

There is no way to deny that a Tibetan Buddhist teaches a path through self-effort of becoming a little god. Being perfectly omniscient, perfectly compassionate, being able to create all things by your own self, and conquering death is what a god does. As James Stephens says in Ministry Today Magazine, “Buddhist theology and practice is antithetical to biblical Christianity. For instance, the Buddhist objective in meditation is to empty one’s mind while seeking union with the cosmos, ultimately buying into the Serpent’s ancient lie, “You shall become as gods.”

However the entire exercise is ironic, because though a Buddhist believes that all existence and manifestation can be found in one’s experience, it is ultimately the goal to destroy one’ awareness of one’s experience, and become void. Nothingness is the goal. How hopeless. How futile.

A Buddhist is without hope to begin with, and then spends a lifetime destroying any glimmer of any hope after that to become one big void. I can only see that despair is at the end of the road for a Buddhist.

Buddhism has deities, though Buddha himself is not generally thought of as a god. The Tibetan deities are, the Five Great Buddhas of Wisdom which are able to overcome a particular evil by performing a particular good, the Wrathful Deities, and Tara, the savior goddess.

I feel deep compassion for the Tibetan monks who have a desire to help humanity. Who devote their entire lifetimes to prayer and helps for their fellow man, Who even sacrifice their own lives in hope that their death will make a positive difference. But all their efforts are in vain. God does not listen to sinners. So the Tibetan monk’s prayer is unheard of by the only One who can answer. Tara does not exist. No Buddhist created anything of this earth. No person can become omniscient. Only God is omniscient.

The hubris in believing that man can attain these things on his own is a grave sin in itself.

Tara does not exist. The Wrathful Deities do not exist. They are figments of man’s vain imagination. Of the one true salvation deity, CARM.org describes salvation, “salvation is the state of being saved from God’s judgment upon the sinner. The only way to be saved is to trust Jesus for the forgiveness of one’s sins (John 14:6, Acts 4:12). All who do not trust Jesus alone, by faith (Rom. 5:1; Rom. 6:23; Eph. 2:8-9) are not forgiven and go to hell when they die (Matt. 25:46; John 3:18). When Jesus forgives someone, He forgives all their sins and gives them eternal life and they shall never perish (John 10:28).

When I drop my pencil, I go ‘oops’ When I stub my toe, I go “OOPS!” Those are mistakes that are easily recovered from. When a Muslim or a Tibetan Buddhist self-immolates, dies, and arrives in hell, ‘oops’ doesn’t begin to cover it. Discovering after all that the Christians were right, God does exist and He does require belief in Jesus to attain ‘nirvana’, is a mistake of eternal proportions. It barely is possible to comprehend the horror and fear of a person who hastened their own eternal destruction. It is why I don’t hate the Muslims who flew the planes into the Twin Towers, Pentagon and that Pennsylvania field. What can I possibly say about them that they are not saying themselves for all eternity? That God won’t say to them when they face Him on judgment day? I mourn the futility of the Tibetans’ acts, seeing as they are sinners in the hands of an angry God who will say- ‘I am omniscient, YOU thought you could become like Me?!

“I am the LORD, and there is no other, besides me there is no God” (Isaiah 45:5a)

This blog entry was about the futility of false religions and the compassion Christians should have on people who are in the dark. If you are a Buddhist reading this, and wondering why you’re not further along the “path” to nirvana, please read the following article

I am a Buddhist, why should I consider becoming a Christian?

Unfortunately, Buddhist practices are creeping steadily into Christianity. If you are a Christian who senses that your friend, relative or your church is starting to mix Buddhism with Christian practices (such as “contemplative prayer” or contemplative meditation, yoga, chanting, etc) Matt Slick at CARM.org offers these resources for help:

“Two of the best resources that make a clear distinction between Christianity and world religions such as Buddhism are “Jesus Among Other Gods: The Absolute Claims of the Christian Message,” written by Ravi Zacharias, and “The Universe Next Door: A Basic Worldview Catalog,” by James Sire. Zacharias examines the truth claims of Jesus Christ and the exclusivity of the Christian message against the messages of other faiths, while Sire lays the philosophical foundations that undergird every worldview and then analyses the major religions and the solutions they offer to each worldview category/question.

Ray Yungen, author of “A Time of Departing,” and “For Many Shall Come in My Name,” and Warren Smith, author of “The Light That Was Dark,” and “A Wonderful Deception,” demonstrate that eastern meditative practices are not harmless as many Christians insist but are instead dangerous dabbling with occultism. You also may try such online resources as Probe Ministries, which has several informative pieces on the subject, as well as Leadership U which also has many good articles on Buddhism.”

Probe Ministries article on Buddhism

And this one from Probe, “Can Christians practice Buddhism?“

Christians should pray constantly in gratitude that He sent the spirit of repentance upon us and gave us the Light of Jesus in our souls. What a relief I am not in the dark anymore! Despite Buddhists’ attempts at a life of goodness and compassion, non-violence and prayer, Buddhists are still sinners in need of Jesus. Buddhists need witnessing to as well.

Posted in earthquakes, end time, ring of fire, warning

Ring of Fire earthquakes increasing

Posted on by elizabethprata

After a bit of a lull in earthquakes over 6.0 in 2012, this year has started with a bang. So far this week there have been ten quakes in the 6.0-6.9 rang and 13 major quakes overall.

The average amount of quakes in the 6.0-6.9 magnitude range typically average 134 per year. Last year was the first year the average was not met or exceeded. Click to enlarge.

So far this week, there have been what USGS categorizes as “major quakes” (higher than 5.9 mag) in the following places. The most recent is at the top-

6.1 SANTA CRUZ ISLANDS
6.9 HOKKAIDO, JAPAN REGION
6.4 SANTA CRUZ ISLANDS
6.3 SANTA CRUZ ISLANDS
6.0 SANTA CRUZ ISLANDS
6.0 SOUTHEASTERN ALASKA
6.2 SANTA CRUZ ISLANDS
6.0 SANTA CRUZ ISLANDS
6.8 ATACAMA, CHILE
6.0 EASTERN KAZAKHSTAN

There was also a 7.5mag near Craig, Alaska on January 5th, 2013. There have been 13 major quakes so far this year.

The Santa Cruz Islands look like they are getting the most action. So where are these islands?

globe showing location of 10-degree map

Many of these major quakes of late are along the “Ring of Fire.”

According to Wikipedia, “the Pacific Ring of Fire, or just Ring of Fire for short, is an area where a large number of earthquakes and volcanic eruptions occur in the basin of the Pacific Ocean. In a 40,000 km (25,000 mi) horseshoe shape, it is associated with a nearly continuous series of oceanic trenches, volcanic arcs, and volcanic belts and/or plate movements. The Ring of Fire has 452 volcanoes and is home to over 75% of the world’s active and dormant volcanoes.It is sometimes called the circum-Pacific belt or the circum-Pacific seismic belt. Eruption of Mount St. Helens on July 22, 1980. About 90% of the world’s earthquakes and 81% of the world’s largest earthquakes occur along the Ring of Fire. Also, many of the world’s volcanoes are located here.”

Dr. Stephen Austin at the Institute for Creation Research has produced an article outlining the history and future prophecy of earthquakes and the bible. It is called Greatest Earthquakes of the Bible. He listed 17 of the major quakes and scientifically and historically as well as prophetically looks at their power. It is an easily readable essay which I’ll excerpt parts of here, and encourage you to read in its entirety.

The Holy Land is a region where earthquakes occur frequently. By one means or another, big earthquakes have been documented in the Holy Land for a period exceeding 4,000 years.1 Many are known from history and literature, especially the Bible. Holy Land earthquakes are also evidenced from archaeological excavations. No other region of the earth has such a long and well-documented chronology of big earthquakes.

1. Day Three of Creation Week

On the third day of the creation week, the waters of the earth were collected into the oceanic basins as continents appeared (Genesis 1:9-10). Before Day Three, the waters had been over the whole earth. Continents seem to have been uplifted and the ocean floor was depressed during a great faulting process that established the “foundations of the earth.” We are told that angels saw and praised the omnipotent God as the earth-shaking process occurred (Job 38:4-7; Psalm 148:1-6; possibly Psalm 104:5-6). Today, the earth’s continental crust (41 percent of the earth’s surface, including the continental shelves) has an average elevation of 2,000 feet above sea level, whereas the oceanic crust (59 percent of the earth’s surface, excluding the continental shelves) has an average elevation of 13,000 feet below sea level. Can anyone properly comprehend the colossal upheaval that formed continental crust on Day Three? Angels must have watched in awe!

2. Noah’s Flood
3. Destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah
4. Moses on Sinai
5. Korah’s Rebellion in the Wilderness
6. The Fall of Jericho
7. Philistine Camp near Geba
8. Elijah on Mount Horeb
9. Amos’ Earthquake of 750 B.C.
10. Qumran Earthquake of 31 B.C.
11. The Crucifixion in Jerusalem, April 3, 33 A.D.
12. The Resurrection in Jerusalem, April 5, 33 A.D.
13. Jerusalem Prayer Meeting, Summer 33 A.D.
14. The Prison at Philippi

15. Today’s Earthquakes
When Jesus was asked by His disciples what the sign of His coming would be, He talked of wars, famine, epidemic disease, and earthquakes. Jesus said, “These are the beginning of sorrows” (Matthew 24:8; Mark 13:8; cf. Luke 21:10-11). The word “sorrows” is the Greek word meaning “birth pangs.” Seismograph analysis reveals that the frequency and energy of large earthquakes was not constant throughout the twentieth century. According to a popular urban legend, big earthquakes have been increasing in both frequency and energy. This legend is not supported by the seismograph data. There appears to be about a 30-year cycle of increasing and decreasing earthquake frequency, suggesting the “beginning of birth pangs” theme. Furthermore, seismographs demonstrate that earthquakes are indeed distributed throughout the globe (the “divers places” as described by Jesus in Matthew 24:7 and Mark 13:8).

[Ed Note: the article to which Austin refers that states big earthquakes are not quantifiably increasing was written in 1999. I think from the data above that I’ve gathered into a chart, we can see by now from the perspective of 14 years later that the cycle of big earthquakes is on the upswing]

16. Gog’s Future Earthquake in Israel
17. Messiah’s Earthquake in the Future (Sixth Seal)

Conclusion

A review of the 17 earthquakes listed above shows that virtually the entire story of the Bible can be summarized by its association with earthquakes. Biblical events emphasized by earthquakes are creation, Noah’s Flood, separation of Abraham and Lot from judgment of the wicked cities, the giving of the Law on Mount Sinai, authentication of the leadership of Moses, God’s provision in the conquest of Canaan, vindication of the messages of Hebrew prophets, the crucifixion of our Lord in Jerusalem, the resurrection of our Lord, the ministry of the apostles and the church, the modern “birth pangs” sign of the end times, the national conversion of Israel, and the Second Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. History, archaeology, and geology appear to confirm independently many earthquakes mentioned in the Bible.

Earthquakes have been used distinctively by God to highlight some of the most important events of the Bible. The three main purposes for biblical earthquakes are judgment, deliverance, and communication. The lesson is obvious—God does not do anything really big without emphasizing it with an earthquake! In our fast-paced, man-centered, technology-based society of the twenty-first century, God would have us pause and consider His sovereign nature and the program He has been accomplishing in the world.

I love the last paragraph of Austin’s conclusion. “Judgment, deliverance, and communication-The lesson is obvious—God does not do anything really big without emphasizing it with an earthquake!” How interesting! As we watch the major earthquakes come one upon another in our present day, let us definitely pause to consider God’s sovereign nature and the program He has been accomplishing in the world. Austin’s overview of the world’s major earthquakes since the Creation to the Tribulation gives me pause to bow in humility. God’s power and might are surely magnificent, and His love and patience are even more so. We are blessed to be living in the Church Age, a long span of time when His patience restrains His wrath. However, the Day will come when the grace He has extended for so long will end and He will unleash His wrath against sin and sinners.

“For my name’s sake I defer my anger, for the sake of my praise I restrain it for you, that I may not cut you off.” (Isaiah 48:9)

Barnes Notes explains,

“Here it means that God would restrain himself; He would not put forth His anger in order to destroy them. Learn hence:
1. That God acts with reference to his own glory, in order to manifest his own perfections, and to secure his praise.
2. That the reason why the wicked are not cut off sooner in their transgressions is, that He may show his forbearance, and secure praise by long-suffering.
3. That the reason why the righteous are kept amidst their frequent failures in duty, their unfaithfulness, and their many imperfections, is, that God may get glory by showing his covenant fidelity.
4. That it is one evidence of piety – and one that is indispensable – that there should be a willingness that God should secure his own glory in his own way, and that there should be a constant desire that his praise should be promoted, whatever may befall his creatures.”

As it was for His people the Israelites, so it is for His Bride today. As Peter reminds us in 1 Peter 1:12, the Gospel is so tremendous a gift that even angels desire to look into these things. What praise and glory He collects to Himself by restraining His wrath so that mercy might be displayed! What honor He heaps to Himself by shaking the world but not destroying it! Though an earthquake may be devastating to a person in terms of injury or destruction of possessions, so far they have truly been as gentle as a shake on the shoulder from a loving Father to a sleeping child. “Wake up, little one!”

Posted in God, hail, India, weather

Freak storm: hailstorm with ice boulders rain down in Indian villages

Posted on by elizabethprata

The Daily Mail has the story, along with their typically fantastic photos

Nine people killed as freak hailstorm rains massive boulders down on Indian villages
Hailstones the size of boulders have rained down on villages in southern India.
“At least nine people were killed when the violent weather hit several villages in the state of Andhra Pradesh. The hailstorm which lasted for almost 20 minutes, destroyed crops, houses and live stock, causing devastating financial implications for residents. It was once-in-lifetime experience for people living in seven villages in Chevella, Moinabad and Shankarpally. The hailstones started falling from the sky on Tuesday night and covered the entire villages under the snow-like blanket.”

This area in India which received the hail is prone to huge hailstorms. The Weather Underground reports,

“The deadliest hailstorms, and perhaps the largest hailstones, in the world occur on the Deccan Plateau of northern India and in Bangladesh. The heaviest authenticated hailstone ever measured was one of 2.25 pounds that fell in the Gopalganj district of Bangladesh on April 14, 1986. The stones size was not measured although anecdotal reports claimed the stones were the size of “pumpkins”. Ninety-two people perished as a result of the storm although how many of these can be attributed to the hail is uncertain. A hailstorm in the Moradabad and Beheri districts of India killed 246 people on April 30, 1888, the deadliest hailstorm on record in modern history.”

But even this storm has the Meteorological Office scratching their heads.
“HYDERABAD: Two days after a severe hailstorm lashed parts of Chevella mandal in Rangareddy district, a two-member team of meteorologists from the Indian Meteorology Department (IMD) visited the affected areas, but were clueless as to what caused the unusual phenomena and were only able to give textbook answers. … Officials said that hailstorm normally occurs during summer months but not in January. … When asked if the hailstorm of such a scale as the one witnessed on Wednesday ever occurred, Rao said that there was no record and did not rule out such a possibility.”

Here is a gentle reminder:

God controls the weather. He either sent the storm or He allowed satan some latitude to cause it. (Job 1:9-12, 19; Isaiah 30:30).

The other reminder is that He will send 100lb hailstones in the Tribulation.

“And great hailstones, about one hundred pounds each, fell from heaven on people; and they cursed God for the plague of the hail, because the plague was so severe.” (Revelation 16:21)

You notice the verses ‘they cursed God for the hail’. The people by that time will know it is God sending these things as plagues, or judgments. It is better to know it now, before the judgment comes.

Do you acknowledge God is King (Psalm 29:10)? Do you understand that you are a sinner, that He sent His Son as the sacrifice to die for your sins, and God accepted the sacrifice by raising His Son from the dead to reign in heaven, and who will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead? That’s the Gospel. (1 Corinthians 15:1-8)

Posted in Uncategorized

A note about comments

Posted on by elizabethprata

I don’t have a formal comment policy, per se. I figure, just be normal and nice and it will all work out.

However I have had to slightly change several comments recently and I will tell you why. If you choose to comment and leave a link within your comment, several thing are going to happen.

First, I always check out each link. I will not post a comment that has a link to an unscrupulous or otherwise bad website or blog. I have ‘Web of Trust” as an add-on. This is a website rating system which makes a color appear at the end of a link. There’s dark green, light green, yellow, and red. I won’t allow websites with red to go through. If it is any other color, I read the webpage you linked to, or watch the video. If the site being linked to or referred to is doctrinally unsound, I will not put that up. It is a stumbling block to the babes in Christ and I won’t be a part of passing along bad information. There is enough bad information out there already without me helping it along.

But sometimes the comment itself is good enough to go thru. It is germane, or it is pointed, or displays a fervor on the part of the person commenting. It didn’t have vulgarity or wasn’t disrespectful. These comments have a bad link but otherwise would make it through (and usually this is a comment that disagrees with the post). I don’t want to delete it all, because I’m sensitive to the fact that someone took time to read, respond, and type. In these cases, I excise the link when I put the comment in.

I don’t change any comment or otherwise edit it. In the cases I’m speaking of, I simply take out the hyperlink and leave the rest.

Just wanted you to know.

Posted in gay, homosexual, Jim Nabors, sin

Jim Nabors being with a partner for 38 years in no way legitimizes homosexual marriage as a proper relationship

Posted on by elizabethprata

I wrote yesterday of the news that television actor and singer Jim Nabors, 82, married his long-time homosexual partner. I know that one thing that will strike the unbelieving world about the Jim Nabors marital news is the reported length of time he and his homosexual friend have been partners. The news reports were that they have been together for 38 years.

One thing that the non-believing supporter of homosexuality denies is the penchant for gays to hitch quick and divorce quicker, or for single gays to hop from bed to bed. Gays say that they are not defined by sexual activity, but they belie that when they fail consistently to be monogamous. Their promiscuity s legendary.

The statistics on sexual promiscuity among homosexuals are staggering. 83% of the homosexual men surveyed estimated they had had sex with 50 or more partners in their lifetime, 43% estimated they had sex with 500 or more partners; 28% with 1,000 or more partners. They are promiscuous, and rarely stay with one partner for long. (source)

So no doubt, people will be using the unhappy couple’s self-stated lengthy partnership as a legitimizer for such perverse relationships. They say, “It’s love!” or, “See, it’s the same as heterosexual marriages!” However, whether promiscuous one-night stands or a 38 year apparent partnership, homosexual relationships are still sinful.

Length of time being involved in a sin is no credit to that sin. It is still sin. Just because you have been sinning longer is not a reason or a basis to say that it is now legitimized. If someone has been embezzling funds from your corporation for 38 years, do you forgive it, saying its length of time as an ongoing event means that it must be credible by now? Of course now. Embezzlement is a crime, just as homosexuality is a crime- against God.

As a matter of fact, length of time as an active homosexual is more of a reason to say they are condemned. In the progressive Wrath of Abandonment as outlined in Romans 1, the Lord hardens the heart and gives them over to their sinful desires of the body (Romans 1:26; Psalm 81:12).

What does it mean, exactly, that God gives them over?

Because they refused to honor God, He gave them over to the vilest of devices. It shows to what depths they fall without God. They became abandoned to the last degree. The very fact that they are a homosexual or a lesbian is illustrative of the fact that they have been given over by God. There is only one further step: being given over to their depraved mind. At that point they cannot even think right. (Romans 1:18-32). It is the end of the line.

Being given over means that if a person persists in denying the sovereignty of God for a period of time, after repeated warnings, God allows the person’s sin to take them to its inevitable conclusion. In the case of Pharaoh, God gave warnings in the form of judgment plagues, and then hardened Pharaoh’s heart.

This is because Pharaoh refused to listen, and each time he refused to listen, Pharaoh hardened his own heart (Ex 7:22, Ex 8:14, Ex 8:19, Ex 8:32, Ex 9:7). After a certain point, God calls it. He gave Pharaoh over to his sin.

God is just. He is not a doormat nor a patsy. After a certain point of no return, He gives you over.

In the case of Nebuchadnezzar, God gave the king repeated warnings in the form of a dream. The final  dream came with a dire warning. Even then, God gave the king one year to repent. At the moment Nebuchadnezzar said he built the city himself and he gave himself the glory, denying God once again, Nebuchadnezzar was struck in judgment. The difference between Pharaoh and Nebuchadnezzar was that when Nebuchadnezzar came out of his insanity period, he repented and gave God the glory. Pharaoh never did. Who knows how many more warnings and dreams would have been given Nebuchadnezzar, if any, but it is wise to heed His warnings the first time. God is merciful in not smiting us at birth for being sinners against Him. He is long-suffering, allowing our sins to progress until He decides to either regenerate us into new life, or harden us into spiritual death. He is patient, for example, waiting a full year for Nebuchadnezzar to repent. God is love, we are made in His image. But he is also just, and He judges us.

I am not saying a homosexual person has no chance of being saved. Any person can repent and will be welcomed into the Kingdom of God. What I am saying is that the longer you go in not addressing your sin, the more chance that God will give you over. We don’t know when that moment is. He does this with nations. It is called The Wrath of Abandonment. Romans 1 outlines the progression.

He also does this with individuals. There IS a point of no return. Homosexuality is the signal that it is very far along in the path of no return.

GotQuestions writes,

“[I]f we don’t confess our sins, they have a cumulative and desensitizing effect on the conscience, making it difficult to even distinguish right from wrong. And this sinful and hardened heart is tantamount to the “seared conscience” Paul speaks of in 1Timothy 4:1-2. Scripture makes it clear that if we relentlessly continue to engage in sin, there will come a time when God will give us over to our “debased mind” and let us have it our way. The apostle Paul writes about God’s wrath of abandonment in his letter to the Romans where we see that the “godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth” are eventually given over to the sinful desires of their hardened hearts (Romans 1:18-24).

A lengthy homosexual relationship might be lauded as “love” in secular (sinful) society but that is no commendation at all. It is actually a danger to their soul and eternal destiny! GotQuestions again–

“So, what then is the antidote for a heart condition such as this? First and foremost, we have to recognize the effect that this spiritual disease has on us. And God will help us to see our heart’s condition when we ask Him: “Search me O God, and know my heart…see if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting” (Psalm 139:2-24). God can heal any heart once we recognize our disobedience and repent of our sins. But true repentance is more than simply a resolute feeling of steadfast determination. Repentance manifests itself in a changed life.”

Hallelujah that our mighty God changes our lives away from sin and toward righteousness! He can and He does. Every day.

http://www.flickr.com/photo credit: Creativity+ Timothy K Hamilton via photopin cc/bestrated1/191150805/

Posted in gay, homosexual, Jim Nabors

Jim Nabors, 82 (Gomer Pyle) marries long-time gay partner

Posted on by elizabethprata

Actor Jim Nabors of ‘Andy Griffith Show’ marries male partner; says he ‘just wanted it legal’
“Actor Jim Nabors says marrying his longtime male partner doesn’t change anything about their relationship — he just wanted it to be formally acknowledged. “I just wanted it legal,” the 82-year-old actor best known as Gomer Pyle in “The Andy Griffith Show” told The Associated Press on Wednesday. Hawaii News Now reports Jim Nabors and his partner, Stan Cadwallader, traveled from their Honolulu home to Seattle to be married Jan. 15, 2013. The couple met in 1975 when Cadwallader was a Honolulu firefighter. Nabors married 64-year-old Stan Cadwallader in Seattle on Jan. 15. Nabors says they have been partners for 38 years.”

Well. That’s kinda disappointing. I guess I’ll delete my “Jim Nabors Gospel” Pandora channel now.

The national religion, homosexuality, is proceeding apace. As a benchmark behavior, it is listed pretty far along on the scale of where a nation stands as far as rebellion against God goes. (Romans 1:18-32).

Last October in his devastating sermon called “Homosexuality and the Campaign for Immorality”, John MacArthur spoke about the Romans verses and where America is now in terms of being on track for imminently enduring God’s wrath of abandonment:

What you see in Romans chapter 1 is the sequence of what happens when God abandons a nation. First, verse 24 says, He gives them over to “the lust of their hearts to impurity,” sexual sin, the dishonoring of their bodies among them. When God abandons a society, the first thing that happens is it becomes pornographic. It becomes obsessed with sex, obsessed with fornication, adultery, every kind of sexual behavior. We have gone through that already in the sexual revolution a couple of decades ago.

The second thing that happens when God abandons a culture is found in verse 26, “God gave them over to degrading passions…their women exchanged the natural function for that which is unnatural…in the same way also the men abandoned the natural function of the woman and burned in their desire toward one another, men with men committing indecent acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error.” At the end of that verse, “Receiving in their persons the due penalty” is the diseases that come consequent to homosexual behavior. And as you know, they unleashed on the world the horror of AIDS.

But what it’s saying here is that when God abandons a nation or a culture under His wrath, there will be a sexual revolution followed by a homosexual revolution. And we are living in this very condition.

Jesse Johnson at The Cripplegate wrote today of persecution of Christians in America. He sees it coming, a peculiarly kind of American persecution. He sees that it will be based on refusal to submit to our new national religion: homosexuality. Here are just a few of the bullet points:

Four responses to the coming persecution
–The day is quickly coming when churches will be subject to legal obstacles for their stance on homosexuality.
–It seems like only a matter of time before lawsuits targeting churches are filed if a church refuses to do parent/child dedications for same-sex couples.
–It is not far-fetched that pastors will lose their housing allowances, and churches lose their tax exempt status, unless they are willing to affirm the validity of the homosexual lifestyle.

Johnson goes on to describe how we should respond to it, and what to remember above all. It’s a good essay.

Matt Slick at Christian Apologetics and Research Ministry wrote:

“Homosexuality is clearly condemned in the Bible. But, it also goes against the created order of God who made Adam, a man, and Eve, a woman — not two men, not two women — to carry out his command to fill and subdue the earth (Gen. 1:28). Homosexuality cannot carry out that command. It is, therefore, a contradiction to God’s stated desire in the created order. Unlike other sins, homosexuality has a heavy judgment administered by God Himself upon those who commit it – and support it. This judgment is simple in that those who practice it are given over to their passions – which means that their hearts are allowed to be hardened by their sins.”

My heart grieves for Nabors. He is a man who appeared in several wholesome television shows as an innocent person seeing the good in all people in a chaotic world. However the truth was far from the superficial thespian presentation. If Nabors has been in a homosexual relationship for 38 years or longer, then from the verses in Romans it can be seen that God has given him over to his perversions as a judgment. Rev. Slick concludes his essay with hope, the hope we gain from Jesus:

“The only hope for the homosexual, and all people who break God’s laws, is to realize that God is holy and he will rightfully judge all who have sinned against him by breaking his law (1 Kings 8:32; Ps. 9:8; 1 John 3:4). If he did not do this, then he would be approving of wrong doing. However, God is loving (1 John 4:8) patient (Rom. 2:4), wanting people to repent (Acts 17:30) and come a saving knowledge of him so they might be redeemed. What this means is that the sinner must turn to Christ, who is God the Son in flesh (John 1:1,14; Col. 2:9), who bore our sins in his body on the cross (1 Pet. 2:24), died and rose from the dead (1 Cor. 15:1-4), and made it possible for sinners to be saved from the righteous judgment of God by faith in what Jesus did on our behalf (2 Cor. 5:21) and be forgiven of their sins (Eph. 2:8). This is done receiving Christ (John 1:12), by believing in him and his sacrifice that is a payment for our sins to God the Father. Like any sinner, the homosexual needs to repent, receive Christ by faith, and be saved from God’s righteous judgment by trusting in Christ and the judgment that fell upon him on the cross. They need to pray and ask the Lord Jesus to save them.”

I hope that Nabors and his partner do pray to Jesus. Meanwhile, my Nabors Gospel channel has got to go…
———————–

Note: an addendum essay was published here regarding one more thought on the issue.

Jim Nabors being with a partner for 38 years in no way legitimizes homosexual marriage as a proper relationship 

Posted in Uncategorized

A stormy day

Posted on by elizabethprata

Pretty heavy storms about to hit us here in GA. Many are already without power. If I do not post tonight, that is why 🙂

Pray for the many who have lost homes, and those who are without power and are in shelters. Buses are finishing their runs, and we pray the kids all get home safely.

Hope you are all safe too! Take care.