Posted in Louisiana sinkhole

Assumption Parish, Louisiana sinkhole growing larger, evacuations and Parish state of emergency declared

Posted on by elizabethprata

Two days ago I posted a news excerpt about a large and sudden sinkhole mysteriously appearing in Louisiana–
“A nearly 400-foot deep sinkhole in Louisiana has swallowed all of the trees in its area and enacted a mandatory evacuation order for about 150 residences for fear of potential radiation and explosions. The 400-square-foot gaping hole is in Assumption Parish, La., about 50 miles south of Baton Rouge. The sinkhole sits in the middle of a heavily wooded space where it has consumed all of the soaring cypress trees that had been there. Flyover photos show some of the treetops still visible through the mud.”‘

“While officials are not certain what caused the massive sinkhole, they believe it may have been caused by a nearby salt cavern owned by the Texas Brine Company. After being used for nearly 30 years, the cavern was plugged in 2011 and officials believe the integrity of the cavern may have somehow been compromised, leading to the sinkhole. ‘

Now, a serious concern has emerged. Serious. Actually, the officials are saying potentially catastrophic. The sinkhole may be happening because a salt cavern that had been used to store butane and then plugged might have structural integrity problems. First, look at what a salt cavern is:

Salt Caverns

“Underground salt formations offer another option for natural gas storage. These formations are well suited to natural gas storage in that salt caverns, once formed, allow little injected natural gas to escape from the formation unless specifically extracted. The walls of a salt cavern also have the structural strength of steel, which makes it very resilient against reservoir degradation over the life of the storage facility.”

“Once a suitable salt dome or salt bed deposit is discovered, and deemed suitable for natural gas storage, it is necessary to develop a ‘salt cavern’ within the formation. Essentially, this consists of using water to dissolve and extract a certain amount of salt from the deposit, leaving a large empty space in the formation. This is done by drilling a well down into the formation, and cycling large amounts of water through the completed well. This water will dissolve some of the salt in the deposit, and be cycled back up the well, leaving a large empty space that the salt used to occupy. This process is known as ‘salt cavern leaching’.”

It is all perfectly normal and legitimate. However, it is a disaster if something happens to the cavern, as has potentially happened to one in Assumption Parish in Louisiana–

Fox News reports,
“The situation is made all the worrisome because the sinkhole is believed to be close to a well containing 1.5 million barrels of liquid butane, a highly volatile liquid that turns into a highly flammable vapor upon release. A breach of that well, Assumption Parish Sheriff Mike Waguespack has said, could be catastrophic.”

“The sinkhole appeared August 3, more than two months after local residents started noticing bubbles in the water. The bubbles grew in number and frequency, and in some spots they made the bayou look like a boiling crawfish pot, said Dennis Landry, who owns guest cabins about half a mile from the hole.”

A Declaration of Emergency for that Parish has been issued. If ignited, “the butane well would release as much explosive energy as 100 Hiroshima bombs, Deborah Dupré’s scientist sources told her Sunday.”

Just an hour ago, the State approved a permit for a relief well. All this is depressingly familiar. It was just  two years ago, in April 2010, that the Deepwater Horizon well exploded and the relief well for the Macondo blowout happened. In that disaster, oil gushed into the Gulf Of Mexico unabated for three months before it was capped.

In the Sinkhole-butane-salt cavern problem, the natural gas officials are saying it will be at least 40 days until they get a relief well going and some answers surface. Meanwhile, residents are watching the hole grow larger and crumble inexorably toward their homes. Residents who have already been evacuated are told it will be at least a month before they can return…

Posted in glory, jesus, sacrifice

The glory that is Jesus

Posted on by elizabethprata

Jesus prayed for us, “When Jesus had spoken these words, he lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you, since you have given him authority over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do. And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed.” (John 17:1-5).

While on earth, Jesus sought the mind of Christ every moment and lived a perfect, sinless life. He did this out of love for His Father, obedience to Him, and to be prepared as the sacrifice for sin. When He was glorified, He would send the Holy Spirit to us so that we could be act  in a manner bringing glory to Jesus, who by then was in heaven. When we reach heaven and the rapture happens we will be glorified too, with a sinless body and the mind of Christ. (1 Corinthians 15:53-54; 1 Corinthians 13:12).

Jesus continued, “For I have given them the words that you gave me, and they have received them and have come to know in truth that I came from you; and they have believed that you sent me.” (John 17:9).

He has given us His words, straight from heaven, lived out in perfect truth from a sinless life, and verified as truth through His resurrection. His word, now our bible, is absolutely true from Genesis 1 to Revelation 22.

It always starts and ends with Jesus, who is the Word.

“I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. And for their sake I consecrate myself, that they also may be sanctified in truth.” (John 17:14-18).

If you are going through trouble due to the world hating you because Jesus is in you, take heart! He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world! (1 John 4:4). Jesus is praying to God as our High Priest even though His trial, death, and resurrection was still in the near future. He was headed to the garden of Gethsemane, and His entire body would be wracked with tension so great that drops of His precious, heavenly blood would fall on the dirty ground as He prepared himself for the torture. He pleaded with the Father for us! He is still interceding. (Romans 8:34).

Look what He gave us! His mind, His life, His sacrifice, His body, His blood, Himself.

Jesus prays, Johann Christoph Weigel, 1695

“The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one.” (John 17:22.)

I find this entire chapter so moving. Submit your mind to the Spirit so that we can be ever closer as one to Jesus, and that even more glory can be given to Him! Perform honorable actions in the world so He may be glorified by others seeing His light in us. Honor Him on this Lord’s day, and every day. He is worthy to be praised!

Posted in pumice raft, volcano

Mysterious pumice raft in NZ source identified

Posted on by elizabethprata

I noted a few days ago the mysterious pumice raft discovered floating around the southern sea. A volcano had erupted. But where? Which volcano? Well, the scientists think they have discovered the source of the pumice raft. And when I day ‘raft’ that is the term the scientists are using. It sounds dinky, but the size of the floating pumice was over an area of 25,000 square km. They think the pumice came from a previously unknown volcano.

Scientists rock theory on pumice raft
“A large pumice raft spotted floating in the Pacific Ocean was formed nearly a month ago when an unknown volcano erupted, scientists have determined. An Air force Orion spotted the huge raft, measuring 463 kilometres by 55 kilometres, on Thursday, and samples were collected later in the evening by the navy’s HMNZS Canterbury. Vulcanologists had thought it might have been produced by New Zealand’s third erupting volcano, the undersea mountain Monowai, but that theory has now been put to rest. … GNS vulcanologist Brad Scott said he was unaware of any volcano in the specific location where the raft was believed to have originated from. “At this time I don’t know if we could identify a sub-marine volcano at that location,” Scott said. It could have been emitted from a previously-unknown volcano, or it could be that others have knowledge of a volcano in the area while he doesn’t, he said.”

In other words, global volcanoes are going off left and right, and some that have never erupted are erupting, others that have been long dormant are erupting, and now there are just eruptions they don’t know how or where they happen, but evidence that they have is scattered over 25,000 km and thus pretty hard to ignore.  The earth sure is active.

Posted in disasters, iran earthquake, weather

Two major earthquakes strike Iran, felt in Armenia; global weather disasters are continuous

Posted on by elizabethprata

Hindustan Times:

40-50 dead, 400 injured in northwest Iran quakes
“Up to 50 250 people were killed and 400 injured as two strong earthquakes jolted northwest Iran on Saturday, the head of the country’s emergency services told ISNA news agency. “According to the latest reports, about 40 to 50 people have been killed in the quakes today … About 400 have also been injured and were transported to Tabriz and Ardebil,” Gholamreza Masoumi said, quoted by ISNA. Masoumi was referring to the biggest cities in the region and a neighbouring province. The two temblors, registering 6.2 and 6.0 on the moment magnitude scale according to Tehran University’s Seismological Centre, struck within minutes of each other, damaging scores of villages northeast of Tabriz. The US Geological Survey, which monitors quakes worldwide, ranked them as more powerful than that, at 6.4 and 6.3, respectively.”

Meanwhile, on the volcano front, Erik Klemetti had to eat his words-

Submarine Eruption Makes It Three for New Zealand
“Just think, one week ago I was saying that 2012 was a relatively quiet year for volcanic eruptions. We haven’t made up all the ground of the more active years like 2010-11, however New Zealand had one of its more exciting volcanic weeks in a century — White Island and Tongariro both had eruptions and yesterday a large pumice raft was spotted north of the island nation.”

Lotta lightning goin’ on…

Lightning kills 13 outside Bangladesh mosque
“At least 13 devotees have been killed by lightning outside a mosque in northeastern Bangladesh. Local police chief Bayes Ahmed says 20 other people were injured by the lightning late Friday in Sylhet district. The victims were struck by the lightning as they were exiting the mosque following special prayers tied to the holy month of Ramadan.”

Lightning strike creates 25-foot trench, damage to Massachusetts home

“Strong to severe thunderstorms that hit parts of Massachusetts on Friday produced a lightning strike that created a 25-foot trench to a Foxboro home, leaving a elderly woman hospitalized. Firefighters said around 4 p.m. EDT, lightning hit a tree and it imploded, which sent chunks of wood that ripped down parts of a large fence and impaled a portion of the deck.”

Fan killed; nine injured by lightning after Pocono race
“Pocono officials indicated that several of the fans were treated and released from the infield care center, but that five were transported directly to local hospitals.”

And there was (apparently) a tornado in Connecticut-

Weather Service Checks Storm Damage In Glastonbury To Determine If Tornado Hit
“A tornado may have touched down in Glastonbury as a violent storm surged through the state Friday afternoon, knocking down trees and power lines and causing flash flooding.”

The Philippines are swamped with monsoons and flooding. Yes, I know it’s monsoon season, but this is more, extra, over and above, and there’s more on the way—

No respite from rain, floods in Philippines
“The death toll from five days of heavy rains and floods in the Philippines jumped to 60 on Friday, disaster officials said, with the forecast calling for even more showers across the main island of Luzon. Most of the deaths were from drowning, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said. Others died from electrocution or in landslides associated with the rain and floods. While it is the summer monsoon season in the Philippines, the rain and flooding were exacerbated by recent Tropical Storm Haikui, the Philippines weather service said. Haikui made landfall on the east coast of China early Wednesday.”

CNN asks, “What’s behind major flood disasters throughout Asia?
“Monsoonal rainfall and a tropical storm cause major flooding in the Philippines. A third typhoon in five days hits China. Weeks of rains and floods have wreaked havoc on parts of Korea.”

This is ironic…the news article lede says “a rash of bad weather”. It isn’t a rash and it’s not going to get better. (link is to a Wall Street journal video).

Bad weather causes surge in food prices
“A rash of bad weather is straining the global food chain and pushing up prices around the world.”

So we wonder, of this weird and getting weirder weather, the disasters upon disasters, “Does God control the weather?  Does he use it as judgment? Is it a sign of the end? Will he protect the righteous?” More here– a study on weather and the bible, below is a preview–

“The Scriptures are far from silent on the origin of weather disasters, including drought, earthquakes, famines, floods, hailstones, storms, thunder, tornadoes, wind storms, etc. God is fully in control of creation, at all times. God does use weather catastrophes — even resulting in deaths, or the destruction of beasts or property — but with a purpose: to unsettle the apathetic, to punish and judge, to alter our course of action, or to instill the fear of God. However, God also responds to His people’s pleas for deliverance from destruction.”

Therefore, pray for the people affected by these disasters. I deliberately chose news about the Iran quakes, Philippines flooding, China rains, New Zealand volcanoes, CT tornadoes, and US drought which has worldwide impact, to show that these things are happening north, south, east, and west. Pray for repentance to come sweep the world, and for a desire for a closer walk with Jesus to penetrate the hearts of the born-again.

Posted in drought, jordan, middle east, prophecy

Raining seaweed, Jordan and Syria troops clash, Iran’s nuke progress, and 2/3 of US in drought

Posted on by elizabethprata

Here is some news for you. I’m working on that promised essay about how to guard your thoughts, and another promised essay about satan’s symbols.

Meanwhile, the world situation is pretty interesting. Globally, it is just a mess. I’ve never seen the world in this much disarray, and I thought 1968 was pretty bad. That was a picnic compared to the 2012. Spiritually, the world is in a worse mess. Apostasy, hatred, and Fundamentalist Christians as the bad guys. Prophecy nearing fulfillment and the evil thoughts of men’s hearts only evil continually. (Genesis 6:5; Matthew 24:37). The LORD is ever-drawing the Church Age to a close while giving the rebellious time to repent. Here is a map to orient yourself, and then the news

MIDDLE EAST

I don’t think many Americans realize what a threat Iran is, not just to Israel, but to the US, and the world. Their single-mindedness in creating nukes is startling, and woefully underestimated. Just look at the progress they have made–

KAHLILI: Iran’s radical rulers close in on the bomb
“Iran continues unabated with its illicit nuclear and missile programs despite a decade of negotiations, being targeted by cyberwarfare and recent harsh sanctions on the Iranian Central Bank and oil industry piled on top of earlier, crippling sanctions. … When President Obama took office, the Iranians had barely enough enriched uranium for one nuclear bomb and were limited to an enrichment level of 3.5 percent. Today, Iran has mastered the enrichment to the 20 percent level, a critical step to weaponization, and has announced that it soon will enrich to more than 50 percent in order to provide nuclear fuel for future nuclear-powered vessels. More than 11,000 centrifuges are currently spinning at the Natanz nuclear facility, an increase of 3,000 from just months ago. Hundreds of centrifuges are enriching uranium to the 20 percent level at the previously secret Fordow facility deep in a mountain. The latest IAEA report as of May verified that Iran has enough enriched uranium for six nuclear bombs, should it advance enrichment to weaponization grade.”

Saudi Arabia is not a nation we hear too much about, the focus in the Middle East is always Iran, Iraq, Israel, Lebanon, Syria…but Saudi is having its own troubles too. Saudi is one of the nations mentioned in the Psalm 83 confederacy which attacks Israel in the last days- they’re the Ishamelites. (Psalm 83:5-6)

Is Saudi Kingdom on the edge?
“By appointing Prince Bandar bin Sultan as its new intelligence chief, Saudi Arabia has installed what looks like a war cabinet at a time of rising tensions with Iran and growing internal dissent from its Shiite minority.  The Saudis have also heightened their alert level in other ways to prepare for possible regional conflict. Some Saudi military and security personnel were mobilized last month — called back from summer leave or told to cancel planned vacations.”

Jordan is the only nation during the Tribulation  not to fall under the domination and control of the antichrist. (Dan 11:41). No one for sure knows why. It should be noted that Jordan is where Jesus tells the Jews to run to when they see the abomination of desolation spoken of by the prophet Daniel. (Matthew 24:15-16). He actually says ‘to the mountains’ but the only mountains nearby Jerusalem are in Jordan, not coincidentally, also where Petra is. Jesus plans to use that enclosed city as His sheepfold during the Tribulation to protect the remnant. (Isaiah 63:1). Now, even fairly peaceful Jordan is clashing with a neighbor:

“Syrian and Jordanian troops have clashed in the Tel Shihab-Turra area
“Fighting involving armored vehicles broke out Friday night between Jordanian and Syrian troops in a border region. Reuters cited Jordanian sources and an unnamed Syrian opposition activist who witnessed the incident. The Tel Shihab-Turra border area has been used as a passage by Syrian refugees fleeing the violence. The clashes reportedly occurred after a number of refugees attempted to cross into Jordan. There appear to be no Jordanian casualties.”

I think no one in their right mind thinks a clash between Israel and someone, likely Iran, won’t happen in the near future. France announces they have made provisions to get their people out of there if it should come to war:

France Prepares For An Evacuation Of Its Nationals Living In Israel
“France has prepared a contingency plan to evacuate its citizens from Israel, La Tribune has learned. According to diplomatic sources, a plan to evacuate the 200,000 French nationals living in Israel has been drafted to prepare for the eventuality of conflict between Iran and Israel. The objective, says the French financial newspaper, is not to be caught off guard should a barrage of missiles equipped with conventional or non-conventional weapons be fired by Iran or Hezbollah on Israeli territory.”

There is violence again in the southern part of the hot zone: Israel’s Sinai border with Egypt

Egypt Sends Armored Units to Sinai After Security Revamp
“Egypt’s military deployed additional armored units to Sinai and closed smuggling tunnels into Gaza as it stepped up efforts to rout militants following a bloody border attack that afforded President Mohamed Mursi a chance to revamp the country’s security apparatus. The military sent several dozen more tanks and armored vehicles into north Sinai, the state-run Ahram Gate reported, citing witnesses in the area. The operation, now in its third day, is the largest offensive by Egypt in the Sinai in decades. The military also used Apache attack helicopters during operations, state media reported.”

WEATHER

Drought covers TWO-THIRDS of the United States.

July is hottest month on record; drought expands to 63 percent of United States
It may come as little surprise with this summer’s sweaty nights and blistering days across much of the country, but July marked the hottest month on record for the contiguous United States, according to government scientists. Furthermore, drought now covers nearly 63 percent of the Lower 48 states, where average precipitation is 0.19 inch below average.”

This drought is having and will continue to have devastating effects on food and prices. Remember, one of God’s judgments is drought and another is famine. They are intertwined. Both are predicted for the Tribulation.

US drought threatens food prices
“The worst drought in the US in at least half a century has destroyed one-sixth of the country’s expected corn crop in a month threatening a surge in global food price inflation. The US government estimated corn farmers had abandoned fields greater in area than Belgium and Luxembourg after the hottest July in US history irreparably damaged their crops. The harvest for soyabeans, largely crushed into animal feed and vegetable oil, would be the lowest in five years.”

WEIRD

Weird weather rains seaweed over Gloucestershire village
“They were stunned to find their homes, gardens and cars littered with the smelly marine algae after a stormy weather spout swept up the debris from a beach 20 miles away. Weather experts believe the seaweed was picked up from Clevedon Beach in North Somerset by a twister during freak weather conditions on the coast. It was then carried through the air – before being deposited on the quiet street in Berkeley, near Cheltenham, Glos. Stunned engineer Dr Richard Overton, 55, and his wife Kay, collected an entire bucket full of the green slime from their front garden. He said: “I looked out of the window after a very big storm finished and to my amazement there were lots of flakes of seaweed scattered over the garden.”

Doesn’t anyone have any self-control anymore? Oh, wait… (2 Timothy 3:3)

Drunk tourist falls asleep on airport baggage belt and passes through powerful X-ray machine
“Letting go of your all important luggage at airports can often be a stressful experience for many travellers. Stories about holidaymakers losing their bags can lead to anxiety for many passengers. But for one drunk Norwegian tourist recently this wasn’t an issue – he simply decided to join his bag. The 36-year-old man fell asleep on the baggage belt at Rome’s Fiumicino airport and travelled 160 feet before he was identified by an X-ray scanner. … It is believed he travelled for 15 minutes before his body was spotted by shocked officials in an X-ray image on their screens. The Norwegian was curled up in the foetal position. The man, who has not been named, slept through the entire incident.”

Well, this is weird.

Mysterious Louisiana Sinkhole Raises Concerns of Explosions and Radiation
“A nearly 400-foot deep sinkhole in Louisiana has swallowed all of the trees in its area and enacted a mandatory evacuation order for about 150 residences for fear of potential radiation and explosions. The 400-square-foot gaping hole is in Assumption Parish, La., about 50 miles south of Baton Rouge. The sinkhole sits in the middle of a heavily wooded space where it has consumed all of the soaring cypress trees that had been there. Flyover photos show some of the treetops still visible through the mud.”

I have no idea even how to classify “pumice raft” except weird. Apparently the Royal Australian Navy has no other way to classify it, either.

25,000 sq km sea of pumice floats off New Zealand
“A navy ship heading to the Kermadec Islands has sailed into a huge 25,000 square kilometre area of pumice pieces north of Auckland. It is believed to be from New Zealand’s third erupting volcano – the undersea mount Monowai. In the past week both Mt Tongariro and White Island have erupted. The navy said the raft – 463 kilometres by 55 kilometres – was spotted by an RNZAF Orion returning on patrol from Samoa. Lieutenant Tim Oscar, a Royal Australian Navy officer on an exchange with the NZ Navy, saw what he described as “the weirdest thing I’ve seen in 18 years at sea. … Rebecca Priestley said it was “an event” which caused the Canterbury’s Commanding Officer, Commander Sean Stewart to give the order to change course. “Up to 250 nautical miles long by 30 nautical miles wide, it stood out against the blue-grey of the ocean as a great white froth on the surface of the sea,” Priestley wrote.”

There is a lot going on, but remember there is a lot going on, too. Like this:

“And I give to them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.” (John 10:28)

and this:

“He that overcomes, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels.” (Revelation 3:5)

Eternal glory with the Savior is worth living through the death knells of a sinful world. Pray for each other and love one another well. He is coming soon for His beloved Bride. I hope if you are reading this you are part of the bride too. If you’re not, all you need to do is repent of your sins. Are you sorry for the wrong things you do? Tell it to Jesus. Believe on HIM. You cannot see Him, but He is there, listening. And waiting….for YOU!

Posted in jesus, lloyd-jones, rick warren

Seeker driven churches know how to draw a crowd…but is it church?

Posted on by elizabethprata

You decide which man has the better approach:

Martyn Lloyd-Jones, 30 years’ minister of Westminster Chapel in London, fervent opposer of liberal Christianity, sound expositor of biblical doctrine with fire and passion in his delivery:

“When the church is absolutely different from the world, she invariably attracts it. It is then that the world is made to listen to her message.”

Or, Rick Warren, Purpose Driven Church: Founder of Saddleback Church, currently the eighth-largest church in the US, father of the manual of how to redesign both churches and services in an effort to bring more “seekers” through their doors, using worldly allurements to attract the multitudes:

“Figure out what mood you want your service to project, and then create it. (p. 264); We start positive and end positive. (p. 271); We use humor in our services … it is not a sin to help people feel good. (p. 272); Cultivate an informal, relaxed, and friendly atmosphere. (p. 272); We made a strategic decision to stop singing hymns in our seeker services. (p. 285); We have attracted thousands more because of our music. (p. 285); Saddleback now has a complete pop/rock orchestra. (p. 290); Use more performed music than congregational singing … (p. 291) (emphasis on entertainment); The ground we have in common with unbelievers is not the Bible, but our common needs, hurts, and interests as human beings. You cannot start with a text … (p. 295); Make your members feel special … they need to feel special. (p. 320,323)”

And this:

“The goal of The Purpose Driven Life is to help people develop a heart for the world.”

As poet Robert Frost wrote so famously, “two roads diverged in a yellow wood” … In this case, the road that Lloyd-Jones was on, the one that walks closely with Jesus, is measured and sober, one that is straight and leads to wisdom and understanding of His word.

Lloyd-Jones & Westminster Chapel

The other road leads to…well…none of the above. This is what happens “when a pastor chooses to entertain goats rather than feed Christ’s sheep.” (quote source). It leads to this:


HT Closet Calvinist via DoNotBeSurprised

John MacArthur said of the seeker driven movement of Rick Warren and his ilk, “They have figured out how to get a crowd and call it church. There’s a big difference between a crowd and a church…big difference.”

You decide which of the above is church…and which is a crowd. Then decide where you want to be when Jesus returns, with the crowd? Or with the church?

Posted in earthquake, prophecy, quake swarm

Scientists studying unusual quake swarm in SoCal

Posted on by elizabethprata

Here is the news about a quake cluster currently afflicting Southern California.

About 30 earthquakes strike in Southern California ‘sequence’
“A cluster of earthquakes that began Tuesday night continued Wednesday in northern Orange County, keeping residents on edge but causing little significant damage. … This is all part of the same earthquake sequence; they’re all in the same area,” Hutton told reporters at the briefing, which was televised by several TV stations. Experts said more aftershocks are likely. “It shook us pretty good. We’ve felt earthquakes before so it came as no surprise,” said Chris Nordyke, director of marketing at the Richard Nixon Library and Birthplace in Yorba Linda.”

Southern Calif. shakes from small earthquakes
“Southern California was shaken Wednesday by the second moderate but widely felt earthquake in less than 11 hours, but no harm was reported. … It was a decent sized shake and it’s a reminder for everyone to have a plan for the Big One,” said Stone. “How would you and your family survive for 72 hours with no water, no food and no amenities? Think about it. It’s a reminder to go home and say, ‘What if?’ and make that plan.”

Making Sense of Earthquake Clusters

“In some cases, one earthquake reduces the probability of subsequent earthquakes; while in other cases, one earthquake might trigger other earthquakes, causing earthquake clusters. The difficulty for scientists, insurers and catastrophe modelers is in understanding the patterns. It is known that a big earthquake releases stress on the fault segment where the rupture occurs. Therefore, on the same fault, the probability of another  earthquake has reduced greatly. In contrast, if a fault has not ruptured for a long time, the stress will  accumulate and thus increase the probability of a quake. This phenomenon is known as earthquake time dependency, which means that the probability of the next earthquake is dependent on the time and magnitude of the last earthquake on the same fault. On the surface, earthquake clusters seem to be contrary to the theory of earthquake time dependency. If the stress is released, why would an earthquake trigger another? In fact, although the stress is released in the segment near the rupture, it can actually increase in other areas. In addition, if the precedent earthquake is small and unable to release the majority of stress on the fault, a subsequent earthquake can happen.” (source .pdf)

The scientists are studying this swarm. While they insist the swarm/cluster is far from extraordinary, they admit that a cluster like this has not happened for a few years.

Seismologists studying swarm of earthquakes in Southern California
“At a news conference Wednesday morning, Kate Hutton of the U.S. Geological Survey at Caltech said there had been at least 30 quakes since Tuesday night, but only three could be felt by residents. She said officials are studying the quakes to understand whether it was a swarm or some other type of pattern. “This is all part of the same earthquake sequence; they’re all in the same area,” Hutton told reporters at the briefing. “We haven’t had anything in the L.A. Basin in the last few years, but that doesn’t mean we’re totally quiet, and we certainly have been active in the southern part of the state,” she added.’

The scientists always minimize the potential or the situation or the effects…I suppose it is their job so as not to cause panic. But if they are studying it so swiftly then that’s something to note.

In the Tribulation, earthquakes will happen that no man has ever seen before. There will be the usual kind, just more of them that cause damage, and like birth pangs, one after another until there is overlap and one long bout of pain.

But then there will be other quakes, ‘mega quakes’ that destroy mountains, divide cities. The Greek word really is megas, meaning mega, or very large in the widest sense. It is used in the verse below to describe the last earthquake:

In Revelation 16:18-12 we read,

“And there were flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, and a great earthquake (megas seismos) such as there had never been since man was on the earth, so great was that earthquake. The great city was split into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell, and God remembered Babylon the great, to make her drain the cup of the wine of the fury of his wrath. And every island fled away, and no mountains were to be found.”

That verse recounts the final judgment, when the angel pours out this one he says “It is done!” It is the seventh bowl, the last of the series of promised judgments. (7 Seals, 7 Trumpets, 7 Bowls).

Between the quakes of today to that last mega-quake of Revelation 16, earthquakes will only increase in frequency and intensity. Scientists can study them all they want, but by that last quake of human history, the only data that will matter is, are you saved by the blood of Jesus? Is your soul redeemed by the precious one who shed His blood for you?

As a matter of fact, it is the only data that matters now. Quakes aren’t going to subside, go away, or be only minor in intensity. They will increase until the Lord returns. The unnerving thing is not to know when the next quake will occur, but as a Christian, you know they will and more often, too. Non-Christians will wonder what’s going on but be just as surprised by the arrival of the earth-shattering commotion that we know as earthquakes as they will be by the earth and heaven shattering event and commotion that Jesus’s Second Coming will entail. Don’t be surprised. Accept Jesus as savior now, read the bible to see what’s ahead. What’s ahead for the Christian are blessings untold, the primary one being Jesus Himself.

Posted in days of Noah, genesis, rapture, sikh shooting

Sikh Temple shooting and what is in a man

Posted on by elizabethprata

Someone asked me if I would write about the Sikh Temple shooting that occurred in Wisconsin two days ago. Here it is, but it not in the way that you might think.

First, the facts: An Army vet took a gun and began shooting people who were at worship in an Oak Creek WI Sikh Temple. He killed 6 people and wounded four, before being shot and killed himself by police. Just 16 days before the Wisconsin attack, a lone gunman had entered a movie theater and shot and killed 12 people and wounding dozens more. In between these two horrific shootings, a woman who had been aboard a Detroit Riverboat partying, was involved in an altercation, and as the boat docked, disembarked and returned to shoot, striking seven people, critically injuring one. She is still at large.

President Obama said of the Sikh Temple shooting, “These kinds of terrible and tragic events are happening with too much regularity for us not do some soul-searching and examine additional ways that we can prevent such violence…”

There are three items in the quote to consider. First, he said these kinds of terrible tragedies are occurring more often. That is true. The second comment of note is that he said we need to do some soul-searching. This is also true. Thirdly, he said that we need to examine ways to prevent such violence in the future. This is also true but it will never happen as long as man searches his soul and fails to turn it over to Jesus.

Sin starts in the mind.

I want us to really think about the interior state of man and how God knows what it is.

Sin begins with a thought. “For from within, out of men’s hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly.” (Mark 7:21-22).

“Each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.” (James 1:14-15).

Sin begins inside us in the heart and mind, and then it is given birth when we speak the thing, and then the action follows. Anyone who has worked in the Good News Club knows we tell the kids of the progression of sin in this way: “Sin is anything we think, say, or do that displeases God.” Think-say-do.

Shootings like the Aurora Theater in Colorado or the Sikh Temple in Wisconsin don’t ‘just happen.’ The perpetrator was thinking about it first, and for a long time, too.

If we are seeing these sinful acts happen more and more frequently, imagine how much more people are thinking about them, first. The acting out is the last stage of the progression. The visible heinous act is only the tip of the iceberg to the heinous acts that occur in the mind. Floating icebergs have a significant proportion of their mass below the surface of the water. When we say “This problem is just the tip of the iceberg,” what we are really saying is “A small evident part or aspect of something largely hidden.” If the evident part is getting bigger every day, how much larger of a problem is the hidden part? (Definition and unmodified photo from Wiki).

John MacArthur wrote about The Danger of a Sinful Mind. He said,

“Many people who will not do evil deeds are nevertheless boldly evil in their thoughts. A man who abstains from fornication for fear of getting caught might convince himself it is all right to indulge in salacious fantasies because he thinks no one else will ever discover such a private sin. The sins he deliberately entertains in his mind may be a thousand times more evil than anything he would ever think of doing before others. Scripture says his guilt is the same as if he acted out his fantasies.” (Matthew 5:27‑28).

So you can imagine if people are doing evil deeds almost daily how deeply depraved the thought-life of people on earth is getting.

MacArthur continued: “In fact, nothing damages the conscience more than the habit of indulging in evil thoughts. Unfortunately, once begun, the practice becomes all too easy. This is a sin that does not have to wait for an opportunity; the mind can sin anytime, anywhere, under any circumstances. So the habit is quickly and easily established. By engaging the inner faculties—mind, emotions, desire, memory, and imagination—thought sins work directly on the soul to bias it toward evil.”

Now, the LORD said in Matthew 24 that the days just prior to His coming will be like the Days of Noah (Matthew 24:37). So…what were the days of Noah like?

“And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.” (Genesis 6:5). [Emphasis mine.]

Everybody is going around thinking evil all the time. We can’t tell, only Jesus can see what is in a man. (John 2:25). But when we see such evil deeds being acted out, you know that proportionally, that many more men’s thoughts are evil. And if the deeds are happening frequently, we know that the evil thoughts are continual.

The good news is that if you are saved, and have had sinful thoughts, if you repent, He will forgive you! Then, guard your thought life!!!

And if you are not saved, Jesus will forgive you when you repent, and all your sins will be forgotten by Him. No matter what you have thought, or said, or done, He will forgive it. He is THAT GOOD.

There are two takeaways to this blog entry:

1. So when we see the Sikh Temple shooting, I don’t want us just to go ‘tsk tsk, that poor unsaved man’. I want us to see ourselves in him. Understand that without Jesus we all have the capability to perform those acts, whether they remain in our mind or whether we act on them. We are all sinners. None is righteous, no not one. (Romans 3:10). We all need to repent, saved or unsaved. The unsaved need to repent unto salvation, the saved need to repent to keep thoughts pure for a more pleasing relationship with the Savior.

2. He is near. Personally, I see the nearness of Jesus’ return not just because of the terrible acts we are now seeing on a weekly and almost daily basis, but because I know that for every shooting done, there are a hundred thousand who thought about shooting. For every Pastor who confesses to an adulterous affair with a minor, there are a thousand more who thought about it. Genesis 6 says that judgment came not only when the evil was present on the earth but when the evil thoughts were continuous in man. Re-read the verse- it’s two parts. How closely does this sinful world’s thought-life match the level of depravity Jesus said we’d sink to just prior to His coming? I don’t know, but Jesus does. Are you ready for Him?

Posted in temple mount, tongariro, volcano

Long dormant volcano Tongariro erupts suddenly; Scientists: "It was a total surprise"

Posted on by elizabethprata

We had a good first day back at school. It was a good but tiring day, mostly due to the furniture we moved around getting our classrooms back together. Overall it was a great re-introduction for my body to get used tot he rigors of working an 8-hour day after literally laying around all summer. Each day this week will get more demanding, until Thursday night’s Open House with parents, and Friday when the kids return to school. You know, whoever wrote about ‘The Endless Sumer’ was seriously misinformed. LOL.

Meanwhile, much to my amazement, the world news kept right on happening while I was away from my computer. Here is some of the more interesting (to me) headlines:

The Hormuz Strait is the world’s chokepoint for exported oil. Iran could easily close it, even though Oman ‘owns’ half the strait. And if Iran does, oil prices would go through the roof. The reason that Iran is discussing this again is because the economic sanctions placed upon Iran by the UN which kicked in in Feb., are starting to have a real and devastating effect. Of course, this economic strangulation has not pushed back the Iranian progress on nukes one inch, but it has made them mad. Hence the talk about closing Hormuz.

MPs, admirals to discuss Strait of Hormuz
“TEHRAN – During a meeting on Sunday, the MPs sitting on the Majlis National Security and Foreign Policy Committee and the commanders of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps Naval Force and the Iranian Navy will discuss the latest developments in regard to the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz. The Strait of Hormuz, between the Gulf of Oman and the Persian Gulf, is a strategic 20-mile-wide link for Persian Gulf oil-exporting nations and the shipping lanes to oil-importing nations.”

I think it is extraordinary that Rumsfeld openly admits that the US is acting traitorously toward Israel, our ally. His statement is remarkable if you think about it.

Rumsfeld: Israel needn’t notify US about strike
Rumsfeld further criticized the pattern of leaks emerging from White House concerning Iran, and said that “If I were in the Israeli government, I don’t think I would notify the United States government of any intent to do anything about Iran. So my guess is, given the pattern of leaks out of the White House, that any prime minister of Israel would not call the United States and give clear intentions as to what they plan to do.”

The next news excerpt is a great article on the silliness of the unsaved’s thinking. Romans 1:21 says of the reprobate, “For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened.”

The word foolish here means without comprehension; foolish because incoherent; failing to “put facts together”, “lacking synthesis”; & describes a person failing to structure information in a meaningful way, and therefore unable to reach necessary conclusions. And they call us ignorant morons. We see here what God really thinks of the intellectual capacity of the unsaved. The definition goes on to say, this person is illogical because they’re unwilling to use good reason.

Peter is more directly blunt. Of those who “and especially those who indulge in the lust of defiling passion and despise authority,” (2 Peter 2:10), “What the true proverb says has happened to them: “The dog returns to its own vomit, and the sow, after washing herself, returns to wallow in the mire.” (2 Peter 2:22).

Homosexuals Demand that Chick-Fil-A Stop Serving “Gay Chicken”
“I must admit I don’t get around much, so I didn’t even know the reliably left-leaning Huff ’n’ Puff Post had a “Gay Voices” section. But yesterday, I read an article from there that covered a recent petition (with a whopping 1,500+ signatures!) that demanded that Chick-Fil-A be consistent with their “anti-homosexual” values and stop serving “homosexual” chicken at their restaurants. As the petition explains, some male chickens will mount other male chickens, so Chick-Fil-A cannot be consistent with their values until they make sure that none of the chicken meat they are serving comes from “homosexual” chickens. Wow. I’ve read some really, really stupid petitions in my life. But that one… Where do you even start?”

While Jesus raises us up day by day, Satan finds a way to make everything a little more depraved than he did the day before. (John 10:10).

The next big gaming accessory: shock collars?
“A pair of masochistic French gamers has created a unique and terrible console modification. By attaching shock collars to the controllers and binding certain game events to their activation, they’ve made these classic Genesis games even more punishing than they used to be.”

This zombie thing is getting out of hand. Anyway, if you click on the link, warning, it’s graphic. The makeup they used is realistic, and more gross than any other I’ve seen. And finally, I simply ask…why? Why do this?

Zombie invasion sparks terror in NY
“AMC teamed up with viral marketing agency Thinkmodo to unleash a horde of supremely gross zombies (expertly created by makeup artist Sue Lee) on the streets of Manhattan, dressing them up as paramedics and mailmen and filming bystanders’ reactions to the undead invasion. And the clip has been a huge success, racking up more than 2.5 million views in less than a week. Thinkmodo co-founder Michael Krivicka gives us the inside scoop on the shoot: “We shot this video over the course of eight days in various parts of Manhattan with 13 different zombie characters. The challenge was to keep the zombies hidden and have them pop up at the right moment to scare people and crowds.”

Ho-hum, yet another long dormant volcano suddenly rumbles to life, taking scientists completely by surprise… This one’s in New Zealand. This article calls the situation “Code Red“. The article below calls is a total surprise.

Mt Tongariro erupts for first time in over 100 years
“A total surprise“
 LATEST: Volcanic activity at Mt Tongariro could continue for weeks, months or even years after Tongariro rumbled to life after being dormant for more than 100 years last night. Last night’s eruption was a total surprise, so “we have to expect the unexpected”, GNS volcanologist Michael Rosenberg said. The mountain erupted at 11.50pm, sending ash across roads and prompting a potential threat warning for central North Island regions. The eruption threw rocks and spewed ash from the Te Mari craters, near Ketetahi hot springs, on the northern side of the mountain, GNS Science said.”

There is so much more going on, like the top Syrian Prime Minister defected yesterday, and three Parliament men with him. Palestinians blame Israel for two trees that fell at the Temple Mount, the wildfires in Oklahoma, another shooting (Not the Sikh shooting that killed 6, that was so yesterday, I mean the woman who opened fire on the crowd debarking from the Detroit Princess Riverboat today).

The spaceship Curiosity landed on Mars last night. That’s all well and good, but I don’t know why people don’t just trust Jesus for the pardon of their sins, and after the resurrection go visit Mars in person…

Till next time, if there is one,
Elizabeth

Posted in bible, drought, heat, oklahoma, wildfires

What happens when the earth’s people refuse God’s Living Water?

Posted on by elizabethprata

“It’s raining ashes in Tulsa.”

That was the tweet from a Christian sister who lives in Oklahoma. Wildfires have struck that state the last few days and there is much damage.

We’re scorched from one end of the nation to the other. We are experiencing heat, drought, fires, ash, dust, dryness and thirst…

Why is this? Because our hearts are hot for satan, we’re drought-ridden from not being in the Word, and our consciences are seared as if with a hot iron. So it is no wonder, my glorious God, that You manifest on the outside what is on the inside of your people. You are the Living Water, but we refuse it. You are the refreshing dew but we don’t want it. You give to us that is athirst the fountain of the water of life freely but we turn away. (Revelation 21:6).

“but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” ( John 4:14 ).

But your people say NO!

“Therefore the heavens above you have withheld the dew, and the earth has withheld its produce.”
(Haggai 1:10)

Corn plants damaged by extreme heat and drought conditions
in Carmi, Illinois. Photographer: Daniel Acker/Bloomberg. source
I will make it a wasteland, neither pruned nor cultivated, and briers and thorns will grow there. I will command the clouds not to rain on it.” (Isaiah 5:6)
Marion Kujawa looks over a pond he uses to water the cattle on his farm
on in Ashley, Ill. Kujawa has been digging the pond deeper after it
began to dry up during the current drought.
“The LORD will turn the rain of your country into dust and powder; it will come down from the skies until you are destroyed.” (Deuteronomy 28:24)
In Luther, Okla., at least two dozen homes, a day care center and
other businesses have been destroyed by a wind-driven fire. source

Surely wickedness burns like a fire; it consumes briers and thorns, it sets the forest thickets ablaze, so that it rolls upward in a column of smoke. (Isaiah 9:18)
A horse, which was eventually rescued, tries to escape
a wildfire Friday in central Oklahoma. Photo: Jerry Laizure, AP. source

“My people have committed two sins: They have forsaken me, the spring of living water, and have dug their own cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water. (Jeremiah 2:13).
Medina County: cisterns drying up in drought. source

I like to see the metaphors in how the LORD presents Himself to us. One of those ways is as the Living water, refreshing rain, a fountain of truth. Water, water, water. I also like to see His promises. We often focus on the ‘good’ promises, of eternal life, treasure in heaven, unconditional love. But He made other promises too. Like this one that He promises His people the Jews-

“If ye walk in my statutes, and keep my commandments…Then I will give you rain in due season, and the land shall yield her increase.”  (Leviticus 26:3,4)

Although our covenant with Him as the grafted-in Gentiles is not the same as the covenant above, the principles are the same. We are still to walk in His ways and follow His statutes. If we do, then another of His promises will be fulfilled:

“And the LORD will guide you continually and satisfy your desire in scorched places and make your bones strong; and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail.” (Isaiah 58:11).

Barnes’ Notes closes beautifully with an explanation of the Isaiah verse above. Man, those 1800’s writers could write:

“But in the supplies which God makes for his people there is no such deception. The fountains of pardon, peace, and joy are ever open and ever full. The streams of salvation are always flowing. The weary pilgrim may go there at any season of the year, and from any part of a desolate world, and find them always full, refreshing, and free. However far may be the pilgrimage to them from amidst the waste and burning climes of sin, however many come to slake their thirst, and however frequently they come, they find them always the same. They never fail; and they will continue to flow on to the end of time.”