Posted in end of days. prophecy, human trafficking, revelation, slavery

Human slavery is more prevalent today than it ever has been in history

Posted on by elizabethprata

Revelation 18 speaks of the day when Economic Babylon is finally vanquished. What a day that will be! Though the Tribulation will be a time of great upheaval and supernatural disasters, there will be an economy and there will be people buying and selling. Revelation 13 makes the point that no one without the Mark of the Beast can buy or sell. Revelation 18 lists numerous cargoes that the merchants lament when Babylon is destroyed. Revelation 18:15 notes that “the merchants who sold these things and gained their wealth from her…” So there will be trade, economy, and wealth.

Note the consumer items that are being lamented when economic Babylon is destroyed- they are all luxuries. Note particularly the last item:

“The merchants of the earth will weep and mourn over her because no one buys their cargoes anymore— cargoes of gold, silver, precious stones and pearls; fine linen, purple, silk and scarlet cloth; every sort of citron wood, and articles of every kind made of ivory, costly wood, bronze, iron and marble; cargoes of cinnamon and spice, of incense, myrrh and frankincense, of wine and olive oil, of fine flour and wheat; cattle and sheep; horses and carriages; and human beings sold as slaves.” (Rev 18:11-13).

Many people have thought throughout the twentieth century that the slavery being lamented must be a metaphor. It must mean, they thought, “It’s not really slavery, is it? I mean, slavery is so passe.”

In the twenty-first century we also believe that slavery is a thing of the past. As a matter of fact, non-believers who mock the bible as being ‘outdated’ and irrelevant to today’s society often point to this verse about future slavery and mock Christians who believe the bible word for word.

But it does mean slaves. The verse even defines it by saying humans. In no matter what translation you read it, it means people as slaves being sold.

Does slavery exist today? It certainly does. You will be shocked to read that slavery is more prevalent today than it ever has been in all of history. The figures in the link are 2008 numbers, before the current economic crash began. Not doubt the numbers are higher now. The article states, “According to research carried out by the organization Free the Slaves, more people are enslaved worldwide than ever before. In its 400 years, the transatlantic slave trade is estimated to have shipped up to 12 million Africans to various colonies in the West. Free the Slaves estimates that the number of people in slavery today is at least 27 million. The National Underground Railroad Freedom Center suggests that three out of four slavery victims are women and that half of all modern-day slaves are children. ‘Countless other’ people are in other forms of servitude which are not legally classified as slavery, according to the Anti-Slavery Society, described ambiguously by some as ‘unfree labour’.”

Other terms used to describe slavery, thus disguising it from society, “are chattel slavery (the traditional meaning of slavery), bonded labor, trafficking, forced labor, and forced marriage, amongst others.” In a different article, this one in Forbes this week, are also ““trafficked,” “sexually exploited,” “commercially sexually exploited,” “prostitute.”

In 2011 it was reported that Slave traders made $32 billion last year alone, and sold 2.2 million children into slavery. Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright has said, “Human trafficking has recently been described as “the fastest growing criminal enterprise in the world” and the one that brings in the most money after drugs and weapons.

Slavery is real, people, and growing more real every day. Read how Michael Snyder put it today on his Economic Collapse blog:

“When the sun goes down every night, America becomes a very frightening place. There are communities all over the country where drug dealing, human trafficking and gang violence have gotten so out of control that authorities don’t really know what to do about it. In America tonight, thousands of meth heads will break into homes as they desperately search for enough money for another hit. In America tonight, thousands of children will be sold for sex at truck stops and on street corners. In America tonight, millions of criminal predators will be searching for a new victim. From the top levels of the federal government all the way down to the most depraved criminals on the street, America is rotting. Once upon a time our tremendous affluence masked the moral decay that was happening in this nation, but now that the economy is falling apart the damage to the fabric of our society is being revealed. We have become a nation of addicts, junkies, thrill seekers and predators. When we finally see the U.S. economy fully collapse, millions of desperate, angry and depraved monsters will take out their sick frustrations on all the rest of us.”

The Detroit Free Press reported this week on today’s slavery issue.

• Human trafficking is a $32-billion industry worldwide.
• Up to 2 million people are trafficked worldwide every year. Of those, 15,000-18,000 are in the U.S.
• Eight in 10 human trafficking cases involve the sex industry; the others involve labor trafficking.
• In 2010, 2,515 human trafficking cases were under investigation in the U.S.
• Eighty-three percent of victims in confirmed sex trafficking cases in the U.S. in 2010 were American citizens, though 67% of labor trafficking victims were unlawful immigrants and 28% were legal immigrants.
• The National Human Trafficking Resource Center hot line gets 1,000 calls a month about suspected trafficking victims.
• Call volumes have more than doubled in recent years, from 5,700 calls in 2008 to nearly 12,000 in 2011. Hot line calls coming from Michigan also have doubled in recent years, from 87 in 2009 to 173 in 2011.
• Twenty-seven states, including Michigan, have their own human trafficking laws.

Human trafficking, slavery, exists and will only get worse. The lament from the merchants at the destruction of economic Babylon isn’t mourning the loss of lives. They are mourning the loss of slaves they got rich on and the loss of opportunity to keep selling people as slaves.

How can they be so depraved? It is because we have steadily been reducing the value of a human life. We murder mass quantities of children in the womb as a matter of convenience. We teach and preach that we come from monkeys, therefore we’re only animals after all. We refuse to admit Jesus into our schools or public life, therefore generations of people don’t know we are made in His image.

As for the reality of slavery, the first and most important kind of slavery is slavery to sin. Paul in Romans 7:14 says “For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin.” We are slaves to sin from birth.  You see in the verses showing how much a going economic concern slavery will be and how depraved the slave merchants are, how deep they are in their sin. They will have traveled far down the sin-road. Nothing will be beyond them, not even a fellow human’s being’s enslavement. However, the Lord came to us from heaven, manifested Himself to us so that we no longer need to be slaves to sin and all the brutality it entails.

“For Christ did not enter a holy place made with hands, a mere copy of the true one, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us; nor was it that He would offer Himself often, as the high priest enters the holy place year by year with blood that is not his own. Otherwise, He would have needed to suffer often since the foundation of the world; but now once at the consummation of the ages He has been manifested to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself.” (Hebrews 9:24-26). How glorious! He came to us, Himself!! He died as the sacrifice to satisfy the wrath of God and God’s necessary justice. Jesus took the criminal penalty for us.

If you repent of your sins, you don’t need to remain a slave to your sins and you won’t need to worry about becoming an actual slave. You won’t be here during the Tribulation. You will be resting peacefully with Jesus where amazing grace abounds for all eternity. Praise Him!
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Posted in cme, signs in the sun moon stars

Solar storms lighting up the skies

Posted on by elizabethprata

A second sunburst this week will affect earth. A coronal mass ejection left the sun on January 19 arrived at earth on January 22. It was a M3 class flare. The Spaceweather.com explanation of the diferent levels of flares, “X-class flares are big; they are major events that can trigger planet-wide radio blackouts and long-lasting radiation storms. M-class flares are medium-sized; they can cause brief radio blackouts that affect Earth’s polar regions. Minor radiation storms sometimes follow an M-class flare. Compared to X- and M-class events, C-class flares are small with few noticeable consequences here on Earth.” Each category ranges from 1-9. So an M3 is medium sized but on the lower end of the intensity scale.

“The coronal mass ejection (CME) hit Earth’s magnetic field on Jan. 22nd. According to analysts at the Goddard Space Weather Lab, the impact strongly compressed Earth’s magnetic field and briefly exposed satellites in geosynchronous orbit to solar wind plasma. Shifting lines of magnetic force induced strong ground currents in Norway and sparked bright auroras over the upper reaches of North America.” (source)

It isn’t an angel but it reminds me of one! How pretty!

An M3 is a good size but an even bigger ejection occurred a few days later. A M9, on the threshold of the largest kind of flare, was ejected. “This morning, Jan. 23rd around 0359 UT, big sunspot 1402 erupted, producing a long-duration M9-class solar flare. The explosion’s M9-ranking puts it on the threshold of being an X-flare, the most powerful kind. NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory captured the flare’s extreme ultraviolet flash:”

Discovery.com put it like this:
“You may not know it, but there’s an epic magnetic battle between the sun and Earth raging over our heads. On Friday, the sun hurled a coronal mass ejection (CME) at our planet that sparked a strong geomagnetic storm and beautiful aurorae at high latitudes on Sunday. Late last night (EST), the sun unleashed yet another CME… and it’s heading our way. A particularly angry-looking sunspot (1402) on the solar surface erupted with a strong, long-duration M9-class flare Sunday night at around 11 p.m. EST. “M” stands for “medium,” but the explosive energy was just shy of an X-class solar flare — the strongest kind of flare the sun can produce. Now that yet another CME is approaching, even more spectacular auroral activity can be expected for the next few nights. We are currently undergoing the largest solar radiation storm since 2005.”

It is such a big storm, that NASA advised rerouting jets. “As a rare precaution, polar flights on Earth are expected to be re-routed, Kathy Sullivan, deputy administrator of NOAA, said today at a Meteorological Society meeting in New Orleans, La., according to Space.com.”

The sun is getting active. As it does, keep looking up. “There will be signs in the sun, moon and stars. On the earth, nations will be in anguish and perplexity at the roaring and tossing of the sea.” (Luke 21:25.)

“Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. Even so, when you see these things happening, you know that it is near, right at the door. I tell you the truth, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.” (Mark 13:28-31)
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Posted in end of days. prophecy, gog magog, isaiah 17, jesus

More ships from US, UK, France deployed to Gulf

Posted on by elizabethprata

Syria’s dictator Assad was called by the Arab League to step down. He refused. The pressure is rising. The violence is increasing. In other news from the Middle East,

US aircraft carriers to deliver ‘direct message to Iran’
“In an apparent show of strength, Washington is deploying a second carrier strike group in the Gulf. US officials also confirmed their commitment to maintaining a global fleet of 11 aircraft carriers despite budget pressure to cut the fleet’s size. … Panetta added that the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise is on course for the Persian Gulf – and will steam through the Strait of Hormuz in a direct message to Iran, AP reports.”

According to the Navy website as of January 20, 2012, the excerpt below show the following carriers and groups’ deployment. The Fifth Fleet is stationed in Bahrain in the Red Sea.

Navy status as of January 20, 2012

The European Union decided to implement oil sanctions against Iran over the next few months. The EU will also sanction the Iran Central Bank and to ban all trade in diamonds, gold and other precious metals with the bank and other public bodies.

In retaliation, Iran threatened, again, to close the Strait of Hormuz. The strait is a natural chokepoint though which a third of all global oil is exported by ship.

In retaliation,  British, French ships join US carrier in Strait of Hormuz, “Earlier, Britain’s Ministry of Defence said a British Royal Navy frigate HMS Argyll and a French vessel had joined the carrier group to sail through the strategic waterway.”

Oh, boy, they are really piling up over there.

But wait, there’s more! In addition to Argyll, the “HMS Westminster left Portsmouth for a seven-month deployment east of Suez, passing hundreds of relatives who waved off loved ones from the Round Tower.”

The areas in the world prophesied to be highly active in the last days are now in the news on a constant and center-stage basis. The battles to come, as described in Psalm 83, Isaiah 17 and Ezekiel 38-39 are nearly here. The amount of world attention, diplomatic pressure, economic sanctions, and war materiel being drawn into the exact sphere where the launching pad for the Tribulation will occur is absolutely amazing. It is all happening right before our eyes. The Epicenter is like a magnet and the rest are iron shavings being drawn inexorably toward the final confrontation.

It is not a confrontation with each other, but penultimately, they are being drawn into a confrontation with their own sin, and ultimately it will be  a confrontation with Jesus.

It is all happening right before our eyes. Look at it! Then look up, for our Redemption does not seem to be far off.
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Posted in discernment, watchman

"Asleep on the watch"

Posted on by elizabethprata

“Somebody please wake the watchmen! I would rather have sadness and grief with much tears, bringing us to repentance, than to continue to see the churches being infiltrated and assimilated by New Age Occultism, false teaching, heresies, philosophies of men and doctrines of demons as the watchmen sleep.” (source)

Another good article on the biblical explanation of what a watchman does from the Old Testament and New Testament, here.

Posted in forgiveness, gay, homosexuality, lesbian, sin

It’s 2012 and homosexuality is still a sin

Posted on by elizabethprata

Culture and Godliness are anathema. We do not belong to the world. “If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. (John 15:19). What God wants for His people and what the World wants for its people are distinct opposites. Just remember the scene from the Garden in Genesis 2 between the serpent, Eve, and Adam. So as we approach the end, we are reminded of Jesus’ words about the state of the culture at the time He calls an end to sin and He intervenes personally and visibly. These are known as the Days of Noah and the Days of Lot:

“Just as it was in the days of Noah, so also will it be in the days of the Son of Man.” Luke 17:26

The Days of Noah were described in Genesis 6:5: “The LORD saw how great man’s wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time.”

Jesus also went on in Luke to say that despite the wickedness people would still be doing normal things and thinking these were normal times, just as those in Sodom did when Lot was called out if the city by the angel. “People were eating, drinking, marrying and being given in marriage up to the day Noah entered the ark. Then the flood came and destroyed them all. It was the same in the days of Lot. People were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building.” Luke 17:27-28.

As for Days of Lot, you remember that Lot hailed from Sodom, a most wicked city. That city was destroyed because of its sins, homosexuality being chief. Homosexuality is a judgment upon a progressively disobedient culture. (Romans 1:18-26 describes the effects of unbelief and its consequences)

Matthew 10:15 reminds us that the judgment of Sodom and Gomorrah are still to come. ” tell you the truth, it will be more bearable for Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that town.” The cities themselves have been erased from earthly physicality but their sins have not been dealt with. They will be. And this is a reminder that they serve as an example to any nation who promotes, tolerates, accepts homosexuality (and any sin) to the degree that those two cities did. (Jude 1:7- “In a similar way, Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding towns gave themselves up to sexual immorality and perversion. They serve as an example of those who suffer the punishment of eternal fire.”). In other words, Sodom is gone but not forgotten by God. And Sodom is gone but should not be forgotten by us.

Please keep those verses in mind as you read the following news excerpts from this week…

Why gay people make the best parents
“But research on families headed by gays and lesbians doesn’t back up these dire assertions. In fact, in some ways, gay parents may bring talents to the table that straight parents don’t. Gay parents “tend to be more motivated, more committed than heterosexual parents on average, because they chose to be parents,” said Abbie Goldberg, a psychologist at Clark University in Massachusetts who researches gay and lesbian parenting. Gays and lesbians rarely become parents by accident, compared with an almost 50 percent accidental pregnancy rate among heterosexuals, Goldberg said. “That translates to greater commitment on average and more involvement.” And while research indicates that kids of gay parents show few differences in achievement, mental health, social functioning and other measures, these kids may have the advantage of open-mindedness, tolerance and role models for equitable relationships, according to some research. Not only that, but gays and lesbians are likely to provide homes for difficult-to-place children in the foster system, studies show.”

Indiana unveils its first license plate for gay youths
“Indiana’s first specialty license plate that benefits gay causes is now available for purchase. Bureau of Motor Vehicles spokesman Graig Lubsen said the Indiana Youth Group plate has been available since Dec. 28. The plate bears a logo with hands in rainbow colors reaching up. Some $25 from sales of each $40 plate goes to the group serving lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender youth. The Indianapolis-based organization operates an activity center, helps develop Gay Straight Alliances in high schools and assists communities in forming youth services. The group serves about 1,400 youths and young adults ages 12 to 21, The Indianapolis Star reports in a Wednesday story. She said Indiana is the second state in the nation with a specialty plate benefiting gay youths. Maryland was the first, she said.”

Gay marriage gaining momentum in WA Legislature
“The last time same-sex marriage was debated in the Washington state Legislature, lawmakers voted to ban it. Fourteen years later, the issue is before the Legislature once again after a multiyear effort that has incrementally increased rights to gay and lesbian couples in the state. And this time around, it looks like Washington could very well become the seventh state plus the District of Columbia to legalize same-sex marriage.”

Rumor of the day: Obama to endorse gay marriage in State of the Union Address this week
White House won’t rule it out
“White House Press Secretary Jay Carney said on Friday he wouldn’t rule “in or out” the possibility of President Obama endorsing same-sex marriage in the upcoming State of the Union address. Carney made the remarks on whether Obama would announce support for marriage equality during the State of the Union address, which is set to take place Tuesday before a joint session of Congress, in response to a question from the Washington Blade.”

I’ve said before that governmental promotion of homosexuality will bring judgment upon the nation.

Whenever the Bible mentions marriage, it is between a male and a female. The first mention of marriage is in Genesis 2:22-24 shows the God-ordained model for marriage:

“The LORD God fashioned into a woman the rib which He had taken from the man, and brought her to the man. The man said, “This is now bone of my bones, And flesh of my flesh; She shall be called Woman, Because she was taken out of Man.” For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother, and be joined to his wife; and they shall become one flesh.”

In passages that contain instructions regarding marriage, such as 1 Corinthians 7:2-16 and Ephesians 5:23-33, the Bible clearly identifies marriage as being between a man and a woman. Biblically speaking, marriage is the lifetime union of a man and a woman, primarily for the purpose of building a family and providing a stable environment for that family. (more here).

That we are seeing such acceptance of homosexuality, transgenderism, lesbianism, and perverted lifestyles, is not just a symptom of the state of our culture, it is a judgment.

God in His mercy will forgive any penitent person when they appeal to God. If you are in a lifestyle that you know deep down is harming you, failing to bring fulfillment, and you want out, then throw yourself on the mercy of Jesus, who forgave your sins at the cross. He will forgive, then He will send the Spirit to help you resist the devil, and the devil will flee from you. (James 4:7).

If you are in one of these lifestyles and you do NOT feel it is harming you, if you think it IS bringing you fulfillment, then I submit that you are in deep danger of missing out on the universe’s greatest blessing, the blessing that comes after repentance and forgiveness by Jesus, His bringing you into the very family of God. Stop now and pray to Him before your heart becomes even more hardened to the soft influence of conscience, which is the Spirit telling you Jesus is near. Because once He gives you over to your desires, that’s it. (Romans 1:24)

If you are in a family where you are devastated to have a beloved family member involved in one of these lifestyles, then keep praying, pray! Jesus is bigger than any sin, and He hears the prayers of the righteous.
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Posted in costa concordia, shipwreck, sin

More Costa Concordia observations

Posted on by elizabethprata

It is now more than one week after the terrible shipwreck of the Italian passenger cruise liner Costa Concordia off the Tuscan coast. The tragedy has captured the world, as shipwrecks always do. I’m sorrowful for the families of the victims who are still missing and those who are dead. I am sad for the wrecked lives of those who are related to the Captain, and I’m sad for the captain himself. I wrote last week about the bravado he displayed in using the cruise ship as a personal yacht and maneuvering close to the shore for a personal reason. I’d thought about Paul’s admonition to Timothy in 2 Timothy 3:1-5 that in the last days certain emotional conditions would be driving humanity; selfishness, greed, disobedience, hatred, brutality, etc. The captain’s behavior certainly illustrates several of the prophesied those conditions, and moreover, how the conditions of those who exhibit them affect all of us.

The UK Guardian has a retrospective piece called “An All-purpose symbol for our times” that is poetic at times and its tone the appropriate level of melancholy. In part, they wrote:

“A giant white ship lies on its side in the glittering Tyrr- henian Sea, the hi-tech wedding cake of its once-towering superstructure now food for thought and shellfish as it forms a man-made reef close to the dwarfed land. The wreck of the Costa Concordia is a grave to a still uncertain number of people, yet it is also a metaphor. Where other transport accidents might be discussed with muted horror and careful respect, a shipwreck brings out far more primitive and irrepressible responses.”

“When you look at pictures of the fated ship, from the shore, or the air, or even from space, the size of it is staggering – seeing these cruise ships sailing in and out of Venice recently, it was astonishing how their towering decks loomed above churches and dwarfed palaces. But as with any maritime disaster, the shell of the ship is also a mystery, concealing stories of horror and courage.It is impossible not to imagine the invisible world inside, flooded cabins, inverted restaurants, corridors become watery tombs. The imagination of disaster fills in the unseen details. Nothing grips the imagination like a tragedy at sea. George Orwell was a child when the Titanic sank. As an adult he wrote decades afterwards that it meant more to him at that age than any single piece of news from the first world war, which broke out two years later. He remembered how every detail in the newspapers of the Titanic’s sinking and the terrible struggles of the survivors haunted his young mind. Above all, he recollected imagining the last moment when the ship stood completely vertically in the water before plummeting into the depths, and the people still on board hung from railings high above the water.”

One by one: Infra-red footage shows passengers of the Costa Concordia queuing up (on the right) and then slipping down one-by-one (on the left) the belly of the ship via a rope. Source

“The giant cruise ships of today reflect our own society just as exactly as the Titanic reflected the world of 1912. The moral questions that hover over exactly what happened on the Costa Concordia inevitably resonate far wider than the incident itself.”

I agree. Though The Guardian remarked on the symbolism the global media is making about the shipwreck mirrored against the economic times, I’d like to make that observation balanced against our moral times. Courage, duty, man against creation, life, death all are part of the moral discussion and is relevant against what Paul prophesied in 2 Timothy 3. Cruise liners are called “floating pleasure palaces” for a reason. They are designed with an intent to offer the maximum relaxing, hedonistic, pleasure-filled time of carnality that anyone can indulge in. It is the most carnal vacation, practically, that anyone can experience on earth. Thus, part of the discussion is hedonism, and how God views it. (James 1:13-14; Gal 5:16-17)

Ecclesiastes is a book that reveals the depression & melancholy that invariably results from seeking happiness in worldly things. Just about every form of worldly pleasure is explored by the writer in the pages of that wise book, and none of it gives him a sense of meaning. For those who embark on a cruise with a hope that this vacation, this indulgence, will give long lasting satisfaction, will be sorely disappointed.

I am NOT saying that the shipwreck was a judgment of God. Ship happens. I am NOT saying that taking a cruise means a person is unGodly or wanton. For many people it is a safe, affordable way to take a vacation, simple as that. But it could be ungodly and wanton, and for many it is. For even more people, that is the point of the experience. For those people, you might as well call the ship a ship of sin, because any temptation can be found within the ship’s halls. Everything about a cruise ship is designed with an intent to satisfy the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh, the pride of life. (1 John 2:16). Gambling, drinking, sexual indulgence, gluttony, adultery, fornication, immodesty, carnal entertainment … the list goes on. The News program 20/20 did a spot Friday night of the Costa, and also the cruise ship industry in general. I was shocked but not surprised to see video depicting the worst effects of sinful man in the cruise ship hallways, as drunkards stagger, vomit, fornicate, fight. The number of brawls amazed me, as the cruise industry admitted that free-flowing alcohol with no moral restraints inherent in such cruises invariably leads to more frequent brawling than the industry likes to admit.

Again, a cruise is and can be a wonderful thing. If you have gone on one and had a great time, then I am really happy for you. But they are also a carnal thing and even if you are steady in your moral compass you know you will be trapped on board a floating pleasure palace where others’ decisions to succumb to temptations will affect you. As it did to those on Costa Concordia when the captain, in the company of a young woman not his wife, ordered dinner with her an hour after the ship had hit the rocks and some passengers were only minutes away from dying.
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Posted in adler, assassinate obama article, cme, costa concordia, who is god

Incoming CME, ‘assassinate Obama’ brouhaha, good sermons, another Costa Concordia body

Posted on by elizabethprata

It is a rainy, eerily humid, storm-filled day here in north Georgia. We are under a tornado watch, which is unusual for January. The thunder is rumbling and it is dark out.

I am writing the weekly prophecy newsletter and brewing another pot of coffee. While I prepare, I often listen to a sermon or two. Today I am enjoying Don Green’s series. He began it last week, and its four sermons will explore some of the basics. He said that while it is important to acquire new knowledge of the truths contained in the bible, it is also important to go back to the basics. Don Green is one of the pastors who preach at Grace Community Church, John MacArthur’s church. The segments are under the umbrella of Grace Life Pulpit, being smaller bible study groups than the church-wide preaching MacArthur does on Sunday mornings at the regular gathering. Phil Johnson and Don Green alternate at the pulpit. Pastor green’s four sermons are titled:

  • Who is God?
  • Who are you?
  • What is sin?
  • What is salvation?

The first two are up on the website, here. I recommend them heartily. If you need a jolt to be reminded of Who God is, please listen to Pastor Green’s sermon. It is a blessing.

We are enduring thunderstorms and are under a tornado watch. This weather certainly is strange for January. But then again, all of the nation has endured strange weather. Anchorage, Alaska is laboring under the heaviest snowfall ever. Snow, ice and wind have grounded Alaska Airlines. Yet there has been little snow up until now in what they are calling an oddly warm winter. But that came to a halt in the lower forty as Seattle got hammered this week in a record-setting storm and those same storm winds are fueling the wildfires in Reno Nevada. The storm is also marching across the Midwest as Chicago deploys all its plows.

The Costa Concordia shipwreck continues to captivate the world. Just today, the 12th body was found. Sadly, it was a woman wearing a lifejacket on the fourth floor corridor evacuation point. It is haunting to think of those who obeyed directions to return to cabins, or who believed the lie for the first hour that all was under control. Worse, imagine being that women, waiting for rescue that never came. Last night marked the first week anniversary. Now the world’s attention is turning to the legal ramifications as the officials amass evidence about the captain’s behavior and the victims amass evidence for lawsuits. Christian Science Monitor has a retrospective article, “Costa Concordia wreck: What we know a week later.”

Professor Erik Klemetti has a blog entry on “Observing Volcanoes around the world” with photos and links to volcano observatories’ webcams. The Hawaii Volcano Observatory is celebrating its 100th year. Pretty cool.

We are awaiting the incoming Coronal Mass Ejection that was launched off the sun two days ago. A moderately strong M3 ejection, it is stated to be arriving today, sparking a geomagnetic storm. Certainly there will be gorgeous auroras at the poles. Cell phones will be affected. It is supposed to arrive about 5:30PM Eastern time.

The Publisher of the Atlanta Jewish Times suggested this week that Israel’s thought-process for protecting their people from a nuclear Iran may indeed include, or should include, assassinating Obama. Publisher Andrew Adler “argues that there are essentially only three options available to Israel: 1. attack Hezbollah and Hamas; 2. order the destruction of Iran’s nuclear facilities at all costs; 3. assassinate Obama. Yes, you read “three” correctly. Order a hit on a president in order to preserve Israel’s existence. Think about it. If I have thought of this Tom Clancy-type scenario, don’t you think that this almost unfathomable idea has been discussed in Israel’s most inner circles? Another way of putting “three” in perspective goes something like this: How far would you go to save a nation comprised of seven million lives … Jews, Christians and Arabs alike? You have got to believe, like I do, that all options are on the table.”

Though this opinion piece is not available online at the AJT, you can read the entire document as an uploaded .pdf here at Gawker

This stance caused an uproar. Adler has since made an apology for the piece.

From reading the Adler piece, I think he was trying to say that one wonders why it is an option by Israel to allegedly murder successive Iranian nuclear scientists but that they would not consider assassinating a high-level enemy on the other side of the ocean. That Adler was saying if Israeli officials authorize that moral crossing of the line in one way, why not another? That in truth, would it not ever, ever cross the mind of a nation’s highest level officials to consider it an option to employ in the protection of their 7 million people?

Time Magazine wrote about the latest Iranian nuclear scientist’s assassination, “after an assassin in a passing motorcycle attached a magnetized explosive to the side of his Peugeot 405. “Yeah, one more,” a senior Israeli official said with a smile. “I don’t feel sad for him.” Wednesday’s attack followed the pattern of previous operations planned by Mossad and carried out over the past two years by Iranians trained and paid by Israel’s spy agency, according to intelligence sources.”

Now, though Time Magazine is considered a mainstream, credible media outlet, they did not name the ‘Israeli Official’ nor did they name the ‘intelligence sources’. Additionally, they simply made a statement that the assassinations were carried out “obviously” by the Israel spy organization Mossad. Those are not facts. Those are conjectures. Alternately, Adler was also conjecturing as to the thought process of Israeli officials. How far would they go in this covert-almost-overt war? was the point of his article. It is stated by Adler to be a Kobayashi Maru moment. This is a famous no-win test from Star Trek, in that as Star Fleet cadets are being tested in an unsolvable problem, Kirk redefined the problem and thus found a solution. Someone experiencing a Kobayashi Maru can be said to be between a rock and a hard place. No matter what you think of Adler’s piece, Israel is certainly between a rock and a hard place.

“On that day, when all the nations of the earth are gathered against her, I will make Jerusalem an immovable rock for all the nations. All who try to move it will injure themselves.” (Zechariah 12:3)

I hope you have a wonderful day, doing His will as we await His blessed coming.
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Posted in mass hysteria, nephilim

Outbreak of mass hysteria (or demon infestation) in Leroy NY

Posted on by elizabethprata

Mass hysteria outbreak reported in N.Y. town: What does it mean?
“Why did 12 teens from the same town in upstate N.Y. all begin to experience odd symptoms at once? Doctors say it’s an outbreak of mass hysteria. Last fall, 12 teenage girls from LeRoy Junior-Senior High School – located in a town about an hour outside of Buffalo, N.Y. – began to show symptoms similar to those of Tourette’s syndrome, including painful shaking and jerking their necks, Gothamist reported. Doctors were initially baffled. The condition was so bad for at least one of the girls that she has yet to return to school. School and state officials investigated the outbreak and school building for several months, and concluded no known environmental substances or infectious agents were found that could have caused the symptoms in the teens. “We have conclusively ruled out any form of infection or communicable disease and there’s no evidence of any environmental factor,” Dr. Gregory Young of the New York Department of Health told MSNBC.”

“Sanchez, a cheerleader at the high school, took a nap one day last October then woke up with uncontrollable tics and stutters. Sanchez and another girl on the show with symptoms, 16-year-old Katie Krautwurst, said doctors told them their condition was stress-induced. “They told us it was traumatic, but I really don’t think any of us had that traumatic of a life before,’ Krautwurst said on Today.

Tourette’s is genetic so it’s unlikely to be that since the symptoms don’t emerge all at once. Also, Tourette’s symptoms are 4X more prevalent in boys, so it is highly improbable to be Tourette’s because all the symptoms are in only girls.

“A day after the girls’ interview, Dr. Laszlo Mechtler, a neurologist at the DENT Neurologic Institute in Amherst, N.Y. who has treated several of the girls, decided to come forward to offer an explanation to quell the curious masses. Mechtler’s diagnosis? The girls may have a conversion disorder – also known as mass hysteria.”

Conversion disorder is a condition in which the person experiences blindness, paralysis, or other neurologic symptoms that can’t be explained by another disease. In other words, a catch-all diagnosis by doctors effectively shrugging their shoulders. The article continues, “the disorder often occurs because of a “psychological conflict. Mechtler told USA Today that when a conversion disorder occurs in a large group, its known as a “mass psychogenic illness,” because it affects groups of people in the same environment, such as in a classroom or office. “This is a unique situation, and it is unusual,” Mechtler told USA Today.”

Other Tourette’s symptoms include motor and vocal “tics”, twitches, blinks or vocal exclamations that the sufferer cannot control. Tourette’s is also characterized by behavioral symptoms like excessive-complusive disorder and attention-deficit disorder. Tourette’s sufferers may also be overly aggressive towards others.

Conversion disorder is marked by numbness, blindness, paralysis or fits. Also, outbursts, shaking and tics.

Now, the medical establishment said that what is happening in Leroy is unusual. The people in the town said it was unusual, so much so, that the school department held a meeting for the area’s concerned parents. It is unusual.

The Leroy NY made me think of our nations’ most famous case of mass hysteria with demonic influences underlying it, also incited by teenaged girls, was Salem Massachusetts. It happened in 1692 and it is known as the Salem Witch Trials.

“The traditional story about the beginning of the Salem Witch trials tells of a “circle of young girls” practicing voodoo and fortune telling under the direction of Samuel Parris’ Indian slave, Tituba. It is commonly suggested that the girls were interested in fortune telling because they wanted to know the occupation of their future husbands.”

“According Paul Boyer and Stephen Nissenbaum’s account in Salem Possessed, the outbreak at Salem began in the winter of 1691 when the girls of the village, aided by Tituba and John Indian, a West Indian slave couple, attempted to tell their futures by using a makeshift crystal ball.”

We know that this is occult activity, better known as a neon advertisement for satan to enter. (2 Kings 17:17; Lev 19:31; Is 8:19…)

Research indicates the Salem girls’ symptoms emerged quickly, similar to the Leroy NY girls’.

In this research it states, “Mary Beth Norton’s work, In the Devil’s Snare. According to historical fact, both Abigail and her 9-year-old cousin Betty began showing signs of illness in mid-January 1692. When their behavior turned erratic, Samuel Parris called neighboring Reverend John Hale of Beverly to observe the two girls and their afflictions. Reverend Hale writes that the girls, “were bitten and pinched by invisible agents; their arms, necks and backs turned this way and that way and returned back again so as it was impossible for them to do of themselves and beyond the power of any Epileptic Fits or natural Disease to effects.” Parris and other local ministers turned to prayer and fasting in hopes that Abigail and Betty would return to health. When the girls’ strange behavior continued, Parris summoned Dr. William Griggs to examine them. Dr. Griggs determined that the girls were under the influence of an “Evil Hand.”

The emergence of strange behavior related to demonic possession in Salem in 1692 as now in NY 2012 are similar. We look to the bible to see what demons can do. The Gadarene demoniac described in Mark shows how they can change the physiology of the one they possess:

Mark 5:1-20 is one of the most specific passages in the bible on demon possession and its effects. Some of the details about demons the Bible reveals in this passage are: (source)
–Devils enjoy or need to be near dead human bodies or tombs (vs. 2, 3, 5).
–They can cause unusual strength in the one they inhabit (vs. 3-4).
–They can make a person unreasonable or immune to sensible persuasion (vs. 4).
–They cause excessive crying (vs. 5).
–They cause sadistic and masochistic behavior (vs. 5).
–They have an affinity for heights (vs. 5).
–They recognize Christ as “the Son of God” and appeal to Him (vs. 6-7).
–They know they deserve torment and dread it (vs. 6-7).
–They have names (vs. 9).
–More than one can possess the same body (vs. 9).
–They desire to remain in the same geographical region or “country” they inhabit (vs. 10).
–They would rather indwell an animal body than none at all (vs. 12).
–They can cause animals to kill themselves (vs. 13).
–They desire to be in a body (vs. 13).

Mark 9:17-29 gives us even more details about devils:
–They can cause dumbness and deafness (vs. 17, 25).
–They cause rabid animal like behavior (vs. 18).
–They can indwell from childhood (vs. 21).
–They cause suicidal behavior (vs. 22).
–They resist leaving a body and violently “rent” it while leaving (vs. 26).
–There are different kinds of devils. Some have more power than others (vs. 29).
–Some can only be removed by prayer and fasting of believer (vs. 29).

Lessons from this incident: Demonic possession happens. It happened then, it happens now. Secondly, Ron Graham wrote an excellent article this week about the fallen angels, the Nephilim, and their human offspring, the human hybrids. In the article, he said, “But the dimension of the malevolent supernatural is invading our world and they are becoming more and more brazen with their antics, allowing many people to see things they don’t want to see, or hear things no human can explain.”

That is well said. Whatever is going in in NY, and medical science has ruled out disease and drugs, then perhaps we can remember that the days before Jesus returns will be like the Days of Noah, which in addition to being totally evil and cultural, moral, and spiritual decay were days that were permeated with demonic activity (Gen 6:1-2; 4,6).

 

Posted in desert, sahara, snow

Snow in the Sahara Desert

Posted on by elizabethprata

“Snow fell Tuesday in the Sahara Desert in western Algeria. A 24-hour cold spell brought snow and rain to the region. Strong wind blew the snow across roads and buildings in the province of Bechar.”

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Posted in moon, signs in the sun, stars

Signs in the sun, moon, and stars

Posted on by elizabethprata

“There will be signs in the sun, moon and stars. On the earth, nations will be in anguish and perplexity at the roaring and tossing of the sea.” (Luke 21:25)

Today: Sun uncorks aurora-burnishing blast at Earth– “The sun is still on the upswing of its 11-year cycle of solar activity, with more storms expected this year through 2014.” NASA reports “A long duration M-class flare began erupting on the sun at 8:42 AM ET on Thursday, January 19. The flare is shown in the above movie from the Solar Dynamics Observatory in a combination of light wavelengths. An earth-directed coronal mass ejection was associated with the solar flare. NASA’s Space Weather Services estimates that it is traveling at over 630 miles per second and will reach Earth some time on Saturday, January 21, when strong geomagnetic storms are possible and viewers can be on the look out for increased aurora.”

“Last year saw two solar eclipses and two lunar eclipses, meteor showers and a Sun spot cycle. One was the longest total Lunar Eclipse in 11 Years. Another was a “relatively rare lunar eclipse where the center point of Earth’s shadow is on the disk.” There was also a super moon where the moon appears to be bigger to the naked eye.”

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