Current Events

Current Events – Mother Church Woos Back Its Daughters

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On October 31, 1517, the priest and scholar Martin Luther approached the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany and nailed a piece of paper to it containing the 95 revolutionary opinions that would begin the Protestant Reformation.

In his theses, Luther condemned the excesses and corruption of the Roman Catholic Church, especially the papal practice of asking payment—called “indulgences”—for the forgiveness of sins. At the time, a Dominican priest named Johann Tetzel, commissioned by the Archbishop of Mainz and Pope Leo X, was in the midst of a major fundraising campaign in Germany to finance the renovation of St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome.

The term “Protestant” first appeared in 1529, when Charles V revoked a provision that allowed the ruler of each German state to choose whether they would enforce the Edict of Worms. A number of princes and other supporters of Luther issued a protest, declaring that their allegiance to God trumped their allegiance to the emperor. They became known to their opponents as Protestants; gradually this name came to apply to all who believed the Church should be reformed, even those outside Germany.

On the 500th anniversary of Luther’s protest, Catholics and Lutherans plan to celebrate together. Both sides have agreed to set aside centuries of hostility and prejudice. This will be the first centenary celebration in the age of ecumenism, globalization and the secularization of Western societies.

In Geneva, 2013, the Vatican and the Lutheran World Federation released a joint document, “From Conflict to Communion,” that said there is little purpose in dredging up centuries-old conflicts. In the document, the two churches recognize that the celebration requires a new approach, focusing on a reciprocal admission of guilt and on highlighting the progress made by Lutheran-Catholic dialogue over the past fifty years. The report said, “The awareness is dawning on Lutherans and Catholics that the struggle of the 16th century is over. The reasons for mutually condemning each other’s faith have fallen by the wayside.”

Re-examining the history of the Reformation and the split it created, the document states that Luther “had no intention of establishing a new church, but was a part of a broad and many-faceted desire for reform. The fact that the struggle for this truth in the 16th century led to the loss of unity in Western Christendom belongs to the dark pages of church history. In 2017, we must confess openly that we have been guilty before Christ of damaging the unity of the church.”

During the decades since the Catholic Church’s Second Vatican Council (1962-65), Lutherans and Catholics have sought theological common ground and after much ecumenical dialogue have “come to acknowledge that more unites than divides them,” says the document.

The rise of Pentecostal and charismatic movements over the past century “have put forward new emphases that have made many of the old confessional controversies seem obsolete,” it added.

www.history.com/this-day-in-history/martin-luther-posts-95-theses

www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/06/17/500th-reformation-anniversary-catholics-lutherans-to-mark-split-together_n_3454146.html

“In the book of Revelation the prophet describes the scenes of the Gospel age, and he sees in heaven the ark of the testimony. There the holy law of God shines in holy dignity, just as when God wrote it with His own finger on tables of stone. John describes the work that will be done in the last days, when the Protestant churches form a confederacy with the Catholic power, and work against the law of God and against those who keep His commandments.” The Signs of the Times, March 12, 1896.

“With rapid steps we are approaching this period [when the whole Protestant world will be brought under the banner of Rome].” Ibid., March 22, 1910.

Current Events – Global Sunday Push

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Prophecy is fast fulfilling before our eyes today and who is ready to meet this challenge?

There is a continual push from all quarters of the world to close down trading on Sunday. Under the guise of economic reasons or promoting better family relations, this global push is Satan’s attempt to have the whole world worship him on the spurious Sabbath that he originated, the first day of the week.

Sylvia Allen: Ariz. senator proposes mandatory church

According to Allen, the real problem behind the increase in our nation’s gun violence begins with something internal – the soul. And what better way to combat a corroded heart condition? Sunday morning worship.

“It is the soul that is corrupt and how we get back to a moral rebirth in this country, I don’t know,” Allen commented to the state’s appropriations committee. But Allen had a plan – and no matter how much her scheme tramples on the Constitution’s separation of church and state – Allen wants butts in the pews.

“We are slowly eroding religion at every opportunity that we have. We should probably be debating a bill requiring every American to attend a church of their choice on Sunday to see if we can get back to having a moral rebirth,” Allen said.

www.examiner.com/article/sylvia-allen-mandatory-church-ariz-senator-proposes-moral-mandatory-church

“In the fourth and fifth centuries, Sunday shows and Sunday theaters, it was complained, hindered the ‘devotion of the faithful,’ because many of the members attended them in preference to the church services. The church, therefore, demanded that the state interfere, and promote Sunday observance by law. ‘In this way,’ says Neander ‘the church received help from the state for the furtherence of her ends.’ This union of church and state served to establish the Papacy in power. A similar course pursued now will produce the same results.” (AUGUSTUS NEANDER, General History of the Christian Religion and the Church, Torey translation (3rd American ed.), vol. 2, pp. 300,301.) www.markofbeast.net/page3.htm

Protest march Organized by Business and Trade Unions on the Streets of Athens, against Sunday trade (April 2015)

“Protesters gathered at Ermou Street and marched through the streets of Athens passing in front of open shops to condemn Sunday trade … [TRANSLATED] – With concentration and massive March through the streets of Athens Sunday afternoon completed the demonstration organized by sectoral and business clubs in trade and services, associations of Self-employed and Grassroots Committees of the municipality of Athens, in the framework of the nationwide strike in the Trade, with the demand for enshrining the holiday on Sunday.”

www.microsofttranslator.com/bv.aspx?to=&from=&a=http://www.rizospastis.gr/story.do?id=8387871

Declaration Signed in Poland by Catholics, Orthodox and Evangelicals to Protect Sunday (January 2015)

“This year’s Week of Prayer for Christian Unity was a joint appeal for respect for Sunday. Signed (by) all traditions: Orthodox, Evangelical and Catholic. forcing believers to work on Sunday violates the right to freedom of religion.”

“Church leaders remind workers and employers that free Sunday is essential to deepen their faith, family life and human health. The authorities representing the right to call so its protection, noting that forcing believers to work on Sundays violates the right to religious freedom. It is worth recalling that in our civilization circle of Christianity that the right to rest on Sunday became one of the universal human rights. Thus, the possibility of using a free Sunday should extend to all whose work on that day is not absolutely necessary. This right is respected in most European countries with an established democracy.” Marcin Przeciszewski / br, Warsaw, 2015-01-26 http://ekai.pl/dziennikarze_kai/x86011/swieta-niedziela/

Current Events – Earthquakes and Floods

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“The enemy has worked, and he is working still. He is come down in great power, and the Spirit of God is being withdrawn from the earth. God has withdrawn His hand. We have only to look at Johnstown [Pennsylvania]. He did not prevent the devil from wiping that whole city out of existence. [On May 31, 1889, an estimated 2,200 people lost their lives in the Johnstown flood when a dam broke after many days of heavy rains.] And these very things will increase until the close of this earth’s history.” Last Day Events, 25.

“The earth’s crust will be rent by the outbursts of the elements concealed in the bowels of the earth. These elements, once broken loose, will sweep away the treasures of those who for years have been adding to their wealth by securing large possessions at starvation prices from those in their employ. And the religious world, too, is to be terribly shaken, for the end of all things is at hand.” Ibid.

May 2015 – At least 31 people have died as a result of the devastating storms that have ravaged parts of Texas and northern Mexico. More people are still missing. Floodwaters have washed away cars and even a house was seen floating down a river. In Mexico, the epicenter for this severe weather, a tornado killed 13 people. One river surged from 5½ feet to over 40 feet—which is more than three times its flood stage—in less than two hours, sending raging waters through communities.

“ ‘This is the biggest flood this area of Texas has ever seen,’ Gov. Greg Abbott (R) said on Monday, according to Reuters. ‘It is absolutely massive—the relentless tsunami-type power of this wave of water.’

“In its latest report, the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change say that heavy precipitation events in North America and Europe appear to have been growing more frequent and more severe and predict the precipitation events will get worse and surface air temperatures will continue to rise in the coming century.”

www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/05/26/texas-flooding-climate-change_n_7444062.html

April 2015 – A powerful 7.8 earthquake shook Nepal near its capital, Katmandu flattening sections of the city’s historic center. Dozens of sightseers were trapped in a 200-foot watchtower that came crashing down into a pile of bricks. The quake set off avalanches around Mount Everest causing the death of many as the wall of snow and ice took out everything in its path. The ancient city was turned to rubble in a matter of minutes killing many thousands of people and injuring more. The death toll has reached over 8,000 with 18,000 injured and hundreds still missing and unaccounted for.

“By midafternoon, the United States Geological Survey counted 12 aftershocks, one of which measured 6.6.

“Seismologists have expected a major earthquake in western Nepal, where there is pent-up pressure from the grinding of the Indian tectonic plate as is it forced underneath the Eurasian plate to the north.”

www.nytimes.com/2015/04/26/world/asia/nepal-earthquake-katmandu.html?_r=0

There is no safe place on this earth outside of the protection of Christ. We should ask ourselves, “Are our feet on the rock of ages? Are we hiding ourselves in our only refuge? The storm is coming, relentless in its fury. Are we prepared to meet it? Are we one with Christ as He is one with the Father? Are we heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ?” Evangelism, 199.

Current Events – Marriage and Sabbath Polluted

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While Seventh-day Adventists are debating over whether women should be ordained as ministers and the Supreme Court rules that the Constitution guarantees the right of same sex marriage, Pope Francis continues in his world-wide campaign of unifying the churches under the banner of Rome. He has become the first pope in history to visit a Waldensian evangelical church.

“During a two-day visit to northern Italy, Pope Francis attended the Waldensian temple in Turin and has asked Waldensian Christians to forgive the Catholic Church for historic persecution.

The Waldensian church, which was founded in the 12th century, was rejected by the Catholic Church and its members were brutally persecuted during the Middle Ages.

‘On the part of the Catholic Church, I ask your forgiveness, I ask it for the non-Christian and even inhuman attitudes and behaviour that we have showed you,’ said Pope Francis.”

www.catholicherald.co.uk/news/2015/06/22/

In his talk to the Waldensians and representatives of the Methodist, evangelical, Lutheran and other Christian communities, the pope called for Christian unity by making sure people focus on God first and differences later.

Being brothers and sisters in the faith, like in a family, doesn’t mean being identical; it means “having in common the same origins,” he said.

Waldensian Pastor Eugenio Bernardini told the pope his visit represented climbing over a wall that had been erected “eight centuries ago when the Waldensian movement was accused of heresy and excommunicated from the Roman Church.”

The pastor asked: “What was the sin of the Waldensians? Being a movement of evangelization” by laypeople on the move, sharing the Bible in people’s native languages, rather than the Latin.

The pope told young people how to live out real love and hold onto hope in a world that disrespects, uses and deceives people.

www.todayscatholicnews.org/2015/06/pope-asks-waldensians-to-forgive-wrongs-urges-youth-to-love-chastely/

On the surface this unity seems good. After all, it was the theme of Jesus’ prayer in John 17 that “they all be one.” However, this unity can only come about on the foundation of truth. During the U.S. papal visit the pope intends to address Congress on environmental issues, promoting a day of rest—the weekly Sabbath—as a solution. The day being promoted is Sunday, the spurious Sabbath. Both marriage and the Sabbath have been polluted.

“There were two institutions founded in Eden that were not lost in the fall—the Sabbath and the marriage relation. These were carried by man beyond the gates of paradise. He who loves and observes the Sabbath, and maintains the purity of the marriage institution, thereby proves himself the friend of man and the friend of God. He who by precept or example lessens the obligation of these sacred institutions is the enemy of both God and man, and is using his influence and his God-given talents to bring in a state of confusion and moral corruption.” The Signs of the Times, February 28, 1884.

Current Events – The Pope is Coming … Get Social

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The Holy Father will be joining us in Philadelphia for the World Meeting of Families in 2015!

“Go to God for yourselves; pray for divine enlightenment, that you may know that you do know what is truth, that when the wonderful miracle-working power shall be displayed, and the enemy shall come as an angel of light, you may distinguish between the genuine work of God and the imitative work or the powers of darkness. …

“A world is to be warned, and when the third angel’s message goes forth with a loud cry, minds will be fully prepared to make decisions for or against the truth. The great change is to be made by Satan and his evil angels, united with evil men who will fix their destiny by making void the law of God in the face of convincing evidence from His Word that it is unchangeable and eternal.” Selected Messages, Book 3, 389, 390.

The first Pope of the Americas Jorge Mario Bergoglio hails from Argentina. The 76-year-old Jesuit Archbishop of Buenos Aires is a prominent figure throughout the continent, yet remains a simple pastor who is deeply loved by his diocese, throughout which he has traveled extensively on the underground and by bus during the 15 years of his episcopal ministry.

So read the headlines of the World Meeting of Families 2015 Philadelphia.

The Philadelphia schedule closes the 6-day Apostolic Journey of Pope Francis to the United States of America. He is planning on conducting a mass at the cathedral church (the Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul) and meeting with bishops at Saint Charles Borromeo Seminary.

It is ironic that as the head of the Catholic Church, the pope also plans to speak at Independence Hall about religious freedom and immigration. This is the same man who, on the Vatican Radio told the Italian president that the orderly development of “a civil, pluralistic society requires” that the “authentic spirit of religion” not be “confined” to “personal conscience …”

Previously, in his Encyclical Letter of August 15, 1854, Pope Pius IX wrote, “The absurd and erroneous doctrines or ravings in defense of liberty of conscience, are a most pestilential error—a pest, of all others, most to be dreaded in a State.”

“Top Vatican adviser Jeffrey Sachs says that when Pope Francis visits the United States in September, he will directly challenge the ‘American idea’ of God-given rights embodied in the Declaration of Independence.” – Reported by Cliff Kincaid, Western Journalism, May 19, 2015.

The concerns of the founders of the Constitution of the United States of America to protect the citizens by preventing big church to have a say in the governing of the people is still relevant today. This country, the protector of religious freedom is under a blatant attack.

“Then I saw another beast coming up out of the earth, and he had two horns like a lamb and spoke as a dragon. And he exercises all the authority of the first beast in his presence, and causes the earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed. … He causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads. … Here is wisdom, Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man: His number is 666.” Revelation 13:11–18.

Current Events – Pope Francis Allows Priests to Forgive Women Who Had Abortions

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VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis declared Tuesday he is allowing all priests in the church’s upcoming Year of Mercy to absolve women of the “sin of abortion” if they repent with a “contrite heart.”

Reflecting his papacy’s central theme of mercy, Francis said in letter published Tuesday by the Vatican that he has met many women bearing “the scar of this agonizing” decision to abort. He said God’s forgiveness cannot be denied to those who repent, and thus is giving all priests the discretion to absolve the sin in the Holy Year of Mercy running December 8, 2015 until November 20, 2016.

The church views abortion as such as grave sin that, until now, a Catholic woman who wanted to repent for an abortion could not simply go to her local parish priest. Instead, her diocese’s bishop needed to delegate a priest, expert at dealing with such confessions, to hear the woman’s confession.

Francis is making it possible for women to bypass this complicated process and confess directly to any Catholic priest, who can grant absolution if he determines the woman is contrite.

The pontiff said having an abortion is “an existential and moral ordeal. I have met so many women who bear in their heart the scar of this agonizing and painful decision.” The comments draw on Francis’ decades of pastoral experience with rank-and-file faithful in his native Argentina.

“The forgiveness of God cannot be denied to one who has repented, especially when that person approaches the Sacrament of Confession with a sincere heart in order to obtain reconciliation with the Father,” the pope said.

He said that is why he has decided to concede to all priests “the discretion to absolve of the sin of abortion those who have procured it and who, with contrite heart, seek forgiveness for it.”

http://news.yahoo.com/pope-priests-holy-absolve-sin-abortion-123712775.html

In Catholic Church teaching, abortion is such a grave sin that those who procure or perform it incur an automatic excommunication. Usually only designated clergy and missionaries can formally forgive abortions. But not so from December 8, 2015 to November 20, 2016, during an extraordinary Holy Year or “Jubilee” on the theme of mercy, all priests will be authorized to do so.

“Remission of sins can be obtained only through the merits of Christ. On no man, priest or pope, but on God alone, rests the power to forgive sins. ‘Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world’ (John 1:29). ‘As many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God’ (John 1:12). ‘If we say we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth. … But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected’ (I John 1:6; 2:5). This is the message that is to be borne. On this basis Christians are free.” The Review and Herald, June 13, 1899.

With the Speed of Light

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“The heavenly messengers seen by Ezekiel, like a bright light going among the living creatures with the swiftness of lightning, represent the speed with which this work will finally go forward to completion.” Review and Herald, January 11, 1887

The hour has struck, when, because of developments in the formation of the Papal New World Order, the three angels’ messages must be proclaimed to every creature under heaven. As the network of New World Order influence and substance is being drawn together with breathtaking precision and speed, time is running out. The New World Order is global, affecting every nation and individual on the earth; and already legislation is in place in this country that would eliminate freedom, preparing for a sudden strike against the Protestant and republican features of American Constitutional law.

In this time of crisis, when there are millions who have never been brought in contact with the truth, God is making to historic Adventism the most powerful means available for communication the loud cry to the world. The story of how this has happened is the most incredible series of providences I have witnessed in my life.

When I was in college, as I read the Bible and Spirit of Prophecy for hours each day, a tremendous longing welled up within me to carry the message of the three angels of Revelation 14 to the world. Outside the borders of North America, the primary medium of communication is shortwave radio (there are approximately 500,000,000 shortwave radios in the world), and my dream included transmitting in the major language groups the message of The Great Controversy, The Desire of Ages, and the Scriptures, including the three angels’ messages. In the intervening twenty years, I obtained my advanced class amateur radio license while working toward my first class commercial license which is necessary to operate a radio station.

Earlier this fall, on the night of November 3, 1993, from about midnight on, I awoke every hour or two with a powerful impression regarding the proclamation of the message via shortwave. I felt strongly impressed to tell John Osborne in the morning of my dream of giving the gospel and the three angels’ messages by shortwave. That was Thursday morning. Little did I know what was taking place that day.

A shortwave radio station rarely goes on sale, but on Friday, John called the engineer for Joshua and Caleb at Prophecy Countdown, Gordon Simkin, to have him see if any short wave radio stations were available. On Monday morning, Gordon called his old friend, George Jacobs, who is perhaps the world’s leading authority on commercial shortwave radio stations.

A short time before, George had been contacted by the Christian Scientists. They had asked him to become the broker for the proposed sale of their large station in Scott’s Corner, Maine. Though George is not a broker, they recognized him as an authority on shortwave radio and wanted him to manage the sale of their station.

The transmitting power of this station is 500,000 watts—the largest made. This enormous energy is multiplied 100 times by the world’s most sophisticated and powerful shortwave antenna array, suspended between two gigantic towers—placing it in the position of being the most powerful shortwave station in the world. The station is in strategically the best location in the United States for reaching one-half of the world’s population. This station’s antenna is electronically steerable, making it possible to reach Scandinavia, all of Europe, Ukraine, western Russia, Afganistan, India, the Middle East, and the entire continent of Africa!

Though the law forbids targeting the United States with the antenna, the radiation pattern of this antenna provides a backwash of 50,000 watts on the reverse side that reaches clear across North America, making it clearly heard on the West Coast.

George had just received the prospectus on the Friday before John called, which meant that the Lord impressed me at the very time the prospectus for the sale of the most powerful shortwave station in the world was traveling to George Jacobs. George quickly forwarded a copy to Gordon by Federal Express.

Shortwave requires no satellite. The electronic magnetic waves from the antenna bounce off of the earth’s ionosphere, skipping the signal around the earth. This station is so powerful that the signal skips off of the ionosphere, bounces between the ionosphere and the earth at the speed of light, encompasses the globe and hits the antenna on the back side!

Amateur radio operators sometimes endeavor to see how little wattage it takes to encompass the globe and have found that Morse code can be sent around the world with eight watts of power! The advantage of all of this power is that it not only provides a very reliable communication, but it transmits a very strong signal; and, of course, people are inclined to listen to the loudest signal.

Prophecy countdown contacted their attorney. Within a few hours, working from a laptop computer, the attorney was able to turn out a twenty-five page contract which, along with 40,000, was sent to George Jacobs.

Soon after this, George called Prophecy Countdown and told them that the contract they had submitted was one of the finest he had ever seen and complimented them on the skill of their attorney.

Because they were so prompt in being able to put together a contract in a record period of time, the offer made by Prophecy Countdown was very favorably received. Monday evening, a week later, saw John and his family, Gordon, the attorney, and the Prophecy Countdown board flying to Maine to see the station.

It might be appropriate to mention here that the lawyer later added a little light to how he was able to so quickly put together a contract for the purchase of the station.

It seems that about two years earlier he had been strongly impressed that one of his clients would be needing a contract of this nature, and he had begun working on it. The contract was, by nature, very specific in its application and limited in its scope. He had completed his work on it only days before he received the call from Prophecy Countdown requesting a contract of exactly the nature he had been working on for the last two years.

The call from the radio station owners, inviting the board of Prophecy countdown up to Maine to finalize negotiations, resulted in a call to the travel agent. Unfortunately, Thanksgiving holiday is one of the most heavily utilized travel periods, and no seats were available. Not discouraged, the team at Prophecy Countdown sought the Lord in prayer. No sooner had the prayer ended than the phone rang and the travel agent was on the line. She apologized for failing to remember that they had sufficient travel mileage and that for a minimal charge they could be upgraded to first class seating, a few seats of which were still available. Quickly, they requested six seats. A few minutes later it was thought that it would be wise to add another seat for the attorney. They called again, but already the remaining seats were filled.

Tuesday, the Prophecy countdown board met with the Christian Scientists. The station, built for $7.2 million in 1987, could not be rebuilt for less than $10 million. Knowing that the assessed value is $8 million, Prophecy Countdown offered $4 million. An agreement was reached, accepting 40,000 as a down payment, with a total figure of $5 million, and a contract was signed.

Ross Perot, the Roman Catholics, and the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, it turns out, were also contenders for the purchase. Adventist World Radio had to vote to buy the station; however, there were reviews by two more committees required. That would have taken until spring.

When one considers the ability of this station to reach billions of people, constituting half of the world’s population, and all the world’s population with additional equipment, this station is far and away the most cost effective way of reaching—instantly—the world’s population with the three angel’s messages. Even the remote, nomadic tribes on the earth have shortwave receivers.

It is the Lord’s doing, marvelous in our eyes. The effort in the proclamation of the message is to be borne by several ministries. Programming is to be developed and aired by Prophecy Countdown, Steps to Life, Biblical Studies Institute, and Modern Manna Ministries. We are committed to the proclamation of the three angels’ messages—the bread of life—for a starving world.

It is the will of God that the gospel commission be completed. Here is the finest technological tool in the world to instantly complete the proclamation of the gospel. There are other stations that are as strong, but none are stronger.

When the opportunity presented itself and a call was made, in a few months God’s people raised $1.2 million for Caleb and Joshua, to proclaim the message by satellite TV to the northern half of the Western Hemisphere. The next challenge of faith is to purchase much of the rest of the world with the three angels’ messages. We are well able to go up and possess the land, to purchase and operate this station by faith in Christ.

Thanksgiving weekend, at the campmeeting in northern Georgia, a series of meetings was broadcast by Caleb and Joshua. In an amazingly short period of time, God’s people raised a quarter of a million dollars toward the goal of $400,000 that must be raised by January 17, 1994, the balance of $4.6 million to be paid by May 16, 1994.

“Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, [even] unto the end of the world. Amen.” Mathew 28:19, 20

“And Jesus said unto them,…If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.” Matthew 17:20. This mountain of expense for the station is to be met with the demand of faith.

As the Lord impresses your heart to give to the support of this station, you can be a vital part of the proclamation of the Loud Cry by sending your contribution, marked “Shortwave Station” to Prophecy Countdown, Box 1844, Mount Dora, Florida, 32757.

The End

Current Events – The Red Moon – A Harbinger of Doom?

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The moon passed through Earth’s shadow on Sunday, September 27, in a dazzling total lunar eclipse during a perigee full moon, better known as a “supermoon.”

Supermoons occur when the moon reaches its full phase at or near the satellite’s closest approach to Earth, and appears abnormally large and bright as a result. The September 27 event is quite special; the last supermoon eclipse occurred in 1982, and the next won’t take place until 2033. The total lunar eclipse wowed sky-gazers around the world with a dazzling show as the full perigee moon crossed into Earth’s shadow and took on a blood-red hue. http://news.yahoo.com/supermoon-lunar-eclipse-2015-full-blood-moon-coverage-212938334.html.

According to ancient Jewish tradition, a lunar eclipse is a harbinger of bad things for Israel. If that eclipse is blood red, that is a sign that war is coming. And blood red moons that happen during Biblical festivals seem to be particularly significant. There was a “tetrad” of blood red moons that fell during Passover 1967, the Feast of Tabernacles 1967, Passover 1968 and the Feast of Tabernacles 1968. And of course the 1967 war during which Israel took full control of Jerusalem took place during that time period. There was also a “tetrad” of blood red moons that fell during Passover 1949, the Feast of Tabernacles 1949, Passover 1950 and the Feast of Tabernacles 1950. If you know your history, you already are aware that the Israeli War of Independence ended on July 20th, 1949. So does the blood red moon tetrad of 2014 and 2015 signal that another season of war is now upon us?

The Jewish Talmud (book of tradition/interpretation) says, “When the moon is in eclipse, it is a bad omen for Israel. If its face is as red as blood, (it is a sign that) the sword is coming to the world.”

Whether or not this is a coincidence, Jesus did warn that there would be signs in the heavens before He would return.

“The savior gives signs of His coming, and more than this He fixes the time when the first of these signs shall appear: ‘Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: and then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven.’ ” The Faith I Live By, 344. [Emphasis added.]

While we do indeed need to be mindful of Bible prophecy, our main efforts should be striving to be among the 144,000, which involves overcoming the world, the flesh, and the devil.

Note this counsel: “Our only sure defense against besetting sins is prayer, daily and hourly prayer. Not one day zealous and the next careless, but through watchfulness and earnestness becoming vitalized by intercourse with God.” Our Father Cares, 244.

If we are familiar with God’s word though daily study, we will not only recognize end-time events as they occur, but we will also be prepared in heart and home to meet each day’s challenges as they occur.

Current Events – Cancer and Meat Eating

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World Health Organization

Press Release No. 240

Lyon, France, 26 October 2015 – The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), the cancer agency of the World Health Organization, has evaluated the carcinogenicity of the consumption of red meat and processed meat.

Red meat

After thoroughly reviewing the accumulated scientific literature, a Working Group of 22 experts from 10 countries convened by the lARC Monographs Programme classified the consumption of red meat as probably carcinogenic to humans (Group 2A), based on limited evidence that the consumption of red meat causes cancer in humans and strong mechanistic evidence supporting a carcinogenic effect.

This association was observed mainly for colorectal cancer, but associations were also seen for pancreatic cancer and prostate cancer.

Processed meat

Processed meat was classified as carcinogenic to humans (Group 1), based on sufficient evidence in humans that the consumption of processed meat causes colorectal cancer.

Meat consumption and its effects

The consumption of meat varies greatly between countries, with from a few percent up to 100% of people eating red meat, depending on the country, and somewhat lower proportions eating processed meat.

The experts concluded that each 50 gram portion of processed meat eaten daily increases the risk of colorectal cancer by 18%.

“For an individual, the risk of developing colorectal cancer because of their consumption of processed meat remains small, but this risk increases with the amount of meat consumed,” says Dr Kurt Straif, Head of the lARC Monographs Programme. “In view of the large number of people who consume processed meat, the global impact on cancer incidence is of public health importance.”

The lARC Working Group considered more than 800 studies that investigated associations of more than a dozen types of cancer with the consumption of red meat or processed meat in many countries and populations with diverse diets. The most influential evidence came from large prospective cohort studies conducted over the past 20 years.

Public health

“These findings further support current public health recommendations to limit intake of meat,” says Dr Christopher Wild, Director of lARC. “At the same time, red meat has nutritional value. Therefore, these results are important in enabling governments and international regulatory agencies to conduct risk assessments, in order to balance the risks and benefits of eating red meat and processed meat and to provide the best possible dietary recommendations.”

This should not come as a surprise to Seventh-day Adventists who for 150 years have been warned of the dangers of eating flesh meats.

“Flesh meats constitute the principle article of food upon the tables of some families, until their blood is filled with cancerous and scrofulous humors. Testimonies, vol. 3, 563 (1875).

“From the light God has given me, the prevalence of cancer and tumors is largely due to gross living on dead flesh.” Councils on Diet and Foods, 388 (1896).

“People are continually eating flesh that is filled with tuberculosis and cancerous germs. Tuberculosis, cancer, and other fatal diseases are thus communicated.” Ibid (1905).

“Cancers, tumors, and pulmonary diseases are largely caused by meat eating.” The Review and Herald, March 3, 1910.

Current Events – Syria War History

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There is a steady trend of events which the wise will understand. “Many shall be purified, and made white, and tried, but the wicked shall do wickedly: and none of the wicked shall understand; but the wise shall understand.” Daniel 12:10

“And at the time of the end shall the king of the south (1) push at him (2): and the king of the north (3) shall come against him (2) like a whirlwind, with chariots, and with horsemen, and with many ships; and he (2) shall enter into the countries, and shall overflow and pass over. He (2) shall enter also into the glorious land (4), and many countries shall be overthrown: but these shall escape out of his (2) hand, even Edom, and Moab, and the chief of the children of Ammon. He (2) shall stretch forth his hand also upon the countries: and the land of Egypt shall not escape. But he (2) shall have power over the treasures of gold and of silver, and over all the precious things of Egypt: and the Libyans and the Ethiopians shall be at his (2) steps. But tidings out of the east and out of the north shall trouble him (2): therefore he (2) shall go forth with great fury to destroy, and utterly to make away many. And he (2) shall plant the tabernacles of his (2) palace between the seas in the glorious holy mountain; yet he (2) shall come to his end, and none shall help him (2). Daniel 11:40–45.

Meaning of the symbols of Daniel 11:40–45:

  1. king of the South – “… governments ruling the southern part of Alexander’s empire.” God Predicts Your Future, John J. Grosboll, 1994, page 248.
  2. him – [the Papacy], Ibid., 247.
  3. king of the North – “… government ruling the northern part of Alexander’s empire (now a stronghold for the religion Mohammed.)” Ibid.
  4. glorious land – “… refers to the land of Palestine (Ezekiel 20:6, 15), a symbol of the heavenly inheritance of the saints (Hebrews 11:9, 10). Ibid.

“During the wars and revolutions which for long ages succeeded, these geographical boundaries were frequently changed or obliterated; old ones were wiped out, and new ones instituted. But whatever changes might occur, these first divisions of the empire must determine the names which these portions of territory should ever afterward bear, or we have no standard by which to test the application of the prophecy.” Daniel and the Revelation, 250.

“Cassander was very soon conquered by Lysimachus, and his kingdom, Greece and Macedon, annexed to Thrace. And Lysimachus was in turn conquered by Seleucus, and Macedon and Thrace annexed to Syria.” Ibid.

Rise of Islamists

2013 June – Government and allied Lebanese Hezbollah forces recapture strategically-important town of Qusair between Homs and Lebanese border. Rebel commanders complain that arms supplies taper off over international concerns about Islamists in the opposition camp.

2013 July – Saudi-backed Ahmed Jarba becomes leader of opposition National Coalition, defeating Qatar-backed rival. 2013 September – UN weapons inspectors conclude that chemical weapons were used in an attack on the Ghouta area of Damascus in August that killed about 300 people, but do not explicitly allocate responsibility for the attack.

2013 October – President Assad allows international inspectors to begin destroying Syria’s chemical weapons on the basis of a US–Russian agreement.

2013 December – US and Britain suspend “non-lethal” support for rebels in northern Syria after reports Islamist rebels seize some bases of Western-backed Free Syrian Army.

2014 January–February – UN-brokered peace talks in Geneva fail, largely because Syrian authorities refuse to discuss a transitional government.

2014 March – Syrian Army and Hezbollah forces recapture Yabroud, the last rebel stronghold near the Lebanese border.

2014 May – Hundreds of rebels are evacuated from their last stronghold in the central city of Homs. The withdrawal marks the end of three years of resistance in the city.

2014 June – UN announces removal of Syria’s chemical weapons material complete.

‘Caliphate’ in east

Islamic State of Iraq and Syria militants declare “caliphate” in territory from Aleppo to eastern Iraqi province of Diyala.

2014 August – Tabqa airbase, near the northern city of Raqqa, falls to Islamic State militants, who now control entire Raqqa province.

2014 September – United States and five Arab countries launch air strikes against Islamic State around Aleppo and Raqqa.

2015 January – Kurdish forces push Islamic State out of Kobane on Turkish border after four months of fighting.

2015 March – Opposition offensives push back government forces. New Jaish al-Fatah (Army of Conquest) Islamist rebel alliance, backed by Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Qatar, captures provincial capital of Idlib.

Southern Front alliance of secular and Islamist groups take Jordanian border crossing at Nassib

2015 May – Islamic State fighters seize the ancient city of Palmyra in central Syria, raising concerns that they might destroy the pre-Islamic World Heritage site. They also capture last border crossing to Iraq.Jaish al-Fatah takes control of Idlib Province, putting pressure on government’s coastal stronghold of Latakia.

2015 June – Islamic State and Kurdish fighters intensify fighting between Raqqa and Turkish border. Kurds take Ain Issa and border town of Tal Abyad, Islamic State attacks Kobane and seizes part of Hassakeh, the main city in north-eastern Syria.

2015 September – Russia carries out first air strikes in Syria, saying it targets the Islamic State group. But West and Syrian opposition say it overwhelmingly targets anti-Assad rebels instead.

www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-14703995