Posted in arkansas fish kill, chile, end time, prophecy

And now for something completely different

Posted on by elizabethprata

There are some weird phenomena happening today! In this first story, take note of the other-worldliness of the event, and how freaked out the people are.

In Arkansas, thousands of blackbirds fall to the ground, dead.
“Just before folks in Beebe rang in the New Year, many witnessed an uncanny resemblance to the Hitchcock movie “The Birds.” About 2,000 black birds fell from the sky off Windwood Drive,leaving quite the mess to clean up. Folks Today’s THV spoke with initially thought the birds were poisoned because they are what they call a nuisance around this time every year, but they are surprised to hear it is more of a mystery. Stephen Bryant recalls, “Millions, millions fly over every night. You look up at the sky and it’s just black and then last night at about 10:30 I came out here and saw a bird drop.” In a matter of hours on New Years Eve thousands of birds fell from the sky to their death. Melissa Weatherly says, “I immediately called mom because I had to go to work, I said you have to come get the kids and get the dog because I don’t know what’s going on.” She continues, “It was horrible; you could not even get down the road without running over hundreds. It was that bad.”

“The mystery is unraveling like scenes from a movie, dozens of U.S. Environmental Services crews spent the day picking up the birds, walking between homes and climbing on roofs with protective hazmat suits and breathing masks. Charles Boldrey stands outside watching the crews, “Nobody knows, I asked these guys who are out here picking them up and they don’t seem to know anything. Nobody seems to know anything. It just kind of freaked everybody out.”

“Officials with the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission flew over the area and determined it’s a one mile stretch. There are a variety of dead black birds, mostly red winged and a duck was also found. No one has been evacuated because the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) air test came back clean for toxins. Weatherly is skeptical, “They’re walking around in masks and I’m wondering do we need the same thing because what makes that happen for them to drop out of the sky like that.” Katherina Yancy with Today’s THV found one bird still living. It was confused, injured, continuously walked in circles and didn’t make a sound or attempt to fly. Officials will confirm their findings when they get the test results, until then they are giving these possible scenarios: lightning, stress, high altitude hail or startled by fireworks, but neighbors just want answers. Bryant says, “Something out of a movie and Hazmat people are walking around not telling us anything.”Boldrey adds, “I’d like to know. Kind of spooky, you never know what’s going to happen.”

“The birds should be cleaned up by Sunday. Game and Fish Commission’s Karen Rowe says poisoning doesn’t appear to be the case and strange events similar to this have occurred across the globe a number of times. The City of Beebe held an emergency city council meeting Saturday morning to approve paying the U.S. Environmental Services to clean the neighborhood.Sixty-five dead birds have been sent to off for testing.”

Here are a couple of other links of news about the situation, here, and here

In another mystery, in Arkansas, hundreds of thousands of fish wash up, dead.

State commission says dead fish now cover 20-mile section of Arkansas River
An Arkansas Game and Fish Commission spokesman says dead drum fish now cover a 20-mile section of the Arkansas River near Ozark. Seven teams from the state agency visited the affected portion of the river Friday. Commission spokesman Keith Stephens says an official estimate of how many fish have died is expected on Monday, but he tells the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette that the number is likely in the hundreds of thousands. The commission determined the fish died in the river from a dam near Ozark to a bridge along State Highway 109 near Clarksville.

Another article about it is here, containing video.

And in other ongoing global mysteries, blackbirds fall to the ground dead in Chile. Below is a Spanish-language news spot about it, I haven’t found any other news of it yet in English. The news scrolling across the bottom of the video is translated “hundreds of black petrels appear dead on the north coast of Bio Bio Chile.” Even if you don’t understand Spanish, the video of dead birds inexplicably laying on the beach is startling. The tagline says “Strange Phenomenon”

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Posted in end time, end time. prophecy, end times, sinkholes

Sinkholes as precursor to more massive earth changes

Posted on by elizabethprata

Milwaukee’s East Side:
“A massive sinkhole swallowed up a traffic light and SUV on Milwaukee’s east side Thursday night. The driver was able to get out safely. Police tell FOX6 that the SUV is still running in an effort to burn off the remaining gasoline in the tank.  The sinkhole opened up on the corner of Oakland and North Avenues. Police say that the sinkhole could get bigger if the rain continues. Construction crews are working on getting the SUV out of the sinkhole.”

Google trends shows a large increase in interest in the topic of sinkholes. This spike represents the number of searches for that term:

What are sinkholes? USGS explains: “Sinkholes are common where the rock below the land surface is limestone, carbonate rock, salt beds, or rocks that can naturally be dissolved by ground water circulating through them. As the rock dissolves, spaces and caverns develop underground. Sinkholes are dramatic because the land usually stays intact for a while until the underground spaces just get too big. If there is not enough support for the land above the spaces then a sudden collapse of the land surface can occur. These collapses can be small, as this picture shows, or they can be huge and can occur where a house or road is on top. The most damage from sinkholes tends to occur in Florida, Texas, Alabama, Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Pennsylvania.” Sinkholes occur especially where there has been groundwater depletion.

A sinkhole in San Diego left residents of the 8 apartments without a home two days ago, when was declared uninhabitable yesterday. The ground, being soaked with recent heavy rains, has been undermined in many areas of CA.

In this news story, the reporter explored the topic of just how common are sinkholes, anyway. “There’s quite a hole, a gaping sinkhole, in fact in somebody’s front yard. It is taped off, so nobody falls in. While constructions crews worked to repair the sinkhole in Bethlehem Township, Northampton County, 69News looked into how common of an occurrence sinkholes are in the region. Scientists said sinkholes like this could happen at anytime and anywhere in the Lehigh Valley. For Phillip Turnbach, it was a surprise when the ground opened up right in his front yard. “It’s real scary,” said Turnbach. “If a car was parked or if that street would have caved in the middle of the night somebody could have been hurt or even worse.” “

Acid in ground water eats away the limestone over time creating a crack under the soil and then at any time, that soil can collapse into the crack causing a sinkhole. At least, that is the hazard for Pennsylvanians. In California, the issue usually causing sinkholes are storms. In Florida, there’s ‘that disconcerting feeling’ when suddenly the ground opens up. Extracting ground water is usually the culprit. “All Ben Story can do now is wait. Wait for geologists to visit his property at 3401 Lampp Road, north of downtown Plant City, and tell him whether there’s any chance the large sinkhole in his backyard is going to grow any bigger. Wait for more information on how to fill the 30-foot wide cavity that gobbled four rolls of hay. “It’s kind of a touch-and-go situation,” Story said this morning, adding that he expects scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey to conduct tests in a few days. “I think it’s spreading too. I haven’t looked down there today, but it may be getting bigger.” The sinkhole on Story’s property is the second large cavity to open in eastern Hillsborough County this month.” Also within the last week, sinkholes in Fl opened up due to sewer line break, because of unstable landfill, or waterline breaks. In that last one, a fire truck was swallowed up as it responded to the break.

The issue is not restricted to the United States. South African authorities have begun the relocation of 3,000 families after huge sinkholes appeared close to their homes near Pretoria, according to BBC News. The Hungarian town of Ocna Mures is “in collapse” due to the results of excessive salt mining. A sinkhole there recently swallowed a supermarket and several businesses and homes. China has had their travails with sinkholes, too, in this case from 6 days ago, 800 people were evacuated as a 150′ wide hole opened up in Jiangxi Province. Last June, a UK Telegraph reporter asked if there was any reason for the spate of spectacular sinkholes appearing in China, and noted that the uneasiness of talk of the end of the world rounded out the comments online. The photos are spectacular, they show aerial pictures of really large sinkholes swallowing whole towns. By the way, the reporter never answered the question, only mocked end of the worlders.

The point here is two fold. First, several of the end time warnings indicate geo-physical changes will occur on the earth. (Luke 21:11; Luke 21:25; Mark 13:8). The judgments in Revelation and Isaiah certainly depict massive changes on the earth, and the judgments start right away in Revelation. (Rev 6:12-14; Isaiah 24:19 and etc.). “At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, “Once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.” The words “once more” indicate the removing of what can be shaken—that is, created things—so that what cannot be shaken may remain. (Hebrews 12:25-29).

The second issue is that no matter how the sinkholes and other geo-physical changes are occurring, whether happening because of seemingly man-made excesses or through supernatural means, it shows us that nothing is solid – except the Kingdom of God, which is the Unshaken Kingdom. That is what the Lord is showing us. The very ground we walk on is His and through Jesus all things hold together. The corollary to that is through Him all things fall apart if and when He chooses. If you are not of His kingdom you will be shaken, emotionally, physically, mentally. Imagine as these sinkholes increase the unease with which people now look at their streets and cliffs and homes. It could give way at any time! Several of the news articles noted the psychological effects on the affected population of knowing you live on unstable ground.

Christians know the ground they walk on is the Rock that will never be moved. He is Jesus and no matter what is happening in the world, there is no safer place than in His light!
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Posted in a new creation in christ, end time, prophecy

The futility of New Year’s resolutions, the surety of Christ

Posted on by elizabethprata

I vacationed frequently at the beach in Venice, Florida. The Gulf coast is so peaceful the water so blue, I found it incredibly relaxing. One day, I watched a couple of kids make a huge sand castle. They spent most of the day on it. It was not architecturally sophisticated. They simply dragged up pail after pail of sand, made it about as tall as themselves, and spent a while looking for the perfect stones and shells to adorn it.  A stick on top and a scrap of seaweed made the flag. And what castle is complete without a moat? The kids wanted to be sure no enemy could raid their fortress, so they made three moats.

“Everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not act on them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand.” (Mt 7:26).

non-believers’ foundation is sand

Then the tide came in. Their day’s work was washed away. The kids tried unsuccessfully to restore, prop up, and protect their creation but it didn’t work. The inevitable happened. “…the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.” (Mt 7:276).

Another place I used to vacation is Jasper Beach Maine. It is a wild beach in far eastern Maine, and one of only two beaches in the world to have stones for its base and not sand. The stones have been rounded by wave action and high tides rolling them around, and they make a nice clacking sound akin to pool balls when you walk over them. The beach is never eroded because the rocks seem so stable. But walking on them is hard, they roll, they move, and in the end, putting a chaise lounge atop them to lay on is almost impossible because the rocks move so much. Even that seemingly solid foundation crumbles in the end.

lukewarm believers’ foundation is on shifting stones

If you haven’t realized the allusions yet, it is to say that founding your life on anything other than the Gospel of Jesus Christ means you will topple. You may not topple until you die, or you may topple during the storms of your life, but you will topple. Apart from Him you can do nothing. (John 15:5).

believers’ foundation is the Rock, and He is the light!

“Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock. “And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock.” (Mt 7:24-25). Make 2011 the year you found your life upon the Rock! Be in His light! “While you have the Light, believe in the Light, so that you may become sons of Light.”(John 12:316a).

Many people take the New Year to make resolutions, that is, make self-improvement promises to one’s self. ‘I will lose weight,’ ‘I will stop smoking’, ‘I will spend more time with family’, ‘I will work harder…’ are typical promises. Research shows that most New Year’s resolutions fail in a week. Self-improvement is impossible without Jesus but “in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.” (2 Cor 5:17). Let HIM re-create you! You will not fail. You will “conform no longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” (Rom 12:2). He will “strengthen the feeble hands, steady the knees that give way.” (Isaiah 35:3). “Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” (Phil 1:6). Your resolution will not fail within a week if you allow Jesus to recreate you!

If you make ONE resolution this year, it is that you will follow Jesus as your Savior. Resolve to put aside the sinful man and allow Him to re-create you in His image. And yes, I am talking to people who think that are already followers as well as non-believers. Take stock, be sure of your salvation, resolve to allow Him to strengthen you. And your New Year will become a New Eternity.

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Posted in Uncategorized

Anarchy, I tell ya!

Posted on by elizabethprata

The snowstorm of Christmas 2010 will go down in the books as a monster. Pouring out snow at the rate of 2-3 inches per hour at its height, covering a third of the nation with snow inside of 2 days, and stranding thousands and tens of thousands of people at mass transit points, is definitely a monster by any definition. News reports used words to describe the mood as irate, outraged or vexed. But it didn’t take long for headlines to start using words like chaos, fury, and anarchy. It took a day, actually.

US snow travel chaos
Fury as city is paralyzed by blizzard
Lord of the Fliers: Will Anarchy Break Out Among Throngs of Stranded Air Travelers?

The fun wasn’t limited to the US, either. Moscow had its own travel chaos this week, too. Fights broke out. In Moscow, air travel clerks were beat up. Aeroflot personnel were now scared of dealing with agitated passengers, saying the airport did not have enough security guards.

Soon there was no food. 400 people were stranded on a train overnight with no water and nothing to eat. At JFK, the thousands of people languishing inside the airport soon ate up all the food at the restaurants, and no replenishment trucks arrived to bring more. There was a fracas at McDonald’s when they ran out of food. Video here.

Daniel 12:4 records that the angel told him in the days of the end, many will go to and fro. So many people today boast that we can go here and there in a heartbeat, such is our advancement in technology. We think nothing of taking jobs that are located so far away from where we live, relying on trains, buses, and highways to get there. But what all that means is that we rely heavily on infrastructure. On any given day, a high percentage of the world’s population is commuting or voluntarily traveling far away from their home. The lines supporting all this going to and fro are thin. In the case at JFK, the airport is not far from one of the largest cities of the world but still, the snow prevented thousands from reaching food and hotels.

It only took a day for the support lines to break down. One day. And by a day after that, people were reverting to hunter-killer mode of the jungle days. People who cut in line at the airport were beaten back. People angling for food in front of Sbarro’s were fought off. Moscow airline Clerks were too afraid even to appear behind the desk. Even people safe at home in NYC were furious that the snow hadn’t been cleared yet and resorted to obscenities and anger. Even worse, there were casualties because of the storm: ambulances could not reach a woman’s newborn, who died in a hotel lobby. A grandmother in NYC also died due to delays in paramedics getting there. Trash hasn’t been picked up in days and it’s piling up.

It is not just New York and Moscow struggling to handle masses of people who are angry and stranded, Northern Ireland’s cold is popping water pipes all over the place. Many families have been without water for 8 days, and now there are public health fears. 40,000 homes and businesses in Belfast and 80 surrounding towns are dealing with raw sewage and/or lack of water as septic systems overflow and water pipes don’t. Scotland Yard is attempting to bring enough bottled water and showering facilities to the stricken people.

The truth is that we are so dependent on invisible supply lines, (water pipes, plow trucks, ambulances, grocery re-supply trucks) we begin to think they will always be there to provide for us in emergencies. This is not an essay about the fact that infrastructure crumbles almost immediately when pressured. It is about man’s  reaction to what happens when the supplies and transport we have counted on break down. Going to and fro suddenly seems like not such a good idea.

The 2010 break-down occurred after only two days, which resulted in anger, fighting, fury, and anarchy. Craven humanity resorts to anger and fighting in such a short time…with the Restrainer STILL ON EARTH. (2 Thess 2:7). The Lord will take Him out of the way at the rapture. Imagine what will happen when the world is subjected to peace being withdrawn from the earth, men slaying each other, no food, wild beasts attack and devour people all over the globe, the stars fall from the sky, and every mountain and island are moved from their places in a giant earthquake?

I just gave the highlights of the first set of judgments on the earth in Revelation 6. If people fight over a Happy Meal, if they punch the airline clerk because they haven’t been home in a day, if they get furious over lack of plowing, with the Restrainer on earth, imagine the reaction in the Tribulation!

It is not a time that you want even your worst enemy on earth. Does this motivate you to be more patient with your annoying co-worker? Does this fact implore you to show the peace of Jesus in all you say and do? Does this knowledge help you strengthen your resolve to have that difficult conversation with the unsaved family member? I hope so! Time is running out.

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Posted in end time. prophecy, water into wine, wedding at cana, wedding supper of the lamb

Wedding at Cana first miracle and Wedding supper of the Lamb as last miracle

Posted on by elizabethprata

Jesus’ first miracle was the Wedding at Cana. Here it is:

“On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there; and both Jesus and His disciples were invited to the wedding. When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to Him, “They have no wine.” And Jesus said to her, “Woman, what does that have to do with us? My hour has not yet come.” His mother said to the servants, “Whatever He says to you, do it.” Now there were six stone waterpots set there for the Jewish custom of purification, containing twenty or thirty gallons each. Jesus said to them, “Fill the waterpots with water.” So they filled them up to the brim. And He said to them, “Draw some out now and take it to the headwaiter.” So they took it to him. When the headwaiter tasted the water which had become wine, and did not know where it came from (but the servants who had drawn the water knew), the headwaiter called the bridegroom, 1and said to him, “Every man serves the good wine first, and when the people have drunk freely, then he serves the poorer wine; but you have kept the good wine until now.” This beginning of His signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and manifested His glory, and His disciples believed in Him.” (John 2:1-11)

It was the first public miracle, yet only a few people knew what had happened. Mary, the disciples, and the servants saw. Mary already knew He is the Messiah. The disciples already suspected He is the Messiah. The servants only knew that something miraculous had happened. So what was the point of the miracle?

I have heard one interpretation that since fermenting wine is a timed process and that there is nothing man can do to hurry it along, Jesus instantly changing the water into wine demonstrates His mastery of time and space. Other interpretations teach that it reveals His glory, that He is the best wine kept back until now, that He pours forth His blood freely, that Mary was showing her humility by leaving the initiative up to Him (“Do whatever he tells you”) or that ritual purification jars will no longer be needed because Jesus will wash us clean once for all, etc. They are all plausible and they are all lovely, especially the interpretation where Jesus demonstrates His mastery over time by fermenting wine instantly. But while plausible, none of these interpretations settled my puzzlement over its the inclusion in John.

Why this miracle, especially since John tells us in verse 21:25 that “there are also many other things which Jesus did, which if they were written in detail, I suppose that even the world itself would not contain the books that would be written.” Why did the Holy Spirit impress this event onto the writer’s mind for inclusion in the bible, when there were so many other miracles and signs to choose from? Because, remember, John said it was a sign. A sign is given to authenticate. So what was being authenticated here?

I was thinking about that today and one possible interpretation came to me. In the bible, wine is used as a symbol of holy joy. Isaiah uses it frequently, alternately showing that wine’s absence is a symbol of desolation (Isaiah 24:11). If wine is a symbol of holy joy, and its absence is a symbol of desolation, then Mary’s words to Jesus at the beginning of the miracle: “They have no more wine” (John 2:3) takes on new meaning.

Taking focus off the wine itself for a moment, look at the event: a wedding. In Isaiah 25:6-7 we read,

“The LORD of hosts will prepare a lavish banquet for all peoples on this mountain;
         A banquet of aged wine, choice pieces with marrow,
         And refined, aged wine.
And on this mountain He will swallow up the covering which is over all peoples,
         Even the veil which is stretched over all nations.”

The preparations made in the gospel for the reception of repentant sinners with God are often in the New Testament shown by the illustration of a feast, as seen above and in Mt. 22:1, “The parable of the Marriage Feast.” All peoples are invited to partake of His salvation upon His ‘mountain’, or, His church, to feast upon the glory to soon come in the form of the holy sacrifice of Jesus and the swallowing of the veil that separates us from God. And we will drink wine, not just any wine, but Isaiah carefully notes, aged wine. As John notes, ‘the best wine.’ As the bible closes out the last of known human history-yet-to-come, we are promised another wedding-

Marriage of the Lamb
“Let us rejoice and be glad and give the glory to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come and His bride has made herself ready.” It was given to her to clothe herself in fine linen, bright and clean; for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints. Then he said to me, “Write, ‘Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb ‘” (Rev 19:7-9).

The tribulation is a time when Jesus pours out the winepress of His wrath (Rev 14:9) because they have drunk wine of the passion of their immorality (Rev. 14:8). But for His children He promises the best wine. We have holy joy in this.

We’re promised a wedding in Isaiah, Jesus opens His ministry at a wedding in John, and we close out the bible with a wedding in Revelation. Wine is at all times understood to be a central component of the blessed event practically, spiritually, culturally, and symbolically. Compare the miracle at the wedding in Cana with the end times event of the Marriage supper of the Lamb and perhaps we can understand a glimpse of His purpose in this sign that John shares with us. Throughout the bible, the symbolism of weddings have prominence. He and the Apostles continually call the church His bride. Human history closes with a wedding banquet. It is fitting He opened His ministry and performed His first sign at a wedding. It is fitting that He showed His deity through changing water into wine. He IS the wine, and we are His bride. Thank you Jesus! You are saving the best for last!

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Posted in apollo, end time, genesis, prophecy

Apollo 11’s communion on the moon, and Madelyn Murray O’Hair

Posted on by elizabethprata

Apollo 8 (1968) was the first human spaceflight to leave Earth orbit; the first to be captured by and escape from the gravitational field of another celestial body; and the first crewed voyage to return to planet Earth from another celestial body—Earth’s Moon. The three-man American crew of mission Commander Frank Borman, Command Module Pilot James Lovell, and Lunar Module Pilot William Anders became the first humans to directly see the far side of the Moon, as well as the first humans to see planet Earth from beyond low Earth orbit. (Wikipedia). It must have made quite an impression on the three astronauts to see our globe hung in space as a tiny dot, and to ponder the mysteries of the heavens. On Christmas Eve, Frank Borman sent a message to the people on earth. Please take a moment to watch this moving, 2-minute clip:

A few years prior to the momentous and quite spiritual event taking place above the moon at earth-rise, Madelyn Murray O’Hair lodged a lawsuit at the Supreme Court in 1960 that was decided  in 1962. O’Hair was a well-known atheist, communist, free-thinker and sexual libertine. O’Hair’s suit contended that prayer must be removed from public schools. Actually, there were one or two suits being decided prior to O’Hair’s but her suit was in fact folded into a seminal judgment banning bible readings from public schools, closely on the heels of the ban on prayer in schools rendered a few months prior.  She took credit for the “victory”, anyway. So thanks to her, on June 25, 1962, “39 million students were forbidden to do what they and their predecessors had been doing since the founding of our nation – publicly calling upon the name of the Lord at the beginning of each school day.” When Borman read the passage from Genesis in 1968, O’Hair again lodged a lawsuit, this time against NASA. O’Hair wanted the courts to ban US astronauts, who were all Government employees, from public prayer in outer space.

A few months later, on July 20, 1969, Buzz Aldrin landed on the moon and he held a ceremony: the ceremony of communion. Please take a moment to watch the following 2-minute clip, from Tom Hanks’ Emmy award winning HBO series “From the Earth to the Moon” that accurately depicts the moment:

O’Hair’s Genesis-reading case was eventually rejected by the US Supreme Court for lack of jurisdiction. However, what comes to mind here was the tragedy of those few intervening months. Between the reading of Genesis on Christmas eve 1968 and 7 months later when Aldrin took communion on the moon, Christianity went from boldly declaring God as the Creator of all the Universe, to a timid and secretive religious homage to that same Creator, with an added lukewarm thank you to whomever. After he clicked off the radio, Aldrin read: “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5). How fitting! But how sad it was only heard by Armstrong and Aldrin. Aldrin’s choice of verse acknowledged the Creator of the planet upon which they were sitting as the One who is the Source of all endeavors. Yet O’Hair’s impact was such that this declaration of truth was muzzled and silenced.

O’Hair’s legacy was such that for a while she was called the most hated woman in America. Apparently, not only in America. She and her two children traveled via ship to Europe with the intention of defecting to the Soviet embassy in Paris and residing in the Soviet Union. The Soviets denied them entry. She founded American Atheists, promoted sexual liberation for children, and campaigned against God all her life. She even called her own son a “postnatal abortion.”

Sadly, she was abducted and killed, dismembered and her head chopped off. Her remains were not discovered for many years. Her son said that O’Hair was an evil person. “My mother was an evil person… Not for removing prayer from America’s schools… No, she was just evil. She stole huge amounts of money. She misused the trust of people. She cheated children out of their parents’ inheritance. She cheated on her taxes and even stole from her own organizations. She once printed up phony stock certificates on her own printing press to try to take over another atheist publishing company….Regardless of how evil and lawless my mother was she did not deserve to die in the manner she did.”

Her son is a Christian, baptised, and a Baptist preacher. I can’t imagine his pain, and his certain knowledge that his mother has much to answer for and will reside forever in torment in hell, apart from Jesus.

But if this one woman wreaked such havoc on America so as to remove prayer from before 40 million school children, from stopping the globe’s premier space agency from broadcasting one bible verse, and getting her message out on television, cable, and radio to millions over the course of decades, what can one Christian do? Much! If we each remain strong in faith, always acknowledging Him for all that we are and all that we accomplish as Borman and Aldrin did, then nothing is impossible. If such evil can accomplish so much, what can Good do? Pray and ask Him how you might be used today. And be ready for His answer!

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Posted in end time, moon, prophecy, signs in the sun, stars

Signs in the heavens: Saturn’s huge storm

Posted on by elizabethprata

If you got a telescope for Christmas, you are in luck. The two largest planets in our solar system are now putting on an exciting show for observers. Jupiter’s Equatorial Belt, which disappeared last year, is back. And Saturn is having a massive storm of its own, as the Cassini fly-by revealed. Veteran planet-watcher Thomas Dobbins notes the last time such a large storm appeared on Saturn was 1994.

From Wired Science: “The storm has a huge central funnel and a long tail that sweeps around Saturn’s northern hemisphere for tens of thousands of miles. A shot in blue light (left) reveals the extent of the tail, but infrared light (right) shows detail of the storm’s amorphous core.” 

The storm is 12 times bigger than the east coast blizzard. It appears regularly, except when it doesn’t appear regularly, lol. “The Great White Spot is the lesser known, Saturnian equivalent of Jupiter’s Great Red Spot. It’s the name given to periodic storms that flare up about every 28.5 years, previously showing up in 1876, 1903, 1933, 1960, and 1990. As such, we shouldn’t be expecting another appearance until around 2018, although huge, Spot-like storms do occasionally show up at times that don’t fit the cycle, including 1994 and 2006.”

As for Jupiter, the brown stripe across its southern hemisphere that disappeared suddenly in May 2010 (“NASA: Big mystery- Jupiter loses its stripe“) just as mysteriously, has reappeared. “After fading out earlier this year, a large brown stripe on Jupiter is returning, according to astronomers. The stripe, known officially as the Southern Equatorial Belt had blended with the white clouds surrounding it. Now an amateur astronomer has said the belt is undergoing an outbreak and will soon return to its previous appearance. Experts say that the disappearance of the belt was the result of layers of clouds over Jupiter changing altitudes and that the brown strip had been covered up earlier in the year by the white-coloured ammonia clouds surrounding it. The brown stripe has occasionally vanished several times since it has been under observation, but scientists have yet to pinpoint exactly why it continues persist.”

In other recent science news, an extinct comet is coming back to life, the red in Jupiter’s Great Red Spot not what astronomers thought, scientists discovered they were wrong about neanderthals, the solar minimum lasted so long scientists had a hard time explaining, and oh yes, delaying sex makes for better relationships. Man – 0. God – ∞.

There were many other interesting science news articles this year that do illustrate man’s capabilities in finding, learning, and explaining the world and outer space. But there were just as many that illustrated that what man had previously thought was being shaken to its core, and that in reality, there is much to learn. Our body of knowledge, though increasing, is flawed. God is not. His Word is perfect and contains much knowledge for how to live, economics, science, matters of government, and inter-relationships. Jesus said that in advance of His coming, “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). He gives us our brains, and curiosity and the tools to discover Him in space, but when we lift up our brains and the tools above Him and worship them instead, He shows us just how infinite He is, and how in control.

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Posted in currency, end time, mark of the beast, prophecy, wireless transistors

Mark of the Beast rising: Currency to have wirelesss tracking transistors

Posted on by elizabethprata

“It also forced all people, great and small, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hands or on their foreheads, so that they could not buy or sell unless they had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of its name.” (Rev 13:16-17). Those verses speak of the False Prophet. He institutes a system that tracks all people. It’s put on or in everyone’s hand or forehead. It is not necessarily currency itself, but it IS a mark of worship to and allegiance with the Antichrist. Its purpose is to identify those who worship the antichrist. The “benefit” to having the mark is that you will not be killed, and that you can participate in the global economy. Verse 18 is the famous 666 reference. Of course, anyone who takes the mark won’t be killed by the antichrist but their souls are forever damned and they will spend an eternity in hell. (Rev 14:9-10)

Ever since those scriptures were written man must have wondered about the mechanics of how one person could cause all the world’s population to have a mark on them. Can’t you just quietly refuse? Who would know? How are they going to track you down? Can’t you just go somewhere else? Until Social Security numbers came along the 1930s, anyone could simply change identities by moving and making up a new name.

Even more puzzling to previous generations, must have been concerning the technology. How would a mark on one’s hand allow the government to track all your purchases? How can it be? Our Sunday School teacher is 90 years old. When he was growing up, this county didn’t even have electricity until he was 21.

But Daniel 12:4’s prophecy “But as for you, Daniel, conceal these words and seal up the book until the end of time; many will go back and forth, and knowledge will increase” comes in to play here. This generation has seen such an explosion of knowledge and technology it staggers the mind. Within one lifetime, an elderly gentleman can recall the day they strung electricity on wires in front of his house, remember men walking on the moon, communicate with grandchildren on the other side of the world in an instant to…the following:

New Scientist magazine has an article from a few days ago describing a new technology: “Banknotes go electric to outwit counterfeiters“
“Modern banknotes contain up to 50 anti-counterfeiting features, but adding electronic circuits programmed to confirm the note’s authenticity is perhaps the ultimate deterrent, and would also help to simplify banknote tracking. …A team of German and Japanese researchers created arrays of thin-film transistors (TFTs) by carefully depositing gold, aluminium oxide and organic molecules directly onto the notes through a patterned mask, building up the TFTs layer by layer. All this is done “without aggressive chemicals or high temperatures, both of which might have damaged the surface of the banknotes”, says team member Ute Zschieschang from the Max Planck Institute for Solid State Research in Stuttgart, Germany. The result is an undamaged banknote containing around 100 organic TFTs, each of which is less than 250 nanometres thick and can be operated with voltages of just 3V. Such small voltages could be transmitted wirelessly by an external reader, such as the kind that communicates with the RFID tags found on many products.. The team’s technique has been tested on US dollars, Swiss francs, Japanese yen and Euro notes. Although the researchers have yet to work out how the organic electronics could be harnessed as an anti-counterfeit measure, the circuits are able to perform simple computing operations.”

RFID is radio frequency identification. So currency will soon have micro-layers of tiny circuits that can track. I do not know what the mark of the beast will be like, whether it will be a tracking device or whether it will be the currency itself. But the technology for advances in currency development combining with tracking are here. Not in the future. HERE. Just in case you are not spooked to your prophetic core yet, here is another article today:

Ceiling lights in Minn. send coded Internet data
“Flickering ceiling lights are usually a nuisance, but in city offices in St. Cloud, they will actually be a pathway to the Internet. The lights will transmit data to specially equipped computers on desks below by flickering faster than the eye can see. Ultimately, the technique could ease wireless congestion by opening up new expressways for short-range communications.”

Inside one generation we went from porcelain covered insulators,

to this:

There is no doubt that we are the generation spoken of in Daniel in which people go to and fro and knowledge has increased. There is no doubt that the scaffolding is being erected that will allow the infrastructure of the building of the one world economy. If we see scaffolding being erected, then the rapture must be even closer.

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Posted in end time, end time. prophecy, gratitude

A grateful heart will remain unshaken

Posted on by elizabethprata

Where I stand as this year draws to its close: I stand on the Cornerstone of all creation, because the mercy of Jesus has saved me. Gratitude fills my heart and my life with the blessings He has delivered to me, first fruit of which is that precious salvation. He Who is the fount from which all beneficence flows, in His mercy accepted my piteous cries for forgiveness and smiled upon my soul, bringing light and peace.

He continued to bless me by installing the Holy Spirit within me to rely upon as my guide and teacher. He allows me to grow in His light and remain upon His paths by sending me wisdom as I read His Holy Word. He gives me earthly fulfillments- I am not hungry, I am in a warm home, I am clothed and I am employed. I learn from Paul who said to the Philippians, “Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.” (Phil 4:11-13)

Contentment no matter the circumstance is truly a gift. Do you have a grateful heart as this year closes? The end time is a period when the Lord is shaking heaven and earth, and we see what remains. “At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, “Once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.” The words “once more” indicate the removing of what can be shaken—that is, created things—so that what cannot be shaken may remain. Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our “God is a consuming fire.” (Hebrews 12:26-19). In the meanwhile, here on earth, He is shaking loose governments, mountains, economies, hearts…so what remains? Believers! The Kingdom is within us and we must not be shaken as the the end time warnings continue to deepen. Gratitude and contentment in the midst of terrible circumstances is key to remaining unshaken. Paul was unshaken, content in all that occurred. So was Abraham Lincoln. The basis of Lincoln’s Thanksgiving proclamation was gratitude to the LORD. Notice how his decree began, not with a listing of current troubles, and if any man had a right to complain it was Lincoln. But the proclamation began with gratitude toward the Lord for blessings. Lincoln begins:

“The year that is drawing towards its close, has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies. To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from which they come, others have been added, which are of so extraordinary a nature, that they cannot fail to penetrate and soften even the heart which is habitually insensible to the ever watchful providence of Almighty God. In the midst of a civil war of unequalled magnitude and severity, which has sometimes seemed to foreign States to invite and to provoke their aggression, peace has been preserved with all nations, order has been maintained, the laws have been respected and obeyed, and harmony has prevailed everywhere except in the theatre of military conflict; while that theatre has been greatly contracted by the advancing armies and navies of the Union. Needful diversions of wealth and of strength from the fields of peaceful industry to the national defence, have not arrested the plough, the shuttle, or the ship; the axe had enlarged the borders of our settlements, and the mines, as well of iron and coal as of the precious metals, have yielded even more abundantly than heretofore. Population has steadily increased, notwithstanding the waste that has been made in the camp, the siege and the battle-field; and the country, rejoicing in the consciousness of augmented strength and vigor, is permitted to expect continuance of years, with large increase of freedom.”

“No human counsel hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy.”

“It has seemed to me fit and proper that they should be solemnly, reverently and gratefully acknowledged as with one heart and voice by the whole American people. I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens. And I recommend to them that while offering up the ascriptions justly due to Him for such singular deliverances and blessings, they do also, with humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience, commend to his tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife in which we are unavoidably engaged, and fervently implore the interposition of the Almighty Hand to heal the wounds of the nation and to restore it as soon as may be consistent with the Divine purposes to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquility and Union.”

“In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand, and caused the seal of the United States to be affixed. Done at the city of Washington, this third day of October, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-three…”

Friend, you are of the Kingdom – the Kingdom that will not be shaken! My prayer for you is that your heart is filled with gratitude for all things, no matter the circumstance. “Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts.” (Col 3:16)

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