Posted in aleppo, damascus, judgment, point of no return

Update on Syria: more on bio-weaponry, and why Aleppo is important

Posted on by elizabethprata

Watchmen have been keeping their eyes peeled in watching the events unfold in Syria this last year. The uprising by insurgents/rebels has been going on since at least April 2011 and is getting more violent every day. They are trying to topple “President” Bashar al Assad, who has been in rule there since his father died in 2000. [I put “president” in scare quotes because Assad ran unopposed both times]. His father Hafez al-Assad ruled Syria for 29 years until his death in 2000. (Left, President Assad, Wiki commons photo)

In the last few weeks the rebels have pitched their battles more pointedly and more violently. Largely over the last year, Damascenes have felt safe from the fighting that until then had been contained in the outlying governates. But last week the rebels brought the battle straight to the residential areas of the city, to the courthouses and interior halls of power. The rebels call this latest push against the regime, “Operation Damascus Volcano.”

The reality of violence in Syria – car bombing in Damascus. Photo by AP
photo published in Israeli Daily, Haaretz

Now the battle is in Damascus too. Just last week in Damascus, three members of Assad’s inner circle were killed, tanks rolled, rockets flared, refugees fled, and the rebels gained unprecedented ground. Turkey closed its border to Syria (to commerce, not refugees). Jordan tightened its border with Syria. Israel expects trouble with Syria. Trouble of the chemical kind, that is.

Israelis lining up to get gas masks, source

One of the main concerns as the battle rages in Damascus, not only that it is in unprecedented geographical territory and is taking place in the capital city itself, is that some of Syria’s chemical and bio-weapon labs are located there. Knowing this, Israel’s distribution of gas masks is going through the roof.

I’ve mentioned a remarkable article/interview in the New English Review with Dr. Jill Dekker, conducted in December 2007. I discovered it in 2009. The interview was conducted to gather “answers and professional views on how extensive the Syrian bio-warfare threat is, we turned to Dr. Jill Dekker, a consultant to the NATO Defense Establishment in bio-warfare and counter terrorism. Dr. Dekker is also a member of the board of advisors of the Intelligence Summit.”

I had noted several times over the years from having learned in the New English Review article, that the chemical and bio-weaponry labs in Damascus are sophisticated and that Syrian top level officials have already determined that they will use them as conventional weapons. That is one of the main points Dr Dekker wanted to make. The Syrians know they do not have the money or capability to maintain parity with the West on conventional weapon production, so in 2007 they decided to load bio and chemicals onto the weapons they do have and use them instead, and concentrate on producing viruses and anthrax instead of thousands of missiles. She noted this was an important psychological turning point in the arms race between the West and the terrorist regimes behind Syria (such as Iran and Hezbollah). She said then that the West should be very, very concerned.

Why? “The Syrians work on most Category A pathogens: anthrax, plague, tularemia, botulinium, smallpox, aflotoxin, cholera, ricin, camelpox… Syria has extensive expertise in the industrial cultivation of germs and viruses for the civilian production of anthrax. Their pharmaceutical infrastructure is fully integrated with their defense structure. (Dekker, source). Frighteningly,

 “1 gram of crystalline Botulinium is estimated to kill about a million people if it were evenly dispersed.” Dekker

Since then, with North Korea, Russia and Iran’s help, Syria has diligently worked in their labs in Damascus to produce bio-weapons of mass destruction. Indeed, last week, they stated their willingness to use them if their nation is invaded in any kind of humanitarian attempt to stop the interior carnage.

Here is something interesting: in that New English Review interview, Dr Dekker said, “There have been a number of accidents with their biological weapons programs that have killed civilians in the past in cities like Homs and Aleppo. Some of those programs were ended and it appears that casualties from former bio-programs were related to ventilation problems. This latest accident appears to have occurred while they were mounting a warhead. Syria is known to have a stockpile of chemical weapons and accidents happen. It is interesting to note that Iranian scientists were involved in that activity.”

In July 2010 I wrote “Plague hitting Syrian Army?” where the rumor emerging out of the Middle East was that the Syrian army had been hit by a plague. At that time, “The International Society for Infectious Diseases posted a report on Monday alleging that the Syrian military has been hit by a plague. According to the report, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad ordered the military to stop all its exercises until the source of the epidemic could be pinpointed.”

The page I linked to which reported the possible plague has been taken down now. But you can read a bit more here, and here.

For all prophecy watchers, Damascus squarely in prophetic cross-hairs now. Isaiah 17:1 states that Damascus will be a heap of ruins. We know the other prophecies about wars in the Middle East in and around Jerusalem is that there will be many battles and wars (i.e. Psalm 83, Ezekiel 38-39, etc).

As for today’s news, I want to bring attention to something that also relates to the prophtic implications for Isaiah 17:1 in Syria. Dr Dekker said in the New English Review article of the chemical and bio-weaponry labs, “They also have a number of programs running in Aleppo.”

CNN reports this morning
Syrian rebels amass as battles for Aleppo, Damascus intensify

click to enlarge

Why is Aleppo so important to the Syrian rebels? Damascus is the capital, therefore claiming the capital incites an important psychological victory. However, Aleppo is the largest and most populated city in Syria. It is also the commercial center, as stated in this video from CNN explaining the city’s strategic importance. Aleppo was at the end of the Silk Road, is just across the border from Turkey, and note this- 20% of Aleppo’s population is Christian.

With battles raging in Damascus and Aleppo, we know both cities are of strategic military importance to the rebels. The two cities are ALSO home to the two bio and chemical weaponry labs. Now you can understand how the ancient prophetic is playing out before our eyes.

Please pray for the Christians in Aleppo. Pray for the lost. Pray for the times. On that last one, I am conflicted.

I know my brother in Christ Joel C. Rosenberg, a wise and mature man of our faith, has been saying with all biblical fervency to anyone who will listen that we need to pray for a ‘Third Great Awakening’ or else there is nothing that will stop the implosion of America. I agree that we do need one, and I agree that it is important to pray. Nineveh was saved due their their national repentance. However, America is not the only nation that needs an awakening and sometimes I think we Christians tend to get a little biblically insular about the US. Every nation has Christians living in them and they all need prayer. Every nation has the lost living in them, therefore every nation needs fervent prayer to prevent the hand of God moving to crush them in judgment when that lost nation rebels, as all 195 nations are currently doing.

However, I am conflicted because in my heart of hearts, I truly believe we are enduring the Wrath of God’s abandonment and He has given us over. I truly believe we are on the final path away from God and that we have crossed the point of no return.

John MacArthur explains the five kinds of God’s wrath: Eschatological wrath, eternal wrath, cataclysmic wrath, sowing and reaping wrath, and there’s the wrath of abandonment. And this last one is another category of God’s wrath. Separate from the others. The wrath of abandonment follows the progression in Romans 1. That is when an individual is so hardened to the truth, He gives them over to their sin, with no turning back. The same goes for nations. When nations at the ordinance, legal, governmental levels  hardens itself so deeply by becoming the predominant voice of sin in the land, He gives the nation over to their sin.

When does He judge? First He warns, then He disciplines. If repentance is absent or if the nation worsens their actions in spite of His obvious discipline, then at a certain point after long-suffering compassion, He deems their sins “incurable” and He judges. “There is no relief for your breakdown, Your wound is incurable.” (Nahum 3:19)

That’s why I always cringe when I hear people say, “well, after a lifetime of rebellion/atheism/sin, I think he converted on his deathbed. There is a good chance that my grandpa/dad/brother is in heaven.” I’m not so sure. If a person has rejected God’s common grace for a lifetime, and had rejected His reproving, warnings, Gospel, and witnessing for all of a lifetime, there is a greater chance that the person had been given over to their reprobate mind and ended up in hell, than they suddenly saw the light and ended up in heaven. However, various cases exist, so once again, Only God knows. That’s why it is important not to take a chance and keep on rejecting Him, though, whether at the individual or national level.

On March 23, 2010 I asked the question, Has America’s point of no return been reached? I felt back then that perhaps it had. I felt then and I still do that God’s final decision had been reached and the line had been crossed into permanent judgment territory with no going back. I am not saying that there is no more time for individuals to come to the Lord! No! People are being saved every day! But America as a nation? Or Australia? Britain? Iran? China? Mongolia? I think it is too late for most of them. Certainly, I feel that for us here in America.

Of course, I have no inside track, no supernatural view, no prophetic word that makes me feel this. It is my opinion only. I believe it only through what I read in the bible and see happening today. There is every chance I could be wrong. So despite not agreeing with those who say there is still time for the nation to repent and the judgment to be stayed, I agree that prayer is always the answer. Please continue to pray for individuals that you know who are not saved. The Lord is putting them on your heart for a reason. Pray for America, but pray for other nations too. Christians live everywhere. America is nothing special in the eyes of the Lord, any more or less than Tonga or Switzerland. He loves all His people, whatever nation they are in.

So keep praying, keep watching Syria, add Aleppo to the list, and keep looking up!

Posted in endurance, joy, perseverance, trials

Personal testimony: reclaiming joy after a heartbreak

Posted on by elizabethprata

I am in the midst of finalizing the last essay regarding the LORD’S Four Sore Judgments: beasts. But I felt compelled to leave off that till tomorrow, and write something of a more personal nature today.

I have written once or twice about personal things, but mostly I keep it technical so the focus can on Jesus and the Word. I also personally hate to write about emotional things. But here goes.

It has to do with how I handle devastating personal attacks or heartbreaking betrayals. If you are a bible-believing, fundamentalist Christian in today’s world, I don’t care where you are in the world, America or Iran or anywhere in between, the world hates you. At some point you will have to endure a devastating heartbreak for Jesus’ name.

“If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you…” (John 15:18-20a).

“Do not be surprised, my brothers, if the world hates you.” (1 John 3:13)

“Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. 12Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” (Matthew 5:11-12).

It is especially difficult when those revilings against you come not from the world, but from within the confines of the safest place where you thought you could be safe: your own church and from people who profess Christ. I wrote about the State of the Church a while ago, and how more and more churches are turning into sheep-shearing or sheep-slaughtering factories by false teachers or pastors who run them. The case of church carnality and abuse is dealt with in Part 5a, Part 5b, and Conclusion. Unfortunately personal attacks and/or betrayals inside churches are becoming more frequent, and many of you have written to me about your own stories.

Now, I am not talking about the minor day-to-day slings and arrows of life. Sins abound and people are going to get on your nerves, say the wrong thing, take credit for your work, lie, cheat and steal, in the workplace and some of them happen even in church. That’s life and we forgive and move on. I’m talking about the devastating things that happen that make you want to quit church forever. The kind that set you back years in your walk. The things that happen where you just want to throw in the towel. The big things.

Fortunately I have had only two of those. I am a baby Christian, lol. I know there will be more. Here is what I do:

First, I get very angry. That’s the flesh. This kind of anger is different from righteous anger. When I am reviled against I get mad because my feelings are hurt. So I rant and rave in my head or at home alone out loud. I say stupid things, like “I pray that he dies of a thousand plagues!” Or, “I hope his tongue shrivels up!” That doesn’t last long, because that kind of lashing-out anger is bad. If I said anything or even thought anything negative about the person, I repent sincerely to the Father. I know the flesh wants to rear up and be mad, and to some small degree I let it because I’m human, after all. But I really try to let the Spirit restrain my sin, because that would be all the more for me to repent about! I do not let myself stay angry for longer than a day. I take my action from this verse:

“Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another. Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil.” (Ephesians 4:25-27)

When that anger simmers down I cry or get depressed. I lay around moaning “I can’t take any more.” Or “Why me?” Or something equally piteous. I’m useless to anyone, I can’t think or function well. That goes on for a day. Then I stop it.

Like Bob Newhart said in his famous comedy skit, “Stop it!” How does one stop one’s self from feeling anger or sadness or grief over a hurtful situation we are currently enduring? Emotions and thoughts are a choice. We don’t feel love, we choose love. How else to explain marriages that successfully endure for fifty or more years? If one of the spouses bailed every time they felt mad, every marriage would fail. They persevere in love even when they don’t feel love. I want the joy of Jesus. I am in the depressing part of the cycle. There is a gap, and I will not reach that joy unless I move my body and change my thoughts.You choose it. Anger is a choice. Hurt is a choice. In that way I simply choose to stop feeling mad. I do this 3 ways.

1. Move the body. To move my body, I rouse myself, I get off the couch, and I resume normal life. Chores, shopping, cleaning, no matter how minor, I do it. I make my body get up and do something normal. Do the dishes. Cook some soup. Vacuum the rug. Whatever. And I keep doing that normal thing even though I don’t feel like it, until it feels normal again.

2. Capture the mind. As for the emotional thought process, I stop thinking about the wound. The first thing I want to do is constantly rehash it all over in my mind. When the thoughts come into my head to relive the event or the hurt, whatever it was, over and over, I stop it. I certainly don’t talk about it. I deliberately capture every thought. (2 Corinthians 10:5). If what I am thinking is weakening me through negative emotions and hindering my joy, then I stop thinking about it. Satan is too sneaky and Jesus is to important for me to be sidelined by grief or upset. So what? I’ll be happy in heaven. For now, I have work to do.

People put too high a regard on their feelings. Feelings are temporal, fleeting and deceiving. I allow the hurt and grief to have expression through tears or anger for a short time, and then it is time to get back to work. When I sink into my problems they tend to become large and Jesus becomes small. When I concentrate on Jesus, my problems become small and He becomes big. Therefore,

3. Concentrate on Jesus. Spiritually, I reclaim my joy through Jesus. Jesus IS my joy and He is the path to my reclaimed joy in the dark times. To that end, I spend a lot of time reading His word. It washes me. I spend a lot of time listening to hymns (not contemporary praise music, which is as empty as a tin can rolling down a tumbleweed highway). Old Hymns have doctrine in them and therefore are edifying. I sing and I talk aloud, either bible verses or the music. And last, I listen to sermons. I am not feeling the joy yet. BUT I KNOW I WILL.

Singing, praising, listening will allow the Spirit to apply truth to your mind and comfort to your heart. Let Him do it. Instead of running to my dark place, I run to the Light.

My own process involves gravitating to sermons about Genesis 1 at the dark times. Listening to sermons on Genesis 1:1 helps me to put my problems in perspective! The majesty of God the creator is revealed in Genesis and His eternity and holiness and power compared to my puny problems puts myself into perspective in two shakes of a lamb’s tail. He is great and good. I am not. And yet, He loves me. I begin to feel the joy again.

I apply Philippians 4:8-9 here:

“Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things. The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you.”

And guess what? Putting off the negative, holding on to what is good, praising His name, washed in the word, pondering the noble and performing praiseworthy things does the trick. Pretty soon I feel the Holy Spirit’s strength flowing back into me! I start feeling the heartbeat of joy again! He wants to lift us up! If I just continue walking He meets me more than halfway and showers grace and strength to me! He wants to do that abundantly for everyone, you included!

Source

Persevering in the faith is not glamorous. It is hard, hard work. It doesn’t happen by magic. There is no genie who will wave his wand over you and all your feelings of heartbreak or betrayal will go away. Persevering in the faith, to me, means putting one foot in front of the other. Each day. Some days if the dark time has come and I’m enduring a trial, means I do so mechanically, tearfully, slowly, but even though I’m moving slowly, my eyes are fixed on Jesus!!!!! Keep your eyes on him and the joy will return. He wants to comfort you! He shed His blood for you, didn’t he? He wants to restore you.

Don’t let grief or satan or anything steal your joy. It sounds like an oxymoron, but some days we just have to work at being joyful. One day my faith will be sight, and He will wipe away my tears. My heart will be full of love, never to experience another heartbreak or betrayal. What a day that will be! Meanwhile I’ll close not from the bible, but John Prine lyric, “A heart stained in anger grows weak and grows bitter.” Don’t you want a strong, courageous heart? Wash those stains with Jesus’s blood. It will come out clean and strong, I promise. Better yet, HE PROMISES.

“let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.” (Hebrews 10:22)

“And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; And patience, experience; and experience, hope: And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit which is given unto us.” (Romans 5:3-5).

Posted in friel, fuel project, know your enemy, stay free, wretched radio

YouTube recommendations

Posted on by elizabethprata

Hello Brothers and Sisters,

Here are a few YouTube recommendations for you:

The Fuel Project has two series of clips worth watching.

One is called Know Your Enemy Part 1
This is a series exploring the coming New World Order from a Biblical perspective. In the part I linked to, part 1, an introduction to some of the concepts that are covered. It is an almost eleven-hour journey through history, the Bible, theology and occult thought. It is now available as a four DVD set here. The manuscript is available as an e-book through Amazon here

The second series from The Fuel Project is just out. They have put up 6 short parts so far. It is called “Stay Free.” It focuses on exploring why society collapses without God and what the future will look like unless we return to Him. You can watch it here.

I’ve watched every episode of both the Fuel Project’s series and I recommend them. They are absorbing and edifying. Not to mention the narrator’s cute Scottish accent 🙂

HT and Thanks to A. for the prompt to revisit these videos and recommend them.

Finally, Todd Friel works with Ray Comfort and Kirk Cameron in the Way of the Master. Friel has a show called Wretched Radio and he puts up video clips from Wretched on YouTube. I enjoy them particularly at night when I’m tired and cannot absorb a great chunk of information. They are like a shot of espresso rather than a lingering cup of cappuccino. Ranging in time from 1 minute to 8 minutes, I always find them interesting. I like this latest one, “Preaching to Goats.” I always enjoy when people can get a point across in a short, concise manner, lol, something I am still trying to learn.

I woke up this morning with the song Leaning on the Everlasting Arms in my mind. I listened to it a bunch of times on different YouTube versions. Here is one version lasting 34 seconds:

I mulled this fact:

Leaning: I lean on Him. He is my strength. You see He isn’t dragging the Christian. He is not carrying the Christian. He is offering strength. I am weak but if I lean on Him He will help me on my walk. But I have to walk.

Leaning on Him gives me guidance. I do not know the way but He is the Way.

His arms are everlasting. From the Alpha to the Omega, beginning to end, ever present and everlasting, He will help. His strength will not fail and He will never retract His offer to lean on Him. This is a forever promise. His yoke is easy and His burden is light! (Matthew 11:30). Lean on Him!

Posted in judgment, pestilence, tribulation

God’s Four Sore Judgments- Pestilence

Posted on by elizabethprata

By Elizabeth Prata*

This is a study of one of the LORD’S ‘Four Sore Judgments’, plague.

The LORD has “Four Sore Judgments” to which He sends at times upon the earth. In other translations they are called the “LORD’S Four Severe Judgments.” They’re mentioned in Ezekiel 14:21:

For thus says the Lord God: How much more when I send upon Jerusalem my four disastrous acts of judgment, sword, famine, wild beasts, and pestilence, to cut off from it man and beast!

The four are Sword, Famine, Pestilence, and Beasts. Wesley’s notes says, “How much more – If they could not be able to keep off one of the four, how much less would they be able to keep off all four, when I commission them all to go at once.”

The Lord mentions three judgments together quite frequently, sword, famine, and pestilence. The judgment of beasts isn’t mentioned as much but usually when it is it’s with the other three, thus comprising the Lord’s Four Sore Judgments quartet.

If they fast, I will not hear their cry of despair. If they offer burnt offering and grain offering, I will not accept them. Rather, I will finish them off by sword, famine, and plague. (Jeremiah 14:12).

See how the siege ramps are mounted against the city to capture it. And by sword, famine, and plague, the city has been given into the hand of the Chaldeans who are fighting against it. (Jeremiah 32:24).

But I will spare a few of them from the sword, famine, and plague, so that they can tell of all their abominations among the nations to which they go. Then they will know that I am the LORD.” (Ezekiel 12:16).

Three of His judgments are usually enough to perform His will upon the people, as seen here in Ezekiel 6:12,

The one who is far off will die by plague; the one who is near will fall by the sword; and the one who remains and is spared will die of famine. In this way I will exhaust my wrath on them.

Revelation 6:8 mentions the beasts as the added 4th:

And I looked, and there was a pale green horse. Its rider was named Death, and Hades was following after him. They were given authority over a fourth of the earth, to kill by the sword, by famine, by plague, and by the wild animals of the earth.

Plague and pestilence are interchangeable terms. In Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary (pp. 1280–1281), we read:

PESTILENCE Devastating epidemic that OT writers understood to be sent by God (Exod. 9:15; Jer. 15:2; Hab. 3:5; Amos 4:10), sometimes by means of a destroying angel (2 Sam. 24:16; 1 Chron. 21:15). God sent pestilence as punishment for persistent unbelief (Num. 14:12) and failure to fulfill covenant obligations (Deut. 28:21) as well as to encourage repentance (Amos 4:10). God withheld pestilence from Egypt to allow for survivors to witness to His acts of liberation (Exod. 9:16). Earnest prayer averted pestilence (1 Kings 8:37); fasting and sacrifice without repentance did not (Jer. 14:12). Pestilence is often associated with war and siege conditions (Exod. 5:3; Lev. 26:25; Amos 4:10; Luke 21:11).

And this list of verses:

Plague or Pestilence, The
  Inflicted by God. Eze. 14:19. Hab. 3:5.
  One of God’s four sore judgments. Eze. 14:21.
  Described as noisome. Psa. 91:3.
  Israel threatened with, as a punishment for disobedience. Lev. 26:24, 25. Deu. 28:21.
  Desolating effects of. Psa. 91:7. Jer. 16:6, 7. Amos 6:9, 10.
  Equally fatal day and night. Psa. 91:5, 6.
  Fatal to man and beast. Psa. 78:50. (marg.) Jer. 21:6.

SENT UPON
    The Egyptians. Exo. 12:29–30.
    Israel for making golden calf. Exo. 32:35.
    Israel for despising manna. Num. 11:33.
    Israel for murmuring at destruction of Korah. Num. 16:46–50.
    Israel for worshipping Baal-peor. Num. 25:18.
    David’s subjects for his numbering the people. 2 Sam. 24:15.
  Often broke out suddenly. Psa. 106:29.
  Often followed war and famine. Jer. 27:13. Jer. 28:8. Jer. 29:17, 18.
  Egypt often afflicted with. Jer. 42:17, with Amos 4:10.
  Specially fatal in cities. Lev. 26:25. Jer. 21:6, 9.
  Was attributed to a destroying angel. Exo. 12:23, with 2 Sam. 24:16.
  The Jews sought deliverance from, by prayer. 1 Kin. 8:37, 38. 2 Chr. 20:9.
  Predicted to happen before destruction of Jerusalem. Mat. 24:7. Luke 21:11. 

  ILLUSTRATIVE OF
    God’s judgments upon the apostasy. Rev. 18:4, 8.
    The diseased state of man’s heart. 1 Kin. 8:38.

Source: Torrey, R. A. (1897). The New Topical Text Book: A Scripture Text Book for the Use of Ministers, Teachers, and All Christian Workers

It is a very dread situation when all four are unleashed. If you read Revelation 6, you will see that the four are unleashed all at once, or in very rapid succession. Jesus called it the worst time on earth there ever has been or ever will be. (Matthew 24:21). A quarter of the world will die when the seal is unsealed and these four sore judgments are commissioned to go all at once:

When the Lamb opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature say, “Come!” I looked, and there before me was a pale horse! Its rider was named Death, and Hades was following close behind him. They were given power over a fourth of the earth to kill by sword, famine and plague, and by the wild beasts of the earth. (Revelation 6:7-8).

Sword is war, and war brings famine. Wars and revolutions interrupt supply lines, empty grocery stores, and ruin agricultural land. War makes food scarce, which depletes the body and opens it to more diseases due to compromised immune systems. War brings famine in that way.

The third sore judgment of the four that the LORD had linked in Ezekiel 14 is Pestilence. Pestilence has been present on earth for centuries and is is forecast for the people who dwell on the earth during the Tribulation in the future. (Revelation 6:8, Luke 8:11). According to the Greek word used in Luke 21, loimos, pestilence is a plague or a disease. Diseases are usually considered plagues when they are widespread and contain a high mortality rate. The American Heritage Medical Dictionary defines pestilence as “A highly infectious, usually fatal, epidemic disease; a pestilence.”

We see in this article of the outbreak of Influenza as WWI was concluding:

From 1917 to 1920, the virus infected one-third of the Earth’s population, which at the time was about 500 million people. If the same ratio of infections were to happen today, it would be the equivalent of 2.5 billion. That would roughly be the equivalent today of every man, woman, and child in Africa, Europe, and North America becoming infected.

The LORD promises to abolish the four judgments from the land someday,

And I will make for them a covenant on that day with the beasts of the field, the birds of the heavens, and the creeping things of the ground. And I will abolish the bow, the sword, and war from the land, and I will make you lie down in safety. (Hosea 2:18)

What a day that will be!

I can’t say definitively that the COVID-19 virus is a judgment from the LORD, because I don’t know the Lord’s mind. We see from scriptural history, however, that He does send plagues for various reasons, all of them negative.

He is the Light. He is shining in heaven, and in the faces of each of His sheep. Soon, His light will be seen not by faith but by sight. Praise Him for His love and His wrath, for He is HOLY.

holy holy holy is the Lord verse

——————————————————-

*This essay was first published in July 2012 and was updated on 3/2020.

Posted in famine, revelation

God’s 4 sore judgments: #2- Famine

Posted on by elizabethprata

God’s Four Sore Judgments:

Introduction
#1: Sword
# 3: Pestilence
#4: Beasts 

Yesterday I introduced a series examining the LORD’S “Four Sore Judgments.” In other translations they are called the “LORD’S Four Severe Judgments.” They’re mentioned in Ezekiel 14:21: “For thus says the Lord God: How much more when I send upon Jerusalem my four disastrous acts of judgment, sword, famine, wild beasts, and pestilence, to cut off from it man and beast!”

The four are Sword, Famine, Pestilence, and Beasts. Wesley’s notes says, “How much more – If they could not be able to keep off one of the four, how much less would they be able to keep off all four, when I commission them all to go at once.”

It is a very dread situation when all four are unleashed. If you read Revelation 6, you will see that the four are unleashed all at once, or in very rapid succession. Jesus called it the worst time on earth there ever has been or ever will be. (Matthew 24:21)

Many bible scholars, pastors, and lay people feel and believe the rapture is going to occur at any moment. Please note however that the rapture itself has always been imminent. That means it could have happened at any moment over the last 2000 years. The first century church believed this, as Paul taught:

“For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ,” (Titus 2:11-13).

We are to be doing what Paul instructed in verse 11 & 12, while we are waiting for our Blessed Hope. They waited, and we wait. He is coming imminently.

If Jesus’s return for His saints was imminent 2000 years ago, how much more so is it today? We look at the signs of the Tribulation nearing and if the Tribulation is close how much closer is the rapture, which the bible teaches will occur prior? Jesus, Paul, and Peter warned us to remain awake and watchful. (Revelation 3:3, 1 Thessalonians 5:4, 2 Peter 3:12). Don’t let anyone tell you that it is a bad thing to observe the times or see the signs of His soon appearing. It is commanded that we do so. On the other end of the spectrum, don’t let sign watching consume you, because as Paul said above in Titus 2, we are to go about living our lives to the utmost for Jesus (2 Peter 3:11), but soberly, watchfully, with our mind and eyes on the prize: which is Jesus. But do watch while we persevere in our waiting.

Here are examples of what I mean when I say the season of His rapture is close because of the Tribulation pieces coming together so visibly.

Famine is increasingly a part of the world’s vocabulary. Famine takes a long time to set up. It is a problem with complex and varied origins, relating to poverty, agriculture, weather, wars and more. Drought most often is the last symptom to appear before famine strikes hard and deep. War also is a catalyst for famine.

See Lamentations 5:9, which speaks of the sword and then the difficulty of getting bread:

“We get our bread at the risk of our lives because of the sword in the desert.’

See the situation in Syria, the ongoing revolution which is causing hunger and grief. This is a story out of Homs, Syria about a month ago: “He said the situation was worst in Cairo Street, which divides two districts. “No one can cross the streets to buy bread, water or their daily necessities.” Locals have resorted to throwing supplies over the road because it is too dangerous to walk across. At 6pm one day in October, Jamal al-Fadel was struck by a sniper as he crossed Shrakess Street in Homs on his way to the bakery to buy some bread …”

“He fell to the ground in the middle of the road. People on either side of the street tried to help him but the sniper on the roof of the nearby post office building continued to shoot. They attempted to drag him to safety using a rope. Mr Homsi’s friend, Tarek al-Ajdab, moved closer, stretching out a hand to pull him to safety, but a sniper shot him in the head.” [source]

Ponder the Lamentations again, “We get our bread at the risk of our lives because of the sword in the desert.”

Famine does not happen overnight. Drought starts it. Lack of water from above and below continues it. War exacerbates it. Unemployment pressures it. With the wars and rumors of wars increasing to a fever pitch all around the world, the famines are increasing also.

The pieces are in place for the great famine of the Tribulation to begin. Revelation’s Second seal unleashes war (sword) and the third seal unleashes famine. But the fourth seal combines sword, famine, pestilence and beasts, all four sore judgments at once. Some have said that the overview Jesus gives in Matthew 24:4-14 is an overview parallel to the Four Seal judgments of Revelation 6:3-8.

People like me who watch and see the trends and the pieces coming together see the individual preparations for sword, famine, pestilence and beasts at a level where they are almost combined. When Jesus unseals the judgments they will be ready to ignite into a conflagration the world has never seen before, no, nor shall ever see again. 

Here is some news regarding famine of today:

The Price Of Corn Hits A Record High As A Global Food Crisis Looms
“Are you ready for the next major global food crisis? The price of corn hit an all-time record high on Thursday. So did the price of soybeans. The price of corn is up about 50 percent since the middle of last month, and the price of wheat has risen by about 50 percent over the past five weeks. On Thursday, corn for September delivery reached $8.166 per bushel, and many analysts believe that it could hit $10 a bushel before this crisis is over. The worst drought in the United States in more than 50 years is projected to continue well into August, and more than 1,300 counties in the United States have been declared to be official natural disaster areas. So how is this crisis going to affect the average person on the street? Well, most Americans and mo Europeans are going to notice their grocery bills go up significantly over the coming months. That will not be pleasant. But in other areas of the world this crisis could mean the difference between life and death for some people. You see, half of all global corn exports come from the United States. So what happens if the U.S. does not have any corn to export? About a billion people around the world live on the edge of starvation, and today the Financial Times ran a front page story with the following headline: “World braced for new food crisis“.”

Extended drought in US sends prices for corn and soybeans higher again; no relief in sight
“Prices for corn and soybeans jumped again as forecasts call for more blistering heat in crop-growing regions across the U.S.Corn for September delivery jumped 16.75 cents to settle $8.245 a bushel, the second straight day of record highs. August soybeans settled at $17.575 a bushel, up 23.75 cents and the third straight record-setting day.”

Famine anniversary: Somalis again dying on food walks; little rain, more violence
“The long, dusty walks from hungry homes to far-away refugee camps are again claiming lives in Somalia one year after up to 100,000 people died in the country’s worst famine in generations.”

GenerationS, plural. O, the woe!

Food prices soar as drought worsens
“NEW YORK (CNN Money) – As the Midwest continues to suffer through its worst drought in more than 50 years and corn prices near record highs, sixth generation farmer Pam Johnson stares out her window, praying for rain.”

Food price crisis feared as erratic weather wreaks havoc on crops
“‘What the world economy really needs right now is a break’, one economist says, but instead it appears headed toward upheaval.”

The world is not going to get a break. Upheaval is the only thing on the menu.

When we read of ‘record setting” so frequently, the records going higher and higher, and the unusual and ‘freak’ weather happening on a sustained, regular basis, then that is what I mean by the signs. I realize that when I use metaphors like ‘the bonfire is laid’ and the ‘match is lit’, that is it my opinion. I have no extra insight and no conversations with God to tell me this. But I have the bible and I have my mind and I have my eyes to see. I also have elder ordained brothers in the faith who are more knowledgeable than I am, saying the same thing. The rousing cry is gaining momentum from all corners.

What we Christian believers can do is trust the Lord all the more. He is our Savior and Lord, the Shepherd who guards His sheep. We might struggle with earthly needs but He will provide those and so much more will He provide spiritual needs: comfort, faith, strength, discernment, clarity.

For the unsuspecting world, the upheavals will be very trying. Immediately as these first four sore judgment seals are opened, a quarter of the world will die. (Rev 6:8). It will be the largest death toll in history.

Prophecy is part of scripture so we study it, but as with any scripture, it should be put into action. We are called to be Ambassadors for His name–

“Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God” (2 Corinthians 5:20)

So our action is first to be sure we are in the faith, reconciled to Him. Then, be ambassadors, so He will make His appeal to the lost through us. Be strong and hardy, never quailing in public, instead, relying on His strength to be calm and loving, even when sin is rising so palpably. That means sin is rising in your co-workers, families, neighbors, too. Not just “out there.” Don’t fall into the trap of becoming angry. We are Ambassadors, remember.

Prophecy should give us a reminder of the times and an urgency to seek Jesus all the more so His light will be evident in us to others. And, be salt. The salt must be in the food. We have to stay in the world but not be OF the world. Don’t retreat, as much as we might want to. We are Christ’s seasoning in this lost world. Let’s flavor it with love and patience.

Next in the series examining the four sore judgments is “Pestilence.”

I wrote about what famine does to the body and how quickly starvation sets in, and how scarcity flows into its heightening, all from a biological perspective here:

“Looking at the coming Famine“

Posted in isaiah 17, syria

Syria and its chemical weapons

Posted on by elizabethprata

There is much talk today of Syria and its chemical and biological weapons. Syria promised to unleash chemical weapons if they are attacked. This open admission sparked a flurry of discussions, concerns, and reports. Lebanon, and the world, attacked Syria’s threat as monstrous. The US weighed in with saying that Syria’s threat was unacceptable. Israel’s Haaretz newspaper engaged in some hand-wringing, “Israel is unprepared to face the threat of Syria’s chemical weapons”, Netanyahu warns against Syrian weapons falling into the hands of terrorists, but in practice 47 percent of Israelis do not have protective kits and it will take two years to make all the needed ones.” There are warnings from the US to Syria not to use chemical weapons as a last-ditch effort to maintain Assad’s hold on the regime. HuffPo reports that Israel would strike Syria to secure their chemical arsenal. A few days ago, US and Israel discussed destroying Syria’s chemical weapons.

Suddenly it’s all about Syria and its arsenal of chemical weapons. But is it really so sudden?

I’ve been concerned about this for a long time. Two years, as a matter of fact. Let’s go back one year first:

One year ago I wrote the following:

If Syria’s regime fails, what happens to its chemical weapons? In that blog essay I excerpted the following news piece from the Washington Post–

Syrian unrest raises fears about chemical arsenal
“The Middle Eastern state with the dangerous chemicals was not Libya, whose modest stockpile was thrust into the spotlight last week because of fighting there. It was Syria, another violence-torn Arab state whose advanced weapons are drawing new concern as the country drifts toward an uncertain future. A sudden collapse of the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad could mean a breakdown in controls over the country’s weapons, U.S. officials and weapons experts said in interviews. But while Libya’s chemical arsenal consists of unwieldy canisters filled mostly with mustard gas, the World War I-era blistering agent, Syria possesses some of the deadliest chemicals ever to be weaponized, dispersed in thousands of artillery shells and warheads that are easy to transport.”

The article goes on to explain that Syria does indeed have sophisticated weaponry of the chemical and biological kind. We read:

“Deadly, large cache: “Syria first developed chemical weapons in the 1970s and slowly amassed a sophisticated arsenal under the close supervision of then-President Hafez al-Assad and, later, his son Bashar, the current president. Using technology obtained in part from Russian scientists, the Assads sought to create a strategic deterrent against Israel, its vastly more powerful southern neighbor, whose forces humiliated Syrian troops in the 1967 Arab-Israeli war and captured the strategic Syrian plateau known as the Golan Heights. Many countries, including the United States and Russia, gradually eliminated their chemical-weapons arsenals, but Syria refused to sign the U.N. Chemical Weapons convention and proceeded to develop an ever larger and deadlier stockpile.”

In that same blog essay I also quoted a Jerusalem Post editorial that posed the scenario which we are seeing coming to the fore today:
“Further, a desperate Assad (or even post-Mubarak Egypt) might escalate to non-conventional weapons in a bid to retain power: the massive Israeli retaliation would end internal uprisings.”

BINGO! Last year’s speculation is exactly the news today. Most people do not know how sophisticated Syria’s bio & chemical arsenal is. Two years ago, on July 9, 2010, I wrote about these exact concerns from consultant to the NATO Defense Establishment in bio-warfare and counter terrorism expert Dr. Jill Dekker regarding the Syrian chemical stockpile. She stated,

“Contrary to how the US State Department and other agencies tend to downplay the sophistication of the Syrian biological and nuclear programs, they are very advanced. Syria has always had the most advanced chemical weapons program in the Middle East.”

At that time, Dr. Dekker said that Syria had shifted in their philosophy of using bio-weapons from special weapons to conventional arsenal, and they have the will to do it. “Why? Realizing they have no practical opportunity to reach parity with Israel or the US on conventional weapons, they decided to pursue bio-weaponry and were at that time fixing conventional missiles with a highly virulent anthrax germ with the help of Russian scientists. Ominously for the world, the US nor the UN were particularly reactive to the Syrians’ re-definition of bio-weaponry as conventional and offensive. Ominously for prophecy, the Syrians run their biological programs out of the Syrian Scientific Research Council (SSRC) in Damascus.”

I had linked to the entire interview with Dr. Dekker. It is in the New England Review, and you can read it here. It is chilling. Some more excerpts:

“Dr. Dekker’s answers give a foreboding picture of how large and refined the Syrian bio-warfare programs are and how little Western Intelligence knows about how the programs were developed. The potential exists for a significant WMD threat in the Middle East and the West, especially, against America.”

And this:

“Syria’s biological weapons capability today is closely tied to the former and current Soviet and Russian programs respectively, the DPRK, Iran and the former Iraq regime. A major concern is their strategic concept of use – which has gone from one of ‘special weapons’ to incorporation into their ‘conventional arsenal.’ That is a significant shift and one that seems to have eluded the US.”

“The Syrians run their biological programs out of the Syrian Scientific Research Council (SSRC) in Damascus. They have separate wings for separate pathogens. They also have a number of programs running in Aleppo. The Syrians are 100% committed to deniable operations as their modus operandi. Biological weapons, particularly those which might occur naturally, are the ultimate in deniability, for example, their cryptosporidium program for force reduction. The Wednesday Report noted a few years ago that in terms of the Syrian anthrax program, Syria has extensive expertise in the industrial cultivation of germs and viruses for the civilian production of anthrax (and smallpox) vaccines.”

“It also noted that Russian experts, contracted by Syria, are apparently helping them to cultivate a highly virulent anthrax germ for installation in missile warheads. Their pharmaceutical infrastructure is fully integrated with their defense structure. Syrians cannot reach parity with US and Israeli conventional weapons. However, they view their bio-chemical arsenal as part of a normal weapons program. This is a huge shift in thinking by the Syrian military. It means they condone the use of biological pathogens as ‘offensive’ weapons. NATO and the United States should be very concerned about that re-designation.’

I’m more than a little stunned and dizzied by these things coming true now. Remember, Damascus will be destroyed, it will be a heap of ruins. (Isaiah 17:1).

“At evening time, behold, terror! Before morning, they are no more!” (Isaiah 17:14a)

Is now the time? Only the Lord knows. But the global concerns of Syria’s open admission and the heinous threat from Damascus just brought us that much closer.

Posted in apocalypse, death, judgment, sword

God’s 4 sore judgments: #1- Sword

Posted on by elizabethprata

Introduction
Part #2: Famine
Part 3: Pestilence

Wm Blake, Death on a pale horse, c. 1800

Yesterday I introduced a series examining the LORD’S “Four Sore Judgments.” In other translations they are called the “LORD’S Four Severe Judgments.” They’re mentioned in Ezekiel 14:21. The four are Sword, Famine, Pestilence, and Beasts.

Clarke’s commentary explains, “My four sore judgments – Sword, war. Famine, occasioned by drought. Pestilence, epidemic diseases which sweep off a great part of the inhabitants of a land. The Noisome Beast, the multiplication of wild beasts in consequence of the general destruction of the inhabitants.” Wesley’s notes says, “How much more – If they could not be able to keep off one of the four, how much less would they be able to keep off all four, when I commission them all to go at once.”

It is a very dread situation when all four are unleashed.

The LORD has unleashed one at a time at frequent intervals throughout the bible, in both the Old Testament (For ex Genesis 41:56) and the New (Acts 11:28). Infrequently, the LORD has unleashed all four at once. One example is bringing Ezekiel’s prophecy of chapter 14 to fruition in around 586BC at Jerusalem’s fall. The next time will be during the Tribulation. (Rev 6).

The Tribulation will be a time when all four are unleashed full strength. (Revelation 14:10). Let’s look at the first of the four severe judgments: Sword.

What is the sword? Laying aside one of the metaphors for the Word, which is the Truth of Jesus, it also means war. Hostility, violence. Jesus stated this would happen as a result of His coming, in Matthew 10:34, where the bible interprets the word for us. It means the opposite of peace:

“Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword.”

That kind of violence is the result of wicked men rebelling against the Gospel. The Sword also means war when God purposely brings war about as a judgment. Sometimes war is the result of the men’s reactions and sometimes it is direct cause by God. Just look at Ezekiel 38, when God plainly states that He will put hooks and in the jaws of Gog and bring him to Israel for war. (Ezekiel 38:4). Also see Romans 13:4, God brings war on the evildoer as judgment. The verse shows us unequivocally that not only does sword mean war, but that He has the authority to use it for His own Good ends.

The Sword judgment is seen in the second Tribulation judgment/second Seal/second Horseman of the Apocalypse. See–

“When he opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature say, “Come!” And out came another horse, bright red. Its rider was permitted to take peace from the earth, so that people should slay one another, and he was given a great sword.” “And I looked, and behold, a pale horse! And its rider’s name was Death, and Hades followed him. And they were given authority over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword and with famine and with pestilence and by wild beasts of the earth.” (Revelation 6:3-4; 8).

The sword is an symbol of war, of military slaughter, and is used here as signifying that that period would be characterized by carnage. Absolute carnage. How do I know it is absolute? Because not only is the point of the Tribulation to bring sin to the fullness (Daniel 9:24a) but because the Revelation verse says peace will be taken from the earth. Nowhere will there be a cessation of hostilities. Nowhere will be safe.

The Greek word for “great” sword is megas, from which we get Mega. ” large, great, in the widest sense.” I interpret this to mean that war will occur in its fullest, widest, most pervasive, most saturation possible. You really don’t want to be here on earth when the Tribulation Sword is unleashed.  

Jesus said that the time will contain wars and rumors of wars. (Matthew 24:6). Wars that are talked about happening, or about to happen. The climate will be of violence ongoing and more piling on- that’s what wars and rumors of wars means. The Middle East is a tinderbox today, and the situation there is similar to Europe just before WWI. The assassination of Archduke Ferdinand by one man was all it took to spark a global war of devastating carnage. As this history website states it, “Two bullets fired on a Sarajevo street on a sunny June morning in 1914 set in motion a series of events that shaped the world we live in today. World War One, World War Two, the Cold War and its conclusion all trace their origins to the gunshots that interrupted that summer day. ” The difficulty of Sword at this tenuous time is the fact that one shot out of a unexpected country could be THE thing which sparks pre-Tribulation wars, and will definitely spark post-rapture Judgment wars.

The thing to ponder is that the Aurora Theater Massacre redefined violence. One of those redefinitions is that no parent or child or person of any kind will ever feel relaxed in a place that is designed for relaxing ever again. Gathering in public space with a faceless multitude is increasingly dangerous. Attending sports games, concerts, parades, or even in the relatively smaller venue of movie theaters is taking a chance. But increasingly, staying at home is dangerous too. People are breaking in brazenly, whether or not there is visible evidence of occupation. Home invasions are at an all time high. And murders on the street are just as bad.

Now imagine that feeling of discomfort and vigilance extended to a hyper degree, knowing nowhere is safe, ever. Because peace will be taken from the earth, and His sword will bring constant hostility, violence and carnage.

That would be bad enough, but Sword is only ONE of the four sore judgments. As the LORD said in Ezekiel 14:21, ‘how much worse will it be when all four are unleashed?’

His judgments are sore indeed. But I am convinced of one thing. We persevering saints are walking through trials and praying for strength to encourage others in these dark days, it is a good thing that it is so dark. Because as my heart sees more sin, more evil, more trampling on Jesus’ name, and I cry out to the Lord, how much BETTER will our joy be when we see Him? The lower we see the world descending, the higher we will see Him when He calls.

The next of the Four Severe Judgments we’ll examine will be Famine.

Posted in apocalypse, arizona

UPDATED–Arizona haboob dust storms: rare, or regular?

Posted on by elizabethprata

UPDATE: Saturday July 21 there was a dust storm (AKA haboob) in the Phoenix Arizona area. There is another one going on in Phoenix now, July 23, 2012. It was a quickly developing storm that took weather forecasters by surprise. The photo immediately below does not depict the July 21 storm.

Monday aft. dust storm

In learning that the average amount of these dust storms are two to three for any given summer season, the tally as of this moment is currently five. Just 12 hours ago it was four. Freak weather happening faster and faster. Today’s storm: (source)

 ————————–end update—————————-

On July 21, 2012, a massive dust storm hit Arizona. There are dramatic photos and videos of this storm event making the rounds on the internet. The July 21 storm was particularly harsh, and it knocked out power to thousands. These storms are called haboobs, from an Arabic word that means ‘blown.’ Winds can reach up to 50 miles an hour, and can obscure visibility to nothing in a matter of seconds. They can last a few minutes or up to three hours. The photos that are posted after the storm hits are often dramatic and eye-catching. Like this one at Huffington Post via AP from July 2011–

I’ve seen these photos for a couple years now. I got to wondering if haboobs are usual or unusual. (Usual). They happen in the summer, during what Arizona strangely calls their monsoon season, from June to September. They occur because there is a huge valley and air gets pushed down and thunder…well, you can read the explanation from a certified meteorologist here if you want.

I wrote about the July 2011 storm, here, in hopefully a straightforward, unspeculative manner. However, that storm, while occurring in normal manner at a normal time of year for haboobs, was especially ferocious. There were elements of that storm that seasoned weather forecasters had never seen before. One meteorologist is quoted in that article,

“But yesterday’s haboob was more like something you’d see in the Middle East or other arid regions around the world, said Ken Waters, the warning coordination meteorologist with the National Weather Service (NWS) in Phoenix. It was mind-boggling, just absolutely amazing,” Waters told OurAmazingPlanet. “I’ve been a meteorologist for years and I’ve not seen a wall of dust like that.””

We see prophetic events coming on us faster and faster now. We see the many earthquakes happen and we ask if they are happening more frequently now. (Yes). We see so many volcanoes erupting and we ask if there are more volcanoes erupting now. (Yes). So we always need to place an event in context and look at it from all angles before declaring that a single dust storm may be an omen of the Apocalypse. Are the events being described rare, or regular? Even if the event is common, were there elements of it that were unusual? What do people with knowledge say about the event?

We should do this so that we can share reasonable information with people. And the more reasonable we are the more credibility we’ll have. The more credibility we have, the more (perhaps) a lost person will listen. That is the goal.

Let’s take a look at haboobs of Arizona to see whether there is anything special to remark about.

We have established that haboobs are a regular feature of summer season in Arizona. The next question is, how many haboobs usually occur during the season? The Weather Channel’s Sean Breslin answers the question “Summer Arizona Haboobs: Rare or Regular?” saying that each season the area will see “a couple.” He noted that last year’s July 5, July 18 and August 18 storms were par for the course.

This article says that there are on average about three dust storms per year. OK, so a couple to three.

2012 has already produced four.

May 9, June 26, June 27, and July 21

That is one thing I look at, sheer numbers. Secondly, the haboob season is usually June to September and the first one this year already occurred outside the normal boundaries of the season. Then, look at a particular event to determine if there were unusual things about it. Last year’s July storm was particularly nasty, containing elements that meteorologists have not seen before, such as the height of the dust stretching into the atmosphere. Also the speed of the wind. And third, that storm produced more damage than usual.

This season there have been four already and the season is only half over. Also, there was an unusual event in that two of the haboobs occurred a day apart, back to back. As we go on with summer monsoon season in Arizona, now you have some background to let us know if more haboobs occur, it will be above the norm. It already is.

Posted in iron sharpens iron, sharp, word

The Word is the whetstone

Posted on by elizabethprata

We have heard it said, “As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another” (Proverbs 27:17).

We have heard it said, “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” (Hebrews 4:12)

The Lord Jesus is the whetstone. It is HE who keeps us sharp. How? He is the Word!

“Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” (Ephesians 6:17)

“In his right hand he held seven stars, and out of his mouth came a sharp double-edged sword. His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance.” (Revelation 1:16)

What am I trying to say? Read your bible. It keeps you sharp. If you don’t whet your sword, it becomes dull.

“For this people’s heart has grown dull, and with their ears they can barely hear, and their eyes they have closed; lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and turn, and I would heal them.’ (Acts 28:27)

Sharpen your mind with the Word so you can turn around and sharpen another person. And we have heard it said, “As iron sharpens iron…”.

Posted in apocalypse, beasts, famine, judgments, pestilence

God’s Four sore judgments- Introduction

Posted on by elizabethprata

Part #1: Sword
Part #2: Famine
Part #3: Pestilence 
Part #4: Beasts
—————
The rapture is an event that has no signs associated with it. It is based on the completion of the full number God has in mind to make up His church (Romans 11:25) and when that is reached He will tell His son to go get His bride. A trumpet will sound and with the voice of archangel, true believers will be instantly translated to an incorruptible body, meeting the dead in the air who shall rise first. (1 Thessalonians 4:15-16).

After this; “Simeon has related how God first visited the Gentiles, to take from them a people for his name. And with this the words of the prophets agree, just as it is written, “‘After this I will return, and I will rebuild the tent of David that has fallen; I will rebuild its ruins, and I will restore it, that the remnant of mankind may seek the Lord, and all the Gentiles who are called by my name, says the Lord, who makes these things known from of old.’” (Acts 15:14-17)

The remnant of mankind in my opinion in this verse are those who were not ready for the Lord when He called, being part of His bride, the global Church of born-again believers. This time is called The Tribulation (Matthew 24:9) or the Time of Jacob’s Trouble (Jeremiah 30:7), The Great Day of Wrath (Revelation 6:17), That Day (Joel 1:15) etc.

The bible has much to say about That Day. We are given graphic depictions of what will happen in it, for example, “their flesh shall consume away while they stand upon their feet, and their eyes shall consume away in their sockets, and their tongue shall consume away in their mouth.” (Zechariah 12:14b). “Then I saw an angel standing in the sun, and with a loud voice he called to all the birds that fly directly overhead, ‘Come, gather for the great supper of God, to eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of captains, the flesh of mighty men, the flesh of horses and their riders, and the flesh of all men, both free and slave, both small and great.'” (Revelation 19:17-18).

The rapture has no sign, it will be a sudden supernatural interruption of man’s life on earth. After this, the judgments will start. If we can see the set-up for the judgments happening, how much closer is the rapture? That is the only sign by which we may be able to tell the season of the Tribulation is closing in and thus that the rapture is even closer. “But you are not in darkness, brothers, for that day to surprise you like a thief.” (1 Thessalonians 5:4)

That is what this blog entry is about. So many people can clearly see the signs coming together for the Tribulation that we know and understand that the rapture is even closer. It is the season. It is the month. We don’t know the day or hour but it seems truly to be the metaphoric month, in other words, near. The return of the Jews to the Land in 1948 was a HUGE HUGE sign, and the reunification of Jerusalem in 1967 was also huge. How close are we? Only God knows. The point is, be ready.

Therefore the judgments are near also. The fire circle is cleared, the stones are laid, the wood is placed, the tinder is on top and the match is lit. All that needs to happen to trigger the judgments is the lit match to be put on the tinder.

God judges and in so doing He has different judgments He dispenses. He has a set of four that He considers especially severe. Ezekiel 14:21 lists them: sword, famine, pestilence, and the beasts of the earth.

“For thus says the Lord GOD, “How much more when I send My four severe judgments against Jerusalem: sword, famine, wild beasts and plague to cut off man and beast from it!”

Wesley’s notes on Ezekiel 14:21 say, “How much more – If they could not be able to keep off one of the four, how much less would they be able to keep off all four, when I commission them all to go at once.”

During the Tribulation, in Revelation 6:8, the fourth horseman of the Apocalypse, the fourth judgment seal, lets loose these four sore plagues all at once.We will take a look at what the biblical application of these individual judgments were in the past and what the news shows us is the nearness of all four today.

Part 1 will take a look at “Sword” in the context of the final judgment, the Tribulation. Part 2, “Famine”. Part 3, “Pestilence.” And part 4, “Beasts.”