Category: Prophecy

What’s in your MAGA? It may be time to pause and reflect

Posted on March 15, 2018March 15, 2018 by LF

On April 6, 1917, the United States declares war on Germany, officially joining the Allied forces in WW1.

On April 6, 2017, Joseph Loconte writes on the noteworthy anniversary in his article, The Great War & the Dawn of the American Century. In a passage that visualizes America’s many blessings, Loconte shares a nurse’s recollection of her first sight of American troops in Europe:

“Vera Brittain, an English nurse working in a London hospital, remembered seeing ‘a large contingent of soldiers pass by on the main road.’ She noted “an unusual quality of bold vigor in their stride, ‘which “caused me to stare at them with puzzled interest.’ “

“Brittain didn’t recognize these fresh troops:

‘They looked larger than ordinary men; their tall, straight figures were in vivid contrast to the under-sized armies of pale recruits to which we were grown accustomed . . . Had yet another regiment been conjured out of our depleted Dominions? I wondered, watching them move with such rhythm, such dignity, such serene consciousness of self-respect. But I knew the colonial troops so well, and these were different; they were assured where the Australians were aggressive, self-possessed where the New Zealanders were turbulent.; “

God Blessed America

From the very beginning, America received blessings beyond measure. These “tall, straight” young men over which Brittain marveled grew up in a land blessed with good soil producing a bounty of healthy foods and bearing abundant natural resources. Freedom to worship and faith in God in Christ gave them a moral strength as well.

These American soldiers — eventually 5 million in all — would be the tipping point bringing about the defeat of the Axis powers. After the war, their fellow Americans would call upon the resources, strength, and moral valor of a nation that had pretty much kept to itself to help rebuild Europe.

And they would do it all again about 25 years later — during and in the aftermath of WWII.

A Helping Hand to the World

The United States was the only major country in the west to survive the wars with her infrastructure in place. Recognizing God’s grace in twice protecting her shores from war, she used this blessing to help rebuild less fortunate countries with the principles of liberty underwhich she so greatly benefitted.

As the Cold War intensified between the two remaining super powers, America’s military continued to keep peace and fight for freedom in the world. Innovation and manufacturing prowess made her the winner of the space.

What’s in your MAGA?

There is a saying that, “America was great because America was good.” The past tense is added and sadly fits well. The second part of that saying goes, “If America ever ceases to be good, she will no longer be great.” So many people are screaming, “MAGA!”, they all must agree this is true, too.

When America was great, a vast majority of her people went to church on Sunday to worship and learn more about our God. Families stayed together with most mothers at home to raise the children and keep the home while fathers went off to work for the family support. The community reflected the values of these Americans’ quiet faith and moral lifestyles. This included businesses, schools, entertainment venues, and local government.

As the second half of the American Century approached, these quiet lives were upended by outliers opposed to the simple good that America fostered.

In the 1960s, SCOTUS decisions ban Bible reading, prayer, and teaching the truth of Creation. By 1973, out-of-control feminism convinces SCOTUS to give a woman the right to murder her unborn child for any reason and at any time during the pregnancy.

And finally, in 2015, the court of our land declares an abomination be codified and its acceptance forced upon every man, woman, child, business, school, and community in the United States of America.

Since America has rejected what is good, she is no longer great. She is left to her own devices — screaming, “MAGA! MAGA!” — as The American Century comes to a close.

If the “G” in our “MAGA” does not stand for “Good,” it is time to pause and reflect.

Seven years of plenty — Good times for USA 2018 to 2025?

Can Donald Trump really win a second term?

Posted on March 14, 2018March 15, 2018 by LF

We’ve been told by the elite (through their emissary, Lindsey Williams) that seven years of plenty, prosperity, and general good times are coming to the USA because Donald J. Trump will make it happen. The elite powerbrokers are powerless to stop it.

These same elite also admit to being powerless to stop a second term for the President. That’s why they are confident the financial boom will last a full seven years. But really, can Donald J. Trump win a second term as POTUS?

Approval Ratings

Such certainty about a second term for Trump runs contrary to what the evening news is telling us. Their reports hold that the President’s approval rating was 42% in January 2018, up from a record low of 32% in December 2017. His approval number crosses the 50% line in only 12 states.

Those are dismal approval numbers for any POTUS, but why the record low followed by what must be a near-record single-month jump?

The record low was a result of frustration over Congress not getting anything done. Throughout 2017, efforts to pass the health care reform that had been promised for years earlier faltered one after the other. Nothing else could be done, especially tax reform, we were told, until ObamaCare was addressed.

Then, late in the year, somehow Congress managed to move beyond health care to pick up the President’s tax plan. The new tax law was passed and signed into law before Christmas Day, a giant gift to the American people.

This is why the President’s approval ratings took such a high jump in just one month — the passage of the tax bill. It shows the President is starting to get his agenda passed.

Plus, it’s change people can see in their daily lives. A lot of working Americans are going to see around $1,000 more in their pay over the course of 2018 and every year beyond. Many have already received raises and bonuses — employees of Walmart, Starbucks, and FedEx among them.

As long as people see a little bit more in every paycheck, and Trump continues to move in infrastructure and immigration as promised during the campaign, his approval rating may soon rise to the more normal 50% range.

Remember 2016

Besides all this potential for the President’s approval ratings to rise, we learned in the last election that polls really don’t matter as much anymore.

In their November 7, 2016, report, Poll Position: Where Clinton, Trump Stand on Election Eve, Real Clear Politics wrote:

As of Monday morning, polls show a modest lead for Hillary Clinton . . . Clinton also leads in state polls. If every state voted according to its RCP average, she would win with 297 electoral votes to Trump’s 241, surpassing the needed 270.

That poll-based forecast turned on its head with the President winning 304 electoral votes to Clinton’s 227.

How can polls be so wrong?

Of the dozens of polls tracked, only two consistently predicted a Trump victory: FoxNews and the LA Times. The Telegraph (UK) reports:

The LA Times said that one reason they believe their polling was successful was that they didn’t underestimate Trump’s support, as their online system captured people’s will better than phone polls.

They said: “Trump voters were notably less comfortable about telling a telephone pollster about their vote. Voters who backed a third-party candidate were even less comfortable responding to a poll. Women who said they backed Trump were particularly less likely to say they would be comfortable talking to a pollster about their vote.”

While it was indeed Clinton who won the popular vote, questions will now be asked about why the LA Times was the only polling company to see these “forgotten men and women” and consistently predict Trump’s win.

It is likely that the same is happening with the President’s approval ratings today. This failure on the part of the polls to catch the real opinion of Americans, along with rising approval ratings due to tax cuts already on the books and legislation on infrastructure and immigration to come, shows excellent prospects for a second Trump term — and seven years of plenty for the USA.

MAGA!

Seven years of plenty — Good times for USA 2018 to 2025?

What’s in your MAGA?

Seven years of plenty — Good times for USA 2018 to 2025?

Posted on March 13, 2018March 15, 2018 by LF

Can one man change the world? Can a single fully human being cause career politicians, elite power brokers, and the dark spiritual entities whose work they do, to not only stop but fall back in their tracks?

Apparently, yes, and if what the elites are saying to their former oil field chaplain is true, that one man, that single fully human being, is now on the scene. His name? Donald J. Trump.

Reports from chaplain Lindsey Williams usually warn of economic collapse or other doom coming upon the USA and other world populations. It’s all planned by a group known as “the elite,” who control all banking, energy, and government in the world.

In Williams’ case, the information comes from his elite friends in the oil industry. For more on Williams and how he came upon his elite friends, visit his Facebook page or his guest page on C2C for more interviews from over the years.

Williams’ Latest Report

On January 24, 2018, in his latest interview on Coast to Coast with George Noory, Williams’ forecast took a different tone than any he’s given before: The coming years will not bring a “panic down” as he calls it but a “panic up.”

The reason for the change? The election of President Donald J. Trump.

Never Trumpers

During the 2016 presidential campaign, the elite friends of Williams told him they knew who the next president would be. They were sure of this because not only do they control everything, and by that influence the behavior of the American people, but all the voting machines were ordered and purchased by their billionaire friend, George Soros.

According to the elite in 2016, the winner would be Hillary Clinton. Trump’s prospects for POTUS were zilch. He would never be president. They would not allow it.

God Intervened

When the election went to Trump, the elite friend had only two words for Williams: “God intervened.”

The powers that be (TPTB) elite are no match for this man, even with all the demons of hell behind them. The New World Order (NWO) is set back 20 years. The only way they have to make money in the world while Trump is POTUS is to invest in the USA, riding along for the ride under Trump in what Williams is calling a “panic up.”

What happens in a panic up?

The stock market rises to levels no one would dare predict today. The USA will be the world’s leading exporter of oil, paying back a large chunk of her debt with the profits. The dollar will rise to levels never seen and the petro dollar is safe.

The panic up is a rush by the elite to make as much money as they can while all these good things are happening in the USA. The rich will keep getting richer, of course, but everyone in the USA will be doing amazingly well.

In other words, MAGA will happen. There’s nothing anyone can do to stop it.

How long will the panic up last?

For the remainder of Trump’s first term and all of his next — a familiar period of about seven years.

The Interview

According to Williams’ elite friend(s), we get seven full years starting January 20, 2018, the anniversary of the first official day of the Trump administration. The elite say he will certainly win a second term, for a total of seven years. Recall that the elite admit they cannot possibly, in any way, crash the economy while Trump’s in office. Watch the video here for a series of excerpts with Williams laying it out in the C2C interview.

Doubting Debbie Doomer-Downers

Many will not believe it. Some have steeped too long in expectations of doom. Others look to the latest stock market trends and Yellen’s comment on over-valuation in her exit interview. And then there are the folk who look at the USA and see only judgment for the abominations SCOTUS has proclaimed upon the land.

And, they’re right. We’re due. The USA is due judgment from the hand of God. But it’s not coming in the next seven years.

Trump Triumphant

If you look at what Trump is doing, how can prosperity fail to come?

He is putting America first, cutting taxes to put more money in everyone’s pockets, killing regulations that strangle enterprise, and more, plus getting a good start on putting honorable men and women on courts throughout the land (including SCOTUS).

No wonder the elite friends of chaplain Williams say there’s no way they can cause a collapse while Trump’s in office. It’s a deep and murky swamp, but he’s working to drain it the best he can in spite of strong opposition and out-right attacks from the deep state and elite.

Trump has triumphed over the elite. There’s a new day coming to America. Don’t dig for the doom. Bask in the sunshine.

MAGA!

Can Donald Trump really win a second term?

What’s in your MAGA?

How long do we have until the end of the age?

Posted on October 11, 2017March 12, 2018 by LF

“So just as the tares are gathered up and burned with fire, so shall it be at the end of the age.” — Matthew 13:40

Reading today’s news, I came upon a report with the title, Researchers Refute Study That Claims CRISPR Causes Unexpected Mutations. Interesting information indeed, and it brought up a few thoughts once again. Sure, I’ve written on most of it before this, but I promise it’s at least a little bit different this time. One thing I’d like to maybe challenge today is some people’s notions about how long we have until the end of the age.

As in the days of Noah

People talk about nephilim, giants, and all that came from the Genesis 6 interaction between the sons of God and the daughters of men, but today it is the super-small that will bring about the corruption of man — a virus or bacteria — manipulating DNA for extended (eternal) life. Ref. New Technology Lets Scientists Easily Rewrite Living Organisms’ Genetic Code (2015).

And what better place to start than with the babies? For a first glimpse, ref. Chinese scientists genetically modify human embryos, (2015).

A short while back, research was published showing potential problems for the CRISPR methodology used by the Chinese but today — this very day — in reports like the one linked above and this one, many are celebrating that, Designer babies WILL NOT suffer serious complications: Scientists debunk claims that CRISPR gene-editing carries unwanted side effects.

So now it can happen. Designer babies on the way! But not anytime soon. From the latter article:

“Still largely being tested on mice, it is unclear when CRISPR may be available for humans in the US or UK.”

The Book of Life

Is a being born after having their DNA modified still fully human? By that I mean, still fully in the image of God, as originally created and intended by God?

Or will they — as some suppose of those with Nephilim DNA today — be so changed that these beings are born without their names written in the Book of Life, therefore ineligible for salvation?

And, seeing in the Revelation how the whole world is amazed and follows after the beast (13:3), and “those who dwell on the earth, whose name has not been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, will wonder when they see the beast (17:8b),” will those days be in a time when the majority of people have been born with this DNA manipulation (medically enhanced plus something far more sinister)?

If so, it’ll be a while.

Technology of the end times

Another thing to consider is that there is no part of prophecy dependent on today’s technology. That’s right — we don’t need computer chips to do it. We don’t even need a printing press. All could have been perfectly fulfilled with the ‘technology’ of Paul’s day, including the ‘mark’ to buy or sell. We’ve just been prejudiced to think otherwise by our familiarity with the technology in our day to think nothing like this could be done without it.

What this means is that while we have been taught to think that our technology makes it possible to fulfill the prophecies in one way or another, it only makes it easier.

Just think how much easier it will be to do those very things 50 or 100 years from now. Christians then will probably wonder how we could seriously think the end times might have come in our day.

How long until the end?

If the above is true, even in part, that means the answer to the question, “how long until the end?” may very well be, “at least 20-30 years away, probably more like 50, maybe even 100.”

I won’t be around then. Like most adults today, by the time the first designer baby turns 18 years old I am likely to have long before heeded God’s instruction to Daniel:

“But as for you, go your way to the end; then you will enter into rest and rise again
for your allotted portion at the end of the age.” — Daniel 12:13

And, if that is the case, such timing has some important implications for how some folks interpret at least one sign Jesus gave in the Olivet discourse, as well as a popular interpretation of the 70 weeks.

Just sharin’ some thoughts. If you feel like sharin’ something in return, go for it. That’s why we have a comments section.

Blessings ~~

Nikola Tesla and the last days -- dothnet.net

Nikola Tesla and the last days: As in the days of Noah?

Posted on October 8, 2017March 12, 2018 by LF

When people hear his name, they often think of cars or free electricity, but Nikola Tesla and the last days is probably a connection rarely made. Yet, it is there, and you’ll likely be surprised at how much sense it makes when you’ve finished reading.

One thing I often say to encourage young people working menial jobs while continuing their education (or waiting to find that first position that lets them break out in their field) is, “Remember, Nikola Tesla dug ditches for two years.” And that he did.

Thomas Edison hired Tesla when the brilliant young scientist first landed in the USA but then did him dirty by making a $50,000 royalties promise he never intended to keep. The men parted company and then, to support himself, the most amazing mind perhaps ever to walk the streets of New York resorted to digging its ditches. Eventually, someone recognized this great crime and introduced Tesla to a principal of Western Union Telegraph Company, which led to his work in alternating current (AC) being recognized by Charles Westinghouse.

In the end, and with Westinghouse’s backing, Tesla was the victor over Edison in the late 19th century War of the Currents. The battles ran through elephants and small animals in electric chairs (Edison’s methods) but was settled at Niagara Falls (following Tesla’s glowing’ performance at the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair).

Tesla the Futurist

Tesla’s design for distributing electricity made practically all of today’s modern technology possible. Edison’s direct current (DC) was limited because it would lose power at the end of the transmission line. Tesla’s AC had no such limits and became the basis for growth in the USA from coast to coast as electric lines were laid and households were modernized. Tesla also invented the neon light — imagine Times Square without it — and was the first to recognize the potential of and predict the future development of smart phones. In a 1909 interview with the New York Times, Tesla said:

It will soon be possible, for instance, for a business man in New York To dictate instructions and have them appear instantly in type in London or elsewhere. He will be able to call up from his desk and talk with any telephone subscriber in the world. It will only be necessary to carry an inexpensive instrument not bigger than a watch, which will enable its bearer to hear anywhere on sea or land for distances of thousands of miles. One may listen or transmit speech or song to the uttermost parts of the world.

Tesla the Mystic

What made Nikola Tesla unique is that his method of developing an idea did not involve pen and paper. He had an eidetic memory. That is an ability to look at something and memorize it. Anything from drawings to entire pages of text easily put to memory. Tesla also claimed that his ideas came from the universe, outside of himself:

My brain is only a receiver, in the Universe there is a core from which “We” obtain knowledge, strength and inspiration. I have not penetrated into the secrets of this core, but i know it exists.

He also had an unusual gift for visualization, which he described as follows:

During my boyhood I had suffered from a peculiar affliction due to the appearance of images, which were often accompanied by strong flashes of light…. Then I began to take mental excursions beyond the small world of my actual knowledge. Day and night, in imagination, I went on journeys—saw new places, cities, countries, and all the time I tried hard to make these imaginary things very sharp and clear in my mind. This I did constantly until I was 17, when my thoughts turned seriously to invention. Then, to my delight, I found I could visualize with the greatest facility. I needed no models, drawings, or experiments. I could picture them all in my head.

The man also had an obsession with the number 3. He insisted on staying in rooms divisible by 3, and died in room 3327 (3 x 1,109) of the Hotel New Yorker. It was his habit, when freshening up, to wash his hands three times in a row, and he always walked around a building three times before entering it. Speaking on the power of 3, he said:

If you only knew the magnificence of the 3, 6 and 9, then you would have the key to the universe.

Nikola Tesla was born in Serbia on July 10, 1856, during a lightning storm, and died in New York on January 7, 1943. Leaving off one day to account for his being born late at night, Nikola Tesla lived 31,590 full days, which is 10,530 x 3, 5,265 x 6, and 3,510 x 9.

Nikola Tesla and the last days

A 2014 History Channel documentary, The Tesla Experiment, briefly mentions a prophecy in the Zohar that says “gates of wisdom” will be opened in the 600th year of the 6th millennium. The man making mention of it in the documentary attempted to tie it to Tesla.

A lot of people have calculated this year to 1840, and many of them believe the industrial revolution to be the result of the gates of wisdom opening. While it began in the late 18th century, it was in the early midpoint of the 19th century (1830-1840) that its full effects were realized. That can be questioned.

The industrial revolution does not fit with “gates of wisdom” nearly as well as does the field of discovery that began to take off in the 1830’s — electricity. It was in the 1830’s that American inventor Joseph Henry developed the multi-coil electromagnet, electronic relay, and doorbell (among others), and inspired the invention of the circuit breaker (1936, Charles Graffon Page). Throughout the same decade, Samuel Morse introduced the electric telegraph and made further developments on the technology. In 1840, James Prescott Joule published a short paper in Proceedings of the Royal Society on heat conducted by electricity. He would develop Joule’s Law from experiments based on this work.

In 1847, Thomas Edison was born. Nikola Tesla was born in 1856, and Albert Einstein in 1879. Edison applied electricity to useful inventions, Tesla electrified the world, and Einstein explained it all (while helping to develop nuclear fusion, which led to the development of the world’s most deadly weapon). If there was a time when the gates of wisdom were opened, it was the time when these three men were alive on the earth together, and the biggest contribution came from Nikola Tesla.

Without his work on alternate current, modern technology would not be possible. First came the marvel of light and eventually came the computer and all that has sprung from it. Eventually, almost everyone had a personal computer in their home and soon after, just about everybody had a smartphone (with batteries that are re-charged using A/C electricity).

And this is the link to Nikola Tesla and the last days. Not the Zoharic prophecy (which is not inspired Scripture) but his bringing alternative current to the world and where that took us.

The Book of Enoch

To begin to understand the connection between Nikola Tesla and the last days, we go back to the time of Noah’s flood. The days of Noah, if you will, for if you are a student of Bible prophecy, you are sure to be familiar with that phrase. It comes from Christ’s teaching known as the Olivet Discourse. Toward the end, Christ says:

And just as it happened in the days of Noah, so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man: they were eating, they were drinking, they were marrying, they were being given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all. — Luke 17:26-27 (ref. Matthew 24:36-39)

Many scenarios are drawn from that passage but we are going to ignore the most common to focus on additional aspects of the days of Noah compiled from the Holy Bible and the Book of Enoch.

The Book of Enoch is not canonized Scripture though Enoch is listed among the faithful in Hebrews 11 and his prophecy quoted by Jude (vs. 14-15):

It was also about these men that Enoch, in the seventh generation from Adam, prophesied, saying, “Behold, the Lord came with many thousands of His holy ones,to execute judgment upon all, and to convict all the ungodly of all their ungodly deeds which they have done in an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him.

Many of the early church fathers considered the Book of Enoch to be inspired Scripture. It is my opinion that God made sure that men included the necessary books in the canon that most people would be given to read. There may be other writings also inspired by men to write by the Holy Spirit that contained truths too difficult for mere men to accept. I believe the Book of Enoch is one of these.

Here is a quick side-by-side comparison of Genesis and Enoch describing the days of Noah in general terms:

Genesis		Enoch
6:1-2 Now it came about, when men began to multiply on the face of the land, and daughters were born to them, that the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were beautiful; and they took wives for themselves, whomever they chose.		6:1-2 And it came to pass when the children of men had multiplied that in those days were born unto 2 them beautiful and comely daughters. And the angels, the children of the heaven, saw and lusted after them, and said to one another: ‘Come, let us choose us wives from among the children of men 3 and beget us children.’
6:4 The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of men, and they bore children to them. Those were the mighty men who were of old, men of renown.		7:1-3 And all the others together with them took unto themselves wives, and each chose for himself one, and they began to go in unto them and to defile themselves with them, and they taught them charms and enchantments, and the cutting of roots, and made them acquainted with plants. And they became pregnant, and they bare great giants, whose height was three thousand ells:
6:5 Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.		7:4-6 Who consumed all the acquisitions of men. And when men could no longer sustain them, the giants turned against them and devoured mankind. And they began to sin against birds, and beasts, and reptiles, and fish, and to devour one another’s flesh, and drink the blood. Then the earth laid accusation against the lawless ones.
6:8, 13-15a But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord. . . . Then God said to Noah, “The end of all flesh has come before Me; for the earth is filled with violence because of them; and behold, I am about to destroy them with the earth. Make for yourself an ark of gopher wood; you shall make the ark with rooms, and shall cover it inside and out with pitch. This is how you shall make it . . .		10:1-4 Then said the Most High, the Holy and Great One spake, and sent Uriel to the son of Lamech, and said to him: ‘Go to Noah and tell him in my name “Hide thyself!” and reveal to him the end that is approaching: that the whole earth will be destroyed, and a deluge is about to come upon the whole earth, and will destroy all that is on it. And now instruct him that he may escape and his seed may be preserved for all the generations of the world.’

Note how the Genesis account is more conservative and general while the Enoch text delves into those things that might have been uncomfortable for the men compiling the canon, as they are to most people in our day.

This is the way Enoch handles the Noah account from beginning to end. We are shown the behind-the-scenes activities. Now let’s look at a particular verse in the Book of Enoch that relates directly to our topic.

The “eternal secrets”

At Enoch 9:6, we are told that Azazel has, “taught all unrighteousness on earth and revealed the eternal secrets which were (preserved) in heaven, which men were striving to learn.” These secrets and unrighteousness are detailed in chapters 7 and 8. Among them we find that:

Azazel taught men to make swords, and knives, and shields, and breastplates,

and made known to them the metals of the earth and the art of working them,

and bracelets, and ornaments, and the use of antimony,

and the beautifying of the eyelids,

and all kinds of costly stones,

and all colouring tinctures.

Most of those sound fairly innocent to us today, but if we read closely we see that Azazel taught mankind to make weapons of war and ways of making the body more alluring. Basically, Azazel taught humans how to do things God would rather we not know how to do. There is much more in the passage (ch. 7-8) but it is enough for now to see that methods to enhance violence and sex were introduced and this was against the will of God.

This knowledge caused sin to increase on the earth to the point that God says (Genesis 6:5-7):

Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. The Lord was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. The Lord said, “I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, from man to animals to creeping things and to birds of the sky; for I am sorry that I have made them.”

The fullness of iniquity

It was at this time that humanity’s cup of iniquity (sin) was full, and yet God gave them another 120 years to repent of their sins. They did not. Only eight people entered the ark that Noah built. All others were destroyed so that the human race could start anew without the corruption brought into hearts, minds, and DNA by Azazel and his cohorts.

The Forerunner Commentary says this is God’s pattern when the fullness of iniquity is upon a people — to scatter and destroy. We see it in the days of Noah, at the tower of Babel, in Sodom and Gomorrah, and at Balshazzar’s feast as a disembodied hand wrote on the wall, “MENĒ, MENĒ, TEKĒL, UPHARSIN.”

It is a concept introduced in God’s promises to Abraham (Genesis 15:13-16, KJV):

And he said unto Abram, Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years; and also that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge: and afterward shall they come out with great substance. And thou shalt go to thy fathers in peace; thou shalt be buried in a good old age. But in the fourth generation they shall come hither again: for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full.

Is there is a cup of iniquity that must be filled before the last days will begin?

Tesla the conduit

I am not suggesting in any way that Nikola Tesla is a demonic being or otherwise a component of Azazel et al. No, Tesla was only a human conduit of the influence sought over humanity. One among others, but one critical to the day.

Recall from earlier in the article this quote from Tesla:

My brain is only a receiver, in the Universe there is a core from which “We” obtain knowledge, strength and inspiration. I have not penetrated into the secrets of this core, but i know it exists.

Note how “We” is written. This is an exclusive we; it is not everybody but a select group, probably few in number, that are receivers for the knowledge, strength and inspiration sent by the universe. Tesla was chosen to receive and apply this knowledge. The result was a world exposed to modern technology years — decades, maybe centuries — before it would have developed without interference (if it would have at all).

The influence the core of the universe (those residing in another dimension) intends to have over humanity is to hasten the period known as the end times. They sought to do this, perhaps, by speeding up the filling of the world’s cup of iniquity toward the day that the man of lawlessness is revealed and the satan has his short-lived end-times reign upon the earth.

For just as Azazel and the other watchers opened a door to men and women in that day — the days of Noah — which led them to deeper and deeper sin, so does the technology we have today. It is often used for good; yes, of course. Ministries, charities, little league teams, family reunions, businesses, and more genuinely benefit from all the efficiency and connectivity our computers and smartphones deliver.

Someone will say that the discovery of alternating current was inevitable, even if 50 or 100 years later, but is that true? Or is it an ‘eternal secret’ that would not have been found without help from the ‘Universe’ as Tesla calls it? Either way, if the speeding up of the fullness of iniquity theory has any legs, it certainly happened thanks to these mystical revelations to Tesla.

Imagine how much longer it would have taken for so much sin to accrue without the knowledge received by Tesla.

Signs of the times

If there is anything to this theory, can it be backed up in the Scriptures? To some degree, yes. In addition to that given previously in this article, there are the signs of the times given in the Holy Bible that are directly supported by a fast jump in electronics and related technology.

Lawlessness

This is another characteristic of the last days that technology hurls us toward. Jesus foretold it in the same Olivet Discourse wherein He listed all the others, saying (Matthew 24:12a):

Because lawlessness is increased . . .

Alongside all the positive uses listed earlier, the connectivity we have today has fueled a world-wide crime wave.

For a most current example, look at the various individuals drawn to support a group like ISIS, even to carry out lone-wolf terror attacks on their neighbors, because of a web page or blog post. I’m going to sound like an old-time preacher here, but it is true — all genre of criminality is supported by the Internet. From Craigs’ list posts by people intending to rob or harm to drugs on the dark net to the human slave trade, people are connected over farther distances, more quickly, and with an enhanced sense of anonymity. And then, pornography flourishes on the web.

Love grown cold

Jesus finished the sentence we know as Matthew 12:4 with:

. . . most people’s love will grow cold.

Obvious crimes and sexual exploitation are not the only fruit of the tree of today’s technology. People are becoming self-focused and our love is growing cold. Social media became a breeding ground for bullying and revenge postings. Live streaming of assaults fail to provoke viewers to call the authorities so that the victim can be rescued.

Knowledge increased

There was a day when the first resource you thought of for anything you wanted to know was the library. Go and get a book, search for a periodical, or call the librarian with a question. At home, there would be an encyclopedia set.

Today’s we would despair using either of those options. We can just pull out our smartphones and get the answer to whatever has piqued our curiosity. Within a split second, our favorite search engine will return the answer to us.

Describing the time of the end, Daniel 12:3-4 reads:

“Those who have insight will shine brightly like the brightness of the expanse of heaven, and those who lead the many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever. But as for you, Daniel, conceal these words and seal up the book until the end of time; many will go back and forth, and knowledge will increase.”

A 2011 article states that we received five times as much information in an average day (in that year) as we did in 1986. That was only 25 years’ time. We no longer have to learn or memorize something to ‘know’ it. It’s all there in our hands to be called upon 24/7/365.

Conclusion

I’m not picking on Nikola Tesla. If not for his mystical experiences and interests, I would still think him one of our purest heroes. He is still a hero, though the source of his knowledge is suspicious. I love that he was humble enough to dig ditches, and cheer that he won the war of the currents over a man who once cheated him.

The information presented in this article is no more than a sharing of observations that may have merit or which, on the other hand, may mean nothing at all. There is no call to action because there is nothing to be done. That assumes, of course, that you’re right with God. The most important preparation a person can make for whatever the future brings is spiritual preparation, and that begins with confessing Christ Jesus as Savior and Lord:

(I)f you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord,

and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead,

you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes,

resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses,

resulting in salvation. For the Scripture says,

“Whoever believes in Him will not be disappointed.”

(Romans 10:9b-11)

Wormwood: Prophecy is absolutely amazing! (2009)

Posted on October 4, 2017March 12, 2018 by LF

Originally posted to the web site circa 2009-2011

On November 10, 2008, Coast-to-Coast AM host George Noory interviewed Brent Miller of the independent research group, The Horizon Project. When asked specifically about ‘Wormwood,’ Miller explained how the details given in the Wormwood prophecy of Revelation is exactly what his scientific team discovered in their modeling the events that would hit the earth during a pole shift.

Marveling at the accuracy in the prophetic language of Revelation — written centuries before science understood the atmospheric interactions that would bring “hail and fire, mixed with blood” down upon the earth — Miller begins to close the topic with, “Prophecy is absolutely amazing . . .”

With each day that passes, the information presented in this video is more relevant. Share with your friends who doubt that the events chronicled in Revelation 6-8 could ever happen as described. Science says it can and will . . . and maybe soon.

The original video (2009) was so popular, we thought people would like to hear more of the interview. That expanded version (2011) is posted here. If you would like to see the shorter version, about 6 minutes long vs. about 10, click here.

(E)veryone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved. — Joel 2:32a (NIV)

The 70th week covenant maker: Christ or antichrist?

Posted on June 22, 2017July 13, 2017 by LF

The 70 Weeks prophecy of Daniel 9 divides those weeks of years into 62, 7, and 1. During the last week of years, a covenant is made. Since about the mid-point of the last century, most Christians have been taught that the 70th week covenant maker is the one known as antichrist. There is another view that is gaining acceptance today that says Christ is the covenant maker of the 70th week. That sounds impossible to some of us but the view deserves a fair hearing. We might just find ourselves surprised.

The Sign of His Coming

As we look for our blessed hope – the appearing of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ (Titus 2:13) – we also look expectantly for ‘signs of the times’ heralding His return. We often turn to the Olivet Discourse, where Jesus’ disciples ask Him, “Tell us, when will these things happen, and what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?” (Matthew 24:3b)

In response, Jesus first told them of worldwide deception, saying, “For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will mislead many.”

He then tells of wars and rumors of wars, famines and earthquakes, tribulation and martyrdom, falling away and betrayal, more warnings of false prophets, and the love of many growing cold (Matthew 24:7-12).

Jesus then says that the one who endures to the end will be saved, that the gospel of the kingdom will be preached throughout the world as a testimony to the nations, “and then, the end will come” (v. 13-14).

Remember Daniel the Prophet

Our Savior continues His warnings for the days before His return with the following statement (v. 15):

Therefore when you see the abomination of desolation which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand) . . .

Our Lord tells us to watch for ‘the abomination of desolation,’ which is first found in the Book of Daniel at 11:31 and 12:11. It is here that He directly links the prophecies of Daniel to not only days past or His present day but also the last days.

Daniel 9:27

There is another reference to “abominations” that make “desolate” in the Book of Daniel:

and on the wing of abominations will come one who makes desolate, even until a complete destruction, one that is decreed, is poured out on the one who makes desolate (Daniel 9:27b).

This passage is part of the well-known Seventy Weeks prophecy. Note again that it is seventy (7 x 10) weeks (measures of seven days):

Seventy weeks have been decreed for your people and your holy city, to finish the transgression, to make an end of sin, to make atonement for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the most holy place (Daniel 9:24).

The first part of Daniel 9:27 holds another potential sign of the times:

And he will make a firm covenant with the many for one week, but in the middle of the week he will put a stop to sacrifice and grain offering; (Daniel 9:27a)

Who makes this covenant, the nature of it, and why or how the covenant maker causes sacrifice and offering to cease is the topic of much speculation among Bible scholars, and no small bit of debate from time to time among all who love His appearing.

The biggest divide among the interpretations depends on whether one’s view of the Revelation and all future things is futurist, historicist, preterist, or idealist. This post is only going to look at those within the futurist outlook.

Before exploring the differing views among futurists, let’s look at the entire Seventy Weeks Prophecy. Here is Daniel 9:24-27:

²⁴ “Seventy weeks have been decreed for your people and your holy city, to finish the transgression, to make an end of sin, to make atonement for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the most holy place.

²⁵ So you are to know and discern that from the issuing of a decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince there will be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; it will be built again, with plaza and moat, even in times of distress.

²⁶ Then after the sixty-two weeks the Messiah will be cut off and have nothing, and the people of the prince who is to come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. And its end will come with a flood; even to the end there will be war; desolations are determined.

²⁷ And he will make a firm covenant with the many for one week, but in the middle of the week he will put a stop to sacrifice and grain offering; and on the wing of abominations will come one who makes desolate, even until a complete destruction, one that is decreed, is poured out on the one who makes desolate.”

Agreement

When it comes to family, agreement is a beautiful thing. In the family of God, there is no real debate among futurists on the first two verses, so let’s begin there.

We are, for the most part, in harmony when it comes to these two verses clearly identifying the mission and ministry of Messiah – “to finish the transgression, to make an end of sin, to make atonement for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the most holy place” (v. 24).

The period of time is agreed to be seventy weeks of years divided into three groups of 62 weeks, 7 weeks, and 1 week, with the first 69 weeks of years ending with the advent of ‘Messiah the Prince’ (v. 25).

There is also consensus that the countdown of the 70 years begins with, “the issuing of a decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem . . . it will be built again, with plaza and moat, even in times of distress” (v. 24).

The vast majority of futurists are also in one accord that Messiah comes into His ministry at the end of the first 69 weeks. There may be differing opinions on which decree of those issued for reconstruction began the count, but it is still agreed that Messiah comes at the end of the count of those 483 years (69 x 7).

We’re ready to go into areas of contention, but let’s linger another moment where we all agree.

The Seventy Weeks Prophecy is God’s definitely foretelling:
The role and ministry of Messiah.
When Messiah will appear to Israel.
Jerusalem will be rebuilt in Daniel’s day.

Now let’s turn our attention to the two major interpretations of Daniel 9:26-27 in Christian prophecy.

View No. 1 — The 70th week covenant maker is antichrist

One popular conception sees two major characters in the 70 weeks prophecy: Christ and antichrist.

This view sees the 70th week covenant maker of Daniel 9:27 as the one called ‘the antichrist’ (in most prophecy circles) and the seven years of the covenant as the duration of his reign.

In the middle of that time, the 70th week covenant maker breaks the covenant puts an end to sacrifice and offering which, according to this view, means that the covenant is with Israel. This also requires there be a third earthly temple in Jerusalem with a fully reinstated priesthood and sacrificial system under Mosaic law (the Torah).

When the covenant is broken, this antichrist turns on Israel. The Jewish temple sacrifices and offerings are put to a stop and the antichrist begins his program of the mark of the beast with a full-scale persecution of the Jewish people.

The common interpretation of this text at this point says that the severe persecution of Israel lasts the entire three-and-a-half years remaining in the 70th week. This period also corresponds to the ‘time, times, and half a time’ spoken of in Daniel 7:25 and 12:7, and Revelation 12:14, as well as the forty-two months given in Rev. 11:2 and 13:5.

Associated beliefs

The Church

Those holding this view believe that the church age is a period of time set aside in parentheses, so to speak, between God’s former and future dealings with Israel, which also means it requires a stark separation between God’s ways of dealing with and intent for the church and Israel.

Rapture Timing

So that God can resume dealing primarily with Israel in the 70th week, the church must be taken out of the way, or raptured, before that week begins. That is why most who see an antichrist in Daniel 9:27 hold to the pre-tribulation timing of the rapture.

The Temple

According to this view, if sacrifices are going to be cut off, there has to be a temple on the holy mount in Jerusalem. Many of them support this cause with their prayers and finances.

View No. 2 — The 70th week covenant maker is Christ

The other interpretation of the 70 weeks sees only one main character: Christ. We will give a bit more space to this one since it is less familiar to a lot of people than View No. 1 is.

This view sees a chiastic structure or parallelism in Daniel 9:24-27, a form of poetic expression commonly used in the Holy Bible.

A chiasmus is a form of writing where lines within the text parallel one another. There are many forms and those who study the form use letters to identify the correlating lines or passages. Following are some familiar examples from the Scriptures. Note how the lines with the same letters reflect upon one another.

Genesis 2:4 (ABBA)

A This is the account of the heavens and the earth

B when they were created,

B in the day that the Lord God made

A earth and heaven.

Matthew 20:16 also follows the ABBA structure

A So the last

B shall be first,

B and the first

A last.

Matthew 6:24, following the ABCCBA structure

A No one can serve two masters;

B for either he will hate the one

C and love the other,

C or he will be devoted to one

B and despise the other.

A You cannot serve God and wealth.

Isaiah 6:10 is also set in ABCCBA pattern, separating the last line which is distinct, perhaps to bring attention to it

A Render the hearts of this people insensitive,

B Their ears dull,

C And their eyes dim,

C Otherwise they might see with their eyes,

B Hear with their ears,

A Understand with their hearts,

X: And return and be healed.

There are many, many other examples throughout the Word of God. Some are quite long – entire Psalms or chapters given by the Holy Spirit in this form. It’s even been suggested that the entire Book of Job may be a chiasmus.

The 70 weeks prophecy follows a ABCDCBA pattern. Note that the rejection of Messiah is in the center alone, perhaps because it is the moment when God’s covenant people ripped His heart from His chest (figuratively, of course).

A	So you are to know and discern that from the issuing of a decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until	DECREE: Jerusalem rebuilt
B	Messiah the Prince there will be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks;	Messiah is foretold
C	it will be built again, with plaza and moat, even in times of distress.	Jerusalem rebuilt
D	Then after the sixty-two weeks the Messiah will be cut off and have nothing,	Messiah rejected
C	and the people of the prince who is to come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. And its end will come with a flood; even to the end there will be war; desolations are determined.	Jerusalem destroyed
B	And he will make a firm covenant with the many for one week, but in the middle of the week he will put a stop to sacrifice and grain offering;	Messiah victorious
A	and on the wing of abominations will come one who makes desolate, even until a complete destruction, one that is decreed, is poured out on the one who makes desolate.	DECREE: Jerusalem destroyed

It’s All about Messiah

When you can see v. 27a speaking of Messiah as the 70th week covenant maker, you understand that it is His death that puts a stop to sacrifice and grain offering. Yes, the temple at Jerusalem stood another 40 years — a Biblical period of testing (ref. Christ, Moses, the wilderness wanderings, et. al.) but at Christ’s death, the veil was torn, showing anyone who would see it that God’s presence had left temples of stone forever.

Not one more sacrifice would be received by God through an earthly temple. The full atonement for man’s sins had been made by Christ Jesus. Disobedient Jews continued to offer the sacrifice but that covenant had ended, stopped, ceased (depending on the translation of the Word you are reading) as far as God is concerned. There is now a new covenant – in the blood of Christ Jesus – and no other remains.

Associated Beliefs

The Church

For those reading the 70 weeks prophecy without a view to the 70th week being set aside for the nation-state of Israel, the Church and Israel together are all God’s people. As the Holy Spirit tells us through Paul in Romans 3:29-30 and again in Romans 10:12-13, there is one God and one faith in Him, with no difference between Jew or gentile. It is not “Israel and the Church” as two separate entities. Nor is it, as some accuse, “the Church replaces Israel.” No, neither of those is true. It is instead, “Israel and the Church are one.” All who placed faith in Messiah on either side of that sole centerpiece of human history — the Cross — are in Christ alone, and He is Israel.

Rapture Timing

Since the Church is recognized as all of God’s people, she is more than a parenthetical period and does not need to be taken out of the way before the antichrist can be revealed and the events of the Revelation begin. She will be spared God’s wrath (the bowl judgements) but endure the Great Tribulation for His glory.

The Temple

To most holding to this view, the thought of a third earthly temple being established and sacrifices offered there is ridiculous. It is something God would not allow for it would be an offense to Him and a mockery of Christ’s atonement.

Dangers in Contrast

So, what’s the danger believing one over the other? When it comes to our salvation, nothing at all, and it is extremely important to know that. When it comes to taking sides, no reason at all to do that — this should never be a matter of division or derision within the church or among believers.

Holders of View No. 1 might risk spending prayers and financial resources on a temple that will never be build and which would be a tremendous offense to God should it be, while holders of View No. 2 might be terribly surprised to be carried off to the third heaven if it is true that the church has to be taken out of the way before the Great Tribulation can begin.

Pre-trib believers in the No. 1 camp might say those in camp No. 2 are missing out on a fantastic evangelistic tool — the imminency of the rapture meaning everyone should get right and stay right ASAP — but that can be countered with the very true fact is that death is imminent for any and all of us in each and every moment, so our evangelistic fervor is real no matter what we believe about rapture timing.

In contrast, those in camp No. 2 that see no evidence of a pre-tribulation rapture timing may suggest that the teaching of it can cause some to postpone decisions for Christ until they see it happen and, if there is no rapture, reject everything said about needing a Savior once it’s clear the latest and most severe of the end times are upon us.

What I will say is that I hope to have presented both views as clearly and concisely as possible in the space given to it here. May God lead many to take the risk of studying what might be the view opposing theirs, to spend time reading His Word and in prayer over it.

I borrow today’s benediction from my big brother Paul:

Now may the Lord of peace Himself continually grant you peace in every circumstance. The Lord be with you all! — 2 Thess. 3:16

Eclipses foreshadow America’s quickening decline

Posted on April 13, 2017March 12, 2018 by LF

August 21, 2017, will bring the first of two total solar eclipses that criss-cross the USA mainland in less than seven years. You can find background on similar total solar eclipses in the following articles on this site:

Blood moons were just the beginning

Sun turns dark over America

2017-2024 Total solar eclipses: What we know

Blood moon and sackcloth sun: Ancient writings

Those articles were first written in 2015. At that time and in the 2017 update, I shied away from sharing any impressions of what these eclipses — the four total lunar eclipses or so-called “blood moons” of 2014 and 2015 together with the upcoming total solar eclipses of 2017 and 2024 — might be sent to tell us. Today, I am going directly there:

I believe that the two upcoming total solar eclipses that will darken a path over the USA, along with the four total lunar eclipses mostly visible from locations within the USA, foreshadow the quickening decline of the country’s economic, political, and good-will interests in the world.

To me, that’s a sad thing, especially the last one, but it’s destined to come in preparation for the way the world must be in the last days. Besides, we let things get so out of hand the last 40 or so years, there’s really no other way it can go.

Why would God send a sign?

It is often reasoned that if God is going to send a sign to His people, it is going to be to the nation called Israel. That is very well the case but let’s consider that not only is the people group called Israel in the Old Testament rightly defined as God’s people, but so is Christ’s church. The USA community was largely founded and fashioned by the Puritans, men and women of God seeking to worship Him according to His Word, coming to these shores to escape the persecution of the harlot established state church in Europe.

To this day, the USA sends more missionaries to foreign lands than any other. Her people in large measure think of her as a Christian nation, and until as recently as the past few decades it was easy to see God’s love for people reflected in her good works both home and abroad. Her monuments speak of God’s providence as did her days of remembrance and celebration.

God offered this land as a haven for His people, the remnant church. He provided for their livelihood as they shaped early communities to honor Him and His Word. The earliest schools taught directly from the Holy Bible with text books using the Scriptures to teach basic language skills. The people grew up under His care, steeped in His teachings, and the country flourished. Tares have been sown in with the wheat in recent generations, but the wheat still grows. God is giving this sign to those who will see it and understand it so that they may prepare for what is coming. That preparation may need to be material, physical, emotional, or mental, but it definitely needs to be in relationship to God. Spiritual preparation is the most important to make and will be the most valuable in the days to come. Draw near to God. Today is the day of salvation. All who call on the Name of the LORD shall be saved.

The start of USA decline

It is nearly as often misattributed as it is said, but nonetheless it is true:

“America is great because she is good. If America ceases to be good, America will cease to be great.”

As America began her moral decline in the last half of the 20th century, there was no way she could escape decline in all other facets of her existence. For if we do not honor the only One who is good, how can any good thing be in or flow from us?

An earlier article only began to touch on all of the sin and outright evil the USA has allowed to prosper in her midst. Many of us who live in cocoons within our nice homes in nice neighborhoods going to nice churches and working in nice environments cannot see how far this country has fallen morally unless we go looking for it. When we find it, our hearts break, and we may not be able to take much of it.

Today, people living in the USA are addicts. A lot of people are what we think of when the word addict is used — prescription drugs, street drugs, and alcohol — but many more addictions cripple us, like pornography, sugar, the Internet, video games, entertainment, social media, pleasure, ease, consumerism, and the list goes on and on and on, much of it coming from advances in technology only available in this generation.

Far worse, we have allowed our courts to be filled with men and women who see prayer, Bible reading, and teaching on the creation as evils that must be removed from our schools, while twisting our Constitution to protect murder of the unborn and promote the perversion of God’s most sacred institution.

A nation that once valued sacrifice, equality, and foregoing pleasure now hosts a population set on personal ease while heaping everything that can be purchased upon itself and then holding great disdain for the less fortunate.

That last one is going to be the one that gets us, for we have followed the exact same pattern God gave for Sodom in Ezekiel 16:49-50:

Behold, this was the guilt of your sister Sodom: she and her daughters had arrogance, abundant food and careless ease, but she did not help the poor and needy. Thus they were haughty and committed abominations before Me. Therefore I removed them when I saw it.

How far we have fallen, and no, I don’t think we can get up again.

Why now?

America has been in moral decline for more than half a century. Why would the quickening of the slide start now?

We know that one reason it has not happened sooner is that God is patient. He wants to give everyone a chance to come to repentance, even nations.

The delay may also be related to the fullness of iniquity not being quite there yet for the USA and then the world. We are talking here not only about the downturn of the USA but also the elimination of the USA as a world leader before the end times play out.

Another reason our decline might soon hasten is because it is what a lot of the American people want. They made this loud and clear in the 2016 presidential election, voting in a man who promised to put America first in all things and caring much less about the rest of the world. A recent example of the new president doing exactly that is his performance at the 2017 G-20 meeting in Hamburg.

In Why Trump got an 11 out of 10 at the G20, Conservative columnist Jeffrey Lord praises the president for his America-first performance there. Here are Lord’s opening and closing remarks for the piece:

“As a fan, I would give Trump an 11 out of 10. He did exactly what the people who voted for him wanted him to do. He never wavered from putting America first — or, in campaign vernacular, making America great again — whether the subject was climate change, trade or North Korea.”

and,

“If history is a guide, it will be years before the consequences of the Trump-Putin meeting at the G20 summit will be fully known. But for now, count on the President’s supporters seeing this as a great win — a win in which Trump stayed true to his campaign promises to put American interests above all else.”

Choosing to step down from the center of the world stage is a far better way to decline as a nation than oppression or disaster. We are a powerful nation with many resources to exploit for the good of our people as well as for profit. To say we want to keep what is ours, put America first in all things, is an easy way to go. It sounds painless and even comfortable.

And it may go just that way. God might overlook our sins as individuals and as a nation, allowing us to simply bow out of world affairs in time to not be a major player in the last days. Or, we could be hit with a huge asteroid in the middle of the country that sets off earthquakes along all of our fault lines, major and minor.

But we’ll go with the easier way and say that the current POTUS is sent from God to take our country off the world stage in time to not be a major player in the last days. Which brings us to reason 3 for the timing of the six American eclipses.

The USA in Bible prophecy

Well, she’s not there. That doesn’t mean there will be no Americans in the world or no government in the land, only that she is not a major player in end times events. Knowing how we love to poke our nose into every crisis in the world, it’s all but impossible that the United States of America as she is today could resist taking the lead as the world falls apart. Unless she went first.

Finding the USA in end times prophecy has become almost as popular a game as pin the tail on the Antichrist has been over the years but the traditional view is that she is not there. Greg Laurie, David Reagan, Hal Lindsey and other well-know prophecy teachers agree, and most list the same reason among the possibilities for it — America is no longer a world leader at that time in history.

When must American decline take place for us to be out of the picture by then? Some believe the last days are upon us already, others say within 20 years and others yet see a 30 to 50 year timeline. All of those require some changes to begin soon.

Conclusion

The total lunar and solar eclipses going across the USA in a span of 10 years likely foreshadow the quickening decline of the country in the world because:

It is due for our unfaithfulness over the last 40+ years;
We want to shrink as a world power and so we will; and,
It is certain to happen before the last days begin.

It could be good for us, really. Less responsibility with other countries no longer asking from us or looking to us. We can hope that’s all it is, not total economic destruction, wide-spread natural disasters, or being overtaken by a hostile power. We can hope.

ISIS fighters: Fake Video/Fake War continuing?

Fake ISIS war continues with Trump’s Syria strike?

Posted on April 7, 2017April 17, 2017 by LF

In light of the USA’s bombing of Syria’s air strips this week, this video from 2015 came to mind. It documents an interview with Joel Skousen and Coast-to-Coast AM host George Noory from May of that year. After watching the video, you may see the bombing in a different light.

During the interview, Skousen posits that the war against ISIS is a fake war with fake videos produced for the benefit of the media’s role in shaping our opinions.

Skousen says that if we look more closely at what we are seeing, there is strong evidence that the war on ISIS is not really happening. Instead, he suggests, it is a ruse put in place by TPTB to weaken Syria so that Iran has no strong military ally.

For all the heat the Trump campaign took during the election for saying former President Obama and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton invented ISIS, he may have been right. His understanding of how and why was wrong, but the truth may be that the USA at the highest levels did create ISIS. Not accidentally or incidentally, however, but quite intentionally.

As Skousen puts it, the USA and others want to destroy Iran’s nuclear capabilities. Israel can make a successful air strike over Iran but refuses to do so as long as Iran’s close ally, Syria, is able to make a military response in retaliation.

Did the USA and its allies, including the UK, created ISIS to take down Syria so that the plan to destroy Iran’s nuclear facilities can move forward? If so, will it lead to the prophesied destruction of Damascus? If Syria is hobbled and Israel strikes Iran, will Russia be drawn down into an all-out war in the Middle East? Are signs of the times starting to get more real than ever before?

Watch the approx. 11 minute video for more details to help form your own opinion.

Blood moon and sackcloth sun: Ancient writings

Posted on April 5, 2017July 13, 2017 by LF

Originally posted to web site August 4, 2015.

This is the fourth article in the series, Blood moons were just the beginning, a review of the possible blood moon and sackcloth sun sign appearing in our midst. We left the last article in this series with the “Why” question unanswered. The Who, What, Where, and When all fit together well enough on one page but the Why — as in ‘why is an eclipse sent,’ needs an article entirely its own. Of course, mainstream science explains the mechanics behind an eclipse. Our interest looks to ancient writings to speculate on reasons for lunar and solar eclipses that may be the blood moon and sackcloth sun of Holy Bible prophecy.

Authority of Scripture

Of all ancient writings, the Holy Bible Stands alone as the only text given directly to man from God. We must be perfectly clear on that: No other writing — ancient, modern, or anywhere in-between — has the authority of the Holy Scriptures. (For more on Inspiration of the Scriptures, read here.)

Still, some extra-biblical texts might come to us as a result of an individual’s or group’s deep study of the Holy Bible. Theologians and pastors write sermons, books, and commentaries, many of them standing the test of time such as Matthew Henry’s commentary, John Wesley’s sermons, books, and commentary, Charles H. Spurgeon’s sermons and commentary, and many others. These are not inspired writings with the authority of Scripture but they are written by people who have studied the Word of God deeply over their life times and sought the guidance of the Holy Spirit in their learning and writing.

This is the case of the text we are about to look into for the possible reasons for an eclipse. It is not Scripture so carries no such authority. It is worthy of some consideration, however, as it comes from the expressed reflections and observations of a clergy that spent thousands of years studying the Old Testament.

“Blood moon and sackcloth sun” — Clarification

Keep in mind that there could be other causes of a blood moon and sackcloth sun, particularly debris from a comet or meteor. We are going to look at the reasons for an eclipse since that is the potential sign in the heavens that seems to be in progress now.

Ein Yaakov

In all the excitement surrounding the 2014-2015 lunar tetrad, several books and doubtless tens of thousands of online articles were written drawing connections to these lunar eclipses and the ‘blood moons’ of prophecy. In some of these articles, writings of ancient rabbis were cited to support claims that these blood moons were omens related to the nation Israel.

In ‘Mystic’ rabbi issues ominous warning on eve of blood moon, Leo Hohmann reports:”The Talmud discusses the significance of astronomical events in human history, stating that a solar eclipse is a warning to the nations, while a lunar eclipse signifies danger for the Jewish people, who are likened to the moon.”

Hohmann is sourcing from Ein Yaakov: The Ethical and Inspirational Teachings of the Talmud (c. 1500), a commentary on The Talmud (a collection of rabbinical writings). Again, it is not inspired Scripture; it is a commentary from the clergy of a people who have studied the Word of God since Moses’ day.

Ein Yaakov on Eclipses

You will recall from earlier in this series that the Holy Bible tells us in Genesis 1:14 that God placed, “lights in the expanse of the heavens” to “separate the day from the night, and . . . for signs and for seasons and for days and for years.” The Ein Yaakov contains teaching and reflection collected over thousands of years on these signs that come as eclipses.

Why?

The Ein Yaakov offers insights on all the 5 W’s in relation to both lunar and solar eclipses that can appear as a blood moon and sackcloth sun. We start looking at it here for the “why,” go into the next section on the “how,” and may return to it in a concluding article for its thoughts on who, what, when, and where.

According to the Ein Yaakov, the reason for an eclipse depends on the type of eclipse.

A lunar eclipse comes because people:

Write forged documents;
Bear false witness;
Raise small livestock (an unfair business practice); and,
Cut down good trees — even their own trees — for it shows ungratefulness to God for His bounty.

A solar eclipse happens when:

The leader of the Sanhedrin dies but is not properly eulogized;
An engaged woman is sexually assaulted within the walls of the city, cries out for help, but no one responds;
Homosexuality; and,
Two brothers are killed at the same time.

Unfair Business Practices

When we look at the reasons given for a lunar eclipse, in today’s vernacular it might be boiled down to unfair business practices. This can mean your personal business — dealing unfairly with a friend or family member — or in public business, and a nation’s business.

One cause named for the 2008-2009 financial meltdown was mortgage brokers allowing (even encouraging) applicants to lie on their applications to lenders. This is mortgage fraud, and it is a crime that can land both the broker and applicant in prison. Yet, there was evidence that the fraud was allowed at times by the lenders, too, and hedge fund investors bet against the mortgage market for a profit. That’s the total picture of that debacle.

Any time false information is presented in a document and then it is signed is an instance of writing forged documents. We know it goes on all the time in the USA these days. In the mortgage scenario, people lost their homes when adjustable interest rate loans adjusted upwards beyond their means to pay. The brokers and in some cases the lenders, too, knew this would happen, yet cared more about collecting their fees and interest than about the person losing everything due to being told something that is not true before signing for the loan. This is just one scenario. People get married knowing there’s a fair chance of divorce, making a vow and signing a license. People fill out employment applications, tax forms, and more with false information and then sign it. We are a country of people saying one thing and swearing to it while meaning something else entirely.

Disrespecting What God Honors

The reasons given for the appearance of a solar eclipse are basically failing to show respect for that which God honors.

The Sanhedrin was a counsel set up in cities of ancient Israel to issue judgement on matters for the people. Honor and respect were to be shown upon the passing of these leaders. They were both a civil and a religious authority, and so would represent both our government leaders and leaders in the church. Look around at the disrespect shown to the leaders God has given us today.

We have all heard accounts of crime victims crying for help but receiving none. Folks don’t want to get involved. We do not defend one another’s honor as we should

The third item here has to do with God’s honor and respect for the first institution He established among humans: Marriage. The USA has clearly told God that His design for marriage is not what we want anymore (SCOTUS is our mouthpiece as a country).

Conclusion

Much more could be written on either of these main topics, but there is no need. The point is well made by mere mention of the top notes. If you live in the USA, you understand. Even most who don’t live here do.

It is not the Holy Bible and does not have the authority of Scripture, but the reasons given in the Ein Yaakov for both types of eclipses that focus on the USA between 2014 and 2024 fit this country perfectly. For the weight we can give it, there is no escaping why this sign of blood moon and sackcloth sun is appearing.

Continue Reading:

Blood moons were just the beginning

Sun turns dark over America

2017-2024 Total solar eclipses: What we know

End Time Delusions: The Rapture, the Antichrist, Israel, and the End of the World

It’s the End of the World as We Know It (and I Feel Fine): How to stop worrying and learn to love these End Times

Intoxicated with Babylon: The Seduction of God’s People in the Last Days

Signs in the heavens -- blood moon and darkened sun

2017-2024 Total solar eclipses: What we know — 2017 Update

Posted on April 3, 2017July 13, 2017 by LF

Originally posted to web site August 4, 2015.

Six Eclipses: Signs in the Heavens Today

Contemporary signs in the heavens invite an examination of the facts heightened by the natural casting of reasonable speculation in the face of the huge unknown. What do we know and what might we infer? What might we out right guess? Conservatively (as always), we venture there.

This sign in the heavens now upon us is the series of eclipses beginning in April 2014 and ending in April 2024. The first four were lunar eclipses labeled “blood moons.” These have passed. The remaining two are solar eclipses, meaning the sun will be darkened.

We will use a tried and proven method of examination and analysis. You may be familiar with the fact-finding “5 W’s” of journalism. They are:

What happened?
Who is involved?
Where did it take place?
When did it take place?
Why did it happen?

Some lists also include an “H” in the list:

How did it happen?

Just the Facts

Let’s look at the facts we know concerning the lunar and solar eclipses of 2014-2024 in that manner.

What happens is four total lunar and two total solar eclipses.
The “who” is not yet known. We are not certain in the first place if this is a sign from God, and we cannot be entirely certain for whom the sign is intended.
Where it happened is in the heavens, visible primarily over the America, more so North America, and particularly the USA.
When is within a ten year period beginning April 15, 2014, and ending April 8, 2024.
Why it happened is unknown in much the same way as “why.”
How in relation to the eclipses appearing in the sky is an easy and certain answer — by the hand of God — for He set all the luminaries in the sky into motion at the Genesis 1:14 moment of creation.

Those are the facts we have about the eclipses. From here on, we move to speculation on the meaning and more. Some of the speculation will be fact-based, but it is speculation all the same. Interesting, for sure, and some of it could end up matching with future facts, but we do not and cannot know for certain at this point in time.

What

The thing we have before us for speculative consideration is a celestial event that has a pattern that is at least minimally similar to signs in the heavens foretold in the Holy Bible: The moon is eclipsed so that it darkens and turns to blood (by appearance) and the sun turns dark.

In the Holy Bible, these signs are foretold to nations under judgement and to a world under God’s wrath at the end of the age. It would seem, then, that if this series of eclipses is truly a sign placed in the heavens by the Lord God, it would be a sign of coming judgment.

Who

When movements of the lights in the heavens occurred in days before knowledge was as easily spread as it has been in the last century or two, one part of the world could see an eclipse directly overhead while no one living elsewhere in the world would know an eclipse had happened.

This is how it was when God explained that He had put the sun, moon, and stars in the expanse, “for signs and for seasons and for days and years.” God can send a sign by lunar and solar eclipses for a particular people group in a certain geographic region with no one living in another part of the world seeing it. He says He will do that for Babylon (Isaiah 13:10) and Egypt (Ezekiel 32:7).

This map of total and annular solar eclipses in the years 2001-2020 shows how this is the case. The paths of totality (in blue) for total solar eclipses (total darkening of the sun) are narrow and precise.

There is no mistaking it. If God chooses to send a sign set in the heavens to a particular group of people, the eclipse is how He could do it. That is why the area where the sign is visible still matters even though the rest of the world can be made aware of it today.

Now, let’s look back to who could see the set of eclipses running 2014-2024. Here, again, are the four visibility maps for the 2014-2015 lunar tetrad:

Only the Americas have at least a partial view of all four lunar eclipses. Out of all the nations of the world, the USA has the most consistently available view of them. It seems that the people for whom this sign in the heavens is meant live somewhere in these regions.

What about the total lunar eclipses of 2017 and 2024? There is no doubt at all that the solar eclipses are meant to be seen by those living in the USA. The dot in the center of the shadow designates the path of totality (total darkness) during the eclipse and it crosses right over the continental USA from sea to shining sea:

There is a group that will insist that any sign in the heavens has to be meant for another part of the world. One argument might be that God knew that by the time He sent this sign, everyone in the world knows when an eclipse occurs anywhere in the world. That is possible but I don’t think it is likely. We’ll flesh that out in a later section.

Where

The signs appear in the sky above us. Another approach to “where” would be to ask where the judgement or whatever the signs are meant to warn of or convey will happen, and we pretty well covered that under the “who” part of this section.

When

No one knows. First of all, no one knows for sure that this is a sign from God of impending judgement. Yes, I know, that’s been said a couple times already, but it’s important to keep in mind.

Second, even if we were sure that these eclipses are one of the prophesied signs in the heavens, there is no way to know when the judgement will fall.

It did not happen during the lunar tetrad. Many (including yours truly) thought that another Rosh Hashanah stock market crash might come along to close out the second seven (2001 to 2008, and then 2008 to 2015) and the lunar tetrad, but it didn’t happen.

The 2017 solar eclipse happens on August 21, 2017. The April 8, 2024, solar eclipse occurs 6.66 years after the first. The mid-point between the two falls in mid-December, 2020.

Continue Reading:

Blood moon and sackcloth sun: Ancient writings

Blood moons were just the beginning

Sun turns dark over America

Sun turns dark over America — 2017 Update

Posted on April 2, 2017July 13, 2017 by LF

Originally posted to web site August 4, 2015.

On the heels of the 2014-2015 lunar tetrad come two total solar eclipses that will hold many in awe as the sun turns dark over America from coast to coast.

On August 21, 2017, a solar eclipse begins in the Pacific Ocean at sunrise. Visible throughout North America, the path of totality makes landfall mid-morning in Oregon, transits over Idaho, Wyoming, Nebraska, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, and Tennessee, then exits mid-afternoon over South Carolina and onto the Atlantic Ocean.

On April 8, 2024, the sun is eclipsed over the Pacific Ocean at sunrise. Making landfall near Mazatlan, Mexico, its darkness sweeps into the USA at a point in southwest Texas. For the next hour or so, the path of totality engulfs parts of Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, New York, Vermont, and Maine before making its exit into New Brunswick, Canada.

The animations here show the shadows of the upcoming total solar eclipses as they envelop the USA mainland.

The dot in the center of the shadow is path of totality, where the sun turns dark over America as if it were night. Images: NASA

How common is a total solar eclipse over North America?

Most of earth’s surface lacks people. About 71% is covered with water, and only about 40% of the land is populated. It follows, then, that most eclipses fall over water and unpopulated land. Few have a path of totality over major population centers, and relatively few of those transit over North America.

The last two over any point in the United States were visible only in the Pacific Northwest and Hawaii.

In February 1979, a total solar eclipse crossed the far northwest corner of the continental USA:

February 6, 1979, total solar eclipse. Image: NASA.

In July 1991, a total solar eclipse was visible over Hawaii:

July 11, 1991, total solar eclipse. Image: NASA.

We have to go back to June 8, 1918– the summer that the bulk of America’s troops arrived in Europe to fight WWI — for the last solar eclipse with a path of totality crossing the USA from Pacific to Atlantic:

June 8, 1918, total solar eclipse. Image: NASA.

Only a handful of people alive today were around to see the total solar eclipse of 1918. Many Americans have lived and died without an opportunity to see one within driving distance. People living into their seventies, eighties, and most now in their nineties have not seen it.

Sun turns dark over America — the conclusion of a sign?

That lack of opportunity is about to end. The animation below shows that over the next seven years or so just about everyone in the USA will be within driving distance of a spot where they can be a witness along with their family and friends as the sun turns dark over America.

It seems to make an “X” over the country, doesn’t it? What could that mark mean?

Add this to what we saw in the lunar eclipse visibility maps in Blood moons were just the beginning and we might wonder what we are experiencing as blackness covers us when the sun turns dark over America during the total solar eclipses of 2017 and 2024. Is this part 2 of the sign? What does it mean? Who is it for? We’ll start to explore that in the next section of the series, Signs in the heavens: Facts and speculation.

Continue Reading:

2017-2024 Total solar eclipses: What we know

Blood moon and sackcloth sun: Ancient writings

Blood moons were just the beginning

Blood moons were just the beginning — 2017 Update

Posted on April 2, 2017July 13, 2017 by LF

Originally posted to web site August 4, 2015.

A couple of years ago you could hardly throw a virtual stone on the web without hitting someone that knew all about the so-called “blood moons.” Most articles on the topic related those blood moon eclipses to the prophecy in Joel 2:31. It was not that blood moon we were seeing in the skies, but it may be fair to say that the sign isn’t over, that blood moons were just the beginning.

There is good reason to look to the moon for prophetic signs relating to the next and final act in God’s amazing redemptive plan for humanity. From the very beginning, God told us to watch for signs in the heavens:

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).

In several places throughout the Scriptures, God spells out specifically that signs in the heavens will come as a warning of judgement. Here are just a few of these passages:

In Isaiah 13:10, God speaks against Babylon, saying,

For the stars of heaven and their constellations will not flash forth their light; the sun will be dark when it rises and the moon will not shed its light.

He declares against Egypt in Ezekiel 32:7,

And when I extinguish you, I will cover the heavens and darken their stars; I will cover the sun with a cloud And the moon will not give its light.

In Joel 2:10, we read,

The sun and the moon grow dark and the stars lose their brightness,

and in verse 31,

The sun will be turned into darkness and the moon into blood before the great and awesome day of the LORD comes.

In the Olivet Discourse, Jesus prophesies,

But immediately after the tribulation of those days THE SUN WILL BE DARKENED, AND THE MOON WILL NOT GIVE ITS LIGHT, AND THE STARS WILL FALL from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shakenâ€ (Matthew 24:29; also ref. Mark 13:24-25, Luke 21:25).

In Revelation 6:12-13,

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; and the stars of the sky fell to the earth, as a fig tree casts its unripe figs when shaken by a great wind.

And Revelation 8:12,

The fourth angel sounded, and a third of the sun and a third of the moon and a third of the stars were struck, so that a third of them would be darkened and the day would not shine for a third of it, and the night in the same way.

Did you notice anything about those passages? A pattern of the signs in the heavens they describe? Sure you did. It is always the sun and the moon. So how is it that in all the discussion of blood moons during the 2014-2015 tetrad, no one seems to have thought to look for a movement in the sun? Is it possible that these blood moons were just the beginning of a larger overall set of signs in the heavens?

Absolutely, and we’re going to look at all of it in this series of articles.

Signs in the Moon

We will begin where we have been. That means looking at the signs that have already passed.

This series of maps (from NASA) shows where the 2014-2015 total lunar eclipses were visible. White and lighter shades of grey indicate areas where the eclipse could be seen (white being 100% visible) while the darkest shade of grey shows where it was not visible at all. To get a better view, click on the image to go to the NASA page for that eclipse (opens in a new tab).

The April 15, 2014, total lunar eclipse was fully visible in most of North America, parts of South America, and the east coast of Australia and nearby islands. It was less visible over the Atlantic Ocean and parts of Europe and Asia, and not visible at all in the majority of Europe, Asia, and most of Africa, including the Middle East.

On October 8, 2014, the second of four total lunar eclipses was most visible over the Pacific Ocean’s vast ‘Ring of Fire‘ region (including Australia). It could also be witnessed from most of North and South America and much of Asia, though to a lesser extent than the previous two. It was not visible in the vast majority of Europe and Africa, and it again was not visible in the Middle East.

The April 4, 2015, total lunar eclipse was visible to much the same areas as its immediate predecessor.

The last of the tetrad, the September 28, 2015, total lunar eclipse was visible in South America, most of North America, over the Atlantic Ocean and from most of Europe and Africa (including the Middle East).

If where an eclipse is visible means anything, these four “blood moons” were primarily intended to speak to the people of North and South America. No other area had at least a fair viewing of all four of them.

And that’s not all, folks. As the title of this article implies, there is much more to come because the so-called “blood moons” were just the beginning. There are accompanying signs in the heavens coming up in the next few years that align with the pattern of the prophetic signs, for just as the moon turned red as blood in the lunar eclipses, in 2017 and 2024 we see the sun doing exactly what the prophets say the sun will do: Go dark or turn black.

Continue Reading:

Sun turns dark over America

2017-2024 Total solar eclipses: What we know

Blood moon and sackcloth sun: Ancient writings

In defense of the pre-trib rapture: Imminency -- dothnet.net

A look at the pre-trib rapture: Imminency required

Posted on March 26, 2017June 4, 2017 by LF

One defense for the rapture happening before the Great Tribulation begins is the need for a rapture imminency. According to pre-trib proponents, that means it can happen at any time, without warning or any notable event coming first, and with no way of determining exactly when it will occur.

That aligns fairly well with Merriam-Webster’s definition of, “ready to take place;” as in “hanging threateningly over one’s head,” giving the example, “was in imminent danger of being run over.” Let’s look at what the Holy Bible tell us about imminency and the return of Christ for His church.

Scriptural proofs

No one knows the day or the hour the rapture will occur. We know this because Jesus said so. He told His disciples in the Olivet Discourse that when it comes to His return,

“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

And yet, He did not say that we would be left without a clue as to when the time was near. In later portions of the Discourse, our Lord said

“(S)o, you too, when you see all these things, recognize that He is near, right at the door.” — v. 33

And:

“Therefore be on the alert, for you do not know which day your Lord is coming.” — v. 42

Just as those promoting the pre-tribulation timing of the rapture use verse 36 to dictate the need for imminency, they use the later verses to insist that while we cannot know the day or the hour, we can (and some say, must) know the times and the seasons. Many align current events with Christ’s warnings of wars, earthquakes, love growing cold, etc., and then point to it as evidence of our being in those times and seasons right now.

This is said to be knowing the season but not the day or the hour, thereby preserving rapture imminency.

The countdown

The difference between knowing the times and the seasons verses the day and the hour supposedly proves a pre- vs. post-tribulation rapture because the Great Tribulation brings with it a countdown to the very day or hour.

Here is how this theory goes: If you are on the earth during the Great Tribulation, you will be able to count down to the day and maybe even the hour that the Lord Jesus will return. That is because the expected Anti-Christ will make a covenant with the nation Israel for seven years, break it in the middle of the seven years (bringing us into the Great Tribulation vs. a lighter tribulation in the first half of the seven), and at the end of that Great Tribulation (and the entire seven years) Christ will return. Therefore, all one has to do is make note of the date that covenant or treaty is signed, count ahead seven years to the day and perhaps even the hour, and you will know the day and the hour that the rapture is going to happen.

There is one huge problem with that. There will be no covenant between Anti-Christ and the nation Israel for seven years. This is a sadly popular misunderstanding of who makes the covenant with Israel and when (Daniel 9:27). Since there is no such covenant in the last days, there is no marker for a final countdown, and this argument for rapture imminency is dead on arrival.

The man of lawlessness

In his first letter to the Thessalonians, Paul assured the Christians there that those who have died in Christ would rise again at His return:

But we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve as do the rest who have no hope.For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus. For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words.

The bolded portion relates to a latter section, so please keep in mind it’s there.

Paul continues in chapter 5:

Now as to the times and the epochs, brethren, you have no need of anything to be written to you. For you yourselves know full well that the day of the Lord will come just like a thief in the night. While they are saying, “Peace and safety!” then destruction will come upon them suddenly like labor pains upon a woman with child, and they will not escape.

In his second letter to the church, Paul addresses an issue of concern that has sprung up among God’s people there:

Now we request you, brethren, with regard to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, that you not be quickly shaken from your composure or be disturbed either by a spirit or a message or a letter as if from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come.

And he tells them what must happen before that day comes:

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, 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. Do you not remember that while I was still with you, I was telling you these things?

If the man of lawlessness, the one most pre-trib adherents call ‘the’ anti-Christ, must be revealed and take his seat in the temple of God, claiming to be God, before the people of God are gathered to meet Christ in the air, how is the return of the Lord imminent? If imminent means, as many say it does, “nothing more needs to happen in God’s timeline” before Christ appears for His church, how do we deal with Paul’s saying the man of lawlessness must be revealed before that day comes?

Jesus’ own words on rapture timing

Did Jesus say anything about the timing of the rapture in relation to the Great Tribulation?

Yes; He said it would be “immediately after the tribulation.”

“But immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory. And He will send forth His angels with a great trumpet and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other.” — Mathew 24:29-31 (ref. Mark 13:24-27).

The angels with a great trumpet? They will sound that trumpet out over the land. Paul talks about it in I Corinthians 15:51-52:

Behold, I tell you a mystery; we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.

True rapture imminency

There is a true imminency about the last day and our appearance before Christ Jesus which is, if you think about it, a sort of personal rapture imminency. It is the frailty of human life. No one has the next second guaranteed to them. This is why we should be a living witness to the world around us, so that in our lives they may see something that brings them to ask us to give the reason for the hope that is in us (I Peter 3:15). That hope is in Christ alone, and it comes at His appearing whether we are among those who are alive and remain or those who have fallen asleep (I Thessalonians 4:15-18).

Once all sections in this series are complete a list with links will be posted below. Thanks for your patience.

Introduction to Series

End Time Delusions: The Rapture, the Antichrist, Israel, and the End of the World

It’s the End of the World as We Know It (and I Feel Fine): How to stop worrying and learn to love these End Times

Intoxicated with Babylon: The Seduction of God’s People in the Last Days

The Star of Saturn — More than NASA can ever reveal

Posted on February 10, 2017June 2, 2017 by LF

Originally posted to web site May 10, 2012.

A storm is brewing on Saturn’s north pole.

First discovered by Voyager in the 1980s, the strange hexagon on Saturn’s north pole baffles scientists. Nothing like it has been discovered on the other planets in our solar system. Considering Saturn’s atmosphere, if NASA were to expect to find such a phenomenon on one of the planets, Saturn would be the last place to look.

Scientists believe the hexagon is shaped by a wandering jet stream with speeds of 220 mph. The white spots within the hexagon are storms, some being active for more than a decade and twice the size of the largest hurricane ever seen on Earth.

Over the years, NASA has released images of “Saturn’s Strange Hexagon” using various color effects to enhance the photos. Thanks to Cassini’s enhanced imaging ability, we saw the hexagon in true-color for the first time in 2013.

Each time NASA posts a new set of images, more is revealed about it. Yet, there may be far more to this star of Saturn than NASA will ever see with its telescopes and probes.

Six, six, six

The Star of Saturn has three physical characteristics with the number six:

Like every other shape called a hexagon, the formation on Saturn has six sides.
A star can be drawn within the hexagon with six lines and having six points.
Saturn is the sixth planet from the sun.

There are several biblical principles applied to the number 6:

Symbolically, 6 is the number of man, who is made in the image of God yet falls short of God’s perfection (7) due to man’s disobedience.
The earth was created in six days; man was created on the sixth day (Genesis 1:26-31).
Man is given 6 days to achieve his goals (the seventh belongs to God [Exodus 20:8-11]).
The sixth commandment is, “You shall not murder” (Exodus 20:13); murder is the intentional taking of a human life.
Christ Jesus says of the satan, “He was a murderer from the beginning” (John 8:44), identifying the satan as the original and chief violator of the 6th commandment.
The code “666” identifies the satan’s false trinity brought to earth through a world system known as “the beast” which will claim to fulfill man’s desire to achieve through human means what can only be given by God.

Saturn and the star at Messiah’s birth

A popular theory on the Star of Bethlehem is that it was a conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn (or Jupiter, mars, and Saturn). This usually leads to speculation that the Magi would have recognized Jupiter as the ‘king’ star and Saturn as the star of the Jewish people, putting that together with the prophecies of Daniel to know it was time to go to Judea, looking for the newborn King of kings.

The problem with that is, Saturn is not the star of the Jews or Judea or Israel. These are the chosen people of God. They were not to worship the host of heaven. They were the children of the Most High God and no other.

If there is to be a sign in the heavens that is so spectacular the Magi could not miss it, God would be sure that it spoke to His people, too. The Lion of the tribe of Judah was about to be born. The ‘king’ star is Regulus, the heart of the constellation Leo (the lion). Regulus is a true star, not a planet shining like one. Judah (the Jews in Judea) is the lion (Genesis 49:9) and Regulus is its heart, their Messiah (Genesis 49:10, Revelation 5:5).

In his book, The Star that Astonished the World, Dr. Ernest L. Martin explains how the ‘gentile’ king star joined with the Messianic “King” star to announce the birth of the King of kings:

The Impressive Signs of 3/2 B.C.E.: Here was Jupiter (the King planet), which had just united with Venus (the Mother) on August 12, 3 B.C.E., now joining itself with the King star Regulus (the star of the Jewish Messiah) in the zodiacal sign of Leo (the constellation of Judah), while the Sun (the Supreme Father or Ruler) was then located in Virgo (the Virgin). All of these features are reminiscent of biblical themes associated with the birth and personage of the Jewish Messiah.

No doubt, Saturn wanted this glory and has over millennia trained the minds of many to believe it had its part in it, but God would not allow it any part. Dr. Martin continues: (emphasis added):

The Impressive Signs of 3/2 B.C.E.: Look at this massing of the planets. All the primary planets (except Saturn) were now clustering near one another in the constellation of Leo (Judah), while the Moon was just then entering Leo. The Sun, however, at that very time was entering the sign of Virgo (the Virgin). These indications once again could show remarkable prophetic themes mentioned in the Bible that people were looking for at the time.

Surely someone out there has at least a couple questions, such as: What would God have against a lifeless ball of gas like Saturn? How could a ball of gas want glory?

The Host of Heaven

While NASA and its contemporaries do not see evidence of life on the other planets in our solar system, we can say with certainty that life is there – the whole host of heaven.

The Holy Bible tells us that the heavenly hosts are both the planets and the beings in the heavens. Both are objects that God created. The Scripture reveals that both can be worshipped and served, and that both will be destroyed in the last day. In this passage, “the host” of heaven are the other planets:

“Thus the heavens and the earth were completed, and all their hosts” (Genesis 2:1).

Here, “host of heaven” describes heavenly beings:

“Micaiah said, “Therefore, hear the word of the Lord. I saw the Lord sitting on His throne, and all the host of heaven standing by Him on His right and on His left” (1 Kings 22:19).

Isaiah tells us God will punish the hosts of heaven and the kings of the earth, so is talking about beings:

“So it will happen in that day, that the Lord will punish the host of heaven on high, and the kings of the earth on earth” (Isaiah 24:21).

Later in the text, Isaiah reveals the fate of the sky and planets, the latter called the host of heaven:

“And all the host of heaven will wear away, and the sky will be rolled up like a scroll” (Isaiah 34:4).

Last (but certainly not least) is this passage where God warns His people to not look up at the sun, moon, stars and “all the host of heaven,” indicating that these are objects or beings that can be served and worshiped – not merely rocks or balls of gas:

“And beware not to lift up your eyes to heaven and see the sun and the moon and the stars, all the host of heaven, and be drawn away and worship them and serve them” (Deuteronomy 4:19a).

It is clear that these objects (planets) and beings (spirits) are related to one another. God’s warning to His people concerning them are the same, as are the ends they will meet.

The apostle Paul tells us that as Christians – children of God adopted through the blood of Christ and sealed by the Holy Spirit – our enemy is not only here on earth but also among the host of heaven:

“(O)ur struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 6:12).

Looking at the hexagon on Saturn, it seems that there is more of a relationship between the planetary host of heaven and the sentient host of heaven than their having the same descriptive name in the Holy Bible. Or, that perhaps God used the same name to describe them so that we might know this relationship. It is one of those things that can be known but not readily explained. Like much that exists in both the natural and spirit realms, the reality of the host of heaven is complex. In our time-based, three-dimensional world, there is little hope of understanding it. Still, it is there, and we can learn from it.

Talismans and banners

To this day, occultists create talismans of the planets worn as protection. Each of these has on one side a five-pointed star and on the other, a six-pointed star. Each six-pointed star has an animal in the center. Here are a few examples:

Talisman of Jupiter

Talisman of Mars

Talisman of the Sun

The so-called talisman of Saturn has the image of a horned bull as its animal avatar:

Talisman of Saturn

Saturn and Israel (then and now)

Is it merely coincidence that the identifying symbol of Jewishness today, such that it is borne on the Israeli nation flag, is identical to the Star of Saturn depicted on the amulets above as well as that appearing on the planet bearing its name? Well, we don’t allot much to coincidence here, so let’s look closely at it.

As children in Sunday School, we learned about a dark day in Israel’s history (emphasis added):

Now when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down from the mountain, the people assembled about Aaron and said to him, “Come, make us a god who will go before us; as for this Moses, the man who brought us up from the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.” Aaron said to them, “Tear off the gold rings which are in the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters, and bring them to me.”

Then all the people tore off the gold rings which were in their ears and brought them to Aaron. He took this from their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool and made it into a molten calf; and they said, “This is your god, O Israel, who brought you up from the land of Egypt.”

Now when Aaron saw this, he built an altar before it; and Aaron made a proclamation and said, “Tomorrow shall be a feast to the Lord.” So the next day they rose early and offered burnt offerings, and brought peace offerings; and the people sat down to eat and to drink, and rose up to play. (Exodus 32:1-6)

To at least one child growing up in Sunday School, the golden calf seemed like a brief episode in Israel’s history. It happened, they repented, and all was good to the Promised Land. When we grow up and read more of the Holy Bible, however, we find that is not the case. God was extremely hurt and angered by it, and He did not soon forget that while He was giving the Law to Moses, they were having orgies over a golden calf.

Throughout the Old Testament and into the New, God reminds them of this awful idolatry, emphasizing the sin especially attributable to their worship of the calf. He does this in Moses’ last address to them while still in the wilderness(Deuteronomy 9:16), hundreds of years later through the Psalmist (106:19-21), later still through Nehemiah (9:18-19), and then again as by the prophet Amos (5:26-27) in a passage that would be quoted centuries later in the New Testament.

Is it coincidence (certainly not!) that the Amos passage enters the New Testament through the words of Stephen, the first martyr of the church, in his speech before the Sanhedrin? The martyrdom of Stephen by stoning at the hands of the religious elite of Israel is a pivotal moment in God’s dealings with the Jews. It is no coincidence that one last time He reminds them of this early idolatry as the Holy Spirit gives Stephen the words to say. Here is Acts 7:42-43 (emphasis added):

But God turned away and delivered them up to serve the host of heaven; as it is written in the book of the prophets, ‘It was not to Me that you offered victims and sacrifices forty years in the wilderness, was it, O house of Israel? (You also took along the tabernacle of Moloch and the star of the god Rompha, the images which you made to worship. I also will remove you beyond Babylon.’

Here is the original passage in the KJV, the passage reads (again, (emphasis added):

Have ye offered unto me sacrifices and offerings in the wilderness forty years, O house of Israel? (But ye have borne the tabernacle of your Moloch and Chiun your images, the star of your god, which ye made to yourselves. Therefore will I cause you to go into captivity beyond Damascus, saith the Lord, whose name is The God of hosts.

Moloch, Rompha, Remphan, Sikkuth, Chiun, Kiyyun – the translation varies by time and culture — all are names for Saturn. And the star they carried is sitting at Saturn’s north pole:

Saturn and the Church

Thank goodness we are beyond all that pagan worship stuff today, right? Not quite.

If the satan, as Saturn, was so doggedly in pursuit of God’s beloved in the former age, would he not be just as determined to woo her in the present?

Today, a lot of people do not have a problem with Jesus or God the Father but rather with the exclusivity of Christ Jesus as the only Way of salvation and to reconciliation with God the Father. It was the same in ancient Rome. The church was not frowned upon because of her devotion to Christ but for her strong devotion to Him as the sole means of salvation for mankind and for her aversion to pagan deities. The pure dedication the early church showed for the Savior was such that many believers chose to die horrible deaths than to deny Christ or bow to an idol. This was an inspiring witness to the Roman people and many received Christ Jesus as Savior and Lord as a result.

The satan had to be angry about this — his plan to torment the church into submission not only failed but the numbers of believers was growing. He adopted another tactic. It took a couple of centuries, but the enemy of men’s souls is patient. Eventually, an emperor came along that realized the Christian faith was growing much faster than pagan beliefs. If he was to hold onto power, he, too, had to embrace the Christians, even claiming to be one of them. No more arresting and murdering Christians, but he couldn’t risk upsetting the large number of pagans reluctant to let go of their beliefs. For example, Saturn worship.

Saturn was really popular among the people of Rome:

Saturn is a complex figure because of his multiple associations and long history. He was the first god of the Capitol, known since the most ancient times as Saturnius Mons, and was seen as a god of generation, dissolution, plenty, wealth, agriculture, periodic renewal and liberation. In later developments he came to be also a god of time. His reign was depicted as a Golden Age of plenty and peace. The Temple of Saturn in the Roman Forum housed the state treasury. In December, he was celebrated at what is perhaps the most famous of the Roman festivals, the Saturnalia, a time of feasting, role reversals, free speech, gift-giving and revelry.

Under various emperors and popes, the pantheon of the gods became the pantheon of the saints. For example, Bacchus was ancient Rome’s god of wine; Vincent is the Roman church’s saint of wine makers. Also, ancient feast days were given correlating Christian identities. Easter (worship of the goddess Oestre/Ashtoreth/Ishtar) was given the Christian identity of the Hebrew First Fruits, the day Messiah rose from the grave. The birthday of the unconquerable sun, on December 25, was given a new name, “Christmas,” which incorporates much of the saturnalia customs with it:

Saturnalia was an ancient Roman festival in honor of the deity Saturn, held on 17 December of the Julian calendar and later expanded with festivities through to 23 December. The holiday was celebrated with a sacrifice at the Temple of Saturn, in the Roman Forum, and a public banquet, followed by private gift-giving, continual partying, and a carnival atmosphere that overturned Roman social norms: gambling was permitted, and masters provided table service for their slaves. The poet Catullus called it “the best of days.”

Does it matter that these relics of pagan worship reside within the church today? Yes. It matters to God.

Ancient Israel did not forsake worshiping Jehovah. They just worshiped Baal, Ashtoreth, Molech, and others alongside the One True God. The passage in Amos says “you also carried.” A study of the Old Testament will show that the Jews consistently attempted to blend pagan worship with worship of Jehovah. Maybe they were trying to cover all their bases, you know, just in case Jehovah did not answer, Baal might. Or, maybe they just really enjoyed the customs associated with Ashtoreth. But God will not accept that. Only absolute, singular faith in and allegiance to Him is acceptable worship.

Saturn today

As mentioned earlier, the saturnalia is not the only pagan influence stamped atop the Christian calendar. It is, however, celebrated at the time of year when all retailers make their money (the temple of Saturn held the Roman treasury) and when all people are expected to be especially happy, go out shopping, and wrap up these things we buy to give to other people.

As for the nation Israel today, Saturn has managed to stamp his name on the Jewish Sabbath as the civil calendar is written (Saturday).

And there is still that pesky six-sided star, just like the one on the talismans . . . and within the vortex spinning on Saturn’s north pole.

God’s Perfect Timing

A mere fifty years ago, we were nearly blind to the wonders of the universe. God is now allowing man the technology to see what is out there. This could mean the time will soon be upon us that He will reveal to us, through these instruments, that of which Jesus said:

“There will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and on the earth dismay among nations, in perplexity at the roaring of the sea and the waves, men fainting from fear and the expectation of the things which are coming upon the world; for the powers of the heavens will be shaken” (Luke 21:25-26).

We can now see one of the seats of these “powers of the heavens” bearing its mark for all to see. Praise God, Jesus did not stop with the warning but continued to the promise:

“Then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory” (Luke 21: 27).

Is He coming soon? Yes!

Maranatha!

2014 image of Saturn’s polar hexagon.

In defense of the pre-trib rapture: longing -- dothnet.net

A look at the pre-trib rapture: Loving His appearing

Posted on January 28, 2017June 4, 2017 by LF

I do not like to write about things like this, but what you are about to read is ugly. The way pre-tribbers use this particular defense of the pre-trib rapture – longing – is just plain ugly. Prepare yourself before reading further.

The Holy Bible makes clear that one indication of being a child of God is loving or longing for Christ’s return, His appearing, at the last day.

“In the future there is reserved for me the [victor’s] crown of righteousness [for being right with God and doing right], which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that [great] day—and not to me only, but also to all those who have loved and longed for and welcomed His appearing.” — 2 Timothy 4:8 (AMP)

For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus, who gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds.” — Titus 2:11-14

“And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment,so Christ also, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time for salvation without reference to sin, to those who eagerly await Him.” — Hebrews 9:28-29

The rapture: Longing for Christ

In their efforts to shame anyone who does not adhere to the dispensationalist pre-tribulation rapture theory, some people are bold and cold enough to suggest that those who do not support it are lacking in their love for God. First, they cite the above verses describing what any true child of God feels about the rapture: longing. Those in Christ long for the appearing of our Lord and Savior. We hunger to be with Him forever and ever, and to know the closeness with Him we lack until that day.

The ugly way they use this is to say that anyone longing for His appearing will want it to be as soon as possible. That must mean, then, that those who do not adhere to the pre-tribulation rapture lack this longing and are not truly His child. Take it one more step and you can then reject anything and everything they say, including insight into Scripture proving the pre-trib rapture to be false.

The “rapture longing” proof for the pre-tribulation rapture is perhaps the most despicable of them all.

A look at the pre-trib rapture: Why take it up now?

Posted on January 26, 2017June 4, 2017 by LF

Over many years while under the ministry of many preachers, teachers, and laymen in the church, I heard every possible defense of the pre-tribulaton or pre-trib rapture view of the church in the last day. Growing up in a small holiness church in central Ohio, the consensus was that the pre-trib timing of the rapture was certain. No dissenting view was ever heard.

As a young person, I did not question my elders’ understanding of the Scriptures. I believed and wanted to always believe that the rapture of the church came before the Great Tribulation. Christians would be spirited away (quite literally) into the heavens, kept safe from all the horrors about to come upon the earth in that day.

I believed that for the first score and four years of my life. Then one day, troubled with the lack of support for that belief in the Holy Bible, I asked our pastor about it. He referred me to the very passages that had troubled me with no explanation of the text, only an assurance that this is what it has to mean.

There was no chance of finding someone in my church to talk about this with an objective view toward the Scriptures. On some of my early and naive attempts, the mere thought of being on the earth during the Great Tribulation brought some of them to tears. It just wasn’t worth putting loved ones through that when I was not sure myself.

Fortunately, the Internet soon came along and I was able to begin searching for what people all around the world were saying. Not only did I discover there is absolutely no biblical support to the pre-trib rapture theory but also the dispensational view of the Holy Bible was lacking proof. Every single tenet, foundation, and proof for any defense I had ever heard for the pre-tribulation rapture went ‘poof!’ right before my eyes as I read the text.

As the Holy Spirit is opening more and more hearts, minds, and eyes to the truth on this matter, the remaining supporters of it are being more forceful than ever in proclaiming their defense of the pre-tribulation rapture. Some are getting down-right mean toward those who pray for them to see the truth on the matter, accusing us of having no interest in prophecy and not longing for the return of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

That attitude may be an indication of the Holy Spirit dealing with hearts or it may be a sign of clinging to a comfortable deception that tickles itching ears. I was that way once — who wouldn’t rather believe you’re going to be taken away to be with the Lord before the world falls apart than face the truth that we need to prepared to stand true and minister as it does?

Views on Revelation and the rapture

Let’s quickly review the most prominent views of the Book of Revelation and the rapture.

The pre-trib (as in, tribulation, referring to the Great Tribulation) view of the rapture (aka the return of Christ Jesus for His church) is popular among dispensationalists. They claim that it happens so that the church is not on the earth at the time of the Great Tribulation. One reason given for this having to be so is that we are to be spared from God’s wrath, as promised. Another such reason is that it permits God to deal exclusively with the Jewish people for the last seven years of the age.

The pre-trib timing of the rapture is one perspective held among a vast number of views of what will take place during the end times according to those holding to a futurist interpretation of the events described in the Book of Revelation (that’s singular, by the way).

The futurist view stands in contrast to the preterist, historicist, and idealist views of the Revelation. To quickly review:

Preterists generally believes everything in the Book of Revelation was fulfilled by 70 A.D.;
Historicists propose that it covers all of church history from the first apostles to the return of Christ;
Idealists believe it is an allegory explaining the spiritual struggle between God and the satan from beginning to end; and,
Futurists tend to believe that all of the Revelation is describing events yet future.

Folks believing the events are mostly past or allegory may not have the same divisions as we who see the end of days as a future event in real time. I’m sure there are exceptions, but most historicists I know believe the rapture comes after the Great Tribulation and hold to the amillennial viewpoint.

As a futurist, you can hold any of many different perspective on the text as well as any combination of those perspectives, those these generally center on three basic concepts: The rapture, the millennium, and dispensationalism. The last one divides most futurists into two camps.

If you hold to the dispensationalist view of the Holy Bible, you are almost certainly an adherent to the pre-trib rapture. That’s because dispensationalism does not make sense without it.
If you reject dispensationlism, you can see things clearly.

John Wesley on dispensations after grace. — Those holding to the Wesleyan tradition in one hand and dispensationalism in the other might be unaware of his expressed belief on the matter, such as this quote from one of John Wesley’s sermons.

Why bother?

I have heard people who grew up in the same little church as I did say, as an adult without Christ, that they will know it is time to get ready when the rapture happens. Not only is that bad thinking because we never know when our own personal ‘rapture’ will occur but it sets up those around those people to not be trusted when the last days turn out as they will (with the church still here). Let’s say Bill believed everything his aunt Sally told him about the Bible since he was a little boy in that little country church and one thing she’s always taught him is that the rapture happens before the Great Tribulation.

Bill hasn’t been to church in years, has no relationship with the Lord at all, but has it in his mind to make things right when aunt Sally and other Christians he knows are raptured. If Bill and Sally are fortunate to remain alive until that day, what does Sally tell Bill? That she was wrong and here is what’s happening now. Will Bill believe she is right this time? Without seeing the rapture happen, will he be provoked to find faith at all?

And then, there is the readiness of the church. I won’t accuse that those who hold to these beliefs are all going to fall should they be alive at the end times, but if we think (in the USA) that religious persecution has come to our land today, well, we haven’t seen anything yet. We must be prepared to lose all, plain and simple. Material goods, people we love, freedoms, rights, up to our very lives. The Holy Spirit will give us what to say and what to pray, so we don’t need to rehearse speeches or memorize prayers, but we need to be ready for that day all the same.

Easy to follow

This will not be one of those over-your-head articles that throw so many intricate details at you that the big picture gets missed. It’s easy to follow and understand. I promise.

No particular order

I think that’s enough of an introduction. When you are ready to begin the first installment of this series, click where you’d like to begin. There in no particular order.

God Blessed America

A Helping Hand to the World

What’s in your MAGA?

More in the series:

Approval Ratings

Remember 2016

How can polls be so wrong?

More in the series:

Williams’ Latest Report

Never Trumpers

God Intervened

The Interview

Doubting Debbie Doomer-Downers

Trump Triumphant

More in the series:

As in the days of Noah

The Book of Life

Technology of the end times

How long until the end?

Tesla the Futurist

Tesla the Mystic

Nikola Tesla and the last days

The Book of Enoch

Genesis

Enoch

The “eternal secrets”

The fullness of iniquity

Tesla the conduit

Signs of the times

Lawlessness

Because lawlessness is increased . . .

Love grown cold

. . . most people’s love will grow cold.

Knowledge increased

Conclusion

(I)f you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord,

and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead,

you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes,

resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses,

resulting in salvation. For the Scripture says,

“Whoever believes in Him will not be disappointed.”

The Sign of His Coming

Remember Daniel the Prophet

Daniel 9:27

Agreement

View No. 1 — The 70th week covenant maker is antichrist

Associated beliefs

View No. 2 — The 70th week covenant maker is Christ

It’s All about Messiah

Associated Beliefs

Why would God send a sign?

The start of USA decline

“America is great because she is good. If America ceases to be good, America will cease to be great.”

Why now?

The USA in Bible prophecy

Conclusion

Authority of Scripture

“Blood moon and sackcloth sun” — Clarification

Ein Yaakov

Ein Yaakov on Eclipses

Why?

Unfair Business Practices

Disrespecting What God Honors

Conclusion

Continue Reading:

Six Eclipses: Signs in the Heavens Today

Just the Facts

What

Who

Where

When

Continue Reading:

The dot in the center of the shadow is path of totality, where the sun turns dark over America as if it were night. Images: NASA

February 6, 1979, total solar eclipse. Image: NASA.

July 11, 1991, total solar eclipse. Image: NASA.

June 8, 1918, total solar eclipse. Image: NASA.

Sun turns dark over America — the conclusion of a sign?

Continue Reading:

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).

For the stars of heaven and their constellations will not flash forth their light; the sun will be dark when it rises and the moon will not shed its light.

But immediately after the tribulation of those days THE SUN WILL BE DARKENED, AND THE MOON WILL NOT GIVE ITS LIGHT, AND THE STARS WILL FALL from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shakenâ€ (Matthew 24:29; also ref. Mark 13:24-25, Luke 21:25).