Posted in end of days, end time, prophecy, tower of babel

Building a Tower of Babel in Argentina

Posted on by elizabethprata

Symbols matter. If they didn’t, why do companies spend so much time and energy on logos? Why are logos patented?Why do people go nuts when a famous logo is changed? Why it is called a “brand”?

Symbols add understanding to our lives. They are expressions of human nature, and they are found in all cultures over all time. Human communication depends on interpretation of letter and number symbols, and picture symbols themselves.

Handprints are the most common symbol in ancient rock art, depicting perhaps the original, “I was here” message. Aboriginal handprints have been interpreted to mean the spiritual imprint of the symbol-maker. In India, handprints are a symbol of protection and placed on the doorframe.

The bible is full of symbols. Clothing or garments represent character (Isaiah 64:6, Isaiah 59:6). Oil represents the Holy Spirit. (Matthew 25:1-13) The fish was and still is a symbol denoting a believer lived there. The fish was also a Greek acrostic. The Greek word for fish was ixthus which was an acrostic spelling for Jesus as the first letter, the 2nd letter for Christ, the next two, God Son, and the final letter represented the word Savior. This spells “Jesus Christ is God’s Son, the Savior.”

I wrote a piece in October of 2009 titled “EU: end time symbols too blatant to ignore.” In it, I showed that here again, symbols are important and used for particular meaning. Choosing them also illustrates that the chooser was intending to convey a certain meaning, certainly because there are so many symbols to choose from. I always get soundly mocked by non-believers for saying this when I post a movie-symbolism piece, but Hollywood symbolism is picking up on satanic symbols left and right, fast and furious. I had written in the essay in Oct 2009 that choosing certain slogans and symbols of the EU is satan’s way of spitting in God’s eye once again.

If companies can have symbols, why not God? If God can have symbols, why not satan? If satan can have symbols, why not Hollywood? Symbols convey meaning, they are chosen for a reason, and they matter to the chooser, and they matter to God.

A certain Argentinian street installation artist finished her latest piece. It is the Tower of Babel.

link

Photo taken on May 6, 2011 shows the “Tower of Babel”, a creation made by Argentine artist Marta Minujin with thousands of books in languages from all over the world, at San Martin square in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The artwork was created to celebrate that the UNESCO nominated Buenos Aires as the World Book Capital 2011. (Xinhua/Martin Zabala)

There are many installation representations she could have chosen. She could have re-created a Gutenberg Press, certainly a revolutionary machine in the history of book-making and global dispersal of literature. She could have made a rocket symbolizing transport to outer reaches that books take you, the Huckleberry Finn raft, the whale of Moby Dick, the Round Table at Camelot. She could have made a cross, or the city of New Jerusalem. She did not. She chose the Tower of Babel, one of the most iconic moments in the bible of an ‘in your face’ disobedience.

Babylon becomes, in past history and in future prophecy, the fountainhead of false religion in all the world. According to Gotquestions’ summary,

“The Tower of Babel is described in Genesis 11:1-9. After the Flood, God commanded humanity to “increase in number and fill the earth” (Genesis 9:1). Humanity decided to do the exact opposite, “Then they said, ‘Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves and not be scattered over the face of the whole earth’” (Genesis 11:4). Humanity decided to build a great city and all congregate there. They decided to build a gigantic tower as a symbol of their power, to make a name for themselves (Genesis 11:4). This tower is remembered as the Tower of Babel.”

“In response, God confused the languages of humanity so that they could no longer communicate with each other (Genesis 11:7). The result was that people congregated with other people who spoke the same language, and then went together and settled in other parts of the world (Genesis 11:8-9). God confused the languages at the Tower of Babel to enforce His command for humanity to spread throughout the entire world.”

The Argentinian artist chose a symbol of open defiance of God’s command. Such choices have repercussions. Just as the people building the tower lived a consequence both physically and spiritually, people who choose to lift up unholy things instead of holy things will also suffer the consequences of their choices. This is not a fact that is appreciated or even absorbed by the unsaved-at-large, but it is absolute.

Romans 13:1-5 says, “Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God. Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation. For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same: For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil. Wherefore ye must needs be subject, not only for wrath, but also for conscience sake.”

Or more to the point, “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. 8 For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life”. (Gal 6:7-8)

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Posted in end of days, end of days. prophecy

Jesus was since the beginning

Posted on by elizabethprata

Before I was saved, the whole Jesus thing was pretty mystifying to me. It seemed so complicated, and weird, too. I mean, the blood and everything. [shudder]. And I definitely did not agree with the doctrine of sin, that notion that I was a bad person from birth and that I did or said or thought wrong things? Come ONNNN, man. I’m a nice person, not one sin in me. Not like that person over there. Or there. Or there…

The thing I thought was most weird was Jesus. I used to wonder, God must be pretty lame to keep trying things that don’t work. Humanity was created and then right away, fell into depravity. They got so bad that He sent the flood. Then He tried the temple and the Law and that didn’t work. So finally He sent Jesus, hoping that would stick. I’m not kidding. Before I was saved, and the scales fell from my eyes, that is what I thought.

I never knew that Jesus was not first born 2000 years ago.

Therefore it is of particular joy to me that I revel in verses that illustrate that Jesus was from the beginning. He wasn’t born on that cold night in Bethlehem when the angels proclaimed His arrival to the shepherds. He was with God from the beginning.

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning.” (John 1:1) How lovely to reflect the same language God used in Genesis 1: “In the beginning…”

“I was appointed from eternity, from the beginning, before the world began.” (Proverbs 8:23) As Matthew Henry says, “The Son of God declares himself to have been engaged in the creation of the world. How able, how fit is the Son of God to be the Saviour of the world, who was the Creator of it! The Son of God was ordained, before the world, to that great work. Does he delight in saving wretched sinners, and shall not we delight in his salvation?” How wonderful that Jesus was anointed from the beginning to do the great and monumental work of saving humanity.

“And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.” (Colossians 1:17) Other versions say “in Him all things hold together.” He is not only before all things in honor and grandeur, but He is before all things in existence. Before the sun, before the earth, before the stars were made…He was, and is and is to come!

He is our timeless Jesus, who was before Abraham, before John (His forerunner), who was part of God’s plan since the beginning to redeem humanity to His bosom. Far from being a series of stumbling lurches toward the end of time, God and Jesus and the Holy Spirit are progressing in an orderly plan that is unfolding with humanity as its central work. His justice prepared this plan. His love has sustained this plan. His grace permeates this plan. His longsuffering has kept this plan. And in the end, His wrath will execute this plan.

THIS is the God I fully hurl myself toward, lovingly and fully, submitting to His attributes and His incomprehensible foreknowing. He knew I would. He knew that on December 3, 2003 between 3:15 and 3:30 in the afternoon, I would become His. It was His plan all along.

He was since the beginning. You may be coming late to the party, but you still have time until you draw your last breath to become a knowing participant in His plan and to be saved from your sins. His love never fails.

“For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I will know fully just as I also have been fully known. But now faith, hope, love, abide these three; but the greatest of these is love.” (1 Corinthians 13:12-13)

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Posted in eu, prophecy

UN gives European Union unprecedented status

Posted on by elizabethprata

I wrote this on my weekly newsletter (email me to sign up) about a recent event at the UN I believe has prophetic indicators all over it. The bible tells us that in the Tribulation the anticrist will be king of the world, who can overcome him? (Daniel 11:36-45, all except for Jordan; Rev 13:13). The antichrist institutes a false religious system and a false economic system and with a heavy hand, oppresses all who oppose him.

For this to happen, sovereign will must be diminished. Individual nations must subsume their own national wants and needs to the greater global good, and look not to their own ‘kings’ but toward the Beast. The key point is that governance will be central, located in Babylon. (Rev 17-18). And the one who will be managing that central government will be the antichrist.

The watch-word of the 1990s and 2000’s has been ‘global.’ Global commerce, global governance, global ties, you name it. The Powers that Be strove to shrink the world through closer economic and diplomatic ties, and Islam has striven to shrink the world through its religion and attendant Shariah Law. The European Union has grown, as has the African Union, Caribbean Union, the North American Union and the South American Union. Over these last two decades, the nations have slowly re-formed into regional blocs. As they did, most particularly the EU, they dispensed with sovereign currency created one currency to be used within that bloc.

Of course, the United Nations is a governing body situated in New York City that strives to be the world’s legislative, military, and economic go-to body. There are currently 192 member states that belong to it, including every internationally recognized sovereign state in the world but the Vatican City.

That is, until this week. The EU was granted status never before granted to a regional bloc and not a sovereign nation.

EU now has super-observer status at United Nations
“According to the resolution, EU representatives may now be entered on the list of speakers and invited to participate in the general debate of the General Assembly. The text also gives them the right to present proposals and amendments agreed by the member states of the European Union and the right to exercise the right of reply regarding EU positions. However, as an observer, the EU will not have the right to vote or to put forward candidates.”

The UK Telegraph reports it this way:

“A vote was passed by the 192-nation UN General Assembly after high-powered lobbying by EU foreign affairs representative Catherine Ashton and ambassadors from the 27-nation bloc. Other regional groups such as the Arab League, African Union and the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) may now seek a similar extra observer rights at the global body, diplomats said. The EU made one attempt to get the extra powers at the General Assembly last year, but suffered an embarrassing defeat when small states opposed a vote and sought extra time for negotiations. [American UN Ambassador] Ashton led behind-the-scenes talks that went on up to the final hours before Tuesday’s vote which passed with 180 countries in favour and Zimbabwe and Nauru abstaining. Csaba Korosi, ambassador from Hungary, the current EU president, told the assembly: “The European Union wishes to bring its full weight to bear in supporting and strengthening” global governance. “

There are several implications here. First, the US led this push. Second, it is the first time a bloc and not an individual nation was granted these powers. It creates an entirely new category of sovereign status: a bloc and not a nation. Third, now that the European Union (EU) is granted super-observer status, then other regional blocs will seek the powers and likely be accepted. In several articles I read, the African Union, the Caribbean Union and the Arab League were all mentioned as likely to immediately follow suit and petition for super-observer status.

Last, the quote about bringing full weight to global governance will come back to haunt the world when the antichrist finally DOES bring full weight to global governance. They know not that they ask for! But US Ambassador Ashton said that the EU promised “to be extremely and absolutely respectful” of other sovereign voices. Ahem. That’s not what the bible predicts…

So in the articles, there are four of the ten kingdoms mentioned, perhaps. In any case, we can see that global governance is gaining acceptance, credibility, and power. We can see that geo-political powers are beginning to align exactly as the bible says they will in the Tribulation. And as Hal Lindsey says, if we can see the beginnings of the prophesied Tribulation events, the rapture must be that much closer.

It wouldn’t take much for the already-receptive world to accept a global government if there was sufficient catalyst. That catalyst could be the disappearance of millions from the work force, throwing the world economy into disarray. The catalyst could be several successive and devastating wars, such as prophesied in Isaiah 17:1, Psalm 83, Matthew 24:6, and Ezekiel 39-39. The catalyst could be a dispossessed refugee population hungry and broke, roaming from from successive natural disaster catastrophes. The world has a lot of questions just now. “What is going on?” “Why are things going bad like this no matter what we try?” “When will things get back to normal?” At this point, with global powder kegs nearly aflame everywhere, it really would not take much of a catalyst for the world to go after a smooth talking man who appears to have all the answers.

And unwittingly, the UN just made it easier.

Credit: Chris Britt, Springfield, IL — From the State Journal-Register
March 29, 2004

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Posted in 2011 natural disasters, birth pangs, end of days. prophecy, end time, pre-tribulation rapture

Disaster roundup, 2011

Posted on by elizabethprata

Here is a 2011 disaster roundup for the year so far, with less than half the year gone. Statistics were gathered from this week’s Hal Lindsey report. It is pretty sobering to read this list, and it doesn’t even include most of the rest of the world which has had their share of disasters.

In the American south, there were massive thunderstorms that spawned 266 tornadoes within a 24/hr period. People in 5 states were killed.

One tornado was clocked as an EF-5 (highest tornado rating, with winds in excess 200/mph)

One twister was 1.5miles wide, was at least EF-4 and was on the ground for an unthinkable 80mi!

The record for single day of number of twisters was super-outbreak 1974, when 267 twisters touched down.
The highest number of  tornadoes in single month was May 2003, when 558 touched down. May is historically the worst twister month.

April 2011 there were 871 tornadoes, shattering ALL records!

This year so far there have been many disaster records tied or broken:

Jan: Australia had floods of biblical proportion
Jan: Floods occurred throughout world including massive floods in Brazil.
Feb: a deadly earthquake flattened Christchurch NZ
March: a 9.1 quake in Japan, so powerful it moved Honshu Island and shifted earth on its axis.
Mar: Tsunami washed away much of Japan’s coastline
Mar: Tsunami caused nuclear meltdown at Fukushima, which is still ongoing

All year, ongoing :
–unexplained eq swarm in Arkansas, with thousands of continual earthquakes
–record drought
–record snow
–record cold
–catastrophic wildfires in TX
–Midwest historic flooding

This year already there have been 23 FEMA fedederal disaster declarations. In addition,

–The US is involved in 3 separate wars
–The Middle east erupted in chaos
–Oil prices are skyrocketing
–US Dollar is in freefall
–UN warns of severe food shortages worldwide

This is not normal. This is not global warming, either. This is Jesus. Jesus said that prior to His return, the earth would experience wars, rumors wars, famines, earthquakes, unrest, international tension. He said that these things would begin slowly and increase in frequency and intensity the closer we got to His appearing. (To when He returns bodily on the earth, not the rapture when He meets His Bride in the air and does not return all the way to earth).

You need to be ready. Being ready means being saved. Period. If you are reading this and are not saved, don’t let the rapture and the Tribulation judgments be the sign that you needed all along to convince you. Prepare your heart to receive the conviction of the Holy Spirit NOW, and then repent in all sincerity while there is still time join us in the church age. Repent simply means being sorry for the bad things you have thought, said, and did. And asking Jesus to forgive those. God’s justice was satisfied in Jesus’ death and shed blood, so you need not pay the penalty for your sin-crimes. And besides, you never know which day your end will come, it is of utmost eternal importance to be prepared to meet Jesus as His friend and not His enemy. Because, you WILL meet Jesus, one way or another.

If you are reading this and you THINK you are saved but have niggling doubts, or you assent intellectually that Jesus lived and died, but never really believed in His deity, you also need to allow the Holy Spirit to convict you toward sincere repentance. The longer you let it ride the more likely it is that He will give you over to your hard heart. Don’t resist the Spirit if you feel Him drawing you. And finally if you know that you KNOW that you are saved but it has been a while since you repented of a daily sin, please do that now. Don’t let anything hinder your walk with Jesus or obstruct your prayer life, with your praise going up and His blessings flowing down. Keep the lines of communication open.

Friends, it is too late to play games. Get serious. The generation is this one. Your days are numbered. The time is now.

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Posted in end of days. prophecy, end time, false gods, mother nature, weather

Gaia & Mother Nature vs. God; Earth Day vs. Easter

Posted on by elizabethprata

With the weather going crazy in Africa, and in the US, people have been hard-pressed when called to comment on what is going on.

Rare waterspouts cause excitement in Hawaii
“A rare waterspout formed off the coast of Hawaii on Monday and was caught in several pictures and videos.”

Storm unleashes waterspouts, hail
“Wild weather and power failures challenged residents last night as Mother Nature unleashed much of her repertoire, including thunderstorms, lightning strikes, heavy rain and even tall, dramatic waterspouts off Honolulu Harbor and hail in Upcountry Maui and Hawaii island.”

Mother Nature, eh?

Here are some amazing photos of the waterspouts associated with that same storm in Hawaii, that also brought hail, an unusual weather event to be sure. And, ahem, that’s DOUBLE waterspout, bub.

Waterspout picture
Waterspout video

I’ve been interested to note the kind of language being used when reporters report in the recent weather disasters. Apparently it is all due to the Mighty Mississippi and its wrath, Gaia, and Mother Nature. LOL, why not throw in Pele and Poseidon while we’re at it?

Actual headline: Can We Make Peace with Gaia this Earth Day?
Headline I prefer to see: “Can we make Peace with Jesus this Resurrection Sunday?”

Actual headline: “Memphis braces for mighty Mississippi’s wrath”
Headline I prefer to see: “Memphis braces for God’s wrath”

Actual headline: “Let it rain: How to survive the water ban; Rely on Mother Nature to green the lawn, wash the car and stay cool“
Headline I prefer to see: “Latter rain: How to survive the Tribulation; rely on Jesus to save the soul, wash the sin, and stay alive forever”

Actual quote: On the Mississippi flood: “Nicholls State University biology professor Earl Melancon Jr. … “It’s Mother Nature giving us another blow after what BP did last year,” he said.”
Quote I’d like to see: “Jesus Saves college theology professor Pharisee Leaven said “It’s Jesus giving us another blow after what sins we committed last year”.

So Gaia is real and can be wrathful, but not God. Mother Nature is mad at humans but never let it be said that God is angry at His children. They celebrate Earth Day but downplay Easter. Below is from HotAir conservative blog:

Media hammers Easter while celebrating Earth Day
“It’s Holy Week for the world’s Christians, leading to the most significant event on the calendar, Easter Sunday. How does the national media cover such a significant week? The Media Research Center took a look at the media coverage from last year’s Holy Week and compared it to coverage of Earth Day. Who did better, Jesus or Gaia?”

–Media Undermine Christian Holiday: Nearly two thirds of all stories about Easter were negative (22 out of 34).
–Easter Used to Attack Catholic Church: Ninety-one percent of the negative Easter stories were about the pedophilia scandal in the Roman Catholic Church.
-Love That Mother Nature: 100 percent of Earth Day stories were positive.

Well, I am glad I am a friend of Jesus. I am glad I can and do attribute the glory to Him, and not Gaia, Mother Nature, the Mighty Mississippi, or any other false god. The bible has some things to say about idolatry.

Having other gods is forbidden: “I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. Thou shalt have no other gods before me. (Exodus 20:2-3)

Worshiping other gods is forbidden: “There shall no strange god be in thee; neither shalt thou worship any strange god.” (Psalms 81:9)

Speaking in the name of other gods is forbidden: “But the prophet, which shall presume to speak a word in my name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or that shall speak in the name of other gods, even that prophet shall die.” (Deuteronomy 18:20)

Swearing by other gods is forbidden: “That ye come not among these nations, these that remain among you; neither make mention of the name of their gods, nor cause to swear by them, neither serve them, nor bow yourselves unto them:” (Joshua 23:7)

Changing the truth of God onto a lie is forbidden: “They exchanged God’s truth for a lie and worshiped and served the creation rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.” (Romans 1:25)

I am glad He wrote down for us what He thinks, feels, and expects of us. I am glad I am a Christian, following Jesus and applying His biblical precepts to my life the best I can. Put simply, I’m glad I know Jesus. Do you?
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Posted in snyder, the economic collapse blog

The Economic Collapse blog, by Michael T. Snyder

Posted on by elizabethprata

I direct your attention to Michael T. Snyder’s Economic Collapse blog. Snyder is a Christian, an economist and an attorney who writes about the facts of the day that illustrate where we are in the collapse mode, and thus by implication, prophetic timeline. Though he states in his bio he is a Christian, his blog is competely secular. It could be used to witness to your friends and family, if they decline to read things that have bible verses sprinkled throughout… The facts of the day are collected and presented in such a way that one cannot fail to see the brink to which the Lord is leading us, especially if you follow up with showing through your witness where it states these things in the bible. Snyder’s blog entries are always fact filled and thought provoking, without hyperbole or unnecessary emotion. I encourage you to go on over there and check him out. Below are his two latest pieces.

The Worst Mississippi River Flood Ever?
Please pray for those living along the Mississippi River. They are going to need it. The tornadoes that just ripped through the southeast U.S. are being called one of the worst natural disasters in American history, and now the flooding along the Mississippi River may top the damage done by those tornadoes.  In fact, some are now projecting that this will be the worst Mississippi River flood ever recorded since the United States became a nation.  You don’t believe that?  Well, Bob Anderson, an Army Corps of Engineers spokesman based in Vicksburg, Mississippi says that there has “never been a flood of this magnitude on the upper Mississippi“.  And you know what they say – “never” is a really, really long time.  Hopefully everyone in the region has really good flood insurance.  The flood that this is being compared to is the great 1937 Mississippi River flood.  That flood was so nightmarish that it changed the whole way that the U.S. government approaches floods, but now this flood is surpassing the record levels set back in 1937 in many areas.  This truly is a historic flood.

This is not a disaster that happens over one or two days and then is over.  This disaster is going to literally take weeks to unfold.  Residents of 8 states are bracing for the worst. any are rapidly filling sandbags and are trying to keep the flood waters at bay.  Others are packing up and getting ready to evacuate. The flood is so massive that it actually has caused some of the tributaries along the Mississippi River to actually start flowing backwards.

So how long is this flooding going to last? At this point, the Mississippi River is expected to crest at 48 feet around May 11th. But this disaster will last much longer than that. Authorities are saying that the Mississippi River could stay at flood stage for more than a month. The economic damage, the property damage and the loss of crops is going to be incalculable. It is important to understand that this is just not another flood.  This is literally a history changing nightmare. Just check out this quote from Gene Rench of the National Weather Service….

“Right now the Mississippi river is in the process of going through what we call an epic flood, meaning it’s more than historic, it’s more than a 100 year flood, it’s more like a 500 year flood.”

A “500 year flood”?
That is some pretty strong language.
Part of the problem is that the Ohio River and the Mississippi River are both flooding at the same time.  In a recent article on CNN, local farmer Bob Byrne described the damage and noted that this is the first time he has ever seen both of those mighty rivers flood at the same time….

“We’ve seen the Ohio River rampage, water right up to the top of the levee. We’ve seen this one (Mississippi) on the rampage, but never the two together.”

Byrne also said that the loss of wheat crops that he has already suffered comes to about $40,000. Sadly, this flooding is going to cost the region billions upon billions of dollars. But didn’t we just see another disaster that is going to cost billions upon billions of dollars? Yes we did.

The “tornadoes of 2011” absolutely destroyed big chunks of the southeast United States. There was one mile-wide tornado with winds over 200 MPH that basically ripped Tuscaloosa, Alabama to shreds.  There are parts of Tuscaloosa that look like they have been through a nuclear war.

What in the world is going on?

In just one 24 hour period last week, there were a whopping 226 active tornadoes in the United States. Overall, there were approximately 600 tornadoes in the United States during April.  That is the most tornadoes that have ever been recorded in a single month in all of American history. Usually, there are only about 1,200 tornadoes in the U.S. during an entire year. Meanwhile, the state of Texas is being ravaged by drought and wildfires.  So far the wildfires down in Texas have scorched more than 2 million acres. Why is all of this happening to us? Could it be just a coincidence that so many “historic” natural disasters are happening all at once or is something else going on here?

Feel free to leave a comment with your thoughts below, and please remember to pray for the millions of Americans that are suffering through these disasters right now.
——-end Snyder blog entry———

Next Snyder blog entry: (excerpt, more at link)
Americans gone wild

“Gerald Celente is known to love to make the following statement: “When people lose everything and have nothing left to lose – they lose it.”  Sadly, Celente is exactly right about this.  As the U.S. economy continues to collapse, Americans are going to becoming increasingly frustrated, and this frustration will inevitably boil over into rioting and violence.  Could we be starting to see the start of this already?  The number of Americans that have “gone wild” seems to be escalating.  Years ago, losing a job was not that big of a deal.  Now a job loss is enough to cause some Americans to snap and go over the edge.  We are seeing restaurant brawls and open violence in the streets that would have been unthinkable 50 years ago.  All over the nation people are losing it and are literally going crazy.  The news stories and the videos posted below of “Americans gone wild” are very graphic and very shocking.  There is a reason for this.  These examples are meant to show you that the very fabric of our civilized society is falling apart.  It won’t matter who ends up leading us politically if this is the kind of people we become.”

————end Snyder blog entry————

The rest of his article has loads of video and news excerpts that illustrate his point, and ends with a very good summary. I hope you gain as much perspective as I do in reading Mr Snyder’s pieces and that they help organize your thoughts toward the times in which we live- for yourself and for the unsaved around you 🙂

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Posted in jesus, prophecy

Roll call in heaven

Posted on by elizabethprata

There’s a song by the Gaithers called “When the roll is called up yonder” and the next line is “I’ll be there.”

I believe it is based on the following scripture, which is speaking of New Jerusalem:

“Its gates shall not be shut at all by day (there shall be no night there). And they shall bring the glory and the honor of the nations into it. But there shall by no means enter it anything that defiles, or causes an abomination or a lie, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.”

The roll call from Jesus reminded me of several scriptures I love very dearly. The illustrate the moment when certain of God’s prophets were called. They heard God, and they responded “Here I am!” They report for the highest duty possible, a life of total dedication and obedience to Jesus. This is the only proper response to His call. It moves me to think of them saying “Here I am!” to God. These are the men whom God called:

Abraham, when God tested his faith: – Genesis 22:1, 11,
Jacob, in a dream, hears the LORD say that He sees Jacob’s ill treatment by Laban – Genesis 31:11
Moses, seeing the burning bush and hearing the Angel of the Lord call Moses to perform the Exodus – Exodus 3:4
Samuel, as a boy, receiving his first call from the LORD. – 1 Samuel 3:4
Isaiah, in a vision from Isaiah 6:8, receiving his call to Prophet after seeing the LORD on His throne and exclaiming he is a man of unclean lips, being cleaned with the live coal, then eagerly answering God, “Here I am, send me!”

“Here I am!” they all said.

Now get this. Picture in your mind the great multitudes that appear before Jesus in heaven after the rapture. You are wearing a white robe and are enjoying a glorified body. You are seeing things unparalleled and experiencing indescribable joy. You see Jesus’ face, and you can’t get enough. In the midst of this, imagine Him opening the Lamb’s Book of Life, in which your name is written. And ‘books were opened’ and the roll is called…and then then He calls your name.

Because of His sacrifice, because of His love, because of the blood, because you repented, you will say:

HERE I AM!

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Posted in ahmadinejad, end of days. prophecy, gog magog, iran, resign

Are Ahmadinejad’s days numbered? Reportedly asked to resign

Posted on by elizabethprata

An Examiner article states that Arab TV has reported that the Iran’s Supreme Leader Khameini has asked President Ahmadinejad of Iran to step down. If true, it indicates a tightening of the strife that has burst onto the surface between the two over the last two weeks. I’d reported that Ahmadinejad was sulking for 8 days, after he had asked his chief to resign and that request was immediately vetoed by the Supreme Leader. Ahmadinejad did not like being vetoed and immediately went underground, dispensing with his public duties, canceling a trip to Qom, declining to make any speeches, and being absent from the Parliament.

Ahmadinejad’s absence from parliament was promptly decried by the Ministers, and 219 of the 290 wrote a letter to Ahmadinejad asking him to return to duties and cease his work-boycott and his unwillingness to submit to the Supreme Leader. No go.

Now there are rumors that Arab TV has reported last night that the President has been asked to step aside. Normally I wait to publish something like this on my blog, except that the rumor was picked up and reported by BNO Twitter News, the most reliable and fastest news outlet on the web.

In addition, in a strange piece yesterday I’d read in The Guardian (UK), Ahmadinejad’s closest allies were accused of practicing sorcery and communicating with unknown worlds, and arrested. It was reported:
“Ahmadinejad allies charged with sorcery”
Iranian power struggle between president and supreme leader sees arrests and claims of undue influence of chief of staff
Photo: “Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and his chief of staff, Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei, who is described as ‘the actual president of Iran’ by allies of the country’s supreme leader.”
“Close allies of Iran’s president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, have been accused of using supernatural powers to further his policies amid an increasingly bitter power struggle between him and the country’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Several people said to be close to the president and his chief of staff, Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei, have been arrested in recent days and charged with being “magicians” and invoking djinns (spirits).”

If Ahmadinejad resigns, you can bet that he will be replaced with someone even more fanatical. Iran (Persia in  he bible) is prophesied to be an aggressor in the very last of the last days, sparking a war that trips the world over to the Tribulation. (Ezekiel 38-39). Stay tuned. If this much is made public coming from the tightly controlled and secretive Iranian nation, then more will surface and soon either Ahmadinejad’s resignation or the refutation of his resignation will be reported also. I am staking my opinion toward the resignation. I think Ahmadinejad’s days are numbered.
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Posted in end of days. prophecy, end time, jesus

Christianity’s other dirty word

Posted on by elizabethprata

I hear this a lot: “Oh, all that end times stuff is so negative” and, “I don’t want to read the negative parts, I like to focus on the positive.” I wrote the other day about one of the dirty words of Christianity: doctrine. The other dirty word in Christianity lately surfacing is “negative.”

People have an idea that reading Revelation, or the sections of books that discuss the end time are ‘too negative.’ I have a few things to say in response to that attitude, which is becoming a prevailing one.

Hogwash.

If the end time verses are ‘too negative,’ then that means Old Testament books like Haggai or Zephaniah, Jeremiah or Ezekiel or Micah or Zechariah or…well, most of the Old Testament, is “too negative.” Jeremiah preached 60 years without one convert. Most of his proclamations were ‘negative.’ If someone is too sensitive to read few verses in 1 or 2 Peter, or James, or Matthew, then how are they to stand all of the Old Testament?

More to my personal opinion, though, are my reasons for rejoicing in these scriptures. To me, they are not negative. They are positive. Now before I go further, let me clarify something. After the rapture when the Tribulation begins, it will be a horrible time. The 7 years in which God sends His judgments on the world will be horrible. There is nothing positive to say about that. However, during that time, there will be salvation. There will be grace, in the Two Witnesses and the angels that He sends to proclaim His truth. Those are positive things even in the face of terrible devastation. I don’t wish that time on anyone, but it is a fact that millions WILL go through it, including my family and many of my friends, so in that regard I believe it could be a positive if they indeed see the rapture and the Tribulation judgments as works of a Holy God and thus repent. Since they certainly are not repenting now, then the Tribulation could be the positive thing that helps them see their need for our Holy God.

In addition, I rejoice in His:

Justice
God’s Holy Character is one that includes love, and light, and joy. But His holy character also includes justice. I rejoice at the knowledge that the end time is a time of His justice. Sin will be wiped from the earth! (Dan 9:24).

Renewal
It will be a time of renewal of all things. (2 Peter 3:10)

Faithfulness
The promises He made long ago to rectify injustice, deal with sin, and to reverse the curse will be upheld! It gives me comfort to see that through his Judgments, His Holy character remains constant over epochs, culminating in these so-called ‘negative’ verses in the long-ago uttered promises. It shows His is faithful. He won’t forget.

Salvation
“And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb.” (Rev 7:10) Many will be saved. In the long run, will one or two or three or even 7 years of Tribulation matter in the face of an eternity with Jesus? it is a blink, a statistical nothing compared to the eons the person saved will get to have with him!

Glorification
After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands;” (Rev 7:9) Through His grace, we will be glorified in mind, heart, and body.

In sum, here is nothing negative about the end time. Truly, it’s all good!
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Posted in maine, microquake, prophecy, signs of the times

Microquake swarm in Maine

Posted on by elizabethprata

Bangor Daily News out of Maine has this:

Swarm of tiny earthquakes stretches from Belfast to Bucksport

“Searsport, Maine – As many as 30 tiny earthquakes have been detected over the last few days in the area between Belfast and Bucksport, but geologists say there’s no cause for alarm. “Microquakes is what we call them,” Henry Berry, a bedrock geologist with Maine Geological Survey, said in a phone interview Tuesday afternoon. “Unless you were right there, you wouldn’t notice them.”

“But plenty of people have been noticing, Searsport Police Chief Dick LaHaye said Tuesday afternoon, just minutes after he dispatched an officer to Savory Road, where a resident had called to inform authorities about another earthquake. They’ve responded to calls about gunshots and shotgun blasts, calls from people who felt their feet vibrate along with the earth and calls about things falling off shelves – all of which were determined to be related to the earthquake, he said.”

“We’ll continue to investigate,” LaHaye said. “There’s obviously something going on. It’s outside of the police purview at this point, but we’ll continue to respond to any and all calls that come in.” The quakes have all measured less than 2 on the Richter magnitude scale, according to a press release from the Maine Department of Conservation. On that scale, the threshold at which damage can occur is magnitude 5.”

“Typically, Maine experiences several small earthquakes of magnitude 2 or less each year, according to Dr. Robert Marvinney, Maine state geologist and director of the Maine Geological Survey. The quakes occur in response to the movement of large rock plates that make up Earth’s crust, even though Maine is not near a plate boundary, where most of the large earthquakes occur, he said.”

“The crust in Maine is still adjusting to the loss of thick ice at the end of the last ice age, and this may be a cause for some earthquakes,” Marvinney said in the release. few people who were near the microquake epicenters contacted authorities because they heard unusual noises, Berry said. “Probably the thing you would notice would be noise – it would be a bang or a pop,” he said, “almost like the ice cracking in a pond in the winter.”

“A dispatcher at Waldo County Regional Communications Center said Tuesday that there have been some calls from concerned residents, mostly from the Searsport area. “They don’t know what’s going on,” she said. “They think it’s blasting.” According to Berry, the tiny quakes are not unusual for the state, although having so many of them in such a small amount of time – called a “swarm” by geologists – is less common.”

“The earthquakes are shallow, geologically speaking, Berry said, although they are located 2 or 3 miles deep into the Earth’s crust. He said that the eastern part of North America is not located near the edge of a tectonic plate, but within a large plate. “Places where there are large and frequent earthquakes, such as California or Japan or Indonesia, those are places that are on plate boundaries,” the geologist said.”

“Earthquake swarms in Maine’s past include about three dozen larger earthquakes that hit the Bar Harbor area in 2006, causing minor rock-fall damage. The largest of those registered 4.2 on the Richter scale. In 1967 in the Augusta area, at least 12 events occurred, with the largest registering 3.9.”

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