Russia and a Missile Named Satan

The tensions around the globe continue to heat up.  It's almost as if the nations can sense that something is getting ready to be shuffled...and they want to make sure they are ready to gather up their fair share of the pieces.

Today the headlines out of Russia are that they are not happy with the U.S. missile defense shield which we are working on to defend our allies and ourselves against an Iranian nuke.  Russia doesn't quite see it that way and are a little upset that it could be used to shoot down Russian nukes as well.

So now we have the headlines out of Russia that they are working on a 100 ton monster missile and it's nickname is "Satan"...and it appears the Cold War may start heating up again.

During campaign season, it never hurts for a presidential candidate facing a frustrated public to display toughness and resolve in the face of an old and familiar adversary. And it also doesn't hurt to throw in some shock-and-awe--say, a ballistic missile nicknamed "Satan."

This appears to at least partly explain why on Monday Russia announced that it had successfully tested a short-range interceptor missile; part of its ongoing effort to develop a domestic missile defense system, according to Russia's RIA News Agency. (The Russian Defense Ministry has provided a video of the missile's launch on its website.) Russia also announced it is working on the development of a 100-ton ballistic missile slated for release in 2015, Pravda reports. Russia recently held contested parliamentary polls and is due to hold presidential elections in March. Russia watchers note the political backdrop to the announced plans and their part in the wider narrative agenda: resurgent Russia's determined opposition to American missile defense plans in Eastern Europe.

"In connection with the plans of the United States to develop the air defense system in Europe, in close vicinity to Russia's borders, and because of the unwillingness of the U.S. side to provide any guarantees, the Russian Federation continues to take measures to preserve parity in the field," Pravda reports.

Here;  http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/envoy/moscow-eyeing-u-missile-defense-plans-announces-100-194904097.html

Remember that most prophecy watchers believe that the land of Magog mentioned in the Bible is today what we would call the territories that used to make up Soviet Union.

Also keep your eyes on what is happening with Putin over there.  He may not be the automatic shoe-in for President that many had believed he would be as protests build against his political ambitions.

Christianity May Be Gone From Iraq and Afghanistan

Jesus said he came to bring light into the darkness.  Wherever his follower are endowed with the Holy Spirit on earth then there is a light the shines.  The more followers there are...the brighter the light that shines.

So now that the USA has led a war in both countries hoping to allow freedom and human rights to ring...the exact opposite appears to have happened.  The Light of Jesus Christ may be disappearing at a very fast pace.

I think one would refer to this as "unintended consequences."

(CNSNews.com) - Despite long-term U.S. military occupations aimed at establishing representative governments in Iraq and Afghanistan, Christianity now faces the real threat of eradication in those countries because of severe and persistent persecution of Christians there, according to the chairman of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom.

Similarly, despite the “Arab Spring” rebellion in Egypt earlier this year, the survival of Christianity is also threatened in that country because of the escalating persecution of Christians.

“We are looking at two different countries where the United States invaded, occupied, changed their governments in the last decade--Iraq and Afghanistan--where it’s possible Christianity might be eradicated in our lifetime?” CNSNews.com asked USCIRF Chairman Leonard Leo in a video interview.

“Yes,” said Leo, “and, unfortunately, that is sort of the pattern throughout the Middle Eastern region. The flight of Christians out of the region is unprecedented and it’s increasing year by year. It’s a very, very alarming situation.”

Here;  http://cnsnews.com/news/article/christianity-may-be-eradicated-iraq-and-afghanistan-says-chair-us-religious-freedom

Isn't that ironic that the most "Christian" nation on earth may have used our military and diplomatic powers to overthrow Iraq, Afghanistan and Egypt....and now the Christians are being chased out at an alarming level?

That Satan character is sure a sneaky dude.  It makes one wonder if he knew all along that if the demons of war were unleashed in those lands that he would use the opportunity to drive all the Light out...so that darkness can reign.

1 John tells us clearly that the "whole world is under the control of the evil one"....so I guess it really shouldn't surprise us that the U.S. may have been used in this way.

Old Testament Prophecy Fulfilled Before Our Eyes?

There is an obscure passage in Isaiah that talks about bricks coming down and a sycamore tree being destroyed and replaced by a different type of tree.

The Jewish author of a new book out titled The Harbinger is making the claim that the bricks coming down on 9/11 killed a sycamore tree that was replaced by type of cedar tree.

The "coincidences" get pretty eerie after that as two different U.S. Senators invoke the same obscure passage following 9/11.

If this story interests you, you can access the article here;  http://www.wnd.com/index.php?pageId=379829

What these Senators don't realize is that the passage they are reading is actually calling down judgment and not offering comfort and solace...which is what they believe they are invoking.

Pretty darn interesting...so I would suggest you take 5 minutes and read the article.

The passage is Isaiah 9:10 and the very next day was 9/11.  Coincidence?  You decide.

Pakistan Turns to Exorcism for Help

How do you get rid of a demon inhabiting a person in Pakistan when the Holy Spirit is in VERY short supply...or even non existent?

A girl in a long black shirt screams incoherently, banging her head against a wall at a Sufi shrine in the Pakistani city of Karachi. Sania Haneef’s family says she is possessed by a demon.

Doctors could not help, so they brought the college student, kicking and screaming, to be exorcised by the spirit of a saint.

The West mostly associates Pakistan with Taliban militants who force women to cover from head to toe, blow up girls’ schools and carry out suicide bombings. But Islam in the South Asian nation of 180 million is far more diverse.

Many flock to shrines like the one where Haneef’s relatives seek solace in the Sufi strand of Islam abhorred by militants and considered more liberal in its philosophy than other branches followed by Shiites and Sunnis.

“Sania has been possessed since she was six years old,” her brother, Mohammed, said, describing how an evil spirit, known as a jinn, would speak through her in a man’s voice.

“The shrine has captured the spirit. Sania will be cured soon. None of us is leaving until that happens.”

Pakistanis are beset by problems -- violence, crippling power cuts, poverty and dilapidated hospitals are but a few.

The government, seen as inept and corrupt, offers little relief.

Here;  http://english.alarabiya.net/articles/2011/12/20/183549.html

One can't imagine that their attempts at using Satanic rituals will do much to cast out whatever demons may possess these people. 

We need to continue to pray for these dark strongholds that have been in eternal darkness.  Only the light of Jesus Christ can heal what ails them.

Hat tip to Tom F.

Investors Lose Faith

Yesterday the stock market went up over 2.5% in one single day....but ironically billions of dollars has been pouring OUT of the stock market as investors are losing faith and confidence in they system.

Investors Lose Faith in Stocks As Billions Pour Out of Funds

Investors appeared to have lost faith in stocks this year.

Just over a week ago, equity mutual funds globally had the second-biggest one-day outflow of money in 2011, capping four straight weeks of net redemptions, according to data from EPFR Global.

Worldwide, investors have yanked $34 billion out of equity funds this year and put $75 billion into bonds.

here; http://www.cnbc.com/id/45741694 

Let me be VERY clear when I say that I have NO IDEA what the stock market is going to to in the next months or years.  However, there is plenty of evidence that the foundations of our entire financial system are being put to the test...or they are being shaken, whichever you prefer.

It's important to hold on to the promises of Jesus and our heavenly Father as the world shakes.  It important to continue reading his word and it's important to meet more often with other believers to offer encouragement and to be encouraged.

Hebrews 10:25
not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

U.S. Crime Rate FALLS!!

In our quest to bring you some "good new" happening on planet earth...we ran across this article yesterday in the Wall Street Journal.

Crime continues to fall in all major categories, a streak that has now hit 4½ years, according to data released Monday, but killings of police officers are on the rise this year.

Violent crime fell 6.4% in the first half of 2011, compared with the same period last year, with declines seen in every region of the country, Federal Bureau of Investigation figures showed. The preliminary data were gathered from about 12,500 local law-enforcement agencies.

Police officials and some criminologists attribute the persistent crime drop to more-sophisticated policing methods, such as targeting hot spots with extra officers. James Alan Fox, a professor of criminology at Northeastern University in Boston, said the proliferation of technology—from security cameras to cellphones—has also played a large role, making it harder for people to commit crimes without being reported or recorded.

Mr. Fox, the criminologist, said public perception of crime is often sharply at odds with actual crime rates. Many Americans, he said, "simply won't believe" crime is falling. For one reason, there are still plenty of neighborhoods where shootings are common. Second, he argued, crime is such a huge part of news and television programming that many people don't realize the crime rate is roughly half what it was two decades ago.

Here; http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204879004577108403536584094.html

What??  The crime rate is HALF of what it was 20 years ago??!!  If that's true, that is some REALLY good news!!

I would say I have to agree with his news and programming contents.  We are simply bombarded with bad news 24/7 because that is more interesting to report and watch than good news.  Imagine how long a show would last that showed some boy scout troops cleaning a stream or a show that follows people delivering meals on wheels.  America want so to see guns blazing, cops running, criminals killing, etc....and the news wants to report on it.  So when we watch a steady diet of this news....we can have the idea that crime is increasing since we were little kids.....but it appears that this might not be true in the USA.

Palm Sized Baby

A teeny tiny baby was born and has survived evidently being the 2nd smallest baby in U.S.

This headline got me thinking about something I have always pondered but no one from the Pro-Choice side has been able to satisfactorily explain...and here is the scenario;

If a woman gives birth to a palm sized baby weighing just 9 1/2 ounces and the doctor puts it into an incubator where the baby is alive....and then the mother decides the next day that she really doesn't want the hassle and expense of caring for a preemie baby....so the mother goes over to the incubator next door to her hospital room and shoves a scissors into the baby's head killing the baby....the police would immedieately arrest the woman and charge her with murder....the media would be appalled and how any human woman could behave so mercilessly to a baby....and the public outrage all around would be severe.

Now let's back up the whole scenario 24 hours where that same woman is still pregnant so the same palm sized, 9 1/2 ounce baby is still safe in her womb....and she decides she doesn't want the baby so she pays a doctor to reach into her womb and stick a scissors into the baby's head, kills it and then vacuums it out of the woman.  The woman goes home, the baby is thrown into a dumpster and the doctor collects $500 for his expertise.

The ONLY thing that changed is 24 hours....the result is still one dead baby.  But in one case the woman is in prison and in the next scenario she might be patted on her back for having "courage".

Can ANYONE explain how this can be happening in a civilized, intelligent country?

At birth, Melinda Star Guido was so tiny she could fit into the palm of her doctor's hand. Weighing just 9 1/2 ounces -- less than a can of soda -- she is among the smallest babies ever born in the world. Most infants her size don't survive, but doctors are preparing to send her home by New Year's.

Melinda was born premature at 24 weeks over the summer and spent the early months cocooned in an incubator in the neonatal intensive care unit in Southern California. Almost every day, her 22-year-old mother sits at her bedside and stays overnight whenever she can.

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2011/12/15/palm-sized-baby-2nd-smallest-in-us-to-be-released-from-hospital-by-new-years/?intcmp=obnetwork#ixzz1h69cgXoK

I have read statistics that U.S. woman have aborted over 50,000,000 babies since abortion was legalized in the 1970's.  I heard one sermon where the preacher said, "The blood of 50,000,000 innocent children of God is crying out from the ground demanding justice from their Creator!"

You just wonder how long it will be until justice rolls...

But let justice roll on like a river,
righteousness like a never-failing stream! Amos 5:24

Massive Storm Hit Philippines

Hundreds are dead and swept out to sea as a surprise storm bashed into the Philippine Islands.  Check out some of the language used to describe this catastrophe;

The disaster area, located about 800km from the capital, Manila, is normally bypassed by the average of 20 typhoons that ravage other parts of the far-flung Philippine archipelago every year.

As a result, many residents were caught by surprise when floods suddenly hit their homes in the dead of night, before dawn on Saturday.

More than 88,000 people have been displaced by the storm with over half of them huddled in crowded, makeshift government evacuation centres, the disaster management council said.

The death toll is expected to rise even further as more floating bodies are recovered after sunrise, said Benito Ramos, head of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council.

He put the total of the dead at 927, adding that the council had lost count of all those still missing after tropical storm Washi brought heavy rains, flash floods and overflowing rivers to the southern island of Mindanao.

"They [the dead bodies] were washed out to sea. They were underwater for the first three days but now, in their state of decomposition, they are bloated and floating to the surface," Ramos said.

"The death toll will rise again [in the morning] when more bodies surface."

Here;  http://m.smh.com.au/world/philippines-storm-death-toll-tops-900-20111220-1p2tb.html

It sounds like a scene out of some Armageddon movie.  These scenes seem to be happening so fast that no one much pays attention anymore.  Probably just the way that the Prince of this Earth would have it.

For those of us who are "awake" these headlines just confirm that something BIG is going on.  For those who are "children of the darkness"....the increased frequency of catastrophic events just seems to make them fall further into a deep sleep...and further into denial.

They were caught by surprise when the flood came and took them all away.....sounds eerily familiar to as it was in the Days of Noah.

The Permafrost is Thawing!!

Let's have a brief chat about global warming, shall we?

For the record, I am of the understanding that we are on an enormous rock (called earth) that is spinning around on it's axis at 1000 mph and hurtling through space as it makes it billions of miles annual march around  the sun.  No man is driving this earth....we are just along for the ride.

We also know that some thousands of years ago that a large part of this planet, including where I sit in Minnesota, was covered by up to one mile thick ice....and that the ice scratched out most of our 10,000 lakes here in Minnesota.

We also know that earth has been hit with some REALLY large meteors in the distant and not distant past...meteors so large that they could have wiped out huge amounts of life and forever changed the planet.

Is summation...I believe we are supposed to care for the earth around us as best as we can.  But unlike many of my liberal neighbors here in Minnesota, I don't believe this earth is going to end ONE SINGLE DAY BEFORE GOD SAYS SO.

So back to global warming.....is the earth getting warmer?  Maybe!  I would hope it has gotten warmer because if it hadn't we may all be sitting under a glacier.  But has earth also gotten colder in the not distant past?  It appears so...because Greenland used to be farmed...and now it is sitting underneath lots of ice.

So what's going on?  I believe it is just one more event that is being used by the Prince of this Earth to pit humans with a Biblical worldview against those without a Biblical world view.  Personally, I have been ridiculed by some liberal friends for not buying into the theory of Man-Made-Global-Warming.  How could I be so ignorant, they will ask me.  We need to all come together all over the world to stop this warming or we will all die!!...they tell me.  Or at the very least the sea levels will rise so far that all the billions of people now living along the ocean will have to relocate and the unrest will kill us all...or at least bankrupt us all.

The Bible tells us that this earth is passing away....because it WILL one day pass away...and the Lord Jesus Christ will remake it into an earth where the lion lays down with the lamb and the children will be able to play with poisonous snakes.  Yep...that's what I believe.  Can you imagine telling that to your college professor??

Now today we have a new terrifying headline that could really shake up the world's climatologists....The PERMAFROST IS MELTING!!!  And when it does it could put so much carbon from the decaying plants locked under the ice...that we may all be doomed a lot earlier than anyone thought.

One of the least understood — and one of the more unnerving — facets of climate change is the question of what will happen as the Arctic region heats up and permafrost in places like Alaska and Siberia thaws out. There’s a whole lot of carbon locked up in all that frozen soil and organic matter. And, as the frost melts, that carbon will enter the atmosphere, most of it as carbon dioxide, but some of it transformed by bacteria into methane, an even more powerful heat-trapping greenhouse gas. That, in turn, will warm the planet further. It’s a potent feedback mechanism, and scientists still aren’t sure just how potent it might be.

So how worried should we be? Over the weekend, Justin Gillis had a beautifully reported piece in The New York Times on the permafrost question that summed up what scientists do and don’t know: “In the minds of most experts, the chief worry is not that the carbon in the permafrost will break down quickly — typical estimates say that will take more than a century, perhaps several — but that once the decomposition starts, it will be impossible to stop.” There’s no looming apocalypse, but melting permafrost could make it much harder to avoid setting the planet down a path of irrevocable warming.

Here;  http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/ezra-klein/post/just-how-scary-is-permafrost-thaw/2011/12/19/gIQAUE4j4O_blog.html

Here is an interesting question....how did all these green plants get locked under a sheet of ice and permafrost to begin with?  Doesn't that mean that at one time the earth was so warm that it grew green plants way up past the Arctic circle?  And if it was that warm thousands of years ago before humans were even burning fossil fuels....why can't they just accept that mankind has no control over volcanoes, meteors, ocean currents, el nino, la nina, cloud cover, jet streams, etc....   We have no control over anything!!  Yet many of the world's "smartest" scientists are telling us we all better submit to some massive carbon scheme (which is ultimately a power grab of control) or else we will all be doomed.

The intelligence of the intelligent men on earth certainly appears to be waning.  The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom....and without that fear there can be no understanding of what is going on.

Kim Jong Il is Dead

Big news just coming out of North Korea is that their wacko leader is dead.

We need to be in prayer for this dark, poor country that the light of Jesus Christ may somehow be shined into the darkness of North Korea.

SEOUL—Kim Jong Il, the dictator who used fear and isolation to maintain power in North Korea and the threat of nuclear weapons to menace his neighbors and the U.S., has died, North Korean state television reported early Monday.

His death opens a new and potentially dangerous period of transition and instability for North Korea and northeast Asia. Mr. Kim in September 2010 tapped his youngest son to succeed him, though it isn't known whether the son will take control right away.

Here;  http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703864204576321193199255166.html

We have had fun over the years referring to this strange dude as the "Gopher in a pant suit"...and now that this dude is in the afterlife, it is terrifying to imagine the fear and pain that he is experiencing because he rejected Jesus Christ.