All posts tagged: Revelation

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 …

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 …

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 …

Ship sailing into the sunset. Photo: Ozgur Mulazimoglu/Flickr/Creative Commons

Does the Bible predict a solar ‘superflare’?

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Our sun experiences massive explosions on its surface on a regular basis. Up to know it was thought our sun could only produce minor eruptions compared to the superflares other suns are capable of producing. Superflares occur when a large magnetic field on a sun’s surface collapses resulting in a massive release of energetic energy and plasma. Astronomers were able to study superflares after NASA launched a space observatory, called the Kepler Mission, in 2009. It had on board a massive telescope intended to look for other planets in our Milky Way that could hold life. Though it failed miserably on that front, astronomers saw other suns giving off massive solar flares, 10 to 100 times larger than what our sun typically throws off. After analyzing this data, researchers with Denmark’s Aarhus University concluded that though our sun does not routinely give off superflares, it is capable of doing so. Compared to most suns studied, ours has a weaker magnetic field. But they noticed that suns with the same-sized and even weaker magnetic fields as …

Left: a drawing of the two witnesses from the Bamberg Apocalypse (11th century). Right: picture of the two olive trees and lamp stands www.the-tribulation-network.com/Wikipedia

Who are the two end-times witnesses in the Book of Revelation?

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One of the more curious questions about the end-times revolves around the two witnesses mentioned by the Apostle John in the Book of Revelation. In his vision of the end times, he saw two prophetic witnesses who for a period of time, God will grant special authority (Revelation 11:1-14). They will manifest great power and miracles. It says an enemy will rise up and kill them and they will lie dead in the streets. People will be so over joyed by their deaths, that some will treat the event as Christmas and send gifts to each other. The question that has puzzled end-time scholars is who are these two witnesses? Some have wondered if they are Moses and Elijah as both appeared with Jesus at the transfiguration (Matthew 17:3-4). Some Jews even believed there are Old Testament passages that speak of these two prophets possibly returning —  a prophet like Moses will come (Deuteronomy 18: 15, 18) and Malachi speaks of the spirit of Elijah returning (Malachi 4:5). Others have speculated they might be Enoch …

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 …

Middle East hit by apocalyptic heat wave? Photo: Bedouins crossing Liwa desert, United Arab Emirates/Flickr/Globovision

Did the Bible predict the searing heat in the Middle East?

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On July 31, 2015, temperatures in the city of Bandar Mahshahr, Iran hit a blistering 165F (74C), once you factored in the humid “feels-like” index. The air temperature was  (115F) or 46C. In terms of actual temperatures the hottest spot that day was Kuwait City where the temperature reached 118F (48C). Despite the Middle East’s largely desert-like condition, most countries have high humidity due to the Persian Gulf. The heat blast covered several Middle Eastern countries including  Iraq, Egypt, Unite Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and even Israel. After 8 days of heat exceeding 120 degrees, the Iraqi government declared a four-day holiday for all employees, no exceptions. In an interview with the New York Post, AccuWeather meteorologist Anthony Sagliani described the unusual heat this way: “That was one of the most incredible temperature observations I have ever seen and it is one of the most extreme readings ever in the world.” The Middle East is not the only regions experiencing extreme heat. In June, a heat wave resulted in 600 people dying in Pakistan. …

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.

ISIS and their ‘loathsome,’ flesh-eating disease?

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According to reports in London’s Daily Mirror, Islamic State fighters (ISIS) are losing a battle to a pesky, miniscule enemy — a sand fly.  The ISIS fighters are being plagued with a flesh-eating disease that can cause sores all over a person’s body. Called Leishmaniasis, it is spread by biting sand flies which pass on a parasite that causes the infection. Left untreated it can result in death. It is estimated between 20,000 to 50,000 people die each year from the disease. In addition to large gaping wounds, Leishmaniasis can cause a fever and enlarged liver and spleen. It can also make a person anemic.

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 the Bible predict beheadings by Muslim extremists?

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[by Dean Smith] Years ago, I stumbled upon a verse in the New Testament that puzzled me. Found in the book of Revelation, it was strange, because based on my experience at that time it made no sense. Eventually I forgot about the passage. But recent events brought it back to my memory and I started looking for it. It took a while to find it. At one point, I wondered if I had just imagined seeing it, but eventually I tracked the verse down. The Book of Revelation speaks of a vision by the Apostle John about the apocalyptic events that would occur before the Second Coming of Jesus. At the end of Revelation, John sees a special reward being given to two groups of people who had undergone extreme persecution. They would be raised from the dead before the thousand-year reign of Christ and live with Christ during this period. The rest would be raised from the dead at the end of the thousand years. So who were these two groups?

Revelation 6:12: The Great U.S. Earthquake?

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I have been doing a study of Revelation 6:12-13, where in his vision of the apocalyptic end times, the Apostle John saw an angel opening the sixth seal:  I looked when He broke the sixth seal, and there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth made of hair, and the whole moon became like blood; 13 and the stars of the sky fell to the earth, as a fig tree casts its unripe figs when shaken by a great wind. (Revelation 6:12-13 NASV) God gave four signs that would show the sixth seal has been opened: (1) The appearance of a “Blood Moon” (Read: Blood moons, a sign of the times?); (2) a Solar eclipse; (3) Stars falling from the sky (read: Is ‘blind luck’ all that is stopping the opening of the Book of Revelation’s sixth seal? )and (4) a great earthquake In this article, I want to turn our attention to the Apostle John’s vision of a “Great Earthquake.”

Is ‘blind luck’ all that is stopping the opening of the Book of Revelation’s sixth seal?

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Former NASA physicist and astronaut Ed Lu and astronauts Tom Jones and Bill Anders released information showing that since 2001, there have been 26 known explosions on earth as a direct result of asteroids. This is upwards of 10 times more strikes than previously thought. They state it has been “blind luck” that a populated area of the earth has not been hit by an asteroid causing major destruction and death. Asteroids are called mini-planets with some big enough to have their own moons.