All posts tagged: End-times

Does the brutal slaying of a pastor in Mozambique have an end-times connection?

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International Christian Concern recently reported on the brutal killing of a pastor in Mozambique, a country located on the Southeast coast of Africa. According to CBN, an Islamic extremist group linked to ISIS captured the pastor as he was crossing a field. But what happened next was not only gruesome but also sadistic. The extremists beheaded the pastor and then gave the head to the pastor’s wife and told her to take it to the police. Though 57% of Mozambique’s 30 million population are Christian, Islamic extremists have been terrorizing Christians in the northern area of Mozambique. This included burning of churches and the murder of other believers, several by beheading And this is not the first time Christians have been beheaded because of their faith. In early 2015, people around the world were shocked by the beheading of 21 Coptic Christians in Libya. Islamic extremists took the captured men, wearing orange robes, to a beach along the Mediterranean Sea near the country’s capital city, Tripoli. They ordered their hostages to lie on the ground …

The World keeps on Churning

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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 …

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

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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.

A Third Jewish Temple, Yea or Nay?

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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 …

Riots and Demonstrations: Is this the end?

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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

Mountain-sized asteroid will zoom by earth on April 29th

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A recent Daily Mail headline immediately caught my attention as it read “Asteroid the size of Mount Everest set to fly by earth next month.” Of course, the reason for my interest is that the Apostle John in his vision of the end-times saw a mountain-sized asteroid slamming into the earth. But as I read the article, the asteroid known as “52768 (1998 OR2)” is only 2.25 miles (ca. 3,621 meters) at its widest point wide making it just under half the size of Mt Everest, the world’s largest mountain that is 5.5 miles (ca. 9 km) high. But despite this, 52768 easily qualifies as a mountain as it is larger than Oregon’s Mt. Hood that is about 2.12 miles (3.41 km) in size. This asteroid, first discovered in 1998, will fly by earth at 19,461 miles per hour (ca. 31,319 km/h) on April 29, 2020. The good news is that it will miss us by 3,908,791 miles (ca. 6,290,589 km). The bad news is that it is a regular inhabitant of our solar system …

Has God’s temple been desecrated in China?

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As I read a story out of China, I wondered if I was watching end times prophecy come to pass. Now I don’t think it is the actual fulfillment, but I don’t like how close it got. In 2 Thessalonians, the Apostle Paul describes how the Antichrist will set himself up like a god, in the temple of God: 3 Let no one in any way deceive you, for it will not come unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, 4 who opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as being God. 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4 NASV There were two temples in Israel’s history. King Solomon built the first temple that was destroyed by Babylon in 586 BC. The second, built by Ezra and later renovated by King Herod, was the one that Jesus visited. It was obliterated by the Romans in 70 AD and was never rebuilt. But there are …

Just What is the Temple of Satan?

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There are reports this year, of an emerging new religion “The Temple of Satan.” This group may have existed for years, but recently it has been getting attention, and apparently attracting many new members. One prominent community is in the city if Ottawa, the capital of Canada. Ottawa is usually a quiet city with tourists and politicians, and government workers. The new ‘Temple’ religion is new and different. RELATED: The Rise of the Satanic Temple in Canada: Global News One of the practices of the group is to ‘unbaptize’ people from Christianity, to undo their conversion and remove them from that religion. Christians should know that this is very different from traditional atheism and agnosticism. Those ideas have been at the center of western culture for several generations, and are usually called “liberal” and “modernist.” This modern thinking usually refers to ideas like Darwin’s theory of Evolution. Notice that Darwinian Evolution has a universe with no God, no creator. Darwin was trained to be a Christian minister, and he speculated about a universe like a …

Is an ‘end-times’ Bubonic plague coming to Los Angeles?

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Drew Pinsky is better known by his celebrity moniker, Dr Drew. He is a doctor who specializes in internal medicine and addiction, but became famous through several radio and TV shows such as Loveline, Dr. Drew on Call, and Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew. Recently, he gained headlines again when he stated in an interview with Scott Adams, the creator of  the Dilbert comic strip, broadcast on Periscope, that Los Angeles (LA) was on the verge of an outbreak of the Bubonic plague. He actually used the term “apocalypse” to describe the looming crisis. The Bubonic plague devastated Europe in the 14th century killing an estimated 50 to 100 million people ,upwards of 50% of the population. The bacteria that causes the plague was spread by fleas from infected animals such as rats. There are different varieties of the plague some more deadly than others. The common symptoms for the Bubonic plague include fever, flu, vomiting and boils, that often break open as the lymph nodes swell. The plague can result in death within 10 …

What are the odds? 1 in 7,000 chance asteroid will hit earth in September, 2019

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I don’t like these odds. But the European Space Agency (ESA) is reporting that there is a one in 7,000 chance, an asteroid the size of the football field will hit earth on September 9, 2019. The ESA maintain a list of asteroids posing the greatest threat to earth, and this asteroid is fourth on ESA’s list of the most concerning asteroids. There was no mention of the odds of the top three asteroids slamming into the earth. The asteroid known as 2006 QV89, estimated to be 164 feet (49 meters) in diameter, was first discovered in August, 2006 and according to ESA’s computer model, it will pass within 4.2 million miles of earth in early September. There is of course a margin of error leading to the odds. Unfortunately, this list is only made up of the known asteroids. Though space agencies are tracking asteroids, they are not aware of all of them. The asteroid that exploded over the Russian city of Chelyabinsk in February, 2013 was a complete shock. In fact, space agencies …

Credit: Elvert Barnes/Flickr/Creative Commons

Millenial Narcissism, and Maybe Death

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Last Friday, after midnight, a loud sound woke me up. It sounded like a traffic accident, but then it happened again, and again. I realized that someone was pounding on our apartment building. I am not responsible for the building, but I put on a coat and went to the front door, around 2 a.m. I found someone trying to force their way into the building, by kicking the glass in the door to break it. I should have called the police first, but I was still waking up. I tapped on the glass and told the person to go away, but she refused and shouted at me. It dawned on me that she might be a visitor with the right to come in, so I opened the door, and she forced her way past me and ran up the stairs. I could smell alcohol on her as she passed me. I am not ever permitted to let a violent drunk into the building because of concerns for the safety of the people inside, so …

Dedza, Malawi site of the most recent river turning blood red. Credit: Brian Dell/Public Domain/Wikipedia

More blood-red rivers, a sign of the times?

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Breaking Israel News (BIN) reported on two curious incidents that occurred the end of December when two rivers turned blood-red, one in Africa and one in Indonesia. According to a report on Malawi 24, the Linthipe River near Dedza, Malawi, Africa, turned blood-red and was first noticed when the women of the town went down to the river to launder their clothes . Dedza is located just 85 km south of the country’s capital Lilonqwe. Malawi 24 quoted one woman in the village who stated: “As usual, we came to this place to wash our clothes besides drawing water for home use. But to our surprise we saw that blood like stuff was flowing in the river. This scared us and we called some people to witness the bizarre circumstances.” It is uncertain at this point what caused the river to turn blood-red on December 24, 2018 and though the river eventually returned to its normal color, according to MWnation, the rivers sudden turning caused a panic among the people in the town quoting one …

Fire near Santee, CA during the 1980s. Credit: Rick Bolin/Flickr/Creative Commons

Apocalypse 5: The Final Occupation

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This is about the end of the book that is at the end of the Bible. It’s the last installment in a series of articles on the book of Revelation, at the end of the Bible. Revelation is a future description of the end of this age in history. Christians are supposed to read this book, but too many of us are satisfied with a few pictures like 666 (chapter 13 and verse 18) and the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (chapter 6), and Armageddon, the great final battle (chapter 16 and verse 16). The pictures are interesting, but we are told to read the whole book: “Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near.” (1:3) We are supposed to make sense of this book, and to understand where we are in history. So, think about something that makes you angry, or someone who has that effect. Now calm down …

St Paul's Cathedral, London, England during the Great Fire attack during World War II, December 29, 1941 Credit: National Archives/New Times Paris Bureau/Public Domain

Apocalypse 4: The Atheist Wars

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I don’t believe in Santa Claus. If Santa was God, I would be an atheist. When my children were little, I took them to the mall before Christmas, where other families brought their children to see Mall Santa. Those children had fun, and got coloring books and candy canes, all for free. So where were my children? In the line up with everyone else. With my Scottish name, it must be clear that I love not spending money, and free anything is attractive to me. I don’t believe in Santa Claus, and I told my children that he was not real, but fake Santa sure was fun. And my wallet stayed safe in my pocket. I have met one atheist who truly did not believe in God. I am a Christian and he was a friend of mine. I never saw him in church, but he probably would not object to a visit. He was an atheist, not a hater. Have you noticed that most people who call themselves atheists are angry at God? They …

Storm near Parana, Argentina Credit: Emilio Kuffer/Flickr/Creative Commons

Is the end really nigh?

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On Sunday I went to a picnic-barbecue for a place where I work. The afternoon was beautiful, and we sat around talking about things, like old friends. We agreed that we would not talk about work, and the made the time almost perfect. One friend spoiled the happy mood by saying “I think the apocalypse is going to happen soon.” I don’t think he’s a Christian, but he drives long distances with a truck, and he visits a lot of places. His summary is simple, we can’t continue like this. He was just saying what he feels, and he spoke sincerely. My friend was watching people and nature, and sometimes I think the whole world is one big argument. People are divided. Nations like Turkey, India, Brazil, and Argentina are struggling with debt and economic collapse. Apparently, the Yellowstone Caldera, a super volcano, is larger and more ready to erupt than we thought, and there are other super volcanoes. We had so much smoke last week from forest fires in the west, that we called …

Istanbul, Turkey Credit: Mehmet Aktugan/Flickr/Creative Commons

What’s happening in Turkey?

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My family church, when I was a boy, was famous for talks about Bible prophecy. The pastor had giant charts the size of curtains, to explain what the Bible said about the future of the world. I remember that he could fill the church with his Sunday evening talks, and I vaguely remember pictures of animals with several heads, on those enormous sheets. This was before computers and projectors, and those wall-sized pictures were famous. Years later, as an adult, I met strangers in far away places who wanted to talk about those huge pictures. Our pastor was a good man, and his ideas were conservative. He just wanted us to know what the Bible said about the future of the world, and he made a sincere effort to teach us. I may have been the only kid in my school who knew about Gog and Magog in the land of the north. One thing I remember clearly from those talks was the advice to look north. From the Bible’s perspective, that means north from …

Credit: Alan Levine/Flickr/Creative Commons

Who were the imprisoned spirits?

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In what some consider to be one of the most puzzling passages in the Bible, the Apostle Peter talks about how between His death and resurrection, Jesus preached to the spirits that were imprisoned in the days of Noah. 18 For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit; 19 in which also He went and made proclamation to the spirits now in prison, 20 who once were disobedient, when the patience of God kept waiting in the days of Noah, during the construction of the ark, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through the water. (1 Peter 3:18-20 NASV) It is a difficult passage to understand. Some believe it refers to Christ preaching to the souls of those who died during the Noahic flood. Certainly this is a plausible explanation. Others believe it refers to Noah preaching to the people while he …

Nagasaki, Japan located on Kyushu Island Credit: 663highland/Wikipedia

Fourth super volcano discovered off coast of Japan

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There are three super volcanoes in the world. One is found underneath Yellowstone park in the United States, another near Mexico city and the third in Italy. But according to a report in the Dailymail, a fourth has been discovered off the coast of  Japan’s Kyushu Island and there are indications it’s active. Japan is made up of four main islands and Kyushu is the third largest and most southern of the four. It has a population of 12 million and perhaps its most famous city is Nagasaki that was hit with an atomic bomb in World War II. The volcano discovered off the island’s coast clearly falls into the “super” designation. Its dome is 10 kms wide (6.2 miles) and is 600 meter high (1,968 feet). They estimate the cauldron located beneath contains about 32 cubic km (7.68 cubic miles) of lava. According to the Kobe Ocean-Bottom Exploration Center (KOBEC), the group that made the discovery, a new dome is building in the crater of Kikai volcano that is about 19 kms (12 miles) …

Molchanka River turned blood red: Credit YouTube capture

Siberian River turns blood red, just one of many in recent years

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It hasn’t reached Biblical proportions yet, but when the Russia’s Molchanka River recently turned blood-red over night citizens, media and even scientists were perplexed and a bit shocked. Many saw a Biblical connection with the plagues of Egypt when God caused the Nile to turn to blood as one of the judgements of God (Exodus 7: 14-24). But there are also three other Biblical references to waters turning blood-red found in the Book of Revelation and similar to what happened in Exodus are considered judgements of God. In his first mention, John says when an angel sounded a trumpet, he saw a large burning mountain crashing into the ocean and a third of the sea turned red: 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, (Revelation 8:8 NASV) Most suspect a large burning mountain as a reference to a massive asteroid hitting the ocean. John also mentioned in the following verse that a third of the ships …

Chehura desert in Peru Credit: Alma Apatrida/Flickr/Creative Commons

A prophecy about lost treasure

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A couple of decades ago, my wife and I were heading down to Peru to adopt our daughter. Just before we set out on our journey that would take a month and half to complete, we were at a small prayer meeting in our church when Brian, a man with a prophetic gifting, prayed and prophesied over us. He saw us taking a big colored doll down for our daughter. But then he gave me a word, which deeply concerned both my wife and I. He said I see you gathering your treasure, and then he held his hands out, spread his fingers and said it will slip away, pouring out between your fingers like sand. I asked Brian what he meant. He had no further revelation and simply told us what he saw. It was a disturbing word. Because we respected the man and his prophetic gift we were concerned that the adoption was going to fall apart. But we believed God had told us to go and decided to continue on our journey. …

Riyadh City, Saudia Arabia. Credit: B.alotaby/Wikipedia

NEOM: What is happening in the Middle East now?

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Could you find the city of Neom on a map? It hasn’t been built yet, but it is a serious proposal. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has a proposal to build a new super city in a remote place near the Red Sea. The cost is estimated at 400 billion and if it is built, it should be like a combination of Las Vegas and Hong Kong, in the Middle East. The proposal includes a bridge to Egypt and links to Jordan; and this is never mentioned in the literature, but it will be very close to Israel. RELATED: Saudi Arabia Just Announced Plans to Build a Mega City That Will Cost $500 Billion If you could stand on a boat at the north end of the Gulf of Aqaba, at the northern tip of the Red Sea, you could turn your head and see four countries; Egypt, Israel, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia. All four countries converge at that location. Saudi Arabia has huge oil deposits about two thousand kilometres from Neom, on the eastern …

Jews for Jesus office in Kentish Town, London, England Credit: Jim Linwood/Wikipedia

Poll: Jewish Millennials express an unusual interest in Christ

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A survey of American Jewish Millennials, those born between 1984 and 1999, revealed a surprising acceptance of Jesus. The poll of 599 Jews aged 18 to 33, found that 48% of them celebrated Christmas, 33% said that God desires a personal relationship with people and 28% looked upon Jesus as a spiritual leader. However, what was perhaps most shocking is that 21% of them said Jesus was God incarnate. Essentially, over one in five believed Jesus is the Jewish Messiah. The poll conducted by Barna Group on behalf of Jews for Jesus further discovered that Jewish Millennials have a higher interest in spiritual matters than previous generations of Jews. Jews for Jesus is a Christian organization made up of Jews who have accepted Christ as the Messiah. Many Jewish scholars were completely caught off guard by this poll that Barna titled: Jewish Millennials: The Beliefs and Behaviors Shaping Young Jews in America. Stanford University Jewish Professor Ari Kelman said as part of the report: “These don’t look like the Jews I recognize. I was not …

A school in Madagascar Credit: lemurbaby/Wikipedia

‘Something different’ about this Bubonic plague says health official

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It always concerns me when health experts use phrases like “something different” and “health officials couldn’t explain it.” These were the words expressed by a World Health Organization (WHO) official describing a recent outbreak of the Bubonic plague on the island nation of Madagascar. Located off the southeastern coast of Africa, it has a population of 25 million. Also referred to as the Black Death, the Bubonic plague gained its fame when it ravaged Europe during the 1300s and 1400s killing 75 million to 100 million people, decimating a third of the population. The outbreak on Madagascar was not so serious. It infected 1,300 people killing 125. But nevertheless it was over double the number who normally catch the plague on the island nation each year. The Bubonic plague is a very serious bacterial infection that results in death upwards of 60% of the time if untreated. Its symptoms include headache, fever, stomach pains and chills. But it’s best known for the painful swelling of the lymph nodes that can break open resulting in bleeding. …

Violence breaks out during Catalonia's vote for independence on October 1, 2017 Credit: Beverly Yuen Thompson/Flickr/Creative Commons

Prophetic marker: A spirit of violence?

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As we study the Bible’s ancient account of Noah leading up to the flood we read that it was a wicked time. But there is one verse that sticks out: 11 Now the earth was corrupt in the sight of God, and the earth was filled with violence. (Genesis 6:11 NASV) The earth was filled with violence. In fact, the Bible refers to the violence the permeated Noah’s day a couple of times. The Hebrew word for violence is ‘hamas’ and refers to violent acts and the same word is used to describe a mass murder recorded in the book of Judges when a brother murdered 70 of his siblings (Judges 9:24). For one to murder his brothers there must be a raging hatred. But ‘hamas’ encompasses all levels of violence words, intimidation and oppression. It was a violent world in Noah’s day. But the Bible adds one more key descriptor, it says the world was “full” of violence. The Hebrew word ‘timmale’ is not a complicated word. It means simply to “contain as much as …

Asteroid collision artist's representation Credit: NASA/Wikipedia

Oh no, not again — prediction made world will end September 23

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Up to this week, I had never heard of Jason Meade. But over the last couple weeks he has certainly gotten his 15 minutes of fame when under the banner of a Christian numerologist he claimed that the countdown for the world’s end will start tomorrow — September 23, 2017. Several secular media outlets have picked up the story including Foxnews and the Washington Post. Unfortunately, when Meade’s prediction doesn’t come true tomorrow, it will be another stab in the back for Christians. I know Meade is wrong, because the Bible says he is wrong. Jesus speaking to his disciples about the end-times said: 36 “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone. (Matthew 24:36 NASV) The Lord says very clearly that we will not know the day when Jesus will return. What does this mean? Well I could guess the day. I could pick a date out of a hat and predict Christ will return on say February 18, 2034 and …

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 …

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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 …