All posts filed under: End times

Coptic Christians were traveling to Saint Samuel the Confessors monsatery (above), when they were attacked by Muslim extremists. Credit: Roland Unger/Wikipedia

As in the Days of Noah — ISIS slaughters 28 Egyptian Coptic Christians?

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On Friday, May 26, 2017, a group of Egyptian Coptic Christians were traveling by bus to pray at a monastery when they were attacked by Muslim extremists. Their destination was the Monastery of Saint Samuel the Confessor located a hundred miles south of Cairo, Egypt. At least 28 were killed when the bus and an accompanying half ton truck were stopped by three SUVs containing upwards of ten ISIS militants. After storming the bus, the masked extremists demanded the people on board recite the Muslim profession of faith called the shahada: La ilaha illa Allah wa-Muhammad rasul Allah. English: There is no god but Allah and Muhammad is the prophet of Allah. When they were unable to do this, the heavily armed militants opened fire killing. In addition to the deaths, they wounded at least 22. TV images of the attack showed the bus riddled with bullet holes and its seats covered in blood. Coptic Christians make up about 10% of Egypt’s population of 94 million and over the last several years have been under …

The Euphrates River in the Mesopotamia valley home to Melchizedek and Balaam. Credit: United States Navy

The Spirit of Balaam, social media and the end of the age?

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If the Book of Revelation is a vision of the end times, then the Apostle John’s message to the seven churches of Asia in the first three chapters is a prophetic snapshot of what the end-times church will face. In his letter to the church at Pergamum, John warns about the spirit of Balaam, suggesting it will be a rising force just before Christ’s return: 14 Nevertheless, I have a few things against you: There are some among you who hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to entice the Israelites to sin so that they ate food sacrificed to idols and committed sexual immorality. (Revelation 2:14 NASV) Balaam was a prophet mentioned in the Book of Numbers and, using the vernacular from the 1960s, he was one “strange” cat. Balaam was from Petheor, in Amah near the Euphrates River, a country actually mentioned in Egyptian records. This puts Balaam in Mesopotamia where Abraham originated (Deuteronomy 23:3-6). But his unfamiliarity with Israel tells us he was a gentile. He may have been associated with …

credit: david/Flickr/Creative Commons

The last generation?

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Jesus made a statement about the end times that for decades has puzzled those studying eschatology. In his discussion of the signs leading to His second coming,  Jesus said: 32 “Now learn the parable from the fig tree: when its branch has already become tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near; 33 so, you too, when you see all these things, recognize that He is near, right at the door. 34 Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. (Matthew 24:34 NASV) Most understood this to mean, that when the various end-time signs cited in this passage started to take place, Jesus’ return will occur within that generation. Because they consider the fig tree as symbolic of Israel, the 1948 restoration of Israel as a nation is a key end-times marker. So what was a generation? Many believed that a generation was 40 years and adding that to 1948 meant Jesus would return sometime before 1988. And during the lead up to that date, …

Ruins of temples used in Imperial cult worship in Laodicea, Turkey Credit: Richard Munden/Flickr/Creative Commons

Two types of Christians, only one hears a knock

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I regularly receive a daily devotional from Open Doors, a Christian organization that stands with believers being persecuted around the world. In a recent newsletter, they quoted Iranian Christian leader, Luke Yagnazar, who now lives in the US.  Having come from a country where a person can be thrown in jail or even executed for believing in Jesus, Yagnazar talked about his faith struggle in the US. He said: “It is more difficult to be a Christian in the USA than in Iran. There you are either a Christian or not.” In Iran, your decision to become a Christian is not taken lightly. It is very black and white. But in Canada, the US and many other Western countries we have developed a second tier of Christianity. Colored gray, it easily infects us all, myself included. The Book of Revelation talks about this second tier using a slightly different analogy. Speaking to the church at Laodicea, the Apostle John writes: 15 ‘I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot; I wish that you …

Sergels Square, Stockholm, Sweden Credit: Joakim Johansson/Flickr/Creative commons

A strange reason to celebrate?

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Those with an eye on the end-times took note of the technological changes taking place at a small business center in Stockholm Sweden called Epicenter. Housing over 100 companies with an estimated 2,000 employees, Epicenter describes itself this way on its website: “Epicenter is Stockholm’s first digital House of Innovation at the heart of the city and Sweden’s digital landscape.” Though it is not mandatory, Epicenter offers to implant a rice-sized chip into the hands of employees of the various companies free of charge. Inserted into the flesh between the thumb and index finger, the chip serves multiple purposes. It can be used to open sealed doors and operate the printers that need to track usage. But the chip does more than that. Utilizing the same technology as credit cards it can also be used for purchases at the center’s food services. According to an article in the National Post, Epicenter first offered the chip in January 2015, and so far 150 of the 2,000 people working at the center have taken up the offer. …

View of the Dome of the Rock and Western Wall. Many believe the Muslim Dome of the Rock is built on the original site of the Jewish Temple destroyed in 70 AD. Credit: Boris G/Flickr/Creative Commons

Will God allow a third Jewish temple to be built?

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Many orthodox Jews and Evangelical Christians are looking forward to the day when Jews build a third temple in Jerusalem, replacing the one destroyed by the Romans in 70 AD during the Bar Kokhba Jewish revolt. Both groups believe its construction would fulfill Biblical prophecy. And recent events in Jerusalem added to the excitement. According to Breaking Israel News (BIN), the Jewish Sanhedrin reenacted the Jewish Passover on Thursday, April 5, 2017 near the site of the original Jewish Temple. This was the fifteenth year that they held the Passover in Jerusalem that included building an altar and the actual sacrifice of a lamb using Jewish Priests. According to BIN, this year’s Passover was held closer to the Temple’s location than it had been in earlier years.  In order to accommodate a sacrifice this close to the Temple Mount, the Sanhedrin used the courts to get police protection. Jewish priests performed the sacrifice with instruments, utensils and clothing provided by the Temple Institute an organization dedicated to rebuilding the Jewish Temple. Attendance at the Passover …

Credit: kaushik panchal/Flickr/Creative Commons

666 and all that

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I was stopped by the police the other day. This was the second time in my life, so I was surprised. The officer explained that my driver’s license had expired on my birthday. I thought I had until the end of the month, but I didn’t. He let me off with a warning and I fixed the problem at a registry, right away. A few years ago I saw a car in a handicapped parking stall outside a Halal meat store. I told the female driver about the problem and she basically went ballistic. I thought this new immigrant needed some direction, but she thought I needed something from her. I just walked away. We all know about refugees and migrants who are crossing borders to find a better life in a wealthy country. There are stories now about people walking across the border from Minnesota to Manitoba, the U.S.A. to Canada, in the winter. I appreciate Winnipeg, one of my sons is there and he is doing well, but walking to Winnipeg, in the …

October 8, 2014 Blood Moon Credit: slworking2/Flickr/Creative Commons

Will ‘Moon Temple’ mark the beginning of a new world order?

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According to Bible prophecy the moon will play a role in the end-times. The prophet Joel (Joel 2:30-31) and Apostle John (Revelation 6:12-13) both refer to a blood moon that will serve as warning sign-posts. Since Blood moons in themselves are not unusual, it is their appearance along with several other events such as a solar eclipse, stars falling from the sky and earthquakes that will make them unique. According to the Apostle John one particular Blood moon will mark the angelic opening of the sixth sea, that can be best described as a time of terror on the earth. But apparently the moon hasn’t escaped the attention of the European Space Agency (ESA) and envisions it as a part of a new utopia. An artist working with ESA’s Advanced Concept Team recently came up with a conceptual drawing of a building on earth’s celestial neighbor that he describes as a “Moon Temple.” Jorge Manes Rubio envisions it as part of a lunar base that is in the planning stages at the space agency. According …

A new star appearing in the sky in 2020. Credit: wienotfilms/Flickr/Creative Commons

Orthodox Jews look to the formation of a new star as a sign of the coming Messiah

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Though Orthodox Jews reject Jesus as the Messiah, they are still looking for a Messiah and an upcoming celestial event has excited some orthodox Jews because they believe it is a sign of the Messiah’s imminent arrival. A celestial event called a Nova involving the collision of two stars will soon be taking place. According to Larry Molnar, a professor of Astronomy at Calvin College in Michigan, this collision will be so bright that for six months it will be visible to the human eye on earth. In 2013, Molnar and one of his students noticed that two stars in the Cygnus Constellation were getting brighter. They realized their orbits were shrinking and they were now on a collision course. Based on earlier observations, Molnar expects the two will collide sometime in 2022. Breaking Israel News (BIN) cited an explanation of the event that Molnar provided in a video: “[The collision] will release as much energy as the sun releases in its entire lifetime … When the two finally collide, it will create a new …

Artist's rendering of an asteroid. Credit: Nasa/JPL-caltech/Wikipedia

Another near asteroid miss, missed again

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It is becoming almost a regular occurrence — announcements by those looking into space for dangerous asteroids — that they had missed another near miss. Now to be fair, the asteroid called 2017 AG13 was only half the size of the asteroids the Catalina Sky Survey is looking for. It is an organization partially funded by NASA to scour the skies with NEOCam, an infra-red telescope, looking for potentially dangerous asteroids. They only had 24 hours notice on this one that passed by earth on Saturday, January 7, 2017. But half the size meant this asteroid was 25 meters to 35 meters tall — ten stories — and according to reports it was traveling at 16 kms a second (9.9 miles per second). A near miss in astronomical terms meant that it was 126,461 miles out, passing halfway between earth and the moon. Of course, any asteroids intersecting our planet’s trajectory are always a concern because of the potential for the earth’s gravity to pull them in. The asteroid that exploded high in the atmosphere …

Sun appearing over the India Ocean Credit: Nasa/Flickr

Mathematics professor predicts chaos in the next decade — a sign of the times?

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Peter Turchin is a mathematics professor at the University of Connecticut. One of his projects is using mathematics to determine what lies ahead for the world’s future. And if he is right, it does not look good. Based on his mathematical model, Turchin is predicting a time of economic and political chaos in the the next decade – 2020s. For his predictions, Turchin used a branch of mathematics he developed called cliodynamics. According to Wikipedia, this looks upon history as just another branch of science and describes it as “the mathematical modeling of historical processes.” Basically, Turchin developed a mathematical algorithm to analyze past historical events and then used it to predict future events. Apparently, the model successfully predicted the political instability that the world is going through at the moment, but his calculations show that it won’t peak until the next decade, around 2025, and could result in the collapse of society. It will be caused by a number of events including the declining wealth of people and families that will put them under …

Credit: ambimb/Flickr/Creative Commons

Have we entered the ‘post-truth’ era?

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Each year, Oxford Dictionary presents its word of the year. They are not always words, sometimes they are phrases or even an emoji — “face with tears of joy” — that won in 2015. But this year’s winner takes on an almost prophetic overtone. Not that Oxford purposefully intended it too, but rather it chose the word because it identified the climate of the day. The word has been around for a while, but spiked in usage in recent months particularly in the US presidential election and Brexit — the vote where England chose to leave the EU. The word is “post-truth,” that Oxford defines as: “relating to or denoting circumstances in which objective facts are less influential in shaping public opinion than appeals to emotion and personal belief.” In other words people are setting the facts aside to be ruled by their emotions. Other forces besides the truth are now driving the world’s agenda. It beat out other contending words such as ‘chatbox’ that speaks of a computer program simulating conversations with humans and …

Dome of the Rock is a Muslim shrine, not a mosque. Credit: Monidas De Mon/Flickr/Creative Commons

More trouble on the Temple Mount

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WND.com is reporting a confrontation with Muslim authorities that happened November 17, 2016 on the Temple Mount. WND.com editor Joseph Farrah along with Jonathan Cahn — a Messianic rabbi most famous for his New York Times‘ best seller, The Harbinger — were co-leading a group of 406 people on a visit to Israel. Part of this trip included a visit to the 40-acre Temple Mount located in the heart of Jerusalem. It was the original site of the First and Second Jewish Temples. The Romans destroyed the second temple used in Jesus’ day in 70AD. Today, the site is home to two Muslim buildings — the Dome of the Rock and Al-Aqsa Mosque. Though Israeli government controls  the site, it has given the Jordanian Waqf, essentially an Islamic police force, considerable leeway on controlling the Temple Mount. Among other things, the Waqf monitors dress and ensures that Jews and Christians don’t pray on the site. That latter provision has forced the Jews to pray at the Western Wall down below. As part of the trip to …

Temple of Bel (Baa)l at Palymira, Syria prior to its destruction by ISIS in 2015 Credit: Egisto Sani/Flickr/Creative Commons

The Spirit of Baal in the end times

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A strange thing happened in 2016, a company manufactured full-scale 3-d replicas of the gates of a Temple of Baal that once stood in Palmyra, Syria. ISIS destroyed the 2,000 year old temple in 2015. They installed arches this past spring in Trafalgar Square in London, England and later on September 19, 2016 at Times Square in New York City. The 48′ foot arch from the Baal temple has certainly proved controversial. Some wonder if it provided an opening or portal for the spirit of Baal in these two countries, much in the same way the building of temples for Baal and Asherah would have done in ancient Israel when Queen Jezebel set them up. In his article proposing this on Charisma News, author Michael Snyder suggests the setting up of the arch may have contributed to the rise in violence in America that we are recently seeing. Or maybe it is all just one big coincidence. Or, perhaps it is just a sign of the times — an indication of what is already happening …

Propaganda painting of Adolph Hitler at the front (1942-43). Credit: James Vaughan/Flickr/Creative Commons

Was the world’s most evil man a false Christ that Jesus warned would appear in the end times?

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24 For false Christs and false prophets will arise and will show great signs and wonders, so as to mislead, if possible, even the elect. (Matthew 24:24 NASV) In the days before His crucifixion, the disciples asked Jesus what signs they could expect to show the end times were upon them. Jesus warned of wars, famines and earthquakes. But the very first thing He mentioned was “false Christs and false prophets.” Jesus said people would show up claiming to be Christ (literally pseudochristos). They would be so deceptive that even the elect — the ones chosen by God — would be vulnerable to their influence. Wikipedia has compiled a list of people over the last 100 years who have claimed to be Jesus. It is by no means complete, but it includes some brilliant people such as an electrical engineer and even a former MI5 agents (England’s secret service). Some of the more notorious included David Koresh (1959-1993), who founded a religious group called Branch Davidian. He along with 75 followers died in a 1993 siege …

Asteroid -- Credit: Kevin Gill/Flickr/Creative Commons

Another near brush with the apocalypse?

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The Apostle John was probably in his late 70s when Roman emperor Domitian banished this favorite of Jesus’ disciples to the Island of Patmos due to his Christian beliefs. It was on this idyllic island located off the coast of Turkey that God gave John a disturbing apocalyptic vision of the end times, that today we call the Book of Revelation. In his vision, John saw many strange things, but perhaps one of the most disturbing was a flaming mountain falling from the sky and hitting an ocean. 8 The second angel sounded, and something like a great mountain burning with fire was thrown into the sea; and a third of the sea became blood, 9 and a third of the creatures which were in the sea and had life, died; and a third of the ships were destroyed. (Revelation 8:8-9 NASV) The resulting devastation will be catastrophic. The size suggests this is not a meteorite strike, but rather an asteroid. Though we are accustomed to seeing meteors blazing through our atmosphere, if they reach earth without …

Photo of Allepo, Syria (Photo Craig Jenkins Wikipedia/Creative Commons) where Muslim extremists captured Karla Mueller insert image (YouTube capture)

Despite ISIL’s torture and rape, Kayla Mueller refused to renounce Christ

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On August 4, 2013, American Kayla Mueller, 24, from Prescott, Arizona was working as a humanitarian aid worker in Syria when ISIL captured her and a friend, Omar Alkhani, as they were leaving a Doctors without Borders hospital in Aleppo. Omar who was a contractor for Doctors without Borders was released a few weeks later. Meanwhile, hoping for a ransom, ISIS moved Kayla to various locations throughout Syria. In 2014, the Islamic extremists notified Kayla’s parents of their daughter’s kidnapping. However, nothing could be worked out and  after 18 months in a brutal captivity, Kayla died in February 2015 after an air strike by the Jordanian air force. Recently in an interview with ABC’s news program 20/20, four hostages who shared a cell with Kayla came forward with a story about her remarkable faith in Christ. It appears ISIL was purposefully trying to force Kayla to recant her faith. But in the face of the unrelenting torture, Kayla remained strong to the end. According to ABC, her torture included “verbal abuse, prolonged isolation, sensory deprivation, stress …

Model of Herod's Temple at the Israel Museum. Photo: Berthold Werner/Wikipedia

What will Israel’s third temple look like?

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An interesting article on Breaking Israel News (BIN) recently caught my attention. I have reported previous how some Orthodox Jews in Israel are preparing for the construction of a third Temple – the first one being Solomon’s temple and the second built by King Herod that was in place during Jesus’s day and destroyed in 70 AD. A group of Orthodox based in Israel found the The Temple Institute (TTI) in 1987 to prepare for the construction of a third temple. TTI has already made a number of temple utensils (including a massive altar), ordered architectural drawings for a new temple and even started a school to train priests in how to make sacrifices. Their desire to build a third temple is based in part on an Old Testament prophecy found in Ezekiel. In a vision, God carries the Prophet Ezekiel to a future temple that is not remotely similar to either of the two temples previously constructed (Ezekiel 40). This leads some to conclude that God intends to have a third temple built. However, …

Coincidence or alarm bell? A stunning blood moon over Manhattan

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On August 24, 2016, the British newspaper The Telegraph published photos of a stunning blood moon that appeared a day earlier over New York skyline. The incredible images were taken by Jennifer Khordi, a semi-professional photographer, from her spot 25 miles away in New Jersey. She described it as one of the “most amazing things I have ever seen.”  Others commented on the photos stating they had seen the same thing. You can see more of Jennifer’s stunning photos taken that night on her Instagram account and Facebook page. Then on that same day, August 24, 2016, websites around world started broadcasting news of a powerful earthquake that hit the province of Riete in the mountainous region of Italy. In a matter of hours the death toll climbed from 38 people to 120 then to 247, with more expected. The town of Amatrice, which is only 100 kms (60 miles) from Rome, was the epicenter of the quake. It was one of three villages severely hit. A tourist town according to Reuters, Amatrice was voted …

Otranto harbour as seen from the castle. Photo: Marco Frattola/Flickr/Creative commons

Ancient beheadings — the Otranto martyrs

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Most were shocked by the beheading of 21 Coptic Christians along the shores of the Mediterranean by Islamic extremists in early 2015. But this was not the first time, Muslims beheaded Christians for their faith. Six centuries ago, Muslims beheaded 813 Christian men in Otranto, Italy because they refused to convert to Islam. The Muslim Ottoman Empire had for decades being trying to take Europe and at one point controlled most of Spain. After conquering Constantinople (today called Istanbul, Turkey) in 1453, the Muslims set their sights on Southern Europe and ultimately Rome. Though many want us to focus on how horrid the Christian crusades were, they pale in comparison to he hundreds of battles initiated by the Muslims in their effort to conquer Europe. On July 28, 1480, over 130 Ottoman galleons and ships with 18,000 troops on board sailed into the Otranto harbour, today a quaint village on the southern coast of Italy, population 5,670. The castle that guarded the city in the 1400s still stands today. According to historians Arnaldi and Scirocco, the Muslims, led by Commander …

Did John see this creature pouring out of the abyss in the Book of Revelation. Photo: Youtube Capture/The Watchers/L.A. Marzulli

A creature from the abyss?

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The discovery of an odd-looking whale on the beach of  a small cove in Alaska in July is now confirmed to be an unknown, and yet unnamed, species of a black beak whale. Beak whales are normally light. Reports of similar looking whales off the coast of Japan in 2013 are thought to be from the same species. Its reclusive behaviour and dark colour allowed it to escape notice until recently. But it is not the only odd-looking animal found. Another one discovered in Mexico a few years back may even have apocalyptic overtones. A 13-year-old Mexican boy discovered the tiny creäture (seen above) dead by side of the road when the car he was in pulled over so the boy could relieve himself. It is bizarre looking with an almost human like face. Complete with wings, some believe it has an appearance of a locust. The creature was eventually handed over to a Mexican investigative journalist Jaime Maussan who turned it over to a laboratory for examination where it was x-rayed revealing a skeleton. DNA tests at that time could not …

The Dead Sea Photo: Daniel Godwin/Flickr/Creative Commons

Is Ezekiel’s prophecy about the Dead Sea coming to life?

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At 429 meters below sea level, the Dead Sea is the lowest land spot on earth. And as its name suggests due to its salt density (nearly 10 times denser than the ocean), nothing is able to live in the water. This includes fish and other aquatic life. It doesn’t even have plant life along its shore because of the layers of salt. The sea which is 50 kms long borders Israel, Palestine and Jordan. It is a popular Mediterranean tourist destination, and due to the water’s density, people float more than swim in its water. Because of its high mineral concentrations, many believe its water and mud have medicinal qualities. Apparently, even King Herod the Great had a health spa of sorts along its shores. The Bible talks about the Dead Sea a few times. The first is found in Genesis 14:3. But perhaps one of the stranger mentions is an end-time prophecy by Ezekiel that one day the Dead Sea will come back to life. Its dead putrid waters will be healed. 8 Then …

Another media report of Muslims turning to Christ in significant numbers, this time in Stoke-on-Trent, England. Photo: Stoke-on-Trent, Futurilla/Flickr/Creative Commons

Media reports Muslims turning to Christianity in England

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I have written several articles on Muslims converting to Christianity in unprecedented numbers. Stories tell of Muslims turning to Christ after Jesus appeared to them in dreams, a fulfillment of Joel 2:28. In Iran, thousands are becoming Christians despite the fear of persecution when they make that decision. And now with the recent influx of hundreds of thousands of Muslims into Europe, several secular media report that thousands of Muslims — many fed up with the violence of the extremists — are becoming Christians across Europe. Now we can add England to this list. A prominent English newspaper, The Guardian wrote a curious article on what is happening at Church of St. Mark in Stoke-on-Trent, England. The story stated that one recent Saturday morning, 15 Muslim refugees were baptized in the church. Rev Sally Smith who serves as the church’s vicar, says that three to four Muslims turn to Christianity weekly. According to the article, part of the reason for the growth is that the church is supplying the refugees assistance in the form of …

Drug-resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA) bacteria. Photo: National Institute of Health (Wikipedia/Flickr/Creative Commons)

None of these diseases

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There was a curious discovery in the guts of nine Inca mummies dug out of the mountains of Chile. Tasha Santiago-Rodriguez, who works with California Polytechnic State University (CPSU), said initially her group was “very surprised” by what they found. In the stomachs of the ancient mummies dated between the 10th and 18th century, they discovered antibody-resistant bacteria. Drug-resistant bacteria is becoming an increasing concern in the 21st century. It involves disease-causing bacteria with a natural immunity to modern antibodies that doctors have traditionally used to fight them. A number of these drug-resistant bacteria recently showed up in Europe, Asia and the US. Without drugs to beat this bacteria back, human populations will become increasingly vulnerable. As these super-bugs started appearing, there have been repeated references in the media on how these bacteria have mutated building up a resistance to our modern drugs. It leaves the impression we are witnessing evolution in action. However, the recent discovery of bacteria with resistance to modern drugs like tetracycline,  penicillin and vancomycin in the guts of ancient Incas sets …

This image was developed after terrorists attacked the office of the magazine Charlie Hebdo on January 7, 2015 killing 12 people. Image: Christian R. Hamacher/Flickr/Creative Commons

Another Holy Spirit outpouring — this time France

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Christian Broadcasting Network is reporting on a move of God in France at the Grande Conference held in Nates, July 1-3, 2016. According to a report by Chris Gore, a pastor from California who spoke at the event, during one of the early services nearly 70% of the people in attendance, numbering over 1,000, gave their life to the Lord. In later services there was an outpouring of miracles with hundreds claiming healings. On his Facebook page, Gore wrote: Europe is alive for Jesus! What an incredible night in France. We saw tonight around 2,000 miracles and exactly 100 reports of deaf ears opening. The convention also featured Canadian speakers John and Carol Arnott who led the infamous Toronto revival. Similar events are scheduled for Austria and Germany later this fall. In the midst of the terrorism and violence that has hit Europe, God is beginning to stir. In the Book of Revelation, an apocalyptic vision of the end times given to the Apostle John, he writes on an outpouring of the Holy Spirit that …

Solar concern: The Sun is shooting blanks

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Paul Dorian is a noted meteorologist and sun watcher and earlier this month he expressed his concerns that the sun shot blanks twice in June. This takes place when the sun looks blank because of a lack of sun spots or solar activity. He said that the sun went completely blank on June 4 and solar activity did not start-up again until June 8th and then again on June 23. In between those two blank periods, Dorian described the sun spots as “sporadic.” According to NASA the sun goes through a 11-year cycle of increased and decreased sun spot activity called a “solar maximum” and “solar minimum.” This is the normal life of the sun. Dorian says the recent spur in blanks indicates the sun is entering the minimum part of its cycle. However, in what he describes as the “Weakest solar cycle in more than a century,” the extreme nature of the minimum is concerning him. This could be paving the way for a much more alarming solar event called a “Maunder minimum.” Similar …

Middle East dust storm. Photo: diogo.saravia/Flickr/Creative Commons

Are you covered with the wrong dust?

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Jesus was sending his disciples to preach the gospel in some nearby villages when He gave these odd instructions. 13 If the house is worthy, give it your blessing of peace. But if it is not worthy, take back your blessing of peace. 14 Whoever does not receive you, nor heed your words, as you go out of that house or that city, shake the dust off your feet. (Matthew 10:13-14 NASV) If the village did not heed their words or receive Christ’s message they were supposed to shake the dust of the village off their feet. In the dry Mediterranean climate, dust was a constant way of life and not surprisingly idioms about dust found its way into the common vernacular. It was a quirky saying and sometimes we struggle to understand what Jesus was referring to. In fact, Jesus may have alluded to a quaint saying associated with Rabbis of the day. In her book, Walking in the dust of the Rabbi, Jesus, author Lois Tverberg explains that Jesus’ teaching approach was very much the …

Why do Islamic terrorists want to attack the Vatican? Photo: vgm8383/Flickr/Creative Commons

Italian police thwart Muslim extremist terrorist attack on the Vatican

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In early May, Italian police reported they stopped a planned ISIS terrorist attack on the Vatican and the Israeli embassy in Rome. They believe six people were involved in this plot — three men and three women. Four  Moroccans were arrested. Two others, a Moroccan man and his Italian wife have apparently fled to either Iraq or Syria. The police became aware of the plot through phone taps of conversations between members of the group. In a transcript released to the public, one of the arrested men allegedly said: “I swear I will be the first to attack them in this Italy of the crusaders, I swear I’ll attack it, in the Vatican, God willing.” This isn’t the first time that the Italian police thwarted a terrorist attack on the Vatican. Last year, at almost exactly the same time, Italian police broke up an Al-Qaeda plot planned against the Vatican that may have included a possible assassination attempt on the Pope. Nine people were arrested (Afghans and Pakistanis) in raids and police were looking for …

Funeral procession in England for person killed during the 1918-1920 flu Pandemic that killed upwards of 5% of the earth's population.

Are super-bugs paving the way for end-time plagues?

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I have always found one of the prophecies given about the end times a bit perplexing – the Bible talks about plagues. In His description of the apocalyptic end, Jesus warned: 11 and there will be great earthquakes, and in various places plagues and famines; and there will be terrors and great signs from heaven. (Luke 21:11 NASV) With our modern medical practices, vaccines and antibodies, plagues seem to be something we only read about in history books such as the flu pandemic that swept the world between January 1918 and December 1920. It is estimated that 500 million people were infected from the Pacific islands to the Arctic. The Spanish flu as it came to be known killed upwards of 5% of the earth’s population (100 million people). But today health officials are warning that the improper use of our antibodies is creating a strain of super bugs that have a natural resistance to modern drugs. This may pave the way for modern-day plagues. Bacteria are similar to our human population, where we have people who …

New York City Times Square Photo: Jack Siah/Flickr/Creative Commons

Ominous sign of the times? New York mayor calls for a boycott of Chick-fil-A

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A popular US-based fast food restaurant has been in caught up in a fire-storm of protests over the past four years, because the Cathay family — who own Chick-fil-A — are devout Christians and stated publicly that marriage was between a man and a woman. In a 2012 interview with the Biblical Recorder, Chick-fil-A’s Chief Operating Officer Dan Cathay said “we are very much supportive of the family – the Biblical definition of the family unit.” That statement and their financial support of family organizations sparked nation-wide protests by gay activists. However, the protests fell flat as sales at Chick-fil-A restaurants rose by 12% in 2012. So far, the restaurant chain has rather successfully weathered the storm. But things took an ominous turn recently after Chick-fil-A announced it would be opening a third restaurant in New York City. It launched the first one in 2015 and obviously they have done very well sprouting two more restaurants in less than a year. Chick-fil-A’s arrival caught the attention of the city’s political ruling caste. New York Mayor …

Mexico's Mt. Popocatepetl came to life earlier this week in spectacular fashion. It is one of the world's three super volcanoes. Photo: LEOHM1/Flickr/Creative Commons

Most dangerous volcano in Mexico comes to life

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Mexican news media are reporting that Mt. Popocatépetl (Aztec for smoking mountain) came to life earlier this week spewing ash three kilometers in the air. It is Mexico’s most dangerous volcano and reports are coming in that it blew “incandescent fragments” 1.6 kilometers away. The volcano has been showing signs of activity since late March. According to authorities, the volcano began spewing out ash at 2:32 AM Monday morning (April 18, 2016) covering homes and vehicles in nearby Puebla city (population three million). You can watch the eruption in the video below: Mexico’s National Disaster Prevention Center has warned people to stay at least 12 kilometers away from the volcano. If Mt. Popocatépetl ever fully erupted, the results would be catastrophic. There are about 25 million people living near the volcano including the 18 million inhabitants of Mexico City only 70 km (43 miles) away.   Concerned experts are keeping a close eye on the developing situation. Mt. Popocatépetl is one of the three super volcanoes that I have referenced in previous articles, the other two …

Full moon peering out behind exploding Old Faithful in Yellowstone Park Photo: Miles Ritter/Flickr/Creative Commons

Did the prophet Joel predict a boiling river near Yellowstone Park?

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There are strange things happening in America’s infamous Yellowstone Park and believe it or not, the prophet Joel and maybe even the Apostle John might have predicted it. One involves Yellowstone’s most famous geyser — Old Faithful. It normally erupts about every 74 minutes, but the times can vary from 60 to 100 minutes. It shoots spray and water about 140′ into the air and on a good day it can tower to 180′. Heated by the molten lava deep below, the water is hot. It has been measured at 204F (95.6C) and the steam at 350F. But in the video taken on the night of April 15, 2016, by the Geyser Observatory, Old Faithful is going off repeatedly. Other geysers are also suddenly appearing and shooting off. Though the video that was taken in the middle of the night, it looks like day because the ground is glowing: Commenting on the video, Kat Marin2016 said: This was insane! There are places steaming I have never seen steam before….and also note that the bright ground …

The aftermath of a 6.5 magnitude earthquake that hit California on December 22, 2003. Photo: Brian Lopez/Flickr/Creative Commons

Geologists warn mega earthquake looming

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Over the past week the earth has been hit with several large earthquakes resulting in hundreds of people being killed. Two major earthquakes hit Japan. The first one occurred on Thursday, April 14. With a magnitude of 6.5, it resulted in nine deaths and 800 injuries. A similar-sized earthquake hit the Pacific island of Vanuatu that same day with no reported deaths. Then a second 7.3 magnitude earthquake hit Japan two days later on Saturday, April 16 killing 34 and injuring 1,500. There is even concern that repeated earthquakes could eventually split Japan’s southern island in half. That same day an earthquake with a 7.6 magnitude rocked Ecuador, South America killing over 272 people (update: 570 dead as of April 21, 2016) and injuring 2,500. This group of earthquakes fell in the Ring of Fire, that circulates around the edges of the Pacific Ocean. About 90% of the world’s earthquakes occur in this region and as well 81% of the major earthquakes, those exceeding 7.0 magnitude. Anyone with an interest in end-times events are probably …

The Baal arches scheduled to be set up in London's Trafalgar Square have been cancelled. Photo: Trafalgar Square by Hector Rodriguez/Flickr/Creative Commons

Baal arches scheduled for New York City and London, England — CANCELLED

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[UPDATED SEPTEMBER 20, 2016:] It is now being reported that the Baal arch originally planned for New York City and then cancelled is on again. According to Breaking Israel News (BIN) a replica of the 1,800 year old Victory Arch that stood in front of a Baal Temple in Plamyra, Sryia went up in New York City’s Hall Park on September 19th. Roman Emperor Servius constructed the original arch in the third century and installed it in front of an ancient Baal Temple. The arch was destroyed in 2015 by the radical Islamic group ISIS. An organization called the Institute for Digital Archaeology (IDA) announced plans in March this year to create a 15-meter tall 3-D replica of the Arch with plans to install one in both New York City and London, England. Though the New York City installation was cancelled some believe due to public pressure IDA installed the arch in London’s Trafalgar Square on April 19th. ……………………………………………….. I had reported earlier on several media reports stating that an organization called the Institute of …

The Temple Mount and Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem seen from the Mount of Olives. Photo: Boris G./Flickr/Creative Commons

If you want to be a Temple priest in Israel, make sure you weren’t born in a hospital

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Jerusalem’s Temple Institute has just announced it is accepting applications for priests to serve in a yet to be built Jewish Temple. The Institute, which started in 1987, is dedicated to seeing a third temple built in Jerusalem replacing the Temple destroyed by the Romans in 70 AD. Over the years, it has completed a number of items in preparation for this third Temple. This includes constructing 70 pieces of temple furniture part of which one is a massive altar, that can be taken apart and moved to the Temple once it is constructed. Everything was meticulously prepared according to Biblical instructions.  They have also ordered the architectural drawings for a third temple. This is a tricky task because it must meet Biblical specifications as well as modern building practices. The Institute is even creating a herd of red cattle using imported embryos from red Angus beef in America. An unblemished red heifer is necessary for some of the Temple sacrifices. Recently the Temple Institute announced it is now accepting applications for positions of Temple …