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Prophe-Zine Issue 096
PropheZine #96
June 1, 2000
Bob Lally Publisher
Lori Eldridge Senior. Editor
Bob Ippolito Asst. Editor
To Subscribe, Unsubscribe or Change email addresses see the notice at the
bottom
of this newsletter.
======================================================
IN THIS ISSUE
GREETING FROM BOB LALLY
GREETING FROM LORI ELDRIDGE
MINISTRY NEWS
ARTICLES
James BeauSeigneur....Dramatization
Paul Kusiak..... The Lord's Prayer
Ron Wallace.... A Rapture Challenge: Response to Leah Bourne's article,
The Case for a Pre-Tribulation Rapture
Leah Bourne.... Some Points to Ponder - A Response to Ron Wallace
DEVOTIONALS
Kaye..... A Prayer for Wickedness, Remorse, Restoration and Hope
POETRY
Mark Phillips.... Taking It
SUBSCRIBE and UNSUBSCRIBE
PRIVACY NOTICE
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GREETING FROM BOB LALLY
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Hi Everyone,
The situation in Israel is really heating up. You almost have to read the
news hourly to see what is happening next. My guess, the Israeli's pulled
back to the UN designated border so Israel could use military might to
defend itself. Why else would Barak have contacted the major leaders of the
world to inform them that Israel will defend itself. I believe Israel will
soon go to war with Syria. I believe Russia has a military agreement with
Syria and will contact the Muslim and Arab nations to all attack Israel
together.
That's when GOD steps in. Please subscribe to the PropheZine News Bites to
receive the absolute latest news from within Israel, the Middle East and the
World! (http://www.prophezine.com/text/lists.html)
God Bless.
Bob Lally
PropheZine
bob@prophezine.com
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GREETING FROM LORI ELDRIDGE
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Hi Everyone,
This issue we are focusing more on the endtimes, starting with James
BeauSeigneur's "The First Trumpet: an Explanation Through Dramatization"
where he gives a very good explanation of how hail and fire mixed (together)
along with blood can drop from the sky and all of the grass burn up around
the world, but not all of the trees, as stated in Rev. 8:7. Following this
horrific scenario of the endtimes we have a much needed study of the Lord's
Prayer by Paul Kusiak.
We also have an interesting debate between Leah Bourne, who posted a defense
of the PreTrib position last issue (The Case for a Pre-Tribulation Rapture),
and Ron Wallace who is trying to poke holes through it. And to tie things up
we have an actual prayer by Kaye for those times when we are overwhelmed
with all the evil that is fast coming upon us and a poem by Mark Phillips
giving us a good example of how to deal with the wounds of a friend.
We are also providing a link to an article called Occult Symbols and their
Meanings showing the emulets, charms, etc., used by those in New Age,
Masons, and other such groups. It is full of images so we can't use it in
PZ. Please take a look and make sure you don't have any of these in your
home. http://www.crossroad.to/text/symbols.html
Be blessed,
Lori Eldridge
lorel@ior.com
Senior Editor of PZ
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MINISTRY NEWS
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PropheZine was recently rated by Alexa as being in the TOP 100 CHRISTIAN
WEBSITES IN THE WORLD! I am honored that God would do this for PropheZine.
We do not advertise except by word of mouth. We still have around
80,000-100,000 monthly visits (not hits which are around 800,000+ monthly).
And we still have visitors from around 170 countries!
We have a staff of 40 that help maintain and update the site. Some staff
provide news, some work on articles and some code in HTML. Others are
Prayer Warriors. We do this on a volunteer basis unto the Lord. If you
would like to offer some of your time to the Lord, PropheZine is more than
willing to have you join the team. We are always accepting volunteers for
the positions of Assistant Editors, News Hounds, and Prayer Warriors.
If you feel led to volunteer some time in these areas please send me an
email (bob@prophezine.com)
In addition, the shopping mall is nearly ready and we may go live this
month. I'll keep you informed. Lastly, PropheZine will most likely partner
with an exciting new Prophecy ministry recently started by Dr. Joe Vieira.
The two sites will compliment each other wonderfully. It will also provide
the avenue that we need to begin webcasting conferences through PZ. Please
keep this in prayer!
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ARTICLES
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Dramatization
by James BeauSeigneur
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"The first angel sounded his trumpet, and there came hail and fire mixed
with blood, and it was hurled down upon the earth. A third of the earth
was burned up, a third of the trees were burned up, and all the green
grass was burned up." (Revelation 8:7 NIV)
This prophecy, the first of 'the trumpet judgments,' consists of a
single verse. As such, it offers one of the most concise and exact
descriptions of all the biblical end-times judgments. And yet, it is
this same clarity and brevity which makes it so difficult to explain.
Hail from the skies is not uncommon.
Fire might be explained as nothing more than lightning.
But blood?
And how is it that the fire burns one third of the earth, one third of
the trees and yet destroys all the green grass? And why only the green
grass; why not the brown (i.e., dead) grass as well?
These are some of the many perplexing questions we face in trying to
understand prophecy, and which I had to resolve in writing THE CHRIST
CLONE TRILOGY (available through the PropheZine Bookstore at
http://www.prophezine.com/bookstore/james.html). My background as an
author of scientific/technical manuals and documentation (and as an
all-round stubborn guy) did not allow me to simply 'write around' these
prickly issues. I had to face them head on: if scripture said all the
GREEN grass, then by golly, I was going to find a way to make it happen.
What follows is an explanation of the first trumpet judgment through
dramatization. It is condensed from chapters 4 and 5 of the second book
of the Trilogy, BIRTH OF AN AGE. While I don't claim that this is how
it will happen, it is an explanation that works. For a graphic of the area
mentioned in this story check out:
http://www.prophezine.com/text/james/james.html
July 2, 2021 - Sacramento Peak Observatory in southern New Mexico (11:36
p.m. local time, 6:36 a.m. GMT)
Mary Ludford wiped the tears from her eyes and looked in the bathroom
mirror to check her appearance. Her eyes were red, but that could
easily be attributed to lost sleep; the past ten days had been
punctuated by early mornings and late nights. Though she questioned her
qualifications to be the recipient of so much attention, since the
release of the news of the approaching asteroids, the media had made her
an, and her lack of adequate rest was simply the
price the world demanded of its luminaries. Now it would serve as a
convenient excuse. Exhaustion was certainly an easier explanation than
admitting that she had been crying.
Despite the distinctly non heroic nature of her discovery, it was, after
all, Mary who had first spotted the oncoming asteroids and had thereby
given the world the time needed to prepare a defense. Besides, it was
in the very nature of the media to want to put a human face on such a
complex issue. So there was Mary Ludford on the covers of Newsweek,
Time, and NewsWorld; on the morning news/talk shows; on numerous
television and radio specials about the asteroids; and at center stage,
offering her commentary as the missiles were successfully launched to
destroy the giant third asteroid, 2021 KF. The launches had gone
flawlessly. Each missile was fired in a precisely timed sequence and
then, after orbiting the earth, sent on its way toward the threatening
mass 74 million miles from earth. Success seemed certain, and so, after
the experts were questioned and the explanations were given, after the
"man on the street" was interviewed and the concerns and confusion of
the world aired, again the media returned its attention to Mary.
Satisfied that she was as presentable as possible, she left the restroom
to rejoin the other scientists and news media. Despite the thin air
high atop Sacramento Peak, Mary decided to walk beyond the Hilltop Dome
to the scenic overlook halfway between the dome and the Tower
Telescope. The night was clear and she could see for miles across the
white gypsum sands of the Tularosa Basin to the San Andres and Organ
mountains to the southwest. The lights of El Paso, Texas, glowed in the
distance to the south. Turning her eyes toward the northern sky, she
paused to look at the two objects that had pulled her out of her quiet
postgraduate study of receding galaxies. Both asteroids had been
visible to the naked eye for the last two nights, but now they were
unmistakable in the northern sky, shining brightly just above the
horizon and nearly due north. In their current positions, the second
and smaller asteroid (2021 KE) was actually higher in the northern sky
than the first (2021 KD). As the earth continued its orbit, however,
2021 KE would appear to drop below the first, and three hours after
2021 KD streaked across the skies of western hemisphere, 2021 KE would
drop below the horizon and traverse its path through the heavens of the
eastern half of the world.
Mary walked back to the Hilltop Dome and went in. As she entered the
facility she looked at the large wall monitor, which showed a telescopic
view of the asteroids' approach. In addition to performing numerous
tests, surveys, and studies, the observatories along the paths of the
asteroids acted as tracking stations, following the asteroids' approach
and providing a satellite feed to the other observatories and television
stations around the world. The Hubble telescope was moved to a polar
orbit to provide the best view of the asteroids' northern approach to
the planet. Initially, the asteroids were both within the field of view
of the orbiting telescope's optics, but as they moved closer, it became
necessary to focus on only one at a time. Now in the final hours, the
Hubble would focus its attention on the first asteroid until it had
passed beyond the earth, and then quickly it would be rotated to focus
on the second asteroid.
Television coverage included two satellite channels showing an
uninterrupted picture of the asteroids' approach. Until recently it had
been a rather unimpressive scene, appearing as no more than two tiny
points of light on an otherwise blank screen. But with the first
asteroid now just over 43,000 miles away, it was possible to see that it
was pockmarked with small craters. Its odd shape, which resembled a
slightly bent and crumpled cigar, and its span of nearly 12 miles, made
it quite similar in both size and shape to the asteroid Eros. It
rotated on an axis approximately one third of its length from each end,
giving the impression that it was slowly tumbling, rather than
rotating. The second asteroid, now about the same distance from the
earth as our moon, was far more spherical and approximately one and a
half miles in diameter.
>From time to time the picture on the television screen changed,
sometimes focusing on only one asteroid or the other, and sometimes
showing a split screen with the asteroids side by side. The asteroids
were now so close to the earth that every such change in orientation
revealed a dramatically new portrait of the interplanetary visitors.
The astronomers of Sacramento Peak Observatory were making final
preparations for their experimental work and observations. Of the
thirty-five staff scientists and twenty-two assisting graduate students,
only eight would be working in the Hilltop Dome where Mary Ludford was
observing the events. The reporters spread out, a few going to each of
the other observatories to chronicle every moment of this historic
event. Mary would have preferred to be actively involved in the work,
but she wasn't familiar enough with the nuances of Sacramento Peak's
equipment to be of much use. Besides, the press kept her far too busy
to allow her time to do any actual work.
With nearly every reporter in the world covering one aspect or another
of the asteroid story, there was never a time when at least one of them
was not asking her questions, or noting her reactions to the unfolding
drama, or just hanging around in case she might say or do something that
someone might think was newsworthy. Right now there was only one
reporter and a cameraman with her, and since Mary didn't seem to be
saying or doing anything newsworthy at the moment, the reporter's
questions focused on what was going on around them. Mary was able to
answer most of his questions. Even though she had never used equipment
exactly like that at Sacramento Peak, she knew enough to answer any
layman's questions.
When he was finally out of questions he sat down on a stool to watch the
asteroids' approach on the giant monitor. After about five minutes, he
began again. "Why is the picture shifting?" he asked, referring to the
side-by-side display of the two asteroids.
Mary looked at the screen. "What do you mean?" she asked, not noticing
any shift.
"The picture of the first asteroid, there on the left of the screen:
it's shifting slowly toward the right." Mary watched the screen closely
for a moment. She thought perhaps she saw it too, but it was so slight
she couldn't be sure. "Perhaps it only appears to be shifting because
of the asteroid's rotation," she suggested.
"No, really," he insisted. "A few minutes ago it was farther to the
left on the screen. It's definitely moving to the right."
Mary tried to remember if it had looked any different earlier. It did
seem as if it might have been a little better centered on the screen
before. "It's probably that the picture we're getting now is from a
different observatory than the picture we were getting a few minutes
ago. The asteroid isn't as centered in this telescope's field of vision
as it was in the other telescope's."
"No, that can't be it," the reporter insisted. "I've been watching.
The satellite feeds are still coming from Dominion Astrophysical
Observatory in Canada." He looked at his notes and tapped his pen to
indicate where he had made note of it, then added, "It hasn't changed in
the past twenty minutes."
Mary looked at the monitor, which indicated the point of origin of the
satellite feeds on the composite picture. She wasn't sure, but she
thought the reporter might be right. It really didn't matter though; it
was now even more apparent that the first asteroid was moving ever so
slowly to the right. "I'll go find out," she said.
Mary walked over to Dr. Alvin Taylor, the senior scientist at the John
W. Evans Solar Facility of the Sacramento Observatory. The reporters
had been told to stay back from the equipment and out of the way so as
not to interrupt the scientists' work, but Mary felt no obligation to
accede to those rules.
"Excuse me," Mary said to Dr. Taylor, who was just finishing a
conversation with one of the staff scientists.
"Yes," Dr. Taylor responded, as the other scientist picked up a phone
and began to dial.
"We were just noticing the picture of 2021 KD," she began, referring to
the first asteroid. "The picture seems to be drifting slowly to the
right on the screen."
"We noticed that, too," Taylor answered. "Dr. Lane is calling Dominion
Astrophysical Observatory to find out what's going on," he added,
nodding toward the woman on the phone. Mary and Dr. Taylor stood
quietly for a moment, listening to their end of the conversation, trying
to make out what was being said, but the call was far too brief to make
any sense of it.
"Yeah. Okay. Good luck," they heard Dr. Lane say, and then the call
was over.
"They're aware of the problem," Dr. Lane told Dr. Taylor as soon as she
hung up the phone. "They think it's a cumulative error caused by their
segmented positioning system. They're attempting to correct it now. If
they can't get it fixed, they'll switch to the feed from the backup
observatory. I believe . . ." Lane looked at a schedule she had on a
clipboard, "yes, that would be Kitt Peak."
July 3, 2021 - Kitt Peak Observatory, Papago Indian Reservation,
Arizona (12:21 a.m. local time, 7:21 a.m. GMT)
High above the Papago Indian reservation, nestled among the granite
crags and cliffs of Kitt Peak, the white dome of Steward Observatory
stood like a giant white mushroom. Home to the largest concentration of
operating telescopes in the northern hemisphere and credited with
numerous astronomical firsts, Kitt Peak served on this occasion as the
backup to Canada's Dominion Astrophysical Observatory. It was not a
role the scientists of Kitt Peak expected to be called upon to fulfill,
but it should have been a simple matter of turning on their broadcast
equipment and synchronizing the hand-off from Dominion. At the moment
the call came, however, Dr. Chapman of Kitt Peak was busy with a problem
of his own. He and his colleagues had not even noticed the problem with
the broadcast picture from Dominion.
"Dr. Chapman, this is Dr. Watson at Dominion Observatory in Canada," the
call began. "We have a problem here with our 7.7- meter telescope. So
far we've been able to compensate, but I wanted to give you the 'heads
up' just in case."
"Thanks," Chapman said, "but I'm afraid we have some problems of our own
with our 11 meter SMT. For some reason - we can't seem to isolate the
cause - but it appears we have a cumulative error in our segment
positioning system, making it look as though asteroid 2021 KD has
changed its course."
For a long moment there was silence.
"Hello?" Dr. Chapman said, as he began to wonder if they had been cut
off.
"I'm here," responded Dr. Watson at Dominion. "How long ago did this
start?"
"We first noticed it about ten minutes ago," Chapman answered.
Again there was silence. "Have you been monitoring our picture?" Watson
asked after a moment.
"Well, not for the last few minutes. Like I said, we've been pretty
busy with our own equipment. Why? What's the problem?"
"You'd better have a look."
Dr. Chapman leaned back in his chair and twisted his neck to look around
a table at the large split screen monitor of the two asteroids. It took
a moment for him to see the shift and when he did, he could not believe
what he saw. Jumping up from his chair, he pulled the phone with him so
that he could see the screen more clearly. The unobstructed view and
new orientation changed nothing. It took only seconds for Dr. Chapman
to realize what was happening. This wasn't coincidence. It couldn't
be.
On his end of the phone, Dr. Watson heard only the sound of men talking
in the background. "Tom! Frank!" Chapman called to his associates.
"Look at this!" he shouted, pointing toward the monitor.
Chapman's two associates looked at the monitor, then back at the image
from their own telescope, and then back at Chapman, their eyes asking
the same question: Was the image on the monitor coming from their
telescope? Chapman shook his head in answer. The taller of the two men
looked at a small monitor which indicated the picture's source; the
other stared back at the picture on the large monitor. For a long
moment there was silence.
"What is it?" Dr. Watson's voice asked over the phone, but Chapman
didn't respond.
Dr. Watson heard someone on Chapman's end of the phone shout a
profanity, offering confirmation of his worst fears.
"Have you verified this with anyone else?!" Chapman asked Watson
hurriedly. "What about with the Hubble?!"
"Stay on the line," Watson said. "We'll do that right now." It really
wasn't necessary: Kitt Peak was well equipped to verify what was
happening, but for about forty-five seconds Chapman held the phone as he
listened to the ensuing hysteria that erupted when Watson passed along
the content of the call to the others at Dominion Astrophysical
Observatory. Then he hung up and sat back down, not waiting for Watson
to return to the phone. Behind him reporters, now ignoring the
boundaries meant to keep them out of the way of the astronomers,
demanded to know what was happening. The other two astronomers quickly
called other observatories, hoping to find something that would tell
them they were wrong, but there was no mistake. It took only a few
moments to be sure. Asteroid 2021 KD had inexplicably changed course
and was now headed dangerously close to a collision course with the
earth. It was impossible to determine where, or even if it would hit;
there was no time to run simulations now. The asteroid was now only
8,640 miles away and would reach the earth's outer atmosphere in less
than eight minutes.
At 7:33:22 a.m. Greenwich Mean Time (GMT), July 3, 2021, 317 miles above
the earth's surface and directly over the northern Siberian village of
Tiksi near the Lena Delta, asteroid 2021 KD, traveling at a speed of 18
miles per second (64,440 miles per hour), entered the most extent region
of the earth's ionosphere. Its angle of descent was so slight that it
traveled over seven miles horizontally to the earth's surface for every
one mile it dropped. At that angle, the density of the atmosphere
increased relatively slowly, with the result that the asteroid's surface
temperature rose only about a dozen degrees Celsius with each passing
second. The slow but steady increase in resistance of the denser
atmosphere against the asteroid's irregular shape, combined with its
unusual axis of rotation, caused the asteroid to begin to tumble and
spin.
Eighty-one seconds after entering the ionosphere, at an altitude of 108
miles above sea level, the friction of the atmosphere caused the skin of
the tumbling asteroid to superheat and glow. Sixteen seconds later it
penetrated the outer regions of the stratosphere, 60 miles above the
earth's surface. Nearly coincident to this, the asteroid's surface
temperature reached 1,527 degrees Celsius, the melting point of the
nickel iron alloy which made up the great majority of its now wildly
tumbling mass. As it did, millions of tiny droplets, or ablation
flakes, of molten metal began to peel away from the twelve-mile wide
colossus, leaving a visible metallic trail of red-hot nickel iron and
combining with the friction of the asteroid to superheat the atmosphere
around it.
Had it been a more spherical object, the asteroid would have maintained
the same trajectory it had when it entered the atmosphere. That course
would have brought it to within 29 miles of the earth's surface over
northern Canada - never actually coming in contact with the earth, but
continuing on after a six and a half minute sojourn, back into space.
Such had been the case on August 10, 1972 when a large meteoroid passed
through the atmosphere over the western United States and Canada. What
made this incident different was the asteroid's irregular shape. As the
asteroid encountered denser and denser air, two forces worked
increasingly against each other: inertia and drag. Just as the design
of an airplane wing gives the airplane lift, so the shape and tumbling
of the asteroid combined to impel it in the opposite direction, that is,
to force it down toward the earth. At this point, inertia was winning.
But drag had already forced the asteroid several miles lower and with
each mile the air grew thicker.
It would be erroneous to say that the asteroid was falling; the earth's
gravity played almost no part in the asteroid's course. Its speed when
it entered the atmosphere was more than two and a half times the
velocity needed to escape the earth's gravity, and thus far, that speed
had decayed by only a relatively insignificant .6 miles per second.
Other factors, however, did come into play to affect the asteroid's
course relative to the earth's surface. These included the continuing
orbit of the earth around the sun; the curvature of the earth; and to a
small extent, even the earth's rotation, at the comparatively slow speed
of about 1,000 miles per hour. Combined, the effect was that the path
of the asteroid arched like a pitcher's curve ball, carrying it slightly
to the east in its predominantly southern course, as it moved ever
closer to the earth's surface.
Seconds later, above the Beaufort Sea, north of Mackenzie Bay in
Canada's Northwest Territory, the asteroid reached a critical point in
its approach. Because of atmospheric physics, a sonic boom generated at
heights above 37 miles reflects upward off of the denser atmosphere
below, thereby preventing any sound from reaching ground level. Now,
however, 111 seconds after entering the atmosphere, as the asteroid
dropped to less than 37 miles, a sonic boom as powerful as the strongest
earthquake issued forth through the heat-blistered sky.
Below the asteroid, near Key Point, south of Herschel Island, the men of
a half dozen Inuit Eskimo families waited patiently in their boats, some
with hand-held harpoons, others with high-powered rifles, scanning the
bay for the dingy gray-white backs of Beluga whales to break the
surface. It was 11:35 p.m. local time, but that hardly mattered this
far north and at this time of year in the 'land of the midnight sun.'
The last sunrise had been on June twenty-first, twelve days before, and
the next sunset would not come for another fifteen days, on July
eighteenth. On the shore a few hundred yards away, the men's families
slept in tents, waiting for the next kill when they would strip the
muktuk and despoil the white whale of every usable part.
Suddenly, all eyes turned toward the sky and stared in awe at heaven's
display. In mere seconds it was gone, trailing off into the southern
sky.
For a moment after the asteroid passed, the men stood frozen in
silence. And then all at once they shouted to each other in their
native Inuktitut with such great excitement that, for the moment, they
totally ignored the pair of Beluga whales that had surfaced just 20
meters away. Then someone pointed and called out. Quickly the men in
the boats nearest the whales put the asteroid out of their minds and
went to work, starting their small outboard motors and maneuvering their
18-foot crafts as close to the unsuspecting Beluga as possible. Near
the bow of each boat, two men stood ready, one poised with a hand-held
harpoon connected by rope to a pair of empty aluminum beer kegs, the
other with a rifle, hoping to finish the job quickly after the harpoon
was set.
Traveling at 1,100 feet per second, it would be nearly three full
minutes before the asteroid's sonic boom reached the boats below. When
it did it would hit like a brick wall, shattering the fiberglass hulls
as if they were cheap stage glass, and splintering the bones of the men
and their families like balsa, reducing their lifeless bodies to
formless heaps.
Behind the asteroid a tremendous vacuum formed, which the surrounding
atmosphere rushed to fill, creating a tail of supersaturated air from
above the Arctic Ocean and a wake of wind which curled off, forming row
upon row of super cyclones like giant eddies behind the paddle of a
boat.
To the residents of Kaktovik, Alaska, 125 miles to the west, the
asteroid appeared in the sky as an enormous flaming star. (It would be
eight and a half minutes before the first winds reached them. Less than
two minutes later, no one would be left alive as the entire town was
blown into the arctic sea.) To the ill-fated Inuit Eskimos near Kay
Point, directly beneath the asteroid, it had seemed as though the
midnight sun had exploded. Twelve seconds later, to the people of Fort
McPherson, 200 miles farther south, at which point the asteroid streaked
by only 26 miles overhead, it was as if the heavens themselves were on
fire.
No one at Ft. McPherson understood what was happening. The news of the
change in the asteroid's course was only now being broadcast on
television and radio and, without time to run computer simulations, no
one could even begin to project the asteroid's course or where, when, or
if, it would actually collide with the earth. In Ft. McPherson, parents
pointed and young children clapped in delight as if viewing fireworks.
Nearly everyone, young and old alike, was up despite the late hour to
watch the asteroid. They had been told to expect no more than a bright
light, like a huge star, traveling swiftly across the sky. What they
saw instead was a flaming tumbling mountain the size of Manhattan Island
hurling past them at unbelievable speed, followed by a fiery trail as
bright as morning itself. It was an awesome sight that no one really
had time to take in. Four seconds later, with the asteroid already 66
miles farther south but still clearly in view because of its enormous
size, the people of Fort McPherson still stared in wonder as they were
engulfed from behind in a nuclear-force wall of heat.
There was no chance to escape, but at least the pain did not last.
Everyone and everything for 15 miles to the east and west were
incinerated and turned to ash within seconds. What didn't burn, melted,
and all was swept away in the asteroid's tremendous wake, leaving no
trace on the suddenly-barren landscape of the homes, schools, or lives
of the 720 stalwart souls who had lived there.
Rich with moisture from the arctic and from the Peel and Channel Rivers,
the hurricane-force winds in the asteroid's wake spread in mere minutes
across hundreds of miles to the east and west, uprooting and flattening
thousands of square miles of virgin Canadian forest, erasing whole
towns, and reducing everything in their path to rubble. Ignited by the
super-heated atmosphere and molten metal of the asteroid, enormous
fireballs followed close behind and were blown by the winds like the
flames of hell, consuming everything that remained in an immense blast
furnace, reducing hundreds of years of forest growth to smoldering
cinders in minutes. Whole lakes and rivers boiled violently, killing
all the life within them, and then were sucked up by the immense force
of the winds. Vapor condensed on cooled droplets of melted asteroid,
dirt, and other debris, forming rain. Some fell to the earth, and some
was swept into the upper atmosphere by the tremendous winds, freezing
into hail stones; falling and repeating the cycle until finally huge
hailstones - some weighing up to twenty-five pounds - fell to the earth,
sizzling like butter in a pan on the scorched landscape where they fell.
Beneath the asteroid, debris from the ground, including objects weighing
up to several tons, was picked up and swept along at speeds of thousands
of miles per hour. Cars, trucks, trailers, boats, mobile homes,
aircraft, slabs of rock and concrete, pieces of homes and other
structures and all they contained - so twisted and smashed as to bear no
resemblance to their former state - were carried aloft and towed along
for hundreds of miles.
A hundred miles south of Ft. McPherson, at 66 degrees north latitude,
the asteroid first began to enter darkness. Sixty-three seconds later,
1,200 miles south of where Ft. McPherson had stood, the asteroid passed
18.84 miles overhead just west of Edmonton, Alberta, the first heavily
populated area in its path, and delivered the same devastation to
Edmonton's three quarters of a million people that it had brought on the
populations of Ft. McPherson, Ft. Goodhope, Norman Wells, Ft. Norman,
and Wrigley, along its path. In seconds every structure in the city and
its suburbs were engulfed in flame. Most of the population died in the
initial blast of heat and shower of molten iron; the rest died within
moments from the fires, or were sucked up into the asteroid's wake.
Explosions from natural gas, petroleum, and other chemicals added to the
deadly amalgam to incinerate the remains of the towns and homes around
Edmonton like the stubble of hay. In the streets, flaming asphalt ran
like water, puddling in ruts wherever the ground was low. In a few
places the heat was great enough to melt the flying shards of glass from
the demolished buildings.
In the next seventeen seconds the asteroid passed over Red Deer,
Calgary, and Medicine Hat, wreaking similar destruction. A few
buildings were left standing on the western edge of Calgary, only to be
blown apart like sand castles by the sonic boom that followed moments
behind. In another eight seconds the asteroid thundered across the
border with the United States and just fourteen seconds later, now less
than 15 miles above the surface of the threatened planet, it reached
Billings, Montana.
The asteroid's tail stretched over 300 miles, whipping and flailing
objects picked up all along its path like the tail of a child's kite.
Among the smaller debris was an ever-growing number of formerly living,
breathing creatures - both human and otherwise - who had not been close
enough to the asteroid to be incinerated by its heat, but who instead
were picked up, slammed about, and ripped apart. Their soon-lifeless
forms, looking remarkably like rag dolls formed of too-often-washed
fabric, were subjected alternately to unimaginable pressure and then
swept into areas of near total vacuum, crushing them like grapes and
pouring out their blood like wine to the vengeance of the alien stone.
Wild animals including deer, elk, moose, caribou, and bear, massive
herds of cattle and sheep, flocks of assorted fowl, domestic animals,
and entire populations of towns and villages surrendered their blood to
the mix of rain and hail as they were picked up and carried along for
scores or hundreds of miles in mere seconds. Also among the human
debris were many who had died in recent weeks, pulled from their newly
covered graves by the violent turbulence and added to the asteroid's
cortege.
Imperceptible except to weather satellites that watched its path from
above, and unimportant to anyone within hundreds of miles of its path
below, the asteroid's speed was slowly deteriorating against the
resistance of the earth's atmosphere. By the time it reached Billings,
its speed had dropped to about 15 1/2 miles per second. Thirty-one
seconds and nearly a million human lives later, as the asteroid passed
11 3/4 miles above Ft. Collins, Boulder, Denver, and Aurora, Colorado,
the speed had dropped another quarter of a mile per second. The Rocky
Mountains offered no break to the winds and heat which swept across
them, repeating the destruction that had befallen the forests, lakes,
and towns farther north.
Mile after mile, city after city, the asteroid held to its merciless
course, destroying everything in its path. Colorado Springs, Pueblo,
and Trinidad, Colorado; Raton and Tucumcari, New Mexico; Lubbock,
Sweetwater, Abilene, and San Angelo, Texas. By the time the asteroid
reached Austin, Texas, only five minutes and seven seconds had passed
since it had entered the earth's atmosphere. The asteroid's speed had
been cut to 14.834 miles per second (53,402 miles per hour) and its
altitude to only 7.48 miles above sea level. There was no counting the
cost of the damage done or the number of lives lost.
Twenty-four seconds later, after devastating San Antonio and Corpus
Christi, the asteroid passed over Brownsville, Texas and Matamoros,
Mexico and headed southeast across the Gulf of Mexico. Its altitude was
now only 5.2 miles above sea level and its speed had dropped to 14.6
miles per second. Once again over water, the tail of the asteroid
became rich with moisture, which fed and sustained the storms created by
its wake.
Seconds after leaving land, at an altitude of just under 4 miles, an
event occurred which by itself would have been a point of some interest
for scientific inquiry, but under the circumstances would draw little
attention. From the moment the asteroid first entered the atmosphere,
it began to build up a static charge from friction with the air. As its
tumbling brought the asteroid to within 20,000 feet of the earth's
surface, it released an electromagnetic charge in the form of a massive
bolt of lightning so immense and powerful that it literally vaporized
the water where it struck, momentarily creating a huge crater, 1,800
feet in diameter and 260 feet deep.
It took the asteroid just forty-two seconds to span the 580 miles across
the Gulf of Mexico, coming back over land 18 miles west of Paraiso,
Mexico at an altitude of just 6,864 feet (1.3 miles) above sea level.
To this point the asteroid's altitude could best be stated as an average
of the lowest and highest point above sea level of its bottom-most point
during any one rotation. Now, however, such averaging would no longer
be appropriate. Because of the asteroid's shape and tumbling, the
distance between it and the earth varied by more than a mile during any
one eight and a half second rotation, depending on which part of the
asteroid was down at that particular moment. The asteroid was now so
close to the earth that the significant issue had become not average
altitude, but rather the distance between the two bodies at any
particular instant.
One other element was quickly becoming a factor. As the asteroid
traveled inland across southern Mexico toward the Sierra Madre
Mountains, the hilly terrain rose rapidly to meet it.
As the asteroid drew closer to the surface, it no longer required so
powerful a static charge to span the distance to the earth, and it began
to release bolt after bolt of lightning, fulminating the scraps of
timber and debris which defied the winds preceding their host. No
sooner did it discharge than the static charge from the friction with
the atmosphere began to build again and in less than a second it
discharged again with similar destructive effect. As it came closer to
the earth, the interval between bolts continued to decrease until, so
quickly was the static charge replaced after each discharge, that to the
naked eye (had anyone been alive to witness it), it would have appeared
as if a solid "sheet" of lightning spanned the entire 12-mile breadth of
the tumbling titan, obliterating everything in its path milliseconds
before sweeping them along in its wake.
Thirty miles ahead of the asteroid, the earth reached up her mountainous
terrain as if to receive the oncoming celestial visitor. Row upon row
of mountains, each one seemingly higher than the one before, stood only
seconds away, waiting in silent challenge in the asteroid's path.
Impact was imminent.
The asteroid just brushed the surface of the first mountain, cutting out
a pass about 60 feet deep and 1 3/4 miles across. The contact slowed
the asteroid so imperceptibly that even the weather satellites watching
from above could not measure the difference. It would not make it past
the next mountain so cleanly.
The top of the second mountain stood in defiant stillness before the
asteroid, rising more than a half mile above the asteroid's lowest
point. It was not nearly large enough to stop the asteroid, but it
would slow it noticeably.
A fraction of a second later the asteroid met the mountain 3,200 feet
below its peak. The collision sheared off the top of the mountain,
throwing millions of tons of rocks and chunks of asteroid up to 1,200
miles, and was detected on every seismic monitoring device in the
world. A millisecond later the asteroid's tumbling motion brought its
largest lobe slamming down on the top of the next, slightly lower
mountain, pulverizing the peak under the pressure, and bringing down an
avalanche of crumbling rock into the valleys below. A village of 300
people on the mountainside slid into the valley below, where it was
buried beneath tons of rock and dirt. Neighboring mountains shook,
causing landslides up to 30 miles away. Later, scientists would
estimate the force of the collision at five megatons of TNT, or about
250 times the force of the bomb dropped on Hiroshima.
The tumbling impact against the top of the lower mountain vaulted the
asteroid skyward, causing it to pass just above the largest of the
mountains directly ahead and throwing it in a slightly more easterly
direction. Less perceptible but far more important - the impact had
changed the asteroid's rotation. The change was slight but it was
enough to reduce the coefficient of drag sufficiently that inertia
became the greater force, thus altering the asteroid's aerodynamics.
The result was that instead of being pushed slowly and relentlessly
toward the ground, the asteroid now traveled in a nearly straight line.
Because of the curvature of the earth and the fact that the asteroid's
speed was still more than sufficient to overcome the earth's gravity,
the asteroid actually began to slowly rise above the earth's surface.
It was very slight - approximately 37 feet of rise per mile - but by the
time the asteroid reached Guatemala City, 208 miles farther south, it
had risen 7,696 feet, to an altitude of just over 2 miles, well above
any mountains in the asteroid's way.
The point was academic to those in the asteroid's path. The destruction
was just as severe regardless of the asteroid's exact position above the
earth. The people of Guatemala City suffered the same fate as the
people of every other city in its course.
The asteroid took just thirteen and a half seconds to span Guatemala and
cross the border into El Salvador, passing halfway between San Vicente
and San Salvador, heading for the Salvadoran Pacific coast. Over the
Pacific, the asteroid stayed within about 160 miles of the Central
American coast except where the coast turns northward past Punta
Mariato, Panama. Throughout its ocean passage it continued to rise,
reaching an altitude of 10.814 miles by the time it reached the coast of
Columbia. Seven seconds later, at a speed of 11.412 miles per second
(41,083.2 miles per hour), the asteroid passed 11.374 miles over
Popayán, Columbia.
Below the asteroid, the Colombian Pacific coast rainforest, called the
'Choco' by the inhabitants, and the great Amazonian forests of the
eastern lowlands were tinder before the winds and fires brought by the
asteroid. Hundreds of species of flora and fauna indigenous only to the
South American jungle were destroyed at a single stroke, as literally
millions of acres were instantly set ablaze.
Four minutes and twenty-eight seconds later, at an altitude of 31.6
miles, after destroying the coastal cities of Itabuana and Illheus,
Brazil, the asteroid reached the Atlantic Ocean. It had spanned the
broadest part of the South American continent in just six minutes and
eight seconds. Seventy seconds later, at a speed of 9.622 miles per
second (34,639 miles per hour), it passed 36.46 miles over Trinidad
Island in the Atlantic. As the asteroid's altitude became greater and
the air grew thinner, the resistance decreased rapidly, which allowed
its course to become increasingly true, thereby putting it at a sharper
angle away from the earth's surface and reducing the time required
before it exited the atmosphere.
At 7:53:27 a.m. GMT, 309 miles above Bethanie, South Africa, Asteroid
2021 KD returned to space. The entire passage through the earth's
atmosphere lasted just over twenty minutes and covered 14,210 miles. It
had passed through fifteen time zones and had caused more destruction
than all of the pre-atomic wars combined. When it entered the
atmosphere, the asteroid had been traveling 18 miles per second; by the
time it left, it was traveling only 8.43 miles per second (30,362 miles
per hour). While that was still fast enough to escape the earth's
gravitational pull, as a result of its earthly encounter the asteroid's
new course sent it hurtling directly toward the sun. In the void of
space and pulled by the tremendous gravity of the sun, the asteroid
would continually accelerate. Six days after leaving the earth, and
reaching an incredible speed of 360 miles per second (1,296,000 miles
per hour), the asteroid would pass inside the orbit of the planet
Mercury. Two minutes later it would begin to melt from the sun's heat,
and in a few minutes more, would become a gaseous cloud before finally
being absorbed by the sun.
The event would have provided an unprecedented observational opportunity
for the scientists at the solar observatory atop Sacramento Peak, New
Mexico. That, however, was impossible. There no longer was an
observatory at Sacramento Peak: it had been destroyed. All that
remained was a bare mountain top, stripped of all vegetation and
man-made structures. The Tower Telescope building had been sheared off
at ground level, leaving only a 220-foot hole in the mountain to mark
where it had been.
Even after the asteroid exited the earth's atmosphere, its destructive
influence was far from over. Later, searches through the ruins would
reveal that no one for 160 miles to the east or west of its path had
survived. Beyond that distance, up to 600 miles away, the very few who
did survive the initial blast and the fires and storms had been struck
deaf as their eardrums were ruptured by the tremendous sonic boom. The
sound collapsed walls as far as 800 miles away, and some reported
hearing the boom for up to 1,800 miles, making it second in intensity
only to the explosion of Krakatoa in 1883, which was heard as far away
as 3,000 miles. And while the initial storms and fires cut a swath up
to 1,400 miles wide across the North and South American continents, the
fires would ultimately rage uncontrolled in many areas for several
months and would destroy, in total, about one third of the earth's total
forests.
One additional tribulation brought on by the asteroid's passage would
not be apparent for another two weeks. When the asteroid entered the
atmosphere it created a great turbulence in the upper atmosphere,
causing a massive disruption in the earth's ozone layer. This was
compounded when the asteroid returned to space, pulling with it millions
of cubic miles of atmosphere. That lost atmosphere would quickly be
drawn back by the earth's gravity, but over a period of a few days the
combined disruptive effect to the ozone layer would stretch around the
world. It would take only a few weeks before the ozone layer would
begin to settle back into place and would again provide its protective
blanket to the earth's surface. But this would not come before the earth
had been bathed in sufficient ultraviolet light to severely damage the
enzymatic pathways of plant life throughout the world.
Of the two major varieties of plant life (broad leaf plants and
grasses), grasses - distinguished by their long, slender leaves and
including not only the numerous varieties of grass but also such plants
as corn, wheat, rye, oats, barley, and sugar cane - are far more
dependent for life on the synthesis of aromatic amino acids which takes
place in the plant's enzymatic pathways. If the enzymatic pathway is
blocked by damage from herbicides or ultraviolet light, grasses will
immediately stop growing. About a week and a half later, when the
plant's storehouse of aromatic amino acids is depleted, the plant turns
reddish-yellow, then yellow and then finally brown, dying completely in
about three weeks. Thus it was that three weeks after the asteroid all
of the grassy plants - burned by the ultraviolet rays of the sun -
shriveled and died throughout the world. In some areas the grass would
return before the fall and the grain crops would be replanted the next
year. But in the interim, famine would claim the lives of millions.
In the parts of the world unaffected by the immediate results of the
asteroid, the rest of mankind looked on in disbelief at the incredible
destruction that had befallen their planet. Satellite videos of the
asteroid's course were pieced together to provide a complete depiction
of the path of slaughter and destruction.
No one who watched was unaffected. Those who did not have relatives or
friends in the affected areas had their own fears to trouble them: two
more asteroids were still out there, heading toward the earth.
Scientists and government officials tried to reassure people, pointing
out that the first asteroid's change in course had been a highly unusual
quirk and that there was nothing to fear from the second asteroid.
Someone came up with a 'best guess' to explain why the first asteroid
had changed course and it quickly caught on with the media who were
desperate for some sort of explanation. The theory was that, just as a
passing bantam black hole or chunk of white dwarf star had originally
pulled the three asteroids from their normal orbits, so a similar
phenomenon had affected the first asteroid when it came closer to the
earth; perhaps it was the same black hole or chunk of white dwarf whose
immense gravity had pulled the asteroids out of their orbits in the
first place. For the public, however, that explanation only evoked more
questions: Was it still out there? Would it have a similar affect on
the second asteroid? Would the object itself threaten the earth? And
most menacing of all: would it somehow prevent the missiles headed for
the third and largest asteroid (which scientists had said could destroy
all life on the planet) from reaching their target?
To the last question the answer was relatively certain. The telemetry
from the missiles, now five days and nearly three million miles into
their journey, indicated they were still precisely on course. As to
whether the bantam black hole or chunk of white dwarf or whatever it
was, was still out there and whether it threatened the earth - either by
altering the course of the second asteroid, or by colliding with the
earth itself - the possibility was almost as unlikely. "Bodies in space
are constantly in motion," one of the interviewed scientists said. "The
possibility that a similar set of circumstances could occur, causing the
second asteroid to be pulled off course in the direction of earth, is
simply too astronomical to be imagined."
James BeauSeigneur
<sr@selectivehouse.com>
The three books of THE CHRIST CLONE TRILOGY (In His Image, Birth of an
Age, and Acts of God) are available through PropheZine at
http://www.prophezine.com/bookstore/james.html with a percentage of each
sale going to support the on-going ministry of PropheZine.
Reviewer Jay Carper says of The Christ Clone Trilogy: "Apocalypse fans,
here is your Hobbit. Every turn was unexpected. The characters were
real. The plot was real. And never have I seen the Seven Seals broken
with such clarity and imagination. . ."
(http://carper.freeservers.com/sfwc/reviews/christclone.html)
Reviewer Bob Lally (PropheZine): "The most exciting end-time story I have
ever read. I have read the trilogy two times in the past 18 months and will
most definitely read it again this summer."
======================================================
The Lord's Prayer
by Paul Kusiak
======================================================
Every Sunday, churches all around world recite the Lord's Prayer. We all
know
it by heart and can recite it without any problem. You know the words, but
do you know what the words mean? That's the goal of this study; to look at
the meaning behind the Lord's Prayer. The text for this study is Matthew
6:9-13. Jesus is preaching the 'Sermon on the Mount' and is teaching the
crowd how to pray.
"In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven,"
As soon as He started to pray Jesus must have blown the minds of those
around
Him. Why? Because Jesus addressed God as "Father". The Pharisees never used
such a title to address God. But Jesus was showing us that this was the kind
of relationship God desires. A relationship so deep and so personal that we
can call the Creator of the universe 'Dad'. Someone we can share the good
times and the bad, the success' and failures, and the joys and sorrows. When
we laugh, the Lord shares our laughter and when we cry, He cries with us. He
wants to be with you and involved in every aspect of your life.
"Hallowed be Your Name."
In the Greek, the word 'hallowed' means to be pure, blameless, holy. So you
could translate this verse as "Your Name is pure and blameless and holy".
Our
God is a God that simply spoke the word and the universe burst into
existence. He said, "Let there be light," and there was light. The Bible
says that the entire universe cannot contain Him yet at the same time He
lives within our hearts. He is worthy of our praise and praise is what Jesus
is giving the Father in this verse.
"Your kingdom come."
How we long for this prayer to be answered! We're told here to pray for the
Lord to establish His everlasting kingdom. Why should we pray for this?
Isn't
this going to happen regardless of whether we pray for it or not? Well,
prayer is God's way of including us in His plan for mankind. By praying we
are helping God establish the kingdom. Now don't misunderstand me. God
doesn't need us to help Him with anything. But He wants us to take part in
His plan because He loves us and wants us to share in His joy. By the way,
in Revelation 21 we are given a glimpse into the kingdom:
"And God will wipe away from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor
sorrow, nor crying. There will be no more pain, for the former things have
passed away. Then He who sat on the throne said, 'Behold, I make everything
new." Revelation 21:4-5
Come quickly Lord Jesus!
"Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven"
So often we're afraid to turn our lives over to God because we think that as
soon as we do terrible things will happen. Nothing could be farther from the
truth! Jesus said that he came to give us an abundant life! We need to
remember that God also promises us that all things -- not some things -- but
all things work together for the good of those who love God. So even things
that seem bad at the time ultimately turn out for the best.
"Give us this day our daily bread."
Did you notice that we were halfway through the prayer before Jesus asks for
anything? He first gives praise and makes sure that he is doing the Father's
will and goes on from there. What a great example Jesus is giving us. In
this verse we see that we depend on God for every need. So many people don't
realize this. They think that because they're rich or healthy that they
don't need God. What they fail to understand is that it is God who provided
them with their job and keeps them in good health. He provides for them and
He provides for us, too. God knows our every need and cares for each of us.
"And forgive us our debts, As we have forgiven our debtors."
The Bible says that all of us have sinned and have fallen short of the glory
of God. And that sin (which makes us imperfect) separates us from God (who
is perfect). But in His love God provided His own son, Jesus Christ, to die
for our sins and be a sacrifice so that, if we accept Jesus as our Savior,
then we could enter fellowship with God. The Bible says that all our sins
are forgiven. Think about the things God has forgiven you for. Now with all
that forgiven how can you not forgive someone who has sinned against you?
Have you noticed that this prayer is plural? 'OUR Father', 'give US OUR
daily
bread', 'forgives US OUR debts', the reason is that we are told that all
followers of Jesus are part of one family. So when you pray for 'daily
bread', you are praying that God will provide for not only you but also for
Christians in China and Russia and Israel and everywhere else! We are one
family united by the love and the blood of Jesus and we should treat one
another that way.
"And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one."
Now God doesn't tempt us (James 1:13), but He will allow us to be tested.
Keep in mind that we will never be tested beyond what we can endure and He
will help us through it (1 Cor 10:13). So this verse is asking God to help
us avoid sin.
"For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen"
The prayer began with praise and it ends with praise!
Paul Kusiak
<BibleStudyPlanet@aol.com>
http://www.homestead.com/estudies
======================================================
A RAPTURE CHALLENGE: Response to Leah Bourne's article,
The Case for a Pre-Tribulation Rapture
by Ron Wallace
======================================================
Lori included in the latest PZ, an article by Leah Bourne which supports a
pre-trib rapture. Now, not only does it provide a "death-nell" for the
pre-trib position by using Mat. 24:36 as a reference to the rapture, but she
also uses some strange numbers (2250 days for each half of the week) when
trying to explain Daniel's time scheme. Anyway, I offer the following
article (part one) as a response and rebuttal.
In grace,
ron -
A RAPTURE CHALLENGE
Response to Leah Bourne's article,
The Case for a Pre-Tribulation Rapture
Leah offers four points in her attempt to make a case for a Pre-Trib
rapture. She appeals to the reasoning ability of her readers to "see for
yourselves that the problem posed by a post tribulation rapture are
insurmountable." I will appeal to the same ability and challenge the
readers, and Leah as well, concerning the validity of the following
observations.
Leah's first point deals with timing. She writes:
>Jesus repeatedly told the church that we would have no idea when we would
be transformed into our new and improved immortal bodies. "That day and
hour no one knows," is one example of the oft-repeated refrain. So the
Church will be taken from the earth at an unknowable time.
This quote from Jesus is recorded at Matthew 24:36. He is indeed, talking to
his disciples who as the leaders of the new church are representative of the
church and receive the information that Jesus intends as a guideline for the
church. My challenge at this point is simply to recognize that "that day and
hour" that Jesus is talking about refers to the day and hour of his arrival
in the clouds of the sky to gather his people out from the earth, just as He
taught to them later at John 14:1-3, and as Paul taught at 1 Thes. 4:13-17.
How do we know that Jesus is talking about that future "gathering" (rapture)
of his people? We know because of the context, which indicates that the
"day" that Jesus is talking about is the same day described in the verses
immediately prior to verse 36. Observe and evaluate for yourselves this
quotation from the NASB translation.
"But immediately after the tribulation of those days THE SUN WILL BE
DARKENED, AND THE MOON WILL NOT GIVE ITS LIGHT, AND THE STARS WILL FALL from
the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken, and then the sign of
the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth
will mourn, and they will see the SON OF MAN COMING ON THE CLOUDS OF THE SKY
with power and great glory. And He will send forth His angels with A GREAT
TRUMPET and THEY WILL GATHER TOGETHER His elect from the four winds, from
one end of the sky to the other. Now learn the parable from the fig tree:
when its branch has already become tender, and puts forth its leaves, you
know that summer is near; even so you too, when you see all these things,
recognize that He is near, {right} at the door. Truly I say to you, this
generation will not pass away until all these things take place. Heaven and
earth will pass away, but My words shall not pass away. But of that day and
hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the
Father alone" (Matt 24:29-36).
Pretty clear isn't it, unless one tries to juggle and twist the flow of
Jesus' message. He tells them,
1. After the tribulation, the Son of Man is coming back.
2. When He comes back He will use the angels to gather HIS ELECT out from
the earth.
3. He then tells them that when they see "all these things," which refers to
the things described in verses 9-22; the things of the tribulation period,
that THEN He is right at the door.
4. And then He tells them that of the specific day or hour, no one knows.
What day or hour is He talking about? He is talking about the day or hour of
the coming of the Son of Man when he will gather His elect out from the
earth.
5. It is clear that one can know the SEASON and still not know the specific
day or hour - there is a difference. Knowing that His arrival is "imminent"
once the events of the tribulation begin to take place, does not violate the
idea that one cannot know the day or hour, IN fact, it is perfectly
consistent with it.
Leah continues:
>Daniel gives some pretty specific information for those having to endure
the Time of Jacob's Trouble (aka the Tribulation).
This is true, but Leah misinterprets it. It never says that the treaty is
signed 7 years before the return of Christ. The signing of the treaty begins
a time period of seven years which is designed for the completion of God's
plan for Israel. A plan, by the way, which includes using the church. The
first half of this 7-year period is NOT a time of tribulation or of "Jacob's
distress." It is a time of peace and security because of the signing of the
peace treaty. It is unbiblical to call this 7-year period of time, the
tribulation. The time of tribulation begins at the mid-point of that 7-year
period and does not even last for the remaining 3 1/2 years. Just as Jesus
taught, "But when you see the abomination . . . those days will be a
tribulation such has not occurred since the beginning of the creation which
God created, until now, and never shall," (Mark 13:14-19). And at Mark
13:20, He taught that those days of tribulation would actually be shortened.
This does not mean that the individual days will be shortened, but that the
"expected" time period of 1260 days (3 1/2 years) will be shortened, so that
the time of distress will be interrupted by the return of Jesus. This is
because if He does not come back prior to the completion of the 1260 days,
then there would be no lives left to deliver; all flesh would be killed.
Incidentally, Leah also is misrepresenting the actual numbers. She uses 2250
days times two to equal 7 years. The two halves of the 7-year period are
1260 days each, which equals 42 months of 30 days each.
Leah writes:
>Three and one half years later the False Messiah will come to Jerusalem, go
up to the Temple Mount, declare himself ruler of the world, and unveil a
statue of himself that everyone must bow down to. Then, anoth
er 3 and one
half years later, Christ will return visibly with his army.
The confusion lies in failing to distinguish between the arrival of Jesus in
the sky as He Himself predicted (Mat. 24:30), at which time He begins to
administer a program of judgments upon the earth (detailed in the trumpets
and bowls of Revelation), AND His physical descent ONTO the earth at the
battle of Armageddon which is the final event in that program of judgments.
Leah continues:
>Therefore we are anticipating it in the future. But wait! Anyone who sees
the signing of the protection treaty for Israel, or sees the abominable
statue erected on the Temple Mount (live on CNN, I'm sure), only has to read
the Book of Daniel and the Book of Revelation to know exactly when Christ
will visibly return!
Well now, that is EXACTLY what Jesus told us! "When you see these things
happening, KNOW that it is near," (Mk. 13:29). But then He quickly added,
however, you will NOT KNOW the day or the hour. Accordingly, one cannot use
any time-scheme of days to determine upon which one of those days Christ
will return. We can know the season; it will be after the midpoint of the
7-year period, when the covenant of peace is broken. It will be AFTER the
tribulation of those days, which will be ended when Jesus ends it at His
return. We could know the day if we knew the day that the trib would come to
an end, but Jesus said that He was going to cut the days of the time period
short with the result that "no one knows the day or the hour."
Leah continues:
>Daniel gives the figure TO THE DAY - two sets of 2250 days each, to be
exact (each 3 and one half year part is 2250 days!) totaling 7 years. How
can the church still be on earth when these things are taking place, when
Jesus told us we WILL NOT know the day? People living during the Tribulation
will certainly know the day, presuming they can read and they can count.
First of all, like I mentioned earlier, these numbers are wrong. Secondly,
this continues the confusion between the arrival of Jesus in the clouds,
which is a world-wide event; and His physical descent to the earth, which is
a local event in Edom and Palestine. In closing, the real challenge here is
to those who want to use Matthew 24:36 as a reference to the rapture. If you
do, then you must recognize Matthew 24:30-31 as the return of Jesus to
accomplish that rapture - and that return is "after the tribulation of those
days."
R.g. Wallace
<ronw@biblefragrances.com>
http://www.biblefragrances.com
======================================================
Some Points to Ponder - A Response to Ron Wallace
by Leah Bourne
======================================================
Obviously, I disagree with R. G. Wallace's conclusions. God didn't suddenly
just decide to have a Rapture one day in His spare time. It, like
everything, was planned before the creation of the world. Just because it
was not revealed to people until Paul wrote about it does not by any stretch
of the imagination mean Jesus didn't teach about it. Several of Jesus'
teachings are interpreted differently to the church in light of the
revelations to the apostles. For example, Jesus repeatedly told people like
the rich young man that following the law and the commandments was
necessary. Are you then saying the modern, gentile church is in error for
not obeying the law? Of course not. Paul made it plain that the law is
only a measuring stick - it is the spirit and not the letter that counts.
So either Jesus's words must be interpreted differently for the church than
for national Israel, or the Church has been doing things wrong for nearly
2000 years.
Certainly those listening THOUGHT he was referring to the promised kingdom,
but that doesn't mean He was. Like Genesis one and two, Jesus gives an
overview of the Tribulation in Matthew 24:1-31, and then goes back to
illustrate various points by vignettes in verses 32 and onward. Like the
book of Revelation itself, the placement of these cameos is in no way
indicative of when those events start or stop. Each of these cameos stand
alone and are separate descriptions. What is stated in verse 30, the
vignette of the fig tree, has no chronological relationship with the
vignette in vs. 36-39, the days of Noah.
I cannot agree that Matthew 24:28-39 is discussing the second advent.
Again, the vignettes have no chronological relationship to the overview
given in vs. 1-31. And the term "his elect" cannot be demonstrated to refer
to the church - rather it refers to the Tribulation Saints, both Jews and
Gentiles, who become believers during the Time of Jacob's Trouble. Wallace
should at least be consistent in his arguments. If Jesus could not be
referring to the Rapture because it hadn't been specifically taught yet,
then he could not be referring to the church in vs. 31 because it, too, did
not yet exist as a teaching. They were still expecting Jesus to establish
the kingdom at that time, as is clearly indicated by their questions. They
still thought this days later at Passover and at the Crucifixion. If they
had understood the Church at the time of the Sermon on the mount, they would
not have been running away and hiding during the crucifixion. The term "his
elect" simply refers to Tribulation believers and nothing else. That is
simply taking it at face value, and not, as Wallace is doing, trying to read
something into it that isn't there.
As for the first half of the tribulation not being characterized as "wrath,"
it takes a rather determined interpretation of scripture to arrive at that
conclusion. The whole time of Jacob's Trouble, seven years, is described as
the "hour of temptation which shall come upon all the world, to try them
that dwell upon the earth." I'm surprised that anyone would imagine that
just because something *seems* pleasant that it is therefore wholesome.
Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. Whether people choose to
follow the antichrist or not is just as an important part of the tribulation
as the falling fire and brimstone. The fact that most people are unaware
that they are on trial will not change the fact that they are. Pre-wrathers
and mid-tribbers belabor this argument, but the fact of the matter is that
they have no more evidence in scripture saying the tribulation is only 3 1/2
years than pre-tribbers do to say it's the whole 7 years. Nowhere in the
Bible is it said that
the tribulation is only 3 1/2 years. It is pointless to argue that the Bible
doesn't "say" the tribulation is seven years, because it doesn't "say" it's
3 1/2 years, either. That's the pot calling the kettle black. Neither
argument stands alone, which is why you have to examine the rest of the
evidence.
First of all, the doctrine of pre-wrath (which is also basically the
mid-tribulation position) again destroys the doctrine of imminence. Every
single "peace" treaty is televised, discussed to death, and autopsied all
around the world. Counting 3 1/2 years from all of these will eventually
give a correct timing of the midpoint of the tribulation and the start of
"Wrath" - something "no one" in the church is supposed to know.
Also, it is extremely misleading to say that Daniel's covenant confirmed for
one "week" has nothing to do with the timing of the tribulation, because it
obviously does. The first seal, the white horse, shows a conqueror. Just
because he conquers with economics and diplomacy instead of bows and arrows
does not make his subjugation of people any less real. That false "peace"
is just that - false. While the world is unaware they are on trial,
millions of Jews and Tribulation Saints will be fighting for their lives and
livelihoods - refusing the mark of the beast, losing their jobs, losing
access to medical care, losing their homes and cars, prosecuted and
persecuted, and so on. The fact that the vast majority of the world
embraces this politically correct warfare is irrelevant. The battle will be
joined long before the average "joe" on the street figures out what's going
on.
It should also be noted that in Revelation 7:4, in the parenthesis between
the sixth and seventh seal, a vignette is given showing those in heaven at
that time who have been "saved out of the great tribulation." Since Wallace
is arguing that placement in the text is chronology and is important in
these types of vignettes, we have to conclude that the "great tribulation"
is OVER at the end of the sixth seal. That is clearly false.
Wallace continues:
>It never says that the treaty is signed 7 years before the return of
Christ. The signing of the treaty begins a time period of seven years which
is designed for the completion of God's plan for Israel. A plan, by the way,
which includes using the church. The first half of this 7-year period is NOT
a time of tribulation or of "Jacob's distress." It is a time of peace and
security because of the signing of the peace treaty. It is unbiblical to
call this 7-year period of time, the tribulation. The time of tribulation
begins at the mid-point of that 7-year period and does not even last for the
remaining 3 1/2 years. Just as Jesus taught, "But when you see the
abomination . . . those days will be a tribulation such has not occurred
since the beginning of the creation which God created, until now, and never
shall," (Mark 13:14-19). And at Mark 13:20, He taught that those days of
tribulation would actually be shortened. This does not mean that the
individual days will be shortened, but that the "expected" time period of
1260 days (3 1/2 years) will be shortened, so that the time of distress will
be interrupted by the return of Jesus. This is because if He does not come
back prior to the completion of the 1260 days, then there would be no lives
left to deliver; all flesh would be killed. Incidentally, Leah also is
misrepresenting the actual numbers. She uses 2250 days times two to equal 7
years. The two halves of the 7-year period are 1260 days each, which equals
42 months of 30 days each.
My reply:
Yes, I mistyped the number. I apologize. Again, though, I have to say that
it is just as unbiblical to say that the first 3 1/2 years is not part of
the tribulation. The time of trial and judgement begins when the world
accepts "him who comes in his own name," the antichrist. And the
"shortened" argument is hardly innovative - however, it is certainly
unscriptural. God is not a liar. When He says things are going to happen,
they are going to happen. Every single thing listed in the book of
Revelation and the prophets is most certainly going to happen. "Faithful
and true," and Jesus's words. Wallace greatly misunderstands the term
"shortened." It does not mean God is going to change his mind about the
judgements listed and leave most of them off. It means simply that if Jesus
did not intervene, the natural consequences of WW III would be annihilation
of all life on earth. What is shortened is the natural cause and effect
cycle. Jesus interrupts it with his return.
God does not normally change cause and effect - just the opposite, in fact.
The sins of the fathers are passed down to the children to the fourth
generation. Ask any child of an alcoholic. Ask any child of a prostitute.
The ripples spread out. What we receive is grace to deal with situations,
not miraculous erasing of the actions of the past or the natural
consequences. Repenting won't make you un-pregnant, for example. We reap
what we deserve - except this time, when Jesus will step in and stop it.
That is the only "shortening" that will take place. Again, God is not a
liar. When He says the earth will be scorched, all the grass and grain will
be toast, and people will be starving and dying - more scarce than gold - He
meant what He said. The tribulation will last exactly as long as God said
it would: 7 years.
Wallace writes:
>The confusion lies in failing to distinguish between the arrival of Jesus
in the sky as He Himself predicted (Mat. 24:30), at which time He begins to
administer a program of judgments upon the earth (detailed in the trumpets
and bowls of Revelation), AND His physical descent ONTO the earth at the
battle of Armageddon which is the final event in that program of judgments.
My reply:
I don't recall reading anywhere in my Bible in any translation (I have five)
that Jesus hangs around in the air for 3 1/2 or seven years toasting people.
The seals, trumpets and bowls are quite obviously the effects of removing
God's restraint from the world. The result is plainly conventional war
followed by nuclear war. God never has to lift a hand - He simply steps
back and lets that annoying cause and effect take over. God allows us to
bring this world to the brink of extinction. Jesus is plainly shown in
Heaven, opening the seals, releasing the trumpets and bowls during this
time. He's not hanging around in the air anywhere. This is the most
outlandish interpretation I have ever heard.
Wallace writes:
[responding to my comment that anyone in the tribulation who can read and
can count will know exactly when Christ will return.]
>Well now, that is EXACTLY what Jesus told us! "When you see these things
happening, KNOW that it is near," (Mk. 13:29). But then He quickly added,
however, you will NOT KNOW the day or the hour. Accordingly, one cannot use
any time-scheme of days to determine upon which one of those days Christ
will return. We can know the season; it will be after the midpoint of the
7-year period, when the covenant of peace is broken. It will be AFTER the
tribulation of those days, which will be ended when Jesus ends it at His
return. We could know the day if we knew the day that the trib would come to
an end, but Jesus said that He was going to cut the days of the time period
short with the result that "no one knows the day or the hour."
My reply:
This is awfully contradictory. First you say it must be "after" the
tribulation of those days as described by Jesus, the apostles, and the book
of Revelation, then you say no, the tribulation will actually be cut short
and those things will not happen. Make up your mind. Daniel says, "Seventy
weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city." Daniel
himself tells us that the first 69 weeks ended when the Messiah was "cut
off." To be consistent, you have to admit that the very next verse, 9:27,
says, "And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week, and in the
midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to
cease...even until the consummation, that that determined shall be poured
out on the desolate."
Notice the chronology of the wording here:
1) consummation the marriage of the lamb] THEN
2) that determined shall be poured out on the desolate [the tribulation].
Let me reiterate: first the rapture, then the tribulation. Read Jesus' same
promise to the Philadelphia church: "I will keep thee from the hour of
temptation." NOT the hour of "wrath" - the hour of temptation. The whole
seven years includes the first 3 1/2 half years, where people will be
tempted and tried to succumb to the wiles of the antichrist. This is the
last week. People will be tempted to take the mark and be secure, tempted
to turn away at the persecution of those who resist, tempted to shut up
instead of speaking the truth. As I said before, just because the bombs
aren't falling during the first 3 1/2 years doesn't make it any less a trial
and judgment.
Conclusion:
These arguments of Wallace's are not new or innovative, nor can they be
absolutely supported by scripture. Arguing from innuendo (such as claiming
the wrath is only part of the seven years) and wishful thinking (that none
of that ugly stuff at the end is really going to happen because the
tribulation will be "shortened") is not a strong foundation for Biblical
interpretation. The use of overview followed by vignettes is a Semitic style
of writing that has been well documented. The vignettes, like Genesis chp.
2, flesh out the details and enable the reader to piece the big picture
together. Clearly, the days of Noah description is completely incompatible
with the conditions at the end of the tribulation, when people will be
starving, poisoned, and dying. Yet that is the placement of this vignette
in the text. Either God is a liar about the events of the Tribulation or
there is no chronological relationship between the placement of the
vignettes vis-a-vis the overview.
There is ample evidence, on the contrary, that God's timetable is fixed and
knowable. Grant Jeffrey, for one, calculated that the ending of the
punishment for Israel ended TO THE DAY on May 14th 1948. Jesus' entry into
Jerusalem and presentation of the Kingdom happened exactly 483 years to the
day from the time the decree went out to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem,
just as God said. When God says 70 weeks of seven years are determined for
Jerusalem, with one yet remaining, and that the coming treaty for Jerusalem
by the antichrist will cover a seven year period, it seems to me one has to
be willfully obtuse to say the two are not one and the same. The entire
week is a time of trial and temptation - not just the last 3 1/2 years. And
we have Jesus promise that not only are we not destined for wrath, but we
are not destined for the time of temptation, either.
In Christ, Leah.
<peter.leah.bourne@worldnet.att.net>
======================================================
DEVOTIONAL
======================================================
======================================================
Prayer for Wickedness, Remorse, Restoration and Hope
by Kaye Pocklington
======================================================
Dear Father, Who art in Heaven,
We Love You and Thank You for Your Love, Provisions, Grace, Mercy,
Forgiveness and Everlasting Life to come.
Oh, FATHER,
This beautiful Creation made by Your loving Hands for our joy and good is
being radically destroyed, tho we thank You that YOU are ALWAYS in
control!!! Worse, is the way "Your Dear Son and His Church" are being
ridiculed, condemned and persecuted. People who should know better create
much of the horror and delusion, Father, and "WE" need Your help and
intervention. People are sick physically, mentally, emotionally, but MOSTLY,
Spiritually! Man in his foolishness thinks he can survive and do better
"without" acknowledging You, or accepting Your precious FREE Gift of Eternal
Life, which is misunderstood and perverted by the Compromising of Your Pure
Word -- even by some IN the Church.
Precious Saviour, JESUS
There are fears of terrorism, espionage, tyrants out-of-control, experiments
on humans done without their knowledge [to destroy even YOUR people], wars,
pestilence, crime/violence, children out-of-control, natural disasters,
disease, divorce -- desperate situations engulfing our lives -- of which,
WITHOUT YOU, there is NO hope! Lord, we face new dilemmas each day and much
of it comes right out of our own homes -- great division, etc. KEEP all Your
CHILDREN SAFE from all harm!
LORD and REDEEMER,
We hear of nuclear, biological, chemical warfare; chemtrails, bacterium in
food, water, air, etc. Nothing goes untouched -- all intended for total
annihilation and total destruction. EVEN precious little ones succumb to
killing one another, Mom's killing their very own children -- EVEN in their
Wombs -- giving their babies NO choices while denying their God-given right
TO LIFE! Lord, I [we] weep, knowing we have NOT heeded Your voice to
protect, preserve, maintain, appreciate or remain faithful and obedient to
the simplicity of knowing the TRUTH of Your Word! Tho we have dominion over
that which YOU have made, we have "WORSHIPPED creation rather than the
CREATOR." SAVE US, Lord, save us from ourselves!!! There is NO safe place,
LORD ... OUTSIDE of Your LOVING ARMS!
HOLY SPIRIT
We come against the aggressor, the enemy, the devil himself. We bind and
rebuke the works of the devil -- IN JESUS NAME -- and ask You, Lord, to
Preserve, Comfort and Secure Your Own against the enemies attacks on your
Children... Give US Peace, Patience, Perseverance, Purpose in the midst of
great turmoil. No one goes untouched from the many attacks. But YOU, Our GOD
and SAVIOUR, are our Refuge, our Strength, our Joy, our Hope ... our 'very'
present help in times of trouble! You are our Merciful Lord, our Healer, our
Redeemer... Our KING of KINGS, LORD of LORDS, PRINCE of PEACE, First and the
Last, Alpha and Omega, The Author and Finisher of our Faith, Everlasting
Father! You are The GREAT "I AM" - there is NO other.
FATHER
We THANK YOU that YOU are our all Sufficiency... We have NO need, for You
are our Supplier. We have no disease, for You are our Healer. We have no
fear, for You are our Refuge. We have no cares, for You are our Hope. We
have no poverty, for You are our Everything. WE HAVE ALL WE NEED BECAUSE YOU
GAVE "ALL," INDEED!! Thank YOU for JESUS, Your Precious Son, HE is the
GREATEST and ONLY ONE!
We lift all 'these' cares and concerns before thy Throne of Grace. Some day
we shall Look upon Your Lovely Face. Thank YOU Precious LORD -- By MANY, You
are LOVED and ADORED! We ask ALL these things in Your Dear Name Knowing we
no longer have to live in Shame! For US You CAME!! In JESUS NAME.... AMEN!!!
Love, IN CHRIST,
Kaye Pocklington
<Rabbit45@aol.com>
======================================================
POETRY
======================================================
======================================================
Taking It
by Mark Phillips
======================================================
(Here's what I propose: Don't hit back at all. If someone strikes you, stand
there and take it. Matthew 5:39 [The Message])
an enemy's slap is sweet to take,
a foe who all know is a foe is a fool in the eyes of those who watch a quiet
and rollover rebuke
but let a friend strike me,
a trusted ally, a well-liked neighbor,
a former comrade and confidant,
let him misuse my private confessions
and scatter my dark heart over the landscape, let him spew my failures back
in my face till his spit runs down my cheeks mixed with hot tears and
earthly fears
and i faint to stand there and take it
let me box my way out of just this one, remind him of his stupid blunders
too, his slight truths, his pretending at promise keeping, his smug appeal
to holiness and blame to show how the religious really hate righteousness
after all
but if i bruise his ears
he'll batter my ego
till i'm dead twice at his hands
sweet friend, has my offense caused your distance, has my weakness paralyzed
your affection, has my sin caused your silence in withdrawn separation?
i have no heart for defense,
no strength for counterpunches,
my cheek-turning is not Christlikeness now, only distaste for the battle and
weariness of war
hear my heart beat like yours, friend,
take my breath and feel it on your face, we inhale molecules of each other.
Take my hand, squeeze it hard till you feel the blush of my pulse with blood
like yours. Touch my face till my tears run down
your fingers in reunion longing.
i will not fight you, friend,
nor carry on the war one battle longer
but wave the white flag above our cloud of unknowing till you see i never
wanted a fight
i always wanted a friend
peace!!
mark p.
Copyright April 1999
<mailto:lamppoet@minot.com>
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