"2017 Predictions: Serious Study or Wild Speculation?"

Predicting the future is both tricky and dumb, and yet, people go on doing it. Why? Because people love it. They eat it up. They're even willing to pay for it. And so, of course, people continue to make predictions. Too bad no one seems to notice (or remember) how few of them come to pass. Google '2017 predictions' and we predict you'll get a ridiculous mix of astrology, I Ching, Nostradamus, and a wide variety of psychic prognosticators. Oh, and just enough Bible prophecy to discredit it along with all the others. That's right. Mix it all together--and voila--the Mayans, the Hopis, and the Bible are all equal.

Wait a minute. The purpose of this blog is to examine biblical prophecy and to raise a word of caution regarding non-biblical attempts to predict the future. We are continually shocked to discover how many people believe there is no significant difference!

Because we are living in the most incredible times the world has ever known, it is becoming clear even to the dimmest among us that something unusual is happening. Everything from natural disasters to international conflicts bombard us daily. Every new turn of events reminds us that the 'tipping point' could be just around the corner. And it could be. But one of the dangers of such expectations is the wild speculations that are sure to follow.

Instead of wildly speculating, why not use the signs of the times as a motivation to seriously study what the Bible has to say about our future?

As prophecy teacher Dr. Ed Hindson put it: "Along the highway, signs are used to identify locations, provide information, and give warnings. The same is true of prophetic signs. They stand out on the biblical horizon to get our attention. They give a glimpse of things to come--but only a glimpse. Signs are not intended to give all the details of future events, yet they do play a prominent role in biblical prophecy."

Much is being said about September 2017. Will the church be taken out? Will there be more earthquakes? Hurricanes? Wars? Your guess is as good as ours.

Speculating about the future beyond what the Bible actually predicts is a dangerous game we don't want to play. Just ask the Mayans.

A wise man once said: "The errors of faith are better than the best thoughts of unbelief." -- Thomas Russell

"You have more than enough advisers, astrologers and stargazers. Let them stand up and save you from what the future holds. But they are as useless as dried grass burning in a fire. They cannot even save themselves" Isaiah 47: 13,14.

News:

• Reuters: Mexico quake leaves 273 dead.
• Associated Press: Puerto Rico faces months without power after direct hit from Hurricane Maria
• The Washington Post: Trump seeks international support to confront N.Korea; U.S. officials consider situation at crisis point.

Revelation 12 & September 23, 2017

According to "Doomsday Doug", "the hottest topic in eschatology today is the Revelation 12 sign and September 23, 2017."

While intriguing, speculation in regards to Christ's soon return is just that: speculation. Why? Because "no man know the day or the hour." Jesus could return at any moment and warned us to be ready. But let's face it, gang, we could also die at any moment. Jesus' advice is the same--be ready.

In his classic best seller, Erwin W. Lutzer cuts right to the chase and asks:

"Where will you be...one minute after you die?"

Will you be delighted beyond your wildest dreams or forever separated from all that is good?

"Many people spend more time planning for a vacation than preparing for eternity," say Lutzer. "So while relatives and friends plan your funeral, you will be more alive than you have ever been."

The Big Question? Where, exactly will you be? That depends on choices you make now. There are only two alternatives. "Either way, your future will be irrevocably fixed and eternally unchangeable," Lutzer explains. "One minute after you die, you will either be elated or terrified--and it will be too late to re-route your travel plans."

Wow...with stakes that high you'd think God would have given us detailed instructions on how to choose correctly. You'd think He would have sent a few messengers to make sure we understood exactly what we need to do to ensure we don't miss the boat on this one.

Guess what, gang--He did. It's that Bible some of us "messengers" are constantly trying to shove down your throat.

Atheist comedian Penn Jellette (of Penn & Teller, magician duo fame) once said,

"I don't respect people who don't proselytize. If you believe that there's a heaven and a hell, and people could be going to hell or not getting eternal life, and you think that it's not really worth telling them this because it would be socially awkward...how much do you have to hate somebody to not proselytize? How much do you have to hate somebody to believe everlasting life is possible and not tell them that?"

From Genesis to Revelation, the Bible is woven with predictions. In fact, more than 1/4 of the Bible is prophecy. Most of them (roughly 80%) have already been fulfilled with 100% accuracy.

These prophecies are very specific, provable events. God chose prophecy as the vehicle to authenticate the Bible. How better to prove One's existence and power over world events than to tell history in advance? Fulfilled prophecy conveys the unique signature of God, and is a powerful proof to an unbelieving world.

A supernatural book requires a supernatural key to unlock its mysteries. Pray to be filled with the Holy Spirit and that God will flood you with light so that you can understand the wonderful future He has promised to those He called. "I want you to realize what a rich and glorious inheritance He has given to His people" (Ephesians 1:18).

Do you want to know where you will be one minute after you die? click here

A wise man once said: "We must accept God as He is revealed in the Bible, whether He suits our preferences or not." -- Erwin W. Lutzer, author of One Minute After You Die

"I pray that you will begin to understand the incredible greatness of His power for us who believe Him. This is the same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead and seated Him in the place of honor at God's right hand in the heavenly realms" (Ephesians 1:19,20).

News:

• FNC: N.Korea fires another missile over Japan Thursday fueling war fears.
• The Washington Post: S.Korea delegation asks Washington for nuclear weapons; meanwhile, N.Korea threatens to "sink" Japan, reduce U.S. to ashes.
• DailyMail.com: Antidepressants raise risk of early death by 33% study finds; the drugs do more harm than good, researchers say.

"What's Next On The Prophetic Calendar?"

When God told Moses to proclaim seven holy convocations, He referred to them as "My feasts" (Lev. 23:1-2). In English, that means "appointed times" or "dress rehearsals". In other words the God of Israel established an annual cycle of holidays to be practiced year after year as their prophetic "type" is fulfilled by the Messiah. Jews all over the globe continue the holiday cycle having little understanding of their prophetic significance because they do not recognize that their Messiah has come.

There are seven feast days divided by seasons linked to the agricultural cycle of Israel. Four come in Spring:

• Passover (Pesach)
• Unleavened Bread (Chag HaMatzot)
• First fruits (Ha Bikkurim)
• Pentecost (Shavuot)

Three come in the fall:

• Trumpets (Rosh Hashanah)
• Atonement (Yom Kippur)
• Tabernacles (Sukkot)

These appointed times (or dress rehearsals) of the Lord provide a panorama of God's plan for mankind. They are an overview or outline of history that has amazing implications for every one of us.

According to Kevin Williams of RBC Ministries, "Many Jewish and Gentile believers in Jesus share the conviction that the first phase of Messiah's deliverance has been recorded on the center page of human history."

He goes on to explain that the plan of God was revealed during the holy days of Passover, Unleavened Bread, First fruits, and Pentecost. "With a sudden turn of events, the first four feasts of Israel took on the personality of a miracle worker who bore the marks of God's Messiah. On Passover, Jesus became the sacrificial Lamb whose blood marked all who believe in Him for deliverance. During the Feast of Unleavened Bread, He died to take away our sin and to give us, in the place of our own efforts the "bread" (life-sustaining provision) of His eternal presence. On the Feast of First fruits, He arose from the dead to show that it was by God's power that He carried out our rescue. Then 50 days later on the Feast of Pentecost, Jesus sent His Spirit to show His presence with all who are willing to stake their lives on Him."

In other words, the first four feast days have already been fulfilled.

So what's next on the prophetic calendar? The Feast of Trumpets aka Rosh Hashanah which many believe will be fulfilled by the Rapture of the Church, This year people are going nuts over the Revelation 12 sign in the heavens to occur on September 23rd, two days after Rosh Hashanah.

For a balanced view, check out this video  by Pastor J.D. Farag.

A wise man once said: "Hold yourself responsible for a higher standard than anyone expects of you." - Henry Ward Beecher

News:

• Reuters: U.S. 'greatly concerned' over N. Korea missile tech advances
• The Telegraph: China prepares for manned moon landing
• DEBKAfile: Mystery missile wipes out 16 top ISIS commanders in Syria; U.S.-led contingent suspected

"Hadron Collider = Accidental Armageddon?"

The 'God Particle' (aka The Higgs boson particle) has physicist Stephen Hawking worried.

In a new collection of essays and lectures titled "Starmus", the world's most famous theoretical physicist is warning that the God Particle could one day be responsible for the destruction of the universe.

And "we wouldn't see it coming," Hawking warns.

Discovered by CERN scientists in 2012 at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), the elusive 'God Particle' gives size and shape to everything that exists.

A particle accelerator like the 17-mile circular Hadron Collider at Cern, Switzerland make subatomic particles travel in opposite directions at greater and greater speeds until they reach the speed of light. Then they smash (collide) them together in an attempt to re-create the 'Big Bang'.

Hawking, a self-described atheist, fears the 'God Particle' could become unstable at very high energy levels and lead to a "catastrophic vacuum decay", and added that "the armageddon scenario could happen at any time."

The good news? Although "the danger is too great to be ignored", Hawking believes the likelihood of such a disaster is unlikely to happen in the near future.

Meanwhile, the Hadron Collider will surpass the speed of light on September 23.

"Stephen Hawking warns of CERN.LHC..."

And for a look at the really freaky side of the Cern Hadron Collider...guaranteed to blow your mind, check out this video: C E R N the Opening of the Abyss?

A wise man once said: "When confronted with the order and beauty of the universe and the strange coincidences of nature, it's very tempting to take a leap of faith from science into religion. I am sure physicists want to. I only wish they would admit it." -- Tony Rothman, physicist

"Then the fourth angel sounded: And a third of the sun was struck, a third of the moon, and a third of the stars, so that a third of them were darkened. A third of the day did not shine, and likewise the night." Revelation 8:12

News:

• Associated Press: Powerful 8.3 Quake Shakes Chile's Capital Followed By Several Strong Aftershocks; Tsunami Alert Issued
• CBC: Sierra snow pack at lowest level in 500 years and the number of CA wildfires hits 5,225 so far this season after 4 yrs. of drought
• Reuters: Last bid to kill Iran nuclear deal blocked by Senate. "It will go into effect without the American people having their say," said Republican Senator John Cornys. 

"Blood Moon UPDATE: Revelation 12 Connection?"

Next Tuesday (aka Passover, April 15th) will bring the first of the now infamous string of four blood moons.

You better believe Blood Moon hysteria has reached a fever pitch and doomsday prognosticators are going absolutely nuts.

What exactly is a 'blood moon' and why the hoopla surrounding this particular set of four?

First of all, despite its spooky name, a blood moon is nothing more than an ordinary full moon, that because of the position of the earth, sun, and moon, appears to take on a reddish hue.

In other words, it's just an eclipse. No big deal, right?

Not so fast. Apparently, this unusual phenomenon of four consecutive total lunar eclipses, known as a 'tetrad', falling on Jewish feast days is quite rare. So rare, in fact, that it's only happened seven other times in history, and it won't happen again for about a thousand years. So, it's not the tetrad that is causing all the hype, it's the combination of the tetrad falling on the Jewish Holy Days.

And to make things even more interesting, each of the seven times a tetrad fell on Jewish feast days in the past, it marked a major event in Jewish history.

While there is nothing in scripture that specifically mentions 4 blood moons falling on Jewish feast days, Jesus did say there would be "signs in the sun, moon, and stars" (Luke 21:25).

Genesis 1:14 tells us creation of the sun, moon, and stars was for the division of day and night, and also for signs and seasons. And because only the last eclipse will be visible over Israel, some say it's a sign for the Jews in the Dispersion.

And while we're at it, have you heard the latest about Revelation 12:1-2?

"And a great sign appeared in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a garland of twelve stars. Then being with child, she cried out in labor and in pain to give birth."

On September 23, 2017, there will be an unusual astronomical alignment. The constellation Virgo (the Virgin) will be clothed with the sun (the constellation will be in the sky during the day), the moon will be at her feet, and the constellation Leo will be over her head.

Usually Leo only contains 9 stars, but on 9-23-17 there will be 3 more when Mercury, Venus, and Mars align creating 12 stars over her head.

Jupiter, known as the king of the planets, will move through her 'legs' as if she gave birth to it on that day.

This exact alignment, with all four conditions having been met, will only occur on September 23rd, roughly 70 years (one generation) since the Jews returned to the Land in 1948.

So what (If anything) does all this mean?

Well, many pinpoint Revelation 12:1-2 with the midpoint of the seven year tribulation period. Yeah, so what?

Deduct 3-1/2 years and we're back at the first blood moon. Spooky coincidence or over-hyped nonsense? We'll just have to wait and see.

Total Lunar Eclipse

A wise man once said: ""Coincidence is God's way of remaining anonymous." -- Albert Einstein, The World As I See It

"Now learn this parable from the fig tree: when its branch has already become tender and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near. So you also, when you see these things, know that it is near--at the doors! Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place."  Matthew 24:32-34

News:

• The New York Times: Israel says it is "deeply disappointed" by Kerry's remarks on Peace Talks; Kerry lays blame on Israel for the crisis, Israel feels it's bent over backwards trying to please him.
• Yahoo News: Supreme Leader says Iran will not be bullied in nuclear talks and would not stop atomic research.
• Reuters: Wall Street back in Meltdown mode as Dow plummets 266 points.