All posts filed under: End times

OpenDoors reports a 60% increase in the number of believers who died for their faith in 2020

Published by

According to OpenDoors annual report, there was a 60% increase in the number of Christians who died for their faith in 2020 over 2019. This was a largely led by a dramatic rise in the number of Christians murdered in Nigeria by Islamic extremists. OpenDoors reported that 4,761 Christians died for their faith last year with 2,200 of them taking place in Nigeria. Several have been warning of a potential for a Christian genocide in the African nation. It also appears that the violence directed at Christians in Nigeria is spreading into neighbouring countries. This has been part of an overall increase in the persecution of Christians around the world noted by OpenDoors, an organization dedicated to helping persecuted Christians around the world. In their report, OpenDoors added that governments have also been using the COVID-19 pandemic as an excuse to come down on Christians. They are not only trying to stop churches from meeting, while allowing similar secular events to continue, but in some areas of the world, they are purposefully cutting back aid …

2021: Do we have a future now?

Published by

A few minutes ago, I got a surprise. I went for a walk, and the winter ice is slippery, so I was doing my careful penguin slide-walk. You have to live in a place with cold winters to know what that means. A neighbour came by, walking in the same way. We said the usual “Hello, how are you?,” and he was very happy to know that I was doing well. We walked together for a while, and he told me how concerned he was about our personal freedom. You probably know someone like him, and maybe you agree with him. Conspiracy people. He told me about a place that has a curfew, where millions of people are not allowed out at night, and this is supposed to keep us safe from the COVID virus. My neighbour bought extra groceries because he isn’t vaccinated. Apparently, he has been praying for me. I did not know that he had any religious beliefs, but he is very concerned about our future. I hear words like his in …

The World keeps on Churning

Published by

Churning is not a word that most of us in daily conversation. When’s the last time you heard this: “Hey, Bob. What’s you got churning?” And that famous old song, Proud Mary encourages the “big wheel to keep on turning and Proud Mary to keep on burning” as the old paddlewheel travels down the river. It doesn’t say keep on churning. What is churning anyway? According to the Cambridge dictionary, churning means to move something, especially a liquid, with great force. Dairy farmers know it also means mixing milk until it becomes butter. If your stomach is churning, you feel nauseated or ill. Churning means to work up or to agitate. Did you know it is also used on the Bible? Nehemiah, Job, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Habakkuk, and Jude all mention it. Perhaps the one that is most well-known is from Proverbs 30:33. “For as churning cream produces butter, and as twisting the nose produces blood, so stirring up anger produces strife.” Churning is not fun and it can be frightening to watch. When we …

Caribbean island volcanoes awaken

Published by

The prophet Joel wrote of events leading up to the coming Day of the Lord and in one of his visions marking the endtimes he saw column(s), plural, of smoke/ash pouring into the sky that darkened the sun and caused the moon to turn red (Joel 2:30-31). Along that theme, a recent article in the Daily Mail reports that volcanoes in the Caribbean are starting to come to life: Residents of St Vincent and the Grenadines have been told to evacuate their homes as a volcano begins to spew ash from a newly formed dome after lying dormant for decades. Authorities have issued an alert for the area, affecting more than 100,000 people, as scientists assess the latest eruption.  On Tuesday officials warned of strong gas emissions, formation of a new volcanic dome and changes to its crater lake at the La Soufriere volcano.   Today the alert level was raised to an orange, with suggestions the volcano could erupt within a day and advising people from Fancy in the north of the island to Georgetown …

Tens of thousands of Chinese pastors in hiding, report

Published by

According to a report by Asia Harvest, tens of thousands of Chinese pastors have gone into hiding in China to avoid persecution by the tyrannical Communist regime. Part of this includes removing themselves from the internet by disconnecting their cell phones and computers. As well, people are required to have a government-issued identity card with them at all times. However, it also contains a chip that gives the government limited ability to track people, so some pastors have also found ways to disable that chip. The Christian Post explains: “Each person in China must have an ID card. It is impossible for a person to catch a flight or train, open a bank account, get a job, or rent an apartment without using their card. Each ID card contains a computer chip which is also used to track people’s movements,” the [Asia Harvest] newsletter added. Yet, despite this the church in China, that is apparently heading back underground under its current tyrant, Xi Jinping, has doing remarkably well as Christian Post adds: Despite persecution, Christianity …

Who or what is the restrainer of lawlessness mentioned by the Apostle Paul?

Published by

One of the signs that Jesus spoke about indicating that the end times were near is that there would be an increase in lawlessness (Matthew 24:12-13). The Greek word ‘amonia’, translated lawlessness, refers to a complete disregard for the law. It is a time when there is nothing restraining illegal behaviour. It is similar to a period described in the book of Judges, when we are told that people did what was right in their own eyes (Judges 21:25). But the English word ‘increase’ really doesn’t do the Greek word ‘plethyno’ justice, because it means multiply. Derivatives of this word are used to describe floods. So, Jesus was stating that one of the signs of the end times would be a rapidly rising state of lawlessness. In 2 Thessalonians, the Apostle Paul provides a more detailed explanation informing us that the “mystery” source of this push towards lawlessness is satanic: 6 And you know what is restraining him now so that he may be revealed in his time. 7 For the mystery of lawlessness is already at …

Video: Does the Bible speak of nuclear war in end times?

Published by

I recently produced a video discussing Bible verses that may suggest there will be nuclear war in the end times. When dealing with Bible prophecy, we need to understand that many of the prophets were seers, meaning they were having visions of what they were seeing. If they were seeing visions of things that would be taking place thousands of years in the future, how would they describe nuclear weapons and their devastation when the most advanced weapons of their day were swords and spears. This is why we need to look for other clues when studying these visions of the end times.

Communist China proposes world tracking system

Published by

Taking a page out of the Book of Revelation, Communist China’s tyrant for life, Xi Jinping, is proposing the world embrace a system using QR codes that would track every citizen of the world. He made the recommendation during a recent virtual meeting of the G20. His justification for this is to keep tabs on the spread of the COVID-1984 virus that originated in China. China has been using the system, that tracks people in real time, in a few of its cities as another layer of oppression.

A Third Jewish Temple, Yea or Nay?

Published by

There have been two temples in Israel’s history. The first built by King Solomon, was destroyed in 586 BC by the Babylonians and a second one built by Ezra when King Cyrus and Darius allowed the Jews to return to Jerusalem from their Babylonian. This second Temple underwent major renovations by King Herod and it was the temple that Jesus visited. That second Temple was obliterated by the Romans in 70 AD and since then Orthodox Jews believe that God wants a third Temple built based on prophecies in Ezekiel that spoke of a temple that did not fit the descriptions of the previous two temples (Ezekiel 40-42). According to Israel365 news, an orthodox Jewish news site, many orthodox Jews are convinced a third temple must be built. They also believe that it will be much larger than the first two because it needs to make room for arrival of the gentiles who will be part of the temple worship (Isaiah 2:2-3). Israel365 writes: The details of the prophecy related to the building of the …

Another very close call

Published by

It was a very close call, and was all the more onimous considering that the asteroid flew by on Friday, Nov. 13, 2020, if you are into that sort of thing. The Daily Mail reports that an asteroid, the size of a large bus (16 feet to 33 feet), missed earth by just 240 miles (386 km) last Friday. This is the closest an asteroid has come to hitting earth since astronomers started tracking what they describe as near earth objects. What is perhaps equally concerning is that astronomers who track asteroids had no idea this happened until Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System located on Mauna Loa, Hawaii saw it flying away the next day. However, even if it had hit earth, it is suspected the asteroid named 2020 VT4 would have burned up in the earth’s atmosphere. In order for an asteroid to reach earth and potentially cause damage, it’s needs to be at least 25 meters (82 feet) in size and for it to have a global impact the asteroid would need to …

Fighting for religious freedom: Are Christians verging on becoming second class citizens?

Published by

Samuel Alito, 70, was appointed to the US Supreme Court in 2007 under US President George Bush. He is considered an originalist when it comes to the US Constitution, meaning he interprets it as it was intended by the original writers, not by what a person wants it to mean. On Thursday, he was delivering a speech online for the Federalist Society and warned that Christians are verging on becoming second class citizens: “[There are] emerging trends in the assessment of individual rights. This is especially evident with respect to religious liberty. It pains me to say this, but in certain quarters , religious liberty is fast becoming a disfavored right.” He added that the COVID-1984 is simply exposing this underlying sentiment and is being used to restrict religious freedom. As an example, Alito referred specifically to what happened in Nevada where Alito said the government “blatantly discriminated against houses of worship.” The state government placed heavy COVID restrictions on Houses of Worship while not doing the same for Casinos that in practice function very …

Is the earth pulsating the Name of God?

Published by

According to an article on WND.com, the earth has been emanating a regular pulse every 26 seconds for the last several decades. We don’t know exactly how long this has been going on, but it was first noticed in the 1960s by Jack Oliver a geologist who was working for Columbia University’s Lamont-Doherty Geological Observatory. He heard the noise that he called a ‘microseism’ but had no idea what was causing it. He also lacked the equipment to narrow down where it was coming from. According to an article on Israel365, the pulse was essentially ignored for a dozen or so years, until another geologist, Gary Holmes, took a look at the sound in the 1980s and determined this seismic pulse was louder during storms. Then a 2006 study wondered if it was being caused by the sun warming the earth. In 2013, geologist Garret Euler concluded, based on his study, that the pulse was originating in an area called the Bight of Bonny located in the Gulf of Guinea. Euler suggested it was being …

Is the U.S. election in Bible Prophecy?

Published by

The United States is completing an election, as I write this, and what an election it has been. The two sides were divided and angry from the beginning, and the results will be almost a tie. When one side is finally declared the winner, the other side will argue about dishonesty and corruption in the voting process. There will be legal challenges, probably for months, and some people will never accept the results. For the record, I am not choosing sides, and I hope everyone involved can find a good future. This election has divided the people of the wealthiest and most powerful country in the world, and the whole world will feel the fallout. There is no middle ground, or neutral position. The nation is divided. This must hurt; the Russians are laughing at the Americans about the election: READ: Russian media serve up smugness, mockery after U.S. vote This is huge. So, is such a world-changing event in Bible prophecy? The Bible says many things about the future, and it focuses on things …

Man rips cross off London church on Sunday afternoon

Published by

In a brazen act, this past Sunday afternoon, Oct. 18, 2020, a man ripped a cross off a Baptist church in East London. Several shocked bystanders videoed the incident. Breitbart reports: A viral video on social media appears to a show a man standing on top of a church and ripping down its cross in broad daylight. The video shows a young male methodically yanking down the cross on top of the Chadwell Heath Baptist Church, which describes itself as “an informal multinational congregation of around 70 people [who] seek to worship God and pray together, to share the good news of Jesus Christ, to encourage people to be His disciples and serve the local community and wider church family.” The man makes no attempt to even partially hide his identity — which would not be difficult, with the sight of people wearing masks even outdoors not uncommon in London amid the ongoing Wuhan virus pandemic — and appears heedless of the fact that there are multiple people at the scene or passing by at the time of the act. …

Are we getting technologically closer to the Mark of the Beast?

Published by

Over the centuries, Bible scholars have pondered about the Mark of the Beast that the Apostle John mentioned in his vision of the end times written down in the Book of Revelation. He saw that people were forced to take a mark on their hand or forehead and without it, they would be unable to buy or sell. John stated that the mark of the beast revealed an individual’s support of the anti-Christ regime. “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.” Revelation 13: 16-17 (NIV) Some have suggested that this mark was simply a symbolic identification with the satanic realm, while others believe it was a literal mark revealing a person’s support. The emergence of a temporary high tech tattoo created by researchers at Penn State University may indicate how …

Pope Francis pushes communism & one world government?

Published by

A couple of stories on Pope Francis reveals some concerns about the leader of the Roman Catholic Church which as of 2018 had 1.3 baptized adherents. Both articles focussed on a teaching entitled the new encyclical, ‘Fratelli Tutti’ (Brothers All) that the Pope gave on Sunday, Oct. 4, 2020. In the first article reported in the Daily Mail, the leader of the world’s Catholic seems to be indirectly pushing communism as the answer to the world’s woes. The Daily Mail explains: Pope Francis says the coronavirus pandemic has proven that the ‘magic theories’ of market capitalism have failed and that the world needs a new type of politics that promotes dialogue and solidarity. […] He rejected the concept of an absolute right to property for individuals, stressing instead the ‘social purpose’ and common good that must come from sharing the Earth’s resources. READ: Pope says coronavirus pandemic has proven that ‘magic theories’ of market capitalism have failed and world needs a new type of politics Since the Pope is considered the spiritual leader of Catholics, …

Signs of the end times?

Published by

There were threes stories this week that may have ominous ties to the end times. I am not suggesting that they are literal fulfillment of what the prophets saw, but at the very least they reveal how easily it could happen. The first took place in Communist China where according to Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW), the leaders of Huang Fei, a village located near China’s Western border, put up a sign warning people against converting to Christianity. They specifically warned of financial consequences if people choose to believe in Jesus Christ. According to CSW, this could include fines and even confiscation of livestock. CSW also reports that the village of Li initiated regulations that permit people in that village to specifically target and isolate Christians. It is uncertain what the consequences of this targeting would be, but again it’s probably financial. Though this is disturbing news, it also reveals that those in positions of authority are becoming increasing threatened by Christianity indicating it must be spreading. In his vision of the end times recorded in …

Christians: What happens when we quit?

Published by

Are you a believer; in anything? Have you thought about quitting? Do you know anyone who has? The pandemic with the Covid virus has closed churches where I live, and it feels like everyone is dropping out. Quitting is like a modern fad. Often, millennials do not like the things that were important to baby boomers, especially religion. There is a growing trend these days, to quit religion. I have some close relatives who have done that. If you do an Internet search with “ex” and any belief, you will find many discussion sites. There are ex-Mormons, ex-Muslims, ex-Evangelicals, and probably any other belief you can think of. Some have video testimonials. I’m a Christian, so what should I do with this information? This is important. I was raised with the idea that new converts would find their way to the truth, but now we have reverts who leave. There are several possibilities: a) They never really believed. People easily drop out of ‘Churchianity’ if they have only joined a religious tribe. Subscribing to a …

Are we entering the ‘Time of Jacob’s Trouble’?

Published by

An old saying suggests that if we don’t learn from history, we are doomed to repeat it. So what happens if we don’t remember it? A survey conducted of adults between the ages of 18 to 39 (millennials and Gen Z) by Claims Conference (Conference on Jewish Material Claims against Germany) discovered that nearly 66% of young Americans were not aware that the Nazis slaughtered six million Jews in concentration camps during the World War II Holocaust. And the survey also revealed other disturbing news: 23% though the Holocaust was either a myth or was exaggerated or had no opinion. 36% believed less than two million Jews were killed. 12% said they had definitely never heard of the Holocaust. 48% could not provide the name of a Nazi concentration camp. But what is equally concerning is that in New York nearly 20% of millennials blamed the Jews for the Holocaust. It was Jew’s fault that the Nazi’s slaughtered millions of them in the gas chambers. This type of thinking does not bode well for the …

New York City is special, but not that special

Published by

A few months back my wife, daughter and I had a chance to visit New York City and Times Square is impressive and the people friendly. But I was puzzled recently because there are actually two groups claiming that the Jewish Messiah will come from New York City. New York City is special, but not that special. Of course, New York is among the most famous cities of the world, but when we look at the Bible, Malachi prophesied that Bethlehem was chosen as the birthplace for the Messiah, because it wasn’t special: But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days. (Micah 5:2 ESV) Bethlehem was also the birthplace of King David (1 Samuel 16:1-3), who foreshadowed the coming of Christ. So, who are claiming that the Jewish Messiah will come from New York City? The first involves a religious group in …

Beirut: What is God doing?

Published by

Right now, we are in this year 2020, and this is the year when the world changes. We all know about a virus from China, and violent demonstrations in the streets. Life has changed in a big way. And then we had an explosion in Beirut Lebanon. At this time, more than a hundred are confirmed dead, and searchers are still looking for bodies. Apparently, a ship filled with Ammonium Nitrate was abandoned in Beirut harbor a few years ago. High nitrogen fertilizer, if that was the product, is very dangerous. I have worked in transportation safety, and that fertilizer mixed with petroleum, is as explosive as dynamite. It was used by terrorists to blow up a government building in Oklahoma City, and do you know the meaning of TNT? That powerful explosive is Tri-Nitro Toluene. Toluene is petroleum, and nitrogen is in products like fertilizer. Beirut was just waiting for the explosion, and it was like an atomic bomb without the radiation. READ: Beirut explosion: Angry protesters storm government ministries Lebanon is in the …

Are you ready for the 2020 COVID famine?

Published by

It’s impossible to miss the virus pandemic that has spread around the world. I remember hearing the first rumours about a virus in China, in February of this year. Those rumours quickly became a fact and the disease spread to every place in the world. We all know this. Did you know this is qualifies as a biblical famine? Our reaction is now as dangerous as the disease. People will suffer from a virus infection, and some will die. Also, our social controls to resist the disease have disrupted the world economy. Now, more people will die from the remedy than from the disease. We are really hurting ourselves: READ: Coronavirus-linked malnutrition is killing 10,000 more children a month, UN warns When we think of a famine on a biblical scale, we always imagine a lack of food. That is partly true, but in ancient times, food was the economy. Everyone worked on a farm and lived by the food they produced, except for a few who lived in a village, close to the farm …

Preparing for the end times

Published by

When the warden for All Saints’ Radford church in Nottinghamshire showed up at the church on Sunday, July 26, 2020, Lorraine Smedley discovered that vandals had painted upside down crosses and swastikas on the church building. The Nottinghamshire police referred to it as a “hate crime.” Across the English Channel in France, reports indicate the number of attacks against Christian churches in that country has increased nearly 300% in just 12 years according to the Observatory on Intolerance and Discrimination Against Christians in Europe (OIDACE), a Venice-based organization. OIDACE reports that in 2018, the French government officially stated that there were 275 attacks, fires and vandalism, against churches in that county. That number had climbed to 1,052 attacks by 2019, representing a 285% increase. Recently, there was an arson attack on a 500-year-old Cathedral in Nantes, France on July 18, 2020. Unfortunately, this is only the tip of the iceberg because these simply represent threats and attacks against physical structures. In 2018, the French government reported that there were 2,000 hate crimes against Christians. Though …

Does the discovery of Naboth’s vineyard have a message for today?

Published by

Archaeologists working at the site of the ancient city of Jezreel in Israel are wondering if they have found the remains of a vineyard connected with Israel’s most wicked Queen, Jezebel. For those not familiar with Jezebel, she was the daughter of the King of Phoenicia who married King Ahab, probably as part of a peace treaty between the two nations. In the process, Jezebel gained control of both Ahab and the nation of Israel leading it down a path of sin and destruction. According to the Biblical account, King Ahab noticed a vineyard near his house in Jezreel owned by a man named Naboth. Ahab offered Naboth a deal he couldn’t refuse. However, Naboth refused stating that this land was part of God’s inheritance given to his family. King Ahab returned to his house and sulked, which is where Jezebel found her husband (1 Kings 21:1-4). When Ahab told his wife what had happened, Jezebel took matters into her own hands, and she seized the vineyard. We will discuss this in more detail later. …

Jesus and Seattle police officer issue warning

Published by

In an interview with Fox News about CHAZ, the Capitol Hill Autonomous Free Zone, a seven block area (it has grown by one block) taken over by left-wing extremists in Seattle, Seattle police officer Michael Solan had this to say: “This is very concerning. And I think it should have everyone across the country deeply concerned, because this could metastasize across the country. It’s quite clear that city of Seattle elected officials are lacking the political will to enforce the rule of law. And this is the closest I’ve seen since being a 20-year professional of a public safety service of our country becoming a lawless state.” . And when you have six, now seven blocks of a city of Seattle owned geography now being occupied by some say are still armed people, especially at night. Where do we go from here? And what happens to the reasonable community in Seattle, particularly the business owners that surround that area or the residents. And we are already seeing reports come out of those residents saying they’re …

Riots and Demonstrations: Is this the end?

Published by

The whole world knows about demonstrations that turn into riots in the U.S. where violent people own the streets. With a video camera on every cell phone, and the Internet to broadcast stories to us all, there are no secrets. So, is this the end of the world? Is the book of Revelation happening? These riots may be a rehearsal, but the pattern was predicted. It all starts with a white horse: “I looked, and there before me was a white horse! Its rider held a bow, and he was given a crown, and he rode out as a conqueror bent on conquest” (Revelation 6:2). A Sheriff in Florida showed the next phase, the red horse. The easy targets are not so easy, and people push back. That is how the end will come. READ: Florida Sheriff advises local residents to shoot rioters that invade personal property

Israel and Egypt: The future does not look good

Published by

While the whole world is focusing on the Coronavirus Pandemic, there is other news. Some interesting things are happening in the world, and there are lessons that we could miss. As I write this, Muslims are in their month of Ramadan which according to the information I have runs this year from April 23 to May 23. About 1.8 billion people are counted as Muslim, and this year’s Ramadan is complicated with the restrictions of a pandemic lock down. A few years ago, I worked as a trainer for a bus company, and that meant I drove a school bus when a driver phoned in sick; and someone always phoned in. One morning I drove some children for a bilingual Arabic-English program, so they were from immigrant families from the Middle East. I heard two little girls talking behind me, about ‘those people’ which meant people like me. One little girl said “and they don’t have Ramadan!” They both seemed shocked by this information. That was a lesson for me; these people take their beliefs …

Is the Age of the Gentiles About to End?

Published by

GOD TV, an evangelical organization out of England, has just received approval to preach the Gospel of Jesus in Hebrew on a cable channel in Israel. GOD TV recently signed a seven-year deal with HOT to distribute a new Christian channel entitled “SHELANU TV” (translated “Ours TV” in English). HOT controls about 50% of the Israeli cable market. Before this could happen, HOT had to receive permission from Israel’s Cable and Satellite Broadcasting Council that regulates cable TV in Israel. According to Ward Simpson, GOD TV’s CEO, their organization believes this will be the first time, that this type of broadcasting has been allowed. While other Christian channels are broadcasting on cable channels in English, this will be the first one that broadcasts in Hebrew. The English broadcasts are largely watched by the thousands of English-speaking Christians in Israel. The significance of a Christian organization broadcasting its message in Hebrew has certainly caught the attention of the media, as it showed up on several major Israeli news site. Haaratz reported the new with this headline: …

Is China’s Communist Regime Paving the Way for the ‘Harlot of Babylon’?

Published by

ChinaAid has just recently released a video of a violent attack on a church in China by the country’s communist regime. ChinaAid is a Christian non-profit that focuses on human rights abuses in China. In their description of the video, ChinaAid writes: “In a video taken at the scene, officers and attendees of Xingguang Church shout as they engage in a physical altercation. As they block the entrance, officials drag a Christian to the door, with other congregants fighting along with him.” Aside from the violence, what is disturbing is the reason for the attack. The church is considered illegal because it was not part of the Communist Regime’s Three-Self Patriotic Movement (TSPM). Churches (including house churches) are required by law to be a part of the Three-Self movement. The Communist regime uses the Three-Self movement to control the Gospel message by inserting itself into choosing the Church leadership. The Gospel message is still being preached in some Three-Self churches, if the original pastor is still in charge. However, when he leaves, retires or dies, …

The Coronavirus: Were We Warned?

Published by

Nostradamus was a French predictor, possibly a prophet who said something about a “twin year” when life would change for the whole Earth. I am no expert on the writings of Nostradamus, but I know he lived almost five hundred years ago. If he told us something about a pandemic in our time, we should pay attention. One big problem with the writings of Nostradamus is that they are cryptic, like a puzzle. It is possible to say now, that he wrote about something in our times. It is also possible to interpret what he said in some other way. If Nostradamus was a prophet, he did not communicate clearly to us so that we could hear his warnings, and protect ourselves. A warning that we don’t understand until after the event is mostly a curiosity. READ: Nostradamus ‘There will be a twin year’ prediction: Did Nostradamus predict coronavirus?: Express And then there is Bill Gates. He is a wealthy man who seems to be concerned about the welfare of his fellow humans. With his …