Worst Flooding EVER?

The deep south was just hammered by the worst outbreak of tornadoes ever....so one would think that maybe there would be some calm after the storm.  But now they are facing floods along the Mississippi and the expected crest could make it the worst flooding ever....or at least in over 80 years.

NEW ORLEANS—A surge of water not seen since the Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 is forecast in coming days to test the enormous levees lining the Mississippi River on its course through the Deep South, adding another element of danger to a region already raked by deadly tornadoes and thunderstorms.


The river is forecast to crest at 53.5 feet on May 18 at Vicksburg, Miss., a key gauge. That is the highest river stage recorded at Vicksburg since the catastrophic flooding of 1927 when the river reached 56.6 feet and would have kept on rising if levees hadn't given way, causing massive flooding and killing hundreds. After that calamity, the nation undertook an aggressive $13 billion plan to build levees and floodways that would avert such a scale of flooding again.


"The levees are designed to withstand 65 feet," said Robert Anderson, a corps spokesman in Vicksburg. But he added that "it has never been tested before quite like it has been tested now."


See it here; http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_17951548?nclick_check=1

It was interesting to watch Brian Williams on NBC Nightly News yesterday.  He turned to the guy from the National Weather Service and said, "What in the world is going on?  What is causing all this?"

I spoke loudly to the TV screen, "Jesus is coming Brian!  Can you feel the mountains tremble?"

Lord....what WILL it take to wake up this lost generation?  Your people are perishing for lack of knowledge.

Small Quake Wakens Minnesota

Earthquakes in various places....how about Western Minnesota?

MINNEAPOLIS -- A small earthquake shook parts of west-central Minnesota overnight, but there are no reports of injuries or damage.


The U.S. Geological Survey puts the magnitude at 2.5 and says it struck at 2:20 a.m.

It was felt in Alexandria. Sgt. Tom Egan of the Douglas County sheriff's office says staff at the county's 911 center felt it, and took 25 to 30 calls from the public, mostly from people who were curious about it.

He says callers reported some noise and minor movement, including slight bouncing of ceiling tiles. But he says there are no reports of damage or anyone hurt.

See it here; http://www.kare11.com/news/article/921135/391/Small-earthquake-shakes-west-central-Minn

Some of us bought earthquake insurance 2-3 years ago, more as a conversation starter to open conversations with people who are sound asleep....but as the world continues to tremble, I'm kind of glad I put the coverage on my home for the low price of $38 per year.

People laugh at me and say, "There has never been a damaging quake in Minnesota so that sure is a waste of money!" 

Let's remember that America has also never been involved in a plan to divide Jerusalem...as it is currently contemplating.

Hat tip to Kelly E. 

Wal-Mart Says Shoppers Out of Money

We heard reports a few months ago that the busiest shopping day at Wal-Mart was the first day of the month because that's the day when the 44 million Americans on government assistance all got money put on their food stamp cards.

Now Wal-Mart is reporting that their shoppers are running out of money.

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- Wal-Mart's core shoppers are running out of money much faster than a year ago due to rising gasoline prices, and the retail giant is worried, CEO Mike Duke said Wednesday.

"We're seeing core consumers under a lot of pressure," Duke said at an event in New York. "There's no doubt that rising fuel prices are having an impact."

Wal-Mart shoppers, many of whom live paycheck to paycheck, typically shop in bulk at the beginning of the month when their paychecks come in.

Lately, they're "running out of money" at a faster clip, he said.

"Purchases are really dropping off by the end of the month even more than last year," Duke said. "This end-of-month [purchases] cycle is growing to be a concern.

See it here; http://money.cnn.com/2011/04/27/news/companies/walmart_ceo_consumers_under_pressure/index.htm

Remember when the government had Cash for Clunkers Program and the car market heated up....until the "free money" was done...and then the market sunk again?

Remember when the government had an $8000 First Time Home Buyers program to entice people to buy homes....and when the "free money" was gone.....the housing market fell right back into the tank?

Now let's ask ourselves....when the government quits handing out "free money" every month to 44 million Americans to spend at Wal-Mart to buy food.....what do you think may happen to retail spending?

"But Dennis", some will say, "we can't quit giving that money to those 44 million people, because they and their families rely on that free money to feed themselves!"

Yes, I totally understand.  And when the Federal Government has NO MORE FREE MONEY TO GIVE.....then what do YOU believe will happen when 44 million people and their families start looking for ways to feed themselves?

Turkey Warns Israel

As May 15 draws closer and the flotilla gets ready to set sail in an attempt to provoke Israel...this video is nothing short of chilling.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a_RlWKqcjyk

How many of us have a feeling that WWIII is right around the corner?  How many of us have a feeling that the events of Ezekiel 38 may soon be played out on planet earth?

How many of us have a feeling that the rapture of the church may very well precede the war of Ezekiel 38?

"When you see the decorations for Christmas go up in the stores...you know that Thanksgiving is close."  Chuck Missler

Hat tip to Tom F.

San Francisco to Ban Circumcision?

Yes, it's true...the righteous city of San Francisco may ask voters this fall to ban circumcision.  Do you think the timing of this may have something to do with anti-Semitism which is breaking out all over the world at alarming levels?

A ban on circumcision could end up on San Francisco's November ballot.


A voter in the city says he will submit more than 12,000 valid signatures to the elections office today. That's more than the 7,200 needed to get the measure on the ballot.

The proposed new law would make it a misdemeanor to circumcise a person before they are 18-years-old.

"We don't come at this from a religious angle," Lloyd Schofield told the San Francisco Examiner. "We feel this is a very harmful thing. Parents are guardians. They are not owners of children. It's a felony to tattoo a child."

See it here; http://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/SF-Voters-Asked-to-Ban-Circumcision-120698339.html

Funny/sad/interesting/criminal that the people of San Francisco seem to be very concerned about a baby boy's penis skin...but are adamant about a women's right to dismember and kill a baby that she chooses not to deliver.

How long will God spare his hand?

Hat tip to Gillian C.

Major Trumpet Blower Killed

David Wilkerson was a major trumpet blower.  He had been shouting from the rooftops for more than 30 years that the Bride of Christ needs to prepare herself for the Bridegroom.  Of course he believed that Jesus is coming soon and tried to prepare everyone for this eventuality.

Sadly, for us left on earth, David Wilkerson died in a car crash yesterday in Texas.

Rev. David Wilkerson, founding pastor of Times Square Church in New York City and author of the well-known book The Cross and the Switchblade, was killed Wednesday in a head-on collision in Texas. He was 79.


"It is with deepest of sadness that we have to inform you of the sudden passing of Reverend David Wilkerson, our founding pastor," Times Square Church Senior Pastor Carter Conlon said in a statement on the church website.

See it here; http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/us/2011/April/Rev-David-Wilkerson-Killed-in-TX-Car-Crash/

"The righteous perish, and no one ponders it in his heart; devout men are taken away, and no one understands that the righteous are taken away to be spared from evil."  Isaiah 57:1-2

Of course Wilkerson is now in the arms of Jesus.  Could this mean that serious evil may about to be unleashed on this fallen world?

Ponzi Talk Goes Public

We have talking about Ponzi schemes on this blog and in adult education for a few years now.  Many of you have heard me talk about the Ponzi scheme of Bernie Madoff being a foreshadowing of the Ponzi scheme that the Federal Reserve, the U.S. Treasury and the U.S. Governement are running.

Today, PIMCO, one of the largest mutual fund companies in the world, is publicly calling the Federal Reserve system a Ponzi scheme.

“Investors are no doubt worried they may have bought into an unsustainable scheme: the creation of a scourge of debt so large that the Fed itself has had to purchase the debt to keep the game going.”

1) Donuts: “Ponzi…convinced many in the angry crowd to stay calm and leave their money with him, enticing them with little more than his charm, donuts and coffee….the Fed needs ‘donuts’ in order to fill the bellies of the literally millions of investors worldwide who worry about the alarmingly large U.S. budget deficit and the impact that the U.S. debt dilemma could have on their Treasury holdings.”

2) Rotten eggs: “What they should instead smell is the whiff of rotten eggs. But this is easily hidden with a nose pin, which the Fed through QEII places on the noses of each investor…”

3) Hot potato: “Treasury investors face the potential for capital losses for having bought into the Fed’s scheme at prices inflated by QE, sort of like playing a game of hot potato and getting stuck with the potato when the Fed abruptly leaves the game.”

4) Donuts again: “The Fed’s purchases have the sweet aroma of freshly baked jelly donuts and many a Treasury bond investor has been drawn to their savory, sugary, scrumptious taste.”

See it here; http://blogs.wsj.com/deals/2011/04/26/qeii-ponzi-scheme-says-pimco/tab/print/

Friends, as we have been saying....the U.S. Government and our entire financial system could very possibly come apart as quickly as Bernie Madoff's scheme....which left almost all of his investors dead broke.

Pray for this country to turn back to God...to leave the god of Mammon which has deluded us with empty promises and fed our human desire for the riches of this world.

As we watch the news clips from the most deadly tornado system to strike the south in a generation....I have to wonder if God's judgment on this nation has already begun.

Bees, Bats and Stinkbugs

We have posted recently about the declining bee and bat population and how they pollinate our crops so we can have food to eat.  I will remind you that Einstein said once that if the bees were to disappear, the human race would only have 4 years left until we also became extinct.

But what's up with the stinkbugs?  Are they good or bad?  Sadly, it is more bad news because these bugs are standing ready to destroy most of our food crops.

The paragraphs below come from an article from Chuck Missler.

Speaking of annoying insects, the stinkbugs are rubbing their eyes and yawning and hopping out of their winter hibernation. The brown marmorated stink bug beetle appeared in America first in Allentown, Pennsylvania in the late 1990s and has multiplied into swarms that coat houses and windows every summer. The bugs have spread to 33 states, where they promise to destroy crops like sweet corn, apples, pears, grapes, berries, peaches, tomatoes, peppers and beans. Trissolcus wasps keep the stinkbugs under control in their native Japan by eating the stinkbug eggs. However, importing these tiny wasps to fight the stinkbugs may not be the best idea if the wasps also eat the eggs of other, beneficial varieties of stinkbugs.


While the price of gold and silver rise and investors scrutinize the stock markets, the very basic food needs of the United States - and the rest of the world - are under attack. Farmers face losing large numbers of their friends the bees and bats, while pests like stinkbugs reproduce in plague-like numbers. We have a constant reminder that sin - like a disease, like a pestilence - has infected the world, and all our striving will not make it go away. We also have a constant reminder that we were created in the image of God, and in our creative power we are able to find answers to many of our physical problems. Yet, with as many advances as we make, the sin remains. The blights and bugs keep coming. Thank God, we have a Savior in the heavens who has died to heal all our diseases – even the diseases faced by entire nations.
 
See it here; http://www.khouse.org/enews_article/2011/1769/print/
 
There will be famines and pestilence....Jesus told us.

Obama Releases Birth Certificate

FINALLY.....we can put this whole thing to rest.  Obama has the legal right to be President because he was born in the USA.

Now, let's get back to the true reason we are here on earth....to work with the Holy Spirit to save souls from hell and to make disciples of Jesus Christ.

The White House has released Barack Obama's full birth certificate in an effort to finally put to rest what Obama called "carnival barkers" making the matter a distraction from the serious issues facing the US.


In a televised statement, Obama said he had been "puzzled" at how questions over his place of birth had persisted since his election in 2008, declaring: "We do not have time for this kind of silliness."

"We're not going to be able to solve our problems if we get distracted by sideshows and carnival barkers," Obama said.


Hawaii's registrar certified the new photocopy of the document provided to the White House on Monday. It states that Barack Hussein Obama II was born at 7.24pm on 4 August 1961 at the Kapiolani Maternity and Gynecological Hospital in Honolulu city.

See it here; http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/apr/27/barack-obama-birth-certificate-released

Age of America Nears End

We know the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has been in the news a ton over the past few years.  This shouldn't surprise prophecy watchers because we know that the world is rushing towards a single currency just as the Bible says it will.

So this headline from the IMF shouldn't surprise us.

IMF bombshell: Age of America nears end

BOSTON (MarketWatch) — The International Monetary Fund has just dropped a bombshell, and nobody noticed.

For the first time, the international organization has set a date for the moment when the “Age of America” will end and the U.S. economy will be overtaken by that of China.

And it’s a lot closer than you may think.

According to the latest IMF official forecasts, China’s economy will surpass that of America in real terms in 2016 — just five years from now.

This is more than a statistical story. It is the end of the Age of America. As a bond strategist in Europe told me two weeks ago, “We are witnessing the end of America’s economic hegemony.”

We have lived in a world dominated by the U.S. for so long that there is no longer anyone alive who remembers anything else. America overtook Great Britain as the world’s leading economic power in the 1890s and never looked back.

And both those countries live under very similar rules of constitutional government, respect for civil liberties and the rights of property. China has none of those. The Age of China will feel very different.

See it here; http://www.marketwatch.com/story/imf-bombshell-age-of-america-about-to-end-2011-04-25?link=MW_home_latest_news

So are we Christians ready for change?  What would God have us doing with our treasure during these Last Days?  Will we still be thankful if we lose most of our stuff?  Will we "Praise Him in the Storm"....or is that simply a catchy song that we sing?

I hope the rapture comes first, but if it doesn't we may soon be putting our faith to the test....and discovering how sincere we truly are. 

Most Egyptians Favor Annulling Peace

When the chaos started in Egypt a few months back and Obama quickly called for Mubarak to step down, we wondered if that was good news or bad news.

Of course we Americans always root for "freedom protestors".  We understand that the Egyptian people want  more freedom and want rid of the fear of being hauled away by Mubarak's secret police.  And for a few weeks we watched the demonstrations and rooted for the protestors in the streets.

But what do we know about those protestors in the streets?  What if we find out that the freedom they were protesting for was really the freedom to go to war with Israel and the freedom to pull down the United States?  What if we found out that they didn't appreciate President Obama at all....even though he made a famous speech in Cairo?  What if we found out that the Egyptians would elect the Muslim Brotherhood in a fair, democratic election?  Would that be good for America and the stability of the world?

Most Egyptians are in favor of annulling a peace treaty with Israel, according to a Pew Research Center poll released on Monday.

The US-based think tank polled 1,000 adults throughout Egypt between March 24 and April 7, finding that only 36 percent would maintain peace. The percentage of Egyptians who support annulling the treaty (54%) does not vary amongst those who sympathize with Islamic fundamentalists and those who do not. However, those with lower incomes are less likely to support the peace with Israel than those with higher incomes.


The Pew survey also showed that only 22% of Egyptians said the US has had a positive impact on the political change in their country, while 52% disapprove of the theAmerican response to general Middle East upheaval. In addition, 80%  have an unfavorable opinion of the US, and 60% say they do not have confidence in US President Barack Obama.


The most popular agent of change in Egypt today is Ruling Council chief Field Marshal Mohamed Hussein Tantawi, who received a 90% positive rating, closely followed by Arab League chief and Egyptian presidential hopeful Amr Moussa with 89%. The Muslim Brotherhood has a 75% positive rating, while former Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak was ranked positively by only 13% of those polled.


See it here; http://www.jpost.com/MiddleEast/Article.aspx?id=217883

Well that sure doesn't sound good.  80% are unfavorably disposed to America and 60% have no confidence in Obama.  The majority favor ripping up the peace agreement with Israel and 75% have a positive rating toward the Muslim Brotherhood.

So should we Americans say, "Hip, Hip, Hooray for Egypt!".....or should we ask, "What have we just done?"

Will we be asking the very same thing in a few months after we bomb the heck out of Libya and throw out their dictator in favor of the "freedom fighters"?

Are we helping world peace or actually hastening WWIII with our blanket support of Arab people who say they want freedom?

I guess we will need to watch and see....because I fear our elected officials in Washington have no clue what they are unleashing on the Arab street.

Class Warfare Being Stoked

Today our own Star Tribune in Minneapolis had an article that first appeared a few days ago in the New York Times.  It is written by David Stockman who served in President Reagan's Budget Office.

The article is good news and bad news. 

The good news is that some VERY SERIOUS FINANCIAL topics are finally being discussed in some very large papers...and Lord knows we need to acknowledge problems before we have any hope of fixing the problems.

The bad news is that this country may be about to come apart in a way that few of us could have imagined 5 years ago.

Now pay attention to these paragraphs;

But for decades now, the central banks of the world have been giving policymakers a false signal that sovereign debt is cheap and limitless. Functioning like monetary roach motels, central banks have become a place where Treasury bonds go in but never come out — thereby causing bond prices to be far higher and interest yields much lower than would obtain in a market that wasn’t rigged.


Indeed, the Fed and currency-pegging central banks in East Asia and the Persian Gulf have absorbed nearly all of Uncle Sam’s multitrillion-dollar spree of debt issuance. Moreover, about $4.6 trillion, or more than half of all debt held by the public, is now sequestered in central banks — paid for with printing-press money.

Ouch!!  That's the Ponzi scheme we have been warning about that the U.S. system is running!

And he ends with this chilling statement;

In the real world, however, the global bond market is already rumbling — and around the corner, a fiscal conflagration surely lies.



See it here; http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/24/opinion/24stockman.html?pagewanted=2&_r=1

Thy kingdom come, they will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.  Lord please give us the faith needed to survive the conflagration that is surely coming.

Poison Gas on Iranian Ship

This headline is new so not a ton of info yet;

Iranian Ship Loaded with Poison Gas for Syria Stopped in Egypt


Remember that Syria is a puppet of Iran, and remember that Iran is growing VERY nervous about the uprisings we posted about earlier happening in Syria.  Why??  Because they have a lot of time and money invested in Syria, plus Syria is right on the border of Iran's ancient enemy, Israel, and Iran wants access through Syria.

So do you think this poison gas could be meant for Assad to use on his own Syrian citizens like Saddam Hussein did in Iraq?

Or could they be trying to get poison gas to Syria to ultimately use on the Jews in Israel?

Remember what the IDF General in charge of the Israel Northern Command said 3 years ago....."If we find one dead dog in northern Israel and determine it was killed by Syrian gas....Damascus will be done."
Sounds like foreshadowing of Isaiah 17....again.

"Freedom" Demands Come to Syria

Looks like the Syrians would also like to have some freedom from their tyrannical dictator....but the dictator is squashing them. 

Mr. Obama!...call in the air support like you did in Libya!  Demand that President Assad step down like you did in Egypt!!  Oh yeah...you can't keep doing that because your campaign promise was "No more war!"...and because we are flat broke, as a nation, and can't afford to keep hurling Tomahawk Missiles into every freedom lovers cause that pops up.  So what is your foreign policy Mr. Obama?  Are you gonna just keep wingin' it and see how that goes?

(Reuters) - Residents of the city of Deraa, cradle of the pro-democracy protests that have swept Syria, painted a chilling picture on Monday of an assault by security forces using tanks, heavy artillery and machine guns.


Artillery pounded the town, electricity and most telephone lines were cut and soldiers took over mosques and other key locations, residents reported.

Foreign correspondents are being kept out of Syria so the reports could not be verified, but residents contacted by telephone painted a consistent picture of a ruthless attempt to subjugate the city through military force.

A prominent activist said at least 18 people were killed by gunfire and tank shelling, adding to the grim toll of a month-old uprising against President Bashar al-Assad which human rights groups say has already cost 350 lives.

"Army units are pounding Deraa at this moment. There seems to be no end to the sounds of heavy machinegun fire and occasional mortars," said resident Abu Salem, several hours after the tanks rolled in at dawn.

Another witness said he had seen bodies lying in a street near the Omari mosque after eight tanks and two armored vehicles were deployed in the old quarter. A pall of black smoke hung over the city.

See it here; http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/04/25/us-syria-deraa-idUSTRE73O4QX20110425

Remember why we watch Syria closely?...because Isaiah 17 is yet to be fulfilled and the prophet certainly had a vision of a coming day when Damascus (capital of Syria) would be turned into a permanent ghost town.

Of course the rumbling happening today in Syria is drawing Damascus closer to the day of her destruction.

"See, Damascus will no longer be a city but will become a heap of ruins."  Isaiah 17:1