Posted in gaza, israel

Gaza-Israel situation: updates, leaflets announcing imminent ground invasion

Posted on by elizabethprata

I posted earlier tonight about the very tenuous situation between Gaza/Hamas and Israel. It is a very bad situation that could well lead down the final path toward the rapture, through the Tribulation and end up at Armageddon. Many wars are prophesied for the end of the end, including in Syria in Isaiah 17; Israel as seen in Revelation 12; Egypt as in Isaiah 19; Gaza, Hamas, and others as seen in Psalm 83; Russia, Iran, Turkey, Armenia and others as in Gog Magog Ezekiel 38-39.

Here is what is going on, and events are happening fast.

Iron Dome has so far successfully intercepted 25 rockets from #Gaza aimed at major Israeli cities #PillarsofDefense via @IDFSpokesperson

As prophesied, people are not coming to Israel’s side.

“

“As a President of United Nations Department of Political Affairs I condemn the attacks by Israel in Gaza!”

Egypt recalls ambassador following Gaza strikes

Israel okays mobilising reserve troops for Gaza if needed

Israel PM ‘prepared to expand’ Gaza operation 

VIDEO – IDF drops leaflets warning Palestinian civilians to “avoid being present in the vicinity of #Hamas operatives” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iPGHfTrgkgY&feature=youtu.be

Joel Rosenberg offers context for the situation:

“CONTEXT: Israel doesn’t occupy Gaza. Israel withdrew all its forces from Gaza in 2005. Yet Israeli towns along its southern borders have been hit with hundreds of rockets and mortars in recent months, while the world has remained silent. More than 1 million Israeli civilians have been under constant threat of attack. Schools are closed. Businesses are closed. People are living in fear. Children can’t sleep. It has become an unsustainable situation. So on Wednesday, the IDF killed of the top Hamas military commander — Ahmed Jabari – who had masterminded myriad attacks on Israel, had been in charge of the kidnapping of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, and oversaw the firing of thousands of rockets and mortars at Israel. See video of the airstrike that killed Jabari. The Israeli Air Force on Wednesday also bombed at least 20 terror facilities in Gaza. Hamas terrorists vowed revenge, saying Israel has “opened the gates of Hell” and that it plans a massive retaliation.’

Posted in gaza, hamas, isaiah 19, israel, prophecy

UPDATED–Israel’s retaliation for Gaza rockets is to assassinate Hamas leader. Brink of war, and Isaiah 19 prophecy

Posted on by elizabethprata

Joel Rosenberg is in Israel. He just wrote:

“Urgent prayer request: Hamas violence escalating rapidly….raining rockets on Israel…IDF calling up reserves, preparing to invade Gaza….latest details.

“The situation here is rapidly going from bad to worse. It is nearly midnight here, and the battle between Hamas and Israel has been intensifying hour by hour throughout the day. Hamas, Islamic Jihad and other Palestinian terror organizations — all backed by Iran — are firing rockets, missiles and mortars at innocent civilians in Israel, along the southern border. Each act is a war crime. The Iranian-backed terrorists are also firing from behind innocent civilians in Gaza, often from hospitals, mosques and schools. Thus, each act is actually two war crimes. In just the past several hours, the terrorists have fired more 50 times at Israel. That’s more than 100 war crimes. Since Saturday, they have fired at Israeli civilians more than 200 times. That’s more than 400 war crimes. Yet the world is paying very little attention and doing little to stop the terrorist attacks. Israel, therefore, is moving swiftly to defend herself.”
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A poignant Tweet: Avital Chizhik ‏@avitalrachel wrote–

“In a bomb shelter in Netivot, after 55 rockets fired in the past few hours alone. Not that anyone cares #Hamas #rockets”

Her photo:
Embedded image permalink

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What a difference 8 hours makes. this morning I was looking at the earthquakes and the US mess. As I got home from work I see that in the meantime, the Middle East went to hell. Literally.

I’d written on Sunday that Israel was getting hit from the north and south, and being squeezed in the middle from east to west. This refers to the shelling by Syria into northern Israel, the shelling into southern Israel by Hamas from the Gaza Strip, and the Palestinian Authority’s push to upgrade the Palestinian Authority in the UN to Observer State. The exchange with Syria at the Golan Heights was the first in 40 years, and the shelling in the south is becoming interminably horrific for the residents there, who can hardly live normal lives. The push by PA Abbas at the UN would also be a stick in the eye for Israel. So, how much can they take?

It appears that the line has been crossed. Today, Israel hit Hamas where it hurts, making a rocket strike in Gaza that was targeted to and killed their leader Ahmed Jabari, the head of its military wing. Israel’s Shin Bet domestic intelligence service confirmed it had carried out the attack, saying it had killed Jabari because of his ‘decade-long terrorist activity’

Hamas said that this event would “open the gates of hell.”

Here is the Israel Defense Force video of the assassination:

There might be a ground war as a result of this, with Israel saying they are prepared to go into Gaza with forces, if need be. “Israeli media are reporting that the IDF is sending emergency call-up notices to reservists. IDF General Yoav Mordechai told Channel 2 news ground troops may be sent into Gaza: “There are preparations, and if we are required to, the option of a entry by ground is available.”

Predictably, even though Hamas has been shelling Israeli civilians and children for weeks, “Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas asked Arab League Secretary General Nabil al-Arabi to call an emergency meeting of the League’s Council to denounce “dangerous Israeli escalation and brutal aggression on our people in the Gaza Strip”.”

This latest escalation of the parties, which brings them to the brink of war, is called on the Israeli side, “Operation Pillar of Cloud.” You will remember from the Old Testament that a pillar of cloud led the Israelites in the desert by day. At night it was a pillar of fire.

“And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead them along the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, that they might travel by day and by night. The pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night did not depart from before the people.” (Exodus 13:21-22).

“And in the morning watch the Lord in the pillar of fire and of cloud looked down on the Egyptian forces and threw the Egyptian forces into a panic, clogging their chariot wheels so that they drove heavily. And the Egyptians said, “Let us flee from before Israel, for the Lord fights for them against the Egyptians.”(Exodus 14:24-25).

Maybe not as predictably, but certainly prophetically, the Egyptians sided with Hamas.

There is a prophecy in Isaiah that is yet unfulfilled. I am not talking about the unfulfilled prediction that Damascus will be destroyed (Isaiah 17:1). I am talking Isaiah 19 and Egypt.

The opening of Isaiah 19 begins like this, with another reference to a cloud!

“An oracle concerning Egypt.  Behold, the Lord is riding on a swift cloud and comes to Egypt; and the idols of Egypt will tremble at his presence, and the heart of the Egyptians will melt within them. And I will stir up Egyptians against Egyptians, and they will fight, each against another and each against his neighbor, city against city, kingdom against kingdom; and the spirit of the Egyptians within them will be emptied out, and I will confound their counsel; and they will inquire of the idols and the sorcerers, and the mediums and the necromancers; and I will give over the Egyptians into the hand of a hard master, and a fierce king will rule over them, declares the Lord God of hosts.” (Isaiah 19:204)

The harsh master is probably the antichrist. But we cannot say for sure.

Joel Rosenberg wrote a piece called “What does the bible say about the future of Egypt?” He produced this video at the tail end of the revolution which ousted Hosni Mubarek at the end of the Arab Spring.

Is this the time for Isaiah 19 to come true, with the beginning of fulfillment in seeing a ground war between Gaza, Egypt and Israel?  Possibly. Probably, actually.

Please keep praying and keep aware of events. Keep reading your bible. It has so much to say about these times. For example, of all the names the Israelis could have used, the Pillar of Cloud is one that not only figures into their history past but is part of Isaiah 19 and history future. We will watch to see if that future history has arrived.

Posted in jesus, obama messiah, obama nativity

Obama nativity scenes, and Obama messianic language, cropping up again

Posted on by elizabethprata

Editor’s Note:

I am having laptop troubles, which is why I did not post yesterday. I am waiting for a new hard drive and a fan, hoping the laptop doesn’t die in the meantime. If it does and I am not posting, that’s why. 🙂 I am also writing quickly and using the computer sparingly, so if you see more typos than usual, that is why 🙂

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In the days immediately prior to Obama’s first election, the language and photography describing or depicting him was Messianic in the extreme. I wrote about it 2010, saying-

“Obama has even been called a Pharaoh three times in his short tenure as President. “Expectations raised by Obama’s brief visit to Cairo are almost messianic. Souvenir shops are selling pendants with the caption “Obama – new Tutankhamen of the world.”


(Above, An Egyptian vendor displays a handmade copper plaque reading “Obama, New Tutankhamun of the World” at his shop in the Khan el-Khalili market area in Cairo on Monday. AFP/Getty Images) The image was named “Obamatut”.

The messianic name was attributed to him many times, as here- “A messiah won’t be landing at the Heliopolis airport Thursday. Nonetheless, the expectations raised by Obama’s brief visit to Cairo are almost messianic.”

He even discovered a likeness of himself on an Egyptian tomb.

And again in 2012, I noted the overuse of messianic language in relation to Obama.

“Obama didn’t call himself Messiah, but he certainly didn’t make any attempt to dispel the notion.” Or here, “Obama, a junior senator, the son of a white mother and a Kenyan father, has been happy to run as a black man and, more important, as America’s new messiah.”

He was depicted as such in paintings, here, for example.

And he was called the National Groom. I do take exception to that. Only Jesus is our Groom.

Now after the second election a spate of unusual and frankly, weird, statements have emerged that surpass the language, visual depictions and opinions of Obama as Messiah from the first time around. Once again we are dealing once with messianic language. For example, there is a new book comparing Obama to Jesus and Martin Luther King. The Daily Caller has the story.

“Looking for something to read as Thanksgiving approaches? Or a unique take on what has made President Barack Obama such a successful politician? Or perhaps an explanation of Obama as an apostle and his “politics as religion?” You could check out “The Gospel According to Apostle Barack” by Barbara Thompson (AuthorHouse 2012). The mouthful of the book’s subtitle is: “In Search of a More Perfect Political Union as Heaven Here on Earth.” The book’s thesis is that Obama is not just the 43rd president of the United States. Much more than that, he’s an apostle akin to Martin Luther King, Jr. or even Jesus Christ.”

And some stores selling nativity sets are including figures of Obama to insert into the holy scene. “”Every time a major event occurs we create a new figurine, and today after Obama’s victory, we have made a new figurine of Obama and will put him in our ideal Nativity scene,” Ferrigno said.”

One is coming who will surpass the world’s marveling at this Messiah, this Apostle, this Pharaoh. He will be the antichrist and will engender even more love, adoration, and wonder than Obama.

“One of its heads seemed to have a mortal wound, but its mortal wound was healed, and the whole earth marveled as they followed the beast. And they worshiped the dragon, for he had given his authority to the beast, and they worshiped the beast, saying, “Who is like the beast, and who can fight against it?” ” (Revelation 13:3-4)

This present run-up to the world’s looking for a man to solve all the problems, and the idolatry of their love for that man will be unlike any other time before. The antichrist will make Hitler seem like a boy playing Tonka trucks compared to the real antichrist. The antichrist will make Obama seem like a toddler waddling around with his diaper hanging to the floor.

But one thing you can see now: the gullibility of people. As one lifted-up leader shows his true colors after another, the world does not learn its lesson and turn to the real Light, the one carrying a rod of iron with which to rule the nations: JESUS. No, they keep seeking him who will fail, him who is only man, and him who is evil. They fall for flowery talk every time.

“In his place shall arise a contemptible person to whom royal majesty has not been given. He shall come in without warning and obtain the kingdom by flatteries.” (Daniel 11:21).

They will fall for a silver tongued devil, the antichrist, just as Adam and Eve fell for the silver tongued devil in the beginning. (Genesis 3:1-5)

The Good News is that this will be just about the last time satan will be allowed to deceive the nations (once more, for a moment, in the Millennium Kingdom, Rev. 20:7, but than that’s it). Jesus will rule and we will rule with Him (Rev 1:5-6, Matthew 19:28). We are grateful to know the REAL ruler with everlasting words and love, not evil, in his heart!

Posted in earthquakes, judgment, prophecy

Major earthquakes since the election: God is shaking the nations

Posted on by elizabethprata

UPDATE: I posted an update to this essay here, updating the total of major earthquakes since the election.

Not that the US election is a global prophetic barometer, in fact, Israel is the only nation where we can confidently say that, but the US is one indicator of the depths of perversity and depravity that a nation of 300 million souls has sunk to. In addition, the major prophetic focal point, Israel, is being hit with rockets in the south, and attacked from the north… So, let’s look at how the Lord is shaking the nations. Just sayin’–

Nov 7- 7.4 OFFSHORE GUATEMALA
Nov 8- 6.3 VANCOUVER ISLAND, CANADA REGION
Nov 11-6.8 MYANMAR
Nov 11-6.5 OFFSHORE GUATEMALA

There have been 18 aftershock quakes at Guatemala in the last 6 days above 4.3 in addition to the two major quakes.

There have been 6 large quakes at Myanmar today, formerly Burma, including the major 6.8.
5.6 / 5.8. / 5.0 / 5.6/  5.0 / 6.8

There was the strong (for the region) 4.3 quake at Kentucky followed by a 2.5 (New Madrid?).

The USGS has annual averages for each sized magnitude of quake.

As far as previous years go, we note that as of year end 2011, it was the third consecutive year that quakes in each of the categories from magnitude 5.0 to 9.0 have exceeded annual averages. Statistically there is no doubt there are more earthquakes.

Let’s get a thumbnail of how 21012 is stacking up– I usually do a year-end statistical analysis of how many quakes there have been in each year and compare that to the previous nine years against the USGS annual benchmark. It isn’t the end of the year yet, so it wouldn’t be statistically reliable to do an apples to apples comparison until Dec 31, but here is a roundup of how many large quakes there have been so far with 6 weeks to go in the year 2012.

8.0-9.9 : 2
7.0-7.9 : 12
6.0-6.9 : 102
5.0-5.9 : 1336

The USGS search didn’t have in its database the three 6.0-plus quakes that have happened in the last few days, so I added those in. Anyone have an idea that the two categories that haven’t met or exceeded the USGS annual average will be making up for lost time in the next few weeks? I do, if the last few days are any indication.

The writer of Hebrews said,

“At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, “Yet once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.”” (Hebrews 12:26).

This verse is referring back to Haggai 2:6, and Barnes Notes explains, “The words here quoted are taken from Haggai 2:6, where they refer to the changes which would take place under the Messiah. The meaning is, that there would be great revolutions in his coming, as if the universe were shaken to its center. The apostle evidently applies this passage as it is done in Haggai, to the first advent of the Redeemer.”

Both the first advent of Jesus and the second advent of Jesus will shake the nations. However, the second advent will shake the heavens too.

The shaking of the earth here evidently refers to the commotions among the nations that would prepare the way for the coming of the Messiah.
Listen, people. God is going to come in terrifying judgment. Revelation 6:13 says when the sixth seal is opened, a great shaking will occur in the universe- “and the stars of the sky fell to the earth as the fig tree sheds its winter fruit when shaken by a gale.”

Matthew 24:29 is a parallel, “Immediately after the distress of those days “‘the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.”

The earthquakes are the beginning of the fulfillment of the prophecy where Jesus said “For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are but the beginning of the birth pains.” (Matthew 24:7.)

The earthquakes are the warning sign. of the shaking judgment to come. This judgment has been given to JESUS.

“The Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son,” (John 5:22)

If you believe on Jesus’ name, you will be His friend and not His enemy to be judged. Here is how to be saved from that judgment!

 God’s Simple Plan of Salvation

Posted in damascus, gaza, isaiah 17, israel, prophecy, rockets, syria

Israel getting hit from the north & south, and squeezed from east to west

Posted on by elizabethprata

Israel, O Israel… we cry for you!

“They do not cry out to me from their hearts but wail upon their beds. They gather together for grain and new wine but turn away from me.” (Hosea 7:14)

“But Israel has rejected what is good; an enemy will pursue him.” (Hosea 8:3)

The situation in the Middle East is deteriorating quickly. The tensions have permeated all the nations around. This weekend in the south,

In the south, Gaza terror factions pound Israel with around 70 rockets
“Over 100 rockets, mortar shells hit South in past 24 hours, Israeli officials weigh “dramatic response”; PMO refuses to comment on reports of Egyptian mediated ceasefire.”
“Israel won’t hesitate to launch a large-scale IDF operation against Gaza-based terror factions if necessary, Defense Minister Ehud Barak warned Sunday, after southern Israel was pounded by some 100 rockets over the past 24 hours.”

Joel Rosenberg landed in Israel this weekend and reports from the ground,

Rockets fired from Gaza
“It’s been a challenging 24 hours here since arriving in Israel. Palestinian terrorists in Gaza have fired more than 80 rockets and mortars at civilians living in southern Israel. The IDF has fired back. There are injuries on both sides of the border. Terrorists also fired an anti-tank missile at an IDF jeep, wounding four Israeli soldiers. The Iron Dome has been fired to shoot down rockets. Israeli forces are on high alert in the south. Schools are closed. Businesses are closed. Tensions are running high as Israelis wonder if Hamas and Iran are trying to draw Israel into a war in Gaza. “The IDF is striking and will continue to strike Gaza,” Prime Minister Netanyahu said. “Terrorist organizations are suffering grave setbacks at the hands of the IDF. The world must understand that Israel will not sit idly.”

Keep in mind Isaiah 19, another prophecy that has not been fulfilled yet. Egypt will become a bitter enemy of Israel. Below, map of Gaza.

Gaza is home to Hamas. Since 2007, Hamas has been in de facto control of the Gaza Strip after seizing power from Fatah gunmen in a series of bloody clashes. Psalm 83 says that Hamas (Philistia) will be one of the groups which attack Israel in a prophesied war that hasn’t occurred yet. With tensions riding so high, we must understand the times.

“He answered them, “When it is evening, you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red.’ And in the morning, ‘It will be stormy today, for the sky is red and threatening.’ You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times.” (Matthew 16:2-3)

Israel drawn into Syria fighting for first time
Israel was drawn into the fighting in neighboring Syria for the first time Sunday, firing warning shots across the border after an errant mortar shell landed near an Israeli military installation in the Golan Heights. While Israel appeared eager to calm the situation, its response was a potent reminder of how easily the Syrian civil war — already spilling across borders with Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan — could explode into a wider regional conflagration. Tensions are also higher than normal in the north. Several days ago, three Syrian tanks entered the demilitarized zone near the Golan Heights. Today, Syrian forces have fired three mortar shells at Israelis on the Golan Heights. One actually crossed into Israel, a 120mm shell. Within the past hour, the IDF has fired back at Syria for the first time since the Yom Kippur War in 1973.”

Isaiah 17 is another prophecy for the times, that Damascus will be destroyed. When the shelling from Syria into Israel began today , an Israeli Defense Force rabbi tweeted Isaiah 17.

Damascus destroyed is on everyone’s mind. Jerusalem Post reports on the situation,

IDF fires warning shot into Syria after shelling
IDF targets Syria for first time since Yom Kippur War.
“The IDF fired a warning shot, in the form of a guided missile, at the Syrian military on Sunday after a Syrian shell exploded in the Golan Heights for the second time in recent days. Israel has not fired at Syria since the 1973 Yom Kippur War. “In the midst of Syrian infighting, a mortar shell fired by the Syrian army struck near an [IDF] outpost at Tel Hazeka,” IDF spokesman Brig.-Gen. Yoav Mordechai said. The shell failed to cause injuries or damages, but was one of a series of shells that landed in Israeli territory.”

Below, a photo of and a map of the Golan Heights, border with Syria. Geographically, the Heights are incredibly important to Israel. I wrote about that on November 5th at length here

Wikipedia source

Always watch the superlatives. ‘Highest’…’biggest’…most’… “First time” comes into play here. Any event that is happening for the first time, or the first time in a long time (in this case, 40 years) is worthy of examining closely. It is a big deal that Israel fired back.

Now for the squeeze from east to west…

Palestinian president rejects US pressure to drop UN initiative despite call from Obama
“A spokesman for the Palestinian president says the Palestinians will proceed with asking the U.N. General Assembly to recognize a Palestinian state, despite a personal call from President Barack Obama to abandon the bid.”

Joel Rosenberg said in his warning piece I’d linked to above,

“Please pray for peace and security to be restored on both borders. Pray for Israeli leaders to have wisdom to know how best to respond. Pray for the innocent civilians — Jews and Arabs — on both sides of the border that are caught in the crossfire. I’ll keep you posted as best I can.'”

Joel the Prophet of the Old Testament said,

“I will gather all the nations and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat. And I will enter into judgment with them there, on behalf of my people and my heritage Israel, because they have scattered them among the nations and have divided up my land,” (Joel 3:2).

God will judge all nations because they messed with the Land. Israel has been divided and divided and divided and will be divided again. Judgment for that will be severe.

The scriptures which are closely related to the very active things going on in and around Israel today are Isaiah 17, Isaiah 19, Joel 3, and of course Zechariah 12:3-

And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people

Posted in honor, Kay Arthur, Precepts International, service

Happy Birthday Kay Arthur!

Posted on by elizabethprata

The bible tells us to honor our teachers and pastors. (1 Thessalonians 5:12-13, 1 Timothy 5:17-20). And we do, but often we focus on the men. I think that is because if there is a woman teacher, she would naturally not be in the forefront.

In this day and age of the celebrity pastor, we see borne out over and over again that with growing recognition comes the temptation to narcissism. Paul was the greatest pastor and missionary who ever lived, who did more to lay the foundation of the church than any other, but whom Jesus gave a thorn in his side so he wouldn’t let all of it go to his head.

“So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited.” (2 Corinthians 12:7)

Would that many of today’s famous pastors not only have, but seek a thorn, to rein in their mounting conceit borne from celebrity and the prideful trappings of fame. Why? Because…

…as Erin Benziger of the Christian blog Do Not Be Surprised posted, too many celebrity pastors are starting to believe their own press. Here, Pastor Driscoll posts that people should come to church to hear him speak.

I have already written this month about the secret Christian feminist female teachers who boldly declare they are taking on the “classic leadership role.” Celebrity goes to women’s heads, too. Beth Moore proudly calls herself obnoxious.

But there are many, many quiet pastors and teachers who plug along in their lives, ministering, or being on mission, or teaching for years, decades, even, and they do not attain celebrity status and amazingly, it doesn’t bother them.

In the midst of all the hubbub, rock and roll events that celebrity teachers and pastors call “church” there are some who humbly plod along, teaching and preaching Jesus for His glory. One of these is Kay Arthur.

Kim at The Mystery of the Ages posted on Facebook yesterday that Ms. Kay turns 79 years old today! Happy birthday Ms. Kay!

I’ll paste some of her bio from Wikipedia, I think you will be surprised and impressed with the body of work she has done, quietly and consistently, for the Lord for many years.

“Kay Arthur is an international Bible teacher, four-time ECPA Christian Book Award winning author, and co-CEO of Precept Ministries International. Kay has systematized studying the Bible, developing a set of steps to follow so as to “mine” the details of the given book under study. Being systematized, it is accessible to lay persons, rather than scholars only.”

“Kay and her second husband, Jack, were serving as missionaries in Mexico in the late 1960s when medical problems forced them to leave the mission field. They returned to their home base in Chattanooga, Tennessee, confident that the Lord had further plans for them. Jack became the station manager of a local Christian radio station, and Kay taught the Bible to teens in their living room.

“The number of teens attending Kay’s bible study group steadily grew, and God subsequently provided a 32-acre farm to accommodate the expanding ministry, which was named Reach Out Ranch. The radio station was sold in 1972, and Jack became full-time administrator for Reach Out Ranch. The ministry’s name was eventually changed to Precept Ministries International (PMI), in order to more clearly communicate the organization’s focus of establishing people in God’s Word.”

“Since co-founding Precept Ministries International, Kay has written more than 100 books and Bible studies, with over 11 million in print. Her inductive Bible studies are available in nearly 150 countries in approximately 70 languages. Precept Inductive Bible Study groups meet in all 50 states of the USA.”

Her television show, “‘Precepts for Life” has an audience reach of over 75 million households and broadcasts to over 30 countries. Precepts for Life was voted Best Television Teaching Program for 2004 and 2009 by the National Religious Broadcasters. Kay was awarded the NRB Hall of Fame Award at the National Religious Broadcasters (NRB) Convention and Exposition in 2011. Kay Arthur, Lois Crawford, and Aimee Semple McPherson are the only female recipients of this prestigious award, … all Christian communicators who have exhibited the highest standard of faithfulness in Christian service.”

Personally, I believe her service to the Lord in systematizing bible study and offering it to women has been a great benefit to the Body of Christ. A deep, theological, systematized study is something every Christian needs, but especially women, who tend to shy away from deeper doctrinal and expository study. And certainly today with the mess that women “teachers” like Beth Moore, Priscilla Shirer, and Christine Caine are offering with their subjective, mystical, Gnostic approach, much harm is being done to women who seek to learn more about Jesus from His word. The body of Ms. Kay’s work stands for itself, and I praise Jesus for it.

I would say that when they left the mission field, God DID have other plans for Ms. Kay and her husband! Wow. What God does with a willing heart and a humble attitude is amazing. For over 50 years, God has used Kay Arthur and her husband for His glory. Please pray to thank the Lord for a gifted teacher like Kay and thank the Holy Spirit for His ministry through her. I thank You, Lord, for raising up a dedicated and humble woman for us to learn from, and I wish Ms. Kay many years of joy in the Lord.

Posted in earthquakes, new madrid seismic zone

New Madrid Fault: facts and speculations

Posted on by elizabethprata

Most people are familiar with the San Andreas fault, the zipline running north to south in California, and is the catalyst for some of this country’s biggest quakes. And when a nearly 6.0 quake hit Washington DC last year, people woke up to the fact that the east coast has a fault line too.

But even more people do not know about the United States’ biggest quake threat, and that is the New Madrid fault. (Pronounced MAD’rud).

I wrote about the New Madrid in 2010, when the quake swarm in Guy, Arkansas began, freaking people out. It seemed impossible that ‘the middle’ of the US could be subject to seismic movements, and at that time there was little known to the general populace about this fault.

Michael T. Snyder wrote about the New Madrid in 2011, asking the question, “Is The New Madrid Fault Earthquake Zone Coming To Life?“

He provided the following facts about this large seismic zone in the middle of the United States:

“The New Madrid fault zone is six times bigger than the San Andreas fault zone in California and it covers portions of Illinois, Indiana, Missouri, Arkansas, Kentucky, Tennessee and Mississippi. The biggest earthquakes in the history of the United States were caused by the New Madrid fault. Now there are fears that the New Madrid fault zone could be coming to life again, and if a “killer earthquake” does strike it could change all of our lives forever.”

He asked the question in that way, ‘coming to life’ because the New Madrid seismic zone (NMSZ) has been active before. Very much so. Snyder wrote-

“About 200 years ago, in 1811 and 1812, there were four earthquakes that were so powerful in the area of the New Madrid fault zone that they are still talked about today. All four of the quakes were estimated to have been magnitude-7.0 or greater. It is said that those earthquakes opened deep fissures in the ground, caused the Mississippi River to run backwards and that they were felt as far away as Boston. The last major earthquake to hit the region was a 5.4-magnitude quake that struck the town of Dale, Illinois in 1968.”

In my 2010 article, I had quoted Wikipedia’s version of the 1811-12 quakes, “At New Madrid, trees were knocked down and riverbanks collapsed. This event shook windows and furniture in Washington, D.C., rang bells in Richmond, Virginia, sloshed well water and shook houses in Charleston, South Carolina, and knocked plaster off of houses in Columbia, South Carolina. In Jefferson, Indiana, furniture moved and in Lebanon, Ohio, residents fled their homes. Observers in Herculaneum, Missouri, called it “severe” and claimed it had a duration of 10–12 minutes.”

In 1811 the population was very low and major cities inside the NMSZ such as St. Louis MO and Memphis TN  were not as large and sprawling as they are now. The US didn’t even own St. Louis until the Louisiana Purchase of 1803 and the first steamboats didn’t begin arriving at St. Louis until 1818. In 1810 only 1600 people lived there. If (when) a quake hits the NMSZ today, the damage would be staggering. We always think about “The Big One” in which Los Angeles would “slide into the sea”

but more likely, actually, St. Louis would slide into the Mississippi. Here is a woodcut depicting the 1811-1812 New Madrid quake damage

Of course, things look a little different in St. Louis today:

I mention all this for three reasons.

One- It is going to occur. Missouri’s Governor convened a panel of officials in New Madrid who are on the front line of emergency response. From AP: Missouri state geologist Joe Gillman said an earthquake the magnitude of the 1811-12 quakes is expected to happen just once every 500 years. But a moderate quake with a magnitude 6.0 to 6.5 is expected to happen every 90 years, and the last one was in the late 1800s. “We are due, if not overdue, for a moderate-sized earthquake,” Gillman said. “Such a quake could devastate power lines and underground water and wastewater pipes, and many buildings could crumble.”

Two- In the Tribulation, there will be many earthquakes. Quakes are a judgment from God, and the 7-year Tribulation will contain all of God’s wrath poured out on the people of the earth. He will not hold back. There will be many quakes in diverse places and they will be mega-quakes. (Revelation 6:12; Isaiah 13:10, Joel 2:10, Matthew 24:7, Revelation 8:5, Revelation 11:13, Revelation 16:18… you get the idea).

No place on earth will be protected from His shaking of it. So, the New Madrid will come to life and snuff out life.

Three- the MNSZ may already be showing signs of its return to life. Notwithstanding the excellent article from Mr Snyder I’d linked to above, a year later we see an increase in NNSZ activity. The ongoing Arkansas quake swarm is similar to the quake swarm that preceded the new Madrid big ones in Dec-Jan 1811-12. The danger is growing to the point where the MO Governor convened the panel to study the issue, as I linked to above. And take a look at the map. It is from the Riverfront Times, and the red blotch represents the 4,000 quakes that have occurred in the zone since 1976.

https://i0.wp.com/blogs.riverfronttimes.com/dailyrft/New%20Madrid%20Fault%20Zone.jpg

I just wanted to bring a little atention to the fact that when Jesus said earthquakes in diverse places, that it doesn’t only mean Los Angeles or Israel or India, or Tonga; places where we read about quakes so often. It also means Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi, Oklahoma and any other place the sovereign Lord wants to make one happen!

Is the New Madrid seismic zone waking up? I believe it is. Keep your eyes open and looking to the Midwestern US and keep looking up!

Posted in good news, spectacle, triumph

The Spectacle of the Roman Triumph

Posted on by elizabethprata

Our Wednesday night bible study is in Colossians. We studied Colossians 2:13-15 this week. We especially enjoyed Colossians 2:15-

“And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.”

I used the NIV translation there because I like the word ‘spectacle’. The word in Greek is deigma, and the definition is “I hold up as an example, make a show of, expose.” (Strong’s 1165)

I love to think of how the demons were partying down when Jesus died on the cross, and suddenly He shows up! It is always especially humiliating when you’re at the pinnacle of gloating and someone comes along to puncture your balloon and show how wrong you were.

Barnes Notes says of the verse, (I really like Barnes Notes, and I use them a lot)

The terms used in this verse are all military, and the idea is, that Christ has completely subdued our enemies by his death. A complete victory was achieved by his death, so that every thing is now in subjection to him, and we have nothing to fear. … He made a show of them openly – As a conqueror, returning from a victory, displays in a triumphal procession the kings and princes whom he has taken, and the spoils of victory. This was commonly done when a “triumph” was decreed for a conqueror. On such occasions it sometimes happened that a considerable number of prisoners were led along amidst the scenes of triumph. Paul says that this was now done “openly” – that is, it was in the face of the whole universe.

So then I’m reading along in 1 Corinthians 4:9, and I see that word spectacle again

“For I think that God has exhibited us apostles as last of all, like men sentenced to death, because we have become a spectacle to the world, to angels, and to men.”

Once again, the allusion is military. After a successful military campaign, a triumphal procession was held. Flowers were strewn along the triumphal route, so that when the horses, chariots, and carts rolled over them, the fragrance of the triumph would permeate the city. A triumph granted to a general was the crowning achievement of his career. It marked his victory over opposing forces and was a platform for him to assert personal power. 

Wikipedia explains the Roman Triumph:

“The Roman triumph (triumphus) was a civil ceremony and religious rite of ancient Rome, held to publicly celebrate and sanctify the military achievement of an army commander who had won great military successes, or originally and traditionally, one who had successfully completed a foreign war.”

“On the day of his triumph, the general wore regalia that identified him as near-divine or near-kingly, and a laurel wreath was held above his head. He rode in a chariot through the streets of Rome in unarmed procession with his army and the spoils of his war. At Jupiter’s temple on the Capitoline Hill he offered sacrifice and the tokens of his victory to the god. Thereafter he had the right to be described as vir triumphalis (“man of triumph”, later known as triumphator) for the rest of his life.“

It was a spectacle, all right. This was the order of procession, which stayed the same during the 500 total Triumphs held over the 1900 year history of the Roman Empire:

Order of Procession:

  • The Senate, headed by the magistrates without their lictors.
  • Trumpeters
  • Carts with the spoils of war
  • White bulls for sacrifice
  • Exotic animals from the conquered land
  • The arms and insignia of the conquered enemy
  • The enemy leaders themselves, with their relatives and other captives
  • The lictors of the imperator, their fasces wreathed with laurel
  • The imperator himself, in a chariot drawn by two (later four) horses
  • The adult sons and officers of the imperator
  • The army without weapons or armor (since the procession would take them inside the pomerium), but clad in togas and wearing wreaths. During the later periods, only a selected company of soldiers would follow the commander in the triumph, as a singular honour.

To the Roman, the more impressive the array of high-ranking prisoners, famous names, kings, etc, the better the Triumphal parade. The more powerful, dangerous, or news-worthy the prisoner, the better the public spectacle of their execution.

Barnes explains his interpretation of the public spectacle of the apostles, setting the scene in the Roman Colosseum as an example:

“Paul represents himself as on this arena or stage, contending with foes, and destined to death. Around him and above him are an immense host of human beings and angels, looking on at the conflict, and awaiting the issue. He is not alone or unobserved. He is made public; and the universe gazes on the struggle. Angels and human beings denote the universe, as gazing upon the conflicts and struggles of the apostles. The expression means that he was public in his trials, and that this was exhibited to the universe. The whole verse is designed to convey the idea that God had, for wise purposes, appointed them in the sight of the universe, to pains, and trials, and persecutions, and poverty, and want, which would terminate only in their death.”

See Hebrews 12:1 for a similar word-picture of the universe looking on in this ongoing battle of darkness and light:

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us”

And that is the interpretation that came to my mind when I compared the two verses of God using Jesus and then the apostles to make a spectacle to the universe. In the former case, with Jesus descending and declaring His triumph over the demons personally, and in the latter case with Paul expressing the view that they (and we) are on display, it seems to me that we are duly reminded by scripture of two things:

1. God points to His own glory and His own sovereignty at all times and in all ways
2. God uses all beings to serve His purposes- whether demons, His own Son, Apostles, the unsaved, or His believing children.

Understanding that we are His spectacle, on display to a great cloud of witnesses, with the universe looking on and knowing even angels long to look into these things, (1 Peter 1:12), how might we behave? The Gospel is the universe’s Triumph, the Good News from age to age, from beginning to end. It is the one and only processional that counts. We are privileged to be His captives, put on display for His purposes- whether unto death as martyr in a jeering theatre of mockers, or unto life as a display of His mercy.

Paul said it best, “But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere.” (2 Corinthians 2:14)

Posted in news, prophecy

News updates from around the US and the world

Posted on by elizabethprata

I haven’t done a news update for a while. Here are some news excerpts I feel are interesting in these times, which I believe are the last moments of the last days.

This is an interesting essay on the correlation between elections and earthquakes

What Earthquakes Can Teach Us About Elections
“Political historian Allan Lichtman says he sees elections the way geophysicists see earthquakes — as events fundamentally driven by structural factors deep beneath the surface, rather than by superficial events at the surface. … Lichtman says he sees elections the way geophysicists see earthquakes — as events fundamentally driven by structural factors deep beneath the surface, rather than by superficial events at the surface.

That thought dovetails with an essay I read earlier today, that “Elections are the fruit, not the root, of morality.”

Now on to news of real earthquakes-

Magnitude 5.2 earthquake near Honshu Japan
“The US Geological Survey (USGS) is reporting that an earthquake with an initial magnitude of 5.5, occurred off the coast of Honshu, northern Japan, early on Friday. … The last major seismic incident in Japan was a magnitude 9.0 earthquake in March 2011, that set off a tsunami that left over 20,000 dead or missing and caused a nuclear accident at the Fukushima-Daiichi nuclear power plant, the worst since the Chernobyl catastrophe in 1986.”

Powerful quake hits Guatemala, killing at least 48
“A 7.4-magnitude earthquake rocked Guatemala on Wednesday, killing at least 48 people in two states as it toppled thick adobe walls, shook huge landslides down onto highways, and sent terrified villagers streaming into the streets of this idyllic mountain town near the border with Mexico. One hundred people were missing, and hundreds were injured. The quake, which hit at 10:35 a.m. in the midst of the work day, caused terror over an unusually wide area, with damage reported in all but one of Guatemala’s 22 states and shaking felt as far away as Mexico City, 600 miles (965 kilometers) to the northwest.”

‘Perfect storm’ of geological factors make the Eastern U.S. more susceptible to strong earthquakes than previously thought
“As if the folks out on America’s east coast don’t already have enough to worry about after the onslaught of Hurricane Sandy, it now looks like last year’s magnitude-5.8 earthquake in Virginia was no anomaly. According to a report presented this week at the Geological Society of America’s annual meeting, the highly populated area around Washington, D.C. features a kind of ‘perfect storm’ of geological factors, that could amplify the effects of seismic activity. And worse still, the area also appears to be susceptible to landslides.”

Who’d a thunk it? Jesus did! “For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places.” (Matthew 24:7)

Earthquakes this week: USGS

Large quakes:
6.3 Vancouver island, Canada
7.4 Offshore Guatemala

Diverse places, unexpected or unusual, at least to the populace-at-large:

3.7 Ontario-Quebec border region, Canada.
3.1 Utah
2.6 Arkansas

Volcano update- good satellite images of volcanoes, including Kilimanjaro, Shasta, Bezymianny, Toba and more:

Volcanoes Seen From Space for November 9, 2012
“[I]t seemed like it was time to take a look down on some of volcanoes from the eyes sitting in space. Some are volcanoes that are currently erupting, some haven’t erupted in thousands of years, but they’ve all left their mark on the landscape. As always, if you want to keep up with all the activity each week, be sure to read the Smithsonian/USGS Global Volcanism Program‘s Weekly Volcanic Activity Report.”

~~~~~~~~One World Economy~~~~~~~~

“Also it causes all, both small and great, both rich and poor, both free and slave, to be marked on the right hand or the forehead, so that no one can buy or sell unless he has the mark, that is, the name of the beast or the number of its name.” (Revelation 13:16-17)

How will the antichrist monitor who has the mark at the point of sale, and who does not? Heavy surveillance and invasive monitoring via technology, one surmises. All over the world we have seen in these last years a huge growth of the Big Brother and government with eyes everywhere. It has increased with rapidity in the UK and the US. Now this news from Florida, United States:

Armored trucks with cameras in FL
“Coming soon to a St. Petersburg neighborhood near you: an armored truck that you cannot miss and that cannot miss you, at least not with the four cameras mounted behind bullet-resistant glass, pointed in all four directions.”

Next is a good Christian essay about the decline of culture. Keep the progression of Romans 1 in mind. A culture without God never ascends, it always descends.

Psalm 12:8 Illustrated Yet Once Again
“The light Tuesday’s election cast on the degradation of Western culture’s expression in the United States should not have surprised us. But we still hope for some restraint, some sign that God will restrain the madness of men rushing to destroy everything that is good and holy and just. But what did we see? An open lesbian elected to the United States Senate. A trans-sexual elected to office in the Northeast. A bisexual here in my own state of Arizona. The profaning of marriage in multiple states, for the first time by popular vote. It was truly an amazing revelation. I have avoided watching much media since Tuesday evening. I know too well that Psalm 12:8 is being played out repeatedly: The wicked freely strut about when what is vile is honored among men.”

~~~~~~~~Israel!~~~~~~~~

 Zechariah 12:1-3 says “The oracle of the word of the Lord concerning Israel: Thus declares the Lord, who stretched out the heavens and founded the earth and formed the spirit of man within him: 2 “Behold, I am about to make Jerusalem a cup of staggering to all the surrounding peoples. The siege of Jerusalem will also be against Judah. 3 On that day I will make Jerusalem a heavy stone for all the peoples. All who lift it will surely hurt themselves. And all the nations of the earth will gather against it.”

Times of Israel reports,

At interfaith meet in Jerusalem, a grim picture of Jewish-Protestant relations
“Protestant clergymen painted a largely pessimistic view of the church’s relationship with Israel and the Jewish community during a visit to the Holy Land, suggesting that anti-Semitism is a deep-seated problem based in Christian theology that will be difficult to uproot. Jewish-Protestant relations are currently undergoing a severe crisis after senior leaders of Mainline Protestant churches in the US last month accused Israel of “widespread” human rights violations and urged Congress to reconsider military aid to Jerusalem. … “I am completely pessimistic in terms of believing that I, we, are going to overturn 2,000 years of erroneous theology that has manifested itself in all kinds of diatribes and anti-Semitic factions,” said the Rev. Paul Wilkinson, the associate minister at Hazel Grove Full Gospel Church, a small pro-Israel congregation in Stockport, England. “I believe we’d be fooling ourselves if we believed that we can overturn and change what I perceive to be a Goliath of theology in the church. The Goliath we face is the Goliath of replacement theology, the Goliath of Christian Palestinianism that taunts Israel, that goads Israel, that accuses Israel, that condemns Israel and those Christians who stand with Israel.”

~~~~~~~~The Tribulation~~~~~~~~

It will be a time of unparalleled terror, strife, and wrath. It literally will be hell on earth. It is hard for the unbelieving world to understand that things will or could change that dramatically. (2 Peter 3:4).

I think that a glimmer of how things can change so quickly was delivered to us this week. Hurricane Sandy, huge quake in Canada & Guatemala, and the election results combined changed the world for a lot of people. Mostly, Hurricane Sandy brought to mind that once infrastructure is stripped away, we revert quickly to living as animals. Because the unregenerated heart has only a veneer of morality, once it is pressed, it disappears fast. It is easy for Jesus to rip away electricity. Child’s play to send a storm of any size. Simple to collapse homes under a strong wind or swept away under a rushing flood. These photos reminded me in a small way of the coming sights the unregenerated will be seeing after the rapture- not as an unfortunate anomaly, but as a daily overload.

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Scenes like these are becoming commonplace, absolutely common. Last year’s Midwestern drought was terrible but worse were the Joplin tornadoes, but still worse just a few months later, Hurricane Irene came. As each disaster stacked up one on top of another, the previous one, endured only a few months or weeks prior, slipped from minds as the new disaster comes on the scene. Hurricane Irene was terrible, but that faded quickly as coldest-ever winter slammed the northeast, and the spring floods, then hurricane Sandy superstorm…then the nor’easter, then the quakes. These last few, occurring in 2012, all happened in the same month. The same week.

There is so much pain and tragedy in the world, so much that the mind rebels against the notion that it could and will worsen. What used to happen a year apart shrunk in time scale to months apart then weeks apart now there seems to be some horrific thing happening daily. And I don’t mean just news, regular ole news, but news that newscasters, scientists, climatologists themselves call first ever ,or worst ever or apocalyptic or horrific. But it will get worse, to a degree that even Jesus said would be hard for us to comprehend:

“For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be. And if those days had not been cut short, no human being would be saved. But for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short.” (Matthew 24:21-22)

That was the bad news. Please be mindful of the difficulties people are enduring. Be in prayer for your brethren in the US and around the world who are living in increasingly hostile territory. This is the Good News- always have confidence in the faith Jesus delivered once for all to the saints. (Jude 1:3). These earthly trials will pass and we will be glorified with Him when we meet Him in the air. Therefore bring along as many with you as you can 🙂

Posted in discernment, holy spirit

Discernment tip: the Spirit points to Jesus

Posted on by elizabethprata

Discernment: “Anything that diverts people’s attention away from the bible is not the work of God. It is the work of the enemy.” [Justin Peters]

The context of that statement was a discussion of the best-selling book by Sarah Young titled Jesus Calling. It is a book where the writer, Ms Young, wrote words that she ascribes to Jesus and pens them in the first person. She said she received incoming messages from an entity she claims is Jesus himself, and was instructed to write these messages down. The messages, predictably, are not the full message of God (being only comforting affirmations and never commands, entreaties, or practical methods of how to live out His precepts). In several cases she misuses scripture, thereby ascribing error to ‘Jesus’.

What Mr Peters was saying in his comment in that context, is that when you pick up a devotional, a curriculum, a teaching, a book, any material of a Christian kind intended to instruct you or edify you, even a novel, keep that axiom in mind. There may not be one smoking gun kind of indicting statement you can put your finger on and say, AHA! This book is bad!, but if you use the filter of this following verse you will gain discernment as you thumb through and get a measure of the book’s overall tone.

“When the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, that is the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify about Me,” (John 15:26).

The Holy Spirit always points to God. If the author was operating in the Holy Spirit, the resulting pages will be drenched with pointing to God. If the author was not operating in the Holy Spirit, the book will be drenched with “me”. With things I can do. Things I can get. My power. Things of man and the flesh.

Good tip.

Speaking of smoking gun kind of statements, they are rare. Satan is more subtle than to come out with something stupid or directly heretical. (Genesis 3:1). But there is sometimes a statement you can point to which alone indicts an author.

 I wrote about Sarah Young’s book Jesus Calling on September 10, 2012. I’d commented on just such a statement the author of that book had made in her introduction:

“I began to wonder if I, too, could receive messages during my times of communing with God. I had been writing in prayer journals for years, but that was one-way communication: I did all the talking. I knew that God communicated with me through the Bible, but I yearned for more…”

That one IS a heretical statement and gives the reader a good insight into her inner man. I’d said, “Is not the bible sufficient for all revelation from God? It is supposed to be. Faith is believing on His name, not the experiences or revelations we receive from an unknown source.”

Sufficiency is the battle. Many teachings and books these days slyly, craftily, intimate that the bible is not enough, and the implanted desire is that there is more. (Read Genesis 3:5!).

On Brannon Howse’s radio show, World View Weekend, his guest, Discernment Minister Justin Peters said of that very statement from Ms Young, saying “The bible is not enough for people any more… Most Christians do not believe in the sufficiency of God’s word, That’s why they go to Jesus Calling, 90 Minutes in Heaven, Heaven is For Real, …all these books claiming Divine authority, but outside of scripture.”

The Spirit always points to Jesus. Any lesson you are taking from any teacher will do the same, if they are operating in the Spirit!