September 4, 2011
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CURRENT PROPHETIC HEADLINES
9/4/11
9/3/11
US Seeks to Abort UN Palestinian Statehood - www.onislam.net
CAIRO – In a last-ditch effort to abort a Palestinian effort to win UN recognition of their state, the United States has floated a proposal for renewed peace talks with Israel while working to persuade UN members to drop support for the Palestinian statehood campaign.
“We’re still focused on Plan A,” a senior administration official told The New York Times on Sunday, September 4.
The Palestinians are planning to seek recognition of their new state during the General Assembly meeting on September 20, following the collapse of the peace talks with Israel.
The United States has said that it will veto any request for Palestinian statehood at the UN Security Council.
However, Washington has not enough support to block a vote by the General Assembly to elevate the status of the Palestinians’ nonvoting observer “entity” to that of a nonvoting observer state.
The change would pave the way for the Palestinians to join dozens of United Nations bodies and conventions.
It could also strengthen the Palestinian ability to pursue cases against Israel at the International Criminal Court.
To abort the Palestinian bid, Washington has circulated a proposal – to be issued in a statement by the Quartet - for renewed peace talks with Israel.
The US administration is working on translating the broad principles Obama outlined in May on Israel’s withdrawal to the 1967 borders with mutual land swaps into a concrete roadmap for talks.
Diplomats are also laboring to formulate language that would bridge stubborn differences over how to treat Jewish settlements in the West Bank, and over Israel’s demand for recognition of its status as a Jewish state.
At the same time, the US is trying to narrow the support for the Palestinian statehood bid at the General Assembly.
Last month, the US has issued a formal diplomatic message to more than 70 countries urging them to oppose any unilateral moves by the Palestinians at the UN.
The message argued that a vote would destabilize the region and undermine peace efforts.
“The fact is there are countries that would choose not to do that vote if there was an alternative,” one administration official said.
Peace talks collapsed last year over Israel’s refusal to halt settlement building in the occupied West Bank.
There are more than 164 Jewish settlements in the West Bank, eating up more than 40 percent of the occupied territory.
The international community considers all settlements on the occupied land illegal.
Hard Choice
But US officials are worried that a US veto would inflame anti-America sentiments in the Arab region.
“It’s not clear to me how it can be avoided at the moment,” said Ghaith al-Omari, a former Palestinian negotiator who is now executive director of the American Task Force on Palestine in Washington.
“An American veto could inflame emotions and bring anti-American sentiment to the forefront across the region.”
US officials fear that a US veto would trigger a wave of anger in the Palestinian territories and the Arab region at a time when the region is already in tumult.
Officials are also worried that avoiding the use of the veto power would alienate Israel and its political supporters in the United States.
“If you put the alternative out there, then you’ve suddenly just changed the circumstances and changed the dynamic,” a senior administration official involved in the flurry of diplomacy said.
“And that’s what we’re trying very much to do.”
Some US officials describe the Palestinian bid for UN recognition as very alarming.
“The most powerful argument is that this will provoke a Palestinian awakening, that there will be a new violence and that we’ll be blamed,” said Martin S. Indyk, a former American ambassador to Israel.
EU may 'draft own resolution on Palestinian UN bid' – www.news.yahoo.com
Austria is suggesting that the European Union work on its own resolution on a diplomatically delicate Palestinian bid for full UN membership, Foreign Minister Michael Spindelegger said on Saturday.
Asked by journalists at a meeting of EU foreign ministers whether the 27-nation bloc, which is split on the question, was working on its own resolution, Spindelegger said: "I have proposed that we'll see how the consultations progress".
"Of course we must also see what the Palestinians are really requesting, whether they are demanding recognition by the Security Council or whether they'll go to the General Assembly, for a different sort of status," he added.
"We must first clarify matters with them."
Arriving for two days of talks in this Polish seaside resort on Friday, several ministers urged the EU to speak with a single voice just weeks before the Palestinians are to formally submit a request for membership.
But EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton, as well as ministers, said a single position on the issue remained elusive, as the Palestinian proposal remained unknown.
"There is not a resolution before us on which we should take a decision ... there are many discussions going on," she said. "The Palestinians will have to decide which resolution they put forward."
Europe stands divided on the question, with Germany and Italy publicly opposed but Spain pledging to vote in favour, on or around September 20, when world leaders gather in New York for the 66th session of the General Assembly.
Frustrated by the stalemate in peace talks with Israel, on hold since last September due to an intractable dispute over Jewish settlement building, the Palestinians are seeking statehood recognition despite staunch opposition from many quarters, notably Israel and the United States -- and some Europeans.
"Unilateral steps are not reasonable," said German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle. "We want a two-state solution to be reached through negotiations."
While Dutch Foreign Minister Uri Rosenthal sided with opponents of the Palestinian move, also calling for a peace deal "based on an agreement between all parties", tiny Luxembourg urged a compromise.
Palestinians expect "more than 150" of the 192 UN member countries to endorse full Palestinian membership.
But this would fall short to ratify an application, which must be approved by the UN Security Council, where Washington has pledged to use its veto against the initiative.
The General Assembly however could raise the Palestinians' standing at the UN from its current observer status as an organization to that of a non-member state, like the Vatican.
If approved by two thirds of the General Assembly it would allow the Palestinians for instance to gain full membership of UN agencies such as WHO, UNESCO or UNICEF.
UN: Credible evidence Iran working on nuke weapons – George Jahn – www.news.yahoo.com
VIENNA (AP) — The U.N. nuclear agency said Friday it is "increasingly concerned" about a stream of intelligence suggesting that Iran continues to work secretly on developing a nuclear payload for a missile and other components of a nuclear weapons program.
In its report, the International Atomic Energy Agency said "many member states" are providing evidence for that assessment, describing the information it is receiving as credible, "extensive and comprehensive."
The restricted 9-page report was made available Friday to The Associated Press, shortly after being shared internally with the 35 IAEA member nations and the U.N. Security Council. It also said Tehran has fulfilled a pledged made earlier this year and started installing equipment to enrich uranium at a new location — an underground bunker that is better protected from air attack than its present enrichment facilities.
Enrichment can produce both nuclear fuel and fissile warhead material, and Tehran — which says it wants only to produce fuel with the technology — is under four sets of U.N. Security Council sanctions for refusing to freeze enrichment, which it says it needs for fuel only.
It also denies secretly experimenting with a nuclear weapons program and has blocked a four-year attempt by the IAEA to follow up on intelligence that it secretly designed blueprints linked to a nuclear payload on a missile, experimented with exploding a nuclear charge, and conducted work on other components of a weapons program.
In a 2007 estimate, the U.S. intelligence community said that while Iran had worked on a weapons program such activities appeared to have ceased in 2003. But diplomats say a later intelligence summary avoided such specifics, and recent IAEA reports on the topic have expressed growing unease that such activities may be continuing.
The phrase "increasingly concerned" has not appeared in previous reports discussing Iran's alleged nuclear weapons work and reflects the frustration felt by IAEA chief Yukiya Amano over the lack of progress in his investigations.
His report said that choice of language is due to the "possible existence in Iran of past or current undisclosed nuclear related activities" linked to weapons work. In particular, said the report, the agency continues to receive new information about "activities related to the development of a nuclear payload for a missile."
Acquired from "many" member states, the information possessed by the IAEA is "extensive and comprehensive ... (and) broadly consistent and credible," said the report.
Other findings of the report, prepared for a session of the IAEA's 35-nation board of governors starting Sept. 12 included:
— Confirmation of reports by diplomats to the AP that Iran has started setting up uranium enriching centrifuges at Fordow, a fortified facility dug into a mountain near the holy city of Qom. Iran intends to use Fordow to triple its 20-percent enrichment of uranium — a concern because that level is easier to turn into weapons grade uranium quickly than its main stockpile of low enriched uranium at 3.5 percent.
— Further accumulation of both low-enriched and higher enriched or 20 percent uranium. The report said Iran had now accumulated more than four tons of low enriched uranium and over 70 kilograms — more than 150 pounds — of higher enriched material. Those two stockpiles give it enough enriched uranium to make up to six nuclear warheads, should it choose to do so.
The report praised Iran for its decision earlier this month to allow IAEA Deputy Director General Herman Nackaerts to tour a facility where it is developing more efficient centrifuges, saying Iran "provided extensive information" on its development of such machines.
It, however was generally critical of Iran's record of secrecy and lack of cooperation, noting that without increased openness on the part of the Islamic Republic the IAEA is unable to "conclude that all nuclear material in Iran is in peaceful activities."
Pentagon reveals China's deep underground 3,000-mile network of nuclear facilities - www.east-asia-intel.com
The Pentagon for the first time last week disclosed new details of China's deep underground bunker system that is used to protect nuclear weapons and Chinese military personnel and leaders.
The bunkers are located in northern China and are connected to a network of tunnels.
A disclosure in the annual assessment of China's military reveals its deep-underground facilities in the north that are connected with more than 3,000 miles of tunnels. The facilities are used for storing and hiding missiles and nuclear warheads, and for command bunkers hardened against nuclear attacks.
The facilities were built beginning in the 1950s based on the Chinese belief that the weapons and headquarters are less vulnerable to attack.
"China's strategic missile force, the Second Artillery Corps (SAC), has developed and utilized [underground facilities] since deploying its oldest liquid-fueled missile systems and continues to utilize them to protect and conceal their newest and most modern solid-fueled mobile missiles," the report says.
The facilities include an "obscure tunnel network" stretching more than 3,000 miles.
The report said China's underground nuclear sites are based on Beijing's assumption that "it might have to absorb an initial nuclear blow prior to engaging in 'nuclear counterattack,' " the report says.
According to the newsletter the Diplomat, a recent presentation at the Naval War College disclosed that the underground facilities were made public by China's state-run CCTV in March 2008. The television network showed some of the tunneling at a location in mountainous northern Hubei province. The facilities reportedly are located hundreds of yards below ground.
"Although secrecy and ambiguity remain China's predominant approach in the nuclear realm, occasional disclosure of information on some missile-related [underground facilities] is consistent with an effort to send strategic signals on the credibility of its limited nuclear arsenal," the report says.
The published reports have shown images of tunnels, modern network-based security and control centers, and advanced camouflage measures, the report says.
The underground military facilities also are used to protect and hide command posts and communications sites, to store weapons and equipment and to protect people.
Richard Fisher, a China military-affairs analyst, said the report is significant for listing strategic nuclear forces that show an estimated increase of up to 25 new ICBMs, some with multiple warheads, in a year, and the first references to China's program for nationwide missile defenses.
"Taken together, a well-protected, growing ICBM force that will soon have active defenses should be of great concern to the United States," said Fisher, of the International Assessment and Strategy Center. "China will not reveal its missile-buildup plans or its [anti-ballistic missile] plans, so this simply is not the time to be considering further cuts in the U.S. nuclear force, as is the Obama administration's intention."
Fisher said China's hints and unofficial signs for decades that it does not seek large nuclear forces are not credible and are in line with similar disinformation themes, such as China's claims that it is not preparing for space warfare, not selling arms to rogue states and not seeking global hegemony.
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World Economy Hanging By A Thread - By Chris Puplava – www.worldviewweekend.com
It's not just the U.S. economy that is throttling growth back to stall speed but the global economy as a whole. One of the most powerful big picture concepts that has taken place over the last decade is globalization, the interconnectedness of the world economy, and right now it's skating on thin ice.
It's not just the U.S. economy that is throttling growth back to stall speed but the global economy as a whole. One of the most powerful big picture concepts that has taken place over the last decade is globalization, the interconnectedness of the world economy, and right now it's skating on thin ice. While the U.S. may have been the fire starter with its subprime crisis back in 2007-2008, this time it may be the Euro crisis that pulls the global economy underwater. The heart of the matter in the Eurozone and other developed economies is too much debt relative to their productive output-a situation set to intensify as a slowdown in growth (shrinking economies) exacerbates the debt to gross domestic product (GDP) ratios as it becomes more difficult to service debt with shrinking revenue.
You Go, I Go, We all Go
As mentioned in the opening paragraph, investors and economists cannot look at the U.S. in isolation as globalization has become a dominant theme over the last decade. For the past two years corporations have had record earnings with a large portion of revenue coming from overseas, also partly explaining why U.S. markets have performed so well despite this being one of the worst recoveries since the Great Depression. Large-cap blue chip names are benefitting from globalization as they are increasing exposure towards faster growing foreign markets.
That said, globalization is also a double-edged sword. As you can see from the figure below, starting from the early 2000s many global economies started to synchronize, minimizing the previous benefits of diversifying their corporate revenue bases geographically to shield from regional downturns. Now, the leading economic indicators calculated by the OECD for various regions and countries show we currently have an economic slowdown where everyone is getting dragged over a cliff.
As highlighted in my last article ("If You Thought August Was Bad, Just Wait Until September!" [2]), a number of major upcoming economic releases were likely to disappoint, and a U.S. jobs report for August that showed zero job growth is testament to that. However, we did not just have a disappointing economic showing this week domestically, but also worldwide. While the U.S. manufacturing PMI (ISM report) showed the manufacturing base of the country expanding marginally (>50) with a 50.6 reading, we had disappointing PMI readings for August from China and parts of Europe. This can be seen in the figure below for various regions which shows the top five global economies are either in contraction (<50) or just marginally expanding. The bottom panel below is a global GDP-weighted PMI for the world's top five economies (shown individually in top panel) which represents two thirds of global GDP. The top 5 PMI peaked in February at 58.37 and has steadily declined all year to a reading of 50.37 in August, which shows global GDP skating on thin ice and likely to slip into contractionary territory by next month for the first time since June 2008.
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U.S. Natural Disasters: 2011 An Extreme and Exhausting Year – Julie Reed Bell - www.huffingtonpost.com
WASHINGTON — Nature is pummeling the United States this year with extremes.
Unprecedented triple-digit heat and devastating drought. Deadly tornadoes leveling towns. Massive rivers overflowing. A billion-dollar blizzard. And now, unusual hurricane-caused flooding in Vermont.
If what's falling from the sky isn't enough, the ground shook in places that normally seem stable: Colorado and the entire East Coast. On Friday, a strong quake triggered brief tsunami warnings in Alaska. Arizona and New Mexico have broken records for wildfires.
Total weather losses top $35 billion, and that's not counting Hurricane Irene, according to the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration. There have been more than 700 U.S. disaster and weather deaths, most from the tornado outbreaks this spring.
Last year, the world seemed to go wild with natural disasters in the deadliest year in a generation. But 2010 was bad globally, and the United States mostly was spared.
This year, while there have been devastating events elsewhere, such as the earthquake and tsunami in Japan, Australia's flooding and a drought in Africa, it's our turn to get smacked. Repeatedly.
"I'm hoping for a break. I'm tired of working this hard. This is ridiculous," said Jeff Masters, a meteorologist who runs Weather Underground, a meteorology service that tracks strange and extreme weather. "I'm not used to seeing all these extremes all at once in one year."
The U.S. has had a record 10 weather catastrophes costing more than a billion dollars: five separate tornado outbreaks, two different major river floods in the Upper Midwest and the Mississippi River, drought in the Southwest and a blizzard that crippled the Midwest and Northeast, and Irene.
What's happening, say experts, is mostly random chance or bad luck. But there is something more to it, many of them say. Man-made global warming is increasing the odds of getting a bad roll of the dice.
Sometimes the luck seemed downright freakish.
The East Coast got a double-whammy in one week with a magnitude 5.8 earthquake followed by a drenching from Irene. If one place felt more besieged than others, it was tiny Mineral, Va., the epicenter of the quake, where Louisa County Fire Lt. Floyd Richard stared at the darkening sky before Irene and said, "What did WE do to Mother Nature to come through here like this."
There are still four months to go, including September, the busiest month of the hurricane season. The Gulf Coast expected a soaking this weekend from Tropical Storm Lee and forecasters were watching Hurricane Katia slogging west in the Atlantic.
The insurance company Munich Re calculated that in the first six months of the year there have been 98 natural disasters in the United States, about double the average of the 1990s.
Even before Irene, the Federal Emergency Management Agency was on pace to obliterate the record for declared disasters issued by state, reflecting both the geographic breadth and frequency of America's problem-plagued year.
"If you weren't in a drought, you were drowning is what it came down to," Masters said.
Add to that, oppressive and unrelenting heat. Tens of thousands of daily weather records have been broken or tied and nearly 1,000 all-time records set, with most of them heat or rain related:
_ Oklahoma set a record for hottest month ever in any state with July.
_ Washington D.C. set all-time heat records at the National Arboretum on July 23 with 105 and then broke it a week later with 106.
_ Houston had a record string of 24 days in August with the thermometer over 100 degrees.
_ Newark, N.J., set a record with 108 degrees, topping the old mark by 3 degrees.
Tornadoes this year hit medium-sized cities such as Joplin, Mo., and Tuscaloosa, Ala. The outbreaks affected 21 states, including unusual deadly twisters in Minnesota, Wisconsin and Massachusetts.
"I think this year has really been extraordinary in terms of natural catastrophes," said Andreas Schrast, head of catastrophic perils for Swiss Re, another big insurer.
One of the most noticeable and troubling weather extremes was the record-high nighttime temperatures, said Tom Karl, director of NOAA's National Climatic Data Center. That shows that the country wasn't cooling off at all at night, which both the human body and crops need.
"These events are abnormal," Karl said. "But it's part of an ongoing trend we've seen since 1980."
Individual weather disasters so far can't be directly attributed to global warming, but it is a factor in the magnitude and the string of many of the extremes, Karl and other climate scientists say.
While the hurricanes and tornado outbreaks don't seem to have any clear climate change connection, the heat wave and drought do, said NASA climate scientist Gavin Schmidt.
This year, there's been a Pacific Ocean climate phenomenon that changes weather patterns worldwide known as La Nina, the flip side to El Nino. La Ninas normally trigger certain extremes such as flooding in Australia and drought in Texas. But global warming has taken those events and amplified them from bad to record levels, said climate scientist Jerry Meehl at the National Center for Atmospheric Research.
Judith Curry of Georgia Tech disagreed, saying that while humans are changing the climate, these extremes have happened before, pointing to the 1950s.
"Sometimes it seems as if we have weather amnesia," she said.
Another factor is that people are building bigger homes and living in more vulnerable places such as coastal regions, said Swiss Re's Schrast. Worldwide insured losses from disasters in the first three months this year are more than any entire year on record except for 2005, when Hurricane Katrina struck, Schrast said.
Unlike last year, when many of the disasters were in poor countries such as Haiti and Pakistan, this year's catastrophes have struck richer areas, including Australia, Japan and the United States.
The problem is so big that insurers, emergency managers, public officials and academics from around the world are gathering Wednesday in Washington for a special three-day National Academy of Sciences summit to figure out how to better understand and manage extreme events.
The idea is that these events keep happening, and with global warming they should occur more often, so society has to learn to adapt, said former astronaut Kathryn Sullivan, NOAA's deputy chief.
Sullivan, a scientist, said launching into space gave her a unique perspective on Earth's "extraordinary scale and power and both extraordinary elegance and finesse."
"We are part of it. We do affect it," Sullivan said. "But it surely affects us on a daily basis – sometimes with very powerful punches."
Earthquakes in Relation to Birth Pangs - By Ron J. Bigalke - Eternal Ministries – www.bibleprophecyblog.com
Some prophetic teachers make claims with regard to earth’s increasing number of earthquakes as a sign of the end times in fulfillment of Matthew 24:7. Yet, such claims do not accord with scientific data or proper interpretation of Christ’s words in the Olivet Discourse.
There are two views among premillennialists as to the timing of the fulfillment of the birth pangs prophesied in the Matthean eschatological discourse. In his commentary on the Gospel of Matthew, Walvoord wrote with regard to premillennialists who understand Matthew 24:4–14 “as a unit, describing the general characteristics of the age leading up to the end, while at the same time recognizing that the prediction of the difficulties, which will characterize the entire period between the first and second coming of Christ, are fulfilled in an intensified form as the age moves on to its conclusion.” In other words, they argue that 24:4–14 lists “general signs,” whereas 24:15–26 lists “specific signs.” The differentiation between “general” and “specific” signs would mean that the former “have been at least partially fulfilled in the present age and have characterized the period between the first and second coming of Christ.” [1] However, even within this view, some interpret 24:4–8 as general signs of the period between the first and second coming of Christ and 24:9–14 as events occurring in the first half of the tribulation. [2]
Certainly, the birth pangs in the Olivet Discourse (false messiahs, wars, famines, and earthquakes) have their precursors in the present age. [3] However, the relationship between Christ’s statements in the eschatological discourses and parallels in Revelation 6 indicates that these signs will not be fulfilled during the church age. The prophesied signs are unique to a period of which the world has never known. Since these signs are events that fit contextually within the tribulation period, they should not be cited as fulfilled (in any sense) in the current age. [4]
For example, it is common to reference famines and plagues as proof of prophetic fulfillment, but the truth is, these have been occurring throughout the course of human history for thousands of years. The worst famines in history happened in North China (1876–79) and India (1876–78). In North China alone, “deaths by hunger, violence, and subsequent disease are estimated at between 9 million and 13 million.” [5] The worst case of pestilence was in Europe and Asia from AD 500 to 650 (popularly termed the “Plague of Justinian”), which left three of every five inhabitants dead. The decline of the city of Constantinople and the Byzantine Empire dates from the Plague of Justinian. Not until the ninth century did the Empire begin to recover. “Recurring epidemics of bubonic plague killed as many as 100 million people” in Europe and Asia. [6] From 1347 to 1351, the Black Death “affected every level of society, killing an estimated 75 million people, depopulating more than 200,000 villages, and reducing the European population by perhaps as much as one-quarter.” [7] None can deny the devastation of these select events, but there is no comparison to those of the future tribulation. No current frame of reference exists for the judgments and signs of the tribulation. If the events of 24:4–14 (or 24:4–8) are general signs of disasters as ancient as the human race — representing familiarly distressing scenes of conquest, war, famine, and death — then what will be different in the breaking of the first four seal judgments? Obviously, nothing would be different, and this is not the case from the biblical text. [8]
Another premillennial interpretation of Matthew 24:4–14 is that these prophesied events occur solely in the first half of the tribulation. Gaebelein wrote:
“The point which we wish to make is the following: If this is the correct interpretation, if Matthew xxiv:4–14 refers to the beginning of that coming end of the age and if Revelation vi refers to the same beginning of the end and that which follows the sixth chapter leads us on into the great tribulation, then there must be a perfect harmony between that part of the Olivet discourse contained in Matthew xxiv and the part of Revelation beginning with the sixth chapter. And such is indeed the case.” [9]
There are significant parallels between the synoptic eschatological discourses and the Book of Revelation. Of course, all premillennialists understand that the synoptic eschatological discourses are parallel in at least some aspects to the Book of Revelation. Therefore, it is logical (and more importantly, this is the revelation of Scripture) that Matthew 24:4–14 and the remaining portions of the Matthean discourse would focus attention upon the same period of time, that is, the seven-year tribulation.
Are Earthquakes Increasing in Fulfillment of Matthew 24:7?
Some prophetic teachers make claims with regard to earth’s increasing number of earthquakes as a sign of the end times in fulfillment of Matthew 24:7. Such claims do not accord with scientific data or proper interpretation of Christ’s words in the Olivet Discourse. According to the National Earthquake Information Center (NEIC), the number of earthquakes of magnitude 7.0 or higher remains invariable. The increase in scientific instrumentation (seismographs with increased sensitivity) and global communication has allowed seismologists to identify large and small earthquakes at a much more rapid rate than in the past twenty years.
Seismographs have demonstrated no increase in the number of earthquakes in more recent years. Using records since the 1900s, the NEIC anticipates seventeen major earthquakes of a magnitude between 7.0–7.9 and one great earthquake of a magnitude 8.0 or higher on a yearly basis (e.g. the recent earthquake in Japan). [10]
The assertion that earthquakes are increasing in fulfillment of Matthew 24:7 misinterprets Scripture. The context of Matthew 24:7 demands that this sign is for believers in the tribulation, who anticipate the return of the Lord; it is incorrect to refer to this passage as describing events during the church age.
Clearly, several worldwide earthquakes will occur in the tribulation, such as the great earthquake accompanying the sixth seal in Revelation 6:12–17. Following this earthquake, “[T]he 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…The sky was split apart like a scroll…and every mountain and island were moved out of their places.” The sixth seal judgment will affect the heavens and the earth. Isaiah (2:10–22) prophesied its devastation as occurring in the day of reckoning, when God will arise to make the earth tremble.
The campaign of Armageddon will witness numerous earthquakes (Rev 8:5; 11:19; 16:18). Revelation 16:18–20 describes a great earthquake (i.e. the greatest earthquake since man came to be upon the earth). In Acts 1, Jesus ascended into heaven from the Mount of Olives before witnesses, and it is there that He will return to deliver His people. The great earthquake will occur when Messiah returns to earth and sets His feet upon the Mount of Olives and splits it in two (Acts 1:9–12; Zech 14:1–11).
The biblical conclusions in this article do not invalidate biblical prophecies. Hahn explained,
“We must conclude that much greater earthquake activity lies ahead for the world. If our interpretation of Matthew 24 and the corresponding accounts of Revelation are correct, a pronounced increase — conclusively noticeable for all of mankind to recognize — will occur during the first half of the Tribulation period. This also corresponds to the understanding that the Tribulation period is in fact a period of time where God himself intervenes in the physical order of the earth. It is a time of God’s wrath.” [11]
Endnotes
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[1] John F. Walvoord, Matthew: Thy Kingdom Come (Chicago: Moody Press, 1974; reprint, Grand Rapids: Kregel, 1998) 183.
[2] “Although these verses are very similar to those recorded in Mark 13:9–13 and Luke 12:12–19, the differences show that Matthew is not dealing with the same thing. Luke clearly stated that the events he was describing came before the sign of the end of the age when nation shall rise up against nation and kingdom against kingdom. However, in the Matthew account, the passage begins with the word then, pointing out that what Christ is describing now will come after the event of nation rising against nation and kingdom against kingdom. So while the words tend to be similar, these similarities do not prove sameness” (Arnold G. Fruchtenbaum, The Footsteps of the Messiah [Tustin, CA: Ariel Ministries Press, 1983] 440).
[3] For instance, it is commonly stated that the increasing number of earthquakes is a sign of the end times. Such claims are inconsistent with scientific data and biblical context. See Ron J. Bigalke Jr., “The Olivet Discourse: A Resolution of Time,” Chafer Theological Seminary Journal 9 (Spring 2003): 136–38. See also Steven A. Austin and Mark L. Strauss, “Are Earthquakes Signs of the End Times?: A Geological and Biblical Response to an Urban Legend,” Christian Research Journal 21 (1999): 30–39; and, Gordon Franz, “Earthquakes: On the Increase? Or Warnings of Judgment to Come?” (paper presented at the Eastern Regional Meeting of the Evangelical Theological Society, Myerstown, PA, 1999).
[4] World events are not insignificant but may “set the stage” for the prophetic fulfillment of tribulation events. See Thomas Ice, “Stage-Setting of the Last Days,” in Revelation Hoofbeats, ed. Ron J. Bigalke Jr. (Longwood, FL: Xulon, 2003) 283–300.
[5] James C. Cornell Jr., The Great International Disaster Book (New York: Pocket Books, 1979) 155.
[6] Ibid., 183.
[7] Ibid., 184.
[8] Sigve K. Tonstad, Saving God’s Reputation: The Theological Function of Pistis Iesou in the Cosmic Narratives of Revelation (New York: Clark, 2006) 132.
[9] Arno C. Gaebelein, The Gospel of Matthew: An Exposition, 2 vols. (New York City: Our Hope, 1910) 2:182.
[10] U.S. Geological Survey, “Are Earthquakes Really on the Increase?” [article online] (accessed 1 April 2011) available from http://earthquake.usgs.gov/learn/topics/increase_in_earthquakes.php.
[11] Wilfred J. Hahn, “Earthquakes: A False Sign?” Eternal Value Review 2 (April 2011): 5.
Spiritual longevity – Greg Laurie – www.wnd.com and www.harvest.org
When I first became a Christian, I wanted to be a super-Christian overnight. I was looking for the Cliffs Notes on spirituality, the shortcut to spiritual growth. I wanted to know how I could immediately be like a mega-believer. In time, I realized there is no angle. There is no such thing as a super-Christian. There is only a super-Savior, because I am a super-sinner.
Some people, it seems, are like yo-yos. They either are excited and passionate about their faith, or they are doing things they shouldn't be doing now that they are Christians. That is why David wrote, "Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me" (Psalm 51:10 NKJV). The word "steadfast" could better be translated "constant." David was asking for a constant spirit, for consistency.
So how do we find that consistency? Just walk with God. Man has walked on the top of Mount Everest, on the bottom of the ocean, and even on the moon. But the Bible tells the story of a man who walked with God. His name was Enoch, and in his story, we discover how to find longevity in our spiritual lives.
Enoch lived at a unique time in human history, just before Noah built his ark and God judged the Earth with the Flood. It was such a wicked time that God said, "My Spirit shall not strive with man forever" (Genesis 6:3). The Bible tells us that humanity was corrupt and was always thinking about violent things to do. Finally God effectively said, "That's it. I can't take it anymore. I am going to judge the earth and start over again." You might say that Enoch was a last-days believer in a sense. He lived just before the judgment of God.
There is a parallel to our times, because Jesus said, "When the Son of Man returns, it will be like it was in Noah's day" (Luke 17:26 NLT). We, too, are living in violent times. It is commonplace now to read about new violence and new killing and new threats of terrorism in today's headlines.
Violence is all around us, and Enoch lived in a violent time as well. But he showed that it is possible to live a godly life in a godless world. We may wonder whether it is possible to live a godly life today. Is it possible to be honest? Is it possible to have integrity? Is it possible to put God first? The answer is yes. We are not the first generation to be living in twisted times. It can be done – by walking with God as Enoch did.
Enoch was one of two men in the Bible who never saw death. The other was Elijah. He is also mentioned, along with Noah, as someone who specifically walked with God. Only five passages in the Bible refer to Enoch, and two of them are genealogies. He made it into Hebrews 11, the Bible's Hall of Faith: "It was by faith that Enoch was taken up to heaven without dying – 'he disappeared, because God took him.' For before he was taken up, he was known as a person who pleased God" (Hebrews 11:6).
Enoch was a human being like any of us. He faced the same temptations, the same pressures and the same challenges. Yet he walked with God. To walk with God does not mean we must live merely by rules and regulations. That is how a lot of people envision the Christian life. But nothing could be further from the truth. Walking with God is living life to its fullest.
If you walk with God, everything else will fall into place. The prophet Amos said, "Can two walk together, unless they are agreed?" (Amos 3:3 NKJV) The idea is two people walking together as a single unit, as though they were one. If two people are riding a tandem bicycle, they need to pedal together. Or if two people are paddling a canoe, both need to paddle in rhythm. It is the idea of God and an individual walking together in rhythm, in harmony with God. It is not trying to get God to go where we want him to go, but going where God wants us to go.
Years ago I was scuba diving in Hawaii, and we went to a depth of about 100 feet, the deepest I had ever gone. By the time we reached that depth, I had used up almost all of my air. So I gestured to the instructor that I was losing air. He looked at my gauge and then gestured to the back of his tank. Hanging off the back of his tank was an extra breathing apparatus called an octopus. The problem was the hose from the octopus to his tank was very short, so I had to stay with him. Wherever he swam, I had to swim. When he stopped, I had to stop. I had to stay in harmony with him – or drown.
That is the idea of walking with God. It is to get into harmony with him. It is to want what he wants and to go in the direction he wants us to go.
God is essentially saying, "Hold on to my hand. Don't pull away." But sometimes we say, "Oh, no. I have a better idea. I want to do this instead." And that is foolish, because God is only trying to protect us from danger and get us to where we need to go.
Enoch walked with God in a godless world, and then he went to be with God. Scripture tells us that "Enoch lived 365 years, walking in close fellowship with God. Then one day he disappeared, because God took him" (Genesis 5:23–24 NLT). In Enoch's case, he didn't die, but went straight into the presence of God. His life of walking with God was rewarded. I think that one day Enoch just went out to take a walk and probably said to his wife, "Honey, I am going to go take a walk with God." And then he just kept walking, right into God's presence. It serves as a reminder that if we walk with God on earth, we will walk with God in heaven.
There is no shortcut to spiritual growth that I could give you today. But I will say this: Just walk with God. Just concentrate on that in the days, weeks and years to come.
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How Shall We Live? - This Week’s Feature Article by Jack Kelley – www.gracethrufaith.com
If you like, you can think of this as a follow up to our study on Are All Our Sins Forgiven. Having shown the Lord’s clear promise that once we became a believer all the sins of our life were forgiven at the cross, we now turn to the logical follow up question. How should a believer respond to such an incredible gift?
Paul devoted much time to describing the appropriate response to the free gift of eternal life and it’s summed up in his admonition “Only let us live up to what we’ve already attained” (Phil 3:16). By the wording he used we know this is not something we do to achieve or maintain our salvation. He said we’ve already attained that. We do this as an expression of our heartfelt gratitude for having been given a free “get out of hell” pass. Because there’s no doubt about it, hell is where we were surely bound.
In 1 Cor. 6:9-10 Paul said, “Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God”
Then he differentiated the past from the present, acknowledging the fact that since we’ve become new creations we no longer fit any of those descriptions.
“And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God” (1 Cor. 6:11)
I think the phrase “some of you” was giving us a big benefit of the doubt. Spiritually speaking, the sinful thought is as bad as the sinful deed and who among us has not had such a thought at one time or another? But Paul takes pains to say that’s the way God saw us before we were washed, sanctified (set apart) and justified (regarded as though innocent). Now, because of the cross, we’re a new creation (2 Cor. 5:17), having attained the righteousness of God (2 Cor. 5:21) by faith in His completed work (Romans 3:21-22).
The Practice Of Christian Living
Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind (Romans 12:1-2).
Someone once said, “Life is what you make it. It’s not what happens but how you take it.” Everything about the practice of Christian living is within our control. We don’t have to behave like everyone else. We can be transformed and it begins with choosing to behave differently.
Each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor, for we are all members of one body. “In your anger do not sin”: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold. He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with his own hands, that he may have something to share with those in need.
Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you (Ephes 4:25-32).
I believe Paul was in effect, the first behavioral psychologist. He taught that while we can’t always control the circumstances of our life we can control our response to them. We have such a glorious future awaiting us that we don’t have to worry about gaining the approval of others by acting the way they do. Our primary goal is pleasing the Lord.
“Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” (Luke 6:37-38)
Choosing to become more tolerant, forgiving and generous will have such a remarkable effect on our life that others will want to know what has happened to transform us. Instead of stuttering and stammering through an embarrassing attempt to “witness” to friends and neighbors we’ll find that our very life has become a witness to what God can do, and people will be drawn to us.
This is because the practice of Christian living is not all don’t do this or don’t do that, at least not in the negative sense. Remember Jesus said that He came so we might have life and have it more abundantly (John 10:10).
To that end the Bible says we shouldn’t worry about how we’re going to get by, letting the Lord take care of that for us (Matt. 6:25-34). We shouldn’t let what Paul called the light and momentary troubles of this world get us down. We should no longer fix our eyes on the temporary things we can see, but focus on the eternal things we can’t see instead (2 Cor. 4:17-18). This is even more true for us than it was for the people of Corinth 2000 years ago because very soon we’re going to step out of this world and into the next one where the eternal things we’ve only been able to dream about will suddenly become our new reality.
In the meantime, do you hate your job because of a boss who’s hard to please? Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. (Colossians 3:23-24)
Are your neighbors or associates hard to put up with? Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. (Romans 12:17-18)
We who’ve been given everything don’t have to worry about anything.
The Privilege Of Christian Living
Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus (Phil 4:4-7).
Because we’ve become children of the Creator of the Universe we can rejoice in everything that happens to us because we know that God is working all things together for the good of those who love Him (Romans 8:28). We can always be at peace, even when our world seems to be crumbling around us. We fear nothing, we pray about everything, and we’re thankful for anything.
Jesus said, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)
This world is a dark and evil place, and though we are children of God the whole world is under the control of the evil one (1 John 5:19). Nowhere does the Bible promise us a trouble free life. What it does promise is victory over any enemy we choose to engage (Joshua 10:25). The Lord is our over comer and because of that we are privileged to be at peace. No matter what.
Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone. (Colossians 4:2,6)
Think about it. We can engage the Creator in conversation any time it suits us. He’s always in, we never need an appointment, and he’s never too busy for us. Whether it’s asking for a parking place on a crowded street or guidance on whether to pursue a career opportunity, He’s always available to listen and help.
Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. As it is written:
“He has scattered abroad his gifts to the poor; his righteousness endures forever.”
Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God. (2 Cor. 9:6-11)
God has given us the privilege of distributing His endless resources to those in need. He so loves a cheerful giver that every time He finds one He makes them rich in every way so they will always have more than enough for themselves with sufficient excess so they can be generous to others on every occasion. Next to the gift of eternal life there’s no more remarkable promise anywhere in Scripture.
The Power Of Christian Living
Resist the devil and he’ll flee from you. (James 4:7)
Although Paul called him the God of this age (2 Cor. 4:4), Christians needn’t fear the devil because of the power we’ve been given.
For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ (2 Cor. 10:3-5).
Jesus showed us how to do this in the wilderness temptations (Matt. 4:1-11). Using nothing but Scripture He demolished every one of the devil’s arguments and sent him packing. This same power is available to us. We just have to know the Bible well enough to activate it.
Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven (James 5:14-15).
As is the case with everything James wrote, this is a clear promise without exception or equivocation. The Bible doesn’t promise we won’t get sick, but it does promise we can be healed. It’s a power the Lord died to give us.
“I tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. (Mark 11:23-24)
And it’s not just healing. With sufficient faith we could literally move mountains. But faith is like our physical muscles. The more we exercise it the stronger it becomes. This is a case where the American lifestyle has become our enemy. It’s been too easy to get the things we want without the Lord’s help. It’s been hard to remember that opportunity does not equal mandate. But just because the banks will loan us more than we can repay doesn’t mean that we should buy things we don’t need and can’t afford. Maybe the Lord is stripping those things away now to help us practice living by faith.
Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. To one there is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom, to another the message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as he determines (1 Cor. 12:7-11).
Many charismatics misuse their gifts in immature excesses of self-glorification while fundamentalists avoid theirs like the plague refusing to acknowledge they even exist. But if the gifts of the Holy Spirit were ever used in the manner Paul described, the world would not be able to stand against their power.
Each of us has been gifted and could use the power our gifts contain to have significant effect on the little corner of the world we inhabit. Romans 12:1-8 tells us how to discover and use our gifts.
The Protection Of Christian Living
Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come (2 Cor. 1:21-22).
So we come full circle. Never let it be said that although God has the power to save us, He lacks the power to keep us.
My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. I and the Father are one” (John 10:27-30).
A US insurance company says we’re in good hands with them, but believers enjoy the ultimate example of being in good hands. Our policy is paid in full and our coverage can never expire. Not even we ourselves can snatch us out of their hands.
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms (Ephes. 6:10-12).
A soldier’s armor can only protect him when he wears it, and he would never think of going into battle without being fully protected. We’re aliens behind enemy lines and as such are combatants in an ongoing battle. We’ve been given impenetrable armor, but in order for it to protect us we have to put it on and keep it on.
The Point Of Christian Living
All this leads to achieving the goal we all want most in life. Earlier I said that after becoming saved, our primary goal becomes pleasing the Lord. But when we delight ourselves in the Lord He will give us the desire of our heart (Psalm 37:4). By combining the practice, the privilege, the power, and the protection of the Christian life we can finally achieve complete personal freedom. Although we are still in the world we will no longer be of the world. Following the instructions for Christian living frees us of all the negative emotions that have afflicted us in the past. No more worry, no more stress, no more feeling out of control. We no longer have to be concerned with having enough money, or getting ahead, or keeping up.
The uncertainties of life that so preoccupy the thoughts of others won’t bother us any more. It doesn’t matter who gets elected to what office, or how bad the economy is getting, or whether the government will continue to break its promises. We’ll finally understand the full meaning of the Lord’s words, “When the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed” (John 8:36) Praise the Lord. Selah.
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