"How Many Minutes Before Midnight?"

According to the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists and their famous Doomsday Clock--it is 5 minutes before midnight.

Headlines from 2014 seem to prove their point. Consider:

• US and Russian relations have cooled to the point of a new Cold War over Moscow's perceived role in Ukraine's separatist conflict. 
• The Islamic State (ISIL) terror group is still rampaging across the Mideast, kidnapping and torturing children. ISIL has now spilled into Lebanon, close to the Israeli border.
• The Ebola outbreak has spread to multiple West African countries, affecting tens of thousands. The possibility of it spreading further cannot be ruled out.
• Cyberwars are keeping the DHS up nights. Russia is the most likely suspect behind a destructive "Trojan Horse" malware program discovered in critical US software that makes what North Korea did to Sony look like child's play.

Not to mention: international unrest in various countries, the recent racial unrest right here at home, the massive security breach that is the US border, and the ever present threat of a nuclear Iran.

In 1948, the nation of Israel was born (again) and with it many Biblical prophecies were fulfilled, each graphic, literal, and exact.

In fact, the entire Scripture is woven through and through with provable, precise prophecy in regards to God's chosen people--the Jews. (For a detailed account of those prophecies, see archived posts from July 2011: Israel: The Key to Prophecy-Part 1 Part 2

The Scriptures seem to indicate the Jews will only be back in their Land for one generation (See Matthew 24) before the return of the Messiah.

Is it possible the Atomic Scientists are correct in setting The Clock @ 5 minutes before midnight - or are they  just alarmists? You do the math.

"So be on your guard, not asleep like the others. Stay alert and be sober. Night is the time for sleep and the time when people get drunk. But let us who live in the light think clearly, protected by the body armor of faith and love, and wearing as our helmet the confidence of our salvation. For God decided to save us through our Lord Jesus Christ, not to pour out His anger on us. He died for us so that we can live with Him forever, whether we are dead or alive at the time of His return."  (1Thess. 5:6-10)

A wise man once said: "Paul warns us that God will hold all people accountable for their attitudes and actions. So don't procrastinate. God wants us to act immediately to receive His forgiveness and power to help us change."  -- David Stoop, author

News:

• Reuters: East-West aerial confrontations heat up with Russia and China pitted against US and allied pilots on a scale not seen since Cold War Era
• AgenceFrance-Presse (AFP): Islamic State downs warplane over Syria, claims capture of Jordanian pilot
• Reuters: Japan fears North Korea cyberattack, works to secure infrastructure

"Do You Side With Satan?"

According to Pastor Ron Johnson of Community Bible Church, God came to earth with a very specific purpose, a purpose that easily gets lost in the Christmas "mythology, fables, and traditions."

"Tradition tells us that it was a silent night when all was calm and quiet."

"Not true," says Johnson. "This night God launched a full-scale attack on sin and Satan, and Satan launched a full-scale attack on Jesus and His followers. Hardly a silent night."

The big question? Whose side are we on? God's or Satan's?

"Whose side you are on is determined by your reactions to Jesus and what He came to do," says Pastor Johnson. "Every person choosing to walk in sin is choosing to side with Satan."

In other words:

It doesn't matter what we say we believe, our actions tell our true beliefs.

• Do we lie?
• View pornography?
• Get drunk?
• Do our actions support Satan?

The Bible says, "You can identify them by their fruit, that is, by the way they act. Can you pick grapes from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles?" (Matthew 7:16).

Jesus knows our choice by the way we live our lives. Everything we do (in public or in private) indicates our choice.

Jesus said, "Anyone who isn't with Me opposes Me, and anyone who isn't working with Me is actually working against Me." (Matthew 12:30).

So, do our actions match our true beliefs? The Bible says they do.

"I love them that love Me; and those that seek Me early shall find Me." (Proverbs 8:17)

A wise man once said: "It's human nature to take the things Jesus died for and to make it seem like it's not that big of a deal. That's what we do when we make light of sin. What does it say about us if we proclaim Christ but side with Satan? Hypocrite." --Pastor Ron Johnson, Community Bible Church

"But if you refuse to serve the LORD, then choose today whom you will serve." Joshua 24:15

News:

• Gold Core: Russia Supplies China with Hi-tech Military Hardware.
• Yahoo! Finance: Russians flock to stores to pre-empt price rises kicked off by staggering fall in the ruble.
• RT News: Pentagon confirms military buildup along Russian borders for 'peace and stability' 

 

"Global Cold Spell Predicted"

Last month, the Space and Science Research Corporation (SSRC) announced a set of climate predictions.

The good news? Global warming is no longer happening.

Unfortunately, the bad news is much, much worse: a global drop in temperatures.

How low can they go? Historically low.

The SSRC is an independent organization located in Orlando, Florida.

Their mission? To provide an independent, un-biased and objective analysis of climate change.

According to a growing circle of scientists, SSRC and its President, Mr. John L. Casey, have established a record of accuracy in climate change predictions.

And guess what, guys? It has nothing to do with people.

Contrary to all we've been told, the SSRC believes there's a direct relationship between the climate here on Earth and the sun.

(Who'd a thunk it? You mean it's not our SUVs or cow flatulence?)

Using the Relational Cycle Theory (RC Theory), SSRC claims they can prove solar cycles are the main drivers behind the Earth's variations in climate.

So what does that mean for us? According to a SSRC Press Release, nothing good.

Some highlights:

• The Earth is about to begin a steep drop in global temperatures.
• Average global atmospheric and oceanic temperatures will drop significantly beginning between 2015 and 2016.
• The predicted temperature decline will continue for the next 15 years and will likely be the steepest ever recorded in human history discounting past short-term volcanic events

The bottom line? SSRC claims we can expect significant global crop damage, dramatically higher energy costs, social and political upheaval and loss of life in the hardest hit areas.

Yikes.

So which is it? Global warming or global cooling?

We're praying for a Goldilocks scenario--global temps that are just right.

A wise man once said: "There is no question that climate change is happening; the only arguable point is what part humans are playing."  -- David Attenborough, British journalist

"While the earth remains, seed time and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night shall not cease."  Genesis 8:22

News:

• The Washington Free Beacon: Pentagon Considering Deployment of Nuclear Missiles in Europe in Response to Russian Treaty Breach.
• WeatherNews: California Blizzard Warning: Strongest Storm in Years Could Dump Up to 20 Inches in Some Communities.
• NOAA: Winter 2014 'Coldest for Century'; Britain Faces Arctic Freeze 

"The High Price of Cheap Oil"

The price of oil has cratered, and the cost to fill-up on gas has tanked as well. That's a good thing--right? Wrong--according to Bloomberg News, who's headline on Monday read:

      "Oil Shock Streaks Across Globe From Moscow to Tehran to Caracas.Ready for $40?"

Students of bible prophecy will recognize the significance right away. Moscow and Tehran are prophesied to form a military alliance and attack Israel. (see Ezekiel 38).

While Tehran makes no secret of its desire to annihilate the Jewish State, up until recently no one understood what would motivate Moscow to attack. Then in 2009, Israel discovered oil and is now in the process of becoming an energy superpower.

"Oil and gas provide 68% of Russia's exports and 50% of its federal budget. Russia has already lost almost $90 billion of its currency reserves this year, equal to 4.5 % of its economy, as it tried to prevent the ruble from tumbling after Western countries imposed sanctions to punish Russian meddling in Ukraine," reports Bloomberg News. "The ruble is down 35%* against the dollar since June. (* the ruble dropped another 5% on Wednesday).

Financial analyst, Allan von Mehren adds, "A big decline in the oil price in 1997-98 was one factor causing pressure that eventually led to Russian default in August, 1998."

Russia, according to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), needs $101 a barrel oil to break even, and has based its 2015 budget on the assumption oil prices would continue to top $100. Tuesday a barrel of oil dipped below $70.

Moscow blames the West. "Russia's partners should remember risks involved in disputes between nuclear powers. We hope that our partners will realize the futility of attempts to blackmail Russia and remember the consequences discord between major nuclear powers could bring for strategic stability," Russian President Vladimir Putin said in a not-so-subtle threat.

A crash in oil prices will create economic and political instability across the globe:

• Venezuela, in panic mode, has called for an emergency OPEC strategy to halt the falling prices
• Iran's weakened economy has also been hard hit, and could collapse if prices don't recover soon
• And if you think the US is immune, think again. A prolonged decline in oil prices could cripple our economy too

All things considered, the high price of cheap oil is something none of us can afford.

A wise man once said: " A century ago, petroleum--what we call 'oil'--was just an obscure commodity; today it is almost as vital to human existence as water." -- James Buchan, British novelist

" I will turn you and drive you toward the mountains of Israel, bringing you from the distant north. I will knock your weapons from your hands and leave you helpless...That day of judgment will come, says the Sovereign Lord. Everything will happen just as I have declared it." --Ez. 39: 2, 3 & 8

News:

• Fiscal Times: Russian Leader Accuses Central Bank of Economic Sabotage Due to Its Gloomy Appraisal of Russian Economy
• Behold Israel News: Massive oil spill in Israel's Negev Desert "Worst Environmental Accident in Israel's History" 
• Jerusalem Post: UN General Assembly passes Arab-backed resolution pressing Israel to renounce possession of nuclear weapons and facilities