All posts tagged: End-times

Photo from Hurricane Harvey, August 30, 2017 Credit: John Chandler/Flickr/Creative Commons

US solar eclipse: Sign or coincidence? You decide

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The total eclipse of the sun that cut a swath across the US on August 21, 2017 from Oregon to South Carolina has certainly garnered more than its share of attention in recent weeks with some wondering if it was a sign from God. The Bible often connects solar eclipses with end times events (Amos 8:9). In the book of Genesis, we are told that the heavens were created to be a sign to people. God would speak to us through solar events: 14 Then God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night, and let them be for signs and for seasons and for days and years; (Genesis 1:14 NASV) However, eclipses are not an unusual phenomena. They happen regularly. However, the US has not seen a similar total eclipse fully crossing the country for 99 years. Are all eclipses a sign? Probably not. But to suggest none of them are is equally wrong. If this eclipse was God speaking to America, what has happened …

Credit: Vincent Van den Storme/Flickr/Creative Commons

Turning up the heat

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The recent heat waves being experienced in the America Southwest and England may have an odd connection to a passage in the book of Revelation: 8 The fourth angel poured out his bowl upon the sun, and it was given to it to scorch men with fire. 9 Men were scorched with fierce heat; and they blasphemed the name of God who has the power over these plagues, and they did not repent so as to give Him glory. (Revelation 16:8-9 NASV) This past week Arizona experienced some very hot weather, but it did not break the 122 degree heat record set in that US state on June 26, 1990. Nevertheless for three consecutive days (June 19-21), Phoenix, Arizona broke or equaled heat records for their city with temperatures of 118F, 119F and 116F respectively. The high temperatures that reached into areas of California resulted in the National Weather Service issuing a warning about “heat-related illnesses.” In the United Kingdom, they are experiencing some of the hottest weather in 40 years. Heathrow reached 34.5C (94F) this past …

The plume from the 2010 eruption of Iceland's Eyjafjallajökull volcano. Credit: Gunnlaugur por Briem/Flickr/Creative Commons

Beware columns of smoke

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Last week was a bit worrying for those living in and around Yellowstone Park. Last Thursday, the area experienced a 4.4 earthquake. Earthquakes of that size can be felt, but rarely cause damage. But it wasn’t the earthquake that caused concern, rather it was the 295 other earthquakes that took place in that region during that seven-day period — 60 on Friday alone (June 16, 2017). We know Biblically that a rise in earth quakes will mark the end times, something that even Jesus referred to (Luke 21:11). Though many are downplaying the danger associated with these earthquakes, others are not so sure. They are not so concerned about the earthquakes, as smaller earthquakes can be beneficial releasing pressure and helping prevent a larger quake. But what is concerning is that a flurry of earthquakes could be sign of a bigger problem if they are occurring around a known volcano. It could be a warning of a looming volcanic eruption. As magma builds beneath the surface, the resulting pressure can often cause smaller earthquakes. This puts …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

Why do people believe the lies? Photo: Wojciech Staszyczyk/Flickr/Creative Commons

The age of delusion

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We are living in a bizarre world. Progressiveness and political correctness rule the day. It is a powerful delusion, almost a drug to many. Perhaps we shouldn’t be surprised. The Apostle Paul warned of just such a time when delusion, not truth and common sense, would rule the world. 10 and with all the deception of wickedness for those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved. 11 For this reason God will send upon them a deluding influence so that they will believe what is false [lit the lie].(2 Thessalonians 2:10-11 NASV) Paul warns that because people have chosen to ignore the truth they are now vulnerable to believing a lie. Not only are they more susceptible, God will also send a spirit of delusion so that people will believe what is false. A similar pattern took place during the Exodus. When Moses approached the Pharaoh about letting Israel go he hardened his heart (Exodus 8:15, 32; 9:34) and then at other times God hardened the Pharaoh’s …

If a hand-sized rock can create a 2-meteor crater, how big of a crater will a housed-sized one create? Photo Arizona crater. Photo Glendon Rolston/Flickr/Creative Commons

Was a man in India killed by a meteor?

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In what may become the first confirmed case of a meteorite killing a person, officials are investigating the death of a man in the city of Vellore in Tamil Nadu state, South India. Over the weekend a bus driver was standing on the grounds of an engineering college when a nearby water cooler exploded. The man dropped to the ground and was later pronounced dead at a hospital. The explosion also shattered windows in buildings surrounding the area. Though people reported seeing a bright object flashing down from the sky, authorities initially believed the blast was caused by explosives used at a nearby building site. However, when there was no evidence for that, the investigation shifted to a meteorite after they discovered a small bluish, diamond-like stone in the two-meter (five foot) sized crater left by the explosion. It was found by a metal detector. Scientists with the Indian Institute of Astrophysics now believe the forty-year-old man was killed by exploding shards off a small meteorite when it smashed into the ground. Officials are sending …

A sign of the times? Calbuco Volcanoe, Chile Photo: Andiseno Estudio/Flickr/Creative Commons

Another end times event — volcanoes?

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I had never heard of Perry Stone, an American Bible teacher and TV evangelist, but I recently came across his interpretation of verses in Joel speaking of the end-times, that caught my attention. Joel writes: “I will display wonders in the sky and on the earth, Blood, fire and columns of smoke. 31 “The sun will be turned into darkness And the moon into blood Before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes. (Joel 2:30-31 NASV) Up to this point, I have interpreted these verses referring to blood, fire, columns of smoke, dark sun and blood moon as describing the aftermath of a great earthquake the Apostle John refers to in Revelation 6:12-17. However, Stone has a different twist on this passage and I think he might be right. He believes Joel is describing giant volcanic eruptions exploding on the earth. Columns of smoke perfectly describe the aftermath of volcanoes. The resulting ash pouring into the atmosphere will cause a darkening of the sun and even blood moons. We were about 1200 miles away …

The Ommayad Mosque in Damascus, Syria was originally a church. Photo: reway2007/Flickr

Were drug fueled superhuman ISIS fighters foreseen in the Book Revelation?

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Washington Post columnist Peter Holley recently wrote about the super powers of ISIS fighters that makes them fearless in ISIS’s battle to set up a Muslim Caliphate in the Middle East. He says the reason is a small pill called “Captagon.” The highly addictive drug is illegal in the West. It was initially produced as a cure for such things as depression or hyperactivity. However, because of its severe negative side affects and addictive qualities the drug was banned in 1986 in most Western nations. Some of the side effects included hallucinations, psychosis and even brain damage. While banned in the rest of the world, the easily manufactured drug remained in production in the Middle East. Today, Syria and Saudi Arabia are the main producers of the drug which over the years has become increasingly toxic. According to Holley, ISIS leaders are giving their fighters the drug because it produces an euphoric state in the person, causing them to lose any sense of fear. It also results in the person being able to go for …

Canada's parliament building Photo: Onasill~Bill Badzo/Flickr

Does the defeat of Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper pave the way for a one-world government?

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I know it’s a bizarre headline, but I am not the one suggesting it. The statement was made by England’s Lord Christopher Monckton. He believes the recent electoral defeat of Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper could pave the way for a one-world government. Now before you jump to the conclusion that Monckton is some type of flake, I would like to tell you a bit more about this English Lord. Monckton is the Third Viscount of Benchley. He currently serves as a policy adviser to the Science and Public Policy Institute. Over the years, he has served as an adviser to English Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and in 1986 advised Thatcher to investigate the influence of CO2 on earth temperatures. This led Thatcher to set up the Hadley Centre for Forecasting. Monckton has since changed his mind about man’s influence on Global Warming and spends his time exposing the error that man is influencing global temperatures. He is an expert on Global Warming and has been called four times to testify on the issue before …

Mormon Row -- a collection of historic Mormon homes, Jackson Hole, Wyoming, US Photo: Hans Watson/Flickr

A Lesson from Mormon Missionaries

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While we were busy, the world moved. Religion as we knew it is passing away. One example of this shift is the LDS Mormon experience with missionaries. A recent article from Salt Lake City stated that Mormons have increased the number of young missionaries, but the number of new converts has not increased much. 44% more missionaries, have only produced 4% more converts. In corporate thinking, that is a failed return on investment. The unknown statistic is how many members are dropping out. It is possible that the LDS church is shrinking, as it loses more than it gains. There are large organizations for ExMos, ex Mormons who work aggressively to convince others to leave, and drop out rates are high. I believe the same trends are true for the Jehovah’s Witnesses, but I have no reliable statistics. I was once invited to a covert meeting of JW drop outs, conducted like a typical twelve step program. I am sure that many evangelical groups are shrinking in the same way. Drop-outs outnumber new converts, for …

Market place in Aleppo, Syria Photo: Flickr/alejooo

Was the recent beheading of Syrian Christians by ISIS predicted in the Book of Revelation?

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Christian Aid Mission (CAM) is reporting the killing of 12 Christians by ISIS near Aleppo, Syria. ISIS crucified four of the group and beheaded eight. CAM provides help to ministries and Christian groups in this troubled area of the world. As I read of this account , I again wondered if the beheading of these Christians is actually a fulfillment of the Book of Revelation that is the written record of an end-times vision received by the Apostle John about the apocalyptic events that would occur before the Second Coming of Jesus. Towards the end of his book, John sees a special reward given to two groups who had suffered through the extreme persecution seen in his vision: Then I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was given to them. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony of Jesus and because of the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received the mark on …

ISIS force YouTube Capture

Journalist embedded with ISIS says they want nuclear weapons for religious cleansing

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In his newly released book, Ten Days in the Islāmic State, German journalist Jurgen Todenhofer, 75, reports on his disturbing 10-day encounter with ISIS terrorists. Using Skype, Todenhofer was able to negotiate his visit that involved stays in two Islamic State controlled cities — Mosul, Iraq and Raqqa, Syria. He was babysat at times by none other than British terrorist Jihad John who gained his notoriety through beheading videos. Todenhofer added that those videos were purposefully done to intimidate and spread fear. It is believed ISIS allowed Todenhofer to embed with the group because he opposed the US invasion of Iraq. The journalist didn’t really trust ISIS and admitted preparing a will before joining the group because they had previously beheaded journalists. One of the most disturbing things that Todenhofer had to say is that ISIS’s goal is to use atomic weapons to create a “nuclear tsunami” that will result in the largest religious cleansing the world has ever seen. He says the west is “drastically underestimating the power of ISIS.” According to the journalist, …

Storm clouds ahead? Photo: TIPOSCHARSKY/Foter/CC BY

Shemitah: A time of shaking?

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You may have heard the Hebrew word ‘Shemitah’ being bandied about in recent days. The word refers to the “Sabbath year” mentioned in the Old Testament and practiced by orthodox Jews for centuries. The word has garnered new interest with the recent turmoil in the stock market which saw the American Dow Jones Industrial Average fall by 1,900 points at the end of August. Since then the stock market has been turmoil — up 200 one day and down the same amount the next. The word took on new meaning when Jewish Christian Jonathan Cahn released his  New York Time’s bestseller “The Mystery of the Shemitah.” In his book, Cahn discussed the Sabbath year or Shemitah which required Israeli farmers to rest the land every seventh year. The land could not be worked and was supposed to lay fallow for the full year. This also included vineyards and orchards. During Shemitah, the Israelis were to cancel debts and rest the land. All people were allowed to harvest any crops that grew on the fallow land …

Archaeologists digging into Gath, the hometown of Goliath Photo: Flickr/orientalizing

The giant gates of Gath, Goliath’s home town, found

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Archaeologists say they have discovered the ancient Philistine city of Gath, home to one of the Bible’s most notorious characters — a giant named Goliath. King David’s slaying of the Philistine Giant in 1 Samuel 17 with a sling is a metaphor today of overcoming incredible odds. And today archaeologists are also uncovering evidence the city and the giants living there were very real. Perhaps it was just a coincidence, but archaeologists from Bar Ilan University working at the Tell es-Safi site have not only uncovered pottery at the site with the name of Goliath etched on it, but recently announced they have found the massive gates to the city. They are considered the largest set of gates ever found, perhaps fitting for a city known for its giants. At this point they have just uncovered the top of the gates and massive walls and it will take several years to fully uncover the gates. However, the size of stones at the top suggest the walls were massive. Archaeologists have been working at the Tell …

Do a bizarre physics’ experiment and a strange Bible passage have anything in common?

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[by Dean Smith] The large Hadron Collider, located in Cern, just outside Geneva Switzerland, is 27 kms (15 miles long) and buried 100 meters underground. The machine which has been idle for two years for renovation and repair was just turned on June 2, 2015 with increased capacity. Also called a particle smasher, it now has the potential to send proton beams around its circular track with the force of 13 trillion electron volts (TEV) up from 8 (TEV) two years back. They plan to have it running at maximum power by summer or early fall. It is hoped the Collider will answer many questions about physics. Using super magnets, it sends proton beams containing billions of particles around its track at close to the speed of light with the goal of having them collide with each other. Only a handful of particles in the beams would crash together. When that happens, the physicists believe it will create the mini-energy equivalent of what took place shortly after the Big Bang.

Do trumpet sounds in the sky have a divine origin?

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[by Dean Smith] Around the world, people are hearing strange sounds in the sky that oddly sound like trumpet blasts. They have been heard in Germany, Belarus, US, Canada and the Ukraine. England’s Daily Mail, recently did a story on these sounds describing them this way: “Sounding like a trumpet or a collective from a brass section of an orchestra, a selection of videos shot from Canada to Ukraine, via the US, Germany and Belarus show strange goings on above us.” These blasts have been loud. The one heard in Kiev, Ukraine, in August 2011, was recorded by people almost 40 kms apart. That noise was so unusual, it even made nightly news casts.

US Geological Survey warns of the big ONE — a great earthquake

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[by Dean Smith] In a recent report, the US Geological Survey (USGS) warns the chances of a great earthquake in California has increased by nearly 50%. Based on their analysis of geological faults, the USGS states the chances of a “great” earthquake of 8.0 or greater in the next 30 years has increased from 4.7% to 7%. Tom Jordan, Director of the Southern California Earthquake Center, states that the pressure on the tectonic plates that make up the San Andreas Fault is building increasing the likelihood of a massive quake. It is likened to increasing pressure on a spring that will at one point be released. Aside from a great earthquake, there is a 99% chance of an earthquake of 6.7 or higher over the next 30 years.

Is the March 20, 2015 solar eclipse connected to an ominous solar eclipse of 1492?

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[by Dean Smith] I didn’t realize this, but solar eclipses are connected with other historical eclipses. NASA refers to these groups as a Saros cycle. Blood moons run in similar cycles as well. A solar eclipse occurs when the moon passes between the earth and the sun. A Saros cycle refers to groups of eclipses where the moon has the same geometry, the same distance from the earth and occurs at the same time of the year as earlier eclipses. These cycles occur at intervals of 18 years, 11 days and 8 hours. Essentially the solar eclipse occurring on March 20, 2015 is repeating an eclipse that occurred 18 years, 11 days prior and that one is connected to an eclipse that happened 18 years 11 days before it.

Another end-times event? The Temple Institute has built the Jewish altar

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UPDATED MARCH 23, 2015: [by Dean Smith] Israel’s Temple Institute, based in Jerusalem, just announced it had finished constructing the Altar of the Lord (also called the altar of burnt offering) this past December. The altar would be used for animal sacrifices if a new Jewish Temple is built in Jerusalem. The Romans destroyed the last temple in 70 AD. There were two altars in the original temple — the altar of burnt offering — which was just built and the smaller altar of incense. The Institute built the new altar according to the strict measurements and conditions laid out in the Old Testament. The media originally reported it stood 5 meters high (16 feet), however according to information just released by the Temple Institute, the altar is actually five amot high (a Biblical measurement) which works out to 7.7 feet and 24.5 feet wide. It comes complete with a ramp that allows for easy access to the top of the altar where the sacrifices took place.

Unusual end-times event? Solar eclipse and Blood moon happening close together

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[by Dean Smith] For those with an eye towards the end times, next week could prove interesting. On Friday, March 20, 2015, there will be a total eclipse of the sun. The total eclipse will happen over the North Pole and is expected to last 2 minutes. The eclipse will be so strong, particularly in Europe, that some in England are concerned it may cause power outages in that country because of its growing dependence on solar energy. In fact, England’s Daily Mail referred to it as a “Great Eclipse” as some parts of England will experience 97% darkness. In England the eclipse will start at 8 AM, peak around 9:30 and will finish by 11 AM. However, the timing of the eclipse is as unusual as the eclipse itself. It will fall on the Spring Equinox, an event that would only occur once every 100,000 years. A solar eclipse occurs when the moon passes between the earth and sun.

Book of Revelation warns global warming is coming, just not yet, and not because of CO2

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[by Dean Smith] This past January, it was broadcast that 2014 was the warmest year on record. As I recently wrote, a major English newspaper, The Telegraph, reported there was some re-jigging of the original temperature data that resulted in 2014 winning the award for the hottest year. One area in South America showed some of the highest temperatures. However, when others fact checked the original temperature data they found something strange. Between 1950 and 2011, the original temperature data from rural weather stations in Paraguay showed temperature had dropped 1 degree C. However, once this temperature data was adjusted, the temperature data instead showed a 1.5 degree Centigrade increase.

Did NEOWISE discover news of an apocalyptic nature?

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[by Dean Smith] NASA has a program called the Near-Earth Object Wide-field Survey Explorer (NEOWISE) which, using a satellite with infrared telescopes, scours space looking for asteroids that might prove dangerous to earth. According to an article in The Register, NASA launched the satellite in 2009. It shut down the main telescope in September 2010 when it ran out of frozen hydrogen necessary to keep it cool. NASA put the remaining three telescopes into hibernation in February 2011. In December 2013, NASA reactivated the three working telescopes. And once again they began scanning the heavens above earth looking for lethal asteroids — anything in excess of 110 meters in size and within 7.5 million miles of earth.