"What's New In Business? Witchcraft 101"

"Interest in spirituality has been booming in recent years while interest in religion plummets," says Kari Paul of MarketWatch.

MarketWatch? Isn't that about finances?

Yup--apparently the occult sells. And sells BIG.

Known as the 'psychic services industry', the metaphysical "Arts" include: astrology, aura reading, mediumship, tarot card reading, and palmistry (among other things).

The once backroom business has recently gone mainstream, bringing big bucks with it.

How big? $2 billion annually, according to industry analysis firm IBIS World.

So who is buying this stuff?

Millennials. That's right folks, the 18-30 demographic is reaching for the stars.

Catland, a 'metaphysical boutique' based in Brooklyn, offers workshops like "Witchcraft 101", "Astrology 101" and "Spirit Seance". According to owner Melissa Jayne, interest has been soaring for the past five years.

"Whether it be spell-casting, tarot, astrology, meditation and trance, or herbalism, these traditions offer tangible ways for people to enact change in their lives," she said.

Really? Astrology has been debunked by numerous academic studies and yet according to a survey by the National Science Foundation, a majority of young adults believe astrology is a science.

Banu Guler, co-founder of a new astrology app Co-Star, agrees.

According to Guler, "There is a belief vacuum: we go from work to a bar to dinner and a date, with no semblance of meaning. Astrology is a way out of it, a way of putting yourself in the context of thousands of years of history and the universe."

Co-Star's servers were so overwhelmed by demand after it launched on October 12 that the app crashed three times in its first week.

And then there's the spiritual subscription service Mystic Lipstick, whose customer base is growing exponentially according to founder Danielle Ayoka. Her specialty? A "mystic box" containing crystals, 'reiki'-infused bath salts and incense customized to the unique energy of the current moon cycle.

And on and on it goes.

Unfortunately, all this mysticism comes with a price and we don't mean dollars.

Known as the doctrine of demons, the Bible forbids the practice of astrology, horoscope and all things occult as an abomination to the Lord.

"And do not let your people practice fortune-telling or sorcery, or allow them to interpret omens, or engage in witchcraft, or cast spells, or function as mediums or psychics, or call forth the spirits of the dead. Anyone who does these things is an object of horror and disgust to the LORD" (Deuteronomy 18:10-12).

"Their judgment is based on this fact: The light from heaven (Jesus) came into the world, but they loved the darkness more than the light..." (John 3:19).

A wise man once said: "Interest in religion may be "out" but faith in Jesus is not a religion--it's a relationship with the Living God." -- Greg Laurie

How to go to heaven

News:

• Yahoo!News: Plague alert over Madagascar's Dance with the Dead; sacred ritual sees families exhume the remains of dead relatives, re-wrap them in fresh cloth and dance with the corpses. Outbreak of plague sweeping the island.
• DEBKAfile: Third U.S. carrier strike group deployed to Pacific as tensions mount over N. Korea nuke program.
• Reuter's: "Earth is fragile", Pope tells astronauts who see planet from "eyes of God" and "Earth will pass in a moment."

 

"Paranoid 'Rocketman' Turns Existential Threat"

While the rest of us have been mesmerized by the stunning implosion of Harvey Weinstein, North Korea has been busy wringing its hands over Donald Trump.

The situation on the Korean peninsula "has reach the touch-and-go point and a nuclear war may break out any moment", warned North Korea's Deputy U.N. Ambassador, Kim In Ryong.

Apparently, North Korea (aka NoKo) is convinced the U.S. has a plan to stage a "secret operation aimed at the removal of our supreme leadership."

According to Ambassador Kim, NoKo has no intentions of taking this threat laying down.

"This year," said Kim, "North Korea completed its state nuclear force and thus became a full-fledged nuclear power which possesses the delivery means of various ranges, including the atomic bomb, H-bomb, and intercontinental ballistic rockets."

On Monday, the ambassador warned the U.N. General Assembly's Disarmament Committee:

"The entire U.S. mainland is within our firing range and if the U.S. dares to invade our sacred territory even an inch, it will not escape our severe punishment in any part of the globe."

This warning follows escalating threats between North Korea and the United States and increasingly tough U.N. sanctions.

U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said Sunday that diplomatic efforts aimed at resolving the North Korean crisis "will continue until the first bomb drops."

Meanwhile, Congress received a bone-chilling warning about a North Korean EMP attack.

The bottom line? An EMP could cause a nationwide blackout and kill millions (90% of all Americans).

So is NoKo just being paranoid about a secret plan to remove their Supreme Leader?

Let's hope not. The Rocketman needs to go.

Worried about a nuclear explosion? Here's what to do.

"Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall"--Proverbs 16:18.

A wise man once said: "I think this leader is thinking more highly of himself than he ought to. His people have deified him, but he will answer to the Lord Jesus unless he repents." -- Mike Macintosh, pastor.

"Seek the LORD while He may be found.

Call upon Him while He is near.

Let the wicked forsake his way.

And the unrighteous man his thoughts;

And He will have mercy on him;

And to our God,

For He will abundantly pardon.

-Isaiah 55:6

News:

• NBC News: Putin On N.Korea Crisis: "Don't Back Kim Jong Un Into A Corner; Russia warned possibility of conflict growing.
• The Epoch Times: "N. Korean EMP Attack 'Existential Threat' To U.S." warns experts.
• New York Daily News: N Korea Vows To Unleash 'Unimaginable' Nuclear Strike On U.S.

  

"The Devil Works Overtime"

Once one realizes that all of God's promises are interwoven with the nation of Israel, the puzzle pieces of Bible prophecy begin to fit together.

For instance: Antisemitism.

Hitler wasn't the only one driven by a passionate desire to rid the world of Jews. There have been an amazing number of crazed lunatics throughout history all with one rabid intention: Destroy the Jew. Why? It's completely irrational...unless one considers the spiritual dimension: Destroy Israel and you destroy God's credibility. Mmmm...I wonder who'd want to do that?

Bible prophecy is a two-edged sword. On the plus side, God reveals His plan in advance, giving us reliable proof of His existence and authenticating the Bible as the infallible word of God. On the downside, the adversary, Satan, is also privy to the plan.

This creates a dilemma that God solves by using a bit of obscurity. While He can't be so veiled that we don't get the message, it prevents Him from giving us all the detail we might want. Ever wonder why God doesn't just spell it all out for us? He's got good reason; there's a certain demonic element intent on sabotaging God's plan.

From the time of Moses to the time of Christ, Satan tried over and over again to kill all male Hebrew children. Why? Because he knew the Messiah would be a Jew. If he could get rid of the Hebrew babies, the Messiah would never be born. When that failed, he thought he'd nailed it (no pun intended) at the cross. But no, foiled again! The crucified Savior was resurrected. Satan had played right into God's hand--not realizing that the only begotten Son had to die--it was God's plan all along: The Savior would die so we could live.

Even now, the Devil and his minions are working overtime to crush the Jew. Is it a coincidence that Israel is surrounded by enemies?

The Bible predicts the Messiah will return to Jerusalem when the Jews are back in their homeland and besieged on every side. If there are no Jews, there is no Messiah. If there is no Israel, then Satan wins and there is no God. That's how interwoven the nation of Israel is with God's promises.

A wise man once said: "Jewish survival is a phenomena. Jewish history, with all of its tragedies and triumphs, has been accurately foretold; we see the Jews as a miracle of history." -- Hal Lindsey-author

"It shall be in that day that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem" --Zechariah 12:9.

News:

• DEBKAfile: Israeli Defense Minister Lieberman said on Tuesday: "In future conflict, Israel will face a unified front of Syria, Lebanon, Hezbollah, the Assad regime and its confederates."
• Associated Press: U.S. Defense Secretary James Maddis: "Stand Ready' For World War III; U.S. Army must stand ready if called upon to go to war against North Korea.
• Jerusalem Post: Iran Nuclear Threat Is Already Very Real; Tehran works "unabated" on its missile program.

"USA Today: Americans Thinking About End Times"

"When the month began, a confluence of hurricanes, floods, earthquakes, wild fires and a brewing international nuclear confrontation already had some Americans thinking about End Times," says USA Today writer Rick Hampson.

USA Today?

Forgive our surprise, but it's not exactly an everyday occurrence to read an article about End Times in a mainstream news outlet.

Hampson went on to lament the worst mass shooting in U.S. history as "the latest in this peerless series of catastrophes."

Continuing he said, "A summer that seemed destined to be remembered for its magnificent solar eclipse had lurched suddenly towards the eve of destruction."

Yikes--sounds apocalyptic--but wait...there's more...

What USA Today failed to mention is actually much more prophetically significant than the weather.

Last week Russian President Vladimir Putin went to Ankara to "forge an alliance with Russia, Turkey and Iran", according to Al Arabiya.

Significant because the Bible predicts an alliance between Russia, Turkey and Iran will form in the last days. The last days began with the rebirth of the nation of Israel in 1948 (Ezekiel 37). This alliance will result in an attack against Israel called the War of Gog and Magog (Ezekiel 38). Keep in mind until the 1990's, Russia and Iran had been fierce enemies for 2,500 years, and Bible scoffers used this prophecy to discredit Scripture insisting it could never happen.

Russia and Turkey haven't exactly been BFF's either over the years, but in 2015 tensions between the two nations soared when Turkey shot down a Russian fighter jet and assassinated the Russian ambassador to Turkey. War between the two was narrowly averted.

Fast forward to last week and Russia, Turkey and Iran are one big happy family?!

Hmmmm...maybe USA Today is on to something.

A wise man once said: "We turn to God for help when our foundations are shaking only to learn it is God shaking them." Charles C. West, author

Only I can tell you the future before it even happens. Everything I plan will come to pass, for I do whatever I wish" --Isaiah 46:10.

News:

• U.S. News & World Report: CIA official predicts N. Korean provocation on Columbus Day; date coincides with Pyongyang founding anniversary
• Newsweek: Earthquake Swarm At Yellowstone Super-volcano Now One Of The Longest Ever Recorded; 2,500 quakes recorded since June 12.
• Yahoo! News: Russian military accuses U.S. of 'supporting' ISIS group preventing their defeat in Syria.